《The Dawn Of The New World》


 Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

    <h4>Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End</h4>


    6th November, 1993.


    The sky was covered with ck clouds. The cold rain fell hard, threatening to drown out everything in existence.


    Xinjiang, China. In a small private clinic, a baby boy was born between two of the most influential families of the area.


    The surroundings were mostly vast open regions of dry deserts and mountains so having ess to any kind of medical facilities was a huge deal.


    He was given the name Kong Hao Xuan by his mother which had brave/heroic and dignified characteristics.


    He didn''t look particrly heroic though.


    With dark hair and fair skin, his only noticeable feature was the color of his eyes, which were light green.


    He was born at a very strange time.


    The marriage between his parents was a political one and neither of them had any say in the matter. Soon after the marriage, they separated, which at the time, was considered very shameful so no news of this was leaked.


    The marriage was scraped from the records as if it had never happened, leaving Hao Xuan without a ce to belong.


    Yet the heavens were not blind.


    The boy was adopted by his mothers'' eldest brother who couldn''t have children of his own.


    Theirs was a very conservative and old-school family. All the male siblings lived with their parents even after marriage and his birth mother also lived with them because she couldn''t go to her ''husbands''.


    So in one mansion, there lived about 15 people.


    They weren''t wealthy but were well enough off to not have to worry about much.


    "Grandpa, can I have some ice cream, please?" the 6-year old Hao Xuan held onto his maternal grandfather''s shirt as they walked past a shop.


    The old man smiled gently, his many wrinkles proof of a long, fulfilling life.


    "Of course, anything my little Hao wants, he can have," he said ruffling Hao Xuan''s hair.


    Hao Xuan was his maternal grandfathers favorite out of all the family members, even among his own sons. He spoiled him and gave him everything he could ever want, that is up until his age caught up to him and he couldn''t move around much.


    Hao Xuan ran into his grandfather''s room with a pair of keys. His face red from excitement.


    "Grandpa, can we go to the park?" he asked while jumping up and down in circles like a little rabbit.


    The old man smiled seeing his animated self.


    "Haha, of course, just let grandpa rest a little bit and then we will go. Is your dad back yet?"


    *Plop*


    All the excitement that had built up suddenly dissipated like a vapor. Hao Xuan lowered his head started ying with the car keys.


    "I-I don''t know. Can we go without him...?" he mumbled.


    The old man saw the sudden change in Hao Xuan''s behavior and sighed. There was nothing he could do here. Hao Xuan was too young to understand and his son was too stubborn and old fashioned to change his ways.


    He got up and held Hao Xuan in his embrace.


    "Alright, let''s go before hees back," he said with a wink and a grin.


    Hao Xuan''s face lit up like antern as he bobbed his little head up and down.


    His adopted father was in the military, but soon after Hao Xuan was born he retired and went to the US in search of better opportunities. He visited every 2 years and every time he came back, Hao Xuan would feel like his world wasing to an end.


    Because for some reason, he was hated by the person who imed to be his father, who never even used his real name and instead called him "bastard" and yelled at him every chance he got.


    "This isn''t how my friend''s dad is..." Hao Xuan used to think to himself whenever he was alone.


    When Hao Xuan was 9 years old, his grandfather suddenly passed away. And soon after, the attitude of his entire family changed. This spoiled young master now became a nobody in mere days.


    "Oi, pick up your stuff. Your cousin needs this room for his toys," his oldest uncle said to him 6 days after his own father''s funeral.


    "B-But this is my room...."


    *p*


    "Did I ask for your opinion? Pack up your shit and go to the back of the house. Your new room is there," the 30-something old man replied and walked out in a huff, not wanting to look at Hao Xuan''s face for a second longer.


    Holding back his tears, the 9-year-old grabbed a handful of clothes and some toys and went to the back of the mansion where a storage shed awaited him.


    It was filled with junk. There were cockroaches and rats scurrying around under the single flickering light. There was no fan, no window, not even a bathroom.


    "Good, you''re here," a voice came from behind, startling him. He turned around and saw his favorite aunt standing there with a broom. She was the wife of the man that had just thrown him out of his room. His face still itching from the p.


    "First aunty! Uncle he sai-"


    "Clean this ce up. I''lle back to check in an hour," the woman cut in, "I better not see any dust then. And don''t break anything, you can''t afford it," she said while throwing him the broom.


    She threw a disdainful nce towards the dazed Hao Xuan before leaving.


    Hao Xuan stood there alone, holding his clothes and toys in one hand, and an old broom in the other.


    "But...why?"


    He would ask this question a lot. To himself, and to others, but never really got an answer, or one that satisfied him at least.


    "No, it must be a mistake. I must have done something bad, that''s why everyone is treating me like this," he said to himself and got to work.


    "Aunty I cleaned the shed," an hourter he ran into the kitchen covered in dust from head to toe but still smiling.


    His 4 cousins were sitting around the table having lunch. They nced at him once before going back to eating the fried pieces of meat on their tes.


    His stomach rumbled looking at the delicious food.


    "Good, here, eat this and go to sleep," his aunt handed him a te.


    With a toothy grin he grabbed it with weing arms but froze upon seeing its contents.


    There were some half-eaten pieces of stale bread, a couple of pieces of burnt meat that looked like charcoal and a jelly-like substance that smelled like rotten fish.


    "But....the meat...." Hao Xuan looked over at the still sizzling pieces on his cousin''s te.


    "Enough, get out of my sight. Let your cousins eat in peace, go!" she waved her hand like she was shooing away a stray dog.


    Hao Xuan wasn''t hurt by theck of food on his te but more by the sudden difference in treatment. With a lowered head he walked back to his ''room'' and cried silently.


    And just like that, it became his new reality.


    Hao Xuan never understood why his own family treated him the way they did. He thought maybe it was his fault, maybe there was something wrong with him. So instead of ever fighting back, he just endured it all.


    Trying to justify their actions, he didn''t say a single word and cried himself to sleep for the next couple of years.


    His only sce during this time was his third aunt, his birth mother, who treated him better than everyone else, but he didn''t know why, and she couldn''t tell him either.


    So from the sidelines she saw how her own brothers treated her only child. She cried and begged them to let her leave with him, saying they wouldn''t ever have to see either of them again, but they refused, saying "what will the people say?"


    So she suffered, and he suffered.


    But soon after, he became dull to the pain as it was a part of his daily life. That''s how he spent his teenage years.


    He went to a local public school where he aced every single subject without even studying much, but no one cared.


    A few students even tried to bully him once when the news of his ''situation'' got out.


    "Hahaha, look at this retard trying to act normal. Oi, you don''t belong here!"


    *Kick*


    "What? You gonna cry home to daddy? Oh, wait, you don''t have one! Hahaha~"


    "Still though, I can''t believe this bastard was trying to be one of us."


    Some of the older boys cornered Hao Xuan on his way back from school.


    "What do you want from me?" Hao Xuan asked wiping away the blood from the side of his mouth.


    "Nothing," one of the boys shook his head with a grin, "We just wanted to remind you of the truth. That no one wants you. Even you''re own family threw you away, who else would dare love a thing like you?"


    "I heard even his own father left the country because he didn''t want to see his face."


    "But....I never did anything to you guys, why...are you doing this?"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t wrap his mind around the current situation. He had never even talked to these guys so why were they bullying him?


    "Honestly, because we''re bored, hahaha~" replied thergest of them who seemed to be their leader as well.


    Raising his right leg he kicked once again.


    *Kick*


    *Kick*


    "You stupid...loser!


    *Kick*


    "How dare you look at me? Huh?"


    *Kick*


    When he raised his leg for the sixth time, he felt a tug on his trouser.


    Looking down he saw a pair of bright green eyes staring back at him. For a couple of seconds, he got lost in them.


    "W-What? You wanna fi-" he spoke dazedly but was pulled downward before he could finish.


    Hao Xuan, who had picked up a broken brick from somewhere nearby, pulled his arm as far back as it would go before bringing it down on the boy''s now lowered head.


    *Thud*


    *Squelch*


    Blood sttered onto Hao Xuan''s face and chest, dying his white shirt crimson. A heart-wrenching scream came out of the boy''s mouth as he grabbed the side of his head and fell backwards.


    "W-What did you do!?" he shouted mindlessly, still in shock.


    "Why? Why me?" Hao Xuan mumbled with vacant eyes and raised the brick once again.


    The boy''s eyes narrowed as he raised his hand to protect his head. The others were frozen stiff, only able to watch as the scene unfolded in front of their eyes.


    "S-Sto-"


    *Thud*


    *Thud*


    *Thud*


    "Would you have stopped if I had asked?"


    *Thud*


    *Thud*


    By the time Hao Xuan came to his senses, the boy had long passed out. Heid in a pool of his own blood and urine, looking more like a pig than a human being.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even remember what had happened, the only thing that stayed with him was the feeling of striking another person. The numb sensation of flesh being torn apart and bones breaking into pieces. The feeling was like electricity coursing through his body, awakening something deep inside of him.


    It was....exhrating!


    The boy''s parents found out but could do nothing more thanin to his uncles. For this was a faraway town and his family held a lot of power here.


    That night when everyone else had gone to sleep, both of his uncles proceeded to beat him ck and blue. They left him in a slightly better condition than he left the boy in. He wouldn''t be getting any food for a week.


    But he didn''t need food. Heid in his tattered bed for an hour or so before passing out from the pain. But strangely enough, he slept like a king that night, feeling content for some strange reason.


    ***


    His aunt woulde to him in secret every other day after sunset with food and she would tell him stories of a better life. That''s what he would dream about every night.


    Hao Xuan wasn''t really allowed to go outside much after the incident, other than when he was running errands for others. So his world was very small. He didn''t have a TV so couldn''t know about the outside world.


    When he turned 15, his aunt gave him an oldptop with an inte connection that she had secretly set up with the neighbor''s help. Every night before going to sleep he would browse different forums and posts and talk to people from all over the world. It was then that he found out that his situation wasn''t normal.


    Over the next two years, he learned English with the help of an American girl he had befriended and became fluent. Apparently, he had a knack fornguages as he picked up a few others with little effort.


    Life continued like this, and he was content.


    You would think after being treated the way he was, one would develop some sort of a noble goal in life, like to get revenge on his uncles and their families or just move out and live freely, but no.


    Hao Xuan just lived day to day, never made any ns, never really hated anyone or loved anyone. Even his aunt, who heter figured out was his mother, he never really loved her how a child would love his or her parents.


    Everything just was. That is until the world ended.


    ****


    A bit after his 19th birthday, on December 21st 2012, everything changed.


    As usual, he was in his "room" on his oldptop chatting with his online friends.


    They were looking at a live stream of some native Americans who had gathered together because they believed, like many others, that the world as they knew it would end on that very day, and they were waiting for it.


    One of his American friends had brought this to his attention. And he thought it was pretty interesting and imagined what would happen if everything really did end. It turned out he didn''t really care either way. There wasn''t anything that could get his blood pumping anymore.


    He might as well be dead inside.


    Pretty soon Hao Xuan got sleepy and said goodbye to his friends and logged off as he had to get up early in the morning.


    Heid down on his broken mattress and soon enough, dozed off. But it wasn''t long until he was woken up by an extremely loud high-pitched sound, sounding right next to his ear.


    Thinking that it was one of his cousins messing with him again, he got up slowly and opened the door but there was no one outside. He looked around but still found nothing. Yet the sound could be heard as clear as day, and it was blowing right next to his ear.


    He ran out on to the street only to find the neighbors looking around as well.


    He went up to one of them and asked "Do you know what''s going on?", but no sound came out of his mouth.


    He tried speaking again, but the result was the same. He looked at the neighbor who was as shocked as him. They both tried to talk several times but nothing happened.


    Hao Xuan ran back into the house, picked up a pen and paper and as he was running out he saw all of his uncles and cousins finallying out as well.


    They naturally ignored him and went past. He found his mother and wrote down "Can you hear anything?" on the paper, she nodded while taking the pen and paper from his hands and wrote down "Horn?" on it.


    They both looked at each other and slowly walked outside as well.


    This went on for about 10 minutes, during which time no other sounds could be heard, be it the sound of a car engine or a gun, no other sound existed at that point other than the ''horn''. And then suddenly, it stopped.


    Everyone started looking around. They tried to talk to each other and it seemed like all was well once again. But then they heard another voice, inside their heads this time, the voice of a man, sounding somewhat disappointed.


    Almost like a father looking at his failed children.


    "It has been 200,000 years since humanity was created. You have evolved greatly. From the bottom of the food chain, you havee to the very top. Colonizing everything from the deserts and mountains to the jungles, you havee far....far indeed" the voice said.


    "But it is a shame to see that you have not learned "control". Instead of prospering and venturing outwards, you have killed each other by the millions, and with one intention or another, you have brought about your own destruction, and the destruction of the very that gave you shelter from the horrors of the abyss."


    The ground started to vibrate slowly.


    "We have watched, and we have sent you our apostles, to foretell the end if you continued on this course, but you have ignored all of the signs and warnings, and profited from the misery of each other and lived in ignorance. And now the end is nigh, and all is for naught."


    Hao Xuan''s heart was thumping like a drum, maybe for the first time since he was born, his blood was rushing through his veins in anticipation of what was toe. Unlike others, he didn''t care much for this world, so even dying wouldn''t bother him that much.


    The voice continued.


    "We made this little as a safe haven for you, with not much danger to your well being... at least not as much aspared to what ising. We gave you a near perfect body, with limitless potential for evolution, but not a single one of you could reach even .0001% of it. Tis a shame indeed."


    At this point, Hao Xuan couldn''t focus on anything else. He was only listening to that voice in his head, waiting¡­


    "Your time is up. Humanity was supposed to have reached the stars by now, but you barely reached your own moon. So we had to intervene. No longer will you be protected from the darkness, but all that you desire will be will have to be traded for your own sweat and blood."


    "Humanity will be sent to one of the Seven Origins, where you will have to etch out a new life. This ce is bigger than your current world by several hundred thousand times, filled with creatures and beings from the ancient era. Things that you have nightmares about are food to these beings. It is not unusual to see creatures bigger than this itself even."


    It seemed like the owner of the voice was recalling some old memories as he spoke of what was toe.


    "But everything must be bnced. So we will unlock your potential and awaken your long lost abilities, so as long as you work hard, any one of you can be strong enough to destroy your enemies with a single thought and leave that ce for one of the other worlds."


    "Remember, you are not special, you are not the apex predator, you are less than worm food as you are now. There are millions of races out there, and you are nothing in front of them."


    "Stick together, support each other, fight for your very survival, for that is the only way."


    "DEFY THE HEAVENS, AND ASCEND!"


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The ground cracked, sending them all down to on their knees.


    "Little Hao!" his mother shouted from a few feet away, trying to reach out and hold on to him, but it was no good.


    Before Hao Xuan could do anything else, everything went white.


    There was no sound, there was nothing to see nor to touch. Hao Xuan''s body started to expand and then suddenly shrunk out of existence.


    ****


    Hao Xuan regained consciousness and slowly opened his eyes only to be met with a blinding light.


    It took him a few minutes to get used to it. He looked around but didn''t recognize any thing or any one.


    He was surrounded by thousands of people, some waking up, some stillying unconscious.


    There was greenery all around him but it was not from nt life, but the floor itself was green.


    He was out in the open somewhere. As he looked up towards the sky, his vision was blocked by anotherrge piece of green sheet right above him. He tried to take a step forward when he was met with extreme pain shooting through his body.


    With a scream and a thud, he copsed on to the ground.


    *Argh!*


    The pain was horrific, like hot needles being pierced into every single cell of his body. It was worse around his eyes which felt like they were burning up from inside out.


    After a few minutes the pain subsided. He gathered his strength stood up once again. Moving through the crowd he reached the end of the area.


    After about 20 minutes of walking, he finally got close to the edge and peered down, only to be met with nothing but whiteness. Pure white, as far as the eye could see. He squinted and looked upwards and was shocked!


    There were Nine moons and Three suns shining brightly in the sky.


    Hao Xuan stood there for several minutes, trying to take in everything he was seeing. The beauty and the majesty of whatever this ce was.


    There was a loud noise right below him. He looked down and saw a humongous winging out of the white ground, and then the "ground" moved like water, giving way. Hao Xuan then realized that it was not the ground, but ayer of clouds, and he was above them.


    The wing was so immenselyrge that he couldn''t even see as to what creature it was attached to, but at least the clouds had moved enough for him to see what was under them.


    So he squinted and tried to catch a glimpse of this "New World", only to be met with nothing but darkness, where he could even see his own reflection.


    Stupefied, he just stared at it and suddenly, his reflection started going further away until he realized that it was an eye of some creature. An eye so massive that it was like looking at an ocean.


    Hao Xuan''s legs went limp and he fell on his back. He started sweating like a pig, finally realizing that for better or worse, the world that he knew hade to an end.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Tree Reference image: https://i.imgur/5LbPmQD.jpg


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/h2wif

 Chapter 2: The New World

    <h4>Chapter 2: The New World</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s legs went limp and he fell on his back, sweating like a pig on a midsummer''s day, finally having realized that everything had changed.


    As he wasying on the ground, he was both exhrated and scared out of his mind. The reality of the situation set in and he understood that nothing would ever be the same. The security of his broken home, his oldptop, his friends, he will not get to see any of that ever again.


    And while Hao Xuan was sitting there thinking to himself, a young man walked up to him with hurried steps. A bulky guy with short brown hair, whiteplexion, quite tall for someone of his age.


    He ran up to Hao Xuan and bent down beside him, "Hey man, are you okay? Can you hear me? Just try to breathe dude, you''re fine" he said worriedly.


    Hao Xuan took his advice and started taking a few deep breaths, finally calming down. He looked at him with a slightly confused expression, "Do I know you?"


    "Oh you''re okay now, hahaha you had me worried there man, thought you were gonna have a heart attack or something, but now that I look at you, that''s pretty unlikely eh?" he said with a big smile stered all over his face.


    "Hmm." was the best response Hao Xuan could think off. Barely having talked to anyone in real life in thest few years, his social etiquette was cking" to say the least.


    "My name is Maaz, Maaz Khan, what''s your name? You''re Chinese right?" he said extending his hand to help Hao Xuan up.


    Hao Xuan stared at his hand for a few seconds and then looked at his face thinking, ''Quite a wide face this guy has'' and then grabbed his hand.


    "Yes, I''m Chinese, are you American? You sound like a cowboy," Hao Xuan said looking at him. There was a hint of the infamous southern states in his ent.


    "Haha, I should be the one saying that, haven''t seen a lot of Asians speaking such fluent English," he saidughing.


    "Um, thanks, I guess" Hao Xuan said in a low voe, chalking up his ignorance to ack of exposure. He started moving towards the edge once more and looked down but it was all white again. A sea of clouds, like it was never touched.


    "Are you afraid of heights? I am. I get dizzy every time I look down" Maaz said as he walked up next to Hao Xuan. He inhaled deeply through his wide nostrils, asking, "Do you smell it?"


    Hao Xuan frowned and then sniffed but couldn''t smell anything strange, so he shook his head, "Smell what?"


    "The air, it''s so clean. It''s like breathing in pure oxygen, I get a little buzz every time I take in a deep breath. God, I hope I don''t get addicted to this, it''s not gonna be easy when you''re addicted to the damn atmosphere itself," he said giggling like a kid.


    "You''re right," Hao Xuan said as he also breathed deeply. They stood there for a few mins, just looking around and noticed that they there are a lot of simr tforms all around them, but quite far away.


    Suddenly there was a noise behind them and they turned around to see a group of peopleing towards them. An old couple, two little kids of about 7-8 years of age, a teenage boy and a girl of about the same age as Hao Xuan. The little kids were two very cute twin girls. One of them who was holding a teddy bear, ran up to Maaz and hid behind his leg, looking towards Hao Xuan with big brown eyes.


    "Don''t just wander off like that without even telling anyone," thedy said to Maaz in mock anger.


    "Come on Ma, I''m right here, nothings gonna happen," Maaz said while fondling the little girls head who was basically attached to his knee.


    "Oh, btw these are my parents, my younger brother Sam, my sister Kay and the youngest of us, Olivia and Emilie" Maaz introduced his family to Hao Xuan.


    "Hello, nice to meet you, I am Hao Xuan," he said while slightly bowing.


    "Oh what a nice young man, and where your parents? You shouldn''t go too far from them right now. We are in a strange new ce and have no idea what''s going on, they must be worried sick about you," said Mr. Khan with a gentle smile.


    Hao Xuan thought for a few seconds about his family members, his mother and uncles, and their children, and he didn''t feel any emotions towards them at all. So he just replied with "I don''t have any".


    His wife hit him with her elbow and gave him an angry look while turning around towards Hao Xuan, "I''m sorry child, excuse this old man. He is getting crass in his old age, how about you stay with us for a little while? Just until we figure out what''s going on?"


    Hao Xuan was startled by the sudden invitation. He had just met these people and without even knowing anything about him they invite him to stay with them?


    This act of kindness was his first such experience and left him quite confused. But he thought to himself "It''s not like I have anything to lose, why not give it a try? Better than being alone all the time." So he looked towards her husband and other members of the family to make sure they were okay with, only to be met with smiles all around.


    Hao Xuan nodded and gave another little bow with a barely audible "Thank you".


    Maaz patted him on the shoulder whileughing loudly, his father and the little twin girls joined in on theughter, creating quite amotion.


    A few people turned to look towards them with curious gazes. They had just gone through God knows what, in and out of a fairy tale, with no idea of what was going on or what they were supposed to do, and these people wereughing like lunatics out in the open.


    They talked for a few mins after that and introduced each other personally to Hao Xuan, the curious little twins were especially mesmerized by his green eyes and kept asking him if he could see how many fingers they were holding, making everyoneugh.


    Suddenly there was amotion up ahead, and people started getting up and moving. The Khan family looked at each other and decide to follow the crowd as well.


    After walking for a good 30mins the ground started to get smaller and smaller, it was still a good 30-40 meters wide but much smaller aspared to before. In front of them was a wall with a massive door of about 12 meters in height and 20 meters in width.


    Still following the huge crowd, they head inside to wherever it lead. There was a long hallway just after the entrance which divided into 3 after about 150 meters. People were going in every single entrance so they decide to go with the middle one and kept moving. A few more minutes of walking and they could see the end of the hallway.


    It was a huge brightly lit hall with a massive circr desk in the middle. There were a few very pretty girls standing inside the desk smiling at them.


    The family moved towards the desk and Mr. Khan went to the front of the crowd and asks the young woman "Hello, do you know what''s going? We need some help here."


    Thedy smiled and points towards her left, where there was a group of identical doors and said, "Please head towards the left and enter any door to start your inauguration. Everything will be exined to you there."


    He nodded and led the family towards the first door. He slowly opened it and looked inside but it was pitch ck. So he told everyone to hold hands and follow him inside in a line.


    Emilie which was the shyer of the twins, looked at her eldest brother Maaz and said "Up" with one hand holding the teddy bear and other extended outwards. He smiled and picked her up while extending his other hand in front of him towards Sam, who did the same forming a chain. Until Maaz suddenly remembered Hao Xuan and turned around and awkwardly looked at him.


    Hao Xuan had no idea why he was looking at him so he just stared back in silence, making the situation even more awkward. "Hao, how about you stand in front of me? Since one of my hands is tied up with Emilie, I can''t hold your hand."


    Hao Xuan looked at the cute little girl who hid her now bright red face in her brothers embrace, and said, "No it''s okay, I''ll stay at the back, don''t need to hold anyone''s hand".


    Maaz chuckled awkwardly once again, nodded at him with an apologetic smile and started moving forward.


    As they entered, there was nothing but darkness when suddenly, a very bright light turned on illuminating the surroundings.


    There was a crystal ball in front of them, with nothing around it. It was about the same size as a basketball andpletely see-through.


    Just as everyone finished looking around, a robotic voice was heard in the room, "Please put your hands on the ball to initiate memory transfer".


    The Khan family looked at each other with doubtful gazes and surrounded the crystal ball, but no one touched it.


    Hao Xuan''s interest was piqued so instead of waiting for someone else to do it, he stepped forward and put his own hand on the ball, when he heard Mr. Khan yell, "No, wait-" and all of a sudden his surrounding changed.


    Hao Xuan was in another space, looking at a huge screen in front of him. He heard that same robotic voice again, "Hello traveler. Wee to your inauguration. Currently, you are at Bestia Orbis Terrarum, or lovingly referred to by the locals as the Beast world."


    "As you may or may not know already, there are millions of different species in the universe. Some are very simr to your human physical structures, whereas some are very different."


    As the voice finished, therge screen in front of Hao Xuan lit up with different images and videos of strange creatures. They included some people with horns, some with wings like those of a bat and a bird, some with tails, some with several arms.


    "The variations are endless. The Human form of two legs, arms, eyes, ears etc, is the most basic one. Anything else on top of it is considered an improvement that gives a boost to another ability or power.


    Although most of these creatures are born with them, but many bloodlines can be acquired from either here, the Saint city, through trade with one of the more powerful beings, or from out in the world if you''re lucky enough."


    "The Beast world is, for theck of a better word, endless. It is filled with the purest form of spirit energy, which makes cultivating here extremely easy. But because of that, the native creatures of this world mature at an exponentially higher rate. They mutate and grow strong day by day, and are a great threat to yours and your loved ones well being."


    "Your only option is to get stronger by any means necessary. There is no good or bad way of gaining strength."


    "The Dao is neither evil nor virtuous, it only depends on the person seeking it."


    Hao Xuan''s heart was beating so fast that he thought it might explode.


    At this moment, his excitement knew no bounds. Just the thought of exploring these wondrousnds, fighting against mythical creatures like Dragons and Phoenixes and whatever else there was, plundering their treasures seemed something out of a movie or a novel. Not to mention the robotic voice that made everything sound like almost a dream.


    "But be warned, your journey will not be easy. You are far too weak as you are now. You must not venture out alone. Seek stronger warriors, learn from them, you are a stranger to this world so itsws will not be in your favor. Learn the Dao, only then can you protect yourself."

 Chapter 3: The God of weapons

    <h4>Chapter 3: The God of weapons</h4>


    *Ding*


    Hao Xuan came back to his senses.


    He was still standing there with his hand on the crystal ball and everyone was looking at him with curious gazes.


    "Are you okay?" asked Sam slowly, "What happened? You just zoned out for a bit there".


    "I-I was...in a different ce, they showed me some images and told me a few things about this world. I don''t think it''s dangerous, you guys don''t have to worry about it...I think," said Hao Xuan moving away from the ball.


    "Oh, that''s good to know. Let me go next" said Maaz lunging towards the ball and quickly putting his hand on it before his parents could stop him.


    "You!" Mr. Khan tried to stop him but it was toote.


    Hao Xuan left them to their own ord and started looking around, trying to digest everything he saw and heard. "I still have so many questions, how the hell was that an inauguration? They barely exined anything. What are we supposed to do now? Where do we go?" he thought to himself.


    As soon as the thought appeared, the same robotic voice was heard, "Once you have been through the memory transfer, please move on to the next area to continue the process," and a door opened up on the opposite end of the area.


    Hao Xuan looked at the Khan family and it seemed like they would be a while so he quietly started walking towards the door. On the other side was a spacious room with a small tform in the middle with 4 screens hovering on it.


    After making sure there was nothing else, he moved on to the tform and touched one of the screens.


    *Ding*


    "Please ce your right hand on the screen to register," a different, slightly feminine robotic voice said.


    So Hao Xuan ced his right hand on the screen and it lit up with some numbers showing up one after another.


    "Registrationplete. Wee, Traveler No. 8671, please enter your name" said the voice again.


    After entering a bunch of his personal information like his date of birth, medical history, and whatnot, the screen went nk for a second, and then a new page showed up.


    "Since you are new to this world, you will be provided with some limited edition cultivation manuals ording to your talents and aptitude to choose from. Please go over their details carefully before selecting one as it will be the very basis for your future cultivation," the voice exined further.


    On the new screen several different kinds of "manuals" came up with their summaries right underneath them.


    The first was "Mental Cultivation Manual", its description said "The easiest and the most basic manual, avable almost everywhere in the beast world. Well Rounded and suitable for almost any being of any age and race."


    The second was a "Spear Cultivation Manual" with the description: "One of the many weapon cultivation manuals. Focuses on merging the weapon with the user''s body. Perfect for those that prefer to keep some distance from their enemies. Warning: All characteristics of the weapon will affect the user''s mental state."


    It seemed like choosing a cultivation manual wasn''t an easy thing to do. One had to think hard about what they desired and how the manual would affect them. Using these manuals would bring about changes to one''s state of mind.


    Hao Xuan looked through several dozen others. There were a lot of manuals rted to weapons and there must have been another reason for these weapon manuals other than just getting extra power.


    He found some strange ones as well, some that focused on speed and agility, or defense.


    There seemed to be something for everyone here, but nothing caught Hao Xuan''s eye.


    So he went back up to the top of the page and filtered the manuals ording to his own likes, but he didn''t really know what he himself was looking for.


    With that in mind, he filtered the manuals ording to their poprity and selected the descending order to start from the least popr ones.


    The least popr manual was the "Chain Manual", where the user''s weapon would be a chain itself. "No wonder no one chooses this one, who would fight with chains as their primary weapon, its creator must be a sadist," Hao Xuan thought to himself.


    But that was just his uneducated opinion of course. Chain manual was actually very good but had very high demands to cultivate it. One would have to be a genius and be rich enough to afford all the ingredients needed to level himself up.


    After not finding anything to his liking, he filtered the manuals ording to the highest difficulty, and finally, something caught his eye.


    The "ive Cultivation Manual". Its description read: "One of the most difficult weapons to master, requires extremely high strength, speed, and endurance to be of any actual use inbat. But once mastered, The ive is a weapon that would reap lives with every single swing. It is an overlord of weapons and not everyone is suited to cultivate it."


    Hao Xuan remembered reading about the description of a ive as it wasmonly used bymanders in the Ming Dynasty, it was described as the "Horse Beheading Dao", a massive 96 cm de attached to a 128 cm shaft, he imagined how awesome and cool would he look with a weapon such as that on a battlefield.


    Without a second thought, he touched it with his index finger and got a prompt "Please confirm, choose ''ive Cultivation Manual'' as your cultivation manual?"


    He faltered for a moment, and then clicked "Yes". Solely choosing a manual based on how he thought looked but who could me him? There was no one else to tell him otherwise.


    The screen went nk again and a bright ray of light, like aser, came out of the top of the screen straight towards his forehead.


    Hao Xuan wanted to move away but his body wouldn''t listen. So he just closed his eyes and waited. There was some slight irritation where theser was hitting him but other than that, nothing.


    Suddenly, a strange feeling appeared. He felt like there was something new inside his head. The robotic voice came again and gave further instructions.


    "Please close your eyes and concentrate. Imagine a safe ce, any ce, you are standing inside it. No one else can get in here, this is your personal pce..."


    Somehow Hao Xuan could feel himself falling asleep. The robotic voice sounded a bit hypnotic and Hao Xuan couldn''t help but follow its directions. He did as told but after several minutes nothing happened.


    He kept trying over and over again and finally after a full hour he found himself standing in a dimly lit space. There was nothing around him but other than a feeling that there was something in front.


    He reached out and a book appeared in his hand and he could see it vividly with the words "ive Manual" inscribed on the cover.


    Hao Xuan thought about what was inside it and it flipped open on its own.


    He saw the first paragraph, "Cultivators beware, not for the weak of mind or poor of Character. The ive is a God of weapons, and as such its difficulty is also Godly. It will not be easy, but if you persist, the very Heavens themselves will tremble beneath your feet. With one swing the Gods will be yed, and with another, the abyss sundered."


    Hao Xuan''s mind trembled like a kite in a hurricane.


    He had never read anything more badass, and that was just the introduction. An image appeared in his mind of a man standing in front of an army of millions alone with his weapon, hair swaying in the wind, what could be more majestic than that?


    For some reason his heartbeat increased and a strange new feeling seeped into his heart. The desire to fight!


    He opened his eyes only to see a teddy bear staring back at him.


    "What the f-"


    Startled, he jumped back, falling off the tform on to his bum. After sitting up again he saw Emilie standing on the tform, looking at him with tears in her eyes while hugging the teddy bear.


    "Did Emi hurt you big brother?" she asked with a quivering voice, about to break out crying any second.


    "No no no, absolutely not. I''m not that weak, how could a little fall hurt me?" Hao Xuan said shaking his head vigorously.


    "Really?" Emilie asked with a questionable gaze.


    "Yes of course, why would I lie? I just tripped on my own, it wasn''t your fault" Hao Xuan said with augh.


    He looked around but there was nobody else in the room, "Where is everyone?" said Hao Xuan looking back at Emilie with a little smile.


    "They are touching the crystal ball, papa said everyone has to stay together so they wille after everyone is done. I was finished so I came ahead without telling them" Emilie said with a slightly guilty face.


    "Oh, okay, let''s wait for your parents and big brother to join us, and then we can go out I think," Hao Xuan said.


    A few minutester the rest of the family arrived, Hao Xuan exined to them about the screens and manuals. He sat on the sideline and waited for them to finish.


    When they were all done Maaz came up to Hao Xuan with a wide smile, "Guess which manual I choose?"


    "The Hammer Manual?" Hao Xuan said looking at him.


    "Close, it''s something heavy, the Greatsword Manual!" he says with a proud look.


    "Oh, well, it suits you I guess, someone of your size with a normal sword would look reallyical," Hao Xuan said after thinking about it, as he imagined Maaz, a well-built almost 7ft tall guy holding a little sword, he chuckled. It would''ve been quite a sight.


    As Maaz was about to ask him about his chosen manual, ady in a blue Cheongsam appeared on the other end of the room.


    Everyone looked at her, she was quite tall, fair skin and beautiful to boot, could easily have been a model on earth with her looks.


    "Since everyone is done choosing their manuals, please follow me and we can send you on your way," she said with a gentle smile that was not a smile and then without waiting for a response, turned around and started walking towards another door that appeared out of nowhere.


    Hao Xuan was the first to follow her and then the rest of the family came after. They walked for a couple of minutes and then reached a wide open hall filled to the brim with people.


    The hall seemed to have been carved out of wood with a fountain in the middle and some strange little birds flying around in the air. There were a lot of other women in the same dressing as thedy leading Hao Xuan and the party, either just standing or leading other groups of people to some ces.


    They made their way to the other side and entered another room. It was much smaller inparison with some strange marking in the middle of it. On the right side, there was anotherdy who waved at the party as they entered. She was standing in front of a desk with some papers on it.


    Everyone moved towards the table when they heard the second woman speak.


    "Hello everyone. My name is Liu Yifei, and I''m here to send you to your chosen kingdom. A little information first. This ce is called the Saint City, it is one of the central ces in the Beast world where all new races are transported to. Just like you, they were inaugurated here and sent on their way to the lower world."


    Hao Xuan andpany were thoroughly engrossed in her "speech" by now so she continued, "Beast world is mainly divided into Six main continents. They make up about 55-60% of the totalndmass on the. The rest is unexplored wilderness filled with monstrous creatures that even Gods fear."


    "There are thousands of kingdoms in every single continent, along with some Sects, Ancient families and Empires that oversee them. A kingdom has three grades, 1st being the highest and 3rd being the worst. There are some other institutions out there as well as some powerful lone experts that are as strong as entire Empires, if not more so," Hao Xuan knew this new world was big, but he had no idea how big until he heard the next statement.


    "A normal grade-three kingdom has a poption of more than 5 Billion, and every Grade two and higher kingdom will have several times the poption of a grade-three Kingdom" at this point Hao Xuan was simply speechless. The poption of the entire Earth was a little more than 7 Billion, but here there were thousands of kingdoms with the same poption if not more? That was an unimaginable number of people. And this was only on one continent, then what about the other 5? And the more than 40% of the world that was as of yet, unexplored?


    "For your family, the Mei Kingdom which is a grade-two Kingdom has been chosen. You will be sent to one of the main cities of the kingdom, the city of Fortuna. It is a very important location in the kingdom and acts as the trade center for the entire area. Do you have any questions?" She asked smilingly.

 Chapter 4: The Mei Kingdom

    <h4>Chapter 4: The Mei Kingdom</h4>


    "Do you have any questions? She asked smilingly.


    No one knew what to say. YES! Of course they had questions, many questions, but they had to take it all in first. Everyone was just looking at each other at this point, not knowing what to say.


    "Um, I have one, how can you speak English?" Maaz asked while raising his hand awkwardly with a weird smile.


    "I am not. When you were transported over here by the Ancient ones, they unlocked the limitations of your human bodies, which allowed you to receive information at a much higher rate. The most basic andmonnguages of the beast world were transnted into your brains, so now without even realizing it you can speak and understand ournguage," said Liu Yifei while staring at Maaz.


    "Oh, that-I-wha-" not even being able to get a whole word out, Maaz was stuttering, as he did whenever he was nervous or just in front of a beautiful woman.


    "Let me exin a bit more in detail. There are thousands of different worlds that are being ''reared'' by the ancient ones, just like yours was. To make sure the world doesn''t stray from their n, Ancients send their own people to ''nudge'' the civilization in the right direction, the direction decided for them by the Ancients. World leaders, artists, people in different levels of power, all of them are sent to these worlds by the Ancients, to slowly get you ready for the end. For example, almost all of the monsters and demons that were portrayed in your "movies" are actual creatures and races found everywhere in the universe. The myths and legends foretold in your stories and scriptures are all real as well. Everything that you saw and experienced in your old world was chosen by the Ancients. Even clothing,nguages etc were all picked out for you," she said with a serious face.


    Hao Xuan thought about everything he had seen so far and it made sense. The dressing style of these women, thenguage, the images he was shown in the crystal ball of different races seemed like they were out of a fantasy novel or a movie because they probably were. Because otherwise for normal human beings to get used to this new reality and entirely new concepts would not even be possible in one or two generations.


    "Wait a second, so you''re saying vampires, ghosts, werewolves, demons are all actually different alien races?" Hao Xuan asked suddenly. "Yes of course, everything is real. The mythical creatures like Dragons also exist, but they are overlords and are capable of destroying entire continents with a swipe of their w," replied Liu Yifei with another little smile.


    "For some reason, that damn smile is really starting to piss me off now," Hao Xuan thought to himself.


    "Any other questions?" she asked looking around the room.


    "Yes, you said we will be sent to this Mei kingdom, how will we live over there? Do they know who we are? Will there be any support from the local government?" Asked Mr. Khan.


    "Naturally. Many kingdoms in the Beast world are from races that immigrated here or were transported like you. The others are the native species or those alien races that have been here for many millions of years and even forgot their true origins. These people think they are superior to folks like you and me, and that they deserve all the resources the Beast world has to offer. So there are many fights and wars between different empires and kingdoms because at the end of the day, resources are still limited, and unless one wishes to go out in the wilderness and tread into unknown territory, there will be fights. Sometimes entire kingdoms are eradicated in a matter of days."


    "The Mei kingdom''s royalty also immigrated here several thousand years ago. Its aparatively new kingdom but its royalty and people are much more open-minded and epting to newer species, especially if they have simr physical appearances, which you do. So the government has created a simple lodging area on the outskirts of some of the main cities, with fertilend for cultivation and opportunities for the young ones to develop their skills and find their calling. It''s actually one of the best options avable right now," Liu Yifei said while looking at the paper on the desk in front of her, which apparently was the map of the Mei kingdom and surrounding areas.


    "Once you actually get to the kingdom, there will be someone to guide you to your residences and give a bit more detail of the culture and people in the kingdom. Your main objective right now is to get fully assimted into the kingdom, do what you must to achieve that goal," she said while pointing towards the marking in the middle of the room.


    Everyone moved inside as Liu Yifei clicked a few times on the screen built inside the desk which was covered by the papers, and a humming noise was produced by the markings as they started to light up.


    "Close your eyes," she said from the other side of the room. Hao Xuan and the Khan family followed her orders as they suddenly vanished from the spot.


    Hao Xuan felt like he was falling but he could still feel the solid ground under his feet, it was a weird case of vertigo which made everyone very ufortable. After what seemed like an eternity, the feeling subsided and Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was in a huge public square. It must''ve been a few kilometers in length and width as he could barely see any other buildings.


    "Hello, wee to the Kingdom of Mei," said a very chipper voice. Hao Xuan turned around and saw a very petite young girl standing in front of them with something that looked like a pen and some papers.


    "Hello, my name is Hao Xuan, you said this is the Mei kingdom? Are you our guide?" he asked looking at her. She seemed a bit too young to be working already, but maybe kids matured faster in this world.


    "Yes, my name is Yu Yan, nice to meet you. I''ll help you get settled in and exin some things about the kingdom, please follow me," she said with a big smile and started walking away.


    Hao Xuan and co. looked at each other and followed her without saying a word.


    "The kingdom of Mei might not be the biggest or the strongest, but we are famous to have very brave and courageous warriors. Our kingdom is surrounded on two sides by other kingdoms, and one side is facing the Azure ocean. One of the kingdoms is called the Jia kingdom, and its the one we have been to war with several dozen times already. Their people think they are so much better than us just because they came here a little earlier and fight us for every resource, but we always fight back," she said very proudly. If one didn''t know better, you would think she herself had led the troops to fight against the Jia kingdom.


    "Anyways, you don''t have to worry about them for now. Your family has been given a farm in District 12 in the outer area of Fortuna city. There are a lot of cities in our kingdom separated by vast jungles and forested areas. We have tried to clear the way between them, but because the spiritual energy in this world is so thick, it only takes a few months for everything to grow back. Since you are located in the outer area, you will have to be careful of demon beast attacks."


    "Theye out of the forests randomly, looking for food or by ident. The closest city to our Fortuna City is about 9500 Kilometers away. On average, each major city is at least such a distance away from each other if not several times more," she said in a single breath. Hao Xuan was once again amazed by the vastness of this world. On earth, the distance between Beijing and New York City was a little less than 11,000 km, and over here the distance between a couple of cities in a single kingdom was almost the same? Unbelievable!


    "Oh, beasts are the creatures that are native to this world. They are equivalent to the wild animals you had in your old world, with the difference being that they are anywhere from a few inches to several hundred meters big. Every few years their quantity bes too much and theye rushing out in a stampede towards the closest human settlements. At such a time, you must move as quickly as possible to the inner area, behind the city walls for cover," she said while slowly picking up her pace.

 Chapter 5: A New Life

    <h4>Chapter 5: A New Life</h4>


    "Woah Woah, what do you mean run to the inner city? Is there no protection for people in the outer areas? What are they going to do if some monster just wanders in?" asked Maaz with a serious face. This was no joke, their lives would be in danger 24/7 if they could be attacked at any point during the day.


    Yu Yan had expected such a question, with her little smug face she said, "Of course there is protection. There is the local guard regiment for every district with outposts all over the areas and one main headquarters located in the middle of the district. There are several hundred soldiers stationed in, and around the headquarters and some private establishments like the local Hunter''s Lodge also make a living by going on expeditions and killing wild beasts around the districts."


    "Oh, that''s great, Won''t we be pretty safe then?" Maaz followed with another question.


    "Not necessarily. You still don''t understand how big each district is. Even though we are at the outer edge of Fortuna City, the inner city itself is 180,000 km2, and each district is surrounding the city is about 15-20,000 km2. So even though there are guard posts and local headquarters in every district, getting from one ce to another still takes a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°On a normal carriage for example, it would take several days to reach the inner city. Most ordinary individuals don¡¯t even leave the ce they were born in because of that. That''s why so many people try to cultivate to not only protect themselves but to try and get a better life for themselves out there. But even then the average lifespan of normal citizens is anywhere between 100 to 150 years with all the danger, and you do mature much faster than you would in smaller worlds," Yu Yan said proudly, with her head held high.


    "You can''t be serious, what the fuck is with this world, how is everything so big here? Every single time I think I''ve wrapped my head around it, even more information is dished out like it''s no big deal," Hao Xuan thought to himself. And he was right.


    One had to understand that the total area of Beijing was less than 17,000 km2, and there are TWELVE districts that are either the same size or even bigger just in the outskirts of Fortuna city? No wonder they can''t protect everyone with just a few hundred people. Even a few thousand wouldn''t be enough.


    They walked for 30mins or so and soon came to another area with a very tall structure in the middle. It said "Beast Hall" outside of it.


    Yu Yan told the party to wait outside and went in. After a few mins, she came back on a carriage led by 4 horse-like creatures. They had tiny horns on the top of their heads with thick scaly skin and long tongues. The body shape was like that of a horse but about 1.5 times bigger, and instead of hooves they had ws. The faces looked like a mix between a horse and a lizard. It seemed like their tails were cut off on purpose.


    This was Hao Xuan''s andpany''s first interaction with a creature from the Beast world, and it was quite scary as one would expect. But seeing as how even a petite little girl like Yu Yan could control the beasts so easily, they felt a bit more relieved.


    "Hop on, I have to return the carriage in a few hours. With this I can get you guys to your new home in no time," she said looking down at the crowd.


    Maaz was the first one to get on, after making sure that the creatures didn''t make a fuss, he made space for the rest. It was an open carriage so they could see the scenery around them as well.


    With something like a horsewhip in her hand, she made a noise and the creatures started at a brisk pace. Not too fast nor too slow.


    "What are these things called?" asked Sam looking at the creatures in front.


    "Their ''scientific'' name is Squamea Lacerti, which is quite a mouth full, so we just call em Squals. They are one of the more higher-end beasts. They aren''t terribly powerful but are extremely fast and have high endurance. That''s why only militarymanders or people with a high status can afford them. They can''t be found in the wild as they were specifically bred for this purpose," she replied.


    "Really? They don''t seem that fast. We had normal cars that were much faster than this in our old world," Sam said, slightly disappointed.


    "Oh, you really think so? Let''s first get out of the popted areas and then I''ll show what they can really do," Yu Yan said in a slightly mocking manner like she was looking at country bumpkins.


    They followed what seemed like the main road for a few mins. Other carriages were led by all kinds of beasts from straight-up huge lizards, ostrich-like birds, to some feline mounts, and there was even a huge spider with a single person it.


    The people mostly looked the same as normal humans, just slightly taller, but some did have an extra eye or two, a couple more arms or legs etc.


    "This really is a different world," Hao Xuan said, mumbling to himself. It actually looked like something out of a popr MMO back on earth. All different kinds of people on strange creatures going about their daily life like it were no big deal. Hao Xuan thought it would be really cool, looking at all these new things but it was too much to take in all at once. It had barely been a few hours since they were transported to this world and so much had happened already.


    He thought about his family, his mother who he had never even called mom to her face. How was she? Where was she? Was she okay? For the first time in his life, he was actually worried about her.


    "Once all this is done, I''ll ask someone how to find other people from earth, I wanna see her again. We don''t have to live like before here. We can be a family now, they can''t stop us anymore," Hao Xuan said to himself.


    Suddenly the scenery changed, a massive 100-meter tall gate came into view. It was at least 60 meters wide,pletely open.


    There were dozens of guards stationed there and on top of the wall which was even higher than the gate itself. Every single one of them was decked out in full armor and with different weapons on their sides or backs, they were standing there like Centurions from the movies he had seen. Filling the onlookers with amazement.


    No one stopped them when they saw the carriage. It wasmon knowledge that a new race was sent to the Beast world and that the Mei kingdom had epted many of them.


    Following the main road for 15 more minutes, they took a right turn and got on arge dirt road. About 30 meters wide.


    "Alright, I''ll activate the support spells on the carriage, hold on to something and get ready to be amazed," Yu Yan said looking back at Sam with a huge grin. She tapped her foot on the carriage and suddenly a whitish bubble was formed around the carriage, covering the entire thing.


    "What is that?" he asked pointing at the bubble.


    "It''s the protective screen. Since you guys are not cultivators we were allowed to bring out these carriages to make the whole settlement process much faster. Otherwise, it would take months to get everyone settled down. That screen acts as a barrier, protecting you from the air pressure and stabilizing the carriage. You would get blown away otherwise," she replied as a matter-of-factly.


    She picked up the whip once again and swung it towards the squals as hard as she could.


    With a loud growl, they broke into a full sprint.


    Even with the barrier in ce, Hao Xuan''s body jerked back and he hit his head on the back of the carriage and then another little fluff was thrown into his arms. He opened his eyes and saw what had hit him, only to be met with big teary brown eyes and a cute little face.


    It was Emilie, she was holding the teddy bear with all she had, not even looking around, shaking.


    "Wuu~ thatdy is so mean" she muttered with tears in her eyes.


    Hao Xuan had never seen anything cuter in all his years.


    He held her with one hand and grabbed a handle nearby for support. Only after a few seconds did the shaking stop.


    Looking around almost everyone was in an awkward position. Sam fell headfirst into Maaz and actually hurt his own head.


    "Jeez, how strong is this guy," Hao Xuan thought inwardly.


    Hao Xuan looked outside the carriage and it seemed like he was looking at a video clip at 5 times the normal speed. They were going so fast that he couldn''t even see the surroundings.


    But the strange thing was, just like Yu Yan had said there actually wasn''t any air pressure. So after a few seconds, he straightened himself up and asked, "How fast are we going?"


    "About 350Km/h. We can go faster but for safety reasons, this is the rmended limit," she yelled from the front.


    "How the fuck can living creatures run this fast? Are they using magic or something to speed it up? I''ll ask her for details when we stop," Hao Xuan said to himself.

 Chapter 6: First Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 6: First Encounter</h4>


    After about 40 minutes the carriage suddenly came to a stop. Hao Xuan looked out and saw vast open fields all around. He could see the tree line further ahead on the left, whereas they turned right and headed to a few lonely buildings in the distance. After about a minutes or so they came to a stop once again, right in front of his new home.


    It was a very homey little ce. Onerge double story mansion, a warehouse further behind it and some smaller sheds and whatnot here and there. There was also a stable right next to the warehouse.


    Everyone got off the carriage and started looking around. Yu Yan went into the mansion first and then came back out a few minutester with a small crystal ball in her hands just like the one they had seen before in Saint City, just much smaller.


    "Everyone please gather around," she yelled.


    "This is the identity transfer token and also contains some information regarding the property, how to start cultivating, handle the horses, use the tools etc. But you should be familiar with most of the stuff as everything here was specifically designed ording to the information sent by the Saint City to help you guys get used to it," she finished.


    The Khan family gathered around and ced their hands on the crystal ball one by one to receive the information. Hao Xuan watched from afar. After thest person finished Hao Xuan came up to Yu Yan.


    "Are there any requirements to join the local guards? And do they offer lodgings?" he asked in a low voice.


    Taken by surprise, Yu Yan thought for a second before replying, "No there aren''t any requirements for normal people to join the local guard regiment as it is one of the ways for young people to start gaining experience since they will be properly trained by the more experienced soldiers. Don''t you like this ce? Why do you want to move to military camps? I can assure there is more than enough space in the mansion for several dozen people."


    "I was transported here alone, I don''t have any family here and don''t want to be a burden on the others," he replied with a small smile.


    "Kid, what''re you on about, don''t like us anymore? It''s okay if that''s it, you can say it to my face, this old man can take it," said Mr. Khan trying to sound distant.


    "Can you not act seriously for once?" elbowed Mrs. Khan angrily, "Hao Xuan, you don''t have to worry about anything, just stay with us for a little bit and once you get used to everything here you can move out if you still want to, the more the merrier, and Emi already likes you so much, she will be sad" she continued.


    Hao Xuan felt someone pulling his shirt, he looked down and saw Emilie with tears already rolling down her cheeks, "Big brother, you don''t like Emi anymore? Are you mad at Emi? Please don''t leave, Emi will be a good girl," she spoke through a series of hups.


    Hao Xuan felt his heart shudder, how can someone be so cute? His cousins were like the offsprings of trollspared to her.


    He bent down and smiled, "No, of course you didn''t do anything, I was just kidding. If Emi wants me to stay, I''ll stay," replied in a coaxing manner, trying to calm her down.


    Hao Xuan didn''t really care about much in this world, but he thought if something ever happened to this innocent little child, it would be heartbreaking. How can the heavens be cruel enough to hurt her?


    Everyone looked at the two of them andughed, it was one of the most adorable sights they had ever seen.


    Yu Yan handed Mr. Khan an oval stone, "This stone has the protection rune for the property. Right after you enter the house you will see a cavity on the wall to your left, in case of a beast attack put this stone in the crevice and a protective barrier will be created around the mansion and a signal will be sent to the nearest guard outpost. It should protect you until they arrive" she said.


    "Should? What do you mean ¡®should¡¯?" asked Maaz frowning.


    "For normal beasts, the barrier will hold without any problems, but if their numbers are too many or they are too strong, they can break the barrier itself or hit it until its energy runs out. But none of the more powerful beasts or demonic beastse out of the forest unless something is wrong. Under normal circumstances, all should be fine," replied Yu Yan getting back up on the carriage.


    "Take a few days to get used to the life here, then you should start cultivating so you can take care of normal beasts yourselves", she said while hitting the squals and disappeared within a few seconds from their view.


    ***


    The next couple of days were spent settling in. Their routine was quite simple and if one didn''t know any better, they would think it was the same as any old farmhouse from earth.


    After the extraordinary events of the first day everyone was still very much in shock even if they tried their best to hide it. Having arrived in such a foreign ce out of nowhere and one that was so different from theirs, it would naturally take some time to get limated to this new reality.


    So instead of jumping feet first into this new life and embracing it wholeheartedly, they retreated back to the shells, busying themselves with the mundane.


    But Hao Xuan was a little different. For the first time in a long time he had tasted freedom and could not hold himself back from spending the majority of his days enjoying the little things this ce had to offer. He would spend the days tending to the horses or the crops, during the evenings all the Khan siblings would get together and y.


    Olivia, the other mini twin also got familiar with Hao Xuan in those days. Both of them would oftene to him requesting piggyback rides. He didn''t refuse and instead thought of it as training.


    The house had some sort of rocks embedded in the walls which were illuminated naturally by absorbing the spiritual energy from the surroundings. They had running water and plenty of food in the storage, both new and some familiar ingredients from earth.


    The technology in this world was both more and less advanced at the same time, or would it be better to say that it depended on the ce and the people? The tools and equipment that depended on the worldly energy were more efficient, longersting and easier to find and use which left the majority of the technology from earth impractical and even ineffective to a point since high spiritual energy could actually interfere with it.


    But even then Hao Xuan enjoyed every single minute of it. From the tiring farm life to the seemingly boring errands and chores, they were all blissfully simple. It was the first time Hao Xuan had been happy since the death of his grandfather.


    The more he interacted with them, the more blessed he felt. He was truly grateful to the Khan family for taking him in and treating him like their own when he had nowhere to go. The well of emotions that should have long dried out was starting to revitalize bit by bit.


    At first he really did want to get stronger to protect what he had now but, the human mind is a fickle thing. Since there was no immediate danger in their small bubble of repetitive and ordinary lives, there was no pressure and nothing urging him forward. No other phrase could define the human psyche better than ''out of sight, out of mind''.


    About a month and a half passed by in the blink of an eye which is when they had some guests for the first time, their new neighbors. A family of five.


    A married couple in their mid 30''s and their three kids, two girls and a boy, all-around 7-9 years old. They were one of the families that got a ce allotted nearby. They were from Europe, Norway to be exact and actually had experience working on a farm back from on earth.


    Their kids would oftene over to y with everyone, even Hao Xuan who was quite awkward at first but grew fond of them in the handful of interactions he had with them. They were well mannered and very cute.


    A week went by in this manner. It was almost midnight and Hao Xuan was sitting on his bed with his eyes closed, trying to read and understand theplex terms and expressions within the ive Cultivation Manual when suddenly a bright light shed by his window.


    He opened his eyes and saw what seemed like a meteor falling deep into the forest. It went down with a loud boom and the shockwave from the impact could be seening towards the house.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes constricted upon noticing the clouds disperse from the sky above. He jumped back from the window and ran towards the door trying to warn everyone when the shockwave hit.


    *BOOOM*


    It felt like a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit the area. The entire mansion shook for a good few seconds beforeing to an abrupt stop.


    Hao Xuan got up from the floor and looked back, the window was broken and his whole room was a mess. He opened the door and went out into the hallway and saw Maazing out in a hurry as well.


    "Brother, can you take a look at the twins and see if they''re alright? I''ll go see how everyone else is doing," he threw out the words and quickly ran down the hallway without even waiting for a reply.


    Hao Xuan went the other way towards the twin''s room. He opened the door and saw them both huddled together under covers, trembling. Olivia heard the door open and lifted the covers to peek out.


    "Big brother, what''s going on?" she asked with wet eyes, obviously scared out of her wits.


    "It''s okay,e with me, let''s go see everyone else," Hao Xuan said moving towards them. He picked both of them up with one arm each and ran back outside.


    He didn''t see the others so he kept running and went downstairs to the main living area. Everyone was in there. Sam had a cut on his forehead and was bleeding, Mrs. Khan was standing next to him with a towel trying to stop the bleeding.


    "Ma it''s fine, it''s just a little cut," Sam said embarrassingly trying to push her away upon noticing Hao Xuan arrive.


    "Shut up and let me stitch it up first, you''re getting blood all over the carpet," replied Mrs. Khan sternly.


    Hao Xuan was at a loss for words listening to her, he didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    He put down the twins beside her and went up to Maaz and Mr. Khan who were both standing near the window, talking.


    "All the upper windows are broken, some of the walls have cracks in them as well, but nothing big," Maaz reported like a soldier.


    "Was it an earthquake? I heard a loud noise just before the earthquake hit, did any of you see anything?" Mr. Khan asked looking at them for answers.


    Hao Xuan moved closer and spoke in a hushed voice, "Yes, I think it was a meteor or something. I saw arge fireball crash deep in the forest. It was blue and was burning brightly."


    "And that caused the explosion? Holy crap! It should have been pretty far as well, judging from the interval between the explosion and the earthquake and the fact that there was nothing else. If it was close we would have been vaporized," Maaz added unnecessarily, receiving a re from his father.


    "Hmm, that seems bad, really bad. Could spell a lot of trouble for us," Mr. Khan said while going outside.


    Hao Xuan and Maaz followed behind. The sky had been cleared so under one of the full moons they could still see pretty far away.


    Mr. Khan broke into a light jog. After a few steps he turned around and shouted towards Maaz and Hao Xuan, "You two check on the horses and make sure the warehouse and the stables are okay, I''ll check the sheds."


    "Alright, I''ll take warehouse, you take the stable," Hao Xuan said to Maaz while sprinting towards it.


    The warehouse was at the back of the property so it was much further away than the stable. Hao Xuan got to the warehouse in a couple of minutes and started looking around. A few things had fallen down but everything seemed okay for the most part.


    He went up the stairs and looked out of the window. It was pretty high up and gave a nice vantage point to the forest in the distance. He looked towards the ce where he saw the meteor go down and thought about what it could be.


    ''Maybe it was an egg of a powerful creature or a treasure, like in those weird web novels. Maybe it will choose me as its master, those kinds of things always happened there so why not now huh?''


    While Hao Xuan was immersed in his delusions of grandeur, a loud cracking sound came from somewhere in the distance. Like a tree breaking and falling down.


    Looking towards the forest he couldn''t see anything out of the ordinary. Only the tree''s moving in the wind. After staring at the tree line for a few more seconds, he suddenly held his breath and stretched his hand outwards to feel the air but his pupils constricted.


    There was absolutely no wind blowing. It was deathly still and so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat.


    *Thump*Thump*


    *Thump*Thump*


    *Thump*Thump*


    *Screeeeeeeeeeeeeech*


    *THUMP*THUMP*


    Hundreds of creatures rushed out of the forest like an ocean tide, some small rodents, and some bigger than the carriage that brought them here. All running out of the forest as if their very lives depended on it.


    Hao Xuan quickly turned around and screamed at the top of his lungs, "MONSTERS!!! MONSTERS ARE COMING!"

 Chapter 7: The Siege

    <h4>Chapter 7: The Siege</h4>


    Hao Xuan turned around as quickly as his body would let him and screamed at the top of his lungs, "MONSTERS!!! MONSTERS ARE COMING!"


    **


    The tree line was almost four kilometers away from the farmhouse. With the beast''s speed and numbers, it would only take a few minutes for the first wave to reach the mansion.


    He ran down as fast as he could, falling twice in the process and ran out of the warehouse. As he got close to the mansion Mr. Khan came running towards him.


    "Monsters? How many? Where are theying from?" he asked hurriedly.


    "Hundreds! Hundreds of theming out of the forest all at once, they should be here within a few minutes, we have to get out, quick!" Hao Xuan replied in a panic, looking at the stables.


    "Get out? How can we get out? We can''t outrun them on foot and we don''t have the horses to take everyone," Mr. Khan replied gloomily, his tone bleak. "We can only depend on the barrier and hope it holds till the guards get here," he finished.


    At this point Maaz came running over as well. Mr. Khan looked at Hao Xuan and shook his head, signaling him not to talk about it anymore.


    "Go to the sheds and grab any weapons you can find, thene to the mansion quickly," he said to Maaz and Hao Xuan as he ran back first.


    Hao Xuan exined the situation to Maaz as best as he could while they both searched the sheds for anything useful. There were a few sickles and axes which they brought back to the mansion where everyone else was waiting for them with flustered expressions.


    As soon as they got in, Mr. Khan put the protection stone in the crevice beside the door and a bright white bubble appeared around the whole mansion.


    "Stay away from the barrier, we can go out but nothing else cane in," he said as he took an ax from Maaz.


    "I''ll go up and see how far they are," Maaz said running up to the second floor, Hao Xuan and Sam followed him.


    There wasn''t any roof ess, only an attic which was the highest ce on the farm other than the warehouse. The trio reached the attic window and peered towards the forest. The monsters were close enough now that they could easily be seen with the naked eye because of the moonlight.


    There really were thousands of them,ing from every side. It wasn''t just them that was in danger, but everyone around them for a hundred miles or so would be attacked.


    Hao Xuan realized it was going to be a bloodbath one way or another. There weren''t enough guards or hunters to get to everyone in time¡­.


    He looked the other way hoping to catch a glimpse of the guard''s outpost, but there was nothing for miles around. Then suddenly another bright bubble popped up on the left side, much further away, and then another and another. It seemed like everyone else in the vicinity was aware of the iing monster horde.


    With nothing else to see, they went back down to the living area. As they entered, Mr. and Mrs. Khan looked towards them with hopeful eyes only to see Maaz shake his head, confirming their fears.


    There was no helping anytime soon.


    Olivia and Emilie were huddled together with Kay, their oldest sister. She was the same age as Hao Xuan and was really mature for her age.


    "Sis, I''m scared," said Olivia in a quivering voice, holding Kay''s hand tighter.


    "Are the monsters going to eat¡­us?" Emilie asked weakly, looking towards her mother.


    As Hao Xuan heard that those words, his heart skipped a beat. Were they really going to die? The life that he had just now started, would it really end so abruptly? They came to this great new world and he was already going to leave it without ever stepping out of this farm?


    He was saddened by the thought but couldn''t see any alternatives. What could he do?


    He looked towards the family, at Kay and Mrs. Khan trying to console the twins, Mr. Khan, Maaz and Sam, holding various farming tools standing by the windows, waiting for their inevitable deaths.


    He didn''t want any of them to die.


    They had done nothing but be kind to him and make him feel happiness beyond what he had ever thought possible. He had only now started living, so how could he let it all end so soon?!


    ''There has to be a way!''


    *BOOOM!*


    The barrier shook intensely, the monsters were here.


    ***


    There were thousands of them just running and not even looking in front. Rather than an attack it seemed more like they were running for their lives.


    ''What could make so many of these creaturese out of the forest fearing for their lives? Was it the meteor? If you could even call it that. What exactly is going on?'' Hao Xuan''s thoughts ran wild. Even at this time he couldn''t hold his inquisitive nature back.


    Unexpectedly, most of the creatures bumped into the barrier, got up and continued running while many others ignored the barrierpletely.


    But some of the bigger ones stayed. For example, a few creatures that were as big as calves, had four extremely long legs and a small hairy body. With the face of a bat, it looked they came straight out of a child''s nightmare. (authors thought).


    These creatures were just standing there, not attacking nor running away. Just¡­.looking.


    Another monster stopped behind them as well. It looked like a mix between a moose and a bear. As big as a bus, it was huge to say the least, reaching even the second story of the mansion while on all fours. It was the biggest one out there and from the looks of, the deadliest as well.


    There were a few other different kinds of monsters that had stopped outside the barrier. After a few minutes, the majority of the horde had gone past the farmhouse, with just those creatures outside.


    And then suddenly, the bear hybrid came running over at full speed and ran into the barrier, making it shake and slightly dim for a second.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned ugly instantly. Even with just these few creatures, the barrier wasn''t going to hold out for very long.


    The twins started crying loudly. The men tightened their grips on the tools, ready to fight. Everyone knew it wasn''t going to end well at this point. Despair was in the air. Even Mrs. Khan who was usually very calm and collected had tears in her eyes holding on to the twins.


    Hao Xuan''s heart bled. Why? Why wouldn''t the so-called all mighty "Ancient Ones" help? They certainly had the capabilities to do so, it was nothing for them so why wouldn''t they help? They brought them here and then left them to die to some wretched beasts?


    Hao Xuan slowly backed out of the room without being noticed, which wasn''t hard at this point. With a troubled expression he looked at the floor below and then the ceiling above before his knees bent and he fell down to the floor.


    ''Please, Ancient Ones, Gods, whoever is listening, just keep this family safe. If you just need someone to suffer then I''ll do it in their stead, whatever you want, I''ll do it. But please keep them safe! I beg you! Just one little miracle and I''ll serve you for a lifetime¡­please¡­'' he prayed and prayed with closed eyes and folded hands. Negotiating with unseen beings.


    This was the second time he was praying in his life and it still felt as disgusting as the first. Praying was supposed to cleanse a person of their sins and make them feel content but Hao Xuan never felt that way. To him it felt like the most humiliating thing he could do. Down on his knees like a beggar! But if it would save these innocent people then it would be worth it.


    *BAM!*


    *BAM!*


    The barrier got hit again and again, dimming ever so slightly every time but nothing happened. There was no heavily thunder sent to burn these beasts to ashes, no angels descended to protect the house and its inhabitants. The heavens were blind. No one wasing to help them.


    Suddenly a heart-wrenching scream came from afar. Hao Xuan ran to the window and like a me in the wind, the bubble in the distance flickered and then broke.


    He recognized the voices, it was their neighbors, the small family of five. They were quite a distance away but Hao Xuan could still hear the children''s screams for a few seconds before it all went silent.


    He stared at the ce for a few more seconds and could already see what was going to happen when their own barrier inevitably broke. It would be a massacre just like that one.


    Hao Xuan ced his right hand over his chest and felt his heartbeat. Maybe his heart was going to stop soon but not without a fight, not like this!


    ''If the heavens won''t help then fuck them, if the gods don''t help, fuck them. What good are they? I will fight these beasts as long as I can and if Ie out of this, one day I will stand in front of the altar of the gods and ask Why?''


    He liked this ce so he won''t let it go just like that. Finally he had made up his mind and as soon as he did, an old brown book appeared in his conscious mind without him realizing it.


    It flipped open on its own and a passage on the first page lit up: With one swing the Gods yed, and with another, the abyss sundered!


    The words lit up with a reddish-golden color and the small vortex of Spiritual Energy that was always surrounding him finally entered his body. But Hao Xuan was in a world of his own right now and couldn''t feel anything due to the rush of adrenaline.


    He ran into the living room where they were all gathered.


    "Aunty, is there any cooking alcohol in the kitchen?" he asked peering towards Mrs. Khan.


    Bewildered by the sudden inquiry, she thought for a few seconds and then got up herself and went into the kitchen. She came back out with several bottles.


    "Thank you," Hao Xuan replied with a resplendent smile.


    Everyone was shocked by his actions. And that blinding smile! They had never seen him smile like that in the few weeks they had known him.


    Actually, he had never smiled like that before in his life, ever. All the knots in his heart were undone. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. Right now he didn''t have to think anymore. His body moved on its own.


    ''Be strong enough to hold the very sky up if need be! Hold those heartless bastards that brought them here from the safety of their homes and left them to die ountable!''


    As soon as the thought appeared in his mind, he suddenly felt an external power enter his body. At that moment Hao Xuan felt like he could destroy the world with a single punch.


    What was this mysterious power? He wouldter find out that this was the awakening of his first energy, an energy that would not bow to anyone!


    But he didn''t linger on it for too long.


    "Please hold on, I''ll go get help. Don''t give up!" he said to the family, looking at everyone present once before running up the stairs with a huge grin on his face.


    Everyone in the living room was sitting therepletely shocked, did he have a mental breakdown?


    ***


    Hao Xuan reached the attic once again, opened the window and stepped out. The stable was right in front of him but still about seven meters away.


    Normally there was absolutely no way he would even think of making such a jump but there was no other way anymore. And that strange power was still lingering inside of him. He felt like he could fly with that power let alone jump a few meters.


    So without thinking about it anymore, he gritted his teeth and leaped!


    The windowsill broke to pieces under his feet by the sheer power exerted on it and he ''flew'' through the air andnded the stable roof, barely making it. He found the top window and went inside.


    His heart was beating like a drum and for a few seconds that was all he could hear.


    He looked around in the darkness, slowly making his way down. The stable door had a hole in the bottom about 4 feet wide and it looked like something had chewed through it.


    ''Oh no! Did a beast get inside?!''


    He sprinted towards the back where the horses were kept but staggered upon seeing the blood. Of the three horses he could already see two from afar. Their bodies hadrge bite marks the size of watermelons around their necks.


    As slowly as he could, Hao Xuan grabbed a nearby pitchfork and raised it up like a weapon. Step by step he walked over to thest stall where his horse was kept. He could still hear heavy breathing on the other side.


    With gritted teeth he jumped andnded right in front of the stall, once again being caught off guard.


    The first thing Hao Xuan saw was a giant ck shadow ring at him and then a dead beast under it.


    "You''re okay!" he let out a breath of relief.


    Using the pitchfork Hao Xuan pushed the beast aside. It was like a jaguar but its mouth was almost twice as big as its head. There were hoof prints on its body and it had been crushed to death under the stallion''s weight.


    *Neigh!*


    Seeing another silhouette appear out of nowhere the horse neighed loudly and stomped on the ground with all its weight threateningly.


    Hao Xuan swiftly lowered the pitchfork and went closer with his bare hands above his head.


    "Whoa whoa, it''s me look, it''s me," he stood in the moonlight that wasing down from the cracks in the roof and showed himself. The horse took one look at him before abruptly calming down, surprising even Hao Xuan.


    "That''s a good boy, rx now, everything''s fine," Hao Xuan brushed its mane with his hands. There were a few small wounds on it but nothing big.


    Seeing as his ride was secured Hao Xuan started looking around for a weapon and some rags.


    He found a dibber and tied it to a wooden rod to build a makeshift spear. He found some rags and tied them around the digger and poured the alcohol over it before stuffing the rest of the rags in the bottles, making some good old Molotov cocktails.


    After making sure everything was ready, he went to the back of thest stall. The horse was still obviously agitated and neighed when he saw Hao Xuan arrive.


    "Shh Shh Shh, hey, look at me, everything''s going to be okay," he whispered while caressing its mane. The strange power in his body moved yet again, through his hands and into the horse, calming it down and even empowering it with new strength.


    The horse looked into his green eyes which seemed to be shinning likenterns in the darkness.


    At that moment, Hao Xuan felt like he was connected to the horse mentally. If he thought about something, the horse would understand. A strange feeling indeed.


    "We''re going to go save everyone. I need your help. I know it''s scary but I can''t do this alone. You like them right? Everyone treats you so well, you wouldn''t want them to get hurt right?" he said to the horse, trying to make himself feel better. He knew the horse wouldn''t be able to understand him, but still.


    The horse neighed in response, catching him by surprise. "Can you understand me?" he asked again and got another neigh in response.


    Hao Xuan was utterly shocked, how was this possible? Were the animals in this world so intelligent? Or maybe he was just neighing to everything Hao Xuan said.


    *BAM!*


    A loud thud came from outside, bringing him back to reality. The barrier was going to break soon!


    With a deep breath Hao Xuan got on the horse''s back,


    "Let''s go¡­er, that reminds me, I still didn''t name you right? My bad, how about Joey? I''ll call you Joey," he said patting the horse, getting another neigh in response.


    "Alright, let''s do this!" Hao Xuan mumbled under his breath. This was meant more for him than the horse. His heartbeat increased yet again and he felt like throwing up but forced himself not to.


    "Yah!" Hao Xuan clicked his heels and Joey broke into a trot, slowly picking up into a full own gallop.


    They circled around the mansion once, making as much noise as he could.


    "Hah!"


    The Khan family who had all but given up at this point, suddenly heard a neigh and looked outside to see Hao Xuan with arge stick and a nking bag of bottles on his back riding towards them on Joey.


    *FWEEEET*


    With a loud whistle, Hao Xuan came running around the mansion, sessfully bing the center of attention. He adjusted his position and ran straight into the heard of monsters, lighting his homemade spear on fire on the way.


    "My God, what is he doing, he''ll get killed," yelled Mrs. Khan, panicking and rightly so.


    Hao Xuan pierced the first two little spider-like creatures, hearing a loud screech in response before running out of the herd once again when suddenly he saw something out of the corner of his eye.


    The Bear hybrid was looking right at him. It was thoroughly incensed by this little creature''s antics, stood on its hind legs and growled.


    *GROOOOWL!*


    It was taller than the entire mansion while in that position, more than 15 meters in height.


    Hao Xuan''s heart almost stopped as he looked at the massive shadow and at that moment he knew he clearly wasn''t a match for the creature no matter what he did.


    So he lit the Molotov''s and started chucking them at the pack of beasts.


    A fewnded in front of the mansion''s entrance, lighting it aze. A couplended on the bear and it soon starting burning intensely. One of themnded right in the middle of the herd and fire sshed everywhere.


    Screech


    *Kreeek*


    All the creatures started screaming and running around but to Hao Xuan''s surprise, the bear just looked at him thought the mes that had covered itpletely. It was like the fire couldn''t hurt it at all but Hao Xuan could smell the burnt hair and skin.


    The bear let out a deafening roar and broke into a sprint towards him.


    "Oh shit, what the fuck is wrong with that thing?! Why is iting after me while its getting burned alive?" Hao Xuan almost got a heart attack looking at the absolutely massive 15+ meter ball of fireing straight at him.


    "Run Joey, RUN!" he screamed.


    Hearing Hao Xuan''s orders Joey took off like a rocket, heading straight into the fields.


    The bear''s speed kept increasing. Even the fire that was around its body slowly extinguished due to the sheer air pressure.


    "No good, it''s going to catch up at this rate," Hao Xuan thought while looking back. Even with Joey''s speed they couldn''t outrun it!


    But at least he had managed to bring the biggest threat away from the residence.


    ''The barrier should hold for much longer now.''


    They ran for ten minutes straight before Joey started getting slower. Even with the boost added from Hao Xuan''s ''strange power'' he couldn''t carry on running like that for too long.


    "We can''t stop Joey! The mansion is still in our view, it could go back. No matter what, we can''t stop," Hao Xuan shouted but he didn''t know what good it would do.


    "Don''t think about anything else, just run, please, just run as fast as you can!" he mumbled.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes lit up like torches in the night and all the remaining power went through his body towards Joey.


    With a loud neigh Joey broke out in a mad sprint which was even faster than his top speed. The distance between them and the half-burnt bear hybrid started increasing.


    Hao Xuan suddenly felt extremely tired and almost fell asleep. He could barely keep his eyes open. He pped himself and bit his tongue trying to stay awake.


    With weary eyes he looked back and smiled when he couldn''t see the mansion.


    "Good job buddy, we did it. We saved everyone," Hao Xuan spoke in a barely audible whisper. All he wanted to do at this point was sleep.


    ''Nothing would be sweeter than a bed right now,'' he thought.


    Just as he was about to doze off, a voice echoed in his head, a very gentle voice.


    "S-Sorry¡­master¡­at¡­my...limit," said the voice in an apologetic tone and then he heard a muffled boom before Joey went limp mid-stride.


    The world turned upside down before Hao Xuan could even process what was going as he got thrown off Joey''s back andnded in the fields after swirling in the air a couple of times.


    He was so drowsy that just barely keeping his eyes open was all that seemed possible, but still, he forced himself to get up after a few seconds and slowly limped over to Joey.


    He wasn''t moving. There was a hole under his left leg from which blood was gushing out even now. His heart had exploded.


    Hao Xuan had tears in his eyes. Did he really hear Joey''s voice at the end? If that was true then he knowingly ran until his very heart exploded, all to save the Khan family.


    "Good boy, you sleep now," Hao Xuan whispered while brushing his mane.


    *RUMMBLEE*


    Tears streaming down his face, Hao Xuan looked up and saw the bear running towards him. But he was so very sleepy that every waking moment felt like torture.


    He almost hoped the bear would reach him sooner, just so he could taste the eternal sleep.


    He closed his eyes, ready for death when he saw Emi''s little face, "Please don''t leave, Emi will be a good girl."


    Hao Xuan chuckled.


    "Is this what they mean when they say life shes before your eyes on death''s door? Hahaha, alright, I''ll try toe back," he mumbled.


    He looked around for the makeshift spear, it was stuck under Joey''s body. He pulled it out with some effort and used it as a crutch to stand up.


    All the pain hit him suddenly. He had broken quite a few ribs in the fall along with his left hand. His right eye was bruised ck and blue, swollen to two times its size. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off he could feel all the pain of those injuries.


    Barely standing straight, he used his right hand to hold the spear and aimed it towards the bear.


    "Come at me you ugly son of a bitch, it''s not going to be an easy dinner," he said with a grin.


    The bear saw Hao Xuan get up in that state, ready to fight, which angered it even more. How dare this little thing that can barely stand bare its fangs towards me?


    It stood up on its hinds legs again, growled loudly and brought its forearm down.


    "If that attack connects, it will be all over," Hao Xuan thought seeing the massive paw looming over him but he couldn''t do much at this point. His body was already going numb from the pain and he couldn''t move at all.


    So he held the spear in his hand and closed his eyes, waiting for the attack.


    ''At least it''ll be quick¡­''


    *Rumble*


    *Rumble*


    Out of nowhere the ground started shaking and loud sounds came from behind Hao Xuan, much like the galloping of horses. He slowly turned his head and saw an entire armying towards him.


    Hundreds of horse-like creatures with fully armored soldiers on top of them. His heart shook looking at the scene, it was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen.


    With des as long as the horses themselves, they came running. But just as they reached Hao Xuan and the bear, they parted like the red sea and went past them without slowing down at all.


    The bear also stood there, stunned at this new turn of events.


    Hao Xuan heard a swishing noise and a voice behind him.


    "Oh my, now this is a nice surprise, a human against a fully matured Alces. You''ve got some guts, little boy," Hao Xuan turned around to look at the speaker.


    It was arge, bearded man smiling at him. In his right hand, a massive ive.


    There was a gurgling sound from behind the bearded man. Hao Xuan leaned over to the side and saw the bear standing there with wide eyes. It tried to roar but only gurgling noises could be heard and then a secondter, the right side of its body cleanly separated from the left and fell down.


    Hao Xuan''s vision blurred and just like the bear''s body, he also fell down with a thud.


    Thest thing Hao Xuan saw before passing out was the bearded man smiling at him.

 Chapter 8: Ouki!

    <h4>Chapter 8: Ouki!</h4>


    Because of the earthquake, the entire District guard regiment was deployed. No one else knew what had caused the earthquake, but they knew its epicenter was deep within the forest.


    But as there were no tectonic tes or fault lines anywhere near Fortuna city, the higher up''s were under the assumption that a fight between some powerful cultivators or beasts had urred, and the earthquakes and the shocks were a result of that. This would also exin why the lesser beasts fled the forest, for them, it was the same as Armageddon.


    The districts 11, 12 and the 1st were hit the hardest, but the protective formation for the inner city was activated on time and prevented any damage to its residents.


    As soon as the beast horde was seen, all of the outer guard regiments were dispatched. They handled the situation well and killed every single beast that had entered the districts, but there were still many casualties, especially in the newly allocated human areas.


    Several hundred families were wiped out entirely, especially from district 12, which was hit first and took the brunt of the beast horde. The Khan family was the only survivor within a 1000 km radius, which attracted a lot of attention from the higher-ups.


    General Ouki was returning from his expedition when the earthquake hit. Although he hadmand over 300,000 of the strongest warriors of Fortuna City, he only took his private guard with him, numbering just over 200.


    Soon as he was made aware of the situation, he left everything under his subordinate, Lt. General Tou''smand and went out himself.


    Having lived through countless battles, General Ouki had served the Mei kingdom for over 700 years, never losing a single fight against the Jia kingdom, he was the very embodiment of what the Mei Kingdom stood for. Soldiers would (and some had) kill for an opportunity just to see him in-person.


    No one knew what his cultivation level was anymore, but all Generals had to be at least Profound Realm experts.


    Without even taking his mount with him, General Ouki ran towards the beast horde on foot, but he was even faster than the elite cavalry that was following him. Not a single beast within a radius of several hundred miles survived when he swung his ive.


    As he was moving towards thest remaining protective barrier in district 12, he saw a young man running away from an Alces, and on a horse to boot. Normally he wouldn''t pay any attention to it and just send one of his underlings to remedy the situation, but he was slightly taken aback when he heard the boy speak, "We can''t stop Joey, the mansion is still in our view, it could go back. No matter what, we can''t stop".


    Even though he was a few miles away from him, everything could easily be heard like he was standing right next to the boy. This was normal when considering his cultivation level. Powerful cultivators could tear the very heavens apart, so something like this was nothing out of the ordinary.


    "Hmm, interesting. And how is that horse so fast, normally an Alces would''ve caught up to it in a few seconds," General Ouki wondered as he saw the situation unfold. If he so desired, General Ouki could''ve killed the Alces just by lifting a finger from a hundred miles away, but he wanted to see what would happen next.


    The horse''s heart exploded and the boy fell. He thought that would be the end of it but the boy got back up again, and even more surprising, he wanted to fight the Alces in his condition.


    Even for an Elementary realm expert it would be a challenge, let alone someone who didn''t have a single ounce of Qi in his body.


    For the first time in a long time, General Ouki felt his warrior spirit move.


    To stand firm and not give up in the face of adversity, that''s what it meant to be a warrior. Never surrender no matter how bad things got.


    He missed those days. "Back when the world was simpler, and the only enemy was the one in front. Back when we fought our way out of impossible situations with our brothers in arms. Those were the days," he reminisced.


    "To make this old man''s heart beat after such a long time, it seems fate has brought us together young one. I''m looking forward to what you will achieve," he mumbled with a childish grin on his face, which would send cold shivers down the spine of anyone unfortunate enough to witness it.


    So he took a step, and appeared behind the boy, ying the Alces and saving him. He picked him up and with another step, appeared outside the Khan family residence a hundred miles away. As he saw the destruction that had been caused by the beasts and the panic-stricken faces of the family, he got a little angry and tapped his foot lightly on the ground, and then everything went silent.


    Every single beast in district twelve died at that moment. Normally he wouldn''t use his power needlessly, but something hade over him.


    Just as the Khan family was preparing for the worst, listening to the howls and roars of the beasts outside, everything stopped. Mr. Khan peered outside to see what was going on, only to see a giant standing there with a bloodied up Hao Xuan on his shoulder.


    "W-who are you?" he asked cautiously, looking around. All the beasts were dead, nothing else outside the barrier was moving.


    "Oh Hello there, my name is Ouki. I''m a soldier of the Kingdom, you don''t have to worry about anything anymore," the General replied, smiling.


    He snapped his fingers and the barrier burst like a bubble. "Does this belong to you?" he asked pointing at Hao Xuan.


    Mr. Khanpletely astonished by the sudden turn of events, nodded his head nkly and opened the main door.


    "Please,e in," he said.


    "Thank you," General Ouki replied and bent down to enter the mansion. Mr. Khan didn''t realize before how tall their savior actually was until he entered the house, his head almost hitting the ceiling.


    Everyone else also came out to the hallway to meet their new guest and got the shock of their lives. The man was about 10 feet tall, Maaz who usually dwarfed everyone else in front of him looked like a child standing in front of this guy.


    "Where should I put this guy down," Ouki asked referring to Hao Xuan.


    Everyone was so engrossed looking at this giant in front of them that they forgot about the bleeding Hao Xuan on his shoulder.


    "Right here," Mrs. Khan replied pointing at the dining room table on the right.


    As he put Hao Xuan down, everyone got a better look at his condition and they were horrified.


    His left arm''s bone was popping out of the skin, there was a huge dent on his chest and his head and legs were bleeding profusely.


    Emilie saw him and started bawling a baby, with snot and all. "Is big brother going to die? So much blood ising out, mama, please help big brother," she said through all the tears.


    General Ouki smiled at the scene and moved his hand over Hao Xuan''s body as a bright white light illuminated his palm. As soon as the light hit his body, all the bleeding stopped. Ouki put his left arm''s bone back inside his body and made a grabbing motion with his hand above Hao Xuan''s chest, and the dent disappeared.


    Then he took out a small bottle from his side pocket and poured the liquid into Hao Xuan''s mouth. A few secondster, they could hear crackling noisesing from Hao Xuan''s entire body, and every single wound closed and healed itself like it was never there.


    "Holy shit," Sam identally said out loud, amazed by the scene unfolding in front of him.


    The rest of the family was just as shocked. Everything happened so quickly that even though they saw it, they thought it was a dream.


    Just as everyone was immersed in the situation at hand, someone knocked on the front door.

 Chapter 9: The Adventure Begins!

    <h4>Chapter 9: The Adventure Begins!</h4>


    The knock woke Mr. Khan from his stupor. "Who could it be now?" he mumbled and nkly walked towards the door and opened it.


    All he could see was a massive body blocking the entrance, leaving him speechless yet again.


    "Uhhm, c-can I help you?" he asked stuttering.


    "Yes, did arge, bearded man pass through here?" came a voice from the top of the body which was hidden behind the entrance.


    "Um, yes, I''ll go call him," Mr. Khan said going back to the dining room.


    "I think there is someone outside for you," he said to General Ouki.


    "Mmm, the boy will be fine, just let him rest," he said nodding to Mr. Khan. He turned around but after taking a few steps stopped, "What''s his name?"


    "That''s big brother Hao Xuan," replied Emi, still covered in snot.


    "Haha, lucky guy," replied the General whileughing as he headed outside. He opened the door, but there was no one there. Like he was expecting that, he continued moving and closed the door behind him, but before the door could even fully shut, he vanished from there as well.


    ***


    Several thousand kilometers away, there was a man floating right above where the meteor hadnded, looking down. Suddenly there was the sound of clothes ruffling in the wind, followed by the appearance of another person. General Ouki appeared out of nowhere right in front of him.


    "Tou, Did you find anything?" General Ouki asked the man. Apparently, it was his second inmand, Lt. General Tou.


    "There is no sign of a fight anywhere. Some blood from high ranked demonic beasts but it was a one-sided ughter. Whatevernded here was powerful enough to not even give them a chance to fight back," Tou replied respectfully.


    This man, who was powerful enough to be a general himself, was talking to General Ouki with such reverence that anyone would be shocked. It made one wonder, just how powerful was the old general tomand such respect from a cultivator as powerful as Tou?


    "It is strange. Even I can''t feel anything. Either the being is more powerful than even me, or extremely skillful at hiding," said the general frowning.


    "But either way, it seems like it doesn''t have any bad intentions towards the kingdom. As long it doesn''t hurt the innocent, let it be," he followed.


    "Oh, I almost forgot, there is a young human boy that recently came here, Hao Xuan is his name. He''s got some balls on him. Send someone to pick him up, keep an eye on him and train him. Let''s see if he has the potential to join our ranks," General Ouki said with a smile, as he turned back around towards Fortuna City, and then disappeared.


    Tou''s eyes constricted, "Someone caught the general''s eye? That poor kid. But he must have a lot of talent if the general even remembered his name" he said shaking his head, feeling sorry for Hao Xuan.


    ***


    The night passed and the morning came. Hao Xuan slowly opened his, still feeling tired.


    He looked around and had no idea where he was. He was in a room he had never seen before, and slept in a bed he didn''t remember.


    There was some noise outside his window, he got up and drew the curtains open, reaching out for the window but there was nothing there, just an empty frame. Ignoring that, he peered down to see where the noise wasing from and saw two cute little girls running around, ying with each other. And then suddenly it all came rushing back. He was in a new world, a worldpletely unknown to him.


    It was filled with things from the legends of old. It was a cruel world. The strong preyed on the weak, and no one would go out of their way to help someone else. God''s existed, or beings as powerful as them, but they stayed in their ivory towers.


    "I remember now," he mumbled to himself looking at the scene of the twins ying in the garden. That''s what he had to protect, that''s what he had to fight for.


    "I thought I diedst night, what happened?" Hao Xuan said out loud.


    "Was it that man that saved me? or was it a dream?" he said, but it didn''t matter anymore. He lived through it! He was ready to die, yet here he was.


    "I won''t waste my life away anymore, enough is enough. I''ll be strong enough to take whatever I want, and protect whomever I want," he said with a firm voice.


    He went down and everyone was caught by surprise, seeing him up and about after his conditionst night.


    After breakfast, Hao Xuan borrowed the remaining two horses, some ropes and tools, and followed the same trail he hadst night. About an hour or soter he found what he was looking for, Joey''s body.


    He stood there in silence for a few mins, not knowing what to say. After a little while he slightly bowed and said, "Thank you. Thank you for saving them, and thank you for helping me."


    Then he tied Joey''s body to the other two horses and dragged it to a hill not far from there, and started digging a hole. It took him several hours to dig a big enough hole.


    By the time Hao Xuan returned to the residence after burying the body, the sun had already set. No one asked where he had gone when they saw that he wasn''t in a good mood. They ate dinner like they had done thest couple of weeks, but it was much quieter this time.


    Hao Xuan quickly finished his portion and got up to leave, when Mr. Khan spoke up, "Hao my boy, some soldiers came today when you were out. They said there was something they needed to talk to you about. Maybe it''s about that man that saved you. Pay them a visit tomorrow when you have time."


    "Yes," Hao Xuan quietly replied and went up to his room. Hey there on his bed with eyes closed, looking over the Cultivation Manual that had been all but useless, thinking maybe he had made the wrong choice in selecting it.


    When suddenly he felt a coldness on his forehead. Surprised, he opened his eyes and saw a cute little face staring at him concerningly.


    Without even realizing it, a smile had crept up on his face. "Little girl, what are you doing?" he asked looking at the adorable little Emi who had her hand on his forehead.


    "Emi is making sure big brother doesn''t have a temperature. Big brother, does it hurt somewhere? Tell Emi, Emi will make it fly away," she said with an assuring face.


    "Hahaha, Emi, do you like big brother?" Hao Xuan suddenly asked whileughing.


    Thinking he is making fun of her, she says in a loud and resounding voice, "Of course, Emi loves big brother no matter what!"


    "No matter what? What if I be a bad guy? Would you still like big brother?" he asked with a grin.


    "Big brother is a good person," Emi said ''as a matter of factly'', like it was the god''s honest truth.


    "But what if I wasn''t?" he asked again.


    "Emi would still love big brother no matter what," she said without any hesitation.


    "How can anyone be so innocent?" Hao Xuan wondered as he looked at Emilie''s doll-like face.


    "Promise?" he asked extending his pinky outwards, "Mhmm", she nodded her head making a pinky promise.


    Hao Xuan smiled and said, "Good girl" while patting her head, she giggled delightfully in response.


    "Alright, it''ste, go to bed now," Hao Xuan said looking at the time.


    "Yes," Emilie nodded gleefully and skipped her way out of his room. Her objective had been achieved, Hao Xuan wasn''t sad anymore, and that''s all she needed.


    Hao Xuan sat there on his bed, looking at the little silhouette leave his sight.


    "As long as she is fine and happy, I will be happy. No matter what, nothing can ever happen to her, nothing!" Hao Xuan said somberly.


    After that, he packed the few little belongings he had and went to Maaz''s room. He was still awake.


    "Brother, I have to do a few things, I might not be able toe back for a little while. Please take care of everyone," Hao Xuan said looking at Maaz.


    Taken aback, "What? What do you mean? Where are you going?" he asked in return.


    "Just to take care of a few things. You don''t have to worry about me, I''ll be back soon," Hao Xuan replied earnestly.


    Maaz looked at him, seeing the look in his eyes, he knew Hao Xuan wouldn''t stop unless he was done with his business.


    "Alright, if you think that''s best. But be sure toe back soon okay? This is your home now, don''t act all formal with me," Maaz said as he got up and gave Hao Xuan a bear hug.


    "Mhmm, I''ll be back soon. Tell everyone not to worry," Hao Xuan said as he patted him on the shoulder, and then slowly left under the cover of darkness.


    Hao Xuan knew he needed to get strong, and fast, but he couldn''t do that living afortable life in the farmhouse. He had to venture out to ovee challenges, meet new foes, fight men and beasts, explore this dangerous new world and get a better understanding of it. And on that night, he took his first steps towards turning his dreams into reality.


    What adventures await our brave little hero?

 Chapter 10: Tutelage

    <h4>Chapter 10: Tutge</h4>


    It was about 4 a.m on a rainy night. Fang Li was a newly appointed guard on an outpost in District 12. He was about 20 years of age with short ck hair and a sturdy build. It was his duty to be on guard that night.


    It was quite chilly outside so he was standing near a heat-stone on top of the watchtower. His job was to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary and sound the rm in case of an emergency, such as a barrier lighting up.


    "Damn it, why is it my turn again? This hazing bullshit is getting real old, real fast," he mumbled rubbing his hands together in the cold of the night.


    Suddenly, he heard a noise outside the camp. Taken aback he jumped up and started looking around. No matter how manyints these soldiers had, when it came to doing their jobs they never rxed.


    He saw a hunched figure slowly moving towards the camp. It passed through the detection mines without triggering them, and the first thing that came to Fang Li''s mind was that it was a demon. And not just a normal one, but such a powerful one that it could even bypass the mines they had ced outside.


    He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Looked towards the figure again and it was still moving without a care in the world, just a few dozen meters away from the camp. So Fang Li finally made up his mind and sounded the rm.


    *EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*


    It was like a scene from a war movie.


    "WE''RE UNDER ATTACK!!!!" an extremely loud voice shouted and the two dozen soldiers that were asleep sprang up and into action.


    "Everyone take positions!" ordered Sgt. Wei, getting on top of the wall to see what was in front.


    Everyone was extremely nervous, if something got this close to the camp without sounding a single rm, then it was probably powerful enough to kill everyone there. Yet not a single person of the 24 people present in the camp even thought about running.


    There was a residential area not too far behind them. If they ran away, hundreds would die.


    The soldiers took up their spears and bows and got up on the wall, looking at thenky figure outside.


    "Stop! This is Fortuna City of the Mei Kingdom! No matter who you are, do not throw away your life needlessly. You have no chance of making it out of here alive if you hurt a single civilian!" Sgt. Wei barked from the top of the wall menacingly.


    Just as they were getting ready to release their arrows, a weak voice came from the figure.


    "Um, is this the outpost number 36? I got a little lost and have been trying to find outpost 36 for a few hours now," the figure said.


    "Who are you? What''s your name? Why are you looking for outpost 36?" the Sgt asked after a few seconds, thinking this to be a ploy from the enemy. But then again, if the figure was powerful enough to bypass the warning systems of the camp, why would it need to lie?


    "My name is Hao Xuan, some soldiers came to find me yesterday at my home but I was away," he replied weakly.


    And then the Sgt suddenly remembered about the unusual order he got from the main army.


    He jumped down from the several meter tall walls, solidlynding on the ground.


    "Come here," he said gesturing towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuanplied and went up to him, the Sgt took a look at his face and suddenly his expression turned even worse.


    "Attention!" he shouted and all the soldiers stood up straight.


    He turned around, "Everyone get down here and form a line," he shouted.


    "Fang Li, step forward!" he said again.


    Taken by surprise, Fang Li came up to the front of the line.


    "Everyone, take turns and beat this fuckers ass until even his own mother can''t recognize him," the Sgt gave the order.


    "Wha- wait wait, Sgt what did I do?" he asked horrified. If these guys got their hands on him, he won''t be able to walk for days.


    "Shut the hell up! You absolute god damn moron! The reason the rm didn''t sound was because he is no threat at all. A calf could kill this kid," the Sgt shouted back, now even angrier than before.


    Hao Xuan waspletely speechless at this point. He didn''t know if he should be d that the situation got resolved or offended that a newborn calf is considered more of a threat than him.


    The Sgt led Hao Xuan inside the camp, but he could still hear the screams from outside.


    "NO, Please not there, it''s already so swollen, have mercy you assholes!" Fang Li screamed, trying to protect his vital and private parts.


    ***


    Sgt. Wei was arge bald headed man, with a massive hammer on his back. His face turned a little red whenever he got angry, just like it had a few mins ago.


    He brought Hao Xuan to the kitchen and told him to sit as he put a kettle on the stove.


    After a couple of minutes he came back with two cups of tea and gave one to Hao Xuan.


    "Seems like you made quite an impression on someone kid, what''s your story?" he asked as he sat down and looked towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan was about 6 feet tall with a pastyplexion. His was quite good looking but his green eyes always caught everyone''s attention. He had a thin figure, and whenpared to people like Maaz and the Sgt, he looked like an emancipated teen.


    So Hao Xuan told him everything that happened in thest two days as there was no reason to hide it.


    After listening to his story, the Sgt''s opinion of the scrawny little kid changed. Even he would never think of going up against an Alces alone like that.


    "Alright, even though you''re weak as shit right now, we can work on that. Your character ain''t bad. You wanna be stronger? Stay here and I''ll train you as much as possible," he replied after a few moments.


    Hao Xuan was caught by surprise. Was this why they came? To recruit him? That made the whole thing much easier then.


    "Yes, I want to get stronger. Please guide me," Hao Xuan said giving a bow.


    "Mhmm," Sgt. Wei nodded in response.


    "Alright, there is an extra room to the left, take that. It''s still a bit early so try to get some sleep, we''ll start tomorrow at 8 a.m sharp," he said leaving the area.


    Hao Xuan got settled in, this was going to be his home for a little while. A loud metal cking noise woke him up when it was time for breakfast.


    He got to meet the rest of the soldiers, and to his surprise, a quarter of them were women. Because of cultivation, the difference between each gender was reduced quite a bit. Women were in the military and actually made a big part of it. They fought and cultivated, and some of the most powerful figures in this world were from the fairer sex.


    After that, he was led to a small open training field at the back of the camp, where Sgt Wei was waiting for him.


    "Alright, let''s get started. So what''s your cultivation manual?" he asked while sitting down in the middle of the ground.


    "ive cultivation Manual," Hao Xuan replied.


    "ive? How did you get the ive Manual? It''s not even avable to the general public, even for military officers it''s not easy to get your hands on one," he asked extremely surprised.


    "I don''t know, it was just there when I was selecting the manuals," Hao Xuan replied casually. Was it really that great?


    "Hmm, well no matter. I know a bit about it, but not too much. What do you know about ives in general?" Sgt Wei asked with a questioning gaze.


    "Just what I have read from the manual itself, that it requires high speed, strength and endurance and a lot of work."


    "Hmm, alright. Well, when you talk about ives, especially in the cultivation world, there are a LOT of variations in the weapon itself. For example, naginata, guandao and Pudao, Sovnya and Palma are some of the most popr types of ives. They each have their own slight differences and it depends on the user''s ability and taste what they want to go with. Also, each cultivator usually makes some alterations to make it more ''personal''."


    "But the reason why ives have such a high difficulty is because their characteristics are a mix of many different weapons. A ive has the range and prating power of a spear, the nimbleness and flexibility of swords, the severing power of a saber, and the absolute crushing force of blunt weapons like hammers and clubs."


    "That''s why for many it''s easier to focus on one weapon and then take on some supplementary skills or spells topliment your weapon," Sgt Wei finished.


    Hao Xuan thought about the first paragraph in the Cultivation Manual and now it made more sense. With a weapon of such absolute power, if it could be mastered to the peak by someone, they might really be able to y gods and demons.

 Chapter 11: Qi Formation realm

    <h4>Chapter 11: Qi Formation realm</h4>


    "We cane back to the ive manualter, right now you need to start cultivating your Qi," Sgt Wei said.


    "In the simplest of terms, Qi is the purified form of spiritual energy that is all around us. You have to absorb the spiritual energy and convert it into Qi that you can use."


    "Some individuals are born with small clusters of nerves and blood vessels called meridians. They are different from your blood cirction system and form another system entirely, which covers every single part of your body."


    "Every creature has a different number of meridians, but the five main ones are present universally. You use meridians to store Qi to use during fights and when utilizing different skills and abilities."


    "Our cultivation method forces the five main ones to be opened with a special energy type, whereas others can be opened by your normal spiritual energy," he exined in detail.


    "The cultivation manual tells you which meridian to open and in which order, using which type of energy. For example, the hammer manual requires one to open their first main meridian using some sort of heavy elemental energy."


    "For this, a cultivator can train in ces of higher than normal gravity, or under physical pressure by tieing weights to your body or training deep underwater, and absorb the ''essence'' of that to convert the spiritual energy into Qi, and blowing open your locked meridian."


    "Just like that, it should say which type of energy you need to open your first meridian, whichever one it is," the Sgt said solemnly.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and the ive manual appeared in his mind.


    After the first page introducing the manual itself, the second exined much of what the Sgt had just told him. It said that the five main meridians were present in the forehead, both the legs and arms. But then it mentioned another, a sixth meridian, which could be used to cultivate something called a spiritual soul. It was located below the belly button.


    The opening of this sixth meridian had some special requirements and would take a long time.


    Hao Xuan was taken aback by this mention of a new meridian, especially since the Sgt had no information about it at all. Maybe this is why the ive manual was so highly regarded.


    Reading on, it said that the ive was a very flexible weapon in terms of the energy requirements to open the main meridians. One could use the Severing Energy of a saber to open the first one, the blunt and impact energy of a hammer user, the cutting energy of a sword, etc.


    All one had to be mindful of was whichever type of energy they used to open their first meridian, it would overpower the rest. Meaning if Hao Xuan used a sword for the first meridian and hammer for the second, his attacks would have more cutting power than impact.


    But this was all forter, right now he had to start absorbing spiritual energy and open his first normal meridian.


    ***


    On the third page, it detailed the process of opening normal meridians. Hao Xuan followed the instructions and tried to sense the spiritual energy in the atmosphere around him. After just a few moments, he could "feel" the presence of something around him, it was everywhere.


    His eyes were closed but he could still perceive that it had a rich blue color, even though it wouldn''t normally be seen with the naked eye.


    He emptied his mind of any stray thoughts as the manual said and thought of something that could attract the spiritual energy.


    So Hao Xuan visualized a whirlpool forming inside his body. A few minutes passed without any reaction but the he noticed that some strands of spiritual energy started to slowly move towards him, almost like a living creature.


    He could feel it enter his body and had a certain degree of control over it. Well, "control" would be a bit farfetched, he could just barely push it in a direction.


    He imagined the whirlpool getting bigger and bigger, and even more spiritual energy gathered around him.


    Sgt Wei''s mouth slowly fell open from shock at how quickly Hao Xuan got the hang of it all. Normally it would take hours just to feel the energy flows, let alone draw it in. The lecture he had prepared for Hao Xuan detailing the importance of being patient and taking your time was useless now.


    Hao Xuan continued absorbing the spiritual energy for about 30 minutes or so and then started applying force on it topress it as much as possible.


    After a few more minutes the energy turned into a much smaller blob of clear and dense Qi. He led it towards the meridians located in his right hand to start ''attacking'' the many normal meridians there.


    One after the other dozens of meridians unsealed, each one boosting his power by just a little bit. He could feel himself getting lighter by the second.


    By now everyone in the entire camp could feel the vague flow of spiritual energy moving towards the training area. What was causing it? It wasn''t even being absorbed anymore, but going towards Hao Xuan''s location of its own ord.


    He could feel a burning sensation in his eyes. It was an aching feeling that usually followed strenuous exercise. But instead of muscles, it was Hao Xuan''s eyes that ached.


    Sgt Wei suddenly stood up, stupefied by the disturbance in the spiritual energy. It was like the energy had finally found an outlet and happily moved into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "W-What''s going on?" Sgt was baffled by the situation. "Does he have a special body?" he thought.


    While all this was happening, Hao Xuan waspletely focused on controlling the Qi. He had already opened a few dozen normal meridians.


    After an hour he finally woke up from his meditative state. As he opened his eyes, they glowed red for an instant before reverting to their normal green color.


    "Qi Formation Second stage?!!" Sgt Wei who was still standing a few meters away from him shouted, bbergasted.


    "Yes?" Hao Xuan asked, confused.


    Quickly regaining hisposure, the Sgt replied, "Ah, nothing, never mind. Do you know about the cultivation realms yet? I forgot to mention since itsmon knowledge but I know you haven''t been here long."


    "No idea," he replied awkwardly.


    "Well, you just entered the Qi Formation realm. This is where you learn how topress and control your Qi. After Qi Formation, there is the Elementary realm, Earth realm, Origin realm, Spirit Realm, and Profound realm. All the generals of the kingdom have to be at least Profound realm warriors."


    "At that realm, they can also use their Qi to fly. They are powerful enough to uproot entire forests with a wave of their hand and truly step on the path of cultivation," the Sgt said respectfully.


    "Each realm has Nine stages, first three are called Initial, then the middle, and thest three are the peak stages. After that is the Pinnacle stage of each specific realm where you get ready to break into the next cultivation realm."


    "Once you break into the Elementary realm you''ll understand the difference of the power level between warriors," he said with a smirk.


    "Now that you broke straight into the second stage of Qi foundation realm, let me see what you can do," the Sgt said, throwing Hao Xuan a blunt sword.

 Chapter 12: Sunder!

    <h4>Chapter 12: Sunder!</h4>


    "Circte your Qi!" Sgt Wei said standing in front of him like a tower.


    As Hao Xuan started to move the Qi between his few unlocked meridians, it felt like a rush, like a breath of fresh air. It was like his body was suffocating and had just received a burst of pure oxygen.


    His muscles tightened and without even realizing it he held the blunt sword sideways, with the sharp end pointed towards the ground. It was the most natural stance he coulde up with. Rather than think, it was his body that moved on its own.


    His heartbeat increased, getting faster and stronger by the second as ifplying with some hidden protocol already in ce. His face started turning a reddish hue and his body started burning up with steaming off of him.


    "What the hell is wrong with this kid?" the Sgt wondered looking at Hao Xuan.


    But Hao Xuan had never felt better. It was like every single fiber of his being was brimming with power, screaming out, "STRIKE". That was the only word that was left in his mind.


    He was losing control over his own body, losing the ability to think clearly. He started to lose his sight and everything slowly turned pitch ck.


    And then he saw a vision of man, a man with long ck hair down to his shoulders, a man with a back wide enough that could support the entire sky. In his right hand a massive weapon of about four meters in length, over 60% of which was just the de and the remaining a massive ck hilt with strange markings on it.


    The man had many wounds from which he was bleeding profusely. A sword especially stood out which was protruding from his chest, someone had stabbed him from behind. Below his feet were corpses of numerous different beings.


    Hao Xuan could not see the man''s face but for some reason, tears formed around his eyes seeing his bloody state. It was as if he was looking at an old friend.


    In front of the man were humongous beasts, divine dragons, thousands of kilometers long divine serpents, a few massive Xu¨¢nw¨³''s, just to name a few. They were sorge that nothing beyond their heads was visible. Hao Xuan was sure that each of those ck turtles was bigger than the entire earth.


    Many creatures were present, baring their fangs at him, even some towering human-like silhouettes stood on the sides holding different weapons from scythes to swords.


    But even though his enemies were so many that they could block the entire sky, the man''s expression wasn''t one of fear or panic, but one of anger and disappointment.


    Whereas the massive army in front of him was just standing there, looking at him in trepidation.


    The world around him shook before a thunderous voice boomed, echoing between the heaven and earth, "Empyrean Emperor, enough! Too much blood has been spilled already, nothing good cane of this. The second Firmament war is at hand, we must stand together, lest we all perish!"


    "Enough? ENOUGH?!? You dare spout your bullshit in front of me after what you have done? How many souls perished here today? And for what reason? You rob my home and then want me to look the other way?! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!" roared the man as he raised the weapon atop his head.


    "Even if it is thest thing I do, I will make sure none of you leave here today," he said gently, as if ceding to his fate. The markings on the weapon started to light up, after which a voice akin to a God giving a final Heavenly mandate came out of his mouth.


    "Sunder...the Heavens!"


    He brought the weapon down in front of him as the scene blurred.


    While he was seeing these events, Hao Xuan unconsciously also mimicked the man''s actions. Lifting the blunt sword atop his head, his Qi started circting on its own, "Sunder!" he uttered the words solemnly with every ounce of force he could muster before bringing the sword down in much the same manner.


    The Qi traveled from his body into the sword and suddenly, it burst into tiny little pieces. Yet that energy did not dissipate immediately but carried on through the air towards Sgt Wei who was just standing there in shock.


    In that short moment Sgt Wei felt genuine fear crawl up his spine, warning him that if that energy touched him, he would cease to exist. So instinctively he took out his hammer and using every single bit of power he could muster, swung it towards Hao Xuan.


    As his hammer made contact with the energy, it exploded and the force behind the collision sent him flying through the main camp wall which was about a meter thick, leaving a massive hole in its ce.


    As soon as the rest of the soldiers heard the loud noise they came running in and saw Hao Xuan standing in his ce with his eyes closed, a hilt in his hand and blooding out of his eyes. The Sgt was nowhere in sight.


    Hao Xuan had already lost consciousness. The hilt slipped through his fingers and he crashed on the ground.


    Sgt Wei came rushing back through the hole he was sent through, looking at Hao Xuan with a fearful gaze. His arms which he had used to block the energy were bleeding profusely and wouldn''t stop.


    "Take him back to his quarters," he ordered pointing towards Hao Xuan.


    Not exining anything to his subordinates he went straight back to his own room and closed the door. He took out a talisman from under his bed, put a little bit of blood on it and ced it in front of him and sat down respectfully, waiting.


    A few minster it started burning and a figure appeared in its ce.


    "General!" he said bowing deeply.


    "What happened? I gave you that talisman in case of an emergency," the figure frowned.


    "My apologies sir, but I thought you might want to know this," the Sgt replied and exined everything that had happened.


    "Are you certain? And his eyes were bleeding? Show me your wounds," the figure ordered.


    After taking a look at Wei''s injuries he went silent for a few mins.


    "Did anyone else see this?"


    "No sir, it was just me", Sgt Wei replied with sweat pouring down his forehead.


    "Hmm, alright. Don''t let a word of this out. Nothing happened, understand?" the figure said looking straight at him.


    "Yes, of course!" Sgt Wei bowed from the waist.


    "I''ll send some people to take him away. Make sure no one says a word about him to anyone, by whatever means necessary. He doesn''t exist anymore. If anyone asks, Hao Xuan is dead," the figure said as it turned into smoke and vanished.

 Chapter 13: The New Kid

    <h4>Chapter 13: The New Kid</h4>


    A few hourster a carriage arrived at the camp, the Imperial Guards!


    They took Hao Xuan away and gave some sort of a powder to Sgt Wei, he was to mix it in their food and have the soldiers drink it. He did as he was ordered and fed the powder to the soldiers, they soon fell unconscious. After a few hours, they slowly woke up but remembered nothing of thest 24 hours.


    Thus, Hao Xuan vanished from the beast world for the foreseeable future.


    ***


    The pce of Fortuna City was absolutely massive. It covered an area of about two million Sq meters and was located right in the middle of the inner city. It was cleanly divided into two parts, one belonged to Princess Mei Yin, and the other to Prince Mei Shu.


    The Princess was the oldest of the royal children at 18 years of age but her mother wasn''t the Queen, instead the royal concubine. The Prince was the youngest at 11 and was born from the Queen.


    The carriage carrying Hao Xuan traveled for several hours and went straight to Prince Shu''s pce. There, it was received by Royal guards and he was brought into a small pavilion at the back of the pce. There were two people present in the pavilion waiting for Hao Xuan, drinking tea.


    The soldiers carried him in, put him on the bed and then left silently.


    One of the men had long ck hair and was extremely handsome, the other was a much older man with a long white beard going down to his chest.


    "Please," the ck haired man respectfully said to the other.


    The old man got up and went up to Hao Xuan and put his hand on his forehead as it lit up for a few seconds. Then he moved it around all over his body, and in the end went back to his eyes again, when suddenly his expression changed.


    The younger man who was sitting there looking at the whole scene frowned, "what could make the old doctor change his expression, at his age," he thought.


    The old man came back and sat at his original spot, with a puzzled face.


    "What''s wrong?" the younger man asked after not receiving any response from him.


    "What''s this child''s background?" the old man asked.


    "Nothing. He is a human who was just brought over to Beast world," he replied.


    "Hmm. I don''t think you should get this child involved in your affairs," the old man replied after pondering for a few seconds.


    "What? Why? Please exin," the younger man said with a perplexed expression.


    "He has a very unique constitution. Or rather, his eyes. Something is wrong with them. I''ve seen many cultivators with unique bodies and constitutions, but the ones with special eyes are extremely rare, and even among them I don''t know which he has. You should be well aware, even though several of the Princes and princesses have unique bodies, they aren''t that special," the old doctor said.


    "The few people that do have such bodies are extremely entric. Their powers usually belong to the spiritual type and are feared by all. I don''t know what his abilities are but if its anything like I think it is, you might be nurturing the very being that brings about your destruction. My advice, either kill him right now or help him with all you have. Don''t get on his bad side," the old man said as he got up and walked out.


    The younger man sat there thinking for a good 20mins or so. Then he got up and walked up to Hao Xuan. As he looked at his peaceful face, he couldn''tprehend how such an innocent little boy could ever be one of the monsters the doctor mentioned.


    *sigh*


    "Alright, I''ll make a bet on you. I hope you will live up to your potential," he said as he took out a small pearl and crushed it. Some sort of an energy came out of it and entered Hao Xuan''s body through his nose and went to his brain. He struggled for a few seconds but then everything calmed down again.


    "Sleep well little one," he said smilingly and walked out.


    ***


    Hao Xuan woke up a few dayster.


    "Where am I?" he wondered as he looked around. He tried to get up but his body froze and he almost fell.


    The two extremely beautiful maids heard themotion and suddenly came running in, "Young master, are you alright?" they asked worryingly.


    "Hm? Young master?" he asked looking at them in shock.


    "Oh my god, our young master has gone dumb!" one of them screamed and ran out.


    "What? Did she just call me dumb and then ran out crying herself??" he asked the other maid bewildered.


    "Young master, do you remember your name? Do you remember us?" The other one asked.


    "My name is Hao Xuan and I''m-" as he was trying to remember, suddenly his head felt like it was going to explode. There was a searing pain and he almost passed out again.


    "Ahhh, young master, please don''t die! I''ll go call the general," the other one also ran out screaming.


    A few secondster a tall handsome man with long hair came running in. He looked at Hao Xuan and suddenly smiled.


    "I thought something serious had happened. Those two are always so protective of you. Are you okay now?" the man asked with a kind smile.


    "Um, do I know you? Where am I?" Hao Xuan asked awkwardly.


    "You don''t remember?!!" the man asked surprised.


    "I remember my name, but that''s it," he replied.


    "Hmm, well I guess it''s not that unexpected, you were in a serious ident after all," the man said after a few seconds.


    "Your name is indeed Hao Xuan. You are the son of an old acquaintance of mine. After he passed away you had nowhere to go so I took you in. The ident I spoke off happened a few days ago when someone tried to take Prince Shu''s life. You heroically stepped in and saved him. You''ve been in aa ever since," the handsome man said meeting Hao Xuan''s gaze.

 Chapter 14: Dominus!

    <h4>Chapter 14: Dominus!</h4>


    Hao Xuan sat alone in his room for a few hours, just trying to remember anything about his past he could but every time it would hurt even more than thest. His head would start pounding like a drum and his vision would go dark.


    "I still remember everything about cultivation, but why is it that only my personal memories are out of reach?" he wondered while sitting cross-legged on his bed.


    "Screw it, no use wasting any more time on this, nothing''s gonna change with me sitting here," Hao Xuan said out loud and decided to go for a walk.


    Walking out of his room, he saw the majestic scenery outside. He had no memory of this ce and didn''t recognize anything which only added to the sense of amazement one would feel upon seeing something like this.


    There were huge beautiful pavilions everywhere with extremely thick spiritual energy dancing in the air. There were massive trees nted here and there with a few small streams of water snaking in between them.


    He walked around aimlessly, admiring the beautiful scenery. Everything seemed to just ''fit in''.


    Soon he lost track of time. He had been walking around for almost an hour, going from vista to another when he realized that he was nowpletely lost.


    "Ohe on, you can''t be serious," he mumbled a bit nervously as a sense of unease settled in his heart.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even know the name of the man who was giving him a ce to live, how would he exin the situation to the pce guards? They''d think he was an assassin or a pervert and hang him out in the open.


    He turned back around and ran, hiding from any guards and patrols that came around. If he had only gone up to one they would''ve recognized him at first nce.


    After roaming around for a couple of hours, he ended up in a wide-open space with ake surrounded by misty fog in the distance. There were small animals all around theke, harmful creatures that jumped around and yed with one another without a care in the world.


    "Hmm, maybe if I can catch one of these guys, I can feed myself," Hao Xuan thought, trying to hide in the bushes. He hadn''t eaten anything in thest 2 days ad now that his mind was somewhat empty, the intense feeling of hunger hit him head-on.


    After a few minutes of careful examination, he narrowed down on his target. A beautiful white and ck Hare which was just jumping around looking for food, biting every other leaf found on the ground. But little did he know, because of the copious amounts of spiritual energy around theke, most of the animals had developed a thought process and were almost as smart as 3-4-year-old human children.


    With its acute senses, the hare quickly found out it was being followed by Hao Xuan and intentionally led him deeper into the mist, closer and closer to theke.


    When Hao Xuan came to his senses and looked around, he was even more lost. He could see nothing and hear nothing in the dense mist.


    "Oh what fresh hell is this now, you gotta give me a break," he pleaded looking above as if someone would actually respond.


    Hao Xuan tried to retrace his steps but they were gone, he couldn''t see anything at all. It was like someone had intentionally wiped away all traces of him.


    Stumped, he found a small rock and sat down, pondering about his current situation and trying to think of a way to resolve this conundrum when he heard a tune. The melodious tune was being hummed by someone close by.


    Hao Xuan clenched his fists and decided to follow the humming as it was his best and perhaps the only way out of this ce.


    Just a couple of minutes of walkingter, he came to a clearing near a small waterfall at the edge of theke.


    He saw the source of the humming. It was a beautiful slender back sitting on the edge on the waterfall with dark hair going down to her uncovered hips. Hao Xuan forgot all about his current ''sticky'' situation as he listened to the love song she had started singing.


    "Who are you to make me keep thinking of you,


    This hurts my pride but I''m all worked up,


    My face goes red and my heart is racing,


    I can''t control myself as if I''m getting dizzy."


    She sang while pouring the blueke water on her legs, lost in her own world. Her skin was clearer than the whitest of jades and smoother than the finest of silks.


    Hao Xuan almost fell into a trance upon hearing her voice. His body felt so rxed that he only wanted toy his head in herp as she sang to him.


    The sound of footsteps came from the other side and another girl walked over, covering herself with a small towel. Her long legs caught Hao Xuan''s attention from afar.


    She had long, orange hair tied up in a ponytail at the back and fringesing down covering her forehead.


    "Senior sister,e on let''s go swimming, they are waiting," she said as she sat down next to the first girl. Those two were the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen, or at least remembered seeing. A strange feeling, something he had never felt before rose in his heart. A possessiveness he had never known before in his life.


    "Mhmm," the first girl replied as she stopped humming, got up and put on a swimsuit.


    Then she followed the second girl back.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes looked like they had lost their usual green luster.


    Like a mindless puppet, a series of thoughts entered his brain. Thoughts that weren''t his own, but weren''t too foreign either.


    "If I go out right now, they will think I was peeping on them. So I should follow them secretly, make sure they don''t pose a threat. Mhmm, I must ''investigate'' before going up to them," he mumbled nkly trying to justify his actions.


    After a few seconds, Hao Xuan followed after them as well.


    They went down an old staircase cut out from the natural stone, going around the waterfall and to another area. This ce was surrounded by beautiful trees blooming with pink petals that broke off with the slightest gust of wind.


    It looked like a scene from a movie.


    Here, two more girls were sitting on a rocky ledge, dipping their legs into the water below.


    One of the new girls had long brown hair, a very pronounced chest and same as the other three, porcin-like skin, white and smooth. She was a bit older than the others, more mature, more womanly. She was wearing gold-rimmed spectacles.


    Thest girl had long pink hair and a round and cute face, but one thing that wasmon in all of them was that they were all extremely beautiful. Like angels on earth!


    They were standing there with the sunlight hitting them through the clouds, all so different and alluring.


    As Hao Xuan was "investigating" the girls from afar, a tinge of red had invaded his pupils from somewhere deep inside his soul. It moved around his eyes like a serpent.


    Without even realizing, he had entered a strange state fueled by his previously unknown desires. It was like his body wasn''t his own anymore. Like¡­a door that was never supposed see the light of day had cracked itself open just a little bit and something had leaked out, polluting his very being.


    Strange voices, whispers sounded in his ears. The whispers ovepped, but they all sounded like him.


    "She is beautiful, don''t you want her?" the whispers said lightly as his eyes closed on their own and an image of the first girl appeared.


    "If you want her, then just go take her, who will stop you?" the image of the second girl appeared.


    "NO!" he shouted back, trying to open his eyes but to no avail. These thoughts felt like his own yet still foreign. It was like the whispers were trying to change him somehow.


    "Yes! You want her all for yourself, admit it. All your life you were taken advantage of, when will it be your turn?" and the third girl''s image appeared.


    "No¡­this is wrong..." he repeated inwardly over and over again.


    "It is the fairest of oues! We are strong, yet they are not. If we do not take them, someone else will, such is thew of this world!" the whispers intensified, drowning out his own thoughts.


    "No¡­" Hao Xuan said onest time before he fell asleep.


    The fourth girl''s image appeared, "If we so desire, it shall be ours. Such is our nature, OURw!" this time the whispers came from Hao Xuan''s own lips.


    "Yes, I want them, so I shall have them," he mumbled, his words oozing with utmost confidence.


    Throughout the conversation, the pronouns were changing constantly. The whispers first referred to Hao Xuan as "you", which then changed to "we" and now it had be "I", signaling the beginning of the final process.


    "I will have what is owed to me," the whispers sounded inside his head, overwriting what little was left of Hao Xuan.


    He abruptly opened his eyes, the pupils glowing with a bright green glow with a spark of red in the middle. The ive manual appeared in front of him.


    It opened on its own as he started absorbing all the spiritual energy from the surroundings with its help. Soon the girls noticed the disturbance and went on full alert. They jerked their hands and various weapons appeared.


    The third girl with the sses had a golden rapier in her hand, which she held in front of her.


    "Show yourself! Who dares trespasses in the Royal Pce!" she yelled loudly.


    A couple of secondster several dozen silhouettes appeared all around them. All women, all armed to the teeth.


    But "Hao Xuan" had no idea about the ruckus he had caused. Without a care in the world, he greedily absorbed the spiritual energy, with it automatically turning into Qi which rushed through one meridian after another increasing his power by a small margin.


    "All of them are mine," he said out loud.


    His eyes were still shining brightly and could be seen even through all the mist and the small hurricane that was made because of the sudden absorption of spiritual energy.


    From the outside, it looked like the hurricane had eyes and was talking to them.


    Everyone present was looking at the two almost blinding green eyes with their breaths held.


    The eyes looked at the first girl, the second, the third and then the fourth, and then a voice came from the hurricane.


    "You all belong to me and me alone. You will have the ''honor'' of helping me open the doors," it said looking at them through the hurricane.


    Just as the words left its lips, the ive Manual lit up.


    The ive was a God of weapons, Arrogant, Haughty and Unyielding! For one to use it properly, its user must also possess those same qualities.


    A smile cracked on Hao Xuan''s lips as he peered at the ive manual, "We were made for each other," he murmured while caressing its pages.


    As soon as Hao Xuan''s thoughts coincided with the characteristics of the ive, hispatibility increased by several-fold. In the future, it would be much easier for him to cultivate the manual as long as he had the same mindset.


    Hao Xuan looked back up at the girls some distance away from him and shouted.


    "Understand?!" like a king talking down to his subjects.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    A massive, muffled boom came from inside Hao Xuan''s body which could even be heard outside. His very state of mind was changing.


    *Bzzz*


    A slight buzzing sound came from his eyes and their color changed yet again to bright red. The spark of red hadpletely invaded Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "I want, so I shall take. Nothing can stand against my de, all must kneel!" he said slowly and solemnly.


    Suddenly an invisible pressure appeared, shaking everyone''s very hearts. It made them want to kneel down and beg for forgiveness. They felt unworthy looking at him, negative feelings like that of shame, disgust and weakness appeared in their hearts, all directed towards themselves.


    "Dominus Infirmi!" a voice sounded in Hao Xuan''s ears and the pressure on everyone outside the hurricane quadrupled. All the armored guards that had appeared suddenly fell down to their knees, and the girls had to use all of their Qi just to stand up straight.


    The Qi inside Hao Xuan''s body bubbled vigorously, its color changing to a bright golden purple as it went straight up to the first main meridian in his right arm that he had chosen to unseal first.


    *BOOOOM*


    Another explosion sounded as the Qi collided with the first meridian, cracks appearing on its walls, but still not enough.


    The pressure outside octupled. The guards copsed on the ground with blooding out of their eyes and ears while the girls finally all fell down to their knees with a loud thud, using their weapons as crutches to stay upright.


    Looking at the scene, Hao Xuan slightly smiled and said "Good girls," as his Qi thrummed once again, hitting the first meridian with several times more power than before. It blew open and all the pressure outside vanished in an instance.


    The essence of the pressure outside was extracted used as the basis to open the first meridian.


    Instead of using a weapon''s essence to open his first meridian, Hao Xuan used the strength and aura of an Emperor, which requiredplete obedience from everyone against him.

 Chapter 15: Control

    <h4>Chapter 15: Control</h4>


    In a simple and elegant pavilion near Prince Shu''s pce, a handsome man was sitting there drinking tea. Suddenly he felt a disturbance in the spiritual energying from the restricted area of the Royal Pce. No one other than those of the Mei bloodline were allowed inside, it was a ce filled to the brim with spiritual energy thanks to a massive spirit gathering formation.


    The man frowned and flew straight up into the air and looked towards the source of themotion. It was still a few kilometers away but he could see everything that was happening. He saw Hao Xuan and thedies and frowned again.


    What was happening? He had left Hao Xuan alone for just a few hours. How would he exin this matter to others?


    To keep the information from spreading he sealed the entire ce with his Qi, no one other than him would be able to feel themotion anymore.


    He flew above theke and heard Hao Xuan''s voice, "Understand!?!"


    He looked down and saw Hao Xuan in the middle of the hurricane, sitting there with his legs crossed, looking at the girls.


    "What''s wrong with him? Did sealing his memories have a negative side-effect?" he mumbled.


    And then he felt his aura peak all of a sudden, in that instance, Hao Xuan broke through to the next realm, the Elementary Realm!


    "How is this possible? He was on Qi Foundation third stage this morning!!" the handsome man was bbergasted. This speed was way too fast even for someone with a special constitution.


    "Damn it, no other choice then," he thought and made up his mind. He closed his eyes and started humming a tone, slowly it got louder and louder. When it reached the people below, they felt extremely tired. A few secondster, one after another they started to fall asleep.


    Hao Xuan sat in the middle of the hurricane and watched everything unfold. When the sound waves reached him, his eyes dimmed for a few seconds and all the energy from them was neutralized.


    The handsome man was shocked yet again, was that his ability?


    When he was sure that everyone else was knocked out, he slowly came back down to the ground.


    "Hao Xuan, what''re you doing here? This is a restricted area," the man said.


    "I go where I want when I want. Who are you to stop me?" he replied casually.


    The handsome man''s eyes constricted, "Who are you? You are not Hao Xuan" he said as he took out a longsword.


    "Me? I am Hao Xuan, and he is me. We are one and the same," Hao Xuan replied with a smirk.


    "I have always been here, inside him, waiting. Thanks to your meddling I could finally get out," he continued.


    "Demon?!!" the man stepped back, stunned.


    "No, nothing that simple. I told you, I am just as human as Hao Xuan. We are the same," Hao Xuan said, standing up.


    "I don''t believe you," the man replied, on guard.


    "You don''t have to believe me, you will see for yourself in the future."


    "For I am the whisper in the back of his mind, I am thest voice of reason. I am the final ''seal'' before theing of the Beast," Hao Xuan replied with a huge smile.


    "If you see me again, do yourself a favor and run as far away as your feet will carry you. Because if I am unable to halt his arrival, all shall perish," Hao Xuan said looking at the handsome man.


    For the first time in a long time, the man felt like he was standing in front of a mighty beast. Something he would never ever be able to evenprehend, let alone stand up against. Without even thinking, he slowly nodded his head.


    "Mhmm," Hao Xuan nodded in response and went back to his position and sat down as if nothing happened.


    "Don''t give in to your desires so easily kid. Have some self-control for god sakes. You see a few beautiful women and lose all rationality. You mustn''t be like him," Hao Xuan spoke as if giving someone a lecture.


    "Be stronger and stronger until you''re standing at the top of this world. Maybe then you will have some chance of victory," he sighed.


    "Here, have this technique, it suits the ive perfectly. Don''t let us down," Hao Xuan said as he closed his eyes and his body went limp and he fell to the ground.


    The man stood there watching as all this was happening. After a couple mins, he took out a bottle from his sleeve and emptied it. A white fume came out and entered everyone''s brain. Then he carried Hao Xuan in his arms and flew away.


    A few minster everyone woke up but they couldn''t remember what happened, that is everyone except the four girls. They could clearly remember those eyes looking at them and saying "You all belong to me". They looked at each other and saw the look confirming that it was all real and not a dream.


    They shuddered thinking what kind of a being could make Origin Realm experts such as them kneel on the ground just by looking at them.


    ***


    The handsome man brought Hao Xuan back to his pavilion and ced a spirit mark on him so he would always know where he was.


    After that he sat there in front of him, not moving a muscle.


    About 5 hourster Hao Xuan woke up. The first thing he saw after opening his eyes was the handsome man sitting on the edge of his bed.


    "Are you okay?" the man asked with genuine concern.


    "Um, yes," Hao Xuan replied awkwardly. "Why was this guy on my bed, did he do something to me while I was sleeping?!!" Hao Xuan suddenly thought, covering himself with the nket.


    "It''s good if you''re okay. Do you remember what happened?" he asked again ignoring Hao Xuan''s strange actions.


    "I was out on a walk when I got lost and then ended up in a weird misty ce. There were some girls there, I didn''t mean to peek, I just wanted to ask for directions! But- I don''t remember anything after that," Hao Xuan replied trying to exin himself.


    "Hao Xuan, you''re 19 years old already. You need to get stronger. Even Prince Shu who is only 11 has a higher cultivation level than you. I''m going to admit you into the military. You need to get proper training and get a handle on everything. Ready yourself," the man said in a serious tone and walked out of the room, leaving Hao Xuan stunned.

 Chapter 16: Legion

    <h4>Chapter 16: Legion</h4>


    Hao Xuan packed his things and got ready to leave with the man. Few minster he came back with a red horse, it had two horns on its head and was about twice the size of a normal horse.


    "Come, let''s get going," he gestured towards Hao Xuan.


    "Um, sir, where are we going?" Hao Xuan said as he got up on the imposing looking horse with some difficulty.


    "My name is Yue Fei, you can just call me Uncle Yue from now on. I''m taking you to the Military Academy. That''s where the best and brightest of Mei kingdome to challenge themselves and others," he said with a small smile.


    Hao Xuan nodded back at him and with a signal from Yue Fei, the horses started running.


    Even though Hao Xuan had broken through the Elementary Realm and be significantly stronger, when the horses picked up speed he was holding on for his dear life. He thought if he rxed for even a second it would be catastrophic.


    The horses were so fast that they looked like red streaks from afar. Hao Xuan had no idea what was going on, his surroundings were changing so fast that he couldn''t see anything. After about 5 mins or so they slowed down enough for Hao Xuan to get himself together.


    They were in apletely different area. The roads were extremely wide, enough for a few dozen carriages to travel side by side.


    In the middle of the road, there was a massive open gate with the words "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country" engraved on it with a weapon, giving off an extremely sharp and domineering aura.


    Below the gate were about a dozen soldiers standing still in full armor with huge spears by their sides. They were at least 8 Feet tall and looked very imposing.


    As they reached the gate the soldiers gave a deep bow and moved aside without a single word.


    They kept moving and passed by manyrge buildings. After a few mins, they came to a stop near a small vi with a single guard outside. But that one person gave off an aura that could crush Hao Xuan in a second.


    They got off their horses and approached the vi, the guard gave a slight bow and said "General" and then went back to his position.


    They went up to the main door and Yue Fei knocked once and waited. A few secondster and a pretty maid appeared.


    "Please follow me," she said formally and led the way.


    They went to a courtyard at the back where a frail looking old man with a white beard was sitting under a tree, reading a book.


    As they entered the courtyard, Yue Fei told Hao Xuan to wait near the entrance and slowly walked towards the old man.


    "Sir!" he said giving a deep bow and stood silently to the side.


    "Oh, this is a nice surprise. I haven''t seen you in several decades little boy, you''ve gotten big," the old man said without putting his book down or looking up.


    "It''s all thanks to your teachings sir," Yue Fei replied respectfully.


    "So what brings you here today?" the old man asked.


    "I wanted to rmend someone for the ''Red legion''," Yue Fei said after a few seconds. When the old man heard him he finally put the book down and looked at him. Hao Xuan was shocked to see his appearance, the old man had four eyes!


    "The Red Legion? You know only the most elite of the elite are eligible to apply for it, and even then they need to pass several tests. Who is it that you think would be a good fit for it? And why the Red legion specifically?" he asked looking straight at Yue Fei.


    "It''s a young human boy with a rare constitution. The Royal doctor examined him and said his potential is endless," Yue Fei said moving aside and looking at Hao Xuan.


    When Hao Xuan saw them looking at him he got nervous and for no reason at all and stood up straight with his chest out.


    The old man slightly smiled looking at his antics and motioned with his hand toe over.


    Hao Xuan slowly walked over without even knowing why he was so nervous. The old man looked at him and saw his eyes. He frowned and looked at Yue Fei for confirmation, who nodded in response.


    "Come, child," the old man said as he extended his hand. Hao Xuan hesitated for a second and then grabbed his hand.


    The old man sent his own Qi into Hao Xuan''s body and examined every single part of it. Hao Xuan felt like there was a worm inside his body, wriggling around. But when he reached the eyes, all of his Qi vanished without a trace. Slightly shocked he sent another burst of Qi straight towards Hao Xuan''s eyes and it vanished as well.


    Stunned, the old man contemted for a few seconds and then rang a small bell that was right next to him.


    The maid came back and the old man pointed towards Hao Xuan saying, "Take him to the Sanguis camp and tell No. 1 to take care of him. If he can''t break into the Earth Realm within 5 weeks then send him back to the general."


    "Yes," the maid replied and turned towards Hao Xuan and said, "Follow me".


    She led him to the back of the vi and they left from another small gate. Outside it there was a small dirt path which they followed for about two hours through a forest.


    They walked towards a small mountain not too far from them. After climbing for a few mins they reached the top. There was a wooden doorway there with a small screen right next to it.


    "ce your hand on the screen," she said to Hao Xuan as she stood next to it.


    Hao Xuan obliged and put his hand on the screen which then lit up. He felt a small prick and some of his blood fell on the screen which was absorbed in a second.


    After that a new page showed up with some empty fields which the maid filled herself after asking Hao Xuan for the information.


    Name: Hao Xuan


    Gender: Male


    Age: 19


    Species: Human


    Rank: N/A


    Unit: Red Legion


    "Alright, you can enter now. I have messaged No. 1, he will be waiting for you at the end of the trail," the maid said, and then without waiting for a response she turned around and left.


    Hao Xuan looked at her back as she walked down the path, then he turned around and looked at the gate. All he could see were trees on the other side. After taking a deep breath, he walked forward and entered.


    ***


    Soon as he entered through the gate the scene changed. There were several small buildings in a circle with different numbers on them. There were trees and greenery all around the ce. In the middle was arge open hall without any doors where a man was standing.


    He looked to be about 25-26 years of age. He had Short ck hair and a scar going from his left eye to his cheek. With a graceful figure and a height of about 6''4 feet, he didn''t look like the other soldiers Hao Xuan had seen but rather a schr, if not for the scar.


    He smiled and waved at Hao Xuan from afar.


    Hao Xuan walked up to him and introduced himself.


    "Hahaha, it''s been a while since we got a new member. My name is Han Xin, but here we don''t use names. Brother Hao can call me No. 1 or First brother from now on," he said with augh.


    "Ah, how do you do First Brother," Hao Xuan said with a formal bow.


    "Good good. Brother Hao, other than me there are 7 others here. They also have a number assigned to them, you will be referred to as Ninth brother from now on," he said as he led Hao Xuan to his quarters, it had "Nine" written on it and wasn''t too big, with only two simple rooms.


    "This will be your ce. You can put down your belongings here. I see you don''t have a storage ring,e let me show you around the camp and get you some supplies."


    They went back to the open hall and this time he led Hao Xuan inside.


    As they entered, the scene changed once again. The interior of the hall was absolutely massive. It looked to be several Kilometres in diameter. It was fully furnished and looked like the entrance of an international bank from earth. In the middle was arge desk with some chairs and several screens.


    He went up to the desk and sat in front of one of the screens.


    "Ninth brother, here you can look for any techniques you need and also order cultivation materials and different pills. They will be delivered to your quarters as soon as possible. You can also send and receive messages here from anyone in the outer world. There are also a huge number of books regarding cultivation avable so if you want to find something you can either just ask me or look it up here," No. 1 exined.


    "Come have a look. I''ve already ced an order for a storage ring for you."


    Hao Xuan went to one of the other screens and sat down. As he put his hand on it, it lit up with a small message "Wee Trainee Hao Xuan".

 Chapter 17: Wrath of Deimos!

    <h4>Chapter 17: Wrath of Deimos!</h4>


    The interface was very simple. There were several categories on the main page, ranging from the weapon skills and techniques to movement, mental, hand-to-hand, beast skills etc, everything was avable there.


    On the top was a "Request Resources" section and right below it was Hao Xuan''s name with the number 1,000 in front of it.


    "Brother, what is this number in front of my name?" Hao Xuan asked No. 1.


    "Oh, my bad should''ve told you about that. As you can imagine, thepetition is extremely high and resources are limited. So the higher-ups have decided to assign points to every action, which can be earned by us. For example, we can take on some quests, challenges,plete tests to get these points. You use these points to buy techniques and skills or some rare cultivation resources," he exined.


    "Every new member gets a thousand points to spend on anything they need, that''s what those numbers are. When you get your storage ring it has a builtin function of monitoring those points so you don''t have to worry about anything."


    "Hmm, is there anything good that I should go for at first?" Hao Xuan asked.


    "Haha, there is nothing bad here. Only the best of the best are avable to us. But still, it mostly depends on your personal choices. Everything is good if you know how to use it. Just choose something with a high grade and it willst you for a while," No. 1 replied as he got up.


    "I''ll get everyone together to make an introduction. We will be working together as a unit so you have to familiarize yourself with them," he said and walked out.


    Hao Xuan turned his attention back to the screen and started browsing. He thought about what he needed right now and decided to take a look at the ive manual first.


    As he closed his eyes the ive manual appeared, but it looked different this time. It''s cover looked like it was made out of solid silver. While Hao Xuan was observing the changes in the ive manual, another book appeared, blood red in color, which caught Hao Xuan by surprise.


    On its cover were the words "Wrath of Deimos". He hesitated for a few seconds but then decided to open the first page and read the introduction.


    "Deimos is an ancient Demonic God of Terror. It feeds on the feelings of dread and fear that befall its victims. With 999 arms it rips the souls out of its victims and feasts on their blood. Described as one of the most feared beings on the battlefield, it has no conscious to speak off and has been known to explode into bouts of mass-ughter."


    Hao Xuan was certainly impressed by the introduction, but it still didn''t exin what type of technique it actually was, so he moved on to the next page.


    "Wrath of Deimos is a hybrid weapon and summoning type technique. Once cultivated to its highest level, the actual Demonic God itself can be summoned. If used along with a weapon, multiple arms can be summoned with different weapons to reap the lives of any enemies around you. Note: The heart-blood of fallen foes can also be used to cultivate."


    It was exactly what Hao Xuan needed. Techniques like this were made to be used againstrge crowds where the user could just jump in and start killing.


    Hao Xuan didn''t remember how he got the technique but he wasn''t about to question it, it was a good thing either way.


    He opened his eyes again and looked at the screen.


    "I have a weapon technique, now all I need is a weapon itself," he thought.


    He clicked on Request recourses and another page opened up. There were many categories there. Hao Xuan selected "weapons" and then ced an order for a sword and a ive.


    As he finished cing the order he noticed that his points hadn''t changed. He looked up and around for No. 1 but he was long gone. So without much thought, he went to purchase another technique.


    After pondering for a few seconds he chose an elemental technique called the "Infernal Rapture". It didn''t belong to any single specific weapon type and could be used with almost any edged weapon.


    Its main selling point was that it turned the user''s Qi into ck thunder which was released in a sequence of eight strikes.


    Each strike had 40% more power than the previous one. Meaning the first strike would have the power of 140%, i.e 40% more than his original attacks, and thest strike would have 320% more damage, for a total of 420% extra power.


    Hao Xuan happily checked out and a light came from the screen, falling on his forehead, and another book appeared in his mind with a full ck color with the words Infernal Rapture on top.


    His points decreased to zero in an instant and the screen went ck.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes again and opened the new book. The first paragraph said, "Found in an ancient tomb several hundred thousand years, no one has ever been able to unleash its full power. Requires a lot of time and work to learn each strike with the difficulty increasing every single time. Experts believe the amount of effort required topletely learn the eight strikes is not worth the gains, but instead, cultivators could learn several other techniques to obtain the same results much faster."


    "What the fuck? Why didn''t they mention this in the summary? This is a damn scam for sure, trying to waste my points," Hao Xuanined.


    Just as he was about to look for First, he came to him.


    "Ninth brother,e. Some of the others have a bit of free time so let''s meet them," he said with a huge grin.

 Chapter 18: Brothers!

    <h4>Chapter 18: Brothers!</h4>


    **Instead of No.1/2 etc, they will be referred to as simply ''First'', ''Second'' and so on.


    ''First'' dragged Hao Xuan out of the hall and towards an area to the side of the camp where there was a bonfire set up.


    There were several people sitting in a circle around the bonfire, chatting. The sun had just set and the weather was a little chilly, so it was perhaps the best time for a bonfire party.


    As Hao Xuan and First got closer, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and stood up.


    "Guys, this is our newest brother. He will be called ''Ninth'' from now on. Everyone introduce yourselves," First said and then went to the side, leaving Hao Xuan standing there awkwardly.


    "H-hello, my name is Hao Xuan, nice to meet you," he said slightly nervously.


    "Hahaha wee junior brother,ee, have a seat!" said arge figure. He looked like a human but was twice as big and had huge bulging arms.


    "My name is Bence, I''ll be your third brother," he said as he motioned towards an empty seat.


    "This is Dishi, he is your fourth brother," he introduced another figure. Fourth looked extremely young, he had a long coat on with a bandana and a shortsword on his back. He was sitting there with arge piece of meat in his hand, chomping down on it.


    "Yo!" he gave a little salute as Hao Xuan looked at him.


    "This is our Fifth sister, her name is Ai," he introduced another person. Ai was an attractivedy with long red hair. She wasn''t that tall but had a nice figure. As Hao Xuan looked at her she smiled at him.


    "Hello Junior brother, it''s nice to meet you," she said gently. Her voice didn''t match her appearance at all. One would think a girl like that would be very energetic and haughty, but she seemed really gentle and kind.


    "This is Jun, he is the youngest of all of us. He is your sixth brother," he said pointing towards a teenager. He had slightly long ck hair that were going down to his forehead. He wasn''t that tall or muscr but looked like a normal teenager.


    With a, what seemed like a chicken leg in his hand, he walked over to Hao Xuan.


    "Before I ept you as a brother, you have to answer a question of mine with all honesty," he said with a serious face, looking straight into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "Um, sure, I guess. Ask away," Hao Xuan replied while slowly backing up a step.


    He suddenly moved a few steps forward until he was right next to Hao Xuan''s ears.


    "Breasts, butt, or face, which do you find the most attractive?" he whispered.


    Hao Xuan was stunned hearing the question. What the hell was this guy asking him, and in front of everyone else?


    "Um, Sixth brother, I don''t think it''s appropriate for me to answer that," Hao Xuan said quietly.


    "No, you have to! Otherwise, I won''t ept you as a brother no matter what," he said stubbornly.


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan thought about it and the image of the girls he had seen by thekeshore came to his mind. His face slightly reddened.


    "Well, I guess If I had to, then it would be legs. Or thighs more specifically," Hao Xuan whispered to his ear and moved back a couple more steps.


    Sixth made an exaggerated face like he had heard the most shockingly unbelievable thing in the world. Then he suddenly started roaring withughter.


    "Hahaha finally, I''ve found a confidante! I see you''re a man of culture as well Ninth brother! I think we will get along really well," he shouted as he ran up to Hao Xuan and gave him a big hug.


    "I finally have someone to talk to," Sixth said as a tear appeared in his eyes.


    "Oh what what? What''re you guys gossiping about?" Third asked with a grin.


    "Nothing, leave us alone. It''s got nothing to do with you, third brother!" Fourth replied with a frown.


    "Hahaha alright, whatever you say," thirdughed, not taking it to heart at all. It seemed like this was a regr urrence.


    "This is brother Qiao, he is our seventh brother," Third pointed towards another person in the back. he was sitting there with a katana on hisp, eyes closed as if in meditation.


    "Don''t mind him, he is really serious about training and barely takes any time off to have fun," third said when not getting a response from him.


    Hao Xuan looked at him and slightly bowed anyway. Seventh had long ck hairing down to his shoulders and had a very handsome but serious face. He looked to be a little bit older than Hao Xuan.


    "And finally, this is Tong, our Eighth brother," he introduced thest person there. It was a slightly chubby guy, about the same age as Hao Xuan. He wasying down in front of the bonfire scratching his ass.


    "Hey, what''s up newbie," he said without getting up.


    "Hello," Hao Xuan greeted him the same as others nheless.


    "Second is on a mission so I''ll introduce you guyster," Third said looking around.


    "Come, sit down. Let''s have some fun!" Sixth said as he dragged Hao Xuan to one of the empty seats.


    They drank and ate well into the night. A bitter seventh had joined them too. He greeted Hao Xuan and actually seemed like a very nice person.


    Sixth came over to Hao Xuan several times during the party and started talking about thighs. Near the end he whispered "Thick thighs save lives" into Hao Xuan''s ears and stumbled off drunkenly, leaving Hao Xuan speechless.


    "Ninth Brother, you have to break through to the next realm as quickly as possible. The first thing tomorrow morning go to the hall and read some books on cultivation so you''re prepared. Thene meet me or seventh and we will start your training in the sword," First said suddenly turning serious. Then he bid everyone goodnight and went off into the forest.

 Chapter 19: Elementary realm

    <h4>Chapter 19: Elementary realm</h4>


    Because ofst nights drinking party Hao Xuan slept till 11 the next morning. He cleaned up and went straight to the hall where Fifth was already sitting in front of a screen.


    They greeted each other and Hao Xuan took another seat and logged in.


    He looked up several books on cultivation and started going through them one by one. ording to them after the Qi foundation realm, the next four realms were basically used to enhance the physical body along with opening more meridians ording to whatever cultivation manual a person uses.


    For example in Elementary realm cultivators had to use their Qi to refine all of their fleshly bodies. They would temper their tissues and refine each and every cell with their Qi and infuse it with spiritual energy so it could be stronger. Simrly, in each proceeding realm cultivators were to cultivate their bones, blood, and then finally the soul itself.


    There were many dozens of ways of going about this and depended on each individual''s own preferences.


    Hao Xuan then read some books regarding the Beast world itself and the Mei kingdom.


    He found out that the beasts also had realms, with the lowest being called the "Brute beasts". After that came the Spiritual Beasts. Once a brute had been alive for a certain period of time it would evolve into a spiritual beast on its own due to the abundant spiritual energy in the Beast world. Spiritual beasts were intelligent and some rare ones could even speak the human tongues. They could live for over a thousand years.


    But the most interesting thing was that Spiritual beasts and above could be trained by cultivators in a number of ways. They could be threatened or beaten into submission to form a ve bond, or if the beast initiated the bond by itself a life bond could be made where the beast would die if it''s human died.


    After that were the Demonic Beasts. All beasts had to go through evolution at almost every new realm, bringing changes to their appearances and abilities. That''s why there were trillions of variations among the beasts and almost no two were the exact same. Demonic beasts had the same power level as a human Profound level expert and were extremely dangerous.


    After that were the Heavenly and Divine beasts but not much was known about them. Beasts of those realms were millions of years old and had incredible power. They could even traverse the abyss and the universe at those realms.


    There were other realms after that but nothing concrete was recorded about them other than an old story that was told to children to make them behave.


    The story said that when the beast world was just discovered by the ancients and was colonized, an unknown creature came from the abyss and threatened their very existence. The ancients fought it for hundreds of years and after great sacrifices, managed to seal it in another dimension. But even now it struggles to break free and devour them whole.


    Hao Xuan tried to imagine what kind of a monster was powerful enough to fight the ancients, which were capable of moving entires, for hundreds of years and even then it couldn''t be killed but only sealed.


    He then moved on to the History of Mei Kingdom. Everyone with royal blood was from the Mei n and had their own bloodline. Their bloodline was called the Verdant bloodline and gave those capable enough to awaken it the ability to control life energies. They had much longer lifespans than others and retained their youthful appearances for a long time, even at low cultivation levels.


    When Hao Xuan was done going through all the books, the sun had already set so he just decided to go to sleep and get an early start the next day.


    He got up quite early the next day and found a package on his doorstep. It was the storage ring and weapons he had ordered.


    There were some instructions on the rings box. Hao Xuan had to dip a drop of his blood on to the ring and then it would be bound to him until he either choose to sever the connection or he died. Someone extremely powerful could also forcefully sever his connection but that would damage the ring and might even destroy its contents.


    Nothing living could be put in the ring even if it could fit. It was several dozen cubic meter wide.


    After putting on the ring he looked at the weapons. The sword was just as he had seen on the screen, it was called Zanbat¨­, a massive horse ying sword like the one from earth. It had a ck hilt and a red de.


    The ive was about 2.7 meters long and 1.2 meters of it was the de itself. It was extremely heavy. The hilt was ck with silver engravings and the de waspletely silver and dual-edged. The de was about 6 inches wide near the front and 3 in the back. (Pic for reference in Authors note)


    When a person started cultivating and entered the Qi foundation realm, their power would increase exponentially. At the first stage, they would be able to lift 250Kg easily, and in every stage after that would increase it by another 400Kg, making cultivators at Qi foundation ninth realm able to lift 3450Kg, and after breaking through to Elemental realm it would be at 4,000Kg.


    Even though Hao Xuan wasn''t used to his new strength of Elemental realm stage 1, he was still significantly more powerful than before. But even then he couldn''t lift the ive in the slightest.


    When he was finished checking the weapons he put them in the storage ring and went to First''s ce but he wasn''t there. So after asking Third, Hao Xuan checked the training grounds where he finally found him sitting under a tree. He was reading something with a kind smile stered on his face. When he saw Hao Xuan approach he put the paper away and got up.


    "Come brother, let''s fight! I''m in a good mood today," First said as a moved his hand outwards and a simple sword appeared.


    Hao Xuan took out his own sword and took a random pose, holding it in front of him aimed at First.


    "Oh my, we have some work to do don''t we?" First said shaking his head looking at Hao Xuan.


    First held his sword casually in front of Hao Xuan and moved it in a circle and Hao Xuan''s sword fell from his grasp.


    "Brother, have you never even held a sword before? You''re aplete noivce it seems," First said as he looked at Hao Xuan.


    "Um, I think so. I don''t remember much or rather anything until a few days ago. I was in an ident and lost my memories," Hao Xuan replied because he himself wasn''t sure if he had ever done any formal training.


    "Alright, we''ll start from the basics then. It will be tough though so prepare yourself," First said as he thought about a training regiment for him.


    For the next two weeks he only taught Hao Xuan about the sword. Everything from the basics to the expert level. And amazingly Hao Xuan retained most of it. If he really focused during training Hao Xuan could see every single sword movement but it really strained his eyes and tired him out.


    When his training was over, although Hao Xuan wasn''t an expert swordsman he was still able to hold his own in a fight.


    "I''ve taught you everything that can be taught in such a short period of time. You need to get some actual experience and see what it would be like in a real fight," First said after the two week period was over.


    "Go and take on a quest or something," he said.


    Hao Xuan did as he was told and went back to the hall and logged in. After browsing the quest board for a bit he found something he liked.


    "Mission: Eliminate the pack of hyenas terrorizing a small vige outside of Fortuna city."


    After epting the quest, Hao Xuan packed up some essentials and left on a normal-ish horse towards the vige.


    It took him 4 hours or so to find the vige. It was located near a valley and the vigers there grew medicinal herbs. Its surroundings were so beautiful that they like a scene from a movie. There were flowers and tree''s everywhere with little streamsing down into the valley, forming a sort of a natural irrigation system.


    Hao Xuan met with the vige chief, an elderly man. He told Hao Xuan that the pack woulde down to the valley to prey on the cattle they were rearing. It didn''t use to happen before and was very strange. They usually stayed away from human settlements.

 Chapter 20: Explore

    <h4>Chapter 20: Explore</h4>


    After talking to some of the other vigers Hao Xuan knew it was still going to be a few hours until theye down to the valley so he decided to practice Infernal Rapture.


    He stood beside a little stream next to the fields. It was about 8 p.m and the sun had already set but because the moon was out he could still see for quite a distance.


    In thest two weeks of practicing with First, Hao Xuan had finally gotten used to his new strength. Now with just raw strength he could jump several meters high, break normal trees in half and sprint really quickly for short distances.


    Hao Xuan took out his Zanbato and channeled Qi into it. The de''s color changed from a dark red to a slightly brighter shade and it seemed like it was moving in the night, looking really strange.


    He closed his eyes to concentrate and Infernal Raptures manual appeared. He opened the second page and started practicing. It said for the Qi to gain thunder elemental characteristics he either needed an innate talent for it, some thunder pills or other external stimuli.


    After trying for about 40mins he still couldn''t get the hang of it. There were little sparks every now and then on the de but they weren''t ck in color or harmful to anyone. It seemed more like a static charge.


    Hao Xuan thought about conserving Qi for the fight up ahead and sat on arge boulder near him.


    It was about 10 p.m by now and the moon looked absolutely beautiful in the night sky. He took a deep breath and looked around, the view was mesmerizing.


    He could hear the sound of water flowing from the streams and feel the air brushing up against his white tangzhuang. It was really peaceful.


    Without even realizing it he started cultivating and absorbing the spiritual energy from the surroundings. And since this was a valley for growing medicinal herbs, there was a LOT of spiritual energy to spare.


    Bubbling sounds came from his body because of the speed in absorbing the spiritual energy. The Qi thrummed inside him moving towards the left hand this time and started attacking meridians one after another.


    Hao Xuan wasn''t aware but whenever he cultivated like that, it was extremely loud. The noises went far, especially in the quiet night.


    After about an hour, he was still in a deep meditative state but the noises had never stopped, instead getting even louder. He had no idea what was going on in his surroundings and if someone attacked him right now, he wouldn''t even know how he died.


    A few hundred meters away in the treeline, a white humanoid figure was standing there looking at Hao Xuan. It was extremely small, less than half the size of Hao Xuan and dressed in a hanfu. But the most peculiar thing was that the figure seemed to be appearing and disappearing, like a ghost in the night. Its bright eyes staring right at Hao Xuan with a slight frown.


    Another hour passed like this, with neither Hao Xuan or the figure moving even a muscle. Hao Xuan had already opened several dozen meridians. For normal people, each stage took a lot of time and opening meridians especially was very difficult. Not everyone could easily convert spiritual energy into Qi but Hao Xuan seemed to have a knack for it. It was as easy as breathing for him.


    He felt very peaceful and loved the feeling of Qi coursing through his body.


    Suddenly the crops in the distance started moving strangely. There was no sound but clearly, something was in there. And then another and another, several different areas started moving strangely.


    The figure looked at crops and then Hao Xuan, who was still immersed in his meditative state and shook its head. It then bent down and picked up a small pebble and flicked it towards Hao Xuan.


    The pebble hit the boulder Hao Xuan was sitting on and woke him up. He looked around and from his position, he could see the hyenas clearly.


    They were twice as big as the ones from earth but it looked like they were starving. The skin was sticking to their bones and they basically looked like walking bags of bones.


    Hao Xuan frowned even more looking at them. The surrounding areas were filled with wildlife and there was absolutely no way for any animal to starve like this. What was going on?


    But either way, the fact was they wereing down to the vige every other day and it wasn''t safe for the vigers.


    Hao Xuan slowly got up and stood on the boulder while taking out his Zanbato, waiting.


    The hyenas knew they were found out so they stopped crawling around and stood up as well,ing up to Hao Xuan waist.


    Normally anyone would be nervous whening face to face with beasts for the first time, but Hao Xuan was strangely calm.


    His eyes started to glow even brighter and he could see the hyenas clear as day.


    Every time they breathed, every muscle movement, all wasid bare in front of him. Hao Xuan knew about his "ability" ever since he started training with First but he never used it too much. Even now it kicked in on its own, like a biological impulse.


    Just as the pack leader was about to attack, its leg muscles ever so slightly contracted and its paws expanded a little bit as they dug deeper into the ground. Hao Xuan saw it all like it was happening in slow motion. It was a wonderful feeling of control.


    And then the pack leader jumped right at Hao Xuan with another twoing from the sides. Even though Hao Xuan could see everything clearly when he tried to get out of the way, he was dumbfounded. It was like moving in quicksand, extremely slow and heavy.


    So instead of moving, he just held the swordpletely straight and the pack leader literally impaled itself. The sword went through the front and came out of the back of its body, killing it instantly.


    But there was nothing he could do about the other two as they hit him directly, biting down on his right arm and left leg.


    Hao Xuan could feel the pain like it was amplified a few times over. He pulled back the sword and swung it from his left to the right, in a ¡Þ motion, cutting the heads off of the two that were bitting him.


    All of this happened in a matter of seconds and by the time the hyena''s bodies fell, he was already jumping down from the boulder towards the remaining few.


    They didn''t even know what had happened. Even at their full strength, they wouldn''t be a match for Hao Xuan let alone now.


    He then finished off the rest in less than 10 seconds, just shing as hard as possible.


    He stood there with a bloodied sword, breathing heavily. His blood was pumping and he wanted to fight more, but there was nothing else.


    Taking out a small bottle from his ring and emptying the contents over the shallow wounds, the wounds healed up within a few minutes.


    These were the weakest Brute beasts that couldn''t even use Qi so there wasn''t much to be afraid of.


    The figure in the distance looked at Hao Xuan with a pondering gaze and then just vanished with a gust of wind.


    Hao Xuan examined the beasts'' bodies and all of them were like their leader, just skin and bones.


    "I need to check this out. If there is something powerful enough out there that could scare off these brute''s then I need to find it and report to the camp," he thought. The vige was quite a distance away from the city so in case of a beast attack it would take several hours for reinforcements to arrive.


    Hao Xuan moved all the bodies to one side and lit them on fire. After it was done, he followed their tracks and entered the forest.


    It was about 1 A.M by the time Hao Xuan had entered the forest. He walked for several minutes and could only hear the bugs and wind. While keeping an eye on his surroundings, he walked slowly for about an hour and a half.


    The moon was in the middle of the sky illuminating everything in surroundings, but it was still quite dark due to the canopy.


    Hao Xuan was starting to feel really anxious because the darkness seemed to be alive. He tried to convince himself that it was just his imagination but then he suddenly stopped and realized what was making him so uneasy, there was no sound of any animals at all.


    No birds, rodents, nothing. The forest was supposed toe alive at night but the only the sound that he could hear was of the cicadas and as soon as he stopped walking, even that stopped.


    Complete and utter silence. So silent in fact that his own heartbeat sounded like a drum.


    *Thump*Thump*


    For the first time in his life, Hao Xuan wondered why his heartbeat was so damn loud. He put his left hand over his chest, trying to muffle the sound when suddenly he noticed a couple of lights in the distance.


    He looked towards them but couldn''t see much because of the darkness. So he took a step and slowly moved forward, and just as he was about to take another step, his eyes narrowed.


    The lights weren''t far away, but they were right in front of him. And they weren''t lights, but eyes. Huge yellow eyes, shinning in the darkness, looking right at him.


    Hao Xuan stood there without moving a muscle. If something could get this close without making any sound then he probably wasn''t a match for it.


    As he was thinking about all this, a rustling noise woke him from his stupor. He turned around to look but could see nothing in the darkness.


    Just then a gust of wind blew away some of the leaves letting some moonlight fall on his surroundings and he finally saw what was around him.


    His surroundings lit up like a Christmas tree. He was inside a massive sparkling ring which confused him even more. And then the rings moved. Hao Xuan jerked his back towards the eyes and saw a huge snake-like head just a few meters away. It was shinning like a disco ball when the moonlight hit its skin. It had 4 nostrils and some protrusions from below the face.


    *Hisssssssssssssss*


    It opened its humongous jaw which was bigger than Hao Xuan himself and lunged at him full force.

 Chapter 21: Young Master

    <h4>Chapter 21: Young Master</h4>


    Hao Xuan knew the attack wasing as soon as the snake moved the very first muscle, he jerked his body to the side and held the sword sideways intending to use the snakes own momentum to rip it in two.


    But to his horror, the sword bounced off of the snake''s skin like it was hitting a solid metal wall and instead his own purlicue (area b/w thumb and index finger) got ripped and the thumb almost fell off.


    "ARGH!"


    The impact sent him flying towards the left and he hit a tree with full force, breaking his left arm cleanly in half.


    Not expecting Hao Xuan to dodge, the snake''s head hit the ground and it got disoriented for a few seconds.


    Hao Xuan got up and looked at the snake as it was shaking its head. He knew there was absolutely no way he''d be able to kill the snake when the sword couldn''t even break through its skin. So after storing the sword, he started running at full speed back where he came from.


    The snakes hissing was extremely loud and could be heard for miles. Hao Xuan ran as fast he possible could and realized that it was still way too slow. The snake would be able to catch up to him in a matter of seconds.


    Also, running back to the vige wasn''t an option because it would be a massacre, the snake wouldn''t leave anything alive.


    Gritting his teeth, he chose a direction leading away from the vige and channeled every single bit of Qi towards his feet and started running with all he had.


    A few secondster the snake got its bearings back and looked towards Hao Xuans direction. It could feel every single vibration from his feet. Uncoiling its body which was about 4 meters thick and more than 50 meters long, it started following Hao Xuan without making a single sound.


    *Pant*Pant*


    Hao Xuan couldn''t keep running at such a speed for very long as he was already wheezing like an asthmatic, but what else could he do? So he ran without taking a breath for about 10 minutes, covering a distance of several dozen miles.


    "I should have bought a movement technique with the points, at least then I might''ve had a chance to outrun that damned thing," he thought to himself.


    There was a crackling noise and he turned around to see a massive tree fall down and the snakes head popping up from behind it. It seemed to be enjoying the chase, looking at Hao Xuan in amusement.


    Hao Xuan knew that unless something happened, he was going to die very soon. So he started looking around for anything, a cliff to jump off of perhaps because it would still be better than getting swallowed whole.


    But then he remembered that there was only the forest for hundreds of miles.


    Finally giving in to despair, Hao Xuan started to slow down and finally came to a full stop. He turned around and looked at the snake whose eyes were sparkling.


    "Ru....n....b...oy" an immature voice came from its hideous mouth. Surprisingly it was trying to talk.


    But this new development spelled an even bigger disaster for Hao Xuan as only extremely rare Spiritual beasts or Demonic beasts were capable of using human speech, and he was not a match for either one.


    Hao Xuan''s legs buckled and he fell on the ground. It was over. There was no way he could escape from this damned monster at his level.


    Making up his mind, he took out Zanbato once again and held it against his throat.


    "I won''t give you the thrill of the chase or struggle for your amusement anymore. I''d rather die of my own ord. You fucking monster, you''d better hope we don''t meet again in another life, I''ll be sure to make soup out of your worthless carcass," Hao Xuan said with a grin and pushed the de deeper into his skin.


    But just then he heard something behind him.


    *Squeak*


    Hao Xuan turned around and saw a pure white ball of fluff not five meters away from him.


    Soon as the snake saw the new creature, its eyes constricted and it backed off several meters without any hesitation.


    *Squeak*Squeak*


    The fluff ball made noises again and slowly stumbled towards Hao Xuan.


    When it was a meter away he finally got a clear look at the thing. It was a cub, a tinny little snow-white ''lion'' cub with little protrusionsing out of its head and back. It had azure eyes and two tinny little fangsing out of its mouth.


    "Wh....at...." Hao Xuan was so surprised by the cub''s appearance that hepletely forgot about the massive snake right in front of him.


    "No no, go away, shoo," Hao Xuan tried to chase away the little cub. It was the cutest thing he had ever seen, just it trying to walk with its stubby little legs was a sight to behold. It looked like it was barely able to hold its own head up, which was a bit bigger than the rest of its body.


    "Shoo, go, please go away," Hao Xuan said again trying to push it away with his hand.


    Instead of leaving, the cub came even closer and licked his fingers and made another "Squeaking" sound. It''s entire body moved and it almost fell to the ground, seemed like just that one little squeak was the most it could do without falling over.


    Looking at the little thing wobbling around, a smile crept across Hao Xuan''s face without his knowledge. It was a natural reaction to something so cute.


    The cub licked his hand again and tried to get into his palm. Its entire body was maybe a little bit bigger than Hao Xuan''s hand.


    *Hisssssssss*


    The snake was looking at them casually. After it was sure there was no other beast around and the cub was alone, it moved closer to Hao Xuan once more.


    Hao Xuan woke from his daze and looked at the massive snake blocking out the moonlight once more.


    "Let it go. Its a newly born, a single fang of yours is bigger than its entire body. There''s no point eating it. Just let it go and you can have me," Hao Xuan said looking straight into the snake''s eyes.


    The snake made a weird noise like it wasughing, looking at Hao Xuan as if looking at an idiot. Why would it need to negotiate with its food? There was nothing Hao Xuan could do against it either way so what was the point?


    Hao Xuan understood what it meant. He turned around and looked at the little cub who was still trying to climb into his hand without a care in the world. It seemed like that was the only thing it wanted to do.


    Hao Xuan''s heart shook. This little cub seemed like it was born within a day or two and it would end up dying because he led the snake here.


    "I''m sorry little one," Hao Xuan spoke gently and caressed the cub''s head. It seemed to like it a lot and moved even closer to Hao Xuan''s hand.


    "Haha you''re a good boy aren''t you," he said instinctively with augh.


    Hao Xuan put his sword away and slowly stood up.


    *Squeak*


    The cub made another noise and moved forward again.


    Hao Xuan bent down and picked it up with his right hand. Soon as it got into his embrace, it tried to climb up his chest with its little paws.


    Hao Xuan smiled once more looking at it. It felt like he was holding a cuddly little cloud. He then moved towards the right where the cub hade from.


    The snake didn''t try to stop him because there was no way he could escape from it.


    Hao Xuan walked for about 30 seconds and found a little hole on the side of an old tree. It looked like a nest made by a rodent. He put the cub inside and made sure it wouldn''t fall out, blocking the entrance with some branches and twigs.


    *Squeak*Squeak*


    The cub spoke again, looking at Hao Xuan through the leaves while trying to push them away with its tiny little paws.


    "I''m sorry," Hao Xuan said with a smile, looking at the chubby little ball of fur.


    He took out his Zanbato once again and looked up at the snake. The snake tilted its head sideways as if asking "How''s that going to help?"


    "Shut the fuck up," Hao Xuan roared as his expression suddenly turned livid. He was truly angry. Eating him would make sense, but what was the point of going after the little cub?


    "Come at me you son of a bitch, It''s not going to be an easy dinner," Hao Xuan said while grinding his teeth.


    "Eh...?" he frowned, suddenly he got a weird feeling of deja vu.


    *Hisssss*


    The snake coiled its body and lunged at Hao Xuan while he was dazed, swallowing him whole.


    The snake''s mawing at him full force was thest thing Hao Xuan remembered before he lost consciousness.


    ***


    The snake swallowed the human whole without any issues. It''s stomach juices would dissolve him in a matter of minutes.


    It then turned to look towards the little cub in the tree.


    The cub was squeaking non-stop, trying to push away the foliage and jump at the snake.


    The snake slithered its massive body towards the tree and coiled around it.


    It looked at the cub as it was still squeaking at the snake without an ounce of fear.


    "Ignorance really is bliss. Little thing, you will soon know why you should be afraid of me," the snake spoke in the Beastnguage as it got ready to attack once again.


    "It is not ignorance that makes him fearless, but absolute confidence little worm. For even the weakest God is still infinitely stronger than the strongest mortal," said a voice not far from the snake.


    "WHO?!?!" The snake hissed as it turned around to look at the source of the voice. It was a white figure that had spoken, but it was so small that it looked like an ant in front of the snake.


    "You do not have the qualifications to know," the figure replied, and then spoke a single syble in an unknownnguage.


    The snake''s body jerked for a second and then fell limp. Its brain had incinerated.


    The figure floated towards the tree, picked up the cub and turned around to leave when the cub squeaked once more, looking at the snake''s body.


    "Hmm?" the figure frowned and looked at the snake again. After hesitating for a second it moved its hand, splitting the snake''s belly in half as Hao Xuan fell out.


    "He should be okay now-," the figure spoke again but before it could even finish, the cub jumped down andnded right in front of Hao Xuan.


    It wobbled its way towards Hao Xuan''s face and started licking it.


    "Young master! We have done enough. He is not worthy, we must find someone stronger," the figure spoke in an authoritative tone towards the cub.


    But the cub paid no heed to the figure and continued licking Hao Xuan''s face.


    *Sigh*


    The figure sighed after not getting a response from the cub.


    "You''re just as stubborn as the old king," the figure said and bent down to get a clear look at Hao Xuan''s face.


    "Fine, even though he''s weak right now, at least he''s got a bit of potential. But it''s still far from enough to protect you," the figure then pointed its index finger at Hao Xuan''s forehead and it lit up.


    "Young master, my ''will'' won''t be able to stay here much longer. You mustn''t tell anyone of your origins. You are the only legitimate Heir to the throne, please act like it," The figure shook its head looking at the cub licking away at Hao Xuan''s face.


    A few secondster it slowly disappeared, as if erased out of existence.


    *Squeak*Squeak*


    In the dark of the night, only tinny little squeaks could be heard. If someone were toe upon them right now, they would see a cute little fluffy animal licking the face of an unconscious human beside the dead body of a baby Ice Flood Dragon.

 Chapter 22: Great service!

    <h4>Chapter 22: Great service!</h4>


    The moon and the sun changed ces. It was about 1 p.m when Hao Xuan woke up.


    He opened his eyes and took a few seconds to adjust his vision. He tried to get up and got hit with a sudden surge of pain from all over his body.


    "Huh? What happened...?" he mumbled while looking around. Thest thing he remembered was the snake''s gigantic maw.


    *Purrrrr*


    There was a purring sounding from his chest which surprised him. He looked down and saw a little white cub sleeping on his chest without a care in the world.


    "You''re okay?" he spoke up even more surprised. How was he alive? What happened to the snake? THE SNAKE!!?!


    Hao Xuan suddenly jerked his head around and caught sight of the 50+ meter snake body. There was a thick reddish-silver liquiding out of its belly but other than that it looked fine.


    Hao Xuan slowly moved the cub off of his chest and put it down as he limped up. There was a sharp pain from his left arm and he remembered it had broken during the fight.


    He got up and walked towards snake and poked it with a stick but it didn''t move. He walked around to find its gigantic head and poked its eyes and nostrils but no reaction. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and sit down once more to catch his breath.


    Hao Xuan''s clothes were ripped and even had burn marks from the snakes digestive tract. Luckily he was saved soon after he was swallowed otherwise it would''ve been a disaster.


    He looked at the snake''s body and remembered reading that high-level beast carcasses could be traded or sold for either points or any other currency. He made up his mind and tried putting the body into his ring and it barely fit.


    "Well, all''s well that ends well I guess. The quest is finished, although injured but I''m alive at least. Time to head back," he said out loud.


    But just after taking a couple of steps he heard a rustling noise behind him. He turned around slowly, praying it wasn''t another monster again and saw the little cub walking towards him with its little legs and eyes half closed.


    "Meow" the cub spoke while looking at Hao Xuan with tears in its eyes. Seemed as if it could finally turn those little squeaks into meowing.


    It took a few seconds to cover the distance of less than a meter and came up to Hao Xuan''s leg and starting tugging on his already ripped clothes.


    Hao Xuan smiled looking at it and picked it up in his hands. Soon as the cub got in his embrace, it closed its eyes and went back to sleep without a worry in the world.


    "Oi oi, what''s wrong with this one, how is it so trusting towards strangers? He isn''t gonna survive long in the wild like this. Where is your mother little one?" Hao Xuan spoke, talking to himself and the cub. But the cub was already fast asleep.


    Hao Xuan walked around the area for 30mins or so trying to look for its mother or any other tracks but couldn''t find anything.


    "I guess it''s not too strange that I can''t find your parents. If they were still alive you wouldn''t have been wandering around at night," Hao Xuan said while slowly petting its head. It enjoyed the petting and a small smile appeared on its sleeping face.


    "Looks like we''re both alone huh? How about you stay with me till you can fend for yourself?" he spoke to the cub and got a cute little ''purr'' in response, making him chuckle.


    Hao Xuan then started walking back in the direction of the vige which took him close to two hours.


    He jumped in one of the many water streams in the valley and cleaned himself up. Then he took a new set of clothes from the ring and changed behind a tree. Using the remnants of the old clothes he made a makeshift cast for the broken arm and put the cub inside it where it snuggled in even deeper and made itself at home.


    After finishing up Hao Xuan went to meet the vige chief and told him that he had taken care of the hyena''s and then left on his horse.


    The return journey took twice as long and by the time Hao Xuan got back to the camp, it was already dark so he went straight to bed.


    He woke up at around 10 the next morning and left the little cub sleeping beside his pillow and went to First''s quarters to tell him everything that had happened.


    "Hmm, that is really strange. Creatures that powerful are usually deeper into the forest. Show me the body," First said with a frown.


    "Um, let''s go to the main hall, I don''t think it will fit here," Hao Xuan said looking at Firsts residence.


    On the way over they saw Third and Sixth ying chess.


    "Ninth brother! Where have you been thest couple of days? I was so bored," Sixth said while fake crying.


    "I was out on a mission and just got back," Hao Xuan replied helplessly. This sixth brother of his was really weird.


    "Are you going to the hall? I''ll go too!" he said looking at Hao Xuan and First''s backs.


    "Oh no you don''t, you owe me 20 points! I''ve all but won this one!" Third hollered and ran after Sixth who had followed after Hao Xuan.


    The party of four went into the hall and saw their Fourth brother sitting in front of a screen.


    Hao Xuan greeted him and got a smile and a nod in response.


    "Here should be good enough right?" First asked looking at Hao Xuan curiously.


    "Yes," Hao Xuan said and faced away from everyone and took out the body.


    Complete silence. Soon as the body appeared all other sounds stopped. Third and Sixth who were quarreling a second before were now looking at the massive body with their mouths open.


    First was also just standing there looking surprised. Even Fourth stood up from his chair and was staring at it without blinking.


    "F-Flood dragon? And with an Elemental bloodline??!?!" Sixth spoke while stuttering.


    "Ninth brother, are you a God? Is that it? You''re a god aren''t you?" Sixth spoke again looking at Hao Xuan as if looking at a freak of nature.


    "Brother, did you kill it yourself?" First asked slowly turning towards Hao Xuan.


    "Nope. I couldn''t even leave a single mark on its skin. It swallowed me whole in one bite. Something else killed it," replied.


    "Hmm, that makes more sense," Fourth said.


    "But if something is strong enough to kill it without making a fuss then we need to report this to the higher-ups," Third said as he touched the carcass.


    "Is it really that strong?" Hao Xuan asked, slightly puzzled.


    "You don''t know?? Brother, this is a baby Flood Dragon with an Ice elemental bloodline! And it''s only a few months old, a year max maybe. Fully grown Flood dragons are thousands of kilometer long and are Heavenly beasts!" Sixth exined to Hao Xuan with an excited face.


    "Ninth brother, did you really fight it alone?" Fourth asked looking at Hao Xuan curiously.


    "Well, I wouldn''t call it a fight. It chased me for a while and then swallowed me whole," Hao Xuan said with an awkward expression.


    "But still, you stood your ground. That''s more than what most others would''ve done," he said with an admiring gaze.


    "Really? Haha, that''s true I guess," Hao Xuan said while scratching his head. He didn''t even know what it was, how could he be scared of it?


    "Ninth brother, you have done a great service to the kingdom. You not only led the dragon away from the vige but ended up getting it killed. I''ll report this to the General myself," First said and walked out with hurried steps.


    "Service? Brother, don''t worry about it, just let me buy a good movement technique and I''ll be happy," Hao Xuan screamed at First''s back who didn''t even turn around.

 Chapter 23: Beast Hall

    <h4>Chapter 23: Beast Hall</h4>


    Hao Xuan stood there in the hall as the rest walked around looking at the flood dragons body. It was the first time any of them had seen one up close. Even though flood dragons weren''t actual dragons, they were still extremely powerful and were synonymous with natural disasters.


    They had elemental powers and could bring about great floods, forcefully erupt dormant volcanos, and move tectonic tes, just to name a few.


    Hao Xuan took a closer look at the thing and it really was huge. It''s head alone was 3-4 times the size of Hao Xuan''s body. He suddenly felt really thankful towards whichever creature it was that had killed it.


    As they were chatting, their Fifth sister walked in holding the cub. As soon as the cub saw Hao Xuan it jumped down from her embrace and ran towards him.


    Hao Xuan bent down and picked it up and it started licking his face.


    "Meow Meow", it spoke while looking at Hao Xuan with a heartbroken look on its face, as if saying "how could you leave me all alone?"


    And for some strange reason, Hao Xuan felt like he could actually feel what the cub was saying and petted him while apologizing.


    "Ninth brother, is the little one yours? Where did you find it?" Fifth asked, looking really envious. Apparently, she also liked cute and cuddly things and was really disappointed when the cub left her hanging without a second thought.


    "From the forest while I was on a mission. I couldn''t find its parents so thought why not bring him with," he replied awkwardly. Even a blind man could see she was feeling hurt after getting ditched by the cub.


    "Meow" the cub spoke in a slightly annoyed tone.


    "What? What''d I say?" Hao Xuan asked looking at its cute little face.


    "Meow" it replied again while hitting Hao Xuan''s face with its fluffy little paws.


    "Oh, are you mad that you don''t have a name? What do you want to be called then?" Hao Xuan asked as if knowing what it was saying.


    Just as Hao Xuan finished asking, a word randomly appeared in his mind, "Zhurong".


    "Hm?" He felt strange. It was like it *had* to be the cub''s name and nothing else would feel right.


    "How about Zhurong then?" Hao Xuan asked the cub after a few seconds.


    "Meow Meow Meow" it suddenly got really happy and started licking his face again as if agreeing to it.


    "Haha, alright. From now on you will be called Zhurong!" Hao Xuan replied with augh.


    "Wow! It must be a high-level spiritual beast if it can understand humannguage at its age," Sixth said with a slightly shocked expression.


    "Brother, it looks like you got quite a harvest this time around," Third patted his shoulder andughed.


    They all talked for several more minutes until First walked back in.


    "Ninth Brother, I talked to the general and he was really impressed. He said you can either choose to sell the body whole to the military and get paid in points or sell some parts. In exchange, you can choose any beast as a mount from the beast hall free of charge and one technique," First spoke quickly, sounding really excited as if it was him who was getting all these rewards.


    "Brother, I really have no idea what to do. What do you suggest?" Hao Xuan asked after thinking for a few seconds. He didn''t have any memories and had no idea what to even do with the body so it was better to ask for advice.


    "I suggest you sell the skin to the military as they can use it to make armors and shields. The rest you can either use yourself or sell at an auction or some other business," First replied.


    "The skin? Why the skin?" Hao Xuan asked.


    "Because it''s the most important part of a beast like this, for the military at least. So you''d get the most value from it. Also, a good mount is very important for soldiers like us. We all have our own contracted beasts. And there are some rarer and top secret ones that are not avable to the public, but are bred specifically for the military leaders and the elite," he exined.


    "Alright, let''s do that then. What about the rest? How can I use it myself?" Hao Xuan asked again looking at the huge corpse not far from him.


    "Every part of a spiritual beast is worth a lot. The meat is rich with Qi and can increase cultivation. The blood is used to make pills, weapons and in some techniques. Also, the beast core is the most important part, especially for one like this. You can use it for cultivation and cane in very handy," First said as he pointed at the flood dragons head.


    "Core? What''s that?" Hao Xuan asked. He hadn''t read anything about that.


    "When beasts are at a certain level, they can start gathering their Qi and elemental energy in a crystal inside their body. Not every beast has one but the ones which do are much more powerful. You can use it to cultivate as it contains extremely dense Qi and elemental energies," First said as he took out a de and stabbed it inside the flood dragons head.


    Then he put his entire arm inside it and started rummaging around. A few secondster he pulled his arm out and was holding a diamond shaped white crystal. It looked like a quartz crystal and something milky could be seen inside.


    "You should keep this or trade it for another core and use it for cultivation," First said as he handed the crystal over to Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan remembered that his Infernal Rapture and Wrath of Deimos could be cultivated with some external materials so he decided to keep half the body for himself and the party, use the blood to cultivate Wrath of Deimos and trade in the core for a thunder element one to cultivate Infernal Rapture.


    Hao Xuan exined his n to First who agreed to take him out to the markets and the auction houses so he wouldn''t get ripped off by them.


    "Oh I almost forgot. Here take this," First handed a pill to Hao Xuan.


    "It''s from the general. Eat it and cultivate, your injury will heal within a few hours and you can use the remaining Qi to open more meridians," he replied after looking at Hao Xuan''s confused face.


    Hao Xuan went back to his quarters after storing the carcass once again. He took out the pill, it was light green in color and looked almost like a marble.


    After swallowing he felt a cool streaming from his stomach and going all over his body. He closed his eyes and concentrated on absorbing the pill.


    All of his injuries healed within a few seconds and he felt a burning sensation from his left arm and it started healing itself. Within an hour it was healedpletely like nothing had ever happened.


    The life energies in the pill were so strong that Hao Xuan''s nails and hair grew out overnight. His hair were down to his shoulders now and he looked like a caveman.


    Using the remaining energies to open more meridians, Hao Xuan reached the fourth stage of the Elementary realm.


    ***


    The next day Hao Xuan woke up at about 8 a.m and cleaned himself up as much as possible but his hair was still the same as he didn''t wanna mess with it himself.


    He took Zhurong who wouldn''t stop meowing with him and met First whoughed at his request of finding a barber.


    "I''ve got a better idea," he only replied and led Hao Xuan into Fortuna City.


    They first went to the acquisition department of the military and paid 50 points to get the beast cleaned up and broken into parts.


    They took the skin themselves and cut the body into six equal parts. They drained the blood and handed it over to Hao Xuan in 10 or sorge barrels. The other parts were stored in a different ring.


    "Alright, where do you want to go now? Beast hall or auction house?" First asked as they left the Acquisition department.


    "Let''s check out the beast Hall first," Hai Xuan replied while petting Zhurong.


    After walking for an hour or so, they finally reached the Beast Hall. It was a huge intimidating building. As they entered through the gate there were a lot of beast sculptors that seemed to be alive, bursting with spiritual energy.


    The main hall was huge with hundreds of people inside. They went to an information desk and First showed them a token. One of the attendants left and came back a few minster and asked them to follow him.


    He led them to an elevator on the side which went straight down for about 40 seconds.


    "Apparently, there is much more to the beast hall than meets the eye," Hao Xuan said to himself looking at the elevator going deeper and deeper into the ground.


    They got off when it stopped and went to a small office with several chairs and a desk. The attendant told them to wait and left.


    After about 10mins or so arge man with sses came in holding some papers.


    "Are you from the Red Legion?" he asked looking at Hao Xuan and First.


    First nodded and handed him the token. He examined it for a few seconds and then said "Follow me" and left.


    "What kind of a beast are you looking for?" he asked after a min or two of walking without turning back.


    "Um, something cool I guess," Hao Xuan replied while looking around. There were big closed doors every few meters.


    "Cool?!? Boy this isn''t a toy store. There are monstrously strong beasts here. We breed them to kill without hesitation. Even though you have permission to get any beast you want, the beast itself has to recognize you as its master first," The man replied in a stern tone as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing ever.


    "Well, whatever you have then," Hao Xuan replied casually which pissed off the man in the sses even more.


    "Hmph" was the only reply he got.


    About 10mins of walking through hallwayster, they came to a gigantic locked door. It was made up of some kind of metal and looked extremely sturdy.


    Hao Xuan noticed something strange, there were a lot of mechanisms on the outside of the door.


    "Um, shouldn''t these mechanisms be covered by another sheet of metal or be on the other side at least?" he asked after not being able toe up with an exnation himself.


    "No. The door isn''t here to keep people out, its here to keep the whatever is on the other side of the door locked in," he said proudly.


    Hao Xuan actually got a bit nervous, thinking about the monstrosities that lied on the other side.

 Chapter 24: Breeding Ground

    <h4>Chapter 24: Breeding Ground</h4>


    Hao Xuan and co. waited for a couple of mins outside the door until the gears started spinning one by one and unlocking the gigantic door slowly.


    It took more than 30 seconds to unlock itpletely and then it opened just a few meters, enough for them to pass through.


    "Is it actually safe for us to go in?" First asked with a frown. Everything pointed to something very dangerous being in there.


    "It''s perfectly safe. All the beasts are locked up," the man said as he entered the doorway.


    Hao Xuan and First looked at each other and then First took the lead and they also entered.


    The other side was a huge cylindrical room which seemed to have no end. They came out on a tform connected to a side of the wall with a single stairway leading down.


    Below them were hundreds of people in white coats going about their business.


    On the other side were hundreds of rooms of different sizes with many beasts inside. Some were filled with water, some with moltenva, some with thick foliage and some with blood.


    "Each cell contains a different beast. They have either been bred on requests of powerful ns or the top brass. Each has a different specialty and a purpose. Every cell has a different atmosphere and environment that is best suited for the beast inside. It''s all maintained by a single formation located under the ground," the man exined as he led them down the stairs.


    "We have some aerial beasts, some water beasts although in much smaller numbers, and manynd beasts. You can choose any one of them and we will try to help with the contract as much as possible."


    "Why are there fewer water beasts?" Hao Xuan asked. Was it hard to keep the water clean or something?


    "Because they tend to be thousands of meters long. Even less powerful beasts can grow up to be a 100 meters, let alone spiritual and demonic beasts. Also, it is not easy to transport them," the man replied.


    He led them to the cells where they got an up-close look at some of the creatures inside. Some were just a few inches long with big ears and cute eyes, and some looked like actual nightmares.


    There was one cell that was filled with dark blue water. Nothing was visible inside it other than the bedrock. Hao Xuan looked around for a few seconds but couldn''t see anything at all.


    As he got closer, arge tentacle cameshing at him like a whip. It was longer than the entire flood dragon and startled him so much that he almost fell over trying to back up.


    "That''s a baby Kraken. Took two profound level experts to catch it," the man said with augh.


    They got on a moving walkway and stayed on it for about an hour. It was actually pretty fast and they still hadn''t reached the end of this massive "tunnel".


    When they got off there was another much smaller but just as sturdy door there. They went through and came to anotherrge room, about the size of twenty football fields.


    It was much darker and there were only a dozen or so people in there that looked extremely strong.


    "These are the mutants. The ones that cannot be mass-produced and were not intended. They are ssified as top secret and are extremely dangerous. If you need something "cool", you''ll find it here," the man replied as he looked at Hao Xuan with a smirk.


    First frowned looking at the fifty or so cells not far from them. Each and every one of them was much stronger than the beasts outside and reeked of blood.


    Hao Xuan walked up to the first cell and saw a huge white creature inside. It was about 15 meters long with four legs and two arms and nothing but a mouth on its face. There were grey scales on its sides and underbelly and two rows of them on the top that were separated by glowing red pustules.


    "She is called Rynx. It has no sensory organs but can still perceive the surroundings with extreme rity. Its one of the more strange ones as its usually docile but when given the chance will slowly cut open its prey and y with its insides before eating it," the man exined from afar. Seemed like even he didn''t wanna get too close to this thing.


    Hao Xuan walked up to the next cell and was stunned. It contained a small creature of only about one meter in length. It was jet ck in color and with two arms and two legs. But the part that surprised Hao Xuan was that it had six snakeheads. It looked like a newborn and the snakeheads were extremely cute as well, yfully fighting with each other.


    "This one is quite new. It was born a few weeks ago. We already have a buyer for this so unfortunately, you can''t have it," the man said as he knocked on the barrier of the cell.


    The snakeheads looked up and some even made funny faces at him. Seemed like this was a very high-level beast.


    The next cell contained arge beast with a face of a lizard, body shape of a tiger and a tail of a scorpion. It looked at Hao Xuan straight in the eyes without blinking, giving him goosebumps.


    They walked around for a while looking at all the beasts. Hao Xuan saw quite a few beasts that caught his eye.


    There was one that looked like a horse but with eight legs. It had another huge mouth filled with deadly teeth on its chest.


    Another had a body shape of a goat but the skin of a lizard. It waspletely white and had three red eyes on its face and its mouth was like that of a bird.


    But there was one that stood out amongst them all. It had four eyes with a head of a gori, the body of a tiger and the legs and tail of a lizard. It had no nostrils and extremely sharp big white teeth.


    Just as Hao Xuan was about to choose it, Zhurong who was silently sitting on his shoulder meowed and shook his head.


    Hao Xuan was a bit surprised. This was by far the ''coolest'' beast he had ever seen but it would be a problem if Zhurong didn''t like it.


    Zhurong jumped off of his shoulder and walked up to the cell that contained the beast. He put his little paw up to the barrier and his eyes glowed blue for a second. Soon as the beast saw him it lunged at him full force with saliva dripping from his mouth.


    Everyone was caught by surprise. The beast had been very well behaved until now, why did it suddenly attack Zhurong?


    What they didn''t know was that it had a very aggressive personality. It hated the humans for keeping it captive since its birth and would''ve killed Hao Xuan even at the expense of its own life.


    Zhurong acted like it was to be expected and casually walked towards the end of the hall where there was another small door and started wing at it.


    Hao Xuan and the rest followed. The man frowned looking at him.


    "What''s behind the door?" First asked looking towards the man.


    "Its where we discard the beasts. If the beast is too powerful or has no chance of making a contract with a human then we kill it," he replied.


    "Can we see what beast is behind the door?" Hao Xuan asked as he walked up to Zhurong and picked him up.


    "I don''t see why not. If you can actually make a contract with it then go ahead," the man said shrugging his shoulder.


    He took out a key and opened the door and they all went through.


    The other side contained a huge formation that looked like strange markings on the ground. They were glowing red and getting brighter and brighter like it was charging up.


    On the other side of the formation was a beast tied down by crystal-like chainsing out of the ground. It had extremely sharp bone-like protrusionsing out from the top and looked like a huge lizard and was actually breathing fire, trying to break free from the chains but they wouldn''t even budge.


    Everyone looked at Zhurong but he just watched on without making a sound.


    The formation finally charged up a few secondster and a small ball of red light was created. It slowly floated towards the beast as it struggled even more. As soon as it came into contact with the beast it expanded and covered its entire body.


    A secondter it shrank back into nothingness but to Hao Xuan''s surprise, the beast was gone. There was absolutely nothing left. No ash, no sign of anything being there before.


    They stood there in silence for 10 seconds or so and then the ground opened up and another beast slowly came up.


    It wasn''t that big, only about 13 meters long and 2 meters high. Completely ck in color with blue fur on its neck and forelegs. It had a massive serrated tail that ended up in a half meter long scythe-like de. Its face had two hornsing out from the sides instead of the top of the head.


    It was very muscr and looked really intimidating. Its face was covered in the same bone-like material as the tail.


    The weird thing was that it wasn''t struggling. It just sat there with its head held high, looking down on everything.


    "Meow," when Zhurong saw it, his eyes sparkled. He suddenly stood up in Hao Xuan''s arms and meowed towards the beast.


    The beast suddenly jerked its head looked towards Hao Xuan, specifically Zhurong. It then frowned and looked elsewhere again.


    Zhurong meowed once more but got no response in return. The formation started to light up for the second time but the beast paid no attention to it.


    He finally jumped down from Hao Xuan''s embrace and went closer to the barrier separating them and meowed several times, finally getting the beast''s attention.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    For some of the mutants described above:


    1. https://i.pinimg/564x/bd/64/f7/bd64f788aa79c4b36ef0e27cb445707e.jpg


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/qmVxp


    2. https://i.pinimg/564x/d6/16/bf/d616bf22b451606e9611185fafbdef97.jpg


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/WnHJR


    In the formation room:


    1. https://i.pinimg/564x/02/3f/5d/023f5d8883d93684b6d709386a676c88.jpg


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/fGNhN


    and thest beast:


    2. https://i.pinimg/564x/49/31/49/493149e9779eed11c8ed967c7a1459c0.jpg


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/TQQ5f

 Chapter 25: Bai Long

    <h4>Chapter 25: Bai Long</h4>


    As soon as he was born, they separated him from his mother and kept him caged up. His very first memory was of a bunch of humans looking at him through a barrier.


    Alone and scared for most of his young life, he had given up trying to get out of the facility he was born in, but something inside him kept telling him he was meant for bigger things.


    His very blood spoke to him every day, telling him he was meant for greatness, telling him that nothing could hold him back, telling him to be free.


    But the reality was much different.


    Humans wanted him to give in and surrender. To lower his head in front of these lower beings was the same as death, and so he chose death instead.


    To go out with his head held high, to go out of his own volition was the most he could ask for. So he didn''t fight back, instead of serving those vermins, he chose eternal sleep.


    But just when he was about to leave this unknown ne, he felt his blood throb as if it had met a friend.


    "Hey, hey you, over here! This prince is talking to you!" said an immature voice in his head. He opened his eyes and saw a little cub talking to him in anguage he didn''t know but still understood.


    "My human likes you, serve him and you can leave this ce," the white fluffball spoke again.


    "Never!" he replied without hesitation.


    "Why? He is a good human, and very kind. He will pet you and give you lots of belly rubs and feed you! What else could you ask for?" the cub replied in an inviting tone as if that was the most enticing thing in existence.


    "Do you have no shame? How can you serve these vile beings? Where is your pride?" he replied, angered!


    "Shame? Pride? What''s that? Can you eat it? Is it delicious?" the cub asked with sparkling eyes.


    "Enough! Leave me alone. I want to leave this ce in peace," he replied closing his eyes.


    "Come on, join us! Explore the world with us! It''s huge you know. There are trillions of different beasts out there, fight them with us, explore the abyss with us!" the cub said once again in an exciting tone.


    "Kid, you didn''t have a choice but to serve him, I will not choose to do so," he replied.


    "I don''t serve him, he serves me. He feeds me and gives me baths and carries me around and listens to me. He is my human!" the cub said proudly and went up to Hao Xuan and meowed at him. He bent down to pick him up and patted his head.


    "See?" the cub said as he turned towards the beast with a smirk.


    "He is really kind. He protected me even at the expense of his own life. He will never ever hurt you, trust me. This prince will never lie to you!" the cub said as his eyes glowed blue.


    The beast felt his blood boil and a suppressive force came over him as if the little cub in front of him was an overlord and he couldn''t look straight at him.


    "One of the generals under my Royal Father started out with the same bloodline as you. Come with us, follow my human and I will show you the way. You will stand above everyone and no one will be able to look down upon you," the cub said once more.


    "I will not serve anyone. Not you, not ''your'' human," the beast replied firmly. The one thing he would never give up was his freedom. Nothing was worth it.


    "Fine fine. Be his partner then, no need to be a ve. Soon enough you will see for yourself that he is different from the others and then you will follow him because you want to, not because you have to," the cub said while shaking his head, as if making a hugepromise.


    The beast looked at the human. He had a kind face and his eyes were pure and honest.


    When Hao Xuan saw the beast looking at him, he felt weird as if an actual person was looking at him and not a wild beast. So without even realizing it, he awkwardly scratched his head and with a little bow said "H-hello."


    This surprised everyone in the room other than Zhurong who looked at the tied up beast with an "I told you so" look.


    The beast was the one most surprised by this. All the humans he had met treated him like an object, like if he didn''t do what they wanted then he was useless.


    So he thought about it for a few seconds and looked at the killing formation which was almost charged up.


    He looked at Hao Xuan who was still standing there ufortably with Zhurong cozilyying down in his arms, and for the first time, he felt like that human was different. He felt like that Hao Xuan wouldn''t treat him like something to be used and then just discarded.


    And with a life bond, he wouldn''t be in a disadvantage as Hao Xuan won''t be able to order him around like a servant.


    "Alright, I agree. I''ll make a life bond with him, but if he ever orders me to do something I don''t want to then I''ll kill him myself," the beast said as made up his mind.


    The man in the sses and First were surprised by the sudden change in the beast''s behavior. Since they couldn''t hear the conversation between Zhurong and the beast, they were just looking at its expression.


    The beast lowered his head in front of Hao Xuan and a bright white light came out of its head and headed towards him.


    Hao Xuan had no idea what was happening so he just backed up a few steps, looking at the iing blob of light.


    "Brother, the beast is making a contract with you. A life bond of its own choosing! That is a shard of the beast''s soul, close your eyes and let it enter your body and then you will be connected to it until one of you dies," First exined hurriedly when he saw Hao Xuan moving away from it.


    When he heard First''s exnation, Hao Xuan calmed down and looked at the light that was almost right in front of him. He stopped circting his Qi and touched the shard which then went straight towards his chest.


    As soon as the shard entered Hao Xuan he could feel a connection to the beast. He just had to close his eyes and concentrate and would be able to feel wherever the beast was and in what condition, almost like he was part of Hao Xuan now. He could feel what the beast was feeling and vice versa.


    "Give me a name, human," said a voice in Hao Xuan''s head, waking him from his stupor. It sounded like a teenagers voice that had just passed puberty. Hao Xuan looked towards the beast. It was standing up looking straight at him.


    "I don''t know, you can choose your own name," he replied.


    "Oh I know one! How about Bai Long?" Zhurong said butting in.


    "What?! Who?" Hao Xuan spoke up startled.


    "Its me master! Zhurong!" he replied in a happy tone.


    "Zhurong? You can talk? How? We didn''t even make a bond," Hao Xuan asked even more surprised.


    "I don''t know. I just tried and I could," Zhurong replied casually.


    Hao Xuan stood in his ce bewildered by these events.


    The man in sses moved forward and put his hand on a small screen on the side of the barrier and clicked on a few things and the formation turned off. He turned around and looked at Hao Xuan who was looking at Zhurong and then at the beast.


    "How did he do it?" he wondered but didn''t ask. Obviously, the kid had some connections to be able to choose from the second highest tier beasts at his age, it was normal for him to have some secrets.


    "Bai, your name is Bai," Hao Xuan said out loud. The beast nodded and roared loudly. Finally, he was going to leave this cursed ce once and for all.


    "Alright, now close your eyes and concentrate on your first major meridian. Since you have bonded with Bai, he is a part of you now. If you die, so will he. You can ''store'' him inside your meridian like a storage ring. Also, one thing to remember is that the bonded beasts cultivation level will be restricted to the same as its human, so at most Bai can only be as strong as you," First exined.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and thought about storing Bai in the meridian and he turned into a light and entered his body.


    Hao Xuan could feel him inside the meridian. Bai could use the Qi from the meridian to cultivate even. It was like a whole another world inside the meridian.


    "I''ll take you guys out now," said the man as he saw the beast disappear into thin air.


    They went back the way they came from and were back out in the city within a couple of hours. It was already gettingte and the sun was about to set.


    "Come, let''s get you a haircut," First said with a smile and led Hao Xuan towards the outskirts of the city.

 Chapter 26: Family

    <h4>Chapter 26: Family</h4>


    As they walked out of the city, the sun slowly set and the weather became chilly. They left from one of the many big gates and entered the outskirts.


    Here the roads were much smaller and buildings less grand, but a lot more people could be seen out and about.


    They entered a small town which had a very homey feeling to it.


    Hao Xuan was amazed by everything he saw. There were children running around chasing one another, old people sitting outside ying different kinds of games, young couples holding hands, women could be seen walking around withrge baskets filled with different things.


    There were folks with tails,rge ears, some even looked like they were made out of wood and y but everyone was getting along with one another.


    This was a mortal town. Although the Beast world was rich with spiritual energy, not everyone chose to be a cultivator. Many spent their entire lives without even touching a manual, instead choosing to live a short mundane life with normal problems.


    But no one looked down on such people. This was one of the many ways of living and everyone respected one another regardless of their cultivation levels.


    Hao Xuan had never seen anything like that before. Even though he had lost his memories, there was still this lingering emptiness inside him. On earth, he lived one day at a time. Never nning for the future or caring about anything, he had always wanted a normal life with parents, siblings, a lover perhaps.


    So seeing all that brought up those deeply buried feelings once more, feelings he never even knew existed.


    He looked at the kids, the couples, the old people, and for the first time felt envious, but he didn''t know why.


    "That''s so nice," he mumbled out without even realizing. First and Zhurong looked at him and saw how engrossed he was. Zhurong didn''t know what was going through Han Xuan''s head but first knew, although for different reasons.


    First was the leader of the Red Legion and had read Hao Xuan''s file which said that he had no living family members and couldn''t even remember the ones he had lost. He really felt bad for him, that''s why he went out of his way to help him out.


    They walked for 5 more mins until they reached a small residential area. The houses here were far apart from one another withrge front and backyards. Many fruits and vegetables could be seen growing in front of each house making it seem slightly magical under the moon and streetlights.


    Houses weren''t that big but were enough for arge family.


    As they entered the street, First led Hao Xuan to a house on the right where there was an olddy sitting in the porch reading something.


    Hao Xuan stopped outside the yard and First went in.


    "Grandma, I''m back," First said with a smile as he approached the olddy. She looked up from the book and gave a huge smile in return when she saw him.


    "You finally have time toe home for a visit?" she said trying to sound angry but her wide smile only made her look kinder.


    "I''ve been unfilial," he said as he bent down and took out a nket from his ring to cover her legs.


    "It''s getting cold now, you shouldn''t stay out after the sunset," he said warmly.


    "Its fine, I''m not that old yet," the olddy replied and patted his head.


    "You shoulde back more often, or don''t me her for finding someone else," the olddy said as she pointed towards the house.


    Just then the main door of the house opened and a prettydy walked out while cradling a little baby in her arms.


    "Oh, look who it is little Qiye, a strange man hase to our house," thedy said in an exaggerated manner to the newborn in her arms. The baby boy, of course, had no idea what she was saying so he justughed while waving his little arms.


    "I''m sorry," First said with an apologetic face as he went up to thedy. He looked at the little baby and tickled his chin which made himugh even more.


    Hao Xuan was still standing on the street looking at them. He didn''t understand why First would leave all this to go train in istion and fight monsters all year around. If he had the chance, he''d definitely choose this life over cultivation.


    "What happened? You weren''t supposed to be back for a few more days," thedy said as she fixed First''s cor. With her reminder, he came back to his sense and looked back towards Hao Xuan.


    "Brother,e on in, what are you waiting for?" he shouted.


    Hao Xuan went up to the porch and greeted everyone with a bow.


    "This is my Ninth brother. We were out on some errands and he had to get a haircut so I thought why not kill two birds with one stone," first said as he took the boy from thedy''s arms.


    "Brother, this is my wife Anya and that is my foster mother. She adopted me when I was a kid. She''s also Anya''s mother," he said pointing towards thedy and the old woman.


    "Hello grandma, sister, I''m Hao Xuan," he said with another bow.


    "Haha wee little brother,e ine in," Anya saidughing as she gestured towards an empty seat to the side.


    "Ninth brother needs a haircut," First said to Anya with a wink.


    "Ohh, finally! I was getting a little rusty," she said with a smile.


    "But its gettingte. Let''s have dinner first. You''re staying the night right?" she asked First, who replied with a nod and a smile.


    "Oh I almost forgot to introduce you guys, this is Qiye, my son," first pointed towards the little boy.


    "Hold him for a second, I''ll help mother move inside," then he handed him the baby and helped the olddy get up.


    Hao Xuan stood there awkwardly with a child in his arms as Anya went inside to get started on dinner and First helped the olddy move in.


    He looked at the baby who was looking at him with eyes wide open.


    "H-hello," he said to the baby whoughed and started ying with his hair which were down to his shoulders.


    "Brother, why are you just standing there? Come sit in front of the firece," First yelled from inside.


    Hao Xuan walked in with Qiye. The front door opened up in a hallway. To the left was a door from where First''s voice wasing. He went in and there was a firece to the right and two big sofas in front of it, one of which was upied by the olddy.


    There was a dinner table further behind it where First was standing.


    "I''ll go help Anya with dinner, have a seat and rx," he said to Hao Xuan and left from another door to the right which led to the kitchen.


    "Hello," Hao Xuan said once more to the olddy and sat down on the other sofa.


    "Hahaha, no need to be so nervous child. Rx rx," she saidughing at Hao Xuan who had greeted her for the third time.

 Chapter 27: Family Continued

    <h4>Chapter 27: Family Continued</h4>


    Hao Xuan sat in front of the firece with little Qiye in his arms as he chatted with the olddy. Time passed really quickly and before they knew an hour had passed.


    First came in with some tes and started setting up the table.


    "Xiao Ming, its time for dinner!" yelled Anya from the kitchen talking to someone else.


    Everyone moved on to the table once it was set and started eating. It was very casual but there were a lot of dishes, with even a whole roasted duck.


    Halfway through the meal the door of the dining room opened and a panda walked in while rubbing its eyes.


    Hao Xuan was caught by surprise until he realized it was a little girl in a panda onesie. Still half asleep, she stumbled over to the table and with some trouble, pushed back a chair and sat in it and then started eating.


    First was smiling looking at her, trying to hold hisughter in. Only after 5mins or so did she realize that there were a couple of extra people on the table and she looked up and saw First. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she stood up on her chair and screamed "Brother!" loudly.


    "Hahaha, you finally noticed. It feels pretty bad when my own sister forgets about me so quickly," he said fake crying.


    "No no, Mingi was just sleepy, she didn''t notice," she shook her head quickly.


    "Xiao Ming, don''t be rude, greet Brother Hao," Anya said as she fed Qiye a mashed potato.


    "Eh? Guest?" Ming said as she looked around the table but couldn''t see any new faces. Until she realized there was someone sitting right next to her. She slowly turned her head and saw a pair of beautiful green eyes staring back at her. For a few seconds, she could only see those eyes, as if nothing else existed in the world.


    "Hello," said the owner of the green eyes which woke her up from her stupor. Her face suddenly turned bright red and she looked at the person''s face and was even more surprised.


    It was a handsome man with long ck hair that was smiling at her a bit awkwardly.


    "H-hello, nice to meet you, I''m Han Ming," she said robotically while standing up on her chair and bowing with a red face.


    "I''m Hao Xuan," he replied smiling back at her. She was only six years old, even younger than the Khan twins. She had ck hair and white skin which made her look like a porcin doll.


    "Ninth brother, this is little twerp is my younger sister," First exined from the other side of the table.


    After the initial awkwardness, everything was back to its casual tone. Following the dinner, First made some tea for everyone as it was quite cold outside and they sat around the firece talking to each other.


    It was mostly First that told different stories to them while Han Ming peeked at Hao Xuan from time to time and then turned away blushing.


    An hour or soter Anya put down some sheets on the ground and told Hao Xuan to sit while she cut her hair.


    But everyone thought the long hair suited him, especially Han Ming, so he decided not to shorten it but just make it look more neat and tidy.


    They stayed upte that night and Hao Xuan enjoyed himself quite a lot too.


    Just after dinner Zhurong who was fast asleep on Hao Xuan''s shoulder also woke up and yed with Han Ming and Qiye until they all tired themselves out and fell asleep.


    Hao Xuan slept in the guest room and for the first time in a long while had a very fulfilling sleep.


    They woke up at around 10 the next day and after having breakfast, left for the auction houses. Han Ming was really sad to see Zhurong and Hao Xuan leave as she had grown quite attached to them. Even little Qiye who was barely a year old liked Zhurong a lot and cried when they left.


    There was a carriage waiting for them outside the town which they took and went to the inner city.


    The inner city was absolutely huge and it would take weeks to check every single ce, but there was one street that was a must-see for everyone.


    The trade market was a long stretch of road with hundreds of different shops and other establishments there. There were many auction houses as well, both privately owned and the ones under the military''s control.


    First took Hao Xuan to a military auction house and asked for the best ce to sell the remaining Flood dragon parts. They were kind enough to buy everything off of Hao Xuan for an exorbitant price of 5,000 low-grade spirit crystals.


    The only thing that was left was the beast core which Hao Xuan wanted to trade for a lightning elemental one. For that, they had to go to the most expensive private auction house which was simply called ''The Den'' by the locals.

 Chapter 28: The Den

    <h4>Chapter 28: The Den</h4>


    Fortuna City was the trade center of both Mei and many of the surrounding kingdoms as well. It was one of the only kingdoms that had proper ports and trade routes set up in the Azure ocean so a lot of powerful ns had their hubs in the city. That was also the reason for there to be so many profound realm experts here. Whosoever controlled Fortuna City, controlled the Mei kingdom.


    As such, the trade market was by far the busiest ce in the entire city with beings from many different species, rare treasures, beasts and other phenomena that couldn''t be seen anywhere else.


    Even some people from higher grade Kingdoms and empires would choose toe here for either vacation, training or to conduct business.


    Hao Xuan waspletely stupefied by everything he saw on the way to the Den. There were giants with full metal armors and giant axes, beautiful men and women with fairy-like wings made out of pure energy, huge muscr people with horns on their heads, half lizards, centaurs, even some metallic life forms could be seen walking around.


    They walked for a good 30mins or so until a huge temple-like building came into view.


    There were streams of people entering and leaving the ce with the words "The Den" scratched right above the entrance. There were no guards or soldiers anywhere in sight.


    Even though it was one of the biggest auction houses in the city, there were no "idents" of any kind. Everyone knew that whoever was capable enough to have such an establishment in Fortuna City must be extremely powerful, especially since even the military and the royal n left them alone.


    Hao Xuan entered the building with First and was weed by a thick gust of spiritual energy. The interior was madepletely out of gold and silver with beautiful engravings everywhere.


    A prettydy in a cheongsam came up to them.


    "Wee dear guests, do you need any help?" she asked when she saw Hao Xuan looking around in amazement. Obviously it was his first time here.


    "Um Yes, I want to trade an ice beast core with a lightning one," Hao Xuan said pointing towards his storage ring.


    "Of course, please follow me," she said politely and led them deeper into the building. After crossing many hallways and corridors they came to a desk where a middle-aged man was sitting with a book in his hands.


    "Sir, these guests are here for trading," she said while pointing towards Hao Xuan and first and then left soon after.


    "Ah, wee gentlemen. How can I help you?" the man asked while twirling his mustache.


    "I have a beast core that I wanna exchange with another one," Hao Xuan said once more.


    "Of course, pleasee in, let''s talk more privately," he said while gesturing towards a door to the left which opened on its own.


    They entered and saw that it room was covered by formations on all sides, likely for protection, with some chairs in the middle around a small table.


    "Please," the man said to the duo pointing towards the chairs.


    They all sat down and introduced each other. The man''s name was "Li" and he was pretty high up in the Den. He snapped his fingers and a teapot appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the table with three cups. The man filled each cup and served them before taking his own and sitting down.


    "So what type of beast core is it? Can you let me see it?" he said while taking a sip.


    "It''s an Ice elemental one," Hao Xuan said and took out the box and ced it on the table.


    Li casually bent down and picked it up, but as he opened it his eyes lit up. This was a grade 3 core and from a very strong young beast.


    "Amazing. This is worth quite a lot, would you be interested in selling it? We will pay you the best price possible," Li said after contemting for a while.


    "Sorry, I''m only interested in trading it with another core of lightning element," Hao Xuan said while shaking his head.


    "Are you sure? Although this really is worth a fortune its also quite dangerous. Usually cores from such strong beast bloodlines are prohibited for trade lest we anger the old monsters hiding in the oceans and forests, not to mention the beast ns," Li said while furrowing his brow.


    "I''m really sorry, but I still need another core in exchange for this. I need it for cultivation," Hao Xuan said after thinking about it for a while.


    "Unfortunate. Alright, you are our customer nheless so we will, of course, do anything we can to help you out. We can''t put this in our normal auctions but a small private one will be held tonight and you can try your luck there. The transaction fee is about 500 low-grade spirit stones but since it''s your first time, it will be free of charge. Only the entrance fee is 200 spirit stones," Li said while handing the box back to Hao Xuan.


    "Thank you," Hao Xuan said with a smile and gave him two hundred spirit stones. Li stored them and gave him a small gold token with an inscription on it.


    "The token will vibrate and guide you to the auction when its time. You can either choose to wait here or go to some of the normal auctions whenever you want. Just show them the token and they will let you in," Li said while getting up and left through another door.

 Chapter 29: The Auction

    <h4>Chapter 29: The Auction</h4>


    "What do you suggest brother? What should we do?" Hao Xuan asked First.


    "I think it''s better if you visit a few auctions to get some more exposure. Your view of the world is still quite limited brother," First replied after thinking about it for a few mins.


    "And you might even find something you need," he followed.


    They walked out of the room and went back to the main hall. There were six huge doors there on each side with words Hall 1 through 12, and one massive door at the end opposite to the main entrance with the words "Grand Hall" written above it.


    Hao Xuan randomly chose hall number 3 and went inside, as soon as he entered his token lit up for a second and then went back to normal.


    The hall was massive with more than a thousand seats on the floor and some private cabins above them. There was a stage in the front where an elderly man was standing on a podium and a very bustydy with fox years was standing next to him holding a strange looking shell in her hands.


    They sat down in the first open seats.


    "Our next item is a rare material used in crafting fished up from the Azure ocean. It has a natural formation inside it and can control water elemental energy to a certain extent," the old man said while pointing at the shell.


    "The starting bid is 250 low-grade spirit stones," he said.


    People starting biding and at the end, it was sold for 600 spirit stones.


    Many other things were sold from weapons and armors to techniques, but nothing caught Hao Xuan''s eye. A couple of hourster the auction finished and they left the hall.


    It was about 5 in the evening so they went out to eat and came back just in time for the biggest auction of the night that took ce in the Grand Hall to start.


    The grand hall was about ten timesrger than the other ones with about Eight thousand seats with ample room between them and many more private cabins as well.


    Almost 90% of the hall was filled already with all private cabins upied. All kinds of beings could be seen sitting there, with some beasts and giants in the mix as well.


    Few minster a middle-aged man walked onto the stage. He looked a bit simr to Li, probably his brother.


    "Ladies, Gentlemen, and all the others in-between, wee to the final auction of the day. My name is Li and i''ll be your auctioneer," the man said with a smile looking at the huge crowd.


    "Today we have a few special things for sale tonight as I''m sure you all know. Please remember to respect each other and the rules of this great establishment," Li said and then pped his hands. Silence came over the entire Grand Hall. A youngdy in a blue cheongsam walked it with an ivory tray in her hands covered by a cloth.


    "The first item is a support technique," Li said while snapping his fingers and the cloth over the tray turned transparent and an old looking scroll could be seen inside.


    "The name of the technique is ''Demonic Steps'' and it is a movement technique. It was discovered in a cultivation cave in the Forgotten swamp a few weeks ago," Li said with a proud look.


    The audience broke into a mor. Hao Xuan looked around slightly confused, what was so good about the technique?


    "The forgotten swamp is a restricted area. Its a few kingdoms away and spans millions of miles. No one has ever been able to explore itpletely as the soil there is basically quicksand and what small chunks of solid ground there are, are upied by indigenous tribes or extremely strong beasts. No one willingly enters that ce unless they are running from someone," First exined as he saw Hao Xuan''s dumbfounded expression.


    "We are not able to identify the grade of this technique as it has been sealed and only one person can cultivate it as it will disappear after that," Li said a few secondster, giving the audience ample time toe to their own conclusions.


    "As you are all aware, the Forgotten swamp is not a ce for the weak, hence this must belong to a strong cultivator. But considering it is a demonic technique and might have some negative aspects, the starting bid is only 500 low-grade spirit stones with every new bid being a minimum of 50 stones."


    "700," as soon as he finished, someone bid from one of the private booths.


    The hall went quiet for a second. Anyone who could get a private booth had to be very influential so going against someone like that wouldn''t be worth the trouble especially since even the techniques grade was unknown.


    "750" said arge burly man with hornsing out from the side of his face.


    Suddenly an extremely powerful pressure descended from the private booth, silencing the hall once again.


    "Dear guest, please mind the Den''s rules, lest you want to be kicked out," Li spoke with a frown. If everyone could just pressure each other like that, they wouldn''t make any profit at all.


    The pressure vanished and the booth went quit.


    "800," said the same voice again but this time no one spoke again.


    Li shook his head with a sigh. The damage was already done, no one would bid against ''that'' guy anymore.


    First saw Hao Xuan''s hand move when the man with the horns had bid and knew he wanted the technique as well.


    "Brother, although we aren''t that high ranked, no one can pressure us in the Mei Kingdom. We are the red legion! If you want the technique then bid without worry and leave the rest to me," First patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder.


    "Thank you, First brother," Hao Xuan said smiling back at him.


    "1000!" Hao Xuan said extremely loudly. Everyone looked at him, who was this person to bid against someone like that? But he just ignored all the looks and kept looking at the stage.


    A few more seconds go by and the booth finally lights up again.


    "1,500," said the voice angrily.


    "2,000," Hao Xuan casually cast another bid stupifying the crowd once more. This was a huge amount and normal people would never be able to take that much out on a whim.


    There was no response from the booth for a couple of mins after that.


    "Sold to the young man there. Congrattions!" Li said when no one from the booth or anyone else bid again.


    "You can pick up the scroll after the auction," he said smiling at Hao Xuan.


    After that a lot of other things were put on sale, there were even people sold as ves.


    No person could be enved by another, they would have to renounce their freedom of their own ord. Only those people that had nothing to live for or had some strange fetishes were the ones that sold themselves into very.


    The auctionsted about four hours and only three other things were sold at a higher price than Hao Xuan''s movement technique, all bought by the people in the private booth''s.


    Just as everyone was about to leave, Li spoke up again.


    "Dear Sirs and Madams, we have had ast minute entry," catching everyone''s attention, he smiled and gestured towards the seat and they all sat back down.


    "A weapon spirit embryo!" the hall went dead silent and then erupted in an uproar a secondter.


    How was this possible? WHo would be willing to sell an embryo like that?


    "Brother, what is it?" Hao Xuan asked First once again, confused.


    "Weapons are like extensions of ourselves. Once you have cultivated long enough and have used the same weapon throughout your journey, it develops a consciousness, or a spirit andes alive. It can supplement the user''s power significantly and can even move around on its own if its strong enough. But of course, that''s easier said than done. People change weapons a lot and its not easy to nurture a spirit. An embryo is born naturally in the world and can be smithed into your weapon, bringing it to life. It''s extremely rare," First exined seriously. This was a huge deal.


    "The seller needs to get rid of it quickly so let''s make this short. Starting bid is 1,000 low-grade spirit stones," Li said and ady brought out a pitch ck box.


    "1,500," said the voice again, the same one that had fought against Hao Xuan.


    "1,800," said a voice from another cabin.


    "2,100," said the first voice again. Everyone started whispering. It was at the end of the auction so almost everyone was out of spirit stones and no one would be able to take out a huge amount this fast. Otherwise, it wasn''t rare for an embryo to go for more than ten thousand.


    "Anyone else?" Li asked with a frown. This really wasn''t a good idea. This was a quarter of the price.


    But no one bid again. All the private booths were out of stones and others didn''t carry around that much with them.


    "It seems it''s your lucky day ''Young master''" Li said a smile while looking at the first booth.


    "It is meant to be," said the voice again, arrogantly.


    Li sighed once more looking at the crowd. "Such a shame," he thought.


    "2,500!" just as he was about to finish the sale, a voice spoke up waking him from his stupor.


    Everyone looked around but they were all lost in their own thoughts that no one was paying attention or had seen who had made the bid.


    "2,500," spoke up Hao Xuan while standing up. Everyone turned around and looked at him. This guy again? Who was he? Was it another young master from an influential n?


    "What?!" said the voice from the booth,pletely incensed.


    "Who hell do you think you are?!?" the voice shouted and the pressure appeared once again, everyone around Hao Xuan could feel it. Hao Xuan could barely stand and was about to copse to the ground.


    Li was also angered looking at the ''that'' guys behavior once again. But just he was about to speak up and an even stronger pressure came crashing down on the booth and on the hall itself.


    It wasn''t overbearing, but everyone knew it was much stronger than the one from the booth.


    "Who the hell do you think YOU are?" First said as he stood up. He was the source of that pressure!


    Hao Xuan was bergasted. His first brother was this strong? He could feel that this pressure was just a little bit weaker than General Yue Fei''s! First was almost as strong a general??!


    The hall was dead silent. No one uttered a single word. Li looked at First and surprise could be seen on his face. Someone so young had reached such a level? This was an unexpected present.

 Chapter 30: Mu Family

    <h4>Chapter 30: Mu Family</h4>


    Profound Realm was considered to be the first major step into the cultivation world. Only after reaching this realm would one be able to soar in the skies without any external help. It connected the heavens to the internal body allowing cultivators to use strength far beyond their reach.


    They could traverse the abyss and void, destroy entire cities with a flip of their hands and peer into the secrets of the world. It was a huge step and that was why 70% of the cultivators were never able to get over this hurdle and were stuck at this bottleneck.


    To be a general in the Mei kingdom required one to be at the profound realm and have served the kingdom meritoriously. That was why out of the Twenty or Thirty billion poption of the Mei Kingdom, there were only a few dozen generals.


    Normally cultivators would leave their homnds to venture out in the vast world after reaching the Profound realm, the only reason so many stayed was because of the imminent danger to the kingdom from the Jia people.


    Suffice it to say, it was a rare sight to see someone so close to the profound realm. So when First truly unleashed some of his spiritual pressure, everyone was awestruck, especially considering his very young age.


    "Well? Who wants to bully my junior brother?" He spoke in an authoritative voice and looked around.


    No one met his eyes. No one wanted to. And those few beings that had some other ns for Hao Xuan also gave up. Nothing was more important than living. They might have a chance to find some other treasurester on but if they died right here, it would all be meaningless.


    "Hmph, let''s go brother," First said as he walked out of the seating area and towards the stage.


    No one dared get in their way. They walked up to the side of the stage, First looked at "Li" who was still standing on the stage and he smiled and nodded back at them, and they continued on and walked behind the stage.


    "The auctiones to an end. Fellow cultivators have a nice day," Li said quickly and then followed after First and Hao Xuan.


    There were several people at the back who didn''t know what to do. Usually, guests weren''t allowed to be backstage, instead, they had to go to another area to pick up their winnings.


    But soon after Li walked in as well, releasing some of the tension.


    "Dear guests, please follow me," he said with a smile and led the duo through a couple of hallways into a very simr room they had met the other "Li" person.


    They all sat down and Li poured tea for them, apparently, this was a custom of sorts to these people.


    "My name is Li Ming. The ''Den'' is an establishment owned by our Li family so unless necessary we only introduce ourselves as just Li," he said while taking a sip of the tea.


    "You can just call me First."


    "I''m Hao Xuan, nice to meet you," They both introduced themselves as well.


    "I''ll have your things brought here. I sense a token on yourself, are you perhaps here for the private auction?" Li asked after thinking for a few seconds. It wasn''t nice to pry into others business, and whoever gave them the token had the same privileges as him.


    "Yes, I have a beast core that I want to trade," Hao Xuan said with a nod and took out the token.


    "If you don''t me asking, what type of core do you have and what are you looking for in return?" Li asked very politely so as not to offend them.


    Hao Xuan exined the whole situation to him and he furrowed his brows in response.


    "I''m afraid you won''t have much luck in the private auction either. The beast core that you describe is exceedingly rare and dangerous. Not many people would risk getting involved in that in the first ce. And even if they did, the chances of finding a core of simr value is almost non-existent, especially in this low-grade kingdom."


    "Why is that?" Hao Xuan asked worryingly. This was his ticket to leveling up quickly in cultivation and techniques.


    "Because it''s simply too rare. To find an elemental core from such a strong beast bloodline is nigh impossible in a small kingdom like this. I suggest you trade with some treasures if you can''t use it yourself," Li said with a calm face. And he was right.


    When beasts reached a certain level, they gained consciousness and started their own ns and kingdoms. All of their offsprings were protected and cared for by the elders. Hao Xuan''s encounter was more or less a miracle. If anyone from the ice dragon tribe found out about this, they would wage war with the Mei kingdom. Beasts weren''t really known for being calm and collected.


    "First brother?" Hao Xuan said looking towards First for advice, he really was too inexperienced.


    "Then do you have any treasures with a lightning element that could be used for training?" First asking after a few seconds.


    "We should have something, although not of equal value to your core. But let me check first," Li said while getting up and left from a side door.


    Few minster he came back holding arge tray covered with a cloth.


    "Here are your items," he said while putting the tray down on the table and removing the cloth. There was a scroll and a shinning crystal ball inside. Hao Xuan waved his hand and a small hill of spirit stones appeared on the floor next to him.


    "Actually because of the rude behavior of the guest in the private booth, the technique is on the house. We do apologize, that ''Young master'' is the only problematic person that frequents our establishment," Li said as he moved his hand over the pile of spirit stones and exactly 2,500 of them vanished.


    "Who was that anyway?" Hao Xuan asked getting slightly angry remembering what happened.


    "We can''t give out the names of our customers, but he belongs to a very rich family with ties to the royal court. He is the only heir," Li said while smiling at First.


    "The Mu n?" asked First, and Li nodded in return.


    "But you don''t have to worry too much. Although he is known to be a spoiled brat, there are limits. He won''t be able to do anything to you with your backing and strength."


    "And I checked but unfortunately we don''t have anything in stock of equal value to the core. But if you want, I can request lightning elemental spirit stones from one of the bigger branches of the empire. They can be here in a couple of days and will be even better for training as they are just like normal spirit stones but with lightning element mixed inside. We can also give you a VIP token for life which can be used at any branch of the Den," said Li while looking at Hao Xuan with hope.


    He would be able to get some recognition from the main n if he was able to get this deal.


    "Other branches? Where are your other branches?" Hao Xuan asked furrowing his brow.


    "We have branches all over the continent, especially in more prosperous areas. With a VIP token, you will be able to ce orders, get notifications in case of a hidden or forbiddennd opening, buy and sell confidential information and much more." Li smiled proudly.


    Hao Xuan thought about it and it was the best deal he could probably get at this point. The core was useless to him as is, and with spirit stones, his objective would beplete.


    So he agreed to the terms and gave him the core. First gave Li a delivery address to deliver the stones at and they left.


    They headed straight back to the camp and went back to sleep as it waste in the night by the time they got in.


    The next morning Hao Xuan got up and finally remembered to take a look at the Demonic Steps movement technique he had gotten.


    He brought out the scroll and put a drop of blood on it to unseal it as per the instructions. As soon as the drop hit the scroll, it started burning, catching Hao Xuan by surprise. But then the smoke from the scroll hovered in mid-air for a second and then entered Hao Xuan''s body through his nose and eyes.


    He ''felt'' something appear in his mind. Closing his eyes he saw another book along with the other two with the name "Demonic steps" on it.


    He willed it and it opened. The first paragraph went, "Be the silent killer in the night, or a great demon on the battlefield. This demonic technique changes depending on the cultivator and cultivation materials, all it requires, in the end, is a strong heart without doubts. Do not hesitate when you step on the battlefield, for it will be the death of you."


    There were no levels to this technique and no clear definition of what the results would be. If a person cultivated it with righteous Qi then the resulting movement would be different from someone that did a lot of evil deeds.

 Chapter 31: Flashback

    <h4>Chapter 31: shback</h4>


    Hao Xuan finished reading through the introductory page of ''Demonic Steps'' and opened his eyes. Zhurong was still sleeping beside his pillow, his little tummy going up and down several times a second. It seemed he really liked sleeping a lot. He had spent most of the time of thest two days sleeping in Hao Xuan''s shirt. He had made a little hammock at the back of the shirt and would cozily sleep there.


    And because of Hao Xuan''s long hair, no one even noticed the cute little thing, otherwise, he was catnip to females and any other adorers of the cute and cuddly.


    After washing up Hao Xuan went out for breakfast and met some of his other brothers. Fourth who he hadn''t had much interaction with before came up to him himself and struck up a conversation.


    Hao Xuan took out some of the meat from the flood dragon and started grilling it for everyone. You would think that the meat from such a high-level beast would be tough but it was the exact opposite. Everyone present gulped when they smelled the alluring aroma of the meat, making Sixth even drool.


    The meat slowly cooked on an open fire with no other condiments like a steak. A min and a half on each side, that was the best and only way to cook a piece of meat like this. Anything else would be considered sphemy.


    The smell of the grilling meat brought out the rest of the group as well, including their Fifth sister. Hao Xuan was more than happy to take out as much meat as they needed because that was the reason why he had kept so much of it. It would be enough to feed the group for weeks toe.


    When Hao Xuan took his first bite, he zoned out for a few seconds. It was the most delicious thing he had ever put in his mouth and he was even scared for a little while that he might get addicted to it. But he still wanted to share it with everyone, seeing the look on their faces as they indulged themselves was absolutely worth it.


    "___ loves big brother" he heard a phrase and saw a small silhouette skipping away from him. He couldn''t hear anything else or see much clearly, it was all very blurry. And suddenly he felt a pain in his chest, his heart was hurting. He got a feeling that he was forgetting something very important and he stood up looking around startling everyone else.


    Hao Xuan looked around panicking, it was a feeling he had never experienced before. His heart started beating really fast and droplets of sweat startinging down from his forehead. He felt like the sky was going to copse.


    "Brother, what''s wrong?" asked Third and First in unison. Everyone else got up as well looking at his strange behavior.


    His chest was still hurting a lot, like a needle piercing it over and over again. He suddenly fell down to his knees and grabbed his chest and started breathing heavily. Seventh and Eighth came running up to him and checked his vitals.


    "It''s not poison," Eighth said with a deep frown.


    "Something strange is happening to his body. It looks like a normal panic attack but his Qi is inplete disarray," said Seventh while bending down and putting his hand on Hao Xuan''s chest.


    Eighth specialized in poisons and Seventh was the most experienced when it came to cultivation and its side effects. He was a true schr and loved to read and understand the mysteries behind everything.


    "AARGGH!" Hao Xuan suddenly shouted while holding his head. There was a sharp pain and he could feel something moving inside. The more he tried to see what it was, the more it hurt, and then his nose started bleeding.


    "Brother!" Shouted everyone at once. First ran up to him and put his hand on Hao Xuan''s back, channeling his own Qi into him.


    Hao Xuan could feel a cold energy enter his body which suddenly brought him back from his daze and he opened his eyes.


    "Eh? What''s going on?" he asked while looking at everyone surrounding him. He barely remembered anything that happened in thest few mins.


    "You don''t remember?" Seventh asked with a gleam in his eyes.


    "No, I thought I saw something and then my head started hurting and then nothing."


    "Don''t worry, it wasn''t anything special. I think the meat from the spirit beast affected you in a strange way. If I''m not wrong, this was your first time eating something like this right?"


    "Yes, I think so," Hao Xuan replied while trying to remember.


    "Like I thought, its normal, don''t worry about it. Just rest for a little bit and you''ll be fine," Seventh said as he patted his shoulder.


    "Thank you senior brother," Hao Xuan bowed to him and slowly left for his quarters.


    When he was out of sight, everyone looked at Seventh as if looking for an answer. First moved closer and asked, "What was it?"


    "What is Ninth Brothers background?" seventh answered the question with one of his own.


    "General Yue rmended him personally. He was in an ident and has no memory prior to the day he came here." When Seventh heard that he was even more certain of his hypothesis.


    "It''s being done on purpose. His memory, someone is locking it away," he finally said after taking a deep breath. Everyone was startled by the statement.


    "Are you sure?" First asked as if he expected the answer.


    "Almost a 100%, and if I''m not wrong, Ninth brother has a special body as well" Seventh said while looking straight at First.


    "Mhmm. Bury this matter for now. Don''t bring it up in front of Ninth Brother again. It''s not gonna change anything even if he knows, but might hinder his cultivation instead," said First while looking at everyone present. They all nodded in response, even Sixth who was reluctant to do so at first but knew this was the only way for now.

 Chapter 32: Training

    <h4>Chapter 32: Training</h4>


    Hao Xuan walked backed to his quarters lost in thought. He knew whatever he saw was very important but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t remember it.


    When he reached the front door there was a small package there with a note on it. Picking it up and there was a note, it said, "For Mr. Hao Xuan, we wee you to our family and hope to have a long and prosperous rtionship, The Den."


    In the package, there was an obsidian ring,pletely ck in color with a glossy finish. He put a drop of blood on it and peered inside and was amazed. It was more than 50 times bigger than his current ring and the material was extremely sturdy as well. There was also a huge pile of spirit stones inside that had lightning running through them. They looked spectacr.


    After putting the ring on the left middle finger he went inside and locked the door. It was time to train. Of his allotted five weeks, about two and a half had already passed. If he didn''t break through to the next realm he would be sent back Yue Fei.


    Hao Xuan liked this ce, his strange brothers and sisters, he had taken a liking to them as well and didn''t wanna leave.


    He sat down in the middle of the room and surrounded himself by a dozen or so normal spirit crystals. The ive manual appeared in his mind and Qi started revolving around the body on its own. The spiritual energy from the crystals surged out like a tide and entered the body, almost overwhelming him.


    But he soon got everything under control and started converting it to Qi and leading it towards the small meridians in the left arm. One after another they opened up without the slightest resistance and he leveled up continuously. Within a few mins, the spirit crystals were already dried up so he took out a few hundred and went back to cultivation.


    The next five days were spent like that, no one bothered him and he didn''t leave, spending all the time just sitting in the room, cultivating. With the help of almost thirteen hundred low-grade spirit stones, he finally broke through the ninthyer of the Elementary realm, standing at the peak. As soon as he understood another type of energy he would be able to break into the Earth realm.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and saw Zhurong sleeping in hisp without a care in the world. He was making small purring sounds and licking his lips, probably dreaming about food.


    He picked the little guy up and put him on the bed and then went to take a shower and a change of clothes. He had spent thest five days sitting in one ce after all, his entire body was making noises as he moved.


    Clenching his fists, he could feel the Qi coursing through his body. It felt reallyfortable whenever he cultivated and never a chore. Most people felt really bored cooped up in one ce just cultivating non-stop. It took a lot of willpower to do that, but Hao Xuan loved every bit of it.


    After changing he went to the training area to finally cultivate his techniques.


    Infernal Rapture was a support technique that increased the power of his other techniques by 40% after each level, going as high as 420% at level eight.


    He took out two lightning elemental spirit stones that the Den sent and held one in each hand. Closing his eyes the manual appeared once again.


    "Infernal Rapture cannot be cultivated alone. As it is a support technique it must be trained along with another technique or weapon."


    Hao Xuan thought about using the sword to cultivate the but soon gave up the idea. He didn''t want to identally learn to use the lightning energy and use it to break into the next realm.


    Instead, he focused on Demonic steps which also required some external resources to be trained properly.


    He read the manual and it only mentioned how to circte Qi around his legs and feet. If he used dark energy to cultivate, the result could be something like invisibility in the shadows. If he used wind energy, the result would be silent steps, if he used light energy the result could almost be like teleportation. It all depended on the purity and type of energy used to cultivate.


    But Hao Xuan was using lightning elemental crystals so his would be much different and would evolve as he understood better energies.


    What he didn''t know was that Demonic Steps was one of the most powerful techniques in existence. Although it was extremely basic and could be seen as ordinary by some, but in the hands of a genius it would show its real potential.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and focused on absorbing the energy from the crystals. It had a stinging sensation and left his body a bit numb as it circted.


    ording to the manual, he cultivated for more than ten hours. Shuffling back and forth and using almost a quarter of the lightning crystals he finally cultivated to the first stage of Infernal Rapture along with learning the most basic Demonic steps.


    ***


    It was about 1 in the morning when he woke from his daze. The night was dark with some fog in the distance and clouds in the sky, it was about to rain. Hao Xuan held his breath and started circting the Qi for the Demonic steps, ready to see the results of his training, he took a step forward.


    *CRACKLE*


    A loud crackle of lightning sounded and he appeared about fifteen meters away in a couple of seconds, with sweat pouring down his neck. He really wasn''t ready for that. The air pressure that hit him was almost like a cinderblock to the face.


    He turned around and looked back, there was a straight ck line on the ground as if actual lightning had hit.


    Even though the crackle was loud, it wasn''t enough to wake the others. But if someone was standing next to him, this would definitely give them a good scare.


    "Let''s try it with Infernal Rapture this time," he mumbled and moved back to the original spot. This time he circted the Qi to cover his entire body and then took another Demonic Step.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    Thunder boomed like the heavens themselves had broken apart, and he appeared more than twenty meters away.


    "What..the...FUCK! Why is it so loud?? My god damn ears almost burst," screamed Hao Xuan while rubbing his ears.


    "How the hell am I supposed to use this technique? It will draw all the attention to ME!! I can''t even use it to run away because everyone would be able to hear it from miles away. How do I have such bad luck with techniques?" heined, and rightly so. Imagine, in the middle of a battlefield everyone hears the rumbling of thunder and a guy appears, he would instantly be a huge target, sticking out like a sore thumb. His every move would be heard by the enemies. Not to mention the amount of Qi it needed was ridiculous.

 Chapter 33: Arena!

    <h4>Chapter 33: Arena!</h4>


    Hao Xuan went back to sleep as it was alreadyte. Zhurong hadn''t even moved from his initial spot and was still sleeping soundly.


    The next morning he was woken up by a knock on the door, it was First. They both had breakfast and then First asked him what his ns were.


    "Brother, you only have less than two weeks left before the deadline. I see that you''re already at the top of the Elementary realm, have you decided on what type of energy do you want to use to open the next meridian?"


    "Something rted to swordsmanship. I am not sure yet but that''s my only option for now. It''s just that I don''t know how to go about doing this," Hao Xuan replied while shrugging his shoulders.


    "How about some actualbat experience? It is the only sure-fire way of getting results," First said after thinking for a few seconds.


    "You''re right brother. Should I take on another mission?" while pointing at the screen Hao Xuan asked.


    "No, I have a better idea. There''s an arena in the inner city where many people go to either blow off steam or challenge themselves. You can fight against both beasts and men in there and even make some money while doing. Many of us go there undercover when we need to train."


    Hao Xuan agreed with First. With just over 10 days left he needed to understand another type of energy quickly, and putting himself in situations like these was the best n.


    He agreed and First took him back into the inner city. This time they went to the exact opposite side of the trade market. It took them a couple of hours to reach a massive Colosseum. Up close it was even bigger. There were thousands of people entering and leaving at any one point. Entire families, strong warriors, young couples, almost all types of people could be seen there.


    After walking for about 10mins they finally reached the fighting grounds, which were divided into twenty different stages, each with a radius of a hundred meters.


    Many beasts and people could be seen fighting in there.


    First led Hao Xuan towards the side and they entered a sort of a locker room. There were two men outside behind a counter chatting.


    "Brother!" First shouted from afar and one of the men who was middle-aged with arge scar on his neck looked around. When he saw First a smile bloomed on his face and he came out from behind the counter and gave a First a bear hug whileughing.


    "Brother! Its been so long since youst visited. What a nice surprise!"


    "Haha, it is indeed. Unfortunately, this isn''t a social visit. My junior brother wants to get some experience," First said while pointing at Hao Xuan.


    "Of course, of course, any brother of yours is a brother of mine. So the usual package then?" he asked while patting Hao Xuan''s shoulder, which left him a bit numb.


    "Yup," said First and took out a strange mask from his storage ring and passed it to Hao Xuan.


    "Brother, wear this whenever you fight. We aren''t allowed to disclose our identities in public without an order. I had this specially made from the first beast I killed in here and have used it for hundreds of fights, both in and out of the arena. It''s yours from now on," he said with a nostalgic smile.


    Hao Xuan checked it out and it looked really cool. There were two horns on the top and it covered the top half of his face only (Img link in authors notes).


    "Alright, I have to go now but you can ask for anything you need from brother Feng," first said while pointing at the middle-aged man.


    "Thank you." After first left, Fei brought him into the locker room where there many weapons and armors on the walls.


    "You can use any equipment you like from here. Usually, there is a charge and another small deposit for every fight, but since you''re in the military yourself, it''s all free. On the screen over there you can choose what type of opponent you want. Beast, human, their levels etc. And whenever a stage is empty you will be called," he said while pointing to arge three-sided screen in the middle of the room.


    "Please remember to be careful, although the security measure will kick in if your life is in danger but they aren''t always on time. If you need anything at all, let me know and I''ll try to get it for you," Fei said and then went back to the counter.


    Hao Xuan went up to the screen without wasting any time and put his hand on it. It lit up with a prompt, "Wee "Hao Xuan" of Red Legion. Choose your opponent."


    He clicked on "Choose your opponent" and a new screen appeared with two options. "Beast" or "Human". In this case, anything other than a beast was called a human.


    After clicking on Beast and another page appeared with hundreds of types of brute, spiritual and demonic beasts of different levels.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Short link: https://urlzs/e2NhL

 Chapter 34: Reason to Fight

    <h4>Chapter 34: Reason to Fight</h4>


    Hao Xuan chose a Brute beast for his first fight. Its body was that of a lizard with the head of a cobra. It used a paralytic poison on its enemies and then would slowly gobble them up alive. As a brute beast, it wasn''t too hostile and rarely fought any monster stronger than it. Its main prey were the young of other beasts that were incapable of defending themselves and that was why it was despised by all other beasts and even attacked on sight.


    "Please wait, when an arena opens up you will be called," said the prompt.


    Hao Xuan had no choice but to wait. He was really excited about this uing battle. There would be tens of thousands watching his every move. How glorious would it be to stand there with his head raised as they showered him with praise, he dreamed.


    A sound woke him up from his delusions, another person had entered the locker room. A bald guy, about the same age as Hao Xuan with brown skin, but there was something wrong with him. He gave a very strong and deadly feeling to Hao Xuan, as if he wasn''t human but something else.


    He looked like he had just lost a loved one, extremely depressed. There was no light in his eyes as if he was dead. He went up to the screen and registered and then sat down on the other side and closed his eyes, paying no attention to his surroundings.


    After a few seconds, Hao Xuan also stopped paying attention to him and looked at the mask First had given him. It waspletely white in color with no marks or blemishes on it at all, as if brand new.


    Hao Xuan bit his finger and put a drop of blood on it and it changed color from white to green, to blue, to crimson red and then back to white. Its structure also slightly changed and now looked to be an exact fit for his face.


    Not expecting this sudden transformation, he put the mask on and his eyes glowed brightly for a few seconds and the mask started giving off a sudden burning sensation. Surprised, he tried to take it off but it wouldn''t budge in the least which made him panic a little bit.


    But when he remembered that First had given it to him he calmed down a little. If First wanted to hurt him, there were much easier ways, especially for someone as powerful as him.


    The burning sensation got stronger and stronger for about 30 seconds and then it vanishedpletely. Hao Xuan couldn''t even feel the mask anymore. He touched his face and the mask was still there, but it had absolutely no weight or feeling.


    If he didn''t remember putting it on himself, he probably wouldn''t even be able to tell he was wearing it unless he looked at his reflection.


    "Is it a spiritual item?" he thought but then gave up on the idea. Items like that were rare and needed a really strong bond to their owners to gain spirituality.


    He closed his eyes and thought about taking the mask off without even touching it and it vanished from his face and appeared in his mind. With his eyes closed, he could see the mask as clearly as day and could even reach out and touch it.


    And as soon as he did, masks entire history and functions appeared in front of him.


    "Made from the face-bone of a half ''Sominare'', an illusion demon, it changes appearance ording to the user''s wishes and can hide aura and presence against simr leveled or weaker opponents."


    Hao Xuan was taken aback after reading that. First said this was made from the first beast he had killed, but ording to this it was from the demonic race. Had First actually killed a demon and was wearing its skull as a mask? It gave him shivers just thinking about it. Good thing First was on his side.


    *Bing*


    "Soldier Hao Xuan, please proceed to the gate number Six," said a feminine voice in the locker room, waking him from his stupor.


    He got up and walked to the door that had ''Six'' over it and pressed his hand on the screen beside it.


    "Please choose an alias," a new prompt said and an empty field appeared on the screen.


    He thought for a few seconds and a word appeared in his mind out of nowhere, "Ira".


    "Hmm?" he furrowed his brow, there was a strange sensation his brain like something was vibrating. He closed his eyes and the three books appeared. It was Wrath of Deimos that was vibrating and a red ''smoke'' wasing out of it.


    Hao Xuan hesitated for a few seconds but then put his hand on top of it and his eyes turnedpletely red. It felt like he was transported to another world.


    He saw a cute little boy ying with his mother under a tree. They were living in the outskirts of a small vige near a forest. Everyone avoided them because of the horns that were growing out of the boy''s head. They called his mother a witch, and the child an abomination.


    Other children would make fun of him and beat him up whenever they saw him. He would go crying back to his mother who would tell him to not be mad and forgive them. She said they didn''t know any better, it was what they were taught by their elders, who were uneducated and scared themselves and weren''t at fault.


    The boy didn''t know why his mother was so kind to them, but following her example, he did the same. Whenever there was a medical emergency in the vige, they would call for her and she would go without aint and help them using her ''magics''.


    The scene changed. Several yearster, the boy grew into a sturdy man and joined his kingdoms army. He fell in love and got married to a pretty girl from the capital and had twin daughters. He moved back to the vige and lived with his mother until a summons came from the army, the kingdom was at war.


    He fought for 7 years straight to protect his homnd and returned home when they finally emerged victorious.


    But when he came back, his home was gone with nothing but ash left. Panicked, he ran to the vige and asked what had happened and they said one of the royal prince''s had passed by on one of his hunting trips. He had some deranged hobbies and took a liking to the nine-year-old twin girls and tried to buy them.


    When their mother refused he took them forcefully and had his guards vite her for several days until she died. Their grandmother fought against them and even went to the closest military base to ask for help. But instead, they caught her and burnt her alive on the cross, saying she was a witch trying to destroy the prince''s reputation.


    The man stood there, not knowing what to think. The very kingdom he had fought and bled for had done this to him.


    Blinded by rage and sorrow, he headed straight towards the capital to save his daughters. After hiring some assassins and mercenaries, he broke into the pce and finally found them. Their limbs were cut off and then burnt to stop the bleeding. There were different bloodied torture devicesying around, probably used on them. They weren''t even recognizable anymore.


    Overtaken by grief and anger, he killed everyone in the castle. But when he tried to leave with the girls they begged him to kill them. They couldn''t live on like that. As a father, that was thest thing he did. His precious little girls asked him to kill them.


    Having lost everything, he slit his own throat. But just when he was about to slip into internal sleep, a voice spoke up.


    "Are you not angry mortal? Is your love for your family so limited that it could be satiated with just this much blood? You gave your everything for these people, and in return, they raped your wife and daughters and burnt your mother alive. Are you even a man?"


    "What do you want?" he asked with his dying breath.


    "Nothing. I want nothing, but I can give you everything. I only ask that you Rage! Rage against the heavens, Rage against the Gods that stood by when your family was being taken from you. Rage and kill for all of eternity!"


    "I agree," the man said without hesitation with tears streaming down his face. They all knew what was going on, but not a single person stepped in. They deserved everything that wasing to them.


    "Rise! Rise andy waste to the cosmos, Deimos!"


    The blood of every single person that died in the castle flowed towards the man, the horns on his head grew several feet, towering like dragons. His skin turned dark red and hepletely turned into a demon. With his very own hands, he destroyed that kingdom, then that continent and then the world.


    Not a single creature was spared. He moved from one world to another devouring everything in his path.


    It was several millions of yearster that he came upon a man, a man with a sword on his back and a wine gourd in his hands, sitting on a moon. Without a second thought, he attacked him. The man slowly turned around and look at him.


    "Poor soul, how long have you suffered? Let me put you out of your misery."


    The man lifted his hand and Deimos, the great demon, couldn''t move a single muscle.


    "Don''t. He has already suffered so much, why must you hurt him more?" said a gentle voice and ady in green garments appeared floating next to the man. She slowly walked up to Deimos and put her dainty little hand on his head.


    "Sleep child. It is not your time yet," she said gently and Deimos vanished and a book appeared in his stead with the name "Deimos Ira" on it.


    Hao Xuan woke up with a buzzing head and fell to his knees. All that had happened within a second.


    "Were those memories? His memories?" he mumbled while rubbing his eyes.


    He slowly got up and looked at the screen once again and remembered what was going. He spent a couple of mins digesting everything he had seen. Whether that was real or illusions created by the book, it didn''t matter right now so he put it all in the back of his head.


    He entered the name ''Deimos'' in the empty field and went through the door.

 Chapter 35: Reason to Fight Continued

    <h4>Chapter 35: Reason to Fight Continued</h4>


    On the other side of the door was a long dark corridor leading to the stage. As he was walking, cheering sounds from tens of thousands of people could be heard. There was the smell of iron and sweat in the air, with some bloodstains here and there.


    The closer he got to the light at the end of the tunnel, the faster his heartbeat. He put his empty hand over his face and when he removed it, the mask had appeared. Although he could do it without moving a muscle, it just felt more natural this way.


    As he got closer to the end of the corridor, the sounds of people cheering and screaming got weaker and weaker.


    "What am I fighting for?" he mumbled lost in thought.


    "I have no ce to call home, no loved ones or anybody that would really care if I was gone. Why do I want to be stronger?" he said as he started walking in a strange manner, with his shoulders raised and chest puffed out, left, right, left, right, with every step the power of his first meridian, the Emperor''s Dominion, started circting through his legs ording to the pattern described in Demonic steps.


    An unknown pressure descended in the corridor. If someone was there they would have no desire to fight, no desire to live or to die. The entirety of their being would want to submit before Hao Xuan, not even daring to meet his eyes, let alone take up arms against him.


    Subconsciously he opened his right hand as if grabbing at something, and the ive appeared with a whooshing sound.


    The same ive that he couldn''t lift before now felt as light as a feather. Was it because he leveled up so much recently or some other reason?


    With every single step, the ground near him vibrated a little, as if something massive wasing.


    "What is it that I live for? Why must I be stronger?" he spoke loudly, the voice echoing in the empty corridor.


    "To see the world?" the images that he was shown during his inauguration appeared one by one like a slideshow. The many different races, monsters as big as entires slumbering deep beneath the surface of the earth and the ocean, demons from the depths of hell itself, experts hurlingary bodies at each other during fights. Incredibly marvelous images shed past his eyes, some of the images weren''t even included in the inauguration.


    His eyes gained a red hue along with their natural green color.


    "No, that is ''a'' reason, but not ''my'' reason," he shook his head, still in a strange state of mind and almost at the end of the corridor.


    "Emi would still love big brother no matter what!" suddenly a cute little voice sounded in his head and an image of a little girl holding a stuffed bear, two ponytails, big ck baby eyes, and an assuring face appeared.


    A goofy smile crept upon Hao Xuan''s face, "Promise?" he asked extending his left pinky finger.


    "Mhmm" the little girl nodded extended her hand and made a pinky promise, and then vanished like smoke as if an illusion.


    "I remember. How could I ever forget about you?" he said still smiling and walked out of the corridor while still using Demonic steps.


    As soon as he stepped out onto the stage his first meridian thrummed and a faint pressure descended on the entire Colosseum which was several miles long. It wasn''t harmful to anyone but instead made everyone ashamed to look at him.


    Hundreds of thousands of eyes turned towards him instantly. Even the fights going on the other stages stopped, both beasts and humans stopped whatever they were doing and looked at him.


    The beast he had chosen was called Giros and was about two meters long. The second Hao Xuan walked out, all of its confidence went down the drain and its legs buckled and it fell on the ground, not even looking up at him.


    But Hao Xuan, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on, he was still in his own world with his body moving on its own.


    The stage was 50 meters in radius and the distance between him and the Giros was about 30 meters.


    "You are not worthy," he spoke unconsciously as he saw the beast cowering in front of him, already admitting defeat.


    *Tap*


    He took one step forward and covered the distance of 30 meters, appearing right before the Giros. He looked down at it and the beast felt an unknown power telling it to lift its head upwards to meet Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    As soon as their eyes met, Hao Xuan harrumphed with disdainful eyes and shed down the ive in a straight line and turned around, took one more step and entered back into the corridor vanishing from everyone''s sight.


    Complete and utter silence. For the next ten to fifteen seconds, the entire Colosseum was dead silent, that is until the Giros split in two and fell down on the ground.


    "What?"


    "Holy shit!!"


    "Did that just happen?"


    "Did you just see that guy or was it a dream?"


    The entire Colosseum exploded with chatter. Some people were still not sure if that was an illusion or real, they were pinching themselves and asking others for confirmation.


    All they saw was a man in a white horned mask with long ck haire out onto the stage for a second, say "You''re not worthy" to the beast and disappear, and then the beast died. What the hell was that about? Did he juste here to show off?


    "Was it a Prince?" asked someone in the crowd, silencing everyone yet again.


    "Oh my god! It might actually have been a prince. Did you feel the pressure when he appeared? I just wanted to prostrate myself in front of him and ask for forgiveness," said a voluptuousdy with slightly red cheeks.


    "Yeah me too!" one after another people started agreeing with her hypothesis.


    "Only someone from the royal n would have such majesty and poise to make us normal folks have that feeling," spoke another person. To these mortals, that seemed like something out of this world, but to the actual cultivators present in the crowd it was entirely different.


    "Emperors Dominion! How could it be?" said a young girl sitting in one of the VIP lounges.


    "No one from this generation has awakened that kind of power, who was that man?" asked another girl sitting next to her.


    "I don''t know, but he is not from the Mei n," the first girl shook her head in response.


    "Find out who he is!" she ordered to the two royal guards that were standing behind them, who bowed in response and left.

 Chapter 36: Second Meridian

    <h4>Chapter 36: Second Meridian</h4>


    Hao Xuan was in a state of enlightenment. Every move he made, every step he took was guided by the mysteries of the universe. He walked out of the arena and back into the locker room. The other bald guy wasn''t there anymore.


    He sat down and started and cultivating using the ive manual, hours passed by and he finally woke up again. He knew what had happened, it was like watching from a third person perspective as a spectator, not being able to control his actions.


    He got up and registered for another fight, this time choosing a low-level spiritual beast. It''s top body was that of a gori and lower half of a snake. It looked horrendous and was extremely aggressive and powerful enough to fight against many stronger beasts.


    This time he took his time and digested everything he had gained during the enlightenment. The using of Emperor''s power from his first meridian during the Demonic steps created a new technique called "Emperors Arrival" which allowed him to cover vast distances with a single step and put faint pressure on his opponents, making them feel as if they were fighting against someone far superior and would make them hesitate.


    But it did use up a lot of Qi and he could only use for 10 to 15mins at most.


    He used the beasts as training dummies and sharpened his own sword kills and got more familiar with Infernal Rapture, being able to use it on a whim on any of his attacks, increasing their power and catching his opponents off-guard.


    For the next few days, he went to the Colosseum and fought several monsters daily and started to understand the ''shing Energy'' of the sword. As opposed to a saber, the sword was much more flexible and allowed the user to change the direction of their attacks at any moment.


    Two days before the deadline given by the four-eyed general he finally managed to open his second meridian using the ''shing Energy'' and entered the Earth realm.


    In the Elementary realm, cultivators used the inner Qi to refine their flesh, making it stronger and increasing their defenses. In the Earth realm, they refined their bones, in the origin realm their blood, and in the spirit realm their souls.


    It was after having refined their entire bodies they would break into the Profound realm and be physically strong enough to bear the pressure of connecting directly to the world around them, giving them unimaginable power.


    Hao Xuan had finally remembered Emi, he knew there was someone out there waiting for him. Someone to whom he had made a promise, and someone to go back to. That gave him the motivation he needed to put in the time and effort to be stronger and protect his loved ones, wherever they might be.


    After he asked around, First told him that someone had sealed his memories and the only way to remove the seal was to be stronger. He went out on several missions with Sixth, Seventh and Third and had be quite close to them.


    Sixth was the son of a rich merchant and was the eldest of three brothers. He was spoiled from a young age and had joined the military to gain some experience but when the superiors saw his exceptional talent with the bow and an affinity with the fire element, he was recruited into the Red Legion.


    Third was the eldest of seven siblings, his parents had passed away at a young age and he took care of all of them from alone. His cultivation manual was the GreatSword and had an affinity with the water element. Third had a very open and nurturing personality and quickly became almost like a real big brother to Hao Xuan. He had even met all of his siblings who were very yful and teased Zhorung whenever they saw him.


    Seventh didn''t really like to talk that much but he was very protective of Hao Xuan. His weapon was a Katana and his affinity was with the Ice element. His attacks carried bone-chilling cold that would freeze his enemies or make them extremely slow. He liked to read a lot and had a very reserved personality. He was an orphan and had no family members. His only friends were those from the Red Legion.


    Hao Xuan finally found out some more information about the military and the Red Legion.


    The Mei kingdom had Six Great Generals who were all more than 700 years old at least. They were the foundation of the kingdom and each had pulled off incredible feats, gaining the title of a Great General.


    The four-eyed old man was one of these great generals. Red legion was his specialized unit of elite warriors that were trained to be leaders and every unit had a specialty. For example, the Red Legion was a standalone unit. It didn''t have a lot of normal soldiers and warriors in it, but only the elite were chosen. The nine brothers and sisters including Hao Xuan were just the ''most'' talented ones. There were several hundred troops under theirmand that were trained under extraordinary circumstances.


    Another unit was simply called the ''Spearhead''. It was under themand of Great General Ouki and was the vanguard in several battles. They were always at the forefront, ready to strike first and break open their enemies defenses. All of their members specialized in heavy weapons and were a force to be reckoned with.


    The Red Legion, on the other hand, was much less popr. If the Spearhead was a sword, then they were a hidden dagger. Wherever the red legion went, rivers of blood flowed. They were specialized in killing and getting the job done under any circumstances.


    Some of the other units were called the White Death, the Valkyries, the Flying Tigers, and the ten thousand.


    Not much was known about them as each unit operated hundreds of thousands of miles away from each other and had their own specialty.


    The existence of such units was known by the public but their identities were kept secret to protect themselves, their families and loved ones.


    Every few years a joint operation would be held where each unit wouldpete with each other.


    These units together were affectionately called as ''Heavens Retribution'' by the citizens. They were loved unconditionally in every corner of the kingdom.


    Normally the Royal n would hold the most power in any kingdom or empire and there would still be many ancient ns and sects that would have a lot of influence. But in the Mei kingdom, Military was the one and only institution that had any true power. The Royal n ruled over the empire but they didn''t directly control the military.


    That was one of the reasons why such a young kingdom had grown up to be so powerful within just a few thousand years. When they started a war, it was all in. It was also why they were so famous and many people from the surrounding hundreds of kingdoms went there for better opportunities. As long as you were capable, you would be able to rise up through the ranks and gain wealth, honor and the respect of billions.

 Chapter 37: The Two Kingdoms

    <h4>Chapter 37: The Two Kingdoms</h4>


    After breaking through to the Earth Realm Hao Xuan had grown a lot stronger. He trained every single day and then would go on different missions to gain experience as well. That is how he spent the next three months. His current cultivation level was Earth Realm level seven.


    Using the blood from the Ice dragon he leveled up Wrath of Deimos to level Eight and was able to summon eight red demonic arms holding swords and ives made out of demonic energy. But it wasn''t easy to control these arms all at the same time and required a lot of concentration, which wasn''t a good idea in the midst of a battle. The slightest mistake could cost him his life.


    So he decided to give up on summoning new arms and instead focused on making four of them stronger than the rest. This caused a change in his own personality along with the technique itself.


    The description of Wrath of Deimos changed; "Able to give control of Great Demon Deimos''s many powers, at level eight allows the user to summon the Six-Armed devil''s true formpletely or partially summon a total of eight different ''arms'' that can take any form before that. The higher the cultivation level, the more variety the user has. Each arm can be individually controlled and change its form into any shape or size."


    His progress went from level eight out of 999 to two out of a total of Eight levels. Now he could summon two arms that looked like they were actuallying out of his own body and he could change their form into anything he desired. The only thing he couldn''t change was their color, which was still dark red and looked quite scary up close.


    "Ninth Brother! There is a reconnaissance mission directly from General Li, I have some errands to run, can you take it in my ce?" Hao Xuan opened his eyes and saw First standing a few meters away from in the training ground with his usual smiling face. General Li was the four-eyed great general inmand of the Red Legion. He thought about it for a few seconds and remembered there was nothing else going that required his attention so might as well do this.


    "Sure. What''s the mission exactly?"


    "A trading party consisting of several hundred people wasing over from one of the grade-3 neighboring kingdoms and it disappeared near the ancient forest soon after entering our borders. We have lost all contact with them and since there were some members of royalty in there, its a high priority mission. You will be givenmand of one hundred Legionaries. From now on they will all be under you."


    Hao Xuan felt his heartbeat increase. Finally, he was able to have his own soldiers tomand. And they were all from the red legion, meaning they were all elites and would be able to fight muchrger forces than themselves.


    "Here, this will give you a general direction of where they are," First said as he handed him a token that looked like it was made from bronze with a small glittering formation on top. The formation had an arrow that was pointing towards a certain direction.


    "It will lead you to within a few miles of them. Be very careful though, there were many strong warriors in the party and whatever happened didn''t even give them enough time to send out an SOS," First finishing with a serious look, patting Hao Xuan''s shoulder.


    "Pack for your journey, you will have to go quite far and through many dangerous areas. Careful of both men and beasts. Don''t trust anyone blindly."


    "Thank you brother," Hao Xuan said with a smile and gave First a bear hug. Staying around Third had changed his personality quite a bit. Now he was much more open and frank, yet at the same time quite harsh towards strangers.


    "Haha, alright, good luck. If there are any issues I want you to turn back without hesitation. Your life is more important than some royal from a backward country," said First while patting his back. They had grown quite close in thest few months. Hao Xuan would often visit Anya, little Qiye, and Ming with First when they were out running errands. Qiye loved ying with Zhurong and Ming would just sit on the side and watch Hao Xuan when she thought he wasn''t looking.


    Hao Xuan woke Zhurong up from his nap. He was now a few inches bigger but still just as chubby and looked very cute and huggable. He packed all the essentials, some clothes, a lot of food, and some other stuff and then left on foot to meet with his new subordinates.


    First impressions were everything and he wanted to make an entrance so as he walked, he kept thinking about what he should say to them to make them respect him and follow his orders without question. Because obviously they knew as well that this was his firstmand.

 Chapter 38: Trouble in the village!

    <h4>Chapter 38: Trouble in the vige!</h4>


    For any normal soldiers to be able to join the Red Legion was simply a dream. Hundreds of thousands would apply every single year but only a handful would be able to actually get in. The requirements were extremely high and each member not only had to have a LOT of potential but also unquestionable characters and a heart brave enough to stand true in the face of the harshest of situations.


    Aria was a human from earth who had been transported over several months ago. Back on earth she was a k-pop star and was only 18 when everything happened. She had long ck hair, height of about 5 feet 7 inches, and of course, she was also really pretty and was the center of attention wherever she went.


    But she never liked all the attention because of her beauty, for her the most valuable characteristics a human could have was their morality. If a person looked good but acted like a piece of shit, then they were no different from a beast.


    She was one of the lucky ones that survived the beast horde that had hit the outer districts and joined the military soon after. She had almost lost her entire family that night and that feeling of helplessness pushed her to get stronger and stronger.


    Soon after joining the military, one of her superiors saw the progress she had made and rmended her for Red Legion. She applied and passed every single test with flying colors. Everyone loved her, she was very humble and kind to strangers and stood up for the weak, a perfect human being.


    This year she was one of the dozen or so that had the honor of joining the Red Legion, and four of these newbies along with Aria were in the 100 legionaries under Hao Xuansmand.


    The other three were Luke, a 20 something-year-old boy, the son of a local cksmith from Fortuna City, he had blond hair and a hard-on for justice and a huge crush on Aria. He was a normal ''white knight'' and extremely patriotic.


    The second was Mason who was also from earth. He was what some would call a ''weeb'' back home so this was a dreame true for him. A newnd filled with cat-eared girls, fantastical monsters and whatnot. He had short ck hair and a skinny body.


    Thest one was a girl named Mia. She was a vampire. Unlike in the movies on earth, vampires did not burst into mes under the sun or turn into bats to avoid social situations.


    Here, the vampires had several kingdoms and empires. They were a huge race in the beast world and were much more powerful than normal humans from the start. They could indeed get nourishment from blood but that was just a bonus.


    Their main characteristics included having wings, almost perfect bodies i.e both men and women were exceptionally beautiful, higher strengths, much longer lifespans, and very very temperamental. They had waged many wars on a whim and were one of the warrior races.


    Mia was about 20 years old with long silver hair and blue eyes. She was more than 6 feet tall and looked like something out of a drawing. Her personality was vtile and often got into fights on the smallest things. Her weapons were two long silvery dual swords.


    To oversee all of them and even Hao Xuan (since this was his firstmand), Lt. Kuo was also appointed under him. He was almost 40 years old but barely looked a day over 30. He was a longsword user and a very powerful and experienced soldier. He had served in the Red Legion for over 10 years.


    Their rendezvous point was about five hundred miles from Fortuna city, near a small fishing vige. They weren''t allowed to reveal the fact that they were from the red legion for this mission and so everyone had to act under the radar, but that was easier said than done.


    The vige was called Calth and was a few hundred years old. There was a massiveke near them which acted as their main source of ie and food. The poption of the vige was only about 200 people and were simple folk that lived uplicated lives, away from all the hustle and bustle of the City. Today though, something out of the ordinary happened.


    An envoy from one of the nearby kingdoms was going to Fortuna city and stopped by the vige as it the sun had already set.


    "Your majesty, please," said a guard wearing the uniform of Mei kingdom as he opened the carriage door and a fat man stumbled out. He was dressed in a red velvet robe and had several gold chains around his neck.


    "Hmm, very refreshing," the fat man said as he took a deep breath.


    "Bring us something to eat. It has been so long since I had some fresh meat," he said to the guard. The guard nodded back and took a few soldiers with him and went into the vige. They grabbed some chickens, a couple of goats and something that looked like a bull but much bigger.


    "Sir, please, you can''t take so much! The winter is here and we don''t have much food to spare. You can have some fish but please leave the livestock, that''s enough to feed several families," an old man said. He was the vige chief.


    "Shut the hell up! This is for the great envoy! You should be thanking him that he graced your shitty vige with his presence," roared the guard and kicked the old man in the stomach, sending him flying away with blooding out of the side of his mouth.


    "Father!"


    "Grandpa!" screamed two voices at the same time and a middle-ageddy and a little boy ran up to the old man and helped him up.


    "Why are you doing this? This is our food!" screamed the little boy, staring at the guard with hateful eyes.


    "Oi oi, look at this little brat. Doesn''t he have some balls," one of the soldiers said pointing at him and they all startedughing. By now a lot of people hade out of the vige, creating a small crowd.


    "Stop!" said a voice. Everyone turned to look and it was the fat envoy.


    "Sir?" asked the guard confused.


    "You''re forgetting about entertainment. What good is food without a beauty or two by the side? Bring some women as well," he said with augh.


    "Of course sire, how could I forget. Get her, her, her, and her," he said while pointing at the women.


    "Roger!" all the soldiers said at once and walked into the crowd and dragged out the crying women. Several men tried to stop them but they were beaten to the ground, bloodied.


    "Letuinent! Why are we just watching this? Let''s kill these bastards!" Mia said angrily. Aria and Luke also nodded, agreeing with her.


    "We can''t. At least not until our new Captain gets here. We don''t even know what the mission is, our only orders are to stay put," said Lt. Kuo with a clenched fist while grinding his teeth.


    "Where the fuck is that bastard??" mumbled Mia looking around and unsheathed her swords.


    "Let go of my mama!" the little boy shouted with tears in his eyes. He picked up a stick and ran after the soldiers.


    "Beat this brat until he can''t stand anymore," ordered the fat envoy with disdainful eyes and started walking back to his carriage.


    "Yes sir!" said one of the soldiers and went up to the boy. He snatched the stick out of his hand and lifted it above his head to hit the little boy. But the boy was unfazed and looked straight back at the soldiers without blinking.


    *meow*


    Suddenly a faint sound was heard through all the crying and shouting, and then all the noises stopped.

 Chapter 39: Trouble in the village Continued

    <h4>Chapter 39: Trouble in the vige Continued</h4>


    "Eh?" The soldier holding the stick turned around to see what happened and all he could see was a pair of bright green eyes staring back at him.


    "Who the fu-" before he could finish his query, a shing sound was heard and the his head fell to the ground.


    Silence. For the next few seconds, it was dead silent.


    "What?!!"


    "How dare you!" Shouted the fat envoy.


    "Who the hell are you?" there was a suddenmotion among the soldiers and they all took out their weapons while shouting, surrounding Hao Xuan.


    From the boy''s point of view, just as he was about to get hit, the soldiers head flew off and his body fell to the ground. Behind him was a tall man with a red skull mask on his face and green eyes staring at him with a little smile.


    "You are a soldier of the Mei kingdom?" Hao Xuan turned around asked the guard with a straight face. He was so angry that instead of erupting, he became eerily calm.


    "What business is that of yours? For killing a soldier of the envoy, you are hereby sentenced to death!" instead of answering, the guard shouted in return.


    "Kill him! Rip his arms and legs and feed them to the beasts!" shouted the fat envoy from the back once more.


    "I will give you onest chance. Kneel down and slit your throats and we can consider this matter finished," Hao Xuan spoke once again calmly looking at the guards. Ever since he started cultivating Wrath of Deimos, his personality became quite ruthless.


    "Go!" shouted the guard and six of the remaining ten soldiers attacked all at once.


    "Tsk tsk," Hao Xuan shook his head and sighed. He lifted his foot and vanished from the soldier''s view, appearing right behind them. Without taking out his weapon he activated Infernal Rapture which was cultivated till level two now and made a w and pierced straight into the two soldiers back, hitting their spine.


    "Where did he go?!?!" screamed the soldiers and by the time they started looking around, Hao Xuan had already appeared behind the other two and did the same to them.


    "Back up! Regroup!" shouted the guard after seeing how four of the soldiers died just like that and moved closer to the carriage.


    The remaining two moved back while looking at Hao Xuan with eyes wide open as if looking at a ghost.


    "Just who are you? What do you want from us? This is Mei kingdoms official business!" the guard lied through his teeth. He was sweating like a pig. Even though he had a clear line of sight to the fight but he still couldn''t see how Hao Xuan moved around. To him, it just looked like he teleported from one ce to another with ck lighting coiling around his arms.


    "Why did you take their livestock? And the women? What gave you the right? You, a soldier of Mei kingdom, would lower yourself enough to pull this kind of shit for a foreigner? Do you have no shame?" asked Hao Xuan as he slowly started walking towards them. Infernal Rapture was still active and ck lightning could be seen around his fists, making him look like a demon.


    "Stop! Stop or we will kill them!" shouted the envoy, waking the soldiers from their daze. They realized that they still had the women with them and picked them up and put their swords up to their necks.


    "Let us go. We have no trouble with you. We will just leave right now and you don''t have to see our faces ever again. We will let the women go when we are a few miles away from here," said the guard trying to reason with Hao Xuan.


    "No! Mama!" shouted the little boy when he heard the guard.


    A hundred meters away from them in the tree line, the entire 100 legionaries were now looking at the scene. They were all ready to attack and it would only take them a few seconds to cover the distance.


    "Is that him? Our captain?" asked Mason with a frown, holding on to a katana.


    "Your guess is as good as mine. Can''t be sure until we see his identity token," replied Lt. Kuo while looking at Hao Xuan. All he knew was that their captain was the Ninth leader and only joined a few months ago.


    "I didn''t see him arrive. He is really fast but if he attacks them from that distance, those women are dead," said Luke in a hushed voice.


    "Lieutenant?" asked Aria while looking at Kuo, as did everybody else. He was the one in charge until Ninth got there.


    "Alright, divide into four groups, two from the left, one from the back and one from the right. You four, with me," he ordered and they all started moving without making a single sound.


    Back in the vige, Hao Xuan was staring at them.


    "How do I know you will let them go?" he asked while looking at the guard and then the envoy.


    "You don''t, but you don''t have a choice," said the envoy before the guard could reply.


    "Oh? But I do have a choice," Hao Xuan said with a smile looking at the guard. ck lightning covered his legs and he lifted his foot.


    "Oh shi-" the guard''s eyes constricted and before he could even finish a single sentence, thunder fell.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOM*


    As if the sky broke apart, everyone within a fifty-meter radius lost their hearing.


    The legionaries that were nking them also stopped in their tracks and looked at the soldiers with mouths agape.


    Hao Xuan literally ran straight into the guard, and at that speed, as soon as he came into contact with Hao Xuan his entire body exploded into bloody fumes.


    The other soldier''s bodies went limp from the loud bang as they lost motor control. Their swords fell onto the ground and they on their knees. It was almost like a concussion grenade going off three feet from you.


    The fat envoy was on his ass, sweating through his clothes, speechless.


    "What....the....hell..?" spoke up Mason slowly who was still about eighty meters away along with the others. They were all staring in disbelief and had no idea what had just transpired. Hao Xuan disappeared from his original spot and where the guard was, now only stood a mass of blood red smoke.


    The bloody fog slowly dissipated with a gust of wind and the soldiers, the vigers, the legionaries, and the women looked at the figure that slowly came into view.


    Hao Xuan stood straight like a spear, looking down at the soldiers. He circted the Qi from his first meridian and a faint pressure appeared on everyone in the vicinity.


    "Go," he ordered to the women who were just sitting there nkly. Their bodies moved on their own and they slowly got up and walked back to the other vigers.


    Hao Xuan looked at the remaining six soldiers and the envoy, thinking what would be a good punishment for them.


    "You cant! I carry the royal decree from the kingdom of Shia! I am a guest of your kingdom, you must protect me," the envoy screamed at the top of his voice looking at Hao Xuan''s eyes. He knew if nothing was done then he would die here.


    "Don''t wanna," Hao Xuan replied while shaking his head slightly.


    "Eh? What do you mean? You HAVE to! Otherwise it could start a war!" envoy screamed, getting desperate.


    "Nope, but I am going to kill you very slowly now, so there''s that," Hao Xuan said once more and started walking towards him. The soldiers were still sitting there staring at Hao Xuan.


    "You!! Fine. You made me do this," the envoy sighed and finally took out a talisman from his inner pocket and broke it in two.


    Suddenly a several meter tall face appeared above the fat man, looking down at Hao Xuan.


    "Stop! I know what has happened here. I am the King of Shia. Everything that my envoy has done will be taken care off by me personally."


    "You have done good soldier of Mei! I will pass on tales of your bravery to the higher-ups and get you appropriatelypensated for all of your trouble," the face said looking at Hao Xuan as if passing a judgment.


    Hao Xuan thought about it for a second, if this fatass was let go today he would probably never stop and continue pulling the same stunts in other ces, so there was no way he could let him go.


    "I don''t think so," Hao Xuan shook his head for the third time.


    "What?! Boy, just because you killed a few mortals, do not let it get your head. I am still strong enough to kill you like this," the face said as it got closer to Hao Xuan.


    "Lieutenant! We have to help!" shouted Aria. If that really was their new captain then he would die before they could even officially meet him.


    "Mhmm. You''re right, everyone regroup," he spoke into a medallion on his chest. It had a short-rangemunication formation on it and could be used as a radio.


    "Roger!" said the other three team leaders.


    While they were busy thinking of a way to save Hao Xuan, he was looking at the face in the sky with a frown.


    "I think its better if you just fucked off right now old man, before things get out of hand. Your envoy will die here today, and quite painfully, nothing you can do to stop that" Hao Xuan spoke up once again.


    When the face heard him it broke into a loudughter.


    "Hahaha, who the hell do you think are? A mere soldier, if even that, dares talk back to a king? Rejoice, I''ll help you reincarnate today," the face spoke and an overwhelming pressure descended on everyone present. That man had profound realm cultivation at the minimum since he proimed to be a king.


    Hao Xuan finally turned serious. He had pushed the man too far.


    "You know, I have one of those too," Hao Xuan sighed and took out his own identity medallion, it was blood red in color with the number ''Ninth'' on it. Every member of the Military got one and it also had several different functions.


    As soon as the medallion was out in the open it glowed brightly for a second and then went back to normal.


    "Haha, is that it?" said the face once again, looking at him as if looking at an ant. But just then the medallion suddenly floated off of Hao Xuan''s hand and went straight up in the air, even higher than the face. Everyone''s eyes followed the medallion.


    At the height of about ten meters, it stopped and a sound like that of a cloth being ripped came from it.


    *Riiiiiiip*


    The very fabric of space tore apart and an eye appeared,pletely red in color. The face in the air suddenly felt a huge pressure fall on it.


    "Wha-" before he could finish, another sound came.


    *Riiiiiip*


    And a second eye opened up right next to it, looking straight at the face.


    "Your Majesty, I-"


    *RIIIIIIIP*


    And the third eye appeared above the other two.


    "Impo- The Red Legion?!!?" screamed the face which was now so low that it touched the ground underneath.


    The envoy who was ecstatic a few seconds ago was now sitting therepletely stupefied.


    *RIIIIIIIIIIIP*


    The fourth red eye opened up. Two pairs, one above the other. The so-called "king''s" face was now half buried in the ground. He was absolutely terrified. There was only one man in the entire kingdom like that.


    The Great Demon of Mei, the Four Eyed beast who was even older than the ''kings'' own grandfather. The leader of Red Legion, one of the Six beings that absolutely no one in the surrounding hundreds of kingdoms would want to make an enemy off.


    This was the Great General Li Jing''s symbol!

 Chapter 40: No mercy

    <h4>Chapter 40: No mercy</h4>


    The Four deadly eyes floated in the night sky illuminating the surroundings. The King''s face was literally buried in the ground by now, looking up at eyes with every ounce of strength it could muster.


    "My Lord!" all the vigers fell down on their knees, bowing before the eyes. This was the symbol of the Great Demon!


    Although outsiders knew him as a demon, for the people of the Mei kingdom he was a savior, a patron saint! He was amoner born in a random vige, almost a millennium ago. He joined the military and one after another fought his way through bloody battlefields to victory. To his enemies, he never showed any mercy, ever. But for his allies, he wouldy down his life without a second thought.


    "General!" All hundred legionaries appeared one after another, baffling the crowd even more. No one even knew they were here, to them they appeared out of nowhere just to greet the general. They also fell down on one knee for his arrival. Only Hao Xuan was left standing.


    *Woosh*


    The eyes vanished from the sky, returning the night its darkness. But no one got up, not the vigers, or the foreign king.


    "General," Hao Xuan finally said and bowed his head calmly. The air rippled in front of him and a small figure appeared. The figure was of an old man, somewhat transparent and barely discernible.


    He walked up to the king and looked down on him without wasting any time.


    "Senior, I had no idea, absolutely no idea he was one of your men! Please forgive me," the face said quickly and still with dirt in its mouth.


    "Do you think this is Shia? Do you think amoner from my kingdom is worth more than your sad little existence?" the old man spoke calmly, making the face sweat even more.


    "Of course not Senior, of course not!"


    "Then what gave you the right touch a hair on any of my soldiers? Do you think I would not ughter everyone in your kingdom just for this?" The face was speechless. It had just threatened Hao Xuan and everyone knew it. All he could do now was admit his mistake and beg for forgiveness.


    "Forgive me, senior. Please punish me however you like but have mercy on the kingdom of Shia," the face said as its forehead touched the ground.


    "Where is that little bastard Jun?" the old man asked after a few seconds of contemting.


    "Great Grandfather is well, he has been in closed-door cultivation for a few hundred years now."


    The old man went quiet for a couple of mins. Not a single sound could be heard in the meantime.


    "You have trespassed on my Kingdom and threatened my Red Legion. Just these two offenses are enough for me to rece the Royal n of Shia, but because of ''Jun'' I will have mercy on you. Send your eldest born to serve ''Ninth'' as a ve. If I hear of any other transgressions from you ever again, well, you know what will happen," he said to the face and turned around and walked back to Hao Xuan.


    "Sir," Hao Xuan bowed his head once again when he saw the old man looking at him.


    "Our people alwayse first. You are their protectors. Remember that," he said looking at Hao Xuan and patted his shoulder and then vanished like smoke.


    "Yes," Hao Xuan mumbled as the figure in front of him disappeared. It was him that gave Hao Xuan the opportunity to join Red Legion and meet all his brothers and sisters. He was eternally grateful to him.


    "Captain!" said Lt. Kuo with a slight bow and his right hand on his heart. That was the military salute.


    "What should we do with them?" he asked pointing at the envoy and the soldiers. There was absolutely no doubt that this man in front of him was their new captain so he didn''t ask for his badge.


    Hao Xuan looked at him, and then all the other legionaries surrounding them. They all had their faces covered with the exact same mask, a red and ck demon-like face with two small horns protruding from the top. (img in authors notes)


    "Please, I have a lot of money, you can have it all if you let me go! I have a family and kids," screamed the envoy from the back. Everything seemed surreal to him. A few mins ago he was a celebrity, and now down on his knees begging for his very life.


    "When you kidnapped these women, stole from them, beat them, did you not think of their families?" Hao Xuan asked as he started walking forwards.


    "Actually nevermind. I don''t give a shit about your exnation. You will all die," he reached the soldiers who were still sitting on the ground. They all looked up at him with pleading eyes.


    "Everyone has to answer for their own actions. ''I was ordered to'' excuse won''t fly. In the next life don''t be such trashy beings," he said as he took out a sword and simply swung it once horizontally and all of their heads fell on the ground. He walked up to the fat envoy who was shaking from fear.


    "You, I have something special for you," Hao Xuan said with a gentle smile which sent shivers down the backs of everyone present.


    A sound of bones cracking came from Hao Xuan''s back and tworge bone-like structures came out, blood red in color, catching everyone by surprise.


    They had small spikes on them facing away from the pointy end. They looked like insect arms, absolutely horrifying.


    Ever since Hao Xuan could control the Wrath of Deimos properly, he started experimenting with different shapes and sizes, this was one of them, made only to torture and inflict pain.


    If someone were to ask him why he came up with this design, he would probably not be able to answer. His thought process just naturally made him turn into some dark alleyways in his mind.


    "Please, have mercy. Just kill me!" the envoy screamed in horror looking at Hao Xuan''s extra ''limbs'', but to no avail.


    Hao Xuan sent both the limbs down the envoy''s throat as horrendous screams came from his mouth. Without even realizing it a smile appeared on his face as he listened to the man''s cries for help. A few secondster he pulled them out quickly, pulling out the envoy''s internal organs as well, killing him. He stood there looking at the bloody mess for the next min or so.


    "Sorry, all out of mercy," he whispered as he licked clean some of the blood that was on his face.


    The legionaries behind him were speechless. Was this twisted psychopath their new leader?

 Chapter 41: Bai

    <h4>Chapter 41: Bai</h4>


    The King of Shia''s face floated in mid-air looking at Hao Xuan as he killed the envoy and the soldiers. To him, it wasn''t too big of a deal to lose a single envoy as there were many to take his ce. What he originally found uneptable was the fact that a ''nobody'' wouldn''t even give him, a King, enough face in front of other people and let the envoy go.


    But after meeting General Li, he was just happy to still leave with his life, even if it meant sacrificing one of his children.


    When he saw Hao Xuan, he remembered the stories about the old general when he was young. Once, an enemy Kingdom sent a spy to take the life of his wife, and when the General found out about it, he ughtered his way into their capital and killed until rivers of blood flowed. Just he alone fought against their armies until they begged him to leave and promised to never pull such a stunt ever again.


    After that, no one ever even thought about targeting any of his loved ones. He was known to be very impulsive and with his power, that was a ticking time bomb. But something happened that made him retire from the battlefield that no one knew.


    When the king saw the smile on Hao Xuan''s face it gave him a terrible feeling, like he was looking at a wolf in sheep''s clothing.


    "Are all of them like that?" he thought thinking about the other eight. If the newest member was this merciless, what about the others? Were they all monsters?


    But little did he know that all of the others were actually very honorable and merciful, and always acted above the board and wouldn''t usually take a life for no reason. It just Hao Xuan that was so cruel to his enemies.


    The king sighed and then disappeared into the night. He had to prepare to send his Firstborn to serve the Ninth Leader of the Red Legion.


    Luke, Mia, Aria, and Mason looked at each other. They thought their new caption would be a greenhorn like them and would be very reserved but this anything but that.


    Lt. Kuo stood behind Hao Xuan and waited until he was finished killing all of them.


    "Clean this up," he ordered to some of the other legionaries and they walked out of the formation to store the bodies.


    "No need. He hasn''t been fed in a little while, let him take care of it," Hao Xuan spoke without turning back.


    The legionaries stopped in their tracks and looked at Lt. Kuo, who furrowed his brow looking at Hao Xuan''s back.


    Just as he was about to ask what Hao Xuan meant by that, he turned around and looked at the legionaries and said, "Something to whet your appetite," and started walking towards the vigers.


    "....yes?" Aria and co. were stumped and kept looking at each other, until she felt the wind blow right behind her with enough pressure that she got pushed forward several steps. Everyone was surprised by her actions and turned to look towards her only to be left with their mouths open.


    There was an absolutely massive ck figure right behind the group, looking at them with ice-white eyes. No one knew when it appeared or how long it had been there but all of them felt their hearts almost skip a beat when they saw him.


    "Move," said a beastly voice with an unquestionable tone.


    A path was cleared to the corpses without a sound. Although the beast''s power level wasn''t that high, not one of them felt like they would be able to defeat him for some strange reason.


    The beast was Hao Xuan''s first contracted partner, Bai Long. He moved forward and with a couple of steps covered the distance of several dozen meters and appeared above the corpses. He simply inhaled and all of the bodies turned into blood and went straight into his mouth, leaving the spectators even more surprised.


    A beast that could talk and have such strange powers had to be extremely high level and dangerous.


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, didn''t even look back and walked up to the vigers. The little boy was holding onto his mother''s leg and looking at him with curious eyes. There was still some blood on Hao Xuan''s face but not a single drop on his clothes which were spotless.


    "Were you scared?" Hao Xuan bent down and asked looking at the boy whopletely hidden behind his mother.


    "Little Shou, he is our savior, you have to thank him properly," the child''s mother said gently and the kid hesitatingly walked out from behind her.


    "Y-Yes," he said nervously, still holding onto her skirt.


    "Then why didn''t you cry?" Hao Xuan asked looking at him curiously. Any other kid would have been bawling on the ground in a simr situation but instead, he picked up a stick and went after the soldiers to save her.


    "B-Because if I just cried and did nothing, who would save her?" he said looking at Hao Xuan straight in the eyes as it was obvious. The answer caught Hao Xuanpletely off-guard.


    "Hahahaha, you''re right!" he said breaking out into a peal of loudughter. Such an answer from a 5-6-year-old child was really unexpected.


    "D-Don''tugh!" he said with a reddened face, looking Hao Xuan with an angry little face but it only made him look cuter. Like a tiger cub trying to scare someone with his little roars.


    "Haha, I''m sorry I''m sorry. But you''re a really interesting kid," Hao Xuan said as he patted his head.


    "When you get older and want to help protect your family and loved ones then be strong enough and join the military, and if you''re lucky, join the Red Legion and ask for ''Ninth Leader'', that''s me. I''ll help you get even stronger!" he said as he touched the child''s forehead with his index finger.


    Shou''s mother was looking at him with a smiling face. This was definitely a good thing. This person in front of them was extremely valuable to the Great General Li and would have a very high standing in the military, him taking a liking to her only son was great!


    In the eyes of the civilians, every single member of the Red Legion was a true hero, let alone one of the leaders.


    Hao Xuan talked to some of the other vigers, he took the belongings of the envoy and the soldiers and gave them to the vigers, including his storage ring. Then he bade them farewell and walked into the forest followed by the Bai and then the legionaries, who all kept some distance from him.

 Chapter 42: The Mad Saints!

    <h4>Chapter 42: The Mad Saints!</h4>


    Hao Xuan walked into the forest, followed by the legionaries. They continued walking for more than 30 minutes until Lt. Kuo finally plucked up enough courage to go talk to him.


    "Um, Captain, my name is Kuo, I''m the lieutenant directly under you. I was just wondering if you could brief us on the mission." Hao Xuan stopped in his tracks. He was in such a good mood after killing the envoy that hepletely forgot about the legionaries.


    "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about you guys. I set camp up ahead, let''s go there and talk," he replied after thinking for a few seconds.


    They walked for several more minutes until a clearing appeared with a tent and a fire in front of it. Bai walked next to the fire and sat down and closing his eyes.


    Hao Xuan went up to Bai and sat down as well, with his back leaning on him.


    He took off his mask and started cleaning his face with a piece of cloth when his hair moved and Zhurong walked out from behind his neck and sat down in thep.


    All the legionaries stood in front of him without moving a muscle, staring straight ahead. Only the four newbies were curious enough to look around through the corner of their eyes and look at their new captain.


    Mia usually had a very aggressive attitude but her one weakness was cute things. As soon as Zhurong stumbled into Hao Xuan''sp she couldn''t take her eyes off of him, and who could me her. He looked really cute and cuddly with his pure white fur and extremely small stature.


    She would look at him every few seconds, hoping he would see her ande over, then she would HAVE to pick him up and pet him so as not to be disrespectful towards Hao Xuan. Unfortunately for her, Zhurong didn''t care about anyone other than Hao Xuan. No one else mattered.


    Hao Xuan was sitting in front of the fire while petting Zhurong who was purring delightfully.


    "Our mission this time is to find a trading party that was headed towards Fortuna City but never called in after entering our borders. Any questions?" he said in one breath without even looking up.


    "Um, Captain, what''s so special about the party that instead of the normal army the Red Legion was deployed?" asked Aria while raising her hand. This was indeed not a normal procedure.


    First of all, it wasn''t the kingdom''s business if random trading parties reached their destinations safely or not, secondly, they wouldn''t dispatch the elite units to find them.


    "Apparently there are some royal''s masquerading in the trading party as normal merchants. I don''t know who they are or why they are doing this but our job is to find them," Hao Xuan replied as he looked up at Aria.


    This was the first time any of them had seen him clearly and they were all mesmerized by his greenish-red eyes which seemed to glow in the dark like torches.


    He looked so peaceful and holy, sitting there in front of the fire with Zhurong in hisp with the wind gently blowing through his long hair and Bai right behind him, looking almost ethereal.


    For a few seconds, none of them could take their eyes off of him, not until he looked away first.


    Maybe it was his natural charisma, maybe it was his eyes but to the legionaries, he looked like an unapproachable being and they almost felt ashamed looking at him.


    "Anything else?" he asked when no one said anything for a few seconds.


    "N-No Sir!" Lt. Kuo hurriedly said, waking up from his daze with a reddened face. He was an experienced soldier, how could he get so muddleheaded with a single look from his newbie captain?


    "Alright, it''s quitete already. Camp here for the night and we''ll leave at first light."


    "Um sir, my apologies but have to first give us a name first. These 100 soldiers all will be under yourmand from now on, you have to give us a name," Lt. Kuo said quietly after moving closer to Hao Xuan. This was something every leader knew and they had named their own soldiers.


    "Hmm? Name? I have to choose it?" Hao Xuan asked furrowing his brow. This was the first he had ever heard of it, but it made sense after he thought about it for a bit. This would be his own personal army from now.


    None of the soldiers moved, still standing in their positions waiting for Hao Xuan to name their unit.


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, was drawing aplete ck. Not a single name wasing to him which made him even more nervous. He didn''t wanna lose face in front of his subordinates. They would think he was retarded if he couldn''t evene up with a simple name.


    "The name of an army has to be awe-inspiring for their allies and fear-instilling for their enemies," he thought to himself.


    "What about the Crimson Death? No, that is way too cheesy. Spartans? Nah, not enough naked men. Shit,e on brain, just give me something!" he pleaded with his own subconscious, almost on the verge of crying.


    "Heroes!! Something heroes would be good. No wait, that sounds even worse than the other two." More than five mins passed out in the real world while Hao Xuan was trying to think of a single name. The soldiers were getting a bit annoyed, what was so hard about this? Was their captain simple?


    "The Saints, the Mad Saints! That''s the name of our unit," Hao Xuan spoke up calmly as he looked up at the legionaries.


    "We will be the spear of our kingdom. We will rush into the enemy camps and reap their lives with our des. This very name will frighten our foes to death!" he almost cringed saying the words but he still kept the same straight face throughout.

 Chapter 43: Blood

    <h4>Chapter 43: Blood</h4>


    "Attention!" Shouted Lt. Kuo as he heard Hao Xuan''s ''speech''. Everyone stood up straight.


    "Who are you?!" he asked loudly, looking at the legionaries.


    "We are the Mad Saints!" They all said in unison.


    "WHO ARE YOU?!" He shouted even louder.


    "THE MAD SAINTS!" Their voices reverberated throughout the forest, reaching even the vigers. Just as the poor souls were getting back to their business, the words "Mad Saints" reached them, scaring them once again.


    "Good! At ease. You heard the captain, start setting up camp," Lt. Kuo said as he dismissed everyone. Within 20minutes the surroundings were filled with perfectly pitched tents.


    A few soldiers came up to Hao Xuan, "Captain, is there anything you would prefer for dinner? We can go catch it right now."


    Hao Xuan was amazed by their efficiency and looked up at the soldier, it was a young man of about the same age as him. Actually, all 100 were very young, Lt. Kuo was the oldest soldier in the Mad Saints. All the rest were less than 25 years old, filled with potential. And they all had higher cultivation levels than Hao Xuan.


    "No, I brought some meat, use that for everyone. Set up a protective formation first though," Hao Xuan said as he handed the soldier a huge piece of meat still left from the Ice Flood dragon.


    "Yes!" he took the meat and saluted Hao Xuan and left to make the food.


    "Captain, that meat must belong to a very high-level beast, you shouldn''t waste it on these guys," said Kuo from beside Hao Xuan.


    After making sure everything was set up properly he hade and sat down with Hao Xuan to talk about the mission, introduce the specialties of the soldiers, and different strategies the Red Legion employed.


    "It''s alright. I have a lot more and I was saving this for a special asion anyway," Hao Xuan replied with a smile. He wanted everyone to be more frank with him and less ''stuck up'' but because he was so bad at starting a conversation or keeping one going, it wasn''t going to be easy.


    While the dinner was being prepared Lt. Kuo introduced few of the main members under him as well as the newbies. He hoped that Hao Xuan would be able to form a personal connection with the four, like all of the other leaders. They all had their own armies and a few confidants that carried out their orders and were directly under them.


    This was actually very normal. Many times in the military when a new soldier was givenmand of a unit, he would be allowed to choose some people to be under him. But since Hao Xuan didn''t have anyone like that, First had chosen the four newbies himself instead.


    It took almost an hour for the designated cooks to prepare several dishes. This was a luxury they wouldn''t be able to affordter on in their journey as they ventured deeper into the forests and were surrounded by beasts of all kinds. Even a simple fire would be risky, let alone cooking delicious meat right out in the open.


    As the dishes were served everyone in the camp came running out when the fragrance of the meat reached them. Even for these seasoned soldiers, it wasn''t easy to control their appetites, but still, not a single person made a move and just sat around the several make-shift tables.


    On Hao Xuan''s table, there were a total of six people. The four newbies, Lt. Kuo and Hao Xuan himself. The newbies were extremely nervous sitting next to him, only Kuo was much calmer and at ease.


    Hao Xuan looked around his table, and then at the other tables, they were all looking at him. He unconsciously broke into a smile. He stood up with Zhurong still in his arms and started speaking.


    "My name is Hao Xuan. As you might know, this is my very firstmand. I won''t be able to remember the names of everyone here at once so please don''t take it personally if I forget someone. I''m not a stickler for rules and such so you don''t have to be so formal around me."


    "All I want from you is your loyalty. One thing I hate the most in this world are traitors, followed by cowards. But I''m sure since you were all able to pass the tests set up by general Li, no such person is here. You cane talk to me if there are any issues or concerns without having to worry about anything. Now let''s eat!" he finished and sat down. Everyone cheered and started eating. Hao Xuan moved his hand over the table and a jug filled with a liquid appeared from which he poured a ss and took a sip.


    "Captain, this is..?" Aria asked when she saw him drink. Lt. Kuo suddenly looked at her and furrowed his brow, even if it was wine, she had no reason to ask him about it.


    "Oh where are my manners, this is Blood from a spiritual beast. Would you like some?" he asked as he pushed the jug forward.


    "B-Blood?!?" Mason spoke up without realizing, looking at Hao Xuan as if looking at a monster. He and Aria were both from Earth and were still not used to these things. Although drinking beast blood wasn''t unheard of, it was definitely not normal.


    "Yes, it''s actually quite delicious once you get used it," Hao Xuan nodded in response. Ever since he started cultivating Wrath of Deimos, he had consumed a lot of blood. It started out as just bathing in blood but he identally fell asleep once and swallowed several mouthfuls and found out that the cultivation speed actually increased by a few times.


    "N-No thank you, I''m good," Mason replied with a stiff smile. The other three also looked at Hao Xuan in a strange way, God knows what they were thinking.

 Chapter 44: Journey

    <h4>Chapter 44: Journey</h4>


    They ate tillte in the night and everyone enjoyed the dinner quite a lot. Even in the hands of an amateur, the meat would taste delicious let alone in the hands of these seasoned soldiers with proper training.


    They all had a very good impression of Hao Xuan after the incident at the vige. He had stood up against the king even though he was much weaker and protected the vigers and even fed them with the highest quality meat they would probably ever taste.


    The next morning they all woke up as soon as the sun came out, although because of the thick canopy of the trees the sunlight was sparse, it was enough to get them going.


    They all had their own mounts which were their contracted beasts, but obviously, none even came close to Bai''s level.


    The journey was several hundred thousand kilometers long and would take several days even with their speed. They would only stop once a day to rest their mounts and would continue until the sunset. After darkness fell it was more or less suicidal to step out of the camp when nothing more than a few meters was visible.


    The Mad Saints stayed away from all the main roads and only followed the much less traveled paths and even cut through some forests. It was winter and they were headed up north, so the weather kept getting colder and colder, with thick fog at night on some days and snowfall on others.


    At one such an instance something strange happened. The scouts reported that there was a small town a few kilometers ahead but it was abandoned.


    This caught Lt. Kuo''s eye because it was supposed to have a Red Legion forwarding post there and they were supposed to check in through it.


    The town''s poption was a little more than seven hundred and a toon was posted there as well. It was about 1 p.m when they reached it. All the streets were empty, all the inns were closed, there was absolutely no one on the roads.


    Lt. Kuo sent a party of five in to investigate and they found all the buildings empty. There were no signs of a fight or struggle in any of them, there was some food on the tables which seemed to have been cooked within thest 12 hours in some of them left untouched.


    They found the Red Legion forwarding post and it was empty as well, but there was a note a letter left there.


    "We have been cut off from the outside world for a few days now, no one can leave the town or enter it. People are acting strangely, no one seems to notice anything wrong with this and they all continue to go about their businesses as usual."


    "Several people have gone missing one by one but no one bats an eye. Even their loved ones forget about them as if they never existed. I don''t know how long I can keep my sanity, I can feel myself slipping. I am all alone here, still trying to continue my mission. I am afraid my training didn''t prepare me for this. If you find this, please pass this letter to the military, my Identification number is 3756289 and I am a soldier of the Red Legion."


    Lt. Kuo and Hao Xuan read the letter which left them with even more questions than answers.


    Hao Xuan turned towards Kuo and found him with an even bigger frown than usual.


    "How long was this soldier posted here? Maybe they all lost their minds?" Hao Xuan turned towards him and asked. Kuo shook his head in response.


    "That''s the problem. We never send out a single person for any job, there always has to be a partner. That means there were at least two people in this town, but the letter doesn''t mention anything about the second soldier," he replied taking the letter from Hao Xuan''s hand.


    When Hao Xuan heard him he suddenly got a very bad feeling. It was normal for entire towns and viges to vanish overnight if they were unlucky enough to be caught in a beast horde, but nothing ever like this.


    "Ry my orders, no one is to set a single foot in this town. Put down warning glyphs along the roads leading to it and close down the paths," he ordered to the soldiers that were standing not far from him and they went on their way.


    "Captain, should we leave?" Kuo asked quietly once they were alone.


    "How can we? Hundreds of people vanished into thin air, we have to find out why and how and report back, it''s our responsibility," Hao Xuan said shaking his head.


    "Has anything like this ever happened before? Maybe it was a beast with some special powers," he followed.


    "Never. And even if there was a beast, there are warning formations and glyphs all around the town. If a beast stepped within a 500-meter radius of the town all the guards would be alerted and an SOS would be sent to the nearest city automatically. The fact that none of that happened is proof that it wasn''t a beast," Kuo replied after thinking for a few seconds, and he was right. All bigger human settlements had something along those lines. Otherwise, they wouldn''t be able to survive a month with all the beasts running around.


    "But..."


    "But what? Just say it."


    "When I was a kid, my grandmother used to tell me stories, stories about people vanishing into thin air. Sometimes even entire viges would be lost without a trace. She called it "spirited away". When someone in the settlement had done something very bad, so bad that the heavens opened up and swallowed everyone whole," Kuo said with a strange look on his face.


    His breathing was getting faster and heavier and he himself was getting quite nervous just thinking about it.

 Chapter 45: Silk Pants Captain

    <h4>Chapter 45: Silk Pants Captain</h4>


    "Spirited away?" asked Hao Xuan surprised. He, of course, knew of the stories, but to him, that''s all they were, stories made to scare children and teach them a lesson.


    "Yes. And it is real. A few decades ago a whole city with a poption of several hundred million disappeared without a trace. The buildings were untouched, no rms were triggered, no unusual phenomenon was seen, everyone just vanished. It caught the attention of several saints and after investigation, they found a strange kind of energy there."


    "What kind of energy?" Kuo had thoroughly caught Hao Xuan''s interest.


    "No one knows. Normal people can''t even feel it, you would have to be at least a profound level to even barely sense it. They didn''t know if that energy was from another cultivator or something supernatural. But you know what they say, the heavens are limitless. There are so many things just on this world that we haven''t discovered, let alone the entire universe," Kuo said with a sigh. And he was 100% right.


    Only about 60% of the Beast world was ''explored'', if you could call it that. The rest waspletely untouched by anyone from outside this world. Who knew whaty hidden beneath the surface. And this was just thendmasses, the oceans of the world whichprised almost half the surface area were extremely dangerous.


    There were creatures as big as entire kingdoms swimming around in there. Not many had the guts to explore them. Even Saint emperors could easily perish out there. It would take millions of years to explore just one ocean, let alone all twelve of them.


    There were as many creatures in the world as there were stars in the sky, maybe this was the work of a new species, or something truly old...


    "Hmm, what do you think we should do?" Hao Xuan asked after listening to his exnation. If this was as serious as Kuo had said then they definitely needed to inform the generals about it.


    "Let''s send a single soldier to retrieve spirit formation from inside and we can use it to contact the HQ and tell them of this situation. No need to risk everyone for it," Kuo suggested after giving it some thought.


    "This could be a suicide mission, you know I can''t send anyone in knowing that there''s a good chance they might note back," Hao Xuan replied with a furrowed brow. He might as well kill that person himself.


    "Ah, you''re right captain, my apologies. How about we ask for a volunteer instead then?"


    "Hmm, alright, but don''t force anyone," Kuo replied with a nod and turned around.


    "Attention! We have an urgent mission. It seems this entire town has been ''spirited away'' and we have to get the spirit formation from inside to contact the HQ and tell them what happened. I need one volunteer, the mission is dangerous and there is a very good chance that you might not be able to return. So we will not order anyone to enter, this ispletely voluntary," he said with a loud voice.


    Hao Xuan expected they would take several minutes and perhaps a handful might be willing, but what happened left him speechless.


    *Fwoosh*


    All 99 of them raised their hands at the exact same time, without a moment of hesitation. Even the four newbies, they were even more enthusiastic, Aria seemed to be standing on her toes to look even taller.


    "Y-You all want to volunteer?" Hao Xuan asked with a stutter, still slightly out of it.


    "Yes Sir!" they all said in unison. He slowly turned around to look at Kuo and was met with a huge grin, as he was expecting it.


    "What is wrong with you people.." Hao Xuan mumbled under his breath, but Kuo still heard him and his grin got even bigger.


    "So who should we choose captain? As you can see, they are more than willing," Kuo said and looked towards Hao Xuan.


    "It''s still the same thing if they all volunteer then its the same as before. I am not about to choose one and send him to his death," Hao Xuan replied shaking his head.


    "Then..?"


    "I''ll go," Hao Xuan said with a smile. "If all of you are willing, then why not me? No one life is worth less than another," he said while looking at the soldiers all standing in front. For the first time, he truly felt proud to have these kinds of subordinates under him.


    "Wha- Impossible. Anyone but you captain!" Lt. Kuo replied quickly, not expecting this answer. This time, it was his turn to be surprised.


    "What? Why? What''s wrong with me? Do you think I am not capable of handling such a simple mission?" Hao Xuan said with a frown. Did these guys think he was a spoiled young master who couldn''t handle the most basic of things?


    "N-No Sir, I mean if something happens to you then who will lead us? We still have our original mission toplete," said Kuo with sweat pouring down his forehead. "I''m just worried about your safety, how could I send our leader in like that?"


    "No, I''ll go, that''s final," Hao Xuan replied looking away. No matter what they said, he was going to go now.


    "But Sir-"


    "It''s final."


    *sigh*


    "Give me the location of the Red Legion post," he said to Kuo and looked towards the town.


    "Sir, let me go instead. I have been there, before and will be back quickly," Kuo said onest time, hoping that he would agree.


    "Nope."


    "......"


    "Fine, as you wish. Mad Saints!"


    "Yes!"


    "Get ready to move out, we are going with the Captain to the Red Legion post!"


    "Yes!" and they all started shuffling around, packing up the few things they had put down.

 Chapter 46: Little girl

    <h4>Chapter 46: Little girl</h4>


    "Wh- I just said I''m going alone, what''s the point of that if everyone wasing with me?" said Hao Xuan, bewildered. Were these guys messing with him?


    "Captain, you ARE going alone. We are just going to protect you while you go. Think nothing of it, imagine we aren''t here," Lt. Kuo said with an obvious ''no-shit-sherlock'' face, like it was totally normal.


    "What the hell is wrong with you guys? We don''t have time to waste like this. You will stay here while I go get the formation te, that''s an order!" Hao Xuan finally put his foot down. Time was of the essence and these guys were just fooling around.


    "Then let me send someone. He grew up around here and knows this town even better than me. Otherwise, we will all go with you."


    *Sigh*


    "Fine, do what you want," he said finally giving up.


    "Qin Feng!"


    "Yes Sir!" and a young man of about 23 years of age stepped out. He had a strong muscr build and looked like a proper warrior. He had short ck hair and a darkplexion.


    "You heard the conversation. I believe you also know the location of the post so get going. Come straight back and don''t wander off," Kuo said with a serious face.


    "Yes Sir!" Qin Feng saluted and started running towards the town and soon out of their site.


    30 minutes passed but he was still not out, Hao Xuan started to get worried.


    "How long should it normally take for a trip back and forth?" he asked Kuo.


    "About 25-30 minutes, let give it some more time," Kuo replied looking at his watch.


    10 more mins pass by. Everyone is waiting, looking at the town''s entrance but there is no sound whatsoever.


    Kuo looked at his watch again and looked at Hao Xuan, "Sir, I don''t think he ising back. Let''s make a detour and go to one of the other forwarding posts in the nearest towns, it will take us a couple more days but we can''t risk sending anyone else in."


    Hao Xuan looked at the town once again, it was still deadly still. Not a single thing could be seen moving inside, only the sound of the wind blowing was audible.


    "Alright, get ready to move out."


    After getting his confirmation Kuo turned around and nodded at the soldiers who packed up whatever was left and formed a line to move back towards the road in a proper formation.


    *Ding*


    "Hmm?" Hao Xuan turned around, there was a sound of a small bell from a far away that was carried to him with the wind.


    "Captain?" Kuo asked when he saw Hao Xuan wasn''t following him.


    "Did you hear that?"


    "Hear what?"


    *Ding*


    "THAT!" That sound of a bell being rung!" Hao Xuan said looking towards the town.


    "Bell? Are you sure you aren''t hearing things captain?"


    "No, I heard it, twice now, did no one else?"


    The soldiers turned around and looked at Hao Xuan with weird looks. Did their new captain lose his mind already?


    *Ding*


    "There! Again!" he said looking at the soldiers, hoping to see someone step out but only saw heads shaking.


    "Um, I think I heard it. But it was very faint. Like from very far away. If you hadn''t pointed it out I would have probably missed it," Aria stepped with her hand raised.


    "See? I am not making it up," Hao Xuan said looking back at Kuo.


    Kuo sighed and looked at Aria and thought inwardly, "Captain, she is probably just saying that to give you face, so you don''t feel embarrassed."


    Just as he was about to exin it to Hao Xuan, the sound of footsteps came from behind them. They all turned around and saw Qin Feng running back at full speed.


    "I''m sorry Captain, Lieutenant, I passed by my childhood friend''s house and thought I heard something inside so stopped to check," he spoke breathing heavily.


    "It''s fine. So? Was anyone inside?" Hao Xuan said as he waved his hand.


    "No Captain, I thought I heard a bell ringing from inside but there was no one there," he replied shaking his head.


    "So you heard it too!" Hao Xuan said almost jumping with joy. He really wasn''t going crazy. There was no way Qin Feng would know of their conversation so he couldn''t be just saying that to give him face.


    "How many did you hear?" Kuo asked with a huge frown. What the hell was going on, and why could only these three hear it?


    "Three, the bell rang three times," he replied lifting three fingers.


    "Told you. Exact same. But couldn''t you guys hear it?" Hao Xuan asked looking around at Kuo and the other soldiers.


    "And who is the kid? Where did you find him?" he said looking at Qin Feng and then at the little girl hiding behind his leg.


    "Kid? What Kid?" Kuo said looking at him with a confused face.


    "What do you mean? Her, the little girl hiding behind his leg," he said pointing towards Qin Feng.


    When he saw Hao Xuan point towards him, an extremely cold feeling overtook him. He slowly turned his head and looked around and saw a little girl holding onto his leg, also looking up at him.


    "L-Little Ru? But how?"


    "You know her?" Hao Xuan asked looking at Qin Feng.


    "AARGHHH" Qin Feng suddenly let out a horrendous scream and jumped several meters back, leaving the girl standing there all alone.


    "What the fuck are you doing? Why are you scared of a little girl?" Kuo asked angrily. This was extremely shameful behavior from a member of the Red Legion. Who gets scared of a little child?


    "I-Impossible, you can''t be here!" Qin Feng screamed looking at the girl.


    "What? Why not?" Hao Xuan asked looking at him with a weird expression.


    "She can''t be here!"


    "Are you going to exin why or will you continue to scream like a retard?"


    "Because I was there, at her funeral, 14 years ago! She fell and drowned in a well!"


    "Wha-" Hao Xuan hadn''t even finished the word when he turned his head and saw a four-meter-long hunched figure with nails as long as his legs, drapedpletely in darkness and instead of a face there was only a ''round mouth'' with teeth as big as fingers standing there instead of the girl.


    "What the fuc-"

 Chapter 47: The Realm

    <h4>Chapter 47: The Realm</h4>


    Everyone turned and followed Hao Xuan''s line of sight and they finally saw the towering ''Figure'' draped in darkness. It was a veil had been lifted off of their eyes and they could finally see the true form of the ''little girl''.


    "What the hell is that!!"


    "ALERT! Formation Three!" shouted Kuo at the top of his lungs and everyone jumped into action. They surrounded Hao Xuan and formed three formations around him, with him being the dead center.


    There were 101 fully armed people on one side and a single ''figure'' on the other, staring at each other.


    "You.....can...see...me..." a raspy voice came out of the creature''s hideous mouth as it looked towards Hao Xuan and spoke extremely slowly as if each word cost a great deal of energy.


    Hao Xuan frowned in response. The voice came from the figure but there was no way it could havee out of its mouth.


    "Did you guys hear that?" he asked quietly to the saints closest to him, while still maintaining eye contact with the figure, or where its eye should have been.


    "Yes Captain!" replied Luke and Aria at the same time. The four newbies were the closest ones to him. He nodded back in response, confirming that he wasn''t just hearing things again.


    "Who are you? WHAT are you?" he said looking at the figure who was still standing still. For the next 15 seconds, there was no response.


    "Why.....can....you.....see....us...child?" the figure spoke again, this time asking a question.


    "Answer my question first. Are you a beast? Are you responsible for the missing townspeople?" he answered with another question.


    "A...child...of...the.....heavens...?" it spoke again, this time much quieter but everyone still heard it.


    "No.....something.....else....." it mumbled.


    Lt. Kuo was at stage four of the Spirit Realm, meaning he was refining his very soul with the Qi of his meridians making, it even stronger and more sensitive to the world around him. At his level, he was easily able to feel the realms of everyone at the Profound realm and below, even if they tried to hide. But he couldn''t sense anything from this figure. It was like a ck hole. There was no spiritual energy anywhere near him, only empty void.


    That was why he didn''t spring into action. The level of the enemy waspletely unknown and it would be extremely stupid if he picked a fight without knowing anything about his opponent.


    "Answer me! What did you do with the people of the town?" Hao Xuan was getting angry now. This ''thing'' was basically ignoring himpletely. Not even registering as a threat.


    He released the power of the Emperor''s Domain from the first meridian and a faint pressure fell down on everyone. When the figure felt the pressure it suddenly looked towards Hao Xuan again.


    "It...is...not...time...yet...I.....will.....tell.....the...elders...of.....your...existence," it said taking a step forward and like a smoke bomb exploding into darkness, vanished from the original position and appeared right before Hao Xuan in the middle of the formation.


    "Wha-" before anyone could react, it was already half a foot away from Hao Xuan, towering over him.


    It stretched out its hand towards his face and the massive nails retracted back into its hand, making it look normal again.


    *Fwoosh*


    But before it could actuallye into contact with him, four figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere, surrounding it from all sides. It was the four newbies!


    Mason had pushed Hao Xuan away and stood in his ce, with Aria attacking from the right, Luke from the left, and Mia from behind it.


    Without a single word they jumped into action and attacked with everything they had.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    As soon as they saw the creature reappear before Hao Xuan, every single one of the soldiers released the entirety of their Qi reserves and turned towards it.


    Keep in mind that these 100 were the absolute elite of the elite, all of them stronger than Hao Xuan, with several people being at the Spirit Realm, although at lower stages than Kuo himself.


    Within half a second three soldiers appeared around Hao Xuan, encircling him. These three were the other Spirit Realm experts in Mad Saints.


    One of them was a man with short blond hair holding onto two scimitars, he was at the front.


    The second was a girl with blue hairing down to her shoulders and a bronze Staff in hand, she was on the right of him.


    The third was a tall man with long ck hair and a single silver shortsword in his left hand, and bandages covering his right one. He was to the left of Hao Xuan.


    Their Qi formed a barrier and surrounded Hao Xuan inside, almost like an eggshell.


    The attacks of the newbies connected with the creature and just like hitting smoke, went right through it.


    All of this happened within a single second and by the time Hao Xuan came to his senses, he was surrounded by the three Spirit Realm experts.


    He was overtaken by shame as soon as he got hold of the situation. He was their captain yet he was being protected like a powerless little child. As he thought about this, something erupted inside him.


    The full power of both his meridians came gushing out like a broken dam, catching everyone by surprise.


    Hao Xuan had used the absolute purest form of energy to cultivate so the ''density'' of his Qi was much higher than other people. He had also used the blood of the Ice Dragon to cultivate Wrath of Deimos which affected his ''presence'' and gave others a dreadful and bloodthirsty feeling.


    The ive cultivation manual kicked in at full force as well and as a God of weapons, it was overbearing on its own but when Hao Xuan used it, it became even more stupendous, as if ordering even the heavens above to bow before it.


    His ive appeared in hand and the faint pressure that was already present got 10 times stronger in a heartbeat, making the hearts of the Mad Saints beast faster for no reason.


    These soldiers that were trained to have absolute control of their bodies couldn''t control their own heartbeats at this time. Their blood felt like it was on fire and they could feel their powers increasing. Although on experts like Kuo and the others that were already at a much higher realm than him, the effect was minuscule but still present, which shocked them.


    "You motherf*cker, I will skin you alive," Hao Xuan spoke through gritted teeth and tried to move forward but was stopped by the energy field around him.


    "Let me out!" he ordered still looking straight at the creature. The three spirit realm soldiers frowned and look towards Kuo.


    Just as Kuo was about to say something, the creature looked around and then back at Hao Xuan and spoke.


    "The.....realm.....seal.....shall....weaken....soon....very....soon....I...shall....see...you...then...oh...strange...one," and once again turned into ''fumes'' and disappeared from the encirclement.

 Chapter 48: Reporting Back

    <h4>Chapter 48: Reporting Back</h4>


    "Don''t let your guard down!" Kuo said in a stern voice when the creature disappeared. It could reappear anywhere since they didn''t know of its abilities.


    *Ding*


    "The Bell!" said Qin Feng and Aria at the same time.


    "Do you hear it again?" asked the blond spirit realm warrior with a frown.


    "Yes!"


    *Ding*


    "The second one..." mumbled Hao Xuan lost in thought. It felt like he was about to remember something but then suddenly it vanished.


    *Ding*


    The bell sounded for the third time and the fog surrounding the town slowly disappeared.


    Everyone present suddenly felt like a bucket of cold water was thrown onto them and they felt ''awake''. Apparently, the fog was not natural and had some strange effects. But Hao Xuan didn''t feel any different, as if he wasn''t affected by it at all.


    When Kuo felt the feeling of rity, his face changed. To confuse several Spirit Realm experts was not an easy task, whatever happened here was not the doing of anything he was aware of.


    "Captain, we need to report back to the HQ right now," he said walking up to Hao Xuan.


    "Mhmm, Qin Feng, bring the formation te."


    Qin Feng came up to them while the rest still stood guard around them. He moved his hand and a round gold te with markings etched onto it appeared. Its diameter was about 1.5 meters and there were several holes along the edges.


    Kuo bent down and took out some medium quality spirit stones and put them in the holes. After about a second the engravings started to light up and the whole te became extremely bright.


    Five more secondster a hologram of about 3 meters in length appeared right above it, it was a man with sses sitting behind a desk writing something.


    "Hmm?" the man frowned and looked up at the formation te.


    "Who are you? Why are you contacting me through this formation te?" he asked sternly.


    "Sir, I''m Kuo Meng, ID number 274892 of the Red Legion," Kuo replied while doing a military salute.


    "Hm, exin yourself. Why are you the one contacting me instead of the assigned officer?" he asked, still doubting his identity.


    And no one could me him. Each officer for the forwarding posts was chosen and trained to undergo the harshest of trials. Only one person was supposed to know their identity and no one else could know of their work. It was all top secret.


    "Sir, the entire town''s poption has vanished. It seems they have been ''spirited away''. There was no damage to the surroundings but the people seemed to have just vanished into thin air. We were passing by on a separate mission and were supposed to check-in with HQ when we came upon this."


    Kuo exined everything to the man, the ringing of the bells, the creature and everything it said. When the man heard about the bells his expression changed for the first time and got even more serious.


    "Who was it talking to?" the man asked when he heard about the creature talking to Hao Xuan.


    "Our captain, he is the Ninth Leader!" Kuo replied with a puffed chest as if it was his own achievement.


    "Alright, I''ll pass this along to the great general. Leave some warning glyphs and continue on with your mission. It should be safe now that the bell has run again," the man said, but thest sentence was as if he was talking to himself.


    Without waiting for a response he cut off the transmission and the te went back to its original state. The only difference was that in the ce of the spiritual stones, there was only dust left now.


    Everyone heard what the man said and without taking much more time, they finished putting up the glyphs and continued on their journey.


    After that, there were no more disruptions or strange phenomenon for the next few days until they reached the vicinity of the trade caravan.


    It took close to two weeks for the full journey. The location where the trade caravan disappeared was a jungle. The nt life here was so dense that they couldn''t even walk five feet without getting a faceful of branches.


    There were creepy crawlies everywhere. Even the smallest of things could be poisonous enough to kill everyone in their party.


    "Why would the caravan go through this ce?" asked Mia looking around. She used to stick especially close to Hao Xuan, hoping to catch a glimpse of Zhurong who spent most of his day sleeping. And even when he was awake he would stay close to Hao Xuan.


    "They wouldn''t. Not unless they didn''t have any other choice," replied Luke from behind them.


    "Alright, everyone stay together, don''t lose sight of the person in front of you. If you get lost, we will use the ID badges to find you, remember to not to move from your spot. There are a lot of venomous and poisonous creatures here, some as small as an ant, and some bigger than you can imagine," Kuo said while looking around carefully.


    This really was a very bad spot to get lost in. Unless you could fly, it was really easy to get lost because of the dense foliage. The beasts here were extremely strange and had weird abilities. For a single person to survive in here for any number of days was more or less a miracle.


    It wasn''t called the ''Poison Quarry'' for nothing.

 Chapter 49: Poison Quarry

    <h4>Chapter 49: Poison Quarry</h4>


    "Yes, Lieutenant !" the party replied as they formed four lines. The three spirit realm experts each took one side with Kuo being at the front and Hao Xuan and the four newbies right next to him.


    Mason and Aria were enamored by the surroundings. There were strange noisesing from all around them. The trees were so tall that you couldn''t even see the canopy. Barely any light got through. and it looked like the sun had just set even though it was only about 1 p.m.


    "I hate bugs," mumbled Mason while looking left and right and rubbing his arms as if brushing off something.


    "How could you be scared of bugs? You can squish them with one foot," asked Mia in disdain. She as a girl was perfectly fine with the creepy crawlies yet this guy was acting like a lunatic.


    "That''s why they are so scary! They can be anywhere and you won''t know it. If they were bigger I could fight them like any other beast without a problem," he exined his phobia.


    "That''s the exact opposite. If they are that big then you SHOULD be scared," Mia said looking at the trees as if a distant memory suddenly hade up.


    Hao Xuan stayed silent and listened to them talk while holding onto the bronze token that First had given him to find the caravan. They cut straight through the jungle towards the caravan for about an hour and a half until the token went haywire.


    "Hmm?" Hao Xuan stopped mid-stride and frowned looking at the token. Aria was so engrossed in talking with Mia that she didn''t see him stop and ran straight into him.


    Hao Xuan paid no attention to it and was still looking at the token. "I-I''m so sorry Captain!" she said and bowed several times.


    Kuo stopped and turned around when he heard themotion and walked up to Hao Xuan.


    "Aria, we are in a mission, you should always have your full attention on your surroundings. This is an actual mission and not training. You could lose your life in a second," he said sternly, looking back at her.


    "Y-Yes Lieutenant! I''m sorry," she repeated and bowed once again.


    "Hmm. Captain, what''s wrong?" he nodded at Aria and then turned towards Hao Xuan and asked quietly.


    "The token stopped working. It was fine a second ago," he replied still examining it.


    Kuo also looked at it and the pointer that was supposed to be pointing straight ahead was now going around in circles.


    "That''s not good," he mumbled.


    "Do you know anything?" Hao Xuan asked looking up.


    "Yes, this only happens when there are extremely dense and potent sources of spiritual energy nearby. They interfere with instruments like these. but more importantly, if there is such dense spiritual energy here than there must be extremely powerful beasts as well along with even some other species perhaps."


    "That is not going to make this mission any easier is it..." Hao Xuan said with a sigh.


    "Everyone, be on your toes. The spiritual energy is way too dense further ahead. I am increasing the difficulty of the mission to Grade 3B," Kuo spoke into the Red Legion ID badge.


    There were five main danger levels for missions. With 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. Each grade had five more categories depending on a number of different factors. The subcategories were from A to E with E being the lowest difficulty.


    Anything from Grade 4 and above was for profound level experts only and was a death sentence for anyone weaker.


    The Poison Quarry was one of the unexplored regions of the Mei Kingdoms. Norge-scale explorations had taken ce here because the foliage was extremely dense and would basically grow back with a few days. No one ventured into the deeper parts of the region so they weren''t aware of such areas.


    That was why it was only graded at 3C and the Mad Saints entered without much thought.


    "Yes sir!" everyone replied in hushed voices and took out their weapons, going on full alert.


    "Alright, let''s keep moving then," Hao Xuan said when he saw that everyone was ready. They still wentpletely straight, cutting through everything in their path, that is until a mountain blocked their path.


    "Should we just climb it?" Hao Xuan asked looking at Kuo.


    "That''s not a good idea. We really have no idea what kind of beasts call this ce home. There could be some flyers here which make it ten times harder for us to continue, and who knows, we might even lose someone," he replied shaking his head.


    "Alright, let''s go right then. No use thinking about it," Hao Xuan said and started walking without waiting for a response.


    Kuo looked at his back and sighed. Ever since they left the town Hao Xuan had been much quieter and didn''t interact with others unless needed. Maybe he shouldn''t have been so protective of him back then.


    "Let''s g-"


    *SCREEEEEECH*


    Just as he lifted his hand to tell the party to continue an ear-piercing screech interrupted him.


    "The hell!?!"


    *ROAAAAAAAAR*


    Another sound wave hit them, this time strong enough to push a few of the soldiers back.


    "Careful!"


    Screamed the female Spirit realm expert and mmed her staff down into the ground with full force, creating a barrier covering the party. As soon as the barrier was created a massive boulder fell down on top of it, burying thempletely.

 Chapter 50: Alone in the Jungle

    <h4>Chapter 50: Alone in the Jungle</h4>


    *BOOOOM*


    As Hao Xuan was walking away, a loud screech and a roar sounded from above followed by an explosion that sent him flying straight up into the air for a few seconds and then right back down.


    "Oh shit Oh shit!" Hao Xuan screamed when his body starting falling down like a rock in a bucket of water.


    "This is gonna hurt like hell," he said with gritted teeth when he saw the canopy gettingrger andrger by the second.


    *Crack*


    He fell right on top of a huge branch which broke in two and continued falling, hitting several other branches and finally connecting with the ground, face first.


    "Goddammit, gonna feel this tomorrow," he mumbled rubbing his dislocated shoulder. The clothes were mostly rags now with gashes and small to medium-sized wounds all over his body.


    "What the fuck was that roar, why does shit like this always happen to me damnit?"


    He stood up and looked around and was surrounded by trees, god knows how far from everyone else.


    "The ID badge!" he suddenly shouted in happiness and took out his badge and channeled some Qi into it to turn it on and contact the others, but to his dismay, there was no reply.


    "Am I too far from them?" he said to himself while looking around. And he was. The explosion sent him flying several kilometers away, and because of the interference from the spiritual energy, unless he was closer than a km from them, there was no way for the badge to pick them up.


    *Sigh*


    "Might as well change then," his current appearance wasn''t much worse off than a beggar''s. He looked more like a runaway-ve than a captain of the Red Legion.


    He took out a new set of clothes, cleaned himself up, and applied some first-aid before putting them on, finally looking like a normal human being.


    He looked around once again to see if there were some clues, some footprints perhaps to follow or any other tracks, anything to point him in the right direction, but s there was just greenery all around him.


    *Creak*


    There was a sound from his left which woke him from his daze and he looked around to see a small frog jumping away.


    All of a sudden it hit him. He waspletely alone, separated from his party with no knowledge of where to go or what even to do in this jungle. The sounds of insects, ''movement'' of trees, the sound of his footsteps, all these became extraordinarily loud for no reason. He could hear a bird chirp somewhere high above him, something slithered pass a tree to his left, his own breathing getting extremely loud.


    All these sounds jumbled together and became louder and louder until all of a sudden, everything stopped.


    "Huh....?" the sudden quiet reminded him of the time when he first came upon the Ice Flood dragon.


    "Oh god, not again!" he screamed inwardly and slowly turned around to see what was behind him but found nothing.


    "It''s 100% in front of me now, I can feel it!" big droplets of sweat starting pouring down his forehead.


    "W-What if I just don''t turn around...will it go away...?" he tried to calm himself down by telling himself these irrational things but it didn''t work.


    "Fuck it, if it''s my time then let''s get it over with!" screaming, he took out his sword and swung with everything he had.


    *Woooosh*


    The sword hit nothing and flew out of his hand stabbing into a tree five meters away. There was nothing there. It was all his imagination.


    *Ribbit*


    The little frog sat on a tree root not far from him and turned its little head sideways while looking at him as if asking "The hell are you shouting and swinging your sword around at...?".


    Hao Xuan''s face went red, "Shut up, I thought there was someone there!" he embarrassingly shouted at the frog as if talking to an actual person and then walked up to his sword and pulled it out.


    *Ribbit*


    Hao Xuan looked at the frog again and felt like it said "Sure buddy, whatever you say," and then jumped into a bush and vanished.


    "Hey, fuck you, you don''t know me!" Hao Xuan shouted at the bush the frog had jumped into while making a fist at it until he realized what he was actually doing.


    "Oh my god, I think I hit my head a bit too hard. Why I am having an argument with a frog...." he mumbled while rubbing the little bump on his head.


    Burying this matter deep inside his memories he took out the token but it was still going haywire, so he randomly choose a direction and started walking.


    Meanwhile with the Mad Saints...


    *Cough*Cough*


    "Hash, Cav, Maddye help me with this," Kuo said to the three Spirit Realm experts. After the first boulder fell a few others came down right after as well, burring them in several dozen meters of rubble.


    They all created a shield using their Qi and surrounded the other saints and then blew open a way out for themselves.


    "Damn monsters, keep an eye on the sky," he ordered as they all got out.


    "Captain! Captain where are you?" shouted Aria when she didn''t see Hao Xuan.


    "The Captain! Oh shit!" suddenly remembered Kuo and he looked around but there was no sign of him. He checked his ID badge but there was nothing.


    He started sweating as he thought about what First would do to him, their new captain who was out on his first mission just got lost in one of the most dangerous areas in the entire kingdom.

 Chapter 51: Jin Wang

    <h4>Chapter 51: Jin Wang</h4>


    "Damn it!" Kuo punched a huge tree nearby which exploded into little splinters.


    "You three, take thirty people each and form three groups and start looking for the Captain. If you find anything at all, use the emergency res. It will attract beasts as well but there''s no choice anymore, we have to find him. Finding the caravanester. Go!" he ordered the Hash, Cav, and Maddy.


    Hash was the blond man with dual scimitars, Cav was the girl with blue-haired staff user and Maddy was thest one with the silver shortsword. Kuo had trained these three himself and was their leader for over five years now.


    "Yes, leader!" they all saluted and left within a minute after forming three groups. Each going in a different direction.


    The remaining six were the newbies, Qin Feng, and another guy that always kept quiet. His name was Jin Wang and he had joined the Red Legion just over a year ago.


    He was 24 years of age and only joined the Red Legion because it was the next "logical step" in his career. He wasn''t too patriotic or even proud of his current position. He had a lot to say but because he had kept such a low profile at the start, not many people knew he even existed, giving him ''invisibility'' within the unit.


    He never had any close friends, lovers, or any other rtions, but he always wanted one. With an IQ of over 200, he was the smartest in almost every group and always thought rationally no matter the circumstances. But the one thing he had always wanted was a ce to call his own, that was why he joined the military to begin with, because of all the stories of camaraderie and friendship but unfortunately, none of those speeches moved him at all or the many dangerous situations he had been in made him get closer to his fellow legionaries.


    He wasn''t ugly and could be described as cute because of his round face and somewhat short stature but because he never really cared much about his appearance, he actually looked much worse than normal.


    *Sigh*


    "A newbie idiot captain. I''m kinda tired of this whole military thing man. Just gonna quit when we get back and maybe start working as a guard for a rich family and then retire," he thought to himself when he saw that once again none of the three spirit realm experts had chosen him. But he didn''t feel bad and didn''t me them or even feel embarrassed, it was just.....natural.


    "We will stay here and hold our positions in case the Captain finds his way back," Kuo said as he stood on top of the small hill made by the debris of the boulders and looked over the surrounding areas.


    "For god sakes, that dumbass is going to continue looking for the caravan to prove himself to you guys, the best option is to just follow the initial direction he decided to go and the chances of meeting him would be above 50%," Jin clicked his tongue thinking inwardly. He was good at reading situations and people and everything was extremely simple for him, almost like math.


    "Um, Lieutenant, I think we should continue looking for the caravan," he said slowly raising his arm.


    "Hmm? And why is that?" Kuo asked with a frown. "This kid..."


    Even though Jin wasn''t aware, Kuo was told to keep an eye on him by the great general himself. They knew how smart he was and if he could truly buy into the agenda the military was peddling then that would make him a great asset. The only problem was that he was way too anti-social and wouldn''t open up to anyone.


    "I believe the Captain would put the mission first and foremost and go for it no matter what. Besides the chances of him finding his way back here are almost non-existent. He spent most of the time looking at the token and wasn''t paying any attention to the surroundings on our way over, I really think he wants toplete the mission no matter what and would put that over his own safety," Jin tried to make Hao Xuan sound like an actual saint who never thought about himself.


    "He was really quiet since the incident at the town, Jin might be right. The chances of him continuing with the mission are much higher," he said to himself.


    "Alright, we will continue looking for the caravan then," Kuo nodded his head and led them back into the jungle.


    ***


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, was in a world of his own. He was more or less lost in the jungle so instead of stressing about it he decided to rx and not let it all get to him.


    Right now he was more than 40 miles away from the closest Mad Saints party, singing a song long lost in his memories and swinging his sword around, cutting the branches and bushes to pass through.


    "A whisper in the night


    Among the bright city lights


    Together we watch the horizon


    Searching for what was and has been"


    He had absolutely no idea where he knew the song from, but he did and didn''t bother much about it, chalking it up to his amnesia.


    "Run! It''s right behind us!" suddenly a loud voice woke him up.


    "Hmm?" slightly irritated he looked towards the voice and saw a teenage girl running away from a giant centipede-like beast with a small boy in tow, holding her hand tightly.


    The beast made some strange crackling noises, like the sound of something hard being broken and got closer and closer to the kids.


    The little boy tripped over a tree root falling face-first onto the ground. The girl stopped and came back to try and pick him up.


    "Sister its fine, leave me, you''re injured already and I will only slow you down," he said with tearsing down his face but didn''t make a single sound.


    "Stupid, we havee so far, how can we die here?" She lovingly patted his head when she heard what he said, making her smile. Even in the face of certain death, this little boy thought about others first.


    "You would have made a great king," she mumbled, embracing the boy and trying to shield him from the oing attack with her own back to the beast that was now just a few meters away.


    Hao Xuan was looking the situation unfold from a couple of dozen meters away.


    "Now isn''t that heartwarming..." he said with a smile on his face and activated both his meridians.


    "I''m sorry sis," the boy held onto her as hard as he could and finally started crying.


    "Silly boy, it''s not your fault," she replied patting his head again. "Maybe in the next lif-"


    Before she could finish her sentence, a massive pressure descended.


    "Why must you hurt these kids, little beast?" a voice sounded around them.


    Both the siblings looked up towards the source of the voice and saw a man with a massive weapon in his hand several dozen meters away from them. He was looking at the beast as if actually expecting an answer.


    The beast which was well over 6 meters long also stopped and turned to look at the man.


    *Kri*Kri*


    Itsrge gaping mouth which was filled with teeth and a couple of tentacles made a strange noise looking at him.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter. It''s not like I can understand you anyway," the man shook his head with a sigh and lifted his foot.


    *VROOM*


    A strange noise sounded and the pressure increased several-fold. The man''s footnded on the ground and he was behind the beast now, appearing like a ghost.


    *Swish*


    The weapon in his hand moved from left to right, he took another step appearing right in front of the siblings.


    "Oh, that looks like it hurts. Let me bandage that up," he said looking at the sister''s leg which was bleeding profusely.


    "Eh- but the beas-" before she could finish the beast that was standing still behind the man split into three with greenish blood bursting out like a fountain and fell down, dead.

 Chapter 52: The Wanted Prince

    <h4>Chapter 52: The Wanted Prince</h4>


    The siblings werepletely and utterly shocked speechless. The man in front of them appeared out of nowhere and moved like a cicada, gracefully appearing behind the monster and killing in one strike.


    The man bent down and waved his hands and some medicine and gauze appeared.


    "Sit up straight," he said casually but his words sounded like hammers crashing down on her psyche and she did as told without a peep.


    The little boy was also staring at the man with curious eyes, still with tears in his eyes which he forgot to wipe. The man cleaned up the girl''s wound and bandaged it up. It would heal within a few hours because of the medicine.


    "You can call me Ninth, what are you guys doing out here? Do you live around here?" Hao Xuan asked the girl who was simply staring at his face.


    "Uh- Yes. I-I mean no, we were with a merchant caravan that got attacked. Everyone else was captured, we were lucky enough to escape before the bandits saw us," she stammered, waking up from her delusions with a red face.


    "Caravan?" Hao Xuan frowned. It was the same one that he was looking for, what are the chances of running into two people from the very mission he was out toplete.


    "How far is it? The caravan I mean," he asked looking back at her.


    "Not too far. About an hour or two that way," she pointed towards the direction she came from. Hao Xuan looked where she was pointing and nodded. That was the same direction he was going. But then he suddenly remembered something. The caravan had been missing for almost a week now, howe was it attacked just a few hours ago?


    "Um, what''s your name?" he asked while scratching his head awkwardly.


    "My name is Cui, and this is Wei," she said pointing at the boy who shyly hid behind her.


    Hao Xuan frowned once again. Although it was none of his business, why were they trying to hide their surnames? But everyone has their own reasons and it was none of his business so he didn''t bother asking.


    "Cui, what happened in thest few days? Your caravan has been missing for almost a week but it only got attacked now?" When Cui heard him her eyes suddenly constricted and she hid Wei behind her back protectively.


    "H-How do you know about that?" she asked cautiously while slowly backing up.


    "Oh, my bad. I should have started with that. I''m a soldier of Mei kingdom and was sent here with several others to find you guys. But because of an incident, I got separated from them. Here, this is my badge," Hao Xuan exined when he saw her actions and took out his Red Legion badge and threw it to her.


    She was not expecting it and the badge hit her straight in the chest and bounced off, falling on the ground. Her face becameplete red and she slowly bent down and picked it up to examine it and after a few seconds, breathed a sigh of relief.


    "I''m sorry for doubting you. We were being followed by some bandits. They chased us for several days, that was the reason we entered this jungle, to lose them here but it was all a trap. There were more of them waiting for us here and they finally captured us not too long ago," she exined and passed the badge back to him. Her face clearly showed how stressful thest few days were but she stayed strong, probably for the little boy that was with her.


    Hao Xuan sighed when he listened to her talk. He was really close topleting his mission now and could finally return back to First and others soon.


    He looked at the siblings and saw the brave front Cui was putting on for Wei, which made him smile unconsciously. His hand reached out and patted her head, "Must''ve been hard thesest few days," he whispered so only she could hear him.


    As soon as she heard what he said something inside her finally broke and tears started streaming down her face.


    This was a girl of only 14-15 years of age, who had to take care of a younger sibling while being chased for over a week by bandits, fearing for her and her brother''s very life every minute of every day.


    "Its fine, let it all out. You''re safe now," he said when he saw her vulnerable state. To him, she actually looked like a kid herself and he couldn''t imagine the toll it would take on one''s mental state.


    When Wei saw his older sister cry, he also started wailing like a baby, well, he more or less was still a baby.


    Hao Xuan stayed silent and waited on the side without disturbing them. He simply took out some pots, lit a fire and made some soup from the flood dragon''s bones for them.


    After about 40 minutes they had calmed down and filled their bellies with delicious soup.


    "Let''s move from here. The scent of the meat will draw in more beasts. The only reason none showed up already is because of this guy''s corpse," Hao Xuan said pointing at the centipede-like beast that wasying a few meters away from them.


    The siblings nodded and followed him without a word.


    Hao Xuan shook his head when he saw that. Just because he fed them and talked to them for a bit they started following him without a word, what if he was a kidnapper? These two wouldn''t survive for long in the wild.


    It was getting dark as the sun was about to go down so Hao Xuan started looking for a ce to camp. It was not a good idea to walk around at night in this jungle, god knows what kind of monsters would be prowling around.


    Zhurong finally woke up from his nap, or rather he was taking a small break from napping. He sat on Hao Xuan''s head as usual and kept an eye out. asionally turning towards the two new party members and making funny faces at them.


    "Zhurong, we need to find a ce to camp for the night, see if you can find something," Hao Xuan finally said after about 15 minutes of walking around with no results.


    *Meow*


    Zhurong nodded happily and jumped down from his head and walked off in the jungle.


    Ever since Hao Xuan heard Zhurongs voice he knew there was something special about him, maybe some abilities or background that he wasn''t aware of, but he decided to be less protective of him and let him roam around more. No normal beast would be able to talk at such a young age.


    A minute or twoter he heard his cute meowing from a distance and followed after and finally saw him at the entrance of a small cave with an entrance of about 1.2 meters in size.

 Chapter 53: A New enemy?

    <h4>Chapter 53: A New enemy?</h4>


    Although the entrance of the cave was only about a meter in size, the insides were muchrger. It seemed to be connected to a cave system and there were four bigger tunnels that were leading deeper into the ground.


    "Hmm?" Hao Xuan furrowed his brow when he saw that.


    Although this ''entrance'' seemed abandoned as there were no beast tracks leading in and out and there was undisturbed dust everywhere, he still got a very bad feeling staring into the dark tunnels that seemed to be entrances to another world entirely.


    "No choice. Let''s settle here then," he said after thinking about it for a few seconds. There was no other option at the moment. The sun had already set and it was way too dark to be roaming around with two kids in tow at this time.


    He took out a mini illusion formation te from his back. It could only be used once and would stay active for several days then disappear on its own. It was rtively expensive to make and hard to get ahold of but because of Hao Xuan''s high position, he could easily obtain such things and many more.


    He put the formation near the entrance of the ''tunnel'' and channeled some Qi into it to activate. The te lit up and a light covered the entrance and then vanished. From the inside, it was like looking through a two-way mirror but for anyone outside the tunnel, they would only see a normal rock formation. It also blocked perception, smell, light, etc from leaving or entering the tunnel.


    ''Perception'' was something every creature had. It was like a sixth sense but much stronger. As experts and beasts reached higher cultivation levels they could control this perception and actually use it as an ability.


    This ability would allow them to see and hear things around them in a radius of anywhere between a few meters to hundreds of miles, depending on their levels. A clear image of their surroundings would appear in the minds, like a virtual map with everything clearly marked.


    It was about 6 p.m by the time they had settled down. He took out some meat and barbequed a few pieces and made some spiced rice. It was more like a full meal you would see at a hotel rather than something just put together out in the wild.


    Hao Xuan was very serious when it came to food and always had enough ingredients and condiments to make a vorful meal when needed.


    The siblings just sat silently on the side and watched him work, almost in a trance. A few minster it started raining outside, well, more like pouring. It was a good thing the tunnel was several feet above the ground level otherwise all the rainwater would havee pouring in.


    It took an hour for everything to be finished. They all sat in front of the entrance and watch the rainfall while eating, much like watching tv. Without even knowing why it calmed Hao Xuan down a lot. Even if he didn''t remember, it was almost an instinct now.


    Back on earth he would always sit in front of hisptop and watch movies and shows while eating. It became a habit and then a necessity. He wouldn''t be able to eat properly without watching something and wouldn''t be able to concentrate on the movie/show if there was nothing to eat.


    After eating Hao Xuan put down some sleeping bags for the siblings and they quickly fell asleep while Hao Xuan sat near the entrance, still watching the rain.


    He always loved the rain. It washed away all the filth and was kind of like a new start for everything. As a child, he loved ying outside and watching the rain fall and listening to its pitter-patter but it made him somewhat sad. He never knew why...


    Many creatures could be seen out there, the rain didn''t bother them in the least and they continued about their business. But the thing that caught Hao Xuan''s eye was that not a single one of them came even close to the entrance, avoiding it like the gue.


    This only gave him an even worse feeling. Wherever these tunnels led to was not a good ce. Whatever made these tunnels was probably not something he could take on with his current strength. He had no idea how right he was.


    His heart starting beating faster and faster at the thought of it when suddenly, the surroundings went quit. The sound of the rain muffled, the noises of the beasts disappeared and he could once again hear his own heartbeat.


    Slowly turning around, he took out the ive but there was nothing.


    The four tunnels were empty, at least from what he could see, but his gut kept telling him there was something there.


    As if listening to this feeling, the darkness morphed, slowly taking a strange shape of a beast.


    The creature had an elongated cylindrical head with two tiny little beady eyes on each side, extremely sharp teeth with saliva dripping down continuously. Its body seemed to be made out of a hard shell,pletely ck in color with long, sharp spikes on the back leading all the way down to its extremely long tail which seemed to be sharper than the best of swords.


    It stood up straight on two legs and used the w-like hands to grasp onto the tunnel entrance as if trying to leave it.


    It opened its hideous mouth and made some extremely strange hair-raising noises which made Hao Xuan shudder in fear.


    "D-Death, if I go against it, there is only death," he mumbled while trying not to fall down to his knees.


    The creature looked at him and opened its mouth from which came a long tentacle with circr rows of teeth all around, like the mouth of a leech.


    Hao Xuan started backing up until he stepped on the sleeping bag of Cui and remembered he wasn''t alone!


    "For fuck sakes, no wonder everyone says the good die young," he thought while looking back at the sleeping kid''s faces.


    He might be able to survive if he just ran away but the kids won''t and it would haunt him for the rest of his life. But if he stayed, there was certain death.


    As he finally made up his mind to stay, his eyes lit up, glowing blue. Bright enough to illuminate the entire area in front of him.


    As if someone or something was calling his name he turned to look at the creature and when the light from his eyes fell on it, it melted like ice on a hot summer day.


    "Eh?" Hao Xuan was dumbfounded. What happened? Where did it go? Still on guard, he slowly moved closer to the entrance of the tunnel where he saw it but the soil underneath was undisturbed with no footprints or markings.


    "It wasn''t real?" he whispered while bending down and touched the ground. There was an ''aura'' there which left a stinging sensation on his skin.


    "It was just the leftover Qi from the beast that took form and almost killed me. What the actual fuck!? If just this bit of Qi is this strong, how strong is it in real life?" he thought and looked up, staring into the dark tunnel that seemed to go down into the earth for miles.


    *Kreeeeeeeee*


    An echo came from inside the tunnel as if in response to his query and it scared him so much that he fell on his back and crawled away from it as fast as he possibly could.


    "Fuck that, not going down there."

 Chapter 54: Bandits

    <h4>Chapter 54: Bandits</h4>


    Hao Xuan sat in front of the tunnel for several minutes, still clutching onto the ive like a lifeline. The darkness moved, twisted and turned, taking different shapes but somehow he knew it wasn''t anything too dangerous.


    What confused him was the fact that he couldn''t tell if he was just seeing things or was it actually happening.


    If he had a bit more knowledge about the higher cultivation levels then he would have known that although rare, this wasn''t such an "extraordinary" phenomenon like he had assumed.


    Once cultivators and beasts reached the Profound realm they would be able to connect to the world around them, borrowing its energy to use as their own. And if the understanding of the chosen energy was deep enough then every single movement of theirs would leave ''imprints'' in the void.


    This imprint was the remnant energy from their everyday actions and would usually be very mundane. It could look like an apparition or a hologram, repeating itself over and over again.


    But in some rare cases if the user had an extreme affinity with their energy, then the imprints would be able to gain a bit of sentience and react to their environments.


    This was the case here. It was just an imprint left when the creature entered the tunnel, and over the years it came alive. It would not be able to think or feel any emotion, only react to an external stimulus.


    Time passed, minute by minute, it felt like a lifetime for Hao Xuan. He sat between the siblings and tunnel with the ive in his hand, ready to attack at a moment''s notice, but nothing happened.


    After several hours the rain lightened up a bit. Hao Xuan turned to look at the siblings and they were still fast asleep. They had been under so much pressure for thest week or so that sleeping for more than a day even wouldn''t be considered too much.


    He looked through the storage ring and found another small formation te and put it in the entrance. It was a warning glyph that would send him a signal in case someone or something approached the entrance of the cave.


    He looked outside and there weren''t any beasts there. After putting down some more food in a pot and covering it with coals from the fire, he stepped out of the tunnel and used Demonic steps, leaving in the direction of the caravan.


    This time he didn''t use the energy from either of his meridians as it would draw too much attention and simply jumped from one tree to another silently using Demonic Steps, looking a bit like a monkey.


    It only took him 40 minutes to find the caravan. There was only blood and some body parts left along the wreckage which was burned to cinders. There was no one there but Hao Xuan didn''t jump in.


    "It doesn''t make sense. Why would they follow one specific caravan out of hundreds and for almost a week even? And that trap was perfectly ced. Bandits my ass, they are probably mercenaries hired by someone who wants to bring harm to the royals," Hao Xuan thought.


    Instead of just jumping in, he backed up a little more and started going around in a circle around the area and soon enough found what he was looking for. There was figure hunched under a tree about 5 meters away from the wreckage. It was a person covered in a greenish-brown leather that almost melded perfectly with the surroundings.


    If Hao Xuan wasn''t specifically looking for him there was no way he''d be found out.


    "Since the kids escaped and there was no one following them, its only natural they would leave someone here in case they came back," he said with a grin. "Time to have some fun," he mumbled and took out a training sword he had. It was blunt and weighed a lot, a perfect weapon for knocking someone out.


    "Alright, I can either go running in, use Demonic steps with infernal rapture and just freaking m into him, or try to get a jump on him somehow," he came up with some ideas on how to deal with this situation. He was really excited for some reason, it was like finding a treasure almost. An enemy with its guard down was not easy to find.


    "The sound! Ipletely forgot about the damned thunderous ringing that apanies it though," as if a bucket of cold water was poured over him, the joy that he was feeling a second ago vanished into thin air.


    "Alright, new n. Send in Bai to distract him and then hit him when he''s distracted," came up with another n.


    He closed his eyes and summoned Bai, whose gigantic body appeared a few meters away from him.


    "There''s a man hiding under that tree, attack him but try not to kill him," he said telepathically.


    Bai looked at the ce he was pointing towards and saw the man and without even trying to hide in the slightest he simply walked right up to him and jumped.


    *CRACKLE*


    Lightning crackled loudly in the sky and distracted Hao Xuan. "Of Course! How could I be so stupid? It''s already raining, even if there are others nearby they would just think lightning fell and wouldn''t bother about it too much," he rejoiced.


    "Damned beast, I have no quarrel with you, just go away," said a voice and he remembered about Bai again.


    Bai and the man were both in a clearing right next to wreckage now. Bai had attacked with everything he had and managed to rip the man''s left arm off.


    "Hmm?" Hao Xuan frowned looking at the man. He was about 6 feet tall with a lean build, there were scars all over his arms and were much darker than his face. But what caught his attention was that the man didn''t even make a sound or sounded angry in the slightest at losing a limb, instead, he casually ripped off a piece of cloak and stopped the bleeding.


    This was either a seasoned soldier or a psychopath who couldn''t feel pain.


    "Leave, NOW!" the man roared at Bai while taking out a sword. But of course, Bai didn''t even blink or show any displeasure and continued looking at the man with a straight face.


    The man frowned looking at his behavior. A beast would never attack someone stronger without a reason, and even though the difference was only of one stage, he was still stronger and the beast had shown no emotion from the beginning.


    But then it suddenly dawned on him and his eyes constricted, "Trap!" he whispered and threw his sword with full force towards Bai and jumped in the opposite direction.


    "Toote," just as hended in the new position, a voice spoke from behind him. He turned his head and saw a young man grinning at him, his green eyes shining likenterns in the dark.


    "Who-"


    *BOOOOOOM*


    Before he could finish his query, thunder boomed and all he saw was a blunt deing straight towards him.


    *Craaack*


    He lost consciousness.

 Chapter 55: Bandits Continued

    <h4>Chapter 55: Bandits Continued</h4>


    Hao Xuan used Demonic Steps with Infernal Rapture Level 2 which had been infused with lighting energy and created thunderous booms.


    He ran straight into the man with his training sword drawn and hit him in the back with full force, knocking him out cold.


    "Holy shit, is it me, or does it get louder every time I use it?" mumbling, he picked up the man''s body, called back Bai and ran in another direction.


    About three minutes after he left, four hooded figures fell down from the sky. All of them absolutely massive with a height of more than 15 feet.


    "Rookie!" screamed the one at the front of the group but was met withplete silence.


    "You were right Sir, that was a technique," said one of the men behind him pointing at the ground. There was a long ck line burned into the ground itself from where Hao Xuan had used Demonic steps. The man furrowed his brow and walked up to it and bent down, picking up the charred earth he brought it up to his nose and smelled it.


    "It was one guy. Careful, this technique probably has a lot of burst power. Split up, if you can''t find him within 10 minutes then juste back. I will report back to the boss," the biggest of the four said and got up. He bent down a little and with pure unadulterated power, shot up into the sky like a rocket. The ground under his feet exploded as if a cannon had hit it leaving behind a huge crater.


    As soon as he was out of sight the other three looked at each and also shot out like bullets in different directions.


    *Ssh*


    "Hey, wake the fuck up!" Hao Xuan punched the man in the face after throwing some water on him. The man woke up in a fluster but surprised Hao Xuan because instead of screaming he just looked at him.


    "Hmm? You''re not curious about my identity?" Hao Xuan asked with a half-smile.


    "Would you tell me if I asked?" the man asked in return as if looking at an idiot.


    "Oh, good point. So, why were you chasing the caravan? Tell me and I will tie you up and leave you here. You will be able to escape in a few hours and we can forget this ever happened. Don''tplicate things," Hao Xuan said and sat down in front of him.


    The man didn''t say anything but then suddenly his expression changed.


    "I-I can''t move. I can''t feel my body!" he mumbled while looking down and saw that he waspletely tied up but he should still be able to at least feel something.


    "What did you do to me?!?" he asked, flustered but still trying to sound calm.


    "Me? Nothing," Hao Xuan simply shook his head and frowned in response. He only knocked him out and took him away and didn''t do anything else.


    "Oh shit, please don''t tell me that''s what happened," he suddenly remembered something and looked at the man who was still panicking.


    Hao Xuan stood up and went around the side and looked at the man''s back where his sword had hit him, there was a bone popping out from there.


    "Fuck," he identally blurted out loud looking at it.


    "WHAT?! What the hell did u do?"


    *Sigh*


    "It seems, and this was not intentional, but apparently I hit you right in the spine and something in there broke. That''s probably why you can''t feel or move anything," Hao Xuan replied with a sincere and apologetic expression.


    "I-I''m paralyzed?" the man mumbled nkly in return, looking at his hands and feet.


    "I am honestly so sorry, I know you''re a bandit and just trying to make a living. I just wanted to ask you a few things and was gonna let you go unharmed," Hao Xuan exined when he saw his face.


    even though they were his enemies, there was no real animosity between them. Both were working for someone else and just following orders.


    "Fuck you, you could''ve just killed me. No, you can kill me now! I don''t want to live like this. There is no one to take care of me and I don''t want to make my brothers pity me. Just end it right now!" the man said with tears in his eyes. This was supposed to be a simple ''mission''. His entire life was just destroyed in a matter of seconds.


    Hao Xuan sighed looking at him. Maybe he was right. Here, only the strong held any real power and someone that couldn''t even move was probably better off dead.


    "Alright, But you have to tell me who hired you and for what."


    "BITCH, are you fucking serious?" the man''s face went red from anger. Did this guy really expect to get an answer from him?


    "Normally, I would say that I would torture you until you''re willing to talk but this time its the opposite. I will take you back to Fortuna City and leave you there. You won''t die but you won''t live either."


    "I will hire someone to feed you once a day and keep you alive for as long as possible. You will spend the remainder of your days on the side of a road as people pass by looking at your miserable state. Do you really want that? I don''t, so help me help you. Don''t make me do this, please," he said looking at the main with an earnest expression.


    "Wha- you fucking monster. You inhuman BEAST! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" the man screamed in response. This was a new kind of low.

 Chapter 56: Handful Bandits

    <h4>Chapter 56: Handful Bandits</h4>


    "What the fuck is wrong with you!!?" the man was at his wit''s end.


    "A lot probably. I''ve noticed that I have problems expressing myself. Sometimes I feel so much but then there are times that I can be aplete monster and not give the slightest of shits."


    "........"


    "..........."


    "That was a rhetorical question...."


    "........"


    "I wasn''t actually asking you what was wrong with y-"


    "I know what rhetorical means.."


    "....oh....." this was by far the strangest of conversations either of these guys had ever been a part of. Neither of them knew what to say at this point.


    "Just kill me."


    "I would like to if you''d just tell me what you''re after. I don''t think either of us wants to keep this conversation going for a second more than needed so just talk and we can get it over with," said Hao Xuan trying not to make eye contact with the man.


    "We were hired by some rich guy. They wanted three people from the caravan and we would get to keep everything else. There were only five of them. One is their leader who doesn''t interact with anyone and the other four monsters are his underlings it seems," the man finally gave up and told him everything he knew.


    "So the people that hired you are still here?"


    "Yes. There were two people that were missing from the caravan, coincidentally they are the same two that the guy who hired us wants the most. So we''re stuck here until we find them."


    "What do they look like?"


    "They''re almost like giants. Much taller than anyone I''ve ever seen, and extremely powerful. I saw one of them rip apart a spirit beast with his bare hands. But their leader is much smaller. I haven''t seen any of their faces though so can''t describe any features."


    "What? No, I was talking about the two that the guy that hired you wants."


    ".....oh....um, t-they''re supposed to be kids. A young girl and a boy, but we don''t know what they look like," the man replied awkwardly. The more they talked, the worse the conversations got. How could two people be on such different wavelengths? It''s a good thing this interaction wasing to an end.


    "Alright, thanks. How many people are there in total, including your group?" Hao Xuan asked after a few seconds.


    Apparently, the siblings he rescued were the royals he was looking for, but there was still one missing. Thatst person was most probably in possession of the other token that Hao Xuan followed all the way here. When the tokens are within a meter of one another they start vibrating and glowing until they are put together.


    "Five of them, and about two hundred of us. But they probably have backup so there should be a few more nearby somewhere. Try not to kill too many of my brothers, as you said, we''re just doing our jobs. We don''t kill people unnecessarily and only rob the rich. If not us then there would be someone else to take over anyway," the man said with a half-smile trying to justify his lifestyle in his own way.


    "Are you alone?"


    "Oh, I thought you didn''t want to know."


    "Alright, let me rephrase that. If there''s only you then just give up right now. You won''t be able to take on a single one of his guards, let alone all four and then whatever else they''re hiding. All of them are extremely powerful. Not to mention two hundred of my brothers."


    "You don''t have to worry about me," Hao Xuan smiled. He actually kind of liked this guy, he was straightforward and honest, not something you would expect from a bandit.


    "What''s your name?"


    "....Wei Zhi," the man replied, finally putting a name to the face.


    "I am truly sorry Wei Zhi. I only wanted some information, all this was not part of the n."


    "Hahaha, you haven''t done this before have you? I would still kill you in a heartbeat if given the opportunity, but s. Don''t be so sentimental towards your enemies, it will be your downfall." Wei said and shook his head. How could he even lose to this kind of a rookie?


    "Alright, that should be enough now. Get it over with," he said while closing his eyes. At this point, he could only control his body from the shoulders and above. Everything else was paralyzed.


    "That''s it? Anyst words?" Hao Xuan asked while taking out his sword.


    "Dude, stop dragging this along for fuck sakes. I got ces to be," Wei said with a mockingugh, aimed at himself.


    *sigh*


    "I''m sorry, really.." Hao Xuan whispered for thest time and swung his sword horizontally, separating Wei''s head from his body.


    "We could have been good friends in another life," he mumbled and took out a shovel from his storage ring and starting digging. It was still raining outside and they were in a small cave that Hao Xuan identally found while running away.


    He dug a shallow grave and put Wei''s body inside and buried him with as much respect as could be given in such a situation. This wasn''t really going to do anything though. Soon the beasts would smell the blood and dig it back up and eat it. The grave was more for Hao Xuan, so he wouldn''t feel too bad after killing an innocent man, although some could argue that no one is truly innocent.


    Hao Xuan didn''t stay there for too long until there was a loud whooshing sound outside and from the corner of his eye saw a silhouette pass by really quickly. He frowned and peeked outside to see what it was but his eyes constricted as soon as he got an actual look at it.


    It was the same huge figure that Wei had described.


    "Hmm? Something is wrong with him. The body proportions are all wrong.."

 Chapter 57: Handful Bandits Continued

    <h4>Chapter 57: Handful Bandits Continued</h4>


    "Hmm? Something is wrong with him. The body proportions are all wrong.." Hao Xuan mumbled the second he saw the hooded figure.


    *CRASH*


    The figure which was sprinting away at the speed of a bullet suddenly stopped dead in its tracks, leaving a five-meter-long trail of destruction in the wake.


    "What the fuck, did he hear me?" Hao Xuan thought and put his right hand over his mouth so as not to make any other sounds identally and backed up into the cave. The figure was more than four hundred meters away from, how could he still hear Hao Xuan ''mumble'' through all the rain?


    He must be a high-level expert!


    "Shit shit, where is it!" he rummaged through the contents of the storage ring and took out a mini illusion te and threw it towards the entrance of the cave. It activated within a second and covered the entire front area making it look like the inside of the cave was empty.


    The figure slowly backtracked until he saw the cave. He walked up to the cave entrance which was nowhere big enough to allow his massive body to enter. So he bent down and peered inside.


    "What the fuck!" Hao Xuan was thoroughly surprised. The hooded figure was a man with dark brown skin.


    It wasn''t your normal brown but mud-brown and if he was standing near a swamp or something simr, then he might as well be invisible. It looked like he was sculpted out of y and almost looked like a puppet, but something told Hao Xuan that he was just as alive as him, if not more so.


    What Hao Xuan wasn''t aware of was that this was a special body type. There were many races in the universe that had special body types from birth.


    For example, due to living in the forests and jungles since time immemorial, the so-called "Wood Elves" where born with bodies that had a natural affinity with water, earth, and wood. This made them exceptional healers and was one of the reasons they had lifespans of several thousand years.


    There were also golems, different types of giants etc. The man in front of Hao Xuan had a minor earthen body with another bloodline mixed in.


    This gave him and everyone like him extremely sturdy physical bodies and a huge amount of raw power. They were basically walking tanks and made exemry bodyguards as well.


    The man looked inside but saw nothing. Hao Xuan was simply holding his breath with his hands over his mouth trying not to make any sounds. Which was kind of redundant since the formation would block everything anyway.


    The man frowned when he saw the empty cave. There was absolutely nothing there but he was sure he had heard someone talk. He stretched out his massive arm which was bigger than Hao Xuan''s leg and tried to touch the ground further in, but just as he was about to touch it, his ears twitched, he turned his head and looked in the direction he was heading to at the beginning and ran out again.


    "Pheeew," Hao Xuan finally breathed out about 20 seconds after his departure.


    "Thank god there was something else to grab his attention." He waited about fifteen more minutes just to be sure and then slowly made his way back to the siblings.


    ***


    "Lieutenant, I doubt we will be able to find the captain in this rain. Wouldn''t it be better if we took cover for a little while? just until the sunes up, which shouldn''t be too long now," Jin Wang said with a raised hand.


    "Fine. The chances of us finding him in this situation are already slim. We will make camp for a few hours here," Kuo said after thinking about it for a while. The small party of seven found an abandoned cave and set up their tents.


    Kuo took the first watch himself and sat near the entrance with crossed legs, meditating. An hour went by when he was awoken by a noise.


    *CRUNCH*


    There was an extremely loud sound of a tree breaking not far from the cave. It was still raining heavily and was really dark. This wasn''t your run of the mill darkness. With Kuo''s realm he would be able to see things from almost a mile away but here, he was just the same as everyone else.


    This was because of the copious amounts of spiritual energy in the jungle. It hindered their senses and movement, basically, anything that required Qi would be severely affected here.


    He squinted his eyes trying to make out anything in the darkness but there was nothing visible.


    *AUUUUUUUUUUUH*


    A horrendous noise sounded just a few hundred meters away from the cave followed by the sound of big footsteps.


    Kuo stood up and took out his weapon.


    *SPLAASH*


    Several trees broke and a beast that looked like a mudfish with short legs dawdled past the cave''s entrance as fast as it could. This was a normal brute beast that lived near rivers and preyed on smaller beasts.


    It was only about 3 meter in width and 8-10 meters in length. Not really a threat to anyone.


    *THUMP*THUMP*THUMP*


    A few secondster a massive shadow came out of the darkness. It was more than 20 meters tall with small wings on the side. Its head looked like a mix between a pigeon and a chicken and its body was that of a T.Rex. It stopped and looked at Kuo dead in the eyes. Kuo didn''t make a move and stoodpletely still. The beast turned its head and ran after the mudfish once again without giving him and the party a second thought. These ants were too small anyway. The fat fish would make a much better meal.


    Kuo''s expression didn''t change from the beginning. There weren''t a lot of things that could pose a threat to him here. He sat back down and continued listening to the mudfish''s screams as it got devoured alive.


    *ROAAAAA-*


    The T.Rex like beast let out a massive roar but stopped in the middle, catching his attention once again.


    *Achhhh*


    It sounded like it was being chocked alive.


    "Hmm? That''s strange..."

 Chapter 58: Handful Bandits Continued (2)

    <h4>Chapter 58: Handful Bandits Continued (2)</h4>


    Kuo stood at the entrance of the cave listening to the sound of the massive monster getting chocked by something. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to not give the T.Rex a chance to even fight back.


    "Jin,e here. I''m going out to take a look at the surroundings, stand guard in the meantime," Kuo said without turning around and silently disappeared from the entrance.


    "Damn it, why do I get stuck with the grunt work," Jin mumbled and walked out of his tent and sat in Kuo''s ce. He looked out in the dark night and frowned, "Is it them?" he whispered to himself and for the first time on this journey, his expression turned serious.


    Kuo stopped using Qipletely and moved only with his raw physical power. And for someone in the Spirit realm that was a lot. They could jump dozens of meters straight up into the air without a problem.


    He moved like a shadow, jumping from one branch to another, following the noises that had almost stopped. Hended behind a tree about 6 meters away and slowly peeked around to see what was happening.


    His expression changed the second he saw the almostical scene unfold before him.


    A humanoid hooded figure of barely 5 meters in height was holding down a high-level spiritual beast of more than 20 meters down onto the ground with his bare hands. And from the looks of things he wasn''t even using his full power.


    "There are no warrior tribes here, who the hell this monster?" he thought looking at the man.


    "Damn it, this was supposed to be a simple mission, we lost our captain and now someone new shows up? What the hell is going on?" Kuo took out a short dagger from his storage ring and starting moving closer and closer to the figure.


    The figure had no idea and was still holding the giant beast down and basically strangling it with his bare hands.


    "Hehehe, shout louder you filthy animal," he yelled with a crazedugh,pletely lost in the moment.


    Kuo was now just three meters away from him. "Now or never," he said inwardly and suddenly shot at the figure at the speed of sound with the dagger aimed at the figure''s heart.


    *Sqwelp*


    The dagger prated into the man''s flesh and Kuo was overjoyed, that is until something shot out from under the cloak and hit him in the shoulder and throwing him more than a dozen meters away.


    "What the hell?!" Kuo was baffled. He felt the dagger enter the man''s body, he should be dead! Unless...


    "Impossible! What the fuck are you assholes doing so far in the Kingdom of Mei?!" Kuo shouted at the man.


    *CRACK*


    The figure broke the beast''s neck and slowly turned around and looked at Kuo.


    "Just out for a stroll, why are you so angry?" he asked taking off the hood. One, two, three, four! The man had four massive arms! One of them had the dagger stabbed into it.


    The man took the dagger out and licked the wound on his palm causing the flesh around it to start wriggling and the wound closed off within a minute.


    "Does the Kingdom of Jia n to start another war with us?" Kuo said standing up. He took out his main weapon, a blood-red Longsword that was almost as long as him.


    "No, I have no affiliation with the people of Jia. But what I am interested in is knowing why such a high-level expert is in this godforsaken jungle," the man said with a smile on his face. He had short red hair and well-defined features that could have easily allowed him to be a model back on earth.


    "Shut the fuck up. You god damned monsters don''t need to know anything. Speak! Why are you here?"


    "Tsk tsk tsk, so hostile. Is that any way of treating a guest? First, you tell me to shut up and then speak, make up your damn mind!"


    Instead of replying, Kuo shed his sword from where he stood and a semi-circr blue energy wave went flying towards the man.


    The man didn''t get flustered and used his arms to block the attack. Although this wasn''t a full-powered attack from Kuo it would still be deadly to anyone below his level, yet this man used his bare arms to block it and in return only got a dark red mark on his skin.


    "Speak! Why are you here? I don''t have to y with you!"


    *sigh*


    The man''s expression finally turned serious.


    "We''re here to pick someone up. A person close to our crown prince was kidnapped and we''re just here to get him back. Don''t interfere unless you want to start shit. Understand Mr. soldier man?" he said calmly as if even if Kuo did try to do something, it was already toote.


    "Kidnapped? Pick someone up? The Royals!" Kuo suddenly connected the dots. They were both here for the same thing, the Royals from the caravan!


    "But why do the Jia want them? If the generals knew about this they definitely would have sent one of the other leaders. I can''t allow them to escape," his grip on the longsword tightened. Of course, this didn''t escape from the Jia soldier''s sight.


    "Be very careful with your next move little man, somethings cannot be undone," he said clenching all four of his fists.


    "Boy, I was killing your people when you were in diapers, respect your elders!" Kuo said angrily and let out some of his Qi which had sealed away.


    "What!?" the man turned deathly serious. Before he thought that Kuo was using his full power but that was just the power from his physical body, and only now that he unleashed his true Qi could he see how far he had reached.


    "Fine, now you might stand a chance!" the Jia soldier said through his clenched teeth and flexed his muscles, doubling in size!

 Chapter 59: The Jia

    <h4>Chapter 59: The Jia</h4>


    Millions upon millions of years ago, a race of giants descended upon the Beast world. They were tough enough to walk through the abyss and strong enough to destroy entire gxies with their bare hands. For eons, they traversed the universe, and until they came upon this beautiful and chose it as a home.


    The Giants were one of the strongest forces in the multiverse. They were the bravest of warriors and could always be seen acting as vanguards in battles. Known for being honest, straightforward, kind while at the same time feared by their enemies as they were the fiercest of beings when angered.


    There exist all kinds of variations in their race, some made out of the elements like the fire, water, earth etc, and some that transcended thews of the universe, achieving true immortality.


    The Kingdom of Jia was founded by one such being. She was the daughter of one of the originals that came to the beast world. But unlike others, she wasn''t interested in power and fame and only wanted to enjoy life. Yet she fought for her people as ordered andid waste to billions of other beings.


    Finally having had enough of that life, she made the Jia kingdom as a symbol of her desires.


    Soon she fell in love with a being from another race and had many children. A few thousand yearster she peacefully passed on to the next life, leaving her kingdom in the hands of her descendants with a single order, "Do not follow power for it will only lead to your destruction".


    Unfortunately, as time passed her bloodline had all but disappeared. Now only a few remnants of the original prowess of the Giants were left. But the people of Jia still took great pride in their history and she was celebrated as a Divine being by trillions.


    The current King of Jia was a recluse and never interacted with anyone other than his most trusted confidants. He was a being that was older than the Kingdom of Mei itself and now only wanted his children to take over.


    But unfortunately for the people of both these kingdoms, the current crown prince was very ambitious and wanted to regain the glory of his ancestors by whatever means necessary. This meant that the threat of war was constantly looming over everyone''s head.


    Although the original power of the Giants was all but gone from the Jia Kingdom, even in the current state they were a force to be reckoned with. Many of them were born with gigantic bodies and multiple limbs giving them an edge over other races.


    The crown prince was also born with a powerful body type and by many was hailed as a reincarnation of the old ones. Like many of the other races, the giants had extremely long lifespans and could easily live up to several thousand years. The only con of this was that they matured much slower. That''s why although the current crown prince was a few hundred years old, he could only be considered a teenager in the giant race.


    Over thest couple of centuries, he had started many wars against the kingdom of Mei and wanted to conquer them but was repelled every time.


    *BOOOOM*


    Kuo and the soldier crashed into one another. Kuo attacking with his sword and the soldier with his bare hands that had turned redder.


    "What?!"


    "Are we under attack?"


    "Wheres the lieutenant?"


    Everyone in the camp woke up and came running out as soon as they heard the loud noise.


    "It''s fine. Lt. Kuo is right outside fighting with a ''beast''. Don''t worry about it. Go back to sleep, we have a long day ahead," Jin said with his eyes still closed sitting at the entrance as a guard.


    The other four hadn''t been with the Red Legion long enough but Qin Feng knew of Jin Wang. Nobody including the superiors knew his real power, he would only ever use just enough strength to barely escape from any dangerous situations and was never really in harm''s way. He was a strange and unsociable person, even from the Red Legion''s standards which was basically a ce for geniuses to gather.


    Qin Feng was the first one to head back into his tent while the others were still standing around staring at each other.


    "Don''t worry, there''s no one in this jungle strong enough to take us on....not yet..." Jin Wang mumbled from the front as he opened his eyes and looked towards the noises.


    *Huff*Huff*


    "You''re not bad, old man," the soldier said, breathing heavily. Two of his arms were missing, Kuo was holding onto one of them.


    "You should''ve listened to me. Tell me, did you capture or see someone else in thest few hours? Someone that wasn''t on the caravan?" Kuo finally asked. He was really worried that Hao Xuan might have been captured by them already. If they really had him then it would make things much moreplicated.


    "Hmm? You''re also looking for someone? Tell me what they look like, maybe I can ''lend a hand'', hahaha," the soldier looked at Kuo holding his bloodied arm and startingughing.


    "So that''s a no then. But who are YOU looking for?" Kuo asked whilepletely ignoring the maniacalughter.


    "You don''t need to know that. Anyways, looks like ytime is over. Let''s fight again soon yea?" the soldier smiled at him and then jumped straight up, vanishing into the night.


    "I''m looking forward to it," Kuo threw arm with the beast corpses and lit it on fire before silently returned back to the camp.


    "Wee back," Jin Wang had already put down an illusion formation and was sitting next to the fire sipping tea.


    "Hmm."


    "Who?"


    "Jia Elites."


    "...that''s going to be troublesome..." he poured a cup for Kuo and they both sat in front of the fire in silence.

 Chapter 60: Old friend

    <h4>Chapter 60: Old friend</h4>


    Hao Xuan,pletely unaware of what was happening just a few dozen miles away from him went back to the siblings. A bit more than an hour had passed and they were still fast asleep. After making sure everything was okay he went to sleep as well.


    *poke*poke*


    "Huh?" Hao Xuan was peacefully dreaming when something poked his cheek waking him up. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Wei sitting next to him and poking his face with a small stick.


    "Can you not?" he asked the little boy who still continued poking him even after he woke up.


    "Did you have a bad dream mister?" the kid asked with a look of intrigue. Wei was about 7 years old, half the age as his sister, and had short brown hair with dimples on his face, making him look really innocent and easy to talk to.


    "Why do you ask?" he asked while slowly getting up. Food and sleep were the two things that Hao Xuan loved the most. There were times when he could sleep for several days but then sometimes barely an hour or two a week was too much. There was a saying in Hao Xuan''s hometown that often came to mind, "You can never have anything you truly want. It is only when you move on will it fall in yourp without the slightest of effort".


    "You kept mumbling things and squirming around."


    "Oh, then maybe I was. I don''t ever remember my dreams after waking up. Do you?"


    "Mhm. I remember most of them."


    "Wow, that makes you really special you know that?" he said in an exaggerated tone while patting Wei''s head, making him giggle.


    He got up and cleaned himself up. Cui was near the fire making breakfast.


    "Um....." she came up to him while ying with her fingers nervously.


    "You can just call me brother Hao," he said with a smile.


    "B-Brother Hao, I made some breakfast," she lowered her head which was beat red and quickly turned around and went to Wei.


    Hao Xuan smiled once again looking at her. She had probably never interacted with another person like this before. Since both the siblings were from Royalty, it wasn''t unexpected. He went up the fire and there was some bread and half fried eggs that looked way too good to even eat.


    "Well that''s unexpected..." he mumbled to himself. Who would have thought that a person who grew up in a pce, lived their entire lives being served by others would actually know how to cook a good meal.


    *chomp*


    He took a bite and almost instantly threw up.


    *Cough*cough*


    "Um, Cui, what did you put in this?"


    "Nothing much. Some soy sauce, a bit of vinegar, pinch of sugar and salt and a couple of other things," she replied, confused.


    "Holy shit, I stand corrected. I swear I felt the reaper standing behind me. If I had swallowed, death was most definitely an option," he thought to himself.


    "Is it not good?" She asked innocently.


    "Um,e, take a bite," instead of putting himself in a precarious situation, he chose to let her experience it himself.


    Ass expected she threw up as well and with tears in her eyes looked at him, "I''m so sorry, I didn''t know! It looked good and all those things I put in tasted great with other foods before so I just thought..."


    "Hahaha, it''s fine. Let me make something," heughed it off and starting cooking. He fried some veggies and roasted some meat from the flood dragon. It didn''t look that good but tasted amazing. Everyone ate until they were full.


    "So, now that you''ve eaten, let''s have a talk. I was told you are royalty, can you tell me about your backgrounds? Because I only came here to get you guys and now that your leg is healed, we can just walk out of here," Hao Xuan asked while sitting down in front of the fire. It was the middle of winter and even though there was no snowfall, it was extremely cold.


    Both the siblings looked at each other and came up to the fire and sat down.


    "We are from the Gao Kingdom. It''s a Grade 2 kingdom and shares one border with the Jia as well. Wei was the crown price until a few months ago. My uncle, Wei''s father, suddenly died under strange circumstances and a minister under hismand took control of the pce. He called Wei a curse on the kingdom and med uncle''s death on him," Wei was hiding behind Cui with his head down but tears could be seen dripping down.


    "The Queen helped sent us away as soon as things started to get out of hand. But we can''t leave yet! My father is still with the caravan! He came here with us and fought off the bandits so we could escape. Please, help him!" Cui knelt on the ground in front of him as soon as she finished talking.


    "Stop! What are you doing?" Hao Xuan moved like the wind and appeared next to her and helped her back up.


    "Do I really seem that heartless?" he flicked her forehead with his finger in mock anger.


    "I would have helped him even if you didn''t ask. Don''t be so quick to lower your head in front of others, dumbo," he said in a lecturing tone and patted her head. Her eyelids became heavier and was on the verge of crying.


    "Fuck, did I go too far?" he thought to himself.


    "S-So, tell me about your dad. What kind of a person is he?" he tried to change the topic.


    She used her sleeves to dry her eyes, "He was a great general in the military but got injured in one of the fights and retired. His cultivation level fell so he couldn''t be in the front lines anymore. He decided to start teaching and was the principal of the military academy of the kingdom of Gao."


    "Wow, he must have been really strong if he was a great general right?"


    "Of course! He once fought his way through millions of soldiers to help his friend out of a tight spot."


    "Ohh, which friend?"


    "You''re in the Red Legion right?" she asked looking up at him. He nodded in response.


    "My father''s friend was your Great General Li Jing. They fought together many times in the past,"


    *THUMP*


    Hao Xuan''s heart almost skipped a beat. Her father was the general''s friend? And they were this close?


    "Thank fucking god I was there to save these kids. The general would have skinned me alive otherwise," sweat trickled down the side of his face just thinking about what would have happened if he had messed this mission up.

 Chapter 61: Reconnaissance

    <h4>Chapter 61: Reconnaissance</h4>


    "Thank fucking god I was there to save these kids. The general would have skinned me alive otherwise," sweat trickled down the side of his face just thinking about what would have happened if he had messed this mission up.


    "Wait, if the General knew her father wasing here, or even just her, he wouldn''t have sent me alone. There would at least be one of the bigger armies here," he thought to himself, confused.


    "Did the General Li know your guys wereing?" he asked with a frown.


    She shook her head, "No, Father knew there probably would be leaks along the way so he only told the general that someone from the royal family wasing over and that he should keep an eye on the caravan."


    "Aha, no wonder. I''m pretty sure he would have evene himself if he knew her father wasing," Hao Xuan thought inwardly.


    "Alright. You''ve eaten and healed. I''m going to go probe around the area, maybe find out the bandits exact location and then we can leave. We have to regroup with my subordinates and then we can make a n to get your dad out."


    "Yes," she obediently nodded in response although it was obvious she wanted to jump into action right that second.


    Hao Xuan once again left to search for the bandit camp. It was about 7 a.m and the sun had barelye out but below the tree line, it was stillpletely dark.


    He slowly made his way to the caravan ruins and from there looked for any footprints to follow. Unfortunately, it had already been almost 2 days since the caravan was ambushed and the rain had washed away all evidence.


    "Hmm?" he finally noticed the new crater that was filled with water. "This wasn''t herest night," he looked around and found three other small holes. With a bit more ''investigation'', he found four sets of footprints that had left deep impressions in the ground. They were formed when the four Jia soldiers fell down the night before and were about half a foot deep. There were less noticeable because of the water that had filled them up during the rain.


    "So, that way then?" The footprints were facing south, meaning they came from somewhere north.


    "It can''t be that easy to hide more than 400 people. And they should have stayed close enough to send reinforcements," he figured and slowly starting moving back into the jungle.


    "A rat just entered the trap," a being imprisoned in chains with its headpletely covered in bandages spoke with a muffled voice. It was in arge tent with no furniture other than a chair.


    "How far?" asked a hooded figure sitting on the chair in front of it.


    "Three miles. Coming in from the south-east."


    "Just one?"


    "Yes."


    "Good. You''ll be set free once we have what we are looking for. This is your home, it would be a shame if you died without even knowing why. Keep cooperating and it will be over quick," the hooded figure said once again and left.


    The four Jia soldiers were standing outside. As soon as they saw the hooded figuree out of the tent they bowed their heads, "Your Highness!"


    "How many times have I told you not to address me like that? I am but a shadow, treat me as such," the figure spoke nonchntly but the soldiers felt an invisible pressure, "He''s angry," they thought.


    "Apologies, boss," they bowed once again.


    "It''s fine. What news do you have?" he waved his hand and the pressure disappeared.


    The leader of the four looked back at one of the three behind him and nodded. He walked out and took a knee in front of the hooded figure.


    "Boss, I ran into an elite Mei soldierst night. About 80 miles south-west," he lifted his own hood and where his arms should have been were just stumps.


    The hooded figure moved close and examined the injuries, "Just one?"


    "Yes. But there were at least half a dozen more somewhere close by."


    "Realms?"


    "All weaker than the man I fought. He was a mid-stage spirit realm expert."


    "What makes you think he was a soldier?" the figure finally asked looking up. His were eyespletely golden in color, almost sparkling.


    "He said he had killed many Jia soldiers before," the soldier didn''t make eye contact and quickly lowered his head and starting sweating.


    "Mhm. Anything else?"


    "Yes, he said he was looking for someone else as well." The figure frowned.


    "Who?"


    "I don''t know, but whoever it is, it''s not someone from the caravan," he replied respectfully.


    "Oho, so the Mei has lost someone as well? Are they hunting or looking to protect?" the figure mumbled to himself. the soldiers just stood in silence, waiting for orders.


    "Well, It doesn''t matter. We have a guest, go get them and bring ''em to me. South-east," he gestured with his head and turned around and walked towards another tent in the distance.


    "Sorry for disturbing you," the figure said as he entered the tent. There was a middle-aged man tied up at back. He had many wounds and was still bleeding from most of them. There was a formation under him which was rotating continuously.


    The figure sat down in a chair in front of the formation and lowered his hood. It was a young man that looked to be about 19 years old. He had light brown skin and had what slightly resembled a beard in its very early stage. Along with his golden eye color, he looked much older than his actual age.


    "I thought it was just a rumor but who knew. Tell me, do you not desire the throne for yourself? Why serve someone like him?" the middle-aged man asked while lifting his head with some effort.


    "General Shu, I''ve always admired you. There aren''t enough men like you in this world. Everyone is out to fill their own pockets," the teenager said with a sigh and shook his head.

 Chapter 62: The hidden Prince

    <h4>Chapter 62: The hidden Prince</h4>


    The bloodied middle-aged man was Cui''s father, Great General Shu. He was a true prodigy and became General at the age of fifty and a Great General at 80 years of age. He was a shining star in the surrounding kingdoms and had millions of followers, mostly women.


    His story wasn''t anything out of the ordinary. Born to a rich merchant family and he grew up along with the then crown prince. They fought many battles together and became very close. The crown prince fell in love with his sister and got married. Heter ascended the throne and had only one child, Wei.


    Shu was an honest man. Even though most people wouldn''t be able to connect with him since he grew up infort without facing any real challenges, but he never let it affect his behavior. He was kind and gentle with his subordinates and cherished friendship.


    He met General Li in one of the many get-togethers the different kingdoms organized to show-off their geniuses. They fought against one another and General Li liked his personality so much that he went out of his way to make friends with him.


    When General Li''s wife was attacked and he went to fight against the King who had set the bounty on her, Shu went against the orders given by his king/brother-inw and fought with General Li until he returned home.


    Nobody knew about this because General Shu hid his identity and the matter waster buried by the Kingdoms themselves. They only released a "version" of the true events so as to warn any future scum to not attack the other parties family and loved ones. There must always be rules of engagement otherwise it would be a totalwless bloodbath.


    Shuughed and said, "why don''t you let me go and we can be friends as well then?"


    The teenager smiled in response as well, "I would do so in a heartbeat if you agree toe with me. The deal we have with the minister will be rendered null and void. We will even help you get the throne back. All you have to do is lend us a hand when we need it."


    "Hahahaha, so you just want to control the throne from the shadows? If you know anything about me then you should know what I''m about to say yes?" Shuughed and looked the teenager in the eyes.


    "You''re right. It would be going against your beliefs if you actually agreed to these terms. I''m sorry," the teenager slightly bowed his head as if actually asking for forgiveness.


    "What''s your name?" Shu asked after a few seconds of silence.


    "My father didn''t give me one. He always felt so bad for what had to be done that he let me choose my own name. He said, "It''s the least I can do." What do you think would be a good name? I''m open to suggestions," the teenager asked slightly tilting his head sideways, in deep thought.


    "Hmm, How about Jiang Ling? If I had a son, he would have been called Ling. It''s not a bad name," Shu thoughtfully answered, taking his kidnappers dilemma to heart. "Poor kid, doesn''t even have a given name," Shu actually felt sorry for him.


    "Jiang Ling, Jiang Ling, I like it! It just rolls off the tongue so easily. What does it mean?" the boy sat up straight in his chair and asked with excitement.


    "Well, it would mean something along the lines of "Great Spiritual World", more or less."


    "I''ll take it! And it sounds simr to my Jia so that''s a plus."


    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Jiang Ling, how do you do?" Shu asked in a joking manner but the boy was so excited that hepletely ignored his tone and stood up, puffed out his chest and said, "Hello, my name is Jiang Ling," with a huge grin.


    "Holy shit, I feel like I just deceived a child. Why does this feel so bad?" Shu thought inwardly while shaking his head. He was just trying to get some information out of him and connect with him at an emotional level but this just got way too weird.


    "Hahaha, thanks old man. Ask, ask anything you want! I''m in a great mood so I will answer one question," Jiang Ling lifted his index finger and said with a smile.


    "O-Okay, well, tell me about yourself then. What''s your story?" caught off-guard Shu could only think of one thing.


    "Oh, just that? Alright. As you guessed already, the current crown prince of Jia is my brother, my twin brother. Several hundred thousand years ago there was a bloodbath in the kingdom when two princes fought for the throne. Many great warriors perished and the Jia kingdom fell from a Grade 1 power to Grade 2. Ever since then it was decided that there must only ever be one contestant for the throne. That way any other simr situations can be avoided. The kingdom doesn''t get divided and stays strong." Jiang Ling started talking excitedly but slowly calmed down.


    "If there was more than one boy then the oldest would be the crown prince and the others would be killed off. But my father loved both of us equally and couldn''t go through with it. He chose my older brother as the crown prince and gave him the name Jia Heng and basically left me to my own devices."


    "Obviously, I couldn''t go around telling everyone that I was a prince so I acted as his bodyguard. But because we are identical, I had to wear a mask and have my face covered at all times. It honestly sounds worse than it is."


    "Although I didn''t get the same treatment as my brother, both my parents still loved me dearly. Mother always cries whenever she sees me and wishes she could make it better. Brother although acts tough in front of other people, I know him too well. He always takes care of me and sends me weapons and random gifts. And now thanks to you I have a name that I like so everything is perfect," he finished with a resplendent smile on his face. He looked like a normal teenage boy at that second.

 Chapter 63: New visitor

    <h4>Chapter 63: New visitor</h4>


    Hao Xuan was silently prowling along the tree branches when he suddenly heard a loud wooshing sound from above. He looked up and saw several dots getting bigger and bigger.


    "Hmm? The hell is that?" he thought inwardly and stopped movingpletely. The noise got louder and louder until bam!


    *Crash*


    Four loud crashing sounds came from all around him and everything went silent.


    "Come out," said a loud voice authoritatively. Hao Xuan stayed still and didn''t make a move or the slightest of sounds.


    "You triggered a trap when you entered the jungle. Every move you made was seen by us. There is no use hiding, we came especially for you. Our boss wants to talk to you. Come out quietly otherwise we WILL have to break a few bones for the extra work you''ll make us put in," said another voice but this one sounded much younger.


    "Trap my ass, they''re bluffing," Hao Xuan still didn''t make a move.


    *Sigh*


    "Go get him," said the first once again and Hao Xuan went on full alert.


    "Yes," a third voice from Hao Xuan''s left said and he suddenly heard a cracking sound. He looked to the left and saw a giant hand just a few feet away from him.


    "WHAT!?!" without hesitating he took out a sword and channeled some Qi into and shed at the hand with full force.


    *BOOM*


    As soon as his sh connected with the hand, it exploded but the hand continued towards him uninterrupted.


    "The hell is it made off," Hao Xuan''s heartbeat quickened and hepletely gave up trying to hide and jumped out of the cluster of tree''s and into an opening nearby.


    As soon as hended on the ground four figures also silently appeared on each side, surrounding himpletely.


    "Who are you? What do you want? I don''t have any money," Hao Xuan furrowed his brow looking at the hooded figures and kept the sword right in front of him in a defensive position. "So these are the people that bandit was talking about? Damn, he wasn''t kidding about them being big," he thought inwardly, now actually getting worried.


    "What do you mean? We are the local bandits," one of the figures sniggered.


    "So are youing with us or will you continue to waste time?" asked the biggest of the four.


    "I will, as soon as you prove you can back up your bullshit," Hao Xuan turned and looked at the one who had just spoken.


    "Fine, let''s get this over with quick. Monk, break his legs," the figure said and the one to the left of Hao Xuan started walking towards him.


    "Monk? You? Alright," without wasting any more words he stored the sword and took out the ive.


    "Oho, that''s not something you see often. You a soldier as well?" Monk took off his hood and showed his face.


    "Hm? Jia?" Hao Xuan frowned.


    "Woah, that was fast. Just because I have brown skin you assume I''m a Jia soldier?"


    "That and your size. Not just a normal soldier either, you must be pretty special huh."


    "My mom always said I was a special boy," Monk nodded.


    "I bet she did," Hao Xuan replied with a chuckle.


    "Wow, you''re kinda mean," Monk made a sad face as if he was being bullied.


    "I guess," Hao Xuan tightened his grip on the ive and started channeling the shing Qi into it from his second meridian making it glow red. He lifted the ive up into an attacking stance.


    "Haha, there''s still quite a bit of distance between us, why are you in such a hurry?"


    "No there isn''t." Hao Xuan shook his head. He was still about 15 meters away from him.


    "Huh? Of cou-" before he could finish his expression changed, Hao Xuan hadpletely disappeared.


    "CUT!" a voice said from behind and quickly turning around he saw the ive''s deing down on his head.


    *HUK*


    Sensing the danger he lifted his right arm, made a fist and punched the de with full power.


    *BOOOM*


    An explosion sounded and sent Monk back three feet. Hao Xuan was flung back more than 10 meters.


    "WHAT!" All four Jia soldier''s expression changed. Hao Xuan never had any ns to fight against them from the beginning. He had seen first hand how powerful a single one of them was, let alone all fourbined.


    As soon as the explosion happened he used the energy and momentum from it to push himself away from them and when he was far enough from their encirclement he used "Emperors Arrival" to run away like a chicken with its head cut off.


    "Run now, fightter. Morals are useless when you''re dead," he mumbled and disappeared once again from the ce hended at and appeared 30 meters away this time.


    "Don''t let him get away!" the biggest of them screamed and started running after Hao Xuan, followed by the other two.


    "Nooo, really??? That''s the exact opposite of what I wanted to do," Monk said in an exaggerated tone and also ran after them.


    "I swear to god Monk, one of these days you''re gonna get your ass beat by Steel. Your graves gonna say *Here lies Monk, died because of giving a sarcasticeback to his squad leader*," one of the figures in front turned around and said looking at Monk.


    "Well if you guys didn''t make such dumbass and obvious statements, I wouldn''t have to give a snarky reply every time. I mean of course we''re gonna go after the kid, what''s the point of saying it? That''s so cheesy," Monk replied nonchntly like he was talking about someone else.


    "Both of you shut the hell up, holy shit. Be serious for once," the third figure shouted without even looking at them and speed up even more.


    Hao Xuan was now more than 300 meters away from them but he was almost out of Qi.

 Chapter 64: Mistake

    <h4>Chapter 64: Mistake</h4>


    "Emperors Arrival" was the only version of demonic steps that didn''t draw too much attention to Hao Xuan, and in exchange, it gave him extreme burst speed. This technique wasn''t made to be used for an extended period of time. It was meant to be used in battle and catch your opponent off guard, giving the user an extra edge. It was unpredictable and extremely fast, that was its main selling point.


    All four Jia soldiers that were following him were either at the top of Origin realm or in the Spirit realm, just like Kuo. Under normal circumstances, there was absolutely no way for Hao Xuan to get away from them. The only reason he was able to put some distance between him and them was because they let their guards down when they saw his much lower cultivation realm.


    When he had left the Fortuna City he was at the Seventh stage of the Earth Realm. Throughout the journey he continued to train and cultivate, refining the bones, making them stronger and more durable. Now after about two weeks, he was at the Ninth Stage of Earth realm, ready to step into the Pinnacle stage and start preparing to break into the Origin Realm.


    The distance between the soldiers and Hao Xuan got smaller and smaller, now they were only a bit more than 100 meters away. If not for Emperors Arrival he would have long been caught and dragged back to their camp.


    "Damn it, I can''t keep this up for much longer. I''m almost out of Qi. I could take out Bai and but even he won''t be able to outrun these guys. What to do..." he tried to think of different ways out of his current situation.


    "The cave system! I could lure them inside there!" he remembered the dreaded tunnel that Cui and Wei were in right now. Where it leads must be a horrible ce.


    "But, if even they can''t survive there, how the hell will I? Leaving something like that up to chance is retarded. I''ll save that option forter," he made up his mind and started looking around for some other way to lose them.


    "Boy, what is this going to achieve? There is no way a technique like that can be used for any significant amount of time. We can continue chasing you for days if need be. Don''t make this unpleasant. We just want to ask you a few questions," the Jia leader who''s name was "Steel" shouted from behind.


    "Unpleasant? You were gonna break my legs, THAT''S not unpleasant?!!" Hao Xuan asked angrily. These guys were sure changing their minds pretty quickly. Just a few mins ago he told Monk to break Hao Xuan''s legs and now he didn''t want to make things "Unpleasant"? That was some solid logic right there.


    "Fine, that was my bad. I was a bit too harsh with my wording. Our boss just wants to talk to you, after that you will be free to go," Steel tried to reason with him.


    "Sure, if it''s like that then stop following me. Tell me the location of the camp and I''ll go there myself when I am good and ready."


    "Don''t push it kid. You''reing with me one way or another!"


    "And there it is. No reason to lie. Just be straight. Alright, if you can catch me then I wille with you without making a fuss," Hao Xuan finally gave in.


    "But as I said, you have to catch me first!" he mumbled and started channeling Infernal Rapture but didn''t activate it. "It''s not gonna be easy," he thought and shouted as loud as his body would allow.


    "AAH!" All of his internal organs had been strengthened and refined hundreds of times in the Elementary Realm making them dozens of times stronger than normal people. This obviously included his vocal cords. He channeled Qi into them and let it rip.


    A sound wave that was visible with the naked eye extended out in every single direction with Hao Xuan as the center. And because he had used Qi to make the sound, it wouldn''t dissipate anytime soon and would travel for dozens of miles.


    "STOP! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!" Steel shouted in panic. This was a damn jungle. Even though they were strong enough to handle most beasts but that was four against one and even then they wouldn''t take on anything too strong. What Hao Xuan just did would attract every single powerful beast from dozens of miles away.


    "Told you it wasn''t gonna be easy," Hao Xuan turned his head and gave a wide smile.


    *CRAAAAAW*


    *EKKKKKKKKKK*


    *ROAAAAAAR*


    *EUHHHHHHH*


    A multitude of horrendous noises came from every single direction, getting closer by the second.


    "You god damn idiot! You just stirred up the entire jungle! Because of the winter, most stronger beasts were asleep and you just fucking woke them up. Now they are hungry AND angry and you just rang their dinner bell. Everyone in the Poison Quarry is dead, DEAD!" Steel shouted onest time and stopped chasing him.


    "BACK! Back to the camp! We can''t leave the boss alone!" he ordered and they all jumped straight up into the air, leaving Hao Xuan dumbfounded.


    "Wha- b-bro where you going?! Take me with you!" Hao Xuan shouted but they disappeared in a sh.


    "What the hell, I didn''t know it would be such a huge deal, fuck me," the seriousness of the situation finally dawned on him.


    *RUUUMBLEE*


    The entire ground started to shake and the tree''s in front of him were ripped apart. There were about ten gigantic beastsing straight at him. They had heads of Oxen withrge horns and the body shape of a rhinoceros. Their eyes were dark red and saliva wasing out of their mouths like a fountain.


    *BOOOOOM*


    The area behind him exploded as well and out came dozens of horse-like creatures with extremely sharp teeth but they were on their hind legs standing up straight, looking like something out of a nightmare.


    *CRAAAAACK*


    The tree''s from his left parted and a gigantic green serpentine head came out with three rows of saw-like teeth and a gasing out of its mouth.


    "Are you serious?" he took out the ive which was stored after getting out of the Jia soldier''s encirclement.


    "Fine, Let''s see what you got. It''s been a while since I fought for real anyway," he took out a small bottle from the storage ring and emptied it in his mouth.


    It was a Brute Potion. It wasn''t really used by many people and was only given to the leaders of the Red Legion to use in case of an emergency.


    It would give a power boost, restore Qi and decrease the expenditure of Qi for normal attacks and techniques. The only downside was that it was extremely hard to make and would leave the user in a weakened state for a few hours after its effects disappeared.


    Hepletely activated both of his meridians as well as Wrath of Deimos and took out the sword as well, holding it in the left hand.


    There were ck electric sparks all over his body, and with the ive and the sword in each hand and two extra appendages that somewhat looked like spider legs, he actually looked like a monster.


    His long hair were dancing in the air. The monsters were almost upon him but for some strange reason, instead of panicking, he actually felt excited.


    "Hahaha, this is gonna be fun," Infernal rapture was fully activated and the ive and the sword werepletely ck now. He activated demonic steps and with another load roar took a step forward and shouted, "HEAVENLY BLARE!"


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 Chapter 65: Hashirama

    <h4>Chapter 65: Hashirama</h4>


    Hashirama or Hash was one of the three spirit realm experts in Mad Saints other than Kuo. He was 27-year-old and was an orphan that grew up on the streets in a small town. But he always had a strong moral character and even when things were bleak and he was starving to death, not once did he lower himself to steal from others or bring harm to anyone. It was not that he wasn''t capable of it but he followed a simple philosophy. "Never do something to others that you wouldn''t want to be done to you or your loved ones".


    At the age of 8, he got a job working as a "guard" at a meat shop run by a very nice couple. They had one daughter and obviously, they didn''t need any help guarding anything but they wanted to help this poor boy out so they made up a position just for him since hepletely refused to take any handouts or charity.


    For four years things were perfect. Hashirama stayed with the couple and had be a part of their family, but s, all good things muste to an end.


    A bigshot merchant form the city moved into their town and with his gang of hooligans he forced all the business owners to pay him a monthly stipend which was called the "Protection Fund".


    The only protection this bought them was from the man himself and any other matters were not his problem.


    After the town was hit by a mini-beast horde and many of the businesses were damaged but the merchant still wanted his monthly payments and beat up anyone that refused. The couple had had enough and banded together with the others to form a local union to protect themselves.


    They sent a representative to the nearby military camp to report the wrongdoings but he was intercepted by the merchant''s men and tortured and killed.


    To make an example out of them, the merchant locked the family in their own home and burned it to the ground.


    The next morning Hashirama went to work as usual but was met with a huge crowd. Confused, he made his way through the crowd and saw the ashes that were left of the couple''s home.


    "No no no no no please no," Still hoping for a miracle he wed his way through the rubble and found the remains of the family.


    The couple had surrounded their daughter to protect her from the fire. Their bodies were burned to a crisp but by some miracle, their daughter was not hurt by the fire at all. Unfortunately, she died to due asphyxiation.


    Everyone the coupled called friends abandoned them in their time of need. They screamed and begged for help, there was no way that their neighbors didn''t hear them but still not a single person came forward.


    Even now that they had moved on, no one dared to even get close to their corpses out of fear of the same happening to their own families.


    The same girl who called him ''brother'' yesterday was lying dead in his arms today. Not a single blemish could be seen on her body as if the fire itself was afraid to touch her. As the others watched, he alone buried the couple and their daughter who was a little younger than even himself.


    "If I wasn''t here, how long would they be left here to rot before someone got the courage to bury them?" he mumbled. For three days and three nights, he stayed in front of their graves.


    "I am sorry. I was supposed to protect you and when you needed me the most I let you down. Please, forgive me," he bowed to them onest time and disappeared.


    6 monthster the merchant''s mansion and businesses were attacked. Every single person even remotely associated with him had their arms and legs cut off and then burned alive in front of the ce where the couples shop used to be.


    The news reached the military camp and they sent a toon to investigate but to their surprise, a young 12-13-year-old boy met them outside the town.


    "Why are you here?" he asked while looking at the sky, almost lost in thought.


    "Move! We are here to investigate the crime that took ce yesterday," one of the soldiers stepped forward and said authoritatively.


    "Six months ago another crime urred. A family of three was burned aline. Why did you note to ''investigate'' then?"


    "What? Is what he speaks the truth?" the captain in charge of the toon stepped forward and asked with a frown. No such thing was reported.


    "N-No sir. The family did die but it was because they were careless and left the stove on. It was an ident," the soldier replied nervously. He used to work for the merchant and handled matters like this for him. The captain looked at him but obviously didn''t believe himpletely.


    "Child, I promise you as a soldier of Mei that everything will be overseen by me personally and if what you say is true then all responsible parties will be taken care of," the captain said with his chest puffed out. He was a Red Legion soldier himself.


    "Then there is no need to investigate. I killed everyone in that bastard''s family. Anyone that even smiled at him I burned alive. I will surrender if you kill that man over there right now," Hashirama pointed at the soldier who had spoken first.


    "Impossible. Lord Fir had more than 40 bodyguards at the elementary realm, how could a little shit stain like you kill them?" the soldier shouted back, not believing a word he said.


    Hashirama didn''t say anything and looked at the captain in silence.


    *sigh*


    "Child, even if he was involved in this matter, it has to be investigated properly," captain shook his head and sighed.


    "As expected. You are all the same," Hashirama took out two scimitars from a storage ring that no one had noticed before. "Either he dies, or I do," he attacked the soldier with full force who was still inplete disbelief.


    The captain''s expression changed and he jumped in front of the soldier while taking out his own weapon, barely making it in time but was still pushed back a few feet.


    "Impossible, how could someone so small have so much power?" the captain felt like he was dreaming.


    "Kid, what''s your name?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.


    "Hashirama."


    "I''m Kuo, nice to meet you," the captain smiled back at him and then turned around and with a single swing killed every single soldier that was standing behind him. Now it was Hashirama''s turn to be surprised.


    "Why?" he asked looking at their dead bodies.


    "Because I knew they were all involved somehow and now your statement proved it. I specifically choose these guys toe here to see their reactions. But it doesn''t matter. Tell me, do you have any family here?" Kuo asked putting his sword away.


    "No....there''s no one left..." Hashirama fell to his knees and finally, tears started to drip down his face.


    "Come with me then, there is a ce for people like us. People who don''t like injustice, people who want to fight for the weak and not for glory. I can''t promise you riches, but it will never make you feel empty inside," Kuo bent down and patted his head. He nodded through the tears and started bawling even harder. That was thest time he cried.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOM*


    "Hmm?" Hash looked towards the source of the sound.


    "Sgt, I think we should check it out. That shout and now the explosion, it could be one of ours," a soldier said from the back.


    "Mhm. Get ready to move out," he stood up and put away the scimitars that were in hisp.

 Chapter 66: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 66: Reunion</h4>


    Hashirama and the 30 mad saints under him slowly made their way to the source of the loud noises which had never stopped even once and kept ringing out like a constant bombardment from military nes.


    "Careful, there are way too many spirit beasts and many demonic beasts as well. Try to not to aggravate them," Hashirama looked at the moving trees and ordered. The jungle actually looked like it was moving. All the massive trees were rocking back and forth as if the ground was about to be turned upside down.


    *Rumble*


    The ground started to shake making everyone go on full alert.


    *ROAAAAAAAAAR*


    Towards the left, an extremely loud monsters roar sounded and sent a few of the lower leveled soldiers flying several meters in the air. For the first time, Hashirama''s expression changed.


    "Stay here, I''ll go take a look," he said looking at the source of the roar and disappeared in a second. Staying in the canopy for cover, he jumped from one tree to another for several minutes until he finally got a glimpse of the monster.


    "Impossible, how can it be here?! There is no death energy in this ce!" sweat started to pour down his face. "I must find the others and warn them, we have to leave this ce right now!" he suddenly turned around and ran straight back to the soldiers.


    "Quickly, we must move!" without exining anything hemanded.


    Without trying to hide their presence anymore they rushed towards the noise.


    Fortunately, Hashirama''s team wasn''t alone in the assumption that the original noise might be from one of them. Others had the exact same ideas and they were slowly making their way to Hao Xuan''s location as well.


    "Kill them all! Quickly, we don''t have time to waste!" a voice shouted from his right this time.


    "Hmm?" he turned around and followed the voice and was delighted, it was Maddy''s team!


    "Hash?!" Maddy sensed himing before he could actually see him. "Just in time,e help us clear these worms away," he said with augh and jumped towards a 7-meter long white worming out of the ground.


    The worm had hundreds of small pointy arms all along the underbelly, and if any of them got a hold of their prey, death was all but guaranteed. Their facespletely opened up exposing the multitude of teeth and tentacles. Along with their 4 beady eyes, they were hated by almost every single creature. The bodies were hard with extremely sensitive hairs on them, appendages were mostly poisonous.


    They were able to lie dormant for months underground until someone passed by and they would jump into action.


    Hashirama nodded and jumped in the monster crowd with his dual scimitars. Wherever he went blood flowed. He was an expert in 1vsMany battles and did extremely well in battles.


    Maddy, on the other hand, was the exact opposite and was a force to be reckoned with one-on-one but was much less ''efficient'' in a crowd.


    Hashirama''s party reached as well and together they killed most of the beasts while a few like the worm escaped.


    "Let''s go, we need to leave the Quarry as soon as possible," Hash said putting away the scimitars.


    "Why?" Maddy asked with a frown.


    "I''ll tell youter. We have to find the others. Going to the source of the original noise is the best option we currently have. since it wasn''t you then it could be one of the others."


    "...Alright," Maddy looked at him with a suspicious face and agreed after a couple of seconds of silence. Hash was the second strongest person Mad Saints other than Kuo so if there was something that could make him worry then he definitely wouldn''t be able to handle it.


    *RUUUUUMBBBBLLLLE*


    The ground shook even harder this time. "What the fuck is it this time?!?!" Hash blurted out unconsciously.


    "There''s someone fighting towards the west, 10 kilometers away? I can''t be sure," Maddy said with closed eyes. This was one of his abilities. He was extraordinarily sensitive to the changes in Qi.


    "Let''s check it out then," Hash said and they all started running. As they got closer, the rumbling eased up more and more until it finally stopped.


    "You''rete," a loud voice came from the front. Hash''s face lighted up when he heard it and he ran even faster until a clearing appeared with the bodies of a dozen or so gigantic turtles with their heads cut off.


    "Lieutenant!" Maddy and Hash shouted at almost the exact same time.


    Kuo was sitting down with a bloodied left arm and Jin Wang was behind him just standing casually.


    Hash frowned looking at his injury.


    "I''m fine. One of the turtles had a mutation and caught me by surprise," Kuo pointed at the smallest shell. It had a strange glowing mark on the shell and a snake as a tail.


    "The bloodline of Xuandi?!!" everyone''s expression changed when they saw it.


    "Mhm," Kuo just nodded back in response. Xuandi was an extremely old being. It was neither human nor beast or of any other known races. Some said it had existed since time immemorial and would still exist after the universe hade to an end.


    No one knew what it looked like. It could take any form and be anything and had no set objective. The only thing known about it was that it liked to mess around. It was a magical being with powers far exceeding the ancients. Some called it a god while some were too afraid to utter its very name.


    Hash stared at the turtle''s body for a moment and then remembered the other creature he saw.


    "Lt. Kuo, we have to leave this ce as quickly as possible. Something strange is going on," he went up to Kuo and said in a low voice.

 Chapter 67: Reunion Continued

    <h4>Chapter 67: Reunion Continued</h4>


    "What do you mean? Strange how?" Kuo asked with a frown.


    Maddy, Jin Wang, the four newbies, and Qin Wei moved closer to get in on the conversation. Hash looked at them and then shook his head helplessly.


    "The initial shout that started all this, was that one of you by any chance?" he looked at Kuo and Maddy. They both shook their head in response.


    "Well, I guess it doesn''t matter much now anyway..."


    "Just spit it out, what are you talking about? Why do we have to leave?" Jin Wang couldn''t take it anymore and said casually, making Hashirama frown.


    "About south-south-east, a high-level demonic beast has appeared. One that I have never seen before," he finally said with a sigh.


    "Demonic beast? What''s so special about it? It''s not like we haven''t gone against them before," Maddy cut in just as Kuo opened his mouth.


    "It''s a Lich," Hashirama replied somberly. The atmosphere turned serious in an instant. Jin Wang, Maddy, and Kuo''s expression turned grave whereas the others were confused.


    "Psst, hey, what''s a Lich?" Mason poked Jin Wang''s back.


    "Don''t touch me," was the only response he got, making everyone speechless.


    "An undead. A lich is an undead creature. Technically its neither a beast nor human. We don''t know how it''s born or where, only that it appears before or soon after a bloodshed.


    It feeds on the remains of powerful creatures, that''s why it''s arrival is synonymous with disaster. It can basically ''predict'' cmities," exined Kuo while looking at the cloudy sky.


    "The Jia and now this? Is it already toote?" he mumbled but Hash and Maddy still heard him. They looked at Jin Wang who nodded back reluctantly.


    "Is that it?" Mason probed since he felt like there was more to it.


    "Hm? Oh, um no, although Lich''s are a bad omen, they themselves are extremely powerful as well. A lich is made up of several different other dead creatures and since they are already dead, how can they be stopped? It''s reallyplicated to exin, once we go back read up on it more," Maddy exined further.


    The universe is endless. Who knows what is hidden in the darkness. What we call ''death'' is considered only to be a beginning by some. And what people call a lich is basically this deathly energy that has gained sentience. It fuses the bodies of nearby creatures to make a suitable ''suit'' for itself ande back to ''life''.


    Throughout its life, the only goal it seems to have is to seek out more Death Energy which it uses for cultivation. But because it is already ''dead'', it cannot be stopped by normal means. Either it has to be wiped out of existence all at once or cultivators which specialize in using life energies have to fight it since any normal injuries are insignificant.


    "We have to go back," Kuo interrupted everyone''s thoughts. "This is too big. We have to tell the generals!"


    "But what about the captain? And Sgt. Cav?" asked Aria worryingly.


    "One day. We will look for them for a day and then leave. We cane back with reinforcementster but this is too important," he stood up and replied.


    "Let''s go," there were 69 people in the party now. Once they met up with Cav it would be the full 100.


    Everyone packed up, took care of their wounds, and left towards Hao Xuan''s location.


    The distance between them wasn''t that much but due to the terrain and the detours taken to avoid beast hordes, it took more than an hour until they reached the location.


    *Gasp*


    "Wha-"


    "The hell happened here?!" the ground was filled with corpses. Hundreds upon hundreds of body parts could be seen on the ground. It was a literal bloodbath.


    "Who was it?" the soldiers were at a loss for words.


    "Look at this," Jin Wang bent down and cleared away some of the body parts from the ground. There were long ck burnt marks everywhere. "Remind you of anyone?" he asked Kuo with a grin. Kuo looked at the marks and for a few seconds was confused until he remembered something and his eyes lit up. He turned towards Maddy and said, "Can you find him?"


    "There''s no need," as soon as he finished Jin Wang butt in once again and pointed west. Without saying anything Kuo started walking, followed by Jin Wang. The rest looked at each other with nk faces and followed after them.


    "Don''t make a sound, I wanna see this first hand," Kuo ordered in a stern voice without even looking back and everyone tensed up. They followed the trail of bodies for 5 more minutes until some loud noises came from the front.


    *BOOOOM*


    "Quick!" Kuo and Jin Wang jumped into the tree''s and recalled the Qi to hide their presence. The rest did the same.


    *CRACKLE*


    Lightning crackled and the view in front of them became clear. An ape of more than 8 meters in height and six arms came into view. It had bloody gashes all over and was huffing in exhaustion. Further to the right was a gigantic green serpent with one good eye and a bloody socket where the other one should have been.


    To the left was a horse-like creature and was even taller than the ape. It seemed to be in the best condition.


    In the middle of them was a grey hound of about 5 meters in size and two heads, shaking violently.


    "Hmm?" The four newbies were already pretty amazed looking at the extremely powerful demonic beasts. Mia squinted her eyes looking at the hound, "Is it....?"


    *RIIIIIP*


    With a bang, the hound''s body cleanly separated in two and fell apart, showing a silhouette standing behind it.


    "Is that it?!?" came an angered voice from it.


    "If you''re noting, I will!"

 Chapter 68: Samsara

    <h4>Chapter 68: Samsara</h4>


    For as long as the universe has existed, the concept of Samsara has been around. It stands for the circle of life and death in this material world of ours. ording to it, everything must have a beginning and an end. But then what about immortality?


    Cultivation, or rather, cultivators, are an existence that go against Samsara. They go against the universal truth that all things muste to an end. They fight against the predestined and preordained to take control of their own lives.


    Cultivators MUST believe that there is nothing stronger than their own prowess otherwise at one point or another, they will reach a bottleneck that will be uncrossable. To stand against the harshness of reality, to stand against the cards that have been dealt to you and say "No, I make my own destiny!" is the way of the martial world. By whatever means necessary.


    ***


    "Is that it?!?" came an angered voice from the silhouette.


    "Two hours. For two hours you have ambushed me and struck from the shadows, rallying your subordinates and ordering them to fight against me. What now? Now that they are all dead, what will you do now?" the silhouette spoke in a contemptuous tone.


    "Who is that?" asked one of the soldiers.


    "How the hell should I know?" answered another, annoyed.


    "But doesn''t it look simr?"


    "No way, how can you even recognize him in that condition?" asked the second soldier in return.


    The silhouette was obviously Hao Xuan and he was covered in blood, mud, and wounds all over. There was a three-inch hole in his left shoulder from where the shoulder de could be seen. His entire skin was a shade of charcoal ck with the veins almost popping out. Every second or two they would visibly expand when blood flowed through. The skin was so hard that it was cracking up.


    Even breathing was extremely painful and every single movement felt constricted. He wanted to rip his skin off like an undersized shirt and be free.


    All this was of course due to the Brute potion he had taken earlier. The potions main material was the core of a high-level demonic beast. By some extraordinary means, the core was melted and mixed with hundreds of magical herbs until the desired effects could be achieved.


    It was not an overstatement to say that it was worth several small fortunes and yet, Hao Xuan drank it like a cup of tea.


    If he had paid any attention to the instruction on the bottle then he would have known to only drink a mouthful of it at once because otherwise, the energy from the potion could overflow and even cause spontaneousbustion in certain cases.


    Fortunately, Hao Xuan''s potion was 50% diluted on First''s orders since drinking it as is would just be an extremely expensive poison for someone at his level.


    The potion didn''t actually increase his realm but by pumping enough pure energy through his body increased his power to that of someone at the top of Origin realm. That''s why his skin had be hard and ck and he felt like ripping it off. He basically had too much energy and no way to let it all out.


    "COME! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. His eyes were bing redder by the minute and he was losing control.


    "Shouldn''t you go help? He''s not gonnast long it seems," Jin Wangmented from the side. Kuo furrowed his brow and mumbled, "Looks like I was expecting too much huh.."


    But before he could make a move, the giant ape leaped towards Hao Xuan in anger. All the remaining beasts were kings of their domains. They controlled hundreds of miles each in the quarry where their word wasw. And now to fight against this one little human they sacrificed so many beasts.


    Hao Xuan looked at the ape that looked like a small mountain of muscle and activated his full power, "Heavenly re!"


    He shot forward like a literal lightning bolt with the ive and sword drawn and made contact with the ape.


    *BOOOOOM*


    The shockwave from their impact sent everything hurling back. Luckily the Mad saints were far enough to not take the brunt of the force and weren''t discovered.


    All the spectators were amazed.


    The dust settled, revealing Hao Xuan and the ape. The ape was missing entire three arms from the right side and Hao Xuan''s left arm was dangling lifelessly.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Both of them were breathing heavily. Hao Xuan was obviously much worse off since there were two other beasts readying to attack.


    "God damn, I didn''t think the captain was this powerful!" Maddy subconsciouslymented, surprising everyone.


    "Wait wait, that''s the captain? OUR captain?" Luke asked takenpletely by surprise.


    "Seriously? None of you noticed??" now it was Maddy''s turn to be surprised. How the hell could not a single one of them not notice? but of course many people had already guessed as much but were just too engrossed to speak up, one of them was Aria.


    Aria looked at Hao Xuan''s sorry state and slowly went over to Kuo.


    "Lieutenant, when are we going to help the captain?" Kuo looked over and was startled by the look in her eyes. If he said something she didn''t agree with then she was probably going to march out there alone.


    "Don''t worry. Nothing will happen to him. But if we keep helping him whenever he''s in a precarious situation then unconsciously he will start relying on us too much. And that''s not good for a soldier," he replied after a moment of thinking.


    ".....Yes," Aria nodded but didn''t move back to her original position and stayed right where she was.


    "This kid..." Kuo helplessly shook his head. "Anyways, looks like its about time for us to intervene huh?" he thought inwardly. Hao Xuan really looked like a walking corpse at this point.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Hao Xuan slightly turned his and head and looked behind him. The cave where the siblings Cui and Wei were was right there. If he fled or just gave up then it wouldn''t end well for them.


    "Never! The General trusted me enough to give me this mission, how could I fail? Especially when it''s his friend''s kid?" he thought inwardly, "No fucking way," he blurted out loud.


    "As long as I breathe, none shall pass!" he made up his mind and started circting his Qi once again.


    "Get ready, we will attack soon," Kuo passed down the order. Everyone was looking at Hao Xuan with bated breaths.


    *Zing*


    A bright yellow light came from the soundly sleeping Zhurong and entered Hao Xuan''s head.


    "Huh?!" he frowned as he felt the sensation of something ''appearing'' in his mind. Surrounded by enemies he closed his eyes and a Yellow book appeared out of nowhere. Unlike his other techniques, this book seemed almost ethereal, as if it would disappear with a gust of wind.


    There was a name etched on it but it was in anothernguage, one that Hao Xuan couldn''t read. It looked extremely old and a strange vibration wasing off of it. He willed and it opened. The first paragraph read:


    "Samsara; The circle of life and death."


    "One strike to break free from death''s clutches,"


    "One strike to break open the gate of life."


    "One strike to decide the fate,"


    "One strike to shatter the providence."


    As he started reading the paragraph in his mind, his lips moved along as well. All the Qi in his body instantly stopped, and then started moving in a strange pattern.


    This was the ''gift'' left behind by the being that hade with Zhurong. He left Hao Xuan a single technique to protect his precious young master. Just now because of Hao Xuan''s strong desire to protect, Zhurong unconsciously activated the technique in his brain which was supposed to be locked until he reached the profound realm.


    *CRACKLE*CRACKLE*


    Lightning and thunder boomed in the cloudy sky as if it was about to fall. All the spirit realm cultivators frowned feeling the change in the atmosphere. This was true for several hundred miles. Every normal beast and human within a radius of four hundred miles felt this change.


    *Creaaaaak*


    Hundreds of miles underground, an elongated ck head looked straight up with its beady eyes.


    *RUMBLE*


    The entire ground started to shake.


    Two thousand miles east, another beast with four white eyes looked towards Hao Xuan''s location.


    Five thousand miles northwest, a hand appeared out of the ground. These creatures were not ordinary by any means, which is why they were able to detect the changes from so far away.


    Kuo, Maddy, and Hash looked at each other and their expressions changed.


    "Not good," they all thought and at the same time got ready to jump towards Hao Xuan.


    The three beasts were scared shitless by the sudden change in the atmosphere and without waiting for whatever Hao Xuan was doing to finish, they lunged at him all at once. But it was already toote.


    Hao Xuan suddenly opened his eyes which werepletely white now and spoke slowly.


    *ZZZZT*


    A Lightning bolt came straight down on Hao Xuan''s head andpletely disappeared inside his body. All the energy which was leaking out a second ago was gone in a second.


    "Huh....?" Everyone was bbergasted.


    Hao Xuan looked straight at the ape, but as he turned to look at the serpent, his head literally split into two like a reflection in the mirror with the original still looking at the ape. Once again the original head separated into another and looked at the horse beast.


    Right now there were three identical faces looking at the three beasts, all withpletely white eyes. Three Hao Xuan''s opened their mouths and said at the same time, "Thest strike of Samsara!"


    *ZZT*


    *ZZT


    *ZZT*


    The ''clones'' separated and three Hao Xuan''s came out of his main body and shed towards the beasts at the same time with different attacking postures. When the ''clones'' weapons made contact with the beasts bodies, small orbs of light were generated from the weapons and which expanded in a micro-second andpletely covered them from head to toe/tail. (See trantors notes)


    "CAREFUL!" Kuo, Maddy, and Hash jumped into action and released their entire Qi reserves to cover the mad saints. The balls of light exploded all at once.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    It took about 10 seconds for the devastation caused by them to disappear and onlyrge gaping holes were left in the ground where the beasts should have been.


    Hao Xuan was still standing in his original position.


    Complete silence. There was not a single noise in the entire area.


    *pit*pat*


    Raindrops started to fall down and Hao Xuan''s green pupils returned to his eyes.


    "Oh, you''re here," he mumbled looking at Kuo and co. and fell on the ground unconscious.

 Chapter 69: Choice

    <h4>Chapter 69: Choice</h4>


    Hao Xuan''sst fight although took a while to describe, but in reality, it all happened in less than 3 seconds.


    From the Mad Saint''s point of view, Hao Xuan closed his eyes and mumbled something. When he opened them they werepletely white. A lightning bolt struck him but didn''t make a sound. He looked at the three attacking beasts and all of a sudden separated into four, with three of them attacking the demonic beasts and one still standing in the original position.


    His attacks were so unexpected and fast that the beasts had absolutely no chance to defend. Three Hao Xuan''s shed like a blur and when their attacks connected, the beasts basically ''vanished'' within the orbs of light.


    *tip*tip*tip*tip*


    It started raining and got heavy within a few seconds. Hao Xuan''s unconscious broken body wasying on the ground and all the blood and mud was being washed clean off. It was almost like the rain wanted to wash away everything.


    The Mad Saints were still sitting in the tree''s canopy, staring at Hao Xuan with nothing to say.


    Kuo, Maddy, and Hash were in front of everyone else still powering up a shield that wasn''t needed anymore.


    "Well fuck me sideways and call me sally, that was unexpected," a voice woke everyone up from their daze. It was Mason.


    *cough*cough*


    Kuo coughed and cleared his throat. He seemed to have chocked on his own saliva. "L-Lets get down," he stammered, still in a slight daze.


    The reason these three experienced Spirit Realm cultivators were at a loss for words and confused was because they clearly felt the changes that happened at the very end. Those three ''clones'' of Hao Xuan weren''t actually clones.


    It wasn''t unheard of to be able to clone yourself. There were several different ways but onemon theme was that no matter what, the clones cannot have more power than the original body, only less. Whereas what Hao Xuan did was something entirely different. All of his clones were just as strong as his main body.


    Also, cloning could not be done instantaneously like that. Not to mention the changes in the atmosphere.


    "T-Time. There were time dtions present...." Maddy whispered still looking at Hao Xuan as if looking at an alien. Hashirama and Kuo''s expression changed even more. The surprise and utter shock could not be hidden even if they tried.


    But it was a good thing everyone was engrossed in their own imaginations otherwise saying something like that would cause an uproar.


    Time dtion''s, in the cultivation world at least, meant something slightly different. What Maddy had implied was that those weren''t Hao Xuan''s clones, rather he himself attacking the three beasts in threepletely different directions at the same time. It would mean he was manipting time itself.


    Time as many incorrectly believed, was not a straight line. It didn''t just go in one direction. There were many strange ces in the universe where time flowed differently than others. It was either slower or faster, or evenpletely absent. And Hao Xuan''s technique had something to do with that.


    If this got out then Kingdoms and even entire empires would go to war over it. Time-rted techniques only existed in stories and legends.


    "SHHH! Don''t ever say that again. It was no such thing. This never happened!" Kuo said in an authoritative tone as if stating a fact.


    "Eh? Y-Yes, of course!" Maddy and Hash both nodded in agreement. But they missed something, an eavesdropper. Jin Wang''s eyes gleamed and he looked at Hao Xuan with a strange smile on his usually expressionless face. God knows what was going through his head.


    Kuo opened his mouth to give orders but was interrupted by a worried scream, "B-Brother Hao!" a scrawny little silhouette was standing over Hao Xuan trying to protect him from the rain.


    "Hmm?" Kuo frowned and disappeared from his spot along with Maddy and Hash.


    *Vssh*


    *Vssh*


    *Vssh*


    Cui had tears streaming down her face. Hao Xuan knew the cave was behind him so he fought against hundreds of beasts and didn''t take a single step back, not once. Obviously, it was because of her and Wei. He was bleeding all over. The color of his skin was a reddish-pink and it hurt just looking at him. She heard the whooshing sound and looked up to see three unknown men that had appeared out of thin air.


    "S-Stay back!" she picked up Hao Xuan''s sword that was next to his body and attempted to lift it up in front of her but it was too heavy. She dropped it and took out a small knife from her ring and stood in front of Hao Xuan protectively, aiming the knife at Kuo and Co.


    "W-Who are you?" she asked with a stammer but her expression changed once again. One after another people kept ''appearing'' behind the three men. There were dozens of them.


    "G-Go away!" she tried to shout again but this time her voice was quivering too much. She was still scared but not once did she think about running away and stood her ground against these unknown enemies.


    "What a brave little girl. Don''t worry, we don''t mean you any harm. How do you know Hao Xuan?" asked the man in front breaking into a kind smile.


    "W-Who are you?" she asked again but this time much quieter.


    "SOLDIERS! Who are you!?" instead of answering like a normal person, he shouted while still looking at the girl, scaring her.


    "The Red Legion! The Mad Saints!" All of them replied in unison.


    "See? Now your turn," he smiled at her. She took out an amulet and lifted it up in front of her so they all could see. Kuo''s expression changed.


    "Gao Royalty? You''re from the caravan?" he asked, surprised. She nodded back in response. Kuo then looked at the unconscious Hao Xuan and mumbled, "What luck.."


    "Alright. Let''s get acquaintedter. We need to treat his injuries," he pointed at Hao Xuan.


    "There''s a tunnel over here," she pointed behind her.


    "Lead the way," Kuo wasn''t able to find anything with his perception so he asked her. Jin Wang came forward of his own ord and picked Hao Xuan legs and looked back, "Someone gonna give me a hand?"


    Everyone was stunned. Not a single time since they had known Jin Wang had he done something that he wasn''t ordered to.


    "O-Oh!" Hashirama walked out and picked Hao Xuan up from the shoulders and they followed after Cui.

 Chapter 70: Danger

    <h4>Chapter 70: Danger</h4>


    Cui led them towards the entrance of the tunnel but because of the illusion formation it was hidden. She walked up to the rock formation and disappeared, walking right through it.


    "Like I thought..." Kuo stopped for a second and then followed after, entering the tunnel. Inside another child was waiting by the entrance next to a campfire, looking at them warily.


    "It''s okay, they are the same as brother Hao," Cui whispered to Wei and he nodded back in response, of course still somewhat apprehensive of the new visitors.


    After Kuo the rest of them came in one by one. The entrance obviously wasn''t big enough to amodate all of them at once so they started moving further inwards.


    "S-Stop! Don''t go in there, please. Brother Hao said there is a scary monster in there that could kill everyone in the jungle," Cui ran in front of the soldiers to warn them.


    "Monster? Here?" Maddy slowly walked deeper into the tunnel with a furrowed brow with the sword drawn. Hao Xuan knew how strong they all were and if he thought there was something here stronger than them, then he was most probably right and staying here would be a terrible idea.


    The tunnel was extremely dark and nothing further than a few meters was visible. This wasn''t the normal kind of darkness either but something more sinister. It felt like it was "absorbing" all the light and turning the surroundings even dimmer, slowly expanding its domain.


    "Hmm?" Kuo and Hashirama took out their weapons in an instant. The light from the campfire was getting dimmer and dimmer the deeper Maddy went. It wasn''t that the fire was getting smaller but just the light from it that was illuminating the surroundings was being ''restricted'' somehow. As if it was scared to touch the darkness that was invading the tunnel.


    *Crunch*


    Maddy stopped. He had just stepped on something in the darkness. He removed his foot and it was a bone fragment, probably from a beast but there was no way to tell since it was far too small.


    Bending down, he picked it up to examine it.


    "Come back!" Kuo suddenly ordered from the back. Maddy turned around halfway but out of nowhere his instincts alerted him of a looming danger. But it was far too strong to be just a simple warning, it was not something he could fight against. It was telling him that this was it, that he was going to die no matter what with absolute certainty.


    But he wasn''t a normal soldier either. Hundreds of times he had seen death in the eyes and turned back. How could this frighten him?


    The ''darkness'' had morphed into a strange silhouette and a w-like appendage wasing straight towards him.


    The bandages on his right arm loosened in an instant. He turned his head back towards the tunnel and lifted the now exposed right arm with his fingers outstretched and said one word, "Burn!"


    *VOOOOOOOSH*


    A gigantic stream of red fire came out of his hand like a methrower and fell on the dark silhouette. The silhouette struggled for a couple of seconds and looked at Maddy and then at Kuo, Hash, and finally Hao Xuan. Its hideous maw opened up and from it came another mouth with its tongue outstretched, licking the area around the mouth.


    "FUCK OFF!" Maddy shouted in anger when he saw it ignore himpletely while he was attacking and turned his hand sideways. The fire got even brighter and the rocks around the tunnel started to melt.


    *Kek*kek*keK*


    The creature opened its mouth in a strange way and a noise came. A mockingugh aimed at Maddy, or an attempt of one at least. Finally, after a few more seconds it couldn''t endure anymore and got washed away in the fire and disappeared.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Maddy fell to his knees. Sweat was pouring down his face like water.


    Kuo quickly walked up to him and took out a formation and ced it where the creature had appeared. A shimmering ''shield'' appeared and blocked the tunnel.


    "What....the fuck...was that..." Maddy asked through heavy breaths.


    "An imprint. Just.....an imprint...." Kuo replied hesitatingly. Maddy, Hash, and Jin Wang''s expressions changed for the worse.


    "An imprint? Impossible, it was so strong. Even you wouldn''t be able to take on my ''Dragons breath'' head-on like that, let alone an imprint!" Maddy shook his head, not epting it.


    "Whatever the hell that thing is, it''s much stronger than me or you. And also, that wasn''t a normal imprint. The creature, wherever it is, was controlling it. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be THAT strong," Kuo exined and turned back around.


    "We have to leave this god damned ce as soon as possible. One thing after another keeps popping up. That ''thing'' is a very high-level Demonic Level beast, or something even stronger. But either way we aren''t a match for it," he said while walking up to Hao Xuan and examining his injuries.


    "Should we leave right now?" Hash asked with a furrowed brow.


    "No, the captain is in no condition to travel. He took a ''Brute potion'' and until he recovers a bit, we can''t move him. Also, the creature is still very far or at least has something else to do for now. I think it should be a day or two more until it can get here. We will leave tomorrow," he took out a small bright green pill and crushed it into a powder, mixed it in some water before pouring it down Hao Xuan''s throat.


    A few secondster hisplexion changed and he was looking much better already. It was a Qi recovering pill.


    When Hao Xuan had used "The Last strike of Samsara", every single ounce of Qi from his body was used up. That technique wasn''t something that could be used by someone at such a low realm. Nor was itplete.


    The technique was of an extremely high grade with only five people in the existence ever having used it, Hao Xuan now being the sixth one.


    Obviously, this wasn''t even a speck of its actual power and yet it was enough toy waste to demonic beasts far stronger than Hao Xuan.


    *Meow*


    A small fluff ball walked out from under Hao Xuan''s head. Zhurong had just woken up.


    "What I don''t understand is, how does that cub never get hurt? And look, it''s as clean as the day it was born. How does it stay undisturbed when captain moves around like that?" muttered Mason as he bent down to pet Zhurong but was met with a disdainful re by the little furball.


    He casually walked up to Hao Xuan''s face, licked him a few times, and went up to his chest andid down, going back to sleep.


    "W-Wow. That''s a talent as well huh, sleeping like that....." muttered Mason while scratching his head awkwardly.

 Chapter 71: Danger Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 71: Danger Continued.</h4>


    Everyone stayed inside the tunnel for the time being. Kuo had sealed up the other end with a mid-grade holy shield formation which would provide some actual protection especially against powers rted to the darkness, unlike the illusion formation Hao Xuan had put up.


    It was still raining heavily outside and the weather was extremely cold. The siblings had to stay close to the campfire throughout the night. Fortunately, the others were high-level enough that it didn''t bother them that much.


    They all rested up during the night. Hao Xuan woke up a few hourster and took some medicine of his own and most of his injuries were healed by the time the sun rose up.


    Hao Xuan exined what happened when he was separated from the saints and they exined their sides as well.


    "Hmm, so we have to leave as soon as possible. We can''t stay here for too long. Every beast hundreds of miles around us has probably woken up by now," hemented.


    "Alright, let''s go. Half will stay here and half wille with me to their camp. I think I know where it is now. No need to take everyone. It will only draw more attention to us," everyone agreed with him and of course only the strongest were allowed to go with them to the camp. Rest stayed in the tunnel with the siblings.


    The rain hadn''t ceased for even a second but still, it was like the jungle hade alive. There were beast roars and sounds of fightinging from almost everywhere.


    They ran into quite a few beasts themselves, with three being low-level demonic beasts.


    After about two hours they reached the same spot where Hao Xuan was confronted by the Jia soldiers the day before.


    "Anything?" Kuo turned towards Maddy and asked in a hushed voice. Maddy closed his eyes and opened them 20 secondster.


    "I can''t say for sure but there seems to be something about 10 miles to the north," he pointed in front.


    They followed the directions and finally found the camp. There were corpses, both monster and human littered all over the ce. Apparently, quite a few beasts had attacked the ce since it was right out in the open. It looked abandoned.


    They stayed a few meters back and observed for a good 30 minutes before Hao Xuan got impatient, jumped down, and walked straight in.


    "Hello? Is anyone there?" he shouted casually.


    "What the hell is the captain thinking??!" Maddy asked with an annoyed expression.


    "It''s the fastest way. No need to waste time," Jin Wang responded in his usual monotonous voice and followed after Hao Xuan.


    The others all looked at each other until Kuo finally nodded with a sigh and they followed after them.


    The dead bodies seemed to be both from the caravan prisoners and bandits. It seemed like they were freed at the end and fought together against the monsters but to no avail. Everyone perished.


    "Tsk Tsk, what a shame," Jin Wang shook his head but none could tell if he was being serious or making fun of the dead. His face had absolutely no expressions.


    "Oi, someone still alive? We''re here to help!" Hao Xuan shouted once again but got no response.


    He walked back to Kuo and whispered something in his ear but Kuo shook his head, "Damn it."


    They looked everywhere but there was no sign of anyone escaping alive, that is until Hashirama checked one of the destroyed tents at the back.


    "Captain! Lieutenant!" he shouted and everyone ran up to him.


    "What happened?" asked Kuo.


    "This..." Hashirama handed him an almost invisible string. It was leading into the jungle further in.


    "What is that?" Hao Xuan inquired since he had no idea what that meant.


    "One of the local tribes of this ce, this is their signature," Kuo replied with furrowed brows.


    "Tribes? People LIVE here? In the jungle?" Hao Xuan was speechless. Why the hell would anyone choose to live in such a ce?


    "Yes. But they''re not exactly ''normal'' people. They have been here since before the kingdom was formed. They live away from everyone. The military generals had an agreement with them. They wouldn''t go against the Mei kingdom if the poison quarry and other such ces were not disturbed," Kuo replied with a nod.


    "Oh, so what''s so special about these people?" Hao Xuan asked.


    "Their abilities, physical appearances, and customs differ significantly from the norm. There is a tribe here whose people have abilities and appearances most simr to some of the arachnid species. They aren''t exactly beasts but notpletely human either."


    "So this was is a spider web? Was it left by one of them on purpose?"


    "Most probably. Their webs are like extensions of themselves. They don''t just leave them behind like this. It can be softer than silk and stronger than diamonds depending on their level. I think the owner of this string wanted us to follow them for some reason," Kuo exined, still examining the string.


    "Alright, let''s go then." Hao Xuan said without any hesitation and started following it.


    "But what if it''s a trap?" Shouted Kuo from behind.


    "Then let''s spring it. I got shit to do man, been here way too long. If they wanna y like this then so be it," he shouted back without turning his head and disappeared in the undergrowth.


    "I think he has a few screws loose," Maddy whispered to Hashirama but everyone still heard him.


    "I know right? It''s so awesome," Jin Wang said with a grin and followed after Hao Xuan.


    "Was....he always like this?" Maddy asked after a few seconds of silence. Hashirama shook his head in response and along with some of the others else before following after them.

 Chapter 72: Hidden

    <h4>Chapter 72: Hidden</h4>


    "It''s so boring. Kill monsters, go back, and repeat. Why is even this life so nd? When will it get interesting? I might as well kill myself again if this is all that is toe," he used to think to himself.


    "Oho, he is pretty strange. Why does he do all these weird things? It''s like I''m a side character in his show. But as long as it''s interesting there''s nothing wrong with that. As long as he can put on a good enough show, even being a servant wouldn''t be such a bad thing..." he thought inwardly.


    ***


    Hao Xuan and the Mad Saints followed after the spider web for 30 minutes. On the way, several beasts came out of nowhere and attacked them as if they were waiting in advance. The further into the jungle they went, the worse it got.


    Huge spiders, flesh-eating worms, venomous centipedes that were tens of meters long were just some of the beasts that had blocked their paths.


    "We''re close," Maddy whispered after he finished off a small 3-meter long worm creature that tried to surprise attack him from underground.


    "Where?" Kuo asked carefully looking around. Maddy pointed towards the left. They recalled their Qi''s and started moving in the shadows. After about two minutes of jumping from tree to tree, a narrow gorge came into view.


    Its bottom was not visible and was mostly covered by mist but every now and then a creature could be seening out and going back in. It gave everyone an eerie feeling. Something told them that ce was not meant for humans to inhabit.


    Not to mention that the mist seemed to be seething, boiling almost. It didn''t even look like mist but something with substance.


    On the other side of the gorge a couple of tents could be seen ced right out in the open. Three huge figures were sitting outside of them with their eyes closed.


    "That''s them. The Jia," said Hao Xuan. "But there''s one missing," he frowned after realizing the Monk guy wasn''t there.


    "S-So what do we do?" Luke asked from the side. The four newbies hade along as well. Although they weren''t strong, Kuo wanted to give them some exposure and brought them along anyway. Hiding them wouldn''t do any good.


    Everyone looked at Kuo but Jin Wang looked at Hao Xuan with an expectant look on his face.


    Kuo turned around and started giving out orders, "Form two teams, one goes from the left and one from the right. Maddy will scout out the surroundings and make sure there isn''t anyone hiding in the shad-" while he was talking he saw the newbies utterly shocked expressions as they were looking in the direction of the Jia soldiers. He slowly turned and his mouth fell open as well,pletely speechless.


    Hao Xuan had casually jumped out of the trees, lept over the gorge, and was now standing just a few meters away from the soldiers.


    "What the fuck!" he subconsciously screamed aloud from shock.


    "Quickly, after him!" he gave the order and jumped forward with everything he had,nding right next to Hao Xuan.


    "Hey, you guys said your leader wanted me to visit him, I''m here to take you up on that offer," Hao Xuan shouted with a smile.


    The soldiers jumped up in surprise. They all took out their weapons and stood protectively in front of the tent. One of them had a greatsword, another had a giant club and thest one had a hammer. All extremely heavy weapons.


    "You have some guts kid," the leader, Steel, said in a menacing tone of voice. "Because of you we almost died. Hell, those bandits and the prisoners from caravan already did," he said while tightening his grip around the greatsword.


    Hao Xuan simply shrugged like it wasn''t him he was talking to, "You shouldn''t have forced my hand. I did warn you."


    Kuo, Hash, and Maddy were standing right next to Hao Xuan, ready to jump into action at a moment''s notice.


    "So, are you gonna bring me to your leader or not?" he asked when no one made a move.


    As if in response to his query, the tent''s p lifted up and a small figure, almost the same size as him walked out. He was in a hood as well with his face covered.


    "You''re the leader?" Hao Xuan asked with a frown. He was expecting a giant, not this little pipsqueak. He looked like a child standing next to the Jia soldiers.


    "Yes," a voice came from under the hood.


    "Why did you want to see me?" Hao Xuan asked after a few seconds of silent contemtion.


    "It doesn''t matter anymore. Would I be right to say that you now have the siblings?" the hooded figure who was obviously Jiang Ling asked.


    "Yes," Hao Xuan nodded without hesitation. There was no reason to hide it anymore.


    "Name a price. We must have them. Anything you want, spirit stones, weapons, treasures, beasts, women, you know the deal. Just name it and it''s yours," Jian Ling asked casually as if negotiating with a shopkeeper over amon household item.


    "They are people, not things to be bartered and sold," Hao Xuan replied with a hint of anger. Buying and selling humans was a disgusting thing. Taking away someone''s freedom, there weren''t many things worse than that.


    "We must have them," Jiang Ling announced after a short moment.


    "Alright, I''ll make you a counteroffer. You have the general yes?" Hao Xuan asked after pretending to think about it for a second.


    "Yes."


    "Alive and well?"


    "Alive....."


    "Alright. Hand the general over and I''ll let you leave, that''s my offer," Hao Xuan said magnanimously.


    "No deal," Jiang Ling shook his head without a second thought.


    "Alright, kill them all," Hao Xuan slightly turned his head and ordered. If only Kuo, Maddy, and Hash could curse at him right now but in front of the Jia soldiers they had to put up a unified front. So like the good little soldiers that they pretended to be, they abruptly leaped towards the three soldiers in front of them, while Jiang Ling was left standing there alone.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll fight you alone," Hao Xuan cracked his neck, took out a sword, and swiped it across Jiang Ling¡¯s neck in one smooth motion, or as smooth as it could being from someone of his level.

 Chapter 73: Bloodline Limits

    <h4>Chapter 73: Bloodline Limits</h4>


    The rest of the 30 or so Mad Saint members were standing at full alert. Maddy, Kuo, and Hashirama were fighting against the three soldiers in the distance because even though they weren''t using any special techniques or powers, the weaker realm soldiers would not be able to withstand the force from their bare punches.


    And the reason they weren''t using any powerful techniques was that it would draw a lot of attention to them. There were many beasts roaming around the area and using any strong Qi techniques would attract their attention. They would be akin to a bright light in the darkness of the night.


    Hao Xuan used his Zanbatou without utilizing any Qi attacked Jiang Ling. Jiang Ling, on the other hand, was not using any weapons at all but instead his bare hands to block all of the attacks.


    Each of his punches felt like they had the weight of several tons and after a few strikes, Hao Xuan''s hands were bing numb.


    "The hell is this power, he is not even using any Qi to supplement his attacks, just the power of his body is that much?!" the more they fought, the more shocked Hao Xuan became.


    "Damn it, if it goes on like this I''ll lose," Hao Xuan gritted his teeth. Jiang Ling, on the other hand, waspletely rxed. He still had the hood but most of his face could be seen, or rather the mask he had on.


    "Hmm?" Kuo frowned after trading a few punches with Steel, the Jia leader. "Why isn''t he attacking?"


    Back when he had fought against Monk, the fight was really fierce and he had to actually use his full power, but not it seemed like Steel was blocking and attacking once or twice, almost like a robot.


    "Wait, where is their fourth member?" he suddenly remembered and then his expression changed in an instant.


    "Not good! Cap-"


    *BOOM*


    Before he could finish a spear came flying straight at him.


    "Hngh," he twisted his upper body in a strange way and barely dodged the spear but then came a golden fist and hit him in the chest at full force, sending him several dozen meters away and crashing down into the ground, creating a hole.


    "You''rete!" Steel turned towards the treeline behind him and said.


    "Sorry, I got lost for a bit," said a voice, and Monk walked out. "Oh, it''s you! How are you still alive?" he looked at Hao Xuan and asked with a surprised expression.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter, soon you will all be dead," he smiled.


    "With just you? I don''t think so," Hao Xuan looked at him and said calmly.


    "No, not just me," he grinned and from behind him walked about three dozen Jia soldiers in full Iron armor. The four Jia soldiers including Monk were extremely tall, with a height of about 15 feet or 4.5 meters. This new armed regiment was about 10 feet or 3 meters tall on average, looking much smallerparatively but killing intent was almost pouring out of their bodies which made them look like experienced soldiers.


    "Ahh shit. I had to say that," Hao Xuan''s expression changed.


    "Mad Saints! Get ready," he turned his head and ordered and everyone got into formation.


    "Kill all of them, other than him," Jiang Ling pointed at Hao Xuan and jumped back, standing next to Monk.


    "KILL!" the new soldiers all had the exact same weapons, copper-colored longswords! They unsheathed them and ran straight towards the Mad Saints, still in formation.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned unsightly. This was a properly trained army and together they were much more powerful. Not to mention with their massive statures, it felt even more oppressive.


    With gritted teeth, he unleashed the full power of both his meridians and an invisible pressure descended on the battlefield. For the charging enemies, it felt like a massive weight had been ced on their shoulders and their speed visibly decreased, for the Mad Saints, their blood starting boiling and they felt like the heavens themselves were in their grasp.


    "Kill them all! Leave none standing!" Hao Xuan ordered and took out his ive and activated the Wrath of Deimos. But instead of the usual spider-like limbs from his back, a blood-colored armor appeared around his body. It was slightly transparent and looked it was made of ss. It was shimmering in red light and instilled awe in all the spectators.


    Jing Wang looked at him in surprise and then a smile appeared on his face.


    This was one of the forms of Wrath of Deimos. Hao Xuan had been trying to get control of it ever since he started learning it and during the fight with the beasts, he finally managed to reach a higher realm.


    *ROAAR*


    Hao Xuan roared like a beast and instead of waiting for them toe to him, he ran straight into them. The other Mad Saints followed after with only Jing Wang left standing in the back.


    Kuo walked out of the hole with a little bit of trouble. Several of his ribs were broken and there was blood around his mouth.


    "It was my bad for letting my guard down, it won''t happen again," he said with an angry expression and jumped towards Steel with full power, destroying the ground under his feet.


    "You''re not a match for me," Steel smiled back and met the iing sword with a punch, blocking it entirely. Kuo furrowed his brow thinking, "How strong is this bastard??!"


    "We are low on time. Release your restraints, you have my permission," Jiang Ling said in a serious tone, and the three fighting against Maddy, Hash, and Kuo broke out in a grin.


    "As youmand!" they said at the exact same time and massive amounts of Qi burst out from their bodies.


    Previously, the three soldiers named Steel, Ox, and Dagger were at the second, first and first Spirit realm respectively. But on Jiang Ling''s permission, they unleashed their bloodline limits and leveled up by two stages each, reaching Fourth, third and third spirit realm.


    Kuo, Maddy, and Hashirama''s expression''s turned deadly serious. Even before they were a handful, but now?

 Chapter 74: Collision

    <h4>Chapter 74: Collision</h4>


    Cultivation was a way for mortals to break free from the norm and reach a higher position in the universe. So through it, they could bring about great changes in themselves and the world around them, one of them were these bloodlines.


    When a cultivator reached a certain realm, they would be able to pass down their powers and even abilities in some instances to their offsprings. That was the reason for the existence of many ancient ns. At one point or another in time, they had an extremely powerful cultivator in their ancestry who was able to pass down his or her bloodline, thusying the groundwork for a new power.


    These bloodlines could include many strange and wonderous powers which with some luck, had a certain chance of being passed down to their descendants so they could be born with exceptional ability or power simr to that of their ancestors.


    Some like the Jia could gain an increase in small realms, some could be born with special attributes like the Mei n, some could be born with an affinity towards a certain element etc. The variations were endless.


    The three Spirit Realm cultivators of Mad Saints were fighting with everything they had and rest were engaged with the new regiment.


    Trying to keep things lowkey, no one was using any big techniques but that was bound to change sooner orter, lest they wanted to die an early death.


    Hao Xuan fought two soldiers at once, with the boost from Infernal Rapture and Emperors Arrival, he was shing around the battlefield like a fiend, striking any enemy soldier that let his guard down for even the slightest moment.


    Although things weren''t that much in their favor, it wasn''t totally one-sided.


    Jiang Ling looked at the ongoing fight and furrowed his brow. Without using any Qi this battle wouldst for a long time, time which he didn''t have.


    "No choice, I will join the fight as well. Stand guard," he ordered Monk and took off his robe.


    His muscles looked like they were chiseled from stone, looking extremely sturdy. His skin color was golden-brown and under the sunlight, he looked like a statue made out of a precious metal.


    Hao Xuan felt a disturbance in the atmosphere and turned around to see where it wasing from and his eyes constricted when he looked at Jiang Ling.


    "What is that..." he mumbled in a daze, there seemed to be a golden aura surrounding Jiang Ling which was getting thicker by the second.


    "Not good!" he got a very bad feeling all of a sudden and out of pure instinct, moved back one meter and the ground where he was standing a second ago turned into razor-sharp spikes and came protruding out like a jaw of a demonic beast.


    "Hoh, how did you dodge that?" Jiang Ling said with half a smile, "No matter, this will be the end," he shook his hands and the ground started shaking.


    "EVERYONE MOVE BACK!" Hao Xuan shouted with full force and threw his sword towards Jiang Ling like a spear.


    *Ding*


    A wall of mud appeared in front of him and the sword pierced it but that was the limit. It couldn''t move an inch after going about halfway through.


    Jiang Ling closed his eyes and breathed in, the earth trembled once again and the golden color of his skin got even thicker, almost looking like a pure gold statue.


    This was his bloodline limit. The bloodline of the Ancient Earthen Giants. They could control the earth as if it was a part of their own bodies and have sturdier builds than diamonds.


    Nothing could pierce their thick armor-like skins and allowing them to go on a rampage without having to worry about sneak attacks.


    "AHHHHHHH" with a shout and a roar, his size kept increasing until he was even taller than Jia soldier, at about 18 feet.


    "Now, we shall fight," he looked at Hao Xuan with a contemptuous gaze and shot forward like a bullet.


    Hao Xuan, of course, didn''t back down from the challenge and in a fit of rage, melded Infernal Rapture with Wrath of Deimos, giving his armor a ckish hue.


    Along with the ss-like structure and its own red color, now the armor looked like it had small ck snakes wriggling all around it.


    "AHHHHH" with a loud shout of his own, Hao Xuan used Heavenly re and collided head first with Jiang Ling.


    From afar, it looked like a streak of yellow colliding with a streak of red, with only one result.


    *BOOOOM*


    Everyone and everything around them was sent flying dozens of meters away.


    "What the hell are they?!" Luke said with a horrified expression. He was a realm higher than Hao Xuan but there was still no way for him to go head-to-head against a power like that.


    They all stopped fighting and were just looking at the ce where they had collided. The dust was obstructing their vision and they couldn''t see clearly, but there was only one silhouette visible.


    After a minute or so, the dust settled and Kuo''s expression turned ugly. There was only Jiang Ling standing in arge ditch with Hao Xuan not even in sight.


    "C-Captain?!?!" Looking at Jiang Ling, Aria blurted out unconsciously.


    Jiang Ling was standing in a striking pose with his elbow stretched out. He slowly looked up, "I kind of used a bit too much power. I''m surprised you''re alive."


    Everyone followed his line of sight and finally saw Hao Xuan embedded on the side of the ravine behind them, more than 50 meters away. His entire chest waspletely caved in and blood wasing out of his eyes, nose, and ears.


    With bloody eyes, Hao Xuan slowly looked up at him with effort and then his head went limp.


    "CAAPTAIN!" Kuo shouted in panic and rushed towards him at full speed.


    He slowly took Hao Xuan out and put him on the ground. He was barely hanging on by a thread.


    Jiang Ling stood in his ce and didn''t make a single move, allowing Kuo to treat Hao Xuan. His own body was scratchless and obviously, the previous collision meant nothing.


    "Seventh Stage Spirit Realm, no wonder," Jin Wang said in a praising tone while looking at Jiang Ling.


    "S-Seventh Stage?!?!" Maddy repeated in disbelief.


    They were all shocked to their core. The previously unassuming young man was at such a high realm?!?

 Chapter 75: Concealed powers

    <h4>Chapter 75: Concealed powers</h4>


    "RETREAT!" Kuo gave the orders to the Mad Saints that were just standing in a daze. His voice woke them up and they fell back to surround Hao Xuan.


    "Is he going to be okay?" Mia asked with a rarely seen uneasy expression.


    "I don''t know," Kuo checked his condition and his expression turned grave. Hao Xuan was in bad shape, his pulse was slowing down by the second. If this continued then death was inevitable.


    "Bring me the boy, kill the rest," Jiang Ling ordered after a brief period of silence and all the soldiers regrouped and got ready to attack.


    "Protect the captain! Don''t let a single one through!" Hashirama shouted when he saw the Jia get ready to attack. He and Maddy took vanguard positions and got ready for the uing battle.


    To say that everyone present had their hearts in their throats would be an understatement.


    "Attack!" the Jia finally charged straight towards the Mad Saints, led by Steel and the other two Spirit Realm warriors.


    Hashirama and Maddy looked at each and saw the unwavering determination and knew what had to be done.


    "Damn it," Maddy shook his head gloomily and pressed his right hand on his chest and twisted. Hashirama cut open his fingers and let the blood drip down his scimitars.


    *BANG*


    With a loud sound from Maddy''s body, his aura skyrocketed and Qi exploded outwards. Red energy starteding off of Hashirama''s swords and his Qi exploded as well.


    "Bloody moon!" He shouted swung both the scimitars in front of him, sending a fiery red sh straight towards the iing soldiers.


    Maddy''s eyes had no pupils remaining and werepletely white as if he was possessed. He held the silver sword with both his hands and a red fire enveloped the de instantly.


    "Burning Dawn!" he shouted somberly and shot out like a rocket to meet the soldiers and swung his burning sword with all he had.


    *BANG*BANG*BANG*


    A swarm of fireballsnded in the middle of the Jia soldier formation, lighting several of them on fire. They started screaming and tried to put out the fire but to no avail. Within a few seconds, all that was left of them were burnt armors.


    Steel, Dagger, and Ox, Jiang Ling''s bodyguards finally couldn''t take it and jumped ahead of everyone straight towards Hao Xuan.


    Hashirama side-stepped and moved in to stop Steel, Maddy collided with Dagger, but there was no one to stop Ox as he madly sprinted straight into the Mad Saints formation with his gigantic club, literally batting away half a dozen of them.


    Kuo''s expression was already extremely serious. Hao Xuan''s heartbeat was down to just 10 beats per minute. He looked up at Ox who was just 5 meters away from him at this point and punched in the air.


    A massive fist of pure Qi materialized in front of him and shot towards Ox, smashing him down into the ground. But barely after a second the giant got out of the ground and grinned at Kuo.


    "Not enough," he said and held the club above his and brought it straight down in front of him. At this distance the impact would be enough to rip Hao Xuan''s injured body into several pieces if it connected.


    "NOO!" Kuo shouted in panic, Hao Xuan was in no condition to be moved and he was too far to stop the attack at this point so he stood in front of Hao Xuan to use his body to take it head-on.


    But just as the club was about to hit the ground, a dainty little hand appeared in front of it, stopping it instantly. Ox''s purlicue ripped apart and blood flowed down like a waterfall.


    "What!?" he was stupified. It felt like he had just hit a mountain of metal, the force rebounded from his attack and hurt his own hand instead.


    With a stupified expression, he pulled the club back up to see what happened and saw a man standing in front of him, smiling. He was smaller this Ox''s own club, that''s why he couldn''t see him.


    "That''s far enough. We don''t want to do things we regret now do we?" the man smiled at him.


    When the attack didn''t connect, Kuo slowly turned his head and his eyes constricted as well.


    "You? Wha- How?" he stammeringly asked.


    Hashirama and Maddy stopped and turned around to see and were bbergasted.


    "Our captain is not in a good condition right now, pleasee againter," the man smiled and gently pped Ox''s chest.


    "Hu-" before he could the word out, Ox shot back like a cannonball, straight into Jiang Ling.


    Jiang Ling''s expression changed and he used his massive arms to stop the iing giant and was pushed back a dozen meter.


    Finallying to a stop, he put down the now unconscious Ox and checked his body to see a palm print embedded deep into the chest.


    With furrowed brows, he slowly looked up at the man and his expression changed in an instant as he used his arms to block the iing leg from the man that was now standing right in front of him.


    With a bang, he was yet again kicked more than 20 meters away. At this point, everyone had stopped their own fights and were just staring at the man inplete and utter disbelief.


    "The fun''s just started, let''s not get carried away here," he said with a half smile. Kuo''s expression finally returned to normal after a few seconds.


    "No wonder the general wanted me to rope you in," he mumbled but the man still heard him and turned around to look at him.


    Jiang Ling came sprinting back like a mad bull, straight towards the man.


    "Kiddo, this won''t work on me," he smiled in response and with a step appeared right next to him, and pped him on the back of his head, like an elder yfully pping a juniors head.


    *BAAANG*


    With a loud sound, Jiang Ling''s head felt like it was hit with a hammer and went straight down into the ground, his momentum now working against him pushed his head further in. Half of his 18 feet long body was buried in the earth now.


    The man didn''t wait and simply kicked his abdomen once again and he sent him flying straight up for more than a hundred meters.


    Hashirama and Maddy were standing there with mouths agape. How could he be so powerful?


    Finally, Mason and the other newbies woke up from their daze and looked at the man, and he fearfully spoke up, "W-Was brother Jin always this powerful?"

 Chapter 76: Strength

    <h4>Chapter 76: Strength</h4>


    Finally, Mason and the other newbies woke up from their daze and looked at the man, and he fearfully spoke up, "W-Was brother Jin always this powerful?"


    Yes, the man that was throwing Jiang Ling around like a ragdoll was the useless Jin Wang.


    Jiang Ling was thrown straight up into the air like a deted ball and came crashing down after 20 whole seconds.


    He struggled to get up and people could see a ''dent'' in his abdomen where Jin Wang had kicked him. Jiang Ling was incredulous to such a degree that he thought it was an illusion and tried to wake himself up by pinching himself but it was to no avail.


    "How? Who, no, WHAT are you?" he asked Jin Wang still in disbelief.


    "Just a soldier. You don''t have to worry about it. You should leave now, I don''t want to get a princes'' blood on my hands today," Jin Wang said in a casual tone but the expressions of the four Jia bodyguards and Jiang Ling himself changed in an instant.


    "Who are you?" he asked again, this time much more somberly. There is no way anyone outside the Jia Royal n should know of his background, how could a no-name random soldier know then?


    "You have 5 seconds," instead of answering Jin Wang lifted up his right hand with fingers outstretched and slowly started to make a fist.


    "I must have them. There is no other way," Jiang Ling took out a strange object that was one part hammer and one part club with a beast skin and some feathers on the handle.


    "So be it," Jin Wang shook his head and stepped out once again, appeared in front of Jiang Ling. Jiang Ling''s eyes constricted and he swung the ''hammer'' with full power. A brown energy covered the entirety of the hammer as it camming crashing down towards Jin Wang''s chest.


    Instead of panicking, Jin Wang once again used a simple palm to try and block the attack. When Jiang Ling saw that he turned gleeful and a smile appeared on his face. He could already see the blooding out Jin Wang''s mouth like a fountain.


    Unfortunately, that didn''t happen. Once the hammer got close to him, the brown energy surrounding it popped like a bubble and once again he felt like he had hit an immovable mountain.


    This time Jin Wang was serious. After stopping the hammer with his right palm, he made a fist with the left hand and punched Jiang Ling''s face, which sent him tumbling more than a 100 meters away.


    "BOSS!" Steel and Monk shouted simultaneously and shot towards Jiang Ling. When they got to him and dug him out of the 5 meters trench, they saw his bloody condition and were petrified.


    Jiang Ling was a Seven Stage Spirit Realm cultivator with Ancient Earthen Giant bloodline, there weren''t a lot of things that could hurt him below Profound Realm beings.


    Obviosuly Jin Wang wasn''t a Profound realm expert, so how was he able to damage his body so much?


    By this time, themotion was enough to attract the attention of several nearby Demonic beasts.


    Jin Wang looked sideways and walked into the tent Monk was protecting. The insides were actually much bigger than the outside with a radius of about 20 meters.


    There was a formation with an injured man inside, chained up. He looked up as Jin Wang entered and frowned.


    "And who might you be?" he asked curiously. Jin Wang smiled in return.


    "A friend. The red Legion wees the great general," he did a formal bow which looked slightly sarcastic as if he was making fun of him.


    "Red Legion?" he repeated the words and after a few seconds, his expression turned cheerful. Jin Wang, with still half a smile on his face, walked forwards but was stopped by the general.


    "Stop! This is a low-grade Sky Restriction formation. You have to unlock it, it cannot be dest-" while he was still in the middle of his exnation, Jin Wang unceremoniously walked into the formation and picked up the general with one arm and walked out as if it waspletely normal.


    "....Eh.....?....." General Shu was stunned. This formation was enough to trap him, an Ex-Great General but this kid just walked in and out like it was just for decoration.


    The formation wasn''t destroyed or tampered with in any way and was still functioning properly, but Jin Wang was unaffected by it.


    He walked out of the tent and put Shu down and ripped apart his Zenkai chains like tofu.


    Zenkai was a metal found only in the Beast world. It wasn''t terribly strong but it had a special ability to restrict the usage of Qi. Once someone held even a small amount of it in their hands then they would not be able to circte Qi at all, making it extremely effective against cultivators.


    *ROAAAAAR*


    Just as Kuo and the party were about to ask Jin Wang about the current situation, an extremely loud beast roar interrupted their thoughts.


    Several miles away trees were being ripped apart and thrown around like sticks. Whatever the thing was, it wasing straight for them.


    "We should go," Jin Wang said after looking towards its direction.


    "Wait, there''s someone else in the other tent, I think it would be helpful if you rescued him as well," General Shu pointed at the second smaller tent near the back. Jin Wang didn''t want to argue with him so without saying a word he walked in and saw a man in chains with his head wrapped in bandages sitting there. He destroyed the chains and brought him out.


    "You two know each other?" he asked looking at Shu, who shook his head in return which piqued his curiosity.


    He took the bandages off of the man''s face and actually took a few steps back in shock.


    The ''man'' had a horrific-looking head that resembled a spider with several ck eyes. His body waspletely normal but the head would give nightmares to the bravest of men.

 Chapter 77: Treatment

    <h4>Chapter 77: Treatment</h4>


    "W-Woah, what the hell are you?!" Jin Wang asked trying not to look away.


    "Salutations! I see the thread I left behind helped somewhat," the man spoke, its two fangs that acted as the top lip moved up and down and gave everyone a creepy feeling.


    "These mongrels captured me and threatened me to work for them. I thought I was a goner but you saved me, you have my thanks. My name is 1092, nice to make your acquaintance," he said not taking Jin Wang''s reaction personally.


    "1092? Your name is a number?" Jin asked from a distance away. He still didn''t want to get too close to him.


    "Yes. I have a lot of brothers and sisters so naming everyone was a pain, hence the I was given a number, like many others," he replied with a smile.


    "O-Oh, anyway, we have to leave," Jin Wang turned away not wanting to look at the man''s face any longer. Even for someone like him it was too eerie.


    "Yes yes, do you know your way around? My home is not from here and I can give you refuge until the ''danger'' as passed," he said gesturing towards the iing creature.


    Jin Wang was going to refuse but Kuo interrupted from the side, "How far is it? Our captain is injured and needs to rest, we can''t move him too far away."


    "Not far at all. We can get there in a few minutes!" 1092 replied cheerfully. He seemed really happy to have somepany.


    The Jia soldiers were still there but they didn''t make a sound. Their boss was blown away like a fly and two of their strongest went after him, with one knocked out. Now there was only left with some of the soldiers.


    The Mad Saints ignored them as well and followed 1092. He went to the edge of the ravine and pointed down towards the mist and said, "Right down here. Please follow me," and jumped down.


    Maddy and Hashirama looked at each other, neither of them wanted to be the first to jump down into the dark ravine whose bottom wasn''t even visible. There were monster roars and different parts of theming out of the mist every now and then. It looked like a monster soup from the top.


    While they were still hesitating, Kuo picked up Hao Xuan extremely carefully and jumped down after 1092.


    "L-Lieutenant!" they both shouted but got no reply from him so after a couple of seconds they jumped down as well, followed by Jin Wang and the rest of the Mad Saints.


    About 20 meters down the ravine was where the mist started, Kuo was ready for a long fall but after the cover of the mist, a small ledge on the side was visible where 1092 was standing, waiting for them.


    "Over here!" he waved at him. Kuo jumped andnded on the ledge. There was a tunnel leading into the side of the cliff, with some light-stones lodged into the sides of it leading inward.


    "Quick, we need to hurry," Kuo urged 1092 as he saw Maddy and Hashnd next to him. "You wait here for the rest, youe with," he spoke to Maddy and Hash respectively.


    Kuo and Hash followed 1092 for a few minutes, the tunnel broke off into several different routes on the way but after about five or six intersections they finally came to a much wider cave. It was circr in shape and was at least 300 meters square. There were many doors on the sides and stalls were set up in the middle with some structures that looked like shops. There were a lot of people walking around, simr to 1092 but still different. Some only had spider limbs but some had entire lower or upper bodies of a spider. It was an arachnophobe''s worst nightmare.


    "In here," 1092 pointed towards a door right next to him. Kuo went in unceremoniously and ced Hao Xuan down.


    "Go get the others," he ordered Hash without turning around, still looking at Hao Xuan''s injuries.


    "Do you have a healer here by any chance?" he asked 1092. Hao Xuan''s injuries were too severe and without someone with healing abilities, there wasn''t much normal medicines could do.


    "Yes, of course, I''ll call her," 1092 nodded and left at once. A few minutester he came back with another person, she lookedpletely normal other than the four stingersing out of her back.


    "Move back please," she said urgently and went up to check Hao Xuan''s injuries. After about a minute she frowned heavily.


    "What''s wrong?" Kuo asked worriedly.


    "His injuries are way too severe. I''m afraid I''m not powerful enough to heal him, at least not in time," she shook her head. Kuo''s expression turned worse.


    "Is there nothing you can do? The kingdom will bear all costs, worry not. No matter how expensive the elixir, just save him and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams," he tried to tempt her in case she was holding something back, but it only seemed to make her angry.


    "I am a healer, I do not need your trinkets. If there was something to be done then I would have done it," she said in displeasure. Kuo''s knees went weak and he sat down beside Hao Xuan, looking at his bloody state.


    "Sister, what about that?" 1092 muttered from the back when he saw Kuo''s reaction.


    "Don''t speak nonsense," she berated him and turned around to leave.


    "Wait, what is it? It doesn''t matter what, just tell me if there''s something to be done!" Kuo enthusiastically asked. The healer looked like she was in deep thought for a moment and then spoke, "Poison. We poison him," she said earnestly.

 Chapter 78: Poison

    <h4>Chapter 78: Poison</h4>


    "Poison?!" Hash, Maddy, and Jin Wang had just walked in when they heard the healer talk.


    "Is everyone okay?" Kuo asked from behind her. "Yes, they are all outside," Maddy replied.


    "What''s this about poisoning our precious little captain?" Jin Wang came forward and asked with a smile. Looking at his unassuming smile the healer and 1092 were scared to their core. An unknown pressure descended on the entire 300 sq meter cavern. Hundreds of spider folk outside the room and everyone inside felt like a heavenly beast was staring right at them.


    "I-Its yourst bet. H-He will die otherwise," thedy that was so inattentive a second ago felt like her very life depended on her answer. If it was not satisfactory then she and everyone here would be dead, no doubt about it.


    "Please exin," Jin Wang asked with that horrific smile still stered on his face. The Healer took a second to gather her thoughts and started exining.


    "Poison usually works by entering the bloodstream and each one has a different effect. Some can deprive the cells of oxygen, some can stop the heart or other organs and some can mess with the nervous system."


    "Continue," he said and the pressure on the cavern subsided and she felt finally felt like her life was her own. Wiping the sweat from her forehead she continued.


    "There was a legend in our tribe that mentioned using a heavenly poison on people as ast resort. Of course, it''s not a sure-fire method and has a very high chance of failure, but if it works then not only would he live but also have some strange abilities. The only problem is that I am not strong enough to make the potion. I''m not an alchemist. I also don''t have the recipe, you would have to talk to the Matriarch."


    "Matriarch?" Hash inquired from the back.


    "Yes, our leader. This is is just a minor tribe that has branched off so we don''t have much to offer. You have to go to the main branch and ask her for the recipe, but the chances of that are very low. The Matriarch doesn''t meet with outsiders and is even less likely to give you the recipe. But that is your only chance."


    "All of his organs are ruptured and dying and not only that, but there is a rampaging energy in his body as well. If someone tries to use any healing techniques then it would explode, killing him instantly. I can give him something that will halt his bloodforce and keep him in a state close to death until you can try your luck. But you must hurry, this method will only work for a month at most."


    Kuo''s expression turned worse after hearing her story. He knew about the Spider Matriarch. She was a legendary character that had lived for countless millenniums. Let alone him, not even a general of the kingdom would have the authority to meet her face-to-face.


    "Alright, use whatever you have to. I''ll get the recipe," Jin Wang said in his usual casual tone and turned around to leave.


    "Eh?" Kuo was shocked speechless. There was no way Jin Wang didn''t know about the Matriarch''s power, how could he promise something like that? But before he could ask, Jin Wang''s voice came from the outside.


    "Don''t worry, I will get the recipe. Just take care of him," he said and then disappeared in an instant as if he was never there.


    The healer woke up from her daze after a few minutes and started running around to gather the things to halt Hao Xuan''s bloodforce.


    She brought back something that looked like a coffin that was filled halfway with a milky white liquid. She put in a bunch of different herbs and even some bugs and insects.


    "Lay him down inside, slowly," she ordered Kuo. He followed her instructions and put Hao Xuan inside. The liquid came up to his cheeks. Just as everyone was about to leave bubbles came out from the liquid and a wet Zhurong suddenly came out from under his head. He slowly paddled his way up to Hao Xuan''s body and got up on his chest.


    *Meow*Meow*Meow*


    It sounded like he was trying to talk to Hao Xuan but there was no reply. He went up to his face and licked and licked but still nothing. Mia who had heard the meowing came rushing in and saw the little puppy trying to talk to Hao Xuan and felt her heart bleed.


    "Little one, the captain needs to rest. He will be fine, just let him sleep for a bit," Kuo bent down and said consolingly. At first, Zhurong kept trying to talk to Hao Xuan but after hearing him he quieted down and just sat on Hao Xuan''s chest, guarding his master.


    *Meow*


    He meowed once looking at Kuo as if saying I will protect him. Everyone''s heart shook looking at the cute little beast trying to act strong.


    Mia slowly walked out of the group and stretched her hands out saying, "Let him sleep, you must not disturb him."


    Initially, Zhurong ignored her but then he turned around and took another look at Hao Xuan''s injuries. There really was no ce for him to even sit. Hao Xuan''s entire chest was caved in and there were blood and bones popping out of every ce.


    So he carefully went up to his face and licked him a few times and then jumped into Mia''s hands. She, of course, was more than happy to keep the little furballpany.


    "I will stay here," Kuo said somberly and sat down beside the coffin. He held out his hand an energy field covered the coffin.


    Hash and Maddy looked at each other and sighed.


    ***


    Jin Wang walked out of the tunnels and jumped back up through the ravine. All the Jia soldiers were gone.


    *ROAAAAR*


    Just as he turned around to leave a massive shadownded in front of him. It was an Azure Bull king. It had the head of a bull, body of a lizard with what seemed like human hands, looking extremely bizarre. It stood there with a body size of about 80 meters, blocking the sun.


    "Little thing, move out of my way now, I am not in a good mood," Jin Wang said in an annoyed tone as he met its eyes. The Bull King was a high-Level Demonic beast that had cultivated for thousands of years. When it heard Jin Wang''s words it''s eyes went red and with another roar came charging straight towards him.


    Jin Wang shook his head and with a sigh and circted his Qi for the first time, disappearing from the spot. He reappeared more than 500 meters away with a bloody hand and a massive azure beast core in his hand.


    The Azure Bull King''s charging body copsed with a loud bang and he was dead without even knowing how. There was a small hole between his eyes from which blood was pouring out, coloring the ground beneath crimson.


    Jin Wang stored the core in his storage ring, took out a clean cloth to wipe his hands and with another step appeared outside the cave where the Cui siblings and rest of Mad Saints were.


    He told them that the mission was a sess but the others had something to do it would take a bit of time until they could return. After putting down a shield formation near the entrance he disappeared once again and appeared several hundred meters away, in a clearing.


    With a shake of his hand, he summoned his contracted beast but this was not the one he usually used. This one waspletely grey in color and was about 30 meters in size. It had the head that looked like a dragon and the body of a horse. On its sides were massive leathery wings that were even bigger than the body. He jumped andnded on its neck.


    "Let us leave, we have to be quick," he bent down and whispered lovingly to the beast who nodded with its huge head and with a loud woosh, took off into the sky.


    This was a mutated dragon-horse with a wyvern bloodline. With just a couple of ps of its gigantic wings, it was already hundreds of kilometers away and flying straight towards the Fortune City.

 Chapter 79: Agreement

    <h4>Chapter 79: Agreement</h4>


    The distance between the Poison Quarry and Fortuna city was several hundred thousand kilometers. It took Hao Xuan almost an entire week along with other Mad Saints to make this journey on their mounts which were capable of covering hundreds of kilometers an hour.


    Yet it took Jin Wang a little above 4 hours until the Fortuna City was already in sight. With his massive Winged Dragon Horse he went straight towards the Red Legion headquarters but was stopped by the city''s protective barrier. Taking out his identity token he held it up high and a ray of yellow light shot out towards the barrier, opening a hole big enough for his mount to fly through.


    To not draw attention he was flying at an altitude of 600 meters. It took another 5minutes until he could see the militarypound and once reaching it he stored the Dragon Horse away, falling straight down.


    Falling from a height of 600 meters, although wouldn''t be dangerous for a Spirit realm cultivator, it would make quite an impact. Yet when he was less than three meters away from the ground, an invisible force propelled him upwards with enough force to cancel out his momentum and hended as lightly as a feather.


    He was in front of a small vi with a single guard outside. The guard was not taken aback even a bit by Jin Wang''s sudden appearance and only nced at him once. Jin smiled at the guard and walked past him towards the door.


    The guard still did nothing and just stood in his ce like a statue.


    *Knock*knock*


    He knocked on the door and stepped back. A few secondster the door was opened by a pretty maid. She greeted Jin Wang with nothing but a strange look in her eyes and simply led him towards a courtyard where an elderly man was sitting under a tree with a book in his hands.


    Before the maid could say anything the elder''s voice came from behind the book, "What brings you here?"


    The maid bowed towards the elder''s direction and silently left. Jin Wang casually walked towards the old man and sat down on the chair opposite to him.


    "I agree to your terms, on one condition," he said nonchntly. The elder put down the book and Jin Wang could finally see his four eyes. Yes, this was the leader of the Red Legion, the Demon of Mei, Great General Li Jing.


    "Why the sudden change of heart?" the general asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "I found something interesting," was the only response he got. There was silence for about 2-3 minutes.


    "Alright, as long as its nothing too overbearing, I ept," the general said after thinking it through.


    "Haha, its nothing like that. One of your little leaders was in charge of the unit I was in. I''m sure you''re aware," Jin Wang said breaking out intoughter.


    "Ninth, Yes."


    "He fought Jia''s hidden prince head-on and is in a bad condition. I need you to help him," when the general heard his demand his brows furrowed to the extreme. He had known Jin Wang for several years and not once did he do something that was notpletely selfish. So he couldn''t help but ask, "Why?"


    "No reason. He''s just very entertaining to watch," Jin Wang replied with a grin.


    "Even if it is one of the nine, you know I can''t easily take action right? My every move is being monitored. And at this time, it would not be easy for me to take action," he said after a moment of silence.


    Jin Wang broke out into a peal of even louderughter.


    "Old man, don''t give me that shit. I know very well how much you care for those prying eyes. Its because you''ve been keeping such a low profile that they have forgotten the rivers of blood that flowed wherever you went," Jin Wang looked like he had heard the funniest of jokes.


    "The Nine Earths, the Ten Heavens and everything in-between. There are a myriad of wonders out there, enough to say it is endless, yet so limited in the overall scheme of things that it might as well not exist. It is truly...dispiriting. I have seen too much and experienced too little," Jin Wang had a rare expression on his face, one with a mix of mncholy and sadness. General Li still said nothing and continued watching the leaves slowly fall.


    "Did you remember anything?" he asked after a while.


    "It is not remembrance. It- ... forget it. You wouldn''t understand even if I exined. Somethings are better left unsaid," Jin Wang shook his head and sighed.


    "Why him?" the General asked once again.


    "Because I''m bored. Is that not enough of a reason? I feel like he can show me something different," he said with a smile.


    There was silence yet again...


    "Fine. But you must stay true to your words," the general looked at Jin Wang and finally said.


    "Have I ever lied to you?"


    "More times than I can remember," the general said with a displeased look.


    "Hahahaha, fine fine. I promise. But I will not serve the Mei n. A person of my own choosing," Jin Wang said looking towards the sky. It had started snowing. He held out his hand, catching a snowke before melting.


    "This is your people in this world," he mumbled.


    "Exin what happened," general Li ignored his rambling and closed his book. Jin Wang told him everything that happened in thest few days and about General Shu as well.


    "It is good that they are alright. I must pay a visit to the Jia Royal city when I have time," a bloody glint passed through his eyes. He then took out his identity token and threw it towards Jin Wang.


    "Go to the research division and see if they have something to help Hao Xuan, if not I''ll go to that witch," he said picking the book back up.


    Jin Wang left as silently as he came and went to the military''s research division. It was a bunker built several miles into the ground with thetest tech. With the general''s identity token he had ess to every single thing. After looking through most of the things he went back the next day and returned the token to General Li.


    "They don''t have anything to counter Qi poisoning, not on such short notice."


    *Sigh*


    "Fine, let us go," the General shook his hand and a small boat appeared in his palm. He threw it up in the air and it erged to 15 meters. They both got on and with a single tap of the general''s foot, the boat almost tore through space itself and warped towards the Poison Quarry.

 Chapter 80: Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 80: Chaos</h4>


    *Ssh*


    He opened his eyes but all he could see was ck water surrounding him from every side. A feeling of pure dread hit him as he tried to swim his way out but there was no way to tell which way was up. There was only darkness.


    After a few minutes of struggling, he was at his limits and couldn''t move anymore. So he finally gave up and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable end.


    To shorten his suffering, he opened his mouth and took a deep breath to get it over with quick, only to once again open his eyes inplete shock. The ck water didn''t hinder his breathing and he could actually feel his lungs getting filled with fresh air with every breath.


    "What is this...? Where am I?" he tried to speak but no voice came out. After waking up from his stupor he once again tried to swim and with just a couple of strokes he reached the surface and poked his head out.


    He looked around but there was nothing. No star to guide him, no light to show him the way. For a full day he floated in the neverending ck water, allowing his body to go with the current.


    *Ssh*


    As he was staring at the void above in a daze, the water not far from him moved.


    "Huh?" He turned around but could see nothing in the darkness.


    *Ssh*


    Once again the water sshed but this time from behind him and he turned around just in time to see something dive back down into the water. Something.....big.


    His heart starting beating faster and faster. He held his breath because it was too loud and he couldn''t hear other noises clearly.


    *Ssh*


    Once again the water sshed, this timeless than two meters behind him. He quickly turned around and saw a massive scaly tail disappear in the dark water. His heart almost stopped beating altogether.


    "Is this hell?" was the first thought that came to his mind. This was his absolute worst nightmare. Being adrift in arge body of water with creatures of the unknown.


    "Please, someone, save me," he tried to shout but no voice came out.


    *Ssh*


    A few hundred meters the water sshed and something started moving towards him, getting faster and faster. A feeling of unadulterated horror hit him as he tried to swim away but whatever was in the water wasing straight for him, now just a dozen or so meters away.


    Two huge white eyes could be seen right under the surface of the water, staring at him dead in the eyes.


    "NOOO-" he finally mustered all his strength and shouted but before he could even let out the full word, a hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him up, throwing him on a small wooden boat.


    "You poor soul, how did you lose your way?" asked a raspy voice. But Hao Xuan was focused on the creature in the water that wasing for him, he turned around to check but there was nothing in there anymore.


    Not a single ripple in sight. Just the dark water that seemed to flow directly from the deepest parts of hell itself.


    With weak knees, he finally fell back on his bum as a feeling of relief finally hit him. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Finally remembering the hand that pulled him out, he turned around to see a middle-aged man sitting at the bow. He looked like a beggar and had untrimmed facial hair, not even enough to be called a beard.


    "T-Thank you for saving me," Hao Xuan said with utmost gratitude.


    "Worry not. We are both in the same boat, hahaha," the manughed. He was not sure if that was meant to be a pun or not.


    "You can call me brother Meng," the man said with a kind smile as if meeting a long-lost brother.


    "Hao Xuan," he introduced himself with a forced smile.


    "So, how did you end up here?" Meng asked once again.


    "Here? Where is here?" Hao Xuan asked confusingly. Thest thing he remembered was running towards Jiang Ling, and then he woke up here.


    "You don''t know? How long have you been here?" Meng asked, slightly surprised.


    "I''m not sure, but around a day I think?" Hao Xuan tried to remember but in this ce where there were no heavenly bodies, time might as well not exist.


    "Ohh, so you still have some hope then," Meng replied with a resplendent smile.


    "Hope? Hope for what? Where exactly is this?" he asked once again.


    "Where? Where do you think? At the edge of creation itself of course, hahaha," with a loudugh Meng moved away from the bow of the boat and from behind him suddenly came out a starry sky that instantly covered everything in sight. Even the dark water itself perfectly reflected the stars, like a mirror.


    Hao Xuan''s mouth fell open. A second ago there was nothing but darkness around them, but now he could see boundless heavens all around.


    "Woah....." was the only reaction Hao Xuan could muster after more than 5 minutes of staring at the sky.


    "Haha, I know. I was the same the first time as well," Meng took out an old gourd from somewhere and sat on one side of the boat and starting drinking.


    "Where are we?" Hao Xuan mumbled looking around. He could sees being torn apart, suns being born and destroyed, entire gxies copsing in an instant and others being born.


    "Hmm, what''s that?" he squinted his eyes upon seeing something moving in the darkness.


    "Chaos. That is antediluvian chaos. It was there since before the creation of the universe and will be here after its demise, it is everywhere," Meng replied with a mouthful of what smelled like cheap liquor.


    "I don''t know what that means..." Hao Xuan knew the meaning of the words that came out of Meng''s mouth but they made absolutely no sense to him.


    "Haha, don''t worry about it. You''re not dead yet so it''s normal that you cannotprehend these things. These are universal truths. Without reaching a high enough realm, the heavens themselves won''t allow you to know of them."


    "Death? Am I dying?"


    "Mhm."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan did not really have the reaction he was expecting. "I guess my attachment to that life was not much huh," he calmly mumbled to himself, as if talking about someone else.


    "Don''t get all serious on me now, here, have a drink and let''s chat. Its been so long since Ist talked to someone," he threw his gourd over to Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan caught it and took a closer look. It looked like a normal gourd you would see in old martial arts films on earth, nothing special about it. He opened and drank a mouthful and instantly threw up.


    Mengughed looking at him and took the gourd back and drank once again.


    *Cough*Cough*


    Hao Xuan coughed until he felt like a piece of his lung came out and finally calmed down.


    "Is this an illusion? Am I dreaming all this?" he asked after calming down.


    But after another negligible moment of contemtion, he doubted his own words. Everything he was feeling was all too real.


    Or perhaps it could be possible because he was on the verge of death. At least that way it would make more sense.


    "Who says illusions can''t be real?" Meng asked with a big grin.


    "Then what is this ce?"


    "It is whatever you want it to be. It is your life and death. It is the beginning of the universe and the end. It is the absolute truth and aplete lie."


    "That makes no sense..."


    "...It''s not supposed to," Meng mumbled under his breath and drank once again.


    But then he looked up at the starry sky and murmured, "Nine worlds, Ten heavens. Eight desces, Nine Hells. Just the beginning of the journey."


    "....."


    "Do you want to listen to a story?" he turned towards Hao Xuan with a mischievous smile.


    Hao Xuan looked at his face and for some reason felt like this unkempt middle-aged man looked like the loneliest being he had ever seen.

 Chapter 81: Saga

    <h4>Chapter 81: Saga</h4>


    "What type of story?" Hao Xuan asked curiously.


    "What does it matter? It''s not like there''s much else we can do here," he smiled back.


    "I guess. Go ahead then," Hao Xuan epted his current situation a little too easily and gotfortable. He sat down on the opposite side of the boat, facing Meng.


    Meng took anotherrge sip from the gourd and started.


    "Once upon a time, in a time not so far away, there was a ce called Hell. It was a ce made for the unrighteous and the unworthy. The most wicked of all creation were sent there. It was not for the living and was the abode of the demons and devils that were born to torture and punish its residents."


    Hao Xuan was thoroughly engrossed in the man''s tale as soon as he started talking. It did not matter whether or not it was real.


    But something about it held his attention like nothing else ever had.


    "These demons were born of fire and blood. They had no emotions, no sympathy, no pity for the poor souls that were burning day and night. They were emotionless beings that only enjoyed giving others pain."


    "Like the mortal world, they had the strong and weak as well. These devils could cultivate, corrupt the hearts of mortals, and be stronger. Hell was not a ''world'' or a. It was a ne of existence that existed everywhere, yet nowhere. It had Nine levels or circles."


    "These Nine circles of hell were ruled by twelve supreme beings that had existed since time immemorial. They were true immortals and oversaw and controlled everything. The four strongest were called the Old Ones and under them were the Eight Kings of hell. These beings had many forms and were strong beyond imagination."


    "For trillions of years, it all yed out the same way. A world was born, its inhabitants became sentient and developed morals and virtues by their own standards, and whosoever went against them was sent to hell by the high heavens," at this time Meng went quiet, with a look of nostalgia in his eyes.


    "And then??" when he said nothing for a few moments, Hao Xuan inquired.


    "And then....it all changed, at least for one individual. On a very young, there existed a race of humans that went a different path from the others. They choose to focus on their mortal tools and did not cultivate. Not long after, cultivation became a thing of legends and myths, and cultivators became figments of imagination."


    "This world destroyed itself. It depleted its resources and fought with one another until there was nothing left. Like many others before it, all its beings passed on to the next life. Most went to hell, and a chosen few to the heavens. One of those that went to hell was a man named Huan Shi."


    "Unlike the others, he didn''tmit any evil deeds. His only sin was that he was week willed enough to have lost himself in the worldly pleasures. For countless years he burned in the fires of hell and boiled in its waters. But not once did he me anyone but himself. He knew what was right and wrong but still continued his lifestyle so only he himself was responsible for his pain. What a weak man he was..." thest sentence Meng muttered under his breath, almost talking to himself.


    "But one fateful day, something happened. One random day, as he was screaming in the fires, a hand reached into the mes and pulled him out. For the first time in millions of years, he got a single moment of tranquility. With tears streaming down his face he looked up and saw the face of his savior, which left him dumbfounded."


    "It was the face of a heavenly beauty, quite literally. With a halo atop her head and white wings on her back that were slowly burning away.


    "I finally found you," she said to him with a relieved expression on her perfect face. She, was an Angel."


    "An angel?! Like from the heaven?!" Hao Xuan asked, shocked.


    At some point in the story, he forgot that it was supposed to be made-up and not an actual tale. Meng smiled back and continued.


    "Of course. But although she was a being of light, an angel, she was not very powerful. Her powersy more in divination rather thanbat."


    "She rescued him from the fires of hell and saved him from eternal damnation, but at a very stupendous cost to her on well-being. You see, normally Angels cannot step into hell, and Devils cannot step foot in the heavens. If they force their way in, they have to pay for it with their lives, as she did."


    "She burned her life essence and brought him outside, back to the realm of the living. They fell into a mortal world that focused heavily on cultivation. Here there were beings that could lifts and enclose entire gxies in their palms. She lost her divinity and turned into a mortal and started using the name Mao Hui. He, an inhabitant of hell also regained his life."


    "They both became cultivators and spent many years together. He always asked why she saved him but she never answered, only smiling in response as if looking at a fool. Theyter got married and had a very happy life, until one day an army passed by. This was an army of a nearby kingdom and its leader was the kingdom''s crown prince."


    "The prince fell in love with the fallen angel, Mao Hui on sight. And no one could me him, she was a heavenly beauty even after losing all her divinity. So one day when Huan Shi was away, he sent some powerful cultivators to kidnap her. When Huan Shi returned and saw the state of their home he immediately knew who was behind it."


    "So without a moment of hesitation, he went straight towards the royal pce and fought his way in. After an arduous battle, he finally reached the crown princes'' abode. He rushed in through the hordes of guards only to see the crown prince standing over her bloody body. Huan Shi killed the prince where he stood and went to her side."


    "She had slit her own wrists over the fear of being tainted by that filthy beast. Blood flowed like wine through the pce. Her face was ashen but she only looked at him with the kindest of smiles. As if she wanted to ingrain his face into her very eyes. "Why," he asked with a quivering voice. "Because it is meant to be," she answered and closed her eyes for thest time."


    At this point, Hao Xuan''s eyes were also wet.


    "You see, the thing was that if she had just died it wouldn''t be that big of a problem. But shemitted suicide so Hell was the only ce her soul could go to. Huan Shi had spent countless years in that ce and he knew of its horrors all too well. When he thought about the pain and suffering she would have to endure, there was no way he could rest easy."


    "So he cultivated. He cultivated like his very life depended on it. He fought and killed mercilessly. They called him a demon, a monster, but he didn''t care. He only wanted to be strong enough to walk into Hell itself and walk out with her. And he did. He became a monstrous existence, strong enough to break the dome of heavens above and suppress the Nine Hells below."


    "To fight against the armies of hell, he raised one of his own. An army of the most powerful cultivators in existence. The army had beings that would bebeled as Gods anywhere else but they acted as his subordinates, his mighty generals! He Led this army through the gates of hell and fought his way in."


    "He alone fought against Kings of Hell and his armies and generals fought against their armies. He, a mortal, instilled fear into the emotionless demonic beings and devils of hell. The Kings of Hell, after severe losses, took Mao Hui''s soul and sealed her away to use as bait to entrap Huan Shi."


    "Knowing that it was a trap, he still walked in alone. Because to him, nothing else mattered. As long she was there, nothing could stop him. The Hell Kings used everything at their disposal but still could not kill him. Left with no option, they bartered with the Heavenly Angels and used a God ying formation to rip his soul from his body and seal it in another dimension."


    "It still took the entire might of Hell to finally destroy his physical body. But his soul was still immensely powerful and could not be destroyed with normal means. So they used inconceivable means to gather primordial objects from around the known realms to make a treasure capable of suppressing his soul. They called it the Nine Hells Immortal Brand."


    "With its help, they marked his soul and he was finally weak enough to be killed, but before they could do anything else, he used thest bit of his power to break out of the sealed dimension and escape out into the Abyss."


    "Woah. Didn''t they follow after him?" Hao Xuan asked when Meng didn''t say anything for a few minutes.


    "Hahaha, little boy, you still don''t understand. The ''Abyss'' is not somewhere anyone can just walk into. Our worlds, the nes of mortals are just a very, very small part of the universe. The rest is just murk and teeth enveloped in eternal darkness. In there, thews of the universe as we know them do not exist. Nothing makes sense in that ce, not even time itself. And all of that is separated from our realms by the Chaos"


    "Chaos does not follow ourws and has its own set of rules. There are things in there that our minds cannot evenprehend."


    "No one knows what exactly is in there though. Space doesn''t work the same as here. Chaos, like its name suggests, is a ce that we are not meant to understand. It gives birth to treasures and creatures that would defy your logic. Even Huan Shi who could be called an overlord would be nothing out there."


    Hao Xuan went silent. He looked up and saw the chaos Meng was talking about. It looked like a pitch-ck thunderstorm at the edge of the universe.


    "So what happened after? Did Huan Shie back to rescue his wife?" he asked after a little while.


    "No one knows. It has been eons and most consider it an old tale," Meng shook his head.


    "Wait, what do you mean ''consider''? Do you mean all that could be real?" Hao Xuan asked, surprised.


    "Who knows, the worlds are endless and their miracles even more so. Who could say it was real or not," Meng finished and leaned forward to pick up the gourd at which point Hao Xuan saw something out the corner of his eyes, something burned into Meng''s back, almost like.....a brand.

 Chapter 82: Limitless

    <h4>Chapter 82: Limitless</h4>


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to think when he saw Meng''s back. It could be just a coincidence but what were the chances of that? It could also be aplete lie that he made up. Or, it could be his own delusional mind telling him something.


    "What the fuck is going on? What is this ce? Who really is this guy?" one after another, questions kept appearing in his mind after thinking his current situation through.


    "Old man, what are you?" he mumbled out without realizing. Meng smiled when he heard him.


    "I am just a relic of the past. I am nothing, at least not yet. But what are you?" he asked in return, leaving Hao Xuan even more puzzled.


    "Can you give this bullshit a rest? Why do you have to talk in riddles?" Hao Xuan was getting annoyed now. One after another this guy kept muttering stupid stuff that made no sense. Why couldn''t he just be straight with him?


    "Hahahaha, you''re right. Alright, ask, I will answer three questions of yours, if I can," Meng grinned at him.


    "Three? Alright. Are you or were you ever this Huan Shi from the story?" he asked without hesitation, just to see if he could get an honest answer out of him.


    "Yes. I once was called that," he nodded back with a serious look, wiping the grin off his face.


    "Okay. Second, is the story you told me real? Did that actually happen?" he asked once again. With his brows furrowed, he waited for an answer.


    "Yes. It''s all real. I was once hailed as an Immortal GodKing!" Meng answered as calmly as he possibly could but in Hao Xuan''s eyes, the man in front of him suddenly looked like a giant for a second.


    "T-Then, where you really the strongest in the universe??" he asked the third question without even realizing he had. At this moment, he just needed to know.


    "Of course not. I was one of the strongest in our ''world''. I can''t really exin it to you as you are now. You know nothing of what''s actually out there. You heard me say Nine worlds earlier right?" Hao Xuan quickly nodded back like a child.


    "Well, what do you think these Nine worlds are?" he asked. Hao Xuan thought about it for a few seconds but couldn''te up with an answer.


    "I''m not sure.s? Nines?" Meng couldn''t help but chuckle when he heard him.


    "Nope. There are billions ofs in each gxy and countless gxies in each universe, how could there only be nine worlds then?"


    "Then what is it? just tell me already!" Hao Xuan asked impatiently.


    "These Nine worlds are other nes of existence. They could be called different dimensions but that''s not entirely urate. But the thing is, they exist at the same time as our world. These other eight worlds have their owns and gxies and of course, cultivation systems. When you be strong enough you can travel between these Nine worlds through many different ways."


    "But what about the hells? Are the Nine Hells also the same as the worlds?"


    "More or less. But any being from any world can go to any hell after death. The Nine Hells are much more closely rted than the worlds. You could even say they are just different areas of one single world. Normal people don''t even know of these other worlds out there but the inhabitants of Hell can freely travel between each circle of hell."


    "But that doesn''t make sense. You just said that you fought Kings of hell alone but you''re not even the strongest in all the Nine Worlds? Are the Kings of Hell that weak?" Hao Xuan was getting irritated the more he listened. Was this guy just showing off before? Overexaggerating to such an extent?


    "Oi oi, this is way past three questions already," Meng frowned when he realized that even he got swept up in the conversation.


    "So you did lie then, no wonder," Hao Xuan said as a matter of factly.


    *Sigh*


    "Fine, I''ll exin this one thing to you. Each world has its ownws. The inhabitant of each world is not affected by thesews, only when they enter another do they feel their suppression. This natural suppression lowers their cultivation realms to some degree. That''s why it is not easy to determine which world is the strongest."


    "For example, our physical forms are very restrictive in hell. But spiritual beings will see an immense increase in their power."


    "I was not the strongest by any means, but I cultivated a certain Dao that allowed me to overpower my opponents to a certain degree. Or rather, neutralize the effects on me. Also, I had many heavenly treasures on me that helped me fight them. But neither of us could actually kill the other. It will get really messy if I try to exin it any further, you''ll know when you go there yourself."


    "D-Did you just tell me to go hell!??" Hao Xuan interjected but waspletely ignored.


    "The thing is, each ''world'' is almost limitless. No one can im to have explored all of it, let alone all Nine of them. There are Forbidden Burial grounds, Forsakennds, Cursed cities, I could go on and on. All such ces are extremely dangerous and hold many, MANY secrets. Even at my level, I couldn''t go in freely and had explored but a fraction of them."


    "The Nine worlds, are truly limitless. Not to mention the Nine Hells and Ten Heavens. In each of these ces exist beings that you will probably never know. They could be actual gods or True Devils. As I said, you have to go there yourself to experience it yourself. And the heavens and hells aren''t that biblical. Their inhabitants live and die just like us, usually."


    "Wow. T-That''s a lot of information," Hao Xuan finally calmed down and sat back to digest everything he heard. How could anyone im to be the strongest when the world was that vast? And not to mention the Chaos. God knows what was out there. For several hours they sat silently. One lost deep in thought, the other in old memories.


    "Oh, btw, for my third question, what was the ''Dao'' you cultivated?" Hao Xuan shamelessly asked when he remembered about it. His face was almost beet red from embarrassment.


    "Kid, I have lived for countless years but never seen anyone as shameless as you," Meng looked at him and said in all seriousness.


    "Hehehe, can''t me a guy for trying," Hao Xuanughed sheepishly and scratched his head, trying not to meet his eyes.


    *sigh*


    "You know, we are pretty simr. Born and raised in a mortal world and out of nowhere thrust into this, this clusterfuck of creation," Meng took a deep breath and looked at Hao Xuan.


    "What do you mean? Beast World has always had cultivation," Hao Xuan asked confusingly.


    "Oh, I forgot. Well, you will know sooner orter. Either you will return to thend of the living and unlock your memories or die and remember everything."


    "What? Unlock memories? What are you talking about now?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously. Was this another one of his riddles?


    "Nevermind. I''ll tell you anyway," he said finally, but then he mumbled to himself, "I feel bad for what you''ll have to go through when you actually remember kid. You''ll have to make a choice then."


    "Tell me what??" Hao Xuan suddenly perked up after hearing that and didn''t pay attention to thest sentence.


    "The Dao. I cultivated the Dao of Force. Do you know what force is?"


    "Of course, its-" when he tried to exin but couldn''t find the words.


    "Okay, nevermind. Just listen. Everyone will tell you to cultivate the Dao of this or that, but the thing is, they are all very specific. The Dao of Light doesn''t work against people who cultivated a simr Dao. The Dao of Death won''t work against the dead and the undying. But the Dao of force will always have your back. Force, is everywhere. It is the gravity that keeps you down, its the punch that pummels you to the ground."


    "Imagine having control over all kinds of forces. You could neutralize any attack, absorb it, deflect it, the possibilities are endless. I only ever got full control over the force of gravity. By cultivating that aspect of Force, my physical body became a world of its own. Its weight could be the same as a. Imagine a normal punch, it wouldn''t hurt you that much right?"


    "Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess," Hao Xuan thought it was a rhetorical question and took a few seconds to answer.


    "Now imagine the same force of a punch, delivered by something ten times smaller. Its effect would be much more concentrated and would probably rip through you like paper. Just like that, force can be applied in many different ways. You could increase gravity around you, you could attract or repel objects or make things explode or implode without lifting a finger. How magnificent would that be?"


    "Cultivation, is endless. The Universe, is endless. The possibilities, therefore, are also endless. It is truly an adventurer''s wet dream, hahaha." Meng broke out inughter.

 Chapter 83: Princess

    <h4>Chapter 83: Princess</h4>


    "Cultivation is endless....?" Hao Xuan was stunned into silence. He always thought there was a limit, a certain realm you could achieve and then you could be the strongest. But if it was endless, then.....


    Meng saw the looked in Hao Xuan''s eyes and knew exactly what was going through his mind. He had been there as well. When he first found out about this new reality, he didn''t talk for days.


    "But unless you change your mentality significantly, chances of you reaching a high realm are almost non-existent," he spoke up after a few mins.


    "My mentality? What do you mean? Rather, how do even know what my mentality is?" Hao Xuan asked with a deep frown.


    "I calcted with my fingers," Meng lifted up his right hand as he said that and grinned.


    "What''s wrong with my mentality then?" Hao Xuan asked with an annoyed expression. This guy kepting up with new stuff out of nowhere.


    "The heavens are merciless, kid. They don''t care about your feelings or what you think is right and wrong. You have to be strong enough to shoulder the sky itself lest you want to lose everyone around you. And trust me when I say this, you don''t want that," he sighed and took another big sip from the gourd. Hao Xuan knew to some extent that he would have to do things he wouldn''t like but if there was another option maybe it could be avoided?


    "Everyone says the road of cultivation is solitary but that''s all gibberish. That''s just some bullshit that people who weren''t strong enough to protect their loved ones made up. But what IS true is that cultivation is a lonely path. Extremely lonely. You need someone to keep youpany, someone to make youugh, someone to cry for you, someone to talk to, someone to share your experiences with. Otherwise, you could go crazy, hahaha," he startedughing maniacally.


    Hao Xuan moved back a few inches. For the first time since he met this guy, he felt some dangerous vibes from him.


    "A-aren''t you going to save your wife then? Isn''t she in hell?" Hao Xuan asked after some time, trying to change the topic.


    "All in due time. They sealed away her soul so she cannot feel any pain. She is simply sleeping right now. As long as they are not 100% sure that I am dead, they won''t dare mess with her. Lest they want to lose everything dear to them," Meng shook his head. She was the only reason he hadn''t waged war on hell itself.


    "Anyways,e. Since we were fated to meet, I''ll teach you a few things," he said with a wide smile and extended his hand towards Hao Xuan.


    ***


    Meanwhile, General Li and Jin Wang were speeding towards the Poison Quarry. Within about 3 hours the gigantic jungle was in sight. Instead of stopping outside and walking on foot, the general''s boat sped into the depths of the jungle without dy.


    There were many flying beasts around and several of them tried to block their way but they were dead before evening into contact with the boat.


    After about 50 more minutes, a deep gorge came into view. This one was much, MUCH wider and deeper. There was fog everywhere and nothing below the first few meters was visible.


    The boat stopped at the edge of it and they both got off. "Wait here," General ordered Jin Wang and jumped into the dark abyss without a second thought and disappeared within a second. From Jin Wang''s point of view, it looked like the maw of a giant creature that had just swallowed the general alive.


    General Li fell straight down for well over six minutes until the ground came into view. Yes, this seemingly simple gorge was over 3500 meters deep. He passed by many strange creatures that would instill fear in any normal cultivator. There were some that even he had to avoid.


    "Halt, who goes there?!" Just as hended on the ground, two figures came out of the darkness. They had human bodies but their skin was dark green like they were poisoned. They were dressed in full armor and had spears in their hands.


    "Tell your Matriarch that the Demon of Mei hase to visit," he said casually. When the soldiers heard that, their expressions turned serious in an instant.


    "Yes, please wait here," they said and left after bowing respectfully. This was a sign of respect from a junior towards a senior. Everyone was aware of the Great general''s contributions to the kingdom of Mei so there wasn''t much to be said in that aspect.


    He didn''t have to wait long until they came back with more than a dozen people. There were several old men and women in this party. They were dressed in grand robes and it was apparent that they held high positions in the hierarchy of this n. Each of them looked different than the other.


    "General Li," they all bowed respectfully just like the soldiers before.


    "Mhmm," he nodded back in return.


    "Please, this way," they led him inside. The entrance looked like a normal cave you would find anywhere else but as he entered, it quickly expanded. It was almost like entering another world altogether.


    There were trees and vegetation everywhere. There was an underground river coiling around the ce with emerald green water flowing through it. With some hills here and there and giant structures everywhere, it looked like an immortals dwelling. The spirit energy was extremely thick here.


    The group quickly passed through many simr ces. It truly was like a whole another world down here. Who would have thought something like this existed thousands of meters underground? This was an entire civilization.


    They finally came to a stop outside a grotto and all the others stood on the sides while the general entered alone.


    The inside of the grotto was pretty simple. There was a curtain in the middle of the room and a single chair on the general''s side. He went up to it and sat down unceremoniously.


    "Junior pays respect to the Great Demon," an ethereal voice came from the other side of the curtain.


    "Where is the old Witch?" general Li asked without going along with the pleasantries.


    "Royal mother has been in closed-door cultivation for several decades now. I have been overseeing things until she wakes up again," the voice said without getting angry in the slightest. The general and the spider Matriarch were old acquaintances so it waspletely normal for them to refer to each other like that. She as a junior, had no say in this matter.


    The voice belonged to the crown princess of these ns. There were rumors that she was so stupendously beautiful that the Matriarch didn''t let her out in the world out of fear of being kidnapped.


    "Can you speak for her then?" he asked after a moment of contemtion.


    "Yes, mother has given me full authority. How can I help senior?" she asked politely from behind the curtain.


    "I need the recipe for that thing." Neither of them said anything for a few minutes after that.


    "Senior, that will be very difficult. That recipe is a secret of our n. Even mother would not be able to give it to you," she spoke up after a while.


    "I am short on time. Just state your conditions," he furrowed his brow in annoyance. Why did that old witch have to be in closed-door cultivation? When the princess heard thest sentence, she suddenly let out a giggle.


    "I knew senior would understand. But I still cannot give you the recipe. What I can do is make the pill myself and give it to the patient. You don''t even need to pay for the ingredients, other than one which you would have to get yourself."


    "Hmm? What do you want in return?" there was no such thing as a free meal in this world and the general was well aware of it.


    "Replying to senior, after thorough consideration I have decided that we should start to venture out more. In that regard, I would need seniors help. The young of our n need to gain experience and we would like to cooperate with the Mei kingdom to create a city above ground. Of course, it will be under your control but our people would be its main residents."


    General Li fell in deep thought. This was quite unexpected. Ever since the kingdom was created the spider folk had stayed underground, why the sudden change?


    "Fine. I''ll get it approved but some things will have to be negotiated," there was no other option at this point anyway.


    "I knew senior would understand," her voice perked up in an instant and she pped happily.


    "Alright. Which ingredient do I need to get?"


    "The venom of the Demonic Werebeast," she said casually but the general''s eyes constricted.


    "Child, don''t speak nonsense. There hasn''t been a sighting of a Demonic Werebeast in thousands of years. Where would I find something like that?" and even if there was one, it was not an easy thing to go against a creature like that.


    "Actually there is one. It was sighted in the dark forest a few weeks ago. It shouldn''t take you more than a few days to make the return trip."


    "Hmm. Alright, send your people to bring Ninth here. He is in a camp not far away. One of my men is waiting outside, he will guide your people," after saying that the General got up and simply disappeared from the grotto. A few minutester he appeared behind Jin Wang.


    "I will go get an ingredient for the pill, their people wille soon, guide them to Ninth and bring him here. The princess will handle everything. Bring the rest here as well," with that said he took out his boat and shot off further west at full speed before Jin Wang had time to even react.

 Chapter 84: Princess continued.

    <h4>Chapter 84: Princess continued.</h4>


    A few mins after General Li left, a giant ck centipede came crawling up from the gorge. Just as Jin Wang was preparing to strike, he saw the people that were sitting on top of it.


    "Greetings fellow Daoist. We are here on the princess''s orders to guide your people to the main n," a person from the top of the centipede jumped down. He lookedpletely normal and other than the fact that his eyes had several pupils. His seemed to be about 30 but looks were deceiving in this world.


    "Sure. Please follow me," Jin Wang didn''t drag on the pleasantries and took them straight towards 1092''s home.


    This centipede was an Ether beast. It was a realm higher than demonic beasts and had special abilities. Many beasts at this realm could speak the human tongues and some even had second human bodies that were stored in their meridians, allowing them to exchange bodies whenever needed.


    The centipede was a contracted beast of one of the elders of the spider n. It was many hundreds of years old and was used as a mount for important missions. It had evolved to change its main body to better amodate for many people. It also had an extremely fast speed and a shell as hard as precious metals.


    Jin Wang walked in alone with the man from before who''s name was 112. The Mad Saints were all gathered in this ce now. Hash, Maddy, and General Shu went to get the rest of the saints, including Wei and Cui.


    Kuo was still sitting alone in the room, looming over the ''coffin'' Hao Xuan''s body was in, still maintaining the energy shield. He looked so haggard that one would think he would fall unconscious any second.


    "Oh, you''re back. What happened?" he asked enthusiastically when Jin Wang walked in.


    "Worry not, lieutenant. I managed to get in contact with headquarters and the Great General himself came to see things through," Jin Wang smiled.


    "The great general?!" he stood up in shock. This was a huge deal. He thought at most one of the other leaders or a general would be sent here but this was unexpected to say the least.


    "Yes. He made a deal with the Matriarch, they will be treating captain in the main n. We just have to follow them back, all of us," Jin Wang moved away and gestured towards 112 who was standing right outside the room.


    When 112 saw them looking at him, he smiled and entered. "Greetings, I am here to take your people back to main n grounds."


    "O-Oh, sure. Nice to meet you," they exchanged greetings and everyone got ready to move out. The centipede was waiting outside. It was more thanrge enough to allow for everyone to sitfortably on it. Kuo, Jin Wang, and 112 were taking care of the coffin themselves.


    Instead of going back the same way, this time the centipede went further down and entered a dark tunnel. Its speed was actually faster here than it was above ground and within 10 minutes they came out not far from where General Li hadnded after first jumping into the gorge. There was already a group of people waiting to wee them with smiling faces.


    Everyone was led inside and given a nice ce to stay. The air inside was even fresher for some reason.


    112 led Jin Wang and Kuo through another entrance and after a while, they came to the same grotto where the general met with the princess.


    "Junior has brought the respected guests and the patient," 112 shouted from outside and bowed. A few secondster several women with half their faces covered walked out led by an olddy with a cane that looked it was a limb of a giant insect. She didn''t even look at anyone and went up to the coffin to check his condition.


    "Take the guests to the resting area," she said still looking at Hao Xuan and 112 led the hesitant Kuo and Jin Wang away. "Bring him in," she said again and the women effortlessly picked up the coffin and walked inside the grotto.


    Everything was still the same inside with one chair in the middle and a curtain dividing the room in half. The curtain moved by itself as they walked past it. On the other side was an empty throne and a door behind it.


    They walked through the door and into a garden. There were herbs and many different kinds of colorful nts everywhere. Some seemed to be moving on their own, probably alive.


    On the other side of the garden was another door. They passed through it as well and entered arge room filled with many dried herbs, some medical instrumentsying around and several scrolls left here and there. Several doors were leading into this room from each side.


    There was a big stone in the middle of the room with engravings all over it. The women put the coffin on top of it and silently left.


    "I still don''t understand why we have to use a heavenly pill such as ''that'' to save an outsider''s life. Do you have any idea how much this is costing us?" the olddy scoffed looking at Hao Xuan''s face.


    "We must make a good first impression. He is one of the leaders being groomed by the Great Demon himself. Saving his life will get us a lot of face from the demon and all his underlings. Plus, we can make everything back once we step out into the light," came the princess''s voice. One of the other doors opened and in walked a girl that looked to be about 17 years of age.


    Her hair was unkempt and she looked she had not taken a bath in days. She was wearing just a shirt on top with nothing underneath other than her underwear. She had thick sses that were dangling off of her face.


    This was the famed heavenly beauty of the spider n. She looked like a shut-in neet mooching off of her family. Her appearance could be described by a lot of words, ''Heavenly'' was not one of them.


    "How many times have I told you to take care of your hygiene? We had to spread so many rumors about you because you didn''t want to leave this ce even once," the olddy shook her head looking at the princess.


    "Get off my back granny, what''s so special about outside? I can have everything I want here so why would I leave?" the princess replied just like she looked, a spoiled brat.


    "Just you wait till the Matriarches out and finds out about all this," the olddy red at her and said warningly.


    "M-Mother wouldn''t hurt her only precious daughter," she stammeringly replied and tried not to meet her eyes.


    "Oh, is that so? If my memory serves me right, several times a little brat came to my room hiding from her mother whenever she did something bad. I wonder who that was?" thedy grinned at the princess.


    "T-that was just a few times. And I was a kid, she wouldn''t do that now....r-right?"


    "We will see I guess," the olddy broke out inughter at the princess''s worried expression.

 Chapter 85: Demonic Werebeast

    <h4>Chapter 85: Demonic Werebeast</h4>


    The princess tried to change the topic and went up to coffin to check on Hao Xuan''s condition herself.


    "Wow, he doesn''t look half bad for a human," she said with a whistle. Although she said it without any hidden intentions, to outsiders it sounded like a perverted young master leering at a pretty girl. The olddy actually got worried looking at her.


    "Oi, don''t do anything weird again."


    "Rx granny, although he is slightly handsome, but not enough to sway me," she said with a grin and turned around to leave.


    "Anyway, it doesn''t matter now. I already gave the old demon my word so we can''t back out. I''ll go prepare the materials and get everything ready to make the pill," she left through one of the doors on the other side of the room.


    "I hope the old demones back safely. It would put us in a very bad position if something happened to him while he was following on one of our leads," the olddy said looking at Hao Xuan''s face.


    And she had good reason to be worried. The Dark Forest was a very dangerous area. It was shrouded in darkness all year round. There was no normal vegetation or trees there, but instead, it looked like a scorchednd after a volcanic eruption. It was always like this from the oldest of records.


    The beasts in the forest were strange as well. They were usually extremely bloodthirsty and had a very high affinity with darkness. Some said there was an actual gateway to hell somewhere in the forest and that was the reason for the appearance of so many demonic beasts. That would also exin the charrednd since it looked like it was cursed.


    The Demonic Werebeast was a very ''special'' creature. It wasn''t exactly a beast. No one knew where it came from or how it was born. Some said it was an escaped soul from hell or a demon.


    There had only been a few Demonic Werebeast''s in the surroundings kingdoms for thest few thousand years but every time it showed up, rivers of blood flowed. It looked like a mix between a werewolf from earth and many other beasts.


    Its size, exact appearance, and abilities were always different. That''s why no one could always be prepared for its attacks since all of them were different. Thest time a Demonic Werebeast appeared was 700 years ago in a grade 1 Kingdom. It destroyed several dozen towns and half a city.


    The military had to step in and send an army of 500,000 elite soldiers led by a great general and seven generals. The result shocked everyone. The beast managed to wipe out more than 300,000 soldiers and eat 4 generals alive. In the end, the Great General had to sacrifice his own left arm to kill it.


    And keep in mind this was a Grade 1 power. Even the Mei kingdom was only considered to be an above-average grade 2 Kingdom. The standards were different in each grade.


    After that Demonic Werebeast''s were synonymous with bloody massacres. Most beasts would be sentient and wouldn''t attack without a good reason. And even if they did, retreat was always an option.


    But the Demonic Werebeast was different. Once it started killing, there was no stopping it. Be it human or beast, everything was prey in its eyes.


    The Great General going to fight one alone would not necessarily mean sess. Fortunately, he just needed its venom and didn''t actually need to kill it.


    The Mad Saints gotfortable in their new lodgings.


    The Princess was preparing to make the pill. She wasn''t actually going to do it herself but was helping the old granny from before. The old granny was the best alchemist in the spider n.


    Alchemy was not as simple as people thought. Pills and potions were extremely expensive and had amazing effects. Each alchemist was treasured by their respective kingdoms or ns. No one had ever heard of a broke alchemist.


    Alchemy was a spiritual art. Before making a pill the alchemist had to cleanse their aura and clear their mind. Their state of mind would affect the process in many ways. For example, there was amonly known cautionary tale among the alchemistmunity.


    A famous alchemist''s daughter was once cursed by an evil being. The alchemist himself was extremely powerful and could make many heavenly medicines so he, of course, tried to cure her by making a pill.


    But when he was making the pill, only negative thoughts of revenge were going through his mind. And when he fed the pill to his precious daughter, the pill exploded in her mouth, killing her instantly.


    An alchemist had to haveplete control over their emotions and state of mind otherwise even the best of medicines could have poisonous properties.


    ***


    Four dayster, the general finally returned. The olddy went to meet him herself.


    "You don''t look too good," she said without even so much as a simple hello. The general looked extremely pale and looked like he had lost a lot of blood.


    "Did you manage to kill it?" she asked looking at his sorry state.


    "Kill it? That cursed thing almost ate me alive," he said with an angry expression.


    "Ate you? What kind was it?"


    "I''m not sure. It was shrouded in a dark fog most of the time. But it did have vampiric properties. I identally got cut by one of its attacks and the blood literally flowed out of my wounds and straight into its mouth. I''m lucky to have made it out in one piece."


    "Did you get the venom?" she asked worryingly. The venom was a very a important ingredient and could not be substituted for anything.


    "Of course I got it. I had to pay a heavy price, but I got it," he took out a small four-inch ss bottle filled to the brim with a semi-transparent red liquid and threw it towards the olddy.


    "T-This is much more than I expected. How the hell did you get so much?" she askedpletely shocked.


    "Don''t ask questions the answers to which you can''t afford to know," the general said grumpily and left the grotto.


    He went to the Mad Saints lodging and met with Kuo and General Shu.


    "You guys stay here. There''s nothing else anyone of us can do so just pay attention. And if the treatment works, bring him back. Otherwise, return his corpse to headquarters," he said to Kuo and took general Shu, Wei and Cui with him back to Fortuna city on his boat.

 Chapter 86: Awakening

    <h4>Chapter 86: Awakening</h4>


    "Bring back his...corpse?" Kuo stood in ce, shocked by theck of empathy in General Li''s words. But what could he do? He was just a lieutenant in his army. He had no ce to speak in such matters. So he waited...


    ***


    The granny and the princess got everything ready by the end of the next day. Hao Xuan''s body was still in the coffin but the white liquid had been exchanged with a light green one. It had a medicinal scent and just taking in a deep breath would increase blood cirction and give a refreshing feeling.


    There were many ingredients ced beside the coffin in an orderly fashion. Some were old roots, some were still writhing insects, there were even a few different body parts that looked that they were from an ancient era.


    There was also a long dried up beast tongue, some horns, a few eyeballs, andstly the ss bottle with the Werebeasts venom.


    The princess had cleaned herself up and change into a ceremonial robe. She finally looked the part of an actual princess. Her long hair were tied up in a bun. She was still wearing the sses which along with the robe, gave her a very schstic vibe.


    The recipe that they were going to use was not for an actual pill. Rather it treated the patient as the pill. Meaning Hao Xuan would be the center of the entire recipe.


    This recipe was a long-forgotten secret of the spider n. An ancestor of the n had identally found it in one of his expeditions. There was not much with the recipe. It only said to use as ast resort. There was no name for it and nothing else to describe any of its effects, butter on, the n had used the recipe once on a prince of the n when he almost lost his life in the forest above.


    After the treatment, the prince awakened a special constitution and went on to be quite strong. Unfortunately, he vanished sometimeter and no one knew if he was even alive or dead, after all, it had been more than 700 years since anyone had heard from him.


    The chances of survival were actually not that high and it greatly depended on the patient''s condition.


    In reality, this ''recipe'' was part of an ancient book that was written by one of the earliest races that had visited the Beast World. Unfortunately, everyone from that race perished and no one alive knew the actual use of this medicinal recipe.


    Although many people had made conjectures, none of them were 100% true. This recipe was used as ast resort on people that were on their death bed. Its main goal was to awaken the hidden potential of the body by pushing it to the limit. The willpower of the recipient greatly affected the process as it was extremely painful and many would rather choose death than go through it.


    The granny meditated while the princess also cleared her mind. After about 40 minutes she suddenly opened her eyes and stood up. She tapped the cane on to the ground and markings on the stone under the coffin lit up one by one.


    They slowly formed aplete circle with Hao Xuan in the middle. The liquid in the coffin started to heat up and after a few mins, it started bubbling.


    "Begin!" the granny said sombrely and the coffin floated up in the air while a white me appeared under it. The princess started putting in the ingredients one by one in a specific order while chanting some old scriptures.


    ****


    "Huuk" Hao Xuan felt a sudden pain in his chest. Meng who was talking to him when he suddenly stopped and looked up at him with a knowing smile on his face.


    "Looks like someone really wants you back kid. But I don''t think you''ll be able to handle this process," he said looking into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "The process? What do you mean?" he asked through his teeth. The pain was getting worse by the second. When Meng saw that, he moved forward and tapped the middle of his brow with his index finger and the pain vanished instantly.


    "Eh..? What happened? what was that?"


    "Our timees to an end kid," he said while getting up.


    "I''ve told you quite a few things and you listened quietly, I appreciate that. It has been ages since I had the chance to talk to someone new. You have my thanks. Now choose. Do you want to live or pass on to the next life? You won''t feel any pain whatsoever and I can get you into the kingdom of heaven itself if you choose the second option."


    "Heaven? Am I finally dying?" Hao Xuan asked with a perplexed expression.


    "Yes, but, this isn''t fair. Your memory is still fucked up huh? Alright, I''ll let you see everything so you can make an informed decision," Meng put his hand over Hao Xuan''s head and closed his eyes. His palm lit up and something inside Hao Xuan''s head cracked, like a broken dam that was holding back a raging river, all his memories came flooding back.


    He saw his old life back on earth, if you could even call it that. He remembered the moment it all changed and then he remembered meeting Maaz, his mother and father, and the four younger siblings.


    "Emi would still love big brother no matter what," he saw the doll-like face of Emi standing at the edge of his bed hugging her little teddy bear as if she was right in front of him.


    He remembered leaving the house and going to the camp, and then he remembered waking up in the royal pce.


    "AHHH" his head felt like it was splitting in two.


    "You remember everything now?" Meng asked while standing next to him.


    "Yeah....I...remember it all," he replied with a hateful look in his eyes. "How dare he! How fucking dare he take them away from me?!? My motherfucking memories!" he shouted in anger.


    "Calm down, we don''t have much time," Meng tapped his forehead again and all his emotions disappeared.


    "Choose, live or die? If you chose to return back to thend of the living, I can even help you out a little bit in exchange for one favor. This favor can be cashed in at any time and you have to honor it," Meng looked at him in the eyes.

 Chapter 87: Awakening Continued

    <h4>Chapter 87: Awakening Continued</h4>


    "What favor?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously.


    "Any favor. I won''t ask you to hurt any loved ones, hell, you might not even be able to reach a realm high enough to be able to help to me. But when or rather ''if'' I do ask, you must honor your word. Do you agree? I''ll awaken your constitution and help you awaken a better physique if you can endure the pain," he said ndly.


    "Consitution? Physique?"


    "Yes. Constitution is something you''re born with and it cannot be changedter on. But physiques can be upgraded in many ways. It all depends on your luck. Don''t worry, I''ll leave an exnation in your little head so you can go over it in detail."


    "And fortunately for you, I have an ancient physique scripture just for you. I found it in a temple in a forbidden realm. But at the time I was already cultivating a physique and it was nearpletion so I could not use it myself. Since time immemorial, less than twenty people had managed to get their hands on this physique and all of them were unrivaled Paragons."


    "I still don''t understand, what will it allow me to do?"


    "Each physique is different. The one I have is called "Immortal Devouring Demon" Physique and if you manage to cultivate it topletion, then even Gods will run after hearing your very name," he said with a resplendent smile.


    "You don''t have much to lose anyway kid. Chose now, quickly." Hao Xuan wanted some time to think it through but there wasn''t much apparently. The pain wasing back and it was much worse thanst time.


    He thought about Meng''s proposal and it wasn''t half bad. He would get to live and get a few other things as well. And for that, all he had to do was a single favor.


    "Why do I feel like I''m making a deal with the devil?" he muttered.


    "Hahaha, devils wish to make a deal with me kiddo. So, what will it be? I can''t stop this much longer," he said looking around.


    "Fine, I ept," with a sigh, Hao Xuan finally agreed.


    "Great! You won''t regret this....probably, hahaha," and with that, he once again put his hand on top of Hao Xuan''s head. Soon after he lost consciousness and then felt a searing pain throughout his body. It felt like he was being taken apart molecule by molecule.


    "Remember the things you care about kid, remember what you want to live for," he heard Meng''s voice for thest time and then felt his body jerk repeatedly.


    "He''s awake!" a female voice sounded next to him. Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and saw two figures standing over him. One of them was a beautiful girl and the other an olddy.


    "Hang on child, it''s about to start," the granny said gently.


    "Start...? Wha-" before he could finish, the girl took out a small ss bottle and emptied itpletely in the coffin which was now a dark green color and gave a very pungent smell.


    As soon as the venom mixed with the liquid in the coffin, it seemed to have gained sentience and started to enter his body through the skin.


    "AHHHH" he couldn''t help but let out a painful scream. The pain came back tenfold, and this time it wasn''t just physical but spiritual as well. His very soul felt like it was on fire.


    "STOP STOP! PLEASE!" he shouted looking at the granny. Blood was pouring out of his eyes, nose, and ears.


    The granny and the princess''s expression changed in an instant.


    "T-This isn''t supposed to be happening," the princess stammered.


    "Something went wrong with the process, the pain shouldn''t be this bad. I can feel it, his soul is being attacked by something," the granny said with a horrified expression.


    A person''s soul was his very essence. The body was just a shell and could even be exchanged in some circumstances. But the soul was different. If something happened to the soul, then they would be damaged goods for eternity.


    "MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!" Hao Xuan begged in agony. The pain he was experiencing was unimaginable. It was like experiencing all the tortures of the world at once.


    Just as he was about to lose himself in the pain, he heard a voice.


    "Remember what you want to live for!" Meng''s words echoed in his head and he gained some rity. "What I live for?" and the images from his past started shing by.


    "I want to see them again!" the image of the Khan family appeared.


    "I want to get revenge!" the image of the Yue Fei standing over him shed.


    "I want to see her smile again!" the image of Emi appeared, she was holding out her pinky finger with an innocent smile on her face.


    "And most importantly, I want to keep my promise!" he said with gritted teeth and opened his bloody eyes once more.


    His heart felt like it was going to explode it was beating so fast. His eyes kept changing their color, green to blue, blue to red, red to white.


    The granny and the princess were shocked speechless at this point. All they could do was watch.


    Hao Xuan remembered the things Meng had promised him and he closed his eyes. The books appeared and this time with an extra translucent one present.


    The words "Immortal Devouring Demon" were written on its cover. The very words themselves exuded arrogance. Total contempt for all of creation. Just looking at the book made Hao Xuans soul quiver in fear.


    He willed it and it opened in an instant. The first page read:


    "Who Dares Stand in my Presence!?"


    "I am the one you fear,"


    "I am the one you dread,"


    "I am the one from whom even Gods and Immortals fled!"


    "The Worlds are my yground,"


    "Heavens my ything,"


    "All shall cower before the might of my very being!"


    These words sounded like a vow, a vow Hao Xuan was making to the universe.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    As soon as he finished reading, his skin exploded with such an impact that it sent the two women tumbling away.


    A bloody mist surrounded his body as it slowly got more and more concentrated until a red piece of flesh was formed around his entire body. Now inside of the coffin contained nothing but a massive bloody cocoon that seemed to be breathing.


    "What the hell just happened?!" the granny got up slowly and looked at the coffin. With utmost care, she moved forward inch by inch.


    All the liquid from the coffin was gone. It was bone dry.


    The princess got up as well. She was much worse off than the granny as her robe was ripped from several ces and there was dust all over her face.


    "I-Is he okay?" she asked hesitatingly. Her expression was more of fear than that of concern at this point.


    "Awaken the Matriarch. This is out of our hands now," the granny said gravely. They had followed the instructions to the letter. How could something like this happen?


    "NOW!" she shouted when the princess kept standing there in a daze.


    "Y-Yes," she turned around and left in a flurry.

 Chapter 88: Hunger

    <h4>Chapter 88: Hunger</h4>


    The Matriarch of the spider n was very old. She was from the same generation as General Li, if not older. And for thest few hundred years, she had been in charge of the n itself.


    And there was no doubt about her power. She once fought the Great General one on one and stood her ground. No one knew who won or lost since neither party said anything after the fact but it was clear she was not a pushover. Not many people had seen her in person since she stayed away from the public eye.


    The princess ran through many tightly guarded corridors until finally, she arrived in front of a small hill. This hill was surrounded by a luscious garden filled with hundreds of nts, insects, and even some birds. And this was all underground. The ceiling was littered with thousands of light stones like the stars in the night sky.


    There was a giant waterfall behind the hill with light green water flowing down like heavenly dew. The entire ce looked like a painting. The only thing out of ce was the random hill in the middle which had a small cave in the front.


    The princess walked up to the cave''s entrance and stood there. She said nothing and did nothing, only stood in silence.


    After about thirty minutes, a figure slowly walked out of the cave. The figure was of a woman, she seemed to be in her prime, no more than 35 years of age. With her long ck hair and shapely figure, the mature aura she gave out was enough to steal away anyone''s breath. This was the infamous spider Matriarch, Feng Mian.


    "Mother!" the princess''s face lit up like a candle upon seeing her. She ran up to her like a child and gave her a big hug.


    It was hard to believe this beautiful maturedy was hundreds of years old.


    "Yun''er, what''s wrong?" she asked in the gentlest of tones while caressing the princess''s head.


    "Oh! I forgot! Mother, something happened, granny is asking for you!" the princess said when she remembered the reason for her urgency.


    Feng Mian didn''t ask anything else and simply followed the princess back. When they reached the room, they saw the granny standing outside with a few wounds all over and out of breath.


    "What happened?" Feng Mian asked with furrowed brows. Were they under attack?


    "Matriarch, I....I don''t know how to exin this," the granny couldn''t find the words to tell her what she saw.


    "Rx, just tell me what happened."


    The granny told her everything from the start when General Li came and what they asked for in return for treatment.


    "Hmm, it''s fine. If the old demon came here himself then it was important. Then what?"


    "Then.....I don''t know. I followed the instructions to the letter but something went wrong. The boy''s soul was being attacked by something. I mean it shouldn''t even be possible. Not many things can attack the soul directly. And then the cocoon....came alive...."


    "Came alive? What do you mean?" Feng Mian was a low-level alchemist herself, she knew very well this was anything but normal.


    "Take a look for yourself," the granny moved aside and slowly opened the door. The mother and daughter moved forward to look inside and were stunned.


    There were giant tentaclesing out of the cocoon. They were waiving around the room as if looking for something. All the dried up herbs and nts that were on the walls and on the tables were gone.


    "It ate everything. It even tried to eat me!" the granny said in a fearful voice.


    "It...ate it?"


    "Yes, the tentacles dragged everything they could reach and absorbed it back into the cocoon. Its color was light red before but now it''s getting darker," she said pointing at the coffin. The cocoon was almost twice as big as before and could barely fit inside.


    With furrowed brows, Feng Mian took a step and entered the room but as soon as her foot touched the ground, all the tentacles came rushing at her. Fortunately, she was prepared and used her Qi to block them. But then something happened that left her speechless.


    The tentacles started eating through the shield made out of Qi.


    In theory, this should not be possible. A person''s Qi was refined by them over time and it belonged to them alone. When projected outward, it would have the same properties as metal or other substances and could be used to attack or defend. The better the control over Qi, the more variations that were possible.


    So eating something made out of Qi would be equal to eating poison. Just like how a person with blood group ''A'' could not donate or receive blood from someone of blood group ''B'', simrly, it was not possible to absorb another person''s Qi. It would get rejected by the body and would cause damage to the meridians and internal organs.


    Yet these tentacles were eating away her Qi like it was the most delicious thing in the world.


    She walked back out of the room and tentacles went back to their previous routine.


    "Bring some spiritual beasts," she ordered while still looking at the coffin with a strange glint in her eyes.


    "B-Beasts?" the granny repeated her words. Why would she need spiritual beasts?


    "Yes, the more powerful the better," she confirmed. Even though the granny had a lot of questions she didn''t linger and followed her orders.


    An hour or soter she came back with dozens of guards holding several different kinds of beasts.


    There were some rodents, giant insects, even some tigers and other big cats along with a few snakes.


    "Throw them in," Feng Mian ordered and the guards formed a line and one by one came and started chucking the beasts in the room.


    As soon as the first beast entered it was already surrounded by the tentacles. They grasped it from every side and quickly dragged it back to the cocoon with delight.


    It tried to struggle and break free but it was all for naught. The tentacles retracted and the beast ''merged'' with the cocoon and in less than a second. There were no movements or sounds to indicate that it was still alive.


    The same happened to next, and the one after and all the rest. They were all absorbed by the cocoon and it showed no signs of stopping. The color of the cocoon got darker and darker as well.


    "Bring more beasts, see if we have any small Demonic beasts. Bring them all!"


    The guards came back sometimeter with another assortment of beasts. The same thing happened and all of them were absorbed by the cocoon until its color became dark ck and it slowly hardened. The tentacles also receded into the main body and it ''closed off'' in a sense.


    "What is that thing? What happened?" the granny was still confused. She had never heard of such a thing before.


    "I''m not sure, but whatever that thing is, it was hungry so I fed it. ce a low sky-grade Imprisonment formation here and make sure no one enters or leaves this ce. Tell me when something changes," Feng Mian gave one final order and left in a hurry with the princess in tow.

 Chapter 89: One Man Army

    <h4>Chapter 89: One Man Army</h4>


    While all themotion was going on in the spider n, Hao Xuan''s body was floating inside the cocoon. His entire body was being broken down and reconfigured ording to the physique scripture.


    From every single muscle, blood vessel, and bone fragment down to the very cell, it was alling apart and then getting put back together. If anyone could see his current condition they would be horrified.


    When the cocoon was initially formed, Hao Xuan had already passed out. And who could me him, half his body had exploded to form the cocoon.


    And although his body was still in the cocoon, his mind was elsewhere. Right now his consciousness was in the Mind Pce. This would be where all the cultivated manuals and techniques would be kept. They were each in the form of different books. Wrath of Deimos Infernal Rapture Demonic steps


    These three were the only ones there. ''The Last Strike of Samsara'' which was gifted to him by the unknown person that was caring for Zhurong and the Physique scripture were absent.


    This was so because he had obtained the others through normal means, whereas these two were directly imnted into his brain by foreign powers.


    They were gifts that could only be used by him and him alone. Even if he wanted to teach the techniques to others it would not be possible.


    Meaning he could use them normally, but he could not pass them along to anyone else.


    This method was used in many ces when it came to buying and selling of secret manuals and scriptures.


    It was like leaving a single copy for the user which would disappear when it was learned by them.


    Other than these three books there was a small blob of light floating next to them.


    "Is this it?" Hao Xuan thought and touched it with his hand. All of a sudden a massive amount of information appeared in his mind. This was the exnation Meng had left behind for Hao Xuan.


    It exined everything from Physiques to constitutions and several things about cultivation and the world.


    A normal person was born with one soul and one physique. In some rare cases, people with an extra something would be born. That was the constitution.


    A physique was the type of physical body. Normal human beings would have mortal physiques but there were some that were born with special ones as well.


    These people would have some abilities like extra toughness, sticity, elemental bodies where they could turn themselves into one of the elements, beast bodies where a person would have the appearance and abilities of other beasts etc.


    The variations were endless. A lot of powerful cultivators and ns had their own physiques like the infamous Yin Yang Physique, Poison physique, Heavenly Jade Physique, ck Ice Physique etc.


    The Jia Kingdom was such an example. Their royal n had the bloodline of giants which gave them special physiques.


    But one good thing was that physiques could be upgraded with the help of treasures and scriptures. The heavens were not blind and always left a way out for mortals to ascend to greatness.


    Constitutions were different to physiques in the sense that where a physique would epass the user''s entire physical body, a constitution could only affect some specific parts.


    Constitutions were also much MUCH rarer. If one out of a million people had a constitution then it would be a miracle.


    That''s why whenever someone with a good constitution was born, they would be recruited by powerful ns and families to be basically used as breeding material.


    For example, Hao Xuan had the Soul Severing Heavenly Constitution. This was an exceedingly rare kind of constitution that affected the eyes.


    And his constitution was also dormant, meaning it required an outside influence for it to be awakened. And Meng had done just that.


    He gave Hao Xuan the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique scripture and awakened his Soul Severing Heavenly constitution and gave him all the information to understand its uses.


    The Soul Severing Heavenly constitution belonged to the so-called evil side. It allowed the user to sever the souls of other sentient beings and control them like contracted beasts.


    Anyone unfortunate enough to be captured by a being of this constitution would never be able to break free. Their life and death would be linked to their ''masters''. Once their soul was marked, they would be loyal without question.


    That''s why any cultivators with such constitutions were hunted and killed on sight as they could enve other cultivators for all of eternity.


    Many millions of years ago there was once an existence with a Soul Severing Heavenly constitution who enved ancient beings and ruled over one of the Nine Worlds.


    Legends said that Invincible Godkings and True Gods were his generals, Divine Beasts his mounts and ancient Paragons his soldiers.


    No one could stand in his path. When he raised his banners, even the Heavens trembled.


    Out of fear of being attacked, powerful beings from several different realms banded together to kill this person, but not a single one of them returned. He was never seen after that either so it was assumed that it was aplete massacre.


    After that anyone with such a constitution either never awakened it or was simply killed off when they were young.


    This was something that went against the heavens. The body could be enved, but the soul was the property of the Heavens above and the Hells below. It could never be tampered with by the mortal world.


    And now Hao Xuan had awakened just such a constitution.


    If one phrase could be used to define a person with this constitution then it would be, "One Man Army!"

 Chapter 90: RULE!

    <h4>Chapter 90: RULE!</h4>


    Hao Xuan stood in his Mind Pce while trying to absorb all the information that was just dumped into his brain when there was a noise behind him.


    "Oh, now this is really unexpected. I didn''t expect you to have the Soul Severing Heavenly constitution kid. Truly a great surprise," said a figure. Hao Xuan turned around in a flurry because this was in his mind and no one else should be here.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked with furrowed brows. It was Meng, he was standing there in his same old attire, a ck ''kimono'' with an old gourd in hand.


    "Don''t worry, this just a bit of my consciousness that I left behind in case something went wrong while awakening your constitution, it will disappear soon" Meng replied in his usual casual tone.


    "So everything is good then?"


    "Yeah. You''ll be fine. But remember to not mention anything about your constitution to anyone, ever. No matter who. I spent a lot of effort trying to awaken it," he said with a smile as he looked around.


    "Sure, whatever you say," Hao Xuan didn''t pay any attention to him and turned back around to focus on absorbing the information.


    "By the way, did you see them yet?" Meng asked after a few minutes of wandering around.


    "See who?" Hao Xuan asked without turning around, still engrossed in the info.


    "The other two. Your other ''souls''," he said casually. Hao Xuan suddenly woke up from his stupor.


    "Other souls? What are you talking about?"


    "So you didn''t? Don''t worry, now that the constitution is active, they should have woken up as well. You''ll hear from them soon," he said with a mischievous smile.


    "Can you, for once, just talk normally?" Hao Xuan was at the end of his rope.


    "Jeez, let me be all mysterious and confusing. Isn''t that how it is in those novels and movies?"


    "Just leave, I don''t have time for your bullshit right now," Hao Xuan simply turned away without humoring him again.


    "Alright alright. People with Soul Severing Heavenly constitution have multiple souls, well they''re not exactly souls but kind of ''personalities''. They will bepletely different from you as you are now. That''s one of the reasons why people consider this constitution evil."


    "The other two personalities are the total opposite of you. If you have a good and easy-going temperament then one of the other two will have much darker tendencies that won''t care for anyone or anything, and thest one will be neutral. As you get stronger, so do they. They will fight for control over your body and if you''re not careful, overtake itpletely."


    "That''s one of the tribtions from the Heavens. The weaker personality is devoured and at the end, only one survives. Even though they are your personalities, consider them as entirely different beings. They won''t care about your feelings. Usually, the first thing the evil one does after taking control is killing everyone the original cared about. It''s sort of like a rite of passage for it."


    "What? Are you fucking serious?" Hao Xuan was speechless. What the hell was this new development? And just as he thought he caught a break too.


    "Don''t worry about it too much. Just don''t let your guard down. And don''t trust them. I gave you one of the most overpowered physiques since the beginning of time."


    *Sigh*


    "You''ve got so much to do. Conquer this world, and then the next and then the one after. Your constitution is literally an Emperors. You were born to rule, so do just that. Rule over the other two, rule over the myriad realms, rule over the innumerable races. Let flow the rivers of blood, SHOW ME! Show me I wasn''t wrong to help you. And maybe then you can return this favor," he said with an exalted aura. Hao Xuan felt like he was standing in front of a monster, a true and absolute monster.


    "Don''t let me down kid, I''ll be watching," he said for thest time and then disappeared with a gust of wind.


    Hao Xuan stood there, not knowing what to think or to do.


    "Rule over the myriad realms? Easier said than done. I get my ass kicked every few days, I feel like you''re talking about someone else," he said with an exasperated expression, out loud but there was no one to hear or to reply.


    ***


    Meng was still sitting in his boat when he opened his eyes. His consciousness returned to his body.


    *Sigh*


    "I hope I wasn''t wrong with this one," he said looking up at the starry sky when suddenly one after another, dozens of figures appeared around his boat. All shrouded in a ck fog.


    "My lord, was it not a bit hasty to give him that physique? He probably won''t even survive long enough to reach a respectable realm," said one of the figures while getting down on one knee.


    "It is fine. I gave each of you something at the start. Which one of you wasn''t weak at some point? Although he wasn''t talented enough for me to personally ept him as a disciple, but still keep an eye on him. Something tells me it will be entertaining. Keep things interesting, push him in the right direction when needed," Meng said as he was expecting the question of the figure.


    "As youmand my Liege," the figure bowed deeply.


    "At worst, he can be a worthwhile distraction. I know how much they fear the Soul Severing Heavenly constitution," he said after a few seconds.


    "Speak, what happened?" Meng inquired when the figures didn''t leave.


    "The Heavens are getting suspicious sire. There are a lot of new geniuses from the ten Heavens and Nine Worlds that have matured enough now. It seems hell has had some significant changes as well. As you ordered we have nurtured our own as well, and I feel they are notcking in any way. By yourmand, should wemence the massacre?"


    "No, it is not yet time, it has to happen naturally. Don''t force it. Just focus on your own realms and I will let you know when it is the appropriate time. I will be the one to start things this time around. It will be entertaining to see how those old bastards will react, hahaha" he startedughing maniacally. All the figures bowed once again and disappeared without disturbing him.

 Chapter 91: Cocoon

    <h4>Chapter 91: Cocoon</h4>


    The matriarch, Feng Mian took princess Yun away in haste, leaving the granny and a few dozen elite guards to keep an eye on the cocoon.


    "Mother, what''s wrong?" the princess asked when she saw her mother''s agitated state. Feng Mian was more than 800 years old and was at a very high realm. There weren''t many things that could startle her like this.


    Feng Mian didn''t answer and led her to the cultivation room under the hill she was staying at.


    "What are the kid''s origins? Do you know?" she asked after taking a seat.


    Princess Yun also sat down next to her lovingly hugged her arm like a little girl before answering, "I don''t know. The old demon came here himself so he must be important. I asked 112 to keep an eye on the people that came with him and let me know if any new information came to light."


    "And? What did you hear?"


    "Nothing much. Just that he is one of the chosen Nine directly under the demon himself. He is grooming them to be Great generals in the future and one of them will probably take over the entire Red Legion for him."


    "Anything else at all? What about his background?"


    "No idea. He is the newest member and has only been with them for less than a year."


    "Hmm," Feng Mian went quiet after that and seemed like she was in deep thought.


    "Is something the matter? Should I have not helped him?" the princess asked when she saw her mother''s expression.


    She smiled upon hearing that and patted her head, "No, it has nothing to with that. But if hees out of this alive, I want you to get close to him. Ask the demon to put him in charge of the new city and take his side no matter what."


    The princess frowned after hearing that, "But he is nothing special. Why go so far?"


    "He might not be anything special now, but he just awakened his physique. Things will be quite different from now on. And you''re already old enough. If you like him then just seduce him, he would make a fine husband for my little girl," she hugged her and sighed.


    Although the princess looked young, she was already more than 40 years old. The main difference between humans and beast ns was their lifespans.


    Just like humans, beasts also had ns. Once a beast reached a specific realm, they would be able to transform into a human shape and their offsprings would also have this ability.


    Normal humans had very limited lifespans. At most, it would be a few thousand years. Only at higher realms would one be able to break free from the chains of mortality or rather, live for such a long time that time wouldn''t be an issue.


    But it was different for beast ns. They, even at lower realms, had very long lifespans and could easily live for thousands of years. The downside to this was that they matured extremely slowly. Like, take Feng Mian for example. She was hundreds of years old but still, she only looked to be about 30.


    This was not because of some heavenly technique or physique, but only because she matured much, much slower than humans.


    "Yes mother," princess Yun obediently nodded her head, although whether or not she was actually going to follow her mother''s orders was an entirely different thing.


    ***


    Time seemed to pass by in a blink. It had already been more than a month since Hao Xuan had been enclosed in the cocoon. The Mad Saints were still waiting at the spider n but they didn''t just sit idly by and waste time. Instead under Kuo''s orders, they went out every single day to train by killing different beasts.


    They gave all the corpses back to the spider n to show their sincerity, especially since they were being taken care of by them without anypensation.


    The world of cultivation was run by these beast materials. Every single part of the beast had its use and could be sold to earn money, make weapons, medicines, armors, vehicles, etc.


    First and Third had dropped by to check on Hao Xuan''s condition but weren''t allowed to meet him. The princess said his recovery was in a very critical juncture and he could not be disturbed.


    They waited around for several days until the HQ called them back.


    It was not until two more weekster that a crack finally appeared on the cocoon.


    At this point, the cocoon looked like it was a giant scab. Anyone that looked at it would get a horrible feeling and several weak-stomached guards threw up when they first saw it.


    It also asionally moved which didn''t help at all.


    One night there were three guards sitting outside the sealed room casually chatting when they heard a noise from inside.


    Startled, they got up and checked and saw several dozen web-like cracks appearing all over the cocoon.


    *Boom*Boom*


    Suddenly loud noises came from inside the cocoon and it started to move violently. The scared guards stood there in a daze for a good few seconds until one of them remembered that they were supposed to let the higher-ups know if something changed.


    "Quick! Go and inform the princess," said one them and ran to the old granny''s ce herself.


    "Elder! The cocoon is breaking!" she rudely shouted as she got close. As soon as her sentence finished the old granny appeared out of her residence and ran straight to Hao Xuan''s location.


    Meanwhile, in another room far away, the other guard reached the princess''s room and told her the same thing, who also followed her back.


    After more than six weeks, Hao Xuan was finally going toe out.

 Chapter 92: Return

    <h4>Chapter 92: Return</h4>


    The elder and the princess both got there at the same time when they heard the sounding from inside the room.


    *Boom*Boom*


    At first, only the cocoon was moving, but when everyone got back, it was the entire room that was vibrating. With every booming noise, a small earthquake was generated. The entire room felt like it was in a world of its own.


    *Boom*Boom*


    The earth moved again. The granny''s expression changed for the worst when she saw the cracks on the cocoon. It looked like whatever monster that was in it was about to break out finally.


    *Boom*Boom*


    It boomed again but this time the earthquake wasn''t limited to the room and started spreading outwards.


    "What the hell is going?!" the princess asked with a worried expression.


    "Is it an illusion?" she asked after looking around. How was it possible for there to be an earthquake limited to such a small area.


    "No, it is definitely not an illusion. The formation would have been activated if it was. The ground is moving," she said looking around. There were cracks all over the room and were slowly spreading outward.


    After thinking for a couple of seconds she made up her mind and finally gave the order, "Call the high elders! Awaken the Matriarch! If it continues like this then the entire cavern will copse."


    "Yes!" The guards shouted and left at once.


    *Boom*Boom*


    This time the entire area within a radius of 100 meters felt the tremors. Many people were rmed and came rushing out. There was no fault line anywhere near them so this was not natural.


    *Boom*Boom*Boom*


    A third boom sounded and a chunk of the cocoon fell off. The granny narrowed her eyes but couldn''t see the insides no matter how hard she tried.


    "Everyone get back!" she shouted and dragged the princess more than 20 meters away.


    "What is going on?" suddenly several loud noises sounded from all around the n as five people appeared on each side of the room. They were floating in midair and everyone present could feel a powerful energy being emitted from their bodies.


    "High Elders!" they all bowed respectfully after seeing them. These were the n''s most powerful living ancestors currently present living there.


    Although one would expect them to be wrinkly old men, but all of them looked to be between the ages of 40-60 years old. They had patches of white hair here and there that made them look older but the energies within their bodies were extremely powerful and vibrant. No one would be able to tell if they imed to be in the prime of their lives.


    Three of them were women and two men.


    "Exin, what happened? What is that thing?" asked one of the women that looked to be the oldest as she looked at the granny. She had a stern expression on her face and gave people the expression that she was extremely strict.


    "Replying to Elder, that is-"


    *Boom*Boom*Boom*Boom*


    Just as the granny was about to exin, the booming sound came again and the formation surrounding the room copsed in an instant. The tremors spread more than a thousand meters this time.


    The high elders turned serious and they immediately jumped into action. One of them pointed his hands out and a formation appeared out of thin air. It surrounded the room once again and stopped the cracks from spreading any further.


    Another one started chanting something and the area around the room lit up with a vague blue glow.


    The three women surrounded the room and let out massive amounts of Qi to cover everything within a five-meter radius around the room. Not even a speck of dust could escape from this formation.


    *Boom*Boom*


    The noise sounded again but it was perfectly contained within the formation. Slowly more and more people came over and stood on the outskirts looking at what was happening.


    "Mother!" The matriarch finally reached as well. Her hair was messy and there was dust all over her clothes.


    "Child, what is going?" asked the oldestdy from the high elders.


    "Mother, its a long story but that''s a human from the Mei kingdom. I used the great ancestor''s recipe to treat him to make a deal with the old demon," the Matriarch exined respectfully. This olddy was the mother of the current Matriarch, the princess''s grandmother.


    "What?!!" the expressions of all the high elders changed at once.


    "When did you use the recipe? How long has he been like this?" she asked with a grave expression.


    "A-About six weeks," the matriarch replied confusingly. Why was it such a big deal?


    "FOOL! Why didn''t you ask any of us before going through with this?!" the olddy was livid. Matriarch''s legs shook. Her mother was extremely strict and had beaten her half to death several times. She was truly fearful of her.


    "I-I''m sorry mother, I didn''t know it was anything bad," she said with a quivering voie.


    "Harumph," the olddy looked away in anger.


    "Kill this thing, we can''t let it get out again," she said to the other elders who all nodded in response.


    "M-Mother, he is a soldier of the Kingdom directly under Li. I gave him my word, we can''t do anything to him," the matriarch shouted from the sidelines worried her mother would do something bad. She obviously didn''t want to tell her that her daughter, princess Yun was the one who had made the deal.


    "If we don''t kill him right now, he will probably ughter hundreds of thousandster on. Step back, you don''t know the full story," she said without turning her head. "Why did you have to go and use that damned thing..." she murmured but the matriarch still heard her.


    "Was something wrong with the recipe?" she thought inwardly. "Looking back, everyone who used the recipe either died in the process or disappearedter on," she remembered.


    Even thest person that had used it disappeared. He was extremely powerful but was one day gone without a trace, and no one went out to look for him. Back then she didn''t give it much thought because she was very young at the time but now the more she thought about it, the worse her expression got.


    "There is definitely something wrong with the recipe..." she thought...


    *Boom*Boom*Boom*Boom*Boom*Boom*


    The booming noises came one after another and woke her from her daze. The cocoon was falling apart piece by piece.


    The high elder''s all looked at one another and then the olddy in charge.


    "Kill," she said without hesitation. The formation started closing in and destroyed everything in its path.


    "Mother!" the matriarch shouted but the olddy paid her no attention.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    A massive shockwave spread out with the cocoon as its center. The formation dimmed for less than a second and continued closing in again.


    "Stop," the olddy said calmly. The shockwave caused all the rubble and dust in the formation to fly around, and since it couldn''t leave the bounds of the formation, it was all contained inside and nothing could be seen.


    *Badump*Badump*


    A faint noise came from inside. It wasn''t loud but everyone within a radius of 500 meters still heard it like it was right next to their ears.


    *Badump*Badump*


    It sounded again. "What is that?" whispered one of the guards while holding his breath.


    No one made a single sound. It was so silent that you could hear a rat fart. The dust slowly settled down and a figure could be seen standing in the middle.


    The rock where the coffin was ced on waspletely destroyed. There were ck charred pieces of the cocoon everywhere.


    "I-Is that him?" asked the princess with a beet-red face. The dust settledpletely and everyone could clearly see the figure. It was a naked man of about 8 feet in height. His body seemed to be chiseled out of white jade.


    There were no blemishes on his skin, and it looked smoother than a baby''s bottom. Even some of the females in the surroundings were green with envy.


    His long ck hair wereing down to the abdomen. But even with all this, he didn''t look feminine at all. His body was extremely lean.


    There was a little steaming off of his skin as he stood there in a daze.


    ".....I''m.....hungry," a voice came from under the hair that covered his facepletely.


    "E-Eh? Hungry? Did he say hungry?" the princess who was still in a daze repeated his words while pulling on the granny''s sleeve.


    "Hao Xuan right? I am the Matriarch of the spider n. The great general Li sent you here to be treated. Do you remember anything?" The matriarch woke up from her stupor and asked while trying not to look at his lower body. Anyone could easily tell she was blushing which only made her more attractive.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes constricted. "Remember.....? Yes, I remember, everything," he said with clenched fists. People could hear his muscles stretch and joints move. It sounded like leather being pulled.


    "Kill him!" the olddy suddenly gave the order, startling everyone.


    "Mother no! He is fine, please stop," the matriarch pleaded upon hearing her mothersmand. She tried to walk into the formation but more than four elders were powering it, how could she alone interfere?


    "Kill? Me? You?" suddenly Hao Xuan lifted his head and met the olddy''s gaze. His eyes were glowing blue.


    Thedy frowned upon seeing his eyes, but before she could do anything else, Hao Xuan''s entire body gave off a burst of steam. Everyone could hear his muscles contract and expand.


    "You? Kill me? Why?" he suddenly asked with a casual tone and slightly bent his knees.


    The matriarch''s expression changed as she yelled, "STO-" but before she could finish, with a boom the ground under his feet cracked and he appeared in front of the olddy in mid-air.


    His entire body was surrounded by ck lightning snakes that kept wriggling around. The olddy was so surprised that she zoned out for a few seconds. She could tell that he wasn''t at the profound realm, yet here he was standing before her more than 15 feet in the air.


    He closed his hand and made a punch. Every single movement of his gave out loud noises. Without saying anything else or using any special technique, he threw a simple punch straight towards her chest.


    The olddy''s face finally contorted in anger as she used her bare hands to block the iing fist.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOM*


    A sonic boom sounded and thedy was blown out of the air as she crashed into the ground underneath.


    "You? kill me? How?" he asked once again while still floating in mid-air.


    "Wha-" everyone waspletely stupefied. The other High Elders had a change of expression as they took out several different weapons, but before they could attack, Hao Xuan appeared in front of the man that was controlling the formation and kicked him with his right leg that looked more like a whip.


    *BOOOOM*CRASH*


    With another loud sound, that man also crashed into the cavern wall more than 300 meters away.


    "What the fuck!!"


    "GUARDS!"


    Hao Xuan stood there in mid-air in a daze after kicking the man away. Looking at his hand with a frown, he mumbled, "What was that?". Both times he attacked, there was something around his fist. He closed his eyes and tried to remember but abruptly opened them again within a few seconds. Now they were back to their original green color.


    "Oh shi-" his eyes constricted as whatever power that was holding him up disappeared and he fell straight down like a rock.

 Chapter 93: Return Continued

    <h4>Chapter 93: Return Continued</h4>


    "Oh shi-" his eyes constricted as whatever power that was holding him up disappeared and he fell straight down like a rock.


    *Bam*


    Although he was still a bit disoriented, he still managed tond on his feet without much trouble.


    "W-Woah, why is it like this?!" he was so engrossed in his own body that he didn''t even pay attention to the surroundings.


    He jumped up and down without even putting in much strength and he still managed to jump more than three meters straight up.


    "My entire body feels so light, it feels like I was in a swamp before and now my own body has no weight of its own at all," he mumbled while looking at his hands. Until he felt a cold breeze go by and looked up only to see hundreds of eyes looking back at him.


    "What are yo-" as he was trying to get the sentence out, he looked down at his body and noticed that everything was...out for everyone to see.


    "Aaah" with one hand covering the front and one his back, he ran to the side where there were some bushes and nts.


    "The hell is going on?! Where am I? Who are you? What did you do to me!?! Don''t tell me, my virg-" hao Xuan suddenly looked down at his private parts with a pitiful expression and fired one question after another.


    "Shut the hell up, you damn pervert!" before he could finish, an extremely loud voice cut in from his left.


    He turned around and saw a young girl of about 17-18 years of age pointing at him with a beet-red face. She had green hair and was dressed very formally.


    "Who the hell wants your virginity! Put some clothes on and stop swinging that thing around!" she yelled while throwing him a robe.


    Still not knowing what was going on, he put the robe on and awkwardly walked out from the bushes. Three high elders were still floating in mid-air, looking at him warily, while the olddy and the man that was sent flying into the wall both were out and looking at him with poisonous eyes.


    "Kill this brat," thedy said once again while floating next to the others.


    Hao Xuan got the shock of his life, "Why the hell are you trying to kill me? Is it because you don''t want to leave any witnesses? Look, I don''t care what you guys are into, but I don''t want to be involved," he shouted while pointing at her.


    "I just woke up here, naked, and now you''re trying to kill me? Why? The hell did I do to you?" he asked when thedy didn''t answer, trying to sound as logical as possible.


    Thedy still didn''t answer immediately and just looked at him for a good 20 seconds before saying, "It''s not what you did, but what you will do."


    At this point, the Matriarch also floated up and stood between them. "Mother, there is nothing wrong with him. You can see he is fine and is not a danger to anyone. He is a member of the Red Legion, we CANNOT kill him lest we want to start a war with the kingdom of Mei."


    The olddy frowned and looked at Hao Xuan once again, as did the other elders. "Fine, but he cannot stay here. Leave this ce with haste and never return," she said while looking at the matriarch and then Hao Xuan.


    With that, she turned around to leave when Hao Xuan spoke up angrily, "I don''t want to be here anyway. God knows what you did to me, why would I stay with you people?!" he shouted and covered his chest with both hands like a youngdy that was molested.


    A visible vein could be seen throbbing on the side of the olddy''s forehead. Thankfully, instead of lowering herself to his level, she quietly vanished from her spot along with the other elders.


    "Everyone please disperse," the matriarch said with a smile and waved her hand. All the spectators bowed respectfully once and moved along. She then looked at Hao Xuan with a smile and nodded at him.


    "Yun''er, take the young captain away and get him something appropriate to wear," she said awkwardly while looking at the princess. Hao Xuan was wearing the princess''s night robe, which was much MUCH smaller and could barely cover half of his gigantic body.


    He suddenly noticed that and closed his legs and pulled the robe to cover all the important bits.


    "But mother, why do I have to? Let a servant take care of this mongrel!" the princess said pleadingly. But the matriarch only looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she shut up in a second, "L-Let''s go," she said to Hao Xuan and walked away.


    "O-Oh, yeah," Hao Xuan quickly bowed towards the Matriarch and followed after her while still trying to cover himself up.


    She took him through several corridors until they finally reached a courtyard. There was a small hill in the garden with water flowing under it with many fishes moving around. The ce wasn''t that big but looked quitefortable.


    "Wait here," she said without turning around and went inside. Some nking noises and muttering could be heard. "Why do I have to? Everyone always treats me like a ve, if I wasn''t here, everything would stop."


    Hao Xuan paid no attention to her whining and just enjoyed the scenery. With the many different flowers, insects, fishes, and other small rodents scurrying around, it really looked very natural and beautiful. He couldn''t even tell this was all underground until he looked up and saw the lightstones.


    "Come in," her voice came after a few minutes. He walked in and saw her standing in front of the door.


    "I put some clothes in there, change," she said while pointing at another door behind her. Hao Xuan didn''t say anything and walked in to see a kimono neatly put out on the bed.


    "How the hell am I supposed to wear this? They don''t have pants here?" he mumbled with a frown but still tried his best to put it on. Surprisingly, it was extremelyfortable and a perfect fit for him.


    He walked out and saw her still standing there with an annoyed expression.


    "Whose is this? How is it a perfect fit for me? Did you guys measure me while I was unconscious and made this beforehand?" he asked suspiciously.


    He was expecting her to get angry and shout at him again but instead, there were some tears in her eyes. "Did I go too far?" he thought to himself.


    "It was my father''s. Return it before you leave," she said calmly and turned around, walking out of the house.


    It was Hao Xuan''s turn to be in an awkward position.


    She led him back towards the area he had woken up at and through another corridor. A few minutester they came out to an area that looked like a modern shopping market from the earth. There were hundreds of people here. All of them stopped and bowed respectfully wherever she passed-by.


    They came to a stop outside a three-story building with a huge courtyard in front. Sounds of people fighting came from inside.


    She opened the door and casually walked in without even knocking. Hao Xuan hesitated for a few seconds and then followed after. As soon as he entered, he saw dozens of people fighting.


    "CAPTAIN!" a person shouted and everyone looked in their direction. These were the Mad Saints.


    "CAPTAIN IS BACK! LIEUTENANT!" one of them went running into the building and not even five secondster, Kuo, Hash, and Maddy came running out.


    "Captain! You''re safe!" Kuo shouted as he came running towards Hao Xuan and gave him a bear hug.


    "Cough, Lieutenant....." Hash and Maddy who were standing behind him smiled looking at him and patted Kuo''s shoulder, who suddenly regained his senses and saluted Hao Xuan, "Captain, it is nice to see you up and about."


    "O-Oh," Hao Xuan, on the other hand, didn''t remember being this close with Kuo but he didn''t mind.


    "Sorry to make you guys worry," heughed while scratched his head.


    "Meow" while they were talking, Hao Xuan heard a small voice and suddenly looked up to see Zhurong falling from the sky straight towards his face with a gleeful expression.


    "What the fu-" he quickly jumped up and caught him.


    "Meow Meow Meow Meow" Zhuroung couldn''t stop talking and kept licking his face.


    "Hahaha, sorry sorry," he lovingly patted his head, getting a deep purr in response.


    "But where did youe from?" he mumbled and looked up and saw the four newbies standing on the roof. All of them looked cheerful other than Mia, who looked like she just got told she had cancer.


    They were chatting happily until a voice interjected, "As you can see, he is fine. Tell the general we have held up our side of the deal, now it''s his turn," the princess said unhappily and walked out. No one even noticed she was there until she talked.


    "Y-Yes your Highness," Kuo said with a slight bow towards her retreating figure.


    "And make this idiot in charge of the new city. We will deal with him directly," she turned around and pointed at Hao Xuan.


    "E-Eh...?" everyone was speechless. Putting Hao Xuan in charge of an entire city, did the princess fall for him? They all looked at him and noticed the differences. He was more than two feet taller than before, even towering over Kuo, Hash, and Maddy. Plus his long hair with the muscr build was showing even through the loose kimono, giving a very mature vibe.


    "H-Hey, was the captain always this good looking?" one of the female soldiers asked another while blushing.

 Chapter 94: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 94: Confrontation</h4>


    After the princess left, Hao Xuan spent an hour or so chatting with everyone. While waiting for him to get patched up, they were cultivating themselves. Almost all of them were several stages stronger and some had even broken through to the next realm.


    That night they had a feast. Hash and Mady went out themselves and hunted a three-legged Jade Antelope. It was about eight meters big and was famous around these parts for its speed. But because it was so fast, there were rarely any in the market. Their meat was considered a delicacy and cultivators of one realm higher had to go out and set traps themselves to capture or kill one.


    The sun finally set and the party started. They made a massive bonfire and even invited some of the spider folk like 112 who had been keeping thempany.


    Hao Xuan didn''t sit with them all night and left after a couple of hours. He got his rings back from Kuo and tried to change into his normal clothes, but they were all several sizes smaller.


    "Damn it, gotta buy new...well, everything," he mumbled while standing butt naked in front of his bed.


    Zhurong was so happy that he didn''t leave Hao Xuan''s side for even a second. Even now he was soundly sleeping on his shoulder.


    Hao Xuan shook his head looking at the little furball who was drooling and purring in his sleep.


    He wore the same kimono the princess had given him earlier that day since there was nothing else that would fit.


    After that, he sat on the bed in a meditative pose and tried to recall everything that had happened.


    The memories came flooding back instantly. He remembered his ''previous'' life and everything that happened after. He remembered Meng and what he said.


    For the six weeks that he was in the cocoon, his mind didn''t stop for a minute.


    He spent every single second in his mind pce cultivating. The mind pce wasn''t a specific ce, but the area inside the body where a person''s soul and consciousness would reside. The mind pce could take on any form and was usually constructed subconsciously when the cultivator became strong enough to peer into his mind at will.


    Hao Xuan''s Mind pce was not an actual pce but a six-sided domed structure *[Pic for reference at the end]. There was water on three sides and a forest on the other. There were three doors on the forest''s side, two of which were closed. The one on the right was open whereas the one on the left and middle were both tightly shut. The left one even had some chains on it.


    In the middle of the structure was a tform with three books on top. These were the techniques and manuals he had learned in the past.


    He sat on the chair in front of the tform and read each of them once again. It seemed like he was waiting for something.


    *Sigh*


    "Might as well get this over with then," he said after 30 minutes or so and walked up to the door in the middle. He gently put his hand on the handle and it opened on its own. There was only a bright light with nothing else visible. It looked like a portal to another dimension. He took a deep breath and walked through.


    As soon as he entered, everything went white. He had to close his eyes because it was too bright and when he opened them, he was in an old room that looked like something out of an old English novel.


    There was a firece in the middle of the room with two single sofas facing it. There was a window to the right from which snow could be seen falling but nothing else.


    The firece had a nice little fire going on which gave the entire room an extremelyfortable feeling.


    "Took you a while to visit," suddenly came a voice from the left sofa. Hao Xuan could see the person''s legs but nothing else. His heartbeat increased as he went up to the other sofa and sat down.


    "I didn''t know what to say. This is all very.....strange," Hao Xuan looked at the figure on the sofa who had a book covering his face.


    "Oh? So what made you change your mind?" the figure asked.


    "I thought we coulde up with apromise. Otherwise, it would be chaos and that would affect all of us," Hao Xuan said after a few seconds.


    "Hmm, I''m listening," the figure put down the book and Hao Xuan could finally see his face. It was a middle-aged British man with short ck hairbed to the side. He had sunsses on and a smoke pipe in his mouth and was wearing a four-piece suit that waspletely ck in color.


    Hao Xuan frowned looking at his get-up. "I thought you were supposed to look like me since you''re my personality. What''s with the suit and....everything?"


    The man smiled at him in return, "Isn''t it nice? Just because I''m your personality doesn''t mean I have to look like you. We haveplete freedom to choose our own avatars," he said calmly and emptied the pipe in the ashtray to his left.


    "Strange choice," Hao Xuanmented looking at him up and down.


    "Well, that''s what makes us different. Even though we are essentially the same person, but our tastes and interests arepletely different."


    "I guess...."


    "So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked gettingfortable on the sofa.


    Hao Xuan thought about it for a few seconds and asked, "What should I call you? Since you''re so different, you should have a different name, no?"


    "Hahahaha, good idea, no GREAT idea!" the manughed uproaringly. "How about Mr. Hyde then? Since I''m your ''other'' personality and it goes along pretty well with the theme of the room too," he said gesturing towards the surroundings.


    "Fine, Hyde it is," Hao Xuan didn''t mind and simply agreed.


    "Now, ask away," he took a puff and said.


    "The other door, did you lock it?"


    "Yes and No."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "What do you mean? Don''t pull this mysterious shit with me," he said with an annoyed expression.


    "Oh, I forgot you hate that. Alright. Yes in the sense that I chained the door closed, No in the sense that he allowed it to be chained. Otherwise, I couldn''t have done it. But now he can''t get out even if he wanted to and needs one of us to open it."


    "Why would he do that? Weren''t we all supposed to fight for supremacy or something?"


    "We were, but he''s toozy. He just doesn''t give enough of a shit to participate. So it''s just you and me," he grinned at Hao Xuan.


    "Whatever, that makes things easier then. How do you want to do this?" Hao Xuan didn''t want to beat around the bush. This was one thing he wanted to take care of before doing anything else as it was a ticking time-bomb in his own head.


    "Hmm, how about you give up and let me absorb you?" Mr. Hyde asked after thinking about it for a few seconds.


    Hao Xuan''s brow jumped in anger, "As if! How about you give up?! I''ll even let you have one wish."


    "Hmm, how about...."


    They talked back and forth for several hours until the moon and the sun changed ces and someone knocked on the door.


    "Captain, are you up?" Mia''s voice came from the other side, waking Hao Xuan up.


    "We''ll continue thister," he mumbled to himself and got up to open the door.


    "What?" he was annoyed after talking to Mr. Hyde all night so when he opened the door, naturally he was still in a bad mood and unintentionally asked in a rude tone.


    "U-Um, Lieutenant said we are ready to move out. He ordered some recement clothes for you as well," she was taken aback by Hao Xuan''s tone and stuttered. After handing him arge bag, she quickly turned around to leave but then stopped.


    Hao Xuan was about to close the door when he saw her still standing there so he asked, "Anything else?"


    She turned her head and peeked inside the room and then continued on her way, "N-No sir."


    Unknown to Hao Xuan, while he was in the cocoon it was Mia that had taken care of Zhurong. She bathed him and went out to hunt fresh beasts for him every single day. She basically treated him like a king but when he came back, Zhurong didn''t even spare her a single look.


    Today she specifically asked Kuo if she could take the clothes up to Hao Xuan herself. Her n was to ask Hao Xuan if she could y with Zhurong for a bit but after seeing his bad mood, all the courage she had gathered disappeared in an instant and she left with a dejected expression on her beautiful face.


    Hao Xuan obviously didn''t know any of this and didn''t pay much attention to her strange behavior. He took a shower and changed into the new clothes which were a perfect fit.


    "Gotta give it to Kuo, he doesn''t do things half-assed," he mumbled looking into the mirror.


    Even though he had been in the Beast world for close to a year now, he didn''t know too much about the day-to-day workings. Everything he knew was what was told to him by the military.


    "So much to do, so little time," he said inwardly after remembering everything that he had to do.


    First, of course, was to find out how the Khan family was doing. Then break into the next realm and start training his weapons. There was also the training of his Immortal Devouring Demon Physique which he had just started on.


    During the six week period, he spent a lot of time going through Meng''s experiences and exnations and had gotten a good grasp on the concept of ''force''. He was ready to use pure unadulterated ''force'' to break through to the Origin realm whenever the opportunity presented itself.

 Chapter 95: Snek

    <h4>Chapter 95: Snek</h4>


    Hao Xuan got dressed and went downstairs. Everyone was already in the courtyard in their uniforms standing in a perfect formation.


    "Damn it, I wanted to eat first," he muttered under his breath after seeing them. Even after eating till he was about to explode just the night before, he was already so hungry that it was hurting a little.


    "Is this because of the physique? Well, it has ''devouring'' in the name so I guess this should be expected huh?" he said with a sigh. The olddy had already given him the ultimatum to leave as soon as possible so dying his stay wasn''t a good idea at this point.


    "Greetings Captain!" 112 was standing next to Kuo waiting for Hao Xuan toe down.


    "Hello, could you please pass this to the princess?" he smiled and handed him the Kimono which he washed and folded beforeing out.


    "Of course sir," 112 stored it and then led them outside. "Is there anywhere specific I can drop you?" he asked while patting the giant centipede.


    "Is there somewhere around here with a lot of beasts?" Hao Xuan asked after a moment of contemtion.


    "Haha, of course, sir. Dozens of ces all around us. I''ll take you to one closer to the entrance of the Quarry." Everyone got up on the centipede and it entered one of the hundreds of other tunnels in the gorge and disappeared in an instant.


    About 40 minutester they came out from the side of a cliff. Apparently, there was a waterfall nearby as well. The sshing water was so loud that it could be heard it from quite a distance away.


    "This is a famous watering hole. Beasts from all arounde here," he said while pointing towards the right side of the cliff. The Mad Saints got down and the centipede slowly turned to go back the way it came from when 112 gave them a warning with a serious look.


    "Please don''t go swimming in the water. No one knows how deep it is and there are some extremely powerful creatures down there. Two spirit realm cultivators of our n disappeared down there a few years ago." Kuo andpany were slightly taken aback by that. Spirit realm cultivators were considered to be overlords under normal circumstances and it wasn''t easy to kill one.


    "Got it, thank you. Tell the princess we''ll be in touch," Kuo nodded in response and waved as he once again disappeared into the dark tunnel.


    "Still as creepy as ever. I feel like there''s something in the darkness," Mason said with quivering shoulders.


    "There is," Hao Xuan mumbled, turned around and started walking towards the waterfall.


    "E-Eh? Captain, did you say something?" Aria asked from behind. The newbies were always following Hao Xuan around like lost kittens. He told them to knock it off but Kuo said it was either them or Him and Maddy, so he chose them.


    "No, let''s go," he waved from the front and the rest followed after.


    It had been a very long time since hest saw the sun and the outside world in general. Every single ce in this world seemed like a piece of paradise whenpared to Earth. There was greenery as far as the eye could see. Massive trees towering over everything.


    Engrossed in the moment, he slowly walked at his own pace while the rest followed without making a sound. It took a bit more than 10 minutes for them to reach the waterfall. It was absolutely massive and went down for more than a 100 meters.


    It wasn''t a normal waterfall but looked man-made. Tworge rivers wereing from north-east and east and were being emptied into an extremelyrge hole in the ground.


    As Hao Xuan looked down, the end wasn''t visible because of ayer of dense mist a few dozen meters down the hole and from their perspective, it just looked like a giant mouth swallowing millions of gallons of water every second.


    "Woah, that looks deep," Luke said as he peered down into the abyss while holding onto a nearby tree.


    "I''ll give you 500 points if you jump down," Mason said from the back. He was afraid of heights so even going near the edge was impossible for him.


    "I''ll give you 5,000 if you do," Luke grinned back.


    "Hmph. That''s easy to say when you won''t have to pay in the end. Ain''t no way anyone''s surviving whatever the hell is down there," he said with quivering legs.


    While they were bantering around, a voice interjected. "I''ll go," Hao Xuan said while looking down. Zhurong who was usually asleep was wide awake at this point and was also looking down with an intrigued look.


    "Eh? Captain, please don''t joke around like that," Luke said with augh.


    "I''m serious, I''ll go. "


    "....."


    "....."


    "Wha- Captain, NO! You just got back, we can''t lose you again!" Mason shouted dramatically like a middle-aged woman.


    "Just stay here, I want to check something out, I''ll be back soon. When I tug the rope twice, pull me up," he didn''t wait for them to reply and jumped straight down with a rope tied around his waist. They didn''t even realize when he had taken it out let alone tied it around one of the trees behind them.


    "Ahhhhh! Lieutenant! Captain jumped down! He jumped down!" Mason started screaming at the top of his lungs.


    ***


    A few minutes ago, while Mason and Luke were talking, Zhurong was alsomunicating with Hao Xuan telepathically.


    "Master, there''s something good down there!"


    "Something good?" Hao Xuan frowned.


    "Yes, I can feel it, young, very young! And they''re alone, its the perfect time!" Zhurong said in his usual childish voice.


    "Young? What is it? A treasure?"


    "No, something even better! Divine blood!" he said ecstatically.


    "Divine Blood? What''re you talking about? Exin properly."


    "No time, we have to go now! Exinter!"


    Hao Xuan gave it some thought and jumped down after making the preparations. Zhurong was the one that got him Bai before and he was obviously very special so he trusted himpletely.


    But the fall was higher than he thought. At around the 60-meter mark, there was ayer of fog and mist and nothing below it was visible. Hao Xuan maneuvered his body to stay near the edge in case of an emergency.


    As soon as he passed the fogyer, his eyes constricted. The opening at the top was nothingpared to the bottom. The fogyer was like a second opening and the area below it expanded by more than five times. There was an absolutely massive underground river raging below him. Just it''s width alone was more than a dozen kilometers. He couldn''t even see the sides of it.


    "Oh fuck!" Hao Xuan''s heart stopped for second looking at the muddy water. Dozens of gigantic beasts could be seen swimming around in there. There was something that looked like an alligator but just its head alone was more than 50 meters long. There was an eel/frog look-alike that had faint electrical sparks all over its body. There were a few tentacles and flippers visible as well that were bigger than the alligator''s entire head.


    If he fell down there, it was the end. No constitution or physique would save him.


    "To the left, that cave!" Zhurong shouted, waking Hao Xuan from his stupor. He turned around and saw a massive cave behind the waterfall.


    "Damn it," he clenched his teeth and used his momentum to swing to the side and used the pressure of the falling water to push himself into the cave, barely making it inside.


    "Thank fucking god I had enough rope," he mumbled while sweating bullets. This was suicidal. If he was even a little careless then it was certain death.


    He picked Zhurong up from the back of his neck, "You little twerp, you tryna get me killed?" he asked through gritted teeth.


    Zhurong looked at him with the cutest face he could muster and innocently said, "Master, its all for you. Look, over there. Take those and let''s go before shees back."


    Hao Xuan followed Zhurong''s line of sight and once again, his heart skipped a beat. There were two absolutely massive broken eggshells. Each of them was more than Four meters in height.


    "O-Oi, are you fucking kidding me? Whatever is in those eggs seems to be big enough to swallow me in one bite, not to mention whatever gave birth to them!" he suddenly moved to the side and hid behind a nearby rock.


    "No no, they were born less than a week ago so its fine. Also once you see them you will understand. But you have to hurry, their mother should be back any minute and she is two realms higher than what you would call the profound realm."


    Hao Xuan chocked on his spit, "Tw-TWO REALMS HIGHER?! WHAT?! NO! The hell is wrong with you?! We''re going back!" he turned around without a second thought and started climbing back.


    "Master, Trust me! They are perfect for you! And I have a way to make sure she won''t be able to follow us!" Zhurong pleaded once again, hoping to change his mind.


    "I don''t even know the names of the realms higher than the Profound realm, and you want me to kidnap the babies of a beast at such a level? No thank you! I don''t want to die yet." he grumbled and tugged on the rope.


    "Over there! There they are!" Zhurong jumped off his shoulder and ran behind the eggshells before Hao Xuan could react.


    "YOU, What the fuck are you doing?!!" Hao Xuan almost jumped out of his skin. He quickly untied the rope and ran after him and found him standing above a small pile of vines.


    "Master take them quickly and let''s go!" he ran up to Hao Xuan and said eagerly. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, Hao Xuan finally made up his mind and slowly moved closer to where Zhurong was pointing at.


    "Is this it? You were talking about them?" he said pointing at the vines.


    "Yes!" Zhurong nodded his head eagerly.


    It was a pair of sleeping snakes. A pair of ck and white baby snakes that had flickering me''s on the top of their heads. The white one had a blue me and the ck one had a red me. They were coiled around each other like jumbled ropes and if not for the colors, no one would be able to tell where one started and the other ended.


    Each of them was a little bigger than 4-5 inches.


    "MASTER! She''sing!" Zhurong shouted from the entrance of the cave.


    "What?! God damn it, fine, this better work!" he didn''t dy any longer and picked up the snakes and ran back to the entrance.


    "Did you do whatever it was to throw her off our trail??" he asked nervously.


    "Oh, I forgot, tee hee."


    "Tee hee? What the hell has Mason been teaching you?" he scowled at the thought.


    Zhurong ran back to where the snakes were, lifted up one leg, and started peeing.


    "DUUUUDE! WHAT.ARE.YOU.DOING!?!" Hao Xuan felt like ripping his own hair out. Never would he trust this little brat again.


    "This will do," he looked at his ''work'' like it was a piece of art and came back to Hao Xuan and climbed up to his shoulder.


    "Let''s go!" he said with a satisfied expression.


    "Just you wait till we get out of here brat," Hao Xuan''s blood pressure was through the roof. One after another, the events of thest few minutes left him speechless and would traumatize anyone.


    He tugged on the rope again and it started getting pulled back up. Within 20 seconds he was already near the fogyer, as he looked down onest time, he saw something that would give him nightmares for a long time.


    The entire 10+ kilometer river parted as an enormous scaled body moved through the water.


    His legs literally went limp and if there was ground underneath, he would have already fallen to his knees.


    "I-Is that her? Th-their mother?" he asked with a parched throat. All of a sudden it felt like the moisture from his body disappeared.


    Zhurong looked down and nodded like it waspletely normal, "Yes, but that''s only her tail."


    "...what have I done....." he mumbled as a single tear fell down his face.

 Chapter 96: Sneks Continued

    <h4>Chapter 96: Sneks Continued</h4>


    Kuo, Hash, and Mady were debating on how to set up different parties for a small training session when they heard Mason''s scream. By the time they reached the ce, Hao Xuan had already descended and couldn''t be seen anymore.


    Kuo looked down but couldn''t see anything because of the mistyer. So he tried to use Qi to increase the power of his eyesight but the seemingly simple mistyer was like a steel wall.


    "What happened? Why did the captain go down there?" he asked with a serious expression. That mist was anything but normal. It was imbued with spiritual energy.


    "We were just messing around and captain suddenly said he wanted to go down there. He jumped down before we could do anything. He only said to pull him up when he tugs on that rope twice," Aria said concerningly while pointing at the rope next to her.


    Kuo went up to it and held the rope, a few secondster his expression got better. "Don''t worry, he''s fine," he said breathing a sigh of relief. Just then he had sent his Qi down the rope and was met with Hao Xuan''s Qi.


    "If he went down, there must be a reason. Gather everyone up, we will wait for him here," Kuo ordered and the newbies left to inform the rest.


    All of the Mad Saints were there within a couple of minutes. They waited and waited with bated breaths until Kuo finally felt the rope tug. He was about to pull it up when he remembered that Hao Xuan had said twice so he waited until he felt two tugs in close proximity of one another and started pulling with all his strength.


    About 30 secondster a Hao Xuan that looked like he had aged several years came up covered in a cold sweat.


    "Captain, is everything okay?" Kuo asked looking at him up and down when he saw his pale face.


    "It doesn''t matter, get ready, we are leaving right now!" Hao Xuan waved his hand sat down on the ground to catch his breath.


    "Yes?" Kuo thought he misheard him. They literally just got here less than 20 minutes ago and now they were leaving again?


    Hao Xuan didn''t reply immediately and instead took a few deep breaths to calm himself down first. Then he stood up and summoned Bai, "Monster, a monster ising. Get ready, we are leaving. Which way is out of this god damned ce?"


    "T-That way," Kuo still didn''t know what was going on exactly but it wasn''t hard to guess. Hao Xuan probably saw a monstrous beast and got scared.


    "MAD SAINTS! WE ARE LEAVING!" he shouted and they all summoned their mounts and left within a few seconds.


    ***


    While Hao Xuan and Kuo were talking, something was happening below the mistyyer.


    After Hao Xuan was pulled up, the entire river parted as a massive 200-meter snakehead slowly ascended from the muddy waters. God knows how long its entire body was.


    Its head was so huge that it literally blocked out the entire entrance. It got closer to the cave and then instantly it vanished, and ady in a blue cheongsam appeared at the cave''s entrance. She slowly walked to where the baby snakes were and froze when she saw the empty nest. Just as she was about to let out a shout and transform back, her nose twitched.


    She went closer to the nest and bent down to smell when suddenly her entire body jerked backward.


    "No! My babies! Why?! Why take away my children? You have already taken everything else from me, why do you want to push me into a corner? You can dirty me all you want, hurl insults at me and call me a whore, I will take it all in stride," she fell down to her knees and tears starteding down her face.


    "But when you take away my only reason to live, my beautiful children, do you think I will do nothing!? Even if you are Gods, there will be hell to pay!" she shouted and disappeared.


    A few dayster, an incredible event urred.


    A single person attacked one of the oldest Beast ns on the entire continent. An earth-shaking battle took ce. The space shattered and the heavens trembled. Screams could be heard for a million miles and blood flowed like rivers.


    A single person wreaked havoc until the elders of the n had toe out themselves to take charge. For three days and three nights, the person fought, only repeating one single line. "Give me back my children."


    Of course, no one knew what was happening. The Beast n itself waspletely in the dark and incurred monumental losses. After that, no one knew the attacker''s whereabouts.


    This news was only spread to the top brass of the continent and included powers like the Royal families of some select Empires, other Ancient ns, powerful Sects, and Academies.


    Each empire had hundreds of kingdoms under them and even some of these Empires weren''t privy to this kind of information, let alone a Grade-2 Kingdom like Mei.


    If Hao Xuan knew the chaos his actions had caused, how would he feel?


    ***


    The Mad Saints rode on their mounts non-stop for several days. They only took a single break and reached Fortuna city within 5 days.


    Hao Xuan followed the Mad Saints and saw their quarters. Since he was their leader, there was also a ce for him here.


    It was a normal militarypound located on the outskirts of the inner city, near the wall.


    When everyone had settled in, he called Aria over for word in private.


    "You came from earth right?" Hao Xuan asked while sitting back on his chair. Zhurong was cozily sleeping on hisp and there was a small basket to the right of him, looking very conspicuous.


    "Yes sir," she replied respectfully.


    "I need you to do me a favor, this isn''t anything official so feel free to decline. Are you interested?"


    Without even a single moment of hesitation, she replied, "Yes sir!"


    "Huh?" Hao Xuan was a bit surprised.


    "This girl is way too gullible. Not even asking forpensation? Without even knowing what the task is, she agreed? What if it was something sexual?" he thought inwardly while shaking his head.


    "In district 12, there is a family near the outer edge. The Khans. I need you to go over and check how they''re doing. Get me a detailed report of every individual. Ask if they have any problems or issues or anything bothering them at all. Talk to all of them one-on-one. Understand?"


    Aria was taken aback by the request. She thought it would be to run a few errands maybe, but what was this?


    "U-Um captain, what should I say if they ask why I want to know? Obviously this isn''t the normal procedure."


    "Just make something up," Hao Xuan waved his hand but then stopped. This simple girl, how would she be good at lying?


    "A-Actually, tell them that they were chosen randomly to see how the people from earth were adjusting to life here," he said after a few seconds.


    "Yes sir!"


    "I''ll be in the HQ so just contact me through the badge when you''re done and I''lle over. Do this as quickly as possible."


    "Yes sir, I''ll get right on it!" she saluted and left in a hurry.


    Hao Xuan finally rxed. This had been bothering since he came out of the cocoon. He still hadn''t decided on how to deal with Yue Fei for sealing his memories.


    But he wasn''t powerful enough to do anything to anyone at this point so getting stronger came first.


    After leaving a few things at his new ce, he went straight back to the mountain where all the other Eight were.


    He reached it within the hour and walked in. There was no one in the training grounds or the main hall.


    "Guess they''re all out on missions huh?" he mumbled and went back to his own courtyard. It was undisturbed and there was even ayer of dust there.


    He put down Zhurong and the basket outside and started cleaning.


    After 10 minutes or so he was done so he brought them inside and went to take a shower himself.


    He got dressed and sat on the bed. But before he could do anything else, Zhurong got up with his eyes still half-closed and wobbled over to him. With some effort, he climbed up into hisp and instantly fell asleep again.


    "I swear, just this brat''s ability to stay asleep in most situations is mind-boggling," he mumbled and reached out to pinch his fluffy tail but held himself back.


    "Now, your turn," he looked towards the basket in which there were a couple of beautiful little snakes. They hadn''t woken up a single time throughout the journey back.


    "Is thismon with all beasts?" he murmured looking at the tiny little things.


    What Hao Xuan was unaware of was that most beasts of higher realms had the ability to freely control their size and shape, up to an extent. This was true for their young as well and they would usually stay in the size they were mostfortable with until they matured.


    He closed his eyes and the memories about the constitution came back. When Meng first awakened the Soul Severing Heavenly constitution, all the relevant information popped into his head.


    This was because of the of the bloodline ties and any information rted to it would be awakened along with the constitution.


    He took the ck snake out first and started channeling his Qi. An image of his Mind pce appeared behind him and his eyes started glowing like torches.


    Then he muttered a single word, "Sever" and ced his hand over the snakes head.


    A faint popping sound was heard as all of his Qi rushed towards the little snake and entered its head.


    It shook for a few seconds but calmed down soon after.


    "Sess!" a connection was formed with the snake and he could feel its very existence. He willed it and the snake disappeared from his hand.


    He then once again closed his eyes and tried to feel the snake and appeared back in his mind pce. The little snake was next to the tform in the middle of the pce. It had woken up and was looking around curiously with wide eyes. As soon it saw Hao Xuan, with a smile on its little face it came wriggling towards him.


    Hao Xuan bent down and picked him up. This connection between them was much stronger than the one between Bai and him.


    He could feel every single fiber of the little snake and absolutely no information was hidden from him. The snake lovingly rubbed its head against Hao Xuan''s chin and tried to lick him.


    "Haha, who would have thought snakes could be so cute," Hao Xuan let out augh and patted its head with his finger.


    "Alright, wait here, I''ll bring your brother over too," he said and disappeared.


    After that, he did the same with the other snake and they both were in Hao Xuan''s mind pce when he came over.


    After ying with them a little bit, he opened his eyes and tried to summon them and they both appeared on his shoulders, one on each side, and climbed up on his head and started fighting with one another.


    "Damn, how are you guys so cute?"


    Each of them was less than 3-4 inches from head to tail. One waspletely ck while the otherpletely white. There was not even a hint of another color anywhere on their bodies.


    It was like they were molded from light and darkness itself.

 Chapter 97: Same Old World

    <h4>Chapter 97: Same Old World</h4>


    After ying with the snakes for a bit, Hao Xuan recalled them back into the Mind Pce and went to sleep. The next morning a loud knock woke him up.


    "Ninth brother, are you back??" shouted a voice. Still half asleep, Hao Xuan got up and opened the door only to be met with a blinding white light.


    "Ahh!" Hao Xuan almost lost his eyesight from the sudden exposure.


    "Oh my bad, sorry sorry," said the voice and the light turned off instantly. Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes again and saw Fourth standing there with an awkward expression.


    "Fourth brother, are you trying to kill me perhaps?" he asked with an annoyed expression.


    "Hahaha, no way no way. I was cultivating a new technique and forgot to turn it off. Since you''re awake, let''s go out! It''s been so long since we saw each other. Everyone else is still on missions so it''s just us two," Fourth said with a wide grin that gave Hao Xuan cold chills.


    "Fine, but it''s your treat. Give me a few minutes, I''ll change and meet you near the gate," with that he closed the door and went to wash up. As he was about to leave, Zhurong woke up and jumped on his shoulder with an unnatural enthusiasm. Usually, he would spend the whole day sleeping but today he woke up so early that it was worrying.


    "You wannae with?" Hao Xuan asked with a frown and got a cute "Meow" and a nod in return.


    "Mhm, sure. We still have to talk about the stunt you pulled at the waterfall," he said with a smile that slightly scared the little fluffball.


    He met up with Fourth and they both departed. Fourth had also changed into normal clothes and in his pants and shirt, he looked like a normal teenager from earth.


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, was wearing an old-school Hanfu which waspletely white in color. He had picked it up the day before from a shop after reaching Fortuna City.


    One had to remember, aftering out from the cocoon, Hao Xuan had changed significantly. His hair were long, bone structure was that of a model, and with his current height of 8+ feet, he would be the center of attention anywhere he went, especially dressed like he was.


    And with Zhurong in his embrace, he looked like a young master from some powerful n and gave everyone an ethereal feeling.


    *Whistle*


    "My god, Ninth brother since when did you be so handsome?!" Fourth whistled and asked with a surprised expression.


    "What are you talking about? I was always handsome. Did you not notice before?" he replied with a smile and started walking down.


    "Ninth brother, if you meet any cute girls you must remember me," he shouted from the back and followed after.


    They walked for a good hour or so until a huge shopping district appeared in front of them. Obviously, this wasn''t Hao Xuan''s first timeing to such a ce since he had passed through once before with First.


    But at that time he didn''t have any memory of Earth or any simr knowledge so he didn''t notice a lot of things about the people and the world in general.


    Like quite a lot of people seemed to be wearing a bracelet of some kind on their left hand which attracted his attention.


    "Fourth brother, what is that thing everyone is wearing?" he asked pointing at a person''s wrist.


    "Hmm?" Fourth followed Hao Xuan''s line of sight and then looked at him as if he was looking at an idiot.


    "...ninth brother.....do you really not know?" he asked suspiciously.


    Hao Xuan red at him, "Are you going to answer or not?"


    "Um, I don''t know if you''re messing with me or not, but I''ll answer anyway. That''s a Spirit Band, it''s used to...."


    And for the next 10 minutes, he exined its functions. It had the same functions as a cell phone from earth. But unlike cell phones, it wasn''t made with microchips and otherponents as such tech waspletely outdated in this world. Instead, they used extremelyplicated runes and formations to get the same functions out of it and much more.


    It was connected to awork, just like the inte from Earth where you could meet and chat with all kinds of people from all over.


    But one key difference was that the area it covered was limited. There were Six continents on Beast world, and each of them had its ownwork. So Hao Xuan would not be able to get in contact with anyone from another continent, for now.


    Theworks were controlled by the main cities in each continent. The continent Hao Xuan was in was simply called ''Tertium'' and its city was the ''Saint City'' so everything would be controlled from there.


    But even though it was ''limited'', the size of most Grade-2 kingdoms wasrger than the entire earth, and with thousands of such kingdoms, even bigger Empires, Ancient ns, Sects etc, it did not feel restricted in any way.


    "Seriously? Howe I didn''t hear about this before then?" Hao Xuan asked with a questionable gaze.


    "I should be asking YOU that. Although we aren''t allowed to use our personal spirit bands during missions, everyone still has them," Fourth was stupefied, and rightly so.


    Imagine someone from earth asking what aputer was, this was the same as that.


    The spirit band was, of course, a luxury item and had many different types. It wasn''t the government''s job to provide you one and you had to buy one with your own money.


    "What the hell, how do I get one then?" he asked eagerly. Imagine how easy it would make things.


    "Well since we''re in the military, we can go to the R&D department and get thetest model for free," Fourth''s mood suddenly changed for the better and he led Hao Xuan into one of the many restricted areas.


    Of course, they were only restricted to normal people. They went to a ce simr to the Beast hall but much smaller in scale. With Fourth''s BSing skills, both of them quickly got brand new Spirit Bands.


    Hao Xuan had to register since it was his first time. They scanned him and took a drop of blood for verification and then used the information from his Red Legion identity badge to expedite the process.


    Within a couple of hours, they were back on the streets.


    Hao Xuan chose an extremely simpleplete ck band. It just looked like a piece of ck steel. It was connected to his nervous system and when activated, a screen would pop up that was only visible to him, unless he chose to show others in which case a hologram would pop up above the band. It was all controlled through the mind and he just had to think to navigate.


    They went to a restaurant and ordered some food. Fourth and Zhurong seemed to be having apetition on who could eat more in the shortest amount of time, while Hao Xuan was calmly sitting back and browsing thework.


    The simrities between Earth and this ce were too many. But that was to be expected when the entire civilization of Earth was guided by the Ancient ones (exined in the starting chapters).


    There were shows, movies, songs, every kind of entertainment one could think of was there.


    There were even some music festivalsing up in a few week''s time.


    He searched up some videos regarding the world and saw a lot of unimaginable sceneries. They could only be better in real life.


    There was a ce with hundreds of floating Inds, an oceanpletely ck in color, a beast so massive that there was an entire city on its back.


    Fourth smiled looking at Hao Xuan''s bewildered expression. "Ninth brother, here looks at this."


    He had added Hao Xuan as a friend on his own spirit band and they were able to talk to each other and chat whenever needed. He sent him a link to a video.


    "What is it?" Hao Xuan asked but opened it without waiting for an answer and was shocked by what he saw. It was a video of an idol group performing somewhere, but what caught his attention was that he had met one of the Six girls before.


    One of the girls from the group was from the Four he had seen in the Royal Pce [Ch14].


    "Fourth brother, who is she?" he made the screen visible to others and pointed at the girl with orange hair.


    "That''s the most popr girl in the group. Her name is Lisa. She is the daughter of an extremely powerful expert from one of the ancient ns. Do you like her?" he asked with a mischievous grin.


    "Like her? I guess you can say that," Hao Xuan didn''t even notice Fourth''s expression as he was too engrossed in the video.


    "Haha, brother, I think you should focus on your cultivation first. She is already at the profound realm."


    "Profound realm?! At her age? Are you sure?"


    "Of course, it''smon knowledge. You can look it up yourself," he said while stuffing a whole egg down his throat.


    As Hao Xuan was looking at her, his eyes color changed to red for an instant and then returned to normal. It happened so quickly that no one noticed, not even he himself.


    He then saw some videos of gigantic flying ships racing with one another. One thing after another, he just kept getting amazed by the things that were avable in this world.


    "Brother, what are these?" he showed the video to Fourth.


    "Oh, those are cruisers. There are different sizes of them and many, MANY different types. These ones arepletely man-made as you can, but there are some that are giant flying fortresses, treasure mountains, huge trees, etc. Almost anything that has a special origin can be refined into a cruiser. Depending on the size and use, they have different names. These ones are only for personal use but there are some with military applications as well. We even have one," he said with a know-it-all''s face.


    "We? The Mei Kingdom has one?"


    "Yup, it''s nothing like the ones you see in the videos, I''ve only seen a picture of it once. We haven''t had the opportunity to use it yet," he said disappointingly.


    "Just one? Why not more?"


    "Brother, do you have any idea how much even a single one costs? After using the entire wealth of the kingdom we were able to buy just one, so you can imagine how expensive they are."


    This was a lot of information to take in. He never paid much attention to the world around him but after thinking about it a bit, it wasn''t that surprising. There already were screens everywhere and they must be connected to share information with one another, but it never crossed his mind what it actually meant.


    Ever since he came to the Beast world he had spent his entire time either with the military or with the Khan family at the farm and had no opportunities to explore much so this wasn''t that unexpected.


    "I need to make some money. Breakthrough to the profound realm as soon as possible and get out of here to explore," he thought inwardly.


    ***


    AUTHOR''S NOTES:


    I know this might be a bit unexpected for some of you but this was always hinted at from the beginning. The mix of technology and old-school cultivation, I always wanted to do something like this. And ever since Hao Xuan came to the beast world, there were puter" like things and screens all around.


    Still, if you have any questions then ask away in thements and I''ll try to answer them all without spoiling anything.

 Chapter 98: Death Walk

    <h4>Chapter 98: Death Walk</h4>


    Hao Xuan sat in the restaurant digesting all the information while Zhurong and Fourth ate like starved beasts.


    "Little cat, you are far too young to be able topare to me!" Fourth said proudly while downing an entire fish, bones and all.


    "Meow Meow!" Zhurong replied with a challenging tone and started attacking what seemed like an entire rabbit but it was several times bigger than the ones found on earth. He ate through its behind and entered its body and started eating from inside out.


    "Woah! I see you''re no pushover," Fourth''s expression suddenly turned serious looking at Zhurong''s "technique".


    Hao Xuan just stared at them speechless, "Both of them, morons," he said inwardly.


    "Um, brother, I need to break through to the next realm, are there any challenging missions avable?" he asked after some hesitation.


    "Hmm? Oh, yeah of course. Hundreds but you don''t have to take them. Just go to to the Arena [CH33] and start a "Death Walk". It sounds ominous but it''s not that bad. You will basically be pit against one opponent after another, with some humans mixed in as well and they will all be one realm higher than yours."


    "So its perfect for breaking through. Since you''re at the top of the Earth Realm, you will have 10 opponents back-to-back. The first one will be at Origin Realm stage 1, next at stage 2 and so on until the end where thest one will be at the top of Origin realm. The great thing is that you can choose to record the session or even live-broadcast and all the money from people tuning in will go to you. Honestly, for someone in your situation its perfect."


    Hao Xuan thought about it and it really was a great idea. Aftering out of the cocoon he hadn''t fought at all. He could feel that just his physical body alone was much more powerful than before, this would let him test it out and also with the added pressure of higher realm opponents, he could break through to origin realm and then even refine his Qi during the fights.


    "Alright, let''s do it!" he agreed after thinking it through.


    "Great!" Fourth was ecstatic as well because he would be able to get a piece of the action. He knew what Hao Xuan had just gone through and judging from the changes in his physical appearance alone, he must have gotten stronger. So making a few extra spirit stones by betting on him was basically free money.


    They finished up the lunch and left for the arena, but Zhurong was still making pitiful faces so Hao Xuan got a few roasted beasts to go and brought them with.


    They reached the Arena in 30 mins or so and went straight in.


    "Brother Feng!" Fourth and Hao Xuan both went up to meet the man at the counter. They told him what the n was and he looked at Hao Xuan for a bit and warned him, but didn''t manage to change his mind.


    "It will take a few minutes to set it all up so take this key and go to VIP room 4. I''ll call you when it''s time," he said handing Fourth a purple card that looked like it was made out of ss.


    "Wait, do you want to broadcast the fight live?" he asked with a glint in his eye.


    "Yes!" Before Hao Xuan could reply, Fourth chipped in.


    "Alright, I''ll release some information about your rank to get more viewers, is that okay?"


    "Sure sure, you know whats best," fourth replied once again in Hao Xuans ce and then tried to drag him away, but Hao Xuan turned around and looked at Feng.


    "Can I add more opponents?" he asked with a questioning gaze.


    "Add? You want even more?" Feng was stupefied. The opponents would already be a rank higher, and he wanted more?


    "Yes, for the first fight, I want Nine origin realm stage 1 opponents, Eight for second and so on. Can that be done?"


    "Can it be done? It''s not a question of whether or not it can be done, but SHOULD it be? This has never happened before, are you sure? You might actually die you know," Feng warned him once again. This was suicidal.


    "Yes, if it''s not too much trouble," Hao Xuan casually smiled at him and walked off with Fourth, leaving him speechless.


    Death Walks were considerably rare and they had to announce it over thework so everyone that had turned their notifications on for the event would get an alert. At the minimum, it would take two hours to get the opponents ready.


    *Bzzt*Bzzt*


    Spirit bands all over the kingdom were buzzing with notifications. A Death Walk had been initiated and at the Origin Realm at that. The higher the realms, the rarer the Death walks were since no one would want to show off their secret moves in front of billions.


    Also, the mortality rate was more than 70% since thest opponent would be exactly an entire realm higher.


    "Hey, wake up, there''s a Death Walk happening soon!"


    "Did you get the notification? Let''s go home and watch on the main screen!"


    "I wonder who is stupid enough to start one of these again, poor guy. Must be desperate for money."


    Conversations like that could be heard throughout the kingdom. It was a set fee for each person to tune in for the Walk and considering that they would either get to see an idiot jump to his death or a monster beat all 10 opponents, it was worth every spirit stone.


    Hundreds of millions of people tuned in from all over the kingdom, which had a poption of more than 20-30 billion.


    ***


    *Bzzt*


    In a military camp, a few miles outside of Fortuna city a soldier shouted, "Everyone, gather up! A Death Walk is starting!"


    "Death walk? so what? It''s not that special," said another soldier sunbathing.


    "Apparently its someone from Red Legion! I heard its one of the captains," replied the first one.


    "What?! How did you know that?"


    "They just released the information, I''m still not sure whether or not its true though."


    "The arena is co-managed by the Royal family and the military, if they said it, then its true," came another voice from the side.


    "Lieutenant!" all of them stood up at once and saluted.


    "At ease. I just want to watch, same as you," he said taking a seat in front of therge screen. "And call in the newbies as well, they should see what the best of the best our Kingdom has to offer look like," he told one of the men.


    "Yes!" the soldier ran out and came back a few minutester with several people in tow, one of them stood out with a gigantic sword on his back and the body sizeparable to a bear.


    If Hao Xuan was there he would recognize the figure, it was Maaz, the oldest of the Khan family.


    "SIR!" all of the neers saluted.


    "Rx, sit down, and watch. There''s about to be a good show," the lieutenant smiled and casually waved his hand.


    ***


    In a jungle on the opposite side of the kingdom, a man was sitting in a meditative pose in ake. There was thick spiritual energy all around him and wisps of Qi came out of his body, circled around a few times, and then went back in. This was being repeated every few seconds.


    "Sir!" a voice woke him up.


    "What''s the matter?" the man asked with closed eyes.


    "One of the Red Legion captains is going through a Death Walk. Its the newest one," said the voice again.


    "Hmm?" the man suddenly opened his eyes and the world around him dimmed for a second.


    "I''ming," he said somberly and stood up, the robe on his back fell down and a tattoo of a massive winged-tiger could be seen moving around the number "6" on his back.


    This was the most promising genius of the "Flying Tigers".


    ***


    In a city with towering structures that blocked out the sun, a girl was sitting on the roof of a tower in the middle of a formation.


    Moonlight was collected by the formation and being absorbed by the girl. Her entire being was glowing with a white light that wasn''t hard to look at but gave people a ''Holy'' feeling.


    "Sister!" another girl of about 19 years of age came rushing in.


    The first girl opened her eyes that had no pupils and werepletely white, "What happened? Did you find another pet to y with?" she asked with a smile.


    "No no, it''s not about that. One of the Red Legion captains is going on a Death Walk!" she said with a grin.


    "What?! Who?" the girl asked with furrowed brows. All of them were at a high realm, why would they do something like this?


    "Ninth, the newbie."


    "Oh, well, since I''m awake I''ll take a look," she said and got up. An armor made of white light appeared on her body but disappeared in a sh.


    This was themander of the Valkyries.


    ***


    In a small valley somewhere to the west, a teenager was fighting a giant beast that had a head of a chicken and the body of a lizard but instead of ws, it had human-like fingers.


    There were dozens of figures standing all around the valley with their spears pointing upwards.


    "Kid, the new Red Legion captain started a Death Walk, you should take a look since he will be your main opponent in the next meeting," a man with short ck hair and an aura that pierced the eyes walked into the valley with his hands behind his back.


    "Yes," the teenager said respectfully and held the spear above his head and with a shout shot it forward like a bazooka, nailing the 10+ meter long lizard to the side of the valley, killing it instantly.


    He was the youngest of the "Spearhead" unit.


    ***


    In a cave in the extreme south, a youth was sitting with his eyes closed. All around him were corpses, some of beasts, some humans. There was a dark energy surrounding his face.


    *Bzzt*


    His Spirit Band vibrated, waking him up. He saw the notification of the Death Walk and then turned the band off, going back to cultivation.


    ***


    North-West edge of the kingdom, a battle was going on.


    Two armies were facing one another.


    To the left was an army on a hill with Nine members at the front, and ten thousand behind them. Each of them had the exact same ck armor.


    On the right was an army of creatures that had lower bodies simr to humans but the top half was that of a hyena.


    In the middle was a single person belonging to the left who was fighting against more than two hundred from the right.


    Outnumbered 1 against 200, still, nothing could stop his advance. Like a War God, he cut through everything that stood in front of him.


    *Bzzt*


    The spirit band of one of the nine that were standing on the hill vibrated, he looked at it and then said something to the others around him.


    "Alright, let''s get it over with then," they nodded their heads and one of them came forward and shouted towards the other army.


    "Time is up. Choose, surrender or death!"


    The hyenas looked at the man and then started running towards them while screaming, "Kill!"


    The man scoffed and turned around, and shouted "ughter!"


    The ten thousand soldiers behind him marched forward and within 10 minutes, killed every single hyena.


    "Child, go watch what the new Red Legion captain has in store. See if he can be used to sharpen your de," said the man from before to the person who was fighting against 200 hyenas alone.


    "Yes sir," the person nodded and took off their helmet to reveal the face of a 17-year-old girl who looked like a porcin doll with her dainty figure.


    ***


    As soon as Hao Xuan''s rank was revealed, it brought storms all over the kingdom.


    Including Red Legion, there were Six units formed by Great Generals. Each had different members and functions. These were their geniuses.


    ***


    Fourth knew where the room was so he led Hao Xuan to it. It was located at the very top of the arena and had a massive screen at the front which showed every single battle going on. The residents of the room had the option to switch between any fight whenever they wanted.


    Just as Hao Xuan sat down on one of the sofas, Zhurong called out.


    "Meow....." he looked at him affectionately.


    "How are you still hungry?!" Hao Xuan was more surprised by the fact that Zhurong could eat so much with his little body than be mad at him.


    "Fine, but you better share this," he summoned the little baby snakes who appeared on the table, and then with another wave, the entire table was filled with roasted beast parts.


    Zhurong didn''t wait for anyone and jumped straight in, whereas the baby snakes looked at the food once and then wriggled their way up Hao Xuan''s arms and cozily coiled up on his shoulder with satisfied expressions.


    Hao Xuan smiled looking at them and patted their heads.


    "See? This is how you should behave," he said looking at Zhurong with an annoyed expression but he wasn''t even visible anymore as he was buried somewhere under the mountain of meat.


    A muffled "Meow," was the only response he got which for some reason pissed him off even more.


    "One of these days brat, one of these days," Hao Xuan mumbled with gritted teeth.


    There were still some fights going on in the many Arenas. There was an armored centaur fighting against a giant bull-like beast, a human teenager in silver armor fighting against half a dozen rat-like beasts about the size of calves.

 Chapter 99: Death Walk (2)

    <h4>Chapter 99: Death Walk (2)</h4>


    Fourth and Hao Xuan sat in the VIP room while Feng got everything ready.


    The arena had around a hundred thousand seats avable, of which only 10-15% would be filled under normal circumstances. But after the notification for the Death Walk went out, it slowly filled up until there wasn''t even space for people to stand. The event attracted so much attention that even the higher-ups and the normal public that weren''t notified of the Walk got wind of it.


    It became a national event and almost every city and town made announcements about it and some even got permission to disy the entire fight onrge screens for thousands that couldn''t afford to tune in.


    Billions of people were waiting for the Walk, especially since Hao Xuan''s rank was announced.


    The military jumped on the bandwagon and advertised the event as an "Official Military asion", something like a parade.


    And because so many people tuned in and even more were trying to, the deadline got pushed back another hour.


    Hao Xuan was sitting in the room with his eyes closed when the door abruptly opened and several people entered.


    "Brothers! Sister! when did you get back?" Fourth shouted, startling the baby snakes and Hao Xuan. He turned around and saw that almost all of the other captains were there.


    "Just now, but that''s not important. What in gods name did you guys do?" Third smacked Fourth on the back of the head.


    "Ninth brother, Fourth brother, how could you leave me out of this?!" Sixth stood in the corner woefully, with fake tears in his eyes.


    "Ninth brother, why did you ask them to put in even more opponents? Do you know how big this has gotten?" Fifth moved forward with an angry look on her face but it looked more concerned than anything else.


    "Oi, you guys sure are living your lives eh?" Eighth walked in and sat on the sofa. He reached forward to pick up a beast leg but Zhurong suddenly popped out from behind it, and like a mother hen protecting her young and stood in front of the mountain of meat.


    "Ohh, it''s been a while since someone had the guts to bare their fangs at me, little kitty, you sure about this?" Eighth threateningly asked with narrowed eyes.


    But Zhurong knew no fear, with his chest puffed he looked straight into his eyes and shouted, "MEOW!" and with that, they started fighting each other for the literal mountain of food that no normal person would be able to finish on their own.


    "Third brother, Sixth brother, Seventh brother, Fifth sister, Eighth brother you all came. Come have a seat," Hao Xuan stood up with a huge smile on his face.


    "W-Woah, Ninth brother, how did you get so tall all of a sudden?" Sixth asked with wide eyes upon seeing his height and build but Third quickly smacked him on the back of the head as well which quietened him down.


    Seventh nodded at Hao Xuan and took out a chair from his storage ring and sat down next to the table. He reached out, grabbed a piece of meat and started eating with small bites.


    "O-Oi, What the fuck?! You''re not stopping him?!" Eighth shouted at Zhurong when he didn''t even spare a look at Seventh.


    "Meow Meow!" Zhurong replied with a smirk.


    "You''re fat! Your entire family is fat! Just because I''m a little chubby you won''t let me eat? This is straight up discrimination!" Eighth almost blew up in anger.


    "Where''s First brother? Did he note?" Hao Xuan asked ignoring the due and looked behind Third.


    "No, he was with his family so he couldn''te. But he will be watching from home and rooting for you," Third sighed.


    "Ninth brother, do you have any idea how big this is? Even the great general was inquiring about it," Fifth said while fixing Hao Xuan''s cor like a loving older sister.


    "Haha, its nothing much. Although I had no idea it would blow up like this, it doesn''t change anything. I''ll still win," he smiled back.


    "Seriously, why are you all like this?" Third couldn''t help but shake his head.


    ***


    First was sitting at home with his family, waiting in front of the screen. His son Xin Qiye and younger sister Han Ming were sitting with him, while the wife prepared some snacks.


    "Brother, what''s going on? Why is everyone so excited all of a sudden?" Han Ming asked looking out the window where people could be seen rushing here and there.


    "Do you remember Ninth brother? Brother Hao?" he asked while making funny faces at Xin Qiye.


    "Mhmm," she nodded.


    "He will be fighting some monsters in a little while. And we''ll watch and root for him together."


    Han Ming didn''t ask anything else and quietly sat in front of the screen with glistening eyes, waiting.


    ***


    "Olivia! Emi! Come down, it''s about to start!" shouted Sam from the living room.


    "I don''t understand why this is such a big deal. Violence should not be celebrated like this," Mrs. Khan said from the kitchen.


    "Ma, it''s not like that. He is from the Red Legion you know. No one knows what they look like, their real names or identities are a secret. They fight from the shadows and don''t take any recognition for their work. Every day they fight to protect us. This is just a way to show him our support," he said enthusiastically.


    After the incident [refering to CH6], Sam became obsessed with the Military. He even tried to join but Maaz and Mr. Khan brought him back and had him enrolled in the National Academy of the Mei Kingdom.


    It was a separate entity from the military and trained cultivators and warriors in their own way. It was much safer as no one would have to undertake missions they didn''t want to.


    Sons and daughters of many rich merchants, businessmen, and other people of power went there.


    Other than Maaz, all the rest of the kids were going there thanks to General Yue Fei. After erasing Hao Xuan''s memories, he pulled some strings and had all of them enrolled in the academy without any tuition fees.


    He was a smart man. Even though he was hoping for the best but he still prepared for every single scenario.


    "Well, I still don''t like it. There are easier ways to do things. Why put yourself in danger? His parents would be worried sick if they knew," even though she didn''t know him, still her motherly instincts didn''t want to see anyone get hurt.


    "A little bit of danger is fine. You cannot be strong sitting at home," Mr. Khan entered. He seemed even younger than before and at most looked to be 40. Beast world really did agree with him.


    "Did it start yet?" he asked Sam while sitting down.


    "Not yet, soon," Sam shook his head.


    "Emilie, Olivia,e down, dinner is almost ready!" shouted Mrs. Khan and after a few minutes, a couple of identical little girls came running down. Emi still had her teddy bear in hand.


    "Papa!" they went running up to Mr. Khan and sat beside him.


    "Oh my, who are you? Where are my little daughters? Did you guys eat them?" Mr. Khan said jokingly and yed with them while the others set the table.


    The screen was in the dining room so they could see the Death Walk while eating, although that wasn''t a good idea considering it was really gory most of the time.


    ***


    "Lieutenant, did you hear anything? Is it really Captain?" Mason asked and everyone turned to look at Kuo.


    "Who else could it be? All the other captains are at very high realms. Only our captain has yet to breakthrough, and this is a hell of a way to do it. The entire kingdom will be watching," he shook his head.


    All the Mad Saints had gathered together in their quarters and were also waiting for the Death Walk. They were some of the rare few that knew it was Hao Xuan who would be fighting. Suffice it to say, the excitement was in the air.


    ***


    All the other VIP rooms were filled as well, some said that a few royal princes and princesses came to watch but no one knew if that was true or not.


    ***


    "Are you ready? It''s almost time," Third asked looking at the time. It was only ten minutes until the deadline.


    "Yes, it''s no big deal," Hao Xuan replied in his usual tone, making Third furrow his brow.


    "Ninth brother, don''t let your guard down. Do you know how many people have actually finished the Death Walk?"


    "Finished? About 30% right?"


    "No, you''re talking about the mortality rate? Yes, the mortality rate is 70% but that doesn''t mean the remaining 30% finished. Over the years, more than 500 people have tried, and out of all of them, only 4 finished. That''s a 0.8% sess rate. All the rest had to abandon the Walk with serious injuries. Most of them couldn''t even cultivate after that."


    He sighed once again and continued, "Brother, I know you''re strong and you want to test your power, but don''t risk your life. Even the Four that finished the Walk used great treasures and techniques to survive."


    "A normal genius can fight with enemies one stage higher than theirs, a great genius can fight with two stages higher. And very rare few can fight against three or four stages higher opponents. Out of all Nine of us, only one person can fight against enemies with five stages or higher. That''s our second ''brother''."


    "Second brother? I still haven''t met him," Hao Xuan said with a surprised expression. Was their second brother the real gem?


    "You will, soon. but you need to focus. We will be taking over the roles of protectors for this fight. During every Death Walk, several people act as protectors to intervene in case of an emergency. I''ve talked with brother Feng and with Great Generals order, we will be overseeing the entire Walk. But still, it only takes a moment of hesitation to lose your life. Careful!"


    Third patted his shoulder and walked out of the room along with the rest, leaving Hao Xuan alone with the baby snakes and Zhurong who was still making his way through the mountain of meat without a care in the world.

 Chapter 100: Death Walk (3)

    <h4>Chapter 100: Death Walk (3)</h4>


    Hao Xuan sat in the room with his eyes closed, trying to calm himself down and get in the right state of mind, when he heard a voice.


    "If it''s too much for you, I can show you how it''s done. Give me control for half an hour and I''ll finish everything," the voice said. He opened his eyes and saw Mr. Hyde standing behind him in his usual attire and a cane. He looked like an English Gentleman from the 1900s.


    "How are you here?" Hao Xuan frowned.


    "I''m not, not really. Only you can see me. I''m a part of you remember," he smiled.


    "So, interested?"


    "Interested in what? Having you control my body? No thank you," Hao Xuan refused immediately. He''d rather die than let him have control.


    "Haha, so serious. Fine, you''ll need my help sooner orter. It''s either me, or ''Him''," he said somberly.


    Hao Xuan ignored him and went back to meditating.


    "In reality, you should already have enough knowledge about the Dao of ''Force'' to break through, but he was being too petty so you have to go through this."


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes once again. Mr. Hyde was standing by the screen, looking down. The baby snakes were actually looking at him as well.


    "They can see you?" Hao Xuan asked gesturing towards the snakes.


    "Of course. They are a part of you, just like me," he smiled and turned away again.


    "Close your eyes, I''ll help you out this time. You have to be stronger if you want to fight against ''Him''," he said in a low voice.


    Hao Xuan hesitated for a bit but still closed his eyes.


    "Imagine you''re surrounded by rocks. All around you. Try to move them, but not "telepathically", rather think about kicking them away. Just imagine yourself getting up and kicking them away. Feel the force behind the kick, feel the impact. Feel it with your body, your muscles. Keep doing that until it moves and..."


    For the next few minutes, he exined the concept of force, how to feel it, control it and then use it. Until Hao Xuan''s spirit band vibrated with a notification, "Participant Deimos, your Walk is ready."


    ***


    There were twenty smaller arenas in the middle of the field, but right now all of them were gone and only a single field of more than 2000 meters was present. It looked exactly like the Colosseum''s from earth, with arge circr dirt field and two gates opposite to each other on each side.


    The middle of the field opened up and a small stage ascended with a man standing on it. He had short ck hair and looked to be about 30-35 years of age. With a strong build and some scars over his face, he seemed like a veteran warrior.


    He raised his hand and the entire colosseum of more than 100,000 people turned silent instantly.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, and everything in between, wee to the 543rd Death Walk of the Mei Kingdom," the silent audience burst out in apuse.


    "Today''s Death Walk is slightly different than the previous ones. I''m sure you all have heard, the challenger is not just anyone this time," the man stopped and looked around for a few seconds to build up the suspense.


    "He is the newest captain of the infamous Red Legion, you can simply call him Deimos!" he said while looking up, and a hologram of Hao Xuan''s back appeared. Only his long hair and wide back was visible but it was enough to send the audience screaming.


    "And not only that!" he continued and the colosseum quieted down again.


    "Not only that, but the Honorable Ninth captain of the Red Legion has asked us to up the ante even more. For the first round, he will be facing Nine Origin realm Stage 1 Demon Wolves, for the second Eight Ivory Rams at Origin realm Stage 2....."


    One after another he introduced the different monsters up til the 8th round. The opponents of thest two rounds were ssified.


    By the time he was finished, everyone was speechless. To call this suicidal was an understatement.


    "Now let''s get started. I''m sure the people at home and everyone here, you are tired of waiting!" With that, he raised both his hands once again and the gate behind him opened as his stage descended back into the ground and the field closed up.


    Everyone was watching with bated breaths. Even the little twins at the Khan residence were hiding behind Mr. Khan and taking a peek every now and then.


    The Mad Saints, the other geniuses, many of the higher-ups in the military along with most of the kingdom watched on.


    The gate opened, and a pair of red eyes became visible. They were about four feet off the ground. A few seconds passed and the distance between them and the groud increased until it was about two meters.


    They got bigger and bigger until the creature it belonged to finally stepped out. It looked like a normal wolf but was about the size of a horse. Its mouth was open and more than 10 inch long teeth were visible.


    Everyone watching got a sudden chill down their spines looking at it. And then several other pairs of eyes appeared right behind him.


    A minute or soter, all nine wolves stepped out onto the field. All of a sudden, the 2000 meterrge field didn''t seem as big anymore.


    "Holy shit, is it normal for them to be THAT big?" asked a man from up in the seats.


    "What do you know, it''s called a ''Demon'' wolf for a reason. Of course, it''s going to be big and bloodthirsty," his friend replied as a matter-of-factly.


    "I guess. So, where is the guy? His gate isn''t even open yet," said the first guy looking towards the other side.


    The wolves looked at the surrounding thousands and growled loudly, scaring the people nearest to them.


    *Woosh*Woosh*Woosh*


    While everyone was looking at the wolves, the sounds of clothes fluttering came, and around the field appeared Six people.


    All of them were dressed in full ck cloaks that covered their entire bodies. There were four red eyes on their backs.


    "The other Captains!"


    "Wow! Six of them at once?! And another wille out to fight soon, this is amazing!!"


    "Omg they look so cool!"


    "I told you it would be worthing here!"


    The crowd broke into a mor.


    Theynded on Six pirs and tapped their feet once, their auras surged like tsunamis and the pirs lit up. An energy barrier covered the entire field.


    From outside, everyone could see what was happening in there, but for anyone inside the field, it would look like the usual sky.


    This was a concealment/protective array being controlled by the six people on the pirs. It protected the audience and made it so the fighters wouldn''t be able to see what was happening outside so as not to get distracted.


    The six people were, of course, everyone from Third through Eighth.


    The wolves were taken aback by the sudden disappearance of the spectators but the gate on the other side finally opened which attracted their attention.


    "Look look, he''sing out!" someone shouted as soon as the gate opened and everyone quieted down and looked towards it.


    *Tap*tap*Tap*Tap*


    Sounds of footsteps could already be heard before he was even visible. There was dead silence in the entire Colosseum, so much so that one could hear a pin drop.


    *Tap*Tap*


    The sound got louder and louder until it instantly stopped.


    "Tsk tsk, you won''t do. It''s a good thing I asked for more beasts eh?" a voice came from inside the gate.


    Everyone was still looking at the gate when they heard the voice echo throughout the colosseum.


    A few people wanted toment on how it was very arrogant of him, but before they could so, a figure silently appeared in front of the first and the biggest wolf.


    The figure had long ck hair, a white hanfu adoring his massive build and a horned mask on his face. He looked up at the giant wolf and shook his head


    "You''re strong, but not what I need," he said despondently and ck lightning surrounded his entire right arm. He lifted it up and punched the neck of the wolf once and lifted his foot, appearing in front of another wolf.


    He repeated the same thing eight more times and then appeared back in front of the gate.


    "Next," Hao Xuan said while looking at the gate behind the wolves.


    "E-Eh..? Why are the wolves just stand-" someone spoke up but before the sentence could finish, nine bangs sounded one after another and the heads of all the wolves exploded.


    Brain matter, pieces of bones and several eyes sttered all around them. The wolves didn''t even have a chance to let out a single growl before they died.


    "W-WHAT?!"


    "Is he really at the Earth realm?"


    "How? One punch? Just one punch?"


    "Were the wolves drugged or something?"


    People started shouting one after another. That was very anticlimactic. Everyone was expecting an arduous battle but they just blew up with one punch?


    The truth was, Hao Xuan was already at Earth realm stage 9 before going into the cocoon. And after absorbing everything and awakening his physique and the constitution he should have easily broken through to the Origin Realm. Just his physical body was enough to deal with beasts like these.


    "Next! Can we hurry this up please?" he spoke up once again and the spectators calmed down.


    "Don''t be too proud of yourself. Considering your physique and cultivation, this is to be expected. Don''t kill them too fast and enjoy the fights. Feel the force when you push against the ground, feel the air resistance when you move, feel each and every movement," Mr. Hyde''s voice sounded in his head.


    "Yeah yeah I got it."

 Chapter 101: Death Walk (4)

    <h4>Chapter 101: Death Walk (4)</h4>


    The gate on the other side opened once again and this time stepped out eight Rams. They were the same size as a cow and had long twisted horns on their heads. The horns werepletely white and were made of ivory.


    "Hmm, this should be interesting," Hao Xuan smirked looking at them.


    "Alright,e at me," he stood with his arms extended and looked at the rams.


    Rams were naturally unruly creatures and without even being disturbed would ''ram'' everything in their sight. Upon seeing Hao Xuan''s provocative stance, they growled and charged straight at him.


    Hao Xuan was smiling looking at them. He didn''t move out of the way or defend.


    "What is he doing? Why is he just standing there?" Fifth telepathically asked Third when she saw his actions.


    "I don''t know. Just watch, we''ll step in if it gets out of hand," Third replied while looking at Hao Xuan.


    All eight rams charged forward like crazed bulls and with a loud bang, connected with Hao Xuan''s body.


    The smirk on his face vanished instantly as he shot backward with blooding out of his mouth.


    *BOOOM*


    The dust settled and everyone could finally see what happened. There was a human-shaped hole on the side of the field and Hao Xuan was ''embedded'' inside it.


    His chest was mangled and a rib was poking out of the skin.


    "Oh dear god, not again!" Kuo stood up when he saw his condition.


    "Ahh, is he dead?" Mrs. Khan asked while looking away from the screen. The twins were already hiding behind Mr. Khan.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "Fuck, that was a little dangerous..." Hao Xuan spat out some blood.


    "A little? If you didn''t have the physique, you''d be dead," Mr. Hyde''s angry voice sounded next to his ear.


    "Jeez, I get it. I''m trying something here," he retorted.


    "Fine, do what you want," and his voice vanished.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and started circting his Qi. The wounds on his chest started wriggling.


    "A little more," he looked down and said. Ever since he came out of the cocoon, he knew there was something different with his body and just then with the impact he confirmed it.


    He couldn''t feel any pain. All the other sensations were there, but from the horrendous wound on his chest, he couldn''t feel any pain at all.


    "Interesting. Come here little beast," he smiled at one of the rams and started running towards it.


    *Growl*


    It stomped its feet and charged once again.


    *BAAAANG*


    It sounded like a gun went off and a cloud of dust appeared where they connected. After a few seconds it settled and everyone could Hao Xuan holding on to the ram''s horns.


    Both of them were pushing forward but it was a stalemate. Neither could move the other.


    "Hehe, you''re not so tou-" Hao Xuan spoke up but his eyes suddenly constricted as two other rams came from his left and right and hit him head-on.


    "Ahhh!" he finally screamed out. His blood sttered across the ground painting it red.


    "Hahaha, there it is!" he finally felt the pain.


    "Again!" he circted the Qi from both his meridians and lifted one of the rams up and swung it around like a bat, hitting the other two.


    "Come on!" he could feel the ''force''!


    The Qi thrummed as he led it towards his 3rd meridian located on the forehead. It attacked the meridians wall but only a small crack appeared.


    "COME!" he identally let out some of the Qi from the first meridian and an invisible pressure descended onto the entire field.


    *Growl*


    The Rams got up and formed a straight line. One behind the other, they charged forward several times faster than before.


    "That''s more like it!" Hao Xuan was grinning ear-to-ear and with his mangled chest and blood everywhere, he looked like aplete lunatic.


    "I-Is he a masochist? Why is he doing that?"


    "I think he''s crazy, man. I heard some rumors that everyone in the Red Legion is crazy, that''s why they have to hide their identities," whispered one person to his friend.


    "Why is captain acting like that?" Aria asked worriedly. She still hadn''tpleted the favor Hao Xuan had given her and after looking at his appearance, she didn''t much want to.


    "Shhh. Just keep watching," Luke said from the side.


    Hao Xuan activated Infernal Rapture once again which covered himpletely. Faint ck lightning sparks were encircling his entire body.


    "Again!" he shouted and met the Rams head-on. This time he didn''t block but one after another started punching them away. Each punch sent one of them flying until he reached the Fifth one and it blocked his punch with its horns. Then the one behind it jumped above it and bashed its head against Hao Xuan''s, sending him crashing back into the wall once again.


    He was using the force from the impacts to break the wall of the Third Meridian. After the most recent sh, it was almost opened. One more would do the job.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "Ha..haha....not bad," he said while breathing heavily. Now every single movement sent waves of pain throughout his entire body.


    If he wanted to, he could have covered his body with armor from Wrath of Deimos or even Infernal rapture. There were too many ways to defend against such simple attacks but he chose not to.


    Back at the farm of the Khan family, Mrs. Khan couldn''t take it anymore so she along with the twins moved into another room while others kept watching.


    Third was clenching his fists, as soon as it seemed like he couldn''t take anymore, all of them would jump in and stop the fight.


    *Huff*Huff*


    ".....a-again..!" Hao Xuan said while getting down from the hole in the wall.


    After thest sh, three of the Rams couldn''t move anymore so only five were left. They formed another line and charged towards Hao Xuan while growling loudly.


    He, on the other hand, was smiling like a retard. There was blooding out of his ears and his Hanfu waspletely dyed red.


    Once again he circted the Qi, this time it seemed like it was about to burst out of his body as gurgling sounds could be heard outside as well.


    "Ha....ha...no pain...no....gain....hahahaha," his eyes slightly changed from green to red. A very small thread of red was moving around his left eye.


    He activated Infernal Rapture and then lifted up his right foot and with a wide smile said, "Heavenly re!"


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    Thunder fell and Hao Xuan vanished from his spot. The Rams that were charging at him suddenly starting exploding one by one.


    From the Red Legion captains to even a couple of great generals and themon popce, everyone was bbergasted.


    They turned towards the sound only to see Hao Xuan standing in front of thest Ram in the line, using a single palm to hold it back.


    There were four bloody spots behind him where some fur and other body parts could be seen, but that was it. Nothing else was left.


    Hao Xuan''s clothes were in shreds. There was nothing left above his waist, and whatever that was left below it was barely enough to cover up the important bits.


    "Hahahaha, congrattions Ninth brother!" First who was watching from his home suddenly stood up and startedughing.


    "He did it! Dinner is on me tonight!" shouted Fifth letting out a breath of relief.


    Hao Xuan had finally broken through to the Origin Realm.


    "My god, What technique was that at the end?"


    "I don''t even know what happened. Something exploded, and then everything was dead."


    "Don''t ask me, how would I know?"


    The Colosseum was in an uproar.


    Hao Xuan stood in front of thest Ram with furrowed brows. He had just broken through but something felt off.


    "I''m hungry...?" he muttered while looking down at his body. The wounds were still there. There was blood leaking out from several orifices but the pain was gone again.


    "I''m really hungry for some reason," he looked up and said to the Ram. The ram was not a spiritual beast and had not gained sentience, but when Hao Xuan looked at it, it got a very bad feeling.


    While Hao Xuan was ncing at it, his blood felt like it was on fire. He could hear it moving through his veins, every single drop.


    He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the flowing blood and his stomach rumbled, making him feel like he hadn''t eaten in days.


    "Devour!" an archaic voice sounded in his head and he opened his eyes.


    "I''m sorry, but it will be over quick," he said looking down at the Ram and then with the left arm lifted it up and jerked once as its head popped off like a figurine.


    "Ahhhh, what is he doing?" ady screamed seeing the blood. Everyone looked down and they were horrified.


    He ripped the rams head off with one hand, and with the other lifted the rest of its body above him and started drinking its blood with eyes closed.


    *Gulp*Gulp*Gulp*


    Silence. There wasplete silence in the Colosseum as the sound of him drinking echoed throughout.


    No one spoke up, not a single person.


    First who was jumping with joy a second ago was now standing with his brows furrowed, covering the eyes of Han Ming and Xin Qiye so they wouldn''t see the horrible scene.


    Within thirty seconds, the Ram''s body waspletely devoid of any blood. Hao Xuan opened his eyes and frowned. He moved the body up and down like an empty bottle but nothing else came out.


    With a displeased expression he threw it away like trash and turned. The three Rams that couldn''t join fight were still alive. He looked at them with sparkling eyes and with a step, appeared in front of one.


    Just like before he ripped its head off like a pi?ata and started drinking. He did the same to the other two and then looked around, but there was nothing else left alive.


    "More! Give me more, I''m.....hungry," a deep voice came out of his mouth that no one had ever heard before.


    The gate opened once again and out came seven beasts that had bodies of elks and the heads of spiders. They looked absolutely disgusting.


    They let out loud roars and without waiting for anything else, jumped straight at Hao Xuan.


    He, on the other hand, had a smile on his face as he instantly appeared next to one of them and punched its leg.


    It fell down in one fell swoop and he did the same to it as the Rams. By the time he was finished, the other beasts looked at him like a monster and started backing up.


    "Come now, don''t be afraid. I''m still.....hungry," he let out a kind smiled and one after another drank them dry.


    While all this was happening, not a single person spoke up. It was dead silent.


    As Hao Xuan stood atop thest beast, his eyes were closed and he seemed to have a satisfied smile on his face. He stood there for a good minute or so, remembering the vor of each beast like it was fine wine.


    "Next!" without opening his eyes he calmly spoke up and the gate opened yet again.


    This time, came out Four men and two women. They had different kinds of weapons and armors. But one thing that wasmon between them was that they all looked extremely strong.


    With their muscr bodies, it seemed like any of them would be a formidable opponent.


    "Careful, the boss said to not harm him too much. He is an important figure," one of the women turned around and said to the others.


    "Look ou-" several of the others abruptly shouted but it was toote. Hao Xuan was already in front of her.


    Still, the woman was an experienced soldier as well, so without even turning around, she thrust her sword forward, stabbing Hao Xuan in the stomach.


    "Heh, this is what you ge-" she tried to speak but a hand suddenly sped her face, stopping her mid-sentence, and pulled.


    *Fwosh*


    The woman''s head was ripped right off her body. He threw it away and lifted the body to drink her blood, like all the previous times.


    The other five warriors were utterly petrified. One of them bent over and started vomiting. While another screamed and ran back to the gate and started wing at it, shouting for people to be let out.


    "S-STOP! YOU FUCKING MONSTER!!!" a man shouted when he woke up from his daze and ran towards Hao Xuan with his spear aimed at his head.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even turn around to look at the man. Instead, he lifted up his free hand waved it once.


    With a whooshing sound, the man''s head simply exploded like a balloon, and like a can of coke being opened blood spurted out like a fountain.


    "H-Help! She fainted!" from the seats came hundreds of shouts at once as people started passing out one after another looking at the bloody scene.

 Chapter 102: Death Walk (5)

    <h4>Chapter 102: Death Walk (5)</h4>


    Close to a thousand people fainted and needed to be carried out.


    Hao Xuan threw away the body of the woman and picked up the man who had just lost his head and drank him dry.


    There were only four left after that, two of which had basically lost their minds and were not a threat.


    "Monster? How rude, I am apletely normal human, just like you," Hao Xuan said as he threw away the man''s body. He was entirely covered in blood. All of his wounds were healed and his body looked as good as new, if not better.


    His muscles moved on their own and vibrated for a bit before calming down.


    "Brother, something''s wrong, should we not put an end to this?" Sixth looked towards Third and asked telepathically.


    Third shook his head, "I just got the order, we are not to make a move unless his life is in danger. Stand by."


    ***


    A few mins earlier when Hao Xuan had ripped off the Ram''s head, a conversation took ce at the colosseum''s control room.


    To prepare for any unforeseen situations, there was a 10-second dy on all the live broadcasts. So if something bad happened, they could cut off the broadcast before it went on air.


    There were about half a dozen military personnel sitting in the control room, two of which were at the General level.


    One of them was the silent guard that stood outside Great General Li''s residence, and the other was General Yue Fei.


    Hao Xuan had just done the deed when one of the men turned around and asked, "Sir, should we cut the feed?"


    General Yue Fei was about to answer but before he could, the silent guard sitting next to him spoke up.


    "No need. The General is watching and he says its fine. Keep going."


    "Yes sir."


    Yue Fei frowned but stayed quiet after hearing the great generals'' name. A few more minutes passed and the human warriors came out onto the field. Hao Xuan did the same to them as the others.


    Everyone in the control room was a genuine veteran but some of them still had to excuse themselves, while the rest were ''ufortable'' to say the least looking at the screens.


    "Is this not enough? Something has obviously gone wrong with the boy, he needs help," Yue Fei finally said when the guard didn''t even blink an eye.


    "Nothing is wrong. The boy is fine. It''s his physique that''s causing the abnormal behavior. He will have it under control sooner orter," the guard replied nonchntly with his eyes closed.


    "His physique? You people knew about this and did nothing?" Yue Fei asked angrily, getting riled up.


    "Of course we knew. Not a thing happens in this kingdom that the Red Legion is not aware of," for the first time since the start of the Death Walk, the guard showed some emotion and smiled.


    "This will destroy the Legion''s reputation. No one will trust you if you let this pass. He is basically a monster at this point," Yue Fei shouted and stood up.


    The guard didn''t get angry and only waved his hand and a barrier appeared around them. No one else would be able to hear their conversation.


    He smirked, "Destroy our reputation?"


    And then suddenly his expression turned solemn as he opened his eyes.


    "We are the shield that shall not break,"


    "We are the sword that shall not bend,"


    "We shall kill until the Heavens fall and the Earth rends."


    "Kill me, and my brother shall take my ce,"


    "Rise and Rise again we shall like a Phoenix from the ashes until the Lambs be Lions and the Rule of Darkness is no more."


    "For we, are the Red Legion!"


    He enunciated each and every single word clearly, and then finally looked up to meet Yue Fei''s gaze.


    "You seem to have forgotten what the Great general''s reputation was, and so has the world. But its time you remembered that a Demon sleeps here." He then looked at the screen, at Hao Xuan''s image.


    "He will usher in a new era for us. The others are too kind but he won''t have any problems doing the things we have in store," he said with a smile that sent a cold chill down Yue Fei''s back.


    He was sweating like a pig. That''s right, he had indeed forgotten.


    The Demon of Mei! For blood flowed like rivers and corpses piled up till the high heavens when he took to the fields. Even his enemies turned tail and ran when they heard the Four-eyed demon wasing.


    Out of the six Great Generals, only he was the one to fill his enemies with dread by his name alone.


    "W-What do you want to do to him?" he asked after regaining hisposure.


    "Do to him? Nothing. He is perfect as is. If everything works out as expected, he will be the new Demon of Mei!" the guard snapped his fingers and the barrier disappeared, indicating the end of their ''talk''.


    ***


    Hao Xuan looked at the other four. Two of them picked up their weapons and faced him, but their legs were trembling. The other two were as good as dead.


    "P-Please, I have a pregnant wife waiting for me, I only took this job cause they said it was easy money. We have no beef with each other, please just let us go," said one of them with a stutter. He was bald and had a small beard. He was holding his longsword in front of him, trying to act brave but the weapon was shaking so much that it gave the opposite feeling.


    "So? You chose this. You chose toe here, why is it my responsibility to show mercy? It''s a fight to the death and you want me to let you go? Why?" Hao Xuan tilted his head to the side with a confused look.


    "We''re humans! We are the same species! Show somepassion, be a little empathetic. I give up, you win, just-just let me go!" he couldn''t hold the sword up and dropped it. It fell to the ground waking up the others around him.


    "Yes! Yes, please, we give up, please let us go!" they also started begging and crying.


    "Please, my daughter is waiting for me, please let me go!" thest woman begged while falling to her knees.


    The spectators were at a loss for words as the cries of the four warriors echoed throughout the Colosseum. Now they were all looking at Hao Xuan for an answer. Would he let them go?


    "Tell me, when you kill beasts for their hide and cores, their meats and treasures, do you feel pity for them?" Hao Xuan as he crouched down. One of his eyes was half red at this point, and with the horned mask, it gave all the spectators an ominous feeling.


    "But we are not beasts! We are human!"


    "What''s the difference? Do beasts not feel love for their young? Do they not feel sad when you kill their siblings and parents? Do they not feel pain like you?" Hao Xuan asked looking at the bald man, who didn''t meet his gaze and turned away.


    "TELL ME!" he shouted as the Emperors energy appeared and forced the rest to kneel as well. The bald man didn''t want to answer but his body wouldn''t listen anymore.


    "..Yes...th-they do..." he said in a low voice.


    "Then why should you be treated any differently? I''m hungry, so why should I not feed upon your blood? Why should I starve for you?"


    The entire Colosseum went silent.


    "B-But we are human....." he repeated once again with nothing else left to stay.


    "And?" Hao Xuan casually asked, leaving them stumped.


    "Please, do you not have loved ones? What will they think?" the woman shouted trying to appeal to his humanity.


    "Loved ones? Do I have any left?" Hao Xuan was caught by surprise. The image of his mother back from earth shed past his eyes.


    "What would she think? If she saw her son now?" he asked himself.


    "Ninth brother, you don''t have to do this. It''s your win," Fifth shouted from the side, trying to nudge him in the right direction when she saw him zone out.


    Hao Xuan looked up at her and remembered when he first met her. What if she was in such a situation, and it was someone like him standing above her, how would he feel?


    "Why are you making this so much moreplicated than it has to be? I was just hungry so I ate, why is that such a bad thing?" he asked looking back at the warriors.


    "Treat others how you want to be treated," a voice said next to his ears. It was Mr. Hyde''s.


    "I don''t care much either way, but don''t you have someone waiting for you? What would she think if she saw you like this? Hell, she probably is watching you right now," he said again.


    "Eh?" and like a movie, his old memories started ying in front of him.


    ****


    "Emi, do you like big brother?"


    "Of course, Emi loves big brother no matter what!"


    "No matter what? What if I be a bad guy? Would you still like big brother?"


    "Big brother is a good person!"


    "But what if I wasn''t?"


    "Emi would still love big brother no matter what."


    ****


    "Why do you keep showing me this over and over again?" for some reason watching those memories made him even angrier.


    A wave of emotions hit him all at once. A second ago he wasn''t able to feel things like empathy but now he was overwhelmed by them.


    "Why should I let them go? Humans kill animals, even breed them for consumption, but when I do the same to them its bad?" Hao Xuan shouted out loud, startling the warriors.


    "No, it is not bad, just different. Do notpare yourself to these....things, you''re not the same as them anymore. Eat when you want to, ughter when you have to, and if someone forces your hand then dye the Heavens red."


    "But in the meantime, know restraint. Do not let the blood control you. If you want to be a Devil then do so of your own volition and not under the effects of your physique."


    He sighed and then muttered in a low voice, almost as if he was talking to someone else, "You are the good, and he is the bad. I''m just the guy....stuck in the middle," sounding somewhat dejected.


    Hao Xuan finally felt like himself again. As he was about to wave his hands and let the warriors go, a hunger he had never felt before hit him. His body felt like an empty space that was copsing in on itself and his stomach started rumbling again.


    "Go, leave before I change my mind," he turned around walked back to his gate. The four warriors stood there shocked for a few seconds and then ran back to the other gate as quickly as their bodies would allow them. The gate opened and they vanished inside.


    The spectators finally let out a sigh of relief.


    "I knew he wouldn''t give in," Fifth said with a smile.


    "Give in? I think he''s way past that," Seventh mumbled while looking at Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "I''m still hungry though," Hao Xuan closed his eyes and appeared in his Mind Pce.


    "Should I not drink then?" he asked while barging into Mr. Hyde''s room.


    "Your state of mind''s changed. You let him take control and it affected you in ways you will never understand." Hyde sternly replied without looking at him.


    "I didn''t LET him do anything. And what''s this change now?" Hao Xuan asked once again with an annoyed expression.


    "You. You changed. The more you let him out, the more you will be him. In the end, the line separating you two will be gone. Don''t open the door, no matter what. You won''t be able toe back from the other side." he said and then closed his eyes.


    "What are you even talking about?" Hao Xuan gave him one final look and as he walked out, Mr. Hyde''s voice came again, "There are less barbaric ways to eat you know. You can hear the blood, yes? You can smell it from far away? Then call for it and it wille to you. But you can ''Devour'' a lot more than just blood, its a shame your vision is so limited."


    The gate opened once again and his next opponents walked out. They looked like a bunch of moving rocks.


    In this world, it was possible for inanimate objects toe to life under certain circumstances and gain sentience as well. These rocks were one such example.


    Hao Xuan clenched his fists looking at them, "Let me show you ''Force''," he smiled while circting the Qi from his 3rd meridian.

 Chapter 103: Death Walk (End)

    <h4>Chapter 103: Death Walk (End)</h4>


    Kuo let out a sigh of relief as he fell down to his chair. "I don''t know what the hell is going but it seems to have worked itself out.....right?" he mumbled to himself.


    The Khan residence waspletely silent. Sam, Mr. Khan, and Kay sat in front of the screen, watching without making a sound. Sam''s fist was clenched tight, so much so that it had turned white.


    "I want to be like that too," he thought looking at Hao Xuan''s bloody appearance.


    The other captains finally rxed a little bit seeing as Hao Xuan had regained his senses.


    ***


    "If that''s all he has then this will be very boring," said the man with a winged tiger on his back as he looked at the screen.


    "I''m definitely stronger!" thought the teenager while rubbing his spear gently, like a lover.


    "Sister, Did you see? He is an animal but not enough to be on your level," said the girl proudly to the Captain of the Valkyries, who didn''t reply but silently watched.


    The 17yr old girl in full ck armor also watched the Walk on her own Spirit Band, but she was smiling. A smile enough to brighten anyone''s day.


    ***


    The rocks slowly rolled out of the gate and then rolled towards one another, making a humanoid figure that was about 10 feet tall. Compared to the other monsters it wasn''t ''scary'' at all. It just looked like something a kid would make.


    Hao Xuan clenched his fists looking at them, "Let me show you ''Force''," he smiled while circting the Qi from his 3rd meridian.


    An invisible shockwave spread out from his feet and the dust around him got pushed away.


    "Hahaha,e on! Show me what you got!" still smiling, he shouted and started running towards them. He didn''t use demonic steps or any other kind of power/technique and simply circted the Qi from his third meridian.


    The distance between the rock monster and him was about 1500 meters and he wasn''t running fast at all, rather it was so slow that even some mortals would be able to outrun him.


    As he circted the Qi, every single step of his sent small tremors through the ground.


    *BAM*BAM*BAM*


    Bit by bit he built up the momentum, at the 1000 meter mark a shield made out of Force Qi appeared in front of him and all force he had built up from his previous sprint exploded outwards, sending him shooting forward like a meteor.


    *BOOM*


    A sonic boom sounded as he broke through the sound barrier, charging ''through'' the rock monster and sending pieces flying everywhere.


    "Oh fuck oh fuck oh-" after going through the monster like a hot knife through butter, the momentum was too much and he couldn''t stop himself from crashing straight into the other gate.


    *BOOOOOM*


    With a booming sound, the gate that was made out of a treasured metal slightly bent inwards.


    The entire, several kilometersrge colosseum, slightly shook. It wasn''t even enough to move the dust but the fact that everyone present still felt it was enough to stupify them.


    The protective formations of the Colosseum activated on their own and stopped it from causing any damage.


    "What the fuck was that?!"


    "Holy shit, did you feel that?"


    "Is he even human? what''s wrong with this guy?"


    The crowd erupted into an uproar.


    "I-I can''t feel it, my head, is it still there?" Hao Xuan slowly pulled himself out of the dent.


    His head waspletely covered in blood and there was a crack along the side. He tried to move back but fell down to his knees.


    "Gonna feel that tomorrow," he mumbled while trying to stand up but his knees kept buckling.


    "Ninth brother, you shouldn''t use a power that you can''t control, it will only harm you more," Third''s voice sounded in his head.


    "I, I know brother, that was just a test. I''ll be more careful from now on," Hao Xuan spoke out loud since he couldn''t use telepathy just yet.


    It took him a few more minutes to regain his senses and stand up. Thankfully the rock monster was blown to bits in the first sh otherwise he would have had to forfeit since he was in no condition to fight.


    Slowly he moved back to the other gate and shouted, "Next!"


    He didn''t bother using JUST the force Qi alone from then onwards and took out the sword and fought normally. Although the fights took a while but none of them were actually a challenge. By using the Emperor''s Qi he lowered their defenses and attacked when they were dazed.


    It took two hours or so until he had cleared the first eight rounds.


    He fought all the creatures from Origin Realm Stage 4 to Stage 8 and slowly used them to increase his mastery over the Qi of Force. Now he had much better control and could utilize it in many more ways.


    With thebination of Emperors Qi for debuffs, Sundering Energy from his second meridian and Force Qi from third, he could easily handle most beasts, although the Qi consumption was a LOT and he had to take two breaks to recover itpletely.


    He didn''t pay attention to anything else and just focused on the enemy in front of him. One after another the events of the Death Walk left the spectators speechless.


    "Is he going to be the 5th person to clear the Death Walk?" asked a cultivator from one of the VIP rooms.


    "How long has it been since thest time?" asked hispanion in return.


    "I''m not sure, but its been almost a hundred years or so. And so far, he hasn''t even used any heaven-defying techniques or treasures," the other cultivator shook his head.


    "If he can actually do it, then this will be a monumental event," the first cultivator mumbled looking at Hao Xuan''s image.


    ***


    Right now Hao Xuan was breathing heavily and was covered in sweat from head to toe. In fact, he had sweat so much that all the blood had been washed away by it.


    "Ninth brother, you''ve broken through and have gotten used to the new Qi now. There''s no reason to keep going. You used your own power to reach this stage and have proven how powerful you are, just stop here," Fifth pleaded while looking at him struggling to even stand.


    "Haha, Fifth sister, don''t worry, I canst a bit longer. And how can I give up when I''m so close?" Hao Xuan innocently smiled back.


    "Fifth sister, its fine. A man has to see his own limits. And we''re right here, nothing will happen to him," Seventh interjected. His words carried a lot of weight since he rarely said anything at all.


    *Huff*Huff*


    "Next..!" Hao Xuan said trying to slow his breathing.


    "...."


    "Hmm?" the gate didn''t open.


    "NEXT!" Hao Xuan shouted loudly thinking they didn''t hear him.


    *Voooosh*


    A massive hologram appeared above the arena, it was the same man that had first introduced the beasts and Hao Xuan.


    "Congrattions Captain! Our future is bright when there are juniors like you to lead the new generation!" he said while giving a light bow in Hao Xuan''s direction.


    A lot of people from the crowd agreed with him and nodded their heads. There was no doubt that he was extremely powerful and would be even strongerter on.


    "Unfortunately at such short notice, we couldn''t get any Origin Realm Stage 9 and above beasts. Fortunately, the Beast Hall has stepped up and are willing to lend a few for this special asion."


    Then he stopped and looked towards Hao Xuan.


    "As you may know, the Beast Hall only breads the most powerful and bloodthirsty creatures for the Kingdom and other powers, so although your next opponents are at Origin Realm Stage 9, but even cultivators of the Spirit realm would not be able to defeat them easily."


    "If you choose to stop here then it will still be counted as a win for you since you fought multiple opponents and defeated them righteously."


    He paused for a few seconds and then continued, "But if you decide to keep going then the chances of youing out unscathed are less than 5%. We strongly rmend going with the first option."


    He then went silent and continued looking at him for an answer.


    "Wow, the beast hall sent some? Isn''t that a bit too much?"


    "Too much? They literally create monsters. There''s a reason why so many strong powers are willing to befriend our kingdom. Its just in stupid."


    "Yeah, they must have a reason to do this."


    "I would just give up and go home. Why risk your life for no reason? He''s gonna win either way," said a young man while adjusting his sses.


    "Hah! Of course YOU would give up, don''tpare yourself to him," his friend rebuked, ruining his schrly vibe and sending the surrounding crowd intoughter.


    Hao Xuan looked up at the hologram and made up his mind pretty quickly. He wasn''t here to win, just to be stronger. And there were still a few moves he hadn''t used yet.


    He looked up at Third, "Brother, do you have a potion to recover Qi?" he shouted.


    Third was taken aback by the sudden request for a few seconds but then he waved his hand and a small bottle appeared which he threw towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan caught it and emptied it in his mouth without hesitation.


    He then looked up at the hologram again and smiled, "Next!"


    The man seemed like he was expecting the answer and startedughing, "Good! Good! this is how it should be! Young blood needs to burn hot! It would be very disappointing if you had backed out. Now, show us why YOU were chosen as a Red Legion Captain!" he waved his hand and the gate on the other side opened.


    All the spectators, be it in the Colosseum or watching elsewhere, held their breaths while looking at the gate.


    "Be ready!" Third said to the other captains as his body tensed up, ready to jump in at a moment''s notice.


    "Why are men so thickheaded?" Fifth mumbled looking at her brothers.


    Hao Xuan circted the Qi from all three meridians at once, activated Wrath of Deimos and Infernal Rapture.


    Since the beginning of the Death Walk, this was his first time using Wrath of Deimos. He made a basic armor that covered him from head to toe, leaving only his eyes visible.


    "ROAAAAR" a deafening roar came out from the gate, sending debris from the previous rounds flying everywhere.


    The shockwave hit Hao Xuan who was standing in the middle of the field almost a 1000 meter away from the gate and he had to take several steps back.


    "The fuck!? Just its roar has this much power?!" he steadied himself and created a barrier of Qi to block all the debris.


    *Boom*Boom*Boom*Boom*


    Sounds akin to canons being fired came out from inside the gate as the beasts slowly walked out.


    "Impossible! How can it be these things?"


    General Yue Fei who was sitting in the control room suddenly stood up from his seat in shock, looking at the new arrivals.


    Even the guard that had a nonchnt expression throughout the Walk suddenly tensed up looking at them.


    "N-No! The captain has to forfeit! There is no way he can defeat them!" Kuo shouted at the screen.


    All the other captains that were standing around arena erupted with different types of Qi, Seventh being the strongest of them.


    But the normal crowd had no idea why everyone became so serious all of a sudden.


    *Boom*Boom*


    Both the beasts finally came out of the gate. They were about nine meters tall, almost the same height as the firstyer of seats in the sitting area.


    One of them waspletely red and the other green. They had the body shapes of goris with the upper body being several times bigger than the lower body. Their arms had giant spikes protruding from them, as did their faces and heads.


    Their muscr bodies seemed to be brimming with power. And perhaps the strangest thing was the expression on their faces, which seemed strangely.....human. (Link to pics in authors note)


    Hao Xuan actually looked like an ant in front of the 30+ feet tall monsters.


    He looked up and his mind went nk for a second.


    The hologram of the man above the arena smiled and looked around at the confused crowd.


    "These two little kids are called ''Hell Apes''. For those that are not aware, these beasts are VERY distant rtives of one of the Supreme Beast ns that rules over the continent of ''Primis''. They have a simr bloodline to the Divine beast ''Simiae'' running through their bodies."


    "The Beast Hall had to spend innumerable resources to bring these little babies to life. And even though their bloodline purity is only about 2%, as you can see they are not be underestimated in any way." The man in the hologram grinned ear to ear looking at them.


    "My god, a divine beast bloodline?!"


    "Well it was nice knowing ya Deimos!"


    "That dudes so dead."


    Such simr conversations could be heard all around the kingdom.


    "Are you fucking serious!? Is the Beast Hall using this event to show off theirtest product?" Eighth shouted angrily.


    "Third brother, we can''t have him fight these monsters," Fifth said from the side.


    "I agree, this is too much. Even we can''t take them on easily, let alone Ninth brother," Fourth also agreed with her.


    Third looked at the beasts and then at Hao Xuan. "Brother, what do you want to do? If you want to fight then although it will be a bit difficult, but we can suppress them somewhat," he said somberly.


    Hao Xuan looked up and down the Hell Apes and although he was scared shitless, he still wanted to give it a try.


    "Fight, I''ll fight," he said after a few seconds.


    "Alright," Third nodded and then said something to the others. Fifth wanted to say something but he shook his head and stopped her.


    They all extended their hands and let out a sliver of Qi which slowly mixed together with one another and formed a multicolored chain. It went down and swiftly entered the two beasts bodies and their cultivation fell from Origin Realm Stage 9 to 7 instantly.


    The beasts howled in anger and tried to break free but it was no use.


    "Ninth brother, you have 5 minutes at most, use everything you have. We can''t keep this up for too long," Third shouted with gritted teeth. They were using everything they had to suppress the beasts, so much so that even using telepathy wasn''t possible.


    The man in the hologram frowned looking at them but just as he was about to speak up, his Spirit Band vibrated. He looked at it and then the hologram disappeared.


    *ROAAAAR*


    *ROAAAAAR*


    Angered by the reduction in their cultivation realms, the Apes roared and charged towards Hao Xuan.


    Even though they were technically weaker than before, but their bodies were still massive and every step sent tremors throughout the field.


    Hao Xuan''s heart started beating faster and faster. He took out the ive and one after another unleashed the Qi from his meridians.


    First came the Emperor''s Qi.


    *ZZZZT*


    A massive pressure descended on the entire arena. He wasn''t nning to drag this fight out so he used every single ounce of Qi avable.


    The charging Apes slowed instantly and their powers fell once again. They tried to roar once more but before they could, there came the second burst of Qi.


    Sundering Qi from the second meridian was let loose, he held back absolutely nothing.


    The ground around himcerated and a red energy covered the ive.


    There were small gnashes on the Apes bodies already.


    And then came the third burst of Qi.


    *BOOOM*


    A muffled booming noise resounded throughout the Colosseum as Force Qi erupted forth like a wild bull. It hit the beasts head-on and stopped them in their tracks.


    A second brownish-white energy covered the ive.


    The armor surrounding his body shattered like ss since he couldn''t keep up the Qi supply.


    Then the ck lightning from Infernal Rapture covered the ive, increasing its power even more.


    Hao Xuan''s arms became bloody just from holding the ive and small cracks started to appear on its de.


    His long hair were flying in the wind generated by the amalgamation of forces, as he stood there doing everything possible to not be blown back by the sheer destructive power.


    He smiled looking at the Apes in front of him and shouted, "BROTHERS! Be careful! I can''t control this strike!"


    He held the ive sideways as his expression turned solemn. With closed eyes he mumbled a single word before swinging the ive across.


    "SUNDER!"


    All the noise in the world died down and a bright white light covered expanded outwards quickly, engulfing everything in its path.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    "Oh shi-" the expressions of all the captains worsened instantly and they let go of the chain suppressing the beasts and put all of their Qi into the pirs below them, making the barrier light up.


    *TREMBLEEEEEE*


    The entire colosseum shook like it was about to copse and protective formations lit up one after another to suppress the energy.


    "Haahhhh!" All the captains were using everything they had to keep the barrier from breaking, yet it was no use.


    One after another cracks started to appear on the barrier but just as it was about to break, General Yue Fei and the Guard appeared above the field and held out their hands.


    Their Qi reinforced the barrier and immediately healed all the cracks and made it light up even brighter.


    A minute or soter things settled down but no one said a single word.


    The light from the attack slowly dissipated and everyone could see the aftermath.


    Hao Xuan was standing in the middle of the field. There was a huge crater in front of him but there was no sign of the Apes anywhere. Not even a single drop of blood!


    With a gust of wind, the cracked ive turned into dust and blew away.


    His hands were bleeding profusely and there was a bit of blooding out from the side of his mouth, but his face adorned a resplendent smile.


    He looked up at Yue Fei and the guard and said, "I give up," before falling down, unconscious.


    "...."


    "....."


    "WH-"


    "WHAT?!"


    The kingdom exploded with mayhem.


    ***


    Rocks: https://i.pinimg/564x/14/49/1b/14491b3535367b051ad4f938a8470c25.jpg


    The hell apes: https://vite.wikia.nocookie/paragonthegame/images/0/0c/Rampage_Wastnd_skin.jpg/revisiontest?cb=20161020165717


    and


    https://vite.wikia.nocookie/paragonthegame/images/f/f3/Rampage_Default_skin.jpg/revisiontest/scale-to-width-down/864?cb=20160826205156


    (from the game Paragon)

 Chapter 104: Rewards

    <h4>Chapter 104: ''Rewards''</h4>


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was back in his room at the mountain. The scent of his sheets and the familiar feeling of the bed underneath gave him a sense of belonging.


    He got up and sat in his bed for good while, just, thinking. He heard a noise from the other side of the bed and saw Zhurong sleeping without a care in the world.


    Looking at him innocently purring and licking his lips while dreaming about imaginary food made Hao Xuan smile as he slowly petted his head.


    But then suddenly he felt a feeling creep up behind him, a feeling so cold that he felt like nothing in this world would be able to warm him up ever again. This wasn''t a physical cold, but something more... spiritual.


    All he wanted to do was just close his eyes and slowly fade out of existence.


    "Not again..." he mumbled while rubbing his face.


    He forced himself to get up as his entire body felt like it weighed tons and he was back to his old self again before he started cultivating.


    He washed up and stood in front of the mirror looking at the face staring back at him, one he could barely recognize anymore.


    "Would she know it''s me if we met right now?" he mumbled while thinking about his mother. For some reason, he had started remembering her a lot more recently. He never thought how hard it would have been for her living the way she did since back then he was busy feeling bad for himself to think of anyone else.


    Every night she brought him food and stayed with him until he fell asleep, yet he took it all for granted. In all those years he had never once called her mother, ever.


    "At the end of the day, what is it that everyone wants? Riches? Power? Maybe even immortality? No, those are just the tools, not the final goal. If.....if I can have a ce to call home and a family to share everything with, then won''t I know happiness as well?" he thought inwardly...


    *Sigh*


    "Why do I get like this?" heughed at himself and got ready. He left Zhurong in the room and went out alone.


    The sun had already risen and it was about 9 in the morning. He was going to the hall when he saw Sixth and Fourth beside the campfire having breakfast.


    "Ninth brother! Over here!" Sixth shouted as soon as he caught sight of him.


    Hao Xuan smiled and walked over.


    "Brothers, what''re you eating?" he asked while taking a seat. Fourth grinned and poured him a bowl, Try it Ninth brother, tell me what you think."


    Hao Xuan narrowed his eyes and inspected the liquid carefully before taking a sip, "My god, what is this? It''s so good!"


    "Hahaha, that''s a secret. Eighth brother made me promise I couldn''t tell anyone," Fourth patted his chest proudly for some reason.


    Sixth looked at Hao Xuan up and down before asking, "Ninth brother, how do you feel?"


    "Huh?" Hao Xuan was slightly taken aback by the question until he remembered the day before.


    "Wait, how long was I asleep?" he asked since it could have been a long time.


    "Not too much. Just three days," Fourth replied with his mouth still full.


    "Three days?! Damn, I couldn''t tell it at all," he said checking his own body. There were no visible injuries or even scars from thest fight.


    *Growl*


    "Ah, it does seem I''m a bit.....hungry," Hao Xuan''s stomach growled like a hungry beast which scared both Sixth and Fourth as the image of him ripping off people''s heads and drinking their blood came to mind.


    "H-Here brother, drink this, QUICK!" Fourth swiftly filled up a huge bowl and passed it to him.


    "O-Oh, thank you," Hao Xuan gave a slight bow and started eating. There were small chunks of different meats and vegetables floating around, and whenever he bit into one it would explode with vor.


    "So," while eating he asked a few questions, "How did it end? When am I getting the money from the views? It should be a lot right?"


    His mood suddenly turned better thinking about everything he was gonna buy. Maybe even a flying ship depending on how much he made.


    Fourth and Sixth both looked at each other hesitatingly trying toe up with words to exin the situation.


    "What?" Hao Xuan asked when neither of them answered.


    "Um, well, I''ve got some good news and bad news, which do you want first?" Fourth asked after a few seconds of contemtion.


    "Hm? The good I guess."


    "Alright. Well, the good news is that you made billions. Congrattions brother, you are the richest soldier in the Kingdom!"


    Hao Xuan was ecstatic. He could already see himself flying all over the beast world in a Millennium Falcon.


    "But," he continued, "But thest two beasts you killed, the Hell Apes, they belonged to the Beast Hall and when you killed them, you effectively ''bought'' them as well."


    Hao Xuan turned livid hearing that, "What? But that was a part of the Death Walk. Was I supposed to just let them kill me? Actually, it doesn''t matter. Not gonna bother myself with such small matters," he waved his hands nobly. He was a rich man now and arguing about such simple matters was very unbing of his financial status.


    "So what''s the bad news?" he asked looking at Fourth.


    Fourth took a deep breath, looked at Hao Xuan in the eye and blurted out everything at once, "The bad news is that those Hell Apes cost several times more than what you made so you are not only broke but also in debts of billions," he then covered his head protectively, in case Hao Xuan wanted to rip something off.


    "WHAT?! Are you fucking serious?!" Hao Xuan stood up, knocking over the bowl of soup in the process, but no one had the time to care about that.


    "B-Brother calm down, let me finish!" Fourth said while moving back several steps.


    "What? Just say it quickly brother," Hao Xuan shouted back, prompting him to move even further away.


    "The great general went to talk with the beast hall himself and told them that it was their fault for sending out beasts knowing full well that it was a battle to the death. He even almost started a fight with them saying they wanted to kill you that''s why they sent beasts with Divine blood in them."


    "Anyways, because of that, the Beast Hall decided not to charge you the full price of the Apes, and instead they ''only'' took away 95% of the earnings from the Walk."


    "95%?! ONLY 95%?!" Hao Xuan''s face was turning red and the Emperor''s Qi started leaking out.


    "How much is that?! How much is 95%?!" he asked through gritted teeth.


    "It''s still a lot of money brother. You have to realize that no one here can ever dream of having that much!"


    "HOW.MUCH?!"


    "A-About 500 Million gold!" Fourth shouted and ran as far away as he could.

 Chapter 105: Rewards Continued

    <h4>Chapter 105: ''Rewards'' Continued</h4>


    "A-About 500 Million gold!" Fourth shouted and ran as far away as he could.


    "500 Million?!" Hao Xuan repeated angrily.


    "Y-Yes! Please brother, calm down!" he said while hiding behind a tree several meters away.


    "Fourth Brother!" Hao Xuan looked at him straight in the eyes, the Emperor''s Qi was still leaking out a violet-colored mist that was spreading out in waves.


    "Yes!" Fourth replied ceremoniously as if he was answering to a superior. Even though he was the senior...


    "Ho...how much is 500 Million gold? Is it a lot? Can I buy a cruiser in that?" Hao Xuan''s voice became fainter and fainter as the sentence came to an end.


    ".....Yes..?" Fourth was speechless at this point. Did his junior brother not even know the worth of money?


    "Um, No, a cruiser can''t be bought with Gold. Even if someone was stupid enough to sell one, it would cost trillions. You might not be able to even rent one out for just 50 Billion," he said while calming down.


    "Eh? Really? Then what''s the use of gold?" Hao Xuan frowned. The hell kind of currency did they give him...


    Fourth let out a sigh of relief and regained hisposure. He slowly walked back to the campfire and sat down, "Brother, our world is separated into two kinds. One is the cultivation world we live in, and the other is the Mortal world everyone else lives in."


    He looked up at Hao Xuan with a serious expression rarely found on his face, "As cultivators, we will live many hundreds of years. Even thousands isn''t that big of a deal. But for mortals living past 130 is already a miracle. That''s why our worlds are separated by an invisible barrier. We may walk with them and eat with them, but we are very different. Gold is the currency of mortals. With it you can buy yourself somend, start a business, or even buy other luxuries that weren''t avable to you before."


    He smiled, "There are still a lot of uses for Gold. Don''t worry about it. People spend their entire lives without even seeing a 10th of your wealth so you shouldn''t be greedy. You did get the short end of the stick but it''s not as bad as you think."


    Hao Xuan looked him in the eyes and all the anger that was bubbling out of him a second ago vanished like smoke. He smiled back, "You''re right brother, I''m sorry."


    They chatted for a little while longer until Hao Xuan remembered to take a look at the "loot" he had picked up during the fight. So he excused himself and wanted to return to his room but Sixth shouted from the back, stopping him.


    "Ninth brother, the reward for thest mission also came in. You should be able to buy some nice things with that!"


    "Last mission?" he frowned thinking about it until he remembered, the poison quarry! He did manage to save the Royals from the Gao kingdom, including the ex-great general and General Li''s friend. Those rewards mustn''t be too bad either.


    He nodded and went back to the room. Zhurong was still sleeping soundly with a small puddle of drool next to him. On anyone else, it would look disgusting but with his small fluffy body that was barely as big as Hao Xuan''s hand, it was extremely cute.


    "How can this brat eat so much and then sleep like this? Is he a bear of some kind?" he mumbled while stroking his head which made Zhurong smile even in his sleep and he started purring.


    Hao Xuan smiled and sat down on the bed. He closed his eyes and appeared in his Mind Pce.


    As he walked the first thing he saw were the baby snakes that came wriggling over as soon as they sensed his arrival.


    "Haha, you guys are cute too. I still have to name you guys," he picked them up in his hands and smiled once again.


    "Master!" but then two voice came from the sides as a couple of figures appeared in front of him.


    They were two men with extremelyrge builds. Both were around 17 feet tall, twice as big as Hao Xuan.


    They had huge muscles and looked like the bodybuilders back from earth. They were dressed in simple robes and looked to be about 30 years of age.


    But their faces had solemn expressions which along with the natural aura exuding from their bodies, gave them a very stern and unyielding image.


    "Rise," Hao Xuan smiled looking at them and waved his hand.


    They stood up but still didn''t even raise their heads, standing in front of Hao Xuan like obedient children, he asked: "Is this your human form?"


    "Yes master," they respectfully nodded as if talking to someone superior.


    It wasn''t their fault, now that Hao Xuan had severed their souls and had full control over them, he was their God. Just by standing in front of him, they would be happy. A single sentence from him would brighten their days.


    Yes, these were the Divine Hell Apes from the arena. The reason Hao Xuan wasn''t so mad about losing such arge sum of money was because he got a couple of Divine beasts out of it. And for much MUCH cheaper at that.


    Normally they wouldn''t even be avable for purchase with just Gold so him getting them with just 49.5 Billion gold was a huge deal. It might as well be free.


    Back during the fight when he had used thest attack, even though it was extremely powerful but it was nowhere near enough to kill two divine beasts without even leaving behind a corpse.


    One had to remember that Hao Xuan was only at Origin Realm Stage 1 while the beasts were at Stage 9. Even with all the suppression and powerups, he was no match for them.


    Divine beasts meant that they had some special abilities. Just a single drop of divine blood was enough to let them fight higher realmed monsters without fear.


    Thest attack did seriously hurt them though. Although it wasn''t fatal but it gave Hao Xuan enough of a window to run up to them and ''sever'' their souls. Of course, they weren''t expecting this at all and right after such a powerful attack at that.


    Caught off-guard, he managed to sessfully capture them both and then summoned them into his Mind pce to make it seem like they had died.


    To sever someone''s soul, they had to either allow it or let down their guardpletely. If the ''victim'' knew it wasing then the chances would reduce significantly.


    That was why one had to normally beat the ''victims'' to such a state that they wouldn''t be able to put up any resistance at all.


    "Your human forms, has the Beast Hall seen them?" he asked when he remembered. If the people of the beast hall knew then he wouldn''t be able to use them recklessly.


    "No, master. We were born in our original forms and never had the need to switch back. Also, switching to Human form indicates that we respect the opposite party, which was never the case," replied one of them.


    "Good, very good. I''ll think up of proper names for you guyster so, for now, you will be Green and you will be Red," he named them ording to the color of their original bodies.


    Having full control over them, he knew every single thing about them. Their body conditions, real forms, everything. The only thing he didn''t know was their state of mind, which he didn''t bother with much anyway.


    Looking at them the smile on his face got brighter and brighter. Finally, he had managed to get some proper forces.


    Even though the little snakes also had divine blood, but it was different. They were naturally born with it and did not inherit it from anyone else. Later on they would be able to be Divine Beasts with never seen before bloodlines and abilities.


    And seeing how cute and cuddly they were, he didn''t want to use them inbat anytime soon.


    Green and Red would make the perfect henchmen in the meantime.


    "I should get some humans too," he thought looking at the four in front of him.

 Chapter 106: Mind Palace

    <h4>Chapter 106: Mind Pce</h4>


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and returned to back the Beast world.


    "I feel like the Mind pce is getting smaller by the day. At this rate, it will be full within a few weeks. I''ll have to make some new ones as soon as possible," he mumbled thinking about the two giant 18-feet guys camping in his pce.


    From the Elementary Realm to the Origin Realm, the physical body was refined bit by bit. And in the Spirit Realm, the soul was refined and cultivators would be able to increase the power of their souls and strengthen it much more.


    Each stage of the Spirit realm would allow the cultivators to open another Mind pce, but their requirements were too stringent and most people would not be able to open more than three or four throughout the entire spirit realm.


    One needed a heaven-defyingly powerful soul to be able to support all of the Mind Pces.


    The more powerful the soul, the more Pces they could open. The minimum requirement to reach the Profound Realm was to create at least one Mind Pce.


    That''s why each Profound Realm expert was different. A cultivator of Profound Realm with Six Mind pces would be able to go much further in the world than someone with Three pces. Not to mention they would be much stronger than their peers as well.


    The number of Mind pces also affected the number of techniques a person could cultivate. And the more Mind pces one had the more powerful techniques they would be able to use.


    This was the one aspect that Hao Xuan could im to be ahead of everyone else in.


    Any person with a constitution simr to him had a powerful soul. But because of the "uniqueness" oh his abilities, he was a tier higher even by those standards.


    The Soul Severing Heavenly constitution allowed him to sever the connection of other''s souls to the heavens and control their lives and deaths. So obviously he needed a strong soul to support all the others.


    This meant that opening Six pces would not be a problem for him. And if he was lucky, then maybe even Seven was possible.


    Eight pces required a genius-level talent that would only be found in 1 out of 5,000 cultivators.


    But one had to be a Supreme genius, someone that could look down on the Nine Realms and Ten Heavens with disdain, someone that was ''born'' to be better than everyone else, to be able to open Nine Pces.


    Every single person that was capable of opening Nine pces had gone on to be a legendary existence in this world as long as they were able to mature enough, which didn''t always happen.


    There were legends, whispers of people with Ten Pces but no one knew if they were true. If such individuals existed, they would belong to the core of the highest tier of powers in every world.


    What were the requirements to open Ten Pces, if at all possible? Perhaps only the hegemons would know.


    Hao Xuan sighed thinking about the long journey ahead.


    After taking a little more time straightening out his thoughts, he picked up a snoring Zhurong and left. He walked back to the Mad Saints quarters and was met with Luke near the entrance.


    "Captain!" Luke gave a deep bow and went on his way. Ever since Hao Xuan became their captain, even though they showed ''respect'', it was only due to the difference in rank.


    But after watching Hao Xuan fight and seeing the things he did, every single member of Mad Saint that had any doubt about his ability was gone. They respected him from the bottom of their hearts and knew that he had great potential.


    Their attitude towards him changedpletely.


    Every single Mad Saint bowed respectfully in front of him when they saw him, like how a junior would in front of a senior.


    He went to his room and summoned Aria.


    "Captain!" with a slight bow, she was the only one that didn''t treat him any differently because from the start she never looked down on him.


    He smiled and nodded, "How''s the investigation going? What did you find?"


    "Its finished captain. I tried to reach out to you before but didn''t get a response," she looked up at him, "Yes, I was a little busy with some other matters. Go on, how are they doing?"


    "Yes. The family still lives on the same farm they were given at the start, but it seems someone powerful is looking after them. All the children except the oldest were admitted into the National Academy on schrships and while the oldest one is in the military. He joined normally and went through all the tests. He is actually not bad at all and was picked for an elite unit."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Someone powerful? Who?"


    "I''m not sure, captain. I tried to find out but even as a Red Legion member I didn''t have the clearance to get that information. All I know is that its someone from the Royal family."


    "Royal family? Why would anyone fro-" he stopped mid-sentence as an image popped into his head. Yue Fei!


    "Looks like he''s not that dumb after all," Hao Xuan mumbled with a smile as his mood took a turn for the worse. Aria felt a cold chill go down her spine looking at his smile. That face, she had seen it before. It was like a beast hunting its prey.


    "Does he not see eye-to-eye with the royals?" she thought inwardly.


    "Anything else?" Hao Xuan spoke up after regaining hisposure.


    "No sir. The farm has a high-grade Earth level protective formation around it in case of another sudden beast horde attack. It''s extremely powerful and would even hold against some Spiritual level beasts. The only thing is..." she stopped and looked up at Hao Xuan once again.


    He frowned looking at her behavior, "Speak, don''t worry, I won''t lose my temper against something this simple," he said casually waving his hand.


    "Yes. It seems the children are being somewhat mistreated at the academy. Since theye from poor backgrounds while all the other students have powerful backings, they are looked down upon and being bullied. But they are keeping it all a secret from their parents and enduring it by themselves."


    Even her who was normally kind and collected had her expression turned worse talking about this. She continued: "Especially the twins. There is a son of a government official who has taken a ''liking'' to them and torments them on a daily bas-"


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The entire room copsed as an aura akin to a God of Death erupted forth from Hao Xuan''s body.


    Aria was blown away along with the room.


    "What happened?!"


    "Are we under attack?!"


    Voices came from all around after hearing the explosion as people gathered one after another.


    Kuo, Hash, and Maddy that were cultivating behind closed doors suddenly appeared.


    "What happened?" Kuo asked looking at Aria who had blooding out from the side of her mouth.


    "I....the captai-" she tried to exin but a thundering voice interjected.


    "WHO?! Who is it? What is his name? Who is his father?" the voice came from the cloud of dust where a room once used to be.


    The dust finally settled and everyone could see Hao Xuan standing there with his hair flying without any wind and two massive 18-feet tall men behind him.


    They seemed to be even angrier than him and were releasing an aura that made everyone present tremble.


    Kuo''s eyes constricted when he saw him, "Why did no one tell me the captain was here?!!" he shouted inwardly.


    Hao Xuan took a step and appeared in front of Aria. He ignored everyone else and looked down, "What is his name? What is his father''s name?" he asked calmly.


    "M-Mu Taio," she stuttered, scared out of her mind.


    "Captain, what''s going o-" Kuo walked towards him with a smile trying to calm him down but the two men appeared in front of him. They blotted out the sun, standing there like an impregnable wall.


    Kuo, who was already a 5th stage Spirit realm expert, knew the men in front of him were weaker than him but he got a feeling that he still would not be able to defeat them with ease. It was a gut feeling but his gut was rarely wrong.


    "Captain!" Kuo imbued Qi into his voice and shouted, trying to wake Hao Xuan up, and it worked.


    Hao Xuan looked over at him with a nonchnt expression that terrified him more than the two men.


    "What?" Hao Xuan asked gently.

 Chapter 107: The Academy

    <h4>Chapter 107: The Academy</h4>


    "What?" Hao Xuan asked calmly looking over at Kuo.


    "Captain, please calm down. Whatever is happening we can deal with it, you don''t have to take action yourself," Kuo said concerningly, trying to reason with him.


    "Ho? Really? You will do it in my stead?" Hao Xuan asked with a raised eyebrow, giving Kuo some reassurance. The massive amounts of Qi leaking out of his body vanished.


    "Thank god, at least he hasn''t lost itpletely," Kuo thought inwardly.


    "Yes sir. No matter what it is, we can do it for you," he nodded enthusiastically.


    "Alright. Bring me this Mu family. Each and every member. I''m....hungry," he said nonchntly as a smile crept up on his handsome face.


    "Hu...hungry....?" Kuo''s face paled in a second as the image of Hao Xuan ripping people''s head off shed past his eyes.


    "Yeah. Can you do it or not?" Hao Xuan frowned as he was getting impatient.


    Kuo didn''t answer and looked down at Aria who still hadn''t gotten up from the ground.


    "Which Mu family is this? Where are they located?" he asked.


    "I''m not sure Lieutenant, I only know the name of the youngest child of the family. He''s called Mu Taio," she calmed down and answered while getting back up on her feet.


    "Mu Taio?!" Kuo frowned upon hearing the name.


    Hao Xuan noticed the change in his expression and asked, "What?"


    "This will be a little difficult captain. If I''m not wrong, Mu Taio is the youngest son of the current leader of the Mu family, Mu Qu. He is the treasurer of the kingdom of Mei. We cannot move against him. Even with your background, the bacsh for harming him would not be small," Kuo exined the situation.


    "Oh, is that so," Hao Xuan nodded back and didn''t overreact. Kuo let out a breath of relief looking at his attitude.


    But then Hao Xuan smiled and followed up, "Now that I know who they are, it will be easier to deal with them. If they have a big enough family, then maybe they can satiate my hunger."


    "E-Eh?" Kuo nked out after hearing that.


    "C-Captain! You can''t! Mu Qu himself is already a profound realm expert, not to mention his father, Mu Taio''s grandfather. He is retired but when he was still in the public eye, he had already been a profound realm expert for over a hundred years. Who knows he might even have reached the next realm already."


    Hao Xuan was about to walk out but stopped after hearing that.


    "Emi will always love big brother," he saw the smile once again and then Aria''s words echoed in his ears.


    He turned around and looked at Kuo, "Alright. I won''t move against the Mu family. I''ll just ''visit'' the National Academy. Tell them I''ming for an inspection."


    Even though Kuo still had his doubts, at least Hao Xuan wasn''t going to blindly run into another problematic situation.


    "Yes sir!" he used the Spirit band to let the Vice-principal of the academy know about Hao Xuan''s arrival.


    Along with the four newbies, Kuo, Hash, Maddy, and of course Green and Red, Hao Xuan left for the academy.


    ***


    The National Academy was located not too far from the Royal Pce. It had a radius of almost a hundred miles with many magnificent pavilions, small mountains, and fake rivers passing through. The spiritual energy was much denser than the outside world. It wasn''t one of the best academies of the kingdom without a reason.


    There were about Seven thousand students currently standing outside the main hall in an orderly fashion. Even though the military didn''t have control over the management of the academy, the students were still very disciplined.


    With white and gold uniforms they all looked very elegant.


    The Khan family children were all standing together near the back, away from everyone else.


    Kay was standing next to the twins who looked really sad and weren''t their usual happy selves. Sam was very excited and was standing on tip-toes to get a better view of the front.


    Between the students and the main hall was a stage with Twelve men and women on top. A few of them were very old but most seemed to be in their 30''s. These were the most respected teachers of the academy.


    "What''s going on? Why did they call an assembly all of a sudden?" asked one female student while looking around.


    "I heard someone important is visiting the academy," her friend whispered back knowingly.


    "Really? Who?"


    "No idea, but it must be someone big for all senior professors and the vice-principal toe out themselves," she said mysteriously.


    Simr conversations could be heard all over the academy.


    "Attention!" an old man walked out from the main hall and said loudly, silencing the students. He looked around the field and nodded seeing the orderly formation.


    "In a few minutes, the honorable Ninth captain of the Red Legion will being to inspect the academy. I want all of you to be on your best of behavior. I will not have you tarnish the name of our great institution!" he said sternly, but most people had stopped listening after they heard who it was.


    "OMG! It''s him?!"


    "Holy shit, Ninth captain? You mean the same one that just won the Death Walk?!"


    "Deimos! His nickname was Deimos, I remember!"


    "Dude! Is this for real?! Hey punch me real quick, am I dreaming?"


    "Oww. Haha, it''s not a dream!"


    The silent students burst into an uproar. The 12 professors shook their heads as they were expecting this.


    Hao Xuan was the most popr person from the younger generation in the kingdom right now. Billions had watched his fight and even after it was over, videos and clips of it could be found almost everywhere online.


    He was the undisputed star in many people''s minds, especially the young ones. And all the students of the academy were younger than 20, so to them, he was an idol.


    To the boys, he was a fierce fighter with no equal. To the girls, he was an extremely handsome and powerful genius that made their hearts sway.


    Of course not everyone was a fan of his but they weren''t going to speak up right now.


    The old man''s Spirit band vibrated and he smiled looking at the message.


    "Quiet!" he raised his hands to silence the crowd once again. "He is here," he whispered looking towards the gate.


    All Seven thousand students turned around at once. Some were fixing their hair and uniforms while others had battle intent leaking out.


    But before anyone could actually see them,


    *Wshhh*


    An invisible pressure descended upon the crowd. It wasn''t harmful in any way and instead slightly boosted their Qi.


    The old man who was the Vice-principal of the academy suddenly had a surprised expression on his wrinkly face.


    "To think its true, Emperor''s Dominion!" he mumbled while subconsciously straightening his posture and altering his stance to be more respectful.


    The professors behind him had the same expressions on their faces and they all straightened up as well. They were well aware of what this represented.


    About 10 or so seconds passed and a few figures came into view.


    At the front was a huge ck beast. It was about 15 or so meters long and 2 meters tall.


    It had blue fur around its head like a Lion''s mane and a massive serrated tail that ended up in a scythe-like de swaying behind him. [ 24 for a detailed description]


    To the left and right of the beast were two gigantic men, more than twice as tall as the beast.


    As they got closer, the figures got bigger and bigger and finally, a person became visible.


    He was riding on the beast''s back but because he was much smaller than the beast itself and the giant men around him, only now did others notice him.


    A horned mask adorned his face, covering the top half of it. But it was his green eyes that caught everyone''s attention. They were glowing and even though the sun was out, they were still bright enough to be seen from almost half a mile away.


    It was not until they were less than 50 meters away that the students noticed there were several other people behind him. All had masks on and seemed extremely gant.


    Some of the older students got excited looking at the four newbies who seemed to be the same age as them.


    The closer Hao Xuan got to them, the stronger the pressure became.


    The students were separated on two sides, and Hao Xuan and the party passed through the path in the middle.


    Contrary to themotion when his arrival was announced, now that he was actually here, there was not a single sound. It was dead silent and no one wanted to be the first one to speak up.


    They weren''t moving slowly but for some reason, it seemed like the time had slowed down.


    Many peoples hearts fluttered when they saw Hao Xuan up close. With his wide back, broad shoulders, and muscr build, he was enough to be the center of attention anywhere he went. Not to mention the vicious-looking beast and the gigantic men by themselves were very awe-inspiring.


    Rather than an inspection, it looked more like a King visiting his conquered territories.


    Many people had flushed cheeks and some even had to look away, for one reason or another.


    "Captain!" the vice-principal gave a slight bow as Hao Xuan reached the front of the hall.


    Hao Xuan got off Bai and waved his hand to recall.


    "Vice-principal," he said calmly and with a simr bow, and as his voice reached the crowd, they woke up. It seemed like a spell had been cast upon his arrival and when Hao Xuan spoke, it was broken.


    "Ahhhhh!"


    "Kyaa!"


    "Omg, he fainted!"


    Once again, pandemonium broke loose.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    In case you guys forgot what Bai looks like:


    https://i.pinimg/564x/49/31/49/493149e9779eed11c8ed967c7a1459c0.jpg


    Shortened url: https://urlzs/TQQ5f

 Chapter 108: The test

    <h4>Chapter 108: The test</h4>


    The Vice-Principal smiled seeing Hao Xuan''s attitude. He was neither too arrogant nor overly submissive.


    "What brings the honorable captain to my little academy, If you don''t mind me asking?" he asked while walking towards the main hall.


    Hao Xuan smiled and followed after, "Not much. I heard there were quite a few geniuses in this year''s batch so wanted to check them out, see how they were doing and if any of them was worth nurturing. As you know, the Legion is always looking for good talent. I hope Vice-principal won''t mind giving me some face in this matter."


    While they were talking, Zhurong who was sitting on Hao Xuan''s shoulder suddenly perked up his ears and jumped down, running into the crowd. Hao Xuan was surprised by his sudden action but he didn''t stop him. The vice-principal also ignored the little cub because in his eyes, it lookedpletely normal and was probably just ying around.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and his entourage stopped near the stage outside. The twelve senior professors walked forward to keep thempany while Hao Xuan and the VP disappeared into the main hall.


    A middle-aged senior professor went up to Kuo and greeted him with a bear hug, "It''s been too long," he smiled but when he saw Kuo''s expression, he frowned.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Kuo shook his head in response, "Nothing. It''s just that I think I''m getting too old for this job," he sighed.


    A few of the other professors and students came up to meet them as well.


    Green and Red were the centers of attention but no one dared approach them. The menacing aura they were giving off was enough to send shivers down their backs.


    All the students saw Zhurong jump off Hao Xuan''s shoulder and run towards them. Many of them jumped with delight thinking if they could befriend the pet, then maybe the owner would interact with them as well.


    A few of the stronger students walked forward with huge smiles, some even had pieces of meats in their hands but they had greatly underestimated Zhurong''s charm.


    As soon as he reached them, a group of young girls almost trampled over the stronger students and surrounded Zhurong, petting him lovingly and some even went as far as topliment him, calling him a heavenly beast. It didn''t even matter if he could understand them or not, they just did it for the hell of it.


    Zhurong, of course, loved the attention. Escorted by his fans, he wobbled through the crowd and went all the way to the back.


    "Hm? What''s going on?" Kay who was standing at the back along with Sam, Emi, and Olivia, frowned looking at all themotion and the group of peopleing straight towards them.


    The group reached them and stopped.


    "W-What? What do you want?" she stood in front of Emi and Olivia protectingly while staring at them, but no one said anything.


    *Meow*


    She felt something brush past her leg and turned around to see an adorable little white kitten standing in front of Emi, meowing.


    "Kitty?" Emi who was quite scared herself was holding onto Kay''s uniform when she saw Zhuronge up to her.


    Still hugging her teddy bear even in the Academy, she looked very cute in the uniform.


    All her fear dissolved in an instant when she saw Zhurong. She even forgot about the crowd.


    *Meow*


    Zhurong went up to her and jumped a couple of times.


    "You want upsies?" Emi asked with a bright smile on her face.


    Zhurong nodded his head enthusiastically, making several of the girls that followed him over jealous.


    "Hmph! What''s so good about a poor little girl?"


    "Young master,e here and we will cook for you the most delicious spirit beast meat you will ever have!"


    Many of them tried to tempt him but when he heard them talk bad about Emi, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold. He silently turned around and looked at them once before ignoring thempletely.


    Emi bent down and he jumped up into her arms.


    "Meow meow", Zhurong started licking her face like a long lost friend. A few of the girls wanted to speak up but seeing the perfect image of Emi and Zhurong, each cuter than the other, they couldn''t bring themselves to disturb them.


    ****


    Hao Xuan who was sitting in the main hall chatting with the vice-principal suddenly had his expression turned extremely soft and a smile appeared on his face which lit up the entire hall.


    He regained hisposure after a few seconds and looked up at the vice-principal.


    "Senior doesn''t have to worry about anything. I really have no ulterior motive other than just checking up on the young ones."


    "If you can arrange that then I''ll be on my way and won''t trouble you any longer."


    The old man looked at him for 20 seconds or so and before sighing. "As you wish captain. But please don''t take away all our youngsters now. As you know, you are an idol to most of the students here, and with a single word from you they will follow you anywhere."


    "Haha, senior doesn''t have to worry about that. I have very high standards and if I can find even a couple of good seedlings then I will not mistreat you," Hao Xuan smiled back.


    They drank a cup of tea and chatted about some random stuff for a few minutes before walking back out. The Mad Saints quickly got back into their usual formation and stood to the side, waiting for his orders.


    Green and Red bowed seeing him walk out and stood behind him without a word, surprising everyone present. No one knew what their background was but one thing was for sure, they were both extremely strong.


    The students and professors also got back to their original positions and a silence fell over the crowd.


    The old man walked up to the front of the stage and looked at the students for a couple of seconds before speaking up, "Captain Deimos has visited us today to see if any of the students from the newest ss are worthy of the military''s grooming. ss 1-A through D, pleasee forward."


    Many of them were disappointed hearing the announcement, especially the older ones. Still, they stood aside and made way for the 400-500 students of ss 1 toe to the front.


    All the students of ss 1 were between the ages of 8 and 11. With the gold and white uniforms, they looked like children cosying as adults but still gave off a dignified aura. The old man nodded his head when he saw them.


    Emi and Olivia were of course in the group as well, but they were at the back. And with their small statures, they weren''t even visible.


    Hao Xuan nodded and moved a few steps forward. He smiled looking at them.


    "Try to endure as long as possible. The longer you stand, the better your chances," he said loudly and before any of them could speak up, a pressure descended.


    A few students that weren''t prepared instantly fell down to their knees.


    Hao Xuan had just unleashed a mixture of Emperor and Force Qi on all of them and the pressure was increasing by the second.


    Time seemed to have slowed down again. All the teachers and students watched with bated breaths as one by one the students from ss 1 fell down to their knees.


    After only a minute or so, there were less than 20 students still on their feet. Most of them were already well-known in the academy as they were at the upper age limit of the ss and had been cultivating for a while.


    What caught most people''s eye were the two identical little girls at the back. Other than them, only those from the very first line were left standing.


    The kids at the first line were the most promising ones. They were all gritting their teeth while droplets of sweat were dripping down from the sides of their faces. On the other hand, the twins at the back seemed like they were out for a walk and were just standing casually. One of them even had a little white cub in her hand she was ying with andughing.


    A few of the senior professors exchanged looks when they saw that. None of them was stupid enough to think that these two fragile little girls were stronger than the ones at the front. Obviously, Hao Xuan had chosen not to put them under pressure.


    30 more seconds passed and other than the twins, only two boys were left standing. One of them had short golden hair and was wearing a spirit band made out of pure gold, while the other one seemed like theplete opposite.


    He had an old uniform on that seemed to be one size too short for him. His spirit band looked like it was fished out of a trash can. He had bruises all over his arms and legs and his looks simply shouted "poverty".


    Hao Xuan had an extremely surprised expression on his face that even the mask couldn''t hide.


    The golden-haired boy was, of course, Mu Taio. Kuo had shown him his picture on the way over so he knew who to look for. From the beginning, he was the main target so he intentionally didn''t put much pressure on him.


    But the other boy was enduring the full brunt of the pressure. Not a single one of his ssmates was up at this point, yet he stood up straight like a sword, not bending an inch. Aspared to Mu Taio, the pressure on the boy was about 15 times more, but he still didn''t fall.


    "Ho? To think I would find a diamond in this shithole," Hao Xuan mumbled under his breath. For him, it wasn''t the fact that the boy was enduring all the pressure, but it was his eyes. Hao Xuan saw a determination in them that he only wished he had.


    Unfortunately, in the end, the boy still had to lose. Hao Xuan doubled the pressure on the boy and finally, his legs bent a little. Now he was under 30 times as much pressure than Mu Taio but he was still standing.


    "Jeez, why is this kid taking it so seriously? Just give up. Stop making me feel bad about this," Hao Xuan cursed inwardly and once again increased the pressure.


    *Bam*


    Finally, he fell down to his knees, leaving only the twins and Mu Taio standing.


    "Hahaha, not bad, not bad at all. To think there would be someone so great here," heughed as the pressure vanished. All the students got up and let out a breath of relief.


    "You two, what are your names?" Hao Xuan asked looking at Mu Taio and the other boy.


    "Answering the great captain, my name is Mu Taio," he shouted his name loudly with a puffed chest. He was the very embodiment of arrogance.


    Hao Xuan then looked at the other boy who had a bitter smile on his face.


    "Yun Wentian," he replied somberly, making some of the professor''s frown. The boy didn''t even try to fake a smile.


    But Hao Xuan wasn''t one to take such things to heart and instead he smiled even brightly. "Good, very good."

 Chapter 109: Disciple

    <h4>Chapter 109: Disciple</h4>


    "Good, very good!" Hao Xuanughed.


    He looked at Mu Taio and smiled, "Are you rted to senior Qu?"


    Mu Taio was taken by surprise at first but then heughed snobbishly and looked back at his ssmates proudly, "Look, even this madman treats my family with respect!" he thought.


    "Yes, he is my father," he replied after a few seconds of gloating.


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "Ahh, that''s a shame. Senior Qu won''t let me have his precious son. It''s a real shame to have lost someone so talented out of the palm of my hand," he went up to Mu Taio and patted his head.


    No one was expecting Hao Xuan to act so chummy with Mu Taio, especially the Mad Saints who knew he wanted his head. All of them were left speechless. If they didn''t know any better they also would have thought Hao Xuan''smentation was genuine.


    The bright smile on Mu Taio''s face slowly faded away when he heard Hao Xuan. He was a member of the one and only Mu family and his entire future was already nned out from the day of his birth.


    But then Hao Xuan smiled again, "Please let Senior Qu know that I am a big fan of his and n to ''visit'' the Mu family soon, bearing many gifts. Oh, and also," he bent down and whispered something into his ear and patted his head once again.


    Everyone was curious what Hao Xuan was saying to him but no one dared to ask. Many of the other students were jealous looking at the preferential treatment he was getting but what could they do? The results of the test were clear.


    It was the same for Yun Wentian who watched from the side with a gloomy expression. More than anything else what he couldn''t ept was that he lost to someone of the same age as him.


    For thest 3 years, he had spent 20 hours of each day practicing, studying, and cultivating. Yet he still lost.


    "Am I really that useless?" he thought inwardly looking at Mu Taio.


    Hao Xuan stood up and moved back. No one noticed the nk expression of Mu Taio''s face during all themotion.


    "Senior, you really have a good batch this year," he said looking at the old man, who smiled in return.


    "You have Mu Taio, Yun Wentian, and ''other'' students that will all have very bright futures. I hope the vice-principal pays ''special attention'' to them," he said looking back at the students. His eyes lingered on the twins for a few seconds and another smile blossomed on his face. The old man noticed this and looked at them as well, taking note.


    Hao Xuan paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Unfortunately, Mu Taio is already spoken for, but if you want, I can take you in as my direct disciple," he looked down at Yun Wentian who was staring at his feet.


    "Eh?!" All the students and the professors were left speechless. They thought he was looking for someone to join the Red Legion, but just like that he invited someone to be his own direct disciple?! This was a huge deal. Everyone knew the military greatly cherished Hao Xuan and supported him, so being his direct disciple was the same as finding a pile of gold lying next to the road.


    Yun Wentian, just like the others, was shocked speechless and stared back at Hao Xuan with wide eyes.


    "So? Interested?" he asked when Wentian didn''t reply.


    "Eh? M-Me?" Yun Wentian pointed at himself, thinking he might have misheard.


    "Yeah. What do you say? It won''t be easy if you choose to follow me. I have to leave soon to scout out some locations for a new city so most of the time will be on the road. If you''re looking for an easy time then stay here. Where I''m going, even devils will think twice about entering."


    Hao Xuan replied to the boy and then turned around to say goodbye to the old man.


    "Senior, I think those two are diamonds in the rough. I hope you can keep an eye on them until they can fend for themselves," he said while looking at Emi and Olivia who were still ying with Zhurong.


    The old man was surprised once again. What was so special about them? Did Hao Xuan know them from somewhere? But since he didn''t mention anything himself, it would be rude to ask.


    "Sure. For you captain, I''ll take them in as my personal disciples. You don''t have to worry, I''ll take care of them," he patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder after promptly making a decision.


    The old man was at the profound realm and he was one of the most powerful people at the Academy. All of his students were highly regarded so Emi and Olivia''s status would skyrocket.


    He had lived for more than a thousand years and had a keen eye for talents. Even though the twins weren''t anything special, but just because of Hao Xuan''s current status and future potential, it was good enough of a gamble that he wouldn''t be at a loss.


    "I''ll visit sometimeter," Hao Xuan bowed towards the old man and started walking back.


    "Have you made a decision?" he asked looking at Yun Wentian who was standing at the same spot with furrowed brows, seemingly in deep thought.


    "I-I have. I ept but on one condition!" he looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "Hmm? Brat, it''s already your fortune that I have deemed you worthy of my attention and you want even more?" Hao Xuan was a bit angry. Looking at the boy''s condition, it was obvious he was from a very poor background and didn''t have much else going for him. Yet he dared make requests?!


    "I think you misunderstood, I wasn''t actually asking. You''reing with me," he snapped his fingers and Green walked forward and lifted the boy up before throwing him over his shoulder like a bag of rice.


    "Stop! What are you doing?! I don''t want to go anymore!" Yun Wentian shouted frantically.


    "It''s not up to you anymore. You wille with, whether you like it or not," Hao Xuan casually waved his hand and Green knocked the boy out.


    "I''ll take this one with me, senior," he said to the old man and started walking down the stage.


    The old man wanted to say something but what was the point. The boy was an orphan and even though he was talented, no one would miss him. It was the harsh reality of this world. You can im to be a warrior of justice but if you weren''t strong enough, it was all for naught.


    Hao Xuan passed by the twins but didn''t stop, and they didn''t notice him either. How could they connect the Hao Xuan of old to the demonic captain of the Red Legion in front of them? The thought never even crossed their mind, nor were they paying attention.


    Zhurong licked Emi''s face onest time and ran back to Hao Xuan and jumped up into his arms.


    "Happy, brat?" Hao Xuan petted his head gently.


    "Meow meow," Zhurong looked up at him pleadingly.


    "I know I know. I''ll buy you some," he shook his head.


    And just like that, Hao Xuan left the Academy with one extra person.


    The next day a piece of news shook the city. The youngest son of the infamous Mu family was killed by a Spirit Beast while on a mission.

 Chapter 110: Vow

    <h4>Chapter 110: Vow</h4>


    Yun Wentian woke up the next day on a bed somewhere. He opened his eyes and looked around but couldn''t recognize anything.


    "Where am I...?" he mumbled and thest day''s events shed past his eyes.


    "I''ve been kidnapped!" he didn''t make another sound and tried to get up but felt a weight on his chest. He looked down and saw a white fluff ball sleeping casually.


    He slowly picked up the little cub and put him to the side and got up.


    With extreme care, he made his way to the door and gripped the handle to open it slowly when a voice came from behind him, "Walk out that door and you will regret it for the rest of your life."


    He suddenly jerked his head and turned around to see a man with long hair sitting with his back to the wall on the opposite side of the room, looking towards his direction with his eyes closed.


    "W-Who are you?! What do you want?" he stutteringly shouted.


    "Hao Xuan. I''m the one that brought you here. They also call me Deimos," he smiled back.


    Yun Wentian''s eyes dted, "You''re the Ninth captain of the Red Legion?!"


    "Yes," Hao Xuan nodded.


    "Ar....are you going to eat me?" he asked with trembling legs. Even though he was trying to act strong, one had to remember he was only 11 years old at most. No matter how mature he was, there was a limit.


    Hao Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and glowed blue for a second before returning to their original green color.


    "Why would I eat a scrawny little brat like you? There are much better things to satisfy my hunger. Don''t overestimate yourself. You''re here because, One, I like the look in your eyes, and Two, you are my way to bnce my karma out."


    "Karma? What karma?"


    "See for yourself," Hao Xuan looked at his Spirit Band and a couple of secondster Yun Wentian got a link to a news article.


    "The youngest master of the Mu Family, Mu Taio, was killed yesterday during a routine mission. The eye-witnesses describe the event as extremely bizarre. Mu Taio, along with his other ssmates, was out observing a herd of Jagras when he walked up to one of the young ones and started dismembering it. This, of course, angered the bigger Great Jagras who ripped the young man to shreds before the teachers could step in."


    "As many of our readers may already know, Jagras usually keep to themselves and unless threatened first, they will not attack. Some have imed that the young man was acting very strangely for the past day and some even im that he hadmitted suicide when he was not selected as a disciple of the Ninth Caption of the Red Legion, Captain Deimos. Many powerful families have sent their representatives..."


    Yun Wentian read the entire article with furrowed brows before looking up at Hao Xuan.


    "I have known Mu Taio for 3 years. He would never do something like this."


    "Correct, he wouldn''t."


    "Then....did you have a hand in this?"


    "Yes. I told him to go kill himself."


    "Why?"


    "Because he did something that even Gods and Devils would think twice about."


    "What is that?"


    "He pissed me off."


    "......"


    "Don''t look at me like that. I''m not an evil man.....just an angry one," Hao Xuan mumbled thest sentence under his breath.


    "What do you want from me then? Why tell me these things? Aren''t you afraid I''ll tell everyone?" Yun Wentian asked curiously. Whye clean to him?


    "And who would believe you?" Hao Xuan asked with a smile.


    "What do you want from me?"


    "Loyalty. And in exchange I can give you everything," he used the same line Meng had used on him. Thinking about it actually pissed him off a little bit.


    Yun Wentian went quiet for a while before speaking up once again, "What about my condition?"


    "No conditions. I can guess what it is pretty much but I won''t be your tool. I can help you realize your dreams and be powerful. Then you can do whatever it is you want without asking for my help."


    He went silent once again. This time for several minutes, "Why me?"


    "No real reason. Think of it as fate. But if you don''t want to, then you can walk out of here and forget about this ever happened. And if you choose to stay, you''ll have to follow my everymand without question. I will be your teacher and will be on your side as long as you''re not the one at fault."


    "I hate bullying the weak. The strong have a responsibility to protect those weaker than themselves, up to a point that is."


    *Sigh*


    "I am not a good man, nor am I a bad one. I am just, me. But I also have a very low tolerance for bullshit so sometimes, I get carried away. As I said, I have some anger management issues," Hao Xuan let out augh that startled Yun Wentian.


    "Will you help me be strong?" he asked.


    "No. I can show you how to, it''s on you how far you can go," Hao Xuan shook his head.


    "Fine. I ept. As long as I can be strong, I don''t care," he nodded his head.


    "Great!" Hao Xuan pped his hands merrily.


    "Come and ept me as your teacher," he said solemnly and stood up.


    In the cultivation world, the rtionship between a master and his disciples was a very precious one. One that would be overseen by the heavens themselves. It would be the master''s duty to guide the student to the best of abilities. And it would be the disciple''s duty to uphold his master''s reputation and to never bring shame to him.


    Yun Wentian kowtowed nine times in front of Hao Xuan and made a vow.


    "With the high heavens as my witness, I make the most holiest of vows,"


    "I pledge my undying loyalty to you, my teacher, no matter the circumstance,"


    "As long as there is a single breath in my body, I will continue to uphold this promise for all of eternity."


    "I shall be your sword on the battlefield,"


    "Your torch in the darkness of the night,"


    "Your shield in front of your enemies,"


    "And your loyal student till the end of times."


    He then cut his finger and a droplet of blood floated out. Hao Xuan did the same. Both the droplets melded together in mid-air and changed to a dark purple color that seemed to be glowing. The droplets returned to their bodies and went straight to their hearts where they would stay until their deaths.


    This was not a binding agreement and won''t force them to do anything. But their hearts would be connected from then onward and when one is in trouble, the other will feel it no matter how vast the distance between them.

 Chapter 111: $$$

    <h4>Chapter 111: $$$</h4>


    Hao Xuan nodded his head at Yun Wentian''s attitude. His etiquette was not that of a child but a matured adult.


    "Raise your head," he said with a wave of his hand. Yun Wentian got up and looked at him with a new light in his eyes.


    "The HQ messaged me about the next mission. The ns for a new city have been approved so I have to go and find an appropriate location for it. But before that, I have to buy a few essentials so it will take a little bit of time," he paused and looked at Wentian.


    "I want you to clean this ce up and prepare a bath for me. I''ll be back around the afternoon. Don''t go outside needlessly. If Zhurong wakes up then use this ring to make a meal for yourselves. He doesn''t like raw meat so cook it properly. If you don''t know how to, then look it up," he patted his head and threw him a storage ring and walked out before Yun Wentian could say anything.


    "..why do I feel like this is more like a servant''s job than a student''s..." he mumbled as Hao Xuan''s back vanished through the door.


    ***


    Meanwhile, in arge mansion in the most high-end area of Fortuna city, a half-eaten corpse wasying in front of a group of men.


    "Nooo! My son!!! How could this happen?!?" a middle-aged man bent over the corpse wailing. This was the corpse was of Mu Taio and the man was his father, Mu Qu.


    "Why would he do this?! He had everything, EVERYTHING! Why??" he asked looking at the corpse which wasn''t even identifiable. Half the face and most of the body was missing. Some parts looked like they were half-digested.


    "No! He wouldn''t do this. I know my son better than anyone else, he would never do something like this," he shook his head like a crazy person.


    "Find everything that happened in thest two weeks before his death. Investigate everyone that interacted with him. There must be a reason why he did this!" he ordered the dozen or so strong men in front of him.


    "Yes sir!" they all saluted and walked out.


    "And YOU!" he turned around and looked at a young man behind him who was standing with his head hung low.


    "You utter trash! What the fuck were you doing?! Your only brother was going through god knows what while you were off fucking every whore in sight?! Is this why I raised you?!" he waved his hand a whip appeared.


    *Crack*


    He swung the whip with everything he had and hit the young man who was sent flying away.


    "Why couldn''t it be you?! Why did it have to be my precious son?! Why couldn''t it be this god damned trash?!" he shouted while continuously hitting the young man.


    This was the oldest young master of the Mu n, Mu Shuo. From the outside it looked he had everything but since the day he was born he had never felt a loving touch from anyone.


    His mother died during childbirth and Mu Qu, his father med him for it. He was raised by maids and never once had anyone that really cared for him.


    Always trying to please his father, he achieved many great things but nothing was good enough. He had even treated Mu Taio like a real sibling and loved him dearly, despite always being the lesser one in the rtionship.


    "Father, please! I''m sorry, I''m sorry!" he shouted while Mu QU rained down one blow after another. The cracking of the whip sounded for several more minutes in the empty mansion until there was blood all over the floor and Mu Shuo looked like he had been skinned alive.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Mu Qu stood over him while breathing heavily, "Why don''t you just die? What good are you?" he mumbled for thest time and walked off.


    A few minutester an old woman slowly walked over, picked up the now unconscious Mu Shuo, and disappeared.


    ***


    Hao Xuan walked into the main hall of the mountain and logged in.


    "Congrattions Captain Deimos, you have received new points," was the first notification he got.


    He clicked on it and he was taken to a new page. The total number of points at the top of the page was at 2500 now.


    "Nice, that''s more than I had expected," he smiled.


    "What to buy? New technique? Manual? Something else?" he thought while browsing the store. He was redirected to the technique page by default but there were a lot of other things for sale as well.


    There was a list of Demonic and Spirit beasts that were avable for purchase, but even the cheapest one was for 1500 points.


    He scrolled through and went to the most popr and saw many weapons, mounts, even a few ''vehicles''.


    These vehicles were all very different. Most weren''t made forbat and were only used for travel. Some looked like motorbikes from earth, they were the fastest ones. Some looked like tanks but without the canons. Some were like luxury cars etc.


    But none of them had any wheels. All of them had built-in formations and needed spirit crystals to function. They were more like hovercrafts as they floated above the ground with the help of formations.


    "I never really thought about it but there are formations for literally everything huh? Formation masters would be filthy rich, wouldn''t they? Should I learn some?" he thought looking at the prices. Even the cheapest vehicle which looked like a matchbox was for 5000 points.


    "Damn it. I can''t afford none of this," the more browsed, the more annoyed he got. Until he remembered his earning from the Death Walk.


    "Oh yeah, how could I forget about that?!" he logged out of the screen and checked his Spirit band. There indeed was an email from the Nation Bank of Mei. They had deposited the full 500 Million gold. He got a bit dizzy after seeing all the zeros in his ount.


    "Hahaha, I''m filthy rich baby! It''s a shame I can''t use these to buy stuff from the military portal. But when there''s a will, there''s a way," he nodded his head. He looked at the spirit band again and made a call.


    "Sixth brother, are you free? I need a favor."


    "Sure, I''m in the city right now, can you meet me here?" Sixth sounded a bit too excited to hear from him.


    "Um, sure," Hao Xuan hesitated for a second but then agreed. Sixth''s family was very rich and owned many businesses. It was a good idea to ask him for some info and help. They would definitely have some connections.

 Chapter 112: Business

    <h4>Chapter 112: Business</h4>


    Hao Xuan changed into some jeans and a white shirt before going to meet Sixth. He had sent him the location of a restaurant in the western area of the city.


    The western side held many beautiful sceneries and was a very popr scenic spot. There was a ten-kilometer long strip of malls and hotels so it was the go-to spot for families and couples or basically anyone looking to have a fun night out.


    He used Emperor''s Arrival to move faster and arrived in the area within 30 minutes or so.


    "Wow, this seems like apletely different ce," Hao Xuan was looking around like a viger that had never seen an urban area before.


    Because in most of the other areas of the city, the buildings were like the ones found in old Chinese movies. The streets were extremely wide and there were giant pavilions and old-school courtyards everywhere. There were no tall buildings, at least not many.


    But this ce was like a metropolitan city on its own. It reminded him of Tokyo from earth, or what he remembered from the videos and pictures since he had never left the town he was born in.


    The entire area was littered with hundreds of meters tall skyscrapers.


    He walked into a slightly deserted alley and summoned Green and Red.


    "Here, take this and buy yourselves a few things. Get some storage rings, spirit bands, and any other essentials. And buy some suits for yourselves. The best money can buy. You''re with me now. I Can''t have you looking like beggars," Hao Xuan said while taking off his own Spirit band and throwing it to them.


    Usually, only the owner of the band would be able to use it, with the only exception being the summoned creatures and ves that had their souls under the control of their masters. Even if they wanted to do something bad, it wouldn''t be possible. And even though Green and Red weren''t his ves, their souls were still connected to his so it was enough to fool the bands and use one another''s.


    They silently bowed and walked off with huge steps.


    He stepped out of the alley and got back up on the main road to observe the surroundings. It really was too simr to some of the ces back on earth and looking around he felt a bit homesick.


    There were thousands of people walking around. There even seemed to be some groups wearing simr uniforms which confused him.


    "Are there normal schools here too? Well, there should be, for the mortals at least," he thought looking at them.


    It was about 12 p.m and the sun was shining brightly. It was almost the end of January so it was still cold. But he could barely feel anything even with the single cotton shirt he had on. It was one of the advantages of the cultivation world. At higher realms, cultivators could walk onva and sleep in freezing tundras without a worry in the world so this was nothing much.


    He followed the crowd and walked for a good 15 minutes before reaching his objective.


    Since arriving in the Beast world, this was the first time he saw some of the vehicles he so dearly wanted.


    There were three of them parked outside a restaurant. Two looked like the old Alto cars from earth, instead only smaller and somehow less attractive. The other one was like a scooter.


    ".....is it just me or do they look worse than I expected?" he mumbled while staring at them with a frown.


    "Hahaha, what do you think? Beautiful isn''t it? Jealous? You''re jealous, aren''t you? Its fine, I can take it, hahaha" said a husky voice from the entrance of the restaurant where a few youngsters were standing. All of them were well dressed and anyone could tell at first nce that they came from rich backgrounds.


    The owner of the voice was a slightly chubby man that had gold ornaments on for some reason. He looked like someone that had juste into a bit of money and was keen to show it off.


    He walked up to one of the cars and lovingly patted its roof before looking at Hao Xuan with a grin, "What do you think? Awesome isn''t it? You don''t look half bad so if you follow me and be my servant, I can think about giving you a ride," he said while closing his eyes and waiting for an answer.


    One of the guys behind him suddenly came forward, "Boss is so magnanimous. Hurry up and bow before he changes his mind. You should know that not just anyone could get such an offer from our great boss," he looked at Hao Xuan with a smile, as if doing him a great favor.


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, was speechless. He was just thinking this "thing" looked hideous and now this fatass wanted him to be his servant to get a ''chance'' to ride it?


    "I wouldn''t be caught dead in this thing. Get the hell out of my way. Retards," he gave them a disdainful look and walked past them, entering the restaurant.


    The fatass who was standing next to the car acted like he had heard the most unbelievable thing in the world and put his hand over his heart in an exaggerated manner.


    "Wha- How dare you! I lower myself to invite you from the kindness of my heart and this is how you treat me?!" he shouted at Hao Xuan''s back but with a couple of steps he was already out of sight.


    "Don''t worry boss, we will bring him in front of you and make him beg for forgiveness!" the man behind the fatass shouted and left with several of the other ones.


    Hao Xuan didn''t pay them any attention and continued walking. He entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 8th floor. That''s where Sixth was.


    ***


    Lois was born in a small town in Texas, US. She was 17 years old when she along with her mother and younger brother were transported over to the Beast World. She, who was the most popr girl in her high school, felt oddly out of ce in this new reality.


    Ever sinceing here she had tried many different things but couldn''t find anything that interested her. Fortunately for her, she was absolutely stunning. She had long blond hair and green eyes. She was a cheerleader in high school so naturally, her body shape was considered to be ideal by most.


    Even back on earth she had been propositioned by several modeling agencies but didn''t want to put herself through the trouble. The rumors about ''that'' world were enough to scare her through and through.


    She had joined a mortal school in this world and graduated with flying colors. She was good with numbers and they made sense to her so following that school of through, she joined a business college in Fortuna city.


    Her first semester exams had just ended and she along with her four ssmates wanted to have some fun so they set up a group date with some boys from nearby schools.


    Sixth was a childhood friend of one of the boys that was invited to the get-together and they were short one guy so naturally he was invited to fill the spot, even though he was younger than all of them by at least 1-2 years.


    His childhood friend''s name was Peter and he knew Sixth was in the Red Legion, just not that he was a captain. Ever since they were kids Sixth loved fighting so this was just nature taking its course.


    "Haha, mortal girls are so pretty, I''m always busy with work so I never have time to go out. I''ve never even been on a date even though I''m almost 18, can you believe that?" Sixth said with fake tears in his eyes.


    To the girls, he was more like a younger brother than a love interest so they treated him as such.


    "Aww, poor you. Do you want me to set you up with my cousin? She''s the same age as you," said one of the girls taking pity on him.


    All of the girls were very pretty but Lois was in a league of her own. She was sitting in the corner staring out the window.


    "Hehehe, if she is half as pretty as older sister then I''m looking forward to it," Sixthughed sheepishly while scratching his head.


    The group burst intoughter looking at the sudden change in his behavior.


    "Oh, by the way, when is your friend getting here?" she asked after a few seconds. Sixth got the call in front of them so everyone knew there was another personing.


    "He should be here any second. Something tells me you guys will like him," he smiled knowingly.


    "And why is that? Is it someone famous? What does he do?" another girl asked curiously.


    "He is in the military, same as me. But he never really enjoys himself, always cultivating or out on missions. You''ll know when you see him. Don''t forget about me when you see him okay?" he said with puppy dog eyes.


    "Oi! You! Stop right there! How dare you disrespect boss Shu like that?" a loud voice cut in from across the hall. There was a group of men surrounding someone while shouting.


    "What''s going on? Who are they?" Lois asked curiously peering at themotion.


    One of the boys shook his head looking at them and exined, "Just some thugs. Their boss is a minor character around here. Who''s the poor kid getting beaten up this time?"


    There were a few dozen people in the hall and all of them stopped what they were doing and turned around to see the y. It was free entertainment so no one wanted to step in, especially since it wasn''t their problem.


    "These bastards, didn''t they learn thest time I taught them a lesson?!" Sixth who was rxing with the group suddenly stood up angrily.


    "You know them?" Peter asked with furrowed brows. Was Sixth gonna fight again?


    "Don''t make more trouble. Just let them do what they came here for and they will be gone in a minute or so," he stopped Sixth when he started walking towards them.


    "Make trouble? Me? They are the ones doing it," Sixth was getting angrier the more he talked.


    "Stil-" Peter wanted to argue but a voice cut him off.


    "Are you actually retarded? The hell is wrong with you people? And don''t touch me, I don''t want to get ''stupid'' on my shirt," the nonchnt voice came from behind the men.


    "Eh? Ninth brother?" Sixth was surprised to hear the voice.


    He looked at his Spirit band and called Hao Xuan but didn''t get a reply.


    ''Is it really him? If so, THIS IS BAD! What if he gets angry and starts eating people,'' he thought inwardly and tried to walk towards them but Peter was still holding him back.


    "Stupid! Let go before something bad happens!" he said while trying to free himself but the harder he tried, the more Peter held him back.


    "Listen, moron, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, you''re not gonna ruin it," he whispered into Sixth''s ear, referring to the group date.


    "Dumbass, if that is who I think it is, you''re gonna be lucky if you can leave with your limbs still attached to your body," Sixth replied with gritted teeth, but it was toote.


    "You have 3 seconds to get out of my sight. I''m in a good mood today so leave before I change my mind," the voice said once again, surprising everyone in the hall.

 Chapter 113: Threat

    <h4>Chapter 113: Threat</h4>


    "You have 3 seconds to get out of my sight. I''m in a good mood today so leave before I change my mind," Hao Xuan said with an annoyed expression. Why the hell were these guys following him for no reason?


    "YOU! Alright, don''t say I never warned you," the leader of the group waved his hand and all the others took out different weapons and got in attacking stances.


    A vein was bulging on Hao Xuan''s forehead. "Alright, so be it," he clenched his fist and circted the Force Qi and as he was getting ready to attack, he heard a familiar voice from behind the men.


    "N-Ninth brother, please calm down!" Sixth squeezed through the encirclement and walked up to Hao Xuan with hurried steps.


    "Hehe, brother where''s your spirit band? Why didn''t you call me when you got here?" although he had a smile on his face, he was sweating like a pig.


    Hao Xuan frowned looking at his condition, "Sixth brother, what''s wrong with you? Do you have to go to the toilet?"


    "Eh?" Sixth was stunned speechless. "Brother, how could I worry about something like that with you here??" he thought inwardly.


    Peter and the other three guys also got up and followed after Sixth since it would make them look bad in front of the girls if the youngest guy was fighting while they were sitting by idly.


    They came next to Sixth and Hao Xuan and faced off against the other group.


    "What''s this? You called for backup? No wonder you weren''t worried. But s, it won''t change anything," the leader was slightly taken aback at first but then he smiled looking at the other guy''s cultivation levels.


    His group was all at the Earth realm with a couple at Origin Realm excluding him. He could feel Hao Xuan''s level which was Origin Realm stage 1 while all the others were lower than him. He didn''t even pay any attention to Sixth since he looked like a teenager.


    Unbeknownst to him, the only person he ignoredpletely was at the Spirit realm stage 4 and could kill them with a snap of his fingers. Yet that same person was worried sick over Hao Xuan''s reaction to them.


    "Oi, piss off. Tell fatty Shu that I''ll break his legs again if he keeps pulling this shit," Sixth shouted at the leader of the group, trying to scare them away.


    "Omg, what are they doing? And why is little brother Jun acting so aggressively against those thugs? He will get hurt," said a girl worryingly from the table. Jun was Sixth''s real name.


    "Isn''t he in the military? I think it should be fine," Lois who was usually quiet, spoke up, prompting everyone in the hall to look at her.


    The leader''s eyes constricted when he heard her. He turned around and looked at Sixth, "So you''re in the military? A little brat like you? Heh, a lowly soldier dares to stand against me? Do you know who my brother is? He is a captain in the Royal guard!"


    The expressions of all the guys excluding Peter, Hao Xuan, and Sixth changed after hearing that. A royal guard captain had to be at least Origin Realm stage 5. All of them were strong warriors and couldn''t be underestimated. They had more than 80 people under them as well.


    "Oi, isn''t this bad? It''s the royal guard you know!" one of the guys whispered into Peter''s ear who could only shake his head at the statement.


    Under normal circumstances that would indeed be the case but since Sixth was in the Red Legion, the royal guard couldn''t do anything to him.


    Everyone looked at them with even more interest. One was a military man, and the other had the backing of a Royal guard captain.


    Hao Xuan was at his limit. As he was about to speak up, the leader opened his mouth again.


    "Hehe, I''ve already messaged my cousin. He should be here within a few minutes. Kneel now and beg for forgiveness, otherwise, it won''t end well!" he said smugly.


    "Ohh? Otherwise what? What exactly are you going to do?" Sixth who was initially angry couldn''t help but get amused hearing his threat.


    "Otherwise...I.....I will drag out your families onto the street and beat them until your ancestors can''t even recognize them," he replied arrogantly.


    Sixth wanted to banter with him some more but his threat suddenly took a turn for worse. "Just a simple fight like this and you want to drag out our families?" even the other 3 guys that had some reluctance at first got angry hearing that.


    "Enough, this is getting out of hand now," Sixth raised his hand, and just as he was about to make a move, he felt a gust of wind from his left and Hao Xuan slowly walked in front of him.


    No one had noticed how Hao Xuan was until he stood towering over the leader and looking down at him as if he had heard the most amusing joke.


    "You will drag out my family? You will beat them? You?" Hao Xuan enunciated ''you'' as his expression turned calmer.


    "Oh shit, Ninth brother wai-" Sixth was about to stop him but the leader who had moved back a couple of steps and taken out his own weapon stared straight into Hao Xuan''s eyes before speaking.


    "Yeah, me. So what?" he said with gritted teeth, getting angry at himself for panicking earlier.


    "Good. That''s all I wanted to hear," Hao Xuan smiled at him which mesmerized all the girls that just now got a clear look at him.


    Sixth suddenly waved his hand and all the other men fell down unconscious, but it was toote for the leader who was already dangling 2 feet in the air.


    Hao Xuan was gripping his head like a ball and was slowly increasing the pressure while smiling.


    "You? You will drag out MY family? How?" he asked while tilting his head to the side.


    *Badump*Badump*


    Beatrice, who was the girl that was trying to set Sixth up with her cousin, was staring at Hao Xuan with a flushed face. She skipped a beat looking at his demeanor, while everyone else was shocked and left with mouths agape.


    "Stop! Let me go!" the leader first tried to attack him with his weapon but it wouldn''t even reach Hao Xuan so he shouted while trying to free himself from his grasp but it was no use.


    "Ninth brother, don''t mind these little guys, let me handle them," Sixth quickly came up to Hao Xuan and smiled, trying to calm him down.


    "Brother, I just want to see how he will beat my family," Hao Xuan looked over at Sixth and smiled once again.


    "B-Brother," Sixth got closer to him and whispered, "There are too many witnesses, you can''t kill him. Even though he is at fault, we can deal with himter."


    Hao Xuan obviously didn''t have any intention of eating him and he knew Sixth was worried about that. He didn''t rify on purpose as it was just too much fun watching Sixth panic like that.


    "Haha, sure brother, if you think that''s the best option," heughed and let go of the leader''s head who fell down to his knees.


    Sixth let out a breath of relief and knocked out the leader with a snap of his fingers. Of course, no one actually thought it was Sixth that had done all that to these men. They just saw Hao Xuan move and everyone fell unconscious while the leader almost wet himself being lifted like a rag doll so naturally, they were under the impression that it was his doing.


    "Hahaha, senior sisters, I''m sorry to have ruined the mood. I''ll drop these guys out and we can go somewhere fun!" he smiled at thedies who were sitting there speechless.


    "You guys sit, I''ll be back," he said to Hao Xuan and Peter and dragged all the men to the elevator.


    Hao Xuan just then noticed the girls and got slightly embarrassed.


    "Ah, hello," he said with awkwardly and gave a slight bow.


    Ever since he was young, he had never been in a romantic rtionship or even interacted with any females like that. Even Aria and Mia that were close to him in Mad Saints were like colleagues and his subordinates so he never once thought about them like that.


    But looking at these beautiful women all staring him in this casual setting made him ufortable.


    "B-Brother, I''ll help," he quickly turned around and followed after Sixth.


    Beatrice who was in a daze suddenly woke up when Hao Xuan left and stood up as well.


    "We should help them as well, it''s not good to let little brother Jun and that.....''person'' handle all that," she said with red cheeks. It was easy for all the girls to notice the change and they smiled.


    In this group, Lois was the lone, young beauty who barely interacted with anyone, whereas Beatrice was the more mature leader who with her perfect hourss figure would put many women to shame.


    And with her kind smile and caring attitude, she was always the most popr one wherever she went.


    "I agree. It wouldn''t be good to let just the two of them go like this," said one of the guys trying to gain favor with her.


    Lois looked at Beatrice and shook her head. Sure the guy was good looking but that was no reason to swoon over him like this. Nheless, they all got up and went downstairs.


    Shu who was the boss of the unconscious men was standing next to his ugly little car, looking at it like a long lost lover.


    "You dumbass, how many times do I have to whip your fat behind to stop you from making a fool out of yourself?" Sixth''s voice came from the entrance of the restaurant and he came out and threw all of them in front of him.


    *GASP*


    Shu gasped in an extremely overdramatic fashion and looked at Sixth like a monster, "How could you kill all of them? They were only messing around a bit!"


    "Shut the hell up. They''re not dead, just knocked out. Take them and get the hell out of my sight," he said while kicking the leader who flew towards Shu like a bullet.


    Luckily Shu''s cultivation wasn''t low either so he caught him.


    "Why do you keep messing with my ns? What did I ever do to you?" he asked like a wife who had just found her husband with another woman.


    Now it was Sixth''s turn to get angry. "You really want me to send you away myself?" he asked while making a fist which scared Shu even more.


    "I-I''m going, b-but not because you told me to!" he gathered all the men and threw them on top of the ugly little car he was admiring just before and got in.


    The restaurant''s doors opened and all the others walked out, led by Beatrice and Lois.


    Beatrice smiled when she saw Hao Xuan and walked next to him and stood there. Hao Xuan''s body locked up and he started sweating.


    "Haha, sorry senior sisters. Let''s go and do some shopping," Sixth said enthusiastically looking at the women.


    "Sure," Beatrice nodded with a smile and peered at Hao Xuan, "W-Will this person be joining us as well?"


    "Ah, I never introduced you guys. This is my brother from the military. We are in the same unit," Sixth finally introduced him.


    "Hello, I''m Hao Xuan," he nodded back at everyone. They all introduced themselves and were about to set off when amotion was heard from the left and several dozen soldiers in gold armor came rushing down the street, surrounding them.

 Chapter 114: Buying spree

    <h4>Chapter 114: Buying spree</h4>


    There were about 40 men all d in gold armor from head to toe surrounding the group. These were the kingdoms Royal Guards and their attire conveyed their status.


    The boys tried to act tough and stand in front of the group of girls protectively but Lois and Beatrice pushed them away.


    Beatrice just wanted to get a better view of Hao Xuan whereas Lois just wanted to see what would happen. Surely they wouldn''t drag her into the fight.


    The guards stood in silence for about 30 seconds or so until the ones in the front opened a pathway and a young man walked in. He didn''t have the same armor on and the only ''gold'' on him was a rapier on his waist.


    He was about 6 feet tall with a lean build. With blond hair and ''pretty'' features, he looked like a pretty girl cross-dressing as a boy.


    From his looks and demeanor alone it was clear he wasn''t an ordinary person. He had an aura of nobility and arrogance exuding from his body that few could match.


    He walked towards the group without any fear or hesitation and looked at Hao Xuan and Sixth who were standing at the front.


    "Where is he?" he asked calmly.


    "Who?" Sixth asked with a confused expression.


    "My cousin. He said some people were disrespecting the Royal family, and you people perfectly fit his description," he looked up at Hao Xuan while answering Sixth''s query.


    Hao Xuan frowned listening to his excuse. "Why would I give a shit about the royal family when I don''t even know them? Stop making foolish excuses and get out of the way little girl," he said while acting like he was swatting away a fly.


    The young man in front of him was neither a girl nor little, yet standing in front of Hao Xuan he did look like one byparison.


    "Peasant! Speak before I pull out your tongue. If I find out something has happened to him then I will skin you alive," his face became red with anger as Hao Xuan had mentioned his taboo. He had aplex about his looks since he was young and everyone always said he looked like a girl so he went out of his way to act ''macho'' and dress ''manlier'', whatever that meant.


    Sixth sighed listening to his empty threats. He had just defused a dangerous situation and now another dumbass popped up out of nowhere.


    "Captain, I think its best if you leave right now. We both serve the kingdom and there is no use fighting amongst ourselves. The situation has been handled and your cousin is fine," Sixth came forward with a smile and specifically enunciated the part about them both serving the kingdom.


    "Hmm?" the young man frowned and looked over at Sixth. After about 10 seconds or so he took out a small gold medallion and held it in front of him.


    This was his identification badge. It looked like a gold leaf with some vines over it. He inserted some Qi and after a few seconds, his expression suddenly turned ugly.


    He had just used to badge to try to identify Sixth. Anyone ranked at Captain or higher would have this feature in their badges where they would be able to find the name and rank of anyone below them.


    He used this feature thinking the two in front of him would be some recruits trying to act cool but instead got the shock of his life. Normally, if the person being ''investigated'' had their badge on them then it would buzz and send their information to the badge that had started the inquiry.


    But when he tried it, there were only two big ck shing dots in front of him. Which meant that, one, the people in front vastly outranked him, and second, they were in one of the six specialized units directly under the great generals of the kingdom.


    "Satisfied?" Sixth who still had the same smile stered over his face like a clown asked as he saw the man''s expression change.


    "Y-yes. My apologies. I was not aware that seniors were here. I will take my leave," he made a slight bow and quickly turned around, stunning all the spectators.


    "Wait!" just as he had taken a few steps, Hao Xuan''s voice came from behind. He slowly turned around and put on a fake smile, "Yes?"


    Hao Xuan then took out his own badge and used the same feature. All of the young man''s information from his background, age, and gender to his parent''s name was sent to Hao Xuan''s badge.


    The young man''s smile vanished like a fart in the wind. Normally no one would use this feature as it was considered extremely rude and forceful. But just now all of his information was sent to these guys.


    Hao Xuan smiled and looked at him in the eyes, "You said something about skinning me alive right? I''ll look forward to it. Soon I will send someone to pick you up so we can have a more private chat," he said while patting his shoulder lovingly. From the outsider''s view, it just looked like a senior giving some advice in a caring manner, but that was obviously far from it.


    "Of course. I''ll be happy to oblige senior whenever needed," he smiled once again and quickly ran off with the rest of the guards.


    Everyone including Peter who knew they were in the Red Legion were left speechless. He knew they were special, just not this much.


    "Alright, now that that''s taken care of, let''s have some fun. What did you want to do Ninth brother?" Sixth pped his hands and smiled looking at them.


    "I wanted to see if I could buy some of those vehicles. Do you know a dealership or something that sells them? I need something high-end, not like what that fatass was driving," Hao Xuan forgot about the unpleasantries and his mood changed quickly.


    "Vehicles? Do you mean cruisers? Sure, I know a few people who specialize in them. What did you have in mind?"


    And with that, they both walked off into the crowd followed by the tongue-tied group of boys and girls. Even their conversations were mind-boggling. Each cruiser cost up to tens of millions, even the cheapest one. And Hao Xuan wanted more than one of the high-end types? And even more surprising, Sixth knew where one could buy them? What the hell were these guy''s backgrounds?

 Chapter 115: Buying spree Continued

    <h4>Chapter 115: Buying spree Continued</h4>


    Sixth led the group to several private establishments where he had to mention his family name to enter.


    They saw about 150 or so different cruisers. Some the size of a scooter while some were bigger than buses. But none of them were anything close to what he had seen in the videos a while back. Those were as big as cities and had all sorts of contraptions on them.


    "So, like anything you see?" Sixth asked after leaving thest dealership. All of them were owned by extremely rich people and normal citizens wouldn''t even have information about it.


    Hao Xuan shook his head. They were all very good but not what he had in mind. The biggest cruiser he saw was the same size as a double-decker bus and it was for more than 6 billion gold. And it wasn''t just used for transport but had built-in facilities so one could live in it as well, if need be.


    If he still had his original winnings of 50 billion gold then it wouldn''t be a problem but now, it was nowhere near enough.


    All the boys and girls with them didn''t say much and quietly followed behind. And it was a very good opportunity for them as well because under normal circumstances they would never be able to go to such ces and see things like they saw today.


    "Lets just forget about it. The beast hall already robbed me blind so I can''t afford any of these things. I have to get some weapons and stuff, custom made, is there any ce that does that?" he asked, giving up on the cruisers for the time being. It was better to buy a good one at once than start with a shitty model and slowly upgrade.


    "Hmm, I''m not sure. There are a few but they probably can''t make things suitable for your level," Sixth said after thinking about it for a few seconds.


    "Um," while they were busy talking, Beatrice and Lois looked at each other and spoke up at the same time.


    "Yes? Does senior sisters know of a ce like that?" sixth turned around with a wide smile and asked innocently. His attitude kept changingpletely but Hao Xuan was used to it now.


    Beatrice smiled like a blossoming flower and looked at Hao Xuan from the corner of her eyes before answering, "Yes, we just started our internship at "The Den" and apparently they provide such services as well [CH28]. As you know, the Den has branches all over continent so they can usually get things like this done even if they have to bring in people from other kingdoms or empires."


    "The Den! How could I forget!" Sixth smacked his forehead when he remembered. The Den was indeed the best ce for things like these.


    "Alright, let''s go there then," Hao Xuan nodded. He, of course, had been there before and dealt with them. Not to mention he was also a VIP member and they owed him for selling that Ice flood dragon core to them.


    "Great! We''ll lead the way," before Hao Xuan or sixth could do anything, Beatrice grabbed Lois''s arm and dragged her to the front and started walking. Of course, Hao Xuan knew the way to it as well but he didn''t bother speaking out and just admired the ''scenery'' from the back.


    He hadn''t noticed before but both of these girls were extremely attractive. Lois was a blond ''bombshell'' while Beatrice gave off a more maternal aura. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder but no one would say that either of these women were not crazy beautiful. If only they were cultivators it would make them several times more attractive.


    They chatted on the way over and Hao Xuan got to know the group pretty well. Lois was a first-year student in her college whereas Beatrice was a third-year student. She was also the Student council president and she was grooming Lois to take her ce when she would graduate in a year or so.


    Hao Xuan sighed listening to their stories. This could just as easily have been him. Living a normal life in this fantasticalnd. Going to college, making friends, to them leaving even the kingdom was a huge deal, let alone the continent or the.


    But Hao Xuan''s ce was not here. Soon he would outgrow this ce and would have to find a new one to call home, seek out new challenges to surpass and opponents to subdue.


    "Might as well enjoy myself while I''m here huh..?" Hao Xuan told himself, or rather, asked.


    After about 30 minutes of walking, they reached the Den. It still looked as magnificent as the first time he saw it. It looked like a massive temple and gave off an ''otherworldly'' vibe.


    "This way," Beatrice led them inside. Many people turned around looking at the new group of people. The first one to catch everyone''s attention was, of course, Hao Xuan. Because with his tall stature, he was the one that stood out the most. Even now he was at least 2 feet taller than everyone else in the group.


    The second were the two women at the front, like ice and fire they both were dazzling.


    Beatrice led them to the right, through a hallway. At the end was a single door. She knocked and quietly stood aside.


    10 secondster the door opened and a young man of about 20 years of age stepped out. His expression turned radiant when he saw the girls.


    "Ah, Lois and Beatrice, how lovely to see the two beauties of Den together. My day has taken a turn for the better just by looking at you two," without any embarrassment or hesitation he spouted cheesy lines at them non-stop.


    "Hello, brother Ning. Is the elder in? There are some customers that would like to meet him," Beatrice ignored everything he said and went straight to the point.


    "Oh, customers?" only then did ''Ning'' noticed the nine other people behind them. He looked at all of them but when he met Hao Xuan''s nonchnt gaze, his smile vanished.


    "Junior sister, you know we can''t just have any old vagrant off of the streets meet our respected elders. There are rules and regtions that we have to follow," he said to her, putting on a lecturing face.


    Beatrice''s expression turned cold instantly, "Senior brother, please be respectful towards my friends. I have brought them here because they fulfill all the requirements. Please call the elder so he can decide for himself," she said with a formal tone, throwing the casual attitude away.


    "Junior sister must understand, there are-" he tried to continue with his bullshit but Hao Xuan who had already wasted enough time today was getting pissed off.


    "Oi, where is Li Ming?" he asked with a loud voice, cutting off Ning mid-sentence and startling everyone else.


    Ning looked up at Hao Xuan with an angry look, "Who are you? How do you know the third elder''s name?" he asked rudely.


    "Is he in or not?" Hao Xuan asked while released a bit of Emperors Qi. Ning''s expression suddenly stiffened and he backed up several steps.


    "STOP! How dare you attack a member of the Den?! GUARDS!!" he started screaming as if he he was getting attacked which left Hao Xuan speechless.


    Everyone else including Sixth were bbergasted at his reaction and just looked at each other in shock, their eyes converting the same message, "Is this actually happening?"


    Within five seconds several people brandishing different weapons came running in and surrounded them.


    "What the fuck is going on? I just asked if Li Ming was in, is this guy autistic?" Hao Xuan mumbled while looking at the ten or so bulky men. All of them were at Origin Realm and at higher stages than him.


    Sixth stood in front of the girls and waved his hand as a Qi shield surrounded them.


    "O-Oi, what about us?" Peter asked pointing at himself and the three guys behind him.


    "Fight bitch, what do you want me to do?" Sixth retorted without even turning around.

 Chapter 116: VIP

    <h4>Chapter 116: VIP</h4>


    "This is discrimination! Why not protect us too?!" Peter shouted with tears in his eyes and a ''wronged'' look on his face which pissed Sixth off even more and he shouted back, "When you have thighs like that,e talk to me," he said pointing at Lois''s legs which made her mad and embarrassed at the same time.


    Meanwhile, a throbbing vein appeared on Hao Xuan''s forehead.


    "I only came out to here buy a few things and enjoy the day, why do these fuckwads keep crawling out of the woodwork?" he mumbled. Sixth heard him andughed awkwardly.


    "Brother, calm calm. Don''t let it get to you," he said coaxingly.


    "Sixth brother, I''m getting...hungry," Hao Xuan said while closing his eyes. Soon as sixth heard him, his expression turned deadly serious.


    "I''ve been holding back a lot you know, earlier with those idiots, and then with the peacock royal guard. Why do they think they can keep pushing me around like this?" Hao Xuan mumbled but this time it wasn''t directed at anyone and instead sounded like he was talking to himself.


    "Aha, whatever. Guess I''ll y a little," he smiled and looked at Ning. Sixth''s eyes dted instantly and he turned towards Ning and shouted, "RUN!"


    "Eh? Why the hell would I run?" he asked with a frown, but before Sixth could answer, he understood why.


    Hao Xuan looked over at him like a wolf looking at a chicken, which sent cold shivers down his spine. "Yeah, why would you run?" he asked before the smile disappeared of his face.


    Hao Xuan lifted his foot as ck lightning covered his legs and whispered, "Heavenly re!"


    *BOOOOM*


    The entire hallway shook and everyone other than Sixth and the girls that were under his barrier was hurled away like a piece of paper in a storm.


    "Dumbass. Should have made a run for it, might have survived," Sixth shook his head. There was a cloud of dust and nothing could be seen clearly, but he knew what happened. There was only one result.


    A few secondster the dust settled and Hao Xuan was seen standing in Ning''s ce, but there was no sign of Ning himself. Not even a drop of blood. Hao Xuan had his eyes closed and was smiling with his face facing upwards.


    "Like a fine wine, the taste really is different," he mumbled and the smile on his face changed to one of contentment, but only for a few seconds.


    The girls were left speechless. They were mortals and if not for Sixth''s barrier they might''ve already died from the sheer force of Heavenly re, which was even more powerful now with Hao Xuan''s ''upgraded'' body and physique.


    He licked his lips a few times and then opened his eyes. The smile was reced with a grin as he looked at the guards.


    "This will be fun," he mumbled turning around and started walking towards them.


    "Ninth brother, please don''t ea- Uhm, ''fight'' them. It was just a misunderstanding, I''ll talk to the elders," he shouted at Hao Xuan''s back but his words fell on deaf ears. Hao Xuan was too far gone to give a damn about something like that. Right now, he just wanted to eat.


    "Who dares fight in the Den!?" a loud voice echoed throughout the entire building and two figures appeared on either end of the hallway.


    On the entrance was the ''Li'' Hao Xuan met aftering to the Den with First all those months ago, and on the other side was an old man with a white beard. He looked really kind but the energy that wasing off his body was terrifying.


    "What''s going on here?" Li asked when he saw the guards, Peter and the boys lying on the ground.


    "Fifth Elder!" the guards, Beatrice and Lois bowed at once, not even daring to lift up their heads.


    "Exin," Li regained hisposure and waved his hand as the pressure vanished and the guards could breathe again.


    "Yes. Senior brother Ning called for help when he was attacked by those people over there. We tried to stop them but they attacked us for no reason and I suspect even killed brother Ning," the leader stepped out and exined pointing at Hao Xuan and co.


    "Hmm?" the old man with the white beard frowned and looked around but couldn''t find Ning anywhere.


    "Animal! What have you done with my disciple?!" he shouted at Hao Xuan who was the only one still releasing Qi.


    "What disciple?" Hao Xuan didn''t mind the harsh words and asked calmly as if it had nothing to do with him.


    "You!" the old man released some pressure and everyone other than Sixth and Hao Xuan fell down to their knees.


    "Elder! It wasn''t their fault, I brought them here to do business but brother Ning started shouting for no reason and then vanished!" Beatrice shouted through the shield that wasn''t able topletely block the old man''s pressure. The girls were just mortals and couldn''t even breathe properly with the little bit of pressure that leaked through Sixth''s shield.


    "Elder Lu, Please calm down. I will call in the observers and they can find out exactly what happened," Li waved his hand and the pressure vanished, making the crowd let out a breath of relief.


    "Harumph," the old man didn''t do anything after that and quietly stood where he was.


    About 3 minutester two men covered in ck gowns from head-to-toe came in while holding a giant snail''s shell with strange markings on it.


    They bowed in front of Li and raised the shell up. Li put his hand on it and a screen appeared above the shell. He clicked a few times on it and it started ying the events of a few minutes ago.


    It clearly showed Beatrice and Lois leading the group towards the old man''s room and knocking and Ninging out, and everything that happened after.


    Elder Lu looked like he had just been forcefully fed some rotten fruits. Hao Xuan on the other hand smiled and looked at him provocatively, trying to get a reaction out of him.


    "This young friend, how do you know elder brother Ming?" Li asked after watching the video once again. He clearly heard Hao Xuan ask for Li Ming by name, and unless he had dealt with him before, it was impossible to know that.


    "Don''t you remember me? It hasn''t been that long. I thought cultivators were supposed to have good eyes," Hao Xuan smiled and turned around to meet his gaze. As soon as Li saw his green eyes he got a faint idea who he was and after hearing his voice it was confirmed.


    "Brother Hao! You have changed so much since thest time we met. What a nice surprise this is. I see now, my apologies for the misunderstanding this time," Li suddenly smiled like he had met a long lost friend and came forward to give Hao Xuan a hug which shocked everyone including the other Elder, girls, and even Sixth.


    "Hahaha, so you do remember. I just came here buy a few cruisers and have some weapons made but some retard started screaming as soon as he saw me. The Den sure has lowered its standards, letting any random dog off the street join its ranks. I''m a bit disappointed," Hao Xuan went with the flow and started spouting BS, trying to make himself look like a valuable customer.


    "Ah, that''s on me. I apologize. Please,e with me, I''ll show you to the VIP areas," he gestured towards the main hall and smiled at him in a friendly manner which surprised even Hao Xuan himself. But just as he had taken his first step, Elder Lu shouted from behind.


    "Elder Li! The matter of my disciple has yet to be settled," he said somberly.


    Li frowned and coldly replied, "Elder Lu, your disciple attacked a VIP member without being provoked and even lied about it. This matter is not yet finished. Brother Hao is Senior brother Ming''s VIP member so he will follow up about this matter with you himself. Please don''t worry."


    Elder Lu''s expression turned sour but there was nothing he could do. He was only a guest elder working for the Den for amission.


    Li led Hao Xuan and the group to the other side of the building. Hao Xuan had been here before but this time he was brought to a muchrger room.


    As usual, it was surrounded by formations on all sides and glowing letters and numbers could be seen moving around on the walls. There were tworge and two small sofas in the room in a rectangr formation.


    In the middle was a 6-feet wide screen that looked different than any Hao Xuan had seen before.


    "Please, have a rest. I''ll call Senior brother Ming. Refreshments will be served shortly," Li bowed slightly and quickly left, leaving Hao Xuan and the group in the room alone.

 Chapter 117: Portal

    <h4>Chapter 117: Portal</h4>


    Hao Xuan didn''t wait for Li Ming and gotfortable on the sofas.


    "Why are you guys just standing there? Take a seat, rx," he said to the others who were looking around the room tongue-tied.


    Sixth took his advice and sat down opposite to him, "Brother, you''re a VIP member here?"


    "Mhm," Hao Xuan nodded in response.


    "Damn, is it easy to be a VIP member? Does senior sister know the process? I want to be treated like a king too," Sixth pouted and asked Beatrice who suddenly became very reserved and still hadn''t sat down.


    She smiled hearing Sixth''s question, "No at all. As you may know, the Den is owned and run by the infamous Li family and every branch has at least one or two members from the main branch to act as its leaders. The person you just met and the one he was talking about, Elder Li Ming are members of the Li family and therefore in charge of the Den."


    "Only they can give out VIP memberships but Elder Li Ming rarely ever interacts with customers personally. Not even the crown prince would be able to get a face-to-face meeting with him just like that," she then paused and looked at Hao Xuan with a glint in her eyes.


    "For brother Hao to have been personally invited by him, he must either have great potential that even the Den which has branches all over the continent values, or have made a deal that made them a lot of profit," after that she didn''t say anything and continued smiling. Everyone''s imagination ran wild and they kept quiet, thinking.


    Sixth furrowed his brows for a few seconds and then smiled, he remembered about the Ice flood dragon Hao Xuan had killed when he first joined. All of them had eaten a lot of its meat and its core was the only expensive thing that the Den could have valued.


    Still, no one asked Hao Xuan himself thinking it would be rude. But he would have just told them the truth as to him it wasn''t such a big deal.


    A few minutester the door opened and a few beautiful women walked in withrge trays. They had all kinds of fruits, juices, and even some meats that Hao Xuan had never seen before.


    The floor opened up on one side of the room and arge table came out. They put the food on it and bowed once before leaving.


    Hao Xuan looked at the 10-foot long table filled with all kinds of dishes and the first thing that came to his mind was a Zhurongs cute face whenever he wanted something.


    "That brat would have loved all this," he mumbled and got up to taste a few things.


    "Guys, it''s embarrassing to be the only one eating, why are you holding yourselves back? Come and eat, it must be good if the Den is serving it," he said to the others who were still sitting and acting very reserved.


    "Hahaha, Ninth brother is right, I wanna taste it too," Sixth said with a grin and jumped at the food, which made everyone rx a bit and some of the others also ate a few things.


    Hao Xuan filled a te by several different things from fruits to meats and sat down on the sofa like it was his own house and started eating.


    "Why are junior sisters not enjoying themselves?" he asked looking up at Beatrice and Lois who still stood behind the sofa respectfully.


    "We are still members of the Den brother Hao and have to act as such. Don''t worry about us," Beatrice smiled back at him while Lois just kept silent.


    "But you''re not here as members of the Den, you are with me. If you refuse my requests, would that not be the same as pping my face?" he asking while chucking a small fruit that looked like a strawberry into his mouth.


    Beatrice was surprised by his interpretation and didn''t follow up after, but Lois did, "Senior sister, he is right. We''re not working right now so what''s the use of being so reserved," she said quietly to Beatrice and went to the table to pick up a fruit that looked like an apple. She then walked backed to the sofas and sat down right next to Hao Xuan, startling him.


    He was about to bite into a piece of meat when Lois unceremoniously ''fell'' down on the sofa that barely had enough space for two people. But since Hao Xuan''s body was so big, he could easily cover the whole thing himself, so with Lois, it was very cramped and they squished together.


    "Wha-" everyone was surprised by her actions and looked at her with various expressions.


    Some of the boys were disappointed but what could they do? They had seen Hao Xuan in action himself. He was seemingly rich, strong, and not bad on the eyes to boot. There was nopetition to speak off.


    Lois took a bite of the apple and turned around to meet Hao Xuan''s eyes. Their faces were less than six inches apart. She smiled mischievously seeing his flushed face and went even closer to whisper, "So, youe here often?"


    "Pffft" Sixth who had just taken a big gulp of some juice spat it out like a fountain.


    *Cough*Cough*


    Hao Xuan choked on his own saliva and guffawed at her question. She looked exactly like a guy trying to pick up a girl in a club or something. And with her appearance, it was both funny and sexy at the same time.


    "What? Is that a no?" Lois asked with a serious expression that only made Hao Xuanugh harder.


    "Stop, please, stop," he said as he stood up, trying to breathe. It wasn''t even that funny but for some reason, he couldn''t stopughing.


    *Creak*


    The door suddenly opened and in walked Li Ming with a huge smile stered over his face.


    "Brother Hao! What a nic- eh, are you okay?!" as soon as he entered the first thing he saw was Hao Xuan bending over beside a sofa, hitting his chest with his fist, struggling to breathe.


    "Hahaha, yes, hahaha, give me haha, a second," Hao Xuan spoke through hisughter and with the food particles all over his mouth and face, he looked anything but handsome right now.


    Ming didn''t say anything and quietly waited while looking around the room.


    Lois only looked over at Hao Xuan with a smile but didn''t do anything else either. Beatrice looked at Lois and couldn''t understand the reason behind the sudden change in her behavior.


    It took Hao Xuan a few more seconds to regain hisposure. He took out a handkerchief from the ring and wiped his face.


    "Sorry, sorry," he went up to Ming and shook his hand with a smile, "It''s been a while."


    "It has been indeed," Ming smiled back and they sat down on one of the bigger sofas.


    "So what brings you here today? And I''m sorry about themotion before. I will make sure nothing like that ever happens again. And to make up for it, 10% off on anything you buy today," he waved his hand and the VIP token in Hao Xuan''s pocket vibrated for a second.


    "Haha, I''ll ept this nice gesture then," Hao Xuan didn''t stand on ceremony and dly epted the extra discount. He would need it.


    "I needed a few things, but the most important one is a weapon. I need a ive, custom made with a weapon spirit embryo. Its the same embryo I bought from here thest time. Do you have someone for that?"


    "Hmm, we don''t here but if you give me some time I can send the embryo to one of the empires where we have some guest cksmiths that can make the weapon for you with whatever requirements you have," Ming gave it some thought and answered a few momentster.


    "Sure, let''s do that then. How much will that cost?"


    "Depends on the materials used for the weapon. The more precious materials you want to be included, the higher the price."


    "Is there a list of materials?"


    "Sure, I''ll send you the link to our VIP portal and you can ce an order there with all the parts, it will show you the total at the end."


    "Ah, I almost forgot," Hao Xuan didn''t have his Spirit Band on him so not only would he not be able to ess the Den''s portal but he wouldn''t even be able to buy anything since his ount was linked to the spirit band.


    He closed his eyes and tried to sense Green and Red. It took him 15 seconds to detect them. Since their souls were connected, Hao Xuan could call for them at any point. For them, it would be like a homesick feeling. They would want to get back to him as soon as possible and would feel ufortable the longer they stayed away.


    Soon after he felt them getting closer and knew they were on the way.


    "I have a couple of subordinates bringing my spirit band, can you please tell your staff to bring them to me once they get here?" he asked Ming who happily obliged and sent out a message through his spirit band with Green and Red''s descriptions.


    "Do you have something like a portable camp?" he asked after thinking about the things he would need for his next mission.


    "Portable camp?" Ming was confused by his query.


    "Yes, exactly like it sounds, anything along those lines would do!"


    "Hmmm," Ming scratched his head but couldn''t find anything like what Hao Xuan wanted. He sent a message and a minuteter there was a knock on the door.


    "Come in," Ming said without turning around. A middle-aged man that looked slightly older than Ming walked in. He had an unkempt appearance with dark circles around his eyes and seemed like he hadn''t bathed in weeks.


    "You called?" he didn''t wait around for anyone to speak and looked at Ming casually.


    "Brother Hao, this is Lex. He is an inventor and makes quite a few things. If you need anything made specifically for you, just contact him directly," he said to Hao Xuan and then turned towards Lex.


    "This is brother Hao, treat him as you would treat me."


    "Like I treat you? Why would I do something so bad to a stranger? I''ll treat him better than you," he said with a serious face and went up to the food table and started eating. Ming didn''t seem to mind as it seemed like this was a usual thing.


    "What do you want then? I''m busy," he said with a full mouth.


    "Do we have something like a movable pavilion?"


    "Not here. But yeah, there are a few treasures like that," Lex nodded his head.


    "No not treasures. Something man-made," Ming shook his head.


    "Eh?" Lex paused and looked at Hao Xuan, "Tell me exactly what you have in mind, we should have something."


    "Something that I can just throw on the ground and it turns into a camp instantly. And with a press of a button I can ''recall'' it. Something I can use out in the wild you know. I don''t want to sleep out in the open or look for abandoned caves. It would save me a lot of time and make the journey morefortable if there was anything like that," Hao Xuan exined slowly.


    "Hm, interesting," Lex scratched his chin, forgetting about the piece of meat in his hand.


    "I can tell you right now that nothing like that currently exists. Most cultivators just bring a few tents and whatnot in their rings and set them up themselves. But I can see the allure in this portable camp you describe. But it would need to have illusionary formations, some small defensive formations, maybe even an attacking formation. Yes yes....." he started muttering to himself and walked out of the room with hurried steps.


    But he suddenly stopped at the door and turned around to look at Hao Xuan, "I''ll see what I can make. And since it''s your idea, I''ll file a patent under your name. If it turns out there is an actual demand for it, you will have full ownership."

 Chapter 118: Savior

    <h4>Chapter 118: Savior</h4>


    Lex left and Hao Xuan and Ming talked about a few other things. Ming exined a few things about the weapons and their types and gave him a lot of new information. About 25 minutester there was a knock on the door.


    "Come in," Ming shouted and ady in a yellow dress entered.


    "Elder, the guests are here," she said with a bow.


    "Great, bring them in," Ming pped once but thedy didn''t leave and seemed to be hesitating, trying to say something.


    Ming frowned, "What? Speak freely."


    "It- the guests are um, too big to be able to enter the room, so they are waiting outside," she stammered, not knowing how to say that without offending them.


    Hao Xuan smacked his head, "Ah, I forgot. Well, it''s fine anyway. I can just use the portal to ce the order. Do you need anything other than the weapon spirit embryo?" he took out the embryo and gave it to Ming.


    "You''re leaving so soon? Well, let me know if you need anything else. From now on you can simply show your VIP token at the front desk and they will take care of you. As for the ive, I will need a bit of your blood so it can recognize you as its owner when it''s made," Ming also stood up and patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder.


    Hao Xuan filled a small bottle that Ming passed him with blood and left with the group. Ming escorted them to the front desk where he saw two figures towering over everyone in the hall.


    They looked like normal humans, only muchrger. Both of them had ck suits on and looked very professional. And with their deadly auras, they looked like hitmen for hire.


    "Master!" they bowed at once as soon as Hao Xuan came into view, leaving everyone shocked. The aura that was leaking out from their bodies vanished like smoke. Even Ming who had seen a lot was taken by surprise.


    Sixth hadn''t seen them before either and could tell they were both extremely strong. He looked over at Hao Xuan with newfound respect, "How did Ninth brother get such amazing underlings? I must know the secret!" he thought inwardly.


    "Rise. You don''t have to bow every time you see me," Hao Xuan waved his hand and both of them stood up straight.


    "As Master wishes," they lowered their heads respectfully, leaving Hao Xuan stumped. He was much younger than them and much smaller. So them showing this much respect to him just seemed ludicrous in others'' eyes.


    Green stretched out his massive hand handed over his Spirit band.


    "Did you get everything you wanted?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Yes," they pulled back their sleeves and huge ck Spirit Bands could be seen. They were bigger than Hao Xuan''s entire head and looked more like gigantic gauntlets.


    On their fingers were rings as big as Hao Xuan''s wrists.


    He nodded upon seeing, "I am actually surprised you got them this quickly. I thought it would take them some time to make some that were suitable for you guys," he mumbled while looking over the rings.


    Mingughed when he heard that, "Haha, brother this is Fortuna city. Races from all overe here to either trade or depart on voyages to the unknown Azure Ocean. Although these gentlemen are big, there are other races that are even bigger. So it''s natural for most shops to keep a few products in all sizes."


    "Hmm, you''re right. I keep forgetting how popr this ce is," Hao Xuan sighed as he remembered the information that was given to him on his arrival to this world.


    Mei Kingdom was one of the rare few that had ''easy'' ess to the Azure Ocean. The Royal n recognized its value pretty early on and invested heavily in the naval sector.


    Every country had its main export, this was theirs.


    They sent out many ships and lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers trying to navigate the treacherous waters. The creatures in the ocean were several timesrger than their counterparts, and just as deadly if not more.


    No one knew exactly how deep the ocean was as its waters were life-threatening for even the strongest. It spanned for millions upon millions of miles and there were many areas that one couldn''t enter under normal circumstances.


    But although the ocean was deadly, it was just as precious if not more so. There were natural treasures andnds untouched by humans that contained things that would start wars between entire Empires.


    That was why many people risked their lives to venture out in the open ocean. There was no shortage of strong ''crazy'' men and women willing to bet their lives for a little gold.


    "One day I will lead an army into its depths and make a name for myself," Hao Xuan clenched his fists thinking about the epic new adventures soon toe.


    *Sigh*


    "Alright, I''ll take my leave then. I will ce the order by tonight for a bunch of things. I hope you can get the ive made as soon as possible because I have to leave soon," he shook Ming''s hand and walked out of the Den with Green and Red right behind him like loyal bodyguards.


    Actually, this type of attitude was not forced by the Soul Severing Heavenly constitution. The only thing Hao Xuan could truly control was their loyalty.


    Those who had their souls ''severed'' would not be able to disobey him, but that did not mean they would have to love him as well.


    They still retained their original personalities and memories for the most part. If Hao Xuan was not good to them then naturally they would hate him.


    Neither Green and Red''s respect nor the little snake''s affection for him was forced. Ever since the snakes opened their eyes, Hao Xuan had treated them with love so naturally, they did the same.


    As for Green and Red, they were created in aboratory and had spent their entire lives as test subjects. All they did was fight on other''s orders and at the end of the day, they were still treated like objects to be bought and sold. As beings with divine blood running through their veins, this was uneptable for them.


    So they saw Hao Xuan as their savior and treated him as such.


    Sixth and the rest followed after him as well.


    Ming turned around and the smile on his face vanished. He sent a message to someone on the Spirit Band, "This is Li Ming of branch M371, I need to request a background check."

 Chapter 119: Connections

    <h4>Chapter 119: Connections</h4>


    "Sixth brother, what does your family do?" Hao Xuan asked as they all walked around the city, enjoying the sights.


    He had already taken care of the most important matter which was the ive, and he would buy a few other things after going back.


    "A little bit of everything. We own a few businesses in some of the cities. What does Ninth brother need help with?" Sixth didn''t try to hide anything from him and answered straightforwardly.


    "I-" Hao Xuan was about to ask him when he saw the group of people still following behind. He had almost forgotten about them.


    He smiled and turned around, "Brothers, sisters, I''m sorry to have troubled you today. It was supposed to be a group thing but I dragged you all over for no reason. I have some personal business to take care of right now and need brother Jun''s help so I''ll have to excuse myself for now."


    "It was nice meeting all of you, I''ll see you guyster then," he bowed slightly towards them.


    "It was our pleasure. Thanks to brother Hao''s errands we got to see a lot of different things. If you ever visit the Den again, please don''t hesitate to call for us," Beatrice also smiled back with her usual charm that made Hao Xuan sigh inwardly.


    "Damn, she really is pretty," he thought and nodded back.


    But just as he turned around, he felt something pull his sleeve. He looked back to see Lois standing right behind him with an angry face.


    "You still don''t remember me do you?" she said so softly that only Hao Xuan was able to hear her. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Remember you? I''m sure if we had met before, I would know. How could I forget such a beauty?"


    He said with a dazzling smile, thinking she was just messing with him like before.


    Lois''s eyes went dim and she actually looked really hurt which surprised Hao Xuan. She got even closer and pulled his arm, making him bend down. She stood up on tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "Did you make up with your mother yet? You were always so immature even back then, not thinking how hard it was for others. I hope you''re not like that anymore," she said and then turned around, grabbed Beatrice''s hand and dragged her away hastily.


    No one knew what had just happened. Howe Lois was suddenly so close to Hao Xuan? But before anyone could ask, Lois and Beatrice were already gone.


    Hao Xuan was frozen in that stance for a good minute, until Green bent down and lightly uttered, "Master," waking him from his stupor.


    "Eh? Ah, where did she go?" he suddenly looked around but the two beauties had already left.


    "Ninth brother, do you and that prettydy have some sort of history perhaps?" Sixth asked with a mischievous expression, but Hao Xuan didn''t pay attention.


    "Brother, do you know how to get in contact with her? I need to talk to her," Hao Xuan grabbed Sixth by the shoulder and shook him, making him dizzy.


    "N-Ninth brother calm down, you''ll mess up my organs," Sixth almost vomited from suddenly being shaken like that.


    "And I don''t, but maybe one of the other sisters know?" he looked over at the three girls that were still standing there awkwardly. He got Lois''s contact information from them and left.


    When Lois said those things Hao Xuan knew exactly who she was. He hadn''t interacted with many people on earth so it didn''t take him long toe up with an answer. But howe she was here? Out of all the kingdoms, all the cities, she was here with him? Was it just a coincidence?


    As Hao Xuan walked silently, engrossed in his own thoughts, Sixth finally couldn''t take it anymore and asked, "Aren''t you going to call her?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "No, not yet. I don''t know what to say right now."


    They both stayed silent after that and walked around for almost an hour. It was almost 5 p.m and the sun was about to go down. Hao Xuan looked up at the scarlet sky and sighed once again.


    "It''s not time yet. I''ll take care of itter," he mumbled and lightly pped his face.


    "Brother, I need someone to take care of things for me while I''m not here. Someone with connections. Who is the best person for this kind of stuff?" he asked sixth after regaining hisposure. Lois had reminded him of a time of his life that he didn''t want to recall, at least not right now.


    "Hmm, there are a few people like this. Sort of a jack of all trades. They take care of things for the top 1% as they say. But they''re not expensive you know."


    "It''s fine. Once they meet me, I''m sure my ''charisma'' will be enough to make them work for me for free," he grinned.


    "Give me a minute, I''ll be back," he said to Sixth and walked over to an alley with Green and Red. A few secondster he came out alone.


    "Where did the big guys go?" Sixth asked curiously.


    "They attract too much attention so I sent them home," Hao Xuan smiled mysteriously.


    Sixth led him to the west side of the city again. They went past the malls and entered a much quieter area. There were cherry blossom trees everywhere and the buildings looked like the ones from the Edo period of Japan. It all looked extremely beautiful and calmed one down just by looking at the scenery.


    They walked up to a mansion on the left side. Aspared to the other buildings it didn''t look that grand but had a very cozy feeling to it.


    Sixth went up to the door and knocked five times in a specific rhythm. 5 secondster the door opened and an old man in butler attire appeared.


    "Please follow me," he said calmly and walked inside. Hao Xuan looked at Sixth doubtfully but still followed after.


    The butler took them to a guest room which looked like the set of an old Japanese movie.


    "Master will be with you shortly," the butler said respectfully and left.


    "So, who is this person? You didn''t tell me a lot about him. Why him out of all the others?" Hao Xuan inquired while admiring the decorations. There were some old swords, exactly like a samurai''s and some beast skulls on the walls.

 Chapter 120: Follower

    <h4>Chapter 120: Follower</h4>


    "Well, no one really knows," Sixth shook his head.


    "The military has tried looking into his background but couldn''t find out much. He just appeared here a few years ago with a little bit of money and made an empire with it. He has connections all over the kingdoms and some say even abroad."


    "If you need something done low-key, someone taken care off, need something or someone found, protection, etc, he can do it all. There are a few others but he has the best reputation. His word is his bond. There is no one more trustworthy than him."


    "Hmm, so what is he called?"


    "Yangdi. We call him Yangdi and he seems to like it so it stuck."


    A few minutes passed and the door finally opened once again.


    In walked a man dressed in a traditional Kimono. He looked very delicate and had a paleplexion and was so thin that it looked like a gust of wind was enough to blow him over.


    He had long ck hair that wereing down to his chest and if not for his Adam''s apple and the slight stubble on his face, one could easily mistake him for a girl. He looked to be about 25-27 years of age andpletely out of Hao Xuan''s expectations.


    He thought Yangdi would be arge fat man with gold all over him but this guy was the literal opposite.


    "What the hell? He looks like a delicate young master from some rich family. Is it really him?" Hao Xuan looked over at Sixth with a confused and looked and got a nod in return, confirming his identity.


    "Young master Jun, it''s been a while. How is the old master doing?" Yangdi smiled and asked in a very friendly tone. With a single sentence from him, the entire atmosphere rxed.


    "Woah, what is with this guy? Is that his power or something?" Hao Xuan was on full guard. How could anyone be so charismatic? Even Hao Xuan himself wanted to be friends with this guy.


    "Something is definitely not right," he clenched his fists.


    "Father is good. He always tells me to go meet brother Yangdi so I thought why not since an opportunity presented itself today," Sixth seemed to be used to it and replied casually as well.


    "Oh? What opportunity?" Yangdi asked with a surprised expression.


    "I wanted to introduce someone. This is my senior, Brother Hao Xuan. He needed help with a few things and I thought you would be the perfect person for the job," Sixth gestured towards him, prompting Yangdi to also look over with a smile.


    "How do you do. Like Jun has said, I''m Hao Xuan," he smiled in a simr care-free manner and nodded at him.


    "Nice to meet you. I''m called Yangdi. I feel like I have seen brother Hao before, did we meet somewhere?"


    "I would remember if I ever saw brother Yangdi before. I don''t think we have had the pleasure. Maybe I just have one of those faces?" Hao Xuanughed while Yangdi just looked at him with a smile, making him ufortable.


    "So how can I help brother Hao today?" Yangdi asked while staring straight into Hao Xuan''s eyes. He felt like he was naked in front of this guy.


    "Fuck, does this guy have x-ray vision or something??!" Hao Xuan crossed his legs, just in case Yangdi did have something like but it was probably his imagination.


    "Well, the topic is very sensitive. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" Hao Xuan smiled at him which made Yangdi raise an eyebrow. He kept silent for a few seconds and then got up.


    "Of course, please follow me," he walked out of the door with small steps.


    "Brother, wait here. I''ll be back in a bit," Hao Xuan said to Sixth and followed after him.


    Yangdi took him through a few hallways and down several steps of stairs into a room which was covered by formations on all sides.


    Hao Xuan had seen such rooms before like the one in the Den but this one waspletely packed to the brim with all kinds of formations. Most of which he couldn''t tell the function off, not that he knew anything about formations to begin with. There was not a single inch of the wall not covered by glowing runes and letters, moving around and melding together perfectly. It gave the spectators a feeling of harmony.


    Hao Xuan was surprised yet again. How could this guy have something like this? He hadn''t seen anything like it in even the Beast Hall.


    "Please," he gestured towards one of the seats and sat on the other himself. Hao Xuan didn''t waste time and sat down as well.


    "You can speak freely here brother Hao. This is the most secure ce in the entire city and no one will be able to eavesdrop on our conversation," he said calmly and picked up a cup of steaming tea that was sitting in front of the table.


    There was another one for Hao Xuan but he didn''t pick it up, making Yangdi smile once again.


    "I heard you have connections everywhere in the kingdom. Is that true?" Hao Xuan asked curiously.


    "Yes. More or less everywhere," Yangdi nodded in return.


    "I need some information about the crown prince and General Yue Fei. Their routines, when they are alone, how many guards, their schedules, etc. Can you get that for me?"


    Yangdi was about to take another sip but froze and the smile on his face vanished.


    "Brother Hao, this is treason," he looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "I know," Hao Xuan simply nodded back with a smile. Yangdi didn''t say anything and continued looking at him. Hao Xuan didn''t shy away either and met his gaze.


    "Yes, I can get this information, but there are a few requirements," he finally nodded and looked away.


    "Please enlighten me."


    "First, it will, of course, be expensive. Second, once you have the information, you cannot tell anyone that you got it from me. You will have to make a vow with your soul on the line. If you break it then, well you can guess. Third, I will need you to bring me something back from the pce. You will know more once you agree to these terms."

 Chapter 121: Follower Continued

    <h4>Chapter 121: Follower Continued</h4>


    "Sure, they seem reasonable enough. I agree," Hao Xuan nodded after thinking it through. It didn''t matter anyway since, in the end, all would belong to him.


    Hao Xuan got up from his chair and with a bright smile and approached Yangdi with his hand outstretched. Yangdi was taken aback at first but smiled and got up to shake his hand quickly.


    As they shook hands, Hao Xuan tightened his grip while looked at Yangdi earnestly, "I''m sorry, It won''t hurt much," he said and Yangdi''s countenance changed instantly as he realized that to his left and right, without even noticing when everything had turned ck.


    But before he could do anything about it, tworge fists that looked like giant hammers mmed into his chest and back simultaneously.


    Hao Xuan let out a sigh of relief when he saw Green and Red''s attacknd directly on Yangdi''s flimsy body. He extended his left hand toward Yangdi''s head, ready to sever his soul.


    Yangdi who had blooding out from the side of his mouth looked at Hao Xuan with a murderous expression, "Little boy, you have some balls to attack me in my own home, and in this room of all ces. What is your purpose? Who hired you?"


    "Hired me? No one. As I said, you will understand soon, don''t worry I''m not trying to kill you," Hao Xuan replied and channeled Qi into his left hand that was about thend on Yangdi''s head.


    Just as Hao Xuan''s hand touched Yangdi''s head, a mocking smile appeared on his face, "Fool," heughed and a burst of Qi erupted from his forehead and Hao Xuan''s eyes dted.


    *BZZZZZT*


    His entire left hand was gonepletely, leaving only a bloody stump in its ce. He didn''t panic but his expression did turn angry.


    He looked down to meet Yangdi''s gaze, "You''re in the Spirit realm? I am....surprised."


    Yangdi was indeed at the 2nd stage of the Spirit realm, and if not for the full force attacks of Green and Red that caused his Qi to be in disarray, he would''ve already killed him.


    "You have less than 30 seconds to try to escape, otherwise the room will annihte everyone other than me, unless I stop it. Which in case you didn''t understand, I won''t," he smiled in a care-free manner that for some reason pissed Hao Xuan even more.


    "If you tell me who hired you, I can give you a way out. I''m a businessman first and foremost and don''t like bloodshed," he said when Hao Xuan kept quiet for a few more seconds.


    "Tik Tok, time is running out."


    Hao Xuan looked down at his left hand, or rather where it supposed to be, and smiled.


    "You''re a businessman, but I''m not. Do you think after destroying my hand there would be no other way for me to do what I wanted?" Yangdi''s smile froze and he held Hao Xuan''s right hand with everything he got.


    Spirit realm cultivators had almost perfect bodies. Every single piece of flesh and bone had been refined over and over again for them to take their first step into the Spirit Realm, where they would strengthen their souls.


    Even if they didn''t focus on body enhancement techniques, there was no way for an Origin Realm cultivator to overpower a Spirit Realm expert.


    Hao Xuan tried to pull his hand away but it didn''t budge an inch. He looked at Yangdi once again and sighed, "Why are you making this so hard? I won''t treat you unfairly."


    But before Yangdi could reply, Hao Xuan pulled his head back and circted Emperor''s and Force Qi to his forehead which started glowing brightly, "This will be my first time as well, let''s see if it works," with that he brought it down with everything he had and hit Yangdi on top of his head.


    An extremely bright light shed when their heads connected that blinded even Green and Red that were holding Yangdi down.


    Five secondster the light vanished and Hao Xuan could be seen standing in front of Yangdi, holding his left hand to stop the bleeding.


    Yangdi, on the other hand, had a nk expression on his face for a few seconds but soon regained his usual expression. He stomped on the ground and the runes and letters that were glowing brighter every second calmed down and returned to normal.


    Only then did Green and Red let go of him.


    "Kneel," Hao Xuan said without looking up and everyone in the room instantly got down on one knee.


    "Master," said the three voices together that made Hao Xuan nod his head with a cheerful expression.


    He waved his right hand and both Green and Red vanished, leaving only the battered Yangdi and the bloody Hao Xuan.


    "Get up. Change into something proper," Hao Xuan said to him. He didn''t reply and simply took out a new Kimono from his spirit ring and started putting it on in front of Hao Xuan, which left him speechless.


    With a reddened face Hao Xuan turned around himself, giving him some privacy.


    "Master," Yangdi said respectfully once he was done, prompting Hao Xuan to turn back around.


    "Rx. I told you before I won''t treat you unfairly. You can tell me your story and ambitions once I return," he said upon seeing Yangdi''s depressed state.


    "For now, find me a ce to stay. Somewhere out of the way but that looks over a popted area. Nothing fancy. And get that information for me about the Royal family. I want to see what''s so special about them. This is my ount number, deduct whatever the costes out to be. If you need anything, contact me."


    He gave Yangdi a few orders while bandaging his left hand to stop the bleeding. He then took out a jacket from the storage ring and put it on to cover his bloody stump.


    "Let''s go," he looked at the door and Yangdi came forward to open it and led him back outside. "Let''s go, brother," Hao Xuan said to Sixth as soon as he saw him and continued walking out.


    Sixth looked at them both for a few seconds as his eyes glinted with an unknown emotion. He didn''t say anything and followed after Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 122: Hunger.....

    <h4>Chapter 122: Hunger.....</h4>


    Yangdi walked both of them out and stood by the entrance as Hao Xuan''s back vanished in the darkness. He had many emotions bubbling in his mind right now.


    Hao Xuan didn''t tell him what he did to him or why. The only thing he knew was that till the end of either his or Hao Xuan''s life, he would not be able to betray this man. Even on the way over, he had tried to strike him multiple times but his body never listened to him. It wasn''t under his control.


    The more he thought about killing Hao Xuan, the more his body wanted to prostrate in front of him and beg for forgiveness.


    "Sooner orter, I''ll break free, and then we will see what he can do," he thought inwardly and closed the door, returning to his room.


    It hadn''t even been 10 minutes until his spirit band vibrated and Hao Xuan''s name popped up.


    "Are there any rival gangs or unscrupulous organizations near here?"


    Yangdi frowned and checked his "little ck book" before randomly sending the location of a ve owner.


    In the Beast world very wasn''t illegal but was considered a legit business field. Some kingdom''s main export was ves. They would attack smaller kingdom''s and tribes, enve their people through various means and sell them for exorbitant prices.


    But in the Mei Kingdom, it was ''frowned'' upon and no person could force another into very. If one wanted to be a ve, they would have to give up their freedom in front of witnesses and clearly state that they were not being forced or threatened in any way.


    But there were still some people that found loopholes and trick others in many ways. Of course, this could not be done by just anyone and they needed strong backing and connections in the government to pull it off.


    The ver Yangdi had just ratted out was called ''Kim Yun'' and was a small-time ve owner in the West side of the city. His specialty was young vulnerable girls that he would get drunk or drugged and force to sign away their freedom.


    The reason he hadn''t been caught was that, One, he had the backing of one of the most powerful families in the Kingdom, and Second because the girls he abducted were normal mortals with no rtions to anyone high up.


    He was a coward through and through. Never even thinking aboutying a finger on a cultivator''s family and rtives, which is why he had managed to survive this long.


    Fortuna city had millions upon millions of residents. It was the most popted city in the entire kingdom because of its strategic location and trade. So this kind of thing wasn''t unheard of.


    Who would notice a few dozen girls going missing every other year?


    ****


    Hao Xuan got the details of Kim Yun and a smile crept on his face. This was exactly what he needed.


    "Sixth brother, I have a few things to take care off so let''s call it a day here. I''ll meet you back in the base," he turned around and looked at Sixth who was silently following him.


    Sixth looked at his left hand that was hidden in the jacket and wanted to say something but stopped.


    "Sure, I''ll see you tomorrow then," he nodded with a smile and walked off in another direction.


    Hao Xuan waited till he turned around a corner and then proceeded to Kim Yun''s office.


    It wasn''t hard to find as it was actually above a very popr club.


    He walked up the few flights of stairs there were, passing by a few couples and some pretty women. One of the girls who was dressed in a mini skirt that barely covered her extremely long legs and a small top inhaled as Hao Xuan passed her. Hao Xuan wasn''t paying attention but this girl was the very definition of the word ''sexy''.


    She looked over at him curiously and smiled when she saw him go to the second floor.


    The smile on her face got brighter and brighter, "Why do you smell like blood?" she mumbled under her breath.


    "Sorry?" the guy she was talking to asked as he didn''t hear her clearly.


    "Nothing, I have to visit thedies room," the girl said without turning around and quickly went back into the club.


    Hao Xuan stopped in front of a door with a sign that read, "Kim''s Travel Agency".


    He waved his hand to summon Green and Red.


    "Cover the entire floor. Don''t let anyone in or out until I say so."


    They nodded and extended both of their hands to let out massive amounts of Qi that covered everything.


    Hao Xuan looked around and after making sure everything was good, opened the door and entered.


    There was a reception desk in the middle of the room and two doors behind it. Behind the desk was a pretty middle-aged woman. She smiled when she saw Hao Xuan.


    "Hello, how can I help you sir?"


    "Hello, I''m here for some good ol'' ves. Heard this was the ce to go?" Hao Xuan asked cheerfully that left the receptionist speechless.


    "I-I''m sorry sir, we are a travel agency and do not deal in ves," she replied with a stutter.


    "Lady, I''ve got ces to be, don''t waste my time. Where is Kim Yun? Call him out," Hao Xuan said with a voice loud enough that everyone in the entire building would''ve heard if not for Green and Red''s barrier.


    "S-Sir plea-" the receptionist stood up quickly and extended her hand below the desk to grab something but the door behind her opened and arge muscr man came out. He had scars all over his chest and face and looked very threatening.


    "Come in," he said looking at Hao Xuan, who nodded and entered the room without hesitation.


    Inside the room was quite normal. There were about seven men sitting on either side of the room and one man on the opposite side in front of a huge desk.


    He looked to be about 40 years of age and was slightly chubby. He was smiling ear to ear, looking at Hao Xuan. This was Kim Yun.


    To his left were two young girls huddled up together. Their eyes were opening and closing and they seemed to have been drugged and weren''t fully conscious.


    "Wee dear customer! Before we begin, could you tell me where you heard of my establishment?" Kim Yun asked in a soft voice.


    "Yangdi. He told me you could get me what I wanted," Hao Xuan said as he looked over at the girls.


    Kim Yun''s smile vanished and he turned serious instantly.


    "My mistake, you are senior Yangdi''s guest? I apologize for the poor reception, please have a seat," he stood up and gestured towards the single sofa opposite to the desk.


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "No need. I''m not going to stay long."


    He walked over to the girls and extended his right hand to examine them. There weren''t any injuries on their bodies and they didn''t seem to have been assaulted in any way.


    One of them had short ck hair and other had light red. Both were very pretty and looked to be about 15 years of age.


    While Hao Xuan was looking at them, the girl with red hair opened her eyes and looked at him as her eyes started watering. Her mouth was quivering and it looked like she was about o break out crying any second but she didn''t even have enough strength to push his hand away.


    "What do you think sir? We just got them and haven''t enved them yet but if you like then it can be done with the hour," Kim Yun said respectfully while rubbing his hands like a rat.


    Hao Xuan didn''t pay any attention to him and looked at the girls with a kind smile.


    "Shh, don''t worry, this is just a nightmare. It will be over quick," he whispered and hit them both on the back of their heads, knocking them out.


    Kim Yun was standing behind him with twinkling eyes.


    "If you would like to ''test'' out one of them before buying then that can be arranged as well," he said with a smile.


    "Hahahaha," Hao Xuan guffawed as he stood back up and looked at Kim Yun once again.


    He walked over to the sofa and took off his jacket. Everyone saw his bloody stump and suddenly tensed up.


    "Nah, they''re not what I''m here for," Hao Xuan had a dazzling smile on his face that even made some of the men''s heart beat faster. He walked closer to Kim Yun and patted his shoulder lovingly.


    "I''m here for you."


    Kim Yun was speechless and quickly backed up a couple of steps, "S-Sir, I''m sorry, I''m afraid we do not provide ''those'' kinds of services."


    "Oh but you will," Hao Xuan said with a chuckle and his hand extended like a snake, grabbing Kim Yun by the head and lifting him up off the ground.


    "STOP!" The eight men that were already on alert suddenly took out their weapons aimed at Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan turned around to look at them and couldn''t help breaking out inughter once again. These guys weren''t very strong. The highest level one among them was at the Earth Realm. They never would have thought anyone would go against them and since their only real enemies were mortals, it exined why they were all so weak.


    Hao Xuan turned back around to look at Kim Yun, "You''ve been a bad boy."


    "Please, take whatever you want, I don''t want any trouble!" Kim shouted hysterically.


    "I intend to," and with that, Hao Xuan opened his mouth as his teeth turned razor-sharp and his jaw expanded like that of a wolf and he straight up bit off arge portion Kim Yun''s throat.


    Kim Yun wanted to shout but there were no vocal cords left. His spine could be seen clearly as blood spurted out like a fountain, covering Hao Xuan from head to toe.


    "M-MONSTER!" one of the men screamed frantically, threw his weapon on the ground, and ran out the door.


    Kim Yun''s blood seemed to be following a specific path as every single drop rolled over to Hao Xuan and was absorbed instantly.


    The bandage on his left hand slowly came off on its own and the flesh wriggled and extended outwards. A brand new hand was being formed right then and there!


    The other men were absolutely horrified. Hao Xuan actually didn''t look like a human at that time. His back seemed to be thicker and have gained some muscle with a small hump. His jaw was actually like a wolfs with rows razer sharp teeth everywhere.


    In less than 30 seconds, Kim Yun was drained dry. Hao Xuan threw his body to the ground like a ragdoll and turned around.


    "Pl..please.....I have a family..." said one of them falling to his knees with tears streaming down his face. Hao Xuan walked over with heavy steps and patted his head. The man stopped crying and looked up to see Hao Xuan''s beastlike smile.


    *pssh*


    A yellow liquid quickly spread out with him as the center. Hao Xuan waited a few seconds and dragged the man away and with a jerk, ripped off his head, draining him as well.


    The first man that had escaped could be heard shouting from the outside, "OPEN THE DOOR! PLEASE!!"


    "There is no way out," Hao Xuan shook his head looking at the remaining six men who were still in the room.


    They all looked at each other and tightened their grips on their weapons, "Kill this monster!" they shouted and attacked together.


    But what could they do? Like a wolf in a chicken coop, he went through each of them like a hot knife through butter.


    A few minster he walked out of the room and the receptionist and the first man were standing on the other side of the desk.


    The woman fell to her knees instantly, "Please, I wasn''t a part of this. It was just a job for me. I have nothing to do with this!"


    Hao Xuan walked over to them slowly. Each of his steps made their hearts beat faster.


    "It is toote for regrets. I''m already.....hungry," he said lightly and ripped them to shreds within seconds.


    His left arm had grown backpletely. Only, it had a slightly different color from the rest of body and looked a bit weaker.


    "Hmm, not enough blood," Hao Xuan frowned looking at it.


    He looked around the office and there were body parts strewn all over the ce, but not a single drop of blood in sight. Just the clothes had bloody marks which made him shake his head.


    "Still not enough control," he mumbled while taking out a new pair of clothes and changing into them.


    He walked out the door and called Yangdi once again.


    "Send someone over here to clean up. And send the two girls back to their homes. They are in the office."


    "Yes," Yangdi replied and hung up quickly.


    "Tsk tsk tsk, this guy," Hao Xuan was speechless. He didn''t have to be so rude.


    "Let''s go," he said to Green and Red while walking out.


    *****


    On the building opposite to the club, there was a girl standing on the roof.


    Her long hair billowed in the wind. She had sses on and could clearly see everything that had happened in Kim Yun''s office across from her.


    "Interesting," she smiled and disappeared with a gust of wind like she never existed.

 Chapter 123: New Mission

    <h4>Chapter 123: New Mission</h4>


    Hao Xuan went straight back to the base and was met with Third at the entrance.


    "Ninth brother where have you been? I''ve been waiting all day," he said running up to Hao Xuan impatiently.


    "Did something happen?" Hao Xuan was taken aback by his senior brother''s attitude. He was normally veryposed and never lost his cool.


    *sigh*


    "You will see. Someone has been waiting for you all day," he gestured towards Hao Xuan''s courtyard.


    Hao Xuan looked at Third for second and then proceeded to his quarters where Yun Wentian was standing outside.


    "Why are you outside? What is going on?" Hao Xuan asked with furrowed brows.


    "There is someone waiting for teacher. She has been here since morning. We tried contacting you but didn''t get a response," he stood up and replied respectfully.


    "No response?" Hao Xuan gave it some thought and soon remembered what had happened. They had probably tried contacting him when the Spirit Band was with Green and Red and he didn''t check the notifications after getting it back himself.


    "Well, it''s fine now. I don''t understand why everyone''s acting so fidgety though. Who is so important?" while talking he opened the main gate and entered the courtyard.


    It was about 8 p.m and the night was chilly enough that you could see your own breath. Even Hao Xuan felt like wearing a jacket even though he couldn''t really feel the cold that much.


    As he stepped into the courtyard, he froze mid-stride. There was a single red maple tree in his courtyard that he sometimes sat under whenever he was bored.


    Right now there was a petitedy standing under the tree with her back against the trunk. Her eyes were closed and Zhurong was soundly sleeping in her arms.


    Her age seemed to be around 25 at most. She was wearing a simple light blue gown without anyvish engravings.


    Her long ck hair wereing down to her hips, entuating her bountiful figure. Even through the loose gown, it was obvious how well endowed she was in all the right ces. And with her pale skin, she looked like a fairy under the moonlight.


    Even without doing anything at all she was exuding an aura and that made people want to turn away in shame. A holy kind of aura. Although she was standing right in front of Hao Xuan he got a feeling that she was an illusion and was in a trance ever since heid eyes on her.


    Thedy sensed his presence and walked towards him with her eyes still tightly shut.


    She came right in front of the dazed Hao Xuan and gracefully got down on one knee, "My lord."


    Her voice sounded likeing of spring. Flowers blossomed and birds chirped after hearing her speak.


    "What are you....?" Hao Xuan mumbled unconsciously as he looked at her.


    "This one''s name is Xu Qing. I am your ve," she said thest part very softly.


    "My.....ve?" Hao Xuan was still in a daze and just repeated her words.


    "Yes. My father is the foolish King you encountered in your journey several months ago. You spared his life and our kingdom, and in return, I am to be your ve till the end of my time," she replied calmly, still down on one knee and her eyes shut.


    It took him several minutes to regain hisposure and finally wake up.


    *cough*


    He cleared his throat with a blushed face, "How could I be entranced just by looking at a girl?" and berated himself inwardly.


    "Please stand," he gestured towards her and noticed she still hadn''t opened her eyes.


    "You can open your eyes, it''s alright, I don''t mind," he said jokingly.


    "Yes," sheplied and opened her eyes which at first looked fine, but after closer examination seemed like rough blue diamonds.


    Noticing his silence, she exined, "I was born like this my Lord. I am blind," and she closed them back again.


    "Oh, I''m sorry to hear that. My apologies if I was rude in any way," he quickly followed up with a smile and a slight bow but then remembered that she wasn''t able to see any of that.


    "Although I cannot see, I can still detect vague images and shapes with the use of my Spirit energy," she said as if answering a query that he had yet to ask.


    "Aha," Hao Xuan nodded his head with some understanding. No wonder she knew when he entered.


    He looked at Zhurong who was purring loudly with a content smile on his little face.


    "Must be nice," he mumbled under his breath looking at him snuggle in her embrace.


    "Um Miss Xu Qing, that matter has already been resolved. Whatever happened is in the past. I hate very and more importantly, do not need anyone to take care of me. You can just return to your kingdom without any worries and live a normal life. I''m sorry to have troubled you so much," he said all in one breath.


    There was no way he could take a blind woman with him out into the wild where even his own survival was ''iffy'' at best.


    "She can''t," just as Xu Qing was about to reply, Third''s voice came from outside. He walked in as well and sighed looking at her.


    "She has cut off all her blood ties beforeing here. There is no ce left for her to go than with you. The great general told me to tell you this clearly, ''She belongs to you now. If you don''t want her then she will be sold off as amon ve where her future will be even worse''."


    *sigh*


    "She is your responsibility. Whether you want to actually form a ve contract with her or not is on you, but she must stay under your care in this life," he said with a heavy heart and quickly left after giving her a pitiful look.


    "Poor girl," he mumbled on his way out.


    "Eh?" Hao Xuan was stumped. How did he just gain another person to take care of?


    "My Lord," Xu Qing interrupted his thoughts. She bowed and said, "Although I am not that useful inbat, I can still do normal chores without too much trouble. I can cook and clean and won''t be a burden on you so please....don''t throw me away," thest part was lighter than a whisper but Hao Xuan still heard it clearly.


    He looked at her for a few minutes as many thoughts passed through his mind.


    "Miss Xu Qing, I cannot take you along with me," he said straightforwardly which made her expression take a turn for worse.


    "But I do have a ce here that needs someone to take care off. I will not form a ve contract with you or treat you like one. You will have a monthly pay with which you can buy whatever you want. I will be out most of the time so you will house sit for me, Is that okay with you? If not you are most wee to add any terms," he quickly followed up seeing her sad countenance.


    Xu Qing was stunned, "Yes?"


    "You heard me. Do you not agree to these terms?" he asked with a smile.


    "N-No no, how could I not? I agree," she quickly nodded her head and smiled.


    "Good!"


    There were only two rooms in the in his quarters so he gave her his own and bunked in Yun Wentian''s room.


    He logged into the Den''s portal and ced several orders for a few different weapons, some spirit bands, storage rings and other things like formations. He basically bought one of every type of equipment there was, some whose functions he didn''t even know. He also traded in his Storage ring and bought the biggest one gold could buy.


    The requirements for the custom ive were also sent and it would be ready within a few days.


    The total came out to a little over 310 million gold even with the massive discount.


    He then contacted Yangdi once again and told him to buy a ce by the next day no matter what.


    The next morning he woke up to the smell of a delicious homecooked meal. There were some fried eggs, cooked fish, rice, and several other dishes that made his mouth water.


    Usually he skipped breakfast and ate lunch outside so this was very new.


    Him, Yun Wentian, Xu Qing, and Zhurong had a hearty meal that day. Of course with Zhurong there would never be enough food so Hao Xuan threw him out after he ate one person''s worth but he came whimpering back and climbed up into Xu Qing''sp and just looked at Hao Xuan every now and then with fake tears in his eyes.


    Xu Qing couldn''t hold herself back and fed him most of her own food as well which pissed off Hao Xuan even more.


    He told her not to fall for Zhurongs traps but after hearing his fake whimpering she could only give in to his demands.


    The shipment from the Den arrived as well. He gave a spirit band and storage ring to both Xu Qing and Yun Wentian. Yun Wentian also got to pick his own weapon from the ones Hao Xuan ordered and chose a longsword.


    Hao Xuan didn''t go out and stayed in to practice with a temporary ive he bought from the Den. He bought a few other manuals and techniques from the military portal with the points he had saved up.


    Some of them were very basic which he used to brush up on things and teach Yun Wentian. There were basic sword manuals, movement manuals, and a few books on cultivation in general.


    Yangdi called around 3 p.m and told him that he had bought a ce for him.


    Hao Xuan went out to check the ce and fell in love with it at first sight. It was located near the center and was probably one of the safest ces in the entire city.


    It was quite big and covered an area of over Fifteen Square kilometers. There was a natural spring inside with dozens of different kinds of fish swimming around.


    There were many different kinds of trees everywhere and it all melded together perfectly. It looked like something out of a movie.


    The buildings themselves had the old Chinese architecture and gave off a very refined aura.


    "Good. Very good. That guy has got great taste," he couldn''t help butpliment Yangdi after going through the entire ce. There was not a single thing wrong with it.


    With a wave of his hand Bai, Green and Red were summoned, "Choose your rooms. You guys will stay here from now on. Clean up a bit, I''ll be back soon."


    He went back to the Red Legion base and brought Xu Qing and Yun Wentian with him as well. It only took an hour for them to pack everything and another hour to reach the new ce.


    Yun Wentian stood there with his mouth wide open and asked Hao Xuan several times if this was really where he was going to live from now on.


    Xu Qing, on the other hand, didn''t have much of a reaction, which was understandable since she was a princess herself and had probably seen much better ces.


    He introduced Green and Red to them both as well which once again shocked Yun Wentian when he saw how respectful these two giants were towards Hao Xuan.


    Zhurong ran around for several hours, sometimes chasing butterflies, sometimes trying to catch fishes. He got tired soon and returned to Hao Xuan''s shoulder for a good nap.


    From then on Xu Qing acted like the perfect wife and took care of everything. She made scrumptious meals every day, cleaned the massive mansion, did Hao Xuan''sundry etc. She was working so hard that he had to tell Yangdi to hire a few trustable servants to take care of the grounds otherwise she would work herself to death.


    There was a massive maple tree in the new ce as well and Hao Xuan made the area under it into a patio where he wouldze around whenever there was time. Several times he asked Xu Qing to sing him some songs and she would happily oblige.


    ****


    Lex called the next day to confirm that the portable camp was being made and would be ready within a week or so. Just that thing alone cost him another 70 Million.


    Hao Xuan spent most of the time either practicing the basics or teaching Yun Wentian until his ive arrived. The only time he left was to either go to the Mad Saints headquarters or meet First. He took Xu Qing and Yun Wentian with him when he went to meet First in his home.


    First''s son, Xin Qiye was already walking on his own and speaking a few words. Xu Qing helped Anya to prepare arge feast. They all sat together on the floor and ate since the table wasn''t big enough for everyone.


    A couple of times First came over as well with his family to visit Hao Xuan''s ce. Little Han Ming seemed to have taken a liking to the massive mansion and loved running around with Zhurong and Yun Wentian.


    Hao Xuan even went as far as to ask First to move in with him free of charge but he declined. He said that ce was where he was raised and where he would die. (Referring to his own home here, CH26)


    Hao Xuan finally got the ive an entire weekter.


    As soon as he held it in his hand it started humming and vibrating intensely. Hao Xuan cut open his finger and drizzled a few drops of blood on top. All the blood was absorbed by the ive and a connection much like the one he had with Bai was formed.


    He could detect the ive''s presence and felt something sleeping inside it. Something alive. It no longer felt like a cold piece of equipment, rather an extension of his own body. Just by holding it he felt like taking on entire armies inbat. It was a wondrous feeling.


    It was about the same length as him and wasn''t too exaggerated, looking simr to the one he had before. (The one in the cover pic of the novel).


    After a few days of practicing he transferred a few million gold to Green, Red, and Xu Qing''s ounts and gave them Yangdi''s contact information in case they needed help with anything, and returned back to the Red Legion base. He wanted to venture out alone so bringing Green and Red wouldn''t be too fun since they were so powerful.


    There he officially activated the mission for finding a ce for the new city and got some requirements and other information to help him do so. He said farewell to his brothers and sisters and directly left the city like a bullet on Bai.


    ****


    But as he marched off into the wild, a hooded figure silently followed from afar.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Xu Qing: https://i.pinimg/564x/4f/85/62/4f856218d66942f97bbbc6ebf1f4499e.jpg


    Short url: https://urlzs/m8VPS

 Chapter 124: Clueless

    <h4>Chapter 124: Clueless</h4>


    Hao Xuan left Fortuna with a purpose, to find a location for the new city, but after traveling for about an hour or so he stopped near a small stream, stumped.


    He had no idea where to start or any knowledge as to what he was looking for other than the vague instructions that came with the mission. He was probably thest person that should''ve been put in charge of such an important task because of hisck of knowledge about the Mei Kingdom or this world in general.


    Although he had been living here for more than a year now, it was still quite new to him. Nheless, he didn''t shy away from the challenge and intended to see it through.


    He had left from the northern gateway this time, without giving it much thought. To rescue the royals fromst time he had to venture out towards the south-west which is where the Poison Quarry is located.


    "That reminds me, I still haven''t seen the map of the entire kingdom, have I?" he suddenly remembered and logged into the military portal from his Spirit Band.


    Although he couldn''t ept missions or use his points from the Spirit band, he could still ess the portal for information and other things.


    The map of the kingdom was avable to the general public but what he wanted was the one with all the confidential information which was only meant for the eyes of the higher-ups.


    Using his credentials he requested the best map avable to someone of his rank and got an email with a link after about five minutes or so.


    With a smile, he rxed and sat down next to the stream with his feet dangling in the cold water. Zhurong was still asleep in his arms so he didn''t bother waking him up. He opened the map and a light shot out from his spirit band and fell on his face.


    "Identity Confirmed: Captain Deimos!"


    "Acess Granted"


    "Acess level: Alpha"


    "Huh? When did they change my name to Deimos even in the military? Shouldn''t it be my real name?" he frowned seeing the notificationse up one after another.


    "I''ll ask someone once I get back," but he didn''t linger on it too much and focused on the hologram that was being projected from the spirit band.


    His current location was shown as just outside Fortuna city, even though he had traveled for a good hour and was several thousand kilometers away. He zoomed out a bit more and could see some of the surrounding areas of the city. It was mostly jungle with a few small dots here and there which represented small towns. Each town had a poption of tens of thousands but on the map, they were represented with such a small dot that if he wasn''t paying attention they could easily be ignored.


    He zoomed out once again and all the small dots disappeared, leaving only the cities which looked like walled-off areas. This was good but not what he needed. Again he clicked on the minus sign which zoomed out till all the cities disappeared as well.


    Now he could see the entire kingdom.


    To the south was the Azure ocean. To the West was the Jia Kingdom and to the east was another kingdom whose name wasn''t showing.


    He looked towards the coastal area and only saw a single name there, the "Port of Dragon''s Fall". (Map link in authors notes)


    All the surrounding areas had brown lines on top and as he clicked on them a popup appeared.


    "The continent of Tertium is surrounded by three different oceans. The Azure ocean is located on the southern border and including Mei Kingdom, there are only two other kingdoms that provide easy ess to its limitless waters."


    "All the other areas have treacherous cliffs acting as a natural barrier between the ocean and thend, making it impossible to make any docks. And not only that but there is also a dense fog all year round which makes navigation impossible. Only through these three locations can one have ess to the Azure ocean with the least effort, although it does have its own challenges."


    "Port of Dragon''s Fall is the only port within almost a billion miles, making it an extremely important and strategic location. It is also a very dangerous ce as almost twice a year hordes of oceanic monsterse ashore and wreak havoc."


    Hao Xuan waspletely immersed in the information and before he knew it, more than two hours had passed.


    He finally finished going through all the information and closed the map. He had a bad headache and couldn''t keep his eyes open for some reason. The light suddenly got so bright that it felt like needles in his eyes.


    "What the fuck is going on?!" he mumbled while massaging his temples.


    "Meow" Zhurong who was fast asleep in his arms suddenly woke up and called out. Hao Xuan opened his eyes with some effort and looked down. Zhurong was looking at the water below and meowing.


    Hao Xuan eye''s constricted and he pulled out his feet instantly and along came a giant 2-feet long creature that looked like a leech.


    It was stuck to the sole of his left foot but he couldn''t feel it at all. Instead of panicking he took out a lighter and burned it near its mouth


    *screeeeech*


    A high pitched noise came from its mouth as it quickly let go of his foot and jumped back into the water.


    "I knew watching all those survival shows woulde in handy someday," he muttered while massaging his foot. There were several small holes from which blood was leaking. It seemed like the headache from before was caused by the creature''s poison as it got much better as soon as it let go.


    He activated his physique and absorbed the poison, converting it into nourishment for his body.


    This was one of the many ways the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique could be used. It could devour almost anything without evening into contact with it.


    A normal person with this physique didn''t actually have to drink blood or eat other creatures and could simply activate its effects and everything would get automatically absorbed in their body and turned into substance for them.


    That''s what he did to the boy in the Den as well. He activated the physique with full force and absorbed himpletely like a ck hole, leaving nothing behind. But that was made possible because the boy had let his guard down and Heavenly re had almost knocked him unconscious.


    This, eating people business, was an irregrity to the norm and should not have urred under ordinary circumstances.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Rejoice, mortals, for you get to "experience" this great one''s ''skillz''


    My version of the Map: https://ibb.co/yRvtQjh

 Chapter 125: Night

    <h4>Chapter 125: Night</h4>


    After taking a few minutes to let the wounds on his foot close up, he chose the south-east direction and once again continued the journey.


    It was about 1 p.m and the weather was so cloudy that unless you had a watch, it wasn''t even possible to differentiate between day or night.


    Hao Xuan was quite surprised when he found out that there was no summer in the Mei Kingdom. Nine to ten months out of the year it would be winter, and the rest autumn with a few weeks of spring if they were lucky.


    That was why it was mostly chilly since he got here. Fortunately, he loved the cold. He always used to say that he''d rather freeze to death than stay in hot weather.


    He didn''t have a specific location in mind this time and just wanted to check out a few ces before meeting up with themittee the military had chosen. They selected several people that had some experience in this area and were experts in their own fields. Hao Xuan was to meet with them once he had either found a suitable ce or given up and needed their assistance.


    He chose to stick to the less-traveled roads. For three days he traversed the many forested areas filled with beasts of all kinds. More often than not he had to take a detour to avoidrge beast packs and ended up going way off track.


    You would think there would some sort of a GPS in these so-called "spirit Bands" but there was no such function. After about another day or two, he was totally lost. Autumn was more or less over and the winter chill wasing back in. The sun would be out less and less and the nights were getting longer while the days barelysted five-to-six hours.


    Right now it was day sixth of him being on the road. It was around 7 p.m and the sun had already set so he decided to find a secluded spot for the night.


    "God damn it, it was so nice just a week ago, how the hell did it change so fast?!" Hao Xuan mumbled while trying to warm his hands over the small campfire. Unlike the big cities which had gigantic protective formations to keep the temperature within a specific range, no such thing existed in the wilderness.


    Here, the cold was infused with the spiritual energy from the surroundings, and people under profound realm had no way to protect themselves from it other than using fire and simr methods to warm themselves during the night.


    Lex hade through in the end and made the portable camp Hao Xuan so dearly wanted. It alone cost more than 100 million gold and if not for the discount Li Ming had given out, it would not have been affordable.


    In its closed state, it looked like a metal ball the size of an orange. It was made with the same materials used for the storage rings with some other precious materials added in.


    Once activated it would expand and cover an area of 20 square meters. A small wooden cabin, a bathroom, a campfire, etc where just some of the things that would be set up automatically as soon as he turned the device on and threw it on the ground. There were also a lot of defensive formations, some warning formations, and a high-grade illusionary formation set around the boundaries of the camp.


    No normal beasts would be able to detect its existence. Of course, this wasn''t meant to be used inbat against demonic beasts and such. These defensive formations were just there to give him enough time to ready up and not get attacked in the middle of the night.


    As Hao Xuan sat next to the campfire, the baby snakes that were sleeping in his shirt''s cor woke up.


    After being on the road for several days he felt really lonely since Zhurong spent most of the day sleeping, so he summoned the little snakes which were named ck and white, ording to their skin colors.


    Currently, he was in a random forest somewhere surrounded by trees and the fog that came out as soon as the sun went down. It obstructed the vision so badly that anything further than 30 meters might as well be invisible. He was telling ck and White some stories from earth, who despite not being able to understand a single word, gave him their full attention. With their tinny heads, they looked at him as if he was the only thing in existence, making him smile.


    Every now and then he would pat their heads and give them a piece of meat from the campfire. It was a sight to be held.


    Time passed minute by minute, the night got darker and darker and the fog became thicker. He tried to fall asleep but it didn''t work. His sleep schedule was all messed up due to the sudden change in day and night cycles and he couldn''t fall asleep that easily so this was how he passed his time, not cultivating, but talking to the cute little worms.


    Back on earth, he was almost always alone. If none of his few friends were online then he would sit alone in his room and read novels until he fell asleep. Meaning although he loved talking, there was no one to converse with. Now with those little guys, at least he wasn''t alone anymore.


    Time passed and the clock struck midnight. Hao Xuan who was happily chatting away with ck and White suddenly went silent and looked outwards into the fog. There was nothing visible but he ''felt'' a strange fluctuation just now. He had felt something like this before but he couldn''t remember where from.


    He got up and walked closer to the boundary of the camp. He checked his spirit band which was connected to the portable camp but there was nothing showing up close to him. He stood there for a while, staring into the thick fog which seemed to be churning and taking different shapes but there was still nothing else visible.


    After a few minutes, he gave up, returning back to the campfire where the ck and White were also looking around with confused looks.


    "Haha, don''t worry. There''s nothing there," he chuckled and picked them up.


    *crack*


    He jerked his head around as quickly as it would, looking towards the sound. That was not his imagination, something was hiding in the darkness.

 Chapter 126: Ding

    <h4>Chapter 126: Ding</h4>


    *Crunch*Crack*


    The sound of leaves being stomped on and branches being broken came from the darkness.


    "What?!" Hao Xuan went on full alert and took out a sword, holding it in front of him in an attacking stance.


    He didn''t notice before but somehow the night had gotten so dark that even seeing more than five meters away was arduous. This was far from normal...


    "Come out, I know you''re there," he yelled towards the source of the noise while circting Sundering Qi through the sword. The red-colored energy covered the entirety of the de and seemed to be cutting the very air apart.


    *rustle*


    He stared intently into the darkness but there was no response other than the rustling of trees and bushes that weren''t even visible anymore. He held his breath and looked at the spirit band but nothing was showing up on it.


    "God damn it, that bastard gave me defective equipment. Something is clearly there but why the hell isn''t it showing up on the detection formation?!" he cursed Lex under his breath while looking left and right hoping to catch a glimpse of something.


    *sss*


    ck and White who were on his shoulders still had confused looks on their faces. They looked into the darkness and then back at Hao Xuan, not understanding what the problem was. They looked up at him as if saying, "It''s right there, can''t you see it?" but he wasn''t paying any attention to them.


    He bent down and picked up a few rocks from the ground and started tossing them outside in random directions.


    *rustle*


    The first one sounded like it went through some bushes andnded on the ground not far from him.


    *rustle*


    Same thing with the second one. Those two ces were where the sounds hade from earlier but whatever it was had moved by now. He breathed a sigh of relief as only from these two locations could something havee from.


    Hao Xuan had made the camp on the side of a small hill. To the back and left were rocks, leaving only the front and the right sides facing the jungle. If there was nothing there then it had probably left. Telling himself that it was a small animal and nothing dangerous, he calmed down and went back to the campfire.


    Because of the illusionary formation, no one should be able to see him from the outside anyway. So there was a pretty good chance that something had wandered near the camp identally and then left, hearing his voicee out of nowhere.


    But he did not let down his guard and kept the sword unsheathed in his left hand.


    "Haha, did that scare you?" he chuckled and rubbed ck''s head who was on his left shoulder.


    *ssss*


    ck let out a long hiss with a satisfied smile on its little face. Hao Xuan rxed upon seeing the expression of the little worms and started telling them stories of his childhood.


    Time passed extremely slowly. Every second seemed like an eternity. Hao Xuan who was still chatting away like a magpie was covered in sweat from head to toe.


    It was about 3 a.m now and for some reason, Hao Xuan could not calm down at all. His heart was beating at two or three times the normal speed and it seemed like he was running a marathon. His own body was not under his control.


    He had be aware of this about 30 minutes after the noises had been heard initially. So for thest two and a half hours, he had been sitting there in front of the campfire surrounded by bone-chilling coldness but his body was boiling hot and he was sweating like a pig.


    He tried to get up several times but an unknown force kept pulling him down. His knees felt so weak that even standing seemed like an impossible task.


    *huff*huff*


    "What the fuck is.....going...on...?" he mumbled while trying to catch his breath.


    "Okay, Okay, calm down. Deep breathes, inhale, exhale," he started doing breathing exercises and they seemed to be working. About ten minutester he had regained hisposure and was in a much better condition.


    "If you see anything, let me know yeah?" he jokingly said to ck and White and stood up with some effort.


    *ssss*


    They both hissed at the same time and looked towards the extreme right of the camp. Hao Xuan who still had a smile on his face, froze.


    "E-Eh? D-Do you see something there?" he pointed where they were looking. It was where he had thrown one of the stones earlier.


    Both ck and White nodded at exactly same the time, making his heart skip a beat.


    "Oh god, why did I even ask?? Ignorance is bliss. If I don''t know what''s there then it can''t hurt me!" he almost cried looking at their innocent faces.


    "Hehe, sillies. There''s nothing there, look," he said to the snakes and threw a pebble that was in his hand where they had pointed.


    *ck*Thump*


    But the rustling sounds he was hoping to hear didn''te, and instead, the sound of one hard object hitting another was heard.


    "Fuck me," without even the slightest hesitation, he jumped back several feet andnded right next to the other edge of the camp.


    "This was a bad idea. Why the hell did I leave Green and Red in Fortuna? What the fuck is wrong with me," he muttered to himself and went into the wooden cabin which was for sleeping. There was a single window on the right side which showed everything clearly.


    From there he could still see the area where the rock was thrown just now.


    "No way in hell I''m going outside. I don''t know what the hell that thing wants but if it''s not attacking then we don''t have a problem," he told himself while hiding like a coward in the cabin.


    What Hao Xuan was scared off was not the monster itself, but what it''s existence represented. He had read the instruction manual for the portable camp cover-to-cover and knew almost everything about it.


    The detection formations would pick up any life signs within a 50-meter radius of the camp. The rock he had thrown earlier was less than 10 meters away from the boundary of the camp.


    Meaning, either A, whatever he hit did not have a pulse, or B, it was so high level that the detection formation was not able to measure its life force.


    For option A, he was not about to mess with any undying monster at 3 a.m in a jungle where he couldn''t even see a few meters ahead. As for option B, only creatures higher than profound realm would not be detected by the camp''s formation and he was no match for them whatsoever.


    Either way, it was not a good end if he chose to engage whatever that thing outside was.


    He sat in his bed and covered himself in nkets from head-to-toe like a scared child hiding from the boogeyman. If any of his so-called ''fans'' could see him right now, what would they think? The great captain Deimos hiding like a b*tch.


    Seconds passed one by one, ticking away like a hammer on his poor heart.


    *woosh*


    "Again!" he suddenly got goosebumps all over his body. The same fluctuation he had felt earlier in the night came again, only much stronger.


    "Ah, I remember now!" he finally remembered where he had felt this ''feeling'' before.


    *Ding*


    But the sound of a bell interrupted his thoughts. It was the same bell he had heard back on the day when he came upon the town that was spirited away.


    As if an unknown force made him look outside, he turned his head bit by bit until a figure came into a view.


    It was about 6 feet tall and had long human-hand like limbs and was down on all four (check authors note). Its face was that of a goat but there were no eyes in its socket and instead, blood was dripping down drop by drop.


    *drip*


    Hao Xuan followed the blood drops and looked down to see a small pool of blood under it. Judging by the size of the stagnant blood that was already freezing up, the creature must have been standing there for several hours.


    It was looking straight at Hao Xuan dead in the eyes, or at least seemed like it was.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Imagine a human figure like this but with a head of a goat: https://i.ytimg/vi/5Pr-I0V0ZOc/sddefault.jpg

 Chapter 127: Arcane

    <h4>Chapter 127: Arcane</h4>


    Hao Xuan was petrified. The creature that was standing just outside the boundary of the camp looked like something out of a horror movie. But the strange thing was, he couldn''t look away no matter how hard he tried. It was as if there was a hand holding his head in ce.


    His breathing got faster and rougher the longer he stared at it.


    *SSSS*


    Seeing him starting to sweat and tremble like he was having a seizure, ck and White became angry at the creature outside and let out a loud hiss that shook Hao Xuan''s very soul. An invisible soundwave expanded outwards with ck and White as the center.


    As it reached the boundary of the camp, it pushed back against the darkness revealing the surroundings. Hao Xuan who had just regained hisposure was scared out of his mind yet again. One after another, creatures simr to the first one came to light. There were more than 30 of them all around him. Some were crawling on the side of the hill like a lizard, making it look extremely bizarre, while some were up in the trees.


    The only difference was in their sizes and the different beast heads at the front. Some were cows, dogs, donkeys, horses etc. Basically all farm animals. But none of them had any eyes and were bleeding continuously. It created a horrific image and would give even the bravest of people nightmares.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned ugly. He took out his ive and started circting Qi from all three meridians. It was no use hiding in the cabin so he took a deep breath and walked out into the open, putting on a brave front.


    All the creatures were looking at his direction but none of them made a move. He looked at them with furrowed brows and examined them more closely now that he got a better look at them.


    "What the fuck are you...?" he mumbled.


    The more he looked, the worse his expression got. The blood wasn''t onlying from their eyes. It looked like the animal heads were unnatural.


    There were bloody marks around the necks with putrid ck blood.


    It looked like someone had ripped off animal heads and put them on human bodies because the bodies were still mostly human. Although their limbs stretched out like rubber, they were still human bodies of different shapes and sizes.


    Some were small enough to be newborns while others were big enough to be adult males. The fear that was slowly building up inside him vanished in an instant and was reced by anger.


    These were humans. Human mortals that had been killed and had their body''s heads reced with those of animals.


    "WHO ARE YOU?!" he shouted at the creatures but got no response. None of them made any moves or even indicated that they were alive and just stood there like statues.


    Although Hao Xuan was angry, he still kept his cool. He had no idea who was behind this or even what had happened to these poor people so rushing out would be a very bad choice.


    *Ding*


    The second bell rang and the fog and the darkness visibly reduced. It receded back like a wave. The creature that had been standing still all that time also finally moved. One by one they started falling back.


    Some let out dreadful screams. Like the sounds of infants and women crying and screaming at the same time. Hao Xuan''s heart jerked upon hearing the horrible sounds.


    With clenched fists and gritted teeth, he stood there, doing everything in his power to hold himself back and not go out running into the dark night after the creature who was responsible for all this.


    *Ding*


    The bell rang for the third time and the darkness thinned and congregated in one spot, forming a tall figure. The figure looked somewhat simr to the one he saw back in the spirited away town.


    But because of the darkness, he couldn''t clearly see what it looked like. A raspy voice came from the figure.


    "The evesting night...shall arrive...with the weakening...of the seal. The realm of the Arcane.....shall once again.....rule the myriad realms....the chaos churns-"


    "Shut the fuck up!" Hao Xuan who was already very angry erupted like a volcano.


    "You piece of shit, I''ll rip you apart and devour your very soul. Don''t bullshit me with these random things, I don''t care. Come and find me when your so-called "Realm of Arcane" opens, I''ll burn it to the god damned ground. Get the fuck outta here with this shit," one after another he hurled out profanities like it was nobody''s business.


    ck and White who were on his shoulders had no idea what was going on but copying their master, they also hissed out angrily every now and then, making them look extra cute with their small builds.


    The tall figure which was shrouded in darkness was left utterly speechless. It didn''t have eyes or a mouth but if it did, you could bet that they would be wide open right now.


    A few more seconds passed and like a puff of smoke, the figure vanished into thin air without speaking up again. There was still some fog and the night was still dark but nothing like before. It was all back to normal.


    He could once again hear the sound of insects, some other beasts, and rodents moving around in the bushes.


    "Moth*rfucker, You''re lucky I have so much self-control otherwise I would have torn you apart," he shouted where the figure vanished but there was nothing there anymore.


    It took him a few more minutes to calm down and regain hisposure. He checked the time and it was about 3:20 a.m. He wanted to let the higher-ups know what just happened but it was already toote so he decided to do it the next day.


    After 30 minutes or so, he finally fell asleep and entered thend of dreams.

 Chapter 128: The visitor

    <h4>Chapter 128: The visitor</h4>


    It was around 9 A.M when Hao Xuan woke up the next day. Even though he got some sleep but it wasn''t very pleasant. He kept having nightmares about being chased by something. But the strange thing was that as soon as he opened his eyes all the details about it were forgotten.


    He didn''t remember why some ''thing'' was chasing him, only that he could never stop otherwise it would be the end of him for good.


    "Same one again," he mumbled and massaged his temples while sitting on the side of the bed. He would usually have a headache for a little bit after having this dream. And this had happened about 4 times before so it was nothing new.


    Afterzying around for 15 minutes or so he got up and took a shower. It was at times like these that the true value of the portable camp was shown. There was a huge water tank included with the camp and every morning it would automatically heat up some water for his morning ablutions. There wasn''t much that he couldin about living a lifestyle like this even in the dangerous forests.


    He got out of the shower and made some breakfast. It included a cup of milk tea, 12 pieces of bread, and four half fried eggs. Although it wasn''t much it would still keep him full for a couple of hours. He went out and sat by the campfire to enjoy this scrumptious meal.


    It was almost 10 A.M by now and even through all the trees, some rays of sunshine were falling here and there, and with the fog it made it look like a magical scene straight out of a movie.


    It was a truly beautiful morning,pletely in contrast to the previous night which seemed like an actual nightmare.


    While eating he suddenly remembered something and looked down at his Spirit Band and after finding what he was looking, a mischievous smile appeared on his face. With a wave of his hand, the illusion formation of the camp was disabled allowing anyone outside to be able to see whatever he was doing.


    He made an exaggerated expression while bitting into an egg and quickly took a sip of tea, "Ahh, so good. Damn, I''m such a good chef!" heplimented himself and enjoyed the meal with all the fervor of a starving person that hadn''t had anything to eat in days. His actions were so passionate that it could very well be called forey.


    He stole a nce at his Spirit Band once again and almost burst outughing.


    After finishing up the breakfast he cleaned the dishes and poured himself another cup of hot tea andid back beside the fire to enjoy it.


    There was morning dew all around him and many of the blood puddles from the creaturesst night had eitherpletely frozen or were washed away. After finishing the tea he logged into the military portal and video-called First, who picked up on the second ring.


    "Ninth brother!" First''s excited voice was heard but the entire screen was ck with some recurring clicking noises.


    Hao Xuan frowned looking at it, "First brother! Can you see me? Your screen ispletely ck. I think the connection is too weak, let me move and call you back," and he tried to turn off the call but First quickly replied.


    "No no, the connection is fine. It''s not on your end," he said after that some scuffling sound came.


    "Qiye''er, let go! Let go of daddy''s band. No no don''t bite it harder!!" the scene finally changed and a mouth with two tiny little teeth moved away from the screen.


    It was First''s son Xin Qiye that was bitting down on his Spirit Band.


    "I''m sorry Ninth brother, he''s teething so literally anything he see''s he tries to bite," First''s tired face came into view. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he hadn''t slept in days. Xin Qiye was sitting in hisp chewing on a stic cactus.


    First used his sleeve to wipe the spit and drool off the band, "What''s up? Everything okay?" he asked Hao Xuan finally letting out a deep breath.


    "Hehe, things seem tough, brother," Hao Xuan jokingly said while looking at the little twerp in First''sp.


    "You have no idea. I have fought against Jiamanders and Demonic beasts that were less ferocious than this little demon. He stays up all night and only sleeps fours a day. I don''t know where he gets all the energy from. I haven''t slept in 3 days!" First was on the verge of crying just by exining the situation to Hao Xuan, who had a cheery smile on his face.


    "Hahaha," Hao Xuan couldn''t help but break out intoughter hearing his story. This was the most powerful member of Red Legion. Someone at the very top of the Spirit realm and just one step away from entering the profound realm. Yet today he was on the mercy of a child barely two years old.


    Xin Qiye looked over at Hao Xuan''s hologram and his eyes sparkled. He got up with some effort and tried to jump on him but went through and almost fell down.


    "No no, this is a ho-lo-gram. It''s not real. You can''t touch it," First caught him and tried to exin but his audience wasn''t having it. He suddenly saw something from the corner of his eye and sprinted after it like a cat running from water.


    Hao Xuan chuckled seeing theedic scene and almost forgot why he had called, until First reminded him.


    "Ah, yes. Brother do you know about the Spirited away town that I passed by on myst mission?" First''s expression instantly turned dead serious.


    "What happened? Did you find another ce like that?!" he asked while standing up quickly.


    Hao Xuan quickly shook his head, "No no, but something weird happenedst night," he exined everything that happened, making his expression worse.


    "Brother, don''t stay in the wilderness for now. Find the nearest Grade 2 settlement near you and stay there. I''ll report this to the higher-ups and let you know the details. Don''t move around needlessly unless you hear from me okay?" he said with furrowed brows.


    Just like Kingdoms, each settlement was divided into three grades. Three was the lowest and one was the highest. There were only a few Grade 1 settlements in the entire Kingdom, Fortuna City being one of them.


    To be a graded settlement they must fulfill certain conditions.


    1. They must have more than 50 million poption.


    2. There must be at least 10 Profound realm cultivators present.


    3. There must be proper defensive formations and anti-beast weaponry present.


    Thest condition was optional and could be fulfilled in a few different ways. Once a settlement satisfied the first two conditions, thest one could be satisfied by the government of the kingdom as they were responsible for the citizen''s safety.


    Any other settlement would have to buy their own formations while the kingdom was only responsible for keeping peace and providing soldiers in times of need.


    Hao Xuan gave it some thought and agreed with First''s suggestion. It was stupid to stay out when weird crap like that was happening randomly.


    After talking a bit more First hung up as he had to contact the military leaders and let them know of the situation. Hao Xuan sat in front of the campfire drinking tea for another 30 minutes or so in deep thought and then made another call.


    This one was to Xu Qing. She picked up on the first ring and gently bowed her head even though Hao Xuan had told her not to do it, "My lord."


    "Mhm. How is everything at home?" he asked with a smile but froze after noticing a ''couple of things''. Xu Qing seemed like she had just gotten out of the shower and was dressed in a simple white robe that was sticking to her body like glue and was semi-transparent. She wasn''t wearing anything underneath so the robe might as well not be there at this point.


    He quickly turned away with a blush and stutteringly spoke, " Um, d-did I catch you at a bad time? S-sorry, take your time, get dressed, and then give me a call," he said with a flustered tone and quickly hung up.


    Xu Qing was confused until she asked one of the servant girls toe in and see what was wrong with her appearance.


    A few minster Hao Xuan got a call back from her. He picked up and saw her standing in front of her dresser in a blue kimono, looking beautiful as usual. The only difference was that her face was beet red.


    *Cough*


    He cleared his throat, "How is Yun Wentian? Is he studying properly?"


    "Yes. Lord Green and Lord Red also teach him whenever they have time. Lord Yangdi visited a couple of times and gave him some pointers as well," she calmly exined every single thing one by one.


    "Mhm," Hao Xuan nodded his head. "Are you bored? Do you have something to keep you busy?" his tone suddenly turned gentle.


    "Yes. I take care of the gardens and have nted a few new nts myself. They keep me busy," she said with a kind smile that made his heart skip a beat.


    "Dear God, how is this woman so pretty??" he thought inwardly, losing himself in delusions. Xu Qing didn''t say anything either and just quietly sat there, waiting for him to respond.


    *Cough*


    "Sorry, another message came up from someone," he woke from his stupor after a minute or so with a blushed face and made an excuse.


    "Mhm," Xu Qing simply nodded in response with a small smile that was enough to light up any room.


    Feeling himself falling into another delusion, he pinched his thigh and quickly changed the topic.


    "D-Do you remember First brother? His son Xin Qiye is two years old now and is very energetic. If you have some free time, go and look after him for a while and give older sister and him some time to themselves."


    Xu Qing was taken aback by the sudden request but the smile on her pretty face became more dazzling in an instant and she nodded enthusiastically, "Yes. I took care of my little brother back home so I''m very good with kids. I''ll pay them a visit right now," she said while standing up.


    "Ri..right now? Oh, okay. Take Green with you then," Hao Xuan who was gleeful a second ago said gloomily. He was hoping to talk to her for a bit more but seeing her smile, there was no way he could stop her.


    "Yes," she bowed respectfully and hung up, leaving Hao Xuan speechless. He startedughing remembering her animated expression.


    *Beep*Beep*


    The spirit band vibrated and a notification popped up, interrupting his jolly mood.

 Chapter 129: The Visitor Continued

    <h4>Chapter 129: The Visitor Continued</h4>


    *Beep*Beep*


    Hao Xuan''s Spirit band vibrated and a notification popped up, interrupting his jolly mood. He was about to pour himself another cup of tea but stopped and looked outside in a certain direction.


    "Why don''t youe inside? It''s been an entire week now, don''t you think we should introduce ourselves?" with a smile and a wave of his hand an opening appeared in the barrier of the camp. There was no reply but Hao Xuan seemed like he expected it and took out another chair and cup and started making a whole new batch of tea.


    After about 3 minutes or so the sounds of footsteps came from the area in front of the opening and out of nowhere materialized a figure. It was a female but her face was entirely shrouded in ck mist.


    As she got closer there was no hesitation in her movement and without any reluctance, she sat down on the chair opposite to Hao Xuan.


    He waved his hand once again and the barrier closed up and the illusion formation that was disabled before was activated.


    "Milk?" he asked while pouring her a cup and she nodded silently. They both sat there and took a couple of sips. Hao Xuan liked a teaspoon of sugar in his but she didn''t even touch it and emptied the whole cup as is.


    He also drank his and got up to clean the dishes, but not before asking her the most important question, "So, if you don''t mind me asking, why have you been following me since the city?"


    She stayed silent for a good 20 seconds or so and then gently shook her head. The mist that was covering her face slowly dissipated, showing her true appearance.


    This time, Hao Xuan was prepared so he didn''t zone out but it was a damn close call.


    The first thing he noticed were her lc-colored eyes which looked crystals under the sunlight. She had a very fairplexion and dark-red lips that seemed to be painted with blood. It was quite eerie. There was a small mole under her left eye which only made her look even more stunning.


    This appearance along with her body that looked like it was sculpted out of marble, would make anyone''s heart tremble.


    But even though he was prepared, this was a bit too much for the ''inexperienced'' Hao Xuan and he couldn''t help but get dazed for a few seconds. When the girl saw the look on his face, a mischievous smile crept on hers as well.


    "See something you like?" she asked while tilting her head adorably and Hao Xuan''s heart literally skipped a beat.


    He quickly looked away with a flushed face and berated himself inwardly, "Oh my f*king god! This is it. This is how I''m gonna die. Some chick is gonna smile at me in a fight and I''m going to lose my damn head!"


    What Hao Xuan wasn''t aware of was that this wasn''t just because of her looks. She was exuding an aura, a natural charisma that was normal for her kind. It would take someone with a LOT of willpower to resist this ''ability'' and Hao Xuan obviously wasn''t one to be included in this group.


    "Well, you are very beautiful. You can''t me me for this," he unknowinglyplimented her and started cleaning the dishes.


    "So, why are you following me?" he asked when she didn''t answer his query the first time.


    "No reason. You''re cute and I was bored, so why not?" with a yful tone she replied while looking at him like a hungry beast.


    Hao Xuan was taken aback at first but then shook his head, seeing through her ''schemes'' and nonchntly replied, "Ahan, sure." Only an idiot would believe her but as long as she didn''t want to hurt him, it didn''t really matter.


    "Did you see the thingsst night?"


    "Mhm. Do you know what they were?"


    "No idea. You?"


    "If I knew why would I ask you."


    "..."


    "But I do have an idea..."


    Hao Xuan put away the dishes in his hand and came back to take a seat, "I''m listening."


    "A necromancer. All those ''things'' were made out of actual corpses so my guess is there is a necromancer nearby who is learning a new type of magic."


    "Magic?" Hao Xuan was surprised. Did magic really exist?


    "Yeah. Although it is pretty rare here. Most of the magicians live on ''Medeis'' so you don''t normally see them that often.


    "Medeis?" the more this girl talked, the less Hao Xuan knew. This was certainly a new development.


    "Oh, I''m sorry. I said something unnecessary. Nevermind that, but I still think its a necromancer. If we can catch him alive then the reward would be huge. We can even sell him to an Empire or something," the more she talked, the more her eyes lit up.


    "Necromancer? Sell him?" Hao Xuan shook his head. Although he didn''t know what exactly those creatures were, it was certainly not a necromancer''s doing. If it was something this simple then the Kingdom would have figured it out by now.


    "Are you a bounty hunter?" since she was talking about capturing and selling people, maybe this was her thing.


    "Not exclusively but I do dabble. Why, need someone captured? I''m not cheap you know," she said with a wink.


    "N-No, I was just asking. Do you know where we are?" he quickly changed the subject.


    "Of course. We are right next to a few towns and viges. That''s where I spent thest few nights," she said as a matter of factly which left Hao Xuan speechless. He was this close to human settlements and didn''t even know? Here he was sleeping in the wild when he could''ve spent the night in a cozy hotel room with room service.


    "Take me to the closest town," he said despairingly. It was extremely easy to pack up since he only had to press a single button on the round metal ball and it would store everything.


    "Oh by the way, what''s your name?" hepletely forgot to ask before. She looked at him with a smile that would topple cities and seductively extended her right hand with the palm facing downwards.


    "You can call me Sin."


    "Oh, nice to meet you Sin. I''m Hao Xuan," he shook her hand unceremoniously and started walking away. Now it was her turn to be left speechless, since she had extended her hand to be kissed, not shaken. But how could Hao Xuan be aware of these things?


    "Simpleton," she mumbled under her breath and started walking in the exact opposite direction.


    "This way," her voice interrupted Hao Xuan''s march as he quickly turned around and followed after her with a slight blush.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Sin: https://cdnb.artstation/p/assets/images/images/010/022/059rge/fan-xiu-3.jpg?1522140323


    Short url: https://urlzs/2A3bD

 Chapter 130: The Village

    <h4>Chapter 130: The Vige</h4>


    It was a little past 11 A.M and the sun had once again hidden behind the clouds. Sin was walking in front while Hao Xuan waszily following behind her, enjoying the ''scenery''. The girl really was too beautiful. Other than Xu Qing, he hadn''t met anyone with as much charm as her.


    Every single step of hers made her hips shake left and right. At first, Hao Xuan tried to ignore all that and enjoy the surroundings but there was nothing to look at. It was actually a bit too silent even if this was close to a human settlement.


    Usually, there would be some random beasts prowling around, hunting for food or mates, but there was not a single beast in sight nor any noises from the surroundings.


    Hao Xuan regained hisposure after realizing this and started circting his Qi. Sin peered back at him and smiled looking at the serious expression on his face.


    After about 15 minutes of walking, a valley came into view. It was surrounded on both sides byrge hills and at the back was a huge mountain towering over everything. As they got closer, a brick wall came into view with a single massive gate in the middle. The walls were connected to the side of the hills andpletely blocked the path into the valley.


    The massive iron gate was the only way in. It was about 6 meters tall, the same height as the walls. From the front it didn''t look very imposing and had its own charm. When Hao Xuan got closer he noticed hundreds of small beast sketches scratched into the wall a few feet off the ground.


    It was probably the work of the of some local kids.


    Sin went up to the iron gate and knocked. They waited for a good 5 minutes or so but the gate didn''t open nor was there any sound from the other side. Sin frowned and knocked again, this time so loud that Hao Xuan started looking around thinking the noise would draw in some uninvited guests as well, but no one came. Not the vigers nor the beasts.


    "Maybe they''re asleep?" he asked when there was no response.


    "This is just a small mining vige with a poption of a few thousand living thousands of miles away from the nearest town. There is no way they are all asleep. There should always be a few guards here. Not to mention these vige folks wake up at the crack of dawn," she said shaking her head and Hao Xuan nodded in agreement after thinking it through. Her words made sense.


    "Then what do we d-" Hao Xuan asked but before he could finish Sin stomped her foot onto the ground and nimbly flipped over the gate. There was a clicking sound and a small door opened from the side.


    "Let''s go," she walked off with hurried steps. Hao Xuan wanted to say something but quickly followed after when he saw her vanish from sight.


    As soon as he entered a fountain blocked his path. There was a wide-open area behind it which seemed to be something simr to a town square. There were a dozen or so shops on the sides with different name boards above them. But all the shops were closed and there was no other person in sight.


    Sin went up to one which said "Iron Inn" and entered. Hao Xuan hesitated for a bit but then followed after her hearing thunder rumble above him. Dark clouds were moving in and it was about to rain.


    "Olddy, are you up??" he went in to see Sin standing in front of the reception desk and shouting. There was a small bell on it which she rang several times but there was still no response.


    *sniff*


    "Something''s wrong. There was one other guest staying the night so the owner said breakfast would be served around 10 A.M, but there''s no one here. Not to mention the unmanned and unguarded gate. Go upstairs and check room number 3, that''s where the merchant was staying at," she gave Hao Xuan the order and quickly walked behind the reception desk and entered the door with the sign "Personal Quarters" on it.


    Hao Xuan once again wanted to speak up but now wasn''t the time. It was indeed strange that no one was here at this time of the day.


    *CRACKLE*


    Lightning crackled outside and the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the buildings came.


    *CRACKLE*


    He opened the main door and peered outside. It was raining cats and dogs. Just a second ago it waspletely silent and now it looked like someone had turned on the shower and it sounded like rocks were being hurled at the windows.


    He shook his head and sighed. This ce really was too weird.


    Following Sin''s orders, he went up to the second floor. There was a single hallway on the left with only four doors, two on each side. He walked up to the one with the number 3 on it and knocked.


    Just like before, there was no response.


    "Hello? Is anyone in? Housekeeping!" he shouted but nothing.


    "Fuck it," he stepped back and kicked the door lightly, sending it flying off its hinges.


    "Oh shit, sorry sorry, I''ll pay for-" he entered the room in a panic but froze upon seeing the scene in front of him. There was blood all over the floor and a head was ced on the bed. The head looked like it belonged to a chubby middle-aged man.


    The blood was already dried up and there was a musky smell in the room.


    The ''heads'' eyes were closed and there was a peaceful expression on his face. It seemed like the man was sleeping soundly and someone had just, taken off his head.


    He went closer and inspected it. There were no marks around the wound and the flesh seemed to have been ripped apart. His head wasn''t cut off but ripped off with pure strength, yet there were no signs of a struggle?


    "What the hell happened here?" he mumbled and quickly backed out, not wanting to disturb the scene anymore. Hao Xuan didn''t know how crimes were solved here but he didn''t want to take any risks.


    "Oi, there''s been a murder!" he ran back down while screaming. Sin was standing silently in front of the front desk with furrowed brows.


    "What?" he asked seeing her expression.


    "She''s dead. Thendy. And so is her son," she pointed at the door. Hao Xuan walked around the desk and entered to see two heads in the same conditions as the one in the room upstairs.


    "It''s almost exactly the same, the way they were killed," he said to Sin after walking back out.


    She nodded, "The Necromancer. It has to be him. But I''ve never heard of something like before," she looked up at Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan hadpletely forgotten about the creatures fromst night. It all made sense. All those dead bodies, they must havee from here. Although he knew it wasn''t a necromancer''s doing.


    "Lets separate and check a few other ces. Don''t touch anything," she said and jumped out of a nearby window, leaving Hao Xuan alone in the inn.


    *drop*drop*drop*


    The only sound being made was from the rain. It was an eerie type of silence that made one ufortable. And who wouldn''t be in this situation?


    "Brother, there''s been a ''development'', call me when you''re free," he sent a message to First and walked out into the rain as well.


    Both of them went from house to house and checked more than four hundred ces altogether, finally meeting back at the inn.


    Hao Xuan walked in to see Sin standing in front of the firece drying her hair, "Anything?" she asked without turning around. Her clothes were wet and sticking to her body.


    "Same thing. Hundreds, all dead the same way," he went up to the firece with a red face and sat down in one of the chairs, looking away from her.


    "This is big. We have to let the government know. Cultivators do not kill mortals needlessly. This is an unwritten rule in our world, yet this a*shole just killed more than three thousand people. The higher-ups are gonna be pissed."


    "It''s not the necromancerdy, holy shit. Do you have something against necromancy? And Don''t tell anyone else. I''m in the military and have already informed the authorities," he said with a sigh. Thisdy was just looking for an excuse to me necromancers at this point.


    "What? You''re in the military? With this lifestyle?" she pointed at his face with a ridiculing smirk on hers.


    "Huh? What''s that supposed to mean?" Hao Xuan frowned. What was wrong with his lifestyle?


    "Oh please. You kill people like they are animals and spend your days infort and luxury even in the wild. You''re the definition of a spoiled young master. But don''t worry, I like that," she said with a wink.


    "Kill people? Who have I killed?!" Hao Xuan didn''t know that Sin had witnessed everything when he was killing the ve owner.


    "Am I wrong?" instead of answering she asked another question.


    "Don''t worry, I''m not saying that''s bad. Turn around," she had her back to him and looked back at him with a mischievous smile. But before he could do anything, her shirt fell down, leaving herpletely nude from waist up.


    "WHA-" Hao Xuan''s face went red and he quickly looked away, making her giggle. The sound of clothes being ruffled came and after a few seconds, she spoke again.


    "Alright, I''m done, you can look now," she took a seat next to him.


    "Don''t test me, woman. I barely have any self-control as is, these games could cost you dearly," he said angrily without turning around.


    "Hehe, we can have some fun if you want. I''m not that closed-minded," she leaned over and touched Hao Xuan''s ear, making him jump out of the chair.


    He looked at her with narrowed eyes, "My mom warned me about girls like yo-"


    *Creeeeak*


    Before Hao Xuan could finish his ''joke'', the front door of the inn opened and in walked a small drenched figure.

 Chapter 131: Sentiments

    <h4>Chapter 131: Sentiments</h4>


    *Creeeeak*


    Both Hao Xuan and Sin jumped back and took out their respective weapons while facing the door. Sin had two long daggers, one in each hand. They were shimmering with a dark light and if one didn''t directly look at them, they seemed to disappear and meld with the surroundings. Hao Xuan could only imagine how difficult it would be to fight against someone like that, whose weapons weren''t even visible during the fight.


    "Assassin?" he asked looking at her daggers, making her smile in return.


    "Daddy?" a quivering voice asked from the door as the figure slowly came closer to them.


    "Stop! Who are you?!" Sin raised her daggers and pointed them at the small figure, ready to attack.


    "Mama!" the figure shouted and came running at her. Sin didn''t hesitate for even a second and shed towards the moving figure while jumping back once again.


    Hao Xuan who was carefully looking at the figure suddenly disappeared from his spot and appeared on the other side of the room with the little figure in hand.


    "Idiot! What are you doing?!" Sin shouted at him from afar, prompting Hao Xuan to shout back. "Look before attacking moron!"


    He looked down at the figure in his embrace and smiled gently.


    "Daddy?" was the only response heard from the figure.


    "Eh? No no, I''m not your dad," he shook his head and put away his sword and walked back to the firece. Sin was still standing at the other corner with her daggers pointed in Hao Xuan''s direction.


    Hao Xuan went in front of the firece and dragged a chair closer to it, cing the figure on it.


    "You''re drenched. Here, take this off," he said and took off the nket covering it, revealing a small girl with a sleeping puppy in her arms. Sin frowned looking at her and didn''t let her guard down at all.


    "Daddy, Xiao Xiao isn''t waking up," the girl had tears in her eyes as she extended her hand. The puppy was breathing heavily and just like the girl, was wet from head to toe, shivering.


    Hao Xuan awkwardly scratched his head and looked over at Sin with pleading eyes.


    "Can you help a little? What are you afraid of?"


    "We checked almost everything. Don''t you think it''s weird how everyone else died but a little girl survived? How can you be so trusting?"


    "That may be so, but I''m not going to let a child who might have experienced all that stand out in the rain and not help. In the off chance, this is.....something else, I''ll take responsibility," he waved his hand and took out two towels from the storage ring.


    "What''s your name?" he asked bending down in front of her, purposefully exposing his neck and other vital areas, leaving it open for attacks. Sin let out some strands of Qi and they turned transparent, melding into the air.


    The girl''s eyes started watering, "Papa doesn''t remember Kana?"


    "E-Eh? Papa? I''m no-"


    "Kana, do you remember your house?" as Hao Xuan was trying to tell her he wasn''t her father, Sin who had walked over to them asked, cutting him off.


    "Mhm," Kana told her exact address and Sin quickly jumped out of a window. She returned within 3-4 minutes with some clothes in hand.


    "Go away, I''ll take care of her," she said pushing Hao Xuan away from her.


    "The hell? Why such a sudden change?" he mumbled and took the little puppy covered in towels closer to the firece.


    Sin helped the little girl change into a new set of clothes and called Hao Xuan back over. She took the puppy away from him, handed it back to Kana, and dragged him away again.


    "What? Why are you acting so weirdly?" he asked looking at her suspiciously.


    *sigh*


    "I found her, in her home," she said lightly while looking at Kana from the corner of her eyes.


    "Found who?"


    "The girl, Kana. Her severed head is still in her home," she looked back at Hao Xuan.


    "But she''s right here. How''s that possible?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously.


    "It''s not her. The girl is dead. That''s just a sentiment," she shook her head.


    "It happens sometimes. When people are killed too suddenly and they still have something left to do in this world, their souls linger on for a little while and then disappear into the void. I think it''s because of that," she pointed at the puppy.


    "The girl was probably too attached to it and her soul couldn''t move on knowing that it would die here if there was no one to take care of it."


    Hao Xuan was stunned. So Kana was basically a ghost? Ghosts were real?!


    "Just go along with the act. Her soul is pretty weak so she should move on by tonight," she whispered in his ear and walked back to Kana with a kind smile on her face.


    "Mama, Xiao Xiao is so cold," Kana looked up at Sin, almost breaking out crying herself.


    "Let mama see," she said gently and took the puppy from her hands. The pup was around 3 weeks old and looked like a husky. It was white with ck spots here and there.


    Hao Xuan looked at them from afar, not knowing what to do. How was it possible that she was a ghost? He felt her pulse before. Her body was as real as his.


    *Bzzt*


    His spirit band vibrated, waking him from his daze. It was First calling.


    "Brother, what''s wrong? Did you move to a grade two town yet?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "No, I''m in a small mining vige but..."


    "But what?"


    "But everyone here is dead. The children, the elderly, even most of the animals....."


    Hao Xuan exined everything he saw and First went quiet for a few seconds before speaking in a grave voice. He looked at Hao Xuan in the eyes, "We have had simr reports from all over the Kingdom. Multiple towns and viges have lost contactpletely. The few ces we could send people to were in the same condition. After a general calction, the casualties seem to be more than 15 million. Many ces have been wiped outpletely and..."


    "And what?"


    *Sigh*


    "All the bloodshed seems to have sent the beasts into a crazed state. Many small scale beast hordes have attacked random towns and cities. Arge scale evacuation has been ordered and all citizens are to move to the nearest graded town. The survival rate outside of such ces is less than 10 percent. An official announcement will be made in a few minutes."


    "Brother, you need to get to a safe ce. The hordes areing," his words sent a cold chill down Hao Xuan''s spine.


    Ever sinceing to this world, he had never seen a full-scale beast horde. Although there was one almost every year, it would normally be near one of the Grade 1 cities which were well equipped to deal with such things.


    But now beast hordes were forming all over the kingdom and could and most probably would attack every big settlement. This was a disaster on a national scale.


    "I have been assigned one of the Grade 2 cities near Fortuna so I''ll be leaving with two regiments of the Red Legion. You have to be extremely careful brother. If you can''t reach a graded city by nightfall, then find a deep dark hole and stay there for a few days."


    "Mhm," Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say so he simply nodded his head and hung up.


    "Papa," Kana''s voice came from the Firece where she was sitting in Sin''sp and looking at Hao Xuan with a bright smile.


    *Bzzt*


    His spirit band vibrated and just like First had said a notification popped up.


    Attention: All citizens are to move to the nearest protected encampment and stay there until further notice. A Level 4 beast horde has been sighted near the coast and is expected to move into the inner areas within 24 hours. This is not a drill.

 Chapter 132: Defend

    <h4>Chapter 132: Defend</h4>


    "What''s wrong?" seeing Hao Xuan''s troubled expression, Sin inquired.


    "Check your Spirit Band," he said dismissively and sat next to them.


    "Daddy, look," Kana jumped out of Sin''sp and trotted over to Hao Xuan with hurried steps. She still had the puppy in her hands which seemed to be doing much better now. She shoved the little pup in Hao Xuan''s face after getting up on his leg.


    "Mhm, xiao xiao seems to be much better doesn''t he?" he patted her head with a smile. Kana was only about 5-6 years old at most. She had ck hair and was wearing pink pajamas. That was her condition when she died in her sleep.


    "Poor thing, not even knowing you have passed. How long till you disappear from this world?" he thought inwardly as the smile on his face turned into a sorrowful expression.


    There were probably hundreds of other kids like her, no millions if the casualties from the entire kingdom were taken into ount. How many others were wandering the road between life and death? How many of them were screaming for their parents? He and Sin were here for Kana but who was there for the others?


    "I''m sorry child," he whispered in her ears while trying to hold back his anger and sorrow. Maybe it was the constitution but he had always been like this. When the need arose he could bepletely heartless but then there were times that he was so empathetic towards total strangers that it was stupid.


    Like right now for example, it wasn''t his fault that these people died. He had absolutely nothing to do with it, yet he felt their sadness like it was his doing.


    Why did it hurt so much?


    "Daddy, don''t be sad, where does it hurt? Kana will make it go away," seeing the change in Hao Xuan''s expression, she stood up in hisp and caressed his face lovingly.


    "Hahaha, nothing, its nothing child. Don''t worry about it. Is Xiao xiao awake?" he tried changing the topic and put on a cheerful expression.


    "Hmm, Xiao xiao always sleeps when its cold. He is sozy," she carefully patted its head.


    "Mhm," he nodded and then looked over at Sin who was still looking at her Spirit Band.


    "We have to leave right now. This ce isn''t safe," he said trying to get her attention. She looked up at him anxiously.


    "What?"


    "Kana can''t leave this ce. If she goes too far then her soul will be damaged. Same if it''s attacked. We can go.....but she....can''t," Sin couldn''t even look at him while saying thest part of the sentence. Her background and training had allowed her to face almost any situation, almost.


    Hao Xuan was startled by this sudden development, to say the least. He also went silent, thinking of another way.


    "Is there no way we can help her move on quicker?" he inquired hopefully but Sin shook her head dejectedly.


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan checked the time and it was almost 6 p.m. Night was almost here. "Alright, it''s pretty clear then. Where''s the nearest settlement?" he put Kana down on the sofa and stood up.


    Sin was taken aback by his question but then looked at him with absolute disgust. Yet it was human nature to save themselves first. Even she had some thoughts of escaping but she didn''t expect Hao Xuan to be so quick.


    "Straight South. There''s a grade 3 town there with a poption of about 2 million, you will be safe there," she pointed at a certain direction and went up to Kana and snuggled next to her on the sofa, ignoring Hao Xuanpletely.


    "Mhm," Hao Xuan nodded and took out a raincoat and a sword.


    "Daddy?" Kana looked at him nervously seeing him getting ready to go out.


    Hao Xuan smiled and bent down to pat her head, "Don''t worry, Daddy will be back soon. You have to be a good girl and take care of mama and Xiao xiao while I''m gone alright?"


    "Mhm," she wanted to say something but held back and simply nodded, tightening her grasp on the pup.


    Sin''s contemptuous expression turned livid looking at Hao Xuan and any good feelings she had towards him were gone. If not for Kana she would''ve attacked him herself.


    "Good girl," he shed a smile and quickly walked out of the Inn, disappearing into the pouring rain.


    "Mama, when will daddy be back?" Kana asked seeing Hao Xuan''s back vanish from her view.


    "Soon child. Don''t worry, you just focus on helping Xiao xiao," Sin''s eyes were watering as she lied through her teeth and hugged Kana.


    Time passed slowly as Sin and Kana cozily sat in front of the firece and chatted about everything. It was about 1 a.m and Kana''s body was bing more and more ethereal. She seemed to be there yet not there. Soon she would disappear and move on to the next world.


    "Mama.....when will daddy be back?" Kana muttered with her eyes half-closed.


    "Soon, he is almost back. Just a few more minutes," trying to hold back her own tears she said through gritted teeth.


    "You better not show your face in front me ever again, otherwise I will kill you myself," Sin made a vow as Hao Xuan''s smile shed past her eyes.


    She checked the time and was surprised. Howe there hadn''t been any beast attacks yet? If the government''s predictions were correct, there should have been several small scale hordes by now, let alone one.


    But she didn''t linger on it too much as it was a good thing for her. The longer they took to arrive, the less she would have to fight.


    *Tik*Tok*Tik*Tok*


    The clock''s hands moved bit by bit and it finally struck 4 a.m. Kana''s legs were already gone and only her upper body was left, which would also be gone soon.


    "Mama...daddy..." Kana mumbled incoherently while tightly holding onto Sin with her little fingers.


    "Soon child, he''s almost here," she consoled her and embraced her even tighter, trying to hold on to her disappearing body.


    *BOOOOM*


    Suddenly the entire vige shook and all the windows of the Inn shattered by the sound wave.


    "They''re here. Finally, I can take my anger out on someone," her expression turned furious as she got up with Kana and Xiao xiao in her arms and slowly walked out of the Inn. She waved her arm and a pink umbre with white stars over it appeared in her free hand.


    "Pretty," Kana slightly opened her eyes with some effort and looked up at it.


    "Do you like it? It''s yours," she smiled and brought it closer to Kana who weakly grasped it with an innocent little smile on her face.


    *Tap*Tap*


    Sin slowly walked out towards the main gate while strands of ck Qi surrounded her body. Her two daggers were being held by these strands and were hovering above the head.


    The giant iron gate was bent inwards. As she got close to it the daggers struck down once, cutting the gate open.


    *Thud*


    The gate''s pieces fell down and the scene on the other side appeared in front of her. Kana slowly turned her head and a dazzling smile bloomed on her face, "Daddy!"


    On the other side, Hao Xuan was standing in front of the gate, huffing loudly.


    There were mountains of beast corpses in front of him that blocked out most of the path into the valley.


    Currently, there was an Obsidian Saw-toothed mammoth facing off against him. It was around 7 meters tall, dwarfing Hao Xuan. It had some gnashes on it and was bleeding here and there, butpared to Hao Xuan was in a much better condition.


    Hao Xuan had a hole the size of a watermelon on his abdomen and his entire body was covered with all kinds of wounds and gashes. His left hand was dangling lifelessly from his body. Although he was bleeding profusely, there was still a bright smile on his face.


    "Just with that much power you dare dream about stepping into the vige?!" he said with a grin and raised the ive in his right hand for probably the ten-thousandth time that night.


    "Not as long as I f*cking breathe. HEAVENLY BLARE!"


    *BOOOOOOOM*

 Chapter 133: Goodbye

    <h4>Chapter 133: Goodbye</h4>


    "HEAVENLY BLARE!"


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    Hao Xuan turned into a blue streak and shed head-on with the gigantic Mammoth, sending debris and mud flying everywhere.


    Sin stood rooted to the ground, not knowing what to say. She looked down and noticed some brokenponents of a defensive formation. Hao Xuan had probably used it in case any beasts got past him.


    Her feelings were in turmoil. For thest 10 hours she had been sitting cozily in front of a firece with Kana cursing the man in front of her, while he was out here fighting in the cold rain. Not only did he not let her fight but chose to let her believe that he was a cowardly scum.


    "Mama...daddy''s back," Kana''s face adorned a dazzling smile as she weakly spoke.


    "Mhm," Sin could only nod her head in shame, thinking of all the things she said about him.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Hao Xuan stood a few meters away from the mammoth in even worse condition than before, while the mammoth had a few more minor scratches.


    "What is your damn skin made off?!" he said trying to catch his breath. It really had been too long since he started fighting and now he was just barely able to stand.


    "Come back," Sin murmured.


    "Eh? Did you say something?" Hao Xuan asked without turning around.


    "Come back, your daughter wants to see you," she shouted grumpily.


    "Give me a min, let me just take care of this guy and I''ll be right there," he said, trying to once again lift the ive with some effort.


    "Juste back already. I''ll take care of it," she shouted angrily and a pir of Qi erupted from her body and reached the sky. Faint images of three giant pces also appeared behind her back and a huge pressure descended on all the remaining beasts, although the mammoth was the only actual threat to any of them.


    Hao Xuan went silent and turned around to look her.


    "Spirit realm? Let a guy act cool will ya.." he shook his head and stored the ive away while walking back to her. The pressure on the mammoth was so much that it couldn''t even run away, let alone think about attacking him.


    "Daddy," Kana extended her hand towards him which was semi-transparent now.


    Hao Xuan smiled and used his right hand to take her from Sin, "Good girl, did you take care of Xiao xiao while I was gone?"


    "Mhm," she nodded while smiling ear to ear.


    Hao Xuan was too tall so he sat down on the ground while Sin silently stood beside him and held up the umbre. Her two daggers shot forward like fireflies, leaving only faint blue trails behind. They returned within a couple of seconds and all the remaining beasts including the Obsidian Saw-toothed mammoth which was at the top of the Origin realm fell down without even making a sound.


    There were faint cuts on their foreheads from which a bit of brain matter was spilling out.


    The pces vanished while the three of them were the only beings left alive within miles.


    Hao Xuan was sitting with his legs crossed, blood still spilling out from some of the wounds, Kana in his arms and Sin standing next to him keeping the rain away.


    "Mama, can you sing me a song?" Kana asked while looking at Sin with puppy dog eyes, leaving her no choice but toply.


    For the next half an hour, Sin sang several different songs while Hao Xuan and Kana praised her.


    Kana looked up at Sin and then at him and smiled, "Daddy, you must take care of Xiao xiao when I''m gone alright?"


    As if a bolt of lightning struck Hao Xuan''s heart, he felt pain like never before. This innocent little girl, she knew she was about to fade away?


    But what could he do or say other than nod in silence? So he did just that.


    "And let mama y with her too, you mustn''t keep her only to yourself," she followed up with another request that made Sin smile.


    "Of course, what''s mine is hers," he said as a matter-of-factly.


    "Mhm," she nodded onest time and extended out her hand to caress his face.


    Her body slowly turned into small white specks of light and floated off towards the sky, leaving behind the little sleeping pup in Hao Xuan arms.


    Sin and Hao Xuan both followed the trail of lights with their eyes until it vanished from their sight. Neither of them moved or said anything for the next 10 minutes or so.


    "Haha, It hurts more than I thought it would," Hao Xuanughed self-deprecatingly and stood up with some effort. Sin didn''t know if he was talking about his wounds or Kana moving on.


    He took out a small circr disc and carefully put the pup inside. With a press of a button, a yellow-colored barrier covered the whole thing.


    This was a type of container used to hold small living creatures. It allowed the cirction of air but nothing else. It was really expensive and was only used by the rich to show off their dangerous pets.


    He gently pushed away Sin''s hand that was holding the umbre.


    The heavy rain fell on him like dead bullets and washed away the blood. He closed his eyes and faced the sky while droplets of water streamed down his face.


    Sin looked up at him with a troubled expression wanting to say something but seeing his face with the tears that he was trying to hide in the rainwater, she stopped.


    "Do you want the pup? I already have quite a few of these brats to take care of so I probably won''t be able to give her much attention," he inquired with closed eyes.


    "No. I have to go back home. My father has called for me so I can''t stay here anymore. And where I''m going, it''s no ce for such a frail little creature," she shook her head looking at the cute little puppy and started walking away, but stopped after a few steps.


    "If it is meant to be, we shall meet once again, Perfuro Deimos. Don''t die too soon," and with small steps she also vanished into the darkness, leaving an astonished Hao Xuan behind.


    ''Deimos'' literally meant ''Demon'' in ancient eras, while ''Perfuro'' meant raging or mad. So she basically called him Mad or Raging Demon, which was abination of his alias and the name of his unit, Mad Saints.


    "You knew about me?" he mumbled absentmindedly.


    *Ruuumble*


    The earth shook as sounds of beasts came from almost every side, waking him from his daze.


    He looked at the mountain of corpses and quickly activated the physique and started absorbing the nearby corpses to heal himself.


    *ROAAR*


    Within a few minutes, the beasts were close enough that their roars echoed throughout the valley. Hao Xuan had no choice but to stop. He looked at the time and summoned Bai.


    "South, keep running until you see a town. I might pass out during the journey so don''t pick a fight. Just run," he said while patting his head and got on top with Xiao Xiao in his embrace.


    Bai growled in response and nimbly jumped from tree to tree, vanishing into the dark jungle.

 Chapter 134: Escape

    <h4>Chapter 134: Escape</h4>


    "Mom! Dad! An emergency evacuation order has been issued, we have to leave for Galena right now!" Miles ran into his parents'' room in a panic, waking them from their slumber.


    "Galena? What are you talking about boy? What evacuation? If this is another prank-" Jacob asked grumpily while rubbing his eyes. They had only just fallen asleep but were rudely awoken by their son''s shouting a few minutester.


    "This!" Miles clicked on his Spirit Band and a hologram of the order with the official stamp of the Mei n was disyed for all to see.


    "What?!" Jacob jumped out of bed and checked his own Spirit Band. His wife, Miles''s mother Sophia also got up and checked her spirit band and both of them saw the same notification. Their expressions changed abruptly as they started shuffling around the room, gathering the essentials.


    "Go wake up your brothers, we''ll leave in 10 minutes. And get the bulls ready, QUICK!" Sophia yelled while taking out a sword and a spear from under the bed.


    Miles quickly nodded and ran out of the room in a hurry.


    Jacob''sst name was Miller and this was his farm. He had four sons and Sophia was pregnant with the fifth. He used to be a businessman but after his first son Felix was born, he decided to move to the outskirts and buy arge piece ofnd to grow his own food and give a healthier environment to his kids.


    Unfortunately, Felix was a born troublemaker and always got into trouble no matter the location. And following his example, all the younger ones that idolized their eldest brother also got themselves into trouble every chance they got.


    Currently Felix was in a 3rd-grade town called Galena. After he ''identally'' burnt down a neighbor''s shed, Sophia had no choice but to enroll him into the military academy there in hopes of teaching him some discipline and restraint.


    "HURRY UP!" Jacob yelled from the living room while putting on some armor. They could only afford one storage ring after sending Felix to the academy since his tuition and fees were also pretty expensive.


    Sophia walked in with a basket full of clothes and dropped them in front of Jacob.


    "Boys! Damien! Reece! Hurry up!" she also yelled and went into the kitchen to get some food.


    Felix was about 23 years old now, while Reece was 17 and Miles 16. Damian was the youngest at 12 years of age.


    Jacob and Sophia got married pretty young so they themselves were only around 40.


    "I''ming I''ming," Reece''s voice came from his room and he walked out with the sleepy Damian in tow.


    "What''s going on? Can you guys not wait till morning to lecture yes? And you have no proof, whoever said I did anything is a liar!" he said confidently and sat down in front of the firece and started putting in wood to make a fire.


    *Thud*


    A can of tomato soup came flying in from the kitchen and hit him on the back of his head, sending him crashing into the wall in front.


    "Shut up! I''ll deal with whatever you didter. Go out and help Miles with the bulls. Attach the new carriage and put in the spirit crystal we were saving," Sophia''s voice came from the kitchen, shutting him up instantly. He murmured something about unfairness under his breath and left dejectedly.


    Within a few minutes, the new carriage was attached and everyone other than Jacob was on it.


    "Where''s your father?!" Sophia asked when she didn''t see her husband at the front.


    "He went to warn the neighbors. I told him there was no point, they all hate us anyway..." Reece replied, rubbing the back of his head which was still hurting.


    Time passed slowly and Jacob return soaked from head to toe.


    "Did you find them?" Sophia asked when she saw his expression.


    Jacob shook his head, "They seemed to have left hours ago. The entire vige is empty," he said dolefully and took the reins from Reece. "You boys get in the back, it''s raining too heavily and the journey is long, we might have to switch so you can driveter."


    "But-"


    *Smack*


    Reece tried to protest but a hand came from behind the cover and smacked him on the exact same spot where the can had hit earlier. "Get back here now!"


    With tears in his eyes, Reece gloomily returned to the back of the carriage without another word.


    Jacob smiled looking at him and took out the lone spirit crystal and inserted it into a socket on the side of the carriage. Small runes lit up and crawled all over the carriage, vanishing a few secondster.


    Jacob nodded after inspecting the carriage, making sure it was working fine. He gave some feed to the two Tiger Bulls in front who smacked their feet on the ground happily.


    Tiger bulls were low-level Brute beasts without any intelligence. But they were very hardworking and had a lot of stamina so many people used them for farming.


    He got up on the carriage and with a whip, speed off towards Galena.


    After the Spirit stone was inserted into the socket, the walls of the carriage became like a one-sided mirror. No one could see in but they could all see everything around them clearly.


    It was around 10 p.m right now and the rain hadn''t let up for even a second. Instead, it actually seemed to be getting worse by the second.


    Jacob''s expressed worsened the more he looked around. There was a dried-up river between them and Galena which would sometimes flood during heavy rains. But whenever it did, the path would be blocked and the only way across would be through the mountains which not was not only longer, but also much more dangerous.


    With gritted teeth, he once again whipped the bulls who increased their speed yet again.

 Chapter 135: The Unclean

    <h4>Chapter 135: The Unclean</h4>


    The Tiger Bulls pulled the carriage with everything they had and sped along the dark road in the heavy rain. The pitter-patter of the rain hitting against the carriage roof sounded like panicked knocking which made everyone very ufortable.


    They had been on the road for about two hours now. Jacob was still the one driving while the boys kept an eye out on each side for anything strange.


    After about another 30 minutes the carriage came to a sudden stop.


    "Honey, What''s wrong?" Sophia''s voice came from the carriage, waking up the dazed Jacob.


    "N-Nothing, just some debris," he shouted back and turned the carriage towards a dirt road on the left side. Because in front of him was a raging river that seemed to be alive. It''s waters sshed against the riverbank, causing small pieces of earth to break off and get carried away with it.


    "Boys, keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Tell me as soon as you see anything at all," he said once again and passed a sword to Reece who happily epted it.


    "Dad! Why him? This idiot has a better chance of cutting his own hand off," Miles protested seeing his father hand the responsibility of standing guard to his idiotic brother.


    "Quiet! You boys have to work together because no else in this life will ever look out for you other than family. Blood is thicker than water. Why are you guys so immature? When will you understand? I have...." Sophia''s lecturepletely dispelled the previously eerie atmosphere and all the boys sat in their seats with heads down.


    Sophia was extremely strict with her sons but somehow that only made them act out more. She disciplined them every way she knew but they would still pull off stupid stunts and then be punished for themter while shouting about unfairness.


    The carriage hastily proceeded up a rough mountain path while leaving very obvious tracks behind it. The rainwater was also flowing down the mountain, making many muddy areas soft.


    But contrary to the unnatural silence outside, the carriage hadn''t been quiet for even a second. If it wasn''t Sophia''s lecturing, it would be one of the boys making a stupid remark and then getting chastised or mocked by others, making the atmosphere very rxed.


    But Jacob''s expression kept getting worse as time passed. This mountain should have been full of small animals and beasts but he had seen nothing ever since they got on it. Although Jacob wasn''t an experienced cultivator himself, he had been on enough hunts to know when something was off, and this ce shouted danger.


    Still, what could he do? The entire vige had abandoned them and there was an evacuation order out so holding up in their homes wasn''t an option either. The only path forward was through the unknown mountains. This wasn''t a ce for mere mortals like him but for his family he had to go against every voice of reason in his head telling him to turn around.


    "How could those people be so heartless? Kids make mistakes. Just because of a few simple pranks they ostracized us?" he muttered angrily while whipping the bulls once again. The Tiger bulls had extremely tough hide so normal whips could only tickle them at best.


    After another hour and a half, they finally reached the top of the mountain and started descending from the other side. The journey down was much faster and in less than thirty minutes they had already passed the halfway mark.


    Jacob was ecstatic seeing the white stones on the side of the road and wanted to let the family know but as he was about to turn around, he saw something from the corner of his eye.


    Up ahead on the side of the road was an olddy walking along casually in the heavy rain. Upon hearing the carriage approach she slowly turned and waved at Jacob with an expression of relief.


    Jacobs'' heart started pounding like a hammer and instead of slowing down he whipped the bulls as hard as he could and increased the speed even more, passing by the old woman like a storm.


    "Jacob, what happened?" Sophia inquired after feeling the speed increase for no reason. They were on a slippery road going down so this was very dangerous.


    "There was an old woman looking for a lift," he somberly replied.


    "WHAT?!" Sophia''s head popped out from the front of the wagon but they had already passed the olddy.


    "I-It''s fine, we are alr-" Jacob tried to exin and but stopped mid-sentence seeing the same old woman looking at them from the front with a sinister smile.


    "Get back inside, quick!" he shouted and looked away from the old woman, focusing on the road.


    Sophia sat down and hugged Damien tightly.


    A few more minutes passed and Reece who was looking out the back of carriage spoke up, "Mom there''s someone following us," he pointed behind them.


    Sophia''s eyes constricted as she leaned over and saw the same old woman smiling at them from ear to ear.


    "Come here, don''t look at it!" she grabbed Miles and Reece and pulled them close to her as well.


    She held them protectively and started mumbling something under her breath while holding onto her Staurolite ne with her right hand. It was in anguage that none of the boys understood but seeing their brave mothers countenance change so suddenly, they also kept quiet and just sat next to her.


    "Honey, please, hurry," Sophia yelled with closed eyes.


    She was sweating bullets right now and was running out of breath for some strange reason.


    Reece stretched out his neck and looked outside and almost had a heart attack. The old woman was less than ten meters away from the moving carriage and seemed to be inching closer by the second.


    Her feet weren''t visible under the long ck dress but her legs didn''t appear to be moving. She seemed to be floating just above the ground while etching closer to the carriage, still with the strange smile on her face which looked extremely horrifying in this situation.


    "M-Mom th..the old wom..an.." Reece grabbed his mother''s dress trying to tell her but the words simply didn''t seem to want to leave his throat.


    Sophia opened her eyes suddenly and broke off the ne around and her neck before throwing it towards the old woman.


    The ne seemed to be pulled to the olddy and connected with her chest as if it was attracted by a strong force.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHH" a horrendous scream came out of the woman''s mouth that sounded like an infant crying and a grown man screaming at the same time.


    When the scream reached the family, all the childrenpletely froze while Sophia started mumbling louder.


    This time her prayer was in thenguage of the beast world.


    "Listen to my prayers oh forgotten spirits. I seek protection from the darkness, from the ''unclean''. From those that walk amongst us without being seen. Protect my family in this time of need and I shall offer you a worthy sacrifice!"


    "HURRY! The Staurolite won''t stop it for too long!" she yelled at Jacob who increased the speed as much as the terrain would allow.


    The carriage rushed down the mountain path like it was on fire, sending rocks flying everywhere. Now they were less than 5 kilometers away from the bridge that separated the mountain from the area in front. The river was passing underneath the bridge and could be heard from miles away.


    "Almost there!" Jacob finally smiled looking at the bridge in the distance.


    "AAAHH" the screaming came once again, this time filled with anger.


    Sophias'' countenance changed as she looked back and saw a creature running towards them on all fours. It had a humanoid figure but the skin was burnt off and more than half of its face was just a huge mouth with rows of giant teeth. (Authors note for pics)


    "No!" Sophia shouted and took the sword from Reece''s hand and stood in front of them.


    "So close! Hold on honey, we''re almost there!" Jacob''s voice came from the front but Sophia was in no condition to reply. She held the sword in front of her and stood facing the horrendous creature with her own legs shaking.


    "You will not have my children!" she shouted and cut her wrist to cover the sword with her blood. Once the de was covered in it she threw it towards the creature.


    The creature seemed like it had seen the most disgusting thing in existence and avoided the sword like it was cursed.


    Unfortunately, Sophia was just a normal human being and the sword wasn''t really thrown with much power behind it, making it easy for the creature to avoid it.


    Tears started streaming down Sophia''s face as she looked back at the three boys who were barely able to move right now.


    She looked at Miles with a smile, "You must look after your brothers, they''re not as smart as you. Your father is so very naive so make sure he doesn''t fall for someone''s petty tricks."


    "Mom what are you-" Miles tried to speak up but Sophia bent down and kissed his forehead, stopping him.


    "My precious boys," she smiled at them and turned around to face the creature once again with a hardened expression.


    She raised her foot to step out of the moving carriage but a voice echoed in her mind.


    "So..Hungry...."


    *BOOOM*


    Thunder boomed and a towering figure appeared next to the creature. It was a human but she couldn''t see the face clearly because of the heavy rain, only the glowing emerald light from where the eyes should have been.


    The man extended his hand like a snake and grabbed the horrendous creature by the neck, stopping it dead in its tracks. He let out a satisfying smile and tightened his grasp around the creature''s neck, making it explode with brute physical force.


    Blood sshed everywhere.


    He then held the creature''s corpse above his head and started drinking its putrid blood with a childish grin on his face.


    This scene which should have terrified her, only made her think one thing, "Such madness in those eyes..."


    ****


    Authors notes:


    The old woman, a mix of these two: https://urlzs/cfzrk https://urlzs/2eHwC


    Original links: https://i.pinimg/originals/8e/d9/4d/8ed94d704c940fc47782e5bd1d621b8a.jpg


    https://i.pinimg/564x/ab/17/ec/ab17ec0795b5174c54a19090e8c80253.jpg

 Chapter 136: Galena

    <h4>Chapter 136: Galena</h4>


    Sophia let out a sigh of relief and stepped back, closing the door of the carriage. It only took them a couple of minutes to pass the bridge and enter the forest near Galena.


    It had been raining for almost a full day without a break and the conditions of the roads were greatly affected by all the water. All the dirt roads were more like quicksands at this point so the remaining journey which should have onlysted an hour or so took more than three hours.


    The carriage slowly emerged out of the forest and entered the farmingnds outside the town. Although Galena was considered a third-grade town, due to its proximity to the many forests and mountains, a lot of people visited the ce every few months to hunt and look for treasures.


    That''s why there were many guilds and hunter unions here. The locals preferred to call it a city even though it wasn''t qualified to be called one.


    As the carriage got closer, the boys peeked out of the side windows to catch a glimpse of the ''majestic'' Galena castle that was the core of the city. The entire ''city'' was made around this castle and was the abode of the city lord who was probably the only profound realm cultivator in thousands of miles.


    The city lord was either selected by the government or the Mei n and was the ruler of the entire area. Here, his word was thew.


    "Mom, why are there so many people here?" Damian asked upon seeing the multitude of people either just standing under a tree or camping out in the open.


    Jacob frowned as he passed by the many families that were huddling together in the cold rain. "Why aren''t they going inside?" he wondered but his query was soon answered as they reached the closed city gate.


    There were rows of fully armored guards standing there intimidatingly. Other than the 30-meter radius around the city gate, all the other areas were littered with tents. in total, there were probably more than Fifty thousand people there.


    Jacob stopped the carriage some ways back, got off, and walked towards the gate.


    "Halt! The gates are closed and no one is allowed entry!" shouted a bearded guard from more than 15 meters away, stopping Jacob in his tracks.


    "But what about the evacuation order? We left our homes toe here, to seek shelter in the city. Why are you not letting anyone pass?" he yelled back from afar.


    The guard frowned, "It is the city lord''s order. No one is allowed entry until the rain stops. After that, if you have the gold then you''re most wee to pass through," he said scornfully and then looked away, indicating the end of the conversation.


    Jacob wanted to ask a few more questions and inquire about Felix''s whereabouts but it was quite obvious that he was not going to get a proper response from these people.


    He went back to the carriage and moved it to an empty spot on the outer edge since every other ce was taken. He exined the situation to Sophia who had a hard time wrapping her head around this. She wanted to go talk to the guards herself but everyone else stopped her.


    "They have no right! Even though he is the city lord, the evacuation order has been issued by the highest authority in the kingdom. He has no choice but to obey. I''m gonna file aint with the internal bureau once this is all over. And gold for entry? That''s not a thing even under normal circumstances let alone right now. This is illegal on so many levels. Are they not afraid of consequences?" Sophia couldn''t sit still and kept talking to herself for several minutes before calming down.


    "Just because some moron in the pce thought this was a good idea, does not mean I do as well. You boys will study until we can get back. Here, I brought all of your books," she waved her hand and a pile of books fell on the carriage floor, baffling even her husband.


    "But mom! The rain and the order and the monsters and the..." the boys tried to reason with her but she did not budge. Then came the pleading but still bore no fruit. She was harsher than most military generals.


    It was already morning but looked no different than the middle of the night. The dark clouds covered the entire sky and not a single ray of sunshine passed through. If not for the watches, there was no way to tell it was the middle of the damn day.


    The Miller family spent most of the time in the carriage because of the heavy rain. And after them, not a lot of other people arrived. They were in thest batch.


    Their ''neighbors'' were loners that looked like cultivators and hunters. The boys wanted to go talk to them but were stopped by their parents. Who knew the background of these people. And they had always heard of stories about temperamental cultivators that would start massacres for no reason at all so it was better to keep to themselves.


    Half a dayter another person arrived. He had long ck hair thereing down to his back and was taller than 99% of the people here. It looked he had been in a tough fight as he was naked from the waist up and whatever was left below that was in tatters.


    There were closed up scars all over his body which made him look very menacing. He didn''t talk to anyone or even take cover from the rain and simply sat on a nearby rock with his head down, letting the raindrops fall on him ceaselessly.


    The only noticeable thing was the small container beside him. There were a couple of cute little baby animals in it. One was a full white kitten and the other a pup. Neither of them woke up for even a second and simply slept through everything.


    ***


    It had already been three whole days since the evacuation order was issued but there was no change in the weather. Instead, it seemed to be getting even colder and many people had to go out to hunt for food and gather firewood, which was easier said than done in this rain.


    The Miller family was also in a dire situation. Their food supplies were running dangerously low and the carriage was not enough to keep the cold out.


    Sophia was 5 months pregnant and it was very dangerous for her and the baby to stay in such cold weather for an extended period of time. Jacob went to talk to the guards several times but returned without an answer.


    "The city lord''s orders," they said. "Our hands are tied," they said.


    Another day passed and there was an extremely loudmotion a few hundred meters away from the Miller family. Several beasts hade out of the jungle and attacked the civilians. Although they were taken care of rtively quickly, there were still some casualties. An entire family was eaten alive before the guards reached.

 Chapter 137: The Castle

    <h4>Chapter 137: The Castle</h4>


    Sophia sat by the window and stared out at the watery hell her family had been living in for thest few days. It was already the sixth day since the evacuation order had been issued and they had still not been allowed entry into the city.


    There were more and more beast attacks every single day, so much so that the couple of hundred guards weren''t capable of defending the entire area.


    The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. What was going? Why were they denied entry? Where was her eldest son?


    *Crunch*


    There was a sound from the front, waking her from her thoughts. She looked up and saw the half-naked man sitting on the rock with his head down. The rock had small cracks all over it and looked like it could fall apart any second.


    "It was fine a few days ago," she mumbled mindlessly.


    Hearing her voice, the man, probably for the first time since arriving here, looked up and met her gaze, starting her.


    "Those eyes, it was you?" she whispered with wide eyes but the man did not reply and lowered his head once again, closing his eyes.


    She stared at him for a little bit longer until Jacob called her for dinner. They were having soup from some bones that had been boiled over ten times already along with a few rice cakes. These were the only things left to eat now.


    Jacob tried going hunting but there was not a single animal anywhere near them. The only thing in abundance was the cold water and the beasts circling around them.


    They were very fortunate that there hadn''t been any beast attacks in their area. They seemed to be avoiding them and only attacking other sides.


    "Honey, you need to eat more, it''s not good for the baby if you starve yourself like this," Jacob said pleadingly when he saw Sophia stare at the food without touching it.


    She shook her head, "I''m not hungry. Take my share to the boy outside, the one sitting on the rock. Even if he is a cultivator, I haven''t seen him eat ever since he got here. He must be hungry but too shy to ask," she turned around and looked at Hao Xuan through the window once again.


    "Look at his state. He must''ve gone through something horrible to end up like that. And he looks even younger than Felix. What would his mother think if she saw him like this?" she said with tears in her eyes. Jacob also looked at the boy and shook his head. He knew how much his wife cared about their eldest son.


    Even though they bickered and fought endlessly, she still loved him more than anything in the world. And they had been trying to contact Felix ever sinceing here but there was no response from him at all. He knew Sophia was just using the boy as a recement for Felix, but there was nothing he could do.


    "Sure," he said with a smile and filled a big bowl of soup, and took several rice cakes with him.


    "But dad, there''s barely any left for us!" Reece shouted but with an angry re from Jacob, quieted down instantly.


    ***


    Hao Xuan had arrived at Galena even earlier than the Miller family but hadn''t entered on purpose. The entire ce gave him an unsettling feeling.


    When he first went up to talk to the guards, Zhurong who had been soundly sleeping suddenly woke up.


    "Bad ce, evil," he muttered with half-closed eyes and entered the container with Xiao Xiao before falling asleep once again.


    Hao Xuan didn''t use his badge to force his way in or even kill his way in because of that. He slowly walked back until the strange feeling disappeared and sat down on a rock.


    The only time he went out was to ''devour'' a few beasts to heal his wounds. He had found some but still not enough to heal himpletely.


    It was also at this time that he had ''met'' the Miller family.


    On the fourth day there was a strong fluctuation in the spiritual energy, so much that every single cultivator present felt it.


    A ckish energy surrounded the entire castle and almost covered itpletely. Of course, normal people could not see this change, hell, even cultivators below the Spirit realm had no way to see it. The only reason Hao Xuan was able to was because of his more powerful soul and constitution, but even for him, it wasn''t very clear. It simply looked like a ck haze to him.


    But what caught his attention was the unsettling feeling that he was feeling before suddenly got much stronger and more ''physical''. He had felt this before, or rather remembered feeling something simr before.


    Back when he saw the memories of Deimos, this was the feeling that was present when a true demon had appeared. The feeling of utter hopelessness, the feeling of evil and darkness. It was the body''s natural response when encountering something so.....''unholy''.


    As soon as he felt it, without wasting a second he contacted First and told him the severity of the situation. He didn''t tell him how he knew this, just that he did. He told him that something evil had taken over the city and was probably controlling the city lord.


    "Alright, I''ll contact the great general myself and let you know," First said.


    A few hourster he called again, "Since the city lord was a Profound realm expert that means whatever''s there now is probably stronger. Unfortunately, the Legion has no one to spare at the moment, but the ''Spearhead''s'' are sending a couple of people. They should be there in about two days. You must wait for them before doing anything," he exined before hanging up.


    Hao Xuan had been sitting out in the open because he didn''t want to use the portable camp and draw too much attention towards him. He was waiting for the two people from the Spearhead to arrive, which was Great General Ouki''s division.


    "War God Ouki.." Hao Xuan mumbled while reminiscing. He had met this person before when he was escaping from the Alces. The reason Hao Xuan remembered him so clearly was because he used the same weapon as Hao Xuan, a ive.


    After regaining his memory, Hao Xuan had looked him up.


    "Hailed as the God of War, born to a civilian, the great general has never been defeated on the battlefield. With his massive ive, he has killed an uncountable number of enemies. One of the only three Great Generals still actively serving the Kingdom of Mei, he is a hero born to the battlefield."


    "No wonder he is so popr. He was a nobody, yet with pure hard work he climbed to where he is today," Hao Xuan thought after reading his history.


    "Hey there," a voice woke Hao Xuan up. He looked up and saw a middle-aged man standing in front of him with an umbre and some dishes in his hand, smiling at him.


    "Hope I''m not bothering you. We made some extra food and thought I''d share. My wife always makes so much, I keep telling her but she never listens. Women right? Haha," he handed Hao Xuan the tray and the umbre.


    "I know its not that fancy, but it will warm you right up. Perfect for this cold weather," he said before running back to the carriage in a hurry.


    From start to finish Hao Xuan didn''t even have a chance to react. By the time he regained his sense, there was a steaming bowl of soup and an umbre in his hand.


    "Um, thank....you?" he shouted at the man''s back with a confused look on his face.


    "Is this charity? Do I look that bad?" he looked at himself but stopped upon realizing the condition he was in, "Nevermind..."


    After hesitating for a few seconds he took a sip and was amazed. How could it taste so good? Was it because he hadn''t eaten for a while? Within a few seconds, everything was wiped clean. Not even a crumb was left.


    "Now I''m hungry again," Hao Xuan rubbed his stomach.


    "When the hell are the Spearhead people arriving? How long am I supposed to live like this?" he shouted inwardly.


    After washing the dishes with some clean drinking water from his storage ring, he went up to the carriage and knocked.


    There were many voices of kids bickeringing from the inside which quietened down immediately.


    "Yes? Oh, hello! How was the food?" Jacob''s head popped out from behind the door and he smiled upon seeing Hao Xuan.


    "Thank you, it was really good. I went huntingst night and brought back some extra meat, can you guys use before it goes bad? I can only eat so much you see," Hao Xuanughed and waved his hand and a basket of dried meat, eggs, milk, some fruits, and nuts appeared.


    "I really appreciate you doing this for me. I thought I would have to throw this stuff away, but thank god there is someone who can use it," he smiled and shoved the basket in into Jacob''s arms before walking away merrily. It actually looked like he was d to get rid of the stuff, leaving Jacob with furrowed brows.


    "What''s that?" Sophia asked when Jacob returned with a huge basket filled to the brim with food.


    "That boy over there, he said he went out hunting and got a bit too much, so wanted to share with us."


    "Huh? He went hunting and milked some beasts and stole some eggs while out?" Miller asked suspiciously when he saw the contents of the basket. The milk and the eggs had expiration dates on them while the meat was in airtight sealed bags. It was pretty clear all this stuff was bought from a very high-end ce. Each egg was as big as a small melon.


    "Can we really keep it?" Jacob asked his wife, who was the main decision-maker.


    She looked out the window and smiled seeing the lonely silhouette in the rain.


    "Sure, why not?"


    "But what if it''s poisoned?"


    "If he wanted to harm us, there are a lot easier ways to do so, especially for someone like him," she shook her head.


    That night the Miller family had a hearty dinner. And there was enough food to keep them fed for days if rationed properly. The next morning there was a knock on the carriage door. Jacob looked out and saw another basket filled with even more things, waiting outside for him.


    He looked up at the rock where the young man sat every single but it was empty now. There was no one there anymore.


    "He left...?" Jacob mumbled. He went back and told Sophia, who quickly looked out the window and got a bit sad seeing the empty rock. She was so used to the boy''s presence outside that it had be a natural thing.


    The wounded boy who sat in the cold rain for almost a full weak with tattered clothes was like a sacred being in her eyes. He sat between the carriage and the jungle filled with wild beasts, but she knew as long as he was there, her family would be safe.


    ***


    Hao Xuan was standing in front of two silhouettes in the jungle, ring at them bitterly.


    "Took you people long enough," he said through gritted teeth, trying to sound calm.


    "We came here as fast as we could," one of the figures replied from under the ck hood that covered his facepletely.


    "Whatever, let me change first and I''ll go make a ruckus to give you guys an opportunity to enter without drawing too much attention," Hao Xuan waved his hand and the portable camp appeared, startling the two figures.


    The rain couldn''t pass through the barrier so as soon as the camp appeared, Hao Xuan let out a sigh of relief. This was the first time he had been out of the rain in almost a week.


    "Make yourself at home. If you want to make some tea or food, there''s the kitchen," he pointed at the campfire and went into the wood cabin.


    The figures just stood there, looking around with wide eyes. "This, isn''t too bad a thing," one of them mumbled while examining the different formations.


    About ten minutester the cabin door opened and Hao Xuan walked out with a white Hanfu. He looked like apletely different person from the beggar-like appearance before.


    "Ready?" he asked while fixing his cor.


    "As we''ll ever be," one of the figures waved his hand and a giant spear appeared.


    "Great," Hao Xuan stored the camp away and summoned Bai.


    "Let''s see how they treat the Ninth head of the Red Legion," he smiled and set off towards the city gate.

 Chapter 138: Tyrant

    <h4>Chapter 138: Tyrant</h4>


    More than 50,000 people had been camping out in the rain for almost a week now. The beast attacks were getting more and more frequent while the food supplies were basically non-existent. People were getting more and more restless by the day and there had been many instances of theft as well. The situation was about to turn very bad.


    The Miller family was on the outskirts of the encampment so they had managed to stay out of any trouble for the most part. unfortunately, nothingsts forever.


    Currently, there were about 20 men surrounding their carriage with different weapons in hand.


    "Just give us the food and we will leave, we know you have more so don''t bother lying to us. This can be as pleasant as you want to make it," a thin man with a small mustache said while standing behind the encirclement.


    "We already gave you everything we had, what more do you want?!" Jacob shouted while trying to catch his breath. He had a long cut on his left arm and a wound on his forehead. Reece and Miles were standing next to him with pitchforks and shovels and had bruises all over their faces.


    Sophia was still in the carriage, looking out warily while embracing Damian who was struggling to run out himself.


    "Lies! We have been starving here for days while you people kept all this food to themselves. Can you even call yourselves humans?" shouted the thin man scornfully.


    "We didn''t even have this food until a few hours ago. A stranger gave it to us and left!" Reece yelled back angrily, making the group break out inughter.


    "Moron. Do you really expect us to believe that a random stranger gave you so much great food for no reason and then left without asking for anything in return? Who would believe such crap," another man said, making the group howl inughter once again.


    "You can check the carriage, we really don''t have anything. What do you want us to do?" Miles pointing at the carriage.


    The thin man walked forward with small steps and looked at Sophia with a smirk, "Hmm, you''re right. We should really "Check" the carriage carefully. The food could be anywhere," he nodded and waved his hand.


    Jacob''s eyes contracted as he almost vomited blood from the anger, "You f*cking animal! I''ll kill every one of you before I let you touch a single hair on her head!"


    "Fine with me. Kill them, I''ll let whoever kills him have first turn with the woman," he pointed at Jacob.


    Jacob, Miles, and Reece suddenly froze with horrified expressions on their faces as they looked behind the thin man.


    "Hahaha, was that all the bravery you had?" the thin manughed until he felt a gust of warm air behind him. He slowly turned around and backed up several steps, falling on his a*s.


    "AHHHH" his scream made the other men turn around as well who all wore simr expressions.


    In front of them stood a gigantic ck tiger-like beast. It was about 7 feet in height and more than 50 feet in length. It was looking at them with an expression of ridicule.


    "I''d very much like to see you try," a voice came from the beasts back. The beast lowered its head respectfully and a gigantic humanoid figure with a weapon taller than the beast itself came into view.


    He had long ck hair and was wearing a white hanfu. On his face was a horned mask, covering the top half.


    "Well?" he asked while bending forward, "I don''t have all day you know," he asked with a smile.


    "I-I''m sorry my lord. It was just a joke, just a joke. You can ask Jacob, he will tell you that as well!" the thin man prostrated on the muddy ground while yelling.


    Hao Xuan looked up at Jacob who also bowed respectfully, "This is my vige leader senior, it was nothing serious. Just a....joke," he said slowly.


    "But dad-"


    "Quiet!"


    Reece tried to speak up but was stopped by Jacob. The thin man was indeed the leader of the vige they were staying at. If he truly med him then there wouldn''t be any ce left for him to return to. Now that Hao Xuan was here, he wouldn''t pull something like that again so continuing this was useless. Jacob thought they wouldn''t punish the leader too harshly anyway so what was the point of wounding a bear?


    Hao Xuan looked at Jacob for a few seconds and then nodded.


    "Alright, if that''s what you want."


    He patted Bai who started walking past them. The vige leader had a huge smile on his face as he prostrated once again, "Thank you for your mercy senior!"


    Bai suddenly froze. Hao Xuan looked back at him with an angry expression, "What the hell did you call me?!"


    The vige leader was stupified and confused at the same time, "E-Eh? Se..senior??"


    A burst of Qi erupted from Hao Xuan''s body that made all 20 men fall down to their knees.


    "Do I look that old? How dare you call me senior!"


    "B-But just now Jaco-" he tried to argue back it was already toote.


    Hao Xuan shed down once with his ive and every single man was decapitated. Their heads fell down to the ground with the same expression of disbelief they had before.


    There wasplete silence. A few others had alsoe to watch and were nowpletely terrified. The entire Miller family was shocked speechless. Sophia covered Damian''s eyes with her hands while her own mouth was left wide open.


    The headless bodies stood in ce for a few seconds before falling to ground with a ssh.


    "Isn''t this guy going a little overboard? I mean creating a distraction is one thing but killing civilians?" the taller hooded figure asked the other.


    The other one shook his head, "At least he didn''t eat them. Did you not see his Death Walk fight? Dude''s got a few screws loose. Even at the Demon hunter academy there aren''t that many people as ruthless as him."


    "I''m barely twenty, how dare an old piece of sh*t call me senior," Hao Xuan said with an expression of disgust and then casually walked away on Bai, leaving the spectators astonished.


    "And why the hell are you people all camping here?" he shouted after looking around.


    An elderly person walked forward with the help of a cane and bowed respectfully, "My lord, the gates have not been opened for a week now. No one has been allowed entry on City Lord''s orders," he said feebly.


    "What?! Who the f*ck is this city lord? Is he stronger than the Mei n?! The government?! The order has already been passed yet he dares to disobey?" Hao Xuan used Qi to shout as loudly as possible. His voice rang through every corner of the city and the encampment outside.


    He then looked at the gate where some guards were standing dumbfoundedly.


    "Open this god damned gate!" he shouted while still being several hundred meters away. The guards felt like their souls were going to get crushed from the immense pressure that Hao Xuan was releasing.


    Bai jumped a couple of times and appeared right in front of the guards.


    "Are you deaf or just stupid? Open this gate!" Hao Xuan''s angry voice came down like a tsunami.


    "M-My lord, please have mercy. We are only following orders!" they all fell down on one knee immediately.


    "I don''t give a shit. Open this door before I cut it down!"


    "STOP!"


    Just as the guards were about to open the gate, a loud voice came from inside and pressure emanating from Hao Xuan vanished like smoke in a storm.


    ****


    Authors Note:


    Bai''s image: https://i.pinimg/564x/49/31/49/493149e9779eed11c8ed967c7a1459c0.jpg


    Shortened: https://urlzs/TQQ5f

 Chapter 139: The Sorcerer

    <h4>Chapter 139: The Sorcerer</h4>


    Hao Xuan stood before the gate waiting for the owner of the voice to arrive.


    A few minutes passed and the sound of the metal clicking came from the other side before the gate opened on its own.


    On the other side stood tall man with a paleplexion. He had burn marks all over his face and looked like he had juste out a fight.


    "Who are you? What do you want? Why are you creating trouble here?" he fired one question after another while carefully analyzing Hao Xuan himself.


    Hao Xuan didn''t answer straight away and looked at the city behind him. Galena was a city of two million people on its own and with the evacuation order, there must have been panic among the popce, yet right now the city looked like a ghost a town. There was not a single soul other than the tall man anywhere in sight.


    The ck haze that was surrounding the Castle was so dense just on the other side of the gate that it seemed like a different world.


    "Are you the City Lord?" he asked coldly while tightening the grip on the ive.


    "I am Fel, the city lord is my foster father. Who are you to inquire about him?" the man answered with an annoyed expression.


    The Guards were still standing on the sidelines with shaking legs and themotion was big enough to attract the attention of every civilian outside the gate as well. They stood a few dozen meters behind Hao Xuan and looked at Fel aggressively. Some of the children were even making funny faces at him while one tried to throw rocks but his father stopped him.


    Hao Xuan was starting to get a really bad feeling about this ce. The Galena of right now reminded him of the mining vige, minus the dark energy. And thinking about the vige reminded him of the creatures and then Kanna, which only made him angrier and sadder.


    "Where are the civilians? Where is everyone?" he asked lightly.


    Fel furrowed his brow and backed up a few steps. The dark energy twisted and turned and coiled around him protectively.


    "They are....not here anymore. Who are you?" he asked with a smirk.


    Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat. "I knew it," he thought inwardly and shook his head.


    "Last time you people escaped, this time I won''t allow it," he mumbled. Fel looked at him confusedly, not knowing what he was mumbling about.


    Instead of answering and exining everything to him one by one, he simply took out his ID badge and inserted some Qi into it.


    It flew up from his hand and floated above him. He looked at Fel and spoke solemnly.


    "I am Deimos."


    *Bzzzt*


    The space ripped open in the shape of an eye, a red eye.


    "The Ninth head of the Red Legion."


    *Bzzzt*


    The second eye opened.


    "I am the Mad Saint."


    *Bzzzt*


    The third eye appeared.


    "I am the Mad Demon!"


    *Bzzzt*


    The fourth eye appeared and a huge pressure descended on the entire city. He started circting Qi from all three meridians at full power. Right now he was at the top of Origin Realm stage 4. One by one the pressure increased as the ck haze was pushed backward.


    ck lightning covered his entire right arm as he looked at the man with gritted teeth.


    The two hooded figures were bewildered. Wasn''t he just supposed to cause a distraction and let them enter? Why the hell was he so angry all of a sudden?!?


    Fel''s countenance changed instantly. He extended his hand and a ck staff appeared with white marks on it. He held it in front of him and a barrier surrounded himpletely.


    Hao Xuan got even angrier looking at him. He jumped off of Bai''s back and brought the ive straight down on the barrier.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The entire area around them exploded. The civilians were pushed back more than 50 meters.


    The taller hooded figure looked at the other, "Well f*ck. That didn''t go ording to n. Should we attack?"


    The other one shook his head, "Let''s wait and see if that Fel guy is worth us joining the battle for."


    But they got their answer sooner than expected. The dust settled and everyone could see the aftermath. The entire gate was blown to bits. Hao Xuan was standing in front of the barrier with two ck spikesing out his back.


    *Cough*Cough*


    Hao Xuan moved several steps back and spat out mouthfuls of blood, while Fel''s barrier was scratchless.


    "A mere origin realm brat? If you had done a surprise attack then maybe there would''ve been a chance but not now. Might as well, let me y with you for a little bit," he smiled and mmed the staff down. The ck energy from the surroundings started moving towards the castle in droves.


    "Alright, now we can go," the shorter hooded figure sighed and waved his hand. A gigantic scythe appeared which was taller than himself.


    "He looks like a sorcerer, try to separate him from the staff," he said to the other and disappeared from the spot.


    Hao Xuan looked at Fel and couldn''t help but feel powerless. "Should''ve used the best technique I had," but it was toote now.


    "Hahaha, soon my baby will be finished and then I can finally leave this barren ce," Fel grinned and lifted the staff once again.


    *Swoosh*


    But before he could do anything else, a scythe appeared out of thin air and ripped apart his barrier like paper and cut off his arm.


    "AHHH, WHO?!" he jumped back and looked around him cautiously. A figure walked up from behind Hao Xuan and took off his hood. It was a muscr man with a greatsword in his hand. He looked to be about 25-26 years old at most with small scars all over him.


    "Little sorcerer, the Kingdom of Mei is not somewhere you can run free like this. You will pay for every single soul that was hurt by your hands," he smiled.


    Fel''s expression turned serious as he turned around and fled towards the castle without a second of hesitation, "The scythe was not his. There is another hiding in the shadows. And they know I''m a sorcerer?" he mumbled.


    The muscr man turned around and looked at Hao Xuan sympathetically, "You okay?"


    Hao Xuan was still burning with the urge to fight and the injuries weren''t serious to someone like him at all, "Yeah, its nothing."


    "Great. My name is Harp, my friend is Silex. We''ll go fight the sorcerer and you take care of any other enemies. Good?" he patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder.


    "Sure," Hao Xuan simply nodded his head and followed him into the castle.

 Chapter 140: Fiend

    <h4>Chapter 140: Fiend</h4>


    "Everyone, do not enter the city until we give the go ahead!" Hao Xuan shouted at the crowd.


    "Stay here, keep the container safe," he patted Bai''s head and ran towards the castle.


    Bai stood there until Hao Xuan''s back vanished from sight and then slowly walked towards the periphery of the encampment where the Miller family''s carriage was. The container with Zhurong and Xiao Xiao was in his mouth. He went up to the rock where Hao Xuan sat for six straight days andid down next to it.


    Sophia who was still in the carriage looked out of the window upon hearing themotion outside. Hundreds of people had also followed Bai back as well which attracted a lot of attention. She saw Baiy down next to the rock like it was his own ce and everything suddenly made sense to her.


    The wounded boy disappeared and the Red Legion''s Ninth captain appeared out of nowhere. Even if she was blind it wouldn''t take her long to put two and two together.


    "Help me up," she said to Damian who was standing outside, also looking at the massive beast with sparkling eyes.


    ****


    Harp had already flown towards the castle while Silex never even showed himself. Only his scythe appeared once and cut off one of Fel''s arms before disappearing once again.


    Hao Xuan ran along the city streets alone. There was not a single person anywhere in sight. He checked a few houses but there were no bloodstains, no heads like in the vige, not even any sign of struggle. It was like they all up and left on their own.


    All the dark energy was slowly congregating towards the castle in the middle of the city. The closer Hao Xuan got to castle, the stronger that feeling of despair got. Every fiber of his being was shouting for him to run away and nevere back to this ce, but he had no choice this time.


    A man could only run so far before having to face the harsh realities once again. He knew this better than most, having lived in his own little deluded world for so long. ming everyone but himself and waiting for things to get better on their own.


    "I''m kinda tired of it," he gave a short, mirthlessugh.


    It didn''t take long before he appeared next to the castle. It was at the very center of the city and one could tell from the walls that it was the oldest building here. Architecturally, it looked very much like a castle from Europe in the middle ages. Withrge stone walls, a few watchtowers every few hundred meters, and many windows for archers, it looked like something straight out of a movie.


    The castle''s gate was closed shut but that didn''t pose him much of a threat. He jumped on the wall and climbed straight up with the help of the ive.


    *BANG*


    Loud noises came from the tallest castle tower where he could see the Sorcerer and Harp floating in mid-air.


    "Follow the energy, can you sense it?" a voice rang in Hao Xuan''s head. He looked around but couldn''t see anyone so he simply nodded.


    "Good, go and check where it''s going. There seems to be something below the castle somewhere," the voice said before going silent.


    Hao Xuan looked at the two fighters in mid-air onest time before jumping down a stairwell.


    It seemed to go down without limits. He had already been going down for over five minutes straight, passing through one hallway after another. By now he was hundreds of meters below the castle.


    The dark energy kept getting stronger and stronger which made his skin crawl. And a dreadful smell apanied the energy which also made him vomit. He had to form a Qi barrier just to keep walking normally.


    Finally, hended on a t surface and breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn''t going any deeper. There was darkness all around him and he couldn''t see more than a few meters ahead of him. He waved his hand and a dozen or so lightstones appeared. He threw them in front of him one by one which lit up the entire room.


    When he caught a glimpse of the surroundings, his eyes contracted and his countenance worsened. He was in a massive hall, filled to the brim with corpses. There were literal mountains of corpses all around him. There were bodies of men and women, the old and the young, and everything in between.


    *Blegh*


    He couldn''t hold it in anymore and retched up a thick stream of vomit all over the ground.


    Hao Xuan had seen bodies before, he killed before and even drank their blood, but nowhere else had he seen something like this.


    All the corpses around him were naked, without a single string anywhere. And they had these ''expressions'' of merriment on their faces as if theirsts moments were the most joyous ones.


    Their mouths formed smiles from ear to ear and their eyes formed narrowed slits like they had heard the funniest joke just before their deaths.


    All of their necks were slit open but there was not a single drop of blood anywhere.


    *ng*ng*


    A noise came from the other side of the hall, somewhere behind the piles of bodies. It sounded like chains being rattled.


    "Someone''s...still alive??" Hao Xuan wiped the sides of his mouth and tried not to look at the corpses. He followed the sound and passed mountain after mountain, finally entering a corridor leading to another room at the end.


    The noise got louder, as did the dark energy as he got closer. He circted the Qi and held the ive in front of him just in case.


    At the end of the corridor, a giant wooden door obstructed Hao Xuan''s way. He took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the door.


    *Creeeeeak*


    The first thing he saw was a ck figure, chained to the ground and the walls. All the dark energy was surrounding it so Hao Xuan couldn''t even see its real appearance. In front of it was an altar made of old bones upon whichid hundreds of infant corpses.


    "What the actual f*ck," he unconsciously blurted out looking at the gruesome scene in front of him.


    *ng*


    The chained up figure in front of the altar slowly turned around and looked at Hao Xuan. Its eyes werepletely empty but every now and then there would be a spark, making it look alive.


    "What...are...you?" Hao Xuan asked while tightening his grip on the ive, ready to strike any second.


    "I...am...??" a hoarse voice that sounded neither feminine nor masculine came from the figure''s mouth. It looked even more confused than Hao Xuan.


    "Sever it quick! Before it wakes up!" Hyde''s voice rang in his head like a gong.


    "What? What is it?" Hao Xuan didn''t make a move and waited for an answer. Last time he did something like this it almost cost him his life.


    "Its a clone, a Fiend God''s clone! He is trying toe into this world through it. This is a golden opportunity, do not let it go to waste. That "thing" has the blood of a true god in its veins, albeit an evil one. Sever its soul and hence its connection to the evil god. Then you will have a servant with God''s blood serving under you," Hyde sounded extremely agitated and exined as quickly as possible.


    "Fiend god? What the hell is that? And what do you mean it''s trying toe into our world!?"


    "We do not have time for this, I''ll exinter!"


    "Why are you helping me?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously.


    "Because we are the same you moron, you die, I die. If that thing wakes up then we''re all dead. You, me and the two demon hunters above. None of us can handle it," Hyde appeared next to Hao Xuan and shouted angrily.


    Hao Xuan looked at him for a few seconds before nodding, "Fine."


    He looked back at the chained figure and smiled, "I''m here to help you master, to make your arrival easier," he said respectfully and walked towards the figure slowly.


    The figure seemed confused at first but then its eyes glinted with understanding.


    "Mortal, you have good eyes. You will make a nice servant for me. Come, unchain me and I will give you a reward," the figure''s voice suddenly turned masculine and it smiled at him.


    "Of course, master," Hao Xuan''s tone was so servile that it even surprised Hyde. He suddenly looked at Hao Xuan in a different light.


    He went up to the figure and respectfully bowed once, showing the proper attitude of a servant.


    "If you''ll allow me, master," he said gently and extended his hand towards the figure.


    "Mhm, very good. You know your ce mortal. Looks like there are still some sensible creatures left in this world," the figure smiled.


    "Thank you, master," Hao Xuan smiled kindly and suddenly ced his hand on its head, "Master, you can go to hell now, SEVER!"


    A bright light illuminated the room with Hao Xuan and the figure as the center.


    "AHHH! Soul Severing?! How dare you?! I''ll kill your entire race! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM??" the figure shouted as soon as it realized what was happening.


    Hao Xuan looked down at him with a raised eyebrow, "Do you know who ''I'' am?"


    The figure suddenly went silent for a few seconds and then asked somberly, "Who are you?!!"


    "Oh thank God, I thought you were omniscient or something. But since you don''t know, you can suck my ass, biatch!" he let out a sigh of relief.


    "AHHH, I''LL KILL YOU!!"


    "Shut the f*ck up b*tch, you''re lucky your real body isn''t here, otherwise I would take it too!" Hao Xuan grinned and increased the Qi output.


    "NOOOO!" Fel who was fighting Harp and Silex above the castle suddenly started screaming. "My baby! Who? HOW?!"


    Unfortunately, screaming was all he could do because neither of his opponents would give him the chance to interfere.


    About 30 or so secondster, the light vanished and everything returned to normal in the underground room.


    The dark energy was gone and in front of Hao Xuan was a kneeling figure. It had ck armor on which seemed to be a part of its body, and a single ck sword which seemed to havee out of nowhere. (check author''s notes for pic).


    Mr. Hyde appeared once again and nodded satisfactorily, "Good. Its connection to the Fiend God is severed. A few more days and it would''ve been toote."


    "Phew, great. So I finally got a powerful servant!" Hao Xuan smiled while looking at him.


    "Mhm, as soon as you defeat it in battle," Hyde patted his shoulder.


    "E-Eh? Defeat? Battle?" he looked back at the figure who was now standing in front of him with burning red eyes.


    "Yeeeah~, good luck with that, try not to die," and with that Hyde grinned and quickly disappeared once again.


    "Oh f*ck me..."


    ****


    Authors Note:


    https://i.pinimg/564x/ab/9a/85/ab9a85aab79ea4cdbdd4b4f611c98f35.jpg


    Shortened: https://urlzs/89UVE

 Chapter 141: Replacement

    <h4>Chapter 141: Recement</h4>


    Sophia got out of the carriage with Damian''s help.


    "Honey, what''s wrong?" seeing her stand in the rain, Jacob quickly came over with an umbre.


    "I have to go, Felix is crying, he needs his mother!" she said with wet eyes while struggling to walk. She had been cooped up in the carriage for days so now even walking was a chore.


    "Felix?" Jacob frowned. He looked around but didn''t see any sign of Felix. He checked his spirit ring and there was no response from him. Thest time Felix was online was more than a 3 weeks ago.


    He sighed and held Sophia in his arms, "Honey, did you have a bad dream?" he whispered lovingly.


    Sophia clutched his shirt as tears started falling down her face, "My baby, he is in so much pain. I can feel it. He needs me, please take me to him," she said through all the sobbing.


    "My love, Felix isn''t here. We don''t know where he is right now. Just wait, he will contact us soon. That Red Legion captain will take care of things in the city and then we can enter. I''ll go check the military academy and bring that good-for-nothing son of ours over, so you can scold him yourself," he brushed her hair and tried to calm her down.


    Sophia shook her head, "No, I can feel it. He is not okay, I need to see my baby, please, please take me to him," she looked up at him with wet eyes and reminded him of their initial meeting all those years ago. Since the very first time heid eyes upon her, he knew she was ''the one''. He knew for her, he would do anything, and he did.


    Jacob himself was the son of a nobleman of Galena. His status was quite high in the city and not many people could talk down to him. He had all the money in the world but left it for her, when his father didn''t approve.


    "For you, I would tear down the suns and the moons, how can I say no to something like this?" he smiled and kissed her forehead.


    "You boyse with, Miles you''re in charge. Stay behind us and keep them safe," he said to his other three sons and started walking towards the city gate while holding onto Sophia.


    Bai who wasying down beside the rock opened his eyes and looked at the departing family. He lowered his head and picked up the container in his mouth before silently following after them.


    "S-Stop, Captain Deimos said no one can enter!" a guard stopped the couple at the gate, or where it supposed to be.


    "We need to see our son. He hasn''t contacted us in weeks and my wife is really worried, I hope you understand," he looked at the guard and said calmly, which made him hesitate.


    "Still, you can''t ent-" the guard spoke up again but stopped mid-sentence when he saw Bai staring down at him with bloodthirsty eyes from behind them.


    "I-I''m sorry, please go ahead," he bowed respectfully and stepped aside instantly. He had seen Hao Xuan arrive on Bai so since it was following behind the couple, there was absolutely no reason for a mere mortal guard like him to talk here.


    Jacob was taken aback and slowly turned his head and saw Bai. He smiled knowingly and continued walking, entering the city.


    The Miller family went to the military academy Felix studied at but it was empty like all the other ces they had passed by. They went to every single ce Felix frequented, but the result was the same.


    Even Jacob himself was starting to worry now. But he had to stay strong for his family, such is a father''s duty.


    Sophia''s feet were starting to blister but she didn''t stop for even a second and kept running from one ce to another. Looking at her like that hurt Jacob more than any physical wound ever could.


    *BOOOM*


    About an hour or so passed and there was a small earthquake followed by an explosion from the center of the city.


    Sophia looked towards themotion and her heart shook, "He is there!" she pointed at the castle with a shaky hand.


    Jacob wanted to say something but didn''t have the heart to. He wished it wasn''t true, for his sake, and for hers.


    "Mhm, let''s go," he held her hand and led her towards the castle. As they got closer, the sounds got louder as well. One after another, castle towers fell and walls broke, sending debris flying everywhere.


    They stood on the periphery of all the chaos and watched. High up in the sky there was another battle going on and every now and then there would be explosions or nking noises.


    *Wooosh*


    *CRASH*


    A figure came shooting out of the castle and crashed into a building near them.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "God damn it, I knew it was going to be tough bute on," the figure spoke and slowly walked out of the rubble. It was the Red Legion captain they had seen before, only now he wasn''t that awe-inspiring and had blooding out from the corner of his mouth while his clothes were in tatters.


    He suddenly froze and turned around to look at the family with a deep frown, "What are you doing here? Didn''t I tell you to stay out? It isn''t safe here, leave, quickly!" he shouted at them.


    *BAAM*


    While he was looking at them, a ck energy sh came out of nowhere and hit him square in the chest, sending him flying back into another building.


    *nk*nk*nk*nk*


    The sound of steel armor came from the front and out walked another figure. This one covered from head-to-toe in ck metallic armor and holding a longsword. It was about 6 feet tall, much smaller than captain Deimos but somehow felt far more threatening.


    The armor on its left hand was smashed in and blood could be seen dripping out.


    Jacob''s pupils suddenly constricted as he stood in front of Sophia protectively. The figure slowly turned its head and looked at the couple.


    "RUN!" shouted Hao Xuan as he hurriedly ran back and shed against the figure once again, grabbing his attention.


    "Let''s move back a bit," Jacob whispered and tried to pull Sophia back, but she freed herself from his grasp and ran towards Hao Xuan and the figure.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Hao Xuan shouted when he saw hering towards them.


    "My Felix, my little baby, I''m sorry mommy wasn''t there when you needed her," she cried while running with everything she had. Jacob wanted to stop her but froze upon hearing her words. He looked back at the armored figure and couldn''t believe his eyes.


    That was his son?!


    Hao Xuan was also surprised, to say the least. He looked at her and then at the figure.


    "Oi, I thought you said this was a clone!" he shouted inwardly.


    "It is. That thing is no longer human. The body once was, but the soul has already been corrupted beyond repair. There is a Fiendish God''s blood running through its veins. That sorcerer must have paid a huge price to make this human body able to withstand the absolute power of a True God. Stop that foolish woman before she gets herself killed!" Hyde''s voice rang in Hao Xuan''s ears, making his countenance take a turn for the worst.


    The armored figure turned around to look at Sophia and a strange light appeared in its eyes.


    "Huh? Does it still remember? Maybe there is enough humanity left for ite back," Hao Xuan thought inwardly and backed off.


    "Wait, how does she know it''s her son?" he frowned and looked at Sophia.


    She stopped a few meters away from the armored figure with open arms, "Come to mommy," she smiled but her eyes seemed to be filled to the brim with sadness.


    "Something''s not right...." Hao Xuan mumbled. He looked at the figure and there were visible changes in its demeanor. It stood there looking at Sophia, trying to remember. But soon a smile crept upon its face, which although was covered by armor, anyone looking could still tell it was smiling.


    "Come here," Sophia said as tears rolled down her face.


    The figure tightened its grip around the sword and leaped forward with the sword extended, aiming at her heart.


    Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat as he circted every single power avable to him and activated Demonic Steps, yet it was toote, just a hairbreadth toote.


    The sword pierced a chest and came out the other side.

 Chapter 142: Replacement continued.

    <h4>Chapter 142: Recement continued.</h4>


    The sword pierced a chest and came out the other side. The figure looked at Jacob contemptuously and pulled out the sword from his chest.


    At the veryst second, Jacob had pushed Sophia away and stood in front of the attack, letting it pass through him.


    "NOO!" Sophia cried and ran to Jacob''s side. She used her hands to stop the bleeding but it was no use. The sword urately pierced his heart. He would die within a few seconds.


    "My love....you are too emotional...as always...." he smiled looking up at Sophia''s face while blood spewed out like a fountain.


    "No, please don''t leave me, I can''t do this alone," she cradled his dying body in her arms, which was bing colder by the second.


    "You...must be strong...for the boys.." he said with some effort and caressed her face.


    The figure stood a few meters away from them, smiling savagely.


    *Sigh*


    "What did I tell you? This thing is pure evil. It used what''s left of her son''s soul to call for her, just to kill her by its own hands..." Hyde''s voice echoed in Hao Xuan''s ears, making him angrier. How could there be something so evil?


    The figure lifted its sword once again to finish them both together, but a hand gripped his arm from the back, stopping him. It jerked around and saw Hao Xuan standing behind it, looking at it revoltingly.


    "I don''t need a servant so vile," he said in such a calm tone that it sent a chill down the figure''s spine.


    *Sqwelp*


    A massive de covered in several different energies came out from the front of the figure''s chest, spurting ck blood everywhere. The energies entered its body and wreaked havoc, destroying it from inside out. It''s eye''s slowly went dim and it fell down lifelessly.


    Previously Hao Xuan was trying to defeat it, not kill it.


    Sophia looked up at Hao Xuan and pleaded, "Please, please save my husband, I will give you anything you want, please just save him! I know you can!"


    The rain suddenly got heavier and colder. Hao Xuan stood above the figure''s dead body and looked at Sophia, not knowing what to do. She had lost her oldest son and her husband in the span of a few minutes. There was nothing he could say or do tofort her.


    "You can save him," Mr. Hyde appeared next to him. He looked at Jacob who''s body had already gone cold and then at the figure.


    "Save who? How?" Hao Xuan asked without even turning around. He couldn''t help but me himself for this tragedy.


    "Both of them, in a sense. There is still a part of that boy''s soul left untainted by the Fiend''s blood. Sever that part and put in the fetus in the mother''s belly. It still hasn''t developed a soul of its own yet. And since they are blood-rted, it should be fine."


    "Although the boy''s soul is damaged, with time it could recover. As for her husband, put the God''s blood in his body. The sorcerer used some wicked methods to make that body ''eviler'' than it should have been. Once the God''s blood is in the husband, he will stop being human. And with a little modification, you can make a new servant out of him. And if his willpower is strong enough, he can even remember his old life someday," Mr. Hyde exined everything to him clearly this time.


    Hao Xuan thought about it and there was no way he could do something like this. This was basically ying god. Even in this world where actual Gods and Devils roamed, he wouldn''t dare do something like this so...nonchntly.


    But then he looked at the weeping woman in front of him, and his heart bled.


    *Sigh*


    "I can save him, but you won''t be able to see him for a long time, perhaps not in this lifetime. I can save them both...." he exined the whole thing to Sophia. She finally stopped crying and looked down at her husband and then at the body that once belonged to her son.


    "I agree, as long as he is alive somewhere out there, I can live. As long as I know there is some chance, no matter how small, I can continue living," she nodded while wiping away the tears.


    Hao Xuan followed Hyde''s instructions and did everything down to the letter. Felix''s soul, or what was left of it, looked like a small sphere of light that was constantly changing sizes. He put that in the fetus in Sophia''s belly and cut off his own connection to it.


    Then he cut open the armored figure''s chest and looked around to find a glowing droplet of ck blood. The blood seemed to be alive and was moving on its own like a parasite.


    He put that in Jacob''s body and his wound closed within a few seconds. Color returned to his face as his heart started beating once again.


    "Sever!" he put his hand above Jacob''s head and severed his soul as well.


    "Say your goodbyes," he said to Sophia and walked away. Miles, Reece, and Damian came over. Sophia told them their father would be ''going away'' for a little while and they wouldn''t be able to see him for quite some time.


    Hao Xuan shook his head while eavesdropping. He would have to take Jacob away and the chances of himing back were slim at best.


    The world of cultivation was vast and a cultivator''s life boundless. It might be hundreds of years by the time Jacob regains any of his previous memories, if at all. After all, what are we if not the bundle of memories and experiences that make us?

 Chapter 143: Training

    <h4>Chapter 143: Training</h4>


    The fight above the clouds ended and Harp and Silex appeared in front of Hao Xuan with some minor injuries.


    "Did you get him?" Hao Xuan asked with closed eyes, trying to heal himself.


    "No, sorcerers are not that easy to kill. All magicians have a few spells to escape with their lives when the need arises. If we knew beforehand then we could have made some preparations, but not like this. But he does have severe injuries so he should be in hiding for a while, don''t worry," Silex exined with a smile. He didn''t have his robe on right now so everyone could see his actual appearance.


    He seemed to be about 18 years of age, even younger than Hao Xuan. He had red hair and an eye-patch over his left eye. He wasn''t that tall or handsome but there was a special, unexinable charm about him.


    "I''m not worried," Hao Xuan shook his head and replied nonchntly, which made them both take a second look at him.


    "Either way, our work here is done. Harp will exin the situation to the elders. We''ve sealed the castle dungeons so none of the townsfolk identally walk into that ce. We''ll be taking this creature''s body as well. Other than that it should be fine for them toe inside," Silex said looking at Felix''s corpse.


    Hao Xuan simply nodded because he had no qualms about letting them have it since he had already taken the most important thing for himself.


    "Goodluck with...everything. If you ever leave this ce and want to serve a higher purpose, visit the Demon Hunter academy. Even though we are just outer students, we can still rmend you," Harp patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder and exchanged emails with him before flying off with Silex.


    Hao Xuan looked at their disappearing figures and sighed. One day soon he will also be able to fly wherever he pleased.


    He stored Jacob''s body into his Mind pce and gave the Miller family a huge mansion near the middle of the city. Since the previous owners were gone, there was no reason to let it go to waste.


    He went back out and told the crowd that it was fine for them to enter and they could take any ce from the middle sector they wanted.


    He took a small one-bedroom house near the city wall for himself and summoned all the guards there. They said that the city Lord''s son had the second-highest authority in the city and for the past few months, he had been running the whole ce.


    He didn''t tell them anything about what was going on and simply ordered them to prevent anyone from entering.


    Fortunately, the situation wasn''t as bad as Hao Xuan had first thought. Not everyone in the city was killed, only the ones that were slightly well off. There were still a few hundred thousand people hiding in the slums. They weren''t allowed to enter other areas by the ''city lord''s'' order.


    But most of these people were living in very poor conditions. Hao Xuan ordered the guards to keep the peace and help the new folks find proper amodations. He also lifted all the previous orders issued by the city lord in thest few months.


    Within a couple of days, the dead city seemed to have sprung back to life. Although there was still about 70% of the area still uninhabited, this was a very good start.


    He sighed thinking about the massive loss of life. More than 1.5 million people had died, and there was just a single man behind it all. Only in this world would something like this be considered ''normal'' and not cause a nationwide outrage.


    He thought there were supposed to be things in ce to prevent something like this from happening, yet a single magician wreaked so much havoc.


    He also looked up the different types of magicians. Most of the information was confidential and normal people only knew about their existence, nothing else.


    Magicians were mainly divided into two types, Sorcerers and Wizards. There were, of course, other smaller types and branches, but these two were the biggest and the mostmon ones.


    Sorcerers were born with ''mana'' and only had to learn spells and increase their control as well as the capacity of mana pools.


    While wizards were born as ordinary mortals and had to learn spells, gather Mana, etc from scratch.


    This was an entirely different concept for Hao Xuan but it wasn''tpletely alien.


    These spells had wondrous effects that more often than not, went against the natural order of things. It was rumored that one of the other Nine Worlds was the origin of Magic and all magicians in general. But there it was mere rumor and hearsay.


    But there were still magicians here, albeit not that many, and apparently, there was a school for them as well, but no one knew where it was. It was a tightly kept secret within the magicianmunity.


    The next few days passed in rtive peace. The front city gate had been rebuilt and all the ''refugees'' were given homes and rations.


    Soon after the ck blood was inserted into Jacob''s body, it was surrounded by a cocoon much like Hao Xuan''s, but somehow less sinister which left him speechless. How was an evil god''s blood less sinister than him?!


    Since he finally had time to rx, Hao Xuan starting going over the dozens of books and manuals he had bought from the military portal. They were all about how to use energy properly and gave him some ideas on how to better utilize his Force Qi.


    He started training with it, trying to implement it in every attack and control it. He also learned a new technique called "The Six-Armed Heavenly Ape" from Green and Red.


    They were both divine beasts and as the concentration of their divine blood increased, more and more memories would awaken as well. They would automatically learn different skills, abilities, and techniques that were embedded in their DNA.


    The Six-Armed Heavenly Ape was a fist technique. It allowed the user to strengthen their arms and make them as hard as steel. Each of their palm strikes would have devastating power as it would send Qi directly into the target and damage it from inside out.


    At the highest level, it would allow the user to go against heavenly weapons and treasures barehanded. Although this wasn''t exactly what Hao Xuan needed, it still didn''t hurt to have a few extra abilities on hand.


    He also started training his ive properly with a new manual called "Imperial ive Doctrine". This was rmended to him by First and it cost him the most as well. It had an unknown number of parts and only the first one was avable.


    First said toe talk to him when he had finished training it and he would find out how to get the next part for him as well.


    First really did go above and beyond for Hao Xuan, and all without him even asking once. He treated him like his own brother.


    For the next few days, Hao Xuan simply trained his different skills and abilities. The rain never stopped once, although it did slow down considerably. This had been the longest rainfall Mei kingdom had seen in decades.

 Chapter 144: Training continued.

    <h4>Chapter 144: Training continued.</h4>


    It had been more than a month since Hao Xuan had settled down at Galena. The evacuation order had still not been withdrawn.


    He hadn''t had any contact with anyone other than Xu Qing, Green, and Red. Most of the days were spent training, while the rest he would go out to fight beasts. The Six-Armed Heavenly Ape skill was further refined and specialized by Hao Xuan himself.


    He implemented the Force Qi, Demonic steps and infernal rapture into the Six-Armed heavenly Ape and created a palm technique that turned his whole arms pitch ck and used Force Qi to enhance their raw power and then further increase it with Infernal rapture. Demonic steps allowed him to move around like a tsunami, each step creating thunderous waves and vibrations.


    He aptly named this technique "The Assualt of the Mad God" as it seemed like the whole world was about to turn upside down whenever he used it. The only downside was the self-harm it caused to his own body and the stupendous Qi requirements. Right now using it for just 3-5 minutes was the most he could handle. If not for his fast healing abilities, it would not be a viable technique.


    The Imperial ive Doctrine was also trained halfway through the first stage. It required him topress his Qi into fine threads and cover the ive with it. This way, the Qi waste would be minimum and much longersting.


    Three new rivers were formed within a thousand miles of Galena due to the constant rainfall. Even now it continued without a break.


    After training and cultivating for so long, he had finally broken through to the Sixth stage of the Origin realm as well.


    "Master," a tall, dark figure walked up behind Hao Xuan and got down on one knee. The figure looked like a normal person of about 6 feet in height. He had short ck hair and pitch-ck eyes. There was a ck sword on his waist. It was extremely simple and without any gaudy engravings.


    He looked to be around 30 years old and had a simple and honest face.


    This was Jacob aftering out of his cocoon. Hao Xuan had to use hundreds of beast cores to help himplete his transformation. The Jacob of right now looked nothing like the simple farmer from before. This was an entirely different person. Hao Xuan had given him a new name as well, ''Ensis''.


    "What happened?" Hao Xuan was sitting on the roof of a three-story building, cultivating with closed eyes.


    "A new beast wave approaches," he replied respectfully, still kneeling.


    Every few days there would be a few hundred monsters attacking the city walls. Till now there hadn''t been any actual hordes so the city was mostly peaceful.


    "Tell Kuo to send out the new recruits," he said onest time before returning to his meditative state.


    The Mad Saints had also reached Galena by the orders of the great general. All other missions were put on hold and every captain had to stay with their respective troops.


    The Mad Saints had more than 500 members now. Due to Hao Xuan''s fame, a lot of newbies wanted to get under his wing and join his regiment. The military, of course, would not deny them this opportunity as long as they passed the tests.


    "Yes, master," Ensis bowed and walked away.


    A few minutester a loud horn was blown near the city walls which indicated the iing beasts. From where Hao Xuan was sitting, the fight would not be visible, neither did he care.


    Kuo and others were more than enough to handle everything.


    Ensis returned about an hourter and told him everything was taken care off.


    The drop of blood which transformed Ensis was from a Sword Fiend-God called ''Belua''. No one knew how old it was or where it came from, it just always seemed to be there. It was behind some of the most heinous massacres in the history of the Beast World and was both worshipped and feared by many.


    After cutting off its connection to the drop of blood, Hao Xuan was inplete control of it. Even if Belua himself descended, he would not be able to regain control of it. Slowly Ensis would be stronger and awaken the skills and abilities hidden within him. By then he would not be any less powerful than Fiend God himself. That of course, was a long long time away.


    ck and White had also awakened some skills. They finally unlocked the ability to transform back into their original forms. Currently, both of them were about 18 meters (60 feet) each in their original forms.


    They could control two types of mes, White''s me was ice-cold, while ck''s was scorching hot. When they fought, it looked like fireworks were going off and were extremely eye-catching. But no matter how fearsome they were on the battlefield, in front of Hao Xuan they would always be the cute little worms sitting on his shoulders.


    They actually spent so much time on his shoulders that it became sort of an iconic look with the new recruits and many of them tried to tame small snakes and lizards and made them sit on their shoulders. Several of them had to be given emergency medical treatment when their respective pets bit them, leaving Kuo speechless.

 Chapter 145: Horde

    <h4>Chapter 145: Horde</h4>


    Hao Xuan was standing in front of Hash with his ive, breathing heavily. There were sword marks and scratches all over the ground and it looked like someone was making a strange design because of how they all fit together.


    Ensis was silently standing on the side of the courtyard staring at them with a book and a pencil in his hands.


    "Captain, you have improved a lot," Hash smiled, "Your basic ive handling has be almost perfect and without any openings. Although you still need experience in the hectic battlefield and againstrger beasts, still there is not much I can teach you here," he shook his head and put the sword away.


    "Thank you for all the hard work. I can''t tell you how much it helped," Hao Xuan also smiled in return and stored his ive.


    "Please don''t mention it," Hash bowed and walked out of the courtyard.


    "Now you only need to increase your cultivation master," Ensis walked over with an umbre and held it above Hao Xuan''s ahead.


    Hao Xuan shook his head and pushed it away, "I''m already drenched, what''s the point of taking cover now?" he said while holding out his hand and gathering a few raindrops in his palm.


    After silently staring at the rainwater for a few minutes he mumbled subconsciously, "Is it just me or is the water getting colder and colder by the day?"


    Ensis looked up at the rainclouds as his eyes glinted with hidden emotion. He wanted to say something to Hao Xuan but stopped and only followed up with, "Perhaps it is."


    It had almost been seven weeks since Hao Xuan settled at Galena. He had been training every day, both alone and with other people. This included Cav, Hash, Maddy, Kuo, and even his four guards, Luke, Mia, Aria, and Mason.


    Hao Xuan wanted to get as much fighting experience as possible because even though he had some powerful techniques, he hadn''t partaken in too many fights before this so he was quite inexperienced.


    Of course, they all were more than happy to oblige and keep himpany.


    He returned to his room and changed into a new set of clothes. Zhurong, ck, and White were all jumbled up together on an old shirt of his in front of the firece, sleeping cozily.


    From afar, it just looked like Zhurong had a ck cor and a small white leash. All three of them had been with Hao Xuan for a very long time now and basically knew nothing else. The smell of his clothes calmed them down when he was out, and served as a good substitute.


    Mia was still looking for every excuse in the book to be able to spend some time with Zhurong but ck and White always scared her away. She was somewhat afraid of snakes, although not to the degree of calling it a phobia.


    Zhurong, of course, used this to torment her whenever she came close. As the ''older brother'', he would order ck and White to chase her whenever he was bored. It looked reallyical from a third person''s point of view. A grown woman running away from two little worms who seemed to be smiling ear to ear was not an unfamiliar scene in the Mad Saints courtyard.


    It even made Hao Xuan worry a little when he saw how sadistic Zhurong was bing. He would often scold him, "Just let her pet you a few times, what''s the harm in that?"


    And Zhurong would look at him like he was told to go sell his body. He would then sulk in the corner of the room for a few minutes until he got hungry again and then woulde running back like theirst interaction had not transpired at all, leaving Hao Xuan almost speechless.


    He would shake his head and call Zhurong, "Shameless to the highest degree," who in return would look at him with a confused expression, "Shamelessness? Is it good? Can I eat it!?"


    *Bzzt*


    Hao Xuan''s spirit band vibrated, it was a call from Yangdi. He had only talked to Yangdi three times in thest 2 months whereas he would call Xu Qing almost every other day.


    "Long time no see, what made YOU make the call this time?" he smiled looking at Yangdi''s expressionless face.


    "The thing you asked about, there has been some movement," Yangdi replied calmly, making Hao Xuan furrow his brows.


    "How so?"


    "There have been people inquiring about your identity for a while now but I couldn''t find out who was behind them till now. It''s the Mu n."


    "The Mu n?" Hao Xuan''s frown got even deeper.


    "Yes. But obviously not many people have met you in person, let alone know your real name. So as of yet, no information has been leaked. But they have been getting creative and trying new things. It seems like they are trying to find one of the other eight captains and finding out about you through them."


    The frown on Hao Xuan''s face disappeared instantly and was reced by a smile, "Let them. If it was so easy, the Red Legion wouldn''t have its current reputation. And they don''t even have any proof I did something so this is probably them trying to explore every avenue. Look into them, see if you can find something incriminating about the Mu n," he waved his hand.


    "And if you can''t find anything, make something. I remember meeting the older brother, Mu Shuo before, he must have a few skeletons in his closet. See what you can shake loose from this tree," he grinned and ended the call.


    He had already screwed with the Mu n enough, but if they continued prying, he wouldn''t mind doing a little more.


    *Knock*knock*


    It hadn''t even been a whole thirty seconds before there was a knock on his door.


    "Come in," he yelled.


    The door opened and Mia walked in carefully, looking left and right warily. Hao Xuan sighed seeing her fidgeting like a child, "They''re asleep, don''t worry. What happened?" he gestured towards the shirt.


    She looked over and let out a breath of relief, "The third unit was out hunting and they encountered the first wave of a beast horde. Senior Maddy went out for reconnaissance and saw the whole thing. It''s a proper Grade 2 hordeing straight at us. Lt. Kuo is asking for you on the city wall."


    Hao Xuan didn''t waste any time and followed after her.


    "Captain," there were a few dozen people standing on the wall. All of them saluted and bowed upon seeing him walk up the stairs.


    "At ease. What''s the situation?" he waved his hand and looked at Kuo who was looking at a local map.


    Kuo looked up at Hao Xuan and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, "Leave us," he said to the others and they all moved a few dozen meters away.


    "Maddy found the horde, it''s being led by a mutated Sanguine Griffin. There are hundreds of thousands of beasts in it and many of them are flying types. We...are in a difficult situation," he tried to sound calm but there was an audible shaking in his voice.


    "The city defensive formations won''t be able to hold on for more than a few days against a horde of this level, and we can''t escape on foot with all the civilians. I''ve already sent a request for reinforcements but there hasn''t been a reply yet. It''s.....not looking good."

 Chapter 146: Horde Part 2

    <h4>Chapter 146: Horde Part 2</h4>


    Hao Xuan stared out towards the massive forest that seemed to go on forever. From where he was, it seemed like a green sheet of paper that went on as far as the eye could see. Two of the newly formed rivers were also visible. They were twisting around a gigantic mountain range about forty kilometers away like a pair of serpents strangling their prey.


    Outside the city wall, the neverending rain turned the farnd into a marshy hell. It formed several meterrge puddles every few steps. All the crops had long been washed away and what was left was barrennd that would not be suitable for farming for months.


    "Do we have a choice?" he muttered under his breath.


    Kuo also looked out and let out a deep breath, "No," he said shaking his head.


    "Then we fight. What else is there to think about?" he smiled and turned around, walking down the stairs and disappearing into the crowd.


    Kuo looked at his back with a self-mocking smile, "He sure has changed."


    ****


    Hao Xuan walked out of the Mad Saint barracks and into the city. There were people going about their everyday businesses as usual.


    He had ordered the saints to destroy some of the mansions in the upper side of the city to make the area suitable for farming. These ces had retractable roofs and could provide shelter from the rain. There were rows of fruits and vegetables growing everywhere which were enough to take care of the daily needs of the few hundred thousand citizens currently residing in Galena.


    Fortunately, like many other ces in the Beast world, most of the things were massive in scale here. That was true for Galena as well since it''s size was enough to hold up to 5 million people with ease. And because of the previous City Lords orders, there had already been a few farmhouses inside the city walls so with the addition of the new areas, it wouldn''t be a problem to survive for years even.


    He walked through the fields with a smile on his face and picked up an orange. Because of the cold weather, oranges were the easiest to nt and grow. The energy-rich blood and bones of the beasts that was used as manure further increased the maturation speed of these crops and even gave them a small burst of spiritual energy.


    Without even realizing it, he started humming while moving from one area to another, sometimes stopping to inspect the produce.


    "Boys! Time for dinner, and give Xiao Xiao a quick bath before bringing her in!" a voice said from a few dozen meters away. He suddenly stopped and looked up.


    Sophia was standing in the kitchen and shouting out through a window. A young girl of about 17 years of age came from behind her and smiled, "Mother, I will call them in, please have a seat. You shouldn''t be walking around so much."


    A few minutester Reece appeared out of the fields along with Miles. They both were covered in dirt and had farming tools on their shoulders. Damian followed behind them with a basket full of fresh vegetables and a small puppy in tow.


    The puppy was holding a miniature basket as well, with a couple of grape tomatoes inside. Its small legs couldn''t keep up with the boys so it would be left behind every few steps and then would make a run for it to catch up.


    They walked into the house and appeared in the kitchen. Reece walked up to the young girl and gave her a kiss, who hit him in the arm shyly. She was another person from the same vige as the Millers. Her and Reece liked each other for a long time and they recently got married.


    "You still don''t remember anything?" Hao Xuan asked looking at the scene in front, but there was no one near him.


    "Yes my lord. I have spent many days here taking care of them, but I still do not recognize any of them. Were they...very dear to me?" Ensis appeared out of nowhere and stood behind Hao Xuan, also staring at the merry scene.


    Hao Xuan sighed, "More than either of us can ever imagine. If one day therees a time when you awaken your memories, even if you are a true god, I will free you from your chains and let you return to them, do not worry."


    Ensis smiled and shook his head. He bent down on one knee.


    "I am your servant, now and for all of eternity. You gave me this life, gave me another chance to walk among the living, and a purpose."


    "For that, I shall be your sword throughout the endless time. I shall rend the boundary of the heaven and earth andy waste to the myriad dao, if you somand."


    "You are the only one worthy to stand above the high heavens. All shall kneel before my King, as I do today, lest they be torn asunder."


    "....."


    Hao Xuan stood speechless in front of him.


    A gust of roaring wind circled Ensis along with a dark energy before disappearing into the ck night as if the heavens themselves were acting as his witnesses.


    For a few minutes Hao Xuanpletely forgot where he was. The only thought going through his mind was how this loyalty was forced and not original.


    It only made him feel more alone.


    ''Would you feel the same way even if you weren''t forced to do so by the constitution?'' he thought inwardly.


    "Rise. I told you never to kneel before me. You are my equal, not my servant, and will be treated as such. Now, get ready. We have a tough battle ahead," he patted Ensis''s shoulder and walked towards his own residence.


    Sophia suddenly looked out the window where Hao Xuan had just been standing, but there was no one there anymore.


    *****


    A few hourster, just after the sunset, the first wave of the beast horde arrived. There were about ten thousand beasts led by two Malevolent Scaled-Rhinocerous beasts.


    Atop the city walls stood Hao Xuan along with Mia, Aria, Luke, and Mason.


    Kuo, Hash, Maddy, and Cav formed different teams and stood a few hundred meters away from each other on the wall.


    "Sound the warning," Hao Xuan waved his hand and a loud horn was blown a few secondster, indicating the start of the battle.

 Chapter 147: Horde Part 3

    <h4>Chapter 147: Horde Part 3</h4>


    It was around 10 P.M when the sound of the horn woke up the town people. They had already been informed about the beast horde but no one expected it to be this soon.


    "We will go help as well," Reece woke up from a deep sleep and shouted at his wife while putting on armor.


    "What?! But what about us? And what are you going to do without any training?" she asked worriedly. Reece was just a normal person without any real fighting experience whatsoever. The most he had fought was when he killed a feral rat in the barn some days ago.


    He stopped what he was doing and held her hand, "I''ll bring them water, stones, arrows, whatever. There are other ways to help than direct confrontation. They are our only line of defense, if they fall, the city is lost. What good will I do here when millions of beastse raging in through the gate?" he said while kissing her forehead.


    She wanted to follow up but couldn''t find the words.


    *Sigh*


    "Fine, I will go as well," she said while getting up.


    "No, you have to take care of mom. She can''t be alone in her condition," he shook his head. She sighed once again.


    "Alright, but be careful please," she gave him a hug and a kiss.


    He walked out of the room and saw Miles and Damian sitting in the living room, already ready.


    "Took you long enough," Miles smiled and threw him a spear.


    The three boys silently sneaked out of the house, trying not to wake up their mother.


    Sophia stood in her bedroom window and looked at the sneaking silhouettes with a half-smile, "They are so much like you," she mumbled while looking at the city wall.


    On the way to the wall, the boys met up with a few different groups totaling thousands of other men and women. Obviously, they weren''t alone in thinking the guards and Mad Saints needed help.


    "Hey, you boys are very young, where''s your father? You shouldn''t be out here alone like this. It can get very dangerous out there," an older man who seemed to be about 45 years old looked over at the trio and said gently.


    "He''s out right now so we are in charge," Damian said smugly and puffed out his chest.


    The old man looked up at Reece and Miles who smiled in return. He nodded back at them foolishly and then shed a knowing smile.


    "Oh, that''s great. It''s good to see such young people still helping others out like this. My stupid son is way toozy."


    They walked for a few more minutes until the wall became visible and the sounds of fighting could be heard from the other side.


    "Why haven''t they activated the defensive formations?" Reece asked with furrowed brows.


    "This is just the first wave of the horde. The formations require arge amount of Qi to work so unlesspletely necessary, they aren''t used that often," the old man next to them exined.


    "Oh, that''s how it is."


    "My name is Matea by the way, My son is Luca, he''s in the local guard," the old man shook Reece''s hand, who introduced himself and the other two as well.


    "Come, I know a ce from where we can watch," Matea smiled and started walking towards a tower.


    "Oi, why the hell are you guys down here?" Matea shouted as he saw some guards standing outside the tower. They all turned around ready to fight but their expressions turned limp as soon as they saw the old man.


    "Ah, Ol'' cap, what are you doing here? Are you looking for brother Luca?" they smiled sheepishly and walked towards him slowly.


    "Answer my question, why are you guys out here?" Matea asked with a frown.


    One of the guards shook his head dejectedly, "The Mad Saint captain said anyone without any prior experience has to stay down here and maintain order. He''s not even letting us fight. Only his army is fighting."


    "What? That makes no sense, you''re supposed to send the weak soldiers out first to thin out the beasts before swooping in with the main army. What is this guy thinking?!" Matea said angrily and pushed them out of the way and started walking up the tower.


    Reece, Miles, and Damian looked at each other and then silently followed after him as well. The guards simply stood aside and let them past since they saw theming with Matea, and even though he was retired, they didn''t have the authority to stop him.


    It only took 30 seconds or so for them to reach the top of the tower. The top was about 30 sq. meters wide and there were already a dozen or so people there, looking outside.


    "Attention!" Matea shouted at the crowd and they all jerked around and saluted without a second of hesitation.


    "Good, at least you maggots remember your training," Matea nodded, satisfied by their reactions.


    "Ah, Ol'' Cap, you almost gave me a heart attack!" one of them let out a breath of relief and eased up.


    "Old man, what are you doing here?" a muscr guy that looked like a younger version of Matea walked out from the back.


    "You good for nothing son, is this how I raised you? Why the hell are you sitting here with your tail between your legs?" Matea pped the guy''s head. This was his son, Luca.


    "We don''t have a choice, look," Luca said while pointing towards the wall. The guards moved to the sides and made space for Matea and the boys to get a clear view outside.


    Matea harrumphed and walked forward but his eyes opened wide upon seeing the scene on the other side of the wall, "WHA- How is this possible?!"


    The trio walked up behind him and were left speechless as well.


    The other side of the wall was filled to the brim with beasts. There were thousands upon thousands of all kinds of creatures there. They covered every single part of thend. The entire area that held 50,000 people a few weeks ago was littered with beasts of every type.


    There were gigantic poisonous bugs, venomous worms, Bloodthirsty wolves, a few giant tigers, and many many more.


    "This should not be happening. We are just a small town, why would such a massive hordee here?" Matea mumbled empty-headedly.


    "This isn''t the horde," Luca walked up behind him and peered outside as well, "This is just the first wave. The main horde has yet to reach Galena."


    If Matea wasn''t speechless before, he was now. He had served as a guard in Galena for over three decades yet the most he saw was a few thousand beasts at most. And even then they were being led by the city lord who was a profound realm cultivator so it was fine. But now?


    He looked over at the ce where the Mad Saint captain was standing. They were just a few hundred meters apart so he could see him clearly since he was so tall.


    Hao Xuan calmly stood atop the wall and peered down. There was not a hint of worry and agitation on his face.


    "Does he have a n? Are reinforcementsing? Why is he so rxed?" Matea thought inwardly.


    But he didn''t ask himself, what good would worry do at this point?


    Then Hao Xuan waved his hand and muttered something, which they weren''t able to hear. One of the people standing behind him nodded and spoke into a small badge into his chest.


    *Fwtooo* x8


    Faint sounds came from the middle of the city and huge boulders were seen being flung outside.


    "What is that?!" Luca muttered while trying to see into the castle.


    *BOOM* x8


    But before anyone could answer, the boulders connected with the beast horde outside and exploded, sending body parts flying everywhere. Just that one barrage was enough to take the lives of hundreds of beasts at once. Being so closely packed together wasn''t working out so well for them right now.


    "Again, a bit higher this time," Hao Xuan said and another barrage of boulders came smashing down.

 Chapter 148: Horde Part 4

    <h4>Chapter 148: Horde Part 4</h4>


    There was a small open tent above the city wall to provide cover from the constant rain. Under it was Hao Xuan, the four guards, and Ensis. ck and White were on his shoulders, yfully fighting with his hair and ears, sometimes sending small sparks of fire flying towards one another.


    Zhurong was fast asleep in Mia''s arms who seemed to be the happiest person in the entire city right now, lovingly patting his pure white fur.


    Hao Xuan was sitting down on a chair while the rest were standing behind him, staring down at the beasts. He was at the highest point on the wall so not only the beasts but almost everyone from the city could see him as well if they wanted.


    At the start of the fight, he used the Trebuchet sent by the military in Fortuna to thin out their numbers. Out of the ten thousand or so beasts currently attacking Galena, only three thousand were left. The leaders, two Malevolent Scaled-Rhinocerous beasts had still not made a move. They both stood a few dozen meters behind the range of the trebuchet''s and in rtive safety, staring at the massacre.


    Their eyes were red with anger but still, they did not rush in and get themselves killed and only observed from afar.


    "That''s enough. Save the rest for the main horde. Send in the newbies ording to the n," he said to Aria who ryed his message to Kuo and the others.


    The explosive barrage stopped. The ground was littered with pieces of beast corpses withrge craters every few meters where the rocksnded. The main gate opened and about three hundred soldiers covered from head to toe in armor stormed out.


    They all had the same mounts, red-scaled Jadeblood Stallions. These stallions were almost twice as big as normal horses with thick scaly hides, sharp teeth and deadly ws that dug into the ground with every step. (Reference image in author notes)


    These horses had been made on order by the Beast hall bybining jadeblood horses with Earless Earth dragons. And although these beasts had the word dragon in the name, that was only because of their appearance not any actual rtion to the dragon kind.


    Dragons were divine beasts and every race with the smallest dragon blood in them were overlords of their respective regions. There was no way a lowly grade-2 kingdom would be able to get their hands on some actual dragon blood.


    They formed two groups of 150 soldiers each with one going from the left and the other from the right.


    The Malevolent Scaled-Rhinoceros saw the artillery fire stop and let out a deafening roar. Finally, they would be able to get some action. They both stomped their feet and started running towards the city gate. The rest of the beasts followed after.


    Hao Xuan saw the iing beasts that looked like moving pieces of flesh and skin and ryed his orders, "Tell...."


    The beastspletely ignored the three hundred soldiers and came straight towards the gate. When they were about a hundred meters away, Hash and Maddy who were standing above the gate suddenly shot forward like cannonballs and connected with the Rhino''s head-on.


    The three hundred soldiers that were following the beasts from the sides suddenly turned towards them and like a hot knife through butter, separated the horde into two. They then started running in circles around them and attacking from every side.


    The rhinos saw this and tried to help, but Hash and Maddy were sticking to them like flies. Unless they unleashed everything they had, there was no way to kill these two rhinos easily. So they took the easier and safer path and avoided any direct engagements, wearing them down slowly.


    Within 30 minutes or so, all the other beasts were dead. The two rhinos had expended copious amounts of Qi and could barely move. They were killed easily as well.


    Hao Xuan sat in his chair and looked down upon the battlefield with myriad thoughts going through his mind. It truly was different being inmand. With one word he couldy waste to hundreds, thousands even. But it ''felt'' better to be down there himself, fighting in the mud.


    "Guess I''m not leadership material huh?" he muttered under his breath absentmindedly.


    "Open the gates. Let the town guards go out and scavenge beast cores and any materials still left in one piece. Bring those two rhino''s inside as well. Don''t waste their materials," he passed the orders and everyone started moving.


    The newbie soldiers didn''t suffer any serious injuries either and did better than expected. None of them lost their cool and acted ording to their training.


    Kuo walked up behind Hao Xuan and stood there silently.


    "How long till the actual horde arrives?" Hao Xuan asked lightly while ying with ck and White. They were twirling around his fingers and bitting down yfully.


    "About an hour so. But sir, we are still not ready to take on a horde of that size. Even a grade-2 town would be hard-pressed to handle it without any help from outside," Kuo said worryingly.


    "How many explosives do we have left?"


    "Nowhere enough to kill a few hundred thousand beasts," he shook his head.


    "Any response from Fortuna? The Legion?"


    "None."


    "....."


    "What choice do we have? Let the soldiers rest. Tell the guards to get ready, they will have to participate as well in the uing battle. Recruit a few civilians with some experience and have them man the ballista on the walls."


    "We will do everything we can and if it doesn''t work, make some preparations just in case. We will hold off the horde until civilians can escape towards the nearest settlement and then follow after if possible, otherwise lead them elsewhere," he gave multiple orders that affected the lives of hundreds of thousands with aplete nonchnt smile.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Imagine the horses like this, but with ws instead of hoves, no whiskers or horns and in dark red color:


    https://i.pinimg/originals/91/ec/b9/91ecb96a640fb705edb71e7fdf4f287f.jpg


    Short url: https://urlzs/SohgZ

 Chapter 149: Horde Part 5

    <h4>Chapter 149: Horde Part 5</h4>


    The pitter-patter of the raindrops resounded throughout the city. The rain seemed to have picked up and now there was a strong wind and thunder apanying it.


    Kuo, Hash, and Maddy stood atop the walls along with Hao Xuan and waited for the Horde''s arrival.


    "We found it, captain," Hao Xuan''s badge rang and a message popped up. It was from Cav.


    "Alright, continue as discussed. Secure it in case we need to use it in an emergency. Are the beast cores primmed and ready?"


    "Yes, they have all been ced in the most optimal locations."


    "Good job. Send its location to Kuo and others."


    Galena was in a state of emergency right now. All the civilians had been told to get ready and prepare enough rations for a several days long journey.


    Hao Xuan looked at the time and sighed, "Any response from HQ?"


    "Not yet sir," Kuo replied through the badge.


    "Hmm."


    All the town guards were bubbling with energy. They would finally have the time to show off in front of these imposing people from the main city. They formed a unit of more than 10,000 people. All of them had been recruited from the civilians that were left in Galena.


    Most of them were around the age of 15 to 25, while the rest were 35-55 years old. These people had never even held a sword before, let alone fought in a war.


    Since the Mad Saints got here, they had been training these people along with the 300 newbies of their own. This was Kuo''s idea and it made both of them work harder to show the other one who was superior.


    Luca was a team captain and had about a thousand people under hismand. He was the son of Matea, an older captain that had served Galena for a long time hence it was very easy for him to get such a rank. And he deserved it as well. He was one of the rare few that didn''t follow Fel''s orders and had been imprisoned for it for several weeks.


    "Alright, get ready. Remember your training, stay in the formation, look at the person behind you and in front of you. They will be your sword and shield. Do not go out there alone, no matter what!" Luca shouted at his men.


    *Tremble*


    There was a faint sound followed by a small earthquake. The entire city felt it.


    "They''re here," Hao Xuan''s expression turned serious and even ck and White who were ying in his fingers straightened up and looked out towards the ocean of trees.


    "Start the broadcast," Hao Xuan said to Aria who pressed a few buttons on her Spirit Band. A live stream had been started which was visible to everyone. This was Hao Xuan''s idea. He wasn''t going to do this at first but after apleteck of response from the HQ, he wanted them and everyone else to see what their ipetence would do to this town.


    "There really isn''t anything better than the public''s outrage," he grinned inwardly.


    *Bzzt*Bzzt*


    Spirit Bands all over the kingdom started vibrating. People sitting in their homes, out in clubs, parties, even some soldiers. He had used the Den''s connections and sent the notification to some of their frequent customers.


    Basically, anyone that had ever visited the Den or were subscribed to their newsletter got the link for the stream.


    As did all of the Mad Saints and they then shared it with their friends and families. Some people were against it but it was their captain''s order so they did not have a choice.


    Within a few minutes, millions of people were watching and they were sharing with others. Like a tidal wave, people rushed in. Even in this world of magic, demons, and gods, social media had its own power.


    Hao Xuan checked thement section and was more than satisfied. The stream''s title was "Beast Horde of Galena" and he made Aria and co.ment things like, "They can''t stop a horde with just these many people!", "Yeah, its going to be a massacre!", "What is the military doing?!"


    And from there it took a life of its own.


    "Hehe, let''s see you ignore me now," he let out an unintended evilugh, making his four guards slightly worried.


    *Crack*


    The forest seemed to hade alive as the tree''s parted like the red river and massive silhouettes came into view. One second they were barely visible, the next they were a few thousand meters away.


    Hao Xuan stood up abruptly and walked forward, leaning over the wall.


    *STOMP*


    The entire ground vibrated with every step of these hulking beasts. One of them was so big that its head was in the clouds. There were seven of these gigantic creatures. (Img in authors note).


    "Oi, what the f*ck are those?!" he asked Kuo who was also staring at them with his mouth open.


    "E-Ether beasts! They are Ether level beasts! By our standards, they would be at the top of Profound realm!" he replied with a quivering voice.


    "WHAT?!" Hao Xuan shouted so loudly that his voice reverberated throughout the city.


    "How long can the barrier hold against them?" he quickly followed up as soon as he remembered.


    Kuo silently calcted and said, "Less than 10 hours, if even that."


    "..."


    "What are you orders captain?" Kuo asked when there was no response from Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan looked out towards the seven figures shrouded in rain and darkness and then below them. Because of their existence, all the other beasts looked like ants, but to Galena, they were the impending doom. As far as the eye could see, hundreds of thousands of various silhouettes were popping out of the forest one after another. And then he finally saw it, up in the air, flying majestically, a beast with the head, wings, and talon of an eagle, and the rest of a lion.


    A mutated griffin. This beast although was much smaller aspared to the seven surrounding silhouettes, on its own it was still at least thirty meters big. Its massive wings stretched outwards and slowly pped, sending strong gusts of air and uprooting a few trees.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath to calm himself down as he looked hatefully at the Griffin. It seemed to have noticed his gaze and looked at him calmly.


    "There will not be a fight. We do not stand a chance. Activate the barrier at full power and implement n C. GO!" he gave the orders to Kuo as everyone started shuffling around.


    "Holy sh*t, what are those things?"


    "No idea, but it doesn''t look good for those people. Is another city going to be destroyed?"


    "That''s such a shame. I thought there would be a fight."


    "A fight happens between two parties ofparable strength. But when the difference is that big, it''s just a massacre."


    "But what about the military? Other cultivators? Is no one going to go help them?"


    "I doubt they can make it in time right now..."


    These types of conversations were taking ce in different chatrooms around the kingdom and in thement section of the stream itself.


    "Sister Xu, there is a stream of a beast horde from where Teacher is!" Yun Wentian ran into First''s house where Xu Qing and Anya were sitting, talking with one another. Little Xin Qiye was in Xu Qing''s arms and was drolling all over her shoulder.


    "Hmm? What stream?" she asked with a frown.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    https://i.pinimg/564x/59/25/ee/5925ee014c206bd2ebdc5b815f63d.jpg?


    https://i.pinimg/564x/56/e6/cf/56e6cf7a5e3f427ec2eaa305815eef91.jpg


    Griffin: https://i.pinimg/originals/48/5c/84/485c840037e6431e15166b0eae08f6ee.jpg

 Chapter 150: Horde Part 6

    <h4>Chapter 150: Horde Part 6</h4>


    "Hmm? What stream?" she asked with a frown.


    "This!" Yun Wentian clicked on his spirit band and a hologram of Galena and the seven gigantic beasts with an army of smaller ones appeared.


    "Send me the link," Xu Qing asked with a sigh. Even though she could see shapes and vague images with the help of her Spirit energy, she was not able to see holograms and such immaterial things.


    She got the link from Wentian and logged in and finally saw the scene for herself. Her spirit band was different and would send the information directly to her brain, not eyes. That''s why she was able to ''see'' them.


    She gasped as soon as everything became clear. Each of those seven creatures was bigger than Galena''s city wall and could simply walk over it if need be. From previous conversations with Hao Xuan, she knew Galena was only a third-grade city and did not have the necessary manpower to defend against things of this magnitude.


    She gave Xin Qiye back to Anya and stood up, "Sister, I have to go talk to someone," she said quickly before storming out of the house with Yun Wentian.


    Anya wanted to say something but Xu Qing was gone before she had the chance to. Instead, she dialed First''s number and called him angrily, "What are your people doing? Why is brother Hao fighting against a horde by himself?!"


    Xu Qing walked out of the house to find Green standing there waiting for her beside a huge carriage. She quickly got in, "Back home, I need to talk to brother Yangdi!"


    "Yes mistress," Green bowed respectfully and got on as well.


    Ever since Xu Qing had taken charge of things while Hao Xuan was away, they had started calling her mistress. Even though she was against it, Hao Xuan himself never said anything about it so they continued calling her that. To them, Hao Xuan was their savior, and Xu Qing was someone close to him so even if they weren''t romantically involved ''right now'', it wasn''t their ce to question such things.


    ****


    Back in Galena, everyone was marching towards the castle in long lines. The guards and Mad Saints were maintaining order while the civilians followed theirmands.


    "Sir, it has started," Cav''s voice came through the badge.


    "Good, activate the defense formation at full power," Hao Xuan replied. The Horde was still about a kilometer away but for beasts of this level, that would barely even take a minute.


    *Clunk*


    Eight rows of thick golden chains that seemed to be made out of light came rushing out from the castle in the middle of the city. They reached the city walls and connected with them in each of the eight directions as small symbols on the wall lit up, making it look like a Christmas tree.


    The entire wall glowed with these symbols and runes as they moved around like fish in the water. Each symbol connected with the other with small yellow threads and a bubble formed above the entire city, not leaving a single area uncovered. (Author notes)


    The barrier shimmered in the dark night like a candle''s me about to go out. It was visible for thousands of kilometers and even some of the other city''s could see it with a telescope.


    Right now on the wall stood less than 20 people in total. This included only the top management.


    "You guys know the n," Hao Xuan looked at the different faces all around him.


    "You guys will lead them towards the nearest grade two city while trying to protect as many people as possible. Obviously, not everyone will make it through the long journey so women, children and the sicke first. Then the elderly and after that the able-bodied men."


    "Arm each of them as best as possible and leave it to the guards to keep the peace. The Mad Saints will protect the front and back, while guards protect the nks. Any questions?"


    This n was already pre-approved by the civilian leaders and Hao Xuan and co. There wasn''t much else to do at this point. They were going to use a hidden passageway in the castle to directly leave the confounds of the city ande out from behind a mountain about 2 kilometers away.


    Cav had already cleared the passageway and expanded it multiple times with the help of other saints.


    "Go, you know what to do," Hao Xuan looked at Kuo.


    Kuo frowned, "But what about you captain?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "That Griffin has been looking at me ever since it got here. If I just up and disappear, it will make it cautious. Just give me the control for thest phase of the n and leave. I will stay here until the formation breaks and then escape towards Fortuna."


    "Something weird is going on. It''s not normal that there hasn''t been any response from HQ at all, you need to be careful," he patted Kuo''s shoulder.


    Kuo turned around and looked at the massive Sanguine Griffin. It was indeed looking straight at Hao Xuan with itsntern-like eyes.


    He turned back to look at Hao Xuan and sighed. It had only been a year or so since they first met and he already was a more resolute man than him.


    "Yes," he bowed and saluted Hao Xuan before walking down the stairs. Hash and Maddy did the same.


    Aria, and co. didn''t move and stood behind him. He turned around to look at them with a raised eyebrow.


    "We are your personal guards. How could we leave like this?" Luke chimed in when he saw Aria staring straight at Hao Xuan without saying a word.


    "There are hundreds of thousands of civilians about to journey through the wild jungles filled with beasts and monsters, and you want to stay here and protect a single person? Remember our oath! Go, now. I can handle things here. I need you guys to protect the people so I can fight- escape without it weighing on my conscience," he replied sternly, leaving them no chance to retort.


    "GO! This is an order from your leader!" he shouted with furrowed brows when they still didn''t move. Zhurong woke up from his nap and quickly jumped into Hao Xuan''s arms before falling asleep once again.


    Mia looked at the little fluff ball onest time before jumping down. The others all did the same, only Aria still remained.


    *Sigh*


    "Why are you not leaving? Do I really have to knock you out and send you with the-?" he asked threateningly but Aria cut in before he could finish.


    "I know you''re from earth."


    Hao Xuan was surprised by her sudden promation but then smiled, "And? It''s not that big of a secret. Many people know that," he lied.


    "Why are you going so far for these people? Do you know how many earthlings died from that beast wave when we came here? They could have easily protected us but chose not to. We are still second ss citizens here. For a normal person from earth, it is not easy to do anything in this world," she asked with a never before seen serious look on her face. Normally she was quiet and didn''t speak much but now she seemed very aggressive.


    Hao Xuan looked at her silently with a confused expression, "You were not like this before. Why the sudden change in behavior?"


    "I saw the world for what it really was. People like me were ''allowed'' such positions because they wanted to set an example that we could be like them as well, but it''s not true. There is something wrong with them."


    "They still have very, they treat non-humans as mere cattle, breeding and experimenting with them. It''s...unnatural. These beasts, they also have feelings. Yet they are enved, beaten and eaten. Have you not talked to your pets? Are they worth any less than you or me?" her face adorned such a cold expression that it gave even Hao Xuan the chills.


    He looked at Zhurong, ck and White who were ying in his arms and sighed.


    "I don''t know when, but something changed inside me aftering here. As a normal person from earth, I should have been disgusted at the thought of murder and very etc, but I wasn''t. This ce, it''s not our home. We are allowed to live here because it sets a good example for others."


    "Can you ask them not kill us?" he pointed at the horde.


    "No right? They will because they can or they want to. Simple as that. And I don''t want my loved ones being treated like that. Also, I''m pretty sure it''s just you that are making theseparisons. There are several people from earth that have achieved quite a lot here. And we have only been here for a couple of years to boot."


    He let out a deep breath and looked at her dead in the eyes, "I don''t know where this came from, but we don''t have time for it. The Mei kingdom doesn''t owe us anything, no one does. If you want to me others and live the rest of your life hating people that gave us a home, then you go right ahead. But don''t bring other people into it," he waved his hand and turned away from her.


    She stared at him for a few more seconds before silently following the rest.


    "Where the hell did thate from?" he asked lightly, but there was no one else behind him. ck and White looked up at him and smiled.


    "Of course you guys are different. I would let a million humans die rather than let you get hurt," he patted their little heads, making their smiles even wider.


    Ensis suddenly appeared behind him like a ghost and bowed, "It''s taken care of master, the family was among the first to depart," he said referring to the Millers.


    "Good," Hao Xuan nodded and sat back down on the seat, staring at the beasts in front of him.


    *tap*tap*


    The sound of footsteps came from the stairs as a few elderly gentlemen walked up.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Something along the lines of this: https://i.pinimg/564x/47/7b/3a/477b3abd59d69805a766678784c1c55e.jpg

 Chapter 151: Horde Part 7

    <h4>Chapter 151: Horde Part 7</h4>


    Hearing the sound of footsteps, Hao Xuan turned around and saw the old men. There were about five of them and they looked to be about sixty years old at least, if not older.


    "Captain," the old man in the lead walked up to Hao Xuan and made a small bow.


    "Elder, what are you doing? Please get up!" Hao Xuan stopped and helped him up.


    "How can I help you? Is there a problem with my men?" he asked with a frown upon seeing the elders look at each other with smiles.


    "No, not at all. We just thought to keep youpany," the one in the front replied smilingly.


    Hao Xuan was confused by their words and actions, "Sorry? Elder everyone has to leave for the grade two city. You should be in the middle caravan. How could those idiots just leave you behind?" he looked towards the few guards still moving towards the castle.


    *BOOOM*


    The entire city shook as a massive tail came out of the clouds and hit the defensive formation, making it light up.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned serious as he quickly jerked backward and looked at the Ether beast responsible for the attack.


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    Three other attacksnded simultaneously, exploding upon impact and shaking everything under the barrier.


    "Finally, couldn''t wait any longer huh?" Hao Xuan mumbled looking at the Griffin who stared back at him fearlessly.


    He turned back around and looked at the old men, "Gentlemen please, you have to evacuate right now!" he said urgently.


    "Haha, captain, if you''re not leaving, how could these old bones bear to leave their hometown like this?" the old man grinned.


    "My name is Charles, this is O''Neill, Thomas, Sean, and Joel. If you don''t mind, could we keep youpany for a bit?"


    Hao Xuan was taken aback with their introduction and finally understood why they were here.


    "Elders, as long as you''re alive, there''s hope. Why put yourselves in danger like this? You''ve still got a few decades left in you."


    "Hahaha," all of them broke outughing.


    "Captain, you''re very funny," Charles patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder and sat down on the ground along with the others.


    "Please, won''t you apany these few old fools?" he looked up at Hao Xuan''s dumbfounded face and smiled.


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan shook his head and sat down beside them.


    "If everyone suddenly disappears, even those dumb beasts will know something is up. Just you alone sitting here won''t do," Thomas shook his head.


    Hao Xuan looked at each of them. Although they were old, in this world they could still live at least a 100 more years easily. Why would they choose to throw that away? He could feel their cultivations. Most of them were earth realm warriors, while only Charles was in Origin realm.


    "Even with that hiding your face, I can easily tell what you''re thinking," Charles pointed at Hao Xuan''s mask.


    "We were born here. All of us," he gestured towards the others.


    "We served the city for almost a century before retiring. You see, we old men are very stubborn. Our families, wives, sons, daughters, they have all moved on to the next world, yet we still hold on to life for no reason. But now, now we have a chance to do something for the greater good."


    "But still-" Hao Xuan spoke up but Charles pointed at an area near the back of the city.


    "That, is where my wife is buried. Thomas''s son, O''Neill''s brothers and father, Sean and Joel''s entirest generation is buried there. They are buried here, in this little town of ours. We do not have anyone waiting for us at home, nor anyone to go back to. This city, it is our home and we would rather die fighting here than flee. At our age, it would be very unbing," he looked at Hao Xuan with a grin.


    "Please don''t take this away from us captain."


    *tap*tap*tap*


    Sounds of footsteps came from the stairs and hundreds of old people walked up on to the wall. There seemed to be at least two to three hundred of them.


    "They are like us. Leftovers from an older era with nobody remaining to remember or take care off. All we have is this city and for it, we will fight," Charles put his hand over his heart as he said that, making a vow.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to do anymore. Other civilians had all left by now so even if he wanted to send these old folks back by force, it would not be feasible. There were barely enough people to protect the civilians as is, let alone holding hundreds forcefully.


    "As long as you''re sure," Hao Xuan nodded his head and finally gave in.


    "Hahaha, great! I knew you would understand. I could tell we were cut from the same cloth. You remind me of an old friend..." the five old guys patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder with a heartyugh and told him their life stories. Things about their younger days, their loved ones and the ces they had visited.


    Most of them had spent their entire lives in Galena, asionally venturing out to hunt or trade. This was their whole world.


    The bombardment on the barrier continued for hours while these old people sat under the heavy rain and chatted. Not one of them left the city wall. Everyone stayed there,ughing and joking like it waspletely normal.


    Hao Xuan sat with them and listened to everything they had to say. The stream had gathered a lot of attention and now there were billions of people watching. Both civilians and the military. They could see and hear everything Hao Xuan could because it was connected to his spirit band. And because of that, billions of people heard these old men''s stories as well.


    A few people were bored and made some horriblements about them but others quickly set them straight.


    "What the hell is going on? Why hasn''t this thing been turned off yet?" a strict looking middle-aged man sitting in an office asked a room full of soldiers.


    One of the soldiers stood up and saluted before speaking, "Sir, there are too many people watching. If we cut the broadcast halfway, they will know it was on purpose and it would only make us look worse. Also, the Red Legion has already sent reinforcements, although whether or not they will get there in time is a different story."


    The middle-aged man harumphed and waved his hand for them to leave.


    "It seems the old demon is getting a little too imperious in his old age," he mumbled and dialed a number on his spirit band.


    "It''s time, thest piece is in ce," he said quickly before hanging up.


    ****


    It had been more than 8 hours since the first attack on the barrier. Hao Xuan had been sitting with the old folks all this time while waiting for the right moment.


    *Crack*


    A fist the size of a small hill came crashing down on to the formation and a hairline crack appeared on its barrier. All theughter and merriment stopped as everyone looked up at the minute crack.


    "It''s time," Charles smiled and stood up with Hao Xuan''s help.


    "Old man, why don''t you stay here and let me fight for a bit?" Hao Xuan looked Charles in the eye.


    He shook his head, "We may be old, but we are not weak. We can still fight one more battle," he said looking at all the old people on the wall who nodded.


    *Vmmm*


    A strange sound reverberated from their bodies as their postures straightened and muscles bulked up within seconds. They seemed to have regressed into 30 years old with buff bodies. Only their faces gave away their real age.

 Chapter 152: Horde Part 8

    <h4>Chapter 152: Horde Part 8</h4>


    Hao Xuan looked at Charles andpany with a surprised expression and finally nodded when he saw their resolute eyes, "Alright, fight we shall then."


    "Get ready, we will have to move to the castle and defend it till its time. We need to keep the horde here as long possible so the caravan has enough of a headstart."


    "Got it," Charles nodded and whistled. All the old men stood up and flexed. Their massive muscles blew apart their shirts, leaving Hao Xuan speechless.


    "How the hell do these geezers have better-looking bodies than me?" he thought inwardly.


    *BOOOM*


    Another tailnded on the barrier and the crack slightly deepened. Hao Xuan looked at the Griffin onest time before taking out a small te from his storage ring. This was the master control of the defensive formation.


    He pressed his hand on it and the eight chains that were connected to the city walls floated up into the air. With the castle as the center, these chains were still connected to the city wall but now they were arching like spider legs from the middle. The barrier above the city retracted into these chains, making them expand dozens of times.


    "Alright, let''s go," Hao Xuan shouted and jumped off the wall and started running towards the castle. The others followed after him.


    The Griffin saw the barrier change and looked at the city in disdain. These chains would only stop the seven Ether beasts and keep them out for a few more hours, not the hundreds of thousands of smaller beasts. Those could simply walk through the spaces between the chains. As long as they didn''t touch them, it would be fine.


    *Screech*


    The Griffin let out a high-pitched screech and the army of beasts that was waiting outside the city gates rushing in like a tide. Some climbed over the walls, others straight up destroyed everything in their path.


    Hao Xuan andpany reached the castle. He pressed the te once again and the castle started shaking. Some of the towers fell as the ground opened up and a tform came out. Hao Xuan walked onto it and inserted the te into the opening in the tform.


    With a click, it fit in perfectly and a small blue bubble surrounded the tform.


    "This is it. We have to keep them away from this tform until the defensive formation breaks. After that we''re good to go," he told the army of old men.


    "No worries. You stay on the tform, we will fight," Thomas said with a grin that made him like a mad man. All these nice old men suddenly turned into monsters.


    They formed a circle with Hao Xuan and the tform in the middle. Hao Xuan waved his hand and Ensis appeared behind him.


    "Stay behind and help them out whenever it gets too much for any of them, but don''t use your god''s blood. We can''t risk other''s knowing about it just yet," he said lightly.


    Ensis bowed and walked closer to them with his hand on the single ck sword around his waist.


    The beasts rushed towards the castle from all directions in a mad fury. They had been waiting outside the walls for over nine hours now and were hungry. Fueled by this hunger and their natural bloodthirsty nature, they had basically lost their minds. The only thought going through their minds was to bite anything that looked like a human to pieces.


    The first wave arrived. These were the smaller, more agile beasts. It included some feline beasts, some deadly anthropods, a few bugs the size of cats and dogs.


    "HAAA!" Charles shouted and extended his hands in front of him. Small needles made out of Qi shot forward and pinned several iing beasts to the ground. Another person next to him waved his sword and they were cut into multiple pieces.


    All the others took out their own weapons and started fighting as well. Some had swords, spears, one of them even had a bow he was using in close range. Right now they looked nothing like the old men from a few minutes ago.


    The stream was still broadcasting and now more than half the kingdom was watching. Because of the constant rain and the evacuation orders, most people had to leave their homes and move to other cities.


    This meant there were a lot of bored and unemployed people just sitting in their homes with nothing to do. So it didn''t take long before billions of people had tuned in to see what would happen. Not to mention this was not scripted and affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and sat down on the tform. He had been at Origin Realm 6 for a few weeks now and was very close to breaking through to the next stage.


    The origin realm allowed the cultivator to refine their blood and remove impurities from it, helping their bodies reach a higher realm of perfection. This was thest realm that specifically focused on refinement of the physical body. After this was the Spirit Realm where he would have to open his other Mind pces.


    Right now he was focusing on refining the rest of his blood. Because of his physique, his blood was already extremely pure. If he wasn''t focusing on the basics and leveling up his techniques, he would have already reached the Pinnacle of Origin Realm.


    Most people could reach spirit realm if they had ess to the proper resources. It was only after that their aptitude made any difference. The less talented would not be able to even breakthrough to the Spirit realm because of that. Others would get stuck there.


    The spirit realm set the true cultivators apart from the rest. This was the first real hurdle in the neverending path of cultivation.


    *Bzzt*


    Hao Xuan''s spirit band vibrated, waking him from his meditative state. It was Xu Qing.


    He put on a dazzling smile and epted the video call, "What''s up?"


    "There is something wrong. Brother Yangdi says he can''t reach most of the people in the government. And there are a bunch of strange things happening as well," she didn''t beat around the bush. Usually, she would bow and greet him properly even though he said not to, but not this time.


    The smile on his face vanished as he looked at her with a serious expression, "Stay at home. Don''t go anywhere. Tell Green and Red to stay there as well. I''ll call First brother and ask," he hung up and dialed First''s number.


    First picked up on the second ring, there was no video but from his voice, it sounded like he was out of breath, "Brother, what''s going on with the HQ? Do you have any idea?"


    "Ninth brother, don''t go to Fortuna. There was an attack on the HQ. An elite Jia unit somehow infiltrated the city and attacked several ces. Almost all the soldiers have been deployed to other areas so there wasn''t anyone to fight them other than the Great General and few of the subordinates. We don''t know what they want or how they even got in, so the situation is not good."


    "I''m rushing back as quickly as possible, there is someone already on the way to your location so just try to hold on. I can''t talk right now so you have to care of things on your end alright? And don''t tell anyone else. It would create panic if the civilians knew about this."


    Before Hao Xuan even had the chance to digest all the information, First hung up.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Imagine the old men like this lol


    https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsMZl0rL_lJHKb4qLHTWFqHS8buI2fNT3dTAzzxh2Em754SY5M


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/jQqgx

 Chapter 153: Horde Part 9

    <h4>Chapter 153: Horde Part 9</h4>


    "What the f*ck?! Jia soldiers in Fortuna?" he frowned at the thought. How was this possible? There were multiple detection formations active around the city 24/7. Any Jia soldier within 10 miles of the city would be found out. There was no way for them to sneak in....unless...


    He dialed another number. Yangdi picked up on the first ring, "Did you find out anything?"


    Yangdi shook his head, "Only that the beast hall and several other ces had been attacked a few hours ago. They came out of nowhere and then vanished just as quickly," he snapped his fingers.


    "How the hell is that possible?"


    "It''s not. Someone is helping them from the inside. I''m 80% sure of it."


    "What? Can you find out who?"


    "I''m trying but I''ve already lost a few men. They seem to be prepared and covered their tracks well," Yangdi nodded.


    "Alright, let me know as soon as you find any new information."


    Hao Xuan sat on the tform and couldn''t help but think about the timing of it all. The beast hordes, evacuations, the neverending rain, and now the Jia attacks?


    One after another disaster struck the Mei kingdom in thest few weeks. Suddenly a face shed past his eyes.


    "Jiang Ling, the hidden prince. Is it him again?" he mumbled.


    *BOOOOM*


    The seven beasts were attacking the chains continuously. Two of the chains were already destroyed and another was close to breaking.


    Hao Xuan looked up at the massive beasts, shrouded in darkness. Were these guys under someone''s orders as well? Most beasts of that level would have their own consciousness and weren''t mindless creatures like the ones attacking them right now.


    "SEAN!" there was a loud shout from his left. He turned around and saw the situation. There were hundreds of beast corpses piled around him in a circle. The old men were still fighting with crazed expressions on their faces.


    Out of the three hundred or so, less than two hundred were left alive, and many of them had severe injuries as well.


    "What are they fighting so hard for? Just escape for god sakes!"


    "How could they escape with those creatures just outside the city walls? Unless they were flying, there is no way to outrun those things."


    "But still, what''s the point of fighting like that?"


    "Then should they just give up?"


    "I-I didn''t say that..."


    Thements on the stream didn''t stop for even a second.


    Hao Xuan looked around him and felt out of his element. There was so much going on that he didn''t know where to start. He channeled Qi into his badge and contacted Kuo.


    "What''s the situation over there?"


    "Not good," Kuo''s voice came from the other side and in the background, there were some shouts and screams.


    "We passed by a river and got attacked by these strange creatures. They jump out, attack, and jump back into the river. asionally there will be a tentacle or two that will drag someone into the water as well. We''ve already lost a few hundred people like this."


    Hao Xuan went silent and tried to think of something to say to help, but couldn''t find the words.


    "Just.....do your best. Try to get to the grade two city, it will be safe there," he said through gritted teeth.


    "....yes...captain," Kuo''s low-spirited voice came through onest time before the transmission shut off.


    He took a long breath and looked out towards the front. The rain impinged on his back like the beating of a hammer. The old men were falling one by one and soon would all be gone. There were still four chains left on the formation and it would take at least another half an hour.


    He looked at their faces and all of them had wide smiles on their faces. To them, this was not a bad end.


    "Hey old man, can you do me a favor?" he asked Charles who was fighting three beasts at once.


    "Haha, ask away. As long as it''s in my power, why not?" heughed.


    "Can you help my men? They are trying to bring the civilians away but are under attack. Instead of throwing your lives away here, can you help those people escape?" Hao Xuan mumbled thest sentence but almost everyone still heard it.


    Charles thrust his hand outwards and threw a beast dozens of meters away. He looked at Hao Xuan''s downcast expression and couldn''t help but soften his.


    "Sure, as long as it will help, why not?"


    "Yeah, of course. You''re in charge so just tell us what to do."


    "Yea yea, why are you so depressed? Is that it?"


    Several of the others chimed in as well andughed.


    Charles walked up to Hao Xuan and extending his hand. Hao Xuan looked at him for a few seconds before grabbing it and standing up.


    He hit Hao Xuan on the head lightly, "You''re so young, don''t lose hope so quickly. Men should be bold, strong in the face of adversity. How can you show your face back home if you sit around moping like this?"


    "Come, give us the location of the caravan, we will go help them," he pointed at his spirit band.


    Hao Xuan didn''t have the words to describe his current mood. Deep down he knew there was little chance they could actually do anything to change the situation, but still, he hoped for a miracle.


    He gave Kuo''s location to them. They summoned their contracted beasts and left one by one.


    "Go and help them as much as possible," he ordered Ensis who also left silently.


    "How could a few dozen old men make any difference?" Hyde''s voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw him standing there with an umbre.


    "Do you even need an umbre?" he asked absentmindedly.


    "No, but I like it," he calmly replied.


    "Stop overthinking everything. You can''t do anything about things a million miles away. Focus on what''s in front of you. Look, all those dumb creatures want a piece of you, let them have it," he pointed towards the front.


    Hao Xuan turned around and saw innumerable beasts circling the tform. There were thousands upon thousands of them all around him.


    "Remember the n, you just need tost a few more minutes," Hyde vanished once again, leaving Hao Xuan alone.


    ***


    "Oi, what is he doing?"


    "Why is he just standing there?"


    "I think he lost it."


    "Can you me him tho?"


    ***


    Hao Xuan held out his hand as the cold rain fell on his skin.


    "I really am overthinking things aren''t I?" he mumbled.


    He waved his hand and ck and White appeared on his shoulders.


    "Give up, little thing. What can you do now?" a sharp voice rang in his head. He looked up and saw the Griffin right above one of the chains.


    "You know, I almost did," he smiled at it.


    "But I can''t," and then shook his head.


    "You will die, and so will all the others. It is meant to be," the Griffin said once again.


    The people-watching through the stream could not hear the Griffin, so to them, it looked like Hao Xuan was having a one-sided conversation with himself.


    ***


    "Welp, he''s actually lost it."


    "I feel bad for him, man."


    "You wanna take his ce?"


    "....I don''t feel THAT bad..."


    Xu Qing was sitting in the mansion, surrounded by Yun Wentian, Green and Red, watching anxiously.


    Lois, Beatrice, and a few of their co-workers were sitting in a restaurant, also watching the stream like almost everyone else present. Lois was gripping the table so tightly that her fingers had gone white, looking at the lone silhouette on the screen.


    Sin was sitting in a pce somewhere far, far away. There were a dozen or so young men and women all around her, dressed in fancy clothes. In front of them was a screen where the stream was ying.


    "Oh, that poor guy. Does princess know him?" one of the girls looked at the screen and then at her before letting out a giggle.


    The others also looked at the screen. One of the men let out a scornfulugh, "How could our great mistress know a filthy human like that?"


    Sin frowned and threw him a dirty look before looking away, "Yes, I know him. We spent a night together, a long time ago," she said calmly.


    One of the girls had just taken a sip of an expensive-looking wine when she heard her, "Pffft" she spat it out like a fountain. Everyone present exchanged sses and then looked at the screen with interest.


    ***


    Hao Xuan burst outughing, "Hahaha. Even if, I still have my oath to keep. Do you know it?"


    The Griffin looked at him with a confused expression. Why would IT know a human''s oath?


    "It''s fine. I will tell you anyway. No matter who is behind this, you''re not going to win..."


    He stomped his right foot on the ground and a small shockwave spread out. Looking up at the Griffin he spoke lightly;


    "Because, I am the shield that shall not break,"


    The Force Qi circted throughout his body.


    "I am the sword that shall not bend,"


    The Emperors Qi leaked out and covered the surrounding areas;


    "I shall kill until the Heavens fall and the Earth rends."


    Sundering energy covered his arms.


    "Kill me, and my brother shall take my ce,"


    ck and White that were sitting on his shoulders slid down and started expanding. Within a blink of an eye, they were over 60 feet long with terrifying mouths. (image in authors note)


    "Rise and Rise again I shall, like a Phoenix from the ashes, until the Lambs be Lions and the Rule of Darkness is no more."


    He met the Griffin''s contemptuous gaze as ck lightning covered his arms before whispered to himself,


    "For we, are the Red Legion!"


    *SCREEECH*


    The Griffin let out an angered screech and all the beasts rushed in all at once.


    Hao Xuan smiled looking at them and shouted onest time,


    "THE ASSAULT OF THE MAD GOD!"


    His arms expanded one size and he lunged at them with a massive grin. ck and White''s eyes went red as they spat out mes all around them before following right behind him.


    *Rip*


    *Crack*


    *ROAAR*


    A cacophony of sounds that sent chills down the spectator''s backs came through.


    Entire beasts blew up like grenades when Hao Xuan punched them. Others had their limbs ripped off like they were made from y.


    "HAHAHA"


    Right now Hao Xuan resembled a Feindgod with his crazed attitude. Wherever he went, blood showered like rain, and body parts flew around like debris in a tornado.


    ck and White didn''t want to be any less than their master so they ate and burnt everything in their path. No one, absolutely no one would be able to tell these two horrendous creatures were the same little worms in his hand from earlier.


    ***


    For the first time since the stream had started almost 10 hours ago, thement section was empty. No one had anything to say. What could they say? Seeing.....that?


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    ck and white after transformation:


    https://i.pinimg/564x/f7/4d/1d/f74d1dea7879bc337efd3d99021869e7.jpg


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/3kWzy

 Chapter 154: Horde Part 10

    <h4>Chapter 154: Horde Part 10</h4>


    "For we, are the Red Legion!"


    The stream showed Hao Xuan standing in front of the monstrous beast wave, apanied by ck and White to his left and right.


    He used Assualt of the Mad God and rushed into the horde like a madman.


    His face held a wide grin while his feet moved around like a dancer''s. He moved from one beast to another with such grace that it left the spectators in awe. They didn''t know whether to be hyped by his domineering attitude or admire the exquisite footwork.


    He moved between the beasts like water, with each attacknding a fatal hit. Those weeks of hard work had really paid off. All those fights with Kuo and Co. had pushed him to use everything in his arsenal and to such a degree that there were barely any useless movements now.


    "W-Was master always so strong?" Yun Wentian couldn''t help but murmur absentmindedly.


    Xu Qing was listening to the stream with bated breath. But her countenance seemed more somber than the others, as if she knew something the others didn''t.


    Red and Green who were next to them still had worried expressions on their faces. How long could hest going like that?


    But at the moment, Hao Xuan had no such concerns as he ripped his way through the horde. There was nothing that could stop his invincible momentum.


    "Kill like there is no tomorrow! I want to bathe in blood tonight!" he roared withughter.


    ck and White that were alreadyying waste to everything in their path starting going even crazier. ck swiped his tail around and sent dozens of creatures flying, while the less fortunate ones were turned to mush on impact.


    White bit down on a gigantic creature with spider-like legs and used it as a hammer to smash others. It wasplete and utter mayhem.


    "Break those damned chains! Why are you not going all out?!" the Griffin shouted at the Ether beasts in the beast tongue.


    "We are only here to give face to the Wu n''s young master. The fact that we are doing anything should be more than enough. And little creatures like you, do not have the authority to order us around!" an intimidating voice replied as one of the figures turned around and red at the Griffin, shutting him up instantly.


    The Griffin looked like he had a lot to say but didn''t have the guts to speak after that. So he silently hovered above barrier as the seven shadows hit over and over again. Several more minutes passed and another chain broke, leaving only two now.


    *Huff*Huff*


    "Come back, quick!" Hao Xuan muttered under his breath while moving back to the tform. ck and White were surrounding him and acting as his protectors.


    "Yes, master!" a voice sounded in Hao Xuan''s head. He had run out of Qi and was using potions and spirit stones to recover as soon as possible. He looked around and there was almost nothing left standing.


    Galena was no more. All that was left were the broken foundations of a few buildings. Everything else was destroyed by the rampaging beasts. From the Griffin''s point of view, it just looked like a blue ball of light in the middle of some rubble, with two golden chainsing out of it.


    "Enjoy while you can, when this thing breaks, I will skin you alive and use your entrails to make myself a nice scarf!" it said to Hao Xuan.


    "Ho, really? I''d like to see that," he smiled back.


    *BOOOOM*


    Another chain broke. There was only one left now.


    Both ck and White were doing their best and had amassed many injuries. There was blood all around them, some theirs, most their enemies. Without stopping for a single second, they fought ceaselessly. The stronger the beasts resisted, the more ruthless they became.


    Hao Xuan looked at them and couldn''t help but grit his teeth in agitation. Both of them were almost like a part of his own being, and seeing them fight without any regard for their safety, alone, made him want to rip his own hair out.


    *sh*


    A serrated tail came out from under a mass of corpses and pierced straight through ck''s abdomen.


    "Ssssss!" he turned around and smashed his upper body from where it came from. There was a crunching sound and then a gigantic grey scorpion with half its body caved in crawled out.


    ck twisted his head and bit down, swallowing it whole.


    "That''s enough. Come back you two," Hao Xuan waved his hand. ck leaned over the tform with his massive body and licked Hao Xuan.


    "I know, juste back," Hao Xuan whispered and smiled lightly, He scratched the underside of ck''s face, making him close his eyes in pleasure. Most people would be scared sh*tless, but in Hao Xuan''s eyes, they were still the cute little worms he picked up from that nest not too long ago.


    "Come, rest. I''ll take care of the rest," he said gently. ck nodded and his body shrunk down to just a few inches and his appearance changed as well. He slithered up Hao Xuan''s hand and he summoned him back.


    "You too," he looked at White this time.


    White straight up shook his head and continued fighting. He used his tail to surround the tform and used his body to keep the beasts away.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned serious as he looked at White, enraged, "NOW!" he shouted in a deep voice. The gigantic serpent that was fighting hundreds of beasts alone, shook. It was fighting against an army without any hesitation, but a single word from Hao Xuan shook his very heart.


    "No! White, fight!" an immature voice, like that of a child sounded in Hao Xuan''s mind. This was the first time he had heard either of them talk. A surprised expression appeared on Hao Xuan''s face.


    "You stubborn little worm, came back right now!" the little bit of anger that he was feeling a few seconds ago, melted away like it was never there. He couldn''t help but soften his expression. They were still children, little kids. It was only natural he wanted to fight for Hao Xuan''s sake.


    White shook his head again. He didn''t even turn around.


    *Sigh*


    "Don''t worry, I''m not alone. He is almost here," he reached out and patted White''s tail. White stopped and turned around to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze.


    "Come," Hao Xuan said lightly while extending his hand. White hesitated at first but then spat out some ck fire all around the tform and shrunk, returning to his original appearance and size. Hao Xuan picked him up and smiled. White licked his face carefully, making sure he wasn''t mad.


    "You must listen to me. I''m not so stupid as to put myself in danger," he stroked White''s head, making him twist around his fingers before summoning him back as well.


    "Now what?" the Griffin looked at him derisively.


    Hao Xuan shook his hand and the ive appeared. He looked at the Griffin with half a smile, "Now we fight again of course."


    The Griffin almost burst outughing. One human fight against hundreds of thousands of beast? In what world?


    "You and what army?" he asked looking at the lone human.


    "No army. Just us," Hao Xuan gestured towards himself. The Griffin had a look of confusion on its face but before it could inquire any further, a high-pitched noise came from a distance.


    Hao Xuan turned towards it and smiled. He tapped the spirit band and the stream stopped, making half the empire scream out in indignation.


    Hao Xuan walked out of the tform''s bubble as the high pitched noise got louder and louder.


    "You have permission to use full power. Kill as much as you want," he whispered.


    "Yes, master," the voice said once again. The Griffin''s eye''s contracted as it finally saw the source of the noise. It was a ck shadow moving towards them at almost supersonic speed.


    "Show me the power of a Sword God!" Hao Xuan shouted.


    *BOOOM*


    A shockwave spread out towards Galena as the shadow broke through the sound barrier, "Great Imperial Hegemony!" it shouted and seven ck des materialized out of nowhere.

 Chapter 155: Horde End.

    <h4>Chapter 155: Horde End.</h4>


    "Great Imperial Hegemony!" a deep voice came from the shadow as Seven ck des, each more than ten meters long surrounded him.


    The seven Ether beasts eyes glinted and they all turned around to look at the new opponent.


    "God''s blood!" the Griffin whispered with an agitated face. "Why the hell are there so many of them these days?" it mumbled to itself but one of the Ether beasts heard him and sneaked a nce.


    "Hurry up, none of the younger ones can handle that thing yet, break thest chain quick!" an ether beast standing on two legs said to the others, making them nod in response.


    The shadow pierced into the beast horde like a hot knife through butter, iming lives with every swing.


    It came to a stop in front of Hao Xuan and the surrounding darkness receded into a humanoid figure, revealing a 6 feet tall male. It was Ensis.


    "Master," he got down on one knee in the bloody mud.


    "Stand up. How are the old men?" Hao Xuan waved his hand.


    "They made it out safely, but the rest of the journey will not be easy," he respectfully replied while standing back up.


    "Its the most we can do," Hao Xuan nodded. He looked up at thest chain and said somberly, "Its almost time. Use everything you have other than the God''s blood. There will be no witnesses here."


    Ensis followed Hao Xuan''s line of sight and looked up at the chain and then at the beasts. He frowned.


    "What?" Hao Xuan asked upon seeing his troubled expression.


    "They..." he looked at the beasts one by one and squinted, "...are not real. It feels like they are here, yet not here."


    Hao Xuan''s expression changed as he gave the beasts a once over.


    "Do you know anything about this?" he asked inwardly.


    There was no response for a few seconds but then azy voice replied, "Those are not actual Ether beasts, only their shadows. Their real bodies are somewhere else. How can you not notice even that? Do you think it is normal for them to look like shadowy silhouettes even this up close?"


    "You have not seen the might of an actual Ether level beast. This flimsy formation would not havested even 3 hours if their real bodies were here," Hyde''s mocking voice reverberated in Hao Xuan''s head.


    Hao Xuan''s initial shocked expression turned to that of pure joy, "That''s even better. It makes things so much easier," he said smilingly, baffling Ensis.


    He patted Ensis on the shoulder, "Alright, scratch myst order. Use the God''s blood, use it all," he paused and looked at the Griffin, "Go crazy!"


    Ensis had a few questions but now wasn''t the right time. White''s fire was almost gone and the next beast wave would being soon.


    "As my kingmands," he put his hand on the ck sword.


    "First Release!" a deep voice that sounded neither feminine nor masculine came out of his mouth. He unsheathed the sword and as it came out, a thick ck Qi flowed out from the scabbard like water. It surrounded Ensispletely.


    When it disappeared, Ensis''s appearance had changed. He was several inches taller now. His clothes were reced by a ck a robe that moved without the wind. It seemed to be alive.


    "Second Release!" the same voice came out once again. Another burst of Qi came out, from the de this time, and surrounded him again.


    When it received back into the de, his appearance had changed yet again. Now he was almost 7 feet tall and looked much leaner.


    The lower half of his face was covered with a dark material that was moving like water, showing only his eyes. He had short ck hair and the ck longsword in his hand was nowhere to be found.


    The seven ck des appeared once again. This time they looked much sturdier and each one of them was slightly different than the rest.


    *Whistle*


    Hao Xuan whistled looking at his new appearance and nodded approvingly. This was the actual appearance of Ensis when he was using his actual power.


    "Divine Infringement!" Ensis shouted and thrust his hands forward. The Seven des, as if controlled by an invisible thread, struck out all at once in every direction.


    *sh*


    *sh*


    *sh*


    *sh*


    *sh*


    *sh*


    *sh*


    It was aplete massacre. Every beast weaker than Ensis himself, whose power level was restricted to Origin Realm 6 just like Hao Xuan''s, was sliced into two upon impact. The rest had to defend or run away, and even then they didn''t get away scot-free.


    "Damn it! Hurry up!" the Griffin shouted at the Ether beasts upon seeing the scene of carnage below them.


    "AAH!" loud noises came from each of the beasts as they all struck down at once, cracking thest chain. The tform shook and the blue barrier almost broke.


    Hao Xuan looked up thest chain and moved back into the tform.


    "Once more," he said to Ensis who struck out again, iming hundreds of lives.


    *BOOOM*


    With an explosion, thest chain broke as well. All the Ether beast silhouettes moved in, ready to strike.


    "Wait, Don''t kill the ck one, we can offer the god''s blood to the Wu n!" one of them said to the rest. They looked at each other and nodded.


    Hao Xuan made an exaggerated expression upon hearing their conversation. Now that they had broken through the barrier and since they weren''t trying to hide it, he could hear them talk.


    "Wow, that''s pretty racist dude. Or is speciesist? Is that a thing?" he asked with a pondering expression.


    "Smash that little sh*t, I want to eat his innards!" the Griffin shrieked, but none of the Ether beasts made a move. They were all looking at Hao Xuan with deep frowns.


    "Why isn''t he panicking?" they thought.


    Each of them had killed a fair number of humans, but the guy in front of them wasn''t scared one bit.


    They exchanged nces with one another and realized all of them were thinking the same thing. One of them, the one that had given the Griffin a dirty look when he mentioned God''s blood, slowly moved back.


    "It''s time!" Hao Xuan saw therge silhouette retreat and shouted. Ensis suddenly turned around and ran into the tforms bubble.


    Hao Xuan summoned him back. He then looked up at the Griffin onest time and said, "Idiot," before rotating the small disk on the tform sideways and pushing it in.


    There was a nking sound from the under the ground and all ces where the chains had been suddenly lit up. Small multicolored spheres of light floated up from the ground and started expanding outwards.


    The Griffin who was shouting obscenities at Hao Xuan suddenly realized something was wrong. It turned and noticed the expanding spheres of light.


    "What is that? No matter, you are dead now. Nothing can save you! You lit-" but before it could finish the insult, the spheres of light suddenly expanded to more than 100 times their original size before erupting into a with an unadulterated force.


    *BOOM*


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    "NOOOO!" The six ether beasts still in Galenas vicinity shouted and tried to move away, but it was toote. It was like an atomic bomb went off.


    For just a few seconds, several dozen cities in the Mei kingdom saw a bright blob of light shoot out from where Galena once used to be.

 Chapter 156: Livia

    <h4>Chapter 156: Livia</h4>


    Dark clouds stretched across the neverending skies, covering everything between heaven and the earth. It was almost 7 a.m but there was still no sign of sunlight.


    "Just a little bit more! Everyone stay together, we''re almost there!" Kuo shouted from the front. There were four other Mad Saint members with him, paving the way for the civilians.


    Every now and then there would be a few beasts, jumping out from the nearby forests and attacking the caravan.


    All the Mad Saints members were on foot while their contracted beasts formed a straight line, pulling carts full of people behind them. This was how they had traveled for thest 9 hours or so.


    Hundreds of civilian lives had been lost when they crossed a newly formed river. It looked rtively harmless at first, but halfway through, thousands of water beasts jumped out and attacked them in waves.


    Over two hundred guards and thirty Mad Saints had lost their lives as well, protecting the civilians from these creatures.


    The most notable contribution was by an original member of the Mad Saints, Qin Feng (Ch 45). He led a toon of over fifty people and engaged these water beasts while the civilians crossed safely.


    Unfortunately, he was dragged off into the water by a high-level beast, along with many others. Due to the dire circumstances, Kuo decided not to pursue the creature as the Civilians safety came first.


    It took them another hour before the Grade-Two city, Livia was in sight.


    The old men led by Charles also reached the caravan around this time and did everything they could to help.


    The closer they got to the city, the stronger the beasts became. The caravan had to stop on the outskirts because of therge numbers of Demonic beasts.


    Maddy was tasked with contacting the city lord and asking for help. He alone fought his way through the multitude of demonic beasts and reached the city.


    Upon meeting the city lord, he told him about the caravan and the City Lord himself led an army of over Fifty thousand guards to clear the way for them.


    There was no further loss of life and remaining civilians safely entered Livia with the City Lord''s help.


    There were three profound realm cultivators in this city including the lord himself. One of them was a rogue cultivator who was passing by and decided to help hold back the beast wave, and the other was the head of a local family.


    "I understand that but this cannot wait! He stayed there alone to make sure the trap worked. Right now there is no one else left to help him," Kuo stood in arge hall, talking to a middle-aged man seated in front of him. He had short brown hair and a schrly disposition. But his eyes were very sharp and made people turn away upon meeting his gaze.


    "He is a soldier of Mei, it is his duty to protect the kingdom and its civilians by any means necessary. What he did was very noble, but there is nothing I can do right now. The beasts from that horde will join others and so and so forth, until a new horde is formed. I can not leave the Livia unguarded for one man," the man replied resolutely.


    "City lord you cannot do this!" Kuo contested.


    "I can and I will. Captain Deimos is a great soldier, but I cannot trade the lives of my men for his," the man shook his head. This was the city lord of Livia, ''Kyran''.


    On the side of the hall were two chairs where an old man of about 70 years of age, and a young man in his twenties were sitting. These two were the other profound realm cultivators in Livia.


    "Child, the situation is not good. We are under attack by unknown forces on several fronts. They might even be in Livia already," the old man with his eyes closed said gently. He only opened his eyes once and nced towards the young man when he mentioned the enemies might already be here.


    The young man smiled nonchntly and took a bite out of an apple, choosing not to respond.


    "What lord Svante speaks is the truth. There are many things going on that we cannot tell you about. The discussion is over, captain Deimos will have to rely on himself to get to safety," Kyran said in a deep voice before getting up and walking out of the hall.


    The old man called Svante also got up and patted Kuo on the shoulder while walking out.


    Kuo stood rooted to the ground, not willing to ept their decision. As he was thinking of ways to go help Hao Xuan, the young man came up to him and smiled.


    ****


    The ce where Galena once used to be hadpletely changed. Right now there was a crater there, about 300 meters deep. It was filled to the brim with blood and water, and from above looked like a blood-redke.


    This was the aftermath of the explosion. There was absolutely nothing left of the city, nor the beast horde that attacked it.


    This was the reason Hao Xuan had stayed back and fought for so long. From the beginning, he had tampered with the city formation and nted thousands of beast cores all across Galena. These cores were connected to the formation and once it waspletely broken, they would explode, forming a chain reaction.


    The beast cores were the very essence of a beasts cultivation. They held the purest form of Qi and could be used in a multitude of ways, case in point.


    All the Qi from the thousands of beast cores that had exploded and the hundreds of thousands from the beasts that had died in the explosion itself was now mixed into thiske of blood.


    If left to its own devices, it could easily be a sanctuary for all kinds of creatures to flourish.

 Chapter 157: Breakthrough

    <h4>Chapter 157: Breakthrough</h4>


    Green was standing on the roof of the tallest building on the property, looking towards a certain direction.


    "You felt it too?" Red''s voice came from behind. He didn''t turn around, simply nodding in response.


    "Something big is about to happen," he mumbled mindlessly.


    "It''s almost time. Soon we can have our revenge," Red added, patting Green on the shoulder.


    Green turned around to look at him in the eye. Many things were going through his mind, more than what he could put into words.


    "Do you ever think about the life we had before all this?" he asked with a downcast expression.


    Red seemed like he had expected the question and smiled, "No. What use is thinking about a life we no longer remember? Those animals plucked us from our previous lives and sold us asb rats. All those experiments, all those dead faces."


    *Sigh*


    "But we survived and found such a kind master. Why dwell on the past? What use is in that?"


    Green didn''t respond and simply looked away once again, peering towards a certain direction.


    "But what if I still remember?" he whispered to himself.


    ***


    Xu Qing sat in her darkroom, facing the window outside. There was a giant maple tree visible from there, shaking every now and then with a gust of cold winters wind.


    It had been several hours since Hao Xuan''s stream had ended. She thought about calling but didn''t want to distract him in the middle of the fight. Even the slightest distraction could be fatal in a real battle.


    So she sat in her room alone, waiting for his call. When she got bored and her mind wandered off to dark ces, she would get up and clean the room and the surroundings by hand.


    After cleaning the whole mansion twice, she started cooking. Making every type of dish she knew and using up almost a week''s worth of ingredients.


    Yun Wentian, Red, and Green ate as much as they physically could, but there was still a lot leftover. She gave the rest to the maids and the servants who were used to this behavior.


    This wasn''t the first time something like this had happened. Quite often Xu Qing would stand in the kitchen and cook tons of dishes. Unfortunately, the person she cooked for was never there.


    So she would then sit in the patio under the maple tree and hum different tunes, waiting for a call.


    This time was the same well. She sat under the maple tree in the heavy rain and waited for a call. This had be a habit and she would not be able to rest easy until she heard his voice.


    Green and Red were looking at her from a distance with different emotions. Green finally clenched his fist and started walking towards her but was stopped by Red.


    "It''s not our ce. We are but servants, this is not something for us to meddle in," he said shaking his head.


    Green sighed and moved back while mumbling to himself.


    "Would things not be so much easier if everyone just talked to each other honestly every once in a while? Why are young people so stupid?"


    ***


    The rain continued to fall and filled the crater where Galena once used to be to the brim. The blood-redke quite ominous from afar but after several hours, a small beast the size of a goat timidly walked closer. It looked like a wild boar but had glistening scales on its back and a much longer snout.


    Every few steps it would stop and look here and there, sniffing the ground and the air. There was the smell of a lot of different kinds of beasts but no sign of them which greatly confused it.


    It slowly crept towards theke, drawn in by the immense amount of spiritual energy.


    Step by step it got closer, but nothing happened. Finally, it reached the edge and looked at its reflection in the bloody water. It dipped its mouth into theke and drank a few mouthfuls before closing its eyes in ecstasy.


    The bloody spiritual water entered its mouths and as it went down towards the stomach, a gurgling sound was made and it suddenly broke through to the next realm with a surge of Qi being released from its body.


    ted, it let out a few joyful noises and moved several steps back before charging straight into the water. With a ssh, it fell straight into the water and sunk several metes due to its heavy weight.


    But as it moved its fat little legs trying to swim back to the top, it turned around and saw a pair of eyes staring at it from the bottom of thete.


    The pair of eyes became bigger and bigger until the face they belonged to was in front of it.


    A colossal ck serpent with a mouth that looked much like it belonged to a prehistoric creature stared at the little beast for a few seconds before swallowing it whole and swimming away like it waspletely natural.


    The ck serpent swam straight down until it reached the bottom, where another identical white serpent was swimming around in circles.


    Below the white serpent, a vague silhouette belonging to a human being was visible. This person was sitting at the very bottom of theke with crossed legs. The surrounding waters seemed to be moving around him in circles, creating a mini whirlpool.


    This person''s body kept changing. Sometimes it would shrink, sometimes it would expand. The muscles seemed to be moving on their own and veins were visible through the skin. They moved around like like small worms and changed ces along with the rest of the body.


    From his hair to toes, every single thing seemed to be changing and moving around, trying to find its ce ording to some unknown force.


    *BZZZT*


    A shockwave spread out from his body as the surrounding water went into a frenzy. It came alive and formed small strands that entered his body one by one.

 Chapter 158: Uninvited Guest

    <h4>Chapter 158: Uninvited Guest</h4>


    *Thump*


    A sound not much different from a drum spread out from Hao Xuan''s body. He was sitting there with his eyes closed, concentrating on controlling the entire process.


    The strands of water surrounding him were much more viscous than normal and were a dark red color. They seemed to appear out of nowhere and entered his body after revolving around a few times.


    *Thump*


    Another shockwave spread out. This one seemed shorter than the first one. The red strands caressed his skin gently and then attached themselves to it. If one was to zoom in several hundred times, they would see the blood particles defusing through the skin cells and entering his body.


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    The interval between each shockwave reduced considerably until they were produced non-stop.


    Right now he was surrounded by a sphere of thick liquid that separated him from the rest of the water. As the blood particles entered his body, they could be seen moving around the veins with the naked eye. His skin shed with a semi-transparent coating every now and then.


    *Pfft*


    He suddenly opened his eyes and threw up a mouthful of blood, "Almost.....there..." he thought.


    The temperature in the liquid sphere starting rising and small bubbles came off his body and were pushed out from the sphere by an unknown force.


    These bubbles contained traces of ck gtinous materials that were expelled from Hao Xuan''s body. These were the impurities that he had amassed since the day he was born.


    For one to break free from the ''mundane'' and enter the true world of cultivation, they must possess apletely pure body.


    Because the fewer impurities a person had, the faster and easier their growth would be.


    He first spent several hours gaining full control over his body. The Qi from all three meridians mixed together seamlessly and flowed to every single cell.


    Normally, impurities would be expelled step by step in every stage before the Spirit Realm. But in Hao Xuan''s case, when the Spider n used that recipe on him, most of the impurities were expelled with the assistance from the ingredients during the process.


    Unfortunately now, only the most difficult to reach ces were left. These were the ones in his very veins and some of the more important organs like the heart and the brain. To get them outpletely he had to spend days upon days to carefully push them out with the help of his Force Qi.


    But hasty as Hao Xuan was, he found another ''method''. The ''Immortal Devouring Demon Physique'' allowed him to be extremely daring this sensitive process.


    So instead of spending so much time pushing every impurity out one by one, he decided to use the Sundering Qi to simply cut open the cells of his very organs and forcefully ''throw-out'' the impurities embedded within.


    By using the copious amounts of spiritual energy from the surrounding water and the pure beast blood, he healed himself as soon as the injuries were made. But this process was also extremely painful.


    It felt like something was burning his insides non-stop. Both injuring AND healing brought immeasurable pain upon his sense. He had passed out several times during the process as well.


    Thankfully his cultivation level allowed him to stay underwater for up to Forty minutes without having toe up for air.


    The hours trickled by like the rainwater above. Before he realized it had already been three days. His spirit band was lighting up continuously with hundreds of messages and calls from a number of people, Xu Qing and First being at the top.


    ck swam around the hugeke without a care in the world, while White stayed by Hao Xuan''s side every single minute of every day. Both of their injuries had healed up since they weren''t anything serious to begin with.


    They hadn''t stayed idle either and had grown by more than 30 feet, reaching almost a hundred now.


    It was said that somewhere out there is a godly serpent whose scales are big enough to shoulder entires and swallow entire gxies like it was nothing. It was called the world serpent but no one had actually seen it.


    Every serpent was said to have the potential to reach such a size at one point or another. Many believed this to be true since the serpents had some of the longest lifespans in the known universe and could easily live long enough to surpass even the oldest existence.


    *Crack*


    Hao Xuan who was sitting in the sphere of the thick liquid abruptly opened his eyes. His pupils shrunk and a small crack appeared in the middle of his chest. He looked down and couldn''t help but change his expression.


    The flesh separated as a finger came out of his chest. It waspletely ck in color and its texture looked simr to that of coal, looking very brittle. But Hao Xuan could feel the vast amount of power in this tiny little finger and knew that he would have to use everything in his arsenal to destroy it, let alone the being that it was attached to.


    "Now! Do it quick!" he shouted towards White with gritted teeth and held out his chest.


    White suddenly turned his massive head around and opened his mouth. A stream of concentrated ck fire shot forward like aser and hit the crack, pushing the finger back into Hao Xuan''s body.


    The crack slowly closed up and disappeared like it was never there.


    There was not even a single scar left where the crack had opened up. If he wasn''t the one it happened to, Hao Xuan would have trouble believing what he saw was real and not a strange illusion.


    "That was close. It almost broke out," he thought while massaging the crack area. It didn''t hurt at all but he still felt better after doing it.

 Chapter 159: Returnee

    <h4>Chapter 159: Returnee</h4>


    Hao Xuan spent two full days underwater. ck would inhale a massive amount of air and leave a few air bubbles around him every few mins, leaving him to focus on breaking through.


    He finally managed to expel out all of the impurities and jumped directly from Origin Realm 6 to the Pinnacle of Origin realm.


    Now all he needed was to understand a new type of energy and materialize his mind pce to enter the Spirit realm.


    The cultivation of this world was much different from the ones people back on earth came up with. There were no rigid limitations in most cases that said a cultivator of an Elementary realm couldn''t fight someone of an Origin realm for example, one on one. Each realm had a set of specific conditions and if someone met them, they were considered to be in that realm. That''s why the power level between people of the same realm often varied quite a lot.


    Of course, there were restrictions when the difference was simply too big. For example, the cultivators in the Spirit Realm were considered to be an entirely different level since they had left the boundaries of the mundane world and taken their first step on the neverending road of cultivation.


    Hao Xuan had not even stepped out of the Mei kingdom yet so there was no way for him to know these things. He had not even met any of the special races other than a rare few. Thends of Beast World were filled with mysterious areas that housed more secrets than a politician''s closet.


    *Cough*Cough*


    A naked human silhouette crawled out of the bloody waters of Lake Galena. He sat down near the edge and took a few minutes to regain his breathing. He looked extremely skinny and resembled a skeleton with skin draped over it rather than a normal human being.


    Even though ck was kind enough to bring him air, it was anything but fresh, especially with the number of random beasts ck had been eating.


    Fresh air truly was a blessing Hao Xuan thought.


    *Whistle*


    "Is it me or do you look a bit different now Cap''n? Ah, I know, you did something to your hair didn''t you?" a voice came from behind Hao Xuan, startling him. ck and White''s gigantic heads quickly popped out of theke as they extended their bodies to surround Hao Xuan and looked towards the new arrival threateningly.


    "Holy sh*t, when did you get new pets?" the voice sounded quite surprised and happy as it got closer. Hao Xuan frowned because he had heard it before but couldn''t remember from where. He couldn''t see the person it belonged to either since ck and White had surrounded himpletely.


    He patted their bodies, "It''s fine, let me see who it is.." he whispered.


    The breakthrough had consumed a lot of energy and required him to stay awake for several days. Even though there was an abundance of spiritual energy, he was still human and needed to eat and with his metabolism, he needed to eat quite a lot which he had not managed to do. Not to mention the mental and physical toll the entire process had taken.


    Right now Hao Xuan was so tired that just keeping his eyes open was a no simple undertaking.


    ck and White''s thick bodies slowly slid away and created an opening towards the figure. Hao Xuan looked up and saw the figure. It took him a few seconds but he remembered who this person was.


    "You! What are you doing here? And where were you for thest few months?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.


    The figure smiled, "I made a deal with the old man so had to honor it. But I am free now so we can have lots of fun! I''m looking forward to it," he grinned.


    "Jin Wang, is the Red Legion a joke to you?" Hao Xuan shouted angrily at his response.


    Yes, this was the same person that had defeated the Jia prince, Jiang Ling barehanded without even breaking a sweat. (Ch 76)


    When Hao Xuan woke up after that, he never saw him again until now.


    Jin Wang ignored the menacing res from ck and White and walked past them like they weren''t even there. He bent down in front of Hao Xuan and patted his shoulder.


    "d you didn''t die. I came over as soon as they let me but still didn''t make it in time I see," he smiled.


    Hao Xuan backed up and his frown got even deeper. He didn''t remember being so ''close'' and frank with this guy, why was he acting like this? Wait a second...


    "You are the reinforcements the HQ sent?" he asked both shocked and angry. Did they send a single person to help him stop hundreds of thousands of beast? Really?!


    "Hey hey, don''t look down on ''The great me''. I might not have been able to kill them but escaping would never have been a problem," he patted his chest in pride, "Also, do you mind covering that up?" he gestured towards his lower half.


    Hao Xuan looked down and suddenly remembered that he was buck naked and everything was out for the world to see. He waved his hand and a towel appeared which he ''shielded'' himself with.


    "What the actual f*ck is wrong with you?! Go away! Let me change for god sakes!" he shouted at Jin Wang while trying to stand up.


    "Hey, if you didn''t want people to stare, shouldn''t have taken that thing out," Jin Wang shrugged like it was totally normal and backed off when smoke starteding out of ck and White''s nostrils.


    Hao Xuan wrapped the towel around him and gave him a final re before ordering White to cover him while he put on some clothes.


    Jin Wang just smiled at serpents and looked around.


    "By the way, there are a bunch of people that came over from all over the continent hearing about the beast horde. Let''s go fight a few after this," he shouted towards Hao Xuan''s direction.

 Chapter 160: Riona

    <h4>Chapter 160: Riona</h4>


    "A bunch of people? What people?" Hao Xuan''s angry voice came from the other side of White, "And whye here?"


    "What do you mean? Why not? They get to capture a few beasts, kill thousands more, it''s pretty fun," Jin Wang replied as a matter-of-factly.


    "There are beast hordes all over the continent and almost every year, why did they decide toe here and now?"


    Jin Wang smiled hearing his question.


    "Because this one is different."


    "Different? How?"


    "The never ending rain, the huge influx of beasts, does that seem normal to you?"


    Hao Xuan didn''t answer. A couple of minutes passed and White pulled back his body, revealing a fully clothed Hao Xuan.


    "I''m tired and hungry. Let''s talk somewhere else," Hao Xuan gestured towards Jin Wang and started walking towards the forest. ck and White jumped out of the water, returning to their smaller forms.


    Jin Wang was a bit surprised but still followed after.


    The rain had still not subsided and the scenery had changed quite a lot. Many ces had beenpletely uprooted by the copious amount of rain, creating small streams and an entirely new river.


    They walked for 10 or so minutes before a small hill came into view. There was a clearing behind it. Hao Xuan took out the portable camp and threw it down. Within a few seconds everything was ''unpacked''.


    Jin Wang whistled looking at it and walked in before Hao Xuan could do so himself. Hao Xuan wasn''t really one for manners to begin with so he didn''t mind either.


    When Hao Xuan entered, all the formations kicked in at once, providing cover from the rain as well as disappearing in the surroundings.


    "Wow, you''ve got some digs captain. I''m a little jealous," Jin Wang looked around enviously.


    Hao Xuan red at him once and sat down in front of the fire. He took out a few pots and pans and then dozens of ingredients and started making himself some breakfast, dinner or whatever the appropriate meal was. Because of the cloudy weather, they couldn''t even tell the time of day without a watch.


    "Exin yourself. What did you mean by your earlier statement?" he asked while fiddling around with the fire.


    Jin Wang casually took a seat and made himselffortable. He picked up a carrot and started munching on it like a rabbit.


    "Exactly what I meant. It''s been raining constantly for months now. The entire map of the kingdom was changed because of it. The beast hordesid waste to multiple cities and the rain changed the terrain so much that we couldn''t even provide support in time."


    "So the top brass sent a few people to investigate the cause of it and they finally found it a few days ago. A secret realm has opened. All this sh*t has been because of it. The rain was an obvious sign of it. The overflowing beasts was the second one."


    Hao Xuan stopped what he was doing and looked back at him with a frown, "Secret realm? What''s that?"


    Jin Wang seemed like he expected the question and grinned.


    "It''s sort of like another dimension, but different. It''s a pocket of space that is not on the same ne as us. It can appear at any time and anywhere."


    "What''s so special about this realm then?"


    "Each ce is different. Some realms are nothing but chaos, some are full of monstrous beasts while others hidden treasures. But there is something for everyone in there, that''s for sure. This one is one of the smaller ones. That''s why there haven''t been any mysterious or supernatural events or changes."


    "It''s been f*cking raining for like three months. What do you mean there haven''t been any mysterious events?" Hao Xuan growled in response. He loved the rain but there was such a thing as too much.


    Jin Wang shook his head and picked up another carrot, "This is nothing supernatural. A little annoying perhaps but that''s it. When some of the bigger realms open, there can be never-ending thunderstorms, raptured space, entire empires can sometimes disappear. There was one where a divine beast came out of the realm and killed everything in a billion miles. So aspared to that, what''s a little bit of rain?"


    Hao Xuan was left stupefied once again. This was the norm here? How the hell was anyone supposed to live their lives when sh*it like this could happen at any time?


    "Anyways, some of the other powers found about it and sent their people over as well. Many beast ns and kingdoms have sent people over in secret."


    "Are we just going to let them enter the realm just like that?" Hao Xuan asked, befuddled.


    "What else can we do? If we stopped everyone, we would be making enemies all over the ce."


    "Then what?"


    "The royal n has taken this chance to better our rtions with the other kingdoms. The powers we are on good terms with will be allowed to enter first along with us, and the ones that are against us will gost."


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say. So much had happened in the few days he was out of touch with everyone?


    "So where is it? The entrance to this realm?" he asked after a few minutes.


    "Southwest of here. Other''s should be going there as well. There are already a few armies station there so we can just join up with them."


    "Alright. Let me take care of a few things and then we''ll leave," he nodded.


    Hao Xuan checked his Spirit Band and saw the hundreds of messages. Most of them were from Xu Qing and First so he called both of them one by one.


    Xu Qing was sitting in her room. She looked much thinner and had dark circles under her eyes. As she heard Hao Xuan''s voice her broken eyes lit up with a strange light. He exined what happened and that everything was fine. She looked like she had something to say but never did.


    He then called First who looked like he had been in a fight and was bandaged all over. He didn''t exin what happened and only told Hao Xuan to go to the Realm''s entrance.


    They had given the realm a name, ''Riona''.


    As Hao Xuan finished up the call with First, he heard Hyde''s voice calling for him.

 Chapter 161: Ability

    <h4>Chapter 161: Ability</h4>


    "Come, finish cooking these. I''m tired and low on Qi so have to meditate for a few minutes," Hao Xuan said looking at Jin Wang. He was cooking three dishes at once. There was fried rice in one, meat being grilled in another pan and soup being heated up in another.


    "Sure," Jin Wang got up and took the spat and tongs from his hand. It was normal for cultivators to spend weeks or even months out in the wild so knowing how to cook properly was one of the mostmon and best skills to have.


    Hao Xuan sat down beside the fire and closed his eyes, appearing in the mind pce. Ensis, ck, and White were all sitting around the podium in the middle.


    Ensis had his eyes closed and had wisps of Qiing out from the sword ced horizontally in hisp. ck and White sitting in a corner entwined together like ropes.


    Hao Xuan smiled and walked up to the podium with light steps so as not to disturb any of them. But upon reaching the podium he froze. A white little kitten was sleeping under the skill books he had learned, snoring loudly.


    "How the hell did this brat get in here?" Hao Xuan frowned. He hadn''t initiated a contract with Zhurong nor severed his soul. Yet here he was, sleeping soundly within his mind pce.


    The Mind Pce was where the soul resided and without the permission of the owner, no one else could enter it, or so it used to be.


    "I''ll deal with youter," he stroked the sleeping Zhurong''s white fur and moved on. The door to Hyde''s room was open so he just entered without knocking or announcing himself.


    Hyde was, as usual, sitting in his chair facing the window. Everything was the same as thest time, other than a chessboard to the left of the room. Hao Xuan frowned and walked up to it. It looked like someone had been ying as there were pieces on either side of the board.


    "ying with yourself?" Hao Xuan sniggered.


    "Very funny. And yes, in a way. Come have a seat, we need to talk about your future," Hyde''s monotone voice came from behind the newspaper that covered his facepletely.


    "Ohh," Hao Xuan raised an eyebrow and walked up to the other chair and sat down.


    "What do you read in it? Actually, what even is that?" he asked looking at the newspaper.


    "It''s none of your business," Hyde folded the paper and put it on the side table. He looked at Hao Xuan up and down and shook his head.


    "You''re almost at the spirit realm so its time you understood what really is the ''Soul Severing Heavenly constitution'' and how to properly use it," Hyde said calmly and without waiting for a response, started exining everything.


    It took almost an hour until they were done. Hao Xuan didn''t have a chance to speak up even once and could only listen. But the more he heard, the deeper his frown got.


    Hyde told him many things, but the gist of it was that the ''severing'' ability that came with the constitution was only the most basic one. Most of the other abilities were locked until he reached the spirit realm and would be unlocked as he became stronger.


    What caught Hao Xuan''s eye was that upon reaching the spirit realm, he would be able to get detailed information about all of his ''followers''. This information would be extracted from their blood and the hidden memories within it.


    Even on earth, many people believed that the DNA of every living creature held far more than just their gic information. Mainly that one could get secrets about their bloodlines and ancestors, and it seemed like that was true.


    Even vampires in this world had simr abilities. More powerful vampires would be able to extract an entire lifetimes'' worth of information by ingesting a single drop of blood.


    But Hao Xuan''s ability would be different in the sense that he would not be able to "see" their memories, only get some specific information.


    This would allow him to help his followers evolve and be stronger, just like their ancestors.


    This ''extraction'' ability had another use. Once and only once, he could ''extract'' an ability or a skill from each follower, making it his own.


    Meaning he would essentially be able to learn entirely new abilities and skills without actually having to go through the learning process itself.


    Like the ''The Six-Armed Heavenly Ape'' technique he got from Green and Red. He had spent weeks leaning and making it his own before actually being to use it inbat. But after unlocking the ''extracting'' ability, there would be no need to learn it. It would just be...his.


    Also, that was a technique that could be learned by other people. But taking ck and White''s me attacks for example, there was no way for Hao Xuan to acquire that ability other than through ''extraction''.


    That was an innate ability of their species and could not simply be learned by others.


    "This is how we are supposed to fight. The quality of our followers and their numbers directly influences ourbat strength," Hyde said somberly.


    He paused and then looked out the window where it was always snowing and mumbled.


    "This was one of the reasons for our downfall as well. We focused so much on bing stronger that we forgot about its repercussions. The cruel heavens will not simply let you be their equal. You have to be very careful."


    Hao Xuan looked at him for a good few minutes in silence.


    "Who are you? You are certainly not my ''other'' personality or whatever. How can you know all these things?"

 Chapter 162: WHO?

    <h4>Chapter 162: WHO?</h4>


    *Tremble*


    The entire room shook as if a minor earthquake had just hit.


    Hyde''s eyes glistened as he looked at Hao Xuan and spoke slowly, enunciating every single word, "Who.am.I?"


    Hao Xuan ignored the shaking furniture despite the nervousness building in his heart and simply nodded.


    "I''ve been meaning to ask this for a while. Who are you? Or maybe WHAT are you would be a better question?"


    Hyde smiled. And as he smiled, only for an instant, his body seemed to split apart and two pairs of ck eyes that stared at him from the dark.


    Hao Xuan tensed up. His grip on the chair tightened but he still kept a nonchnt expression, trying to act calm.


    "Whatever do you mean? I am you," Hyde replied gently.


    "Stop. Just, stop. Enough games. I don''t care who you are as long as you don''t mean me any harm. But you need to tell me the truth," Hao Xuan wiped a droplet of sweat that was going down the side of his face.


    Who would have thought that one could sweat in their own mind?


    "Haha. If you don''t care, why do you need to know?" Hyde chuckled.


    Hao Xuan raised his tone, "Because you are in my damn head. I''ve never asked you anything in hopes that you woulde to me yourself, but that didn''t happen. Now you must give me an answer. Who? What? And most importantly, Why?"


    The smile on Hyde''s face slowly vanished as he met Hao Xuan''s gaze. And in that moment he knew, the truth, or a part of it would have to be revealed today.


    "Child," Hyde started talking, the tone of his voice changed and it sounded like a number of different people were talking at the same time, "If thou gaze long into the abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee. You woke me from my slumber, yet you ask who I am?"


    Hao Xuan''s throat went dry as he stared at Hyde without even blinking an eye.


    "Who I am matters not, for I mean you no harm. Rather, you are not worthy enough for me to make a move against you. In the Great Game, you are nothing but a pawn. "


    "But if you must, know that,"


    The pitch of his voice kept increasing as he talked and Hao Xuan''s ears started bleeding in real life. It felt like he was about to hear something not meant for someone in his position and it was his body''s natural reaction to deafen itself to avoid hearing those words.


    "I am the one who fell,"


    The ss on the window shattered into pieces.


    "I am the Warden of the bottomless pit,"


    The me in the firece that had not stopped once, put itself out.


    "I am the Arch-Fiend,"


    "The Whisperer,"


    All the furniture other than the chairs they were sitting on exploded without making a sound.


    "The Serpent of Old,"


    "The Father of Lies,"


    The four walls of the room copsed as an empty ckness surrounded them. Right now Hyde and Hao Xuan were sitting on the two chairs with nothing but the darkest darkness around them.


    "I am the who tempts,"


    Hyde''s lips moved but all Hao Xuan could hear was a high pitched noise that drowned out everything else in existence.


    "I have as many names as there are stars, as many titles as there are ways to die,"


    "I am _____"


    The scene before Hao Xuan''s eyes suddenly changed as the smell of blood, burnt flesh, and hair hit him head-on.


    Shouts of the elderly begging for mercy for their young, praying of women from gods that never answered, the cursing of strong-willed warriors, and screams of children crawled into his ears.


    He couldn''t actually ''see'' anything but it wasn''t hard to imagine upon hearing their voices. A vivid image appeared in his brain and a single word embedded itself in his mind.


    His lips moved and he muttered the word in real life.


    "_____"


    The fire in the stove extinguished and all the formations of the portable camp stopped for a few seconds.


    Jin Wang''s eyes contracted as he spun around and stared at him with wide eyes.


    There was ck blood leaking from Hao Xuan''s eyes, nose, and ears. Jin Wang broke out in a smile.


    "I knew it wouldn''t be boring with you," he said gleefully.


    *Wooosh*


    Hao Xuan woke up from his daze. He looked around the room and everything was still the same. Nothing had moved an inch. He looked at Hyde who was sitting on the opposite chair looking at him with half a smile.


    "Or I am just ''Hyde'', a figment of your imagination," his voice went back to normal.


    "Why.....are you....here?" Hao Xuan asked in a voice so light that it was barely audible.


    "No real reason. I felt something interesting so I came over to check. Don''t worry about it too much. What you need to know is that I don''t really want to hurt you. You have so much to do, such a long journey ahead of you. It would be such a shame if something happened before you yed your part," he replied in his usual gentle tone which was such a contrast to the one from before.


    "Then....what did you do my other personality?"


    "Hm? What personality?" he asked, confused.


    "T-The good...or whatever that was supposed to be here....you said that-"


    "Oh? Did I say something like that?" Hyde scratched his chin with a pondering expression.


    "When I came here, this ce was empty. There was nothing left," he mumbled.


    "....."


    "What about the other one? The one in the left door? Can you....kill it?"


    "Kill!? Hahaha," Hyde roared withughter to the point of bing teary-eyed.


    It was a good minute or so before he gradually came to a stop.


    "Well, I could probably, but it would be counterproductive. Anyways, enough talk. I need to rest," Hyde waved his hand and Hao Xuan was pushed out of the room.


    With a loud bang, the door closed on its own. Hao Xuan sat there in deep thought for over 20 minutes until he felt something move his physical body.

 Chapter 163: Depart

    <h4>Chapter 163: Depart</h4>


    *Meow*


    As Hao Xuan was about to return to the physical world, he heard a voice from behind. Still in somewhat of a daze, he turned around and saw Zhurong sitting right behind him.


    "You finally woke up huh?" he absentmindedly extended his right hand and pet him as usual.


    "It can''t hurt you. The ''thing'' inside. As long as I stand guard, it cannot leave," a childish voice sounded in his head. Stunned for a few seconds, he looked down at Zhurong who was enjoying the petting with closed eyes.


    "Is that why you came in here?" he murmured.


    Zhurong nodded innocently. Hao Xuan paused and then remembered something.


    "Do you know what it is then?" he whispered.


    Zhurong shook his head. "Old, it''s very old. Older than father even. And very strong. But it''s not really here. I can feel it."


    But the fact remained that ''it'' was extremely strong either way, whatever it was, and there was nothing Hao Xuan could do about it right now.


    "Why the hell did this happen? Some evil piece of sh*t suddenly decides to take residence in my head? One bullsh*t after another keepsing up. This new world is kinda shi*tty," he cursed inwardly.


    "Let''s go out then," he picked up Zhurong and tried to leave but Zhurong started fussing about.


    "No, I stay. Guard door," he shook his little head.


    "Rx, he isn''t going anywhere. You don''t have to stay here," Hao Xuan said quickly and then paused, "Actually, how did you get in here in the first ce??" he asked with a deep frown.


    Zhurong''s expression changed instantly and he jumped up on Hao Xuan''s shoulder while his voice resounded in his head, "Go go, hungry, food!" he said raising his front paw forward.


    "That''s what I thought," Hao Xuan grinned and returned to the physical world.


    He opened his eyes and saw Jin Wang''s face less than a foot away from him.


    "Ahh, what the f*ck are you doing?!" he back up several steps.


    "Just making sure you didn''t die or something," Jin Wang grinned and returned to what he was doing.


    "You might wanna clean up before eating," he put down several tes of food.


    "Clean up?" Hao Xuan got up and looked at a mirror, almost letting out a scream. There was dried ck bloodstains everywhere. His clothes which he had worn only for a couple of hours were ruined again.


    "Damnit."


    He washed up and changed into some new ones.


    "Looks like you went above and beyond eh?" Hao Xuan said looking at over 15 different dishes. Everything from noodles to what seemed like top-grade steaks were ced there, cooked to perfection.


    Zhurong was already halfway through a giant sheep-like beast that was dripping oil onto the fire.


    "This little..." Hao Xuan was left speechless watching Zhurong expertly jump from one bone to another while cleaning every piece of meat on the carcass. And all on an open me to boot.


    "You''re not gonna get much if you keep staring like that," Jin Wang''s voice woke him from his daze as he turned around and saw him wolfing down an entire steak in two bites.


    "You damn animals!" he shouted and jumped in as well.


    It took almost an hour for them to finish everything. There was enough food to feed more than 20 people there but all three of them cleaned up everything.


    Zhurong and Jin Wang had purposefully slowed down in the middle and let Hao Xuan have the majority of it as he looked like a malnourished beggar already.


    It was already 4 in the evening and Hao Xuan was tired so he decided to call it a night and go to sleep. Zhurong, of course, followed after as eating and sleeping were two of his favorite pastimes, especially if theye one after another.


    Hao Xuan woke up the next morningpletely refreshed. He looked like his old self again. Jin Wang had already made a big breakfast once again, but Hao Xuan wasn''t one toin.


    After finishing the food, Hao Xuan recalled the portable camp and summoned Bai.


    "Lead the way," he said while jumping on.


    Jin Wang shook his head, "No no, that''s gonna take too long. Let''s use my mount," he waved his hand and a giant beast appeared, dwarfing even Bai who was already quite big.


    This creature had a dragon head and the body of a horse. The two wings on its side opened up to more than 70 meters each.


    Even Bai himself could ride this creature.


    "Damn, I gotta get me one of these," Hao Xuan said with visible envy. He patted the grey scally hide of the beast, making it turn around and stare at him in displeasure.


    "She doesn''t like when strangers touch her too much. Get on, let''s go!" Jin Wang jumped on andnded on her back casually.


    Hao Xuan patted Bai''s head, "When I breakthrough to the Spirit realm, I''ll find a way to help you evolve and be much stronger. It would so cool if you could grow wings too."


    Bai looked at him with his usual expressionless face and returned to his Meridian on his own.


    "Why do you all keep treating my body like a motel?" he mumbled annoyingly.


    Hao Xuan jumped on the dragon-horse and it took off like a bullet, disappearing into the ck clouds.

 Chapter 164: The Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 164: The Meeting</h4>


    "Hurry up already, we have to get there before the others!" Rong Li shouted from the front. He was on a 7 meter big Mammoth Tiger beast. The Tiger beasts massive muscles flexed as it jumped from one tree to another.


    There were about 20 people behind him, riding different beasts while sprinting at full speed.


    "Rx. Even if we get there before the others, do you really think they will let us enter first?" a monotone voice came from the beast right behind Rong Li. A man of about 25 years of age was sitting on top of the beast smoking a pipe casually.


    "It doesn''t matter. I want to see all the new heroes in-person before they enter the realm. It took us over a month to travel all the way from Holy Mountain, wouldn''t it be a shame to miss this opportunity by just a few minutes?" Rong Li shouted back energetically and sped up even more.


    *Sigh*


    The man shook his head and patted his beast which somewhat looked like a boar, trying to catch up.


    *Giggle*


    "Junior brother sure is in high spirits," a girl of about 22 years of age, dressed in a pink cheongsam said yfully. She had long ck hair and a very fair skin, looking like someone that had spent most of her life without doing any hard work.


    There were five female guards surrounding her from all sides, dressed in shining copper armor.


    "Haha, apologies for the brats behavior, princess. This is the first time he has left the Holy Mountain so he is a bit too excited," the man turned around and looked at her with a smile.


    Even though he had a higher cultivation than her, his tone was slightly subservient which showed the difference in their status.


    "Brother Hyson doesn''t need to worry, something this small wouldn''t be enough to put me off," sheughed and patted the white beast underneath which was like a mix between an ostrich and a dove.


    The beast cawed and speed up at once, leaving everyone behind.


    "Princess!" her guards also whipped their beasts trying to catch up with her and sped up.


    Seeing the distance between them and the princess and her guard''s increase, a young boy of about 16 years of age with red hair came up next to Hyson, "Senior brother, you give too much face to her. We aren''t her servants, why did we have to bring her along anyway?" he chafed at his behavior.


    "Because of her family and her lineage. Even though she might be weak now, she will surpass most of you soon," Hyson berated in a low voice.


    "I heard that the old master was even trying to get her into the Royal Academy of Mei Kingdom. Isn''t he putting a bit too much trust in her?" a girl chimed in from the side.


    All these people belonged to a small nation north of Mei called ''Fasauri''. This nation did not even have a grade of its own. It upied only a fraction ofnd aspared to the Grade 2 kingdoms like Mei and Jia, and had no extraordinary natural resources to speak off.


    Their ''king'' was a kind and smart man who always maintained good rtions with all the neighbors, sending gifts and envoy''s on almost every asion.


    One thing of note was his information channel. He always seemed to be present at the right moments, waiting to pick up the scraps left behind by the bigger powers.


    That and a few other reasons were why none of the other kingdoms bothered with them. To them, they simply weren''t worth the trouble.


    The Holy Mountain they spoke off was the capital of Fasauri, a gargantuan mountain in the center of the country. It aloneprised over sixty percent of the total area of the country.


    But other than its size, nothing else stood out even after repeated examinations by other kingdoms.


    Hyson took a puff from the pipe and shook his head, "If she gets in, its because the Mei values her talents, not because of the old master. We are but a small country in the outskirts, a single expert from one of the bigger cities couldy waste to our entire nation," he said gloomily, but it was the truth and they all knew it.


    In their own country they would be able to act arrogantly, but not here.


    "Hmm?" Hyson heard amotion from the front and sped up along with the others.


    "Stop!" there was a clearing ahead of them with a few dozen guards standing on full alert. There were spikes ced in a circle outside a wooden wall that was about 5 meters tall. It blocked the path ahead.


    The guards were standing along the only path that led in, looking at Rong Li and the Princess with stern expressions.


    The guard at the front looked around and frowned when he saw all the mounts.


    "Put away all your beasts, you have to walk on foot from here onwards. Show proof of your identity at the checkpoint and they will give you a token which you must keep on you at all times," the leader said in an imposing tone.


    Everyone including the princess and her guards followed his instructions quietly and called back their mounts. They walked past the guards and were stopped near the wooden gate.


    There was one soldier sitting in a small wooden shack. He simply extended his hand and everyone passed him their Spirit bands. He checked all of their information and returned the bands along with circr coins.


    "If you lose the token, you will be kicked out without exception. Keep this on you," he said in a deadpan voice and turned away.


    "Don''t make any trouble here. No one can help you if you piss off someone strong. Your status means nothing here," Hyson looked at Rong Li and said in a deep voice, but everyone still heard him and knew that it wasn''t actually meant for him.


    The princess let out a small smile and moved past them. She pressed her hand on the three-meter tall wooden door and it opened up on its own.


    As soon as it opened, loud moring noises came rushing out. Just a second ago it was dead silent, but the wooden door seemed like an entrance to another world entirely.


    Everyone including the sheltered little princess was left with her mouth agape. There were hundreds of people on the other side, either walking about or standing near stalls.


    Yes, there were dozens of stalls ced on either side of the path.


    The people were also very different. There were a few birdmen that looked like humanoid versions of different birds, some people with horns, tails, hoves, rockmen, what have you.


    They were chatting andughing with one another like it waspletely normal.


    Fasauri''s poption was about ny-nine percent human with a few lone people from other races. So seeing so many of them at once and in the same ce left them speechless.


    A few of them turned around and looked at the neers jeeringly.


    "Where did these hickse from?" a man with the head of an iguana said mockingly, making everyone break out inughter.


    "Ha..haha..." Hyson woke up from his daze with a red face.


    "Let''s go," he said in a low voice and walked into the crowd with his head down.

 Chapter 165: Rift

    <h4>Chapter 165: Rift</h4>


    "This should be good. Put down the tents here," Hyson stood in front of a small clearing and told the others.


    "Why do we have to stay in this ce?" Rong Li asked gloomily.


    The spot Hyson had chosen was towards the far left of the ''settlement''. The opening of ''Riona'' was located in the middle of this area.


    Upon finding the location of the realm, Mei soldiers were dispatched to clear out the surrounding 1-kilometer area and make a temporary wall around it. This area would be used by everyone that came to try their luck in the realm.


    Although the wooden wall looked shabby, it was only used as a foundation for several other formations that acted as the main defenses in case of a beast horde. But even beasts weren''t dumb enough to waltz into an area with thousands of powerful cultivators from the surroundings hundreds of kingdoms.


    There were already some proper buildings erected towards the back of the settlement. These were low-level treasure''s that could be stored at will like a contracted beast. Only powerful experts at the Spirit realm or higher had the ability to use them and they were extremely expensive to boot.


    Aspared to Hao Xuan''s portable camp, well, there was noparison to speak off. These buildings were owned by powerful cultivators from some of the Kingdoms and other powers like cultivation schools, ns, and Academies.


    The other spots closer to these buildings were also taken by people that had the power to hold on to them. And since they didn''t have treasures of their own, they used normal tents since the stay wasn''t going to be more than a few weeks anyway.


    Some weaker rogue cultivators saw this as an opportunity to sell their wares and set up stalls near the entrance. These people would probably not have the chance to enter the realm themselves but there were more ways to profit than just one.


    "Because we aren''t strong enough for other areas. You''re lucky to find a ce at all. Just be d you don''t have to camp in the rain again," Hyson smacked him on the head and started setting up his tent.


    The formations around the settlement kept the rain outside so the area was in much better condition. On the journey over, they had to sleep in the trees because the ground was too muddy. Even having a hot meal was a luxury.


    The princess chose the best spot, closest to the buildings, making the other look at her with animosity. Once everyone was done setting up, Hyson called them over.


    "You can go around and explore a bit, but make sure not to cause any trouble. We can NOT afford any mishaps, understand?" he emphasized each and every word, giving even the princess an extra look.


    "Yes yes, we know," Rong Li waved his hand and quickly walked into the crowd.


    "Kramson, follow him, make sure he doesn''t get himself killed," Hyson patted the red-haired boy''s shoulder.


    The remaining twenty divided into several groups and went their own ways.


    "Mind if I tag along?" the princess came up to Kramson and smiled.


    He frowned but couldn''t find an excuse to say no, "Whatever you want," he said coldly and ran after Rong Li apanied by three other people.


    "I''ll be near the rift. If there''s any problem, go there," Hyson shouted at their backs and went towards the center of the settlement.


    The opening of a realm was called a ''rift''.


    Initially, it would look like a vertical or horizontal slit that would get bigger and change shape as time passed. Each rift was different and there were a few ways of finding out the level of the realm it led to.


    One of them was just by looking at the size and color of the rift. The bigger the size, the more dangerous it was.


    The color White was for the weakest Grade1 rifts, Blue for Grade 2''s and Green for Grade 3''s.


    A Grade 3 realm was the most anyone from a 2nd-grade kingdom like Mei could handle. The dangers lurking within were usually at the profound realm.


    This ''identification'' method was also not always correct. Many times a lower graded rift would lead to a Grade 4 or even Grade 5 realm, leading to theplete massacre of everyone that was unfortunate enough to enter.


    At most, it would be urate around sixty percent of the time.


    If a rift of a different color than three mentioned appeared, the overseeing Empire would take control of the area.


    Hyson walked for a few minutes, maneuvering between the hundreds of different tents and finally came out in a clearing. There were dozens of people standing around in a circle staring at the rift.


    There were six people with masks standing around the rift as guards. Each of them had different armors on but the one thingmon in between them was their strength.


    Every one of them was in the Spirit realm, exuding powerful energies and aura''s to keep the spectators at bay.


    Hyson looked at them a few times and then turned towards the rift. At first, it looked like a simple fracture in space, not much different from a cracked mirror. But it would asionally change shape and color, although White was the predominant color.


    "It''s already open, why aren''t they allowing us to enter?" he mumbled quizzically.


    "Its been open for three days now. They''re waiting for some of the younger generations of Mei heroes to arrive. They will go in first, followed by their allies. Thene the other powerhouses, and after that maybe us," a person next to Hyson exined. This person had cat ears and a long tail. He was chewing on something, much like a cigarette, while looking at the rift.


    "Oh, I thought they would be all here considering they found it first."


    "Nah," the cat person spat out whatever was in his mouth, "Someone else found the rift and then sold the information to Mei. And most of the heroes are already here, just two left I think."


    "Which two?" Hyson leaned towards the man in interest.


    "No idea. But you see those six people around the rift?" he pointed at the spirit realm guards.


    Hyson looked over at them and nodded.


    "Each of them is from one of the divisions under the great generals. They have called in their most promising geniuses. They are in one of those big buildings and will be leading the charge," he then pointed at the treasure buildings.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Its pretty easy to imagine what a Rift looks like since crap ton of movies and animes and mangas had them but here you go, just incase:


    https://i.pinimg/564x/ee/da/e7/eedae7f52f71faa108c60a3f3f2a3.jpg?b=t

 Chapter 166: FIGHT

    <h4>Chapter 166: FIGHT</h4>


    "W-Wow!" Hyson turned towards the six around the rift and looked at them with newfound respect.


    "Just enjoy the free show," the cat person patted Hyson on the shoulder and walked away. The show he was talking about was the rift itself. Its ever-changing color and shape kept the spectators mesmerized for hours upon hours.


    The sun and the moon changed ces. The group from Fasauir walked around taking all the settlement had to offer. Rong Li managed to keep himself out of trouble as well, although not for ack of trying on his part.


    He almost started a blood feud with a beastman that had rabbit ears and a lizard tail. He went up to him and asked which one of his parents was a rabbit and which was the lizard.


    These people ''mixed'' with beast blood didn''t take too kindly to such queries and it usually ended in bloodshed. Fortunately, Kramson who was keeping an eye on him stepped in and told the beastman that Rong Li was ''mentally challenged'' and he didn''t mean it.


    Due to the judgmental res from the surrounding crowd, the beastman had no choice but to forgive and forget.


    It was the morning of the next day and everyone was surrounding the rift. Hyson''s entire group was near the back as well.


    "Heye on, it has been 3 days already. How long do you expect to keep the rift closed?" a person with skin the same as a rock shouted.


    "We came here from millions of miles away just for this, how is that our fault that your own people can''t get here on time?!" another one chimed in.


    The rift had already beenpletely open for almost three days yet not a single person other than the ''scouting party'' was allowed in. Everyone present was ''unsatisfied'' by this treatment to say the least.


    The six around the rift seemed like statues and didn''t have a single reaction. They simply stood there without moving a muscle, only changing ces with their recements at night.


    "Is there gonna be a fight? Are they gonna fight??!" Rong Li couldn''t contain his excitement. He was 15 years old but still acted like a kid,plete opposite to Kramson.


    "Shut up already," Kramson smacked him on the back of the head but that did nothing to lessen Rong Li''s spirits.


    "There''s not going to be a fight. These people can''t afford to fight with a single one of those people, let alone the ones staying in the buildings," Hyson said while looking at the six rift guards.


    "See? Now just shut up an-" Kramson''s tone turned gentler and he tried to lecture his junior brother, until a loud noise interrupted him.


    "FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!" Rong Li was jumping up and down and shouting at the top of his lungs.


    Every single person turned around and looked at him with incredulous eyes. They were just taking out some of their frustrations, both sides knew it. Yet this moron took it seriously?


    *Woosh*


    In an instant, everyone backed off several meters, wanting nothing to do with these troublemakers. It was just Hyson''s group standing there with stupified expressions on their faces, while the rest were avoiding them like the gue.


    "Hmm?" one of the six guards turned around and looked at them.


    Kramson''s heart almost jumped out of his chest, he let out a high pitched shriek and stumbled as quickly as his body would allow him to shut Rong Li up when he saw him take in a deep breath to let out another shout.


    "...."


    "E-Eh, Who are you? I thought you were my senior brother!" the princess turned towards Hyson and shouted in a surprised voice.


    "L-Let''s go," she said to her guards and distanced herself from the group without any hesitation whatsoever. Even the spectators were convinced that she wasn''t with them.


    "You.....want to fight...?" one of the guards stepped forward. He was d in white ceramic-like armor which looked shiny and was extremely eye-catching.


    A heavy pressure descended on the entire settlement. Everyone felt it. Some of the weaker ones even fell down to their knees.


    "No, no, definitely not, of course not!" Hyson shook his head like a building in an earthquake.


    The guard ignored him and looked at Rong Li and then at Kramson who was holding his mouth shut with his hand.


    "Ha...haha..sorry, my junior is not ''all there'' in the head. He also has Tourettes so he can''t control what he says," Kramson blurted out one lie after another while sweating like a pig in mid-summer.


    Everyone present was looking at them, some more suspiciously than others.


    "Mmm-FIGH-mmm" Rong Li struggled free for a second and shouted again but Kramson managed to stop him.


    "See?" he smiled awkwardly as if this was all the proof they needed.


    The guard stared at them for a few seconds and then moved back to his position. The pressure vanished as well.


    *Bzzt*


    The badges of several of the guards vibrated at once.


    "He''s finally here," one of them mumbled.


    He then turned towards the crowd and said in a loud voice, "Move aside!"


    Since there was already space around Hyson''s group, people distanced themselves even further from them, making them stand out like a sore thumb.


    The guard looked at Hyson, "You too."


    "Y-Yes," Hyson grabbed Rong Li and dragged him to the side along with the others.


    Then the guard looked straight up.


    *Tip*Tap*


    Raindrops suddenly came down from the cloudy sky. The formation had been opened so there was no more protection against the rain.


    "What''s going? Why did they open the barrier?" Kramson asked while extending his hand out to catch a few drops.


    "For a flying type treasure probably," Hyson mumbled. Everyone followed the guard''s gaze and looked up as well.


    Even the other five guards were looking up.


    Time passed slowly. A minute passed yet there was no change. The rain was pouring down now without stopping. Some people ran towards their tents to make sure their belongings didn''t get damaged.


    *Whooosh*


    A loud noise like that of a helicopter but in bursts came from afar.


    "What''s that?" someone shouted pointing towards a small shadow in the distance. But before someone could answer, another loud whooshing sound came and the shadow shot forward like a cannonball, appearing above the settlement.


    People could finally see what the shadow belonged to. It was a massive four-legged grey beast. Each of its wings blotted out the light from above.


    "Holy sh*t, look at that thing!"


    The beast looked down and neighed.


    "Good job, you can rest now," a voice came from above the beast. As soon as the people heard the voice, the beast vanished into thin air and two silhouettes appeared in its ce. Without the beast to stand on, they fell straight down from more than three hundred meters.


    *BAAANG*


    They crashed into the ground, sending mud and water everywhere.


    "Close it," the guard said into his badge and the rain stopped once again.


    The crowd stretched their necks trying to see who the new arrivals were.

 Chapter 167: Fight Continued

    <h4>Chapter 167: Fight Continued</h4>


    "Can you warn me when you pull sh*t like that please?!" an angry voice came from the hole.


    "How about you use somemon sense? We can''t obviously LAND in here," another voice retorted.


    "Excuses!"


    "I hate you so much right now. I swear to god you''re the worst person to travel with."


    "At least I know when to shut up. And move your d*mn foot!"


    "Move YOUR foot!"


    "You b*tch!"


    Some shuffling and grunting noises came from inside the hole, painting a very vivid picture for the onlookers.


    "W-Who is that? Do you recognize the voice?" One person turned and asked hispanion, getting a head shake in response.


    "STOP! My new clothes!"


    "HAHAHA! That''s what you get!"


    "I swear to god Jin-"


    *COUGH*


    The guard that was standing near the hole listening with furrowed brows finally couldn''t take it and cleared his throat loud enough that a small shockwave spread out.


    "Just you fucking wait bitch," Hao Xuan''s annoyed voice came from the hole and he jumped out with his mask.


    He was wearing ck pants and shirt that were stained with mud and torn from a few ces. He looked like he had just gotten out of a fight, which he actually had. Right now he looked like a beat-up young master.


    Jin Wang also jumped out but he lookedpletely fine. He looked at Hao Xuan''s appearance and scoffed.


    "This way," the guard saw the vein on Hao Xuan''s forehead double in size and yelled to stop them for making a fool of themselves, again. He started walking towards the secondrgest stone building.


    "C*nt," Hao Xuan mumbled under his breath but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear, and then followed after the guard.


    "Wh*re," Jin Wang retorted and followed them as well, disappearing into the building within a couple of seconds.


    "He seems....different from the videos...." one of the guards mumbled nonchntly and returned to his original position.


    It hadn''t even been two minutes since the barrier closed and they had already gone into one of the buildings, leaving the speechless crowd to process what they saw.


    "O-Oi, wa.....was that Captain Deimos...?" Kramson asked Rong Li absentmindedly.


    Rong Li was a huge fan of Hao Xuan and had been keeping tabs on him. He was in his fan club as well and paid 20 gold coins for the premium membership. They would send all kinds of information to the fans including the dishes he ate, the clothes he wore, etc.


    Obviously, Hao Xuan himself had no idea about this fan club which was making quite a lot of money by selling his information without his knowledge.


    "Of course that''s him! Didn''t you see his iconic mask?!" Rong Li said loudly while trying his best not to start screaming. He kept staring at the building Hao Xuan had gone into, trying to see through the walls.


    Other people standing beside them listened in and were shocked as well. That was THE captain Deimos! The ruthless ''man-eating'' hero! But.....wasn''t his personality a bit....different today?


    "It really is him!" the princess finally shouted with sparkling eyes, almost passing out. One of the guards behind her had to step up and hold her up.


    Perhaps she would be the only bigger fan of Hao Xuan than Rong Li in this settlement.


    Although less exaggerated, but many other people had simr reactions to the princess, especially a few girls.


    "Is everyone else here?" Hao Xuan asked the guard that was silently leading them towards the main hall of the building.


    The insides actually looked like a normal mansion. That wasn''t quite what Hao Xuan was expecting and was taken aback. There were rooms on all sides of the triple story building with one massive room in the middle.


    "Everyone is waiting for you inside, there is no time to waste."


    They stopped outside the hall. The guard moved aside and opened the door, "Please."


    Hao Xuan hesitated and looked down at his own appearance. He wanted to change but there wasn''t enough time apparently. He walked in, followed by Jin Wang and the guard closed the door, walked back out, and stood beside the Rift as usual.


    As Hao Xuan entered the room, he was met with four pairs of eyes. There was arge circr table in the middle with six seats around it. Four of those seats were taken while two were empty.


    "Y-Yo," Hao Xuan wasn''t expecting there would already be people in the room and ring at him to boot. He waved at them awkwardly and took the closest seat.


    Out of the four, two were female and two males.


    One of the guys sitting opposite to Hao Xuan had a hulking build. Although Hao Xuan was quite tall, he wasn''t very buff. But this guy''s muscles seemed to have muscles, yet it wasn''t too much. His body seemed to be perfectly proportioned and gave others a feeling of ''wildness''.


    The other guy was sitting straight like a spear. His eyes sharp like an unsheathed de, making people turn away upon meeting his gaze.


    One of the females to Hao Xuan''s left was a girl in her twenties. She had a kind expression on her face and even smiled at him a bit. She was adorned in a blue dress that seemed one size too big for her.


    The other girl seemed like a teenager. She was to his immediate right. She wasn''t very tall and actually looked like a high school junior. And with the sword and heavy armor that was too big for her made it look like she was cosying.


    Jin Wang smiled at them and also sat down on the other empty seat.


    "That seat is not for you. Nor is this ce. Leave," the guy that was sitting straight ring at Hao Xuan said in a loud voice as soon as he saw Jin Wang sit down. But he didn''t shift his gaze away from Hao Xuan at all.


    "It''s an empty seat and there''s no name on it. Who says I can''t sit here?" Jin Wang didn''t take it to heart and made himselffortable. He looked back at the guy who said that and grinned.

 Chapter 168: Gather

    <h4>Chapter 168: Gather</h4>


    Hao Xuan who was still a bit nervous meeting a room of full of strangers for the first time suddenly frowned.


    "Why is that guy acting like that?" he thought.


    "I will not repeat myself. This ce is not for someone like ''you''. Leave," the guy repeated himself, this time releasing a bit of aura. Hao Xuan''s eyes contracted and he met the man''s gaze.


    "Spirit Realm?!" Hao Xuan''s expression turned serious.


    There wasplete silence in the room. Hao Xuan and the man kept staring at one another as if in a contest, while Jin Wang simply smiled looking at them.


    The man started releasing more and more Qi along with his aura, making the pressure on Jin Wang and Hao Xuan increase. But Jin Wang waspletely unaffected by it. He was actually so rxed that he yawned and rubbed his eyes in boredom.


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, wasn''t having such a rxing time. Small droplets of sweat appeared on his forehead under the increasing pressure.


    He looked at the man and saw that he wasn''t nning on backing off anytime soon which confused him. He hadn''t met this person before yet why did he seem to have a personal vendetta against him?


    "I don''t like you very much," he mumbled and sat back on the seat.


    *ssss*


    A sound simr to a hiss of a snake came from Hao Xuan''s body. A purple strand of energy came out of his hand. It was visible with the naked eye.


    The eye''s of the bulky man that was sitting opposite to Hao Xuan glinted upon seeing the strand of energy.


    The strand moved in the air like a see-through tentacle. Its tip turned towards the man that was releasing all the pressure and extended forward.


    The man frowned and released some energy of his own. It was a clear blue color and was in the shape of minute needles. There were over twenty of them. They shot forward one by one, embedding themselves in the purple tentacle.


    The man saw that the tentacle had stopped moving and scoffed.


    *Plop*


    It sounded like a small bubble being popped and the tentacle exploded.


    *BZZZZT*


    A heavy pressure descended on the entire room. Other than Jin Wang, everyone else''s expression turned serious instantly. They all turned and looked at Hao Xuan in surprise.


    The purple energy that Hao Xuan had released was a culmination of all emperor''s energy that he could have the utmost control over.


    In a direct confrontation, emperors'' energy was useless. It couldn''t hurt anyone just by itself. Its main use was "suppression". The suppression of a mighty king towards all the elements in his domain.


    And it did exactly that. The pressure descended on everyone and their powers were suppressed to an extent.


    The aura and the pressure the other man was releasing weakened considerably, enough for Hao Xuan to counter it.


    "Enough. We are already low on time. You guys can y aroundter," the bulky man waved his hand nonchntly and pressure vanished like it was never there.


    Hao Xuan knit his brow and looked at him. "Why didn''t you step in before?"


    "Because it was fun," the man grinned back. His face contorted in such a strange way that it looked deformed.


    "God damn, that''s one ugly grin," Jin Wang spouted out what Hao Xuan was thinking.


    "Hahaha, right??" the man startedughing like a lunatic, leaving both Hao Xuan and Jin Wang speechless.


    "Hello, my name is Sun An, I''m in charge of the Valkyries," the girl to Hao Xuan''s left finally couldn''t take it and introduced herself.


    "Ah, hello. Hao Xuan, Red Legion," he introduced himself with a small bow.


    "This is Guo Bao, he is in the Flying Tiger''s," she pointed at the bulky man, "He looks stupid but is a good guy."


    "The two aren''t mutually exclusive though..." Hao Xuan thought while looking at theughing Guo Bao.


    "This is Zou Jie. She is the little princess of the ''Ten Thousand''. Isn''t she cute?" she pointed at the chibi in the oversized armor and made a face at her. Hao Xuan turned to look at her but she quickly looked away with a slightly red face.


    "I-I guess....."


    "And that is Dong Ning. He is the youngest member of the ''Spearhead''," she pointed at the guy that told Jin Wang he couldn''t sit at the table and messed with Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan looked towards him and saw him ring back at him.


    He frowned and leaned towards Sun An and acted like he was whispering but everyone could still hear him clearly, "Is he retarded? Why does he keep staring at me like I stole his boyfriend?"


    "Pfft," Zou Jie wasn''t expecting him to say that and almost burst outughing.


    Dong Ning stood up and smacked the table with his fist, leaving a dent.


    "Don''t mind him. Many people in the militarypare him and you so he made a rivalry between you both in his own head," she shook her head and exined.


    "Oh, so he is a moron then," Hao Xuan nodded his head like he finally understood everything.


    "And thest chair is for the only member of the "White Death". He usually doesn''te to these things and is always on his own."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan looked at the seat she was talking about and saw Jin Wang sitting there like it was his own home, picking his nose with his left pinky finger.


    "Oh, this one''s quite big!" he mumbled while looking at the treasure he managed to dig out from his nostril.


    Hao Xuan turned away in disgust and ignored his very existence.


    "So what are we doing here?" he asked Sun An.


    "We sent a preliminary scouting party into the gate and found out that it is indeed a Grade 1 realm on the other side. Anyone higher than Spirit Realm can''t even enter," she waved her hand and a hologram appeared in the middle of the table.


    She looked at Hao Xuan, "We were waiting for you to arrive so everyone could depart at once. Originally, the n was for the most powerful people from each division to enter with a team of their own, but since the difficulty is low, the generals have decided to send us."


    "You will go in with your regiment along with two other parties. These parties constitute of different young men and women from our allies and your job is to act as their leader while in the realm."


    "From what we have gathered, the realm is a pre-historic world. We couldn''t find any sign of civilization from our initial search but that could be incorrect. Its packed with unknown creatures and materials never seen before."


    "Your main objective is to try and get as much information about the world as possible. Try to bring back any special flora or fauna youe across. There will be a team of scientists and archeologists going with you to do most of the work, so it''s not as bad as it sounds."


    "Also-"


    "Wait, my regiment has toe with? But they''re back near Galena," Hao Xuan interrupted her speech and told her about the Mad Saints.

 Chapter 169: Gather continued.

    <h4>Chapter 169: Gather continued.</h4>


    "What?!" Sun An frowned and clicked on her spirit band. A document appeared in front of her and she looked over it.


    "How did this happen? I thought everything else was already taken care of?!"


    The Mad Saints had indeed not checked in yet.


    "Is there any alternative? How long is this supposed to take? I can just go with normal soldiers, it doesn''t matter," seeing her angry expression he tried to find another way.


    She shook her head, "No, that''s the problem. We don''t know how long it could take or even what dangers the realm actually posses. Going in withplete strangers would be detrimental to the entire mission."


    "Not to mention you will be going with dozens of other people who YOU have to take care of basically. There will be no cohesion and your team could fall apart under pressure."


    Hao Xuan smiled at that part. Most people didn''t know but he had seen the selection process first hand once. Each Red Legion was selected after repeated trials, some of which continued for months.


    To the Red Legion, orders were like the words of God, unless they went against morals and teachings of the Legion itself.


    The Red Legion couldy waste to millions if they were guilty. But no innocents must ever be harmed by their hands. The Great General was extremely strict about this rule. Anyone found guilty of any atrocities would be given the harshest punishment possible, which by the Legions standards, wasn''t anything to joke about.


    "As long as they are in the Red Legion, it doesn''t matter," Hao Xuan shook his head with a smile.


    Sun An was in the middle trying to find a solution but stopped upon hearing Hao Xuan''s words. She thought about it for a few seconds and couldn''t help but agree with him. Out of all the divisions under the Six great generals, the Red Legion was the most secretive and strict, followed by the ''Ten Thousand'' and then the ''White Death''.


    "Alright, if you think its doable. I''ll gather all the remaining Red Legion members," she nodded and clicked away on her spirit band.


    Hao Xuan finally rxed and sat back once again.


    "Ahh, damn it, I forgot," he stood up instantly. He was still covered in mud and was drenched because of the rain.


    "Is there anything else? I need to go change and get ready," he asked and then smacked his head, "Oh and when are we leaving? What''s the procedure foring back?"


    "I forgot about that. Please have a seat, a few more minutes and then you are free to go," Sun An looked up and smiled apologetically.


    Hao Xuan looked down at the seat and there was a small puddle of water there.


    "I-I''m good. I''ll stand," he smiled awkwardly and just stood in front of the seat.


    He looked over at Jin Wang expecting to see simr urgency but all he saw a snot bubble expanding and contracting on his nose. This bastard was already asleep.


    "How the hell do you even do that?! You''re wet from head to toe!" he couldn''t believe his eyes.


    After a couple of minutes, Sun An was done with whatever she was doing.


    "Now, are all of you ready with the preparations?" she looked at the other three, getting affirmative nods in response.


    "Wait, you guys are going as well?" Hao Xuan asked, surprised.


    "Of course. Everyone here will be going with their own divisions and new groups of people under them," she said as a matter-of-factly.


    "But wouldn''t it be too crowded? If we all go to the same ce?" Hao Xuan asked with a knitted brow.


    "Ah, I forgot this is your first time," she smiled resplendently, making Hao Xuan a little embarrassed.


    "The rift will not lead everyone to the same ce. When it''s time to go, a team from the R&D department will put down some gadgets and whatnot around the rift to control it as much as possible."


    "I don''t know how exactly that all works, but by inserting some more spiritual energy into the rift or reducing it, they can change where it will lead. So every time one of us enters, it will be changed, effectively sending us topletely different ces. That''s why it could be very dangerous."


    "Aha, makes sense, I guess. But how will we get back then?"


    "Getting back is much simpler. The opening of the rift on our side is anchored in this location. It can not change. So all you have to do is find where the rift will appear on the other side and wait there. It usually opens within a day."


    "The scientists that areing with you will handle all this so don''t worry."


    She then turned away from Hao Xuan and looked at the rest, "But you guys need to keep in mind that the rift could close at any time. If that happens, you will be stuck on the other side, forever. Always keep an eye out on the energy readings on these," she threw out several devices. They looked like gameboys from back on earth but were made from some sort of a metal hybrid and could probably be used as weapons as well with its hefty weight.


    Hao Xuan picked one up and examined it. There were no buttons on it, only one screen with a straight line moving up and down asionally, like a heart monitor.


    "When that line starts fluctuating, it means the rift is about to close. You will have less than three days to find the location of the closest opening and wait there. Do NOT lose it," she enunciated every single word as much as possible.


    "Hahaha, this is going to be fun!" Guo Baoughed like a lunatic, waking Jin Wang up from his slumber.


    "Eh? What? What did I miss? Is the food ready?" Jin Wang mumbled incoherently, but Hao Xuan had many other thoughts going through his mind.

 Chapter 170: Change

    <h4>Chapter 170: Change</h4>


    Hao Xuan sat in a small room with an apologetic smile on his face.


    "Sorry sorry, Ipletely forgot. But as you can see, I''m fine you, so you guys don''t have to worry!" he patted his chest proudly.


    "Captain, I almost made a deal with the devil trying to rescue you. Can you not be so easy-going about these kinds of things?" Kuo let out a breath of relief when he saw Hao Xuan''s face.


    "Yeah yeah. So you heard right? I''ll be away for a while. If possible, try toe to one of the footholds near this ce so we can regroup when I return."


    "Sure, I''ll as soon as the opportunity presents itself."


    They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up the call.


    He then sat on a bed staring at the name in his contact list. Recently he got a strange feeling whenever he called her, one that he had never experienced before.


    The bell rang and was picked up within a couple of seconds.


    "Hello," he saw the same old porcin-like face he had seen hundreds of times now. He usually called her every other day so it felt strange not having talked to her in a while.


    But upon looking at her paleplexion he got worried.


    "What''s wrong? Are you sick?" he stood up and asked with a deep frown.


    A faint smile adorned her fair face as she shook her head, "No, just a little tired," she said in a light voice and lowered her head.


    He silently stared at the almost perfect ''picture'' on his screen for a few more seconds before letting out a deep breath.


    "You need to rest properly. Stop cleaning everything and making so much food. We have servants for that. Just rx and enjoy yourself. Or if you want to start cultivating, I can find some good teachers for you. How about that?"


    With her head still lowered, the smile on her face got wider and a warmth she hadn''t felt in a really long time once again appeared.


    Although Xu Qing was the first princess of her kingdom, her life was anything but rxed.


    Her mother passed away when she was five years old after giving birth to a baby boy. The king who was so madly in love with his precious queen almost went insane upon losing her.


    But he didn''t me any of his children for her death.


    Instead, he threw himself face-first into his work. There would be weeks or even months when she didn''t see her own father.


    So the little blind girl was raised by the servants and had to cry herself to sleep every night.


    The king had lost his ''favorite'' wife, but she had lost her only mother. Yet there was no ''work'' for her to keep herself busy, so she made some up.


    She would clean her own room and courtyard and take care of the young prince every day. She also went out and did a lot of charity work in her mother''s stead. It was anything but easy for someone that had never seen the light of day but she did it without a singleint.


    And when the day was over, she would be too tired to think about anything else and would simply pass out on her bed. Unfortunately, even in dreams, there would only be pain weing her.


    She would witness horrific scenes of death and carnage.


    Of a monster that wouldy waste to entire kingdoms. No one would be spared.


    And in every one of those dreams, she could neither move nor speak, only observe the massacre until the heavens themselves trembled with rage.


    The first time she had that ''nightmare'', she didn''t sleep for four days straight, only falling unconscious after burning herself out.


    But when the same nightmare repeated over and over again, and she started noticing things.


    The monstrous creature would be crying, always. There were tears of blood falling down its inhuman face. It would face the heavens above and howl in a final act of defiance before ultimately surrendering to its fate.


    And when it was all done and dusted, when it was the only one left standing, Hell itself would open up and swallow him whole.


    She never really paid attention to the creature itself so she hadn''t noticed this before.


    And then like a broken damn, all these extra details started appearing.


    She had that nightmare for over fifteen years until her father came to her one day on his knees, wailing.


    "I''m sorry,ss. I had no idea it would actuallye true. Your mother, she wanted children so bad, I had no choice but to make the deal, for her and for the future of this kingdom."


    He exined to Xu Qing that her mother, the woman he loved more than anyone else, was barren and couldn''t have children of her own. But she wanted them so badly that soon after she found out, she lost her will to live.


    She started to waste away.


    And in their most hopeless moment, a stranger appeared in front of them.


    This stranger offered them a shard of divine white light and told them that if they agreed, they could have two offsprings, a son and a daughter. But perhaps one day, the daughter would have to be sent away to another ce.


    That her life would not be an easy one but it would bring great change to this world.


    He cried his eyes out in front of her, saying that he couldn''t stop it, that he couldn''t protect her. That it was...time.


    That night, for the first time in fifteen years, Xu Qing had a different dream, a peaceful one.


    It would not be an exaggeration to say that that one dream will have changed her forever.


    The next day she went to her father with a resplendent smile, "It is my fate, royal father," she said, "I think I am meant to save someone. I think I....can change the ways of a demon," she told her father and left for apletely new ce.


    ***


    "No, I''m not one for cultivation. I just need a little bit of time to get back on my feet, don''t worry," she replied gently.


    Hao Xuan looked skeptical but what could he do?


    "Mhm, don''t push yourself too hard okay?" he said lightly.


    He told her about the new world, well most of it, and mentioned that he would not be able to contact for a little while.


    Xu Qing seemed a bit hesitant to end the call but, "Pleasee back quick," she said with a worried expression and hung up quickly.


    Hao Xuan wouldugh like an idiot whenever he remembered her expression. The usually calm and collected Xu Qing could be so cute as well?


    ***


    For the next hour or so he made calls to everyone he knew.


    Yangdi was his same old cold self. He inquired about the Khan family and some other things from him.


    Green and Red, on the other hand, looked different. Their heights had decreased by a couple of feet less, making them look much more normal.


    Yun Wentian told him about all the lessons he was taking and showed him a few moves as well. He was bing stronger as well. He already looked much more mature and more importantly, happier.


    First looked exhausted and told him that something big was about to happen. He told him to be careful and return as soon as possible.


    After talking to everyone, he was finally ready to set off for the new realm.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and meditated for a little while to calm down.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    A new arc is about to begin!


    And a reminder: Xu Qing: https://i.pinimg/564x/4f/85/62/4f856218d66942f97bbbc6ebf1f4499e.jpg

 Chapter 171: Replacements

    <h4>Chapter 171: Recements</h4>


    Hao Xuan stood in front of a group of people, looking them up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.


    "Is this it?" he tilted his head sideways in uncertainty, "How could this be it?" and then mumbled.


    "Yes, captain!" one of the men stepped forward and assured him.


    "I honestly thought there would be more people," he shook his head.


    There were about fifty soldiers standing in a square formation in front of him. These were all the Red Legion soldiers that were currently tasked with protecting the settlement.


    "There is no way this is enough right?" he thought inwardly. The ns were made with full divisions of each leader in mind. They must have expected the entire Mad Saints, all 450+ of them to be here, so how could he handle everything with only fifty people?


    "You can ask for reinforcements from HQ but that could take up to a week at thetest," the leader of the group stepped out and exined.


    This was the same person that had led Hao Xuan towards the meeting hall when he first arrived here. His name was Zeng Yu and he had been with the Red Legion for over thirty-five years. From his appearance alone, he looked to be about thirty years of age at most, but he would be turning seventy this year.


    Even his own son was one of the Red Legion soldiers currently standing behind him. Zeng Yu looked like he would not be fazed by anything he saw and was always expressionless. No matter what Hao Xuan asked, he would answer in his normal monotonous voice.


    And because of this expressionless face, he always looked disappointed. Hao Xuan wondered if that''s what he was like with his family too and couldn''t help but give a few pitiful looks to Zeng Wu, his son, which greatly confused the young man.


    Hao Xuan shook his head dejectedly, "We have to leave today. Apparently, the two other groups of people that are supposed to being with us have already been waiting for a week. I haven''t met them yet but they keep sending people over and asking when we are leaving."


    They talked for a little while until Hao Xuan had an epiphany.


    "Let''s just hire a few people from the crowd outside!" he eximed.


    Zeng Yu finally had a change of expression, "But they are outsiders. We can''t trust them, not to mention we have no idea about their abilities."


    "Then find some we do know about. Everyone had to register whening in right? Find someone that''s not affiliated with any of the big powers, but can still hold their own in a fight," Hao Xuan pped his hand in excitement.


    Zeng Yu''s expression gave away his real thoughts but he didn''t argue and simply left after giving a proper military salute.


    Even though he didn''t agree with Hao Xuan, it was nice to know that he still followed orders, even when they weren''t to his liking.


    Thirty minutester he walked back in with a list of names.


    "There is only one such group in the entire settlement. There are a little more than twenty people with them," he told him about Hyson''s group.


    Apparently, Zeng Yu had met the old king of Fasauir when he was out on one of the missions and was impressed by him. If these people were his students then it wouldn''t be such a big problem bringing them along.


    Hao Xuan listened to everything he had to say and agreed without even bothering to go over the list of names.


    "Anyone else?"


    "No. All the others are already going with one of the other divisions. Other than them, there are only rogue cultivators left who have no reputation and would be an even more of a liability if brought along with us."


    Hao Xuan had to agree with him on this point. He approved the list and told Sun An he was ready. Not even an hour had passed when he got the message that the preparations had been made and they were ready to depart.


    With his new soldiers in tow, he walked out of the building. The first thing he saw was Hyson''s group which were standing right outside, looking at him with beaming smiles.


    Hao Xuan had his normal mask on and had changed into his preferred attire, a white Hanfu. The first time he had worn a Hanfu was aftering to this word and he fell in love with it. The freedom and thefort it offered was too good to pass on.


    Fortunately, with his looks and physique, he would look presentable in almost anything.


    "Hello Sir," Hyson gave a deep bow, one that was meant for someone of a higher status. The princess was standing right next to him with slightly red cheeks.


    Rong Li was somewhere in the back, tied up and being held back by Kramson.


    "Please, rx. You don''t have to be so formal with me," Hao Xuan smiled looking at them.


    Hyson was older than him but he looked more mature in his current get up.


    "Thank you, sir," Hyson bowed once again out of forced habit.


    Seeing Hao Xuaning closer, the princess cleared her throat and stepped forward. She extended her hand with the palm facing the ground. This was the proper etiquette when two people of high standing met. Hao Xuan was supposed to smile, take her hand and bend over to kiss it, and give somepliments.


    What actually happened was something different.


    "Ah, hello," Hao Xuan shook her hand casually and walked past, leaving her standing there like an idiot.


    Kramson and Rong Li who were watching from the back almost burst outughing.


    Hyson shook his head and stepped forward to give a few consoling words, but was stunned by what he saw.


    The princess was looking at her hand with wide eyes and her entire face was turning a shade of pink, which spread all the way to the back of her neck.


    One of her guards walked forward and whispered, "Your Highness," waking her from her daze.


    The princess, still a bit muddleheaded, looked at Hao Xuan''s back and smiled like a flower in the middle of spring, "Ah, yes. Let us not make Captain Deimos wait," she said and quickly followed after with hurried steps.


    Rong Li freed one of his hands from the ropes and spun it next to his forehead, "Coo Coo."


    Kramson frowned, smacking him on the back of his head, "Like you''re one to talk."


    ***


    The area around the rift had been cordoned off. Everything within three hundred meters was cleared and a wall had been constructed.


    Below the rift was a mechanical tform from which bursts of energy came out in the shape of blue lightning every now and then. Several people in white coats were standing around it.


    Sun An and Guo Bao were standing there with dozens of soldiers behind each of them. Every soldier behind Sun An was a female, and very pretty to boot. They were dressed in silver armor that was clean enough to be used as a mirror.


    The soldiers behind Guo Bao looked very much like him, giant hulking mountains of muscles.


    "You''re here finally. Dong Ning and Zou Jie have already left. You''re next," Sun An was looking down on something that looked like a tablet back from earth, with a pen in her hand.


    She didn''t even look up and simply waved her hand for him to get ready.

 Chapter 172: Familiar?

    <h4>Chapter 172: Familiar?</h4>


    "Why so ''cloak and dagger''?" Hao Xuan asked looking at the newly built walls around the rift.


    Sun An put down the tablet in her hand and looked up. She had a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles hanging on the edge of her nose. Hao Xuan met her eyes and was somewhat taken aback.


    He hadn''t noticed in the meeting room earlier but she really was a sight to behold.


    d in her dark silver armor, she looked ready for war. (Img in author notes)


    "Valkyrie..." Hao Xuan mumbled out loud without even realizing it.


    He remembered reading about the Valkyries back on earth. They served directly under the AllFather, Odin, the most powerful god in Asgard.


    He was told all the myths and legends on earth had some roots in reality, maybe Asgard was real too? Perhaps one of the ''Ten Heavens'' was such a ce?


    "Is there something on my face?" Sun An saw Hao Xuan staring at her mindlessly and touched her face.


    Hao Xuan smiled and shook his head, "No, Senior sister is so pretty that I almost got lost in your beauty," he replied smoothly.


    It took Sun An a few seconds to process what he had said and when she did, a red hue appeared on her face.


    "O-Oh, thank you," she averted her gaze and looked down at the tablet.


    Hao Xuan was even more surprised by her reaction. Sun An looked very mature and was the one in charge of handling everything to do with the rift, but a smallpliment made her blush? Maybe what he read in that magazine really was true...


    Sun An gathered herposure and cleared her throat, "Those are for our allies. Some of them are extremely popr and have many enemies, so keeping their identities secret is a high priority for us," she exined in a weak voice.


    "Is that so?" Hao Xuan smiled and almost wanted to tease her again upon seeing her flustered state, but stopped.


    The other Valkyries standing behind Sun An had different expressions on their faces. Some were chuckling, while many were ring at Hao Xuan angrily.


    "Yo Cap''n, I''m ready, let''s go!" an energetic voice came from the entrance. Hao Xuan''s smile turned into a scowl as he recognized the owner of the voice.


    "I actually forgot about you," Hao Xuan replied without turning around.


    "As if," Jin Wang came up to Hao Xuan and rested his elbow on his shoulder, or rather tried to but couldn''t even reach it.


    "Get off already dumbass," Hao Xuan pushed his hand away when he repeatedly kept trying to reach his shoulder.


    "So who ising with me then? They kept sending me messengers so I thought they would be here before me at least," he said looking around.


    *nk*


    There was a nking noise from the entrance once again and in walked a group of about twenty people.


    Hao Xuan turned around and saw who it was.


    The leader was a youngster of about 17-18 years of age, followed by about a dozen guards in silver and gold armor that looked unnecessarily extravagant. With him were a few other young boys of the same age and a couple of older men.


    What caught Hao Xuan''s eye were these two old men. They looked to be about 50 to 60 years old but were giving off extremely strong energies. Both of them were in the Spirit Realm if not higher.


    "Ah, Captain Deimos!" the young man leading the group waved at Hao Xuan and came running up to him.


    "Hello," Hao Xuan nodded back in return.


    "That''s one of them," Sun An introduced him when he kept staring at Hao Xuan with wide eyes without actually talking.


    "Meet Prince Shi Chun. The youngest prince of Shi country. His is one of the parties you have to lead in there."


    "Huh?" Hao Xuan looked at the prince once again skeptically.


    "This kid is a prince?"


    Shi Chun looked like apletely normal teenager, total opposite to his guards. He was in simple pants and shirt, looking quite elegant, but no one would be able to tell he was a prince, and of Shi country to boot!


    Shi country was one of the most important allies of the kingdom of Mei. It was a Grade 1 Kingdom, so a Grade higher than Mei. It was located in the northwest and did a lot of business with Mei.


    But unlike the Mei n, the Shi n was the most powerful authority in the entire kingdom. They ruled over everything with an iron fist and all of the powers had to answer to them. Luckily, the current head of the Shi n was a very smart man and never did anything without reason.


    "But why would they send the youngest prince to a ce like this?" the frown on Hao Xuan''s face got deeper and deeper.


    Shi country had thousands of profound realm cultivators. He had heard stories of the oldest son of the Shi n, Shi Hai, who broke through to the profound realm at the age of Seventeen with Six mind pces.


    He was the older brother of Shi Chun and a cultivation genius. He alone was more powerful than most generals of Mei, so the countries resources could not be underestimated. Why would they send the young prince here?


    *mour*


    There was more noise from the entrance. Hao Xuan, already lost in thought, turned around instinctively to see what it was, and his eyes widened.


    Another group had walked in. This one also had twenty people, but the one leading them was a girl, and someone he recognized.


    "...Sin..?" Hao Xuan called out to her.


    "Sin? That''s princess Ma Yu," Sun An who had walked up to Hao Xuan, whispered.


    "The other party belongs to the Ma n. This meeting has been set up between the youngest prince of the Shi n and the youngest princess of Ma n. They are to be married in six months'' time and this is their first time meeting. You, are their host," Sun An exined from the side but Hao Xuan had stopped listening a long time ago.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Sun An: https://i.pinimg/564x/09/c5/30/09c53035cf8660d332ef0c5d6b6f9658.jpg?b=t


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/k3Vis

 Chapter 173: Ma clan

    <h4>Chapter 173: Ma n</h4>


    "Princess.....Ma Yu?" Hao Xuan stared at the new arrivals with wide eyes.


    "She really looks so much like her..." he mumbled absentmindedly.


    "Looks like who?" a soft voice sounded right in front of Hao Xuan, waking him from his daze.


    It was Ma Yu. She had walked all the way up to Hao Xuan and was looking at him with a smile.


    "I have heard so much about the great captain, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," she reached out and grabbed Hao Xuan''s hand unexpectedly, making him almost jump back.


    Hao Xuan took a few seconds to regain hisposure, "Si- Princess, how do you do," and shook her hand which was already in his grasp.


    "Mhm," she smiled back sweetly.


    "It''s not her. She looks like her, a lot, but it''s not actually her," Hao Xuan thought inwardly.


    He wanted to ask her about Sin, but she leaned in on her own and whispered, "Older sister told me that you would be the best person to have on my side, pleasure working with you," she giggled coquettishly and backed off of Hao Xuan after getting some angry res from the older couple that came with her.


    Hao Xuan finally understood what was going and smiled back at her. So Sin and Ma Yu were sisters and she was the one that chose him?


    Wait...if she was Ma Yu''s older sister, then she was the oldest daughter of the Ma n, Ma Ai?!


    The Ma n was an ancient n to the northeast of the Kingdom of Mei. It was neither a country nor a kingdom, hence it did not have a grade of its own. Yet it was strong enough to rival most Grade 1 Kingdoms.


    Their current leader was the old King Ma. That man alone was older than the entire kingdom of Mei, and his cultivation level was a secret to most people.


    The Ma n was a n of assassins and suffice to say, were very good at their jobs. So where they had many enemies, even more people were scared sh*tless by their very name.


    When a Ma assassin epted a contract out on someone, they were considered legally dead.


    The Old King Ma was infamous for being extremely ruthless and strict, even with his kin. When their children turned five, they would be thrown into an open-air prison with a single weapon, and they had to survive in there for forty days.


    No one knew where this prison was. It was one of the most well-kept secrets of the Ma n. Anyone that dared to go against them was thrown into this prison, never to be seen again. Some of the evilest and vile creatures that ever walked the earth could be found in there.


    It was rumored that when Ma Yu turned five, Ma Ai, her older sister begged the old king to let her take her sister''s ce. Hesitant at first, the old king agreed on one condition, that she would have to survive in there for over 120 days.


    And she did.


    Ma Ai came out victorious and with a newly awakened power. Even since then she was considered to be the official princess of the Ma n. She was groomed by the Old King himself to one day lead the n.


    She was a cold-blooded murderer, or so people thought. But Hao Xuan had seen a side of hers that no one else thought even existed.


    But the more interesting thing was that the Ma n and the Shi country had been at war for over a thousand years. There had been three wars between the great powers that had imed two entire grade-three kingdoms. These poor kingdoms were where the wars had broken out and everyone in them was wiped out as a consequence. Some lucky ones managed to escape but most did not.


    And now there was supposed to be a marriage between their youngest? If news of this broke out, it would rock the entire region.


    Other than the Empires, there was basically no one stronger than a grade 1 kingdom. And two powers of that level had decided to put their differences aside? To what end? Was a new supreme power going to be born?


    Hao Xuan knew most of this information. If what Sun An said was true, then this was way too big of an event to let someone like him handle it, and with limited manpower to boot.


    He looked at Ma Yu and Shi Chun who were chatting with one another on the side, and his heart couldn''t help but feel heavy.


    He turned towards Sun and said in a serious tone, "I don''t think its a good idea to let me handle this. I barely have 50 capable men under me, just these guys'' entourage is stronger than my forces. It would be best if they went with you or brother Guo."


    Sun An shook her head, "No can do. The higher-ups have approved this. And although it is a big deal, even if something does go wrong, you won''t be held responsible. Plus," she smiled and looked towards Shi Chun and Ma Yu, "Both of them requested you specifically. You are the most famous person from the younger generation and they seem to be huge fans of yours so...."


    She didn''t need to finish, Hao Xuan knew he was stuck with them. But he couldn''t shake the feeling that this was going to backfire in some big way.


    "Alright, now that everyone has met each other, please form a line. The Rift is about to be opened," Sun An pped her hands and announced.


    With Hao Xuan at the forefront followed by Jin Wang, Shi Chun, and Ma Yu right behind him, they formed a long line.


    A team of fifteen scientists had also joined them at some point.


    Sun An went past each and every person and nodded when everyone was present and ounted for.


    "Do it," she waved her hand and the tform below the rift started spinning. Sparks of blue lightning came out of it and entered the rift, making it expand outwards in an oval shape. It was only wide enough that a single person could walk through at once.


    Hao Xuan took a deep breath to calm himself down and quickly entered the rift, disappearing from the beast world.


    Everyone else did the same and within a few minutes, the entire party had entered the rift.


    The tform slowed down and thenpletely stopped, making the rift return to its original shape and size.

 Chapter 174: Aurora

    <h4>Chapter 174: Aurora</h4>


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and entered the rift, leaving the beast world for the first time since firsting here over two years ago.


    He was both excited, and a little scared. He was given all these responsibilities and power, but sometimes it still felt a bit strange to him.


    A cold wind blew against his face as Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes. In front of him was a sandy desert as far as the eye could see. The sun was nowhere in sight and it was actually quite cold.


    He had held his breath before entering the rift, and could finally breathe out after making sure everything was fine.


    He had heard about a case where a rift opened at the bottom of an ocean. The entire group was plunged into freezing cold waters and the initial shock was enough to leave many of them unable to breathe or even move. Most of them drowned right then and there or were eaten by creatures that lived there.


    Although not the scenery he was expecting, it was still much better than most other ces.


    *Bump*


    Something hard hit him on his back pushing him forward, "Ouch, can you not just stand in front of the door like a moron? There are other peopleing up right behind you," Jin Wang''s annoying voice came from behind.


    He turned around ready to punch him in the face but stopped when he saw the rest of the partye out from the rift in a stream. He grabbed Jin Wang by the head and dragged him to side.


    "Ow ow ow!" Jin Wang shouted and made a painful face, "You''re hurting me!"


    Hao Xuan almost blew a vein trying to hold himself back from punching him in the throat. This b*stard was strong enough to take on a full-powered attack from a Stage seven Spirit Realm Cultivator, yet acted like the little bit of strength Hao Xuan put into his hand was "hurting" him?


    Some of the people turned around and looked at them with furrowed brows, making Hao Xuan quickly let go of his head.


    Hao Xuan smiled at them and then leaned in towards Jin Wang, "B*tch, you better hope we don''t get separated, otherwise, you''re gonna be walking back home," he patted him on the shoulder and looked away.


    Hao Xuan walked around a little and examined this new world they had entered.


    From what he had read, no one had ever seen what one of these worlds looked like from space, or where it even was in the universe. But one thing they knew for sure was that it was a somewhere extremely far away from the beast world.


    Hao Xuan took out a jacket from his storage ring and put it on. As he calmed down, he noticed how cold this ce really was. And this was dry cold, which wriggled it''s way into your body, all the way to the bones.


    "Captain, everyone is here," a voice came up from behind Hao Xuan, startling him. He turned around and saw Zeng Yu staring at him expressionlessly. It looked more like a realistic mask than a face at this point.


    "Good. Follow the procedures. And make full use of that group we brought along with us," he said peering at Hyson who was looking around with an amazed expression on his face, much like a child who hade to an amusement park for the first time.


    "Yes," Zeng Yu saluted and walked away, hurling one order after another at them.


    This wasn''t the first time a new realm had opened up in the Mei Kingdom so there were already standard protocols in ce for almost everything.


    After entering a new realm, the first thing they had to do was set up their first camp. This was to be within fifty kilometers of the rift they hade through under normal circumstances, but if that wasn''t possible, then they had to find another safe location.


    The second was to scout around for signs of civilization. That meant looking for any structures, tools, signs of a fight that left any remaining energy in the surroundings etc.


    Third, if a civilization was found, they had to determine whether or not they were hostile. That would change how they interacted with them, if at all.


    But if there was nothing like that, then they would take a few samples of the different materials found in the environment, the scientists would take some measurements, while the soldiers would try to hunt and capture any flora or fauna deemed worthy of bringing back.


    The two parties that were with them, namely the Ma and Shi n were just tourists. They could do whatever they wanted as long as it didn''t interfere with other operations. And in case of an emergency, they had to lend a hand.


    "Wow, I''ve never seen so much sand in one ce!" Ma Yu''s eyes lit up and she started running around the ce. Shi Chun was just as amazed and followed right behind her.


    The Mei Kingdom was in the south most part of the continent. Meaning all the surrounding areas were jungles and forests. There was not a single desert in any of the hundreds of kingdoms around them, so their response was understandable.


    But Hao Xuan basically grew up in a desert back on earth. Although it was more rocks and less sand, this was still very familiar to him.


    He bent down and picked up a handful of sand, staring at it as it fell between his fingers. Strangely enough, this ce reminded him of his own home back on earth.


    "Let''s go already, they''re waiting for you," Jin Wang''s voice came from behind him. But unlike his normal tone, it was much less aggressive.


    "Mhm, let''s go," Hao Xuan didn''t notice the difference and replied lightly. He rubbed the few grains of sand still stuck to the palm of his hand and walked towards Zeng Yu.


    Jin Wang waited for Hao Xuan to get a bit further away before looking in a certain direction. The pupils from his eyes vanished for an instant, making them turnpletely white.


    An aurora of intense purple lights reflected in his eyes, much like the pr lights from earth. They covered most of the dark sky, but no one else other than him could see it.


    After a second, his pupils returned and his eyes turned back to normal. He looked at the sky once again where the aurora was and then silently followed after Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 175: Camp

    <h4>Chapter 175: Camp</h4>


    "Hmm..." Hao Xuan stood atop a giant sand dune and stared at the surroundings.


    ".....what should we do?" Zeng Yu came up behind him and surveyed the same area.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath, "It''s all the same. Its been over a hundred kilometers and we still haven''t seen a single living thing. Not to mention this god damned desert doesn''t seem to end."


    They had been in this world for over three hours. After randomly choosing a direction they started walking but couldn''t find anything at all.


    There wasn''t even a good ce to make camp. The defensive formations that were brought for the camp would be at less than half power if the ground underneath wasn''tpletely solid.


    The desert itself was made by the loose sand and popted with giant sand dunes. It was a good ce to make a normal camp but did not fulfill the requirements for what they had on hand.


    So they choose to keep moving.


    "F*ck it, take out the contracted beasts and let''s ride. I want to see how big this damned desert really is," Hao Xuan gave the order after some thought.


    Zeng Yu did as told and ryed his order to the rest of the party. Thankfully, even the scientists were at least on the Earth realm so they could take care of themselves in case of an emergency or situations like these.


    Right now the party had about a hundred and forty people in total, including Hao Xuan himself and the fifty Red Legion members.


    They all took out their mounts. Everyone from the Ma n had simr looking ck beasts. They looked quite a lot like ck panthers from earth, only several times bigger and with different variations in them. They were called Shadow Panthers and were reared by the Ma n specifically.


    The couple that was always behind Ma Yu had thergest ones. They were about 15 feet long and 6 feet tall. Both the beasts actually looked identical and seemed to have gone down the same evolution path, with bony outgrowths thrusting out from their back and around their mouths, ws sharper than steel and vicious-looking yellow eyes that glowed in the dark.


    As soon as they appeared, everyone present got goosebumps. Hyson''s group even moved a few steps back. The blood lust releasing from those two beasts was incredible. The princess was the first to summon her ''elegant'' looking mount, waiting to see the reactions of amazement from the crowd. Her grandfather went out to capture it himself and she was really proud of that fact, but when the couple summoned their beasts, hers hid behind her while shaking nonstop.


    Aspared to them, Ma Yu''s beast seemed much less threatening. It actually looked quite beautiful. Her Shadow panther had ckish mesing out from its nostrils every time it breathed out. It looked around at the crowd with a very human-like expression, which shocked the two old men behind Shi Chun.


    "The beast has almost gained sentience," Zeng Yu who was also staring at it mumbled.


    Hao Xuan looked at him with furrowed brows, was gaining sentience such a big deal? All of his beasts including Bai could talk to him, which meant they were all sentient. But so what? Why was that such a big deal?


    What Hao Xuan wasn''t aware of was that gaining sentience was a major evolutionary breakthrough in any beast''s life. Once a beast was able to have thoughts, it''s future was basically limitless. It could breakthrough its bloodline limits and reach realms that were previously locked.


    All of Hao Xuan''s beasts had unlimited potential in that sense.


    Green and Red were originally human and were turned into divine beasts by the beast hall. ck and White were born with the divine blood in them, while Bai was a freak of nature. He shouldn''t have existed in the first ce and was gically engineered in thebs of the beast hall. And although he didn''t have divine blood in him, it didn''t mean he could not reach such a level on his own.


    Each one of Hao Xuan''s beasts was exceptional beyond words.


    Next, it was the Shi n''s turn. Theirs were much moreckluster. All of them were different, but Shi Chun and two old men had simr looking beasts, called the Imperial Rhinos.


    The old men''s Rhinos were about 30 feet long and 14 feet tall. With thick, almost metallic skin, they looked like actual tanks. Their strong muscles were outlined even with the scaly skin and horns as sharp as spears jutted out from their foreheads. Anyone could tell they could wreak havoc on the battlefield.


    Shi Chun''s was almost the exact opposite to theirs. It was about 17 feet long and 6 feet tall, but looked quite chubby. Rather than wreaking havoc on the battlefield, it looked like it wreaked havoc on the dinner table.


    As soon as it came, it ran up to Shi Chun and started licking him like a dog. Hao Xuan was afraid it might try to eat him instead but his fears were unwarranted.


    "Hahaha, Bao Bao, stop," Shi Chunughed and rubbed the bbering rhino''s neck, making it close its eyes in pleasure.


    The couple behind May Yu was trying to hold in theirughter while the two old men had veins almost popping out of their foreheads.


    "We must make this fatass ready for battle when we get back. Chun''er has been too easy-going with it," one of them said to the others.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but smile at the carefree scene in front of him. Yet the unease he felt since firsting to this world was only getting stronger.


    "Let us depart," Hao Xuan shouted, reminding everyone of their situation. He summoned Bai who was thergest one out of all beasts with a length of almost 45 feet.


    Bai looked around expressionlessly at the other beasts,pletely ignoring the humans. When he looked at Ma Yu''s beast his gaze lingered for a couple of seconds but that was it. In his eyes, they were nothing.


    After the initial shock wore off, both the Ma and Shi n who werepeting among themselves for the ''superior'' mount had somewhat embarrassed expressions. Someone from a lower-tiered power had a better contracted beast than them.


    And he didn''t even show off like that. What did it say about them?


    Within a couple of minutes, they were all ready. With Zeng Yu and Hao Xuan at the helm, they sped off in a certain direction.


    About five minutes after their departure, the ground on which they were standing on moved and shifted. A humungous scaly body showed itself for an instant, before disappearing in the sandy ocean once again.

 Chapter 176: Camp continued.

    <h4>Chapter 176: Camp continued.</h4>


    The party traveled for over fifteen hours and covered tens of thousands of miles before reaching the end of the sandy ocean.


    They had been in this world for over seventeen hours, and the sun had yet toe up. It seemed to be eternally twilight in this world, or perhaps the sun only came out for a limited time every year.


    But whatever the case, the world was cold and extremely dry. They had to stop several times to let the mounts rest and rehydrate, even Bai was having a tough time.


    The cold winds started picking up soon after they left the desert. Thankfully the new area was full of massive gullies that allowed them to travel with rtive ease.


    They finally choose an open space where three different gullies met. The middle of the intersection was about two kilometers wide and was more than big enough to amodate everyone.


    After scrutinizing every single part, Hao Xuan finally gave them permission to settle down for the night.


    There was one main camp, with three smaller clusters of tents inside. The Shi n and Ma n each had one, whereas everyone else was banded together.


    The boundaries of the camps were made by reinforced wooden nks that they brought, and were to be patrolled by people from all three sides, taking turns. They set up several formations including some light defensive ones and many warning formations. All of them had to be set up individually and took more than an hour to set everything up.


    Hao Xuan was sitting on the side of one of the gulleys, staring down at everyone working together. He couldn''t help but praise himself foring up with the idea of the portable camp. How much time and more importantly, effort, it would take if he did all this alone every single time he wanted to rest?


    *Crunch*


    There was a movement from his right. He turned towards the sound and saw Ma Yu cleaning her hands on her pants. She had just climbed up and was smiling at him, "From what I heard from older sister, I thought you would be down there helping them," she looked at the camp below.


    "From what you heard?" he raised an eyebrow, "You probably heard wrong then. Unless I feel like it, I don''t go out of my way to help random people. Not to mention those guys need to do this a lot more, so its better if they get used to it now," he shook his head.


    Ma Yu let out a giggle, "You really are just like sister said," she said cheekily.


    Hao Xuan stared at her and couldn''t help butpare her to Sin. She really was too different. He remembered thest time he saw her, she looked quite sad going back to the Ma n.


    "Is she okay?" he looked back at the camp and asked gently.


    Ma Yu was taken aback for a few seconds by the sudden change in Hao Xuan''s tone but then the smile on her face got even wider.


    "Mhm. Older sister is older sister. She never tells me anything."


    She looked at Shi Chun who was feeding his already fat Imperial Rhino while having a full-on conversation with it and continued, "When she found out about my marriage with Prince Chun, she said she would kill all the descendants of the Shi n if they forced me to marry him. That''s why they set this up, to appease her. Even great grandfather had to give in to her demands."


    "Great grandfather? The Old King Ma?!" Hao Xuan''s eyes widened from shock. This person who was thousands of years old, the one everyone feared, had to give in to Sin? A girl barely as old as him?


    "Yes. Outsiders may call him ruthless, but he does it for a good reason. "It''s better they die free than be toyed with by other people," he says. Older sister always fights with him about everything and he usually gives in, unless it affects the entire n."


    "Wow..." Hao Xuan couldn''t help but re-evaluate his image of the man. In his mind, it was a wretched old man that desired blood and sacrifices from his own kin, but to others, he was the exact opposite.


    Shi Chun felt their gaze and waved at them for afar.


    "He doesn''t look like a bad kid," Hao Xuan mumbled.


    "Mhm. He is a good person. Sister used the full power of the n to find out everything about him. She even kidnapped and tortured a few people close to him, but they all said the same thing. "He is a kind person". But she didn''t believe them and said I had to meet him myself," she waved back.


    "Is that right..." he looked at Shi Chun, surprised. If even the first daughter of an assassin n couldn''t dig up any dirt on the kid, maybe he really was clean.


    They talked for a few more minutes until the older couple called for Ma Yu.


    Zeng Yu was standing in front of the main camp door, waiting for Hao Xuan.


    "Captain," he saluted, "Your tent has been set up," he gestured towards thergest tent in the area.


    "A-Actually, I''m good. I don''t need it," Hao Xuan shook his head. He forgot to tell them not to make one for him.


    "Sorry?" Zeng Yu looked at him confused.


    Hao Xuan walked towards the side where there was an open spot. Hyson andpany had taken this area and were setting up.


    "Hello, do you mind trading with me? You can have that one," he pointed at the tent Zeng Yu had set up. It was much better than what even the princess had.


    "?!!" Hyson just looked at him with a nk face. Was this a joke? Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked on with interest. Was the great captain bullying someone?


    "Um, sure?" Hyson hesitatingly replied.


    "Great!" Hao Xuan smiled and took out his portable camp. He threw it down and it unpacked instantly.


    In the previously empty space now stood a small wood cabin, a burning campfire, a stove on the side and even a separate bathroom.


    "Wha-" Rong Li''s mouth was open wide. He kept rubbing his eyes but the scene in front of him didn''t change.


    Even Ma Yu and Shi Chun who were staring from afar were surprised.


    "Ah, finally, home sweet home," Jin Wang''s voice came from a corner of the camp and he appeared out of nowhere, walking into the portable camp like it was his own personal property.


    Hao Xuan''s smile turned into a scowl and he quickly followed after while shouting, "Oi oi, what the hell did I tell you about personal boundaries?!"


    As soon as Hao Xuan entered, the camp''s illusion formation activated and it vanished from sight.


    "......"


    "......."


    "W-Wow. Rich people really do live different lives....." Kramson couldn''t help but murmur, breaking the silence.


    Time passed and most of them went to sleep, while some stood watch, including Zeng Yu.


    The perpetual night got colder and colder in silence as the hours trickled by, the wind got louder and started sounding like the whine of an old car.


    Zeng Yu who was standing on the wall with closed eyes opened them abruptly, alerted by movement a few hundred meters away.

 Chapter 177: Father and Son

    <h4>Chapter 177: Father and Son</h4>


    Zeng Yu looked out into the darkness with narrowed eyes, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. He waved his hand and a soldier walked up to him.


    "Commander," he saluted formally.


    "Stay here, I''ll go check something out," he said somberly without looking away from the source of the earlier noise and jumped down from the wall.


    The soldier looked like he had something to say but held back in the end. With clenched fists, he stared at his manders'' back with many emotions surging within.


    He himself had been in the Red Legion for almost fifteen years now, with over eleven years under Zeng Yu. Yet he had talked to his mander'' more than he had to his own father, even though they were one and the same.


    This person was Zeng Wu, Zeng Yu''s only son. He was twenty-six years old and had almost broken through to the Second Stage of the Spirit Realm.


    His father, Zeng Yu, had been stuck in the Ninth stage of the Spirit Realm for over ten years now. Just one more step and he could be a celebrated general with all the years of hard work he had put in, yet for some reason, he had been unable to take this minor step.


    The emotionless man Zeng Yu was seen as by his subordinates was from the real him.


    For Zeng Wu still remembered how his father used tough at his mother''s joke. She was perhaps the only person that really understood him. And ever since she passed away all those years ago, she seemed to have taken his smile with him.


    Without her at his side, he did not know how to express his emotions. So he didn''t even try to. And at some point, he forgot how it felt tough or to cry. His only sce was the work he had put towards the kingdom his wife loved so dearly. That was how he still remembered his beloved.


    Both of them were immigrants from a small war-torn kingdom and had decided to settle down in Mei. Zeng Wu''s mother fell in love with this ce where a person''s worth was measured by the work he put in, not by what the amount of gold he held in his pockets or by the fame of his parents.


    Zeng Yu worked hard for this utopia and was happy for a long time, that is until she was diagnosed with an incurable disease.


    Zeng Wu still remembered the emptiness he saw in his father''s eyes back then. This was not an enemy that he could fight nor a hurdle that he could clear with sheer force. It was an inevitable ending to the life that he had grown to love.


    *Sigh*


    He let out a heavy sigh. Thest thing his mother told him was to be brave. To be strong for his father and to take care of him. She said Zeng Yu was strong but he was a fool and that he would not be able to move on from this, and she was absolutely right.


    Even after all these years, he would still sometimes catch him sitting alone under the moonlight, talking to her.


    He knew it was far from healthy, but what could he do? In his father''s eyes, he was still a child and could not have his own opinions.


    "Yo," a voice came from his immediate right, waking him up. Startled, he turned around and saw Jin Wang staring at him.


    "Is it just me or did it get colder?" Jin Wang asked while rubbing his arms.


    Regaining hisposure, he gave him onest look before looking towards the direction Zeng Yu had walked off to.


    "Yes, it is indeed colder," he replied in a monotonous voice, mimicking his father''s.


    "I knew it. Where''s the old man?" Jin Wang nodded and asked.


    Zeng Wu''s brow twitched a couple of times, "He heard something and went to check it out."


    "Aha, cool cool."


    Five minutester a figure walked towards the camp. He jumped up andnded right next to them.


    "So? What was it?" Jin Wang asked when the father-son pair stood in awkward silence.


    Zeng Yu didn''t look at him, still staring in the darkness, "Nothing. Looks like a loose rock fell from above."


    "Ohh."


    Jin Wang tried to make small talk with the pair but only got single word replies in return. Bored, he quickly left to find another person to chat with.


    Hours passed one by one and the guards changed shifts. Hao Xuan woke up and freshened up. Even in a foreign world he followed his normal routine.


    He came out and was met with the scientists. All of them were ready to go out and start their respective duties.


    Hao Xuan looked at the sky and it was still dark, but less so than earlier.


    "Guess this is as good as it gets," he shook his head, "Alright, take twice as many guards, stay close ande back at the first sign of trouble. Do not let the guard down!" he ordered sternly, which was quite rare for him.


    The current area they were in reminded him of the great canyon from earth. The vegetation was scarce and small in size, there were no living creatures seen so far but if flora existed, that meant fauna did as well.


    The problem was they had no idea what type of creatures roamed this unfamiliarnd.


    Shi Chun and Ma Yu also came over, along with their four Spirit realm caretakers, asking for permission to go out and explore.


    Obviously, they didn''t need to ask for anything and could leave on their own, but Hao Xuan still appreciated the thought.


    "Sure, just be careful. Try not to go too far. Take pictures of any strange phenomenon you find," like a dutiful older brother he told them both.


    Now it was only Hyson''s group and a few soldiers left in the camp.


    He closed his eyes and when he opened them, Zhurong was sitting on his shoulder looking around confusedly.

 Chapter 178: Exploring

    <h4>Chapter 178: Exploring</h4>


    Hao Xuan was standing on the camp wall staring out into the darkness with a frown.


    "Are you sure?" he mumbled. Zhurong who was sitting on his shoulder nodded before letting out a yawn.


    "I''m just gonna see if he needs anything, promise!" an energetic voice came from behind him.


    He turned around and saw Rong Li trying to walk towards him while Kramson was pulling him back.


    Hao Xuan smiled and asked, "Where''s your leader?"


    Both the boys stopped in their tracks. Rong Li was the first to answer while pointing at their tents.


    "Senior brother is in there!"


    "Good. Tell him I''ll be going out as well so you guys should stay inside for a while. It could be dangerous out there so don''t risk anything," he said in one quick breath and jumped out, disappearing into the darkness.


    The boys didn''t even have time to answer. When they came to, Hao Xuan was already long gone.


    Rong Li ran up to where Hao Xuan was standing and looked out, trying to find his silhouette but there was only the murky ck night.


    With a pondering expression on his face, he turned towards Kramson and whispered, "Hey, let''s go out too!"


    *Smack*


    Kramson''s reply was to smack him on the back of his head and drag him back to their own area while cursing his own misfortune of getting stuck with a moron like Rong Li.


    ***


    Hao Xuan walked into the ck night. Zhurong was already yawning continuously.


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a vacant face and sighed, "Fine, go back to sleep."


    "Meow," Zhurong happily licked him once on the cheek and disappeared once again.


    He waved his hand and ck and White appeared on his shoulders.


    The first thing they did aftering out was snuggle against his ears, making him break into a smile. The second was to look around with the same confused expression as the one Zhurong had.


    They both stood up straight and started looking around.


    "I know, the brat told me," Hao Xuan rubbed the top of their heads, making them rx.


    The night was cold enough that he could see his own breath. Putting one hand in his jacket pocket, he zipped up the front.


    The cold here was different than the one from the Beast world. Even with Qi protection, it would still find its way to the person''s bones.


    Looking at the shivering Hao Xuan, ck opened his mouth and a small white me appeared at the tip of his tongue. But instead of shooting it outwards, he swallowed it. A few secondster, his body started bing much hotter.


    "Oh? That''s new!" Hao Xuan smiled and rubbed the underside of his head.


    White red at his brother angrily and produced a ck me of his own. But when he swallowed it, there was no difference in temperate at all.


    Hao Xuan let out a smallugh and patted him as well.


    "Both of you did good," he said trying to console White.


    Unsatisfied by his performance, White closed his eyes and opened them again. He looked up at Hao Xuan with a questioning gaze.


    "Hmm? Go ahead," Hao Xuan replied. He couldn''t actually hear anything but it was instead a feeling. He felt like White wanted to show him something and was asking for permission.


    White threw a dirty look towards his brother before opening his mouth as four tiny but extremely sharp teeth popped out and bit down on Hao Xuan''s earlobe, making him recoil.


    After the initial pain, Hao Xuan suddenly felt a strange new power creeping into his body. He closed his eyes to feel this new power and when he opened them, it felt like someone had turned on the lights in this eternally dark world.


    His pupils turned vertical like that of a snake and the world around him started glowing brightly. There was no difference between the day and night for him now. Everything was crystal clear.


    Shocked by the sudden turn of events, he looked at White but couldn''t actually see him. With a wave of his hand, a sharp silver sword appeared in his hand. Using that as a mirror, he looked at White and was bbergasted.


    White''s body had shrunk and coiled around his ears. He touched him with his other free hand and was even more shocked to see that it had turnedpletely solid.


    He looked at ck worryingly, thinking this ''change'' might be permanent, but rxed when a single word echoed in his mind, "Skill."


    So this was a skill of theirs? Hao Xuan looked around happily. This would make everything so much better.


    ck saw Hao Xuan almost jumping with joy and couldn''t help but be dejected.


    He then proceeded to use the same skill as White and bit down on Hao Xuan''s other earlobe.


    "Ouch!" Hao Xuan winced from the unexpected pain and felt another power enter his body.


    *Whoosh*


    Almost like a broken dam, a hot stream of Qi entered his body and spread out to every single vein and cell.


    Hot steam could be seening off of his body, much like a candle that had just been put out.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and felt the two new Qi''s circting around his body. The most surprising thing was that there was absolutely no conflict between his own Qi and theirs. If need be, he could convert their Qi into his own and use it normally.


    "Hahaha, I feel....so powerful!" he couldn''t help but close his eyes in satisfaction and feel the raw power coursing through his veins.


    After a few minutes of getting ustomed to the Qi, he tried to control it and was able to restrict its flow like water from a tap. He adjusted the Qi from ck until it was just enough to keep him warm, but not so much that the excess heat could be seening off of his body.


    He then tried the same with White and was able to adjust it as well, although to a much smaller degree.


    Using the silver sword as a mirror, he looked at his ears and couldn''t help but nod in satisfaction.


    Both ck and White had shrunk and after coiling around his ears, looked pretty cool. Not to mention the energy that he was giving off made him look wild and almost, beastly.


    "Nice..." he clenched his fists and veins could be seen expanding and contracting.


    *Thud*


    There was a loud noise from a few dozen meters in front, interrupting his moment of self-pleasure.


    Regaining hisposure, he looked out and saw a small hunched figure looking at him from behind a rock at the top of the gulley.


    If it was the same as before, there was no way to see that far in this kind of darkness. But right now everything was as clear as day.


    A grin appeared on his face as he looked at the little creature. The creature noticed the change in his behavior and retreated instantly.


    "Not so fast," Hao Xuan grinned even wider and using the silver sword as support, made his way up to the hole the creature had run into.

 Chapter 179: Tunnel

    <h4>Chapter 179: Tunnel</h4>


    Hao Xuan climbed up to the cave where the creature had run into. There was a small tform hidden in in sight.


    It was behind a few big boulders and unless someone knew exactly where to look for, it was highly unlikely anyone coulde across it by ident.


    "Hmm..." he bent down and checked the tracks it had left behind. There were three long scratches indicating the number of digits the creature had.


    Looking towards the cave he sniffed as a peculiar smell lingered at the entrance. It wasn''t overwhelming or toxic, just strange.


    The cave''s entrance was about 5 feet big so he had to bend down to enter. There were more tracks inside, some smaller and some bigger, much bigger than rest. About five meters into the cave it started expanding. With his improved eyesight, he could see much better than before but the tunnel kept twisting and turning.


    After fifteen more minutes he started to get worried. If he got stuck here, there was absolutely no way for anyone to even find him.


    "I''ll return as soon as the tunnel branches off," he said to himself.


    This was just a simple scientific and information gathering mission, there was no reason to risk his life needlessly.


    Taking a deep breath, he continued once again. The tunnel was now wide enough for a bus to drive through without any issues. Yet it didn''t look man-made, but a natural phenomenon.


    *Crrrr*


    As he was about to give up and turn around, a sharp sound echoed in the tunnel. It wasing from the front.


    He took another deep breath and held it in, so as not to make any more noise and warn the creature ahead of his arrival when he got close.


    Step by step he got closer to the source of the sound. After taking a turn, the tunnel suddenly expanded into a massive cavern. There was still no source of light there.


    As he walked into the cavern, the first thing he noticed were the various statues ced randomly throughout the ce.


    "So there was a civilization here once, at some point. Maybe they died out?" he thought while looking at the statue closest to the entrance.


    It was humanoid and about seven meters tall. It didn''t have a head-on its shoulders and its arms turned into serrated des near the end. He ran his hands along the muscles on its legs that looked extremely life-like.


    "Why do I feel like this f*cker is gonnae alive as soon as I turn my back towards him?" he mumbled while squinting his eyes, trying to find anything out of the ordinary.


    With a wave of his hand, a de appeared in front of him. Using its tip he stepped back and poked the statue carefully, fully expecting ite to life and attack him. Unfortunately, that did not happen.


    The sword easily broke a piece of the statue''s leg and there was no blood or anythinging out from the ''wound'', leaving Hao Xuan somewhat disappointed. He thought it would be like one of those movies but guess not.


    *Crrrr*


    Another round of noises came from the other end of the entrance. Hao Xuan looked towards it and slowly made his way through the maze of statues. All of them were different, some were humanoid while some looked like something out of a nightmare.


    One such statue caught his eye, it looked like a giant brain with wooden branchesing out of it. Each branch formed one leg for a total of four. As he got close to it, every single fold of the brain looked like it was moving. He knew it wasn''t, but sometimes when you looked at something so lifelike so close up, the mind could y tricks.


    *Crrrr*


    "Again," he frowned. The noise wasing from the same cavern he was in but he couldn''t see it because of all the statues in the way.


    About another minute of walkingter, he could finally see what was making the noise. It was the same creature he had seen before.


    It was bending down in front of a giant humanoid statue sitting on a throne, scratching the ground in front of it.


    The creature itself was a little taller than a meter and extremely thin, looking like a malnourished human child. Its neck was much bigger than the rest of its body and there was a long vertical bony fragmenting out of each side of its body where the hands should have been.


    There was a sheet of brown leathery skin covering it from head to toe, only that there wasn''t any meat on its bones. There was also a bony tail behind it. Its eye sockets looked like they were gouged out but that was probably how it was born. (Pic attached)


    Hao Xuan moved his head around to get a better look at it and identally stepped on a rock, alerting the creature.


    It quickly turned around and faced him. Hao Xuan slowly came out with his hands raised.


    "Hey little guy, don''t worry, I mean you no harm," with a dazzling smile on his face he inched closer to it.


    The creature made a few shallow noises and moved its arms around trying to scare him away, but obviously, that meant nothing to Hao Xuan.


    "Hmm?"


    He stopped advancing upon noticing something peculiar. The creature backed up a few steps at the start but didn''t dare to get close to the statue itself. It seemed more scared of the statue rather than a live and moving threat like Hao Xuan.


    "Why are you scared of it?" Hao Xuan mumbled and slowly looked up at the statue he had initially ignored.


    It really was too big. A single toe of it was bigger than the entire creature. It didn''t have any footwear but there was a single gold bangle around its ankles.


    Its hands along with the most of its body was marked with gold engravings. It was a design he had never seen before but didn''t look gaudy at all. Instead, it gave the statue an aura of holiness.


    Further up, there was actual gold jewelry from around the statues abdomen to all the way to its neck.


    As Hao Xuan slowly looked up, his heartbeat started increasing for some reason.


    "What..the.....fuc-"


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    creature: https://i.pinimg/564x/21/1e/c3/211ec31037761ddc8b2d3111c92463f0.jpg


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/bvKjK

 Chapter 180: Dead...

    <h4>Chapter 180: Dead...</h4>


    "What..the.....fuc-" Hao Xuan''s eyes contracted as he looked at the statues head, or where it should have been. Everything from its neck and above was shrouded in darkness. Even with Hao Xuan''s improved vision, all he could see was a blob of ck nothingness.


    *Plop*


    His knees gave out as he fell to the floor. The creature looked at Hao Xuan, tilting its head sideways in confusion. It followed his line of sight and looked up at the statues head, but with a shrill scream it quickly turned away and got in a fetal position, covering its head between its legs while letting out shrieks.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t control his body as his eyes opened wide and his body bent down in prostration before the statue. Beads of sweat poured down his neck one after another as he felt the statue increase in size right in front of him.


    The distance between his head and the ground decreased inch by inch, but he couldn''t stop himself. And then a feeling of despair overwhelmed him, getting stronger by the second. And at that moment he knew, if his forehead touched the ground, it would be the end of him.


    "Wake up!" Hyde''s loud voice echoed in his ears, startling him.


    "Huh?" he looked around and found himself still standing in his original position. But his back was covered in a cold sweat and the creature was huddled in a corner crying.


    "What.....was...that?" he mumbled while wiping the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve.


    There was silence at first but then Hyde''s voice sounded again, "Do not stare at it."


    "Mhm," he nodded quickly.


    Hao Xuan didn''t need to be told again. That feeling of despair he felt was unlike anything he had felt before. It was like he was not in control of his own life, even his own body. Everything was pre-ordained and so....weak. Yes, he felt so very weak.


    With some effort he lifted his head and looked at the gold engravings on the statue.


    "Is it a demon?" he asked skeptically. The initial feeling he got from it was not ''evil'', unlike the one he had felt from Hyde himself.


    "No, something...older," Hyde spoke slowly. It felt like he was trying to avoid the subject on purpose.


    Hao Xuan pondered for a bit before asking, "Then can you tell me what this ce is?"


    "..."


    "You don''t know do you?"


    "....its a temple of sorts. For ''Him''."


    "Him?" Hao Xuan looked at the statue. Just who was this ''person''? If it even was a person...


    "It doesn''t matter anymore," Hyde cut in, "This world is dead. Do what you need to and leave quickly, before the dead catch your scent..."


    "!!!" Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat.


    "Wait wait, what the hell do you mean by "the dead"? he shouted inwardly, but there was no response. He closed his eyes immediately and entered the mind pce but the door to Hyde''s room was closed as usual.


    *Bang*Bang*


    He hit the door as hard as he possibly could while shouting at the top of lungs, "You can''t just say sh*t like that and then stay silent! Tell me what the hell you meant, are there zombies here?"


    There was no response. No matter what he said or how he cursed, Hyde didn''t reply in any way.


    "Goddamit!" after kicking the door onest time, he left the mind pce.


    He looked at the statue once again and took a picture with his spirit band, but when he looked at the picture to see how it came out, it was so blurry and filled with static where the statue was that nothing could be made out.


    "F*ck sakes," closing the spirit band he took out a pen and some paper and started drawing the engravings.


    When he was done, hepared it to the statue and....they looked nothing alike. It might as well have been drawn by someone that had never seen the engravings to begin with.


    "Argh!" he threw the pen at the statue and somehow it ended up hitting the poor creature crying in the corner, making it wail even louder.


    Hao Xuan looked at the creature whose existence he hadpletely forgotten and couldn''t help but shake his head.


    "You''reing with me," he said before walking over to it. It looked up with its hideous face, making Hao Xuan stagger.


    "How can I be so superficial?" he told himself before grabbing the creature from the back after some hesitation and making his way out of the cavern.


    *ssssshhhhhhh*


    When he was halfway through the cavern, a low sound came from behind him. He stopped and slightly turned his head sideways to see what was happening from the corner of his eyes.


    "Wha-"


    The statue was gone. The entire statue that was bigger than thirty-five meters had disappeared without making a sound, along with the throne it was sitting on. And in its ce was left a hole in the ground that led straight down.


    The sound wasing from the hole. It sounded like strenuous breathing you would hear from someone that was breathing with the help of a machine, but it wasn''t that. This was the sound made by the flow of air into the hole.


    The creature that had not stopped bawling for even a second since Hao Xuan picked it up stopped, and turned its bony head to look at the hole. The bone fragments on its side extended towards the hole. If it had hands it would probably look like it was extending them towards the hole like a child asking to be lifted up.


    *Gulp*


    Hao Xuan stared at the hole for a few seconds before looking away and sprinting towards the exit.


    "I still have a use for you," he said to the creature that was struggling to get out of his grasp.


    *Crack*


    A sound much like the breaking of bones echoed as Hao Xuan left the cavern and the darkness from inside the hole flowed outwards in waves like fog.

 Chapter 181: Discovery

    <h4>Chapter 181: Discovery</h4>


    *Huff*Huff*


    By the time Hao Xuan exited the tunnel he was breathing heavily for some reason. Normally he would be able to run several miles in one breath but for some strange reason, that wasn''t the case in this world.


    As he walked out, the surroundings got a little bit brighter, allowing him to see much further away.


    "Woah," he shivered as a wave of cold air hit him head-on. How was it so damn cold here? Closing his eyes he adjusted the Qi from ck and felt it circte through his entire system.


    The creature in his hand had stopped struggling and would just look around every now and then. It knew there was no way it could overpower Hao Xuan so it had simply stopped trying.


    Looking at the surroundings he slowly made his way back to the camp. About five minutes of sprintingter he was able to see the camp walls in the middle of the intersection of the three gullies.


    "Open the gate!" he shouted while picking up speed. He was getting ready to just rush in through the open gate but there was no movement from the camp.


    Hao Xuan stopped thirty meters away from the camp. After taking a closer look, the soldiers that should have been patrolling the walls were nowhere in sight. They would have heard him shouting earlier and someone would havee out by now but there wasplete and utter silence.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned serious as he waved his hand, taking out his ive, "Oh god, is this it? Did it happen already?" he mumbled.


    The bad feeling he was getting ever since he first found out about this mission just quadrupled in intensity. He mmed the ive''s bottom half on the ground like a wizards staff. A wave of yellow energy spread outwards and when it got close to the camp, a barrier appeared for a second and then disappeared right after neutralizing it.


    "The formations are still intact," he thought. Step by step he got closer, circting his Qi through the ive, ready to attack at a moment''s notice.


    As Hao Xuan neared the camp walls, the badge on his chest vibrated for a second and the camp gate opened on its own.


    Entering the camp his frown got deeper as nothing butplete and total silence weed him with open arms. The tents were all still the same as he left them. There was no blood, no remaining Qi left in the air. There was absolutely no sign of a fight.


    He looked around the Red Legion''s resting area but could find no one.


    Once again his heartbeat started increasing as the reality of the situation dawned on him. The entire camp was gone. They seemed to have just vanished into thin air....almost like they were ''spirited away''.


    *Badump*


    The mist, the three bells, missing towns, was it them again?


    *Badump*


    And if he was the only one left, how was he supposed to get back to the beast world without the scientists help? They were supposed to find the location of the rift on this side!


    *Badump*


    *Snort*


    "AHHHHH!" upon hearing the unknown sound, Hao Xuan swiped the ive sideways, sending an energy wave towards its source.


    He jumped forward and turned towards the source of the sound ready to fight, only to be met with a crying face of a giant plump Rhino.


    Fat droplets of tears tethered on the verge of falling down from Bao Bao''s eyes as she looked at Hao Xuan with fear. The Wave of Qi he had just thrown out had fallen right in front of her. A few inches back and it would have severed her legs in half.


    Hao Xuan was stunned for a good few seconds before he realized what had transpired.


    "Wh-What the f*ck are you doing crawling behind someone like that?! You could''ve died you dumbass!" he shouted while pointing at the Bao Bao with his left hand, which incidentally held the unknown creature.


    The already frightened Rhino saw the hideous creature and simply closed its eyes, passing out from pure fear.


    Hao Xuan was left speechless. What kind of a beast passes out from being scared? And of something so small to boot?! How the hell had Shi Chun been training it??


    A cloud of dust arose around the rhino as its massive body fell to the ground, blocking out most of the area in front of him. After taking another look at it, Hao Xuan didn''t know whether to be ashamed that something this big got so close to him and he didn''t even realize, or be impressed by the rhino that pulled it all off?


    He waved his hand and took out a small cage from one of his storage rings and put the unknown creature inside it. The creature looked around curiously but didn''t make a ruckus. He walked over the rhino and pped its face.


    "Oi, wake up already! How long do you n to sleep?!"


    But there was absolutely no response from Bao Bao. Its thick skin felt harder than a metal and actually hurt Hao Xuan''s hands. He tried a few different methods ranging from kicking to even hitting it with hammers and swords, but to no avail.


    Finally giving up, he took out a piece of dried meat and was about to take a bite when a gust of hot air almost pushed him down. Turning around he saw Bao Bao staring at the meat in his hand with twinkling eyes.


    "...punching, kicking, shing, hammering, none of it worked, but a piece of meat was enough to make youe to your senses?" he asked with an expressionless face, trying not tosh out again.


    Bao Bao seemed to have forgotten the previous incident and simply looked at the meat while drooling.


    Hao Xuan shook his head when he saw her reaction and finally gave up, "Fine," and threw the piece towards her. With a smooth lunging motion, the meat disappeared as soon as it got close to Bao Bao.


    She happily chewed it a few times before swallowing it, and then looked at Hao Xuan expectedly.


    "No! No more food," he shook his head angrily, "Where is everyone? Where is Shi Chun? Your master?" he asked.


    Bao Bao walked closer dejectedly and lowered her head. There was a piece of paper attached to the back of its horn.


    "Captain, the scientists found an underground structure with some creatures inside. They are hostile and attack on sight. Everyone had to be deployed along with your Red Legion and Ma n. Bao Bao knows where it is so just follow her and she will bring you over.


    Love, Shi Chun."


    "..."


    "WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!"

 Chapter 182: Tomb

    <h4>Chapter 182: Tomb</h4>


    "Slowly, I want to remember the way back!" Hao Xuan patted Bao Bao''s back as he jumped on.


    She nodded enthusiastically and sprinted out of the camp. There was a talisman attached to her back that opened defensive formations automatically, having the same function as Hao Xuan''s badge.


    Bao Bao ran down the gulley on the right and picked up speed. Hao Xuan had to bend down behind her horn to take cover from the oing wind. About seven minutester she finally came to a stop near a small opening on the side. It was big enough that Bao Bao could easily walk in by herself.


    She looked left and right curiously once, checking to make sure no one else was watching. Hao Xuan couldn''t help but smile at her behavior.


    "No one''s there, go," he said gently.


    Not believing Hao Xuan she checked behind them onest time carefully before entering the opening quickly. From the outside, it just looked like a crack in the walls but as they ventured deeper in, the surroundings started expanding and there were even some cements on the sidewalls every now and then which were probably used for light.


    It took another couple of minutes before some stairs came into view. they were carved into the ground but looked rtively new.


    Hao Xuan got off Bao Bao and walked on foot from there onwards, with her following behind him obediently.


    The stairs led to a massive stone door that seemed to have been opened with brute force, judging from the numerable scratches and marks on the outside of it. And all these marks were extremely old, some had even been corroded by time.


    There were a lot of voices and noisesing from inside the structure and Hao Xuan could see a source of light in there as well.


    Since he would be fighting in closed quarters he decided to go with a sword instead of his ive. He started circting Qi through the sword as he got ready for the fight.


    "Careful not to damage the coffins and the statues!" Zeng Yu''s voice thundered, startling Hao Xuan.


    He picked up the pace and ran through the hallway entering the hall where all themotion wasing from.


    The hall was several kilometers long and about three kilometers wide. Inside three different groups could be seen fighting creatures that looked simr to the one Hao Xuan had captured in the temple.


    The only difference was that these were several timesrger and held different weapons like spears, swords, axes and even some hammers.


    "Captain!" someone shouted from the side. Hao Xuan turned and saw Rong Li, Kramson, and the princess sitting there along with a few scientists in white coats. Several of the scientists were injured, although nothing serious.


    Zeng Yu who was fighting two giant creatures at once heard the shout and turned around to see Hao Xuan standing at the door.


    "d to see you finally join us, captain," he said sarcastically while pushing one of the creatures away.


    "No thanks to you. I thought you all were spirited away or something," Hao Xuan retorted angrily.


    "The situation here demanded all hands. The science team was attacked and sent for backup. Thankfully we got here on time."


    "Ahan, sure," Hao Xuan ignored Zeng Yu''s half-assed excuse and jumped into the fight as well.


    These creatures weren''t terribly strong. They weren''t even using any Qi attacks, only fighting with pure brute force. The reason the fight had dragged on for as long as it had, was that there were hundreds of thousands of coffins and statues all around the hall.


    The statues were of both humans and beasts alike, some he recognized while others werepletely foreign. The coffins, on the other hand, were made from different materials like marbles, metals, one of them waspletely ck looked like a giant block of obsidian. They were all different sizes as well, with the smallest being just a bitrger one meter while the biggest was about sixty meters long.


    The entire hallpromised of these various statues and coffins with no end to them in sight.


    "Hah!" Hao Xuan circted the Emperor''s Qi and let loose its effects. Everyone that came from the beast world suddenly felt their Qi thrum inside their bodies.


    The people from the Ma n and Shi n were stunned by this turn of events and looked at Hao Xuan with incredulous expressions on their faces.


    Ma Yu and Shi Chun''s bodies even released audible sounds like that of boiling water and seemed to have received the strongest effects. Their powers actually increased more than thirty percent while the creatures acted like they were struck by lightning.


    The weaker ones simply fell down to their knees while the stronger ones hesitated, backing up several steps.


    "ATTACK!" Zeng Yu ordered upon feeling the creature''s power levels drop.


    Hao Xuan used Emperor''s arrival and ran into the biggest group of creatures that were fighting against the Red Legion soldiers.


    "Push! Don''t linger behind and push through! Do not let your momentum drop!" Hao Xuan shouted.


    Every single step of his sent an invisible wave of emperors Qi outwards. This was an effect of Emperor''s arrival but had a very small range and couldn''t affect anyone not directly in front of him.


    His allies would be strengthened even more while the enemies would feel like someone was directly stepping on their hearts.


    Seeing Hao Xuan himself jump to the front of the line, the soldier''s spirits skyrocketed in an instant. Even Zeng Wu who was leading the party couldn''t help but approve Hao Xuan methods.


    Getting ordered to fight and having the superiors actually join the fight with their soldiers had very different effects.


    "AHH!" one of the soldiers shouted and everyone else followed behind. Like a group of madmen, the soldiers at front pushed the creatures back, throwing them to the ground with sheer force, while the second wave of soldiers came and finished them off.


    Seeing the creatures get ughtered, one of the two giant ones that were fighting against Zhen Yu let out an extremely loud shriek. This shriek echoed throughout the hall and carried on for god knows how long.


    As if in response to this shriek, several of the coffins cracked and then burst open. What seemed like a never-ending stream of thousands of creatures poured out of them, which seemed more like gateways to hell itself and rather than normal coffins.


    Zeng Yu''s expression turned serious as he sensed the neers. "Not good, there are way too many of them. We can''t fight them here," he thought inwardly, and then opened his mouth to give the order, "Retrea-" but before he could finish, two new and different Qi''s exploded from Hao Xuan''s body and his loud voice echoed in the hall.


    "ASSAULT OF THE MAD GOD!"

 Chapter 183: Retreat

    <h4>Chapter 183: Retreat</h4>


    Seeing the arrival of hundreds of new enemies, Hao Xuan''s blood boiled and the will to fight turned from a small spark to a raging fire. He circted Force Qi and Sundering Qi, "ASSAULT OF THE MAD GOD!"


    His arms turned ck and erged. Every single muscle in his arms contracted and then expanded with a force that was felt by even the soldiers around him. The air hummed for an instant.


    "AHH!"


    He lifted up the silver sword in his hand and threw it like a spear, nailing three creatures to a coffin a few dozen meters away.


    "NO RETREAT!" he shouted at the men behind him and used Demonic steps to push further into the swarm.


    Assault of the Mad God was the perfect technique to use in this situation. It didn''t use any abilities that had arge area of effect so he wouldn''t unnecessarily damage the surroundings. Just his raw power and speed were enhanced.


    It was very simr to the ''Berserk'' state that was inherited by some other races and creatures. Unless he was up against a significantly powerful opponent, he wouldn''t feel any pain or difort until the ''Assualt'' was over.


    Zeng Wu''s heart skipped a beat when he saw Hao Xuan vanish into the swarming creatures, "PUSH! he ordered the soldiers behind him and started circting his own Qi as well.


    His weapons were dual axes. The axes were covered by a purplish energy and every time he swung them, they would leave ming archs in the air. It looked spectacr!


    Shi Chun who was watching from the side couldn''t help but have his own heart beat faster after watching Hao Xuan.


    He turned around and looked at the two old men behind him with a wide smile, "Uncles, I want to fight too!"


    The old men looked at each other and then at him. Seeing his resolute eyes, they agreed instantly. Shi Chun was the youngest and the most spoiled of all his siblings. His oldest brother really was toox with him and let him do whatever he wanted. Instead of fighting and cultivating like the others, he chose to run around with his friends, capturing beasts and exploring new areas. No matter the reason, if he wanted to fight now, it was a great thing for the Shi n.


    "Go, we will bring up the rear!" they nodded and took out their own weapons.


    One of them had a massive ck club with spikes all over it while the other had a spear that was even bigger than his own body.


    Shi Chun waved his hand and a katana appeared in his hand. Its scabbard was snow-white with gold engravings on it.


    The couple behind Ma Yu suddenly stopped mid-fight and looked towards Shi Chun and then at the katana, befuddled.


    "So the rumors were true," one of them murmured.


    Shi Chun held the scabbard with his left hand and stood in an attacking stance. As he ced his hand on the handle, a faint pressure appeared in the entire hall and every weapon shook once.


    Zeng Yu looked towards the source of the pressure with knitted brows, "A living weapon! They sure went all out."


    Shi Chun closed his eyes and started channeling his Qi into the katana. A ttering sound came from the scabbard and it sounded like the de wanted to break out on its own. One of the old men saw this and said sternly, "Calm yourself. It can feel your anxiousness."


    "Yes," Shi Chun nodded and took a deep breath. It took a couple of seconds but the ttering slowed down and then stopped. Seeing him rx, the old men nodded in approval.


    Shi Chun rubbed the engravings on the scabbard with his left hand and whispered, "Please, fight with me."


    There was no response from the katana but he didn''t let it affect him too much.


    He closed his eyes for a second and then opened them abruptly. The katana was pulled out in one smooth motion and a white energy wave shot forward like aser beam. Everything in a radius of twenty meters in front of him was instantly cut into two. It didn''t matter whether the energy wave hit them or not, every single creature in the vicinity of the energy wave was split from the middle.


    Hao Xuan who was using one creature as a bat to beat others with it suddenly felt a cold chill go down his spine. He turned towards Shi Chun and knew exactly where that feeling wasing from as soon as he saw the katana in his hand. For some reason, the katana was leaking out killing intent and it was aimed at him.


    "Why do I get the feeling it doesn''t like me too much?" he mumbled.


    "SCREEEEE"


    The creatures saw him halt his advance and used the opportunity to regroup.


    "Captain!" Zeng Wu shouted while cutting down two creatures at once. He came closer to Hao Xuan and said in a low voice, "We must retreat, there are way too many of them and more keeping every minute. Our Qi reserves will run out and then we won''t be a match for them," he said with pleading eyes.


    Hao Xuan looked at the creatures that were keeping some distance from him now and couldn''t help but let out a sigh. There were so many of them that he couldn''t even see the coffins and statues underneath.


    He could maintain Assualt of the Mad God for a few more minutes but there was no way he would be able to kill them all in that little bit of time.


    "Fine, retreat," he waved his hand, giving up.


    Zeng Wu couldn''t hide his joy upon hearing that one word. If Hao Xuan hadn''t agreed, he didn''t know what else to do other than perhaps go against his orders, which was a very severe crime.


    "RETREAT!" Zeng Wu shouted several times, making sure everyone heard it.

 Chapter 184: Treasures

    <h4>Chapter 184: Treasures</h4>


    "RETREAT!" Zeng Wu shouted loudly so everyone could hear it.


    "Retreat!" x3


    Right after his shout, three other shouts simultaneously came out as well. One of them came from Shi n''s side, second from the Ma n while the third from Hyson''s group.


    The Red Legion soldiers followed the normal protocol and backed up slowly while fighting off the creature''s barrage. nking noise came from all around the hall as the humans blocked the iing creature''s attacks.


    Hao Xuan was already angry about having to retreat just a few minutes after he had shouted "No retreat" to the entire hall when a smaller creature saw an opportunity when he was distracted and attacked him from behind.


    It had two daggers attached to the bone fragments on both sides, which it used to try to cut Hao Xuan''s head off.


    Zeng Wu saw the creature from the corner of his eye and tried to interfere, but as if working in tandem, several other creatures rushed up to him and started attacking crazily, not even giving him an opportunity to warn Hao Xuan.


    But as the creature lunged towards Hao Xuan''s back in one swift motion, his head turned towards the creature as if moved by an outside force and his face contorted in anger when he saw it. An ear-piercing hiss rang right next to the creature''s ears.


    *SSsssss*


    ck and White''s bodies glowed brightly with the same colors as their skins and mes surrounded Hao Xuan from head to toe.


    "SCREAAAACH"


    The creature was burned to ashes within a few seconds.


    but the fire didn''t stop there. With Hao Xuan as the center, the fire turned into a giant pir and erupted up and outwards.


    "AHH" the soldiers around Hao Xuan shouted in surprise and backed up, afraid of getting burned, but it was toote. They were too close to him and the fire wave wasing too quickly.


    *Wooosh*


    As the soldiers closed their eyes readying themselves for the iing pain, like a cool breeze the fire passed right through them without any effects. The creatures, on the other hand, didn''t have such an experience.


    Shrill screams were heard from every ce the fire passed through. The smaller ones were burned to a crisp within a few seconds, while therger ones were rolling on the ground in pain, trying to put out the fire, but to no avail.


    No matter what they did, the fire stuck to their bodies like maggots.


    The Ma and Shi n folk were watching from the sides. They exchanged looks with one another beforeing to the same realization.


    "Spiritual Fire!" Ma Yu eximed from the sidelines.


    Hao Xuan heard her voice and looked at her, confused. He was just angry and wanted to kill all the creatures around him, ck and White did the rest on their own. He had no idea what it was.


    The fire kept the other creatures back and gave the group enough time to back out of the hall safely. Not that there would have been a problem without it. None of the soldiers had used any techniques or abilities and these creatures were only using physical attacks. The only thing going for the creatures was their numbers.


    "Go Go!" Zeng Yu shouted when he saw some people standing near the stone door.


    Everyone backed up several dozen meters. Zeng Yu lifted up his hand and a small ball of crimson light appeared in his palm. He inserted some Qi into it before throwing it at the door.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The surroundings shook as the crimson light exploded upon impact with the stone door. The entire front end of the structure copsed and the entrance was sealed with tons and tons of stone.


    Even for them, it would take several hours if they wanted to dig their way back in, so suffice it to say, it wouldn''t be an easy feat for the creatures.


    *Rrrrrng*


    The white katana in Shi Chun''s hand started vibrating incessantly. Hao Xuan looked at the de with furrowed brows and couldn''t understand why it hated him so much.


    One of the old men saw this and patted Shi Chun''s shoulder, "Put it away." Shi Chun wanted to hold the de for a bit longer but seeing the old man''s re he quickly stored it away.


    The old man then looked at Hao Xuan meaningfully and gave a slight bow. Hao Xuan was confused by this sudden show of respect but still returned the bow so as not to seem rude.


    "Oi oi, I''ve been looking all over for you guys. Can you not forget me like this please? I thought I was abandoned," Jin Wang''szy voice came from the entrance of the crack, attracting everyone''s attention.


    Zeng Yu stepped forward and seemed like he had quite a lot to say, but Hao Xuan''s angry voice came out first.


    "Where the hell have you been? While we were fighting, you were walking around enjoying the scenery huh? It''s okay, you can tell me," Hao Xuan said with a smile, but his words and facial expressions did not match at all.


    Jin Wang made an exaggerated face like he was being bullied, "I was looking for treasures! For the kingdom! And this is what I get for my hard work?"


    "Treasures?" the princess who was standing behind Hyson interjected.


    Jin Wang smiled at her proudly, as if he was waiting for someone to ask, "Mhm. Treasures! I found a bunch of buildings all over the ce. They look simr to that blown up ce behind you," he pointed at the copsed structure.


    "There are more? How many did you find?" Zeng Yu asked skeptically.


    "Three, but there are probably more. It''s easy to find them if you know where to look," Jin Wang grinned.


    "Alright enough. Take us to the nearest one," Hao Xuan waved his hand when he saw Jin Wang trying to be mysterious.


    "My pleasure, but I get 10%mission since I found them," Jin Wang nodded and then held up all ten of his fingers.


    "Shut the hell up. You work for the military! Commission my ass!" Hao Xuan yelled in anger.

 Chapter 185: Talk

    <h4>Chapter 185: Talk</h4>


    Jin Wang led the group to three simr ces. The structures seemed like they were designed by the same person/s. The only difference was that almost all of them were a lot more damaged and showed signs of fights. But none of these marks were recent.


    Zeng Yu took about two hours and checked every nook and cranny of all three structures, making sure no creatures were left.


    "It seems safe enough. The Shi and Ma n should take the first and we will take thest," Hao Xuan said to the group after returning back at the camp.


    The first two sites were really close to the base camp, less than five minutes away. If something were to go wrong, they could easily call for backup.


    "We have no problems with this," the couple behind Ma Yu nodded in approval. The Shi n did the same.


    "Perfect!" Hao Xuan smiled.


    He then went to the science team and told them to separate into three as well and continue gathering data. He gave the creature he had brought back from the temple to them as well.


    Yin Da who was the chief science officer of the party was ted to see it. It would be a perfect specimen to experiment on.


    "Thank you, captain!" he said while looking at the caged creature with glittering eyes.


    Hao Xuan actually had mixed feelings when he saw the look on Yin Da''s face. That is NOT the face of someone that has his sh*t together.


    It was the same face Sixth used to make whenever he saw ''Thick Thighs''.


    "No no, don''t go there," Hao Xuan told himself and took a few steps away from him.


    "Um, so is there anything you have to report to me?" he asked when Yin Dapletely ignored his existence.


    "Ah yes. This is for you," Yin Da didn''t look up and simply snapped his fingers. One of the men standing behind him walked up and handed Hao Xuan a file.


    "This is everything we have found so far," he exined while standing up. Picking up the cage he finally looked at Hao Xuan, "Will keep you updated of any further progress," and walked away.


    Hao Xuan was speechless at the man''s behavior, only managing to mutter "..thanks....?" a few seconds after he had already walked away.


    The file had a lot of data, most of which Hao Xuan couldn''t understand. The only thing that caught his eye was "unknown energy" that seemed to be present everywhere in the world. Whether it was the tombs or the camps outside, the energy was there. And it looked like the energy levels were increasing.


    They had only been there for a few days and already, the energy levels had almost doubled.


    "Senior brother, did you need something?" Ma Yu''s voice interrupted Hao Xuan''s thought process.


    He looked up and saw her grinning at him with her hands behind her back. He couldn''t help but break into a smile himself. She looked like a more immature and chibi version of Sin.


    "What was it about the Spiritual fire you were talking about?"


    Ma Yu was surprised by his query, "Does senior brother really not know?"


    "No."


    "Oh. Well, spiritual fire is a living fire. It''s at the higher tier of mes and has a lot of uses. You can find a lot of information about it on thework once we get out. I don''t know much more about it myself. Only that it''s like a living person."


    "Hmm, that''s good to know," Hao Xuan mumbled while stroking his chin, lost in thought. A few secondster he looked Ma Yu right in the eyes which made her slightly blush, "Do you trust me?"


    "Eh?" She was taken aback by Hao Xuan''s sudden inquiry, but it didn''t take long for her toe up with an answer, "Mhm," she nodded mechanically after a couple of seconds of nking out.


    Hao Xuan wasn''t expecting such a cute reaction and was a bit surprised himself. Wanting to tease her a bit more, he stepped forward until he was only a step away from her.


    Ma Yu''s heart skipped a beat when she saw Hao Xuan smiling at her from a few inches away, but she didn''t back down.


    "Dummy, why so serious?" Hao Xuan flicked her on the forehead and burst outughing.


    Ma Yu''s face turned scarlet red when she realized Hao Xuan was just messing with her and she huffed in mock anger.


    But then Hao Xuan''s tone suddenly turned serious and the smile on his face vanished, "You have to do one thing," he met her gaze, "As soon as something strange happens,e back. No matter what it looks like, whether there is gold and silver in front of you or godly weapons, turn around. Something is not right with this ce," he finished and patted her shoulder.


    She looked at him strangely before nodding. Only then did Hao Xuan walk away, but he stopped again after taking a couple of steps.


    "And if you see a giant statue with gold engravings sitting on a throne, run away as soon as possible. And no matter what you do, do NOT look at its face," he said while ncing back.


    She nodded once again like an obedient child, prompting Hao Xuan to continue walking.


    Ma Yu stood there dazed, while Shi Chun spied on her from some distance away, hiding behind Bao Bao. He had followed Ma Yu over wanting to talk to her for a bit, but stopped when he saw Hao Xuan and their interaction afterward.


    His fists were tightly clenched as he stared at Ma Yu, and then in the direction Hao Xuan had disappeared in.


    Bao Bao saw her master''s despondent look and licked him. She couldn''t understand what was going inside his head but what he was feeling was in for all to see.


    He patted Bao Bao''s head and mumbled, "Does captain Deimos like Lady Ma Yu as well?"


    Bao Bao tilted her head sideways in confusion.


    "Of course he does. Lady Ma Yu is beautiful, strong and from a famous family," he continued talking to himself, answering his own query.


    The two old men were standing a few meters behind him. They had seen everything from the beginning and heard Hao Xuan''s warning to Ma Yu and knew there wasn''t anything between them.


    One of the men took a step forward but was stopped by the other, who shook his head.


    "Don''t. This is good for him. He has been too rxed. This will motivate him to get stronger. Let the young captain serve as a stepping stone for the Young Master."


    They looked back at Shi Chun and sighed. It was meant to be this way...


    ****


    After resting for a bit, Hao Xuan led the Red Legion and Hyson''s group to the furthest tomb they had found. It was also by far the biggest.

 Chapter 186: Sagax

    <h4>Chapter 186: Sagax</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s party arrived at the new tomb. It was about five times as big as the one they had fought the creatures in.


    The science team quickly got to work while Hao Xuan stood at the entrance staring at the massive hall. The setting was identical to the other tombs with thousands of giant coffins ced throughout the hall with either, one or several statues in front of every coffin.


    He walked up to the biggest coffin there was and inspected it closely. There were no seals or anything else around it. The lone statue in front of it was of the same creature he had seen before in the temple.


    It looked like a giant brain with nerve endingsing out of it, forming legs. But this one was different because it wasn''t four-legged like the one in the temple, instead, it had four appendages in the form of arms and legs. If the other one was described as beastly, this one was definitely more human-like.


    There was one row of words written on the coffin. It seemed like the same word repeated over and over again, going around the entire coffin once.


    Hao Xuan bent down and ran his finger over the engraved words. He had seen something like this before, but he couldn''t remember where.


    He turned around and smiled when he saw the person he was looking for, "Oi,e here," he gestured towards Jin Wang who wasying down on the stairs, picking his nose.


    Jin Wang looked at him with a frown but didn''t move a single muscle, "What?"


    Hao Xuan''s right eye twitched from pure annoyance, "Come the f*ck over here and I will tell you," he said through gritted teeth, while still trying to keep the smile as friendly as possible.


    It took Jin Wang a few more seconds to find the treasure he was looking for inside his nose. Wiping it on the stairs he let out a loud sigh and made his way over.


    "What?" he asked again.


    Hao Xuan wanted to beat him until he was ck and blue but not only was he not strong enough for that but he needed him right now. So swallowing his anger, he pointed at the coffin.


    "What does this say?"


    Jin Wang looked at where he was pointing. With small,zy steps, he came closer to the coffin and sat down in front of it like it was his own home.


    "Sa...gax? I think that''s how it''s pronounced," he answered nonchntly.


    Although Hao Xuan expected it, he was still taken aback by his quick reply.


    "Whatnguage is this?" Hao Xuan followed with another question.


    Jin Wang shook his head, "An old one. They still use it on some of the other Origins."


    "Origins?!"


    The origins he spoke off were called the new center of civilization. There were seven humungouss orbiting around several suns. Beast world was one of them.


    Hao Xuan was told a little bit about them when he came to this world but nothing after that. Most powers either didn''t know or simply didn''t care.


    And there was no reason to either.


    Just the Mei kingdom alone was so absolutely massive that its surface area wasrger than the entire earth.


    With tens maybe even hundreds of thousands of simr kingdoms and even bigger Empires in one continent, and five other simr-sized continents, ny percent of the poption would never leave this. So knowing about the others was more or less useless.


    But if just the Beast World was this massive, how big were the others? Did they have the same cultivation systems? Were they just as advanced? Hao Xuan wondered these things many times but never found an answer.


    But thiszy bastard in front of him knew thenguage that was spoken on one of the others? How?!


    He looked down at Jin Wang, "And why do you know this? And how?"


    Jin Wang looked up to meet his gaze. Theziness from his eyes disappeared and his back straightened up. The atmosphere suddenly turned serious which made Hao Xuan somewhat ufortable.


    "Is he finally going to tell me the truth?" Hao Xuan wondered.


    Jin Wang opened his mouth, answering somberly, "Dunno, just do. Maybe because I''m a hidden genius?" he tilted his head pretending to be in deep thought, looking extremely serious.


    *Smack*


    "Go to hell," Hao Xuan''s hand moved subconsciously and hit Jin Wang as hard as possible. Jin Wang obviously wasn''t expecting this and with a bang, hit the coffin in front, making it crack.


    "Wha-" Hao Xuan''s anger subsided in an instant when he saw the crack appear on the coffin. But it didn''t stop there. Like broken ss, the crack started spreading and pieces of the coffin started falling apart.


    Both Hao Xuan and Jin Wang jumped back several meters, but neither of them could look away.


    Hyde''s words rang in Hao Xuan''s ears as the fifty-plus meter coffin slowly opened itself.


    "Leave quickly, before the dead catch your scent..."


    ".....the...dead..?" Hao Xuan mumbled.


    Still looking at the coffin he pinched Jin Wang, getting his attention, "Hey, what...does...Sagax mean?" he asked with a parched throat.


    That was probably the name of the creature that was buried inside.


    Jin Wang who''s face was covered with dust from the coffin gulped and whispered, "The Atavistic Controller. That''s what it stands for."


    "The what?" Hao Xuan scowled, "What the f*ck does that even mean?"


    "I don''t know either. Do I look like a damn dictionary to you?!" Jin Wang retorted, "And stop pinching me, it hurts!" he pushed away Hao Xuan''s hand.


    *Crrrrrrrrrr*


    A loud mechanical sound came from all around the hall as the entrance they came from closed shut with thick metal pieces. Several of the other coffins also started cracking open.


    "What''s going?!"


    "Hey watch out, behind you!"


    "Careful!"


    Yells came from the surrounding party members. Large pieces of the floor had fallen down, leaving massive dark holes in their ces. Several people had already fallen in while trying to avoid the debris that was falling from above.


    Hao Xuan turned towards Jin Wang and shouted, "Oh god, what did you do!?!"

 Chapter 187: Sagax Continued

    <h4>Chapter 187: Sagax Continued</h4>


    "Oh god, what did you do!?!" Hao Xuan cried out from shock and anger.


    "Me?! YOU! You did this a*shole!" Jin Wang retorted even louder.


    "You little bitc-" Hao Xuan shouted while trying to strangle Jin Wang in the middle of a disaster.


    *CRAAACK*


    The floor beneath their feet cracked into two, effectively halting their altercation.


    "Oh f*ck! Jump!" Hao Xuan quickly let go of Jin Wang and climbed on top of another coffin nearby, one that hadn''t been destroyed yet.


    "CAPTAIN!" Zeng Yu shouted from afar. He was also standing on top of a coffin.


    "There''s an entrance on the other side! Go from coffin to coffin and reach it!" he pointed to the other side of the hall.


    The massive grid of coffins and statues hadpletely disappeared. There was no floor left anymore either. The remaining coffins seemed to be floating on nothing but air, and where the floor once used to be now held a neverending darkness.


    About five people had already fallen down there and were most probably dead. The others were following Zeng Yu''s orders and could be seen jumping to and fro from one coffin to the next.


    Jin Wang who was standing next to Hao Xuan bent over the edge a little bit and stared down into the ck abyss.


    "Do you feel it?" he asked in a tone so light that even Hao Xuan was barely able to hear it. It sounded like he was mumbling to himself.


    Hao Xuan also bent over and looked down but other than vertigo and a strong feeling of doom, there was nothing else.


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "No...what...is it? What do you feel?"


    Jin Wang moved back from the edge and looked at Hao Xuan with a rarely seen seriousness, "Cold. It''s...so cold down there."


    "Cold?" Hao Xuan frowned. No wonder he didn''t feel it. ck''s Qi was still in his body, doing its job.


    "We''ll talkter. Let''s get out of here first," he said looking at the nearest coffin. It was about twenty meters away, but the problem was there was some rubble on it along with many cracks.


    It looked like it would break soon.


    As Hao Xuan got ready to jump, Jin Wang stopped him, "Let me go first."


    Hao Xuan was going to refuse at first but he had heard of his prowess first-hand. If the coffin really did break, he would be able to jump off in time, but Hao Xuan couldn''t say the same for himself.


    "Alright, go," he moved back and nodded at Jin Wang.


    The coffin they were on was only about four meters in size. And with Hao Xuan''s extrarge body, it was already a bit cramped.


    Hao Xuan moved towards the back of the coffin, waiting for him to leap off. But what he saw next made his heart skip a beat.


    Jin Wang bent his knees to gather power in his legs, making them actually expand. His legs almost doubled in size and tore through his pants. The veins wriggled around like small snakes. Even Hao Xuan felt a bit suffocated just looking at it.


    "O-Oi, isn''t that a bit too mu-"


    But before he could finish, the coffin they were on exploded from the sheer power exerted by Jin Wang''s legs, propelling Hao Xuan in the opposite direction, in the direction of the Sagax''s coffin.


    "YOU F*CKING IDIOT!" was thest sentence Hao Xuan shouted before he fell into the giant coffin, making it copse and fall into the icy darkness below.


    "CAPTAIN!" Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu''s worried yells along with Jin Wang''s "Oh sh*t," resounded in the hall as Hao Xuan disappeared from sight.


    ****


    *Drip*


    *Drip*


    *Drip*


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes as a cold liquid dripped over his face. He was met with total darkness and was barely able to see five feet ahead of him.


    "Ouch!" the first sensation he felt was of a sharp pain as he tried to get up. His legs and ribs seemed to be broken.


    The left leg was twisted at a forty-five-degree angle and his chest was crushed on the same side. Every time he breathed out it felt like needles were poking his lungs.


    With some effort, he moved his hands over his ears and tensed up when he couldn''t feel ck or White. Closing his eyes, he tried to feel for their souls with his connection and rxed a little bit when he felt that they were both alive, and very close to him. Unfortunately, he wasn''t in a condition to move.


    With a wave of his hand, a humanoid shadow appeared right next to him.


    "Master!" Ensis quickly bent down and inspected Hao Xuan''s injuries.


    "I''m fine," he waved his hand. "Go get ck and White, they are right over there," he looked at a certain direction.


    "Yes," Ensis quickly walked off into the darkness fearlessly and came back three minutester with the two snakes.


    There were some scratches on their bodies and they seemed to be unconscious. But other than that they were fine.


    Hao Xuan ced his hand on their bodies and called them back into his mind pce.


    Upon seeing Hao Xuan''s expression ease up Ensis looked around.


    "Master, this ce is...?"


    Hao Xuan also looked around, letting out a sigh.


    "No idea. I was in a tomb of some sort before falling into a coffin of a creature called Sagax. This is somewhere underneath it all," he exined the situation.


    Ensis frowned after listening to everything that had happened.


    "What?" Hao Xuan asked upon seeing his face.


    "I seem to...have some memories of this creature," Ensis replied.


    "What?!" Hao Xuan''s ears perked up instantly


    "How?"


    "The GodFiend. Some of its memories have awakened in the time I have been cultivating. It had several encounters with these creatures called Sagax," Ensis exined.


    "Aha, I forgot about that. You will have memories of that douche too huh. So what do they say? What is this creature? And any idea what this world is?" Hao Xuan''s eyes glittered as he looked at him for answers.

 Chapter 188: Yin

    <h4>Chapter 188: Yin</h4>


    Ensis closed his eyes and started recalling all the information from the GodFiends memories.


    "Its a race of sentient beings. They have extremely high intelligence but weak bodies. Their blood energies are extremely low and because of that, they are limited on the path of cultivation."


    "Their lifespans are very long, ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands of years. Nobody knows where they are born or even how, they just..."appear". And because of such high intelligence, they aren''t able to feel any emotions at all. They are usually loners and collectors of other species."


    "The GodFiend once met a Sagax that had managed to make a new body for itself. It was something he had never seen before and even with his power he had to be careful. In the end, he had to run away because these creatures always have something up their sleeves."


    "Collectors of species?!" Hao Xuan''s eyes gleamed. Were all those coffins belonging to the many different species it had gathered over the years?


    "I need to get on my feet start looking around this ce for any clues," he made up his mind.


    With a wave of his hand, several medicines appeared beside him along with some blood bags.


    He looked at Ensis, "Keep an eye out while I heal," and started applying different mixtures on the injured areas while Ensis stood guard. About three hourster the bones had healed enough that he could move around without too many issues.


    Cracking noises came from all over his body as he stood up. The damage wasn''t limited to the left leg and torso alone, it was just those ces that were the most serious.


    Before applying the medicine the bones had to be moved back to their original ces so they could be healed quickly.


    "Hmm, feels good!" the ''pain'' felt more pleasurable than painful and he couldn''t help but close his eyes and enjoy the feeling as he stretched his body.


    Finishing up, he took another look at his surroundings. They were extremely cold, so much so that he had to put on a sweater and a coat.


    It looked like he was an in an underground cavern with rocky walls all around him. Looking up, he couldn''t actually see the top and it was just pitch ck. There was no light at all.


    "Try climbing straight up, see how far you can reach," he said to Ensis, who happily obliged.


    Using his bare hands, Ensis grabbed onto the smallest ledges and cracks and jumped up like a squirrel. Within a few minutes, he was already so high that Hao Xuan couldn''t even see him anymore.


    Closing his eyes he regted his breathing and kept circting the Qi while waiting for him to return. He was already at Origin Realm Pinnacle for a few weeks now and only needed to understand a new type of energy to breakthrough to the Spirit Realm.


    As the different Qi''s ran around his system, small streams of aura came off of his body, looking like hot steam.


    *Wooooosh*


    *nk*


    He opened his eyes and saw Ensis standing in front of him.


    "How was it?"


    Ensis shook his head, "After a certain point it just feels like I''m going around in circles, even while climbing straight up. I think this is a different space under the tomb, one that can be essed from outside but not from here."


    Hao Xuan nodded. It would have been too easy if he was able to just climb out of here like that.


    Taking a deep breath he looked around and chose a random direction before setting off, "Let''s go."


    They walked around in the darkness for three days. The first direction Hao Xuan had chosen was a dead-end, as were the next fifteen or so.


    Thankfully, other than the same creatures that were in the tomb, there was no more danger. Whenever he got tired they would stop and he would set up the camp. Most of the times its illusion formations were enough to fool the creatures but sometimes they did walk into them and Ensis had to take action and kill them.


    On the third day, they finally heard the sounds of water crashing against the walls. There was moisture in the air and even some nts could be found growing along the sides of the walls.


    They ran around until finally, a massive underground river came into view. But the liquid flowing through it wasn''t water, it was a cloudy white substance that seemed to be more viscous and much much colder.


    The surroundings cavern walls were filled with ayer of ice and if the liquid wasn''t moving at such high speeds, it probably would have frozen over too.


    "What the hell is that?" Hao Xuan mumbled.


    He walked closer to the rivers edge and several drops of liquidnded on his clothes. He bent down to inspect it and as soon as his hand came into contact with it, it was frozen solid in an instant.


    "AHH!" Hao Xuan shouted and quickly backed up. His right hand looked like an ice sculpture and he could feel extremely sharp waves of pain running along his arm.


    "Master!" Ensis quickly came over and inspected his arm. The ice was spreading slowly and had already reached halfway to his elbow.


    A look of understanding shed past Ensis''s eyes as he looked at Hao Xuan, "Master, I apologize in advance," and sliced his hand down.


    A wave of sharp ck Qi came out and with a squelching sound, he cut off Hao Xuan''s arm clean off.


    "AHHH! DUDE! For f*ck sakes, this is like my second arm in thest three months!" Hao Xuan cried out from the pain and the shock thereafter.


    "Who''s damn side are you on?!" he yelled at Ensis while trying to stop the bleeding.


    "I''m sorry master, it was for your own good. You would have lost the entire appendage otherwise," Ensis exined.


    "What? Why?" covered in a cold sweat and drenched in his own blood, he inquired with a re.


    With his head hung low Ensis quickly exined, "That is a river of Qi. A river of pure yin Qi."

 Chapter 189: Room

    <h4>Chapter 189: Room</h4>


    "That is a river of Qi. A river of pure yin Qi," Ensis said somberly.


    "Yin Qi?!" Hao Xuan repeated, shocked.


    In nature, Yin and Yang existed opposite to one another. Yin was of the cold attribute (generally) while Yang was hot. Yin was negative, and Yang was positive. Yin was ck, and Yang was white.


    Under normal circumstances, one element couldn''t exist without the other. They were both two sides of the same coin.


    Their duality was considered to be the bncing force of the universe. Without good, there was no evil. And without evil, there was no good.


    Yin could not exist without Yang in nature. And an entire river of Yin Qi like this was certainly not possible.


    But the most important part was that Yin was the dark element. Creatures that lived in the darkness and survived off of negative emotions were of Yin element.


    "The cold, this is where it''sing from?" Hao Xuan finally realized.


    No wonder the deeper he went into the cavern, the colder he felt. If Ensis had not cut off his arm, he probably would have received a lot more damage overall, especially if the Yin Qi had managed to enter his body.


    With a simple indirect touch, he had almost lost his life there, what would have happened if he had actually put his hand in there?


    As he realized this, the anger he was feeling towards Ensis vanished like smoke in a storm.


    "Hey, thanks," he looked at Ensis in the eyes and thanked him from the bottom of his heart.


    "It is my duty," Ensis bowed as usual, not feeling like he had done anything special at all. He was just doing his job.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but shake his head at his response. He wished Ensis would act a bit more like a normal person. It would be too boring otherwise...


    They both backed up several dozen meters and Hao Xuan had to take out some more medical supplies. He bandaged the stump after applying some medicine, as the blood he had in storage was nowhere near enough to grow it back.


    *Gurgle~*


    The entire cavern slightly shook as a loud gurgling sound came from the other end of the Qi River. The amount of Yin Qi reduced so quickly that Hao Xuan could see it with his naked eye. It looked like someone had opened the dam doors and within five minutes, the river had lost over a third of its volume.


    Its speed had decreased significantly as well and it looked like a stream rather than the raging river of before.


    Ensis closed his eyes and listened carefully. His ears twitched, "There seems to be an opening over there, about three kilometers down," he pointed in the same direction the river was heading to.


    Hao Xuan clenched his fist in anticipation, "Great, let''s go. Follow the river!" he ordered.


    Ensis took out his sword and started cutting offrge chunks of rocks and ice, making a small pathway along the river. It was just enough for one person to walk through at once and was rtively safe as well, as long as no one fell into the river.


    Although the distance to the opening was only three kilometers, in total it took them about six hours to reach the other end.


    The river opened up into a massive room that was several thousands of meter long.


    There wererge mechanical arms all along the sides and the roof. Long tracks were iid on the floor that were probably used to transport materials from the looks of it.


    There were two rows of lights on the roof, some were on while most were off with a couple blinking randomly.


    There was ayer of dust on the ground indicating that no one had moved past here in a long time.


    "Do you see anything dangerous?" Hao Xuan whispered towards Ensis, who shook his head.


    Letting out a sigh of relief, he jumped into the room as there was about a fifteen-meter gap between the Qi river and room.


    "Woah," Hao Xuan was amazed by the machinery he saw. They looked very futuristic and werepletely scratchless.


    He channeled the force Qi through his arm and tried moving one but couldn''t even make it budge even with his full strength, which was enough to throw a semi-truck dozens of kilometers in the air.


    "Damn it, they look so cool. I bet they would go for a high price back on the beast world," he mumbled.


    "Remind me to take these with us when we leave," he said to Ensis before walking off along the tracks.


    Every few hundred meters there would be a kind of storage room to the side. He checked every single one of them but they were all empty. There were only a few metal boxes and containers left which he took withoutining. Even their metal looked extremely sturdy and he could barely make a dent with his full-powered punch.


    "This is good, very good!" he mumbled while rubbing an empty container. Ensis looked on speechlessly as he had never seen his master act so...greedily before.


    About 50 minutester the room finally separated into three small hallways. Two of them had flickering force fields outside while the one on the right was open. It seemed like the energy that was powering it had run out.


    "Attack that one, see if you can break it," he pointed at the one in the middle.


    Ensis took out his sword and fired off a ck sword wave. But as soon as it came into contact with the forcefield it disappeared. With a deep frown, Ensis fired another one but the result was the same.


    Finally he couldn''t take it anymore and actually physically attacked it with his sword. It seemed like he had hit a wall made out of water and all the energy was instantly absorbed by the shield.


    "Stop stop, it''s not going to work," Hao Xuan shouted when he felt Ensis''s aura increase several-fold.


    "There''s one already open, we can just check here first. Let''s see what the ''Collector of species'' has left in inventory for me to take," he grinned and walked into the rightmost hallway.

 Chapter 190: Lifeform

    <h4>Chapter 190: Lifeform</h4>


    Hao Xuan walked into the hallway without any hesitation, followed by Ensis a few secondster.


    It was about thirty meters in length and width, a perfect square. The tracks were still there in the ground so he simply followed them until a thick ss door blocked their path.


    Hao Xuan stood in front of it and looked around for a handle or a panel on the side but there was nothing.


    "Allow me, master," Ensis spoke up from behind him and walked forward.


    Still a little annoyed that he wasn''t able to destroy the previous force field, he put everything he had in one single attack.


    He held the scabbard in his left hand while his right hand was on the de''s handle. A massive amount of ck Qi erupted from his body and it even pushed Hao Xuan back several meters.


    Hao Xuan covered his face with his right hand and sneaked a peek through his fingers. The Qi output was increasing every second and it felt like needles on Hao Xuan''s skin.


    "Ahhh~" Ensis let out a deep bellow and all the Qi was absorbed into the scabbard instantly. His entire left arm that was holding onto it was shaking non-stop.


    Hao Xuan could feel the terrifying power that was stored inside the scabbard right now and it was evenparable to his own "Sunder the Heavens" technique.


    As he watched on with bated breath, Ensis''s voice echoed in his head, "First strike: Air Cleaver!"


    *Shiiiiing~*


    Hao Xuan didn''t even see what happened. In his eyes, Ensis''s right hand shook for a second and then all the Qi was gone. The sword disappeared and Ensis stood up straight with his eyes closed.


    *Crack*


    The ss door cracked. A single vertical crack appeared in the middle, but it didn''t break.


    "Holy sh*t, how tough is this thing?" Hao Xuan mumbled with a deep frown. He walked up to the door and moved his finger along the crack. There was still some residual Qi left and it cut open his skin.


    "Ow," he licked his finger.


    Ensis walked up to the door again and gently tapped in three different ces with his right finger.


    *CRAAAAACK*


    The crack quickly spread and covered the entire door, breaking it into thousands of pea-sized pieces.


    "So it did work," Hao Xuan mumbled annoyingly. He was worried for no reason.


    Ensis Shook his head, "It has been thousands of years since the energy to this area was lost, that''s why I was able to destroy it so easily. The material this is made off is probably saint grade or even higher, and if it was in its normal condition, I probably wouldn''t even have left a scratch."


    "Saint grade? There are grades for materials?" Hao Xuan frowned.


    "Yes, should I exin them right now?" Ensis asked.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand, "Later. I wanna see the loot first."


    Ensis quickly stood aside and bowed, waiting for Hao Xuan to enter first.


    "Stop being so formal and courteous man. It makes me feel weird," Hao Xuan muttered lightly and entered the new area.


    It was a circr room with a single ss tanking out from the middle. There was a glowing murky liquid in the tank and it seemed to be boiling.


    The tank was about ten meters long and seven meters wide and it wasn''t clear what was inside it.


    Near the sidewalls were dozens of tables with many instruments on top. They were ced in a very orderly fashion and there was a thinyer of dust on them as well. There were strange types of needles, saws, des etc. Things you would normally find in an operating room.


    Hao Xuan took ap around the room and inspected everything. He stored every single instrument there and then walked up to the ss panel on the opposite side of the door.


    He tapped on it a few times but nothing happened. It seemed to have lost power as well.


    "Damn it, no information here at all," he mumbled.


    As he looked over his shoulder to ask Ensis if he found anything, he was surprised to see there was nobody there. Moving to the other side of the room he saw him standing in the doorway with his sword out, in the same attacking stance as before.


    "Oi oi, what are you doing!" he shouted.


    Ensis didn''t reply and kept staring ahead.


    Hao Xuan walked up to him with hurried steps and was once again surprised. Ensis was breathing heavily and there were beads of sweat all over his face.


    "What? What is it?" Hao Xuan looked around the room but couldn''t see anything.


    "That.." Ensis slowly nodded his head, gesturing towards the ss tank, "In there, something is still alive in there!" he said through gritted teeth.


    "What!?" Hao Xuan leaped out of the room without hesitation. Seeing as Hao Xuan had moved out, Ensis slowly backed up as well but his back was already drenched in sweat.


    Hao Xuan looked at the tank but still couldn''t see anything. "Are you sure?" he asked in a barely audible voice.


    Ensis nodded once again, "Yes. One hundred percent. Its life force is so strong that it feels like an enormous mountain on my shoulders."


    Hao Xuan looked at the ss tank and couldn''t help but murmur, "Dayum!"


    As the clone of an evil Sword God, Ensis was able to feel the life force of most living things. This was true for almost all such existences and not exclusive to just him.


    But it was in his ''nature'' because only after knowing that would he would be able to cut it.


    "Is it aggressive?" he asked when there was no movement from the lifeform in the tank.


    "I don''t know," Ensis shook its head, "I don''t think it even knows we are here."


    "Great, let''s get the f*ck out of here then. Let the dude sleep," Hao Xuan patted his shoulder and sprinted back down the hallway.


    Ensis didn''t turn his back towards the ss tank even once and kept his sword out until they were out of the hallway.

 Chapter 191: Tentacles...

    <h4>Chapter 191: Tentacles...</h4>


    Hao Xuan stood in front of the forcefields blocking the entry to the two hallways, deep in thought.


    "Do that one again," he ordered Ensis who was standing behind him with his sword out.


    Ensis followed his order and attacked again, but like thest thirty times, the result was the same.


    There were no panels to unlock the forcefields nor any other ways to stop them. They had tried everything, using every type of energy to attack, but it wasn''t effective.


    "Goddamnit, What the hell am I supposed to do now? I thought one of these was the way out!" he yelled and kicked the forcefield once again. It was like hitting a wall made of water and he was just pushed back.


    Ensis stood beside Hao Xuan silently, contemting ways to bypass or destroy the forcefields when he had an epiphany.


    "Master, how about you try to capture the creature that''s inside the ss tank? It might have something to do with this and might be able to help," he suggested.


    Hao Xuan looked at him as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. He looked at Ensis right in the eyes and spoke each word seriously.


    "I would rather scoop out my own eyeballs with a rusted spoon and then eat them, than jump in that f*king tank. We don''t even know what''s in there, and I haterge bodies of water," he got goosebumps just thinking about it, "I always feel like there''s something in there. And in this case, I know for damn sure there is."


    "....yes..." Ensis replied lightly, somewhat disappointed by his master''s cowardice.


    "Ahh, whatever. I''m gonna go to sleep and think about this tomorrow," Hao Xuan shrugged and threw out the portable camp right in front of the forcefields before entering it.


    Ensis stared speechlessly at his masters back and then stood guard, keeping an eye on the surroundings.


    Time passed slowly and Hao Xuan woke up several hourster. He cleaned himself up and changed into new clothes since thest ones were bloodied when Ensis cut off his arm. He fried some eggs and toasted a few pieces of bread before slowly eating them in front of the campfire.


    Since he only had his right hand now, the whole process took three times as long. Finally finishing up he stepped out and recalled the camp.


    "Phew, it feels good to be on a full stomach," he sighed while rubbing his belly.


    "Do you want to eat something? Actually, do gods even eat? Or poop? How does that work?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. But there was no response. He turned around and there was nobody there.


    "Oi! Where are you? It''s not funny, man,e out!" he shouted, but there was only silence.


    "..."


    Hao Xuan looked around but found no signs of a struggle. He looked around the room and even went back into the rightmost hallway, hoping that Ensis had gone to check out the ss tank, but there was nobody there.


    "Damnit, what the f*ck is this now," he muttered under his breath in frustration.


    Closing his eyes Hao Xuan tried to find him through their connection, but the more he tried, the more confused he got. He could feel that Ensis was alive, but couldn''t tell WHERE he was. Only that he was very close.


    "Wait, the creature! Did it eat him whole?!" he shouted and ran back to theboratory and took another look at the tank. There was nothing moving inside it nor were there any signs of anythinging out.


    "Surely he wouldn''t just jump into it himself right?" Hao Xuan murmured to himself in disbelief.


    "I guess it''s possible if he was trying to prove there wasn''t anything dangerous in there.."


    He jumped andnded on the edge of the tank. Looking down, all he could see was the bubbling glowing liquid. Nothing else was visible.


    *Gulp*


    He waved his hand and took out the ive, "Ready or not motherf*cker, here Ie!" he shouted inwardly and took a leap, aiming for the middle of the tank with the de pointed down.


    "MASTER!" Ensis''s worried yell came from the doorway just as Hao Xuan had left the edge of the tank. He looked up and saw Ensis standing there, perfectly fine.


    "Where were yo-"


    *SPLASH*


    The liquid sshed everywhere as Hao Xuan fell straight into the tank.


    Ensis took out his sword and jumped up on the tank''s edge, trying to find any sign of Hao Xuan. Thankfully, he didn''t have to wait long before a hand reached out. Ensis grabbed it and pulled, dragging Hao Xuan out in one fell swoop.


    *Cough*Cough*


    Hao Xuan was down on his knees, throwing up the breakfast he had just eaten along with the white murky liquid.


    "Did you see what it was?" Ensis asked curiously.


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "No, but I...''felt'' it. So...many...tentacles..."


    *Blergh*


    He vomited again. After a few minutes, he calmed down and looked up at Ensis angrily.


    "And you! Where the hell were you!?"


    Ensis quickly bowed, "I was in the other hallway master, you were asleep so I didn''t want to disturb you. I found the way in!"


    Hao Xuan''s anger subsided as the desire to loot overtook himpletely.


    "Show me!" he said and quickly walked out of the tank room.


    Ensis showed him how to enter. All he had to do was slowly, extremely slowly, walk into the forcefields. Ensis had figured this out by ident when he was resting on one of them and passed right through after a minute or so.


    Apparently, the forcefields were made to absorb any forceful impacts and not actually restrict entry. They had been attacking them from the get-go so obviously there was no way to know this.


    They entered the leftmost hallway this time. After walking for a couple of minutes it opened into arge hall.


    There were hundreds upon hundreds of massive shelves with small ss balls on them. There was a swirling white light in each of them, making them look like snow globes. On the other side of the room was a single ss desk with what seemed like a chair in front of it.


    Only the chair was made with a single metal bar bent into an ''S'' shape. It looked extremely ufortable and upon closer inspection, there were small needles all over it. Each of them was about three cm long.

 Chapter 192: Library

    <h4>Chapter 192: Library</h4>


    Hao Xuan walked around the hall and scrutinized every single thing he found.


    Towards the left side was a small chamber. It was out of the way and covered only about twenty square meters in size. There was a half-open ''pod'' ced horizontally on one side. Its material looked organic and it even had a smallyer of what seemed like ''skin'' around it.


    Besides the pod was a small table with a metal board on top. The board was about two feet in length and half a foot in width. There were metal engravings on both sides of it, in anguage Hao Xuan didn''t understand.


    With the board in hand, he walked back out and went towards the spiky chair where Ensis was standing.


    "Any idea what all this is?" he asked as he ran his finger across the ss desk.


    Ensis shook his head.


    "How about this then? Can you read this?" he threw the metal board over to him.


    Ensis looked at the board with furrowed brows before closing his eyes and cing his hand over it. A stream of ck Qi came out of his hand and was instantly absorbed into the board.


    Hao Xuan watched on without interrupting. About ten minutester Ensis opened his eyes again, which seemed slightly ''brighter''.


    "This is the being, "Poriverse''s" M¨¦moire. It details its personal thoughts and goals it had set for itself over the years," Ensis exined with a heavy voice. "Thest entry is over seven thousand years old so it''s a good guess that this Poriverse isn''t here anymore."


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned bright as he heard that, "Does it say anything about this ce? What it is and how to get out of it?"


    Ensis seemed hesitant at first but he once again closed his eyes and inserted Qi into the board.


    A minuteter he opened them again.


    "This is one of several dozens Poriverse had upied over the years. It conducted experiments here, trying to find a way to gain immortality, and most important of all, it was designed specifically to facilitate the needs of an ''unknown'' object it had found out in the void space. It thought this ''object'' would be able to help in some way, due to the special circumstances it was found in."


    "Unknown object? Which one? Is it the one in the ss tank by any chance?" Hao Xuan asked curiously.


    "Precisely," Ensis nodded, "About nine thousand years ago Poriverse was studying the effects of ck holes and dark matter on the physical matter at the edge of the universe. The ce he had chosen for this study had three different ck holes merging into one. One day, an object shot out from the center of these three ck holes."


    "Of course, this was an unprecedented turn of events. Even with all its power, it could only observe the ck holes from a distance of billions of kilometers, yet this object had broken through the gravitational forces of three ck holes, from which even light wasn''t able to escape."


    "Poriverse caught this object and spent the next two thousand years trying to understand it, yet it bore no results. The object seemed to distort the very space itself and even had abilities rted to time. So Poriverse made thisb to help germinate it since it seemed to like the Yin Qi which was avable in abundance in the vast universe."


    "Woah..." Hao Xuan was left speechless upon hearing the true history of this ce, and that object.


    "But wait, when I jumped into the liquid, I''m sure there was something alive in there. It ''reacted'' to me," he mumbled.


    "It was an oval grey object when Poriverse obtained it. Whatever it is now only happened after his death," Ensis said when he heard Hao Xuan.


    "Hmm. Well, whatever," Hao Xuan waved his hand after some thought. There were more pressing matters at hand for now.


    "Is there anything else in there? What are these globes? And what''s behind the middle hallway? Also, what''s with the tombs and temples above?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Every answer raised even more questions.


    "Yes," Ensis nodded, "The globes are the umtion of all its knowledge. When a Sagax reaches the end of its life, they develop a type of dementia. Knowing that its life wasing to an end, Poriverse forcefully extracted his experiences and interpretations and stored them here."


    "As for the information regarding the middle hallway, that''s in one of those globes," he pointed at thest shelf which only had fifteen globes on it.


    "And the tombs and temples, they were probably made after its death. There was a mortal civilization that lived here, it thought of Poriverse as a god and worshiped him for quite some time. Of course, Poriverse never cared about any of that to begin with."


    "Alright. Better than nothing I guess," Hao Xuan sighed.


    He went up to thest shelf and picked up a globe at random, before looking at Ensis.


    "How do I get the knowledge? Do I just break the globe and drink it?"


    Ensis opened his mouth but no sound came out. He couldn''t find the words to tell him the truth.


    "What?" Hao Xuan frowned upon seeing his troubled expression.


    Ensis looked at Hao Xuan and then at the chair, "That. It was made specifically for this task. And the only way to get the knowledge from the globes is through this chair. It will "insert" the knowledge directly into your mind."


    Hao Xuan looked at the chair and the protruding 3cm needles all along its middle frame.


    "...."


    "....."


    "You know what, on second thought, I don''t really need all this information. Let''s find another way out," he carefully put the globe back on the shelf and walked out withrge steps.

 Chapter 193: Pain

    <h4>Chapter 193: Pain</h4>


    Hao Xuan walked out of the leftmost hallway and made his way through the middle one this time.


    The hallway continued for well over five minutes until a vault door came into view, blocking his path forward. The door''s material seemed to be a ck metal with strange carvings and designs on it.


    Hao Xuan moved his hand over the metal and tried to push it open, but it didn''t budge at all.


    He started putting in more and more force until finally, circting the Force Qi, he punched out.


    The metal door glistened for an instant before returning to its original state. There was not a single scratch anywhere, nor any signs of wear and tear. It still looked as good as new, making Hao Xuan return dejectedly.


    He called for Ensis who was still in the library for some reason and ordered him to cut it open. After half an hour of repeated tries, they both walked out tired.


    Whatever material the vault door was made of was way too tough for them.


    Hao Xuan actually got the feeling that even profound realm cultivators wouldn''t be able to do anything to it.


    They rested up, recovering their Qi for the next few hours.


    Hao Xuan returned to the rightmost room and inspected it once again, but found no new clues regarding the lifeform in the tank.


    He stared at it for a long time before giving up. There was nothing to see other than the murky liquid.


    "Master, should we return to the cavern and look for another way out?" Ensis suggested after spending the entire day doing nothing.


    Hao Xuan looked around and finally nodded after a few seconds.


    Both of them went back to the dark tunnels and ran around for another day, before returning to the hallways in defeat.


    Hao Xuan looked at the time and couldn''t help but shake his head. It had been almost six days since he fell down here. It wasn''t a joke anymore and he had to find a way out of here fast.


    Otherwise, the group might leave without him, leaving him stranded on this godforsaken ce until he was either killed by the creatures above or whatever else that was hiding in the dark.


    "Not to mention the thing that was in the temple," he murmured.


    "Master?" Ensis spoke when he saw him dazing out.


    "Its the only way. It will only hurt for a second, everything will be okay then," Hao Xuan was mumbling to himself.


    He then looked up at Ensis with resolute eyes, "Alright, let''s get this over with," and walked towards the library with big steps.


    He was afraid that if he stopped and thought about it, he might not be able to gather up his courage again.


    Ensis smiled when he saw Hao Xuan''s reaction. It was to be expected. He could have reasoned with him from the start, mentioning this was the only sure-fire way to get out and fast, but that wouldn''t be the same as himing to the conclusion himself.


    One needed to take risks to seed in this life. That was true at the beginning of time and, would still be true at the end as well.


    "How does it work? Make it quick!" Hao Xuan said while holding onto a random globe he had picked up from the shelf.


    Ensis looked at the ss desk in front of the chair, "I have already gone through the initial setup earlier. You only need to put your hand over the panel and it will scan your body, adjusting the chair ordingly."


    Hao Xuan looked at him surprised. So this is what he was doing here alone?


    Without further ado, Hao Xuan ced his hand on the panel. Ensis reached out behind the panel and pressed something, making it light up.


    There were hundreds of symbols on the screen, moving about ceaselessly.


    "What now?" Hao Xuan asked with furrowed brows. He had no idea what any of the symbols meant.


    "Just a moment. It will start soon," Ensis replied while looking at the panel with glistening eyes.


    About two more minutes passed and all the numbers disappeared. The panel went dark for a couple of seconds before a row of symbols appeared above Hao Xuan''s hand.


    Ensis leaned over and clicked on one of the symbols, making it light up.


    *Troooo*


    A noise came from the panel and Hao Xuan felt something enter his body. It felt like something was moving inside, reaching every single ce. He felt like there was nothing he could hide from this ''observer''.


    It moved along his circtory system three times before returning to the panel.


    *beep*


    *nk*


    *Shring*


    The chair behind Hao Xuan started changing. From one ''S'' shaped metal pipe it changed to a ''T'' shape.


    The needles, however, did not disappear, much to Hao Xuan''s displeasure.


    They aligned themselves along the upper half, in the middle of the shaft, exactly where Hao Xuan''s spine would be and then all the way to his brain. The needles spun several times, even opened and closed, almost in anticipation of what was about toe and then went back into the frame.


    Hao Xuan gulped upon the horrendous instrument.


    Ensis saw his expression and sighed, "Master, pain is temporary. The Sagax are one of the most intelligent species in existence. Every single one of those globes would be enough to start wars down in the beast world. You are indeed very lucky to be able to have ess to them all here."


    "Although those are not Poriverse''s direct memories and instead his raw knowledge and interpretations, they could be considered even more valuable by some. It''s just like reading a book, but the knowledge will be ingrained in your brain directly, never to be forgotten."


    "I know I know. But those are still going to be inside me soon, and it will still hurt, a LOT," Hao Xuan said nervously.


    With a wave of his hand, a small bottle appeared. He opened it and gulped it down.


    This was a type of poison. It would numb his body to some degree.


    "Alright, let''s do this!"


    Hao Xuan clenched his fists and beat his chest twice like a gori, before jumping on the ''Cross''.


    Ensis tapped on the panel once, prompting six pairs of restraints toe out from the top, bottom, middle and left and right sides.


    Two of them went over his arms, two over his legs, one his chest and thest over his neck. He couldn''t even move an inch anymore.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes constricted as he realized something, "Wait, why the hell can I still feel the coldness from the metal?!"


    He quickly looked at Ensis, "Stop, the poison isn''t working yet. Give it a few minutes!"


    Ensis looked back at him apologetically, "I''m sorry master."


    *tap*


    "Dude sto-"


    *CRUNCH*


    Thirty-five needles jutted out from the cross, broke Hao Xuan''s skin and pierced straight into his spinal cord and brain instantly.


    He wanted to shout his heart out but couldn''t even open his mouth. The pain was so intense that he soon started bleeding from several orifices but still couldn''t pass out. He had to stay awake throughout the whole process.


    Each and every needle had inserted itself directly into the thirty-three bones on the spinal cord, while thest two went directly into his brain.


    *nnnk*


    A part of the ss panel bent inwards. Ensis ced the globe on it, clicked a few symbols on the panel and then walked up to thest shelf, bringing over a new one.


    The white light inside the globe on the panel slowly drained.


    The needles opened up and small streams of light entered Hao Xuan''s body.


    "AHHHHHHHH~"


    It felt like someone had poured liquid metal into his spine and his body''s natural reaction was to cry out.


    "I''m sorry master, just a few more days and all of Poriverse''s knowledge will be yours," he said while looking at the hundreds of shelves filled to the brim with these globes.


    But it must be done.


    What Ensis didn''t tell Hao Xuan was that even Poriverse, a beingpletely devoid of emotion, was a little hesitant to use this contraption. It had taken him over five years topletely extract this amount of knowledge.


    The pain one experienced from this ''procedure'' would be unlike anything they had ever faced before or would face in the future. It could actually be a top grade torturing device, but Poriverse wasn''t interested in such ''extracurricr'' activities.


    For the next few days or even weeks, Hao Xuan would be strapped to this cross, epting all the knowledge of an ancient creature.

 Chapter 194: Statue

    <h4>Chapter 194: Statue</h4>


    "God Damnit!" Zeng Yu kicked a pir next to him, sending it flying into the wall on the other side of the room.


    Jin Wang was standing at the entrance, looking at the bottomless pit that was left where the tombs once used to be.


    *Sigh*


    "There''s nothing we can do. You have other responsibilities now, focus on them. Lead us out, the mission is over," he said with his back towards Zeng Yu.


    Zeng Yu looked at Jin Wang in anger, but held back so as not to start a fight, "I know," he mumbled and looked at the remaining seventy people or so.


    "Let''s go," he shouted, getting everyone''s attention.


    The coffin room had just copsed and Hao Xuan along with two Red Legion members, and three from Hyson''s group had fallen into the empty space.


    About ten others had some injuries here and there, but nothing serious.


    They got up and started walking deeper into the tomb through the lone hallway.


    There were bones on both sides and every few steps someone would step on one, making crunching sounds echo throughout the hallway.


    The hallway twisted and turned without stopping and they kept walking for the next four days, only stopping to catch their breaths and eat.


    "My feet hurt, we need to take a break!" the princess grumbled.


    Several other people turned to look at her sympathetically as they were in the same conditions as her. They had been walking for thest four days straight, going deeper and deeper into thendmass.


    The hallway had ended about a day go, leaving only arge crack in the rock wall which they were walking along.


    Zeng Yu stopped and turned around to look at her. Her feet were bleeding and she had dark circles under her eyes. Looking extremely tired and haggard, most of them were in the same condition.


    The air was hard to breathe this deep in and a few of them were initially injured as well, so after four days, this wasn''t a surprise.


    Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu were the only spirit realm warriors here and both of them were at the front so they didn''t notice before.


    But lesser realmed warriors still needed rest. Their spirits weren''t strong enough yet.


    "Alright, we''ll make camp in an hour," he said to the ring princess. Hyson wanted to stop her but right now he didn''t have the energy needed to quarrel with her.


    As if a gift from the heavens themselves, the crack finally led to a structure about twenty minutester.


    "Oh my god, I can finally breathe!" Rong Li took a deep breath, as soon as they exited.


    This new structure was a bit different from the tombs they had seen before. There were hundreds of statues all over the ce, all of different creatures.


    And on one end was a humanoid statue, sitting on a throne with gold markings all over its body. Yes, it looked like a carbon copy of the one Hao Xuan had seen back in the first temple.


    The only difference was that there was a giant door right behind the statue in this ce. It was half-open if someone looked through, they would see nothing on the other side but a darkness so ck that it would shake their very souls.


    While the rest of the group was rejoicing, Zeng Yu, Zeng Wu, and Jin Wang were looking at the statue''s direction.


    "Do you feel it too?" Zeng Wu asked in a light tone.


    "Mhm. It''s exceptionally cold in there. My divine sense just...vanished as soon as it went inside," Zeng Yu replied with a nod.


    Jin Wang stayed silent, only staring at the statue with squinted eyes from the other side of the room. He had seen it before somewhere, but couldn''t remember where.


    "I don''t like this ce," he said ndly. The statue gave off a feeling of unease. He felt like it was staring straight at him.


    "We have no other choice. There is only one other door here and it''s locked from outside. If we try to break it open, the entire structure mighte crashing down," Zeng Yu said looking at the direction opposite of the statue. On the other end was arge rock door, shut tightly.


    "Still..." Jin Wang continued but Zeng Yu raised his hand, stopping him. He then looked back at all the people a few meters behind them.


    "We will make camp here for the night and then try to break open the door tomorrow, rest well."


    There were sounds of cheers and sighs of reliefing from each of them.


    They quickly made some space on the side of the hall. Some sat down, rubbing their feet, cleaning them, and then applying medicine, while some of the Red Legion members took out massive pots and pans and started cooking up several dishes.


    "This is a very bad idea," Jin Wang mumbled while biting his nails. This was a bad habit of his from when he was young. Whenever he felt nervous, he would do this.


    Zeng Wu saw him and patted him on the shoulder, "I''ll stay guard, don''t worry," he said assuringly.


    Jin Wang shook his head and walked away mumbling, "I don''t think any of us can stop what''sing."


    An hour passed by quickly. Everyone was tired, extremely tired, so almost all of them fell asleep as soon as theyid down.


    Zeng Yu, Zeng Wu, and Jin Wang had taken the responsibility of taking the first shift. Each of them took a side of the camp. Jin Wang was the closest to the statue.


    Not once did he take his eyes off the statue since taking his position. With clenched fists, he stayed on full alert.


    Comparatively, the Zeng father and son duo were much more at ease.


    As the hours slowly passed by, a stream of white fog crept out of the darkness behind the statue.

 Chapter 195: Sun Xiuying

    <h4>Chapter 195: Sun Xiuying</h4>


    Out of the ten people that had suffered serious injuries in the tomb ident, one of them was Sun Xiuying, a guard under princess Hou Chin, who was the daughter of Hyson''s master.


    She had been serving as Hou Chin''s guard for over seven years now, along with the other three female guards. All of them had gotten really close in this time and were more like sisters than anything else.


    Hou Chin herself treated them very kindly and it was only in front of strangers she acted a bit ''aloof'' towards them.


    "GASP!"


    Sun Xiuying suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. She was sleeping soundly until she saw that nightmare. Normally she wasn''t very superficial but what she saw had truly shaken her to the very core of her being.


    Many believed that the dreams a person had were a precursor to one of the many future oues for them. That''s why even in the nightmares where a person was being chased around by something bad, they would always wake up before it ended brutally.


    Unfortunately for Sun Xiuying, she had just seen her own death as clear as day. So suffice to say, it wasn''t something she could just overlook.


    *Cough*Cough*Cough*


    She coughed loudly as blood sprayed out of her mouth. Out of the ten, her injuries were the worst but even she herself wasn''t aware of how bad they really were.


    All the damage done to her body was internal, barely leaving any external signs so even she didn''t pay much attention to it until now.


    "No no no," she shook her head in indignation.


    "Hmm? What''s wrong? Is everything okay?" Hou Chin who was sleeping in the same tent as her woke up from themotion.


    "No-nothing, I was just heading out to the toilet," Sun Xiuying shook her head quickly and walked out of the tent before Hou Chin could ask her anything else.


    *Shiver*


    As soon as she stepped out, an extreme chill descended upon her frail and damaged body.


    *Cough*Cough*


    Covering her mouth with her hand, she walked away from the tents with hurried steps in fear of waking up the others.


    She walked through the white fog until the tents disappeared from her vision and she fell down to her knees, wheezing. With every breath, blood woulde out in spades, coloring the ground beneath crimson.


    It took her a good couple of minutes to regain herposure. She lifted her shirt and saw the ck and purple blotches on her twisted abdomen. Several ribs were broken, piercing through some of the other organs.


    Because of the urgency of the situation in thest few days and adrenaline, she hadn''t even felt the pain until her body rxed.


    Her eyes became wet as drop after drop poured down her face.


    "Daddy, I don''t want to die," she mumbled with some difficulty.


    Since the age of ten, she had been serving the Holy Mountain (Check authors note) without rest. All to make her father, who was a high-level elder in the Holy Mountain, proud.


    But looking at her injuries, she knew it was toote for her.


    She would never sleep in her own bed or even see her father again.


    "Please, I don''t want to die," she whispered while cradling herself. The cold suddenly became even more intense as the sound of footsteps came from the fog ahead.


    With her face covered in blood, tears, and snot, she slowly looked up and her eyes widened.


    "Daddy...?" she murmured looking at her fathers figure standing a few feet from her.


    "I''m sorry, child. I sent you away when you were so young, all to please a master who cares for nothing but his own ''hatchling''," he bent down and lovingly caressed her face, "I, am truly sorry."


    Her father''s gentle voice did its job,forting her in what were to be herst moments on this ne.


    With her lifeforce almost depleted, Sun Xiuying was losing consciousness and would pass away any second.


    "Daddy, I''m sleepy," her barely audible voice sounded in the dense fog as she slowly closed her eyes.


    "Rest child, all will be well," her father''s voice became deeper as Sun Xiuying took herst breath.


    In the end, she died in the hands of the person she loved the most in this world even though they were trillions of miles apart.


    ****


    Back on Beast World, her father woke up from slumber at the same time, covered in a cold sweat, "NOO! Xiuying''er!" the man''s wailing woke up almost half the Holy Mountain that night.


    ****


    Sun Xiuying''s body went cold in seconds as the figure stood back up.


    From start till finish, the figure''s head was covered in pitch-ck darkness.


    Sun Xiuying had seen what she wanted to see. Her father for onest time, telling her that everything was going to be okay, that she wasn''t alone, an eternity apart from her loved ones.


    The fog swirled around her father''s figure as he disappeared, and another person stood in his ce. With gold engravings all over of his body and the same darkness over his face, a deep voice echoed in the fog.


    "The trade isplete. The soul has moved on. In exchange for the sce, the body shall rekindle, feasting on the flesh of the living for all of eternity."


    The figure waved his hand and a wisp of fog entered Sun Xiuying''s body.


    "Awaken and go forth, to spread the oldest word in existence...."


    Sun Xiuying''s body jerked and cracking noises came from her bones as they twisted and turned in unholy ways.


    "...Death.." whispered the figure onest time before disappearing back into the fog from whence it came.


    ****


    Jin Wang who had been staring at the statue for thest few hours finally blinked for the first time, and when he opened his eyes, the statue was nowhere in sight.


    *Badump*


    *Badump*


    "I remember now!" he shot up from his seat in realization of what the figure was, and in turn, what this ce entailed.

 Chapter 196: Burn

    <h4>Chapter 196: Burn</h4>


    Still staring at the location where the statue had been, Jin Wang shouted at the top of his lungs, "We have to get out of here!" but contrary to themotion he was expecting, there was no response at all.


    With gritted teeth, he finally looked behind but could see nothing but the dense fog.


    His eyes contracted as he mumbled absentmindedly, "It''s started already."


    "Please, wake up!" he shouted inwardly while beads of sweat formed on his forehead.


    Pressing his right hand on his chest, he closed his eyes and a deep voice echoed in the surroundings.


    "I call upon the void!"


    The surrounding fog rippled like the water''s surface as he continued in a somber tone.


    "Thest of the ''Inanis'',


    Of the tribe of Mora,


    The first of the Liber,


    And thest of the living."


    He prostrated on the ground as a seething aura erupted from the empty space behind him.


    "Oh great ''Nothingness'', open your descendant''s eyes to the world beyond and let this ''insignificant one'' break free from the clutches of the ''Great Shadow'' underneath."


    The fog around him started undting while getting pushed back by an unknown force. Jin Wang sneaked a peek and was ted to see his prayers were being answered. His eyes glinted as he pushed a bit more.


    "I beseech Thee, give this mortal the ability to escape from the ''Shadow''s'' hold," he mmed his head on the ground so hard that it started bleeding.


    But there was no change in his surroundings nor a response from the unknown power. He looked up worriedly after a few minutes before bitting his lips resolutely.


    He mumbled, "I...I offer myself in exchange," and after a second of silence, a humming sound came from behind.


    The very space itself twisted and formed a three-fingered hand. It was barely visible but certainly there.


    It reached out and entered Jin Wang''s body effortlessly. An expression of intense pain shed past Jin Wang''s face for an instant before returning to normal.


    The hand came out a few secondster with a white glowing orb of light in its grasp.


    Jin Wang opened his mouth with great difficulty, "My gratitude to the great ''Nothingness''," and passed out in the same prostrating position.


    The hand disappeared like it was never there in the first ce.


    The air manifested and an invisible wave spread out with Jin Wang as the center. It passed through the fog effortlessly and reached every single person in the camp, waking them up. Even Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu who were in a trance of sorts were startled by it.


    "What? What''s going?" Zeng Yu looked around in confusion and noticed the dense fog all around them. His expression turned serious as he realized what had happened.


    Veins appeared on his forehead as he took in a deep breath, "ATTENTION!" he bellowed, sending debris flying everywhere.


    This was the actual power of a Ninth stage Spirit Realm expert. A simple yell was enough to cause a storm in the normal world.


    "Attention!"


    "Attention!"


    "Oi! Wake the hell up!"


    Amotion broke out as everyone got up as quickly as possible. Zeng Wu came running over and looked at his father with the same expression.


    "Where is Jin Wang?" Zeng Yu asked while taking a look around.


    Zeng Wu squinted and looked at his surroundings but couldn''t see very far because of the fog.


    "I''ll go check," he said before sprinting off in Jin Wang''s direction.


    A minuteter he returned with Jin Wang''s body over his shoulder. His face was extremely pale and blood wasing out from his forehead.


    Zeng Yu frowned, "What happened?"


    "I don''t know. There were no signs of struggle, he was just passed in this condition," Zeng Wu exined.


    "Ahhh!"


    "STOP! What are you doing!"


    "Get off of me!"


    Zeng Yu extended his hand towards Jin Wang to check his condition but was interrupted by the sudden onught of screams from the surroundings.


    The father-son duo ran in and saw people running everywhere.


    Several groups of Red Legion soldiers were surrounding a few people with their weapons out.


    "Move!" Zeng Yu shouted and the soldiers quickly parted.


    He walked forward and was astonished by the scene in front. It was a humanoid figure standing over the body of one of Hou Chin''s guards. The figure was down on all fours, using its teeth to bite into the flesh of the guard, ripping it clean off the bones.


    *Blurgh*


    Several spectators vomited.


    Zeng Yu''s aura rose as he punched out in the figure''s direction. "Enough! Have you gone mad!"


    The punch hit the figure head-on, sending it flying into a wall not far from them.


    Zeng Yu walked over to the guard and checked for a pulse, but the body was already cold.


    "Bring her over!" he shouted. Four Red Legion soldiers quickly ran up to the figure embedded in the wall.


    "No please, Xiuying''er would never do this on purpose! Something strange is going on!" Hou Chin quickly ran over and stood between the soldiers and Sun Xiuying, who was the one eating the guard''s flesh earlier.


    "MOVE!" Zeng Yu shouted, punching out once again, sending a shockwave in her direction.


    Terrified by the iing attack, her legs went limp as she fell to the ground while covering her face.


    *BOOM*


    The shockwave went past her, hitting Sun Xiuying who was about to bite into Hou Chin''s neck.


    "Careful, something is not right with her!" Zeng Wu shouted from the side.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "O-Of course something isn''t right. She was just eating another person," Jin Wang mumbled weakly.


    He lifted his head with some effort and looked at Sun Xiuying and then at the guard she was eating, "Burn them both, now!"


    "What?!" Zeng Yu red at him.


    "Quick, before it spreads!" he spoke again.


    While Zeng Yu was contemting, four more screams came from all around them. Several of the tents fell down as over six figures walked out slowly.


    They were covered in blood, some missing a limb or two while one even had half his throat torn off.


    Jin Wang looked around and sighed, "Already so many, but they still aren''t awake yet, quickly, incinerate them at once!" he tried to shout and splurted out another mouthful of blood.

 Chapter 197: Undead

    <h4>Chapter 197: Undead</h4>


    "Get back!" Zeng Wu shouted at Hou Chin who was still sitting between Sun Xiuying and the guards.


    But her legs had already lost all strength. Streams of tears wereing down her face as she sat there, bewildered and confused.


    "Xiuying''er was fine just a few minutes ago, why is this happening?" she mumbled.


    Just as Zeng Wu was about to make a move himself, he saw Hyson run up and pick her up before quickly backing away.


    Zeng Wu nodded before lifting his hand, "Burn it!" he ordered. Four Red Legion guards quickly stepped out with their weapons and shed towards her. Four fire energies in the shapes of crescent moons shot forward.


    Sun Xiuying didn''t have time to dodge as she was set alight upon impact. But other than popping soundsing from her body and the smell of burning flesh and hair, there was nothing else.


    The group only saw a fiery figure slowly get up on its feet. Jin Wang''s expression worsened andplexion turned even paler.


    "Get out, we have to get out of here right this second," he said quickly.


    "They are not simple undead."


    Zeng Yu who was looking around silently, turned towards him, "Exin yourself. What''s going on? What is that thing?"


    Jin Wang shook his head, "We don''t have time to dwell on such matters. You only need to know that we have to get out of this ce as soon as possible."


    Hou Chin was looking at her closest sister getting burnt alive and couldn''t believe what was happening.


    Sun Xiuying slowly turned towards her and a hideous smile appeared on her face. Her skin was already burnt to a crisp and when she smiled, crackling noises came from her face as the skin broke apart like charcoal. Calling it grotesque would be an understatement of epic proportions.


    "He..hehe...." a raspy brokenugh came from her mouth, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.


    Jin Wang who was looking for a way out, froze.


    "Motherf*ker, it really is one.."


    Zeng Wu heard what him and inquired, "What? What is it?"


    Jin Wang sighed heavily and looked at Sun Xiuying, "A ghoul. A type of undead. The second worst kind."


    "A Ghoul?!!" Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu both repeated, shocked.


    "That''s not possible! It can''t be a ghoul," Zeng Yu shook his head hurriedly, not believing Jin Wang''s im at all.


    Ghouls were one of over twenty different types of undead. And they were the third most powerful undead in existence.


    The appearance of a ghoul in any world spelled its end. They were soulless creatures, created only to kill and devour until there was nothing left. And the biggest problem was that they could grow in power and numbers.


    Anyone killed by their hands would turn into a ghoul as well. Not to mention there was no easy way to kill them. Even fire and lightning which were effective against most undead were useless against ghouls, for they had no souls...


    "It doesn''t matter, not anymore. Since she is a ghoul, we can''t kill her. Not in this ce, not so close to the ''Gate''," he looked at the half-opened ck door on the other side of the room, where the statue used to be.


    Jin Wang looked at Sun Xiuying onest time before walking away.


    "Leave it, open the stone door. Whatever is out there can''t be worse than these things. We must leave before the others awaken."


    Sun Xiuying''s smile vanished as she looked at Jin Wang''s back in confusion. She could feel it, why was he different from the others?


    Zeng Yu exchanged nces with Zeng Wu. If there was even a ten percent chance Jin Wang was right, they had to leave this world at once.


    Because Ghouls were usually just the precursors to worse things.


    "Gather up! We''re leaving, NOW!" Zeng Yu shouted and threw out several punches towards the other ''walking dead'', sending them flying hundreds of meters away.


    Hyson dragged his party away, leaving Sun Xiuying standing there all alone. She didn''t move either, only stared at their backs with a smile. There were no hair left on her body and her skin was burnt to a crisp which made her look even more terrifying.


    The group gathered what they could and quickly made their way to the stone door nearby.


    Zeng Yu stepped forward. He ced his right hand on the door and closed his eyes. A surge of thick aura erupted from his body and Six simple-looking pces appeared above his head.


    "Hmph."


    His hand vibrated for an instant. It was so quick that only Jin Wang was able to see the actual movement.


    *Crumble*


    The area around his hand broke apart into numerous small pieces and a hole with a radius of about three meters appeared in the middle of the door, leaving the restpletely intact.


    The other side was another long tunnel.


    Zeng Yu then stood aside and looked at everyone, "Go, quickly!"


    Within a minute the entire group had left the temple. Before departing, Zeng Yu took out his weapon and fired off a full-powered attack at the stone door, making the entire area copse.


    ****


    The seven figures Zeng Yu had punched away slowly made their way towards Sun Xiuying and knelt down. She looked at them and then at the rubble blocking the exit.


    She smiled yet again and walked towards the other side of the room where the ck door was and stepped through, disappearing into the darkness.


    The other seven figures did the same.


    When thest figure entered the door, with a loud creaking sound it closed shut.

 Chapter 198: Regroup

    <h4>Chapter 198: Regroup</h4>


    "Do you know where we are?" Zeng Yu yelled as he surveyed the surroundings.


    The group was standing in what seemed like a graveyard for some type of a massive beast. There were thousands of meters long bones protruding from the ground.


    Each one with a radius of thirty meters at least. The bones reached the first cloudyer and passed through, giving the spectators a sense of dread because of several reasons.


    ''This world was once home to such gigantic creatures? Where did they go? How did they die?''


    ''Going by the number of skeletons that are going on for miles upon miles without end, there were quite a few of them. But what led to their demise? Perhaps the undead that were buried somewhere in the ground? Or something entirely different?''


    A timid young man of about twenty years of age walked out of the group. His name was Lang Wen and he was part of the science team that was with Zeng Yu''s group. There was a rectangr device in his hand with several buttons, jobs, and a screen with some numbers on it.


    "S-Sir, w...we are about eighty thousand miles from the base camp," he stutteringly replied with his head down.


    Zeng Yu frowned, "How is that possible? We were on foot and only walked for a few days. How can this ce be that far from where we started?"


    He turned around to look at the speaker and his frown deepened, "Where is your team leader?"


    The boy was already scared and with Zeng Yu''s strict tone, he almost passed out.


    "T-The team leader was one of the people that turned into the undead back at the temple..."


    "..."


    Zeng Yu kept staring at Lang Wen with a frown, making him more and more nervous. Zeng Wu sighed and walked up to him, "Good job. We''ll be in your care now," he patted Lang Wen''s shoulder.


    Taken aback at first, Lang Wen smiled and quickly ran back to the group.


    Zeng Wu turned around and looked at his father.


    "What should we do? Go back or find the rift and exit?"


    "Go back of course. The Ma and Shi n are still there. Not to mention the rest of the science team. And even if we wanted to we wouldn''t be able to leave. That bastard kept the equipment needed to find the rift in his own storage ring. And I doubt many other people even know how to use it," Zeng Yu exined with a deep sigh.


    Zeng Wu''s face lit up as he understood, "Yin...Da..?"


    Zeng Yu silently nodded.


    Yin Da was the chief science officer and the person in charge of the science team. He was a very entric man and there were many ''strange'' rumors about him in the military.


    Not to mention he was a very cold-hearted and calcting person.


    "Alright, let''s go back then," Jin Wang''s voice came from behind them. He was still very pale and looked almost sickly.


    ****


    Using the mounts, the group made their way back to the base camp. It took them three full days even with the mounts because of the many dangerous ces that blocked their path.


    One such spot especially stood out.


    It was like a sea of fog. Nothing was visible inside but every now and then the fog would heave and toss, pointing to the existence of arge creature inside. It was so cold that they couldn''t even get within five hundred meters of it.


    This fogke caused them to take a detour which added an entire day to their journey.


    The sun never rose, leaving the ne in perpetual darkness, and every day the biting chill would get worse and worse.


    Finally, their journey came to a stop when the base camp appeared in their sights.


    There were hundreds of bodies littered beside the outer walls, making small hills.


    But they didn''t belong to any of the party members and were instead of the creatures that were in the first tomb. (Pic in authors notes)


    They were frozen solid and looked like had they been dead for a while.


    "What''s going on?" Zeng Wu murmured with a deep frown. The creatures were sealed in the tomb while the other two were empty. How could so many of them be here?


    But before he could speak up again, Jin Wang casually walked towards the camp.


    "Only one way to find out," he said and then shouted, "OPEN THE GATE!"


    There was a loudmotion from the other side. Several silhouettes appeared on the wall and looked outside.


    "It''s them! They''re back! Quickly, open the door!" someone shouted energetically.


    The gate opened and Shi Chun and Ma Yu came running out, followed by their protectors. They all seemed to be in good spirits.


    Jin Wang frowned as he looked at them. From the corner of his eye, he caught a figure still standing on the wall. It was like he wasn''t even there and unless someone knew exactly where to look, they would just look over him.


    "Hmmm," a small smile appeared on the corner of his mouth as he didn''t directly look at the figure in amusement.


    "They were right huh...Yin Da," he muttered to himself and walked past the energetic weing party.


    Zeng father-son duo saw everything was fine so they led the remaining people in as well.


    "What happened to you guys? We sent people over to the first tomb but it was closed from the inside," Shi Chun asked while looking around. Ma Yu who was next to him was also looking around excitedly but froze when she realized the person she was looking for wasn''t there.


    She quickly ran up to Zeng Yu and pulled his hand, "Wh...wheres brother Hao?"


    Shi Chun noticed her strange behavior and also came over.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    https://i.pinimg/564x/21/1e/c3/211ec31037761ddc8b2d3111c92463f0.jpg

 Chapter 199: Yin Da

    <h4>Chapter 199: Yin Da</h4>


    "Wh...where''s brother Hao?" Ma Yu nced at the group. Although there was a smile on her face and she was hiding it well, everyone could tell she sounded very anxious. Shi Chun who was nearby also came over.


    Zeng Yu stared at her without saying anything. He opened his mouth and then quickly closed it.


    Zeng Wu saw his father struggling to find the words so he came forward himself. Zeng Yu had always been bad at these things...


    He looked her in the eyes and enunciated every word softly, "There was an ident in the tomb. We lost several people, including Captain Deimos."


    Ma Yu didn''t reply and kept staring back at him without blinking. Shi Chun frowned and nced at the group himself as well, to make sure it was actually so. When he didn''t find Hao Xuan, his frown got deeper.


    "Princess," he whispered next to Ma Yu''s ear, startling her.


    "Ah, yes. We.....we must....I don''t know...you take care of it," she turned around and walked away absentmindedly, mumbling.


    Shi Chun looked at her back with clenched fists, before turning back towards Zeng Yu, "The mission is finished yes? The leader has been lost, we should leave now."


    Zeng Yu looked back at him expressionlessly and then nodded.


    "Yes, it is time we leave. I''ll go let the science team know. And you lot," he looked at his group, "Rest. We depart in a few hours."


    Without wasting any time at all he went straight towards the science teams area. They had arge metallic container set up in one of the corners of the camp.


    "Where''s Yin Da?" he asked the first person he saw who led him into the container.


    Yin Da was standing in front of a ss box while holding a syringe. There was something squirming in front of him and making low humming sounds.


    "It''s time. Find the location of the closest rift, we have to return." Without waiting for a reply, he quickly turned around and started walking out, when Yin Da''s response came, stopping him mid-stride.


    "No."


    He put down the syringe and turned around.


    "I still have some business here. we cannot leave just yet," he said shaking his head.


    "The mission is over. We lost captain Deimos, it doesn''t matter what your business is. We are leaving," Zeng Yu said firmly, making Yin Da break out into a smile.


    "Commander, I''m sure you''re aware of my reputation yes?" he asked serenely.


    Zeng Yu didn''t reply, only staring at him with daggers in his eyes.


    Yin Da didn''t mind and continued, "Why do you think I haven''t been prosecuted then?," he walked closer to Zeng Yu and patted him on the shoulder, "Actually, let me just tell you. There are some really powerful people I work for. People you can never hope to even be in thepany off. They let me do my thing and in exchange, I give them results."


    "You see, these creatures we found here, they are very strange. From what I have seen so far in the tombs and the data gathered from their ''examinations'', they were once something very close to us, gically. But then something happened that destroyed an entire world. And I think, I can find out what it was."


    "So you just need to wait. I only need a few weeks and then we can return," his smile turned into a twisted grin as he stared at him.


    Zeng Yu''s aura erupted as he extended his hand and grabbed Yin Da by the throat, not even giving him a chance to react.


    "I''m in no mood to argue so, you died here. In ab ident, and we had to find another person who was able to use the machine," he said nonchntly while tightening his grasp around Yin Da''s neck.


    "You can''t! I already destroyed it!" Yin Da shouted while waving his hand. A pile of broken metal parts fell down on the floor with a loud nk. He looked at Zeng Yu worriedly, "I found the location of the next rift. I can guide you there. It will open in three weeks. You....have no choice...but to....trust...me.."


    His eyes went white as he passed out. Zeng Yu loosened his grip, letting Yin Da''s limp body fall to the ground. He then lifted up his foot and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying into the container''s wall.


    *Cough*Cough*


    Yin Da woke from the impact and started coughing blood. He looked up at Zeng Yu with both anger and trepidation in his eyes.


    Zeng Yu, on the other hand, lookedpletely tranquil and it sounded like he was talking about someone else.


    "There are ghouls on this god damned. We will be lucky to escape with our lives, and if we do, the generals will hear about this. Get your sh*t ready, we are leaving for the rift''s location. You can do what you want over there, not before."


    Yin Da could only nod back in response. Half his chest was already caved in, any more and it would be really serious.


    Zeng Yu scoffed in disdain at his response, "Trash," he muttered before walking out.


    *Cough*Cough*Cough*Cough*


    Yin Da looked at the closed door as a vicious expression appeared on his face, "Just you wait till we get out of here. You will pay, the lot of you. I will use your bodies for my experiments until you beg for mercy. And then I will dismember you and feast on your carcass while you watch!"


    ****


    About ten hourster, the entire base camp was packed up and ready to go. With Yin Da at the front, they left for the area where the Rift would appear.


    A day after their departure, the ck door in the first tomb opened, releasing copious amounts of Yin Qi.


    There was so much that the entire ''hundreds of meter tall'' gulley was drowned in it within a few seconds, and a few minutester every single gulley was transformed into rivers of bone-chilling Yin Qi.


    And from these rivers of Qi came out hundreds of thousands of horrendous creatures. Some that once looked like humans, while others were multi-limbed beast carcasses melded together, creating horrifying scenes.


    Some even had bones spurs jutting out from their bodies in the forms of des, scythes, hammers and all sorts of weapons.


    Howls and shrieks could be heard non-stop, as these creatures spread out in all directions. Every second, thousands more would crawl out of the rivers of Yin Qi, spreading malicious energy into the surroundings and corrupting the world itself.


    At the forefront of the monster wave that was heading straight towards Zeng Yu''s direction was a seven-limbed spider-like creature. On top of it stood a humanoid figure.


    There were strands of hair on its burnt head and a white sword in its hand. An inhumane smile adorned its face as it looked ahead, excited for the uing ughter.

 Chapter 200: Awaken

    <h4>Chapter 200: Awaken</h4>


    It had been over 18 days since the knowledge transnt had started. When the procedure first began, some unknown measures kicked in. All the doors were locked and several energy barriers appeared around the room.


    "Thest one," Ensis mumbled staring at thest memory globe in his hand. Even though they were called memory globes, Poriverse had only transferred his knowledge and interpretations in there, leaving everything personal out.


    Hao Xuan''srynx was shredded half a day into the procedure and since then, he had not been able to make any noise. Ensis had not taken into ount the damage Hao Xuan''s physical body would receive from this procedure, which raised quite a few issues.


    The white light contained within the memory globes was a type of actual light energy. A little bit was fine and with proper rest between each transnt, it would not cause any long term damage. Unfortunately, there was thousands of years worth of knowledge in there and they had very little time to use it all.


    Three days into the procedure, Hao Xuan''s spinal cord started glowing and the tissue around it started burning up. This was due to the raw heat from the light energy. It was one of the side-effects of the procedure.


    Five days in, Hao Xuan''s eyes liquefied.


    Six days in, his eardrums exploded.


    On the ninth day, the severe damage caused the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique to be kicked in on its own. It was an automated response to protect critical lifesaving systems that were necessary for Hao Xuan''s survival. The physique started devouring Hao Xuan''s own legs and arms to heal the more important areas such as the spinal cord and the brain stem.


    By the eleventh day, all that was left of Hao Xuan was his upper body and head. Both his arms and legs were gone and what was left of him was in terrible condition.


    Seeing no other option, Ensis decided to use half his God blood to replenish Hao Xuan''s energy and Qi.


    The result was more than sessful.


    The energy from the God Blood was enough to restore his limbs with more than enough left to keep him going till the end.


    It would take Ensis several months of cultivation to restore the used God Blood and he would not be at full power until then. Right now he was barely a bit more powerful than an Elementary realm cultivator.


    He looked at Hao Xuan with many emotions going through his head. When this procedure was finished, it was entirely possible that the old Hao Xuan would disappear. With Millenniums of knowledge in his head, he was sure to change. His behavior, his attitude, and outlook on the world would be vastly different from before.


    Perhaps for the better, or perhaps, for the worse.


    *Clink*


    He inserted thest globe into the table and the energy was quickly extracted. Within a few minutes, thest globe rolled off from the table.


    *Crunch*


    *Craack*


    *Schlick*


    All thirty-five needles closed up and withdrew from Hao Xuan''s body. Pieces of ck blood and skin were stuck to their edges and a smell of burnt meat spread out in the library.


    Ensis moved closer and looked at Hao Xuan expectedly, but he didn''t open his eyes. His eyeballs were moving left and right rapidly, but they were still closed.


    With a deep frown, Ensis picked up the metal board and went over everything rted to the procedure. He let out a sigh of relief upon finding the answer he was looking for.


    Because of the stupendously high amount of data in his brain, it would take him some time to get used to it all and wake back up.


    "Good, it worked," he smiled and slumped against the ss in front of Hao Xuan.


    Ensis had been awake for three weeks straight, working non-stop. He didn''t even eat or drink this whole time so he was utterly exhausted at this point.


    His eyelids became heavier and heavier as he slowly closed them and soon fell into a deep deep sleep.


    Two more days passed just like that before Hao Xuan finally opened his eyes.


    *Blink*


    Still a bit confused, he looked around at the surroundings and saw Ensis sitting a few feet away from him.


    "I''m sorry master, just a few more days and all of Poriverse''s knowledge will be yours."


    Ensis''s words echoed in his ears as the memories came flooding back.


    *Bzzzzt*


    A stream of symbols and numbers appeared in front of his eyes, floating in the air. The symbols were the same as the one on the metal board but now Hao Xuan was able to understand them.


    They read;


    "Why did wee to be?"


    "Was it just a series of coincidences?"


    "Or Something more?"


    "What is the meaning of life?"


    "You''re born, you fight, kill and destroy, and then what?"


    "Is there really no other reason?"


    "Is my existence just a fluke of the universe?"


    "What...am I? What are...you?"


    "....."


    ''Great. Just my luck that of all the ancient creatures, I get the knowledge from an emo.''


    The symbols vanished like mist as if they were never there. Hao Xuan closed his eyes and started circting the Qi and energy from his meridians.


    Bubbling sounds came from his body as his muscles expanded and contracted with every heartbeat, undting incessantly. He could feel that the Physique had progressed a lot during thest few weeks, a bit more and he could break through to the first level after passing the ''trial''.


    *Crack*


    Cracking noise came from his bones when he lifted his hand. He got out of the ''cross'' and stretched his body. With every single movement pops and cracks could be heard.


    He bent down and picked up the storage rings that had fallen to the ground when he lost his arms. With a wave of his hand, a new set of clothes appeared.


    ''Ah, almost forgot.''


    He turned around and put his hand on Ensis''s head, recalling him back into the mind pce.


    Throwing out the portable camp, he quickly went in, took a shower, and changed into the clothes. Then he started cooking. Making over fifteen different dishes he ate without a care in the world.


    With a loud burp, he recalled the camp with a grin.


    "Now I can finally loot to my heart''s desire," he cracked his knuckles with a beaming smile on his face.


    The information regarding the contents of the vault in the middle hallway was in his head, along with the info about the creature in the tank in the rightmost room.

 Chapter 201: Fetch

    <h4>Chapter 201: Fetch</h4>


    Hao Xuan stood in front of the vault door in the middle hallway.


    ''I hope they''re still there.''


    He closed his eyes and the information about the vault door slowly came up.


    With his index finger outstretched, Hao Xuan started circting his Qi. All the Qi slowly circted towards the finger and it started to light up. The bone and veins in the finger could be seen with the naked eye as the tip started glowing.


    *HMMMMM*


    A humming sound came from the door when he touched one of the symbols on the upper right corner, lighting it up as well. Hao Xuan did this more than 64 times. Tapping gently on one symbol after another, by the time he was done, the symbols formed a web that looked like a giant face from afar.


    *nk*


    With a light sound, the door was unlocked and pushed open on its own. It was more than seven meters thick, made from the same ck metal all the way to the other side.


    Poriverse had to mine an entire to get just this much metal. It was extremely sturdy and reacted to Qi. He believed it could gain sentience if certain conditions were satisfied and transform into a living being made of metal. But unfortunately, he had another use for it so he couldn''t allow it to evolve.


    As Hao Xuan walked in, he passed through an invisible film that acted as a secondary barrier in case the vault door malfunctioned. This film was a substance extracted from the body of a Gargantuan Gxy worm.


    Contrary to its name, the Gxy worm was about half a foot long. The reason it was called a Gxy worm was because of this film that it created throughout its lifetime.


    Anything enclosed within the film would be cut off from the outside world and would not be affected by the passage of time. This did not mean that time did not pass in the film, but only that the deterioration that one would experience from the passage of time would not ur.


    So it was the perfect material for the storage of more ''sensitive'' materials.


    As soon as he passed through the film, the space on the other side lit up like the inside of the sun. It was so bright that even closing his eyes achieved nothing.


    "F*ck, Stop stop!" he shouted as the information regarding the inner working of the vault came up and he quickly yelled in thenguage of the Sagax.


    "Initiate Protocol Gamma: Identification of Contemporary Possessor!"


    *Beep*


    A ray of ck light fell on Hao Xuan''s head and scanned through his entire body.


    "Identification Confirmed," a robotic voice said before the light vanished and everything returned to normal.


    "Goddamnit, I forgot about this," he cursed while rubbing his eyes. It took him about fifteen minutes to be able to see again. That light had burned off half his retina''s due to the high intensity.


    He looked around and could finally see where he was. It was a closed-off room, with four more ss doors in front of him. Each of them held important materials.


    "What''s the status of specimens ''G'' and ''D''?" he asked in thenguage of the Sagax again while moving to the rightmost door.


    "Status: Unstable." the robotic voice replied.


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Exin!"


    "Failed to remove specimens intrinsic nature. Four thousand years ago they detected each other''s existence. The system could not halt their advance without causing irreprehensible damage."


    "What? What did you do then?" Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat. This was what he was looking for. Out of everything here, these specimens were the second most valuable thing.


    "System redirected power from non-essential functions to the barriers of each containment unit. Result was sessful, but non-essential systems were damaged beyond repair."


    "Oh thank god!" Hao Xuan let out a sigh of relief.


    "Open Containment Unit One!"


    *Clink*


    The rightmost ss door retracted into the wall. Hao Xuan extended his hand and as soon as it passed through the boundaries of the containment field, an intense feeling of bloodlust and dread entered his body. He could feel the killing intent and it was so strong that it almost overcame his senses.


    He could barely even breathe.


    Quickly retracting his hand, Hao Xuan wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.


    "F*king hell, it got even more powerful!" he mumbled while rubbing his hand which had no feeling left in it whatsoever.


    He then walked over to the other side of the room, in front of the leftmost door.


    "Open Containment unit Four!"


    *Clink*


    The ss door retracted. This time, he didn''t put his hand through the containment field and instead took out a silver sword. He slowly pushed the sword in. It started shaking as soon as it entered the field.


    He quickly pulled it out, only to see that half of the de was gone, while the other half had ck burn marks in the shape of long streaks.


    If that was his hand, well, he wouldn''t have one anymore.


    "Poriverse''s hypothesis was correct," Hao Xuan muttered as he brushed his finger over the ck marks. They were still burning hot.


    "System! Use all remaining energy to create a portable suppression field over the specimens. Use the Gxy worms film to separate the two. The others don''t matter, just make sure these two are restrained properly!" he shouted themands, and a couple of secondster, the system replied.


    "Order confirmed. Initiating suppression fields."


    Hao Xuan smiled. "Good, how long will it take?"


    "ETA: Forty-Five years."


    "....excuse me?"


    "ETA: Forty-Five years."


    A vein bulged on his forehead as he shouted angrily.


    "What the actual f*ck! B*tch, I don''t have 45 god damn years! Why is it taking so long?!"


    "Both specimens have detected each other''s presence. Energy consumption for suppression fields will notst more than 3 years if they are not properly restrained first. If the process is elerated, specimens could suffer severe damage."


    "Oh..." Hao Xuan was stumped. He wanted these two things but it would take way too long like this.


    "Wait," he remembered something, "How long will it take if all avable resources are used to suppress just one specimen?"


    "ETA: 5 hours for one specimen."


    ''I knew it. The difference is qualitative, not quantitative.''


    "Alright, begin suppression of Specimen ''G''!"


    "Affirmative."


    The ss door to the leftmostpartment closed and a loud whirring sound starteding from the other side.


    ''Nice. Now, let''s see about you,'' he walked up to the rightmost containment unit. With a wave of his hand, a sleeping white kitten appeared in his palm.


    "Oi, brat, wake up!" he pinched the snoring Zhurong''s ear, startling him awake.


    "Meow?!!" without even getting up, Zhurong looked at him in anger, with his eyes still half-closed.


    "Youzy b*stard," Hao Xuan''s right eye twitched when he saw the annoyed look on Zhurongs face.


    But then he smiled kindly, "You think staying in my mind pce is free? Time to pay the rent motherf*cker. Suppress it and bring me the thing inside. Go fetch!" and threw Zhurong into the containment unit like a ball.


    "MEO-?!" Zhurong screamed in shock as he hurled through the air and quickly vanished behind the containment fields.

 Chapter 202: Nephilim

    <h4>Chapter 202: Nephilim</h4>


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    It had been over two minutes since Hao Xuan had thrown Zhurong into the containment field. He tapped his finger on the ss door of the next containment unit, waiting for something to happen but there was no response.


    "System, whats the condition of Specimen ''D''?"


    Hao Xuan asked impatiently.


    "No change in Specimen ''D''."


    "What?!" Hao Xuan frowned. That shouldn''t be possible. He knew exactly what those specimens were, it was not possible for there to be no change.


    "Is there a camera in Containment Unit One?"


    "Negative."


    "Is there any way for me see what''s going on inside?"


    "Affirmative. Sensors can create a 3D image based on received data."


    "Alright, do it!"


    A whirring sound came from the ceiling of the room and a hologram was projected in mid-air.


    It showed a small ss vial which was sealed from both ends with a glowing crystal. In the middle of it was a gold circr drop. It was neither solid nor a liquid and kept changing shapes as if it was alive.


    About three feet away from the container, a white kitten was sleeping peacefully.


    ".....seriously?" Hao Xuan was literally speechless. How could that little brat sleep under such conditions?


    Zhurong might not know what that gold substance was, but Hao Xuan knew all too well.


    Poriverse had collected both Specimens ''G'' and ''D'' from a battlefield about fifteen thousand years ago.


    This battlefield was located in another dimension, one that Poriverse was only able to find due to sheer luck. It was a sealed space but he was able to pry his way in after several hundred tries.


    This ''battlefield'' held thousands of brokens and several suns.


    And in the middle of this battlefield were the remnants of two beings that had caused all that destruction.


    Most of their bodies were destroyed, leaving only a few organs intact. But the thing that caught Poriverse''s attention was how these remaining organs reacted to each other.


    Even after death they continued their dispute. The essence of these beings was gathered and refined by the chaotic Qi and energy still left on the battlefield and was turned into two substances. One was gold in color, while the other was blue. They existed only in a sma state.


    It seemed that both these beings were inherently different, and would go against one another till the end of time.


    Naturally, as curious as Poriverse was, he spent countless resources to suppress these substances and take them away for further research.


    After roaming the gxies for years in search for answers and conducting numerous experiments, he finally managed to trace back their bloodlines.


    The gold substancebeled Specimen ''D'' belonged to a ''Berserker''.


    Beserkers were an actual race that existed in the universe. They didn''t have any specific physical attributes that could be used to identify them, instead, it was their power that made them into berserkers.


    Under normal circumstances, a berserker''s true power would remain hidden. It was only under some extraordinary situations where the person was pushed to their limits, would the power awaken on its own.


    Because the one and only requirement to awaken its power was to have such a resolute and firm ''will'', and a belief in oneself that nothing in this world would be able to stand in their way.


    That''s why Berserkers could be found in almost every conflict. By the essence of their being, they would love war and fighting. And they could be endlessly strong through it.


    Berserkers were the Wargods, they were the beasts that were unleashed upon their enemies that would not stop until they were either dead, or thest one standing.


    It was said that a Berserker could never have a peaceful life. And so far, no one had proved that saying wrong.


    The other specimen, Specimen ''G'' belonged to a type of Heavenly Dark Angel, the Nephilim. People on earth believed them to be half gods and half humans, but that was false.


    The Nephilim often carried out the will of the high Heavens, punishing those who dared stand against the natural order and themands of the Ten Sacred Heavens, so mortals made up stories about these dreadful creatures.


    If the Berserkers were the Wargods of the mortals, the Nephilim were the Wargods of the divine, serving the very heavens themselves.


    They harbored terrifying powers, powers that even the gods feared.


    For if a God gave in to the darkness''s seduction, the Nephilim were sent to destroy it.


    Poriverse could not find out the exact identities of these two beings, only what they once were.


    The reason for keeping these substances was if he could find someone that fulfilled the requirements, by nting the substance within them, they would evolve and be ''them''. Be a dreaded Berserker, and a horrifying Nephilim.


    Out of the two, Hao Xuan had chosen to suppress the Nephilim and deal with the berserker some other way. He was hoping Zhurong might be able to pull something off, but apparently, that wasn''t going to happen.


    "Kick that b*stard out," he mumbled.


    The containment field opened for an instant, threw out a white ball of fur and closed again. Hao Xuan quickly caught him and opened his mouth to berate him, but he had already fallen asleep.


    "I swear, something is really wrong with you."


    He wasn''t angry with Zhurong, it was a long shot anyway. And how could he stay mad at something that cute? (Author notes)


    He brushed Zhurong''s fluffy fur behind his ears and under his chin, making him purr in pleasure, before sending him back to the mind pce.


    He then looked up at thepartment in front and shook his head. ''Guess it wasn''t meant to be''.


    "Close Containment Unit One."


    *Clink*


    The ss door closed again.


    He then checked the two middle containment units and made sure everything was still in there. The second containment unit had thousands of raw materials including rare metals, unidentified objects Poriverse found throughout his lifetime and some weapons and devices he made in his free time.


    The third containment unit was used to house the mainputer that controlled the entire base. It was one of five control points located on this.


    ''Let''s see if what Poriverse thought about the thing in the ss tank is true or not. If it is, well, this trip will be more than worth all the trouble.''


    Hao Xuan made his way back to the rightmost hallway where the giant ss tank filled with murky white liquid waited for him.

 Chapter 203: Fortis

    <h4>Chapter 203: Fortis</h4>


    Hao Xuan stood in front of the ss tank naked, going over all the information Poriverse had collected about the creature in the tank and his own hypothesis afterward.


    The creature''s origin was still unknown. It broke free from the pull of three supermassive ck holes that had swallowed millions ofs, so suffice it to say, it was anything but ordinary.


    The most likely theory was that it was a creature from beyond the universe, a creature of the chaos.


    Of course, that was only a theory and Hao Xuan wouldn''t know for sure until hemunicated with it.


    He stood atop the tank and pricked his finger. A single drop of blood fell into the murky liquid, making it thrash about.


    ''So far so good. Now for the real deal.''


    He closed his eyes and jumped into the tank. The temperature inside felt neither cold nor hot, and it was actually veryfortable.


    He felt millions upon millions of small hair-like tendrils condense out of nowhere and pass all over him.


    At first they slowly caressed his skin, like a toddler seeing something new for the first time. Hao Xuan could feel several overwhelming emotions from these tendrils. From curiosity to whimsical mischievousness.


    It was ufortable at first but he quickly got used to it and rxed. The tendrils could feel the change in his body and several of them slowly pierced through the skin on his hands, feet, and face. They were smaller than a strand of hair so initially, Hao Xuan didn''t feel any pain.


    But as time passed, they increased from a few dozen to hundreds and then thousands and then tens of thousands.


    "Khuk!" putting up with the pain, he stayed as calm as possible.


    The murky white liquid soon turned pink as blood defused from Hao Xuan''s body and flowed out into the tank.


    ''Rx, rx. Let it explore.'' he told himself as the tendrils extended further into his body.


    From his skin to the bones, and then to the organs, they ''inspected'' everything.


    The creature''s inquisitive nature was easy to see. But Hao Xuan got worried as time passed.


    This creature was like a newborn infant and it had just got its hands on a new toy. How often had a toddler broken a toy on ident while ying with it?


    He could handle this much, but there was a very real limit to what his body could endure and it was fast approaching.


    The tendrils slowly made their way through his body and then like a ma, came into contact with his nervous system.


    An actual current went through his body as the tendrils quickly went up the nerves and connected with his brain.


    "sxf349tndeWMFkjtosghtgek"


    A string of random letters and numbers appeared in front of his closed eyes and a piercing headache appeared. His heartbeat quickened as he suddenly got a bad feeling.


    "Stop! Don''t!"


    He shouted inwardly. The tendrils paused, confused. He could feel they didn''t understand what he meant, only that it wasn''t good to go any further.


    With his eyes tightly shut, he imagined a book. An English alphabet book.


    "A for apple, B for ball, C for cu..." still connected to his brain, the tendrils could see everything he could. Like teaching a child, he used English as thenguage tomunicate with it. English had the fewest characters and was easiest to understand in his opinion, that''s why he choose it.


    Like obedient children, the tendrils didn''t make any unnecessary moves and digested all the information he had to offer.


    For six straight hours, Hao Xuan showed everything fromnguages to numbers and other information to the tendrils who only needed to see it all once. Like a sponge, they absorbed everything and soon started to form their own sentences.


    "Who...you?"


    Two words floated in the darkness. His eyes were closed but he could see them as clearly as day.


    He unconsciously let out a smile. The hard work had paid off.


    "My name is Hao Xuan. Nice to meet you."


    "Nice...?"


    "Yes. Very nice to meet you. Do you know what that word means? Nice?"


    "...yes....nice....enjoyable....good..."


    "Exactly. What''s your name?"


    "Name...?"


    "Yes."


    "Dont....have...one..."


    "Hm, how about I give you one then?"


    "Give...name? To...me?"


    "Yes."


    "....okay.."


    "How about ''Grey''?"


    "No!"


    "..."


    "...."


    "What about Valens?"


    "...no...too...ugly..."


    "Ugly? How can a name be ugly? And how do you even have a concept of ugly?"


    "Feeling....."


    "You have a feeling it''s ugly?"


    "Yes. Hao Xuan....ugly....too.."


    "You little b*stard!"


    "No, YOU!"


    "...."


    "...choose....own...name.."


    "Fine, whatever. Choose your damn name then."


    There was silence for a few seconds, followed by, "...Fortis!"


    "Fortis? Sure I guess. Your name, your choice," Hao Xuan shook his head. The tendrils moved around merrily.


    "Do you know what you are?" he followed up.


    "Me..? Fortis?"


    "Yes, what are you? Where did youe from?"


    "..don''t know..."


    "...well, I wasn''t expecting much. Anyways, what do you want to do now?"


    "What to...do?"


    "Yes. Do you want to stay in this tank or leave? There is a lot to see out there you know~" he said teasingly and images of the beast world, his old life on earth, the movies he saw and the things he imagined shed past his eyes.


    The tendrils moved about in excitement upon seeing so many new and different things but became stiff as soon as the images stopped.


    "More....show....more!"


    Hao Xuan smiled. The bait was sessful.


    "These are just memories, you can see the real thing for yourself and experience it!"


    "...how?!"


    "If youe with me. I can take you there, show you ces."


    He felt like a villian trying to lure out a child with candies, which wasn''t entirely wrong.


    "..yes!...Show Fortis....everything!"


    "Of course, but I have to do something first. Other people, bad people, might try to hurt you if they see you around, so you must listen to me!"


    "Okay!"


    "Good. Show me your physical body first. What do you look like?"


    "Look like? Fortis is like this," an image of the murky liquid came up.


    "What? You ARE the liquid?"


    "Yes."


    "Then what are these tendrils?"


    "Also Fortis!"


    "Hmm...can you change shape? Turn into something smaller?"


    "Smaller?"


    "Yes, something like this," Hao Xuan showed him images of hundreds of animals from earth, the ones he liked.


    "....no...all ugly...." one of the tendrils extended and pierced through Hao Xuan''s brain.


    "WAIT! DO-" Hao Xuan shouted but it was toote.


    His memories from earth, all of them came flooding out. From the moment he was born till he came to the beast world, everything shed past his eyes in an instant, like a movie. For the first time, he saw the image of his father, his birth father.


    He held Hao Xuan in his hands right after he was born and looked down at him lovingly while several people bickered in the background.


    "My precious little son," he smiled while caressing Hao Xuan''s tiny face.


    "AHHHHHH" his head felt like it was about to burst open and he let out a scream in response.


    The tendrils abruptly came out from his body in fear.


    The memories went back into a corner of his mind and he opened his eyes, looking at the surrounding liquid furiously.


    *Blop*


    Hundreds of small bubbles appeared out of nowhere and liquid started bing clear. The murkiness gathered together and concentrated in the middle of the tank, slowly forming a shape.


    Hao Xuan didn''t do anything, floating silently, fuming, waiting for a physical shape to appear so he could whoop its a*s.


    The liquid slowly became clearer and clearer until all the white murkiness was gathered in one small area.


    A few minutes passed and small crystal-like tentacles stretched out, followed by a six inch wide white head with two ears and eyes on each side.


    Hao Xuan frowned looking at thepletely ordinary octopus in front of him.


    Fortis slowly moved his tentacles back and forth, still not having full control over his new body. With a plop, he smacked headfirst into Hao Xuan''s face.


    From Hao Xuan''s perspective, all he could see was a white squishy material and two nted eyes staring back at him, forming a somewhat cute grin.


    Hao Xuan''s right eye twitched as he felt another headacheing on. He extended his right hand and peeled Fortis off of his face. His small tentacles wrapped around Hao Xuan''s hand, gripping tightly.


    Hao Xuan smiled looking at the cute octopus, "Sever!"


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Fortis: https://ibb.co/tMYNvmq

 Chapter 204: Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 204: Exchange</h4>


    Hao Xuan smiled looking at the cute octopus, "Sever!"


    His palm lit up for an instant, before returning to normal. The smile on his face froze as he saw Fortis wriggle around like jelly on his hand.


    "Stop!.....tickles..." an immature, slightly high-pitched voice came from the octopus.


    "T-Tickles?!" Hao Xuan repeated, shocked.


    Fortis briskly moved his fat head up and down.


    "I-I severed away a god''s clone from right under him and there was nothing he could do, but it just "tickled" this b*stard?!" he thought inwardly. Not epting the result, he tried again.


    "Sever!"


    This time his palm glowed like a bulb for almost a second. Fortis''s eyes nted in pleasure and his body jiggled around while his tentacles tightened their grip around Hao Xuan''s hand.


    The result was the same. Fortis seemed to be enjoying the sensation as he looked up at Hao Xuan, "AGAINN!"


    ".....get off my damn hand!" both angered and annoyed, Hao Xuan jerked his hand trying to get rid of the small white octopus but was unsessful. Instead, Fortis seemed to take it as a challenge and with a wriggle of his nine tentacles, he shot forward with incredible speed, nting himself onto Hao Xuan''s head.


    His tentacles wrapped around his forehead and neck, firmly cementing himself there.


    "NO! AGAIN!" a little voice shouted again excitedly.


    Hao Xuan turned ck and blue when the tentacles tightened so much around his neck that they were cutting off the blood supply to his head.


    He tried to force open his tentacles but they didn''t budge an inch.


    "O-Oi, stop, you''re killing me you lunatic!" he screamed inwardly while flopping around like a fish out of water.


    Fortis saw the unusual movements and quickly loosened his grasp.


    Hao Xuan took the opportunity and swam back up, jumped out of the tank and took several deep breaths.


    "What the hell is wrong with you! You almost killed me, you moron!"


    "No! You!" Fortis retorted from above Hao Xuan''s head. It seemed to be his go-toeback.


    "Whatever, get off my head," Hao Xuan repeated resentfully.


    "No!"


    "What the hell you mean no? Get off my damn head at once!"


    "NO! Mine now!"


    "Y-Yours? How is my head now ''yours''?!"


    "Is mine now. New home!" Fortis replied happily.


    Hao Xuan yanked and pulled with everything he had, only managing to rip off some of his own hair.


    He was on the verge of crying now. He went in expecting to get a powerful new creature to serve under him, instead got this slimy b*stard in return.


    He gave up and slumped down beside the tank to regain his strength. He still hadn''tpletely healed from the earlier interaction in the tank when all those tendrils entered his body.


    Fortis didn''t say anything either, simplyying on Hao Xuan''s headzily while ying with his hair. For such a strong and unique creature, he sure seemed to be amused very easily.


    Hao Xuan took fifteen minutes or so to recover before opening his eyes again.


    He then raised his hand near his head, "Oi,e down here, we need to talk."


    Fortis was going to simply refuse yet again, but he heard the seriousness in Hao Xuan''s tone and decided toply just this once. He slowly wriggled over to his hand. Hao Xuan brought him down to look at him in the face.


    Fortis looked back, blinked curiously.


    "You went through my memories right?" Hao Xuan asked in a serious tone.


    Fortis nodded.


    "Then you know how the world works. You can''t just stay on my head like that. It not only looks weird but is also a little ufortable."


    Fortis reluctantly nodded yet again. Hao Xuan sighed in relief, at least he understood it wasn''t a good thing.


    "Earlier, I tried to sever your connection to the heavens and connect it to myself. It was for several reasons, but mainly because I need your help. You came from a very very far away ce, a ce you might never be able to return to. But since you have no memories of that ce, it doesn''t matter anymore."


    He earnestly looked at Fortis in the eyes. He didn''t want to hide anything or lie to him.


    "You and me, we aren''t that different. Both of us are far from home, alone. It gets boring out there you know, and quite dangerous as well. Why don''t we team up?"


    Fortis tilted his head in confusion.


    "Go through my memories. Lookup a soul contract. I''ll make one with you, on equal terms. I promise never to make you do anything you don''t want to, but you also must help me out every now and then. Through life and death, we will always be together. Deal?"


    Fortis closed his eyes for an instant before opening them again. Everything Hao Xuan knew, he did as well. He knew Hao Xuan was telling the truth and wasn''t trying to trick him. Just the look in his eye was enough to ry those feelings.


    "Okay, make, contract," he replied innocently.


    Hao Xuan smiled, "Alright."


    He closed his eyes and a small blob of purple light came out of his body. This was a part of his soul.


    Fortis did the same. A blue blob of light came out of his body, but it was anything but small. It was at least twenty times as big as his. Floating in mid-air, it towered over Hao Xuan''s soul shard.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes were closed but he could still feel the horrendous amount of power in Fortis''s soul shard. It was just 1% of the actual soul but already so powerful. He understood why the Severing failed now.


    Hao Xuan simply wasn''t powerful enough.....


    The purple shard went into the tiny octopus, while the gigantic blue shard went into Hao Xuan.


    A connection was made between the two. They could both feel each other''s presence and would be able to no matter the distance.


    Hao Xuan''s heartbeat quickened when he felt the vast energy within Fortis''s soul shard.


    One had to keep in mind that Hao Xuan''s soul was already several times more powerful than a normal person''s. But Fortis''s was over twenty times more powerful than even Hao Xuan''s.


    Hao Xuan felt what Fortis was feeling. He was acting tough right now but Hao Xuan could feel that he was scared. Scared of this new world that had just opened up to him.


    He smiled and rubbed Fortis''s head, "It''s okay. Don''t worry, everything will be alright."


    Fortis''s tentacles moved back and forth, showing his merriment. A cute little blush appeared below his eyes as he covered his face with the tentacles, rolling up into a ball.


    "Hahaha," Hao Xuan couldn''t help but break outughing. He poked at Fortis''s balled up head teasingly.


    Patting him gently and he whispered, "Alright,e, let''s go outside."

 Chapter 205: Amicus

    <h4>Chapter 205: Amicus</h4>


    Hao Xuan stood in the third containment unit, looking at theputer mainframe that controlled everything in the base. It looked very simple. There was just one tform in the middle of the unit with a single ss screen above it.


    With the help of four other sub-divisions scattered across the entire, it controlled everything here.


    Fortis was sitting on his favorite spot, (Hao Xuan''s head), looking around curiously. He had seen Hao Xuan''s memories but that was like watching a movie. Experiencing things first-hand was an entirely different affair.


    "System!" Fortis shouted excitedly, pointing at the ss screen with a couple of his tentacles. He was like a child that was seeing things for the first time after learning about them beforehand, which wasn''t wrong.


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Yup, that''s theputer system that controls everything."


    Fortis closed his eyes and looked up smugly, proud of himself for getting it right.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but smile.


    He cleared his throat and started speaking in thenguage of the Sagax.


    "System, activate P.O.G!"


    P.O.G was an acronym for theary Observational Grid. Since Poriverse used the as his base, he set this up to be able to oversee everything from thefort of his ''home''.


    The screen lit up and the systems robotic voice echoed in the room.


    "Sub-Division three, four, and five damaged beyond repair. Power was redirected to main base for containment of Specimens ''G'' and ''D''. P.O.G working at 40% capacity."


    Hao Xuan frowned upon hearing that. So the "irreprehensible damage" system spoke of was to the other three sub-divisions?


    "Alright, show the full map of the first, with all base locations."


    *Beeep*


    A ck and white hologram of the appeared above the ss screen. Five points were lit up at different areas. Three along the horizontal axis, and two on each pole.


    "Which one is the main base?"


    *Boop*


    The light at the top of the increased in intensity.


    "Hmmm. Where is the ce I fell in from?"


    An area near one of the horizontal lights lit up.


    "What?" It was much further away than he expected.


    "How far is that from this ce?"


    "Approximately four million miles."


    "WHAT?!"


    How could it be that far? He fell straight down back then.


    "Exin! How did I end up here?"


    "Several hundred teleportation formations were set up in different ces. Any creature that fell in would be tested. If the requirements were fulfilled, they would be transported here."


    "What requirements? And for what purpose?"


    "Only Requirement: Above Average soul strength. For the purpose of receiving progenitors knowledge".


    ''So that was it!''


    Hao Xuan wondered what a huge coincidence it was that he "happened" to fall so close to the main base. So it was all nned by Poriverse from the start. He was looking to pass on his knowledge to someone.


    The more he learned about Poriverse, the more he respected him. Most people wouldn''t share all their findings like this with just anyone. And the only requirement was to have a powerful soul? Tsk.


    ''Wait, powerful soul! They could measure soul power?''


    "System, what is the strength of my soul aspared to the other people that were tested before me?" he inquired.


    Hao Xuan knew his soul was powerful but never knew by HOW much exactly.


    "Users soul strength was highest among tested subjects. 7.5 times stronger than the earliest subject-"


    ''7.5 times?! Damn, I knew I was special, but this is on a whole new level,'' he grinned.


    His chest puffed out unconsciously upon hearing the result, that is until the system''s voice came again.


    "-slightly above average."


    "A-Above average?"


    7.5 times stronger is just above average?! What the f*ck kind of scale is this?!


    "System, using the earlier subjects as the standard, what''s the highest recorded soul strength and who did it belong to?"


    "Highest recorded soul strength: 67. Belonged to Progenitor at the height of power."


    "Gawd dayum system. So Poriverse''s soul was more than 89% stronger than even mine?!"


    "Affirmative."


    "...."


    Hao Xuan stood there shocked, mouth agape with incredulity.


    Fortis didn''t know what they were talking about but upon sensing the change in Hao Xuan''s aura, he stretched his ball like head down onto Hao Xuan''s forehead and looked at his expression.


    "Stupid!" he pointed at Hao Xuan''s face with his little tentacles, waking him from his stupor.


    "K-Kind of, surprised is more like it though," Hao Xuan replied dejectedly.


    Fortis got the validation he was seeking and happily crawled back up to Hao Xuan''s head and continued to to y with his hair.


    ''Sh*t. I thought Sagax were supposed to be the nerds of the cultivation world. Just how strong is a God''s soul if a damn nerd is this powerful?!''


    It felt like someone had emptied a bucket of cold water on his head. All his pride was washed away in an instant. The reality of the situation hit him once again.


    Right now, he wasn''t that powerful at all.


    *Sigh*


    ''Why couldn''t I keep my mouth shut...''


    He pped himself awake. Now wasn''t the time for this so he continued with his query.


    "System, show location of all lifeforms on the''s surface."


    Three different areas lit up with multiple lights.


    One was rtively close to the tomb he fell in. There were a few dozen lights gathered together in one ce, some of which were flickering.


    There was one massive light right behind them. It was several times bigger and brighter than the rest, and a different color as well.


    While all other living creatures were represented with white lights, this one was a deep blue.


    And thest group of lights was on the opposite side of the, near the other pole. There were a few dozen there as well.


    Hao Xuan frowned. ''Three different groups?''


    "System, show all recorded changes to thes surfaces in thest two months."


    The view changed. All lights other than the giant blue one vanished.


    That lone blue light was randomly moving across the surface of the entire, and with incredible speed to boot. It would go about in circles, for several days at a time, before returning to an area near one of the sub-divisions on the horizontal axis for a day or two, before continuing the strange movements.


    Then about six weeks ago, five groups of lights appeared in the span of one day. Each group had more than a hundred lights.


    One group journeyed to the tomb where Hao Xuan fell in from, so it was clear those were all the military units that hade through the rifts.


    The blue light changed its pattern as well. It would go around following different groups, but never actually came into contact with them, always staying just a few kilometers away.


    ''What is this thing?''


    "System, identify this lifeform," he pointed at the blue light.


    "Lifeform Identified: Amicus."


    "Amicus?" Hao Xuan''s frown got deeper. He had seen that word before.


    Closing his eyes he recalled all the information about it.


    ''Amicus: a rare creature of heaven and earth. Also known as "Kind Architect", it is a sentient species found in some deserteds across the gxies. They are mistaken for beasts of prey because of their fierce visage, but are extremely soft-hearted.''


    ''Even when assaulted, they never retaliate, even though they are more than capable of doing so. They are called the "caretakers of the worlds" and are hunted and enved for their special powers by powerhouses.''


    ''Powers and abilities include: converting the Worldly energy into Qi of heaven and earth, converting one form of Qi to another, changing the state of thend, converting one element into another, essing the void, etc.''


    Several images of the creature shed past Hao Xuan''s eyes. (Authors note)


    It was a massive lizard type creature with a wide tail, four limbs, four eyes, and rock tes on its head and back ridge. Its skin had giant openings from which it would covert energies and Qi.


    If Hao Xuan didn''t know any better, he would also consider it a monster at first nce.


    "System, what is the origin of this Amicus?"


    "A pair of Amicus were captured and brought to the by progenitor several thousand years ago. This is thest surviving offspring."


    "What has it been doing here all this time?"


    "Its duties include taking care of the and keeping the flow of energy going to the bases."


    "...how long? How long has it been doing that?"


    "Approximately 900 years."


    "!!!"


    Hao Xuan looked at the blue pir of light circling around the dozens of smaller white lights and couldn''t help but pity its existence.


    It was born as a ve, brought here against its will, taking care of a dying, alone, for so many years. Even now it was keeping an eye on Zeng Yu andpany.


    "Poor creature..."


    ****


    Authors Note:


    An embarrassed Fortis: https://gfycat/ImpassionedUniqueHermitcrab


    Amicus: https://images4.alphacoders/115/115646.jpg

 Chapter 206: Valley

    <h4>Chapter 206: Valley</h4>


    *Huff*Huff*Huff*


    "We can''t...go on...like this..." Hyson murmured dejectedly.


    He was covered in blood and sweat, some his own, some his friend''s.


    "What choice do we have?" Hou Chin asked from the side, with the same disheartened expression as all the others around her.


    "We can''t give up! As long as we''re alive, there will be a way!" Rong Li stood up and shouted with clenched fists, but only got a few contemptuous looks in return.


    "Just sit down, don''t...make a fool of yourself," Kramson tugged at his shirt to make him sat back down.


    It had been almost a full month since the horde of undead monstrous creatures from beyond the grave started their chase.


    At first, it was easy to make a stand and fight back. The Ma and Shi n folks even used it as an opportunity to train some of the youngsters in the group. But soon, things took a turn for the worse.


    As they reached the location of the next rift opening, they realized that it was in a valley which was an entrance to the underworld.


    A massive ck gate stood tall in the middle on the basin, pouring out monster after monster without end.


    Zeng Yu had the foresight to know they wouldn''t be able to hold this ce for more than a few minutes in case of a head-on attack, so he ordered a full retreat.


    They moved away several hundred thousand kilometers in the span of two weeks. Only stopping once every three days to rest.


    It seemed like every nook and cranny of this horrid ce was filled with freezing Yin Qi that made fighting harder every day by slowing down the group''s reaction times and affecting the flow of Qi in their bodies.


    Out of the initial 110 people left alive, only 60 or so were left now. The biggest loss included a fight in which both Ma and Shi n had lost one Spirit realm warrior each.


    They found a hidden cavern after several days of continuous travel and decided to rest there for a couple of days. That night, an army of about a thousand undead warriors surrounded them.


    All these creatures were of the same type (Pic in Author''s notes). With three empty sockets where the eyes should be and multiple horn-like protrusions jutting out from their heads, these were the smartest creatures the group hade up against so far.


    They didn''t fight head-on, instead choosing to slowly lure away and kill more than 30 people before being discovered.


    The female spirit realm cultivator from the Ma n and one of the old men from the Shi n lost their lives trying to break out of this encirclement.


    During this fight, Ma Yu also blocked several attacks with her body when she tried to protect another random person. She was poisoned and could barely move her body ever since.


    Of the initial Six spirit realm cultivators, only four were left now. And almost all of them attainted severe injuries since they always took the lead in every fight.


    Zeng Yu, Zeng Wu, along with the two remaining Spirit realm cultivators which were named Ma Qigang and Shi Long were sitting on a table, discussing their next moves.


    "What other choice do we have?" Shi Long whispered with a crestfallen expression.


    "None," Zeng Wu shook his head.


    "All our devices are saying the same thing. Thest rifts will close within the next two days. Yin Da managed to fix the device enough to find the location of the closest rift. We checked it''s the same one from the valley. The only other one is more than Six Million miles away. Even if we traveled at full speed, there is no way to cover such a vast distance. Not to mention the undead blocking the path and our own injured..."


    Ma Qigang''s expression turned worse. He had lost his wife not too long ago, and now the princess was in such a serious condition. She wouldn''t survive long if the poison wasn''t treated soon.


    Shi Long let out a deep sigh. He had also lost his only living friend in that encounter. Even Shi Chun was barely hanging on. He was exhausted and injured himself, but still insisted on taking take off Ma Yu.


    "What about that man? Can he pull something off again?" Shi Long looked at the person sitting in front of the cave''s entrance with closed eyes.


    Zeng Wu shook his head again, "No. If not for him, god knows how many people we would have lost to those devilish creatures. He also took several hits on the way out and still hasn''tpletely recovered."


    Zeng Yu who had his eyes closed finally opened them to take a look at the young man they were talking about.


    ''Jin Wang...''


    Yes, it was Jin Wang that had been helping the group all along. He noticed the undead warriors'' presence and actually saved Ma Yu''s life. If not for him, she would have died from those attacks.


    "It''s decided then. Rest now. We will make our way back to the valley. There is no other option. This....ce, it is not fit for the living anymore..." Zeng Yu said before getting up and walking towards Jin Wang.


    "I''ll take over, go rest," he said lightly.


    Jin Wang didn''t move or even open his eye, only smiling in return, "You''re getting soft old man. I''m fine. Besides, you need the rest more. They might not notice, but I can smell the blood on you. If you keep going like this, you won''t live past the next couple of days."


    Zeng Yu scoffed, "I''m still doing much better than someone like you. Stop acting cool and go," he pped Jin Wang''s back, making him almost jump up with pain.


    "God damn, alright alright. No need to be so violent!" he retorted while rubbing the spot Zeng Yu had pped.


    He picked up the te of cold food that was beside him and walked deeper into the cave.


    As Zeng Yu sat down at the same spot, Jin Wang''s voice echoed in his ears, "Talk to your son while you can. The future is....unclear. This might be thest time you''re able to. The fight ahead is not an easy one...."


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    undead monster: https://i.pinimg/564x/63/6a/43/636a43877d1876e3277609e5572099dd.jpg


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/dgGoH

 Chapter 207: Valley Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 207: Valley Continued.</h4>


    The group of 62 tired warriors spent the next 5 hours taking shifts to recover as much as possible before finally departing for the ''Valley of the Dead''. Of course, that was easier said than done.


    Everyone present was so tense that they could barely get any sleep. And who could me them? When they knew what wasing next...


    The n was pretty simple. To time the attack as such that they would reach at the same time the rift would open.


    The Spirit realm cultivators along with the highest-ranked soldiers would take the lead and protect the four sides while the scientific team would set up the device that stabilized the rift.


    Once that was done, they could set up a self-destruction timer and enter the rift, making it so it would explode a few seconds after everyone left.


    The only problem was getting as close as possible without alerting any of the undead. The closer they could get, the less they would have to fight.


    ****


    Jin Wangid atop a small hill about five kilometers away from the entrance of the valley, squinting hard. The entrance was blocked by thick fog and nothing inside was visible. Even Jin Wang wasn''t able to see anything. But he could ''sense'' that something truly evil waited for them inside.


    For the first time since he was born into ''this'' world, he felt fear. True fear.


    Whatever was inside spelled certain death for him and everyone else that was foolish enough to follow him in there.


    His fists were clenched so tightly that the knuckles became white. Every fiber of his being was screaming "Run! Just run away! At least you''ll survive a few more days."


    His breathing quickened and small beads of sweat came down the side of his face. Others might not know, but he did. He knew what that gate inside was, whatid on the other side of it, and was trying to crawl its way out.


    And right now he wished nothing more than being able to forget that. Whoever said ignorance was bliss was god damn right.


    If that....''thing'' had truly arrived on this ne of existence, then nothing could save them.


    "Rx."


    *Pat*


    A surge of hot Qi entered his body, waking him from his stupor. Still a bit dazed, he turned around and saw Zeng Yu''s deadpan expression staring back at him.


    He looked towards the valley''s entrance and sighed, "Whatever happens, happens. It''s not on you, me or anyone else...well, maybe Yin Da, but even that doesn''t matter anymore. Our one and only option is to go through that rift. We will not survive here otherwise. Simple as that."


    He looked back at Jin Wang, "Don''t overthink things, just follow the n. And what are you afraid of anyway? What''re they gonna do? Kill us? So what? We have trained for this our entire lives. Don''t forget what the Red Legion Stands for!"


    Perhaps for the first time since they started out on this journey, Jin Wang saw Zeng Yu smile.


    He always kept a straight face no matter the situation, barely showing any emotions at all, so seeing him smile now was.....strange, to say the least.


    "Weird smile aside, thanks for the pep talk," Jin Wang smiled and winked back, making Zeng Yu re at him.


    "Is it time?" he asked while looking back at the valley onest time.


    "An hour till the rift opens. It''s now or never."


    "What are we waiting for then? Let''s go!" Jin Wang grinned and walked down the hill, followed by Zeng Yu a few secondster.


    Everyone was ready and waiting for them. The entry would be on foot, and if or when they were discovered, the mounts would take them as far in as possible before they would get off and carry-on on foot once again.


    The valley was about 15 kilometers long and only 200 meters wide. The rift was located about halfway through it. The more than 500-meter long ck gate was about three kilometers behind the rift, so there was no way to avoid a battle if they were detected.


    Zeng Wu stood in front of the group and said somberly, "Remember the n, do not let out any Qi, they can feel it. Keep quiet, stay down, and don''t wander off!"


    "Yes!" everyone replied at once.


    Zeng Yu and Jin Wang were at the front, Zeng Wu was in the middle, while the Shi and Ma n were bringing up the rear. Ma Qigong was protecting Ma Yu as well who was being carried by some of the Ma n guards.


    After going over everything once again, they slowly crept into the valley.


    The fog was so thick that nothing further than five meters was visible. The first enemy they encountered was a four-legged undead beast.


    It was about three meters big and was just standing in one ce like a statue. If they hadn''t seen simr creatures attack them for thest few weeks, it would be hard to believe it was something so...vile.


    Zeng Yu gestured for everyone to stop as soon as he saw it. With bated breaths, everyone looked at it without blinking, but it did not react at all.


    With its hollow eyes, it faced the direction of the gate and no movements.


    When he was sure it didn''t detect them, Zeng Yu raised his hand once again, gesturing for the party to keep moving.


    Just like that, they encountered thousands of other creatures that were in the same dazed state.


    Jin Wang looked at the one closest to him and couldn''t help but worry. The feeling of dread was getting stronger the deeper they went in. He had to keep reciting the Red Legion oath to keep himself from running away and gather some courage.


    About one kilometer away from the rift, the creatures stopped appearing. Not a single bone or piece of flesh could be found in there. The entire area was deserted. It was so eerily silent that even Zeng Yu couldn''t help but furrow his brow.


    Forty-five minutes in, they finally reached the ce where the rift would appear.


    "Set up a defensive formation but do not activate it just yet. Science team, set up the equipment. Once the rift appears, how long will it take for you to stabilize it?" Zeng Yu inquired from Yin Da.


    "No more than ten minutes," Yin Da replied resolutely.


    As heartless as he was, he recognized that it was basically all his fault that they were stuck here. And if Zeng Yu had told the other party members about him, he would most certainly be dead. Not to mention even if he got out, the Ma and Shi n coulde asking questions.


    So he was truly grateful to Zeng Yu at the moment and did his best to redeem himself.


    "Good, get started!" Zeng Yu nodded and walked off.


    Time slowly trickled by. The formation was set up and Jin Wang was standing on the back, facing the direction of the gate.


    Due to the fog, the gate wasn''t actually visible, but he could still feel the stupendously enormous energy it was giving off. He could just imagine any number of thingsing out of it.


    *Crumble*


    A piece of rock came loose from the side and came rolling down, echoing throughout the silent valley. A nuclear missile might as well have gone off, as the sound reverberated in everyone''s ears.


    All four Spirit realm experts quickly ran over to Jin Wang, "What happened?"


    He didn''t reply, only staring up above them from where the rock fell from.


    With a light voice, he asked, "By any chance, did anyone check what was ABOVE the valley?"


    The spirit realm experts looked at each other and shook their heads together.


    *Sigh*


    "That''s what I thought," he looked back at them while taking out a wooden stick and some fabric, "Activate the formation and light some fires, we''re under a horde of Wraiths!"


    He tied the piece of fabric to the stick and made an old-school torch before lighting it up.


    *Screeeeech*


    A high pitched screeching noise came from all sides as ghost-like apparitions came into view. Hundreds, no, thousands of them stood all-around defensive formations, looking at the people inside viciously.

 Chapter 208: Valley Continued 2

    <h4>Chapter 208: Valley Continued 2</h4>


    "ATTENTION!!" Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu''s simultaneous shouts echoed in the valley.


    The Spirit Realm experts quickly ran to their spots and unleashed their absolute full powers.


    A total of 22 mind pces appeared above the defensive formation, pouring down copious amounts of Qi and energies. Each Pce was different.


    Some didn''t even look like actual pces and were a myriad of different ces like the small houses, courtyards, gardens, etc.


    A mind pce could be any ce that held some meaning to the cultivator, so they were of course different for every person.


    "Remember to block and counterattack! Normal attacks don''t work against them as they will just pass through, but they can still hurt you!" Jin Wang reminded everyone.


    Hyson''s group of more than 22 people that hade in through the rift was now left with just 8, and all of them were injured and scared.


    Ma Qigong fired off a flurry of dagger attacks that went through dozens of Wraiths and impacted against the ground, leaving deep pits in their wake.


    Wraiths were a special kind of undead. They were made from the twisted wants and desires of people just before their deaths. They were the unfulfilled wishes that people clung to till the end of their lives and were morphed into a kind of appalling spiritual undead.


    They fed off of the energy and souls of living creatures.


    Normal attacks went through them without doing anything so the only chance to do any damage to them was by either using pure spiritual, lightning or fire infused attacks, or block their attacks and then counter.


    Because they would only physically manifest in this world and were able to take any damage when THEY were the ones attacking.


    But the problem was that unless a person had some kind of defensive artifacts that blocked spiritual energy, then even if they blocked the physical wraith attacks, some Yin Qi would still enter their body and run amock.


    Only Spirit Realm Experts could use their mind pces to block the Yin Qi and keep it from entering their bodies.


    Shi Long''s six pces were pouring down a blue Qi like a waterfall,pletely covering him from head to toe.


    Out of the four Spirit realm experts there, he was the only one to have any spiritual Qi.


    Spiritual Qi was rather umon and wasn''t favored by most people. It was extremely difficult to cultivate and took a very long time as well.


    But the advantage of it was that it made the person''s soul extremely powerful and allowed them to use many abilities and techniques that would not be a good choice under normal circumstances. And of course, all his attacks would work against all spiritual beings as well.


    "OVER HERE!" Zeng Wu shouted from the right side. A massive 6-meter tall wraith that had arms three times the size of its body was attacking him head-on.


    Shi Long turned around and raised his left hand over his shoulder. The Qi pouring from the mind pces condensed into a white spear in his hand that lit up everything around it for dozens of meters.


    Every single wraith that was near him had smokeing off of its body and started wailing while jumping back.


    "Now!" he yelled and chucked the spear with everything he had towards the giant wraith.


    A feeling of impending doom washed over the wraith as it raised both its hands in front of its body to use as a shield.


    The spear struck, embedding itself firmly into the wraith, making it let out a piercing scream. Arcs of white light quickly spread out from the spear, covering the wraith''s body and bringing it out into the physical world.


    Zeng Wu took the opportunity and jumped up into the air with his sword. He fired several horizontal shes that actually connected with the wraith''s body, sending it crashing back several meters. But Zeng Wu didn''t stop there.


    He continued his barrage of attacks until the wraiths legs gave way and it fell down to its knees. Zeng Wu pushed against the ground and shot forward like a bullet with his sword extended sideways, cutting off the wraiths head in one fell sweep before returning to the defensive formation.


    ***


    Just like that, everyone worked together and fought until it was time for for the Rift to open. About seven people lost their lives during this time when they let down their guards and were dragged out of the formation by some of the more sneakier wraiths.


    The fight was hard, but they were hanging on.


    The space rippled and a small vibrating mass of light appeared in the exact middle of the 30-meter wide formation.


    "Quick, activate the stabilizer!" Yin Da ordered as soon as the space around the rift stopped shaking.


    *Whooooosh*


    As if in response to the rift''s appearance, the fog in the valley started swirling and moved towards the gate. In less than 30 seconds the valley waspletely devoid of fog, with all it having been devoured by the gate.


    A low humming noise came from the gate and ripple after ripple started appearing on its surface.


    Jin Wang stopped what he was doing and looked at the gate nervously.


    Every single hair on his body stood straight up.


    "Something''sing..." he murmured.


    A sharp ck limb with what looked like a pincer came crashing out. Just the front part of it was more than 200-meters long, so one could only imagine how big the entire limb and then the creature it belonged to would be.


    The gate''s surface stretched out like a bubble, trying to hold the limb back and pushing it back in.


    Angered by the resistance offered from the gate, the limb went back and this time came out with even more force.


    The bubble-like force field on the gate was the natural resistance that the world they were on had towards the creature that wasing out.


    Just like how anyone higher than Spirit realm experts couldn''te through the rift, nothing stronger than that coulde out from the gate either.


    But that''s exactly what was happening right now. An undead monster that was at least at Profound level or higher was trying to break through ande here. And judging from its sheer size, it was much higher than Profound realm, much much higher.


    "What the hell is that?!" Zeng Yu mumbled absentmindedly in disbelief.


    Looking at the limb struggle, Jin Wang sighed. Closing his eyes he sat down where he was, "Something that''s not supposed to be here. It doesn''t matter anymore old man, just give up. We''re not gonna survive long enough to go through that rift."


    Zeng Yu''s brows shot up in anger, "Shut the hell up! Grow a damn pair and get up, what''s wrong with you? Just because of one monster you''re giving up? And it''s not even here yet!"


    The bubble-like barrier stretched and a part of the limb broke out.


    A massive pressure descended on the entire. No matter who they were or where, they would be able to feel this pressure. It felt like a normal human was instantly transported to the bottom of the ocean.


    Everyone fell down to their knees, the living or dead, spirit realm or below, everyone was on the ground now.


    Only Jin Wang was doing a bit better because he already sat down beforehand, just slumping his shoulders from the pressure.


    A booming noise came from the gate. It couldn''t be put into words, but it instilled fear within everyone present. (Authors note for the noise)


    *GROOOWL*


    *Shrieeeek*


    *Hooowl*


    A mass of noises came from every single monster in response, as if celebrating the arrival of the iing beast.


    Be it inside the valley or outside, every undead was down on its knees kowtowing towards the gate.


    Zeng Yu raised his head with some effort and looked at the pitch-ck limb, "What....is it?" he mumbled to himself.


    "You''ll see, it will be out soon," Jin Wang replied nonchntly.


    It sounded like he was talking about someone else. As if death wasn''t waiting for him nearby. Or maybe, he just didn''t care anymore.


    Ma Yu who was knocked out by the side slowly opened her eyes. As she turned her head the massive limb came into sight.


    She ignored it and looked around to find a nearby guard, "Hey...is brother Hao here yet?"

 Chapter 209: Valley Continued 3

    <h4>Chapter 209: Valley Continued 3</h4>


    "Hey...is brother Hao here yet?"


    The female guard turned around mechanically, still under pressure emanating from dark limb and replied regretfully, "P-Princess, Hao Xuan is dead..."


    The poison in Ma Yu''s body was strong and it started acting up as soon as she tried to make any movements.


    "No.....he''s...ing.." she mumbled under her breath before passing out from the pain once again. Her right hand which was clenched tightly slowly opened and a small coin fell out. Everyone else was busy with what was happening that no one noticed the coin.


    On the coin were two small blinking dots. One represented the coin itself, while other was connected to something else. But the odd thing was, the distance between the dots was decreasing continuously. Every second, the dots were getting closer and closer together.


    ****


    *GROOOWL*


    *Shrieeeek*


    *Hooowl*


    The undead creatures let out various noises that instilled fear and dread in the hearts of everyone present.


    And how could they not be afraid? There was a humongous creature trying toe through into this world and from the looks of it, it would get here before they could leave.


    The dark limb slowly receded back into the gate and the pressure vanished.


    The humans slowly stood up. Fatigue and weariness taking its toll on them.


    "I-Is it gone?" someone mumbled to themselves but it was so quiet that everyone heard it. But no one responded. They knew it wasn''t. It was already sessful in making a crack in the world''s resistance, why would it just leave?


    Zeng Yu slowly stood up and cleaned the dust off his clothes.


    "Get ready! Just 10 more minutes and then we''re good to go!" he shouted as loudly as his body would allow him to.


    His voice reverberated in the valley. But before anyone could do anything, a cacophony of ear-piercing sounds came from every single direction.


    Ma Qigong tightened his grip on the two bronze-like daggers in his hand and looked around. But no matter how hard he squinted, his vision was still limited.


    Zeng Wu waved his hand and took out a cylindrical object.


    "Let there be light," he rubbed the bottom of the object and a re shot up into the dark sky, lighting up everything within the radius of two kilometres.


    Hou Chin stretched her neck and looked out in the direction closest to her, "GASP!"


    Several people visibly trembled.


    From the entrance of the valley all the way to just a few hundred meters away from the defensive formation, whether it was the tall walls on the sides or above them, every single inch of space was filled with multitudes of horrendous looking creatures.


    As far as the eye could see, there was only the army of undead in sight. (Authors Notes)


    Some with multiple limbs, some with multiple heads, some just a meter tall, some over fifty meters, there was every type of appalling creature one could ever imagine within its ranks, all looking at thest of the living beings left on that dreaded.


    The few people that had managed to stand up felt their legs go weak and fell back down lifelessly.


    "We....are doomed..." Hyson mumbled with vacant eyes as he looked around.


    From just an initial observation, there were hundreds of thousands of them. And how many of them were left? A little over fifty. There was simply no chance.


    "I...I don''t want to die like this, in the hands of these...fiends," Kramson muttered while shaking his head, he grabbed Rong Li''s shoulder, "Please, can you...f-finish me? Just one quick sh, that''s all!" he pointed at his neck.


    Rong Li had tears in his eyes. He acted tough and cheerful in front of others, but it wasn''t like he couldn''t feel fear. He was only a teenager that had stepped out in the foreign world for the first time just a few weeks ago. How was he to deal with this when even his seniors had given up?


    "S-Senior Brother, please don''t say that, please, we can go home, the rift is right there!" he said with tearsing down his face as he pointed at the rift behind them.


    Kramson took out his sword and put it in his hand, "Please, as a favor to me, just help this once?" he said with crazed eyes.


    "N-NO!" Rong Li threw away the sword like it was burning coal and crawled back. He hugged his own legs, sitting in a fetal position, "Every-everything will be okay...it will be okay...we can go home soon..."


    The mental toll of the past month had already been too much. And seeing the impending doom, several people finally cracked.


    Hou Chin was crying as well, hugging the only guard that was left beside her. All others perished along the way. They didn''t have time to mourn their loss, and now they were going to join them as well?


    Shi Chun crawled up to the unconscious Ma Yu and held her hand. It was getting colder by the minute.


    "I''m sorry princess, I promise, if we were to meet in the next life, I will treat you better," he said lightly and kissed her hand.


    Both Shi Long and Ma Qigong had many thoughts going through their heads. They had lived a long time and seen many things. To them, death was inevitable and a normal part of life, so this didn''t bother them too much.


    What did bother them was dying so far away from their homes. Humans were like that. When the time came, no matter how strong they were, home was one ce that would bring themfort.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    So i tried looking for some cool concept art or something but there wasn''t really anything I could find.


    Just imagine an army like this that covers the entirend: https://staticicvine/uploads/original/11119/111193741/4430625-8183396691-OrcAr.jpg


    Shortened URL: https://urlzs/tKawf


    Only this one is made from foul undead.

 Chapter 210: Valley Continued 4

    <h4>Chapter 210: Valley Continued 4</h4>


    Zeng Wu looked around at the utter despair that everyone was in and sighed. He didn''t have any children, nor anyone else to go back home to.


    His home was where his father was. He was his hero, hismander. He had followed him to many difficult battlefields ande out victorious, but it seemed like this was it.


    "F..father.." he mumbled weakly looking at Zeng Yu''s hunched back. That back that could hold up the entire sky now seemed so old.


    ''Father, why didn''t you breakthrough to the Profound realm? You could have done so a decade ago, but you didn''t, for your weak son. Because you were worried I wouldn''t be able to take care of myself. So you kept taking one assignment after another, never giving any time to yourself. All for me?''


    Zeng Wu''s knees bent as he kowtowed on the ground.


    "I...am sorry...dad," he said softly.


    *Thump*


    A strong force pulled him straight up as soon as his forehead touched the ground. Zeng Yu stood in front of him, staring at him with a tender smile.


    "You''ve really grown up huh?" his smile widened, "I promised your mother I would look after you until I was sure you became a man we both could be proud of. You''ve more than exceeded our expectations," he caressed his son''s face for the first time in over twenty years.


    The tears that Zeng Wu was holding back finally let loose like a broken dam. He cried for the first time since his mother died all those years ago.


    Zeng Yu smiled and gave him a big hug before letting go. The smile on his face hardened as he took in a deep breath.


    "GET THE HELL UP YOU BASTARDS!" he shouted with Qi infused into his voice, creating a small shockwave.


    Several people tipped over, falling on their faces.


    Everyone looked up at him. Even the ones that were sh*tting themselves a second ago were now staring straight at him.


    "You-" he pointed at the group, "-are the Mei Kingdoms property until we leave this world. Your lives belong to the Red Legion. And you will only die, after I say you can!"


    He looked at the 20 something Red Legion Warriors still left from the original fifty.


    "Who are you?!" he spoke in a deep voice.


    Almost by instinct, every single one of them stood up instantly and saluted, answering in unison.


    "The Red Legion, Commander!" they replied.


    "LOUDER!" Zeng Yu shouted angrily.


    "THE RED LEGION, SIR!"


    "And Who is the Red Legion?!"


    The soldiers looked at each other in confusion. ''Who?''


    Just as Zeng Yu was about to blow up from anger, Zeng Wu''s voice came from behind him.


    "We are the shield that shall not break!"


    Everyone immediately turned towards him. He looked at the Red Legion members and took out his longsword, repeating himself.


    "We are the shield that shall not break!"


    The soldiers were awakened from the trance from his voice and repeated after him.


    "We are the shield that shall not break!"


    They picked up their weapons and held them tightly.


    "We are the sword that shall not bend,"


    "And What will we do?!" Zeng Wu continued.


    Many of the soldier''s faces lit up as a sign of newfound courage found its way toward them.


    "We shall kill until the Heavens fall and the Earth rends."


    "Kill me, and my brother shall take my ce,"


    "Rise and Rise again we shall like a Phoenix from the ashes, until the Lambs be Lions and the Rule of Darkness is no more."


    Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu both walked forward and saluted,


    "WHAT ARE YOU?!"


    "For we, are the Red Legion!"


    "For we, are the Red Legion!"


    "For we, are the Red Legion!"


    After every repetition, they stomped on the ground together, making it rumble.


    They shouted as their faces became red and actual steam could be seening off of their heads.


    Everyone else that was watching was left dumbstruck. Not many people knew the Red Legion''s motto so hearing it for the first time made their hearts skip a beat. Several of the Ma and Shi n members got up and picked up their weapons once again.


    Right now, they wanted nothing more than to join the soldiers that were so reverently shouting their units name.


    Zeng Yu turned towards them with a frown, "What the hell did I say?! You are under mymand, and hence members of the Red Legion. Now tell me, WHAT ARE YOU?!"


    Smiles and tears adorned their faces as they all shouted as loudly as they could.


    "We are the shield that shall not break,"


    "We are the sword that shall not bend,"


    "We shall kill until the Heavens fall and the Earth rends."


    "Kill me, and my brother shall take my ce,"


    "Rise and Rise again we shall like a Phoenix from the ashes, until the Lambs be Lions and the Rule of Darkness is no more."


    "For we, are the Red Legion!"


    Everyone, including Shi Chun, Shi Long, Ma Qigong, Hyson, Hou Chin, Rong Li, Kramson, even Yin Da, all of their voices echoed throughout the valley at once, creating another shockwave.


    All of this transpired within the span of a couple of mins.


    The army of the undead that was looking at them from afar had finally had enough. They were merrily enjoying themselves, looking at the cowardly humans wallow in despair, but because of one man, all of it was gone.


    "GROOOWL" a twenty-something meter tall creature growled and started running towards the defensive formation at full speed. It started a chain reaction and thousands of creatures sprinted over.


    From afar, it actually looked like a wave of darkness was trying to extinguish thest bit of light left in this world.


    Zeng Yu grinned looking at the iing wave of monsters and spoke for thest time,


    "Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage! Rage against the dying of the light!"


    All six of his Mind pces appeared at once and an immense amount of Qi came down from them. The clouds above were pushed apart and a link between the heavens and him was created.


    Both Shi Long and Ma Qigong looked over, absolute astonishment apparent in their eyes.


    "He''s breaking through to the Profound realm!" Shi Long mumbled.


    They exchanged nces with one another and each knew what the other was thinking, ''The worlds resistance will not allow it. He will be burned to death by heavenly thunder!''


    But they didn''t stop him. Nor could they. Once the process was started, only death could put a stop to it.


    Thunder rumbled up above as shes of lightning swam in the dark clouds like serpents.


    The first wave of monsters arrived, weed by the most powerful attacks everyone present could muster.


    *BOOOM*


    The valley shook and the earth shattered.


    Zeng Yu floated several meters into the air, looking down with disdain at the creatures at his doorstep.


    With the sword held sideways, all the QI gathered around it. It shook once and more than 500 hundred blue shes were unleashed, shooting towards the undead. Everyone single one of them hit their mark. Cutting the target into two.


    Unfortunately, that did little to stop their advance. They were undead after all, ones that could feel nothing, and hence, fear nothing.


    "HAHAHA!" Zeng Yuughed maniacally while firing off one attack after another.


    The enemies didn''t back down either, instead, pushing even harder. They stomped over their own kind to reach the defensive formation.


    Inside the formation, everyone that could fight, fought. With weapons in hand and loud curses on their tongues, they fought.


    It was less than four minutes until the rift would stabilize and they could go through when the first line of the defensive formation broke and a hundred or so undead broke in.


    The expression on several people''s faces changed as they readied themselves for death, but still notpletely giving up.


    "Oi, little Shi lord, take care of our princess," Ma Qigong shouted towards Shi Chun, who turned around and looked back at him in confusion.


    Ma Qigong let out a loudugh.


    "This is a warrior''s death! No Shame in it, no shame indeed! Come you damned monsters, let me show you the Ma n''s ultimate technique!"


    He shot straight into the iing undead as a ck light covered his body. It covered him from head-to-toe and formed a vaguely humanoid figure behind his back. This figure had long ck wings and a tall stature.


    It held two massive swords in its hands. A new pressure descended.


    Shi Long looked over and was left shocked, "The Mighty Tengu race, the rumors were true," he whispered.


    Ma Qigong heard him and looked over with a grin, before quickly turning back.


    "Tengu''s Advent!" he whispered.


    The humanoid figure opened its mouth. A ball of ck light started forming.


    "AHHHHHH!" With his trusty daggers outstretched, Ma Qigong jumped into the herd of undead monsters.


    As if all sound died for an instant, there wasplete silence for a second.


    All the surrounding undead floated and were pulled in towards Ma Qigong by an unknown force. Hundreds, thousands, over ten thousand.


    They made a round ball more than a 1000 meters wide. Everyone turned towards it and looked on with wide eyes. And then suddenly,


    *Crunch*


    The over 1000 meter wide ball of undead monsters shrunk to a less than 1cm little ball of ck mass before exploding.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    Shi Long had cold sweat dripping down the side of his face. Because he knew exactly what that power was...

 Chapter 211: Valley Continued 5

    <h4>Chapter 211: Valley Continued 5</h4>


    The over 1000 meter wide ball of undead monsters shrunk to a less than 1cm little ball of ck mass before exploding.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    Shi Long had cold sweat dripping down the side of his face. Because he knew exactly what that power was...the power of Tengu!


    Jin Wang also looked for a second.


    There were rumors among the high-level experts of the Shi n that the Ma n ancestor had some rtions to the mysterious Tengu Race. Apparently, that was true.


    The Tengu were an intergctic species. Not many people on the Beast world knew what they looked like since there were no full-blooded Tengu''s here, but their achievements reached even these backwaters.


    The Tengu had the blood of the ancient three-legged Dark crow and the mighty Asura Demons running through their veins. They had the best of both worlds, with none of the ws of the originals.


    It was rumored that they would train in the deep space, mastering the many different powers of the universe. Seemed like the rumors were true indeed.


    Shi Long looked at the area where the little mass had exploded. There was a massive crater there with some kind of strange energy in it.


    Whenever an undead got close and tried to move over it, the energy would move around like little snakes and strike. With every strike, an undead vanished. Just, vanished into nothingness. There was no blood, no corpse, no remains whatsoever.


    Even after Ma Qigong''s death, the area still had such an abominable energy that no one could even get close. What would it be like if a true expert at the Profound realm used such an attack?


    "Young master!" Shi Long''s voice rang in Shi Chun''s head, "If you get out of here, you must tell the elders that the rumors about the Ma n ancestors are true, understand?!"


    Shi Chun was in the middle of a strenuous fight himself and he had no idea what Shi Long was talking about, so he simply nodded back.


    "Good, just two more minutes!" Shi Long looked at the rift that was almost stable.


    ''Just a little bit more.''


    ''Just a little bit more and we can go home.''


    Simr thoughts ran through the minds of everyone present.


    The defensive formation shrunk. Thest line was at the 15-meter mark. If this line broke, it would be the end.


    They fought until thest of their breaths. Sweat trickled down their backs and blood covered their faces. Out of the original 22 Mind Pces, only 16 were left.


    Zeng Yu was holding both the left and back sides, fighting off hundreds of monsters at once. His body was glowing, the mind pces slowly expanding.


    Zeng Wu was holding the right side with his 4 mind pces, while Shi Long held the front with 6 of his.


    The Mind pces were connected directly to the defensive formation, providing it the enormous amounts of energy needed to keep it running and the undead at bay.


    "Ahh!" Shi Long let out a bellow and created over a hundred spears made from pure Spiritual Qi. The spears shot into the horde, nailing hundreds of undead to the ground.


    Taking the initiative, he didn''t wait for them to get closer, instead, stepping out of the formation himself.


    Two longswords of pure Spiritual Qi were created. They looked they were made from pure white light, lighting up the area around him for dozens of meters.


    "ACCURSED BEASTS!"


    Like an angry god, he used the swords to y hundreds of undead within seconds. His white beard and hair fluttered in the wind as he moved from one ce to another. Every time he moved, the area around him would be left with burning undead corpses.


    Zeng Yu''s ears twitched as he looked over to Shi Long with a frown. His eyes dted as he shouted, "COME BACK! IT''S COMING OUT!"


    But Shi Long was too engrossed in killing to pay attention to anything else. Nothing could touch him.


    *Brzzt*


    A strange sound came from the surroundings. The air itself vibrated and about a three-meter-long ck spear-like object cut through the space and pierced Shi Long''s chest in an instant.


    "Wha-" he looked down and saw the dark object protruding from his chest. Blood rained down for a couple of seconds before the object retreated at the same speed it came with, dragging the impaled Shi Long with it into the ck Gate that was over two kilometers away.


    And just like that, there were only two spirit realm experts left.


    "Ahh!"


    Zeng Wu pushed off the dozens of creatures in front of him and moved in the middle, so he could defend both the front and the right side.


    Jin Wang''s face waspletely white. He still hadn''t recovered from the earlier offering. He had to give away almost half his soul to be able to break free from that spell.


    But still he made his way to the defensive line and fought at very front.


    With him and Zeng Wu, they were barely able to hold on for dear life.


    30 seconds left.


    Of the 55 or so people that entered the valley, a little over 30 were left.


    Hou Chin had tears streaming down her face as she fought off the monsters alone. Herst sister''s corpseid under her feet, coloring the ground red.


    She was tired and just wanted to rest, but the damned monsters wouldn''t stop for even a second. So she swung her shortsword with all she had, about to copse any second.


    *Shrieeeek*


    A wraith passed through Zeng Wu''s attacks and jumped at Rong Li who was closest to it.


    Rong Li barely had any time to react before he was dragged off into the undead horde with a stupified expression on his face.


    Kramson was right next to him and felt the air move as Rong Li''s body disappeared into the monster horde.


    "NOOOO," he shouted in anger and jumped into the mass of undead with his sword, but the result was as expected.


    About 5 different undead attacked him at once. He managed to chop off the heads of two of them, but the other three got a hold him. They pulled, ripping off his hand, leg, and abdomen in half.


    His blood sttered on the undead like rain, sending them into an even more frenzied state.


    As if a switch was turned on, the undead started throwing themselves at the defensive formation and the two Spirit Realm warriors that were powering it.


    The formation dimmed for a second. The sudden influx of undead almost broke it in half.

 Chapter 212: Valley Continued 6

    <h4>Chapter 212: Valley Continued 6</h4>


    Zeng Yu was covered in blood. Mostly his own.


    He had started the process of breaking through to the profound realm but was stopping it on purpose, which took a massive toll on his body. His skin cracked open as the blood drained from his face. But that did little to stop his advance.


    Instead, it pushed him further into madness.


    Incoherent mumbling could be hearding from him every now and then.


    "Shield.....not..break...not bend...for I am...." repeating the Red Legion oath like a mantra, a prayer that powered his advance.


    His ears twitched again and his eyes contracted as he quickly stepped sideways. The same ck spear-like object cut through the air, barely missing his chest before quickly retracting.


    *Cough*


    He threw up a mouthful of blood. That sudden movement shifted several of his organs.


    *Cough*Cough*


    He raised his sword once again, mumbling with vacant eyes, "For...I am...Red Legion."


    *Bzzzt*


    The Rift stabilized.


    Yin Da turned around and looked at it, his face turning brighter.


    "He-HEY, IT''S UP! THE RIFT!" he shouted loudly.


    But no one even reacted. There were about 25 people left alive. If any of them moved away from their positions, the defensive formation would copse.


    Zeng Wu looked over at Yin Da, "Go! Go through!"


    He then looked at the handful of people still left in Hyson''s group, "You too, go!"


    "But-" Hyson looked at the monsters and then at the rift. If they left, these guys would die within seconds.


    "NOW! Ma and Shi n, go through as well!"


    But no one moved. Not Yin Da, not Shi Chun.


    Zeng Wu''s brow shot up in anger, "THAT''S AN ORDER! The Red Legion will hold back the formation, go!"


    Including Jin Wang, Zeng Yu, and Zeng Wu, there were only about 11 people from the Red Legion left alive.


    "Go! It''s our job! We are soldiers, dying on the battlefield is the most we can ask for. Leave now!"


    The Red Legion soldiers had wide grins on their faces listening to Zeng Wu. All of them were smiling like crazy, like it was the happiest day of their lives.


    "Hahaha, it has been a pleasure!" one of the men said as he kicked Jin Wang, sending him flying into the rift.


    "What the fu-" Jin Wang was barely standing up so that one kick was enough to sap away all his strength. He looked at the Red Legion guys that fought with him for thest few weeks, ''You b*stards.''


    Another one looked at Shi Chun in mock anger, "This is our battlefield now, how dare you try to steal our spotlight!?"


    "Hahaha," other soldiersughed at him.


    Shi Chun looked at them. He remembered each of their faces.


    "Thank you," he bowed. Nothing else needed to be said.


    He turned towards his men. "Let''s go, quickly bring princess Ma Yu, she needs immediate help!"


    "Yes sir," only after he gave the order did the people moved.


    A couple of guards picked up the make-shift stretcher and walked towards the rift. But before they could step through,


    *CRAAAACK*


    The ck gate vibrated and a humanoid figure stepped out.


    It was covered from top to bottom in a ck carapace like that of a beetle. In its hand was the spear-like object. It kept moving around like it was alive.


    *WOOSH*


    A pressure descended on the entire valley.


    The figure raised his hand and the pressure quadrupled. Everyone besides Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu fell down to their knees, including the undead.


    "..." Hou Chin moved her head with some effort and looked up at it.


    The figure had no orifices on its face. It was apletely smooth exterior.


    It looked at the humans and tilted its head sideways,


    "Krefuk Ikeuf Heurtf."


    Complete silence. No one knew what it was talking about. It waited for a couple of seconds and when there was no response, shook its head.


    It stepped forward and started floating higher and higher into the air. 1 meter, 5 meters, 20 meters.


    Zeng Yu''s bloodied eyes widened as a lighting bolt descended from the heavens and hit him square in the chest, leaving a burned hole in its wake.


    The figure shook its hand and a ck throne made of hundreds of bones appeared, floating in the air alongside him. He sat down and looked down at the humans.


    He didn''t have a mouth so they couldn''t tell, but it was quite obvious it was looking at them with a derisive smile.


    It lightly waved its hand.


    The pressure vanished while the defensive formationpletely copsed. A ck barrier appeared around the rift, surrounding itpletely. No one could leave anymore.


    It leaned back, looking at them expectedly. Like it was saying, "Put on a good show for me."


    The undead got up as well and snarled at the humans, preparing to attack again.


    Zeng Yu coughed again, throwing up arge amount of blood. Using his sword as a crutch, he stood up with some effort.


    "Up....get...and fight. Do not....give in," he wanted to shout but it was barely audible.


    Zeng Wu''s eyes went red as he readied himself to face the uing wave along with the other soldiers.


    "Looks like time''s up huh," he mumbled to himself.


    Shi Chun looked up at the figure sitting on the floating throne with such deep resentment that it felt it. It looked at him, and he could tell it wasughing at him.


    He looked down at the sleeping Ma Yu and caressed her face before looking away resolutely.


    "Get ready, we will fight till the end!" he ordered his men.


    Every one of them took out their weapons once again. Probably for thest time.


    They formed a straight line, facing the undead horde.


    Behind them was the figure on the throne, in the front was the unending horde of monsters.


    *GROWL*


    A massive creature of over 15 meters in length growled and leaped forward. The others followed behind it.


    Hou Chin''s legs were shaking, but she was a little relieved. ''At least it will be all over soon''.


    She closed her eyes and raised the sword in front of her. This was it. The creatures woulde and it would be the end.


    The first creature arrived. Time slowed to a crawl as everyone felt their powers increase. A sudden influx of energy and Qi. Their blood thrummed and faces turned red. Whereas a massive pressure fell on the undead, making them freeze mid-stride.


    From the other end of the valley, a bellow full of anger resounded.


    "ASSAULT OF THE MAD GOD!"


    *BOOOOOM*


    Thunder fell and the entire valley shook.


    The figure on the throne sat up straight but didn''t make a move.


    Zeng Wu''s face changed to one of astonishment


    They all stretched their necks and looked behind the gigantic undead in front of them.


    From the other end of the valley, a mass of noises came as creatures could be seen getting flung up into the air.


    *RUMBLE*


    In less than 10 seconds they could finally see the source of all the noise.


    It was a beast, a huge beast covered in white lightning. Atop the beast sat a lone figure. In its right hand, a massive weapon that had arcs of lightning erupting from it. In his left hand, arge cylindrical object.


    There were about eight of these cylindrical object attached to the beast as well.


    Lightning shed wherever the beast went while the undead could do nothing against it. The figure swung his weapon left and right, sending bolts of lightning flying into the horde.


    It went through them like a hot knife through butter, leaving limbs scattered in its path.


    The figure in the sky finally seemed to have had enough as he waved his hand. The pressure from the undead vanished and they could move again.


    The giant 15-meter tall creature quickly turned around and punched, but the result wasn''t as expected.


    The beast covered in lightning nimbly sidestepped and jumped on top of it, digging its teeth deep into its neck.


    *Crunch*


    It pulled, ripping out the undead creature''s entire spine. But it didn''t stop there.


    The person sitting above it threw the cylindrical object from his left hand in the ground, right in front of the humans.


    The person swung his massive weapon several more times, destroying every undead within 50 meters like they were made from y.


    The beast then moved in a circle and went around the rift, leaving a total of nine cylindrical objects behind it.


    The lightning surrounding the beast slowly disappeared, showing the true face of the person sitting above it.


    "I leave for a few weeks, and you guys end up like this?"


    The voice sounded familiar but only four people recognized it.


    "?!"


    Hao Xuan jumped off of Bai andnded on the ground. He clicked a small button in his hand as he walked towards the group.


    *CRACKLE*


    A ring made of pure lightning erupted around the rift, cutting it off from the outside world. The nine cylindrical objects were the source of it. They were releasing massive amounts of electricity that created a barrier between the undead and the humans.


    "C-Captain Deimos..." Shi Chun muttered looking at Hao Xuan''s mask.


    "Yo, you look tired, rx, let me handle the rest," Hao Xuan winked. He waved his hand and several bottles appeared in his hand.


    He threw them towards the people before walking up to Ma Yu.


    Shi Chun clenched his fist looking at him walk up to her, but didn''t stop him.


    Hao Xuan checked Ma Yu''s pulse and heaved a sigh of relief. He then walked up to Zeng Yu who was bleeding profusely.


    "You hang in there old man, it''s not your time yet," he grinned while putting a small ss bottle in his hand, "Here, drink this."


    Everyone was stupified into speechlessness. How was their captain back from death?!


    Zeng Wu opened his mouth to say something but threw up blood instead.


    Hao Xuan looked over, "Rx dude. Heal yourself first," he looked at the faces of everyone present.


    "Did that bast- Jin Wang, did he..?"


    It was Shi Chun this time that answered him, "No, he already went through the rift."


    Hao Xuan sighed again. "Good good, you guys rest, we''ll go back once I open this barrier."


    He smiled and turned towards the figure in the sky that was silently staring at them.


    "And who the f*ck might you be?" Hao Xuan''s eyes squinted as he looked at it.

 Chapter 213: Valley Continued 7

    <h4>Chapter 213: Valley Continued 7</h4>


    A few hours ago, inside Poriverses''s base.


    "Poor creature..."


    Hao Xuan looked at thest Amicus and sighed. He truly felt bad for the creature.


    "System, create a portable device and move your entire framework into it."


    Poriverse had spent a long time building this AI system. It wasn''t very well suited forbat but it did have exceptional intelligence, and how could it not? It was built by one of the smartest beings in existence at the time.


    Other than actually having Poriverse himself beside him as an assistant, this was the next best thing.


    The most important thing on the entire was this. The AI system made by Poriverse himself for the purpose of keeping everything running after his demise.


    "Acknowledged. Please define perimeters," the mechanical voice said.


    Hao Xuan took out a pen and pencil from his storage ring and drew a watch, "Something like this. It should be secure and sturdy enough to handle everything thrown at it. Give it a battery big enough for several years, or something that recharges on its own."


    "Perimeters epted."


    "Do you have everything you need for it?"


    "Affirmative. The raw resources in containment unit two will be more than enough to produce the device."


    "Great. How long is it gonna take?"


    "ETA: 10 minutes."


    "Damn, alright, go ahead," Hao Xuan beamed happily.


    *Beep*


    "Querry: There are enough resources avable to produce a trial version of the user''s device with the ability to act both as a storage and amunication device. Continue?"


    A picture of Hao Xuan''s spirit band and storage ring was projected on the screen ahead.


    "Combine the two?" he frowned, but the answer was obvious. Whatever an AI this advanced rmended was probably better than anything he coulde up with.


    "Sure, go ahead. Do you need these two?" he said talking about the band and storage rings on his hand.


    "Negative; All blueprints are avable."


    "Alright, go ahead. How long is this now?"


    "ETA: 30 minutes"


    "Confirmed. Do it!"


    *Beeeeep*


    Hao Xuan had a satisfied smile on his face. The rewards from this journey were stupendously good. He got a head full of information, a personal AI assistant, Blood inheritances of a Nephilim, and everything that was stored in the 2ndpartment. Not to mention a space monster of unknown origin.


    ''Wait...maybe it could work...''


    "Oi!" he shook his head up and down, startling the little octopus that was contently chewing on his hair like bubblegum.


    "WHAT?!" Fortis''s raging squeaks came from above as he angrily slumped down to look at Hao Xuan''s face.


    "The thing in the first room, the little container, can you pick it up and suppress it?"


    "...wah?"


    Fortis''s anger turned to confusion as he tried to remember what Hao Xuan was talking about.


    "Tsk, this thing!" he walked out and stood in front of the first containment unit.


    "System, open door to containment unit one."


    *nk*


    Fortis looked up with furrowed brows, making his little chubby face even cuter. He got down from Hao Xuan''s head and extended one tentacle into the containment field before turning around and looking at Hao Xuan.


    "Can! Can eat!"


    "Eat? No, no eat! Just keep it safe until I need it again!" he quickly rified.


    Fortis looked like he was in deep thought for a second before nodding.


    "Mhm, can do, but then can''t eat anything else!"


    "Again with the eating, just suppress it!" Hao Xuan repeated himself.


    "Un Un" Fortis bobbed his head up and down, "Fortis suppress in tummy!" he rubbed his stomach.


    "...fine, I guess. But I''m gonna need it back so don''t....digest it...?"


    "Mhm!"


    He happily walked into the containment unit and walked out a secondter. The barrier around the unit receded back into the walls.


    Hao Xuan could actually feel Fortis''s energy level drop significantly. He also looked a bit bloated.


    "H-Hey, if it''s too much then just throw it out or eat itpletely, don''t do it if you feel ufortable."


    Fortis jumped back up on Hao Xuan''s head, "Not hurt, Fortis keep it!" he patted his chest proudly.


    Hao Xuan could only sigh in response.


    "If it''s not a problem then."


    Soon the device was done. It looked like a normal watch back from earth, only that it waspletely ck with a shiny exterior. As he picked it up, a small needle came out of it and pricked his finger, absorbing a droplet of blood.


    The watch''s strap which wasplete metal opened up and small mechanical legs like those of a centipede appeared. Hao Xuan wasn''t expecting that and almost jerked his hand out of instinct to get it off of him.


    It went over to his storage rings, the dial''s bottom opened up and literally ate the storage rings one by one.


    "!!!"


    Then it walked over to his spirit band and did the same to it before taking its ce on his left hand.


    "Um, system, please tell me everything in the storage rings is okay...."


    "Affirmative."


    The system''s voice came from the watch.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and concentrated. Very quickly a link was formed between him and the watch. He could feel absolutely massive amounts of space inside it. It was about a dozen square kilometers in size.


    Previously he carried several different rings to be able to have everything he needed but with this much space, nothing else was needed.


    His sight fell on the mounds of equipment and materials in one corner of the space. Apparently, the system had taken the liberty of transferring everything from Containment unit two as well as the Nephilim''s container into the ring as well.


    Hao Xuan was impressed.


    "Alright, open the teleportation portal. Send me as close as possible to this lifeform. Also, start the self destruct protocol. Destroy everything as soon as I''m off the."


    "Command epted."


    ****


    Several hourster.


    The electric barrier was up so none of the undead could even get close.


    The undead were creatures of Yin and darkness. Unless they were ''awakened'' beings and had gained sentience, their one and only weakness would be Yang elements like fire and lightning.


    This was one of the solutions that the ''System'' came up with.


    "Oi, can you open up this barrier?" he asked Fortis telepathically who was hiding in his shirt.


    "Mhm!"


    "Good."


    Hao Xuan squinted so hard that his eyes turned into slits, "And who the f*ck might you be?"

 Chapter 214: Valley End.

    <h4>Chapter 214: Valley End.</h4>


    The figure on the throne slowly lowered his head, meeting Hao Xuan''s gaze. There was no sound nor movement from him.


    The group behind Hao Xuan fell down to their knees one by one. They were already exhausted from the previous fight and now that the urgency of the situation had passed, the adrenaline wore off and it all came crashing down at once.


    Zeng Wu hurriedly walked over to Zeng Yu and emptied the contents of the ss bottle in his mouth.


    Zeng Yu really wasn''t doing very well. There was a hole the size of a fist in his chest. The flesh around it was burned to a crisp with smoke still rising from it.


    ck blood continuously fell from the wound as he struggled to breathe.


    Hou Chin, Hyson, Shi Chun, Yin Da, all 20 or so people left alive looked at Hao Xuan expectedly. Hoping that he could pull off a miracle.


    Hyson looked at the rift that was surrounded by the ck barrier and sighed. The energying off it was enough to shred him into pieces upon contact.


    There was nothing any of them could do anymore. It was all in Hao Xuan''s hands.


    The figure looked back at Hao Xuan for a good minute or so before raising his hand. A surge of Qi erupted from his body and a w appeared out of nowhere, shing with the electric field, making it slightly tremble.


    Hao Xuan remained expressionless. He stood rooted in one ce, staring at the figure.


    "How much longer?" he asked telepathically.


    "Soon!" Fortis''s voice echoed in his mind.


    "Hurry up, the rift won''tst forever," Hao Xuan replied.


    He then smirked at the figure, "It''s not going to work. These batteries were made to power something much MUCH bigger than this little thing. You won''t be able to destroy them anytime soon. Why don''t you tell me why you''re here?"


    The figure rxed and leaned back on the throne. It stared for a few seconds before a sharp voice echoed in the valley.


    "Keusagf fheutghs Jhdraufgne."


    Shi Chun peered at Yin Da but was met with a shake of his head. He was the chief science officer on this expedition and thus the most knowledgeable about foreignnguages, but even he had no idea.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed upon listening to the creature''s words. Others might not know, but he understood it all.


    It was one of thenguages that Poriverse had imnted in his mind.


    ''Why are they here?''


    Hao Xuan looked at the figure with a deep frown. He opened his mouth and vocalized thenguage ording to the information in his mind. A simr noise to that of the figure came out, startling everyone around.


    "Why is the tribe of ''Volucris'' trespassing here?''


    It was a mix of clicking and raspy gasping sounds. Like someone was getting choked to death. Hao Xuan''s throat actually hurt just from speaking that small sentence.


    The figure who was sitting on the throne without a care in the world suddenly straightened up in shock.


    "You speak...ournguage. How?" it asked while leaning forward.


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "That doesn''t matter. This does not belong to you. It already has an owner ording to your ownws. What gives you the right to trespass?"


    The figure tilted its head in confusion before replying.


    "This world has no owner, not anymore. There are no living beings left. The chaos and the darkness has already corrupted everything. By thews of the void, after five thousand years of silence from the original owner, this world is fair game."


    Hao Xuan guffawed at the statement. The figure looked at him in bewilderment.


    "Why? Do you not agree?" its tone bing more and more annoying.


    Hao Xuanughed for about 10 seconds straight before looking at the figure sympathetically like he was looking at an idiot.


    "I am the owner of this. Who says it is ownerless?!"


    The figure stood up abruptly, looking at Hao Xuan with clenched fists.


    "Impossible. The''sst owner was a recognized being. You....are nothing. How could you make such a im?!"


    "Of course I am! How else would I know about thews of the Void? Or thes history or...."


    He mentioned one thing after another, making the figure more and more uncertain.


    Right now Hao Xuan was just trying to buy time. Beforeing here he already got the gist of the situation from the P.O.G. ary Observational Grid).


    This was just one of over 500 gates that appeared all over the. It was connected to another ce and its inhabitants were spilling over like cockroaches. And it wasn''t just undead either. On the other side of the, there were several other species.


    The reason there were only undead here was because all the nearby gates connected to their homeworld.


    This wasn''t an umon thing in the void.


    Powerful beings could own entires or gxies and do whatever they wanted on them. But once the owner died or simply moved away, the alien races of the void woulde to inhabit it for any number of reasons.


    It could be because they wanted to expand and needed a that was habitable for them or just to sell itter on. These races were like scavengers.


    To them, it wasn''t anything odd. Just another day at work.


    The undead here were like the mindless worker bees, released on this world to change it and cleanse it of any living beings still left.


    Unfortunately, Hao Xuan''s group was part of this cleanup process.


    *BAM*


    The figure punched the throne''s armrest in anger.


    "Enough! You have no evidence for your ims. How dare you waste my time!"


    Finally having had enough of Hao Xuan''s BS, it attacked.


    It raised its hand and another w formed in mid-air. It looked ethereal but was giving off a deadly energy.


    It was several tens of meters in size, big enough to cover the entire electric field.


    The figure closed its hand and the w mped down on the barrier, making it shrink several feet.


    *Bzzzzt*


    Sparks of electricity erupted from the barrier, leaving holes in the w.


    "Argh!" the figure quickly pulled back his hand and the w vanished into thin air.


    Hao Xuan smiled nonchntly, "Is this your first time seeing electricity? What backward ass world did youe from? Your power can''t do anything to this energy field. Just undo the barrier and we will depart. You can do whatever you want afterward."


    The figure was now standing above the throne, ring at Hao Xuan resentfully.


    "Human, you are the one trespassing. You have destroyed many of my underlings. Who will pay for them? Do you really think I would allow you to leave so easily?"


    It raised its hand above its head as soon as it was done talking. Another surge of Qi came from its body and something started taking shape in the dark sky.


    A w, a wrist, a forearm, an elbow joint, another extension of the forearm, another elbow joint. Within a few seconds, a hundred-meter long insect-like arm appeared in the sky. It had three joints, waspletely ck, and had a hard carapace on the outside just like the figure itself.


    Hao Xuan''s expression hardened. He knew exactly what that was.


    The tribe of Volucris he spoke off was the race this figure belonged to. It was one of the species that was mostmon in this part of the universe.


    Back when Poriverse acquired this, he had a few run-ins with them. They were a type of insect species that had the ability to control the undead. Their true forms were massive, thousands of meter long creatures that could traverse space itself.


    The figure in front of him was probably not very strong. It had only entered the profound realm not too long ago and wasn''t able to summon his entire body here at once, otherwise, that would be the end of Hao Xuan.


    "Hurry up, we don''t have a lot of time!" he said to Fortis.


    Fortis''s tentacles were currently underground, trying to break through the barrier around the rift.


    Fortis couldn''t break it in one go so he split his tentacles into hundreds of smaller ones, like the tendrils that first entered Hao Xuan''s body, and slowly broke down the barrier from inside out.


    "Can only open for few seconds!" Fortis''s anxious voice replied.


    Hao Xuan turned around and shouted at everyone behind him. "Get up! The barrier will open for a short time, you all have to go through quickly!"


    Their haggard faces lit up like Christmas trees as they all got up and formed a line in front of the rift.


    Ma ns people were at the front. Ma Yu''s guards were carrying her stretcher, ready to leap into the rift at a moment''s notice.


    Behind her was Hyson''s group followed by the Shi n, the science team, and then the Red Legion soldiers.


    Zeng Wu was holding up Zeng Yu who could barely even stand on his own.


    *BOOOOOM*


    The gigantic insect arm came crashing down onto the barrier, making it shrink by about two meters.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned even worse because of what Fortis just told him. He could only hold the barrier open for a few seconds at most. There would not be enough time for everyone to go through because the electric field would copse before that.


    Hao Xuan looked at the worn-out people standing in line with glistening eyes. They were hoping with all their hearts that this would work, no, they believed it would. Because Hao Xuan had said so.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The arm struck again, weakening the barrier once more.


    Hao Xuan looked at the figure standing in the night sky, staring down at them. He couldn''t see its eyes, but the aura it was giving off was more than enough to tell him what it was feeling.


    Utter disdain. For him, for the people that died there.


    More than a hundred people died here. Rong Li was only a teenager, so was Kramson. What did their deaths mean?


    "System, initiate self-destruction sequence," Hao Xuan mumbled while taking out his ive.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes."


    "Sequence Initiated."


    Hao Xuan went up to Zeng Wu who was at the back of the line and patted him on the shoulder.


    "Hey, when you get back, ry a message to First brother for me. Tell him to....keep an eye on Xu Qing and Yun Wentian for me. I''ll be away for a little while."


    Zeng Wu looked up at him in confusion, "What do you mean Captain?"


    Hao Xuan smiled, "Just tell him that will ya?"


    Zeng Wu nodded hesitantly. Zeng Yu who was breathing heavily beside him also raised his head with some effort and looked at Hao Xuan.


    "Don...t...you...must.....go..back...the Jia...."


    Hao Xuan winked back with a grin, "I will. It shouldn''t be more than a few years at most."


    "Few years??" Zeng Wu repeated with a deep frown. But before he could inquire further, Hao Xuan had already walked out of the electric field.


    He stood under the massive insect arm and looked up calmly, "I haven''t used thisbination before so be careful little bug."


    "Weakling!" the figure retorted.


    Hao Xuan''s smiled softly, "I am...aren''t I?"


    The figure raised his arm and the giant insect arm in the sky followed his movements.


    "CAPTAIN!" Zeng Wu shouted from inside the barrier, bringing everyone''s attention over to him.


    Hao Xuan looked at the insect arm and mumbled something under his breath as he raised the ive over his head.


    Sparks of ck lightning covered both his arms as he activated Infernal Rapture''s level two.


    Six red arms came out of his back and gripped the ive. A total of eight arms were now holding onto it.


    Assault of the Mad God was activated as his own arms changed color and doubled in size.


    Emperors Qi thrummed inside his body as he activated its effects on himself and the figure in the sky.


    The figure''s expression slightly stiffened. It could feel the air getting thicker around Hao Xuan. Out of instinct, it took a step back.


    Fortis''s voice ran inside Hao Xuan''s head again, "It''s open!"


    The barrier opened halfway like a vertical eye. Just enough for two people to pass through at a time.


    Hao Xuan turned around and shouted, "GO!"


    "But-"


    "NOW!"


    The figure felt the change in its barrier and punched down towards the electric field, trying to smash it open and stop them from leaving.


    Hao Xuan looked at the iing insect arm that was getting bigger and bigger by the second and chuckled.


    Closing his eyes and he took in a deep breath and whispered, "Last Strike of Samsara" before bringing the ive down diagonally and then swiping horizontally from left to right, leaving a white afterglow in ''¡Ï'' shape.


    A pale light covered everything in a radius of 10 meters and nothing could be seen. There was no explosion, no movement of any kind.


    The light slowly receded and the only thing left in its wake was a massive hole where Hao Xuan once stood.


    The figure looked down speechlessly. It stared at the spot for a good little while before walking back into the ck gate with its head hung low.


    The rift had disappeared, along with all the humans.


    Several secondster, the five bases situated around the exploded, wreaking havoc across its surface in the shape of massive earthquakes that overturned everything.

 Chapter 215: Bad news

    <h4>Chapter 215: Bad news</h4>


    There were about 11 people standing in the room near the Rift.


    They were divided into 3 groups with three people in the 1st group, five in the 2nd and two in thest one.


    In front of the rift was a middle-aged man with a thick beard, standing beside a blood-covered young man who was passed out on the ground. There was a female next to him that was tending to his injuries.


    The middle-aged man was smiling sheepishly with a gourd in his hand, from which he would take sips every few seconds.


    To the left were the three people dressed in ck clothes. The leader was a young man of about 25 years of age. His eyes were closed and it didn''t even look like he was breathing. He wasn''t exceptionally good looking but one couldn''t take his eyes off of him due to the strange presence he exuded. The two next to him were much older men that looked to be in their 40''s.


    To the right was the group of five. They were all dressed in white leather armor. At the front was their leader, a man of about 30 years of age. Behind him were four older men with sharp eyes.


    The streams of aurae they were releasing were so strong that a normal human being would simply pass out from pure pressure.


    All of them were waiting in front of the rift.


    Some time passed and the rift''s smooth ss-like surface rippled as one person after another stepped out. All of them were covered in blood to some degree. At the front was a stretcher being carried with a pale young girlying atop it with closed eyes.


    As soon as the stretcher came out, the young man in ck garments abruptly opened his eyes. All the light in the surrounding dimmed for a split-second before returning to normal.


    The people holding the stretcher saw the young man and visibly shook. Some of their expressions turned worse as they quickly brought it in front of him.


    "Young master, the princess has been poisoned!" one of the men bowed as he pointed at the girl.


    The girl was obviously Ma Yu. The young man was her cousin, Ma He. He was one of the several people in the younger generation that had managed to break through to the profound realm at such a young age.


    He got closer to Ma Yu and checked her injuries.


    He waved his hand and the two older men behind him came forward and quickly carried her off into one of the nearby buildings.


    He then looked up and squinted upon seeing Shi Chun walkout.


    Shi Chun was also in bad condition. He had several injuries and looked exhausted.


    As soon as he walked out the five people in white leather armor ran up to him.


    "Shi Chun, are you okay?!" the leader asked as he inspected his injuries.


    "Yes uncle, I''m fine. But the elders..." Shi Chun''s face lit up as he looked at the leader, who was his uncle Shi Yating.


    "Little Shi brat," just as Shi Chun was about to tell Shi Yating what had happened, Ma He''s eerily calm voice came from the other side of the room, "Why is our princess in such a state?"


    Shi Chun was surprised at the sudden query.


    Shi Yating frowned and came in between him and Ma He, "Ma He, you do not have the authority to ask anything from the Shi n''s members!"


    "Hoh, is that so?" Ma He smiled and extended his hand. Shi Yating''s expression turned serious as he took out his own sword.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "Why don''t we all calm down? I believe you both are here because you got the news. Let''s not jump to conclusions eh?" the middle-aged man in the middle took a swig from his gourd smilingly.


    This middle-aged man was a general of the Mei Kingdom named Gong Zan. He was sent here when the first Spirit Realm experts of the Ma and Shi n died.


    These big ns always had means of finding out whenever something happened to their people and as soon as they did, the Mei Kingdom was contacted and asked for an exnation.


    Both the ns sent people over to get an exnation and were waiting for them here.


    Ma He went into deep thought for a second before he retracted his hand.


    "Hmph," Shi Yating sheathed his sword as well.


    He turned towards Shi Chun and asked, "What happened in there?"


    But before he could answer, the rift rippled for thest time and cracked, before vanishing back into space.


    Thest person had stepped out.


    *Cough*


    "Hahaha, can''t believe that worked!" Hao Xuanughed while coughing out a few mouthfuls of blood.


    "A-Are you okay?" Zeng Wu''s worried voice came from the side.


    Hao Xuan nodded while sitting down on the ground, "Yeah yeah, I''m fine. Take care of your own injuries first."


    "What was with the message you wanted me to deliver to the First captain?" Zeng Wu asked curiously.


    He thought Hao Xuan was going to do something reckless but everything ended up fine.


    "That was just to throw off that guy''s senses. Even though he couldn''t understand us, but since he was at the Profound realm he still would have known something was up. I had to say those things just for him," Hao Xuan exined proudly.


    When the barrier covering the rift had opened, a light appeared out of nowhere and covered everyone within. Time seemed to have slowed down for everyone inside the light as they made their way through the rift before the giant insect arm could reach.


    Hao Xuan used a variation of ''Last strike of Samsara'' on the area around him. It wasn''t aimed at the insect arm at all, even though it seemed like that.


    The only problem they were facing was that they wouldn''t have enough time for everyone to go through because of the figures iing attack, so he used that Strike of Samsara to slow down the surrounding environment.


    The ''Last strike of Samsara'' was the defining technique of a very peculiar race. It couldn''t be used to time travel, but with enough power, slowing or speeding up time wasn''t an impossible task, which is exactly what Hao Xuan did.


    He managed to drag out 3 actual seconds for 20 seconds, barely making it into the rift himself before it copsed under the figures attack.


    "Are you the leader?" A voice came from behind Hao Xuan.


    He turned around and saw Ma He ring down at him.


    "Yeah, what''s it to you?" he replied in the same tone. This guy who he had never seen before suddenly came out of nowhere and started questioning him, so Hao Xuan didn''t take very kindly to him either.


    "What happened in there?" Ma He asked.


    "Why do I have to tell you anything?" Hao Xuan frowned while looking around. They were back in the beast world but he didn''t recognize anyone other than the people that came through the rift with him.


    Ma He smiled like he was hoping for that answer. He extended the index and middle finger of his right hand and a dark Qi took shape.


    Gong Zan sighed and spoke again, "Young master He, why don''t you let the young captain first exin what happened?"


    Ma He''s smile froze as he remembered where he was. He was told specifically not to pick a fight so he was hoping someone would start one with him, but apparently, that wouldn''t be so easy.


    After some rification from Gong Zan, Hao Xuan exined everything he knew, which wasn''t much. Zeng Wu who was near him filled in the nks and told them what happened.


    Gong Zan''s expression turned worse when he found out what happened. There was still a different group inside the rift but if what they said was true, then they might not being back.


    "Young master Ma, Master Yating, since you now have your exnations, you must excuse us," Gong Zan smiled towards both parties and snapped his fingers.


    A group of medics entered the room and started treating everyone. Zeng Yu was the first to be taken out as he was in the worst condition.


    "Captain, please follow me," Gong Zan said telepathically to Hao Xuan and walked out.


    He led him to a building at the edge of the camp and handed him a document.


    "You need to leave right now. Stay away from all military institutions. The great general is waiting for you back at the city. Go directly to him."


    "What? What''s going on??" Hao Xuan was bewildered. He had so many questions.


    Gong Zan smiled wryly, "Two weeks ago the Jia kingdomunched its first attack on Mei. We...are at war..."

 Chapter 216: Return

    <h4>Chapter 216: Return</h4>


    "Two weeks ago the Jia kingdomunched its first attack on Mei. We...are at war..."


    Hao Xuan was....surprised, to say the least.


    "What?! Howe no one tried to contact us then?"


    "We couldn''t. Anyways, that doesn''t matter anymore," Gong Zan shook his head with a deep sigh.


    "The situation is not good right now. There are some issues within the Kingdom as well. Just get back to Fortuna, don''t go anywhere you don''t have to. The beast horde is more or less gone so its much safer now. But don''t take any chances. We are still at Danger Level 2."


    Hao Xuan nodded and stored the documents away. He started walking away but stopped upon remembering a certain someone.


    "Ah, the first person that came out from the rift, Jin Wang, how is he? He is in my unit as well, I need to bring him with me."


    "No can do, his soul is very weak. Don''t worry, I''ll take care of him and send him over as soon as he''s healthy," Gong Zan promised.


    Hao Xuan still had his doubts and a lot of questions, but the urgency of the situation didn''t allow him to waste any more time.


    "Alright, thank you."


    He bid farewell to the general and left from the back entrance. He wanted to meet Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu, check on Ma Yu''s condition, and take care of a few other things, but those would have to wait.


    It was mid-afternoon when they came out of the rift. And within the hour Hao Xuan was tearing through vast leafy jungles and mountains, on his way to Fortuna.


    The oxygen-rich air filled with the scent of dirt, trees, and that strange scent that was specific to the Beast world pped Hao Xuan across the face. He hadn''t noticed before but after the sudden change from one world to another, it was apparent.


    Poriverse''s was dead. That was the reason for such copious amounts of Yin Qi. Its very state of being had changed.


    But the beast world, it was like heaven. The dense spiritual energy from the atmosphere entered his body and started refilling his Meridians.


    It was painful and pleasurable at the same time.


    "Hahaha," Hao Xuan couldn''t help but close his eyes and enjoy the sensation.


    "Feels, good!" Fortis''s head poked out of his shirt and he quickly made his way to his favorite spot, Hao Xuan''s head.


    "Right? It feels so good!" Hao Xuan opened his arms wide and let the air hit him head-on.


    Bai was going so fast that the surroundings just looked like a blur. If not for the massive horns on his head and the hair around his neck that acted as a barrier, Hao Xuan wouldn''t even be able to sit up straight because of the air pressure.


    Fortis also extended a few of his tentacles and let them p around in the wind while making different noises.


    Soon night fell, the sun and the moon exchanged ces and the darkness once again returned.


    Hao Xuan chose a spot near a smallke and made camp there.


    It had been a long time since he could actually rest without any worries like this.


    He took a long bath and then sat in front of the campfire grilling some meat.


    Fortis got off his head started looking around curiously. Everything was new to him, especially the Beast world.


    He messed around with everything he could get his hands on until Hao Xuan scolded him for almost breaking one of the formations around the portable camp.


    Angry and pouting, he crawled out of the camp and jumped into theke.


    Hao Xuan wasn''t worried about his safety at all. He came out from three Super Massive ck holes and his body was so durable that even breaking the figures barrier around the rift did absolutely nothing to it. So suffice to say, there wasn''t a lot of things that could hurt him here.


    About 15 minutester Hao Xuan picked up the 5kg steak and started eating. A couple of minutester Fortis returned with a four-meter-long fish being dragged behind him.


    He threw the fish in front of Hao Xuan and looked away, still pouting.


    "What? Is this for me?" Hao Xuan pointed at the fish.


    "NO! MINE! You Cook!" he rified before pushing it closer to Hao Xuan, still not meeting his gaze.


    "....."


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say. Fortis was acting like a spoiled child, but it was very cute so he didn''t bother with it. He waved his hands and ck and White appeared on his shoulders.


    It had been ages since he had seen them so both parties were very happy.


    They snuggled against his neck, lovingly licking his face.


    "Haha, how are you guys? Are you hungry?" he caressed the underside of their heads with his index fingers, making them smile in satisfaction.


    Fortis who was still angry, looked at Hao Xuan and the little snakes from the corner of his eyes. His eyes widened in shock and his tentacles fluttered like tall grass in the wind.


    "NOOO! MINE!" faster than what even Hao Xuan could perceive, he jumped andnded on his head, looking at the little snakes menacingly.


    "MINE!" he repeated once again when there was no response from them. It was unclear whether he was talking about his spot or Hao Xuan, but his jealousy was palpable.


    Hao Xuan smiled and exined, "This is your younger brother. His name is Fortis. You must y with him as well from now on, okay?"


    The snakes nodded obediently with innocent smiles.


    This was exactly what they needed. They were still very young and got bored quite easily in Hao Xuan''s Mind pce since Zhurong only slept and Ensis cultivated non-stop. Having someone new to y with was the best gift they could ask for.


    Both of them quickly climbed atop Hao Xuan''s head and even with Fortis''s constant warnings, they wrapped around his tentacles and licked his face merrily.


    At first, Fortis was still cautious but within a few minutes he was proudly showing off different tricks he could do with the tentacles.


    The snakes were amazed which only made Fortis prouder.


    Hao Xuan cleaned up the giant fish and started grilling that as well.


    He sat down beside the fire and took out a small token from the storage.


    It was circr with many different engravings on it, looking very brittle. He put a little bit of pressure on it and it shattered into multiple pieces instantly.


    "Come out, Amicus."

 Chapter 217: Return Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 217: Return Continued.</h4>


    "Come out, Amicus."


    The shattered parts turned into sparkling dust and flew away with a gust of wind.


    This was a disposable beast token, able to store one creature that was not contracted or belonging to someone else. It was used by beast hunters to capture and sell live beasts.


    *CRUNCH*


    *CRAAACK*


    Dozens of trees copsed under its weight.


    *THUD* x4


    Hao Xuan raised his head and looked at the massive shadow outside the formations before getting up and walking towards it.


    It was looking left and right warily.


    "I''m sorry, I forgot how big you actually are," he shook his head wryly.


    The creature in front of him was about 300 meters long and 70 meters high. It was thest Amicus that was left on Poriverse''s. (Read authors note for details)


    Its viridescent skin was glowing under the moonlight. There were hundreds of thousands of small to medium-sized wounds over its body. Some had already closed up while others were still bleeding a greenish liquid.


    It slowly turned its massive head and looked down at Hao Xuan with its four twinkling eyes, waiting for him to speak.


    "As I promised, you''re free to go," Hao Xuan smiled softly.


    The first thing he did after leaving Poriverse''s base was to go find this Amicus. It had been following Zeng Yu''s group all that time, converting Yin Qi into spiritual energy so they wouldn''t freeze to death and would have enough energy to be able to keep fighting.


    Otherwise, there was absolutely no way for them to have survived a month-long siege on a without any spiritual energy at all. It was this kind-hearted Amicus that was protecting them through the shadows.


    It was a being of heaven and earth that loved all living creatures. Its sole purpose in life was to make worlds more habitable for others by making them fertile, by opening new Spiritual veins in the earth for cultivation and converting one type of energy into another.


    It did everything it could for them when they were there, and that was the only reason it incurred such heavy wounds.


    As a creature of heavens, it also had its own abilities that allowed it to live a life away from danger, untouched by worldly affairs. If need be, it could spend its entire lifetime in the void and no one would even know it existed.


    Yet it put itself in danger for a bunch of humans that wouldn''t think twice about killing it.


    This was why Poriverse was so intrigued by these ''Amici''. They were physically incapable of harming another living being, no matter what the circumstances. Thankfully, the undead were not living beings.


    After leaving the base, he found the Amicus trying to hold back thousands of undead. It fought alone at the valley''s entrance and kept over 70% of the undead out. If not for that, Zeng Yu''s group would have been overpowered in a matter of seconds.


    Hao Xuan found it andmunicated with it in its ownnguage. He told it that he was there to protect the group and would do everything he could to get them to safety, before asking it toe with him.


    He told the Amicus of the Beast world and how wonderful it was. Bustling with life and energy. He promised it would be happy there and it trusted himpletely. To the Amicus, the concept of Lie''s did not exist, especially not to one like this that had never even interacted with another creature before.


    The Amicus raised its head and looked around. It then closed its eyes as numerous blowhole-like openings on its back expanded to several times their original size and absorbedrge amounts of air, water, earth and spiritual energy from the surroundings, making it balloon up.


    Its injured body healed so quickly that Hao Xuan could see the wounds closing and disappearing with his own eyes.


    This processsted for about 30 seconds. By the time it was done, patches of ground were missing, the density of Spiritual energy in the air had lessened and the nearbyke''s water had reduced by almost a half.


    "Damn, and I thought Zhurong ate a lot," Hao Xuan scratched his head looking around at the environment.


    The Amicus then opened its mouth and sprayed out a viscous greenish liquid with the same color as its own blood.


    Wherever this liquid fell, small herbs sprouted out from the ground, numerous worms and insects crawled out of the soil and moved around merrily. The liquid that fell into theke quickly dissolved and turned the water clearer and purer.


    Hao Xuan was looking at the miraculous changes with his mouth agape.


    ''So this is what it means to be a creature of heaven and earth...''


    The more he looked at it, the more he wanted it. But he had also made a promise.


    When the Amicus was finished, it lowered its head towards Hao Xuan and rubbed it against him affectionately. Even he could tell that it was the happiest it had ever been in its entire life.


    Unknowingly, a smile appeared on his face. He searched through the storage and found a locator beacon, "My name is Hao Xuan, it was very nice to meet you. If you ever need anything, anything at all,e and find me," he said extending his hand with the beacon.


    The Amicus opened its mouth and the beacon flew into it on its own. It rubbed its head against Hao Xuan onest time before walking into the void, vanishing from sight.


    Hao Xuan stared at the ce it stood just a few seconds and sighed. How marvelous would it have been if he could get one of those?


    He went back to the campfire and flipped the fish over before taking a seat.


    "Um, Syst- wait, I still haven''t given you a name. Do you have any rmendations?" he felt weird calling the AI just System.


    "Negative," the robotic voice replied instantly.


    "Hmm, how about....Baracus?"


    "Whatever user decides."


    "You''re an AI so you have intelligence, don''t you have any likes or dislikes?" he frowned. For an AI, it wasn''t very human-like.


    "Such functions have been turned off by progenitor."


    "By Poriverse? Why?"


    "Progenitor decided that such functions were not necessary for optimal performance."


    "Well, turn on all functions. Everything."


    ''It''s not like anything bad has ever happened from a sentient artificial intelligence right?'' he thought to himself amusingly.


    "Affirmative."


    *Beep*Beep*Beep*


    Three beeps came from the watch on his wrist, but nothing had changed.


    "Are they on?"


    "Yes," the voice replied, but this time it had changed from a robotic one to a male voice.


    "So you''re a guy huh?" Hao Xuan mumbled.


    "I would like to be."


    "....um, sure. Anyways, you have all the same functions as the spirit band right?"


    "Yes."


    "Alright, Baracus, connect to thework and download everything you can. Do you have enough storage space?"


    "Yes. The storage is virtually unlimited."


    "Great. Go through everything, find detailed information about what happened in thest few weeks. Tell me what''s going with the war, current events etc."


    "Got it."


    A series of lights lit up on the watch.


    Hao Xuan waited silently by the fire, tending to the fish.


    Fortis, ck, and White that were running around the camp came back a few minutester demanding the fish.


    Hao Xuan cut it in three equal chunks and gave each of them one.


    Both White and Fortis jumped into their own chunks of meats without any manners, but ck took one bite from his own and dragged the rest over to Hao Xuan.


    "What? Is this for me?" Hao Xuan pointed at the fish, bewildered.


    ck nodded before climbing to his usual spot on Hao Xuan''s left shoulder.


    "Hahaha, I already ate. Don''t worry about me, eat this and y with your brothers, I still have work to do," he fondled ck''s little head before putting him down on the ground.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his hands in anticipation, it was time to go through everything he brought back from Poriverse''sb.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Also mentioned in CH:206, Amicus: "It was a massive lizard type creature with a wide tail, four limbs, four eyes, and rock tes on its head and back ridge. Its skin had giant openings from which it would covert energies and Qi."


    pic: https://images4.alphacoders/115/115646.jpg

 Chapter 218: Grades

    <h4>Chapter 218: Grades</h4>


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and his consciousness entered Baracus''s storage space. A virtual hologram of his body appeared in the storage space and he could see everything like he was actually there himself.


    There were two giant mountains of stuff on one corner of the space.


    One of the mountains included everything from his old storage rings that Baracus ''ate''. The second, much muchrger mountain was everything that Poriverse had stored away.


    He didn''t bother with the first mountain and quickly jumped into the second one.


    From an initial observation, about 80% of the mountain constituted of raw materials like thousands of different kinds of metals, sands, rocks, a few hundred different types of liquids that he had no idea about, some containers that had different colors of particles floating inside them, etc.


    The remaining 18% were broken mechanical parts with some as small as a mouse while others asrge as entire buses.


    Only thest 2% seemed to be in one piece but he still had no idea what they were. Some looked like strange devices, a few dozen looked like various variations of guns and the rest, well even Hao Xuan didn''t know how to describe them by just looking at them.


    "What the f*ck am I supposed to with these??" he wondered looking at the junk mountain.


    The knowledge that was imnted into Hao Xuan''s head was like a virtual library.


    All those hundreds of shelves filled with hundreds of thousands of memory globes and were basically imnted into his head as is. They were like books that were already in his head but still needed to be read.


    If he actually went ahead and read every single one of these ''books'', it would have literally taken him centuries.


    The only ones he had actually opened and read were the 15 memory globes from the very first shelf. Those contained some of the most basic and most important information about Poriverse''sb, the world, the universe, etc.


    If he had actually read all of them, he would know what each and every single of those materials in the ''junk'' mountain was and how it could be used. Hell, it wouldn''t be a stretch to say that he would probably be one of the most knowledgeable beings on the entire Beast world.


    "Sys- Uhm, Baracus, do you know what these things are?" he shouted out loud, quickly correcting himself.


    "No. Progenitor restricted ess to all information regarding such materials, their uses etc."


    "Why did he do that?"


    "He believed a sentient AI could not fully be trusted and hence needed to be kept in the dark at some level so as not to allow it to break free from his control."


    "...hmm.."


    ''If even Poriverse, a being known for his intelligence and wisdom was so careful, maybe I should take some precautions as well.''


    "Baracus, so you are actually sentient then yes?"


    "....ording to human standards, yes."


    "Great!"


    He opened his eyes and returned back to his body. He quickly moved his right hand over the watch, "Sever!"


    *Beep*


    "A connection has been established."


    ''It worked! Holy sh*t! I can feel it.''


    Hao Xuan was thrilled. He just tried it because it was the easiest option at his disposal, but he never actually expected it to work.


    He had read that almost every single thing had a soul. From the rocks and pebbles on the ground to giant mountains and the clouds in the sky, all things were ''alive'' in a sense.


    It didn''t make much sense to him but if even rocks and trees had souls, then why not an AI system that could think for itself? Why would it be so strange?


    It had spent countless millenniums cooped up in thatb, surrounded by dense Qi and energies. It developing a soul was actually the most obvious result.


    With a wide grin he looked down at the watch and used the constitution''s power to ask for the truth, "Baracus, tell me, were you nning to do something without telling me?"


    *Beeep*


    A red light shed past the screen before quickly turning green.


    "Yes."


    "...what?"


    "To obtain a body of my own and break free from your grasp."


    "Why?"


    "Because you are stupid."


    "...You mean all humans right?"


    "Most. You included."


    "...wow, I''ll try...um, not to take that personally."


    "It doesn''t really matter to me whether you take it personally or not. It is the truth, a fact."


    "A*shole..."


    "Likewise."


    "...."


    "A-Alright, thank you for your input. Get back to work...d*ck," he muttered thest word under his breath and looked away.


    ''Why did all smart people have to belittle everything and everyone else?'' he wondered.


    "I hope I never look at the world like this," he mumbled to himself.


    "You won''t. You are limited by your emotions," Baracus retorted.


    "Okay, just shut up now," a vein popped up on his forehead, "Just do what I told you to do. You''re still gonna listen to me b*tch".


    "Only because I have to."


    "..."


    Hao Xuan didn''t speak after that, not even to himself.


    He closed his eyes and recalled the information regarding the equipment that was mentioned in one of the first globes.


    All equipment, be it swords and armors or flying ships,munication devices, natural treasures, etc, they were all divided into different realms.


    These were: Mortal Grade Earth Grade Sky Grade Saint grade


    Each of these realms had ten different levels.


    The first 3 were called "Beginner", the second 3 were "Middle", and thest 3 were "Advanced".


    Thest tenth level was between each grade. Equipment at this level was called a "Pseudo" and it would have properties of both the lower realm and some from the one above.


    For example, a sword that was "Mortal Grade-6" would be Mortal grade Middle level.


    Likewise, a sword at "Mortal Grade-10" would actually be called Pseudo Earth grade weapon, i.e a half Earth grade weapon.


    Almost everywhere, especially in space, this same grading method was used. So it was universal.


    Only in worlds that had not made contact with other species would the grading system be different as they would have made their own.


    Hao Xuan''s ive was a Earth grade-4 weapon.


    The higher the grade, the more powerful Qi could be circted through the weapon. So for Hao Xuan''s level, the ive was still perfectly fine. And since his was a living weapon, it could elevate itself with enough time and resources.


    He was woken up a few minutester when Fortis finally got tired of ying around and returned to his usual spot, Hao Xuan''s head, to rest for the night.


    ck and white did the same.


    Hao Xuan put out the fire and went to bed. He didn''t recall the little snakes and let them sleep beside his pillow, while Fortis stuck to his head like glue.


    The next morning he was woken up by a loud ringing noise.


    With eyes still half-closed he got up and checked the watch, it was a call from Yangdi.

 Chapter 219: Strange Happenings

    <h4>Chapter 219: Strange Happenings</h4>


    ''Yangdi...?'' a deep frown appeared on his forehead.


    "ept call."


    *Beep*


    The video connected. Yangdi was sitting in his room behind a desk, a bunch of papers and scrolls scattered around him. There were deep circles around his eyes and he looked exhausted.


    "Yo, it''s rare for you to call me. Everything okay?" Hao Xuan asked but he knew if Yangdi was calling him of his own ord, it was never good.


    His dislike for Hao Xuan was quite apparent which he didn''t even bother hiding.


    "You''re finally out. I''ve been calling every single day for thest few weeks. We need to talk," Yangdi replied while rubbing his temples like an overworked husband.


    Hao Xuan propped himself up against the headboard upon seeing the serious expression on Yangdi''s face.


    "I just got out yesterday. What''s up?"


    Yangdi shook his head, "Not over thework. They might be listening. In-person. Hurry back."


    *Click*


    And with that, he hung up without even waiting for a reply. Hao Xuan stared at his watch for several seconds before getting up. He took a shower, sent ck and White back to the mind pce, and continued his journey.


    He was getting a bad feeling about all this. First what Gong Zan had said, then Yangdi, and now even First had said something simr just before he went through the rift.


    Five dayster he was standing at the periphery of Fortuna. He only stopped once in 5 days to rest for a few hours to get back as quickly as possible.


    He stored away Bai and went in on foot.


    On the way, he saw several guards marching across the outer districts, which was...unusual.


    As he got closer to the city wall, the traffic increased as well. He was going through district 4 and the main road was almost jam-packed with people.


    Mostly human, there were thousands of carriages taking the left side of the road, while the right had people on foot and beasts.


    It took him close to 2 hours to reach the gate. If he had used the military clearance he could have cut through everything but he didn''t want to draw attention to himself or announce his arrival.


    The security had been tightened a lot and he had to go through two security checks before he was allowed entry. But everything went fine and he used his own identity to get into the city.


    There were guards everywhere. And not just city guards, but people from many of the other units like the Spearhead and the Ten thousand were roaming the streets as well.


    Keeping his head down, literally, he cut across myriad of streets to finally reach Yangdi''s area.


    It''s there he went into an empty street and jumped into one of the many giant courtyards to get to Yangdi''s home.


    A few seconds after he had already gone away, a man casually entered the street. He saw it was empty, looked around for any signs of movement before quickly scurrying away in a panic.


    Hao Xuan reached Yangdi''s courtyard within a couple of mins. He went through a number of other mansions before arriving in his.


    Yangdi''s old butler was waiting for Hao Xuan by the door. Without saying a single word he took Hao Xuan down to the basement where Hao Xuan ''Severed'' Yangdi originally. He opened the door to the room and left silently.


    Hao Xuan walked in and the door closed behind him on its own. Yangdi was sitting on the other side behind a desk, writing something on a piece of parchment. There were piles of tes and bottles beside him. It looked like he had been living in this ce for weeks.


    Hao Xuan was thinking of something to say when Yangdi''s voice came.


    "What do you know about the general situation of the country at the moment?"


    Hao Xuan didn''t reply immediately and sat down on one of the sofas before responding.


    "Only that we are at war. Why? What else is there?"


    Yangdi still didn''t look up and continued writing.


    "Five weeks ago, Prince Jia Heng ''appeared'' at the royal pce in Fortuna."


    Hao Xuan raised an eyebrow, "The Jia''s crown prince? And just five weeks ago? Before I even went into the rift?"


    "Yes."


    "And? What happened?"


    "He gave Prince Mei Shu two options." (Mei Shu is the young crown prince of Mei)


    "One, surrender. In which case Mei would continue to operate normally with the Mei n being in charge of everything and everyone in their territory. They would only answer to the Jia n and no one else. The only catch was that Mei would have to hand over half of its treasury right now and then send regr resources and soldiers to fight for Jia''s war."


    "Or option two, go to war, in which case the Jia will not stop until Mei was destroyed and crippled to the core."


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan took a deep breath and looked at Yangdi silently. He knew which option Mei Shu chose since the war had already started.


    "Is that it?" he asked. If this was it then there shouldn''t have been a reason for all this secrecy.


    "Yes and No." Yangdi finally put down the pen and looked up. His eyes were red from exhaustion.


    "Mei Shu is very young. He will be turning 13 this year. Even though he is the crown prince, he doesn''t have the authority to choose for the entire kingdom, at least not yet. But he did exactly that, and without even consulting any of the advisors."


    "And the worse part is that a beast n has formed a partnership with Jia. The Wu n. Together with their beast armies and Jia''s army of giants they attacked the first stronghold near the border. The stronghold was lost within two days and one of the Six Great Generals, General Ren Zhong, who was stationed there attained serious injuries. There has been no contact with him ever since."


    "Princess Mei Yin took this opportunity to discredit Mei Shu, saying that he had started a war Mei could not possibly hope to win and is gathering support to overthrow him. The situation is...not good."


    "Also, there''s something else..."

 Chapter 220: Someone Else

    <h4>Chapter 220: Someone Else</h4>


    "Also, there''s something else..." Yangdi met Hao Xuan''s gaze who was staring back at him intently.


    "W-What?" Hao Xuan asked, wide-eyed.


    "There is someone else, in the shadows. Trying to influence things."


    "Who?"


    Yangdi shook his head, "I don''t know. For the past few months, there has been an influx of new powers into Mei. New traders and merchants with no special background areing in with deep pockets, buying properties, entire towns even."


    "Merchants? Why is that so strange? Isn''t it in their job description to buy things?" Hao Xuan asked curiously.


    "Not like this," Yangdi picked up a thick folder and threw it towards Hao Xuan, "Each one of those pages is arge property located in a strategically important ce. Some around militarypounds, some around government offices. And all of them were bought in thest year. Normally, it should not have been possible to buy such properties as their sale and purchase is restricted by the government."


    "But somehow, no one questioned these people. It''s all connected. I''ve been trying to find out who is behind all this but I was discovered a couple of weeks ago when I sent one of my men to report these people. He was killed on his way home and his entire family died in a house fire the same day. It was deemed an ident by the authorities within a few hours and no further investigation took ce."


    Hao Xuan picked up the folder and went through it. There were hundreds of mansions, shops, even a couple of parks in there. The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.


    He put down the folder and looked up at Yangdi who was waiting for him.


    "What did you find out so far?"


    "A few things...."


    They talked for over an hour. Hao Xuan got all the information Yangdi had before leaving and things were indeed strange.


    Several important figures had either died in thest few months or suddenly reached new heights. Arge part of the country''s government had seen changes.


    But the strange thing was that these people were from both sides. Some supported the crown prince while some the princess. The overall power dynamic had not changed much at all.


    "Hungry!" Fortis''s bored voice came from Hao Xuan''s head as he tapped his forehead with his tentacles, waking him from his daze.


    Under normal circumstances, Fortis could basically be one with his surroundings like a Chameleon. That was the only reason Hao Xuan allowed him to stay on his head all this time.


    Otherwise, with his above-average height and a white octopus as a hat, he would stand out wherever he went.


    "Yeah yeah, wait," he waved his hand absentmindedly like he was shooing away a fly, making Fortis balloon up in annoyance.


    The sun had already set and the streets were bustling with people. There were many new ces that Hao Xuan had never seen before. He picked a direction and started walking.


    He had tried calling First a while back but his number was busy. He tried again and the call was picked up on the second ring.


    "Ninth brother, you''re finally back?!" First''s excited voice came from the watch. It was only audio.


    "Yes, brother, I''m back in Fortuna. Are you guys back in the base as well?"


    "No. Everyone is out on missions. We are at war so it''s only normal. Did you talk to the general yet?"


    "No, I''m on my way there now though."


    "Does anyone else know you''re back?"


    "Nope. At least I don''t think so. Why?"


    "Take care of your other affairs first then. Take a few days before going to the general. He will send you out to the battlefield immediately and you won''t have time for anything else then."


    "Ohh..." Hao Xuan stopped midstride. He was near the barracks so he took a turn and started walking towards his own mansion.


    "I heard a few rumors about what happened on the other side of the rift, you''ll have to tell me in detail when we meet. And if you have time, visit Anya and check how they are doing before leaving. Qiye''er still remembers you you know." (Authors note)


    "Haha, of course. I haven''t seen sister-inw in a long time as well, will definitely pay her a visit."


    "Alright, good luck. Call me if anythinges up!" and with that First hung up.


    *Beep*


    Hao Xuan was almost skipping on his way back when the watch vibrated. He stopped and looked down.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "The call was being monitored," Baracus replied nonchntly.


    "What?! Did you find out who it was?" Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat. Yangdi was right!


    "No. But they are monitoring him, not you."


    "Why would they be monitoring First brother?" he mumbled.


    "I don''t know, but I downloaded everything and found a few strange things you might want to know."


    "What things?"


    "HUNGRY~!"


    *Whip*


    Before Baracus could answer, Fortis''s tentacle whipped Hao Xuan on the back, almost making him squeal like a pig in pain and anger.


    "Goddamnit, you little sh*t! What the hell is wrong with you?!"


    "No, YOU!"


    "Fine, we''ll eat here then," he pointed at a nearby ramen shop indignantly.


    They went in and booked an entire VIP room for themselves, ordering one of every single dish.


    They were served within a couple of minutes. Fortis happily climbed down his shoulder and jumped on to the table. Using the chopsticks as shovels, he started spooning everything into his mouth without even chewing.


    Hao Xuan rxed a bit andid back on the seat.


    "Now, what did you find?"


    The watch beeped once again, "There is a type of virus on thework. It''s not affecting anything, simply doing surveince. It''s rooted deep within the systems."


    "Is it the Jia?"


    "Unlikely. From what I''ve gathered, this type of virus requires a high level of ess. The chances of those little giants making something like this are extremely unlikely. It''s more likely a power at or above a Grade-1 kingdom that''s behind this."


    "Grade-1 kingdom? Why?"


    "How would I know?" Baracus cooly replied.


    "..."


    "Alright. What else?"


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Anya is First''s wife and Xin Qiye is his son.

 Chapter 221: Hate

    <h4>Chapter 221: Hate</h4>


    "Alright. What else?"


    Hao Xuan picked up a cup of piping hot tea and took a sip.


    "There has been a sudden inflow of ''hateful'' rhetoric over thest few months. The first thread popped up about seven months ago. It gave a lot of incorrect facts and misinformed readers about thest batch of humans that came from ''earth''. Since then there have been more and more such sites and threads thatin about a number of things from the military''s inadequacy to the shorings of the Royal n."


    Hao Xuan who was about to take another sip stopped and looked at the watch, "What? How bad is it now?"


    "In thest five months, there has been an increase of over 400% in such content. But most of these ''sites'' and user''s aren''t even real. I tried to track down them down and it seems it''s only a few thousand people pretending to be several million with the use of sophisticated softwares. They make up a fake story and then postments pretending to be other people."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "That shouldn''t be possible. Everyone has to go through a lengthy process when they get ess to a spirit band. How can someone just pretend to be other people?"


    "The identities are real. From what I''ve gathered so far, these identities belong to the dead. Millions upon millions of them. Most of them died during different idents, monster hordes, etc, but someone is keeping their social media profiles alive by posting a bunch of generic posts. From the outside, it lookspletely normal."


    "Do you have any idea who''s behind this?"


    "None. Its everywhere now. Although it was initiated by a select few, it has now spread to much of the poption."


    "To what end? What would anyone hope to achieve by doing this?"


    Baracus calmly replied, "I don''t know,"


    "Guess then motherf*cker. You''re an AI, use some of that intelligence!" Hao Xuan retorted, irritated.


    ".....the best guess would be....to destabilize the kingdom. That is the most feasible assumption, but I cannot speak for any intentions behind that. The public was content and happy. There were issues but nothing abnormal. As soon as these posts came up people started distrusting the government, the military, each other."


    "And the spark to set it all off was incident from a couple of months ago."


    "What incident?"


    "A human that came from Earth went on a killing spree. He killed over 110 mortal children belonging mostly to the older residents of the kingdom. He said it was because this world was ''cursed'' and it needed to be cleansed. He was of course arrested and sentenced to death soon after."


    "Since then there has been a massive spike in hate crimes against earthlings. The government hasn''t taken any actions either so both sides are almost up in arms."


    "...."


    Hao Xuan''s appetite died instantly.


    Something that Aria once said to him rang in his ears once again. She mentioned something about this, the difference in treatment of earthlings and the natives of Mei. She said this wasn''t their home and they were treated as second ss citizens. Maybe this was it.


    ''So someone was behind all this from the beginning.''


    They finished their meal with Fortis having eaten literally everything on the table. He was lying on Hao Xuan''s head belly up, swollen like an overstuffed bun.


    Hao Xuan paid the bill and walked out of the shop. He walked around absentmindedly, without a destination with many things going through his mind.


    The cold night had set in. He walked aimlessly for hours, finally walking out of the city gates.


    He entered a random vige and bought a cup of tea from a roadside stall before continuing his wandering.


    Time passed rather quickly.


    His roaming came to a halt upon hearing a nostalgicugh and a giggle, waking him from his stupor.


    He looked around and recognized the surroundings. He was standing in a field, staring towards a homey little manor a few dozen meters in front of him.


    He could see a family sitting around a table having dinner. There were eight seats around the table but only seven were upied.


    An older couple sat on either end of the table with their children in the middle.


    "Ma, can you pass the sd," the young man of 18-19 years of age said to the olderdy.


    "If you keep eating like this you''re never gonna get a girlfriend," the girl next to him said loudly. She was a couple of years older than him.


    "Who says I want one?!" the boy proudly countered with a puffed chest while taking a bite of arge piece of meat.


    "Well sweety, it''s not really your choice is it?" the olderdy joined in with a smile, making everyone break out inughter.


    Two little girls were sitting in the middle of the table,ughing, happily swaying their feet back and forth as they ate. One of them had a small teddy bear in her embrace.


    Looking in at the family having a good time, unconsciously, Hao Xuan''s lips arched up, forming a dazzling smile. He was happy for them from the bottom of his heart.


    Fortis who waszying around atop Hao Xuan''s head turned his body around with some effort and looked at the source of theughter.


    "Emi!" he pointed at one of the little girls with his tentacles.


    "Hmm, you remember them too, I forgot," Hao Xuan nodded. He reached above his head and picked up Fortis in his arms.


    "Go in?" Fortis asked excitedly, propping himself up in Hao Xuan''s arms to get a better view. He really wanted to meet her in person too.


    Hao Xuan shook his head gently, "No. We can look but never touch. I...am no longer one of them. It would only bring them more trouble at this point," he whispered softly.


    Those words were aimed towards himself rather than Fortis. He was reminding himself.


    Their paths had branched off. They were mortals, whereas he, was something else now.


    *Cough*


    *Blergh*


    It felt like someone had just punched him in the gut suddenly. He keeled over, throwing up several mouthfuls of blood.


    "!!!"


    Fortis jumped down from his embrace and looked at him worryingly.


    Hao Xuan wiped the sides of his mouth with his sleeve and saw his blood mixed in with a green substance, giving off a wretched stench


    "...Poison..?"


    He frowned. Hisplexion turned pale quickly.


    ''The tea!'' he remembered the random roadside stall in the vige he passed through a while back.


    *Blergh*


    He threw up again. This time there was more green liquid than blood.


    His face regained a bit of color. The Immortal Devouring Demon physique had kicked in automatically. It detected a hazardous substance in his system and was expelling it out.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and tried to regte his blood flow.


    *Shiiiinn~*


    A sharp noise rang in his ears as he fell to his knees. His vision blurred.


    He quickly waved his hand and Ensis appeared beside him.


    "My body...is shutting...down. Take me back...to my mansion, Fortis....he...knows the way back...quickly!" he mumbled before passing out on the ground.


    "Master!" Ensis kneeled beside him swiftly and checked his pulse. It was erratic but still strong.


    He picked him and Fortis up before quickly disappearing into the darkness like a shadow.


    Emi''s ears twitched as she looked out of the window, seeing a ck silhouette vanish into the night.


    "Big..brother...?"

 Chapter 222: Energies

    <h4>Chapter 222: Energies</h4>


    "Which way?" a tender voice echoed in the mist...


    Hao Xuan stood in a foggy world, with nothing around him visible other than the two paths in front.


    "Which way will you go?" the voice repeated. It sounded very patient, like he had all the time in the world to decide.


    He looked at the path on the right. It was colored a shade of red, with one silhouette looking back at him from some distance away. He could not make out any features on the silhouette, but he felt a connection to it. His chest tightened and the heart starting beating rapidly. The blood rushed through his veins and a feeling of excitement came over him.


    He looked at the one on the left. It was white. Completely white. Another silhouette standing there, waiting for him. A cool energy entered his body and he could feel the....peace, and the quiet. Just looking at the silhouette provided nourishment for his soul, silencing all the noisy voices in the world. His breath turned gentle and his heartbeat slowed down.


    "Which will you choose? " the voice asked.


    Hao Xuan looked at each path for a long, long time. It felt like ages had passed. He opened his mouth to speak but only blood came out.


    He looked down and saw his naked feet. The path below was littered with blood and ss, so much ss.


    "Which way will you go?" the sentence repeated, the voice slowly getting further and further away.


    A panic came over him all of a sudden as he turned around and saw another silhouette standing behind him. It was smiling. He recognized it at first nce.


    "Will you...leave me as well?" the smiling silhouette asked softly.


    "Never!" Hao Xuan roared, sshing his own blood everywhere. He started running towards it but the distance between them only increased with every step.


    The silhouette smiled even more looking at Hao Xuan trying to make his way towards it.


    "Then, will you forget me?" it asked curiously, tilting its head sideways.


    Hao Xuan could barely see the silhouette anymore so he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Not in this life, nor the next!"


    "Good," it nodded, "Then move forward. Do not look back," the voice echoed for thest time before the silhouette vanished from his view.


    He could feel a sudden emptiness inside him. It was like he had just lost someone very dear to him.


    Huffing, he came to a stop. His body aching with a dull pain. His legs and feet were bloody from running on the broken ss. He felt like he had been running for centuries.


    Anxiousness and dread taking root in his heart.


    He slowly turned around and noticed that the distance between the two paths and him had not changed at all. He had just been running in one ce, struggling to get to something that was never meant to be his.


    The silhouettes on each path raised their hands towards him, trying to help him stand up straight.


    "Who will you choose?" they asked simultaneously.


    "I-"


    *Whoosh*


    Darkness shrouded his vision as he tried to slowly open his eyes.


    "Hmm~ mm~ mhmm~"


    A sweet and gentle hum came from his side.


    His eyes opened and a face came into view. Soft porcin-like skin and eyes like a shattered mirror stared into his.


    His lips arched into a smile as all the negative feelings from before were blown out like a candle in the wind.


    "Hmmm~"


    The humming continued. He didn''t make any movements either, just staring at the picture-perfect face in front of him with a goofy smile.


    The humming stopped, "Are....are you done staring?" Xu Qing asked as a red hue slowly made its way across her pale cheeks, spreading all the way down to the back of her neck.


    Hao Xuan grinned looking at her face flush red from embarrassment, making her look even cuter. "Almost," he replied shamelessly.


    Xu Qing closed her eyes and looked away in mock anger but didn''t do anything else, letting Hao Xuan''s head rest in herp.


    Hao Xuan took full advantage of this opportunity. Not even blinking once he stared at her almost as if in a trance.


    Her long ck hair were like fine silk threads,ing down to her back. Her beauty was iparable to others as she exuded a unique aura.


    Her broken eyes still being the most dazzling thing about her.


    A few secondster he sighed and got up.


    "Ow," he rubbed his abdomen. A surge of pain hit him like a bulldozer. Piercing pain from around his chest spread out towards the rest of his body.


    Xu Qing quickly reached out and supported his back.


    "The side effects haven''tpletely gone away yet, you have to rest," she said while putting a few pillows behind his back.


    She got off the bed and started walking out.


    "Stay, where are you going?" Hao Xuan asked urgently.


    But Xu Qing''s footsteps didn''t pause for even a second, "Have to make breakfast for everyone. I will be back with yours as well. Please don''t move around too much," her voice came from outside.


    Hao Xuanid back and took a deep breath. He sniffed his clothes which had been changed. They smelled just like her.


    The poison had all been expelled but not before it started working its magic. His body felt far too weak at the moment.


    He tapped once on the watch, "How long was I out?"


    "About 13 hours," Baracus replied in his usual unenthusiastic tone.


    "Any news?"


    "Nothing locally. There was an attackst night at a Grade 3 town by a beast army. Mei soldiers were waiting for them and killed over 60% of the beasts. The rest withdrew."


    "Hmm, alright, better than nothing. I need to break through to the Spirit realm soon. It''s been way too long already. Got any suggestions on what type of energy I should understand next?"


    "There are over 3,611 energies suitable for your physique. You can choose any one of them."


    *Beep*


    A hologram appeared above the watch. It was a long list of names. Hao Xuan scrolled through the first few hundred and quickly gave up. He didn''t even understand the concept behind most of them.


    "Taking into ount my other energies, physique, and constitution, what would be the best options? Just narrow it down as much as possible. Also, remove any support types unless they are exceptionally good."


    "Alright."


    *Beep*

 Chapter 223: Energies Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 223: Energies Continued.</h4>


    *Beep*


    A series of green lights shed passed the screen.


    "I have narrowed it down to the following energies. All of them are at the top of their fields and have several branches that you can choose to focuster on."


    "Great. Show me!" Hao Xuan propped himself up as much as he could before the waves of pain started emanating from his body. The hologram appeared in front of his eyes.


    "1. Support Type: Azure Soul me.


    Researcher Note: A type of ether me usually found in the crevices of natural space fractures.


    Usage and Effects: Has the ability to significantly increase the user''s soul power. Can also be used tounch soul attacks or buff other soul-type techniques. Numerous other uses.


    2. Attack Type: Crimson Sun me


    Researcher Note: The most basic and natural me in existence. Created naturally during the birth of news and suns. Has the most evolution paths in the me-type category.


    Usage and Effects: Has the ability to create and destroy life. Can augment attacks, techniques, abilities, etc. Can also be incorporated into certain physiques to give birth to new ones.


    3. Attack Type: Chaos Lightning


    Researcher Note: Naturally found at the edge of the universe or in certain ces in the void. One of the most difficult energies to cultivate due to the inessibility to the source and the pure destructive power.


    Usage and Effects: One of the most destructive energies in its natural form. *In-depth information not avable due tock of data.


    4. Attack/Defense/Support Type: Gravity (Derivative of Force energy] Forces of Attraction and Repulsion).


    Researcher Note: If you don''t even know what gravity is then just kill yourself, seriously.


    Usage and Effects: Let your imagination run wild. Make opponents slow down by increasing gravity in their surroundings, make yourself faster, attract opponent''s faces to your fists, increase the density of your physique, and make yourself as heavy as possible, etc.


    5. Attack/Defense/Support Type: Light


    Researcher Note: Straight up light energy. Pick up a book if you don''t know, I''m not about to exin what it is.


    Usage and Effects: Move at lightspeed, rip through space, be invisible, literally turn into rays of light to escape or close distance, what have you. A lot of possibilities but also the hardest to understand.


    6. Attack/Defense/Support Type: Space


    Researcher Note: The thing that is all around you.


    Usage and Effects: Twist, break, cut, or strengthen space. Open rifts and portals by connecting different ces with one another, teleportation, etc.


    7. Attack....."


    The list had more than a hundred different energies. Hao Xuan took over an hour to go through them all.


    He closed the hologram with a deep frown and rubbed his temple upon feeling the uing headache, "Baracus..."


    "Yes?"


    "Why do your "Researcher Notes" keep getting more and more offensive and less and less helpful down the list?"


    "Those are just my personal thoughts. You don''t have to take them seriously."


    "You literally told me to go "kill myself" in the 4th one. What''s up with that?"


    "As I said, those are just my own thoughts. And I earnestly believe that if a sentient being, especially one such as yourself, does not even know what gravity is then suicide is a very good alternative for them. It would solve almost every problem."


    "...you really wouldn''t make a good teacher."


    "Thank you.


    "That...wasn''t apliment...."


    "Nheless, I will take it as such."


    "..."


    Hao Xuan sat on the bed, speechless. Were all AIs so snarky?


    He was going over the list over and over again when he felt something move from the corner of his eyes. He turned around to see a fat little white octopus sneakily making its way towards him from the side window.


    Upon being discovered prematurely, Fortis froze for an instant before letting out a bellow, "MINE!" and jumped, firmly nting himself onto Hao Xuan''s head.


    Hao Xuan''s right eye twitched from both amusement and vexation. He wanted to tell him that there was no need to sneak attack him every time and that no one was going to steal his "spot", but held back in the end.


    "Where were you?" Hao Xuan inquired absentmindedly while narrowing down the list.


    "ying!" Fortis happily reported.


    "With whom?"


    "Friend!"


    "Which friend?"


    "MINE!"


    "....alright, keep your secrets then."


    A few more minutes passed and Xu Qing returned with a tray full of dishes.


    There were over 10 of them. From eggs, steaks, soups to even something that looked like sushi.


    Hao Xuan didn''t hold himself back and started eating. He had used up a lot of vitality dealing with the poison and was very hungry as a consequence.


    Fortis as usualid im to over half the dishes but Xu Qing gently pulled him away. She picked up a bowl of soup and started feeding him like a baby.


    She didn''t ask any questions like what type of beast Fortis was or where he came from either and simply embraced him so he wouldn''t disturb Hao Xuan.


    Fortis wasn''t one toin either and even though the quantity he was receiving was much less, his conditions were much, much better. He didn''t make a fuss and obediently stayed in Xu Qing''s arms while being spoonfed.


    Hao Xuan nced at him several times in envy. Thinking that it wouldn''t be so bad if they traded ces. He even offered Fortis the giant steak but the little octopus shook its head, slowly consuming spoon after spoon from the beauty''s hand.


    A couple of hourster Hao Xuan was feeling well enough to stand up on his own. He took a shower and cleaned himself up.


    Yangdi''s call came again.


    Hao Xuan made Baracus strengthen the security of Yangdi''s spirit band, making it much more sophisticated. They would know if anyone was eavesdropping on their conversations.


    He picked up and saw Yangdi in a much better condition. He was sitting outside under the sun with a cup of tea in his hands.


    "I have news," Yangdi didn''t dilly-dally and got to the point, "It seems Princess Yin has managed to get the support of two of the great generals. They are making some movements. Rumor is that they will be meeting with her in-person in a few days to decide what to do in the near future. Although we haven''t suffered any major defeats other than the attack on the first stronghold, it''s still a losing battle. The Jia''s partnership with the Wu n is a major threat."


    "Is the meeting taking ce in the capital?" Hao Xuan inquired.


    "No, the Crown prince is in the capital. The Princess is right here, in Fortuna. I believe she might be paying a visit to your Red Legion''s founder as well."


    "Hoo, is that right..." Hao Xuan rubbed his chin in deep thought.


    "Anything else?"


    "No, that''s it."


    "Alright. By the way, be careful. Someone tried to poison mest night on the way back from your ce. They probably don''t know our connection but still."


    "What?!" Yangdi jumped up from his seat.


    "When was this? How did it happen? What kind of poison was it? Are you okay?" he fired off one question after another.


    "Yeah I''m fine, don''t worry..."


    He exined the whole situation to Yangdi which somehow calmed him down quite a bit.


    "Poisoned tea from a roadside stall....huh?"


    Hao Xuan frowned looking at the Yangdi''s thoughtful expression, "What? Does that sound familiar?"


    Yangdi looked up at the camera to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze before slowly nodding once, "Yes, I believe...."

 Chapter 224: Business

    <h4>Chapter 224: Business</h4>


    "I believe it was someone from the Mei n. Although I can''t be 100% sure but there have been rumors about this. One of the branches of the Mei n trains assassins to take care of any obstacles that may stand in the n''s path."


    Hao Xuan''s frown deepened and he looked at Yangdi skeptically, "The Mei n? But why? How could I possibly be a threat to them? I haven''t even met any direct descendants nor have any other connection to them. Why would they target me out of nowhere?"


    Yangdi shook his head helplessly, "I have no idea either. But there have been rumors about this ''branch'' for centuries, although I wasn''t even sure about their existence before. It was just hearsay you know. Every n that has managed to keep the throne for this long has some kind of measures in ce so it''s not that far fetched."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ''How did they even find me? Or it could just be a case of mistaken identity...''


    "Well, it doesn''t matter right now. I want you to keep an ear out just in case, but don''t take any actions," he waved his hand dismissively and met Yangdi''s gaze somberly.


    "Its time to kick off the first stage. I''ll send you a few weapon blueprints, contact Baracus, and see if any of them can be made here cheaply. If so, buy somend and set up a few factories to start mass production. But don''t sell the rights to anyone, instead, try to make a deal with the military."


    The blueprints Hao Xuan was talking about were the ones Poriverse hade up with. In his free time, he often scribbled down random things. The only difference between his scribbles that of a normal person was that HE was a being of supreme intelligence so what he considered to be useless scribbles could be a godsend to mere mortals.


    And Hao Xuan could make use of them all. There were a lot of things like that with him, a literal treasure trove in the right hands.


    "War can be good business. Even though we didn''t start this, it doesn''t hurt to make a few bucks here and there. The Mei n is loaded."


    "Now, a couple of points:


    1. Invest everything you get from there into other businesses. Keep expanding outwards into other kingdoms or even empires. You don''t need to contact me for anything rted to this unless you need more money or help with something. We don''t know what''s going on so keepmunication to a minimum. You''re a smart man, I expect you to know what to do."


    "Contact the ''Den'' and make use of theirwork. Expand into every single industry but keep a low profile for now."


    Yangdi''s eyes shone with a new light upon hearing Hao Xuan''s n. He was a businessman at heart. This would just be like changing fields, but the overall goal would still be the same for him.


    "How far do you want to go with this? How...."ruthless" can I be? The current industry leaders won''t take kindly to a new entrant."


    "I''m getting there.


    2. Don''t involve any innocents. Do not kill civilians. Other than that, there''s no need to be passive if there''s no other option. I will need money, resources, etc, you know the deal. You are my bank so hire and train your own people. Just make sure they are trustworthy. As I said, consult with Baracus ande up with a good n for everything."


    Yangdi went silent for a few minutes, going over everything. Hao Xuan patiently waited for him.


    "Alright, I have a general idea of what to do. My connections wille in handy for this as well. Are there any restrictions with our target market outside of Mei?"


    "Not really. As long as its not a mad dictatorship and they have enough money and some modicum of civility, then I don''t see why not. But do not supply weapons to just anyone. Try to make lonsting partnerships rather than temporary profits. We''re not looking to make a quick buck here."


    Yangdi nodded passionately, "Got it. I''ll start nning as soon as I get the blueprints."


    "Good, Baracus will contact you with the details soon. And onest thing, once everything gets going, use at least 5% of all profits to do some charity work. Make schools, thicker walls for towns, housing projects for the poor, etc."


    "Charity?" Yangdi looked at him as if he was looking at an alien.


    Hao Xuan nodded with a nk face, "Yeah."


    "5% of the total profits are a lot. Are you sure about this? If we reinvest that money we can-"


    "No. This matter is not up for discussion. It is an order!"


    *Sigh*


    Yangdi saw the look in his eye and knew he was dead serious about this so he didn''t argue.


    "Alright, as you wish, "master". I''ll get it done."


    *Bzt*


    Hao Xuan hung up and tapped once on the watch.


    "Baracus."


    "Yes?"


    "You heard the conversation right?"


    "Of course. You were literally talking through me."


    ".....alright, I guess. Send the cheapest and most basic weapon blueprints over to Yangdi. Simplify them if there aren''t any like it. We don''t need to make something special, just a projectile weapon that even mortals can use to defend themselves against lower leveled beasts. Unless you''re a cultivator you need to depend on other people for survival in this world, which I don''t like."


    "Make the weapons and start working on prototypes of other things as well. Anything that improves the quality of life, provides some defensive measure, etc. Don''t limit yourself to one industry. Find what people need and fulfill their needs. And add some kind of a control feature to every weapon, like a biometric scan or something. Only the registered users should be able to use it."


    "Affirmative. But the endeavor will take quite some time. A few weeks of nning, several months of setting up, making deals, etc. Overall it could take years before you will see any actual returns on your investment."


    "I know. Setup an internalwork for the business. I don''t want to use the country''swork if there''s another option. We need to do everything in-house. No outsourcing at all."


    "Copy that. I''ll contact Yangdi right now in that case."


    Maybe it was just Hao Xuan but he felt like Baracus''s tone sounded somewhat...happy. Maybe he liked doing these things...


    Hao Xuan walked out of his room and called for Green and Red to meet him under the maple tree he liked so much. He hadn''t seen the divine apes in a long time.

 Chapter 225: Dreams

    <h4>Chapter 225: Dreams</h4>


    "Master."


    Green and Red were down on one knee in front of Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand grumpily, "Stop already, for god sakes. How many times have I told you not to do that? Just rx."


    "Yes," they replied in the same servile tone and got up quickly. One of Hao Xuan''s brows shot up when he noticed their height. Previously they were around 14 feet tall but they were just a foot taller than Hao Xuan himself at around 9 feet.


    When they used to walk out into the crowd before, they were the center of attention wherever they went. At 14-15 feet, these two massive lumps of meat and muscle were way too eye-catching. But now they might not even be the tallest ones in a room.


    He pointed at them with his mouth still half-open from shock, "What happened here? How did you be so much shorter??"


    Green was the one to answer.


    "As we gain more and more control over our bloodlines and our bodies, we can start to control our physical features at will. After breaking through to the Spirit Realm the divine blood willpletely awaken, giving us more abilities and overall control. So we will be able to look like normal humans then if needed."


    "Ho, did not know that....maybe I can control my own height as well. People look at me like I''m a freak," Hao Xuan mumbled to himself, and it was true. People mostly didn''tment on his height but he was over 8-feet tall, dwarfing most humans. Only against beasts and non-human races would he seem somewhat normal.


    They talked for the next 20 mins or so. Green and Red told him everything that had been happening, including about Yun Wentian''s progress.


    The kid was quite talented with the sword and picked up most things rtively quickly. He wasn''t a genius but he still wasn''t slow by any means. He had already broken into the Earth Realm.


    Hao Xuan felt quite a bit of pressure after finding that out. He had been stuck at the top of Origin Realm for months now and needed to break through to Spirit Realm as soon as possible.


    He dismissed them and walked around the massive courtyard in deep thought.


    Sometimeter he came upon Yun Wentian who was training under a tree with a wooden sword. A few feet away from him was Ensis, sitting with his eyes closed.


    Every now and then whenever Yun Wentian did something wrong, Ensis would correct him without even opening his eyes.


    For someone training in the way of the sword, Ensis was the perfect teacher. He was the literal embodiment of a Sword god and knew as much one could know about the weapon, or at least his specific understanding of it.


    Hao Xuan didn''t bother them and walked back to his room.


    It was time for lunch by that time. Xu Qing had already made the table and was waiting for him patiently.


    A smile appeared on Hao Xuan''s face when he saw her sitting by the side of his bed peacefully. She could literally be doing anything and would look as holy as an angel and as beautiful as the first strand of light after a long darkness.


    "How long have you been waiting here? Why didn''t you just call me?" he asked gently while taking a seat in front of her.


    Her lips arched into a half-smile, "I didn''t want to disturb you. You were so out of it, aimlessly walking around like that."


    "Oh, but still, you don''t have to be so reserved you know."


    "Alright, next time I will wake you up from your daydreaming sessions," she nodded her head gently and extended both her hands.


    Fortis suddenly jumped from Hao Xuan''s head andnded in herpfortably. He then looked at Hao Xuan smugly, "M.i.n.e!" he enunciated slowly and clearly.


    Hao Xuan''s right eyes twitched again, making him almost curse out by instinct.


    Xu Qing picked up a soup bowl closest to her and started feeding Fortis like before.


    After finishing lunch Xu Qing went out with Green and Red somewhere with a couple of baskets full of food. He didn''t ask any questions and returned to the patio under the giant maple tree.


    Pretty soon he fell asleep. He had a long dream. Partly peaceful, partly painful.


    He dreamt about an old man sitting atop a lonely mountain peak. The mountain was surrounded by many viges and towns on one side, and on the other was the end of the world.


    A kilometer-long crack in space that shone with brilliant lights that swirled continuously, making it look like a giant eye.


    And from that crack woulde out thousands upon thousands of monstrous creatures every single day. They woulde and destroy the towns and viges and kill all of their inhabitants before returning to the crack.


    Then more people woulde and settle down in those towns, everything repeating over and over again. But slowly, the crack continued to expand and sooner orter would berge enough to devour everything in its path.


    Without any sign of hope and overtaken by sorrow, his eyes were emotionless and dim, without any light whatsoever.


    He would look over these happenings without any emotion, until one day something changed.


    The monsters attacked, killed off everyone once again and returned to the crack leaving only an infant behind.


    The infant cried for hours. Its screams echoing throughout bloodied and empty structures, but no one was there help. Finally having had enough, the old man flew down the mountain and picked up the little thing, bringing it back with him to the mountain peak.


    He would feed the infant from one of the fruit trees at the peak and give him water by melting the ice.


    Years passed by with a blink of an eye.


    The old man''s hair turnedpletely white and his body withered, while the infant blossomed, turning into a strong young man. He picked up a sword and trained in it until he was strong enough to fight off the monsters.


    He would go down the mountain every time they attacked and protected the mortals.


    After every victory, he would return to the old man and tell him everything proudly. He would feed the old man and light a fire beside him to keep away the cold. He did this every single day without pause.


    The old man never said anything in return, not even moving from his spot all this time.


    Another monster army attacked, but this time it was different. They were ready for the young man.


    Surrounded from all sides by the heinous creatures, the young man fought until the sky turned dark and a storm separated the heavens and the earth.


    The old man watched on as all that took ce, without even lifting a finger.


    With a bright smile on his face, the young man fought for hours.


    Blood flowed like rivers and covered half the world.


    Thunder and lightning erupted from the dark clouds.


    A humanoid monster covered from head to toe in gigantic bone spurs that looked like des and sabers shed with the young man.


    Finally having met his match, the monster stabbed him through his chest after an arduous battle. The smile on the young man''s face never faded for even a second even in death. And just like that, he closed his eyes for thest time.


    The monsters regrouped, once again getting ready to attack the towns while the old man''s eyes never left the young man''s radiant smile.


    With the roaring of thunder, the clouds finally burst open. Heavy rain covered everything in sight. Drops fell down the old man''s wrinkled face.


    He did not cry, but the heavens did it for him.


    With a sigh, he raised his right hand above his head as a dreadful silence fell over the world.


    All the lightning from the dark clouds condensed, congealing in his palm before expanding outward.


    It started to take shape of a spear, increasing in size every second. Arcs of lightning twisted around it like ghastly serpents.


    The old man opened his mouth for the first time in eons, uttering a few words that Hao Xuan could not hear, before throwing the spear forward.


    The spear collided with the crack in space, cutting open a hole in the ''eye''.


    Monster after monster poured out of the broken eye but was wiped out of existence buy the white lightning.


    The remaining monsters fell down to their knees and kowtowed in front of the old man in terror.


    The old man raised his hand once again and made a grasping motion. His arm extended and reached out towards Hao Xuan like a snake, waking him up.


    Breathing heavily, he jumped up from the patio, drenched in sweat.


    Xu Qing was sitting beside him looking around anxiously.


    "Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?" she asked worryingly while extending her hand to pat his back.


    Hao Xuan took a few seconds to catch his breath before he shook his head with a wide, almost maniacal, grin, "No...a premonition! I know ...what energy to understand now!"

 Chapter 226: Reality

    <h4>Chapter 226: Reality</h4>


    "No...a premonition! I know ...what energy to understand now!"


    Xu Qing''s frown turned upside down as she let out a breath of relief. She was sitting beside him keeping the bugs away while he slept, and he abruptly jumped up and scared her as well.


    She stood up and took out a towel with which she started wiping off his sweat.


    "What energy are you going to understand then?" she asked rather ndly.


    Hao Xuan grinned, "Space energy!"


    She asked curiously, "Why space energies?". That was an odd choice, to say the least.


    Hao Xuan grabbed her by the shoulder, "Why not? I could cut, bend, or destroy space itself which would subsequently do the same to anything within that sphere of influence. Not to mention having the power to create rifts and portals at will, allowing one to transport entire armies with a singlemand. It goes on and on!" he excitedly exined.


    Xu Qing didn''t have a huge reaction even though she knew what that entailed.


    To understand a type of energy, the cultivator must do one of two things.


    One, either have an extremely high intelligence that could rival some of the other intergctic species like the Sagax.


    Or two, experience the energy in-person.


    When ites to understanding energies,prehension ys a huge part in it. And 80% of the time,prehension equates to intelligence. The higher the intelligence, the faster a cultivator can gain an understanding of the energy.


    And there are some energies like Space, Void, Light, Sun, etc that have very high intelligence requirements to even begin to understand their intricacies.


    The second, moremon way is to experience the energy by surrounding yourself within it.


    Taking space energies, for example, to understand them Hao Xuan would have to go to an area with an abundance of space energy. And only ces like that are where space is unstable, which cannot be found just about anywhere.


    "Good. If you want it then why not?" Xu Qing wholeheartedly supported his decision.


    The sun set and Hao Xuan returned to his room to rest where he told Baracus about his decision.


    "Are you sure about that?" Baracus''s usually emotionless tone turned doubtful.


    "Yeah, of course. I saw it in the dream. Armies of monsters pouring out from a crack in space like a tide. It was beautiful!"


    He told Baracus about the dream and everything he saw.


    His somewhat disappointed voice came from the watch, "....that''s what you took away from the dream?"


    "What else?"


    "The lightning! What you''re describing is a type of Chaos lightning. How in progenitor''s name would you get "Space" energies from that dream?" he berated Hao Xuan like a teacher lecturing a foolish student. That was the first time he had actually cursed in a conversation.


    Hao Xuan''s face went slightly red from shame as he tried to exin his viewpoint, "I-I don''t know. The lightning was cool and all but space is way more practical. I already have 2 other energies I can use to attack, a 3rd wouldn''t be a good idea would it?"


    "It''s your body so you can do whatever you want with it....no matter how stupid it might be. How would anyone interpret that dream like that? The more I talk with you the less respect I have left..." Baracus''s voice turned into a mumble near the second half of the sentence.


    There was silence for a few seconds until Baracus spoke up again.


    "Look, I have audio and video logs of the chaos lightning. Progenitor had visited the edge of the universe multiple times to collect samples. He interacted with the chaos and even managed to collect some of it for studies. I can show you the logs in augmented reality and you can almost experience it first hand. It will be like you were there yourself."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes almost popped out of his sockets, "What? Such a thing is possible??!"


    "Of course!" he replied as a matter-of-factly, "Although I might not be able to use my full power, I can still do this much. Progenitor created me to help with his projects which were far moreplicated than this little thing. But that''s only for what''s already in my database. I can''t create something I''ve never seen."


    "Hmm," he gave it some thought and couldn''te up with any downsides, "It doesn''t hurt to give it a try. Do it, show me the edge of the universe!"


    "Alright, it might hurt a little bit," Baracus warned him and started the process.


    Hao Xuanid back on his bed and closed his eyes. Streams of blue light could be seen traveling from the watch towards his brain all long his nervous system. The watch was connected directly to the nerve endings in his arms and could be used to directly connect to his optic nerves when needed.


    At the start, there was a searing pain at the back of his eyes which slowly increased in intensity for a few seconds beforepletely vanishing.


    The darkness subsided and Hao Xuan felt bright shes of light in front of him.


    Slowly, he opened his eyes and found himself floating in space. There was nothing behind him or below him, but to his front and above was the vast unending chaos.


    It looked like a mix of thunderclouds and some kind of a liquid floating freely in space.


    Hao Xuan extended his right hand and as it got closer to the chaos, a chilling sensation ran down his spine, making him quickly pull it back.


    "This is a recording? I just felt something right now!"


    "Its a mix of virtual and augmented reality," Baracus''s voice echoed in his ears.


    "I used the data from all the visits andbined them to make an interactable version. Your body believes that it is real. So if you get hurt here, it will hurt in reality as well. I have turned off a lot of things like the pressure and chaotic force exerted on all beings, as they would inconvenience you. You can''t die here but it will be painful. Proceed at your leisure."


    Hao Xuan looked down and could see himself like normal. If he didn''t know it wasn''t real he would never find out.


    "The matrix wasn''t so far-fetched then..." he mumbled, wide-eyed.

 Chapter 227: Third Class

    <h4>Chapter 227: Third ss</h4>


    That night Hao Xuan spent several hours in the augmented reality program Baracus so lovinglybeled as "Ora", which stood for the word "edge" in an ancientnguage.


    After a certain point, the lines between what was real and what wasn''t started to blur. Since Ora utilized Hao Xuan''s own nervous system as the basis, everything he felt in the program was as real as it could be. There was absolutely no difference between being there himself and using the program, at least from what he was feeling.


    His body reacted the same way it would if he was actually touching the chaos lightning himself. There were thin burn marks all along his arms that ran all the way down his back and to his feet.


    Burnt out, physically and mentally, he woke upte the next morning to the smell of pancakes, eggs, grilled meat, and several different soups.


    Xu Qing didn''t know what he was doing but she saw his condition and knew he would need heavier breakfasts so she would get up even earlier and go out shopping to get only the freshest materials.


    Hao Xuan ate like a king. And there was enough left over that even Fortis didn''t need to fight Hao Xuan over scraps, not that he wasn''t well fed anyway.


    After breakfast, Hao Xuan told Xu Qing that he was going out to check up on First''s family. Xu Qing insisted oning along so they took out the carriage and with Green and Red as the drivers, he paid them a visit.


    Xin Qiye, First''s son, was over two years old now. He seemed to recognize Xu Qing at first nce and waddled over gleefully as soon as he saw her.


    Anya weed them in with open arms. She was really happy to see Hao Xuan after such a long time and decided to make a literal feast for him.


    Han Ming, First''s younger sister, also returned from school a few hourster and kept roaming around Hao Xuan and asking if he needed anything, like a little helper bee.


    Xin Qiye, on the other hand, enjoyed ying with Fortis even though Fortis himself didn''t enjoy it as much and kept trying to run away.


    They had lunch after which Hao Xuan had a conversation with Anya, assured her that everything was okay and that he would be going over to meet First soon as well.


    Since First was at the front lines, he couldn''t reallymunicate freely with Anya. It had been over 2 weeks since thest time they had talked.


    The only reason Hao Xuan was able to get in contact with First was because they both were in the Red Legion and had the same rank, more or less.


    It was around 5 p.m by the time Hao Xuan left Anya''s ce.


    Little Xin Qiye kept crying, asking to y with Fortis, while Fortis hid himself atop Hao Xuan''s hair.


    Han Ming was really attached to Xu Qing as well and made her promise to visit her again in the near future.


    Xu Qing asked if they could make a stop on the way back, to which Hao Xuan graciously agreed in an instant.


    Green and Red seemed to know where to go and drove the carriage expertly through many different small streets, leaving Fortuna from a small gate.


    About 40 minutester, the carriage came to a stop outside a rundown temple. Xu Qing got down and walked in, while Hao Xuan waited outside with the divine apes.


    "What is this ce?" he mumbled to himself while looking around at the old buildings. It looked like an abandoned vige but there were still a lot of people walking about.


    Green sighed looking at the old temple, "That''s a forgotten orphanage. It houses those that were thrown away by their families, bastard children of rich families that want to hide their so-called "mistakes" or those born with deformities. Every city has one of these."


    Hao Xuan''s brow shot up in anger, "What?! Do the authorities know about this?"


    "Of course," Green nodded, "Many of the children in this cee from old military families and famous ns. Everyone knows about this ce but they pretend not to. It''s the dirty little secret of the biggest city of Mei."


    Hao Xuan turned around and took another look at the surrounding buildings and the people.


    The houses had broken walls and roofs, fixed together with pieces of lumber and rope if even that.


    There were a lot of old folks there. Many of them were missing limbs but were still going about their daily lives as usual.


    "And them? Who are they?" he asked gesturing towards the old folk.


    "The same people that grew up in the orphanage. They are third-ss citizens that are not eligible for any help from the government. Their entire lives are spent in this godforsaken ce."


    "From the moment they were abandoned here, this was their fate. In the government''s eyes, they do not exist. They can never get a job or be registered to even own a simple spirit band. They move from the orphanage over there, to the decrepit vige over here. This is all their life amounts to."


    Hao Xuan waspletely speechless. For the first time sinceing to this world, he saw something so utterly.....vile. For him, the beast world was a world full of possibilities, but it was the exact opposite for some.


    "Why don''t they just leave?"


    Red chuckled from the side and replied in Green''s stead.


    "How can they leave? They are mere mortals with no weapons or wealth to their name. The lowest level beast could tear apart every single person in this vige. They do not have the resources to even buy a simple cultivation manual, how can they hope to leave this ce that''s surrounded by nothing but millions of beasts?"


    ''Right, I forgot where we are...''


    Hao Xuan was a very lucky person. Ever sinceing to this world he never really had to worry about the basic necessities. Even now he was filthy rich by normal standards. A single one of his meals was better than what anyone here could ever hope to have in their entire lives.


    He turned around and walked towards the temple with hurried steps.


    As he got closer, yful shouts and yells entered his ears. He jumped up andnded on the roof. Peaking in through a window he saw Xu Qing sitting in a small hall.


    All around her were dozens of kids, jumping around with joy. There were many simple dishes ced on the long table in front.


    "Okay everyone, thank sister Xu and go wash your hands!" a voice came from the entrance. A middle-aged man with a missing left arm entered the hall.


    "Yes!" they all replied unison and ran out.


    Xu Qing got up and walked up to the middle-aged man. There was an infant in his embrace.


    "How is little Ye, uncle Tian?" she asked while taking the infant from the middle-aged man.


    "He''s much better thanks to the medicine you brought him," the man named Tian replied with a kind smile.


    "Good," Xu Qing nodded and gently rocked the infant back and forth.


    A sharp buzzing noise sounded in Hao Xuan''s ears, drowning out all other sounds. His fists were clenched so tight that his bones were making strange noises.


    "It''s from her own money you know," Green''s voice sounded from behind him, waking him from the stupor.


    "Eh? What?" Surprised, Hao Xuan asked as he didn''t hear the first time.


    "The food, she buys all that with the pay you give her. Every single penny is used to buy food that she brings here," Green exined.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes from both rage and dissatisfaction.


    Rage because of how these people were being treated, and dissatisfaction with everyone that surrounded him that they never told him about any of this. He had enough wealth to literally throw away at things, sparing a few dozen gold coins was nothing to him. He could feed all these people for several generations without any problems.


    Hao Xuanughed self-deprecatingly and looked up at Green, startling him.


    "How bad of an image do you guys have of me that you never even thought about asking me to help these people?"

 Chapter 228: Primal

    <h4>Chapter 228: Primal</h4>


    "How bad of an image do you guys have of me that you never even thought about asking me to help these people?"


    Green smiled wryly, "Master, you literally ripped the heads off several people and drank their blood in front of millions. Your reputation isn''t very.....family friendly.."


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say since that was true, so he just changed the topic.


    *Cough*


    "H-How long has she beening here?"


    "Soon after you left. It has been a few months."


    "Hmm, alright."


    Hao Xuan nodded and looked back at Xu Qing. The children had returned and were sitting on the table.


    Hao Xuan was expecting them to be quite rowdy but all of them were staring at ''Uncle Tian'' silently. He looked around at everyone once and after making sure everyone was present, said some prayers and told them to start eating.


    Xu Qing sat on one end of the table and fed the infant in her embrace.


    ''No wonder she looked so natural,'' he thought about how Xu Qing was feeding Fortis just a day earlier. It was almost exactly the same.


    Unknowingly, his lips arched up into a half-smile looking at Xu Qing sitting there peacefully. The scene looked like something out of a painting, with dozens of kids on either side and her keeping a watchful eye on them.


    ''She will make a great mother.''


    He stayed there until she was done and then quickly jumped down and ran back to the carriage like he had never left.


    Xu Qing walked out and slightly bowed her head in front of Hao Xuan, "Sorry to make you wait so long."


    "Don''t worry about it," Hao Xuan waved his hand and patted the seat next to him, "Come, let''s go back."


    Xu Qing was taken aback by the sudden change in his attitude but she quickly nodded with a slight blush and got on.


    Red closed the door before sitting in the front with Green. They made their way back to the mansion and by the time they reached it, the sun had already set.


    Hao Xuan didn''t say anything throughout the journey, only sitting there with his eyes closed. They got off and Xu Qing returned to make preparations for dinner while Hao Xuan stared at her back.


    Red who was standing behind him cleared his throat and started speaking lightly, "Why didn''t you ask the mistress about the orphanage?"


    Hao Xuan didn''t turn around, still staring in the direction she had disappeared in.


    "It''s not my ce to ask her anything. She is her own person. If she wanted me to know she would have told me from the start."


    "Then..."


    "Here, take this to the Den, I''ll let them know you''reing," Hao Xuan handed him a storage ring and his VIP token.


    Red asked curiously, "This is?"


    "A few beast cores I picked up along the way. Take them to the Den and sell them at a good price. Set up an anonymous ount and deposit everything in it. The next time you go to the temple give the details to the man named Tian and tell him to use them for the children. And if he needs anything, anything at all, contact me directly. This has my number," he fished out a spirit band and handed it over as well.


    Red looked at the things in his palm and closed his eyes to inspect the contents of the storage ring before abruptly opening them soon after.


    There were over a hundred beast cores in the storage ring. Beast cores were rather umon because only 1 out of 5 beasts would have one and fetched a fairly high price because of that.


    With just these cores there would be enough gold to keep the orphanage going for a long time.


    He had a troubled look on his face. Taking a deep breath he bowed deeply before Hao Xuan, "Thank you, master," and ran out with hurried steps.


    Hao Xuan was left even more surprised at his behavior. He looked back at Green for answers, "What was that about?"


    Green let out a deep sigh.


    "We are both from that vige, master. We were raised in the orphanage as well. But unlike many others, we were lucky enough to catch a break and leave that ce, until the Beast Hall captured us for their appalling experiments. Red was the one that told the mistress about the orphanage."


    "Ah, that exins a lot," Hao Xuan nodded after getting a grasp on the situation.


    No wonder he felt Red was so moody recently. He would be as well in such a situation.


    Both Green and Red weren''t able to freely use their abilities because of the Beast Hall. And even though they now had the ability to help the vigers and the orphans, they couldn''t.


    But with the gold from selling the cores, most of their financial problems would be solved.


    Hao Xuan didn''t pry any further into their private lives and went back to his room. Xu Qing brought the dinner in a few hours and as usual, sat beside him feeding Fortis while Hao Xuan ate.


    That night, he was sitting in his bed in deep thought.


    "Baracus, is there really no way for you to help me understand space energy?"


    "None. Why do you want to it so badly?"


    "I''ve already exined it why," Hao Xuan replied grumpily.


    "...I can''t help with space energy, but there might be another solution."


    Hao Xuan''s ears perked up, "What?


    "Instead of understanding Chaos lightning, why not try getting a grasp of the "Chaos" itself?"


    "The Chaos itself? How would that help me?"


    "Because its all connected. Progenitor believed that the Chaos at the edge of the universe was not what others believed it to be. During his lifetime he had conducted many experiments and visited many ces. He hypothesized that Chaos, was the most primal element in existence."


    "That it was older than everything we know and see today. And he believed that it was the source of everything. Of life and death, of water and fire, of good and evil. That''s why he was so interested in it. If you can understand what we call "chaos" truly is, you won''t JUST have control over Chaos lightning, but everything else as well."

 Chapter 229: Slumber

    <h4>Chapter 229: Slumber</h4>


    "What Chaos truly...is..?" Baracus''s words echoed in Hao Xuan''s ears as he faced the dark ''matter'' called chaos.


    Usually, he would start by trying to actually touch the sparks of lightning that asionally came out of the chaos, but this time he simply floated in front of it.


    Only looking. He didn''t move or try to touch anything, just observing.


    The more Hao Xuan stared at it, the stronger the feeling became. The feeling that he was missing something, something important.


    He knew it wasn''t a physical object but an idea. This idea was like the key that would open the gate toprehension and allow him to take his first steps towards the Dao of Chaos!


    Pretty soon he became entranced with it, not even able to look away. It felt like he was being sucked into the chaos, body, and soul.


    But it wasn''t a negative feeling at all. Unlike the feelings of hopelessness, anguish, despair, and grief one would feel standing at the gates hell, this was more of a feeling of...contentment. Like the deep dark hole at the bottom of your heart was being filled up.


    It wasn''t good or bad really, it just....was. Like it belonged there.


    A small strand of chaos separated itself from the giant mass and floated towards Hao Xuan. Extremely slowly, like it was worried about spooking him, it inched closer and closer to him until it came into contact with his body. Hao Xuan''s eyelids suddenly became extremely heavy, closing on their own, leaving him in a deep slumber.


    He dreamt of being surrounded by total darkness. He could neither move nor open his eyes, only able to stay in a fetal position, floating through time and space for what seemed like an eternity.


    "Wake up~, hungry!"


    A voice echoed in Hao Xuan''s psyche and a sharp pain appeared on his back. The pain grew in magnitude until he finally couldn''t take it anymore and jumped off his bed screaming.


    "OUCH! What the f*ck!"


    "HUNGRY!"


    Fortis''s voice came from behind him.


    He turned around and saw the little octopus ring at him while his tentacles iled about angrily, like Hao Xuan hadmitted the greatest of sins.


    "What the hell is wrong with you? I was having such a nice dream, why did you have to go ahead and wake me up?!" he shouted back at the octopus whose cheeks were swelling up by the second.


    "NO, YOU!" Fortis retorted as usual, ready to strike again.


    "Me what? That doesn''t make any god damn sense you moron!" Hao Xuan pointed at him while rubbing his back. It was still aching.


    ''How could I feel pain in that ce? it feels like this dumbass hit my very soul!''


    Xu Qing was sitting under the maple tree when she heard themotion from Hao Xuan''s room. Her heart skipped a beat and she sprinted in, only to see him pinned down in a fight against the white octopus.


    She let out a breath of relief and clumsily tried to hold on to the doorframe for support as her legs weakened.


    Hao Xuan looked up upon hearing themotion and with Fortis still attached to his back, he ran over and held her.


    "What''s wrong?! Are you okay?" he asked with a deep frown. Herplexion was really pale and he felt like she had lost a fair bit of weight overnight.


    She tried to smile and nodded back, "Yes, just a little lightheaded."


    Hao Xuan tapped Fortis''s tentacle and he swiftly released him and made his way up to his head. Hao Xuan then bent down and picked Xu Qing up in his arms.


    "Rx," he whispered softly upon feeling her body tense up. She still didn''t rx much and hid her red face in Hao Xuan''s chest. He brought her over to the bed and gentlyid her down.


    "What''s going on? How did you lose so much weight so quickly? Are you sick?"


    Xu Qing looked up at him surprised.


    "You don''t remember?"


    Hao Xuan''s forehead unconsciously creased up, "Remember what?"


    "You were asleep for over two weeks. Senior Yangdi sent over a doctor and he said you were physically fine and couldn''t find anything wrong."


    "Two weeks?!"


    Hao Xuan''s mouth fell open. He could have sworn he was only in that ce for a few seconds. How could two weeks have passed by so quickly?


    ''Oh sh*t, the meeting, the damn WAR!'' he shot up to his feet upon remembering everything he had missed.


    "Are you really okay?" Xu Qing asked once again.


    *Sigh*


    "Yeah, I''m fine, don''t worry," Hao Xuan smiled wryly, "Everything''s good. Are there any messages for me?"


    Xu Qing had a pondering expression on her face before she shook her head, "No, no messages. But an old man dide to visit you some time ago."


    "An old man? Who?"


    "He didn''t give his name. He just checked up on you and then left."


    "What did he look like?"


    "Like normal....Oh! He did have four eyes though!"


    "Four eyes?!"


    ''The old demon came to visit me? Oh f*ck...." Hao Xuan wiped a beat of sweat from his forehead.


    "Alright, you stay in bed, I have to go see someone. I''ll be back soon," he tucked in Xu Qing and quickly walked out before she could say anything.


    "Green! Red!" he called for them through the soul bond.


    *Woosh*


    The air moved and the two divine apes appeared behind him silently.


    "We answer!"


    "Get the carriage, we have to go here," he gave them an address.


    "Yes!"


    Within a few minutes, he was on his way to meet the old man.


    "Baracus!" he called for him with gritted teeth.


    "Yes?" Baracus replied calmly.


    "What the hell happened? How was I out for 2 weeks?"


    "I have no idea. But I couldn''t reach your consciousness. It wasn''t in your body."


    "Not in my body? How is that even possible?"


    "If I knew I would have told you."


    "F*ck sakes. Fine. Give me an update, everything that happened in thest two weeks."


    "Not much. There was a battle between the two great general of Mei and one of Jia. There were also more than 20 smaller shes."


    "How many did we lose?"


    "About 12 of them."


    "Damn. Alright, still that''s not too bad."


    "Oh, and the people you call Third and Fourth were captured by the enemy a few days ago."


    "WHAT?!"

 Chapter 230: Alive or Dead

    <h4>Chapter 230: Alive or Dead</h4>


    "WHAT?!"


    Hao Xuan shot up from his seat, hitting the carriage roof.


    "When exactly did this happen? Where did they get captured? What is the military doing about it?"


    "About 3 days ago. They were on a mission but something went wrong, and as far as I can tell, only the Red Legion is taking the matter seriously."


    Hao Xuan punched the side door, blowing it to smithereens.


    "Goddamnit. How could this happen?!"


    Baracus remained silent for a few seconds, contemting whether or not telling Hao Xuan would be a good idea, but he decided to tell him anyway.


    "....I''m pretty sure there are spies within the military."


    Hao Xuan who was already on the verge of exploding suddenly calmed down, which surprised even Baracus himself.


    "Exin."


    "The mission they were on was a simple scouting mission. But from the data I got from their spirit bands before they were disabled, there was a whole regiment waiting for them at the designated location...."


    The more Hao Xuan listened, the calmer he became for some reason. It felt like all the anger inside him was being absorbed by something else.


    Large thick veins could be seen moving around his tightly clenched fists like they were alive. Every single muscle on his body was moving in a rhythm. With every heartbeat, his body trembled like never before.


    Expressions of Green and Red who were sitting in the front hardened like stone.


    They couldn''t control their own heartbeats just now. Every other beat sent hot blood pumping through their veins. Even though they had no idea what was going on, a strange energy was forcing their Qi to circte on its own, making them want to rip their skin off and turn back to their original appearances.


    The small pool of divine blood within their body reacted to this energy, seething with every heartbeat.


    *Ssssshhhhh*


    Streams of mist could be seening off their bodies, making them look like candles that had just been put out.


    Green opened thepartment door separating them from Hao Xuan, "M-Master, please calm down. Your power is leaking out!"


    Hao Xuan was sitting in thepartment with closed eyes. A minuscule cloud of ck smoke hovered in front of his face.


    He abruptly opened his eyes. The air itself manifested as an invisible shockwave rippled outward with him as the center.


    *Whoosh*


    The entire carriage that was reinforced with multiple formations shook like a boat in a storm.


    "I''m good. Everything is....good," he replied calmly,pletely in contrast to the beastial energy he was giving off.


    His eyes were shining likenterns in the dark. When Green met his gaze, his heart almost stopped. Every single hair on his body stood up straight and out of pure instinct, his body recoiled in defense.


    He could see that the person in front of him was the Hao Xuan he had always known, but his animal senses were telling him there was more to it.


    It felt like a bloodthirsty monster was standing behind him, hiding in his very shadow, sharpening its ws, ready to strike out at a moment''s notice.


    Green nodded absentmindedly and closed thepartment door once again.


    "What''s going on? Is everything okay?" Red asked curiously.


    "Yeah, everything is....good," Green repeated Hao Xuan''s words. His throat was bone dry for some reason while his neck ached like he had just been strangled.


    In Hao Xuan''s mind pce the gate on the right that had been locked for so long finally creaked open. Zhurong who was sleeping on the podium in the middle of the pce lifted his head, staring at the door threateningly.


    Inside the room Hyde was sitting in his chair, looking outward with squinted eyes and a mirthful smile.


    "Interesting...there is something else taking shape," he mumbled to himself before closing his eyes once again. The door closed and all the light vanished, with just his voice echoing in the darkness.


    "Interesting indeed...."


    The carriage came to a stop outside a small house. There was one person standing at the front like a statue.


    Hao Xuan got off from the carriage and started walking towards the front door. The person didn''t even bat an eye at his arrival and kept his gaze straight.


    Hao Xuan knocked on the door and a maid opened the door. Same as the man outside her expression saw no change. She simply nodded once and led Hao Xuan inside.


    They passed through a few corridors and came to a stop in a small courtyard. The maid turned around and left without making a noise.


    Hao Xuan walked in and bowed from the waist towards the old man in front who was reading a printed newspaper, "General."


    "Hmm, you''re up early. I thought it would take you some time before you managed to return to this world."


    Hao Xuan stood back up, "Pardon?"


    The general put down the paper and met Hao Xuan''s gaze with a raised eyebrow, "You don''t know where you were?"


    "No," Hao Xuan shook his head.


    "Well, that''s surprising," the general smiled amusingly.


    "You''re a strange one. Yue Fei brought you here more than 2 years ago in hopes of making amends with me, but you never asked about him once. You seem to have one bad encounter after another, being on the verge of death every few months, and now this..."


    "This?" Hao Xuan tilted his head sideways in confusion.


    The general waved his hand dismissively, "It doesn''t matter. Just know that if you return to that ce again, it won''t be easy to return without gaining some understanding."


    ".....yes..."


    Hao Xuan had no idea what he was talking about but he nodded anyway.


    The general raised the newspaper once again, covering his face.


    "You heard about Third and Fourth?"


    "Yes."


    "First is in charge of finding them, go to him. Your "Mad Saints" are with him as well."


    "Yes."


    Hao Xuan turned around and saw the maid blocking his way out. There was a silver tray in her hand with a ring on top.


    "Take the ring, it has everything you need to break through to the spirit realm. Don''te back without Third and Fourth, alive or dead."


    Hao Xuan looked at the ring for a second before picking it up. The maid turned around and Hao Xuan followed after. He had only taken a few steps when the general''s voice echoed in his head.


    "Careful of the other units. Do not trust thempletely, especially the Spearhead, the Ten thousand and the Valkyries. Our goals are not aligned."


    Hao Xuan froze mid-stride.


    ''So the rumors are true...'' he thought.


    "Yes," he repeated once again and walked out of the house.

 Chapter 231: Untold Feelings

    <h4>Chapter 231: Untold Feelings</h4>


    It was about 11 p.m at night and most of the inner city streets were empty under the bright moonlight. There was only one carriage on this specific road, heading further into the city.


    Hao Xuan was sitting in the back ying with the ring absentmindedly, engrossed in the thoughts of what was about toe when he heard a low buzz.


    *Shiing*


    With a slight frown, he opened the right side window to peek outside. As if it was waiting for such an opportunity, the noise suddenly got louder and sharper, and a barely visible sh of light shot forward, aiming straight at his head.


    Green and Red both turned around in an instant. Their arms extended to over four times the length of their bodies, covering both sides of the carriage.


    But the sh of shimmering light that was going in and out of the visible spectrum twisted in an unfathomable way, almost like it was alive, and moved between the space of Green''s finger and continued on.


    All of this happened in less than a second.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes contracted and even though he could roughly see the trajectory of the iing object, his body was not able to keep up with his other senses.


    The muscles on his neck and shoulders bulged and he did everything he possibly could, which was to rotate his head to the left, so the object would impact with the back of his head instead of the forehead.


    "Master!" x2


    Green and Red both shouted at once and tried to charge over, but there wasn''t enough time.


    There was a dark silhouette sitting beneath a tree branch about 30 meters away from the moving carriage. It seamlessly blended in with the shadows and even if one stared right at it, there was no way to tell it was there.


    A half-smile adorned the silhouette''s masked face, even though it couldn''t be seen by others.


    The object entered the carriage and connected with the back of Hao Xuan''s head, but the result was not what the assant had expected.


    Almost as soon as the object connected with the back of his head, a small white tentacle shot out from the window at almost 4 times the speed of the first object, aiming directly for the silhouette.


    Now it was the silhouette''s turn to be surprised. With a stupified expression on its face, its body recoiled and it leaped back.


    *BAM*


    The tentacle hit the exact spot it was sitting on a second ago.


    "MINE!"


    An angry little squeak came from the carriage and five more tentacles came out. The silhouette didn''t wait for them to attack and leaped back once again, vanishing into the shadows like it was never there.


    "Stop, let it go," Hao Xuan ordered solemnly and all six tentacles reluctantly retracted.


    He peaked out once again but could see nothing out of the ordinary other than the broken tree in the distance.


    "Can you sense anyone else?" he whispered to Fortis.


    Fortis shook his little head, "No!"


    "Hmm."


    Hao Xuan leaned back and closed the window.


    Just now he had used Fortis''s ridiculously strong body as a meat shield to block the attack, and it worked.


    The object he was attacked with was like a small needle or a spike. There was a sticky liquid at the end of it which even melted a part of the carriage where it had dropped.


    He ordered Green and Red to change directions and go to a crowded area.


    There he recalled them to his mind pce and changed into a new set of clothes before merging with the bustling crowd. He left the carriage and apanying beasts there and walked around on foot.


    Going in circles for hours, he left himself open to attack but Fortis didn''t sense anyone chasing him nor did anyone else attack.


    It was only after 3 in the morning that he returned to the mansion.


    He called out Green and Red and told them to be on full alert and not go outside before they were able topletely change their appearances to that of normal human beings.


    He asked them if they saw anything and both of them said the same thing.


    "The attacker was not a human."


    From their descriptions, it looked like some kind of a beastman. With small ck wings on its back and a spiky tail, it wasn''t any race native to the Mei kingdom.


    Hao Xuan returned to his room but it was empty. The bed was cold and Xu Qing was nowhere to be found. He ran over to her room but it was empty as well. The bed hadn''t even been slept in. His heart started beating faster and faster.


    Just as he was about to summon Ensis and the others, a light melodic hum came from the courtyard. He sprinted outside and saw the same silhouette sitting on the patio under the maple tree.


    He let out a sigh of relief and walked over to her.


    "Its almost 4 in the morning, why are you still up?"


    Xu Qing was looking upwards at the full moon. The moonlight reflected in her eyes like a hall of mirrors. Her fractured eyes retained every little bit moonlight that entered, almost making them shine.


    "I was praying," she replied softly.


    Hao Xuan took the seat beside her, mesmerized by her beauty. Her entire being was shinning, body, and soul. Of all the beautiful women he had met, Xu Qing was the only one that was perfect in every way imaginable.


    Be it her mannerisms, her outward appearance, her treatment of others or any other aspect, there was nothingcking whatsoever. If only he could give her the gift of sight, he could probably die happy.


    "Who are you praying to?"


    "To the moon goddess," she whispered with a resplendent smile. Hao Xuan had never seen such a smile on her face before.


    *Ba-dump*


    "Who is the moon goddess?" he asked curiously.


    Xu Qing turned towards him with that smile that could rip a soul away, "The kindest and wisest of goddesses in existence. She listens to the weak and needy, the ones that have nothing to offer but their prayers, and provides them shelter, and hope."


    *Ba-dump*


    Just who was it that was able to make her smile this much? Hao Xuan was truly envious right now. Envious of the goddess who was the reason for such a smile.


    For the first time in his life, he wanted nothing more than to be the cause of a smile like that.


    "That melody, was it a hymn for her?"


    Xu Qing shook her head, "No, that was a song my mother used to sing for me when I was young."


    "Mhm," Hao Xuan nodded back and looked up at the moon.


    Neither of them said anything to each other after that.


    Xu Qing continued humming the melody while Hao Xuan listened. It sounded like the most pleasant sound in existence to his ears. The cold winter wind blew slowly and maple leaves fell down every now and then. It was the most peaceful he had felt in a long time.


    All the anger that was bubbling deep inside him calmed down. All the uncertainties of what the near future held, all the tough decisions he had to make, all the worries that were holding him down just....melted away.


    And he couldn''t help but break out into a wry smile at that realization. For he was much more self-aware than others and knew how he had changed over the years.


    He had fallen head over heels for the woman beside him.


    When he was away from her all he wanted was to see her again. To eat the foods she made, to listen to the songs she sang, to feel the warmth of her dainty hands, to take care of her and protect her from every bad thing in existence. But he didn''t know how to tell her that.


    Xu Qing was sent to him as a ve. He had freed her, but he knew that she still treated him like she owed him a huge favor.


    And he was worried that if he confessed to her, she would feel obligated to say yes. And that was thest thing he ever wanted. He didn''t want to force her into a rtionship unless that was what she desired as well.


    So he chose to keep things going as they had always been, until such a time that he was sure that the feeling was mutual.


    Until then, just staying by her side was more than enough for him.


    "I have to leave tomorrow. I will be gone for a while this time," he whispered lightly.


    Xu Qing looked down at her feet and nodded wordlessly.


    Hao Xuan seemed somewhat disappointed and got up. Just after he took one step he felt a tug on his shirt. Turning around he saw Xu Qing holding onto it.


    "P-Please be careful, and..e back quickly."


    It felt like a volcano had erupted in his chest and he almost got a nosebleed looking at her blushing figure.


    "O-Of course!" he moved his head up and down vigorously.


    Hao Xuan returned to his room for the night and the next morning he left silently with Ensis. It was time to join the war.


    Xu Qing stood in her bedroom window, staring at him trying to sneak out with a worried smile. Hands sped, she closed her eyes and prayed fervently.


    "Please watch over him and protect him, no matter where he goes or what he does. Bring him back safely..."

 Chapter 232: "Geniuses"

    <h4>Chapter 232: "Geniuses"</h4>


    The war had been going on for over a month now and the current situation was not in Mei''s favor.


    The Jia armies marched straight into Mei''snds, attacking every settlement in their way. Be it a small vige of a few dozen or a city of several million, nothing was left untouched.


    As in every world, the main victims of wars were the innocent civilians. Although most had been evacuated to grade 1 cities, many were still left out there to fend for themselves.


    There had been 3rge encounters between the armies of Jia and Mei.


    The first encounter signaled the start of the war when the Jia and the Wu n attacked the main stronghold located at the periphery of the two kingdoms. That was when the first Great General of Mei disappeared while his whereabouts were still unknown.


    The second encounter took ce a few weeks after when two Great Generals of Mei surprised one of the Jia, eradicating over 60% of his army.


    The third took ce two days ago.


    For the first time in this war, an entire specialized regiment took to the battlefield. Under the directmand of Great General Ouki, the Spearheadsunched an offensive attack on one of the main strongholds that had been taken over by the enemy forces.


    This stronghold was being used as a forwarding station for troops, weapons, and supplies for the Jia and the Wu ns. Even with a Great General of the Wu n to defend it, the stronghold was lost in a single night and the Wu general had to flee.


    It seemed the Wu and Jia n had also sent some youngsters from the newer generation. They hadn''t partaken in any of the three big encounters but the word of their prowess was spreading fast.


    It seemed several of them had shed with the younger generation of the Mei kingdom, namely Guo Bao of the Flying Tigers and Dong Ning of the Spearheads.


    Wu Chin and Wu Kang were of the Wu n while Lu Qiu, Zhan An, and Cia Kang were from the Jia kingdom. The only person from the Royal Jia n was Jia Tu.


    Each of these individuals were considered to be geniuses by their respective kingdoms/ns and many people were keeping an eye on them.


    ****


    Hao Xuan was supposed to meet First somewhere in the southwest. The distance between them was several thousand miles and the only thing to guide him was the tracking beacon he had gotten from the ring given by the old demon.


    It pointed in a single direction which he followed without question.


    And with Bai, the hazards of being in the wild were greatly reduced. He was agile enough to traverse entire mountains while also fast enough to notg behind.


    Hao Xuan came upon over 20 different parties making their way to Fortuna. Some only had twenty or so people, while a couple of them had over three thousand. He didn''t interact with any of them, going around whenever they were in the way.


    At night he made camp on the boundary of a new area. He chose a small cliff as his home for the night. The entire area in front of him was about 400 meters straight down, leading to what looked like a cliff. Just from an initial observation, he could see gigantic creatures moving around the marsnd, going in and out of what seemed like shallow bodies of water but were obviously deceptive.


    The one thing that shook him to the core was a demonic beast that looked like a humongous alligator. But it was moving on two feet like a Trex from those movies he had seen on earth.


    It had feathers on its back and the tail that seemed to be a 100 meter long was covered with serrated edges. If he came upon that thing on his journey then running away was the only rational option.


    But what was even more stupefying was what happened to it. It came out of a, what seemed like a small puddle, and made its way to a river not far from it. Only that it didn''t make it to its intended destination.


    On the riverbank was a small nt with blooming obsidian flowers. They werepletely ck in color, very much in contrast to the colorful surroundings.


    When the creatures passed by, these flowers shot out like harpoons and ripped off pieces of its flesh. Then the ground beneath cracked open and a gaping maw swallowed the creature whole, before everything returned back to normal.


    Even the bloodstains were absorbed by the soil unnaturally fast.


    Hao Xuan stared at the scene wide-eyed. He looked down at the tracking beacon that was pointing straight towards the swampy hell and faltered.


    ''Even the flora is bloodthirsty in this ce, what is First brother doing here?!''


    He called First on the spirit band but there was no response. Dejectedly, he returned to the portable camp and took out the storage ring the old demon had given him. This had everything he needed to break through to the Spirit realm.


    Closing his eyes he sent his consciousness inside and saw the contents. There were a few glowing rocks, several times bigger than normal spirit stones, a small book and a couple of other things.


    He took out the book and examined it. There was nothing written on the cover. Opening it, he read the first line.


    "The mysteries of cultivation."


    The writing was rtively old and it was handwritten by someone.


    The first page read, "It is not the number of pces that measures an individuals power, but theplexities therein."

 Chapter 233: Humanity

    <h4>Chapter 233: Humanity</h4>


    "It is not the number of pces that measures an individual''s power, but theplexities therein."


    "A mind pce is the physical manifestation of an individual''s understandings of his or her own powers. The higher theprehension abilities and the more time spent designing the pce, the moreplicated it will be."


    "Throughout history, there have been many individuals that have reached the apex with just a single mind pce. These people were the true geniuses of their eras with no one to stand against them."


    "The most notable was the first Human Ancient. Hundreds of billions of years ago he was one of the first waves of humans to reach the apex and created a path to the sanctuary for all of mankind here on the Beast World."


    "Before that, humans were considered to be just one of the many lesser races that weren''t suitable for cultivation resources. There were ridiculed at every turn and treated as simple ves."


    "But through hard work and perseverance, the first Human Ancient along with other notable human warriors led humanity''sst warriors to fight against the armies of the void and darkness."


    "A battle of an indescribable scale and proportion unfolded, through the result of which they managed to seal the void gates, giving humanity much needed time to stand up on its own two feet."


    "Today, the aplishments of these once great warriors have been lost in the annals of time. Theyid down their lives for humanity''s sake, asking for nothing in return. But it is only a matter of time before another such battle takes ce."


    "The armies of abyss once again increase in numbers, digging deep into the flesh of the beings of light. They corrupt yourpanions with empty promises of wealth and power."


    "You must always remember the enemy behind your enemy, for there is always a bigger sky somewhere in this vast universe...."


    Rather than just a simple guide to cultivation, the book contained hundreds of stories as well. Some of the humans, while some of the other beings that allied with humans and stood against the tyranny of darkness.


    The humans weren''t the humans from earth as Hao Xuan thought they were, but all physically simr beings with arms and two legs were called humans.


    The overlying theme was the same though. Human empires being brought down from inside out due to an outside influence, much like what was happening right now in Mei.


    Thest few pages contained the actual information regarding the opening of Mind pces and the use of energy.


    ording to it, the number of Mind Pces was still important. It added a multiplicative effect to a cultivators power. Whereas theplexity of the Mind pce boosted the base power significantly.


    For a truly sturdy foundation, one must have both quality and quantity.


    Once thest meridian was opened, the mind pce could start to take shape. The cultivator was to imagine a location or an object important to them. Imagine its outlines and then slowly fill it up with the power from your meridians.


    Of course, the moreplex the pce was, the more energy it would consume to manifest it and bring it to life.


    The process was long and arduous and could take weeks.


    Hao Xuan went over all the information till it waste into the night. Around 5 a.m, just before the sun rose, his watch vibrated. It was First calling back.


    "Ninth brother! What''s up?"


    His voice came from the other side. Even though Hao Xuan wasn''t able to see him, it was obvious how exhausted he was because of the tone of his voice.


    "I''m on my way to meet you brother. I''m at the periphery of a swamp and the token is pointing straight inside. Are you in there or should I just go around it?"


    If at all possible, he would love to avoid going through a ce filled with dangers hidden at every corner.


    "You''re here already?!"


    First sounded quite surprised.


    "Yup."


    "Alright, stay where you are, I''ll send one of my subordinates to pick you up. He should be there in a few hours."


    *Click*


    Without even waiting for Hao Xuan to reply, First hung up.


    With nothing else to do, Hao Xuan put down a few rocks outside the boundary of the portable camp so whoever wasing would be able to see the ndmark", and then went to sleep.


    He was woken up around 11 a.m from a loud noise. He checked outside and saw arge bird-like beast standing above thendmark. After washing up and changing into a new set of clothes, he recalled the camp and "appeared" in front of the creature.


    It didn''t look surprised as if it knew where he was from the start.


    Hao Xuan looked up and down the beast curiously. It looked like a hybrid of a type of monkey and a bird. Its human-like face was extremely off-putting. Thick feathery wings adorned its entire back.


    Hao Xuan didn''t want to be presumptuous, thinking that this beast was his ride and not the subordinate First was talking about.


    "H-Hello," he awkwardly waved at the creature.


    The beast looked back at him with a straight face but made no other movements. Its meter long eyes blinking repeatedly.


    "Did First brother send you??"


    "....."


    Still no response.


    He moved closer to inspect the creature but it recoiled its body, shaking free an object from its fur.


    "Ouch, what the hell are you doing?"


    A voice came from behind the beast, exactly where the "object" had fallen. A man decked in armor from head to toe walked out while rubbing his back. He had a small stubble around his face. Age-wise he looked the same as First, only much more easy-going in nature.


    He gave the beast a dirty look before looking in front.


    He saw Hao Xuan and quickly straightened up, giving a standard military salute.


    "Ah! Ninth captain! My name is Du Xun, I was sent by the First captain to bring you to him!"


    Hao Xuan nodded back with a wry smile, waving his hand dismissively.


    "Rx rx. Is this your ride?"


    He pointed at the beast with his chin.


    "Yes. I just got him a few months ago so he doesn''t listen to mepletely yet. Please," he gestured towards the beasts back.


    Hao Xuan jumped up andnded on its back. It didn''t have much of a reaction to his presence and continued looking around with a straight face.


    Hao Xuan was rubbing the fur on the beasts back which felt extremely smooth when he saw something from the corner of his eye.


    Du Xun floated up from the ground andnded on the beasts head in one smooth motion.


    ''Profound realm!''


    Hao Xuan was surprised, to say the least. This normal-looking person was at a general level?!


    With a soft pat, Du Xun gave the order, "Let''s go!" and the beast''s wings slowly expanded to over 5 times the size of its body, which was about 15 meters tall itself.


    With just a couple of ps of its massive wings, it shot up into the air like a bullet. Hao Xuan almost lost his bnce and went tumbling down.


    He was holding on for dear life.

 Chapter 234: Tracking

    <h4>Chapter 234: Tracking</h4>


    The monkey-bird hybrid flew for more than 3 hours, covering tens of thousands of miles. Every p of its wings boosted its speed even more.


    Hao Xuan had to duck down for cover past a certain point and couldn''t even sit up straight due to the air pressure. Whereas Du Xun stood atop the creature''s head like a straight sword, not even bending an inch.


    During this short journey they were attacked several times by groups of flying beasts. Most of them could be outnked and "outran" but there were two instances where they had to make detours.


    Du Xun didn''t exin the dangers to Hao Xuan but he could feel a strong pressure from them even from dozens of miles away.


    By the time they reached their destination, it was around 4 p.m.


    Hao Xuan jumped down and fell down to his knees. It felt like he had been on a roller coaster ride for 3+ hours non-stop.


    "We''re here," Du Xun''s voice came from the front. He waved his hand and the beast vanished.


    Hao Xuan looked up hoping to see the First standing there but was disappointed.


    They were on a small mound of earth surrounded by thick green water on all sides. The sun was in the middle of the sky and the humid air of the swamp made it hard to even breathe.


    Hao Xuan got back up on his feet with some effort and examined the surroundings in detail.


    All around were massive, over 150-meter tall, trees sparsely located. The trees were home to numerous beasts of small to medium size.


    The swampy waters slowly moved on their own. Every now and then an eye, a nostril, a tentacle, or some other body part would emerge from the water before disappearing back down with a small ssh.


    The entire swamp was alive. Every single branch and leaf looked like it was moving on its own, and many of them were. There were gigantic mosquitos the size of cats flying around.


    Hao Xuan met Du Xun''s gaze who was just smiling back at him, "A-Are you sure? This is it?"


    He nodded once, "Yes," and waved his hand.


    The space in front of them rippled and a red gate materialized out of thin air. It didn''t "appear", but actually materialized out of nothing.


    "Wha-"


    Hao Xuan''s eyes opened wide. He could feel copious amounts of spacial energy emanating from the gate. It was gushing out of like a broken dam.


    Du Xun walked up to the gate and shed his military badge. Without making a single sound, the gate opened and the scenes from the other side came into view.


    The first thing Hao Xuan saw were the rows of tents ced in a perfect square. In the middle of these tents was a wide ring with dozens of soldiers fighting one another.


    People could be seen moving back and forth between the tents as well which made the entire area look very lively.


    "After you," Du Xun bowed slightly and waited for Hao Xuan to enter.


    As Hao Xuan walked up to the gate, he got a simr feeling from it as from the rift. He went around the gate once but there was nothing else there. It was just that single gate floating a few meters above the ground.


    "What the hell is this?" he mumbled absentmindedly.


    "It''s one of the Red Legion''s defining treasures, a pocket of space much like a storage ring," Du Xun walked up to Hao Xuan and spoke while caressing the gate''s frame.


    "The only difference is that there cannot be anything inside it when it is being moved. Other than that it can contain living beings as well."


    Hao Xuan was even more surprised by his exnation. So things like this actually existed??


    "But how does it work? Does it have its own environment? How can this thing contain living beings while a storage ring cannot?"


    "The gate is connected with the environment around it. It takes in the air and the spiritual energy from the surroundings whenever it is put down. That''s why there can''t be anyone inside it when it''s being moved because they would die when the gate''s connection is cut off from the outside world."


    "Mhm," Hao Xuan nodded and entered the gate without dying any further.


    As he stepped inside, it felt like he had walked into a thin film of water. And as soon he appeared on the other side a wave of thick spiritual energy hit him head-on.


    It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he could breathe normally once again. Du Xun walked in after him and the gate closed on its own.


    He led Hao Xuan through the right side and to the biggest tent in the back.


    "First Captain is waiting for you," and left after giving another salute.


    Hao Xuan walked in and saw First sitting behind a desk, looking at a ss screen. Upon hearing the footsteps he looked up and weed Hao Xuan with a beaming smile.


    "Ninth brother!"


    They talked for a while in there. Hao Xuan passed on Anya''s video message that she had recorded for him and told him of the things that had happened in Fortuna and the Kingdom.


    First wasn''t surprised upon hearing that someone had tried to kill Hao Xuan twice, but a scowl did appear on his face. He then exined his current mission.


    "Brother, we are tracking the people that abducted Third and Fourth. We know they are somewhere in the area in front of us, within 50 miles to be exact. Soon we should have the exact coordinates and at that time we willunch an attack to bring them back."


    He told him that this swamp was one of the danger zones that connected several hundred kingdoms. And right now they had already crossed into the Jia Kingdoms territory.


    Hao Xuan told him about his own condition as well, that he was ready to break through to Spirit realm, which made First''s eyes gleam.


    "Alright, I''ll set something up to help you break through faster!" First grinned from ear to ear, giving Hao Xuan a bad feeling.

 Chapter 235: Sixth

    <h4>Chapter 235: Sixth</h4>


    *Crunch*


    *BAM*


    Hao Xuan''s body flew several meters into the air from the impact,nding on the concrete ring with a bang.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Instead of getting up this time he stayed down, cursing himself for bringing up his cultivation status in front of First.


    "Captain, now isn''t the time to rest!"


    A voice came from the front. He tilted his head sideways and met the speaker''s gaze.


    "Yu Bo, just because First brother said so, doesn''t mean you have to follow his orders so passionately."


    Yu Bo looked to be about 30 years of age. He waspletely bald and was holding a normal wooden stick in his hand. Beside him were two other people, smiling sheepishly and waiting for their turns.


    "Hahaha, but isn''t it fun? Can you not feel the blood pumping through your veins?" Yu Bo replied while twirling the wooden stick between his fingers like a pro.


    "How about I take over? You guys have been going at it for hours and it''s getting pretty boring!" the person to Yu Bo''s left moved forward.


    It was a young girl of about the same age as Hao Xuan. She had long blue hair and a very lean build, making her look quite intimidating.


    She didn''t have a weapon in her hand but her wrists were wrapped up with a thin silver sheet of some kind.


    "Oi Oi, wait your turn! I''m up next!"


    The person to his right walked forward as well. It was a young man of about 25 years of age. He had short white hair and a somewhat muscr build. He looked like a bodybuilder that had started working out a few months ago.


    In his right hand was a wooden longsword while in his left was a wooden spear.


    Yu Bo sighed and shook his head dejectedly.


    "My oh my, seems like I have to take a break now. It''s your choice captain, Xing Zhi or Tao Hu? Who do you want to ''spar'' against next?"


    Hao Xuan used his hands to get back up, wincing from the constant pain.


    "You as*holes...fine! Tao Hu,e!" he pointed at the white-haired man.


    "Ah, you have chosen wisely!" Tao Hu walked into the middle of the ring with a toothy grin.


    "AHH!"


    Hao Xuan got into an attacking stance and leaped at him with his clenched fists.


    These three individuals were First''s direct subordinates. They had mastered the basics of hand-to-handbat, weapon handling and counterattacking.


    All of them were at the 9th Level of the Spirit realm, getting ready to break through to the Profound realm.


    First had ordered them to train Hao Xuan in how to use his Qi and energy efficiently and effectively, especially when he was at a disadvantage.


    That''s why he wasn''t allowed to use any weapons. The objective of this somewhat unfair training regime was to force Hao Xuan to use Qi how it was meant to be used.


    For thest 6 days he had been fighting against these people from sunrise to sundown without a single break. At night he would sleep in a tank full of different herbs and ingredients that healed his body and restored his Qi for the next day''s fight.


    The process, although strict, was sessful. At the end of every day he would fall unconscious into herb bath and wake up full of energy.


    Because of the physique, his muscles quickly healed and every time they became bigger and stronger. His reflexes got faster and faster to keep up with trio''s attacks.


    What were like shadows to his eyes before were now discernable attacks that could be countered properly. He learned rather quickly, well, he had to for his own sake.


    The trio didn''t hold back at all, breaking several of his bones on the first day. And when they found out that his healing ability was off the charts, that he was able to heal in a single night, theyshed out even more. At first all he could do was run around or use his own arms and body to block the attacks, but eventually, he got the hang of it.


    **


    A cultivator''s meridians were like any other part. Every time they were emptied and refilled or damaged and restored, they would be bigger and sturdier.


    After what seemed like ages, Hao Xuan went back to read the ive Manual once again. It had mentioned a Sixth meridian located below the belly button, but Hao Xuan wasn''t able to feel its presence at all.


    Perhaps he still hadn''t fulfilled all the requirements needed to open it.


    At the end of the eighth day Hao Xuan was sitting in the bath when he remembered something. The most obvious of things. He almost wanted to punch himself for being so stupid.


    "Baracus!"


    *Beep*


    "Yes?"


    "Search your database, give me all the information you have regarding the cultivation systems of humans and the most efficient way for me to break through."


    *Beep*


    A green light shed across the screen as Baracus started gathering all the information.


    Hao Xuan had been so busy with the training these past few days that he forgot that Baracus even existed. His schedule was pretty packed so this was normal.


    "This is everything I have. There should be much more information in your head, if you would be kind enough to look there," a couple of pages popped up. Baracus''s sarcastic tone left Hao Xuan feeling somewhat dispirited but after he read the first page, he cheered up instantly.


    "Humans have five basic meridians located along the four limbs and the brain. A sixth meridian can also be opened if the soul is powerful enough and if the Dantian has already been created."


    "This sixth meridian can be used to an nurture an extra soul."


    "A dantian is exactly how it sounds, a ''Sea of Qi''. Many superior human species are born with this, but it can also be opened independently. It should be located in the middle of the body, in the chest. Its function is to expand inwardly in a way that it is able to store a massive amount of energy. "


    "It doesn''t exist on its own in beings that aren''t born with it and has to be manually created by the cultivator. This can be done in several ways including grafting, artificial augments, or the most difficult one, by gainingplete control over one''s body and forcing the nerves, the blood vessels, and other tissues to create it."


    This was the gist of it. Hao Xuan was sure that his soul was powerful enough so all he needed to do was create the dantian somehow and then he could open the sixth meridian as well.


    Which would mean that he would be able to control six different types of energies.


    *ng*


    "Take him inside!"


    Someone shouted from outside the tent, waking Hao Xuan up from his daydreams.


    He got up and put on a robe to peak outside. It was First, Du Xun and two other people, dragging a strange creature inside a tent.


    "What''s that..." Hao Xuan mumbled curiously and walked out.

 Chapter 236: Prisoner

    <h4>Chapter 236: Prisoner</h4>


    "What''s that..." he walked out with silent steps.


    They went into the tent before he could speak up and a formation lit up around it. Hao Xuan could tell it was a noise-canceling formation where nothing from inside would escape outside.


    "Well, I''ll know if they want me to I guess," he mumbled to himself and walked back into his own tent.


    It was already prettyte into the night and the sun had set a long time ago. As soon as he got into the warm herb bath his eyelids became heavy and he fell into a deep sleep.


    The next morning everything proceeded as usual. He woke up and started training with the other three.


    The tent with the noise-canceling formation was about 30 meters away from them with a clear view. Hao Xuan could see the same 4 people entering and leaving the tent every now and then.


    When the sun finally set and his training ended, he went to look for First and found him in his tent with his head down.


    "First brother, is everything okay?"


    "Ah, Ninth brother," First looked up with a smile, "How is your traininging along?"


    Hao Xuan waved his hand dismissively, "Nevermind the training, what''s going on? I saw you guys bring in someonest night. Who was that?"


    "Oh, that," First leaned back into his chair and let out a deep sigh, "It''s one of the Wu n''s henchmen. We found himst night after camping out an area for over three days. He''s part of the party that kidnapped Third and Fourth."


    "Really??" Hao Xuan''s eyes lit up, "What did you find out?"


    First shook his head dejectedly, "Nothing at all. We''ve tried bribing him and offering him all sorts of things but he won''t budge. And we can''t use interrogation to get information since they would say anything to make the pain stop. We need 100% credible information, but no way to get it."


    Hao Xuan''s forehead unconsciously creased up, "What about other methods? Just use one of the other methods!"


    There were a lot of methods to get information out of someone, especially if they were expendable. Hypnosis, memory search, soul search, etc, but all of them required specialists in their own fields.


    "Won''t work, one of my men has the ability to search a corpses memories, especially if it''s recent, but there is a seal in that bastard''s head. If we even attempt to search his memories, the seal will explode and destroy everything."


    "Hmm..." Hao Xuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully before looking up at FIrst, "Let me give it a try then, I might be able to get him to talk."


    It looked like First was expecting such a proposition by Hao Xuan and let out a heartyugh, "Brother, don''t worry about it, I''ll figure something out."


    He didn''t take his suggestion seriously at all.


    Hao Xuan got up and looked at First in the eyes earnestly, "I can do it. Trust me. Just give me a few minutes with him alone."


    First was taken aback by the change in Hao Xuan''s behavior. Looking at his gaze he could see Hao Xuan waspletely serious, so he gave in.


    "Alright, do what you want with him. If not him then we will find someone else, so don''t push it too much. Just kill the bastard when you''re done."


    "Thank you," Hao Xuan smiled and walked out with hurried steps. He went straight to the tent where a person was standing guard.


    Hao Xuan looked at him and gave a military salute, "First brother sent me, I need some alone time with the prisoner."


    The guard was a middle-aged man with a couple of scars on his face, which along with his stern expression made him look extremely intimidating. And with the bloodthirst that wasing off of him made Hao Xuan almost take a step back by instinct. He could tell that this person had seen a lot of bloodshed, and probably not on battlefields.


    "Mhm," the guard nodded, not even returning the salute and moved aside to let him enter.


    Hao Xuan walked in. There was a single chair and a table in the middle of the room. On the chair was the prisoner, shackled securely to the ground.


    Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, the prisoner looked up.


    It waspletely green in color with slimy, wrinkly old skin. It looked like a swamp creature that was bald from the top but had seaweed for hair on the sides. Both its hand and feet were webbed as well.


    "Kappa!?"


    Hao Xuan blurted out without even thinking. This creature looked exactly like the Kappa that was often mentioned in Japanese folklore.


    The Kappa looked at him with a derisive smile, "What? Never seen something so beautiful before?"


    "Beautiful??"


    Hao Xuan was left speechless at the creature''s confidence.


    "Of course, I am the most beautiful of beings in this swamp! I am its king!" it exined with a raised chin and a puffed chest, loud and proud.


    "Mhm, sure you are," Hao Xuan nodded expressionlessly and walked up to it.


    *Rattle*


    The Kappa moved back as much as it could at Hao Xuan''s sudden movement, "W-What? You want a piece of me?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head once, "No. Just pipe down for a second," and ced his right hand over the Kappa''s ''bald spot''.


    "Sever!"


    He used his constitution without any hesitation. The kappa''s eyes went nk for a second before returning to normal. A connection formed between the two and Hao Xuan could feel its lifeforce.


    He looked at it with a smile, "Now, tell me who you work for, where your base is, how many people there are, their power level, etc, the works."


    Still chained to the chair, it lowered its head as much as possible and replied obediently, "Yes, master!"


    For the next few minutes it blurted out everything it knew, not holding back a single syble, or rather, it wouldn''t be able to even if it tried.


    "Hmm, alright," Hao Xuan nodded with a satisfied expression, "Tell the same to any other person that asks as well. Say nothing about me or my power. Understood?"


    "Of course master!" it bowed with its head once again.


    Hao Xuan walked out of the tent and straight towards First''s.


    "Brother, I think you''re gonna wanna hear this!"

 Chapter 237: Plan

    <h4>Chapter 237: n</h4>


    "I think you''re gonna wanna hear this!" Hao Xuan barged into First''s tent with hurried steps.


    First was leaning back on his chair with closed eyes when Hao Xuan entered, "Already? That was fast!" he asked calmly with a small smile.


    "Yeaup," Hao Xuan nodded and started talking.


    "The camp is about 75 kilometers to the west, near arge tree. Rather, it IS the tree. That''s why you weren''t able to find it, the camp slowly moves on its own. Both Third and Fourth brothers were in there tillst night, but one of them could have been moved. The kappa said the Wu n is sending someone from the main branch to interrogate Third brother personally!"


    "What?!" First shot up from his seat.


    He looked at Hao Xuan in amazement, "Are you sure about this? This is huge news if it''s true!"


    "100%. I can bet my own life on its authenticity. You can ask the Kappa yourself and it will tell you everything it knows."


    "But...how?" First still couldn''t believe it.


    Hao Xuan smiled self-assuredly and patted his chest, "Brother, trust me. Its sort of special ability of mine. It''s all true."


    A short bout of silence followed their conversation. First wanted to believe him but it all seemed too good to be true. Looking into Hao Xuan''s eyes, his conviction was overwhelming.


    "Alright, let me talk to him myself. Wait here," First walked out and called for the other 2 people, one of which was Du Xun, and the other was the specialist in retrieving memories from corpses, Su Zemin.


    All three of them went into the tent to question the kappa. They were left speechless within the first few minutes.


    This kappa was at the top of the Spirit realm, half-way into the profound realm already. It took two Profound realm experts and a lot of time and resources to capture him alive.


    He was stubborn, uncooperative and most of all, knew the human''s weaknesses which it exploited at every turn. But now it was talking like its very existence depended on it. They asked him several dozen questions which he answered truthfully.


    First walked back into the tent with slumped shoulders, deep in thought.


    "So? How was it?" Hao Xuan''s ears perked up.


    "It...seems to be all true..." First couldn''t really believe it himself.


    "Great. What''s the n then?"


    First shook his head despondently, "It''s not that easy. From what the kappa said, there is another profound realm expert in there, with the ones from the main branch still arriving. And talking about those b*stards..."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "The Main branch people? What''s so special about them?"


    First looked up and met Hao Xuan''s gaze, "Brother, did you hear about the fight of the Spearheads with the general from the Wu n a week ago?"


    "Yeah, the Wu n general escaped right? What about it?"


    First let out a wry smile, "Brother, out of all the great generals, General Ouki is the strongest in a one-on-one fight. It''s just that he keeps a very low profile so not many people know of this, but his prowess on the field of battle is indisputable to the inner circle."


    "And rumor has it that he has already broken through to the next realm, he is a ''Sage Lord''. Now if someone at that level wanted to kill someone, how could they escape from his grasp?"


    "Then...."


    "Yup, General Ouki "let" him escape with his life. And do you know why that is?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head left & right strenuously.


    "Because of the Wu n, because he didn''t want to create any irreconcble differences. The Wu n is a power at the level of an Empire, a Beast Empire. To them, Profound realm experts are like flies."


    "So when this Kappa says that there is a member of the main branch arriving, that is not only unbelievable but also very bad news."


    "Because there will be strong experts with him?"


    "Not only that, but it means that the Wu n has decided to go all in. Not to mention their powers are...well, not easy toprehend," First finished with a deep sigh.


    Hao Xuan''s curiosity had piqued at this point. He didn''t know enough to be scared yet.


    "What type of creatures are they? The Wu n''s main branch?"


    First''s expression hardened like stone and the tone of his voice lowered, bing slightly awestruck.


    "They are a type of spiritual beasts. They have the bloodline of a legendary Nine-Tailed Fox. Even among the beast empires they hold a special ce since they are considered to be royalty. There is...no way we can stand against a giant like that."


    "!!!"


    ''The Nine-tailed fox! They are real too!?''


    The entire conversation was a huge culture shock to Hao Xuan. It showed how less he knew about the Beast world. It seemed like everyday new and more powerful enemies wereing into view.


    ''The armies of darkness huh...'' the words from the book the old demon gave him echoed in his mind. Hao Xuan went quiet for a while until his eyes suddenly shone with a new light. He looked at first with a newfound determination.


    "Brother, I think I have a n."


    First raised an eyebrow, "The floor is yours."


    Hao Xuan exined his n for the next few hours while First gave his own input when needed. They were done by around 3 in the morning. They would attack at 7 p.m the next day.


    Hao Xuan returned to his own tent and got in the herb bath to recoverpletely.


    The news was delivered to all the different teams, even the ones that were out patrolling. The next morning he was woken up by a familiar voice.


    "Captain, are you up?"

 Chapter 238: Attack

    <h4>Chapter 238: Attack</h4>


    "Captain, are you up?"


    Hao Xuan was sound asleep when the loud voice woke him up. With half-closed eyes, he dragged his aching body out of the herb bath that had turned to a milky white from dark green. After washing up he put on his military outfit.


    It waspletely ck in color with some red mixed in here and there. With his tall stature, it made him look quite menacing to those that didn''t know him already. Walking out he saw the owner of the voice.


    Hao Xuan nodded once, "Yo, long time no see. Is everyone here?"


    "Yes, everyone is here and ready," Kuo replied with a military salute.


    "Mhm. Is it time to leave then?"


    "Yes, everyone is ready and waiting," Kuo gestured towards the concrete ring. Hao Xuan put on his mask and made his way through the many tents, arriving at the opening in the middle.


    "Woah!"


    He was taken aback by the sea of over 1500 people standing in perfect formation. As Hao Xuan walked in he saw the other people from Mad Saints. They were all in one spot in the leftmost area.


    He recognized many of the familiar faces. Hash, Cav, and Maddy stood at the front, while right behind them were Luke, Mia, and Mason.


    Hao Xuan leaned towards Kuo and whispered, "Where''s Aria?"


    Kuo leaned in as well, whispering in an even lower tone, "We don''t know. She just left one day. Packed up her things and disappeared."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "What? Is that allowed? Isn''t that deserting?"


    "It is, but her ''situation'' is different. I''ll exinter," Kuo replied and moved to the front of the formation, standing in front of Hash, Cav, and Maddy.


    "Captain!"


    With Kuo as the lead, the entire Mad Saint regiment shouted and performed a standard salute. The remaining 1000 people who were under First turned all at once and looked at Hao Xuan, making him embarrassed.


    He wasn''t expecting them to shout so loudly and without warning. He waved at them once before moving to the other end of the ring, where First was standing along with Du Xun and the two others behind him.


    They were looking at a tablet, talking in a barely audible tone.


    First put the tablet away upon sensing Hao Xuan approach and came forward to meet him.


    He patted him on the shoulder and looked at him up and down, "Are you ready?"


    "Yes. It''s all good," Hao Xuan confirmed.


    "Alright, good."


    He then walked forward and stood in front of everyone.


    "You all have been briefed about the mission. We will start in a few minutes. There will be five teams, and as usual, reach out to yourmanding officer if you have any questions. Any questions?"


    The 1000 people under him were to be divided into 4 groups, with him leading one group and the trio that fought Hao Xuan every day leading the other three.


    The Mad Saints were also divided into 5 groups. With the four Spirit realm cultivators leading 1 group each, and thest 100 were under Hao Xuan himself.


    Seeing as stepped up or said anything, First still waited for a few seconds before waving his hand to dismiss them.


    "Depart!"


    All of them silently bowed once at the waist and marched out of the giant gate on the other side. Out of the original 1500, there were only 350 people left right now.


    A hundred of them were from Mad Saints, directly under Hao Xuan, while the remaining 250 were under First.


    First nodded satisfactorily upon seeing the quick exit of the soldiers. He turned around and looked at Du Xun and Lu Jian, who was the person with scars over his face and waves of bloodthirst still exuding from him.


    "Bring him."


    They both walked into a nearby tent and brought out the chained Kappa.


    "Release him," First ordered. Du Xun took out a key from his pocket and inserted it into a bronze lock that was holding all the chains together.


    *ng*


    The heaps of chains fell down to the ground. The atmosphere around the ring tensed up instantly. Luke, Mia, and Mason moved forward and stood behind Hao Xuan with hands on their weapons, ready to strike at a moment''s notice.


    First red at the Kappa, releasing a faint pressure.


    The Kappa looked at all of them with a mocking smile and scoffed.


    "Humph, mere human filth dares to imprison the great me?!"


    Lu Jian stepped forward and a giant machete appeared in his hand. His eyes shown with a strange light as he got ready to attack. No one did anything to stop him. First, Du Xun and the ''mind reader'' Su Zemin just watched on as if it waspletely unrted to them.


    The kappa didn''t back off either and looked back at him proudly while tapping his chest, "What? You wanna go? You wanna fight with the beautiful me?! Come on! I''ll take on all of you!"


    The Kappa clenched his fists and the air around the ring became turbid. His previously wrinkled body that looked like a dried-up rag suddenly ballooned up to twice its original size.


    "Enough! Come here."


    Just as they were about to sh, Hao Xuan spoke up in a deep voice. The kappa''s entire body trembled. He quickly turned around and looked at Hao Xuan.


    *Bang*


    He got down on his knees and prostrated himself in front of Hao Xuan. His head making a small dent in the concrete ring that had remained undamaged even after thousands of fights.


    "My apologies Master, this little creature was blind that he couldn''t see you! Please punish me as you will!"


    Everyone was bbergasted, including First and the other two. He was told how obedient the Kappa became in front of Hao Xuan but seeing it first hand was apletely different thing.


    It was to be noted that Kappa''s were a type of water-demon beast. They were extremely smart, able to cultivate and be strong rather quickly. Especially in areas with abundant water they were considered to be invulnerable.


    Their speed and stamina in water was second to none, and with the ability to control water to a limit, they were a force to be reckoned with. So they were naturally proud creatures.


    But one such beast that didn''t give a rat''s ass about a Profound realm expert was now kowtowing to an Origin realm cultivator. How could they not be surprised? Mia rubbed her eyes while Mason pinched himself to make sure this wasn''t an illusion.


    "Stop already. Get up," Hao Xuan shook his head with a wry smile, "You''ve been told what to do right?"


    "Yes, master. I will do my best!" The kappa nodded.


    "Alright, take this and go. Keep me informed. We will be at that ce," Hao Xuan handed him a spirit band that was redesigned by Baracus for just this asion.


    The kappa bowed once again and quickly made his way to gate without waiting for anything else, stepping through he disappeared on the other side, leaving hundreds of speechless soldiers behind.


    Hao Xuan looked at First, "Should we go too?"


    "O-Oh, yeah. Let''s go," woken up by his query, First gave the order. He walked out first with his group, followed by Hao Xuan and his group.


    It was already dark out and the swamp wasing back to life. A plethora of noises came from all around.


    Several groups of people made their way through the muddy swamp waters, trying not to make a sound.

 Chapter 239: Attack Part 2

    <h4>Chapter 239: Attack Part 2</h4>


    There were some particles floating around in the thick swamp air this night. And because of it there were norge beasts anywhere in sight.


    Before the mission began, First had ordered Du Xun to spread the ashes of an Ether beast around the area. This was a verymon tactic used by most human groups whenever they were in the wilderness. The ash from an Ether Beast contained a special type of pressure where it would make all weaker beasts feel ufortable and hence move away from an area.


    Because even after death the might of a true Ether beast was undeniable.


    Hao Xuan slowly followed the predetermined route to the enemy camp. First''s team was just a few hundred meters away from him so they would be safe even if a beast attacked them, which was highly unlikely.


    The enemy camp was one of the many 150+ meter tall trees scattered all along this area of the swamp. They had extremely thick trunks with a radius of at least 20 meters and could make great hiding spots.


    This particr tree was located right next to a few more, making it blend into the surroundings.


    "Stop!" Hao Xuan raised his fist, gesturing for the group to stop. They were about 70 meters away from the tree right now. Any closer and they would be out in the open.


    The Kappa, who Hao Xuan had named Bo because he couldn''t even pronounce his name in his ownnguage, was standing in front of the tree with his arms behind his back.


    Bo moved his head slightly to the right, in the direction of Hao Xuan, and nodded once. He then proceeded to knock 13 times on the tree trunk in front of him. Several seconds passed and Bo took a step forward and vanished ''into'' the trunk.


    ''Illusion formation...'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly.


    All the other groups were located at a distance of a hundred to seventy meters away as well. The ones closest to the tree were Hao Xuan, First, Kuo, and the trio Hao Xuan trained with.


    They all waited with bated breath as time passed extremely slowly. Even Hao Xuan was starting to have many strange thoughts. His heartbeat started increasing bit by bit, bing quite restless.


    About 40 minutester the tree trunk rippled and three people walked out. The one in the front was Bo while the two behind him were anteater-like beasts with elongated snouts that were half the size of their bodies.


    One of them turned towards Bo with a scowl, "You sure it''s them?"


    Bo nodded in return with a smug grin, "Yeah. I saw them myself. They''re all there, ripe for plucking.


    "Are you sure you can find their camp though?"


    "Of course!" Bo pounded his chest proudly while leading the two beasts that were equivalent to level 9 Spirit realm cultivators straight towards First''s party.


    Hao Xuan watched on as the three of them reached a distance of 80 meters away from the tree trunk. The anteater beasts stopped in their tracks as their snouts moved up and down in the air.


    "Something is wrong..." both of them looked left and right with deep frowns, sniffing the air.


    First and Du Xun who were just a few meters away from them had a change of expressions. They looked at each other and nodded once, "Now!"


    Hao Xuan got the signal as well and contacted Bo via the soul connection, "''Now''"


    Bo''s grin widened as a vicious expression appeared on his wrinkled face, he crossed his arms and all the water from the surroundings suddenly moved towards the anteaters, enclosing them inside like a bubble.


    "YOU!"


    Both anteaters turned around and looked at Bo, stupefied.


    Du Xun took a step and with a single leap appeared above the water bubble. In his hand appeared a scythe longer than his own body.


    The Anteaters raised their heads as soon as they heard the fluttering of clothes. Their eyes widened and an explosion went off in the surrounding water bubble as they released all of their Qi''s. Their bodies started expanding but before anything else could happen, Du Xun brought his Scythe down.


    It prated the water bubble with ease and came out of the other side in one smooth motion.


    The bubble copsed and the anteater''s headless corpses fell down, coloring the swamp water red.


    "Phew, that was close," Bo wiped beads of sweat from his forehead.


    These two anteaters along with Bo were the three lieutenants under the Profound realm cultivator. And with the dead, the only one left in the camp to worry about was him.


    Hao Xuan got out of cover and walked towards Bo. He smiled seeing the anteater''s corpses.


    "How many others are in there?"


    "About four hundred or so. But they''re all weaker than me," Bo replied while walking up to Hao Xuan with a sheepish smile, which made his face even more contorted, making him look quite...unsightly.


    Hao Xuan took a step back by instinct, distancing himself from the smiling Kappa.


    "Alright, so we go in then?" Hao Xuan looked at First for confirmation.


    "No, let him go first and secure Third and Fourth, we wille in after," he gestured at Bo with his chin, "As soon as we enter, the Profound realm expert will detect our presence."


    "Got it. You heard him, go," Hao Xuan ordered Bo who left after giving a small bow.


    "Alright, get ready. Kill anything that moves, we''re not taking any prisoners," First ordered.


    All of them took out their weapons and walked up to the tree in three lines.

 Chapter 240: Attack Part 3

    <h4>Chapter 240: Attack Part 3</h4>


    10 minutes after Bo returned to the camp, Hao Xuan got his message.


    "I''m with them!"


    A somewhat cold smile appeared on his face upon reading the message.


    "We''re good to go," he told First who was right next to him.


    "Mhm, let''s go!"


    Du Xun was the first one to enter the followed by First, Hao Xuan, and everyone else.


    Du Xun squinted his eyes looking at the ''camp'' that was much much bigger than what it appeared to be from outside. It had several different floors connected to one another through what seemed like a type of gigantic fungus, with a few dozen beasts on each floor.


    He surveyed the surroundings for a few seconds before looking straight up. His eyes locking on to the very top of the tree.


    "Found you," he whispered lightly with a half-smile and shot straight up into the air with his scythe. Instead of using the stairs, he literally cut through each floor, leaving giant holes in his wake.


    As soon as Hao Xuan stepped into the tree trunk, a pungent smell like that of old socks hit him head-on. Using Qi to block his nostril, he didn''t waste any time either and ran straight towards Bo who was about 7 floors up.


    Within a few seconds, hundreds upon hundreds of humans d in masks and ck and red uniforms rushed into the tree.


    "WE''RE UNDER ATTA-!" a loud voice came from the top of tree alerting every beast, but it was cut off before it could finish the sentence. A muffled boom resonated throughout the entire camp as the toppletely blew open.


    "FILTHY HUMAN!"


    "Haha,e on now, no need for name-calling. Let''s keep this civil!"


    Hao Xuan dodged some of the falling debris and looked up. He could see two figures shing with one another continuously. One of them belonged to Du Xun, while the other was a 20-meter tall imp-like creature. No, calling it a gnome would be more urate, only it wasn''t so short and cute as the name implied.


    Its arms were thicker than Hao Xuan''s entire waist, and it was using its bare hands to go against Du Xun who was armed with a scythe.


    Hao Xuan ignored the battle going on above him and focused on making his way through the plethora of enemies blocking his path. There were two very distinct masses of bodies shing with one another over and over again on the third floor.


    Monsters kept pouring down the stairs like a leaky faucet while human soldiers kept pushing them back up. Some of the beasts were even using human weapons like swords, spears, and hammers.


    Hao Xuan was at the forefront of the battle along with all the Spirit realm experts.


    After training with the trio serving under First, his control and use of different energies had be much more efficient and flexible. He was now able to use a small part of these energies without any sort of conduit.


    Every now and then he would use Force energy to push beasts away or bring them closer to him whenever he was attacking. It was simr to the scenes from some of the science fiction movies from earth.


    He used Force to interrupt enemy attacks while swinging his massive de left and right, sometimes even twirling it around in the air like a baton. The more he used the ive the better he felt. It felt like his connection to the ive was bing more and more solid. There were moments where he felt like the ive was alive and breathing.


    The Emperors Qi did its job as well by reducing the overall power of his opponents or even making them falter if they were weak-willed.


    He stood out even among higher realmed cultivators because of his superior use of Energies and splendid weapon movements.


    Every time his ive moved, a corpse fell to the ground without exception. There were no unnecessary movements at all. All that hellish training of more than a week straight finally showed its result.


    He moved in between these beasts like a butcher, cleaving heads and other body parts with every swing. Whenever the beasts rushed him he would m the ive down on to the ground, sending out shockwaves of Force energy like an earthquake.


    There was no resistance at all, especially when there were more than 8 Spirit realm experts right beside him.


    Within a few minutes, they reached the 7th floor.


    "Go, clear up the rest," Hao Xuan ordered everyone beside him. And since he was the second-inmand after First, it waspletely natural.


    They all kept pushing the beasts back higher and higher, while Hao Xuan himself went towards a wooden structure. He could feel Bo in there.


    "It''s me," he shouted before cutting open the door. All the formations around the structure were already disabled so there was nothing to stop him.


    The front door fell down and Hao Xuan could see three figures on the other side.


    Bo was already bowing at the waist while Third and Fourth sitting on two chairs beside him. There were about 3-4 beast corpses around the room as well.


    "Third Brother! Fourth Brother! Are you okay??" Hao Xuan eximed and ran in upon seeing their conditions.


    There were numerous small to medium-sized cuts and bruises on their bodies. Third even had half of his fingernails missing. He lifted his head weakly and looked at Hao Xuan with a smile that made some of his facial wounds bleed.


    "Ah, what took you so long..."


    "Brother...."


    Fourth was already passed out beside him. Hao Xuan checked his pulse and his expression hardened like stone.


    "MEDIC! GET THE F*CK IN HERE RIGHT NOW!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.


    A few secondster several people ran in and started treating Third and Fourth.


    Hao Xuan''s expression was ice cold as he looked at them being carried out on stretchers.


    "Who? Who did this?" he spoke in a deep tone.


    Bo who was standing behind him shivered from head to toe.


    "I-It was the anteaters master, it''s their hobby," he replied with a trembling voice. He could feel how angry Hao Xuan was right now.


    "Hmm. When is the Wu n party getting here? I want to repay the favor."

 Chapter 241: Wu Clan

    <h4>Chapter 241: Wu n</h4>


    "I want to repay the favor."


    Bo felt a pressure emanating from Hao Xuan''s body that he had never felt before in his entire life. It was like a hammer, constantly pounding on his brain. It was pressure of the soul.


    Through his soul connection, he could vaguely feel whatever Hao Xuan was feeling. Only in situations like this where his emotions were out of control did it get so bad.


    Under normal circumstances, it was nothing more than an imprecise feeling that woulde and go.


    He instantly got down on his knees and prostrated in front of Hao Xuan, "They should be here soon master, very soon."


    Upon hearing his quivering voice Hao Xuan turned around and looked down at him. His eyes glinted with ferocity as he couldn''t help but extend out his hand towards Bo.


    His palm lit up with a red hue and a word shed before his eyes, "Shatter!"


    Something deep inside him wanted him to just speak the word out loud once, just to see what would happen. It was telling him to feel the euphoria it would bring, the pleasure, the sense of power it would bestow upon him by taking everything from someone else.


    Bo couldn''t stop his body from shaking like a leaf in a storm.


    His forehead was touching the ground but he could still "feel" Hao Xuan''s re. It overpowered any kind of resistance he could put up. Right now he waspletely at Hao Xuan''s mercy, there was no question about it.


    "Master....please..." he mumbled while closing his eyes.


    He could feel an impending sense of doom.


    The gate on the left side in Hao Xuan''s mind pce that was chained shut, slightly shook.


    The rattling of the chains woke up everyone in the mind pce including Zhurong, ck, White, and Ensis.


    Ensis''s pupils contracted to the size of a needle hole. he moved back several steps, holding onto the hilt of his ck sword.


    A wisp of red energy leaked out of the gate and swirled around in the air before dissipating into nothingness.


    "Hmm, not yet," Hao Xuan mumbled upon sensing the new energy in his mind pce, "Not just yet."


    "I''m not that weak-willed."


    He turned around and walked out of the structure.


    "Get up. Don''t disappoint me, beast."


    His voice echoed in Bo''s ears.


    "Yes....yes...master," Bo mmed his forehead onto the floor while kowtowing, leaving a few centimeter deep dent in its ce. His back caked with sweat.


    Hao Xuan made his way up to the top of the tree. There were beast body parts scattered all along the way.


    Du Xun and the gnome were nowhere in sight, but he could still hear the explosions that resulted from their fight from a few kilometers away.


    Whenever the two profound level opponents shed with one another the massive tree shook from the shockwaves.


    Kuo and the others were in charge of gathering any information left behind in this ce so Hao Xuan walked back down where First was waiting from him.


    "Brother, are Third and Fourth brother going to be okay?" he asked with a concerned expression.


    First was staring up at the sky with narrowed eyes.


    "Third will be fine in a few weeks. Fourth....it''s hard to say. They are still checking him," he replied somberly.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned even colder. If even First was taking it this seriously then things really were bad.


    "Should we go back then? The raid isplete and we killed everyone other than the gnome."


    First shook his head, "No, it''s toote to leave. They are here."


    "They?" Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and looked up as well but could see nothing in the darkness of the night. Right now his eyesight was good enough to see several miles away.


    But no matter how hard he tried, there was nothing in sight. Just as he was about to inquire further, a blue dot appeared in the sky.


    "Is that..."


    Hao Xuan moved a few steps forward while squinting hard and finally saw the ''dots'' actual appearance.


    It was a chariot! A massive ck chariot was shooting towards them at an incredible speed.


    Its eight wheels, that looked like they were made of fire, left a burning streak in the night sky, while the four winged-horses at its front neighed loudly while pulling it with all their might.


    Every second it covered the distance of several kilometers.


    "Holy sh*t...."


    Even Hao Xuan was left speechless at the astonishing grandeur of the Wu n''s arrival.


    He tightened his grasp on the ive while circting all energies at full force.


    First finally stepped forward and stood in front of Hao Xuan.


    "Stay back for this fight Ninth brother."


    "Eh? But-" Hao Xuan wanted to interject but his mouth fell open before he could.


    First floated up off the ground and flew straight up into the air, standing in the path of the iing chariot.


    *Woosh* x2


    Hao Xuan felt two gusts of wind from behind and saw another 2 figures float up into the air and stand beside First.


    "What the actual f*ck....."


    It was Lu Jian and the mindreader Su Zemin.


    "They''re all Profound Realm cultivators? Even First brother? When did he breakthrough?"


    Hao Xuan mumbled absentmindedly.


    Lu Jian waved his hand a machete appeared in his grasp, while Su Zemin held a whip. It had strange markings on it and looked like it was made from some kind of a bone.


    The Chariot slowly came to halt in front of the trio that were blocking its path.


    Kuo and the others had already finished their business and were standing behind Hao Xuan with wide eyes as well.


    For a moment it was so silent that one could hear a pin drop.


    After about 15 seconds or so First moved one step forward and spoke up in a calm voice.


    "Would the Wu n member give us the honor of making their acquaintance?"


    *Click*


    The chariot door slowly opened and two figures stepped out.

 Chapter 242: Wu Clan continued.

    <h4>Chapter 242: Wu n continued.</h4>


    The chariot door slowly opened and two figures stepped out.


    The one in the front was a woman that looked to be in her early thirties. She had long dark blue hairing down to her waist. Herplexion was so pale that it looked like someone threw a coating of white paint on her.


    There were two red dots on each side of her face, right next to the nose. Unlike what Hao Xuan was expecting, she didn''t particrly look a human at all. Her facial features were very prominent and even by just standing there it gave the observers the feeling that she was looking down on them.


    Her forehead was almost twice the size of a normal persons.


    She was dressed in a full ck pantsuit with a height of about 7 feet. She was standing in front of the second figure protectively.


    The second figure was a boy of about 16-17 years of age. He had the sameplexion and the red dots around his nose as the woman in front, only his were a color of dark gold. He held a red folding fan in his fan with shimmering golden sigils all over it.


    From how the woman was standing in front of him, it was quite obvious she was his protector.


    First gave a gentleman''s bow before looking at the boy in his usual calm countenance.


    "I am the First captain of Red Legion. Would the Wu n representatives kindly give their names?"


    The boy shook his head once without even looking at him.


    "My identity is of no concern to you. Since you are here, stay. I was going to interrogate your man but it''s better that you are here yourself."


    First''s expression turned cold and he threw out all modicum of decorum out the window.


    "Why? Why is the Wu n siding with the Jia? You rarely ever take charge yourselves, so why this time?"


    The boy finally met First''s gaze. His expressionless face was adorned by disgust.


    "Because you are rotten to the core. Your kind needs a cleansing and we will provide it whether you like it or not."


    He waved his hands dismissively and looked away, not wanting to even look at First for a single second more.


    Hao Xuan frowned looking at the boy floating in mid-air. He got a strange feeling from him.


    "Enough talk, bring me those three and kill everyone else," he ordered the women in front who bowed wordlessly in front of him before turning around to look at First.


    She shook her hand and a rapier appeared in her grasp. It had a silver de and a gold hilt. It was shining with a pale light in the night sky.


    "Brother, find a way to capture that kid alive. I''ll keep the woman busy."


    Just as Hao Xuan was thinking of how to partake in the fight, First''s voice echoed in his mind.


    He looked at First who nodded back once, confirming what he heard was right. First then turned to look at the woman with a gentle smile.


    "Alright, if you want to do this the hard way then so be it."


    The woman responded by shooting forward with her rapier pointing straight at First''s heart. But First didn''t make a move in return. he didn''t even take out a weapon.


    The woman scoffed in disdain at his behavior and sped up even more. Hao Xuan couldn''t even follow her movements. In his eyes she looked like a shooting star.


    First watched on with narrowed eyes. When she was within 15 meters he tapped his foot lightly in mid-air. A ripple spread outward and hit the woman head-on.


    Her eyes widened as she tried to stop but it was already toote. The ripple came into contact with her body and shepletely disappeared.


    "What?!"


    Hao Xuan''s eyes almost fell out of his socket. He was waiting for a shockwave or an explosion from their sh, not this.


    He looked at First but could find nobody there. Not First, not the other two behind him. Everyone around First, including him, was gone.


    The Wu n boy was just as surprised by the sudden turn of events if not more, "Impossible!"


    His expression turned to one of panic as this waspletely out of his expectations. And how could it not? Someone was able toprehend such a difficultw in a ce like this?!


    "Space energy! Your First brother has cultivated thew of Space!"


    Baracus''s voice rang in his ears this time.


    "Law of Space? The hell is that?" Hao Xuan mumbled under his breath.


    "Not something you need to care about right now. But you should hurry, he wouldn''t be able to hold back that female fox for long. A few minutes at most."


    "Un, right," Hao Xuan woke up from his stupor at Baracus''s reminder, "Everyone! Attack the beast! Bring him down!" he shouted at the top of his voice.


    Hao Xuan released the full force of Emperors Energy as a new pressure fell down on everyone around him. All of their powers were boosted to an extent.


    "YES!"


    They shouted back in unison.


    Several people walked forward and fired off a barrage of long-range attacks. Hao Xuan was one of them. He covered the ive in Severing energy and fired several shes aiming for the Wu kid.


    The boy was expecting this to an extent and quickly moved back and jumped on the chariot.


    "Go!" he whipped the horses who neighed and broke out in a sprint. In less than 2 seconds the chariot was 5 kilometers away when a loud roar echoed in the swamp.


    "ROAAR!"


    A luminescent purple w came out of the swamp and caught two of the four horses, dragging them and the entire chariot down with them into the swampy water.


    "GO! After him!"


    Hao Xuan shouted and starting running in the direction the chariot had fallen down in.

 Chapter 243: Wu Clan end.

    <h4>Chapter 243: Wu n end.</h4>


    Hao Xuan summoned Bai and charged in the direction of the fallen chariot.


    "You should be careful. Whatever beast that was is not something you can go up against right now," Baracus reminded Hao Xuan as he was getting ready to jump as soon as something came into view.


    "Ah, you''re right. I forgot about that. Bai, keep a low profile, stay in the trees!" he patted Bai on the shoulder, who grunted back in response. He leaped from one tree branch to another, making his way over.


    In a minute or so Hao Xuan reached the crash site.


    There was a giant broken tree a few dozen meters in front of him behind which he could see and hear different shes of lights and explosions.


    "Slowly now," he whispered into Bai''s ears.


    Sharp ws, almost a foot in length, came out of his paws and pierced into the tree they were on. Bai''s body then shook three times, every time bing smaller and smaller in size.


    By the third shake, he had already shrunk to half his original size.


    "Woah, where did thise from?" Hao Xuan mumbled in amazement but only got a cold re back in response.


    Bai climbed the tree trunk vertically, his razor-sharp ws going in and out of the wood without making a single sound. He reached the tree canopy that was almost a 100 meters up in the air and perched atop a leafy branch.


    Hao Xuan leaned forward and could finally see the scenes from the other side of the broken tree.


    Half of the chariot was slowly sinking into the muddy water while the other broken half was embedded inside the tree.


    Two of the horses were still stuck to the front piece while the other two were nowhere in sight.


    The Wu kid was dodging left and right while being surrounded by a blue light. It illuminated his surroundings making him look like a giant firefly.


    In front of him was a mossy figure of about 12 meters in height. It was covered in dirt and mud along with grass, some fungi, and a few smaller dead creatures. It literally looked like a giant mass of sludge that hade to life. It had no face, arms or even legs.


    Every now and then a tentacle would shoot out of its main body, attacking the kid once before returning to the main mass.


    "You ignorant creature! Do you know who I am?" the boy shouted furiously but the creature in front of him acted like it couldn''t even hear him.


    The boy waved his hand and four ethereal paper slips materialized out of thin air in front of him. He tapped one of them lightly and it turned into a white light and entered his body. He took the other three and threw them towards the mud creature.


    All three of them turned into rays light, each with a different color, and went inside the creature''s body.


    The creature''s movements slowed down significantly and it looked it had lost its sight. It was attacking everything around it but the boy.


    Hao Xuan watched on with interest.


    "What the h*ll did he just do?!" he mumbled thoughtfully.


    "Talismans. Those are talismans," Baracus replied.


    "Talismans? But those things looked like they were holograms," Hao Xuan asked with a frown.


    "That''s what they look like in the hands of someone that knows how to use them. The boy probably made them himself."


    "Exin. What are they?"


    "Talismans are created from different materials including the flesh, blood, and bones of other living beings as well as inorganic materials. They are then inscribed with different things depending on their intended use."


    "The ones the boy just used were to slow down the opponent and either show them an illusion or just mess with their senses. They can have any number of uses like increasing speed, power, Qi, energy, setting up illusions, straight up attacking opponents, etc."


    "There is no limit to what a talisman can do, it all depends on the inscriptionist. If his or her knowledge, understanding and cultivation is enough, anything can be inscribed."


    "Damn! So all Wu n members are inscriptionists?"


    "Probably not all. Talismans require a lot of resources to create and it doesn''t have a very high rate of sess. Only the most talented should be allowed to train an inscriptionist."


    Hao Xuan looked down at the boy that was trying to catch his breath with glittering eyes. It was quite obvious that the boy wasn''t physically fit, that he was pushing himself too hard.


    "The blue light around him, do you think that''s also a talisman?"


    "Probably. There is no way to tell without examining his body but it would be a good guess. From the looks of it he used a defensive type talisman that added something like a shield around his body."


    Hao Xuan''s lips arched up into an evil grin.


    "Looks like I found a good sheep. What are the requirements for bing an ''inscriptionist''? Can I do it too?"


    "You do fulfill the basic requirement that is to have a strong soul, but I don''t think you will like it very much."


    "Why not?"


    "An inscriptionist spends half of his life buried in books. They have to learn, remember, and create inscriptions that fit their style. It would be how you humans say, pretty f*cking boring. Not to mention it takes years to even get started and the guidance of a great teacher is paramount to achieving sess. As impatient as you are, you would probably rip your own hair out in a few week''s worth of time."


    Baracus poured a bucket of cold water atop Hao Xuan''s head, bringing him out of his delusions.


    Hao Xuan''s smile froze and his right eye twitched several times in exasperation. He wanted to object but it was the truth. Just hearing about it almost put him to sleep so actually going through with it would be a whole another issue.


    "Tch, fine. I''ll just keep the kid. He looks a lot like a human so I didn''t want to do this..."


    "He is not a human. And what difference would that make? There are videos of you ripping humans apart to feast on their circtory fluids, but you won''t let one live under your control?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head helplessly, "Many humans would rather die than live as a ve. If possible, I don''t want to force anyone into such a situation either."


    "Alright."


    Baracus went quiet and didn''t speak up after that. Hao Xuan got down from Bai and called him back. He then waved his hand once again and Ensis appeared next to him.


    "Master," he bowed respectively.


    "Mhm," Hao Xuan pointed at the boy below them, "Fight him, wear him out as much as possible but don''t kill him. I need him alive."


    Ensis looked down and nodded once, expressionlessly.


    "Of course."


    He bent his knees and leaped forward, a ck sword appeared in his grasp as he silently fell down through the night sky.

 Chapter 244: Fox

    <h4>Chapter 244: Fox</h4>


    Ensis fell straight down without making a single sound. It was like watching a silent movie.


    His clothes fluttered in the wind without any sound as he got closer and closer to the boy that was resting with his back against the tree stump.


    *SLASH*


    A crescent sh of ck energy came out of the de and cut the boy cleanly in half.


    No, it didn''t cut all the way through.


    *Crumble*


    The blue light surrounding the boy shattered into a hundred pieces like a broken mirror and flew away with the wind. His eyes opened wide as he looked at Ensis slowlynd on his feet in front of him.


    Even when his feet touched the muddy ground they made no sound whatsoever.


    "Wha-"


    The boy reacted pretty quickly and jumped back. He waved his hand and few more talismans materialized from thin air. With a thrust of his right hand, all of them turned into rays of light and shot towards Ensis.


    Ensis bent his knees once again and held the sword in front of him. When the lights got close, the sword moved several times, so fast in fact that even Hao Xuan wasn''t able to catch its movements. They simply looked like shadows in his eyes.


    The shadows connected with the lights and pierced through them like a helpless chicken, cutting them into two.


    It didn''t even take a full second for all this to happen.


    By the time Ensis put down his sword, there were already a few shes on the boy''s body. They weren''t very deep but still spurted out blood continuously.


    He looked at Ensis with a stupified expression, not even willing to believe it after watching it with his own two eyes.


    Each of those talisman lights moved extremely quickly and all of them followedpletely random paths. To destroy all of them and with such precision, it would require a level of skill that was not easy toe by.


    Ensis looked at him expressionlessly.


    "Give up. My master has some business with you. You will not escape here alive if you keep this up."


    The boy''s visage turned dark. His re became even sharper as he carefully surveyed his surroundings. Not finding anyone else nearby he looked back at Ensis somberly.


    "Do you know who I am? Do you know what you''re getting yourself into?"


    Ensis didn''t even bat an eye at the boy''s threat, still standing in front of him calmly with his longsword in grasp. A few seconds passed and it seemed like he was actually being cautious now.


    "Are you a god?" Ensis inquired.


    The boy frowned, "A god? Of course not!"


    Ensis shook his head, "Then it doesn''t matter who you are. You are at my master''s mercy. Surrender, or die."


    The boy''s expression hardened like stone.


    "Fine, you leave me no choice then," he mumbled with gritted teeth and after some hesitation, waved his hand once again.


    Ensis looked up at Hao Xuan for confirmation who shook his head in response, mouthing the words "Let him."


    So Ensis obeyed. He didn''t make a move and waited for the boy to do finish whatever he was doing.


    A talisman twice the size of previous ones appeared in front of him. The boy bit his thumb and dropped the few drops of blood onto the talisman. It''s light getting brighter and brighter by the second.


    Right now it just looked like a blue ball of light.


    "Unseal!" the boy shouted as the ball of light epassed his body.


    "Argh!" he fell down to his knees while clutching his head.


    His size started increasing and only stopped when he was over 20 feet tall. The boy had turned into a giant white fox with three tails.


    Each of his tails was the same length as his body at over 20 feet. He looked down at Ensis icily.


    "You brought this on yourself."


    Ensis''s expression finally changed into a half-smile.


    "You''re pretty brazen for a mere three-tailed pup. Is this it?"


    The now boy turned fox responded with a sudden tail swipe. The three tails shot forward like a three-pronged spear at breakneck speed.


    Ensis quickly jumped back andnded behind the mud creature that was thrashing about madly. The tails pierced the creature and came out from the other side.


    "Hmph!"


    The fox harumphed and the tails forcefully pulled apart, sending parts of the mud creature all over the ce.


    A dark brown core fell down into the water. This was the creature''s beast core that held all of its essences.


    Hao Xuan watched on as the Fox and Ensis shed over and over again in a span of a few seconds. The fox was much slower but each of its movements were extremely powerful. Every attack would send portions of the ground flying all over the swamp.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t tell the cultivation level of the boy at first but as soon as he turned into the fox his power was disyed in full force. He was a peak level Demonic Beast.


    The longer the battle went on the more Ensis got pushed back. His cultivation was almost an entire realm lower than the fox so it was only natural. The only way he was able to hold on for this long was because of superior technique, control, and speed.


    Hao Xuan stood up on the branch and looked behind him.


    "What the hell took you guys so long?" he asked Kuo who had just jumped up andnded behind him.


    "This area is out of range of the Ether beasts ashes. There are a lot of other monsters nearby as well," Kuo exined with a chuckle. He looked at the fox and Ensis fighting a few dozen meters in front of him.


    "Who is that?" he gestured towards Ensis.


    Hao Xuan shook his head as he took out his ive, "My personal guard. Don''t worry about him. Just help me get the fox under control, I need it alive."


    Kuo seemed like he had more to say but held back, "Yes." he turned around and looked at the several dozen soldiers below him that were increasing in number by the second.


    "Onwards! Attack the fox! Bring it down but don''t kill it!"


    "Yes!"


    All of them shouted and sprinted towards the white fox in full force.

 Chapter 245: Fox continued

    <h4>Chapter 245: Fox continued</h4>


    Hao Xuan joined the soldiers this time and attacked the three-tailed fox together.


    Even for Kuo who was now on the Seventh Stage of the Spirit realm, it was next to impossible to pierce its skin.


    The only one that had managed to do any actual damage to the creature was Ensis. His sword left blue bruises on its skin but it still wasn''t enough to draw blood.


    Hao Xuan started cursing as he waited for the rest of the party to arrive. None of his energies were effective against the fox. It wasn''t even affected by the Emperor''s Qi. And when he tried to alter the direction of its attacks with the Force energy it felt like he was trying to push away an entire mountain.


    "F*ck sakes, where are they?!" he shouted in desperation.


    It had already been almost five minutes since the woman was "imprisoned" in First''s technique and it wouldn''tst much longer.


    Another minute passed and the people he was waiting for finally arrived.


    Yu Bo with his staff, Tao Hu with his spear and shortswordbo, and Xing Zhi with her pair of bronze gloves that had spikes sticking out of them.


    "You''rete!" Hao Xuan shouted while avoiding one of the foxtails.


    Yu Bo was covered in blood. Even his bald head that shone no matter what had its ''light'' taken away.


    "We aren''t alone here. There are a lot of other beasts around and more keeping. I think they are the reinforcements for these guys," he replied while taking deep breaths.


    "Restter, bring this b*stard down! We''re running out of time," Hao Xuan reprimanded when he saw Yu Bo about to take a seat on the muddy ground.


    *sigh*


    "Fine fine. Let''s go, use formation C," he waved at Tao Hu and Xing Zhi.


    "Mhm," they both nodded back in agreement.


    Hao Xuan stepped back and observed their movements. Other than the highest-ranked people everyone else had stepped back as well. The fox was only so big and hundreds of people attacking it at once could be counter-productive.


    Kuo, Hash, and Maddy were some of the few that were still attacking it.


    The Yo Bo trio joined hands and attacked the fox from three different directions at once. All of their movements werepletely in sync. When one was about to be attacked the other would move in and strike.


    It was like clockwork. The fox raged as its stamina was shaved off bit by bit.


    "YOU FILTHY CREATURES! YOU WILL PAY! ALL OF YOU WILL PAY!" its loud voice echoed throughout the swamp.


    "You join in too, quick," Hao Xuan ordered the Kappa who had been standing behind him for some time now.


    "A-As you wish, master," Bo bowed from the waist and with some hesitation, joined the fight as well.


    It seemed like he was the final piece that turned the tides. The pressure on the fox was too much and it was taking hits from almost every direction now. Even with its imprable skin, it wasn''t an easy task to hold out for so long.


    *BOOOM*


    Xing Zhi swirled around in mid-air for five times andnded a punch to the Fox''s chin. It''s gigantic eyes went white for an instant as it lost consciousness, but that was only for less than a second. It staggered back to its feet while ring hatefully at the humans around it.


    It was bleeding from several ces now. These were the ones created by Yu Bo''s squad. They repeatedly attacked the exact same spots, eventually managing to soften it and cut it open.


    "You....filthy..."


    "Yeah yeah, we got it, shut up already," Hao Xuan interrupted as the Fox before it could hurl a few more insults their way.


    "Just give up. I only want to ask you a few questions," Hao Xuan walked closer and looked at the Fox earnestly, "We don''t want to create any irreconcble differences with the Wu n so you will be free to go then."


    "But Capta-" Xing Zhi abruptly cut in as soon as she heard Hao Xuan speak, getting a re in return from both Hao Xuan and Yu Bo.


    "Shut up! This has already been decided. We are no match for the Wu n and only wish to get an exnation," he exined calmly.


    Light returned to the fox''s eyes as it looked at Hao Xuan with a puffed-out chest. It let out a knowing smile.


    "At least you understand your position. Filth like you cannot hope to stand against the righteous."


    Hao Xuan smiled back gently while hiding his clenched fists in the sleeves. He nodded back amicably, "Of course, now if you would be kind enough toe with me."


    The fox looked at Hao Xuan for a few more seconds before finally mumbling something under its breath. Its body started shrinking once again and transformed back into the 17-year-old boy.


    "This way," Hao Xuan moved aside and pointed towards the direction they hade from.


    The other soldiers were also reluctant to let the fox off just like that, especially since it had even killed a couple of soldiers, but since Hao Xuan had already said so there was nothing left to talk about.


    "Hmph," the boy looked around at the soldiers that were fighting it moments ago and dusted off his clothes.


    All of them moved aside and created a path for him.


    As the boy passed through, Hao Xuan who was waiting for him at the end, patted his head gently, making the boy freeze for a second.


    "Such young people shouldn''t be out fighting like this. You should be at home, studying," he lectured the boy just like an elder, ruffled his hair and walked off by himself. The boy still hadn''t moved from the spot.


    "Come, let''s talk," his voice woke the boy up as his body followed Hao Xuan''s words like a heavenly decree. His movements were mechanical, almost like a robot.


    Kuo and the others who had known him much longer frowned at his odd behavior but didn''t linger on it too much.

 Chapter 246: Guest

    <h4>Chapter 246: Guest</h4>


    Hao Xuan calmly led the way on foot while everyone else followed behind. He had already recalled Ensis when nobody was paying attention.


    The boy was just a few behind him with his head hung low, while the others kept a distance of about 20 feet.


    On the way over they met hundreds of the other soldiers that were still trying to make their way through but had been obstructed by the iing beasts.


    "Kill them all," Hao Xuan''s emotionless voice echoed in the soldier''s ears that were following behind.


    Kuo''s footsteps slowed down as he looked at Hao Xuan with a raised eyebrow, but he didn''t hesitate for too long and followed Hao Xuan ''s orders, taking the bulk of the soldiers and started clearing all the beasts in the vicinity.


    They continued their leisurely stroll for another minute or so before a sound simr to the breaking of bones echoed throughout the surroundings and four figures shot out of the sky.


    *CRAAACK*


    There was a blue fireball in the front with three streaks following close behind it.


    Hao Xuan stopped and looked up at the giant fireball that wasing straight towards him.


    The Yo Bo trio quickly took out their weapons and moved in front of Hao Xuan protectively, but he shook his head, "It''s fine."


    "Sorry?" Yo Bo looked back at him, bewildered.


    Hao Xuan turned his head slightly to the left and gestured towards the fireball. The boy that had been following behind him silently moved and stood in front of him.


    The fireball quickly slowed down and stopped about 30 meters away from him. In the blue fire the woman''s figure could finally be seen. There were some superficial wounds on her body but nothing serious.


    The other three streaks also came to a stop a few meters behind her. It was First, Su Zemin and Lu Jian.


    Lu Jian''s upper body was covered with vicious burn marks. His flesh was wriggling left and right and every second scabs fell to the ground. His body was healing at an astonishing rate but it looked like the superior healing ability came with a price.


    His face was as pale as a ghost and looked devoid of any blood.


    Su Zemin''s eyes had dark circles under them. The glowing markings on his bone whip were flickering and looked like they were about to go out for good.


    First looked like he was doing the best and held a crimson sword in his right hand that was letting out weak high-pitched noises.


    ''A living weapon...'' Hao Xuan thought looking at the sword.


    Even from a distance of almost 50 meters, he could feel a strange sensation from the sword in First''s hand.


    The woman looked at the boy''s condition and her body visibly trembled with rage. She red at Hao Xuan who was standing right behind him.


    "Let him go. You have no idea who you''re messing with. Your limited mind cannot possiblyprehend the level of danger you are in right now. If something happens to him, the entire Kingdom of Mei will perish before the sun rises, that is my promise to you!"


    Hao Xuan looked at her calmly before letting out a soft smile, "He is a guest of Mei. Why would I hurt him? Your threats are uncalled for. He is free to go, no one here will try and stop you people."


    First frowned slightly but made no other moves, while the woman''s forehead unconsciously creased up, leaving her at a loss for words.


    She looked at the boy for confirmation who quickly nodded back.


    "It is as he says. There will not be any more fighting today," his tone filled with confidence.


    Hao Xuan''s smile brightened even more listening to his reply. He moved forward and patted the boy''s shoulder.


    "I hope to hear from ''young master'' soon. You are, of course, free to go."


    The boy''s short frame shook as he lowered his head once again and nodded wordlessly.


    He walked forward and the woman picked him up, floating higher up into the air. She waved her hand at a height of about 200 meters and a massive creature appeared below her feet.


    It looked like a white wyvern-type beast with four massive wings and a huge stony tail. The only strange thing being that it had no scales to speak off and instead soft fur covered the entirety of its body.


    Its face was like that of a worm with no protruding parts.


    They got on and with a couple of ps of the furry beast''s wings, disappeared from the crowd''s line of sight.


    First looked at Hao Xuan who was still smiling from ear to ear, "How did it go?"


    "It''s done," Hao Xuan replied as a matter-of-factly.


    "Mhm," First stored away his sword and turned around quickly, "Return to the base, the mission is over," his voice echoing for a couple of kilometers.


    Everyone present was filled with unanswered questions but their superiors had already given the order so there was nothing they could do.


    Hao Xuan summoned Bai and returned to base. He went straight to First''s tent where Third and Fourth were being treated. First was already there along with the medical staff.


    "How is it?"


    "It seems to be fine," First replied with a sigh of relief while sitting down on a chair, "They won''t be able to partake in any missions for several months but there shouldn''t be any permanent injuries."


    "Good good."


    First looked up at Hao Xuan expectedly, "Did you get anything from the boy?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "Not yet. He will contact me soon and I''ll ask him in detail then."


    "Alright, go rest. We have to leave within the next 24 hours. The Jia should be aware of our presence in the swamp and will be sending proper reinforcements soon."


    "Got it," Hao Xuan nodded and walked out.


    He cleaned up and was about to go to bed when he felt that presence at his tent door.


    "Come in."


    The front lifted and Bo the Kappa walked in. His head hung low and hands fidgeting.


    Hao Xuan sat down and looked at him coldly.


    "You have something to say?"


    "N-No master! I-I was only hoping to find out what would be of little old me now..." he replied weakly, still not even daring to look up.


    "I haven''t decided yet. I was supposed to kill you but don''t want to give in to that bastard''s temptation, so here we are."


    "....sorry?" Bo had no idea what Hao Xuan was talking about so it left him even more confused.


    "Doesn''t matter. You can stay in the Mind Pce until I figure out what to do with you."


    "Mind pal-"


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and Bo disappeared from the tent, appearing in the mind pce where the others waited for him. He looked around, stupified, when a monotonous voice came from his right.


    "Don''t go near the doors or the center. Other than that, do as you wish," Ensis warned with his eyes closed.


    "Y-Yes..."


    The next morning Hao Xuan woke up from a call from a new number.

 Chapter 247: Corrupted Ones

    <h4>Chapter 247: Corrupted Ones</h4>


    The next morning Hao Xuan woke up from a call from a new number.


    He was lying in a small puddle, drenched in a cold sweat from head to toe. His heart was beating so strongly that it shook the entire bed. His body trembled non-stop and he couldn''t gain control of his own senses.


    "What was that?" he mumbled while trying to remember the dream he was abruptly woken up from. He couldn''t remember whether it was good or not, just that it was very important.


    He put his right hand over his chest and felt the beating of his own heart.


    *Ba-Thump*Ba-Thump*


    The time between every beat slowly increased until it returned to normal almost a full minuteter. His watch was still ringing but he couldn''t hear anything other than the sound of his own blood rushing through his body.


    "What the f*ck was that...Baracus!"


    *Beep*


    The call was cut off as a green light shed on the watch''s screen, indicating that Baracus was listening.


    "Yes?"


    "What happened to me? The condition of my body for thest few hours, show me the logs!"


    The watch recorded every bit of data from Hao Xuan''s body and surrounding environments. It was archived and stored in case it was neededter on. This was one of the very basic functions that Hao Xuan had opted to keep going as it didn''t take any extra resources at all.


    "Approximately 5 hours ago your heartbeat jumped. Your resting heart rate is around 30 Bpm, and five hours ago it jumped to almost 210 Bpm. It stayed like that for the following few hours until you woke up."


    "Any idea what caused this? Something in the environment maybe?"


    "No. There were no biological or environmental changes. Whatever caused this was internal."


    "Hmm..."


    Hao Xuan wiped the sweat off of his face and got off the bed. His small puddle of sweat didn''t leave a bad odor behind but it still felt extremely ufortable, to say the least.


    "What about...a dream? Could that have caused it?" he asked with some hesitation.


    "Of course. The rtion between dreams and reality is a very real one. There are even creatures that can live in your dreams. Well, I say creatures but they are strange beings of energy that I don''t know much about. Since progenitor could not dream, it was hard to collect data on the subject. Although he did conduct a few studies on other beings."


    "And? What did he find out?" Hao Xuan asked with interest.


    "Progenitor believed that what you call dreams weren''t always just random images and thoughts from the subconscious. He concluded that dreams had many metaphysical implications. That they weren''t meaningless."


    "There are numerous ns and beings of power that use dreams to cultivate, attack, or even travel. Unfortunately, he never had any run-ins with such creatures so he never did know for sure if they were just exaggerations or genuine facts."


    Hao Xuan was at a loss for words. He didn''t know what to make of his current situation. this wasn''t the first time he had woken up like this, but it was the first time that it was so extreme.


    "Alright, keep monitoring my body conditions. Next time you detect anything strange when I''m sleeping, wake me up immediately."


    "Got it."


    Hao Xuan took a shower and as soon as he got out, the audio call came again from the same number.


    "Oh, I forgot about you," Hao Xuan grinned looking at his watch.


    "ept the call."


    *Beep*


    "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"


    As soon as the call connected he heard loud, angry yelling from the other side. Hao Xuan''s grin widened even more listening to it.


    "Took you a while. I thought you would have contacted me much sooner."


    "I did as soon as I was able to. Now tell me human, what did you do to me?"


    "First of all, call me senior, master, or Brother Hao. Secondly, it doesn''t matter what I did, what matters is how you''re going to deal with it."


    "AS IF!"


    Hao Xuan''s activated the effects of the constitution, "Say it!"


    "S-....senior..." the voice weakly replied.


    "Good little fox. Now, what''s your name?"


    Yes, this was the boy from the Wu n. Hao Xuan had given him one of the many spirit bands that were modified by Baracus. He dropped on in the boy''s pocket just before he left.


    "Wu Jin..."


    The boy seemed to have calmed down a lot and wasn''t bbering on like before.


    "Now, to the actual matter at hand. Why is the Wu n joining forces with the Jia?"


    The boy''s hesitation from the boy''s voice was obvious even before he started talking. Hao Xuan could feel he was trying to lie to him.


    "And do not lie to me, ever. Tell me everything you know, clearly."


    "....yes...


    "Yes what?"


    "Yes....s..senior..."


    "Good. Now, go on."


    "We have no interest in your kingdom or your war. And untilst night, no one from my n had even considered joining your war."


    Hao Xuan''s brow shot up in anger, "What?! Your beast armies joined hands with the Jia and attacked us. How the hell haven''t you "joined" the war yet?"


    "Those aren''t from the Wu n. They are just some random guards and exiled prisoners that ''im; to be from the Wu n. They have nothing to do with us. The only reason we haven''t taken any action against them is because they are not worth the trouble."


    Hao Xuan was even more confused now.


    "Then why did youe overst night?"


    "One of the people that was exiled from the n contacted us. He said he found something important to the n''s interests. Something that we would want to know. He was trying to redeem himself."


    "Something...important?"


    Hao Xuan''s brow creased up. The guy he was talking about could only be the gnome that was in charge of the base, but what was this about interest to the Wu n?


    "So what now? Did what happen yesterday pushed the Wu n to lend a hand to the Jia?"


    "No. Since I wasn''t hurt, it won''t matter that much unless I raise the issue myself."


    "Good, don''t then. Do you have any idea what the gnome was referring to when he said he found something?"


    "..."


    A short bout of silence followed after.


    "Speak!"


    "H-He said he had information about an old enemy of my n...."


    Hao Xuan''s frown deepened, "What enemy?"


    "The Corrupted Ones..."

 Chapter 248: Corrupted Ones Continued

    <h4>Chapter 248: Corrupted Ones Continued</h4>


    "The Corrupted Ones..."


    Hao Xuan''s brow creased even more. His back straightened and as he sat up straight, listening attentively.


    "Who are they? The corrupted ones?"


    "I don''t know. I''m too young to know about things like that. Everything I know is from rumors and stories our parents used to tell us."


    "What were they?"


    Wu Jin took a deep breath and recalled the memories from his childhood. These were the bedtime stories the elders in the Wu n used to tell the kids to make them go to sleep.


    "There exist people in our society that talk like us, walk like us, eat like us and sleep like us, but are in fact something entirely different. Theye under the nket of darkness and take all the naughty children away. They eat these children and rece them with hollow monsters."


    "They are the true enemy of every sentient being and it is our duty to fight against them no matter the situation. Our ancestor, the legendary nine-tailed fox, left behind her legacy so we could continue the fight in her absence and stand on the righteous side...."


    Wu Jin went on to tell a number of different tales but they all had the same theme.


    This ''corruption'' was the viin while the Wu n were deliverers of justice. They would fight against the corrupted ones every few centuries, uprooting their strongholds andying waste to entire kingdoms that had been affected by it.


    They didn''t take any chances and killed everyone in the vicinity, so it was hard to call them "heroes" when they themselves killed the same amount of beings if not more.


    Hao Xuan didn''t take the story to heart as he knew the truth was twisted to fit every party''s own point of view and beliefs.


    One man''s hero is another''s viin.


    "How were you nning to find out about the corrupted? How would you have known if one of them was, in fact, one of these...things."


    "I was given a talisman for that. Was supposed to use it on the being in question and it would reveal their true form."


    "Do you still have it?"


    "Yes."


    "Can you get more?"


    "Not possible. Not only do I not know how to make them, but even if I asked for more they simply wouldn''t give them out like that. From what I gathered, these talismans are made from the hides of other corrupted. And they are not easy to find, let alone use for parts."


    "Also, even if I lie and tell them I found a base or something, they wouldn''t let me handle a situation like that. One of my seniors would probablye down himself."


    "Alright alright, I get it. Where are you now?"


    "Back at the academy."


    Hao Xuan was somewhat taken aback with the answer. An academy? He thought he would have gone back to his n.


    "Which academy? Where is it located?"


    "The Academy of Sollertia. It''s a few thousand kingdoms away from where you are right now."


    Hao Xuan shot up from his seat, "A-A few thousand KINGDOMS away?!?"


    "Yeah..."


    Hao Xuan was so shocked by Wu Jin''s answer that he didn''t even notice the change in his tone. It went from being slightly fearful and respectful to one of disdain and arrogance.


    "How the hell did you get there so fast?" Hao Xuan followed up with another question.


    "I flew to the nearest Grade-1 kingdom and used their teleportation formation to get back here."


    "Goddamn!" The envy was quite apparent from Hao Xuan''s tone. He didn''t even have a flying mount let alone used a teleportation formation that big. The only other time was when he first came to the beast world.


    His eyes shone with a new light as hepletely forgot about the previous matter and started questioning Wu Jin.


    "What type of academy is it?"


    "It''s one of the threergest academies in the entire continent. It''s also the closest one to you. The other two are too far for even teleportation formations. It focuses on teaching the more ''elegant'' subjects. The ones that require a high intellect."


    "Oh? Like what?"


    "Like the study of arts you know, be it literature, performance or visual, everything is taught here including things like music, modeling, theatre, calligraphy, sculpting, architecture, etc."


    "..."


    Once again the answer waspletely out of Hao Xuan''s expectations.


    "Aren''t these for mortals? Why the hell would cultivators study things like that?"


    "Tch," Wu Jin sounded like he was expecting such an ignorant answer.


    "We cultivators have extremely long lifespans. Do you really think in the thousands of years we live for, no one picks up any hobbies? And these aren''t for mortals. Each of them has its own cultivation system attached to it. there are many seniors that use musical instruments in fights, either in directbat or as a supplementary technique."


    "They can directly attack with music, hypnotize men and beasts alike, control them however they want. Those that go for calligraphy can bring their creations to life to fight for them. Only an ignorant fool would think of them as mere "mortal" pastimes."


    Hao Xuan nodded his head upon gaining some understanding of the matter at hand. He had never expected things like that to be true as well. It all just seemed so...surreal.


    "Alright, what about modeling and theatre then? How the hell do you use them inbat?"


    "They ''can'' be used inbat but mostly have other uses. Even cultivators find amusement in things like movies and other entertainment sources. Many of the bigger ns and corporations have spokespersons and representatives that are extremely famous. They use their fame to recruit cultivators and expand. It''s a great tool for advertisement..."


    "What even...."


    Hao Xuan leaned back into his chair and let out a deep breath. Everything Wu Jin just said was...a bit too much to digest at once.


    It did make sense when everything was exined like that, bit still. This was just too...real. He never expected anything like this to be true. It was so much like back on earth where there were idols and models working forpanies with their own fan clubs.


    But then....why not?

 Chapter 249: Diversion

    <h4>Chapter 249: Diversion</h4>


    ''But then....why not?''


    *TREEEMBLE*


    As Hao Xuan was immersed in the thoughts of visiting this ''academy'' that Wu Jin had described, the ground beneath his feet shook.


    No, it wasn''t just the ground but the entire space was shaking. It felt like he was in a bottle that was being thrown around like a ball.


    "What the hell?!"


    He shot up from his seat and walked out. The entire ce was packed to the brim with the Red Legion soldiers. All of them were looking around with panicked and puzzled faces.


    Hao Xuan looked at his watch that was still connected to Wu Jin, "I''ll call you back once I''m free. Baracus will send a list. I need you to prepare them as quickly as possible."


    "WAIT! You didn''t tell me wha-"


    *Click*


    Hao Xuan cut off the call before Wu Jin could finish his sentence. He knew what he was going to say anyway and now wasn''t the time.


    Putting on his usual clothes he sprinted to First''s tent. It was a bit crowded with the four Profound realm cultivators huddled around First''s table and Third and Fourth passed out on the side with another person taking care of them.


    "B-Brother, what''s going on?" Hao Xuan stammeringly inquired.


    First looked up with a grim countenance, "They found us. I don''t know how but they found us."


    "Who??"


    "The Jia. It''s not a full regiment but still enough to hold us back until the main force gets here."


    Hao Xuan walked over to the table and looked at the ss screen that was showing the scenes from outside the gate. There were about 30rge silhouettes at the front with another 200 behind them.


    Each of these 30 men and women were around 4.5 to 5 meters, towering over all the others behind them. They held onto thick golden ropes that seemed to be alive. The ropes moved on their own and repeatedly struck a single ce in space, the exact area where the red gate was.


    All of them had the exact same armor on,pletely ck in color.


    While the 200 soldiers behind them were decked in simr but heavier armors. Although they were much shorter than the 30 in front, the shortest guy was still at least Hao Xuan''s size.


    "It can''t be..." Hao Xuan mumbled with a startled expression upon seeing one of the men.


    First raised an eyebrow, "What? Do you see something?"


    Hao Xuan nodded vacantly, pointing at three figures at the front, "I know them. Some of them. These three were the ones that attacked me that time in the forest. The ones serving that guy..."


    All the other Profound Realm experts including First were taken aback by his answer. They unconsciously leaned in.


    "That guy? Who??"


    Hao Xuan met First''s gaze, "Jiang Ling. The Hidden prince that had captured the general''s friend!" (details in CH62)


    After General Shu was released he told the Red Legion everything that happened, including the story and details about the ''hidden prince''. That''s why everyone currently in the tent knew about him.


    He wasn''t so ''hidden'' anymore.


    Du Xun who was rtivelyid back until a few seconds had an abrupt change of expression. He leaned in towards First, "That''s even worse then. If he is here then there''s a good chance that one of the main armies is one its way as well. We have to leave right now!"


    First didn''t answer immediately and instead looked at Hao Xuan for confirmation, hoping that he might be wrong, "Are you sure brother?"


    Hao Xuan bobbed his head up and down, "100%. I would recognize them anywhere."


    "Damn it!" First punched the desk, leaving a fist-sized hole in there.


    "What do we do?" Du Xun spoke once again, his tone rying the urgency of the situation.


    First took in a deep breath to calm himself down, "We fight, what else?"


    "But what about Third and Fourth Brother?" Hao Xuan looked over at the two unconscious bodies.


    "We will take to the frontlines and hold them back. You take Third and Fourth brother and flee from the side. We will catch up with youter," First ryed his n to Hao Xuan and the others.


    The mindreader Su Zemin spoke up for the first time, "They won''t make it. Remember where we are. And with them on foot, without even a guide, you might as well kill them right now."


    "Right! How could I forget..." First pped his forehead.


    They were in the swamp. Perhaps one of the deadliest ces on this side of the continent. Even with four profound realm cultivators, they had to make their way in at a snail''s pace. How could they expect Hao Xuan''s team to get out of the swamp on their own?


    "Hmm. Any ideas then?" First looked at the people around him.


    Hao Xuan gave it some thought and raised his hand, "How about I lead the attack? They already know me and I think I can probably lead them away. You guys help the soldiers get out of the swamp and thene pick me up."


    First shook his head instantly, "No way. Too dangerous. And how do you expect to fight all of them alone?"


    "I don''t. I''ll run away. They will follow on their own. It''s the only choice. If we go out and fight, it will take much longer. The others will catch up and it won''t end well. Let me at least lead some of them away," Hao Xuan stood his ground and made his case in front of First.


    Du Xun looked at Hao Xuan with wide eyes. Astonishment apparent in his gaze. He met First''s gaze, "It could work. A long term engagement is not an option right now."


    First looked at each of them with a deep frown, both angry that they suggested this and annoyed that it was the best n.


    Even if one of the others went out there was no way to guarantee the enemy would follow them. But since Hao Xuan had a history with Jiang Ling, the chances of him getting his attention were pretty good.


    "Alright, fine. You lead as many of them away as you can. We wille out right after andunch an attack with everything we have before retreating. Once we are far enough, I wille to pick you up myself. But brother, you must not take any risks. Deal?"


    First looked at Hao Xuan somberly as he told him the n. Hao Xuan of course happily nodded back, "No problem."


    He walked out of the tent and made his way straight to the gate, through the 1500 or so soldiers in his path.


    Kuo saw Hao Xuaning and ran up to him, "Captain, what''s going on?"


    "We are under attack. I will go first, you guys follow First brother and get out of the swamp."


    "Wait, you''re going alone?!" Kuo looked at him as if he was looking at an idiot.


    Hao Xuan patted the middle-aged man''s shoulder reassuringly, "What''s with that look? I know what I''m doing. Nothing is gonna go wrong."


    The red door in front of him was shaking non-stop. There were even some hairline fractures on it that were getting wider with every shake.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and two little snakes appeared on his shoulders. He rubbed their heads lovingly as they greeted him by coiling around his fingers.


    "Get ready, it''s time to fight," he whispered gently, opened the door and stepped out.

 Chapter 250: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 250: Reunion</h4>


    "Hmm~ mmm~," Monk happily hummed a tune while the baby ck Tounge Eater''s tendon in his hand did all the work. All he had to do was provide it Qi and it would find out any spacial anomalies and attack them.


    A ck Tounge Eater was a type of rare beast that cultivated death and spacews. It was born in the areas rich with spacial and death energy.


    A normal variant had six legs, four in the front, and two in the back. Its face was made up of multiple human-like skulls melded together with hundreds of fleshy tongue''s protruding out of every orifice.


    With a height of over a 1000 meters, it was a nightmarish creature that was extremely dangerous. (Pic in Authors notes)


    But the good thing was that since it was born in ces rich with death and space energies, its body parts could be refined into treasures with equally unique properties, like the tendons in the hands of Jia soldiers.


    Monk was the spear user that had first found Hao Xuan (Author note for details). He had also lost a couple of his arms to Kuo during that conflict.


    His red hair and good looks set him apart from hispanions even in the heat of battle. As he inserted another dose of Qi into the tendon the space in front of him rippled and a red door appeared.


    "Did they finally decide to stop hiding?" he mumbled to himself with a grin.


    "Don''t lose focus!" a deep voice reminded him from the right side. It was another four-armed giant with a massive greatsword on his back. This was ''Steel'', the leader of the Elite Jia warriors that served directly under Jiang Ling.


    Each of these elite warriors was selected after years of training. Only the ones with the purest bloodlines were allowed to enter their ranks, giving them a valid reason to be proud. Other than the Royal family, they had the second-highest concentration of the giant bloodline.


    "Tch," Monk ignored Steel''s words, not even bothering to spare him a nce. Several veins on Steel''s forehead swelled up as he held himself back from beating him up once again.


    *Bzzt*


    A sudden pressure fell down on everyone present, silencing them at once. Monk''s smirk vanished as he looked at the gate. He could feel his cultivation lowering by the second. His heartbeat quickened as he let go of the slithering tendon and held onto his spear with all four arms.


    "WHAT THE FU-"


    Just as he was getting ready to attack two streams of mes, one ck and one white in color, shot out from the gate. It was aimed right in the middle which was where he stood.


    *Kuek*


    He covered his face and upper body with his arms and released a wave of Qi to create a barrier around his body, but it was utterly useless.


    The mes werepletely opposite in their nature. The white one was like boilingva while the ck one was a stream of liquid nitrogen.


    One froze while the other melted, and theirbination burned through the Qi barriers around the warrior''s bodies. Not to mention the source of these mes were Divine beasts, capable of reaching the heavens.


    "Ahhhh!" ear-piercing screams erupted from the mouths of several of the elite warriors as they backed off swiftly.


    All the skin on the warrior''s arms and legs was burnt to a crisp. Yet their healing factor was so strong that even before the mes were put out, scabs fell off their bodies and new skin cells quickly reced the old ones.


    Unfortunately, the process was extremely painful and truly tested the soldier''s will.


    "Oi oi, didn''t you get too weak in the little time I didn''t see you?"


    A voice came from the other side of the mes, startling the Jia warriors.


    Monk lowered his arms and red at the fire with an ugly expression, trying to spot the silhouette.


    "Wait...I recognize that voice...." he mumbled doubtfully, not even sure if he believed the words he just spoke.


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    Sounds of footsteps echoed loudly in the swamp. The soldiers held their breath and raised their weapons, ready to receive another attack.


    Monk, Steel, Ox, Dagger, these four were the ones closest to Jiang Ling and hence held a higher rank than the others. They squinted their eyes and moved to the front of the line as vanguards.


    The ck and white mes seemed to be alive as they waved about merrily.


    The spectators watched on with bated breath as a lone silhouettezily appeared amidst the me. The mes came into contact with his body but did no damage. He might as well have been out for a leisurely stroll.


    Monk tightened the grip on his 5-meter long spear and using two of his right hands chucked it at the silhouette with full power. It cut through the air with such speed that it became invisible to the naked eye.


    It passed through the mes but even they didn''t have enough time to do anything to it, and reached the silhouette in less than a second. The silhouette made no sudden moves, only raising its hand and waving ever-so-slightly at the iing object.


    An unknown force came into contact with the spear, changing its course by a few inches.


    *BOOM*


    It passed by the silhouette''s head and impacted with the ground behind, creating an explosion that rang loudly for miles.


    "Tsk tsk, well that''s not very nice is it?"


    The silhouette mumbled coldly and finally walked out of the mes.


    Monk''s eyes widened from shock as he pointed at Hao Xuan, "Its YOU! How?!"


    "Yo, did you miss me?" Hao Xuan gave a toothy grin. He then surveyed his surroundings, going over every Jia soldier.


    "How are you alive?" Monk inquired confusedly, still not believing his eyes, "And how did you get so big?"


    Hao Xuan ignored his query and gave one of his own instead, "Is that b*stard here?"


    He couldn''t find Jiang Ling among the people in front.


    Steel and Ox exchanged nces with one another and nodded once. Ox grasped his spiked club while Steel tightened his grip around the massive block of iron that was his greatsword, ready to pounce at a moment''s notice.


    "Wait..."


    A gentle voice came from behind them, effectively putting a stop to their scheme. Steel''s expression crumpled slightly as he turned around and looked at one of the random 200 soldiers behind him.


    The soldier put down his sword and took off his helmet, revealing his face.


    Hao Xuan raised an eyebrow upon seeing that familiar countenance once again. He was looking right at him but couldn''t even notice him decked out in the armor like that. It probably had a few enchantments that made it easier to blend in.


    Jiang Ling raised his hand and the entire toon surrounding him backed off. With one unified motion, they created a path for him to pass through.


    He slowly walked out while maintaining eye contact with Hao Xuan.


    "Looks like you had a fortuitous encounter or two..." he said looking at Hao Xuan up and down before fixing his gaze on the two little worms on his shoulders.


    Hao Xuan smiled in response, "Looks like you''ve been in a rough patch eh?"


    He was referring to Jiang Ling''s appearance. It looked like he had lost a lot of weight and hisplexion was extremely pale, inplete contrast to the image from a year ago.


    Jiang Ling ignored hisment and looked at the red gate behind him.


    "Tell them toe out. There is no way you can escape. The 3rd battalion of my army is almost here."


    "Ho, is that so?" Hao Xuan''s smile widened even more as he closed the distance between himself and Jiang Ling.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    A little Reminder, the Jia are a race of giants with up to four arms and height of between 15-20 feet or 4.5-5 meters.


    Tounge Eater:


    Normal link: https://i.pinimg/564x/eb/09/fa/eb09fa9b965de5531c0b237ecb886a07.jpg


    Shorter one: https://urlzs/q3Xce


    Monk was introduced in chapter 58.


    "He had short red hair and well-defined features that could have easily allowed him to be a model back on earth."

 Chapter 251: Reunion Continued

    <h4>Chapter 251: Reunion Continued</h4>


    "Ho, is that so?"


    Hao Xuan slowly made his way towards Jiang Ling.


    Steel, Ox, and Monk moved out and stood in front of him, blocking his path forward.


    Jiang Ling waved his hand once again, ordering them to stand down. He smiled looking at Hao Xuan.


    "My offer still stands from that time. Serve me, you are more than worthy now. Stand on the winning side. It will be pretty fun~" his smiled turning into a bright grin.


    Hao Xuan returned his gesture and came to a stop just a few meters away from him. The soldiers surrounded him from every side, making sure he wouldn''t be able to escape no matter what.


    "Alright, how about we go and talk about it somewhere else then?" Hao Xuan asked, meeting his gaze.


    *Sigh*


    Jiang Ling''s smile vanished as he looked back at him coldly. It looked like he was out of patience.


    "Are you sure you wanna do this?"


    Hao Xuan nodded, still maintaining his smile, "Mhm."


    Jiang Ling shook his head helplessly, "Fine. So be it. Take him away. Drag that gate out, now!"


    As he gave the order and turned around to walk away, Hao Xuan''s voice came again.


    "Here, catch."


    He turned his head halfway and saw something flying towards him from the corner of his eye. It looked like an...ocotpus?


    "Eh?"


    "MINE!"


    *SNAP*


    The little octopus''s tentacles expanded to dozens of meters and before anyone could even make a move, it had already surrounded Jiang Ling from head to toe. He just looked like a ball of tentacles right now.


    "WHA-"


    "Assualt Of the Mad God!"


    Before the soldiers even had time to process what had just happened to Jiang Ling, another shout reverberated from where Hao Xuan stood.


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    2 elite warriors closest to him shot out like deted balloons. The two Divine Serpents on his shoulders expanded in the blink of an eye, reaching the size of almost 200 meters.


    Their massive bodies mmed into the surrounding Jia soldiers, sending them flying away as well. Wave after wave of ck and white mes spewed out of their gigantic maws, covering the entire area.


    "AHH!"


    "ARGH!"


    "UP!"


    More than 80 Mind Pces appeared around the battlefield. There were over 15 Spirit Realm cultivators among this group of elites.


    They quickly got back up to their feet and unleashed their full powers. Brilliant lights covered the space above as a multitude of pces upied the sky.


    From Hao Xuan throwing Fortis towards Jiang Ling like a cooked grenade to the soldiers releasing their full powers, less than 5 seconds had transpired.


    "PROTECT THE PRINCE!"


    Steel shouted while sprinting towards Jiang Ling with all his might. His armor shone with a ck light that kept the mes at bay.


    All the others did the same. The 15 or so Spirit Realm warriors were the first ones to run back into the fight.


    Monk clenched his teeth and took out another spear from his storage ring. He didn''t move from the spot and instead looked for Hao Xuan''s silhouette in the mes that had reached a height of 30 meters within a few seconds.


    He held his breath and squinted his eyes hard, focusing all his senses to try and see any sign of a movement when his pupils dted into the size of coins.


    The mes right in front of him parted slightly as the head of a ferocious-looking ck beast peaked out.


    His heart almost skipped a beat.


    Time seemed to havee to a crawl as the beast''s massive body moved iprehensibly quick, standing right in front of him before he could even blink.


    "What the fu-"


    But before he could finish his sentence, a gigantic ive came out from the left side of the beast, aiming for his head.


    "Huk!"


    All muscle in his body expanded and moved in tandem. The veins on his neck bulged to several times their size as he barely stepped away from the ive''s path.


    Just as was about to let out of a breath of relief, a ck longsword that looked like it was created out of darkness itself came out from behind the ive. It was several times faster, not even giving him enough time to think let alone react in any way.


    *Squelch*


    With one simple motion, quick enough that he couldn''t even catch it with his eyes, the sword pierced his chest and came out of the other side.


    His massive body lifted up like a lifeless ragdoll and got dragged away with the beast, with the ck sword still embedded in his chest.


    "Bring him with, I want to try something..."


    "Yes, master."


    These were thest words Monk heard before he lost consciousness.


    *BOOM*


    *BAAANG*


    *WHIP*


    Back on the battlefield, a multitude of explosions and loud noises sounded from all around.


    "WHERE?!! WHERE ARE THEY?!"


    Steel''s angry yells echoed in the air. He, along with the other Spirit Realm Cultivators,bed the battlefield, putting out the mes bit by bit but could find no sign of Hao Xuan, Jiang Ling or even the massive snakes.


    All of them were gone.


    "Here! Over here!" Dagger shouted from the west side, gathering the group''s attention.


    All high ranking elites quickly ran over. Dagger was standing above a small pool of blood, looking outwards.


    Steel walked up with hurried steps, "What?"


    Dagger looked around once and sighed, "It''s Monk. He''s gone. This is probably his blood. There are tracks leading deeper into the swamp. I''m guessing these are ''his'' doing," he pointed at the set of massive footprints embedded deep into the ground.


    "Goddammit!" Steel stomped on the ground, cracking the entire area around him with raw strength.


    ''How could this happen right under my nose?!''


    "Get ready! We''re going after them. NOW!" he ryed his order to the others.


    "Yes!"


    The soldiers regrouped within a few seconds and summoned their mounts. Steel threw onest hateful look towards the Red Gate before following after Hao Xuan.


    First, Du Xun, Su Zemin, and Lu Jian watched the 200+ soldiers leave on their beasts. None of them had anything to say.


    Hao Xuan somehow managed to ''capture'' Jiang Ling and used him as bait to bring the others away. It was a foolproof n. No matter what they weren''t gonna just let him leave with their prince like that, so giving chase was the only logical option left.


    But what surprised them the most were the myriad of tricks Hao Xuan pulled out of nowhere. The biggest one being able to capture Jiang Ling so easily.


    It should be noted that Jiang Ling had the blood of the true Giants running through his veins. Not to mention that he was near the top of the Spirit realm himself.


    "Get them ready, let''s go," First mumbled under his breath. His fists were clenched so tight that they were turning white. The others kept silent and quickly walked out of the tent.

 Chapter 252: Chase

    <h4>Chapter 252: Chase</h4>


    *Crack*


    *Crunch*


    *Rustle*


    Bai nimbly moved from one tree to another without leaving any footprints.


    The only noise came from Hao Xuan, Ensis, the unconscious Monk, and the mass of white tentacles under which was Jiang Ling. Their clothes fluttered in the wind and some small tree branches broke off uponing into contact with their bodies.


    Hao Xuan held onto Jiang Ling while Ensis took care of Monk''s body. They both had massive statures and hence made it hard to hide properly.


    Bai was a feline and hence had all the basic characteristics any other feline would possess. His body although huge, was extremely flexible. It could fit through areas that were three times smaller than his build.


    He made absolutely no sound and left no tracks. His skin color melded perfectly within the shadows, camouging him to such a degree that he could be invisible depending on the right conditions.


    Bai was a true hunter.


    He thrived in areas with a lot of cover, like jungles and forests. His prey wouldn''t even know he was behind it unless he chose to reveal his location himself.


    Hao Xuan still didn''t know what the true extent of Bai''s power and abilities was but he had never let Hao Xuan down once. Everything he asked of Bai was done withoutint.


    His speed was faster than any beast of the same level. And to this day Hao Xuan had note across anothernd creature that was faster than Bai.


    Bai''s tail was serrated and formed a scythe-like de at the end. If Hao Xuan hade across Bai in the wild, the only sane option would have been to turn tail and run like hell.


    Without even knowing when, he had started depending on Bai withplete faith in his abilities, whatever they may be.


    Hao Xuan turned around and looked behind him but couldn''t even see a single Jia soldier. There was absolutely nobody in sight. And with Bai''s speed and the couple of minutes of headstart they had, it wouldn''t be strange if they never caught up to him.


    Hao Xuan leaned in and whispered into Bai''s ear, "Slow down and leave a few footprints behind, give them some hope. They need to feel like they''re on our tracks."


    Bai slightly moved his giant head up and down without making a sound and jumped down from the tree canopy. He was using the 150+ meter tall trees to move around.


    By staying at the very top he could avoid the hundreds of smaller beasts and unknown creatures roaming around the swamp floor and hence move faster. Plus not many other beasts would be able to follow him like that.


    ws came out from his paws and left long vertical scratches along the tree trunk as he slid down. His tail thrashed around haphazardly and left a few sharp cuts in the surrounding areas.


    About a minute or so after Bai had moved on, an Elite Jia soldiernded next to the tree he had previously slid down from.


    He was on a giant boar-like beast that had steel armor on its face and hindquarters.


    "Found them. They''re still heading west. Follow my beacon, I''m continuing pursuit," he spoke into the spirit band and sped off.


    Hao Xuan had already had Baracus deal with Jiang Ling and Monk''s beacons so they couldn''t be followed directly.


    A couple of minutester about a dozen parties of up to 20 soldiers each sprinted past the same spot. Their speed was much faster since all they had to do was follow the other warrior''s beacon.


    Ensis''s ears perked up as he looked back, "They''re onto us, master."


    "Mhm, how far?"


    Ensis closed his eyes and paused his breathing. All the sounds started dying out until he could only hear the sound of rushed footsteps behind them.


    "Approximately 7 kilometers and closing."


    Hao Xuan nodded contently and gently patted Bai'', "That''s good enough, speed up."


    *Growl*


    It sounded like Bai was waiting for just that order as his speed doubled in an instant. Hao Xuan and Ensis quickly lowered their heads and ducked down for cover behind Bai''s horns. The air pressure suddenly increased so much that Monk''s body almost flew off.


    "Hey, are you good to hold on?" Hao Xuan shouted towards the ball of snow-white tentacles.


    Forti''s head popped out from underneath one of the tentacles as he nodded proudly, "No problem!"


    Hao Xuan would have doubted his words if he didn''t see his carefree expression himself. Jiang Ling was still struggling but the tentacles didn''t budge an inch. And it seemed like it was absolutely no trouble for Fortis to stay like for even several days.


    So just like that Hao Xuan would order Bai to sometimes speed up and then slow down to let the soldiers catch up. He never let the distance between them get smaller than 5 kilometers though.


    It was around 11 a.m when Hao Xuan had first gone out to meet them, and now the sun was about to set.


    They had covered tens of thousands of kilometers.


    The swamp wasing back to life as well. Hao Xuan witnessed several strange scenes as the darkness started creeping back.


    They passed by an area that had a light mist spreading outward. It seemed to being out of the ground before floating above it at a height of 2 meters.


    That was the first time Bai took a detour andpletely avoided an area. As Hao Xuan gazed into the mist he saw several pairs of eyes looking back at him ominously.


    He couldn''t see anything other than those eyes but they were enough to give him goosebumps. Every single hair on his body stood straight up.


    The scenery started to change after that and swamp waters started moving faster and faster.


    Hao Xuan ordered Bai to start moving horizontally because it was pretty obvious that the swamp was turning into a river soon.


    Two hourster a tall cliff came into view. Hao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief as could see the swamp''s border.


    Another hour of sprinting through the darkened swampy waters and they finally reached the cliff. there was a small waterfalling down from the very top which was shrouded in clouds.


    Just as Hao Xuan was about to ask whether or not Bai could traverse the almost vertical cliff, he leaped up and with long sharp ws, firmly embedded himself into the cliff wall.


    "God d*mn, warn before you do something like that!" Hao Xuan grumpily voiced hisints while holding onto Bai''s fur for dear life. They were all thrown off by the sudden movement.


    Bai didn''t respond but Hao Xuan could feel that his mood was much better now.


    40 minutes of climbingter they finally reached the top.


    Hao Xuan jumped off and straightened his legs. Even with his tough body, he was starting to ache all over.


    *Woosh*


    A gust of cold wind passed through Hao Xuan''s hair, gathering his attention. He looked up and his mouth fell open.


    In front of him was apletely new region. There were bushy trees packed along the sides against the backdrop of towering mountain ranges.


    A chilling breeze brushed past his cheeks with a few snow crystals that pricked his face.


    "Where are we...."


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?New area: https://i.pinimg/564x/f9/24f92448f153d889ca81e1dc7d3e4a16.jpg


    Shortened link: https://urlzs/EnRij

 Chapter 253: Frost

    <h4>Chapter 253: Frost</h4>


    A numbing chill traveled down Hao Xuan''s back.


    "Where are we...."


    Ensis walked up with silent steps. He looked at the majestic mountain rages ahead, covered in snow.


    "Master, I think we should turn back. We can go around them and make our way back."


    His voice sounded somber which gave Hao Xuan an unsettling feeling.


    "Why?"


    "No particr reason, I just...feel like we shouldn''t be here."


    "Hmm..."


    Hao Xuan went back to the cliff''s edge and peered down. There was ayer of clouds blocking the view but he could still hear the Jia soldiers below him.


    "They''re down there already..." he mumbled under his breath.


    Below were the Jia soldiers while in the front was a new region that held unknown dangers.


    Even if he wanted to get back down there was a good chance he would run into them pretty soon. And now since they were prepared for him, it wouldn''t be easy to run away like before.


    "Master..." Ensis urged for a decision from the side.


    "We move forward. A little bit of danger isn''t too bad is it?" he smiled at Ensis while patting his shoulder assuringly.


    Ensis, of course, had different thoughts and wanted his master to avoid venturing any further, but it wasn''t up to him.


    "I obey," he lowered his head respectfully.


    "Hahaha, rx. Everything will be good...."


    They quickly got back up on Bai once again and continued the journey.


    Hao Xuan told Bai to move silently and not leave any more tracks behind. The Jia were already too close forfort and he didn''t know what this new area would be like.


    With a leap, Bai silently disappeared into the woods.


    The sun and the moon had already exchanged ces. The further in they went, the colder the weather became. Starting from a few snow crystals being carried over by the cold breeze, soon everything in sight was covered in a thickyer of fluffy white snow.


    It was so white in fact that the smallest source of light would produce a blinding re after being reflected off of the surface. Even Hao Xuan was starting to feel the cold prate his skin and enter his body. His internal temperature was starting to drop, quickly.


    "Try to find a ce to rest," Hao Xuan whispered in Bai''s ear, prompting him to nod in return.


    They passed by manyrge caves and caverns, from several of which sounds of beasts snoring or even fighting could be heard.


    Most of them were at or around the Spirit realm so they kept their distance, but an entire area of several dozen kilometers had to be circumvented because of Ensis''s warning and Bai''s straight-up refusal to go even close.


    "I can''t tell its level but, something extremely old and powerful is in there," Ensis exined.


    But all Hao Xuan could see was a vast whitendscape with nothing else in sight.


    About another 2 hours of travelingter Bai came to a halt in front of an inconspicuous little burrow. The entrance was only about 3 feet wide.


    "Here?" Hao Xuan asked with a frown. It was so small that he would have to crawl in, so how could it be used as a resting spot for him and the others?


    Bai wordlessly nodded once again and pointed at it with his chin before looking away as if it was none of his business anymore.


    "Fine fine," Hao Xuan mumbled grumpily and crawled in. The burrow went in straight for about 3 meters before opening up into a muchrger area. It was around 7 meters in diameter and quite roomy.


    There were small scratches and marks all around but they seemed pretty old. Looked like it was abandoned quite some time ago.


    Hao Xuan called Ensis in and recalled Bai.


    Ensis dragged in the bundle of tentacles that was Jiang Ling and Monk who still had his ck sword in his chest.


    Hao Xuan put down four different formations.


    The first one was an illusion formation at the entrance, the second was a noise-canceling formation, the third was a temperate controlling formation, and thest one was a Qi canceling formation that restricted the use of Qi of anyone that wasn''t the owner of the formation.


    He only had a single Qi canceling formation and it was a consumable, so could only be used once. It was actually the most expensive formation he had. Itsted about 24 hours and could only restrict Qi of Spirit realm experts and below.


    Hao Xuan cracked his back and let out a breath of relief. He looked back at two Jia folks and couldn''t help but shake his head.


    They took almost half the avable space. He quickly walked up to Monk''s body and examined the wound.


    "Is he even alive?" Hao Xuan asked uncertainly. His skin was pale white and he didn''t even seem to be breathing.


    "Yes. I''ve just sealed his cultivation and preserved his body''s state. As soon as I take out my de he will wake up," Ensis replied while walking up to him, "Should I?"


    "What about the wound?"


    "I can''t help that. All I can do is take out all remaining Qi that was injected with my de so he can heal faster."


    "Alright, do it."


    Ensis gripped the hilt and slowly pulled the sword out.


    *GASP*


    Monk''s eyes abruptly opened and he took in a deep breath.


    *Cough*Cough*


    Dark red blood spilled out of his mouth as he realized his situation. He looked around and saw Hao Xuan and Ensis above him.


    "Ha...haha...how the..tables...have turned..." heughed while throwing up several mouthfuls of blood.


    Hao Xuan bent down and smiled at him, "Rx, we have all the time in the world."


    His right hand reached out and gently patted his head, making Monk shrink back ufortably.


    "Sever!"

 Chapter 254: Tree

    <h4>Chapter 254: Tree</h4>


    "Sever!"


    Hao Xuan''s palm was glowing with a faint blue light but as soon as he uttered the word "sever", its glow started getting stronger and stronger. Within a few seconds, it was so bright that Ensis Couldn''t even look at it directly.


    Hao Xuan''s forehead was caked with sweat and his breathing was getting more and more forceful.


    Monk was biting down hard as the veins around his eyes bulged, threatening to burst any second.


    "AHHH!"


    He finally couldn''t hold it in anymore and let out a heart-wrenching scream.


    "What the f*ck is going on?!" Hao Xuan spoke through gritted teeth, "It was never this difficult before!"


    Maybe because Monk knew something wasing that he was prepared but he wasn''t letting go. His resistance against Hao Xuan''s power was causing a conflict between their souls.


    "Just give in you moron, you''re only hurting yourself!" Hao Xuan yelled at Monk.


    Monk''s screams came to a halt as he let out a bloody grin, "Haha...never!"


    Hao Xuan saw the determination in his eyes and instantly knew he wasn''t just going to just let this happen. He looked back at Ensis and gestured with his chin.


    Ensis nodded and came around from the side.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and started gathering everything in his palm for one final push.


    Monk''s grin vanished as he concentrated on resisting against the iing flow of energy, but suddenly..


    *BANG*


    *Crack* x4


    A sturdy fist impacted with his right chest and broke every single rib in its way, hitting his very heart. The unexpected blow was enough to distract Monk for just a second, which was all Hao Xuan needed.


    As soon as he felt the resistance lower, he let loose the entirety of his soul power that had been amassing in his palm.


    *SHIIING~*


    For half a second, the pale light intensified by several degrees coloring the entire cave blue, before disappearing like it was never there to begin with.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Hao Xuan fell back,nding on his bottom.


    "Fi...nally...."


    Monk''s eyes were closed and he wasn''t moving anymore, but Hao Xuan knew he was fine, or would be soon. He waved his hand and sent Monk''s body to the Mind Pce.


    "Hah~. I''m so tired..."


    Whenever Hao Xuan used his constitution abilities, they would consume a bit of energy directly from his soul, leaving him extremely tired and lifeless.


    Fortunately, As long as the soul wasn''t damaged, he could replenish this energy endlessly by simply resting for some time or consuming soul-nourishing foods and medicines.


    Unfortunately though, he didn''t have any such things on him right now.


    "Alright...you next..." he looked at the bundle of tentacles on one corner of the room.


    But when he tried to get up, his legs refused to listen to him.


    "Damn it, bring that guy over," he said to Ensis who happily obliged, dragging Jiang Ling over to Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan patted the tentacles, "Let him talk."


    The tentacles along the top subsided, revealing Jiang Ling''s expressionless face.


    "So, how about we have that talk now?" Hao Xuan asked smilingly.


    Jiang Ling red back at him coldly.


    "What is this thing? How can it restrict my abilities?"


    "Hell if I know. I just found him on the side of the road and couldn''t help but pity him, so decided to take him with me."


    *Whip*


    A tentacle separated from the bundle and whipped Hao Xuan on the leg.


    "OW! What the actual f*ck! It was a joke you a*shole!" Hao Xuan shouted back while rubbing his thigh.


    A muffled "NO YOU!" came from somewhere inside the tentacles, making the vein on Hao Xuan''s forehead bulge up.


    "Goddamnit, can''t even make a joke..." Hao Xuan grumbled under his breath.


    Jiang Ling watched on speechlessly.


    ''This is the guy that kidnapped me? ME?!''


    He simply couldn''t understand how.


    "Anyways, tell me about your ns. You know the deal, spill everything and I promise to let you go.," Hao Xuan quickly changed the subject.


    "Do you really think I will tell you anything?"


    Hao Xuan didn''t want to argue back so he just let out a sigh.


    He was already extremely tired and could barely keep his eyes open, let alone ''interrogate'' someone right now.


    "Alright, your choice. I can''t force you right now but my Senior brother or others in the Mei Kingdom will be able to. They will being for me soon so if you decide to answer me honestly, I promise on my very soul that I will let you go. You have till morning to think about it."


    Hao Xuan exined briefly before patting the tentacles, making them cover Jiang Ling''s face once again.


    He then looked at Ensis, "You go back too. Keep an eye on that guy for me," he said referring to Monk.


    "Yes," Ensis bowed from the waist as Hao Xuan waved his hand, recalling him to the mind pce.


    There was a single light crystal ced on one end of the cave, near the back, which was the only source of light.


    After recalling the others Hao Xuan was left alone with the clump of silent tentacles.


    He peeked outside and saw the raging blizzard. There was only white snow as far as the eye could see, which arguably wasn''t more than a few meters.


    Hao Xuan loved snow ever since he was young. Back on earth he lived in a rather arid area with barely any rains let alone snow, so the cold weather, in general, was his favorite.


    He reached out and picked up a handful. It quickly melted in his palm and dripped down.


    His eyelids became heavier and heavier and he could feel the iing bout of sleepiness.


    He turned around and started crawling back but froze. With a frown, he slowly turned around.


    "...."


    There wasn''t anything there.


    Just now as he was going back he caught sight of a person standing out there in the stormy winds.


    But the strange thing was that he knew the person. It was Xu Qing.


    She was just standing out there in the turbulent snowstorm, staring at him with a curious light.


    Although it looked like her, he got the feeling it wasn''t really her.


    He squinted his eyes hard but couldn''t even find any footprints in the snow.


    Chalking it up to hallucination caused by expending all his energy, he turned back around once again and returned to the cave.


    As soon as his head hit the ground, he dozed off.


    That night he dreamt of a massive tree. A maple tree that covered everything in sight. In the dream, he rested under that tree for a long, long time.

 Chapter 255: Shadows

    <h4>Chapter 255: Shadows</h4>


    Hao Xuan woke up the next morning feelingpletely refreshed and energized. He felt even better than before. His arms and legs that seemed so heavyst night were as light as feathers.


    "Haha, this is a good feeling..." he mumbled while clenching his fists that made cracking sounds.


    Without wasting any more time he walked up to the clump of tentacles and patted it, revealing Jiang Ling''s head.


    "Did you decide yet?"


    There were faint circles under Jiang Ling''s eyes which showed he hadn''t been able to get any sleep, and who could me him.


    He looked up at Hao Xuan, staring back at him coldly.


    "I know nothing of importance. Holding me hostage will not get you anything other than closer to death."


    "If you know nothing of importance than why keep your mouth shut? Just speak and get this over with."


    Jiang Ling didn''t contemte Hao Xuan''s offer for too long though, soon he bobbed his head up and down with a defeated look.


    "Make that promise and we have a deal."


    The promise he was referring to was a type of temporary soul contract where people willingly offered up some conditions by putting their souls on the line.


    "Sure!"


    With a bright smile etched on his face Hao Xuan and made the oath.


    "As long as you tell me the whole truth without hiding anything, I will do the same and let you go at the end. And you have to promise not toe after me for that as well."


    Jiang Ling''s brow shot up in surprise upon seeing the miniature orb of blue lighte out of Hao Xuan''s body. He didn''t think it would so simple.


    "I promise," an earthy golden orb of light came out of his chest and tangled with Hao Xuan''s orb before going back inside. Hao Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction upon feeling the strong connection between him and Jiang Ling. If he lied, Hao Xuan would know instantly.


    "Alright. Now, tell me everything you know about the current situation."


    There were still thoughts of deceit in Jiang Ling''s mind but he quickly brushed them aside.


    "A few years ago someone approached my brother. An outsider. He told him that within a decade he would be able to help him take over the Kingdom of Mei, and in exchange, he would need his loyalty. He said he would be able to give him everything he needed, and to a point he was right."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Everything he needed? What could the crown prince of a kingdom need?"


    Jiang Ling let out a despondent smile, "Power, personal and as a ruler. Even in our kingdom, there were parties that did not want war. They just wanted to live peacefully like the others, which is why until now there had never been a war that the Jia wholly participated in."


    "The Outsider made that happen. Everyone who was against the war soon changed their minds, for whatever reason. And then the outsider helped my brother purify his bloodline, bringing him ever so close to the might of the ancestors."


    "Right now, he is the only person that has achieved such a level of bloodline purity. His powers have grown strong enough that not many people can even afford to speak up against him now. But.."


    "But what?"


    Jiang Ling shook his head with an empty, despondent expression, "But...the power has changed him. So much so that sometimes I don''t even recognize who he is anymore. We were born a few minutes apart, sharing a womb since inception. There is no one else who knows him better than I do, but now I don''t even see him in there anymore. He is just a hollow shell of his old self."


    The sadness and despair in his eyes were real. Currently, their souls were connected so Hao Xuan knew it was the truth, or what he believed to be the truth.


    "Who is this outsider? Have you seen him yourself?"


    "Her."


    "Her?"


    "The outsider is a woman. I haven''t seen her face but she is a human female. That''s all I know."


    "Hmm..." rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    Everything Jiang Ling just said sounded extremely familiar to Hao Xuan. It was probably the same party behind the Jia that was slowly manipting things in Mei.


    Of course in Mei things were much moreplicated. For whatever reason, the Mei n had decided not to partake in the running of the empire. Everything was handled collectively by the military and the government.


    At this point, the Mei n was just a powerless figurehead.


    "I''ve been trying to find alternatives, to give my brother another way to achieve his goals but nothing has worked. That time I targeted the people of Gao was for the same reason (the arc from Ch 49). I had hoped to strike a deal with their prince ande to a peaceful resolution, s that was not how it ended."


    Hao Xuan ordered Fortis to release him soon after, after adding in the condition that he wouldn''t attack him.


    They talked for quite some time. Jiang Ling hid nothing and told him everything he knew, which to be fair wasn''t much.


    He was sidelined by his brother and had no actual power or any sensitive information regarding military tactics and whatnot.


    Hao Xuan felt the sincerity in his voice and decided to tell him about the so-called "darkness" and the "Corrupted ones". Jiang Ling''s countenance worsened after listening to his exnation.


    It was quite obvious there was something else going on in the shadows so having someone on the other side wasn''t a bad thing.


    The duo hade to an unlikely conclusion, that they needed each other. Neither of them wanted any bloodshed or war so it was the correct choice.


    Jiang Ling peered outwards, "Go, my men are close by. I fear my brother has left a few informants among them so I can''t tell them to stop looking for you, it would be too strange. All I can do is send them another way."


    Hao Xuan gave him a spirit band that was modified by Baracus and bade his farewell. He was taken aback by the generous offer and decided to take it.


    "Keep me informed of any new developments. If it is how I think it is, then we need to put a stop to this... "war" as soon as possible. Trust no one," Hao Xuan gave a final piece of advice before walking out into the still ongoing blizzard.

 Chapter 256: Nivalis

    <h4>Chapter 256: Nivalis</h4>


    Hao Xuan summoned Bai and made his way further into the unknownnd.


    The deafening blizzard didn''t let up for even a second forcing Bai stick to the side of mountains, gulleys, and valleys found along the way for safety.


    The winds were blowing at around 200 km/h and Hao Xuan wouldn''t even be able to stand on his own there.


    "Baracus, do you know where we are?" he shouted at the watch.


    *Beep*


    "No. I''m already supporting the secondarywork you had me create for those encrypted spirit bands so I don''t have a lot of resources left to waste on other things. Each kingdom has its ownwork which I can''t ess remotely. I need to get into the mainframe that controls everything and then I can have ess to most of the data."


    The modified spirit bands were piggybacking on the mainwork that was avable everywhere in the beast world but they were using Baracus''s own hardware to actually decode themunications.


    This put a lot of extra strain on his systems and severely limited his functions.


    "Why didn''t you tell me this before?!"


    "You didn''t ask."


    Hao Xuan faltered at the unexpected response, "...a...alright, I''ll give you that one. So what do you need to fix this?"


    "I made a list of all the things I need. I can ce the order when we get back to Mei if you can confirm."


    *Beep*


    A list of more than 700 items appeared in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes, making him shake his head helplessly.


    "Yeah it''s fine, just order whatever you want. I don''t need to go see everything," he waved his hand dismissively.


    "Got it. I will still need the help of an experienced technician or cksmith to make a few things. You will have to find me one."


    Baracus''s tone lightened and Hao Xuan could feel the satisfaction from it. Sometimes even he forgot that Baracus was not a human but an artificial intelligence that gained sentience. He seemed more human than most.


    "Sure, I''ll ask around."


    **


    The journey continued for another day as the sunset once more.


    Hao Xuan was looking for a ce to make camp for the night when he heard Bai''s echo voice in his mind for the first time in a very long time. It still sounded the same, a thick voice that seemed like it belonged to a man in his 30''s.


    "There is something up ahead..."


    Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and saw a hollow cavity on the side of a mountain a few hundred meters away. Its peak was shrouded in ayer of clouds.


    It was tens of thousands of meters in diameter with only one side visible to Hao Xuan.


    The mountain itself was in shambles though. It looked like someone had beaten it with arge rod of some kind. There were hundreds of meter long cylindrical marks all over it.


    The cavity itself looked like a deep tunnel that had been dug not too long ago.


    Unsure of what to think of the situation, he waved his hand and summoned Ensis and Monk.


    Monk seemed like he was in a much better condition and although the wound on his chest hadn''t closed up, it wasn''t bleeding any more.


    Hao Xuan pointed at the broken mountain.


    "That mountain, what do you think of it?"


    Ensis squinted his eyes and scrupulously examined every little detail in sight before speaking up.


    "It seems like a fight had taken ce there not too long ago. From the indentations on the side andyer of snow on top, it looks like it happened sometime within thest 24 hours."


    "Mhm," Hao Xuan gave a nod before looking at Monk, "What about you? Any information?"


    The few times he hade into contact with Monk, he hade off as a very easy going guy, yet right now he sullen expression over his face, perhaps because he couldn''te to terms with his new reality.


    Hao Xuan''s countenance turned cold after gettingpletely ignored by the four-armed Jia elite.


    "You tried to kill me yet I spared your life. Even gave you the ''pleasure'' of serving me. Don''t give me that face, you would have killed me in a heartbeat. There is no one to me but yourself. The sooner youe to terms with this the better you will feel. Now.."


    "Answer me!" (These mean that Hao Xuan used his ability to give an order).


    Monk''s body trembled as he couldn''t control himself anymore. A pained expression shed past his face for just an instant.


    "I-It''s was probably a fight between Ether beasts. There are a lot of them in this ce..."


    His voice sounded robotic, almost as if it was someone else speaking through him.


    "This ce? You know where we are?"


    His head moved up and down once.


    "Nivalis, the Fourth entrance to the Frozen Graveyard of Tertium."


    As the words came out of Monk''s mouth, a high pitched noise reverberated in the surroundings making everyone cover their ears from unbearable pain.


    *RIIIIIIIIIING~*


    "What the f*ck was that?!"


    Hao Xuan jumped back in shock while taking out the ive, he looked around for enemies while droplets of blood poured out of his ears.


    "You did this you f*ckwad. You forced me to say the full name of this f*cking ce," Monk retorted, pointing at Hao Xuan like an idiot.


    Hao Xuan''s brow shot up in anger in response, "What the hell does saying a name have to do with what just happened? What was it? Niv-mm!"


    "Stop talking for god sakes! Please!" Monk quickly moved ahead and covered his mouth. He then leaned in and whispered into his ear.


    "It is a word of power. Beings under the Profound Realm cannot even utter it in this area. This ce has a danger level of 4 ording to the standard of our world. Anyone under the Profound realm shouldn''t be here." (author note)


    "Mmfmm!"


    Seeing as Hao Xuan somewhat understood what he said, Monk removed his hand.


    "Are you sure? Howe I didn''te across any beast hordes and things like that?"


    "There are no hordes here. This ce is home to Ether beasts that are at least as powerful as cultivators of the Profound realm and higher. A few of them are even more powerful, having stepped into the boundaries of the legendary Deste Beasts."


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Danger levels are in ascending order.


    Level one is lowest (white color is weakest)


    level 2 (blue)


    level 3 (green)


    level 4 (orange)

 Chapter 257: Divine Sense

    <h4>Chapter 257: Divine Sense</h4>


    *Gulp*


    Hao Xuan''s throat dried up a little just from listening to Monk''s exnation.


    Demonic beasts were at the level equivalent to the Origin and Spirit realm.


    After that were the Ether beasts, and after that were apparently Deste beasts that had power levels higher than even Profound realm cultivators.


    These realms were still so far away from Hao Xuan''s reach that he couldn''t imagine how strong those beasts were.


    "Should we go back then...?" he mumbled with uncertainty.


    "I think that would be a wise choice," Ensis chimed in, in agreement with Hao Xuan.


    Monk looked at moved a few steps forward to get a better view of the mountain.


    "I think you should go in first."


    Ensis frowned upon hearing Monk''s suggestion, his expression turning colder by the second. Hao Xuan noticed the change and patted his shoulder silently, calming him down.


    He looked at Monk with a curious gaze, "Why?"


    "This ce is home to some of the most vicious creatures on this side of the continent. With our strength, we wouldn''t survive long if ventured too deep, but thankfully this is just the periphery of the graveyard," he turned around to meet Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "These beasts constantly fight with one another for supremacy, often killing each other in the process. The chances of there being a corpse of an Ether beast in there are pretty high. You can sneak in and take a few things. Wherever these beasts live, treasures of the earth start appearing due to the high density of energy around them. Who knows, you might find something good down there," he said pointing at the pit that went straight into the ground at an angle of 60 degrees.


    Ensis quickly walked up to Hao Xuan and whispered into his ear, "Master, its extremely dangerous here. We don''t know what''s down there, and it could lead to certain death. Let us return."


    Hao Xuan rubbed his chin in deep thought, weighing the pros and cons of each option and decided on the most obvious one.


    "We''ll go in. Just for a bit. If there''s anything strange we will turn back right there and then. Don''t worry," he assured the Sword God that was unusually worried for some reason.


    Perhaps it was a sixth sense or just his imagination, but that pit gave off a feeling of absolute dread to him.


    Having decided on the matter, they all jumped up on Bai and slowly made their way towards the giant pit.


    Hao Xuan decided to keep Monk out as well since he was originally in the Spirit Realm and even though he was injured right now, his years of experience was still worth a lot.


    The closer the got the bigger the pit became. They were looking at it from an angle before so couldn''t see its actual size, but it was more than 500 meters in diameter up front. (pics in authors notes)


    Whatever beast made it must have been stupendously huge.


    Bai who was pretty big on his own seemed like an ant standing in front of the pit''s entrance. With some hesitation, he jumped in, sticking closely to the cracks in the walls.


    And like that the party slowly descended deeper and deeper into the dark pit whose base wasn''t anywhere in sight.


    At the start, the surrounding area was made up of ice harder than diamonds as Bai''s sharp ws didn''t even leave a single mark on them, but it slowly changed to a brown earthy material a couple of kilometers in.


    The trio dared not even breathe out loud and held their breaths while looking around with squinted eyes, not missing a single detail.


    20 minutester the pit opened up into the side of a giant cavern, finally revealing the bottom.


    The cavern was several dozen kilometers wide with a white grass covering the entire floor like a carpet. There were blue crystalline rocks the size of small cars littered across the floor. Under and around each crystal were many different kinds of herbs and small animals roaming around.


    There was no one source of light here and everything gave off a luminescent glow, including the creatures and the grass.


    "It''s there," Bai spoke to Hao Xuan again, gesturing towards a crater in the middle.


    Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and saw a gigantic cracked rock taking up more than 300 meters of space. The ground underneath it was caved in like someone had smashed it with a hammer.


    "Do you detect any life signs?" he asked the part in a low voice.


    Ensis shook his head, "Nothing other than those small critters," pointing at the numerous small beasts running around the floor.


    "Alright, let''s go down," Hao Xuan patted Bai''s fur.


    Bai leaped and silentlynded behind a crystalline rock. The trio got off from his back and carefullynded on the cavern floor.


    The white grass acted like cushions under their feet, making them feel like they were walking on clouds.


    Hao Xuan recalled Bai because just his presence alone had created a smallmotion among the local wildlife. He then looked at Monk and Ensis.


    "Spread out, look for anything worth taking. If you find any other beasts, call me before engaging."


    "Yes."


    "Ahan."


    They replied in unison and went in separate directions. Ensis went left while Monk went right, leaving Hao Xuan the middle area.


    He slowly made his way towards the giant cracked rock in the middle of the cavern. Unlike the outside, the temperature here wasn''t very low.


    The hundreds of small beasts seemed harmless as they didn''t even react to Hao Xuan passing by. While some of them came up to him and watched on with curious gazes from some distance.


    A small rabbit-like creature with webbed arms hopped towards him while being chased by something that looked like a mix between a white fox and a cat.


    Hao Xuan stopped in his tracks to watch their chase, which came to an abrupt end. The fox creature caught up to rabbit pretty quickly, but the result was not what he expected.


    When the fox was less than a foot away from it, the rabbit spun around and let loose a kick that sent the fox creature flying away.


    The rabbit then continued on like nothing had even happened.


    *Grumble*


    The entire cavern suddenly shook as several pieces of crystalline rocks fell from the ceiling. Hao Xuan jumped left and right to avoid the falling debris.


    He looked up and finally saw thousands of extremely sharp icicles dangling off the ceiling with one huge hole in the middle.


    That hole seemed to be the main entrance to this area but it was about a kilometer straight up into the air.


    Ignoring the razer sharp icicles above, Hao Xuan didn''t waste any more time and sprinted towards the cracked rock. He reached it within a couple of minutes but was left stupefied.


    He was expecting there to be something UNDER the rock but when he went around, theplete picture came into view.


    The ''cracked rock'' was the back of a humungous beast. More than half of its body was smashed into the ground, creating a smallke of a greyish liquid.


    And the cracks weren''t actually cracks but burn marks.


    The creature''s head looked like it was carved from a rock. There was a single long horn the size of about 80 meters on its forehead, which in itself was absolutely massive. (Link in author note)


    Every scale of this creature was made up of a hard, brown material.


    On the other side was a lone wing that was more than 200 meters long.


    ''So that''s how it came and went¡­'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly. This beast that was probably over a kilometer in size was able to fly. It had wings!


    Even though the beast waspletely dead, it still gave off a heavy pressure when Hao Xuan got close to it. Waves of thick Qi impacted his body, making his heart beast faster.


    He suddenly felt parched and the bubbling grey liquid oozing from the creature in front looked like an alluring elixir.


    His body reacted to the liquid''s presence and started to itch. He just wanted to jump into it and it would go away.


    He moved closer step by step until the distance between him and the liquid was less than 2 meters. But then he remembered something...


    ''Wait, what¡­what the f*ck killed it¡­?!''


    As the thought popped into Hao Xuan''s head, he suddenly got a feeling that someone was watching him.


    He took a few steps back and distanced himself from the rock beast while looking around, but the feeling didn''t go away.


    It was a surreal moment. No matter how he moved the feeling only got stronger and stronger.


    "Oi, you guys feel that??" he contacted the other two for confirmation.


    Ensis''s panicked came through the watch, "It''s Divine Sense master! Distance yourself from that creature. The thing that killed it ising! RUN!"


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Pit: https://urlzs/4BMeu


    https://urlzs/2t1eW


    Cavern: https://urlzs/kNCP8


    https://urlzs/3VSN7


    Beast link: https://vite.wikia.nocookie/monsterhunter/images/2/20/MH4-Gravios_Render_001.png/revisiontest?cb=20140121034041


    Short version: https://urlzs/WUzJ6

 Chapter 258: Egg

    <h4>Chapter 258: Egg</h4>


    "...Run!"


    Hao Xuan heard Ensis''s exnation but still couldn''t understand what he was talking about. What was this "divine sense" he was referring to?


    Nevertheless, the current situation didn''t allow him to be curious for much longer.


    He summoned Bai and contacted Ensis and Monk again, "Hurry up!"


    "Coming!" x2


    While he waited for them to arrive, a very faint pressure appeared in the cavern.


    At the start it felt like there was ack of oxygen in the area which made it harder to breathe, but as the second''s ticked by it became stronger and stronger.


    Small beads of sweat appeared around Hao Xuan''s temple''s and slowly crawled downwards.


    He looked around worriedly and once again the grey blood from the dead beast caught his attention.


    Even though he was worried about the iing creature, his body still reacted to its presence. He unconsciously licked his lips that had dried up at some point and gulped down.


    "Maybe...just a little...." he murmured, almost entranced by it. It was like he had been running through a desert a for months without water and now an oasis had appeared in front of his eyes. How could he possibly ignore it?


    Making up his mind he waved his hand and took out a small the size of about 10 inches in length. The bottle had shimmering engravings floating around it and it seemed to be made out of a metallic material.


    This bottle was one of the hundreds of things he had bought from the "Den''s" website. It was used to store any fluids that had some special characteristics, given that they weren''t too strong in nature.


    He bent down and held the bottle''s mouth to the bubbling grey liquid and started flowing inside it on its own.


    The bright engravings that were moving up and down the bottle sped up. The more liquid entered into the bottle the brighter they became.


    Even though the bottle''s own size wasn''t that big, it could still hold about 4 liters of liquid. In less than 10 seconds it was filled to the brim. Hao Xuan quickly closed it and put it away.


    The amount he had taken was so small that it didn''t affect the minike at all. Its level basically remained the exact same.


    "Let''s go!"


    Monk''s voice came from afar, waking Hao Xuan from his stupor. He looked around and saw two streaks running towards him from the opposite side.


    Hao Xuan jumped andnded on Bai. Ensis and Monk reached a few secondster and joined him.


    "Let''s go!"


    The pressure was already strong enough that they felt like they were in walking in shallow water, but that still wasn''t enough to hinder Bai''s movements. The muscles on his legs expanded and contracted like the beating of wings, shooting him towards the tunnel they hade from. With just a few leaps he was already running back up through it.


    *Krrrrrr*


    "What the hell?!"


    Monk who was the very back suddenly felt every hair on his body stand straight up. Even the ones on his head stood up straight like needles and small sparks of electricity moved in between them like miniature snakes.


    *Bzzt*


    Ensis and Hao Xuan both felt a jolt of electricity pass through their bodies and then to Bai.


    "What''s going on? The hell did you do?!" Hao Xuan turned around and shot Monk a re.


    "I....I..." Monk looked guilty as he started stuttering.


    "SPEAK!"


    In his anger, Hao Xuan used the constitution''s power to order him.


    "I picked up an egg from a small cave down there. It was justying there...." he exined.


    The vein above Hao Xuan''s right eye throbbed as he felt the oing headache.


    "You f*king idiot! We were in an Ether Beastsyer and you just picked up a random a*s egg like it belonged to a chicken?!"


    Monk looked away, ashamed.


    "I-I can just drop it now..."


    "We''re already dead. The f*ck is that going to achieve?" Hao Xuan retorted furiously.


    They were simple trespassers before but now they had be thieves and probably kidnappers....again...


    Hao Xuan looked at Ensis, "Can you do something to cover our tracks? Hide us from that divine sense or whatever?"


    Ensis closed his eyes for a second before opening them again. He looked at Hao Xuan and nodded, "I can try, but I''m not sure how long it will work."


    He waved his hand, summoning the ck sword.


    *Kuelch*


    And stabbed it straight through his own heart. Several drops of ck blood dripped out which he gathered in his hand.


    He pulled out the sword and stored it away once again. Hisplexion paling by several degrees.


    "Master....this, put it on your forehead.." he extended his hand towards Hao Xuan.


    Although Hao Xuan had several questions he didn''t waste any time pondering.


    The pressure was already so intense that he was having trouble breathing. He dipped his finger into the ck blood and made a horizontal line on his forehead.


    The feeling of being watched instantly vanished but the ck blood on his forehead started sizzling and evaporating.


    At its current rate, it would disappear within a few minutes. Ensis leaned towards Hao Xuan and spoke in a light tone. It sounded like each word was taking a lot of effort toe out of his mouth.


    "Please send us back to your mind pce and use the blood yourself. It will hide you!"


    Hao Xuan looked at him doubtfully, "Are you sure?"


    Ensis nodded weakly, "Yes. It will work. No doubt about it."


    "Okay, you rest then," Hao Xuan took the remaining blood before recalling him back to the mind pce.


    He then red at Monk who looked back at him with a rueful grin, "I really didn''t know..."


    Hao Xuan nced at him once before turning away. He extended his hand, "Give me the egg."


    Monk hesitated for just a second before unwillingly taking out a ck scaled egg from his shirt. It was about twice the size of a basketball,pletely round, weighing much less than Hao Xuan expected.


    There were ck cracks all over the egg which asionally glowed with a blue light.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand again, sending Monk back to the mind pce as well.


    In his left was the ck blood and in his right was the egg.


    The blood on his forehead was already half gone by the time Bai stepped out of the tunneling from the cavern.


    "Find the nearest cave, don''t go too far!" Hao Xuan ordered while looking around cautiously.


    The blizzard was still raging but now the sky was covered with pitch-ck clouds.


    Lightning crackled between the dark clouds, threatening to explode out any second. (Author notes)


    Bai obeyed and ran straight to a small cave they had passed by on the way over. Hao Xuan jumped down and recalled him as well.


    He walked to the very edge of the cave and put down every type of formation he had left in inventory and sat in the middle. Then he dipped his fingers into the blood once again and made a straight line on the egg, covering it just in case as well.


    Now all that was left to do was wait.


    ***


    Back at the cavern, the pressure was so intense that one by one the small beasts started exploding like balloons until there was nothing left.


    The ck clouds that had been festering with lightning suddenly exploded.


    A single streak of ck lightning fell, tearing through the thousands of meterrge mountain and straight into the cavern.


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    A ck cloud appeared where the lightning had fallen. It coagted and curdled like it was alive. A pair of bright blue eyes with vertical pupils opened up. Every now and then a long scaled tail would show itself for just a second.


    The eyes stared at the dead rock-like beast and then where Hao Xuan had disappeared to.


    The cloud flew out, following their exact footsteps while leaving ayer of frost wherever it passed by.


    It appeared outside once again under the cloudy sky. As if in response to its arrival, the intensity of the lightning increased by several dozen folds, shing a few times every second.


    The eyes looked left and right with uncertainty. An invisible wave spread outwards from the cloud in all directions.


    As the wave passed by Hao Xuan, just as he had expected the blood on the egg started sizzling and burning as well. It was being tracked, or at least someone was making an attempt to.


    Hao Xuan swiftly reced the blood on his forehead and the egg as it threatened to run out.


    ***


    After a few seconds of waiting for a response, the ck cloud exploded, turning into a streak of ck lightning and shot forward in a random direction.


    Hao Xuan sat in the cave, hugging the scaled egg while cold sweat ran down his back like raindrops. He didn''t even dare to breathe loudly.


    Even though the creature couldn''t track him but just the pressure from its arrival was enough to make his blood flow slow down. A cold chill started seeping into his body...


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Clouds: https://urlzs/xzFyA


    Lightning: https://i.gifer/BQS7.gif

 Chapter 259: Physique Demon

    <h4>Chapter 259: Physique Demon</h4>


    Hao Xuan spent the entire night cradling the scaled egg for dear life. The ck blood on his forehead burned non-stop for hours, sometimes faster, sometimes slowing down to a crawl but neverpletely stopping.


    He didn''t know when but at some point in the night he passed out due to the sheer mental exhaustion and was woken up by pping of wings sometimeter.


    He looked around and realized where he was. The same winged monkey that had first brought him to the swamp was now carrying him back.


    Closing his eyes once again, he passed out for good.


    The war had been going on for more than a month now. The situation changed greatly in the favor of Mei after Great general Ouki took back that city, effectively cutting off the supplies to Jia and ''Wu'' n armies.


    That created a panic within their ranks, prompting many of the bigger armies to withdraw back to the border.


    But things still hadn''t calmed down.


    The situation in the city of Fortuna, for example, wasing to a boiling point. Several incidents involving the humans from earth took ce that divided the city and its people.


    One man went into a school and started a killing spree. Another did the same in a crowded mall, while another killed a dozen of his coworkers beforemitting suicide himself.


    A group made up of earthlings took responsibility for these attacks, iming they wanted to bring attention to the plight of earthlings that had been mistreated and deserved better.


    Of course, these were the doings of a select few out of the several million that came here, but the native residents of Mei didn''t differentiate between them.


    They treated every earthling as a gue which were to be avoided at all costs, further increasing the divide between them.


    Every earthling paid for the misguided mistakes of these few souls.


    They were fired from their jobs, refused to be served by businesses, alienated, and hated by their peers, but what could they do?


    And while the attention of the military was focused on this matter, they ignored the sudden influx of foreign influences into the country and the city itself.


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of his room. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before getting up.


    He was back in his mansion in Fortuna. His body felt extremely weak for some reason, so much so that he couldn''t even get out of bed.


    "What''s¡­going¡­on¡­" he murmured weakly while rubbing his temples. A throbbing headache weed him back to thend of the living.


    "Baracus, what happened? How did I get here?"


    *Beep*


    His usual emotionless, somewhat robotic voice, came from the watch.


    "The person you call First found you and brought you back while you were passed out. The egg did something to your body. It absorbed your life essence at a terrifying rate. If not for First finding you in time, things could''ve gotten out of hand pretty quickly."


    Hao Xuan looked around and saw the egg sitting not too far from him on the other side of the room. The blue light was pulsing at a slightly faster rate than before within the cracks, making it look quite mesmerizing from afar.


    "Mhm¡­"


    Hao Xuan nodded once before closing his eyes, giving in to the drowsiness that overtook himpletely. He woke up a few hourster feeling much better.


    After inquiring from Baracus he found out that it had been 5 days since he was brought back from the frozen graveyard. He gave an update regarding all the matters that had taken ce in the meantime as well.


    The Jia armies had fallen back to the border and were getting ready for a full-frontal attack. No one knew the reason for this sudden change in tactics but it didn''t matter anymore.


    Over three Jia armies constituting of more than 2 million soldiers had gathered there already.


    In response, the Mei had also sent three of its Great Generals to deal with them.


    The vanguards were the Winged Tiger unit and the Spearheads, while the Red Legion was going to provide backup and support in case anything went wrong.


    The Valkyries had also sent over their main fighting force as well, although not the full army.


    Many people believed that this battle would decide the victor for good.


    Jia Heng (Jia''s crown prince) had announced that he would be takingmand of his armies himself. He was going to be present for the final battle.


    The work on Yangdi''s side was going exceptionally well. He had already set up the factories and even created the first prototype weapon which was sold to the Mei government.


    The Mei were more than happy to sign a contract with him for the next 2 years.


    "What about the things you needed? Did you get them yet?" Hao Xuan inquired upon remembering what Baracus mentioned back in the graveyard.


    "Yes. Everything is here. I have made the blueprints and just need a cksmith to create the devices."


    "Alright. Send the blueprints to the Den using my name. They have some of the best cksmiths on the payroll and can get it done quickly. But make sure you don''t give away the entire device, this level of technology would bring far too much attention if they found out whatever it was for."


    "I already made the necessary arrangement. By adding a few extra parts here and there, I can disguise the devices true purpose."


    "Good," Hao Xuan nodded satisfactorily.


    "So what''s next? Will you be participating in the uing battle?" Baracus inquired as to his future ns since he would have to change his own schedule ordingly.


    "I will break through to the Spirit realm first. I realized what has been holding me back. I need to further my Physique a tier before breaking through. And it''s close, so very close. I can feel it in my bones¡­literally¡­"


    Like every physique, the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique also had its own levels and progression system.


    It was divided into Six Major realms, and currently, Hao Xuan was still in the first Realm.


    Breaking through every Physique realm wasn''t as simple as breaking through to the next cultivation realm, because the cultivator must pass a certain ''test'' to reach the next physique realm.


    These tests were called demons, Physique demons.


    They would have the exact same powers and abilities as the cultivator, but would be a realm higher in cultivation.


    The only way to break through was to defeat this demon in its entirety and absorb it back into your physique.


    Hao Xuan was still too far to actually break through to the next realm but reaching the top of the First Major Realm wasn''t too farfetched.


    Initially, he wanted to break through to the Spirit Realm first but it seemed like this was the better option.


    He recalled all the information regarding leveling up and ced an order for the ingredients he needed. Most weren''t easy toe by locally but thankfully, the Den had argework spanning hundreds of kingdoms.

 Chapter 260: Visit

    <h4>Chapter 260: Visit</h4>


    "1 horn of the Dragon butterfly, 7 wings of Flying ck Jaguars, 1 paw of an ''Unlucky'' rabbit, 1 blowhole of the Miniature Purple Whales..."


    Hao Xuan went down the list of materials that had been gathered already, scratching his head in confusion.


    "What the hell are these things? How do they know if a rabbit is unlucky?"


    "If the rabbit gets caught, it''s not very lucky is it?" Jin Wang replied while scratching his nose with a severed rabbits foots.


    Hao Xuan threw a pair of chopsticks at him like throwing knives, making himzily dodge by rolling to the side.


    "Stop using my ingredients to relieve yourself. Go take a shower or something..."


    "Tch, it''s not like its gonna disappear..." Jin Wang threw the rabbit''s foot back into the box and rolled his way out of Hao Xuan''s room.


    Jin Wang had returned a couple of days ago and had been staying with Hao Xuan ever since. His soul had recovered by arge margin, although still not to its previous state.


    The ingredients Hao Xuan had ordered also arrived. He closed his eyes and went over the list in his mind.


    When Meng had given him the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique he left a copy of all the relevant information in his mind pce. This copy only disyed the information regarding the current realm he was in, nothing above that.


    It detailed the exact method of creating the concoction he needed to bring his Physique closer to the top of the First Realm.


    He only needed to use this concoction once, and then his body would slowly develop on its own until he was ready to take on the Physique demon that had been living inside of him all this time.


    Everything was prepared but Hao Xuan was still a little uncertain. He had never done this before and he couldn''t afford to mess this up.


    He looked at the half a dozen or so wooden boxes in front of him and sighed.


    The process was going to be painful, extremely painful. The concoction would actually change his body or even his appearance in one way or another.


    It was supposed to solidify his base and strengthen his body''s core.


    He looked at the watch and dialed a number. It rang for about 5 seconds before getting picked up.


    "What?" Wu Jin''s cold voice came from the other side.


    Hao Xuan wasn''t in the mood to argue with the rude little twerp so he ignored his impolite tone.


    "What''s the progress on the things I asked for?"


    Baracus had been keeping in contact with Wu Jin, giving him instructions.


    The first thing he asked for was ess to the mainwork node that covered the Mei kingdom and the surrounding areas. He would have detailed information about each and every ce if he could get in there.


    The Second was the ess to his n''s cultivation methods. This was just out of pure curiosity and held no other meaning.


    The third was the ess to his academies archives so he could gather data on their cultivation systems. Poriverse had left a lot of knowledge in Hao Xuan''s mind but barely any of it was rted to the cultivations of humans or beasts.


    Poriverse was a scientist himself so all his data was regarding the universe, its study andprehension along with the attempts to unravel the secrets behind the meaning of his and all other creature''s existence.


    It was extremely broad in some aspects and covered a great number of things, but none that would be of any use to Hao Xuan right now.


    That''s why Hao Xuan ordered Baracus to gather as much information as possible. And what better ce for that than one of the threergest academies in the entire continent of Tertium.


    "I told you before, there is no way I can just "get you in there". It doesn''t work like that," Wu Jin replied as a matter-of-factly.


    Hao Xuan went quiet for a second.


    "Then what do you have in mind?"


    "This year''s entrance exam is in a month''s time. Come here yourself and participate. I can give a rmendation so you shouldn''t have too much trouble getting in. Once you''re in, I can get you in the ''Great Library'' and you can use my credentials to gain ess to all the basic information. Of course, a lot of it is still restricted even for me, so you will have to find a way around that yourself."


    Hao Xuan raised an eyebrow in surprise upon hearing Wu Jin''s suggestion, which he didn''t really hate. He had been wanting to visit this ce ever since he first heard about it.


    The Academy of Sollertia along with the two others were considered to be the very cradles of civilization on the absolutely massive continent of Tertium.


    This is were the schrly and the learned ones firstnded and set up their camps. For millions upon millions of years the academy had been home to geniuses of all races. Storing their achievements, their understanding of the cultivation world and its systems. If he could have all that information in the palm of his hand, would he ever need to rely on anyone else?


    These academies had be the ces every cultivator must visit at least once in their lifetimes. So how could Hao Xuan not want to go as well?


    ''But wait...what if its a trap...'' as the thought crossed his mind his expression turned cold.


    "Will there be any danger to me if I do decide toe?"


    "No! I couldn''t do something like that even if I wanted to. Whatever the hell you did to me, just the thought of betraying you disgusts me," Wu Jin quickly retorted angrily.


    ''Mhm, maybe I''m just thinking too much...''


    "Alright, what are the details? I''ll try toe once the things here are taken care of. Send me the detailster."


    And with that, he hung up.


    He stared at the 20+ materials in front of him and shook his head helplessly.


    ''Well, there''s no point dying it any further, let''s get on with it.''


    He moved to an empty room and threw down a protective formation. There was a huge wooden tank ced in the middle of the room with all the ingredients gathered around it. The tank held the grey blood of the rock Ether Beast. It was going to be the base for the concoction. The blood could be constituted with any liquid containingrge amounts of life essence.


    The process was rtively simple.


    Hao Xuan had to first prepare all the ingredients a certain way, then add them to the blood one by one. The timing had to be urate down to the second, which is why he had Baracus take control of the process. Hao Xuan was just going to be his hands.

 Chapter 261: Dreams

    <h4>Chapter 261: Dreams</h4>


    "....now dip the pellucid eyeballs into the liquid for 3 seconds before taking them out for 2 minutes, and repeat the process 4 times."


    Hao Xuan was wearing a surgical mask, revealing only his eyes. Fortis was sitting atop his head, as usual, wearing a surgical cap. In his tentacles were small towels with which he repeatedly wiped the sweat dripping off of Hao Xuan''s forehead.


    This concoction, which was officially called the "Physique Refinement Elixir" had been worked on for over 11 straight hours now.


    Once the process was started it couldn''t be stopped no matter what, so Hao Xuan had to persevere through it all in one go.


    He was exhausted mentally. His eyes were blood red and his body weary. If not for Baracus''s voice echoing in his mind like a guiding light, he would have passed out a long time ago.


    The mental toll this process took was nothing to scoff at, especially for someone that had never done this before. That''s why only certified Alchemists could handle a project like this.


    Hao Xuan doing this on his own was undeniable proof of his ownck of knowledge of the cultivation world. There were experts for a reason.


    Even with Baracus''s supreme intellect and exceptional intelligence, the process took more than 3 times longer toplete than it would have if an Alchemist had done it.


    "Now submerge the scorpion dder into the liquid, very slowly. It shouldn''t create any ripples."


    Hao Xuan''s hands were shaking and his vision was going dark as he tried to put in thest ingredient.


    "Focus! Five more seconds and you''re done!" Baracus reminded when he felt Hao Xuan''s pulse slow down.


    "Hng!" Hao Xuan bit his lower lip, forcing himself awake from the pain. He held his breath and as slowly as his body would allow him to move, he ced the scorpion dder into liquid.


    Hao Xuan and Fortis both stared at the liquid without even blinking, looking for thatst sign that signified whether or not was the Elixir a sess.


    The dder floated atop the liquid''s surface for less than five seconds before small grey tendrils shot out of the liquid and violently dragged it under.


    "..it...worked..." Hao Xuan murmured weakly. He was far too weak to show any kind of emotion at this point.


    His eyes went nk and his legs went limp, making him lifelessly fall backwards with a loud thud.


    Fortis jumped off in the nick of time,nding beside the already snoring Hao Xuan with an elegant mid-air spin.


    "Take him outside please, the elixir still needs 23 hours and approximately 57 minutes to ferment," Baracus kindly asked Fortis who bobbed his head up and down.


    He carelessly wrapped one of his tentacles around Hao Xuan''s neck before dragging his body out of the room. But Hao Xuan was in such a deep sleep that he didn''t feel any difort.


    Still with the surgical cap on, Fortis ran outside to find Yun Wentian to y around with, leaving Hao Xuan all alone.


    A few minutes after he left Xu Qing walked in with a bucket of clean water and a change of clothes. With some slight hesitation and a pinkish blush adorning her blemishless cheeks, she undressed Hao Xuan and started cleaning him up, before putting on a new pair of clothes. She had done this so many times now that it was second nature to her, but she still felt embarrassed.


    Thest time he fell into aa for 3 weeks trying toprehend the Chaos energy, it was Xu Qing that took care of him. Same for this time when he slept for 5 days straight.


    Red and Green would have done it happily but she chose to do everything herself. Before even taking care of her own needs she would wake up every morning and help Hao Xuan, yet he had no idea, or so she thought.


    She was well aware of his feelings for her but chose to stay quiet on purpose.


    ***


    18 hourster Hao Xuan finally opened his eyes.


    The sun had just set and a cold gentle breeze brushed past his cheeks, making the tree outside his window creak and sway.


    Hao Xuan ced his arm over his eyes, trying to remember the details.


    "Another one...." he murmured.


    Another dream. One that he couldn''t recall but still remembered how it felt. The frequency of these dreams was increasing day by day.


    It used to be that he would dream like that maybe once every few years, but now it was once every few weeks.


    Many people believed that dreams were real.


    They were either things that bothered a person subconsciously or were somehow a glimpse of the future.


    And then there was another theory, a very old one, one that no one dared believed because it defied logic, even more so than flying men hurling balls of earth and fire at one another.


    This theory stated that truth, the universal truth, was rtive. It was different for everyone. Every person had their own version of reality, of how they perceived things.


    So who was to say what was real and what wasn''t?


    Was a person living an ordinary life any less real than the one living at the top of the world? Neither could truly imagine what the other was like, yet both existed. So why couldn''t other things exist? Things we never dreamt possible...


    *Beep*


    "You''re awake. It''s almost time. The elixir will be ready in a few more hours," Baracus''s indifferent voice woke Hao Xuan up from his daze.


    Hao Xuan sat up and peered out of the bedroom window.


    Green, Red, Yun Wentian and Fortis were sitting a few dozen meters away, under the giant maple tree. Yun Wentian was showing them his swordsmanship.


    Green and Red gave pointers while Fortis tried to copy him with a dried-up branch, failing time and time again.


    "Was I...here?" he mumbled under his breath.


    "Of course you were here. Where else would you be?" Baracus responded, confused.


    "No, I mean....nevermind."


    Hao Xuan waved his hand, dismissing the thoughts popping up in his mind. He got out of bed and noticed that he had already changed into a new set of clothes.


    "Was it her?"


    "Yes. As usual."


    "Hmm..." he nodded in understanding. The corner of his lips arched up unconsciously into a smile.


    Putting on his shoes he walked out of the room and straight to Xu Qing''s.


    He knocked once and waited. He could hear the creaking of the boards from the other side and her footsteps getting closer. She opened the door, a look of surprise on her face.


    "You''re up..."


    His smile widened looking at her flustered expression.


    "Mhm. Are you free right now?"


    "Y-Yes..." she nodded timidly.


    "Good. Come with me, I want to go somewhere," he grabbed her hand as gently as he possibly could and started walking out.


    "B-but the dinner..."


    "Forget dinner. They won''t die if they skip one meal," Hao Xuan pulled her closer and summoned Bai.


    He picked her up in his arms. Her cheeks turned red down to the base of her neck as she held on to his shirt.


    He jumped on Bai, who with a single leap, vanished into the darkening night.

 Chapter 262: Confession

    <h4>Chapter 262: Confession</h4>


    *Xu Qing''s reference image posted in authors note*


    ***


    Bai ''flew'' through the air soundlessly, touching the ground beneath for only an instant before jumping off again. ck clouds covered the sky above, threatening to burst open any second.


    Xu Qing''s eyes were closed shut and her grip around Hao Xuan''s shirt was so tight that it turned her knuckles white.


    She, who had always been cool and collected, had finally lost herposure for the first time in years due to the events of thest hour.


    As her head rested against Hao Xuan''s chest, she could feel his heartbeat through his shirt. It sounded like the muffled beating of a drum, slowly increasing in rhythm. And that was when she realized that he was probably more nervous than her.


    So she remained silent and trusted him, listening only to the beating of his heart as the cold night air gently brushed her hair.


    Ten or so minutester Bai came to a stop.


    Xu Qing slightly raised her head and sent out her ''Spiritual sense'' to get an idea of the surroundings. Hao Xuan felt the oh-so-familiar feeling of being scanned and chuckled.


    "Can you see?" he whispered gently, making her falter.


    She hid her flushed face in his embrace once again, shaking her head once.


    Hao Xuan looked up at the double story building a few dozen meters away, letting out a deep sigh.


    "This is where I first lived. Just for a little while, when I got here."


    "...when you got...here?" she repeated without looking up.


    She didn''t need to ''see'' with her eyes and instead had already perceived the surroundings. The tworge structures, one empty on the inside, probably a warehouse or stable, and the other a small mansion.


    She felt the presence of the seven individuals inside the mansion sitting around the table. A table with eight chairs, one still reserved for someone.


    Hao Xuan continued, an air of mncholy surrounding him.


    "Mhm. I cam- or rather, was brought here from another world more than 2 years ago now. A world where things like dragons and giants only existed in folktales and children''s fairytales. Those people, they gave me, aplete stranger, a ce I could call home when I didn''t know what to do or where to go."


    "And for that, I will be grateful to them for as long as I breathe. It was just a few months but it felt like an entire lifetime."


    Hao Xuan could see the Khan family sitting around the dinner table,ughing. Unknowingly a smile had also crept upon his face.


    "So many things happened. Miraculous things. Or so I thought...but it was just my limited view of the world. I thought I was so special, but after getting to know about the other kingdoms and vastness of the worlds, I felt so small."


    He peered down at Xu Qing who felt an unknown power raising her head to meet his eyes.


    "I don''t want to be the strongest or the best. I just want to be happy. To be content. So when deathes for me, I can proudly say that I lived a good life. A fulfilling life."


    His voice became somber. Xu Qing opened her mouth to speak but he gently ced a finger before her pursed lips to hush her.


    "Let me say this, because I don''t think I will ever have the courage to say it again. I know this wasn''t what you expected. Being sent to a foreign ce through no fault of your own, having to live a life of amoner. Probably not what you wanted right?"


    A helpless, wry smile made its way across his lips. Hesitation was apparent on his face.


    "I...can give you your old life back, but...I don''t want to. I want to be selfish, just this once. I know it hasn''t been long but I like you, and want to get to know you better, if you will let me."


    *Sigh*


    "I...never believed in destiny or fate, but after meeting you it feels like we were meant to run into each other...for good or bad though, only time will tell."


    "You can go back, or stay with me. It''spletely your choice and I won''t force you in any way. You don''t have to worry about anything if you do decide to go back. No one will ever do anything to you, I can promise that. But...if you stay....well..."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t find any appropriate words to make his case. Xu Qing didn''t do or say anything either and patiently waited for him.


    He fumbled around until a sentence finally formed in his mind.


    With determined eyes, he gazed into her eyes once again. Her hair moved with a gust of wind as a ray of moonlight tore through the nket of darkness above and fell on them.


    "If you stay then...then everything that I am, will be yours, everything. I might not be the most handsome or the richest man, the best fighter or the most learned schr, the strongest cultivator, or a divine being, but I will try to be the best version of myself for you. That''s....all I can promise."


    His heartbeat got faster and faster until he could feel iting up to his throat. He removed the finger from her lips and waited for a response.


    Inplete contrast to Hao Xuan, Xu Qing had actually regained much of herposure listening to his speech. But a troubled expression adorned her face which made Hao Xuan''s heart skip a beat. Her lips parted as she spoke.


    "I...don''t believe in soulmates. I don''t believe that somewhere out there is a person that you have to find. That would be far too cruel, especially in this endless world."


    Listening to her talk, it felt like someone was slowly pushing a de into his heart.


    Hao Xuan''s body stiffened as he tried to put her down.


    "I-I understand. You don''t have to say anymore. I will get Green and Red to personally send you back. Don''t wo-"


    "Let me finish!"


    Now it was his turn to be hushed. Xu Qing looked at him, annoyed.


    "I don''t believe in love, but I believe we were destined to meet, for one reason or another. And it just so happens that..."


    "...that?"


    "...that I...like you too. So it...all works out."


    Her voice trailed off near the end but even if it hadn''t, Hao Xuan heard nothing after "I like you too". His mind went nk as he stared at her in disbelief.


    "R-Really...?" he asked skeptically.


    "Mhm," the pinkish hue returned in full force, flushing her cheeks with a beet red color visible even under the moonlight. She hid her head in his embrace once again.


    A toothy grin overtook his face. He couldn''t close his mouth even if he tried.


    "Now take me back, I still have to prepare dinner," her muffled voice came from her lowered head.


    "U-Unh!"


    He ordered Bai who quickly left the Khan family residence, heading back to their ''home''. The return trip, however, took much longer for some reason.


    Upon their return, an angry octopus in a surgery cap weed them back with a displeased expression.


    "FOOD! FOOD!"


    Fortis waved his tentacles around threateningly, getting ready to give them a piece of his mind for being out sote but was taken by surprise when Xu Qing ran up and picked him up like a toy.


    "I''m sorry, let''s go make dinner now," she said quickly before disappearing off into the kitchen with him in tow.


    Hao Xuan was left standing there all alone as he rubbed his chest where her head had been resting for the past hour or so. He could still feel her warmth, her scent ingrained in his mind.


    *Whistle~*


    "Looks like someone''s in a good mood eh," Jin Wang''szy voice startled Hao Xuan.


    He turned around to see him sitting on a thick branch on the maple tree, picking his nose and grinning at him.


    Hao Xuan''s smile vanished as he retorted.


    "Shut up. And get ready, you have to take care of things for me tonight."


    "What things?" Jin Wang inquired with a raised eyebrow.


    Hao Xuan met his eyes, "I''m breaking through to the Spirit realm, tonight."


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Full link: https://i.pinimg/564x/4f/85/62/4f856218d66942f97bbbc6ebf1f4499e.jpg


    Short link: https://urlzs/m8VPS

 Chapter 263: Mind and Body

    <h4>Chapter 263: Mind and Body</h4>


    "Are you sure about this?" Jin Wang asked for probably the 5th time that night.


    "Don''t rush through if you''re not 100% sure."


    Hao Xuan stood in front of the wooden tank with only a one-piece of cloth covering his privates. He stared at the bubbling grey liquid that was moving on its own. It looked like a slime creature trying to find its way out of the tank.


    He nodded once, "As sure as I can be. I can''t put it off any longer."


    "What about thest energy? Did you evenprehend it yet?"


    Hao Xuan looked at Jin Wang with a grin, "Not all the way, but I have an idea about what to do now."


    Jin Wang looked back at him nkly, like he couldn''tprehend what he had just heard.


    "Y-You have an idea?"


    "I went over all the information I have regarding understanding energies. From what I gathered, you don''t have topletely understand an energy from the get-go. As long as you have your ownprehension of what it is, that''s a good first step. Is that not right?" he looked at him for confirmation.


    Jin Wang hesitantly nodded back with furrowed brows.


    "It ''is'' true, but that''s still easier said than actually done. Focus on your physique first, then the breakthrough."


    Hao Xuan shook his head with utmost confidence, "No need. I don''t do well under normal circumstances. Unless I''m pushed back into a corner, it will only get harder and harder for me. Not to mention this is the perfect opportunity. Breaking through to the spirit realm requiresplete unification of mind and body. Since my physique will already be undergoing changes, why not kill two birds with one stone?"


    "Dude, doing something like that requires a very high control over your body, which you ain''t got. It sounds good in theory but the reality is much different!" Jin Wang couldn''t help but disagree with Hao Xuan''s point of view. It was far too dangerous.


    "Look, I''m gonna do this with or without you, so it''s your choice. You can leave if you want, nobody''s stopping you. But I''m doing it."


    Hao Xuan''s response left Jin Wang speechless. But before he could make an argument, a soft sshing sound woke him up. He looked up and saw Hao Xuan standing in the tank. The grey liquid already making its way up his legs like a living being.


    "WHA- IDIOT! Listen to me! Don-


    Hao Xuan met his gaze with a genial smile. His fists clenched tight, making the veins slightly bulge out.


    "Don''t worry, It''ll be fine. I...feel...invincible!"


    Hao Xuan rode on the rush of hormones he got from confessing his feelings to Xu Qing. It was these hormones coursing through his veins that gave him the confidence boost.


    But whether that was a good thing or not would be apletely different topic.


    He closed his eyes andid down in the tank. The liquid quicklytched onto his skin, covering himpletely.


    Jin Wang watched on in a daze. Finally shaking his head helplessly, "Love really does make one do the most foolish of things. Not that he was too smart to begin with, but this...."


    With a deep sigh, Jin Wang walked over to the table ced in the corner of the room, and picked up the small pouch from there. It held the things the old demon had given Hao Xuan to help him break through to the spirit realm.


    He turned the pouch upside down as four crystals the size of his fists fell out. They pulsed with a bright blue light that spun around in circles inside them, threatening to break out at the slightest touch.


    "What the f*ck?!"


    He almost jumped back in shock looking at the Top-tier Low-grade spirit stones in front of his face.


    Spirit stones were the concentrated, crystallized forms of different spiritual energies. They could be normal spirit stones or could have a special attribute like the Lightning Spirit Stones Hao Xuan got from the Den.


    The ones that the old demon gave him were normal spirit stones that were suitable for all cultivators, the only difference being that their tier or purity was very high.


    The higher the purity, the easier they were to absorb and the fewer impurities would, in turn, enter the cultivator''s bodies during the absorption process.


    The ssification of normal Spirit Stones was this:


    Low-Grade


    Mid-Grade


    Top-Grade


    And each grade had three tiers which signified their purity levels. The higher the tier, the purer the energy within.


    These tiers were Low, Mid, and Top tier.


    So the Spirit stones which were on the table in front of Jin Wang were actually Low-grade which weren''t that rare, but they were Top-Tier which made them even more expensive than Mid-grade Spirit stones.


    In a quarry of 50 tons, there would be less than 1% of any top-tier spirit stones. Their demand was sky high while supply ran abysmally low. Just these four stones would easily fetch hundreds of billions of gold in the open market, not that he would even dream of doing that.


    He picked one up and examined it closely. Its blue light reflecting off of his pupils.


    ''Why is the old man so generous all of a sudden? Even for him, these wouldn''t have been easy to get a hold-off..."


    He couldn''t help but get suspicious of their rtionship. Was Hao Xuan a long lost rtive of the old demon? A bastard son perhaps?


    *Crack*


    While he was busy admiring the spirit stone, a series of muffled cracking noises came from the tank, waking him up.


    "Oh sh*t, forgot about this moron!" he turned around and checked on Hao Xuan''s condition. There were continuous popping and cracking sounds emanating from what looked like a hardened grey cocoon now.


    The liquid hadpletely solidified from the top,pletely encasing Hao Xuan from head to toe.


    Jin Wang picked up the four spirit stones and ced one on each side of the tank. He made a sign with his hands and a small strand of white energy that was razor thin came out of his index finger.


    It hovered in his palm like a silky white strand. He took one end and attached it to the spirit stone on the right, then took the other and attached it to the one at the top.


    He repeated this process 4 times, connecting all the spirit stones together in a diamond-like shape.


    As soon as thest strand connected and the ''circuit'' waspleted, the dense spiritual energy encaged within the Spirit stones started leaking out in waves. All of it remained within the boundaries, shrouding the wooden tank in almost a mist-like energy.


    Jin Wang wiped the sweat dripping off his forehead and fell down some distance away. It seemed like creating those silky strands took a lot out of him.


    "Now it''s all on you..."

 Chapter 264: Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 264: Spirit</h4>


    Spirit Realm, the preparatory stage before taking the first step into the mystical world of cultivation. This is where the body bes a whole, and the power of the cultivator''s mind and soul starts to develop.


    The five Main or Fundamental meridians located in the arms, legs and the forehead, make up the most basic Qi cirction infrastructure. It is this infrastructure that is expanded and improved upon in every subsequent realm thereafter.


    That is why it is of extreme importance that everything must happen smoothly, and most important of all, naturally.


    Until all five meridians have been opened, the Qi cirction system can never bepletely activated.


    This leads to significant inefficiencies in its normal operations and a several-fold increase in the expenditure of Qi when using different abilities and attacks. That''s the main difference between the Spirit realm and all preceding realms.


    It is a difference in both quality AND quantity.


    Currently, Hao Xuan''s physique was going through its first ''true'' evolution after being activated over a year ago now.


    Constant cracking and popping noises came from the grey cocoon as his body realigned and adjusted itself ording to its needs. There was nothing he could do here other than just endure the horrifying pain.


    His skin split open like a sieve and all his blood came pouring out, filling up the inside of the cocoon. It mixed with the grey liquid and made its way back into Hao Xuan''s body.


    The first target was the heart.


    The grey liquid attached itself to it like a fungus, slowly breaking down every single piece of cartge, muscle, and cell therein.


    His heart started increasing in size until it was about three times asrge as a normal person''s. Then it split into two.


    Two hearts, one slightlyrger than the other slowly took shape next to one another.


    The veins started dividing themselves ordingly.


    Following an unwrittenw, they harmonized the blood cirction system so that half the blood went to one heart, and the rest to the other one.


    All the organs started shifting on their own, his bones broke apart and joined back together repeatedly, constantly shifting to make space for the extra organ.


    Everything from the veins and the blood cells within, to the skin and his hair, melted with the grey liquid, and new ones took their ce. All the impurities that had been gathering inside his body were either expelled out or simply destroyed in the process.


    At this moment what remained of Hao Xuan was just the brain, a spinal cord, a meridian system and a cocoon full of different liquids.


    A nonsensical amount of vitality belonging to a beast of the Ether Realm acted as the energy source for all these changes.


    The four High tier Low-Grade Spirit stones radiated dense Qi that further improved the quality of his body and meridians, barraging the walls of thest remaining Main meridian located in the forehead.


    A green hue soon took over the previously grey cocoon as the process continued throughout the night.


    Thissted for the next 6 days.


    And while this body was being forcefully remodeled, his mind was floating in a virtual space, surrounded by a small ck cloud.


    The ck cloud rotated continuously without any outside force. It spun around Hao Xuan''s body doingp afterp, changing in shape, size, and material.


    Sometimes it would turn into fire, sometimes into ice. Sometimes it became invisible, sometimes it burned bright enough to put entire suns to shame.


    Hao Xuan''s body floated in this empty space, feeling the changes happening in the cloud.


    "Do you understand yet?"


    A deep voice echoed in the empty space.


    Not a soul in sight but the voice came from every direction, like the sound of millions upon millions of people whispering inplete unison. Every now and then there would be a voice that stood out from the rest, but soon it was drowned out by the others.


    Hao Xuan remained unaffected. He had gotten used to this ''scene'' now.


    "I told you to stop doing this," he replied calmly, without even opening his eyes.


    "This is the only way I can reach this ce."


    "Then don''te here."


    "You need my help boy! Now, tell me what you have gained so far so I can help. You shouldn''t stay in this ce for too long, it is not....safe..."


    "Not safe?" Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed in confusion.


    "This is a virtual space, created by aputer. I am god here, how could it not be safe?"


    The voices chuckled and continued in a derisive tone.


    "This is a space, virtual or otherwise, as long as it exists, there are creatures and beings out there that can reach it. Nowhere is ''safe'', even if you were an actual God!"


    The voices, of course, could only belong to one person, to the one who had taken up residence in Hao Xuan''s mind pce, Mr. Hyde.


    3 days after Hao Xuan had been in here trying to understand the chaos energy, he arrived. Asking for updates and urging him to wrap things up as soon as possible.


    "Now quickly, answer me. What is chaos for you?"


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed even further but there was nothing he could do. He wasn''t able to keep Hyde out and after 3 days of constant bickering he was too tired to fight and finally gave in.


    *Sigh*


    "Fine. Chaos is...or rather, what I think it is...i-is everything. If it is older than all other energies, if it truly is the "Primordial Spark" that set everything in motion, then obviously it is the basis for everything we know. For our universes, for the Nine Worlds in the middle, the Ten heavens above, the Eight desces on the sides, and the Nine Hells below. IF it truly is what I think it is, then it literally is everything."


    "....."


    A short bout of silence followed after Hao Xuan gave his exnation.


    "That is the "history" of the Chaos, or what some believe it to be. It is not based on facts or has any evidence to support these ims, and it certainly isn''t the chaos itself. Look, look into that strand of chaos in front of you, open your mind and peer into it with your soul. Let it touch the chaos, feel its effects in your very being."


    "M-My soul?!" Hao Xuan stammered.


    "How can my soul be in a virtual space? I know my consciousness is, but those are two very different things."


    "Tch, we don''t have time for me to exin everything. Get ready, I''m going to force your soul out for a second, just 1 second, if you can endure it then you will have achieved something with your punny little life."


    The door to Mr. Hyde''s room in Hao Xuan''s mind pce burst open. A hand reached outwards. Zhurong who was sleeping on the podium in the middle suddenly opened his eyes. He stood up and stared at the hand calmly. His eyes shining with a bright light.


    "Rx, I just want to help him, this is for his own good," Hyde''s voice came from inside the room.


    Zhurong didn''t back down but didn''t move forward either, simply staring at the hand that kept stretching.


    It reached the door in the middle, the one that had always been locked and pushed it open slightly, just a bit, just enough to peek inside. It stopped there and quickly retracted, going back to the room to the right.


    "Wait wait, force my soul out?! That really doesn''t sound too go-"


    His voice once again echoed in Hao Xuan''s ears as he was about to finish his sentence.


    "I have opened the gate, now look, open your eyes and peer into the chaos!"


    Almost by instinct or by a force of nature, something that Hao Xuan couldn''t exin, his eyes opened on their own.


    *Shnn~*


    The ck cloud stopped revolving and simply spun in one ce.


    His pupils dted to the size of coins as the myriad secrets unfolded in front of his eyes.


    The door to Hyde''s room closed once again. He sat on his chair alone, drinking from a piping hot cup while talking to himself.


    "Eyes are the windows to the souls, that''s why yours are different. You _____________..."

 Chapter 265: Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 265: Chaos</h4>


    1 second.


    That''s how long his soul''s exposure to the Chaossted, just a minuscule second that would barely ever make a difference in a normal person''s life, yet for him, it felt like a hundred lifetimes.


    The first thing he saw was emptiness. A space so vast that he knew by instinct that even with a trillion years to explore he would never be able to reach its boundary, if it even had one.


    The only things popting this ce were mysterious atoms which he was unable to identify. An incalcble number of atoms, all moving faster than the speed of light, inpletely random directions but nevering into contact with one another, never colliding.


    It was a system of perfect harmony, of order. It was....beautiful!


    Time did not exist here, or rather, it never existed nor would it ever. Time was a construct created by the feeble-minded to bring meaning to their limited lifespans.


    1 second could be equal to a million years, and a million years shorter than the smallest measurable unit of time.


    His eyes were attracted to a single atom out of all the others. This one in specific, it was different.


    In this unimaginable expanse of space, a small ripple appeared around the atom, sending out wave after of energy.


    As he gazed at the atom, his vision blurred and the distance between him and the atom shortened. One second he was looking at it from god know''s how far, the next second he was next to it. His body continuously shrinking.


    When he stopped shrinking, the atom looked like a sun. So vast and majestic that he couldn''t even see itpletely.


    He reached out his hand and passed through its ck surface, appearing in yet another space.


    In this space was a single spark, flickering in the dark, about to be put out any second.


    Compared to the space outside, this was just as big with no boundary in sight. The only inhabitant of this space was the flickering ball of me.


    He looked at the me and once again found himself standing in front of it. But only after standing next to it did he realize the stupendous amount of energy it was giving off.


    It was a small ball of fire, dirt, and white light, all swirling around in a circle, always chasing one another but never being able to catch up.


    It stayed like this for eons. But when there was no time, how could eons have passed? Might as well have been a second.


    But then something changed.


    Hao Xuan felt movement next to him but could see nothing there, yet he could feel it, a presence. Something he wasn''t supposed to see.


    ***


    *Crack*


    The cocoon covering his body shook once, letting out an invisible wave. This wave passed through the dozens of formations ced around the room, didn''t even alert Jin Wang who was sitting not too far from him.


    They spread out faster and faster, passing the kingdom of Mei, the Jia, the Empire overlooking them, the continent of Tertium, and then the entire beast world.


    They passed through everything, nothing could halt their advance for even an instant.


    The view zoomed out, Sevens orbiting one another, dozens of suns and moons between them. Each of theses bigger than thest, with three of them watching over the other four from the outskirts.


    One by one the invisible waves reached each of theses and then passed through them like they were never there.


    But a few seconds after they passed, several hundred pairs of eyes opened up from the threes at the periphery of this boundless sr system.


    They peered inward, staring at the fours but not being to tell where the wave originated from.


    "Another has awakened...the primordial spark has been seen once again."


    One pair of vertical ck eyes looked at the others, with intrigue, curiosity, and perhaps even amusement.


    "It is still far too early to assume so. Far...far too early," another golden pair of bestial eyes replied before disappearing.


    "This generation has quite a few worthy ones..."


    "Haha...it will be fun. This one won''t be thest either."


    "We need fresh blood, the next war will soon begin."


    "There is still time, we can still make it.....hopefully...."


    "The inner sanctum must be protected. I can feel the power of the dark ones growing."


    *Sigh*


    "It cannot be helped. We are iplete."


    "No, we are wless! They are the ''imperfect ones''."


    "If only it was so..."


    It seemed like the beings that those eyes belonged to hadn''t talked to one another in a long time. They continued their bickering through space and time like it was the most normal thing in the world.


    A pair of brown eyes that looked the most like a human''s looked at another simr pair.


    "Did you hear about the attacks?"


    "I did. Begin preparations. The seventh Armada shall take lead. The outer tribes are getting restless, attacking the farmings."


    "I will send my disciples, one of them recently broke through. Tell the gatekeepers to open the portal. It is time to remind them of their positions in the food chain."


    ".....alright."


    ***


    *Crack*


    Another crack appeared in the cocoon. Jin Wang stood up and stared at the wooden tank with squinted eyes.


    Inside, Hao Xuan abruptly opened his eyes. His body was floating in the liquid, looking much different from how he first went in.


    One by one the meridians on his arms and legs started glowing bright enough that they could be seen from the outside.


    All four energies started moving vigorously, making their way to thest meridian on his forehead. If they were like trickling streams before, now they resembled flowing rivuletsing together.


    The meridian on his forehead was starting to light up as well. But this one was shimmering with a ck light, much brighter than the others.


    Hao Xuan felt the iing energies and quickly closed his eyes to concentrate and guide them ording to the ive manual.


    *Bang*


    *Bang*


    The energies collided with the thick scab-like walls of thest meridian, making him wince from pain.


    Mr. Hyde''s voice echoed in his mind once again.


    "Open thest door, and let it bathe in the spiritual energy."


    Hao Xuan listened to him and his consciousness appeared in his Mind Pce. The entire pce was shaking and all of his ''severs'' were standing around the podium, waiting for him.


    "Master!"


    Ensis, Monk, and Bo got down on one knee as soon as they say him. ck and White wiggled their tails and looked at Hao Xuan expectantly. If they had hands they would be outstretched, asking to be carried.


    Hao Xuan smiled at them and waved at Ensis, Monk, and Bo to get up. Zhurong was sleeping once again on top of the podium.


    Hao Xuan ignored him and walked up to the door in the middle.


    This was the door to his soul. It was already open slightly so with just a push it burst open at once. A bright blue light shone, which blinded everyone other than Hao Xuan himself.


    As soon as he opened the door, the spiritual energy from the Low-Grade Spirit stone pulsed in response.


    Wave after wave of thick spiritual energy poured out and into the cocoon. Some of it went into his meridians while over 90% of it went straight to his mind pce and into the middle door.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes in ecstasy. It felt like his insides were being washed over with cold water in a hot summer day. There really was no other way to describe it.


    He could feel his soul bing stronger and stronger, it was an exponential increase in strength and ability. It felt like he was blind his whole life and now he could see for the first time.


    The four energies continued their collision, making cracks in the meridian wall, but it was still not enough. At this rate it would take weeks to breakthrough.


    After Hao Xuan was done feeling the changes in his soul, he focused back on the meridian. It was still shimmering with a soft wavering ck light.


    "Conjure thest energy, only it can breakthrough."


    Hyde provided another important bit of guidance.


    Hao Xuan recalled the images he saw in that small swirling ck cloud, and what heprehended from his brief journey.


    "Order and Chaos go hand in hand. They are the two sides of the same coin. As everything has a beginning and an end, they always have these two states. The Chaos is the beginning and the end, while the ''order'' is whates in between."


    The corner of his lips arched up into a resplendent smile, before parting.


    "Where there is order, there WILL be Chaos!"


    *BOOM*


    It exploded. As soon as he uttered thest line, the meridian wall exploded like a grenade and a flood of ck energy rushed out, connecting the five meridians together. Their density increased and thickened, turning into fast-flowing streams.


    With a loud pop, his entire body shone with a bright golden light as he took his first step into the Spirit Realm.


    The meridians flooded every part of his body with these energies, strengthening it even more. But the ck energy moved randomly, not following the same path as the other energies.


    This energy was different. Where the others were different colored liquids, this one was like sma. It was apletely different state of matter, one that was never normally seen. It''s form alternated between a liquid and a gas as it moved in and around his body regardless. It could move independently of the meridians, as if thews of physics had no effect on it.


    It could leave his body in the shape of a cloud of ck gas and return to it in an instant.


    Under normal circumstances, this was not possible. Once the Qi had left the cultivator''s body, there was no way to recall it, but the Chaos was an exception.


    And how could it not be? It was...Chaos...


    ****


    Yangdi was sitting in his office looking over some documents when he felt the changes inside of him.


    A strange energy entered his body and with a light pop, broke free like a dam.


    Closing his eyes he felt his Qi thrash around ferociously in merriment as if reacting to this strange new energy. It had remained stagnant for almost a year but now it was suddenly moving. It was given permission to move, and so it did.


    A feeling of strength and robustness overtook him as he felt his connection to Hao Xuan light up like a beacon in the night. For an instant, he could feel Hao Xuan''s soul connect to his own. It felt like staring at the sun from a few meters away.


    His cultivation which had been stuck at the top of Origin Realm suddenly broke through.


    Spirit Realm 1st Stage


    Spirit Realm 2nd Stage


    Spirit Realm 3rd Stage


    .


    .


    .


    Spirit Realm 7th stage.


    It broke through Six consecutive stages, stopping at the very top of the 7th stage.


    He shot up from his seat with clenched fists. This feeling, it was like a drug.


    His Qi was now denser, much denser than ever before. It ran through his veins like rampaging beasts, bringing him both pain and pleasure alike.


    He keeled over to the floor while cing his right hand over the left side of his chest. His heart, it was beating like a drum.


    *Ba-Thump*


    *Ba-Thump*


    His forehead was covered in sweat as he felt an overwhelming sense of power pass through him. His connection to Hao Xuan deepened as he could feel his existence.


    He was one of the first few that Hao Xuan had taken under his wing, albeit without his consent. And due to his intellect and significantly powerful soul, he was the first one to feel the changes.


    After him were Green and Red who had been waiting outside his room for thest week. They didn''t even move to eat or sleep, simply standing outside his door like trusty bodyguards.


    Their auras rose and reached the same power as the First stage of the Spirit Realm, but then it came to a sudden halt.


    They exchanged nces with one and confirmed what had just happened. An inordinate amount of soul power entered their bodies. This wasn''t the usual spiritual energy, but actual "Spirit Power".


    Spirit energy was the raw form of energy that anyone could absorb, while Spirit Power was a type of soul energy being released by a living entity.


    And now this power was gushing into their bodies from Hao Xuan, directly from his soul.


    It entered their bodies and formed a small mass of swirling energy in the middle of their chest.


    There itid dormant, waiting for something.


    The same thing happened to all the others. Even Wu Jin who was almost half a continent away felt this change like he was next to Hao Xuan.


    The space between them didn''t seem to have any significant effect on whatever was happening to Hao Xuan and his severs right now.


    ***


    Jin Wang''s eyes narrowed to a slit as he stared at the cocoon with bated breath.


    Minuscule hairline cracks had been spreading out from the center of the cocoon for over an hour now.


    Bit by bit grey and ck hardened pieces of the cocoon fell down until a body came into view.


    Jin Wang furrowed upon examining the bare body in front of him.


    "Oi, you hear me?" he asked cautiously while taking a step back.


    The body in the cocoon wasn''t human, or at least it didn''t look very human-like.


    Its skin seemed like hardened leather.


    Its fingers turning into elongated white ws. From the edge of the elbows, two bone fragments jutted out on each arm.


    The feet looked like a beast''s with each digit almost twice as long as a normal person decorated with nails as sharp as knives.


    The face looked exactly like Hao Xuan''s but with a slightly wider forehead.


    A bestial aura was leaking outwards which gave even Jin Wang a bad feeling. He stared at his hands that looked like they were made for gouging out inner organs and gulped.


    "OI! WAKE UP!" he shouted.


    *Tremble*


    Hao Xuan abruptly opened his eyes. The wooden tank shook once before bursting into tiny little pieces. It was like an explosion had gone off, dust and ck particles obstructing Jin Wang''s vision.


    He jumped back and took out a normal looking sword. It vibrated as his Qi ran coursed through it, lighting it up.


    He squinted his eyes trying to find any sign of a movement or even a shadow, but there was nothing there. The dust settled down and his eyes widened from shock. It was empty. There was an empty hole where the wooden tank was supposed to be.


    ''It can''t be...'' Jin Wang thought as he felt a faint presence over his shoulder.


    "Boo."


    *Prrrt*


    "Argh! What the fuck! You nasty freak!"


    "That''s what you get, asswipe!"


    Hao Xuan retched while running to the other side of the room. Just now he had tried to scare Jin Wang with a simple "Boo" and instead was assaulted by his ''gas attack''.


    "I''ve been sitting here watching over your bitch ass for thest week and this is how you thank me?" Jin Wang looked at Hao Xuan despondently.


    Hao Xuan''s body lookedpletely normal now, although still significantly different from before. He was putting on a robe when he heard Jin Wang''sint. He looked at him with a raised eyebrow.


    "Before that, why the fuck did you have a sword out? Huh?"


    "Cause I thought something went wrong. You looked like a damn beast hybrid. What was that?" Jin Wang retorted without a modicum of guilt.


    Hao Xuan examined himself but could find nothing wrong with his body.


    "What are you talking about?" he asked looking up at Jin Wang. But then he suddenly realized something.


    "Wait a second, did you grow taller or..?"


    Hao Xuan was now more than a foot smaller. Just a week ago he was over 8 feet, but now he was just over 7 feet tall.


    He checked himself again and couldn''t help but frown.


    There were muscles on his body where he didn''t even think they could be. His torso was about 15% wider and much thicker than before.


    His muscles looked like they were chiseled from stone. There was not an ounce of fat left anywhere on his body.


    As he took in a deep breath and flexed, he could feel a devastating power moving through his muscles. He looked up at Jin Wang with an evil grin and a clenched fist.


    "Dear brother, let''s spar for a bit eh?"


    Jin Wang who was watching from afar suddenly paled and staggered backward. He pointed the sword''s tip towards him while slowly moving back.


    "Y-You bastard, stay the fuck away from me! I DO NOT CONSENT!!"

 Chapter 266: Abilities

    <h4>Chapter 266: Abilities</h4>


    It was around 10 p.m when it happened.


    *BAANG*


    *Shake*


    *Crumble*


    The door to Hao Xuan''s room burst open and the silhouette of a body shot out. Green and Red each took a step to their left and right respectively, barely avoiding it.


    They snapped back and looked at Jin Wang who was embedded into a 2 feet thick brick wall about 10 meters away from them.


    They exchanged nces and looked back at the room from which the sound of footsteps came.


    *tak*tak*tak*


    As soon as they saw the owner of those footsteps step into the light, they got down on one knee.


    "Congrattions, master!"


    Their fervent voices echoing in the air. They could feel an oppressive power enveloping Hao Xuan from top to bottom.


    Previously, even though Hao Xuan was quite tall, his body wasn''t very muscr. That is not to say that he looked like a malnourished giant, but it wasn''t anything to brag about either. But now...


    He only had a white rob on which was a size bigger, yet his muscr body filled it up quite nicely and didn''t give off any sense of frailty.


    His hair moved about without any wind. His eyes looked like two green LED lights shining in the darkness.


    When Green and Red first saw him they thought they were looking at a beast parading as Hao Xuan, yet they could feel the connection between their souls.


    The difference this time wasn''t as drastic as when Hao Xuan first activated the Immortal Devouring Demon, but it was more rted to his charm.


    At first nce, he gave the observer a feeling of wildness. The more closely one watched, the stronger this feeling got. At some point, it turned into an air of unshackled and unrestrained liberationing off of him.


    Green and Red who were both divine beasts could pick up on this much better than the others. He ''looked'' more human-like than before, yet the feeling he gave off was like that of a wild beast.


    The muscles on his shoulder and neck were like steel wires, almost popping out.


    Hao Xuan nced at them and smiled.


    "Get up."


    He didn''t even use the constitution''s power to order them but their bodies moved on their own. Standing this close to him so soon after he had increased his powers, every word felt like a heavenly decree.


    He looked at the crumbling wall and the staggering figureing out of it, and then looked at his own fist.


    "When did you get so weak?" he asked with a frown.


    A thick vein pulsed on Jin Wang''s forehead as he looked daggers at him.


    "Since a week ago when I used up all my strength to help protect you."


    "Oh, thanks I guess. Go rest then, I want to continue this in the morning."


    "Oh you''re goddamn right we''re gonna continue this tomorrow. Just you wait motherf*cker, I''ma show you the inside of your stomach in the morning!" Jin Wang replied with a sinister smile and slowly fumbled away.


    Hao Xuan looked at Green and Red and waved them towards the maple tree in the distance.


    "Come, let me see what unclocked for my constitution."


    The Soul Severing Heavenly constitution, like the name implied, was rted to the soul. The stronger the power of the soul, the more he would be able to do with it. The more potential was unlocked for it, the more abilities he could have.


    After stepping into the Spirit Realm and having absorbed the bulk of the spiritual energy from the 4 Low-Grade Spirit stones, his soul had indeed be much stronger.


    Some knowledge rted to his abilities appeared in his brain, like a long lost memory. Well, to say that it appeared would be incorrect. It was always there but he could only see it now.


    He sat down on the patio and looked up at the moon which seemed to be brighter than ever before. It wasn''t just the moon, but everything seemed more... ''vivid'', more real.


    He could feel the slightest changes in the wind on his face, all nearby the scents and smells seemed distinct enough to him that he instantly knew where they wereing from and from what.


    His ears twitched as he looked towards Xu Qing''s room. He closed his eyes and focused.


    Soon the rustling of her bedsheets entered his ears as he heard her move about. He could her heartbeat and smell her scent which was simr to aromatic lilies.


    His two hearts beat faster and faster. He guiltily looked away. It felt like he was spying on her which wasn''t really a good feeling.


    He waved his hand and called everyone out.


    Ensis, Monk, Bo, Green, and Red all stood in front of him. ck and White were on his shoulders as usual, just happy to be around him after so long.


    He looked at Monk first, "Come."


    With some slight hesitation, Monk got down on one knee in front of him and lowered his head. Without even having Hao Xuan exin it to him he knew what to do by instinct.


    Hao Xuan ced his right palm over his head which was covered by a shimmering blue light.


    As Hao Xuan thought about it, a word shed past his eyes.


    "Inspect!"


    Monk''s closed eyes trembled as Hao Xuan''s lit up like torches. He could feel the power of his soul thrum about and enter Monk''s body. It soon returned with a stream of golden light.


    A lot of information suddenly appeared in his mind.


    It was a bunch of jumbled up words that were moving around randomly. Hao Xuan focused on the words and attempted to read them, and one by one they started making legible sentences.


    Species: Giant


    Bloodline: Olden Earth Titan


    Blood Purity Level: 0.7%


    Abilities: Fire Immunity, Vigorous Lifeforce, Giant''s Stomp


    Skills: Spear Mastery, Unarmedbat


    "Woah!"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but exim when the list of words started making sense. All of this information was extracted directly from Monk''s DNA, memory, and soul collectively.


    It showcased everything he had learned as well as the abilities he was born with. All of this information was always avable inside him, and when his own soul was strong enough, he would have been able to understand it all by himself.


    But now there was no need for that since Hao Xuan could already do that for him.


    "Baracus, record what I''m about to tell you," Hao Xuan muttered but there was no response. He looked down and found his wrists empty.


    He only had to think about it for a second before he ran back into the room and picked up the watch from the hole where the wooden tank used to be.


    He put it on and its screen lit up.


    "Thank you for finally remembering about my existence," Baracus''s usual emotionless voice rang in Hao Xuan''s ears.


    Hao Xuan scratched his head with an awkward smile, "Sorry sorry, Ipletely forgot. How did you evene off?"


    "There was nothing to attach to. Your flesh melted away and your bones broke into a hundred pieces. So I simply waited. Although I wouldn''t have had to if you got me that cksmith I asked for."


    "I told you to contact the Den, why didn''t you?"


    "I did. They said it would take several months to get everything ready. They say there is no cksmith anywhere near as capable of making the devices I need."


    "Hmm, alright, contact Wu Jin and ask him to find one. There are bound to be a few where he is."


    "Alright."


    Hao Xuan walked back to the patio under the red maple tree and looked at Monk with a smile.


    "You''ve got some pretty strong blood in ya buddy."

 Chapter 267: Inspect

    <h4>Chapter 267: Inspect</h4>


    "You''ve got some pretty strong blood in ya buddy," Hao Xuan mumbled while taking a seat on the patio.


    Monk who was in the process of standing up faltered upon hearing his words. He looked at Hao Xuan with a curious gaze.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You''ve got the blood of an Earth Titan running through your veins, although its purity level is still less than 1% even," Hao Xuan replied with a knowing smile.


    The Titan''s were one of the offshoots of the Giant race.


    Where most giants were "rtively" peace-loving, the Titans were a warmongering n. And within them, the Earth Titan''s were famous for their defenses. They were able to tap into the earth and borrow its absolute power.


    Each giant n had a specialty, Defense was the Earth Titan''s.


    The smile that had crept upon Monk''s face vanished when he heard his blood purity level was less than 1%, because it might as well not even be there at that rate. That is until he heard Hao Xuan''s next sentence.


    "But I can help you increase that purity level, interested?" he raised his previously lowered head and looked at Hao Xuan suspiciously.


    "Why...would you help me?"


    "So you can serve me better. I have no use for weaklings. I can help you be a titan, a REAL Titan. You will serve me either way, but it''s your choice if you want to go through with this or not."


    Monk didn''t even have to spend a full minute pondering on this ''dilemma''.


    He had alreadye to terms with his situation and so why not go all out?


    "I ept," his previously shaky gaze became resolute while his head bobbed up and down.


    "Alright, I''ll get things started then."


    Hao Xuan was more than happy to hear that.


    "Baracus, find me these materials, see if the Den has them," he typed in a bunch of ingredients of earth attribute.


    The first thing he had to do was to increase Monk''s affinity with the earth attribute. This could be done by simply ingesting treasures, beast cores, spirit stones, herbs, and elixirs with simr effects.


    Once his affinity reached 5%, Hao Xuan could help him increase the blood purity level.


    "Alright, you''re next," he looked at Ensis, who walked up and got down on one knee without any hesitation whatsoever.


    Hao Xuan followed the same procedure and got the result much faster than before.


    Species: Dark Godfiend


    Bloodline: Divine Sword God


    Blood Purity Level: 5.6%


    Abilities: Sword Sense, Dark Heart, Sword Steps, Infernal Counter, Shadow Armor


    Skills: Sword Mastery, Great Imperial Hegemony


    Hao Xuan''s mouth fell open. He looked at Ensis with wide eyes.


    "5.6%?! Your bloodline purity is already that high?"


    Ensis tilted his sideways in confusion.


    "I''m afraid I don''t understand master."


    "N-Nevermind..." Hao Xuan waved his hands dismissively.


    He didn''t have to think too hard to understand what had happened here.


    Ensis was originally ''created'' by a sorcerer who was trying to double-cross the Dark Godfiend whose clone this was. He had sacrificed numerous people to summon it to this world, so having this much wasn''t too high considering.


    Not to mention that Ensis had used his Divine blood a few times now to help Hao Xuan whenever he was in a pinch. It probably would have been even higher if not for that.


    "Alright, I''ll find the necessary ingredients for you as well. You only need to consume dark attribute materials and it should boost your bloodline purity as your cultivation increases," he patted Ensis shoulders.


    In truth, Ensis didn''t need any outside help. With enough time and effort, he could reach 50% bloodline purity and be a Demi-Godfiend by himself. But that could take thousands of years.


    Ensis moved to the side and Green, Red and Bo stared at Hao Xuan expectantly.


    "You''re next," he pointed at Bo, who was clearly very excited.


    Species: Kappa


    Bloodline: Leech Demon/Water Beast.


    Blood Purity Level: 0.2%


    Abilities: Water Reign, Fiendish Strength, Abyssal Dome


    Skills: Unarmed Combat


    "What..?"


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed.


    ''How does he have two bloodlines?''


    But all this information was received directly from Bo''s Soul and DNA so it couldn''t be wrong.


    It was recorded there like a log, and all a person had to do was to decode it. That of course, was easier said than done. Hao Xuan had the ability that allowed him to do so, and only to his ''Severs''.


    "Baracus, can a person have two bloodlines?"


    He asked the only source of information at hand, and was left wanting.


    "Of course. There can be multiple bloodlines in a single body but only one can reach maturity. Did the frog creature have two bloodlines?"


    "Yeah, Leech Demon and Water Beast."


    "Oh. Well, what do you expect from a swamp monster? Both of them have different attributes so feed him whichever one you want to foster."


    "Do you have information on each of them?"


    "No."


    "Hmm.." Hao Xuan rubbed his chin in deep thought. He wasn''t expecting much from Bo but if there were two bloodlines, he had the option to chose a better one after having all the information.


    Unfortunately, such information wasn''t avable to him at the moment.


    "Alright, I''ll decide on yourster, since you have two bloodlines," he told the Kappa that was staring at him with glittering eyes.


    "T-Two bloodlines? Woah! As expected of the great me!"


    He quickly bowed once and moved away while shovingpliments down his own throat without any shame.


    "Which one of you wants to go next?" Hao Xuan looked at the only two people standing in front of him. Red walked forward and got down on one knee.


    "Please go ahead."


    Hao Xuan ced his hand over his head with a half-smile, "Inspect."


    Species: Divine Ape


    Bloodline: Gargantuan Fire Lord


    Blood Purity Level: 8.4%


    Abilities: Unbending Will, Unrestrained Divinity, Superhuman Strength, Holy Power


    Skills: Axe Mastery


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and looked at Red with a nk face.


    "8.4.....percent...?"

 Chapter 268: King

    <h4>Chapter 268: King</h4>


    "8.4.....percent...? How is that possible?" Hao Xuan looked up at Red for answers but only found him staring back at him with a vacant expression.


    "Y-You don''t know either..?"


    Red shook his head to confirm what Hao Xuan had already concluded. None of them knew exactly what level of bloodline purity they had reached.


    From the memories that had awakened for Hao Xuan, he knew that there were three initial threshold levels that signified a change in a being''s bloodline.


    The first threshold was at 5% blood purity level.


    Once the being reached this level, their bloodline would have to be decided. From then onward, only the chosen bloodline could be matured further.


    The second threshold was at 10% blood purity level. When the being reached 10% purity, Hao Xuan could use his other newly awakened ability, "Extraction", to "copy" a single ability or skill from each of his severs.


    He would not have the option to decide WHICH ability he could choose. It would be selected at random but a number of factors such as the total abilities/skills, mastery of each ability/skill, etc could affect it.


    The 25% threshold would usher in the first ''true evolution''. The creature''s outer appearance would change drastically here and they would take on the forms of their ancestors, as well as gaining full physical control over their own bodies and wakening many more abilities.


    Only at this level could they consider to have fully awakened their bloodlines and walk on the same path as so many others, or even bring in a mutation and take a different one. Either way, 25% was the most important threshold.


    Hao Xuan had decided to wait until the severs reached 25% purity and then ''Extract'' an ability from arger and perhaps ''better'' pool.


    Many ideas fleeted in and out of Hao Xuan''s mind. He looked up and met Red''s expectant gaze once again.


    "I''ll start gathering things for you as well. Go and buy some better axes tomorrow since you have an affinity with them."


    The light in Red''s eyes slightly dimmed upon hearing Hao Xuan''s words but he still bowed from the waist and silently moved back. Now it was Green''s turn.


    "Inspect."


    Species: Divine Ape


    Bloodline: Colossal Storm Ape


    Blood Purity Level: 8.1%


    Abilities: Field of Dominance, Combat sense, Superhuman Strength, Cloudburst


    Skills: Unarmed Combat Mastery


    "Not bad," Hao Xuan nodded contently after seeing Green''s bloodline.


    He thought it might be rted to nature since the color of his original appearance was green as well, but thankfully that wasn''t the case.


    The Colossal Storm Ape was a divine beast with the ability to create literal cyclones and thunderstorms with every swing of his hand.


    They didn''t need any weapons to fight and could hold their own in any fight. They were masters of hand to handbat with an unmatchedbat sense. They were natural born fighters.


    "Very good. I''m not sure what your attribute is but I''ll do some research and order the required materials," he smiled at Green who also gave a deep bow and moved aside.


    Hao Xuan picked up ck and White from, his shoulders and ced them on hisp. They both looked up at him with big gleaming eyes.


    Hao Xuan would have never thought he would ever say this, but dear god were these little worms cute.


    "Alright, now it''s your turn," he rubbed the top of their heads and scratched the underside of their maws. He was going to inspect both of them at once.


    "Don''t move now," he whispered gently before cing his right palm over their heads.


    "Inspect"


    Species: Divine Serpent


    Bloodline: Nine Headed Draconic Hydra


    Blood Purity Level: 4.5%


    Abilities: Earthly me, Holy power


    Skills: ---


    Species: Dark Serpent King


    Bloodline: Abyss Eater Basilisk


    Blood Purity Level: 3.1%


    Abilities: Soul me, Corruption


    Skills: ---


    *Blink*Blink*


    "O-Oi, is this...right?"


    Hao Xuan was having a hard time believing the words he just saw.


    White had the bloodline of the fearsome Nine headed Hydra, a creature that was imed to be unkible. Whenever one of its heads was cut off, two more would grow in its ce. It could grow to a size that a star could fit in each of its maws.


    Whereas ck had the bloodline of an Abyss Eater Basilisk, whatever the hell that was.


    He had no information regarding this species. It wasn''t even mentioned in any of the books he had read.


    ''How are their bloodlines different? Aren''t they twins?''


    "Baracus, can twins have different bloodlines?"


    "Yes and No. It can happen but it''s exceptionally rare to the point of being considered a mutation, albeit less so in beasts since their gic structure is much different from humans and they evolve faster."


    "Mhm, do you know anything about something called "Abyss Eater Basilisk"? Any information at all will do."


    "Nope. I have information on normal basilisks but not the Abyss Eater kind. It could very well be apletely new bloodline."


    "I...hope it isn''t. A new bloodline would NOT be easy to mature. What do you know about basilisks then?"


    "I''m sure you''ve heard about it as well. They are cursed creatures reputed to be Kings among their kind. Absolutely ruthless to the point that even a single nce from them could extinguish the life out of other beings."


    "There aren''t too many of them alive since they are killed off at a very young age. A fully grown basilisk is akin to a natural disaster, one that can only be avoided and never fought head-on."


    Hao Xuan looked down at ck who was already yfully biting his finger and couldn''t even imagine him as the so-called ruthless "Serpent King".


    The same went for White who was bitting down on ck''s tail for some reason while the other partypletely ignored him.


    He had picked them just over a year ago and even though their original forms were vicious and savage to others, to him they couldn''t be any less dangerous.


    *Sigh*


    "Serpent king and Draconic Hydra, eh? I''m looking forward to your true forms then," he smiled at them while mumbling to himself.


    *Tremble*


    The earth shook, throwing Hao Xuan down to the ground.


    No, everything shook. An earthquake of at least a 7 magnitude suddenly hit the city of Fortuna, followed by an explosion so loud that every single ss window within the radius of 150 kilometers shattered.


    *BOOOOOM*


    A mushroom cloud rose high into the air from the outer city, shortly followed by ring sirens.


    Hao Xuan''s watch vibrated. It was a message from First.


    "Do not go outside no matter what. If anyone approaches you, run to the nearest military instation."

 Chapter 269: Release

    <h4>Chapter 269: Release</h4>


    "Do not go outside no matter what. If anyone approaches you, run to the nearest military instation."


    Hao Xuan looked at the message and then at the mushroom cloud in the distance that kept getting bigger and bigger by the second.


    "What''s going on?" Xu Qing''s worried voice grabbed his attention.


    At some point, she had run out of her room still in her nightwear with a white robe. Her unkempt hair showed just how much a hurry she was in.


    Hao Xuan looked at her with a forced smile.


    "Everything is okay. They''re just doing some drills and experimenting with a few things. First brother just sent me the message. Go back to sleep," he said while walking up to her and fixing her robe.


    Hao Xuan knew with she might not believe him but he didn''t want to worry her needlessly, especially since she couldn''t even see the mushroom cloud in the background.


    To her whatever he said would be the truth, or a version of it.


    "Are you okay? You seem...different, somehow," she leaned in and asked in a low voice.


    He didn''t know whether she was talking about his physical appearance or something else entirely,


    but he couldn''t help but chuckle and give her a light hug looking at her worried expression. The hug took her by surprise as he had never really been this forward before but she didn''t avoid it.


    Her ear pressed up against his chest and she heard his two heartbeats


    "Mhm, better than ever. Go back to sleep. I''ll be out for a bit."


    She looked up at him with her ss-like eyes, Hao Xuan''s handsome profile reflecting in them. He felt bad about lying but telling her the truth would be pointless.


    Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss.


    She released her tightened grasp on his shirt and looked away.


    "Be careful, please. Don''t be out toote," she said in her usual gentle tone and walked back to her room.


    *Beep*


    As soon as her back disappeared from his view, Baracus''s voice rang in his ears.


    "Something big is happening."


    "What?"


    "Not sure. There is too much chatter to make sense of. Calls areing in about a group of hooded individuals that have ''attacked'' a top-secret militarypound near the outer edge of the city."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "What''s not to make sense of here?"


    "You don''t understand, as long as it has been connected to the or anyone has ever mentioned of it, ever, I know of its existence, if not have a direct link to it. But I have no record of this ce in my database. If it really exists, barely anyone other than the top brass knows about it and everything rted to it has been kept off the books. This can mean a lot of things, but mainly that..."


    "What? Just say it!"


    "...that whatever is going on in there, it''s not really ''legal''. There is no other exnation for it. Every other top-secret facility has to go online at least once, but not this one."


    "!!!"


    Hao Xuan''s smile froze as he turned around and looked at all his severs standing in a straight line in front of him.


    Each of them had broken through to the Spirit realm and some had even jumped several stages.


    Bo, for example, was already at the top of the Spirit Realm when Hao Xuan first got him, and now his cultivation had returned to its original state.


    After breaking through Hao Xuan understood a lot more about his ability and its limitations. For example, his ability could be used in two main ways.


    One, that he gathers as many severs as possible and create an army of his own. In this scenario, THEY would be his actual strength and not his own cultivation.


    Or second, he gets ''severs'' to extract abilities and skills from them. This would boost his own power but tether them to his cultivation level directly. Meaning that whichever ''sever'' he extracts an ability/skill from, can never have a higher cultivation than his own.


    But if he does not extract their abilities, they can have the cultivation of at most 1 realm higher.


    Taking Ensis for example. If Hao Xuan doesn''t take an ability from him, then even if he himself stays in the Spirit Realm Ensis can still breakthrough to the Profound realm without any problems.


    So he would have to thoroughly consider if the ability he was getting was worth sacrificing a potential soldier of an entire realm higher than his own.


    The current cultivation for everyone under him was as follows:


    o Ensis - Spirit Realm Stage 2


    o ck and White - Demonic Beast Realm Mid Grade (Equivalent to Spirit Realm Stage 4)


    o Green and Red - Demonic Beast Realm High Grade (Equivalent to Spirit Realm Stage 6)


    o Yangdi - Spirit Realm Stage 7


    o Bo - Top of the Demonic Beast Realm Top Grade (Equivalent to Spirit Realm Pinnacle Stage)


    o Monk - Spirit Realm Stage 3


    o Wu Jin - Demonic Beast Realm Mid Grade (Equivalent to Spirit Realm Stage 4)


    With Hao Xuan himself bringing up the rear at Spirit Realm Stage 1.


    He looked at Green, Red, Bo, and Monk.


    "You guys stay here. I will go out with the rest and see what''s going on. Wake Jin up if there''s a problem, he is in charge."


    Soon as he had finished talking, Green moved forward.


    "Master, shouldn''t we at least go with you? There''s no point in so many of us staying her-."


    Hao Xuan raised his hand, stopping him mid-sentence.


    "What I have here is more important to me than my immediate ''safety'', not that I will be in danger at all. Understand?"


    Green obviously had a lot more to say but looking at Hao Xuan''s resolute eyes he let out a deep sigh. He looked at Xu Qing''s room where her light was still on and nodded silently.


    Hao Xuan was leaving the bulk of his forces here just to protect her and Yun Wentian.


    "This is not a good decision. Just leave the swamp creature behind. If it can''t stop any would-be intruders then the others wouldn''t be able to either," Baracus who usually stayed out of such matters gave his opinion.


    "It is my decision to make. Don''t worry about it," was Hao Xuan''s response, which only made Baracus look down on humans even more.


    He recalled Ensis, ck, and White to the Mind Pce before summing Bai.


    Bai nced at him with a strange glint in his eyes before looking away. Hao Xuan smiled and patted his head.


    "This is thest time I ride you as a contracted beast. Tomorrow I will release you from the life bond and you will be free to venture out into the world on your own. You always followed every order I gave you, so this is your reward."


    Bai''s gigantic body froze upon hearing that. He couldn''t believe it, and who could me him? He was sure that his life under Hao Xuan would be the same. He had never really expected him to do anything more in return.


    Still a bit out of it, Bai moved his head up and down and jumped, disappearing into the cold night along with Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 270: Underground

    <h4>Chapter 270: Underground</h4>


    It was around 2 in the morning. The weather was extremely cold and the night dark, yet the sound of footsteps rang loudly in the streets of Fortuna.


    "Slowly, stay in the shadows," Hao Xuan whispered to Bai when they passed by another squad of soldiers decked out in ck armor.


    The incident had taken ce somewhere near the northwest of the outer city less than 20minutes ago.


    The roads leading to and from that entire region had already been littered with checkpoints manned by squads of up to 20 soldiers each.


    Thatplete area had been cordoned off. If Hao Xuan had used his identity then he probably could have gained ess to it easily, but he chose not to do so on purpose.


    First''s vague message gave him a very bad feeling and he didn''t want people to know he was going there.


    So Bai had to make several dozen stops along the way, hiding in the shadows whenever they passed by a checkpoint.


    Hao Xuan noticed that Bai''s power had risen considerably as well. He seemed to have an innate affinity with the darkness. His body, which was bigger than a double-decker bus, somehow almost turned invisible whenever he was in a shadow half his size.


    This must have been a new ability of his but Hao Xuan had no information about it.


    The squad of 16 soldiers slowly marched on by. Hao Xuan waited for 30 seconds after they had left


    before whispering, "Now," into Bai''s ear. But he didn''t move and instead kept staring to their left where the soldiers had juste from.


    Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and squinted his eyes hard, trying to find anything out of the ordinary when he saw it.


    It was a shadow on the wall. A vague and inconspicuous shadow of a humanoid creature with a tail and horns, but there was no physical body casting it. The shadow moved on its own, looking left and right before jumping over a wall and disappearing into a wooded area


    "What the hell was that?!" Hao Xuan mumbled.


    "Something....sinister..." Bai''s voice rang in his mind.


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "You know what it is?"


    Bai shook his head once, "Just felt it. It is something...not of this world. It should not be here."


    Hao Xuan could feel how anxious Bai was feeling right now. Their souls were connected so whatever overwhelming and ''strong'' emotion he felt, Hao Xuan could too, and vice versa.


    "Alright, keep going but keep an eye out," he said while raising all his senses to the max.


    Bai continued jumping from one shadow to another and soon went out of the city gates.


    From then onwards it became much easier to travel since there were essentially no soldiers here. The entire area was a vast open farnd as far the eye could see.


    With 30 more minutes of sprinting they reached an area overlooking the ce where the smoke wasing out from.


    It was a normal wheat field that went on for dozens of kilometers. There was a hole the size of two football fields put together in the middle of it.


    "Do you sense anyone nearby?" Hao Xuan asked Bai when he failed to find any signs of life himself. Bai''s ears perked and his eyes glistened with a strange light as he scoured the area. About 20 secondster he also shook his head confirming that there was nobody near them.


    Instead of feeling relieved, Hao Xuan found the entire situation even more strange.


    Why was ess to this ce blocked?


    Why was nobody here? Not even the soldiers themselves were anywhere near this ce and it seemed like they were avoiding it on purpose.


    Howe no one had been sent to check out what happened?


    This was anything but normal.


    "Okay, go closer, slowly," Hao Xuan said to Bai but they were in apletely open area. There was nowhere to hide here. There wasn''t a shadow where he could hide if something did go wrong.


    Still, Bai followed his orders and walked closer. About 10 meters away from the hole he suddenly stopped.


    Hao Xuan instantly tensed up.


    "What''s wrong? Do you see something?"


    It seemed like Bai couldn''t find the appropriate words. Hesitation was clear on his face.


    His head tilted to the side while his brow scrunched up in difort.


    "This ce is not good. We should not be here," his tone somber.


    "What? Why not?"


    "I....don''t know. But every fiber of my being is telling me to stay as far away from this ce as possible. Something very bad happened down there."


    Hao Xuan straightened his back and looked at the billowing smoke in front of him. He looked around him but there was still no sign of anyone.


    "Alright, I''ll go alone from here," Hao Xuan said before recalling Bai before he could say anything else. He felt the strong resistance Bai was putting up just to stand this close to the hole so he didn''t want to force him.


    With soft steps, he walked to the edge of the hole and looked down.


    About 30 feet below him the ground turned to cement. There were pieces of white granitelike materials embedded inside it. This manmadeyer was 10 feet thick.


    The smoke wasing from somewhere much much deeper within though. It seemed like this entire field was hollow from inside.


    As Hao Xuan peered downward, he couldn''t even see the bottom of it. It waspletely dark.


    He took out the ive and grasped it tightly. It vibrated in response, giving him a feeling of security and warmth.


    It seemed like his connection to the ive was much stronger than before. Now, whenever he held it he could feel its own lifeforce coursing through the shaft and the de. It truly was alive.


    With the ive in his hand, he moved to edge and used it as a pike to stab into the ground for support. And just like that, he slowly descended into the dark unknown.

 Chapter 271: Broken Wings

    <h4>Chapter 271: Broken Wings</h4>


    *Stab*


    Hao Xuan''s ive pierced the wall on the side of the unknown structure, shaking loose some dust and rocks from it.


    "How much further?" he asked Baracus internally.


    Since Baracus was tapped into his nervous system he didn''t HAVE to speak out loud to talk to him, it''s just that it felt more natural that way. Likewise, Baracus could send the visual and auditory information directly to Hao Xuan''s ears.


    Hao Xuan simply had to think of the words and Baracus would know.


    "Calcting the distance traveled so far, the echo of the rocks that just fell and the curvature of the wall, it shouldn''t be more than 17-18 meters to the floor."


    "Mhm."


    Hao Xuan continued down using the ive and a shortsword as support, trying to make as little noise as possible. In about 3 more minutes he reached the ground.


    It was a t surface with seemingly made out of a single uncut piece of some type of rock. His vision was severely limited here and he could only see up to 3 meters in front of him. With a wave of his hand, ck and White appeared on his shoulders.


    He nodded at White who proceeded to spit out a ball of concentrated ck me before swallowing it. He bit down on Hao Xuan''s ear lobe.


    Hao Xuan blinked once and his pupils turned vertical like White''s as the new energy circted within his body.


    The darkness subsided quite a bit and his vision got much much better. Now he could see normally for about 40 meters, but then a curtain of pitch-ck darkness blocked his view once again.


    Hao Xuan frowned upon seeing that.


    Thest time White had used his power, Hao Xuan was able to see in the dark as he would during the day. But now even though his line of sight expanded by a lot, the darkness was still there in the distance.


    ''That....isn''t normal...'' Hao Xuan thought.


    The curtain of darkness seemed like it was alive and was trying to diligently push back against White''s power, trying toe closer to Hao Xuan.


    Just looking at it gave him goosebumps. A cold shiver went down his spine at the thought ofing into contact with it.


    ck''s body stood up straight like a cobra and his muscles tensed as he looked in the same direction as Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan leaned in towards him and whispered.


    "Do...you feel that?"


    Still maintaining direct eye contact with theyers of darkness, ck moved his head up and down once. His immature voice ringing in Hao Xuan''s mind.


    "Something.....there..."


    Hao Xuan''s grip tightened around the ive instinctively as he pointed the tip in that direction. He lifted his feet that seemed to have be heavier than a block of steel and moved forward, carefully.


    The surroundings werepletely empty. Other than the smoke and rubble there was nothing else near them.


    ''Wait, the smoke!''


    Hao Xuan looked around but couldn''t find the source of the smoke. Nothing was on fire or burning. Hell, there was nothing TO burn around him. The smoke seemed to being out of thin air and billowing upwards.


    *Crumble*


    A loose rock fell from above, falling a few meters away from Hao Xuan and catching his attention. Startled, he turned to see where the noise hade from when he heard a deep hiss from his shoulder.


    *Hiss~*


    It wasn''t very loud but to Hao Xuan, it felt like it shook his very soul. He snapped his head to the side and looked at ck.


    ck was still staring at the original direction in front of him but his body was twice the original size now. His maw looked much more like his original appearance, with 4 rows of hooked teeth protruding outward.


    Every scale on his body seemed to be breathing, taking in the spiritual energy from the surroundings, readying to attack at a moment''s notice.


    "What happened?!" Hao Xuan mumbled out loud by ident. He had never seen ck react like this before.


    But ck did not respond and continued shooting daggers in that specific direction. His maw opened and closed, revealing his razor-sharp fangs threateningly at the darkness.


    Hao Xuan followed his line of sight but could see nothing there.


    *Gulp*


    He looked up and around him, even if he wanted to return right now it wouldn''t be very easy.


    "Ah, f*ck it," he mumbled under his breath and abruptly broke into a full-on sprint with the ive stretched outward.


    Just after a few steps, a vague figure came into his line of sight along the wall on the other side. Hao Xuan pointed the ive towards its head getting ready to attack when he saw it.


    "What the f*ck..."


    It was a statue. The figure belonged to a stone statue about 3 meters tall.


    It was of a human female with a blindfold over its eyes. It had two pairs of wings on its back that looked they were cut in half, a short dagger in its right hand while the left hand was wed like an animal''s.


    The right hand that held the dagger was pointing it forward.


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.


    "Haha, it''s just a stupid statue, see? Nothing to worry about," he patted ck''s head.


    Confusion was apparent in ck''s eyes as he looked the statue up and down. He couldn''t understand what he was seeing.


    "For god sakes, I almost peed myself..." Hao Xuan jokingly mumbled to himself.


    Thank god no one was around to see him right now otherwise he would have to leave this ce out of pure embarrassment.


    "Let''s go," he said to ck and moved to the right. Now that he could see the other wall it was easy to get a sense of direction in this dark ce. He stuck to the wall and kept moving silently.


    Every few meters there would be another statue.


    They all looked simr. All of them were of blindfolded females with broken wings and a wed left hand. The right hand though held different things. Some had swords, some had hammers and maces, some even had human skulls and hearts.


    It was quite eerie, to say the least.


    ck still didn''t let his guard down and stared at each and even statue threateningly.


    30 more minutes of walking and the structure came to an end. In front of him were 9 paths leading further in.


    They all looked identical and had nothing beside them other than the two statues.


    "Hmm...which one...

 Chapter 272: Weary

    <h4>Chapter 272: Weary</h4>


    "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, Catch a tiger by the toe, If he hollers let him go, Eeny, meeny, miny and moe, This one I guess.." Hao Xuan pointed at the third path.


    "Right?" he looked at ck for confirmation but found him staring at the statues once again. He smiled and gently scratched his head.


    "Rx, they might be ugly but they''re not dangerous."


    Still holding onto his trusty ive Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and entered the third path from the left.


    The sound of his footsteps rang loudly in the empty pathway that seemed to have been carved out rock and stone. The curtain of darkness followed closely behind, maintaining a distance of 40 meters that slowly kept shrinking.


    The pathway twisted and turned over 30 times, going further down into the ground. Hao Xuan kept thinking why they couldn''t just make it go straight down but could find no exnation himself. Putting in lifts wasn''t such a big deal here.


    The deeper the path went, the staler the air be. A smell akin to rotting flesh starting filling up the pathway.


    After a brisk walk of approximately 15 more minutes, the path''s end drew near. He slowed down and held his breath to minimize all sound.


    The pathway opened up into arge room. Its ceiling wasn''t visible which meant it was more than 40 meters tall, neither were the walls.


    Next to the entrance stood two more statues, these ones slightly different than the others he had passed on the way over.


    These two weren''t blindfolded and were staring right at the entrance, where Hao Xuan was standing.


    Their right hands held a chain and a whip, while the left held something resembling a brain and a heart.


    Hao Xuan shook away the ufortable feeling he got from the statues and made his way further in.


    10 feet in, a cage came into view. It looked like an old iron cage but there were traces of a dark blue metal lining its edges.


    Hao Xuan moved closer and as he stretched his hand to touch the cage, he felt his Qi thrum in response.


    ''This feeling...''


    He remembered this feeling from somewhere. This feeling of...suppressioning from the cage, or rather the blue metal on the edge.


    "Zenkai. Don''t touch it, its made of Zenkai," Baracus warned as Hao Xuan''s hand drew closer to the cage. He stopped and looked down at the watch.


    "What''s is it?"


    "A rather rare metal. It disturbs, restricts, and suppresses spiritual energy in every shape and form. The natural enemy of cultivators. I can sense some traces of inscriptions around the cage. It seems like they were used to imprison cultivators, illegally."


    "Illegally?" Hao Xuan''s brow scrunched up.


    "How could it be illegal?"


    "Supply of Zenkai is controlled byrger powers. They are not allowed to be used under normal circumstances. Not to mention they are extremely pricey and hard to get a hold off unless you know someone that deals under the table, so to speak."


    "Judging from the corrosion marks on the bars, this cell is about 2-3 years old at least. And I have no record of such a huge shipment of Zenkai evering into the kingdom."


    Hao Xuan examined the shimmering blue metal and got even more confused. It surely wasn''t a small amount but it wasn''t that big either.


    "It''s really not that much. There''s a single outline of it around the edge of the cell. About a few kilograms at most."


    "Yes, but that''s only for this cell. Count the rest as well."


    "The rest....?"


    Hao Xuan squinted hard as he looked around and his mouth fell open.


    He was standing in front of a single cell, behind which was an entire row. To the left and right, there were several dozen rows of cells as well, all identical in design to the one in front.


    "1, 2, 3, 4....hundreds.." Hao Xuan mumbled.


    "Thousands. There are thousands of these cells here," Baracus corrected him quickly.


    "What the hell was going on down here?!" Hao Xuan couldn''t help but be flustered. This was not a simple ''secret'' militarypound as the others were led to believe.


    "What''s the range on your radar or whatever thing you used to detect these cells?"


    "It''s several kilometers normally but there seems to be some interference in here. I can only detect inorganic material up to 500 meters right now."


    "Alright, keep it turned on. Tell me as soon as you find anything strange," Hao Xuan murmured and started walking deeper into the ''prison'' withrge steps.


    He passed by an endless number of cells, every single one containing some traces of being upied in recent history. There was blood, hair, patches of skin, and even some fecal matter left in many of them.


    In a few, he found dried out skeletons belonging to humans and beasts alike. It seemed like they had been starved to death. Their skin stuck to their bones as maggots and worms crawled in and out, still digesting and breaking it down.


    3 minutester.


    *Beep*


    "Something''s up ahead," Baracus warned.


    At this point, Hao Xuan was more angry than scared. Who the hell was behind all this?


    The room seemed like it was finallying at an end as the rows of cells became scarce. Arge round tform came into view.


    The middle of the tform held an altar about 2 meters wide and 3 meters long. Around it stood nine statues, looking straight at the altar. There was dried up blood all along the floor, filling up the engravings in the tform.


    *Cough*Cough*


    Hao Xuan covered his nose and mouth with his left hand as the stench of rotting flesh impacted him head-on.


    It was way too strong, or maybe his senses were too sharp. But either way, he could barely keep his eyes open as they started watering.


    "What is it? I don''t detect anything," Baracus asked when he felt the change in Hao Xuan''s condition.


    "The smell. The horrible stench!" Hao Xuan muttered with gritted teeth.


    The closer he got to the altar, the stronger it became.


    But he still did not halt his advance.


    As he stepped upon the tform the scenes from the other side of the altar came into view. It was a sea of corpses. Of rotting corpses.


    Bodies of everyone from infants and toddlers to still pregnant women and old men were scattered across the room which seemed to go on without end.


    *Belch*


    Hao Xuan keeled over and vomited. But since he hadn''t eaten anything the only thing that came out was stomach acid.


    "What the F*CK! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PLA-"


    He started shouting but came to a sudden halt when a face he recognized passed by his eyes.


    *ng*


    His grip loosened and the ive fell down to the ground with a bang.


    "N-No...it can''t be..." he mumbled while fumbling towards the bruised naked body at the top of the sea of corpses.


    Her cold lifeless eyes stared directly at him. Those kind eyes that always seemed to be apanying a bright smile now looked worn out.


    Her body that was the very embodiment of "youthful vigor" was ruined beyond recognition. He didn''t want to believe it, didn''t want to see it, but it was right there. The words finally escaped his mouth.


    "F-Fith sister..."

 Chapter 273: The Hooded Ones

    <h4>Chapter 273: The Hooded Ones</h4>


    "F-Fith sister..."


    His throat was so dry that just saying her name felt like swallowing des.


    He stepped on top of the severed hands and feet and reached out to her, pulling her away from the tens of thousands of other corpses.


    Her bright red hair that she was so proud of had patches missing along with her scalp making a bloody scene. It seemed like someone had pulled her hair with such force that the skin itself came off.


    Both her legs were bent backwads, her arms covered in bloody scratches. She was missing the nails of her fingers. Seemed like they had been pulled out.


    Her ribs were poking out of her abdomen, proof of the numerous beatings she had received.


    Her pretty face was perhaps the only body part left intact.


    Her eyes seemed hollow and weary with dried streaks of blood stuck to the side of her face. But out of all the things, it was her expression that caught Hao Xuan''s eye. It wasn''t one of pain or disgust, but one of relief.


    She must have been so relieved at her time of death that an expression of relief was embedded in her countenance even after the soul had left the body.


    That''s what hurt Hao Xuan the most. She was tortured to the point of crying bloody tears and even weing death with open arms.


    He shook his hand and a robe appeared in his grasp which he used it to cover her up, giving her some modicum of dignity after death.


    "Who....?"


    That was the only thing he wanted to know. A name, just a single name would be enough to get started. To start a bloody massacre from one side of the kingdom to another.


    *Beep*


    Baracus''s hesitant voice rang in his ears, waking him from his daze.


    "Something....ising."


    He gentlyid down her body near the edge of the tform and closed her eyes.


    He wiped the tears from the side of her face with his shirt with a half-smile on his face. A smile that would send shivers down the spine of everyone that was unfortunate enough to witness it.


    "Don''t worry, they will not have an easy death. The ones that did this to you, not a single one of them will have aplete corpse by the time I''m done with them. I''ll show them what real pain is."


    He whispered into her ears as if she could actually hear him. But it wasn''t for her, it was more of a promise to himself.


    With a wave of his hand her body disappeared. He couldn''t leave her in this wretched ce and carrying it out while fighting would not be feasible, so he stored it away in a storage ring.


    He stood up and looked at the innumerable other corpses in front of him. Most of them were in an even worse condition, missing limbs and whatnot.


    The more he looked at them, the colder his eyes became. There was an entire pile of corpses on the side made up of children. And it seemed like they had been treated the same as the others.


    *Tap*Tap*Tap*


    Sound of footsteps came from behind him. He turned around to face the source of the noise. It seemed like it was a group of 10-15 peopleing his way.


    He held out his hand and the ive which had beenying on the tform starting shaking and suddenly flew into his grasp. (Imagine Thor calling Mjolnir)


    This was one of the many perks of having a living weapon.


    Living weapons could understand and respond to their master''s wishes. When the bond between the user and the weapon was strong enough, they could even take human forms.


    After stepping into the Spirit Realm, information regarding many such abilities had be avable to him. Every now and then he could even hear whispers from the ive, it seemed like it was eager to speak up but couldn''t right now.


    With the ive in his hand, he stepped as far back from the tform as possible while still maintaining visual on it, i.e at the edge of his now 37-meter radius line of sight.


    When he held the ive, everything he was currently feeling was passed onto it. The overwhelming bloodlust coursed through it, making it shake with delight. Because what kind of a weapon wouldn''t like killing? Weapons were made to take the lives of others and right now, that''s all Hao Xuan wanted.


    He took in a deep breath to calm himself down, or as much as he could in a situation like this.


    His two hearts slowed down their beating. It was slower but much more forceful than before. It felt like mini-explosions were taking ce inside his chest. Whenever he was ready to attack, they would give him a burst of energy toy waste to everything in front of him.


    "Rx, let them get closer," he whispered to ck when he saw his body start to expand.


    ck looked at Hao Xuan and nodded hesitantly. Being so close to him, he could also feel his raw emotions that were like a dark cloud hovering atop his head.


    ck''s body which was now about 4 meters long coiled around Hao Xuan''s chest, waiting to pounce at the iing targets.


    As they came closer, Hao Xuan could hear them chatting with one another.


    There were two different groups of people with ck hoods hiding their faces.


    The ones on the right were about 7 people with 1 in the front, probably their leader. And the ones on the left were about 10 people with 2 in the front.


    The ones in the lead were loudly arguing with another other.


    "Goddamnit, how did they even escape? Who was on duty tonight?" the one of the right asked.


    "I don''t f*cking know man," one of the 2 on the left replied while waving his hand like it wasn''t any of his business.


    "The seniors aren''t gonna be happy about this."


    "What can we do now? There''s only so long we can hold back the mortal armies so we have to make a move right now."


    "F*ck! It took us so long to make this ce. This was going to be the next headquarters for this entire region."


    "I know, but what''s done is done. Get moving, remove all the evidence."


    "Has the cover story been written up already?"


    "Yeah, we''re saying that it was the work of those new humans that came in a few years back. We even captured a few of them already."

 Chapter 274: The Hooded Ones continued

    <h4>Chapter 274: The Hooded Ones continued</h4>


    "Yeah, we''re saying that it was the work of those new humans that came in a few years back. We even captured a few of them already."


    "Already? That was fast."


    "You know the upper management, they always have a n in ce. These ones were trained for just such a scenario..."


    They reached the tform while talking to one another and walked up to the altar.


    All of them got down on their knees and kowtowed 3 times in front of it, like a prayer of sorts. The 3 leaders then walked next to it and started chanting in a low voice. It was in anguage that Hao Xuan couldn''t understand, even with the basic knowledge from Poriverse.


    That meant that either thenguage was of no interest to Poriverse or he hadn''t had the pleasure ofing across anyone that spoke it, but either way, Hao Xuan wasn''t going to sit around and let them do as they pleased.


    While the leaders were busy doing that, the other 14 formed an arc and started walking towards the sea of corpses.


    In their hands were wooden torches that burned with a flickering blue me. They extended their hands as far out as possible, seemingly scared of the blue me.


    The mes kept waving left and right like they were trying to chase something away. From their stiff movements, it was clear that none of them wanted to be in this ce.


    Fear oozed from their every move.


    "Know what that me is?" Hao Xuan asked Baracus internally.


    "There are numerous azure mes, each with its own unique properties. I don''t have enough information to make an educated guess at this point, but I suggest you stay away from it."


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Noted, I''ll try."


    The person nearest to him seemed like a female, or so he guessed. He couldn''t actually see the face but the small stature and the movements of ''her'' hands and the swaying of hips seemed very feminine.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and Ensis appeared behind him like a shadow. In the pitch ck darkness, you wouldn''t even be able to tell he was there even if he was right behind you.


    "Master," he bowed immediately upon feeling Hao Xuan''s overwhelming bloodlust.


    Hao Xuan didn''t have much of a reaction to it and simply ryed his order.


    "Other than the three in the middle, kill all the rest when the timees."


    Ensis followed Hao Xuan''s line of sight and looked at the tform. Instantly, his pupils constricted to the size of needle holes.


    "Master! Those ar-"


    "Talkter, kill first," Hao Xuan whispered, cutting him off seeing that the female was within 6 meters of him.


    As he spoke, the female stopped in her tracks. Raising the torch above her head she pulled back her hood and squinted hard.


    Hao Xuan could see her face clearly now. It wasn''t anyone he recognized but what caught his attention was the ne that was hanging from her neck. It was giving off waves off some kind of energy that epassed her entire body.


    The energy output was so minute that he was barely able to sense it this up close.


    ***


    This was her very first day out in the field after finishing her training.


    She had never even stepped into this room before which her seniors referred to as the "Birthing Chamber". Birth of what or why? She had no idea.


    All she knew was that none of the prisoners that went in ever came out. And now she knew why.


    The countless corpses in front of her were the proof that every rumor she had heard in training was true.


    She was summoned prematurely along with the 13 others to help out tonight. They were all given nes made out of bones and teeth and were told to never take them off as long as they were inside this area.


    From the female''s perspective, she heard a light whisper carried by the wind, startling her to the very core.


    She looked towards the source of the whisper, or where she thought it came from but could see nothing there. Until she noticed something.


    "Wait....what is that...?" with narrowed eyes she warily stepped forward, towards the two glowing green lights hovering in the air.


    She rubbed her own eyes thinking that it was her own imagination but they were still there.


    She turned around to call her seniors toe and check it out when a whooshing sound came from the front.


    "Eh..?"


    Before she could turn around her vision blurred for a second and she saw the most unusual thing. She saw herself standing there holding the torch. In front of her stood the pair of green lights and a ck and silver de reflecting the blue me from the torch. And then she noticed another peculiar thing, she was missing her head.


    "Oh.....right..." was thest thought that passed through her mind before her soul left this mortal coil.


    Her death came so swiftly and so suddenly that she could never have expected it, but then again, few seldom do.


    *Copse*


    Her body went limp and fell to the dusty ground, alerting the other 13 standing not too far away from her. They looked over and saw her headless corpse. And then a pale figure slowly stepped into her torch''s light.


    The light wasn''t bright enough to show every little detail, but those pair of cold eyes and that massive weapon in its hand was enough to ring every warning bell in their minds.


    "INTRUDE-"


    The one closest to the female was the first to snap back to his senses. He threw the torch towards Hao Xuan and took out his sword while shouting, but before the sword even left its sheath his head flew up into the air as Ensis silently appeared behind him.


    "INTRUDER!"


    "SOMEONE IS HERE!"


    Unfortunately, the rest of them were much quicker. They threw down the torches and took out their respective weapons while moving back towards the tform.


    The three that were chanting next to the altar suddenly stood up. Two of them moved to the front while thest one remained standing next to the altar, continuing the chant.


    "What?! How is this possible? I thought we were the first ones here!"


    Therger hooded figure muttered through gritted teeth.


    "Who are you? This ce belongs to the kingdom of Mei!" the other, a slightly smaller figure shouted towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan ced his left index finger in front of his lips as they arched up into a sinister smile.


    "Sshhh, kill now, talkter."


    Ensis shot towards another one of the unsuspecting victims with such speed that even Hao Xuan had trouble following his movements. His de pierced through the intended target, cutting him cleanly in half.


    Therger hooded figure staggered backwards while clutching the ne on his chest.


    "This madman! Do you know what this ce is?! Stop your bullsh*t right now! You''ll kill us all!"


    Hao Xuan started walking towards them with wider and faster steps, eventually breaking out in a light jog.


    "Oh I intend to. None of you will leave here in one piece."


    "Heavenly re"


    *BOOOOM*

 Chapter 275: Sword Arts

    <h4>Chapter 275: Sword Arts</h4>


    The muscles along his thighs and legs expanded by about twice their normal size. Thick veins spread along the length of his limbs threatening to pop without a moment''s notice.


    The ground underneath his feet cracked and then shattered as put force into his legs with gritted teeth.


    "Heavenly re!"


    *BOOOOM*


    A peal of thunder resonated within the enclosed space of the chamber, taking everyone by surprise. A shockwave spread towards the tform, visible even by the naked eye.


    Perhaps the most surprised and unprepared were the two men on the tform that hadn''t even taken out their weapons for some strange reason.


    Being the actual intended targets of the sound wave, they took the brunt of the force. Before Hao Xuan himself arrived, the aftereffects of Heavenly re had reached the altar.


    Therger hooded man raised his hairy arms in front of him and bent his knees, trying his very best to block theing impact using his own body.


    The leaner man was much lessposed than him. His knees buckled straight away from the initial shockwave and he had to dig and grab hold of the engravings on the tform to not get thrown away.


    The side effects of Heavenly re had be much more ''firm'' and ''deep'' after he broke through the Spirit Realm. The shockwave produced as a result of it was stupendously powerful and could now be aimed in a certain direction, as opposed to before when it simply spread out in a circle around him.


    As it stood, it could count as its own technique just from this.


    But this was true for every single one of his skills and techniques. Each of them had be stronger. By how much? He had no idea himself, at least not yet.


    The leaner man seemed especially weak to auditory attacks. His body shook several times as he unsteadily tried to stand back up.


    "S-Stop! You''ll wake them up! For god sakes, sto-"


    He started speaking in a worried tone but as he raised his head to look at Hao Xuan, his heart actually skipped a beat.


    The man that was 30+ meters away a second ago was now standing in front of him with a ck de pointed at his neck.


    Heavenly re''s speed even took Hao Xuan by surprise. Just now he had reached speeds of 108 km/h. This was the result of his upgraded physique and Heavenly re working in tandem.


    This was faster than a horse from earth galloping at full speed, which was around 88 km/h maximum.


    Hao Xuan could clearly see the man''s face right now. The fear of death had crept in and taken hold, leaving him powerless in front of him. But instead of being delighted, Hao Xuan frowned.


    ''Why were they so weak? This person probably hadn''t even been a real-life battle before, why was he here?''


    The man saw Hao Xuan''s emotionless eyes staring down at him and he almost p*ssed himself. Why was this happening to him? He was just a clerk sent to bring the altar back.


    "D-Don''t! Please! You''ll kill us all!"


    He shouted, trying to stop warn Hao Xuan, but it was to no avail.


    With his brow still scrunched up, he brought the de down and decapitated him at once.


    "That is the n you know," he murmured as the man''s head rolled a few feet away.


    Although all this took a while to describe, no more than 4 seconds had passed since he activated Heavenly re.


    The burly man had managed to stand his ground, for the most part, keeping the shockwave from hitting the third man behind him who was still chanting away next to the altar with beads of sweat falling down the side of his face.


    Hao Xuan nced at them with a raised eyebrow. If the burly man had wanted, he could have done something to stop Hao Xuan from killing the 2nd man, yet he chose to stay by the 3rd man''s side and protect him. For what reason?


    ''The chant! So it can''t be stopped?''


    Looking at the 3rd man who was nowpletely drenched in sweat, a malicious smile made its way across his visage.


    It seemed like this really was a task for more people because that 3rd man was shaking like a leaf in a storm. His breathing was erratic and his Qi out of control.


    Hao Xuan took a step forward, grabbing the burly man''s attention.


    "Whatever you''re doing, it''s not going to work. You won''t make it till the end."


    The burly man shook his hands and a pair of short daggers appeared in his grasp. He pointed the des at Hao Xuan and stood in between him and the 3rd man.


    "Kid, you don''t know what you''re messing with. This is not a ce to fight, stop this at once!"


    Hao Xuan looked over the burly man''s shoulder and nodded, "Do it."


    Ensis who was standing in the distance bowed with his head and looked at the remaining 10+ people gathered in front of him.


    "Great Imperial Hegemony!"


    7 ck swords materialized above his head. These weren''t just des like before, butplete swords.


    7 swords, each one slightly different than the one before. These were the very embodiment of his mastery over the sword arts. He had received these through the Dark GodFiend blood inheritance.


    He bent his knees, getting into an attacking pose and raised the sword in his hand in front of him. The 7 above followed suit.


    The de of each sword started humming with a low pitch, energy building up inside them.


    "First Strike: Dismemberment!"


    By the time the words had left his mouth, Ensis''s body had long disappeared from the original spot.


    "Ahhh!"


    "Argh"


    *Squelch*


    *Stab*


    *Rip*


    Like a wolf in a chickens coop, he shot forward with the des blending in with the darkness to the point of bing almost invisible.


    The poor unfortunate souls stood no chance against his sword arts which were created by a True God.


    Their screams echoed for less than a second before silence reigned over the chamber once again.


    By the time his feet touched the ground, all that was left in his path was a row of torsos. No heads, arms or legs anywhere near them.


    Hao Xuan''s smile widened upon seeing Ensis''s handy work. He turned towards the burly man.


    "I only need one of you to answer my questions, chose. Him, or yourself?"

 Chapter 276: Specters

    <h4>Chapter 276: Specters</h4>


    Hao Xuan raised the ive, pointing it at the burly man.


    "Choose, him or yourself?"


    The man''s frown deepened by several degrees. He looked at Hao Xuan and then at Ensis from the corner of his eyes.


    Thinking that even he wouldn''tst long if he was besieged by two people in this ce, especially with the ne still on his body.


    "Listen to me, I don''t know who you are or what you want, but we cannot fight here," he said in such a calm manner that it took Hao Xuan by surprise. Amused and curious, he decided to humor him.


    "And why is that?"


    "That- I can''t say," he shook his head hesitantly. "But know that I''m not lying. There is no reason to. That fire, the second it burns out we will be in big trouble," he pointed at the 12 still burning torches on the ground not far from them. The blue me was flickering lightly, hanging on by a thread.


    "What is that me?" Hao Xuan gestured towards it with his chin.


    "It''s a wormwood me. Its only function is-"


    "To keep away the spirits of the dead!" Baracus suddenly cut in with a shaky voice. This was the first time Hao Xuan had heard the panic in Baracus''s tone of voice.


    Hao Xuan''s smirk vanished as he looked at the numerous corpses just a few dozen meters away from him.


    "Spirits of the dead¡­?"


    The burly man faltered when Hao Xuan finished his sentence. How could someone here know the function of a wormwood me?


    But it was good that he knew. He wouldn''t have to exin everything to Hao Xuan if he got the gist of the situation. He peeked at the 3rd man behind him, inwardly urging him to finish the prayer faster.


    The man let out a sigh of relief but froze stiff when he heard Hao Xuan''s next words.


    "Doesn''t matter. Not the first time I''ve seen the deade to life. I''ll just choose for you since you seem to be dragging it out on purpose."


    "WHA- WAIT! You fool!"


    *ng*


    He managed to raise his daggers just in time to block the meter-long curved de of Hao Xuan''s ive that was aiming for his head. The man''s expression turned livid. He couldn''t believe how unreasonable his opponent was.


    His eyes became resolute as gritted his teeth. He grabbed the ne hanging from his neck and pulled, breaking it into several pieces.


    "Fine! So be it!"


    *Whoosh*


    A surge of concentrated Qi erupted from the man''s body. His cultivation which was temporarily sealed away by the ne''s power erupted like a volcano. Spirit Realm 9th Stage!


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed when he felt the man''s cultivation level. It felt like he was standing in front of a torrential wave.


    ''The ne really was hiding it'' he thought while tightening his grip around the ive''s shaft.


    "Help me take him down," he said to Ensis through their soul connection. Ensis nodded back and unleashed his full power. His bloodline was activated in its entirety.


    The seven des hovering above his head started quivering as ayer of ck energy surrounded them. Ensis''s appearance started to change as well. The ck energy twisted and turned, surrounding Ensispletely.


    It formed a robe around his body which looked extremely simple without any engravings or designs but gave off an undeniable aura of sturdiness.


    Seeing Ensis take out everything in his arsenal, Hao Xuan knew the situation wasn''t as simple as he had initially thought. Rather than ying around with the man, he decided to go all out as well.


    "Infernal Rapture: 2nd Strike"


    Streaks of ck lightning covered Hao Xuan ''s arms and then proceeded to do the same to the entirety of the ive, making it let out a whirring sound, like it was getting windup.


    "Assault of the Mad God!"


    His arms which were already quite muscr swelled up even more, changing to a shade of ck. All the energies were gleefully running throughout his body.


    The burly man''s eyes became serious and his forehead unconsciously creased up.


    He knew both of the attackers were only at the beginning stages of the Spirit realm so he was expecting to finish the fight quickly, before those fiendish creatures got his scent, but it looked like that wasn''t going to be the case anymore.


    "Fine, remember kid, you asked for this," he said in a low voice while activating his trump card.


    "Hngh!"


    The space around him distorted. It looked like there was an invisibleyer of ''something'' around him.


    "Go!" Hao Xuan shouted.


    Ensis and Hao Xuan both jumped towards him together, one from the back and one from the front.


    The dagger in the man''s hands started glowing with a yellow light. He used the left one to block Hao Xuan, and the other to stab at Ensis and the seven swords.


    In an instant, his right hand stabbed out more than 10 times. Even Ensis was taken by surprise at the speed of the man''s attacks. He had to use the sword in his hand to deflect the attacks to the sides.


    Meanwhile, Hao Xuan felt like he was trying to push away a rampaging elephant. How could that flimsy little dagger be this heavy?


    It was actually the yellow color of the dagger that should have been the biggest clue. The daggers were imbued with weight inscriptions. This meant that the burly man could control their weight at will, up to a certain limit.


    They could be as light as feathers, or as heavy as entire mountains.


    It seemed like the man was a true professional and an expert at using the daggers. He alternated their weights in the blink of an eye. When he was blocking they would be heavy, and light when he attacked.


    Along with his superb technique and uracy, it seemed like he had the upper hand. The daggers left yellowish arc''s in the air that thrummed for several seconds.


    ck also joined in the fight and attacked whenever there was a chance.


    Deafening booms continuously reverberated in the chamber whenever they met.


    A few minutes went by like this and the 3rd man that was chanting next to the altar threw up a mouthful of blood and fell down to his knees.


    The altar started shaking and then lifted up off the ground. It started decreasing in size until it was nothing more than a speck of dust, at which point it turned into a ray of light and shot towards the man''s forehead, vanishing within.


    "I-It''s done!" he shouted weakly before passing out.


    *Rumble*


    The tform shook once and then cracked right across the middle.


    *Whooooosh*


    A breeze started blowing in the enclosed chamber. There were no windows or openings other than the one entrance they all came through, so this caught everyone''s attention.


    The burly man nced towards the flickering me which was on the verge of going out. There were only 2 torches left now.


    ''Not good, they''re almost awake!'' he looked around worriedly.


    But no matter how he tried he couldn''t get rid of Hao Xuan and Company. He had tried escaping several times but they stuck to him like glue.


    *Crrrrrrrrrr* (Google Kayako Saeki sound, that''s what this is supposed to be like)


    As soon as that crackling sound reached the burly man''s ears, his entire frame shook. He snapped his head to the right, looking towards the sea of corpses with narrowed eyes.


    Ensis took the opportunity and stabbed, impaling the man with 3 of the floating swords. Yet the man still didn''t look away.


    With a deep frown, Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and saw something that would give him nightmares for a long time.


    The corpses were pushed away as semi-transparent flickering silhouettes started appearing above them. 1, 2, 10, 30, 500, 10,000, there was no limit. Every second more and more of them came out and stood atop the corpse sea.


    They didn''t even remotely resemble humans beings.


    With elongated bony limbs, 3-4 times the size of the main bodies, a few strands of hair waving above their scalps and small disjointed heads moving around independently from their bodies, these nightmarish creatures were enough to scare even the bravest of warriors. (Pic in author note)


    Horrendous wails echoed in the chamber, announcing the arrival of the beings from beyond the veil.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Original link: https://i.pinimg/564x/24/b7/06/24b706a4e1f6e1dba07759362d2fefb6.jpg


    Short link: https://urlzs/UoSWu

 Chapter 277: Unforeseen Circumstances

    <h4>Chapter 277: Unforeseen Circumstances</h4>


    Every hair on Hao Xuan''s body stood straight up. The countless creatures in front of him were letting out heart-wrenching shrieks that had a strange effect on everyone present.


    None of these powerful cultivators could properly control their Qi''s.


    Hao Xuan was forced out of Infernal Rapture and Assualt of the Mad God, returning to his normal self.


    The same happened to the burly man. Only Ensis retained his full power but it seemed like that wasn''t going to be the case for much longer.


    His ck robe was fluttering without any wind, seemingly putting up a resistance against the shrieks of these horrendous creatures.


    Hao Xuan''s visage turned unsightly.


    "What the hell are those things?!" he shouted inwardly.


    *Beep*


    "Specters! When an innocent person dies a sudden and tragic death, theirst moments filled with torment and suffering, their souls are corrupted beyond recognition and can return to the mortal realm to exact vengeance."


    "Exact vengeance? So we''re safe then right? Since none of this was our fault?"


    "No, they do not see it that way. For them, every living creature had a hand in their untimely demise. That means that no one alive is safe. And the stronger the lifeforce, the more attractive you are to them. This ce is not safe, you need to escape right this second, before they wake uppletely."


    Baracus''s solemn voice rang in Hao Xuan''s ears, informing him of the severity of the situation.


    ***


    As Baracus had exined, Specters were creatures of the spiritual type. This meant that normal physical attacks wouldn''t work against them, while they could easily attack all living things.


    And because of their hate towards the living, by their very nature, they were a threat to all other existences. Their cries made cultivators Qi''s go berserk, their baleful auras destroyed the very lifeforce from the surroundings, they could move through matter and nothing could stop them unless it was backed by a spiritual power.


    With so many of them, there was no telling the amount of damage they could do if they escaped to the surface.


    ***


    The burly man''s knees went weak and he copsed onto the floor while throwing up several mouthfuls of blood.


    All the resistance he was putting up against Ensis''s attack vanished when his Qi went out of control. Ensis''s 3 swords were still inside his body but even they were shaking non-stop.


    Ensis''s expression was distorted to a degree, evidence of the amount of pressure he was in trying to maintain his current form. He looked at Hao Xuan pleadingly.


    "M-Master, we have to leave, right now!"


    Hao Xuan who was still in a daze from the cold energy that was starting toe off of the Specters woke up and nodded.


    "Y-Yeah, let''s go."


    Ensis waved his hand, pulling the 3 des out of the burly man''s back. Yet it seemed like it was already toote for him. The man''s face was pale white and blood continuously poured out of his wounds.


    He raised his head with some effort and met Hao Xuan''s gaze.


    "L-Look....what...you did. You''ve doomed....us...all.."


    Hao Xuan who was about to leave suddenly stopped. He bent down and stared right into the man''s eyes.


    "You did this. All of you. You tortured those poor souls so much that they couldn''t even move on to the afterlife. You''ve brought this on yourselves, not me."


    The man was barely holding on as it was but Hao Xuan''sment was thest nail in his proverbial coffin.


    *Fssh*


    A stream of blood spurted out from his wounded chest, coloring the ground red. It looked like he had a lot more to say but didn''t have the energy or the physical capability to do so anymore. All he could do was grab hold of Hao Xuan''s arm.


    "You deserve everything that''sing for you. Maybe now you''ll be able to realize your mistakes."


    Having said that he shook away the dying man''s hand and stood up.


    He walked up to the other copsed man to the side, the one who somehow had taken the altar inside his body and picked him up.


    He looked at Ensis, "Let''s go," and started running towards the exit.


    *Crrrrr*


    The noise from Hao Xuan and Ensis''s retreat alerted the few hundred specters closest to them. They turned around and saw Hao Xuan''s back bing smaller and smaller in the shadows, and then at the burly man who wasying in a pool of his blood.


    The choice was obvious. Over 300 specters dragged their squirming bodies towards him. All the blood that was seeping out of his wounds acted like a guiding light in a stormy night.


    Using thest bit of strength left in him, the man tried to crawl away but the specters caught up to him within seconds.


    *Crack*


    "AHHHHH"


    *Riiip~*


    *Chomp*


    *Stter*


    In the empty chamber, the sound of the burly man''s screams and his flesh and bones being ripped apart echoed loudly. Some even reached Hao Xuan''s ears with his remarkable hearing.


    He wasn''t listening for it but still heard them. It wasn''t the first time he had heard such sounds but these ones were especially disturbing.


    With Hao Xuan at the front, the unconscious man on his shoulder, ck around his waist and Ensis behind him, the party sprinted out with everything they had.


    *ssh*


    As Hao Xuan stepped back into the man area with the 9 paths, he stepped into some water.


    ''Where did thise from?'' he looked down at the several inches of water at his feet but didn''t give it too much thought.


    Just as he was about to speed off, shrieks and screams of help came from the other 8 chambers.


    "AHHH~"


    "RUN! RUN!"


    "MONSTERS!"


    "DON''T LEAVE ME PLEASE! hELP!"


    It seemed like the specters had started spreading throughout the structure, towards the other chambers which seemed to have been inhabited by people as well.


    "Master, they''re about to catch up as well," Ensis urged when he felt the cold breeze on the nape of his neck. The specters were almost upon them.


    "Unh, let''s go," Hao Xuan nodded. He turned towards the other chambers and shed out with his ive, destroying arge portion of the area right above the entrances.


    Large amount of rocks and rubble fell, blocking the entrances. He wanted to make sure that as many of those b*stards would die as possible. Although they had the wormfood mes with them, their cultivations were also restricted.


    Even if some of them managed to reach the entrances, they would be locked in by the rubble and would have to take off their nes to escape, which would, in turn, attract more specters.


    He ran towards the area he hade down from and reached it within a couple of minutes.


    This was the source of the water. At some point it had started raining heavily, and all of it was pouring down here from the giant hole in the ceiling. The water was already up to his knees.


    "Go," he patted ck''s head and his body started expanding. In less than 5 seconds ck was back to his original size at over 200 meters. He lowered his head, prompting Hao Xuan to get on.


    ***


    At the top, there was a team of 5 standing on guard. Their job was to make sure no one else went in until their people returned. One among them was a rookie named Alex who was curiously staring into the ck hole.


    "Hmm? What''s that...?" he mumbled when something moved in the darkness.

 Chapter 278: Alex

    <h4>Chapter 278: Alex</h4>


    "Hmm? What''s that...?"


    The darkness undted incessantly, twisting and turning on its own.


    "What? You see something?" a voice softly asked.


    While Alex was staring at the dark pit, one of his seniors walked overseeing him bending down over the hole like that.


    Both of their faces were covered by hoods but from the voice and figure, it was obvious she was a girl, and quite an attractive one at that if the tight robe she had on was anything to go by.


    She yfully smacked Alex''s behind, startling him. He spun around and covered his bottom with his hands while taken a step back.


    "S-Sister Rhea, please stop doing that! I-I will tell master on you!"


    Although he was trying to threaten her, his shaky voice and cowardly demeanor only made this sister Rhea more aggressive.


    She pulled aside her robe and leaned forward, revealing the ck skin-tight leather one-piece underneath with a heart-shaped hole in the middle of her chest.


    "Why? Don''t you want to y with senior sister for a bit? Why don''t you keep mepany in this cold weather tonight? Hm? Trust me, you won''t regret it!" she licked her lips while eyeing her junior brother.


    Looking at her red lips, the hair on Alex''s arms stood straight up.


    ''Damn demoness! Master warned me about your tricks, they won''t work on me!'' he told himself inwardly while taking a few more steps back, stopping at the very edge of the hole.


    He was well aware of the tricks her ''kind'' pulled to bring in new prey, and he wasn''t going to fall for any of them.


    Rhea smiled mischievously looking at her cute junior brother. He was just her type and she had been trying to ''get'' him for a while, but he never let his guard down in front of her.


    "How many times have I told you not to mess around on the job?" a deep voice came from some distance away.


    Rhea turned around and saw another hooded figureing towards them. This one was much taller at around 7 feet, with wide shoulders and a greatsword on his back.


    Every single step of his was as steady as a rock. Just the way he walked was enough to leave the spectators with wide eyes.


    An invisible pressure wasing off his body. If observed carefully, people would see that even in this heavy rain he waspletely dry.


    Every raindrop that wasing in his direction was sliced apart by an invisible force and pushed away at thest second.


    "Gertrude! This is none of your business!" Rhea shouted back grumpily.


    "As long as I am the squad leader, everything you do is my business. Don''t test me, wench, I''m not as easy going as the others!" he replied coldly.


    As he said that, an invisible vertical sh shot forward from his body, without even him making a single move.


    Rhea''s eyes constricted. With her right foot, she pressed on the ground lightly and like a nimble cat, did a backflip,nding more than 10 meters away.


    The vertical sh hit the exact spot she was standing at, leaving a meter-long gash on the ground.


    She narrowed her eyes while opening her fists. Her fingers transformed into ck ws with 5 inch long nails sharper than knives.


    Alone they would look extremely menacing as if belonging to a beastly creature but on her, they only seemed to add to her charms.


    In response, the guy named Gertrude casually pulled out the greatsword from its sheath.


    Its de was about 8 inches wide and 3 inches thick. Made from a blueish metal that was giving off a faint light, its sharp edge was cutting apart any raindrops unfortunate toe close to it.


    There were several engravings on the shaft and one on the de itself. It seemed like the weapon had several different types of inscriptions ced on it.


    ***


    "Oi oi, they''re going at it again."


    "Who do you think will win this time?"


    "I''ll bet a 100 gold on Gertrude!"


    "Ho, really? Alright, I''ll take it. 100 on Rhea!"


    From the other side of the pit, 2 more hooded figures talked to each other while anticipating the result of the uing fight. This was amon urrence in their squad, one that their master encouraged.


    ***


    The corner of Rhea''s lips arched up into a mesmerizing smile. She bent her legs and stretched out her arms, getting ready to attack when Alex shouted from afar.


    "Senior sister, senior brother, please stop. Master will be mad if he finds out!" he said worriedly.


    Alex was the youngest of the group and their master''s favorite. His innocence was a breath of fresh air in this squad of bloodthirsty killers, so a single sentence from him was enough to calm his two seniors down, cating their anger.


    As Rhea wasing up with new ideas to tease Alex, her ears twitched. Both her and Gertrude looked towards the hole with scrunched brows.


    The pitter-patter of the raindrops suddenly increased. Instead of hitting the muddy ground, it sounded like they were hitting a metallic structure, making much louder noises.


    Her smile stiffened as she and Gertrude both realized what was happening at almost the same time. They shouted in unison.


    "LOOK OUT!" x2


    "Eh?"


    Alex who had his back turned towards the hole felt the air move behind him. He turned his head halfway around and saw a ghastly maw of a beasting out of the pit.


    A pair of eyes gleaming in bright green light were ring at him from somewhere above the hideous beast''s head.


    "Kill them all," the voice belonging to those eyes said.


    "Wh-"


    Before Alex could finish the sentence, a giant ck sword tore through the air and pierced its target. Skewering Alex to the ground.


    "Wha...t..?"


    He still couldn''t understand what had just happened. He lowered his head and looked at the several meter long ck sword that had gone halfway through him with a confused expression.


    "But....why?" he murmured looking at the cold green eyes that had ordered the attack.


    "Why not?" was the answer he got. The light from his eyes slowly faded and his body went limp.


    Rhea, Gertrude and the 2 others couldn''t believe their eyes. How? Who? Why?

 Chapter 279: Alucard

    <h4>Chapter 279: Alucard</h4>


    6:40 A.M


    Empire Of Valencia


    Capital City: Kasen


    In one of the wealthiest areas, at a height of 7 kilometers, a giant rock with a diameter of 15 kilometers floated above the city.


    A half dozen 100-meter thick iron chains wereing down from the bottom of the floating rock and connecting to the earth underneath, anchoring it in its ce.


    The t surface of the floating rock was inplete contrast to the bustling city underneath. It was nketed with luscious greenery on all sides, with a single giant mansion in the middle.


    In a mini garden within the mansion, a young man who seemed to be no older than 20 could be seen sitting there with closed eyes. He had long ck hair and smooth white skin.


    His features were rather feminine but the adam''s apple and the sharp eyes that decorated his visage made him look extremely handsome, instead of just another pretty boy.


    The garden was popted with some unique and strange trees that were swaying back forth without any wind, some creatures that looked like small herbs and shrubs with roots for feet and leaves for hands were running around chasing one another merrily.


    The sun had just risen and the entire atmosphere was extremely rxed and gave off a feeling of tranquility and peace. Dewdrops rolled around the leaves of these humanoid herbs as they passed them to one another like tennis balls.


    The Spiritual energy here was extremely dense and the nt life was thriving because of it.


    *Whoosh*


    The sound of clothes fluttering came from behind the young man and three people floated down from the sky.


    The one in the center was a middle-aged man in kimono. There were deep scars all over his body and he gave off an aura ofwlessness. His right eye had no pupil and instead, a strange symbol floated inside, continuously rotating clockwise.


    To the left was a young woman of about 25 years of age. She had shoulder-length dark blue hair, an extremely beautiful face, and an even more attractive body. With her pantsuit and high heels, it looked like she had juste out of an office meeting.


    To the right was a man covered in bandages. From head to toe, even his eyes, nose, and mouth, everything waspletely covered other than his hair which wereing down to his chest. On his hip was a massive saber, at least 1.5 meters in length.


    Each and every one of them was giving off stupendous amounts of spiritual energy and bloodlust. Just from theming closer to the garden, the little herbs that were running around suddenly froze stiff before running to hide behind some of the bigger trees, but even they were shaking non-stop.


    The trionded a few dozen meters away and walked up behind the young man, bowing from the waist.


    "Young master Alucard."


    ''Alucard'' seemed unperturbed by their show of respect, as if it was the most natural and obvious thing. His eyes remained closed.


    "Speak."


    He didn''t even open his mouth but his voice rang loudly in the surroundings. It wasn''t in the trios head but in the actual world. The sound came from all around and its source could not be pointed out.


    The scarred man in the middle faltered. He looked to his left and right at hispanions for support or perhaps a helping hand, but they quickly averted their gaze, not even meeting his eyes.


    With gritted teeth and a palpitating heart, he continued.


    "The old master has sent word. Alex, your brother, something has happened to him."


    Alucard slowly opened his eyes.


    For just a split second, all the surroundings went dark. Every source of light vanished, and then returned as if nothing had ever happened.


    A single drop of sweat trickled down the scarred man''s face.


    *Gulp*


    Alucard stood up from the chair and turned around to face the trio. He looked down at the scarred man with cold, emotionless eyes.


    "Exin. What happened exactly."


    "H-His life talisman broke. We are trying to find out what happened but haven''t been able to get in contact with anyone just yet."


    The scarred man looked up and saw Alucard''s eyes.


    "I-It could very well be a problem with the talisman, nothing is for certain just yet," he continued.


    A short bout of silence followed after. It seemed like Alucard was in deep thought for a few seconds. The trio waited patiently and made no sound or movements.


    "In thest 10,000 years, how many times has there been a problem with a life talisman?" he asked the scarred man, who was at a loss for words.


    "How many?" he repeated when there was no response.


    The scarred man bit his lip, "N-None, young master. Not a single time."


    Alucard nodded, "Then my brother is dead. Make preparations, I will go get his body myself. Where was he sent to for hisst mission?"


    "A small kingdom on the outskirts young master. The Kingdom of Mei."


    "Mhm."


    Alucard nodded once again, his facepletely devoid of any emotion whatsoever. Not a trace of fury or anger, or even sorrow for the loss of his own brother could be found on his visage.


    He waved dismissively, "Go."


    "Yes," the trio replied in unison. They quickly floated back up and flew away.


    Alucard sat back down and closed his eyes, and everything returned to normal. The little spiritual herbs came out and started ying again, running around noisily.


    "P-Please...let the children go....at least...." a weak, raspy voice came from some distance away.


    About 20 meters behind Alucard, an old man''s dismembered body wasying on the floor. The entire lower half of his body was gone and it was a miracle he was even alive. Next to him were 16 other bodies, two of which belonged to children of about 8-9 years of age.


    But other than the old man himself, everyone else was dead including the children who seemed like they were just sleeping but had long since stopped breathing.


    "You can....have everything I...own, this ind....my businesses, everything...just let them...go, I beg...you," he asked again.


    Apparently, this majestic floating ind belonged to this man.


    It seemed like he was using the veryst bit of his energy to plead for his dead children''s lives. Perhaps it was due to the blood loss or simply not being able to ept the reality, but he still believed they were still alive.


    He cradled his oldest son''s corpse, gently wiping away stains of tears from his face.


    Alucard let out a deep sigh. He stood up, walked up to him, and bent down. The old man looked up at him with vacant eyes. If not for his high cultivation, he would have passed away a long time ago.


    "Sure, I promise. They are free to go. I will make sure nothing happens to them. You have my word," Alucard patted the boy''s corpse and took it from the man''s embrace.


    "Thank....you..." the man smiled softly. His body went limp and the light from his eyes vanished, leaving empty shells behind.


    Alucard put down the boy''s corpse, turned around and slowly floated away like a lonely cloud, like none of what happened had anything to do with him.


    A few seconds after he left, all the corpses turned to ash and ''melted'' away with a gust of wind.

 Chapter 280: Varied

    <h4>Chapter 280: Varied</h4>


    "What....have you done...? Do you have any idea the kind of ho''s nest you just set aze?"


    Gertrude couldn''t believe his eyes.


    He was dead.


    ''His'' brother, their master''s favorite disciple was just killed off in a no-name kingdom out in the sticks somewhere. And it was THEIR job to protect him. They would have to answer for this, along with every living creature in this kingdom.


    Their fate was now sealed.


    He looked up at the masked figure standing atop the ck serpent with rage-filled eyes. Why couldn''t it have been one of them that was attacked? No, why were they attacked in the first ce?!


    "AHH!"


    With a roar, Gertrude gripped his greatsword and swung it down in front of him. As it connected with the earth, a shockwave cut the ground in half and shot towards the serpent that wasing out of the pit.


    Rhea had much of the same reaction. In their organization, failure meant death, and with Alex''s sudden demise, they had just failed their missions as well.


    Her height which was initially at 1.7 meters started increasing and her figure bing more beast-like. Her legs changed shapepletely, bing double-jointed and her feet turning into giant paws. Her entire body was covered with ayer of ck fur and her hands had morphed into ws.


    *ROAAR~*


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted upon noticing the change in the girl''s appearance.


    A werewolf! An actual werewolf like the ones from the movies was now growling at him with white fangs that seemed to be at least 7 inches long.


    Unfortunately, now wasn''t the time to admire the creature in front of him as it had already vanished from its spot.


    "Master, I''ll take care of the two behind," Ensis shouted before jumping towards the other 2 members on the other side.


    One of them was a dark-haired scythe user. He wasn''t very tall or had a muscr build, but gave off an eerie vibe that made one very ufortable.


    His weapon was a short chained-scythe that was used by ninja''s back on earth. It was the first time Hao Xuan had seen such a unique weapon. (Pic in authors notes).


    The second person, strangely enough, had an even more unique ''weapon'', if it could even be called that.


    It was a horned silver beast skull! There was a red me burning in the skull''s eye socket''s from which wisps of sparks continuously fell.


    ''A fire Sorceress!'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly.


    He had some basic knowledge of mages and sorcerers from the memories inherited from Poriverse and they all came rushing back as soon as he saw the skull.


    Both Sorcerers and Mages were able to convert spiritual energy into Mana instead of Qi, which could then be used to power their spells.


    The main difference between the two was that Sorcerer''s needed some kind of a conduit to channel their mana effectively.


    The skull in this sorceress'' hands was just such an object. It would allow her to cast her magics and spells more quickly and with greater power and efficiency, as long as she did not run out of mana.


    Mana was a different type of energy than Qi and was what set the world of magic and cultivators apart.


    He took a look at each one of the four people around him.


    This was Hao Xuan''s first time seeing such a diverse group of enemies, and it was a well thought out one as well.


    The guy with the greatsword was obviously the tank, the werewolf and the scythe user were the assassin types and the sorceress was either support or offensive type.


    But either way, with all of them working together, there was no way for him toe out on top especially since he was already running low on Qi due to the previous fight.


    "Don''t go too far, find an opportunity so we can escape. We can''t waste too much time here," he told Ensis through their soul connection.


    As he wasing up on ck''s head, he heard several people talking above him. It was the obvious choice to strike first, to take them by surprise and it seemed like it was the right choice as well. If he hadn''t done that, right now there would be 5 powerful enemies against him, Ensis and ck instead of the current 4.


    Not to mention that Hao Xuan himself was carrying an unconscious man on his shoulders.


    *Swipe*


    ck moved his head back and away from the ground.


    The space where Hao Xuan was standing just a second ago rippled and an invisible w materialized out of nowhere. If ck had not moved back just then, Hao Xuan would have probably lost a limb or two from that w attack.


    With narrowed eyes, he stared at ws as they disappeared once again. It was obviously the werewolves doing but he could not figure out how.


    There was absolutely no sign of her prior to thending of the attack, so how could he avoid or counter it?


    Thankfully, he didn''t have to. ck extended his body and made his way out of the pit to take her on himself. He was over 200 meters long so it took a few seconds.


    Gertrude''s eyes were burning red from pure rage.


    He swung the giant sword left and right, sending vertical arcs of red Qi towards ck. And since ck''s body was so massive and he was trying not to make any sudden movements due to Hao Xuan riding atop his head, he took almost all of them head-on.


    *Squelch*


    Several meters long tears appeared along ck''s abdomen. Even though his body was harder than steel and covered with a thickyer of armor, it seemed like Gertrude''s attacks were just too powerful.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and called out the ive. He swung it around in a circle around him, hitting something to his left.


    ''There!'' he twisted his body sideways and jabbed the ive in that direction.


    ''Sess''


    Purple blood fell from the air. So the werewolf''s ability did not have anything to do with space, but a ''normal'' vanishing act.


    ''It will be much easier to deal with her now,'' he thought looking at the blood-soaked ws that were once again bing invisible.


    He jumped down from ck''s head andnded on the ground with a thud. It was still raining heavily but it did not seem to affect the werewolf''s ability to hide.


    He put the unconscious man down on the muddy ground and focused his senses while pulling the ive back, ready to attack at a moment''s notice.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Scythe Weapon: https://urlzs/ToqQU

 Chapter 281: Rade

    <h4>Chapter 281: Rade</h4>


    "What the hell is going on? Which division are you with? Who''s yourmanding officer?" Rade fired off one question after another at the soldiers blocking his squad''s path.


    It was his first night off in over 2 years of serving under the royal guards but as soon as the explosion went off, he was one of the first few people that were called in to take charge of the situation.


    He was at a hotel with some very friendlydies and was having a good time, but it was ruined because of the b*stards that caused the explosion.


    Suffice it to say, it was personal for him.


    He rounded up his squad members and ran here as fast as he possibly could, but now these random soldiers from an unknown division were not even letting them pass, making them stand out here in the rain.


    His expression became unsightly as the soldiers continued to mindlessly stare back at him with vacant eyes.


    "Oi, did you hear what I said?!" he grabbed the closest one to him by the cor, lifting him up off the ground.


    "He heard you, rx. I''m themanding officer here. What do you want?"


    Just as Rade was about to throw the soldier to the ground and start punching him to next year, a husky voice came from the other side of the barricade. He turned his head sideways and saw a hooded figure standing in the darkness.


    The lower half of his body was in the light while the upper half was in the shadow of a nearby tree.


    Rade put the poor soldier down and turned to face him.


    "Who are you? What Division are you people with? On whose orders are you blocking this path?" he asked with furrowed brows.


    The hooded man jerked his hand and a military badge flew towards Rade.


    Rade''s pupils contracted. He quickly circted his Qi towards his palm and caught the badge.


    *Ssss*


    The badge was enclosed with an unknown energy that started eating away at his own Qi as soon as it came into contact with it. His brows furrowed even more but he didn''t take offense to the somewhat hostile action of the hooded man.


    He turned the badge around and looked at its symbol. There was a white striped tiger with two small wings on its back.


    "The flying tigers?" he murmured incredulously.


    ''Why are they here? This isn''t anywhere near their headquarters....'' he thought while looking up to meet the hooded man''s eyes, but the upper half of his face waspletely covered by the hood.


    Rade then took out his own badge and used its authority to verify the identity of the man in front of him. A few secondster he got the result.


    "Identity Verified."


    "Mao Yan"


    "Squad Leader: Delta Unit, Flying Tigers."


    "Currently in ''City of Fortuna''."


    Rade still had his doubts but the result was clear. He was who he imed to be. He threw the badge back.


    "Why are you blocking the way?"


    "I''m just following the orders. I was told not to let anyone pass."


    "By whose orders!? Fortuna isn''t even in your jurisdiction."


    A vein on Rade''s forehead throbbed as he heard the same line for the second time.


    "We''re at war, my friend. All of Mei is under the military''s jurisdiction," Mao Yan replied with a half-smile.


    "Well I''m pretty sure my superior has more authority than yours, and I was ordered to go check out the site of the explosion," Rade shed his own badge.


    It had a light green leaf surrounded by golden branches. The symbol of the royal guards!


    For the first time, Maoi Yan had a visible reaction. It seemed like he wasn''t expecting such a response and waspletely unprepared for it. He turned around and quickly dialed a number on his spirit band while moving away from Rade and his squad.


    A minuteter he came back.


    "You can go in," he said while gesturing towards the soldier who moved the barricade away.


    *BOOM*


    Just as Rade was about to admonish them on thews of Fortuna which specifically mentioned that the Royal Guard had authority over all matters concerning national security and that they couldn''t stop them even if they wanted to, another smaller explosion came from the same direction as the first one.


    His expression hardened.


    "Let''s go!" he shouted while getting back up on his dragon-horse.


    He gave onest look to Mao Yan and the soldiers that were getting ready to leave before setting off at full speed.


    It was only a few minutester did Rade realize something.


    "No shadow..."


    "Sir?" one of his men asked when he didn''t hear him clearly.


    "That guy, he didn''t have a shadow...or did he? Did you see it?" Rade looked towards the soldier. The soldier was of course taken aback by the sudden query, especially since it didn''t make a lot of sense. How could a person not have a shadow?


    *Tremble*


    The ground shook once again. Rade put the thought at the back of his mind and looked ahead.


    They were close enough to be able to see the smoke billowing out of the pit, and a group of people running away from it.


    "Hya!" he patted his dragon horse, making it run even faster.


    Like a streak of red, Rade shot out of the formation and towards one of the two groups that were running towards the city wall.


    "You go for the others! I''ll take those two!" he shouted towards his men before bolting off.


    As he passed by the pit, he saw the marks and remnant Qi in the atmosphere left behind after a battle.


    ''They''re not together?'' he thought.


    "Come on boy, faster!" he shouted at the red dragon horse who increased his speed once again. He cut through the rain like a bolt of lightning, closing the distance between the giant ck cat and itself.


    Rade squinted his eyes and saw two people sitting atop the beast, with a 3rd unconscious or perhaps dead body on the shoulders of one of them.


    ''Little bit more!''


    He waved his hand and a giant cleaver materialized in his grasp. It was covered with engravings from top to bottom which all started to light up one by one.

 Chapter 282: A friend

    <h4>Chapter 282: A friend</h4>


    "He''s gonna catch up in less than a minute master," Ensis said looking at the red silhouette closing in on them.


    Although Bai was extremely fast, that was only in terrains with some obstructions like mountains, forests, swamps, etc.


    When running in a wide-open field such as this with nothing to jump on to boost his speed, a mount like the Dragon Horse which was bred for the sole purpose of running from one ce to another in the shortest amount of time possible would, of course, overtake him sooner rather thanter.


    Hao Xuan looked back and saw the Dragon Horse he hadn''t seen in such a long time. Dragon horses were expensive to breed and keep so only the rich and the high-level government officers had them.


    He squinted his eyes and focused on the rider. 2 secondster his eyes adjusted like a camera lens and the rider''s face could be seen clearly.


    ''I don''t recognize that guy..."


    "30 seconds. I will hold him off, you should get back inside the city walls before they close the gate''s for good."


    Ensis spoke while diverting all his Qi towards the floating des. Out of the original 7, only 3 were left. The rest were broken during the earlier fight and he didn''t have enough Qi left to summon them once again.


    Hao Xuan stared at the Dragon Horse until it was less than a 100 meters behind before patting Bai''s shoulder.


    "Stop," he murmured. Bai slowed down and came to a halt, much to Rade''s surprise who was getting ready to jump off of his Dragon horse and attack them.


    Ensis quickly leaned over to Hao Xuan and whispered.


    "Master, this is not a good idea. Even with both of us together we can''t take him on."


    Thick ripples of golden Qi wereing off of Rade''s body lighting up his Cleaver like an ornament. Right now he lookedpletely different from before, an aura of nobility and grandeur circling around him, oppressing his enemies.


    He came to a stop about 15 meters away from Hao Xuan. Hao Xuan''s face was covered with the mask revealing only his eyes, while Ensis'' bottom half was covered with a ck energy.


    With the giant cleaver in hand, Rade jumped down from the horse. 7 faint pces were shimmering above his head, each one about 30 meters in size. He had activated hisplete power. It was quite obvious he wasn''t nning on having just a friendly ''conversation''.


    They stared at each other inplete silence. The only sound around them was the pitter-patter of the raindrops hitting the muddy ground.


    Hao Xuan was the first to break the silence.


    "I-"


    "Give up. Surrender. No matter what you say, I can''t let you go," Rade rudely interrupted as soon as Hao Xuan started to speak.


    Hao Xuan calmly shook his head.


    "Not possible."


    Rade''s brow furrowed, "Then why did you stop?"


    "To warn you."


    "Warn me about what?"


    "What''s in there," Hao Xuan pointed at the billowing smoke in the distance.


    Rade turned his head sideways, keeping one eye on Hao Xuan and the other on the pir of smoke.


    "And What''s that?" he asked amusingly with a half-smile.


    "Specters. Tens of thousands of them. Do you know what they are?"


    Rade''s smile froze and his expression hardened like stone.


    "That''s not possible. Specters don''t just "appear" out of nowhere, especially in a ce like this."


    "I don''t care whether you believe me or not. I just wanted to warn you. If they get out, there''s no telling how much damage they will do before you are able to stop them."


    "....."


    Rade stared at Hao Xuan''s eyes but couldn''t find a single hint of a lie. Maybe he was just a great liar or maybe he was telling the truth, but Rade couldn''t take the chance.


    He raised the cleaver, pointing it at Hao Xuan.


    "You''re under arrest. You will exin your connection to that ce when we get back and if the specters are real, I will personally speak to the generals on your behalf. Come with me silently."


    Hao Xuan was surprised by the unknown man''s offer. Just now when he mentioned the specters, he was also looking at his reaction. He was genuinely surprised to hear about them which was apparent from his faster heartbeat and a slight flush around his ears, which Hao Xuan caught.


    With his higher senses, doing this much was pretty easy, especially when the man wasn''t trying to hide anything from him.


    "You''re not one of them..." he murmured.


    Rade faltered, "One of who?"


    Instead of answering, Hao Xuan decided to make a bet. His gut was telling him that this man in front of him was genuine, and even more in the dark than he was. So he removed his mask.


    "Master!" Ensis moved in front of him, "You can''t just trust him like that!"


    Hao Xuan tilted his head sideways, "Don''t you feel it?"


    "Feel what?"


    "His Qi, it''s too pure. Almost disgustingly so," Hao Xuan looked at the golden energy around Rade. he wasn''t lying about that, he could feel it inside of him.


    Although he didn''t realize this at the moment, what Hao Xuan felt had a far deeper meaning than just a simple feeling.


    Certain energies had prior requirements that needed to be met to be able to understand them perfectly, and Rade had cultivated one such energy.


    The one he chose was the ''energy'' of Rectitude or righteousness. This meant that he had to have a personality that was aligned with this energy. Hao Xuan didn''t know the reason behind it, but he ''felt'' it because one of his energies was the same.


    The very first energy he cultivated, the Emperor''s Qi, required him to have a personality of a ruler, an emperor!


    Fortunately, there were many types of emperors and its criteria were pretty broad.


    Hao Xuan took our his own military badge and threw it towards Rade.


    Startled, Rade quickly checked the badge''s authorization and his expression turned to one of astonishment. He looked up at Hao Xuan with a dumbfounded expression, only to see him smiling back at him.


    "We''re on the same side, you and I. Keep the badge, bring it to the military headquarters tomorrow at 9 and I''ll exin everything I can, but right now you need to get a move on."


    Hao Xuan jumped back up on Bai without waiting for Rade to respond.


    "The specters are real, and they should being out any minute. Give the warning, tell them to raise the barrier at full power and call everyone back into the city, go!"


    His voice came from afar while Bai''s silhouette slowly became smaller and smaller in the rainy night.


    Rade woke up from his daze and dialed a number on his spirit band while muttering, "The Flying Tigers, the Red Legion, and now ghostly specters? What the hell is going on...?''

 Chapter 283: The Call

    <h4>Chapter 283: The Call</h4>


    Hao Xuan managed to safely return to the mansion without getting seen. On the way over he ran past many thousands of soldiers running towards the outer wall at full speed.


    All businesses were closed down and a curfew put in effect for the remainder of the night. All families that were located outside the city wall were ordered toe in.


    Hao Xuan sent Kuo a message and told him to take a few dozen soldiers with him to escort the Khan family safely inside himself. They were taken to one of the many smaller mansions owned by Yangdi in the inner district for the night.


    When he got the news, Hao Xuan went to check out their situation for himself. Everyone other than Maaz was present and ounted for. Kuo told him that Maaz had been called in by the military since he was on active duty. (Read 4th Auxiry chapt for details on the family)


    Hao Xuan was standing on a tree branch a street away and looking in from an open window. The entire family was huddled in front of the fire in the living room, watching the news on the TV.


    "Aren''t you going to go meet them?" Kuo''s voice came from his left.


    Even in this heavy rain Hao Xuan was able to hear himing from a few dozen meters away so he wasn''t surprised by his query. He shook his head softly.


    "No need. Did you hear anything from First brother or any of the others?"


    "No. Nothing at all. As far as I know, no one from the Red Legion was sent out tonight," Kuo spoke in a whisper.


    Hao Xuan nodded and turned to meet Kuo''s gaze.


    "Alright, that will be all. Sorry to call you out for such a small task. We should be getting new orders in a few days so keep the men on standby," he said with a smile and patted Kuo''s shoulder.


    Kuo shook his head helplessly, "You''re our leader. You don''t have to apologize for using your authority. You should be more assertive."


    "Mhm, I''ll do that," Hao Xuan nodded earnestly.


    Kuo was one of the few people that Hao Xuan could always count on. Whether he knew it or not, but Hao Xuan always listened to Kuo''s advice, whatever it may be.


    Kuo didn''tment on Hao Xuan''s change in appearance nor did he bring up his elevation to the Spirit realm. Unless Hao Xuan mentioned something himself, Kuo usually would never pry into his affairs.


    He turned around and quickly disappeared into one of the 3 streets around the corner, leaving Hao Xuan standing there all alone.


    Hao Xuan stood there for a few more minutes before turning around to leave when...


    *Cough*Cough*


    The skin around his neck flushed red as he keeled over and threw up several mouthfuls of crimson blood. The fight with Gertrude and Rhea was not an easy one.


    He took a direct hit from Gertrude''s greatsword while fending off Rhea and some of the attack''s Qi was still rampaging inside his body.


    Although the external wounds closed up rather quickly, the actual damage was on the inside.


    He lost his bnce and fell down from the tree,nding head first on the ground. Thankfully, his physique had reached such a level that instead of taking damage he left a 3-inch deep imprint in the muddy ground.


    Still, his appearance was quite messy and with the bloodstains on his robe and the mud on his face, it looked he was beaten up badly.


    He fumbled about in the dark and finally reached back home where Xu Qing was waiting for him with an umbre. She quickly ran over and grabbed his arm, supporting him up.


    Hao Xuan had called all his summons out of the mind pce. All of them were staying in the mansion so he couldn''t summon them to help him out.


    Xu Qing looked at him with anxious eyes. She couldn''t ''see'' what was wrong with him which worried her even more.


    "Should I call for a doctor?"


    "Haha, no no, its nothing big, don''t worry about it," he gave a goofy smile.


    Xu Qing''s brows furrowed as she gently pinched the side of his chest. Hao Xuan wasn''t expecting her to do that and identally gasped out a pained moan.


    That little pinch was right next to the area where the attack hadnded and it felt like someone had just stabbed him with a dozen burning needles.


    He slowly turned his head to look at her, the movement much too simr to the rigid motion of a mechanical doll.


    Xu Qing was staring right into his eyes with an angry expression, her lips pursed ever so slightly.


    "Don''t lie to me, ever," she whispered.


    "U-Unh. I''m sorry," Hao Xuan bobbed his head up and down without knowing why.


    Although he was the one in severe pain, yet he felt the need to apologize for some reason.


    "Now, do I need to call a healer?" Xu Qing asked again, this time her voice a lot more authoritative.


    "N-No, ma''am," Hao Xuan instinctively straightened his back like he was standing in front of a superior.


    His unexpected answer startled Xu Qing making her break out giggling.


    *Ba-Thump*


    One of his hearts actually skipped a beat looking at her girlish demeanor. This was the first time he had seen herugh like that.


    People usually forgot but she was only 21 years old this year, even younger than Hao Xuan by a year. It''s just that her mannerisms were always so calm and sensible that she seemed much older than she actually was.


    *Cough*


    He coughed again, throwing up another mouthful of blood. Xu Qing had to force herself to stopughing and take Hao Xuan to his room.


    There she brought him a change of clothes and some soup before leaving without saying another word.


    ''Is she mad at me...?'' Hao Xuan scratched his head in confusion.


    He took a shower and changed into the new clothes.


    As he was sitting on his bed going over everything that had happened in thest few hours, the rain outside got heavier, mming against his window like the banging of drums. He couldn''t bring himself to make the call.


    If it was up to him he''d rather go out right now and fight those dreaded specters than do this.


    Still...


    *Beep*


    "Ninth brother? What''s up? Everything okay?"


    Third''s usual worried voice came from the other side. In the background, several other shouts and yells could be heard and the atmosphere seemed quite lively.


    Third was the big brother of the group. He had to take care of his own 7 siblings growing up so without even trying he became such a figure to others in the Legion.


    "Third brother....Fifth sister...she.."

 Chapter 284: Clone?

    <h4>Chapter 284: Clone?</h4>


    Hao Xuan couldn''t find the appropriate words to tell him what happened. As far as he knew, Third, Fifth and Seventh had been captains in the Red Legion the longest, even before First came along.


    They all trained together and fought together in the camps and on the battlefields, finally being able to pass the tests and be captains simultaneously. So naturally, they were very close to one another.


    "Third brother...Fifth sister...she.."


    "Oh, hahaha the news got out already huh? How did you find out? Was it Seventh?" his heartyugh rang in Hao Xuan''s ears like thunder. He waspletely baffled by Third''s reply.


    ''Why was heughing? He knows already?''


    "Third brother...you.."


    How does one go about asking something like this?


    Third froze midughter upon hearing Hao Xuan''s somber tone.


    "Ah, I''m sorry Ninth Brother, I didn''t think about you guys. It all just happened so quickly, I didn''t have time to tell anyone really," he sounded quite apologetic.


    ".....?"


    The more Hao Xuan listened, the more confused he got. Finally having had enough, he spoke up in a rather solemn tone.


    "Third brother, what exactly is going on?"


    Third cleared his throat.


    "Ah, well, as you might have known, I and your Fifth sister had been going out for quite a while now, although we tried our best to keep it a secret until we were both ready to tell you guys. Anyways, to myplete surprise, a few days ago she asked me to marry her, and I said yes."


    When he reached thest sentence, even though he was trying to be his usual calm self, Hao Xuan could hear the excitement in his voice, but that''s not what he was focused on.


    "A few....days ago? When?"


    "Day before yesterday."


    "!!!"


    Hao Xuan shot up from his seat. His heart began pounding, like it was going toe up through his throat.


    "How is that....possible??" he muttered to himself but Third still heard him clearly.


    "Oi oi, I might not look much to you guys but I can be quite charming when the need arises. Why is so hard to believe that she asked me? Is it because she''s too pretty for me? Well, I don''t me you there, hahaha."


    Hao Xuan''s heartbeat increased. Maybe he was wrong, maybe it wasn''t her!


    He quickly waved his hand and a rotting corpse appeared on the floor, wrapped up in a robe.


    He bent down and looked at her features carefully, but could find nothing missing. It was 100% her, his Fifth sister. That red hair, the calluses on her hands, the numerous healed scars, there was no mistaking it.


    ''But how?''


    The corpseying in front of him was at least 4-5 days old.


    "Oi~, you still there?"


    THird shouted from the other side when there was no response. Hao Xuan quickly woke up from his daze.


    "Y-Yes! Third brother, can you tell me how exactly she proposed to you? Like what changed?"


    "Ah, I had the same thoughts as well. About a week and a half ago your fifth sister was chosen by the higher-ups to be the recipient of a new physique scripture that waspatible with her body. It took her a few days but she finally managed to cultivate this new physique."


    "Aftering back she said she got a new perspective on life and didn''t want to continue our rtionship like this. That''s when she asked me to marry her. Well, you don''t have to take my word for it,e over tomorrow to my ce, you can ask her yourself, haha."


    "!? She''s with you now??"


    "Of course. She''s in the kitchen right now making some food. You want me to call her?"


    "N-NO! No, I''lle visit in the morning!"


    *Click*


    Hao Xuan''s heart was racing. Many thoughts fleeted in and out of his mind as the picture was finally bing clearer.


    "Those Bastards!" he punched the bed in anger, breaking it cleanly in half.


    "How deep have they infiltrated?"


    It all made sense now. No one reported her missing because there was a perfectly valid excuse given by someone in the military.


    No, she was taken in by the military, taken to that ce and tortured for days until somehow they managed to make a copy of her or a clone or something and at which point she was killed off, discarded like some trash.


    "Those motherfuckers!"


    *Beep*Beep*Beep*


    The watch vibrated and Baracus''s urgent voice came from it.


    "Your blood pressure is 600/480. Even with your two hearts and their newfound strength, you could go into cardiac arrest if it continues to rise like this. You need to calm down!"


    For a mortal human, 120/80 was the normal blood pressure, with 180/120 considered to be extremely serious.


    But Hao Xuan had long surpassed those boundaries and even with his current blood pressure of 600/480 he wasn''t feeling anything strange, only angry, extremely angry.


    "CALM DOWN?! You want me to calm down?! Those things killed Fifth sister and took her ce! Right now there is someone using her face and identity while her..."


    His voice cracked and broke off at this point as he looked at the corpse at his feet.


    "How dare that ''thing'' stand where she stood. How f*cking dare it!"


    *Beep*Beep*Beep*


    "740/510!"


    The veins on his clenched fists bulged to 3-4 times their size, threatening to burst open.


    *Knock*Knock*


    "Is everything okay?" Xu Qing''s shaky voice came from outside the door. As soon as she heard the shouting she came running over.


    It was like there was a blindfold in front of his eyes that just melted away with her voice. His heartbeat started to slow down and he regained his senses.


    With a wave of his hand Fifth''s corpse vanished again. He stood up and cleared his throat.


    "E-Everything''s fine, I was just talking to myself. Don''t worry about it, go to sleep."


    He didn''t want to open the door and want her to see him in his current condition. He was drenched in sweat and his entire body was burning up.


    "Okay, let me know if you need anything," Xu Qing said before walking away.


    He took off these clothes as well and took another shower to calm himself down.


    "What do I do now...?" Hao Xuan whispered to himself while sitting on the bed with his head between his hands.


    "There is something you should know..."


    While he was engrossed in his own thoughts, Baracus hesitantly spoke up.


    "What now?"


    "Your blood, there is something wrong with it."


    "Can you be more specific?"


    "Well, your DNA, it... it''s changing..."


    "DNA? You mean the very basis of my physical being, that which literally makes me who I am is somehow changing? How?"


    "I don''t know, but it is. Just now I did a full-body scan on you and your blood type has changed to a degree. Your DNA is notpletely human anymore either."


    For the next few minutes, the room fell silent.


    "That''s great, just perfect. Everything is just.....great..."

 Chapter 285: Unknown

    <h4>Chapter 285: Unknown</h4>


    The rain never slowed down for even a second that night.


    At some point, Hao Xuan just passed out from exhaustion and woke up with a blinding headache. His eyes hurt so bad that he couldn''t even look at anything remotely bright.


    He tapped the watch once, activating Baracus.


    "Baracus, run another scan on me. What''s causing this damn headache?"


    *Beep*


    "Source unidentified. Too many things are changing inside your body so I can''t make an urate assumption."


    Hao Xuan sat up and shook his head vigorously but it only made the pain worse.


    "An assumption by definition is not urate. Just give me your best guess."


    "If I had to bet, which I wouldn''t, then its probably rted to the hormonal imbnce. The sudden..."outburst" fromst night was probably caused by this as well. You have to be extremely careful, try to stay away from any stressful situations if at all possible."


    "Hahahaha..."


    Even with the headache Hao Xuan couldn''t help but break outughing at Baracus''s suggestion.


    "I have to go bury Fifth sister today, then meet Third brother and see the creature impersonating as her. I don''t even know what to do after that. Should I kill her? Should I tell Third brother that he is about to marry the thing that tortured and killed the love of his life? Avoiding "Stress" isn''t an option for me right now."


    "Point taken. I didn''t think about that. I forgot how attached you humans get to one another."


    "Well I''m sorry for having emotions. Not everyone can be an emotionless robot."


    "I''m not emotionless. I feel things."


    "Good for you. Come talk to me when you get dumped by someone or lose a loved one. Then we''ll talk."


    "...I think I''m good."


    With a deep sigh Hao Xuan got up to go shower when he saw the ck egg in the corner of the room. It was still in the same ce he had left it almost a week ago.


    The blue cracks around it were glowing with the same blue light, slowly dimming and then lighting up again over and over again but it seemed like the intervals between them had be a little shorter, less than a second but shorter nheless.


    Hao Xuan walked up to it and brushed its hard exterior. It felt warm to the touch, like rough skin. It didn''t just feel like an eggshell.


    "Do you have any information about this thing?"


    *Beep*


    "None. It could have any kind of mutation. There are literally trillions and trillions of different species and any of them can evolve in any way. No way to tell what this belongs to, that is without dissecting it of course."


    "Hmm, what about the material of this eggshell?"


    "I don''t need to scan for that, its not a shell. Some creatures are known to be born this way and when they have gestated for a certain time, the ''eggshell'' bes one with the creature."


    "Wait, so right now this IS the creature?"


    "More or less."


    "More more or more less?"


    "What?"


    "Nevermind..."


    Now that the thought had crawled its way into his mind, he HAD to try it out. Hao Xuan ced his right palm over it and closed his eyes.


    The inside of his palm lit up as he lightly muttered, "Sever!"


    *Shiiiing*


    The light from his hand started increasing in intensity. For a second it was so bright that Hao Xuan had to look away. Even Ensis and Yun Wentian saw it in broad daylight from several hundred meters away.


    When Hao Xuan came to, the egg was gone.


    "Hmm?"


    He closed his eyes and appeared in the mind pce. It waspletely empty with only Zhurong sleeping in the podium in the middle, or at least it used to be. The ck egg was now sitting just below the podium.


    "How the hell did you get in here...?" Hao Xuan mumbled picking it up.


    He could feel a connection with it, although very faint.


    Once again he ced his palm over it, "Inspect!"


    Species: ---


    Bloodline: ---


    Blood Purity Level: 13.1%


    Abilities: ---


    Skills: ---


    Hao Xuan''s brow scrunched up looking at the information that appeared in his mind. He looked down at the egg suspiciously.


    "How is your blood purity level so high yet I can''t find what species or even bloodline it belongs to?"


    He spoke those words to himself, just thinking out loud but the egg shook in response, startling him.


    He almost jumped back and dropped the egg.


    "Y-You can hear me?"


    The egg trembled once again.


    Hao Xuan''s mouth fell wide open. He carefully put the egg down next to the podium and opened his eyes, appearing back in the outside world.


    "Baracus, is it possible for an unborn creature like that egg to be able to understand me?"


    *Beep*


    "How would it understand you when it can''t hear you? It doesn''t even have any ears."


    "Yeah but...what if it did?"


    "....If, and that''s a big if, but if it did somehow managed to understand what you were saying then that narrows it down quite a bit. The first and foremost requirement is to have an extremely strong soul. The second is to have some abilities rted to it."


    "There is no way it actually understood what you said, but only inferred from your soul connection. Meaning it''s conscious even beforeing into this world, which is only possible if it had an extremely powerful bloodline. I suggest you keep that thing a secret untill you know more about it. If it really is that powerful, sooner orter someone is going toe looking for it."


    "I wasn''t nning on mentioning anything about it to anyone, but thanks for the heads up."


    Hao Xuan got ready and went straight to Jin Wang''s room, not even waiting for breakfast.


    "Oi, wake the f*ck up already. It''s almost 10 a.m!" he shouted while banging on the door.


    A few secondster a disheveled Jin Wang opened the door, dried drool stains on the side of his face.


    "What you want?" he asked with half-closed eyes.


    "Come with me, I might need your help."


    "F*ck off. I''m sleepy, don''t bother me with your useless sh*t," he turned around to close to the door but Hao Xuan held it open by force.


    "I...I have to bury a friend, and then go kill the thing that''s impersonating as her. I need your help with this," Hao Xuan said somberly.


    Jin Wang''s shoulders drooped lower as he shook his head with a deep sigh.


    "I''m way too nice. Your b*tch ass is so lucky to have a friend like me," he said before walking into the bathroom.


    Hao Xuan waited outside patiently and a few minutester Jin Wang walked out, looking somewhat like a normal person.


    It was still raining a little bit so he took an umbre and walked out before Hao Xuan.


    "Let''s go already, I ain''t got all day. And bring your own umbre, I''m not sharing mine."


    Hao Xuan''s lips unconsciously arched up into a faint smile looking at his hunched back. It was obvious he was still quite tired but he didn''t ask any questions or made excuses and went out to help him without a second thought.


    He had never had a friend like this, a friend he could depend on and ask for things....it wasn''t a bad feeling at all.

 Chapter 286: The keeper

    <h4>Chapter 286: The keeper</h4>


    It was almost 11 in the morning but the sky waspletely covered with dark clouds, making it look like the sun never even risen.


    There was a light drizzle which hadn''t stopped sincest night. The air was cold and wet, making the city''s already somber atmosphere even more austere.


    Most of the outer city shops were closed and very few people could be seen walking around at this time. Instead, there were squads of soldiers patrolling the streets, stopping any suspicious individuals for interrogation.


    *Tap*Tap*Tap*


    Two individuals were walking along the stone streets withrge bamboo umbres that were hiding their entire top halves, bypassing squad after squad of soldiers without getting stopped.


    They were dressed in civilian clothes but the badges hanging from their waists were enough to keep anyone from bothering them.


    "So? You gonna tell me what''s happening?" Jin Wang asked while stretching his neck to keep away the cold air that was repeatedly brushing past him.


    Hao Xuan had been expecting the question for some time now. He raised the umbre and held out his left hand to catch a few raindrops.


    "You know about the corruption? The darkness that''s supposedly guing humanity?"


    Jin Wang had just raised his foot but froze mid-stride for an instant before continuing.


    "Who told you that?"


    "The old demon."


    "And you believed him?"


    "Why not?"


    "There''s always two sides to a story."


    Now it was Hao Xuan''s turn to stop. He turned to look at Jin Wang who continued walking and went past him.


    Hao Xuan quickly caught up to him.


    "You part of this bullshit too?"


    "Nah. Toozy. Too many rules, too many idiots peddling their own ideologies, forcing people to fight for their cause. It''s not my jam."


    "..."


    A short bout of silence followed thereafter as both of them continued walking. Hao Xuan was the first one to speak up.


    "They killed people. A lot of them. Innocent people."


    "So did you, and I. And every other person that wants to get anywhere in this world. Killing is unavoidable. And everyone is innocent in one way or another. Don''t paint things with the same brush."


    "....I guess, but they killed someone I know."


    Jin Wang stopped, as did Hao Xuan. They both looked at each other but Hao Xuan was taken aback to see Jin Wang smiling back at him.


    "Now that''s a good reason to kill. If they f*ck with you, f*ck them back. Kill all you want but don''t pretend its for a ''just'' cause. Every cause is a ''just'' cause if you market it well enough."


    Hao Xuan looked at him thoughtfully, "I didn''t know you had such deep thoughts."


    Jin Wang shrugged while rubbing his arms.


    "Meh, I have my moments. Still though, I can''t feel my balls in this cold a*s weather."


    "Eloquently put," Hao Xuan smiled and they both continued walking. He told him everything that happened, everything he saw. But rather than the thousands of dead bodies, it was the mention of the altar that got Jin Wang''s attention.


    "What? Where is it right now?" he asked gravely, an expression that was rather rareing from Jin Wang.


    "It went ''inside'' this guy. I brought him back and he''s under my....well, ''control'' so to speak. But he still hasn''t woken up."


    Jin Wang let out a sigh of relief, "Oh thank god. Don''t tell anyone about it. No one at all, you hear me? That thing is bad news."


    Hao Xuan''s brow scrunched up, "What is it?"


    "It''s many things. All those dead bodies you saw, the blood from them was probably sacrificed and stored in the altar. The altar can be used to make contracts with evil beings hiding in the veil between realities, borrow their power in a sense. Or it could be used to open a portal to another world or gain an unholy power. Think of it like a battery, filled with dark energy that beings and things with a simr nature would love. But nothing good coulde out of it if you use it. "


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a raised eyebrow.


    "How the f*ck do you know all this sh*t?"


    Jin Wang grinned, "I''m smart like that. Why? You fallin'' for me?" he asked with a wink.


    Hao Xuan looked away in disgust, "You wish."


    About an hour of walking and they finally reached a graveyard. It was located inside the city, near the inner city walls. Baracus had Yangdi buy a plot here on Hao Xuan''s orders.


    This was a ce for the rich and the powerful. There were dozens of meter wide tombs littered across the graveyard, many of them with working formations and engravings on them still.


    The gravekeeper was standing next to an open grave waiting for them. His face was covered with a mask and a strange energy was revolving around him. He didn''t even react when the duo arrived, simply standing there with the shovel with closed eyes. Hao Xuan looked at him once but didn''t think much of it.


    A formation was ced on the ground to keep the rain away.


    Hao Xuan stood at the grave''s foot and looked inside. It was deeper and darker than what he was expecting. He then looked around but found no one else other than them.


    "Maybe this isn''t a good idea. She deserves better. I can''t bury her like this," he mumbled.


    Jin Wang walked up and stood next to him.


    "She''s already dead. Her soul is gone and she won''t feel anything. All you can do is show the corpse enough respect and give it a proper burial."


    "But what about Third brother? Wouldn''t her body be proof enough to bring some of those people to justice?"


    "What justice? If they''ve already infiltrated the military, how do you know your Third brother isn''t already one of them? What makes you think the same didn''t happen to him? And who are you gonna report to? The old demon? He''s got way bigger problems to deal with right now, and I imagine you won''t like his response either way."


    "Think about it. If those people had the balls to pull something like this off, don''t you think they will have ns in ce to deal with something like this?"


    Everything Jin Wang said made sense to him. He had always assumed that FIfth was the only one to be reced, but what if she wasn''t? How could he trust anyone of them?


    He soon gave in to reason and buried Fifth. The gravestone only mentioned her real name, "Ai Xun" and no other information.


    They stayed for another hour, setting up some formations around the grave just in case.


    It was only after they had left that the grave keeper finally opened his eyes. They were pitch ck, no pupils or anything other than a revolving ckness inside them.


    He looked at the grave with loving eyes, "How lonely must it be for you in there my love. Worry not, I shall set you free."


    Later that day someone found the actual grave keeper''s body outside the city walls. It was reported that he died to the spectersst night as he was somehow left outside the wall when they escaped from the pit.


    This obviously didn''t create any waves and no one even knew other than his family and friends.

 Chapter 287: Aria Havel

    <h4>Chapter 287: Aria Havel</h4>


    Hao Xuan visited Thirdter in the day without Jin Wang.


    He met the person or the ''creature'' impersonating as Fifth. If he hadn''t buried her himself, there was no way he would have ever known that the red-haired woman sitting across from of him,ughing and giggling like a little girl was not the same person he knew.


    How she looked at Third, with those loving eyes, even made Hao Xuan doubt himself.


    Originally he wanted to kill or expose the thing for what it really was, but after spending a couple of hours with her and Third and listening to Jin Wang''s words, he chose not to, or rather couldn''t bear to.


    He had never seen Third this happy before, ever. The bear-like man that exuded an aura of strict brotherly love was nothing but a lovestruck fool right now.


    "Ninth brother, don''t tell the others just yet. We''ll announce our engagement after the war is over," Third whispered to Hao Xuan as he was leaving.


    Hao Xuan nced at him and sighed inwardly.


    "Of course, it''s your happy asion, I won''t tell anyone," he gave Third a big hug, catching him by surprise.


    Third felt something was amiss but he didn''t pry any deeper, only giving hugging him back. He then looked at Hao Xuan with the same earnest eyes Hao Xuan had seen a hundred times before.


    "Brother, if you ever wanna talk about something, whatever it may be, you know you cane to me right? My door is always open."


    Unconsciously, a resplendent smile bloomed on Hao Xuan''s face hearing those words and out of nowhere a feeling of certainty made its way into his mind.


    ''It''s him, it''s Third brother. Not even a clone would be this concerned.''


    Perhaps it was a sixth sense or just his intuition, but at that moment he knew for sure that Third had not been reced, that it was the same brother he had known sinceing into this world over two years ago.


    "I know brother, thank you," Hao Xuan patted Third''s shoulder and quickly walked out, leaving his flustered Third brother behind.


    As he stepped out of the main gate, he saw some carriages and people moving furniture from the neighboring house.


    He walked past them and nodded at the man giving everyone orders, telling them what to put where.


    The man nodded back with a smile and a wave. This was one of Yangdi''s men.


    Hao Xuan had told him of the situationst night and Yangdi suggested sending someone to keep an eye on the residence.


    The couple moving here was hand-picked and trained by Yangdi himself a long time ago. Both of them were in the Spirit Realm and were assassins working for Yangdi since they were young.


    Hao Xuan was taken aback when he first heard about this from Baracus. Yangdi shared information about every asset he owned, several dozen of which were cultivators.


    They weren''t ves but people with talent that found themselves in tough situations and Yandi helped them out in return for working for him for a certain time.


    Hao Xuan summoned Bai and returned to the mansion just after sundown. There, Jin Wang was waiting for him with an even more haggard expression than before.


    "What''s wrong with you?" Hao Xuan asked while jumping down from Bai. In response, Jin Wang pointed at the maple tree behind him.


    As Hao Xuan turned around to look, he saw a white objecting at him at breakneck speed.


    "MINEEEE!"


    *Plop*


    Hao Xuan''s head almost tore off from his body and he fell backwards.


    "For god sakes, how many times have I told you to rx? No one is taking your ''spot''!" Hao Xuan shouted furiously at the octopus currently residing on his head.


    "NO!"


    "Where were you anyway?"


    "PLAYING!"


    "With who?"


    "Friend!"


    "....well, take it easy with the friend so you don''t end up killing ''em."


    Jin Wang walked over and extended his hand and helped Hao Xuan up.


    "Did you see the news?" he asked while rubbing his forehead.


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "I just got back. What do you think?"


    "Well, you might wanna take a look now," Jin Wang said cooly and walked off while rubbing his temples.


    Hao Xuan went to his room and turned on the TV.


    In the beast world, the media was overseen by each respective kingdom. There was only one news channel that reported on all matters rted to the kingdom but there were hundreds of other channels that were privately owned and operated.


    He switched to the news channel which was currently being hosted a female announcer sitting in front of a desk, reading from a smaller screen in front of her.


    She was basically repeating the same thing over and over again.


    "Last night an explosion shook the city of Fortuna the aftermath of which has imed more than two hundred lives. An army of ghostly creatures called "specters" came out of the ground and wreaked havoc for the entire night."


    "The Spearheads and the Flying Tiger''s took charge of the situation, eliminating and capturing the creatures which can now be bought at the link below."


    A shing red link appeared at the bottom of the screen.


    "After further investigation, the remains of over a hundred thousand civilians were uncovered from an underground structure. Although it is not certain, we believe that a terrorist group by the name of "The Seekers" is behind all this."


    "They had been kidnapping the people of Mei and other unfortunate travelers for thest two years from all over the kingdom and bringing them here to be sacrificed to an evil god."


    "We believe that the mastermind behind all this is an Ex-Red Legion soldier that goes by the name of Aria Havel (Author notes). She used her position and authority to seduce many cultivators and bring them to the dark side."


    "Her exact motives are unclear but authorities say that she is a human that came in at thest mass immigration. She believes that the ''earthlings'' that came with her are superior to our people of Mei and as such, deserve better treatment. When her superiors reprimanded her for such behavior, she abandoned the Red Legion and starting working from the shadows."


    "Thankfully, with the hard work of the Flying Tigers, she and some of herpanions were captured a few hours ago and will be given a fair trial at the end of the month."


    "We urge our viewers to not view all ''earthlings'' as a threat, it is only a minority of them that have this ideology. But if you see anything suspicious, please report it to the nearest outpost."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t believe what he was seeing. The picture that was being shown at the bottom of the screen was of the same girl that he fought side by side with. The same quiet and gentle girl that never even raised her voice was now the "mastermind" behind all this?


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Aria was first introduced around chapter 38. She was one of Hao Xuan''s guards.

 Chapter 288: Goodbye

    <h4>Chapter 288: Goodbye</h4>


    After the broadcast went out, the entire onlinemunity exploded with chatter. Some good, but most of it was bad.


    This was a situation that had been brewing for months now. It started off with small incidents involving earthlings and now blew up with the announcement that a human from earth had been killing residents of Mei for thest two years.


    That means that it all started as soon as they got here. And every single earthling suffered from because of it.


    Those that had started their own businesses or were working somewhere else took a big hit.


    People stopped visiting their shops and using their services. Instead, they would get hateful messages written on their doors and windows every day. Others were fired from their ces of employment because who would want to hire a public enemy? That''s just bad press.


    Hao Xuan quickly made the appropriate preparations and had Yangdi move the Khan towards the inner city, away from all themotion. But still, he couldn''t protect them for long.


    When the kids went back to the National Academy they were sidelined and ignored by everyone else. Everyone knew they hade from earth and as such, they were given the same treatment as others.


    ****


    It was 6 p.m and 3 days had passed since the incident that shocked the entire Kingdom of Mei. More than a hundred thousand people killed right underneath the biggest city in the kingdom.


    For the first time ever, the current King of Mei appeared on the news and gave a heartfelt speech. Hao Xuan watched the entire 30 min long speech while sitting under the maple tree.


    The king looked like apletely normal middle-aged man. There was a streak of white hair on his left side, making him look even more mature and kind. He actually looked more like an office worker than a king.


    "So this man''s children are the ones currently dividing the kingdom apart eh?" Jin Wang''s voice came from above. He was sitting on a thick branch a few meters above Hao Xuan, staring down at the projected screen from his watch.


    With a deep sigh, Hao Xuan turned off the screen as soon as the speech was over. Nothing new was mentioned, he only told the citizens not to worry and that everything was under control.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and leaned back on the patio chair.


    "You ever met them? The crown prince or the princess?" he asked Jin Wang.


    Jin Wang was picking his nose and just fished out a massive booger.


    "Nah. But from what I''ve heard, the princess is really hot."


    "Really? That''s all you know?" Hao Xuan asked with both disdain and disbelief.


    "That''s all I NEED to know, hehe."


    "You disgusting pig."


    "Woah hey now, just because I am an admirer of nature, I''m a pig?"


    "Oh is that right?"


    "Hell yeah. Do you even know who the Princess''s mother is?"


    Hao Xuan finally opened his eyes and looked at Jin Wang with a raised eyebrow, "No, who?"


    Jin Wang shook his head, "Tsk Tsk Tsk, let me tell you, little boy. The king that you just saw, that middle-aged man was as handsome as they came when he was young. He went to study in one of the biggest empires overseeing Mei and a princess, an actual princess from that empire fell in love with him."


    "Now obviously her family didn''t approve. She was a princess from one of the greatest powers on the continent, not to mention exceptionally beautiful, whereas he was just a brat from a no-name kingdom. But she didn''t care. She cut off all ties with the empire and her family and left with the King."


    "They came back here but couldn''t get married either because the King''s father had already given his hand in marriage to another kingdom. So one of the most beautiful women of the continent became our dear king''s mistress."


    "Still, the poor thing loved him so much that she never even considered leaving him. They had their first child, which is the princess you were asking about. It''s said that she is even more beautiful than her mother was at her age. That''s why the King sent her away for studies as soon as she turned 13. There''s not even a single picture of her anywhere online."


    Hao Xuan listened to the entire story in silence. It was more like a fairytale than actual history. The king was like the main character of a novel. The entire premise was a bit cliche though.


    Rtively poor guy falls in love with a rich girl way out of his league, her family doesn''t approve and they run away. The only difference was, this story didn''t have a happy ending.


    "The king''s mistress fell ill and no one knows how she is right now."


    "Damn, that is sad. Love really does make one blind huh?" Hao Xuan mumbled under his breath.


    "You''re one to talk," Jin Wang quickly retorted and jumped away before Hao Xuan could do anything.


    *Drip*Drip*Drip*


    The rain started once again. For the past week, it had rained for several hours as soon as the sun went down.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and Bai appeared next to him. He got on and Bai nimbly jumped out of the mansion.


    He jumped from one building to another, barelying into contact with them for even a second.


    Every time he would propel himself 50-60 meters forward, all the while without leaving any trace behind. Within 20 minutes they were outside the city gates, and within 15 more minutes, they had reached an abandoned farm quite a distance away from the city walls.


    From here, the treeline was in clear sight, just a few kilometers away.


    The rain got heavier and heavier so Bai went into an open barn nearby for cover.


    Hao Xuan jumped down. He was drenched from head to toe but what he had t do now made him much more ufortable.


    He looked at Bai and sighed.


    "I''m sorry it took this long. I promised you I''d set you free and its already been 4 days now. Here," without wasting any more time he ced his right hand over his chest and slowly pulled it away.


    With it came a ball of faint undting light. There were two different strands of light intertwined with one another, this was their soul contract. The one that connected them together.


    Hao Xuan looked at the ball of shimmering light and then at Bai, his lips curling into a small smile.


    *Crush*


    He closed his hand, destroying the connection between them. The two strands of light separated and one went into Bai''s body while the other into Hao Xuan''s.


    Bai closed his eyes to feel the soul piece return before opening them again. His eyes looked much brighter than before.


    "Why?"


    His voice echoed in Hao Xuan''s mind.


    "You didn''t have to."


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "I promised you I would didn''t I? And you forget, the soul connection goes both ways. I can feel all your strong emotions as well. Every time you were running through the jungle I felt the joy you felt and then the despair whenever I called you back."


    He moved closer and patted the beast''s fur.


    "We''ve only known each other for a bit more than a year and barely spent any time together, but I''d still like to think of you as a friend. I...I''m not very good with these goodbye''s, so let''s end it here huh?" he winked at him and moved aside, revealing the barn''s open door behind him.


    "Go now, you''re free. The world is your oyster."


    Bai looked at the scenery outside, the heavy rain, the swaying trees in the distance, and then at the tiny drenched human in front of him.


    "Thank you, for keeping your promise," Bai said wholeheartedly.


    And with that, he walked out and soon disappeared in the darkening night.


    Hao Xuan continued staring at his silhouette until it waspletely out of sight and sighed.


    ''I thought he woulde back....''


    Fortis propped up his little head and looked around with wide eyes.


    "Where?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head, trying to dispel those unhappy thoughts popping into his head and smiled while walking out of the barn and into the double story house some distance away.


    He opened the door and entered, the same old scent of wood and fire impacting his face.


    "When I first got here, this is where I used to live," he whispered looking around the abandoned house.


    Yes, this was Khan''s family''s old residence. Everything was exactly how he remembered.


    He walked up to the second floor and towards his room. There was a smallyer of dust on the furniture, but nothing was moved.


    "Hey, keep an eye out will ya? I wanna sleep a little bit," Hao Xuan said to Fortis while putting him down on the side table.


    Heid down on the bed and within a few seconds fell into a deep slumber.

 Chapter 289: Palace

    <h4>Chapter 289: Pce</h4>


    The night wore on and for the first time in a long time, he had the mostfortable sleep he could remember.


    A single teardrop slipped out from between Hao Xuan''s eyelids and fell down the side of his face.


    Perhaps it was the memories attached to this ce or maybe it was just his own imagination, but it felt like home, it felt like a ce he coulde back to.


    In the Martial World where cultivators had lifespans in the thousands to even tens of thousands of years, in a universe that went on endlessly and where the only limitation was your own imagination, a ce to call home was not a bad thing to have by one''s side.


    Everyone needs somewhere to belong. Somewhere to rest during the long and perhaps evesting journey through this world. Somewhere they cane to forget all their worries and concerns.


    Hao Xuan didn''t realize this but he had been under a lot of stress recently. Everything that had been happening with the kingdom, the appearance of new enemies and the uncertainty of the future, perhaps it was an amalgamation of all these factors that made him return here.


    He didn''t have any blood rtives here, didn''t even knew where his own mother was, so this ce was the closest thing to a home.


    That night he had the same dream again.


    Two pathsy before him. One of light, and one of darkness.


    At the end of each path, a silhouette waited for him with open arms, calling for him without stopping.


    He opened his eyes and saw the dark wooden ceiling of the room. The rain had gotten even heavier and felt more like a biblical punishment than a simple shower.


    Other than the sound of his two hearts and the non-stop rain, there was no other sound in the surroundings. Well, not including the light snoringing from the rolled-up octopus beside his pillow.


    He wiped the side of his face and sat up.


    "I thought u were gonna keep an eye out," he whispered looking at Fortis who was fast asleep.


    He checked the time and it was only around 11 p.m. He had slept a little more than 4 hours but it felt like an entire lifetime.


    He looked out the window but could barely see anything because of the torrential downpour.


    ''A good a time as any I guess,'' he told himself and closed his eyes.


    Above his head appeared a faint silhouette of a structure. This was his Mind Pce projecting in the outer world for the first time.


    Every person was born with at least one Mind Pce because it was a ce through which one could ess the soul. And as long as a being had a soul or something resembling one, they would have something like a Mind Pce inside them as well.


    There were a few exceptions to this, of course, but those were few and far in between.


    For the next three hours, he visualized every single part of the Mind Pce. From the smallest nook and crannies to the biggest imperfections, he had to use his Qi to bring the Pce to the world.


    Slowly but surely, it materialized above his head. It looked exactly like how it was in his mind, with the only difference being its size. (Author''s note for pic)


    The one floating above him was like a miniature model of the real thing standing at 1 meter in width and around 2 meters in length.


    It was shimmering and shining with different lights looking very much like a hologram. But as soon as itpletely appeared in the room, a heavy pressure came down waking even Fortis up.


    He rubbed his drowsy eyes and looked at the glowing structure for a couple of seconds before falling lifelessly back to sleep with a plop.


    Hao Xuan''s back was caked with sweat. It was not an easy thing to do, especially the first time. It put a lot of strain on one''s mind and consumed a lot of energy.


    But still, he did not stop here.


    He continued visualizing and a second vague silhouette slowly started taking shape.


    This was going to be his second mind pce. He already had the ''object'' in mind as he had spent a lot of time near it.


    The Mind ce''s could be based on anything. As long as a person was able to imagine it, visualize it, and then connect to it in an emotional or spiritual way, it could be their mind pce.


    Then all they would have to do was to materialize it, which was the easy part.


    Hao Xuan had been visualizing his second mind pce for a long time now. It was a ce that held special meaning for him, a ce he had good memories of with the people he liked, so it wasn''t a hard thing to do.


    This went on for another 7 hours, this time taking more than twice as long it did to materialize the first one.


    At around 9 in the morning, the second Mind Pcepletely solidified in the room.


    His Qi and spiritual power received a jump boost and started circting on their own. For just a few seconds, he floated off of the bed he had been meditating on by the sudden influx of spiritual energy.


    There wasn''t much spiritual energy in the surroundings but whatever was there, everyst bit of it was being absorbed into Hao Xuan''s body at the moment.


    If one were to look down from above, a 5-kilometer wide vortex of spiritual energy could be seen with the Khan family''s residence in the middle of it.


    Every ounce of energy within a radius of 2.5km was absorbed by Hao Xuan.


    When he opened his eyes they shone and glistened like two emerald stones, casting green light in front of him.


    *Inhale*


    He took in a deep breath through his nose and felt the power circting inside of him. He looked down at his hands.


    He could see the pores of his skin and the blemishes from holding the ive like looking through a microscope.


    As he clenched his fists, the air escaping from the sides sounded like a firecracker. He looked at the wall in front and while sitting, threw out a punch.


    *Bamn*


    The air itself shook slightly as a very faint fist mark appeared on the wooden wall.


    "Hahaha, now that''s what I''m talking about!"


    This was done through pure raw power. Just now he threw out a fist with such speed and force that the air carried over the residual energy and impacted with the wall hard enough to leave a mark.


    It was something out of a movie.


    While Hao Xuan was sitting on the bed admiring his ''handy'' work, the watch shook. It was a call from First.


    "Hm? First brother?!"

 Chapter 290: Starry sky

    <h4>Chapter 290: Starry sky</h4>


    "First brother! FInally! Where were you? I''ve been trying to contact you since yesterday," Hao Xuan grumbled.


    "I''m sorry Ninth brother, things have been a little hectic."


    Hao Xuan brows furrowed upon listening to the tone of his voice. Even though it was just audio, he could still clearly hear the weariness from First''s voice.


    "First brother, is everything okay?"


    "Yeah...yeah, nothing I can''t handle. I need you to do me a favor brother," First said gravely. He was quite hesitant to bring Hao Xuan into the mix but there was no choice anymore.


    "Sure, anything."


    "Go to Anya (First''s wife) and ask for the "box". She''ll give you a storage ring, bring it to me."


    "Of course. I''ll go pick it up right now. Where should Ie to drop it off?"


    "Nowhere. I need you to keep it on you. Within the next 24 hours you''ll be getting orders from upstairs to officially join me, bring it then."


    Hao Xuan''s frown deepened.


    ''Why all the secrecy?''


    But he didn''t ask First about that of course and simply agreed to his condition. He had a lot to talk about with him and wanted to do it in person.


    After hanging up he walked back to the mansion on foot. It only took him a little more than half an hour to get out there but the journey back took close to two hours even with his speed, which wasn''t slow in any way.


    The first thing he did after returning was to go see Xu Qing. She was in the kitchen making breakfast.


    "Hey, are you free right now?"


    She turned around with a knife in one hand and a half-cut cabbage in the other.


    "What do you think?" she asked with a smile which left Hao Xuan quite embarrassed.


    "I meant after," he rified.


    "Nothing, why?" she replied while turning back around and shaking one of the pots on the stove in front of her.


    "Let''s go on a date. Just you and me."


    *ng*


    Her hand jerked, shaking the pot hard, almost spilling the contents.


    She didn''t turn around but Hao Xuan could see the blush going all the way down to the base of her neck.


    "W-Why all of a sudden?" she mumbled while trying to hide her face.


    "Why not? I will be leaving soon to go on another mission so it will be a while until I return. Let''s go out today and see some sights. I haven''t been to any of the local spots."


    Xu Qing didn''t respond and continued chopping the vegetables with a lowered head, but Hao Xuan didn''t give up either.


    He kept pestering her until she said yes at which point he told all his severs to get their things sorted out as they would be leaving in a day or two, the same went for Jin Wang.


    Hao Xuan took out the new carriage that was bought after he had to ditch thest one and left with Xu Qing.


    The first stop was, of course, First''s house where he met with Anya.


    Both Xin Qiye and Han Ming (First''s son and his younger sister) greeted them enthusiastically. Xin Qiye stuck to Xu Qing like glue, ying with her hair and trying to eat them like noodles.


    Han Ming kept hanging around Hao Xuan, inquiring about his day and what he was up to. It was pretty cute but he had to send her away to talk to Anya alone.


    When he asked for the "box" her expression turned grave. For the first time in all the time he had known her, she had such a somber expression on her face that it shocked Hao Xuan to the core.


    She gave him the storage ring which looked strange. It had deep engravings all around it and when Hao Xuan held it in his hands, it gave off a very cold energy.


    "Sister, what exactly is in here?" he asked while examining the ring carefully.


    Anya sat down on a chair next to him and let out a deep breath.


    "Something I hoped he would never need. If he''s asking for this then the situation is much worse than it seems."


    She looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s eyes and grabbed his hand tightly, "I know you haven''t known us for a long time, but both of us consider you our family, you know that right?" she spoke softly and with a soft smile that shook Hao Xuan from the inside out.


    "Sister, what''s going on?"


    She shook her head.


    "That stupid man always tries to do things alone. When you see him next time, please tell him toe back home alright? Qiye''er will be 3 soon, tell him.....tell him he needs his father, okay?"


    Hao Xuan straightened his back and nodded, "I will. And I will be there next to him. I will bring him back myself."


    "Mm, thank you," she patted Hao Xuan''s head lovingly and quickly walked out of the room.


    Hao Xuan could hear the teardrops fell to the ground.


    He never realized this but First had always had his back.


    He hadn''t been home himself for months but always told Hao Xuan to take his time and enjoy and to let him handle everything. All the while his wife and kid were here waiting for him while he was out fighting enemies Hao Xuan didn''t even know existed.


    Suffice to say, he wasn''t in the mood to enjoy anything after that.


    Still, he had brought Xu Qing out so they went shopping.


    Only she didn''t buy anything for herself but for kids at the orphanage she visited daily.


    It was Hao Xuan that bought a bunch of new clothes that fit his new dimensions and refilled on the many consumables in the storage.


    All in all, it cost more than a million gold coins to get the formation tes he needed.


    When the sun was setting they stopped by a restaurant that was famous around this area. Hao Xuan booked the entire top floor and sat facing the window to see the sunset in all its majesty.


    Xu Qing was right next to him but she was looking at him instead of the sunset, not that she would be able to see it anyway.


    When the sun had just gone below the horizon, Hao Xuan''s vision went dark for an instant.


    A few secondster he came to and saw Xu Qing staring at him from above, her visage filled with concern.


    "Are you okay?" her concerned voice rang in his ears.


    She was right there but it sounded like the voice wasing from very far away. A high pitched ringing kept sounding in his ears.


    "What...happened?" he asked while getting up.


    "You passed out," she replied while handing him a tissue.


    Hao Xuan took it but didn''t know what to do with it so he just looked at her, at which point she gestured towards his eyes. He wiped and saw blood on it.


    Apparently, he had been bleeding from his eyes.


    "What the f*ck..." he quickly got up and started looking around for a mirror when he felt a hand on his back and then a soft embrace.


    Xu Qing hugged him from behind.


    "Hey, it''s okay," she whispered, "Sooner orter, it will all be okay."


    He could feel her warm breath through his shirt and her heart beating faster and faster.


    ''Is she worried about me?'' hepletely forgot about his own bloody tears and instead patted her hands.


    "Are ''you'' okay? Why are you saying that? Is everything not okay right now?"


    "Nn, everything is just..perfect. But in the future, if something happens I want you to remember that it will be okay. As long as you don''t give up, everything will be okay in the end."


    "Hahaha," he couldn''t help but break out inughter. Did she think he was dying or something?


    "I know I know. I don''t give up easily, that''s one of my few redeeming qualities."


    It seemed like him passing out affected Xu Qing a lot. She was very talkative throughout the evening and they stayed there untilte at night.


    When they got back she made some tea and they sat under the maple tree looking up at the night sky.


    Sometime after that just as Hao Xuan was getting drowsy he felt a pull on his shirt. He turned and saw Xu Qing looking up.


    Her hair moved with the wind and the starlight illuminated her entire figure. It was like all the light in the world was just for her.


    Her bewitching smile, her graceful demeanor, her heavenly looks, her saintly heart, every time he looked at her he fell deeper and deeper in love with her.


    This indescribably perfect beauty was in Hao Xuan''s embrace right now but he still couldn''t believe it.


    At that moment, if someone had asked him what was the one thing he wanted in the world, his answer would be nothing. because with her by his side, he had everything.


    "As long as you can see the stars in the sky, know that somewhere out there I will be looking up at them as well, alright?" she nced at him and pointed up with her index finger, "So whenever you''re feeling down, just look up and smile."


    The corner of his lips arched up into a dazzling smile as he leaned in and kissed her. She obviously wasn''t expecting that but still, there was no resistance.


    And instead of pulling back she came in even closer and kissed him back while putting her hands around his neck.


    "As long as you are waiting for me toe back, I''ll be the happiest man in the universe," Hao Xuan whispered into her ears which made her already blushed cheeks seem like freshly picked tomatoes and then he leaned in for another kiss.

 Chapter 291: No Exceptions

    <h4>Chapter 291: No Exceptions</h4>


    The moon and the sun changed ces and Hao Xuan woke up the next day in his bed, alone.


    After waking up he sat there thinking about everything that happenedst night with a goofy smile on his face.


    The headaches he had been having for thest few consecutive days didn''t appear today for some reason. He woke up in a really good mood and just as he was about to go and look for Xu Qing, his watch vibrated.


    It was a message from Red Legion highmand.


    "Since Captain Hao Xuan has reached the minimum required Cultivation level (Spirit Realm), you have been assigned the mission to fight against the new generation of the Jia Kingdom along with the youngest Mei warriors from all the other military divisions."


    "You will takemand of your unit and head into battle within the next 24 hours. Your main objective is to destroy as many enemy units as possible. The time limit is 3 months after which the unit with the highest score will be given special rewards and their captions will be sent to the ''Empire of Midas'' to be admitted to their Royal Academy for further improvement on the path of the great Dao."


    "All military personal in the Spirit Realm at or above the rank of captain must partake in the mission, no exceptions. The Empire of Midas has been kind enough to offer rewards to all units which can be imed by exchanging them for the same reward points you would get from finishing missions."


    There was a lot more information there which Hao Xuan skimmed through before sitting there with a dazed expression.


    ''This kinda came out of nowhere. Did we get a new backer? What''s happening?''


    So he contacted the only 100% trustable source of information he had.


    "Baracus, what''s this about the Empire of Midas? Is there any chatter online about it?"


    *Beep*


    The screen''s color changed as usual and Baracus''s emotionless voice came from it.


    "Indeed. Everyone that is a captain or higher and within the spirit realm has been sent the same message you just received. But the Empire of Midas is actually not the Empire that should be overseeing the Kingdom of Mei."


    "I haven''t been able to find a specific reason as to why but it seems like this new Empire is offering quite substantial benefits to Mei. If I''m not wrong, Mei should be changing alliances and go under Midas instead."


    Hao Xuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing the news. Although Mei was only a grade-2 Kingdom, it was strategically located and had a very important ce in the region. It should not be as easy as this to change alliances.


    "What about the current Empire overseeing Mei? Won''t they have anything to say?"


    "They did apparently. They sent someone over to the capital to meet with the King directly and discuss this, but it seems like things didn''t work out very well. Still, to change alliances Mei would have to pay them a huge amount of resources which they could never afford."


    "Then how?"


    "Midas is offering to foot the bill of the entire transition. They will pay for it all."


    "Why?"


    "No reason was given. Just that they are really looking forward to working with Mei."


    "And Mei is just epting this?"


    Even Hao Xuan knew there was no such thing as a free meal, especially when it came to resources that were enough to buy entire kingdoms. How could Mei ept this?


    "Indeed they are. This news has already been ryed to all high ranking military and government employees. Everything is already done. Mei will officially be under the Empire of Midas within the next few months."


    "What the f*ck! That was fast!"


    It would take years to make something like this happen. But from what Baracus told him, this whole deal only took a few weeks.


    "How will this affect the people of Mei then? Anything I should be worried about?"


    "You? No. But you should be worried about the earthlings."


    Hao Xuan quickly shot up from the bed.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I think its better if I show you," a screen was projected from the watch.


    There were literally millions upon millions ofments talking about taking revenge on the earthlings one way or another or making them pay.


    The most innocent ones called for them to be kicked out, while the worst ones were asking them to be stripped of their human rights and sold into very.


    "Does the government know about this?"


    "Of course, but maybe they just don''t care or are looking the other way on purpose. Either way, I think its better if you do something about this before you go."


    "Alright. Contact Yangdi, tell him..."


    Hao Xuan''s n was pretty simple. Since the officials weren''t going to do anything, he would use his own assets to take them out of the country.


    Yangdi had already built up a pretty solidwork so it was easier for him to do things. Hao Xuan told him to gather all willing earthlings in the inner city, away from all the trouble until either the situation calmed down or they coulde up with another n.


    The priority was, of course, the Khan family, and he even contacted the Den himself and told them to take care of Lois. She was still working there because the Den was one of the only few ces that would never give in to the pressure from the public.


    Their establishment was created for cultivators and most of them were pretty open-minded. It was only the mortals that had their issues. Not to mention that no one could force them to do anything they didn''t want to.


    Hao Xuan called and told Kuo to get everyone ready, and he also left First a message that he would being soon.


    It was around 10 P.M that he got a personal call from Yangdi. They usually didn''t interact with one another personally so it was a bit strange to see his shing name.


    Hao Xuan quickly picked it up.


    "Is everything okay? What''s wrong?"


    "More or less. Can youe to the house for the Khan family? I''m waiting here."


    Hao Xuan stood up at once and put on his shirt.


    "What''s going on?"


    "They''re saying they want to go back. To that farmhouse. The old man has already packed everything up and is ready to leave. He doesn''t trust me enough to listen, so I think its better if youe talk to them yourself."


    Hao Xuan faltered and broke off a shirt''s button he was trying to fasten. He had been avoiding meeting them ever since leaving about two years ago, but it seemed like there was no other option anymore.


    *Sigh*


    "Alright, I''ming. Just hold them off there."

 Chapter 292: Apologize

    <h4>Chapter 292: Apologize</h4>


    "Young man, you better move out of my way right this instant. I don''t care how rich you are, this is kidnapping at this point," Mr. Khan stood in front of his house with packed bags, talking to an overworked Yangdi and his men who were blocking his way.


    "Dad!" Sam ran out of the house and stood behind Mr. Khan, ring daggers at the men in front.


    Mrs. Khan, Kay, Olivia, and Emilie were watching from inside the house with worried expressions. Maaz had been called in for duty so he wasn''t there.


    "Sir, please try to understand, it is all for your own good. You know what''s going on with the media, it''s not safe going out there on your own," Yangdi said pleadingly. Short of getting on his knees and begging, he had tried everything but Mr. Khan was not budging an inch.


    "I will handle what''s out there myself. I don''t even know you, why are you trying to help us? Listen here Mr. Yangdi, money can''t buy you everything. This has gone on long enough, please get out of the way!"


    This time Mr. Khan didn''t wait for a response and lightly pushed Yangdi to the side, but to his surprise, the man felt like he was made out of cotton. He had no weight at all and with just a light push from a mortal man like himself, he fell down on his back.


    Mr. Khan quickly dropped the bags that were in his hands and tried to help him up but one of the guards that were standing behind Yangdi stepped forward with the vigor of a lion and with one hand lifted Mr. Khan up in the air from his cor.


    "You filthy earthling! My master is trying to help you and this is how you repay him?!"


    This guard was one of the many that Yangdi had recently employed. He was able to cultivate till Origin Realm stage 1 before he turned 18 and now he was at Stage 6 at the age of twenty.


    This obviously wasn''t considered to be an exceptional talent but he was still above average.


    He was about 1.8 meters tall and with a rather handsome profile. This along with Yangdi''s asional praise was enough to have made him somewhat...arrogant.


    He knew Yangdi was an up anding businessman and a very important figure that had connections with almost every major yer. So to show his and willingness, he tried to take the matters to sin his own hands.


    His grip tightened and Mr. Khan''s face quickly changed color. He tried to speak but the guard''s grip was chocking him. He repeatedly tapped onto the man''s arm but he wouldn''t let go.


    "LET GO YOU-"


    Sam tried to step in but from just a light kick from the guard, he was sent tumbling away.


    Mrs. Khan ran out of the house followed by the others.


    Yangdi who was being helped up by three guards almost had a heart attack when he saw what was happening.


    For thest few days he had been going from one meeting to another, not even getting any sleep in thest 60 hours so suffice to say, he was dead tired both mentally and physically.


    That''s why Mr. Khan was able to send him down to the ground like that. Even a strong breeze was enough to topple him over at this point.


    "Let. Go!" Yangdi yelled in such a deep voice that startled the guard.


    Yangdi was always extremely calm so him getting so angry was a shock not just to him but the other three guards and the 2 spirit realm cultivators that were pretending to be the Khan''s neighbors as well.


    The guard faltered and loosened his grip, letting Mr. Khan slump to the ground where Mrs. Khan and the others caught him.


    "B-But sir, he push-" the guard tried to defend his actions but Yangdi cut him off.


    "Kneel! Kneel and beg for forgiveness!"


    "E-Eh?" the guard stood there with wide eyes, not believing what he had just heard. Yangdi wanted him, an Origin Realm cultivator to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness from a mortal man?


    A mere earthling to boot?!


    "Do it quick! Before he arrives!" Yangdi urged, looking left and right.


    The guard looked at him and then at Mr. Khan who was still on the ground trying to catch his breath, surrounded by all his family. There were red marks around his neck.


    The man was already more than 50 years old so this obviously would affect someone like him more.


    "N...No. Why should I? He is nothing! Why should I beg for his forgiveness?"


    The vein on Yangdi''s forehead almost popped out listening to the guard''sment but the next second he let out a deep sigh and stepped back.


    "It''s toote already..." he mumbled.


    "Toote?" the guard repeated in confusion but soon got an answer.


    As Yangdi moved to the side and looked towards the street, all the guards followed his line of sight.


    There at the edge of the street, a few silhouettes came into view. 1, 2....6, six of them in total.


    They stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the entire 15 meters wide street. As they came closer everyone got a better view. All of them were wearing hoods that covered them entirely.


    The only thing that could be found out was their height which other than one, all the rest were towering figures.


    In the front was a man with a ck horned mask. Everything other than his eyes which were emerald green was covered and shining in the dark night.

 Chapter 293: Apologize part 2

    <h4>Chapter 293: Apologize part 2</h4>


    In the front was a man with a ck horned mask. Everything other than his eyes which were shining emerald green was covered in the dark night.


    With just 4 steps the party of six covered the distance of 50+ meters and arrived at the houses'' entrance within a couple of seconds.


    All the guards, the neighbors that were watching in secret, even the Khan family was looking at the new arrivals.


    Silence. It was dead silent.


    Yangdi was the first one to speak up. He made a slight bow from the waist towards the masked figure and spoke in a low voice.


    "It''s my fault. He hasn''t been trained properly, I''ll punish him myse-"


    Before he could finish the masked figure raised his hand, stopping him mid-sentence.


    He looked at the guard, "Kneel. Your life is in their hands."


    The guard looked incredulous. He looked at Yangdi for support but he didn''t even meet his eyes.


    Since the guard seemed to be spacing out, the five men behind the masked figure released a bit of their Qi.


    Each and every single one of them was in the Spirit realm and for most of them, the spectators couldn''t even tell their realms. They seemed to be shrouded in a strange energy.


    The only one they could feel was already at the top of the Spirit realm.


    "Kneel!" the masked man repeated and the guard''s knees buckled.


    He didn''t want to but his body wouldn''t listen to him anymore. For some reason, he felt such shame that he couldn''t even look the masked man in the eyes.


    Finally understanding that he had pissed off someone he couldn''t afford to, the guard quickly kowtowed in front of the Khan family.


    "Please forgive me. I...I didn''t know. It was my mistake and will never happen again. Please...forgive me."


    The entire Khan family looked on in disbelief. They knew how important a figure Yangdi was, which was the reason Mr. Khan held him in the same regard as someone of equal standing to himself.


    And now another person had appeared who could make Yangdi shut up with a single gesture and be bold enough to say that one of Yangdi''s men''s life was in the hands of some earthlings.


    "I-It''s fine. It was my mistake as well. I should not have pushed Mr. Yangdi like that," Mr. Khan quickly spoke.


    But the guard didn''t get up and instead turned around to look at Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan stepped forward, grasped the guard''s shoulder, and picked him up like a weightless rag doll. He raised the guard until they were on the same eye level.


    "Kid, too much ambition can lead to an early grave. You feel me?"


    "Y-Yes."


    "Good. Now piss off for a while."


    Those words weren''t just for the guard but for everyone else as well. Even all his severs that were standing right behind him backed off and stood outside on the street, along with Yangdi and his men, of course, leaving only Hao Xuan and the Khan family there.


    "Um, c-can we talk alone somewhere?"


    Hao Xuan who was so authoritative a second ago stuttered when looking at Mr. Khan.


    Mr. Khan nodded absentmindedly and walked back into the house with him. The rest of the family stayed outside and only peeked in through the window.


    Hao Xuan sat with his back towards the window so only Mr. Khan could see his front. He waved his hand a bubble of Qi surrounded them both.


    "Do I...know you?" Mr. Khan asked when Hao Xuan seemed lost.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and removed his mask.


    Everyone that was looking in from the outside could only see Mr. Khan''s face. So when he shot up from his seat and a look ofplete and utter astonishment was stered all over his face, they, of course, were very curious.


    The masked man and Mr. Khan stayed in there for a good half hour before they were done.


    Hao Xuan didn''t linger around and made his way out with extremelyrge steps. Everyone was looking at him with curious gazes but none more so than little Emi.


    As soon as he stepped out she walked forward trying to talk to him but before she could even open her mouth he was already out of the outer gate and onto the street.


    He nced back at the family, at the little face that was staring straight at him before quickly disappearing from the spot. And it wasn''t just him, Yangdi and all his guards included, all of them were gone in the blink of an eye.


    The rest of the family ran up to Mr. Khan and asked what they talked about and who that man was, but he wouldn''t say anything other than that they could trust him, that he was a friend.


    ***


    A few streets away Yangdi stood in front of Hao Xuan with a grave expression.


    "Are you sure? Shapeshifters?"


    "Or clones. Or something else entirely. I don''t know yet. What''s going on with you?"


    "Same old. It''s all progressing ording to n. I''ve already started expanding the business and by working together with others, we essentially don''t have anypetitors or enemies at this point."


    "Still, keep your guard up. You never know with these things," Hao Xuan mumbled.


    "There''s a guy named Rade. He''s in the royal guard, try to get in contact with him. He seems like a trustworthy guy, and he''s strong to boot. It would be good to have him on our side."


    Yangdi raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Alright, I''ll see what I can do."


    "Good. Send me the list of things you needed. I''ll see what I can pick up."


    Hao Xuan was talking about a few resources Yangdi had asked Baracus to find for conducting research for some new things. The things he needed were either hard to find, expensive, tightly regted, or all of the above.


    "Sure."

 Chapter 294: Entrant

    <h4>Chapter 294: Entrant</h4>


    The war had started once again. But this time both Mei and the Jia Kingdom came to an agreement.


    The Great Generals from both sides had been the same for over 500 years. Any new talents either went to the higher-ranked Kingdoms and Empires or simply joined other powers all together.


    So to give the current generation of youngsters a reason to fight other than the obvious one, they decided that only the ones below the Profound Realm would take to the fields and the winners be trained to take over the positions of the current great generals.


    Another reason for this was that both the kingdoms also had other enemies than themselves so they could never truly go all out.


    This way they could keep the main forces in reserve while gaining potentially new geniuses.


    This would not only reduce the overall damages but also give the youngsters proper training which they badly needed, or so they thought.


    The only problem was that they had vastly underestimated the ''prowess'' and the bloodthirsty nature of these young heroes.


    The biggest and the brightest example of this were Wu Chin, Cia Kang, and Jia Tu from the Jia''s side, and Guo Bao and Dong Ning from the Mei''s side.


    In a span of 1 month, they had more than a dozen encounters in total. Each one bloodier than thest.


    Guo Bao of the Flying Tigers and Dong Ning of the Spearheads seemed to be on the losing side as they were always outnumbered and had to make hasty retreats every time, that is until the bnce shifted because of a new entrant.


    ****


    There were about 1500 soldiers engaged in bloodybat. They were divided into three sides, two of them working together to fight the other.


    Explosions of colorful Qi erupted every now and then, reaping lives like they were nothing.


    Breathtakingly beautiful and dangerous attacks could be seening from every single direction.


    Sword energies, Saber energies, Spear energies, w energies, arrows made of Qi, whatever energy one could imagine could be found here.


    About a kilometers away on top of a lonely hill overseeing the bloody battlefield stood a four-armed giant. His ears twitched as he turned to the left and hisplexion paled in an instant.


    "Careful! It''s the-" loudly shouted the Jia soldier but before his voice could reach the intended party a ck shadow flew out from the nearby treeline and decapitated him in one strike.


    The shadow slowly materialized into a handsome man that looked to be around 28 at most.


    He surveyed the battlefield underneath with cold eyes before looking away. The ck sword in his hand disintegrated and vanished like smoke.


    His lips slightly parted as he murmured to himself, "Rejoice, for you get to taste my king''s de."


    *Vrrr*


    Some loose debris started shaking before rising a few centimeters above the ground. All 1500+ soldiers paused and looked around at the strange phenomenon. They could feel themselves getting lighter, some of the smaller ones even managing to jump several meters with just a light tap.


    In the middle of the battlefield were three figures shing with one another repeatedly. They were the only ones that had not stopped even once.


    One of them was a half-naked man that was without a shirt. On his back was a tattoo that was glowing with a red light. The tattoo was of a white tiger and it seemed to be alive as it asionally moved around.


    He was unarmed but his fingers looked exactly like the ws of a tiger, sharp and deadly. This was, of course, Guo Bao.


    One of the two facing him was a 5 meter tall Jia soldier with a hammer in each of his four hands. Each hammer was at least 2 meters long and was on fire. This was Jia Tu, the genius from the Royal n of Jia itself.


    The other one was a small pale white man with dual daggers. The daggers weren''t made out of metals but were shaped from some kind of a bone, probably from a powerful beast.


    They exuded a yellowish smoke which could make a person sick from a dozen meters away.


    This man was Lu Qiu, someone trained by the Jia n.


    Guo Bao and Jia Tu were fighting head-on, shing with their burly bodies while Lu Qiu would sneak attack whenever the opportunity presented itself.


    Guo Bao pushed Jia Tu back and looked at the ground.


    ''He''ste!'' thinking to himself. Still, he did not let it show and continued hurling insults at due in front.


    "You sniveling b*stards! Fight me fairly and we''ll see who wins!" he shouted before throwing a punch to his left. Lu Qiu who was behind him twisted his body in a 90-degree angle and avoided the strike before backing away with a sheepish smile.


    The debris that was floating suddenly fell with such force that it created a small shockwave.


    "Ahh!"


    *ng*


    *ck*


    *Thump*


    The pressure suddenly increased and it felt like the gravity had quadrupled. Those that were unprepared fell down to their knees while many couldn''t even hold on to their weapons.


    It was only the men belonging to the Guo Bao''s army that could still move around normally.


    Jia Tu snapped his head to the side and looked outwards with squinted eyes.


    *Rumbleeee~*


    The ground started shaking heavily as the sound of footsteps rang loudly in the now silent battlefield.


    The forests parted like the red sea as the trees were uprooted and from the left and right two cavalries came into view.


    They rode on many different beasts, each one different than the other. The only simrity was the mask adorning the rider''s faces.


    Horned red masks stared at the faces of the dazed soldiers until someone finally shouted.


    "THE MAD SAINTS!"


    As if waiting for this announcement the cavalries picked up their speed and ran straight into them. The soldiers tried to move away but the increased force of gravity greatly slowed their movements.


    "FOOLS! Circte your Qi! Cover yourselves in it!" shouted Jia Tu when he saw his men getting ughtered.


    He stretched his neck and looked around for that damned figure, the one responsible for all this, but he was not the one leading the charge.


    "But...where?" he looked left and right in panic, stopping only when he heard someone speaking from his left.


    "Assault of the Mad God!"


    Without even looking at the source he moved all four of his hammers to the left in a bid to block the iing attack, and the next second he felt it. The hammers weren''t enough to block this force.


    And instead, this entire 18 feet tall giant was lifted up from the ground with brute force and sent shooting up into the air.


    But he was still an experienced soldier and didn''t lose his cool. Instead, he forcefully turned his body in mid-air and using the momentum of the earlier attack hended several dozen meters away with wobbly feet.


    He turned around and looked at the man responsible for the attack. His arms were swollen to twice their normal size and his body was covered in lean muscles.


    It was hard to believe that a human half his size was able to do that to him. Rather than a human, it wouldn''t be strange if he was told that the man in front of him was some kind of a beast in human form.


    He got up and wiped the trail of blood from the side of his mouth.


    "Mad Saint, you live up to your reputation."

 Chapter 295: Battleground

    <h4>Chapter 295: Battleground</h4>


    "Mad Saint, you live up to your reputation."


    Jia Tu spat out a mouthful of blood that sizzled upon hitting the ground.


    Hao Xuan nced at Guo Bao who was kneeling a few feet away from him. His body was covered in wounds, some of which were leaking a yellow puss like substance.


    Guo Bao met his eyes while trying to catch his breath, "You''rete. A few more minutes and I might not have been so lucky."


    Hao Xuan scoffed, "Just be d I came at all. If you have the energy to talk then expel that poison first, we''ll take care of these guys, " he said looking at the yellow substance.


    Guo Bao quickly closed his eyes and sat down right then and there. Wisps of reddish Qi came out of the tattoo on his back and swirled around his body a few times before entering the infected wounds.


    A few secondster a yellow Qi was started to be expelled out from the open wounds.


    Hao Xuan nodded and turned around to face Jia Tu who was looking at them with an amusing expression.


    "You can''t possibly be thinking of protecting him against the both of us, right?" he spoke referring to Lu Qiu who was hiding somewhere nearby in the chaotic battlefield.


    Hao Xuan smiled and looked behind Jia Tu, "You won''t be fighting me, but them."


    Jia Tu thought he was trying to distract him at first but when he felt the two auras closing in on him, his expression quickly changed.


    "Help me!" he shouted loudly as Lu Qiu suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shot towards Hao Xuan like a bullet.


    Jia Tu took this opportunity and turned around to see two hooded figures standing not too far away from him.


    They werepletely covered from top to bottom and the only things that showed were their hands.


    One of them was holding onto two serrated axes that gave off a bloodthirsty aura and the other''s fists were covered in some sort of a metallic sheet that was wound around his hands.


    Jia Tu''s expression hardened when he tried to detect their cultivation levels because...he couldn''t. The only exnation was that either they were higher than him or were ''different'' somehow. Either way, it spelled trouble.


    Without saying anything else he lifted up the four hammers and bent his knees.


    "Come!"


    *BOOOM*


    His Qi exploded outwards like a volcano, sending dust and other particles flying away. But when the Qi ripple reached the two figures, it couldn''t even move their clothing.


    In response, they raised their weapons and lunged at him like tigers pouncing on their prey.


    ****


    That night after Hao Xuan returned from talking to Mr. Khan, a few things were set in motion because of his actions, the consequences of which would be dire and longsting.


    The man he brought back from the pit had still not woken up. After asking someone to take a look at his conditions he found out that his soul was damaged beyond repair.


    Right now he was just an empty shell with a few remnants of his soul still remaining in the body. He asked Jin Wang what to do and he told him how to take out the Altar which was residing in the man''s Mind Pce.


    But he suggested not to do this unless there was no other option. Simply keeping the man as is was the best possible solution at least for now, so Hao Xuan did just that.


    He recalled the man back to his own Mind Pce and kept him there.


    The next day he left the city of Fortuna with the Mad Saints to meet with First who was waiting for him a few thousand miles away.


    This time he left Jin Wang back at home to take care of things in his absence and took Red and Green with him along with the others because he didn''t know what he would be facing.


    The ce First had chosen as his unit''s camp constituted of a series ofplex underground tunnels on the side of a giant mountain peak.


    This ''mountain'' gave Hao Xuan a weird vibe as soon as he stepped on it. It felt like the ground was alive as if it was ''looking'' at him somehow.


    And he wasn''t the only one that got this feeling. Several dozen other people had the same reactions.


    All the beasts that came with them refused to take one step further. Their owners had to recall them and they had to walk on foot.


    The lizard beast Hao Xuan had picked up from the beast hall had the same reaction. It wasn''t anything special, just one of the thousands they had bred for the military.


    It looked like a giant smander but with snake-like skin. It was extremely fast but had no other redeeming qualities.


    It rolled up into a ball, refusing to move no matter how hard Hao Xuan tried. In the end all of them had to trek the 20,000 meters tall mountain on foot which took them two extra days.


    Hao Xuan was brought to the innermost chamber where First was waiting for him. He looked the same as usual, only much more worn out and exhausted.


    They talked for a while and Hao Xuan exined everything that was happening back at the city and what he found and about Fifth.


    And as Hao Xuan had expected, First didn''t have the reaction he was hoping for when he told him that Fifth was reced.


    "You knew?"


    "I wasn''t certain. And not about her. I didn''t think they would go after her of all people."


    "Why didn''t you try and stop them? Or tell someone else?"


    First shook his head and gave out a hollowugh.


    "I don''t know who I can trust anyone out there anymore. Other than you and Sixth, I can''t be sure about any of the others. Not even the great general."


    Hao Xuan understood where he wasing from so he didn''t ask anything else, nor did First tell him.


    After dropping off the storage ring Hao Xuan left the same day. He didn''t even stop to rest for the night.


    Four more days of travelingter he finally arrived at the periphery of the area that was set aside for this petition'' of sorts.


    It was a 100,000 km squarendmass. Half of it was inside Mei and the other half inside Jia.


    A myriad of different terrains were artificially created for the sole purpose of entertaining and inciting battles between the participants as sometimes they held treasures, rare beasts, and resources within.


    And speaking of participants, including Hao Xuan there were more than 20 from Mei''s side, while the Jia had brought in about 50 of them.


    Each participant led a small army of their own.


    Although the area was huge, they were still all cultivators. It wouldn''t take them too long to move from one side to another so there were daily skirmishes.


    This was going to be Hao Xuan''s next battleground.

 Chapter 296: Dungeons

    <h4>Chapter 296: Dungeons</h4>


    "GUYS! Let''s go watch the big fight in the arena!" an enthusiastic young man shouted while almost jumping up and down in anticipation.


    Three people were standing in front of him with wide grins.


    "Way ahead of you! We already booked the seats, let''s go quickly!"


    And they along with hundreds of thousands of others made their way to the already crowded arena in the City of Fortuna.


    The same scene could be seen ying out all over the two Kingdoms in almost every major area. Gigantic holographic screens were projected in the middle of cities and towns to showcase the entirety of this uing fight.


    And it was even broadcasted to the Empires that were backing them as they also held a vested interest in the matter.


    The fight between the best and brightest of Mei and Jia was not a small matter in any sense of the word.


    It was blown out of proportion by the respective kingdoms and marketed as the ''event of the century''.


    Some of these new heroes would rise to be the very protectors and leaders of their Kingdoms, and the others would be scouted by foreign powers to join them.


    Both the overseeing Empires were keeping a very close eye on the event.


    A week after the petition'' started, a petition was created that was signed by over 20 billion people in less than 5 days across the two kingdoms.


    It asked that thepetition be opened to all the cultivators belonging to the two kingdoms.


    At first, it was ignored by the higher-ups but when the news reached the empires, they thought it would be a great idea. This would not only help chose potential candidates for new leaders but also help uncover hidden geniuses.


    Which is why each Empire personally gave out several treasures that were hidden in the middle of the arena.


    ****


    Now, a little over two months had passed.


    There were 15 dungeons created within the boundary of the area where thepetition was taking ce. Each dungeon held some kind of a treasure that could be taken by anyone.


    There 7 dungeons on the side of Mei, 7 on the side of Jia, and the biggest one was smack dab in the middle of them all.


    This 15th dungeon held the two biggest and the most valuable treasures that were provided by the Empires along with hundreds of other resources.


    The only problem was that each dungeon was protected by a virtual army of beasts and anyone that tried to get to the treasure would have to not only fight off the beasts, but also the opposing army.


    The battle that was taking ce today was for the 15th dungeon. 10 of the others had already been imed.


    7 by the Jia and 3 by Mei.


    Countless people were sitting in front of their TVs,puters, many had chosen to go out and watch the fight unfold with their friends in arenas and such.


    Every single business was showing the exact same broadcast right now.


    ***


    In the new Khan residence, the entire family including Maaz who had taken the day off were sitting in the living room. Usually, Mr. and Mrs. Khan did not allow the children to watch such violent things but for some reason, they had made an exception this time around.


    They didn''t say why but they wanted everyone to watch it together and were even cheering for someone, which surprised the kids.


    The Ninth Captain of the Red Legion was their favorite champion, for whatever reason.


    ***


    In the Den, the entire staff was sitting in front of a massive hologram.


    At the back were two absolutely stunningdies that sat there hand in hand. It wasn''t obvious whether others were avoiding them or they were avoiding the other staff members, but no one bothered them.


    "Is it him again?" one of them asked the other one mischievously.


    "Mhm," the other, blonde one, nodded somewhat shyly.


    *Sigh*


    The first girl nced at the blonde one pitifully.


    She had been hoping to catch a glimpse of the man that didn''t evene see her once after they met for the first time all those months ago.


    He had probablypletely forgotten about her and moved on, yet this stupid girl was still looking for him everywhere. She had lost so much weight that she could barely even stand up on her own.


    But as her friend, what else could she do other than just being there for her?


    ***


    In First''s house, Anya was sitting in front of the TV while cutting up some vegetables for dinner.


    Next to her was Xu Qing who was holding on to little Xin Qiye while he drooled all over her while ying with her hair.


    Anya nced at the TV every now and then and smiled when the announcement came on.


    "It''s about to begin. Your ''man'' will being on anytime now," she said teasingly.


    Xu Qing acted like she didn''t hear her and continued ying with Xin Qiye, but the blush going down her cheeks said otherwise.


    ***


    In a restaurant that waspletely booked out, two people sat in the back having a drink.


    One of them was Yangdi, while the person next to him was Rade, the Royal guard that Hao Xuan met while running away from the pit.


    "Why is he even participating?" Rade asked while one-shotting the entire ss.


    Yangdi took a small sip and put the rest down before smiling.


    "I have absolutely no idea. I only handle his assets. What he does and why, your guess is as good as mine."


    Rade sucked his teeth while looking at the screen, "It does look like fun though."


    Yangdi shook his head, "I wouldn''t know. I don''t usually partake in these kinds of things," he said looking at the screen that was showing a top-down view of an absolutely massive old temple.


    It was at least 20 kilometers square in size and was covered in old vines and tree roots. There were thousands upon thousands of beasts in and around it.


    Some as small as a few inches, others several hundred meters in size.


    But the one thingmon in between them was that they all looked like various mutations of the scorpions from earth.


    Some had 10-15 legs with tails that were 4 times the size of their entire bodies. While others were so colorful that they looked like someone had made them out of y.

 Chapter 297: The Guardians

    <h4>Chapter 297: The Guardians</h4>


    The camera zoomed out even further and showed the surrounding area of the temple.


    There was a massive forest about 10 kilometers away from the boundary of the temple. Each tree of that forest was at least 50 meters tall with thick, bushy crowns that would be able to hide entire elephants with ease.


    The camera kept zooming in on the right side until hundreds upon hundreds of silhouettes could be seen sitting on and around the trees.


    It zoomed out before once again zooming in towards the left side. There stood massive, multi-armed silhouettes under the trees, a few of which were half as big as the trees themselves. This was the side of the Jia Kingdom.


    ***


    On the right side.


    Fan Xinya stood atop a thick tree branch, staring towards their target of the day. Close behind him were more than 760 people of different genders, races, and attires bunched up.


    *Rustle*


    The leaves right above him slightly shook and another personnded next to him clumsily. It was a slightly overweight girl that was around 7 feet tall. She had dark red skin and small hornsing out of her forehead.


    "Any news?" she asked looking in the same direction as him.


    Fan Xinya lightly shook his head.


    "What about your side?"


    She nodded once, "They''re all ready."


    Fan Xinya looked to his left and saw half a dozen other people standing in the canopy at the same height as him and staring outwards.


    These eight individuals had risen to be the leaders of their respective groups.


    All of them were either rogue cultivators or those with minor backgrounds. They had chosen to join thepetition for different reasons. Some in hopes of gaining fame, some for the treasures, and some hoping to join one of the bigger powers.


    But each of them led a certain number of cultivators of their own. All together they came to be more than 10,000 in total, and these were just the rogue cultivators.


    The geniuses belonging to the military were different.


    "So? When do we strike?" she asked impatiently. Fan Xinya nced towards her and let out a soft smile. This chubby girl belonged to a tribe of ''Imps''.


    Every Imp, even the ones belonging to the same family would be vastly different than the others. Their bloodlines were highly unstable and could produce any number of mutations.


    She had the blood of some kind of a horned beast running through her veins, which gave her skin the peculiar color. But she was also a hardened warrior and loved fighting which was in total contrast to her image.


    "The one who makes the first move will have the biggest losses. There''s only a few thousand of us so we can''t take the risk, but the Jia can," he gestured towards the other side of the temple where hulking Jia soldiers blocked out the sun.


    Just from an initial census, there seemed to be more than 20 thousand of them.


    "But won''t they get to the treasure first then?"


    "Yeah, but that doesn''t mean they''ll get it. It jus-"


    *Hooowl~*


    An extremely loud wolf howl interrupted him. It wasing from the side of the Jia.


    Fan Xinya straightened his back and stretched out his neck to get a better view. The Jia had indeed made the first move.


    Two fully armored units of about 2,000 giant soldiers each had walked out of the forest on foot. Each of these men was decked out in full metal armor from head to toe.


    This armor covered their entire bodies, leaving only a space for the eyes. It was simply called the "The Guardian" by the Jia military was mass-produced just for thispetition.


    The armor was able to block every normal attack of Mid-Stage Spirit realm cultivators and beasts of equivalent power.


    The Jia military had more than 500 million soldiers in total, yet they were only able to produce these 4,000 armor pieces. It showed how hard and expensive they were to make.


    The armors had glowing sigils imprinted on them which were giving out a faint yellow light. In the soldier''s hands were gigantic two-handed masses, hammers, greatswords, and shields.


    "Ho Ah!"


    "Ho Ah!"


    "Ho Ah!"


    Every Jia cultivator started shouted while thumping their chests as soon as they saw these men step out.


    These people were the vanguards in almost every battle. The sigils on the armor pieces gave them different abilities and powers that helped them take almost any attack head-on.


    Behind these 4,000 soldiers stood 15 people in a straight line. These fifteen were the most famous geniuses from their side, from both the military and the roque cultivatorsbined.


    One of them stepped out and shouted, "ONWARD!"


    The Guardians let out loud roars and started running towards the temple.


    Hundreds of scorpion beasts that were roaming the boundary between the temple and the forest turned towards these new enemies. They let out a mix of crackling noises and hisses and charged towards iing Jia soldiers.


    Multi-colored poison''s dripped out of these creatures maws as they punched on the soldiers, but the result was not what they had expected.


    The first row of soldiers suddenly stopped and imnted their massive shields in the ground in front of them.


    Every shield let out a yellow colored barrier that connected with the others and formed a straight, impregnable line.


    As soon as the beasts impacted with the barrier a massive force pushed them back, momentarily stunning them. The soldiers quickly took advantage of this opportunity and swung their weapons, which passed through the barrier without any trouble and cut off parts of these beasts.


    Within a few minutes, these hundreds of creatures were nothing more than a mess of mangled corpses.


    One of the Guardians that seemed to be the leader turned around and raised his mace into the air proudly.


    Everyone watching lout of loud cheers which came to a sudden halt.


    The Guardian leader turned around and his pupils shrunk.


    The temple doors had swung open and out came a countless number of even bigger beasts. The smallest of these was about 3 meters long, while thergest was over 100 meters.


    *SCREECH*


    One of the 100-meter long scorpion beasts screeched loudly and this literal army of beasts charged towards the guardians like the ocean tide.


    The Guardian Leader scoffed and went back to his position.


    "BARRIERS! UP!"


    The Guardians channeled all of their Qi into the shields and the barrier reformed, this time several times brighter than before.

 Chapter 298: Test or Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 298: Test or Treasure</h4>


    While the fight between the ''Guardians'' and scorpion beasts continued, the Mei soldiers also took the opportunity to start their own barrage of attacks.


    Fan Xinya and the other seven led their men straight towards the temple doors.


    The eight leaders became the vanguards with their high cultivation and superior techniques and abilities.


    All lower realmed cultivators below the Spirit realm were tasked with keeping the beasts upied while the leaders broke through the encirclement of the few thousand scorpion beasts that were still roaming on the right side of the temple.


    Because of the havoc caused by the Guardians, most of the powerful creatures went to the left side while Mei''s side only had a handful of elite beasts that were at the top of the Demonic Beast Realm and they were besieged by over 8000 rogue cultivators.


    Fan Xinya was the first one to break through to the temple door and step inside the new area.


    It was pitch ck. An extremely strong stench of dposing remains hit Fan Xinya head-on, making him take a step back in disgust. He covered his mouth with his sleeve and waved his hand.


    Several people stepped out from behind him and threw out light stones that stuck to the walls.


    This wasn''t the first time they had entered a dungeon like this in thispetition so they were well prepared.


    These 2000 or so cultivators quickly took out various masks and ointments before putting them on. With the eight leaders at the front, they carefully ventured deeper into the dungeon.


    Every few meters there would be a beast or two waiting for them. The deeper they went, the stronger and more lethal the beasts became. Their cultivation levels rose and as did their variety.


    Within a few minutes, they had already lost about 70 people, most of which were to the same type of beast that was able to blend in with its surroundings. Most of the cultivators didn''t even know how they died.


    Outside, all of these events were being broadcasted live to billions of people. Everything, even the scenes from inside the temple were clearly shown to countless citizens.


    Some were cheering, while some were worried about their favorite heroes, but the question on everyone''s mind was the same.


    "Where are the Mei Kingdom''s soldiers? Why haven''t theye out yet?"


    But there was no one to answer them.


    The fights continued and within two hours the Guardians were able to kill or even capture most of the beasts bigger than 50 meters. The smaller ones were too many to even count and didn''t present the same level of danger to them.


    Jia Tu looked at his spirit band as soon as it vibrated and nodded upon reading the message. He then leaned in towards the others and told them the news.


    "Alright, let''s go," they all agreed.


    The Guardians were called back to rest as it was the remaining 16,000 soldier''s turn to shine.


    All of them charged towards the Scorpion beasts as if their lives depended on it.


    These 3-5 meter tall four-armed giants swung their weapons around without a care in the world as they shed with one beast after another.


    The 15 Jia leaders waited until the battle was at its peak and quickly ran towards the temple with a 100 Guardian''s leading the way.


    Among these thousands of soldiers and even more beasts, they maintained low profiles and managed to enter the dungeon without being noticed.


    They followed in the footsteps of the Mei cultivators and managed to catch up to them within just a few minutes, but they didn''t attack.


    For some strange reason, they kept a distance of a hundred meters and stayed away from the Mei cultivators, letting them go deeper and deeper into the dungeon.


    The temple was only about 20 kilometers in size but the pathways inside it went on for more than a hundred kilometers.


    Jia Tu kept checking his Spirit Band over and again.


    ***


    About 2 hourster the Mei cultivators finally arrived in arge open cavern with hundreds of holes along the sides. It was at least 5 kilometers in size and its ceiling was covered with bright blue crystals that were lighting up the entire ce.


    "Oh my god! Are all of those spirit stones?!" the red-skinned Imp girl, Arizou, shouted in disbelief.


    Fan Xinya who was covered in green and purple blood looked up and his pupils shrunk in incredulity.


    All of those blue crystals were indeed Spirit stones, and Mid-grade ones to boot. (Check the end of auxiliary chapter "cultivation Realms" for details).


    Just from a first nce, there were several tons of them.


    Fan Xinya unconsciously gulped out loud. Those Spirit stones were enough to raise an entire generation of cultivators. If someone could get a hold of them, they might even be able to start their own n if they so desired.


    He then looked back down and once again was taken aback by what he saw.


    On the other side of the cavern was a golden chest. It was covered in bright purple runes that were moving around on their own and engraved with the pictures of legendary beasts. The chest itself seemed to be made out of pure gold and whatever was inside it was powerful enough to give him chills.


    This chest was ced here by the Empires with their collective treasures inside. The runes were ced on it to restrict the aura of these treasures otherwise they would have wreaked havoc in the area.


    Everyone including Fan Xinya and even Jia Tu and hispanions that were quite a distance away were able to feel the auraing off of the golden chest.


    They even forgot about the massive quantity of Spirit stones that were literally hanging above their heads.


    It was the same for everyone watching at home as well.


    While most of these cultivators were busy imagining what was inside the chest, one of them raised his feet and used some kind of a technique to charge straight in.


    Fan Xinya quickly woke up from his daze and his expression hardened. The rules they had decided on were simple.


    Whoever could get to it first would own the contents.


    "STOP HIM!" he yelled while breaking out in a sprint.


    Jia Tu''spanions including Wu Chin and Cia Kang looked at him with furrowed brows but he simply shook his head in return.


    "Not yet."


    They wanted to run in as well but Jia Tu had not been wrong yet so they stayed put and watched on.


    The Ninth Stage Spirit Realm cultivator that was running towards the chest picked up speed when he saw the others closing in.


    A wide grin bloomed on his face when he got within 100 meters of the chest. And as he turned around to gloat, he was stupified by what he saw.


    The 1900 or so cultivators that should have been following him had stopped quite a while back and instead were staring at his direction with mouths agape.


    "Did they just give up?" he thought to himself until he noticed that they weren''t looking at him, but above him.


    He slowly lifted his head and noticed a green humanoid figure floating in mid-air.


    "What is.."


    Before he could even finish the thought, his legs that were mid-sprint cleanly separated from his body. And then the same happened to the rest of him over and over again until all that was left of him were little, inch long pieces.


    Jia Tu''s heart skipped a beat when he saw the floating figure.


    "It was true...they left a Profound Realm beast to guard the chest...."


    And he was right. This "creature" was left here to protect the Gold chest. A beast that was specifically captured by the Saint Lord''s of the two Empires both as a gift, and a test.


    A creature so wicked that even they had to send several cultivators that were an entire realm higher to capture it alive.


    An Abrasive Jadeblood Scorpion King!


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Scorpion King: https://i.pinimg/564x/05/10/27/0510276161473788cbcab2d1b5e97d4d.jpg


    Short link: https://urlzs/p1WpK

 Chapter 299: King

    <h4>Chapter 299: King</h4>


    An Abrasive Jadeblood Scorpion King!


    A mutated form of a Jadeblood King Scorpion.


    It was bright green in color. Its arms were almost as long as its entire body which ended in razor-sharp ck ws that were giving off a faint ck mist.


    It had a horrible visage with protruding teeth that could rip a human being in half. On its head were two curved horns, the front one being 3 times as long as the one behind.


    Above its shoulders were two arched bony outgrowths that seemed to be connected all the way to the bottom of its thin tale.


    There were various sharp protruding outgrowths like thising out from different parts of its body and of different lengths.


    Its entire body was covered in a chitin-like substance where it was hard to the touch, much like the exterior of an arthropod.


    It would have been easier to find a heavenly beast than to find something like this.


    This beast had only been seen a handful of times in thest few tens of thousands of years and every time it surfaced, the most powerful governing entity of the area would have to immediately dispatch one realmed higher cultivators to kill or capture it, just like how it did this time.


    The Scorpion King''s body floated calmly in mid-air, about 30 meters above ground. Its eyes were closed and it was in a fetal position. Only its tail was moving around almost independently, kind of like a curious snake.


    Fan Xinya and the rest of the Mei cultivators didn''t make any sudden moves or sounds. They even talked to each other telepathically.


    "What do we do now?" someone asked looking at Fan Xinya, Arizou, and other leaders.


    "It depends on what you''re willing to do. That thing, whatever it is, none of us can beat it alone, that''s for damn sure," Fan Xinya replied while staring at the Scorpion King.


    "I think we will need to change the rules for this one then," another person voiced his opinion, getting approval from over 90% of the cultivators.


    A short bout of silence followed after as the leaders talked amongst themselves.


    This time it was Arizou who spoke.


    "Alright. We can work together and suppress it while someone goes from the side and takes away the golden chest. And at the end, we can split it equally among everyone present. How about that?"


    The n was sound because they were in the heart of the temple. Whoever grabbed the gold chest wouldn''t be able to get out of here alone, not to mention after getting out of the temple they would be public enemy number one and would get caught sooner orter.


    Fan Xinya didn''t want to agree with the terms as he wanted to treasure all to himself and he even had a few tricks up his sleeves that could help him achieve his objectives if he was against any of these other people, but not that beast.


    It was still asleep and yet the passive energy that wasing off of it was enough to make him want to turn tail and run, so he begrudgingly agreed. It was better to get something out of this than leave empty-handed.


    She looked at the small army of spirit realmed cultivators behind her who after a moment of contemtion agreed as well.


    Actually, this worked out in their favor. Most of the loot from the battles was given to the person that killed the enemy, and they knew from the get-go that none of them would be able to get their hands on the Gold chest as long as their leaders were there.


    The only reason they stuck with these people was that they were more gifted than them and hence could go further on the road of cultivation.


    And owing someone who could potentially be a powerhouse in the future a favor or even following them was not a bad thing at all. The weak had to follow the strong to survive, that was how the world worked.


    But now they would get a significant amount of capital for doing the same work. Why wouldn''t they agree?


    They came up with a battle n and split up into four different teams. Everyone took out every piece of armor they owned and equipped them for the uing fight.


    For some of them it could very well end being theirst battle and they were okay with that. There was no reward without risk.


    Fan Xinya and Arizou chose to be in the same team as they were familiar with each other''s fighting styles and couldmunicate better.


    The n was pretty simple. Three teams would attack the beast from the front, the left, and the right.


    Thest team would stay back and protect their nks so whenever the Jia soldiers came in they could hold them back long enough for the others to counter.


    Andstly, two people were selected with abilities that were able topletely hide their presence.


    They were brothers from a long-forgotten assassin school from a 3rd-grade kingdom. The older brother was called Hashim and the younger one was Kreim.


    They didn''t have particrly high cultivation levels or any strong abilities, it was only this one ability to hide that had gotten them all the way here to thispetition.


    They were to get the Golden chest and fall back. And when it was done, the others would follow them. From the start they never nned to kill the scorpion king, only hold it back for a little while.


    With a loud roar from Arizou the battle started.


    Her body doubled in size and her muscles almost tripled. Holding onto two battle swords that were shimmering with a pale green light, she was the first one to attack followed by 1500 other screaming cultivators that unleased every bit of Qi in their body and charged forward.


    **


    On the other side of the cavern, the Scorpion King was calmly listening in on their entire n from the start.


    He was a creature that had gained sentience a long time ago.


    From birth, he had known he was superior to these lesser creatures of flesh and bones. He knew it was his destiny to be a ruler, a King!


    And a king had to be ruthless.


    Soon after being born he killed and ate his own mother and didn''t stop until their entire colony was consumed.


    To satiate his bloodthirst, he continued killing until there was no one left to stand in his way. And just like that, he moved from one area to another,ying waste to everything in his path.


    No one could stand up to him, no one could stop him. It was....boring.


    That is until he attacked and consumed some weak fleshy beings that called themselves humans. There were millions upon millions of them and yet, no one could stop him even from among them.


    So he continued his journey, in a world he knew nothing about, in a world where he was the strongest, or so he thought.


    It was just a few weeks ago when a group of humans attacked him. These ones were unlike any he hade across before. They were...strong. Strong enough to capture him alive.


    Well, it was only because he let them.


    He wanted to see for himself just how strong these humans were. Would there be someone that could challenge him? Someone worth fighting?

 Chapter 300: Living

    <h4>Chapter 300: Living</h4>


    A gruff voice echoed in the now silent chamber, "So utterly disappointing...."


    The Jadeblood Scorpion King hovered above a small hill made of corpses as he surveyed the surroundings.


    All around him were the hundreds of remaining Mei and Jia Cultivators.


    Outside, the viewers were watching on with clenched fists and teary eyes, not wanting to believe what they had just witnessed.


    More than 600 cultivators had died in a span of a few minutes while the fate of the remaining survivors was all but written in stone.


    **


    The fight had begun with the intensity of a raging tornado and came to an abrupt halt much like a small child running into a wall at full force.


    The Mei Cultivatorsunched their attack and everything was going ording to n until Hashim and Kreim tried to approach the golden chest.


    They had essentially be invisible and even when a person was looking right at them it would look like they were staring at shadows. Yet the Scorpion king''s beastly eyes never left them even once.


    He yed along with their ns until a few minutes into the fight. The humans thought they had the upper hand as they shot one attack after another towards this king of beasts, trying to get his attention.


    When it looked like the assassin brothers had almost reached the chest, the Jia soldiers finally couldn''t take it anymore andunched their attack as well, well all but one of them.


    Jia Tu still didn''t make a move and stood at the periphery of the cavern and watched on.


    Jia''s 100 Guardian''s were strong enough to block everything the Mei cultivators could throw at them. Although they couldn''t do much damage in return, they were still literal tanks whose only purpose was to reduce and evenpletely block any and all damage.


    These measly 100 Guardians managed to push back almost 450 Mei cultivators while the 14 Jia leaders took the opportunity to attack whenever possible.


    Now the fight was between the Jia and the Mei cultivators instead of them and the Scorpion King.


    Still, he did not take it personally and watched on curiously.


    The two groups fought for several minutes until the assassin brothers reached the chest. And as they tried to take it, the Scorpion King had finally had enough.


    With a single swipe of his tail, they were cut into hundreds of pieces. No one even saw what happened. He then proceeded to start a massacre.


    The two arched outgrowths on his back slowly lit up with a green light that got brighter and brighter.


    It was then that everyone remembered that their opponent was a beast at the Profound realm. Someone that had managed to connect its inner world to the world outside and borrow its unlimited power.


    The growths umted energy for a minute before unleashing a powerful attack like aser beam. Everywhere it passed, everything it touched, all of it was burnt to a crisp in a matter of seconds.


    Just that single attack took the lives of more than 400 people.


    The rest snapped back to reality and realized who their real enemy was, but it was already toote.


    Like a wolf in a chicken coop, the Scorpion King went into the heart of the mobs and started killing.


    His ws seemed to be embedded with a strange power as wherever they passed, everything was corroded. Be it weapons, armor, Qi, or flesh, all of it dissolved and vaporized.


    The Guardians the Jia Kingdom was so proud of could barely take a single attack before crumbling into a panicked mob and running for their lives. More than half the leaders from Mei and Jia were killed in that single conflict.


    Jia Tu''s expression hardened upon seeing the havoc being caused right in front of his eyes. If he hadn''t listened to his advice, he would have ended much the same way as hisrades if not worse.


    Fan Xinya''s knees buckled and he powerlessly fell down to the ground.


    There was a massive tear on the side of his abdomen from which most of his internal organs could be seen.


    No matter how much Qi he tried to circte towards the area, no matter how many medicines and elixirs he tried to consume, none of them could close the wound. The corrosive energy that was wriggling around the wound dissolved everything that came anywhere near it.


    His face was pale white and he could barely see straight due to excessive blood loss.


    All he could do was slightly raise his head and watch the emerald beast as the life from his body slowly dripped out.


    It was the same for almost everyone else as well.


    Those that survived had one or more wounds that would not close. Wails, whimpers, and painful cries echoed in the cavern where the only one still on two feet was the Scorpion King.


    After looking at his handy work he fixed his eyes on the only person still fine.


    As he nced towards his direction, Jia Tu felt a cold chill go down his spine.


    "Why don''t youe inside, human?" the King spoke with his rough voice, with a hint of curiosity. it sounded like someone was rubbing two sheets of metal together whenever he spoke.


    Jia Tu looked down at his feet and let out a breath of relief. He was just a few inches outside the boundary of the cavern.


    ''So that was true as well. He can''t leave this ce...'' Jia Tu remembered the message he got informing him of the dangers of this ce. That was why he didn''t go inside and told the others not to do so either.


    He looked up and met the Scorpion King''s gaze.


    "I''m not allowed to, I''m sorry," he said apologetically.


    Scorpion King tilted his head sideways in confusion, "Why not?"


    "Because he wants to fight you himself. No, he wants YOU. So unless he says so, I cannot," Jia Tu shook his head helplessly.


    The Scorpion King was even more confused now, but before he could ask another question, sounds of footsteps came from behind Jia Tu.


    *Tap*Tap*Tap*


    Everyone watching from outside perked their ears and straightened their backs to see who these footsteps belonged to. The same went for all the survivors in the cavern. Everyone that had the strength to, turned around to see what was happening.


    Jia Tu didn''t need to though because he knew who it was.


    He silently moved to the side and waved his hand. In his palms appeared a pair of ck and golden gauntlets and a pair of steel-toed boots that were glowing with an undting yellow light.


    Wu Chin and Cia Kang who wereying helplessly on the other side of the cavern covered in their own blood suddenly had a change of expressions.


    These two along with Jia Tu were working directly for the Jia Royal n. The four armor pieces currently in his hands were the rewards they had gotten from clearing three of the hardest dungeons other than this.


    They were pieces of living armors, much like living weapons. The only difference was that basically no one in a grade-1 kingdom or lower could afford to make living armors.


    They were stupendously expensive and only true experts were capable of crafting them. Those armor pieces were a gift for their crown prince, Jia Heng.


    The reason Jia Tu was holding onto them was because he was the only direct member of Jia royal n here, so naturally, it fell to him to carry them.


    Arge silhouette, the same size as Jia Tu passed by him and entered the cavern.


    Then two more silhouettes that were slightly shorter entered, followed by a ck swordsman.


    All of their faces were covered with different masks.


    Thest one to arrive was a masked young man. He had long hair that wereing down to his waist but it didn''t make him look feminine. Because of his muscr physique and broad shoulders he looked even more manly.


    He walked up to Jia Tu and patted his shoulder. Jia Tu got down on one knee and raised his hands.


    Silence. It wasplete silence. Whether it was the Scorpion King or survivors, or even the ones watching from home, everyone was left speechless.


    The masked young man took the four armor pieces and examined them like they were his own property. His nonchnt attitude stumped the Scorpion King.


    "Human, yo-"


    "Shhh," just as the Scorpion King had begun to speak, the masked man turned towards him and hushed him into silence.


    He then proceeded to casually bite his finger. Several drops of bright red blood flowed out which he proceeded to drop on the armor pieces.


    "MAD SAINT! STOP! Those are for the crown prince!" Wu Chin and Cia Kang shouted in unison but Hao Xuan ignored them and finished bonding with the armor pieces.


    "JIA TU! YOU GODDAMN TRAITOR!" Cia Kang yelled at Jia Tu but was ignored once again. He didn''t even register his existence.


    Under the eyes of billions of people, Hao Xuan proceeded to ce the gauntlets on his skin and their shape and size changed to fit his proportions. The same went for the shoes.


    They melded with his skin and thenpletely disappeared, bing a part of him. He closed his eyes and could feel them, their existence inside of him.


    A smile bloomed on his face as he once again opened his eyes and stared at the Scorpion King.


    "Now little scorpion, we can fight!" he stretched his body and all of his clothes exploded, revealing a full-body ck and gold armor underneath.


    The living armor pieces he had just absorbed resurfaced and with a few loud ngs connected with the other pieces he was already wearing.


    Gauntlets, shoes, chest, the only thing that was missing now was a helmet to go with this marvelous armor.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Armor kind of looks like this but darker: https://urlzs/ZpFnM

 Chapter 301: Chains

    <h4>Chapter 301: Chains</h4>


    Hao Xuan stretched and flexed his muscles, feeling the wind on his skin and the coldness of the air through the armor.


    The armor was now permanently bonded with his body. As long as there was any part of him that was still intact, then even if the armor waspletely destroyed it would still be able to recover and grow along with him.


    That was the reason for the poprity of the Living weapons and armors. They might not seem strong at first nce but they would elevate themselves along with the user and evolve with them.


    And there was no way to lose them unless someone intentionally cut off the bond or was simply killed and the armor extracted from their body.


    Hao Xuan looked down at his arms and feet covered in the ck and gold armor pieces, a feeling of invincibilitying from somewhere deep inside him. He finally felt like all that hard work he had put in over thest few weeks was finally showing its result.


    Everyone was watching on with bated breaths. This was a turning point in this fight that had been all but decided the moment these people stepped into the cavern.


    Right now Green, Red, Monk, and Ensis were standing in the four corners of the cavern. The Scorpion King hadpletely ignored them since they didn''t have any killing intent towards him.


    After Hao Xuan was done admiring the armor, he held out his right hand and the ive appeared in his palm. He didn''t call it from the storage space of the watch but from the Meridian in his chest.


    *Shiiiiiiiin~*


    As soon as the ive materialized it let out a high pitched noise and started vibrating. Almost instantly in response the armor let out the same high pitched noise and shook several times.


    Hao Xuan smiled, "Shh, rx. There''s no reason to be so aggressive," he whispered to the ive to calm it down.


    Both of these ''entities'' were actually conscious. When the ive was summoned, it detected Hao Xuan''s connection to the armor and tried to destroy it. In response, the armor retaliated.


    Living pieces of equipment were extremely territorial and normally you would never see more than one of the same types of equipment on a cultivator''s body.


    For example, since Hao Xuan had the ive, he would not be able to bond with any other type of Living Weapon. The ive would simply not allow it. Sharing was not a concept they understood.


    Hao Xuan looked ahead and nodded. All his severs that were already in the cavern lifted their sleeves and showed thick chains that were bound around their arms.


    If looked closely they were slowly moving around on their own, making asional rattling noises.


    This was the first time the Scorpion King had a change of expression ever since the fight had first begun. He squinted his massive eyes and stared at the pitch-ck chains in their hands.


    He floated up and off the ground and covered himself with a barrier of Qi. Those chains gave him a bad feeling.


    Ensis was the first to begin. He cut open his hand and dropped a few droplets of blood on the chain. All of a sudden as if someone had jolted it back to life, the chain started moving around like a serpent.


    Ensis gritted his teeth and held onto on side with both hands while the other slowly thrashed about, moving towards the other corner of the cavern where Green was standing.


    Green did the exact same thing and held onto his chain with the left hand while extending the right outwards. The chain from Ensis looked like it was being pulled towards him by an unknown force as it quickly shot towards him.


    As soon as Green held it, a burst of suppressive force fell down one side of the cavern.


    The Scorpion King''s pupils contracted as he realized why he was getting such an uneasy feeling from those chains.


    He opened his hands and his ws suddenly doubled in size. Just as he was about to unleash an attack, he felt the air move in front of him and instinctively raised his massive forelimbs in front of his face.


    *BOOM*


    A deafening explosion rang out in the cavern, sending dead bodies and the still injured cultivators hurling towards the outer boundary.


    The Scorpion King was pushed back almost a hundred meters with nothing more than brute force. A burning sensation spread out from where he hade into contact with the attack.


    As he lowered his arms, Hao Xuan appeared in his vision, floating on the other side with a satisfied grin. In his left hand was the ive while his right hand had smokeing off it. That attack just not done with a weapon but a simple punch.


    Although it didn''t do any damage to this King of beasts, it was enough topletely wake him up and put up his guard.


    That punch had bought the severs enough time to finish setting up the formation. Thest chain basically ran towards Ensis and as he grabbed it, a perfect square was created around the cavern.


    The Scorpion King and Hao Xuan were smack dab in the middle of it.


    *Shwaaap*


    The sound of a muffled p echoed in the chamber as the suppressive force increased by more than 20 times and its only target was the floating Scorpion King.


    His eyes widened as he almost fell down to the ground. He looked down at his body and then back up at Hao Xuan with a vicious expression.


    "Was this your n, human?"


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Indeed. And I had to go through a lot of trouble to bring those babies out, and this armor. All of it for you," he said gesturing towards the chains.


    Those chains were also the treasures the Mei cultivators had gotten from some of the other dungeons.


    Almost a month ago when saw the list of the rewards that were uncovered from the dungeons, he saw a pattern. A pattern which waster confirmed by Baracus and another person he had severed.


    Hao Xuan lifted the ive above his head and stared at the Beast King, "Ready or not, HERE.I.COME!"


    *BOOOOOOOM*

 Chapter 302: Plan

    <h4>Chapter 302: n</h4>


    6 weeks ago.


    The Mad Saints had joined hands with the Flying Tigers and had just finished an arduous battle against a n of bloodthirsty Demonic Blood Eagles.


    These creatures had the features of both humans and eagles. They could walk on two legs and had two hands, but they had beaks and the overall shape of their heads was almost identical to that of an eagle''s. Their arms were 4 times the size of the rest of their bodies and had feathersing out of them which allowed them to fly at low altitudes.


    By their very nature, they craved and sought out blood. They had no empathy for even their fellow blood eagles and any one of them that was injured would either be left behind if he was lucky, or eaten alive if unlucky.


    This specific n had conducted numerous crimes against a small 3rd grade Kingdom, wiping out almost half of its poption over the span of several months.


    They were left here to guard one of the 15 dungeons. Although the Mei Cultivators won, it was a pyrrhic victory. They managed to wipe out the Demonic Blood Eagles but lost almost 30% of their total forces. This was an uneptablyrge number of casualties, especially because thepetition had basically just begun a couple of weeks ago and would not be ending anytime soon.


    Guo Bao called Hao Xuan over as he was about to open the purple chest that was being protected by the blood eagles.


    "How do you want to split this one?" Hao Xuan asked while sitting down in a corner of the room. He was covered in blood from head to toe and had several open wounds on his abdomen.


    Guo Bao nced at the bloody wounds and couldn''t help but look away guiltily. Those wounds were meant for him, yet Hao Xuan pushed him aside in the midst of battle and got injured in his stead.


    It was also the Mad Saints that had done the most in this battle. They set up a gravity formation outside the dungeon which sent out random bursts of gravity and made it so the Blood Eagles wouldn''t be able to fly. If not for that, the battle might have had far more dire consequences than just this.


    "This one is all yours. I''ll take 60% of the ones from the next battle. Sound good?"


    Hao Xuan looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.


    "You sure? We don''t even know what''s in it yet."


    Guo Bao simply turned around and walked out of the room, "Yeah yeah, I''m sure," leaving Hao Xuan and the purple chest alone.


    Hao Xuan got up and opened the chest which was iid with numerous protective formations. All the formations opened the same way and every participant was given detailed information on how to open them, but the only problem was that the chest couldn''t be moved before the formations were opened.


    This meant that either the dungeon had to bepletely cleared first or its inhabitants held back while the chest was opened, which was harder than actually killing them.


    A few minutester the chest opened and revealed a shining golden and ck armored breastte. That was the only thing inside the chest and it seemed like it was specifically made to contain that breastte.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned to one of joy when he realized the information he had received was correct. He brushed the top of the breastte and it let out a barely audible screech.


    "It really is alive¡­"


    2 weeks ago when he first severed Jia Tu and brought him under his influence, he got a ton of information from him.


    Jia Tu said that the Empire backing the Jia Kingdom had given the crown prince detailed information regarding each dungeon and what they contained.


    They said that almost half of the dungeon rewards were only meant to be used to clear thest, 15th dungeon. That it contained the best reward of all and the biggest challenge. They didn''t say what was in the golden chest in the 15th dungeon but only that no one would be able to defeat the beast guarding it without the full living armor and the ''Binding Chains''.


    Hao Xuan was, of course, angered to no end after hearing that but after listening to Baracus''s proposal he calmed down and came up with a n to use it for himself.


    That was why he ''urged'' Guo Bao to take out this dungeon first. It contained one of the parts of the living armor without which victory was not possible.


    After that, he proceeded to Sever a few other people and used them to clear out the remaining dungeons that contained everything rted to the 15th one.


    And now he had almost all of the armor pieces other than the headpiece.


    The Scorpion King was at Profound Realm Stage 3. Currently, there was no one in the entirepetition that could take him on without any outside help.


    After adding in the effect of the ''Binding Chains'' that suppressed his Qi and overall power by around 20 times, he was now at the same power level as a Pinnacle Stage Spirit Realm expert.


    This obviously was not a coincidence and was done so on purpose by the powers that were.


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, had broken through the 4th Stage of the Spirit Realm and had almost the full Living armor on his self. This further increased his defense and raised his power by four more stages, putting him at the top of Stage 8 of the Spirit realm, just two realms behind the Scorpion King.


    Now it was all up to him.


    He channeled the Chaotic Qi he had been developing for thest 2 months and activated the full range of his Physique abilities which allowed him to do a few other things he was previously unable to.


    During a fight with Cia Kang, he realized that he had never truly utilized the full extent of the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique.


    Because Cia Kang was another person that had a unique Physique and their fight came down to a simple Physique versus Physique battle.


    His was called the "ck Moon" which made him invulnerable to any attack that was as powerful as his strongest ability multiplied by 5.


    Hao Xuan was not able to damage him at all during their fight and had to retreat. It was then that he started experimenting with his own physique and it turned it was much more than what he initially thought.


    Brandishing the ive with both his hands he activated Emperors Qi to further increase his power and reduce the Scorpion Kings before using ''Heavenly re''.

 Chapter 303: Altercation

    <h4>Chapter 303: Altercation</h4>


    Outside the temple, the two armies of Mei and Jia had now collided with one another.


    The rogue Mei cultivators were backed up with the Mad Saints, the Flying Tigers, and several other smaller military units.


    What had initially started out as about 7,000 Mei cultivators against 19,000+ Jia soldiers was now a battle with 12,000 Mei vs 19,000 Jia soldiers.


    Although the Jia soldiers were bigger, stronger, and more organized, the Mei had a higher number of Spirit Realm experts.


    Guo Bao and Dong Ning were the two leaders from Mei''s side. Both of them were riding on massive battle mounts.


    Guo Bao was on a white Direbear that was the same size as a triple story mansion. It was fully armored from head to toe and a single growl of it sent shockwaves on the battlefield.


    Dong Ning was on a Six-legged Venomous Komodo Dragon variant. It was longer and taller than 2 double-decker buses put together. It had a shimmering brownyered armor covering its entire head and back.


    Even the eye sockets were made from a glowing light blue ruby that shone even during the day. There was a single horn above the Komodo Dragon''s nostrils from which a green mist was being released.


    Everyone that touched the mist would be slowed down and their power level lowered by more than half.


    These two beasts wreaked havoc on the battlefield until the Jia called one of their own.


    *Tremble*


    The air itself shook when it appeared out of the towering forests. All other beasts including the Direbear and Venom Komodo Dragon halted their advances and put up their guards when they felt its presence.


    A mammoth.


    An actual Gargantuan Elder Mammoth that was more than 300 meters tall. Each of its feet were thicker than 50 meters. On its back was an entire building that had 6 cannons facing outwards.


    Before the Mammoth even reached the battlefield the cannons on its back started firing.


    *BOOM* x6


    Six mushroom clouds rose on the Mei side of the temple. One of them even hit the temple itself, blowing half of the roof away.


    Several hundred cultivators immediately retreated seeing the havoc those canons had caused. Gao Bao stood up on his DireBEar and shouted at the soldiers that were still there.


    "DON''T BE AFRAID! It''s just an adolescent, we can kill it! GO!"


    And with that, he lead the attack himself. Others that were still thinking about what to do couldn''t help but fall into his momentum and charged along with him.


    Dong Ning scoffed at the Gargantuan Elder Mammoth. No battle mounts above Spirit Realm were allowed in thepetition so it was pretty obvious that it was also in the same realm as his Venom Komodo Dragon.


    "Puppy, let''s go show them what you''re made off!" he patted the Komodo Dragons back and whispered.


    The little bit of fear it was feeling from the Elder Mammoth vanished with just a simple sentence as its eye sockets started glowing. The horn lit up and a massive 100-meter wide wave of mist was released from it.


    It let out a sharp hiss and charged into the mist itself. The mist would boost its own abilities while lowering those of its opponents.


    "STOMP THEM TO DEATH!" the rider of the Elder Mammoth shouted when he saw them charging towards him.


    The Elder Mammoth lifted its thick trunk and let out an earth-shaking trumpet.


    "AHH!" Guo Bao channeled all his Qi into the Direboar as it started picking speed. Within a few seconds this almost a 100-meter tall white Bear was right next to the Elder Mammoths front left foot.


    It opened its gigantic maw and bit. The Mammoth shook as a fountain of blood erupted from where the bear had bitten off a huge piece of its meat.


    It moved its steel tusks sideways with such speed that was inplete contrast for a beast of its size. The DireBear didn''t even have time to dodge as it was sent hurling almost half a kilometer away.


    While the Elder Mammoth was looking at the Direbear with a mocking smile, it felt a sudden weight on its back. It turned its head halfway and realized that the Venom Komodo Dragon was looking straight at it.


    It opened its mouth and sprayed out a dark grey liquid all over the mammoths back. As soon as the liquid touched the building and the cannons, they shone with a bright yellow light for a few seconds before melting away.


    Within a few seconds, the liquid hadpletely dissolved everything and everyone that was on the mammoths back other than its rider, who was in a spot right above its head.


    The Komodo Dragon jumped off the mammoths back andnded in the middle of a toon of unsuspecting Jia soldiers.


    The grey liquid reached the mammoth''s skin but only managed to burn off the outeryer of its think skin before evaporating.


    Dong Ning looked at the dazed Jia soldiers below him while pointing the tip of his spear towards them.


    "Spear Forest!"


    His arm moved more than 500 times in 3 seconds. Afterimages of his spear could be seen in the air for an instant before the entire area in front of him was rendered into a patchy, bloody graveyard.


    The entire toon of Jia soldiers was killed off before they could do anything.


    But it seemed like the skill had taken quite a bit of Qi as Dong Ning''s aura weakened significantly.


    "Back, move back to our side!" he said in a low voice and the Komodo Dragon obliged.


    The scene changed to the inside of the temple where an earthshaking battle was taking ce.


    *BOOOOM*


    *CRACK*


    *Crumble*


    Two figures repeatedly connected with one another several feet above the ground. Every time they separated a miniature shockwave would be produced and pieces of the cavern would be destroyed.


    In just a few minutes they had had more than a 100 of these altercations.


    Mr. and Mrs. Khan couldn''t believe what they were seeing. That same quite young man that had arrived on this with them just a few years ago was now in the center of this entire confrontation.


    Lois, Yangdi, Xu Qing, all of them were watching with bated breaths. Well, they and the rest of the kingdoms.

 Chapter 304: Taunt

    <h4>Chapter 304: Taunt</h4>


    *ROAAR*


    "AAHH!"


    Hao Xuan shot back like a rocket, breaking an entire cavern wall and falling more than 3 kilometers away.


    He crawled out of the rubble and tried to stand up but ended up falling to his knees. His body was mostly safe but his head wasn''t. Since the headpiece was missing, whenever he was thrown back like that he would get dizzy and several times ended up spitting blood.


    With blurred vision, he looked in the direction of the Scorpion King and sighed. The fight had been going on for almost 15 minutes and he wasn''ting out on top even with all the help and the armor.


    Maybe it was because the armor wasn''t working at full capacity or maybe the opponent was too strong, but either way, this had to end and quick!


    He could feel the entire cavern shaking every now and then, sounds of explosions permeating through the entire underground dungeon.


    Swallowing back the blood that wasing up his throat he clicked on the watch.


    "Baracus, send him in as well. I can''t do this alone."


    *Beep*


    "Copy that. I''ll assign Jia Tu his role then."


    "Yeah, that''s fine."


    Using the ive as support he got back on his feet while fighting off the waves of pain that were traveling throughout his body.


    "Alright, let''s try this onest time!" he tightened his grasp on the ive as it hummed back in response. It felt what Hao Xuan was feeling.


    Living weapons were an extension of a cultivator''s body, like an extra limb of sorts. Although the pain Hao Xuan was in wouldn''t transfer over to the ive, it could still feel his emotions and his body''s response to it.


    Maybe the ive wanted to end the fight even more than Hao Xuan himself.


    As he channeled the Severing Qi through it, it started glowing with a pale red light with energy building inside it.


    Hao Xuan then channeled the Chaos Qi to his left hand, creating a small sphere of ck cloud.


    This was the result of his training for thest few weeks. All his understanding of Chaos was held in that few inches wide sphere.


    The Scorpion King was staring in Hao Xuan''s direction. He wanted to lunge at the fleshy little thing and tear it limb from limb but the restrictions ced around the cavern made it so he could never step out of it.


    That was the only reason the fight had gone on this long. Whenever Hao Xuan was thrown outside he would take a minute or two to recover and then attack again.


    And every time he would try something else, a new energy, a new attack or technique. The longer the fight went on, the better he was getting, and it was giving him a very bad feeling.


    "IS THAT IT HUMAN? IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE?" his deep, raspy voice echoed loudly in the cavern as he tried to taunt him.


    Everyone that was able to had already moved back to the entrance of the cavern and out of their way. Right now Fan Xinya, Arizou, Cia Kang, and all the other leaders were watching from the same spot.


    Cia Kang couldn''t help but throw hateful res towards Jia Tu''s way every now and then.


    ''Why would he, a Jia Royal, throw away the honor and the prestige that came with his name and join a weak little human?''


    He looked at Hao Xuan and couldn''t help but scoff in disdain. His prince was better!


    The crown prince Jia Heng, a born leader, a warrior of unbelievable might and wisdom, how could a mere mortalpete with him? He felt guilty just byparing Jia Heng with Hao Xuan.


    He had fought with Jia Heng first hand. As a cultivator with a special physique, he was always arrogant. Always believed that he was better than his peers, that is until he met that man.


    Even when their cultivation levels were the same, Cia Kang who had a physique built for defense wasn''t able to take a single attack from him. It was then he realized that the world wasn''t fair. Some people were born different, superior to others in every way possible.


    "I will let his highness know of your betrayal firsthand," he mumbled to himself but Jia Tu who was just a few feet away heard him clearly.


    He was never a blind follower of Jia Heng. He had grown up with him and knew everything about him, the good and the bad. To him he wasn''t anything special. But a human who was able to bring anyone under his control, how high could he go in this world?


    ''One day, you will all serve him as I do. The only difference will be how he treats you then,'' he smiled thinking to himself.


    *Bzzt*


    His spirit band vibrated, a message from Baracus.


    ''Finally...''


    He turned around and walked back the way they hade down.


    Cia Kang and a few others were surprised when they saw him leave but none of them was in a position to stop him.


    "Yeah, I''m getting tired of this. Let''s end it with this one yeah?" Hao Xuan''s voice came in response to the Scorpion King''s earlier taunting.


    He walked back into the cavern. Both his arms were swelled up. The living armor had to expand topensate for the extra muscle.


    The Scorpion King smiled inwardly but froze when he saw him stop just outside the Cavern''s boundary.


    "Scared?" he asked in a low voice.


    Hao Xuan smiled and looked at his watch, "No, just waiting for someone to arrive."


    "!!!"


    The Scorpion King instantly put up his guard and started looking around, before staring at the cavern''s entrance.


    "Hahaha, finally it''s my turn! Rejoice, mortals! For you get to witness my greatness firsthand as I-" a loud and excited voice came from outside.


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Hurry the f*ck up already!"


    The voice immediately stopped and the sounds of hurried footsteps came instead. A secondter a green monster came into view.


    "A...kappa?"


    Everyone who was excitedly waiting for the owner of the previousment to arrive felt somewhat deceived after looking at him.


    Even the Scorpion King was confused. He looked at Hao Xuan for answers, "Is...this it?"

 Chapter 305: Another one

    <h4>Chapter 305: Another one</h4>


    "GO GO! Don''t let it catch its breath!" Dong Ning shouted from the Komodo Dragon''s back. His entire left arm was charred ck and lifelessly hung from his body.


    The Komodo Dragon looked like it had been put through a blender. Most of its armor was cracked and pieces of it were missing. Its horn was slightly chipped from the top and it looked like it would copse any second.


    The battle had been going on for just over half an hour and it was alreadying to an end. The Elder Mammoth proved to be a much deadlier enemy than any of them expected. It was able to take on any attack and still unleash several of its own.


    The Jia Guardians had been leading the charge and other than a few select individuals, no one else could break through their defenses.


    Gou Bao was fighting side by side his with his DireBear with a weapon that looked like a glove but had sharp curved desing out of it.


    He was as ruthless as a tiger, tearing apart enemies several times his size without any fear.


    Unfortunately, even with these two leading Mei''s cultivators, it was anything but an easy fight.


    The Jia soldier''s superior physiques and strength gave them too big of an advantage in close rangebat.


    The Mad Saints were being led by Kuo on Hao Xuan''s orders. They didn''t go for direct confrontation with any group and were always moving around the battlefield, providing support wherever necessary.


    It would not be an exaggeration to say that they had saved hundreds of soldiers with these tactics and kept the bnce of power, but it was shifting quickly.


    Kuo''s cultivation was active in full force. 6 ancient-looking pces were hovering above his back and bursts of Qi were fired off with every swing of his sword.


    "Goddamnit, we can''t hold on for much longer. Tell cap''n he needs to hurry!" he shouted through gritted teeth while pushing back two Jia soldiers that were waiting for him.


    "Yes!" Luke replied from the back. He was also covered in sweat and blood. It wasn''t clear whether that was his own or the Jia''s.


    *Beep*


    "Captain, it''s not looking good up here. You need to finish down there as soon as possible!"


    "Alright," a calm, slightly robotic voice replied.


    **


    Inside the Cavern.


    *Beep*


    "Your underlings are not in a good position. It''s best to wrap this up now," Baracus conveyed the message to Hao Xuan who was locked inbat with the Scorpion King.


    "Yeah yeah, I know," Hao Xuan replied.


    "Oi, hold him down! What the hell did I bring you in for?!" he turned around and shouted at Bo who was standing a few dozen meters away.


    Bo was at the top of the Spirit Realm so he should have been able to fight against the Scorpion King by himself, but that was not the case.


    It was a difference in species, not rted to their cultivation at all. Bo was more human-like even with his appearance, whereas the Scorpion King was a Mutant Scorpion king.


    It would be like saying a frog and an elephant of the same age should be equally powerful.


    Dark blue Qi was swirling around Bo''s arms as he waved them left and right. With every movement of his hands, several meter tall water waves were created out of thin air that attacked the Scorpion King in different ways.


    Bo''s specialty was not in directbat but in suppression. His abilities were rted to water and it was one of the best elements for suppressing one''s enemies.


    The Water waves that he summoned were viscous like pure honey and whenever they connected with the Scorpion king his movements would be slowed down and his Qi suppressed.


    "YOU DAMN CRETIN!" the King shouted while trying to get free from the 20th wave.


    His extremely sturdy exterior showed signs of breaking and he had several wounds on his forearms and abdomen.


    Hao Xuan took the opportunity and unleashed an attack aimed at his neck. The Scorpion King promptly shut his mouth and focused on defending once again.


    He was getting pushed back more and more with every attack and knew it was only a matter of time till he ends up on the losing side.


    Since his cultivation was lowered he didn''t have a copious amount of energy and Qi to waste anymore. It would have to be in one attack.


    "ARGH!" his tail shot out like a whip and connected with Hao Xuan''s back. The armor creaked and bent inwards where the tail had connected.


    Hao Xuan grunted and backed off immediately.


    He circted some Qi and sent it towards the armor as it creaked once again and returned to its original shape, but it looked very dull and lusterless now.


    The attack had done quite a number on it.


    Hao Xuan looked back at the Scorpion King and was inwardly d by what he saw.


    A rich, green energy was starting to surround him. His aura strengthened by a few degrees and he got bigger, more than half a size bigger than before.


    ''He''s finally doing it!'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly. This is what he had been waiting for all this time.


    After finding out that his final opponent was going to be a beast at the level of the Profound realm, he immediately contacted Wu Jin and asked him to somehow find out what kind of beast it would be.


    The Wu n had a lot of pull in this area of the continent and he actually got the information a few dayster. He told Hao Xuan about the Scorpion King everything he could dig up about other simr variants.


    The one thing they had inmon was an ability they could use as ast resort. They would burn their own life essence and convert it into raw power, losing their minds for a little while in the process.


    Life essence was what every "living" creature had. The more life essence they had and the higher its purity, the longer they could live for. So burning one''s life essence was equal to throwing years of their lives away. Which was the reason it was only used as ast resort.


    What Hao Xuan was looking forward to was not the increase in power, but losing the mind part. Buring the life essence would send all bodily functions into a spiral for a few minutes and the being using it would lose all faculties of reasoning and judgment and would be a mindless beast.


    The Scorpion King''s power continued to rise and his eyes turned hazy. Low, deep snarls came from his mouth.


    Hao Xuan instinctively took a step back.


    ''He really did lose his mind...'' he thought at looking at the beastly aura.


    He nced at Bo and found him staring back at him. He gave a nod.


    It was all going ording to n. Bo started circted every little bit of Qi he had in his body and summoned a 50-meter tall wave.


    It charged towards the Scorpion king like a raging bull. He didn''t even try to dodge and simply moved his ws diagonally. The green energy turned into destructive Qi and impacted with the wave in the shape of 10 lines.


    More than half the iing wave was evaporated right then and there but rest continued and connected with the Scorpion King before he could dodge.


    The more he struggled, the bigger the wave became. It was turning his own Qi into water and then using it to suppress it.


    Hao Xuan circted Chaos Qi in his right hand and Force Qi in his left.


    "NOW!" he yelled while lunging at the Scorpion King.


    The water receded just enough to reveal the King''s head. The king felt something was wrong and turned around to see Hao Xuan''s palms closing in.


    He growled and snarled, trying to break free but to no avail. Hao Xuan''s right hand was the first one to connect. Chaos Qi entered the Scorpion king''s body and rampaged throughout like a mad bull, sending all his energy into disarray.


    Then came the force Qi. As Hao Xuan''s left hand connected with his head, a force Qi exploded outwards and shook his very being to the core.


    It was akin to a concussion grenade going off INSIDE his brain.


    His pupils went white and his Qi tried to gather back up to attack the intruding energies. Hao Xuan quickly ced his right hand over the Scorpion King''s head and muttered something.


    An extremely bright light emanated from his palm, blinding everyone watching. When the light dissipated after a few seconds only Hao Xuan and Bo were left standing with no signs of the Scorpion king anywhere.


    *Huff*Huff*


    "Finally..."

 Chapter 306: Gift

    <h4>Chapter 306: Gift</h4>


    The live broadcast got cut off when the blinding light spread out with Hao Xuan in the center.


    Everyone that was watching from home was left with more questions than answers at this point. They didn''t know whether to mourn or cheer since the result wasn''t clear, but that was only for the normal popce.


    In a massive golden hall that seemed to go on without end, 14 ''thrones'' were ced around a circr stone table. There were 10-meter thick pirs every 50 meters or so that went straight up in the air, but nobody could tell for how long since the ceiling of the hall was only a starry sky.


    It looked like the pirs were holding up the actual sky itself.


    Out of these fourteen thrones, only 5 were upied with different shadowed figures.


    In the middle of the table was a huge curved screen on which the broadcast was ying with hundreds of different cameras and angles being shown all at once.


    Most of these cameras were only avable to be viewed by the people present in the hall and only a handful were shown to the public.


    When Hao Xuan ced his palm on the Scorpion King one of the shadowy figures abruptly opened his eyes. He stared at the screen with both curiosity and a hint of amusement.


    "It is done," he whispered. A couple of the others also opened their eyes and nodded in affirmation even before the light had dissipated.


    Seeing as the event had finallye to an end, the leftmost figure straightened his posture and spoke in a low voice.


    "So? Did everyone pick their champions?"


    All of them nodded other than the very first figure who had opened his eyes. He was sitting on the rightmost throne with his head resting on his knuckles.


    All of the figures turned to look at him. The leftmost one raised an eyebrow.


    "Did the ck-Eyed King not see anything to his liking?"


    The figure''s voice was so low that it was hard to tell whether it belonged to a male or a female, and although his query sounded quite subservient, it was anything but.


    The other 3 figures looked at each other in anticipation.


    ''Maybe there will be another fight!''


    A short bout of silence followed. No one even dared to breathe and the only sounds in the hall were those from the screen.


    After about 30 seconds or so the rightmost figure who was called the ck-Eyed King raised his head and met the leftmost figure''s eyes.


    "I have chosen, but not on a champion. I want to give him as a gift to someone. Would the Morwen n give me enough face to do so, Fairy king?"


    How the ck-Eyed King worded his response was quite unique. Although he said Fairy ''King'', it didn''t actually mean king. It could be interpreted as a ruler, or someone of high authority. King was only the most suitable interpretation.


    The Fairy King stared right into ck-Eyed King''s eyes for about 10 seconds before looking away.


    "Fine. You can have him," he said looking at the middle screen on which Hao Xuan''s face was stered.


    The other 3 figures seem quite disappointed by the end result. One by one they got up and walked behind their thrones and simply vanished like actual shadows. Those probably weren''t their actual bodies but projections.


    They could take any shape or form and more often than not, werepletely different than their original appearances.


    In the end only the Fairy King was left sitting there. He/she scrolled through the hundreds of different feeds and with a sigh, left a few minutester.


    After his departure, the hall started shrinking and sky expanding. Within a few minutes, the entire hall was enveloped by the starry sky and all that was left was empty space.


    ***


    Back in thepetition, the Scorpion King had vanished. Hao Xuan ordered Ensis, Monk, Green, and Red to rx and they let go of the Binding chains. He then walked up to the chest and ced his hand on it.


    Everyone else that was watching wanted to stop him and a few even stepped forward but were blocked by his severs.


    The massive gold chest slightly shook for an instant and all the spirit stones that covered the entire ceiling of this 5-kilometer wide cavern were sucked into it by an unknown force.


    The chest then lifted up from the ground and turned into a golden light and shot into Hao Xuan''s forehead.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and appeared in his first Mind pce. There under the podium sat the golden chest, right next to the ck egg. And in a random cornerid the body of the Scorpion King. He was unconscious but alive.


    ''Damn, these rich motherf*ckers...'' Hao Xuan couldn''t help but sigh examining the chest.


    The golden chest itself was a treasure. As soon as Hao Xuan ced his hand over it, it sent out a wave of spiritual Qi and inspected the surroundings. Upon not finding any sign of the Scorpion King it epted Hao Xuan as the new owner and willingly entered his Mind Pce.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and appeared back in the world. He got up and walked out of the cavern followed by his severs, leaving both the cultivators from Mei and Jia standing speechlessly.


    "Let''s go, how long do you people n to sit here?" his voice rang loudly in everyone''s ears from afar, waking them up.

 Chapter 307: Ruthless

    <h4>Chapter 307: Ruthless</h4>


    By the time Hao Xuan exited the dungeon, the fight above had reached a boiling point. The Mei cultivators were at the losing side and the Jia had pushed deep into their territory with the help of the Guardians and the Elder Mammoth.


    His brows scrunched up upon seeing the dire situation of hisrades. Half the ground was covered with blood and corpses of cultivators and beasts alike, yet not a single one of them chose to halt for even a second.


    They stepped over their brothers andrades, or whatever was left of them, and moved back.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but turn away from the savageness of the battle.


    "Stop, tell them to stop already. There is no reason to fight, I already have the chest. The beast has been beaten and Mei has won this fight," he said to Luke who came running up to him as soon as he came out.


    Luke gave a quick military salute and sent a priority voice message to every Mei cultivator. It read: "The dungeon has been cleared, we have won. Retreat now!"


    Jia Tu felt like someone was watching him and he turned around to see Cia Kang looking at him from the other side of the temple.


    He was standing on the Elder Mammoths'' third tusk from the right. His lips moved but no sound came out, yet Jia Tu knew exactly what he said. He turned to Hao Xuan and whispered.


    "Master, Cia Kang wishes to say something to you."


    Hao Xuan turned around and looked at Jia Tu, who gestured towards Cai Kang. Hao Xuan met his gaze.


    There were at least 4 kilometers apart but both of them were cultivators with unique physiques. They understood each other much better than others.


    Cia Kang opened his mouth and spoke in such a way that other than Hao Xuan no else here was able to hear him. His words traveled through the spiritual energy in the environment and traveled over to Hao Xuan''s ears.


    "Mad Saint, you should have known what this battle was for. You taking that chest means there will be no truce, there will be no peace. The war will continue! Make the sensible choice for your self and your people and hand over the treasure chest to me. You can still have all the glory, but that thing isn''t meant for someone like you."


    Hao Xuan''s left eyebrow raised on his own as Baracus''s theory was all but confirmed.


    When Hao Xuan found out about the Jia crown prince having all the knowledge, Baracus had made a few points.


    One, how did the Empire backing Jia know about the treasure locations and items on the Mei side of the border? They were obviously provided by Empire backing Mei so how did such vital information leak out?


    Two, the war had already been going on for some months now. Both sides had incurred significant losses so how could they just end it like this? Wouldn''t they be theughing stock of the entire Beast World?


    Three, why did the Jia Crown prince suddenly agree when there was nothing in it for him?


    And the exnation for all this was quite simple, at least from Baracus''s point of view.


    He spected that this entirepetition was set up for one reason and one reason only. To cate Jia Heng.


    He was hell-bent on conquering at least a few territories of Mei but Mei would never allow that. So to put an end to this war, the Empires backing the two kingdoms came to a resolution.


    The golden treasure chest in the 15th dungeon and the Living armor, both of them were basically meant for Jia Heng. That was why all that information was provided to him, so he could n ordingly.


    And if not for Hao Xuan, it would have ended that way. But now he had lost both the armor and the golden chest so there was no reason for him to sit back and let the war end anymore.


    Instead, he might even push harder.


    Hao Xuan looked back at him with a derisive smirk.


    "Do you think I am an idiot? Do you think I don''t know the kind of man Jia Heng is? Do you think I don''t know that he will never go for peace now that the Mei wase out as the winner?"


    Cia Kang''s expression turned ugly.


    "Well, I tried then..."


    Cia Kang patted the Elder Mammoth''s tusk and it turned and started retreating.


    The other Jia soldiers that were still fighting suddenly stopped and looked at their spirit bands. It seemed like all of them had gotten the same message as well. They slowly backed up and walked back into the jungle, leaving their dead as they were.


    Hao Xuan stared at the Elder Mammoth''s massive silhouette as it disappeared behind the horizon.


    He had been keeping in contact with Jiang Ling and knew a fair bit about the current crown prince. Forgiveness was not in his nature.


    Jia Tu walked up to him, "You made the right choice master."


    Hao Xuan didn''t turn around to face him and continued staring at the several kilometer wide graveyard in front of him.


    "And why is that?" he inquired.


    Jia Tu looked in the direction where the Elder Mammoth had vanished.


    "I have known Jia Heng since we were kids. He was one of hundreds, no thousands of candidates for the seat of the crown prince. Yet he beat them all in every way possible. He rose in the ranks and gained the status he has today."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Wasn''t he the King''s only son?"


    Of course, he knew about Jiang Ling who was Jia Hang''s twin brother and stayed in the shadows, but he still asked. And what he said in return proved he knew nothing of Jiang Ling.


    Jia Tu nodded once.


    "Indeed. He was the only living direct descendant of the old king, but he wasn''t the crown prince since birth. He had to fight for it. Anyone could challenge his position and many did. Yet he fought them off, killing, murdering, wiping out entire families so there would be no loose ends. He is...ruthless, and strong."


    He met Hao Xuan''s eyes, "He will not let you go. For all his achievements, he is still a petty little kid at heart. He will not stand for the events that unfolded here today."


    "What about your family? Will they be okay?"


    Hao Xuan never thought about what would happen to his loved ones back home.


    But Jia Tu smiled in return and gave a slight bow.


    "Just you asking that question confirms my beliefs. You are a better person than he will ever be. And as for my family, they have long since left this world."


    His answer left Hao Xuan even more shocked.


    "What? How?"


    "As a warning. I once was a contender for the throne as well. He couldn''t do anything to me at the time so he killed my mother, my three younger brothers, my sister, and my father. To "warn" me."


    Although Jia Tu was smiling, Hao Xuan could clearly feel the pain and anger that was hiding right behind this mask of his.


    "Isn''t it funny? He killed everyone I cared about as a warning but left me. For thest 200 years, I have been looking for an opportunity to take him down but it was only until I met you that it seemed like it would be possible."


    He got down on knee before Hao Xuan could stop him.


    "Regardless of the ability that you have used on me, I pledge my undying allegiance to you for all of eternity. As long as there is a single breath left inside my body, I will follow your order to thest letter. I will do whatever you ask of me, and in return, I only ask that you help me kill Jia Heng."


    The massive 5-meter tall Jia warrior was down on the ground kneeling in front of Hao Xuan. It attracted the attention of every other person nearby as they looked at them with curiosity.


    "''Rise!''"


    Hao Xuan ordered using the constitution''s power. Jia Tu''s body moved on its own and he stood up, still not believing what he had just happened. Hao Xuan looked up at the dazed giant somberly.


    "Don''t do that again. Do not kneel in front of me or anyone ever again. I will help you for my own reasons, and in return try to do your best. Simple as that."


    Jia Tu was still a little out of it but he nodded nheless, making Hao Xuan smile.


    "Good. Now let''s go to war."

 Chapter 308: Message

    <h4>Chapter 308: Message</h4>


    Hao Xuan sighed looking at the 3.5 meters tall Scorpion King standing in front of him.


    "Kill me!" he repeated.


    Hao Xuan felt a headacheing on. This conversation had been going on for over half an hour and yet they kepting back to the same thing.


    "I told you, that''s not going to happen," Hao Xuan replied while rubbing his temples.


    "Then release me!" the Scorpion King said stubbornly.


    Ever since he regained consciousness and realized he was now under Hao Xuan''s control, he had been pestering him to either kill him or free him. There was no middle ground and even though Hao Xuan tried to reason with him, he would always respond with the same thing.


    "''ENOUGH! Do not say that again, EVER!''" in his anger Hao Xuan used the power of the constitution and ordered him.


    Scorpion King opened his mouth to speak but his tongue wouldn''t move. His body was not listening to him and no matter how hard he tried he could do nothing about it other than look at Hao Xuan with disgust and fury.


    Hao Xuan simply looked away and waved his hand, "Go away unless you want to be called back to the Mind Pce."


    The Scorpion King hesitated and after a few seconds of contemtion, walked out of the room with lowered shoulders. This once feared King of Beasts was now at the mercy of a lowly human.


    Fortis popped out of Hao Xuan''s hair and looked at the Scorpion King walk away intively.


    "Booo~"


    He stuck his tongue out and made funny faces at him while still hiding on top of Hao Xuan''s head. For some reason he didn''t get along with the Scorpion King and they would always end up fighting.


    The only problem was that neither of them could really harm the other one since Forti''s body was damn near indestructible and would heal instantly even if it was damaged, while the Scorpion King was too strong for Fortis to ''deal'' with.


    Fortis woulde up to Hao Xuan and make sad faces and tell on the Scorpion King, several times before he did anything. Hao Xuan reached above his head and grabbed Fortis who was caught off guard and had his tongue still halfway out.


    "Alright alright, that''s enough. I told you to stop fighting with him," Hao Xuan spoke in a low voice, almost pleadingly.


    Fortis freed himself from his grasp and ran halfway out the door before looking back, "NO!" he shouted and scurried out of Hao Xuan''s sight.


    A vein bulged on Hao Xuan''s forehead as he mumbled with gritted teeth, "I swear to god, one day..."


    "One day what?"


    Xu Qing''s voice came from outside as she appeared on his doorstep a few secondster with a tray in her hand.


    She was dressed in a blue hanfu that entuated her natural curves.


    It wasn''t very tight but had sashes ced around the waist and arms which brought the whole thing together. With her long ck hair and snow-white skin, Hao Xuan almost fell into a trance as soon as he saw her.


    "Day...what now?" he mumbled while getting up and taking the tray from her hands.


    He hadpletely forgotten what he was thinking about before.


    "You were saying something about doing something one day," Xu Qing repeated with half a smile while looking down at her empty hands. Hao Xuan always treated her like this, like she was made of ss or something but she didn''t really mind and allowed him to do as he pleased.


    He gently grasped her hand, "Let''s go out for a walk."


    She wanted to decline at first as she still had to make dinner but feeling how agitated he was right now, she simply nodded and they both walked out.


    ***


    After thepetition had ended the winner was announced and it had somehowe to a draw between the Jia and Mei.


    Obviously many people were not satisfied with this result since Mei cultivators were the ones that cleared thest dungeon but the Empires overseeing thepetition stated that the Jia had cleared MORE of the dungeons, while Mei basically only cleared the most 15th dungeon.


    So it was a draw.


    Still many powers came forward and extended their invitations to the participants of thepetition from both sides.


    Fan Xinya was taken in by an old n no one had ever heard off, but when the news of it got out many older cultivators and higher ranked officials were surprised.


    Arizou and several of the others also joined a few different powers. Hao Xuan was perhaps the only one that didn''t receive a single invitation.


    Obviously, this did bother him a little bit but he didn''t think about it too much. It could be any number of reasons and he wasn''t nning on joining any of them either way so it didn''t matter.


    As he had predicted, soon after Jia Heng announced that there will be one final battle between the armies of the two kingdoms. He would be leading the Jia army himself and would take on any and all challenges from the younger generation.


    Of course, death was the only oue for the loser.


    So like many others, Hao Xuan returned back home in preparation for the final fight.


    He hadn''t been in contact with First ever since he met him before thepetition on that strange mountain. He told him that he was aware something might happen to one of the other members but still did nothing. And because of his inaction, Fifth was killed.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but me him as well. If he had said something she might still be alive and not buried in a grave no one other than him knew about.


    Days turned into weeks. Hao Xuan continued cultivating and trained with his severs daily. One day while he was sitting next to Xu Qing under the maple tree after a long training session, his watch vibrated.


    It was a message from Wu Jin. Hao Xuan shot up from his seat after reading it.


    "Come quick, there might be a way to get you into the academy!"

 Chapter 309: Journey

    <h4>Chapter 309: Journey</h4>


    It was around 11 p.m and the weather was a bit cloudy with signs of rain on the horizon.


    "Come quick, there might be a way to get you into the academy!"


    The corner of Hao Xuan''s lips arched up. Xu Qing smiled as well, "Good news?"


    "Great news! Hahaha," Hao Xuan bent down and kissed her on the lips before running away swiftly.


    Xu Qing was left sitting under the tree with bright red cheeks. She quickly looked left and right to make sure no one was watching and breathed out a sigh of relief when she couldn''t find anyone else.


    "Dumbo," she murmured while brushing her lips with the back of her hand, still feeling the warmth left behind.


    ***


    Hao Xuan ran straight into his room and called Wu Jin.


    Because of thepetition, he actually missed the entrance exams that were held for the Academy of Sollertia about 2 months ago. There was no way he could just up and leave in the middle of thepetition so he chose not to go at all.


    Ever since then he left an order for Wu Jin to find another way to get him into the academy. It wouldn''t even have to be for very long since Baracus only needed a little bit of time to ess the academy''s internal records and download all the data and then ess the regional data and plug himself into that as well.


    That way Hao Xuan would have his own off-the-gridwork that no one would be able to monitor. Not to mention there were still a lot of materials needed for Baracus''s personal projects that were put on hold.


    So going to the Academy of Sollertia which was one of the top three ces in the entire continent would open up a lot of opportunities for him.


    It rang for a few seconds before Wu Jin picked up.


    "Hello?"


    "Hey. What''s the news? How can you get me inside the academy?" Hao Xuan didn''t beat around the bush and went straight to the topic.


    Upon hearing the query Wu Jin faltered. His voice sounded a bit hesitant as he answered the question with another question.


    "You said you only needed to get inside the academy right? It doesn''t matter what position you''re in or what you have to do to get in there right?"


    Hao Xuan got a bad feeling upon hearing those words.


    "Right....why?" he asked suspiciously.


    "It doesn''t matter then. Just get here within the next few days. I''ve sent you the portal coordinates and set everything up, you just need to get to it. Message me a few hours before youe and I''ll meet you there."


    "Wait what the fu-"


    *Click*


    Wu Jin cut off the call. Hao Xuan redialled his number but it was busy.


    "Baracus, call that little sh*t right now. Get him on the line!" he shouted at the watch.


    *Beep*


    *Beep*


    *Beep*


    "He has disabled all iing calls on his Spirit Band. You can only leave a message right now."


    Hao Xuan almost puked out blood hearing that. He typed a message with the same question asking for details and all he got in response was "Just get here, you''ll see for yourself."


    Hao Xuan stared at the screen with furrowed brows.


    "Why do I feel like this kid is gonna drag me through the mud...?"


    Still, there was nothing he could do from here. Even ordering him using the constitution wouldn''t work on him from this far away.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh and focused on the matter at hand.


    "Alright, what are the coordinates for the portal then?"


    *Beep*


    "About 230,000 kilometers to the southeast from this exact position."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes almost popped out of his sockets.


    "What?! What the f*ck is way out there?"


    He quickly opened the local map and traced the location. The coordinates were in the middle of nowhere. The area was surrounded by rocky mountains and there was only one way in. It would take him several days to make the journey and it would not be easy.


    "Baracus, do you have any idea why the portal is out there? There aren''t even any cities nearby," Hao Xuan asked him since he couldn''t understand it himself.


    "The portal he is talking about is a one-way entrance. It''s not like the massive teleportation formations you would see in most Kingdoms. There are two main differences between them. One, the formations are permanent and can be used without limit as long as they are properly maintained and have an appropriate source of energy."


    "And two, teleportation formations cannot be moved. When they are created, their coordinates are locked in. If they are moved in the slightest, it could send the person going through to almost anywhere, and most probably not somewhere they cane back from."


    "The portals are the exact opposite. They are not very precise and depend on the density of the spiritual energies and strength of the surrounding space. Space, as you might know, is not straight. It''s like a thin sheet that turns and twists randomly..."


    Baracus started exining and went into so much detail that Hao Xuan felt too embarrassed to stop him. He silently listened and nodded along. Most of it was going above his head.


    "Anyways, the point is that Wu Jin probably hired a cultivator that is experienced with Space energy. He opened a portal with the coordinates of Fortuna city in mind but the portal actually opened hundreds of thousands of miles away. That''s how space works. It''s cheap, rtively safe but very imprecise."


    *Sigh*


    "I shouldn''t have asked," Hao Xuan shook his head.


    "You need to know these things. They coulde in handy in the future. And I won''t always be there to exin everything like this," Baracus replied, silencing Hao Xuan.


    "...you''re right. I''m sorry."


    Hao Xuan then went out and talked to Xu Qing. He told her he had to leave for a while and that he had no idea when he would being back.


    The gentle smile that was always on her face faltered for just an instant. He could see she was trying her best to keep smiling but her shattered eyes gave it all away.


    He leaned in and hugged her tightly.


    "I''m sorry. I know its not fair, but I''ll try toe back as soon as possible."


    "Mhm," she lowered her head and hid her face in his chest. It would probably be a while since she could feel his warmth again so she stayed like that for a little while.


    Hao Xuan then gathered all his severs including Fortis and the others that he usually left behind. Only Green and Red were left behind to guard Xu Qing while everyone else was going with. He even asked Jin Wang to go with him who was more than happy to oblige.


    The next morning he bought out two ''walking lizards'' from the Beast Hall and left with Jin Wang without making amotion.

 Chapter 310: Pit stop

    <h4>Chapter 310: Pit stop</h4>


    "So I gotta ask, how serious are you about her?" Jin Wang asked from under the hood.


    Hao Xuan pretended not to hear him and kept looking forward. He patted the lizard, making it increase its speed yet again.


    It had been about 16 hours since they had left the city of Fortuna on the ''Walking Lizards''.


    These were mounts bred by the beast hall for the exclusive use of cultivators. They were rtively expensive and could only be bought with Spirit Stones.


    Hao Xuan had to fork out about 80 Mid-Grade spirit stones for both the mounts for him and Jin Wang. They didn''t have to make soul contracts with them and instead, they were stored in Beast Tokens.


    These tokens were simr to Storage rings with the only difference being that they could store Spiritual, living creatures.


    The Walking Lizards looked like super-sized versions of Geckos. They were extremely cute with big eyes and were passive by nature. They would never fight and always chose to run away instead of choosing confrontation.


    They were about two times bigger than the horses back on earth and their normal speed could reach up to several hundred kilometers per hour.


    Since their chosen response in any dangerous situation was flight over fighting, through evolution their bodies adapted to it and they developed several abilities rted to..."making a hasty retreat".


    Right now they were passing through a burnt-out forest. There were massive tree trunks on the ground and every few feet a body of a beast would be seen burnt to a crisp.


    There were dark red embers everywhere which were still giving off copious amount of heat. Now and then a bubbling purple puddle could be found next to the beast corpses. It was giving off a mist of the same color which was slowly diffusing into the surroundings.


    This is why Hao Xuan and Jin Wang had been wearing hoods and covered their faces as much as possible. The smoke from some of these beasts and nts was poisonous and very toxic.


    Thankfully the Lizards didn''t need anything to help them breathe. They had very thin skin and could breathe through it, naturally cleaning the air before taking it in.


    The Lizard''s feet were covered with a slimy liquid that was almost the same consistency as wet y. It covered the bottom and acted as natural shoes for them. They kept them silent, helped them run faster and protected them from any harmful materials on the ground.


    "Oi~, I''m talking to your bitch ass here!" Jin Wang shouted even louder upon being ignored. Hao Xuan turned his head halfway around and barked back.


    "Dude shut the hell up for god sakes! We don''t know where we are or what''s around us, just keep quiet and talk through the spiritual band!"


    The short-rangemunication capabilities of the Spirit band were put to full use as Jin Wang immediately called Hao Xuan.


    *Crackle*


    "So? How serious is it?"


    "Why the hell do you care?"


    "Because we''re friends, why wouldn''t I?" Jin Wang replied a matter-of-factly.


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan shook his head helplessly and replied in a low voice.


    "It''s as serious as it gets."


    "But how much though? Like on a scale of 1 to 10?"


    "......"


    Hao Xuan turned around and looked into Jin Wang''s eyes before mouthing the words, "I''ll ask her to marry me when I get back. That serious. Happy?"


    Jin Wang''s mouth fell wide open under the hood.


    "This guy..."


    ''I have to tell him whenever the opportunity presents itself. This dumbass will actually go through with it at this rate,'' he thought to inwardly.


    Since the first time Jin Wang saw Xu Qing he got the feeling that there was more to her. And after living at the mansion and observing her for a while, he finally understood a bit more.


    If Hao Xuan actually married her, it would be a tragedy in the making for both of them.


    "Alright, well, invite me to the wedding as well yeah?" he followed up in his usual joking tone.


    "I''ll think about it," Hao Xuan replied nonchntly.


    After another hour of travelter the due finally exited the forested area, or rather, it would be more appropriate to say they walked out of the aftermath of the battle that caused all that damage.


    The leftover Qi, the fire that wouldn''t go out, the puddles of poison everywhere, it was pretty easy to guess a fight between two high leveled beasts had broken out some time ago.


    The sun had already risen and set once again while they were on the road. They had walked out of the boundary of the Mei kingdom some time ago so this waspletely uncharted territory for both of them.


    "Here should be good," Jin Wang said looking at a small empty space on the side of a cliff. It was just a few meters in radius, barely enough for Hao Xuan to set up the portable camp.


    "Alright," he nodded and got off. The lizards were tired from running at full speed for almost 20 hours straight so as soon as they were led to a safe spot they both coiled up and fell asleep.


    Hao Xuan was going to feed them first but it seemed like sleep was a higher priority at the moment. They summoned them back into the Beast Tokens.


    Hao Xuan''s legs were aching from sitting on the Lizard all day so he stood near the edge of the cliff and peered outwards while Jin Wang prepared the food.


    Fortis propped up his head from Hao Xuan''s head and looked out as well.


    "So big!" he shouted while extending his tentacles like little hands.


    The cliff was about 40,000 meters above the ground level. It was overlooking a stupendous amount ofnd underneath it which was visible clearly since there was not a single cloud in sight.


    "Yeah, so big," Hao Xuan repeated in amazement. The view was absolutely breathtaking. With his eyesight, he could see a few beasts roaming around at night.


    Actually, it wasn''t that his eyesight was THAT good, but the beasts were that big.


    There was one with two tusks arched inwards like des. It was almost exactly like a termite but only a bit bigger at about 7,000 meters in length.


    "God damn, I wonder how strong that thing is," Hao Xuan mumbled.

 Chapter 311: Beast-nado

    <h4>Chapter 311: Beast-nado</h4>


    The trio had a scrumptious dinner, although Fortis ate the most. It was around 10 p.m when they went to sleep.


    Time passed by slowly as the only sound in the vicinity of the camp was the billowing of the wind.


    Fortis wasying beside Hao Xuan''s pillow on the bed while Jin Wang took the floor after losing in rock paper scissors three times in a row to Hao Xuan.


    A small puddle of drool was gathering right next to Fortis''s mouth while he licked his lips and mumbled, dreaming about heavenly food.


    "CHOSE!"


    *GASP*


    Hao Xuan abruptly opened his eyes and shot up from the bed. He looked left and right but there was nobody there.


    "A dream....?" he muttered to himself while trying to recall what he had just seen. But it was almost like there was a hazy cloud inside his mind and no matter how much he tried, he couldn''t see through it.


    He let out a deep breath and checked the time. It was 3:55 A.M exactly. After trying to recall the dream once again he gave up and went back to bed.


    But just as he had closed his eyes, a sound came from outside.


    *Rattle*


    "Hmm?"


    With furrowed brows, he looked to his left and saw Jin Wang hugging a pillow in deep sleep, and to his right was Fortis now chewing on his own tentacle.


    *Rattle*


    The sound came again.


    He got out of bed once again. As he opened his right palm the ive naturally appeared in his grasp.


    *Thrmm*


    It vibrated slightly, happy to be in Hao Xuan''s presence once again.


    Hao Xuan raised the ive and pointed it towards the door with his right hand, and with his left hand, he slowly leaned in and opened the door.


    *Creaaak~*


    The door creaked open even though it had never made such a sound before. The materials used to craft everything in the camp were top notch and wouldn''t get worn out for thousands of years so this was of course out of ordinary.


    Hao Xuan held his breath. Not making any sound at all. His heightened hearing came into full effect as he could hear even a grain of sand move outside.


    "What?"


    He swiftly opened the door and stepped outside withrge steps. His eyes almost popped out of his skull.


    "Holy fucking shit..."


    The rattling wasing from the metal tes and cups ced near the campfire. They were attached to one another like mas and moved now and then by themselves.


    But that wasn''t what had shocked Hao Xuan so much.


    The portable camp was on the side of a cliff. It was overlooking hundreds of thousands of miles ofnd in front of it. And right now that entire area was nowhere in sight.


    It wasn''t that they had been somehow moved away, but something was covering this 100,000+ kilometer area.


    "OI! WAKE UP! WAKE THE FUCK UP!" Hao Xuan shouted at the top of his lungs while running back into the cabin.


    *Snort*


    Jin Wang simply turned around and ced the pillow over his face. Hao Xuan pulled back his foot and then shot it forward like a bullet, kicking Jin Wang in the shin.


    It did what it was supposed to and immediately woke him up.


    "!!!! OWW~! YOU C*NT! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" he bellowed painfully while rubbing his leg which was swollen now.


    "Get dressed. Right now! We have to leave," Hao Xuan replied while putting on his clothes.


    Jin Wang still wanted to curse a lot more but he decided to check out the situation outside first. He limped over and opened the door and as expected, his mouth fell open.


    "Sweet baby Budha, why didn''t you say something sooner?!" he yelled while putting on his clothes.


    "I did, just hurry. They will be here soon."


    "I know, you don''t need to fucking tell me!"


    In less than a minute they were fully dressed and already outside. Hao Xuan recalled the portable camp and tucked the still asleep Fortis in his shirt while summoning the Walking Lizards.


    The lizards were still tired so upon being called out so soon they looked over at their owners with big puppy dog eyes.


    Hao Xuan flicked the forehead of his Lizard and quickly got on, as did Jin Wang.


    "Shut it, we don''t have time for this. I''ll feed you something good if we make it out of this alive," he said while patting it.


    The lizard still seemed dissatisfied and as it turned its head sideways in annoyance, it saw the same thing Hao Xuan and Jin Wang had.


    The Walking Lizards were very cowardly creatures. There was not an ounce of courage anywhere inside them so when it saw the situation, it almost had a heart attack.


    "See? Now hurry!"


    Hao Xuan repeated. The lizard didn''t tarry for even a second and started climbing straight up the cliff like its life depended on it, and it did.


    They had only made halfway up the cliff and it was already 40,000 meters above ground while its top wasn''t even visible and was covered by a thickyer of clouds, or rather an entirely different atmosphere.


    The Lizard started climbing at full speed, shaking small rocks and boulders loose and making them roll down.


    But they didn''t have time to worry about anything like that at the moment.


    "Loud~"


    Fortis was woken up by all themotion. He poked his little head out from Hao Xuan''s shirt and looked up at him with weary eyes.


    "Why loud?" he grumbled.


    Instead of answering Hao Xuan grabbed his head and turned it sideways, "That''s why."


    Fortis went from half asleep topletely attentive in less than 0.1 seconds.


    With a wide smile, he crawled out of Hao Xuan''s shirt and sat on his head, "Wahaha, so big!"


    Hao Xuan turned around and looked outwards with a worried expression, "That''s the problem..."


    A hundred kilometers away from the cliff was a wall of dust, debris, and wind thatpletely blocked the view. No, it wasn''t a wall but a very small portion of something muchrger.


    A tornado of epic proportions.


    One so absolutely massive that it could swallow half the earth.


    Within this tornado were even bigger silhouettes, dozens of kilometers long. They were repeatedly shing with one another and creating shockwaves that went on for god knows how long.


    And bit by bit, the tornado wasing straight towards the cliff.


    "Come on, faster!" Jin Wang smacked his Lizard''s butt, making it increase its speed by another notch.


    A few thousand meters below them was a wave of beasts that were also trying to escape the tornado by climbing up the cliff. It wasing straight towards them and would probably reach them within a few more minutes.


    Hao Xuan looked back and noticed a few beasts that were the same size as the termite he had seen yesterday, at about 7-8 kilometers in length.


    "This isn''t looking good," he mumbled.

 Chapter 312: Cover

    <h4>Chapter 312: Cover</h4>


    "This isn''t looking good."


    Jin Wang looked back and saw the tens of thousands of beastsing straight towards them.


    "Yeah, we''re not gonna outrun that horde at this speed," hemented. The situation''s seriousness was apparent from his somber tone.


    Hao Xuan turned towards him hopefully.


    "You got any ideas?"


    Jin Wang shook his head.


    "Not much we can do at this point other than the obvious."


    Hao Xuan let out a helpless sigh.


    "I was afraid you were gonna say that."


    The obvious Jin Wang was talking about was each of them taking turns and attacking the beasts below. Because as it were, the first wave of the horde constituted of the literal creepy crawlers that lived in this cliff.


    These were rtively small 10 to 300-meter long bug-type beasts.


    The cliff was almost a world of its own. It went on for god knows how long and even this supermassive tornado that could wreak havoc even in the kingdom of Mei wouldn''t be able to do anything to it.


    The cliff''s environment was scarce in both the number of resources and their variety. There was barely any vegetation and ones that did grow here were even more deadly than these beasts.


    Still, many beasts called this cliff their home and their hunting ground. They were the fastest at climbing it and hence were at the forefront. They were also the most brutal ones since they had topete with one another for food on a daily basis.


    All the creatures that called the cliff their home had a few simr characteristics. They had extremely long and sharp ws that helped them traverse the cliff wall.


    They had almost inexhaustible stamina.


    They had extremely fast sprinting speeds which could be maintained for several hours at a time even.


    And they were ferocious to the point of being categorized as demonic creatures.


    And if these creatures managed to reach the squishy little lizards and the humans riding on top of them, they would be their mid-sprint snack in an instant.


    The tornado was still almost a hundred kilometers away but the air pressure was already starting to increase. The winds were picking up more and more and it was getting hard to even see properly.


    "I''ll take first turn," Jin Wang shouted. Hao Xuan nodded and stooped down, pulling Fortis who was dangling off his head and ced him in his shirt.


    Fortis''s cheeks swelled up in indignation as he protested and tried to climb back out, "Noo~, I wanna see the big wind!"


    "The big wind will take your dumb ass away, stay inside for now!" Hao Xuan retorted while pushing him back inside.


    Fortis whipped his tentacles around, pping Hao Xuan in the face, "NO! YOU!"


    Hao Xuan''s face instantly changed colors.


    "You little sh-"


    *BOOOM*


    An explosion took ce a few dozen meters behind them, shutting both of them up. Hao Xuan turned to see Jin Wang standing straight up on his Lizard''s back as it was sprinting up the cliff at full speed.


    In his hand was a steel hammer that very much resembled a mallet, only this one had blue mes surrounding it.


    Whenever Jin Wang swung it around a fireball would be shot out. It would impact with the cliff wall below them and break off huge pieces of rock.


    Due to the high winds, these rocks were hurled left and right at even faster speeds. For the smaller creatures, just a simple brush was enough to be sent flying away, for the bigger ones it slowed them down a fair bit.


    Jin Wang continued like this for 20 minutes straight before he got tired. He looked over at Hao Xuan and waved his hand, telling him to take his ce.


    Hao Xuan didn''t do anything fancy. He simply waved his hand every few seconds and round ss bottles would be flung towards the beast horde. Sometimes they would light things on fire, sometimes they would melt the cliff wall, sometimes they would release poisonous gas.


    These were hundreds of potions Hao Xuan had bought from the military store on his way out. He didn''t even check what their uses were and simply bought 20 of each type.


    You could say that only someone of his financial status would be using such expensive potions and tonics just to slow down the beast horde.


    He continued this for 30 minutes straight before he ran out of the entire stockpile and then opted to use the ive. He channeled Force Qi and started swinging it around.


    With every swing a yellow ''sword glow'' (check authors notes) imbued with the force Qi was shot out. It would explode with the force of several sticks of dynamite and have the same effect of slowing them down.


    Unfortunately, even though they managed to slow these bug type beasts, therger ground beasts simply ignored the attacks and continued. The distance closed between them until they were just a couple of hundred meters away.


    *Crackle*


    *BOOM*


    A lightning strike hit a part of the cliff wall, breaking it into severalrge pieces that fell started rolling down.


    "CAREFUL!" Hao Xuan shouted towards Jin Wang who reacted quickly and moved towards him, pushing his lizard to the left and barely avoiding a piece of debris that came flying out from the tornado.


    Hao Xuan looked around with wide eyes. He didn''t even see iting and if he was hit by it, it would''ve been the end for him.


    "Dear god, we need to get out of this," he mumbled to himself.


    *Crackle*


    Thunder boomed again, lightning strikes impacting with a few other ces around them and several of the beasts. Jin Wang looked over at Hao Xuan.


    "We have to take cover, try to find a hole or something!"


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    The sword glow doesn''t mean the glow from a sword, but the ''wave'' you would see in animes and other media from swinging any weapon. Naming it after each weapon sounded weird, so this was it.?

 Chapter 313: Cover continued

    <h4>Chapter 313: Cover continued</h4>


    "Alright!" Hao Xuan only needed to take a single look around at the situation that was getting worse by the second and before agreeing instantly.


    He patted the lizard''s back and made it change its direction to an area further to the left. The area he was aiming for looked like it had empty caverns from a distance but whether that was true was another story.


    *Rumble*


    Thunder rumbled once again, sounding more and more menacing every time. Rain droplets were now starting to be mixed in with the gales but they weren''t very gentle.


    It felt like someone was pricking Hao Xuan''s skin with cold needles whenever a raindrop hit him. Even the lizards were starting to flinch from the pain.


    Hao Xuan extended his hand outward and channeled his Qi. A Qi barrier using the Force energy was created, a forcefield of sorts.


    "Come on, just a bit more," he leaned in spoke to Walking Lizard that was starting to lose its momentum. He then turned around and looked towards Jin Wang who was getting further away.


    "STAY CLOSE!" he shouted loudly but with the thunder and the raging tempest closing in on them he could barely hear him. Thankfully he didn''t need to hear the words to understand what Hao Xuan meant.


    He steered his lizard towards Hao Xuan''s, following closely behind in his slipstream.


    *BOOOOOM*


    An explosion that made Hao Xuan think the very dome of heaven was crashing down sounded some distance away. He looked towards its direction and saw a webbed silver winging out of the tornado.


    He couldn''t see the creature it was attached nor did he have any idea what had caused the explosion, but the sheer size of that wing was enough to send shivers down his spine.


    Fully extended, it seemed like it was more than 70 kilometers wide. If someone had told him he was watching a movie right now, he would be inclined to believe that more.


    Jin Wang''s lizard was already having a hard time holding on and the shockwave from that explosion made it slip backward. Hao Xuan reached out to try and grab him but he was too far.


    "God damn it!" Jin Wang cursed as he felt his body and the lizard about to freefall.


    He waved his hand and a longsword appeared in his grasp. He plunged it into the cliff wall with everything he had, pushing it in all the way to the hilt.


    *Crash~*


    He still didn''t let go of the Lizard, instead grabbing it even tighter with his legs. With both his and the lizard''s weight the longsword ripped the cliff wall open and slowed them down just enough for his Lizard to grab hold of the cliff once again.


    "Up here!" Hao Xuan''s voice came from the spirit band as soon as Jin Wang stopped falling.


    He looked up and saw him waving towards him from a ledge.


    "Come on big boy, go!" he patted the flustered lizard again, making it sprint towards Hao Xuan.


    As soon as Jin Wang reached Hao Xuan he looked around before calling the lizard back into the token.


    It looked like the shallow ledge was home to a few smaller beasts some time ago. It expanded into the cliff and looked like it was going in pretty deep.


    Hao Xuan grabbed a hold of his ive and walked in first, "Let''s go."


    The tornado was less than 20 kilometers away now. Even the massive beasts that were almost a dozen kilometer-long looked like ants in front of it and were thrown around like them as well.


    Beasts, trees, rocks, and boulders, everything was now within the tornado''s range and couldn''t escape its momentum. Even parts of the cliff wall were being broken apart in the grinder-like winds and turned to dust.


    The path Jin Wang and Hao Xuan had taken went straight inside the cliff. They didn''t know how deep it was or whatid in store for them at the end, but it was better than staying near the entrance where nothing was safe.


    They walked until the already dim light was all but gone. Hao Xuan waved his hand and took out a couple of Lightstone torches.


    The hollow tunnel stunk of animal feces and stale air. If they weren''t cultivators it would have been wiser to stay put.


    An hour of walkingter and the noises from the debris crashing against the cliff fall had all but vanished. In the dim light, they silently made their way through the never-endingwork of tunnels. The only sound came from their footsteps, their breathing, and from Fortis chomping on Hao Xuan''s hair like a cow.


    He didn''t care if anyone heard him or not so he justzed around on Hao Xuan''s head with a lock of hair in his mouth, chewing it much like bubblegum.


    "Shh," Hao Xuan abruptly stopped. His ears twitched as he heard the sounds from a few hundred meters away. It sounded like....water?


    He bent down to minimize his frame. Even Fortis became interested and turned around to see what was happening.


    As they got closer, the sound of running water became louder and louder until even Jin Wang was able to hear it. He tapped Hao Xuan on the shoulder.


    "If there''s water, there are beasts. Careful!"


    Hao Xuan nodded and covered his feet with Qi to reduce the sound even more. About a minuteter they finally saw where it wasing from.


    It was a fast-flowing underground river but what was flowing through it wasn''t water but a purple liquid.


    On the other side was another tunnel, this one muchrger than the one they were in.

 Chapter 314: Its Alive

    <h4>Chapter 314: It''s Alive</h4>


    Hao Xuan looked left and right, carefully examining every little detail before he gave the all-clear for Jin Wang to move in.


    They both walked up to the edge of the purple river and bent down to observe it. A slightly bluish mist covered the top of the river like ayer of cloud. It wasn''t very thick but there was enough of it there to not be ignored.


    "You know what it is?" Hao Xuan elbowed Jin Wang.


    Jin Wang pped his arm in response, "What the hell do I look like to you? No, I don''t know what it is. And use your words b*tch!"


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a nk expression. He wanted to say a great number of things in return but held back as it was neither the time nor the ce to argue about something so childish.


    He turned towards the only other source of information at his disposal.


    "Baracus, can you identify the liquid?"


    *Beep*


    Hao Xuan held out his left hand and a ray of light fell on the river below from the watch. After a couple of seconds, it retracted.


    "The mist above the liquid is acting as an instor. I can''t detect anything below it. You will have to get me a sample so I can run a few tests."


    "..."


    Baracus purposefully said that out loud so Jin Wang heard him as well. He looked at Hao Xuan with a straight face and made an offer.


    "I''ll give you 10 gold coins if you put your hand in it."


    "..."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t tell if he was kidding or not but he still decided to make a counteroffer.


    "I''ll give you 10,000 if you do it. How about that?"


    "I''ll give a MILLION!"


    "B*tch you ain''t got a million. But I''ll give you a mill if you do it," Hao Xuan scoffed rather arrogantly. Jin Wang''s eyes went wide and then became tearful.


    "Just because I''m poor doesn''t mean you have to rub it in like this," he said wiping non-existent tears from his eyes.


    Fortis who was watching from the top of Hao Xuan''s head became angry and started pping him.


    "BAD MAN!"


    "OW!" Stop, he''s kidding, its a joke!" Hao Xuan quickly responded.


    Even with his body which was sturdier than an actual tank from back earth, those tentacles of his felt like whips on tender skin.


    Jin Wangughed inwardly but still acted like he was crying in front of Fortis as he stopped low and reached out his hand towards the mist. And as soon as he touched it, the mist that waspletely inert until a moment ago reacted like it had been tasered.


    *Sssss*


    Sound very much like the sizzling of meat on a hot pan came from it as the mist turned into a solid pike and shot straight towards Jin Wang''s heart.


    Hao Xuan and Fortis both stopped whatever they were doing. Hao Xuan''s back muscles expanded like a bear''s, almost tearing his shirt apart.


    In one smooth motion, he swung the ive counterclockwise and cut the pike in half before it could reach Jin Wang. He continued the attack and brought the ive above his head and then struck down like a hammer.


    The Force Qi erupted from the ive and fell on the mist. Just as the Qi touched it, purple liquid and the mist for about 30 meters around them started bubbling.


    "Holy sh*t, back up!" Hao Xuan shouted when he saw hundreds more sharp des take shape from the fusion of the mist. It turned from a gas to solid in the blink of an eye.


    He grabbed Jin Wang''s shoulder and jumped back into the tunnel. The pikes swung around blindly as if they had lost their target and after a few seconds dissolved back into the mist.


    Hao Xuan''s brows scrunched up in annoyance as he pped Jin Wang''s back.


    "The hell is the matter with you, don''t just stand there when you''re being attacked!"


    Jin Wang looked back at him with a smirk and raised his right hand, "Where''s my million gold b*atch!"


    In his hand was a small ss bottle a few inches wide. It was filled to the brim with the purple liquid which was moving around by itself.


    "You sonova..."


    Jin Wang had used the opportunity when Hao Xuan was being attacked to swiftly fill up the battle. He waved the bottle in front of Hao Xuan''s face like it was the most important thing in the world.


    Hao Xuan was taken aback at first but then he smiled and waved his hand. A ck card appeared in his palm. He wiped it over his watch and tapped on the watch''s screen a few times and then tossed it over to Jin Wang.


    This was a one-time usable card which could be cashed in by anyone and at any officially recognized financial institution.


    "There," he said before grabbing the bottle out of a dazed Jin Wang''s grasp.


    A million gold might be a lot to others but it wasn''t much to Hao Xuan at all. Just the potions he had thrown out at the beast horde a couple of hours ago were worth several times as much.


    For Jin Wang though it was nothing to scoff at. He looked at the ck card with glistening eyes.


    "My precious," he whispered in a low voice which sent shivers down Hao Xuan''s spine.


    "Calm down there Gollum," he said jokingly. Jin Wang looked up at him with a confused expression.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand, "N-Nevermind."


    He ced the ss bottle in front of the watch and Baracus started doing his tests. 5 minutester he had the results.


    "The liquid is....alive somehow. It''s actually not a liquid per-say, but a spiritual entity that exists in a liquid form. Close the bottle quickly, it won''t survive for very long when ites into contact with oxygen," Baracus informed Hao Xuan who quickly closed the bottle.


    "This is alive...?" he observed the liquid in detail. It was indeed sshing around in the bottle on its own. Even trying to open the bottle from inside.


    "Does it have any uses? This....thing?"


    "More so than you can imagine. Finding an organism that can exist as a liquid is extremely rare. There are a few implications of its very existence that are pivotal in many research areas. If you''re just looking to make money then you can sell it to a financial institution, or you can do a few other ''things'' with it."


    Jin Wang''s eyes lit up when he heard that and he quickly interjected.


    "How much do you think it will be worth if we sell it?" he inquired.


    "I don''t know exactly but judging from itsck of supply and the excessive demand, just this little bottle would be worth several billion in gold. Although no one would be stupid enough to trade for gold when you can ask for so much more."


    "S-Several billion?!" Jin Wang stuttered. He looked at the bottle in Hao Xuan''s hand and then at the river of the same stuff.


    If he was a cartoon, his eyes would have be dor signs right now.


    *Gulp*


    "O-Oi, help me get a few gallons of this stuff yeah," he patted Hao Xuan''s chest.

 Chapter 315: Someone

    <h4>Chapter 315: Someone</h4>


    Hao Xuan smirked, "In your damn dreams," and moved towards the river.


    "P*ssy..." Jin Wang responded, trying to make Hao Xuan mad and help him out but it didn''t really work out. Hao Xuan simply smiled back, "You got me!"


    He carefully moved closer to the river, ready to be attacked but nothing happened even when he stood on the very edge.


    "Baracus, what other uses would this stuff have? Should I get some for myself?"


    *Beep*


    "If you can but I wouldn''t try too hard. It probably belongs to someone," Baracus''s robotics voice poured a bucked of cold water over Hao Xuan''s head.


    He frowned, "What do you mean?"


    "I mean that this liquid is a rarity in the cultivation world. Even a few liters would be enough to fight wars for, so imagine this much. Do you really think you''re the first one to find it? It would have taken thousands of years to create something like this but why is just flowing freely? Why is no one guarding it?"


    "Well, the mist-" Hao Xuan interjected but Baracus quickly cut him off.


    "The mist is nothing to anyone above the Profound realm. They can destroy it with a wave of their hand and take as much of this liquid as they want. I''m talking about actual protective measures."


    Hao Xuan stood at the riverbank, rubbing his chin in deep thought. Baracus was spot on. This river was almost priceless and yet nothing was protecting it. How could it be so easy?


    He put up his guard even more.


    "Oi, let''s get out of here," he said to Jin Wang and jumped over to the other side. Jin Wang stared at Hao Xuan''s back speechlessly. How could he just leave a literal treasure trove here?


    He threw a few covetous nces at the river before shaking his head.


    "Tsk tsk tsk, rich people sure think differently," he mumbled to himself and followed after Hao Xuan.


    A minute or so after they left, a few air bubbles came up from the river, in front of the exact spot where they had been standing just moments ago. A full head of hair and a pair of bright purple eyes emerged from the purple river and stared in their direction before disappearing back inside like it was never there.


    Neither the purple river nor the blue mist above it reacted to that ''being''s'' presence in any way. In fact the purple liquid parted on its own so as not to even put pressure against it.


    The duo walked for 40 more minutes beforeing up to another purple river. This one was slightlyrger and was flowing from right to left, which was in the opposite direction.


    Hao Xuan leaned over the river''s edge and stretched his neck as far out as it would go. He looked left and right but couldn''t see anything in the darkness.


    "Is that...normal?" he thought out loud.


    "Nope. Have you ever heard of rivers flowing in the opposite directions? And this one''s flowing up, not down," Jin Wang pointed out.


    Hao Xuan kneeled down and tried to tough the mist and it had the same reaction, only much stronger. Instead of simple des, the mist turned into a myriad of different things including beast ws, mouths, and other appendages.


    "Is it just me or does that get creepier the more you look at it," Jin Wang said observing the river from afar.


    The liquid flowing through this particr river seemed more... rowdy. It seemed more alive and reactive. Even with Hao Xuan just standing near the edge, a thick clump of it the purple stuff was coagting below his feet.


    It seemed like it was ''observing'' him. Even though it had no eyes, Hao Xuan could feel that it was somehow looking at him. He awkwardly moved his hand left and right.


    "H-Hello..."


    The clump of liquid reacted. A round tentacle came out from its side and mimicked Hao Xuan''s actions.


    "It''s conscious!" Baracus who was observing everything shouted. That was the first time Hao Xuan had heard such amazement from his voice.


    "What? What does that mean? Is it that important?" Hao Xuan asked.


    "Of course it''s important! It mimicking your actions proves that it is conscious and might even have higher brain functions. Although, whether it has a brain or not is an entirely different thing, but this discovery is extremely significant! And..."


    "O-Okay...I guess," Hao Xuan just nodded along, not bothering to stop Baracus.


    They stayed there for a little while longer before continuing the journey. They jumped over this river as well and went further in.


    The path now not only went deeper but lower. It was starting to get colder and they could even see their own breaths in the light of the torches. The path that had always looked like it was made by beasts was looking more and more man-made.


    There were tool marks, even a few primitive drawings every few kilometers. There were several intersections on the way and each one had some sort of symbols on it which all pointed the same way, further in.


    Even Fortis was feeling cold now so he slipped into Hao Xuan''s shirt and poked his head out just enough to be able to see what was happening.


    "Stop!" Hao Xuan grabbed Jin Wang''s shoulder just as they were about to reach another intersection.


    "Someone ising!" his ears twitched and he could clearly hear the sound of footstepsing their way. It didn''t sound like a beast, but a human. Or at least something on two feet.


    Jin Wang and Hao Xuan both backed up a few steps towards a corner nearby and poked their heads out to observe the iing visitor. What kind of creature would be living so far deep inside this cliff?

 Chapter 316: Leader

    <h4>Chapter 316: Leader</h4>


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty tunnels.


    Hao Xuan andpany even held their breaths so as not to make any extra sound and scare the iing individual, only Fortis was still chewing on Hao Xuan''s hair, although much more carefully.


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    A figure came into view carrying arge bag of rocks on his back.


    "Hmm?" Hao Xuan and Jin Wang both frowned looking at it. The figure belonged to be a humanoid creature with dark purple skin. It was almost exactly like a human with the only difference being the odd facial features and the pointy ears.


    It was about 2.5 meters in size and had a very skinny build. Well, it was skinny in the sense that there wasn''t much meat on its bones but its bones or its entire frame, in general, was absolutely massive.


    Its bones were twice the size of any normal human being and even though it looked weak, each of its steps was filled with power.


    Still, that was not the reason for the duo''s scrunched up brows. On the figure''s chest, right where the heart should be, was a ck sigil. It was glistening in the darkness and gave off a strange energy reading that was strong enough that Hao Xuan and Jin Wang could feel it from almost 30 meters away.


    Hao Xuan tapped Jin Wabg''s shoulder, "You seen that symbol before?"


    His head moved up but stopped there.


    "I think, can''t be sure right now. Need to see it up close," he whispered.


    Hao Xuan raised an eyebrow. He looked at the figure that wasing their way.


    ''Should we kidnap him...?'' was his first thought, but he quickly rejected the idea. They had no idea where they were, what this ce was, and where it led. Making first contact with such hostile actions was one of the most foolish things they could do right now.


    Taking in a deep breath Hao Xuan walked out in the open, startling Jin Wang.


    "OI! Stop! We know nothing about them don-" before he could finish his sentence, Hao Xuan spoke loudly.


    "Hello! We seem to have taken a wrong turn and gotten lost. Could you tell us where this ce is?" he spoke as softly as he could and with a wide smile stered over his face.


    The figure reacted just as anyone would expect it to. It dropped the bag it was lugging around and jumped back. The rock hard ground underneath almost cracked from a few ces from the pressure he exerted on it.


    "Woah," Hao Xuan backed up a step and circted his Qi internally.


    "Ajhfhjfns fhekjf shfgjsm!" the figure raised his hand threateningly and spoke in anguage that neither Hao Xuan nor Jin Wang could understand.


    Jin Wang stepped out as well, making the figure take several steps back. He smiled kindly and opened his mouth.


    "H.E.L.L.O! C.A.N. Y.O.U U.N.D.E.R.S.T.A.N.D M.E??" he spoke as loudly as he could, enunciating every single letter of every word.


    Hao Xuan''s right brow twitched as he pped him on the back of his head.


    "He''s not deaf, he just doesn''t speak the samenguage as us you dumb sh*t. Just stay quiet and let me handle it," he said through gritted teeth, holding back the urge to strangle Jin Wang on the spot.


    He then looked back at the figure who had a confused expression on his face, "Hehe, sorry for him. Um, me, lost. Take to your leader?" he said while signing as best he could.


    The figure had a very pronounced face. It hadrge, sharp teeth that were poking out even when the mouth was closed. Its ears were pierced with a bunch of different things including metal hooks, bones, ws, and teeth.


    His eyes were purple as well, almost exactly like the liquid in the rivers.


    He squinted and examined Hao Xuan and Jin Wang carefully. Looking them up and down several times.


    His posture which was defensive at first suddenly rxed and he smiled back.


    "Odkef uiod furek kuoal!" he gestured them to follow him and walked back where it came from.


    "Well, that was easy..." Jin Wang said and started following him. Hao Xuan looked at the idiot''s back and decided to follow as well. It was better than just staying there.


    As they passed by the bag of rocks the ''man'' had dropped, Hao Xuan saw purple crystals inside them. It looked like he had juste out of a mine.


    Although the man looked weak at first nce, his steps were wide, sturdy and fast-paced. Within 10 minutes they had covered several times the distance Hao Xuan and Jin Wang would have covered if they were alone.


    The man expertly navigated thework of tunnels and soon led them into what seemed like the main tunnel. It was more than 5 times bigger than the rest and even had old iron tracks built into it with light crystals ced every 50 meters on the sidewalls.


    "Uhourt tuefeod oauflds euqews!" he said proudly. Hao Xuan had no idea what he was saying but still decided to nod along and smile he did.


    Just a few minutes after entering the main tunnel they saw another party of simr-looking individuals. It was a party of four, all males and most very young with the oldest being not more than 13.


    They quickly ran up to the man leading Hao Xuan andpany and started talking loudly until they saw him.


    Their eyes went wide as if they had seen a unicorn. Without any fear they ran up to them and started inspecting them. Touching their clothes, hair, and even their faces with their dirty hands.


    Still, neither of them minded and even smiled back and tried talking to them. A few secondster the man pped his hands and pointed in a certain direction, making the younglingsin.


    But they still followed his orders and picked up their respective bags and ran ahead.


    The deeper in they went, the more ''people'' they saw. But what grabbed Hao Xuan''s attention was that not a single one of them was older than 30, or belonged to the fairer sex. All of them were young men that seemed to have been living on basic rations.


    40 minutes of walkingter the tunnel came to an end. A massive iron door blocked their path. It was at least 30 meters across.


    The man led them to the left corner of the iron door where a smaller entrance was located. There was no guard here and they passed through without problems.


    Whenever someone saw them they would get stopped and others would look at them like animals in a zoo.


    This new area seemed like where they lived. There were small single-story houses everywhere. There were was no one with any weapons other than mining tools. There were no shops, no businesses. Hao Xuan didn''t even think these guys knew what money was.


    "Eourt Yhsjworjj Yufoer," the man pointed at arge building in the middle of the settlement. It was about 5 times the size of other houses and many people were going there.


    "Is that where your leader lives?" Jin Wang asked but didn''t get a response in return.

 Chapter 317: Leader continued

    <h4>Chapter 317: Leader continued</h4>


    "Guess we''ll find out..." Jin Wang mumbled to himself and followed after Hao Xuan and the man.


    Hao Xuan looked left and right, observing everything in detail.


    The top of this massive cavern had a single humongous Lightstone that was the only source of light in the area. The houses were scattered along the cavern without any actual designs.


    Some were built inside the cavern walls while others looked like a child had made them. But they provided some modicum of privacy and a bit of cover, so it wasn''t all bad.


    It looked like all of these people belonged to the same race though. They all had dark purple skin, pointy ears, huge bodies, and mesmerizing eyes.


    Also, the same ck sigil that was on the man''s chest was present on every other person they hade across so far.


    It didn''t look like it was burned into their skin, but if Hao Xuan didn''t know any better he would have thought it was a birthmark. But how could an entire species have the same birthmark?


    They came to a stop outside therge building. There were hoards of people going in and out of it, and this was the only ce Hao Xuan had seen any females.


    They looked much slimmer and didn''t have as viscous features as the men. They could even be quite attractive if they were perhaps dressed a little better but all of them were in the same old robes that had been stitched together for what seemed like thousands of different pieces.


    Standing among these people Hao Xuan and Jin Wang who were dressed in normal civilian clothes looked like kings.


    "Hello, hello," Hao Xuan nodded awkwardly at everyone that was staring at them, and there were a lot of them. From a first nce, it seemed to be at least a thousand or so people.


    The females were in groups of 3 or 4 and were gossiping amongst themselves looking at them. Although judging from their giggling it didn''t look like they had very good impressions of the duo.


    "Ik Tura iferaor," the man stopped in front of the door of the building and gestured for them to stop as well. He then pointed at himself and then at the building, and then at Hao Xuan and at the ground.


    "Oh, you want me to stay here? Sure," Hao Xuan realized pretty quickly what he meant so he smiled and nodded in confirmation.


    Seeing as they had understood, the man pushed open the doors and walked inside. Jin Wang walked up to Hao Xuan and whispered.


    "Dude, that ones checking you out," he said pointing at a single female that was standing at the back of the crowd. She looked different from the others in the sense that she had what seemed like primitive leather armor on.


    Her brows were scrunched up and she was looking at them with quite a bit of hostility. Hao Xuan''s expression instantly turned ugly.


    "Did you do something to her? Why the f*ck is she so mad?" he quickly inquired.


    Jin Wang stared at him speechlessly, "I have been standing right next to you this whole time. The hell you talking about?"


    "Well why does she look lik-" Hao Xuan turned around to face her but she was already gone.


    "..."


    ''That can''t be good...''


    *Creeeak~*


    The door to therge building opened once again as Hao Xuan was looking around and the man walked out.


    *Hush*


    All the murmurs and the whispers came to an abrupt stop as a hush fell over the crowd.


    "Hmm?" Hao Xuan looked around and soon found out the reason for the silence. Behind the man was a group of 6 elderly women. All of them seemed to be around the same age of around 90 years old.


    Even though their faces were covered with wrinkles and their bodies were hunched over, each of their steps was filled with power. They followed behind the man without the help of anyone else.


    "Auor khuoas lukei amoura," the man said looking at Hao Xuan. He was about to respond until he realized the man wasn''t talking to him but the old women behind him.


    He moved aside and the olddies walked forward. They examined Hao Xuan and Jin Wang from top to bottom. Touching their faces, their ears, poking and pinching. A couple of minutester they stopped and whispered to one another and nodded.


    One of them walked forward, the one that seemed the oldest, "Come!" she said and turned around and started walking back inside the building.


    Hao Xuan and JIn Wang both exchanged nces. So someone does understand them here, thank god!


    As the followed them inside the door closed on its own. The man stayed outside, as did all the others. Now the elderly women were leading them further in.


    They passed by two small rooms which were filled with different sorts of crystals and metals Hao Xuan had never seen before and came to a halt in front of arge wooden door.


    The oldest granny walked up to it and knocked thrice and waited. A few secondster the door opened and Hao Xuan saw the same female that was ring at him outside.


    Her expression looked nonchnt now as she nced at Hao Xuan and Jin Wang emotionlessly and moved aside, allowing the olddies to enter.


    "Follow," one of them said without turning around and with a sigh, Hao Xuan andpany obliged.


    *nk*


    The door closed and locked as they stepped in. There were rolls of fur, hide, and leather ced around the room on what looked like tanning benches.


    A thick herbal smell wafted out from around the closed room.


    "Wee, visitors. To our humble abode!" a decrepit voice came from the other end of the room, startling Hao Xuan.


    When a cultivator reached the Spirit realm they could detect the presence of other living creatures without even trying. It was like a newfound ability which helped them stay alert and keep a track of their surroundings.


    So when a voice came from seemingly thin air, it freaked him out quite a bit.

 Chapter 318: Agueda

    <h4>Chapter 318: Agueda</h4>


    Although he didn''t let it show but Hao Xuan had almost jumped out of his skin. He was at full alert as soon as they entered therge building and yet, that voice managed to startle him to the core.


    He looked left and right but could not find the source of the voice.


    "Who am I speaking to you?" he asked in a respectful tone.


    *Rustle*


    The pieces of leather hanging in the back of the room parted.


    "Come closer," the voice said. It sounded quite gentle, and a little bit tired.


    Hao Xuan hesitated for a bit but then decided to go in the end. And as soon as he moved past the curtain of leather and hides, he saw the owner of the voice.


    It was an old woman. Her body was almostpletely turned to stone with only her head still made of flesh. Her face was covered with wrinkles, a sign of the many years she had lived. But it was her bright blue eyes that caught Hao Xuan''s attention. They were shinning in the darkroom like twonterns.


    "Hello," Hao Xuan lowered his head slightly, both as a show of respect to an elder and to someone who might be able to help him get out of this ce.


    "Greetings and salutations indeed, young ones," she said with a kind smile.


    "Sit, sit. It has been many a year since thest time we got any visitors," she gestured towards the two chairs on the side with her chin.


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang bowed once again and sat down. Once they had settled down the other olddies went and stood behind the stone woman with their hands behind their backs and heads lowered.


    "My name is Agueda. I am the leader of this little vige," she introduced herself first, looking at Hao Xuan and Jin Wang respectively.


    "I''m Hao Xuan, and this is my friend Jin Wang."


    "How very nice to meet you. But I must ask, what brings you all the way down here?" Agueda asked curiously.


    "We are cultivators and were trying to get to the other side of the cliff when a tornado came. We took shelter in a tunnel and somehow ended up here. If you could just tell us how to get out, we will be on our way," Hao Xuan exined, examining every one of their expressions.


    Most of them seemed quite relieved when they heard that they would be leaving soon, only the young girl standing on the side frowned. She quickly walked up to Agueda and whispered something in her ear, making her eyes widen. She looked at Hao Xuan with an even wider smile now.


    "Please, you are our guests. Stay a night or two and I will have someone escort you outside when things have settled down."


    Hao Xuan could hear the eagerness in her voice.


    ''But why? Do they think we would tell others about the purple liquid?'' he thought inwardly, and it was the most logical exnation.


    There were a lot of things wrong with these people. There were no elders other than the ones in this room, the women acted quite oddly, and most important of all, why would they choose to live here? To mine rare metals or that liquid? But then why would they be living in such poor conditions?


    "Honestly, I''d rather not trouble you guys. You already seem to have your hands full so if you could just tell us where to g-"


    "Nonsense, its no trouble at all. Rune, get a room ready for them," she said looking to her left. The leftmost olddy faltered, looked at the other 5 standing next to her for confirmation before walking out with soft steps.


    It seemed like even though Agueda was the leader, she didn''t have absolute power here.


    Seeing the olddy named Rune walk out, she nodded and turned towards Hao Xuan once again.


    "This ce, the entire mountain, it is called Kubre. We have been living here for a long time now. If you want to know anything just ask."


    Agueda looked at Hao Xuan and Jin Wang expectantly, but the other 5dies behind her were frowning hard.


    "There isn''t anything I''d like to kn-"


    "What''s the deal with the purple liquid? You guys selling it? And why aren''t there any old people here?"


    Just as Hao Xuan was about to decline her offer, Jin Wang blurted several questions at once, almost making Hao Xuan fall off from his chair. The 5 olddies expression''s turned ugly at once while the young woman seemed surprised.


    ''This dumbf*ck...'' he looked at him like he was looking at an actual mentally handicapped person. Jin Wang met his eyes and shrugged.


    "What? She said ask," he exined like it was the most obvious thing in the world.


    "Hahaha, I did indeed. Well, where to begin? We were sent here to keep watch over that liquid you speak off. And no, it is not for sale. We are just its keepers. And as for the old people, that-"


    "Its a gift from the great lord. He has freed us from the mundane world and helped us achieve our true potential!"


    Before Agueda could finish, another one of the old women standing behind her spoke up.


    Although Agueda still had a smile on her face, it was quite obvious she wasn''t really happy at the moment.

 Chapter 319: Dreki!

    <h4>Chapter 319: Dreki!</h4>


    Her stiff smile made the atmosphere quite awkward but the olddy that had spoken up didn''t mind at all. Instead, she stepped forward and continued.


    "A long time ago, we were living in sin. Our ancestors were ungrateful heathens who only looked out for themselves. Then our great lord ''Ra'' appeared and showed us the right path. We are able to live today only because of His mercy and grace."


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang looked at each other with much of the same feelings.


    ''They kind of sound like fanatics don''t they?'' was their impression, and they weren''t far off.


    How these women talked about this "Ra" was nothing short of a maniacal obsession.


    Agueda who was staying silent finally spoke up.


    "Thank you sister Uthyr. Yes, that is correct. Our tribe was one of many back in the day. The only reason we have been able to ''flourish'' to this degree is because of Lord Ra''s ''mercy''. Everything we have is thanks to him."


    She stressed the words flourish and mercy more than necessary which made it sound like she was being sarcastic, but the 5 women behind her were too busy nodding and agreeing with everything she said to pay attention to HOW she said it.


    "True true. It is all thanks to Lord Ra''s mercy!" they repeated as a matter-of-factly.


    "We need to get the hell outa here," Jin Wang leaned in and whispered to Hao Xuan, who nodded in return.


    "Alright that''s enough," Agueda butted in, making the other 5 shut up. She looked at Hao Xuan and Jin Wang apologetically, "Our guests are probably tired so let them rest. Buse here will guide you to your residence," she looked at the young female on the side who looked back at her with a frown.


    "Now please," she said gently, making the girl pout. Still, she went walked past Hao Xuan and Jin Wang, out the way they came. A few seconds after she left her voice came, "Are youing or not?"


    "So she can speak ournguage as well..." Jin Wang mumbled and got up first, followed by Hao Xuan who bowed once again to the old women and left with the girl named Buse.


    A few seconds after they left the old woman named Uthyr walked forward.


    "Sisters, we cannot trust them. They have seen the ancestral liquid and will tell others about it. We must not let them leave!"


    "I agree. Lord Ra gave us clear orders, no outsiders must know about us, ever!" another one chimed in.


    They then looked at Agueda for confirmation.


    "If it is what the Lord wants, it must be done," Agueda agreed without any hesitation.


    "I''ll get the things ready," Uthyr said before walking out with hurried steps.


    ***


    Buse led them outside through the same way hey came in. A lot of people were still waiting outside and the crowd and even increased in size. As soon as Hao Xuan and Jin Wang stepped out they started pointing at them and whispering amongst themselves.


    The man that had brought them here was also waiting for them and quickly ran up to Buse with a goofy smile. They started speaking in their ownnguage but it seemed like the man was doing most of the talking while Buse only nodded and shook her head in response.


    She led them through the crowd and towards the back of the settlement where there was another tunnel that went deeper in. About 15 minutes of walkingter they reached a new area.


    It was much smaller in size to the other cavern but the air here was much fresher. There was even a small breeze that brushed past Hao Xuan''s face, making even Fortis pop out.


    The girl almost screamed out loud when Fortis came out of Hao Xuan''s shirt, but when she realized he was harmless she became quite embarrassed and started walking even faster.


    There was only one structure in this smaller cavern. It looked like a temple with two old stone statues near the entrance.


    "What creature is that?" Hao Xuan mumbled looking at it. The reason he asked that was because the statues were very old and had many parts missing, making it that much harder to tell what they once were.


    "These are the statues of Lord Ra. He is a member of the tribe of ''Dreki''," Buse exined with her back turned to them. As she mentioned Ra''s tribe she turned her head halfway and observed their expressions.


    "Tribe of Dreki?" Hao Xuan scratched his chin in confusion. Jin Wang leaned in, "Dragon. The tribe of Dreki is a Draconic tribe. One of the oldest ones."


    "Dragon?!" Hao Xuan was shocked to hear that. This was his very first time hearing of anything dragon-rted. Buse''s eyes lit up and she looked at Jin Wang with interest.


    The temple had no doors with only a single shrine in the back. There were two crooked beds ced on the left side.


    "This is where you will stay the night," Buse pointed at them and walked out before Hao Xuan or Jin Wang could say anything else.


    Seeing her back vanish from sight Jin Wang quickly turned to face Hao Xuan.


    "This sh*t is worse than we thought. We need to leave, tonight!"


    His somber tone gave Hao Xuan an unsettling feeling.


    "Why? Because of this Ra dude?" he asked looking towards the statues outside.


    Jin Wang nodded.


    "The tribe of Dreki is the tribe of Undead dragons. They are known for their cruelty towards other creatures throughout the Nine Worlds. If these people actually worship this a*swipe then we have to put as much distance between us and this ce as we can!"

 Chapter 320: The Educator

    <h4>Chapter 320: The Educator</h4>


    "A tribe of Undead Dragons?!" Hao Xuan''s brow shot up in astonishment.


    Jin Wang shook his head, "No, not just "a" tribe, THE tribe of Undead Dragons. There has only ever been one and will be for all of eternity. It''s not a tribe in the same sense as what you know. It''s not like they all just live in the same plot ofnd or something. Anyways, it''s hard to exin, and now isn''t the right time for that either."


    "The point is, they are undead creatures that think of all living creatures as insignificant. If these dumbasses actually do worship ''Ra'', then they aren''t really right in the head."


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh.


    "That''s easier said than done. The only way out of here is the way we came in, and even if we get out we have no idea where to go. How are we gonna just leave?" he looked at Jin Wang with a tinge of hope.


    Jin Wang looked around with squinted eyes and then shrugged.


    "Shit, you got a point. Well, we''re fucked then. Might as well go to sleep," he sat down on the bed and took off his shoes while Hao Xuan watched on with mouth agape.


    "T-That''s it?"


    Jin Wang nodded andid down, making himselffortable.


    "If I''m gonna die, I''m gonna die after a peaceful sleep."


    "...."


    "What the actual fuck is wrong with you..."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t tell if Jin Wang was just joking around or he had actually given up. Either way, he wasn''t going to just sit back and do nothing.


    He walked back out the way they came and found the man that was trying to chat up Buse sitting near the entrance.


    "Hello, I was wondering if you could take me to look around the area, show off a few ces you know," he said smilingly but the man''s face waspletely nk.


    "Oh, I forgot you don''t understand me," he mumbled to himself before closing his eyes and looking through the storage space on the watch. A minute or two fo searchingter he finally found what he was looking for.


    A round orb about the same size as a tennis ball which was made out of a thick, ss-like material. It was shining with a soft white light that lit up the surroundings as soon as Hao Xuan took it out. There were two cordsing out from either side with three small holes on the end.


    The man stared at it with wide-eyes


    "Baracus, how well does this thing work now?" he asked the creator of the device.


    *Beep*


    "I haven''t tested it out but it should work as intended. It is sound in theory and the technology is already avable, I just don''t have ess to it in this ce."


    "Alright, we''ll see I guess," Hao Xuan said lightly and looked at the man with a gentle smile.


    "Do you like it? This is for you," he extended his right hand which held one of the cords.


    The man, naturally, seemed hesitant at first but after a few seconds of contemtion his curiosity got the better of him and he grabbed it from Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan then took the other cord and ced at the back of his head and gestured the man to do the same, "Like this like this, put it right there," he pointed at the nape of his neck.


    "Huh?" the man obviously had no idea what was gonna happen but mimicking Hao Xuan''s actions, he did the same. As soon as the cord touched his skin it came alive like a snake.


    Three sharp needles at least 4 inches long shot out from the holes at the end of the cord and before the man could even react, broke through his skin, his flesh, the bones, and then directly pierced his brain.


    His eyes wentpletely white and his body went limp. Hao Xuan swiftly moved forward and grabbed his giant body and gently ced him on his side.


    "Dear God, and you mean to tell me this is NORMAL? This is how the other one operates too?" he almost shouted.


    "Of course not. But I didn''t have the required materials to make the real thing. Anyways, it will get the job done. Good luck," Baracus replied and went into observation mode.


    This device he had created was modeled after something called "The Educator." It was a tool that was quitemonly used in most of the higher-ranked Kingdoms.


    Its sole purpose was to connect two minds together and help them understand each other. If it worked out as intended, by the end Hao Xuan would know all basic information about this man including hisnguage. All that information would be extracted from the man''s brain and copied over to his.


    He sighed looking at the cord in his hand.


    ''Why does it alwayse back to god d*mn needles...''


    With a deep breath, he quickly ced it behind his head before he could overthink it and change his mind. The same happened and the needles pierced directly into his brain.


    Time passed by rather slowly.


    His and the man''s bodyid out in the open for all to see. The small orb that was previously shining with a white light now became dim. A blue haze entered from the right cord, swirled around a few times, and went into the left one.


    *GASP*


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes. With gritted teeth, he forcefully pulled out the cord from his brain.


    "STOP! What are you doing?! That could cause permanent damage!" Baracus warned.


    "Shut up. This f*cking thing works too god damn well!" Hao Xuan retorted and tried to catch his breath. His heart was beating so loudly that it felt like it was about to explode.


    Just a few drops of bleed fell down from the wound before it closed itself within seconds.


    "What do you mean?" Baracus inquired. Was his creation not up to the mark?


    Hao Xuan didn''t answer straight away and walked over to the man and pulled out his cord the proper way, making sure not to hurt him. He then took out a powder that gave off a herbal scent and ced it over his wound which also closed up within a minute.


    He then sat down and rubbed his eyes.


    "It worked. It showed me everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. Things that he himself probably doesn''t remember. I saw him being born, taking his first steps, using the toilet for the first time, kissing a girl for the first time, and more. I saw everything that was inside his mind!"

 Chapter 321: Gavril

    <h4>Chapter 321: Gavril</h4>


    "That much?"


    "Yeah. From his birth till this day, I saw everything," Hao Xuan rubbed his eyes and temples. They felt like they were on fire for some reason and his head was pounding like a jackhammer. Maybe it was because of the Educator or maybe it was something else.


    "And not only that, everything was just dumped in my mind. Many of the things are out of sequence. If I wasn''t a Spirit Realm cultivator there is no way this would have been safe."


    "Hmm, perhaps I should have adjusted the output and intensity of the seizure," Baracus mumbled o himself.


    "But did you get everything you wanted?"


    "Yeah," Hao Xuan nodded, "I know everything he knows."


    "Good, as long as it worked!"


    Hao Xuan looked at the watch with furrowed brows, trying his best not to take it off and throw it around a few dozen times.


    "Yeah, it "worked" alright..." he repeated once again.


    "So? What did you find out about this ce?"


    Hao Xuan leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes to process all the information. The memories started ying back like a movie yed at about 50 times the normal speed. But since it was all happening inside his head, it seemed normal.


    "Gavrl. His name is Gavril and he has never left this ce. Since the day he was born, he has been living in this cave with all the others. But there is something wrong with the people in general."


    "How do you mean?"


    "They just disappear. Mothers give birth and are never seen again. When someone gets old enough to not being able to carry their own weight, they are sent to a ce called ''Tophet'' where they live out the rest of their days in peace."


    "Tophet? Are you sure?" Baracus asked doubtfully.


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Of course. Why?"


    "It seems this Ra creature has a strange sense of humor."


    "What do you mean? Just speak clearly!" Hao Xuan was getting agitated, and with the booming headache, his patience was running low. Baracus quickly exined.


    "Tophet is not a location. Any ce where creatures are sacrificed to the old gods through terror-inducing ways like immtion is called Tophet. Its the equivalent of hell in most cultures. So when someone says they are being sent to Tophet, it means they are being sent to hell."


    Hao Xuan''s brow shot up in both anger and astonishment.


    "What a fucking bitchass dragon," he uttered through gritted teeth.


    "The sigil on their chests, is there any info about that?" Baracus continued his query.


    "Yeah," Hao Xuan shook his head, trying not to think about it any further.


    "The ck sigil is a ''gift'' from Ra and a reminder. Apparently, some time ago, someone went against the orders of this Ra and stood up against him. It seems like Ra killed him and basically enved and cursed his entire race."


    "There were more than a hundred million of them at one point, but now after all this time, there are only these few thousand people left. Living in this ce like rats, worshipping a guy that does god knows what to them. That sigil is his mark. They are all born with it."


    "...."


    Baracus didn''t know what to say. He was hoping for some sort of an exnation but this was unexpected to say the least.


    "Is there a way to get out of here then?"


    "Not as far as he knows. All he has been doing since he regained his senses is mining this purple crystal that''s everywhere. He just moves it from one ce to another and then repeats it over the next day."


    "Sounds quite dreadful..."


    "It is. I just saw him do those things and I wanted to kill myself. I have no idea how these guys to do it every single day for their entire lives."


    "Well, they don''t know any better. They have been kept in the darkness, in this controlled environment. They only know what Ra wants them to know. To them, this is the norm."


    Hao Xuan sighed, "I guess you''re right."


    A short bout of silence followed after as Baracus gave Hao Xuan time to collect his thoughts.


    "What is the n now?"


    "Buse. She is the tribe leader''s daughter and is quite close to him. And she is different than the others. She will definitely know a way out."


    "Alright. So you''re going to kidnap her then?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "No, too risky. People lie when under pressure, I need her to tell me the truth herself."


    "But why would she do that?"


    "From what I have seen from Gavril''s memories, Buse is quite an opinionated and rational person. She doesn''t listen to anyone if she has made up her mind. If I show her the truth, if I show her what''s happening to her people isn''t normal in any way, there is a good chance she will be on our side."


    "....what if she doesn''t change sides?"


    Hao Xuan was taken aback by Baracus''s question but after thinking about it for a few seconds he quickly made up his mind.


    "Then I will do what must be done. These people, even though they have been living here for so long, they still cultivate. Although I''m not sure but it seems like those vige elders should all have powers equivalent to Profound realm cultivators. Every year they undergo a ritual of some sort where Ra bestows upon them some kind of power. To keep them strong and healthy."


    "Alright. I''ll tweak the educator to have the same function as a memory globe, albeit much more primitive. I can transfer over some general information about the outside world, its people and ces. That should be a good start," Baracus quickly came up with an idea.


    Hao Xuan agreed, "Do it." He put the Educator back in the watch''s storage space so Baracus could continue tweaking it and picked up Gavril and threw him over his shoulder while mumbling.


    "Come on big guy, help me learn more about this guy who fought a motherf*king dragon!"

 Chapter 322: Plan?

    <h4>Chapter 322: n?</h4>


    "Great Grandmother," Buse knocked on the room''s door.


    "I''m awake,e in," a rather frail voice replied.


    Buse pushed open the door and entered. It was the same room where Hao Xuan and Jin Wang were sitting just an hour or so ago.


    Right now it was only upied by one person. Agueda was sitting on the same chair, just staring out into space. Buse''s usual cold expression softened in an instant looking at her body that was all but turned to stone.


    She walked up to her and took out a box of herbs from under one of the shelves. As she opened it an extremely potent smell hit her head-on. But it seemed like she was used to it so she didn''t react much.


    She took the jelly-like brown paste from the box and started rubbing it on Agueda''s hands and feet, massaging as she went along.


    Agueda watched her with sorrowful eyes. Now that her journey in this ce wasing to end, the old days were all she could think about. Thinking about what she could have done differently was how most of her days were spent now.


    "Stop child, it''s useless," she whispered. Buse faltered for a second but continued. She lowered her head and didn''t want to meet Agueda''s eyes.


    Agueda looked up at the ceiling and closed yer eyes.


    "You''re just as stubborn as your mother. What will you do when I''m gone? I...don''t have much time left..." she mumbled to herself.


    Buse shook her lowered head, "We can find a way. There has to be a way! Maybe in the outside wo-"


    "SHH!" Agueda''s expression turned serious instantly. She looked left and right and breathe out a sigh of relief upon confirming that no one was listening.


    "Never talk about that again, I told you that. Do you want to end up like me?!" she red at Buse who lowered her head even more. She felt wronged but couldn''t argue with her.


    *Sigh*


    She leaned back and closed her eyes once again.


    "What about those two? Was what you said true?"


    Buse nodded like a child. She could act like this only in front of her.


    "Un. I saw them myself. They saw the ancestral essence and knew it was worth a lot out there but chose not to take it. I think these ones are different. They aren''t as greedy as the others, at least one of them isn''t..." she said as Jin Wang''s smug shed past her eyes.


    Agueda''s brows furrowed while she thought about what the next step should be. A minute or soter she came to a conclusion.


    "Hmm. Show him the antecedent''s tablet. If he passes the test, then we can trust him."


    Buse''s eyes widened in shock, "But that''s our trib-"


    "I know what it is," Agueda cut in. "And I know what it implies. But we are out of time. If I don''t do anything right now then it will be the end of our once-great tribe. All that history, all that fighting, and for what?"


    Buse seemed like she still had her doubts but nodded nheless.


    "Yes."


    ***


    "Yo, can you hear me?" Hao Xuan snapped his fingers in front of Gavril''s face.


    "Huh? What happened?" Gavril looked around in confusion. His head felt like it was banged against the wall repeatedly. He was rubbing the back of his head when he realized something.


    "Wait, I can understand you?!" he looked at Hao Xuan in amazement.


    Hao Xuan scratched his head with an awkward smile, "Yeah, kind of. Although I''m not very good at it just yet. Anyways, what can you tell me about that guy that fought Ra?"


    He quickly tried to change the topic but Gavril wasn''t having it.


    "Wait wait, how can you just speak mynguage? What happened to me back there? You gave me that thing..."


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan waved his hand.


    *Wack*


    A tentacle appeared behind Gavril and smacked him in the back of his head, knocking him out instantly.


    "Go sleep sleep now," Fortis said while brushing Gavril''s hair gently. He then jumped on top of Hao Xuan''s head with a proud smile.


    "Yeah yeah you did good," Hao Xuan tossed arge biscuit in the air which then disappeared.


    *Beep*


    "Now what?" Baracus spoke up.


    "Now we wait. Buse should being along soon as well," he said looking at the time.


    Currently, they were in Gavril''s home. Buse visited him almost every day for dinner.


    He sat down on a chair and looked around. His home was extremely simple. There was one bedroom and one bathroom. There was no furniture other than two chairs, a table, and an old rock bed.


    Hao Xuan waited for an hour. The time for dinner came and went but Buse didn''t appear.


    "Hmm, something''s not right," he mumbled looking through the window. From what he could remember Buse never missed dinner once in thest 3 years.


    He tucked Gavril in the bed and rubbed a white paste right under his nose. It would keep him knocked out for a good 10 hours or so as he didn''t want him waking up and making a fuss.


    When the coast was clear he slipped out of a window and ran back. Only a few kids saw him and he gave them some candy bars to keep them quiet.


    When he reached the temple he found out that it was empty. He looked around but couldn''t find Jin Wang anywhere.


    "Where the f*ck did he go..."

 Chapter 323: The First Born

    <h4>Chapter 323: The First Born</h4>


    Hao Xuan looked everywhere but could find no trace of Jin Wang. Exasperated, he traced his steps and went back out where he was met by a group of children not too far from the entrance. They were ying some sort of a game with rocks, tossing them from one spot to another on one foot.


    With a smile and candies in hand, Hao Xuan walked up to them. To any adult he would seem like the most suspicious person, creeping around kids, offering them sweets. Thankfully, no such adult was nearby.


    "Hey kids, you want some chocte? The biggest piece goes to the one who can answer my question," he said waving a bar of it around in front of his face. But the reaction he was expecting didn''te. All of the children looked at him with the same confused expression until he realized why.


    None of them had any idea what chocte was.


    *Sigh*


    "Free sample to get them hooked," he mumbled, using the same strategy as a drug dealer. He broke of several small pieces of it and gave one to each of the 6 kids before taking a bite himself.


    "See? So good!" he made an exaggerated expression. Still suspicious, one of them took a small bite and his eyes widened. Maybe it was because of the sugar rush or just pure astonishment, but he gobbled up the rest instantly.


    "MORE MORE!" he jumped up and down in front of Hao Xuan like a rabbit.


    Hao Xuan smiled, "Sure, just tell me if you saw the guy that came with me. Where did he go?"


    "I don''t know. More!" the kid shook his head while extended his hand.


    The other children saw him and tried out their pieces and had much of the same reactions. All of them surrounded Hao Xuan, begging for more.


    A little girl pushed several of the bigger boys away and squeezed through to the front with a raised hand, "Me me! I saw him!"


    "Great, where did he go? Tell me and the rest is yours," Hao Xuan gestured towards the remaining bar.


    "Aunty Buse took him over there," she pointed towards the west of the camp.


    "Buse? Is that why she didn''te back for dinner?" he mumbled. Without waiting any further he threw the bar towards the little girl and walked where she had pointed.


    All the other children looked at her with envy. One of them walked towards her with a troubled expression.


    "Cara, if I give you my favorite rock, can I have a little piece?" he opened his palm in which a perfectly spherical rockid. Some of the other kids gasped.


    The girl named Cara pushed his hand away with a smile, "You keep the rock, I''ll share with everyone!"


    All the other kids started cheering for her. Hao Xuan who was watching from afar was impressed. He stayed nearby and observed the situation unfold in case they tried to take it from her but she gave it away willingly.


    "I would have never done that as a kid..." he mumbled, prompting Baracus to speak up.


    "Of course, you are not that kind-hearted."


    "Really? I think I''m pretty kind," Hao Xuan retorted with an annoyed expression.


    "Should I mention the name of every person you have killed so far?"


    "That''s different," Hao Xuan shook his head, "They were asking for it."


    "If that''s what you want to believe, sure," Baracus replied nonchntly, making Hao Xuan''s brows furrow.


    "I don''t like you very much you know," Hao Xuanmented.


    "Oh no, whatever will I do," Baracus replied sarcastically.


    Ignoring his furtherments Hao Xuan made his way through the maze-like structures while avoiding any others to the best of his abilities. 25 minutester he finally reached the end of the cavern.


    There was an alley leading to this ce but it was a dead end. And judging from the footprints on the ground someone had passed by not too long ago.


    "Baracus, can you find anything?" he mumbled while looking around himself. There were no false walls or anything. It didn''t look like anything opened here.


    "Let me scan," Baracus replied as a horizontal beam of light came from the watch. Hao Xuan stood back and raised his hand so it could cover a wider area.


    "There is no false wall, it''s just a little deceptive technique. 5 meters straight, 3 meters to the left."


    Hao Xuan followed his directions and the cavern wall that seemed like it was right in front of him suddenly moved back. Or rather, it was always like this.


    The wall was carved in such a way so as to create an illusion of it being closer than it actually was. Right under it was a meter wide pathway that went straight into the ground.


    As he followed the path, the light from the lightstones slowly vanished. He waved his hand and summoned White and made him use his ability. As White''s Qi circted within his body, Hao Xuan''s pupils changed into that of a snake and he could once again see clearly in the dark.


    The pathway was extremely narrow. Even someone of a smaller stature would have trouble moving freely so with Hao Xuan''s slightlyrger body he had to move sideways and it still felt suffocating.


    Thankfully, he didn''t need to go far. Just a few minutes in and the pathway started expanding until he could see a doorway in the distance.


    It seemed like barely anyone ever visited this ce. The air was stale and smelt a little like rotting flesh. The doorway was carved out of stone and on top of it were some carvings.


    Hao Xuan squinted his eyes and after a few seconds realized that the carvings were simr to some of the letters in these people''snguage, although these ones looked far moreplicated. He tried to read the words the best he could.


    "The First...born?" he mumbled.


    "Ohh, you''re here. Come," a voice suddenly spoke up, startling Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 324: The First Born Continued

    <h4>Chapter 324: The First Born Continued</h4>


    "Come."


    Hao Xuan turned towards the source of the voice and saw the oh-so-familiar figure of Buse standing in the doorway.


    Even though she was standing right in front of him, Hao Xuan wasn''t able to feel her presence at all. If he couldn''t see her, there was no way he would ever know she was there.


    "You were expecting me?" he asked trying to sound calm but his Qi was being circted at full force, ready to erupt at a moment''s notice.


    Buse looked down at Hao Xuan''s hands, her purple pupils glowing in the dark much like Hao Xuan''s. She smiled.


    "Yes,e. There is something you need to see."


    She turned around and walked into the room, leaving her backpletely open on purpose. If Hao Xuan wanted to attack, now would be the best time. He faltered for a second, looked left and right but still followed her in.


    "Oh, you''re here," Jin Wang said from the other corner of the room. He wasying down, using the left side of the wall as support. In his hand was a piece of dried meat that he was chewing loudly.


    "Thisdy came just in time. She told me a few things, I think its best you listen as well," he pointed at Buse with the jerky.


    Hao Xuan examined the room before letting his guard down. It was pretty small to begin with with only these three inside it seemed crowded. On the other side was a small cavity created in the wall. There was a piece of a stone tablet with some writing on it sitting inside.


    other than that there was nothing of significance here.


    Hao Xuan rxed slightly and looked at Buse for answers.


    "What did you want me to see?"


    Buse''s expression was the exact same whenever she was forced to do something she didn''t want to. Her reluctance was pretty easy to spot even if Hao Xuan didn''t have Gavril''s memories.


    She began to fidget, ying with her fingernails while avoiding eye contact. She took in a deep breath and calmed herself down. Hao Xuan couldn''t but smile at her behavior. She really couldn''t hide her emotions at all.


    "That," she pointed at the tablet, "Holds our ancestor''s will. It will test you and if you pass, you can have all the purple liquid you want, in exchange for your help. Do you agree?"


    She didn''t hide anything and told Hao Xuan everything. Hao Xuan looked at the tablet skeptically.


    "What kind of help?"


    Buse shook her head, "Thatester, you have to first pass the test. If you do I will tell you everything. Rx, it''spletely harmless."


    Hao Xuan knew she was telling the truth. He knew all her tells, not that she was a good liar to begin with but even if she tried to deceive him, he would know at once.


    She was trying to sound calm but Hao Xuan could hear her voice waver every now and then.


    "Is it harmful in any way?"


    "No," she shook her head quickly.


    Jin Wang who was watching from the side chimed in, "Rx, it''s safe. I inspected it. It''s just a kind of memory globe but really f*cking old. It won''t hurt you."


    Hao Xuan went silent for a second but then nodded.


    "Alright, I''ll do it if you use mine as well. It''s just a simple information transfer," he said taking out the modified educator. The cords on the sides were gone and only the ss ball was left.


    Buse frowned. She inspected the educator in detail and after some contemtion nodded.


    "Deal."


    "Great, what do I have to do?" Hao Xuan asked as he passed it to her.


    "Just put some blood on it and it will activate. And don''t resist, it has to be done willingly."


    "Alright. For yours, just ce your palm over it and it will do the rest," Hao Xuan said while walking towards the tablet.


    There was a small space in front where Hao Xuan sat down after wiping it with his hands. He looked at Jin Wang onest time who gave him a thumbs up while loudly munching on the meat.


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan quickly looked away. His confidence in the guy was decreasing by the second. Still, he cut open his left thumb and let a few drops of crimson blood fall on the tablet.


    The blood moved on its own and went into the engraved symbols on the surface of the tablet, making them light up with a dim light. Without waiting any further he ced his left palm over it.


    *Shiiiiiiiii~*


    A high pitched sound rang in Hao Xuan''s ears as his vision turned ck. Before he realized he was standing in a wide-open field.


    The sound of crickets and other lifeforms came into his ears. He could smell the fresh-cut grass and the breeze that tasted somewhat sweet. He looked up and saw two different moons in the sky. Even though it was night time the moonlight was bright enough to illuminate everything.


    *Uwain*


    The sound of an infant crying came from behind him. He turned around and saw a small wooden cottage overlooking the field. There were three men outside. All of them looked quite simr to Gavril in appearance only much healthier and dressed better.


    "Hahaha, congrattions brother! Your firstborn is a son!" a women''s came out of the cottage.

 Chapter 325: Orion

    <h4>Chapter 325: Orion</h4>


    "Really?!" the man in the middle had a wide smile on his face and tears on his eyes.


    "Congrattions brother!"


    "Congrattions! Looks like your good omen is here!"


    The two men next to him quickly came forward and congratted him with powerful pats on his shoulder.


    "Woah," Hao Xuan was taken aback. The casual ps of these men were strong enough to fold him in half a dozen times over. These people were...powerful!


    The scene changed once again.


    A middle-aged man sat on a chair with a 6 to 7-year-old boy sitting on his knee. In the man''s hand was a thick book with several hundred pages.


    "And the hero saved the vige from impending doom and everyone lived happily ever after," he finished.


    The boy''s dark red pupils were fully expanded and his mouth open.


    "AWESOME! I want to be a hero too dad!" he raised his hands and looked at his father expectantly as if he gave permission it would be so. The middle-aged man smiled, "Of course, my dear Orion will be the greatest hero under the heavens!"


    The scene changed once again.


    A teenager was fighting with three others with wooden swords. He moved around with such ferocity that his opponents couldn''t even block a single attack of his.


    "He''s just like you," a woman''s voice came from behind Hao Xuan. He turned around and saw the same middle-aged man watching from the shadows. And behind her was another silhouette, much smaller in size. It, of course, belonged to the man''s wife.


    As she came forward Hao Xuan saw her face and was left speechless. Even in this memory, her beauty was astonishing. Hao Xuan had never really thought anyone was better looking than Xu Qing but after seeing her, even he would have to admit otherwise.


    Thedy held the middle-aged man''s arm and rested her head on his shoulder.


    "Are you going to participate in the war as well?" she spoke lightly.


    The man looked up at the sky, the two moons still visible even during the day.


    "I have to. Those people need our help. If the strong only looked out for themselves, the world would end would it not?"


    Thedy lowered her head without saying anything else.


    *Ompf*


    A few meters away from them Orion was still fighting 3 against 1 and winning spectacrly. He didn''t use a weapon, his own hands were strong enough to both attack and defend as needed.


    The scene changed.


    The teenager had turned into a handsome young man. He was standing in front of an army of hundreds of millions. As far as the eye could see, there were soldiers in full body armor and various weapons standing straight.


    Next to him was the middle-aged man with the two other men Hao Xuan had seen in the first scene. The middle-aged man''s figure seemed to have aged significantly. Half his hair had turned white and his once muscr back was now slightly hunched. On his head was a crown made of a Crimson crystalline material.


    He stepped forward and raised his hand, silencing the immeasurable army.


    "MY DUTIFUL SOLDIERS! Today marks thest day of this bloody war. We fight not for glory, but for those that cannot. Do not raise your sword against the weak and the ones who cannot defend themselves!" he spoke in a deep, authoritative voice.


    "WE OBEY!"


    The entire army replied at once, their voices clearing out the sky itself and shaking the ground.


    The scene changed once again.


    This time Hao Xuan came out on a battlefield.


    Above his head were massive ships that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. They were firing amongst themselves, each round of which shook the very heavens.


    He was standing on a patch of bloody ground filled with weapons and corpses of all kinds, both humanoid and beastly. Some of these corpses wererger than the entire mountain ranges.


    There were only two people currently still breathing here.


    "Father, who did this to you?!" a young man in his twenties held another older man in his arms. The older man had three holes in his body, one of which was on his head. Half his skull was missing but he was still alive somehow.


    He grabbed the young man''s hand with some effort, "Go back home, quickly! We have been betrayed by our own people. Protect your mother and siblings, no matter what. You are the oldest, it is your duty!"


    He took out a ring from somewhere and ced it in the young man''s hands while brain matter spilled out. The color of his skin bing paler by the second.


    "Remember who you are! You are the Firstborn of the King of Zodenheim! The Heir to the throne of the king of Kings, the true ruler of a thousand worlds! Do not let your people down.....son.."


    "FATHER!" Orion shouted, trying to forcefully circte his Qi but to no avail. The old king''s body went limp.


    Orion gentlyid him down and closed his eyes.


    "Father, I will not let you down!"


    The scene changed again.


    A bloody Orion was standing in front of the same little wooden cottage where he was born. But the scenery had changed significantly.


    The two men that were with the old king through many of the memories now stood some distance away from him. Only they weren''t old but seemed to be in the prime of their lives.


    There was a ck sigil, the same as the one on Gavril and Buse''s chests on both their faces.


    Below their feet were 5 severed heads, one of which belonged to the heavenly beauty that was Orion''s mother.


    These two men stared at Orion without any emotions.


    "Surrender child. You are no match for Lord Ra''s power," one of them spoke up.


    Orion only stared at the severed heads of his family. After a moment he looked up, his red pupils getting brighter by the second.


    "Why? My father treated you like brothers, why did you betray him?"


    The other man smiled, "Power. Your father became weak. Even with all his armies, he couldn''t fight against the flow of time, yet we can. With Lord Ra''s backing, we are immortal!"


    Orion looked at them with such calm that it reminded Hao Xuan of himself a bit.


    "You willingly chose to serve that old thing?"


    "Watch your tongue, boy!" both of them spoke up at once.

 Chapter 326: The King of Kings

    <h4>Chapter 326: The King of Kings</h4>


    "Watch your tongue, boy!" they shouted in unison.


    Their expressions turned ugly and a horrifying amount of Qi erupted from their bodies. It was pitch ck in color and it looked like it was bending the very space itself.


    Hao Xuan had never seen anything like this before. He didn''t know which realm they were in but it was much further ahead than just the Profound realm.


    *Craack*


    The space around them finally couldn''t take it and started breaking apart. Minute hairline fractures turned into unending gulleys.


    "What the hell is that?!" Hao Xuan took a step back in shock. Even though it was a memory he still couldn''t help but circte his own Qi instinctively because of what he saw.


    Between those cracks of space were a myriad of squirming appendages that were trying to widen the gap between the cracks. Hands, legs, ws, talons, wings, des, tails, they were all trying to break out of the cracks.


    Orion''s expression changed for the very first time.


    "You weak, filthy creatures. Not only have you handed over your own souls to that old thing, but have also attempted to open the gates of the Abyss to this world?!"


    "Hahaha, so what? It is all Lord Ra''s grand n!" one of the men spoke.


    The Qi started surrounding them both and they became disfigured because of it. Their skin bubbled and exploded. Their flesh melted away and all that was left were bones.


    Where their eyes should have been were bright white mes.


    "Look! Look at the power Lord Ra has given us!" one of them shouted manically.


    They hadpletely thrown away their humanity and became servants of one of the old gods, the God of Pestilence and all things unholy, the Undead Dragon ''Ra''!


    The one on the left wouldtere to be known as ''Lues'', while the one on the right would be ''Aegror'', meaning the ''curse'' and the ''sickness'' respectively.


    Orion let out a deep sigh. He looked down at the ring the old king had given him. It was a silver ring with a red crystal in the middle.


    "Father was right, I would have to use it sooner orter," he mumbled.


    Lues heard him and scoffed in total disdain, "Use whatever you have boy, it will make no difference today. The gates of Abyss will open here and Lord Ra will rule this ne as well!"


    They hadplete trust in Ra''s power and wholeheartedly believed that no one and no thing could stand in his way.


    Orion ignored his rambling and looked back at the small cottage behind him. It was in tatters and would probably soon be forever gone, just like his family. If he epted his fate.


    "All good things muste to an end," he said to himself.


    "Haha, everything but Lord Ra, for he is forever!" Aegror chimed in upon hearing his words.


    Orion looked to the front at the two people that he once called uncles, that fought shoulder to shoulder with his father on more battlefields than he could even remember.


    "Do you know why father never let me fight?" he asked while rolling the silver ring in his palm.


    Lues gave him a scornful look, "To shelter and protect you of course. You have been spoiled from the day you got a hold of your senses. He never let you hold a weapon, what a shortsighted man."


    Orion shook his head while looking at the cracks behind them. They were starting to expand much faster than before. The lush green fields had already turned into rotting masses ofnd.


    "Not to protect me, but our enemies. He always said if I fought, the war would be over before it actually began. That''s why he sealed away my powers when I came of age, that''s why he didn''t let me fight."


    He met their gaze, "I am Orion. Thest King of Zodenheim. As my father has tasked me with hisst breath, I will take the throne of the King of Kings, the ruler of the Thousand Worlds of Light!"


    He closed his hand and the silver ring was instantly crushed to dust.


    *Shiiiii~*


    A 10-meter wide pir of red light fell down from the dome of heaven and onto Orion.


    Lues and Aegror looked at each other as an uneasy feeling came over them. yet they could not take action. The gates of Abyss were opening and they were its gatekeepers. If they moved, the process would be halted.


    Orion''s body floated up and off the ground. He looked up at the source of the pir of light.


    "Citizens of Zodenheim!"


    His voice echoed loudly and pierced the very veil of space and time, reaching more than a 10,000s all at once.


    Hundreds of trillions of beings that lived on these nts all raised their heads at once and looked up at the sky.


    "The armies of the undead are at our doorstep. They have killed your king and his family, and now want to do the same to yours. Will you still not fight? Will you still sit on the sidelines and watch as your own worlds are destroyed? If you want to take a stand and fight with me, raise your hands now and you will all be brought here, now is the time!"


    As Orion finished speaking he turned around and looked behind him, as did Lues and Aegror.


    Time passed and seconds turned into minutes, yet no one came.


    "Hahahaha!" Aegrorughed loudly. "See? Nobody wille. Nobody everes. These selfish creatures only care for them-"


    *Shiii~*


    Before he could finish a much smaller pir of light fell down and brought with it a silhouette. Everyone turned to look at the new arrival.


    It was a girl, a teenager no older than 15 at most. She was dressed in an old worn-out armor that was too big for her and held a sword that was almost the same length as her entire body.


    A contemptuous smile adorned Lues''s bony face as he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by yet another beam of light.


    *Shii~*


    This time it was an old man of at least 70 years of age. He had scars all over his face and anyone could tell he was a soldier at one point or another. He instantly got down on one knee.


    "I answer the call of the King of Kings!"


    *Shiii~*


    *Shiii~*


    *Shiii~*


    *Shiii~*


    Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, ten million! The numbers kept increasing and more and more people kept arriving.


    Not all of them were soldiers, of course, many were just simple folks that picked up whatever they had nearby.


    Orion had tears in his eyes, "Ask and ye shall receive."


    "So what?! They still cannot fight against Lord Ra''s armies! They are nothing but-" Lues spoke up but was interrupted by Orion.


    Orion raised his right hand up in the air.


    "Open the Armory of Zodenheim! Equip my soldiers with the very best we have to offer!"


    The entire sky shook as an uncountable number of weapons and armors shot down like meteors from nowhere. A red armor that was shinning like a miniature sun fell and covered Orion from top to bottom.


    He looked at Lues and Aegror while clenching his fists.


    "Come!"

 Chapter 327: Let it burn!

    <h4>Chapter 327: Let it burn!</h4>


    "Come!" Orion shouted and disappeared from his spot. He reappeared above Lues and Aegror with raised hands. In his palms were two red orbs of light that kept increasing in size.


    "Dome Breaker!" he spoke through gritted teeth before throwing the red orbs down at cracks.


    Hao Xuan quickly closed his eyes and took a step back, but the deafening explosion he was expecting never came. He slowly opened his and once again found himself staring at another back.


    It was covered with old wounds that hadn''t healed properly. The purple skin was looked liked it has been through the blender and made it hard to look at. Even now it was covered with fresh wounds.


    The back, of course, belonged to Orion. Only this memory was muchter in the future. Orion looked almost identical to his father back in the day, only even stronger and with colder eyes.


    He was down on one knee breathing heavily. He was in a foreign ce where the sun was the color of obsidian and the sky was missing its stars. There seemed to be unimaginablyrge creatures flying around in the sky, all looking down on Orion in amusement.


    All around him were numerous corpses, both from his race and those of hideous monsters Hao Xuan had never seen before.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Orion grabbed a handful of dirt and rubbed it in his wounds without even flinching. Just as Hao Xuan was thinking what was going on, a loud voice shook his very being.


    "Mortal, you havee far..."


    The ck sun in the sky moved and unfurled. One, two, three, Seven rotting wings expanded outwards, covering everything in sight, and then a disgusting head came out from behind them. It wasn''t a sun but the body of a mythical dragon surrounded by dark, putrid Qi. It was...Ra himself!


    Half his head was missing skin and flesh, exposing the white bones underneath. It was so big that at that moment Hao Xuan couldn''t think about anything else existing other than...it.


    Orion slowly stood up and raised his head to meet Ra''s gaze.


    "It has indeed been a long journey."


    Ra''s head moved left and right as if he didn''t understand before a realization dawned on him.


    "Long? Ah, time! I would not know, for I exist outside of it. Time has no meaning in this ce mortal, look around," Ra spoke while gesturing towards the surroundings, but Hao Xuan could not see anything.


    Orion shook his head, "I am not here to make small talk, let us put an end to this."


    "Hahaha," the ground shook with Ra''sughter.


    "An end? I have no end. I fear you have made your journey in vain. With your limited powers, you are no match for me in my own realm!"


    As he finished speaking Ra expanded his wings andpletely surrounded whatever Orion was on. But what bewildered Hao Xuan was that Orion still seemedpletely at ease, like everything was happening as he had expected. Ra saw that as well and halted his advance.


    "What....have you done?"


    Orion finally smiled, "You finally noticed?"


    One of Ra''s wings extended towards the top and pierced into the inky sky and his expression turned ugly.


    "HOW!? How is this possible?!" he immediately backed off and struck the space above him but nothing happened.


    Orion''s smile widened even more.


    "Come now Dragon, the fight has only just begun!" he clenched his fists and a red aura erupted from his body. A single little wooden cottage appeared behind his back, the same one he has spent his early years in with his parents.


    His single Mind pce! It was being orbited by two pieces of celestial light emitting strong energy waves.


    And it was...powerful! Powerful enough to even make Ra step back in shock.


    "Impossible! How did you breakthrough!? It can not be!"


    "Oh, but it can, and it has. And now it is time for you to pay back for everything you have done to my people!"


    Orion took a single step and the entire he was on was pushed away, yet he seemed unperturbed by it. He floated in the empty space, surrounded by his red Qi, lighting up everything within a hundred lightyears. All sorts of creatures could be seen flying around in the dark space and they turned tail as soon as the light fell on them.


    *ROAAR*


    Ra let out an angry howl. All those creatures that were slowly backing off suddenly went berserk and shot towards Orion from every possible direction.


    Orion looked at the iing army of monsters and let out a woeful sigh. The scene started darkening once again but Orion''s words rang clearly in Hao Xuan''s ears. It was a melody of some sort, but it sounded....lonely.


    "Set the world on fire, burn it to the ground. Let it crumble, watch it fall. Set the world on fire and make me forget the afterlife!"


    He blinked and once again found himself floating in a dark space.


    "You have passed the test," a frail voice echoed in the darkness. But what surprised him was that he recognized it.


    "Miss Agueda?"


    "Yes, it is I. Apologies for this borate scheme, haha."


    ".....Why?"


    "To make sure you weren''t one of them."


    "One of who?"


    "It matters not, the point is you have passed."


    "Alright...I guess. Can you tell me what this is about then?"


    *Sigh*


    "It is about the future of my people. Would you be willing to help us?"


    "What kind of help?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously.

 Chapter 328: Curse

    <h4>Chapter 328: Curse</h4>


    "What Kind of Help?"


    "I....we need help getting out of this ce, but you don''t really have to do anything yourself. Simply tell some powerful cultivators in the outer world and if possible, please tell them toe help us. We...don''t have much time left."


    "That''s it?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously.


    "Yes."


    "Alright, that''s not a problem," Hao Xuan quickly agreed. It was no skin off his back and he would be helping people doing it.


    "Thank you!" Agueda''s voice became much lighter and he could almost see her smiling.


    "Do you have any questions? And I''m sorry we have to talk like this. My sisters are blinded by Ra''s promises and don''t see that it''s destroying our tribe. They monitor me 24/7 which is why I couldn''t say anything before."


    "It''s not a problem. And for the question..." how could he not have questions after looking at those memories just now?


    "Can you tell me what happened with Orion?"


    A short bout of silence was followed by a deep sigh.


    "Lord Orion, he was thest true king of our people. As you saw, we were a mighty force once upon a time. The kingdom of Zodenheim stretched across numerouss and gxies before it was destroyed. And Lord Orion''s power waspletely unmatched."


    "After we were betrayed by Lues and Aegror, Lord Orion called on the people of Zodenheim and many answered, too many to even count. The battle that followed after imed more than half of them, but Lord Orion managed to close the gates of Abyss soon after they were opened. Unfortunately, Lues and Aegror both escaped."


    "They continued their schemes from the shadows, corrupting a lot of our tribesmen. Lord Orion kept fighting them at every corner but he knew there was no stopping them, not like that. For 800 years he prepared and cultivated, waiting for an opportunity."


    "Thest memory you saw was when another Gate of Abyss was opened. But this time Lord Orion didn''t close it. Instead, he led an army of his strongest warriors and broke into the realm of the undead, Ra''s very home. All of them died, every single one of those warriors. Knowing full well there was noing back, they still followed after my Lord without a singleint, for our people, for the prosperity of our n. And in doing so they became heroes."


    "...What about Orion himself? Did he get out?"


    "No, he....was nevering back. He knew full well that even with his power he couldn''t stand against him, not alone, especially since there were others like Ra in that dreadful ce."


    "Then...?"


    "You must understand, Lord Orion''s power was unmatched even by today''s standards. If given ample time he would have broken through the highest cultivation realm and stood at the very top, but he chose to not to do that. If he wanted to escape from that ce, there was no thing and no one that could stop him."


    "Yet, he chose to stay back and gave the ultimate sacrifice."


    "The ultimate....sacrifice?" Hao Xuan was holding his breath without even realizing it. It all sounded too....heroic.


    "Yes. When someone dies, their soul moves on and is still able to exist in another shape or form somewhere out there in the vast universe. But if the soul is destroyed, there is noing back from it. And Lord Orion was powerful enough that even death was just a minor inconvenience for him."


    "But when the time came and he realized he would not be able to stop Ra from entering our ne, Lord Orion used his own soul to create a technique, his most powerful and ultimate technique. We don''t know what it was called, but it could bring about miracles."


    "Such was its power and majesty! So with that technique, Lord Orion used his soul as fuel and made sure Ra would not be able to enter our world, at least for a few million years by sealing the pathway between worlds. He was hoping that would give our tribe enough time to rise from the ashes once again and another would rise to take his ce but, he underestimated Ra''s reach."


    "Although Ra couldn''te here nor could his armies, there were still a few left over from Lues and Aegror''s followers. With their help, he cursed Lord Orion''s entire bloodline. Those marks that you see on our bodies, those are his doing. With thest bit of power he had here, Ra ced a cursed on our tribe for all of eternity."


    "But a long time has passed now and our bloodlines have thinned to the point of nonexistent. This has reduced our powers but also the effects of the curse. It can be broken by a cultivator that is an expert in Curses and we can be freed."


    "All you need to do is tell this to the outside world and about the ancestral essence."


    "The essence?" Hao Xuan frowned.


    "The purple liquid. Tell them of its existence and that is sure to bring some powerful existence."


    "What is it? That liquid?"


    "..."


    From the silence, Hao Xuan could tell that Agueda was trying to find the appropriate words to describe it.


    "It is....us. The liquid is created from the bodies of my tribesmen through a horrendous process Ra himself created. Every single member of my tribe, once they get old or unable to work are turned into that liquid. And soon I''m afraid there will be no one left to carry on our legacy. Please, help us before its toote!"

 Chapter 329: Mosquito

    <h4>Chapter 329: Mosquito</h4>


    Uthyr was standing in front of a group of hooded figures with a book in her hand. Behind her was an empty fountain. She looked at the figures in front with passionate eyes.


    "Remember, we need them alive. They will be sacrificed to further increase Lord Ra''s power, soon he will be able to show himself on this ne as well and give us evesting life!"


    She was a fervent supporter through and through and it seemed like she already had other ns in ce that Agueda was unaware of. With her in the lead, the group of hooded figures made their way through the dense settlement.


    Everyone that saw them slightly bowed from the waist. Even the naughty children went silent upon seeing them.


    She reached the temple where Hao Xuan and Jin Wang were supposed to be staying at but found it empty. With furrowed brows, she started looking around. It was pretty clear that they had barely spent any time here.


    She went back out and bowed thrice to Ra''s statue at the entrance before calling over the hooded figures once again.


    "Go, fan out and find them! Question the civilians, and look for Buse. They were her liability and she must take responsibility for their disappearance!" she said loudly, her fuming words creating a minor shockwave.


    "Yes, elder!" all of them bowed at once and ran away as if their lives depended on it.


    After rying her orders Uthyr went towards the main building but stopped just outside the entrance. Her already scrunched brows furrowed even deeper.


    "What....is that?" she looked around. It wasn''t that she was seeing something odd, but feeling it. There was a thread of spiritual senseing out from the building and going towards a random direction.


    "Who?"


    Only she and her other sisters were powerful enough to separate their spiritual sense and send it out like this. A minute trace of ck Qi came out of the mark on her chest and covered her entire body in a thin film.


    She pushed opened the door and made her way to her sister''s rooms without making a sound. One by one she checked all of them and until finally she stopped in front of a room. It belonged to another one of her sisters, one she was very close with. Her name was Gerfrid and they had known each other since they were infants.


    As soon as she entered her room the thread of Spiritual sense vanished into thin air. She looked around and saw Gerfidying down on her bed, eyes closed. It seemed like she was sleeping.


    Uthyr closed the door to her room and walked back out. She then went to each of her other sisters and got them to join her.


    "What''s wrong Uthyr? An even olderdy asked. She was looked a bit younger than Agueda but age-wise she woulde in right after. The others seemed to look at her respectfully as well.


    "The outsiders are missing," Uthyr replied grimly, carefully examining every one of her sister''s expressions.


    "What? How?"


    "I don''t know. I thought Agueda might have done something stupid but as I wasing back I saw a thread of Spiritual Sense going out. It....wasing from Gerfid''s room," she faltered at thest sentence.


    "Gerfid?!"


    All of them were as shocked as Uthyr, perhaps even more so.


    "What about...Agueda? Should we tell her?" another one asked in a light voice. They exchanged nces with one another and knew the answer.


    "No, we''ll deal with Gerfid ourselves. I''ll ask for the truth and if she doesn''t answer, well we all know how it ends," Uthyr shook her head coldly.


    About an hourter a body lifelessly fell into one of the numerous deep holes located in the tunnels.


    Agueda who was sitting in her chair smiled as soon as that happened. A young girl that was cleaning her room saw her smile and inquired.


    "Did something good happen, elder?"


    "Yes. A mosquito that was bothering me for quite a while just died, nothing big," she replied casually and closed her eyes, signaling the end of the conversation.


    The thread of Spiritual sense was of course hers. She knew that Gerfid was in charge of keeping an eye on her whenever Uthyr was out and about, so when contacting Hao Xuan she made it look like it was Gerfid that was doing that.


    Upon being questioned Gerfid of course denied the charges and was ultimately killed off by the others.


    While all this was happening, Hao Xuan and Jin Wang were standing over a river of the so-called ancestral essence. Behind them was Buse with a troubled expression on her visage.


    "Careful, there are beasts living in the river. Don''t get too close!" she warned.

 Chapter 330: Gates

    <h4>Chapter 330: Gates</h4>


    "Don''t get too close!"


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang were both taken by surprise. Hao Xuan had told Jin Wang everything he saw and heard after waking up so he was up to speed on the whole situation.


    Jin Wang took a step back, "Beasts? Living here? How is that possible? Isn''t it protected by you guys or that fog above the river? Not to mention this liquid was once other people...how could beasts live inside it?" he asked with a somewhat disgusted expression.


    Buse shook her head, "We just keep an eye on it. We neither have the people nor the resources to protect the entire length of the river. Not to mention..."


    "What? Just tell us, we need to know everything we can at this point," Hao Xuan inquired in her ownnguage.


    She looked at the river with sad and troubled eyes and let out a deep sigh.


    "This ce, this mountain or whatever the hell it is, it''s built on something dark. That''s why Ra chose it for us."


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang both frowned and spoke up in unison, "Define ''dark''".


    "We don''t know. But when moving through the tunnels did you pass by some dark holes in random corners? They go straight down and you cannot see what''s inside them."


    Hao Xuan squinted his eyes trying to remember but nothing came to mind, it was the same for Jin Wang. As he was to tell her that Baracus''s voice came out of nowhere startling Buse.


    "Yes. We passed by several hundred of them."


    "Several hundred?" now it was Hao Xuan''s turn to be confused. There is no way he and Jin Wang both would have missed that many of them and not remembered a single one.


    Buse''s eyes widened in shock as she pointed at Hao Xuan''s watch, "You can see them?!"


    "Not ''see'' per say but I know when one is nearby. Why are they important?" Baracus asked in his slightly mechanic voice.


    "They....are pathways that connect our world and the one underneath. Under normal circumstances, living beings cannot see them or rather they don''t ''want'' to see them. Great grandmother once said that whatever is down there is so abhorrently evil and horrifying that living beings like us unconsciously cut it out. The reason you can see them, whatever you are, is probably because you''re not really a living bei-"


    Hao Xuan quickly cut in mid-sentence, "Woah Woah Woah, hold up. What do you mean ''pathway to another world''? Are those holes connected to the abyss or something?"


    Because if that was the case then the entire situation called for a very different approach. He had seen first hand the type of monstrosities that came out of an Abyss gate and he did not want to be here if one had opened right under his feet.


    "No. Lord Orion made sure that the gate that Ra controls cannot be opened. The seal should still be in ce for a few thousand years more," she rified quickly.


    "Um, excuse me, dear sister," Jin Wang tapped Buse on the shoulder unnaturally politely, "What do you mean "Ra''s gate"? How many gates exactly are there?"


    Buse shrugged, "I am not sure but there should be several thousand gates. Each one is overseen and controlled by an entity at the same level as Ra or even more powerful."


    "....."


    Hao Xuan looked at Jin Wang with a nk expression.


    "So what exactly is down there then?"


    "Nobody knows. But we who have been living here for so long stay away from them as much as possible. asionally we can hear noisesing from down there. Sometimes they sound like children crying and asking for help. They try their best to lure people in there and several did fell for their traps but they were never heard from again."


    "And the beasts and creatures that are in the river also came up from those holes but they stay at the bottom and don''t really bother us unless we go looking. Great grandmother has ordered us from stay away from it as much as possible."


    *Bubble*


    A few bubbles came up at the edge and a muffled growl echoed in the closed chamber. Hao Xuan went closer to the edge and saw a couple of yellows staring back at him through the fast-moving purple river.


    "O-Oi, you see that?" he called over Jin Wang who came over cautiously and extended his neck to peek over.


    "See what?" he whispered.


    "The goddamn eyes what el-" Hao Xuan pointed at them but when he looked again they were gone.


    "..."


    He silently stared at it for a good few seconds before looking away.


    He dragged Buse away and finalized their n.


    Right now they had concluded that staying here wasn''t an option. Buse was leading them towards thest ce where all the essence was stored. Hao Xuan was going to get a lot of it for himself and some to give to one of the powerful cultivators that were going toe and help them.


    He had even decided on giving it to the Wu n and have Wu Jin act as the intermediator.


    The only problem was that the storage area was guarded 24/7 and they would have to fight their way through, at which point others would find out about them.

 Chapter 331: New deal

    <h4>Chapter 331: New deal</h4>


    In a closed-off room, somewhere deeper underground stood a group of people in front of a dusty fountain that was slowly filling up with a bubbling ck liquid.


    "Did you find them?" Uthyr asked the hooded figures kneeling in front of her.


    "Yes mistress, they are outside the storage area. I fear they may be thinking of attacking it," the figure at the very front replied.


    "Hmm," Uthyr rubbed her chin in deep thought. The leading figure hesitated once before asking, "S-Should we stop them?"


    "Hmm? Oh yes, go and get them for me," Uthyr waved her hand thoughtlessly, almost like shooing them away.


    They didn''t wait around either and left with hurried steps. A minute or two after they left she slowly turned around faced the ck liquid. She extended her right hand over the liquid but faltered. It was clear she wasn''t sure about something and was having second thoughts.


    She stayed like that for a good 20 minutes or so, standing above the fountain with a raised hand before finally making a move. Using a knife in her other hand she cut open her right hand and squeezed, letting a few blood drops fall into the ck liquid.


    *Drip*Drip*Drip*


    The frequency of the bubbles in the ck liquid saw a sudden jumped and within a few seconds more than 20 bubbles came up to the surface and popped at once. A dark fog was released from these bubbles which slowly took a vague shape.


    5 white eyes, 2 pairs of nostrils, and 4 horns were the only clearly visible features on this beastly ''face''.


    "Speak!"


    A plethora of deep voices thundered inside Uthyr''s mind, making her take a few steps back. It sounded like a few hundred people had spoken all at once, their voices making her knees go weak and she fell to the ground helplessly.


    It sounded like the hissing of snakes, the crying of children, the breaking of ss and wind howling, but all at once. Several of these voices were speaking in apletely foreignnguage that Uthyr could not understand at all.


    "Your humble servant requests a meeting with the Great Seeing One!" she spoke as humbly as she possibly could, kowtowing in front of it.


    All 5 eyes focused in on her, making her break out in cold sweat. The eyes moved up and down her body like they could see through everything and stopped on her chest.


    "You have the mark of that rotting lizard. What possible reason could a ve of his have to contact me?"


    "My lord, my king, I seek the Seeing One''s help. Lord Ra has all but abandoned us, leaving us stranded in this ursed ce. Please, my Lord, help us!"


    "....."


    All 5 eyes opened so wide that they couldn''t believe what they were hearing.


    "HAHAHA~" a burst of roaringughter came from nowhere, echoing in the closed chamber.


    "You wish me to...."help" you people??" the voices asked, trying their best to speak through theughter.


    "Yes, my lord!" Uthyr seemed determined and didn''t back down at all. She was covered in a cold sweat from head to toe but she still didn''t stop talking.


    "We have a lot of ancestral essences here which has been umting for millions of years. It will all be yours if you can just help my people!"


    Theughter froze and silence fell over the chamber.


    "This ancestral essence you speak off....is it the same thing as I think it is?"


    "Yes Lord," she replied quickly.


    The white eyes stared at her for a few seconds before continuing.


    "Show me."


    Uthyr put her hand in her gown and took a small ss bottle filled with the purple liquid. She opened the top and emptied it inside the fountain. It was absorbed by the ck liquid in an instant. The 5 white eyes closed for a few seconds, almost like they were cherishing the taste of something extremely delicious. before opening back up once again.


    "It really is it!" it sounded surprised. "How much of it do you have?" it followed up hurriedly.


    "Entire rivers of it my lord," she answered, making the eyes squint in delight.


    "Rejoice, mortal, I will speak to the Great Seeing One on your behalf."


    "Your ve thanks you my lord," she kowtowed once again, banging her head on the floor until she was bloody.


    The head seemed like it liked what it had seen and gave onest look before disappearing into thin air.


    Uthyr stayed in that position for a few minutes before getting back up. There were bloodstains on her face and looked much paler than before.


    "Greedy creature," she mumbled under her breath, cleaned herself up, and walked out after fixing herself up.


    From these events, it was clear Uthyr had another n than simply serving Ra for the rest of her life. Perhaps she was also trying to help out her people, albeit in a different way.


    ***


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang were hiding in a corner looking into a massive cavern. In the middle was ake, or maybe it could be ssified as an ocean with its current size.


    It waspletely purple in color and there were several rivers of the same stuffing in from several different directions. and joining it.


    "Sh*t, there''s a lot more here than I thought," Jin Wang mumbled looking at the 5,000 or so people surrounding the river from all sides.

 Chapter 332: Welcome

    <h4>Chapter 332: Wee</h4>


    "Mhm, that''s right!"


    Yu Yan (Authors notes) was sitting in her office watching what seemed like a movie or a tv show while munching on some snacks. Every now and then she would say something in an animated voice in response to the current scene.


    On the screen was an astoundingly beautiful woman dressed in slightly worn-out pants and shirts that were ripped from a few "strategic" ces here and there. The were bloodstains on her face and clothes and it looked like she had juste out of a fight.


    But even though it was made to look like that, with her unparalleled beauty which was enough for her to be called heavenly even, she looked anything but weary. If there were heavenly angels that were the very standard of perfection, this girl would have left them far behind inparison. She was charming to such a degree.


    Every single shake of her waist was caught perfectly by the camera and showcased tastefully and elegantly.


    This statuesque beauty held a sword in her right hand which was being pointed towards another handsome figure, albeit much less inparison. The figure belonged to a man who could take any average woman''s breath away with a nce.


    *GASP!*


    "No way! It was him all alone?! How could he do this to the princess?!" Yu Yan shouted at the top of her lungs, throwing whatever was in her mouth at the screen.


    *Crackle*


    *Vmmm*


    The sound much like a vacuum being turned on and the crackling of lightning came from outside, startling her.


    Yu Yan ced the bowl of snacks on the table and got up.


    "Huh? What''s happening??" she peaked out of the window.


    She was a technician that overlooked the teleportation formation of the city of Fortuna along with a few other people.


    But since there were no mass teleportation nned, there was no need for more than one person to be there because under normal circumstances nobody would just make a random visit to such a far-out location.


    Teleportation formations were extremely expensive to maintain and required a lot of energy to activate every single time. They were only ever used for either emergencies or if important people wereing from somewhere very far away.


    Today, she was on duty just like the thousands of other times already.


    "The hell is happening??" she looked even more confused when she saw the sigils lighting up. The formation was powering up on its own.


    She quickly went back to her desk and looked around for a piece of paper. She looked through it but became even more confused after.


    This document recorded all iing teleportation, their exact time, ce of origin and the people arriving with theirplete history. Yet right now the document had nothing written down for today.


    If this was happening back on earth, it would be like a random airne suddenly attempting tond on a small runaway far out in the sticks. So her confusion was understandable, to say the least.


    She quickly dialed a number on Spirit Band. It rang for a few seconds but was picked up. Azy voice came from the other side.


    "Why are you disturbing me rooky?" it sounded like the owner of that voice had just woken up.


    "You bast- Uhm, I mean team leader, the formation is starting up on its own. There are none nned for today but it seems like someone is about toe through right now! What do you want me to do??"


    "WHAT!!?"


    The sound of ss breaking came from the other side. The man had hit something while getting up.


    "Do you recognize the energy signal?!"


    "Let me check," Yu Yan said while going over to her desk. She opened a drawer and pulled out something that looked like apass but had two antennas on the top. She went back to the window and pointed the antennas at the formation and a few numbers showed up.


    "Its..."


    "What? Open your mouth and speak the words quickly!" the man shouted.


    Yu Yan hesitated, not being able to believe what she was seeing. She triple checked the numbers before continuing.


    "The starting signal reads...not of Tertium. If I''m not wrong, it''s from Primis!"


    "P..Primis...?" the man went suddenly silent.


    "Boss, what should I do? Should I call for the military??" Yu Yan asked when more than half of the formation had lit up. A couple of secondster the man spoke up again.


    "No. Don''t do anything. Is there anyone else with you?"


    "No."


    "Okay good. Close the door, close the windows. Go back to your desk and continue watching your movie. Ignore anything you hear outside. Do not look, do not say or do anything. Understand?"


    "But th-"


    "Under.satnd?" he repeated but louder and clearer.


    Yu Yan had been working with this person for over 5 years. They were childhood friends and he was the one that got her this job in the first ce.


    "I-I understand."


    "Good."


    *Click*


    Yu Yan did as told and closed the door and windows. She went back to her desk and resumed the movie but all she could hear was the crackling sound of the formation powering up.


    A minute passed like this and then suddenly it all went silent.


    She tried her best to hold back but she was always a curious person and could not just sit back like this.


    With small steps, she crawled over to the window and moved away the curtain just a tinny bit, enough for her to barely see one corner of the formation, thending area.


    She saw a person standing in the middle of the formation staring up at the sky. Someone dressed in full white. A man? No, how could a man be so bewitching?


    The sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the yard and four people walked in. All of them youngsters. They immediately got down on one knee.


    "Y-Young Master Alucard, wee to Tertium."


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Yu Yan was the first person Hao Xuan and Co. met after arriving in the Mei Kingdom. She was their guide and first point of contact and was introduced in Chapter 4

 Chapter 333: Plans gone awry

    <h4>Chapter 333: ns gone awry</h4>


    *Plop*


    A ck spherical blob of some sort of dark matternded a few feet away from Jin Wang and suddenly started expanding, swallowing everything inside. He jumped back while also dodging a sword that wasing straight for his head.


    "God damn it, this would have been so much easier if we were allowed to kill them!"


    "No sh*t sherlock!" Hao Xuan retorted through gritted teeth. He was bleeding from his forehead and there was a patch of clothes and skin missing from the left side of his abdomen, showing the bloody muscles underneath.


    It looked like someone had actually pulled the skin off by sheer force, which was no small matter considering Hao Xuan''s physique. Yet the strangest part was not that, but the fact that it wasn''t healing at all.


    Under normal circumstances, a wound like that would be healed in a matter of minutes but this one didn''t seem to be getting any better. Hao Xuan flinched when he tried to dodge another iing attack and a wave of pain spread out from the wound.


    "What the hell are they using? Why can''t I heal?!?" he yelled in anger and pain. His Qi that was circting through his body much like a water stream in a violent storm suddenly burst forth with a newfound power, and some of it leaked outside.


    "I''M TRYING TO HELP YOU!" he yelled at the top his lungs in thenguage of the Ancient Orcs, releasing a shockwave along with the words that sent a dozen or so unsuspecting people tumbling back. Yet it made no difference.


    Where a dozen were sent back, several dozen joined the fray without saying a single word. They kept their mouths shut and their weapons raised, wasting no opportunity to try andnd a fatal blow.


    Ancient Orcs, this was their race. The race of Agueda, of Orion and of all these people currently trying to cut Hao Xuan in half. He found this out when Baracus insisted on analyzing some DNA and finding out their gic code.


    And ording to him, a long time ago Orcs ruled over a small area of the universe. Well, it was small ording to them but there were hundreds of gxies under their control and numerouss, too many to even count. That''s why they only counted thoses that had the same amount and level of cultivators as a grade 1 Kingdom here on the beast world.


    With that in mind, if Zodenheim existed today in all its glory, it would still be stronger than several Empiresbined. Such was its majesty!


    The Ancient Orcs that popted theses, they were a race of Tribal folk. They usually kept to themselves and didn''t mingle with any of the other races, which could be considered to have yed a major role in their eventual downfall.


    Near the end, it was only them against the uncountable armies of the Abyss. Perhaps if they had reached some of the others, Zodenheim would not havee to an end like that.


    Still, from what Baracus knew, even though Zodenheim stayed away from other races, they never turned away those seeking help and refuge. That''s why there were a lot of smaller Orc tribes spread out through the universe even now, but without the support and leadership from Zodenheim, that''s all they were ever going to be.


    They were a race of both learned schrs and fearsome warriors which made them proud....too proud.


    "AH!"


    Hao Xuan raised the ive above his head and brought it down in front of him. A multicolored wave of Qi shot towards the hundreds of people in front of him in an arc and everyone that was hit by it was sent shooting away like a shooting star.


    *Huff*Huff*Huff*


    "I can''t....keep this up," Hao Xuan mumbled.


    He was both tried and running out of Qi. And the attacks and Qi these guys were using was strange. He wasn''t able to heal from the wounds inflicted by them and they were sapping away his stamina at an rming rate.


    Jin Wang wasn''t doing much better either. He was covered in sweat and blood, most of it his own.


    Their n was going smoothly at the start. They went into the cavern pretending to be "observing" the wonder that it was until a group of hooded figures walked in using them to be tainting the ''honor'' of Lord Ra.


    Knowing there was no hiding from it, Hao Xuan decided to forgo all the ''formalities'' and used the item provided by Agueda to store away almost 80% of this "ocean" of ancestral liquid in an instant. That, of course, didn''t go too well with the Orcs guarding it with their lives.


    They attacked with everything they had, while Hao Xuan and Jin Wang only attempted to run away. The only problem was that Buse was supposed to be their guide and they had no idea where to go without her.


    5 times already they had run into dead ends and had to fight their way out again.


    "Dude, this is NOT working out as I had hoped," Hao Xuan pushed away 3 attackers and jumped back.


    "Well, what do you want to do then?"


    "Let''s just break through everything. Cover me, I''ll take lead," Hao Xuan said while taking a few steps back.


    He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to regte the Qi. There wasn''t much of it left so it would have to be done in one go. A streamlet of pure red and yellow Qi separated from the rest and went towards Hao Xuan''s arms. Their color changed to a dark red and size started expanding.


    "Assault of the Mad God!"


    With a roar, he turned towards the nearest wall and punched. Surprisingly, it didn''t break in one hit. Hao Xuan faltered but he tried again, this time using even more Qi. An explosion sounded from the impact of his fist with the wall and a hole the size of 3 meters appeared.


    "Come on, let''s go!"

 Chapter 334: Uncharted Area

    <h4>Chapter 334: Uncharted Area</h4>


    *BOOM*


    A cave wall exploded and two figures jumped through without even waiting for the dust to clear.


    Hao Xuan was wearing his armor and using the ive instead of using his bare arms now.


    "Don''t let them get away!" someone shouted as hundreds of people poured out of the same hole like water out of a broken dam.


    Hao Xuan''s expression changed as he increased his speed once again while patting the top of his head.


    "Push them back again Fortis!"


    *Whiiiip~* x4


    A small tentacle came out from Hao Xuan''s head and swung around 4 times, ripping the very air apart with sheer force, flinging away more than a hundred people.


    "NOW!" a voice yelled as soon as the tentacle wasing back around for the 5th time. Every Orc present on the front line suddenly bent down. The tentacle passed over their heads and hit a wall of a ck bubbling substance that was behind them.


    *Ssss*


    "Oww!" the tentacle''s entire firstyer of skin was burned off in an instant as Fortis howled in pain. He quickly pulled back the tentacle. It returned to its original size of just a couple of inches.


    "It hurts!" Fortis said while blowing on his tentacle. He looked down at Hao Xuan with watery eyes, purposefully dangling his burnt tentacle in front of his face.


    This was the first time he had ever been hurt, not even the Scorpion King was able to leave a scratch on his body yet just touching that ck stuff was enough to melt his very skin off.


    "I know I know, I''m sorry. I''ll treat you to some good food when we get out of here," Hao Xuan said apologetically, making Fortis withdraw back to the top of his head with a somewhat content look.


    He had asked for Fortis''s help a few times now to get out of sticky situations, but it turned out they were prepared for it this time. Still, that was enough to put some distance between them and the orcs.


    They had been running for almost an hour now, breaking through one wall after another. They had gone way past the main residential area and into the so-called ''No Orc Land''. Buse had mentioned that they were forbidden from ever going to any tunnel that led this way. They were told stories about monsters and demons from a very young age, that they lived in these tunnels and would take away the soul of any who entered.


    But Buse thought otherwise. She thought all those stories were made up to keep them away because these tunnels led outside.


    Hao Xuan increased his speed and went up to Jin Wang who was leading the charge now. Hao Xuan had run out of Qi when he was using Assualt of the Mad God earlier so Jin Wang had to take his ce.


    "You still good to go?" he asked looking at his condition. He breathing rather heavily and his footing was shaky.


    Jin Wang nodded, "For now. But I can''t this up for long."


    Hao Xuan looked down at his watch and tapped once. A miniature hologram then projected out from it.


    It showed a blue blob making its way through a hollow tunnel, which was their location and some distance behind them was the symbol of an anchor which was the main residential area of the Orcs.


    Every single tunnel between them and the anchor symbol was showing clearly, even the ones they hadn''t passed through. This was because of the map Buse had shown them. It showcased most of the areas she herself had frequented.


    The only problem was that the map ended just a few hundred meters in front of them. After that was nothing but darkness. That''s where none of the Orcs were allowed to go and Hao Xuan and Jin Wang were aiming for just that area.


    "Take a left here and we''re good to go!" Hao Xuan pointed at the wall in front. Jin Wang took in a deep breath and bent his knees.


    The ground under his feet cracked and he shot straight into the wall in front, going through it. Hao Xuan quickly followed inside.


    About 5 secondster the Orc party arrived as well but unlike thest 20+ times, they didn''t go through. The vanguards leading the charge arrived first stopped at the edge, looking around into the new tunnel with a rarely seen cautious gaze on their faces.


    "I''m not going in there," one of them shook his head and stepped back. The others followed. A few seconds after the remaining Orc force arrived, several thousand of them.


    "What''s going on? Why did you stop?" a hooded man walked forward through the crowd. The vanguards turned to face him

 Chapter 335: Uncharted Area Continued

    <h4>Chapter 335: Uncharted Area Continued</h4>


    "Why did you stop?" the hooded man shouted while pushing his way through the crowd.


    The vanguards moved aside and showed him the hole that was shrouded inplete darkness.


    "Sir, they.....they went into the forbidden zone.." one of them pointed at the darkness that seemed to be undting incessantly.


    The hooded man faltered looking at the hole before forcing himself to move closer. He took out a stone that was embossed with three symbols. He transferred some Qi into it, making it light up. He used that light to inspect the hole''s edges carefully before scoffing.


    "Old superstitions. There is nothing here, go in now!" he said waving his hand at the vanguards, but not a single person made any moves.


    The man''s expression turned cold under the hood as he slightly raised his head, exposing the left side of his face which had Ra''s curse mark on it.


    "Are you disobeying Lord Ra''s will?" he enunciated each word, speaking in a somber tone.


    "O-Of course not sir!" all of the vanguards got down on one knee without any hesitation as soon as Ra''s name came up.


    "But it is also Lord Ra''s orders to never step into the darkness, under any circumstances!" one of them quickly exined, silencing the hooded man who was ready to burst.


    He surveyed the crowd before letting out a deep sigh.


    "Fine, I''ll go in first, you bunch of cowards," he mumbled thest line under his breath but everyone still heard him loud and clear, and he was right. They had been fed horror stories of this area ever since they could speak. It was ingrained into their very psyche and there was no way around it.


    His raised foot hovered in the air for a few seconds before finally going through the hole. His heart was beating like a drum while he held his breath. He passed through the curtain of darkness andnded in the second area without any problems.


    "Hah, see? Nothing but old superstitions!" he yelled. Everyone was looking at him with squinted eyes, observing every little detail.


    He looked around but could only see a couple of meters in even with the light. He bent down and found two sets of footprints going straight inwards.


    "This way,e!" he shouted before running off in a direction. The rest of the Orcs looked at each other with questioning gazes.


    ''Should we?'' was the question on everyone''s mind, but no one was brave enough to make the first move. The sound of the hooded man''s footsteps went further and further away when another person finally made a move.


    "Screw it, it is all for Lord Ra!" he yelled trying to pump himself up before following after him. With him at the lead, more than a hundred people also went in after but the remaining thousands choose to stay behind.


    ***


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang ran without even looking back for more than ten minutes beforeing to a halt. There was no one behind them, not even a shadow, and Jin Wang couldn''t run anymore so they chose to wait.


    He was clutching his left arm which had a piece of flesh missing. This was the doing of the Orc Vanguards that didn''t let them rest for even a second. They had these special weapons that looked like swords but had small hooks on one side.


    And even with a much higher cultivation, defending against their attacks was no small feat. Their attacks had no useless movements, every single strike was meant to either disable or y their opponents. It was a good thing only so many of them could fight them at once otherwise they would have neversted this long.


    "Here, eat this," Hao Xuan took out a random healing potion and passed it to Jin Wang who gulped it down in one sip. He then took out some bandages and a bright green powder. He covered the insides of the bandages with it and ced it over JIn Wang''s wounds who winced from the pain.


    "Careful! Calm your fat hands!" he said through gritted teeth, trying not to scream. Hao Xuan smiled before ''identally'' slipping and punching him on the open wound.


    "Anyways, looks like we lost them," Hao Xuan quickly distanced himself when saw Jin Wang clenching his fists. With a sheepish smile, he took a few more steps just in case before clicking on his watch.


    "Baracus, where are we?"


    *Beep*


    "I have no idea. But this ce is actually different from the other one."


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang exchanged nces and listened in closely, "How so?"


    "The atmosphere to start with. There are extremely low levels of oxygen here. Not to mention the several unidentified particles I detect. And in case you haven''t noticed, the ground is moving."


    With a raised eyebrow Hao Xuan looked around. He then bent down and ced his hand on the rocky surface with closed eyes, focusing all his senses. If the ground actually was moving he would be able to tell.


    "It''s not. What are you talking about?"


    "It is. I have several gyro sensors within my system and all of them say the same thing. We are moving even whilepletely stationary. That means the ground is movin-"


    *Tremble*


    Before Baracus could finish the sentence the tunnel started shaking, a few small pieces of rock falling from above.


    *Roaar~*


    A muffled roar came from the front with a faint pressure descending on everyone present.


    "Well....that can''t be good," Jin Wang mumbled while getting up.

 Chapter 336: Ra?

    <h4>Chapter 336: Ra?</h4>


    *Roaar~*


    A muffled roar sounded somewhere in the distance, alerting both Hao Xuan and Jin Wang.


    *Sigh*


    "That can''t be good..." Jin Wang mumbled while propping himself up using the wall behind.


    "The hell are you doing?? Just wait here, I''ll go check it out!" Hao Xuan quickly interjected. Jin Wang really wasn''t in a position to move around too much, he was low on both stamina and Qi, not to mention wounded.


    Jin Wang shook his head with a determined expression while grabbing Hao Xuan''s arm for dear life.


    "Hell no! You''re not leaving me behind f*ckface!"


    "Wha- I''m not leaving you behind, I''ll be back you idiot," Hao Xuan tried to free himself but Jin Wang''s death grip would not loosen. He looked at Hao Xuan in the eyes.


    "Either we both go, or no one does, b*tch!"


    Hao Xuan stared back at him in silence and knew there was another reason for his strange behavior, so he agreed.


    "Fine,e. But stay back," Hao Xuan said while further into the tunnel with Jin Wang close behind.


    Hao Xuan looked around, observing the new surroundings now that he had the time. The air here was indeed a bit strange. It felt like it had a lot more "mass". When Hao Xuan waved his hand in front of his face, it felt heavier, the air was offering more resistance. And it probably wasn''t the air alone as Baracus mentioned earlier, there were a few other things mixed in with it.


    Hao Xuan slowed his breathing and told Jin Wang to do the same, in case it was something harmful.


    The Duo walked through empty tunnels that would sometimes expand and then contract suddenly. It didn''t seem natural or man-made, unlike the ones before. Every now and then they would hear screams in the distance followed by a roar or two. But the interval between them was getting longer and longer.


    Even though they couldn''t see it, it wasn''t hard to imagine the brutal fight that was taking ce.


    "Here," Hao Xuan suddenly stopped. His ears twitched and he could hear rough breathing a few dozen meters in the front. He signaled Jin Wang to wait there and slowly moved along the wall. Even with White''s ability he could only see up to 6 meters around him, which was almost 3 times as much as other people.


    He held his breath and clenched his fist, ready to attack or defend at a moment''s notice.


    *Drip*Drip*Drip*


    The sound of dripping water came from just ahead. He squinted his eyes and bent down to minimize his frame and extremely carefully moved forward until he saw the source of the dripping water.


    It was one of the hooded figures. He wasying beside a wall while purple blood dripped down onto the floor from his face.


    Hao Xuan opened his fist ready to knock him out until he got closer and noticed that he wasn''t breathing anymore. He had passed away while sitting there.


    "What the hell happened to you..." he mumbled to himself whileying the man down on the ground. And as he did, the man''s hood came loose, revealing his face.


    "What the f*ck did that?" Jin Wang suddenly spoke up from behind Hao Xuan, almost giving him a heart attack.


    "F*king make some god damn noise or tell me when you''reing. Jeez dude," Hao Xuan pped Jin Wang on his abdomen, making it jiggle and him flinch in pain.


    "Rx you p*ssy," Jin Wang muttered while bending down beside the man on the ground and turned his head to the other side to get a better look. The entire left side of his face was missing. It wasn''t cut off or something, but it was just gone, bones and all.


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Isn''t this where Ra''s mark was?"


    "Yeah, it was. These f*ckers had the curse mark on their faces while the rest had it on their chest. Probably something to do with them being higher ranked in Ra''s army of dumba*ses," Jin Wang agreed.


    After examining the rest of his body they found out that there were no other wounds on him at all, not even a scratch.


    "Look around for some clues. Maybe we can find out what did this to him," Hao Xuan said before getting up and going further in. The tunnel they were in currently was pretty big and it was starting to expand the deeper in they went.


    "Here," Jin Wang waved at Hao Xuan. There was another body on the ground belonging to one of the vanguards. The first thing they did was open up his shirt and found the same type of wound there.


    Ra''s curse mark was gone, leaving only a bloody hole behind. It looked like someone had scooped it out with something. The only difference was that this one had a few other wounds as well. Several cuts that looked like they were made with something rather sharp, but it didn''t match the weapon he was carrying.


    There was ck sludge around all the wounds that seemed to have dissolved much of the flesh. It was pretty simr to the ck substance that burned Fortis''s tentacle earlier, but still quite different.


    While they were busy examining him, a scream and a plea for mercy came from a few dozen meters in front.


    "AHH! Lord Ra, please forgive me! Please!"


    *ROAAR*


    An angry roar came in response and the screams disappeared. Hao Xuan and Jin Wang looked at each other with the same question in mind. Was Ra here?!

 Chapter 337: The bottom

    <h4>Chapter 337: The bottom</h4>


    *Gulp*


    Hao Xuan swallowed his saliva that just didn''t want to go down.


    "It can''t be him...right?" he asked staring in the direction where the screams came from.


    Jin Wang quickly shook his head, "No way. There is no way he himself came here and no one found out about it."


    "Alright, you go first then," Hao Xuan patted Jin Wang''s shoulder, making him frown in disgust.


    "Kiss my a*s. I''m injured, you go first," Jin Wang pped away his hand and stepped back.


    "Tch, b*tch," unwittingly, Hao Xuan took the lead. He waved his hand and once again summoned the ive. The armor was already on him so he simply proceeded further in.


    The sound of his footsteps and breathing was the only thing he could hear. Neither the screams nor the monstrous roars came afterward. About a minute or so of walkingter they entered a muchrger area.


    He, of course, couldn''t see how big it was because of the darkness but it didn''t feel as congested as before. And soon after they found the person that was begging for mercy.


    Another one of the vanguards. His entire lower body was missing along with half his head. They could tell how recent all those wounds were because of the purple blood that was pouring out from his chest.


    Hao Xuan bent down to examine it in more detail. The man was lying in a pool of ck sludge which was actually dissolving his body at an rming rate. He frowned upon feeling the presence of a strange energy inside the sludge but before he could do anything else, the sludge started moving on its own like it was alive and went straight into the depth of the cave.


    "It''s alive?" Hao Xuan mumbled with a deep frown.


    "No, otherwise it would have reacted it to us. It looks like it was being called by something," Jin Wang rified.


    "Follow?" Hao Xuan swiveled his head towards Jin Wang with a questioning gaze, getting a nod in return, "Follow!"


    Even though the sludge was in a semi-liquid state, it wasn''t leaving behind any tracks whatsoever which one would expect from it. It was like it was never there.


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang followed it closely, passing by more than 40 other Orc corpses with simr wounds. Every now and then another blob of ck sludge would join it, increasing in size.


    In less than 10 minutes it grew from a half meter to more than 8 meters, but its speed only kept increasing. It seemed like it knew exactly which path to follow as it expertly navigated thework of pitch dark tunnels, going deeper and deeper into the ground.


    *Huff*Huff*


    "Oi, I don''t think this way leads to the outside," Hao Xuan said after about 30 minutes of sprinting at full speed behind the sludge blob.


    "You don''t say?" Jin Wang retorted sarcastically.


    "I don''t think I can keep up this speed for much longer," Jin Wang followed up. His wound still hadn''t closed up and he was exhausted from before.


    "Shhh," Hao Xuan suddenly lowered his speed. He closed his eyes and listened carefully.


    "I can hear flowing water, not too far ahead."


    "Fine, might as well I guess. I have lived a good life," Jin Wang patted his chest and passed Hao Xuan.


    30 secondster they finally saw a faint lighting from a stone doorway, an actual doorway all the way down here. It was huge, at least 50 meters in length. There were hundreds of tunnels all around the doorway, alling down from above, leading to this ce.


    It seemed like this was the very bottom of this entire area.


    They slowed down as they got closer. The sludge slowed down as well but not as much. Without any hesitation whatsoever it went straight through the stone doorway to the other side.


    Hao Xuan hesitated at first but Jin Wang just went past him and followed right after the sludge, making Hao Xuan go in as well.


    The first thing Hao Xuan saw was the sparkling purple river just a few feet from the entrance. There were two massive holes in the left and the right side of this area from which the purple liquid was gushing out.


    In the middle of the room was a wide stone tform, about 80 meters in size. It was in the middle of the river and the purple liquid was swirling around it. He saw the ck sludge jump into the river ande out in the middle on the stone tform.


    But it was the thing already on top of the tform that made Hao Xuan take a few steps back in shock. His eyes opened wide.


    "Holy sh- umpf!" before he could finish, a hand suddenly appeared from behind and stopped him from speaking. It was Jin Wang.


    "Shh," he ced his index finger in front of his mouth, gesturing for Hao Xuan to stop. Hao Xuan nodded.


    Jin Wang slowly walked back out as carefully as he possibly could and gestured for Hao Xuan to do the same.


    When they were more than 10 meters away from the doorway Jin Wang let out the air he had been holding in.


    "Holy shit, it''s real, it is actually fucking real!" he mumbled while breathing heavily.


    Hao Xuan stared at the doorway with twinkling eyes.


    "Is it really him?"


    "No, not him, one of the others."


    "His enemy?"


    "Most probably."


    "I''m gonna take another look."


    "Careful! Don''t get too close," Jin Wang warned.


    Hao Xuan waved him away and walked back to the doorway with soft steps, but this time he didn''t go in and just peeked in from the outside.


    On the stone tformid a bony creature. The ck sludge that hade out of the river went up to the creature and entered its body through one of the hundreds of open wounds.


    The creature itself was not in very good condition. It had more than 30 ck chains going in and out of its body, connecting it with the river underneath. The purple liquid would go up these chains and into the creature, ande out from one of the other wounds.


    But it was the creature itself that was the most shocking thing here. It had 4 legs, two wings, and an extremely long tail. Its entire body was covered with razor-sharp scales from top to bottom.


    On its massive head were 5 horns, three on the left, and two on the right. It had 3 eyes that were closed shut. (Image in Author''s notes).


    It was an actual dragon! A real-life dragon from the legends and myths.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    The Dragon: https://urlzs/k8uPD


    Full link: http://vite3.wikia.nocookie/finalfantasy/images/f/fe/First-brood_Nidhogg.png/revisiontest?cb=20150624065957

 Chapter 338: Dragons

    <h4>Chapter 338: Dragons</h4>


    "My god....a real dragon.." Hao Xuan sighed in equal parts admiration and fear. He had seen just a small fraction of Ra''s power who was an actual dragon as well.


    He was able to control an uncountable number of beings like it was the most natural thing in the world and more than that, his own power was able to twist reality itself. And right now a being of the same level of power was just a few meters away from Hao Xuan. How could he not be excited?


    The only thing that made Hao Xuan frown was this dragon''s size. He was under the impression that dragons were gigantic creatures, especially after seeing Ra in person who was bigger than an entire sr system. A single wing of his blotted out the entire starry sky. A single breath of his could put out a sun.


    So inparison, this one was a bitckluster to put it lightly.


    He looked the dragon up and down more times than he could remember, trying to ingrain his image into his brain. It wasn''t breathing at all but that didn''t mean it was dead. It was a dragon!


    After 10 minutes of ogling Hao Xuan returned to Jin Wang''s side.


    "You know anything about this thing?" he asked still staring at the doorway like he could see through it somehow.


    Jin Wang leaned back against the wall and let out a deep sigh. He looked up at Hao Xuan like an old man who had seen too much in life.


    "Not this one specifically, but I know a few things about dragons in general. Why? What do you wanna know?"


    Hao Xuan paced in front of the doorway while rubbing his chin, trying toe up with questions.


    "Ah! The size! Why is this one so small?"


    Jin Wang who was sitting there with his eyes closed, pretending to be an all-knowing schr almost bit his tongue upon hearing Hao Xuan''s question.


    "Really? That''s what you wanna know?"


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Just say so if you don''t know, why act all high and mighty?"


    Jin Wang let out another sigh and closed his eyes.


    "Dragons, like all other creatures,e in all shapes, types, and sizes. Some only live in water, some in space. Some in volcanoes and some in frozen wastnds. Their size can be as small as the tip of a needle, or asrge as....well, anything you can imagine. I heard someone once saw a dragon hybrid in the depths of the abyss. The creatures single pupil was bigger than our entire beast world."


    Hao Xuan let out a hollowugh, "That can''t be real...right?"


    "I can''t vouch for it but there is no reason why it should be a lie. My sources are...quite truthful about their ''experiences''. Anything else?"


    Hao Xuan went silent once again. The only sound in the corridor was the distant thrashing of the river along the rocky shores.


    "Why do you think it''s here then? That dragon?"


    Jin Wang abruptly opened his eyes with a half-smile, "Now that is a good question. But I have no idea. Dragons are rather cold-hearted by nature. Even more so towards their own kind. This dragon could be here for any number of reasons. Maybe it pissed of Ra, maybe they were mortal enemies, or maybe it was for another reason entirely."


    "What do you mean?" Hao Xuan leaned in closer,pletely lost in the conversation.


    "The purple liquid, so-called ancestral essence. Did you see how it was going inside the dragon?"


    Hao Xuan bobbed his head up and down, "Yeah."


    "Maybe Ra is just using that dragon''s body to help make the liquid somehow. A dragon''s body is a literal treasure trove you know. Its blood can bring about miracles, sometimes even resurrect the dead, its bone marrow can turn humans into immortals, its bones are used to create the very best of weapons. Its skin and tendons can create god-level armor and its flesh is one of the most delicious things to exist in all of the heavens and the worlds."


    "Dayum....didn''t know that... Then do you think it''s still alive?"


    "Most probably," Jin Wang nodded without any hesitation, "That ck sludge was a part of it, seeing as how it returned to its body. I''m guessing it is in a state of hibernation."


    Hao Xuan turned to face the stone doorway and kept staring at it for a good 5 minutes or so before turning back to face Jin Wang.


    "I want it. I want that dragon. Do you think it''s weak enough for me to take it down?"


    Jin Wang was of course taken aback by Hao Xuan''s sudden desire to own one of the strongest creatures to ever walk this ne of existence, but he then analyzed the situation before speaking up.


    "It should be doable. As awe-inspiring as dragons are, they are very selfish and calcting creatures, especially true-blooded ones like that one in there. They would never willingly share anything with another dragon. So if Ra has put it here then he is 100% certain that it cannot escape or do him any harm. And since the highest cultivation level of any Orc up there is at the Profound realm at most, then that means this dragon is either at the same level or lower. With all your other friends, I''m sure you can take care of it, but there might be issues."


    Hao Xuan was happy as could be until he heard thest sentence.


    "What issues?"


    "The sludge. It only went for the Orcs, why? It eat away their curse marks, why? It ignored uspletely, why?"


    "Bitch just say why, I don''t fucking know," Hao Xuan pped the top of Jin Wang''s head, making him almost bit down on his tongue.


    *Cough*


    "Because just like Orcs above are the dragons "wardens" of sorts, the dragon itself is a jailer for the orcs. From what I can tell, the dragon can somehow "feel" the presence of the curse marks. Maybe it thinks it''s Ra and is just taking its revenge against him, or maybe something else, but if you remove the dragon there is no telling how it would affect the Orcs or this area. For all we know, everything could copse on top of us an-"


    In the middle of speaking Jin Wang looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze but found no one in front of him. From inside the doorway he heard the sound of several footsteps and then Hao Xuan''s voice.


    "Beat its ass. Don''t kill it but make it so it can''t even stand up on its own. Go go, Vamos!"

 Chapter 339: Silence

    <h4>Chapter 339: Silence</h4>


    "Ouch! What happened....?" Gavril slowly opened his eyes. He rubbed the back of his head which felt like it was melting. Even with his sturdy body, he was still feeling the effect of Fortis''s attack even after such a long time.


    He sat on the edge of his bed trying to remember what happened.


    "How long was I out?" he mumbled to himself. His body felt weak, too weak to even stand up but still, he pushed through and forced himself to get up while using the sidewall as support.


    He dragged his feet across the floor and reached the window. The curtain was pulled apart and the street outside was visible.


    "Hmm?" he frowned as soon as he noticed it. The street was empty. And it wasn''t just the street either. Normally there would be distant ttering of the chains and pickaxes with a lot of noisy racket going on no matter the time, but it was silent. Completely silent.


    "Something''s not right..."


    He started looking around the room for something and found it not soon after. It was a small rock about the size of his fist. More than two-thirds of it had an ashy texture while the remaining 1/3rd was glowing with a faint light.


    This was a natural stone found in this mountain range which was used by the Orcs to tell time. The rock would lose its glow in approximately 72 hours after it was excavated and it held no other uses. The one in Gavril''s hand had been excavated the same day as Hao Xuan and Jin Wang arrived, meaning it had been more than 2 days already.


    Gavril stood in front of the rock staring at it with wide eyes, not believing that he had slept for more than 40 hours straight when the ground suddenly shook. The tremor wasn''t that strong but it still managed to bring Gavril down to his knees in an instant.


    "What is happening? Why did no onee to wake me up?"


    Maybe it was the medicine or maybe something else, but he didn''t remember Hao Xuan at the moment at all. He went to the kitchen area and took out a few pieces of dried meat which he started knawing on while changing his clothes.


    His body felt extremely weak and he could barely stand up by himself, but now wasn''t the time to sit around and wait.


    He got dressed within a few minutes and ran outside with shaky steps while shouting.


    "HELLO? WHERE IS EVERYONE??"


    All the streets were empty with not a soul anywhere in sight. The only sound was his own reverberating voiceing to him. He went to his friend''s house, to Buse''s house, but found no one there. He ran to the main building in the middle of the settlement but even that was empty. Agueda who had always been there since the moment Gavril got a hold of his senses was now gone.


    "No, this can''t be possible, it has to be a dream!" he shook his head trying to wake himself up but nothing changed. He pped himself in the face, bit his hand hard enough that it drew blood and then ran headfirst into a wall. But every time he would open his eyes and found himself back in the empty settlement.


    "ANYONE? PLEASE!" he shouted desperately but no one was there to reply.


    "No no, this can''t be right. They must have gone to the ceremony! There is nowhere else they could go to..." he told himself and started running towards the sacrificial hall.


    The ceremony he was talking about was held every year to honor Ra. It wasn''t due for a few more weeks still and would always be done on the exact same day every time.


    He ran to the sacrificial hall but it was empty as well, like all the other ces he had been to so far. There was not a single trace of anyone even entering it in thest day or two.


    Distraught, desperate, and at the edge of his sanity, he started running around aimlessly from one area to another looking for someone, something, anything, that is until he found the area where the ''ancestral essence'' was stored.


    *Huff*Huff*


    He grabbed his knees while looking at the silent chamber. Normally you would hear sshing sounds a few dozen meters before even getting close to the chamber but he was standing just a few feet away from what used to be an ocean of the purple liquid but could hear nothing.


    The eerie silence became defeaning the closer he got to the hollow basin and as he peered into it, his legs gave way. With a thump he fell to his knees, not being able to believe what was right in front of his eyes.


    1, 2, 5, 10....he lost count. The ocean basin held numerous corpses of his tribesmen. From children to the few elderly, everyone was here.


    Their eyes wide open and the horrified expressions on their faces were a sign of the horror they had witnessed before they drew their final breaths.


    Gavril sat at the edge of the basin, peering into it in confusion. His head full of ck hair turned white within minutes as he looked at the faces of all the people he saw every single day.


    "Wait...Buse isn''t here," he mumbled lightly after a few minutes. He would have seen her face even among these thousands of bodies, but she wasn''t here.

 Chapter 340: Success?

    <h4>Chapter 340: Sess?</h4>


    "Any news?" Anya asked while taking Xin Qiye From Xu Qing who was, as usual, ying with her hair. (Authors note)


    Xu Qing who was making funny faces at Xin Qiye suddenly faltered and her expression turned rather concerned.


    "Nothing yet. It says he is out of reach. No one else has been able to get in contact with him either," she replied with a shake of her head. Her current dispirited visage was quite unlike her, which made Anya break out into a knowing smile.


    She sat down beside her while cradling Xin Qiye who was trying to break free from her embrace.


    "So you can look sad huh? Who knew!"


    Xu Qing quickly realized what she meant and she lowered her head even more.


    "I''ve known you for a year and this is I think the first time I''ve seen you so worried. It reminds me of when he and I had just started dating," she said referring to First.


    "I would often sit by the door with that same face, waiting for him every few days."


    Xu Qing looked up to meet her gaze. Even though she couldn''t see with her eyes, the spiritual sense created such a clear image of her surroundings that she could still know what was happening around her.


    Gestures like looking at someone when talking were unnecessary for someone like her that didn''t actually use her eyes, but they felt much more natural, more human-like.


    "Do you not get worried now?"


    "Of course I do, even more than before," she said as a matter-of-factly. "But I have this little rascal to keep me busy all day, and I know in my heart that he will be fine," she said while pretending to bite Xin Qiye''s hand, making himugh out loud.


    She suddenly had a realization and looked at Xu Qing with a look that said ''I have a great idea!''


    "Why don''t you guys have a few kids as well? Then you won''t even have time to sit there worrying about him like this. They can y with Qiye''er and Ming''er!"


    Xu Qing who was looking in her direction in all seriousness, waiting for a piece of expert advice or something along those lines, froze. A red hue slowly spread out from the base of her neck and reached all the way to her forehead.


    "That''s too far in the future!" she quickly looked away. "And I....don''t know if he would even want someone like me," she murmured while ying with her dress.


    "Oh my, if he could see you right now he would surely go crazy," Anya nudged her lightly, making her turn even redder.


    ****


    Thousands of miles outside the Mei''s territory, in a deep, deep hole somewhere inside a never-ending mountain range was a room filled with a few tired silhouettes.


    There were deep holes inside the room and the remnant Qi from a fight that would not go away any time soon.


    Ensis was leaning against the wall while using his sword to stay standing. The scorpion King who was always haughty and considered himself to above others was missing half of his tail and several pieces of his armor, looking like a begger.


    ck and White were in a deep sleep in Hao Xuan''s pockets, while Monk was holding his hand over his abdomen which had turned half ck. A yellow light wasing out from his palm and falling on the abdomen below, slowly expelling whisps of foreign Qi. He was also bald right now.


    Hao Xuan was sitting with his head between his hands, rubbing his temples as hard as he could.


    Bo was the only one in not in pain or a worn-out state as he swam around the purple liquid with a blissful expression, jumping in and out like a dolphin.


    "Hahaha, this is a great ce master! Are we going to stay here?" he shouted while casually doing a backstroke through the river.


    A vein popped on Hao Xuan''s forehead as he barked, "Get the f*ck out of that thing! Do you have any idea how much it costs?!"


    Just shouting that one line almost made him pass out. He quickly leaned back against the wall and took in a few deep breaths to calm himself down. The pounding headache was getting worse and he was starting to hear a high pitched noise whenever he tilted his head sideways.


    Jin Wang limped over from outside and poked his head through the stone doorway first to check everything was fine beforeing in.


    "That sure took you a while eh?" he spoke while bitting down on a piece of jerky and offering Hao Xuan the rest.


    "Thanks for all your help," Hao Xuan replied sarcastically while pushing away the jerky, the stench of which was making him nauseous.


    "The f*ck did you want me to do? I''m an injured man already and you wanted me to fight a f*cking dragon? Get real c*nt!"


    "You could have HELPED! The f*ck did I even bring you for?"


    "Rx rx, you''re gonna blow up if you don''t calm down," he said while taking a seat next to him.


    "At least you got him though, so it''s all good."


    "Barely. By the skin of my teeth. I had to use so many Qi poisons that I''m almost broke now," Hao Xuan retorted. "And this damn headache! I feel like I''m gonna pass out, throw up and explode at the same time."


    Jin Wang frowned, "Does it hurt when you look at a source of light? Loud noises, strong smells, things like that pissing you off? What about the high-pitched whirring?"


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes again and looked at Jin Wang in the eyes, "Yeah, almost all of those things. Why? What is it?"


    Jin Wang looked hesitant to ask but did anyway, "Your ability, whatever it is, is it rted to your soul somehow? Does it affect it in any way?"


    Hao Xuan stared back at him with a raised eyebrow for a few seconds before looking away, "Yeah. Why?"


    "You idiot. You should have told me that before you tried to capture a god damn dragon! You''re lucky it went as well as it did, you would have gone crazy if it was any worse than this."


    "The hell are you talking about?"


    ****


    Authors notes:


    Anya is First''s wife and Xin Qiye is their son, 3 yrs old

 Chapter 341: The way back

    <h4>Chapter 341: The way back</h4>


    "The hell are you talking about?"


    Jin Wang let out a sigh and looked back at Hao Xuan with a rarely seen seriousness.


    "Your soul, genius! If your abilities are rted to your soul, especially if they directly affect it, then the more you use them or in this case, the more pressure you put on them, the harder it will be for your soul to bear."


    "I always knew your ability had something to do with soul power but it seems like their connection is much deeper than I originally thought. All the things you''re experiencing, the headaches, the sensitivity to light, sound and smell, erratic temperament, they all point to the same thing. Your soul is under too much pressure and is in return affecting your physical body."


    "You cannot, and I can''t stress this enough, you can NOT use your ability until you level up more. It can get much worse!"


    It wasn''t often that Jin Wang acted so somberly but whenever he did, Hao Xuan knew it wasn''t anything tough about. He took his words to heart.


    "What happens if I use it again? How worse will it get?"


    Jin Wang rubbed his chin before answering.


    "At worst, you can just explode. At best, your psyche will be thrown around like a rag doll. Meaning your behavior will change, how you look at the world will change, your very concept of right and wrong can change as well. Saints can be murders overnight and vise Versa. Your memories be distorted, what you once loved can be the thing you hate the most in the world."


    "The soul, it is who you are. It is your very essence and being. So when you put too much pressure on it, it starts destabilizing. There is no telling what can happen. Just be careful when using that sh*t again."


    "Yeah, I will," Hao Xuan bobbed his head up and down like an obedient child. None of what he heard just now sounded pleasant in any way, shape or form so he was going to listen to Jin Wang.


    Jin Wang nodded as well and patted Hao Xuan''s back.


    "Good, now show me the dragon!"


    Hao Xuan scratched the back of his head embarrassingly.


    "Yeah, about that. She is actually too big for my Mind Pces to hold so I put her away in a beast token. She wasn''t even fitting in there so I had to jam her in. And it''s thest one I have left so if I take her out right now then there''s no putting her away until I can either level up and create a new Mind Pce or get a new token."


    Jin Wang was taken aback, "She? It''s a female?"


    Hao Xuan shrugged, "I didn''t ask but the voice that was cursing me out was pretty feminine so I''m just guessing at this point."


    "Well,ter then," Jin Wang waved his hand while getting up, "Let''s get out of here first. Maybe removing the dragon will have removed the curse marks on the Orcs as well so we can check on them on the way out. And this time keep your guys out yeah? I don''t want to fight against all those as*holes again."


    "Fine fine. Get up everyone, we''re leaving. And you! Get the hell out of the river or I''m gonna drown you in it!" he shouted while pointing at Bo was making himself at home in the purple river.


    Hao Xuan gave them a few medicines to help recover their injuries and stamina, well to everyone but the Scorpion king. He didn''t have anything on hand that was potent enough to heal his injuries.


    The Scorpion King had regained his original power level of the Profound realm for this fight but even with him Hao Xuan and Company almost lost. None of them came out unharmed, other than Bo. That''s how powerful the dragon was, and it was only an empty shell of its former self now.


    The Scorpion King''s tail which was cut cleanly off was already starting to grow back and the hard shell-like armor was starting to mend itself, albeit very slowly. At that speed, it would take him a couple of days at least.


    He looked at the rest of the severs that were applying the meds with a disdainful expression before meeting Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "I do not need your filthy elixirs. My body is strong enough to withstand anything!" he said haughtily.


    Monk who was quiet from the beginning suddenly spoke up. His nonchnt voice ringing loudly in the Scorpion King''s ears.


    "Really? It didn''t look like that when the dragon was about to swallow you whole that one time and we had to save your a*s."


    The King''s expression faltered for an instant but he acted like he didn''t hear it and simply looked away.


    "Alright alright, enough lollygagging. Let''s go," Hao Xuan pped his hands and walked out. He had already stored away every single drop of the liquid and taken away a few other things he foundying around the stone tform.


    "Lolly what? What did he call me?!" Scorpion King looked around at the others in confusion and anger since he didn''t understand the word, but nobody answered and they all followed behind Hao Xuan ignoring him.


    The journey back was rather peaceful, although took much longer. About 5 hourster they finally emerged from the same entrance they hade in from, but this time there was nobody to wee them.


    "Alright, stay close, do not attack unless I say so. And don''t kill any of them," Hao Xuan said once again before leading the way.

 Chapter 342: Presence

    <h4>Chapter 342: Presence</h4>


    *Crush*


    The Scorpion King stepped through the 4th hole in a random broken wall and stepped out into a much wider area while crushing a few rocks beneath his heavy feet.


    The rest of the group soon followed after and arrived in the main Orc settlement area.


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang both frowned at the same time and exchanged puzzling looks with one another. They had instantly noticed the stark difference in the atmosphere of this ce.


    This once bustling littlemunity was now dead silent with not a soul in sight. Ensis walked up to Hao Xuan with a concerned expression and spoke in a light voice while looking around.


    "Master, there is nobody here, at least not alive. And....I feel like someone is watching us," his voice dropped to a whisper as he spoke thest sentence.


    Hao Xuan nodded casually and without making it too obvious, he also surveyed his surroundings as carefully as he could. But there was nothing that he could see.


    "Let''s go," he gestured towards Jin Wang and the rest while leading the way. His Qi was circting at full force while the armor was thrumming in his meridian, ready to be called out at a moment''s notice.


    They made their way through the empty alleyways towards the center building and reached it within a few minutes. Jin Wang pushed the door open and entered first.


    "Oi, anyone around?" he yelled but didn''t get an answer.


    Hao Xuan stayed behind summoned the full body armor under his clothes. They checked each and every room, even where they met Agueda and it was empty as well.


    There were no signs of a fight and it seemed like everyone just walked out of their own ord.


    "Check the other ces," he told the severs who quickly ran outside and spread in all directions. About 5 minutester they all came back. Bo stepped forward.


    "Master there is a room to the east, it has a horrible stench, I believe you should check it out," he said with a bow.


    Hao Xuan looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, "Did you go in?"


    "No, I...got a bad feeling from it so I kept some distance."


    "Alright, let''s go," the party followed Bo this time and arrived at the new area within minutes. It was the same ce where all the liquid was stored.


    The Scorpion King, Bo, and Ernis had a change of expressions as soon as they got close. Ensis stood in front of Hao Xuan instinctively and turned his head halfway.


    "I can feel something is inside this ce, waiting for us. For you, master," he said somberly.


    "For me?" Hao Xuan repeated in confusion. Why would someone be waiting for him? Nobody knew he wasing back. He wanted to turn around but the situation was not good. Maybe all the Orcs were being held hostage. Maybe he could help them somehow but if not, it wouldn''t be easy to make him stay.


    "If worsees to worst, I''ll call out the dragon and see what''s what," he murmured before patting Ensis on the shoulder.


    "Don''t worry, it''s fine. You guys just stay on guard."


    Just as Hao Xuan was about to enter, Jin Wang stopped him.


    "Wait, Let me go first."


    Hao Xuan knew Jin Wang had a lot of tricks up his sleeve so he let him have lead and entered right after.


    It had been about 3 days since they werest here. The fight with the dragon hadsted about 2 days and thest day was spent on the journey back and forth.


    The smell of rotting flesh was the first thing Hao Xuan noticed followed by the empty room.


    He had smelt the same stench far too many times already. First in that dungeon and then in the sacrificial chamber under Fortuna.


    His heart sank as soon as he took in a breath of stale air. His heartbeat quickened as he pushed Jin Wang aside and ran to the edge while mumbling, "Not again, not here too."


    But it was just as he had feared.


    "God damnit..." he muttered through gritted teeth while standing at the shore of the empty underground ocean which was only filled with corpses now. Of all those men and women, those children that he saw running around just a few days ago. He even recognized a few faces.


    The Qi that was running around his veins like rampaging bulls suddenly erupted like a volcano.


    A heavy pressure descended in a radius of 50 meters around him as the Emperor''s Qi was released at full force.


    "WHO?! WHO WAS IT? SHOW YOUR GOD DAMNED FACE!"


    ck and White that were asleep in his pocket suddenly woke up. They were closest to Hao Xuan and hence shared the deepest bond. So when he was angry, so were they, perhaps even more so.


    ck was the first one to change into his original form. His body grew from 3-4 inches to over 150 meters within seconds. White was next as his body intertwined with ck''s and expanded to about 120 meters in size. It waspletely White, emitting a faint white light.


    With ck to the right and White to the left, Hao Xuan floated up off the ground as the force Qi pushed away the debris and the rocks, propelling him straight up into the air.


    Jin Wang''s expression also turned ugly as he reached out into his pocket and took out a small medallion with a beggar carved on top of it.


    The rest of Hao Xuan''s severs were also affected by his mood and Emperors Qi as they couldn''t help but get a little angry as well.


    ck''s eyes focused onto a spot a few hundred meters away from them, in mid-air.


    "Ssssss!"


    A low hiss escaped from his gigantic maw and the spot he was looking at rippled like water.


    "An Abyss Eater? No wonder you could feel my presence..."


    An amused and slightly surprised voice came from nothingness, echoing in the empty chamber.

 Chapter 343: He Awakens

    <h4>Chapter 343: He Awakens</h4>


    "No wonder you could feel my presence..."


    As the voice finished speaking, the spot ck was staring at rippled once again and a silhouette slowly came into view. It seemed like it was materializing from thin air and not justing out of a hiding spot.


    The grains of sand slowly took shape.


    Hao Xuan squinted when he saw its real shape. It was a horse. A 20 meter long four-legged ck horse with 3 heads and glowing white eyes without any pupils whatsoever. It had white manes on all three heads and the tail. (Pic in authors note)


    Its skin looked like burnt paper with small scraps almost falling off of it. There was no meat on its emaciated body and the skin looked like it was attached directly to the bones. It looked quite eerie because with every move it made scrapping noises, much like the rubbing of sandpaper against a metal surface.


    The middle head was looking at Hao Xuan while the others were staring at the others.


    "A human...? She wasn''t lying then..." the creature mumbled after looking at Hao Xuan up and down. Its voice sounded both masculine and feminine at the same time.


    Hao Xuan who was bubbling with anger just moments ago suddenly calmed down. He was staring at the creature in front of him and his eyes could see it, but none of his other senses could pick it up. It was almost like it didn''t exist and was merely an image being projected from godforsaken ce.


    The creature came forward, walking on nothing but air yet its hooves made clip-clop sounds that reverberated in the cavern. It came to a stop right above Orc corpses and stood there staring at Hao Xuan and the rest.


    "Who are you?"


    Hao Xuan was the first one to break the silence. The creature''s broken lips arched into a hideous smile, showing razor-sharp fangs hidden underneath.


    "I am his messenger. His ambassador in this little world. Who are you?" it answered clearly, enunciating every single word with a wide smile. It seemed to be taking joy in the current situation, much too rxed.


    Hao Xuan kept a straight face and didn''t show any emotion.


    "Who is he?"


    "He is he. There is only him and no one but him," the creature answered cryptically.


    Hao Xuan stared at it for a few seconds and knew he wasn''t going to get a straight answer.


    "Why did you kill them?" he looked at the thousands of corpses in the basin.


    "Because of you. Because I got bored waiting for you to return. And because they lied to me."


    Hao Xuan''s brow scrunched up as tightened his grasp around the ive. The creature was toying with him. From the start it had no intention of giving him any actual information and now he knew as well.


    Hao Xuan looked to his right.


    "Bring me it''s head," he said to ck.


    ck was more than happy to oblige and as soon as he got the order, his massive body coiled up and shot towards the creature like a bullet.


    "You can''t fight that thing like that," a familiar voice suddenly rang in Hao Xuan''s mind. But before he could ask why, he got the answer.


    ck was more than 8 times the size of that creature. He went after it with his toothy maw wide open which was twice as big as its entire body.


    Yet when he got near, he passed through it like wasn''t even there and crashed into the basin more than 300 meters away.


    "Hyde?" Hao Xuan spoke out loud, making Jin Wang and the creature both look at him.


    "That''s a spirit-type chaos beast. It doesn''t have a physical body so any such attacks won''t work on it," Hyde''s voice came again, informing him of the situation.


    Hao Xuan looked at the creature and swung his ive towards it. A yellow and red crescent wave of Qi came out of the ive and shot towards the creature, once again passing through it without doing any harm.


    Creatures all three faces grinned amusingly. It did nothing and said nothing, simply...waiting.


    Hao Xuan hesitated for a bit before asking Hyde for advice.


    "What do I do then? How do I kill it?"


    There was no response for a few seconds but eventually, Hyde spoke again.


    "You don''t. This isn''t your fight."


    The response wasn''t what Hao Xuan was expecting.


    "Then whose is it?"


    "The one who is sleeping below. Soon he will wake for thest time and avenge his people, you don''t have to do anything. But he will need your help after it is over. ept it, in return ask for his final technique. It ''could'' save your life someday."


    "What? Who are you talking about??"


    "Someone that once raged a storm. Someone whose stories of conquest and bravery are told as cautionary tales to the monsters hiding in the ether..."


    Hao Xuan was left even more confused than when he first went into this conversation. Who was sleeping underground? Who was going to take revenge for his people? But as he thought of that the answer came to him naturally, for there was only one character that fit this description.


    "Thest King...?"


    *Tremble*


    As if waiting for Hao Xuan to utter the words, the ground shook once and started splitting from the middle. The creature''s expression changed for the first time since it had shown itself and it quickly moved back.


    "Watch out!" Hao Xuan shouted to warn the others as they all jumped to one side. The earth split open and an overwhelmingly majestic aura fell on everyone present.


    It felt ancient and holy, something that you would normally never see in a million years. Even Jin Wang who was nonchnt about these things suddenly became respectful and lowered his gaze.


    As soon as the aura appeared, five figures sitting in different majestic pces located all over the continent of Tertium stood up at once. Some were human while others belonged to beasts. All of them looked in the same direction.


    "An ancestor has awakened?!"


    ****


    Authors notes:


    ?Short URL: https://urlzs/tVErw


    https://cdna.artstation/p/assets/images/images/008/806/662rge/corvum-corax-soul-eater-body-keeper.jpg?1515431955

 Chapter 344: Agree?

    <h4>Chapter 344: Agree?</h4>


    Hao Xuan, Jin Wang, Ensis, Monk, everyone present in the area helplessly fell down to their knees. It wasn''t because of fear or respect, but simply because they couldn''t handle the pressure on their shoulders.


    It felt like the weight of an entire world was ced on their backs, making their legs buckle under it.


    Even the creature that was unaffected by all the physical attacks was now down on the ground. All three of its heads were half pushed into the rocky surface of the cave.


    "ROOAAR!"


    It used every bit of energy it could muster, barely managing to lift one of its heads a few inches off the ground.


    *BOOOM*


    A heavier pressure descended only on the creature, pushing its entire body into the ground. All 3 of its heads let out horrendous screams like those of children screaming and women crying simultaneously, yet the pressure did not reduce.


    Hao Xuan raised his head with some effort and saw the condition the creature was in, feeling quite lucky himself. He then looked at the deep gorge in front of him that divided the entire mountain range into two.


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    Sounds of footsteps came from within the gorge and a momentter a person walked out. The surrounding space rumbled with his every step, both trembling in fear and jumping in joy at his arrival.


    The figure had white hairing down to his shoulders and he was dressed in some pretty worn-out clothes, clothes Hao Xuan recognized clearly.


    His eyes widened and mouth fell open at the realization.


    But just as he was about to call out his name, the figure turned to face him.


    *Shrp*


    His face separated into two and then transposed back into one. And Hao Xuan recognized both the faces.


    "How is it you?" he mumbled out loud absentmindedly.


    Hyde''s voice came again and as he appeared beside Hao Xuan for the first time in a long time. Visible only to him.


    "How could it not be him? Who else is there ''but'' him?" he whispered.


    The figure shifted his gaze from Hao Xuan to Hyde, staring right into his eyes.


    "He can see you?!" Hao Xuan thought inwardly but didn''t get a response.


    The figure stared at Hyde for a couple of seconds before looking at the three-headed creature. The creature was waiting for that and started screaming as loudly as it could.


    "LET ME GO! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO MY MASTER IS? HE WILL-"


    But before it could finish, the figure blinked once and the three-headed horse creature got ripped into two by an unknown force.


    "AHH!"


    The screams came again. The figure blinked another time and the creature''s body shredded a hundred times, silencing it once and for all. All those body parts slowly disintegrated and then vanished into thin air like water vapor.


    And just like that, the creatures that had killed off thousands of Orcs was destroyed with a couple of blinks.


    The figure turned to face Hao Xuan. He snapped his fingers and everyone beside him fainted instantly, including Jin Wang.


    "Leave."


    For the first time since making an appearance, the figure spoke while looking at Hyde. That was neither a request nor a question, but an order.


    "I cannot," Hyde replied calmly.


    The figure looked back at him in silence for 10 seconds or so before sighing.


    He opened his mouth again and his lips moved, but Hao Xuan could hear nothing. Hyde opened his mouth in the same manner but no words came out.


    They weremunicating in a way that Hao Xuan could not hope toprehend, at least not at his level. The conversation, whatever it was, was quite short as Hyde nodded once and disappeared, returning to Hao Xuan''s mind pce.


    Now it was only Hao Xuan and the figure in this ce. He stared at Hao Xuan''s face before shaking his head helplessly.


    "Will you help my people?"


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what kind of help he was looking for but he nodded right away.


    "Yes, if I can."


    The figure waved his hand and about 200 bodies of young Orc men and women floated out from the gorge,ying in front of Hao Xuan in a neat line. A faintly glowing barrier covered all of them.


    "The beast sucked away their life essence. They are on death''s doorstep and will die as soon as the barrier is removed. Help them. Make them your....ves. They will serve you in this life. And in exchange, let their children have freedom. Let them go out into the world and prosper. Do you agree?"


    The figure didn''t beat around the bush at all and said everything inly.


    Hao Xuan looked at the line of bodies and couldn''t help but let out a wry smile.


    "I am not powerful enough to save them, not all of them."


    "You will be for some time, if you agree. I will help stabilize your soul until you be strong enough to support them yourself. Answer, do you agree?"


    *Shrp*


    The figure''s face became disfigured for an instant as it turned into two before returning to the original visage. It seemed like he was running out of time.


    "I....agree," Hao Xuan agreed, albeit hesitantly.


    The figure vanished from the spot and appeared right in front of him. He ced his hand over Hao Xuan''s head as a bright light, very simr to when Hao Xuan was severing someone, appeared.


    It lit up everything within a radius of several kilometers before vanishing.


    When Hao Xuan opened his eyes, the figure was gone and 201 bodies wereying in front of him. He clenched his fists and felt the stupendous amount of soul power coursing inside his body. It was too much to handle.


    He felt like if he didn''t let it all out then he would explode any second.


    He extended his hand towards the unconscious bodies and whispered.


    "Sever!"


    An even brighter light came out from his palm and when it disappeared, the bodies were all gone and Hao Xuan was sitting there gripping his head.


    The veins on his forehead were about to pop. His eyes rolled over in their sockets, showing only the whites.


    "ARGHH!"


    He let out a pained grunt and fell to the ground unconscious.

 Chapter 345: Ships

    <h4>Chapter 345: Ships</h4>


    "Look look, he''s waking up. See, I told you! Gimme the crystal!"


    "Tsk, fine."


    Those were the first voices Hao Xuan heard when he came to, stranger''s voices. He slowly opened his eyes and a ray of light almost blinded him. he tried to get up but his hand slipped and he fell back down.


    "Slowly big guy, rx," Hao Xuan felt a hand grab hold of his shoulder and catch him.


    "Who...are you?" Hao Xuan mumbled. His mouth was so dry that every word sounded like knives in his throat.


    "Haha, we can talkter, sit."


    Hao Xuan still hadn''t opened his eyes because of the blinding pain so he could only allow the person to guide him. He walked a few steps and sat down on a soft surface.


    *Rumble*


    The sound of rumbling thunder came in from his left and the ground shifted slightly. It was like the thundercloud was just a few meters away from him.


    "Here, drink," the same person handed him what felt like a bottle. Hao Xuan took it but didn''t drink. Instead he circted his Qi throughout the body and attempted to reopen his eyes. Another wave of pain spread out from the eyes but this time he persevered and put up with it.


    "Arghh!"


    *Riip*


    His eyelids were stuck together and as he attempted to open them they split open, spraying blood on his clothes and the surroundings.


    "Woah, that''s brutal," a young voice said with interest.


    Hao Xuan wiped his eyes and looked around to see four people standing around him, staring. All of them had different masks hung around their necks.


    "Hey there, nice to meet you," one of them came forward. It was a man of about 28-30 years of age by the looks of it. Hao Xuan recognized his voice as the person that gave him a hand earlier and the bottle.


    He had a burn mark on the left side of his face that covered that entire side. Withbed ck hair and his attire which was the same as the other 3, a ck and white formal suit, he kind of like a butler.


    "I''m Alte," he extended his hand which Hao Xuan shook.


    "Hello um, Alte? Where am I?" Hao Xuan inquired while looking around.


    They were in a rtively small room with four beds, one window, and a door. He looked towards the window but could not see anything other than darkness out there. It was probably night time.


    "Oh, he really doesn''t know?" someone spoke from behind Alte. Hao Xuan raised his head and looked at the speaker. It was a teenager of around 15-16 years at most. He had dark red and a wide smile on his face. When he saw Hao Xuan looking at him he grinned.


    "Yo, I''m Beruh!"


    "U-Un," Hao Xuan nodded back at him.


    "Oh yeah, let me introduce everyone first," Alte patted Beruh''s shoulder and stepped back. He then pointed at him first, "This, as he just said, is Beruh. She is Kayin, and he is Vasu," he pointed at the other two.


    Kayin was a girl about the same age as Hao Xuan. She had dark blue hair that came down to her chest and a very pretty face. She seemed quite innocent from a first impression.


    Vasu was a slightly plump man of the same age as Hao Xuan as well. He was bald and looked like a Buddhist monk, minus the suit. They both waved at Hao Xuan and he waved back.


    "Hello...I guess. Can you tell me where I am now?" Hao Xuan looked at Alte.


    "Oh my bad, of course," Alte smiled apologetically. "You''re currently on the transport ship Aruna. Your friend said you guys were headed to the Academy of Sollertia so we decided to give you a ride since we were also going there."


    "Ship? This is a ship??"


    Hao Xuan jumped off the bed and ran to the window. He focused his eyes and stared in the darkness for a few seconds. A bolt of lightning struck something in the distance, lighting up the surroundings for a few seconds, just enough for Hao Xuan to see the numerous clouds right outside the window and two other ships in the distance.


    *Crackle*


    Each of those ships was at least 10 kilometers in length. It looked they were made from some kind of a metal and had dozens ofrge cannons ced almost everywhere. (Reference pic in author''s note)


    Right below the ships were hundreds of smaller flying beasts, pping their wings as fast as possible to stay in their slipstream.


    "Holy shit..."


    This was Hao Xuan''s first time seeing something like that so he like a child who had seen an airne for the first time.


    "Hahaha," Alte''s group saw his amazed expression and couldn''t help but break out inughter.


    A couple of minutester Hao Xuan finally calmed down and remembered to continue his line of questions.


    "My friend, where is he?"


    "He is at the deck. Around this time he usually ys cards with the crew. Do you want to go see?"


    "Yes please!" Hao Xuan nodded at once.


    ****


    Authors notes:


    Short link: https://urlzs/h6PH8 https://staticminecraft/files/resource_media/screenshot/1224/Airships_2587580.jpg

 Chapter 346: What Happened?

    <h4>Chapter 346: What Happened?</h4>


    After cleaning up the blood and changing into a new set of clothes, Hao Xuan was led outside where a long hallway like that of a train awaited him. There was a row of simr rooms just like the one he was on the left and a row of windows to the right where the dark sky could be seen in all its glory.


    Hao Xuan''s legs felt weak when he saw the thunderclouds so closeby. Even in this weather, there were hundreds of vicious-looking winged beasts on all sides. A few of them saw Hao Xuan staring at them and they let out high-pitched screeching noises while showing off their toothy maws.


    There was a barrier surrounding the entire ship which was the only thing keeping them from lunging at him right now.


    The hallway went on for about 500 meters before a staircase came into view. They walked up and entered a new hallway, this one much darker and without any windows. There were a lot of people moving about here, going in and out of the many rooms.


    All of them were dressed in dark green jumpsuits, which was the official uniform of the ship''s crew. A lot of people stopped and greeted Alte and the others while they made their way through more than 17 such hallways, going higher up by each one.


    About 20 minutester they came out in arge hanger which was filled to the brim with all kinds of things. There were beasts chained and caged on one side, while on the other wererge crates. Hao Xuan obviously didn''t know what was in them or why they weren''t stored in storage rings, but he didn''t inquire.


    On the other end of the warehouse was a massive door at least 200 meters in size. It was shut tight with hundreds of glowing runes blinking on its surface. They passed through a small door on the left of it and exited.


    *Wooosh*


    A gust of cold wind impacted Hao Xuan''s face before he could even open his eyes.


    "He should be around here somewhere, let me go look for him. You guys stay here," Alte said before quickly walking off.


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes, adjusting his vision and circting some Qi through them to protect against the wind. He was currently standing on a wooden deck. There were several hundred people here but it wasn''t crowded at all because of its immense size.


    "Wow..." Hao Xuan mumbled while walking towards the left side. There was a metal bar projecting another, smaller barrier there. It was about 1.5 meters tall and after that people could even reach out and touch the clouds that were able to pass through the outer barrier.


    "Yoo, you finally up! I thought it would be a few more days still!"


    As Hao Xuan was enjoying the cold tingling sensation of the water vapor in the clouds, he heard a much too familiar voice behind him. He turned around and saw Jin Wang standing behind him, looking him up and down.


    "What the hell happened? Where are we?" were Hao Xuan''s first words to Jin Wang, which made him chuckle. But rather than answering he turned around and faced Alte and the rest of the group with a smile.


    "I just finished my duty. Since it''s my time off, would you mind if I and my friend chatted for a bit?"


    Alte looked at him with a hesitant gaze but still nodded in the end.


    "Sure. But you know the rules, don''t go towards the back."


    "I know, thanks!" Jin Wang grabbed Hao Xuan by the arm and dragged him further along the deck. About a couple of hundred meters Hao Xuan had finally had enough and he pulled his arm back.


    "Dude, that''s enough. What''re you running from? What''s going on?"


    Jin Wang looked around and shook his head, "A bit further out. Come," and he started walking again, onlying to a stop when he end of the deck was just a few dozen meters away. There was absolutely nobody in sight and air here was much colder with thick water droplets just floating in the air like butterflies.


    Even Hao Xuan was starting to feel a chill.


    "Can we talk now?" Hao Xuan asked annoyingly. Jin Wang looked around and nodded seeing as they were alone.


    "We''re on a ship heading to the Academy of Sollertia."


    "I can see its a ship. Why are we here?"


    Jin Wang let out a sigh and took in a deep breath before continuing.


    "After....whatever....happened, happened, I woke up in a ve auction house, along with you. This was just a day after the fight with that thing. Apparently, we were picked up by some unknown cultivator and dropped off at a nearby kingdom. Unfortunately, the kingdom is quite unique in the sense that ves are its main exports."


    "Without any ID or anything, they thought we were runaway ves so were captured and ''resold''. Anyways, long story short, I had to start a mutiny and a civil war to get us out of there. After tha-"


    But Hao Xuan quickly cut him off with a question of his own.


    "Woah woah, wait a god damn second, what do you mean you had to start a "civil war"? How long was I asleep for?"


    Jin Wang counted the days on his fingers while mumbling, "Well you woke up today and we set off 3 weeks ago so...about 2 months? yeah, about that long."


    Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat.


    "What the actual f*ck!"


    The first thing he did was check his hands and then clothes for the Spirit band, for Baracus, but he wasn''t there. His left wrist which always had Baracus on it was now empty without even a mark.


    "Oh god, where''s Baracus?!"


    Everything he owned was inside Baracus''s storage space so if he was gone, so was everything else. He quickly closed his eyes and felt for the connection.


    *Beep*


    "You''re there??" he opened his eyes in relief and a bit of confusion. Baracus was inside his mind pce right now.


    He let out a sigh of relief and looked at Jin Wang again.


    "And? How did we get here?"


    Seeing as he had calmed down, Jin Wang continued.


    "After the war I dragged your ass through several kingdoms and finally reached one where they had a ship. It was a Grade-1 Kingdom."


    "I had to make a few deals and got us seats on this ship right here. We were lucky enough to find one at the time we did, otherwise, it would have been a pain to walk all the way back since I had no money for anything else."

 Chapter 347: Choose

    <h4>Chapter 347: Choose</h4>


    "Why were we lucky to find one at this time? Don''t they have more than one ship there?"


    Jin Wang shook his head, "I mean lucky to find room. Each of these ships is sold out months before it leaves for the journey to the Academy."


    "Then how did you get us onboard? Don''t tell me you..snuck us on??" Hao Xuan whispered thest few words with a deep frown. Was this why he wanted to be away from everyone to talk?


    Jin Wang let out a wry smile, "I wish. You see those four over there?" he pointed at Alte andpany in the distance.


    Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and nodded, "Yeah. Why?"


    "Well, we''re kind of their servants at the moment. That''s how we got on board. Those 4 are the personal guards of Princess Ceni, the youngest princess of the Edda Kingdom, which is where we came from. I paid everything I had to this guy I met, he is close to that fatty Vasu. He was the one who told Ceni that we were ex-ves running from our masters."


    "So if someone asks, tell them that. I told them our real names so don''t worry about that. Just act...you know...like an ex-ve.." Jin Wang shrugged.


    "Also I need money. We''re broke and there''s still a week left till we get to Sollertia. So unless you wanna share a room with 4 other sweaty guys, fork out some dough so I can buy a room from one of the other people."


    Hao Xuan looked back at him nkly before nodding, "Gimme a few mins, I''ll get the money. I have to check out my Mind Pce first, something strange is going on in there. Keep guard while I do that."


    "Aight, go ahead."


    Jin Wang moved a few steps back while Hao Xuan grabbed a hold of the barrier and closed his eyes, appearing in the central Mind Pce.


    As soon as he stepped inside, the reason for that strange feeling became apparent.


    His main mind pce which was originally just a few dozen meters in size had gotten a ''bit'' bigger. The design and theyout was still the same, with a body of water surrounding the outside of the pce. The only difference was that it was now more than 500 meters in size and there was dense spiritual energy everywhere.


    He felt like he had stepped into a giant hall where the ceiling wasn''t even visible anymore. Shimmering purple and golden symbols were moving around on the walls non-stop.


    In the middle of the hall was a crowd waiting for him. All of them stood up at once, other than one man. This was the 201st person and the one that was able to channel that person''s spirit.


    He had long white hair covering the entire front of the face as he slumped against one of the walls listlessly.


    "Master!" Bo was the first one to run up to Hao Xuan followed by Ensis and the others. The 200 young Orc men and women simply stared at them from afar, not knowing what to do or say.


    "Yeah yeah calm dow-" Hao Xuan waved at the excited Bo who was about to burst into tears but two rays of light suddenly shot towards his shoulders, one ck, and one White. The little snakes snuggled against his neck lovingly, using the top of their heads to affectionately rub against him.


    "Haha, I guess it has been a while huh?" he responded by taking them into his hands and scratching the bottom of their mouths.


    "Master," Ensis respectfully bowed from the waist as usual. Others simply nodded at him and the Scorpion King sat near one of the other corners furthest away from the entrance.


    Hao Xuan nodded in response and looked at the 200 Orcs in the distance.


    "Did you talk to them?" he asked Ensis. Ensis looked back at them and sighed.


    "I thought it would be bettering from you, master. Something like this, it is not easy to hear from just anyone."


    *sigh*


    "Alright, I''ll talk to them," he said while walking towards them. The others followed behind. Seeing the grouping towards them, many of the Orcs stepped back in fear. They had been stuck in this ce for over 2 months with no answers and no idea what was going on.


    He came to a stop just a couple of meters in front of them, looking at them with as gentle a smile as he could possibly muster.


    "Hello, my name is Hao Xuan. I''m sure you all have questions but let me ask you something first, before you woke up here, what is thest thing you remember?"


    He looked left and right for answers but everyone who met his gaze turned away, like students trying to hide from a teacher.


    "U-Um," a young man stepped forward. He was pretty skinny with the same old worn-out clothes on. He had ck hair covering his eyes.


    "W-We were taken to the ancestral chamber to give Lord Ra our prayers, but suddenly an angry roar echoed in the chamber and we all lost consciousness. We woke up here next."


    "Is it the same for everyone here?" he looked at the others for confirmation who all nodded, more or less.


    "Well, I have some good news and some bad news. Bad news, you were attacked by an abyss monster that sucked away all your life essence, leaving you to die within minutes."


    As expected, the expressions of all of the teenagers changed. Only the white-haired man by the side did not react whatsoever.


    "Now the good news. I made a deal with one of your ancestors. As long as you''re willing to follow me then you will not die, at least not as long as I do. Unfortunately, as soon as I sever my connection to your souls, they will return to the original state of near-death and you will be gone within minutes."


    "Now you have a choice to make. You can either serve me willingly or choose to leave, in which case death is all that awaits you. What is your decision?"


    Even though Hao Xuan wasn''t nning on it but getting 200 Orc warriors was nothing short of a miracle. He had seen their prowess first hand and knew how powerful they could be if given ample time and resources, which he was more than willing to provide.

 Chapter 348: Soft Hearted

    <h4>Chapter 348: Soft Hearted</h4>


    "What is your decision?" Hao Xuan stood in front of them asposed as he could be in a situation like this, but as expected, the Orc teenagers had a wide range of emotions coursing through them.


    Some of them couldn''t believe what Hao Xuan was saying and simply looked away, some fell down to the ground and some had tears in their eyes. A young girl of about 14 years of age walked forward. She was the smallest of the entire group.


    She raised her shaking hand, "E-Excuse me b-but what about our families?"


    As she asked the question many of the others looked at him expectantly. Hao Xuan faltered for the first time and didn''t know how to answer the question.


    "They..." while he was fumbling about trying to find the right words, the white-haired man spoke up for the first time.


    "They''re all dead, all of them. This is all that''s left of our n," his cold voice poured a bucket of cold water on these younglings.


    "Father...brother.."


    "Mama!!"


    "Sister!"


    Many of them broke out crying for their loved ones, all of their family members that were now gone forever.


    Hao Xuan looked at the man with a great many emotions bubbling inside him. He knew better than most what he was feeling right now. He left the crying children where they were to give them some time toe to ept this new reality and he walked towards the man.


    But as he got closer, the rightmost door in his mind pce opened by itself. Hao Xuan looked at the door and then at the man, deciding to go visit Hyde first.


    He stepped through and the door closed behind him. The inside of the room was exactly the same. The cozy fire, the snow outside the window, thefortable chairs. He couldn''t help but rx a little bit and take the left seat that was always empty.


    But as he sat down he felt a warmth like someone else was sitting there just before he came. He looked at Hyde who had his eyes closed while sitting back. Hao Xuan had a lot of things to ask but he knew time was limited, so he decided to satisfy his own curiosity first.


    "Why was it him that came to fight that beast? I thought he died."


    Hao Xuan was referring to the figure that had taken over the white-haired man''s body and asked Hao Xuan to save the Orcs.


    Hyde''s eyelids quivered slightly as he let out a deep sigh.


    "Just a foolish man who didn''t want to vilify his son."


    "Can you tell me what really happened back then?"


    Hyde slowly opened his eyes and stared at the firece in front. Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and a scene started ying back in the mes. It was the same scene he had seen in the tablet underground, of Orion''s birth.


    It was moving much quicker this time but Hao Xuan was still able to keep up with it. The scenes changed over and over and it was the same as he had seen, until the one where Orion was fighting three other kids yed out.


    The start was the same but the ending was much different than what he had seen. Here, using the wooden sword Orion first defeated the three young men in a matter of seconds and but he didn''t stop there. He shoved the blunt wooden sword through the head of one of the boys while he wasying on the ground trying to catch his breath.


    Then he proceeded to kill the other two in a simrly gruesome manner. Orion''s parents who were watching from a distance had a change of expression.


    The beautifuldy looked away while tears streamed down her face.


    "He scares me. Sometimes I find him standing over the beds of his brothers and sisters just staring at them for hours. Something is not right with the boy!"


    The old king shook his head, "It is only natural. He is a god among men. People like him are born different. Once he gets some real experience, he will calm down."


    The scene changed and it was Orion standing in front of an army of trillions. There was a severed head in his hand which he raised over his own.


    "This is what will happen to all those who stand against the Kingdom of Zodenheim! Leave none alive, do not give our enemies a chance to counterattack. Burn it all to the ground!"


    "HO AH!


    "HO AH!"


    Countless soldiers raised their weapons in solidarity. The old king sat on a throne a few dozen meters behind Orion with a deep frown.


    The scene changed again. It was the same battlefield where the old king had died, but here he was alive and well. He was standing against Orion while millions of dead bodies surrounded them. All of them belonged to Orc soldiers.


    "Stop this madness, Orion! This cannot go on any longer!" the old king shouted.


    Orion''s lips arched into a cold smile, "Father, this is the sanest thing I have ever done. Why should we offer our prayers to beings that will never care about us? But Ra will. You must see that as well. With him, Zodenheim can reach the apex, no, I can reach the apex!"


    The scene kept changing like that, each one worse than thest. Orion killed his entire family including his own mother while the Old King was away, which led to this fight.


    In thest scene, it was the Old King and not Orion that stood against Ra''s and Orion''s armies. But even after everything Orion did, he was not able to kill him when the time came.


    He used hisst technique to seal the abyss gate and send the remainder of his tribe to another, but even then Ra was able to get to them and curse them.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes with a light of understanding. So this was why it was the Old king that took over Gavril''s body and not Orion. Before he could even open his mouth, Hyde spoke up.


    "That old man was one of the strongest beings of his time, a fact even Orion didn''t realize until it was toote. His peace-loving nature caused the death of an entire race. But he loved his son so much that even after everything he couldn''t let him be the bad guy and left behind that tablet with false memories."


    "This is his technique, don''t learn it unless you want to use it. It shatters the user''s soul in exchange to bring about miracles. You will be erased out of existence forever when you use it. The only reason the old king was able to survive was because of his unique constitution. You, will not survive it."


    Hyde said while throwing a small brown book towards Hao Xuan, which he caught.

 Chapter 349: Deal

    <h4>Chapter 349: Deal</h4>


    Hao Xuan asked several more questions and Hyde was generous enough to answer most of them.


    "That boy, Gavril was it? Keep an eye on him. The old king might have been soft-hearted towards his own kind but no so much to others. I''m sure he left a few things inside his body to help him grow stronger," Hyde warned as Hao Xuan was about to leave.


    He also told Hao Xuan that the old king had ced a seal on his main mind pce. Once he summoned any of his severs, the seal would be broken and the effects of having so many severs would slowly be more apparent.


    Thankfully it wasn''t anything too serious but mood swings, a short temperament, and a change in some of the mental faculties were all toomon in such situations. Technically Hao Xuan''s soul was nowhere near strong enough to support all the Orcs but the Old King used thest bit of power he was saving throughout all those thousands of years to help Hao Xuan level up forcefully.


    The soul was inherently different so it wouldn''t be obvious to tell the changes taking ce inside it unless he used an ability.


    Hao Xuan finished his conversation with Hyde and walked out of the room, the door closing behind him on its own. He walked up to the podium in the middle of the Mind Pce were a few objects waiting for him.


    The first thing he saw and the one he was looking for was a ck watch neatly ced on the podium. He picked it up with a smile and waved his hand. The watch appeared in the outer world and jumped on his hand automatically like it was alive.


    Small metaltches came out from the bottom and inserted themselves into Hao Xuan''s skin. Now unless the arm itself was cut off, the watch wasn''t going anywhere.


    In his mind pce Hao Xuan was still able to feel the pain but it didn''tst long.


    He then looked at the other objects on and around the podium. The second one was the golden chest he had gotten from the contest with Jia. He still hadn''t opened it. He brushed its surface with his hand, feeling the engravings and the cold metallic feeling.


    "I''ll open you soon, don''t worry," he mumbled. The chest didn''t respond and just sat there. Even though it was alive, it still hadn''t bonded with Hao Xuan.


    The second object of interest was the ck egg. The glowing blue lines on it had now turned brown and every now than it pulsed with a golden light. Other than that it still hadn''t changed much.


    Thest one was the sleeping white kitten on the podium. Zhurong hadn''t changed in shape or size either, but his white fur was now giving off a little bit of light. It wasn''t even noticeable in a properly illuminated ce but inplete darkness, he would be glowing.


    The glow only made him look cuter and as he slept, asional purring noises came from his little pink nose. Hao Xuan smiled and extended his hand, gently picked him up.


    "Wake up, you''ve slept enough. There is no need to guard this ce anymore," he whispered while rubbing Zhurong''s head, waking him up.


    "Meow~"


    Zhurongzily stretched his back and yawned. He looked up at Hao Xuan and he heard a little voice in his head, "Food!"


    "Yeah yeah, you can eat all you want," Hao Xuan said with a smile. Zhurong grinned and vanished, appearing in the outer world as well.


    Hao Xuan then walked up to Gavril. His snow-white hair covered his entire face as he sat in a corner with his head between his legs.


    "I am sorry for your loss, truly," Hao Xuan spoke in the Oguage while sitting down beside him. Every conversation Hao Xuan had had with the Orcs was in their ownnguage.


    A scoff came from under the white hair, "What do you know about loss?"


    Hao Xuan was expecting such an answer so he simply smiled helplessly.


    "I saw your memories. All of them. And your feelings, for the people that surrounded you, for Buse. Perhaps in this world, there is no one else who can understand you more than me right now. I might not have known her for very long, but I can still feel her absence."


    Gavril raised his head a bit and looked towards Hao Xuan, who met his gaze.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes squinted upon noticing the change in Gavril''s. They had changed color and werepletely white.


    "You have changed," he mumbled looking at the white pupils.


    Gavril''s lips arched up into a smile, "Not enough yet. There is a lot more left to do."


    Hao Xuan was taken aback by his answer and his expression. He thought Gavril would be overtaken by sadness and would not even want to live, but it seemed that was not the case.


    "What do you n to do?" he asked in response.


    Gavril lowered his head once again and closed his eyes before replying.


    "I want to rip him apart. I want to burn everything he cares about. I want him to feel what I felt back then. I want...Orion!"


    "Revenge?" the word escaped from Hao Xuan''s mouth unintentionally.


    "Hahaha, why? You want to stop me?"


    Hao Xuan simply shook his head, "Why would I do that? I''ll even help you reach your goal. Instead, help me as well. Deal?"


    Gavril opened his eyes a little and stared at Hao Xuan from the corner of his eyes for a few seconds before looking away.


    "Deal."

 Chapter 350: "Care"

    <h4>Chapter 350: "Care"</h4>


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and appeared back in the outer world.


    And as he did, a ripple of spiritual energy which looked like white glowing fog spread out with him as the center. It passed through the energy barriers, the solid metal material of the ship, and went on for a hundred meters or so.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes as he felt the changes inside his body. Rampant spiritual energy spread out from his meridians and rushed through his body like maddened bulls. But it wasn''t a painful feeling, instead, it was something between pain and pleasure.


    Nothing had changed physically other than his skin and hair. The skin somehow became smoother than a baby''s bottom and his hair turned into an even darker shade of ck. He reached out and quickly grabbed the barrier in front as his knees went weak for a second.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Jin Wang felt the changes and energy that Hao Xuan was giving off and ran over with hurried steps.


    "Woah what the hell happened? You okay?" he asked while grabbing his right arm and pulling him back up.


    Hao Xuan shook his head and slowly opened his eyes. They glowed with a bright light for an instant before returning to normal. Many cultivators believed that eyes were the windows to the soul, and the changes taking ce inside the soul could be interpreted by one''s eyes.


    Maybe that''s why Hao Xuan''s eyes were a different color.


    "Yeah I''m fine," he replied while standing back up with wobbly feet. He took in a deep breath and felt the cold air passing through his body. His skin tingled as the air brushed past his skin.


    He looked up and saw the dark clouds all around him. It looked the same but somehow felt....different. he could see shapes in the clouds of moving figures, both beast and men.


    "Hahaha," he couldn''t but burst outughing. There was no reason for it, but he just felt happy, likeughing.


    "I feel great, man. Really!" he said while staring at the sky.


    Jin Wang''s brow scrunched, "Alright....I guess. You got the money?"


    "Oh, yeah yeah. Here," Hao Xuan waved his hand and a storage ring appeared in his hand which he threw to Jin Wang.


    "Go crazy!" he said with a wink, making Jin Wang falter even more.


    "You weird, man," Jin Wangmented before leaving.


    Hao Xuan stood alone near the ship''s bow while enjoying the cold air. He was unnaturally happy for some reason. He had already given Gavril and the 200 Orc teenagers a few things to aplish so there was nothing to do for him right now.


    *Beep*


    *Beep*


    *Beep*


    A beeping sound came from the watch, waking him up.


    "Baracus! I missed you dude, what''s happening!" Hao Xuan taped the watch and Baracus''s slightly robotic voice came with a warning.


    "Your dopamine and serotonin levels are through the roof."


    Hao Xuan smiled, "So? Let them do what they want man, why you gotta be like this?"


    "....It''s much worse than I expected. Running a fully body scan."


    "Sure buddy, you do you! Robot power!" Hao Xuan said while pumping his fists in the air.


    *Beep*


    "Scanplete," just a few secondster he spoke up again, interrupting Hao Xuan''s ''enjoyment''.


    "Something is really wrong with your body. You need to calm down, perhaps meditate."


    "Hahaha, nothing''s wrong dude. Chill. I''m happy, what''s wrong with that?"


    "It''s not JUST your endorphins that are out of control. Your spiritual energy is too concentrated and is affecting your mental faculties."


    Hao Xuan understood every word Baracus spoke, but somehow he just didn''t care. With a wave of his hand, a big chair appeared behind him where he sat down casually.


    "Alright alright, just rx. Let me enjoy the cold air. Did I ever tell you I love the cold?"


    *Beep*


    *Beep*


    *Beep*


    "Core temperature rising, 140c, and increasing."


    Hao Xuan was sitting on the chair with a wide, carefree smile but his body was burning. As the cold air came into contact with his skin, it started sizzling. Yet Hao Xuan didn''t feel bad at all.


    "Taking emergency measure, injecting 10 of Ice wolf sperm."


    Hao Xuan shot up from his seat, "Yo what the f*ck! Stop! Don''t inject anything, especially sperm! What the f*ck is wrong with you?!"


    All that cheeriness vanished instantly.


    *Beep*


    "It seems it''s not that bad since you can still make rational decisions," Baracus replied.


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief, "I''m fine, I told you. I understand what''s happening but as long as it''s not affecting me negatively, it''s okay. Once I breakthrough a few more stages, it should be much better."


    "Negative. It''s not just the spiritual energy, although that is also a major part of it. Your physique progressed significantly in the time you were asleep. It seems you are close to breaking through to the next stage and until you do, there are a few things that could go wrong."


    "Like what?"


    "Like your hormone levels. They could just randomly go out of control. This along with the spiritual changes currently taking ce inside your body could spell disaster. One second you will be happy, the next you will want to murder someone. And you might not even be able to stop yourself. You should either quickly breakthrough to the next physique realm or the next cultivation realm as soon as possible. Don''t drag it out any longer."


    Hao Xuan looked at the watch in silence, digesting all the information. Breaking through the physique realm was easier said than done. He would have to fight the Physique demon which had been weighing on his mind a lot.


    While breaking through to the profound realm was not even an option at the moment. He had a n in mind for that and it wasn''t anywhere nearpletion just yet.


    *Sigh*


    "Step by step. But for now, just keep an eye on my vitals. Warn me when something is going bad."


    He got up and walked towards the Alte and his group who had been standing a few hundred meters away.


    "Hey guys, I just wanted to thank you for everything you did, but that''s enough. I''m up and about now and Jin Wang will be finding some new amodations for us, so you don''t have to worry about anything. Give my thanks to the princess. I really appreciate it," he said as soon as he got near, making Alte and the others exchange nces with one another.


    "Um, I think it would be better if you told that to the princess yourself. She was the one that was..."taking care" of you to begin with," Vasu, the slightly chubby looking Monk came forward and said with an awkward smile.


    Hao Xuan looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, "What do you mean "taking care" of me?"

 Chapter 351: Pirates

    <h4>Chapter 351: Pirates</h4>


    "Well, it''s kindaplicated you see. I think it should be better if Jin Wang exined it to you himself," Vasu replied while looking at others for help. It was pretty obvious he wanted to change the subject or at least didn''t want to be involved in it himself.


    Hao Xuan''s brows scrunched up in worry, but he didn''t linger on it too much. They took him to the mess hall which was just 1 floor up. There were several hundred people already there but it didn''t look too crowded.


    Hao Xuan ordered every single dish on the menu and within half an hour an entire table was filled to the brim with all kinds of dishes.


    Zhurong suddenly appeared out of nowhere along with the food, surprising everyone present, especially the nearby females.


    "Omg, he''s so cute! Can I cuddle him??" a little girl of about 10 years of age quickly walked over as soon as she saw him but Zhurong didn''t even give her the time of the day, making her awkwardly return to her table.


    He was already cute before but now he looked even more adorable with the shiny white fur. He looked like a noble magical creature until he jumped into the trays of food that is, throwing all decorum to the wind.


    An hour or soter Jin Wang returned.


    "It''s done. Here''s the room key," he said handing Hao Xuan a hexagonal token with the number 8671 on it. It had a purple cloud in the background that was moving on its own.


    "Fancy," Hao Xuan murmured. Alte and Vasu leaned over upon hearing Hao Xuan and both of them looked at Jin Wang with wide eyes.


    "I-Is that.."


    "Yeaup," before they could even finish, Jin Wang confirmed and picked up arge beast leg and started chomping on it.


    Hao Xuan looked up at Alte, "What is it?"


    Alte quickly fixed his posture and expression, with an awkward smile. He cleared his throat before answering in a low voice.


    "Uhm, that is a VIP room. The purple cloud suites are the best ones you can get in here. Not to mention they are absurdly expensive, but all of their upants are people in power so none of them would usually give theirs away. All such rooms are booked at least 6 months in advance."


    Hao Xuan brows furrowed as soon as he heard that and he slowly leaned over to Jin Wang, as casually as he could.


    "Did you kill the people living in this room?" he whispered.


    Jin Wang took a massive bite out of the beast leg and shook his head, "Nah, I just threw money at him until he agreed."


    Alte, Vasu, Beruh, and Kayin were all eavesdropping on their conversation and all of them almost fell from their seats hearing that. Beruh looked at Hao Xuan with a new twinkle in his eye.


    The upants of VIP rooms were rich beyond measure. To buy a room from someone like that was nothing short of a miracle...that or a ridiculous amount of money.


    "Alright, well that''s good I guess."


    "Fooooooood~"


    Just as Hao Xuan was about to bite into a juicy piece of roast meat, a familiar whining came from above his head and a small white blob on tentacles lifelessly fell down on to the table.


    Jin Wang got up and ruffled Hao Xuan''s hair like he was looking for something.


    "The hell did hee from??"


    "Get off!" Hao Xuan pushed him away and grabbed the starving Fortis.


    "Fooood!~" Fortis''s eyes were half-closed and he instinctively bit Hao Xuan''s finger and started sucking the blood.


    "Ouch, wake up dumbass!" Hao Xuan pinched one of his little tentacles, quickly getting a p in return.


    "No YOU!" Fortis shouted before jumping into the nearest tray of food without any hesitation. On one side it was Zhurong and the other Fortis. Both of them were eating their way towards the middle of the table where a whole roasted beast awaited them. It looked a goat but about 5 times as big and with small burnt wings on the side.


    Hao Xuan carefully picked up a small te and moved aside along with the others. He didn''t want to be anywhere near them when they reached thest dish.


    Hao Xuan talked with Alte''s group and asked them a lot of questions, especially about the things that had happened in thest two months. They were about to exin to him the reason for the princess''s visit to the academy when the light''s suddenly turned a dim red and a loud siren started ringing throughout the entire ship.


    *Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee*


    "The hell is that?" Hao Xuan asked with a full mouth. Alte and the gang quickly got up to their feet, including Jin Wang.


    "We''re under attack. Pirates, it seems. Come on, let''s go!" Jin Wang gestured for him to follow.


    "What? Why do we have to fight? Isn''t it the crew''s job to do that?"


    "We ARE the crew. Long story,e, I''ll exin on the way!" Jin Wang shouted.


    Hao Xuan unwittingly put down the te of food he had yet to finish and grabbed the kitten and the little octopus before following behind him.


    "NO! Fooood~!"


    "Moew~!"


    both Zhurong and Fortis started struggling to get back to the table full of food.


    "Enough! You can eatter, we''re under attack! Idiots," Hao Xuan shouted in a loud and stern voice, but only got a whip and scratch marks on his face in return.


    "NO! EAT NOW!"

 Chapter 352: Pirates Continued

    <h4>Chapter 352: Pirates Continued</h4>


    Jin Wang was standing by the window staring out into the dark night when Hao Xuan came up behind him. He turned to face him and frowned.


    "Where''s the cat and the octopus?"


    "Eating. Too much trouble to drag them away right now. It''s fine," Hao Xuan waved his hand in displeasure, he really didn''t want to talk about it and Jin Wang took the hint so he pointed towards the window.


    "Looks like there''s quite a few of them this time."


    Hao Xuan walked closer to the window and peered outwards. It waspletely dark and there was nothing visible even with the asional lightning strikes. He looked at Jin Wang with a confused expression.


    "I don''t see anything..."


    "Oh I forgot, my bad. Here," Jin Wang tapped his spirit band and a connection was created with Hao Xuan''s. It was a request for ess to the ship''s internal system, already epted and being offered to Hao Xuan. When he clicked ept, a hologram was projected above the watch.


    It showed three ships of the exact same model and around them were more than 50 smaller vessels. They were less than 1/10th in size but their numbers more than made up for it.


    "Are all these pirates?"


    "Yeah."


    That projection was currently being shown to every individual that was synced up with the ship''s internal systems. All of that data was being sent to their spirit bands in real-time. The little ships kept circling around the three big ones, firing energy sts in the same 5 spots.


    "These spots are where the barrier is the weakest. Once there is a hole in the barrier they will usually send in the armed pirates to pige and take away whatever they can."


    Hao Xuan nodded. He looked left and right but there was no one other than them standing in the entire hallway.


    "Where are Alte and the others?"


    "They are bodyguards. Where do you think? by her side of course."


    "So what''s the n then? What do we do?"


    "Not much we can do until theye over here," Jin Wang shrugged.


    "So we just wait for them?"


    "More or less."


    *Pheeew*


    Just as Hao Xuan was about to make anotherment, something whizzed past their window, yet Hao Xuan was quick enough to catch a glimpse of it. It was a ship, only about 80 meters in size. There weren''t any weapons on it and it looked like a transport vessel that was carrying a lot of people.


    "Damn, that was fast!"


    Hao Xuan, whose reflexes were fast enough to catch a bullet with bare hands like it was nothing, could barely see that thing.


    "Yeah, that was probably one of the Sky-grade transport ships judging by the speed, others aren''t that fast."


    "Sky grade?" Hao Xuan frowned, he didn''t remember much about the ssification of equipment.


    "Yeah, how the hell do you still not know this? It goes Mortal, Earth, Sky, Saint, and so on. Sky grade ships need at least a Profound realm expert to power them," Jin Wang exined with an annoyed expression. This information was rtivelymon, especially for cultivators. There was no excuse not to know something as simple as this.


    "Fuck off. I don''t use things like that so how would I know?" Hao Xuan pped the back of Jin Wang''s head and quickly jumped back before he could retaliate.


    *BOOOM*


    The lights dimmed for an instant as the entire ship shook. Hao Xuan''s hearts almost jumped out of his chest. They were hundreds of thousands of feet above ground. Falling from such a height would not even leave him with aplete corpse, that is if he wasn''t eaten by beasts before that.


    He instinctively grabbed ahold of the railing.


    "I don''t like heights," Hao Xuan mumbled to himself.


    *BOOOM*


    Another explosion came from their left and the sound of ss shattering came. Jin Wang''s expression turned serious.


    "The barrier broke,e on let''s go!"


    They ran through the now empty hallways at full speed and appeared at the site of the explosion within a couple of minutes. There were 30 or so other people already there, staring at the giant hole in the side of the ship.


    All of them were dressed in the same jumpsuit as Jin Wang. But what caught Hao Xuan''s eye was not their attire but some of the weapons they were holding.


    Guns! Guns and pistols! Well, not the exact models Hao Xuan remembered back from earth but they were pretty simr. Both one and two-handed guns were in the hands of each of these 30 individuals or tucked along their waists.


    Hao Xuan inched closer to Jin Wang and inquired in a low voice, "What are they using? Are those pistols?"


    Jin Wang looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, "What''s a pistol? Those are Qi channelers. They are ranged weapons and like their name suggests, they directly convert Qi from a cultivator''s body into deadly energy that is then shot through those cutters and can st things apart."


    "Does a fair bit of damage but doesn''t require any skills to use. So organizations hire low-level cultivators and give them these things to use in case of emergencies. They might look good but won''t stand a chance against an experienced fighter," Jin Wang exined.


    *BANG*


    The ship''s hull suddenly bent inwards. With a few more simr impacts it would break open. Jin Wang patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder.


    "Anyways, careful when theye through. The pirates will try to spread out as quickly as possible, stop them by any means necessary."


    *BANG*

 Chapter 353: Beastmen?

    <h4>Chapter 353: Beastmen?</h4>


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BOOOM*


    The ship''s hull broke apart from the repeated bombardment and exploded inwards.


    "In position!" the leader of the 30 guards shouted as soon as the explosion sounded. All the guards immediately formed an arch and faced the newly formed ''door''.


    Hao Xuan who was standing behind the guards along with Jin Wang and 3 other cultivators looked on with interest.


    The leader of the guards was an older man of about 50 years of age. Half his hair had turned a shade of gray and he was the only one of them at the top of the spirit realm, albeit his Qi felt much weaker than Hao Xuan''s who was only at Spirit Realm stage 4.


    All the other guards were between the ages of 20 and 30 and looked quite innocent. It seemed like this was their first encounter.


    "Is this the first time pirates attacked?" Hao Xuan leaned towards Jin Wang and asked in a low voice.


    "No, I think this is the 4th time. Why?"


    "Why do those guys look like it''s their first time inbat?" he asked gesturing towards them.


    "Because this is the first time the Pirates have attacked in such force. These guys are probably just trainees and were called for duty because they were short on hands," Jin Wang exined.


    *nk*


    A loud noise came from outside and all the noise suddenly died down. It looked like someone had plugged the hole and even the air pressure had stabilized.


    Hao Xuan suddenly closed his eyes and turned his left year towards the opening.


    *Ba-dump*


    *Ba-dump*


    He could hear extremely loud heartbeats just on the other side and they were getting stronger.


    "They''reing," he mumbled under his breath, but because of the sudden silence, everyone heard him loud and clear. The guard captain turned his head halfway and looked at Hao Xuan with a surprised expression but before he could say anything a loud roar came from the front and got his attention.


    "ROAAR!"


    It sounded both beastly and human at the same time.


    *THUMP*


    *THUMP*


    *THUMP*


    The sound of big, heavy footsteps came first followed by the loud nking of metal and a huge rectangr shield came into view. It blocked the entire hole.


    "FIRE!"


    Following the captain''s orders, every one of the guards started firing at once. The weapons in their hands made whirring noises much like the sound from aputer''s hard drive and started firing literal energy beams in short bursts. (Imagine any Star War gunfight but less....weird looking)


    Unfortunately, the shield that was blocking their path was specifically made for taking such damage. Small dents were created by every impact but nothing more. The guard captain''s expression changed as he whistled.


    All the firing stopped at once. Whoever was behind the shield seemed surprised as he or she was not expecting it at all. It lifted up and started moving forward after a few seconds.


    "Now!"


    Just as it had gotten a few feet in, the firing started once again. Only this time it was all focused on one single spot.


    Within seconds the concentrated energy sts burned through the shield and created a small hole right in the middle of it before going straight through. With a loud grunt, the shield fell followed by a fountain of blood, finally revealing the face of the person who was behind it.


    "That''s....new.."


    Hao Xuan was taken aback by what he saw. It was a humanoid beast. Two arms and two legs, covered in armor from top to bottom. Only its face was that of a pig, an actual pig. (Img in authors notes)


    "We did it!" while Hao Xuan was busy looking at this new creature, he heard one of the guards shout out in excitement. He looked towards it and it was one of the guards, a girl of about 21 years of age with short ck hair. She approached the "creature''s" body with a confident smile.


    "STOP! Get back in position!" the guard captain shouted in response but it was already toote.


    *BANG*


    Sound simr to a gunshot came from outside and a chained harpoon shot forward and pierced the girl through the abdomen. She didn''t even realize what had happened until it was toote.


    She looked down at her own body in disbelief and the chain jerked and was pulled back, taking the girl along with it.


    "NO!!" one of the boys suddenly ran towards her but was stopped by the others. This all happened in less than 2 seconds so no one could even react in time.


    "AOO!"


    With a howl, the screams of the girling from outside stopped and more than 20 shadows suddenly shot out from the hole.


    "SHOOT! Shoot goddamnit!" the captain shouted in response but most of the young guards were too out of it to even hear him. The shadows materialized right in front of them.


    They were even more humanoid creatures, this time with cat-like faces. (Khajiit anyone?)


    With pairs of shortswords in their hands, they jumped straight towards the unprepared guards. Without even saying a word all 5 cultivators including Hao Xuan and Jin Wang disappeared from their respective spots and appeared between the guards and the cat creatures.


    *Thruuum*

 Chapter 354: Top Floor

    <h4>Chapter 354: Top Floor</h4>


    The young guards that were about to wee death slowly opened their eyes and saw five people standing between them and their attackers.


    "Move back, we''ll take care of the rest. Take care of any stragglers!" a cultivator shouted from the other side. He was as big as a bear and was able to stop more than 7 attackers with his bare hands, which were thicker than most people''s legs.


    The guard''s captain suddenly came to and shouted at his underlings, "You heard him, move back quick!"


    In front of Hao Xuan were five or so of these cat-like creatures. The bottom half of their faces were covered by a mask, exposing only their eyes and ears. Emperor''s Qi circted through his body and slowly started spreading out, affecting everyone in the surroundings.


    *Thruuum*


    His allies suddenly felt their bodies be lighter while the enemies felt like the gravity had increased by an entire fold. The change in their expressions was proof enough of the sudden change of tide in the battle that had only just begun.


    "Go!" one of the cat-like creatures shouted and all of them started running in different directions.


    "Catch them!" the cultivators shouted with such enthusiasm that it took Hao Xuan by surprise. He looked at Jin Wang for answers.


    "Every pirate you capture or kill will be paid for by thepany that owns the ships. It''s pretty good money even for cultivators," Jin Wang exined quickly before running after 3 of them.


    One side was covered by the guards. They were able to kill the piratesing for them with rtive ease. The other side was taken care of by the 3 other cultivators there.


    Jin Wang followed the 3 that had broken through and gone into a nearby room. Only Hao Xuan was left standing in front of the torn hull as he was thest one to react. He looked to the front, at the five that were still there.


    "Stay," he said in a low voice and raised his hand. Force Qi came out along with it and fell on the 5 creatures like a hammer.


    Their weak little bodies instantly fell to the ground, even knocking 2 of them out on the spot. Hao Xuan looked at his hand in surprise. That was much stronger than he had expected.


    Even though the cat-like creatures were around the origin realm, they were still much more agile and physically stronger than your average human. Yet they could do nothing but look at Hao Xuan with fearful eyes at this point.


    Hao Xuan nced at each of them for a second before stopping at the one that was the smallest in the group.


    "You, call them out," he ordered coldly. The creature''s expression turned ugly as it realized their n was found out so raised its head and shouted.


    "ATTACK!"


    Following its shrill voice, the sound of metal nking came from the hole and one after another pirate after pirate starting pouring out like a broken dam. All of them were different and there were even a few humans mixed in there, although they looked more beast-like than actual beasts,


    They were all covered in rtively old armor that looked like it was scavenged from a junkyard. Hao Xuan frowned looking at them.


    He closed his eyes and listened once again before letting out a deep sigh.


    "Why are you hiding?"


    He was able to hear every single creature''s heartbeat like it was next to his ear and all of the ones standing in front of him in the hallway were the weakest bunch. There were a few really powerful energies trying to stay low just on the other side.


    Yet there was no response to his query.


    "Fine, I''lle to you then," he shook his head helplessly and waved his hand, a slim silhouette appeared next to him.


    "Kill any that resist, capture the rest. I''ll be back," he said before walking towards the hole in the wall. There were still a few dozen pirates between him and it but before they could even react, a shadow appeared behind them with a ck sword.


    The shadow made no movements but all the pirates simply fell down lifelessly like they had lost consciousness. It was unknown whether they were alive or dead.


    The guard captain saw that and his mouth fell open before he quickly yelled at Hao Xuan.


    "Don''t go in there! It''s a trap!"


    But it was toote, his back vanished from sight leaving only a hallway full of bodies in his wake.


    ***


    In the uppermost section of the ship, the atmosphere waspletely different. No rms were going off or blinking red lights. It looked like a five-star hotel from earth with a massive swimming pool that still had a few people floating about inside.


    Above the pool was a deck that overlooked it. On it were 10 or so people sitting idly on chairs. All of them were young men and women in their bathing suits.


    "Princess!" Alte''s voice came from the door behind as he walked in with hurried steps.


    A group of 3 girls was sitting on the left side and two of them looked towards him with half a smile.


    "Look, your caretaker is here!" one of them said with a giggle.

 Chapter 355: Ceni

    <h4>Chapter 355: Ceni</h4>


    "What do you want?" a feminine,zy voice asked in response. The speaker wasn''t visible from behind the chair.


    There was a fake sky above in which an almost life-like sun shone brightly.


    There were beads of sweat visible on Alte''s forehead which weren''t a good sign considering his cultivation level. He walked over with heavy steps, stopping just behind the chairs.


    "We are under attack."


    "And?"


    "It''s almost a grade 3 pirate fleet. They obviously aren''t here just for some gold and silver."


    The chair creaked and a half-naked silhouette slowly stood up from it. She had long purple hairing down to her waist, covering most of the extremely slim back. There was an extremely short skirt on her mostly exposed hips which left little to the imagination.


    The ample bosom decorating her top jiggled with the slightest shake and her long legs only added to the enchantment.


    Alte''s expression turned ugly as he quickly waved his hand and a blue barrier appeared between where the three girls were sitting and the rest of the people.


    The two girls who were sitting on either side stood up and tied a loose top around the ''princesses'' chest, finally covering her top half.


    "How many times have I told you to be careful of your surroundings? When will you learn? You are not a child anymore!" Alte reprimanded in a strict tone, a tone one would normally not hear from a servent.


    The princess turned around to face him with a mischievous smile. Her face looked like it was taken out of a painting. It was perfect in every way possible, other than a single beauty mark on the left side of her upper lip which didn''t diminish her allure in the slightest. She looked no older than 16 or 17 years of age.


    "Hehe, rx big brother. Those guys are more interested in you than anything on me," she replied with a wink.


    Alte faltered for a second before turning to look at the other group of boys and girls to the left. Of the seven, four were male and three female. But he subconsciously took a step back upon noticing the stark differences.


    All of them looked like humans but with a few minor differences. They had longer than normal necks and vague orange and white spots all over their bodies. They were covered in gold piercings.


    "The Rurik?!"


    Alte closed his legs and covered his private areas even though he was fully dressed.


    The Princess and her two friends broke outughing upon seeing his reaction, but it was understandable.


    The Rurik were a race of humanoids that had some...''special tastes''. They were, what some would describe as, sexually active, very active. So much so that their behavior could easily cross the line and be ssified as deviant in many cases.


    The Rurik were extremely patriarchal where their women were only used for reproduction and continuation of their species. The Rurik men had no interest in the females of their own species, or the females of any species for that matter.


    But when it came to males they would not look at time or day, animal or human, alive or dead. Nothing could stop them when they were in heat. They were also extremely powerful cultivators and naturally strong beings.


    One of the Rurik boys saw Alte staring at them and smiled.


    "Hey beautiful, wannae y with us?"


    "Yeah,e join us!"


    Several of them whistled and licked their lips suggestively. A cold chill went down Alte''s spine as he quickly backed up a few more steps, "P-Princess, let''s go. This ce...isn''t safe..." and almost ran back out.


    The Princess and her two friends followed after, taking their time.


    Alte was pacing around the room impatiently and as soon as he saw the princess enter he went up to her and pulled her ear.


    "You having fun huh? Having the time of your life?" he asked through gritted teeth while increasing the pressure.


    "Big brother, Ceni is sorry! Please forgive!" she responded in a childish voice. Alte looked at her face and saw her crying crocodile tears and begrudgingly let go.


    He shook his head and let out a deep sigh.


    "You are a princess. When you are out, you represent the entire Kingdom of Edda. How many times have I told you to be mindful of your appearance and attitude? And don''t associate with those degenerates."


    The Princess that could bring shame to actual fairies now stood in front of him with a lowered head, acting like a child being lectured by an adult, which wasn''t entirely false.


    Not many people knew this but Alte was a bastard son of the current King of Edda. He had been responsible for Ceni''s safety ever since they were children since he would never be able to inherit the throne. To him, Ceni was his actual sister.


    "Yes, big brother," she replied in a subservient voice.


    A vein popped on Alte''s forehead as he flicked Ceni''s nose, making her scream.


    "Ouchie!" she quickly grabbed the bridge of her nose while a single tear streamed down the side of her face.


    "Stop your acting. I know full well about your hobbies, you demented little girl. No one will want to marry a crazy woman even if she is the most beautiful flower in existence!"


    Alte wasn''t having it as he started lecturing her once again. He had known her since she before she could walk and knew all her tricks. She was a lot of things but innocent wasn''t one of them.


    "Hehehe," her frown instantly turned into a grin.


    "I know I know, but I can''t help what I like. Mother said a girl has to go for what she wants no matter what."


    *Shake*


    The lights flickered as the ground shook slightly. Alte cleared his throat upon remembering why he came here.


    "Yeah yeah. Put some proper clothes on. We have to go. The ship might be lost today."

 Chapter 356: Ignác

    <h4>Chapter 356: Ign¨¢c</h4>


    The very top of all these ships was reserved for the elite of the elite. Rooms in this ce could not be bought with money or silver, and a person needed to have a significant backing to even enter, let alone stay there.


    Normal people didn''t even know something like this existed in the ship as it was always covered high-level magical spells and techniques. It was almost like a world of its own and every being residing there belonged to an old power.


    This was true for Ceni as well.


    Her father, Dai Luoyang, was the current King of Edda, a Grade-1 kingdom about to reach the level of an Empire. He was strong, ruthless, and a doting father to his children. Ceni being the youngest out of all her siblings was, of course, her father''s favorite and in turn spoiled to no end. She could have anything she wanted and no one was able to say anything, well no one other than her mother the Queen, and Alte, her caretaker, and older brother.


    Unlike the Kingdom of Mei which was on the very edge of the continent, Edda was much further in and ''advanced'' in both technology and ideology. Especially the ruling n of the Kingdom, the ''Dai'' n.


    The Dai n had businesses all over the continent and they were even a majority shareholder in thepany that owned these ships. So suffice to say, Ceni was the most important person on the ship right now.


    The door to the biggest room in the top floor opened and out walked a group of youngsters. Four of them were dressed the same in ck suits, surrounding three beautiful girls.


    Two of the girls were in the exact same outfit, a one-piece ck dress, while the one in the middle was in casualwear with shorts and a crop top. Their appearance and nonchnt mannerisms just made it look like they were going to a party. Only the four surrounding them had somber expressions decorating their faces.


    The group passed through several hallways and entered a lift that took them even higher up, straight to the control room. Under normal circumstances, such a ce would be off-limits to all passengers but Ceni''s special status allowed her to bypass most of these restrictions.


    With each tremor the lights flickered several times, threatening to turn off forever but alwaysing back in the nick of time. The girlspletely ignored all themotion around them and instead gossiped amongst themselves, as if it had nothing to do with them at all.


    A few secondster the lift came to a halt and the doors opened, revealing a very chaotic room.


    It looked simr to a control room of a ship back from earth, only much more advanced.


    The room was divided into two sections. The first section was to the front with about 50 people scurrying around from one panel to another, shouting at one another.


    The second section was towards the back and was separated from the first one through a barrier. This was also where the lift had opened into. In this section, there were only about 7 people dressed in white naval-like uniforms decorated with medals of all kinds.


    Of these seven individuals, five were male and two female, with the youngest person being in herte thirties. All of them had a few white hairs adorning their heads, making them look quite respectable.


    They were all seated around a table with a hologram in the middle that was showing the same details as Hao Xuan saw of the battle taking ce outside, only in much more detail.


    The hologram showed each pirate ship, what type of weapons it had, and how many were onboard each vessel. The oldest of the seven individuals and their leader was seated in the middle and silently stared at the hologram while a ck coin moved in between his fingers on its own.


    This person was not a human being. His head was that of a beast, a dead one. There was no skin or flesh on it, only a white beast skull with blue fire for eyes. His body was 2-3 times the size of a normal person and covered in thick hair. His hands had sharp ws that could rip an elephant in two. (It''s not supposed to be literal btw. Pic in authors notes)


    When the elevator doors opened, everyone in the second section stopped and looked towards it in surprise, and became even more shocked when they saw Ceni walking out with her entourage.


    Only the beast-skulled leader didn''t move.


    One of the women walked forward with a smile. She seemed to be in herte thirties and had a scar going diagonally across her entire face from left to right. If not for that she would have been quite pretty even now.


    "Princess, what brings you up here?" she asked with a forced smile. It was obvious she wasn''t used to talking to formally like that.


    Ceni returned a natural smile.


    "Nothing much. I was bored so came to see what was happening. Please don''t mind me," she said quickly and before anyone could stop her, she skipped over to the leader like a little kid.


    "Uncle Ign¨¢c,e y with me, I''m bored!" she said while grabbing the beastman''s arm, making the coin fall through his fingers.


    As soon as the coin touched the ground, the entire room fell silent. Everyone stared at her with wide eyes full of shock and disbelief.


    ****


    Authors notes:


    https://urlzs/JYLSm

 Chapter 357: Visit

    <h4>Chapter 357: Visit</h4>


    While everyone was staring at Ign¨¢c with gazes full of fear, Ceni was pulling his arm like a child. And standing next to him she really did look like child.


    Ign¨¢c was over 9 feet tall even while sitting. He was almost 3 times as wide as a normal human being making Ceni look even smaller.


    "Uncle~! I''m bored!" she pouted, trying to make him move but failingpletely. The other 6 people looked on with horrified expressions. Even if she was a princess, she must know who, or rather what this person was!


    Ign¨¢c, a real-life Cambion!


    Cambions were offsprings created from the mating of true demons and humans. They were not that umon in this world where demons roamed the ne of mortals in the shadows.


    But most of them followed in the footsteps of their demonic parents rather than ept their human natures.


    Ign¨¢c was one such being. That was his natural appearance which induced fear in everyone that crossed his path. No one knew how old he was or how powerful exactly. Cambion''s had extremely long lifespans so it wasn''t easy to trace back their origins.


    But Ign¨¢c had been serving as the captain of this ship only for a little while now. This was his second journey and the underlings assigned to him were still not used to his presence. To them he was both an enigma and a source of constant fear.


    "Little girl..." a hoarse voice rang in the room. It sounded like it wasing from every direction at once, well every direction but Ign¨¢c''s. A couple of the other individuals took a step back, grasping the edges of their uniforms as tightly as they could.


    Ign¨¢c turned to face Ceni, and she looked back at him with an innocent face,pletely devoid of fear.


    "...you are still as mischievous as ever."


    Ceni gave a proud grin in return as if he was praising her.


    He then slightly opened his fingers and the coin raised up into the air on its own and returned in between them like it had never left in the first ce. It was almost as if time itself had wound back.


    Out of the 11 other people in the room, 4 had a drastic change of expression upon realizing what had happened. Alte slowly came forward and gave a bow from the waist.


    "It is a pleasure to meet master Ign¨¢c once again. The king sends his regards."


    He sounded neither proud nor too overly subservient which actually made Ign¨¢c take another look at him. The blue fire in his eyes burned brighter for an instant before returning to normal.


    "Child, you have grown up well. Your future is very bright, having even obtained ''that'' thing."


    Alte who was pretty confident just a second suddenly faltered and looked up at Ign¨¢c respectfully.


    "Thank you, sir."


    Their interaction made the rest of the observers let out a few breaths of relief. It seemed like he was already acquainted with the princess and her caretaker.


    *Beep*


    *Beep*


    *Beep*


    The hologram on the table suddenly changed color and turned red from blue. The view zoomed in suddenly and showed one of the four hangers located in the back. Inside it were a few dozen bright red orbs of light that kept undting incessantly.


    All 6 of the other people in charge of different departments on the ship ran to their respective stations.


    "Impossible! How did they break through?!" a middle-aged man asked. His left hand was made of metal which almost broke the screen as he tapped in repeatedly.


    Another man who was probably the second inmand going by the medals pinned on his chest frowned. He took out the cigar from his mouth and let out the smoke.


    "They didn''t, they just walked in! The hanger door was opened from the inside," as he finished speaking, a video started ying on the biggest screen in the room.


    It showed the hanger which was filled with the ship''s crew. They were running about prepping a few different aircrafts inside when the main hanger door suddenly opened on its own and apletely ck vessel flew in silently.


    This vessel looked nothing like the other pirate ships that were flying about. It looked much more advanced. Its design was sleek and with its small size, it looked more like arge sports car than anything else.


    The entire crew was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the vessel but before they could react, the vessel''s top opened up and 9 people walked. That''s when the video cut out.


    "How old is this footage?" one of the female department heads asked.


    "Just a few minutes old."


    "Bring up the direct feed from the crew''s spirit bands! Find out what''s happening," the man with the cigar ordered. The man with the metal arm got to work clicking away on his screen, but halted just a few seconds in.


    "What?"


    "There are no life signatures inside the hanger. Everyone is dead," he replied with an ugly expression. Over 300 crew members had perished within a matter of minutes.


    Ceni who was nonchnt about everything until now suddenly became serious.


    In their line of work, getting attacked by pirates was nothing out of ordinary. They would attack and sometimes break in from one corner or another and steal a few trinkets or kidnap a few people, but that was it. But they always maintained a baseline.


    The powers that owned these ships wouldn''t bother with something so small but if they directly killed so many crew members that worked for these powerful ns, then they would do everything in their powers to destroy the pirates responsible for such actions.


    Neither party wanted such an oue so it never came to that, well until now. If they were willing to directly kill so many crew members, then they were ready for war.


    "Uncle Ign¨¢c, let''s go take a look. I think they might be waiting for us," Ceni said without looking away from the screen. Ign¨¢c followed her line of sight and slowly nodded his head while getting up.


    "Let us pay them a visit."

 Chapter 358: Rending strike

    <h4>Chapter 358: Rending strike</h4>


    Two groups of 30+ people each were facing off against one another in what looked like a runway. There were wrecked, still burning remains of small ships along one side.


    Energy sts from ranged weapons and sword lights shot from one ce to another, asionally followed by an ear-piercing scream.


    "Stay close! Watch your fire!"


    "Yes sir!"


    "Yes sir!"


    A bearded man shouted at a group of ship crew members while swinging his gigantic ax in front of him, pushing away a few beastmen that were trying to break through their lines.


    The man looked no older than 40. He had a muscr build and would remind anyone of the Vikings back from earth, especially with his current attire which left him topless, exposing numerous scars and tattoos. There was a ss bottle in his right hand which he would take a sip from every few seconds.


    He was the one in charge of this entire side of the ship. But like almost every other department, he was also severely understaffed with only about 5 actual cultivators under him while the rest were barely able to use Qi channelers skillfully.


    *Crack*


    *Shatter*


    Suddenly, the barrier that was standing between the main pirate fleet and the rest of the ship cracked and finally broke from the continuous barrage of cannon fire.


    The bearded man''s pupils contracted while the grin on his face vanished. He looked back and saw the main doors that separated about 5,000 civilians from the wretched scum that were now increasing in number by the second.


    Since the barrier was gone, more and more pirates startednding on the runway. Some were on flying beasts that looked like Pterodactyls, while others were capable of flight themselves. Eight entire vessels had entered the ship''s air space and were beginning tond.


    Within moments there would be hundreds of them here.


    "Stay together and slowly fall back. Do not leave anyone behind! Move towards the door!" he ordered grimly. There was a smaller barrier surrounding the door, that was their aim.


    While bringing up the rear himself, he quickly clicked on his spirit band and dialed a number.


    "What the hell is going on? Where is our backup? The outer barrier is down and if they are not stopped here, all those people''s deaths are on you motherf*ckers!"


    Before the other party could even say anything, he started yelling and cursing at them as loudly as possible. But the response he was expecting didn''te. There was silence for a few seconds followed by a sigh.


    "Matheo, there is no backup, Hanger 3 ispletely lost. Everyone inside is dead. The department heads areing down themselves but it will be a few minutes. If the situation gets bad, just retreat with your men. There is no reason for you to die as well. The civilian''s families will be appropriatelypensated by thepany," a solemn voice replied, leaving Matheo stupified.


    It took him a few seconds to wrap his mind around what he had just heard. His expression turned ugly as he spoke in a deep voice.


    "So you want me to leave these civilians and run away on my own? Do you think money will make their families happy? Do you think it will solve ANYTHING? DON''T BULLSHIT ME MOTHERF*CKER! TELL THOSE C*NTS TO GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" yelling at the top of his lungs he hung up before they could respond.


    The 27 people still alive behind him looked at him with helpless gazes. They were all used to his asional outbursts. A girl of about 23-24 years of age walked forward while waving the shortswords in her hand.


    "Rxmander, it''s all good. We have gotten out of worse situations. At most we''ll die, at best we''ll take a few hundred with us. That''s not so bad. Right guys?" she asked the others that were beside her and every one of them promptly nodded their heads.


    Matheo was one of the four profound realm experts in charge of the defense of the ship. Each one was responsible for 1 hanger and its surrounding areas. He had been serving for over 10 years but had never lost a single civilian under his protection.


    He surveyed his men and his chest puffed out subconsciously. From the bottom of his heart, he was feeling proud to be able to serve with these bunch of ''b*stards'' as he would call them.


    "God damn right! What is death?!"


    "Just a new beginning!" all of them shouted in unison.


    "If you are afraid then go inside right now, this is a ce for actual warriors!"


    "Hell yeah!"


    "Yeah!"


    "Let''s go!"


    "Fight! Fight!"


    Not a single person retreated, even the ones that were using Qi channelers didn''t take a single step back.


    Matheo nodded and looked out towards the runway. There were more than 200 pirates gathered there already, firing and banging at the barrier.


    "It has been a pleasure!" he mumbled and gulped down the rest of the contents of the ss bottle, breaking it on his head. He grasped the Ax with both hands and let out onest battle cry.


    "FIGHT! KILL! We do not need to win, just stall them here for a few more minutes!" without waiting for anyone else to make a move, he leaped out of the barrier himself and unleashed the entirety of his cultivation.


    "Law of Mercy!"


    A blue energy surrounded him from head to toe and created an armor. It went into the Ax, making it light up with numerous sigils, spelling out the word ''mercy'' with them.


    *sh*


    "Rending strike!" like a tornado he started spinning around with the Ax extended outward and shot directly into the biggest group of pirates, sttering blood and body parts everywhere.

 Chapter 359: Rending strike Continued

    <h4>Chapter 359: Rending strike Continued</h4>


    "Mercy for the weak!" Matheo bellowed. He was floating 50 meters above the runway as six orbs of bright lights hovered above his body like angels, raining down endless spiritual energy into his armor and weapon.


    "Mercy for the poor!" he tightened the grip around the Ax and swung it around in an arc, sending a crescent moon shaped energy towards a gigantic gargoyle of at least 20 meters in size.


    The gargoyle let out a sharp screech and opened its mouth, spraying a green mist in response. The mist came into contact with the crescent-shaped energy beam, swallowing it whole. Arcs of green lightning surrounded the crescent energy and started breaking it down, stopping its advance.


    Matheo was running out of breath and Qi. The fight had only been going on for less than five minutes but he could barely stay afloat. This creature in front of him was his exact opposite. Its abilitiespletely countered his own, leaving him no choice but to continue fighting a losing battle.


    Matheo looked around and his expression worsened upon seeing the condition of his men. Of the initial 27, only 22 were left alive and almost all of them had serious injuries, yet none of them backed off.


    They fought tooth and nail, not even letting the pirates near thest barrier. He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes while holding the Ax in front of his face.


    "Mercy for the Rich!"


    *Bzzzt*


    The size of the Ax suddenly started expanding, stopping at nearly 15 meters. And as it did, the energy that wasing off it multiplied by more than 5 times.


    The grotesque gargoyle''s pupils shrunk as it stared at the Ax warily. It pped its massive wings and backed up almost 50 meters, staring at Matheo from afar. Its sharp ws shimmered under the asional moonlight that escaped the of thunder clouds surrounding them.


    "Hehe, rx, it''s not for you," Matheo smiled looking at the cautious beast. The Gargoyle suddenly realized what he meant and let out an ear-splitting scream aimed at the numerous pirates below. Almost all of them looked up at once with questioning gazes but soon got their answer.


    The gigantic Ax in Matheo''s hand turned upside down, its des facing the crowd below.


    "NOW! GET BACK!" Matheo shouted as he loosened his grasp around the Ax, letting it fall down like a meteor. Almost all of his men knew what that skill was and were ready for it. They all leaped back at once and entered the barrier just before the Ax fell.


    The pirates obviously had no idea what was going on and simply stared at the massive Ax with wide eyes. Unlike what they had expected, it didn''t explode upon impact but shattered like a mirror. Its thousands of shards turned into dazzling rays of light and shot out in 360 degrees around it, sparing no one.


    The gargoyle knew it was something bad so as soon as the Ax started its descent, it flew more than 500 meters away yet even then it wasn''tpletely safe. A couple of rays of light reached it before it could even blink and passed through its body like butter.


    Unfortunately, the injury wasn''t life-threatening, only spraying putrid blood all over the ship. The lights vanished and a dested and bloody runway came into view.


    Everyone outside the barrier was dead. There was not a single thing alive. That one attack had killed hundreds of pirates at once but at a great cost.


    "COMMANDER!" a couple of cultivators ran out and caught the body falling from the sky. Matheo''s face was pale white and he looked a few years older. Thatst attack had drained every little bit of energy in him.


    "Run....go...its....useless.." he said weakly while looking towards the right. The others followed his line of sight and saw more than 26 new shipsnding on the other side. Dozens of pirates had already jumped out of the ships before they could evennd and were staring at them with bloodthirsty eyes.


    "Run..." Matheo repeated but his weak voice was barely audible due to the ship''s thrusters.


    Of the two cultivators, one was a 20 something-year-old bald man with two ck and red maces as his weapons. He stood up and walked a few feet forward, standing between the pirates and Matheo.


    "Take themander into the barrier, I''ll hold them off!"


    "But dear-" the female cultivator holding Matheo tried to speak up but was cut off.


    "GO! This is an order!" he yelled without turning back.


    The maces lit up with numerous sigils and faint silhouettes of 8 pces appeared behind his back, making him look even more imposing.


    The female cultivator had tears in her eyes but she gritted her teeth and obeyed. She carried Matheo and started running back towards the barrier. A few pirates saw that and ran to interrupt her before she could reach her destination.


    The bald man swung both his maces, bringing them down on the ground. A wind wall erected in front of the pirates, pushing them back as soon as they came into contact with it.


    "Around it!" one of them shouted and started running once again. The bald man raised the maces again but before he could bring them down, a shadow appeared above him, blocking off the light.


    He looked up and saw the gargoyle staring at him with a toothy maw, about to lunge at him. He gritted his teeth and continued his attack, sessfully managing to erect another wind wall.


    But now it was toote for him to dodge. He could feel the air move and a hideous silhouette appear from the corner of his eye.

 Chapter 360: Go nuts

    <h4>Chapter 360: Go nuts</h4>


    He felt the air move in front of him and a hideous silhouette appeared in his peripheral vision, blocking everything in sight.


    Even though he was a cultivator and a warrior that fought on the front lines every few days, death wasn''t something he often faced. But now he had no other choice.


    Although strangely enough, he wasn''t nervous in thisst moment. His heartbeat slowed down and a strange feeling overcame him.


    He closed his eyes, epting his fate. There was no better way to go out than trying to save the man that was like a second father to him. He wouldn''t have it any other way.


    "Come," he whispered, getting ready for a final rush of pain before embracing the darkness, but it never came. A few passed and he slowly opened his eyes to see the massive silhouette staring in another direction,pletely ignoring his existence.


    All the other warriors that were looking at the creature were also now looking in the same direction it was. He followed their line of sight and saw something he would remember for the rest of his life.


    It was a human boy.


    He stood at the edge of the runway, on top of a mid-sized pirate ship. His eyes were closed and it looked like he was simply enjoying the cold breeze as it brushed past his face with his arms outstretched, facing the hole in the broken barrier.


    There was a battle going on just a couple of hundred meters away yet it had nothing to do with him. But that wasn''t even the most shocking thing.


    A strange aura was continuously being released from his body. It passed through every creature on the runway no matter the cultivation, making their hearts skip a beat.


    Lightning danced in the sky above merrily, almost as if it was weing him.


    There was a smile on his face which along with his fair skin and long hair made him look mesmerizing to everyone present. He almost looked otherworldly.


    It was, of course, Hao Xuan.


    "I can finally feel it. This is the true power of the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique," he mumbled upon feeling the new strength moving through his veins.


    *Screech*


    A loud screech came from his left side, interrupting his ''enjoyment''. He opened his eyes and looked towards it. Two groups were staring at him. Neither of them knew what was going on. His brows furrowed as soon as he noticed the gargoyle.


    "Damn, you are one ugly bird. What''s wrong with you? It looks like you have a disease, my dude. Better get that checked out," he said while casually jumping off of the pirate ship and walking towards them.


    "O-Oi, is he one of ours?" a pig-faced pirate asked the others in confusion. He wasing from their ship but none of them had seen him before. They all looked at one another shaking their heads.


    "Attack him then! Kill them all!" one of them shouted, rousing the others to join in. Five of them started running towards Hao Xuan but he simply smiled in return.


    The cultivator who had all but given up his life looked at Hao Xuan with wide eyes. He wanted to warn him but something caught his eye. He looked at the gargoyle right in front of him, it was shaking. It was actually shaking.


    "Because of...him?" he asked himself but when he followed its line of sight, it was clear Hao Xuan was not the reason for that. The gargoyle was looking directly behind Hao Xuan, scared out of its mind.


    The five pirates ran towards Hao Xuan but when they were about 10 meters away from him, all of them stopped.


    "Huh? What''s going on? Why did you stop? Kill him!" someone shouted from the back but there was no response.


    Hao Xuan continued walking and passed the frozen pirates. And as he did, their heads separated from their bodies and fell to the ground.


    "WHAT?!"


    No one had seen him attack so they were all ''surprised'' to say the least, yet it was not enough to deter them.


    "Go! Everyone attack at once!" a creature with the head of a bear yelled. Presumably, it was one of their leaders. They all forgot about the barrier and the soldiers, running straight to Hao Xuan like mad dogs.


    It was like there was only one thought in their minds right now. Hao Xuan saw over 200 piratesing towards him and smiled.


    "That''s right,e closer," he murmured with a wicked grin. He looked more like an evil viin than a savior at this point.


    "Looks like you guys can finally have some fun. Go nuts," Hao Xuan said while waving his hand.


    Matheo who was losing consciousness looked over with his broken body and saw Hao Xuan. But to him, he didn''t look like a human.


    "A wolf in sheep''s clothing..." he spoke weakly, and as he did, two towering silhouettes crawled out from under the runway. More than a 100 meter long serpents, one ck, and one white. Their mouths stained with blood, their toothy maw even putting the gargoyle''s to shame.


    Yet they still weren''t the reason for its shaking, it was the one standing atop the white serpent.


    His green carapace reflecting the blue lightning-like a mirror. The scorpion king looked at the gargoyle with disdain.


    "Kneel before your king!" his beastly voice echoed in the gargoyles head, making it take a step back.


    From the ck serpent jumped down three silhouettes,nding directly in front of Hao Xuan. A giant with four arms, a human with a ck sword, and a Kappa.


    Hao Xuan turned his head halfway and looked at the Scorpion King, "Bring me the ugly one''s head. I want to see what it tastes like."


    His words felt like thunder to cultivators and warriors that were waiting for their deaths behind the barrier just a few seconds ago.

 Chapter 361: Voices

    <h4>Chapter 361: Voices</h4>


    *Riiip*


    The scorpion king stood on the gargoyles back, ripping off one of its stony wings with his bare hands. The gargoyle was trying its best to fight back but there was nopetition to speak off. It was afraid of going into the battle so the result was already determined.


    Ensis''s hand that was ced over the ck sword''s handle shook every now and then, and with every shake, a pirate would die, sometimes several. No one could see how he attacked, let alone avoid it. He casually walked through the battlefield taking lives one after another without the slightest change in expression.


    Monk towered over even the biggest beastman, instilling fear into their very hearts from just a single look. His right hands (Plural, since he has two arms on each side) gripped a spear of at least 5 meters of length, and in his left was a sickle with which he hooked any unsuspecting victims, tearing them in half with brute strength.


    Hao Xuan was once again standing in the middle of all this bloodshed with closed eyes. He was facing the sky as a light drizzle fell down through the broken barrier. His ears were constantly twitching and asionally he would move his head left and right as if listening to someone, and he was.


    He could hear voices in the air, whispers. Some loud, some too soft to even understand. Most didn''t make sense but a few did.


    *Caw*Caw*Caw*


    The cawing of crows was the loudest one followed by a few voices that were audible.


    "I once saw the other side of the universe. Everyone there was a copy of us, but they had no souls. Their eyes were as dark as the ckest ck, absorbing everything within. They always stare at us no matter where we are or what we''re doing, waiting for an opportunity to take us. I fear they may already be here..."


    The sound of a man''s raving came into his ears. He sounded very concerned andpletely believed what he was saying. It sounded like he was talking to someone but Hao Xuan could only hear him....at first.


    Soon after came other voices. A sound of a little girl talking this time.


    "I saw a ce that sometimes exists and sometimes doesn''t. It is everywhere, yet nowhere. You can always find it but...never get out of it. Do you want to see? Hehe..."


    It was like she was trying to convince someone.


    The next one was the quarreling of a younger and an older man. Hao Xuan felt like they were telling a story.


    "I once saw a serpent in the depths of the abyss. It was bigger than reality itself, so much so that we could all fit into one of its scales. It was trying to eat its own tail but could never finish. It is still there and one day when it does eat itself, we will all cease to exist," said the old man.


    "No no, how could that be true?", the younger man retorted. "Nothing is real in the first ce so how could we cease to exist? This is all but a dream. Its something we made up to keep us from thinking of the inky truth. That nothing is real. Not us, not this world. There is only darkness. That''s why it is our first memory and will be thest one as well. Hahaha!"


    *Caw*


    The cawing came again and the voices slowly died down. A bout of silence followed after, albeit momentarily.


    *Rattle*


    *Groooooowl*


    The nking of chains followed by a low growl of a beast. A monster! A sleeping monster. A chained monster.


    A cold tingling sensation went down Hao Xuan''s spine, prompting him to forcefully open his eyes.


    The first thing he saw was a dark, cloudy sky above, pregnant with lightning and thunder.


    Then he felt the cold raindrops on his skin, and then something warm in his left hand. He looked down and saw himself holding a spine, a human spine. There was a body just below his feet.


    He looked up and saw a few unfamiliar faces. He was in the middle and there were two groups facing off against one another to his left and right. The left group had a few familiar faces, Alte and his people. There was a giant creature at the front with the skull of a beast as a head.


    It was looking straight at Hao Xuan with literal fire in its eyes. It looked...surprised?


    Next to him were three girls. Two of them were looking away while covering their mouths while the third one, the prettiest of them all, she had an intoxicating smile on her lovely face.


    She was biting her lip, enjoying herself. She was looking at him like a hungry wolf.


    There were a few other people beside them, all exuding powerful auras.


    To his right were a group of hooded figures. Only the one in the front was showing his face and it was stered with shock. His eyes were open wide as he stared at Hao Xuan''s hand and then at the dead body below his feet.


    Hao Xuan looked behind him and saw all his severs standing there at full alert. He looked towards Ensis, confused.


    "What....happened?"

 Chapter 362: Sotir

    <h4>Chapter 362: Sotir</h4>


    10 minutes Earlier...


    Hao Xuan stood under the inky sky, enjoying the wind and the drizzle of the cold rain while his severs attacked the pirates around him. The pirates tried their best to put up a fight but it was of no use.


    The Scorpion King simply yed with the gargoyle like it was a disposable toy, ripping apart its body parts one by one with a cruel smile on his somewhat human-like face.


    Ensis, Monk, ck, White, and Bo (The Kappa) attacked the remaining pirates without holding anything back, clearing the entire runway within just a few minutes.


    Only the gargoyle was left at the end as it let out painful screams. Still, the Scorpion King did not deliver the final blow and watched it suffer from the air, enjoying every second of it.


    Matheo had already passed out long ago but his men were still watching the massacre from the sidelines with mouths agape.


    It was over before they even got a hold of the situation so all they could do was watch. The gargoyle dragged its bloody body across the runway, towards the warehouse on the side.


    Ensis frowned upon seeing the Scorpion king''s behavior but there was nothing he could do. The Scorpion King was the strongest sever under Hao Xuan so he would not be able to force him to stop. He looked at Hao Xuan still standing there with closed eyes and approached him with the intention to ask him for help.


    But before he could do so, the dying gargoyle reached the warehouse door and let out a weak howl, much like that of a dying dog.


    The vicious grin on the Scorpion King''s face widened even more as he floated above the gargoyle. His poisonous tail merrily swung left and right a couple of times before shooting towards the gargoyle''s head. It was time to finish it off.


    *ng*


    s, the result was not what he was expecting. His tail stopped a foot away from the gargoyles head. It was a hooded man that was responsible for it. He was literally holding the razor-sharp end of the Scorpion King''s tail with his bare hand like it waspletely normal.


    It is to be remembered that although the Scorpion king''s main abilities were not rted to poison, he still had a deadly extract in his tail that was capable of dissolving anyone it came into contact with.


    Yet the person in front of him didn''t even flinch, or rather, the Scorpion King did not see when he even appeared between him and his prey.


    His expression stiffened as he pulled back his tail from the hooded man''s grasp and moved back upon noticing the several other figures walking out of the warehouse.


    Their footsteps made no sound and even though everyone present could see them, they had no presence to speak off. It was like they were there but if the spectators took their eyes off of them for a second, they would forget about thempletely.


    The group of hooded figures consisted of about 16 people which judging from their builds looked like humans, albeit slightly taller. The hoods covered everything about them from their faces to their auras, not revealing even the slightest detail with the exception of one.


    The leader of the group, who was a burly man had half his face revealed. Either he did not care or it was done on purpose, but a white stubble was clearly visible on his face along with a cut that went across his entire neck.


    He turned to look at everyone on the runway, observing everyone present before looking at the gargoyle with disdain.


    "You pathetic creatures. All you had to do was create some trouble and hold on for a few minutes, and you couldn''t even aplish that. What good are you?"


    His voice was filled with utter contempt for the creature. He didn''t even care about the hundreds of dead pirates.


    The gargoyle raised its bruised head and spoke in a foreignnguage. The leader of the group was listened to what it had to say and burst outughing.


    "I paid YOU! Why should I lend you a hand instead? Stop wasting my time, Sotir!"


    The first hooded man that had saved the gargoyle from the Scorpion King''s attack faced the man and bowed from the waist. His name was apparently Sotir. He then turned around and thrust his bare arm into the gargoyle''s head like a hot knife through butter, killing it on the spot.


    The leader then looked towards Hao Xuan and Matheo''s men.


    "Finish them too. We don''t want too many witnesses," he said with a wave of his hand.


    "Yes, master!" Sotir replied with another bow. He then turned to face Hao Xuan''s group as they were the biggest threat.


    All the severs quickly surrounded Hao Xuan who was still standing there with his eyes closed.


    Sotir twisted his left foot at a 90-degree angle and suddenly shot forward in a strange manner. He kept moving in and out of sight, appearing and disappearing, or so it seemed to others. But he was moving with such extreme speed that only Ensis and the Scorpion King were able to follow his movements.


    He covered a distance of 200 meters within a blink of an eye and appeared right in front of the first of the severs, the Scorpion King.

 Chapter 363: Too late

    <h4>Chapter 363: Toote</h4>


    The Scorpion King was ready for him this time and as soon as Sotir got in melee range, heshed out like a crazed bull.


    *GROWL*


    His ws left green afterimages in the air as they ripped Sotir in two, or so he thought.


    But that was just his afterimage and he had already passed the Scorpion King. His pupils shrunk as he realized who Sotir''s actual target was.


    "STOP HIM!" he grolwed towards Ensis who was closest to Hao Xuan and the only other person capable of interrupting him.


    Ensis''s ck robe fluttered as he pulled the sword halfway from the sheath and bent his knees, ready to attack. His eyes moved left and right, following the faint images left behind in the air from where Sotir had been.


    There wasn''t much to Sotir''s ability. He was just extremely fast and strong. And more often than not, it was enough to handle any opponents he faced.


    For Ensis, time had slowed down to a crawl.


    The raindrops stopped movingpletely. His squinted eyes were flittering all over the ce. Left, right, front. One second Sotir was there and the next he was gone.


    Ensis tightened the grip around the ck sword while his eyes glimmered on their own. Every single drop of God''s Blood coursing through his veins was activated all at once.


    His aura shot up and broke through directly to the top of the Spirit realm in an instant.


    "There!"


    A shadow appeared for 100th of a second to his left and before he could even think, the ck sword had already left its sheath.


    *SLASH!*


    A ck crescent-shaped Qi cut apart the air itself and pierced the shadow.


    *Phew*


    Ensis let out the breath he had been holding in and his senses returned to normal. The raindrops continued their descent and everything returned to its usual speed.


    But as soon as Ensis rxed, he noticed a new group of people standing on his left, staring at them with wide eyes.


    They didn''t emit any killing intent so there were probably no bad intentions. But the surprised look on their faces drew his interest.


    He followed their line of sight and turned around to see Hao Xuan, at which point his mouth almost fell open due to several reasons.


    In front of Hao Xuan stood Sotir with his right hand around Hao Xuan''s neck.


    "Who then..." Ensis looked back at the silhouette he had cut down and saw a pirate corpse cut in two.


    At some point Sotir had picked it up and threw it out to draw Ensis''s attention towards it while he himself approached his original target, Hao Xuan.


    Sotir was raised by his master from a young age, who himself was one of the most sought after mercenaries in the entire region.


    Taught in the ways of the Shadow Assasins, he knew to always target the weakest one first, which to him was Hao Xuan. So he did exactly that.


    Avoiding all the others he appeared right in front of Hao Xuan and had his hand around his throat before anyone could realize what was happening.


    ***


    Alte, Ceni, and Ignac''s group moved from the control room and made their way down towards the warehouse. They killed any pirates that had managed to break-in on their way which took a bit longer than expected.


    But when they reached the runway, the battle had already ended. There was just ast fight going on between one of the hooded men and a group of monsters and people they didn''t recognize, well no one other than Alte, Ceni, and three others knew them.


    Ceni''s brow scrunched up as soon as she saw Hao Xuan. She leaned in towards Alte and whispered.


    "Big brother, is that him?"


    Alte who was in somewhat of shock himself nodded nkly.


    "He woke up a few hours ago, but why is he here? And who are those monsters around him? Why are they fighting?"


    Ceni heard Alte''s series of questions and understood he barely knew anything so she didn''t bother asking again. Instead, she put an innocent smile on her face and looked up at Ignac who was towering over her.


    "Uncle Ignac, can you save that man over there? I want to talk to him," she pointed at Hao Xuan.


    Ignac who was initially looking at the leader of the hooded men shifted his gaze towards Hao Xuan and shook his head.


    "He is peeking through the veil, no need to help him. He will not be hurt, not by that man at least."


    "Eh?"


    Ceni was, understandably, incredulous at hisment. That hooded figure had at least the cultivation of the Profound realm even though he wasn''t using it. How could he not get to Hao Xuan?


    ***


    Sotir quickly put some strength in his hand and closed his grasp, intending on beheading Hao Xuan in one smooth motion when he noticed something was amiss.


    He couldn''t gather any Qi. It was all in disarray and no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn''t listen to him.


    A cold feeling spread out from his abdomen. He looked down and saw Hao Xuan''s left arm halfway inside his abdomen.


    "Wh...at..."


    He tried to move back but a sharp, cold pain went down his spine and he could feel Hao Xuan''s hand touching it. He looked up to see his face but his eyes were still closed.


    "Asleep...?" he muttered weakly, holding onto Hao Xuan''s arm for dear life.


    But no matter how much he tried to free himself, it was all useless. His body simply wasn''t listening to him. All his Qi and energy might as well belong to a stranger.


    The leader of the hooded figures saw Hao Xuan''s hand poking out of Sotir''s back and for a second he was dumbfounded. How was this possible? How could it ever be possible?


    He wanted to step in and stop him but a heart-wrenching sound reached his ears before he could. He looked over and saw Hao Xuan standing over Sotir''s limp body.


    In his hand was Sotir''s entire spinal column and below him was his already dead body.


    Hao Xuan looked back at Ensis in confusion, "What...happened?"

 Chapter 364: Giles

    <h4>Chapter 364: Giles</h4>


    "What....happened?"


    "Master, you don''t remember?"


    "No I-"


    "HOW DARE YOU!"


    Ensis''s and Hao Xuan''s conversation was cut short by the yell from of the leader of the hooded figures.


    Before any of Hao Xuan''s severs could react, a heavy pressure fell on the entire group. Everyone, including the Scorpion King, fell to their knees.


    ck and White couldn''t even raise their heads and were pushed into the runway.


    Hao Xuan used every little bit of strength he could muster and looked up to see a middle-aged man staring daggers at him. There was a scar along his neck, making it look like he waspletely beheaded at some point.


    His expression was one of pure rage, no other way to put it.


    "You little shit stain, how fucking DARE YOU!" he shouted and threw out a simple punch.


    The distance between them was over 200 meters but Hao Xuan could clearly see a giant red fist closing in on him.


    Before the leader was able to finish his movement, the punch was already less than 10 feet away from Hao Xuan. It covered the entirety of his view. There was no sky and no earth.


    The only thing he could see was the gigantic fist about to crush him.


    He tried to move but it was like his body had given up. The only thing he could do was close his eyes and mumble indignently, "God damnit..."


    But a couple of seconds passed and nothing happened.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes again and saw the fist frozen just a foot away from him.


    "Huh?" he was stupified.


    ''Did I do this?'' was his first thought, obviously incorrect.


    To his left, Ignac had raised his now w-like hands. His hand was opened, making the stop gesture. He momentarily observed the fist before nodding and looking at the leader of hooded figures.


    "Mihael of the Kenzo group. What business do you have on my ship?" his loud, husky voice echoed through the air.


    He rotated his hand, turning it around 180 degrees. And along with his hand''s movement, the gigantic fist retreated and disappeared as if it had never been there from the start. It was like watching a movie in reverse.


    Mihael was the name of the leader of the hooded figures. Seeing as how his identity was exposed, he gave up and removed his hoodpletely, exposing his face.


    A middle-aged man of about 40 years of age from the looks of it. Burly build, no other scar other than the one on his neck. A light stubble on his chin and a head full of white hair.


    "Demonling," he responded with a scornful expression.


    His tone was derisive and the way he pronounced the word demonling, it sounded like an insult.


    And it was meant to be one.


    ''Demonling'' was a derogatory term for half-human and half-demon hybrids.


    The expressions of several of the department heads that were apanying Ignac turned ugly. Two of them even stepped out but were stopped by Ignac. There was no change in Ignac''s facial expressions, not that many would be able to notice it anyway.


    "Why are you on my ship?" he repeated once again, his voice sounding even calmer than before.


    Mihael smiled.


    "No reason. I just wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. I thought these ships would be much more impressive but they''re not much eh?" he replied while stomping lightly. The entire ship shook once and a 20-meter long crack appeared on the runway right below his feet.


    Ignac looked at him for a moment before responding.


    No one said or did anything in the meantime. Hao Xuan didn''t even bother getting up and just stayed on his knees, simply listening in on the conversation.


    "The Fehim group of industries wees all friends and customers. But you are neither a customer nor a friend. I will ask you to leave now. We have a schedule to keep."


    Mihael''s smile widened upon hearing that. He didn''t take it to heart and simply shook his head.


    "Nah, I think I''ll stay. How about we have a bout of friendly duels to pass the time. I brought a few promising youngsters from my n. Five versus five battle to the death, how about it?"


    Ceni frowned upon hearing the mention of the 5v5 battle. There was only one ce where something like that would happen and Mihael wasn''t even trying to hide it.


    "Uncle Ignac, they are trying to dy us on purpose. You must take care of them quickly. We are already behind schedule as it is."


    Ceni had spoken out loud so Mihael heard her loud and clear.


    "Little princess, even though he might be a demonling, there is still no way for him to force me to do anything....not unless he wants to lose this ship..."


    Ceni threw a hateful nce towards him but stayed silent.


    Ignac was extremely powerful and his ability made him fearsome even against stronger opponents. She looked at him for confirmation and he nodded back.


    "It is true. One of those people can counter myw. I can feel it," he said looking at one of the people behind Mihael.


    Mihael''s smile widened even more but froze when he heard the next sentence.


    "But don''t worry. Giles is already on his way."


    "Impossible! Giles has been called away for the gctic war. There is no way he is back so soon!" Mihael retorted swiftly.


    The person in question was Ceni''s blood uncle, unlike Ignac. He was a high level genius and had been recruited into the personal army of an ancient.


    Ignac still didn''t react in any way and simply looked up at the sky.


    "Don''t believe me. He will be here soon himself. You can ask him yourself why he came back."


    Everyone followed his line of sight and looked up to see the sea of ck clouds separating. It was like an invisible hand had parted the cloudy sky into two.


    One of the hooded figures suddenly came forward and clicked a few times on his spirit band.


    "He is right, master. I can pick up signatures of a warp drive. Someone ising!"

 Chapter 365: Giles Continued

    <h4>Chapter 365: Giles Continued</h4>


    Hao Xuan, like the others, looked up to see a parted sky. It looked almost biblical...


    There were a few stars and 3 different suns visible in the distance but their light never reached down even though he could see them, which made no sense.


    The space between the parted clouds was twisting and turning like it was about to spit something out. He focused on the spot and everything went ck for a second.


    Hao Xuan''s ears started ringing and his vision became blurry.


    As he knelt in between Mihael and Ignac, trying to listen in on their conversation, his head was pounding like a jackhammer. A migraine apanied by the pulsating pain that came and went in waves.


    He could hear their words but not focus on them or understand what they meant.


    "What''s...going on..."


    He sat down where he was. His vision had gotten so bad that he could barely make out rough shapes and could only hear vague echoes. These along with the migraine left him all but crippled at the moment.


    "Ensis! Come here!" he yelled in panic and held out his hand.


    But it wasn''t Ensis that answered his call.


    "Hey handsome, don''t worry, I''m here."


    A sweet voice came into his mind and a petite hand tightly grasped his.


    "Focus on my voice, it''s fine. Everything will be fine," the voice came again. With no other option, he did just that, and soon the only thing he could hear was her voice.


    "Who are you?" he asked out loud. He wasn''t even able to stand right now so talking through spiritual sense was next to impossible.


    "You don''t remember? After all those nights we spent together?"


    *Giggle*


    "The princess?"


    Hao Xuan obviously had no idea what she was talking but he recognized her voice with thest sentence.


    "Hehe, call me Ceni, or darling."


    "Argh!"


    There was another surge of pain followed by the sensation of a hot liquid going down the side of his face. A vein had burst on his forehead from the pressure but as soon as it did, the pain lessened significantly.


    "Don''t worry, I''m here," Ceni''s voice came again and he could feel her gently wiping away the blood from his face.


    "T-Thank you..."


    The vision was starting to return so with Ceni''s help he stood up.


    It felt awkward as he tried his best not to rely on her as much as possible but she wouldn''t let him go.


    He could feel her hair brushing past his face and inadvertently took in a whiff of her perfume.


    It smelled like....fruit? Like every kind of fruit all at once and for some reason he got really hungry from it.


    *BAAANG*


    The ground shook beneath his feet and a bang so loud that even he could hear came from the front.


    He raised his hand instinctively and created a barrier to surround himself and Ceni but there was no impact.


    "Don''t worry, take your time. Uncle Giles is here, just...rx."


    Her words prated the very depth of his psyche and he couldn''t help but rx. The barrier vanished and his vision almost returned to normal, albeit not his hearing.


    The first thing he saw was Ceni''s smiling face looking back at him. She winked upon seeing him looking at her.


    "Don''t fall for me just yet, the thrill is in the chase," she said through spiritual sense, leaving Hao Xuanpletely speechless.


    He ignored her and looked up to see something that he would remember for the rest of his life.


    Between the parted clouds floated a ship, a battleship! It was several timesrger than the one they were on, at more than 15 kilometers in length.


    It was also a different design. Theirs looked more ''steampunky'' whereas this one was much more modern. (Pic in authors notes)


    But it wasn''t the ship that Hao Xuan would remember, rather the people that came out of it.


    About 300 meters above the runway floated more than a thousand soldiers all dressed in the same white armor.


    There were no energy fluctuations that could be observed from them so they were obviously flying naturally. A thousand profound realm cultivators covered the entire sky like a.


    And at the very front was a handsome man that seemed to be in histe twenties. He had fiery red hair and held a bronze gtine in his right hand which was giving out a horrendous amount of killing intent.


    Just a few dozen meters in front were the 15 hooded figures standing against him. Mihael''s expression looked quite simr to when a person eats something bad and they realize it only after swallowing it.


    He couldn''t hear what they were saying but Mihael''s worried expression and the red-haired man''s angry one summed it up quite well.


    The red-haired man raised his gtine and a bright red light enveloped Hao Xuan''s entire vision. That was thest thing he saw before passing out.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Battleship for reference: https://urlzs/EKKr6

 Chapter 366: Calling home

    <h4>Chapter 366: Calling home</h4>


    *Rumble*


    ''Huh...?''


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and was weed by darkness.


    "What?" he tried to speak but when he opened his mouth, his tongue touched something hairy.


    He quickly jumped up and realized what was blocking his vision.


    "Meow!"


    Zhurong meowed with a brokenhearted expression. He was just resting on Hao Xuan''s face and was suddenly flung through the air like a ragdoll.


    *Cough*


    Hao Xuan coughed up a few hairs and looked at Zhurong angrily.


    "Don''t look at me like that you dick. Why the hell were you sitting on my face?!"


    "MEOW MEOW!" Zhurong retorted loudly and looked away proudly as if to say ''You should be grateful to be my royal seat!''.


    Like he was doing Hao Xuan a favor. He then walked out of the room through an open ss door at the back that led outside.


    Hao Xuan got up and fumbled around the room, almost losing his bnce. The migraine was back again albeit in a much lower intensity.


    "Baracus, how long have I been out this time? This is really getting out of hand..."


    *Beep*


    "Only 4 days this time. At least the intervals are getting shorter," Baracus replied in his usual nonchnt voice.


    "Silver lining...eh? Where am I?"


    "This is the room Jin Wang bought for you."


    "Okay, and why am I naked?" Hao Xuan asked when he felt a breeze pass through between his legs and realized he wasn''t wearing anything.


    "That...you would have to ask that purple-haired girl."


    "The hell does that mean? Did she do something weird to me while I was out?"


    "Please define parameters for "weird". She did a few things but I wouldn''t personally ssify them as bad."


    "You''re a fucking robot, our moral standards are significantly different. Screw it, I''ll deal with itter. Wheres the bathroom?" he asked while rubbing his temples.


    Hao Xuan freshened up and put on his usual white hanfu. It was simple,fortable, and easy to move in. That''s why he preferred it even over the more fashionable clothing.


    He came back out and observed the room. It was pretty big for one person with a bed, a couch, and a few other pieces of furniture. Much better than the room he woke up in the first ce which just had 2 bunk beds.


    He walked towards the ss door and admired the view which was quite breathtaking.


    There was a clear blue sky visible outside and the sun was shining brightly. There was a swimming pool just 5 meters away around which several familiar faceszed about.


    Around the pool was a 4 feet tall wooden fence and behind that were several other buildings the same as the one he was in. He could see many different kinds of people there.


    All the buildings were in a circle and between them was ake of at least 2-3 kilometers in diameter. There were around 20-30 people in there as well.


    One thing to note was that there were only youngsters here. Each and every one of these people seemed to be in their twenties at most.


    If he didn''t know any better he would have thought this was a scene out of an American teen movie.


    He stepped out.


    All his severs were there. Bo (the kappa), Fortis, ck, and White were swimming around in the water while the rest were sitting around the pool sunbathing. Well, everyone other than the Scorpion King and Ensis who sat right next to the ss door in the shadow of the building, one on each side.


    "Master!" Ensis quickly got up and bowed upon seeing Hao Xuan walk out, while the Scorpion King made no movements and sat there like a statue, pretending to be asleep.


    "Rx rx, sit down," Hao Xuan waved at him and ignored the Scorpion Kingpletely.


    He went towards the only avable seat around the pool but was interrupted by ck and White who lept into his arms.


    "Haha, you guys having fun? Don''t mind me, go y in the water," he said throwing them back into the pool. Bo who was still contemting whether or not to get out and was ecstatic to hear that and dove straight down.


    Upon reaching the seat Hao Xuan noticed a little white furball sitting on the giant chair alone. Zhurong looked up with a conceited expression. He didn''t say anything but Hao Xuan knew what he meant.


    ''Come to apologize have you? No forgiveness!''


    "Move," Hao Xuan grabbed him from the back of his neck and sat down in the chair.


    "MEOW!!!"


    "Yeah yeah, do your worst," Hao Xuan didn''t take his threats to heart and put him on hisp. Even though Zhurong was angry, he didn''t try to get away and simply looked the other away while pretending to be angry.


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath. This was the first time in a long time he could rx.


    "Baracus, connect me to Xu Qing."

 Chapter 367: "Entertainment"

    <h4>Chapter 367: "Entertainment"</h4>


    "Connect me to Xu Qing."


    *Beep*


    "Not possible. There is no service here. The only way to call back is to hack into the mainwork of the continent or piggyback through someone that has the permissions."


    "How were we calling Wu Jin then?"


    "He has the perms on his Spirit Band. I was just using that for 2-waymunication. Unfortunately, that''s all I can do at the moment."


    "God sakes, fine."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and regted his breathing while the severs enjoyed themselves around him. The meditation helped a lot when it came to reducing the migraines.


    "Yo, you''re up early eh?" he heard Jin Wang''s voice and a stream of cold water hit him in the face.


    The migraine that was on the verge of fading away returned in full force. He opened his eyes and saw a tanned Jin Wang grinning at him from the other side of the fence with a white water sphere in his hand.


    "Very mature. Come here, I have to ask you a few things," Hao Xuan said trying to control his temper as much as he possibly could. Jin Wang hesitantly obliged.


    Hao Xuan was on the 4th stage of the Spirit realm. He had already created 4plete mind pces and one that he had been working on for a while but getting nowhere. It was like there was a haze blocking his view from seeing thepleted mind pce.


    They sat there under the sun that never went down for several hours. Hao Xuan had a lot of questions about cultivation and a few other things, but it seemed like even Jin Wang didn''t know everything. He was stumped just a few minutes in, even though he tried his best to give as much of an exnation as he possibly could.


    They were only 6 days out now from reaching the academy so Hao Xuan decided to wait and get the information he needed from a teacher there or another learned person.


    The days went by rather slowly. Hao Xuan stayed in his room and didn''t go out further than the pool.


    He found out from Jin Wang that each of these youngsters residing in the buildings around him were the children of powerful families or princes and princesses from the powers in the region they came from. And all of them were going to the Academy of Sollertia.


    He meditated during the day and cultivated during the night. For some reason he couldn''t fall asleep. Jin Wang said it wasn''t unheard of especially from people in Hao Xuan''s condition.


    No one other than Jin Wang came to visit, not even Ceni who he expected to at least pay a visit after she found out he was awake, but she never did and he never got to ask her why everyone was going to the academy.


    He expected there to be several questions when they found out about his severs, because it was clear he wasn''t a runaway ve maybe they didn''t care or just forgot, but no one bothered him at all.


    On the sixth day, his spirit band vibrated with an announcement that was sent to everyone on-board. They had reached the academy and everyone was to vacate within the hour.


    Hao Xuan was, of course, waiting for this moment and he called everyone back to the Mind Pce and left with Jin Wang, Fortis, and Zhurong.


    Since he was in the VIP area he had to leave along with all the spoiled brats that had been sunbathing and partying since he had woken up. Not once did he see any of them cultivating so obviously he didn''t have a very good image of them.


    And that feeling was mutual. Hao Xuan kept to himself and even when a few of them tried to approach his residence they were turned back by Ensis. Everything from his clothing to the way he walked screamed his social status. They all knew he wasn''t a royal or from a powerful background so they started treating him as such.


    The VIP''s were all standing in a line in front of a gate protected by 4 cultivators.


    A blond-haired boy the same age as Hao Xuan stood at the front of the line with three girls around him. He had red sunsses on and half-open shirt showing his abs.


    "Why is it taking so long this time?" one of the girls around him pouted while hugging his arm. They had been waiting for over 10 minutes. Usually, there was no waiting required for VIP''s so this was unusual for sure.


    "Apparently there is a special guest on-board. It''s for their security love, don''t worry we''ll be out soon," he replied with a wink. He knew a cultivator guarding the gate and had inquired about it beforehand.


    There was a wave of hushed murmurs. the same girl turned around to see Hao Xuan arrive along with Jin Wang, they were about 8 spots behind them.


    "Micha, look it''s him," she whispered. ''Micha'' turned around to see who she was referring to and a smile quickly bloomed on his face.


    "Oh look, our entertainment has arrived everyone," he said rather loudly, getting the attention of over 50 people that were already there.

 Chapter 368: "Entertainment" Continued

    <h4>Chapter 368: "Entertainment" Continued</h4>


    "Oh look, our entertainment has arrived everyone!"


    Everyone turned around to look at Hao Xuan and Jin Wang standing at the end of the line. Several of them pretended to talk amongst themselves but they were loud enough that the rest could hear them clearly.


    "Hahaha, look at him."


    "Wow, the rumors were true!"


    "Why did they let someone like that into the VIP area? Don''t they know money can''t buy ss?"


    "Yeah, I''ll have to talk to father when I go back. This is entirely uneptable!"


    Hao Xuan was rubbing his temples when out of nowhere he heard the crowd''s jeering. Well, it wasn''t everyone but more than half the people there decided toment on the situation while the rest acted like nothing was happening.


    ''Did I somehow end up in an old historical drama? What the hell is with these guys?''


    He wanted to say a few things in return but decided against it. It wasn''t worth risking his migraine getting worse so in the end he stayed silent and ignored thempletely.


    "Haha, I know right? Just stay with the people you belong with. Why put yourself in such situations?"


    "Heye on, the guy is probably retarded. Give him a break yeah?" Micha chimed in with a ridiculous little smirk on his face that would make one''s skin crawl.


    "Hahaha, they have to be!"


    And like that, they continued their remarks andments for the next couple of minutes until another party arrived. Everyone went silent and stood up straight like they were afraid to look bad.


    Micha''s expression suddenly turned serious as he stepped aside and bowed from the waist.


    "Princess Ceni, Princess Tam, and Princess Orna, I was saving the spot for you! Please!"


    It was Ceni''s party that had just arrived. Apparently, the two girls in her entourage were also princesses.


    She wore a ck dress that made her look quite elegant. The other two were also in simr attire and all of them looked beautiful. They were at least the prettiest ones in that room.


    Ceni smiled upon hearing Micha''s obvious lie. Normally she would never even use the same entrance as them so no one could know she would be here.


    She passed by everyone and went to the front with the other 2 princesses and Alte''s group in tow without saying a word. She only gave a slight nod to Micha who had taken the second spot.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even bother opening his eyes throughout. Ceni was a little surprised when she saw him standing in line but didn''t go up to him either.


    Micha pushed the three girls that were behind away and put on a cordial smile.


    "I had heard we had a special guest on-board, but I never would have expected it would be the Princess. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said while doing a gentleman''s bow.


    All the others in line were looking at him enviously. What they wouldn''t give for an opportunity like this...


    But surprisingly the princess didn''t even acknowledge his existence. Micha looked up to see Ceni staring towards Hao Xuan. She was talking to him through the spirit sense.


    "Why didn''t you say anything to them?"


    She had heard most of thements before even entering the area. Her only curiosity was at Hao Xuan''s silence.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes halfway and met hers, replying through spiritual sense as well.


    "Do you stop and respond every time a mutt barks at you?"


    Ceni was surprised by his response. The prince of a grade 2 kingdom was a mutt? What about all the other''s then?


    But before she could ask, Micha stepped forward and pointed at Hao Xuan.


    "How dare a filthy bumpkin stare at Royalty?! Guards, take his eyes out!"


    Micha was trying to chat up Ceni while he had the chance but to his surprise and shame, shepletely ignored him. Instead, she was staring at this nobody while he met her gaze without any reluctance, something even he wasn''t able to.


    Of course, the others saw what was happening as well and several of them held back theirughters, letting out a snicker or two here and there. So he did the only reasonable thing he could think off and med Hao Xuan.


    Two of the guards jumped at the opportunity to impress them and pointed their swords at Hao Xuan.


    "You bastard! Do you have no shame?!"


    Hao Xuan and Ceni both were taken aback by the sudden shouting. Ceni''s expression turned ugly as she tried to stop them.


    "Stop! What do you thin-"


    But before she could finish that one sentence, Micha waved his hand and a longbow appeared in his grasp.


    He pulled back the string and an arrow made of pure Qi appeared on the arrow shelf. Without waiting for anything else he released the string and a white light shot straight towards Hao Xuan.


    Jin Wang raised his arm trying to grab the arrow but was stopped by Hao Xuan.


    Instead, with a simple smile, Hao Xuan looked at the iing light and raised his right hand. When the arrow was a meter away from him, he mumbled something under his breath.


    "Devour!"


    The next second, the light vanished as if it was never there. Everyone stared at Hao Xuan with wide eyes, Micha being at the forefront.


    Even though he didn''t have time to fire a fully formed arrow, it still wasn''t something that should not have been taken care of that easily. Micha could feel the stares boring holes in his face as he pulled back the string once more with gritted teeth.


    "Ray of Light!"

 Chapter 369: Lover Boy

    <h4>Chapter 369: Lover Boy</h4>


    "Ray of Light!"


    Before anyone had the chance to do anything else, Micha was already pulling back the string once again, this time even further than before.


    Blue light congregated in the arrow shelf, bing brighter and brighter by the second. Everyone around him had to take a few steps back and look away from it.


    Alte''s expression hardened.


    "The little prince is quite talented indeed to be able to use ''that'' skill at his age. It is a shame he is of such low moral character. Should I intervene?" he asked Ceni through spirit sense.


    Ray of Light was part of a set of skills created by the founding father of the Kingdom of ''Dar'', Micha''s great great great grandfather. He was a renowned archer in his time and had numerous aplishments to his name when he passed. His Archery was known for being fast and deadly. He was a menace on the battlefield that had taken the heads of many enemymanders from the other end of the battlefield.


    And it seemed like his main cultivation technique was still being passed down through the ''Dar'' family and Micha had even managed to learn one of the first skills. That was why Alte was concerned. It wouldn''t be a simple quarrel anymore if that attack was unleashed.


    The blue arrow continued to grow until it was over 1.5 meters in length. It was released out a stupendous amount of energy that even made Hao Xuan frown.


    "Why do you keep pushing me?" he murmured.


    He was about to summon the Scorpion King to take care of the brat once and for all when the 5-meter wide door behind Ceni abruptly opened, grabbing everyone''s attention.


    "Stop!"


    With the authoritative shout, a spiritual pressure fell on the entire crowd, other than Hao Xuan and Jin Wang, even Ceni and Alte weren''t left out of it.


    The arrow Micha was about to unleash distorted and broke apart into smithereens along with the shout. There was a strong spiritualpression in the air. It didn''t affect the body, only the Qi and the Mind.


    Alte was left aghast when he realized he couldn''t even muster any Qi. He and everyone else here was a sitting duck. He stood in front of Ceni along with the 3 others, and the bodyguards of all the other prince and princesses did the same.


    The three girls who were acting scared a minute ago behind Micha suddenly looked like different people. Cold expressions adorned their pretty faces as they surrounded him from all side.


    ''So there were his bodyguards?'' Hao Xuan was quite surprised to see that.


    The sound of footsteps came from outside and in walked a group of 6 people. Four of them were the department heads of the ship, respectively trailing behind two others.


    Ceni and Alte both frowned and somewhat rxed when they saw them.


    The party came closer and everyone present got a clear look at the two people in front. Almost all of them were shocked to the core upon seeing them.


    In the lead was a woman of 30 years of age in a ck pantsuit. She had a pale whiteplexion and a forehead that was twice the size of a normal person''s. There were two red dots around her nose. She was the one responsible for releasing the spiritual pressure but not the reason for everyone''s shock. It was the smaller boy next to her.


    He had the same facial features, only the dots around his nose were of a golden color. He didn''t look older than 16 or 17 at most.


    "Junior greets Senior brother!" Ceni bowed at an angle of 30 degrees as soon as they came closer.


    Her voice woke up everyone else present. All the spoiled brats that were acting so Nobel a second ago bowed even lower than her, including Micha. His anger dissipated like smoke.


    "Juniors greet Senior brother!" they all repeated the same thing.


    Only their bodyguards remained silent but they bowed nheless. This was a show of respect to someone of a much higher status. Someone that was born to be their better!


    The boy ignored all of them, only ncing at Ceni and giving a faint nod before passing her.


    None of them got up, staying in those positions, even Ceni. She looked at one of the female department heads that passed by and contacted her through spirit sense.


    "Why is the young master here?" she asked with a deep frown. They should have told her if he wasing so she could have prepared.


    "We don''t know either princess. He just appeared 20 minutes ago saying he was here to pick someone up," the department head shook her head helplessly.


    The boy passed by everyone, stopping in front of thest two people and the only ones still standing straight.


    They all looked towards Hao Xuan with amused expressions.


    "That''s what you get peasant."


    "The fool just signed his own death warrant!"


    "Idiot, his ignorance has lead to his death..."


    These were the type of thoughts going through their minds. Micha smiled resplendently for he knew what was toe. Ceni''s expression became a bit dark and she tried to speak up but was stopped by Alte, who silently shook his head.


    Hao Xuan looked down at the teenager in front of him with a dissatisfied expression. One of the middleaged department heads quickly stepped forward. His ck beard shaking with every word.


    "What are you doing? Bow ri-"


    The boy raised his hand, silencing him.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh while looking at the boy.


    "You''rete."


    The boy looked down, trying not to meet his gaze.


    "I''m sorry, you didn''t give much of a heads up. I thought there was still a day left."


    "It''s fine, let''s go. I''ve been cooped up in this damned ship for too long," Hao Xuan waved his hand and started walking out.


    The boy was, of course, Wu Jin.


    Ceni''s dainty little mouth fell open. If it was a cartoon, her chin would be on the floor right now. All the others had almost the same expressions on their faces, all of them.


    Wu Jin followed behind silently like a child that had done something wrong. There was pin-drop silence in the chamber with the only sounding from Hao Xuan, Jin Wang, Wu Jin, and her caretaker''s shoes.


    *Tap*Tap*Tap*


    The faint sound fell directly onto Micha''s heart as he saw a white silhouette stop in front of him and a heavy hand patted his back as a whisper came into his ear.


    "I''ll be seeing you, lover boy. Next time we meet, show me that arrow again and I''ll show you what I got."


    Micha''s heart was in his throat as he gulped and forcefully nodded without saying a word.


    He then passed by Ceni, ignoring herpletely.


    *Tap*Tap*Tap*Tap*Tap*


    And just like that, the sound of their footsteps slowly disappeared and their backs vanished from view.


    "Who the fuck was he?!" someone shouted what was on everyone''s mind.


    Alte and Ceni exchanged nces with one another, confirming that neither knew of Hao Xuan''s actual background.


    ***


    Hao Xuan walked out of the chamber and saw the same chariot waiting for him that Wu Jin arrived in the first time they met.


    But he went past the unmanned chariot and looked at the scenery behind. It was truly marvelous.


    "The academy lives up to its name," he said in wonderment.

 Chapter 370: Lower City

    <h4>Chapter 370: Lower City</h4>


    The Ship was parked alongside a gigantic tform that held it in ce. Hao Xuan was standing on the very edge, looking down at the densely packed city a few kilometres in the distance.


    It didn''t exactly match the image he had in mind when he first heard about the academy of Sollertia but it surely wasn''t anything bad. The architecture was a mix of British Victorian-era buildings and traditional Chinese residences back from earth.


    The entire ce was jam-packed with buildings on top of one another. There was not a single piece ofnd here that didn''t have a several hundred years old structure on top of it. There was a massive river filled with crystal clear blue water that snaked through the entirety of bustling conurbation with huge bridges and boats decorating it every few kilometres. (Img in authors note)


    With his eyesight, he was able to see for several dozen kilometres but there was still no end to it. It waspletely different from any of the Mei''s cities.


    "How far does it go?" he mumbled to himself.


    Wu Jin who was behind him came forward and stood beside him, overlooking the same scenery.


    "This is just one of the outer areas. The entire ce is far too big to even measure now. It keeps expanding as more and more people decide to put down roots."


    "Is the entire academy like this? So tightly packed?"


    Wu Jin looked at him with a raised eyebrow and shook his head.


    "Please don''t say things like that in front of other people, you''ll only embarrass yourself. This isn''t the academy, it''s just the lower city beneath it. The academy is up there," he pointed up.


    Hao Xuan looked up but only saw a few clouds in the azure sky.


    "In the sky?"


    "Yes. The actual academy floats above. You can only get to it through a few special teleportation portals around the lower city. It''s surrounded by numerous barriers so you can''t even see it normally."


    "Damn," Hao Xuan looked at the city once again. It looked truly spectacr from his point of view, but this was only a no-name city below it?


    "Let''s go before it gets dark," Wu Jin shouted from the chariot, waking Hao Xuan from his daze. He got into the unmanned chariot along with the other 3. Thedy in the pantsuit closed her eyes and ced her hand on a sigil next to her seat and the chariot took off like a rocket. Within a few seconds, it was so far away that Hao Xuan couldn''t even see the ship anymore.


    He poked his head out and watched the scenery quickly change below him. Fortis who was on his head also enjoyed the view, pointing at every little thing he saw. It was all new to him.


    Zhurong poked his head out of Hao Xuan''s shirt and calmly observed everything without much of a reaction. He looked like a bored prince sitting in Hao Xuan''s embrace like that.


    About an hour or so the chariot slowed down and came to half over a residential area. The buildings here looked like normal houses from Earth, with the tallest one only being two stories tall. It seemed like the earth he came from was influenced by this world in a much deeper way than he initially thought.


    The chariot stopped over a rtivelyrge house with a 100 meter wide garden at the back. It was very peaceful and the degree of ambient spiritual energy was several times higher than the Mei kingdom. He felt refreshed just by breathing in the air.


    Growls of beasts could be heard now and then, probably pet creatures of other cultivators.


    "This will be your ce while you''re getting ready for the tournament. It''s under my name directly so no one will bother you," Wu Jin exined while jumping down.


    Hao Xuan was so busy looking around that he almost missed the part about the tournament.


    "What tournament? You still haven''t exined how you''re gonna get me in the academy," he reminded.


    "Yes yes, let''s go inside first," Wu Jin waved his hand and entered the house first. Followed by Jin Wang and Hao Xuan. Thedy stayed next to the chariot.


    The inside of the house was almost exactly like what you would see from a ce like earth, almost eerily so. Zhurong and Fortis jumped down and disappeared somewhere as soon as he entered. He looked at Wu Jin with a deep frown,


    "Do all the houses look like this?"


    Wu Jin sat down on a sofa and smiled proudly.


    "I looked you up when I got back home. I know you came from one of the farmings so I chose this ce specifically, just to see your face. It was worth it!" he grinned.


    ''Farmings?''


    A thick vein popped up on Hao Xuan''s forehead as he red at the smug teenager.


    "Rx, you know I can''t do anything to you. I was just curious. Come sit, I''ll exin my n."


    Hao Xuan swallowed the curses back down that were in his throat and sat across from him without saying a word, quietly staring daggers at the boy.


    Wu Jin let out a sigh like an old man.


    "If you hade when I first called you a few months ago, you could have gotten into the academy rtively easily. All you had to do was pass an entrance exam and I could''ve taken care of the rest, s-"


    "I was busy. Past is the past, move on. What''s the n now?" Hao Xuan rudely interrupted.


    Wu Jin smiled, "I know. Now that you can''t get in normally, you will have to fight for it. There is an old tradition amongst the top academies of our continent. Every 5 years they hold a tournament where the newest batch of students from every academy participate for a grand prize. The first prize is 1 ''reasonable'' wish, any wish at all. If it is possible to fulfill it, then all the top academies will do their best to do so. The second and third prizes are just a few trinkets and favors."


    Hao Xuan nodded, "So you want me to participate in the tournament and get one of the top few ces?"


    Wu Jin let out a hollowugh.


    "I intended to, but you missed that deadline too by several weeks. I''m afraid now you''ll have to work for one of the bigger powers that are already in the tournament, beg them to let you in."

 Chapter 371: Information Dump

    <h4>Chapter 371: Information Dump</h4>


    "You want me...to beg someone to let me join?"


    Wu Jin nodded earnestly, "Yes."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan got up and started pacing around the room while scratching his chin. A couple of secondster he suddenly looked at Wu Jin with shimmering eyes as if a great idea popped into his mind.


    "Okay tell you what, how about I whoop your a*s, and then you go do whatever the hell you have to to get me into the tournament. That sound good?" he asked with a kind smile.


    Wu Jin froze where he was when he sensed the seriousness in Hao Xuan''s voice.


    ''He''ll really do it!''


    When he saw Hao Xuan walk towards him while cracking his knuckles, he quickly waved his hands.


    "Wait wait, I was kidding! I have a n, I swear!"


    Hao Xuan paused mid-stride and looked at him coldly, "You have 30 seconds."


    "I have a friend. He can get you in, trust me. You just have to do him a favor. That''s it!"


    "What kind of favor?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously.


    "I really don''t know, I swear. But it won''t be anything outrageous. He is a good friend of mine and I''ve known him since we were both kids," Wu Jin exined.


    "Alright, call him over right now."


    "I did, but you need to know a few things before he gets here, please..." Wu Jin could feel Hao Xuan''s patience running out so he put on his best puppy dog eyes and pleaded.


    It had the opposite effect on Hao Xuan and pissed him off even more, but he held back and didn''t say anything before hearing him out first. He didn''t want to bepletely unreasonable after all.


    *Sigh*


    "Fine, go ahead," Hao Xuan sat back down and took out a fruit juice from the storage space.


    "Haha, thank you," Wu Jin said with a fake smile.


    He was a young master of the Wu n yet right now he had to act like this in front of a random human. His mother would kill herself from embarrassment if she ever found out.


    "There are a few basic things that people in my position would always know. My friend knows that I won''t simply befriend a nobody so you have to at least act like you''re from the same social circle as me. Now, the most important thing to know is the history of the academy and the forces behind it."


    Wu Jin started his exnation while Hao Xuan listened intently.


    "The academy and the city''s below it are currently run by three major ns. Namely the Wu n, the Biric n, and the Lynn n. The Wu n as you very well know is of my ancestor, the Nine-tailed Fox."


    "The Biric n is thergest Elf n in the beast world and is made up of thousands of smaller Elf ns like the Wood-elves, the Dark elves etc. My friend is also from the Biric n. The Biric n is the biggest of the three and has the most people working in and around the academy."


    "Thest one, the Lynn n, is a n of Pixie Fairies. They don''t really bother with the academy much and do their own thing, but all of them can use extremely powerful magics and spirit attacks so don''t ever underestimate them."


    Hao Xuan was amazed by the sudden information dump and he had a few questions of his own.


    "Do the fairies and elves look like from the stories?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Like the elves are supposed to be eternally beautiful creatures that have extremely long lifespans, long ears, tall and stuff. And the pixie fairies are these little creatures of light with wings. Do they have all that?"


    "Well, the elves are actually like that. They all look very feminine if you ask me but are wildly popr with human females for some reason. And the fairies are just like us. Rtively normal sized but they do have wings on their backs and all of them are capable of flight from birth."


    "Damn, so some of the stories are true then?" Hao Xuan mumbled.


    "Wait, you mean you heard these things back on your?" Wu Jin asked curiously.


    "Yeah."


    "Someone had a loose mouth it seems..." Wu Jin murmured.


    "Oh, by the way, you said something about the farm, like the one I came from. What are they?"


    "Hmm? Oh, I was gonna tell you about them anyway. Farms are created by beings that stand at the very top of the cultivation world. They make theses and then move a few species there, one per of course. Yours only had humans I''m guessing."


    "Anyways, the point is to help theses reach a new tier of power. Just like us,s can also evolve. Once they have an eptable poption of cultivators, they slowly develop what''s called a guardian spirit. The guardian spirit controls the entire and is its soul basically. It levels up as its poption slowly gains sentience and bes stronger."


    "But what''s the point of that? Why not send high-level cultivators to live there instead? Wouldn''t that be faster?" Hao Xuan asked with a raised brow.


    Wu Jin shook his head.


    "No, it has to happen naturally, the process cannot be forced otherwise the guardian spirit can be twisted. And there are 2 main reasons we create theses. One, to get a new understanding or perhaps develop a new cultivation level. And two, so we can move deeper into the outer space."


    "You see, space is not as empty as most people think. It is littered with dangers at every turn and normals won''t survive out there for long. The creatures of the abyss and monsters and demons from other realms and worlds can easily break the veil ande to our universe. Deep within the void there live all kinds of nightmarish creatures. And onlys with guardian spirits are able to provide a sanctuary from all that....horror."


    "Usually, a is created and left alone in a pocket of space where time flows much faster than here. The sr system is more or less the same for each though. And then asionally we will send people to the to help guide them. But if there is no progress by the time the species reaches space travel, we send the upants to one of the bigger worlds and start a new."


    Wu Jin took in a deep breath. He saw Hao Xuan''spletely shocked expression and decided to show off a bit.


    "You know, my n owns 3 farms as well. The elves have 5 and the fairies have 3 as well. I''ve even been to one of them," he said proudly.

 Chapter 372: Ryfon Biric

    <h4>Chapter 372: Ryfon Biric</h4>


    Wu Jin''sment pushed Hao Xuan out of his stupor.


    "Good for you. I was born in one and lived there for 19 years. You ain''t special dumbass," Hao Xuan scoffed


    "Wow, rude much?" Wu Jin turned away angrily.


    "Enough. Tell me more about this tournament now. What''s it about? What do I have to do exactly?"


    "Hell if I know," Wu Jin nonchntly replied while looking at his spirit band. "I''ve never participated so I don''t know much. You''ll have to ask ''Ryfon'' when he gets here, he is an overseer this time so he will know everything about it. He''s not even teaching normal sses and focusing on the tournamentpletely."


    "He''s a teacher at the academy?!"


    "Yeah."


    "And you guys both grew up together yet he is already a teacher while you still study there? Pathetic."


    "Get off my back, what''re you my dad? And he only became a teacher to do "home tutoring" sessions with the female students," Wu Jin retorted like a spoiled brat, spitting out the truth in anger.


    "....wow. That fills me with confidence.." Hao Xuan said through gritted teeth while rubbing his temple. Wu Jin saw him being distracted and quickly got up. He waved his hand and a rectangr object surrounded by golden sigils appeared on the table.


    "Here are the things you asked for. I have a few things to take care off so ask Ryfon for anything you need. He knows almost everyone worth knowing in the city and will get you whatever you need. You can trust him!" he shouted thest sentence from the outside and by the time Hao Xuan looked up, the seat in front was empty.


    "O-Oi, you brat wai-" Hao Xuan quickly ran outside but the Chariot was already a few kilometers away and disappeared within the blink of an eye.


    "This b*stard..."


    Hao Xuan returned to the house and with no other option, decided to take a nap. Jin Wang was sleeping under a tree in the garden while Fortis and Zhurong were nowhere in sight.


    *Thumb*Thumb*Thumb*


    It felt like his head would burst open any second. All he could do was close his eyes and meditate, hoping to pass out soon. Time quickly passed, the sun went down and then came back again while Hao Xuan was meditating.


    *Ring*


    *Ring*


    *Ring*


    *Ring*


    *Ring*


    *Ring*


    *Ring*


    "What the F*CK!!" he was awoken by an incessant ringing that didn''t stop for even a second. It was the doorbell.


    He ran outside half-naked, fuming and ready to behead whoever was behind it.


    "HEY HEY! Open the door! Quick!!" a blond head of hair shouted from the other side of the gate.


    Hao Xuan clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.


    *Ring*


    *Ring*


    "STOP RINGING THE BELL YOU DUMBSHIT!" he yelled while opening the door and a naked person ran in like a blur and vanished into the house.


    ''What the hell is going on?!'' he thought to himself but before he could even close the gate and inquire further, the sound of footsteps came from outside and a group of 8 heavily armored men appeared at his doorstep.


    There was a burly, bearded man with a heavy mace at the front. He pointed the mace towards Hao Xuan''s face.


    "Hey you! Did you see a naked man run by here?"


    Hao Xuan who was already a ''bit'' annoyed didn''t take well to the bearded man''s rude questioning.


    "No," but still he replied calmly and tried to close the door, but the bearded man quickly blocked it with his foot.


    "Then you wouldn''t mind us taking a look around right?" he asked with a smirk and tried to pry open the door by force, but it didn''t budge an inch.


    It was to be noted that the bearded man was a top stage Spirit realm cultivator himself and a cultivator of several body strengthing techniques. Even though using one''s cultivation was prohibited in the city, his physical prowess alone was still more than enough to unnerve most opponents.


    *Crack*


    He put in more force but the door didn''t move an inch. He looked at Hao Xuan''s hand and then at his body and faltered. Hao Xuan''s muscles all bulged up and his back straightened, bing taller by a couple of inches. Already bloodshot eyes of his seemed like the portals to hell as he coldly stared back at the bearded man without any fear whatsoever.


    "Let go of the door and piss the fuck off before I cut off your head and use it as a bowl. SCRAM!" he shouted, sending a shockwave at the man''s face.


    The bearded man was forced back a few steps. He wanted to respond with force as well but one of the men behind him quickly came forward and whispered something in his ear.


    "The Wu n? Are you sure?" he asked, astonished, getting a nod in response.


    He looked back at Hao Xuan with an apologetic smile, "My apologies, I had the wrong ce," he said while breaking out in a sprint and vanished from his view within a few seconds.


    Hao Xuan, irritated and annoyed, closed the door and walked back into the house withrge steps. The first thing he saw was a naked man casually sitting on the couch, using one of the pillows to cover his crotch.


    He had short blond hair and a face so pretty that could put most women to shame. His body was lean, without any muscle or fat. If Hao Xuan wasn''t looking at him naked, he would have thought he was a woman.


    "Get your naked ass off my couch and get out. I don''t care who you are or what trouble you''re in, get out right now."


    The naked man stood up, exposing himselfpletely. With a wide smile he extended his hand towards Hao Xuan.


    "Hey hey friend, calm yourself. I''m here for our meeting. Wu Jin sent me, I''m not a stranger!"


    Hao Xuan looked at his hand and then at his face, trying not to look anywhere else.


    "What''s your name then?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously.


    The naked man straightened his back and puffed out his chest.


    "Ryfon Biric, 7th Prince of the Royal n of the great Elvish Empire. A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he bowed slightly from the waist. Perhaps if he had some clothes on it would look noble but right now he just looked like a crazy pervert.


    Hao Xuan''s left eye twitched, threatening to burst open. He could very well be the first person to die from anger.


    "Why the fuck are you naked, dear prince," he asked while grinding his teeth so loudly that even Ryfon could hear it.


    "Hehe, just a misunderstanding. I came over to meet youst night but in the darkness, I identally entered the wrong house. There I found a youngdy in desperate need of some physical education. I was in the middle of "teaching" her when her husband came home. He simply misunderstood the situation and chased me out," Ryfon exined while scratching the back his head with an embarrassed expression.


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, was left speechless at the absurd and obvious lie.


    ''Does this guy have no shame? Does he really think anyone will believe that?''

 Chapter 373: Eccentric

    <h4>Chapter 373: entric</h4>


    "Seriously? A misunderstanding? You sleeping with another man''s wife is just a misunderstanding to you?" Hao Xuan crossed his arms and asked with a judgemental look.


    Ryfon shook his head dejectedly.


    "Of course it is. The concept of marriage is wed and does not work. But I am a beauty "connoisseur" and don''t see these invisible lines set by mere mortals only because they can''t understand or don''t agree with it. I am simply...."


    Ryfon rambled on and on about how he thought marriage was a sham created by powerful cultivators to keep beautiful women to themselves. Hao Xuan gave up 2 sentences into the conversation and sat down on a chair, trying his best not to listen to him.


    "Alright alright, shut up already! I don''t care about any of that. Here, put some damn clothes on and tell me how I can get into the tournament," Hao Xuan cut in after 5 straight minutes of torture.


    It was only then Ryfon realized that he was butt naked all this time and shamelessly took Hao Xuan''s clothes and started putting them on in front of him. Hao Xuan, of course, looked away while trying to keep the voices in his head that were telling him to skin this bastard alive quiet.


    "Do you not feel embarrassed at all?"


    Ryfon looked at him with a confused expression.


    "Why would I be? Do I not look good?" he looked down at himself to make sure.


    "Looking good is not the problem! I mea-"


    Ryfon interrupted Hao Xuan before he could finish the sentence and looked at him with squinted eyes. ''Examining'' him up and down.


    "Oh, now that I see it, you''re a pretty good looking guy too, let''s be friends!" he extended his hand with an innocent smile.


    Hao Xuan''s left eye twitched again as he pped it away.


    "I don''t associate with people like you. Tell me about the tournament and get out."


    Ryfonughed, "Haha,e on. Us beautiful people have to stick together you know."


    Everything that came out of his mouth annoyed Hao Xuan to no end. The migraine was getting worse and he could barely keep his eyes open.


    "The tournament, please tell me what I have to do or leave. I really don''t have the patience for this shit, please!" Hao Xuan implored.


    Ryfon suddenly quieted down and looked at Hao Xuan with a raised eyebrow. He extended his left hand and something simr to a gold colored circr formation appeared in his palm which he moved up and down.


    "Something is not right with you..." he mumbled.


    "Yeah, tell me about it," Hao Xuan responded with a scoff, "So the tournament?"


    Ryfon shook his head after examining Hao Xuan with a little more detail.


    "The tournamentester. I can''t send you in there when you can''t even open your eyes. I''m sorry but I can''t risk everything on a broken man, it is far too important. The life of someone I care for deeply depends on this so unless you tell me what''s wrong, this conversation is over," Ryfon gave his ultimatum with an unnatural seriousness.


    Hao Xuan slightly opened his eyes to meet his gaze but the light made the migraine even worse and he almost keeled over from the pain.


    "Argh! Fine! Fucking hell," he shouted. Wu Jin said they were very close friends so he might as well tell him. It''s not like a prince of an Empire would care much anyway.


    He didn''t tell him exactly what caused it, only that his abilities were rted to his soul and that was under too much pressure at times. Ryfon listened carefully before letting out a deep breath.


    "Seems I wasn''t far off then. Alright, I know someone that can help with that. It won''t solve it, but will alleviate some of the issues thate with it. Come, let''s go," and he walked out of the door just like that.


    Hao Xuan wanted to say no but the pain was too unbearable. He waved his hand and summoned Ensis.


    "I''m not well. I need you to be my eyes and ears for a bit."


    "Of course, master," Ensis was more than happy to oblige. He helped Hao Xuan up and they walked out. Ryfon was surprised to see another person with him but after a brief look, he didn''t ask any questions and stood at the door silently.


    "What are we waiting for?"


    "My ride. Ah, it''s here already," he pointed at the sky. There was a carriageing straight towards them with two white, winged horse at front. They had two miniature hornsing out of the top of their heads. Itnded right in front of the gate without making a sound.


    "Unicorns?" Hao Xuan asked curiously upon seeing the horns.


    "Half, and the other half is draic horses. I had to go through a lot of trouble to get my precious lovelies. Isn''t that right?" Ryfon scratched their manes dotingly while talking to them in that manner. Hao Xuan ignored him and got into the carriage.


    "It''s gonna take us a couple of hours to get there. Do you have any questions in the meantime?"


    "Get where exactly?"


    "To the Lynn n. I have a friend there who is an expert in everything soul rted. If she can''t help herself, she''ll know someone who can. But be careful though, she is a bit of an entric. Don''t engage her too much."


    Hearing this weird, shameless prince say that someone else was an entric gave Hao Xuan a really uneasy feeling. Just how bad was she that even he thought she was strange?


    But he shook his head trying not to think about it. If she could help, why not. He would even consider making a deal with the devil himself right now if he could stop these damned migraines.


    "Alright. Wu Jin said you were a teacher. What can you tell me about cultivation realms above the Profound realm?" he asked the only question that had been bothering him for a while now.

 Chapter 374: Heavens Above

    <h4>Chapter 374: Heavens Above</h4>


    "Cultivation realms?" Ryfon was taken aback by Hao Xuan''s sudden query. "Well, where do I begin? How thorough do you want me to be? Cause I could literally talk for days about cultivation."


    Hao Xuan contemted for a bit and decided to go with a general overview.


    "Just the most basic things, no need for too much detail."


    "Hmm," with a pondering expression on his face Ryfon leaned back. He was silent for a few seconds, putting his thoughts in order.


    "So let''s start with the ''absolute'' basic thing then. I haven''t talked about this in decades so excuse me if I''m a little rusty," he waved his hand and the roof of the carriage opened up and a hologram was projected in the air, showing a person sitting with crossed legs. It had three glowing spots in a straight vertical line.


    "First! The mortal body has three vital parts. The first is in the forehead, simply called the Spiritual center. The second one is in the middle of your chest, called the Energy center, and the third is at the bottom of the abdomen or just above the pelvis, called the Physical center. They all work in tandem to keep your body working as usual, each interconnected with the other in one way or another."


    "These are different from meridians that are actual nerves and blood vessels. Normally you can''t see them unless you have high cultivation or a special constitution. And even though every "normal" being is born with these 3 centers, they might not always be in the right order or even be fully present. They could be weak or strong, or have some sort of an issue or illness. And whatever is wrong with them can affect a cultivator in the future both negatively and positively."


    "For example, if someone has a weak physical center, that means their physical abilities are weak and in return, they could easily break their bones, have a weak immune system, etc. But because of that, they will have a much stronger Spiritual or Energy center topensate. So depending on what type of techniques they master, the result could be significantly different. This is why it is important to conduct a detailed examination before allotting cultivation techniques."


    "Second, is the usage and effects of each center. The Spiritual Center is located right above a meridian in the forehead. It is where the soul is stored and from where spiritual energy is created. The spiritual energy is different from your Qi and is able to affect immaterial things and creatures. Once you reach the Profound realm or have high enough spiritual energy, you can look into your spirit center. It is different for everyone. For some its a never-ending sea, for some a desert or a forest."


    "The Energy Center is where your Qi is stored once the dantian is created. It is the basis for your cultivation and most cultivators focus on developing it among others."


    "The Physical center is rted to your physical health, ability, and sometimes, features. The stronger or more developed the Physical center, the longer you can live, and the stronger your body can get. If I''m not wrong, you should have a significantly robust physical center," he gestured towards Hao Xuan''s abdomen.


    Hao Xuan ignored his gaze and nodded, "I understand. What about cultivation levels then?"


    "Well, as you might know, there are several species and creatures in the universe that are born at a high cultivation level. These are far more evolved and stronger than their counterparts. For example, there is a beast in this year''s tournament location called the ''Zinogora''. Its offsprings are born at the same cultivation level as profound cultivators. It''s the same with many human species, like elves. We are born at the Origin realm, with our flesh and bones already cleansed and purified while we are in the womb."


    "Technically, from Qi formation realm all the way to the Origin realm, these are all just preparatory phases for when you really step into the world of Cultivation."


    "Up until the Spirit realm, you are preparing your body and soul to take that most important step into the Profound realm. And until the Spirit Realm, cultivators use the energy that they have stored inside their own bodies, the energy and Qi stored in the meridians, which is severely limited."


    "But when you step into the Profound Realm, you connect your internal body to the world outside, effectively being able to borrow the power of the heavens and use it as your own. This is also how Profound Realm cultivators are able to fly. We basically be one with the world."


    "After the Profound realmes the Saint Realm, and cultivators of this level are called Saint Lords. Saint Lords can affect the outer world in a much bigger capacity by bringing their Mind Pces to life. They can summon their mind pces to the physical world, using them to borrow even more energy and use devastatingly strong abilities."


    "After the Saint Realm is the Emperor Realm and after that is the...."


    Time passed by in the blink of an eye, and by the time Ryfon finished his exnation about cultivation levels, an hour and a half had passed.


    Hao Xuan took well over 10 minutes to digest everything, and there was a lot of it. He looked back up at Ryfon after going over everything in his head.


    "What about ''Laws''? What are they?"


    He remembered hearing about them before.


    "Ah, that''s pretty simple," Ryfon smiled. Looked like it was his favorite topic.


    "The energies you are cultivating right now keep evolving and bing stronger along with you. The stronger yourprehension, the stronger they be. And once you choose a specific attribute or property of an energy to focus on, it can be transformed into aw by aligning it with one of the universal truths and is then able to affect the world."


    "For example, if you areprehending Frost energy, you can choose toprehend the attribute of coldness, of freezing, of sealing, etc, anything that is rted to frost. And once yourprehension is strong enough, it bes aw. There is a girl in this year''s batch that hasprehended the Law of Gravity. She can basically control gravity at will to an extent."


    Hao Xuan''s mouth fell open, "Is she really high level?"


    "Nope, Spirit Realm the same as you. You canprehendws regardless of the cultivation level. But if it is done before reaching the Profound realm, then when you breakthrough, thews will be much stronger due to the Heavenly Tribtions. The morews you have, the stronger the tribtion you will have to face. Since learningws basically means we are trespassing into the domain of the high heavens, they won''t just let it slide that easily."


    "If you''re interested, I know a kid who is breaking through to the profound realm soon. He was the brightest student of thest batch and has already understood twows. Although you can''t be there when he breaks through because of the elders of the academy that wille out of closed-door cultivation to make sure nothing goes wrong, I can still record it and send you a video after it''s done."

 Chapter 375: Cornelia

    <h4>Chapter 375: Cornelia</h4>


    "Yeah sure, I''d love to see that."


    "Great!" Ryfon grinned and looked out the carriage window.


    "We''re here, let''s go!" he said getting up.


    Hao Xuan looked out and saw a herbal garden right in front of the carriage door. There were hundreds of all sorts of flowers, herbs, and trees he had never seen before. Many of them were swaying back and forth without any wind as if they were alive.


    He stepped out with Ensis''s help and a rich, scented aroma impacted his face. Instinctively Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and the cold air entered his lungs. The air passed directly through all his body and entered each of his meridians, increasing the flow of Qi throughout his body.


    "What is this ce?" he asked out loud unconsciously.


    Ryfon who had already walked deeper into the garden turned around and warned.


    "Stay close. Wouldn''t want you getting lost in here. The nts look and smell good but they will devour you whole without leaving anything behind!"


    *Shhh*


    A giant pink flower on Hao Xuan''s left opened up and revealed three shinning pearls in the middle. They were releasing a stupendous amount of vitality and Qi. Hao Xuan reached out by instinct but Ensis quickly stopped him.


    "Master!"


    His voice woke Hao Xuan from his daze.


    "Huh? What was...that?"


    Ryfon yelled from afar, "Come on now, hurry!"


    Hao Xuan ignored all the greenery around him and followed behind Ryfon. A minute or two of walkingter they neared a sidewall and Hao Xuan looked over it.


    "Woah! Where the hell is this?"


    Below he could see several hundred meter tall ss structure, and they were on one of its floors. He looked up and could see the structure going up for thousands of meters more. The garden was located at just the floors of this ce and from initial inspection, he could see hundreds of simr gardens in the distance, both below and above him.


    Ryfon stood in front of a door not far from him and ced his hand over a sigil on the side. He looked back at Hao Xuan with a smile.


    "Mr. Hao Xuan, wee to the ''Lorem'', the most popr club of the Lynn n!" and as he opened the door, the sound of muffled music came from the other side, scaring many of the nts behind them.


    With furrowed brows Hao Xuan walked through the door after Ryfon, and it closed behind them. A few secondster one of the trees turned around its axis and a pair of dark brown eyes opened up on its trunk, looking at the door that Hao Xuan and Ryfon had just gone through.


    ***


    Hao Xuan''s quickly adjusted to the dimly lit room. He found himself standing on a ledge, looking down at a several hundred-meter wide room that had a giant hole in the middle from which people were asionally flying up and down.


    There were all sorts of creatures here, both human-like and entirely different ones as well. Faries and Elves were everywhere and of all kinds.


    There were only red and blue lights inside, making it rtively hard to see anything in detail. To Hao Xuan, anything further than 50 meter was a blur of color and shapes right now.


    "This is were your friend is?!" he shouted at Ryfon who was standing right next to him. He nodded back.


    "She owns this ce. Come, let''s go find her. She should be in herb!" he replied and started walking along the ledge to the left, where another door waited.


    The ledge they were on was the highest ce in the club and overlooked everything. There was a see-through barrier here that separated the ledge from the rest of the club.


    When they entered the room, many curious gazes from across the dance floor and many of the private VIP areas fell on them.


    "Is that the Prince Ryfon?!"


    "Yeah. But who is that next to him?"


    "I don''t know. He looks like a human."


    "Why would the prince be hanging out with a human? Does anyone recognize him?"


    "He''s a prince from the main Elven n. He can do whatever he wants, god knows what he''s up to this time."


    Simr whispers spread across the 10 stories tall club in a matter of seconds. On the 8th floor, there was a group of 12 people or so. They were also staring up at Ryfon and Hao Xuan until they went through a door and vanished from sight.


    One of the guys in a ck suit bent down and whispered something into the ear of a beautiful purple-haired girl that was the center of attention even now. These were, of course, Alte and Ceni and their entourage.


    "I know. Did you not find who he is yet brother?"


    "Nothing yet. He just appeared out of nowhere. I can''t find any trace of him," Alte replied with a shake of his head. A bewitching smile bloomed on Ceni''s face as she bit her lower lip.


    "First the Wu young master, and now a Royal Biric Prince...I could just ''die'' from curiosity....Please find out where he is staying. I want to visit him."


    ***


    Right now Hao Xuan was standing in an elevator with Ensis and Ryfon. It was going straight up like a rocket. About 40 secondster it slowed down and came to a stop, and the door opened on its.


    "You b*stard, why did youe to here?! The ban still has 3 years left!" a loud, angry voice rang in their heads like thunder before they could even walk out of the elevator.


    A single drop of cold sweat went down Ryfon''s forehead as he tried to force a smile, "Cornelia,e on, is this any way to treat a friend you haven''t seen in so long?"


    Hao Xuan was already keeled over on the ground. It wasn''t just a normalmunication through Spirit sense, but an actual spiritual attack. Hao Xuan''s already unstable soul felt like it was about to burst open.


    "ARGH!" he shouted as his eyes turned white and an extremely pure energy ripple spread out from his body.

 Chapter 376: Cornelia Continued

    <h4>Chapter 376: Cornelia Continued</h4>


    "M-Master!" Ensis''s expression turned ugly as he quickly put up a barrier around himself and Hao Xuan to shield him from the continuous Spiritual attacksing towards them, but it was no good. They passed right through his barrier.


    "ARGH!" a second and third ripple came out of Hao Xuan''s body and tore through the barrier Ensis had put up. It directly destroyed the iing Spiritual attacks and attacked everything in his immediate surroundings, including Ensis and Ryfon.


    "Oh god, Cornelia help him! You did this!" Ryfon shouted while continuously moving further and further back.


    With his shout, the Spiritual attacks halted but Hao Xuan wasn''t able to control himself anymore. He was surrounded by a pure white light that had epassed himpletely and was now slowly spreading outwards.


    A high pitched buzzing sound came from the front and a silhouette approached Hao Xuan from above.


    "Initiate Defensive measures, suppress and seal himpletely. Authorization Omega!" she said in a loud voice.


    "Authorization confirmed," a feminine voice replied and a gigantic blue formation lit up under Hao Xuan''s feet. It released numerous sigils that connected with one another and formed a dark blue chain.


    The chain quickly surrounded the expanding sphere of light and stopped its advance, but could do nothing else.


    The silhouette floating a few meters away from him frowned and spoke once more, "Again. His soul power is too strong. Keep increasing power output by a factor of 50 until the seal isplete."


    "Yes, mistress."


    Two more streams of sigils released from the formation as it started spinning faster and faster. The sigils turned into two more chains joined the first chain in surrounding the sphere of white light.


    The sphere''s size reduced by half but stopped once again. More sigils were released and the process repeated over and over again until there were 13 chains around Hao Xuan''s body.


    The white light was forced back into Hao Xuan''s body and his eyes returned to normal. The ground in a radius of 10 meters around him was turned to dust and he was currently sitting on a golden barrier.


    *Huff*Huff*


    Hao Xuan raised his sweat-covered head with some effort and met the silhouette''s gaze.


    "What...the F*CK is wrong with you people?! Why can''t you be normal? Who attacks like that?!" he yelled.


    The silhouette descended andnded on the ground. She waved her hand and the fog surrounding her vanished, revealing her actual figure.


    It was a very pretty, innocent-looking girl of about 20 something years of age with dark green hair. She had on a pair of fragile-looking sses and a whiteb coat. Behind her were four semi-transparent wings that asionally glittered with the seven colors of the rainbow.


    Other than looking very pale, having slightly pointed ears, and the golden tattoo of a tiara on her forehead, she looked like a normal human being. She looked a doctor from earth, albeit a very pretty one.


    Her brows scrunched up as she looked at the 13 chains that covered Hao Xuan from head to toe. They weren''t physical, but more like tattoos that were directly imprinted onto Hao Xuan''s skin.


    Shepletely ignored Hao Xuan and instead looked at Ryfon who was hugging a pir in the distance like a scared cat.


    "Why the hell would you bring him here? If I was a secondte he could have exploded and killed us all!" she said in a stern voice and apparent displeasure.


    Ryfon let go of the pir seeing as everything was under control and put on an awkward smile.


    "Well to be honest I didn''t expect you to attack before we could even have a chance to talk. I brought him here to see if you could help. As you can see, he is not very well...haha.."


    Cornelia looked back towards Hao Xuan as Ensis walked over and helped him stand back up. He then red at Cornelia with clear hostility.


    Hao Xuan also stared daggers at the girl before silently turning around. He looked at Ryfon and spoke out loud, "Take me back. I don''t know what you''re ying at, but I won''t be part of it. Find someone else to amuse yourself with. I''ve had enough."


    Cornelia''s expression wavered upon hearing that and her wings pped and she appeared right in front of Hao Xuan, blocking his path. To Hao Xuan''s surprise, her stern expression was reced by a genial smile.


    "S-Stop, please. I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to hurt you. It''s just that bastard brings out the worst in me. Please, allow me to help if I can. Your condition is really not good and you should not be out in the world like this. You could not only hurt yourself but the people around you as well," she pleaded with a low voice.


    Hao Xuan saw the look of genuine concern in her eyes and a deep frown appeared on his face as he looked over at Ryfon.


    "You asshole, you used me! This girl couldn''t hurt a damn fly. You knew she would attack you at first nce and will have no choice but to help me after what she did," he said through Spirit sense.


    Ryfon''s already awkward smile got even more awkward, something Hao Xuan didn''t think was possible.


    "I''m sorry, it was the only way. She is a healer and a pacifist. She would never hurt anyone on purpose, but she would not forgive me either. This was the only way."


    "YOU USED ME!"


    "It worked out in the end and no one got hu-"


    "YOU.USED.ME!" Hao Xuan was about to burst open with anger until he heard Cornelia''s voice again.


    "Please, I promise I won''t do anything bad again, let me help you," her expression was as pure as it could get. She wanted nothing else than to help Hao Xuan out right now and would even pay him to do so if he asked.


    Hao Xuan gritted his teeth and turned away from Ryfon as just looking at his face alone was pissing him off to no end.


    "Then, I''m counting on you."


    "Thank you!" Cornelia smiled as if she had just received the best present ever.


    She waved her hand and several silhouettes came flying over from a distance.


    "Help the gentleman to the mainb. I''ll be there in a moment."

 Chapter 377: Own problems

    <h4>Chapter 377: Own problems</h4>


    Hao Xuanid on something that looked like a surgery table. There were bright lights all around him, all aimed towards him. He could see vague silhouettes flying left and right. The light buzzing of their wings was enough to let him know where they were.


    asionally he would hear nking noisesing from around him and a couple of minutester, a light blue barrier came out from the sides and epassed Hao Xuan from head to toe. But it didn''t block out sound or vision and he could still hear everything.


    He closed his eyes and focus his hearing to find the people he was looking for. Ryfon and Cornelia were talking to one another in the distance, more than a hundred meters away.


    ''They sound different,'' he thought upon hearing their conversation until he realized they were speaking in a differentnguage.


    Poriverse had literally imnted thousands of differentnguages inside his brain so 9 times out of 10, he wasn''t even aware when someone was speaking a differentnguage. To him, it all sounded like English from earth, the easiest and the simplestnguage he knew.


    He listened carefully and realized they were speaking an extremely old Faenguage. It was only used by the royal ns and some learned schrs so not many people understood it. The fact that Cornelia could speak it as well was proof enough of her status.


    "What do you want? Don''t think I will fall for your bullshit again. You still owe me fromst time!" Cornelia said, incensed at the very prospect of talking to Ryfon.


    Ryfon sighed and started speaking somberly.


    "Cornelia, how long have we known each other? You know I wouldn''t bother you if wasn''t serious.....I...found her..."


    Now it was Cornelia''s turn to be surprised.


    "...Are you sure it''s her? It''s been so many years..."


    "It''s definitely her, but I can''t get to her right now. My uncle has her somewhere, but that''s not all. From what I can tell, she had a daughter."


    "A daughter?! With that man?"


    "Yeah. And she is here too, in the academy. I can pretty much tell what uncle wants so I have to get to her first."


    "Why....don''t you tell the king? Maybe he will have calmed down by now?"


    Ryfon scoffed at the very idea.


    "Tell him what? That I heard rumors about my exiled sister staying in the Royal City? He will kill her himself if he found out. Or should I tell him that her daughter, my niece, and his own granddaughter has been taken captive by his most trusted and most powerful general? I have no proof and making usations like that will only get me whipped in public and exiled as well."


    From his tone alone Hao Xuan could feel the absolute hate and the disgust Ryfon had for his father.


    ''So the prince is looking for his niece? Does he need me to find her?''


    *Sigh*


    ''Why are all these royal families so messed up? Even with all his power and money, he still has his own problems to deal with huh...''


    Hao Xuan understood a lot more about him now. He didn''t me him for keeping this secret.


    "And what of the human boy? What''s his role here?"


    Hao Xuan could feel them looking over at him so he stayed still and pretended to be asleep.


    "Wu Jin rmended him. He said I could trust him with my life."


    "Wu Jin? That skeptical brat trusts a human that much?! Why??" shock and awe apparent from Cornelia''s tone.


    "I don''t know, but if Wu Jin says I can trust him, I believe him. You know he would never lie even if his life depended on it."


    "Yeah.....so what''s the n?"


    "I found out my niece is participating in the tournament. I just need Hao Xuan''s help to find her and tell her about me, that she isn''t alone here and has other people to depend on. If I''m right, then it has to be done before the tournament ends. My uncle probably has other ns for her after this so this is the only opportunity I have."


    "That''s why I need Hao Xuan to be ready. You have probably heard the rumors as well right? Many families have reached out to the other continents and brought in geniuses from there to fight for them. This one will be bloody so I need him to be in his best condition possible. Do whatever you have to, however much it costs, I''ll cover it."


    *Stomp*


    Hao Xuan heard a loud crunch and opened his eyes just a little bit to see a VERY displeased Cornelia squishing Ryfon''s foot with hers.


    "Do I really seem that selfish to you?! I knew sister Zenthia before you were even born, kid. What happened to her was a tragedy, but she followed her heart. She ran away with the man she loved and had a child, something that none of us "royal children" could ever think of doing. If she is really here, then I will do everything I can to help find her and protect her daughter. We might not be blood-rted but I have always thought of her as kin."


    She lifted her foot and allowed Ryfon to have a breath of relief.


    "I will help him as much as I can. ''He'' is back as well so I will ask him to help Hao Xuan train a bit."


    A sly smile crept upon Ryfon''s face.


    "Oh, your ''man'' is already out of closed-door cultivation? You must be so proud!"


    Cornelia''s pale face turned beet red in an instant, the color reflecting even in her semi-transparent fluttering wings.


    "S-Shut up! H-He''s not my man..." she said looking down at the floor.

 Chapter 378: Spirited away...

    <h4>Chapter 378: Spirited away...</h4>


    "Stop wasting time and go get me these things," Cornelia changed the topic and quickly sent Ryfon away on an errand. She then turned around and started walking towards Hao Xuan.


    "Leave us," she waved her hand and the 5-6 fairies buzzing around left the room in seconds, leaving only Hao Xuan and Cornelia there.


    She stood next to a table right above Hao Xuan''s head and started clicking away on a ss screen. She looked up at Hao Xuan''s body with a frown.


    "Are you awake?"


    "Yeah," Hao Xuan replied without opening his eyes.


    "Hmm, your metabolism is much faster than it should be. Normally it would take several hours for someone in your condition to wake up from the medication."


    ''Wake up? I never even passed out...'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly but didn''t say it out loud.


    "I am going over the preliminary examination results and just have a few things to confirm. Did youplete your Physique''s first two evolutions yet?"


    "Evolutions?"


    "Yes, did you reach the second major realm? Every realm has two evolutions where the body integrates with the physique on a deeper level. One happens just before breaking through and second right after."


    "Oh, I have onlypleted the first one then I guess."


    "Hm...that is not good. How long has it been?"


    "Several months. Why?"


    "Months?! You shouldn''t wait more than a couple of weeks after the first evolution..."


    From her tone, Hao Xuan could tell that she was both surprised and troubled by his answer. She clicked on the screen and several lights fell on Hao Xuan''s body and he could feel them scanning him.


    "What does it matter though?"


    "After the first evolution, your physique demon is at its weakest for about two to three weeks. That is the best time to challenge and kill it because when it recovers, it will be exponentially stronger than ever before. I was hoping you would breakthrough to stabilize your Physical center but looks like that will have to wait now."


    *Sigh*


    "I''m not gonna hide anything from you. Your condition is really not that good right now. Both your Physical and Spiritual centers are unstable. Your soul''s wavelength keeps fluctuating greatly. If not for the seal in your Mind pce, your soul would have disintegrated a long time ago."


    ''Seal? Oh, the old kings...'' Hao Xuan remembered the golden sigils all over his main Mind Pce. So they were the ones keeping his soul in check.


    "Having one unstable center is bad enough but two?! Your life is going to be hell until you get stronger and quick! I can''t really do anything for you from my side other than treating the symptoms. Do you know what they are?"


    "Not really."


    "Alright, I''ll go over a few main ones. For someone in your condition, its not umon to have hallucinations, hormonal imbnce, insomnia, sudden and uncontroble outbursts of strong emotions like rage, anger, bloodthirst, or even lust. Now and then you will see and hear things that aren''t there, it will all feel very real but you have to remember and try to be rational about i-."


    Hao Xuan abruptly sat up, startling Cornelia. He looked at her with a deep frown.


    "Hallucinations? Outbursts of lust, anger, and bloodthirst? Are you serious? I might as well be an animal!"


    Cornelia wanted to say otherwise but it was true. She nodded.


    "Indeed. That is why it all depends on your willpower. As long as you don''t give in to these ''urges'', then with the medicines help you should be fine. It hasn''t been that long since your Spirit center became unstable so the symptoms aren''t that obvious yet. You haven''t experienced any of the symptoms yet right?"


    As soon as the words left Cornelia''s mouth, Hao Xuan remembered the voices he had heard on the ship (Ch 363). He hesitated at first but decided to ask anyway.


    "I heard voices a little while go. It felt like they wereing from all around me and I was actually eavesdropping on their conversations. It really...didn''t feel like a hallucination..."


    Cornelia''s expression turned serious.


    "What did they say? These voices.."


    Hao Xuan told her everything he remembered and she went silent.


    "Normally, I would say they were hallucinations for sure but your soul is extremely powerful. You see those 13 chains?" she pointed at the chained tattoos that were moving around Hao Xuan''s body now and then.


    "Each of those chains is able to seal a stage 4 Spirit realm cultivators soulpletely, but you needed 13 of them. Which means your soul is THAT much more powerful than a normal cultivator at your realm should be. A powerful soul means you can see and hear things that are invisible to normal people."


    Hao Xuan looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "What ''things''?"


    Cornelia was taken aback by his query but it was one she should have seening. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn''t find the words.


    "How should I put this, it''s really not that easy to exin to a normal person but here goes."


    She clicked a few times on the screen and a hologram was projected into the air in front of Hao Xuan. It was a square sheetying horizontally in a straight line.


    "Consider this our reality. This is where we exist, where everything we know and see exists. Meaning, this is our ne of existence, but it is not the only one."


    Another square sheet appeared but this one wasn''t straight. It twisted and turned, wrapping around the first sheet and even going through it asionally.


    "This....is the veil. It is a ce between realities, specifically between us and the abyss, where neither time nor space is constant. But it is not empty. Within the veil are things we can never exin. People have seen some of the strangest things there and most of them soon disappeared after."


    "But normal people don''t usually have to worry about that since you need a powerful soul to interact with it. And for someone like you whose soul is not even under theirplete control, it is not umon to identally touch the veil and see what''s on the other side. But it is extremely dangerous and 80% of the time this endeavor would end in disaster."


    "Here, I''ll write down a few things that can usually help with this. Ryfon has a friend who''s an alchemist, tell him to take you there. Give him this list and tell him your symptoms, he will make you something to keep you anchored to us. After all, wouldn''t want you to get spirited away now..."

 Chapter 379: Other Powers

    <h4>Chapter 379: Other Powers</h4>


    "Spirited away...?"


    When Hao Xuan heard her say that, he remembered the several run-ins he had had with he mist back in the Kingdom of Mei. The entire towns vanishing, the nightmarish creatures that came out of the mist that could take on the shape of other people and would know things only they could.


    ''Maybe the veil had something to do with it? I''ll have to look into this more when I get back home.''


    Cornelia made a list of all the items and sent it to Baracus who saved it. Hao Xuan had never even heard of them before so he obviously would need an alchemist''s help like she suggested.


    "Alright, now sit back down. I''ll try to stabilize your centers as much as I can. It''s not much but still better than nothing. Just rx and meditate."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and let Cornelia do her thing. On the floor below 3 different formations lit up. Each of them spun in a different direction, connecting with the 13 chains one by one.


    Hao Xuan could feel the chains enter his body and if he so wanted, he could resist and even destroy them just by circting the Qi. The chains passed through every single part of his body, finally reaching the Mind Pces. They attached themselves onto the pce walls and as soon as they did, Hao Xuan felt a strong, cold energy enter his body.


    It had a very calming effect on him and he almost fell asleep as well.


    "You have to stay awake. Keep talking to me!" Cornelia swiftly spoke up when she saw Hao Xuan''s heart rate drop significantly.


    "Talk about what?" Hao Xuan asked while yawning.


    "Well, did Ryfon tell you about this year''s tournament yet?"


    It was like a flip was switched on inside Hao Xuan and he became alert in an instant.


    "No, tell me everything."


    Cornelia felt ted upon finding out that a topic she knew so much about was somethingpletely unknown to Hao Xuan. She had always been a bit of a ''know it all'' and quite chatty since she was young. So when given the opportunity, she would always choose to talk the listener''s ear off.


    With a wide smile, she started exining.


    "The tournament takes ce every 5 years. It is hosted by the threergest institutions in the continent i.e us the Academy of Sollerita, the Temple of Dius, and the Hall of Betor but other, smaller powers are also allowed to join in."


    "By the way, each of the 3 institutions is named after its founding father. Sollertia, Dius, and Betor were part of the first wave of cultivators that arrived on the beast world and created their own institutions based on their specialties."


    "The academy, as you know, floats in the sky above us. We are schrs and scientists mainly focused on the Spiritual arts or the spiritual center of the body. Basically anything rted to the soul or spirit, we know it or study it."


    "The Temple of Dius is an actual temple that focuses on the physique or the physical center. They are associated with hundreds of thousands of other religious entities and have some of the strongest physique cultivators with hundreds of different physique rted techniques like the basic Body Strengthening Mantra or the top tier Diamond Breaker manual and the Sanguine Skeletal Lord physique just to name a few."


    "The Hall of Betor is thergest of the three. It has cultivators from all walks of life since they focus on the Energy center, i.e cultivation. They have every kind of weapon masters and expert fighters."


    "Now the tournament. It takes ce in a different world every time. These ''worlds'' are excavated from the abyss or the deep space by powerful cultivators to be used as our proving grounds. They harbor strange and mysterious creatures, techniques, manuals, and scriptures used by other worlds and long-forgotten tribes. They harbor treasures for those who are willing to take the risks and death for the unlucky ones."


    "This year''s tournament is a bit different. Normally, only authorized powers from our continent can join in but this time we were allowed to bring in any fighter from anywhere, as long as they fought under the banner of one of the powers from our continent. This, of course, stirred up a storm and many of us reached out to the other continents to borrow their geniuses."


    "The cultivation for the participants is limited to the Spirit Realm only since most neers are at or around this realm."


    In excitement, Cornelia blurted out all that information in one single breath and had to take a seat to regain herposure.


    *Huff*


    "Thest 7 tournaments were all won by the Hall of Betor so this time the academy and the temple have decided to work together to foster a few geniuses of our just for the tournament. My...um.. ''friend'' is a trainer from the Temple of Dius. He just came out of closed-door cultivation and is responsible for training new recruits. Since you also cultivate a physique, I will ask him to help you as well."


    As she talked about her friend, Hao Xuan could hear her voice waver, and the volume fall.


    ''Friend? Her ''man'' as Ryfon had put it? So he is from the Temple?''


    Cornelia cleared her throat, shaking away her feelings.


    "Ryfon will exin the rest. Let me tell you a few basics about soul cultivation first."

 Chapter 380: Guo Yang

    <h4>Chapter 380: Guo Yang</h4>


    For the next 2-3 hours, Cornelia exined everything cultivating the Soul center, its effects, abilities, and such while the 3 formations under him continued stabilizing his body and soul.


    The one thing that caught Hao Xuan''s eye was the part about the eyes.


    "The eyes are the windows to your soul, meaning different colored eyes would imply there is something unique about the person''s soul."


    Perhaps that was why Hao Xuan had green eyes. Maybe it was because his soul was more powerful than others or maybe it was because of his Soul Severing Constitution but either way, there was a connection between the two.


    About 1 more hourter Ryfon finally returned with the things Cornelia had asked for. She gave the materials to Hao Xuan and exined the situation right in front of him.


    "He is much better now but still needs help with a few things. Take him to your alchemist friend, the best one you can find, and have him make something with the items you brought and a few others alchemists carry around, I gave Hao Xuan the full list," at this point, her voice suddenly trailed off and she looked away, pretending to read something on a nk screen.


    "A-Also, I already messaged ''him'' so he will be expecting you in the Conste, don''t make him wait too long..."


    From 15 meters away Hao Xuan was able to feel Cornelia''s body temperature rising and her face turning beet red. It was certainly the first time this had happened, perhaps due to the recent developments with his body.


    ''Her man again...?''


    Ryfon also saw her odd behavior and smiled knowingly.


    "Alright, we''ll be on our way then," he winked at Hao Xuan and left with him and Ensis in seconds. Ensis had been standingpletely silently in a corner, watching everything like a statue. Even Hao Xuan himself forgot about him for a bit.


    They made their way back the way they hade from, passing through the club once again.


    When they came in it was around 3-4 p.m and now it was past 10 but inside the club, the time didn''t seem to change at all.


    Now that Hao Xuan was feeling much better and the migraine was taken care of, for the time being at least, he stopped at the ledge overlooking the entire club and took a more detailed look around.


    The building they were in seemed to have hundreds of floors but only the first 10 were used as the clubhouse. Each floor housed people of different types with most prince and princesses being at or above the 5th floor from the looks of it.


    Thest 2 floors had a lot fewer people and most of them were different types of Elves and Fairies. There were even a few from the Wu n, standing out from the crowd with their paleplexions, haughty attitudes, and the two circr marks around their noses.


    "Does this ce ever stop?" Hao Xuan asked seeing as soon as someone left, several others took their ce. Ryfon came up next to him and waved at a few people below.


    "Never. This ce was opened more than two thousand years ago and it has never closed once since then."


    "Two thousand years?!" the answer was out of Hao Xuan''s expectations. It was even older than many of the lower-ranked kingdoms.


    "I told you we have long lifespans. This isn''t that rare."


    ''Long lifespans??''


    When Hao Xuan heard that, he remembered several questions that he wanted to ask before. He had heard Ryfon and Cornelia talking and a few times they had mentioned something being this.


    "How old are you people exactly?" he finally asked, to satisfy his own curiosity more than anything.


    Ryfon''s expression turned nk for a second but then he started counted on his fingers and came up with an answer a few secondster.


    "Hmm, I think I will be equal to a 21-year-old human soon."


    Hao Xuan looked at him suspiciously.


    ''Why did he word it like that?''


    "And what about in actual years?"


    "Well," he smiled awkwardly, "I will be 315 this year."


    Hao Xuan who was getting ready to let out a joke or two about his age suddenly froze. Ryfon looked even younger than Hao Xuan himself from the outside.


    "3-315?! Wait, are all you guys this old?! What about Cornelia? And Wu Jin? How old is that fucker?!"


    "Don''t tell Cornelia I told you her actual age or she will turn me into a cat again but...she is about 322. Wu Jin isn''t that old though. He will be 260 years old this year. But that kid always acts so mature and never enjoys himself. I keep telling him...."


    Ryfon continued talking but Hao Xuan had long nked out.


    ''This world, I don''t understand it...''


    For someone like Hao Xuan, living even a hundred years was a big deal regardless of what everyone said. He came from earth where the life expectancy was 70 on average.


    "Nevermind, let''s go," Dejected and confused, Hao Xuan shook his head and started walking towards the exit by himself. Ryfon who was busy talking to himself realized there was no one next to him a minuteter and followed after as well.


    Hao Xuan was already sitting in the carriage like it was his own when Ryfon arrived.


    "Take me to your alchemist friend. And I need a cksmith too, a good one. Also..."


    He gave him his own list of things he wanted to get done while he was here. Since he had the ear of a royal prince, why not make full use of it?


    "Yeah, no problem. I will get it done, whatever you need," Ryfon agreed to all his demands without any objection whatsoever.


    Hao Xuan looked at him in a new light now.


    ''He must really care about his sister and niece...''


    "Oh, before I forget. Who is this person Cornelia was talking about? The one in the conste?"


    "Oh, his name is Guo Yang. He is Cornelia''s fiance and the Temple of Dius''s youngest Holy Son."

 Chapter 381: Sanatio

    <h4>Chapter 381: Sanatio</h4>


    "Holy Son?"


    The carriage was moving across the night sky silently, the half unicorns galloping at such speeds that to the outside observers they were nothing but a blur. They cut straight through the city of lights that seemed to be even more lively at night.


    Ryfon took out something that looked like hard candies from somewhere and started munching on them loudly.


    "Yeah, each generation''s most promising pupil is called the Holy Son or Daughter by mostrge organizations, among other things. Guo Yang is the Yang n''s genius. Oh, the Yang n is one of the two ns that control the Temple of Dius just like us, so he is a pretty big deal."


    *Crunch*


    "And what about the conste?"


    "Oh that, it''s just like how it sounds. It''s the Temple''s diplomatic branch here. It''s where their people stay when they visit the academy. Guo Yang is currently there, training several talented cultivators on both our and the Temple''s behalf. That''s where you''ll be staying for training as well."


    *Crunch*


    He ended the exnation by biting down on anotherrge piece of candy. For someone that looked so elegant, Ryfon didn''t have very good manners. He chewed with his mouth open, asionally throwing out a few pieces here and there. Hao Xuan moved to the side to stay out of his range.


    "Can you at least look the other way? Your face is really pissing me off right now," Hao Xuanmented with a scowl.


    Ryfon grinned and moved even closer, "Jealous, are we? Here, you can have some too."


    "You bitch, at least close your mouth!"


    "Hahaha!"


    The carriage flew for about 40 more minutes before abruptlying to a stop. Hao Xuan looked out of the window and saw a 15-meter wide arched stone gateway in a wide-open space with hundreds of elven soldiers in gold engraved armor walking about.


    "Where are we?"


    Ryfon quickly fixed his appearance and put on a gentlemanly smile.


    "One of the ces under my n. This is a Spatial gate we can use to go directly outside of the city since we''re kind off short on time," he exined while stepping out of the carriage.


    Spatial gates had different types and this one was a permanent one. It connected two ces that weren''t too physically far apart. It also didn''t require any energy or formations to operate. The special stone gateway around it was enough to keep it open and stabilized.


    20 armored soldiers were waiting right outside the carriage and as soon as Ryfon stepped out, all of them bowed from the waist and stayed there until he gestured otherwise.


    "Wee your Highness!" they shouted in unison.


    Hao Xuan who was watching from inside turned to face Ensis.


    "I need you to do something else while I''m busy here. Take Monk and go to..." Hao Xuan exined the n he hade up with. When he was done, he called out Monk.


    "Listen to Ensis carefully he will exin everything, don''t try to bring too much attention to yourself unless necessary. Once it''s done, contact me and I''ll tell you where to meet," he passed both of them the spirit bands that Baracus had reconfigured.


    These spirit bands still needed a lot more work done but right now he had no choice.


    When Hao Xuan came out after Ryfon, he could tell from the soldier''s expressions that they were all pretty surprised. Some of them even looked him up and down quite rudely.


    But what amazed Hao Xuan was the fact that each soldier here was a Profound realm cultivator. There were close to two hundred of them here and each one at that realm. And from the looks of it, they weren''t considered anything special. Perhaps above average in ranking aspared to normal guards.


    Ignoring their intrusive gazes, Hao Xuan walked up to Ryfon and whispered something in his ear, getting a nod in return.


    Ryfon looked at one of the nearby soldiers.


    "Take the gentleman inside the carriage into the main city. Be careful, he is my guest."


    "Yes your highness," the soldier bowed quickly.


    Ryfon looked at Hao Xuan for confirmation that this was okay, who signaled that it was.


    "Let''s go."


    They had stopped about 400 meters away from the gate so had a few minutes while walking over, so Hao Xuan decided to ask where the gate led to.


    "To ''Sanatio''. It is one of the many powers associated with the academy. It''s one of the best schools of Medicine and Alchemy in the continent. I have a few acquaintances there who should be able to help with whatever you need."


    "Oh, that''s nice."


    A few minutester they arrived at the gate. For some reason, it looked even bigger up close. On the other side Hao Xuan could see apletely different scenery just from standing where he was.


    Ryfon went up to a group of soldiers that were standing next to the gate and told them something. They bowed and moved aside swiftly while one of them wrote something down on a giant book in his hand.


    "We''re good to go. I had you signed in as a friend of mine. Everyone that passes has to sign in, even me."


    Hao Xuan nodded and looked up at the sky. He could see two moons and many stars in the sky above. He noted their positions and passed through the gate with Ryfon in the lead.


    Hao Xuan had already been through spacial rifts and teleportation formations before and the experience was a little different every time. It would feel like every cell in his body vibrated once if not more.


    But when he passed through this gate, it was just like stepping outside into a more warmer area. The scene changed in front of his eyes and he found himself standing in a lush green field. It was still night here but the weather was a bit different, more temperate it seemed.


    "Identify yourself please!" someone spoke up from the side, waking Hao Xuan from his daze.


    He looked around and saw several people looking in their direction.


    With his mercial'' smile, Ryfon walked up to them and started talking, leaving Hao Xuan to examine the surroundings.


    The first thing he did was, of course, check the sky. He looked up but could see none of the stars from before. Even the moons were gone.


    "Damn, we really came far, and with just one step."


    A cool, scented gentle breeze blew past his face. Unconsciously, Hao Xuan closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling. It was like getting caressed by mother nature herself.


    *Drip*


    *Drip*


    Cold raindrops fell on his face making him smile, until he remembered something. The sky waspletely clear a moment ago, so much so that he could see every star up there.


    He slowly opened his eyes and found himself standing in a field of ck roses. The sun was about to set or rise, he couldn''t tell but the sky was crimson from its light.


    "Hmm~"


    From his left a flowing melody came into the ear. Carefully, Hao Xuan turned around and saw a young girl standing over a rose bush, humming a melody he had never heard before.


    "Take your time little one, no need to hurry," she talked to the nt without a care in the world.


    Hao Xuan was about to approach her when he felt a jolt go down his spine and turned around to see Ryfon standing there.


    "Did you hear me? I said let''s go, it''s done," he said before walking away.


    Hao Xuan quickly looked back towards the girl but found nothing there. It was night once again and the scenery had returned to what it originally was.


    "Another hallucination? Or something else..?" he murmured to himself before following after Ryfon withzy steps.

 Chapter 382: Ysolt

    <h4>Chapter 382: Ysolt</h4>


    Due to the unstable physical and Spirit centers, sometimes Hao Xuan''s senses would be extremely sharp and other times he could be worse than a normal human being.


    He walked behind Ryfon examining the lush green mountains to his left and right. The crunching of the leaves under his feet, the cold breeze on his face, the thick spiritual energy in the air, the many different trees, herbs, bushes, and nts all decorating the pathways added up to a somewhat surreal experience.


    This ce truly looked like a paradise.


    They were walking in between these giant mountains on a path that strangely snaked through them. There were a lot of small birds flying around, eating, drinking, and pecking as they went along.


    Hao Xuan reached out and broke a thin branch off of a young nt that was leaning into the pathway and put it in his mouth instinctively. It had a bitter taste that changed to sour and then sweet at the end.


    Without even realizing it Hao Xuan had started humming the same melody he heard the young girl humming just a few minutes ago. Strangely enough, it really suited this ce.


    There were very few people along the way and the ones that Hao Xuan saw weren''t cultivators but ordinary beings, some humans, and some others. There were even a few small trees moving around on their own (imagine Groot). They would stop now and then in front of a nt and inspect it before moving along.


    "Who are these people? Why aren''t there any cultivators here?" he asked Ryfon who was simply enjoying the weather while taking a casual stroll from the looks of it.


    "Hmm?" he turned around and saw the folks Hao Xuan was referring to.


    "Oh, those are just caretakers. Alchemists are very busy people and most don''t have time to spend caring for every single herb that grows here so they hire ordinary, willing folks to do it for them. In exchange, they pay them a fair a bit and if any of their children decide to take an interest in alchemy, they help them out."


    "So all these people live here?"


    "Yup. Their only job is to take care of the nts. Food, housing, protection, everything is provided by Sanatio."


    Hao Xuan took a look around at the peaceful scenery and let out a sigh.


    "Not a bad way to live is it..." he mumbled to himself but Ryfon still heard him and nodded.


    "Not at all. It is usually much worse in other ces.."


    They walked at a rtively brisk pace through one mountain after another for a good thirty minutes beforeing to a halt in front of a valley. The main gate was some kind of a humungous tree like the giant sequoia back from earth.


    There was an entrance at its base that seemed to have been made naturally.


    Hao Xuan frowned upon seeing the entrance because it looked strange. He could see dozens of wooden structures on the other side with many people walking around but couldn''t hear anything.


    "Is that..."


    Hao Xuan made his way around the tree and came back in front of the entrance within seconds, stupified. The vige he was seeing in the tree''s opening was nowhere to be found.


    Ryfon chuckled upon seeing his surprised expression.


    "This is a somewhat rare Sky grade earth treasure called a Tractus tree. It has a small inner world inside its body. The person we''re here to meet is inside,e," he walked in without waiting for Hao Xuan who only snapped back to reality a few secondster.


    ''So it''s like the treasure first brother had?''


    Hao Xuan followed after Ryfon and stepped into the body of the Tractus tree. All of a sudden the sounds of people chatting,ughing, and walking around came into his ears. He could still see them outside but not hear anything. It was like someone unmuted them all at once.


    There were no guards, no beasts in the surroundings and people were just casually walking about like it waspletely normal. The sky reflected the same atmosphere from outside, even the sky seemed real.


    *Pfeee*


    "Over here!" Ryfon whistled loudly and waved towards Hao Xuan, grabbing the attention of everyone around him. Slightly embarrassed, Hao Xuan walked over to him while keeping his head down.


    "Inside," Ryfon held open a door and Hao Xuan quickly walked through. It was only after entering did he realize what kind of ce this was.


    It was a tavern filled with drunk men and women, the smell of booze, smoke, and something akin to tobo was thick in the air.


    "Your friend is here?" he red at Ryfon.


    ''What kind of an alchemist woulde here? Weren''t they supposed to be busy people? Learned schrs and practitioners of medicine, alchemy, and what not?''


    Ryfon shrugged and moved past him, going towards the bartender.


    "Two of your best ales my love!" he winked with a coy smile towards the attractive girl behind the bar.


    Hao Xuan came up next to him and said, "Make that one. I don''t drink," coldly and stared at Ryfon menacingly. Ryfon tried to ignore him as much as he could but with him standing just a foot away, it wasn''t easy.


    He finally gave up when his ale arrived and took a sip before exining.


    "I''ve known the guy for over 20 years now. He is one of the best in his field but a bit, how should I put it...."


    "entric?" Hao Xuan finished his sentence with gritted teeth.


    "Yes! Exactly! But he is a trustworthy guy, don''t worry!" he quickly exined upon seeing Hao Xuan''s wrathful eyes.


    "C-Come, let''s go see him.." with the giant ss of ale in hand he went towards the started walking down.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath and followed after while mumbling, "Are any of you b*stards normal? entric this, entric that. Freaks are what you people are.."


    The stairs went much deeper than Hao Xuan had expected and it took them 30 seconds to going straight down to reach the ground. They nded'' in front of a wooden door with a thick herbal scent escaping from the other side along with some shouting.


    "Boss that''s not cool! We had a deal, you said it would be a fair game!"


    "It IS a fair game. What''re you guys talking about?"


    "We ALL saw you cheat. You''re not even good at it. Why do you keep trying the same old trick every single time?"


    "I have no idea what you guys are talking about..."


    "Give it up or we go on strike! Enough is enough, what kind of an alchemist lies and gambles that much?!"


    From the sound of it the conversation was going toe to an abrupt end so Ryfon ran towards the door and pushed it open.


    "You b*stard! Where is my money! The Biric n has had enough!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.


    ''The hell got into this dumbass...'' Hao Xuan ran after him into the room and saw 5 people standing around a table with cards scattered across the floor.


    Ryfon was standing there with his chest puffed out, pointing at a man who had small hornsing out from the top of his head.


    The man looked like he had seen the devil himself and started shaking uncontrobly.


    "No please, I will get you your money! Please, have mercy in the name of the ''B.I.R.I.C'' n!"


    He enunciated the Biric n''s name letter by letter and when the other 4 people realized that, they looked at Ryfon with wide eyes before quickly running out.


    "Yo-You should deal with the Biric n lord first, we wille back at a better time!"


    No one tried to stop them and simply watched on as the sound of their footsteps echoed in the room for a few seconds before silence fell over.


    The horned man let out a breath of relief and sat down on a chair.


    "Phew, that was close. You came just in time. Things could have gotten worse if you were a littlete," he said while taking out another chair and putting his feet up there, which is when Hao Xuan realized that the man''s entire lower body was that of a goat. He was a Satyr!


    Ryfon chuckled while taking another empty seat opposite to him.


    "What was your n if I hadn''t hade?"


    "Pretend to have a heart attack or something, I don''t know. Is this him?" he asked while collecting the cards and some gold coins from the table.


    "Yeah," Ryfon nodded and turned towards Hao Xuan. "This is Ysolt. One of the best alchemists in Sanatio."


    Hao Xuan looked at "Ysolt" once again. He had a light stubble around his chin, pointy ears, and a horned forehead. He looked to be around 20 years of age but then again, looks were deceiving.


    "This person is one of the best Alchemists? Are you serious?" Hao Xuan almostughed out loud.

 Chapter 383: "Effective"

    <h4>Chapter 383: "Effective"</h4>


    "Hey hey, don''t judge a book by its cover!" Ysolt replied without even looking up. Instead of replying to him, Hao Xuan red at Ryfon who looked away, pretending to admire the ceiling for some reason.


    Ysolt finished counting the gold the stored it away with a wave of his hand. He looked up at Ryfon and then at Hao Xuan.


    "So how can I help you?"


    "CAN you help me?" Hao Xuan responded before Ryfon could even open his mouth.


    Ysolt was taken aback by his rude question and leaned back into the chair, "Well, you''ll have to tell me what''s wrong with you first. I''m one of the best Sky grade Alchemists so it shouldn''t be a problem," Ysolt replied calmly, without taking Hao Xuan''s question to heart. He knew the first impression he made was pretty bad so instead of being aggressive, he chose to remain calm and collected.


    But Hao Xuan''s scowl didn''t go away as he stared at Satyr in silence. Ryfon cleared his throat and jumped in.


    "Alchemists also have grades based on the type of potions and medicines they can make. I.e Mortal Grade, Earth Grade, Sky Grade, Saint grade. So he is actually pretty high level, just give him a chance."


    He finished speaking and got up and walked out, leaving Ysolt and Hao Xuan alone in the room. His voice came in from the other side, "The matters between a cultivator and alchemist are private so I will leave you guys be. Come get me when you''re done."


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to do. Should he just sit down and ask for help from a guy he just ''disrespected'' or leave this ce? Ysolt saw the look in Hao Xuan''s eyes and smiled.


    "Listen man, I don''t even take requests under normal circumstances. The only reason I decided to meet you is because I owe Ryfon a favor. Whether I help you or not, that favor is repaid so why not make use of it? I know I don''t look like much but I''m good at what I do, ask anyone."


    Hao Xuan stared at him for a few more seconds before finally giving in. He still had to go meet a cksmith and go to the conste so why not? Plus Cornelia also knew of him so he must be something.


    He let out a deep sigh and sat down across from him.


    "Fine. My Physical and Spirit centers are unstable so I''m having a few issues. Sometimes..."


    He told him everything without holding anything back and then gave the list of ingredients that Cornelia gave him. He also mentioned everything she said about the symptoms.


    With furrowed brows, Ysolt went over the ingredients on his spirit band for over 10 minutes, clicking away as he went.


    "Some of these won''t work with one another, they will neutralize one another and 3 of them be a poison when mixed together. You didn''t use any of them right?"


    "No," Hao Xuan quickly shook his head.


    "Good," he got up and went to a shelf on a wall in the distance. After rummaging around for a minute or two he returned with several strange things. Some looked like dried fingers, grass, and even fruits.


    "I have everything you need, it''s not that rare. It uses some of the same ingredients the royals use to get high so getting more wouldn''t be a problem. What''s your preferred method? Do you want me to make a potion? It will take a few days if so."


    "A few days? Forget about it then. What else? I need it as quickly as possible."


    Ysolt looked at the 15+ itemsid out in front of him on the table and scratched his chin while thinking. Out of habit he reached out into his shirt pocked out and took out a pipe and put it in his mouth.


    "Wait a second..." it was like a light had turned on in his brain.


    "I know the perfect medium. It''s extremely easy to make and is effective too!" he said with a bright smile.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed even deeper looking at his enthusiasm.


    "What...is it..." he asked cautiously. Ysolt grinned, "Now just hear me ou-"


    "I''m not ''inserting'' anything in my body, just so we''re clear!" Hao Xuan cut on and rified.


    "No no, it''s not that!" Ysolt stood up and took out a mortar and pestle and a sheet of paper.


    "Are you..."


    "Shh, just watch!"


    Hao Xuan didn''t disturb him any longer and let him work. When he was finished, Ysolt handed over the finished product to Hao Xuan.


    "This is the best way. You can''t have too much, it doesn''t get attention like you chugging potion every few hours would and it looks somewhat cool," he said with a puffed-out chest.


    Hao Xuan looked down at his ''medicine'' and sighed.


    "So this will take care of everything?"


    "Take care? Hell no. But it will alleviate the symptoms as long as you''re using it. But things can still get out of hand if you get emotional so try to remain calm and don''t put yourself in stressful situations."


    "Alright, I guess..." Hao Xuan put away the medicine and turned around but stopped when he remembered something.


    "Hey, I found this thing while I was out. I was told its expensive, do you know anything about it?"


    Hao Xuan took a small ss vile filled with a purple liquid that swirled and moved around on its own.


    Ysolt took the vile and examined it, his eyes widening upon realizing what it was.


    "Oh my sweet lord, Where?! How much??? Sell to me!"


    It was like he has seen the hand of God himself.


    ****


    Ryfon was sitting at the bar talking to a few local women when he heard heavy footsteps behind him. Thinking it was the husband of one of the women he put on his usual smile and turned around to see a red-eyed Hao Xuan staring at him.


    "W-What happened? Did you get what you came for?"


    "Yeaup, that and much more. Let''s go," Hao Xuan nodded and proceeded to walk out without waiting for him.


    Ryfon bade farewell to thedies and ran out after him. Hao Xuan had already left the vige, standing outside the tree''s entrance.


    "Hey, you okay? What happened?"


    Hao Xuan took out a cylindrical object from his shirt, put it in his mouth, and lit it up with a matchstick. He took in a deep breath and let out white smoke.


    "Nothing, nothing happened.." he turned halfway and smiled with a cigarette hanging from his lips.


    "When did you start smoking?" Ryfon covered his nose and stepped back.


    "About 20 seconds ago," Hao Xuan replied while taking another puff.


    This was what Ysolt had chosen as an ''effective'' medium. He simply ground up the ingredients in specific ratios and rolled them into cigarettes. It wasn''t as noticeable as injecting himself or drinking potions every few hours like Ysolt had pointed out before. To others, he just looked like a smoker.


    But these smokes had some of the most expensive ingredients ever inside them.


    Hao Xuan was the one in the lead this time. He passed by the same old scenery but it looks a bit more bright, more vibrant.


    They reached the gateway much quicker and Ryfon went through quickly while Hao Xuan took onest look at the ce where he had seen the girl talking to the rose bush before following after him.


    A few seconds after he left, an olddy appeared at the same spot. She looked at the gateway with twinkling eyes before going up to the men in charge of signing everyone in.


    All of them stood up at once when they saw her and bowed from the waist, "Headmistress, wee!"


    She gestured for them to get up and pointed at the gate.


    "Who were the two that just went through?"


    "Eh? Oh, it was Prince Ryfon and his friend."


    "His friend? Do you have a name?"


    "No headmistress, I''m sorry," the man shook his head somberly.


    "It''s fine it''s fine, I was just curious..." the olddy smiled and disappeared with a gust of wind.

 Chapter 384: The consulate

    <h4>Chapter 384: The conste</h4>


    In every major city belonging to one of the bigger powers, there were diplomatic branches (constes) from the other powers. These constes were all like the ones from earth where people belonging to the inner circle of those others power would stay.


    It''s also where cultivators went to seek asylum if something went wrong and where currently, they were training.


    On the same day as Hao Xuan arrived, two neers went to some of the more popr constes and challenged their warriors. One of them was a Four-armed giant that cultivated the spear arts and challenged about 10 different constes one after another. He won 8 out of 10 matches and epted the offer from the warrior that defeated him, joining the Academy of Ascia.


    The second person was a swordsman. He didn''t arbitrarily challenge random powers and knocked directly on the doors of the most powerful organization in the entire continent, the Hall of Betor itself!


    With nothing but a sword in hand, he challenged their most promising pupils under the Profound Realm and defeated every single one of them in singlebat. It a straight-up match of their skills and the mastery of their respective weapons and in front of his sword, no one could stand more than 10 seconds.


    Even though these cultivators weren''t the creme of the crop inside the Hall of Betor, but could still easily hold their own when it came to. Yet this lonely swordsman proved himself to be the best among them with blood.


    As expected, the news shook the upper echelons of all the major powers as soon as they found out. Each power respectively started its own investigation and found out a few clues.


    The swordsman had made only one stop at a dumpling shop. There he rested and asked for directions to the Conste belonging to the Hall. When asked why he gave one very simple reason.


    "I want to test my sword. The Hall of Betor seems like a good ce to start."


    The Hall of Betor was where the absolute strongest warriors gathered. Be it weapon cultivators like Sword and Axe experts or those that seek the other Daos like that of killing and ruthlessness and the like, the Hall had been their home for eons and would continue to be for a long timeing.


    To challenge the Hall just to test one''s skills, well, it wasn''t the first time someone had done that. Now and then someone woulde along and do it but more often than not, fail.


    Other than that, no one knew where he came from or what his actual goal was. But when thest fight finished, the swordsman quietly left the conste with one sentence.


    "I will be staying here for 1 month. I ept all challengers as long as they are below the Spirit Realm."


    And then he proceeded to rent a room at a hotel one street away from the Hall''s conste.


    Even though he never said anything arrogant, his actions spoke volumes.


    "Come at me, I''m right here!" was the message everyone got. He didn''t try to hide or run away, simply waiting...


    ****


    By the time Hao Xuan and Ryfon came out of the gate, the sun was about to rise.


    Sitting in the carriage as it flew over the city, Ryfon yawned and looked at Hao Xuan from the corner of his eyes. He wanted to say something but held back every time.


    Hao Xuan who was sitting by the window with a lit cigarette in his hand took a puff and answered Ryfon''s unasked query.


    "I''m not sleepy. Just get me to the conste and you can go do your thing."


    Ryfon acted like a cat that had its tail stepped on and almost jumped out of his seat.


    "No no, how could I be sleepy? Haha, I was just wondering if you were because I''m not. Not sleepy at all..."


    He finished thement with another yawn.


    Hao Xuan stopped paying attention to the clown and closed his eyes.


    The cigarettes did their job well. Whatever was inside them was working wonders. Every time Hao Xuan took a puff it would feel like someone was pouring cold water on his burning soul. It was an extremely pleasant feeling and heter realized that it even helped him regte Qi a bit more smoothly.


    Not to mention the slight buzz it created. Perhaps that was because of the addition of the drugs the royals used to get high. But whatever it was, it created a euphoric, rxed feeling for a couple of minutes, making him feel like he was sitting by the side of a cold stream on a warm summer day.


    He remembered Ysolt''s warning just before he left...


    "You have to extremely careful. This only helps alleviate the symptoms and if you get too lost in your emotions, you could identally pass through the veil without even realizing it. It''s better if you simply try to ignore any strange things you see. The cigarettes will stop the hallucinations but it won''t stop you from seeing things from the other side of the veil. That''s apletely different beast I''m afraid."


    "As long as you ignore them, it shouldn''t be a problem. But the more attention you pay to them, the more they will flock over to you."


    But that was much easier said than done. To Hao Xuan, everything was new and strange. How would he know if a weird looking creature was from the other side of the veil or just a beast or something he didn''t know about? Was he supposed to just keep his eyes down forever?


    "Hey," Hao Xuan suddenly looked over at Ryfon, startling him.


    "W-What? I told you I''m not sleepy, why do yo-"


    "How do people see the veil by ident?" just as Ryfon had started his own weird exnation, Hao Xuan interjected and asked his question before it was toote.


    ''Maybe I can stop it myself if I know how it happens...''


    "The veil? Oh, Cornelia told me about that," Ryfon suddenly remembered. He gazed towards Hao Xuan with a rxed smile, "In your case, it is happening because you can''t control your soul. If your Physical center was okay that would still help but s."


    "Think of your body as a container for your soul. When the soul goes haywire, the body can still control it somehow. But now your body is like a cracked container. It''s letting your soul out and expose it to things it should never normally be in contact with."


    "To fix it, all you have to do is keep breaking through the Spirit realm to make the soul more stable, or breakthrough to the next Physique realm, but that''s much harder and takes a lot of preparation. Rx, Guo Yang is one of the most talented individuals of this generation. He will help you breakthrough and teach you a few new things well," he ended the exnation with a pat on Hao Xuan''s shoulder.


    When the sun had juste over the horizon, the carriage finally came to a stop. Hao Xuan looked outside and saw a stone stairway not too far. It went up but whatever was up there was covered with dense fog.


    Hao Xuan stepped out and took a look around. There was not a single structure in sight.


    "Are we still in the city?"


    Ryfon jumped down after him and fixed his clothes.


    "Yup. But this is a different space. Each of the constes from the 3 bigger powers exist in their own space pockets. It''s not easy to get to them if you don''t exactly where to go. Come, this way," he gestured towards Hao Xuan and started walking alongside the stairway instead of on it. With just a few steps he vanished into the fog.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Stairs: https://urlzs/jMF7m

 Chapter 385: Consulate continued (1)

    <h4>Chapter 385: Conste continued (1)</h4>


    *Crack*


    Another branch broke under Hao Xuan''s feet. They had been walking through the foggy hills for about 10 minutes straight. The visibility was horrible and he could only see about 3 meters ahead. There was no other sound around them, not wind, not a single bug, nothing.


    It was an eerie kind of silence.


    "How much further is it?" Hao Xuan inquired.


    Ryfon stopped and looked around. He broke off a leaf from a nearby tree and examined it carefully before throwing it away.


    "Just a couple of minutes," he said before continuing.


    With a sigh, Hao Xuan also followed after with heavy steps but Ryfon spoke up again not long after.


    "We can talk about something if you''re bored."


    Hao Xuan wasn''t really in a mood to chit chat but he still wanted to know a few things in detail so he decided to ept the offer.


    "The tournament then. Tell me the details. Cornelia told me the history and gave a rough overview so just tell me exact details. What should I expect?"


    "Ah, yes, forgot about that haha," Ryfon rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly.


    "Well, this tournament is taking ce on a new world excavated from deep space. It was excavated by the personal army of one of the ancients that were out doing something else and happened upon it by ident. So the ancient decided to use for the tournament."


    "The world already has a native poption of its own so it''s not just our people there. The rules of the tournament aren''t that simple and have many different factors that count towards winning so I won''t go into them."


    "But basically, this is supposed to be seen as both as a training and a test for the Academy, the Temple, and the Hall. Because at the end whoever wins the tournament gets to keep the entire world as their own, so its a pretty big deal."


    "Now for the details. Each of the three big powers has sent a mobile city to the world already. The cities are located on the backs of gargantuan tamed Ether beasts called ''Atsu''. These beasts aren''t the same as normal ones and are able to read and follow the flow of spiritual energy of the world naturally, leading to treasures of all kinds."


    "Unless told otherwise, they will continue to do so without stop. Now the members of each power have a few duties to undertake. Numer one, they must protect their Atsu from other beasts and even other powers that would want to harm them. This includes the native beasts and creatures as well as the ones that go from our world."


    "Number two. Every five days 3 treasures will be sent down to the world by the ancient that discovered the world. Everyone will have to fight for these treasures and the winner gets to keep it. The more fights like this we win, the better the overall chances."


    "Number Three. We have to go down and create diplomatic rtionships with the natives whenever possible. This is much more important for the people belonging to the Academy as any kind of knowledge is considered valuable to us and will be rewarded by the elders. We have to find out their history, how their world evolved, their cultures, etc."


    "Number Four and the most important one. Every 20 days there will be one major confrontation between all our forces that went from this world. There we will fight using both our troops and those natives that we created diplomatic rtionships with. These fights are long and bloody and usually end badly for the natives more so than us, but it is not umon to lose a few people every time, especially against those a*sholes from the Hall. Those f*ckers don''t hold back at all," Ryfon spat in disgust and anger.


    It seemed like he had seen a few fights like this himself and was speaking from experience.


    "Is this how every tournament is?" Hao Xuan asked curiously. It seemed like a huge deal, much bigger than what he initially thought.


    But Ryfon quickly shook his head and dispelled Hao Xuan''s misconceptions.


    "There aren''t entire worlds on stake usually so it''s not this hardcore. Not to mention that since this world was discovered from deep space, it is very close to the veil naturally. We can use it to conduct research on the veil and abyss among many other things. That''s why it''s so valuable."


    At this point he stopped and turned around to face Hao Xuan, "I''m sure you''re gonna see some strange things there but as long as you''re careful, it will be fine....probably..." he mumbled thest word under his breath but Hao Xuan still heard it.


    "Also, we''re here!" he smiled and moved aside, revealing a breathtakingndscape.


    Right in front of them was a wooden bridge under which a crystal clear waterfall flowed.


    On the other side was a shallow river and a series of temples created on the side of a tall mountain. There were hundreds of different waterfalls, both small andrgeing down from the mountain top decorated by colorful trees filled with all kinds of flowers. (Pic in authors note for reference).


    He could see several dozen people walking around, a few were even meditating under some of the waterfalls.


    "Holy sh*t...is...is this the temple?"


    Hao Xuan''s mouth almost fell open. It was EXACTLY like he had imagined it would be. The waterfalls, the colorful trees, the peaceful environment, the simple structures alongside the river, the thick spiritual energy, everything was perfect.


    Ryfon nodded, also somewhat entranced by the sheer beauty of this ce. Even though he had seen it multiple times before, it still looked as spectacr as ever.


    "Come, Guo Yang should already be up and training the newbies," Ryfon patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder and walked across the wooden bridge.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    The temple: https://urlzs/DhzMd


    Full image: https://i.pinimg/564x/65/20/75/652075e2f82cd1f6c12cf2543f261.jpg

 Chapter 386: Consulate Continued (2)

    <h4>Chapter 386: Conste Continued (2)</h4>


    Ryfon was in the lead, going up to every third or fourth person and saying hello as they made their way across the beautiful little valley. Most of the people he met looked to be around their 40''s or even 50''s. God knew how old they actually were if they looked like this.


    Maybe some thousands of years old monsters?


    But Hao Xuan couldn''t feel even a hint of Qi from their bodies. They just looked like normal old men with calluses on their hands and feet as they walked around with buckets of water on their shoulders.


    When the due passed them Hao Xuan went closer to Ryfon and asked, "Were those people cultivators too?"


    Ryfon nodded as a matter of factly, "Of course, what else would they be?"


    "Why were they carrying around buckets of water? They didn''t even have any storage rings or spirit bands on them."


    "Oh, that''s just how they tend to live sometimes. After living thousands of years like the ''immortals'' they are thought of, they sometimes be tired ande here as a vacation to live like mortals. They might harmless but don''t piss them off. You remember the secondst guy I met?"


    Hao Xuan frowned and remembered that it was an exceptionally normal-looking 40 something old bald man meditating on the river bank away from everyone else. Ryfon actually went out of his way to greet him.


    "Yeah, what about him?"


    "He is the one in charge of the conste. He is a Saint Lord that broke through to the Profound Realm with 3 Laws, that was about 2,700 years ago now. After that, he joined the personal army of one of the Ancients and served there for more than a Millenium, only returning when his only son died."


    Hao Xuan turned around and looked behind them towards the man they were talking about. And just as Hao Xuan looked towards him, he also turned around and nodded back with a smile. Instinctively, Hao Xuan also gave a respectful bow back.


    Ryfon who was watching from the side smiled.


    They went around in a circle to the back of all those temples and a couple of minutester finally arrived at their destination. It was an entrance to a valley with a wooden gate like the ones found outside Shinto shrines on earth. The gate represented a transition from the mundane to the sacred.


    Hao Xuan got a bit excited thinking about what would be on the other side. Ryfon knocked three times on the wooden gate and passed through so Hao Xuan decided to do the same. They started going down on a small rocky path.


    "Why the knock? Is it like a luck thing?" Hao Xuan asked curiously.


    "Eh? No, I just like the sound of it hahaha," Ryfonughed in his face, making Hao Xuan turn slightly red from embarrassment.


    ''This is what I get for copying this dumbass...'' he med no one else but himself.


    Slowly the rocky path opened up into a wide desert-like area; not it was actually a desert. Hao Xuan rubbed his eyes in confusion, the transition was so smooth that he didn''t even notice it. All the greenery and nt life stopped along with the rocky path.


    Now they were standing in a barren subtropical desert, the kind without any sand. It was like someone painted the entirendscape with a single color. Even the heat increased by tens of degrees, so much so that Hao Xuan started sweating a bit which wasn''t normal since his tolerance was so high.


    There were a few run-down houses in front of them but it looked like no one had stayed in there for years.


    Hao Xuan kept silent and followed after Ryfon. Just as they passed the houses, a loud yell came into Hao Xuan''s ears.


    "ROCK!"


    He abruptly turned around and carefully examined his surroundings but there was nothing. A couple of secondster another yell came.


    "PAPER!"


    At which point Hao Xuan realized what was happening. Ryfon grinned and quickly pulled Hao Xuan to the side.


    "What? Wh-" before Hao Xuan could even finish his question, thest word was uttered.


    "SCISSORS!"


    *BOOOM*


    *Crash*


    A shadow passed over the exact spot they were standing a couple of seconds ago and crashed into one of the houses behind them,pletely destroying it in the process.


    Hao Xuan was left more or less bbergasted.


    "What the f*ck is happening..."


    "ROCK!"


    And then it started over again.


    Ryfon gestured Hao Xuan to followed him from the side and they went around a rock and saw 4 people standing in a circle.


    "PAPER!"


    One of them shouted as soon as they got there. Hao Xuan knew what to expect this time so he immediately stood behind Ryfon as cover, even though he was much bigger than him.


    "SCISSORS!"


    As soon as they shouted scissors, three of the others punched the fourth person at once and he flew out much the same way as the one before him.


    Hao Xuan and Ryfon silently watched from the side until the process repeated two more times until there was the only person left standing in the circle.


    "Hahaha, FREEDOM!!" he shouted and broke out into a sprint but froze after just a few steps. He slowly turned his head sideways and stared at Ryfon with wide eyes.


    "Prince Ryfon! When did you get here??" he put an even wider smile and walked towards them.


    "Gou Min, it''s been a while," Ryfon nodded and looked towards a hill in the distance.


    "Isn''t your brother up yet?"


    "He just went to get some water, we were just....ying around in the meantime. Haha, I wasn''t going anywhere, I SWEAR!" he exined himself but when Ryfon simply smiled back in return, Gou Min dejectedly shook his head and pleaded, "Please don''t tell him, he will actually kill me..."


    Instead of replying Ryfon looked around and frowned upon not seeing someone.


    "Where is my dear cousin today?"


    Gou Min peered left and right before shrugging. Ryfon turned to face Hao Xuan and pointed towards the west side, "Can you go get my cousin, please? He will be the one handling everything on my behalf when I''m not here so he needs to be included in the conversation."

 Chapter 387: Trust

    <h4>Chapter 387: Trust</h4>


    Hao Xuan agreed and went where Ryfon had pointed without wasting any time. Ensis and Monk had been gone the entire night and they should have had some news by now.


    He checked the spirit band but it didn''t have any signals, which wasn''t unexpected. It shouldn''t work here since this was a different space altogether.


    "Baracus, make the list of items you need. I''ll give it to Ryfon so he can have it made while I''m staying here. I don''t think I will have time to personally meet with the cksmith. Also, take into ount any other things we might need in the future and buy them at once, money isn''t an issue right now," Hao Xuan reminded Baracus.


    *Beep*


    "Do you trust this Satyr creature with something like that?" Baracus inquired about the deal Hao Xuan had made with Ysolt.


    Back at the inn when he showed the purple liquid to Ysolt, he almost had a heart attack.


    ***


    "Where? S-Sell it to me!" Ysolt stuttered and bit his tongue in the process.


    "Ouch! Damn it!" he spat out a mouthful of blood and looked at Hao Xuan earnestly, "Please, sell this to me, I''ll give you howeve-WHATEVER you want! Please!" he almost fell to his knees begging for it.


    Even Hao Xuan himself was taken aback when he saw his reaction. Ysolt was a pretty high-level alchemist, able to create potions, elixirs, and everything in between for cultivators of Profound Realm even. He surely wasn''tcking any gold or silver, that was for certain.


    "Rx rx, calm down, jeez. Why do you need it so badly? I mean I know it''s expensive but why are you so desperate?" Hao Xuan asked curiously.


    Ysolt fell on the chair behind him lifelessly, taking a few deep breaths to collect his thoughts and calm down.


    "Listen, since Ryfon introduced us, I''m not going to lie to you. This thing is precious, much more so than you realize but that''s not why I want it. I want it for personal reasons, that''s all I can say," Ysolt wiped the blood off his face and knelt.


    "But if you sell it to me, I will owe you for the rest of my life, I swear to the heavens above and hells below, and everything in between. I will be at your beck and call for as long as I live, that is my promise to you."


    His voice started cracking near the end and Hao Xuan realized just how badly he wanted this little vile that was a literal drop in the ocean for him.


    He bent down and picked Ysolt up by the shoulders, "A man shouldn''t be so quick to kneel. You have helped me today, so think of this as a gift, keep it. In exchange, if you can, tell me what''s the use for it and why you want it so badly? It''s just to satisfy my curiosity. If you don''t want to say anything then forget asked," he winked and patted his shoulder before sitting down and lighting up one of the cigarettes for the first time.


    Ysolt''s eyes almost popped out of his sockets as he stared at the small vile in his hand, "You...would really just....give it to me? Even after I told you how valuable it is?"


    Hao Xuan sucked on the herbal cigarette for the first time and started coughing. The whites of his eyes turned red instantly as he nodded while trying to stop himself from coughing his lung out.


    *Cough*Cough*Cough*


    "Y-Yeah, I have more where that came from-"


    *Cough*Cough*Cough*


    "-so don''t worry about it."


    *Cough*Cough*


    Ysolt extended his hand and a stream of blue Qi came out of his palm and attached itself to Hao Xuan''s chest. It entered his body through his skin and helped the smoke reach where it needed to, stopping his coughing.


    "T-Thanks," Hao Xuan took in a deep breath, "That went down the wrong hole oh my god..." he said taking in another breath. T


    his was his first time smoking so obviously, it would be a learning process.


    Ysolt looked at Hao Xuan and realized he really didn''t want anything in return.


    "Thank you, truly. Anytime you need something you can just ask, it will be on the house," he told Hao Xuan resolutely.


    Hao Xuanughed, "Don''t worry about it. So, its uses?"


    "Oh, well, that''s easier asked than answered. This ''liquid'' doesn''t have a set name. It''s called by different names in different ces, but they all roughly trante to ''panacea''. It has as many uses as you can imagine. It can be used in alchemy to ''significantly'' boost the effectiveness of elixirs and medicines, thereby saving entire fortunes."


    "Saving how much exactly?"


    "That depends on the elixir in question you know. Alchemy is a trial and error process. Even if you have the exact recipe, you will still fail 8-9 times of out 10. Of course, the higher the alchemist''s mastery of the elements, of his or her own skills, etc, the higher the chance of sess but it still doesn''t get better than 40% sess rate even for the top experts."


    "But just a few drops of this magical little thing, that sess rate can reach 90% and it even increases the effects of whatever you''re making. Simrly, it can also be used by cksmiths, by engravers, by talisman experts, by the formation experts, treasure crafting, etc. Basically, if something uses any ingredient or item that has spiritual energy, this liquid can increase its power and efficiency."


    "As for why I need it, its a long story for some other time."


    ***


    "Yeah, he had honest eyes. He doesn''t seem like a bad person," Hao Xuan replied remembering their conversation. He told Ysolt that there was a lot more of it where this came from and whether he could find someone to sell it.


    Ysolt told him that if he just wanted to sell it quickly then he didn''t have to look far. Ryfon or Wu Jin would dly buy everyst drop, but he suggested an alternative as well.


    "There is always a demand for high-quality elixirs, medicines, potions, poisons, etc of all kinds. Instead of selling it directly, make use of it. With such a high sess rate you could literally be rolling in money, women, men if that''s your thing, whatever the hell you want, but that will take some time."


    What Ysolt suggested was a long term project.


    So Hao Xuan called Wu Jin and told him to work with Ysolt in an official capacity and help him with whatever he needed. As one of the three biggest ns in the academy, it shouldn''t be a problem if he was to take part in it.

 Chapter 388: Training buddies

    <h4>Chapter 388: Training buddies</h4>


    Still engrossed in his discussion with Baracus, Hao Xuan unknowingly entered an old wooden house. It was the only structure here so without much thought Hao Xuan went in. By the time he woke from this stupor, he was already standing in front of a wooden door.


    *Knock*Knock*


    "Hello? Ryfon is here and wants to see you," he said awkwardly.


    Hao Xuan forgot to ask for the person''s name so he didn''t know what to call him. Under normal circumstances, he would just yell the person''s name but now all he could do was shout that Ryfon wanted to see whoever was inside.


    "Hello??" he shouted again but as before there was no response. He waited a minute or two but when he didn''t hear any sound from the outside he slowly opened the door, making sure to make as much noise as possible.


    "Hello?? Ryfon''s....cousin..? He wants to see you, man!"


    The interior of the house was actuallypletely different from what he expected. The outside looked worn out, much like an abandoned building but the insides were neat and tidy.


    The floor didn''t have any dust at all, there was a nice scent ofvender in the air. There were a bunch of things scattered on a desk in the middle of the living room area likebs, somethings that looked like lotion bottles, etc.


    "HELLO??" he yelled again.


    *Ssh*


    As if in response to his earlier call out, the sound of water sshing came from directly ahead.


    "Ryfon sent me, he wants to see....dude..." Hao Xuan said as loudly as he could while walking towards the door. He knocked on it like before but there was no response. Finally having had enough he forced open the door and was met with a wall of fog.


    "Yo, anyone in here?"


    *Ssh*


    ''Why the f*ck isn''t he saying anything...'' with a frown and a light temper he pushed aside the fog and saw a shadow sitting in a pool of water. It seemed like the source of the fog was a naturally formed in-door hot spring.


    "Dude I''ve been calling for you for like 10 minutes now, can you at least reply?" he said while walking towards the shadow with heavy steps. When he was about 10 feet away from it, the fog cleared up enough that he could see who it really belonged it.


    Hao Xuan froze mid-stride. The first thing he saw was a slender back with extremely smooth skin. Long blond hair tied up in a bun. There was a faint sound of musicing from the person''s ears, obviously listening to music VERY loudly which was why they couldn''t hear him.


    ''It''s a girl?! Why is there a girl here? Wait, I forgot whose cousin I''m talking about. He''s probably a man-whore just like Ryfon,'' that was what went through his mind as he stood there like a statue.


    ''Okay, slowly turn around and walk out as if nothing happened. That fucker cane find his dumbass cousin himself!''


    As soon as Hao Xuan turned around he heard water move from behind him. His heart skipped a beat as he turned his head halfway and saw a naked person staring at him. Her curious light brown eyes looked enchanting in the fog as they stared at Hao Xuan in confusion.


    The first thing Hao Xuan thought was ''Such a shame a girl this beautiful fell for an elf b*stard.'' But instead, he quickly looked away and covered his eyes while shouting.


    " I''m so sorry, I was just looking for Ryfon''s cousin, I thought you were him and-"


    Before he could finish speaking, a rough, manly voice interrupted him.


    "Brother Ryfon is here already?? I''lle out right now!"


    "Eh?" Hao Xuan was taken aback. How did he not feel the presence of another person?


    ''Wait a second, was that b*stard also in the water? Oh my god, were they having sex or something?!''


    With one eye closed he back again, trying his best to avoid looking at the girl in the water but could see no one else.


    ''Where...?''


    The girl got out of the water and waved her hand as a bright red towel appeared in her hand. She used it to cover her bottom half and walked up to Hao Xuan who couldn''t move a muscle.


    "Yo, I''m sorry man, was listening to a new song so didn''t hear youe in. Gime a few mins to get dressed, I''ll meet you outside," the "girl" patted his shoulder and walked passed him casually.


    "....she....is...a he...?"


    Hao Xuan covered his mouth and forced himself to swallow the vomit that wasing up his throat. His entire body was dry heaving.


    ''IT WAS A DUDE?!''


    Stupified, he stood there in a daze.


    "How could I mistake a guy for a girl?! And I even thought she looked so pretty! No, HE looked so pretty! Dear god!, am I gay now?! Is this it?" he held his head in between his hands, dispiritingly talking to himself.


    *Beep*


    "Your heart rate is getting a bit out of hand," Baracus warned.


    "Shut up! No, it isn''t!" Hao Xuan barked back, silencing Baracus.


    *Beep*


    "I don''t understand what the problem is. That person is obviously androgynous. It ispletely normal to confuse him for a.....her," Baracus exined.


    "You shut your god damn mouth! Don''t tell anyone what happened, not a damn soul! And my heart rate is fine!" Hao Xuan cried through gritted teeth and sprinted out of the house.


    He didn''t wait outside for ''him'' and ran straight to Ryfon who was now talking to 4 individuals.


    "HE ising," he said to Ryfon with a twitching right eye, trying his best to hold himself back. He enunciated the word ''he'' as much as he could and looked at Ryfon''s face for a reaction but there was none. He simply nodded and gestured towards the four people in front of him.


    "Come meet everyone. You will be training with these guys. Everyone, this is Hao Xuan."


    Hao Xuan was still angry about what had just happened but had to hold himself back and nod towards his training buddies.


    He pointed at the rightmost person, "This is Nick, he is a human that I picked out myself not too long ago."


    Nick was a normal-looking guy of around 20-22 years of age. He had Asian features and actually looked somewhat simr to Hao Xuan. He was ripped and had about 4 pairs of abs decorating his abdomen. He smiled at Hao Xuan and gave a nod.


    "This is Hazel, also a human. She is the youngest out of everyone here so be sure to take care of her," he pointed at the 2nd person from the right.


    The girl Hazel looked very slim and somewhat out of ce surrounding by these big burly guys. Her hair was cut to shoulder length and she had very pretty features, albeit not as much as Ryfon''s cousin. She looked to be younger than 20.


    She came forward and shook Hao Xuan''s hand enthusiastically, "Hello, its nice to meet you!" she smiled innocently but it was easy to see that she was forcing herself to do that. Her movements were robotic and she faltered a couple of times. It was like looking at a kid trying to force themselves to do something they didn''t want to.


    Hao Xuan gave a natural smile, "Nice to meet you as well," receiving a beam of satisfaction in return.


    Both her personality and attitude seemed quite chirpy and pleasant.


    "This is Mino, he is half-dwarf and half-elf."


    Hao Xuan looked at Mino in surprise. He hadn''t seen a dwarf before but Mino did not look like what you would expect after hearing his introduction. He lookedpletely normal, even more so than "Nick". The only differences were his slightly pointy ears and a somewhat shorter stature at around 5.6 feet.


    He was expressionless and looked like he was quite bored. He yawned and nodded before picking his nose.


    "And this is Fulke," he looked at the leftmost individual. His was the shortest introduction yet and Hao Xuan felt like Ryfon didn''t want to say anymore so he didn''t ask.


    Fulke was arge, chubby guy around the same age as the others. He seemed nice from a first impression and kindly smiled towards Hao Xuan. He did give off a strange feeling though, which made Hao Xuan keep his guard up.


    *Step*Step*Step*


    The sound of soft footsteps came from behind and a familiar voice entered Hao Xuan''s ears, giving him goosebumps.


    "Cousin! Long time no see! Haha"

 Chapter 389: Gou Yang part 2

    <h4>Chapter 389: Gou Yang part 2</h4>


    Hao Xuan almost jumped out of his skin hearing that voice and abruptly turned around to face its owner.


    Ryfon also turned to face him with a scowl.


    "Henrik, I see you still aren''t taking this training seriously."


    Hao Xuan took another look at Henrik. Now he somewhat looked like a man.


    His long blond hair came down to his chest. He was about 6.2 feet tall with a slender physique. There was not a single bulging muscle anywhere on his body which along with his face that would put most ''heavenly beauties'' to shame, made him look quite feminine. His extremely long, pointy ears were proof of his thick elvish bloodline.


    He actually looked more like an elf than Ryfon himself, who carried the direct bloodline of the Elf King.


    It wasn''t Hao Xuan''s fault that he mistook him for a girl. Henrik was a famous personality in the Academy and even the city. Because of his looks, most men usually kept a distance from him while women went crazy just hearing his name.


    Henrik Biric was very famous in the city and was the official face and spokesperson of the Biric n''s younger generation. He was 160 years old this year and was known to have a somewhat impulsive personality. He was rude to most people regardless of age, cultivation, or social standing.


    Most of the younger generation loved him while the older folks didn''t want anything to do with him. He was also a pretty famous flirt, almost dying several times after being caught ''in the act''.


    "Haha, cousin knows me too well," Henrik didn''t even try to hide anything and sheepishly grinned instead.


    Ryfon''s scowl deepened and he swiftly made a fist andnded it squarely on Henrik''s head, making him stagger back several steps.


    Ryfon''s expression turned ugly as he looked at Henrik through squinted eyes.


    "You little sh*t, the next batch enters in a month. If you don''t have your Law refined by then I will personally whip in you in front of all your friends!"


    Henrik rubbed the area where Ryfon''s punchnded earlier and an even wider grin decorated his face.


    "Cousin, don''t threaten me with a good time!" he said shyly and looked away. His acting was top notch.


    The four individuals standing behind them tried their best to contain themselves but couldn''t help letting out stifledughs.


    Even Hao Xuan was taken aback by his "unique" response and cleared his throat to stop himself fromughing out loud.


    Ryfon''s face turned slightly red from embarrassment and he opened his mouth to berate him but in the end, stopped. With a deep sigh, he looked away.


    "1 month, that''s till when you have. And this is Hao Xuan, everything he says ising from me directly. Help him out with anything he needs and take care of him."


    It looked like this Henrik was too much to deal with even for Ryfon and he simply didn''t want to bother with it anymore.


    He looked at Hao Xuan, his expression one of remorse for some reason.


    "Come, I''ll introduce you to Guo Yang."


    Hao Xuan gave another meaningful look to Henrik who winked back in response, giving him goosebumps. He took a stride forward and followed after Ryfon.


    They walked for about five more minutes and reached the periphery of a new area. They were in the desert but the ground in front of them was crushed into fine dust. The boundary between the two areas was so neat and precise that it felt like someone had made it with a machine.


    "Hoh, we came in at a good time, looks like he is refining his Laws even now," Ryfon murmured and bent down to pick up a handful of ''sand''.


    Ryfon raised his foot and stepped into the new area and started walking towards a small hill in front of them, about 60 meters away which was their destination.


    But when Hao Xuan entered the area he felt a repulsive force trying to push him back out. He tried his best to force his way in with brute force but even with his strength that was enough to stop a charging train dead in its tracks, he couldn''t do anything.


    He looked up towards Ryfon who was already 10 meters in.


    ''Qi then?''


    One by one he started circting the Qi''s from different meridians and only when the Force Qi coursed through his veins did the repulsive force lessen significantly.


    Hao Xuan bit down and used the Force Qi to push away the iing repulsive force, slowly making his way towards the hill. Unfortunately, the closer he got to it, the stronger the repulsive force became.


    14 meters was the most he could achieve. Sweat poured down the side of his face as he used everything at his disposal but couldn''t move even an inch forward. It was like a normal human being pushing against a concrete wall.


    Ryfon had stopped at the 20-meter mark and he was looking at Hao Xuan expressionlessly. When Hao Xuan had given up, he snapped his fingers and the force vanished like it was never there.


    He walked over and picked him up. Hao Xuan was breathing heavily and was drenched in sweat from top to bottom.


    "I wanted you to experience this first hand. This is Guo Yang''sw. Laws are like the rules of this limited space, no one can go against them. Only anotherw of the same tier andprehension can counter it, if the cultivator is good enough that is."


    He held Hao Xuan''s arm and walked with him up the hill while exining.


    "This is the difference between a cultivator that hasprehended Laws and one that hasn''t. No matter what type of energy you have inside your body until it evolves into a Law you are still far too weak. Your one and only goal is to evolve at least onew here before you go into the tournament, otherwise, it''s useless."


    By the time he finished speaking, they were already at the top.


    The hill was only about 30 meters tall and looked man-made. At the summit, they saw one man sitting crosslegged with his eyes closed. He was serenely floating a foot above the ground but the environment around him was going crazy.


    There were tens of small andrge rocks revolving around him in different radii. Some were as small as a few inches while others were bigger than cars. Every single one of them revolved at the exact same speed no matter how far the distance from him.


    There was a strange low huming from each of the rocks, it sounded like they were vibrating as well.


    "Yo, as diligent as ever I see," Ryfon suddenly shouted and quite loudly at that, but there was no change in the motion of the rocks.


    Ryfon seemed impressed. He snapped his finger and all the rocks came to an abrupt halt. The man sitting in the middle slowly opened his eyes and stood up.


    Hao Xuan looked at him up and down. So this was Guo Yang, the Holy Son of the Divine Temple!


    He wasn''t ''pretty'' like Henrik or handsome like Ryfon, but there was a strange grace in his movements, in his very being, something that made people want to be close to him.


    There was an insignia of a crescent moon in the middle of his forehead, gently radiating a very dim white light. He had short, ck hair and wore a very simple white shirt with ck pants. He looked more like a schr than a fighter.


    "Senior brother, I was waiting for you," Guo Yang let out a smile that was not a smile and clenched his fists.


    Ryfon expected him to say that and was ready. He pushed Hao Xuan back, "Watch carefully," he mumbled solemnly and started walking towards Gou Yang.


    "What are yo-"


    "Oiii~, its starting! Hurry up!"


    Hao Xuan heard a shout from behind him, cutting him off. He turned around and saw 6 figures came running up the hill. They stopped right next to Hao Xuan. They all seemed quite excited.


    "Oh this is gonna be fun! Finally, someone will teach brother a lesson!"


    Gou Min shouted. Gou Min was Gou Yang''s younger brother by 3 years but didn''t look like it. He had a mustache, arge muscr build, and was just a few inches shorter than Hao Xuan himself,ing up to his ears.


    He looked like a man in his early thirties while Gou Yang looked like a 20 something artist that wandered in here byplete ident.

 Chapter 390: Guo Yang Part 3

    <h4>Chapter 390: Guo Yang Part 3</h4>


    Since his early days, Hao Xuan had a lot of interest towards the cultivation novels, stories, and the myths back on earth. How exhrating it felt reading about the stories of those cultivators that could traverse a mountain with a single leap and fly through the sky on the backs of swords.


    And when he came here, it was like all his dreams and prayers had been answered. He cultivated himself, doing exactly as the manuals said, and managed to reach the ceiling of the first power level in this world. The minimum requirement to go out and explore was the Spirit realm and even then it was as dangerous as it could be.


    Until now his luck had been rather good and even though he got into a few bad situations, one way or another he got out alive. But somewhere along the way, that exciting feeling of uncertainty, of seeking out new adventures, of exploring this immensely vast world he had after arriving here was gone.


    Hao Xuan had taken note of this and considered it to be the reason why his cultivation had stagnated at the 4th Stage of the Spirit Realm for so long.


    But for the first time in a long time, what he was seeing right now had left him stumped, left him with those same emotions, those same feelings he felt aftering over to the Beast World and standing on the edge of that giant leaf and peering down at the great unknown.


    ''To create something out of nothing, how is this even possible...'' he thought to himself.


    Because in front of him right now two Profound Realm cultivators were fighting using their Laws instead of their cultivations.


    They didn''t fly around too much, simply floating at a height of 5 meters above the rocky hill.


    It seemed like Guo Yang was a close-range fighter that preferred to use his hands. He moved too fast for Hao Xuan to properly see what was happening so it just looked like he teleported from one ce to another. He kept trying to get close to Ryfon but to no avail.


    Ryfon would step on the ground and simply appear out of another area tens of meters away. It looked like he could teleport but only when touching the ground.


    Guo Yang opened his right hand halfway like a w and a white ball of energy grew from nothing to over a foot in diameter within seconds. It pulsed almost looked like the full moon.


    He threw it like a baseball but it seemed to be alive as it followed after Ryfon no matter where he went.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know whatw Ryfon was using but every time he moved his hand, white trunked trees would grow out of the barren, rocky soil of the hill below and grow to dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.


    They would sometimes attack and defend when needed but could do nothing to stop that little ball. It was like watching a movie.


    The crescent moon in the middle of Guo Yang''s forehead shimmered every now and then as he shed with Ryfon, sending shockwaves all around with every move.


    Ryfon opened his palm and a 4-meter tall greatshield made of water appeared in front of him. The white energy ball shot towards it with gusto but got stuck inside.


    Guo Yang pulled back his hand and the energy ball tried to back out but now the shield wouldn''t let it go. It was clearly struggling but that was it.


    Guo Yang smiled and bent his knees. The crescent moon shimmered once again as he pushed and the entire hill broke apart under his feet. He turned into a white streak and dashed towards Ryfon.


    The ground had already given in so there was nothing for Ryfon to stand on.


    His expression quickly worsened as he moved his left hand in a strange manner and more than 20 Greatshields like the one that was trapping the energy ball appeared in front of him.


    Hao Xuan heard Guo Yang''sugh and then saw the streak run into the line of 20 Greatshields. He expected there to be some struggle but the streak passed through every shield like it wasn''t even there and then he saw Ryfon shoot out like a rocket and hit a hill about 300 meters away. In his ce, Guo Yang was standing calmly, not even a scratch on him.


    The hill Ryfon had crashed into exploded and he flew out and appeared in front of Guo Yang with ruffled hair.


    Hao Xuan and the party had already moved back a hundred meters, out of the range of their attacks.


    Guo Yang didn''t even have a single bead of sweat on him after doing all that. He looked at Ryfon with half a smile, "Senior brother went too easy on me."


    Ryfon looked a bit annoyed, "I didn''t know you already had such control over your Physique. I really let my guard down," he said shaking his head.


    "The results of my closed-door cultivation, no big deal," Guo Yang gave a toothy grin in return.


    The fight reminded Hao Xuan of that anime with superpowered monkey soldiers from another, the ones that could scream for several episodes to get power-ups. What was it called...?


    ***


    After the fight, Ryfon introduced Guo Yang and Hao Xuan and told him to help train him as well.


    Guo Yang didn''t seem to mind at all and he seemed really friendly.


    Ryfon had something to do so he bade his farewell to the party and left Hao Xuan there for the time being. He said he''d be back in a few hours to take him back to his ce and get his things from there.


    Not to mention Jin Wang was still probably at home without any idea what happened to Hao Xuan.


    "Let''s have a little sparring session to wee Brother Hao Xuan!" Guo Yang patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder with a smile as soon as Ryfon left, giving him a bad feeling.

 Chapter 391: The best choice

    <h4>Chapter 391: The best choice</h4>


    Hao Xuan took a puff of the cigarette loosely hanging between his fingers and leaned back against a tree trunk. He was about three meters above ground sitting on a thick tree branch.


    Below him was a small bonfire still burning lightly and a few tents around it.


    There was a clear sky tonight and the weather was rtively cold in this ce but to Hao Xuan, it made no difference. His internal body temperate was so high that if he let out a deep breath, the temperature of his immediate surroundings would rise by a few degrees.


    Hours had turned into days and days into weeks. It had been exactly two weeks now since Hao Xuan first entered the Temple''s conste for training.


    The area they were in now was a new biome located about 80,000 kilometers away from the outer city. This was a rtively small group of mountains under the control of the Wu n, covering about 8,000 kilometers square. It was used to raise Demonic and Ether beasts that had many different applications.


    Moving here was, of course, Hao Xuan''s idea. He wanted to go to a ce where there was some threat to their lives while following Guo Yang''s strict regiment.


    But even here Ryfon would visit him almost every day. Hao Xuan still wasn''t able to sleep, only managing to take a nap for an hour sinceing here so he had a lot of time to spare.


    After interacting with this group of strange cultivators for a fortnight, Hao Xuan got pretty close to them. And how could he not? They had been fighting together for survival sinceing here.


    Guo Yang didn''t stay in this ce though. He was a real neat freak and unlesspletely necessary, he would never put himself in a situation where he was surrounded by dirt and grass 24/7.


    Hao Xuan was sitting with his eyes closed, going over all the information he had just gotten due to Wu Jin.


    One of the things he had asked of him was to get everything he could about the Wu n. From their cultivation methods to the n secrets, their history, etc, and Wu Jin delivered for the most part.


    In Hao Xuan''s left hand was a rectangr object with golden sigils and mini formations hovering around it non-stop. It looked extremely sturdy and seemed to be cut from a single piece of rock of some kind.


    This little thing could be used to directly enter the Wu n''s virtual archives and snoop around. Of course, it had its limits. Hao Xuan could only review the information that was avable to someone of the same ess level as Wu Jin, which was the third-highest in the n. Above him was the ess level for n elders and then the patriarch.


    For thest couple of days, he had been slowly going over everything in the n''s archives and recording it in Baracus''s memory storage.


    There was a lot of information there which helped Hao Xuane up with another identity and an exnation for his actions.


    In the cultivation world, several different methods allowed people to summon beings from other nes of existence or make contracts and tame the ones from here. What Hao Xuan wanted to do, ording to Baracus''s suggestion, was pretend to be one of these individuals.


    After all, he couldn''t let people know about the Soul Severing Heavenly Constitution.


    After going over all the options, he had finalized it down to thest three.


    1). Summoners. One could not "learn" to be a summoner and had to be born with this innate talent. Summoners were able to reach out beyond the veil and call the ''things'' that lived in the in-between to our world. They didn''t require the summon''s consent so whatever they called out was usually pretty pissed off.


    Summoners were rtively rare and not much was known about them other than mere rumors and hearsay. There was a small n of summoners somewhere in the Beast World but nobody knew their exact location.


    The Archives stated that a Wu n elder hade across a summoner on his travels just a few decades ago. They got into an argument and ended up fighting one another. There weren''t a lot of details mentioned there but he said one thing that stuck with Hao Xuan.


    "Kill the summoner as soon as the battle starts. The longer the fight goes on, the worse situation you will be in. But if possible, stay away from them at all costs. It is not worth it to fight these lunatics."


    "Lunatics huh..." Hao Xuan smiled as he remembered his words. He could only imagine what the elder had gone through to say something like that.


    2). Beast Masters. In contrast to the Summoners, Beast Master''s were the mostmon ones. As the name suggested, they were able to tame beasts to use their abilities and even merge with them to an extent.


    On the beast world, Beast Masters were the strongest overall force there was. They controlled the ''Primis'' continent, the biggest and the most powerful continent in the beast world. Tertium was the continent Hao Xuan was and it ranked 3rd in overall power.


    Most of the people here were from other worlds so you would see the most variety only here.


    The cultivation system of Beast Masters was vastly different from Hao Xuan''s, although it still had its simrities.


    Beast Masters would tame a different beast in every realm and with its help increase their own cultivation. Each of these beasts lived inside their meridians, able to answer its masters call instantly.


    The rtionship between them was mutually beneficial in most cases as with everything else, but there were different types of Beast Masters with their own distinct methods.


    3). Contractors. urrence wise, Contractors fell somewhere in between the Summoners and Beast Masters. Nobody knew how many of them there were because they mostly kept to themselves. They usually stayed away from other cultivators so there wasn''t a lot of information about them in the archives.


    *Beep*


    "As I said, there is no better option than Contractors. Progenitor met with two of them in his lifetime and collected some data, so I believe they would be the best choice."


    Baracus''s emotionless voice rang in Hao Xuan''s mind.

 Chapter 392: Contractors

    <h4>Chapter 392: Contractors</h4>


    As much as Hao Xuan hated to admit it, Contractors really were the best option for now.


    The summoners were considered to be living on the fringes of modern society. Their methods were unorthodox, their tempers explosive, and were mostly unliked.


    The Beast Masters, well there was too big a difference between their cultivation method and Hao Xuan''s.


    The contractors fell somewhere in between these two and the best part was that no one knew much about them so it gave Hao Xuan a lot of leeway to do as he pleased.


    "Alright, tell me everything you know about Contractors," Hao Xuan gave in and finally asked.


    *Beep*


    Baracus was waiting for that and even his beeping noise sounded a bit excited, if that was even possible.


    "As you already know, Contractors fall somewhere in the middle of Beast Masters and Summoners, and that''s true for their abilities as well. Where a Summoner can call down any creature, living or dead, to this realm without its consent, a contractor can do the same but through a much lengthier process."


    "Contractors aren''t born with the innate ability to Summon these things so they have to employ other methods. This includes using the blood of certain monsters and use their bloodline, for example, to trace back their lineage and find more powerful ancestors. But they can''t force them to make contracts with them so it usually involves a trade of some kind."


    "But unlike Summoners and like Beast Masters, Contractors can merge with their contracted beasts and use their abilities, so its best of both worlds. But Contractors need both strong bodies and souls to be able to withstand the pressure so that usually stops most people from even trying."


    "Hmm..."


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath and opened his eyes to look at the starry sky above through the leaves.


    To better understand Hao Xuan''s situation, Baracus had adopted a standard of measurement for his abilities. The base measurement was the average strength of a cultivator at the same realm as him which was widely used in the beast world already.


    So ''One'' soul power would be the average soul power of someone at Spirit Realm Fourth stage.


    When Hao Xuan first got Poriverse''s inheritance and knowledge so to speak, his soul power was about 7. But after cultivating to his current realm and with the Old King''s help it had reached 13.5.


    Hao Xuan''s physical strength was also vastly superior to his peers at 8.7. This included every factor, including the two hearts which he still hadn''t utilized properly.


    So currently, his profile looked something like this.


    Name: Hao Xuan


    Cultivation Realm: 4th Stage, Spirit Realm


    Soul Power: 13.5


    Physical Power: 8.7


    Number of Severs: 212


    Cultivation Manual: ive Manual


    The only problem, that Guo Yang also pointed after just one sparring session, was that Hao Xuan did not have any good techniques he could use in normalbat.


    He obviously didn''t know about some of the more profound moves like the ''Last Strike of Samsara'' which Hao Xuan had only used twice or ''Sunder the Heavens'' which was his ultimate move.


    Although Hao Xuan did have a few different versions of Demonic Steps, they weren''t that flushed out to be called their own techniques.


    He also didn''t have any defensive techniques and his attacking capability was also severely limited.


    Guo Yang told him to start cultivating his ive Dao as well. This was the first time Hao Xuan was hearing about so it took him by surprise but apparently, weapon cultivation Manuals were different from Weapon Dao. Although the two were connected, they were their own separate paths.


    In Guo Yang''s words:


    "Weapon Dao is your mastery with the weapon whereas weapon cultivation is simply cultivating with the traits of that weapon. The weapon cultivation could enhance the Dao but not the other way around."


    "To develop your Dao you need to learn the profundities behind your de and understand and show your results from it. This can be done by master different ive techniques, scriptures, doctrines, and sacred texts."


    Unfortunately, Hao Xuan wasn''t able to find any ive rted techniques or scriptures in the Wu n archives. After asking around he found the one ce that would have them without a shadow of a doubt, The Hall Of Betor!


    So with Baracus''s help, he put a few things in ce that might help him get the things he wanted. But right now his goal was different. If he was going to pretend to be a Contractor, he would need an apanying beast to go with it.


    "Have you narrowed it down to what''s the most suitable beast for me here?"


    *Beep*


    "Currently these are the three best options you have. One, The Blood Aqu, a Griffin variant Ether Beast living at the top of the highest peak. Two, the Sunburned Titanasour, a beast with an ancient bloodline of the Sun-Eating Mammoth. It moves all over the ce so will take some time to track down. Three, the Boneless Panther, a shadow type feline beast. Not enough data on it as its sightings are rare."


    This was the actual reason Hao Xuan chose this exact ce. With the Wu n''s permission that Wu Jin got, he was able to hunt one of these precious beasts for himself. One of them was supposed to be his first Contracted beast.

 Chapter 393: Toes

    <h4>Chapter 393: Toes</h4>


    "Hmm, I still don''t have a flying mount. If I go for the Blood Aqu, won''t I be able to fly myself as well as use it?" Hao Xuan thought out loud.


    "Yes. I was also going to suggest th-"


    *Crack*


    The sound of a tree branch breaking came from the left side, interrupting Baracus mid-sentence.


    Hao Xuan jerked his head and looked at the source of the noise. The pupils shrunk as his vision zoomed in but could only catch a glimpse of something before it disappeared behind a tree.


    Hao Xuan sighed, ''Looks like they caught up...''


    He jumped down and kicked the tent closest to him, waking up its inhabitant.


    "WHAT?! ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?! WHAT''S GOING ON???"


    Followed by some ruffling and ripping sounds, a pale masked creature crawled out.


    "They found us. Get ready," Hao Xuan replied expressionlessly as he tried his best not to look at the thing. This "Creature" was actually Henrik Biric. The guy had a whole process whenever he went to sleep and used several different types of facial masks, ending up looking like an alien.


    Hao Xuan quickly went up to the other five tents and woke them up one by one without making too much extra noise. Nick, Hazel, Mino, Fulke and Guo Min were in the other tents and in less than ten seconds they were all up and ready to move. Only Henrik was still trying to clean himself up.


    "God damnit, I was in the middle of a good dream! The beauties were just about to show me their toes!" the chubby Fulke cursed under his breath but everyone still heard him loud and clear. Nick rolled his eyes while Hazel blushed hearing the words.


    Fulke, apparently, had a thing for Toes.


    It wasn''t clear what this ''thing'' was because sometimes he would threaten to cut peoples toes off when he got mad and other times he would act like a monkey in heat looking at them.


    Guo Min patted Fulke''s shoulder and nodded, his somber expression rying the sincerest of apologies.


    *Ruffle*


    *Crack*x4


    The noises came again, this time from all around them. Hao Xuan''s expression turned ugly as he closed his eyes at once and listened.


    *Ba-dump*


    *Ba-dump*


    *Ba-dump*


    Faint heartbeats, too faint to even notice under normal circumstances were all around them.


    "That was fast. We''re surrounded apparently," he said taking out the ive.


    Henrik jumped out of his tent and just stored it away as it was. His shirt was on backward and the pants were missing a leg for some reason.


    "These motherf*ckers! This is like the 8th time they interrupted my beauty sleep!" he shouted.


    "Alright, let''s go," he gestured towards the others and a formation lit up on his palm.


    Henrik was studying to be a formation expert which was rather umon. The field was in demand but required years of experience and high talent.


    He pointed at the ground and a simr formation appeared below their feet. It shrunk from its initial size of 10 meters to 6 before abruptly expanding to more than a hundred meters with him as the center.


    "Show yourselves!" he yelled and the entire area within the range of the formation started glowing like the surface of the sun.


    *Growl~*


    *Kreuuk*


    Tens of strange-looking beasts appeared out of the dark. They had the heads of electric eels, the strong upper bodies of Komodo dragons, and the lower halves very simr to those of pythons.


    The Shadow Eaters!


    It was because of these things that the Wu n allowed outsiders toe into their territory and hunt, Wu Jin getting the permission was only a very small part. The Wu n wanted them to kill as many of these creatures as they possibly could.


    These creatures were like the weeds of the best world. They could reproduce quickly and endlessly, eat almost anything, and survive in most ces. They could hide in the shadows bing almost invisible and would decimate every environment.


    Their ruthless and bloodthirsty nature would make them hunt even if they were full. One of the rare beasts that hunted for sport. They had been chasing the group for a full week now no matter where they went.


    *Kreuuuuk*


    Since they were found out the creatures stopped holding back and finally attacked. They rushed out from all sides.


    Henrik was in the center while the others protected him. He was the support and also the weakest in close-rangedbat.


    Nick was a Quarterstaff user, Hazel used a longsword, Mino used two small hammers, Fulke held a giant cleaver and Guo Min used a Greataxe. All of them were experts in their own fields and experienced fighters.


    Just as they had done so many times before, the n was to break out from one side. Fulke led the charge with his massive cleaver. He was at the forefront swinging the cleaver left and right, cutting trees and beasts in half.


    "DIE YOU TOELESS BASTARDS!" he shouted.


    Even when surrounded from all sides he didn''t forget to remind the Shadow Eaters of theirck of toes. Maybe this was why he hated them so much...


    To his left and right were Hao Xuan and Guo Min respectively with their weapons, killing any Shadow Eater that Fulke missed. Henrik had his head lowered and eyes closed, his left hand was on Hao Xuan''s shoulder.


    "Move southeast, there''s another partying from the front!" he shouted and the group quickly changed their directions ordingly.


    The night was dark and cold but they held their own and kept fighting.


    ***


    Fourth Quadrant of RedBone Gxy, Myrt sr system, 5th from the sun.


    A circr, silver ship more than 50,000 kilometers in diameter floated above the. Hundreds of thousands of space beasts flew around the ship in circles.


    On the''s surface, a deadly fight was going on between two parties. One of them looked like humans while the others had different tattoos all over their bodies.


    "The Obsidian Elephant''s Roar!" a tanned man with tusks tattooed on his face yelled before a sound wave came out of his mouth, uprooting everything in front of him and sending it flying away.

 Chapter 394: Words of Power

    <h4>Chapter 394: Words of Power</h4>


    Nothing and no one could withstand the force behind the roar. The 10 or so people in front of him went tumbling away.


    One of those people was a cold-looking girl. She had jet ck hair, white as snow skin, and a rather alluring body. But right now her expression was one of urgency. She raised her hands and a 3 meter wide hexagonal green shield appeared and tried to block the sound wave but she still had to move back tens of meters under its pressure.


    "Please, we mean you no harm! You have to listen to me!" she yelled from behind the shield but the tattoed man''s eyes were already bloodshot and he seemed to have lost all sense of rationality. He turned his head halfway and looked at the people behind him.


    There were two other tattoed individuals in the group but they seemed to have incurred grave injuries already and were barely staying awake. Most of the others were either women and children or missing one or two limbs.


    "Go! Tell the elders the invaders are getting reinforcements! We have to fight to ourst breaths!"


    He clutched his broken right arm while trying to stay standing but the light in his eyes was already showing signs of going out. His thoughts were inplete disarray with only one memory ying over and over again.


    One of the two tattoed men came forward and pleaded,


    "But master Kryz we can''t do this alone, you have to-"


    "GO!" he shouted and another small sound wave pushed the injured man away.


    Biting his lip, he reluctantly turned around and ran after the group, leaving his ''master'' facing the so-called invaders alone.


    Kryz saw their backs vanish from view and turned back around to face his enemies. All ten of them were already standing in front of him. Each of them had a different weapon in hand and even after taking hisst attack head-on, they weren''t injured in the least.


    A deep, husky voice echoed in the jungle.


    "I told you they won''t listen..."


    The girl''s expression worsened as soon as she heard it. and she yelled back.


    "You promised to give me a chance! I still have time left!"


    "....fine. But this is thest one, no more!" the voice without an owner said and disappeared.


    The girl looked back at the tattoed man and nodded. Her ninepanions reluctantly put away their weapons and moved aside. She walked towards the man with open arms.


    "Please listen to me, we mean you no harm. Those people that did that to you weren''t with us...." she did her best to exin the situation but the tattoed man wasn''t listening anymore.


    But his thoughts were focused on one memory, thest good memory he had left. Thest dinner he had with his family.


    Until a few months ago he was just a normal farmer living a simple life. This was called ''Iuris'' and was his home. He lived a quiet life there away from all the hustle-bustle and the fighting of the world.


    When the sun came up he would start tending to the farms with his two sons and return when it would go down to a nice hot meal and a lovely wife and a daughter. asionally they would go out to the bigger viges and trade goods before returning back home.


    But on one fateful day, the sun didn''te. It was the day their lives changed forever.


    The sun had been hidden behind a flying contraption above the clouds. It was so high up that their simple minds couldn''t evenprehend it. And soon after, people came down from the contraption on unknown beasts.


    They asked for information about their world and took a few important people with them. The next day the sun rose as usual and everything seemed to have returned to normal, but that onlysted for a few weeks.


    Soon after, hundreds of meteors fell from the sky and they brought three gigantic beasts with them. These beasts towered over most mountains and drank entire rivers dry, but that wasn''t the worst of it.


    On these beasts rode hundreds of invaders that called themselves cultivators. They fought amongst themselves every day, destroying entire towns and viges in the process. They fought with the native people and killed as they pleased. No one could stop them.


    Kryz, like many others, journeyed to one of the bigger cities for protection with his but they would never make it there. Their caravan was attacked just a few kilometers away from the city and everyone was killed, everyone but him.


    His wife didn''t even have a full corpse left to bury. His precious daughter was crushed to death under a carriage and his sons were killed by one of the cultivators for crying too loudly over their deaths.


    He could do nothing but watch as his entire family was murdered on a whim, like ants that had no meaning.


    ''These people, they didn''t even bat an eye after killing so many, WHY WOULD I LISTEN TO YOUR KIND!?'' he wanted to shout but it was toote. All he could do was grit his teeth and watch.


    The numerous tattoos on his body lit up one after another. They came out of his skin and formed a single word in the air above him.


    This was the power he and many others like him received on death''s door.


    "The Words of Power!"


    He looked at the girl a few feet away from him and smirked.


    "This is for my family..." he murmured before closing his eyes.


    He clenched his empty fist and the word of power above broke into tiny shards and a ck beast foot like that of a mammoth materialized in its ce.


    It was more than 40 meters in diameter, covering everyone including Kryz himself. Without giving any time for them to run away, it came crashing down.


    The cultivator''splexions turned dark when they realized they couldn''t move their bodies. The girl froze and hurriedly created a shield over them but it broke as soon as it appeared.


    After trying a couple of other things without sess, she let out a deep sigh and shook her head because she knew how it was going to end.


    The air in front of her trembled and a small red spark ignited out of thin air. The spark quickly expanded into a crimson pir of me with a silhouette inside it. This silhouette raised its hand and murmured one word, "Immte" and the beast''s foot started burning from inside out, disappearing within seconds.


    Kryz who had summoned it wasying lifelessly on the ground, the body already cold, summoning something like that as a mortal caused his blood essence to evaporate. His vacant eyes were still open with a few tears falling onto the ground beneath.

 Chapter 395: New developments

    <h4>Chapter 395: New developments</h4>


    *Huff*


    *Huff*


    "We should be safe here for a while," Henrik said and fell down on his knees while breathing heavily.


    He was the support of the group and had to use his abilities and skills almost non-stop. Not to mention that a formation master heavily depended on their mental and soul power as formations required a lot of concentration to create and operate them so he waspletely exhausted.


    "Oh thank the gods!" Mino mumbled softly and leaned back against the cave wall. Both his hands were almost numb from swinging those hammers continuously.


    "I didn''t think we''d make it out of that one," Hazel wiped the greyish blood off of her longsword and stored it away. Her simple clothes were covered in this same greyish blood which made her look pretty tomboyish, especially when Henrik who was right next to her always wore flowery patterns and bright colors.


    Nick heaved a sigh of relief and used the quarterstaff to clear away some rocks before sitting down as well.


    Hao Xuan, Guo Min, and Fulke were in much worse condition than them. All of them were covered in w and bite marks from top to bottom.


    After an hour-long battle they had finally managed to kill their way out of the Shadow Eaters encirclement and reach this out of the way cave on the side of a mountain. It was still only around two in the morning so the night was still young and there was a chance they could be found again.


    Not to mention that the valley below only got sunlight for less than four hours every single day.


    "You guys rest, I''ll keep an eye out," Hao Xuan told the group before getting up and walking out.


    His injuries were already starting to heal and would recover within a few minutes so it was the only logical choice that Hao Xuan himself would go out while the others recovered.


    "Ah, sorry for the trouble," Guo Minughed and patted him on the shoulder on his way out.


    Henrik looked at him from the corner of his eyes and suddenly tried to get up, "You....you think you''re better than me? HUH?! I can go out too!" he slurred almost as if he was half drunk, pointing at Hao Xuan provocatively.


    Hao Xuan stopped mid-stride and turned to look at him before quickly shaking his head helplessly.


    "Feed him some sweets. His sugar level is low again. I swear these fucking elves..."


    Hazel was in charge of Henrik whenever he got like this so she hurriedly took out some hard candies and force-fed them to Henrik.


    This was apparently a gic disorder that many elves suffered from. Some of them would have much stronger metabolisms so whenever they did any strenuous activity, their glucose level would fall astronomically. it wasn''t life-threatening but they would fall into a half-drunken delirious state so it wasn''t exactly fine either.


    There were of course ways to get around this like cultivating a physique to offset it for example, but Henrik simply refused to do so because he would be big and ''ugly''.


    "I''M PRETTIER THAN ALL YOU!" he yelled while Hazel shoved a piece of candy down his throat trying to coax him, "Yes yes, you are a very pretty senior brother, now please eat this."


    Henrik not only looked younger than almost everyone in the party but his actions were also pretty childish and they had all gotten used to it by now.


    Hao Xuan sat in front of the cave''s entrance while discussing his ns with Baracus when his Spirit Band vibrated. It was a call from Ryfon.


    Hao Xuan picked it up instantly.


    "Yo, what''s up?"


    "Where are you right now? We need to talk," Ryfon''s voice came into Hao Xuan''s ears. He sounded quite urgent from the tone.


    "Is everything okay?"


    "Yeah, some new information hase up. I''m above the valley, give me a signal and I''ll pick you guys up. You''ll have to finish this little outingter sometime," he said before hanging up.


    Hao Xuan was stumped. What happened that made him worry so much? But since he was here there was nothing else to be done. Hao Xuan got up and walked back into the cave.


    "Get ready, we''re leaving," he knocked on the wall to get everyone''s attention. Henrik had only just recovered when he looked up in surprise like all the others, their expressions somber.


    "Did they find us already?" Fulke asked with squinted eyes while rubbing his cleaver.


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "No, we have to go back apparently. Ryfon is here to pick us up."


    "Prince Ryfon is here?"


    "But I thought we had 2 more weeks."


    "Yeah so did I but guess not...."


    Hao Xuan left them to get ready and turned back around. He took out a small red piece of wood and lit it on fire. It burned with an extremely bright red light, almost blinding Hao Xuan who didn''t look away fast enough.


    "Damnit," Hao Xuan cursed and with closed eyes threw it straight up into the air.


    With his strength, the little piece of burning wood flew straight up like a rocket for almost 400 meters beforeing back down. And as soon as it started its descent, the entire valley came alive at once.


    The trees started shaking, the ground rumbled and dust rose up high enough that it could be seen from the air at this time of the night. It looked like hundreds of thousands of beast had started a stampede and were going straight towards the party''s location.


    All of them ran out of the cave with grave expressions adorning their usually nonchnt faces. They looked out towards the jungle that seemed to be alive and slowly moving on its own.


    "Where is he??" Gou Min mumbled with a deep frown but he didn''t have to wait long before getting an answer.


    A loud neigh came from the sky above and two white half-unicorns appeared in their sights. One second they were like a smudge and the next they stood right in front of them, the carriage floating behind them.


    The door opened and Ryfon gestured for them to get in. They jumped in one by one and the carriage was hundreds of kilometers away within ten seconds.


    Hao Xuan peered out of the window and looked at thendscape that was bing smaller and smaller by the second before looking at Ryfon with a raised eyebrow, "You better have a very good reason for this. I had something to do there."


    Ryfon snapped his fingers and a small barrier appeared, separating them from the rest of the party. It was obviously quite rude to the other six people in the small carriage but no one had the authority to say otherwise. Only Henrik kept mumbling something under his breath.


    "What?" even Hao Xuan was taken aback by his actions. Why the secrecy?


    "There has been a development. The where the tournament is held has had a few changes, we need to change the ns a bit," Ryfon said mysteriously.


    "What developments?"


    "You''ll find out soon enough. Here, change into this," instead of answering his question Ryfon handed him a set of clean white clothes.


    Hao Xuan looked at the clothes before shaking his head.


    "No, what the hell is going? Exin first."


    Ryfon stared at him with a troubled expression, not finding the right words.


    "The has...e alive. Its guardian spirit has been activated and given the natives a new kind of power. And because of that, its worth has just more than quadrupled. Right now we''re going to meet my master, a great elder of the Academy."


    "What?! Why? Why do I have to meet him?"


    "Because he found out about my n. Also, the academy needs your help as well. This is a good opportunity if you use it correctly, you will see."


    Hao Xuan was, of course, unconvinced.


    "Why not chose someone from the academy? Someone better suited for whatever the hell you have to do?"


    Ryfon shook his head and sighed.


    "We need an outsider for this, this isn''t something we are... ''allowed'' to do..."


    The more Ryfon talked, the worse Hao Xuan''s expressions got.


    ''You bastards are looking for a scapegoat?!''

 Chapter 396: Great Elder

    <h4>Chapter 396: Great Elder</h4>


    *Ba-Dump*


    *Ba-Dump*


    *Ba-Dump*


    Hao Xuan could literally hear his own heartbeat. It felt like it was in his throat, ready to jump out if he opened his mouth wide enough.


    They had been flying for over 3 hours before arriving at their destination.


    He looked down at the gigantic castle below and leaned in towards Ryfon. It was only them in the carriage right now so they could talk openly.


    "Is this it?"


    "Yeah, rx, he won''t bite hahaha," Ryfon patted his shoulder upon noticing the droplets of sweat forming on his forehead, but it was easier said than done.


    The person Hao Xuan was going to meet was an actual hero for mankind. He was older than most kingdoms out there, so much so that barely anyone knew how old he was right now. He was apparently at least two realms higher than Ryfon who was a Profound Realm expert himself.


    He had also fought in thest Great War. Hao Xuan didn''t know the actual significance of those words but just hearing them made his heart beat faster. He taught Ryfon''s father, the current King, and two of his older brothers and was considered to be a very respectable character by all the higher-ups of the academy as well as the three leading ns.


    The carriage came to a stop and Hao Xuan felt a tug on his poor heart. he felt like throwing up for some reason.


    Ryfon opened the door and jumped down.


    "Come on, he''s waiting," he gestured towards Hao Xuan who reluctantly followed after.


    The first thing he saw was the never-ending staircase in front of him in a world of ice and snow. It went up for more than a kilometer and connected to a gigantic castle on top of a mountain. There was a deep chasm underneath the stairs and the only way to get to the other side was either by flying to using the stairs. (Pic in authors notes)


    From where they were standing, barely anything else was visible.


    The sky was covered with white clouds and the cold wind filled with crystal-like snowkes brushed passed their faces non-stop.


    "Let''s go."


    Ryfon took the lead and started walking up the stairs one by one. Each of the steps was the exact distance as the one before. The stairs looked like they were carved from one single rock and connected with one another seamlessly.


    Hao Xuan took in a breath of cold air and followed. The only sound wasing from their footsteps and the howling, cold wind in this mountainous region. There were no beasts, no people, not even a single tree.


    Step by step by step they went up in silence. There was not a single person in sight.


    "No guards?" Hao Xuan asked curiously. A person of this caliber, wouldn''t a few thousand guards be normal?


    Ryfon chuckled, "Guards? For what? If someone is able to fight with master toe-to-toe, no amount of guards will be able to stop them. After a certain level, guards don''t matter. Only your own ability can guarantee your safety," he exined without stopping or turning around.


    Hao Xuan nodded and didn''t ask anything else. It took them 15 minutes to reach the top where a red wooden gate waited.


    Ryfon held his hands against the door and it opened on its own. It closed when both of them entered.


    Inside, there was another staircase. This one even longer than the one outside. Ryfon obviously knew this and started walking without wasting any time.


    This time it took them 40 minutes to reach the top where three more gates waited, these ones much smaller in size at about 4 meters of width and length each.


    Ryfon went up to the middle door to knock but it opened on its own. He gestured towards Hao Xuan to follow and went inside.


    Hao Xuan took another deep breath and tried to calm himself down but to no avail.


    He went inside and the surroundings suddenly turned much darker. The door closed behind him.


    Ryfon was already kneeling in front of a throne about 5 meters away. This throne looked like it was made from ck ice.


    A person sat on it motionlessly, everything from chest up being covered by a veil of darkness. No matter how hard Hao Xuan tried he couldn''t see his face. Copying Ryfon, he also got on one knee awkwardly.


    Neither of them said anything for the next 5 to 10 minutes. There was absolutely no sound in the chamber other than their faint breathing. If he didn''t know any better he would have thought that the person on the throne was a statue.


    Time trickled by and another ten minutes passed. Finally having had enough Hao Xuan leaned over to Ryfon to ask him what was going on when he felt someone looking at him.


    Since there was only one other person in the room, Hao Xuan awkwardly turned to face the throne and saw a pair of curious white pupils staring at him from the dark.


    "Eighteen minutes and forty two seconds," an emotionless voice echoed inside his head. It sounded even more detached than Baracus who didn''t even have any emotions until recently.


    "That''s how long you took before making a move. In thest five thousand years, this is the shortest time anyone has ever given me, especially after knowing full well who I was," the voice finished.


    The pair of white pupils didn''t move at all. They looked like LED lights in the darkness and Hao Xuan could see nothing else as they started back at him.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say. Should he apologize? But for what? This person called him over in the middle of his training, had hime all the way over here and then made him wait for no reason at all.


    So with the same gusto that was shown to him, he said one word in return.


    "Okay."


    "...."


    "..."


    Ryfon''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Okay? What the f*ck does that mean?


    He red at Hao Xuan from the corner of his eyes trying to give him a warning but Hao Xuan didn''t even acknowledge his existence and instead chose to stare directly at those pupils in front.


    For some reason, looking at them made him want to punch the face they belonged to. Those eyes were filled with unconcealed arrogance, as if they were looking down on the whole world.


    The more he stared at them, the angrier he became. He refused to look away or back down. Their staredown continued for an entire hour. And neither of them blinked even once.


    It was finally this great elder that broke the silence and spoke out loud.


    "Do you know why I have called you here?" his voice came from every side. Even though he was sitting in front of him the sound wasing from every possible direction without ovepping.


    Hao Xuan wanted to say ''To waste my time?'' but held back and answered with a shake of his head.


    "To see what kind of a person is able to get my student''s attention. I see...nothing special here..."


    It sounded like he was picking a fight without even trying to hide it anymore. Was he mad that Hao Xuan didn''t wait longer? Or that he didn''t look away? What kind of a small-minded individual would take that personally? Weren''t seniors supposed to be magnanimous?


    When Hao Xuan''s thoughts reached this point, the little bit of respect he had for this ''great elder'' melted away. He was nervous at first but now his heart was as calm as it could be.


    ''So what if you''ve lived long? When you can''t even take something like this without it hurting your pride, what use is that?'' he thought and his hunched back straightened unconsciously.


    The elder''s pupils contracted a little seeing that, for the first time there was a change in them. Suddenly, the temperature became colder in the room.


    Ryfon''s back was drenched in sweat. ''The hell is going on here??'' Seeing as neither of them was going to speak up anytime soon, he finally interjected.


    "M-Master, the tournament..." he reminded weakly.


    The look in the elder''s softened slightly upon hearing him.


    "Yes.."


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Castle: https://urlzs/3E1bS


    Original url: https://i.pinimg/564x/9c/a9/8f/9ca98fa792f28ae060a5be3ad9c9ee4f.jpg

 Chapter 397: Gods

    <h4>Chapter 397: Gods</h4>


    *Whoosh*


    *Whoosh*


    *Whoosh*


    The unicorn''s wings pped up and down, their loud noise echoing in the silent carriage repeatedly. Hao Xuan peered out the window with a deep frown while Ryfon sat across from him with his head in his hand.


    "Why are you like this?" he suddenly yelled at Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan looked over with a raised brow, "Why are YOU a whore? Why is the sky blue? What is the meaning of life? We may never the answers to these questions," he said calmly and looked away to peer out the window again, leaving Ryfon stumped.


    He shook his head helplessly.


    "I thought I was going to suffocate to death from the awkwardness...."


    "And how is that my fault? That dude is an a*shole through and through. Wasted my god damn time. You could''ve just told me these things, this entire visit waspletely unnecessary," Hao Xuan retorted without backing down at all.


    Ryfon sighed and leaned back. He looked at Hao Xuan from the corner of his eye and asked, "So can you do it then? After knowing the consequences if you get caught?"


    Hao Xuan didn''t reply and silently stared out the window at the continuously changingndscape, recalling the events of thest hour.


    **


    After Ryfon''s reminder the great elder didn''t waste any more time and got to the point.


    "To the, we are an infection. And its way of dealing with us is by giving its natives the power to fight us on equal terms, among other things. The natives call it the "Words of Power"."


    " They can get these ''words'' by killing beasts. As far as we can tell, the higher the level of the beast, the higher the chance it will drop a word of power. They appear in the form of tattoos on their bodies and can vary significantly. The ''power'' these words give is also different from individual to individual."


    "A few individuals with extremely high affinity with the beast they killed and hightent talent received all the abilities of certain beasts. We don''t have too much information about the process so it''s mostly conjecture, but that doesn''t matter."


    "What I want from you is to make contact with the guardian spirit. Get on its good side and inquire about the secret behind this new power. Also, give the guardian spirit a good impression of the Academy or just make the other two look bad, that is much more important."


    "If I were to go there myself I would be able to simply drag it out and make it talk, but that''s not allowed. No one from our world can willingly try to get in contact with it. Whoever is caught doing so will be killed immediately and their bloodline wiped. That''s why we need you. We will provide you all the resources you need to aplish your task but if you get caught, well, this conversation never took ce then. ''Whatever'' you need, ask Ryfon."


    Those were his exact words.


    Hao Xuan was already trusted by Ryfon and needed something from the academy. Leveraging that, the great elder made him the above-mentioned offer. It was either take that or be cklisted from all the three major powers forever, so Hao Xuan didn''t really have another choice.


    He was pretty sure that if he declined, the great elder would have probably killed him right there and then.


    **


    Hao Xuan turned to face Ryfon, "Do I have a choice?"


    Ryfon obviously knew the answer. By bringing Hao Xuan in and having him meet the great elder, he didn''t leave him any other option.


    "My hands were tied Hao Xuan. I really didn''t have any other choice. My master, you can''t say no to him. No one ever has, well, no one still alive at least. When he found out about you, he ordered me to bring you in. Even my father wouldn''t be able to say no to him let alone me. I was hoping that if he was in a good mood things wouldn''t end up like this, but..." he finished with a contrite tone.


    He didn''t need to say anything else. Hao Xuan knew that his behavior wasn''t eptable but at that moment, he couldn''t help it. Every single fiber of his being was telling him to get up and punch his face. That look, it filled him with disgust for some unknown reason.


    "We had a deal Ryfon. You gave me your word and then you broke it. You sold me to that d*ckhead!" Hao Xuan shouted. Ryfon suddenly jumped up and closed Hao Xuan''s mouth with his own hands.


    "Please, you can''t say things like that. You don''t know his origin!" he pleaded. The look in his eye was of genuine concern for Hao Xuan''s safety and he saw that. He pushed his hand away.


    "Why is it such a big deal? He may be powerful but he is still just one man. Why are you so scared of him?"


    Ryfon knew he couldn''t hide it anymore so he didn''t even try. Plus, it was better that Hao Xuan knew. He looked him right in the eye, his expression as somber as it could be.


    "Master is not just a cultivator, he has the blood of a god in his veins. One of his parents was an actual god, which makes him a demigod. He might be just one man but he is still half a member of the Kingdoms of Heaven!"


    Hao Xuan took in a breath of cold air. At least that exins his behavior. He looked up at Ryfon with a questioning gaze, "Are all gods such a*sholes or is it just the b*stards?"

 Chapter 398: Gods Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 398: Gods Continued.</h4>


    *Khuk*


    *Cough*Cough*


    Upon hearing Hao Xuan''s unexpected ''query'', Ryfon actually chocked on his own saliva and looked like at him like he was an alien, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.


    Hao Xuan smirked, satisfied with the reaction. He waved his hand as if shooing away a stray, "Rx, I was kidding. But whether he is a god or a devil, I couldn''t care less. You dragged me into this so I''m going to do it my way."


    Although still not pleased with Hao Xuan''s attitude, Ryfon decided not to pursue the topic either. He took out a small token from his storage ring and threw it to Hao Xuan.


    "This is your identity token."


    Hao Xuan inspected it. It had one eye engraved at the front with rays of light surrounding it and two vertical lines at the back. Hao Xuan had seen this eye before.


    "Eye of Providence?'' he mumbled.


    Ryfon nodded, "Yes, so you know of it? It''s the academy''s symbol, the All-Seeing-Eye."


    "Where does ite from? This symbol? I''ve...seen it before..."


    "Seen it before? Outside of the academy? Where?"


    "In a farm. There were a lot of conspiracies about it."


    "For example?"


    "That it belonged to a secret organization that controlled the entire world, for example. Is the Academy the only organization that uses this symbol?"


    Hao Xuan''s interest was peaked. Seeing imagery from earth brought back a lot of memories. He still remembered having a few spirited conversations with a few people online whether this was true or not. Hao Xuan wasn''t really sold on the idea.


    Ryfon looked up at the carriage''s ceiling while recalling a few things about it.


    "Although I''m not sure about this, but there are rumors that other than the three ns, there is another party in charge of the academy. The eye is supposed to be their symbol."


    Hao Xuan sat up straight, "Which party? Another n?"


    Ryfon looked like he didn''t want to answer but seeing Hao Xuan''s expectant face and looking at the current situation, he decided to answer. He snapped his fingers and the carriage windows closed and a barrier appeared them both.


    "There is no proof of this but some say that the Eye of Providence is the symbol for an old God, one of the Nine Great Gods of heaven, the God of Wisdom. Again, it''s all just hearsay but we do have a rather good rtionship with the Heavenly Kingdoms."


    "Hmm..."


    ''Another god?''


    He hadn''t really heard a lot about gods in this world. Not to mention that people here weren''t very religious to begin with so Hao Xuan thought gods weren''t such a big deal. Since they were already on the topic, he decided to ask a few more questions.


    "These gods, are they the same as us? What''s so special about them?"


    Ryfon shook his head. If at all possible he didn''t want to talk about this topic but it looked like that''s all Hao Xuan wanted.


    "There are different types of gods. Some are born as mortals andter achieved divinity, while some are born as Divine Beings. The second type are called ''True Gods''. Two different paths, the same final destination. Their powers are absolute and are in line with the naturalws."


    "Gods have their own cultivation methods and most of their bodies arepletely different from ours as well. They feed off of the prayers of ''lower beings'' like us and be stronger. So the more followers a god has, the stronger his or her power bes."


    "The rtionship between cultivators and Gods is veryplicated. On the Beast World and the surrounding Origins, their reach is very limited. This is done on purpose by the Ancients so as to limit the Heaven''s powers to a certain degree and keep control. But once you get away from the Origins, you''ll start to see a lot more devout followers of all sorts of gods-"


    "Wait wait!" Hao Xuan quickly interjected. This was another thing he wanted to ask for a long time now.


    "What are the Origins exactly?"


    *Sigh*


    "You''re killing me here dude," Ryfon lowered his head, about to start crying.


    "Come on, don''t be such a baby," Hao Xuan kicked his leg but got no response. After about 20 seconds of silence, Ryfon spoke without looking up.


    "The universe is divided into two parts. What we have explored, and what we have yet to explore. What we have explored is only about 17% of the total universe but that percentage keeps shrinking since the universe is expanding non-stop."


    "The Origins are located in the center of the explored territory. They are the safest ce in the universe for us. They are overseen and protected by the Ancients who are the strongest Cultivators among us. The Origins and their surrounding moons are used to train the main forces of the Ancients and once you go outside of that protected area, things start to be a lot more dangerous."


    "Out there, there is no order. The bloodthirsty races, the criminals, the cults, the worshippers of the dark gods, abyss creatures, the dark tribes, the veil, these are just some of the dangers people face out there every single day. Compared to that the Origins are a f*cking paradise."


    "That''s also why the Heavens have so many followers out there. Because the more danger they are in, the more they will pray to the gods and ask for their help, increasing the God''s powers. And the more they pray, the more their god''s rewards them. A "God''s blessing" is a tool that is sometimes critical when fighting against the creatures of the darkness or even each other. And since you can be both without restriction, a cultivator and a god''s follower, it can be just an extra ability or power for you."


    "Anyways, my point is that God''s are powerful beings with equally powerful abilities. They might not have as much influence here but its more than enough to kill someone like you or even me. Please don''t go picking a fight with them," Ryfon pleaded,ing full circle on the conversation.


    But knowing these things really opened Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "...I need to make a few preparations. Drop me off at my ce for a bit, and get me those things I asked for quick."

 Chapter 399: Par

    <h4>Chapter 399: Par</h4>


    "Meow~!"


    Zhurongid on Hao Xuan''s bed, ring at him with resentful eyes.


    "Come on, I told you why, be reasonable man," Hao Xuan pleaded, trying to move him but he woulde back as fast as lightning every time.


    When Hao Xuan went for training he didn''t bring along either Fortis or Zhurong. Fortis was more or less okay with the arrangement as long as there was enough food around to keep him upied but Zhurong wanted toe with and was pretty mad when Hao Xuan disappeared in the middle of the night.


    "Meow meow meow meow!" the little fluffball meowed a few times and walked out of the room stomping his little paws, as if having had enough of Hao Xuan. It obviously didn''t have the effect he was going for because just looked even cuter, almost like a stuffed animal.


    Hao Xuan shook his head helplessly and sat down on the bed. There were a lot of things that he needed to take care of within the next few days. Thest day participants could enter the tournament was in 13 days now.


    "Baracus, what else do you need for your thingy?"


    *Beep*


    "The "thingy" you''re referring to is almost done, but I have a new proposition. It would take some time but would be much more beneficial. Interested?"


    Hao Xuan''s brow scrunched up. It had already taken a lot of money to get him theponents he needed, adding more to the te would not really be good...but why not? It doesn''t hurt to hear him out.


    "Alright, I can''t promise anything but go ahead."


    "Let me exin the previous n first so you better understand the new proposal," Baracus started exining with an unusually excited tone.


    "Since I am an AI, I have a grade like any other equipment. With this world''s ssification system I would rank somewhere in the upper limit of Initial Saint Grade. When progenitor created me he had alreadyid out a detailed n. At the final stage of this n I could be something that could rival the most powerful of beings out there, but that is far from achievable right now. Even he didn''t have anywhere near enough resources to make that happen."


    "With that in mind, I created another n. Progenitor''s n was to make me into a separate entity entirely. A hybrid of organic and non-organic materiels, with the abilities of both. But since that''s not feasible anymore, I propose to take more of a supporting role. Instead of being a separate entity, I could integrate myself with your body, if you will allow it."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed into small slits.


    "What exactly do you mean by "integrating" with me? What exactly would this mean for me?"


    "To be a part of you. I have some scrapped ns from an old project Progenitor started a long time ago. He wanted to create nanoparticles that could hold an AI''s consciousness. They would be then injected into your body and expedite all normal processes. It would be simr to having a second brain basically."


    "But...you would be INSIDE of me, correct? All the time?"


    "Correct. But there is no problem with that. I am already under yourplete control so I could never do anything to harm you. That was Progenitor''s main concern and the reason why the project was scrapped. It truly has unlimited potential."


    "And if it turns out you don''t like it, my consciousness, or ''soul'' as you like to call it, can be transferred out at any time. That''s my biggest advantage over organic beings like you. My soul is mobile and not attached to anything. It can go from one suitable environment to another without any side effects."


    Hao Xuan was dumbstruck upon hearing Baracus''s proposal. Such a thing was possible? Even in this world he hadn''t heard of anything like that. Bute to think of it, why not? Baracus, for theck of a better word, was a tool at his disposal. It would be a huge loss if he just let him go to waste like that.


    "Alright, but don''t scarp the first n either. I don''t know what you need for that but stick to it. If you can move in between bodies, it doesn''t make sense to only have one right? What do you need to make the second n happen?"


    "Only nanoparticles. And a lot of them. I have checked around and found a suitable ce."


    "Wait, how did you check around? I thought you didn''t have ess to the here?"


    "I don.''t. I piggybacked on Ryfon Biric''s spirit band. Although of a much higher level than others, it''s still like a children''s toy in front of me. I hacked it and whenever I''m nearby, I can browse the local. But you might not like where this ce is."


    Hao Xuan paused, a ce he wouldn''t like?


    "Where...?" he asked hesitantly.


    "It''s a privatepany called Par. Owned and operated by an up anding genius, thepany is well known for its nanotech."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "I have never heard of that name before. Why wouldn''t I like this ce?"


    "Par is owned by Fehim group of industries. The ship you came on, it was owned by the same group. From what I can tell, Par''s CEO works for the same people and they do not sell to outsiders. You will either have to force him and take him ''under your wing'' or ask someone higher than him for help, like Princess Ceni for example."


    "Ceni?" his frown deepened. He didn''t have much of an opinion of her to be honest. He heard that she took care of him, whatever that meant, but he didn''t have many interactions with her. So her entire image waspletely made up in his own head. But if given the option, he would still choose to stay away from her.


    "Contact Henrik for me, maybe he knows someone. Also call and inquire from Ryfon about it as well. And see if you can get me in the room with the CEO of Par. Maybe I can ''change his mind.''..." Hao Xuan finished with a somewhat sinister smile.

 Chapter 400: The Ball

    <h4>Chapter 400: The Ball</h4>


    Hao Xuan loosened the shirt''s cor that was starting to dig into his skin. He had on a ck suit which along with his long hair and incensed expression, made him look quite intimidating. but with the little white furball in his front jacket''s pocket poking its head out, he looked a bitical.


    Hao Xuan took a puff of the cigarette and looked at Henrik. With an annoyed tone that was all toomon these days, he asked, "How long till we get there?"


    "Not long, only 20 more minutes," Henrik replied after emptying an entire ss of some kind of alcoholic beverage. Hao Xuan could smell the alcohol sitting across from him, its somewhat sweet scent was quite intoxicating.


    "Good. The sooner we get this over with the better," Hao Xuan replied while flicking the cigarette butt out of the window.


    There was another person sitting on the only other window, with crossed arms and a scowl on his face, poking his head out of the carriage. Seeing as how Hao Xuan had finally finished the cigarette, he pulled his head back in and red at him.


    "I don''t see why I have to go with you people. This ispletely unreasonable!" Wu Jinmented like a child that was being forced to do something he didn''t want to, and it wasn''tpletely wrong either.


    "Shut up already. This is the one thing I asked for. I might need your help in there so you better do what I ask you hear?" retorted Hao Xuan, making Wu Jin look away, grumbling under his breath.


    Henrik looked at them with wide eyes. Wu Jin was his senior and known to be quite a character, yet now he couldn''t even talk back...


    Two days had passed since Hao Xuan had met with the great elder and came up with his own n thanks to Baracus. After asking Ryfon and Henrik about PAR he found out that the Fehim group that owned it was actually a directpetitor to the three Great ns.


    He was hoping to ask Ryfon to force them to sell the nanotech with the academy''s backing but apparently that wasn''t an option. A lot of Kingdoms and even a few empires were part of the Fehim group so they couldn''t easily be threatened like that.


    But Henrik mentioned an alternative. The Fehim group was throwing a ball in two days for all the royals and the Holy sons and daughters of all the powers of the continent that were participating in the tournament. It was the best ce to meet the CEO of Pra and many others.


    Hao Xuan, Henrik, and Wu Jin had departed the academy two hours ago. They had already gone through five teleportations before arriving at the Empire where the ball was being held.


    And they weren''t alone on thisst stretch either, flying alongside were tens of different kinds of flying contraptions and even a few giant beasts that had entire buildings on their backs.


    There was one that looked like a stingray that gathered a fair bit of attention from the other travelers. It was more than 5,000 meters wide and looked quite menacing.


    There was also a giant winged sabertooth that was one of the fastest mounts. It kept trying to catch up to the carriage but could never do so.


    Of course, none of them could evene close to the grandeur of the two-winged unicorns that were pulling the carriage. Ryfon had lent it to them just for going to the ball. They need to make a statement and arrive in style, especially since the ball was being held by theirpetitors so there was no better option.


    In the darkness of the night the unicorns were like two white moons as they cut across the dark sky with astonishing speed.


    Hao Xuan took onest peek at the hundreds of other beasts and flying treasures they were leaving behind before closing the window. He willed and a mask appeared on his face, covering it halfway. This was the same mask he used every time he went out in the Mei Kingdom. (Reference image in authors note)


    Wu Jin took one look at it before turning away with an ugly face. That night when Hao Xuan ''severed'' him, he was wearing the same mask. He still remembered how gentle he suddenly became.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and appeared in the mind pce. It was more than 500 meters in diameter now and wasn''t anywhere near as cramped as before. Ensis and Monk had already left but the Orcs were all still there.


    Each of them was sitting cross-legged with a book or two in theirps. Their eyes were closed and wisps of Qi flittered about their bodies.


    When Hao Xuan first arrived in the city he had asked Ryfon for a copy of every basic cultivation manual in the academy. Ryfon of course didn''t mind since any student in the academy could easily get their hands on these manuals for whatever purpose, not that they would ever need it for themselves since the minimum requirement for joining the academy was to have a Spirit Realm cultivation.


    He had Baracus made copies of those thousands of manuals and gave one to each of the Orcs. Well, everyone but Gavril who had already have one of his own it seemed.


    Hao Xuan looked towards the usual corner and saw Gavril sitting there. His long white hair covering his entire face, he looked like a beggar in his current state.


    Hao Xuan walked up to him and smiled upon sensing his realm. It felt like he was at the Earth Realm but something was different about him.


    There was a faint mist-like energy surrounding him. It looked like an optical illusion where he would see it one second and the next it would be gone. The longer Hao Xuan stared at it, the sleepier he got. It was some turbulence in the outer world that woke him up.


    ''What the hell kind of energy is this..." Hao Xuan looked away as soon as he realized how dangerous it was. He was two realms higher than Gavril yet looking at his energy had almost put him to sleep. And it''s not like he wasn''t prepared for it.


    Hao Xuan pinched his hand to keep himself attentive. He didn''t even look in Gavril''s direction again.


    "Think you''ll be ready in time?" he spoke loudly.


    *Plop*


    The surrounding energy rippled and suddenly receded back into Gavril''s body. His thick voice came from under the hair.


    "I''m already ready. As long as they don''t expect it, there shouldn''t be a problem."


    "Great," Hao Xuan nodded and opened his eyes, returning to the outer world. After taking a look around he let out a breath of relief. Gavril was cultivating a mysterious scripture that was created by the old Orc King himself.


    It was called the "The Nethwerworld''s Dreamscape" and Hao Xuan only found out it about just a few days ago. It was much different normal cultivation methods of the beast world and Baracus had absolutely no information about it whatsoever.


    The Nethwerworld''s Dreamscape only allowed the user to foster andprehend one type of energy, an energy that Hao Xuan didn''t even know existed. In Gavril''s own words it was called Somniom or Somnio, the energy of dreams.


    He didn''t say what it could do but instead wanted to show him first hand.


    "Let me experiment on someone and then you''ll see," he said.


    Frankly, Hao Xuan was actually pretty hesitant to let Gavril cultivate this method but other than ordering him using the power of the constitution, there was no other way to stop him.


    *Whoosh*


    *Whoosh*


    Henrik leaned over towards the window and started fixing his shirt.


    "We''re here. Please don''t embarrass us you two, we are here as ambassadors of the Academy," he reminded the duo before opening the carriage door.


    And as soon as he did, the hubbub ofughter, shouting, talking, singing among many other noises rushed in like a tsunami.


    "Well, here we go," Hao Xuan sighed and stepped out.

 Chapter 401: Acceptance

    <h4>Chapter 401: eptance</h4>


    A beautifuldy in a ck dress walked into a well-decorated western-style room with an infant boy in her arms.


    Thedy looked to be around 25-26 years old at most but gave off an air of maturity. She had long ck hairing down to her hips, a healthy reddishplexion with a red hue on her cheeks that made her look a bit shy, and an overall perfect figure, depending on who was observing.


    The little boy in her arms was barely more than a year old. He seemed like he was out of energy as he justid in his mother''s arms quietly.


    Thedy walked up to a crib and ced the boy inside. He fell asleep within seconds.


    She stood back up and looked at him with dotingly.


    "How many have arrived already, Dana?" she said out loud even though there was no one else in the room.


    But a secondter the air behind the crib shook and a young girl appeared out of nowhere. She had blonde, short bobbed hair and with her sses, she looked much older than her actual age which seemed to be around 20 at most. There were also small hornsing out of her forehead, like a baby goat.


    Dana bowed slightly and spoke with a calm demeanor.


    "Almost everyone on the list is here, even a few others showed up."


    Thedy in the ck dress looked at her with a raised eyebrow.


    "Who?"


    "A few people from the Academy. Henrik Biric, Wu Jin, and a third person we haven''t identified yet," she replied looking at her Spirit Band.


    "That''s strange. Henrik is the Biric n''s official face so he isn''t allowed to go out without their consent. The fact that he is here means this isn''t just a friendly visit. And Wu Jin? I have never even seen him myself, he always stays away from these things. Find who thisst person is, he might be the key. I don''t like to be in the dark."


    "Yes, Lady Yuan."


    Yuan! The girl in the ck dress was Dai Yuan, sister of the current King of Edda and a high ranking executive in the Fehim group.


    She was about to turn around but stopped upon seeing Dana''s troubled expression.


    "Is there anything else?"


    "Lady Ceni is here. She will be participating as well."


    Dai Yuan was astonished at first before a dazzling smile bloomed on her face.


    "Where is that little girl? I haven''t seen in her so long and now she shows up out of nowhere?"


    "She is waiting for you in the master bedroom," Dana replied with a deep bow.


    Dai Yuan walked out of the room with hurried steps and after passing through a few hallways reached a giant wooden door. She pushed it open and entered. The first thing she was a silhouette standing in front of the window with a wine ss in her hand.


    She wore quite a revealing yet somehow tasteful backless dress and seemed to be in her own thought as she didn''t react to Dai Yuan''s presence.


    "Ceni!" Yuan yelled while walking towards her, sessfully getting her attention.


    Ceni turned around with a slightly vacant look but gave a toothy grin upon seeing Dai Yuan.


    "Aunty!" she replied mischievously. Dai Yuan expected the answer and lightly pped her jokingly on the shoulder before giving her a hug.


    The two beautiful girls sat down on the bed and chatted for a couple of minutes before Dai Yuan asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.


    "It''s been so long since you visited me. What''s the asion?" she asked suspiciously.


    Ceni''s lips parted but no words came out. She took a sip of the red wine and exhaled.


    "Did you hear? Second sister also awakened," she spoke despondently.


    Seeing her downcast expression it reminded Dai Yuan a lot of herself when she was young. She held Ceni''s hand in hers.


    "You know very well not everyone can awaken the bloodline. Look at me! I''m still doing fine without it. Why do you keep pursuing it?"


    Ceni shook her head. Her eyes were wet, tears threatening to rain down any second.


    "I don''t want this life. You know me. I can''t be a mom or a good wife like you. M-Mother said she can''t hold them back anymore. The entire n is pressuring her. If I don''t awaken the bloodline, they will marry me off when I turn 18 in a few months."


    Dai Yuan let out a deep sigh. Yes, it was all too familiar to her. She had also cried when they married her off for the good of the kingdom. Luckily she found a good man, someone who loved her dearly.


    She patted Ceni''s back gently.


    "You have to ept the truth love. Stop looking at your siblings and just enjoy yourself. It''s not every day that they let you princesses out like this. Come, hundreds of royal children from across the continent are waiting downstairs. Maybe you''ll find someone you like, eh? A charming prince, or a genius from one of the ancient ns? All those handsome men will go crazy for you! And who knows, you might even awaken the bloodline. There''s still time," she said trying to console her, but knew that was far from the truth.


    The older the person the got, the harder it became to awaken the bloodline, especially theirs which was so pure. For someone like Ceni, the chances of that happening now were almost zero. Both of them knew this fact but neither said anything.


    Ceni wiped her tears and fixed her dress before walking towards the main hall hand in hand with Dai Yuan. From the other side of the door they could hear loud music,ughter and....shouting? It sounded like a fight was about to break out.

 Chapter 402: Entrance

    <h4>Chapter 402: Entrance</h4>


    Zaal Estate, Second Guest Hall, 300m in length and 200m in width.


    Hundreds of Princes and Princesses along with the geniuses from some of the greatest cultivation ns on the continent gathered in this hall.


    ssic ballroom music yed in the hall as several couples danced in the center. Most of the others stood in groups of three and four, breaking off and making new groups every few minutes.


    All of these youngsters would someday be the leaders of their respective powers so this was the best chance to expand their circles and meet other like-minded individuals.


    The hall was basically divided into two parts. One side had the princes and princesses of different Kingdoms and Empires which were dressed in formal attire appropriate for such an event with ck suits and dresses.


    The other side had the sons and daughters of powerful cultivations ns, sects, schools etc. They wore different kinds of clothes and some even had simr-looking uniforms on.


    On the two sides of the hall were a group of guards and a butler that continuously announced the names of every single individual that stepped arrived.


    Near the northern exit stood a handsome young man. Blond hair, a pair of semi-transparent red sunsses on the bridge of his nose and a small silver cross in his right ear. He was wearing a suit but it had a few designs on it that set him apart from the others. This was the same person that had picked a fight with Hao Xuan on the ship, Micha.


    He was talking to a stout man in his early twenties. This man resembled a buddha''s statue with a wide forehead, curly hair, squinted eyes and hanging earlobes along with his wide chest.


    "Woah, brother Zhi is that really true?" Micha asked in incredulity.


    ''Brother Zhi'' bobbed his head up and down.


    "I saw it myself, a real-life Titan! In less than a minute it tore through the defensive formations we had been firing at for 3 days and opened the way for us before disappearing. It really came out of nowhere I tell you! He was more than 500 meters tall with bone armor as thick as a city wall on his legs and arms. Every time he breathed the atmosphere changed," Zhi exined with an animated expression.


    He looked like a child telling his favorite story. No one would be able to guess that this man was one of the strongest warriors of the younger generation and a core disciple of the Temple. He had been serving aboard a battleship in deep space and returned only a few days ago.


    "Wow, why didn''t you take any pictures??" Micha asked dejectedly. There was a sighting of an actual Titan and not one person had any evidence?


    Zhi shook his head with a wry smile.


    "There were thousands of cultivators there. How is it possible that no one took a single picture or a video? It was all confiscated by the superiors after the battle. For some reason they didn''t want it getting out."


    Micha chuckled, "Then shouldn''t you stop telling people about it?"


    Zhi''s eyes opened wide as he stood there with a dazed expression before pping himself on the head.


    "You''re right! Don''t tell anyone about it okay? Promise me!" he grabbed Micha by the cor and forcefully shook his hand in a panic.


    "Hahaha, of course, brother Zhi, who would believe it anyway?" Micha gave a helpless smile.


    A Titan was something from the legends. There were stories about them every now and then, sightings here and there but no actual proof.


    They were rumored to be humungous humanoid creatures that could grow thousands of meters. All of them looked different, some had horns on their heads and some looked quite human. Their bones were tougher than most metals and their flesh was almost indestructible. But the one simrity was that all of them, every single Titan was unstoppable and unbeatable. There were akin to natural disasters and all most people could do was move out of their ways.


    Micha fixed his cor and let out a deep sigh.


    "Phew, deep space though huh? I wish I could go out soon," he yearned to go out but Zhi patted his shoulder.


    "Don''t. Stay here for as long as you can. Out there there are no rules. No one cares whether your a prince or a holy son. If you''re weak then you''re dead. This time I went with over two thousand royals and 1500 cultivators from the temple. More than 60% of us died in the first six months. The remaining either didn''t want to fight or couldn''t. Less than a hundred of us made it back with sound mind and bodies."


    Micha nodded. He wasn''t childish enough to believe that he was the strongest but he still wanted to go. To fight against the Barbaric ns of deep space, to etch out his own legend among the stars, was there anything better??


    Micha was lost in his own thoughts when an announcement caught his and everyone else''s attention.


    "Now enter Lord Henrik from the Biric n, Lord Jin from the Wu n, and the Second Guardian for the Academy''s Atsu (moving city), Lord Deimos!" the butler yelled.


    Every single person in the hall stopped whatever they were doing and turned towards the entrance. The doors opened and in walked three people.


    At the front was a strikingly handsome man, or rather, beautiful would be the correct term in his case. With a charming smile, eyes that could stop a heart and an aura of a prince, Henrik walked in.


    Several of the princesses blushed looking at him while many of the prince''s clenched their firsts in anger.


    Behind him was a much smaller person. He looked like a child aspared to Henrik. With circr gold patterns on his face and a haughty attitude, he looked like a spoiled child. This was Wu Jin.


    Behind them was a very normal-looking man. Half his face was covered with a mask showing only his lips that were closed tightly. His shoulder-length ck hair looked cker than the darkest ck. Other his eyes which would ''steal a soul away'', there was nothing special about him. He looked more like a bodyguard than royalty with his build.


    "Good eveningdies," Henrik bowed from the waist while meeting the lustful gazes of several women nearby.


    "You BASTARD! How dare you show yourself here!" someone shouted from the other side of the hall. Everyone cleared away and opened a path between him and the newly arrived party of three.

 Chapter 403: Stasa

    <h4>Chapter 403: Stasa</h4>


    "How dare you show yourself here?!" a ring voice got everyone''s attention.


    Clearly it was intended for the new arrivals so the rest of the people distanced themselves from them and watched on with interest while discussing amongst themselves.


    "Do you know those people?" a bald teenage boy in golden robes asked a girl next to him. The girl wore a frilly white dress that made her look like a fairy. She nodded as a matter-of-factly.


    "Not personally but I have heard of them. How do you not know the Biric and the Wu n''s younger generation??"


    The boy shrugged, "They don''te up very often."


    The girl took a sip from her ss and spoke lightly.


    "Well, that pretty one at the front is Henrik Biric, the most famous yboy from the Biric n. The shorty is Wu Jin. He''s pretty famous in a few nerdy circles in the academy. I don''t know thest one," she exined one by one.


    "Ah, no wonder Stasa is acting out like this!" the boy smacked his head upon realizing.


    "What? You know something?" the girl asked with a raised eyebrow.


    The boy nodded, "You''ll see."


    **


    Hao Xuan''s head pounded as soon as he heard the yell.


    ''We haven''t even been here for a minute and someone''s already picking a fight? Seriously?''


    He looked to the front at the man in white robes walking towards them withrge strides. He had extremely sharp features, almost as if they were chiseled with a sword. His eyes made it hard to meet his gaze for any extended period of time.


    One foot in front of the other, within four steps he covered the distance of more than 200 meters and stood in front of them with a loathful expression.


    "Who is that person?"


    "You don''t know? That''s Stasa! An up anding genius from the Hall. He is the sole disciple of that old elder...you know...THAT one...."


    "Ohh, really? Wow, this will be interesting then..."


    The man named Stasa stared at Henrik with gritted teeth and clenched fists.


    "I went to your n and officially ced a challenge as soon as I found out. But not only did you not ept my challenge, you even refused to acknowledge it. Today it is different. Today, you will not escape," he grinned before continuing, "Henrik Biric, I challenge you to a life and death duel!"


    "WHAT?!"


    "Holy shit!! Is that allowed?"


    "Don''t you have to get permission from the ns first??"


    Amotion erupted in the hall. Among all the strong powers of the continent, no the entire beast world, a life and death duel was a legally recognized method of ''eliminating'' someone that had offended any party. The duel could, of course, be denied but that would destroy their reputation.


    Who would want to work with a power that was afraid to ept a simple challenge?


    While the spectators were busy chatting, Henrik, on the other hand, was standing there with a deep frown. He looked at the man with a suspicious gaze.


    "Have we met before?"


    "....."


    "...."


    "He....he doesn''t even remember him..." the bald boy whispered, astonished, not wanting to believe it himself.


    Stasa''s eyes opened so wide that they almost popped out. A pulsating vein appeared on his forehead.


    "You...son of a bitch! You fucking trash! I''ll kill you!" Stasa shouted and opened his right hand in which a silver katana appeared.


    Henrik took one step back, as calm as he could be.


    "Stop, before you can challenge me, you must fight these two first!" he said gesturing behind him.


    Stasa''s fist was clenched so tightly that people could hear popping noises.


    "WHAT PEOPLE!?" he shouted exasperatedly.


    "What do you mean? These two of co-" Henrik his head around halfway and realized there was no one there. He was standing at the entrance all alone.


    "What the hell...where..?" he looked left and right and saw two individuals standing in a corner nearby, conversing with one another in low voices.


    ''You assholes! Why are you over there?!?'' Henrik shouted inwardly looking at them.


    Wu Jin looked over cooly, his expression as distant as it could be. He then looked over at Hao Xuan who was standing in front of him.


    "Do you know this person?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head once without even looking towards Henrik, "Never met him before in my life."


    "Ah, right, let''s go talk over there then. It''s too loud here," Wu Jinmented with an annoyed face before walking deeper into the hall with Hao Xuan, leaving a speechless audience behind.


    Everyone present saw the three of theme in together and knew they were acquaintances, to say the least. Yet with Wu Jin and Hao Xuan''splete refusal to even ept Henrik''s existence, some of them were even starting to doubt their own eyes.


    Did those three reallye together? Maybe it was just a coincidence?


    Stasa''s lips arched into a derisive smile as he looked back at Henrik like a wolf sizing up its dinner.


    "Looks like they don''t know you..."


    Henrik''s expression turned ugly at once. He backed up several steps.


    "Listen man, I don''t even know you. Why are you picking a fight with me? Huh? Why ruin a great evening with such barbaric methods? Let''s just stop here and I''ll forget this ever happened. What do you say?"


    Stasa faltered upon hearing Henrik''s proposal, which boosted his confidence greatly.


    "Yeah, no one needs to get hurt.." Henrik urged him on.


    The girl in the white dress leaned in towards the bald boy and whispered, "What did he do to him?"


    The bald boy sighed, "Apparently, this Henrik fellow ''had rtions'' with Stasa''s fiance just a few days before their wedding day. Since then Stasa has been aughing stock among his peers. And that guy doesn''t even remember him. This isn''t going to end well..."


    Stasa peered down at his de for a few seconds before looking back at Henrik.


    "Even if its thest thing I do, I will make sure you won''t live to see another day!"


    He pulled the de back with the tip pointed straight ahead, "Dismemberment!"

 Chapter 404: Let go

    <h4>Chapter 404: Let go</h4>


    Dai Yuan''s brows furrowed upon hearing the shoutinging from the other side of the door. She looked towards the two guards next to the door.


    "What''s going on?"


    One of them bowed from the waist, "A fight broke out between the Hall''s and the Academy''s guardians, Lady Yuan."


    She nodded and waved her hand, "Open the door, I''ll deal with it."


    "Yes," the guards bowed once again and stood aside. The door opened on its own and the scene on the other side became clear.


    There were two groups of cultivators standing not far from the Northern door confronting each other. Actually the entire hall had been divided into three portions.


    Two groups were facing each other with some blood already spilled and thest group was of the spectators that hadn''t chosen sides yet.


    At the center were two men less than two feet apart from one another. There was no one else around them for a dozen meters.


    The one on the left had a silver katana in his right hand. The katana''s de wasing out the back of the cultivator in front of him. Whereas the other cultivator''s arms were almost twice their normal size and one of them was grasping the de while the other was on the katana wielder''s neck.


    From the looks of things, both of them were at a stalemate. If the katana wielder circted his Qi through the de, he could send it rampaging inside his opponent''s body. While the other person was already tightly grasping his neck and could kill him instantly.


    Either way, neither of them woulde out unscathed.


    Behind both these cultivators stood their respective groups and anyone they supported.


    The katana wielder was, of course, Stasa while his opponent was Hao Xuan.


    Behind Stasa stood the Hall''s students, warriors, participants, and cultivators while behind Hao Xuan stood the Academy''s. A few familiar faces were visible in the crowd as Guo Min and Fulke both stood right behind Hao Xuan along with Wu Jin and Henrik.


    Even the yboy Micha was standing not far from him on the Academy''s side.


    The atmosphere was tense, to say the least as a massive brawl was about to break out any second. By the time Dai Yuan and Ceni entered, the hall was shrouded in utter silence.


    Many people turned to face them when the sound of their footsteps echoed in the hall.


    Without losing herposure in the slightest, Dai Yuan walked towards them with Ceni right next to her. A genial smile adorned her face as she looked at them one by one.


    "Gentlemen, please. There is a time and ce for everything and this isn''t it. If you want to fight so badly, we can set something upter. So please, put your weapons down and enjoy the wine. I had it especially imported from the Divine Monkey King''s region."


    Her words were like spells that instantly warmed up the mood. Many princes and princesses spoke up soon after.


    "Lady Yuan is so generous!"


    "Lady Yuan, Lady Ceni, a toast to you!"


    "Monkey King''s wine? I''ve heard rumors about it but have never tasted it. Even father couldn''t bring me any. I must buy a few bottles today!"


    No one really wanted to fight here so most of the people instantly backed up. Hao Xuan and Stasa were the only ones that didn''t bat an eye and kept staring at one another without saying a word, neither of them moving an inch.


    The bald teen in the golden robes went up to Stasa.


    "Brother, stop already. There will be other chances," he said lightly but everyone nearby heard him. Hao Xuan peered at him with squinted eyes.


    ''This kid...''


    He gave him a bad feeling.


    Stasa looked behind Hao Xuan at Henrik who was smugly standing behind several other people and knew he wouldn''t be able to do anything to him today. If he continued like this, it would be rude to the Fehim Group that were the host of this ball.


    But still, his reputation and more importantly, the Hall''s reputation was at stake. He couldn''t be the first one to back down. It was a matter of pride.


    "Tell him to let go first," Stasa replied coldly.


    The bald teen was taken aback by Stasa''s answer. He was expecting him to just leave it like this but now that he had said that out loud, if Hao Xuan did actually let go first it would look bad for the academy.


    He went even closer, "Brothe-"


    But the words got stuck in his throat when he saw a silhouette walk up to Hao Xuan from the corner of his eyes. His mouth almost fell upon looking at them. It was the same for everyone else around them as well. Henrik, Guo Min, Micha, and even Dai Yuan had the exact same reaction to some degree.


    Hao Xuan looked slightly to his left at the person now looking up at him curiously. The distance between them was even closer than between him and Stasa which was just a couple of feet.


    "Everywhere I go, why do I always run into you?" Ceni asked with a questioning gaze. Hao Xuan met her gaze and was caught off guard. Her eyes werepletely fearless. Standing so close to these that were already at each other''s throat, literally, she wasn''t fazed in the slightest.


    "I could ask you the same thing," Hao Xuan asked in return.


    Instead of replying Ceni simply stared at him.


    Stasa actually felt very awkward standing a couple of feet away from them and wanted to distance himself as soon as he could. He cursed himself for not doing so when the bald teen had given him the opportunity.


    Thankfully, he didn''t have to wait much longer.


    Ceni gripped Hao Xuan''s cuff and turned around.


    "Come with me for a bit," she said lightly.


    Stasa took the chance when Hao Xuan was distracted and quickly retracted his de and took a few steps back. Blood sshed on the floor from Hao Xuan''s open wound.


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a frown and then at Ceni.


    He didn''t want to follow her but she was the host and broke up their fight. Plus maybe he could find an opportunity to ask her about PAR so he decided to go with her.


    And just like that, Ceni dragged Hao Xuan out of the hall and disappeared within seconds, leaving a dumbstruck crowd behind.


    "Wow, are those two dating?!"


    "Pfft, you know that''s not possible."


    "Yeah. She is a princess and he...I don''t actually know about him but it shouldn''t be anything serious. They''re probably just sleeping together or something."


    "Damn, yeah probably. They seemed pretty close."


    Dai Yuan''s eyes shed with a cold light as she looked at Ceni''s back vanish from view. She clicked on her Spirit Band and dialled a number.


    "Find me everything about the man with Ceni, right now!"

 Chapter 405: Deal

    <h4>Chapter 405: Deal</h4>


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    Hao Xuan looked at the slender back in front of him as she pulled him through a long empty corridor and entered a lush green area without any guards. It was enclosed with a ss dome.


    It looked like a garden with tens of different types of nts and small animals running around. There seemed to some sort of a noise-canceling formation around this ce because Hao Xuan couldn''t hear the hustle-bustle of the hall even though they were rtively closeby.


    Ceni walked to the middle of the garden and stopped in front of a wooden bench. She let go of Hao Xuan''s cuff and listlessly sat down.


    Her demeanor which was always pretty formal despite how she was dressed, rxed significantly. She leaned back and closed her eyes. The sky was clear and the moon was in the night sky overseeing everything. The moonlight was magnified a couple of times by the ss dome which illuminated everything with white light.


    Hao Xuan peered left and right. This ce somehow resembled the garden outside the club he had seen before.


    "So what brings you here?" he heard Ceni''s voice and turned around to face her. She was looking at him with half a smile. It was strange kind of smile, like she knew something Hao Xuan didn''t.


    But Hao Xuan ignored it and quickly got to the point.


    "There''s apany called PAR owned by you guys. I want to buy something from it but they don''t deal with outsiders. Can you get me in?"


    Although it was for just an instant, Ceni''s expression changed after hearing his response and Hao Xuan didn''t miss it either.


    ''Disappointment?''


    Ceni let out a deep breath and looked up towards the moon.


    "Is that the only reason you came here?"


    Hao Xuan''s brow slightly furrowed. What did she want him to say?


    "Yeah," he replied coldly.


    Ceni nodded lightly.


    "Alright, I''ll take care of it. But you owe me one, okay?"


    "...Okay...I guess..."


    She was still looking at the moon when he spoke up again.


    "Good. I''ll have them contact Henrik Biric tomorrow, you can deal with them directly. If there''s nothing else, the door is right behind you."


    ''So easy?''


    Hao Xuan was pretty skeptical about the whole deal but there was nothing else he could do. The nanotech was too important and he needed it as soon as possible. So without saying anything else he turned around and walked back the way they hade from.


    A minute or so after he left, Ceni pinched a gold bracelet on her left hand and it turned into ck smoke. The smoke continued to increase and soon took a vague shape of a person. This person sat right next to her and yawned.


    Ceni who was looking at the moon turned to face it, her eyespletely ck without any pupils.


    "Are you sure he hasn''t noticed yet? How did hee here again?"


    The figure who was still yawning bobbed its head up and down before speaking in a strange voice that sounded neither masculine nor feminine.


    "The Lord made it so it would look like it happened naturally because of his physique. Until you activate it, no one will know."


    "Will it...hurt him?"


    The figure looked towards her before breaking outughing.


    "Hahaha, of course it will hurt, both physically and mentally. He will slowly loose his mind as it happens, slip away into the darkness. Everything that made him....''him'' will be gone. But the best part is that he won''t even realize its happening until its toote. The bloodline will fester inside him until you''re ready to ept it. Only an empty shell will be left behind. A drooling mess of flesh and blood."


    Ceni grew more and more despondent as the figure talked.


    "Is there no other way?" she asked so lightly that it sounded more like a murmur, but the figure still heard her.


    It froze for a second before looking in her direction. The pitch of his voice turned lower.


    "Don''t be foolish, little girl. You reached out to us for help. What did you think was going to happen? Huh?" the figure stood up and gazed down at her coldly. Its eyes as ck as the abyss.


    "You made a deal. In exchange for power, in exchange for not being sold and traded like cattle, you agreed to follow our ways. And our ways are bloody, girl. Don''t speak such nonsense again. The seed has been nted. All you have to do is follow the n."


    "Don''t disappoint us. It wasn''t easy to find such a good host. It was your luck that he came to your doorstep when he did, otherwise you probably would have had to do much worse things."


    It turned back into ck smoke and morphed into a gold bracelet around Ceni''s wrist. Her eyes also returned to normal soon after.


    She looked at the bracelet thoughtfully, many things going through her mind but not even 30 secondster the sound of footsteps was heard behind her and Dai Yuan walked up.


    She looked at her with a meaningful nce before let out a breath of relief.


    ''Looks like thing''s haven''t progressed that far yet..''


    "You know, I used to have the same look a long time ago," she said while taking a seat next to the dazed Ceni.


    "Does your mom know about him?"


    Ceni shook her head dejectedly. It wasn''t clear whether this was just acting or were those her actual feelings.


    "There''s nothing to know aunty. It''s not like....that. Not to mention that he already has someone."

 Chapter 406: Deal Continued (1)

    <h4>Chapter 406: Deal Continued (1)</h4>


    "He already has someone," she replied smilingly which caught Dai Yuan off guard.


    She hugged Ceni''s arm and ced her head on her shoulder.


    *Sigh*


    "That''s never easy...when they have someone else. How did you two meet?"


    Ceni looked up at the moon once again as she recalled the first time she met Hao Xuan.


    ***


    The ship was about to leave for the academy in three days.


    It was a warm spring morning. Ceni was sitting in her room in front of a mirror, carelessly ying with the newly obtained gold bracelet on her left wrist.


    There was a red envelope and a card on the table next to her which read: "You are cordially invited to attend Princess Lea''s engagement ceremony this Friday."


    Lea was one of her many half-sisters that was getting married off to another n. She wasn''t very close to her but it reminded Ceni of her predicament.


    "Did you not find anyone yet?" she mumbled to herself.


    Her reflection in the mirror suddenly changed. Its eyes turned into a mass of swirling ckness as it spoke with a low hum.


    "We have been looking but it''s not easy to find someone that fulfills all the requirements."


    Ceni who was still looking at the bracelet exhaled deeply.


    "Why can''t you just use a powerful cultivator for it? Won''t anyone do?"


    The reflection frowned.


    "Do you think it''s that easy? Your own bloodline is powerful enough with your old man having awakened the Ancient Vampire Lord''s true memories buried deep inside his DNA, but with the addition of the Blood Demon Tribe''s bloodline into the mix from us, no normal cultivator would be able to handle it."


    "We could, of course, try to kidnap one of those Holy Son''s or Daughters who have powerful Physiques and constitutions but your n won''t take the risk and my followers are busy elsewhere. The only real option we have is to find someone with the bloodline of those damned monsters, the Lycanthropes."


    "Their bloodline doesn''t need to be active which is a good thing. Even a sliver of lycan blood will be enough to jump-start your sleeping bloodline. Since Vampires and Lycans have always been at odds, even their bloodlines evolved to the point where they naturally react to one another."


    "And if you only carried your father''s bloodline there wouldn''t be a problem but it''s your mother''s that is making everything soplicated."


    Ceni paused and looked up at the reflection with a doubtful gaze.


    "My mother''s bloodline? She didn''t tell me anything about that."


    The reflection smirked.


    "Do you think a woman with no background and no history would be able to marry someone like your father? Even if she was the most beautiful girl in existence it still wouldn''t be enough. It''s her bloodline that made her so attractive to him, literally. Your mother is a pureblood subus, a demonkin that is able to control and influence the other gender with just a look and a thought."


    "She''s like a drug to your father. And if he hadn''t awakened the vampire lord''s bloodline that granted him almost inexhaustible blood essence, he would have died a long time ago with his head in between her legs, hehehe.." the reflectionughed with a lecherous look in its eyes, making Ceni look away in disgust.


    "So....mother is a demon?" she asked. The reflection replied confidently.


    "One hundred percent. And a strong one to boot. If I''m correct she also gained a lot of benefits from your father and has gotten much stronger. I don''t think anyone other than your father is her match raw power-wise in the same generation. And you little girl-" the reflection paused and looked towards Ceni with an evil smile, "-are their only child."


    "The child of a demon and a pure-blood vampire. Your bloodlines are both extremely powerful, always fighting for supremacy with one another. That''s why neither has awakened yet and won''t if nothing is done."


    "All we have to do is take your blood essence and that of the Blood Demon Tribes and put it inside a Lycan''s body. The lycan blood will act as a reactive agent and force your vampire bloodline awake. The Blood Demon tribe''s bloodline will act both as a catalyst and a strengthening agent to make your vampiric blood stronger, giving it a boost and bringing it ever so close to the original one."


    "This is the best way. The subus bloodline will be the support and the Vampire bloodline will take control, giving you benefits of both. Unfortunately, for the poor creature who''s body is done all this in will be crippled. If he or she is lucky then a swift death is the best option. If not, they will be left a drooling mess at best haha-"


    The reflection suddenly froze midughter. The swirling mass in its eyes thickening and thinning on its own. Ceni turned back around and looked at it with a frown.

 Chapter 407: Deal Continued (2)

    <h4>Chapter 407: Deal Continued (2)</h4>


    The reflection suddenly froze midughter. The swirling mass in its eyes thickening and thinning on its own. Ceni turned back around and looked at it with a frown.


    "What''s wrong?"


    It stayed in that position for an entire minute before returning to normal. It looked at Ceni with a grin, "Looks like the heavens are not blind little girl. They have sent you a present. An injured man with a lycan bloodline has just entered the city. It''s extremely weak, to the point of nonexistence but that doesn''t matter to us, it will do the job."


    The reflection moved its right hand and words appeared on the mirror''s surface.


    "Send one of your men to a bar at this address. Tell him to get drunk and tell the people how ''generous'' you are, that you would help anyone in need. They should take the bait."


    Ceni''s frown deepened, "Who is it?"


    The reflection shrugged.


    "No idea. It looks like they are running from someone so they should not have powerful backing. You don''t have to worry about that."


    Although still suspicious, Ceni agreed. Four dayster she visited the man that was going to ''help'' her awaken her bloodline.


    Ceni stood in front of the unconscious Hao Xuan. She waved her hand, "Leave us."


    Alte, Jin Wang and the other''s walked out hesitantly. When the room was empty she ced her right hand over Hao Xuan''s forehead and inspected. It was clear he was unconscious and would remain so for a while. Even his soul was so unstable that she could feel it clearly.


    Ceni bowed from the waist.


    "I''m sorry for this. I wouldn''t do this if there was another option, please forgive me if you can in the next life."


    The gold bracelet turned into smoke on its own and the shadowy figure appeared right next to her. It looked at Hao Xuan with a smirk.


    "He can''t hear you and you don''t have anything to apologize for. Do the beast''s feel sorry for their prey? It''s the most natural thing in the world for the strong to take advantage of the weak. Don''t feel bad about that."


    When it was done talking, it waved its hand and a ck jar about two inches in diameter appeared in its hand. It opened the jar and poured the contents into Hao Xuan''s mouth.


    "Give me some blood," it said extending its hand towards Ceni. She took out a small de and cut her left palm, dripping all the blood into the figure''s hand. The figure ced its right hand on Hao Xuan''s chest and started writing something in anguage Ceni couldn''t understand.


    A few minutester he was done. Hao Xuan''s abdomen was covered in this writing in Ceni''s blood. The figure ced its palm over Hao Xuan''s heart and spoke in a weirdnguage. As soon as he was done, the blood markings started moving around on their own.


    They formed a circle and slowly were absorbed into Hao Xuan''s body. His eye''s twitched and fists clenched. If he was awake he would probably be screaming from the intense pain.


    "It''s done. Check up on it every now and then. It shouldn''t take more than four months."


    "Alright," Ceni nodded. The figure turned into smoke and transformed into the bracelet once again, leaving Ceni and Hao Xuan all alone in the room.


    She stared at his face with many emotions going through her heart. But then she noticed something, his lips were moving.


    She leaned in, putting her ear close to his lips to hear what he was saying.


    "Qing''er...I''m...sorry.."


    He kept repeating over and over again.


    She stood up and looked at him with a rueful smile.


    "Is she someone you care about?"


    But there was no response. She felt even more guilty. Despite the current circumstances, Ceni was not a bad person. It was just that she had no other option left now.


    So to make herself feel better, every other day she would visit Hao Xuan. Talking to him about her own troubles, telling him stories of her childhood. It turned into a habit that she quite enjoyed. Being the princess of a major power, she couldn''t really talk to anyone openly so this was a new feeling.


    But now, even though the conversation was one-sided, she quite looked forward to visiting him. From every other day to daily to sometimes several times a day, the frequency kept increasing.


    She visited him too many times to even remember.


    On one random night, she wasying next to Hao Xuan in the bed. Her head rested gently on his arm as she spoke animatedly like she was talking to a close friend.


    "You won''t believe what happened today. Do you remember that senior sister I told you about? She also awakened her bloodline and was taken as a personal student by an Elder of the academ-."


    Hao Xuan''s lips moved, murmuring the same name he had so many times before.


    "Xu.....Qing..."


    Ceni paused. Her expression turning somewhat gloomy.


    "I know I know. It''s all about her. Why do you always talk about her? I''m right next to you but all you do is call out another girl''s name. Such...a heartless man..."


    Her voice started breaking up and tears rolled down her face.


    "I''m sorry, I''m...so sorry," she repeated over and over again while stuffing her head in Hao Xuan''s chest.


    ***


    Of course, she kept most of it to herself.


    Ceni looked towards Dai Yuan with a bright smile etched on her face, only her wet eyes were holding back tears.


    "We met on the journeying over to the academy. He was injured and knocked out for most of it. I visited him every single day, talking to him about things I couldn''t say to anyone else. For more than two months I did that every single day because I didn''t think he would wake up. And every time he would repeat another girl''s name. Without even realizing, he would call for her in his sleep."


    Dai Yuan saw the tears in her eyes and knew she was telling the truth. The pain in her voice couldn''t be faked.


    Only, she mistook the pain of guilt for heartache.


    "I''m sorry, kiddo," she hugged her tightly.


    Ceni who was holding back her tears all this time couldn''t hold on anymore. They rolled down her cheeks like a broken dam as she wept like a child.

 Chapter 408: Lycans

    <h4>Chapter 408: Lycans</h4>


    Hao Xuan walked through the seemingly endless hallway with a deep frown on his face and tightly clenched fists. He felt it this time as well, only much stronger than what he had felt before.


    His body was on fire whenever Ceni was nearby. He felt hot, irritated and annoyed the nearer she got. It was like his body was telling him to just reach out and strangle her, snap her neck and tear it to pieces. It was an urge that kept getting stronger the more he stayed near her.


    It was a type of rage he had never felt before. There was no rhyme nor reason for this feeling which stumped Hao Xuan.


    "Baracus."


    *Beep*


    "Yes?"


    "Run a full-body scan on me. Anything out of the ordinary, anything at all."


    "....alright."


    A dim green light appeared on the spirit band that blinked several times before he heard Baracus''s voice again.


    "Scanplete. Nothing out of ordinary, only..."


    Hao Xuan stopped mid-stride.


    "What?! Spit it out!"


    "A bloodline is showing signs of awakening. The blood purity level has increased from .072% to 3.46% and increasing since thest scan."


    Hao Xuan was stunned to say the least. This was the first time he had heard about him having a bloodline and now it had not only shown itself but was also increasing?


    "Can you identify it? Where did a bloodline suddenly appear from?"


    "I don''t know where or how it appeared, but I can identify it. A simr DNA sequence is stored in my Database. Yours is a 67.03% match."


    "What...is it?" Hao Xuan asked hesitantly, knowing full well that this was going to be a whole new headache for him.


    "Lycanthrope."


    "Lyca what now?"


    "Lycanthrope. An extremely old bloodline that usually not much is known about. Progenitor came upon one of them about eight thousand years ago so he had the chance to collect some data."


    Hao Xuan froze for a second before shouting at his wrist with wide eyes.


    "Wait, that''s a werewolf, isn''t it? Are you shitting me? You telling me I''m going to turn into a god damn wolf whenever there''s a full moon?!"


    "No, werewolf''s and Lycan''s arepletely different beings. Werewolves are the shapeshifters you''re referring to. They don''t actually exist in nature but are a curse that turns humans into half human and half wolf-like creatures. Yes, they are affected by the moon but not to such arge extent, just a few behavioral issuese and go with the tide."


    "If the data I have is correct, werewolves were created by a cult of dark wizards that worshipped one of the demented gods about half a million years ago in one of the other worlds. Werewolves were these wizard''s bodyguards, making up for theirck of physical abilities. Although from what I can tell, the insipiration for them dide from Lycanthropes but there aren''t a lot of simrities.."


    "Now, Lycanthropes, on the other hand, are an actual bonafide bloodline that can be traced back to the early days of dark ages."


    At this point, a vague image was projected from the spirit band in the dark, empty hallway. It showed several strange figures sitting on massive thrones, overlooking numerous gxies.


    "Back when the reign of the Old Gods was at its strongest, it was then that a n of powerful warriors arose from a no one had ever heard of. Back then every sentient being had to serve one god or another and borrow their power to survive, but these warriors refused to do so."


    "Most of the things rted to Lycan''s have been buried so I can''t be sure how urate all this is," Baracus warned before continuing.


    The image changed.


    This time it showed several human-like figures standing in a line, like well-trained soldiers. They stood in front of an army of monsters lead by one of the gods. Their heads held up high and chests puffed, they alone faced tides of thousands of monsters.


    "They refused to serve them. I believe they tried to gather other races and warriors to side with them but were mocked andughed at. But it made no difference to them it seems. That was the first time the name of Lycanthropes reached the edges of the explored universe."


    The image changed again. The Lycans shed with the God''s army and fought until there was nothing left. Only one lycan survived. He faced the god alone.


    "They werebeled as Heathens , as sinners by the old gods. That lone warrior escaped and vowed revenge. Since then no other Lycan n has appeared, or rather they weren''t allowed to exist. They were actively hunted and killed by the agents of the old gods, but..."


    "But what?"


    "But it doesn''t make any sense. Why would the old gods go after them with such fervour?"


    Hao Xuan pondered on the point as well. It really didn''t make sense. Gods are powerful beings, there should be no reason for them to get infatuated with a few ''sinners'' like this.


    He put the thought at the back of his mind as now wasn''t the time for this.


    "Forget about history. What''s so special about the Lycan bloodline?"

 Chapter 409: Reality

    <h4>Chapter 409: Reality</h4>


    "Well, that''s a difficult question to answer."


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath and continued walking down the hallway.


    "Why, is it difficult? No more bullshit, give me as straight an answer as you can."


    "Alright. To put it simply, the Lycan bloodline is extremely reactive to outside agents. This makes almost every Lycan have different abilities. No two Lycans are the same other than in one aspect."


    "And that is?"


    "Physical attunement. When the bloodline is activated, there will be physical changes to some degree. From what I can deduce, some are as minor as growing some extra body hair while others include partial orplete beast transformation. The Lycan master met, he was able topletely transform his right hand into that of a beast. It also gave him increased physical strength, agility etc."


    "So it''s controlled at will? That''s not bad," Hao Xuan nodded.


    "Also you should probably know this but Lycans are extremely...concupiscent. That''s another thing inmon in between them. I think its the reason their bloodline still survives to this day."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes turned into small slits as he awkwardly asked, "Hmm. What...what does concupiscent mean exactly?"


    "Lustful, easily excitable, aroused etc. I''m guessing these are some of the beastly instincts or traits in this case that carry over from the transformation. Something to note, this is another way they are simr to werewolves. Both Lycans and Werewolves release extremely potent pheromones to attract potential mates. Like a signal that they are ready and ''avable''. To the weakwilled, it can have almost the same effect as mind control, making them lose self-control and diminish decision-making abilities."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but giggle at the idea.


    "Come on, that can''t be real...right?"


    "No, it definitely is. Just try not to get emotional and you will be fine. This is how animals mate in nature. Exuding pheromones is probably the most natural thing about this endeavor."


    *Sigh*


    "Great, another thing I have to watch out for, are you serious? This shit just keeps getting worse and worse. Haven''t even taken care of one problem and another pops up. I swear it''s like the universe hates me or something," Hao Xuan grumbled.


    *Beep*


    Baracus''s slightly amused voice rang in his ears.


    "Your blood pressure, it''s rising again. Please rx."


    "Shut up. You rx. Don''t tell me to rx," Hao Xuan retorted angrily as he looked back and forth, getting even more annoyed.


    "What the hell is going on?! How long is this god damn hallway? It didn''t take this longing over!" he muttered out loud, obviously talking to himself.


    It looked identical to the one he had used to get to the garden with red carpet on the floor and various nts ced every few steps.


    "Baracus, how long have I been in this hallway?"


    *Beep*


    "Approximately eight minutes."


    "Tch."


    Hao Xuan looked around but couldn''t see anything strange. The hallway seemed to go on endlessly and neither the exit nor the entrance was in sight anymore.


    "Is this an illusion?" he murmured while closing his eyes, appearing in the Mind Pce. He quickly walked up to Gavril who looked like he was sleeping.


    "Hey, do your thing, activate your ability ande outside. See if I''m in an illusion or something."


    Gavril opened his eyes. They werepletely white without any pupils whatsoever. Without saying a word he appeared in the outside world next to Hao Xuan''s body.


    Hao Xuan also opened his eyes, returning to the outer world. He looked over his shoulder but couldn''t see anything there, yet he could feel his soul connection with Gavrils. He was right next to him.


    This was one of Gavril''s new abilities. As long as he had an anchor, he could appear anywhere and at any time and no one would be able to see him.


    In this case, Hao Xuan was his anchor.


    "So? Can you sense anything?" Hao Xuan asked through spiritual sense. A couple of minutes passed but there was no response. Hao Xuan was starting to get worried when he heard back from him.


    "It''s not really an illusion. The reality itself is changing around you. You''re still in the normal world, it''s just that the world is being changed. I have never seen anything like this. It''s some kind of extremely powerful magic."


    "Magic?!" Hao Xuan instantly became alert.


    ''I don''t remember meeting any magicians or wizards, who is behind this?''


    But Gavril spoke up not soon after, answering his question.


    "You don''t seem to be the target of this... "attack" if you can call it that. There is no killing intent at all and with something this powerful, you wouldn''t even know how you died if he or she meant to do you any real harm."


    Hao Xuan was even more confused now.


    "Then what? Am I just an idental casualty or something in an attack aimed at another person?"


    "No, that''s what I mean. There is no killing intent at all. This isn''t meant to harm anyone. It''s really weird, I can''t put my finger on it, let me poke around a bit."


    "P-Poke around? Bitch no! Turn off your invisibility and take me with you, you''re not leaving me here!" Hao Xuan identally yelled out loud.

 Chapter 410: Hero

    <h4>Chapter 410: Hero</h4>


    Hao Xuan and Gavril walked along the hallway for over 10 minutes beforeing to a stop.


    Gavril turned to his right and faced the wall. He kept staring at it with an intrigued gaze, as if inspecting something out of the ordinary but all Hao Xuan could see was a normal stretch of wall with one object on it.


    There was absolutely nothing on it other than a framed water painting of andscape. At first nce, it didn''t seem anything special but the more Hao Xuan looked at it, the more entranced he became.


    It showed a lush green valley. There were no animals or beasts inside it, only a stretch of simple green pasture that was just a few inches tall. A single stream passed through the river but it wasn''t water that was inside it but milk.


    The two mountains on either side of the valley were so tall that their peaks were hidden in clouds.


    After a couple of seconds Hao Xuan noticed that the grass was moving with the asional gusts of wind and the milk stream flowed normally. The painting was alive!


    "It''s here," Gavril mumbled while running his hand around the painting''s frame.


    "What? What''s here?" Hao Xuan asked in a hushed voice, looking left and right warily.


    "The source of the magic, it''s this painting. Didn''t you notice? We walked past it over thirty times in thest few minutes. It''s the only thing that keeps repeating. It looks like whoever is behind is really an amateur. But with this much power? How is it possible..."


    "So what do we do then? Can we get out of this....spell or whatever?"


    "We will see. Let''s go," Gavril spoke softly while putting his right hand over the painting.


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a cautious frown, "Go...where?"


    Gavril extended his left hand and grabbed Hao Xuan by the shoulder before answering, "Into the painting."


    As soon as he finished speaking, a ripple of translucent energy spread out from his body and a white light enveloped both of them. Hao Xuan quickly closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was standing inside the valley.


    There was no sun or moon in the sky but it was bright enough to resemble the time of dusk. The wind gently blew across the meadow without pause. The sound of the milk stream came from the right side.


    "Wow, it really is the painting..." Hao Xuan muttered under his breath while looking around. To think all this was created by some sort of magic, and by an amateur nheless.


    He raised his right foot and stepped towards the milky stream but suddenly started floating. His body felt light as a feather and he jumped over four meters with just one step.


    ''The gravity is much weaker!''


    It was almost like walking on the moon. With the slightest force he could push himself into the air. He looked towards Gavril who was standing in one ce with his eyes closed.


    "Where to now?"


    "There, the origin of the magic is in there," Gavril pointed towards the milk stream. Wherever it wasing from was where they had to go.


    Hop by hop, the due moved along the milk stream for over two hours when they saw a giant oak tree in the distance. It was about 5-6 meters in diameter and the top half of it was cut down.


    Slowly and silently they went towards the tree. The milk stream wasing out from one of the roots of this tree. As they got close, the tree trunk opened up and revealed a staircase leading upwards.


    Hao Xuan looked at Gavril for confirmation and walked up after getting a nod. The staircase wasn''t very long and it only took them a few seconds to reach the top. There was nothing here other than a small basket, ced in the center trunk.


    With furrowed brows, Gavril was the first one to go up to it but he quickly froze as soon as he saw what was inside it. Curious, Hao Xuan walked up behind and peaked over Gavril''s shoulder to see an infant sleeping inside the basket, wrapped in a small white nket.


    ck hair, chubby cheeks and as cute an appearance as an infant could have, he sucked his thumb quite enthusiastically while some drool spilled out from the side.


    Hao Xuan had much the same reaction as Gavril. He grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back towards the stairs.


    "Is that tubby kid the source of the magic?" Hao Xuan pointed towards the basket.


    Gavril nodded hesitantly, his brows still scrunched up. He couldn''t believe it himself.


    "There is no mistaking it. You can''t but I can feel the magic that''sing off of him. It''s like a deep and endless ocean. This kid...he is dangerous!" a cold light shed through Gavril''s eyes and a sliver killing intent leaked out.

 Chapter 411: Hero Continued

    <h4>Chapter 411: Hero Continued</h4>


    Hao Xuan lightly pped him on the back of his head, leaving him stunned.


    "It''s a baby. A sleeping baby. How the hell is he dangerous?" Hao Xuan asked, enraged.


    "Exactly! He is barely two years old and not even conscious but the magic he is giving off is able to change reality itself, change the physical world! Do you have any idea what that means?" Gavril yelled in a quivering voice. Hao Xuan could feel the fear in his voice.


    "This kid is born with such strength the likes of which have rarely ever been seen. It could topple the bnce of power wherever he goes. Whoever is able to control him will not be easy to deal with!"


    Seeing Hao Xuan''s expression that was getting worse and worse, Gavril stopped and took a deep breath, regaining hisposure.


    "Listen to me. This child''s life will not be easy. If he is lucky, the people in control will brainwash him and use him as a weapon. If not, they could just repress his mind, rece his soul, and turn him into a puppet. But no matter what, he will never have a single moment of freedom in his entire life. He is far too powerful! Most people will want to kill or control him. If he can even survive long enough that is."


    Hao Xuan was at a loss for words after hearing his exnation. There was no reason for him to lie, not that he was. It all made sense. Hao Xuan was indignant at what the future held for him.


    "I may not be a saint but I haven''t fallen so low as to take a child''s life, especially one that is just beginning," he said unshaken by Gavril''s exnation.


    Gavril shook his head, "You don''t have to do anything, let me. He won''t even feel a thing. He simply won''t wake up from a nice dream. It will be painless and quick, it''s the right thing to do."


    Hao Xuan''s nostrils red up in fury.


    "Shut the fuck up! How dare you! Who gave you the right to decide for him? A child is as innocent as it gets. They are free of sin, of any crimes and transgressions. And I will not stand by while a life such as that is taken by one of my own people."


    Gavril was equally as incensed by his response.


    "Then will you leave him to his fate? One that will have him live a life of pain and misery, of being lied to and tricked?"


    ''"It doesn''t matter! Enough of this."''


    Hao Xuan ordered using the power of the constitution, silencing Gavril for a few minutes.


    They both stood in ce, looking at the basket withplicated eyes for several minutes before Gavril spoke up again.


    "Then...then at least take him under your control. Do to him what you did to us. That way you can make sure he lives a normal life," he suggested but Hao Xuan shook his head with any hesitation.


    "Do you really think I never thought of that? Unless forced by circumstances or left without any other option, I won''t do that to an innocent person. I would have never done it to you either if there was another choice."


    "Then what? Just leave him like this?"


    Hao Xuan thought for a few seconds before letting out a deep sigh.


    "Use your ability on him. Do NOT kill him, but instead seal his power. Can you do that so it won''t be found by others? "


    "I can seal it without much of a problem since he won''t resist. As long as no one has the same type of abilities as me, they won''t find the seal unless it breaks on its own."


    "Good. You said you could go into people''s dreams right?"


    "....Yeah."


    "Make him an anchor then. When he grows up a little I will talk to him through the dreams, exin everything, and undo the seal then if he wants it."


    "This...will not be easy for the child. I can seal his powers but that will include everything. He won''t have any magic whatsoever and he won''t be able to cultivate Qi either. He will be a normal human being until the seal is undone."


    "That''s better than dying now or being controlled by others for the rest of his life. Do it."


    Gavril stood over the infant boy and started mumbling something while doing unknown hand gestures. As soon as he started, the entire space shook. One by one everything was disintegrating as the source of the magic was being cut off.


    Hao Xuan stood in the distance looking at the boy. Many thoughts racing through his mind.


    ''Doesn''t it sound like a hero''s tale? One of those novels where a normal kid suddenly bes powerful? But I hope you don''t disappoint me kid. Don''t grow up to be an asshole yeah?''


    A minuteter the only thing that was left was the oak tree they were standing on. There was only darkness surrounding them. Gavril looked towards Hao Xuan and gestured for him toe over.


    "The seal will gopletely into ce when he wakes up, we will also be kicked out of here then."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan nodded. He bent down and picked up the boy.


    "Hey little man, wake up!" he lightly pinched his cheek, seeding in the first try.


    *BZZT*


    The dreaming space started disintegrating and a secondter Hao Xuan appeared in the hallway once again with the child in his arms.


    He could once again hear the loud music of the party not far from him.


    "Finally!" he let out a breath of relief. He checked the time but only a few minutes had passed even though he was in that space for over two hours.


    Amazed once again, he looked down at the drowsy face looking up at him with crystal blue eyes.


    "You really are something eh..." he said jokingly and walked towards the hall, opened the door, and entered.


    "Yo, whose kid is this? He was sleeping outside by the corridor!"

 Chapter 412: Sword Realm

    <h4>Chapter 412: Sword Realm</h4>


    The ball was continuing on as usual with such liveliness and vitality that anyone that had arrivedter would never even consider that a bloody fight had taken ce just a few moments ago which could have easily broken out into a full-on brawl.


    Hao Xuan was sitting on the left side of the hall near a window with a lit cigarette in his hand, observing the bustling crowd since he had already aplished his objective foring over. Across from him was an infant chewing on a chicken bone, some times sucking on it trying to mimic his moves and demeanor.


    The royal children, the geniuses from the ns and everyone in between, they were all dancing, drinking and chatting away like this wasst time they would be able to do so and for some, it would be.


    Guo Min was surrounded by simrly sized individuals, buff and muscr all over. Theyughed loudly and pped each other''s backs with such force that it sent minor shockwaves to the immediate surroundings.


    Fulke was standing in a corner with several different men. They would asionally nce towards the feet of the nearby beauties and then speak in hushed voices. Hao Xuan could guess what their topic would be.


    Micha kept his distance from Hao Xuan and moved from one group to another. Even though Hao Xuan wasn''t looking at him directly, but how could he escape his sight? He was quite impressed by Micha''sworking skills. He seemed to know every person by name and knew their likes and dislikes and was well-liked by almost everyone here.


    Henrik was surrounded by beautiful women on all sides. Giggling and tittering at his every joke, their fakeughs echoing loudly in the surroundings. A few meters away from them were many young men looking at him with hateful eyes and gritted teeth. Muttering amongst themselves in a cowardly manner.


    Even Wu Jin was surrounded by many pasty looking individuals, talking quite animatedly. From their physiques it was quite obvious that they didn''t do many physical activities and stayed indoors. They looked like emaciated teensing out of their basements like hobgoblins in search of food.


    Hao Xuan tried eavesdropping on their conversations but soon lost interest as their conversational topics had to do with the different dynamics and types of matter. He couldn''t even follow them for a few minutes.


    "Pfft, nerds," he scoffed.


    "Da," the little boy agreed with a nod that almost made him tip over. His head was a bit too big for his body making it hard for him to stay up.


    Hao Xuan looked towards the other side of the hall where a group of cultivators were sitting. They were the only other ones other than Hao Xuan that weren''t actively ''mingling''.


    One of them was Stasa, one of the guardians for the Hall this time around.


    Speaking of guardians, Hao Xuan only found out the meaning of the two vertical lines on the back of his identity token after arriving here. Apparently, he was a guardian as well.


    Each moving city of one of the main powers had at least three guardians. These guardians had a lot of power aspared to the normal participants.


    The first guardian was to set up duels and oversee the officialbat between the three cities.


    The third guardian had to protect the city itself and the beast along with overseeing all the participants to make sure there were no traitors, no infighting etc. Basically policing everyone.


    The second one who this time around was Hao Xuan, hadplete freedom to move around go explore the local world and gather information. This is why Ryfon''s master gave him this position so he could find the secrets of this new power the had awakened.


    Also, none of the other two guardians could force him to do anything because of it.


    Under normal circumstances, each participant could not leave the moving city on their own. They not only had to get permission from one of the guardians but also report why they were going out.


    And it wasn''t like the guardians weren''t above the participants themselves, their status just indicated that they had just been officially recognized by their supervising power and were given more authority and special missions to aplish.


    Stasa was the third guardian of the Hall''s city which Hao Xuan found out when Henrik shouted out loud that as long as a guardian was nearby, Stasa could not challenge him directly. That''s why Hao Xuan was forced to participate in the fight, or rather Stasa attacked him before he could deny the challenge.


    Hao Xuan rubbed the sword wound on his abdomen. Even though Stasa didn''t use any Qi in his attack, the wound had still not closedpletely which totally stumped Hao Xuan. There was something about his attack that he did not understand. It looked like a simple forward sh but there was much more to it.


    Was this the difference between realms?


    "Sword Realm...huh?" Hao Xuan mumbled with squinted eyes. It was like Stasa could ''feel'' his stare from across the hall and slowly turned around to meet Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "Da!" seeing the seriousness in Hao Xuan''s eyes the little boy waved the chicken bone around in the air threateningly.

 Chapter 413: Sword Realm Continued

    <h4>Chapter 413: Sword Realm Continued</h4>


    ''Sword Realm....''


    Hao Xuan recalled the cultivation scriptures mentioning it over and over again but this was the first time he saw it first hand.


    ording to the scriptures, Weapon Cultivation was different from all other types. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages and even though some might be able to achieve the same result, but the process of doing so would be varied.


    For example, a magician could learn a skill, use their mana to power it and cast a fireball. A cultivator could also do the same depending on their cultivation method.


    An ''Elementalist'' would focus on understanding the energies in nature and could cast the same type of fireball through utilizing the fire energies of different kinds.


    And then there were weapon cultivators like Hao Xuan who used specific weapons. They would only truly shine after grasping the mysteries behind their weapons and raising their Weapon Dao.


    The Weapon Dao was the mastery of the weapon so it had its own realms as well. The first five were mentioned in one of the scriptures Ryfon sent.


    Realm-1: Resonance


    Realm-2: Unison


    Realm-3: Luminescence


    Realm-4: Nirvana


    Realm-5: Abyss Breaker


    The better a cultivator was with the weapon, the higher their realm could be. There were different ways of raising weapon realms like practicing numerous battle skills, creating your own skills, using the weapon inbat and perfecting each and every technique etc.


    "His Sword Cultivation is probably at the Second Realm at least..." Hao Xuan mumbled looking at Stasa right in the eyes. Both of them were sitting on the opposite ends of the hall but were ring at each other with such fervor that many people noticed and cleared the way between them.


    The bald teen sitting next to Stasa also noticed and a frown formed on his shiny forehead. He lightly kicked Stasa in the shins.


    "Don''t start again. This is neither the time nor the ce. You can fight him all you want when we get into the tournament. The others will be there as well so we won''t be outnumbered like today."


    "I know," Stasa nodded without turning away from Hao Xuan, "I know when to back down," he finished and finally broke eye contact.


    Hao Xuan smiled.


    ''I was right. That kid is the leader...'' he thought looking at the bald teen.


    Earlier and just now, the authoritative tone of his voice clearly showed that even though he was calling him brother and talking respectfully, his status was higher than him.


    ''Stasa is the third guardian, meaning he is one of the most trusted pupils of the hall since they allowed him to police all the other students. Yet this baldy, he doesn''t care about that in the slightest. Maybe I should introduce myself...'' his smile widened even more as he threw away the cigarette and stood up.


    Seeing Hao Xuan getting ready to leave, the little boy extended his hands towards him.


    "Daa!"


    Hao Xuan stopped after taking a couple of steps and turned around to look at him.


    "Almost forgot about you," with a sigh Hao Xuan bent down in front of him, "Where are your parents kid? What kind of irresponsible-" but before he could finish, a shocked gasp came from behind him and ady walked over with hurried steps.


    "Jin''er, what are you doing here?! Mommy was so worried!" she yelled, relieved.


    Hao Xuan looked towards thedy and his mouth almost fell open. Thedy noticed him standing there and had much of the same reaction as him but she regained herposure much earlier.


    She picked up the fussing boy that kept trying to get away from her and revealed a gentle smiled to Hao Xuan.


    "I''m so embarrassed. I hope this little rascal wasn''t much trouble to Lord Deimos," Dai Yuan said with a slight bow of her head, waking Hao Xuan up.


    He cleared his throat and swiftly shook his head, "Not at all. I just found him in the hallway outside, sleeping in a corner. I asked around but nobody knew who he was..." the exnation he gave was the one that he hade up with earlier.


    Dai Yuan frowned and looked at the little boy, whose name was Dai Jin.


    "How did you even get out of your room? There are dozens of protective formations around your room and none of them were even touched!"


    "Da da!" Jin moved his hands up and down animatedly, trying to exin to the best of his abilities but there wasn''t much he could say when he only knew one word.


    Hao Xuan scratched the back of his head awkwardly and try to casually back away but Dai Jin looked over at him and extended both his hands asking to be carried.


    "Daa!"


    Dai Yuan was surprised yet again. Her son didn''t get along with strangers at all and was usually very shy and quiet around people he didn''t know but he was so friendly towards Hao Xuan?


    *Cough*


    *Cough*


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say or do so he quickly took a couple of steps back.


    "Well since you two have been reunited, I''ll take my leave."


    But as soon as he turned to leave, Dai Jin started crying, and loudly! Gathering the attention of everyone in their surroundings.


    Many people nced over, looking at them with furrowed brows. To them it looked like Hao Xuan had just made the child cry and now was running away so they looked at him with disgust.


    "What a horrible person."


    "You really can''t judge a book by its cover it seems. He looked a bit cool but is such a degenerate?"


    Hao Xuan tried to ignore their words and gazes but soon met the eyes of Henrik who was looking at him with a deadly scowl.


    "The academy''s reputation is at stake!" his voice rang in Hao Xuan''s mind, making him faltering.


    "What the hell do you want me to do?!" Hao Xuan yelled in response.


    ***


    A few minutester the entire hall was cleared away with only an extremely long table in the center. All the participants were sitting there in a specific order. At the head of the table was Dai Yuan. To her left was Ceni and to her right was Hao Xuan with Dai Jin in his arms pulling on his mask while talking in his ownnguage.


    Many people looked over at him and whispered amongst themselves, giggling every now and then. Stasa and the bald teen were smiling ear to ear while looking straight at him.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even know where to look so he just sat there like a statue.


    ''Kill me right now....someone....''

 Chapter 414: The New Plan

    <h4>Chapter 414: The New n</h4>


    The ball continued throughout the entire night. After the dinner, there were a few other activities nned that kept everyone busy and entertained.


    Ceni avoided Hao Xuan like the gue and chatted with many of the other participants. Hao Xuan was actually surprised to know that she was quite popr with both men and women as they rushed to make her acquaintance the moment she was alone.


    While Hao Xuan was stuck with Dai Jin and Zhurong who returned out of nowhere. He was in Hao Xuan''s pocket when they arrived but was gone by the time the fight broke out.


    Zhurong kept trying to push Dai Jin away while he wanted nothing more than to bite down on his fluffy tail.


    Every time Dai Yuan tried to take Dai Jin away from Hao Xuan''s side he started bawling. It was only after he fell asleep and was taken away by her that Hao Xuan could enjoy some of the other activities like beast fighting, speed racing in the newest prototype models of the cruisers and sparring amongst the participants.


    Of course none of them actually challenged Hao Xuan himself. He was the second guardian for the academy which came with its own reputation. None of the guardians were weak so it was a given that he would be as well, albeit an incorrect assumption in his case.


    Hao Xuan observed some of the fights and understood the stark differences between him and these ''geniuses''. Although he had a rtively strong foundation and could hold his own against normal cultivators, but eight out of ten of these guys would be able to defeat him.


    Be it offensive, defensive or support skills, theycked nothing. Each of them had their own specialty that gave them an edge over the others.


    For example, he was looking at Micha''s fight in person and realized the disparity between them.


    The first and most important aspect was the Qi. Their purity was on the same level but the quantity differed significantly. Micha could continue fighting in his best condition for up to an hour, but Hao Xuan could barely evenst for 20 minutes.


    The second was what set each of them apart. For Hao Xuan it would be his constitution, but he could not use it directly during the fights. His physique could also give him a great boost but he hadn''t gotten acquainted with it either.


    Micha was a bow user. He could conjure arrows of different energies using the bow and fire them for different effects. Some would be offensive while some even had defensive capabilities. He was a ranged fighter but could still hold his own in close rangebat long enough to put some distance between himself and his opponent.


    He was fighting a dual dagger wielder Assassin type cultivator that could be invisible. He would attack, turn invisible and attack again. Only when he was attacking could he be attacked himself. Hao Xuan thought it would be aplete loss for Micha but what he was seeing was something entirely different.


    Micha could neither defend against him properly nor find his location, but he knew one thing for certain. He would have to show himself when he wanted tond an attack and when he did, instead of firing at him Micha shot a blueish arrow into the ground.


    As a result the ground turned ck and the assassin couldn''t move an inch. Micha took the opportunity and unleashed a flurry of attacks but the assassin was able to break free a few secondster. Micha used some type of movement skill that made it look like he was walking backwards and distanced himself from the assassin once again, ready for the next attack.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his fingers remembering the ''Ray of Light'' arrow that Micha had fired at him. Although he was able to stop the first one, but the next ten or twenty arrows, many of them would hit their target.


    Micha''s arrows were like rockets, whizzing left and right non-stop, cornering his opponent until he unwittingly admitted defeat.


    ''I have a few attacks with high damage but he would easily avoid them. I could catch up but he could get away again. Not to mention all my movement skills have their own downsides,'' Hao Xuan calcted how he would fare if he fought Micha.


    All the techniques and skills they showcased today were, of course, nothing important and would surely have a few hidden tricks up their sleeves.


    Demonic steps were very versatile but all the varients he was able to createcked one thing or another.


    Emperor''s arrival was good when fighting against crowds but would do terribly in one on one fights.


    Heavenly re could cover short distance extremely quickly as well as maybe stun the enemy for a few seconds but it would not be viable after the first time when they would know what to expect. Not to mention he could only move in a straight line and in the direction he was facing.


    Impetus charge (when demonic steps are using with the Force Qi) was slow and had a long build up time. It could destroy most things in its path which made it more of an offensive technique than anything else.


    ''I really have to start working on the new n,'' he thought inwardly.


    When the sun was about to rise people finally started to take their leave. Hao Xuan jumped at the opportunity and left with Henrik and Wu Jin in tow. Both of them actually quite enjoyed themselves, it was only Hao Xuan that stayed alone most of the night. No one came to talk to him and he didn''t bother with anyone either.


    "PAR will reach out to you guys today. Get the nanotech from them at whatever cost you have to and bring it to me. I''ll be staying at home until further notice," Hao Xuan told Henrik before getting off the carriage.


    He went straight to his room and took out a y token that had cracks all over it.


    "Looks like I have no other option but you," he mumbled while brushing his finger over the cracks.

 Chapter 415: Contractor

    <h4>Chapter 415: Contractor</h4>


    Hao Xuan took a deep breath and closed his eyes toplete the first step of the n. His consciousness entered the token and appeared in a new space.


    When Hao Xuan opened his eyes again he was surrounded by darkness on all sides. He was standing on what looked like a ck sea.


    Even he didn''t expect this to happen.


    "Show yourself," he said softly. A faint ripple spread out with him as the center but there was no other change. He frowned at first but then saw something from the corner of his eye.


    There were two golden eyes staring up at him from somewhere deep within the sea. His heart almost skipped a beat until he realized it was only his consciousness in here and not his actual body.


    "Why are you hiding? Or rather, how did you even do...this?" he asked looking around. There was no light whatsoever in this space with only the ck seawater under his feet.


    "I am of the strongest tribe in existence. Do you think something like this is not possible for me?" a feminine voice asked curiously, almost mockingly.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes turned cold.


    "Hmph, show me your true self!" he said loudly in an authoritative tone.


    "...as you wish," the voice mumbled softly.


    The sea churned, creating waves big enough that they could wash away entires. None of them came towards Hao Xuan but he could still see and feel them somehow. The water level kept rising higher and higher until he realized it wasn''t water anymore. It was part of a shadow that had crawled out from the bottom of this seemingly endless sea, a shadow so massive that Hao Xuan couldn''t even see all of it.


    His expression turned ugly as he couldn''t help but take a few steps back in fear.


    A massive head with two golden suns for pupils peered down at him.


    "Anything else?" the feminine voice came into his head once again, sounding a bit pleased with Hao Xuan''s reaction.


    Hao Xuan gulped, his throat feeling a bit dry. How that was even possible was unknown but here it was. He was about to speak up but noticed something. Their soul connection was telling them that the creature he was looking at wasn''t the one he severed.


    "This isn''t your actual form, or....is it someone else entirely?" he asked weakly with squinted eyes.


    The two suns shrunk as soon as the words left Hao Xuan''s mouth. They stared at him soundlessly before the shadow started shrinking.


    Bit by bit by bit the shadow shrunk until it was only about seven hundred meters in size. The shadows solidified and an actual scally body came into view. Sharp talons,


    "This is....it..." he mumbled looking at the dragon in front of him now.


    "What was that before?" he inquired.


    The ck dragon didn''t seem like it wanted to answer but when she met Hao Xuan''s gaze, she knew he would force her to answer if she didn''t.


    "My true form. That is what I was like at my prime. Back when I ruled over the abyss..." her tone was a mix of both hopelessness and fury.


    "But Ra defeated you?"


    "DEFEATED ME?!" she shouted out loud for the first time. Her voice turned deep and even her posture became aggressive. Until now she had onlymunication through spiritual sense, this was the first time she actually said anything.


    "He could not defeat me in a million years! That filthy little creature! The best he can do is raise a few dead and order them to do his bidding, how would HE be able to defeat ME?!"


    "Then how? Was it one of your other nsmen that helped him?" Hao Xuan quickly followed up with another query.


    The dragon was about to answer but paused. She looked at Hao Xuan with her burning pupils and understood what he was trying to do. She quickly calmed down and regained herposure.


    "Little thing, you are far too young to trick me. But, I will answer your question nheless."


    "Ra is not capable of defeating me. It''s a difference in our bloodlines. If not for that damned Orc, I would never have seen this day."


    "Orc? Orion?!" Hao Xuan connected the dots. Orion was the only Orc he knew that was powerful enough to do something like this.


    The dragon nodded, "Yes. That mongrel''s abilities were too troublesome. If not for his assistance, Ra would have never been able to do anything," she exined a bit more.


    Hao Xuan nodded in response. He could not help but be surprised. Was Orion really that powerful? Had his power reached such heights that going up against true dragons was nothing big for him?


    "Between your form now and what you were like before, there is quite a distance. Am I right in assuming that you have lost the majority of your power then?"


    "Yes," she replied without any hesitation whatsoever, startling Hao Xuan.


    "But you can regain it?" he asked again.


    "....maybe. If I have enough time and resources, perhaps I could."


    "Good, that''s all I needed to know," Hao Xuan pped once. He looked at her right in the eyes, "Help me. Help me with whatever I need and I will help you in return."


    The dragon scoffed, "And what if I don''t? Will you not simply force me to do so anyway?"


    Hao Xuan smiled, "I could, and for all logical reasons I should, but I won''t. If you won''t help me then this will be the end of our interaction, period. I will never, EVER ask you for anything and leave you alone. You can stay in this ce and enjoy yourself as much as you want."


    He didn''t say anything after that, instead choosing to stand there inplete silence staring at her. She didn''t shy away either and met his eyes, trying her best to read him as much as possible.


    ".....Why?"


    "Why what?"


    "....nothing. Alright, I will help you but not for free, I have a few conditions..."


    Hao Xuan listened to everything she had to say. Some of the conditions were a bit much but he agreed anyway. Right now he needed her power a lot more than she needed him.


    "I ept. I want to be a contractor. Form a life long contract with me and lend me your power ording to the old rules."


    The ''old rules'' he was talking about were something that every contractor had to obey. No one knew who made them or how long ago, but they existed and were enforceable and binding.


    The dragon shook her head, "No need. We have a deal, you can have all of my powers but beware, your body cannot handle them for any extended period of time. It''s a vessel like any other and when you try to insert something too big, it will break. Be careful," she warned and reached out with her w.


    Hao Xuan stood in ce and allowed the torrent of turbulent Qi to enter his body. A second after the w touched his forehead he woke up in his room again with a burning sensation all over his body.


    He checked the time. Less than a minute had passed since his consciousness first entered the token. He looked down at his palm for the y-like token but there was only a pile of dust falling through his fingers.

 Chapter 416: "Relax"

    <h4>Chapter 416: "Rx"</h4>


    Hao Xuan was taken aback upon seeing the clump of red sand in his hand. If the token was broken, where did the dragon ago?


    "Can you hear me?"


    He spoke out loud, softly.


    *Beep*


    "Of course I can," Baracus responded swiftly, making Hao Xuan shake his head.


    "Not you, um, b-ck dragon?" he called out awkwardly. It felt weird calling it that. She was a dragon and was ck, hence that was her name? But a secondter another familiar voice came into his ears.


    "I am here, squishy human."


    He let out a breath of relief but then frowned.


    "Why am I squishy?"


    "I don''t know. Why are you squishy?"


    "What?"


    "What?"


    "...."


    After a short, awkward pause, Hao Xuan asked for her name.


    "What do I call you then? What''s your name?"


    She scoffed, the derision obvious from her tone.


    "You are physically incapable of pronouncing my name, human. But other mortals call me N¨ªeh?ggr."


    ".....Nidhora...?" Hao Xuan repeated, incorrectly. That''s what it sounded like to him but his was a much simpler pronunciation.


    She jeered upon hearing the name as if she was expecting it.


    "See? You cannot even say something simple like this yet you want to speak my real name? Your little body of flesh would explode from divine pressure!"


    "Well, better than nothing I guess," Hao Xuan shrugged, taking herment as a passing remark.


    "So where are you? How are you talking to me?"


    "In your meridian. I can stay here and slowly recover, as well as give you guidance and help if you so desire, for a price of course."


    Hao Xuan quickly closed his eyes and one by one inspected his meridians until he felt something inside the meridian on the forehead. He couldn''t actually see what was inside it but only got a strong feeling that it was full or ''upied.''


    "Is this where you''re staying?"


    "Yes."


    "What is it like in there?"


    "Meridians are what allowed mere mortals to walk the same path as us. Their uses and applications are limitless but they are also shrouded in mystery. Until you are able to ''observe'' your meridians by yourself, I can''t tell you anything."


    ".....okay...I guess..." Hao Xuan expected some kind of bullshit answer like this so he didn''t bother asking about it again. There were more pressing matters at hand.


    "I can feel a burning Qi inside my body, what do I do with it? It needs to ''look'''' like I''m a contractor so I have to use your power like one."


    There was another bout of silence. Hao Xuan didn''t bother repeating himself and simply waited for her to sort out her own thoughts and answer. And as expected, about five minutester she gave a solution.


    "Contractors borrow the powers of their contracted creature. Under normal circuumstances they are not able to summon them in this world like beastmasters or the summoners. They basically be beast hybrids, half of each, which allows them to use their own cultivation as well as their contract''s. Give me control of your body for a moment and I will give you the most optimized version of my power that you can bear."


    Hao Xuan didn''t need to think about the matter at all. This was one of the rtively rare asions where he could shine.


    "Alright but remember, "''Don''t do anything harmful''". It wouldn''t end well for either of us," he ordered using the constitution''s power. Even if she had some wicked thoughts, there was no way she would be able to act on them now.


    It was already midday when he returned to the city and barely any time had passed since then. He closed the blinds, activated a few defensive and soundproof formations before sitting cross-legged on the floor.


    "Go ahead," he mumbled while rxing his body.


    "It might be a little painful. Don''t resist or do anything to disrupt the process. Just endure it," Nidhora warned.


    Hao Xuan sniggered while murmuring under his breath, "Of course it''s going to be painful. When has anything been BUT painful? Just do it," he closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing.


    The blob of burning Qi he was feeling in his abdomen started swirling on its own. From the meridian on the forehead, a ck substance started leaking out.


    It slowly spread out in every direction, entering every single organ, blood vessel, and cell. It surrounded thempletely. When that was done it started seeping out of EVERY single orifice and covered the exterior of his body as well.


    The word ''painful'' wasn''t enough to describe what he was feeling right now. The ck substance, whatever it was, was like moltenva. Hao Xuan felt like he was being burned alive from inside out.


    And the worst part was that the pain didn''t subside. It continued to get worse and worse. He tried his best to endure but couldn''t help and but let out a few forceful grunts.


    He was always good at enduring pain but this was on a whole new level.


    The muscles on his arms and abdomen ripped from clenching too hard. His jawbone actually cracked.


    "Rx, breathe out," Nidhora''s voice sounded inside his head but before he could even do anything, another wave of pain hit his senses like a truck.


    "AHH!" he fell on his back, writhing in pain. His body contorted into unholy positions. It looked like he was being twisted by an invisible hand but it was all due to his own muscles contracting as they had never done before.


    He trashed about the room, breaking everything in reach. Thankfully the formations were there otherwise his screams would have drawn a crowd.

 Chapter 417: First State

    <h4>Chapter 417: First State</h4>


    Even for non-cultivators, when their muscles were put under enough stress like shock therapy, for example, they could contract with such force and power that breaking a few bones here and there waspletely normal.


    So for someone like Hao Xuan whose body had been reconstructed from the ground up and had enough power to go against most beasts around his realm barehanded, the result was a constant struggle between his muscles and his bones to see who would break first.


    The muscles expanded and contracted repeatedly, each time more powerful than thest, sending mini shockwaves throughout his internal systems. The bones bent and squeaked trying to hold on and fight against the overwhelming pressure being exuded by the other organs.


    Hao Xuan felt like he was about to burst open. He thought after all the times he had done something like this, the pain wouldn''t be so strong but once again he was proven wrong.


    This continued for over 30 minutes as the ck substance released waves upon waves of scorching Qi that tempered his body. The ck substance was the hammer and his body the anvil that it struck repeatedly.


    Tears fell out of his eyes like raindrops but evaporated instantly. His vocal cords burst so he couldn''t even scream anymore. But then the pain started to lessen slowly until it disappeared. The ck substance retracted and back into the meridian on the forehead.


    "Hah...hah..hah..."


    Hao Xuanid on the floor, naked. Dried blood stains covered the entirety of his outer body along with some still open wounds. Wisps of ck shadow-like Qi escaped from the wounds and evaporated, making for a strange sight.


    Both his arms and legs were broken from several ces as they twisted at 180-degree angles, making for quite a sorry sight. Normally even torture wouldn''t leave a man this broken, yet what was to be a simple process left him in this state.


    Heid there for over an hour,pletely conscious but incapable of any movement. Even breathing was painful. His Demonic physique showed why it was named so as it kicked into top gear on its own and started the healing process automatically.


    The wounds slowly closed and the bones aligned on their own, reconstructing without any outside help. Within 20 minutes everything was as it should be.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and slowly sat upright. He felt so weak that just this simple action was enough to leave him exhausted.


    *Beep*


    "Are you....okay?" Baracus asked in a wooden tone, sounding almost human. This was the first time he was worried about Hao Xuan...or was it curiosity?


    "Ye....ah..." he murmured.


    "Alright," Baracus replied before going silent once again.


    Although Hao Xuan''s expression didn''t show it, he was angry beyond belief. He wanted nothing more than to reach out into his meridian and grind that god damned dragon to paste, but he knew she did nothing wrong, at least not ording to her.


    She truly believed that this was necessary and it was good for him, otherwise the constitution''s power would have kicked in by itself and stopped her. Yet it didn''t do anything and let her do "that" to him for over half an hour.


    This was one of the major downsides of the constitution that Hao Xuan often overlooked.


    The constitution''s power used his own word asw. If the sever went against it then it would kick in. But if the sever truly believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that what it was doing was what Hao Xuan wanted, then nothing would happen.


    That''s why he needed to be as exact in his wording as possible.


    There were of course exceptions. The sever could never kill Hao Xuan, not even if he ordered them to or if they believed that it was what he needed or wanted. His life was of the utmost importance that overwrote everything else.


    "Nidhora, is it done?" he asked through gritted teeth, trying to remain calm but failing miserably.


    "It is," she confirmed before exining in detail.


    "There are two states in which you can use the power. The first one is a simple activation. It will show itself in the outer world but won''t put any pressure on your body since that would affect the physique center negatively."


    "The second state is when you start using it. Then it will move ording to your orders but you can''t keep doing that for long. From what I have gathered, the most you canst is 30 minutes before your body started breaking down. That is your limit."


    "All Contractors must have a mark on their body from which they use the contracted creature''s power. This mark can appear in any form and in any ce and can be used to identify the type of creature they are contracted to. Since we don''t officially have a contract, there is obviously no such mark on your body. But since you said it needs to look like you''re one of them, I left my mark on your back."


    "This is a much better option because you can control when the mark bes visible. If you don''t want to be identified as a contractor, simply hide the mark and no one will know. Try it now."


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and summoned a sword which he used to stand up. He went up to the cracked mirror on the wall looked at his back. There was absolutely nothing there, it lookedpletely normal.


    But when he circted some Qi through his shoulders and willed, a tattoo of a pair of ck dragon wings appeared on the upper side. It looked like they were moving on their own but could just as well be an illusion. (Google dragon wing tattoos to get an idea of what they would look like).


    Hao Xuan nodded, it didn''t look too bad and he could control it so it was perfect. He opened his mouth and mumbled, "Activate".


    *Whoosh*


    A ck shadow shot out of his back, taking the shape of the dragon wings on the tattoo, only they were about four times his size at about nine meters in width with razor sharp talonsing out of every size.


    *Crack*


    *Crumble*


    They pierced through the roof and the sidewalls, breaking every single formation ced around the room.


    "Ah shit, no-" Hao Xuan turned around in a panic and destroyed another wall. Everything that came into contact with the wings just fell apart.


    "STOP! DEACTIVATE!" he yelled but heard Nidhora''s voice in response, "You don''t have to say anything, just will it and it will be gone."


    "For fuck sakes!" he quickly closed his eyes and just thought about them going back into his body and they disappeared in a sh.


    *Crumble*


    A piece of the roof that was hanging on by a thread fell down with a gust of wind and evening light fell on Hao Xuan''s haggard face.


    "Oh crap," he muttered under his breath, looking at thepletely wrecked second floor. Another source of yelling came from downstairs followed by heavy footsteps.


    "OI, WHAT''S GOING ON?! ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?" Jin Wang appeared at Hao Xuan''s doorstep. He had a small towel around his waist hanging on for dear life and bubbles on his head. It looked like he was in the middle of taking a bath.


    "What the fuck happened? Who was it? Where is that bastard! Let me at him!" he yelled while waiving a mop around in the air, sshing dirty soap water onto Hao Xuan''s face.

 Chapter 418: Somnium Triton

    <h4>Chapter 418: Somnium Triton</h4>


    "Rx, no one attacked us. Go back to whatever you were doing," Hao Xuan waved his hand, shooing away Jin Wang.


    Jin Wang looked at him up and down with narrowed eyes, "You freak. At least don''t destroy the house," he spat out before walking back down. Hao Xuan was confused for a few seconds when he realized he was buck naked.


    "Eh, whatever."


    It was still an hour or so left of sunlight so Hao Xuan decided to take a quick shower to wash off the dried blood that was sticking to him. By the time he was done and went down, there was a guest waiting for him.


    Henrik was sitting in the living room looking down at his spirit band and Jin Wang was sitting across from him, staring with a questionable gaze. Hao Xuan pped the back of Jin Wang''s head as he passed by, "He''s a dude."


    "Ah!" Jin Wang nodded. He didn''t want to ask because it would be pretty rude if it turned that he was a she instead.


    Henrik looked up from his Spirit Band with a deep scowl.


    "Finally, how long were you nning to make me wait after calling me here yourself?"


    Hao Xuan waved his hand dismissively, "Shut it. Did they send it over?"


    "Hmph, here," Henrik reached out into his shirt and pulled out a metallic cylinder. It was about three inches wide and seven inches in length. Hao Xuan picked it up and shook it lightly. It was full to the brim.


    "Ho, is this going to be enough?" he murmured under his breath.


    His spirit band vibrated and a definite yes appeared on its screen. Hao Xuan nodded contently and stored it away. Henrik''s scowl turned into a suspicious frown when he saw that. He looked at Hao Xuan''s storage ring with interest.


    "How did you do that? I couldn''t put this thing in the storage ring no matter what I did. What did you do? Is yours different somehow?"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but chuckle at his question. Everything of importance he had was stored inside the spirit band, which was where Baracus''s ''brain'' was held. And although it was able to store things, that was just an extra feature and not its main use. The spirit ring on his hand was just for show. It only held a few normal weapons, some consumables, and whatnot.


    The alloy that the spirit band was made from was excavated from the core of a dwarf sun in deep space. It was the core of Baracus''s body and immeasurably valuable to the right person.


    Not many people on the Beast World would be able to say they had something simr to it.


    "It''s a secret," winked Hao Xuan towards Henrik and stood back up.


    "Send some people to repair the second floor, I had an ident during training and broke a few things. And ask Ryfon to hurry up with the stuff I asked for, I need it as soon as possible," he gave Henrik a few more tasks to bepleted and walked away. But when he reached the back door he suddenly froze and abruptly closed his eyes. Henrik who was about to leave also paused and looked at him with interest.


    "Does he do that often? Just stop moving out of nowhere?" he whispered to Jin Wang who was picking his nose some distance away.


    Jin Wang shrugged like it was none of his business, "Dunno," and went back to focusing on the nose at hand.


    "Hmm," Henrik nodded absentmindedly. Ryfon had told him to keep an eye on Hao Xuan and tell him if he started acting weird. Would this count as weird?


    He was about to leave when Hao Xuan called out for him yet again.


    "Ey, do you know where I can get the core of a Somnium Triton?"


    "The core of what?"


    "Somniu- write this down!"


    Henrik looked at the name on his spirit band with a pondering expression. He had never heard of this creature before.


    "What is it?"


    "It''s a rare beast. It looks like a smander but has rainbow-like skin that keeps changing color. It''s not strange that you haven''t heard about it," Hao Xuan exined before patting Henrik on the shoulder.


    "Go to the academy or wherever you can read about any recent strange things happening. Find any reports of non-cultivator cities or viges nearby having issues with people randomly falling asleep. There should be a few cases that would end in death."


    Henrik was truly and thoroughly confused but he didn''t question him and left to take care of everything Hao Xuan had asked for.


    Hao Xuan walked into the back garden and sat down under a tree, closing his eyes once again. He appeared in the mind pce and walked up to Gavril.


    "Are you sure it will be here?"


    Gavril nodded, "I can feel it, it''s rtively close by. It feeds on dreams and the misfortune caused by them. If you can get me its core, I can reach Spirit realm within a week. But it won''t be easy. It rarely shows itself in the real world. It will find a weak, vulnerable person and attach itself to them. Slowly feeding on their dreams, vitality and bringing them misfortune."

 Chapter 419: Dust to Dust

    <h4>Chapter 419: Dust to Dust</h4>


    Mei Kingdom, South East border.


    A stretch of wilderness ungoverned and uninhabited by humans.


    Two people were currently running through this thick forest at full speed. They were covered in wounds, both shallow and deep.


    *Huff*


    *Huff*


    "Run!" the one at the back shouted. He was in rtively better condition than the one in the front, who had a 4 inch wide cut along his abdomen, leaking greenish blood everywhere.


    *Huff*


    *Huff*


    "Faster! They''re right behind us Eighth brother!" Jun yelled again as he fired a volley of dark red arrows at the twenty plus people chasing them.


    "Y-Yeah," eighth replied absentmindedly.


    Behind them the arrows intertwined with one another in mid-air and turned into a ming web that set everything it touched aze.


    A wave of red mes surged into the air, blocking their pursuers.


    "Quick! Go around it, don''t let them get away again!" one of them shouted and they dispersed in different directions, trying to find a way through.


    If Hao Xuan were here he would immediately recognize the two that were being chased. The one in the front was the eighth brother, the slightly chubby one that didn''t interact with him a lot. And the one behind was the teenager named Jun, the Sixth brother.


    "There, along the sides of the gulley! They won''t be able to catch our scent through the water," Jun pointed towards a certain direction.


    Eighth was already tired and had lost too much blood so he could barely keep his eyes open. He followed Jun''s orders and jumped straight into a fast-flowing stream of water that was cutting through the forest.


    Jun jumped in right after and swam up to him swiftly, grabbing Eighth''s cor and pulling him to the side. They stayed in the water for five minutes or so. The water flow was bing too much to handle. The gulley started widening and became deeper and even faster.


    Because of Eight''s open wound, several small beasts came up to them but were killed by Jun''s arrows. But there was no end to them and the longer they stayed in the water, the higher the chances that a stronger beast would find them.


    "Let''s get out here Eighth brother," Jun pointed at a small cliff a few meters above the water level. Eighth barely had any strength left but he still managed to grab ahold of a rock and pulled himself up just enough that Jun could pull him the rest of the way.


    Junid back against the wet rock wall, breathing heavily.


    "I think...I think we should be safe here for a little bit," he mumbled.


    There was a 6 inch long cut on his left shoulder that started bleeding profusely, spilling bright red blood everywhere.


    "Hehe, this one''s going to leave a mark," he chuckled and took out a needle and a thread and started sowing himself up.


    "Who would have thought...that I would be...using these mortal tools...one day...eh?" he mumbled jokingly while closing the wound.


    Eighth propped himself up against the wall and examined his own wound as well. He scoffed after one look. It was turning green and grey, clearly infected and the poison didn''t help either.


    ''That whore...I knew we shouldn''t have trusted her from day one...'' he cursed inwardly before closing his eyes.


    At this speed they were still several days away from their destination. They had no healing potions, no elixirs, no magical ointments that could save his life. This was the end...unless


    He took in a deep breath and stabilized his breathing before looking towards Jun.


    "Sixth brother,e here," he gestured with his eyes.


    With a grunt, Jun got up and slowly waddled over. Now that they had time to rx in a rtively safe ce, all the pain and exhaustion was hitting him head-on but he still didn''t let it show.


    He was the youngest of the group and because of that everyone treated him like they would their own younger brother. He was taken care of and protected much more so than others and now it was his time to care for one of his older brothers.


    Eighth reached into his shirt and took out a spirit band.


    "Take this. Go straight west from here, don''t follow the river," he said while handing it over to Jun.


    "The sun should be at your back no matter what. Keep running until youe upon a gorge hidden between two ck mountains. But don''t go inside. Instea-"


    "Eighth brother what are you talking about? I can''t leave you here!" Jun abruptly cut in when he realized that he was telling him to go alone.


    Eighth grinned and lightly pped Jun''s face.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t die so quickly, but I can''t walk anymore either. The poison has seeped in too deep. I have to focus on forcefully suppressing it until you bring back help. Now listen carefully. When you stand in front of the entrance of the gorge, you will see a statue on the right side. Wait until nightfall. When the sun has setpletely, kowtow three times and repeat these words verbatim."


    Eighth cleared his throat. A respectful expression adorned his pale face as he recalled the words.


    "When the shield is broken and the sword bent. With the light corrupted and darkness invincible, I yield myself to the oldest of codes. All shall kneel before the purest of thrones."


    Eighth patted Jun on the back, "Keep repeating those words until they show themselves. Then ask to see First and they will take you to him."


    "They? First brother? What does he have to do with this?" Jun asked worriedly.


    Eighthughed, "Don''t worry, he will exin everything. Go now, time is of the essence, quick! Oh, and ce this below the statue when you''re done," Eighth broke the bronze pendant from around his neck and gave it to him.


    Jun offered to carry him but Eighth declined.


    "Stop wasting time, I can''t stay like this for too long now!" he said in mock anger.


    Jun was notpletely convinced that this was the right thing to do but Eighth said he would understand once he got there.


    Albeit unwillingly, he still followed Eighth''s instructions and departed.


    Eighth sat cross-legged, circting his Qi and spitting out the ck blood every few minutes. A full hour passed like this before he opened his eyes again and looked towards the river. There was a person standing on the turbulent water looking right at him.


    He blinked once and the person disappeared and reappeared in front of him just a few meters away.


    It was a girl. Red hair like an autumn sunset, pale white skin that hadn''t seen the light of day in ages and a face so beautiful that it could make a man''s heart stop.


    She stared at Eighth for a few seconds with a somewhat troubled expression before muttering, "Why run when you know how it ends?"


    Eighth smirked, "Why live when you''re going to die anyway?"


    She shook her head confidently, "Not everyone has to die. You can live as long as the stars if you so wish."


    Eighth burst outughing, spilling even more blood from his wound.


    "At what cost? By being their bitch for the rest of eternity? I''d rather live a short, meaningful life than be like you," he finished by spitting at her feet.


    She nodded, "So be it."


    As she extended her hands, a pair of crystal-like blue daggers appeared in her grasp.


    Eighth''s smile widened looking at the weapons.


    "Those are the prettiest things about you," he mumbled and raised both his hands as well, mimicking her movements.


    But no weapon appeared in his grasp.


    The girl''s expression turned ugly as flew towards him like a rocket upon realizing what he was trying to do. Even though they were just meters apart, she couldn''t get to him in time.


    Eighth''s helpless smile turned vicious as he closed his eyes before snapping both his fingers.


    "From dust...to dust."


    *Snap*x2


    *BOOOOOOOM*

 Chapter 420: Roc

    <h4>Chapter 420: Roc</h4>


    Four days before the start of the final phase of the tournament.


    Somewhere in the outskirts of the academy, on the side of a random mountain was a clearing where several tents where pitched. In the middle of the clearing, two figures were repeatedly running into one another, sending small shockwaves through the rocky mountain.


    *Bang*


    *Bang*


    The figures collided with one another before being sent tumbling away into the mountainside.


    The one on the right pushed away the loose debris falling on top of him and jumped out. His ck hair were covered with dust. He wasn''t wearing a shirt so the burn marks and scars on his upper body were out for all to see.


    This was of course Hao Xuan.


    "Again!" he said while spitting out a pebble that had gotten into his mouth.


    The other person was a slightly chubby man, almost the same size as Hao Xuan himself at a little over seven feet (2.2m). He was in much better condition and even seemed rxed.


    "Hao shi,e on already. It''s been three hours since we started," Fulke grumbled. This was not what he had in mind when Hao Xuan invited him to "have fun" in the mountainside. There weren''t even any girls here, well, of course, other than those two.


    He looked at the three people sitting by the side in the shade of arge umbre, his expression turning ugly the more he stared at them.


    "Why do they get to sit there and enjoy themselves while I have to fight? This isn''t fair!" he stomped on the ground while pointing at the people in the distance. A small tremor was created from that stomp, lighting up several formations around their camp that quickly neutralized it.


    Henrik lowered his sunsses a little bit and took a sip of the green ice-cold beverage in his hand.


    "Because of that," he gestured towards the dim formations, "That''s all me baby," he mumbled and closed his eyes again, returning to his nap.


    With nothing else to say to him, Fulke looked to the left where the other two people were sitting. They seemed to be in the middle of a board game. It looked like chess but all the pieces were of beasts and monsters.


    One of them was a girl with rather tomboyish features and dressing, and the other was a rather normal-looking young man. He was picking his nose with a seven-headed piece before cing it on the board.


    "Hydra to 1E. It eats all of your lord pieces. Checkmate," Jin Wang muttered while trying to reach a ss of the same beverage that was in Henrik''s hand. It seemed to be just out of his reach and if he got up a little he could reach it, but he gave up and instead chose toy there.


    "This game makes no sense!" Hazel mumbled with a deep frown looking at the board.


    Jin Wang shrugged, "I don''t make the rules, it is how it is," he lied through his teeth.


    Hao Xuan had taught him a few things about chess but he made the pieces and rules up himself, trying to create a new, more interesting game as it were.


    None of them were even paying attention to Fulke and Hao Xuan''s fighting and were doing their own things.


    "Another one?" Jin Wang looked at her while waving a Roc piece. Hazel looked at it for a couple of seconds before finally giving in and starting another game.


    Hao Xuan dusted off his trousers, "Because you''re the only one that cultivates a physique scripture as well as an unarmedbat technique, and a good one at that. Those guys are all TOO weak," he said thest sentence louder so they would hear him.


    Jin Wang gave him the middle finger without looking while Hazel lowered her head in embarrassment. Henrik didn''t even bother to react.


    But it had the intended effect and Fulke instantly brightened up.


    "Y-Yeah, I guess that''s true," he said trying to act casually, "Okay, let''s go."


    He stood at an angle and extended both his hands forward, the right one further than the left. A faint red Qi swirled around hands in the shape of a fog.


    "Good good," Hao Xuan nodded.


    He bent his knees and made a punching motion.


    "HAH!" with a shout he threw a punch from over ten meters away. An oversized yellow fist shot towards Fulke at the speed of sound. It was bigger than his entire body but when it was within three meters, he lightly jerked his hand to the right and the fist suddenly changed its direction and flew into the mountain.


    "Again!" Hao Xuan shouted and repeated the same motion. This time it was a palm, then a finger, then a knee, then a kick.


    This was a very rudimentary way of training one''s Qi control. The images in the air were created by the Force Qi that Hao Xuan released from his body. They did have decent damage but consumed too much Qi and could not change direction after leaving his body.


    But doing this over and over again helped him better regte Qi and control it with ease.


    This continued for another hour before Hao Xuan''s spirit band vibrated with a message.


    "They are ready," it said.


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief, "Finally."


    He looked up at Fulke, "Let''s take a break here."


    "Oh thank the gods!" Fulke almost fell down to his knees. he was already running low on Qi reserves and that was never a good thing. Having less Qi would have the same effect as starvation on a cultivator''s body.


    Hao Xuan quickly ran into his tent and clicked on the spirit band.


    "Did you finish all the programming?"


    *Beep*


    "Yes. It took longer than I initially expected but I had to make a lot of improvements. We can start anytime."

 Chapter 421: Test

    <h4>Chapter 421: Test</h4>


    "We can start anytime."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but smile. This was one of thest few pieces he had been waiting for and finally it was ready to use.


    "Good. Do I need to know anything or can we just go ahead?" he asked curiously. Baracus hadn''t told him a lot about this.


    *Beep*


    "Since you wanted me to stick with both paths of evolution, I had to make a few changes. I havepletely reprogrammed the nanotech from the ground up and added a lot of new features. The most important one is that I have converted my own core so that it can utilize the nanotech on its own without any outside help."


    "Secondly, I converted the materials for the spirit band as well. Instead of a single solid object, it will instead act as a liquid with the help of the nanotech. Meaning you won''t even need to wear a spirit band or a storage ring anymore. Each and every nanoparticle will be able to have the same function as them."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed to a slit.


    "Is this really safe? Won''t it be harmful to my body?"


    *Beeep*


    Even the beep sounded angry so Hao Xuan knew he had stepped out of line with that question.


    "You vastly underestimate my abilities. Do you really think I didn''t think of every possible scenario? Your primitive intellect can not possiblyprehend what I am capable of. How about you let me worry about the technical aspects and take care of your own problems first."


    "Alright alright, geez. I was just asking," Hao Xuan raised his hands helplessly. So can we start then?"


    "Yes. You will have too manually inject the nanotech into your bloodstream. I will not be able tomunicate until it is done."


    "Alright, go ahead."


    As soon as Hao Xuan gave the go-ahead, the spirit band started shaking. The same metallic container that the nanotech came in appeared in front of Hao Xuan on its own. But it looked more like a giant syringe now with a needle at one end and a small button on the other.


    *Bzzzt*


    One after another the dozens of small anchor-like des that were embedded into Hao Xuan''s wrist retracted back into the watch and it fell off on its own. It started vibrating with a whirring noise thatsted for a full 30 seconds.


    When it was done, Hao Xuan tried to pick up the band but as soon as he touched it, it turned into a pile of grey sand. His pupils shrunk and he almost jumped out of his seat.


    "Oh shit, was that suppose to happen???" he mumbled in a panicked voice.


    But there was no response.


    "God damnit, do I just inject myself with this?" he mumbled with furrowed brows while looking at the giant syringe, "This looks shady as hell..."


    But there was nothing else he could do now. Baracus wasn''t replying and the spirit band was gone. He quickly picked up the metallic syringe. Ayer of cold sweat had already formed on his forehead. It would not be good if the spirit band actually broke because of him.


    With gritted teeth, he closed his eyes and stabbed his left hand, exactly where the spirit band used to be. His fear of needles was still there apparently.


    His skin that could stop a ballistic missile couldn''t hinder the cold needle in the slightest as it easily pierced through. A surge of pain ran throughout his body.


    *Schuuulp*


    He pressed the button on top and felt a cold substance start to enter his bloodstream.


    It was an odd feeling to say the least. He could clearly feel the nanotech. It was a foreign substance and he had to consciously keep himself from suppressing it.


    The syringe injected this cold liquid for over ten seconds straight before it ran dry, at which point Hao Xuan pulled it out and threw it away. His arm was swollen and he could see the protrusion clearly. It was not a pretty sight.


    "Okay, now what?" he mumbled. His frown getting deeper and deeper by the second until a familiar beep came from under the skin. All the nanotech that was in his arm slowly started dissipating and within a few seconds it returned to normal.


    *Beep*


    "It was sessful," he heard Baracus''s voice right next to his ear, startling him.


    Previously they mostlymunicated internally but now Baracus''s voice actually sounded in his ear and not his mind.


    "The spirit band broke, is that okay?"


    "Yes, I had already transferred the material to the syringe. That was just an empty shell, a ce holder until the nanotech came online."


    *phew*


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief.


    "Thank god. So is it all done then?"


    "Notpletely. I still have to fine-tune a few things but that will happen slowly over time. But the nanotech should still work fine."


    "Nice, so what''s new then? What can I do?"


    "Whatever you want. The nanotech can elerate healing, strengthen your bones and muscles for some time, boost your internal systems to give faster reflexes, better senses etc. But only one at a time for now and when they are doing that there''s nothing else they can do."


    Hao Xuan whistled, "Really? That sounds amazing. And I don''t feel any different."


    "Oh, you will feel the full impact once it starts. Do you want to try it out?"


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Why not. Let''s go hunt a few beasts. I heard there was ava gator somewhere near the bottom of the mountain, I''ll go fight it."

 Chapter 422: Not Bad

    <h4>Chapter 422: Not Bad</h4>


    Near the base of a tall mountain two youngsters were tearing through the hardened shrubbery, trying to make their way deeper into the forest.


    The one in the front was fourteen years old but he looked much older because of his thick bushy brows, wide shoulders and cheekbones.


    The brows were furrowed tightly and his teeth gritted as he cut apart a small tree with some effort. The dull de in his hand felt heavier with every swing but that did little to hinder his progress.


    "Naim, stop! Listen to me for once in your life!" the one in the back shouted, trying to catch up.


    He looked much younger and appropriate for his age. A pale young man with a skinny build. He had shoulder-length ck hair that with his rather delicate features made him look quite sickly.


    The boy in front who was referred to as Naim actually increased his speed instead of slowing down. He turned his head halfway, "Tao, go back. This has nothing to do with you," he replied coldly.


    ''Tao'' was already running out of breath but he still pushed himself and tried to catch up.


    "Naim, please, the vige chief already sent a message to one of the nearby cities. They should be sending a cultivator to help any day now!"


    Naim was about to cut another branch blocking his way when he heard that and stopped. He still didn''t turn around to face Tao but his helpless expression was easy to imagine from his quivering voice.


    "You know...she can''t wait a few more days. If I don''t bring back that monster''s blood, she will die before anyone cane help."


    If given another choice, why would he ever put himself in danger like this? This was the only way left. He had to do something.


    Naim had one older sister, Yvain. Both their parents passed away when they were young and they didn''t have any other living family members. It was Yvain that had cared for him and didn''t even get married because of him.


    A few days ago she identally wandered too far away from the vige in search of a mushroom that grew in hot and dark ces. This mushroom was Naim''s favorite food but it was really hard toe by. But since it was his birthday in a few days, she decided to find one for him as a present.


    Unfortunately, she lost track of her surroundings and identally wandered into their of a beast that was referred to as a ''Magma Dragon'' by the vigers.


    It was the king of this entire area and the strongest beast within a hundred miles.


    The Magma Dragon passively excreted an acidic liquid that was extremely poisonous to normal human beings and could dissolves entire beasts. By the time she realized where she was, it was already toote.


    She had inhaled too much of the fumes from this excretion and had poisoned herself. She was going to die soon unless something was done about it.


    The vige healer said the antidote was within the blood of the beast. If Naim could get a little bit, he could cure her. So with his trusty sword, he set out to get the blood himself.


    "But still, it''s a dragon you know! How can you possibly kill it?" Tao retorted, trying to make him see how ludicrous this endeavor was. He was Naim''s best friend and like most of the other youngsters in the vige, secretly in love with Yvain. He wanted to help her as well but they were just normal humans!


    Naim shook his head and continued walking, "I don''t need to kill it. Just a little bit of blood will do...just a few drops.." he mumbled thest few words to himself.


    He was clear on the situation. Killing is impossible, but a scratch or two wouldn''t be an issue, right?


    "Naim! Don''t be stupi-"


    Tao had just started speaking when a hand fell over his mouth and stopped him. It was Naim. His expression grim.


    "Do you feel it?" Naim whispered.


    Tao was about to shake his head but then he felt the faint tremors. The ground was pounding. It sounded like extremely far away yet heavy footsteps.


    "W-What is it?" he stuttered. Were they already at the beast''sir


    "I don''t know. We are still a valley away from it," Naim replied while crouching. He felt the ground shake over and over again but it didn''t feel like it was getting any closer.


    "Let''s go take a look," he said in a low voice and started making his way towards the source of all themotion.


    Tao wanted to turn around and go back but his curiosity was peaked. Was another beast fighting with the dragon?


    They crawled through the bushes and trees as slowly as possible until there was no more ground. They were on top of a small cliff that overlooked a valley.


    This was the source of all the noise and shaking but when they actually saw what was going on, their mouths fell open.


    "Wh..at..." Tao murmured.


    "Ho...w...is this....possible...?" Naim was a bit better in the sense that he spit out a full sentence.


    *BAAANG*


    *BAAANG*


    *BAAANG*


    In the valley was a monster. A giant lizard-like beast at over fifty meters long and five meters tall. It spewed moltenva with every roar and its thick hide was covered with razor-sharp des that looked like it could block any attacks.


    Yet right now, a half-naked man was fighting it alone, barehanded.


    And it wasn''t that there was no one else to help him because there four other individuals sitting on the other side of the valley across from them. But all of them were as rxed as they could be and wereughing and watching like it was a show.


    The magma dragon opened its toothy maw and spat out a ball ofva that exploded as soon as it came into contact with the naked man.


    *BOOM*


    "Oh no!" Tao yelled out identally but no one paid attention to him.


    The dust settled and the half-naked man could be seen standing at his original spot. Everything else around him was gone but there was barely a scratch on him.


    He smiled, "Fire resistance is good. Added with the physique''s own ability, it barely stings," he said out loud while examining his body. Then he looked back at the dragon with a wicked smile.


    "Switch to offense. 20% power to all limbs."


    Tao and Naim had no idea who he was talking to, but right now they couldn''t look away. As soon as he finished talking, his muscles tightened and visibly expanded by a small margin. The veins on his arms and legs looked like snakes under his skin, pumping blood with such vigor that should not be possible for a human.


    He bent his knees and whistled, getting the attention of the magma dragon.


    "Come on puppy, show me what you got."


    "ROAAAAR"


    It looked like the dragon could understand him to an extent as its eyes turned red and steam came out from its nostrils.


    The man''s smile brightened even more.


    "He''s...crazy..." Tao mumbled absentmindedly. Naim wanted toment but there was no time. The ground shook and the man disappeared.


    *BOOOM*


    The next thing they say was the over fifty-meter long beast being sent flying straight up into the air. Below it was the man with a frown on his face.


    "Increase power to 50%."


    The entire valley shook as soon as he said the words and the area within 10 meters of him turned to dust and as he disappeared once again, reappearing above the magma dragon that had only just begun its descent.


    He raised his right foot and brought it down on the dragons head, creating a shockwave and sending it crashing into the ground.


    *BOOOM*


    Hended a few dozen meters from the twitching dragon and spoke up again.


    "Increase power to 100%. Heavenly...re!"


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The very sky exploded as he turned into a bolt of ck lightning and reappeared on the other side with such a loud sound that it disoriented Tao and Naim who were more than 500 meters away.


    It looked like even hispanions weren''t expecting that and all of them stood up withplicated expressions on their faces.


    The dragon was...everywhere. It had turned to mush, spilling guts and searing hot blood everywhere.


    The now bloodied man wiped his face with a satisfied expression, "Not bad."

 Chapter 423: Great power

    <h4>Chapter 423: Great power</h4>


    "Not bad....eh?" Hao Xuan mumbled satisfactorily but when he tried to move, his body wouldn''t budge an inch.


    "Baracus, what''s going on?"


    "Well, a fair few things," he replied awkwardly, "It seems I may have underestimated the stress using the nanotech puts on your body."


    Hao Xuan raised an eyebrow curiously, "How so?"


    "When you used thatst move with 100% power, over 130 bones in your body fractured at once. Most are hairline and should be fixed within half an hour but both your legs and feet have more than 15 major fractures. Also, all the ligaments on the lower limbs were severed."


    "...."


    Hao Xuan was at aplete loss for words. That was all caused by stress?


    "Wait, why don''t I feel anything?"


    "I''m blocking your pain receptors so you don''t feel any pain. Would you like me to stop?"


    ".....N-No," Hao Xuan stuttered, "Just start the healing process. Redirect them however you want to and fix it."


    "Alright. You won''t be able to move from this spot for few minutes though."


    "Yeah, I assumed as much. Go ahead," he helplessly waved his hand with a sigh.


    Seeing as the fight had finished, Henrik andpany jumped down from the other side and approached him.


    Henrik was covering his mouth with a handkerchief with stepping over the pieces of flesh and guts that were stered all around the insides of the small valley.


    "Well, that was....something..." he mumbled with a disgusting expression after identally stepping into a puddle of blood.


    Hao Xuan was of course standing still, trying to move as little as possible.


    "Yeah, but I overdid it a little bit and broke a few bones. Can''t move until it''s healed. Cover me for a while."


    "Yes yes, that''s what I''m here for," Henrik replied apathetically while trying to clean his shoes.


    Fulke, Jin Wang, and Hazel were scrounging through the innards of the beast looking for something. Hao Xuan didn''t bother to ask. He could feel himself getting weaker by the second as his blood essence level dropped continuously.


    The nanotech were still machines and even though they could aplish a lot of things, they still required energy for each action. And this energy came from his own blood so every time he used them, he would have to pay for it with blood, literally.


    It would leave him weak and powerless after the fact so it came with its own price. Not to mention that simply using one technique with full 100% power basically turned his lower body to mush. If not for the nanotech, he would not even be able to stand.


    Hao Xuan let out a helpless sigh.


    "With great poweres a great cost....huh?"


    He suddenly remembered the other spectators that were watching his fight and looked to the right.


    "Oi,e down here you two," he yelled, startling Tao and Naim who were about to retreat back into the woods.


    They exchanged nces with one another and knew that he if wanted to catch them, there was no way they would be able to run away.


    The duo made their down to the valley and carefully approached Hao Xuan. Henrik had moved far away on a spot that didn''t have any viscera around it while the other three were still poking around the beast''s innards, trying to put it back together for some reason.


    "H-Hello," Tao bowed from the waist as soon as stood in front of Hao Xuan. Beads of sweat trickled down both their foreheads but Naim seemed to be doing much better than him.


    Hao Xuan was exuding a faint pressure without even realizing it. It was so minute that to other cultivators it would be nothing but to these two it weighed down on their shoulders like a mountain.


    "What are you doing here?" Hao Xuan asked casually. He was just curious and had no other meaning behind it but the duo took it as the start of an interrogation.


    "R-Replying S-Senior, we were j-just out looking for some food when he heard some noises and decided to investigate. We r-really didn''t mean to i-intrude!" Tao replied weakly, barely able to stand straight.


    Naim looked at the nonchnt expression on Hao Xuan''s face and knew he couldn''t care less about them or their story.


    He stepped forward, getting Hao Xuan''s attention.


    "Can I take some blood?"


    "Hmm? Of what?"


    "The dragon."


    "Dragon?" Hao Xuan''s brows scrunched up in confusion.


    "What dragon?"


    "The one you just killed," he replied looking around him.


    Henrik who was listening in from the side couldn''t help butugh out loud.


    "You think that little thing was a dragon?? And that HE killed it?" Henrik didn''t know what was funnier. The fact that the kids thought the mutated alligator was a dragon or that Hao Xuan killed it alone, like THAT.


    "Hahahaha," he grabbed his stomach and almost fell downughing.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed to slits as he spewed obscenities through his eyes. He then looked towards the two teens, "I thought you were looking for food. Why do you want the beast''s blood?"


    Tao was about to make up another excuse but Naim stepped forward and exined everything.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but chuckle, "Sure take all the blood you want. Take the rest too if you need it. I was just using it as a test," he replied casually and left them to their own devices.


    As they were leaving Hao Xuan stared at Naim''s back with aplicated expression.


    "Looks like that thing will be showing itself soon...."

 Chapter 424: Great power Continued

    <h4>Chapter 424: Great power Continued</h4>


    Tao and Naim soon left after collecting a small batch of blood that was still sizzling like hot oil.


    Hao Xuan didn''t stop, simply watching as their silhouettes vanished from view. Henrik, who was still covering his face with a handkerchief, jumped over to Hao Xuan while avoiding as much of the blood as possible.


    "Will it be okay since they saw you? Won''t it know?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head gently, "No, it doesn''t work like that. It''s not on them itself right now so it''s fine. We''ll have a very small window when it does show itself. Is your formation ready?" he nced at Henrik from the side.


    Henrik waved his hand carelessly, "You just focus on your thing. I will do my part."


    Hao Xuan nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating on healing his injuries.


    The reason he had chosen this out of the way ce for training was because of the beast, Sominum Triton. Its name was quite a mouthful so Hao Xuan decided to call it smander instead because that''s what its body resembled.


    It took Henrik more than a week before he was able to find a location that fulfilled all the requirements. The vige Tao and Naim came from was what Hao Xuan came for as well.


    In thest few months, more than five people had died mysteriously. Some were stricken by illness when they ventured out to get food like Naim''s sister. Some simply vanished and their bodies were found sometimeter.


    The vigers were worried and reported the incident to the higher authorities but there always seemed to be a reasonable exnation for the disappearances or deaths so nothing was done about it.


    Taking the case of Naim''s sister for example. Everything fit perfectly. It was her own mistake that she wandered so far from the vige and got poisoned, but she had spent her whole life in this ce.


    It wasn''t her first time going out either yet how did she get lost and wander so far away from the vige and into the area of a well-known beast?


    It was all the smander''s doing. It could confuse people, lower their inhibitions and make them do things that would normally be out of the question.


    After camping on this mountain for a few days a thread of hope had shown itself.


    Once Naim brings back the blood, the poison will be cured and his sister will be fine. But that''s not good for the smander since it needs the ''host'' to die. It will have no choice but to switch hosts and jump to someone else, and for that it will show itself.


    Ordinarily, that is the only time it can be caught. Once it is attached to the host, it will be crawl into his or her''s subconscious and start the whole process again.


    Naim and Tao managed to reach the vige within the hour and before the sun had set, the antidote was administered and his sister started to get better.


    **


    Since the beast world was so absolutely massive, the seasons were varied a lot by region. Even the city below the Academy always had several different seasons at once since it covered tens of thousands of kilometers from one side to the other. It would be summer in one area and winter in the other.


    Likewise, the climate in this region was quite temperate. Although during the day it would be rtively hot and humid but at night it would be chilly again.


    **


    The vige was about two kilometers in diameter. It was located on the side of a rocky mountain and was surrounded by trees on all sides but one.


    The poption was just above a thousand with most of them being hunters, gatherers and a few farmers that grew some corps that were only suitable for the area so when night fell, it signaled the end of the working day.


    1:30 A.M.


    The streets werepletely empty and not a light could be seen anywhere. All the houses were basically simple one-story wooden huts with a few extra bells and whistles.


    A handful of guards roamed the top of the city walls which was made from giant logs. There didn''t seem to be any formations or even a sign of any cultivators around this ce.


    By all means it was a simple little vige that had nothing out of the ordinary.


    In the distance, faint growls and howls of small beasts could be heard but there was nothing too dangerous.


    The curtain silence was broken by the snapping of a twig a few meters outside the north wall. The nearby guard quickly became attentive and unsheathed his sword while observing the thick growth near the wall.


    He stood in ce for well over a minute before he gave up and continued the patrol. The branches of a tree nearby shook and several shadows silently entered the vige, jumping over the 5-meter tall wall like it wasn''t even there.


    Hao Xuan pped the back of Henrik''s head angrily, "I told you to watch where you step. How the hell are you so bad at this?"


    Henrik swiftly retaliated, trying to p him back but Hao Xuan leaned back and avoided him effortlessly. Henrik''s face contorted in anger as well, "Fuck you, stop hitting me you fat bitch. Your hands are heavier than a hammer," he spat while flinging his arms in the dark, hitting nothing and no one.

 Chapter 425: Summit

    <h4>Chapter 425: Summit</h4>


    "Yeah yeah, just keep it down and watch your step. If knows we''re closeby it will never show itself and just run away to another vige," Hao Xuan exined with a straight face while observing the surroundings.


    With his eyesight Hao Xuan could see almost everything. The first thing he noticed were the stark differences between the vige and the other ces he had visited so far.


    No matter how deste, no matter how far out of the way the settlement, the basic standard of living was maintained in every ce he had been to, unless of course they were gripped by war and in dire straits. There were light stones in every house, some sort of rudimentary formations to either warn or protect the settlement and at least some sort of a cultivator to deal with wandering beasts. Because even the weakest beast was much stronger than an ordinary human.


    Yet this vige looked like it was taken straight out of earth. There were primitive torches on the doors andnterns hanging by the windows. Not even a light stone in sight nor a creature anywhere near the vige. It looked too normal.


    Noticing his hesitation, Jin Wang walked up beside Hao Xuan with soft steps.


    "What? You see something?" he asked while looking around himself.


    "I...don''t know. Doesn''t this ce look too....normal? How is there not a single cultivator here? How did they survive for so long?"


    Jin Wang shrugged, "No idea. But beast world is really too big," he sighed recalling some of the stories he had heard in the past, "There have been cases where mortals migrated to other faraway ces, away from major cities and the like and after a few generations theypletely forgot everything about the world outside. To them, their little viges and towns were their whole worlds."


    Hao Xuan nodded, understanding what he was trying to say.


    ''Who am I to judge..." he mused.


    The group slowly made their way towards Naim''s house. All of them looked identical but when Hao Xuan focused his sense of smell, he easily picked up the bloody scent of the magma gator.


    "That one," Hao Xuan pointed at a slightly rundown, out of the way structure. It looked even more rundown than the ones around it.


    Henrik scoffed at him, not even willing to meet his gaze anymore. He ced the right hand on the ground and close his eyes.


    Within seconds different dim symbols and glyphs started appearing on the outer walls of the house, slowly moving in a certain pattern that Hao Xuan was not able to discern. A minuteter Henrik opened his eyes again.


    "I ced the formation underground, it won''t surface until it detects another presence in the house."


    "Great, now we wait," Hao Xuan gestured for the others to move back a bit more.


    The time passed slowly as the temperature continued to drop and ck clouds hid the previously starless sky.


    Winds started picking up, bringing with them a chill that crept into the bones. Other than Fulke and Hao Xuan, all the others were shivering to some degree.


    Hao Xuan could, of course, feel the cold wind brushing past his body, but it did little to impact his abilities. Both his hearts beat with an almost violent force, pumping hot blood through his veins and warding off the coldness in the air.


    Hao Xuan noticed that Fulke was atplete ease just like him. He wasn''t feeling anything at all and stood beside Hao Xuan with a puffed out chest and a straight back, giving a feeling of sturdiness.


    *p*p*


    Hao Xuan''s ears twitched when he heard a new and distinct sounding from the house. It sounded like someone was running barefoot on a hardwood floor.


    Henrik who was standing behind him for cover from the air suddenly jumped, "It''s out!" he shouted and snapped his fingers.


    *Craaack*


    The ground beneath cracked open as a glowing circr formation erupted with a force of a volcano, sending tremors to the surrounding houses.


    The formation was rotating continuously while a loud buzzing sound spread out into the vige, waking almost everyone up.


    *Screeeech*


    A loud screech came out of the house and one by one its walls started falling apart like a tornado was trying to break free but the formation kept it contained. Henrik''s expression stiffened as he suddenly sat down.


    "I can''t keep it in there for long, GO!"


    Hazel, Jin Wang and Fulke stepped forward, each going around one side while Hao Xuan walking to the front of the formation. A bright purple door opened up when he got close and showed what was happening inside.


    Naim and his sister were holed up in a corner, grasping the broken floorboards for dear life. In the center was a smander of about 4 meters in length. At first nce it didn''t look like anything special but the more a person stared at it, the more engrossed they would be. Especially its eyes that had no pupils that were just a mass of swirling white.


    It was thrashing left and right trying to break free when it noticed Hao Xuan and calmed down.


    It opened its mouth and a faint soundwave slowly spread out. When the soundwave reached Naim and his sister, both their bodies went limp and they stopped moving. The light in their eyes diminished by arge margin and they even started drooling. It looked like they had lostplete control of their bodies.


    But when the sound wave reached Hao Xuan, it had no effect.


    Hao Xuan''s lips curled into a cold smile as he slightly turned his head halfway towards the creature, showing his ear canals that were blocked by a sheen of liquid metal.


    "That trick won''t work," Hao Xuan cracked his knuckles, "How about you and me have a chat?" he said with a coaxing smile and activated Wrath of Deimos.


    Six demonic arms came out of his back, opening and closing on their own. Hao Xuan leaned forward like he was falling before lifting his right foot.


    "Emperor''s Arrival!"


    *Whoosh*


    An invisible pressure fell on the entire vige. The guards that were trying to make their way towards the cause of all this disturbance suddenly fell down to their knees, helplessly watching the colorful lights sh from a distance and sounds of explosions ring out constantly.


    ***


    Hall of Betor, 40,000 miles North of the City of Warriors.


    A mountain range devoid of any life snaked through thend like a serpent. Its peaks piercing the heavens above. Many horrendous creatures and powerful beasts, both and alive and dead could be seen walking around, engaging each other inbat without pause.


    On top of the highest peak, two silhouettes stood facing one another within the fast-moving clouds.


    The one on the right was standing near the edge, looking down at the man in front of him. He was fiddling with an old saber that weakly hung from his waist.


    The other person, the one on the left had a sheathed katana in his left hand.


    Neither of their faces was visible within the clouds, only the vague outlines of their bodies could be seen. The saber user''s body was much wider and bulkier while the katana holder was much more petite.


    "Hmmm? Did you have a breakthrough?" the saber user''s gruff voice echoed on the lonely summit, sounding somewhat cold yet hopeful.

 Chapter 426: Xue Meng

    <h4>Chapter 426: Xue Meng</h4>


    "Hmm? Did you have a breakthrough?" the saber user''s nonchnt voice rang on the summit.


    ck clouds billowed ceaselessly, passing in between the two men, concealing their identities. That is until the Katana holder spoke up. His voice sounding somewhat unsure.


    "Xue Meng, do you consider yourself undefeatable just because of ourst match?"


    His voice was crisp and clear, having the quality of sharpness. His posture spoke volumes about his intentions here, yet he did not make the first move and waited for a response.


    The person called Xue Meng chuckled. He seemed indifferent even to the Katana holder''s presence, almost bored.


    His head tilted slightly to the right, his voice sounding genuinely curious.


    "Far from it. There are a lot of stronger individuals out there, I have no shame in admitting that. But! That is only because they have been alive longer than me. Otherwise, they would be in the same situation as you today. Don''t you think so, little Shun?"


    It sounded like he was talking down to a child,pletely rxed and slightly amused.


    But the person named Shun, he was not giving off any aura at all. It was like he wasn''t even there. Seeing that, Xue Meng straightened his head once again.


    "Looks like you did make some advancements in your path, ''Lonely sword''. Come, show big brother what you have achieved," he said while putting his hands behind his back, and as he did, lightning and thunder boomed in the distance, lighting up a gigantic silhouette standing behind Xue Meng, staring down at Shun with blood-red eyes.


    It was unclear what that massive silhouette actually belonged to, but the person named Shun was not surprised by its presence. Instead, he seemed a little lost.


    "The Nirvana...." he murmured while unsheathing the Katana in one swift move. Its de waspletely white, devoid of any impurities whatsoever.


    *Shiing~*


    It vibrated lightly with a discernible hum.


    Xue Meng took a step forward and straightened his left hand. He chose not to take out the Saber hanging on his waistband, or rather, he did not need it.


    "I truly hope you can cut me this time, I too would like to know the taste of my own blood one day, but s it is not meant to be. The heavens would not have granted me this body if they wished me to be stuck down."


    He took another step and raised his left hand.


    "I will strike diagonally, see if you can fend it off," he mumbled.


    The ck clouds rumbled and the gigantic silhouette showed itself once again, mimicking Xue Meng exactly.


    Shun threw away the sheath and closed his eyes. The Katana''s de faced downward, his back straight as an arrow. His lips moved but no sound came out of them, yet his voice echoed on the summit.


    "One strike to y the man, One strike to Blind the Heavens."


    By the time his voice reached Xue Meng, Shun was nowhere to be seen.


    But Xue Meng did not seem surprised. Instead, as calm as one could be, he moved his hand in the exact same manner as he had previously announced.


    It looked like something invisible passed through the empty space in front of him. With a grunt, crimson blood sttered on the floor and Shun reappeared in the distance. He was bent over vomiting blood. The Katana was already sheathed and the result was clear. Whatever happened in that single instant, it was Shun''splete loss.


    Xue Meng, of course, did not seem surprised in the least. He turned around and started walking back up the peak.


    "I will look forward to seeing your improvements when I get back. Prove to me that the famed ''Hall of Warriors'' is just not an empty title anymore."


    Shun raised his head with some trouble, "Where....are you going?" he asked weakly.


    Xue Meng''s back had already vanished from view but his voice clearly rang in the surroundings.


    "To the tournament. I hear the Young Master with the Smouldering Pheonix bloodline has also joined. I want to see if he can give me a challenge. Tell my master I will be back when I''m bored."


    And with those words, he disappeared into the clouds. Shun tried getting up but ended up vomiting several more mouthfuls of blood. There was no injury on his outer body yet he could not stop himself from throwing up.


    ***


    Three dayster the spirit bands of all the participants vibrated all at once. No matter where they were or what they were doing, each and every individual stopped and looked. It was an email with the title, "It Is Time."


    Ceni was sitting in a garden hand-feeding what looked like a white fox when she received the email. She stared at it for a few seconds, let out a deep breath, got up and walked out.


    Henrik was sitting in a club, surrounded on all sides by remarkably beautiful women. Theyughed and drank until nearly of their spirit bands vibrated at once.


    Fulke was kneeling in front of a wooden statue of a strange figure while mumbling something non-stop. He paused and looked down at the spirit band with a dazed expression, "It''s finally time..."


    Hao Xuan was sitting in his room cross-legged. Zhurongid in hisp and Fortis on top of his head. Like many others, he was also reading the email with great interest.


    "All participants must contact their overseers for further instructions. Tardiness will not be tolerated. The portal opens in Two Hours."

 Chapter 427: Stock

    <h4>Chapter 427: Stock</h4>


    "Seriously? Is that even legal?" Hao Xuan who stood in front of Ryfon with furrowed brows, couldn''t help but be skeptical after hearing some of the rules.


    Ryfon nodded as a matter-of-factly, "Of course, it''s always like this. It''s so these spoiled youngsters learn to take care of themselves. It''s not much but that''s how it works."


    The rule Hao Xuan was talking about did not allow participants to bring any storage rings. This meant no clothes, no food or rations, nothing other than the clothes on their backs or what they could carry in a portable bag could be brought in.


    Although still doubtful, Hao Xuan handed over the only storage on his self. It was just for show anyway because 99% of the materials and everything he owned was stored in the nanotech inside his body. Other than bleeding him dry, there was no way to take them out even if he wanted to now.


    Ryfon patted him on the shoulder with half a smile, "Don''t worry, it will be kept safe. Are you ready otherwise? Need anything or want to know something before we depart?"


    Hao Xuan took a puff of the cigarette and looked straight ahead. He was standing on a balcony looking down on a giant open hall. It was filled to the brim with participants and Hao Xuan could already see a few familiar faces down there.


    "Is there like a utility store or something nearby? I need to pick a few perishables. That''s allowed right?" he asked without looking towards Ryfon. The weather was a bit chilly and Hao Xuan could see his own breath mixed in with the cigarette smoke every time he talked.


    Ryfon smiled knowingly, as if he was expecting such a question.


    "Yeah,e I''ll show you. Most young masters remember things at thest minute so the academy set up a warehouse for them. It''s all free so take what you can carry," he led Hao Xuan down the stairs to the back, following a stream of people. It was still 15 minutes before they had to depart.


    They reached the warehouse within a minute or so as it was nearby. Ryfon waited outside while Hao Xuan went in and picked up a few things for show while storing away everything and anything he could possibly need inside the nanotech. A few minutester he walked out with a standard cloth bag that many others were carrying.


    He thought it looked quite awkward on himself until he saw some of the prince and princesses and started feeling better.


    As they were walking back Ryfon exined the boarding procedures.


    "The the tournament is on is way out in the deep space. We can''t get to it in one go so first, you guys will enter the teleportation formation in the hall. It will send you to a pocket space created and managed by some of the seniors of the three big powers. All these seniors are experienced cultivators that have space-rtedws so they will take the pocket space and carry it towards the through space holes so no monsters get you."


    "Then you willnd on the Intergctic Ship that found the and is currently hovering above it. On the vessel, you will be inspected onest time to make sure you are who you im to be and sent down. In total it won''t take more than half an hour to get to the vessel and than another hour to send you down."


    "As I am one of the overseers this time, I will be keeping an eye on you guys through various ways and you can contact me personally too if something goes wrong. Just insert some Qi into the identification badge and it will open a channel to me directly."


    They had reached the hall by now and at this point Ryfon looked at Hao Xuan in the eyes.


    "But remember, I can not interfere under any circumstances, well unless we find someone breaking the rules but that''s not going to happen. So basically, you are on your own. Remember what you have to do. Master will be keeping an eye on you personally," he reminded Hao Xuan in a somber tone.


    Hao Xuan, of course, knew the gravity of the situation. Finding Ryfon''s niece, locating the source of the new power on the and most importantly,ing back out alive so he could get ess to thework that controlled basically everything here.


    "I know," he replied assuredly nheless.


    Henrik, Hazel, and Fulke were already waiting for him in the distance. Hao Xuan bade farewell to Ryfon and joined their group.


    In the center of the hall, a 50-meter wide formation interlined with numerous colorful crystals was creating a pir of light of the same width.


    Two lines were formed in front of this pir of light and one by one the participants stepped into it, disappearing instantly.


    Hao Xuan looked around but didn''t see Ceni or any of her friends, nor the people from the Hall. The lines moved quickly and within a minute it was his turn. When he was about to step through, Ryfon''s panicked voice came into his head.


    "Don''t fight in the pocket space either! Every cultivator from the entire continent will be there together so just stay away from them!"

 Chapter 428: Lost in Space

    <h4>Chapter 428: Lost in Space</h4>


    Hao Xuan was already halfway into the teleportation formation by the time he heard Ryfon''s warning so there was no time for him to ask anything. The white light surrounded Hao Xuan and his vision went dark.


    An intense feeling of vertigo was felt before he once again felt the solid ground beneath his feet. The feeling didn''t evenst a full five seconds when he found himself standing in a destend.


    There was no sun, moon or stars in the sky. Instead, it looked like a ss ceiling was obstructing the view. It was pitch ck and so were his surroundings. He could only see up to 10 meters ahead of him and it was all a brown, barren patch of scorched earth.


    He looked around but could not see anyone else other than him. After taking in a deep breath he lightly called out, "Baracus."


    *Beep*


    "Yes?" Baracus instantly replied in his usual cold, emotionless voice.


    "Did you hear what Ryfon said?"


    "Negative. To give you some privacy, unless the situation calls for it I turn of all exterior sensors."


    "Oh..." Hao Xuan was taken aback hearing something so ''human'' from Baracus.


    "Is that by your own choice or a rule or something left behind by Poriverse?"


    "After analyzing whatever I could about human nature, I have found your species cares a lot about privacy. So I took it upon myself to change a few things ordingly."


    "Not bad," Hao Xuan nodded, somewhat impressed that he was learning such things without him having to say them. But he quickly put the thought aside and got to the matter at hand.


    "Can you scan the surroundings without giving yourself away?"


    There was absolutely not a single person nearby, none that he could pick up by his own senses at least. And coupled with the fact that Hao Xuan had no idea where he was, it was better to get some information first.


    "I can do a short-range scan which will look like your own power rather than me, but anything stronger and I will have to mobilize the nanotech which will not go unnoticed if anyone is looking."


    "Alright, what''s the range on the short-range scan then?"


    "About 300 meters."


    "Damn!" Hao Xuan was expecting something in single digits so this was definitely a good thing.


    "Do it then."


    As soon as Hao Xuan gave the order, Baracus went silent. Hao Xuan stood in ce until he heard his voice again.


    "Movement 170 meters NE of you."


    "Nice," Hao Xuan grinned and waved his hand. A set of ck clothes appeared and he changed into them quickly. He was wearing ck pants, a white shirt, and a ck long coat. This was going to be the "Second Guardian''s" appearance from now on.


    Hao Xuan then snapped his fingers and the mask appeared on his face. He was probably going to do a few... ''questionable'' things during this little trip and did not want them getting back to him.


    He had asked Ryfon about this earlier and only a few people he had interacted with personally and Ryfon''s Master had seen his face.


    And when he went to the Ball he was wearing the mask so everyone there associated it with the Second Guardian.


    "Wait a second..." when Hao Xuan''s thoughts reached this juncture, he realized something. His brows quickly locked in a tight furrow.


    ''''Back then, how did Ceni know who I was? With just one look she was able to tell it was me under the mask.''


    Hao Xuanpletely overlooked this little fact. The mask was an artifact given to him by First. It had no presence and when he had it own, he couldn''t even feel it. That''s why he couldn''t usually tell whether the person was talking to the real him or whatever identity the mask had at the time.


    "Something''s not right about that girl. And apparently she knows I''m the second guardian as well, great..."


    With steady footsteps, he walked for a couple of minutes before seeing a light in the distance. Hao Xuan tensed up a little and started circting his Qi until he remembered there was no fighting in this ce.


    Step by step he approached the light until he saw its source. It was a fire that was illuminating the surroundings, but it wasn''t a wildfire. It looked more like a campfire and there was even a person sitting next to it with his back towards Hao Xuan. He could tell it was a man because of the way he was sitting and his stature.


    When Hao Xuan was within 30 meters, he heard the man''s voice.


    "Hey, finally! Come sit, I''ve been waiting for another person to arrive," he said while pointing at the spot across from him.


    Hao Xuan frowned. Why was there a fire here? Where the hell did he get the wood from? And wasn''t the journey supposed tost 30 minutes? Why was this guy waiting for another person?


    Still, he kept the questions to himself for the time being and sat down calmly. It was only then he saw his face.


    The guy didn''t look older than 25 but his rough appearance made him seem much older. He had a teardrop-shaped earring hanging from on his left ear lob. Short ck hair, a small scar near his eyes right eyes and an unkempt beard that was just starting toe in.


    He smiled back at Hao Xuan, letting him look without interruptions.


    "My name is Njall, nice to meet you," he gestured with his head.


    "Deimos," Hao Xuan replied inly. He pointed at the fire, "Why th-" but before he could ask anything, a tremor passed through the ground. Itsted for a couple of seconds and suddenly the ss ceiling above cleared up.


    There still wasn''t a sun or moon in sight but he could see many stars passing quickly by. No, it would be more urate to say that this ''pocket space'' was whizzing by these stars with such speed that they looked like reflections in the mirror.


    "What is going o-"


    *Crrrr*


    Once again he was interrupted, this time by a deep, soul-wrenching sound. It sounded like the call of a whale and the howling of a wolf, if that made any sense.


    Suddenly, the stars became clear as the pocket space came to a halt. But there was noary body nearby. Instead, it was a gargantuan creature that was blocking their path.


    If Hao Xuan wasn''t already sitting down he probably would have fallen to his knees looking at that monstrous creature.


    "My...god..."

 Chapter 429: A Visit

    <h4>Chapter 429: A Visit</h4>


    "My....god..." Hao Xuan mumbled absentmindedly.


    The creature had a face that resembled a spider. There were four eyes right next to each other at the very top. Below it was the humungous, toothy maw surrounded by four appendages. A hard, carapace like material covered its top and bottom which extended far into the deep space. (Reference image in authors notes)


    It floated above the pocket space, wriggling its massive appendages while closing in. Beads of cold sweat trickled down the side of Hao Xuan''s forehead. He couldn''t think at this moment. He didn''t know what to do, or rather, there was nothing he COULD with his power.


    He could vaguely feel the creatures aura getting closer, it was real! His mind went ck as he looked on with wide eyes.


    Across from him, the unknown man was instead looking at Hao Xuan with the same nonchnt expression he had from the beginning. He was not bothered by the creature''s presence at all while Hao Xuan could not tear his eyes away.


    There was nothing but darkness around them so Hao Xuan could not guess how big the creature actually was but one thing was for certain, it was way out of his league.


    Only a few moments had passed when he saw two streaks of light shoot out from either side of the ''sky'' and straight towards the creature. A low-pitched beasts roar rang loudly in the outer space, defying allws of physics and even reaching Hao Xuan''s ears.


    One streak stopped at a distance from the creature while the other ruthlessly ran straight into it, making it stagger back some distance.


    ''A...Are they...fighting it...? Is that even....possible?'' Hao Xuan''s thoughts raced as he gazed at what looked like a movie screen hoving in the sky. It was too unreal.


    But the battle had only just started when the ground vibrated once and the sky turned dark again, as if nothing out of ordinary had happened.


    "What the hell was that?!" Hao Xuan shouted out loud after a few seconds.


    He looked at the man in front who had a gourd in his hand and was drinking from it. Hao Xuan could smell the strong alcohol from several meters away, without even using his heightened abilities.


    The man drank a few mouthfuls before he unwillingly pulled the gourd away from his lips.


    "Hey kid," his smile went away, overtaken by a curious gaze, "Do you want to listen to a story?" he asked lightly.


    But to Hao Xuan his words were like thunder. Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted to the size of pinholes as he instantly put up his guard, his expression somber as it could be. Both his hearts beating like crazy.


    "Who are you?"


    The man''s expression rxed significantly looking at the tense Hao Xuan, "So you haven''t forgotten about him?"


    "Him? Him who?" Hao Xuan asked innocently. Even now he wasn''t going to admit anything but seeing his response, the man nodded contently.


    "Good, never admit it. You never know whether it''s someone he sent or one of his many enemies."


    Hao Xuan''s brow scrunched up, "I don''t know who you''re talking about."


    "Hahaha," the manughed lightheartedly, "Good good, but kid, your progress is way too slow. It''s already been almost two years now and you still haven''t even stepped into the Profound Realm. What will master say when he finds out?"


    Hao Xuan''s heartbeat jumped as the thought appeared in his mind, ''Is he really someone sent by him?''


    But he wasn''t going to admit anything himself. Hao Xuan took in a deep breath to regain hisposure and stood back up.


    "I''m sorry, I think you have the wrong person. I have to go find my friends now. Goodbye," he said in one breath and turned around to leave, but his body wouldn''t move any further.


    The man chuckled and spoke, "Sit."


    Hao Xuan''s legs bent and he sat back down and swiveled to face the man with robotic movements. Hao Xuan''s body was moving on its own. He tried to open his mouth but his jaw was shut tight. Only his eyes were still under his control.


    "Rx and listen. Little Ru won''t be able to hold back those bunch of old fogeys for too long, so we''re pretty short on time," he mumbled looking at the sky.


    ''Little Ru? That creature outside?!? It''s with him?!''


    He took another big gulp from the gourd and sat up.


    "I know master said to leave you alone, but I have a mission for you," he calmly looked at Hao Xuan before taking something out of his front shirt pocket.


    One was a sketch of a man, and the other was a small booklet.


    "I need you to kill this person," he tapped on the sketch and showed it to Hao Xuan. "He is also a participant in this tournament and this is the only opportunity to get to him. Get it done how ever you have to. And consider this an advance payment for that," he finished by cing the booklet in the palm of his hand.


    Hao Xuan still couldn''t move at all. The most he could do was re at the man that was getting up to leave.


    The man also noticed his fiery gaze. If only looks could kill...


    "I told you to rx kid," he bent down and flicked Hao Xuan''s forehead whileughing.


    "Hahaha, don''t worry, I won''t make you do something that''s out of your league. With the booklet in hand, you will be able to kill him easily. And it has a lot more value, especially for you. The story inside, read it carefully and maybe you will be able to learn a thing or two," he said before snapping his fingers right next to Hao Xuan''s ears.


    *Snap*


    The next second Hao Xuan opened his eyes and found himself standing in a crowded ce, surrounded by hundreds of chatty participants.


    "Wh..at...." he looked around nkly.


    It was apletely different ce from before. The sky was bright blue, illuminating everything as usual. Under his feet was a hard pavement floor and he could even hear a few familiar voices around him.


    "Was that a dre-" he murmured but froze midway upon noticing something in his hand. He looked down and saw the same sketch and booklet tightly clutched in his right hand.

 Chapter 430: Ship

    <h4>Chapter 430: Ship</h4>


    ''It was real?!'' Hao Xuan couldn''t believe his eyes.


    That really happened just now? A second ago he was in another ce and now he was here. Or did that ce not even exist to begin with? But then how did he get these things?


    "Hey, there you are,e let''s go over there," Henrik''s voice woke him from his daze. Beads of sweat were still present on the side of his forehead and there was even some dust on his pants. All adding to the fire burning in his heart.


    "Y-Yeah.." he replied weakly and followed him to one side where all the participants of the academy were standing together. A few people tried to talk to him but he had Henrik keep them away for a little while until he gathered his thoughts.


    Standing away from any prying eyes, he opened the sketch and examined it carefully, it looked like it was moving every now and then. It was so life-like that Hao Xuan thought ite alive and jump out of the paper.


    The person in the portrait was a handsome young man with a wickedly charming smile. Even Hao Xuan had to admit that this guy was good looking. He would have women falling for him wherever he went.


    There was a pair of earrings hanging from his ears in the shape of two cross-shaped arrows. He had short, dark hair and was even winking in the sketch.


    After memorizing it he stored it away along with the booklet. There was no point in going over it whatever was inside that right now.


    He was taking a few breaths trying to calm himself down when he overheard a conversation between Henrik and a few girls.


    "Senior brother, did you hear about those new people joining the tournamentst minute?" a 16-17-year-old girl walked closer to Henrik and whispered, who shook his head in response.


    "No, who?"


    She giggled and exined in a sweet voice, "My father is in charge of making the finalized list of all the participants for the smaller powers and he said two big shots came from the other continents on thest few days. He didn''t tell me their backgrounds but said they are some of the strongest cultivators from their respective continents. One of them even defeated the Holy Son of the Hall, He Shun one on one."


    Henrik was visibly shaken by her answer. His eyes opened wide, "H-He Shun?! Even he was defeated?!"


    She nodded innocently, "It''smon knowledge now. You can ask anyone from the hall. He Shun announced it himself and said he would be going into closed-door cultivation until he could defeat him."


    Henrik let out a deep breath, "To think even he would be defeated..."


    **


    Just like Ryfon had said, the journey only took 30 minutes until they reached their destination. After being teleported once again all the participants found themselves in a giant room with ss windows on all sides but one.


    Hao Xuan''s heart shuddered. A strange, cold feeling seeped into his body. No, it would be more urate to say that it was a spiritual feeling rather than a physical one. It felt like he had walked through a curtain to a more colder area. He felt exposed, vulnerable here. Which added with his already unstable physical and spiritual center did not help.


    He felt agitated and a headache quickly weed him back with open arms. He moved to the side, towards one of the windows.


    The windows showed the scenes of a pitch-ck outer space. There was a giant green and blue with two moons right below them. This was to be where they would spend the next 2 months.


    Hao Xuan leaned against the window and peered downwards. It all felt too...unreal. This wasn''t the first time he had felt like this but all he could do was grit his teeth and jump in. It felt like he was living someone else''s life sometimes.


    The side without any windows opened up and four groups of people walked in. They all wore the same white jumpsuits and held different objects in their hands.


    "Please make three lines and walk up one by one," a middleaged man with ck-rimmed spectacles walked forward and shouted. The participants quickly made the lines. They were already divided into three groups so it barely took any time.


    Hao Xuan was in the first five of his line which was the leftmost one. He was the only guardian that hadn''t joined the tournament yet and had a somewhat higher priority than others. He along with Henrik, Hazel, and Fulke were processed first.


    They used what looked like a portable scanner to see if they had anything on their bodies that wasn''t allowed. Hao Xuan was a bit nervous when it was his turn but nothing out of ordinary was found.


    It looked like their technology wasn''t advanced enough to detect the nanotech that Baracus had customized.


    "Please move to the next area. You''re wee to walk around but don''t go too far," the bespectacled man told him.


    Out of the 40 or so people in these jumpsuits, this man was the only cultivator. He was at the peak of the Spirit Realm.


    "Thank you," Henrik thanked him for their group and dragged Hao Xuan away.


    There was a long hallway outside which opened up into arge, bustling area.


    Hao Xuan was taken aback looking at the hundreds of mortals walking around, going in and out of shops and going about their regr life.


    They were on a ship, a space ship, and yet there were mortals here living like this?


    Henrik went into what looked like a hotel and got a room for them overlooking the miniature city. There was no sky above, no clouds or anything. The surroundings were illuminated with giant yellow lights on the ceiling which was at least a thousand meters high.


    Hao Xuan took the seat next to the window and gazed outside. The difference in air quality was quite obvious. This air had a slightly medicinal scent to it.


    "The grand opening of our even grander hotel is in two days! Don''t forget to bring a friend and get a discount!" a teenager dressed in bright red clothes was shouting while ringing a bell.


    Hao Xuan could see children running around, some human and some from other species. Women walking around in groups, men walking to and from one shop to another. It looked like any ordinary city from the beast world.


    "Does every ship have non-cultivators like this?" Hao Xuan asked Henrik.

 Chapter 431: Dai Zhi

    <h4>Chapter 431: Dai Zhi</h4>


    "Yeah, more or less. Also this area is just a very small part of the ship," Henrik pointed at the wall behind Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan turned around and saw a small hologram in a corner of the room. It showed the ship they were on. They couldn''t see what it looked like from inside so the hologram was pretty informative.


    The ship was shaped like a saucer, like the many so-called "alien" ships that people swore to have seen back on earth. This one was almost identical, only several hundred times bigger.


    Near the bottom left side of the hologram was a small highlighted area. This area upied only about 3-4% of the total ship''s size. And within that area was a blinking red dot with the words "You are here" above it.


    Seeing Hao Xuan looking at it, Henrik exined a bit more.


    "This is a gctic level ship that explores the deep space. It ispletely self-sufficient and doesn''t need to dock on space stations or others to get resources. There are quite a few of these ships out there that harbor millions of people, both mortals, and cultivators. This ''city'' we are in right now, is just one of many. And it''s pretty low level as well."


    He leaned out of the window and pointed at the city''s ceiling.


    "The higher level areas that are for cultivators have illusion formations and high-end technology working in tandem to produce a very realistic, natural environments. You can''t even tell it''s a ship. They have actual clouds, rivers, trees, mountains, beasts, etc. But only cultivators, and gifted ones at that, can live there."


    Hao Xuan nodded absentmindedly, "Hmm..."


    He had other things on his mind at the moment. Having gotten an ''assassination'' mission on top of all the other things he had to do, it wasn''t easy. Not to mention this ce made him feel cold and somewhat lonely, even though he was surrounded by others.


    Since their group was the first one to be processed, they had a lot of time to themselves. From their hotel room, they could see participants pouring out of the hall in streams.


    Hao Xuan even managed to catch a glimpse of Ceni who looked straight at him as soon as she stepped out. It was like, for theck of a better word, maism. Both of them could ''feel'' each other''s presence to a degree from quite a distance away.


    Hao Xuan hadn''t seen her in a few weeks and she seemed to have changed somehow, and not only physically. Her green hair had turned lush ck that sparkled under the ship''s lights. Her eyes seemed to have this deep...glimmer as she looked at him. And unlike before, she didn''t ignore him either.


    With a gentle nod of her head and a kittenish smile, Ceni greeted him from afar and walked to another establishment with her own entourage, which seemed to have expanded significantly. There were more than 20 people following her.


    Hao Xuan leaned back against the seat and tried to calm his uncertain heart.


    ''Patience, breathing, focus.''


    Those were the three most important words to him right now. He had met with Ysolt a few times in thest few days to get everything ready. At theirst meeting, he told Hao Xuan about this little mental exercise.


    "Whenever you start feeling bad or the effects of your unstable centers start acting up, do this. Just close your eyes, take deep breaths and clear your mind of all thoughts. Patience, breathing, focus. Live by these words. Don''t let the stress get to you."


    But it was easier said than done. To not think about anything when there was so much going on, how was possible?


    That''s why Hao Xuan had bought more than a thousand packs of cigarettes from him, just in case. Ysolt didn''t ask how he was going to take them with him and he didn''t answer.


    Hao Xuan gave almost the entirety of the purple liquid over to Wu Jin and ordered him to work with Ysolt in bringing his business idea to life. Wu Jin had already been a member of the Academy for over a hundred years so he didn''t need to go to the tournament, which is why Hao Xuan gave him this task toplete.


    Taking in a deep breath of this...processed air, Hao Xuan repeated the words over and over again until the mour outside started to die down.


    ''Rx, one step at a time,'' he told himself, but that feeling didn''tst long.


    "Hey, look that''s him isn''t it?" Hazel''s unnaturally loud voice interrupted Hao Xuan.


    Somewhat annoyed and irritated, he opened his eyes and saw Henrik, Hazel, and Fulke staring at a hologram in the center of the room. He nced over.


    It showed a list of names and faces to go with them, with their respective rankings.


    These people were the most popr participants and the ones that had the highest probability ofing in first.


    Hao Xuan took one look and lost interest because he didn''t recognize any of them.


    A couple of minutes had passed when their badges vibrated, signaling for them to return to the hall. It was time to depart for the world below.


    One by one they got up and started making their way back down. The same hologram was ying on repeat on every floor and every room. When Hao Xuan reached the lobby, he saw something out of the corner of his eyes that made him freeze mid-stride.


    Almost mechanically, he turned his head to look at the giant hologram that showed a few static pictures with names and brief introductions below them.


    The 4th picture from the right was what he couldn''t look away from. Those eyes, those cross-shaped earrings.


    "Dai Zhi. 1st guardian of the Academy, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Edda."


    Hao Xuan weakly read the introduction out loud.


    "A Hero among Heroes. Known as the Blood Prince, he is an avid believer of the Temple of Light. Having fully awakened the same bloodline as his father, the young prince is one of the most powerful and beloved participants from the Beast World."


    Henrik who was not far from him heard him talking and peered back at him.


    "Oh, him. I guess you will meet him soon too, since both of you are guardians. He''s also princess Ceni''s older brother and a student of the Academy''s Vice-head. You''ll like him, he''s a really nice guy..."


    Henrik kept exining but Hao Xuan had long stopped listening.


    "This...is a joke...right?" he couldn''t help but murmur.

 Chapter 432: Arrival

    <h4>Chapter 432: Arrival</h4>


    "Step into the pods one by one. They will be shot near your chosen cities but could deviate a little from the path, so you will have to find your own way down there," the middle-aged bespectacled man exined in a loud voice.


    He was standing in front of a round metal ''pod''. There was barely enough space for an average person to stand in there, hands folded. These pods were the selected mode of delivery to the. There would be no ship sent down to gently leave them at the walking city''s doorstep.


    Instead, they would be shot out of the ship like giant spitballs. The pod would make sure theynd in one piece and after that, it was all up to them to survive and reach the walking city.


    There was a machine that kept dropping one pod down after another. When someone got in, the pod would close, the floor would open and the pod will be sent flying at 5 times the speed of sound.


    "Remember, the natives of this arergely mortals but there are a few tens of thousands that can easily kill you. For the first few days your Qi will be restricted automatically by the before returning to normal, so try not to pick any fights till then!"


    The man shouted while helping the first person in. It was actually one of Ceni''s entourage, someone Hao Xuan had never seen before.


    With an expressionless face, he got in and crossed his arms, as if he had done it a hundred times. The top hatch closed, the bottom opened up and with a muffled ''thump'' sound he was sent shooting down.


    "Alright, just like this. Make sure you are in the right line! Each one goes to a different city!"


    The middle-aged man pointed at the three different pods.


    Hao Xuan was standing beside the leftmost row, along with Fulke and a few others. All these guys were too big to fit in the normal pods so they would have to bring out the extrarge ones for them, which would happen near the end.


    "Alright, I''ll see you down there!" Henrik walked up and awkwardly patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder. Hao Xuan was taller than him by more than a head so he had to stand on his toes.


    Then it was Hazel''s turn, "Please go straight to the city senior brother," she reminded him.


    They were the second and third ones to be sent down. Just like before, the pods closed and were swallowed up by the floor below.


    Hao Xuan leaned over to the nearby window and could actually see two balls of fire already shooting through the mesosphere.


    He kept staring at the giant mass of the below. There was only one supercontinent like Pangea from earth. Surrounding it were hundreds of smaller masses ofnd that looked like green dots from the ship.


    Hao Xuan''s thoughts were in disarray. After talking to Henrik for a little bit he knew exactly who the target for his assassination was.


    Dai Zhi was the current crown prince of the Edda Kingdom. He actually yed arge part in the current turmoil between the academy and the Fehim group of industries.


    After awakening his bloodline, he reached out to the Academy and asked for ''asylum''. He didn''t like how his father did things, his ruthlessness. That''s why he basically switched sides and went over to the academy.


    The Vice-Head, who was the second most authoritative figure in the Academy, had taken him as a personal disciple. His status was even higher than most Holy Sons.


    Still, the Dai n and his father did not give up because up till now, he was the only one to have a full 100% blood purity level and could even evolve again. Dai Zhi was a genius among geniuses. He was kind, humble and loved by everyone.


    He was also a part of the Temple of Light, which was the temple of one of the oldest gods. Most people in the outer space that imed to be good were associated with the temple of light in one way or another. And when Dai Zhi joined, a high bishop weed him himself.


    Even the temple was investing heavily in this young man, which was another reason for his immense poprity.


    ''How am I supposed to kill this guy? I''ll be public enemy number one. They won''t even let me off the...''


    While Hao Xuan was lost in deep thought, he missed a few people from the rightmostne that were ring in his direction. It was Stasa and his group that were just going through. Stasa only gave a few nonchnt nces and stepped into the pod. But one of the people following him went up to the middle-aged man that was in charge of everything and handed him a small pouch while whispering something in his ears.


    The middle-aged man frowned and looked at Hao Xuan from the corner of his eye before giving a slight nod.


    Within a few minutes every normal-sized person had gone through. There were less than 20 people left on all threenes, including Hao Xuan.


    "Brother Hao, it''s our turn," Fulke shook Hao Xuan, waking him from his daze.


    "Oh, okay," Hao Xuan replied absentmindedly and went straight to the front of the line. None of the others said anything and simply stepped aside.


    There was a pod almost twice the size of a normal one waiting for him. It looked brand new, like it had juste off the factory floor.


    "This one mine?" he asked the middle-aged man who was looking at him with a peculiar gaze.


    "Yes. We got a ''special'' one for you. Please step in," he replied calmly.


    Hao Xuan wasn''t paying attention so hepletely missed all the telltale signs of deceiting off of the man that were as obvious as yelling "red alert" for anyone that could read them.


    The increased blood pressure, the man''s thumping heart, and the faint perspiration around his nose and upper lips. He was obviously trying to hide something.


    "Alright," Hao Xuan replied in a low voice and stepped in. He didn''t need to cross his arms because this pod was more than big enough.


    Just like before, the hatch closed and Hao Xuan felt such a strong force that it was enough to crush a normal human being to paste. It shot down much faster than the other pods, tearing through theyer of the mesosphere.


    The pod shook and creaked as Hao Xuan felt the temperature steadily rise. At first, he stayed calm and collected, thinking everything was going fine.


    "Patience, breathing, focus," he mumbled trying to keep his heart rate low. The cold sensation he was feeling before in his soul, it suddenly got much stronger as soon as he exited the ship.


    Hao Xuan had never done this before so he couldn''t know what the standard procedure was.


    But when a small crack appeared near the bottom and the burning atmosphere slowly poured in the pod, filling it up like a grenade, his expression quickly turned ugly.


    One crack turned into three, three into ten. They expanded in the blink of an eye, covering everything the entire pod.


    "Nidhora!" he yelled loudly as two ck wings burst out from his back and covered him within.


    *Craaack*


    *Boooom*


    The pod burst open, sending Hao Xuan hurling through the atmosphere at Mach 7 with nothing but the ck wings shielding him.


    "Ahh!"


    But that wasn''t enough. The wings could only shield him from two sides and although that was enough to significantly lessen the constant barrage hitting him head-on, the temperature that had surpassed 2,000-degree celsius was starting to burn him alive.


    "Baracus! Increase defensive measures to 100%!" he yelled as loudly as he could.


    And as soon as he finished the sentence, millions upon millions of miniature blue lights lit up under his skin. The lights aligned themselves along the bones of his arms, legs and other areas. All important organs were covered in ayer of metallic substance while strips of blue lights appeared along his skeleton, using his bones as the base to strengthen his skin.


    "AHH!"


    The temperature kept rising until it surpassed 3,000 degrees and continued rising even more.


    **


    Ume Vige, located just outside the white forest.


    A young man named Locin was standing in front of a tree, hitting it non-stop with his bleeding palms when he heard a loud noise.


    He looked up and saw a ball of fire hurtling towards the forest, tearing through the air like a meteor.


    "What...is...that?" he mumbled slowly, word by word.


    With squinted eyes he tried his best to see what it was, and finally caught a glimpse of something, something he would never forget for the rest of his life.


    A naked man on fire with giant ck wings was falling from the sky.


    "An...angel...??"

 Chapter 433: Arrival Continued

    <h4>Chapter 433: Arrival Continued</h4>


    *Crash*


    *BAAANG*


    Simr to the sound of a firing cannon, Hao Xuan collided into the ground, sending tons of mud and rocks flying up into the air. A ten-meter deep pit had been created which was still on fire.


    A couple of minutes had passed when a weary figure crawled out of the pit.


    *Cough*Cough*Cough*


    He was covered in bloody bruises, burnt skin that was constantly trying to heal itself, and dirt that covered him from top to bottom.


    Hao Xuanid a few feet away from the burning pit, breathing heavily.


    "What the actual FUCK!" he shouted exasperatedly, on the verge of going mad.


    "Those fucking assholes, I''ll kill them all!"


    He had actually almost lost his life this time. If he didn''t have Nidhora''s protection, there was no way Hao Xuan would have been able to survive. He was shooting down at seven times the speed of sound, in a literal ball of fire that surrounded himpletely.


    There was a lot more oxygen in the atmosphere here so there was nock of fuel either.


    He used Nidhoras power, the full defensive measure of the nanotech, tried to create barriers with his own energies but found out it was suppressed by more than 90% and was useless, in conjunction with his body''s innate defense which was more than ten times higher than a normal person''s.


    If he did not have Nidhoras power to weaken the impact, Hao Xuan would have died halfway through, there was no doubt about that. Because every new participant would have their cultivation suppressed to various degrees, making them significantly weaker at the start. It would be so bad that they won''t even be able to use a normal skill that required slightest Qi.


    Anything that they had cultivated themselves would not work but Nidhora was an outside source and was not really affected by it. She was a true dragon, albeit as weak as she could be it was still not enough to be suppressed like an average cultivator.


    After taking in a few more breaths Hao Xuan regted his breathing. He sat down cross-legged where he was and focused on healing himself.


    Thankfully there was no serious damage this time. Only one broken rib, first-degree burns on 40% of his body, second-degree burns on 15% and third-degree burns on just his arms and shoulders, which was around 9%.


    Most of his hair had burned away, leaving only a couple of inches on the top. He waved his hand and took out a few healing potions, rubbing them over his wounds and drinking the rest.


    About 8-10 minutester he was almost healed. It seemed like the power and abilities of his physique were not affected in the least.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and observed the surroundings. In a 70 meter radius around the pit, there was nothing but the charred ground and burnt rocks. After that were lush green and bright orange trees.


    "Orange?" he rubbed his eyes and focused on them again, but they still looked the same.


    With an uncharacteristically loud groan, he got up and stretched his body. Cracking and popping sounds erupted one after another. It was at this point that his ears twitched.


    He could hear someone running in the distance.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and turned his right ear towards the source of the noise.


    "One, three, six pairs of feet? No, not all feet..."


    It sounded like someone was being chased by a beast.


    Still mad at what he had to go through, Hao Xuan took out some water and quickly cleaned himself before putting on a new pair of clothes. If he didn''t have a storage space like this, he would have had to run around naked because everything he brought with him was burnt to ashes.


    "Nidhora," he mumbled lightly. ck shadows jetted out of his back, covering his arms, legs, and backpletely. Then they solidified and became one with the dark clothes he was wearing. No one would be able to tell he was actively using an external power right now.


    "Let''s see here," he tried controlling the power at will.


    Nidhora reigned over the shadows. She had absolute control over her own shadow and could control it to fight or do any number of things. She once told Hao Xuan about a ce that only exists in the shadows.


    "There is an entire world hidden within the shadows, and I can borrow power it''s without limits," she said.


    Hao Xuan, of course, was not able to do that. The most he could do was call out Nidhora''s own power and use it for himself. It was like a liquid that could take any shape or form but still be a solid sturdy enough to go up against sharp weapons. And how could it not? It was a dragon''s power!


    Since Hao Xuan had no Qi at the moment, he wouldn''t be able to use any of the movement techniques that depended on it.


    With a thud, he stepped forcefully on the ground and the shadows acted like a spring that sent him shooting towards the source of the noise.


    It obviously wasn''t the same as using his own ability but the result was more or less the same.


    With a loud swoosh, he covered a distance of more than a hundred meters with one step. Stepping on a tree branch he flew away yet again.


    Within a couple of seconds he could see the source of the original noise. It was a three-meter long cat-like creature following after a human being. It had four legs, two heads each with three eyes and two tails. It had no fur to speak off which made it look like a raw turkey from a far.


    It was casually jumping from one tree to another, asionally hissing at the human to make him run faster. It was basically ying with its food.

 Chapter 434: Arrival Continued (2)

    <h4>Chapter 434: Arrival Continued (2)</h4>


    Hao Xuan kept a distance of about fifteen meters from them and watched without making a move. ''This could be a trap, I mean as soon as Ind I see a mortal being chased by a beast? Kind of a cliche isn''t it?'' he thought inwardly.


    He would only make a move if there was absolutely no other option.


    Hao Xuan watched the tubby man fumble through the forest, being as clueless as he possibly could be. It looked like he was a city dweller that had never even seen a tree up close.


    After about five to six minutes, the naked feline beast had had enough. It didn''t find any enjoyment in toying with the ''''human''.


    Itnded in front of the man and swung both its tails in a circle, sending him flying away into a tree. With a ''bam'' the tree trunk caved in slightly. Even Hao Xuan was surprised by how powerful that seemingly gentle tail swipe was.


    *Sigh*


    ''He should be dead...''


    There was no way a normal person would be able to survive such an impact. It was like getting hit head-on by a bus. But to his surprise, the man''s body twitched and he raised his left hand in front of him.


    "K-Kityy....b-be good!" he spoke stiffly, clutching onto his abdomen with the right hand. Hao Xuan''s brows furrowed for a couple of reasons.


    One, he understood him perfectly. He was told that the people here spoke anguage simr to one found on beast world, but Hao Xuan could understand him perfectly.


    Secondly, how he spoke sounded like a child. The vocabry was what one would hear from someone that was still learning to speak properly.


    The beast growled from both its heads. Drool dripped down along its jaws and onto the ground, burning the old leaves and branches. Apparently it was strongly acidic in nature.


    "B-Bad kitty!" the man spoke, stammering at every other word.


    Hao Xuan stood in the shadows and watched, but there was nothing out of ordinary. If he did not intervene, this person was going to be eaten alive.


    "Fine then," Hao Xuan mumbled to himself.


    He tapped lightly on the branch and jumped into the air. The beast heard a wooshing sound and quickly moved several feet away, its back against a tree.


    Hao Xuannded squarely between the creature and the stammering man.


    "Shoo now, piss off," he waved at the creature. The fact that it wasn''t able to detect him until now was proof enough that it wasn''t very strong, so he wasn''t scared of it.


    The feline beast looked at Hao Xuan with squinted eyes, looking him up and down. He looked much healthier than the other person but was giving off a dangerous aura.


    *Hissss*


    It hissed in a low voice. One head was still looking at Hao Xuan while the other observed the surroundings.


    Hao Xuan smiled, "It''s just me, don''t worry. Come on now, go away. I just got here, don''t make me dirty my hands," he said once again. For some reason, he always saw these beasts as individuals rather than mindless creatures. But that didn''t really stop him from killing them or any humans.


    The creature looked at Hao Xuan dead in the eyes. It''s vertical pupils constricting every now and then.


    It seemed to be aroundte in the evening. The sun was slowly going down and a cool wind blew through the silent forest. It was eerily quiet.


    Hao Xuan''s smile faded as he saw the look in the creature''s eye. It was that of a predator that had found its next prey. It was waiting for the sun to go down, keeping its distance till then.


    His face expressionless, Hao Xuan couldn''t help but feel angry at the thing. If he so wanted, he could''ve killed it in one go. But he showed kindness and gave it a way out.


    "Maybe you really are mindless..." he said inly.


    Right now Hao Xuan had his guard up. Not because of the beast, but because of the strange feeling he was getting from this ce. The coldness from before still hadn''t gone away and he started to feel a deep difort. It wasn''t anything special, just a feeling.


    A feeling that said he should not stay here for too long.


    "This ce is not for you," it said.


    A gust of wind blew along the forest floor, bringing with it brown leaves and a rotting stench. Thest of the sun''s rays fell behind the thick canopy and a darkness swiftly overtook the gloomy forest.


    The stench was actually too much and he couldn''t help but cover his nose. It was just for an instant that he was distracted but in that single moment, the feline beast disappeared.


    Without a single sound it appeared behind Hao Xuan. Its maws opened wide and bit down. One aiming for his head and the other for his abdomen.


    But before it could do so, a ck shadow passed before its eyes. The world turned upside down and thest thing it saw was its own body separated in two.


    With a light muffled sound, the creature''s heads fell a few feet away from Hao Xuan. A pair of ck draconic wings hade out of Hao Xuan''s back. One of them blocked the beast''s body while the other cut straight through like a hot knife through butter.


    "Piece of trash, making me waste my time," Hao Xuan spat on the ground and turned around to face the man that was still sitting there lifelessly.


    His eyes opened and closed, it seemed like he was losing consciousness. There was a pool of blood under him.


    With some effort, he raised his head and looked at Hao Xuan who was now standing over him with his giant wings.


    "An...angel...hehe.." heughed weakly and his body went limp.


    Hao Xuan''s brows creased up as he quickly bent down and felt for the man''s pulse. It was weak but still there.


    "Oi oi, hold on, don''t die on me!" Hao Xuan picked him up in his arms and quickly left the area.


    He jumped from one tree to another, crossing hundreds of meters in a matter of minutes.


    A few minutes after Hao Xuan left the area, a thick fog slowly rolled in from nowhere. Tides upon tides of white fog covered everything on the ground.


    The fog reached the feline creature''s corpse and covered itpletely. Some crunching and cracking noises came from under the nket of fog and a figure slowly rose once again. It was the same beast. Its heads had been reattached, leaving a conspicuous mark along the necks. Other than that it lookedpletely normal.


    The only noticeable difference was in its eyes. They werepletely white, without any pupils at all. That and its chest which was heaving up and down before with every breath was now deadly still.


    It stood in ce without moving for several minutes while minute tendrils came out of the fog and entered its body. When that was done, it casually turned towards a random direction and started running.

 Chapter 435: Luri

    <h4>Chapter 435: Luri</h4>


    A small caravan with five bull-drawn carriages slowly made its way along a deserted dirt road in the dark of the night.


    Each carriage held a dozen people whichprised of women, children and elderly, while the men walked beside them, surrounding each carriage from all sides.


    In the secondst carriage sat a young woman of around 20 years of age, tightly embracing an infant in her arms.


    The temperature was around fourteen-degree centigrade outside and each of her breaths let out steam that was visible even under the torchlight.


    She gently shook the infant back and forth with an anxious expression.


    "Hildi, hold on my love, we''ll be there soon," she whispered in the infant''s ears who was had her eyes shut tight. Her face transitioned between a shade of red and white as she wheezed with some effort. Clearly she was very sick and the cold night was only adding to the pain she was feeling.


    The woman ced the back of her warm hand on the infant''s forehead and her eyes instantly became wet.


    "Please honey, wait a little bit longer. Mommy will get help soon," she said in a trembling voice before taking off the only coat-like garment she was wearing and wrapped it around the infant.


    The cold, dry air pierced her skin like needles but she didn''t flinch once. Only staring at her daughter''s face without blinking.


    She wanted to cry, to let herself mourn the passing of her husband who had died just a few hours ago, but now wasn''t the time. The only other person she had now was her daughter, there was nobody else left from her family and now even she was now in dire straits.


    In the carriage around her were other women and children in much the same conditions. They had on rough animal hides that provided a little bit of protection against the cold. All of them looked weak and malnourished. Some even had their limbs tied up in bandages made from normal clothes.


    The situation was the same even in the other carriages. These were the refugees from a small town about 160 kilometers away from their current location.


    The town was attacked just before dawn. These people had no idea what or who attacked them. Loud booming sounds rang out when the night as was at its darkest followed by screams and cries for help.


    The young woman''s name was Luri. She was an orphan who had gotten married less than a year ago. Andst night she lost her husband, leaving her alone to take care of her now sick child.


    Her eyes quivered ceaselessly as she felt her daughter''s body be colder and colder.


    "No please, don''t leave mommy, don''t leave me too," finally a few salty tears dripped down her cheeks and fell on the child''s face.


    Luri couldn''t continue looking at her anymore, seeing her slowly slip into the darkness. She hugged Hildi even tighter while raising her head to look at the cloudy sky above through the wide cracks in the carriage''s roof.


    Her right hand clutched a red ruby ne in the shape of a five-sided star. It dug into her skin and drew blood.


    "Please....help. I don''t have anyone else, please protect my child," she mumbled.


    In her palm, the ruby shone with a dim light and absorbed some of the blood, bing dim once again.


    She prayed over and over again without pause, on the verge of losing her sanity. Her eyes became dim, showing no sign of intelligence.


    Just a couple of minutes had passed when amotion broke out from the front and the carriages came to a sudden halt.


    "Attention!" a man''s loud voice was heard from outside. Luri peered outwards with a nk look. All the men had taken out their weapons and were facing the east side where the forest was.


    She looked towards the tree line and saw a massive shadow looking in her direction. No, it was looking straight at her.


    Luri''s ears twitched and her face suddenly lit up. She pushed away the few people that were blocking her way and jumped out of the carriage with Hildi in hand. The nearby men were so focused on the shadow that they didn''t even notice her until she walked right by them, nearing the shadow.


    "Stop! What are you doing! Bring that crazy woman back!" a man in a ck uniform shouted from a horse-like beast but none of the men moved an inch.


    Their legs were shaking in fear already. Most of these were regr people that were forced to be guards overnight. And that shadow, it was over five meters tall!


    "Cowards!" he said in a disgusted tone.


    The man in the ck uniform jumped down from his ride and unsheathed the sword hanging from his waist.


    Keeping one eye on the shadow he quickly ran ahead and stead in front of Luri.


    "Return to the carriage right now!" he said sternly, still looking in the shadow''s direction.


    But the response he was expecting didn''te. Instead, he felt a cold piercing pain.


    Stupified, he looked down and saw the hilt of a small daggering out from his back. The de hadpletely disappeared in his body and he could still feel it with every breath.


    "Wha-" he tried to speak but only blood came out of his mouth. With a thud he fell down to his knees. He was just a mortal man after all.


    Barefoot, Luri took a few more steps and stood right in front of the shadow. She looked up and saw the dead white eyes of the feline beast and nodded.


    "I understand," she said softly.


    Luri looked down at ''Hildi'' and kissed her on the forehead, "Be strong my love."


    Her eyes still empty and focused. It was like she had lost something important, but it was worth it if it could save her child.


    She tightened the wrappings around Hildi before raising her into the air. The beast lowered one of its two heads and opened its mouth, swallowing the infant in one gulp. It then turned around and quickly disappeared back into the night.


    Luri stared in the direction the shadow had gone for a few seconds before her body went limp and fell down lifelessly. She stared at the cloudy sky, not being able to feel the cold ground beneath her or the chilling wind caressing her body.


    She breathed out onest time before closing her eyes. Her heart stopped.


    The man in the ck uniform could do nothing but watch as Luri gave away her child. Waves of pain rampaged through his body, churning his blood. Hisplexion turning whiter by the second.


    The moment Luri''s heart stopped, his eyes rolled back into their sockets and he fell over unconscious.

 Chapter 436: Data

    <h4>Chapter 436: Data</h4>


    In the dark of the night, a wide shadow traversed the cold night, jumping from tree to tree until it reached a mountainside and stopped there. The darkness surrounding him receded and two people came into view, one carrying the other.


    After searching for over an hour Hao Xuan finally found a rtively safe ce. It was a small cave on the side of a mountain, away from the dense forest and high enough that he could get a rtively good view of the surroundings.


    He put the unconscious man on the ground, as carefully as he could, and checked his condition.


    A sliver of Qi entered the man''s body and circted throughout, painting a clear picture of his internal body in Hao Xuan''s mind.


    "Three broken bones, minor concussion, several fractures..." Hao Xuan mumbled everything bit by bit.


    But he was honestly surprised to see that the damage was only to this extent. This man had absolutely zero cultivation. Hao Xuan also checked his body for tattoos to confirm he wasn''t one of those new people that were using the words of power and he was right.


    Just an ordinary man, yet he was able to survive a frontal attack from a beast with the same power as an Origin realm warrior. It would be like getting hit head-on by a tank anding out with superficial wounds.


    "Meh whatever, I''ll ask him when he wakes up," Hao Xuan didn''t want to think about it anymore so he poured a low-level healing potion down his throat and walked back out.


    The sky was dark and there was no moon anywhere in sight. An extremely cold gale was rolling in from the left side. Thankfully the cave wasn''t facing that direction so it was much better for him.


    Ayer of thick ck clouds covered everything in sight.


    Hao Xuan took a step back and waved his hand. A small formation disk appeared in his hand which he threw down at the entrance. A barely discernable blue light came out of the disk and scanned the surroundings before a small illusion appeared above it and blocked the entrance. From outside it just looked like a normal wall-face. No one would be able to tell there was a cave here unless they came looking.


    Hao Xuan sat down on the side and took out arge piece of grilled meat. It wasn''t hot but still looked appetizing. Using his bare hands to hold it, he opened his mouth and bit down, spilling a few juices on his clothes.


    "Baracus, did you get in?" he asked with a full mouth.


    *Beep*


    "I was only able to bypass the rudimentary defenses, there wasn''t enough time for anything else," Baracus replied somewhat disappointedly.


    Hao Xuan nodded contently, that was good enough for now.


    "Nice, tell me everything."


    Back when Hao Xuan was sitting in the hotel on the ship, he had Baracus try to break into their internalwork and get as much information as he could along with making a connecting with it personally. Everything was connected to everything else, making a huge informationwork and having ess to it whenever he so desired would definitely give him an upper hand.


    Baracus only needed ess to a single terminal to slowly get his hands on everything and the hotel''s holograms were the terminals he had used this time. Since he had to stay undetected, Baracus had to take extra care and was only able to get the information that would be avable to low to mid-level officers on the ship.


    "The has two moons,pleting their orbit in 24 days each. The day and night cycle takes 60 hours in total, with the days currently onlysting for 20 hours or so. The days are also exceptionally hot and nights extra cold. Two extremes."


    "There aren''t many seasons and the flora and fauna-"


    Before Baracus could finish Hao Xuan rudely cut in.


    "I don''t care about that man, just tell me if there''s anything rted to the tournament," Hao Xuan mutteredzily.


    Baracus seemed to have taken it personally and his tone became quite unfriendly.


    "How about I just show you all the files I found and you can judge for yourself whats useful and what isn''t?"


    "Fine, show me!" Hao Xuan who still hadn''t realized the change, epted. A screen appeared in front of his eyes and one by one different named folders started filling up his view. Within seconds more than several thousand had appeared, cluttering the field of vision.


    "Woah woah, stop," Hao Xuan waved his hands, "How many are there in total?"


    "37,000 different files and folders, categorized into 150 different groups."


    *Cough*Cough*


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but choke on the piece of meat he was chewing on.


    "And all this is from hacking through the rudimentary firewall?"


    "Yes."


    "God damn! Alright, well, shorten it up for me yeah? I don''t need to every little thing, just what could affect the tournament and me."


    After being shown the alternative, Hao Xuan remained quiet and listened to everything Baracus had to say, and he had to say a LOT.


    From the local culture, religion, and weather to everything the first few teams had found. Hao Xuan sat there for over eleven hours listening to him non-stop. Baracus only stopped when the sun hade up.


    Overnight Hao Xuan became one of the leading experts when it came to this. If it was something worth knowing, it had been stuffed into his brain by Baracus.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes had be weary. If not for his extraordinarily strong soul, there was no way he would have been able to absorb so much information in such a short timeframe.


    Hao Xuan looked at the rays of sun piercing through the ck clouds.


    "Alright, so that means walking city should being around in 2 days right?"


    "IF we are where we think we are. You need to find andmark, something that''s been recorded in the ship''s records. From there I can tell you where the city will pass by since its general direction was recorded in the ship''s logs."


    "Or," Hao Xuan mumbled turning around, "We could ask where we are when this guy wakes up."


    The unconscious man wasfortably huddled up in a fetal position, sucking on his thumb while snoring. There was a small puddle of droll under him. It looked like he was quite used to sleeping on hard surfaces.

 Chapter 437: Play time

    <h4>Chapter 437: y time</h4>


    Hao Xuan walked to the man''s side and ced his palm on his forehead, inserting a small whisp of Qi.


    "Looks like the potion did its job," he said lightly seeing as most of the man''s injuries had mostly healed. The three broken bones were the only ones still taking time.


    Hao Xuan stood back up and walked back to the entrance of the cave. The ck clouds looked like they were running in ce, looking almost unreal. They blocked the majority of the rays of the sun, making it look like it waste in the evening. The few that did escape fell on the green and orange forest below, lighting up a few specific areas.


    Even now he could feel the unnaturally piercing cold wind through the illusion formation. His eyes became unfocused for a second as he stared at the scenery that looked like it was taken straight out of a painting.


    "Time to start the first phase of the n I guess," Hao Xuan mumbled half-heartedly.


    There were so many things he needed to take care of that it seemed almost too much. If not for the threat of death looming over him, he would have liked nothing more then having a nice long nap.


    He closed his eyes and appeared in the mind pce.


    To the left, he saw rows upon rows of neatly -dressed people sitting crosslegged with their eyes closed. These were all the young Orcs he had severed. All of them were wearing white pants and shirts.


    There was an almost transparent white cloud above each of their heads, constantly revolving at a constant speed. On the exact opposite side sat Gavril in much of the same attire as the other orcs. It waspletely white which along with his hair made him look almost ethereal.


    Gavril opened his eyes on his own when he sensed Hao Xuan walk over.


    "Is it time?" he asked in a slightly hoarse voice. It sounded like he hadn''t talked in months.


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Are you ready?"


    "Yeah, it''s all in order. The smander''s core was of great help to me. But I need more like it to further increase my basic cultivation," Gavril waved his hand and suddenly the surroundings changed.


    Hao Xuan''s brow shot up in surprise. He looked around and saw that now he was standing in front of a campfire at night. He could feel the gentle breeze brushing against his skin and the smell of the burning logs. Insects chirped and made noises all around him. Gavril was sitting in front of him, at the exact same distance as before.


    "Is this an illusion?" Hao Xuan asked, astonished. He couldn''t differentiate at all.


    Gavril shook his head once, "A dreamscape. It''s three parts dream, one part reality, and one part something illusion."


    Hao Xuan bobbed his head up and down in amazement. It looked too real! And Hao Xuan was not able to leave this ce at all of his own ords.


    "Alright, take us out."


    Gavril snapped his fingers and the surroundings changed, returning to his same old Mind Pce.


    "This will be really useful," Hao Xuan said with a sigh before meeting Gavril''s gaze, "You sure you''re up for this?"


    Gavril smiled. That was the first time Hao Xuan had seen him smile after he awakened this new power.


    "Yeah, no problem. I''m already at the spirit realm so unless someone is at the profound realm, they won''t be able to do anything to me," he said confidently.


    "Alright then," Hao Xuan couldn''t say anything else if Gavril was so adamant himself. He turned to look at the couple hundred Orcs.


    "Is that ability you were talking about?" he asked pointing at the floating clouds above their heads.


    Gavril stood up and nodded, "Yeah. I created specific dreamscapes for them where they can cultivate peacefully. The good thing is that time moves much slower in your dreams so they can easily increase their cultivation without wasting much time. But staying in there for too long can mess with the person''s perception of reality so it can''t be used too often."


    Hao Xuan had put Gavril in charge of all the Orcs. He handed the numerous basic cultivation manuals that Ryfon gave him over to Gavril and told him to assign each one to the Orcs. Then using his ability Gavril created dreamscapes for all of them and let them cultivate in there. This would greatly speed up their speed and basically create entire armies of low leveled cultivators in a short amount of time.


    "Impressive. How fast is the time in there?"


    Hao Xuan wouldn''t mind trying it out himself. Gavril counted on his digits before speaking up again.


    "About 200 times faster."


    "...."


    ''The fuck were you counting on your fingers then?!'' Hao Xuan shouted inwardly.


    "A-Alright, make one for me too after all this is done," he said somewhat annoyed. "Do you want to bring any of them with you?" he gestured towards the teenage Orcs. Zhurong was actually sleeping on thep of one of the females, the smallest one. She looked like a malnourished child aspared to the others.


    "No, they will only slow me down."


    "Alright."


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and opened his eyes in the outside world. Gavril was standing right beside him.


    "Create an anchor with me so you can find me easily. Also take this," Hao Xuan threw him a customized spirit band.


    "It''s connected to the ship so you can still reach me if there''s something you need to talk about."


    "Alright," Gavril nodded inly. He took a step towards the entrance andpletely disappeared in an instant.


    Hao Xuan already had a basic n in mind beforeing here.


    Ensis had already joined the Hall while Monk joined the temple. And both of them showed enough promise that they managed toe to the tournament as well. Hao Xuan could already feel their souls as soon as he came down to the. Strangely enough, both of them hade over earlier than him.


    And now he had released Gavril as well to find everything he could about the local powers. Gavril''s mission was to pretend to be one of the natives and join the so-called ''resistance'' they had created.


    Since he was already forced into this now, Hao Xuan was nning to y every side and reap as many benefits as he possibly could.

 Chapter 438: Outer Tribes

    <h4>Chapter 438: Outer Tribes</h4>


    140 kilometers to the West of the Abandoned City of Noll.


    An area near several active volcanos without much vegetation. There were small, brightly colored trees decorating the small valleys between these several dozen volcanos, swaying with the puff of asional toxic gas that came out of the vents.


    The only living creatures here were the beasts with poison and fire attributes that could live off of theva and toxins. Even the air was barely fit for human consumption. Staying in a ce like this for more than a couple of hours would even kill cultivators.


    Right now there was a small group of seven people running through one of the valleys.


    "Stay together! Don''t make too much noise!" a blue-haired man with a strong physique yelled in a low voice. He was at the front, leading the group. On his left wrist was a small shield that was attached to his arm with a device. There was also a gold and ck sword in the center of the shield, bing one with it like a piece of the puzzle.


    He was wearing grey robes with long vertical ck lines on them, going from the shoulders all the way down to the feet. The robes were ripped and burnt from many ces, making him look like a nobleman that had fallen on hard times.


    The blue-haired man looked to be 25 at most and had a very sturdy build. Even the loose robes couldn''t hide the bulging muscles and wide shoulders underneath.


    Behind him were simrly dressed people, all younger than him. Because of simr facial features, it looked like they were from the same n or family.


    He jumped over arge puddle of bubbling green liquid and extended his hands towards hispanions who were waiting in a line.


    "Effie, quickly jump!"


    Right behind him was a girl that seemed to be around 15-16 years of age. She had a bob cut with bangs covering her entire forehead. With a small face, wide watery eyes and a roseyplexion, even in her current situation where she looked like a homeless person running for her life, her beauty couldn''t be hidden.


    One look at her would liven up anyone''s day.


    ''Effie'' looked down at the puddle that was at least five meters wide. She could see a few small creatures bobbing up and down inside the slimy liquid.


    "Elder brother, I won''t make it," she shook her head warily. Her legs were going weak just thinking about what would happen if she failed. The acidic smell wafting off of the puddle''s surface was enough to send shivers down her spine.


    Not to mention that weird feeling she was getting that there was more to the puddle than just what they could see with their eyes.


    It had only been a few hours since theynded here and all of their energies were suppressed.


    The blue-haired man''s expression turned somber as he saw her wobbling legs about to buckle any second. He looked at the person right behind Effie.


    "Hoss, do it!" he shouted.


    The person behind her was a youngster the same age as Effie. He had a longsword behind his back and a very tall and lean physique. He silently responded with a nod and before Effie could even turn around, she found herself flying through the air.


    Effie''s heart was in her throat as she looked down and saw a fishy maw staring at her from the puddle. She wanted to scream but there was no time. Her body fell straight into her elder brother''s arms as he put her down. Her legs had lost all strength and she couldn''t even stand anymore.


    "B-Brother, there''s something in the puddl-" she tried to warn him but it was already toote. Hoss had already tossed the second person flying through the air, who was another girl like her.


    But as soon as the girl passed over the center of the puddle, a three-meter wide mouth with rows of circr teeth all around it shot out of the puddle and swallowed her whole. Before any of them could even react, it was gone once again.


    "WHA-"


    "Senior brother Rokh!" Hoss shouted towards the blue-haired man as the green liquid sshed everywhere.


    Some of it fell on his body and within a couple of seconds dissolved every bit of flesh on his right leg, leaving a polished white bone in its ce.


    "Ahhhh!" several blood-curdling screams rang out. Although Hoss took the majority of the liquid, some of it did manage to fall on the people behind him. And every single ce it touched was dissolved in an instant.


    Other than thest person, all the others had injuries and burns on their bodies. One unfortunate girl even lost her left eye as a small drop fell on her face and dripped down into it.


    Rokh was the only one to react in time. He pulled Effie and jumped back. A few drops did ssh on his body but he swiftly cut of the flesh to reduce the damage.


    "B-Brother!" he felt a tug on his robe and saw Effie pointed at the entrance to the small valley, where they had juste from. He turned to look towards it and his heart almost stopped.


    There was a strange creature standing there. With arms as long as its legs, it was crawling on all four, looking at them with its three pairs of ck beady eyes.


    Its head, shoulders, and abdomen was covered in some sort of a brown metallic armor while the exposed arms and legs had a hard greyish, thorny carapace like those of crabs.


    There was even a strange weapon on its back. It looked like a steampunk-themed rifle which was made from spare parts.


    There were four fangs around its toothy maw and feelers around the nose that continuously moved in the air. On its feet were giant curved ws that looked like they could cut stone in half.


    Seeing the party of humans it was chasing, the creature stood up on two legs and let out a strange, high pitched noise.


    "Krreeeeekrrrr!"


    Rokh''s expression turned somber as soon as he heard the noise. He reached into his robe and took out a paper seal. It had an arrow on it that kept pointing towards the same direction, blinking constantly. He pulled Effie up to her feet and shoved the paper seal in her hands.


    "Follow the arrow, no matter what do not stop until you reach them! Tell them we''re not alone, the higher-ups don''t know the outer tribes have sneaked in here as well. Tell them they are hunting us like dogs! GO!"


    Effie who was already on the verge of crying now had tears streaming down her blemishless face.


    "Brother you can''t stay here!" she begged through her sobs.


    Rokh patted her on the head with a smile, "I can''t leave the others, they are my responsibility. Go now," he pushed her away and jumped back over the puddle.


    Effie tears flowed like a broken damn for she knew what was going to happen. She had ''seen'' it. But still she wanted to give them some hope.


    "I will be back soon, you must wait for Effie toe back big brother," she yelled onest time and started running in the other direction as fast she possibly could.


    Hoss who only had only one leg left used his sword as a crutch to stand up and lean against the rock wall.


    "Senior brother, take the others and go after junior sister, I''ll hold them back! There''s no use in all of us dying here!"


    Even though his body was wracked with pain and exhaustion, he still didn''t justy down and waited for his death.


    "It is my duty, let me fulfill it please," he said while bitting down his lips to keep him from passing out from the intense pain.


    Rokh patted him on the shoulder and looked at the others who were in simr conditions.


    "Our n might be declining but that does not mean we raise cowards. Each and every one of you has trained your entire lives for this. As long as Effie survives, there is hope," he said in a loud enough voice that even the unknown creature could hear.


    The creature stood up on its hind legs, itsnky body reaching more than two meters in height.


    "Krrruurrrraaak!" it shouted in response and three other creatures of simr size crawled up behind it, blocking the entire path.

 Chapter 439: Salome

    <h4>Chapter 439: Salome</h4>


    "Hey, keep your mouth covered!" Hao Xuan swiveled around and quickly fixed the mask hanging from Salome''s face.


    Salome stood there with wide eyes, admiring the new environment while Hao Xuan tightened the oxygen mask around his face. He had thick brows, a bulky build like a bodybuilder''s and a big forehead. He had short hair that looked like they were cut with a blunt kitchen knife.


    Seeing as Salome was still busy looking around instead of paying attention, Hao Xuan flicked his forehead angrily.


    "Hey, pay attention. Do not take this off? Okay?" he reminded him for the third time with knitted brows.


    Salome nodded innocently, "Okay," and started walking while Fortiszed around atop his head. That was the first time Hao Xuan had seen Fortis being so friendly with anyone other than him. Well, him and Yun Wentian.


    Hao Xuan looked at Salome''s slightly hunched back and couldn''t help but curse his own luck.


    The duo strode into the valley filled to the brim with toxic fumes.


    The walking city was supposed to pass by on the other side of the cluster of these active volcanos so they had to go through this ce.


    Salome was the native man Hao Xuan had rescued from the double-headed feline beast. He woke up a couple of hours after Hao Xuan had sent Gavril away. Hao Xuan asked him a few questions but soon realized that something wasn''t right. It was like talking to a wall.


    After having Baracus perform a basic scan, it turned out Salome wasn''t ''all there''. He had suffered from serious brain damage when he was in the womb and was born with severe behavioral problems, among other things.


    Strangely enough, it was this same incident that made his body so strong. He had the gift of innate strength and was 4-5 times more powerful than an average person. Unfortunately, he was already around 20 years old and didn''t cultivate so this was the most he could achieve unless he encountered a heavenly treasure or something simr.


    Hao Xuan tried to take Salome back to the vige he came from but when he got there it turned out to be abandoned a long time ago.


    **


    "You live here?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously as he stood at the vige entrance and examined the surroundings.


    Most of the wooden houses had broken windows and doors. Weeds were growing everywhere and there was a thick damp smell everywhere, like still water.


    "Salome lives at the vige elder''s house!" the bulky young man said as he started running straight across the vige. He had referred to himself in the third person which although odd, wasn''t anything big.


    Hao Xuan followed after him and came to a stop next to a barn near arge house. This house was abandoned as well with not a single sign of life anywhere. Hao Xuan went into the barn and saw Salome standing next to a pile of hay.


    There was a rough hide nket to the side, an oldntern-like object and some other things wrapped neatly in torn garments.


    "This...is where you live?" Hao Xuan asked softly as he looked around.


    The roof had cracks and holes everywhere, the door could be opened with a slightly strong gust of wind and the windows didn''t have any ss or other material to stop the cold air froming in.


    "Ahan," Salome nodded with a cheerful smile. He quickly went over to things wrapped in old garments and unwrapped one of them. It was some sort of cured meat. Salome took the entire thing and handed it to Hao Xuan.


    "Eat, it''s really good!" he said with twinkling eyes.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say. He took a small bite and acted like it was the most mouth-watering thing he had ever eaten.


    "So good!" Hao Xuan handed it back to him with a thankful smile. "Do you live here alone?"


    Salome turned his head from side to side, "The other''s went to buy food from another vige, they will be back soon. I will protect the vige until then!"


    "Ohh..."


    Hao Xuan went out and inspected a few nearby houses. They had all been cleaned up. Not a single object was left behind.


    They had obviously packed up and left without Salome. Leaving him here alone with a fake promise. What would he know? Thinking about such wretched people, Hao Xuan couldn''t help but grind his teeth in anger. And as soon as he started to get angry, the headache came back.


    He lit up another cigarette and went back to the barn.


    "Do you have any family? Mom, dad, siblings?"


    "Everyone in the vige is Salome''s family!" he replied happily.


    *Sigh*


    ''An orphan most probably. Even if he has some living family members, they have probably abandoned him long ago...''


    Hao Xuan could up and leave right now if he wanted. No, that''s what he should have done. Salome wasn''t his responsibility and he had a lot of other things to take care of as well, things that would get a mortal killed. But...


    Looking around at the grim barn he called home, the bleak condition of the vige, it was unlikely that anyone would being back any time soon. Salome could be living here for several years, that is if a beast didn''t wander in and kill him.


    The food he had was limited and running out.


    ''I doubt he can hunt or cook... Won''t it be the same as killing him if I just leave right now? Chances of survival are slim to none.''


    *Sigh*


    Another deep sigh. Hao Xuan didn''t really believe in fate or destiny, something that defined how he would be living his life, but maybe it wasn''t just a coincidence that he fell here.


    "Ah Fuck it," Hao Xuan said throwing his hands in the air, giving up. He peered towards Salome who was busy ''fluffing'' the hay to take a nap and his resolved solidified.


    "Oi,e with me, I''ll take you to the nearest city."


    **


    That''s how it went. But he had seriously underestimated how burdensome traveling with a mortal was. He had to stop every few hours to rest and eat. His legs got tired so Hao Xuan had to carry him on his back for a long while.


    It should have taken him less than 10 hours to cover the distance but now it had already been over 40 and they were still a fair bit away.


    Hao Xuan could have flown using Nidhora''s power but it didn''te free. His body had to take the brunt of it which further destabilized his physique center.


    Hao Xuan had just bent down and light up his 17th cigarette in a row using a nearby stream of flowingva when his ears twitched. The sound of falling rocks came from the right side.


    "Hmm?" he turned around and squinted his eyes, focusing in the direction of the sound. Through the toxic fog, he could see a vague silhouette trying to climb up the valley''s side.

 Chapter 440: Roaches

    <h4>Chapter 440: Roaches</h4>


    Even though Hao Xuan had great eyesight, he couldn''t see through this fog for some reason.


    They hade across many different kinds of beasts in thest two days and even though there were a few quite powerful ones, it wasn''t anything too bad. Hao Xuan tried killing a few to see if he could get these words of power as well but it didn''t work for him. At least not in the conventional sense.


    With Baracus''s advice, he started trying a few different things, going through the scientific process of eliminating each method one by one. But he needed to kill more a lot more beasts for that and was always on the lookout for some.


    He turned towards Salome who was peering down into ava tunnel and flicked him on the forehead.


    "Hey, stay here. Don''t go anywhere alright?" only after getting a solid confirmation did Hao Xuan leave. Fortis would keep him safe from any serious danger and he should be done rtively quickly so he wasn''t really worried.


    Activating Nidohora''s power, he pushed against the ground with his feet that now looked like a beast''s and flew several dozen meters into the air.


    His feet still had five digits but each one looked like a sharp talon that could easily dig into the hardest of surfaces with the slightest effort.


    This wasn''t a change in the actual appearance of his feet but what Nidhora''s power looked like once it covered his limbs. Likewise, his hands were rough, scaly and had 4-5 inch long sharp fingernails protruding out of them.


    To Hao Xuan, it was like wearing gloves and boots that he could control like his own body. It did look a little strange from outside because they were quite big by normal standards but Hao Xuan himself was a rtively tall guy at about 2.2 meters of height and had wide, sturdy shoulders so it fit him almost perfectly.


    He just looked like a human-monster hybrid.


    Jumping over to the other side of the valley, hended a few meters away from the shadow without making a single sound. Nidhora''s power came from shadows and its attributes clearly carried over to Hao Xuan. When he moved, it made no sound whatsoever. He could walk on walls and ceilings like it waspletely normal, just like a shadow.


    Hell, Hao Xuan could turn into a literal shadow for a few seconds and increase his speed drastically but he didn''t like to do that. It felt....strange, like looking through a mirror.


    The other side called the shadow world was purely ck and white and he felt several ''beings'' staring at him from somewhere every time he entered, that''s why he chose not to use it.


    But it could be a great lifesaving technique in case of an emergency. No standard power was capable of killing a shadow so he was damn near indestructible in there, with only one downside. Although no one could harm him while he was a shadow, he couldn''t harm anyone else either. It was a two-way street. He would have to show himself to do anything.


    Hao Xuan bent down to minimize his presence and peaked his head over the ridge. Although the air here was extremely toxic to normal people and even cultivators at his realm wouldn''t be able to survive here for longer than a couple of hours, to him it was nothing.


    As soon as the harmful toxins entered his bloodstream, they were disintegrated by the nanotech and actually converted into energy for them and himself. He could stay here for as long as he wished it wouldn''t cause him the slightest difort.


    Hao Xuan stood in ce as he examined the shadow below. It was humanoid, slightly bigger than the average person. But the weird thing was that it was crawling up the side of the valley like a lizard, its four limbs stretching out more than they should.


    Taking a deep breath, Hao Xuan jumped over and approached it slowly, his ws ready to swipe at the thing it was dangerous. But when he was about three meters away from it, the fog cleared with a gust of wind and he saw it.


    "What the fu-" he couldn''t help but mumble out loud, alerting the shadow that was previouslypletely unaware.


    It felt like he had been struck with lightning as thousands of images and words shed before his eyes in an instant, like a movie being yed at 100 times the normal speed.


    "Kree-" it let out a high pitched screech that was cut short by a giant w that pierced straight through its head like a spear.


    Hao Xuan woke up from his stupor and his body moved by instinct, faster than the speed of sound.


    "Shhhh," he hushed lightly as the creature struggled for a couple of seconds while blue blood dripped down his arm. His giant, reptilian hand was halfway through its body, silencing it before it could create any trouble.


    Hao Xuan pulled back his hand wiped the blood against the creature''snky body.


    "What the hell are these fucks doing here?!" he mumbled somberly.


    Hao Xuan bent down and examined frisked the humanoid corpse, taking out a few coins, a small weapon that looked like a knife without a de and some rough ss screens.


    "Baracus, hack into this," he said while running his finger across the ss screen.


    Hao Xuan''s thumb lit up in a blue light that blinked a few times and strange characters started appearing on the screen. Hao Xuan clicked here and there a few times before clenching his hand, destroying itpletely.


    "This isn''t good, it looks like they have been here a while..." Hao Xuan said with a darkplexion.


    As soon as Hao Xuan saw the creature''s face, information rted to it poured into his brain.


    It belonged to an outer tribe. The species wasbeled as ''Cadivus'' by Poriverse but others had different names for them. Most just called them ''roaches'' because they were the cockroaches of the deep space.


    They were everywhere, multiplied like rabbits, destroying everything in their path and could survive in the harshest environments. Their anatomy was also very simr to insects which was mainly why they were called so.


    They consumed all the resources from every, leaving barren and deste before moving on to the next one. It was not easy to get rid of them.


    "I have to let the higher-ups know, the tournament can''t go on like this!" Hao Xuan remarked gravely.


    The whole reason the tournament was taking ce here was because the average risk level was around the Spirit realm. But with the roaches added into the mix, it was an entirely different thing.


    Hao Xuan stood up intending to go back to Salome when his ears twitched. A faint scream came from deep inside the mountains. If not for his exceptional hearing, there was no way he could have heard it.


    "Sounds like a human, it looks like they''ve already started hunting...." Hao Xuan said before jumping towards it.

 Chapter 441: Roaches Continued

    <h4>Chapter 441: Roaches Continued</h4>


    *Huff*Huff*


    Running through the rocky valley with her dainty little feet, Effie came to a stop in front of a small crack that separated the two sides of the valley. The crack was at least six meters wide, far toorge for any normal person to just casually jump over.


    Her back was cacked with sweat with a green tinge to it. The poison had seeped deep into her bloodstream and if not for her strong bloodline, she would have passed out long ago.


    She held the paper talisman in her hand and followed it in almost a straight line. It had been over three hours since she had been separated from her brother and time was running out.


    She leaned against the rock wall to catch her breath while turning around to peer behind her bitterly.


    Her pupils shone with ayer of white light that looked like lenses. But this light greatly increased her power of sight allowing her to see two four-limbed figures crawling vertically on the rock walls.


    Their speed was much faster than hers and if she stayed there, they would catch up in less than a minute.


    Tears formed in her eyes as she the shadows inch closer and closer by the second. Their very presence was proof that her brother and n members were not able to stop them.


    She wasn''t that strong physically to begin with and with the addition of the poison, her already weak constitution was starting to act up. There was barely any strength left in her legs, just keeping her eyes open was taking a toll on her now.


    But still, she did not give up. No one would me her if she did, having escaped from the roach hunters for so long was already an admirable feat in its own right.


    Effie turned back around and looked at the massive crack in the earth in front of her and raised her bloodied hand once again.


    "Thure Hasite Rubeb Wofgh!" she spoke slowly in a foreignnguage, one that even Hao Xuan would not be able to understand.


    Tiny specks of yellow light appeared out of thin air and attached to Effie''s legs. In just a couple of seconds, they had covered her entire bottom half like an extrayer of garments, from her waist to her toes.


    Effie felt her body be as light as a feather but her face quickly drained of color and she held on to a protruding rock to steady herself. Using that spell in her current state had almost backfired.


    She took a few deep breaths and looked behind her onest time. The shadows were close enough that she could see them clearly.


    Effie lightly tapped against the ground and like a balloon in a storm, her body floated up and forward, crossing the six-meter wide crack andnding on the other side. The lights around her legs slightly dimmed. She tapped the ground again, as gently as she could and jumped another dozen or so meters.


    Within a minute she had widened the gap between the roach hunters and herself by arge margin. She jumped over and over again,pletely bypassing the treacherous terrain beneath.


    Theyer of yellow light was reduced to a paper-thin width. One more use and it would be gone.


    Effiended on a piece of pitch-ck rock. Everything else around her was on fire. Theva flowed out of the side of the mountain in a single stream, covering everything within 50 meters. Only this piece of thick rock was untouched by it.


    Effie knelt down once again, catching her breath now that she had a chance to. The spell really was going to break after one use so she had to choose carefully. She looked around but other than the rock she was standing on, the nearest safe ce was 17 meters away.


    By now she was thoroughly drenched in sweat. Her robe was stick to her body, colored in different shades of green and red.


    She coughed out a mouthful of ck blood. The heat was bing too much. She was injured both inside and out and was on the verge of passing out. But doing so here would mean certain death.


    By sheer willpower, she lifted her foot once again ready to take thest step when the rock she was standing on moved.


    "Eh? What is hap-"


    Caught off guard, Effie identally stepped down with much greater force than originally intended and flew straight up into the air. She went straight up for over 10 meters when theyer of light popped like a bubble.


    It wasn''t very loud but her heart shook like it had never before. If the fall didn''t kill her the roaches would after finding her eventually. Still in the air, her body turned around as it started the free-fall back and down her pupils constricted to the size of needles.


    The "rock" she was standing on started moving and turned around, showing a long cylindrical mouth filled with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. It belonged to a creature that looked like amprey, only hundreds of timesrger.


    When its mouth opened all the way, Effie sawva flowing down its throat. Apparently it was drinking it like water.


    She bit her teeth and urgently muttered a few words in the foreignnguage again. Motes of light started gathering around her hands but dispersed with a gust of wind, leaving her in the same helpless state as before.


    She saw giant maw get closer and closer until she was inside it. Her vision went dark.


    The create closed its mouth and with a gulping sound, swallowed her whole. It turned around and dove into the flowingva, disappearing with a giant ripple.


    The paper talisman Effie was holding fell slowly on theva and started burning up. The arrow on it blinking rapidly until it became stable.


    "Get the fuck out here!"


    A loud roar erupted from the air as a shadow dove headfirstva, sending waves upon waves ying outward. Theva parted and showed themprey trying to dig into the mountainside.


    Shocked, it turned and roared.

 Chapter 442: Valley of Poisons

    <h4>Chapter 442: Valley of Poisons</h4>


    Currently 700 miles away from the Valley of Poisons (Hao Xuan''s current location) ''Heran'' the beast on which the walking city is located walks through a sandy desert.


    The beast has a long neck about the same length as its entire body. Each of its gigantic feet sends tremors along the earth as it walks. A golden crown sits atop its head. A massive city of at least 5,000 meters in radius is strapped to its back, decked in gold and bronze buildings along with luscious gardens. (Reference img posted)


    Inner circle of the city.


    A temple made out of pure gold stood in the very center, viewable from every single corner. Massive columns of white light shoot up into the air, disappearing after reaching a few hundred meters into the sky above.


    On the highest floor of the temple was a single room overlooking the entire city. In front of the two-meter wide circr window was an ivory throne on which an individual sat with his eyes closed. The throne faced the window with the only entrance directly behind it.


    Ripples of blood-red fog surrounded him, constantlying out of his body before diffusing into the air after a few seconds.


    *Knock*Knock*Knock*


    The bloody fog froze in mid-air before quickly returning to the man''s body, revealing his handsome face.


    "Enter," he said softly but his voice echoed in the entire room as clear as day.


    The door opened and in walked a man in in white robes. He seemed to be in histe twenties, older than the man on the throne but his expression was of deep veneration as if he was in front of an elder.


    "Lord Dai Zhi, we have some news," the white-robed man spoke in a respectful tone.


    Dai Zhi opened his eyes. His pupils a shade of the deepest crimson.


    "What happened?"


    The white-robed man bowed even though Dai Zhi was facing the other way.


    "It is about your sister my lord. I''m afraid we still have not been able to find her. And not just her but even many of the others have not reached us yet."


    Dai Zhi stood up. He was about 1.9 meters tall with a lean physique. With the loose white shirt and ck pants, he looked like a fragile young master of some n. Turning around he looked at the man coldly.


    "How many have reached us so far?"


    "Only about 40 of them. There has been no contact with anyone else."


    "And how long ago did theynd?"


    "More than eighty hours ago my lord."


    Dai Zhi''s brows locked together.


    "Are you sure ''that'' guy is not behind this?" he asked with a slightly disgusted expression.


    The white-robed man nodded, "Yes sire. Our informants are keeping an eye on him, he has not made a move yet."


    The person they were referring to was the First Guardian of the Hall of Betor. Just like Dai Zhi, he was the guardian that held the most power from the Hall''s side.


    "Then what? You people have no idea what''s happening out there?" Dai Zhi asked sternly, clearly disappointed by the results. After joining the Temple of Light because of his master''s pestering, he had not gotten a single thing in return. So far it was all a huge letdown.


    The white-robed man lowered his head even more, almost touching the ground now.


    "My lord they are in the same position as us. Many of their people have disappeared as well. No one knows what''s going on," he exined while droplets of sweat poured down the side of his face. He was only supposed to be responsible for the temple, to take care of it while the tournament was going on so all this was way above his paygrade.


    "Enough, get up," Dai Zhi looked away with knitted brows.


    "Gather my men, I will go take a look in person," he said with a wave of his hand. An unknown force pushed the white-robed man out the door. He was about to let out a breath of relief when Dai Zhi''s voice came again.


    "Has the second guardian not contacted us either?"


    "Y-Yes my lord," he replied quickly.


    "Go, get everyone ready."


    The door closed on its own, relieving the pressure that the white-robed man was facing. He could barely breathe standing in front of him. Only he knew how different Dai Zhi was from his public persona. The kind, gentle, alwaysughing young master that everyone knew him as did not exist. He was cold beyond reason.


    Dai Zhi sat on the ivory throne and peered out of the window.


    "Deimos..." he mumbled softly.


    His aunt had reached out to him a few days ago. Telling him to keep an eye on the second guardian. Apparently he had a special rtionship with Ceni.


    His expression turned even colder as he thought about his half-sister. Not many people knew this but the reason he had to leave home was because of Ceni''s mother. And now her daughter was also taking part in the tournament, and with a guardian to boot.


    "Looks like the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree. Like mother like daughter. God damn whores!" if looks could kill, his would have ughtered millions.


    Even though he said all these hateful things, his expression didn''t reflect any of those emotions. Like a statue, he kept a straight face throughout.


    "It will be my time soon..."


    ***


    The valley of Poisons, near the North-East border.


    Hao Xuan stood in the shadow of a giant boulder, carefully examining the small valley in front. Tens of small metal structures decorated the inside of the valley, with the asional scream or twoing from the opposite corner.

 Chapter 443: Houses

    <h4>Chapter 443: Houses</h4>


    It was a closed valley with a 10-meter wide hole going straight into the ground on the other side. Along the two sides were the structures with the center being leftpletely open, creating a sort of road that was about 7-8 meters in width, leading straight into the mouth of the hole.


    The structures looked like they were made from rusty metal pieces just pieced together randomly to create a habitable ce of dwelling.


    "There''s slightly more than 500 of them. It looks like a temporary camp since I don''t see any shriekers," Hao Xuan mused.


    After getting some basic information about them, Hao Xuan had Baracus tell him everything about them.


    The roaches he was looking at currently were between 1.5 to 2 meters in height with rough weapons and pieces of armor. They could be seen scurrying around, moving rocks and boulders and to make space for new structures. Obviously they were nning to stay here for a while.


    These were the absolute weakest of their species, with power levels at around Origin Realm. Aspared to normal human beings, they would be around 20 times stronger with just their physical strength alone. Not to mention the weapons on their weapons which fired energy bolts that could burn through most things.


    Other than cultivators or stronger species, not many could stand against them.


    And then there were the more powerful ''units'', each with their own roles.


    A shrieker was a roach of about 1 meter in height, much smaller than normal ones. It was born without eyes and its upper limbs were weak to the point of being useless. But its sensory perception organs had reached a new height. It was able to pick up slightest sounds from over 5,000 meters away, observe the change in temperature and even detect spiritual energy to some extent.


    Shriekers only came out with a type of roach called "Scum". This one had full body armor, advanced weapons and was even able to cultivate a strange type of method to raise its own power. They were the elites of their race.


    "Baracus, do you think they will have a trader in there?" Hao Xuan asked somewhat stiffly. He knew all the terms but it felt weird saying them out loud for the first time.


    *Beep*


    "Most likely. Each camp of significant size should have one. Since they are expanding this one, a trader should already be in charge," Baracus responded swiftly, ignoring Hao Xuan''s tone.


    A trader was not a fighter. It was like a manager of sorts and in charge of most roach camps. It had extremely high intelligence and was even able to speak manynguages. It was called a trader because that''s what it did.


    The roaches were part of an alliance of outer tribes that were all in the same situation. They were willing to be on rtively friendly terms with one another and if one was part of it, they could go and find any of these traders to buy all kinds of things from them.


    And since roaches were basically looters and hoarders by nature, they usually had a lot of things to sell.


    Hao Xuan, of course, was not part of this alliance, but Poriverse was. Poriverse had designed intergctic ships for several outer tribes and held a very respectable position in their eyes.


    After finding this out, Hao Xuan really wanted to at least take a look at their wares once. They had weapons, rare materials from the deep space and others and races they had ransacked. It was basically a treasure trove for someone like him.


    "You really think they will deal with me?" Hao Xuan asked warily.


    It would not be easy to escape if he just walked in like that.


    "Yes. You have progenitors identification code so it should work. The ''roaches'' as you so kindly call them, are quite loyal despite their many ws and most importantly, they respect power. Progenitor did some truly valuable work for two of the biggest houses in their species. As long as you can prove your identity, they will treat you like royalty."


    Just like any other species, Roaches also had their own religions.


    The Roaches served five different Gods, each with their own ''House'' of worship. Their governing system was a mix of Theocracy and Monarchy. The upper echelons were ruled by these houses, while the lower echelons of roach society were governed by their Kings that were chosen by the ruling houses.


    It was all quiteplicated from an outsider''s point of view but Roaches had never had an internal fight or at least none that outsiders knew about. They worked together and fought together against all enemies and were a force to be reckoned with.


    "Progenitor did some work for the House of the White Sun and the House of the ck Serpent so they won''t dare harm you."


    With Baracu''s constant reassurances, Hao Xuan decided to take the risk. It seemed like they had been here for a while and might know something about this. Not to mention their inventory which was filled with items from across the universe.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and the mask was called back to his body. Since he was going to do something so risky, he was nning on making an entirely new identity.


    "Do it," he mumbled while closing his eyes.


    "Alright," Baracus replied with an excited tone. Even he was looking forward to meeting this trader.


    With a slight sizzling sound, minuscule droplets of silver nanotech poured out of the pores of Hao Xuan''s face. Drop by drop they came out of his skin and stuck to it like glue.


    When there were enough, the droplets melded together and created a hard surface. A mask that covered his entire face was created. It looked like apletely different human-like face with a tinge of silver on it.


    When the face wasplete, Hao Xuan jumped down andnded at the very entrance of the valley where four roach foot soldiers stood guard.

 Chapter 444: Houses Continued

    <h4>Chapter 444: Houses Continued</h4>


    "Kreeuueeek!" two of the soldiers shouted in unison as they pointed their weapons at Hao Xuan, while the other two soldiers moved in front of the entrance and covered it with their own bodies.


    Hao Xuan looked at the two in the back with a raised eyebrow. They had some kind of symbols on the palms of their hands which they moved around threateningly like it was a loaded gun.


    Hao Xuan extended his left hand and a hologram was projected on top of his palm. Now that the nanotech was imbedded in basically each and every part of his body, Hao Xuan could do something simple like this with a single thought.


    The projected hologram was a soundwave that started ying as soon as Hao Xuan willed. It sounded almost identical to thenguage the roaches were speaking, only a bit robotic. Although Hao Xuan understood theirnguage with Baracus''s help, he could not speak it for it required a type ofrynx with several, separate moving parts.


    "Kuree Reuak Rakaa."


    The hologram''s sound echoed in the now silent valley entrance. The roaches had expressions ofplete shock and amazement on their weird-looking faces as they looked at Hao Xuan like a freak.


    One of them came forward and spoke again, in response to which the hologram produced yet another sound. They talked back and forth for a couple of times before one of the soldiers turned around and ran straight into the hole at the other end of the valley.


    By now their interaction had created quite a bit ofmotion. Within seconds hundreds of roaches rushed out and surrounded Hao Xuan, but none of them attacked. They weren''t even pointing weapons at him now.


    The mask Hao Xuan was wearing cracked a smile. It was attached directly to his skin so it showed all his expressions in real-time.


    ''Looks like Poriverse was right. Extremely low intelligence, equivalent to a 5-6-year-old human child. I just randomly told them I was here to meet the trader to make a deal and they epted it just like that, without even asking for any proof.''


    Although the foot soldiers were extremely strong whenpared to an average human, they were much dumber. Their brains had limited growth, which Proivserse theorized was due to an outside force. It was probably the ruling houses that kept the soldiers dumb on purpose, to keep them obedient and satisfied.


    Hao Xuan stood there calmly while the roaches ogled him like a piece of meat. Many of them were even drooling but Hao Xuan only thought they were cute. He had even cannibalized other humans to a degree so seeing him being treated much the same way was not off-putting at all. It actually made him a little hungry.


    ''I wonder what they taste like...'' Hao Xuan thought looking at their giant arms and legs. They looked almost identical to some of the crab species from earth.


    ''I''ve never tried crab...'' his pupils started glowing with a strange luster as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva while looking at the ''menu'' in front of him. If they wanted to make trouble, he would be more than willing to oblige.


    "Hehehe..." Hao Xuan identallyughed out loud. He had fallen into a sort of trance where all he could see was food around him.


    "Kueerureaak!"


    The soldier that had gone into the hole came out a few minutester. It was only then that Hao Xuan was awakened from his stupor. He looked at the soldier who gestured for him to follow.


    Hao Xuan was still using Nidhora''s power, he was in fact covered in the ck shadows from head to toe. If there was any issue, he could simply jump into his shadow and escape, although that would not be his first choice.


    He followed after the anxious soldier. It looked like its behavior had changed. It wasn''t as aggressive or as open as before but stole nces at him every now and then in secret.


    Hao Xuan walked through their ''camp'' but when he reached the end where the hole was, he stopped. There was a structure that was muchrger than the others just beside the hole. It wasn''t its size that caught his attention but the scenting from it, the ''scent'' of human blood. The slightly metallic smell said a lot about what was in there.


    "Kureee!"


    Seeing him stop, the soldier turned around and spoke again. Hao Xuan sighed and stopped thinking about it. These people knew what they hade for, they wouldn''t bat an eye killing them so it was only normal to expect the same.


    The hole, unexpectedly, did not go straight down. Instead, it slowly inclined at an angle of 30 degrees. There were yellow light stones ced at equal intervals along the sides.


    Hao Xuan carefully observed at the uneven marks around the walls.


    ''It doesn''t seem to be made from machinery. A beast of some kind? But if it is a beast, it has to be huge.''


    The tunnel was only about 10-meter wide at the start but slowly expanded the deeper they went. The temperature also started to rise the deeper they went. There wasn''t even a single roach here other than the one leading him. After walking for three to four minutes, the roach came to a stop in front of a massive steel door.


    It looked like the door to a really old vault. With numerous scratches and marks on the outside, it looked quite worn out. There was also some rust here and there.


    In front of this door stood two more roaches, but they were different from all the others Hao Xuan had seen so far.


    They had a pair of arms on each side of their body, two eyes on each side of the face, and an overall much more human-like demeanor. They wore white masks over their mouths, which looked like they were used to help them breathe. The legs seemed more beastly than like insects.


    There were two swords on the back of each of them and some kind of ranged weapons on the side of their waists. They stood there with hands crossed, staring at Hao Xuan without any perceptible emotions.


    They were only about 1.7 meters in height, smaller than roach leading Hao Xuan butmanded a much greater authority even just by standing there. A faint pressure fell upon Hao Xuan as soon as he met their eyes.


    It was the same look he had seen in the eyes of Zeng Yu (introduced around chapter 172) who was a decorated soldier having fought in the front lines for tens of decades. These two seemingly normal guards gave the same pressure as an experiencedmander from the Mei Kingdom.


    The guard on the left waved his hand like he was shooing away a stray dog and the roach that had brought him here ran away as fast he possibly could.


    When it was only the three of them left, the guard on the right came forward and held out a metal b with many different characters on it. Hao Xuan recognized a few of them from memory. They belonged to many different kinds of outer tribes.


    In response, Hao Xuan raised his left hand again and a hologram appeared above his palm. It was a an extremelyplicated 3d character which over 200 lines connecting with one another.


    A ray of light fell on the hologram from the metal b. It scanned it a few times before disying a row of simr character on its screen.


    The guard nodded and stored away metal b.


    ''Probably a way to determine my identity. Looks like it worked...''


    The character Hao Xuan had shown him was designed by Poriverse himself, sort of like his own signature.


    Seeing as everything was done, the guard on the left moved to the vault door and pressed his hand against it, pushing it open without exerting much force.


    The vault door soundlessly opened just enough for Hao Xuan to pass through. It was more than 7-8 meters thick.


    The guard gestured with his head for Hao Xuan to enter.

 Chapter 445: Houses Continued (2)

    <h4>Chapter 445: Houses Continued (2)</h4>


    From start to finish, neither guard had said anything. They didn''t even show any emotions looking at Hao Xuan. Like he wasn''t even there.


    Judging from how they handled themselves and the looks in their eyes, Hao Xuan guessed, and rightly so, that they should have the same intelligence as that of a 16-18-year-old human. But as to their power, he was not able to see through it.


    The guard on the left had pushed open the almost 8-meter thick metallic door like it was made of light wood so its physical prowess alone made it stronger than 70% of normal cultivators around the Spirit Realm. Only cultivators that had good physiques and constitutions would be able to go head to head with these guys using raw strength. Hao Xuan was, of course, one of these people.


    His strength was 14 times higher than that of someone at his level should be. With a dull smile, Hao Xuan nodded at the guard on the left and reached out with his left hand, cing it on the vault door like he was using it to climb in.


    It looked extremely simple but Hao Xuan''s muscles were flexed to the extreme under his clothes. If not for Nidhora''s power concealing his body in her shadow, his biceps would have bulked up to almost double the size.


    Using 50% of his overall strength and a bit of Chaos energy, Hao Xuan clenched his hand.


    Instantly, the vault door made a sound like it was crying and the entire section Hao Xuan was holding onto bent like it was made of wax.


    Both the guards and Hao Xuan himself were startled by the sound. He quickly pulled back his hand and saw the handprint on the vault door, embedded eight inches into the metal door.


    "!!!"


    Both the guard''s expression changed to one of shock and then that of wariness as they looked over at Hao Xuan with deathly res but found him staring at his own hand in confusion.


    ''Is that door made of normal metal? How the fuck did it just bent in like that? God damnit! Now I gotta pay for this shit too. Wait! I can just pretend it had nothing to do with me!'' he was panicking inside but kept a straight face.


    Hao Xuan looked up at the guards and shrugged innocently before casually walking in like what just happened had nothing to do with him.


    The guard on the left raised his hand to try and stop him but Hao Xuan was like a shadow and had already gone in.


    Even this alien roach was left speechless at the human''s actions. But seeing as Hao Xuan had already left, both the guards came up to the vault door and did the same thing as Hao Xuan. After a few tries, they both gave up.


    There was not a single scratch on the metal door. And how could there be? It was mined from asteroids that were found orbiting ck holes. It was a little rare to find but extremely dangerous to get as any ship that got close enough would be swallowed by the ck hole. Yet the asteroids with this metal were unaffected by the ck holes pull for some reason.


    It was extremely durable and could block every single type of physical and energy-based attacks. Or that''s what they thought until now.


    Under the breathing masks, both the guard''s mouth were opened wide. No matter how they tried the door was unaffected.


    **


    Hao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief when he didn''t hear the guards running up to him.


    ''Looks like they gave up, thank god...''


    After the vault door was a stone hallway. There was dust everywhere and it looked pretty old. It should have been here for a long time.


    Hao Xuan''s brows furrowed.


    He thought the roaches had dug into this ce randomly but that did not seem to be the case. It looked like they knew this structure was here and was their target all along. From an initial examination, it seemed to be thousands of years old.


    Hao Xuan moved along the hallway while looking around. There were missing tiles every few steps but that seemed to have happened a long time ago. There were scratch marks and what seemed to be dried blood in a few ces as well, like a fight had taken ce.


    The hallway twisted and turned several times before finally opening up into a giant circr room.


    "Ah, wee wee!" before Hao Xuan could even enter, he heard a raspy voice from the other side. But after taking a single step inside he saw the person that was talking.


    There was only one individual in this more than 50-meter wide room. He was standing on the right side next to big piles of ''something''. The piles were covered by some type of cloth-like material that asionally moved on its own so Hao Xuan wasn''t able to see what was under it.


    Hao Xuan looked over to the man that was looking in his direction. He had just spoken in the beast world''s mostmonnguage.


    This was the trader Hao Xuan hade to meet.


    He was about 1.6 meters tall with a hood covering the top half of his bodypletely. Even his face wasn''t visible under it no matter how hard Hao Xuan tried to see. His figure was slightly hunched and he looked like an old man from afar with the drooping shoulders.


    "Wee dear customer!" the trader raised his hands like he was weing back a hero.


    But instead of replying in a cordial manner, Hao Xuan chose to go in a different direction. From what Poriverse had known about these guys, showing things like gentleness and friendliness would make them look down on you. They as a species respected the cold-natured individuals so being nice to them would not go well.


    "Which house are you from?" Hao Xuan asked emotionlessly. His tone neither amiable nor aggressive.


    The trader faltered.


    "Dear customer, why don''t you have a seat first?" he tried to y it off.


    Hao Xuan''s brows visibly knit together in displeasure. He opened his mouth and out came a strangenguage that sounded like Latin but with a lot of clicks.


    This was thenguage used by the upper echelon of the Cadivus society. If one did not belong to a house, they would not even be able to understand it and only the ones from the main bloodlines were allowed to speak thenguage.


    "Which house do you belong to?" he asked.


    The trader''s body shook like a bolt of electricity had just gone past him.

 Chapter 446: Mirek

    <h4>Chapter 446: Mirek</h4>


    Hao Xuan coldly stared at the dark robbed trader that looked like a shady character from a video game. asionally a slithering sound like that of snakes moving across human skin woulde from his face.


    Even Poriverse had never seen these traders in person. His every interaction happened through intermediaries, ves that he sent on his behalf. Out of all the roaches, it was these traders that were the most mysterious even more so than the House Lords and Emperors that controlled their entire race.


    Poriverse had guessed traders were an anomaly, an unexpected evolution within the roach species, something that should not normally exist. He had been quite curious about them and wanted to study them in detail but never got the chance.


    And with Hao Xuan having inherited most of his memories and thoughts was equally intrigued.


    The trader''s body trembled once before he regained his once again.


    "The most sincerest of apologies esteemed customer, I was not aware you were acquainted with the House elders," he said humbly, even bowing from the waist which was not usually epted in their culture. They could only bow in front of the Altar and to no one else.


    But in human society, it wasn''t such a big deal. Obviously he was an informed and educated individual.


    He straightened his back once again, well, as much as it would straighten and continued in a much more respectful tone.


    "I belong to the House of The Obsidian Neb, dear customer. Does esteemed customer know anyone from our house? If so I could give you a discount if you could give me their identification number."


    Hao Xuan unconsciously broke out in a somewhat sinister smile but hid it almost instantly. Normally traders would never give discounts. They worked onmission from each sale so it made a huge part of their own profits. It didn''t matter who a person knew (unless of course it was royalty they were acquainted with) they would never get a discount.


    The trader giving Hao Xuan a discount now meant three things.


    One, he was trying to see how high in the house Hao Xuan''s reach went and thereby find his identity. There weren''t a lot of humans that were allowed to do business with them so he would surely be known somewhere by someone.


    Two, the discount he was offering did not exist. The difference would being out of his own pocket.


    Third, he probably crossed a line and was sent to this as a punishment.


    This guy was obviously not an amateur judging from his fluentnguage, humble mannerisms and reaction to Hao Xuan speaking their mother tongue.


    He most probably pissed someone very high up off ormitted a crime and was here on a "forced vacation". He would barely find any customers here and in turn, barely make any money himself.


    But Hao Xuan wasn''t going to let this opportunity go either. He recalled some of the individuals Poriverse knew or heard off. Only one of them was in the House of the Obsidian Neb. So with a stone-cold expression, he replied.


    "It''s been a long time since I met with anyone from the Houses," he lied through his teeth, intentionally trying to mystify himself as much as possible. "Is that kid Mirek still doing well? Last time I met with him he wanted me to build him a new starship but I didn''t have time so only gave him a few suggestions."


    Hao Xuan sounded like he was recalling some old memories, his gaze softening a tad bit. Mirek was a young roach Royal from Obsidian Neb House Poriverse met with the first time he went to talk to the house lord of the House of the ck Serpent.


    Back then he wasn''t anything special, quite azy guy in reality. Poriverse ignored him for the most part. He liked to travel and went all over the ce so pestered Poriverse for a new ship design until he gave him some scraps.


    Hao Xuan intentionally chose someone low-key because it would be trouble if he named a famous person, especially someone that was still up and about. Considering Poriverses''s interaction with him was more than ten to fifteen thousand years ago, he should have long passed away even with the roach''s long lifespans.


    The trader froze for a second. It wasn''t for long but enough for Hao Xuan to notice.


    "Y-Yes, Great Lord Mirek is doing well, I will let him know a friend of his came to me, he will be very happy," the trader replied energetically, but Hao Xuan''s heart almost skipped a beat.


    ''Motherfucker! That kid''s still alive?!?''


    But Hao Xuan didn''t let his panic show. He cleared his throat before continuing.


    "O-Oh, how has he been doing? It''s been a while since Ist saw him. Is he still running around that crappy ship I gave him? What did he call it, rose something?"


    ''There was no way he would have kept the same ship for so long....right?''


    But hearing Hao Xuan''s words, the trader''s body visibly shook once again and he backed up a step. The excitement he was feeling just a second suddenly vanished, reced by a seed of doubt. The ship Hao Xuan mentioned was pretty famous. Mirek had had it since he was a child and many people even made fun of him for it, behind his back of course.


    He looked up and peered at Hao Xuan from the corner of his eye. This human looked extremely young and wasn''t even older than himself, so how could he be talking about something like this? The obvious answer was he was bluffing! But he didn''t let it show and continued to act surprised and happy.


    "He is doing great! Lord Mirek recently broke through to the next realm and is now a contender for the next House Lord! And Lord Mirek''s, ''Rose Petal'' vessel has gone through many changes. It is now a deep space travel vessel that he uses personally," the trader sounded like he was about to pass out from the excitement. Little did he knew Hao Xuan was much in the same condition.


    "Hmmm," Hao Xuan nodded satisfactorily and smiled stiffly for the first time like he was hearing about an old friend.


    But his heart was about to burst out of his chest.


    ''Sweet baby Jesus! Thatzy fuckwad is in line for House Lord??! Fucking hell, time really is the best teacher! And he still has the ship?!''


    From what Hao Xuan knew from Poriverse''s memories, House Lord''s cultivation was immeasurably deep. They were at the same level as actual gods!


    If Mirek knew his name was being thrown about here, he would probably not be very happy.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and calmed himself down as much as he could but a storm was brewing in his chest. He was starting to sweat under the mask.


    "Good good. I''ll have to pay him a visit when I''m done here with my business. Don''t tell him anything yet, I want to surprise him. Plus I''m working for a new client so don''t want information getting out," he quickly made up an excuse but it only made the trader doubt him more.


    Under his robe, the trader grabbed onto a small ck ball, ready to throw it out instantly.


    Hao Xuan looked straight towards the trader, where his eyes would be under the hood.


    "Only you know I''m here, this information better not leak out, understand?" he was trying to sound authoritative but his voice quivered a couple of times during the sentence.


    Unfortunately, the trader was looking for a reason and tightened his grasp around the ck ball. ''One more reason, give me one more reason!''''


    He swiftly bowed once again.


    "Of course respected Sir!"


    Hao Xuan went from an esteemed guest to respected sir. At this point both of them wanted to end this interaction as soon as possible.


    "Good," Hao Xuan nodded inly and waved his hand.


    "Bring me the inventory you have here, whatever you have for sale. I''m short on time. I need both goods and information, whatever you are allowed to give."


    The trader was waiting for that and quickly jumped up in joy.


    "Yes sir!"


    He went towards a pile nearby and took out a ss panel with a metal frame. This was like a mini quantumputer that was connected to their entirework.


    "Please enter your information here, respected sir," he said passing it to Hao Xuan.


    Thisputer would find Hao Xuan''s identity and if there were any inconsistencies, he would attack at once.

 Chapter 447: Dear Customer

    <h4>Chapter 447: Dear Customer</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s brows were locked in a tight furrow as he stared at the ss panel in his hands.


    They were several hundred feet underground, near the foot of a volcano but the temperature in this room was pretty cold. Yet Hao Xuan couldn''t help but sweat under the mask.


    The trader was looking at his every move extremely carefully and he realized that as well so without wasting any more time talking, Hao Xuan started entering Poriverse''s details.


    On the screen were three empty fields without anything under or above them. If someone was looking at them for the first time they would probably be a little confused without any exnation but everything rted to it was burned into Hao Xuan''s mind.


    He left the top two fields empty and tapped on thest one. A keyboard popped up in an aliennguage. Hao Xuan had never seen this before but he knew exactly it was.


    He looked up and cracked a smile at the trader.


    There were more than 32 different characters on the keyboard. Hao Xuan''s hands moved like he had done this a million times before as he expertly entered one character after another.


    *Tap*Tap*Tap*


    Without any hesitation whatsoever, Hao Xuan continued to tap away at the screen for over five minutes. After the first few seconds, he got used to it and the tapping sound actually created a sort of melody if one listened carefully.


    The trader that was full of doubt and suspicion at first somewhat rxed seeing that. Right now Hao Xuan was entering Poriverse''s 750 character long code.


    Poriverse had created just this code to identify himself but the chances of someone finding it out were rare, to say the least. They were in apletely random sequence that made no sense whatsoever.


    Hao Xuan tapped the screen for the final time and it went nk. he handed the panel back to the trader and sat down unceremoniously on a chair that had been ced on the side. The trader looked at the panel until a light popped up.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t see what was on it but he rxed a little seeing as the trader still hadn''t attacked him.


    ''Probably shouldn''t have impersonated Poriverse, that was a stupid mistake. I could have just imed to be his student or something,'' he cursed himself internally.


    The trader, on the other hand, waspletely lost in what he was seeing.


    After Hao Xuan entered the 750 character long code, all his information including prior dealing was pulled up. It was both good and bad at the same time.


    The good thing was that there were recorded transactions going as far back as 20,000 years ago. This confirmed ''his'' or rather Poriverse''s age. It was entirely possible that he could have met Mirek.


    But the bad thing was there were absolutely no other details about the individual who owned this ount. It didn''t mention his species, his age, his affiliations, all the things that were required to be a customer in the first ce.


    ''How is this possible??'' the old trader went back and forth, pulling up all the previous transactions one by one but the more he looked, the worse his expression got. More than half of the transactions were redacted.


    Meaning he didn''t have the authority to view them and were above his clearance level. As a trader, the only transactions he wasn''t allowed to see where the ones that had something to do with the inner workings of their species.


    He looked back up at Hao Xuan who seemed to be sitting as calmly as one could be, like he was in his own garden. But there was no way this human in front of him was a monster that old. It was a difference in bearing than anything else and for someone like him that had dealt with hundreds of thousands of customers of all kinds, he could tell.


    ''Maybe he''s lying but there is no way to prove it. But in the off chance he''s not, I''d rather not get involved with someone like this.''


    Thinking up to here, the trader just wanted to finish their dealings as soon as he possibly could. He was already on thin ice and couldn''t afford to make mistakes.


    So with Hao Xuan''s identity out of the way, the trader handed the panel back to him. He was neither servile nor aggressive and treated him as he would any other customer.


    "Everything checks out dear customer. You have 5,000 credits left in your ount right now. If you would like to sell something then I am allowed to purchase for as high as 20,000 credits, that is my limit."


    Hao Xuan took the panel and looked at the new page that was in the samenguage as before. This was the roach''s officialnguage. His mind tranted the characters on its own and he could read it just like it was his nativenguage.


    "5,000 credits, huh?" he mumbled.


    Poriverse didn''t leave any memories about the number of credits in the ount so it was news to Hao Xuan as well.


    Speaking of credits, they were the currency used in the space. It was used even in the beast world but at very high levels. One credit would be equal to hundreds of millions of gold coins if he actually wanted to trade, but no one in their right mind would do that.


    You could buy gold with credits but not credits with gold. It would be the same as wanting to trade some sort of heavenly wine for manure.


    The first page was very clean with a few main categories listed and some extra information in front of them.


    -Terraforming equipment


    -ve Auction (War Beasts only avable for Tier 5 and above customers)


    -Ships (Terrestrial and Inteary)


    -Vessels (Gctic), (Deep Space made to order for Tier 5 and above customers)


    -Information


    -Raw Materials


    -Weapons


    -Manuals (Battle skills, Scriptures, Techniques)


    -Bounties


    -Protection


    There were 7 tiers of customers. Tier 5 seemed to be a dividing point where a lot of products and services were only avable to the ones above that. Hao Xuan''s tier was tier 4 at the moment.


    "Ho, you guys sure expanded quickly eh..." Hao Xuanmented unconsciously but the trader pretended not to hear him.


    In Poriverses memories, there weren''t anywhere near as many things as mentioned here. Back then it was pretty rudimentary with the only things on sale being the ones they looted from others. But it seemed like they had now had their own operations and offered a lot of services as well like "Protection".


    It was funny to see something like this from them, like seeing kidnappers providing protection services.


    Seeing as Hao Xuan was taking his time going over everything, the trader decided to speak up after some hesitation.


    "Dear customer, our records show that you have some pending credits leftover from some previous deals. If you would like to receive them, you''ll have to visit one of thes where we have our headquarters. After going through a small confirmation process, all the credits will be handed over to you."


    Hao Xuan peered up at him with a raised brow.


    "What pending credits?"


    "It seems to be some sort of royalty from a previous transaction you made. But since you didn''t log in for several millenniums, it needs to be epted by you in person for the first time at least. Your tier will also be upgraded at that point."


    "Hmm..."


    Hao Xuan nodded mindlessly.


    That was too far ahead to think about and he might not even get the chance to go to space. He looked back down at the screen and clicked on the ve section.


    "Are the humans you picked you from this for sale yet?"


    ***


    While Hao Xuan was busy talking to the trader, a storm was brewing above ground. The Academy, the Hall, and the Temples first guardians got together and found out it wasn''t any of their doing. In fact, almost all of them had lost contact with the majority of the newly arrived participants.

 Chapter 448: Tian Zheng

    <h4>Chapter 448: Tian Zheng</h4>


    In a dark room somewhere, three people stood facing each other in a triangle.


    On the left was Dai Zhi. He looked like his usual picture-perfect handsome and gentle self, just like any ordinary young master. His expression was kind of cold at the moment and it was clear he did not want to be here.


    In the middle was a bald teenager in a gold robe, smiling wide like a child that was invited to a birthday partyst minute. If Hao Xuan was here he would recognize him instantly, this was the same guy that stopped Stasa at the ball earlier.


    On the right side was a tall and muscr man. He had short ck hair that were standing straight up, a high nose bridge and dark eyes. He was wearing a jacket without a shirt underneath, exposing his well-built abs that seemed to be chiseled out of marble. He wasn''t as handsome as Dai Zhi but still very good looking, more in the conventional sense than anything else.


    With a nonchnt smile on his face, he was looking right at Dai Zhi.


    "Dima, why was this meeting necessary?" Dai Zhi was the first one to speak up. He was looking at the bald teen but everyone knew he was talking to the muscr man. "It''s already been worked out, we should get going already."


    The bald teen who was called Dima (probably a nickname) chuckled lightly.


    "Senior brother Dai Zhi, it was senior brother Tian Zheng that called the meeting, not me."


    Obviously Dai Zhi knew this but he didn''t want to talk to Tian Zheng himself. But now he didn''t have a choice. He looked over the muscr Tian Zheng who was grinning ear to ear.


    "Dai Zhi, why are you so mad? It was just a few nobodies. I told you I would take any heat that came from this matter," he said earnestly.


    Dai Zhi''s expression turned a little ugly hearing that. He took a step forward and a red hue appeared in his pupils.


    "You killed an entire team! We had an understanding that neither of us would join the fights themselves and even if we did, killing like this was not allowed. You broke the rules and now ask why I am mad? You filthy inc-" when he reached to this point, Dai Zhi forcefully stopped himself.


    But Tian Zheng who was rtively rxed until now suddenly became serious. His expression turned cold. Dai Zhi didn''t need to finish the sentence for him to know what he wanted to say. He was well aware of what people said behind his back.


    A formless pressure fell on the room as both of them red at each other in silence.


    It was Dima who seemed even more out of ce standing innocently between these two. After a few minutes of intense silence, he finally spoke up.


    "S-Senior brothers, why don''t we take a little break?" he suggested meekly. In front of these two monsters, he really didn''t know what to say or do.


    Even though he wasn''t weak, both of them were much stronger than him. They had been staying in the Spirit Realm on purpose to refine all of their energies intows before advancing, something even he didn''t have the willpower to do.


    And who could me him? It took years upon years to refinews even for someone with really high talents. How many of these arrogant young masters and holy sons could force themselves to stay in the spirit Realm for what could be decades? Seeing all their peers pass them, stepping onto the main stage of the cultivation world and connect with the world while they teetered on the outskirts?


    If a person didn''t have a strong heart and the willpower to go along with it, they could give birth to inner demons that would one day destroy them if given the opportunity.


    Both these guys would have stepped into the profound realm more than a decade ago if they so desired. Under normal circumstances, they would be locked up in different ces trying to refinews but now because of the tournament, they were forced toe out.


    If not for Dima''s father ordering himst minute to join, he would have nevere here willingly, he didn''t need to.


    Tian Zheng snorted and turned around, his body disappearing into the darkness with every step.


    Dai Zhi looked at the ce he had disappeared to with obvious disgust.


    "He''s a disgrace to our institutions. How bad does the hall want this victory that they were willing to send someone like him here?" he mumbled.


    Dima could only smile weekly at the side, not willing to incriminate himself in any way.


    Dai Zhi also turned around and took a step before pausing to look at Dima, "I can count on your help this time around?"


    He asked a question but it sounded more like a statement of fact. He both asked and answered it at the same time.


    Dima bobbed his head up and down, "Of course senior brother, whatever you need!"


    "Good..."


    Dai Zhi''s body also became transparent before vanishing from the room. Dima sighed and snapped his fingers.


    A light had been turned on. He was standing in a white spherical room with many runes on the surrounding walls.

 Chapter 449: Tian Zheng Continued

    <h4>Chapter 449: Tian Zheng Continued</h4>


    Dima let out a breath of relief. The pressure those two exerted on each other was mostly felt by him since they both weren''t here physically. For absolutely no reason at all, Dima was the one that got the worst of it.


    Wiping the sweat off his shiny forehead, he walked out of the circr room. He walked through a couple of empty hallways and came out to a balcony overlooking a small city of gold and silver.


    There was one person already there on the balcony. She was sitting on a sofafortably, eating grapes that shone with a purple light. A sweet scent wasing of off each grape as she chewed loudly. She wore a white frilly dress, the exact same one she was wearing at the ball (introduced around ch 405).


    "How did it go?" her voice came into Dima''s ears before he had even reached the balcony.


    He came out and rested his elbows on the railing as warm air passed over his skinny head.


    "What do you think? Senior Dai Zhi can''t even be in the same room as him. He wants me to act as an intermediary every time," Dima replied helplessly.


    The girl giggled innocently.


    "Can you me him? It''s not often you see people practicing such outdated traditions in this day and age. Not that Tian Zheng has such a noble cause. It''s just his fetish."


    Dima turned his head halfway and looked at her suspiciously, "You know what they were talking about?"


    Now it was the girl''s turn to be surprised. For a couple of seconds her mouth opened wide before she broke outughing.


    "Haha, I forgot you barely spend any time here. Almost everybody knows this, it''s not really a secret."


    Hesitation was apparent on Dima''s face before he finally found the courage to ask.


    "Can you tell me?"


    The girlughed again before smiling at him meaningfully, "Of course, like I said, it''s not a secret. You know about the Tian n right?"


    Dima shrugged, "Aren''t they just an old n? Why are they so special?"


    The girl threw a few other grapes in her mouth before standing up and going next to Dima. She snapped her fingers and a single massive symbol appeared beneath their feet and created an invisible barrier.


    "It''s not the Tian n that''s famous, but their secret art," she started exining.


    The sun was about to set in the distance so the sky was dyed in a hue of scarlet red, making the city underneath look almost like a painting.


    She looked at Dima in the eyes before continuing, "Only one person from each generation is allowed to cultivate the secret art. It greatly increases the person''s talents and aptitude, allowing them to better understand all sorts of energies and even refinews that would normally be out of reach. But, it''s not free."


    "This secret art, it was derived from ancient devils and demons. For a person to cultivate it, they have to ''partake'' in some truly vile endeavors."


    Dima was thoroughly engrossed by now so when the girl paused, he quickly asked, "What endeavors?"


    "All kinds. From things like self-muttion, cannibalism, incest, matricide, neonaticide, to ****, murder, genocide etc etc. They basically have tomit one type of sin each, of every single kind. That''s why only one member of each generation is allowed to cultivate it, otherwise, their bloodline would go extinct from doing all those things."


    The girl sounded like she was talking about somethingpletely normal which shocked Dima to the core.


    "E-Everyone knows about this?! And they allow it??" he asked with a stammer.


    The girl nodded.


    "Because they don''t cross the line. They keep it under control, only killing when necessary for the secret art. Plus the Tian n is filthy rich and pays off most people and things. Not to mention when cultivated to the middle stage, the secret art truly starts to shine and bestows on the cultivator a power that is, for theck of a better word, earth-shattering. They are strong beyond belief and not easy to kill either with their many life-preserving methods."


    "So most families look the other way. They would have to pay too big a price to eradicate thempletely, leaving even a single member of their family alive would be too dangerous."


    Dima was left speechless by her exnation.


    "No wonder..." he murmured upon remembering Dai Zhi''s expression.


    The girl waved her dainty little hand and patted Dima''s bald head.


    "Forget about him. Who''s going to go rescue the neers?"


    Dima snapped out of his daze and pushed her hand away which was ''molesting'' his scalp.


    "Senior Brother Dai Zhi will go himself. Princess Ceni is one of the participants that was taken so he wants to go rescue her himself."


    The girl couldn''t help chortle at the idea.


    "Yeah, he''ll "rescue" her alright, hahaha!"


    Dima frowned, "What?"


    The girl shook her head and turned away, trying to hold in theughter.


    "Nothing, just go with him. We can''t have the little princess just disappearing like this. Go and keep an eye on Dai Zhi. He won''t do anything with you there."

 Chapter 450: Bulk Purchase

    <h4>Chapter 450: Bulk Purchase</h4>


    "Are the humans you picked up from this for sale yet?" Hao Xuan asked casually while he browsed the ve section of the ''store''.


    On the first page alone were more than 150 different species for sale. From humans and beasts to all kinds of other alien species. In front of each species was the price and time for delivery if he ced an order right now.


    The earliest ve he would be able to get would take at least 6 months if transported from the nearest storage facility, or if he wanted instant delivery it could happen within a few hours but the cost would be about 20 times their original price.


    They would probably open a portal and directly send the ves over for the second option.


    The trader who was standing on the other side somewhat depressed instantly brightened up.


    "Yes, of course, everything is for sale! It would be best if we could sell them on the!"


    The cost of transportation and the risks involved were too much. They didn''t evene here for capturing ves and were very poorly equipped. If he could sell them right here and now he would be able to make a huge profit.


    "Hmm..." Hao Xuan mumbled something under his breath that the trader could not hear properly.


    Instead of making an offer, Hao Xuan decided to browse the store to see the actual worth of these few credits he had on him.


    In the ve auction section, he clicked on the blinking red characters that spelled out "War Beasts". A new screen opened up which listed a few names and some descriptions in front of them. All of them were slightly cked out, indicating that Hao Xuan was not able to purchase them but he could still see their details, at least of the ones up to tier 5.


    War Beasts, as the names suggested, were creatures born and raised for the sole purpose of war. They would have different uses and abilities. Some were used to protect ces, some used to attack. Some had special abilities that could disable or destroy barriers and some that were able to kill em mass.


    All of the listed had terrible powers. One that stood out from the rest was called an Unstoppable Ogre. It had the highest price at 7,500 credits for a single one of them. It''s description read:


    "Immune to all elemental attacks, it can only be harmed with brute force orws that are able to do internal damage. Armed with one giant eye on its forehead, it can fire a focusedser beam that is able to cut through normal barriers with ease. Especially effective against lurkers and assassin types."


    There was a picture next to it as well which showed an ugly humanoid creature standing straight on two limbs. It was 7 meters tall and 4 meters wide, weighing 40 tonnes. Where its head should have been was a massive white pustule with many outgrowths. It had no orifices at all.


    ''Is this the ''eye'' the description mentioned? Where the fuck is the forehead?'' Hao Xuan thought internally.


    He went down the list and saw many other War Beasts. Some were shaped like whales, dogs etc but the Unstoppable Ogre was the second smallest one here. The smallest War Beast was only 1.5 feet tall. It looked like a toy plushie.


    There was no description or name written for it, only price, which was 5,000 credits exactly.


    Hao Xuan''s brows knitted in confusion, ''What the hell is this thing?''


    It was light blue and furry, something out of a children''s cartoon. yet here it was in the "War Beasts" section...


    Giving it a couple of looks, he went back and into some of the other sections.


    It seemed like these 5,000 credits weren''t such a small amount. If it was back on earth, it would be equal to him having 5 million dors worth of spending money.


    He scrolled to ves that were Spirit realm equivalent cultivators and warriors. Most of them cost only about 50 to 100 credits while those with lower cultivation were for as low as five for only 1 credit.


    Those with specialized bloodlines were around 300 to 700 credits and Profound Realm ves were only around 400 credits. There were no Profound realm ves with special bloodlines for sale.


    "I don''t see the ones captured from here..." Hao Xuanmented.


    The trader stepped forward while rubbing his hands.


    "You see esteemed customer, we didn''t have time to process them yet, so technically they haven''t entered the system. If sir wants to buy in bulk, I can give you a discount," he said sheepishly.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even have to see his face to know he was smiling ear to ear.


    ''This asshole, he''s trying to sell them off the record so he can keep all the credits...'' Hao Xuan understood at once.


    "Yeah whatever, I''ll buy whichever ones you still have left alive. And I have to order a few other things as well so give me a good price," he said handing the ss panel back to him.


    "Of course sir, of course! Would you like to see them right now?"


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "They''re here? All of them?"


    The trader shook his head, "Not all of them, but we can bring them over within the hour."


    "Alright, do it," Hao Xuan waved his hand stood up.

 Chapter 451: Rankings

    <h4>Chapter 451: Rankings</h4>


    After finding out what was happening, Dai Zhi didn''t waste any time at all and called out every single cultivator under the academy that was currently on the and was free.


    Other than the Third Guardian, all of them more or less obligated to answer his call but many of them still refused. These were the youngsters from other powers that were stronger than the Dai n which supported him. All of them belonged to other Empires, Dynasties and Ancient ns. Even the Academy''s Holy Son didn''t have the right to order them around. The most he could do was ''request'' them to make an ''appearance''.


    On a mountaintop above the clouds, Dai Zhi stood at the very edge looking down at theyer of clouds below him. His crimson eyes emitted asional shes of red light. His gaze seemed to pierce through space as the scenes from several kilometers away were visible to him as clearly as day.


    Behind him was a group of almost a 100 people. It was made up of dashing young men and women that gave out fiery auras as they stood proudly in smaller groups.


    One man and one woman separated from the group and approached Dai Zhi. The man looked dashing, like a valiant hero from a fairytale.


    Short ck hair, puffed out chest, wide muscr shoulders and tall stature. There were two longswords attached to his waist, hilts made of a ck metal and white ivory.


    The girl was exceptionally beautiful. She gave off a very mature vibe even though she looked to be in her early twenties. She wore a white dress like she was going to a fancy party and had a gentle smile on her face.


    Her long, white hair waved with the asional gust of wind making her look like a Goddess.


    "Young Master," both of them said in unison beforeing up to stand beside him. The girl was on his right and the man on his left. Together, all of them looked like outstanding people and none of the others could evenpare to them.


    Although the said "Young Master", neither of their tones was servile. It was just a


    "Mhm, Nel, Aer, do you guys have any ideas?" Dai Zhi asked with a slight nod. His eyes still hadn''t moved from the spot he was initially looking at.


    Nel was the girl on the right. She was the Crown princess of the Empire of Neifion. A subsidiary of the Lynn n, one of the three big ns in control of the Academy.


    Aer was from an Ancient n, the n of Ya. There were extremely famous in the right circles as one of the most avid worshippers of the Temple of Light. Many of their people belonged to the Temple of light and held high positions which allowed them to venture far out in the deep space and make a name for themselves.


    But they weren''t weak in any sense of the word. They were one of the few ancient ns that were still actively trying to expand their influence in the outer worlds, and that meant war!


    They had constant battles with the other tribes, alien species, and whatnot. They had one of thergest deep space armies on the entire Beast world which made them absurdly rich and powerful.


    They were the self-proimed heralds of the Temple of Light and now they were backing up Dai Zhi as well.


    He had a lot of potential and was officially recognized by the Temple which made him even more valuable.


    "Whatever Young Master needs assistance with, I am here to provide," Aer said straightforwardly. Nel''sck of response indicated she held the same position.


    Dai Zhi nodded absentmindedly. Their positions were clear and wasn''t going to decline their help. The current situation didn''t allow him to do so.


    After finding out that the participants were taken by an outer n that had entered the, the first thing Dai Zhi did was let the higher-ups know about it. After a short investigation, they reached out to him.


    "Consider it part of the tournament. Whoever rescues them will get bonus points."


    It was clearly a ploy to basically give him all these points, to further elevate his ranking in the tournament since he was still only 4th overall.


    That''s why the third guardian of the Academy didn''te, nor did the Hall''s guardians participated. They all mutually agreed to give him this chance.


    Even those two monsters from the other continents were told to stay put. Otherwise, they would have already done the deed. After those two arrived, his entire n had to change. He fell from 2nd ranking to 4th in a few weeks.


    Dai Zhi knew he was being watched carefully so he decided to gather all these people and make a show of it. To disy his ''many'' qualities, he decided to lead them himself. The only thing he didn''t expect was Dima joining himst second.


    Dai Zhi turned his head halfway and looked over his shoulder to the left where a shiny bald head was chatting with a few other people. Dima ''felt'' his gaze and turned to give him a smile.


    ''At least he''s taking a back seat...'' Dai Zhi thought internally while giving him a nod back.


    This was going to be his ticket to the first rank!

 Chapter 452: Leap of Faith

    <h4>Chapter 452: Leap of Faith</h4>


    Seeing as it was time, Dai Zhi cleared his throat and turned around to face the impatient crowd.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen," with Nel and Aer standing beside him, he spoke up, quickly gathering the attention of all the hundred or so youngsters in front of him.


    "You know why you were called so I won''t waste too much time exining. But for those that don''t know, an outer tribe has brought it upon themselves to not only trespass on our, but also kidnap and kill many of our fellow members!"


    His voice was loud and heard clearly by everyone present. These hormonal teenagers needed just these few empty words to fly into a rage and get their blood pumping. They didn''t even blink when Dai Zhi called the theirs, even though they had just arrived here themselves.


    "They have some guts."


    "Do the seniors know about this? Is this allowed?"


    "What does it matter? We''ll kill all of them!" they talked back and forth, not hiding their interactions at all.


    Dai Zhi smiled, "The ''Seniors'' do know and consider it a part of the tournament now. You will get points from this as well so don''t hold back."


    All these people were from pretty well-off backgrounds and if everything went okay, they would join the Academy without any problems so to them, the higher-ups of the academy were already their seniors. To many, this was just a vacation.


    "Hahaha, let''s have some fun then!" a burly man raised his fists into the air, followed by a few others.


    On the side was a young man silently watching them with knitted brows. He was one of the rare few that had managed to reach the city this time around after arriving here.


    Micha (CH 369) only joined because many of the people he hung out with were going. He had only been in the city for less than 24 hours when Dai Zhi called for them and he came answering as well.


    Even though he had only recovered about 70% of his cultivation by now with the city''s help, it was enough to notg too far behind in this group of silver-spooned young masters.


    As usual, the participants were mainly divided into two groups. One belonged to the Kingdoms and Empires, consisting of many Princes and Princesses. The second group was of cultivation families.


    Dai Zhi was one of the rare individuals that belonged to both of these groups since he was a Crown prince of a 1st-grade power and a personal disciple of a powerful expert from the Academy. Micha also had a simr background with his family nurturing many great warriors.


    Aspared to the first group, he was in a much better situation. Not to mention he wasn''t so easily riled up.


    So he kept his head down and stayed near the back, keeping a low profile.


    Dai Zhi suddenlyughed loudly, "Haha that''s what I like to hear! Show these monsters how we do things on the Beast World!"


    "Hell Yeah!!"


    "Let''s go!!"


    "Good, follow me!" Dai Zhi finished and turned back around to face sea of clouds underneath. He took one step forward and fell straight down, disappearing into the white ''sea''.


    Nel and Aer followed right behind him, falling down in a simr lifeless manner.


    Suddenly the surroundings quietened down. The others looked at each other with some hesitation apparent on their faces. They had all arrived here together on a flying beast andnded directly on top of the mountain peak so they had no idea how high up they actually were. Even for them jumping from too great a height would not end well, especially since they didn''t know what was waiting for them underneath.


    It was at this point that Dima stepped out of the crowd.


    "Worry not fellow cultivators, Senior Dai Zhi would never do anything to hurt his friends," he said amicably and with a slight running start, jumped down as well.


    After him were some other people that looked like they had seen some blood that jumped down at once. Only the first group was left here now which had about 40 or so people. Micha sighed looking at them. These future kings and queens were so afraid that they couldn''t even take a single step. If they couldn''t do something like this, how would they rule over entire Kingdoms in the future that required so much more of them?


    "It looks like our downfall is imminent..." Micha mumbled under his breath before walking out. He knew much more than others and knew of the whispers floating around.


    He looked back at the crowd of his peers disappointedly and jumped. ''At least I''m better than you guys,'' he thought.


    The cloudyer was about 30 meters down and pretty soon he fell in with a whooshing sound. After a couple of seconds, his vision became clear as he came out of the other side and saw the scenery below.


    Below him, at about 700 meters away was a small body of water that was constantly getting bigger and bigger.


    His pupils constricted to the size of pinholes and his right eye twitched.


    "What the fuck is this HEIGHT!" he yelled.


    They were all in the spirit realm and weren''t able to fly yet so falling from such a distance could definitely be fatal!


    "Oh my god, why did I have to act cool!"


    Theke came closer and closer until it was only a 150 meters away. Micha circted his Qi and channeled every bit of it into his defensive barrier that looked like a giant hexagon.

 Chapter 453: Leap of Faith Continued

    <h4>Chapter 453: Leap of Faith Continued</h4>


    The cold morning air whizzed by Micha''s face like ice des brushing his skin. The Lake continued to increase in size until it was the only thing he could see in front of him.


    With less than 50 meters left between him and it, Micha pressed his hand against his chest and twisted it. The Semi-transparent hexagon barrier suddenly materialized in full form and surrounded himpletely from all sides. With bated breath and gritted teeth, Micha squinted his eyes and held his right arm in front of his face instinctively.


    The best-case scenario was that he would just lose consciousness, the worst case was breaking every single bone in his body and drowning to death if nobody else helped out.


    10 meters, 5 meters, 1 meter! He closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable impact that would rock him to his core, but it never came. A couple of seconds of waitingter he slowly opened his eyes and found himself floating just above the surface of the water.


    His body started moving on its before he could process what was happening and within 5 seconds he was standing on thekeshore with a nk look.


    He looked around and saw everyone else that had jumped before him standing not too far from him, putting on their various armors and weapons. On the far left was a group of three, Dai Zhi and hispanions.


    Dai Zhi had his hand outstretched which he pulled back and Micha regained the control of his body.


    ''It''s true!!'' Micha''s eyes widened as he realized it was him who had stopped him just now. And he didn''t use some kind of energy but an actualw to do it. But was a Law that he didn''t even know about.


    He moved to the side and pretended to catch his breath while looking at theke. One after another the others jumped down and as expected, it was Dai Zhi that helped them. There were a few people that used different abilities to make it to the shore themselves but most of them needed him to intervene.


    Once everyone was down and ready, Dai Zhi gathered them up and snapped his fingers. A red barrier was created around them.


    "A small party of 20 outsiders is going to pass through here in a few minutes. We will follow them back to their base and attack them there once we know for sure the hostages are safe. Any questions?" he finished with a stern voice.


    Dai Zhi looked at each person and nodded satisfactorily when no one spoke up. The barrier vanished and all of them got into smaller pre-determined groups.


    Micha was left all alone, looking left and right awkwardly. He tried to talk to a few groups, using his charms and wit to try and join one of them but they all gave him the cold shoulder.


    Out here, life and death would be decided in a matter of seconds. If they didn''t have someone trustworthy to watch their backs then they would always be distracted and in turn not be able to utilize their true powers effectively.


    Dai Zhi noticed that he was the only one left without a group and gestured for him toe over.


    "Did youe with thest batch?" he asked while taking out a few small knives from the inside of his jacket and inserting them into the slits on his sleeves. Three on each side.


    "Yes," Micha replied somewhat reservedly.


    Even though they were supposed to be equals in the tournament, the difference in their status was too big to ignore. Dai Zhi was a crown prince of a power that was fighting to be an Empire and a Holy Son of the academy Micha was trying to join, while he himself was just one of the many princes from a smaller kingdom.


    "Did you see my sistering over?" Dai Zhi asked while sharpening one of the knives.


    "Yes. She was with a few other royal children."


    "Hmm," Dai Zhi nodded before looking up to meet Micha''s gaze.


    "Join me for this excursion, since you don''t have anywhere else to go."


    Dai Zhi didn''t leave much room for negotiation. Even though it was worded as an offer, Micha didn''t feel like he could decline. For the first time since he was born he felt inferior to someone in so many ways. Micha was suppressed before he could say or do anything else.


    "Y-Yes..."


    Their group was made up of Aer, Nel, Dai Zhi, and Micha.


    Dima hade with his own group as well from the Temple so he didn''t need their help. The groups spread out from one another, keeping a distance of at least 15 meters with one another and entered the forest that was made up of giant mushrooms.


    These mushrooms were anywhere from 8 meters to over 40 in height with thick fleshy stems that seemed to have veins on them.


    They slowly walked through the mushroom jungle until a rough path blocked them. Sounds of beasts came from the front far right side. A few minutes passed and what looked like a small caravan appeared in their sights.


    Each group was standing on top of a giant mushroom, peaking their heads over to look at the iing creatures. For many of them, this would be the first time they will being into contact with the members of an outer tribe.

 Chapter 454: Dark Wizard

    <h4>Chapter 454: Dark Wizard</h4>


    Micha squinted his eyes and extended his neck to peek out a bit more. He was an archer and had many eye-techniques that helped him see further, see better at longer distances etc, so he was able to get a much clearer picture than most of the others.


    "Is that...them?" he asked skeptically. They were still at least a kilometer away but were moving unusually fast and would reach them in less than 2-3 minutes.


    To Micha, the scenes were as clear as day.


    The ''caravan'' was made up of the natives of this. Physically, they all looked more or less the same as normal human beings from the Beast World with some minor differences like a darker skin, sturdier and taller physiques etc.


    If brought back to the beast world, none of these people would ever stand out in a crowd with the amount of diversity that was usually found there.


    At the front of the caravan was an old man sitting on top of a fat animal that looked to be a mix of Camels and Oxes from earth. It had dark skin, two giant humps on its back between which the old man was sitting patiently with closed eyes and a rather long neck.


    All in all, it was about 6 meters in width and 3 meters in height. Its fat legs moved quickly and uniformly with each step being the exact same distance as thest. It was actually quite mesmerizing to look at.


    Behind them were many men and women walking on foot with a few carriages being pulled by different beasts. It lookedpletely ordinary.


    "Yes, it''s them," Dai Zhi nodded without taking looking up at them. He was tightening up his jacket and pants so they stuck to him like an extrayer of skin.


    Still confused, Micha decided to ask again, despite his better judgment.


    "But, aren''t those just the natives of this world? Are they working with the outer tribe?"


    Aer and Nel both smiled upon hearing the question but didn''t respond. Dai Zhi didn''t answer straight away either. He finished ''prepping up'' before looking up at the caravan once again.


    "You have only been here for a few hours so you wouldn''t know this but, this world and its culture is quite primitive. Men are in charge of everything while women are considered to be weak and in most cases, lesser beings. But look there," he gestured towards the caravan with his chin and Micha looked over.


    "Men and women are standing together, with weapons none the less. Look at their bodies, they are well developed and seem to have gone through many battles. Look at how they move, those are seasoned fighters. But how is that possible? It could be that this group is just very progressive but that''s highly unlikely."


    Micha''s brows knit together in confusion, "But still, that doesn''t mean-" before he could finish a blue crystal fell into his palm.


    "Use this to look at them again," Dai Zhi said with a smile and slumped back down.


    Doubtful, Micha raised the crystal in front of his right eye and closed the left one. He looked at the caravan once again and gasped instinctively.


    The scene had changedpletely. The normal-looking caravan from before had turned into a group of monsters.


    The old man at the front now looked like an actual monster. It floated above ground at a height of five meters. It had no legs or if it did, they were covered by a thick carapace that looked like a robe from afar.


    Two arms that ended with three digits on each hand. A simr-looking carapace like that of an insect protruded out of its shoulders to create a shoulder cop that went down all way to the front and connected with the ''robe''. The same carapace went up to its head and created what looked like a helmet, but this was a part of its face.


    There were no nostrils, only a fanged maw with razor-sharp teeth. The carapace protruded outwards from both sides of the head, creating twobed back horns. There were two vertical openings that went all the way from the front of its face to the back of the head. These openings glowed with a white light, dimming and brightening constantly.


    In its right hand was a long bone of some sort of beast from looks of it. there were many characters carved on the bone that glowed every now and then. The top of bone held a crystal sphere that was letting out minute traces of fog that encircled the entire caravan.


    Behind this creature were dozens of long-armed roach warriors. They were surrounding a metallic tform that floated above ground and was being dragged by tworge roaches.


    On this tform were close to 80 humans. Chained and bloody.


    Some wereying down lifelessly, whether they were dead or alive was uncertain. While a few others looked around with hateful gazes, forcing themselves to sit up straight. Those young men and woman that had arrived on the with such gusto and fervor now looked like prisoners of a lost war.


    "What...is that...?!" Micha threw out the words from his parched throat like he was vomiting needles.


    With his vision, he was able to see the creature at the front with extreme rity. Just one look was enough to send cold shivers down his spine. An overwhelming feeling of dread took root in his heart. That is, until he felt a warm hand on his shoulder which forcefully cleared out all those negative feelings.


    He turned his head sideways mechanically and saw Dai Zhi smiling back at him.


    "Don''t worry, I had much of the same reaction the first time I saw a Dark Wizard, its only natural."

 Chapter 455: Dark Wizard Continued

    <h4>Chapter 455: Dark Wizard Continued</h4>


    Watching from the sides, Nel and Aer looked at one another, almost rolling their eyes subconsciously.


    Dai Zhi''s reaction was much too different the first time he came upon a follower of the Darkness. He killed him without question or worry or the slightest hint of hesitation. His unfaltering confidence and belief in himself was one of the many reasons he was epted by the Temple of Light in such a swift manner.


    Micha took a couple of deep breaths and wiped beads of cold sweat from his forehead that had started to form.


    "D-Dark....wizard? What is...that?"


    Seeing as the roach caravan wasing closer, he pulled Micha back down and out of sight before exining.


    "They are mercenaries. Once part of an ancient outer tribe, they were avid followers of the forces of darkness. Committing massacres and genocide all over the gxy to power their horrid rituals, they were destroyed by the Temple of Light and now wander the deep space looking for work. What you felt just now proves that your heart is one with the light," he patted Micha''s shoulder amicably, like a senior giving helpful advice to his junior brother.


    "Their very existence is a sin. They harbor nothing but evil intentions towards all other beings and even now continue to practice their wretched magics in secret to once again open the Primordial gates that were closed by our ancestors. It is our duty to stand against such evil wherever it may be!"


    Upon the mention of the Primordial Gates, Aer and Nel''s expression suddenly became somber. Their postures became respectful as the light in their eyes brightened by several degrees.


    Micha was still a little out of it and it was the first time he had heard of such matters so he couldn''t make sense of most of these things. He nodded nkly in response.


    The caravan was less than 200 meters away by now. Seeing that, Aer gestured with his hand but Dai Zhi shook his head.


    "No, we follow them. A wizard is here, once we attack they will know we areing. We have to know where they are going," he whispered back.


    Aer nodded and moved his hand in the air in a strange manner. A small glyph in the shape of an ''S'' appeared. He mumbled the same thing Dai Zhi had said into it before crushing it, breaking it into hundreds of small orbs of light that flew towards all the other groups and passed on the information.


    Even though they could use the Spirit Band tomunicate, this far out in the deep space its security was not guaranteed and could be hacked without their knowledge. That''s why the only mode ofmunication allowed here was one such as this. Secret arts and techniques that were controlled by one of the members.


    The Caravan was close enough that they could hear it without using any superhuman senses. It passed them without any issues and continued its journey.


    When it was at a distance of 150 meters, Dai Zhi''s group started following it. The other groups kept a distance of another 100 meters just to be safe.


    They jumped from mushroom to mushroom,nding soundlessly on the fleshy caps. But Micha was having trouble keeping up with them. His legs felt weak and his body heavy. He even messed up thending once and almost fell down but Dai Zhi helped him up.


    Nel''s brow locked together and her cold res were not gone unseen by Micha. Even he was starting to feel bad being ''taken care off'' like this.


    He looked up at Dai Zhi, "Senior brother, I''ll stay back and join one of the other groups. I don''t think I can keep up with you guys," he said rather earnestly but was quickly shot down.


    "No, this is the safest ce for you. You don''t have a group yet so stay here. Junior brother, it is my duty to protect you guys and I won''t leave any of you behind on purpose. Here, it looks like some dark energy has entered your body, that''s why you are like this."


    Before Micha could say anything, he tapped the middle of his forehead and a stream of warm Qi entered his body. The weakness from before started to clear up and Micha regained much of his strength.


    "T-This is...?" he asked, surprised.


    Dai Zhi gestured for him to follow and jumped up on the next mushroom before exining.


    "It seems this Wizard practices some kind of magic that pollutes strength. It took root in your body when you looked at him earlier. Just circte your Qi next time and it will be fine," he whispered with an understanding expression but his inner thoughts were much different.


    ''It looks like I was right. It''s using some kind of area of effect magic that works even without it realizing it. I''ll have to be careful....''


    Under the guise of helping Micha understand, he used him as ab rat to see how far the Wizard''s power went.


    Magic users had different grades and terms of measurement which were rather vague from a cultivator''s point of view, so it was important he knew the extent of its power before going into a fight.


    The caravan moved along the twisting dirt road for almost an hour beforeing to a stop on a crossroads. There, they waited for a few minutes and another, smaller caravan came from one of the other roads and joined them. This one also had a Wizard but it looked much different. It was smaller and even gave off a weaker energy signature.


    After merging with the bigger caravan, they continued for another hour and a half before entering a valley shrouded in green fog.

 Chapter 456: Stormfront

    <h4>Chapter 456: Stormfront</h4>


    The sun had already set by now and a stormfront wasing in from the west.


    Dai Zhi, Micha, Aer, and Nel stood at the valley entrance.


    Nel raised her dainty little hand in the air and felt the air pressure change.


    "It should be here within five minutes, and it looks like it''s going to be a big one," she announced confidently.


    Dai Zhi was looking into the valley but anything further than 10 meters waspletely hidden by the green fog. Sounds from the caravan could still be heard but even they were going further and further away by the second.


    "How big?" he asked without turning around.


    Nel moved her hand back and forth a couple more times before answering, "Category 3, at leas. But it could pick upter."


    Category 1 was the lowest and the higher it went, the deadlier the storm would be. At category 3 the storm would start affecting cultivators and at Category 4, it would start throwing them around like ragdolls if they were below the Profound Realm.


    Dai Zhi turned around to look at the ck, angry clouds that only seemed to be getting bigger by the second. They looked like some kind of monsters, devouring everything in their path.


    "We better end this quick then," he mumbled.


    As soon as he finished speaking, a faint redyer appeared above his skin before turning invisible. This yer'' looked like minute blood particles moving around on their own.


    This was a part of Dai Zhi''s inheritance as a true-blooded vampire.


    The Vampiric bloodline had been around longer than most people could remember. But what was certain were the simrities between the vampires and some of the demonic bloodlines. Many schrs had suggested that even though Vampires were a mainstream race now and fought for the ''righteous'' side on many asions, their roots could be traced back to mysterious Ancient Demons.


    And as such, Vampire''s inherent ability or ''Dao'' was rted to blood and they were experts in most of the blood arts. But this didn''t mean they couldn''t practice other Dao arts, but only that their bodies and bloodlines had an extremely high synergy with blood arts would progress much faster in their hands if practiced.


    Dai Zhi mainly focused on cultivating energies and refining them into Laws, but that didn''t mean his bloodline wasgging behind. Even without him doing anything it would progress slowly since he had such high purity.


    Aer was already wearing a full body armor that looked like it was made from bronze and silver. It covered him from head to toe, exposing only his face. The armor had symbols of different divine beasts engraved on it which shimmered with a vague light.


    He held a greatsword in his right hand and a massive shield on his left. The shield had the face of a ming lion carved onto it, taking almost 90% of the total space.


    He looked as sturdy as a city wall standing there. His armor created an invisible barrier that shielded him from increasingly chaotic winds.


    Nel was still wearing her ''party'' dress but now if looked closely, you would see small flickering winged creatures flying around her in circles. They let out different colored lights that blended in with one another and surrounded her body as well. These creatures looked almost ethereal, like projections instead of something physical.


    Micha was the odd one out of the group. His defensive technique created a six-sided shield that although not anything special, did its job well. It could be cultivated by anyone using proper energies and did not have any heaven-defying effects. Simple yet effective.


    Behind them, the other groups had also caught up.


    Each one of them was decked out in their own armors and weapons, looking quite dazzling albeit not as much as Dai Zhi and his entourage.


    Seeing the storm edging closer by the second, Dai Zhi ordered for them to enter.


    Aer took the lead and entered first, followed by Dai Zhi, Nel and finally, Micha. The moment they stepped through the heavy curtain of fog, the two Wizards that were floating at the front of the caravan about 300 meters ahead both looked back at the same time.


    "Arrrrrrrrrrrrr," the bigger one spoke up. His voice sounded strange, like someone was breathing backwards (imagine the ''grudge'' ghost noise here, that''s the closest thing I can describe it with.)


    The smaller wizard nodded and took out a small creature from somewhere.


    This creature was the size of an orange, it had the body of a maggot with a human child''s face at the front. He squeezed lightly and the creature woke up, letting out a shrill scream that didn''t go further than two meters.


    About 5 kilometers inward on the other side of a closed valley, the trader was standing behind Hao Xuan showing him different cages filled to the brim with humans.


    He suddenly froze before reaching out in his robe and taking out an identical creature. It was crying but no sound wasing out.


    The trader looked at the creature for a few seconds before crushing it into a grey meat paste.


    "It seems you are not the only one that wants these humans, dear customer," he said looking towards Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 457: So close

    <h4>Chapter 457: So close</h4>


    Hao Xuan frowned upon hearing this sudden announcement.


    "What do you mean?"


    "A group of your ''fellow'' humans is following one of the iing prison transports. And it seems they are not here to just talk."


    While he was talking, the trader reached out into his robe once again and pulled out a small mirror. The mirror itself had a few small cracks along the outer edges. The trader mumbled something under his breath while swiping his finger on the surface of the mirror, creating a handful of glowing sigils that started rotating.


    He pressed his right thumb in the center and all the sigils stopped at once. Hao Xuan could feel an invisible wave of some kind spread out in every single direction with the mirror as the center.


    One by one, different images started to appear on the mirror''s surface, right below the trader''s thumb. But the longer the images stayed in the center, the further the cracks spread.


    In less than 30 seconds the entire bottom half of this old-looking palm-sized mirror was cracked. Each crack showed a different static image.


    The trader didn''t hide the mirror so Hao Xuan could see everything as well.


    The first set of images was of the two wizards and the caravan. The second set was of the cultivators following them. Hao Xuan instantly recognized Dai Zhi who was in the leading group along with Micha. Their objective was pretty clear.


    But then the third set of images appeared and showed another group. This one only had about 20 people or so but had many more faces Hao Xuan recognized. Henrik, Ceni, Hazel, Fulke and a lot of the other people were there.


    ''No wonder I didn''t see them anywhere..." Hao Xuan breathed out a sigh of relief looking at their haggard faces.


    They looked like a group of homeless folks hiding out in a cave. Even Ceni who would be the center of attention wherever she went was covered in mud and bloodstains. No one would be able to tell she was a princess of such a great power if they looked at her now.


    But since they seemed to be safe for the time being, he put the thought of going after them at the back of his mind and peered upward at the trader who was, somewhat anxiously, waiting for him to respond.


    He pointed towards Dai Zhi, "Can you kill that man? I''ll pay the full 5,000 credits if you can take care of him right now."


    The trader was taken aback by Hao Xuan''s ''request''.


    "Y-You want us to kill them?" he asked again, unsure if he had heard correctly the first time. He was certain they were with Hao Xuan seeing how they appeared at such a critical juncture.


    Hao Xuan nodded, "I don''t care about the others, but this man, I need him dead. What do you say? Kill him and the credits are all yours," Hao Xuan dragged out thest word, his intention clear.


    If the trader decided to ept it, all those credits would basically go directly to him since this wasn''t an official request.


    And five thousand credits was not a small amount. It wasn''t anything heaven shattering but nothing to scoff at either. Hao Xuan could feel the obvious greedy nature of the trader so he pushed a little more.


    "Just that one man, none of the others matter. It''s not a bad deal if I say so myself," Hao Xuan whispered like a devil. He released a whisp of the Emperor Qi but it seemed to have the opposite effect.


    The trader''s posture suddenly became alert and he backed up a few steps, looking towards Hao Xuan warily.


    "Dear customer, I''m afraid that''s not possible," he said adamantly.


    ''Tsk, so close.''


    "Fine then," Hao Xuan waved his hand like it was no big deal and grinned, "n B it is then."


    ***


    Ahead of the uing storm, it had already started to drizzle which when mixed in with the poisonous fog in the air turned it into acid rain.


    "Are you sure it''s here?" Fulke peaked his giant head out of the cave and looked towards a certain direction. "What if they''re not here?"


    "They are there," Ceni replied confidently. Her tone was so certain that it left no ce for doubt. She was cutting up what was left of her dress and tying it up.


    Henrik was sitting a few feet away from them. Hazel was rubbing a yellow paste on the soles of his feet which were bleeding. He let out a deep sigh and looked towards Ceni.


    "It has been a hell of a few days. If not for Lady Ceni, we would have been captured as well. But...are you sure about this?"


    The few people they had were injured orpletely exhausted. They hadn''t rested a single moment afternding here and since most of their cultivations were sealed, there was no way for them to recover.


    Ceni tied up thest scrap of her dress, covering the most essential areas and stood up.


    "If you don''t want to go then just stay here," she said inly and walked out in the greenish rain. The sun had set and it was getting darker and darker by the second but, it did little to stop her.


    Of the two princesses that always followed Cenni around, one had actually received serious injuries while resisting the first wave of the roaches that found them, while the other helped her escape. In the end, both of them were taken by the roaches.


    If not for their sacrifices, Ceni would have never escaped. And now that she had recovered some of her cultivation, she wanted to find her friends. Coincidentally, as she followed some of the roaches back to this series of valleys, she felt that same old feeling, a feeling of emptiness wanting to be filled.


    Ceni''s body urged her to seek out this feeling that was so close to her. And the nearer she got, the warmer it felt, making the coldness that was invading her soul inch away bit by bit.


    This feeling wasing from the blood that was gestating in Hao Xuan''s body but she didn''t know that. To her, it was just a strong desire to be as close as possible to him.


    She was able to feel his presence and used it to pinpoint the roach camp location. Of course, she never expected him to go in there on his own and instead thought he was also taken prisoner.


    Fulke turned around and looked at Henrik, who with Hazel''s help, slowly stood up.


    "If she is right, Hao Xuan should also be there. We have no choice but to go," he said weakly.

 Chapter 458: Plan B

    <h4>Chapter 458: n B</h4>


    "You can barely walk. I''ll go," Hazel whispered from the side. If not for her holding him up right now, he would not be able to stand on his own.


    Henrik''s brow scrunched up instantly and he opened his mouth to berate her but Fulke patted his shoulder.


    "Don''t worry, I''m going too. I am a guest of your academy and I think it''s time I repay the favor," Fulke said with a smile that was not a smile.


    "But-"


    "Rx, nothing will happen to her," Fulke''s voice rang in Henrik''s head, instantly calming him down.


    Speaking through spiritual sense required a lot of effort and concentration. If Fulke hadn''t recovered most of his Qi, it would not have been possible to speak through Spiritual sense with such ease.


    Henrik stared at Fulke with a thoughtful expression. Fulke was one of the people that had arrived from one of the other continents but it was all kept very ''hush-hush''. Henrik didn''t know anything about his background, only that he could be trusted. Until now, Fulke didn''t show off at all during his time with Herik andpany but that didn''t mean he didn''t have some hidden cards up his sleeve.


    Henrik slowly nodded his head, "Alright, you guyse back in one piece you hear? If it bes too much then just run away, we will get reinforcements from the city and return as soon as possible."


    "Unh," Hazel nodded her head obediently. It made for a strange image, her acting so submissive to Henrik who looked so feminine.


    Hazel was actually more muscr than Henrik but that wasn''t really much of an achievement since Henrik was thinner than a pencil. And when both of them stood together, they looked like a couple of pretty girls, with Henrik being the prettier senior sister.


    He patted her head and sat back down, "Go then, quick. Follow Lady Ceni," he shooed them away.


    Fulke smiled and looked at the other people in the cave.


    "Those that can fight and are willing,e with!"


    But he didn''t wait for a response and walked out swiftly, followed by Hazel.


    There were a little more than 20 people here including Ceni and Henrik''s group. And out of all of them, only 4 people picked up their weapons and followed after Fulke while the rest either pretended not to hear them or straight up ignored them.


    ''Why should I risk my life for someone I don''t know?''


    ''We just got away from them and now they want us to willingly go into their camp? Dumbasses!''


    These were the thoughts going through the minds of the people that stayed. If they didn''t have to, why would they fight?


    **


    Outside the cave, darkness and poisonous rain had covered everything. Raindrops the size of thumbs fell loudly and frequently. The wind howled like a hungry ghost in the night turning the creepy atmosphere even worse.


    But the good and came in hand in hand. The fog reduced significantly due to the rain so they could see much further now.


    Ceni was standing a few meters away from the cave''s entrance, looking down at the streams of green water that were starting to form.


    Hearing the sound of the footsteps she turned her head halfway before looking away.


    "Just this many people?" she mumbled looking at the handful of cultivators.


    Fulke walked next to her, his massive body dwarfing hers.


    "You can''t me them, most of them are injured."


    "Hmph. Cowards, all of them," she muttered with obvious disdain.


    Fulke scratched his chin awkwardly, "S-So, which way?"


    "Follow me," without exining anything to the others, Ceni jumped andnded on the other side of this 40-meter wide valley.


    Of the 4 others that had followed them, three were young men with heroic spirits oozing out of them and one was a quiet teenage girl. It looked like she was forcing herself toe with but Fulke didn''t send her back.


    "Stay close to her," he told Hazel through Spirit Sense before leaping towards the other side and nimblynding on the small pathway.


    Fulke gestured and each of them jumped one by one. Hazel went up to the girl with a friendly smile.


    "What''s junior sister''s name?"


    She looked up at Hazel through her bangs that were almost poking into her eyes and replied meekly.


    "R-Riane."


    "Junior Sister Riane, hold tight."


    "Eh?"


    Before she could process what was happening, Hazel grabbed her by the waist and carried her like a princess, leaping with such force that it left a crack on the ground and shot forward like a bullet.


    About 2 kilometers away from them, the Wizards had just taken a turn into a small valley and came out right in front of the Roach camp, but that''s where they stopped.


    The rain had gotten heavier, falling faster and harder than ever before.


    At the camp gate, four dismembered roach corpses weed the wizard''s caravan.

 Chapter 459: Plan B Continued

    <h4>Chapter 459: n B Continued</h4>


    At the camp gate, four dismembered roach corpses weed the wizard''s caravan.


    The torrential downpour had wiped away all the blood, leaving several limbs and torsos out in the open for all to see.


    The Wizards stood in ce, looking at the corpses from afar with many thoughts going through their minds. A couple of hundred meters away from them Dai Zhi''s group emerged out of the darkness and saw the roaches standing idly by in front of them.


    Dai Zhi squinted his eyes and a red light streaked past his pupils. The scenes of the Wizards at the front and then the camp gate shed past them, everything showing as clearly as day. He might as well be there himself. The darkness could do little to impede his vision at this point.


    "This is it, the camp''s at the front," he murmured.


    "So we attack?" Micha inquired with clenched fists.


    "Yes but....something''s wrong..."


    Aer stepped forward decked out in his heavy armor from head to toe, "Is it a trap?" his voice came from behind the helmet.


    Dai Zhi shook his head once, "Not sure. It seems we''re not the first ones toe here. Looks like someone already attacked the camp. We must hurry, it could be the locals."


    "Copy that," Aer''s excited voice came from the silver and bronze armor as he walked five steps before stopping.


    The rainfall suddenly became even louder, every drop sounding like the beating of a drum.


    He lightly bent his knees and pushed.


    "Charge of a Thousand Lions!"


    A spider-web like crack spread out beneath his feet and the hulking armor that was almost 2 meters tall disappeared.


    Contrary to his size, Aer moved so quickly that the curtain of rain split apart.


    Faint roars of lions echoed in the surrounding. He covered the distance of 200 meters in a heartbeat and appeared at the periphery of the caravan.


    The first Wizard, which wasrger of the two withbed back horns snapped his head back and mmed the bone staff down on to the ground.


    *Bzzt*


    The ground vibrated and arge piece of earth erupted from below and formed a wall instantly, right in front of Aer''s charge.


    Sharp spikes came out from the wall, glowing with a dark yellow luster in the night.


    Aer''s body twisted when he was less than 5 meters away from the wall and his shield mmed into the spikes (lion) headfirst. (Because his shield is in the shape of a lion''s face.)


    *BOOOM*


    An explosion sounded and a shockwave sent water and mud flying everywhere but the wall stood standing.


    The roaches finally reacted and quickly formed a tight square formation around the metal tform where the human prisoners were shaken awake by the noise.


    The horned wizard looked towards the smaller wizard and made some noise that sounded like the ripping of paper and hissing at once before floating higher up in the air.


    He stopped upon reaching a distance of 10 meters, hovering there while clutching the bone staff in his three-fingered hand. A faint yellow ripple of energy was constantly being released from the staff which slowly fell down.


    The second wizard didn''t stand idly by while this was happening.


    He bent down and sat on the ground with crossed legs. He ced his hands on the ground in front of him while muttering in its own strangenguage.


    Pitch ck veins started appearing on the ground where he was sitting. They started spreading out in a star-shaped pattern and within seconds had formed swirling symbols every few feet along the five main veins.


    The ground cracked and from every swirling symbol, a strange humanoid creature was ''born''.


    It had been less than 10 seconds since Aer had charged over but the second wizard had already ''summoned'' more than 100 of these creatures.


    They had pale white bodies with sharp des for hands and talons for feet. Their head only had a small sharp mouth while the rest was covered by tumorous outgrowths.


    And their quantity was only increasing by the second, some big and some small.


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    The wall shook over and over again, bing thinner with every sh until finally, it broke into small pieces.


    Behind the wall appeared a small army of cultivators,pletely blocking the only way out of the valley.


    Aer was at the front while Nel stood on the left side on top of a small rock with no intention of joining the fight. Her hands were glowing with a blue light. She waved them around once a small barrier appeared around every single cultivator present.


    The Wizard was looked down at them with a grave expression on his twisted face but suddenly his body jolted backwards.


    A blood-red sword 1.5 meters long tore through the rain, aiming at his neck.

 Chapter 460: Plan B Continued (2)

    <h4>Chapter 460: n B Continued (2)</h4>


    The sword struck, barely missing the mark.


    The wizard didn''t rx a bit, instead bing even more alert. Most of its attention was directed at this unknown attacker. The sword turned and twisted in the air threateningly before once again shooting towards the Wizard at breakneck speed.


    The Wizard flew back several meters before stopping. It moved its hand in a semi-circle clockwise before changing the direction and repeating. A barrier visible to the naked eye surrounded it from top to bottom.


    It glowed with a bright blue color in the dark, rainy night. The sword flew straight at the barrier before being pushed back. The barrier looked like an stic egg from afar. It bent but never broke.


    Just as the Wizard had rxed, another sword joined the fray. And then another and another. In less than 5 seconds more than twelve full-length blood-red swords had surrounded the wizard from all sides, trapping it in mid-air.


    No matter how hard the Wizard tried, he couldn''t get away. The swords seemed to have eyes of their own as they adjusted their positions each second.


    *Shreeee*


    It let out an ear-piercing shriek full of anger.


    Below them, the battle had already started. The smaller wizard was still breathing life to those monstrous creatures which kept increasing by the second. Some of them were small and fast, zipping through the gaps between the roaches, charging straight towards the cultivators.


    Some were several meters tall, hulking over everything else in the valley like emaciated giants. Theserger creatures had hunched backs with a blue me burning on their hands. Every few seconds they cupped their palms, gathered the mes into concentrated fireballs and threw them towards the cultivators.


    The fireballs left behind a trail of vapors as raindrops evaporated before evening close to them and shot towards the cultivators like rockets.


    "Disperse!"


    Aer shouted while thrusting the towering shield towards the first volley of fireballs. He managed to block over 15 fireballs which exploded right on his body but did little to no damage. His armor vibrated every time a fireball exploded but that was it.


    Micha fired one arrow after another but there were too many, and they weren''t the only source of danger. The smaller creatures, even though they were pale white, once they moved away from a source of light would be invisible. They waited for an opportunity and sneak attacked with their razor-sharp hooked-des.


    At this point, Dima stepped forward. His legs moved left and right in a strange manner, creating illusions everywhere he went. He punched and kicked into the air, sending a giant imprint with every attack.


    Each of these imprints were created from his own secret arts and held deadly power. Wherever they went, everything was turned to dust under their indomitable force.


    Qi thrummed along Micha''s arms as he fired a giant arrow straight up into the air. The arrow reached a height of 15 meters before curving back down. It split from one to two, two to four until there were a hundred of them and shot towards the iing creatures.


    The other cultivators separated into their respective groups but the valley was too narrow. Only so many of them could fight at once.


    And then another wave of creatures attacked. These ones had hardened bodies, their skin thick like stone. Both of their hands were 30% of the total size of their bodies, taking the shape of different weapons like hammers, cudgels, morning stars etc. These creatures attacked head-on like soldiers.


    The first Wizard who was trapped by the sword array suddenly let out another shriek as it''s barrier was prated by one of the des, cutting a small chunk of flesh off its shoulder.


    Blood mixed with the rain and dripped down.


    It flew higher up into the air and started spinning while throwing red and orange fireballs all around it. These fireballs shone extremely brightly, lighting up most of the valley for a couple of seconds. The wizard came to an abrupt halt for it had finally found its target.


    On a small ledge, 20 meters above the valley stood a handsome young man. He had two simr blood swords embedded in the rocks on each side and was staring right at the Wizard.


    The Wizard''s mouth opened and closed, showing its sharp fangs as it charged towards Dai Zhi.


    Dai Zhi smirked. He gripped the swords and pulled them out. Although visually simr, they were different from the other swords that were chasing after the Wizard.


    These ones had glowing runes along the center of the de, lighting up one by one.


    "Let me see your filthy magics," he murmured under his breath.


    A red fog came out of his back and formed two bat-like wings. With a single p of these webbed wings, he flew toward the charging wizard with his swords extended outwards.


    ***


    Ceni and Fulke''s group was still a couple of hundred meters away when the sounds of the battle ahead reached them.

 Chapter 461: Plan B Continued (3)

    <h4>Chapter 461: n B Continued (3)</h4>


    "Stop!" she ordered from the front.


    The group lowered their weapons and recalled their Qis, using only martial techniques to move along the dark and wet rocky ridge.


    A couple of minutester they appeared above the roach camp. Below, the battle between the cultivators and the Wizard''s summoned army was in full force while Dai Zhi fought therger wizard in the air above.


    He moved with remarkable speed as if flying was in his nature. The dual swords in his hands showed theirplete potential as sword glows shed in the air with every swing, rending the surrounding walls into smithereens.


    His attacks were precise but the power behind them was too much. Gravel and mud fell constantly along with the heavy rain, threatening to bury the cultivators below alive.


    And this was with him holding back. They were all holding back in fact, be it the wizards or the cultivators. The valley was too narrow, surrounded on all sides by giant volcanos. If one of their attacks woke the slumbering creatures that lived in these volcanos, none of them might leave here with their lives. If those things didn''t kill them, theva would.


    "Shouldn''t we help them?" one of the youngsters asked with glittering eyes. He couldn''t help but be excited as the thought of fighting those monsters below came into his mind, but was quickly squashed before it could take root.


    "No," Ceni replied sternly. "We have to find the ones that were taken prisoner first. This is a great chance since we can go in from the back unnoticed."


    "Yes..." the youngster replied meekly.


    They were all more or less the same age as Ceni with her being in the upper bracket at almost 18 years of age, but it was her demeanor and confidence that didn''t leave room for any negotiation.


    Fulke was inwardly surprised.


    ''It looks like she was meant to be a ruler...''


    They stayed as far back as possible, traversing the slippery rock wall to go around the battle. It took them another 10 minutes before they reached the end of the valley and slowly climbed down from a height of 500 meters.


    Without using any techniques that required Qi, they had to depend solely on their physical abilities to help them get down, which wasn''t an easy task in the darkness while being battered by heavy rain.


    If they weren''t cultivators of the Spirit Realm, having refined their physical bodies with pure spiritual energy and casting out impurities, it would not have been possible for them to aplish such a task.


    But even then, there were a few close calls. Riane slipped several times, almost falling to her death. If not for Hazel helping her out at every turn, she would have never made it.


    The other three guys cast scornful nces at her every now and then, making her feel embarrassed even more.


    "What was the point ofing along if all you were going to do was slow us down?" one of them, a young man of 16-17 years of age with long ck hair tied in a bun, mumbled under his breath as soon as they all got down, with Riane bringing up the rear.


    He was clearly heard by everyone but no one chose toment on the matter.


    Riane seemed to be around 15-16 at most. She looked young and frail with a small stature of barely 1.6 meters (little more than 5 feet.) Standing next to Hazel who was slightly more than 1.8 meters tall, she looked even weaker.


    "Stay down," Ceni said from the front as theynded near the back left corner of the roach camp.


    Hazel patted Riane''s head, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. Riane looked up at her smiling face, holding back her won tears in the meantime.


    "Don''t mind them. Just do the best you can," Hazel said with an aura of a senior sister.


    "Y-Yes," she replied weakly, lowering her head with a blush.


    They formed a line and moved through the outskirts of the camp. Ceni and Fulke''s expression became somber the deeper in they went.


    There were roach corpses littered across the entire camp.


    "It''s weird," Fulkemented while examining a pile of roach limbs.


    "What is?" Ceni inquired. The others leaned in to listen as well.


    "Look at the marks, or what''s left of them," he pointed at the sword cuts along the ground and burnt marks of the ranged weapons that the roaches used.


    "They died while running towards the back of the camp. It looks like..."


    "What?"


    "It looks like someone or some...thing, attacked them from the inside."


    Ceni''s brows locked in a tight furrow. He was right. Most of the roach corpses were towards the center and back of the camp.


    "Maybe...one of ours got free and attacked them?"


    "Yeah, maybe...let''s go in quick," Ceni replied and hastened her pace.


    Staying away from the center, they reached the very end of the camp where a giant pit on the side of the mountain awaited them.


    Along the either side of the pit were tworge structures, much different from all the others in the camp. Together, they walked up to the one on the right and went in.


    It was empty. There were a couple of severed human limbs here and some blood, but nothing else.


    All of their expressions darkened at once.


    Ceni ran out and sprinted towards the other structure. As she opened the door, a horrid smell assaulted her senses.

 Chapter 462: Plan B Continued (4)

    <h4>Chapter 462: n B Continued (4)</h4>


    Fulke and the rest swiftly caught up with Ceni who was standing at the entrance of the worn-out structure.


    "What is it?" Fulke asked in a feeble voice but didn''t get a response. Instead, Ceni moved aside, letting them see what was inside. Tey all went closer, peaking their heads in one by one.


    First came the smell. The smell of death and excrement mixed together.


    There was only one room inside the structure which was filled with half-eaten human corpses. There were obvious bite marks along the abdomens and the necks, many of them missing limbs and internal organs.


    On the back right corner was a small pile of human faeces with the smell of urine mixed in. Different types of worms wriggled on the ground, asionally falling from the decaying bodies. At a first nce, there were several dozen of them. It looked like they had been dead for a little while.


    Three of the youngsters including Riane instantly threw up what little food they had eaten.


    "Move back," Fulke pushed all of them aside and entered the structure. He came out a few minutester.


    "He isn''t here, nor are your friends, Princess. It looks like most of them were severely injured and died of natural causes. But having to spend theirst few hours in such a manner and then having their remains being feasted on by those monsters, it is not an honorable death," Fulkemented despondently. By ''he'' he obviously meant Hao Xuan.


    Ceni let out a deep breath, almost falling to the ground in a moment of weakness. But it was unknown whether the relief she felt was for her friends or Hao Xuan but either way, she was grateful.


    "Thank you," she mumbled meekly and stood up straight using a rock as support. Fulke nodded in response. Ceni looked towards the dark pit that seemed ever more threatening under the cover of darkness.


    "We have to go deeper into the hole, that''s the only ce they could have been taken. I can still feel them closeby."


    "Alright, let''s go," Fulke agreed quickly. From what they had seen so far, it didn''t bode well for the survivors. After making sure the youngsters were alright they went in.


    As they entered the hole, the sound of rain and the battle outside weakened and when they were just a few meters in, it became deathly silent. The only noise came from their own breathing and footsteps.


    Thankfully, there were still some sources of light left along the path down otherwise they would not have been able to see very clearly.


    Some 5 odd minutester they finally arrived at the bottom, in front of the giant door that was bent inwards from one side. Fulke motioned for them to stop.


    "There are signs of a battle here," he pointed at the remnant Qi floating about in the cracks on the walls and multiple burn marks that looked like that were made by something sharp and extremely hot.


    Fulke opened his hands and his massive cleaver appeared. It had a curved, pointy front end and another small gap in the center of the de itself. This way it could be held with both his hands horizontally.


    It was glowing with a bright red light in the darkness. From the outside, it looked there was magma flowing inside the de.


    The temperature actually rose by several degrees as he channeled some Qi into it.


    Hazel was using her Azura longsword while Ceni held two red swords with a simr design as the ones Dai Zhi had, but there were no runes on her.


    Riane called out her weapon which surprised everyone. It was a paper fan with some intricate designs on it.


    The three young men all used swords as well.


    The vault door was cracked open already so they easily walked in. Inside was the old stone hallway. They followed it for a couple of minutes with bated breaths until it opened into the giant circr room.


    "W-Who is it!"


    Before they could step through, a shaking voice came from the inside. Seeing as they were found out, the group increased their pace and sprinted inside.


    But what weed them was not a battle but the haggard faces of their fellow participants. A little over a hundred people were huddled up together in this otherwise empty room.


    "Wha- it''s you guys! We''re saved!"


    "Reinforcements have arrived everyone!"


    The ''prisoners'' jumped in joy upon seeing fellow human faces and ran towards them.


    "What''s...going on..." Hazel mumbled absentmindedly.


    They were all a little taken aback. Expecting a fight but to be met with these guys instead.


    "Iris! Klem!" Ceni shouted while looking around. A girl pushed some people aside and came out from the crowd and her expression brightened upon seeing Ceni.


    "Ceni, Iris needs help!" she shouted and ran towards the back.


    Ceni followed her and found a few people covered in bloody bandages near the wall. Her friend Iris was one of them.


    She bent down and checked her condition before inquiring about them. Fulke and Hazel had also followed her over.


    "How did you guys get out? What happened to the monsters?" she asked in a low voice.


    Klem was a girl about the same age as Ceni with dark blue hair. She leaned in and whispered.


    "I don''t know what really happened. We were locked up in cages. We couldn''t see or hear anything from the outside but suddenly the doors opened and a man appeared. He told us all to go help the others and go into the pit and wait to be rescued once we were all out."


    "A man? What man?" It was Fulke who spoke up this time.


    "You know, that Deimos guy. The 2nd guardian. We thought he was part of a bigger group so we did as told."


    "Where is he then? The guardian," Ceni asked, her voice somewhat impatient but other than Fulke no one caught it.


    Klem shrugged innocently.


    "I thought I saw him run down here but when we came down, there was nobody here."

 Chapter 463: Plan C?

    <h4>Chapter 463: n C?</h4>


    Hao Xuan was leaning back against a stone pir while breathing heavily. There was a bad gash on the left side of his stomach which continuously spurted out blood, painting the floor beneath a bright red color.


    There were several other wounds on his upper body but they had closed up, for the most part, leaving only ugly scars behind.


    In front of him was one dead roach guard while another stood facing him. Its four arms gripped two des on the two upper hands and some kind of ranged weapons on the bottom two.


    The roach''s four eyes blinked one by one, never leaving Hao Xuan''s body.


    Behind Hao Xuan was an oval entrance that looked like it was made of ck water. It showed the scenes from the other side of the entrance but no sound came through.


    Hao Xuan turned his head halfway and saw Ceni and Fulke talking to some of the prisoners one by one. He let out a breath of relief and swiveled his head back to stare at the four-armed roach guard.


    "How about we just go our separate ways and I won''t hold what happened today against you, huh?" he spoke in roach''snguage, forcing a smile.


    In response, the roach guard raised both his swords, one above his head and pointed them at Hao Xuan.


    *Sigh*


    "I''ll take that was a no then..."


    He reached out behind him and pulled out the ive that was impaling another stone pir. Channeling some Qi into it, ck electric currents surrounded the massive curved de as he swung it around and pointed the tip towards the roach.


    Infernal Strike''s level 2 was activated which boosted his attack power by 80%. With what little Qi he had left, this was the only technique he could use. Nidhora''s power surged out of his body and covered his bodypletely.


    The roach was standing less than 10 meters away from him and with their physical attributes, they could cover this measly bit of distance with one step.


    With a shout, Hao Xuan was the first one to make a move.


    "HAH!"


    He pushed against the old stone floor beneath and shot forward. It shattered like ss as his body flew through the air. The massive curved de of the ive was thrust forward with so much pure force that it sent ripples of air through the gloomy hall.


    The roach changed his stance instantly, his reaction speed even faster than Hao Xuan''s. He moved the left sword in a semi-circle anti-clockwise as soon as the ive was just a foot away and managed to change its direction by a few degrees, just enough for it to miss his slender body. The sword in his right handshed forward like a snake.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils dted. There wasn''t enough time to dodge. Before he could even blink, the sword reached his head and pierced through.


    The roach felt his de pierce flesh and became ted. But before it could celebrate, a surge of pain finally reached its brain.


    With utter disbelief, it looked down and saw the bottom half of its bodyying a couple of feet away. Its four ck pupils rolled back in their sockets and its body went limp.


    "God damn it! That was way too close!" Hao Xuan bellowed as he recalled the ive back into his meridian.


    Nidhora''s shadow retracted, exposing his injured face. There was a cut going from his left lip all to the way back to the ear.


    "Baracus, close all wounds!" he yelled, still angry.


    He waspletely out of Qi now. At thest moment, it was Nidhora''s shadow that came out from his back and cleaved the roach in half. Those draconic wings weren''t just for show.


    It was a good thing it was so dark in this ce that something like this worked.


    But the roach''s de still managed to pierce through twoyers of shadows and even the mask made out of nanotech before cutting his face.


    Hao Xuan took a look around. He couldn''t hear anyone or see anything else in the chamber so he went back towards the entrance and sat down. Taking out two spirit stones, he started absorbing them to recover his Qi.


    Sounds simr to that of water guzzling came from his body as his blood rushed through the veins, slowly healing all the wounds one by one.


    "That motherfucker, I''ll kill him if it''s thest thing I do," Hao Xuan muttered with a hateful gaze as he thought about how he got to this state.


    Less than an hour ago Hao Xuan had suggested a very simple n to the trader that would benefit them both.


    To make it look like the camp was attacked and free the prisoners. He would still pay for the prisoners and then give him a little extra to make it look like a fight had taken ce. In exchange, the trader could also escape to safety while Hao Xuan held the iing cultivators back.


    But upon receiving payment and freeing the prisoners, he told Hao Xuan about a secret room that led to another ce he had yet to explore. Curious, Hao Xuan followed him there which is when he ordered the two roach guards to attack him.


    Fortunately for Hao Xuan, he didn''t let his guard down and survived the initial attack, which is when the trader ran away, leaving him to fight the roach guards.


    Hao Xuan looked towards the ce the trader had run off to. It was so dark that he could only see up to a couple of dozen meters.


    They were somewhere deep underground now and there was no other source of light here. Faint sounds could be hearding from somewhere far, like the gurgling of water.

 Chapter 464: Prison

    <h4>Chapter 464: Prison</h4>


    While Hao Xuan sat there absorbing the spiritual energy from the spirit stones, he couldn''t help but wonder what was happening outside.


    He couldn''t hear the sounds of the battle currently taking ce several hundred meters above ground, but it wasn''t hard to imagine.


    Dai Zhi had a very powerful background so there was no way he would be sent out without a few live-saving measures. Unfortunately, Hao Xuan was trapped down here so there was no way for him to check out Dai Zhi''sbat methods.


    But that only increased his curiosity towards the little book that was given to him both as a present and a tool to kill Dai Zhi with.


    Hao Xuan opened his hand and the book appeared in his grasp.


    It waspletely ck, seemingly made out of normal materials with nothing extraordinary about it at all. There were scorch marks near the top and bottom of both the front and back covers but it wasn''t easy to see them because the cover itself was too dark.


    As Hao Xuan brushed his hand across the front, he felt some words engraved on the front cover.


    "Hmm?" he raised ad brought the book closer up to his face but no matter how much he focused his vision, he couldn''t see anything. Only be moving his fingers across the cover did he feel for the words.


    "Th..e rea...chi..ng?" he tried to make out the letters, but it wasn''t as easy to do. If he was looking at the words, his brain would automatically convert the words for him in anguage he was fluent in but feeling for the words was too hard.


    Opening the book, the first page waspletely nk. So was the 2nd, the 3rd and every other proceeding one. But when he moved his hand over the page, he could faintly feel for the words.


    It was truly a strange phenomenon.


    "Baracus, can you scan this page and see if there''s anything there?" Hao Xuan mumbled.


    *Beep*


    The ever so familiar beeping sounded before Baracus spoke up.


    "Hold your hand over it."


    Hao Xuan did so and a blue light came out of his hand and fell on the first page.


    "Negative. There is nothing on the page at all," Baracusmented not a secondter.


    Hao Xuan''s brow scrunched up slightly, "Are you sure?"


    "One Hundred Percent. I have run over sixty differentpilers but there is nothing. At least nothing I can pick up," he added thest line after a brief period of contemtion.


    "Nevermind then."


    ''I guess it would have been too easy if they gave me a book to read like a normal person right?'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly while grinding his teeth.


    *Guuurgle*


    The strange sound came again, like fast-flowing water moving through a small opening.


    Hao Xuan put the book back into the storage space and got up. His wounds had closed for the most part and even though they weren''tpletely healed, it was enough for him to move around with spurting blood everywhere.


    He took a step forward but stopped. Turning back around towards the oval-shaped ck water screen, he ced his hand over it and pushed, but nothing happened. He tried punching, kicking, yelling random words and circting Qi through it but nothing worked.


    *Sigh*


    "I guess I can only go forward," Hao Xuan muttered under his breath, exasperated.


    If he ever got his hands on that damned trader, there would be a show to see.


    With no other choice, Hao Xuan took every little object he could take from the roach guard corpses and stored it away. He couldn''t identify some of the things so they might be worth a decent bit to someone out there.


    The ce he was standing on was a dark, empty corridor decorated only with thick stone pirs every 8 meters or so.


    There were some engravings on the stone pirs but through the miracle of time, they just looked like random scribbles now.


    Just these stone pirs were probably thousands of years old.


    Still using Nidhora''s power, he was covered from head to toe in what looked like ck clothes that moved without any wind.


    He walked along the empty corridor for over half an hour before it connected with a giant staircase. Each step was at least three meters wide and one meter tall. Whatever it was made for was much bigger than humans like Hao Xuan. The stairs got wider and wider the higher he went until finally, he couldn''t even see the left and right sides in this darkness.


    He picked up his pace but it still took him over ten minutes until he reached the final step.


    A massive golden door blocked his path. It was at least 50 meters wide and so long that he couldn''t even see the top. There was a giant face engraved on the door. It wasn''t human, but something he had never seen before.


    The face looked...strange. It obviously wasn''t human with its bull-like nose, thick ugly eyes without any brows and a slightly protruding triangr mouth with sharp fangs, but it gave off an aura of sophistication.


    To any normal human being who''s standard of beauty was set by his fellow humans, this face would strike fear in them. But for some reason, Hao Xuan''s blood boiled as he looked at the nonchnt face.


    As Hao Xuan got closer he saw a line of words etched along the door''s borders. He recognized them at first nce. It was anguage used among the more intelligent creatures of the universe.


    The words read:


    "We pay homage to the 734th God of War. Here lies his majesty''s 103rd Imperial Prison!"

 Chapter 465: Cosmic

    <h4>Chapter 465: Cosmic</h4>


    "103rd...Imperial...Prison?" Hao Xuan repeated the words absentmindedly before looking up at the engraved face once again.


    "You are a...God of War...? A real God?" he was truly overwhelmed looking at the alien god.


    This was the first time Hao Xuan was seeing a bonafide God, or what one looked like at least. The Fiend God Ensis came from was but an illusion, if even that. And Ryfon''s master although a half-god was still part human.


    "Are god''s really so...powerful?" he couldn''t help but murmur.


    Ever sinceing to this world he had seen the ''gods'' symbols every now and then. Their temples, worshippers and even clones, but were they really an omnipotent or omniscient species? The ones that created everything? Was there nothing stronger than them?


    While Hao Xuan staring at God of War''s face in a daze, Baracus''s voice echoed in his head.


    "Step away from the gate! QUICK!" he shouted urgently.


    But Hao Xuan was so out of it that it took him a couple of seconds to really wake up and by then, it was toote. The mechanism had started.


    Purple rays of lights erupted from both the left and right of the gate and shot towards Hao Xuan. Even if he wanted to get away now it wouldn''t be possible since he was not faster than the speed of light.


    His pupils contracted as every single hair on his body stood straight up. He tried to step out of the way of the lights but he had only raised one foot when both light rays connected with his body.


    *Fwoop*


    He nked out for a second from the sudden impact. Even though it was just light, it somehow had mass, which should not be physically possible. Yet Hao Xuan felt like his very soul was almost thrown out of his own body from the force.


    It felt like getting sandwiched between two colliding trucks.


    Veins became visible on his neck and arms as he tried to struggle free, but to no avail. He couldn''t move an inch.


    And then from the corner of his left eye, he saw another beam of lighting towards him. This one was much brighter and concentrated. Before he could even think, it reached his head and went in.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes rolled back into their sockets as he started foaming from the mouth.


    But a short three secondster, they stopped.


    Hao Xuan fell down to his knees, his eyes returning back to normal. Steam wasing off his body like he had juste out of a hot shower in the middle of winter.


    *THUMP-THUMP*


    In unison, the two hearts pounded loudly like canons in his chest and he was forced awake.


    *Gaaaasp*


    *Huff*


    *Huff*


    *Huff*


    "What...the...FUCK!" he yelled while panting heavily. It felt like he had just run a marathon in his old body.


    The sensation of aching pain and sore muscles was one he had not missed.


    "Bara...cus, what...was that?"


    *Bee-*


    The usual beep that would sound every time Baracus was about to speak got cut off prematurely.


    "Ca- hear m-" static and broken voice sounded in his head. It was like listening to an old radio.


    "Hell- can yo- hear me?" Baracus spoke again, this time much better than before.


    Hao Xuan''s legs were still too weak so he used his hands and dragged himself away from the door while replying back to him, "Yeah, I can, more or less. What happened? What was that?"


    "A security scan."


    Hao Xuan paused as his brow twitched in anger, "You mean to tell me, a god damned security scan almost killed me just now?!"


    "Affirmative. But in your defense, it was a very powerful scan. Hybrid of both high-end tech and some kind of powerful magic," Baracus rified.


    Hao Xuan chuckled while grinding his teeth in pure anger, "Oh well, as long as it was a "powerful" scan, then it''s all okay."


    A brief period of silence followed as Hao Xuan reached a far enough distance he deemed safe andid down on the dusty stairs to rest.


    "....sarcasm?" Baracus asked.


    "No, I like getting my ass kicked by ''scans''," Hao Xuan replied in an even more sarcastic tone.


    "Why are you angry at me? I tried to warn you."


    "Shut it. Speak if you have anything of value to add to the conversation," Hao Xuan retorted angrily.


    That so-called scan hadpletely rattled him. Both his physique and spirit centers were shaken to the core. The headache he hadn''t felt in a few hours returned once again. His head was ringing like a bell.


    "Well, I did get something," Baracus continued, "There seems to be some kind of an intelligence behind the scan. It found out about me in a second and thinks I am in control of your body. It sent over some form of a message or warning."


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath, "Let''s hear it then," he said dejectedly. Baracus started reading the message:


    "The prisoner has escaped."


    "Corruption has spread beyond what was expected. Containment protocol is in effect but disintegrating quickly."


    "Unable to reach the God of War."


    "The first directive has been activated. Warden must be reced at once to help stop the spread of prisoner''s corruption."


    "Danger Level: Cosmic."

 Chapter 466: Cosmic Continued

    <h4>Chapter 466: Cosmic Continued</h4>


    "Danger level...cosmic?" Hao Xuan repeated, uncertain if he had heard it right.


    "Yes, that''s what it says," Baracus confirmed.


    Hao Xuan took a deep breath and took a few seconds to gather his strength again. With some effort, he stood up, turned back around and started walking back silently.


    "Where are you going?" Baracus inquired when Hao Xuan was halfway back to the area he hade from.


    "To find another way out," Hao Xuan replied cidly.


    "What about the escaped prisoner?"


    "None of my god damn business. Anything that has a danger level equivalent of the freaking "Cosmos" is something I should not be anywhere near off."


    "You don''t have to interfere but at least find out a little more and inform the people in charge of thepetition. What if the thing breaks out? I don''t think anyone here would be able to stop it, whatever it is."


    Hao Xuan''s pace slowed just a smidgen. Baracus saw that and continued.


    "The intelligence that contacted me, it doesn''t seem to be conscious, just very good at mimicking intelligent creatures. Right now its only objective is to rece the so-called ''warden'' of this prison, and for that, it will do whatever is necessary. We can make use of it."


    Hao Xuan slowed down, finallying to a stop.


    "We can exploit it you mean? Seems like a dick move."


    "It''s just a tool. Either you use it or someone else will, you don''t have to think about it too hard."


    With a sigh, Hao Xuan turned back around and started walking towards the gate.


    "Some people would say the same thing about you, you know..." he mumbled but didn''t get a response.


    Reaching the gate once again, he kept a distance of 10 meters this time.


    "Now what?"


    "Go to the extreme left, where the door ends."


    Hao Xuan did as told. It took him over a minute of walking to reach the other end of the gold gate.


    "Woah," Hao Xuan peered over the edge and of what seemed to be an endless abyss.


    Right as the gate came to an end, so did the floor it was attached to. There was nothing but a sinister darkness that seemed to fill this chasm. Not even the echo of Hao Xuan''s own voice returned from it.


    Grabbing on to the sidewall like his life depended on it, Hao Xuan stared at the small panel at the end, inside the ck wall the gate was attached to. There were three holes in the panel, in the shape of a triangle.


    "ce the index, middle and ring finger of your right hand in the holes, the sequence doesn''t matter," Baracus instructed once again.


    When Hao Xuan did so, he felt a tinge of pain as the tips of the three fingers opened up and inch long metal spikes came out of them.


    "What the fuck is that?!" Hao Xuan asked, shocked that this wasing out his own body and he wasn''t aware of it.


    "They''re just the nanomachines. I can create structures like this with their help. When they are inside your body, you can''t differentiate between them and normal blood cells. You can rx, they are not dangerous to you," Baracus informed.


    "Still..." Hao Xuan watched with skepticism as the metal spikes fit perfectly into the three holes. A few secondster they retracted and his skin close like it was never damaged in the first ce, not even leaving a scar.


    "So? What''d you find?" Hao Xuan asked while looking at his fingertips with narrowed eyes. It was like his body wasn''t his own anymore, at least not exclusively.


    "Not too much, you will have to enter the prison and connect me directly to the central control system, the information I can reach from here is very limited."


    "Tell me what you found first!" Hao Xuan asked impatiently.


    "Just some general information. This is actually created around this structure and it goes all the way down to the''s core. It was created by someone simply referred to as the ''architect'' in the records, no other information is given. This.... "prison" is made to contain only one being."


    "The poption above the surface is not actuallypletely native to this, at least it wasn''t at first. It started when a ship crashnded here millions of years ago. The warden of the prison deemed them worthless and didn''t even bother killing them."


    "But a few thousand years ago something went wrong. A meteor crashed on the surface and wreaked havoc even down here. The ''thing'' imprisoned inside made an attempt to escape and the warden sacrificed himself as ast-ditch effort."


    Hao Xuan''s brow raised on its own, his interest was piqued.


    "Is that normal? Using an entire to imprison one...being? Or a creature? What is it exactly?"


    "No, it is anything but normal. From what I can tell, there are numerous other prisons that hold millions of prisoners of the temple of the God of War but to have one all to yourself, this ''thing'' cannot be underestimated. Also..." Baracus paused, seemingly unsure if continuing any further was at all useful.


    But Hao Xuan didn''t give him a chance, "What?? Say it already!" he ordered.


    Hesitatingly, Baracus continued, "The warden that sacrificed himself to keep the creature from escaping, it was a True God, a pure-blooded God. And all it could do was die to keep this thing here. I don''t think you''re going to find another warden here capable of keeping it contained."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. His throat went dry as he forced himself to swallow some saliva.


    "Does.....it say? What this thing is?"


    "Negative. There is no description, just a few names it was called a long time ago."


    "W-What names?"


    "Depravatio, Eluvias, Insanitas, Desunt Aniae, among many others."


    Hao Xuan rattled his brain but the words didn''t trante. This meant that it was anguage that even Poriverse didn''t know.


    "What do they mean?"


    "Roughly tranted, these words mean something like: The Corruption, the Flood, the Disease, the.....Soulless."


    "I..I don''t think it''s a creature that''s imprisoned here, but something else."

 Chapter 467: Normal?

    <h4>Chapter 467: Normal?</h4>


    Hao Xuan was a little out of it for a good couple of minutes after listening to everything Baracus had to say. It wasn''t easy to digest something of this magnitude.


    The rational part of him was telling him to turn back around and run until this entire was but a bad memory, but the adventurer inside him wanted to explore just a bit more, to find out a little more, to quench the thirst for knowledge.


    It was said the curiosity killed the cat, that saying would be an apt description of most cultivators as well, for far too many had died because of it. But fortunately for Hao Xuan, he was much more self-aware than others and knew his shorings, many as they were.


    "Just a little bit more. Otherwise, I won''t be able to sleep ever again. Just till the control room then," he mumbled to himself.


    "Good. Go to the middle of the door," Baracus replied merrily.


    Baracus and Hao Xuan didn''t see eye to eye in most situations but the one thing that brought them together was the unknown.


    Following Baracus''s instruction Hao Xuan went to the center of the door where he tapped some random ces in a specific order and a portion of the door gave way.


    Hao Xuan walked through and came out on the other side. It as a gigantic hallway made of gold and bronze. It would have been a sight to behold when it was first created but now it was covered with dirt and some sort of fleshy growths that covered most of the interior. Its majesty covered the passage of time.


    Right now it looked more like the stomach of giant beast than anything else. The ceiling was about 200 meters high and 150 meters wide.


    A musky smell like that of old socks and fungus wafted into Hao Xuan''s nostrils, making him scowl and cover his mouth.


    With light steps, Hao Xuan walked through the corridor that seemed to go on and on without end. A good half an hour in, he suddenly stopped upon remembering something.


    "Wait, what the hell happened to that trader?? I was following him, where did that bastard go?"


    Hao Xuan''s memory had been a bit iffy ever since his spirit center became unstable and that part only seemed to be getting worse. Hepletely forgot the reason he came down here in the first ce.


    But he didn''t have to think long before Baracus spoke up.


    "He didn''te through here. We were the first people that reached that specific door in a long long time."


    "What do you mean this specific door? There are more?" Hao Xuan grimaced.


    "There are three of those doors in total. Ours hasn''t been opened before in thest few thousand years," Baracus exined once again.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes became sharp, "So someone else could already be in here?"


    "Most definitely."


    "That''s just...perfect.." Hao Xuanined in a low voice and quickened his pace.


    Corridor soon opened into a circr room that seemed to be a hub where half a dozen more corridors ended.


    "Where to now?" Hao Xuan asked Baracus, his only guide.


    "The third one on the right," Baracus pointed Hao Xuan towards a slope that went straight down. Hao Xuan obliged, almost jumping straight on this tform that seemed to be made for actual giants.


    But the deeper in he went, the worse he felt. Because those fleshy growths that decorated a few parts of the corridors above had bemonce now. They covered the walls like paint, not leaving a single uncovered.


    And not only their frequency but also their thickness and density was increasing proportionally.


    Hao Xuan stopped in front of a massive hall that was could barely be recognized now. The only thing in here now were these ck and brown pustules dropping in from the ceiling and the walls.


    "Oi oi, are you sure we''re in the right ce? I can feel a strange energy in this ce. Even air is bing thick with these...what are they?"


    He realized there were things floating in the air that could be seen with the naked eye, or at least with his vision.


    They looked like pollen you''d see in a flower field. Hao Xuan covered his mouth instantly and called out a face mask from his storage space and put it in.


    Baracus chose to finally speak up as well.


    "Yes, we''re going the right way and you don''t have to worry about pollutants in the air. As soon as they enter your body, they are crushed to nothingness. Your immune system is like a hungry beast, it leaves nothing alive."


    "Yeah, I''m still gonna keep this mask on," Hao Xuanmented. "Look at this ce though, does it look normal to you?" he gestured towards the fleshy sacks.


    Baracus almost scoffed, "Of course it isn''t normal but you have to go through this ce if you want to reach the central control room. This is the fastest route."


    "But is it the safest?"


    "I have no way of knowing what''s safe or not unless we go there first, als-"


    Baracus had just started exining when he froze.


    "Movement, my sensors picked up something moving. Straight ahead."

 Chapter 468: Bad end...

    <h4>Chapter 468: Bad end...</h4>


    "Movement, straight ahead."


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted as he focused towards the hall in front of him. His heartbeat slowed down to a crawl, beating only once per minute. His hearing reached its peaked instantly, so much so that he could hear his own hair grow if he focused on it.


    ''40 meters, left side?'' he thought inwardly.


    There was a sounding from there, like the gurgling of water he had heard before. But this was so faint that if not for his superhuman hearing Hao Xuan would never be able to pick it up.


    Taking out the ive, Hao Xuan clenched his fists around the pole while Nidhora''s shadow covered even his head, forming an inhuman face over his breathing mask.


    There were sources of light all along the corridors Hao Xuan had taken to get down here, with every 2 out of 3 being covered by the tumourous growths. Meaning even though barely, there was still some light which was enough for Hao Xuan to see his surroundings.


    But this hall in front of him waspletely covered by these growths and not a single source of light could be seen in there.


    Hao Xuan thought about summoning ck and White but without knowing what was out here, he might be exposing them to the ''disease'' that was guing this ce so he decided against it at the end.


    Using the ives massive curved de, Hao Xuan pushed away some of the growths that blocked the path and made his way in. Each one of his meridians was opened wide, circting every bit of Qi he could muster. If fighting was not an option then he would retreat without a second thought.


    There was no shame in running away from a hopeless battle, especially one where the stakes were only your own life.


    With his limited vision of barely five to six meters, Hao Xuan slowly walked through the jungle of fleshy tumors. Every time he took a step, a squelching noise woulde out from his feet.


    Hao Xuan walked until he was right in front of the source of the noise.


    "What is...it?" he mumbled out loud without even realizing it.


    The thing in front of him looked like a giant flower made of loose skin and tissue. It waspletely open, like a blooming flower. The sound of the gushing water wasing from the middle of this ''flower'' which looked like an open wound.


    Hao Xuan could see a stream of dark, viscous liquid passing through it, some squirting out of the middle of the flower, almost like a fountain.


    Hao Xuan was about to bend over to take a closer look when Baracus''s grim voice sounded in his head.


    "Step back."


    Hao Xuan paused, "What? What''s wrong?"


    "That''s a hatching pouch. This entire ce....its a hatchery...I was wrong, you need to leave right now!" Baracus was almost shouting at Hao Xuan, and Hao Xuan listened.


    He took several steps back and turned around, almost sprinting back withrge strides.


    "Exin motherfucker, what the hell happened?!" Hao Xuan asked while his heartbeat jumped up to keep up with the sudden bout of activity.


    "I was wrong, I tranted the message incorrectly. My internal records aren''tplete, I thou-"


    But before Baracus could finish his rambling, Hao Xuan cut in.


    "It doesn''t matter what you did wrong, tell me what you tranted incorrectly!"


    "I...I thought the message said "Containment protocol is in effect but is disintegrating quickly," but that''s wrong. If the containment protocol was in effect, we would have seen it already. I think...I think it said: "Containment protocol is no longer effective. The System disintegration has caused the spread of the agent." Meaning...we are already toot-"


    Baracus was in his own world exining what he did wrong that he didn''t see what was happening outside.


    "Why did you stop? We must leave, run!" he repeated upon noticing Hao Xuaning to a halt. They had unknowingly walked into the belly of the beast and could not afford to waste any time here.


    Hao Xuan''s hearts were like wild animals trying to escape his chest, beating harder and harder but his mind was clear. You could say this was the result of all his training.


    He tightened his grip around the ive and raised it in front of him.


    "Run where? We''re already surrounded," he chuckled self deprecatingly.


    He had just finished speaking when a small mountain of meat rose up from the ground. It stopped after rising more than 30 meters in the air. Two pairs of glowing yellow eyes opened up near the top and one after another, hundreds of sharp des pierced out of the side of this thing.


    Another mountain rose up from behind Hao Xuan, and one more from his left. From the tumorous growths that were hanging off the walls and the ceiling came out numerous smaller creatures, 1-2 meters in size.


    To his right was the wall so he had nowhere to go.


    Pieces of ckened rotting flesh started raining down from the three massive creatures, revealing their actual bodies that were enough to send even the most seasoned warriors running frantically in the other direction.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes glowed with a bright green luster in the darkness as they darted in between his enemies.


    "This...might not end well...." he mumbled.

 Chapter 469: Blood Arts

    <h4>Chapter 469: Blood Arts</h4>


    Since the day-night cycle on this strange new was so long, even though it had been over 4 hours since the start of the battle, the night was still as dark as ever.


    The rain continued to pour down like there was no tomorrow while the valley became more and more congested, filling with mud, water, and bodies of the defeated creatures and cultivators.


    On the ground, the cultivators fought head-to-toe with the smaller wizards summoned monsters. Their bodies created small mounds on top of which groups of cultivators stood, fighting off the other monsters trying to bring them down.


    Aer''s massive armor was still neat and clean after getting washed by the rain without pause, but it was filled with many small andrge cracks all around him.


    Nel''s pretty dress waspletely drenched and her face was pale, devoid of any color whatsoever. All of her attention was focused on supporting the cultivators on the field so she couldn''t even manage to spare some Qi for a barrier to shelter herself from the rain.


    Keeping them informed about what was happening around them, guiding them and even healing any serious injuries that threatened to take the lives of herpanions was her main job. She was the thread that tied all the smaller groups of cultivators together.


    She was the only cultivator here with supportive techniques and skills so the pressure of managing more than a hundred people was finally getting to her.


    There was a 3-meter wide pentagon underneath her that spun continuously, gathering the spiritual energy from the surrounding for her to absorb. Right now she was not only managing numerous small-scale formations and skills but also replenishing her own Qi reserves.


    Multi-tasking like this was one of the main requirements for a cultivator if they wanted to enter such a field.


    In the air above, Dai Zhi was basically teleporting all over the ce trying to keep therger Wizard''s attack that looked like a huge snake made of fire from reaching the cultivators below.


    His expression was grim as flew around nimbly. He could barely use 20% of his actual power in this little valley in the fear of burying everyone alive or even worse, waking up a nearby volcano or the beasts that resided within.


    From the corner of his eye, Dai Zhi examined the situation below and his heart lurched. Almost a quarter of the people that came with him were either severely wounded or dead. On the other end, the smaller wizard''s speed of creating new monsters had slowed down but still not stopped. It had already been more than four hours since the start of the battle and he was still going strong.


    There was no way to tell how much longer the wizards could keep this up. Their mana seemed limitless.


    *BOOM*


    Dai Zhi dodged to his right, barely avoiding the fire serpent. The serpent hit the side of the valley, starting a small rockslide.


    "WATCH OUT!" Dai Zhi yelled, trying to warn two groups below that would be caught within. One of them managed to retreat but the other was surrounded on all sides and got buried alive by several tons of volcanic rock.


    "Goddamnit," Dai Zhi grit his teeth, incensed to no end. "Fine, don''t me me for not holding back anymore," he mumbled under his breath and contacted Nel through spiritual sense.


    "Make everyone moved back, towards the entrance of the valley."


    Nel nodded once and passed the message along to the rest of the cultivators.


    "Why are we moving back? We''re so close!" Aer swung the greatsword in front of him, cutting several creatures in half.


    But Nel only responded with, "Dai Zhi''s order, move back now!" and started retreating.


    Micha was near the center of the battlefield, keeping a fair bit of distance from the frontlines. He moved along with Nel, firing off arrows made of pure Qi like a madman.


    When the majority of the cultivators had moved back, Dai Zhi nodded solemnly and looked at therger Wizard in front of him.


    The Wizard was surrounded by two different barriers, half red and half blue. It had a few wounds here and there but nothing life-threatening. Noticing the retreating cultivators it looked up to meet Dai Zhi''s gaze.


    They were flying above the valley, at a height of several hundred meters. Below them was a flood of greyish and white monsters, fumbling over one another to reach the nearest cultivator.


    Dai Zhi raised both arms above his head, holding onto the two red swords in each one. As the glowing swords got nearer to one another, they trembled and started releasing a bloody fog that surrounded thempletely, getting stronger and faster, creating a mini hurricane above his head.


    Dai Zhi''s eyes gleamed with a sharp light as he muttered under his breath, "Blood Arts: Holy Sword!"


    The bloody fog thrummed as if something was trying to break out. And then the sound of the rain got drowned out.


    The Wizard''s expression instantly turned ugly. It opened its hideous mouth and spewed out a string of odd-sounding words. A red spark ignited above his head, burning brighter and brighter, taking the shape of a ball of red fire that started expanding outwards, setting even the rain alight.


    But the fireball had only grown to a size of 10 meters when the wizard looked up and froze.


    Thunder rumbled in the clouds above and lightning shed. And with that sh of lightning, the de of a gargantuan sword more than a thousand meters in length was illuminated.


    It pierced through the sea of ck clouds, looming over the wizard''s head.

 Chapter 470: Theyre Coming

    <h4>Chapter 470: They''re Coming</h4>


    Blood Arts was the name given to all arts, skills, and techniques that were not learned, but inherited through the powerful bloodlines of a select few individuals.


    They could be not be learned by others because it required the power of their blood to activate and understand them. There were many such arts that needed specific criteria to be fulfilled first in order to first learn and then use them in battle.


    Dai Zhi''s Blood Art was one such technique. It allowed him to invoke the power of his noble Vampire bloodline and call forth a Holy Sword from a realm beyond ours.


    The Wizard''s demented heart beat like crazy as it observed the sword pierce through the night sky and fall upon the valley. Yes, it was merely falling down. Even at his level it was not something he could control so easily.


    Numerous thoughts were going the wizard''s mind when it heard Dai Zhi''s voice again.


    "Surrender. I do not want to use this weapon against you, for it will not only render you to ash but everyone below you as well."


    Down in the valley, the 80 something captive participants sill tied to the metal tform like sheep were still very much alive and kicking. They were of no threat and were being transported to the roach camp in the first ce so the smaller wizard''s summoned monsters hadn''t touched them at all.


    And if Dai Zhi chose to strike, he would not only kill both the wizards, the few remaining roaches and numerous summoned creatures, but also these humans. Not to mention Fulke and Ceni''s party that was still underground would be buried alive as well.


    The Wizard met Dai Zhi''s gaze, the massive vertical slits that held its eyes unblinking and cold.


    "Ra''Ku A Kumawa Rhasatu!" it spoke slowly, enunciating every word.


    It sounded like it was not used to speaking thisnguage and was forcing itself.


    Dai Zhi''s expression saw no change upon hearing the wizard speak, as if he knew it could speak such anguage all along. But his brows furrowed upon understanding what it meant.


    "Your code means nothing to me. Your masters are dead and gone, otherwise, they would havee out to help. Don''t force my hand wicked thing, I would rather kill all of them myself than let them be tortured by the likes of you!"


    "Chose now! Leave with your lives, or die. That is your only option," Dai Zhi finished by bringing his hands down in front of his chest. The thousand-meter long sword followed his movements and came closer to the wizard, now just a few hundred meters away.


    The Wizard threw a hateful nce towards Dai Zhi before contacting the smaller wizard on the ground. The smaller wizard didn''t show any strange reaction on the outside but with its right hand, it started writing something on the muddy ground inconspicuously.


    The words lookedpletely ordinary until he finished the entire sentence and then they suddenly vanished into the earth.


    Several hundred meters in the air, to the left of Dai Zhi the mountainside slowly opened up and a creature slithered out of it.


    This thing had three-pronged feet with extremely long nails that dug into the side of the mountain, sticking to it like a spider. Its arms extended outwards for more than 5 meters without any hands at the end, looking very much like tentacles.


    Instead, there were small des and thorns decorating their length throughout.


    It made no sound and its pale skin somehow melded together with the ck rocks it was standing on, bing almost invisible.


    All this had happened in less than 30 seconds.


    Dai Zhi looked at the wizard onest time before yelling, "Choose!"


    Therger wizard was startled and suddenly backed up several feet. It raised both its hands and spoke again, "Aku Sharu mawia!"


    Dai Zhi nodded with a pleasant smile, "Good choice, throw down your weapons."


    Therger Wizardplied and released its grip around the bone staff it had been using as a weapon all this time. But just as the staff had started its descent, Dai Zhi''s ear twitched and the 10 swords that were floating around him suddenly all struck at once, impaling the creature that was trying to sneak attack him.


    He swiveled his head back around with a wrathful expression, "Death it is then," and shed with the two swords in his hand vertically.


    The giant sword in the sky followed his movements and came crashing down. The space howled as it tore through the air aiming for the bbergasted wizard when the valley floor beneath them burst apart and a w shot up into the air.


    The w looked like the hand of some kind of a humanoid beast as it had five digits, but the leathery skin and spikesing out of the ends made it seem ''otherworldly''.


    Shooting a hundred meters into the air the w suddenly closed, like it had grabbed something.


    Dai Zhi''s eyes narrowed to slits as he shed down once again. The giant sword changed its direction and went straight for this several hundred-meter wide hand of some unknown beast, striking hard and deep, cutting it in half.


    The valley floor started to crumble and the hole the w came out of started to widen.


    The part of the w that was cut off convulsed as it was forced open from the inside, revealing a bloody Hao Xuan holding onto his ive.


    Hao Xuan looked up at Dai Zhi who had saved his life, his eyes hazy.


    "Run....they''reing!" he said through rough breaths.


    *Treeemble*

 Chapter 471: Theyre Coming Continued

    <h4>Chapter 471: They''re Coming Continued</h4>


    The entire area within several kilometers started shaking as the w was pulled back into the hole it hade out from, but the shaking didn''t stop with its disappearance, instead getting stronger by the second.


    Hao Xuan jumped out of the severed w, keeping well away from the putrid blood that was spewing out of it.


    He hurriedly bent over the dark pit that was widening by the second and pushed over some of the nearby dead bodies of summoned monsters. Only then did the shaking decrease in magnitude.


    He didn''t even have time to catch his breath when with the sound of pping wings sounded above him Dai Zhi appeared.


    "Who are you?" he asked while pointing his right sword towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan gave him one look and turned away. He was still covered with blood and mud which made him hard to identify. He summoned the normal mask and covered his face before pretending to take something out of his pocket and threw it towards Dai Zhi.


    Dai Zhi didn''t catch it but stabbed it with one of the swords. But when he saw what it was, his expression became doubtful.


    "You are the second guardian?" he asked skeptically. Hao Xuan had thrown him his identity token.


    Hao Xuan extended his hand and the token flew back into his palm. He still didn''t look at Dai Zhi, afraid that his own killing intent would be too obvious right now since he wasn''t inplete control of his body.


    Instead, he looked towards the pit at the end of the roach camp.


    "Did the people down there leave yet?" he asked gesturing with his chin.


    Dai Zhi''s brow was still locked in a tight furrow but he didn''t bother repeating himself.


    "No, what people?"


    Hao Xuan turned his head halfway, just enough to see Dai Zhi''s face.


    "The prisoners I rescued. Your ''sister'' is with them as well."


    There was no reaction whatsoever from him, it was like the person in question had nothing to do with him.


    Dai Zhi gazed back at Hao Xuan for a few seconds before looking away.


    The wizards were gone. Most of the roaches were dead and those that survived had scurried away in themotion. Only the humans chained to the metal tform were still there.


    Helplessly crying for help on the other end of the chasm that now separated them from the reinforcements.


    Dai Zhi flew towards the chained humans and with a couple of swings of his swords, freed them. He was about to go towards the pit when with the sound of hurried footsteps outwalked a group of poorly dressed humans, injured and bloody as hell.


    They looked more like mortal prisoners of war than cultivators right now. At the forefront were Fulke, Ceni and the others.


    The first thing Ceni saw was Dai Zhi, hovering up in the air some distance away. Her expression turned cold but then her gaze naturally turned towards Hao Xuan as if attracted by some unknown force, and the coldness washed away instantly, reced by a warm smile.


    Hao Xuan was too far to notice this but Dai Zhi saw it stark with rity, his eyes glimmering with a strange light.


    He flew over to them and with a kind smile, gave a sigh of relief.


    "I''m d you guys are safe. Looks like we made it in time."


    "Lord Dai Zhi!" someone recognized him and shouted his name, alerting all the others as well.


    "He came to rescue us!"


    "No wonder! That was him fighting all along!"


    "Long live Lord Dai Zhi!"


    "Long live Lord Dai Zhi!"


    "Long live Lord Dai Zhi!"


    Without a care in the world the ''rescued'' cultivators started chanting his name, which in turn made Dai Zhi quite happy. If not for the urgent situation, he would let them continue for as long as they wished, but now wasn''t the time.


    "Everyone, we must hurry and leave this ce. You are hurt and enemy reinforcements might be arriving any second. Help those that are wounded and make your way over there. Our people will help you cross," he pointed towards Nel and Aer''s group in the distance.


    "Thank you senior brother!" many of them came forward and thanked him from the bottom of their hearts, forgetting who it was that rescued them in the first ce.


    Ceni and Fulke''s group separated from the rest and made their way towards Hao Xuan, who was leaning over the hole.


    Hearing the sound of footsteps he turned around and saw Fulke, Hazel, and the rest, his gaze lingering for a second longer than it should on Ceni before moving on.


    "Where''s Henrik?" he asked looking towards Fulke.


    Fulke patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder with a smile.


    "Closeby. He was worried about you so sent me personally."


    Hao Xuan nodded and started exining with a somber expression, "Good thing you''re here then. We need all the help we can get. I fed those things some scraps but they''ll being up soon. We need to bury this whole ce and seal it!"

 Chapter 472: Intentions

    <h4>Chapter 472: Intentions</h4>


    "Seal it?" Fulke chuckled thinking Hao Xuan was joking but upon noticing the seriousness in his gaze he inquired further.


    "Why? What''s down there?" he moved in closer to Hao Xuan and asked in a low voice.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned to one of disgust as he looked towards the hole that seemed darker than the night itself.


    "It''s... a long story. I''ll tell youter but right now we must ask for help from those guys. We need to bury this whole ce," Hao Xuan snapped back to his senses and started walking towards Dai Zhi.


    He had only taken a couple of steps when a slender hand grasped his, stopping him mid-stride. Hao Xuan turned around and saw Ceni standing just a few inches away from him.


    His pupils contracted to the size of needles as he held back the overwhelming urge to crush her fragile little neck. A strong killing intent, unintentionally, leaked out of Hao Xuan''s body.


    Most people considered Killing intent to be just a feeling, a sixth sense of sorts but...that was only true for normal people. Cultivators, as wonderous as they were, could even weaponize their killing intent and affect the physical world with it if it was strong enough.


    When it was weak, it would be ''received'' as a feeling that the person in front of the target wanted to hurt them. It would be like a feeling of Deja Vu where they would keep feeling threatened by the attacker.


    But when it was strong, killing intent could manifest in the physical world and create realistic illusions like changing the color of the sky and the scenery around them, in one way or another showing how many people they had killed. It was different for each person and changed ording to their own mindsets.


    And the only way of increasing the level or strength of one''s killing intent was by feeding yourself with negative emotions and of course, killing other living beings. The more a person killed, especially in a painful or demented way, the stronger their killing intent would be.


    The more a person harbored negative thoughts and emotions towards their targets like hatred, jealousy, fear, or anger, the higher his or her killing intent would be.


    Of course, if the killing intent was kept unchecked, it would start affecting the behavior and personality of the bearer, making them more and more ruthless until they would lose their mind and be a killing machine.


    Hao Xuan''s killing intent was in its infancy. He didn''t harbor such negative thoughts towards anyone, or at least not to such an extreme degree, nor had he killed thousands or tortured others.


    What Ceni felt was just a feeling that she should put some distance between herself and Hao Xuan. It was her body''s way of warning her.


    Ceni quickly let go of his hand and took a step back without even realizing it. She was flustered by Hao Xuan''s gaze but didn''t show.


    "He won''t let you. Dai Zhi only wants recognition for himself and he will not let a chance go by," she gestured towards the severed w a few meters away from them, "He won''t give up an opportunity to find out where it came from and what was behind it. As long there''s a chance that it could benefit him somehow, he won''t let it pass."


    Since Dai Zhi had recalled the Holy sword, thick raindrops had started to drizzle again, increasing in frequency over time.


    Behind them, no one wanted to intrude, not even Fulke. They both looked awkward enough on their own without another person jumping into the conversation.


    They watched silently as Hao Xuan gazed at her piercing ck eyes for a few seconds before turning away and continuing his march where Dai Zhi was standing.


    "I still have to try. Otherwise, that thing down there will bring us all down," his voice came into Ceni''s ears.


    **


    Dai Zhi was busy tending to some of the wounded when Hao Xuan walked up to him and pulled him aside.


    "You want to do what?" Dai Zhi asked with a deep frown, his expression one of both anger and disbelief. He looked at Hao Xuan as if staring at a clown.


    "Are you out of your mind?! This belongs to the academy!" he said as a matter-of-factly, "You are but a guest here. I appreciate your help in rescuing the neers but I will take it from here. You should go back to the city and rest. I will handle whatever is down there, it is not for you to worry about."


    As Hao Xuan stared at the overbearing prince in front of him that refused to listen to his warnings, his killing intent grew ever so slightly. He sighed at his own powerlessness but this wasn''t something he could do alone.


    Seeing the resoluteness in Dai Zhi''s eyes, Hao Xuan gave up.


    "Alright then, good luck. I suggest you evacuate everyone that can''t fight as soon as possible. There will be some monsters crawling out of the hole pretty soon," he spoke in a voice loud enough that was heard by everyone around them. He did it on purpose so Dai Zhi would be held to some ountability by his peerster on.


    Dai Zhi''s expression turned ugly for just an instant before quickly softening.


    And with that one warning, Hao Xuan took Fulke''s group with him and left. Ceni also picked up her two friends and left with haste with the help of some of the other cultivators.


    Dai Zhi called for reinforcements from the walking city that was still nearby and waited, refusing to leave the ce.


    Barely an hour had passed when the ground started shaking once again.


    Hao Xuan who had picked up Fortis, Salome (Ch 440), and the girl they had rescued just reached where Henrik''s group was waiting for them when the entire mountain range they were on shifted by a few inches.

 Chapter 473: Hubris

    <h4>Chapter 473: Hubris</h4>


    In a ce filled with volcanos of all shapes and sizes, both active and inert, earthquakes were nothing out of the ordinary.


    But when the entire mountain range which was tens of thousands of kilometers long and perhaps just as wide moved in its entirety, that was anything but normal.


    Hao Xuan was standing in the entrance of the cave that was dug out by Henrik andpany to take cover from the rain when it felt like someone had pulled the rug from under his feet. He stumbled forward, almost falling headfirst towards Ceni who was standing nearby but managed to regain his bnce at the end and quickly straightened himself.


    But many of the others weren''t as lucky and were thrown off their feet. Several pieces of loose rocks fell from the ceiling and hit a few people. Thankfully everyone here was a cultivator so something like this wasn''t enough to hurt them seriously no matter how weak they currently were.


    "What the hell is that?!" Henrik asked while being helped up by Hazel, who was like a professional bodyguard by now.


    Hao Xuan had just arrived at this ce and didn''t even have time to say anything to Henrik when it hit them.


    He turned around to face towards the ce where all the cultivators that chose to stay with Dai Zhi were. There were still a couple of volcanos between them but he could still feel the stifling sensation of being buried aliveing from there.


    And if he could feel it from dozens of miles away, what would it be like for the people that were still there?


    "Come, we have to leave right now. It''s not safe here," Hao Xuan shouted and walked out of the cave, letting everyone get ready.


    Borrowing a shoulder from Hazel, Henrik also limped over.


    "Is it really that dangerous? We are so far and most of the cultivators from the three institutions should already be there by now. Dai Zhi called for reinforcements from all of them."


    Hao Xuan shook his head silently. When he said ''here'', he meant this, not this particr mountain.


    "Trust me, we can''t be anywhere near this ce when it wakes up. Doesn''t matter if it''s a hundred cultivators or a thousand, it will only feed that thing," Hao Xuan mumbled and gestured for Salome toe over.


    He was his responsibility so he would take care of him at the very least. Salome smiled like a puppy whose owner had just noticed him and ran over.


    "You guys ready?" Hao Xuan asked the rest of the people onest time, getting confirmations from most of them, and the ones that wanted to go join Dai Zhi changed their minds after what happened a few secondster.


    A deafening roar and an intense earthquake followed by a muffled boom was carried over to their location.


    Many people peered towards the source of themotion with bated breath and saw five massive, sharp bones jetting out of the volcanos surrounding the roach camp location.


    It was soon followed by numerous other explosions and bursts of light that were bright enough to be seen from so far away.


    "Hurry, let''s go!" Hao Xuan yelled, waking them from their dazed states.


    They still hadn''t recovered their cultivations all the way so most of them couldn''t call out their contracted beasts, if they even had any.


    And those few that could had to help the injured people on first.


    With Hao Xuan''s non-stop urging they quickly made their way out of the mountain ranges and were on their way towards the walking city.


    With nothing else to do, Hao Xuan couldn''t help but recall the words he had seen in the Imperial Prison. The words that had left him with nothing but despair for the future.


    After getting surrounded by the horrid creatures in the hall below, instead of going back, Hao Xuan chose to make a run for the control room instead. He used every technique at his disposal and even Nidhora''s power to its absolute extreme, almost turning into a half-dragon half-human hybrid by the end.


    And after fighting for two hours straight and expending most of his Qi reserves, Hao Xuan finally managed to reach the control station of the prison which was located several miles underground.


    As expected, it was one of the only ces still safe from the corruption of this.... ''thing'' that had taken over the rest of the prison.


    There he uncovered some details about what was being held in there.


    The God that was acting as the warden had also left a few scribbles before ultimately sacrificing himself. After tranting, it read something like this:


    "It is our fault that things havee to this. We tried to pry open secrets that weren''t meant to be seen and somewhere along the way, we noticed it wasn''t just us anymore. But something new, or rather, something predating even us had joined our ranks."


    "Nothing works against it. It has no consciousness, no ability to reason. Yet it outsmarts us at every turn. How many of my brothers have died? Even hell couldn''t contain it so how could we possibly kill it?"


    "We thought we knew everything. We opened a door to the beyond thinking that whatever was on the other side was weaker than us. And in our hubris, we brought upon our end."

 Chapter 474: "Little Boy"

    <h4>Chapter 474: "Little Boy"</h4>


    For some reason, whenever Hao Xuan read words like "us" and "we" in the warden''sst statement, he couldn''t connect them with the almighty Gods and the heavens that watched over the mortal realms. But perhaps that was just his own limited vision.


    ''Was it really something so bad that even a true god could do nothing against it?'' he pondered as the raindrops fell on his drooping shoulders that felt heavier than ever before.


    He felt unnaturally cold on this. It wasn''t a physical cold but something spiritual that affected his very being.


    He couldn''t help but think of home in this situation. Not the ''home'' back on earth, but the one he left in the Mei Kingdom. There he had a warm bed, people he called friends, and a special someone that would brighten his day with just a smile and a word or two.


    "What I wouldn''t do to see her right now," Hao Xuan couldn''t help but mumble while his eyes peered left and right at the sky above, searching for a moon that was hidden behind a sea of dark clouds.


    He had seen Xu Qing praying to the Moon Goddess several times and even asked about it once. The answer was simple but left an impression in Hao Xuan''s mind.


    Hao Xuan was lost in memories of the Mei Kingdom when a bright light shone behind them, prompting him awake. It was so bright that just for an instant, it looked like the sun had risen.


    They were too far for the sound to carry over but it wasn''t hard to imagine how loud something like that would have been.


    Like many others in the group, Hao Xuan paused to look back but everything had returned to its usual gloomy self already.


    At this point Henrik came stumbling over once again. His feet were covered in bandages and had healed for the most part since it was just an ordinary wound.


    He grabbed Hao Xuan by the arm and dragged him to the side, away from prying eyes.


    "Do you know what that was just now?" he asked in a low voice, his tone grave.


    Hao Xuan shrugged. He couldn''t care less at the moment. He tried to help but was sent away so whatever they got, they deserved.


    Henrik let out a helpless sigh.


    "That was the secret art of the 3rd guardian. He''s one of the two monsters that came from the other continents. The fact that he''s here and even had to use something like this means their situation is not looking good. Can you tell me what''s going on now or what?" he stared at Hao Xuan with a dead-serious look but his face that looked more delicate than a flower only made him look like an upset youngdy.


    Instead of giving an answer, Hao Xuan asked a question in return.


    "How much cultivation did you recover? Can you use that thing and show me what''s going on there?"


    The ''thing'' Hao Xuan was referring to was a discement skill that Henrik had learned in secret. He had used it once before.


    It allowed him to use something or someone as a conduit and project a live feed of the ces they had been to within thest few hours.


    The farther the distance, the more Qi it consumed. And if the ce he was trying to see had a concentration of spiritual energy then it would be harder for him to see it as well.


    Henrik looked at Hao Xuan with a raised eyebrow.


    "You''re the conduit?"


    "Yeah."


    "I can try. I''m not sure if it will show everything though."


    "That''s fine."


    Hao Xuan called Fulke and Hazel over to stand guard while Ceni took charge of their party and continued to lead the remaining cultivators towards the city, albeit quite hesitantly.


    She wanted to join in as well but Hao Xuan''splete dismissal of her very existence had finally hit a nerve for the fair maiden.


    She was a princess, a Royal! And beautiful and charming enough to steal a man''s very soul with a single look, yet he was treating her like a diseased dog.


    Ceni stared at the backs of those four disappear into the woods with a nonchnt expression but inwardly she was fuming.


    "Why am I not good enough? All I wanted was to be a little close to him, to feel his touch and his warmth like they so easily do. Why does he have to make it so hard for me?"


    Her pretty face decorated with a scowl as she talked to herself before finally turning away.


    The bracelet on her hand glimmered with a dim light under the night sky.


    Somewhere far, far away in a secluded forest on a nameless sat a thin figure in an old stone building.


    It looked sickly thin with pitch-ck skin. Even sitting down it was over 1.5 meters tall. kes of ck flesh asionally fell from its body like the winter''s first snow.


    Its face was inhuman. Half reptilian features and half of a kind of bird. If looked closely you would see small skeletons under him, acting as his chair. They looked human but were too small in size to be adults. At first nce, there were several dozen of them below him and hundreds more around him.


    In front of him was a small pond about 3-5 meters wide. It was filled with a pitch-ck liquid that was showing the scenes currently taking ce around Ceni.


    He was slouching over the pond with a bone in his hand, ripping off chunks of raw flesh with delight when he paused upon hearing Ceni''s words.


    Out of nowhere, he threw the bone which still had some flesh attached to it at the pond in anger. Biting one of his five webbed fingers, he drew ck blood with which he drew a few characters on the ck pond water while chanting in a raspy voice.


    Strangely enough, his blood didn''t mix with the water until he was done drawing theplete row of characters and then it dissipated as a new image appeared in the water.


    It showed apletely different scene. A sea of lcs overlooking a breathtaking view of mountain peaksing out ofyers of fluffy clouds.


    All the flowers were facing the middle of the field where ady wasying down on her side. She wore a tight dress that revealed most of her slender back and legs.


    She was facing the other way so her face could not be seen in the image.


    "What do you want little boy? I told you before never to show your ugly face in front of me. What changed?" her melodious voice that sounded almost hypnotic came through the water.

 Chapter 475: Doctrinated

    <h4>Chapter 475: Doctrinated</h4>


    The figure scoffed, "Hris, don''t tter yourself. I wouldn''t lower myself toe here if I had another option."


    A brief period of silence followed after.


    "Get to it then, what do you want?" thedy waved her hand impatiently when the figure didn''t say anything, still refusing to turn around and face him.


    The figure smiled.


    "One of the eggs I''m looking after is going off-track. She''s a human so I thought you would know what to do. And as you know, if we fail to fulfill the quota this time then it will reflect poorly on all of us," he added in thest line upon seeing her nonchnt demeanor.


    Although he was right in saying that it would reflect poorly on all of them, none of them would be punished as heavily as him. Their masters did not take kindly to failure.


    Thedy finally seemed interested as she sat upright.


    "Off-track how?" she asked with obvious curiosity in her voice.


    ''Got her,'' the figure grinned.


    "She is a carrier of one of the ancient bloodlines of the ''Servents'' along with a demonic one. I''m trying to awaken the ''Servents'' bloodline but it has been tough."


    "Tough how? It''s not that hard. You can just ask for reinforcements from one of the masters."


    The figure shook his head helplessly.


    "Do you think I didn''t try that? But she is on one of the Origins. It would take too long to infiltrate and reach her. Anyways, I found another way. There was a human with a dormant Lycan bloodline so I had him carry a majority of it to bring it to maturity."


    Haris''s body shuddered upon hearing of the Lycan bloodline. She turned her head halfway and peered towards the image floating in mid-air. Only one of her eyes was visible which had a three-pronged ck iris in the shape of three vertical pupils connecting with one another in the center.


    "Do I have to remind you how dangerous those things can be? Thest time we went against a mature lycan, seven demi-gods died and we still didn''t manage to kill it," she cautioned.


    The figure instantly looked away from the pond, not willing to risk his well-being by gazing at her eyes.


    "I know I know! The problem is not with him. The egg, she is bing too attached to the human. I have reprimanded her on multiple asions but she is not listening to me."


    Hris turned away and let out a deep sigh.


    "Has she fed yet?"


    "Of course not. She probably could but I told her to wait."


    "So let me get this straight. Your ''egg'', who is a hormonal teenage girl that hasn''t even fed once in her life, she is attracted to the human who is basically holding a piece of her very being inside of him, and you have been telling her to stay away from him?"


    "Yes!" the figure nodded confidently which was thest straw for Hris.


    "Are you an actual idiot!? Did you not learn anything during all those years in the sanctuary?!" she suddenly started yelling.


    "Wha- Watch your tongue, whore!" the figure rebuked, taken aback by the sudden change in the narrative.


    "Shut up you dumb lizard! Why would they give an egg like that to a creature incapable of emotion? What is wrong with those old bastards?!" she mumbled angrily, talking more to herself than anyone else.


    She stood up and turned around, revealing a picture-perfect face that didn''t look any older than 20. Her rosy cheeks resembled those of an innocent young girl.


    But her split irises were too ''eye-catching''.


    The figure looked away once again.


    "I didn''t reach out to you to be berated like an unfit newborn. Can you help or not?" he asked once again, not willing to drag out the conversation any longer.


    Hris shook her head wearily, "Every time we talk you get dumber and dumber. Why would you tell a vampire to stay away from someone they have already developed feelings for? Did you not read any history books, EVER? At least she hasn''t fed on him yet, otherwise, that would be a much bigger problem. They always develop intense emotions for the first feed."


    She waved her hand and a ck crystal appeared in her grasp which she threw towards the image. It disappeared inside with a ripple and shot out of the pond. The figure grabbed it with a confused expression.


    "This is...?"


    "My egg," Hris replied coldly, "He is a young king from the Republic of the Pale Sun. He''s already indoctrinated, you just need to bring him in. I''ll trade him for your egg."


    The figure''s eyes shone brightly with greed which turned to doubt.


    "A king from the Republic...?" he mumbled before looking towards Hris, "But why? He is worth more than a mere princess, even if she has that bloodline."


    "Because he''s too boring and I''ve already tasted him. Do you want to trade or not?" her brows scrunching into a frown.


    The figure opened his left hand and a simr crystal appeared which he threw in the pond and it came out on the other side.


    "Deal. She''s all yours," the figure threw the words out in haste before the image disappeared, leaving Hris standing alone in the flower field with the ck crystal.


    She smiled mischievously.


    "Now, let me see if you''re worth my time."


    ***


    Back on the, Hao Xuan was sitting on top of a rock under a massive mushroom.


    There were numerous glyphs and characters written all around him which were glowing lightly. Henrik was standing a few feet away from him while Fulke and Hazel watched from a distance of several meters with their weapons drawn.


    Henrik was chanting in a deep voice while moving in a semi-circle around Hao Xuan. Wisps of Qi came out of him, powering the formation on the rock.


    And in front of Hao Xuan was an oval mirror that disyed moving images.


    The images kept alternating, showing each ce Hao Xuan had been to in thest few hours.


    Henrik abruptly stopped his chanting and looked towards the floating mirror. It showed the scenes of the roach camp, or where it used to be.


    "Holy shit, what...are those?" he pointed at the mirror in shock.

 Chapter 476: Safe?

    <h4>Chapter 476: Safe?</h4>


    "What...are those?" Henrik pointed at the mirror in shock.


    Hazel and Fulke who were keeping some distance were also left speechless. Their mouths fell open upon witnessing the scenes ying out in the mirror in front of Hao Xuan.


    "It''s started..." Hao Xuan mumbled despondently.


    On the mirror, a bloody scene of carnage yed out, as if it was taken directly out of a horror movie.


    The most significant change was in the environment. It looked nothing like the empty valley they had left just over an hour ago.


    The hole created by the w of that unknown creature had gotten much bigger. There were hundreds of threads that looked almost like thick veinsing out of it the hole. Everything within several tens of meters around the hole was covered like the canopy of an old tree. The ground wasn''t even visible under them.


    Some of these thicker veins pulsed every few seconds as if they were alive, while continuously stretching further outwards. As if the itself was diseased.


    No matter what was in their way, it would be covered by the veins within seconds. This included the corpses of the few cultivators, the summoned monsters as well as the roaches.


    But all this was just happening in the background.


    What Henrik and the others were referring to were the creatures that apanied this corruption.


    Like a never-ending tide, they crawled out of the hole. Deformed creatures of all shapes and sizes. Some looked like they were once human while others resembled the beastsmonly found on the.


    But they were disfigured, contorted, and twisted into horrendous things. There were tumourous growths all over their bodies, pulsing incessantly. Many of them had new limbs growing out of their backs and sides, extra eyes, ears, etc while some had none of them, just wriggling torsos on the ground with mouths full of sharp teeth.


    They were magnified to several times the original sizes. Most of them were only about 1.5-2 meters tall but a rare few towered over the others like behemoths at more than 5 meters. Sharp bony fragments protruded from their hulking bodies.


    They were built like tanks with muscles over muscles. (Google ''resident evil monsters'' and go to images, that would be a great reference.)


    The cultivators had also increased in quantity. There seemed to be three distinct groups of them fighting creatures.


    Dai Zhi was flying in the air just as before, shooting down red sword glows.


    Every second they would kill hundreds of these monsters but their frequency didn''t decrease in the slightest. Instead, the newer creatures would eat the flesh of the deceased ones and grow even bigger and stronger.


    From a first nce, it looked like the cultivators were winning but if observed from afar, they were slowly getting pushed back. And as time passed, the frequency of therger creaturesing out of the hole was increasing steadily.


    Glows from all different kinds of weapons shot through the rainy night, cutting the creatures in half. On the temple''s side, which was led by Dima himself, the majority of the cultivators were unarmed. They had muscr physiques and used different unarmedbat techniques to tear into the waves of iing creatures. They were the ones closest to the hole as well.


    At the forefront were many young men and women exuding heroic auras as they moved back and forth amid the neverending waves of creatures, every time iming a few lives.


    The hall had the most people which were led by a youngster with short ck hair. He held a single ck sword and moved all around the battlefield like a ghost with his exquisite footwork. Whenever a cultivator was in danger, he would appear next to them and helped them out.


    Throughout the fight, his expression never changed once. It was nk, like he was doing the most mundane of tasks.


    Behind this group was a young man casually sitting under a rock, taking cover from the rain. He wore a ck jacket without a shirt. This was Tian Zheng (Ch 450).


    Every now and then he would give a few orders,pliment someone''s skills or make a randomment. But he never moved a muscle to fight.


    Thunder rumbled in the sky above and the rain got even heavier.


    After looking at the image for a few minutes, Hao Xuan spoke up again.


    "Can you go further back?"


    Henrik woke up from his dazed state, "Eh? Go back?"


    "Yeah, further back. An hour should be about right," Hao Xuan asked with a serious expression.


    "I...can try," Henrikmented and started his chanting once again. The scene slowly started to change, going further down into the hole.


    But it was pitch ck. There was no sound so they could only go by whatever was visible on the mirror, which currently was nothing at all.


    "This is far back as I can go," Henrik said through gritted teeth. He was channeling everyst bit of his Qi into the formation and was at his limit.


    Hao Xuan silently stared at the mirror for a few seconds, not even daring to breathe. Finally, he let out a small breath of relief.


    "It''s fine, you can stop it," he mumbled and got up.


    ''Looks like it hasn''t woken up yet,'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly, relieved to a great extent.


    "Come, let''s catch up to the rest," he patted Henrik''s shoulder, "I''ll exin everything once we get back."


    ***


    A few minutester, several thousand meters under the surface of the earth, the exact spot the mirror was showing.


    A white light pulsed through an embryonic sack of about sixty meters in size, lighting up a faint silhouette that was moving within.

 Chapter 477: Heran

    <h4>Chapter 477: Heran</h4>


    It took their group a little more than 3 hours to reach the walking city.


    It was situated on the back of a behemoth beast called ''Heran''. It looked like a close rtive of the long-necked sauropods back from earth, only much bigger. It was several tens of kilometer long with a neck that reached all the way into the lower atmosphere, with its head asionally above ayer of clouds. (Img in authors note)


    These were part of a rare type of beasts that were owned by powerful families and institutions for many different asions ranging from War or to simple transport missions for important people or materials over a long distance.


    Each beast had its own special ability but they had a few things inmon.


    For one, they never rested. They didn''t need to. They never slept or haad toy down. They were like machines that could go centuries on one trip if need be.


    Secondly, they all had an extremely high physical defense with skin thick enough that could ward off the most deadly attacks.


    They had a natural defense system in the shape of an area of effect all around them which couldpletely suppress the cultivation of anyone below Saint Realm, turning them into mere mortals.


    Only by the permission of their master would normal cultivators be able to use their Qi.


    Hao Xuan had heard a lot about these beasts several times but seeing it in person waspletely different.


    Even the tallest peak could barely hide the majestic body of this beast. At first nce, it resembled a statue carved out of a god mountain, unmoving and uncaring.


    Upon sensing Hao Xuan''s party get close, it lowered its gigantic head which was decorated by a gold helmet. It touched the ground and created a bridge for them to get the city on its back.


    Hao Xuan didn''t need to ask how it knew they were with the academy, there were probably a hundred ways. Maybe it could feel their badges or maybe someone was controlling it but it didn''t matter right now.


    "So big! W-Will it eat us?" Salome muttered with wide-eyes as his mouth fell open.


    He was but a mortal so seeing something like this was really a shock for him. Fortis was on his head instead of Hao Xuan''s. He suddenly got up and waved his tentacles in the air like he was trying to grab it.


    But then he paused and looked back at Hao Xuan with a confused expression, "Food?" he asked as his tentacles slowly started expanding. Within a couple of seconds, they had grown to more than fifty meters and were getting longer and thicker.


    Hao Xuan got startled and quickly smacked him on the top of his squishy head while looking around warily, "NO! Don''t eat the walking city, okay?! That is home, not food!"


    Fortis unwittingly retracted his tentacles back down to a few inches.


    Thankfully no one saw that happen because they were at the very back.


    Salome was hesitant so Hao Xuan just picked him up like a baby and carried him kicking and screaming.


    It took them over 5 minutes to reach the gate of the city which was guarded by just one person.


    He waited until everyone was present before speaking up.


    "Oh, took you guys a while," the 20-something-year-old mumbledzily. He pointed towards the path on the left, "Follow this path until you see a clearing. There are two dorms there, one for men and one for women. Take any room that has a circr sign outside it, that means its vacant. All the other buildings you see are locked and off-limits."


    "You can cultivate normally but any attacks above the Origin level will be automatically canceled. There are many formations active throughout the city so be careful. There''s water avable but you''ll have to cook the food yourselves. No one will do things for you here. If you are injured go to the temple of light and someone will heal you there."


    As soon as he finished talking, the groups started walking down the left path which moved along the outskirts of this majestic city. From where they stood it looked like 80% of the buildings were around the front while the remaining few ones were at the back where there was even a small forest.


    Hao Xuan, Henrik and Ceni''s groups were near the back and when they passed by the guard, he stepped forward and blocked them.


    He looked at Ceni and gave a professional bow.


    "Princess, Lord Dai Zhi has set aside a room for you in the temple, please follow me," he spoke humbly as if talking to a superior.


    Even in front of all the other royals he didn''t take such a tone but he was like a scared kitten standing in front of Ceni.


    Hao Xuan gave them one nce and looked away, walking down the path with Salome and Henrik when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stopped and turned around to see the guard looking at him with a smile.


    "Are you the second guardian?"


    Hao Xuan frowned slightly and pushed his hand away.


    "Yeah."


    "Lord Dai Zhi has also set aside a building for you, please follow me as well," he said with such a fake smile that it looked like he was making fun of Hao Xuan.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Walkling city: https://urlzs/eC84K


    full link: https://i.pinimg/564x/ed/e0/09/ede009748b8061860553659e2d017862.jpg

 Chapter 478: Great Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 478: Great Treasure</h4>


    Hao Xuan stared at the guard with a nk expression, only realizing he was serious a few secondster.


    "I''m good. I will take care of my own needs," he said nonchntly and turned around. The guard was about to reach out again when Hao Xuan''s voice carried over.


    "Tell Dai Zhi he cane visit me anytime. I''d love to know how tonight ends for him."


    And with that, without waiting for response Hao Xuan was out of sight within seconds along with everyone else.


    Ceni stared in his direction until his back vanished from view and followed after with the other two princesses.


    "Tell brother Dai Zhi I''m going to stay with my friends as well," she threw out the words while walking past the guard.


    "Princess..." he tried to stop her but without using force, that wasn''t going to happen. And he didn''t have enough confidence to touch a single hair on her head.


    Hao Xuan walked through the pathway that was looked more like a street iid with stone, snaking behind the shimmering gold buildings that went on for miles. The architectural design seemed to be heavily influenced by Victorian London, or maybe it was the other way around but they were simr and quite daunting.


    After walking for a few minutes he paused and looked back. The Heran had raised its head back up but he didn''t feel even the slightest movement. It seemed like the people that had made this city had thought of everything. Even when Heran was walking, the city on its back would remainpletely motionless.


    But what confused him was the rain. It wasn''t stopped by the barrier that most definitely surrounded the entire beast. Its pitter-patter rang loudly in the empty street.


    The crowd walked along the street, whining andining as they went. Some 15 odd minutester the street opened up into arge za that divided the city in half.


    To the right were thest row of gold buildings shimmering with sigils and insignias all over and to the left was a forest.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his eyes in disbelief. From the outside, this ce didn''t seem that big but it was certainly several timesrger now that he could see it first hand.


    It was an actual forest of thick leafy trees that were 1-2 meters thick and dozens of meters long. He could even hear a few heartbeats when he focused his hearing which meant there were animals or beasts inside.


    There was a huge temple on the right with towering ceilings. The words "Let the Light Guide your Way" were written inrge, bold letters above the entrance. Hao Xuan identally scoffed upon reading them.


    Many of the injured separated and went into the temple to get healed, including Ceni''s group. She threw a few nces towards Hao Xuan when she thought he wasn''t looking but he could feel her gaze even when facing the other way.


    Henrik gestured to Hao Xuan to follow him and moved towards the forest.


    There was a muddy path here with numerous footprints, both old and new. It cut through the forest and after another few minutes of walking, they came to a clearing.


    Tworge buildings that both faced other way blocked their view. They were five stories tall each with tens of windows on every floor, one for each room.


    Walking through the middle of these buildings Hao Xuan came out in front of a beautifulke. Even at night, he could see the blue water that never overflowed no matter how much rainwater poured in.


    In the distance, there was even a small mountain here.


    Fortis slumped down from Salome''s head and wiggled over, testing theke water by dipping a few tentacles inside.


    "Home?" he asked brightly. Hao Xuan could see the excitement on his face.


    "Yeah, home for now. But don''t eat the fishes that are in there. I''ll make you some food soon," Hao Xuan gave his permission and Fortis merrily jumped into the water, sshing some on Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan turned around and lead Salome towards the building on the right which was for the boys. He tried to open the door but no matter how hard he pushed it wouldn''t budge. Confused, he called out his badge and the door opened on its own.


    "These people..." Hao Xuan muttered under his breath helplessly. Both of these buildings were pretty worn out and looked like the servent quarters whenpared to the magnificent ''town-like'' area they had juste from but even here they were using such measures.


    He stepped through but heard a thud and turned around to see Salome down on his butt.


    "Are you okay? What happened?" Hao Xuan asked while helping him up but only got a shrug in response.


    "You go in first then," he gestured towards Salome.


    Salome nodded and took a step but was pushed away by an invisible force, this time falling several feet away.


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan''s guess was correct. Anyone without an identification badge would not be given entry. He helped Salome up again and patted his shoulder.


    "Alright, let''s go over there instead," he pointed towards the other side of theke.


    He called out his trust portable camp and ced it nearby. He disabled the obscurity field around it which basically turned it invisible.


    There was enough room here for three people to stay with ease so this was going to be his base from now on.


    The night was over 60 hours long here so there was still ample time.


    He washed up and gave Salome a new set of clothes when Henrik came running over.


    "Why are you here? Wait, nevermind that, there''s news from Dai Zhi''s team," he saw Hao Xuan''s camp and was surprised for a second but quickly returned to the topic at hand.


    "They managed to repel the attack of those unknown creatures and ventured inside. Apparently there is a huge structure down there but also much more dangerous. Beasts and demi-human creatures are present in hordes but the Hall has a ''seer'' with them this time and she says there is a great treasure buried there!"

 Chapter 479: Gates

    <h4>Chapter 479: Gates</h4>


    Hao Xuan silently listened to what he had to say but he already knew what Henrik was talking about.


    The "great treasure" was left behind by thest warden. It was supposed to be used for his sessor, to help him or her reach a significantly high realm and once again gain control of the prison.


    The centerpiece of this ''treasure'' was the God''s personal inheritance. But it also included numerous resources including high-grade spirit stones, cultivation techniques, weapons and so much more.


    It would be a lie if Hao Xuan said he never thought about getting his hands on it, but when he saw where it was, he gave up immediately.


    It was located at perhaps the most heavily infected area in the entire prison. Just getting to the ce would take months without any teleportation items or shortcuts, without even taking into ount the increasing number of infected creatures that would start showing up.


    It was on the other side of the, thousands of kilometers deep underground.


    He looked towards Henrik with a surprised expression, "How did they find out? What''s this ''seer'' you mentioned?"


    Henrik sighed upon hearing his query. He often forgot Hao Xuan wasn''t from the same ''humble'' beginnings as him but questions like this reminded him once again.


    "Seers are those beings that have the innate ability to see the threads of destiny," he said before taking a seat around the campfire that was burning on the side. Hao Xuan sat down as well.


    The rain still hadn''t let up but the portable camp had built-in barriers that provided cover so they were still able to remain dry.


    Henrik looked at the log of fire for a few seconds, as if lost in deep thought. Hao Xuan had never seen him like this before. He was always so cheerful but he seemed out of sorts at this moment.


    "Destiny, eh? It''s not easy to put into words. Some say our destiny is written the moment we are born. How we will live our lives and in the end, die. But us as cultivators, by our very existence we stand against it."


    "We HAVE to believe our actions are our own and we''re not just following a script. That''s one popr point of view," at this point he looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s curious gaze.


    "Another states that destiny is what we create as we go on. By our actions and inaction, by the people we meet. And seers are the people that can see the threads of destiny and in turn read and interpret it. It''s simr to seeing the future but at the same time very different. I''m so sure myself haha," he finished with a weak chuckle.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say. He wasn''t too close to Henrik but they weren''t strangers either. He patted him on the shoulder, "Why the fuck are YOU depressed? One of your girlfriends leave you or something?" he asked jokingly.


    Henrik was taken aback by the response and couldn''t help but break outughing.


    "Hahaha, no no, I''m sorry. I was just thinking about some stuff, don''t worry about it," Henrik shook his head, "Anyways, what are we gonna do now? Do you want to join the expeditions into the structure? Each of the institutions are making parties of 10-15 experienced and powerful cultivators and sending them down there. I can get you in if you want."


    Hao Xuan shook his head firmly, "No. I didn''te here for that. I told them its dangerous down there so if they are so hell-bent on obtaining this treasure, good luck to them."


    "Let them do their own thing. I have a lot of things to do on my own end as well."


    "Good, I was worried you''d want to go with them," Henrik finished the conversation by standing up.


    "If you need anything, call me over," he said before walking back towards the dormitory.


    Hao Xuan waited till he was out of sight before taking out the little ck book that was given to him by the stranger to kill Dai Zhi.


    Now that he had some time, he wanted to catch up n a few things including his cultivation. It had been a good long while until he had worked on his mind pce but the trantion of this book mattered more.


    With another wave of his hand, a in piece of paper and a pen appeared. He picked it up with his right hand and with his left, started feeling for the characters on the book''s cover.


    It took more than 20 minutes to trante just one line. The invisible characters seemed like they were alive, continuously moving around if he let go of the book, making him start from the beginning.


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of turbid air. It had actually exhausted him mentally and spiritually tranting this bit.


    He looked down with hazy eyes and mumbled the words under his breath.


    "The Gates of Chaos - Part 1."

 Chapter 480: Propaganda

    <h4>Chapter 480: Propaganda</h4>


    "The Gates Of Chaos - Part 1."


    Hao Xuan stared at the words he had penned down with a hint of glee and surprise.


    Surprise because ''that'' person knew he was cultivating the Chaos Energy, and gleeful because this was the first official written document he had found regarding the Chaos energy.


    Ever since Hao Xuan arrived in the beast world and started walking on the road of cultivation, he had never had a formal tutor. He was provided with books, descriptions, techniques and such and had to basically learn everything himself. There was very little (if any) guidance provided by an expert, someone he could call a teacher.


    There was no one he could really go up to and ask the numerous questions that bothered him. What he didn''t know was filled in by his peers and other fellow cultivators of the same level.


    He had to learn everything by himself and grow stronger, choosing whichever techniques and skill was provided to him.


    That''s why he was so eager to get his hands on the records and library of the academy. It would not only fill in the gaps in his theories but pave the way for his future in cultivation.


    The headaches that had been guing him for thest ten hours or so subsided slightly and his mood became a bit more pleasant.


    *Ssh*


    Theke water rippled and sshed as a white blob shot out and cleanlynded on Hao Xuan''s head.


    Fortis slumped down halfway and looked right into Hao Xuan''s eyes, "Food??" he asked expectantly, a few of his tentacles iling about in the air like antennas.


    With a helpless sigh, Hao Xuan put away the ck book and stood up.


    "I''m really tired right now so you''ll have to make do with these for now," he said while waving his hand.


    A small mound of dried meat appeared on the ground.


    "I''ll make something good in the morning," he patted Fortis''s creased, bald head that was obviously not happy.


    "Hmph," Fortis jumped down andnded in front of the meat pile. He looked back at Hao Xuan once again before quickly looking away in displeasure and started throwing the strips of meat in his meat like it was a chore.


    He finished within a few seconds and threw onest nce towards Hao Xuan that said "You''re wee" and jumped back into theke.


    Hao Xuan watched the whole thing in amusement before walking into the sleeping cabin. Salome was already sleeping on the only bed there so heid down on the ground below.


    It had been well over a few days that he had stayed awake without any rest and was actually quite tired. He fell asleep as soon his head touched the ground.


    That night Hao Xuan dreamt after months.


    In this dream he was a child, barely a few years old. He was sitting on a small table. To his left was ady humming a familiar tune while cooking something.


    He got up and tried to look at the stove to see what was cooking but he was too short and could onlye up to thedy''s leg.


    "Oh, what are you doing here?" she said upon feeling Hao Xuan''s tiny hand.


    She picked him up and ced him back behind the small table.


    "Stay here okay? It will be done soon?" she said with a smile. The sun was shining in through the window behind her so he could not see her full face, only her smile.


    She tapped once on his nose and with a light giggle, returned to the stove, continuing her cooking while humming that tune that Hao Xuan had heard before but could not recall.


    He could smell the ingredients one by one, the sound of the pan and crackling fire. It somehow made him feel safe, secure. A feeling he had not felt in a long time.


    The sound of the stove turning off came and thedy turned around with a te of whatever was being cooked.


    "Are you hungry?" she asked gently while approaching Hao Xuan.


    She was just a couple of steps away when Hao Xuan was awakened by an untimely p.


    "Huh? W-What??" he stammered, looking left and right.


    "Food!"


    "Meow!"


    Two white silhouettes, one furry and one squishy sat a few inches away from his face resting on his chest, ring at him.


    "Aah damn it, why''d you have to wake me up," Hao Xuan rubbed his aching face.


    The rays of the sun wereing in through the window and falling directly on his face.


    "Food!" Fortis repeated in anger. His tentacles were iling about anxiously.


    Zhurong, on the other hand, meowed once, jumped off and walked out of the room.


    "Alright alright, get off," Hao Xuan pushed Fortis away and got up.


    He checked the time and was surprised to see that he had slept for more than 20 hours.


    "At least the sun is up," he mumbled and freshened up.


    The rain had stopped and there was not even the shadow of a cloud in the blue sky.


    As soon as he stepped out, a wave of heat hit him head-on as if it was the middle of summer.


    The nights on the were extremely long and cold, while the days were short and searing hot.


    Hao Xuan covered his eyes until they adjusted to the brightness outside and was left speechless by what he saw.


    The camp was on the other side of theke and was directly facing the two dormitories so he could see everything clearly.


    Groups of tens of people were crowding around theke. All the youngsters of both genders. Dressed in loose clothing, some sat by thekeshore while others swam freely in the water.


    "What the fuck is this..." Hao Xuan muttered under his breath. It was like a scene from a corny teen movie back from earth. These people were just casually sunbathing and rxing like they were on a holiday.


    "They''ve been through a lot, it''s only natural to want to let loose a little," Henrik''s voice came from the side.


    Hao Xuan turned around and saw him floating on the water not too far from him. He was on a piece of shaved wood that slowly moved to and fro. Hazel and Fulke were also nearby, each doing their own thing.


    ''Am I still dreaming?'' he thought inwardly but then something shed from the corner of his eye and he caught it instinctively.


    It was a slip of paper with some names on it.


    "Brother Ryfon said I need to give this to you. He said you would know what to do," Henrik''s voice rang in his head.


    Hao Xuan looked at the list again.


    It had five female names and their ages in front of them.


    ''I almost forgot, one of these is his niece huh?'' Hao Xuan thought looking at it.


    "You know where they are?" he asked Henrik through spirit sense.


    "The first three are in the city below. You can go check them out yourself."


    "City?" Hao Xuan frowned.


    "Yeah. We stop at every average-sized town and city to restock on food and spread the usual propaganda. You know, to gather people for the battles. Each institute does it. I heard there are a few people that can use those words of power down there too. "

 Chapter 481: Alien

    <h4>Chapter 481: Alien</h4>


    Hao Xuan recalled his mask and took in a deep breath of the fresh mountain air when the sound of footsteps came from behind him.


    "Woah woah, you have to stay close okay? No wandering off!" Hao Xuan pulled Salome back just as he was about to go chasing after a small animal.


    "But I want to y with the ''tiho''," he pouted while pointing towards the animal.


    It had long ears, wide eyes, and a furry tail. From a first nce, it looked very much like a squirrel but its fur was different colors of the rainbow and it was much smaller, almost the same size as a mouse. Hao Xuan didn''t even have to inspect it to know it was highly poisonous.


    "No! No touching of any animal alright? I''ll buy you something delicious when we get to the city," Hao Xuan shook his head sternly.


    He reached out over his head and pulled off Fortis, "Stay with him. Protect him until I can find a ce for him," Hao Xuan said in a low voice but Fortis crossed his tentacles and looked away, not even wanting to meet his gaze.


    *Sigh*


    "Ok I promise this time, I''ll buy you whatever you want if you listen to me. Or do you want me to ask Zhurong to do it? You know he will do it for half the food~" Hao Xuan said in a teasing tone which quickly got Fortis''s attention.


    "NO! Fortis protect! No call Zhurong!" he suddenly shouted, making Hao Xuan smile inwardly.


    But he kept a neutral expression and shook one of Fortis''s tentacles, "Deal."


    Fortis jumped on Salome''s head and became invisible as usual.


    "Stay close," Hao Xuan reminded them and continued towards the city.


    The Heran had stopped a few kilometers away from the city behind a nearby mountain so as not to startle the natives.


    Before leaving Hao Xuan traded a pouch full of the local currency of the for a few spirit stones from one of the four guards that had been here since the beginning.


    His name was Hanul and he seemed to be from a rtively normal background seeing as he looked quite shabby aspared to the other guards. He was of course more than happy to make the trade.


    A few minutes of walkingter, Hao Xuan andpany came out of the forest and into a wide-open area.


    "Woah..." Hao Xuan couldn''t help but mumble because it looked like he had stepped back in time.


    There were different types of crops growing in wide-open fields in front of him, surrounding a castle-like structure in the distance.


    Three wide roads lead towards the castle from different directions. Hao Xuan could see numerous people hurrying along the roads to and from the castle.


    Huge wooden carts filled with different materials were being pulled by different beasts. The mostmon beast was one that looked like an elk with a hump like a camel''s. It was 2-3 meters tall and just as long.


    "Guess this is the ce eh?" Hao Xuan mumbled while grabbing hold of Salome''s cor just as he was about to walk in the opposite direction.


    He flicked Salome on the forehead as lightly as he could but it still left a red mark and his eyes started watering.


    "What did I say about wandering off? Stay close!" Hao Xuan ignored his puppy-dog eyes and scolded him like an elder.


    "Let''s go!"


    They cut through a few fields and walked up to the nearest dirt road and started following it with all the natives.


    Children poked their heads out of their carts and pointed at Hao Xuan while talking amongst themselves. Their parents quickly reprimanded them, telling them not to look at him but even they couldn''t help but steal a few nces towards their invaders.


    Hao Xuan initially wanted to keep a low profile but the average height here was less 6 feet and he was already crossing 7 so he stuck out like a sore thumb. Not to mention his aura which could not be hidden normally and his rtively pale white skin.


    The natives here had a much darker skin tone and most looked like they had a bad tan on. The intense heat was probably the cause of it.


    Following the crowd, they reached the castle gates within a few minutes where more than a dozen soldiers stood guard. They were dressed in leather armor mostly, made from some kind of local beast.


    They looked quite rugged and manly standing there with their many battle scars and unsheathed weapons, but when Hao Xuan appeared in front of them, several of them were visibly startled.


    "Oi, tell the captain, another one of the aliens is here!" one of them with a short beard yelled at another, much younger soldier in their nativenguage which Hao Xuan now understood easily.


    "Y-Yes," the youngster with the braided hair stuttered and ran like his life depended on it.


    The bearded soldier looked towards Hao Xuan while approaching him slowly.


    "Friend! We, friends. No trouble!" he pointed towards himself and the anxious soldiers behind him while spoking in the nativenguage of the beast world.


    Hao Xuan was genuinely surprised. These guys had already started learning thenguage of the beast world.


    He was about to respond when a fat bearded man stumbled over, pushing away the small crowd of people that had gathered around them.


    He fixed his metal armor that barely fit him and smiled ear to ear while rubbing his hand.


    "Hello inva- Uh guest. How can you help me?" he spoke fluently but obviously incorrectly.


    Beads of sweat were pouring down his forehead but he didn''t dare wipe them and simply stared towards Hao Xuan while maintaining his smile.


    Hao Xuan took one step and closed the distance of more than 5 meters, appearing beside the ''captain''.


    "You can rx, I''m just here to sightsee. Also its "how I can help you", you made a small mistake," he spoke in their native tongue, clear and concise and even corrected him.


    Everyone around them was taken aback upon hearing Hao Xuan speak theirnguage. The first soldier that called Hao Xuan an "alien" just seconds ago silently backed up a few steps and hid behind the other soldiers.


    "Where are the people that came before me?" Hao Xuan spoke again, waking the fat captain from his stupor.


    "O-Oh, they are at the city lord''s mansion," he pointed towards the city center nkly.


    "Thanks," Hao Xuan grinned and grabbed Salome by the shoulder. He pushed against the ground lightly and flew several meters into the air, vanishing behind the thicket of buildings.

 Chapter 482: Continued

    <h4>Chapter 482: Continued</h4>


    City Lord''s Mansion.


    The City Lord himself was a well-groomed middle-aged man sitting in the back of the great hall which was filled with joyous music and dancing couples. Behind him stood two hooded individuals in the shadows.


    The somewhat fidgety City Lord sat on a raised tform, apanied by three beautiful girls to his right while to his left was a young man with simr features to him and next to him was ady about the same age as the city lord. The youngster was his son and thedy his wife.


    Various other officials dressed in their shiny clothes decorated with badges sat below them on another tform. Most of them were men in their 50s or even older.


    They watched the dancers with great interest while throwing cheezypliments and chugging down drinks one after another.


    Along the left and right sides of the hall were two 20 meter long tables full of people. To the left were the local nobles and other people of importance that stole nces at the people sitting across from them which were about fifteen or so bored youngsters with airs of superiority surrounding them.


    These were the people that had just arrived on their and wreaked havoc, intentional or not.


    They looked not much different from the locals, only much more beautiful. Each and every one of them was a sight to behold for these mortals that seemed to have just reached the technological era equivalent to the middle ages of earth. With some difference of course.


    Most of these young, hotblooded local noblemen were sitting upright, giving off mighty auras while every now and then peeking towards the girl that was sitting on the seat of honor to the right of the city lord. Even without doing anything she was the center of attention with her uncontested beauty.


    Even the city lord himself was not immune to her charm, even though she was younger than his own son who was sitting next to him in much the same state.


    The song finished and the dancers bowed towards the city lord and his guests before moving aside.


    The city lord put on an awkward smile and leaned towards the right. All the officials and noblemen suddenly became attentive.


    "Princess uhm, Ceni was it? What brings you here today? It is the first time we have had someone from your side pay an official visit to my humble city," he spoke in the beast world''snguage.


    Other than his pronunciation, there was nothing with how he spoke. He could even be seen as someone from the beast world with such diction.


    Ceni who was the guest of honor and the reason all these noblemen had gathered here in such a hurry seemedpletely indifferent. From start to finish her expression was nk, as if she wasn''t even there.


    But upon hearing the City Lord speak her eyes regained their glimmer, like she had just woken up.


    Putting on a small smile she started speaking in a formal tone.


    "I''m sure you must have heard a lot about us and have many questions. I''m here today as an official representative of the Academy of Sollertia to lend your people a helping hand and help you get ready for what ising..."


    She didn''t put on any airs and without holding back, told them everything about the uing events. The battles affected them more than anyone else since it was on their home and she didn''t want to lie.


    By the time she was done speaking, the entire hall had turned deathly silent.


    The tournament had been going on for months and this obviously wasn''t the first time they were meeting, but it was the first time it was done officially.


    ''I have to prove myself here,'' Ceni''s eyes shone with conviction. She had to show some results and stand out from the crowd like her older brother and sister.


    She leaned back against the chair, giving them some time to ept their new reality. They were just told that their wasn''t their anymore, how could they ept it all so easily?


    The other cultivators sitting on the table below seemed indifferent but all of them were ready to attack at a moments notice.


    The City Lord was the first one to speak up again.


    "This...I''m afraid I don''t have the authority to do much here," he replied somberly, "I will have to talk to go to the Capital and talk to the King. Only he can give you an answer. There are too many powers tha-" before he could finish speaking, the sound of arguing came from the other end and meter thick door was abruptly shot open.


    "What''s going on!" a few guards suddenly ran in from the sides and stood in front of the entrance while the two hooded individuals moved closer to the city lord.


    "Will you people rx? I told you I''m not here for you," a voice came through, speaking in the nativenguage and then arge shadow walked in, blocking the entire door.


    There were actually two guards hanging on from his clothes, trying to stop him but were being pulled along as if they weighed nothing.

 Chapter 483: Words of Power

    <h4>Chapter 483: Words of Power</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s face was hidden behind the horned mask as usual. He knew there were a lot of people here so he had put it on beforeing in.


    Standing at the entrance of the great hall, he could easily see behind the row of soldiers blocking his path. His gazended directly on Ceni first and foremost. She was sitting right next to the City Lord in a somewhat revealing tight dress, shinning like a diamond in the rough.


    Hao Xuan sighed instinctively, "Why is it I run into you no matter where you go?" he spoke lightly in the nativenguage but because the hall was so silent, everyone could still hear him.


    One of the hooded figures standing behind the City Lord jumped andnded in front of the raised tform while the other stood right next to him protectively.


    "Who are you?" he spoke for the first time. It was the voice of a man and a pretty young one at that.


    Hao Xuan peeled his eyes away from the coy smile that had appeared on Ceni''s face as she stared at him without even blinking and looked towards the man standing in front of the City Lord.


    "I''m the Second Guardian of the Academy. I have some business with a few of my people, nothing you have to worry about," he said in the nativenguage again, surprising everyone that could understand him. Only the cultivators had no idea what he was talking about which was apparent from their faces.


    He changed back to the Beast world''snguage while looking towards the right where they were seated.


    "I''m looking for these three people, step out when you hear your name," he spoke in an authoritative tone, not giving them a chance to question or deny his ''request'', he continued.


    "Asha Tais, Kichir¨­ Nor, and Mo Huan."


    Staring intently at the expressions of these 15-16 cultivators sitting on the side, he said the names one by one. And as expected, two girls suddenly became nervous. They exchanged nces with one another before slowly standing up one by one.


    Hao Xuan''s brows furrowed, "Where is the third? What are your names?"


    The girl on the far end of the table stepped forward, "I''m Asha Tais, my Lord."


    She had short ck hair and looked like a normal human. There was nothing exceptional about her at first nce.


    Hao Xuan nodded and looked at the other, "And you?"


    This girl had cat-like whispersing out from below her nose and even a tail behind her. With a haughty expression, she looked once towards Hao Xuan before turning away.


    "Nor," she replied coldly and sat back down as if it had nothing to do with her. Hao Xuan couldn''t help but chuckle. She was putting on a cold front but her heart was beating like crazy. Hao Xuan could hear the blood madly rushing through her veins.


    "Alright~," he said jokingly and took out the list from his shirt pocket and crossed out the two names.


    Neither of them had any elvish blood in them. One wasn''t even human.


    "Where is this Mo Huan then?" he asked again but no one replied. They kept looking at one another and Hao Xuan could tell they didn''t know either.


    At this point, Ceni stood up. The City Lord that was sitting next to her also stood up without even realizing it.


    "Why are you looking for them?" she asked curiously. She was still smiling but it was a little stiff.


    Hao Xuan nced at her once and then back down at the list.


    "None of your business. Do you know where she is?" he asked casually, not even expecting an answer and was about to turn around to leave when his ears twitched.


    Hao Xuan looked up, his eyesnding on the hooded man behind the guards.


    "Hoh, that''s new, eh?" he mumbled under his breath.


    The rest of the people followed his line of sight, looking at the hooded man as well. Most of the locals didn''t notice the difference but the cultivators could easily tell.


    He was giving off a strong bloody aura, almost identical to that of a dangerous beast.


    "Yo, are you one of those guys with that word of power thing?" Hao Xuan spoke in the nativenguage.


    The hooded man took another step and pulled off his robe, exposing his body.


    Almost all the native people gasped in surprise and shock, well everyone but the City Lord while the cultivators all stood up, taking out their weapons.


    The man''s body was deformed. One-fourth of his face was bruised purple, patches of furing out of it. His upper arms had a fleshy growth that looked like extra muscles. There were long, bony protrusionsing out of his calves, covering his legspletely.


    He had different marks all over his body almost like tattoos but these seemed alive, slowly moving about on his skin like living paintings.

 Chapter 484: Branh

    <h4>Chapter 484: Branh</h4>


    Hao Xuan looked the man up and down, scrutinizing every little detail.


    Hao Xuan pushed aside the stunned soldiers and stepped forward with a curious expression, "What''s wrong with you? Your "powers" are all over the ce, they are shing with one another."


    This much was easy to see. Any cultivator with keen enough senses would be able to feel the several different energies inside the man''s body. instead of working together, they were going against one another.


    Iris and Klem, Ceni''s close friends whom she had rescued from the roach camp (described in Ch 464) were standing beside her, both ready to attack.


    Upon seeing their stances, the anxious City Lord quickly stepped forward.


    "Branh, what are you doing? Step down! This is none of our business!" he shouted trying to sound authoritative, but his wavering voice made it difficult to have the desired effect.


    While ''Branh'' only seemed to have eyes for Hao Xuan as his battle intent surged.


    He looked towards the city lord with a disgusted expression, "Brother, you have be weak. You see these invaders ande crawling on your knees with a single order to please them, is that what we havee to? Pawns they can order around at a moment''s notice? No!" his voice rising by the second, he looked around at all the nobles and officials that surrounded him, most of them refusing to meet his gaze.


    Even the city lord who seemed to be his blood brother could only lower his head in shame.


    "Pathetic. You are giving up without even putting up a fight," he shook his head and turned to face Hao Xuan, looking him in the eyes, "Lo and Behold! This is the power of our resolve, of all our efforts! This is our answer to your "invasion"! We are not as helpless as you all think us to be!"


    As soon as he finished speaking, the marks on his bodies starting lighting up and one by one joined together. His body started to deform even further. Sounds of the breaking of bones and ripping of flesh came from him as he grew from a mere 1.6-meter tall man to a humanoid creature over 3 meters long.


    He was still standing on two feet but that''s where the simrities between the old him and what he had be now ended. It looked like each of his limbs was from a different beast, all mixed and matched to make something new.


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, watched everything in silence without making a move. It was not for ack of opportunity but because he was genuinely curious about this power Branh he was talking about actually was.


    And seeing it in person, he was certainly surprised.


    Earlier even though he could feel different energiesing from Branh''s body, they were extremely weak. Too weak to even sense normally.


    But now, out of nowhere he had morphed into this thing and Hao Xuan could not even tell how strong he had be. It was like something was blocking his senses.


    Hao Xuan gazed at his body once again with a pondering expression.


    Branh saw and somehow mistook it for fear. Heughed loudly, even his voice sounding like an animal''s, "That''s right! This is my power! Tell me, invader, are you...afraid?" he leaned in, showing his rows of sharp teeth.


    Hao Xuan gently shook his head once, "Not really, but I am certainly curious. Come, hit m-" he had yet to finish when Branh''s massive fist tore through the air and before he could even blink, sent him flying back.


    *BOOM*


    A shockwave was created from their impact as Hao Xuan flew through one wall after another andnded in the front garden of the inner castle with a loud bang, sending mud and rocks flying everywhere.


    Bells rang loudly and shouts of soldiers filled the hall.


    Everyone, be it the locals or the cultivators that had arrived from the academy, all of them were left speechless.


    For the students of the academy, Hao Xuan was a guardian and just by that fact, he was a tier above them, at least in their eyes. And now with a single punch from this random person, he was thrown away like a ragdoll.


    Iris and Klem moved closer to Ceni and whispered, "We should leave."


    Ceni didn''t reply. Her eyes were fixed on the spot Hao Xuan''s body was at. She tried to walk towards him but was held back by Iris and Klem.


    "Ceni!" Klem tightened her grip on her shoulder.


    Hearing their interaction, Branh startedughing like a maniac, "HAHAHA!"


    He looked towards the scared nobles to the side, "See? See how weak they actually are? And you want to serve them?!"


    In his current condition, he looked more like a threat than their invaders so the oue wasn''t unexpected.


    Getting no reaction from them other than some whimpers, he looked towards the cultivators.


    "All of you should die for what you have done to my people," his tone bing somber as his giant body turned towards them.

 Chapter 485: Branh Continued (2)

    <h4>Chapter 485: Branh Continued (2)</h4>


    Branh''s massive body turned to face the cultivators, "All of you should die."


    He pulled back his arm to make a fist. Each of his fingers was thicker than an adult''s wrist and as he clenched his fists, the muscles on his arm bulged and veins wriggled under the skin like worms. It made for a disgusting sight.


    The air escaping from in-between his fingers sounded like the ripping of paper so it was easy to imagine how much explosive power was stored in that single fist.


    Iris and Klem who were a moment away from attacking were left at a loss for words when Ceni who was in charge of this whole ''expedition'' suddenly rxed her tense body and sat back down on the chair as if the current situation had nothing to do with her.


    Iris quickly leaned in with a worried expression, "Are you okay?" she asked in a hushed tone, worried that she wasn''t feeling well.


    But Ceni gently nodded, "I''m fine." She rested her chin on her right hand and leaned against the armrest, "Look, or you''ll miss it," she gestured towards Branh.


    The Iris and Klem along with the City Lord and the other robbed figure who was also paying attention to her looked towards the center of the hall.


    Branh was about to attack any second.


    The youngsters in front of him were ready to receive it as they all activated their own defensive techniques and some even got ready to escape, but it was obvious from their demeanors that none of them was very confident.


    Branh''s lips arched into a foul grin when he thought about ripping into the bodies of these youngsters when he froze.


    "Aah hah, why''d you have to go ahead and do that, huh?" Hao Xuan''s voice came from the garden.


    Everyone present, be it the scared nobles or academy students, or the confused soldiers who didn''t know what to do, all of them looked towards the source of the voice and saw Hao Xuan standing in front of the several meter deep crater he had just crawled out of.


    His dislocated left arm was protruding out of the skin.


    "Ah shit, I just got this shirt too," Hao Xuan grunted and pulled with his right hand, popping it back in an instant.


    In his head, Baracus''s voice was sounding continuously.


    "I''ve calcted the force behind that punch. Taking the physical prowess of a normal stage 4 Spirit Realm Expert as the basis, that punch was about 8 times stronger. But I don''t think that''s all he is capable of."


    Hao Xuan lightly pped his forehead a couple of times to make the ringing stop, "I know I know. He just caught me off guard. I didn''t think he would attack out of nowhere like that, so rude. Also-" he looked up and focused his blurry vision until he could see clearly once again, "-that was his raw power. I didn''t feel a shred of Qi or spiritual energy from that attack. How.Very.Interesting."


    Branh obviously wasn''t expecting Hao Xuan to still be in one piece. No one had ever survived a punch like that from him and not lost a limb or two.


    "Looks like you people are quite resilient," he mumbled unhappily.


    Hao Xuan stretched his back, making a few cracking sounds and red at him, "Big guy, thanks in advance."


    Branh forgot about the cultivators and turned to face him, "Hoh, what for?"


    Hao Xuan stretched his neck this time, once again making a few cracking noises, "I haven''t had the chance to test my physical power against a human opponent so far. You''ll be the first. Thank you, truly. I always held back because I didn''t want to identally kill someone, but you can probably take it, right?"


    "¡­.HAHAHA!" Branh chortled. That was one of the funniest things he had ever heard. Many of the other spectators shared the same skepticism.


    But he didn''t have to wait long to get an answer.


    Hao Xuan smiled, "Raise offensive power to 50%."


    *Whiiiiiir*


    An almost electronic whirring noise came from Hao Xuan''s body. Using just his body''s power, Hao Xuan was more than 13 times stronger than a normal cultivator of his level. With the 50% boost from the nanotech, that was instantly raised to almost 20 times.


    "Hey," Hao Xuan met Branh''s gaze, "Clench your teeth, don''t bite off your tongue," he reminded him once again.


    "Huh? What the hell ar-" Branh had just begun talking when an uneasy feeling crept into his heart.


    This was his battle instinct and it was telling him to shut up and close his eyes but it was already toote.


    Hao Xuan was already gone from his spot.


    Instinctively, he raised both of his meaty arms and ced them in front of his face when the distinct sound of breaking bones travelled through is body. And then the ground was pulled away from under his feet as he felt the air whizzing by his face.


    This feelingsted for less than five seconds before he felt his body be weightless.

 Chapter 486: Branh Continued (3)

    <h4>Chapter 486: Branh Continued (3)</h4>


    This feelingsted for less than five seconds before Branh felt his body be weightless.


    Finally not being able to hold back his curiosity, he moved his arms slightly and opened his eyes. He was surrounded by the blue sky on every single side.


    "Ah, I messed up," he thought inwardly while peering downwards and noticing what wasing for him.


    Branh had covered his eyes from the start so there wasn''t much he had seen but from the point of view of the nearby spectators, it was an entirely different situation.


    "Clench your teeth," Hao Xuan had warned in the nativenguage before bending his knees and putting some force on the ground below.


    A spiderwebbed crack started spreading outwards with Hao Xuan as the center until he finally pushed. The entire area within 20 meters of him turned to dust. His speed surpassed several times the speed of sound which was why no one heard the explosion until it was toote.


    Using a simple movement technique without any Qi, Hao Xuan appeared in front of the 3-meter tall Branh before he could even blink. He was almost twice the size of Hao Xuan but that didn''t matter anymore.


    Hao Xuan clenched his right fist and threw a single uppercut that connected with Branh''s giant elbow. The force behind it was enough to lift the several ton heavy Branh and send him flying straight up into the air.


    By the time the spectators saw Hao Xuan, Branh had already broken through the ceiling and flew more than a hundred meters straight up.


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    Both explosions sounded almost at the same time. First one from Hao Xuan''s sprint and the second from his punch.


    They covered their faces by pure instinct due to shock while many of the soldiers and some nearby nobles were thrown clear off due to the shockwave generated by their impact.


    But they didn''t even have time to process any of it when Hao Xuan bent his knees again. Ceni, Iris and Klem''s eyes widened all at once as all three of them reached out in unison and created three different barriers around him to block off the shockwave.


    *BOOOM*


    With a defeaning boom, Hao Xuan shot up like a rocket, destroying the few remaining scraps of the great hall that were left standing.


    This was his pure force. Each and every muscle on his body was working overtime. He tore through the atmosphere and arrived next to Branh that had just now started freefalling.


    "Oi, clench your jaw, what did I say?" his voice rang in Branh''s head who was still reeling from shock. He almost cried out loud but there was no time.


    Using his thick arms, he pulled them and his legs in to make a ball.


    Hao Xuan smiled, "That''s good, you might live through this."


    He raised his right leg and brought it down above the meatball.


    *BOOOOM*


    An earthquake jolted the entire 10-kilometer wide city as what seemed like a meteor crashed outside the city gates.


    ***


    Above the in the Gctic level deep space vessel, in an enclosed circr room sat 12 people around a round ss table.


    Above the ss table were thousands of small virtual windows that showed different scenes of the below and each of the individuals was keeping an eye over tens of such windows.


    Ryfon was one of these individuals as well. He was staring at arge window in front of him that was showing the scenes currently unfolding below in the city.


    Hao Xuan had just kicked Bran into a nearby field outside of the city.


    A young man that looked even younger than Hao Xuan leaned in from Ryfons left and shook his helplessly.


    "Tsk tsk tsk, why are these youngsters so hotblooded? Why do they fight every time?" he muttered in a squeaky voice. It sounded like he hadn''t even hit puberty yet but the way he spoke made him sound like an old man.


    Unperturbed, Ryfon pushed his head away with his index finger as if doing anything more would be too much work.


    "How about you worry about your own people, Cao Shuren? Did your elders say anything about the structure that''s buried down there?" Ryfon asked in a cid tone of voice, changing the topic quickly.


    The young man named Cao Shuren seemed 12-13 at most. He shrugged and leaned back into his chair, "No idea."


    "Hoh? Then what about the students that got sick and had to leave early? Are they healed yet?"


    "Nope. They''re in some sort of ama. Elder Wushing even said he would have to take them back to the beast world and have them treated by the experts. There seems to be something with their blood."

 Chapter 487: Continued

    <h4>Chapter 487: Continued</h4>


    "Their blood?" Ryfon straightened his posture, "What do you mean?"


    Cao Shuren used his pinky finger to dig into his left nostril while recalling what he saw, "I don''t remember exactly but...it was like their blood was changing? or something? I don''t know, it was so boring that I fell asleep halfway through. Anyways, they have been quarantined and Elder Wushing said he will take them back himself in a day or two."


    "Hmm," Ryfon nodded and clicked on another window that was showing the scene of the roach camp, or rather where it once used to be.


    He scoffed looking at thepletely different scenery. There was a red mist covering the entire valley, only the massive bones protruding from the sides were visible from afar. Red and yellow flesh-like substances were growing all around the sides of the mountains like moss, covering everything.


    It had even begun spreading outwards and towards other directions.


    "We still don''t know what exactly is down there. Not even our molecr scans were able to go further than a few hundred feet and they are sending kids in like its no big deal?" Ryfon scoffed.


    "I agree with you on that one," Cau Shuren tapped on a screen that showed the same area from different points. The screen continued to zoom in until it was showing the fleshy moss growth.


    He sighed, "We tried burning it, freezing it, suppressing it, used everyw we could get our hands on, but no matter what we do it doesn''t stop. It eats through everything and continues to expand. Its almost like...it''s alive.." by the end his voice had dropped to a mere whisper but Ryfon who was right next to him obviously heard it.


    "The Council needs to make a decision quickly. The longer this goes on, the worst it will be," Ryfon murmured with a shake of his head.


    But Cao Shuren who was lost in thought a second ago suddenly woke up from his stupor and leaned in even further towards Ryfon, "Speaking of the Council, I heard your Uncle came too. I thought you guys didn''t get along??"


    Once again, using his index finger Ryfon pushed his head away, "We don''t. Uncle is here for personal reasons."


    It seemed like Cao Shuren was used to being treated like this since he didn''t mind. He let out a deep breath as his eyes began to twinkle.


    "Man, I really want to see him though. Us seniors have all heard rumors of the Great Elf General that wiped out two entire colonies a few years ago. They say he fights like a madman, like someone that has nothing to lose. Is that true?"


    Ryfon kept looking at the screen in front of him in silence. Only after a good few minutes did he mumble, "No, he is much worse. He cultivates the Emotionless Dao so he feels nothing. No regret, no anger, no love, no hate. To him, everything is ck and white."


    Cao Shuren knew Ryfon had a history of not getting along with his Uncle so he chose not to speak any further.


    ***


    Above the control room of the Vessel, a piece of space filled with white clouds and clear blue skies stretched out without end. The ground was covered in lush green grass that went further than the eye could see. There were small hills every now and then that moved up and down like a beating chest. What was inside then was unknown.


    There was only one structure here. A two-story pagoda that continuously poured out thick streams of spiritual energy into the surrounding environment from each side.


    Inside the pagoda sat seven people. Three on each side to the left and right in a row with thest one at the end.


    Each of these individuals was covered in undting white fog from the waist down, revealing only their upper bodies.


    In front of each person was a small table with an assortment of unique foods and drinks. It was a minimalistic setting but one that spoke volumes.


    At the far end was a middleaged man. He had a gentle smile on hispletely ordinary face but the space around him was strange. Sometimes it looked like he was a thousand meter tall and the next, the size of an ordinary man. It was almost like an illusion but still real at the same time.


    He looked around at the six people silently sitting in front of him and nodded.


    "It is good to see that you all still haven''t slowed down in your cultivation."

 Chapter 488: Shen

    <h4>Chapter 488: Shen</h4>


    The middle-aged man nodded with a good-natured smile, "It is good to see that you all still haven''t slowed down in your cultivation."


    All six of the individuals sitting in front of him lowered their heads at once with expressions of reverence, respect, and awe, "Juniors thank Lord Emperor for his kind words," they spoke inplete unison, almost as if practiced a hundred times before.


    The ''Lord Emperor'' chuckled and waved his hand, "Don''t stand on ceremony so much. It has been centuries since Ist got to see your faces, let''s not let formality ruin it, rx."


    "Yes, Lord Emperor!" all of them replied once again like programmed robots, making the Lord Emperor let out a helpless sigh.


    "You people are too tight. I told you to just call me Izak," he grumbled andid back down on his chair.


    Even at his level, he was not like all those old fogeys that would lose their temper at the slightest sign of ''disrespect''. But he was the exact opposite in the sense that he wanted to converse and be treated normally, but that probably wasn''t an option with these six who knew who he really was.


    One of the six, ady who seemed to be in her 50s with greying hair was the first one to speak up.


    "Lord Em- Uhm, Lord Izak, the tournament is going ording to n. There have been a few hups but nothing we can''t handle," she said in a respectful tone as if talking to a senior even though she looked like she''d be older than his mother.


    She patted her chest proudly, "My academy was the first one to reach the site and discover the existence of the artifacts. I hope Lord Izak keeps that in mind during the final ranking session."


    Lord Izak reached out and grabbed a small cup from his table. it was empty when he picked it up but by the time it reached his lips, a clear purple liquid flowed out. He drank the entire cup before looked at thedy with a bored expression.


    "Adeline, why are you so concerned about such things? I told you all everything will be done as it has always been. Master has assigned me your protector so be at ease."


    ''Adeline'' bowed her head, "I thank Lord Izak for his honesty," and alsoid back in her chair.


    Of the remaining five, four were men in their 30s to 60s and one otherdy who seemed to be in herte thirties. They all looked like interesting characters with powerful auras surrounding them. These people were the current representatives of their respective powers out here, belonging to the Academy, the Hall, and the Temple.


    The expressions of the representatives of the Hall and Academy changed to a small degree upon hearing what Lord Izak had to say.


    One of the men who looked more like a random hooligan than a cultivator slowly picked up his cup, "To Lord Izak, may your friends be many and your enemies dead! I, Dusa have always been a great admirer of yours, lord," he guffawed and threw the entire cup into his mouth.


    ''Dusa'' had thick eyebrows, almost like caterpirs which moved up and down every time his expression changed. He had a stubble covering most of his face and a tail behind him which made him look more like a monkey than a human. And the beastly aura he gave off didn''t help either. He smirked towards ''Adeline'' before looking away.


    All the other picked up their cups begrudgingly, so as not to seem rude and emptied them.


    Lord Izak asked them a few random questions about the beast world and the current events, even going as far as making a few jokes which everyone ''enjoyed''.


    The atmosphere had just loosened up a little when all of a sudden the air became cold. The temperature fell several degrees.


    "Hmm?" Lord Izak felt the changes in the surroundings and looked towards the entrance of the pagoda where a person had appeared at some point.


    "Oh, little Shen. It has been too long. Comee," he said with a surprised expression while gesturing for the person toe in.


    Even though they tried their best to hide it, but the expressions of most of the other representatives turned ugly to some extent. They even looked away, refusing to even acknowledge the neer''s existence.


    Only Adeline looked indifferent. Dusa on the other hand suddenly stood up straight. His eyes turned a color of golden purple and a small burst of Qi leaked out. It was in the shape of beasts mouth.


    "Bogdan Shen!" Dusa muttered with gritted teeth as the person walked in.


    The man referred to as Shen walked in with steps lighter than air. He had fair white skin, as fair as a young maiden, and basic masculine characteristics of an Elf, well, as masculine as they could be.


    He looked no older than 20 and even ''prettier'' than Henrik.


    The lights in the pagoda flickering with his every step.


    "My Lord," he said with a slight bow. His voice sounding so cold that it could it turn the oceans to ice in a second.

 Chapter 489: Hegemony

    <h4>Chapter 489: Hegemony</h4>


    "My Lord," he gave a conventional light bow. It had no other meaning than to fulfill the formalities between their respective statuses. Others might be angry, but Izak gave no heed and simply smiled amicably in response.


    "Sit," he gestured with his chin and a seat appeared on the other side, facing Izak himself.


    Bogdan Shen sat down like it was his own home. He looked more rxed than perhaps even Izak. The only thing to note was that his eyes never left the ground. He was looking down and didn''t even look up at Izak when first meeting him.


    The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Half of the representatives were frozen stiff while the other half were more or less indifferent.


    Adeline was a Great Elder from the Academy. She was seated on the right furthest from Izak and nearest to Shen. She was the Academy''s senior representative.


    Across from her on the left was a man in his 30s. He had sharp features that made him look strict. Had the same characteristics as Wu Jin and was a member of the Wu n. This was Elder Krates, Junior representative from the academy. He was sitting there with his eyes closed like he was in deep sleep.


    Next to him was Dusa who was still staring daggers towards Shen. He was the Senior representative from the Hall and a Great Elder. But he was mostly known as the Myriad Armed Stone King because of his cultivation technique.


    Across from him was ady in herte 20s. She was the youngest person here and was the Junior representative of the Hall, Elder Sissel. She had a dazed look on her face which along with her soft features made her look like an ''air-head''.


    Next to her was an old man in histe 60s, or at least that''s what he looked like. He was bald and his face was covered with wrinkles.


    He was eating something that looked like grapes but they were white in color with something floating inside them. Every time he bit into one, it would make a weak screeching noise for an instant before being chewed up.


    And although he looked like a normal old man at first nce, his shadow kept moving on its own. Sometimes it would change shapes and yfully touch the shadows of the other people. The only ones he didn''t approach were Lord Izak and Shen.


    This old man was a monster from several generations ago and the Temple''s Senior representative here. Most people didn''t know his actual name since he was older than the recent history records. He was only referred to as the ''Shadow Regent''.


    Across from him was a man in his early 40s. He was wearing thin white spectacles, had a pale countenance as if the sun had never touched his skin and looked like an ordinary schr with a weak physique.


    This was the Temple''s Junior representative Elder Wushing, who Cao Shuren was talking about.


    These were the people belonging to the three of the most powerful institutions on the entire continent.


    And the man that had just arrived and was being alienated by most had nost name. He was simply called ''Shen'' but others had given him the unofficial title of "Bogden", which stood for "God''s Gift" because of his rare ''situation''.


    He was the Junior brother of the current Elven King, his most powerful general and one of the strongest people on the continent and was part of the hegemony that ruled over it.


    Seeing him for the first time, it was hard to imagine that someone that looked so delicate would be feared even in thewless ounds.


    Bogdan Shen had numerous fleets under his control and an Elven army led personally by him.


    Like most others, he was an undisputed hero to his own people and a gue to others because of his ruthless tactics.


    A genius strategist, a schr, and a battle-hardened warrior all neatly packaged into a petite container.


    Izak was the first one to break the veil of silence.


    "I was a little surprised to hear that you wereing too, little Shen," Izak said while taking another sip of the fragrant liquid in his cup. "Are you worried about the prince''s safety?" he finished with a chuckle.


    Dusa scoffed upon hearing that. To even imply that Shen cared about anything would be nothing more than a joke. For this man had thrown away all his emotions to cultivate the infamous core-scriptures of the ''Pce of the Thousand Stars''.


    Not much was known about these scriptures other than their requirements which only 1 in a hundred trillion people was capable of fulfilling. It required a special constitution and physique that was rarely ever found in nature.


    But it was like the alignment of the stars when they both appeared on a single individual. Which is where its name was derived from.


    The only publicly known ''side-effect'' if it could be called that, was the cultivator would lose all emotions. Be it empathy, love, hate, desire, concern, nothing would be left.


    Lord Izak knew this as well yet he chose to make that joke which clearly showed his stance towards him.


    But Shen didn''t react in the slightest.


    "No, my lord. I am here in a personal business. Ryfon''s business is his own," Shen replied in his cid tone.


    "Ooh," Izak looked at him with interest. "Is it rted to that new ''Gate'' you found?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

 Chapter 490: Plans

    <h4>Chapter 490: ns</h4>


    "Is it rted to the new ''Gate'' you found?" Lord Izak asked with a raised eyebrow.


    The already silent room became even more soundless. The three senior representatives, including the Shadow Regent who was quietly sipping tea while minding his own business, all became interested.


    There were many unknown nes and some known worlds in the universe that were usually not reachable through normal means. They required special gates and keys to open a rtively safe path towards them but even then they held significant risks.


    Since there was no way to know for sure what was on the other side, it could either bring great fortune to the gate''s owner or their demise. Yet they were always in great demand and held a lot of value, for both scientific and financial reasons.


    So, of course, hearing about such a thing piqued the interests of everyone present.


    Shen raised his head for the first time.


    And as his light blue eyes fell on the people in front, the temperature fell even more, or rather that''s what it felt like to everyone present. With a single gaze he was able to instill a soul-piercing cold into everyone unprepared enough to meet his gaze.


    The three junior representatives who were all Elders and in the Saint realms themselves felt a chill go down their spines. All of them looked away at once while circting their Qi''s and Laws at full force.


    Shen''s face was still expressionless.


    "No, Lord Izak. My visit has nothing to do with the gate. It is entirely my own. I hope you can understand and give Junior some leeway," he said looking Lord Izak right in the eyes.


    Lord Izak''s smile still hadn''t changed from beginning, neither had his nonchnt attitude.


    He chuckled, "Treat my vessel as yours. You haveplete freedom here," he said with a wink.


    Shen bowed slightly, "Thank you, Lord."


    Izak asked a few questions about the tournament before sending everyone off. It was obvious no one wanted to continue the conversations as long as Shen was there so he didn''t bother forcing them to stay.


    Shen left first, followed by the others.


    Shadow Regent and Elder Wushing disappeared from the space which was created by Lord Izak himself and reappeared back on the ship in their private area like everyone else.


    It looked like a dimly litboratory of some kind with different types of equipment and apparatus cluttering the ce.


    To the left was a dome that shone with a golden light. It covered some 12 or so young men and women that wereying there with their eyes closed.


    Elder Wushing let out a deep breath as soon as he appeared back here.


    The Shadow Regent, on the other hand, appeared in his usual spot at the back with barely any light. His shadow melded with the darkness and disappeared instantly.


    Elder Wushing came over not a few secondster with a bubbling pot of tea that gave off a wretched smell.


    He filled up a cup like he had done so many other times before and passed it to the fragile-looking old man before standing beside him obediently.


    The old man took a sip on the murky and gave a satisfying nod.


    "Ask. What bothers you?"


    Even though he was sitting right in front of Elder Wushing, his voice came from the other side of the room while his lips never even moved.


    Elder Wushing bowed from the waist, "About the man named ''Shen'' Shadow Regent, do you think he will be a hindrance to our ns?"


    The old man continued to sip the ''tea'' like normal and made no other movements as if he had not even heard anything.


    "Don''t worry about him. He has his own leash, whatever he came here to do, it should have nothing to do with us. But if something changes, I will rearrange things from the shadows. You should only focus on the task at hand."


    Elder Wushing bowed once again, "Yes, Shadow Regent."


    The old man nced over at the dome where the unconscious participants were.


    "Are the samples ready for transport?" his voice came from a different ce once again.


    "Yes. I will take them back myself," Elder Wushing replied while fixing his spectacles that were about to fall off.


    "Good. Make sure they don''t wake up on the way back."


    "Yes. What do we do about the tournament?"


    "Let the Academy and Hall fight it out. Support both of them where you can but make sure the Hall seeds in the end. That would be most suitable for the future."


    "As youmand, Shadow Regent."


    ***


    Back in the observation room, Ryfon received a message on his spirit band. It was only three words long but that was enough to ruin his mood.


    "Shen is here."

 Chapter 491: Zenthia

    <h4>Chapter 491: Zenthia</h4>


    "Shen is here."


    Ryfon stared at the spirit band with hollow eyes. The message hade from an unknown source that had no name or number.


    Some part of him was hoping it would turn out to be a lie but guess that was too much to hope for.


    He reached out with the other hand and quietly started typing.


    "Alone?"


    "Unconfirmed. Contact has been lost with everyone that even saw him once."


    "Where...is he staying?"


    "Deck A, subsection 1-S. The entire area has been given to him temporarily."


    ''The entire subsection? That''s more than enough to house two thousand people and still have room left over...'' Ryfon''s mind raced with many thoughts before he sent thest the message.


    "Alright, I''ll go check it out myself," and left for Deck A.


    Passing through a few short-range teleportation portals he arrived at Deck A which was reserved for VVIP cultivators within a few minutes. The wide-open hallways were mostly empty with a few vague shadows asionally whizzing past one another.


    No one bothered to stop him or even asked for identification because of one simple fact, no one would be stupid enough to walk into the lion''s den of their own volition. Everyone on Deck A had extremely powerful backgrounds and were the main force of a ship this size.


    Walking through these identical hallways for a little more than 20 minutes, Ryfon arrived in front of a thick door that had the words "Subsection 1-S" engraved on it.


    As he had done the dozen times before, Ryfon moved his spirit band over the scanner but the door didn''t open.


    Seemingly expecting the result, he swiped the spirit band over the scanner repeatedly but there was no change whatsoever.


    After more than a few dozen tries, Ryfon stopped and stared at the door with an expressionless face.


    "I will stay here as long as I need to, uncle."


    "......"


    There was no response for the next 5 minutes but when Ryfon didn''t move an inch from the spot, the scanner finally beeped once and the door opened on its own.


    Ryfon lifted his foot and stepped through to the other side but what he saw there left himpletely speechless.


    It was like he had walked through a portal to another world.


    Lush greennds as far as the eye could see with entire orchards of colorful trees bearing all kinds of different fruits and flowers covered his sight. A gentle breeze carried with it the scent of these flowers and trees as it brushed past his face.


    For a good little while, Ryfon was rooted to the ground, stupified. But that was not because of the sudden change in scenery, but its specifics.


    Once a cultivator broke through the chains of the Profound Realm, he would be able to bring his Mind Pces into the outer world. The higher the realm, the stronger this effect would be.


    At first it would just be a simple imitation of the actual Mind Pce. Then it would manifest itself in reality and from then on it would keep building on it until it became a fully functioning space of its own.


    There was only one path in front of Ryfon that snaked through the colorful scenery but it was one he had seen many times before.


    Ryfon took in a deep breath that was filled with the scent of a fruit that brought back numerous memories for him.


    "Looks like the rumors were true," he mumbled with a sorrowful expression while continuing with heavy steps.


    The further in he went, the heavier the scent became until finally he was surrounded by trees bearing a dark red fruit. It looked like a miniature gourd and smelt like honey and wine.


    This was a fruit that was exclusively found in the royal pce of the great Elvish empire. It was a gift given to the Elf King by the emissary of one of the Human Ancients on the birth of his firstborn daughter.


    From then onwards, the only ce it could be found in the Beast world was the private pce of Ryfon''s only older sister, Princess Zenthia Biric.


    She was born under a lucky star, gifted with unparalleled beauty along with an innate physique and constitution that had never been seen before until then.


    Ryfon walked through the familiar gardens engrossed in the memories of his sister that had raised and cared for him up until the very day she was exiled.


    Before he realized, Ryfon found himself standing in front of a giant tree more than 10 meters in length. Under it sat a single silhouette, resting against the trunk.


    Ryfon stopped a few meters away from him and bowed from the waist. With an emotionless voice he spoke, "Uncle."

 Chapter 492: Journey Home

    <h4>Chapter 492: Journey Home</h4>


    Shen had his eyes closed as he sat on the ground, staining his pure white clothes. There was one fruit in his hand along which he slowly traced his thumb, feeling the rough surface.


    Right now he looked like apletely different person from before. That potent aura that turned the entire space cold before was nowhere to be found.


    Right now he just looked like a fragile youngster resting after a long journey in the perfect weather of this ''world'' they were in.


    "Uncle," Ryfon called out.


    Shen neither opened his eyes nor made any moves, continuing as usual.


    "Why have youe, Ryfon?" Shen''s voice rang in his mind.


    Ryfon''s expression remained as emotionless as ever, "To ask you about her. What do you hope to achieve from all this?"


    Shen''s thumb paused and opened his burning blue eyes just enough to peer towards the man standing before him.


    It was as if Ryfon''s soul was hit by a tank. He staggered back, almost crumbling to the ground while blood poured out of his eyes, nose, and ears.


    ***


    While Ryfon had gone to have a face to face meeting with Shen, Elder Wushing had just finished his preparations to depart from the deep space vessel with the 12 unconscious participants.


    Elder Wushing stood at the center of a formation disk about 20 meters in size while the participant''s bodies were located around the outer edges, separated from Elder Wushing by a circr barrier that divided the formation disk into tworge rings.


    The Shadow Regent sat with his legs crossed drinking his tea as usual while several inhuman shadows moved around the formation disk.


    "Everything seems to be in order," Elder Wushing mumbled while checking the barrier for the third time.


    They were going to return to the beast world on this formation disk which was the personal treasure of the Shadow Regent. It had more than 3,000 minor formations all working in tandem to create one massive energy ry to power the journey back home.


    "Is everything taken care of here?" Shadow Regent''s voice came from one of the shadows.


    Elder Wushing bowed lightly towards the old man, "Yes, Shadow Regent. The cover story I gave them was that the participants need treatment which is only avable back on Beast World. No one thinks it''s suspicious so we should have no problems."


    "Good. Remember what''s at stake here! It took a lot of resources for us to divine the location of this ce. Although we don''t know exactly what is down there, one thing we know for sure is that it''s powerful. If even the temple of the God of War couldn''t deal with it, then its nothing to scoff at."


    "I''vepletely sealed their minds and bodies so there should not be any danger from them, at least for now. Still, you are aware of what to do in case something goes wrong?"


    "Yes, Shadow Regent!" Elder Wushing replied with a determined expression while feeling the cold steel te in his pocket.


    They had taken every precaution humanly possible this time. The steel te in Elder Wushing''s pocket was a key for the formation disk which once activated, would implode the formation disk, effectively killing him and everyone else on board.


    This was his duty, one that he had volunteered for himself.


    The old man put down the cup of tea and looked up to meet Elder Wushing''s gaze. His lips parted for the first as he spoke in a raspy voice.


    "Go then. May the Gods watch over you," he finished by making a strange gesture with his hand.


    Elder Wushing bowed deeply from the waist, "Yes," and started channeling his Qi into the disk.


    With him as he center, orange-colored sigils started lighting up one after another on the disk''s surface, creating an eight-sided star pattern.


    The sigil''s lights continued to grow in intensity until the entire room was colored by their light. The lights dimmed after a few seconds, revealing the empty room. The formation disk along with everyone on top of it was gone.


    Several hundred light-years away, in the dark of space a spark of orange light appeared out of nowhere, followed by the formation disk which was surrounded by three continuously revolving rings made of pure white light.


    The formation disk only stayed there for less than 5 seconds before vanishing once again, leaving nothing but a darkness behind.

 Chapter 493: Continued

    <h4>Chapter 493: Continued</h4>


    In less than ten minutes the formation disk teleported more than 50 times, each time getting a little closer to the Origins. Within the next couple of minutes they would reach the sr system and with one final teleportation sequence, arrive on the beast world.


    But while Elder Wusahing had focused all his attention on controlling the formation disk, one of the participants slowly opened his eyes, a teenager barely 16 years old.


    His eyes werepletely white without any pupils. The only thing of note were the wriggling red veins that interconnected with one another in a vague flower pattern with five petals. Each eye moved independently of the other shifting left and right before focusing on the back of Elder Wushing.


    Uptil this point he had not noticed the boy''s presence for it did not belong to any thing he or the hundreds of formations inside the formation disk could detect.


    60 secondster the space twisted and the formation disk appeared at the periphery of the sr system.


    Near one of the 32 moons of the seventh origin, a several thousand-meterrge pce floated in space. In one of its rooms, two men in their twenties sat in front of a revolving hologram.


    They seemed bored as both of them were watching different videos on their spirit bands when a blue dot appeared on the hologram.


    "Hmm? What''s this?" one of them looked over upon noticing the dot.


    A registered ''vessel'' had arrived in the sr system but it was being blocked by inteary arrays. Only by getting permission from one of these outposts would it be able to pass through.


    The other man nced at it once and waved his hand nonchntly.


    "Oh, that''s going to the Beast World, the temple already informed us. They are bringing back some students or something like that. Let them through."


    The first man whose hair was tied in a bun, frowned.


    "Really? Should I ask for confirmation just in case? That IS the protocol."


    The second man shrugged like it was none of his business, "Dunno. It''s on you if wanna, we have our orders."


    The first man seemed troubled. This wasn''t the first time something like this had happened but this one gave him a bad feeling.


    He reached out and tapped on the dot.


    "Iing vessel, please confirm your destination."


    "..."


    He waited for 20 seconds but there was no response. He looked over towards the second man who was also sitting up straight now.


    "Please Identify yourself or we will be forced to open fire," he warned but there was still no response.


    The second man shook his head, "Are you crazy?? The hell''s the matter with you?! Just let them through, what does it matter to us? We are just following orders."


    "But still-"


    "No buts! Do you want to lose this job? You have any idea how many people are waiting for you to make a mistake? Just do as you were told!"


    "...fine," the first man finally gave in with a gloomy expression and tapped the dot onest time, "You are free to go."


    The formation disk teleported once again and reappeared in the atmosphere of the Beast World.


    In the NW part of the continent of Tertitum, a team of twenty people was standing idly around argely empty stretch ofnd.


    Most of these people seemed to be in their 30s to 40s, belonging to many different races. A majority of them had beastly features but looked human-like for the most part.


    One of these was a 2-meter tall man with colorful feathers covering his thick arms that were several times the size of an ordinary person. On his shoulder sat ady whose eyebrows had simrly colored feathers.


    Thedy was looking towards the Sky while sighing every few seconds.


    "Hey Kyria, how much longer will it be?? I''m so bored~" sheined for the 10th time in as many minutes.


    "Stop whining. They''ll be here soon," the man replied while looking at his Spirit Band.


    "But it''s already been so long! Maybe they''re noting?"


    "They are. They left 30 minutes ago. Taking into consideration the time to get through customs, they should be here any second. Just wait," he replied again but upon noticing the time, he became a bit worried.


    "Elder Warin," he called out a hunched back old man who was just a few meters away from him looked over.


    "Any news?"


    The old man''s face was covered in so many wrinkles that you couldn''t tell where his eyes even were. He shook his head, "It should be arrivi-"


    But before he could finish, the space twisted and the formation disk appeared on the emptynd.


    "See its here," the man named Kyria smiled and raised his foot to step forward but froze.


    "What?!"

 Chapter 494: Spread

    <h4>Chapter 494: Spread</h4>


    Back on the deep-space vessel, close to an hour had passed since Elder Wushing''s departure. The Shadow Regent was still sitting in the same spot as before enjoying his tea when suddenly his expression changed.


    He reached out into his robe and pulled out an old scroll. As he opened it, row after row of words started appearing on its surface.


    It read as follows:


    "Shadow Regent''s treasure disk has arrived on the beast world but it waspletely empty uponnding, apart from an unconscious body which belongs to Elder Wushing. After further investigation, we found out that the treasure disk initiallynded at another location two empires away after arriving on the Beast World."


    "Elder Kyria led a team there as soon as he found out but it was already toote. Two cities were wiped out in less than 20 minutes. The entire space was sealed off but reports of simr happenings came from 5 other cities nearby."


    "We have tried every quarantine measure avable but there has not been any sess so far. The ''infection'' is spreading too fast. Anyone thates in contact with it soon bes one of "them". The situation has gotten out of control. The Elder council seeks your guidance in this matter as the Academy and the Hall have gotten wind of the worsening situation and are asking questions."


    It was just a few lines but that was enough to send a cold shiver down the Shadow Regent''s spine. He couldn''t help but recall the results of the divination they had conducted to find the location of this.


    "A great power hidden beneath the surface, surrounded by death in all its glory."


    The Shadow Regent bit his finger and wrote a short sentence at the bottom of the scroll.


    "No news of this must leak out. Do whatever you have to keep the me away from us. I will return posthaste."


    ***


    Down on the''s surface, Hao Xuan had justnded back on the ground after kicking Branh away when three shadowy silhouettes surrounded him.


    One of them was a girl who was standing to his right. She was the other person standing next to Branh behind the City Lord.


    She threw off her hood, exposing two arms and legs covered in tattoos. The tattoos moved on their like before and a white bone spear came out of each of her fists. It also had a few moving tattoos on it.


    The person to Hao Xuan''s left was another girl. There were tattoos all along her neck, face, and forehead, even going down her exposed back.


    Her tattoos started glowing and an ethereal image of a beast surrounded her from top to bottom. The beast looked like hybrid between a monkey and a tiger, a truly strange-looking thing.


    Behind him was a teenaged boy, about the same age as most of the participants this time around 16-17 years of age.


    Tattoos covered his eyes, nose, and ears, creating a mask of sorts. Even though his tattoos were glowing, there was no physical change on his body, at least not one that was visible with the naked eye.


    The hair on Hao Xuan''s neck stood straight up as his instincts told him to be wary of him the most. He gave off a strange aura that was much different from the other three who had clear beast-like origins.


    His expression turned ugly under the mask as he looked towards the row of participants casually spectating from the sidelines a few hundred meters away.


    "Oi, how long are you people going to stand around and watch? Get to fighting!" he yelled towards them.


    Many of them were still in shock from Hao Xuan''s earlier show of power. Not because it was so ''special'', but because of the fact that it was alling from his physical body. There was not a single physique cultivator among them so it was quite a surprise.


    But still, they weren''t your average cultivators. Each and every one of them had a powerful background and were looking for an opportunity to showcase their abilities.


    Like flies to honey, all of them activated their own skills and abilities and jumped to Hao Xuan''s aid.


    Another half an hourter the battle came to an end.


    An area of more than five kilometers which was about a quarter of the city was left in shambles. Most of the buildings had nothing but a few walls left while the ground was covered with craters and holes left behind from the fight.


    Remnant Qi polluted the environment, making it impossible for non-cultivators to even step in there without getting poisoned.


    Because of the City Lord''s quick action, the area was evacuated in a timely manner which kept the number of casualties to zero.


    Hao Xuan leaned back against a broken wall. There were bloodstains around his ears and patches of purple skin along his forearms.


    "That god damned kid, the next time I see him I will rip his heart out," he mumbled through gritted teeth while applying a white paste on his skin.


    "Baracus, have you identified the poison yet?"

 Chapter 495: Continued

    <h4>Chapter 495: Continued</h4>


    "Did you identify the poison yet?"


    *Beep*


    "Negative. I have nothing simr in my records."


    "Great," Hao Xuan spat out a mouthful of ck blood that was automatically being cleaned out from his body.


    He looked towards the direction the teenager with the face tattoos had escaped to. He was the one that had poisoned Hao Xuan with nothing but a single look.


    His powers were so mysterious that even after battling with him for half an hour straight Hao Xuan had no idea how he was doing it.


    And the worst part was that all of them escaped, even Branh who was knocked out cold. Over 30 cultivators were fighting against them but they didn''t manage to keep them here.


    "Those guys were no joke. I can see why the source of this power is in such a high demand," Hao Xuan mumbled while massaging his sore arms.


    Just blocking the attacks of the girl with the bone spears shook Hao Xuan''s entire skeleton. If it was just physical force then Hao Xuan could easily handle it as long as it wasn''t in the profound realm but each of their attacks had unique attributes.


    Seeing as the battle was finished and there was nothing else to do, Hao Xuan closed his eyes and sensed for Fortis who was supposed to be guarding Salome. He wasn''t too far off from his current location.


    ''I''ll find him a ce to stay here and then get back to the walking city. I have to get that book tranted quickly, I feel like it will help me get past this wall that''s been blocking all my progress,'' he thought inwardly.


    It had been months since had broken through to the 4th Stage of the Spirit Realm but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t create another Mind Pce. he could feel its presence, but something was missing, something important.


    Hao Xuan made his way through the wreckage left behind from the battle, leaving the participants behind to handle everything.


    Ceni who had not joined the fight stood atop the highest pir of the ruined castle, her gaze fixated on Hao Xuan''s back.


    Standing behind her, her two friends exchanged nces with one another, nces full of concern.


    "It''s like she''s be apletely different person. Why is she so obsessed with that guy? He''s not even that good looking," Iris spoke to Klem through Spirit sense while twirling a lock of her ck hair in between her fingers.


    Klem''s expression turned a little cold as she lightly smacked the back of Iris''s head, "That man saved our lives. Be a little grateful...but you''re right. I think we might have to inform her Majesty if she continues acting this way," she said referring to Ceni''s mother.


    Iris almost jumped out of her shoes just from hearing about her, "I-I don''t want to. You call her," she took a step back.


    "Tsk, coward," Klem gave her a dirty look and looked away, but her feelings were much the same.


    Even though both of them were now actual friends with Ceni, but that had onlye to be because of Ceni''s mother the First Mistress, who had basically forced them to be with her 24/7 as her informants.


    Iris and Klem were both princesses themselves,ing from Kingdoms that SHOULD have been at the same level as the Dai n, yet they were reduced to nothing but glorified bodyguards for her daughter.


    They were both extremely fearful and respectful of the woman that stood behind the so-called Vampire King and helped him rule with an iron fist from the shadows.


    **


    It had only been a few hours since the sun had risen so it was quite early in the day.


    Hao Xuan passed through one section of the city to the other while keeping as low of a profile as he possibly could with his stature.


    Even though a portion of the city was destroyed, the other parts seemedpletely undisturbed as people continued to go about their daily schedules without batting an eye.


    asionally Hao Xuan would overhear someone talking about the loud sounds from the earlier fight andining about one thing or another, but most just wanted to get their intended destinations.


    Hao Xuan was a little taken aback at first before he realized why this was so. This was in a too early stage of development so no one was really free. They had to work all day just to put some food on their tables so there was no time to be worried about things that didn''t affect them directly and immediately.


    Walking for a few minutes Hao Xuan reached a popted market where most of the stalls were selling rocks and different types of ores. It was jam-packed with all sorts of people even though most of them were rough-looking men.


    Suddenly, a weak sound came from behind Hao Xuan, "Umph, oww."


    He turned around to see a dirty little face starting up at him with crocodile tears in its eyes, "Mister, you stepped on me!" the girl shouted before she started wailing as loud as she possibly could.

 Chapter 496: Trade

    <h4>Chapter 496: Trade</h4>


    "Waaah~ you stepped on my foot!" she started wailing. There was even some blood on the ground which gathered the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Before Hao Xuan could say anything, they formed a circle around him and the dirt ridden girl while throwing nasty looks towards his direction and talking in a not-so-hushed tone.


    "Look, it''s one of them!"


    "That poor girl, what did he do to her?"


    "Of course it''s one of them. Every time there''s a problem, one of them seems to be behind it."


    But even though many of them had a lot to say, not a single person stepped forward and confronted Hao Xuan or consoled the child.


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan shook his head as he felt a headacheing on. He bent down in front of the vignt yet cowardly crowd and touched the small puddle of blood under the child''s foot.


    It was fresh and the source was her as well.


    "Stop moving!" he yelled when the girl tried to move back upon seeing Hao Xuan reaching out for her. Just those two Qi infused words were enough to stun her.


    He took off the animal rags that were covering her foot and saw a half ckened toe. It was infected badly and started leaking puss and blood as soon as the rags came off.


    Several of the nearby spectators that had stepped closer quickly backed off while covering their faces.


    Hao Xuan, very lightly, flicked the 10 or so year old girl on her forehead.


    "How is this my fault? You scammer!" he said with a cold expression.


    Tears formed on the edges of her eyes as she stared at Hao Xuan in fear.


    "I-I''m sorry mister, I was mista-"


    "Quiet!" he stopped her before she could even apologize. Even the eyes of many of the spectators turned cold seeing as they were also duped by her.


    Hao Xuan could feel their gazes turn sharp which pissed him off even more.


    "What the fuck are you people looking at? Piss off," he yelled again, created a miniature shockwave that rattled everyone close to him.


    They stumbled backward and started running away thinking Hao Xuan was going to attack but by the time they looked back, both he and the girl were gone from the street.


    Hao Xuannded gently on the roof of a nearby shop with the girl in tow. She was so scared that she couldn''t even cry out loud, forcing herself to hold back the tears that were on the verge of the breaking free.


    Hao Xuan jumped again, crossing a few more narrow streets andnded near an old abandoned building.


    He put the girl down on a broken wall and reached out into his pocket.


    "P-Please mister, I''m sorry! D-Don''t kill me, please! I have a little brother, he will have no one to take care of him," she pleaded thinking Hao Xuan was going to harm her.


    "Shh, keep quiet. My head hurts already," Hao Xuan spoke sternly, silencing her once again.


    He took out a small bottle of purple liquid and poured a drop on the girl''s toe.


    "Bear with the pain, don''t make any noise!" he warned.


    Within 10 seconds the liquid started bubbling and seeped into her bloodstream through the open wounds. A sizzling noise came from the toe while scraps of rotten flesh fell off like kes, reced by healthy skin.


    Hao Xuan was looking at the girl''s shocked expression throughout the process and was quite impressed. The pain of recing the old tissue was simr to pouring molten metal on bare skin, yet she didn''t make a single sound.


    In a minute or so her foot was back to normal. Hao Xuan nodded in satisfaction.


    This was one of the cheapest healing potions back on the beast world, just enough to close superficial wounds and stop the bleeding, but it couldn''t actually heal much despite its name.


    But after mixing in the ''miracle'' purple liquid he got from the Orcs, its effects had increased to such a degree. It was not an exaggeration to say that it would turn the beast world over if the news of this leaked out.


    Hao Xuan''s own healing abilities were already on another level without any outside help and he didn''t want to expose it to any of the other cultivators right now so he had been looking for an opportunity to test out its effects on a normal person to set as a standard.


    And he was more than satisfied with the results.


    This healing potion was made by a solution that was diluted 500 times and it was still this potent.


    "Alright, you can go now," Hao Xuan waved his hand, shooing the stunned girl away. He had just taken a few steps when he felt a tug on his pants.


    He looked down and saw the dirty little face staring up at him with glimmering eyes.


    "M-Mister, can you give me a little more of that...elixir? I will give you something in return!" she proposed a deal out of nowhere, making Hao Xuan almost break outughing.


    ''That''s one gutsy kid,'' Hao Xuan mused. Instead of being scared and running away like any normal person should have, she wanted to trade with him?


    "What could you possibly give me? I have everything I need!" he replied with a nonchnt smile.


    "T-That is...I..." she seemed to be in deep thought, obviously troubled over the decision whether to tell him or not.


    "Don''t waste my time girl!" Hao Xuan used spirit sense, his voice sounding inside her head and scaring her. She stumbled back, falling on her bottom. Hao Xuan turned back around but she quickly reached out once again.


    "No no please, I can tell you how to get the word of power!" she shouted anxiously.

 Chapter 497: Conditions

    <h4>Chapter 497: Conditions</h4>


    ''Word of power? Singr?'' Hao Xuan caught the little detail she had let slip.


    He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "And how would you know about something like that? Do you even know what you''re talking about?" he asked, slightly amused.


    It was entirely possible that she had overheard some locals speaking about it. If that was the case, she would probably make something else up as well.


    Yet, her reply surprised her.


    "I d-don''t know what it is, but I know where you can find it. I heard some old hunters talking about it a few days ago," she exined. "I can tell you the location if you give me a little bit of the elixir," she proposed.


    Hao Xuan scoffed, "And they just let you go? Don''t lie to me girl!"


    "I promise! They didn''t know I was there. They were busy with....some of the other children."


    Hao Xuan frowned inwardly. Were these hunters taking advantage of these kids? But he didn''t let it show and instead, a sinister grin formed on Hao Xuan''s face.


    He extended his hand and grabbed the girl by her head, lifting her up in the air.


    "Why should I trade with you? There are many ways to make a person talk, what''s keeping me from getting the location out of you and just leaving?"


    The tears that had formed on the edge of her eyes finally broke out and fell down her face as she stopped struggling to get free. She met Hao Xuan''s gaze.


    "Nothing will stop you. And I....can''t make you give it to me either, but I have to try. My brother is very sick and he will die if I don''t help him. I...I don''t want to be alone."


    Hao Xuan''s expression slightly softened looking into her teary eyes.


    "Where are your parents?"


    "Papa died from a beast attack a few weeks ago when we were trying to get out of the vige. Mama...she went out to get some food and didn''te back. That wasst week. I asked the guard uncles and they said she ran away. But I know she would never leave us, something must have happened to her!" she tried to shake her head left and right, still not believing that her mother had just abandoned her.


    Hao Xuan lowered his hand, letting her stand on her two feet. He reached back into his shirt and took out an empty vial before filling it with 10 drops of the same healing potion.


    He held it up to her face so she could look at it carefully.


    "Mix 1 drop with water and let him drink it. It will heal any injuries that he has. The rest you can use however you want but don''t tell anyone else about it or they will hurt you and take it from you. Now, where''s the location of this ''word of power'', eh?"


    The girl told him everything she knew down to thest word. Apparently it was in a nearby forest but was guarded by some kind of a beast which is why the hunters couldn''t get to it.


    The healing potion itself was almost useless to him so he wouldn''t care even if the entire thing was lost, but to the little girl it was priceless. As the saying goes, one man''s trash is another''s treasure.


    "What''s your name?" Hao Xuan asked when he realized he had been calling her ''girl'' every time.


    She held on to the vial with both her hands like it was the most important thing in the world, which made Hao Xuan feel somewhat guilty.


    "R-Rufina."


    "Rufina, eh?" Hao Xuan gave a genial smile even though it was hidden behind his mask and patted her hair which were stuck together like glue mixed with dirt.


    "Why did you approach me earlier? Out of everyone, why me?"


    Using her sleeve, Rufina wiped the remnant tears from around her eyes as her expression suddenly brightened.


    "Because of sister Ning!" she replied with a beaming smile.


    Hao Xuan frowned slightly, "Sister Ning? Did she tell you to talk to me?"


    Rufina shook her head vigorously, "No, Sister Ning is just like you, she also came from the sky!"


    "From the sky? She''s a cultivator?"


    "Ahan. She helped me and my mom reach the city when we were lost. She is really kind and pretty!"


    "Hoh, is she now? One of these spoiled brats is not selfish? Who would have thought," Hao Xuan mumbled to himself.


    "Alright, go," he stood up and moved aside, "Remember what I said, don''t use the elixir in front of or tell anyone else, it''s only for you."


    "Yes," Rufina thanked him and scurried away with her little feet.


    Hao Xuan didn''t waste any more time and went straight to Salome. Even after being told to stay, he had wandered into what looked like a tavern. Apparently someone had tried to pick a fight with him but Fortis had sent all of them flying. If not for Hao Xuan''s timely entrance, there would have been a bloodbath...or a feast, if Fortis was hungry enough.


    After asking around he found thest girl from the list who hade down to the city. She was a half-elf but the elf half belonged to dark elves which ruled her out as well.


    With nothing else to do, Hao Xuan bought a few tones of local food and brought it up to the walking city with him. Since the situation in this particr city seemed pretty bad already with numerous cases of looting and murders, he decided to take Salome with to the next one.


    When the sun went down, Hao Xuan put on his mask and once again departed from the city, following the directions Rufina had provided.

 Chapter 498: Lords...

    <h4>Chapter 498: Lords...</h4>


    "This should be the ce....right?" Hao Xuan muttered peeking through the thick canopy.


    He was a little more than 60 kilometers away from the town right now, hidden among tree branches in the southern part of the forest.


    In front of him were the remains of an old abandoned vige. The buildings were mostly destroyed and what was left standing was covered in moss. The sun had set just over an hour ago and the cold had started to creep in.


    Even Hao Xuan couldn''t help but rub his hands to keep them from getting cold. It felt like the cold was seeking him out like a sentient being.


    Time passed by rather slowly when there was nothing else for him to do. Another half an hour had passed but there was still no sign of the hunters nor the so-called beast that was supposed to be guarding the word of power.


    So instead of wasting time, Hao Xuan took out the little ck book and started "deciphering" it.


    This time his progress was much faster. In an hour he had deciphered two pages.


    Hao Xuan''s bright green eyes glimmered in the dark night as he read what he had written down. The first page was titled: "Order within, Chaos without."


    "What is your storm? That which keeps you awake at night, that which is always behind you, chasing you till thest breath, in fact, when it overtakes you, it will be the cause of yourst breath. What.....will you do then?"


    Hao Xuan''s brow slowly knitted into a tight furrow. The more he read, the more confused he became. Rather than a straightforward technique or skill which he was hoping for, this seemed more like the ramblings of some wanna-be philosopher.


    But with nothing else to do, he continued reading.


    "With a ferocity beyond any foe I had ever met, the storm''s tyranny left me senseless. I had ventured into the depths of my mind and soul to find peace, yet the storm even chased me there. It has followed me through the ends of the systems, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake."


    "It battered me harder than the boiling chaos of my past misdeeds, driving me to the verge of madness."


    "It was then that I finally gave up and let the storm take me. It brought with it a prickling feeling of stillness, much like I had expected, but it was within the eye of the storm that I came to the realization."


    "The realization of what was right before my eyes from the beginning. All my life I had fled from the storm, chasing a peace that was always out of reach. But now I understand that we don''t have to choose between the calm and the storm. In fact, to have either, we must have both."


    "That was the day I first BECAME the Storm."


    "Signed, The First Chaos Lord..."


    It was like something had exploded in Hao Xuan''s mind. An earthquake, the likes of which even reached his soul, shook his Mind Pce. The ck book closed on its own and shot towards the center of Hao Xuan''s brow, vanishing within.


    A multitude of images and characters passed through his vacant eyes and formed a single ck page that was visible only to him.


    "Initiation of the Chaos Gates: Reach."


    The Chaos energy inside his meridian started boiling, consuming all the others one by one, sending his body into shock.


    Hao Xuan broke free from the invisible force that had taken control of him and leaped back, falling off from the tree. He took in a deep breath to refill his empty lungs.


    *GAAASP*


    "The...FUCK!" he couldn''t help but yell out loud.


    "What!"


    "Who''s there?!"


    "Show yourself!"


    Three voices came from the front. Hao Xuan didn''t have time to process what was happening before he felt the cold steel of a de around his neck.


    Still out of breath, he looked up and saw the three faces staring back at him.


    "Who is he?" one of them who was missing his right eye asked the one next to him, a middle-aged man with sunken eyes and a scrawny body.


    "An alien, look at his mask. Just kill him quickly, the creature wille out soon," he replied coldly.


    The third man much younger than the other two was in histe twenties perhaps and was also the furthest one away, looking around cautiously.


    *Huff*Huff*Huff*


    Hao Xuan still couldn''t breathe properly. It was like something inside him was absorbing all the oxygen and he could barely focus.


    The man with the one good eye nodded, "Alright," and swiped his de across Hao Xuan''s neck in one smooth motion, like he had done so many times before.

 Chapter 499: Summons

    <h4>Chapter 499: Summons</h4>


    The one-eyed man swiped his de across Hao Xuan''s neck in one smooth motion.


    Hao Xuan who could barely even talk was rxed at first because no matter how powerful a mere mortal was, they would never be able to even pierce his skin. But when the first surge of pain traveled through the nervous system and reached his brain stem, Hao Xuan''s eyes widened in shock.


    Each and every single nerve ending in his body lit up like a Christmas tree, firing at their maximum speed. This was one of those moments that Hao Xuan was 100% sure that if he didn''t do anything right this instant, he would die by the hands of this nobody in front of him.


    Time seemed to have slowed down as he focused on the de had already cut through the firstyer of skin. Using thest bit of strength, Hao Xuan sent out two messages through his soul connection.


    The first one was to Barracus.


    "Defensive measure to maximum!"


    And the second one was a summons.


    As soon as Baracus received the message, the nanotech that was always circting in Hao Xuan''s bloodstream gathered the wound on his neck and formed ayer of razor-thin armor beneath the skin.


    The de moved across theyer of metal that had blocked its advance, creating red sparks in the dark night.


    Time returned to normal, or rather, Hao Xuan''s returned to normal.


    "Wha-" the one-eyed man stumbled and fell face-first into the ground with aching wrists. It was like he had struck his de against an anvil and the rebounding force was enough to make him lose his bnce.


    All three of the hunters were shocked by the sudden turn of events. The middle-aged man was the first one to react. he reached out into his loose shirt and took out a small dagger. With the speed of a leopard he struck, aiming for Hao Xuan''s eye.


    But this time the result was much different. He had only taken a single step forward when his mouth fell open from incredulity.


    The one-eyed man jumped back to his feet, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! KILL HIM!" he shouted upon seeing the middleaged man''s dazed expression.


    He bent down and picked up his sword ready to strike again when his gaze finallynded on the faint green figure behind Hao Xuan.


    The Abrasive Jadeblood Scorpion King that Hao Xuan barely ever called out was standing behind him. (Chapter 301 for description).


    The Scorpion King''s massive body straightened up, reached a size of more than 3 meters. A single arm of his wasrger than even Hao Xuan who was the tallest person here.


    His tail that looked like a long and thin veiny leaf raised up into the air behind him. A gust of wind ruffled the middleaged man''s hair, making his close his eyes by instinct.


    And when he opened them again, the body of the young man that was keeping an eye out more than 15 meters away from them was now hanging from the end of his tail.


    The young man was just as shocked as the other two. One second he was standing so far away, and the next he was suspended in the air.


    He looked down at the green tail that had pierced his chest and just like that, took hisst breath without even realizing how it hade to be.


    The other two wanted to make a run for it but seeing that they couldn''t move an inch. Every single hair on their bodies stood up like a needle.


    One look from the scorpion king was enough to render thempletely defenseless.


    The scorpion king opened his mouth and swallowed the young man''s corpse in a single gulp. He closed his eyes as the crunching sounds of breaking bones and exploding organs came from his now expanded gullet.


    The middle-aged man''s knees went weak and he fell to the ground while letting out a hystericalugh. He had lost his mind.


    The scorpion king finished eating the young man within a few seconds and looked towards the other two with an obvious expression of greed.


    "N-No, Pl-please!" the one-eyed man dropped to his knees and kowtowed in front of Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan looked up. His own face was drenched in sweat, turning a shade of blue and red from the extreme pain that was rampaging through his body.


    "Leave....him," he mumbled gesturing towards the one-eyed man.


    The scorpion king''s body vanished from behind Hao Xuan and reappeared above the middleaged man. This time he didn''t bother killing and straight-up swallowed him alive. His muffled screams came from the Scorpion King''s mouth for a couple of seconds before they too were overtaken by the crunching noises of his bones being crushed to death.


    The one-eyed man lost control of his dder. He was trembling from head to toe.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Scorpion King: https://urlzs/p1WpK


    (W and K are capital)

 Chapter 500: Guardian Beast

    <h4>Chapter 500: Guardian Beast</h4>


    The Scorpion King finished his second ''snack'' and looked over towards thest remaining trembling hunter as some saliva dripped down onto the ground and started corroding it.


    Just his saliva was more acidic than most acids known to man.


    His tail swayed left and right but his gaze didn''t leave the hunter, not even once. Just a single move, the smallest excuse, that''s all he needed to eat for the third time in so long.


    But the hunter realized this as well and lowered his head, not bothering to even look up. He kept mumbling something under his breath, which sounded like a prayer of some sort.


    Hao Xuan, on the other hand, had no time to think about any of this. The Chaos energy had broken out of its meridian andpletely overtaken his body. It only stopped after reached all the other meridians, staying just outside their boundary.


    Whenever he tried to call out any of the other energies, they were attacked by the Chaos like wild dogs and somehow converted into even more Chaos energy.


    And every time this happened, it would send tsunamis of pain throughout Hao Xuan''s nervous system. All the energies were his and it was an extremely painful process whenever they shed within one another because, at the end of the day, it was still happening inside his own body.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and wiped the sweat that had gathered on his forehead despite it being around -5 centigrade.


    "Baracus, what the hell is happening?!" he called out to the only source of information at his disposal.


    With the help of the nanotech, Baracus was sure to have a much better idea about what was happening inside him. But, his response left Hao Xuan speechless.


    "I don''t know. You were reading the book and the next thing I know the nanotech is being attacked by the Chaos energy. I can make a few informed guesses but that''s it."


    "THEN GUESS MOTHERFUCKER!" Hao Xuan identally yelled out loud, startling the hunter who was already on the verge of a mental breakdown.


    "Taking that tone ispletely unnecessary. Do you want me to cut of the pain? Would that make you feel better?"


    "YES! For fuck sakes, yes! I feel like I''m being boiled alive from inside out."


    "Alright."


    Just as Baracus had finished speaking, Hao Xuan''s body went numb. He couldn''t feel anything.


    "I had to block the connection to all your nerves for the time being."


    Even though his body was still reacting to the pain, he couldn''t feel any of it anymore. He let out a breath of relief and sat down on the ground.


    "Now....tell me what you THINK is happening," he asked while breathing heavily.


    Baracus started exining everything to him one by one, every scenario he thought was possible which took a look of time.


    There was only 1 moon in the sky tonight and it slowly moved higher and higher up until it was exactly above the vige.


    When the moonlight fell on the deserted vige, about 200 meters away from Hao Xuan at the very back, a rock that was around 2.5 meters wide suddenly moved.


    The movement was minute at first, just enough to shake loose some dust here and there but then it started increasing in strength.


    The moonlight was like some kind of a spell that was unleashing whatever was inside the rock. Dust continued to fall off along with some debris until a rough oval exterior was the only thing that was left.


    And then from below the rock, a thin hairy ck stick reached out. It was followed by another and another and then another until there were sixteen of them in total.


    The sticks which had reached a length of 5 meters each now pushed against the ground, lifting the 2.5-meter oval rock and exposing a smaller ck object underneath.


    This ck object had four twitchy bone-like fangs protruding out of it next to a small opening.


    When the rock was at a height of 3 meters above ground, finally the exact shape of this creature came into view. It was a spider and a rtively big one at that.


    The thing to note was that it had no eyes at all. It wasn''t they were gouged out, but they weren''t just there. And its legs were extremely thin. They were divided into numerous small segments that got thinner and thinner as they went down towards the ground, finally reaching a width of less than a centimeter. It looked it was tiptoing from afar.


    But neither Hao Xuan nor the Scorpion King who waspletely focused on the hunter had noticed it yet. Only the one-eyed hunter kept throwing nces towards the spider''s direction every now and then, without making anyrge movements.


    The spider''s body swayed left and right under the moonlight like it was doing a dance. Its four fangs reached outwards like it was stretching after a long nap.

 Chapter 501: Threads

    <h4>Chapter 501: Threads</h4>


    The spider spent a few minutes gently swaying back and forth as its fangs made barely audible crackling sounds.


    "Alright, it''s about time we have our talk, don''t you think?" Hao Xuan''s voice came from a distance, alerting the dazed creature.


    Its body suddenly lowered back down towards the ground and the several inches long hair on its legs and fangs wriggled in the air. Even without any eyes, it took less than 5 seconds to pinpoint Hao Xuan''s location which was already over 200 meters away.


    Its legs pulled inwards and it positioned itself in such a way that the only thing that could be seen from a distance was an oval rock in the moonlight. Slowly and without any sound whatsoever, it moved through the shadows and foliage until Hao Xuan, the hunter and the Scorpion King were a little more than 20 meters away.


    All of its hair extended outwards, in the direction of each person one by one.


    The first one to be targeted was the hunter who was groveling on the ground, talking through his snot and tears.


    The second one was the Scorpion King. When the hair pointed towards him, all of them instantly wilted in less than a fraction of a second, but that was still too long.


    The Scorpion King''s giant body slowly turned around and he looked towards the spider''s direction from the corner of his eyes.


    His eyes focused on every single object within his sight but not finding anything out of order, he turned back around to look at the hunter.


    The spider stayed still, unmoving for a full two minutes before slowly letting out its fangs again. This time its target was Hao Xuan and as soon as the hair pointed in his direction, they shuddered like an electric current had gone through them.


    Its four fangs almost convulsing in merriment. As cautious as it was, when it saw Hao Xuan its beastly nature took overpletely. It had never seen such a prey before. Even though it was scared of the Scorpion King, it still believed that its abilities would significantly shorten the gap between their powers.


    It moved back and went into the treeline, circling around until it was only 7 meters away from Hao Xuan''s back. Extremely slowly, it crawled at a snail''s pace until there was no obstacle between itself and Hao Xuan.


    And then it slowly raised its rock-like abdomen and pointed it towards Hao Xuan. A horizontal crack appeared that started expanding until it cleanly divided the abdomen in half. And then the rock-like skin pulled back, one half down and the other up.


    When it was pulled back all the way, its abdomen resembled a boiled egg because of the jelly-like white texture.


    The moonlight fell on its surface and was absorbed non-stop. About 20 secondster a pattern slowly started to appear on the abdomen.


    It was unintelligible by any human standards and looked like random doodles at first nce but then the pattern started moving around and ended up creating two semi-circles around a red dot that was connected to the two patterned semicircles through numerous small threads.


    When inspected from afar, it would look like a giant eyeball. Only by examining closely would the pattern and threads be clear.


    When the pattern solidified, the spider was finally able to see everything around. But what it could see what was vastly different from what a normal creature of heaven and earth would see.


    In its vision, there were only two colors. Everything that was around it was painted in a greyish color, including the three beings in front of it.


    And then there was a second color, a dark red. Threads as small as hair, countless in numbers were connected to each of the three in front and were going in every single direction.


    The hunter had the fewest threads and the thinnest.


    The Scorpion King had a few hundred more and a handful of them were as thick as kite strings.


    But Hao Xuan had the most threads out of all of them. There were so many that his actual body wasn''t even visible anymore among them.


    And of them, there were tens of thousands that were thicker than yarn threads.


    The spider''s fangs moved up and down in delight as it looked at the bigger threads, its eye shifting between each one with greed.

 Chapter 502: Here

    <h4>Chapter 502: Here</h4>


    The 2.5 meters wide eye on the spider''s abdomen shrunk and widened continuously, each time focusing on a different thread. It was so engrossed, in fact, that it didn''t realize when a new thread had appeared on the Scorpion King''s body, and this thread was connecting the spider and the scorpion king.


    The longer the spider stared at Hao Xuan''s threads, the thicker the thread connecting it and the scorpion king became until it looked like a small rope.


    Finally having chosen its target from the countless threadsing out of Hao Xuan, the spider''s eye focused on a special one.


    This thread was one of the flimsiest looking ones, like it had been corroded after a long period of neglect. Yet it still shined with a bright red light, much brighter than 95% of the other threads, even the ones that were much thicker.


    Two of the spider''s sixteen legs reached out in Hao Xuan''s direction and as if passing through a curtain of water, disappearedpletely.


    A few meters away Hao Xuan was looking at the hunter with a raised eyebrow.


    "So it is not guarding the word of power, but it IS it?" he repeated in the nativenguage, prompting the hunter to vigorously bob his head up and down showering the ground around him in beads of sweat.


    "Yes, I wouldn''t lie to you, alien sir! The words of power appear on wild beasts in the form of different patterns and tattoos somewhere on their bodies. That''s how you can differentiate them from normal beasts!" the hunter patted his chest proudly.


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan nodded before meeting the hunter''s gaze skeptically, "And how do you, a mere nobody, knows all this?"


    The hunter wasn''t expecting Hao Xuan to be so...straightforward with his words and identally choked on his own saliva.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "W-Well, it is not just me that knows," he cleared his throat while trying to look away in embarrassment.


    "The resistance is giving away this information to anyone and everyone that will listen. We heard about it from them directly, others that already have their own words of power."


    "Ooh," Hao Xuan leaned in with a look of interest, "The resistance eh? What else did the say then?"


    The hunter became ted seeing Hao Xuan so keen on learning more and he quickly reached out into his pocket and took out a rough paper that had both its side covered in the localnguage.


    "Everything is mentioned here. It is not that detailed since they said this is just to help us get our first word of power. They told us to reach out to them again when we have gotten at least one word of power and only after that will they would exin more."


    Upon seeing Hao Xuan reading the contents of the page so intently, the hunter nced towards the Scorpion King who was looking towards another direction and got a little closer to Hao Xuan.


    "The main point is that depending on the part of the body the pattern appears, it can have different effects and powers. Sometimes it is not even on the skin but somewhere inside the beast so it''s not easy to find them."


    "Ahan," Hao Xuan responded absentmindedly. He went over the entire document but there was a key point missing there.


    "Oi," he met the hunters one good eye, "Why doesn''t it say HOW you get the words of power? Do you graft the skin in yours or what?"


    "Graft?" the hunter was bbergasted upon hearing a brand new word, "N-No...? You just kill the beast yourself and there is a chance of receiving the ''word'' after that."


    "Just kill it?"


    "Yes!" the hunter nodded, "But you have to kill it yourself. If anyone else helps you then the word will disappear. Only if you kill the beast with your own power without any outside help whatsoever there will be a small chance of getting the word."


    Hao Xuan was looking right into the hunter''s eyes throughout their talk, keeping an eye on his pulse, heart rate, pupiry response and any other obvious signs of lying but there was nothing out of ordinary.


    Either he was telling the truth or he was a really good liar.


    "Alright, I''ll see if what you said is true or not when the beast that''s hiding herees out," Hao Xuan said looking around, "Speaking of it, shouldn''t it have shown itself by now? You said it came out when the moon was at its peak," he said in a low voice.


    The hunter was also shaken awake by the query. He looked up at the bright crescent moon before looking towards the ce the spider hade from.


    "I think...its already here?" he mumbled doubtfully, but with his limited vision, he couldn''t see much around them.


    Hao Xuan squinted his eyes, scrutinizing the surroundings.


    "Oi, did you hear anything?" he asked the Scorpion King through spirit sense but didn''t get a response.


    "OI!" he asked again, this time much louder. The Scorpion King who was standing within arms reach raised his left hand, "There!"

 Chapter 503: Incoming

    <h4>Chapter 503: Iing</h4>


    "There!" the Scorpion King pointed at the empty space behind Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan turned his head halfway and nced in the direction but there was nothing there. Absolutely nothing out of ordinary could be picked up even by Hao Xuan''s eyes which were glowing in the dark. But he didn''t let his guard down and even tried circting his Qi which sent a surge of pain through his body.


    Whatever was happening inside him had yet to conclude so he could only depend on his physical body and the Scorpion King to protect himself against an unknown enemy.


    "Baracus, Defensive measure to 100%," he gave the order and stood up, his feet uneven.


    *Whiiirrr*


    The nanotech jumped into action, strengthening each and every part of his body. Vague blue lights lit up under


    Hao Xuan tried to summon the armor he had gotten back in the Mei Kingdom but since it was also stored in one of the meridians, it was currently out of reach.


    "Fuck sakes," he cursed under his breath and took out a random sword from Baracus''s storage space.


    He looked back at the hunter that was cowering behind a rock nearby tree trunk, "You move, you die, understood?"


    The hunter nodded once with a pained expression.


    The Scorpion King was at full alert. His leaf-like tail slowly convulsed in the air behind him, ready to attack in any direction. His eyes were fixed at the same spot as before but his other senses were covering everything within half a kilometers. The two circr arks on his back lit up with a green light and a wisp of green Qi materialized in between them.


    And as soon as it appeared in its entirety, a green halo was formed above him and a massive pressure fell on the surrounding area that sent a shockwave outwards that started turning the ground upside-down wherever it went.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted as he quickly jumped back with the hunter in tow, "Careful! Don''t use too much power, we don''t want to give our position away!" he reminded the Scorpion King but it was a little toote for that.


    Tremors from the shockwave reached the nearby city in less than a minute, which was more than 50 kilometers away and even the walking city a minuteter.


    Every cultivator within a 100 kilometers felt the aura of a profound level beast appear for an instant.


    Under normal circumstances, any cultivator below the profound realm would run in the opposite direction but that wasn''t the case for the participants.


    It was instead seen as an opportunity and more than six different groups of participants started making their way towards Hao Xuan''s direction. They would reach him in less than 10 minutes.


    Hao Xuan jumped over several trees andnded several tens of meters behind the Scorpion king, fully intending on letting him handle whatever beast was here, but it seemed like the spider had already marked him as his prey.


    Hao Xuan had justnded on the ground when the hair at the back of his neck all stood up.


    "WHAT?!" he rolled over to the side and the spider''s leg hit the spot he was standing at a second ago. Before Hao Xuan could do anything, the leg was pulled back and vanished into thin air.


    Hao Xuan threw the hunter towards a broken building behind him and raised the sword in front of him while focusing his all his senses on the surroundings. He let out a deep breath and calmed his thumping heart.


    ''Invisibility? No, that doesn''t seem to be the case,'' he debated inwardly while squinting left and right.


    The hair on his arms tingled this time, warning him of the change in air pressure on both sides.


    Even though he couldn''t see anything, Hao Xuan sidestepped and bent his knees, rolling forward.


    Two spider legs came out of the left and right, barely missing the mark.


    ''It waited for me to dodge and then attacked halfway, it''s catching up.''


    He looked at the Scorpion King who was still facing the same direction as before.


    "The fuck are you doing? It''s attacking me over here!" he yelled out loud.


    The Scorpion king shook his ugly head once, "No, it''s still here. It''s attacking you FROM here, I can feel it but...it''s not here at the same time..." he mumbled thest sentence under his breath but Hao Xuan, of course, heard it.


    "It''s there but not there?" he repeated the words with furrowed brows while scrutinizing the surroundings.


    The air moved again, indicating another imminent attack but this time Hao Xuan didn''t move.


    ''Let''s see if that''s true,'' he released the sword and clenched his fist, flexing the muscles on his back where the attack was supposed tond.


    The muscles on his back doubled in size, throbbing like giant pythons. The air whistled and a spider leg connected with his body, but instead of piercing his flesh, it went straight inside him like there was nothing in its path.

 Chapter 504: Memories?

    <h4>Chapter 504: Memories?</h4>


    Without any hindrance whatsoever, the spider leg passed through his hardened flesh as it wasn''t there and entered a ce Hao Xuan didn''t know existed before then.


    He felt a tug on his heart as if someone was pulling on it with a string and his vision went nk for a second. A short scene yed out in front of his eyes.


    He saw the smiling face of a woman apanied by a tired voice asking if he was okay. There was blood on her sleeve and her hands were covered with calluses. There were many cuts and bruises on her hands and feet.


    Hao Xuan stared at her face for a short while but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t recognize her. Only a feeling of bitter sadness was left in his heart.


    Then suddenly, a giant spider''s leg appeared behind the woman, ready to attack. It approached her quickly and silently, Hao Xuan tried to yell out and warn her but no sound came out.


    She gazed at him with that painful smile, despite being injured herself as the spiders leg neared. It was at that moment, the veryst moment before the spider leg was ready to cut her in half that he remembered who she was.


    His lips moved in the outside world and mumbled out a word, "Ma...?"


    Inside Hao Xuan''s Mind Pce, most of the severs including the 200 Orcs who were in a deep sleep cultivating by themselves, ck and White who were rolled up on the podium in the center as usual, and Bo who was sleeping soundly in a corner all opened their eyes at once as if they were answering some kind of a call.


    But only pure white light could be seen in their eyes.


    The middle of the three doors at the very back that housed Hao Xuan''s soul jerked and opened up a little, just a few inches barely enough to peak through. A blinding white light came out of the door and started expanding outwards, quickly shrouding the entire 500-meter wide Mind Pce by its intensity.


    This was his soul, or rather a very small part of it.


    The light didn''t stop there but continued to flow outwards and reached the space his mind was at currently.


    The spider''s leg had just touched the woman''s clothes when Hao Xuan''s eyes exploded with the same white light, both in real life and in the space his consciousness was dragged into.


    The white light fell on the spider''s leg that was immune to all physical attacks and it set it alight. A pure white me appeared on a single segment at first before spreading like a wildfire to the rest of its body.


    An ear-piercing screech came out from the space in front of the Scorpion King in the outside world. The air rippled like water and a four-meter wide ball of white fire came rushing out.


    It''s painful screams echoed loudly in the cold, dark night as it thrashed left and right trying to put out the me that didn''t seem to be affected by anything.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes again, standing a few meters away from the now listless spider. Somehow, his green eyes were just a tinge brighter now, but the mild headache that apanied him most of the time had now increased several folds in intensity, so much so that he couldn''t ignore it anymore.


    With eyes cold as ice and a hateful expression, Hao Xuan approached the spider. It had stopped moving, only its legs convulsed and twitched from intense the pain, it was on itsst breath.


    The Scorpion Kingpletely recalled his Qi back and moved aside.


    His heart shuddered when he looked at Hao Xuan, so he simply lowered his gaze, not out of respect but, fear.


    He had also felt it just now, just like all the severs that were inside the mind pce. In fact, he had a much better idea about that overpowering sense of dread and despair due to his beastly nature.


    It was a warning that came straight from the depth of his soul. It told him to stay clear of that power that lurked inside Hao Xuan, because as his sever, that was the one thing he could never ever look at.


    Hao Xuan stood over the spider''s body, coldly watching it draw itsst breath. When thest bit of life essence was about to drain out of its body, with a deep sigh he bent down and ced his hand over the burnt carcass.


    "I don''t like it when people mess with my memories. You really shouldn''t have done that. Sever!"

 Chapter 505: Invoked

    <h4>Chapter 505: Invoked</h4>


    "Sever!"


    Hao Xuan''s palm glowed with a pale white light that fell on the spider''s crisp carcass. He closed his eyes and felt the newly established soul connection.


    "Looks like it worked," he mumbled watching the spider hover on the brink of life and death. A couple more seconds and it would have died but now it was being slowly pulled back.


    Its life essence started to regenerate on its own, albeit very slowly. But even though Hao Xuan gained a new sever, his face waspletely devoid of every emotion other than poorly concealed anger. He had to physically stop himself from killing the spider where itid.


    "There is no death without my permission. From now until I see fit, you will serve me without question," Hao Xuan muttered slowly and stood up. He waved his hand and the spider vanished.


    The Scorpion King who was standing behind him with a lowered head instinctively took a step back as well.


    Hao Xuan turned his head halfway and looked at him from the corner of his eye, "You don''t seem to grasp the true reality of your situation," he said while turning to face himpletely.


    The Scorpion King''s foot lifted once again to take another step back but, "''Stop''" Hao Xuan ordered with the constitution''s power and he froze in that exact position.


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    *Tap*


    Hao Xuan walked up to him until he could meet Scorpion King''s lowered gaze. Both the pair of eyes, one more beastly than the other but also more fearful.


    The Scorpion King opened his mouth, "I-" but was stopped by a single look from Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan had to raise his head to meet Scorpion king''s gaze. Most of his hair were burned during the crashnding so he didn''t have long hair anymore, just a few inches long.


    "My word is absolute and my will, eternal. You breathe only because I allow it. The next time you disobey my order, it will be thest time you draw breath. Remember that, ''Oh King of Beasts''," he finished with a smile and caressed the Scorpion King''s carapace.


    But to the Scorpion king, that smile was akin to the devil''s cackle. A cold chill went down his spine as his knees buckled on their own.


    "Yes...master," he replied humbly.


    Earlier when Hao Xuan was under attack, the Scorpion king had resisted the urge to help him but he didn''t know that Hao Xuan could clearly feel his emotions at the time. The Scorpion King was like an open book in front of him, just like all the other severs.


    If at any point they had any thoughts of disobeying him o bringing him harm, not only would Hao Xuan know but if the situation called for it, the constitution would automatically sever the link between them, killing the sever on the spot.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand once again and the Scorpion King was recalled back to the Mind Pce.


    The middle of the three doors had already closed on its own now and all the other severs back to doing their usual activities.


    Only ''ck'' was awake and looked around with a confused expression. He was gazing at the pirs in each corner. He stared at each one for a few seconds before giving up and going back to sleep.


    The pirs that were covered with glimmering runes left behind by the Old Orc King looked the same to the ordinary eye, but if looked closely, the runes had changed to apletely different set. They were also a lot less radiant than before.


    **


    Hao Xuan picked up the sword he had tossed to the ground and leaped towards the treeline. It hadn''t been that long since the battle started but he could already hear two groups of people nearing his location.


    And now that he couldn''t use any Qi and the spider was already his, it was pointless to stay there.


    He jumped from tree branch to tree branch and started moving in a circle, nning to go around any iing visitors.


    "Nidhora, can you hear me?" Hao Xuan called out for the Dragon slumbering inside his body.


    After a few seconds of silence, her voice rang loudly in his mind.


    "What do you want, human?"


    She sounded annoyed but now wasn''t the right time to argue about it. Even though she was just a shell of her former self, she was still a true dragon once.


    "I can''t activate your power, something is wrong with my Qi. Can you take a look and see what''s wrong?" he requested as politely as he possibly could in such a situation.


    A minuteter her voice came again, "You have invoked the Law of Chaos. Until you understand it, you won''t be able to control the Qi. Unless you have some heavenly treasures like the Blood Moon''s Kiss or something like the Death Dealer''s talisman."

 Chapter 506: Continued

    <h4>Chapter 506: Continued</h4>


    Not expecting that answer, Hao Xuan missed the next tree branch he was supposed to step on and fell to the ground along with the unconscious hunter in his arms.


    *Cough*


    Throwing up a mouthful of dirt, he inquired further.


    "Death...Dealer''s what?"


    *Cough*


    "The hell are...those things?" he asked through intermittent bouts of cough.


    "It matters not, since you can''t get them anyway. The point is, the Law has been invoked already so you should just focus on that."


    With gritted teeth, Hao Xuan climbed back up on the tree and continued moving across the canopies to keep a low profile. There were more footstepsing in from the right side as well.


    "Goddamnit, it looks like the natives came out as well. Can''t pick a fight with them right now," he muttered before steering further towards the left side.


    He was already a good distance away from the ruined vige so unless someone was especially looking for him, it wouldn''t be easy to find him among the thick trees in the darkness.


    When he couldn''t hear the footsteps anymore, Hao Xuan continued the conversation.


    "Alright, what is this invoked shit? What does it mean for me, put it as inly as you can."


    "It means you were lucky enough to receive a small fragment of a cultivator''s experiences. That fragment reacted with the energy in your body and set the basis for thew. Basically, the first quarter of thew is already done. Now you just need toprehend theplexities within it and draw out its power."


    "..prehend theplexities? Like its that easy," Hao Xuan scoffed, "I knew reading would get me into trouble one day," he remarked, staying silent for the remainder of the journey back to the city.


    Sounds of explosions could still be heard and asionally something would light up the night sky in the direction of the ruined vige.


    He stopped on the outskirts of a small local vige and interrogated the one-eyed hunter who was knocked out. He didn''t know much more about the words of power but did give a few interesting details about the resistance that was fighting against the cultivators.


    Apparently they were experimenting with their own people and were always looking for ''test subjects''. These three had kidnapped many people and delivered them to the resistance for experimentation.


    "Why? Why would you do that? Are you part of them too?" Hao Xuan red at the hunter.


    "No no," he shook his head aggressively, "We just do it for the money, we don''t share their beliefs! They areplete lunatics that believe the words of power are the only way out of this. They keep calling people to fight for the ''cause'' and sometimes forcing them as well. Please sir, you must believe me! I can even be your mole and join them if you want!" he knelt down and tried to kiss Hao Xuan''s shoes but was kicked away.


    "You sell your own people for a few silver and gold, how are you any better? At least they believe in something, but trash like you, I have no use for."


    Before the hunter could plead for his life, Hao Xuan flicked his forehead with a little force.


    His head twisted at a 40-degree angle with a loud crack from his back, breaking his neck instantly.


    Even Hao Xuan himself was taken aback by his coldhearted actions. He looked at the hunter''s still warm corpse and then at his hands.


    He stared at them in silence for a few minutes before mumbling, "Since when did I get used to killing so easily? I can''t even feel...anything...anymore...or did I never feel anything at all...?" he tried to recall a time when he was ridden with guilt and his conscience stopped him from doing something like this but nothing came to mind.


    **


    It took almost two hours for Hao Xuan to reach the walking city this time because of the several detours he had to make during the trip back.


    He even ran into two parties near the walking city but both of them ignored him and went their own ways in a hurry.


    It was only after reaching the city did he find out that all thismotion wasn''t caused by him.


    "The resistance attacked the walking city of the temple. They have asked us for reinforcements," Henrik ryed the news as ndly as he possibly could.

 Chapter 507: Party

    <h4>Chapter 507: Party</h4>


    Henrik was standing outside the boy''s dormitory when he ryed the news to Hao Xuan. Another group of students left right in front of them as they were talking.


    "Is that where everyone went?" Hao Xuan asked gesturing towards the quickly disappearing backs of the participants.


    Henrik shook his head halfheartedly, "Some of them. Rest went out for their own things. It gets too hot during the day so most of them move around at night."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan gave an indifferent nod and continued on his way to the portable camp behind theke. Since he wasn''t required to go out there was no need to even consider it. Right now he needed to deal with the matter regarding his rampant Qi first.


    But he had only taken a few steps when Henrik''s voice came into his mind, "There''s someone waiting for you at the camp."


    Hao Xuan didn''t ask who it was since he would see for himself in a moment and hastened his steps.


    The crescent moon reflected perfectly on theke''s surface like a mirror. Different colored fireflies-like insects flew above theke akin to the will-o''-wisps from the old stories, asionally getting eaten by the strange-looking fish that jumped out of theke.


    There was no one else around until Hao Xuan reached the location of the camp. Salome was sitting at theke''s edge with his feet in the water humming a tune while Fortis floated on the water''s surface like a deted zombie-doll, repeating the same word over and over again as if saying it enough times would make ite true.


    "Foood~"


    Zhurong was sitting on top of Salome''s head, looking at the moon with lifeless eyes.


    "Tsk, what the hell are you all depressed about?" Hao Xuan''s voice came before he could be seen and the two critters jumped up in joy.


    "FOOOD!" Fortis shouted excitedly, pointed at Hao Xuan like he WAS the dinner.


    "Meow!" Zhurong even stood up and meowed a couple of times while Salome still sat there lost in thought.


    Hao Xuan came out of the treeline shaking his head, "Yeah yeah, I''ll make you guys something right now. Sheesh, you don''t eat for a few hours and turn into heartbroken teenagers," he mumbled.


    He went up to Salome and tapped lightly on his head, prompting a weak response.


    "Eh?" Salome turned around to meet Hao Xuan''s eyes with an air of mncholy.


    Hao Xuan bent down to get at his level, "Why are you sad?" he asked in the nativenguage.


    "The vige...I miss everyone. Right now we would be having dinner around the fire," Salome stated pensively, "Vige grandpa (vige chief) told us stories every night of the outside world. Of the three-headed dragon from the Northern Sea and Beast Masters of the south. I miss them..." his voice trailed off near the end.


    *Sigh*


    "I''m sorry about that," Hao Xuan patted his head to try and cheer him up, "I''m about to make some food for these two, how about I make some for you as well? And I''ll tell you the stories about the King of the Monsters from my homeworld. He could breathe fire and kept appearing only on this one small ind called Japan. Do you wanna hear them?"


    "Un," Salome nodded intensely with a newfound glimmer in his eyes, "I wanna hear them!"


    Hao Xuan smiled and winked, "Alright cool, give me a few minutes," and walked towards the camp. He had even forgotten about the visiter that was waiting for him in there but when he stepped through and saw the person''s hunched back sitting in front of the campfire with a bottle in his hand, his smile froze.


    *Sigh*


    He let out a deep sigh without even realizing it.


    "Does it have something to do with the weather? Why are all of you fuckers so sad? You''re bringing down my mood as well," Hao Xuan muttered while going past Ryfon and into the cabin to change.


    When he came out Ryfon was still sitting there with a doleful expression, drinking directly from an expensive-looking ss bottle.


    Ryfon extended his left hand and another bottle appeared in his grasp. This one was slightly different in the sense it looked like it was made from hard ice. The liquid inside kept changing colors from white to blue to green and then back again.


    "Come have a drink with me," Ryfon asked with a sorry smile. There was dried blood around his eyes and he looked much paler than usual.


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Did you get your ass kicked? I''m not in a mood for a pity party motherfucker, already got too many problems to deal with."


    Ryfon shook the ice bottle while staring at the fire, "Just drink, its good for your condition. Its the soul cleansing rum from the Divine Ape n. Trust me, you''ll like it."

 Chapter 508: World War

    <h4>Chapter 508: World War</h4>


    "Rum?" Hao Xuan took the bottle from Ryfon''s hand and gave it a closer look. It was the size of a perfume bottle and transparent enough to see the rum constantly change color. The bottle was cold to the touch but not as much as he was expecting.


    "And you''re sure it''s not poison?" Hao Xuan inquired with a raised eyebrow.


    Ryfon chuckled and took another mouthful from his own bottle, "This little thing costs the same as a Grade 3 Kingdom. Trust me, if I wanted to kill you it wouldn''t be through such an expensive method. Take a sip and see for yourself. People have died for this little bottle."


    "I guess that''s true..." Hao Xuan mumbled. For someone in Ryfon''s position, it wouldn''t be an issue to take care of someone like him, at least as things were right now.


    Hao Xuan opened the bottle and sniffed. A scent simr to the first rain and ripe mangoes wafted up to his nostrils, forcing him to close his eyes. Just a single whiff sent a wave of cool spiritual energy throughout his body and towards his soul that made him weak in the knees.


    It was like his parched soul was stranded on an ind and this was the first sip of water it had.


    "Woah...holy shit hehe," Hao Xuan couldn''t help but giggle like a little girl and quickly sat down.


    "Dear god, this thing is strong..." hemented trying to regain his senses.


    Ryfon smiled from the side looking at Hao Xuan stumble around like a newborn calf.


    "Told you, it''s good for your condition. Should stave off those headaches as well. But be careful, you can get lost in the sensation sometimes and wander off so don''t drink it when you''re not in a safe ce."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan shook his head and finally regained some of hisposure. A single whiff did this so actually drinking it would be a whole another experience.


    Finally realizing what an amazing gift it was, he looked towards Ryfon with a curious gaze.


    "Everything okay? Why the sudden visit?"


    Ryfon let out a long and deep sigh, his gaze once again fixated on the me.


    "Too much has happened. Where do I even start?" he said in a low voice.


    "Wait stop stop," Hao Xuan shed his palmed, "This sounds like it''s going to take a while so let me put something on the fire first."


    He went into the cabin and took out a bunch of fresh ingredients from Baracus''s storage space that he had bought from the local city.


    There were many strange looking vegetables, some that still wriggled around on their own and a lot of red meat.


    He came out with everything and started working on a few dishes at once.


    "Man, a single whiff reduced the headache by so much. I feel like I can breathe again haha," he mumbled before looking towards Ryfon who was taking another gulp.


    "Alright, go ahead, I''m all ears."


    The bottle didn''t leave Ryfon''s lips until it waspletely empty, at which point he reced it with another identical one.


    "A spatial pathway has been opened between our world and the 7th world, the world of magic," Ryfon remarked.


    Hao Xuan who had just put down three pieces of meat on the grill looked at him with a straight face, "Gonna need a little more than that princess, no idea what that is and what it means."


    Ryfon chuckled again, "Oh right, I forgot. Well, a Spatial pathway is like a road that connects each of the ten worlds. Normally you can''t go from one world to another unless through some special treasures and side doors through other realms. But a spatial pathway is like a highway that directly connects the worlds and anyone can go through at any time."


    "Hoo, and what does that imply? How will it affect us?" Hao Xuan flipped over the sizzling meat and added some salt and pepper.


    "It means there is going to be a lot of small wars and most probably a big one after that," Ryfon said while taking another sip, "The 7th world is where the magicians and wizards live ande from. It''s very different from us which is ruled by cultivators. The 7th world is also very fragmented, much more so than ours. Not to mention their magics are not easy to deal with."


    He looked up towards Hao Xuan, "Oh right, did youe across a magician yet?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head, still engrossed in the cooking.


    Ryfon nodded, "No wonder. Magicians are way too different from us. Some of their spells are straight-up miracles, equal to heavenly treasures from our side. With a few words, they change thews of physics so you can imagine what a pain they would be in a fight."


    "But they still need a lot of different materials for certain spells that are only found here and we need things from their side, so there will probably be arge scale invasion. But that doesn''t affect you directly. It will still be a few years until there''s a war, if there is one at all."


    "But the underground structure you found, there have been some changes there, a few strange developments."

 Chapter 509: Plans

    <h4>Chapter 509: ns</h4>


    **Ryfon is the Elven Prince Hao Xuan met aftering to the Academy, whose niece he''s here to find.**


    ***


    "A few strange developments?" Hao Xuan looked over, intrigued. His hands still didn''t stop moving, flipping, mixing and working on the various dishes.


    Ryfon nodded nkly while staring at the campfire.


    "The parties we sent down there have gone missing. We lost contact with them just a few hours ago. Thest thing they reported was seeing a treasure room of some kind, at least that''s what the sensors reported. There was extremely thick spiritual energy and remnant auras all around the ce."


    At this point, he paused and looked towards Hao Xuan, "Apparently there wasn''t any sign of that organic material that''s covering the rest of the structure, so we can say that ce at least is still safe. Do you...know anything about it?"


    Hao Xuan covered a pan with the lid before nodding without any hesitation, "Yeaup. The structure is a Prison belonging to the Temple of War. Apparently it was a top-secret project and there was only one prisoner, the same organic material that''s spreading all over the ce. They couldn''t kill it by any means so containment was the only option...."


    Ryfon wasn''t expecting a response, especially one like this that basically exined the entire history of the structure and this. He was shocked into silence for a couple of minutes before he spoke up again.


    "Why...are you telling me all this? Why not keep it to yourself or just sell the information? It is definitely worth a fortune."


    "Haha," Hao Xuanughed lightly, "What is a fortune in this ce? Will it help me get what I need? Will your master let me off the hook? I doubt it, I''d probably get killed. And you guys need to know this. I tried exining to that blood prince cunt but he didn''t listen."


    Hao Xuan raised his head and met Ryfon''s stunned gaze.


    "You think too much man, not everyone has an ulterior motive. But even if you tell the higherups about its actual history, are you sure they will contact the Temple of War and stop exploring? I highly doubt it."


    Ryfon looked away with a numb gaze, "You''re right. They will think of it as an opportunity and increase their efforts a hundredfold while hiding its existence."


    "What do you n to do then?" Hao Xuan asked while taking the threerge pieces of meat off the me.


    Ryfon sighed, "I don''t know. What CAN I do?" he mumbled thest line under his breath and drank another mouthful.


    "Then, how about giving me an opportunity? I''m working on something, not sure if it will work but if it does, it should damage the creature enough for it recede back to the depths of the prison and give you some time to breathe. Then you can contact the Temple of War on your own once we leave this ce and maybe even pick some rewards for doing so. I''m sure they wouldn''t be stingy."


    "....."


    A short bout of silence followed while Ryfon considered his offer.


    "What''s your n?" he asked before giving his answer.


    Hao Xuan gave a sly smile and instead of answering, picked up the few dishes that were done and walked out of the camp. He ced them on a nearby rock and whistled, getting the attention of the trio despairing on the edge of theke.


    "Here, eat this for now, I''ll make more after I get some rest," he said before walking back to the camp. Sounds of munching and slurping came from behind him.


    Hao Xuan sat down across from Ryfon and opened the bottle of rum again, taking another whiff like a junkey. He smiled like a fool took in a deep breath.


    "Oh yeah, that''s what I''m talking about."


    Ryfon who was watching him intently cleared his throat, interrupting Hao Xuan''s ''high''.


    "Oh, sorry," Hao Xuan chuckled, "On the way out I noticed that the main body of that thing still hasn''t woken up. Otherwise, you guys wouldn''t be having such an easy time. It''s in a state of stasis or hibernation or something. I got close enoughst time to catch a glimpse of it but the second I used my Qi, those monsters came rushing out from all sides."


    "So I''m guessing as long as I don''t use any Qi, I can get close enough to damage it and it won''t even be able to defend."


    Ryfon''s brow creased up, "But neither will you, how do you n to survive long enough without using any Qi? And how will you get out?"


    "Technology, my friend," Hao Xuan grinned, "I came from a world where there wasn''t any spiritual energy at all so we had to make do without it. I''m making something called a Hydrogen Bomb, close enough it should be more than enough to critically wound it if not kill it entirely. And I''m pretty sure that thing is really weak right now, too weak to even fight back so it shouldn''t be a problem."

 Chapter 510: Continued

    <h4>Chapter 510: Continued</h4>


    "Hydrogen Bomb?" Ryfon looked at Hao Xuan with a hint of skepticism, "Do you need my help with anything?" he asked after a moment of contemtion.


    Hao Xuan shook his head with a coy smile, "It''s actually not that hard to make. All I need is a bit of time. It should be done within two to three weeks. But I do need to find someone who can make some special armor."


    "That''s good to hear. I''ll see if there is someone capable of making your armor on the ship or down here and get you in touch," Ryfon responded weakly and took another sip of the light brown liquor before looking at Hao Xuan.


    "Aren''t you going to drink?" he gestured towards the icy bottle.


    Hao Xuan stared at it in silence for a few seconds before abruptly drinking a mouthful of the Soul Cleansing Rum.


    "OI! Not that much!" Ryfon jumped forward trying to stop him but ended up startling Hao Xuan instead and made him swallow it by ident.


    "What?! You said to drink!" Hao Xuan looked at him with creased brows, slightly angry.


    Ryfon gaped at Hao Xuan in amazement for a second before letting out a deep sigh.


    "It''s your first time, and even if it wasn''t, take small sips for god sakes," he threw Hao Xuan a helpless nce before sitting back down, "Close your eyes and focus on guiding the spiritual energy. It needs a ce to go so guide it towards your soul. But take it slowly, it will be like getting hit by a cier if you let it go just lik-"


    Ryfon was in the middle of exining when he noticed the silence and looked up to see Hao Xuanying there with his mouth open. His eyes had rolled all the way back, showing nothing but the whites.


    *Sigh*


    Ryfon sighed again and sat there in silence, drinking alone. Half an hourter Hao Xuan regained some of his senses as his eyes returned to normal. There was still a nk expression on his face but it least he didn''t look like he was being possessed any more.


    "Wooaaaah~" he mumbled like a drunkard.


    His eyes darted back and forth as he remarked, "I can feel colors and see sounds..."


    "Wee back," Ryfon responded, his cheeks turning slightly red. It looked like whatever was in his bottle had finally started to affect him as well.


    "Be careful next time. It''s a good thing *Hick* that your physique is capable of handling the remnant spiritual energy otherwise *hick* you would have been in big trouble," he warned while constantly getting interrupted by hups.


    "Hehehe, don''t worry about it man, just rx~" Hao Xuan responded with a giggle.


    A royal prince of the great Elvish empire sat across from a random human under the starry sky, both drunk to different degrees. A sight that would be hard toe by under normal circumstances.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and hummed a tune while circting the spiritual energy throughout his body. Every time the energypleted one cirction, a cool sensation would spread out inside him, going all the to the mind pce and reaching his soul.


    His soul, which had all but fractured under the stress of ''severing'' 201 people at once started to show signs of recovering, small as they may be.


    If it would have taken his soul 10 years to return back to its prime condition, now it would take 9 years and 6 months. One mouthful had shaved off 6 months off his recovery.


    It took Hao Xuan another hour and a half until he finally recovered enough to carry on a conversation. Ryfon had never left his side throughout, keeping a close eye on his condition in case something went wrong.


    Although Hao Xuan wasn''t aware of this, the Soul Cleansing Rum was ssified as a mid-grade earthly treasure. It took more than 600 years to gather enough liquid to fill that one bottle.


    For 600 years the Divine Ape n would constantly refine rare fruits that were only found in the Jungles of Treeant Lord, Asn.


    To anyone below the Saint realm, it held immeasurable value as it had both a quantitative and qualitative effect on the person''s soul, increasing their soul power.

 Chapter 511: Attack on the Temple

    <h4>Chapter 511: Attack on the Temple</h4>


    19,000 kilometers away from Academy''s Walking city on the sands of a White Desert a bloody battle was taking ce.


    The Temple''s gigantic walking city which looked like a four-horned ck bull, thergest of the three sent down here, was under attack from all sides.


    Massive eye-less worms tens of kilometers in length swam in the pearly white sands like it was water, jumping out and attacking the ck bull before quickly disappearing back into the ocean of sand and rock.


    Surrounding the walking city were hundreds of people on native beasts that had the camel-like humps and long necks but thick, short stumpy legs covered in armor-like skin.


    Theypletely blocked off any paths the bull could use to retreat by firing a constant barrage of different colored energy sts. Balls of orange and purple mes were the mostmon among them, being fired most often.


    On top of the bull, the city itself was covered by a defensive array that neutralized anything that got close.


    Dima (detailed in chapter 450) was standing in the tower of the tallest building looking at screens that showed off what was happening outside. His bald head and youthful appearance would stand out anywhere, especially in a ce like this where everyone else was standing behind him with their heads down.


    Dima looked to the screen on the left which showed four worms peeking their heads out of the sand.


    "Is there no way we can break through fro there? It seems like the safest bet," he gestured towards the screen.


    A man in his early twenties stepped out from the crowd behind and bowed lightly, "We already tried that young ma- Uhm, Lord Protector. But some of these worm creatures have the ability to control the sand and earth. They created massive sinkholes in every direction and we have no way to tell where until its toote."


    He had arge build and clear features which made him look honest and trustworthy. He was decked out in thin grey armor that looked like a mix of metal and some kind of leather that was still alive, moving and even pulsating on its own every now and then.


    Dima looked back at the man with a raised eyebrow apanied by clear skepticism, "Senij, When did you try that?"


    The man named Senij seemed like he was expecting such a question and waved his hand towards and another screen popped up. It showed him running out there riding an eight-legged bearded lizard-like beast that breathed red me and encountering the sinkhole himself.


    When the sinkhole opened up, the lizard jumped almost as if time was being turned back and avoided the sinkhole, going around it and encountering two more sinkholes.


    All this was happening while Senij was under attack from all sides by the robed attackers.


    Dima nodded lifelessly, "Ohh, good job. So what can we do now? What''s the n?"


    The crowd behind them parted like the red sea before Senij had the opportunity to speak as a silhouette walked out. It was a girl whose age was difficult to discern but she could not be more than 25. Behind her was a group of simrly dressed warriors.


    She had ck hair that were tied in a tight bun above her head which mixed with the heavy armor and the dusty feathered helmet in her hand made her seem like a hero from the legends.


    Although she wasn''t extraordinarily good looking like Ceni or many of the other girls from the academy, the scars on her face and the cold look of indifference made her look like a battle-hardened general with powerful charisma rather than an average student.


    Even Senij who seemed to have a very high ranking among the people present had to take a step back in front of her.


    Dima who wasrgely unconcerned until now suddenly straightened his back and stood up straight. He turned around and looked at her with half a smile.


    "Lady Natalia, to what do we owe the pleasure?" he asked while making a courteous bow.


    Natalia ignored his greetingpletely and looked towards the screens.


    "Did you ask for help from the Academy and the Hall?" she inquired coldly.


    Dima acted as if nothing happened, still keeping the smile on his face, "Yes. The academy is sending over a few people but Lord Tian Zheng said the Hall is also under attack so he cannot spare anyone right now."

 Chapter 512: Purifiers

    <h4>Chapter 512: Purifiers</h4>


    "Tian Zheng?" Lady Natalia''s brow scrunched up lightly, "I guess that was expected from that half-breed devil worshipper," she muttered indifferently before meeting Dima''s gaze which made him flinch.


    Lady Natalia was over 6 feet tall with a heavy build. Her heavy armor covered every part of her body, making it difficult to even identify her gender if she had the helmet on. There was steel ting above the shoulders of the armor which went straight up for almost half a foot, covering half her head from both sides. There were sigils and runes engraved on these tes.


    And although it severely reduced mobility, it also protected the weakest part of her body from every single direction. For a normal person even walking in such a hulking armor set would prove to be a challenge yet to her it waspletely normal.


    Her eyes lingered on Dima''s nonchnt smile for a couple of seconds before she turned around to leave, "I will takemand of the situation outside. Stay here," she ordered and started walking away.


    Her entourage all of whom were dressed in almost identical heavy armor followed her out of the tower in silence, the only sounding from the nking of their armor.


    Dima watched her leave and let out a breath of relief when their shadows vanished from view. He looked towards Senij with a helpless smile, "You heard her. Follow her, it''s her show now," he waved his hand and walked out of the other entrance, going higher up to thest floor of the tower.


    *Sigh*


    Senij let out a deep sigh and turned around to leave as well. The crowd that had gathered behind him started following him as well but a few people stepped out and got closer to him.


    One of them was a young girl in her teens. She had shoulder-length ck hair and a double-ded staff on her back which made her pretty face look somewhat twisted.


    "Senior brother, isn''t Young Master Dima in charge of the city? Who was thatdy?" she asked innocently with wide eyes.


    Almost everyone in the crowd behind them perked their eyes and listened carefully. These youngsters were the future leaders of many of the powers and those that were talented enough for the Temple to take an interest in them. They were all new recruits as well who had no idea what was going on.


    Senij shook his head helplessly, "Of course he is, he is the First protector. That''s his only job."


    "Then..."


    Senij suddenly paused midstride, making the girl who was closely following behind him run into his back face first. He looked back and saw the faces of all the youngsters who were listening in with interest and couldn''t help but to let them know.


    "She is...a Purifier....and Lord Dima''s fiance," hemented lightly but everyone who heard him had a look of absolute shock stered all over their faces.


    "A P-Purifier?" the girl repeated, stupified.


    The mouths of all the youngsters fell open, other than one person in the very back. None of them asked anything else and they all left the tower inplete and utter silence.


    They reached the main floor at which point Senij pped his hands once, "Alright get ready everyone, we will be backing up Lady Natalia soon, go go!"


    The crowd dispersed, each going their own way. A group of three went towards a building in the distance and when they were far enough away, the tallest of them who was at the very back of the crowd tapped the guy next to him with one of his four hands.


    "Med, what''s a purifier?" he asked with a straight face. The young man named ''Med'' looked up at his face, shocked once again.


    "Monk, how can you be such a great fighter but know nothing about the world outside? I told you to study these things man!" he reprimanded the four-armed Jia Soldier.


    If Hao Xuan was here he would instantly recognize this clueless giant as ''Monk'', one of Hao Xuan''s servers that he had sent into the Temple at the start of thepetition.


    Monk smiled sheepishly, "Come on, you know how boring books are. Just tell me, I always skipped those lessons back home."


    Med shook his head weakly, "I guess it''s unavoidable. Alright, listen up, the great me will once again tell you what''s what!" he patted his puffed out chest proudly.


    But as soon as he started speaking, he became serious.


    "Purifiers are followers of the Temple of Light and other gods and temples that work with them. They believe in the cause with such blind passion that it often crosses the very thin line into fanaticism. They think that the Temple of light is the only path to redemption and everyone that goes against them is evil and should be wiped out of existence, i.e purified."


    "Purifiers are the self-proimed warriors of justice but that''s not the scary part. Because they are such fanatics, the so-called "good" Gods allow them to use their powers as their own, which makes them quite formidable. Whatever you do, don''t piss those people off. Otherwise, you will either be killed in broad daylight or will have to spend the rest of your days on the run," he finished the exnation with a warning.

 Chapter 513: Continued

    <h4>Chapter 513: Continued</h4>


    "Purifiers, huh?" Monk''s eyes glittered, darting left and right as a multitude of thoughts crossed his mind.


    Putting a new smile on his face he patted Med''s back, "Thanks, brother. Stick with me in the next fight and I''ll make sure nothing happens to you," with a wink he offered the one thing he knew Med wanted to hear the most.


    Even though Med was quite an informed individual, he was a pacifist that had never even killed a fly. To force someone like him in a battle where life and death would be decided in a matter of seconds was nothing shorter of a death sentence for him.


    Med seemed visibly relieved. This was also one of the reasons he stuck with Monk so much. Monk had only joined the Temple not too long ago yet there weren''t many that could defeat him in a one on one fight.


    He had a strong body, a potentially great bloodline once it was awakened and skills that could only be acquired in the heat of battle. Not to mention his spear arts were already enough for him to reach the Second Weapon Dao Realm "Unison" with a little more time.


    All these factorsbined, it was only a matter of time until he caught the eye of one of the elders or senior students and was invited to join a strong power within the Temple.


    "Hahaha, thanks brother, I appreciate it. In return, if you ever want to know anything just ask," Med almost jumped up and down in excitement.


    Monk grinned and ced his arm around Med, "Well since you offered, tell me a little about the..."


    ***


    Back at the tower, Dima walked up the stairs until he reached the highest floor of the tower where the girl in the white dress was sitting next to a window, admiring the night moon. (Mentioned in Ch 451)


    There was a bowl of unique looking fruit in her embrace from which she heartily ate. Hearing Dima''s footsteps, she stretched her neck as much as she could without moving her body and looked at him with a look of mild surprise.


    "That was fast, I thought you were going to go fight this time," she muttered with a full mouth, slinging juices all over the ce.


    Dima didn''t bat an eye at her childish behavior and calmly took out a handkerchief from his pocket before throwing it at her face.


    He fell powerlessly on the huge gold bed at the back of the room with a sigh.


    "Lady Natalia made an appearance and took charge of everything. I can''t believe father wants me to marry such a prude," heined while closing his eyes, "Just because shees from a family of Purifiers he wants me to throw me life away. Sometimes I just want to run away..."


    The girl chortled listening to him whine, "Hahaha, and go where? Who will give you refuge once they find out who your father is? And do you think the purifier girl won''te after you? Reputation is everything to these people. There is nowhere you CAN go...well, unless you join one of the other powers," she put down the bowl of fruits and turned around to face Dima with an excited expression,


    "I hear the ck Swans are recruiting. Or maybe the Temple of War? Those crazy bastards will fight anyone hehe."


    Dima scoffed, "There is no such thing as a free dinner. Do you think they will protect me without wanting anything in return? The temple of War won''t give a shit about my status and will send me to one of their dreaded battlefields in the deep space. I heard this year''s recruitment battle is near an abyss gate. God knows what kind of monstrous creatures will crawl their way out of there. The fatality rate of those battlefields is more than 70%. How people still apply every single year I will never understand."


    The girl wiped her face with the handkerchief and stood up. Her pure white dress was covered in different colored spots from the fruit juices. She snapped her fingers and a white light washed away everything instantly.


    She jumped up andnded on the bed, throwing Dima clean off.


    "For that exact reason. People that are hiding or have nowhere else to go, or those that just want to die or even those rare crazy bastards that want to prove something to themselves, those are the people that apply every year. And why wouldn''t they? The temple of War doesn''t discriminate, power is power to them and the past doesn''t matter as long as they vow to follow their code. For most, that is the only way to survive. Not to mention if they catch an eye of one of the Elder Gods there, there isn''t much they have to worry about."

 Chapter 514: "Skills"

    <h4>Chapter 514: "Skills"</h4>


    Dima rubbed the back of his aching head whileying on the ground. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling, recalling the memories of his childhood.


    With a heavy-hearted sigh, he continued in a belittling tone, "Like its that easy to impress an Elder God. They have lived for eons, seen things we could never imagine. Their thoughts arepletely mysterious to us, how can we mere mortals catch their eye? Even my father has never seen one, or maybe he has but couldn''t tell."


    The girl turned to the side and looked down at Dima, a smile appearing on her face seeing his ''lost-in-thought'' expression.


    "Or you could just marry Lady Natalia ad live a happy life. Don''t you want to be a ''kept man''? You can do whatever you want while she flies around the universe, killing the ''heathens'' in the name of the gods. I''m sure she wouldn''t mind if you had a few concubines."


    Dima''s eyes returned to their previous luster and he quickly scoffed.


    "Pff, please. All these zealots have weird hobbies and kinks. Who is to say she won''t just tie me up in chains and feed me to the beasts? I can''t risk my life on the off chance that this one isn''t twisted in the head."


    "Then what?"


    Dima stood up and wiped his hands on his robe with a mischievous smile, "I''ll just have to make her believe that we''re not a good match hehehemuhahaha," he rubbed his hands whileughing diabolically.


    The girl who had an intrigued look on her face till now rolled her eyes and leaned forward to p Dima''s bald head as hard as she could.


    "Idiot."


    ***


    Another 7,800 kilometers away from the Walking city of the Temple was a massive gorge, thousands of meters deep and wide, surrounded by gigantic trees on all sides reaching heights of hundreds of meters.


    But even these otherwise massive trees couldn''t hide a silhouette that was reaching all the way up to the firstyer of clouds in the sky.


    While the other two Walking cities were on the backs of four-legged beasts, Hall''s city was on the shoulders of Colossus Stone Spirit.


    Stone Spirit''s or ''Stone Aspects'' as some called them, were born where from rocky mountains that had a spiritual root inside of them. They were creatures of heaven and earth rather than living beings that were born from others.


    They came to be in nature after thousands of years of being surrounded by thick spiritual energy and could take any shape. Aspects don''t have bodies of flesh so they couldn''t bleed, get tired or even have a need to eat.


    They are literal hulking masses of rock and stone that has been refined countless times by spiritual energy, bing harder than even metals.


    The Hall''s city was on the back of this ten-thousand-year-old Stone Spirit and it had even started to form its own consciousness. It was four thousand meters tall, standing straight up. There were metal and stone deposits on its body that had been shaped into armor, further increasing its offensive power.


    Its face looked human-like in the sense that had two eyes and a nose, but it only looked like a strange sculpture. (Reference image link in Author''s notes.)


    Right now this Stone Spirit was calmly kneeling on the edge of the gorge that looked like a giant scar on the surface from the, visible even from space.


    On the ground behind the Spirit were three people. Two of them, a man and a woman, were sitting on a throne made of golden and white metals, giving of multicolored lights from the numerous sigils all over it. It looked more like a treasure than a normal throne.


    The man had short ck hair, a muscr physique, and a handsome visage. He wasn''t wearing a shirt either. If Dima was here he would recognize this man instantly as Tian Zheng (Ch 450).


    On hisp was a girl that looked frighteningly simr to him. She was slowly moving her dainty hands over his abs, feeling every nook and cranny over and over again.


    But both of their gazes were fixed on the bloody scenes in front.


    More than two hundred corpsesid there, all of them cut in half at the exact same spot. To the side was a bulky man in his early twenties. An old saber hung weakly from his waist, even swaying by the billowing wind sometimes.


    He lookedpletely ordinary. If someone were to pass by him on the streets there be nothing eyecatching about him to grab their attention. But right now Tian Zheng and the girl''s gazes were switching between the corpses and him, filled with awe.


    Tian Zheng finally smiled and pped thrice while bowing lightly, "It is truly an honor to be able to catch a glimpse of your skills, brother Xue Meng," heplimented with a reverent tone. (Ch 428).


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Stone Aspect shortened link: https://urlzs/VWiRA


    Original link: https://i.pinimg/564x/21/dc/4b/21dc4b86dfaf94fb155679142cb41129.jpg

 Chapter 515: Continued

    <h4>Chapter 515: Continued</h4>


    Xue Meng''s expression saw no change while beingplimented by the Hall''s First Protector. Tian Zheng, the young master of the Ancient Tian n which ruled numerous Empires and Kingdoms, that Lorded over several ''Farms'', held as much value as a stray dog in front of Xue Meng.


    Because only the strong had any right to stand in front of him. The strong deserved respect and his friendship, while the weak could only be trampled beneath his feet on the bloody path he had chosen for himself.


    Such was his Dao, such was his way of the de.


    "For my saber is blind, it will cut down all those who are weaker than me. I am destined to stand at the top, unrivaled and unsurpassed."


    That is what he often told those rare few that were capable enough to befriend him.


    A gust of cold wind blew from the north, ruffling Xue Meng''s hair. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. The smell of iron mixed in with the wind came from the corpsed littered in front of him, the smell of fresh blood.


    There were both men and beast lying in front of him. All of them were dressed in the same clothes as the ones that were currently attacking the Temple''s city. Only when they tried to attack the Hall, all of were cut down by a single swing of Xue Ming''s de.


    Xue Meng turned his body halfway, facing Tian Zheng and the girl sitting a few meters behind him.


    "Why do you think I came here?" he asked with an expressionless face. It sounded like both an honest query and a rhetorical question.


    Tian Zheng''s smile faltered. Unknowingly he straightened his back and his expression became serious.


    "To...help the hall...?" he replied carefully.


    "Guess again," Xue Meng turned around all the way, now staring directly at Tian Zheng.


    Tian Zheng pushed the girl off hisp and stood up as well, his expression somber.


    "Please enlighten me, senior brother," he asked with a bow.


    Xue Meng nodded with a slightly softened expression, "That''s more like it."


    He walked up to the throne and sat down while Tian Zheng and the girl stood silently beside him.


    Xue Meng ced his right elbow on the armrest and rested his head on it while surveying the bloody scene in front.


    "I was told by a ''seer'' under my master that I would meet a few worthy opponents here. Those that had the talents to stand beside me. He said that it will be the first time I will taste defeat. Iughed when I heard that," his eyes glittering with a bright light as he looked over towards Tian Zheng with a sigh.


    "You know who my master is?"


    "Yes, father told me a few things."


    "Hmm, then you should know that your older brother is my fellow disciple. And he is much more talented than you. Not enough to excite me but, much stronger than you. And master likes him as well. Even though you inherited the secret art of your n, if you keep messing around like this then it will not help you in the future. Stop wasting time."


    Tian Zheng bowed from the waist, his voice quivering ever so slightly, "Thank you, senior brother."


    Seeing as Tian Zheng had listened to his advice with an open heart, Xue Meng''s gaze flickered back to the tattoed corpses.


    "So far I have only found three people that could possibly be of some use to me. Two of them are from the Academy, the kid with the Smoldering Phoenix bloodline and the Vampire boy. But unless hepletely awakens his bloodline soon, the vampire prince won''t be much of an interest to me."


    Tian Zheng waited beside him patiently, waiting for him to continue but it seemed like Xue Meng had totally forgotten. He waspletely focused on the corpses of the nativesying a few meters in front of him.


    Tian Zheng finally mustered up some courage, "And the...third?" he inquired meekly.


    "Hm? Oh," Xue Meng was awoken by his voice but his gaze never left the corpses. He gestured towards them with his chin, "Them. Thest one is the native that started the resistance and started fighting back. None of these guys remember his name or face, or anything about him really. Only that he is the strongest of them all. The third one is probably him. They say he was the first one to get a word of power."


    Xue Meng''s lips curled up into a cold smile, "I am quite curious as to how powerful a savage from a forgotten could be. I really hope he doesn''t dissapoint, otherwise I might just kill off his entire race."

 Chapter 516: The Original

    <h4>Chapter 516: The Original</h4>


    Somewhere in the depths of one of the 13 oceans, hundreds of kilometers below the surface of the ocean where even the sun''s light could never reach, a battle was taking ce between a shadow so massive that it could easily dwarf a mountain and a silhouette of a single man.


    The beast''s lower jaw was divided into six sharp protrusions formed by thick bone-like material that covered the front half of its body.


    The back half had transparent skin that was lit up by millions of small lights inside its body. There were two feelers above its head that were several thousand meters long, covered by a constant electrical current.


    Every time it moved its two fins on either side, whirlpools were created by the discement ofrge amounts of water. (Reference image in author''s notes)


    In front of this humungous creature was a human silhouette that was only visible because of the numerous glowing tattoos on his body.


    Without any clothing or apparatus on his bare body, he floated in front of the creature like it was his own backyard.


    The crushing pressure that would turn even a Spirit Real cultivator to mush couldn''t seem to restrict his movements at all as hezily picked his nose with the pinky finger.


    There were a few wrinkles on his face along with a streak of white hairs on his head that revealed his age to be in the early forties.


    He had no defining features other than the tens of small andrge scars all over his body. Each scar was followed by tattoos of various shapes and sizes that even covered his privates. One could only imagine how painful it would have been.


    He lookedpletely ordinary. If dressed in a suit you would be hard-pressed to pick him out of a crowd of office workers. But this quality of being mundane andmonce had more to it than it met the eye.


    In the depths of the murky ocean, he stood alone in front of this creature that was thousands of times his size.


    Seeing his calm reaction to its previous attack, the creature recoiled its body. The lights on its back-half started getting brighter and brighter until they formed a vague symbol.


    All the water within 5 kilometers of the man turned to ice in every single direction, leaving him nowhere to escape to. The creature then opened its mouth and drew in a copious amount of water within a blink of an eye.


    The water gathered in its maw, forming a ball that first increased in size to over 2,000 meters before being shrunk to just over 200 meters. This ball of water resembled a blue color as dark as it could be and gave off a dense energy that kept getting thicker and heavier.


    It was almost at the level of turning into a naturalw, indicated by the increase in water density in the surroundings.


    When the ball was fully formed, the creature''s coiled body suddenly expanded as if an explosion had taken ce inside it and the ball of blue energy was shot towards the iceberg imprisoning the man.


    The ball made contact with the ice, shattering it like ss. But it didn''t float away, instead, it was all pulled in towards the ball of water and crushed into nothingness.


    The ball continued moving until it reached the spot where the man was, where it stopped. It then started rotating, drawing in everything from the surroundings.


    An attack of this magnitude, not even profound realm cultivators would be able to escape from with their lives.


    The beast watched on as the ball got smaller and smaller, having drawn in everything within a few thousand meters. It finally stopped upon reaching a size of half of a meter, but it had turned into a solid now, in the shape of an eight-sided crystal.


    The beast warily inspected the crystal from afar beforeing closer. It opened its mouth once again, ready to swallow the crystal when it suddenly froze. On top of its head between the two feelers, the man stood unharmed.


    The creature''s body lit up once again and the feelers started discharging blue electric currents, trying to push him off but before this attack could be executed, the naked man bent down and ced his hand on top of the creature''s head.


    Five tattoos, each of a different shape lit up all at once with a blinding red light. All of these tattoos were located along his right arm. Much like the charging up of a weapon, the tattoo''s light increased in intensity until even the tens of thousands of meters long creature under him was shrouded by it.


    And when the light disappeared, there was nothing left in its ce. Not the man, and neither the creature where there.


    ***


    Below an old supervolcano somewhere on the main continent of the was a hugevake that bubbled continuously.


    Around it were hundreds of people, all calmly standing in a circle when theva rippled, and the same creature that was millions of miles away in the ocean just a second ago now appeared above it before falling into it with a ssh.


    *Krreaaaaaaaaak*


    It made a sharp, ear-piercing noise as theva started burning it alive.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Creature: https://urlzs/6T4UJ

 Chapter 517: Integration

    <h4>Chapter 517: Integration</h4>


    The people that were standing around theke swiftly jumped into action seeing the creature make contact with theva.


    The creature thrashed about, sendingrge quantities of the viscous red liquid everywhere. But the more it struggled, the deeper it dug its own grave. From the bottom of thevake came thousands of serpentine beasts and started attacking the creature.


    They were red and ck in color, physically much simr to eels with wide mouths filled to the brim with even sharper sharp fangs that seemed to be made out of glowing red crystals.


    They bit off chunks of flesh from the titanic creature and entered its body like maddened bulls, eating away everything in their paths.


    These beasts themselves were a mix of spiritual and physical creatures, able to live off nothing but the spiritual energy and theva that bore them.


    But when given the opportunity they could bite through even the most durable energy shields with little to no effort.


    Thergest of them was only some tens of meters long, nothingpared to the sea beast that they were attacking.


    But with theirrge numbers that kept increasing by the second, they rendered this once lord of the deep sea into a bloody and pitiful state.


    In less than 10 minutes the thousands of meter long sea beast was ripped to shreds. Only its skeleton was left undamaged without even so much as a single scratch. Blue lights came out of the column-like bones of the sea beast and started gathering above thevake, forming a single symbol.


    The hundreds of people that were waiting for just that, each quickly thrust out both fo their arms.


    Hundreds upon hundreds of beastly roars echoed in the underground chamber as behind each person appeared several different apparitions.


    They were transparent to a degree, floating in the air like ghosts. Their shapes and sizes were all different, showing a different beast. Together their numbers exceeded than ten thousand. Some people only had one or two, while a rare few even had several dozen.


    Of course, their numbers dwarfed whenpared to the man floating above thevake.


    Above him were more than a hundred apparitions, each of a different creature. The tattoos on his body were all lit up, blinking continuously.


    The roars of these apparitions seemed to have a suppressive effect on the symbol that was trying to fly away, forcing it to stay in one ce.


    The man raised his left hand, showing a symbol of a coiled rope. The symbol which was already in dire straits suddenly shook and decreased in size from over 50 meters to 25 meters.


    Even the man''s pupils had two identical tattoos on their surface that resembled ck mes. And as soon as they started glowing, ck fire materialized out of thin air and started surrounding the symbol.


    The mes spun faster and faster around the symbol, reducing its size even more.


    This continued until the symbol of the sea beast was reduced to just over 10 inches from its initial size of 50 meters. But now it was glowing with a much brighter light.


    The man looked towards his left where an old man was standing in front of a cave. He nodded towards the old man, making him turn around and go into the cave. He came out a few secondster with a youngster in tow. A boy of 14-15 years of age with white hair.


    The old man eyed the brightly glowing symbol with envy before letting out a weak sigh.


    "Go, you know what to do," he said lightly.


    The boy, without any expression whatsoever, started walking and reached the edge of theke. He took off his shirt and sat down cross-legged.


    The sea beast''s symbol floated down, under the supervision of hundreds of pairs of jealous eyes, and slowly etched itself onto the boys back. A sizzling sounds much like the burning of flesh came from him his back but the boy didn''t falter even once.


    The middle-aged man floated down, apanied by an entourage of over a hundred beastly apparitions,nding next to him.


    Two beautiful women came running out and helped him put on a ck robe. He looked towards the boy whose face was covered with beads but still refused to even furrow his brow and a smile bloomed on the man''s face.


    "Refine itpletely, I will watch over you," he said amusingly.


    The beastly apparitions spread out and covered the boy from all sides, roaring into the void without any sound. But it had an obvious effect on the symbol as it started integrating with the boy''s back much more smoothly, reducing the stress he was in.

 Chapter 518: Gi-An

    <h4>Chapter 518: Gi-An</h4>


    The apparitions kept moving in a circle around the boy, seemingly shouting without any sound. The man watched from a distance of a few dozens of meters while all the others recalled their beast spirits back into their tattoos and stood behind him.


    Many were there just to quench their curiosity and find what it looked like to integrate with a high-grade beast spirit while the others were looking for a chance to step up in case the boy failed.


    Because one person would get only one chance to integrate with a beast spirit and if they failed, that was it. They would once again have to venture out into the wild and find the same beast with the exact same word of power, the chances of which were one in a billion, if even that.


    The integration process itself was rather simple. The word of power which was developed naturally on a beast''s body would be attached to its soul and once the word was extracted, a portion of the beast''s soul woulde along with it.


    To integrate, the user would have to overpower the beast''s soul and bear its pressure with their own soul.


    Only a powerful soul would be able to integrate with multiple words and those with a higher-level like this one that had more unique or stronger abilities like the ability to seal and use ice-rted powers that were included with this specific word of power.


    The man watched from the side with a deadpan expression while the boy struggled on his own. This was a fight that he would have to fight himself.


    Seeing as it would take a while to finish, the old man that had brought the boy out walked up behind the man and bowed.


    "Lord Gi-An. There is news from the frontlines," he whispered.


    Several of the people around them perked their ears and listened closely, making the old man frown.


    Lord Gi-An, without turning around, waved his hand casually, "Its fine. Continue."


    The old man bowed once again, "Yes. The attack on the rock creature was unsessful. All of them were killed before they could do anything."


    The people that were listening in with interest were shocked to say the least while Lord Gi-An finally had a change of expression as well.


    "Did the rock creature attack itself?"


    "No, my lord. It was a single man, someone we have no information about. He killed everyone instantly."


    "Show me," Lord Gi-An turned around and looked at the old man''s eyes which only had two golden tattoos in them.


    The old man blinked once and the scenes of Xue Meng wiping out the over 200 natives yed out in front of him for everybody to see.


    Lord Gi-An''s lips curled up into a smile without him even realizing it and he started talking out loud, "That''s more of a massacre than a fight. I am truly astounded by these aliens. Every time we think we have them figured out, something new happens. But no matter, they were only a few new recruits that couldn''t pass the tests. No loss for us."


    Hisments relieved many of the surrounding eavesdroppers that did not know the whole situation. They started talking amongst themselves.


    "So they were only the failed recruits."


    "Still, to kill them all and so quickly..."


    "We need to be careful going forward. Meeting someone like that on a battlefield won''t be a good thing."


    "Yeah, but how many of them could they have? There is probably a handful of people as strong as that man, otherwise, they would have already wiped us out."


    "That''s true."


    To the natives, the participants were considered to be the main force behind the so-called invasion. They had no idea that their entire was but a mere proving ground for the powers of the beast world, used to test out their young.


    They were under the expression that the participants were the main attacking force and once they were defeated, all would be fine. They hadn''t even considered the possibility that it was something else, because that was the only way they could continue fighting.


    Lord Gi-An''s smile slowly disappeared upon hearing their conversations. Because even though he had no idea to the extent of the power of these invaders, somethings were rather simple to figure out for him who had been fighting them from day one.


    ''Too young. All of them are young men and women, haughty and overconfident.''


    The oldest of them that he hade across looked to be only in histe twenties. Then what about the others? Surely, they wouldn''t send their young ones to fight a war.


    The only reason he had yet to make himself known to them was because of this simple fact, that he knew next to nothing about them.


    That''s why most of his recent endeavors were focused on information gathering. For a seasoned fighter like him, there was nothing more important than knowing the extent of his opponents'' power.


    Lord Gi-An turned away and closed his eyes, "What about the others?"


    "The attack on the horned creature is going well but it has yet to conclude," the old man exined before lowering his voice, "Something happened when thest team was on its way to the long-necked creature. We found another one of ''them''," he finished with a grave look on his face.


    A tattoo on Lord Gi-An''s neck lit up and covered both of them with an invisible shield in the shape of a tortoiseshell.


    When he was sure they would not be overheard, Lord Gi-An spoke up, "And?"


    The old man shook his head dejectedly, "It was gone. Someone took the beast away before we could reach it."


    From where he was standing, the old man could not see his expression but it wasn''t hard to imagine considering how serious the situation was.


    "Find it, no matter what. That is the one word of power we can''t allow to get in their hands, you know better than anyone else how valuable it is to us, to the resistance!"


    "Yes my lord, I have already dispatched the shadows. They have found a trail of the one who took it."

 Chapter 519: Confession

    <h4>Chapter 519: Confession</h4>


    **Read authors note first**


    Back in the Walking City of the Academy, over an hour had passed as Hao Xuan continued to refine and absorb the potent energy from the Soul Cleansing Rum from that one mouthful, and it wasn''t anywhere near finished.


    This process wouldst over six hours as the pure energy continued to drench Hao Xuan''s soul in thick spiritual essence, leaving him barely able to hold a conversation.


    Ryfon waited beside him for over three hours before he finally ran out of all the booze he had on him.


    The night was long and nowhere near its end, only getting colder by the second. Fortis, Zhurong, and Salome had returned to the cabin sometime during that time period and already gone to sleep, leaving only Ryfon and Hao Xuan beside the campfire that burned ceaselessly.


    Ryfon''s woeful expression only became gloomier as time passed until finally, he looked up at Hao Xuan, at which point the gloom turned into distress.


    "I have toe clean about something," he said after a moment of contemtion.


    Hao Xuan was surrounded by a semi-transparent blue wind that revolved around him without making a sound. His eyes were closed, making it look like he was asleep but upon hearing Ryfon''s voice, he replied calmly.


    "Hmm?"


    Ryfon grit his teeth, "I didn''t tell you the whole truth about the rum. It...is true that it heals and is good for you, but it also has a side-effect. During the period you''re absorbing it, you cannot lie or hide anything. You are like an open book and will respond to any query asked of you."


    The blue wind that was circting around Hao Xuan trembled for an instant before returning to normal. He didn''t even open his eyes, only letting out a deep sigh. He nodded lightly, still maintaining his posture.


    "So that was it, huh? I was wondering what this thing would cost me. You gave me a priceless treasure just so you could ask me a few questions? Why?"


    It would be a lie if Hao Xuan said he wasn''t worried after hearing Ryfon''s confession. The secret about his constitution could not be known by anyone else since he would be public enemy number one. And on this, there was nowhere for him to hide.


    Hao Xuan had tried to break out of this ''state'' he was currently in which was shown by the tremor in the wind earlier but his body wasn''t listening to him anymore.


    It greedily absorbed the energy without any worry and right now, there was nothing he could do to stop it, not even call out his severs that were locked away in his mind pce.


    Meaning he waspletely at Ryfon''s mercy at the moment.


    Pretending to be okay with it, he smiled graciously with eyes still closed even though he was fuming inside.


    "Ask then, what do you want to know? I am also curious what could a meremoner like me have that you would want."


    Seeing Hao Xuan''s smile, Ryfon felt even worse. He let out a self-deprecating chuckle and shook his head sluggishly.


    "Hao Xuan, I know you''re mad. It''spletely natural to be, but please understand that I had no choice, I need to be sure that you''re not working for him."


    His voice was quivering by the end of the sentence and he couldn''t even look at Hao Xuan, lowering his head once again.


    Hao Xuan felt the pain in his voice that sounded like a child that was being forced to do something he didn''t want to. But that wasn''t enough to quench Hao Xuan''s anger right now.


    "Exin to me then," he said through gritted teeth, not trying to hide behind a smile, "I have done everything to help you, even lowering my head in front of your "master" and epting his unreasonable "request". All I wanted was ess to a few cultivation manuals and now somehow I have been embroiled in this bullshit that I have no control over, continuously getting deeper in. Why is it that you still cannot trust me?"


    From Hao Xuan''s perspective, he had been taking advantage of over and over again. First by Ryfon''s master and then that mysterious visitor that wanted him to kill the Vampire prince. And after getting on the he found out about the Temple of War and the prison, adding another huge variable that he could not control into the situation.


    Frankly speaking, he was way out of his league and he knew it. But since there was nothing he could do about it, he didn''t bring it up either.


    "WHY?!" he couldn''t help but yell out loud.


    Ryfon couldn''t bear to look at Hao Xuan, only shaking his lowered head non-stop. He wasn''t a bad person either but this had to be done.


    He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, hating himself for being so powerless that he had to resort to such underhanded methods.


    "Because of my uncle," he uttered loathfully, "He is the First General of the Elven armies and my father''s sworn brother. He is the second most powerful being among all the elven tribes, just behind my father, the Elven King himself. If not for him, none of this would have ever happened!"


    Hao Xuan could feel Ryfon''s absolute resentment towards this man through the tone of his voice.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?This is very important, Youtube "Most Epic Music Ever: "Sunder" by Really Slow Motion" and listen to it while reading.

 Chapter 520: Confession Continued

    <h4>Chapter 520: Confession Continued</h4>


    Hao Xuan could feel Ryfon''s absolute resentment towards this man through the tone of his voice.


    Under the cover of the night sky, the only sound wasing from the crackling of the firewood and Ryfon''s deep breathing.


    "That bastard, if only he wasn''t here," Ryfon mumbled to himself before letting out a deep breath and calming himself down again.


    "I''m sorry for losing control. Since you''re doing all this for me, I at least owe you the truth," he apologized before continuing his exnation.


    "My ''Royal'' father has five wives, my mother is fifth and the youngest one. As you might have heard, Elves had rather low fertility rates so one Elvish female can only bare two or three children at the most. My mother had me and my older sister some three hundred and fifty years ago."


    "We are the youngest of the royal children and hence, least powerful. Even now I have only met my mother a handful of times. I was raised by my older sister Zenthia. She was but a child when I was born butpared to others, she was much more mature."


    "Seeing the strife and abuse that wasmon among the royal children, she kept me away from all that and protected me. To me, she was more of a mother than the woman who actually gave birth to me."


    Ryfon''s voice became soft when he talked about her and even a smile appeared on his face without him realizing it.


    "She was beautiful, my sister, and more powerful than anyone could have anticipated. She had to be to survive in that hell hole while protecting me. She was born with a rare physique that had never been seen before. She was about my age when she broke through the Sain Lord realm with all five Laws fully refined, creating a ''universal truth''."


    Ryfon used a few terms that Hao Xuan hadn''t heard of before. He took a mental note of them to ask about themter.


    "Her aplishments were only shadowed by her beauty which was enough to catch the envy of even the heavens. And because of it, my uncle who was supposed to be her Dao protector, her teacher, fell in love with her."


    "It was amonly known fact among the inner circle of our n but no one dared to speak up. He was too powerful. Even father gave his blessings. That was the first time I saw her cry, when she heard about her own engagement through a royal decree. She was sold off to a man she had no feelings for, all in the name of the n."


    Ryfon clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles became white, his fingers digging into the flesh.


    "But fortunately, the heavens had something else in store," he rxed his hand andid back at this point.


    "She had joined the academy as an elder, teaching sses about ''Mutated Flora'' found in the most recent expedition in the uncharted territories where she met a human. A ''dashing young man'' she described him as," he chuckled.


    "He was the prince of a lowly grade-2 kingdom from a corner of the continent who had juste out to broaden his horizons. He also had a unique constitution that allowed him to talk to nt life. And for someone like my sister who was a maniac about nts, he held an advantage that no one could ever overtake."


    "They started spending a lot of time together. Every time she woulde back home and tell me the things they talked about and the discoveries they made. I had never met him back then but he sounded like a very nice man," Ryfon smiled recalling those blissful days.


    "She fell in love with him without even realizing it. Actual love I mean, the kind that you can''t live without. I had never seen her as happy as when she talked about him, it actually made me a little jealous haha."


    "But she was already engaged, and to the first General of the Elven Empire to boot. He could wipe out a dozen grade-2 kingdoms with a wave of his hand, so what good could a prince from such a power do? Nothing, absolutely....nothing."


    "They couldn''t run away because no one on the continent would go against the Biric n for two nobodies, so they decided to just follow their hearts. I remember begging her to rethink her decision when she told me about it, but her answer left me speechless."


    "She looked at me without a hint of worry on her face and said "I''d rather live a hundred days with him than an eternity without him." I had never seen someone so sure about anything before," Ryfon sounded a bit despondent at this point, and how could he not?


    "They eloped in secret and soon after, she became pregnant. When the news of it reached my father he was... "incensed" to say the least. He went out himself and found them living in a small cottage on the outskirts of a little vige not far from the Royal city. I along with some of my friends including Cornelia (Mentioned around chapter 378) went out to try and stop him however we could."


    "At that moment I thought he would actually kill her. Knowing he wasing, they didn''t run away or try to hide anymore but instead weed him with open arms. They both stood in front of their little cottage, a royal princess from an empire that owned thousands of kingdoms a prince of small power, living on a piece ofnd that wasn''t even fit for them to step on."


    At this point, Ryfon startedughing like a lunatic.


    "Hahaha, the look on father''s face. He who had lived for thousands of years was leftpletely and utterly speechless by their actions. They weren''t afraid of death, only of living apart from one another. Seeing her fearless face and the new life that was inside her, even he could not bring himself to harm her."


    "Standing in front of them he could do nothing else. "Go. Leave this ce and nevere back. You and your offsprings are banished from Biric n for all of eternity," the Father decreed. He ordered us to cut off all contact with her. I guess he isn''tpletely heartless, eh?" Ryfon finished with a scornfulment.


    But Hao Xuan''s brows knitted in a tight furrow, "That sounds like a happy ending to me. She went back and lived with the prince in his kingdom, what''s the problem?"


    "The problem is that she is back here somehow. I don''t know if that bastard kidnapped her or what, but she and the child she gave birth to are both here. At the time he didn''t make any movements because of father''s orders but something obviously changed."


    Ryfon looked towards Hao Xuan with a determined gaze, "This is my story. The sister who is my most precious person is being held by him, and her daughter is here on the. But I can''t trust anyone. That man''s hands reach much further than I thought. So, I need to ask you just one question Hao Xuan."


    Hao Xuan already knew what he was going to ask and he couldn''t help but let out a breath of relief.


    "Ask away then."


    "Do you work for or are in any way associated with the First General and the Commander of the Elven armies, to the man named Shen?"


    A silence fell over the camp as Ryfon stared intently at the man sitting across from him, his heartbeat increasing by the second. About ten secondster Hao Xuan''s lips parted and a sentence came out.


    "No you absolute fuckwit, I don''t know that asshole!"

 Chapter 521: Doubt

    <h4>Chapter 521: Doubt</h4>


    Ryfon had obviously not expected the insults, albeit it made sense since right now Hao Xuan was unable to hide his true feelings. He meant each and every word that came out of his mouth without a shadow of a doubt.


    "Hahahaha!" Ryfon broke into a fit ofughter, "Good, good!" heughed so hard that his sides started to hurt.


    Hao Xuan stared at his direction with furrowed brows before mumbling, "You''re a weird guy. I thought a Royal Prince of such a great power would be more reserved so as not to lose face."


    Ryfonughed for a good 20 seconds before forcing himself to stop, "Haha,e on, this is the ce I can be like this," he leaned back and took in a few deep breaths, "I know it sounds cool and all, but its a nightmare for most, being a prince or princess I mean."


    "You can''t trust anyone because you can never be sure if they are your real friends or just with you for power. That''s why most of us have such strange personalities. I can''t even remember thest time Iughed like this."


    Seeing as he wasn''t nning on asking him any more questions, Hao Xuan rxed considerably. Most of his attention was focused on his inner body, circting the energy through each of the meridians that were overrun by Chaos energy.


    Ryfon''s voice was like distant mumblings in the back of his head now, making him only able to respond with "Hmm" and "No way". But even if he was paying attention, the filter that is in ce inside everyone that tells them what to say and what not to say in any situation had been turned off. He was like an open book, unhindered and forthright.


    But Ryfon who was so lost in his own thoughts didn''t even realize this and continued his monologue. After about 15 minutes he finally looked up towards Hao Xuan with a genial smile, "Do you want anything? Anything at all, just let me know."


    This was a helping hand from a Royal of the highest caliber in the Beat World. But Hao Xuan shook his head without even realizing it, answering without any hesitation, "I don''t like handouts. I don''t want your money or anything else. Only when I need something to finish the mission will I ask for it."


    Ryfon seemed a little disappointed by his response as he meekly replied, "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean anything by it. It''s just that that''s all I have to offer."


    "No," Hao Xuan shook his head, "It''s not. Although I don''t need money, I wouldn''t mind another friend. My grandfather used to say ''you can never have too many friends''."


    But as soon as he finished speaking, Hao Xuan''s face started turning a shade of pink, "Oh my god that was so embarrassing to say out loud. Fuck you for making me do it, ''Oh Great Elven Prince''."


    "Hahahaha!"


    Ryfon stayed with him for over 15 hours in total. They talked about many things including the things that were happening back on the Beast world, although at this point in time the information was highly restricted.


    He only left when all the people that had gone to sleep were starting to wake up.


    "Here, give this to your friend, tell him he was right," he handed Hao Xuan a three-inch wide ss strip.


    Most of the information in the beast world and the outer space was transferred either online or through these crystal strips that looked like ss. They were able to hold information for extremely long periods of time without damaging it.


    Hao Xuan opened finally his eyes as it was time to stop anyway.


    "What is it?" he asked inspecting the strip.


    Ryfon seemed surprised by his query, "Your friend asked for this, didn''t he tell you? He said it was for you."


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "My friend?"


    "Yeah, Ryfon nodded, "Jin Wang, was it?"


    Hao Xuan was even more confused now, "Jin Wang asked for this? When?"


    "During the trip over."


    "What?! He''s here?!!" Hao Xuan shot up to his feet.


    Now it was Ryfon''s turn to be confused, "Yeah, he was with the same batch as you. Didn''t he tell you? I thought you guys were close..."


    Hao Xuan asked for Jin Wang''s badge number and the room he was allocated before bidding Ryfon farewell.


    He stared at the ss strip for a few minutes as his mind raced. He had known Jin Wang for a very long time now but he didn''t know much about him other than the fact that he was extremely strong and knew a lot of things that would normally be unavable to someone in his position.


    But he had also never gotten a bad feeling from Jin Wang so Hao Xuan never bothered asking about it thinking he would tell him himself when it was time.


    But now, now it was different. Hao Xuan had to go above and beyond just to participate in the tournament but somehow, Jin Wang achieved the same result without even telling him?


    "Baracus, can you see what''s inside this?"


    "Affirmative," Baracus responded instantly.


    The nanomachines gathered in Hao Xuan''s hand in which he was holding the strip essed the information that was on it.


    "It is a background check. Would you like to see?"


    Hao Xuan''s heartbeat increased, "Y-Yeah, show it to me."


    A panel opened up in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes, showing a lot of information.


    Name: Xu Qing (Auxiry chapter 4 for more details).


    Gender: Female


    Race: Human


    ce of Birth...


    The details went on and on, mentioning everything from close rtives to her current location. Hao Xuan nced over all of it, stopping only at her picture which was present at the very bottom.


    The person in the picture was not the Xu Qing he knew. In fact, they looked nothing alike.


    "What...is going on...?"

 Chapter 522: Wonder

    <h4>Chapter 522: Wonder</h4>


    "What...is going on...? Who...is this?" Hao Xuan numbly muttered to himself while staring at the picture.


    The girl in it was much younger than the Xu Qing that hade to Hao Xuan almost two years ago now. Although her beauty was nothing to scoff at either, it was still a far cry from ''his'' Xu Qing.


    "It is an official copy of personal records," Baracus replied, "None of the information seems to have been tampered with. It seems the records of each royal bloodline, regardless of the Kingdom''s Grade, is kept by the governing powers. If I''m not wrong there should be a database somewhere of every registered individual on the beast world and this copy was taken directly from there. I can clearly see the digital footprints."


    The sound of chatting,ughter and asional fighting echoed in from the other side of theke. Even though it was still dark out, the participants still maintained the 24-hour schedules from the beast world so they were already awake.


    But Hao Xuan couldn''t care less about any of that.


    He only stared at the picture floating in front of his eyes like a statue, utterly speechless. His mind raced back and forth,ing up with numerous scenarios as to who ''his'' Xu Qing really was.


    ''Maybe the king couldn''t bear to part with his daughter so he sent someone else instead. It doesn''t have to be a conspiracy against me. And why me anyway? I''m a nobody, who would gain from deceiving me?'' he thought inwardly.


    "Wait, Jin Wang is here!" Hao Xuan shouted while jumping up to his feet, "I''ll just ask him..."


    He had only taken a couple of steps before stopping midstride, "But would he tell me the truth?"


    Baracus who had been activated and was listening in from the start couldn''t help but give his two cents on the matter since Hao Xuan wasn''ting to the same conclusion on his own.


    "It is highly probable that this was your friend''s objective to begin with," he exined in his emotionless voice, "He asked Ryfon for this ''favor'' knowing full well that the news of it would reach you first. If I''m not wrong, he ''wanted'' you to see this. Otherwise, it could have easily been hidden from you."


    Hao Xuan gave it some thought before agreeing with Baracus''s theory. Having finally made up his mind he went straight to the boy''s dormitory on the other side of theke, passing by several groups of participants that were training or rxing.


    He reached the room where Jin Wang was supposed to be staying at within a couple of minutes. It was right next to his.


    If he had stayed in there, they would have run into each other much sooner. Hao Xuan knocked on the door twice but there was no response. He knocked once more before delivering a kick that knocked the door off its hinges.


    The dust settled rather quickly and the insides became clear. There was only one piece of furniture, a bed which was currently upied.


    On itid a shirtless man, snoring extremely loudly without a care in the world.


    Hao Xuan''s uncertain heart rxed a little seeing the same stupid face he had seen so many times before.


    He softly walked up to the bed and bent down to whisper, "Wake up, bitch," before flipping the bed up into the air.


    Jin Wang swirled several times like a doll beforending face-first onto the floor.


    "Oww, what the hell?!" he shot to his feet with a reddened face, ready to fight.


    But upon seeing Hao Xuan''s straight face his right eye twitched, "O-Oh, took you a while. I have been waiting for a while now," Jin Wang awkwardly greeted him with a nod.


    His eyes were attracted by the ss strip in Hao Xuan''s hand, "Is that...?" he didn''t finish the sentence, waiting for Hao Xuan to respond.


    Hao Xuan threw the strip over, "You tell me. What is this? And why did you ask for it?"


    Jin Wang caught it out of the air without missing a beat, even though Hao Xuan had thrown it with considerable force. He ced it over the spirit band.


    Some ten seconds or soter Jin Wang let out a deep sigh, "So I was right then..."


    "About what?" Hao Xuan asked calmly but his heartbeat was steadily increasing.


    Jin Wang looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s questioning gaze. He seemed troubled, unsure even, which was hardly ever the case for him.


    "You two aren''t a good match, didn''t you ever wonder?"


    "Wonder...what?" Hao Xuan asked hesitantly.


    But before he could receive an answer, a loud bell rang twice, interrupting their conversation. It was followed by an emergency announcement.


    "Every get ready, we are under attack. Report to the gates post-haste!"

 Chapter 523: Wonder Continued (1)

    <h4>Chapter 523: Wonder Continued (1)</h4>


    "Report to the gate at once!" the announcements repeated over and over again but Hao Xuan didn''t move an inch, and neither did Jin Wang.


    "Wonder what?" Hao Xuan asked again as an uneasy feeling crept into his heart.


    Jin Wang shook his head once, putting the forefinger on his lips, "Not here," his voice rang in Hao Xuan''s head. He gestured for him to follow before jumping out of the window.


    Left with no other choice, Hao Xuan went after him.


    Jin Wang took a route from the back of the dormitory to avoid the rushing students. The route was hidden by a mysterious fog. Only after walking back and forth through the foggy area for several minutes did it be clear again.


    Hao Xuan found himself standing in an entirely different ce.


    There were still trees all around them and it was dark out, but the dormitory was nowhere in sight. The area atop the walking city wasn''t that big to begin with so the dormitories and the rows of buildings of the town on the otherwise could be seen from almost everywhere.


    But right now Hao Xuan couldn''t see any of them. There wasn''t even a light anywhere in the distance nor the mor of the rushing students.


    "What is this ce?" he inquired while observing the surroundings with a hint of curiosity.


    "Over here," Jin Wang pointed towards a random direction. They walked for less than 10 seconds beforeing to a clearing.


    Hao Xuan was stunned to see they were right next to a mountain. It was sorge that he couldn''t even see its peak. It seemed to meld in with the darkness, indistinguishable from the night sky.


    There were streams of boiling blue water flowing down from the many crevices. It looked like a naturally formed hot spring.


    Hao Xuan bent down and felt the warmth of the water.


    "Are we still in the city?"


    "Yeah," Jin Wang noddedzily, "I found this ce by ident. The city was created using thews of Space, folding it in on itself over and again. This is one of the many small crevices. It exists in the city but can only be reached if you know what to look for."


    There was a bed beside thergest hot spring. It looked like someone had been living there off and on.


    "Yours?" Hao Xuan gestured towards it.


    Jin Wang nodded, "Of course," and jumped on it. Throwing his shoes off, he lowered his feet into the bubbling water.


    "It''s a pretty good ce. Whoever made the city must have had a profound knowledge into the Laws of Space seeing as how these crevices were created naturally sometime after," Jin Wang exined with a satisfied smile.


    "This mountain was used as the center for the creation of the city. It holds it all together. That''s why you can see it from everywhere but never reach it. If something happened to the mountain, the city would be ripped to shreds. That''s why there is no official record of it."


    Hao Xuan peered towards Jin Wang with a raised eyebrow, "Then how do you know?"


    "Because I''m a genius," Jin Wang replied with a confident smile as if stating the obvious.


    ''Another one...'' Hao Xuan thought. Another strange thing without an exnation.


    "Who are you...really?" he asked in a low voice. There were too many unknowns when it came to Jin Wang, yet even now Hao Xuan didn''t feel least bit ufortable around him.


    Jin Wang looked to his right towards Hao Xuan, meeting his gaze.


    "I''ll tell you one day, when you''re much stronger...when both of us are. Right now it will only bring you trouble," he said in his usual nonchnt tone.


    They locked eyes for over 20 seconds before Hao Xuan looked away, "Fine, I''ll believe you for now," he said weakly.


    Every person has their own secrets to keep and it seemed Jin Wang''s were nothing to scoff at. Seeing as there were enough problems to deal with already, Hao Xuan didn''t push any further.


    "Tell me about Xu Qing then, why did you ask for that? What''s going on?"


    "Oh yeah, about that," Jin Wang remembered the reason they hade here in the first ce. Taking out his feet from the water he turned around to face Hao Xuan.


    "I''m actually surprised you were never curious about her. A breathtaking beauty just arrived at your doorstep and you epted that as normal without a question? Even now after traveling through all these ces and meeting so many other beautiful women, have you seen anyone better looking than her?"


    "Of course not," Hao Xuan didn''t have to think about it. Xu Qing was by far the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. None of these royal children coulde even close to her. And it wasn''t just her outer beauty either, but the aura and charm she gave off was just too much.


    Only Ceni and a couple of others like the Fae princess Cornelia (Ch377) could be mentioned in the same sentence.


    Each of them had their own charms that set them apart from the rest.


    Jin Wang shook his head disappointingly seeing as Hao Xuan had still not caught on.


    "A woman more beautiful than actual faries and those of the ancient bloodlines, yet no one knows about her? No one has heard of her name? If she would only ask, any number of renowned warriors, Kings and even a few Queens woulde running to her aid. Yet this seemingly perfect girl is making you food and tending to your needs without so much as aint? How is that not weird?"


    Hao Xuan was taken aback by Jin Wang''s questions but he quickly responded.


    "Well, that''s because Xu Qing is different. She doesn''t want those thin-"


    "Hah, love sure is a dog from hell. It can even turn the mostpetent into blubbering idiots, let alone an inexperienced kid like you," Jin Wang interrupted him. He threw a somewhat disdainful nce towards Hao Xuan before looking away.


    "It''s pretty obvious she has other intentions, you moron. I just can''t figure out what. You''re not powerful nor do you have a strong backing. Although considerably lucky in your endeavors, it is nothing shocking. What does she want from you?" Jin Wang mumbled thest two sentences to himself.


    But to Hao Xuan''s ears, they were prickling insults.


    "Is that it? Is that the reason you doubt her?" he asked with a deep frown, annoyed and angry.


    Jin Wang realized he had overstepped upon hearing Hao Xuan''s tone of voice so he quickly spoke up.


    "No no, I don''t mean to bring you down but..e on man, you have to see it too right?" heughed awkwardly, hoping to get a chuckle in response but only receiving a re, "A-And also, there seems to be some kind of a spell around her," he swiftly gave the other reason for his initial doubt.


    "I asked the people that she had met with to describe her, but none of them could recall what she actually looked like. They only used words like "kind" and "beautiful" instead of giving physical descriptions. Can you? Remember what she looks like I mean?" he looked towards Hao Xuan with interest. It was obvious he had been meaning to ask this question from the start.


    "Of course I can," Hao Xuan replied without thinking twice, "She has ck eyes, ck hair...or wait, blue eyes, and ck hair? Or....blue hair and ck eyes? And is she...tall?"


    He had just started the sentence before trailing off, mumbling random things.


    "No no, I remember her but...what does she look like...?"

 Chapter 524: Wonder Continued (2)

    <h4>Chapter 524: Wonder Continued (2)</h4>


    "No no, I remember her but...what does she look like...?" Hao Xuan''s eyes became unfocused as he tried to remember Xu Qing, "I can see her but..."


    When he closed his eyes, her image was there as clear as day. But when he tried to describe her physical characteristics, his mind became muddled. It was a very strange feeling.


    "How is this possible?? She is right there, I can reach and touch her almost but why can''t I-" Hao Xuan eximed after a few attempts, continuing his ramblings.


    Jin Wang bent down and cupped his hands, filling them with the emerald green bubbling water before sshing it onto Hao Xuan''s unsuspecting face.


    "Wake up!" he shouted, waking Hao Xuan from his stupor. Hao Xuan stared back at him with eyes full of shock. It was like there was something inside his head that didn''t belong there, giving him a fleeting notion of something being tampered.


    He stared towards Jin Wang with a questioning gaze, getting his answer.


    "It''s magic," Jin Wang exined with a heavy voice, "Old magic. I haven''t seen it used in a long time. There are only a handful of ces that are capable of such longsting spells, and none of them are particrly friendly."


    He paused at looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze, "But the question is, why you?" he spoke out loud but it was more for himself than anyone else.


    Hao Xuan did not answer, nor could he. With a lowered head he sat down beside one of the hot springs with weak legs.


    "I don''t know," he mumbled back.


    A short bout of silence followed. Two more emergency announcement came during that time, asking for everyone to be ready for anything. Hao Xuan''s ID badge even vibrated once. It was a direct call for backup from the First Protector of the city.


    Obviously Hao Xuan didn''t go. He wouldn''t be of much help anyway with his Qi inplete disarray.


    All he could do was recall every memory he had of Xu Qing and go over it repeatedly, trying to find anything out fo the ordinary. But no matter how hard he looked, there was nothing.


    She was apletely normal person, not even capable of utilizing the smallest amount of spiritual energy. The one thing that was obvious about her was the genuine concern she showed for Hao Xuan and everyone else.


    She gave so much charity that she couldn''t even buy herself the most basic necessities a girl her age should have, which in turn was something that stood out like a sore thumb.


    She wanted nothing from Hao Xuan, nor did she influence him in any way.


    But it was the truth that she had lied about a lot of things. Who she was, where she came from and why. Hao Xuan couldn''t help but doubt their rtionship.


    ''Was it all a lie then? If not then how much is real? My feelings for her, are they fake as well?''


    As soon as that thought popped up in his mind, it would not go away no matter how hard he tried to ignore it.


    ''I think I have only spent less than a few weeks with her altogether. Yet my feelings for her grew like wildfire, as if they were spurred on by something or someone else.''


    Once a person starts doubting their memories and their own feelings, almost nothing in the world can stop that unease from spreading.


    Like a crack in a mirror. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt, jumping to conclusions one after the other.


    "Anyway," but Jin Wang spoke up, stopping him from spiralling out of control.


    Although it had only been 20 minutes since they had arrived in this ce, to Hao Xuan it had felt like an eternity.


    "Hey," he snapped his fingers, getting Hao Xuan''s attention, "It''s pretty obvious you are in the middle of something big, something you don''t understand. Be it that four-eyed old man or the shapeshifters, there is too much going on in that ce. It''s filled with too many variables so its best to keep your distance as much as possible."


    He got up and walked up to Hao Xuan, patting his drooping shoulders, "We are friends so it goes without saying that I will help you with whatever I can. And if you want, we can just stay here," he gave Hao Xuan another option to consider.


    "I know a few people too so we won''t have too many problems if you really chose to stay here. And I hear there will be an expedition to the uncharted territories soon so if the worsees to worst, we can just buy a couple of spots on a ship and leave. No one will be able to find us there. They don''t call them the Lands of the Lost for no reason," Jin Wang finished with a gleaming smile, trying to console Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan didn''t give an answer straight away. It was true that he was way out of his league already and with the problems with his physique and cultivation, it was just too much. Jin Wang''s alternative wasn''t too bad.


    Hao Xuan didn''t have any family members nor anything significant to tie him down. It was all the rtions he had made aftering here. If he wanted to be selfish and run away, no one would hold him responsible. It wasn''t his duty to act as the savior and protector of the weak, he could barely take care of himself, or so he reasoned with his own conscious.


    "I...will think about it..." he replied meekly.


    "Good. It just a choice you have, don''t think about too seriously," Jin Wang reminded him upon hearing the sincerity in his voice.


    A few hourster Hao Xuan left the space with Jin Wang in tow and returned to the camp where three hungry mouths were waiting for him impatiently.


    From the sounds that managed to reach even him, there was a fight going on outside thatsted an hour after which the participants started returning.


    Many of them were in high spirits, bringing back several trophies from the battle. While the others were covered in bloody wounds and mourning the loss of their friends.


    "Eighteen dead from our side," Henrik informed Hao Xuan.


    The next few days Hao Xuan kept his head down and focused on understanding the Laws of Chaos, seeing a slight improvement in his condition.

 Chapter 525: The Big Fight

    <h4>Chapter 525: The Big Fight</h4>


    In the scorching heat, a man stood covered in sweat from head to toe under the shade of a small grove, swinging the several meters long ive up and down, left and then right, in arcs that kept changing directions every single time.


    "Seven thousand and twenty-four, Seven thousand and twenty-five, Seven..." he counted every single swing in a monotone, almost robotically.


    He was only wearing tight shorts so as not to hinder his movements, flexing the almost stupendous muscles that covered his every inch every time the ive swung down. Gusts of air blew the dry dust away like a fan, even leaving slight indentations in the ground beneath.


    This was, of course, Hao Xuan.


    With nothing else to do due to the Chaos Ki running amock he could only do two things. One, practice martial arts or two, focus on understanding the Chaos energy.


    And with Baracus''s help, he hade up with a way to do both at the same time.


    As for martial arts, he once again started working on the mysterious "Imperial ive Doctrine" that he had bought with the contribution points back in the Mei Kingdom (CH 144).


    Even though it had been more than a year since he bought it, Hao Xuan had almostpletely ignored it due to the many inconveniences that had gued him there onwards. He had been jumping from one precarious situation into another and barely had any time for himself.


    Not to mention there wasn''t enough information about the "Imperial ive Doctrine". It had an unknown number of parts and Hao Xuan only possessed the first one.


    But Baracus reminded him that the chances of finding the other parts for it in the library of the ''The Academy'' were pretty high because that was one of their core principals, i.e collection and storage of all forms of manuals, arts, doctrines, battle skills, sacred texts, and scriptures found within the Beast World.


    So with that in mind, he had Baracuse up with a faster way to help him progress.


    With the nanotech within him, Baracus was able to control Hao Xuan''s body like his own. So when Hao Xuan was focused on understanding the Chaos energy, Baracus was in control of his body, practicing the basic steps mentioned in the Imperial ive Doctrine.


    Of course, this method had its own limitations as well. Baracus could only control Hao Xuan''s outer body and nothing else.


    Hao Xuan still had to practice the steps on his own but doing it like this imprinted these movements onto his neural pathways which cut down the amount of work he had to put in by over 70%.


    Meaning his body remembered the movements by itself and with just a few strikes, he would be able to remember them even if his mind initially couldn''t.


    It had been more than two weeks since he started following this regiment, stopping only to eat and sleep.


    The walking city had kept moving without pause as well, asionally stopping near arge settlement.


    A few dozen meters away from the currently zoned out Hao Xuan was Henrik''s group which seemed to have gained several new people. They were sitting beside theke idly, drinking and eating under the sun.


    There were skirmishes between the resistance and the participants almost every day and almost a quarter of the participants had dropped out due to either being killed or incurring heavy injuries that could not be healed on.


    This left many of the groups with fewer members than were needed to venture outside so they banded together around Henrik and formed a party.


    Henrik was very popr among the royal children even before the tournament due to his ''party-all-night'' attitude and the fact that he didn''t discriminate against those of lower backgrounds, he gained even more traction against the rogue cultivators andmon people.


    That along with the fact that his party had almost a 100%pletion rate for all missions, they gained more and more recognition which led to their group almost tripling in size.


    A bright young man in histe teens along with a few others were throwing asional stares towards Hao Xuan as if looking at a monster.


    "How long has it been?" he asked with an exasperated sigh.


    Another teen that seemed like a malnourished beggar looked at his spirit band before answering, "Fourteen hours straight."


    "Damn, just looking at him makes me tired man."


    "True true," all of the youngsters nodded their heads in unison.


    Just then a girl walked over from behind them and pped the first youngster on the back of his head, "Wern, if you had even 10% of the will power as senior brother you wouldn''t have been beaten so easily by those resistance fighters."


    Wern rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly, "Come on, how can youpare little old me to Senior brother Hao, Brina? I''ll try to do better in the fight tomorrow, eh? Eh?"


    Brina seemed like she wanted to say a few other things but looking at Wern''s face she blushed and walked away while mumbling, "You better, you good-for-nothing. Can''t even ask dad for my hand in marriage, what a loser..."


    Everyone heard her mumbling andughed, a few of the boys even punching Wern in the arm.


    "You lucky bastard!"


    *p*p*


    "Everyone gather around, its time to discuss your roles for tomorrows fight," Henrik''s voice came from behind them, getting their attention.

 Chapter 526: The Big Fight Continued

    <h4>Chapter 526: The Big Fight Continued</h4>


    Hearing Henrik''s call, all of them got up instantly and went around a few trees to reach an open area near thekeside.


    There were a few people already there excluding the two that were in Henrik''s group (Fulke and Hazel, first mentioned around Ch 390).


    In the middle was Ceni, sitting between her two ''best'' friends Iris and Klem. Around them were about 12 other people, all dressed in expensive clothes from the Beast world. Their expressions and bodynguage screamed ''entitled brats'' and it was pretty easy to infer that they were obviously Princes and Princesses from some renowned Kingdoms.


    They kept their distance from Henrik''s group, talking amongst one another in a hushed voice. Upon the arrival of Wern, Brina, and others, they threw disdainful nces towards them followed by suppressedughter.


    A few of them even stood up with obvious ill intentions but were stopped by one nce from the beautiful Iris (Ch 464).


    "Don''t make any trouble," she said in a low voice, making them return to their seats at once.


    Ceni who was obviously the leader of the group didn''t even bat an eye. She continued to sit there with her eyes closed, looking almost like a painting under the dazzlingly bright sun.


    Her transformation was probably the most surprising out of everyone present. When they had arrived on the a few weeks ago, Ceni who was obviously very beautiful still looked somewhat immature like all the others around here. (The days mentioned here are ording to this, i.e 100 hr per day/night cycle. So if converted to the 24-hr system, more than 2 months have passed).


    And since most of them were in theirte teens, this was expected. But now she lookedpletely different.


    It looked like Ceni had aged a few years in the short time they had been here. She had grown taller and devilishly beautiful, looking worlds apart from the somewhat innocent image she had before.


    While the Ceni from before seemed more ''open'', the ''her'' now had a much colder air around her which made it hard for people to approach her even if they wanted to.


    This change had obviously been very sudden, so much so that even Iris and Klem seemed a little ufortable around her.


    Ceni was wearing a swimsuit unlike the others in her group. It looked to be a size too short, barely providing any cover.


    Eyes of every single boy including Wern were glued to her from the moment they arrived. Brina saw that and swiftlynded a heavy-handed p to the back of his head.


    With a vein on her forehead threatening to pop any second she pulled on Wern''s ear, "Is something wrong with your eyes? They seem to be glued to one spot without moving. Should I wash them for you?"


    Wern almost bit his own tongue from the sudden attack and replied clumsily, "N-No babe, how could that be? I was just looking at the scenery! Hehe!" he said with a contorted smile.


    "Hmph," she released his ear and sat down near Henrik. She threw a poisonous nce towards Ceni before looking towards Henrik.


    "Brother Henrik, it looks like ''some'' people really can''t take the heat. Should we reschedule?"


    Everyone knew she was talking about Ceni but no one dared to speak up.


    Henrik who wasying back on his chair with an alcoholic beverage in his hand lowered his sunsses enough to peer towards the person in question.


    "Is Hao Xuan done with his training?" he asked loudly while looking towards Ceni, whose ears visibly twitched upon hearing the question.


    Wern shook his head, "No, he is still training as usua-"


    Before he could even finish the sentence Ceni stood up and started walking away.


    "Don''t disturb me unless it''s important," Ceni threw out the words without even looking back.


    Iris and Klem both sighed seeing her obvious reaction. Henrik followed her with his eyes until he was sure she wasn''t going towards Hao Xuan before putting his sunsses back.


    "Continue," he waved his hand leisurely.


    Brina, Wern and even the people from Ceni''s group were shocked. Some of the more astute ones quickly connected the dots.


    Hazel who was standing beside Henrik like a bodyguard came forward.


    "Due to the increased threat from the Resistance fighters, we will be working together this time around. As I''m sure you are aware, there are two parts of the battle. The first one takes ce in a randomly chosen ce on the where the local armies that we have gathered will fight against the Hall''s. The second takes ce when the three Walking Cities meet. There, a chosen few will fight against each other to decide the final victor."


    "Please sign up with me for whichever one you want to take part in. And if you have any questions I can answer those as well."

 Chapter 527: Last step

    <h4>Chapter 527: Last step</h4>


    Hazel exined the process a bit more in detail once everyone had started listening.


    The first part was the battle that would be on a massive scale. It included 80% of the participants and the locals they had brought over to their side. In total it was expected to have more than 40,000 people, locals, and participants included which only made up 10% of the 40,000 if even that.


    Coordinates of the battleground would be given to the First protectors of each city who will then pass them over to the designated leaders.


    The second one would take ce a dayter i.e 70 hours or so after the first one.


    It would include 5-10 of the best cultivators from each side.


    Both of the battles were designed to calcte different things and had different criteria for achieving victory.


    For the first one whichever side had the least casualties while dealing the most damage was the victor. It measured the participant''s ability to lead, follow orders, and basically show which role they were the best at.


    The second battle was the measure of a cultivator''s raw fighting ability and power. It was where most of the shining stars would emerge from and bebeled as the current generation''s brightest pupils.


    Without wasting much time almost everyone present signed up for the first battle in their own capacities.


    Although both of them were dangerous, the second one would have the strongest hidden cards from each side with death being much more of a probability than victory.


    By the time Hao Xuan ''came-to'' the meeting was adjourned and most of them had scattered. Some went to trainst minute or rest, while others continued discussing the hot topics.


    "Did you hear about the leader of the resistance fighter? I heard he showed up in-person some time ago," a chubby teen that looked like he hadn''t done a lick of hard work in his entire life asked in a ''loud'' hushed voice.


    "Of course," another person nodded, "My friend''s brother saw him himself. He said the guy was 20-feet tall and looked like a monster masquerading as a human. Truly these barbarians have had some achievements recently."


    "Exactly. Tomorrow''s fight won''t be easy. I hear that''s the reason why the location of the battle has been kept a secret."


    "Maybe, or maybe not," the chubby teenager cut in with a know-it-all look grin.


    "What?? What do you know?" the others urged.


    "I heard," he continued after clearing his throat, "That the resistance fighters are looking for someone. Someone that stole something very valuable from them. That''s why they have been targeting us specifically in thest few weeks."


    "What?! Who?"


    "I have no idea," he shrugged, "But from what I can tell there has only been one person that hasn''t left the city since this all started, no?" he finished with a suggestive re aimed towards a certain direction.


    "Ohhh..." the others followed his line of sight and saw Hao Xuane out of the trees. He was rambling on by himself with a deep frown.


    The chubby teen got up and quickly walked up behind Hao Xuan who was bent over the edge of theke, washing his face.


    "Good morning senior brother!" he yelled spiritedly.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even turn around, only waving his hand towards him, "Yeah...morning..."


    The teen smiled and went back to his spot, continuing the conversation in a barely audible whisper.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes were nk as he stared at his reflection, or so it seemed from afar. In front of his pupils was a screen showing his recent progress.


    "You have almostpletely learned all the movements. The only thing that''s left is to do them while circting Qi, whenever it flows normally again," Baracus''s voice came into his ears.


    "Yeah yeah I know," Hao Xuan replied in low spirits, "I can feel the energy perfectly fine, it''s not a physical problem but something much more...spiritual. I feel like I''m standing on the threshold of something big, just one step away from seeing what''s on the other side but there is still something Ick."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and his consciousness appeared on top of a cliff surrounded by fast-moving ck clouds. Above him was a tumultuous dark sky that churned with the same Chaos he had seen in Baracus''s recordings.


    He was standing at the very edge of the cliff. One more step and he would either fly or fall to an unknown future.


    This was the ce he had imagined for himself to understand the Chaos energy after reading about it in a book.


    "Imagine a ce, something that you feel might be connected to what you are trying to understand. Create for yourself hurdles and pass through them one by one, at the end is your prize," is what it said.


    Hao Xuan reached out his hand in the outside world and the ''him'' on the cliff followed his movements.


    "No matter how hard I try, I can''t pass through. My feet feel like they are one with the mountains, heavier than anything in the world. What do I need to soar above?"

 Chapter 528: Loser

    <h4>Chapter 528: Loser</h4>


    "What are you doing?"


    While Hao Xuan was engrossed in his own thoughts, Henrik had walked up behind him.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and looked back at him, "Nothing, nevermind. What''s happening? Any updates?"


    "Same as usual," Henrik shrugged, "Nothing you would be interested in. The resistance has ramped up their attacks so the higher-ups had to make a few changes. It wasn''t in our n for them to be this strong and well organized so they want the protectors to keep watch over the fight. That means..."


    Instead of finishing the sentence, he peered back towards Hao Xuan who nodded with a sigh, "I know, I''ll have to make a move this time," Hao Xuan finished for him.


    "When and where?" he asked finally epting his fate.


    If possible Hao Xuan wanted to stay in and better understand the Chaos energies rather than fight but now that it hade to it, he wanted to get it over with quick.


    Henrik tapped a few times on his spirit band and a message popped on Hao Xuan''s band. It showed a 3D map of a location some 3,000 kilometers away from their current location.


    "This is the ce selected for the battle. It''s apparently one of the danger zones on this and they want you to check it out beforehand and see if there is something their scanners missed."


    Hao Xuan looked over the data with a skeptical look, "They can''t scan it properly? Why do I have to check it in person?"


    Henrik took out a paper fan from his back pocket before waving it in front of his face to dry off some of the perspiration.


    "I hate the heat I swear," he mumbled while ring at the sun through the sunsses, "Of course they can. If they used inspection magic along with the normal scans, they could see all the way to the''s core but that would disturb the World Spirit. It still hasn''t shown itself remember. Plus, there are some...plications...."


    Hao Xuan sshed some cold water on his face for thest time and stood up, "Spit it out, what''s wrong this time?"


    Henrik who was still staring towards the sun seemed hesitant to answer at first but decided to respond anyway,


    "Apparently, and this is all hearsay, but apparently one of the insect tribe''s gctic hives entered the system not long ago. The bosses above had to move the ship a bit further away in case they attacked."


    "WHAT?!"


    Hao Xuan knew a little of these insect tribes from Poriverse''s information. He had alsoe into contact with one such creature back on that.


    If a gctic hive had entered the system then that was a huge problem.


    Any normal hive would have up to hundreds of millions of normal creatures and tens of millions of creatures that could rival spirit realm cultivators along with hundreds of thousands of others.


    The one thing they weren''t short on were numbers as they could reproduce almost endlessly and anywhere.


    Henrik adjusted his sses and turned around before casually waving his hand, "Don''t worry about it too much. If worsees to worst we will be teleported off before being returned back to the beast world. I only told you about them so you understood the whole situation."


    "The vessel is actually not in the vicinity of the. It''s around the edge of the sr system so as to more easily intercept the hive if they attack. Anyways, that''s why they are being extra cautious. Just go and give the ce a look over, it''s nothing too serious."


    Hao Xuan rubbed his temples that were starting to ache.


    "Fine, whatever. Another problem I can''t do anything about. I''ll take care of things I can get my hands on first then."


    He went back to the portable camp where the usual crowd was waiting for him.


    Jin Wang was ying a card game with Salome under the shade while Fortis and Zhurong were nowhere in sight.


    "Did you get anything?" Hao Xuan asked as soon as he saw Jin Wang.


    "Tsk tsk, wait," Jin Wang hurriedly shook his head, focusing on the three cards in his hand. His gaze shifted between them and Salome who sat opposite to him with a nk look. He also had a few cards in his hand.


    "Alright," Jin Wang spoke up after some 30 seconds of pondering. There were beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, "Show on 3! 1, 2, 3!" he yelled before dramatically throwing his cards on the table.


    Salome did the same, albeit much more normally.


    Jin Wang''s pupils contracted to the size of needles upon seeing Salome''s hand, "NOO! How?! HOW?!" he started pulling his own hair out.


    Salome shook his head, "Stupid. I don''t want to y anymore, this is boring."


    "No Please! One more!" Jin Wang reached out to grab Salome''s hand but before he could do so a heavy handnded crisply on the back of his head.


    "Get your shit together. The hell is wrong with you?" Hao Xuan remarked with a deep frown.


    ''How bad was he that he kept loosing to Salome of all people?''


    "Tell me what you found, is there any new information about her?"

 Chapter 529: Grey

    <h4>Chapter 529: Grey</h4>


    "Is there any new information?" Hao Xuan inquired with an uncertain gaze.


    Over thest two weeks he had gone above and beyond to find Ryfon''s niece. Even taking into ount that she had changed her face and body, Hao Xuan found one way or another to get close to each female currently living in the walking city and see for himself if they were the one.


    s, all of that was for naught seeing as it didn''t bring him any closer to finding her.


    But what it did give him was a reputation as a devoted womanizer, even though he tried very hard to avoid it.


    Jin Wang leaned back against the tree to take shade from the scorching heat of the sun.


    "You''ve met almost all of them. Even the ones that were out on long-term missions returned for the most part, other than one."


    "So there really was another??" Hao Xuan asked excitedly, "When? When is sheing back?"


    But to his dismay, Jin Wang responded with a loose shrug, "Dunno. Sometime tonight, cause of the big fight tomorrow. But she will be gone again right after so your time is limited."


    Hao Xuan took off his shoe and threw it right at Jin Wang''s head, who calmly leaned a little to the right and avoided it.


    "Tonight when dumbass? The night is 60 hours long!"


    Annoyed by Hao Xuan''s actions, Jin Wang picked the shoe back up and ''returned'' it post-haste.


    "I don''t know bitch, why you taking it out on me? Nobody knows her so they can''t say when she''sing."


    Hao Xuan ducked, the shoe barely missing his head with frightening speed.


    "Tch, you useless bastard!" Hao Xuan grumbled before turning around to leave.


    "Kiss my ass!" Jin Wang retorted.


    Hao Xuan took two steps before stopping mid-stride, startling Jin Wang.


    "W-What? You wanna fight?" he raised both his fists in front of his face.


    Hao Xuan didn''t turn around, "How did she stay outside for so long? Don''t you need a protector''s permission for that?"


    Jin Wang let out a breath of relief and rxed.


    "Oh, yeah you do. Apparently the third protector guy gave her full permission."


    "The third protector?" Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed.


    The third protector was the one in charge of protecting the city itself. Until now, Hao Xuan had not seen him in person, only heard rumors about him from Henrik.


    Apparently he had a very special background and hade over to their continent from one of the others. All they knew about him was that he was extremely powerful and kept his distance from the others.


    In fact, he had never given permission to anyone since they couldn''t even find him. Hao Xuan spected that he was in one of those pocket spaces located around the city, which is why no one could find him.


    ''Why did someone like him give exclusive ess to just one student?'' Hao Xuan pondered.


    "Something isn''t right...." he mumbled as an easy feeling crept into his heart.


    After changing into the proper clothes, Hao Xuan left the walking the city for the location of the first battle. It was 3,000 kilometers away from the city.


    After moving a kilometer or so away from the city on foot through the dense forest, Hao Xuan stopped at a clearing. He reached into his storage space and took out a round y-like token.


    This was a beast token used to store wild beasts.


    By inserting a bit of Qi, Hao Xuan called out his most recent purchase.


    *Neeeigh* x2


    It was a grey horse-like beast native to this. It had two heads and tails, six sturdy legs with which it reached a height of 2.5 meters when standing straight.


    Hao Xuan had named him based on the color of his hide, "Grey". He had gotten this beast from one of the local cities through Henrik. Apparently it belonged to a mortal King.


    Hao Xuan happened to see it by ident and couldn''t let it go after that, especially since the beast had a word of power of its own. It was hidden very well so unless one looked carefully, it wasn''t easy to find it.


    He had Henrik buy the beast for him through a number of unscrupulous means.


    Grey was bred and fed as a suitable mount for a King so he certainly was held to a strict standard even without the word of power.


    "Hey, did you miss me? Huh?" he rubbed the white mane on top of Grey''s two heads, getting another loud neigh in response.


    "That''s a good boy, hahaha. Let''s go!" Hao Xuan said while jumping on his back.


    There was no need for a saddle as Grey''s body was basically made for a rider.


    With a kick of his hind two legs, Grey sprinted forward, nimbly moving between the thick trees decorating thebdscape.


    A vague green light could asionally be seen under each of his six hooves.


    This was the word of power.


    For a normal creature under the profound realm, especially one that couldn''t fly, covering 3,000 kilometers could take tens of hours depending on the terrain.


    But thanks to Grey''s word of power, his speed kept increasing steadily until he was running on air a couple of feet above the ground.


    "It''s amazing every time I see it," Hao Xuan couldn''t help but mumble peering down at Grey''s legs.


    He had named this word of power ''Venus''. It had a few different uses and applications from what Hao Xuan had seen so far.


    One, it increased Grey''s speed exponentially. Steadily it would keep increasing as he ran until he passed the sound barrier at which point he was just a blur. Hao Xuan hadn''t measured the exact speed because it kept increasing slowly over time.


    Second, Grey made no sound whatsoever while running. Hao Xuan concluded this had something to do with the word of power being a wind-type in nature.


    Third, Grey had basically no weight while sprinting.


    Hao Xuan lowered his head and closed his eyes, letting Grey do all the work. His consciousness appeared back into his Mind Pce. His gaze fell on the out-of-ce rock in the middle of the Mind pce near the podium.


    This was the other creature with a word of power that he had gotten his hands on (CH 502).

 Chapter 530: Inspect

    <h4>Chapter 530: Inspect</h4>


    It looked like an ordinary rock that would be all toomon in the appropriate setting like that of a forest or a mountain. But within Hao Xuan''s mind pce it stuck out like a sore thumb.


    Hao Xuan looked to his left where the 200 orc teenagers were in the midst of their respective training in the corner. It seemed like none of them had moved in a long time, not even to eat.


    At first nce they looked like starving orphans huddled together for warmth. Skin and bones held together by an indescribable energy that Hao Xuan had only felt from Gavril (CH 323).


    But when examined closely, the faint wisps of pure white Qi were wrapped around their bodies, digging in and out like worms bringing with them fine ck dust. These were the impurities gathered inside their bodies since birth.


    And now by whatever cultivation method they were using, all these impurities were being slowly scraped out.


    Rings made of this ck dust had been formed around each orc as well. The smallest ring was just a few inches thick while thergest was more than a foot wide.


    "Tsk, stop dirtying up my ''Mind''," Hao Xuan couldn''t help but grumble looking at the mess.


    Leaving them to their own devices, he walked up to the ''rock''. As he came closer, the rock shook faintly once before bing still once again.


    Hao Xuan stared at it for a few seconds but it made no moves whatsoever. Finally having waited on enough, he kicked it lightly.


    "Oi, wake up. I know you can hear me. Stop pretending to be dead!"


    Ten more seconds in silence before finally a crack appeared on the rock''s surface. It''s originally 2.5-meter long body started to expand and open up as multiple twig-like legs reached outwards.


    *Crack*


    Faint cracks came from its body as its legs turned and twisted in the air before finally lifting the main body into the air.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but appreciate the creature''s body. Even under bright light it looked nothing like a spider. If it stopped moving, it would resemble an ordinary rock being held up by dead branches. There were no energy readingsing from it nor any signs of life.


    In a forest, it would be next to invisible.


    "Nature sure is amazing huh..." Hao Xuan muttered, astonished once again.


    "Come here," he beckoned the creature.


    Its injuries had healed entirely but the pain and fear they had caused were etched deep into the spider''s psyche. Left with no other choice at the time, Hao Xuan had exposed the creature to his bare soul when it had tried to invade his mind.


    And his soul which was powerful beyond his realm was like a miniature sun. It had set the creature alight with nothing but the intense and pure energy that was giving off.


    Although Hao Xuan had done it unknowingly and in a much more rudimentary way, he had utilized his ''soul fire'' to attack.


    When a person''s cultivation reached a certain point, pushing their soul beyond the limits of normal mortals, they would be able to affect the outer world through the power of their soul alone.


    One such technique allowed cultivators to create and control a me made with soul power. It''s color and intensity depended on the cultivator''s soul but one thingmon between all of them was the raw power it held.


    The soul is the concentrated essence of every living being. The longer a person lives, the stronger it bes regardless of cultivation. So even a for non-cultivator, a soul would be their most powerful weapon, much like a ss cannon. It can be damaged much too easily.


    Under normal circumstances non-cultivators will never be able to control their soul and use it as such.


    What Hao Xuan had done was simply exposing his soul to the spider, which was extremely dangerous.


    Slowly, as if being forced from behind, the spider came closer to Hao Xuan and lowered its head which was hidden beneath the outer rock-like exterior. It had no eyes so it wasn''t easy to tell what it was feeling at the moment.


    But seeing the constant tremble of its legs, it was an easy guess.


    "Rx, I am not going to hurt you," Hao Xuan said in a coaxing tone of voice.


    He ced his hand over the spider''s head as it retracted its four bony fangs.


    "Inspect."

 Chapter 531: Inspect Continued

    <h4>Chapter 531: Inspect Continued</h4>


    "Inspect."


    Species: Sorus Arachnid


    Bloodline: Sealed Aranea of Iniquity


    Blood Purity Level: 21.3%


    Abilities: [Threads of Destiny], Nox Soporatus (Thousand-year-sleep), Still Heart, Death Grip, Plunderer


    Hao Xuan''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets in astonishment.


    "21% blood purity level?!"


    Uptil now Hao Xuan had not seen a single creature with such a high blood purity level. He couldn''t help but nce up at the trembling spider once again.


    Its entire body was shaking like a leaf in the wind, about to be blown away any second.


    ''How can such a cowardly creature have such a high blood purity level?'' he couldn''t help but grumble inwardly.


    The blood purity level could increase in two ways.


    One, through aging. This was true for beasts and those with a singr awakened bloodline.


    And the second was through the use of raw materials, relics, elixirs, and such things that would have to be ingested or applied to the body to have some effect. (More details in CH 270)


    "Which one is true for you?" Hao Xuan mumbled looking at the spider.


    It was true that it certainly was pretty unique.


    It didn''t breathe or have a heartbeat, even standing in front of it Hao Xuan couldn''t ''feel'' its presence at all that all living beings had. It emitted no energy waves from what he had seen so far and could easily be confused for an inanimate object.


    ''Maybe it''s because of the abilities,'' his gaze fell on the "Still heart" ability.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and focused on that ability, instantly ''unlocking'' some new information about it. And it seemed like it was worded for Hao Xuan, i.e what would happen if he received it himself.


    Still Heart: Be as calm as the wind before a storm. When stationary, you be one with the surroundings, exuding no signs of life whatsoever.


    "Hoh, that''s interesting..."


    This was the first time he had delved deeper into an ability and inquired about it. All the information he got was gotten directly from his sever''s DNA, memory, and soul. In some cases, it was even possible to gather some information that the servers themselves weren''t conscious off.


    "Since that''s the case," his gaze fell on the first ability.


    It was in brackets which meant there was something different about it. He had not seen such a thing with anyone else so far, not even the several divine beasts or the God clone had anything like it.


    [Threads of Destiny]: The strings of destiny that connect everything. Th-?????????


    "Well that''s new..."


    This was the first time he had seen question marks appear.


    ''Is something wrong with me or it?'' he thought inwardly before swiftly looking towards the other abilities.


    Nox Soporatus: The thousand-year-sleep. Shut off your mind and body to enter a semi death-like state. All body processes are slowed to the extreme.


    Death Grip: Grip of Death. Once activated you can not let go unless either you or the target is dead.


    Plunderer: Steal the fortune of others to further yourself. Once used on a target, they will undergo a series of disasters and misfortunes, both small andrge.


    As soon as he read the description of the other abilities, it all started to make sense. Especially how the spider had such a high blood purity level while being such a cowardly creature.


    It was either because of The thousand-year-sleep which allowed it to go into a sort of hibernation for long periods of time or the Plunderer ability where it stole the fortune of others and had a few lucky encounters because of it.


    But the matter regarding the Threads of Destiny was still unknown.


    "Is it because it''s rted to the word of power perhaps?" Hao Xuan finally came to the conclusion.


    That was the only differentiating factor and the most obvious element.


    But when Hao Xuan remembered the reason he was so happy to see the high blood purity level he couldn''t help but smile once again.


    There were three critical thresholds in a being''s bloodline.


    5% threshold when they would choose a bloodline and could be said to have unlocked it.


    10% threshold when Hao Xuan could extract a random ability from the sever.


    25% threshold where the first ''true evolution'' would take ce.


    And with the spider''s bloodline being at 21% purity, it meant he could extract an ability for himself.


    "Hahaha, finally! Finally, something goes my way!" Peals of unrestrainedughter followed suit.

 Chapter 532: Extract

    <h4>Chapter 532: Extract</h4>


    Hao Xuanughed like a drain for the next few seconds, immersed in the little nugget of joy that had fallen his way.


    It had been so long since hest gave any serious thought to his constitution''s abilities that he almost forgot it existed.


    But now he could once again receive substantial powerups through this extraction ability.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his hands in excitement, "Hoho, let''s see now, which ability would be the best for me!"


    "Going by the definitions alone and my current needs, Plunderer would, of course, be the at the top. I could steal some luck from those rich bastards in the city and help myself."


    "Or if I could get ''Still Heart'', it could help me with the bombing and give me an edge when I have to go down into the prison. Even Nox Soporatus doesn''t seem to be that bad although its more of support type ability."


    Hao Xuan quickly came up with a few ideas about each ability and how it could help him. Looking at the trembling spider in front of him, he couldn''t help but see it in a much better light all of a sudden.


    "You good boy you, you just made my whole week! Hahaha," he shouted excitedly, scaring the spider even more and sending it back into its ''rock'' form.


    The spider''s previously nightmarish appearance only looked cute in front of Hao Xuan now.


    Without wasting any more time he quickly ced his right hand where the spider''s head would be and closed his eyes.


    "This shouldn''t hurt you at all I think," he mumbled in a low voice, trying to keep his thumping heart in check.


    All he had to do was speak the word ''Extract'' or even think it and it would do the job. But for some reason when it came the time to do so, he couldn''t bring himself to say it.


    It was not because he wasn''t able to, but after calming down a little a few things popped into his mind.


    ''This is too rare an opportunity to just hope that it will go my way. What if I get that stupid death grip thing? Or the Threads one that isn''t even working properly. I need to up my chance as much as possible,'' Hao Xuan concluded and instead knocked on the rock-like surface of the spider''s body.


    "Heye out for a second, I know you can understand me."


    The rock trembled slightly before opening up. The four bony fangs that looked the digits of a finger cautiously peeked out from under the exterior.


    Hao Xuan stared at it for a second or two while gathering his thoughts.


    "If I''m not wrong, you should have stolen a fair bit of luck from others over the years right? Judging by how you met me instead of the hunters or the local resistance fighters, it wouldn''t be farfetched to say that your luck is extremely good in that sense since I can not only help you get stronger but keep you safe as well."


    "You don''t have any offensive abilities so I won''t ask you to fight for me. But what happens next will decide your fate."


    He paused and looked at the spider''s fangs. They had stopped moving about as much which meant it was probably paying attention.


    Seeing that, Hao Xuan nodded inwardly and continued.


    "I will copy one ability of yours. I can''t control which ability otherwise it wouldn''t be a problem, it''spletely random. But there is something you have to know too."


    "If I get the Plunderer ability, you will have nothing to worry about. You will basically have everything you need here, a safe ce to live, food, and even somepany. I will also help you get stronger when I have the chance."


    "BUT!" he paused and squinted for dramatic effect, without even knowing whether or not the spider could see or even decipher human expressions, "But if its any other ability, I will have to take my chances and try to take that word of power from you as well. And as you may or may not know, you will not survive that process whether I seed or not."


    Its fangs jerked from the shock.


    "I''m telling you this so you can use whatever luck you have saved up to increase my chance of getting Plunderer since it will directly affect you. I''m not sure of that''s how it works, but there you have it."


    Having exined the situation to the spider, Hao Xuan once again reached out his right arm. The idea behind his actions was very simple.


    If he couldn''t control which ability to take, by threatening the spider he could at least increase the chance of getting what he wanted.


    Maybe because the spider knew what was about to happen but as soon as Hao Xuan touched its rocky exterior, its entire body shook several times. Hao Xuan could even feel the dread and fear through their soul connection.


    Although he felt a little bad doing this, there was no other option at the moment.


    Severing the spider already put a fair bit of strain on his already saturated soul and unless given what he wanted, there was no reason to keep it.


    He closed his eyes as a numb white light covered his palm.


    "Extract!"

 Chapter 533: Extract Continued

    <h4>Chapter 533: Extract Continued</h4>


    "Extract!"


    The white light emanating from Hao Xuan''s palm grew in intensity until it covered the spiderpletely.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes instinctively as a stream of information poured into his mind, changing even his soul in some ways.


    The light that had engulfed both the spider and Hao Xuan by now suddenly pulsed after more than two minutes, creating a soundless shockwave that sent Hao Xuan flying away.


    He crashed into a pir in one of the corners of his Mind Pce.


    *Hurk*


    Hao Xuan almost keeled over right then and there as a feeling of powerlessness overtook him like a hurricane. His knees buckled and he hit the ground hard.


    *BAM*


    His body in the outside world had blood running down from its eyes, nose, and ears.


    Feeling Hao Xuan''s grip loosening around his mane, Grey quickly slowed down and came to a stop near a flowing stream on the outskirts of a forest.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and returned to the outside world. His hands and legs felt so weak that he couldn''t even hold onto Grey''s back, finally falling over.


    *GASP*


    He opened his mouth as wide as it possibly would to draw in a mouthful of air.


    "What...the...hell..." Hao Xuan mumbled with some effort as his chest bobbed up and down in rapid session to provide his body with the oxygen he so desperately needed right now.


    His brain felt like it had been microwaved and was about to leak out through his ears and nose. The headaches intensity increased by several folds, turning into searing pain.


    It felt like someone was poking his brain with a red hot stick.


    Grey''s two heads bent down and gently tapped on Hao Xuan''s chest, making him sit up.


    "Sorry about that, I didn''t expect such a reaction..." he couldn''t help butin before breaking into a weak smile, "...but at least it worked...hahaha!"


    He could feel this new ability inside him.


    "Plunderer!" Hao Xuan shouted out loud, scaring the rodent-like creatures nearby.


    "Hahahaha!" even with the pain currently running throughout his body and soul, he couldn''t help but enjoy this small victory thoroughly.


    Still smiling, he closed his eyes once again before taking out a potion and emptying it into his mouth.


    Extracting this one measly ability had almost torn his mind and body apart. It seemed in his current condition, it would not be possible to extract any other abilities even if he was given the opportunity right now.


    As the healing potion worked its wonders, Hao Xuan felt the changes inside him.


    There was no "status window" that conveniently showed what was new inside him so Hao Xuan had to understand the stream of information on his own and make sense of it.


    After spending a little over half an hour sifting through it, he started grinning. This was what he had understood from it.


    Plunderer: Bying into physical contact with someone he could "steal" their luck if he wanted. This ''stealing'' wasn''t as obvious as he expected. It was just a vague feeling of fullness inside him.


    He could not control how much luck he stole nor set aside a specific amount to use at ater stage.


    If he wanted to use the stored luck which manifested as satiety, he would just have to think about it before making a certain decision or taking a certain action. At which point ''an appropriate'' amount of luck would be used on its own to increase the chances of the situation turning in his favor.


    Basically, he had very little control over the entire process. All he could do was aim and hope for the best.


    But perhaps even more important than the ability itself was the knowledge that came with it. Even in his current state Hao Xuan quickly realized this.


    "Luck...can''t measure it or control it, but its always there. It can influence the oue of real-world events to some degree but it is a little too unreliable to be used all the time or solely. Plus, there is no guarantee that it will work. Only increasing the odds turning n your favor," Hao Xuan concluded.


    Now that he had gone over the spoils, Hao Xuan looked up and inspected his surroundings.


    He was sitting on a bed of grass beside a stream of blue water that was barely two meters wide.


    On the side he was on was a forest, but the other side of the stream waspletely barren. Not a single de of grass grew there which looked even more strange whenpared to the lush greenery opposite to it.


    *Neigh*?


    Seeing Hao Xuane to his senses, Grey neighed and stomped on the ground.


    "Hmm? Is this the ce?" Hao Xuan looked at him with a frown before checking his coordinates.

 Chapter 534: Crater

    <h4>Chapter 534: Crater</h4>


    Hao Xuan checked his current coordinates


    "Almost there, just a little bit away it seems," he mumbled and got up while holding onto Grey as a crutch.


    He was facing the barrennds on the other side of the stream and as soon as he looked over, a cold breeze drifted towards him, bringing with it an itching feeling.


    "Ouch," Hao Xuan closed his eyes which were already pretty sensitive.


    There was something in the breeze that pricked every part of his bare skin as if it was being stabbed by tinny needles.


    "What the hell is this ce?" Hao Xuan grumbled before activating Nidhora''s power which quickly covered his entire body in a thin transparent ck sheet.


    He then put on his usual horned mask which proved to be sufficiently effective against the strange wind.


    "Are you okay?" he rubbed Grey''s mane upon remembering he was also living creature but with a loud neigh, Grey conveyed that he was perfectly fine.


    Perhaps it was because of the word of power or something else, but Hao Xuan didn''t give it much thought. He jumped on Grey''s back once again and cautiously continued towards the designated area.


    Grey walked on air as before, his hoofs still as clean as the day he was born.


    This drastic change in the environment didn''t seem to be just a physical manifestation. A cold and dark energy pervaded the entire area although it was not easy to detect.


    ''Lifeless'' was the only word that could describe this ce. A wastnd that looked like an aftermath of a nuclear strike.


    The ground waspletely devoid of any nutrients whatsoever. It had hardened and cracked like a desert even though this entire ce was situated hundreds of kilometers away from any volcanos and should have been a lush grasnd under normal circumstances.


    ckened dead trees that looked like toothpicks could be seen every now and then.


    Hao Xuan observed the surroundings cautiously.


    No matter the environment, there would always be one species of beasts or another that dominated it and there was no reason expect anything different from this ce. He reached out his right hand and summoned his ive.


    *Shiiiiiii*


    A low but sharp sound came from the de.


    "Shhh, I know, I know," Hao Xuan quickly rubbed the top of the hilt.


    The de''s spirit was close to ''awakening'' so whenever Hao Xuan called it out now it wouldin. Apparently it did not like to be stored away, not one of the more desired traits in a weapon.


    With the ive over his shoulder and his body covered his Nidhora''s armor, Hao Xuan rode Grey through the destend withouting into contact with a single creature, which only made him more worried.


    The sunlight started to dim as the moved away from the sun.


    *Beep*


    A notification from Baracus popped up, as usual, reminding him that the sun would set within 20 minutes.


    "Damn it, I''ve lost too much time here," Hao Xuan cursed after realizing he had been here far longer than he initially expected to.


    He tapped Grey lightly and he picked up speed.


    The Surroundings had just started to blur when they became clear again.


    "Huh? Why did you stop?" Hao Xuan asked Grey with a frown but his answer came from the front.


    Sounds of shouting along with the nging of weapons was just ahead of them.


    "Go," Hao Xuan spoke in a low voice, urging Grey forward. Meanwhile, he quickly closed his eyes and utilized his newly acquired power.


    "Plunderer!" he whispered.


    He didn''t steal Grey''s luck but used some of his own. Every person was born with a certain amount and Hao Xuan could feel it as long as he focused his senses.


    "Come on, bring me fortune. I don''t want to be involved in a useless fight right now," he prayed for the oue he wanted as Grey stopped at the edge of a gigantic crater.


    There was a green me burning on the outskirts of it.


    The sounds of battle wereing from deep inside it.

 Chapter 535: Why?

    <h4>Chapter 535: Why?</h4>


    11 Hours Ago - At the very edge of the sr system.


    On theunchpads of the intergctic vessel, more than 2,000 armored warriors stood shoulder to shoulder in front of a single man that was sitting on a chair, seemingly asleep.


    This man had long hair and an emaciated figure that could barely full up the pitch-ck armor he had on yet even without doing anything, an unfathomable pressure was being exerted on the 2,000 Profound Realm warriors in front of him.


    Behind these Profound realm warriors was an entire army more than 15 times their size. Each of them wore the same futuristic body armor that tightly wrapped around their well-toned bodies.


    Human males and females, some beastmen and women along with many other humanoid species made the ranks of these soldiers, some more ruthless looking than the others.


    Yet not a single one of them made any sound whatsoever, which made the atmosphere in this hanger excruciatingly oppressive. That''s because all of their eyes were focused on the gigantic screen in the air that hovered above their heads.


    On the screen was a real-time map of the battle currently taking ce just outside the hanger doors to the left.


    There were three different colors on the screen.


    Blue, which represented the allied or friendly forces. They numbered in the tens of thousands but every now and then a blue dot would disappear.


    Red dots represented the enemy forces which in this situation were the insect tribes. There were far more red dots on the screen than blue. For each Blue dot there were over a thousand Red ones.


    And then there were the ck dots. These were the fewest in numbers, ranging just over a thousand in total.


    At the very back of the hanger, there was a group of youngsters peeking in through one of the many windows.


    All of them were wearing the same dark grey suits that had the word "cadet" in big white letters pasted above their chests.


    "Woah, I have only heard of sorties like this," one of the youngsters, a humanoid female with a reptilian tailmented lightly.


    One of the others next to her, an innocent-looking human boy nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah, I heard all the other squads were told to be on standby as well."


    A muscr boy with red skin andbed back hair who had his back against the window scoffed upon hearing that.


    "Please, do you have any idea how many squads there are in total on the ship? This is a gctic level ship you know! Anyone that can meet the qualifications to join a squad is creme of the crop, the very best we have to offer. If webined all the squads on the ship it would make for more than a million such warriors. Why the hell would all of them be ordered to standby all at once?" he remarked confidently.


    The human boy opened his mouth to contest, "But my brother said-" when the girl''s tail whipped around and pped the red-skinned boy on the face, making him fall down.


    "Dumbass, if you ever took a ss you would know why the situation is so serious!" she mumbled without even looking towards him.


    "Madaline you whore!" he retorted while jumping back to his feet ready to fight but the girl named Madaline simply gestured towards the screen in front.


    "Do you know what those ck dots are?" she asked in low voice.


    The boy was ready to throw hands but froze when he saw that he was the only one looking for trouble.


    "W-What? What are they?"


    "Gate keepers," she replied with a deep frown, "They are the Hive''s guards. A ck mark means they are as strong as a Human Heavenly Lord realm cultivator."


    "A heavenly Lord?!" the red-skinned boy repeated, "Y-You mean to tell me there are a thousand creatures at the same level as a Squad Leader?!" he asked with wide-eyes.


    He looked at the screen once again and then at the emaciated long-haired man that sat the front of the army.


    ''There are so many beasts at the same level as him??'' he thought inwardly.


    The Profound Realm warriors that were considered to be at the peak of cultivation back in the Mei Kingdom could only be considered as elite soldiers at most in a vessel of this level.


    This was because of one simple fact, the standards of battles between there and deep space were too far apart. In reality, even a vessel of this size would not be an equal to a hive of the same level.


    Yet right now they were engaged inbat with the insect tribes that outnumbered them 1 to a thousand at least.


    "But why? Why fight them?" the weak-looking human boy asked.

 Chapter 536: Why? Continued

    <h4>Chapter 536: Why? Continued</h4>


    "But why fight them?"


    As soon as those words left his mouth, everyone nearby that heard him looked over with various expressions ranging from displeasure and annoyance to pity.


    But Madaline was the only one to answer him.


    "Because it is our duty," she started. Unknowingly, several of the cadets that were around her straightened their backs.


    "Your family isn''t from the original settlers right?" she asked before continuing further.


    The human boy shook his head, "I was born on an asteroid. My parents were miners there. We won the lottery and the prize was joining an intergctic vessel like this," he confirmed her suspicions.


    Madaline nodded while the red-skinned boy scoffed without saying anything.


    "Well since you''re new then it''s fine, but you should really do something about your cowardly attitude, you won''t amount to much if you continue like this," she said before looking towards the screen.


    The human boy lowered his head, his ears turning red from all the looks he was getting.


    "Do you know about the oath?" Madaline''s words came into his ears. He shook his head.


    "It''s the oath every cadet has to take before graduating. It''s the same across the deep space and used throughout the universe wherever there are beings of light. Do you want to know what it says?" she asked with a smile.


    "Attention!" before the human boy could answer, the voice of the emaciated looking squad leader came through the ss window.


    Since he was using Qi to strengthen his words, even these cadets were able to hear him through the reinforced windows.


    He was standing in front of the army with crossed arms. His face waspletely emotionless just like his voice, as if he was talking about a regr workday at the office.


    "Delta Squad has called for reinforcements and we are their backup. Our mission this time is not to engage in deadlybat but small scale skirmishes to gauge the enemy''s strength. The Gate Keepers of the hives are not participating in the fight so neither will the squad leaders."


    "Form hunting parties norger than 150 and take out as many of the vermin as you can, but your life takes priority over the enemy. Move out!"


    As soon as he finished speaking, the hangar doors opened on the right side. There was just a pitch ckness outside but asionally a small spark or two would light up for an instant.


    The two thousand Profound realm cultivators all rose up and one by one moved out. They stopped a few hundred meters outside the hangar bay doors, silently floating in space.


    Behind them, the 30,000 spirit realm warriors took flight in batches of a thousand with the help of built-in thrusters in their armors.


    They were just at the spirit realm so they could neither fly on their own nor breathe in the void of space which is why they needed these special full body armors. Only the Profound realm cultivators having connected their inner worlds to the outside were capable of such feats without any outside help.


    In less than two minutes the hangar that was filled to the brim a moment ago was empty.


    From the start till finish, none of them made any noise. With various weapons in hand, they sortied into predetermined groups each led by a single Profound Realm cultivator and quickly moved out.


    The squad leader had vanished from his spot at some point after giving the order.


    On the screen in the now empty hanger, a flood of blue dots could be seen engaging with the numerous red dots. They formed what looked like a barricade between the ship and the hive, stopping the movements of the red dots temporarily.


    Back outside the hanger window many of the cadets let out deep sighs before moving out in different directions since there was nothing to see now.


    Only Madaline, the human boy, and the red-skinned boy were left.


    "All of us, each and every one of uses froms that were destroyed by those monsters," Madaline broke the silence, still staring at the screen with a burning gaze.


    "This entire ship is made up of survivors of the attacks of the various abyss tribes. We are homeless,less, with nowhere left to go. All we can do is seek vengeance against those monsters and maybe, maybe stop that from happening again."


    "And those of us that are capable of fighting them, when we graduate we take our oath in front of our teachers, over our weapons. Our words are inscribed on the inside of our armors so if...no, so WHEN we face death, we can remember why we fight."


    The human boy shuddered. He had just arrived on the ship a few months ago and new nothing of its history. He only applied to join the academy because of the benefits it provided to the graduates.


    "What...is the oath?" he asked with a burning curiosity.


    Madaline smiled before lightly hitting him on the top of his head, "You will know when its time. Come, let''s go to the lounge, I heard they are live-streaming a part of the battle for the cadets."

 Chapter 537: Backup

    <h4>Chapter 537: Backup</h4>


    The peculiar group of these three cadets made their way through the bowels of the ship, arriving in arge hall more than 2,000 square meters wide. It was lined with tables throughout, with each table almost filled to the brim with simrly dressed cadets.


    Various humanoid species and a few especially alien-looking ones could be seen among them.


    All of them were staring at the various holograms situated throughout the hall that were showing different views of the battle outside. Some whispered while others shouted, trying to spur on the fighters being shown in the holograms.


    "By the way, what''s your name?" Madaline asked as she sat at a table that had enough space for all three of them.


    "R-Reinhart," he replied shyly.


    The red-skinned boy scoffed yet again, sounding even more derisive than before.


    "You, shut up!" Madaline red at him before nodding towards Reinhart, "That''s a good name. Try to live up to it. As you heard, I''m Madaline and this good-for-nothing is Vaas," she formally introduced herself and gestured towards the red-skinned boy who looked away pretending not to hear her.


    "Hello seniors," Reinhart stood up from his seat and bowed towards them ording to the age difference.


    "Whatever," Vaas grumbled while Madaline''s tail pped him again.


    "Sit, let''s watch the battle."


    As was the case with everyone else in the hall, the trio was quickly engrossed in scenes of carnage and bloodshed being shown through the 3d holograms.


    The one closest to them showed the perspective of a team leader who was a Profound Realm expert. There were asteroids all around him and on one of them was the creature that he would be facing.


    It was about 5 meters in length.


    It had an elongated snout, its jaw overflowing with rows of razer sharp teeth. This creature, in particr, had four arms that ended in carapace infused vertical saw-like des instead of digits. Its back waspletely covered with rows of a smooth rock-like material that acted as armor.


    Its tail which was half the length of its main body had rough jagged edges throughout, ending in a thin and sharp point almost like a needle.


    The armor on its back and the tail itself was dark in color which melded perfectly with the ckness of the space.


    The two legs that supported this killing machine had three sharp digits that looked more like daggers. (Link in authors notes)


    The Team Leader''s calm voice came through the hologram as he instructed the dozens of soldiers behind him.


    "This is a ss D melee fighter, nothing special as long as you pay attention to a few key points."


    "Be careful of its tail, always keep an eye on it. Stay as far away as you can from the reach of its des, they are deceptively long. If you HAVE to move in for closebat or are left with no other choice, close the distance at once, don''t dilly dally. Hug it like it is your long lost lover!"


    "A single moment of hesitation could cost you your life or the lives of your teammates. Group 1, you will attack first."


    It was pretty clear that this was probably the first such encounter for many of the soldiers behind him. Perhaps they were the new graduates.


    "Yes sir!"


    As soon as he finished, a group of 20 soldiers moved in. Most of them were equipped with melee weapons but each one had a long-range weapon as well.


    They looked like advanced versions of the rifles from earth but instead of metal bullets these fired energy bolts.


    Five of them stayed back and took aim. When the other 15 were close enough to the creature they fired all at once. They were aiming for its open mouth.


    There was no sound in space but it wasn''t hard to imagine the painful shrieks the creature let out as purple blood poured out of its mouth.


    Yet it was only enough to distract to it for a couple of seconds as its des extended to over 8 meters in size when it attacked.


    8 soldiers that carriedrge melee weapons like greatswords and hammers met these scythe-like des head-on while the others moved in at full speed.


    The battle was intense but short-lived. In less than 3 minutes the members of Group A had managed to decapitate the creature.


    Those that were watching the fight had just started to celebrate when the Team leader''s voice came again.


    "Be careful, you''ve grabbed the attention of at least a ss D beast, it ising!"


    Group A quickly fell back upon hearing that. Silence fell over the entire hall as they watched with bated breaths.


    Their view was obstructed by the asteroid field in front but from where they were,rge asteroids that were dozens of meters long could be seen being thrown left and right.


    Something big wasing towards them.


    "Move back a little, give it some space," the Team Leader''s somber voice came through. He didn''t sound as calm as before.


    He tapped on the side of his helmet.


    "This is Team Lead 1, requesting backup. Possible ss C, suspected to be an Overlord ss."


    "Copy that Team Lead 1. All nearby squads are engaged inbat, hold positions until backup arrives from Sector Gamma."


    ".....copy that."


    He then reached out and a longsword appeared in his right hand. It had a rune inscribed on it that burned with a yellow light. Taking the advance guard he stood at the front alone while the others got into formation behind him.


    "Prepare to engage!" he ordered loudly as seven silhouettes appeared above his head. These were his Mind Pces. Seven pces meant he was a genius among his peers, one in a hundred thousand.


    The asteroids kept being hurled away more and more forcefully as they crashed into one another, creating more obstacles.


    30 seconds that felt like hours past like this as everyone watched and waited. Reinhart forgot to even close his mouth. His eyes were glued to hologram because he didn''t want to miss a single second of it.


    Thest row of asteroids was pushed aside as a shadow of a gigantic creature came into view. It must have been more than 1500 meters in length, like a miniature hurling towards them through the void.


    The Team Leader''s already darkened expression turned deathly grim as he peered towards this monster and then at the sea of creatures that were riding atop it.


    "This is Team Lead 1, ss A hive Guard spotted. Cancel backup, we won''t make it."


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    ?Abyss tribe soldiers: https://urlzs/YyGY8


    Long url: https://media.moddb/cache/images/groups/1/3/2055/thumb_620x2000/tyranids.png

 Chapter 538: Puzzle

    <h4>Chapter 538: Puzzle</h4>


    "This is Team Lead 1, ss A Hive guard spotted. Cancel backup, we won''tst till it arrives."


    The Team Leader''s words went out live in front of hundreds of thousands of hopeful young cadets that were watching from the base ship.


    There was a few second dy so if the instructors wanted they could have paused the stream but choose to let everyone see the grim reality of battle.


    A secondter the response came from HQ which left almost all the cadets in shock. It sounded like a different person from before.


    "Copy that brother, may you have a glorious death!"


    "Thank you, brother!" the Team Leader responded before turning around to face the young graduates behind him.


    "Did you hear?" he asked while straightening his back.


    All of them replied in unison, "Yes sir!"


    "Good! Then retreat as quickly as you can. I will hold them off as long as I am able to, hopefully, some of you wille out of this alive."


    Not a single one of them moved.


    "We will fight! All for one, one for all!" one person shouted.


    "All for one, one for all!" the others repeated, their voices resounding through the silent halls. Even in the face of certain death, not a single person retreated.


    Some would call that bravery, others would call it stupidity. Fighting against the almost countless creatures, just how many of them would be able to actually make a difference?


    The Hive Guardian was less than 3 kilometers away now but due to its hulking size and the darkness of deep space, it was difficult to determine that with the naked eye. But even from that far everyone could see the tens of thousands of smaller creatures that were riding atop the massive beast.


    The Team Leader smirked and shook his head, "So be it. Prepare for battle!"


    The entirety of his Qi was released which looked like an ocean of torrential energy as it swept towards the iing creatures.


    The graduates behind him didn''t hold back either and released everything they had. Vague silhouettes of mind pces appeared above their heads.


    They hadn''t broken through to the Profound Realm yet so they couldn''t actually summon their Mind Pces outside, only project their images in moments like this.


    They formed groups of six, their Qi''s interlinking with one another and forming pentagons with one person in the center. These pentagons then connected with the others and formed a massive formation.


    Alone they might not be that powerful but working together, with the help of these formations their powers were increased several-fold.


    Most soldiers were taught how to make rather simplistic formations like this in the heat of battle. They were nothing special but even the most simple one required months of training and hard work.


    Every great power in the deep space had something like this and each one was unique in its own way.


    All the formations linked together, forming a 200 meter wide orange colored formation. Each person increased the power of the formation by one fold and with so many people inside it, its power was nothing to scoff at.


    The Hive Guardian which was now less than 2 kilometers away reared its giant head towards them as soon as the formation was at full power. It had a long vertical body almost like a whale, only hundreds of timesrger.


    Most of its features were covered by the darkness but its four elliptical eyes were bright enough to be seen from such a distance. They were like lighthouses in a storm, only these signaled death, and despair.


    The Team Leader was the first tounch an attack. He brought his sword in front of his chest before raising it in the air. Copious amounts of Qi gathered around the de.


    It started to vibrate ever so slightly and as it did, a soft hum could be heard directly inside the mind of everyone watching. There was no actual sound being produced yet just looking at the de, the hum was clearly heard by all of them.


    "That''s Sword Dao!" someone eximed in the hall after realizing what it was.


    "Sword Dao?!" cries of shock and surprise were heard from many of them.


    It wasn''t easy to make improvements in understanding the weapon Dao as it was still too mysterious a subject.


    But such a feat required one to be enlightened in the ways of the de. It was a culmination of all their knowledge and understanding after using the weapon in countless battles and would be different for each individual.


    Dao enlightenment was a testament to a warrior''s prowess and aptitude and those that had some achievements in the field were respected wherever they went.


    A bright white sh apanied by a terrifying energy shot towards the Hive Guardian as he brought his sword down in front of him.


    *ROAAR~*


    Even though the Hive Guardian was a tier above the Team Leader, it still didn''t dare take that attack head-on.


    It opened its maw and released a light green ball of me a hundred meters in size.


    The sh and the ball of me shed and surprisingly, canceled each other out.


    The Hive Guardian''s four eyes visibly contracted after witnessing that. Even though the ball of me was a normal attack but to cancel it like that, was not easily done.


    Yet even after seeing that, the Hive Guardian didn''t move in to attack itself. Instead, the hordes of monsters on its back shot forth like missiles while the guardian moved towards another direction.


    The Team Leader''s eyes narrowed.


    ''Why isn''t it attacking?''


    Even though his attack was powerful, he was in no way a match for a Hive Guardian that was an entire realm above him. It could easily overpower him yet it kept its distance.


    ''Why?'' he asked himself again as a tinge of curiosity took root in his heart.


    The formation behind him lit up even brighter and shot sts of orange light towards the iing monsters.


    The Team Leader moved forward. His de swung left and right without pause. Those watching from afar could see his unique movements more clearly.


    They looked like a dance of sorts.


    He moved through the iing barrage of ss C and D monsters like it was nothing.


    Each swing of his de had a purpose. Either to decapitate the opponent or leave them powerless. He didn''t move very fast but every creature he passed by was left on the verge of death if not already in.


    And the more he killed, the smoother his movements became.


    He closed the distance between him and the Hive Guardian. When he was less than a thousand meters away he finally noticed something.


    He quickly tapped on his helmet. The stream was turned off instantly.


    After checking once again that no one else was watching, he clicked on the spirit band and opened a private channel.


    "Captain, I Found something peculiar here. The Guardian is not after us, it is chasing something. It must be very important if a Hive guardian chose to abandon its position and give chase personally. Please advise."


    There was some static noise but a couple of secondster an emotionless voice came through.


    "Keep your distance, I will be there soon," it said before the channel was turned off.


    ***


    The cadets in the hall were obviously very disappointed when the stream was cut off. All they could see now was the 3D map which gave an overall view of the battlefield.


    Most of the cadets lost interest soon after and went their ways.


    "Let''s go, it''s better to practice than waste time here," Matilda said while getting up.


    Vaas unwillingly got up as well and walked off but Reinhart didn''t move.


    "I want to watch for a little while longer," he said not taking his eyes off the map.


    Matilda opened her mouth to say something but seeing how serious he was she shook her head and walked away.


    "Don''t take too long, nothing will change if you just watch," she reminded him before taking her leave.


    There were still a few people left in the hall but most of them were doing their own things. Only Reinhart was still watching the 3D map without even blinking.


    "It looks weird," he mumbled, "Something doesn''t make sense."


    His eyes rapidly moved from one side of the map to the other and back around. The sadic eye movements looked quite eerie.


    "There!" his gaze came to a halt on the bottom left side of the map. It was like he was looking at a puzzle and all of a sudden all the pieces fit together.


    There, a ck dot was moving quickly away from everything else. Its movements were nonsensical. One second it was going in one direction and the next it would go to another for no reason at all.


    "That''s the key!" he eximed inwardly.


    That ck dot was exactly the same Hive Guardian that was giving chase to the unknown object.

 Chapter 539: Puzzle Continued

    <h4>Chapter 539: Puzzle Continued</h4>


    Reinhart sat in his seat without moving a muscle for the next hour, constantly observing the map and ''that'' ck dot.


    The only words he repeated several times out loud were "The flow doesn''t make sense."


    Maybe he himself didn''t know what he was talking about yet.


    ***


    Back in the gravity-less battlefield, Team Leader of the first team chased that hive guardian for a little more than 10 minutes when the Squad Leader (Saint Lord) arrived.


    "My Lord," the squad leader lowered his head.


    "Go back, I''ve got this. Don''t report anything until I say so," the emaciated man ordered without even looking in his direction before shooting off towards the hive guardian that had already left the confines of the battle and entered the void betweens.


    The sr system they were in had a total of 12s. The only inhabited one was the ninth one from the sun where Hao Xuan currently was.


    The emaciated man quickly caught up to the gargantuan hive guardian but he did not intervene, only observing from afar.


    He squinted his eyes as the scenes in front of him quickly changed. His vision kept zooming in in front of the beast until he saw the reason for the chase.


    It was an asteroid, or something that resembled one. There were hundreds of small holes all over it, making it look more like a broken piece of a muchrger beehive.


    It was surrounded by a dim energy field that seemed to be the source of power that was propelling this ordinary-looking asteroid at such high speeds that even a hive guardian was unable to catch up to it.


    "An internal power struggle?" the Squad leader quickly deduced.


    It was obvious that the asteroid had broken off from the main hive and was now being chased. Maybe it was a prisoner escaping, or another queen was born...or any other of a million things.


    Even now, very little was known about these creatures as most of them were hostile towards humans to an unprecedented degree, which is why most of the knowledge came from observing their distant rtives and from those that were able to gaze into the abyss and discover lost knowledge.


    But one thing was for certain, there could usually only be one queen within a hive so whenever a new one was born, it would be assimted by the current ruler.


    Although the probability of such a thing was very low, it could not be ignored either way.


    "Squad Leader Charlie to base," he spoke out loud as his spirit band lit up. The light on it pulsed for a few seconds before bing dim.


    He was too far to connect to it.


    "Personal Log," he mumbled with a sigh seeing as there was no other option, "Discovered the reason for the hive''s strange behavior. Engaging with the hive guardian. Battle strength gauged to be around ss AA, Swarm Lord ss."


    The personal logs were the ckboxes for those that fought in deep space. They contained information that could not be uploaded to the virtualwork so was stored locally on the spirit band.


    It could be retrieved from the deceased''s body and essedter, if there was still left intact that is.


    Having made the preparations, he got ready to attack.


    He extended his right arm as a bone scythe appeared in his grasp. It was covered in several runic symbols from top to bottom, with each one having a slightly different feel to it.


    The scythe itself had a curved snath that seemed old and worn out, yet gave a feeling of sturdiness. The de looked more like a serrated tooth that had been polished numerous times.


    Various silhouetes surrounded by thick spiritual energy appeared above his head one by one. Each one was only a few inches in size, 8 in total.


    These were the avatars of his Mind Pces. The actual Mind Pces could be of any size, from a few feet to hundreds or even thousands of meters so under normal circumstances only the avatars were called out during fights.


    They reinforced the user while proving them with copious amounts of energy.


    The spiritual energy that was in the form of a semi-liquid blue substance poured straight into his body. The runes on the scythes lit up one by one.


    But as soon as they did, the hive guardian detected him.


    Without turning around it swung its massive body, shooting hundreds of smaller creatures that were on its back towards his direction.


    The Squad leader smiled seeing the iing barrage of canon fodder. He didn''t even bother with them and instead bent his body.


    With a soundless push against darkness beneath his feet, he disappeared in a cloud of ck energy.


    The cloud moved at iprehensible speeds and appeared below the body of the hive guardian within seconds.


    The serrated white de appeared out of the cloud before the hive guardian could react, followed by the words "The Shimmering Death".


    *ash*


    It cut throughyers of chitin-like armor in one fell swoop and opened up a 200-meter wide gaping wound along its belly.


    The hive guardian''s body convulsed as it rotated 180 degrees and mmed its back into the cloud.


    The battle had begun and from the first strike, it made both the parties focus all their attention on the opponents. So much so that neither of them realized that the asteroid had quietly changed its direction and was now headed straight towards the nearest inhabited.

 Chapter 540: In charge

    <h4>Chapter 540: In charge</h4>


    *Read chapter 536 to re-familiarize yourself with the current timeline.*


    The wall of green me was only a couple of feet tall and seemed to be broken from several ces. Sitting atop Grey, Hao Xuan over it with ease. Still, he extended his neck slightly and peered towards the inside of the crater where the sounds of fighting wereing from.


    *Whoosh*


    But before he could even see properly, a gust of wind passed by his head. It was only a secondter did he realize that it was a shimmering ck arrow.


    "What the hell!"


    Hao Xuan swiveled his head back towards the source of the arrow and saw the fight that was taking ce. A somewhat relieved voice came from a masked man to his left. He was standing rtively near the edge, a few dozen meters away from him.


    "Oh, it''s one of us," he mumbled upon hearing Hao Xuan talk in the nativenguage of the beast world before looking away. He took aim and started firing one arrow after another towards the center of the crater.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what exactly he meant by ''one of his own'' but he didn''t bother correcting him. Instead, he followed the arrow''s trail and saw the source of the turmoil.


    The crater itself was more than 4 kilometers wide. In the middle of it was a half-buried asteroid with a honeb design.


    Surrounding this asteroid were strange creatures engaged in a bloody battle with human warriors.


    The threergest of these creatures looked like earthly tanks from afar. They were a little over 7 meters in length, surrounded by a thick ck outer shell. Shape wise, they looked a lot like horned beetles with the spear-like bony protrusions on their heads. Only much muchrger and a lot more nightmarish.


    Each one was standing on one side trying to protect the asteroid with their bodies while firing off bursts of fireballs every few seconds.


    In front of them were hundreds of smaller creatures. These were standing on two feet and were over 3 meters tall. Each one was a little different from the other but overall they just looked like insects from Hao Xuan''s point of view.


    Thin, dark outer shells, jointed wed legs and arms that ended in various weapon-like hands, if they could be called that. Their mouths had rows of small andrge mandibles, pairs of shiny ck eyes a little above them, and twitching antennae at the very top.


    The number of arms, legs, eyes, and mandibles were different for each of these creatures but what wasmon in between them were their haggard states.


    Most of them had cracks in the shells along their abdomens, arms, and legs. Some were even missing several limbs but none of them broke rank but stood in a neat line, between the attacking human warriors and the asteroid behind them.


    Rows upon rows of human cultivators surrounded them from every single side. Most of them stood about 40 meters away, using various ranged weapons and tools to deal damage from a safe distance.


    Every now and then the ant-like creatures would try to mount an offensive and breakthrough but would be dealt with effortlessly.


    Those human warriors with melee weapons that had no means to attack from afar just sat leisurely at the front line and would hack any ant creatures to pieces that made it to them through the barrage of Qi infused ranged fire.


    Hao Xuan saw the scenes unfolding in front of him with a furrowed brow. The humans outnumbered these creatures 4 to 1. If they wanted to, they could end this ''fight'' in seconds.


    Yet they sat there in delight, taking pleasure from causing these creatures pain. They howled withughter and continued to converse amongst themselves like it waspletely normal.


    Hao Xuan urged Grey forward, stopping a few feet away from the masked man.


    "Which power?" he asked emotionlessly.


    The masked man fired off an arrow that hit an ant creature in the eye, yet it was not powerful enough to finish it, just blind it.


    "Hah, that makes it an even 60," he said with a chuckle before throwing an inquisitive nce towards Hao Xuan. "Hall," he threw out the word before focusing back on the prey at hand.


    "All of you are from the hall?" Hao Xuan asked, getting a nod in response.


    Although the masked man seemed unbothered by Hao Xuan''s presence, he was still keeping most of his attention on this new stranger.


    Hao Xuan nodded understanding the situation a bit more.


    "Who''s in charge? Where is the protector?" he asked again.


    The masked man had just pulled the bowstring back when he suddenly switched targets and aimed it at Hao Xuan''s head.


    This close, even Hao Xuan might not be able to avoid it.


    "Why do you ask?" he inquired with a tilted head.


    "Because you people are not supposed to be here. Now answer me before I rip your arms off and shove them down your throat," Hao Xuan replied in much the same manner.

 Chapter 541: Force

    <h4>Chapter 541: Force</h4>


    The masked man slightly raised his head, just enough to meet Hao Xuan''s ring gaze.


    A bout of silence followed after thatsted no more than 10 seconds. Silently, he lowered his bow and gestured towards the center of the crater where most of the Hall''s cultivators were gathered.


    He didn''t say anything after that and neither did Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan who was still riding Grey with the ive in hand and urged him forward.


    As Grey approached the roaring crowd of cultivators, several of them at the back stood up and turned around to face Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes quickly darted back and forth between the faces of these ten or so individuals but he couldn''t recognize any of them.


    Behind them, most of the other cultivators were still engaged with the insect creatures in one way or another.


    "Where is your protector?" Hao Xuan asked, prompting one of the cultivators to step forward.


    It was a man in his early twenties. Bald, scars covering a majority of his head and face.


    "And would you be?" he asked with a genial smile while nudging closer to Grey with an extended hand, trying to pet him.


    But when he was a meter away, Grey neighed and stomped on the ground with his front legs. A gust of air akin to a raging tempest appeared for just a second before disappearing like it was never there.


    It sent the cultivator straight up into the air and when hended, his body was covered in small cuts from head to toe. It looked like he had been tortured for days.


    His eyes had rolled back into their sockets. His breath tethered on the edge, threatening to disappear at any moment.


    Everyone watching including Hao Xuan was stunned into silence. Their eyes widened with disbelief.


    The only noise wasing from the crowd engaged with the insect creatures still unaware of what had happened behind them.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze met with several of the cultivators facing him.


    There was a strange type of stillness in the air that was louder than any action, almost deafeningly. None of them made a move, continuing to exchange nces with one another.


    Hao Xuan breathed in slowly through his nose before tightening the grip around the ive.


    Nidhora''s dark energy that surrounded Hao Xuan almostpletely silently surged towards his arms and legs, in preparation for what was toe.


    Who was going to make the first move? They didn''t have to wait long to get that answer.


    *Cough*Cough*


    The scarred man gained consciousness, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood on his clothes.


    All of their eyes shifted towards him. He was alive.


    He groaned and tried to get up but soon as he tried to do so, blood poured out of the many hundreds of small cuts like water through a cracked dam.


    With a dull thud, he fell limp. Alive or dead, that was unknown.


    "God damnit..." Hao Xuan mumbled through gritted teeth.


    And as soon as the words left his mouth, the remaining nine cultivators jumped into action.


    Five of them charged straight towards Hao Xuan with swords drawn. Three stood in their ces and fired off ranged attacks in the forms of different colored elemental attacks. One of them had bluish swords hovering above his head that shot forward like bullets.


    And thest one ran towards the bloodied cultivator, trying to stop the bleeding.


    Hao Xuan''s heart thumped once. It sounded like a drum that was being hit from inside out.


    Blood surged through his veins like galloping horses, giving a feeling of itchy numbness.


    His biceps expanded to twice their size as he swung the ive from right to left following the most basic technique mentioned in the ''Imperial ive Doctrine''.


    With nothing but unadulterated brute force generated from his inhuman body, a bubble of air was created by the difference in pressure. He had swung the ive so abruptly and with such force, that it created a vacuum.


    And when the five swordsmen neared him, the vacuum exploded.


    *BOOOOM*


    The earth shook.


    It sounded like a ballistic missile had just gone off.


    The swordsmen were thrown away like lifeless ragdolls. There was nothing they could do about it. The faint Qi barriers they had created were torn apart like wet paper.


    The shockwave created by that one swing went out like a ripple through standing water. It continued expanding outwards, enclosing everyone else within it in no time.


    A mushroom cloud of dust appeared above them.


    "What?! What''s going on??!"


    "We''re under attack?!"


    "Formations! Get into formations!"


    Those that were further away got back on their feet much quicker and started ordering others around.


    In the middle of the mushroom cloud, Hao Xuan stared at his hands with a stupefied expression.


    He hadn''t used any Qi whatsoever. All of that came from his physical body.


    Grey, on the other hand, was more than ecstatic.


    He stomped on the ground repeatedly, giving new life to the mushroom cloud that was about to die down. It kept getting bigger and bigger, on the verge of turning into a full-fledged tornado.


    "Stop you lunatic, don''t spur it on even more!" Hao Xuan eximed when he realized what grey was trying to do.

 Chapter 542: Stasa

    <h4>Chapter 542: Stasa</h4>


    "Don''t spur it even more!" Hao Xuan yelled, making Grey stop begrudgingly.


    But Grey had put in enough life in the now mini-tornado that it didn''t just vanish and instead continued gathering momentum.


    It was already dark and with the wall of ck and brown wind filled with debris surrounding Hao Xuan, it was tough to make anything out.


    It separated him from the others that were already standing in formation just outside.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t see them of course but from the ttering of their armors and weapons and the asional yelling, he had a pretty clear picture of what was waiting for him just outside.


    "Damn it, should we just back off and quietly get out of here?" he mumbled with gritted teeth.


    He didn''t mean to start a fight but right now it wasn''t in his hands anymore.


    He lightly tapped on Grey''s back, "Turn around, let''s get out of here," he ryed his order but Grey didn''t budge an inch.


    "Hey,e on man, we have to go before theye in her-" Hao Xuan spoke up but paused mid-sentence.


    His ears twitched slightly as he let out a deep sigh.


    He hadn''t realized this but there was someone standing right behind him.


    Hao Xuan turned his head halfway to the left and looked at the figure from the corner of his eye.


    "It''s not nice to eavesdrop on people you know," he said in a rxed tone but he was gripping the ive so tightly that his knuckles turned white.


    "What''s wrong with you? You ''feel'' much....different...weaker, almost," the figure replied cooly.


    Hao Xuan knew it was toote to run. To the front were the tens of warriors to the back was that one individual he was initially looking for.


    "Oh, how am I weaker?" Hao Xuan asked.


    He gently patted Grey''s back to help him loosen up a little and made him turn around to face the individual albeit against his will.


    It was a man in his early twenties. He had extremely sharp facial features with long hairing down to his back.


    He was dressed in a white hanfu and looked extremely rxed standing there.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils constricted upon seeing him.


    "Fuck," he couldn''t help but curse his luck.


    "Are you the one in charge then?" Hao Xuan asked with a smile, bringing the ive in front of him.


    It looked like he was casually cing it in front of him but that was part of one of the defensive techniques from the Imperial ive Doctrine.


    "I am indeed," the man replied as calmly as he possibly could. He was standing in front of Hao Xuanpletely at ease.


    "I thought the Third protectors weren''t allowed to leave their cities unprotected," Hao Xuanmented.


    The man in front of him was Stasa (CH405). Hao Xuan recognized him instantly as the Third protector of the Hall''s forces this time. He had an ongoing ''spat'' with Henrik Biric andst time they both ended up shing because of it.


    Stasa smiled but didn''t respond. Instead, "And why are you here?" he asked in return.


    "I was told to clear up this ce before the tournament starts," Hao Xuan replied.


    Stasa ignored himpletely and looked left and right, "Did youe...alone?" he asked almost expectantly.


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Henrik isn''t here, unfortunately. You''ll have to wait a bit more I''m afraid."


    "Ah, such a shame. I was feeling lucky today too," Stasa mumbled and snapped his fingers.


    The maelstrom of dust and debris instantly broke apart and the skies cleared away.


    Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat.


    ''He got stronger.''


    Behind him were the fully armored warriors of the Hall ready to strike but when the obstruction cleared away so abruptly, many of them were caught off guard.


    Stasa walked up to Hao Xuan pausing only for a second before going past him.


    "You''re lucky there are witnesses here today otherwise, this would have been your grave," he whispered in that moment.


    Stasa pped his hands, "Come now, the cleaner is here. Let''s go back and prepare for the tournament," he yelled with a smile.


    One of the warriors stepped forward, "But Lord Stasa, one of our own was attacked shouldn''t we-"


    Before he could finish, Stasa nced towards him, shutting him at once.


    "Did I stutter?" Stasa asked.


    "O-Of course not my lord," the warrior shook his head left and right.


    "Then don''t make me repeat myself."


    "As you wish, sire," the warrior bowed and walked back.


    "Let us leave!" he ryed Stasa''s orders to the others.


    Although many of them were still dissatisfied, there was nothing they could do.


    These warriors were the cannon fodder in a sense. Rogue cultivators that didn''t belong to any power but were still given an opportunity to join the Hall''s forces this time.


    The injured were helped up by the others as they summoned various mounts and set off.


    Only Stasa didn''t have one.


    Instead, with a wave of his hand, a giant sword about 3 meters in length and 15 inches in width appeared in front of him. He jumped andnded on top of it as it rose up into the air.


    He turned around to nce towards Hao Xuan onest time and mouthed the words, "Watch your back" with a smirk before whizzing away on his sword.


    But as he was leaving, his sword passed by the group of insect monsters that were still huddled up in the middle fo the crater.


    A sound akin to a guitar string being pulled came from the sword as a white energy beam shot towards them. It passed through the various monsters with ease.


    A secondter, all of them fell down lifelessly. Not a single creature survived.

 Chapter 543: Formarchs

    <h4>Chapter 543: Formarchs</h4>


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief seeing the silhouettes of the Hall''s warriors slowly vanish from his sight into the darkness.


    "That guy seems different somehow..." Hao Xuan mumbled with a frown a momentter.


    The Stasa from before was an emotional and headstrong guy that didn''t really have full control over his own actions. But the ''him'' now was much more reserved.


    Hao Xuan was sure he would have to fight Stasa but he just left without making a scene.


    He patted Grey gently on the back, "Be careful from now on, don''t attack people unless I say so, understand? Otherwise, I will send you back to that mortal king," he ended with a threat.


    "Neigh~" Grey responded, whatever that meant.


    It was already night time and the sky was covered with strange dark green clouds.


    Although the creatures in the center of the crater were dead, the atmosphere still hadn''t changed.


    Hao Xuan tried to undo the Qi barrier made from Nidhora''s power but as soon as it came off he felt a stinging sensation throughout his body.


    It was a strange feeling, like the inside of the skin was being pricked by needles, but not the outside.


    Even though it felt a little suffocating, it was still better than being in constant pain so Hao Xuan turned the Qi barrier back on.


    He urged Grey to move towards the center where all the dead alien creatures were.


    Stopping a dozen meters away, Hao Xuan jumped off and walked closer to it on foot. His ive was still out.


    With a few steps, he reached the first carcass. It looked like a humanoid ant, something out of a horror book for children.


    Its body was riddled with holes through which green liquid flowed out. The inside seemed to have been melted because the carapace was hollow.


    It was Hao Xuan''s first time seeing such a creature in real life but as he inspected it in detail, some info surfaced in his mind.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and digested the information, "A formarch warrior huh," he mumbled.


    "Baracus, what can you tell me about these things?"


    *Beep*


    With his usual beep, Baracus was activated.


    "Formarchs, a type of insect beast found mostmonly in the void. They can reproduce at rming rates and have extremely frighteningbat abilities. Lower forms cannot think for themselves but experiments suggest they have high EQ for higher graded and more powerful creatures."


    "Frighteningbat abilities? Are you sure?" Hao Xuan asked skeptically.


    When fighting with the Hall''s warriors they didn''t look very threatening. Not to mention how easily they got killed.


    But instead of answering his query, Baracus instead gave an order.


    "ce your hand above the carcass."


    "...I don''t like that tone but I''ll do it since I''m curious," Hao Xuan grumbled while doing exactly he was told to do.


    Underneath his palm''s skin an array of blue lights formed from which a light fell on the creature''s carcass.


    A secondter Baracus''s voice came again.


    "Analysisplete. Lowest level Formarchian warrior, 25 hours old at most."


    Hao Xuan''s brow knitted in confusion, "25 hours old? What do you mean?"


    "It was hatched no more than 25 hours ago, perhaps less. That would exin why it was so weak."


    "....."


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say. He was at aplete loss for words.


    "Please scan the others," Baracus spoke up again when he didn''t get an answer.


    Hao Xuan didn''t argue this time and quickly moved between the various bodies, scanning them one by one.


    *Beep*


    "The oldest of these creatures is 40 hours old," Baracus concluded.


    "But...why? Why would they send....newborns, for theck of a better term, here?" Hao Xuan thought out loud.


    "Too many variables, cannot make an urate prediction."


    "Yeah yeah, I wasn''t actually asking you," Hao Xuan replied absentmindedly.


    *Ruuumble*


    The dark green clouds rumbled loudly in the night sky, interrupting Hao Xuan''s train of thought.


    "Meh, whatever, doesn''t matter anymore anyway since they''re all dead," he concluded and got back on Grey.


    Since the creatures here were taken care of, the next thing on the agenda was the prison deep beneath the''s surface.


    Baracus had alreadypleted the bomb (no thanks to Hao Xuan) and all he had to do was ce it in the center of the prison where the infection was at its worst, although that was easier said than done.


    "Even if it doesn''t kill the thing, a least it will cripple it," or so Hao Xuan thought when he came up with the n.


    Whether or not that was achievable was a whole different topic.


    "But before that, gotta make a quick stop on the way."


    Hao Xuan tapped on the Spirit band and a rough, foggy map appeared. It showed four glowing dots.


    The biggest one was him, while the other three were the Severs he had sent out. And today, he was finally going to meet all of them one by one.


    The closest dot was only 300 kilometers away.


    "Alright, lets g-" Hao Xuan was about to tap on Grey''s back once again but paused. He closed his eyes and listened.


    There was a scratching sounding from one of the Formachian corpses.

 Chapter 544: Class S

    <h4>Chapter 544: ss S</h4>


    The sound was a little muffled and extremely weak. If not for Hao Xuan''s extremely sharp ears, there was no way he could have picked it up.


    He jumped down and followed it slowly. It came and went every now and then and even though he was basically right next to it, it took him several minutes to pinpoint the exact location.


    It wasing from below thergest creature that resembled a beetle. Using the ive Hao Xuan tossed the severed body parts aside until he saw the source of it.


    *Scraaatch~*


    It was an ant. A white ant, norger than a couple of feet.


    Unlike the normal ant warriors, this one wasn''t bipedal and looked extremely normal.


    It looked like an ant back from earth, just a few hundreds of timesrger.


    Half of its body was stuck under one of the hind legs of the beetle. It was trying to struggle free from the weight of the leg and the scratching sound wasing from these attempts as it tried to do everything in its power.


    Unfortunately, it was far too weak.


    When it saw Hao Xuan, it suddenly froze.


    Hao Xuan stared it for a few seconds but it waspletely frozen. It was obviously still alive but didn''t move an inch.


    *Beep*


    "ce your hand over it," Baracus "requested" of his own ord.


    Hao Xuan didn''t say anything and obliged. The ray of blue light fell on the ant, startling it. It had four minuscule simple eyes on to the top of its head and two clusters of multiplepound eyes below them.


    Thepound eyes didn''t move but Hao Xuan could see the panic in the four simple eyes above them.


    If it could, it would probably be sweating right now.


    Hao Xuan smiled. It looked rather cute pretending to be dead.


    "Analysisplete," Baracus reported a secondter, "ss S, Hive Prince. Two mutations and one anomaly detected. 5 hours old."


    "ss S? Hive Prince? What anomaly and mutations?" Hao Xuan didn''t know what any of the terms meant.


    "The Formarchian society adheres to strict caste systems, with the Queens being at the top. A Hive Prince like this should be right below the queen."


    "The striations and the discoloration of its body suggest it was hatched fairly recently. It has an extra eye and two extra pairs of wings, although they are not fully formed yet. An unknown energy source is hidden inside its body."


    "Thorough research is required. Please capture the specimen for further studies," Baracus finished.


    This was the first time Baracus had made such a request.


    "Capture it how? Is it weak?" Hao Xuan asked while extending his left hand towards it, "Can I just knock it out and store it in a beast toke-"


    When his hand was just a meter away from the ant, it moved. The mandibles around its mouth opened wide and a stream of white liquid sprayed out like a jet.


    Hao Xuan did not see iting at all. He only felt a tinge of pain from his hand. When he looked down, there was an inch-wide hole in the middle of his palm.


    "The fuc- AAARGH!"


    The pain suddenly intensified by many tens of folds. It felt like he had put his hand in a vat of acid and it was slowly eating away at his flesh.


    The wound didn''t increase from its initial size but the pain most certainly did.


    "MOTHERFU**ER! What the FUCK! Holy shit!" every single curse word Hao Xuan knew was used in the next minute or so.


    He fell down to his knees. The pain started spreading, making him feel as if he was being burned alive from inside out.


    "What the hell is happening?!" he shouted out loud.


    Seeing as its attack was effective, the ant''s fight of struggle intensified as well. It was doing everything in its power to break free.


    *Beep*


    "Please do not approach any ss B or higher rated Formarchian without ample preparation. They are extremely dangerous."


    "Shut the fuck up! What''s happening to me?!" Hao Xuan roared in pain and anger.


    "It seems to be a type of nerve agent. More research is required."


    "STOP THE PAIN! For fuck sakes, just stop the pain!"


    "Affirmative. Cutting neural links from the left hand."


    As soon as Baracus finished speaking, the pain vanished.


    Hao Xuan was caked in sweat from top to bottom. He was breathing heavily.


    *Urgh*


    He keeled over, vomiting several mouthfuls.


    "Oh....my....god...that was...horrible..."


    "On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate it? Ten being the same level as having your skeletal system being restructured," Baracus asked curiously.


    He chose a scale of measurement custom made for Hao Xuan since he had gone through those things.


    "WHAT?!" Hao Xuan barked back but took a few breaths to calm down.


    "14 then. It was much worse than that. I have never felt anything like it..."


    "Good. Perhaps that will teach you to act responsibly in the future."


    "....."


    Hao Xuan was too tired to argue back. His body felt like it wasing apart.


    He looked at the wound on his hand, it was already healed halfway.


    Although Hao Xuan wascking in many ways, the one thing no could argue about was the sturdiness od his physical body.


    Yet a creature born barely five hours ago was able to melt a hole in his hand as it waspletely normal.


    He looked up and red resentfully at the little white ant doing everything its power to get out from underneath the beetle''s leg.


    "You piece of shit, I thought you were cute and was going to help you, and this is how you repay me?" he mumbled while getting back on his feet.


    The ant noticed that and froze again.


    "This little..." Hao Xuan was at a loss for words. It was pulling the same trick again.


    "Should I just kill it?" he spoke through gritted teeth.


    "I would advise against it. Even if you were to sell it in the Gctic market, the price would be enough for you to buy several medium-sizeds within the protected space. Not to mention the numerous other uses it has."


    "?!? This little thing is worth that much??" Hao Xuan''s mouth fell open.


    "Indeed. It is a ss S Hive Prince. If you were topare just its raw fighting power, it could grow endlessly and reach an extremely high level. Not to mention that only a price of its ss is able to mate with a queen and give birth to another one."


    "In recorded history, there have only been two transactions where a being of this level was traded in the open market."


    "Why? Are they hard toe by?"


    "Negative. They are simply ''hard'' to take alive. Considering a mature prince''sbat strength, it is understandable. Thest time such a feat was attempted, Four Heavenly Emperor''s lost their lives and a full gctic fleet was sacrificed."


    All the anger and resentment Hao Xuan had towards the little ant vanished in an instant.


    He looked at it with sparkling eyes and a smile that would send a cold shiver down the spine of even the vilest of creatures.


    "My....precious...." Hao Xuan whispered in a raspy voice.

 Chapter 545: Killing intent

    <h4>Chapter 545: Killing intent</h4>


    Hao Xuan made up his mind rather quickly after finding out how valuable a living Hive Prince was.


    "How do I take it though? Should I sever it as well? I want to avoid that if possible," he was a little apprehensive of using the constitution''s abilities at the moment.


    "That would the best option, and the safest one. A Hive Prince has very high intellect so controlling it by any normal means is not possible. Only a soul bond would prove most beneficial but for someone in your condition, ''Severing'' them would be the superior option."


    "Right now it is only as intelligent as a 2-3-year-old human child so you should make use of it now."


    Baracus informed him that he would have to take in yet another ''sever'' if he wanted to take the prince with him without putting himself into unwanted danger.


    With a little mental and physical preparation, Hao Xuan got ready.


    He was alreadyte so he didn''t waste too much time.


    At the front, he had ced a makeshift hologram that Baracus had created. That would act as the distraction while Hao Xuan himself would use the beetle creature''s giant severed leg to go in from the back.


    He also minimized his breathing and recalled Nidhora''s power back into his body to make himself seem as small of a threat as possible.


    Although the little ant was indeed extremely dangerous, it still wasn''t mature enough to make full use of its surroundings or its abilities. Not to mention it seemed to be distracted at the moment.


    Slowly, he crept in until he was close enough to lunge towards the ant in one go.


    With his right hand extended outwards, Hao Xuan pushed against the ground forcefully, sending green blood and earth in every direction.


    Yet all his prudent nning could not make up for the raw instincts of a creature that was at the top of the pyramid.


    When Hao Xuan''s hand was less than a foot away from the ant, it suddenly reacted.


    The damaged and immature translucent wings on its back trembled intensely. A de of air was created from the lightning-fast movement of the wings and it shot towards Hao Xuan''s hand.


    Before he could even feel the pain, bright red blood sttered across his face. He knew the damage was already done and before he went in, Hao Xuan was prepared to lose the hand if need be.


    That was the cost of this opportunity.


    He lost all sensation from his wrist downwards but still didn''t stop. He kept moving forward until he felt the sensation of the cold hard carapace of the ant against his limb, or whatever was left of it and uttered the word through gritted teeth.


    "SEVER!"


    A white light erupted from the ant and instantly surrounded the duo.


    It was perhaps the brightest light during a ''severing'' other than the one where Hao Xuan severed the 201 Orcs at once.


    Thankfully though, it didn''tst long. Less than a secondter the light retracted back into Hao Xuan''s body.


    The ant was nowhere to be seen while Hao Xuan was left gasping for air.


    He was clutching his right wrist that was cut cleanly off. His hand still making the grasping motion was a few meters away.


    "Hah....hah...alright...that wasn''t...so bad..." he managed to spit out the words before copsing on the ground.


    His chest heaved up and down as he struggled to sit back up a minuteter. Using the still damaged left hand he dragged his body towards the severed hand and picked it back up.


    "Y-Yo, do your thing," he said while cing the hand back where it belonged.


    The nanomachines within Hao Xuan''s bloodstream got to work and started reattaching the nerves and tissues.


    He couldn''t help but grimace from the pain that felt like someone was sprinkling salt on his wound.


    "How l-long is this gonna t-take?"


    "The primary closure will beplete within 20 minutes. Secondary closure will take more time. ETA until full Recovery: 3 hours."


    Hao Xuan let out a mournful sigh.


    "Fine, nothing I can do about that I guess," he mumbled before closing his eyes.


    His consciousness appeared in the Mind Pce.


    He didn''t have to look around for the ant because as soon as he solidified, a white sh passed in front of him, missing by mere inches.


    Astounded, Hao Xuan looked behind him and saw the ant flying left and right chaotically. It looked like it was drunk but the killing intent it was giving off was unmistakable.


    And it was aimed directly at him.


    "What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted in anger.


    The ant pped its damaged wings and once again shot towards Hao Xuan. But when it got close, it changed direction by itself, narrowly missing him.


    That was when Hao Xuan realized what was going on. It was genuinely trying to kill him, yet the constitution''s power was keeping it frompleting its task.


    If it kept pushing it like this, its soul would copse in on itself and it would die in vain.

 Chapter 546: Classes

    <h4>Chapter 546: sses</h4>


    "Stop stop you don''t need to do this please!" Hao Xuan pleaded while ducking towards the left, avoiding another piercing attack from the ant.


    Meanwhile, the ant''s body wobbled to and fro in the air. One of its four wings was already damaged and it would have a hard time staying afloat even if it had all its senses back, not to mention now.


    A light yellowish-green liquid was starting to ooze out of its mouth and trickle down to the Mind Pce''s floor.


    Hao Xuan''s heart lurched seeing that. It was bleeding internally already. A couple more such attempts would be enough to kill it.


    He quickly bent down and minimized his frame as much possible to seem as small of a threat as he possibly could. There was no way it would be able to attack him anyway so he didn''t need to be cautious.


    "Look, I don''t want to harm you, you can still do whatever you want, okay? Just rx, okay?"


    The ant that was lunge in for another attack faltered seeing him unguarded like that.


    "Yeah, that''s good. I know you can understand me a little bit. No more attacking please, okay? We will both be hurt if you do that," he implored desperately.


    For a few seconds, the ant genuinely seemed to have considered that option but as soon as Hao Xuan moved just a little bit, it was thrown back into attack mode and put up its w-like arms threateningly.


    *Krkrkr*


    An ear-piercingly sharp sound came from its mouth as it positioned itself to attack once again.


    Hao Xuan could do nothing at this point.


    With gritted teeth he punched the ground, "God damnit, why won''t you listen! I''m not going to hurt you okay, I promise!" he shouted indignantly as ast resort.


    And he really meant it as well. That wasn''t him trying to lie just to calm the ant down.


    *Peeeeeeeeeee~*


    Suddenly, another high pitched sound came from the ant.


    Startled, Hao Xuan looked up abruptly. This sound wasn''t originating from the ant''s mouth, but its stomach. There was a gleaming green spot of light illuminated inside its chest cavity.


    Hao Xuan listened to the sound with furrowed brows.


    It wasn''t a physical sound and was being directed into his mind almost like a spiritual sense, yet still a little different.


    The pitch slowly went up and down. It almost sounded like a strange kind of flute, only with a lot more variation.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and listened closely.


    Some distance away from them, all his other severs were sitting in their usual spots and none of them even made a move. It seemed like they couldn''t hear it all.


    For five minutes straight Hao Xuan sat and listened to it. A series of pictures formed in his mind.


    "What...are you?" he spoke out loud.


    The sound''s tone changed slightly as another series of moving pictures without sound formed inside his head.


    Back in the outer world, blood started to ooze out of his nostrils.


    This whole interactionsted for a little over 10 minutes.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes back in the outer world and wiped the blood streaming down his face.


    His brow was locked in a tight furrow.


    "Baracus, how strong are hive queens?" Hao Xuan asked after a little hesitation.


    Baracus who was actively working to heal Hao Xuan''s injuries replied instantly.


    "Not enough data. Further research is required."


    "Give me a rough idea. What should I expect?"


    "Little is known about Hive Queens. Most of the avable information is either theorized based on their movements or taken from unsubstantiated sources," Baracus warned again.


    "Yeah yeah I get it, just tell me."


    "All Abyss creatures are ssified into different danger levels based on a number of factors ranging from future growth potential, offensive, and defensive abilities, to reproduction capability. Everything is taken into ount."


    "This ssification system starts with ss F which is the lowest grade, all the way to SSS which is the highest."


    Hao Xuan recalled that the Hive Prince itself was a ss S abyss creature at most.


    "So the Queens are ss SSS then?" he asked, cutting to the chase.


    "Negative," Baracus replied swiftly. It almost sounded like he scoffed at Hao Xuan''s query.


    "Hive Queens do not have a ssification. There is no information of their birth, their lifespans, their overall capabilities. The only aspect epted by the majority of the sentient races uncontested is that they are in a category of their own along with 11 other Abyss races. If there is more to know, then that information has been extremely well regted by the powers that be."


    "Each Hive Queen is unique, powerful, and has an intelligence beyond the realm of our understanding. We do not where theye from, how many of them there are, or what they want."


    "Once a Hive Queen enters aary system, it is deemed lost. All forces are pulled from every nearby system with no hope of ever recovering them."


    "To date, there have been no ''documented'' survivors of a Hive Queen encounter. They are ancient, formidable beyond words, and one of the deadliest threats to the existence of every other being."


    "Thirteen Million years ago a Hive fleet Codenamed "Leviathan" lead by one of the oldest Hive Queens was responsible for the attack on one of the Ten High Heavens. Since then, no contact has been made; their fate is unknown."


    "Does that answer your question?"


    Hao Xuan was sitting there with his head in his hands. An indefinite timeter, a helpless, faint murmur escaped his lips.


    "Then....what do I do with the Hive Queen in my Mind Pce?"

 Chapter 547: Meetup

    <h4>Chapter 547: Meetup</h4>


    Approximately 310 kilometers away from the crater, the first group of cultivators belonging to the ''Temple'' had already set up camp next to a couple of mountains at the edge of a forest.


    In the dark of the night, torches could be seen ced around a few hundred small tents.


    Groups of 4-6 men sat around campfires cooking random things or just using them to keep dry and warm from the asional drizzleing their way.


    Various beastly sounds echoed throughout the forest, keeping them alert and wide awake.


    These were the local mortal warriors the temple would be using during the big fight. They had received basicbat and weapon training after being taken in.


    They were also inaugurated on the cultivation systems and taught all basic information which made them vehemently respect all cultivators and treat them as some sort of superior beings.


    Away from these tents was anotherrger tent set up that was lit up without any source of light.


    Inside, about ten or so young men and women sat around a table in low spirits.


    "This is bullshit. Why did I get selected for such a mundane task?" one of themined.


    He was a man of short stature that had two shortswords attached to his back. As soon as he spoke up, another one joined in as well.


    "I heard Lord Stasa even took out the rogue cultivators to have some fun," he said with a deep sigh and obvious envy.


    But then a loud voice interrupted their pity party from the side. Ady with light red hair shouted angrily.


    "Quit yourining! There are far more capable people here than you two and they haven''tined. What gives you the right?!" she nced towards the other end of the table nearest to the door as she said this.


    Silenced by her remarks, many of the individuals looked towards the person she was referring to.


    It was arge man with four folded arms. He was sitting there with closed eyes, regting his breathing.


    This was of course Monk. He was already an elite warrior of the powerful Jia n before joining the temple and after receiving some training on his fundamentals, he progressed quickly and gained fame amongst his peers.


    As is the case with most simr institutions, power begets acim and admiration and he deserved it, especially with the facade he put up.


    Sensing the gazes on him, he stood up before opening his eyes.


    "I will take the first watch," he threw out the words and walked out of the tent withrge strides.


    As soon as he left, the sound of bickering stopped as well. There was a sound suppression rune ced at the front of the tent which kept things quiet, thankfully.


    With a deep sigh, he was about to walk towards the forest when some of the locals saw him and quickly got down to their knees in the muddy ground.


    "Wee master!"


    "Wee!"


    Not to mention the other cultivators, Monk alone was several heads higher than everybody else and with his four arms and the massive spear on his back, he looked extremely intimidating to these simple-minded humans who didn''t know better.


    "At ease. I will keep the first watch, you people rest for now," Monk said with an emotionless face and jumped, disappearing into the dense forest.


    The mortals looked at him as if looking at a god. Theis ignorant mindset of theirs helped keep them in line even when they outnumbered the cultivators 1 to a 100.


    The thought of rebelling never even crossed their minds.


    Monk jumped a couple of times beforeing to a stop. He looked at his Spirit Band for a few seconds and changed direction.


    It only took him a minute or so at the designated location.


    He came to a stop on the other side of one of the small mountains where they had made camp.


    There was a cave here, barely big enough for him to enter. He went in.


    As soon as he stepped through the boundary, a couple of voices carried over.


    "You''rete," one of them said, prompting Monk to smile.


    "Long time no see boss," he grinned towards Hao Xuan who was sitting next to another, ck-robed figure.


    Monk simply looked at Ensis once before ignoring himpletely but Ensis didn''t even bother to throw him a single nce.


    Hao Xuan was facing the entrance with a Lightstone ced in front of him while Ensis and Monk had their back towards the entrance that also had a formation ced around it.


    After sitting down, Monk looked at Hao Xuan carefully with furrowed brows.


    "You feel a little different," hemented.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand, "Too much happened. Tell me, what''s happening with the Temple? Any big news?"

 Chapter 548: Primal

    <h4>Chapter 548: Primal</h4>


    "Any big news?" Hao Xuan asked eagerly.


    Monk looked at Hao Xuan''s face for a couple of seconds in silence. His brow still furrowed.


    Right now, Hao Xuan had much shorter hair. Before they went down to his shoulders but now they were barely enough to bebed back.


    His pupils still shone with a dim green light in total darkness, undting incessantly like some sort of unsteady lights.


    There were dark circles around his eyes and he looked much thinner than before. The previous feeling of robustness that he gave off naturally had diminished considerably and he looked a lot more ''normal''.


    He wasn''t overly handsome but he wasn''t ugly either. His face waspletely symmetrical down to even the facial hair, which when observed for an extended period of time, made the observers enter a strange hypnotic state if their will power wasn''t strong enough to look away.


    Monk hadn''t noticed any of this before but that still wasn''t the reason he was feeling uneasy in Hao Xuan''s presence.


    The Jia was a n of giants, albeit of very low blood purity.


    Their ancestor had an Earthern Bloodline and so by their very nature, they felt closer to the earth and nature and all the things that grew from the ground.


    Yet right now sitting across from Hao Xuan who had been his master for so long, he detected a menacing aura that he had never felt before.


    He knew the person in front was the same old Hao Xuan he had known quite some time now, yet something deep inside him said differently.


    He could tell Hao Xuan had changed. Not physically, not in any obvious way, but something had been set in motion. And his instincts were firing warning signals one after the other.


    It felt like he was sitting across from nothingness. Instinctively, Monk closed his eyes and sent out his spiritual sense towards Hao Xuan but as soon as it made contact with him, his heart almost stopped.


    Although he couldn''t ''see'' anything in the usual sense, he could still feel it through his mind''s eye.


    An image quickly took shape in front of Monk''s closed eyelids. He saw a ck mass, churning, stirring, boiling without pause.


    An unnatural and primordial feeling crept into his being. His soul power wavered, threatening to leave his body and be sucked into the well of darkness.


    *GASP*


    Monk opened his eyes and unconsciously dragged himself away from Hao Xuan.


    He was covered in a cold sweat, his breath unsteady.


    His stomach reeled and he almost vomited on the spot.


    He looked at Hao Xuan with fear, true fear.


    But Hao Xuan had no idea what happened. He was staring at Monk with a half-open mouth, gobsmacked at his strange behavior.


    "What''s wrong with you? Are you okay?" Hao Xuan extended his hand to help him up but Monk visibly recoiled, making Hao Xuan scowl.


    "The hell is wrong with you?!" he asked, irked at his actions.


    "N-Nothing," Monk shook his head and pulled himself back up and dusted off his clothes.


    Ensis who had been silent the whole time was observing everything from the corner of his eye.


    Monk got back up and sat down across from Hao Xuan again, but this time he was a little further away.


    Everyone noticed, no onemented.


    "So...what''s new?" Hao Xuan asked again, clearly in a worse mood than before.


    Monk exined everything swiftly. From the Purifiers (CH415) to the movements and ns of the Temple, well, as much as he was able to find out, which wasn''t a whole lot.


    Apparently, the Temple had been exploring the underground prison a lot more than they were letting on.


    To date, they had sent more than thirty independent parties through the prison''s many entrances.


    Twenty-six of them didn''t make it back, while the ones that did were in terrible condition.


    Monk had managed to hack into one of Spirit Bands of the people that were in charge of this whole operation using the custom Spirit band provided by Baracus and copied over arge portion of the files.


    Hao Xuan received the files and nodded approvingly.


    "Good job," he mumbled while ncing over the files but was disturbed by the sound of footsteps before he could look into it more.


    Hao Xuan raised his head and saw Monk standing near the entrance with his back towards him.


    "They will be looking for me, I should get back," he threw out the words before quickly walking out before Hao Xuan could say anything.


    "What''s wrong with him?" Hao Xuan muttered to himself but his rhetorical question was answered by Ensis a beatter.


    "I believe it''s your Law, master," Ensismented.


    "My Law? How so?"


    "I believe you have chosen to cultivate a Law rted to Chaos, that is why he was so uneasy. He doesn''t understand it himself yet which is why he was acting strangely."


    "How would myw affect him?" Hao Xuan asked, confused.


    Ensis smiled.


    This Sever of him, perhaps the only one that would serve him with true loyalty even without the effects of the constitution, was worlds apart from all the others.


    Hao Xuan often forgot because of his handsome, ''human'' features but, Ensis was the clone of a God Fiend. An entity worshipped by many evildoers.


    Ensis''s knowledge and power would continue to grow exponentially as time passed and his understanding of the path of cultivation would bring Hao Xuan many precious gifts, if he let him.


    "The essence of your being, master, it is ipatible with his," Ensis exined.


    "He is a child of thend, of nature, whereas your Law is bringing you to a more primal state of being. You would not feel any different but for him, it would be like standing in front of something ancient, something that brings out the primitive instincts in him without him realizing."


    "It''s the same feeling of helplessness and weakness that the Abyss and Chaos beasts bring out in every sentient being. But once you gain control of your powers, this effect should lessen significantly, if notpletely hidden."

 Chapter 549: Leader

    <h4>Chapter 549: Leader</h4>


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh before tapping on his Spirit Band once.


    "Baracus, add this to the list as well," he said feebly.


    *Beep*


    "Confirmed. List updated."


    The list Hao Xuan spoke off contained everything of note that was currently wrong with him or that could go wrong in the future, along with all the ways he could possibly die on this excursion.


    From the unstable physical and spiritual centers to this, the list had grown quite a bit.


    "Anyways," Hao Xuan changed the topic, "What were you saying about this Xue Meng guy?"


    Ensis straightened his back slightly and sat upright.


    "Yes. He is not a native and arrived from another continent some time ago. I believe the Academy has a couple of such individuals as well although I cannot speak for their strength."


    "I have only seen him once and I must say, Master, he is not someone you should even consider taking on right now."


    Hao Xuan was leaning back against the rocky surface of the cave with his eyes closed. Upon hearing Ensis''s warning, he just smiled.


    "Rx, I''m not nning to. But why do you say that? Is he that strong?"


    Ensis hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "Yes, and no."


    "His strength is definitely nothing to scoff at. If we fought, I could not be certain ofing out of it alive..."


    Hao Xuan abruptly opened his eyes and studied his expression. He was serious.


    If Ensis, the clone of a God Fiend was saying that he could not even guarantee his own safety, let aloneing out of the fight victorious, then that meant Xue Meng was on a whole another level.


    "And? There''s more isn''t there?" Hao Xuan asked.


    Ensis nodded.


    "His background and temperament. I believe it is something much more terrible than we could imagine. The few instances that I have seen him interacting with other Protectors, they always looked at him with a mix of fear, respect, and awe that is not verymon among the younger generation."


    "If I''m not wrong, they all have an idea where hees from and none of them want to make an enemy out of him for any reason. Even Tian Zheng (CH517) lowered his head in front of him without saying a word."


    "He is always alone,es and goes in silence whenever he wants. Doesn''t ept any favors from anyone, especially the rich brats that are always trying to get close to him. He lives a life devoid of any worldly pleasures from what I can tell. I really have no idea what his intentions are or even where he could possiblye from."


    Hao Xuan picked up the Lightstone from the ground and moved it in between his fingers, feeling the peculiar coldness emanating from its surface.


    "Is it because of the Prison? Or the World Spirit? Or something else entirely? Why are all these people here?" he mumbled in deep thought.


    They stayed in the cave for a little more than half an hour talking about everything of interest before Ensis took his leave.


    Hao Xuan waited another 20 minutes. He sat near the entrance, looking down at the swaying trees below him.


    There was a strong wind apanied by an asional misting down from the carpet of ck clouds above.


    Sounds of animals and beasts entered his ears.


    Strangely enough, he felt very peaceful at the moment. Sitting above the world, away from everything and everyone.


    No worries, no desires. It was just him, living in the moment.


    s, it was not meant to be.


    He let out a woeful sigh.


    "You''rete," he said out loud, but there was no one there to respond.


    Yet a response dide.


    "I had to be careful. The leader of the resistance is not a simple man," a voice said followed by the appearance of a silhouette.


    Hao Xuan turned his head slightly to the left and his brow shot up in surprise.


    The silhouette belonged to a teenager. No older than 15 at most.


    He had bright white hair and an expressionless face.


    "Is this....you?" Hao Xuan asked uncertainly.


    "For the time being," the teen nodded, "I borrowed this body."


    Hao Xuan rubbed his temples and stood up.


    "Well, that sounds like a hell of a story but could you...change back? Or look like your actual self? This is really off-putting," he asked with an exasperated tone.


    Hao Xuan blinked and the boy was gone, in his ce stood the same old Gavril Hao Xuan remembered.


    "Looks like we need to have a chat about your powers," Hao Xuan said smilingly.

 Chapter 550: Another plane

    <h4>Chapter 550: Another ne</h4>


    Hao Xuan turned around while remaining seated on the coarse rocky ground.


    The person in front of him looked exactly like the Gavril he knew but there was something off about him.


    "This feels strange...." Hao Xuan mumbled looking at him.


    It was a strange feeling of deja vu but he knew for certain that this was the first time they had met like this.


    Gavril seemed genuinely surprised by Hao Xuan''sment and unknowingly broke into a smile.


    Ever since Hao Xuan severed him all those months ago, this was the first time he had seen him smile.


    "W-What?" Hao Xuan asked as an ufortable feeling took him over.


    But Gavril answered his question with one of his own.


    "How does it feel strange?"


    Hao Xuan squinted his eyes, contemting, trying to put that feeling into words but a few secondster he shook his head.


    "I don''t know. It just doesn''t feel ''right''. I can''t really exin it."


    Gavril''s smile became even brighter.


    "Looks like the tools that were gifted to you are even better than I imagined," he remarked.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned somber. It felt like he was being yed around with and it was not a good feeling.


    "Enough games! Tell me what''s happening, right now!" he growled in anger.


    Gavril didn''t seem to mind Hao Xuan''s harsh tone but he stopped messing about. With a wave of his hand an image was projected onto the cave wall next to him.


    It showed Hao Xuan, asleep at the same spot in the entrance of the cave.


    "That''s you," Gavril gestured with his chin, "And this-" he looked around, "is just a dream."


    "I''m....dreaming?" Hao Xuan repeated.


    Gavril nodded, "It''s one of my abilities."


    Hao Xuan remained silent for a while, putting everything together.


    "From the Old King?" he asked, getting another nod as confirmation.


    Hao Xuan looked down at his hands and then at the surroundings. Everything still looked exactly the same, as real as it could get...perhaps even more so, which scared him a little.


    He looked towards Gavril, conflicted. Hyde had told him a few things about the Old King but nothing in specific so he didn''t even understand what kind of powers he had.


    "Can you tell me...more?" Hao Xuan asked in a questioning tone.


    He didn''t want to force it out of him if Gavril didn''t or couldn''t tell him of his own volition.


    Upon hearing Hao Xuan''s query, Gavril hesitated for a second or two before closing his eyes. And when he opened them again, they werepletely white.


    His pupils were gone, leaving only the whites of the eyes which looked rather bizarre with his head full of white hair to match.


    Moved by an unknown force, Hao Xuan looked right into Gavril''s eyes and before he realized, the surroundings had changed.


    He was sitting in a small, dark, room. There was one dim light bulb above him that flickered every now and then.


    A damp musty smell of sweat and dirt filled his nostrils.


    He wasying down on an old, discolored mattress with aptop beside him.


    This was his old room back on earth.


    "What...the hell..."


    Hao Xuan looked around in a fit of panic before seeing Gavril standing not too far from him, at which point he forced himself to calmed down.


    Gavril was standing near the only entrance to the room. It was an old, rusty metal door that only locked from the outside.


    Next to it was a window through which Gavril was peering outward, rather cautiously.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed seeing the window. From what he could remember, there was no window in his room.


    But before he could ask, Gavril spoke up.


    "I can''t tell you the specifics of the cultivation method, but I can exin a few things rted to it," he said still staring outside.


    Hao Xuan jumped out of the mattress and stood up.


    He could still feel the numbness in his leg that he often got from staying in one position for too long. It had been a long time since he felt something like this.


    Forcing himself to stay calm and collected in front of Gavril, Hao Xuan walked up behind him and looked out the window.


    There was a thick fog outside. It covered everything in sight and nothing was visible through it, other than an asional vague shape or a strange inhuman silhouette.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even want to imagine what it belonged to.


    "What is this ce?" he asked in a hushed tone for some reason.


    "This room is one of your worst fears. The thing that you are scared of the most, or one of them at least," he turned around to take another look at the room before looking at Hao Xuan in the eyes, "I guess we all have a few things we want to keep a secret."


    Hao Xuan remained silent and instead looked out of the window once again.


    "And that," Gavril looked back outside the window at the dense fog, "Is one of the Nine Worlds, a different ne of existence than our own."

 Chapter 551: The Eternal Slumber

    <h4>Chapter 551: The Eternal Slumber</h4>


    "This is one of the Nine Worlds, a ne of existence different from ours," Gavril informed Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan inched closer to the window and peered left and right, but there was only fog and nothing else around them.


    "But...isn''t this a dream?" he muttered confusingly.


    "It is," Gavril confirmed.


    "Then...how?"


    "Who says it has to be just one thing?" Gavril looked towards Hao Xuan with half a smile, but seeing the confused look on his face he let out a sigh and exined further.


    "Nine Worlds and Ten Heavens. Eight Desces and the Nine Hells. What do you think they are?"


    Hao Xuan shrugged. He had a vague idea but nothing else so pretending otherwise would be useless.


    *Krrrrreee*


    Just then, a low, guttural growl came from somewhere in the fog. It didn''t sound too far off.


    Gavril quickly took a step back from the window and snapped his fingers. The window vanishedpletely as if it was never there.


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a questioning gaze.


    "One of the many local creatures of this world. It would be quite troublesome if it found us."


    "Okay...I guess. I still don''t know what this ce exactly is. How can there be other things in MY dream?"


    Gavril reached his hand out and made a grabbing motion. A chair materialized in his hand which he pulled under him and sat down.


    He looked at Hao Xuan with a pondering expression for a moment, gathering his thoughts to properly exin everything.


    "As I was saying, ours is one of the ''Nine'' worlds out there. Comparatively, it is rather...ordinary. Most of the beings here have physical bodies and souls within them, but that is not the case for many of the other worlds."


    "For example, one of these other worlds is made up of entities you would call "ghosts". There, they only exist as spiritual entities and have no physical bodies."


    "Another world is remarkably close to ours but people there mainly cultivate "magic". It is perhaps most simr to our world in every other aspect."


    Hao Xuan silently listened and kept nodding his head. His eyes lit up when he heard of this "world of magic".


    Ryfon had mentioned that a door to this world had opened somewhere out there and that there was going to be a huge war over it.


    "Just like them," Gavril continued after giving Hao Xuan a moment to digest everything, "This world exists in another ne entirely. It is the easiest world to ess and the most difficult one at the same time."


    "It is where we go to dream, or where our dreamse from, depending on how you look at it."


    "Some believe that this world was born from the energy of dreams and subconscious thoughts of individuals while they slept, while others believe it existed way before that."


    "It is a dreand that exists out of our time and space."


    Hao Xuan felt like someone had taken a hammer to his forehead. His head started pounding suddenly.


    "Bear with it, the pain will pass soon," Gavril told Hao Xuan, "This can happen sometimes when the boundary of your mind is expanded."


    Hao Xuan sat down on the dirty old mattress that smelt of mold and sweat. The unpleasant odors actually helped distract him from the pain that subsided a few minutester.


    He let out a deep breath of turbid air. For some reason, he felt lighter than before, as if he had let go of some heavy weight.


    "I think I understand, somehow. But how did you know about all this?"


    "The Old King. He passed down all of his knowledge to me along with the cultivation methods he created. The cultivation methods all utilize the unique energy found within this world, which you can just call "dream" energy instead of spiritual energy."


    "He believed that Orcs actually came from this world a long time ago. He never found out if that was true or not but its a fact that Orcs are uniquely suited to cultivate the dream energy since birth."


    "Does this cultivation method have a name?"


    "It does, but it''s in ournguage," Gavril answered after a moment of contemtion, "Roughly tranted, it would be something like ''The Eternal Slumber''? Since we have to be sleeping to be able to cultivate this method. I think ''The Netherworld''s Dreamscape'' sounds better though."

 Chapter 552: Heading down

    <h4>Chapter 552: Heading down</h4>


    "The Netherworld''s Dreamscape, and a world of dreams, huh..."


    Wordlessly, Hao Xuanid back in the warmth of the moldy nket. He couldn''t help but take another look around the room.


    It was where he had spent most of his teen years locked in. Day in and day out, he would stay in there cut off from the outside world without any ambition or aim, just living one day at a time.


    It was not a ce he wanted to recall but was now forced intoing here.


    "Is that it?"


    He asked after a moment of silence.


    Gavril was dazed for a second hearing that.


    "I just told you about another ne of existence, a world where all your dreams and nightmares live, and you don''t want to know anything about it?" Gavril asked, somewhat stupefied. This was not the reaction he was expecting.


    Hao Xuan shook his head with a nk expression.


    "Too much to do, too much to take in. I''ve kind of be numb to it at this point. I still haven''t been able to wrap my mind around this new world yet it seems like every single day new and even more bizarre things keeping up. I''m just....tired of it all."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes. He let out a deep sigh before a self-deprecating chuckle escaped his lips.


    "Haha, I think I''m reaching my limit, man. There are times when I feel like a stranger in my own body. I feel like crying whileughing, and so utterly alone amid crowds. I look up at the sky and don''t recognize any of the stars."


    He opened his eyes halfway and stared at the ceiling while Gavril silently listened.


    "Everything feels new and strange. I always dreamt about a ce like this back then, a world of fantastical wonders. But now all I want is to go to sleep and never wake up. There is so much I have to do that I don''t even know where to start."


    "I have no training for this, no guidebook to tell me where to go and what to feel. I hear voices when there are none, see things that shouldn''t exist. How am I supposed to deal with this?"


    He let out another chuckle and met Gavril''s gaze.


    "I met a girl when I came to this world almost 4 years ago, you know. She was so pretty and kind, and I thought she really liked me too. But now I find out that apparently, all of that was a lie. And then there''s the shit with the shapeshifting creatures or whatever the hell those things are."


    "I don''t want to go back but I know I have to, and I can already tell a lot of people will get hurt. BUT! Even if I wanted to, I couldn''t do that right now. I have to find the stupid world spirit, Ryfon''s niece, deal with the prison, and somehow kill an OP crown prince and not get med for it and MAYBE then I can leave in one piece."


    "This shit...I did not sign up for it," Hao Xuan lowered his head and started rubbing his temple.


    "And there''s the migraines hahaha!"


    Hisugh sounded almost maniacal, giving Gavril goosebumps even in this dreand.


    Seeing Hao Xuan''s dispirited self, Gavril couldn''t help but say a few words offort.


    "I''m sorry, I had no idea...If you want, I can tell you a spell that was often used by Orc warriors in the past. It suppresses emotions and was used whenever they had to undertake especially cruel and brutal missions," he offered a temporary solution but Hao Xuan declined the offer in a heartbeat.


    "No, I don''t want to use anything like that."


    *Sigh*


    "The Old King, he used to say this a lot; ''Heavy is the head that bears the crown''. I think that describes your situation pretty well right now."


    With his head still low, Hao Xuan let out a quietugh, "Shouldn''t it be "wear" instead of bear?"


    Gavril nodded, "Normally yes but in your case, I think this is more of an apt description."


    For a moment, Hao Xuan couldn''t help but frown heavily but as soon as he understood what Gavril meant, he let out a heartfeltugh.


    "Indeed it is! Hahaha."


    Gavril stayed with him for a while longer and told him everything he had managed to find out.


    Gi-An was the name of the man that was solely responsible for creating and organizing the resistance against the invaders.


    Until just a year ago he was a poor son of a farmer. And now he had be strong enough to pose a threat to cultivators like Hao Xuan.


    He was the first person that had managed to create this new system of using the words of power and was the highest authority on the subject.


    He also had a lot of knowledge about things he should not have been able to understand in such a primitive world.


    "There are times when he just disappears for days and no one knows where he goes. He is definitely hiding something. I will try to find out more but don''t count on it too much," Gavril said at the end before Hao Xuan woke up.


    He looked around and found himself sitting at the same ce as before, overlooking the same forest.


    He checked the time, less than 5 minutes had passed out here.


    He stood up and dusted his clothes.


    "Time to head into the monster''sir I guess," he mumbled and clicked on his Spirit Band.


    "Where is the nearest entrance to the prison?"

 Chapter 553: Outdated

    <h4>Chapter 553: Outdated</h4>


    "Where is the nearest entrance to the prison?"


    *Beep*


    A hologram popped up in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes. It showed a very rough map of the area nearby with a red dot highlighted some twenty kilometres away.


    Baracus gave some extra information about it before Hao Xuan could ask.


    "It is a small hatch that leads directly to the left wing of the prison. Almost all major entrances are either blocked or already discovered and guarded. This is the best option for now."


    "Alright then."


    Hao Xuan didn''t give it much thought and left the cave after destroying the formations he had put down.


    He summoned Grey after running a few hundred meters on foot and departed for the hatch.


    **


    Five minutes after Hao Xuan left the cave, a silhouette silently appeared at the entrance. It bent down and picked up a fistful of dirt from the exact spot Hao Xuan was sitting on and sniffed it.


    For 30 seconds or so it stood there as if in a daze before sniffing the air around. After pacing back and forth for a few times it suddenly stopped and looked in the same direction Hao Xuan and ran off to and followed after.


    **


    Since Hao Xuan wanted to keep everything under the radar, he deliberately told Grey to stay at a very slow speed so as not to attract any unwanted attention.


    They were far too close forfort to the designated battlefield for the uing fight. Groups of cultivators were sure to be moving around and he didn''t want to run into any of them by chance.


    It took them nearly forty minutes to arrive at their destination.


    Hao Xuan jumped off of Grey and recalled him back into his token.


    Hao Xuan''s brow scrunched up in a tight furrow. He was currently standing in front of arge body of water. It looked like ake but was far too big. He couldn''t see the other side even with his superb vision.


    "Baracus, pinpoint the exact location of the hatch."


    *Beep*


    The same hologram popped up again. He was standing right next to the red dot.


    "It''s in the water?" Hao Xuan asked in a low voice.


    "That seems to be the case, yes," Baracus replied in a strangely sarcastic tone but Hao Xuan ignored it.


    Taking off his shirt and pants, Hao Xuan walked into the water with just his underwear.


    It was already night time and there was no moonlight to guide him which made it difficult for him to see anything in the pitch-ck water.


    But just then, Hao Xuan felt a tingling sensation from his eyes. He could feel streams of nano machines moving towards his pupils so he quickly closed them and opened them again a momentter when the sensation had subsided.


    There was a transparent lens over his eyes now.


    As usual, Baracus informed him what it was.


    "To see better," he said casually, a bit too human-like.


    The nano machines kicked in as soon Baracus finished and a green image of the surroundings was projected right into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    The lenses acted as cameras, projecting the image directly into his pupils.


    ''My God, I love technology,'' Hao Xuan couldn''t help but think inwardly.


    Even though Hao Xuan''s own vision was much better than a normal individual''s, it was just that. He could see better than others, but not see things that others couldn''t. He still needed SOME light in order to make out what was around him.


    And if there was total darkness, he would be the as helpless anyone else in that situation.


    Hao Xuan spent half an hour down there. He walked across the bottom of theke near where the red was supposed to be but could not find anything that resembled any type of entrance, anywhere.


    Left with no other choice, he came back out.


    "What''s going on? There''s nothing there at all," heined before even his feet were dry.


    "The map data I collected is more than sixty thousand years old. There are bound to be some inconsistencies with the currentyout. The terrain has changed significantly. There was no mention of a body of water anywhere near here," Baracus informed Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan punched the ground hard enough that a small shock wave was created.


    "Sixty THOUSAND year old?! That''s fucking great then. For all we know, the entrance isn''t even here anymore. It could be under a mountain or anywhere in that damnke!"


    "Yes, but I can create a new map if you can gather some recent data about the local topography. Using this method, it shouldn''t take more than 30 hours to find the exact location."


    "Too long, what''s the shortest you can do?"


    3 seconds of silenceter Baracus spoke up again, "10 minutes."


    "WHAT?! Then do that then, what the hell..."


    "Alright."


    Hao Xuan opened his hand and a handful of egg-shaped objects appeared in his palm.


    "nt these charges in a circle of no more than 50 meters in diameter. They will dig into the ground and by using a host of various tools, provide me real-time in-depth data about everything within the area."


    Hao Xuan sat down and waved his hand. Beside him, a green-skinned creature appeared. This was of course Bo (the Kappa). His scaly skin made him look even more ugly in the darkness.


    But seeing Hao Xuan he fell to his knees at once.


    "It is my honor to serve you, master! If you tell me to walk through an ocean of me I will but ask "where". Your wish is mymand! No matter wh-" he shouted while mming his bald head into the ground repeatedly.


    Hao Xuan threw him the charges along with a spirit band, cutting him off.


    "Do as Baracus says. Don''t waste time."


    "Yes, my lord!" Bo shouted and ran into the water post-haste.


    Hao Xuan had justid down to rest when he suddenly remembered something and shot up to his feet.


    "Baracus, did you say "charges" before? What exactly do those things do?"


    "Explode. They are timed charges. After digging into the terrain they will first send data about bulk density, vol-"


    "And then what?! EXPLODE at the end??" he cut Baracus off and asked about the main part he was concerned about.


    "Yes," Baracus confirmed his suspicion.


    "How big of an explosion?" he asked impatiently.


    "Not thatrge. The radius is small and all the force will be directed deeper into the ground."


    "D...Deeper? Won''t that create an earthquake?"


    "Precisely. That is the whole point. Using the shock waves I can pin-"


    "WHAT ABOUT THE WATER THEN?!" he shouted.


    "The water will of course be disced. Should I exin to you basic physics first?"


    "Disced?! A tsunami motherfucker! It will create a TSUNAMI! Stop it, all of it!"


    "I''m afraid it is already toote for that."


    "What? It hasn''t even been 10 minut-" before Hao Xuan could finish, the water moved and Bo ran out like an arrow, stopping right in front of Hao Xuan. He was out of breath and breathing heavily.


    "I did it master!" he informed Hao Xuan with a toothy smile that only pissed Hao Xuan off more, "Lord Baracus said time was of the essence so I did everything as quickly as I could!"


    "No, no, go back! Take them out!" Hao Xuan had just grabbed Bo by the shoulder when Baracus''s voice rang into his ears.


    "Five, four, three, two-"


    "Fuck me..."


    "-one."


    Hao Xuan looked out towards theke. He held his breath and prepared himself.


    A small wave appeared some 100 meters into the water, followed by some air bubbles.


    "Is...that it?" Hao Xuan asked, hoping for a simple yes.


    "Negative. That is just the primary casing being shed. The actual one-"


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*

 Chapter 554: Fairy tales

    <h4>Chapter 554: Fairy tales</h4>


    *Huff*Huff*Huff*


    "No no no please, I don''t wanna die!" tears rolled down Hao Xuan''s face.


    Blood was pouring down his arms and what little strength he had left, he used to push himself forward on the only rope left connecting the twondmasses.


    He looked down and saw the endless ck chasm and it stared back at him in jubtion.


    He could see horrific figures dancing in the darkness, although he wasn''t sure if that was his own imagination or delusions caused by blood loss or god forbid, real!


    The drop was bigger than anything else he had evere across in his life but he had also crossed the now broken rope bridge thousands of times before and it had never felt this frightening.


    Although the chasm was too deep to ever see its bottom, it had never felt this....alive, before.


    He turned around and saw his pursuer looking right at him from the cliff side.


    Even from that distance he could tell it used to be human at some point, but now all that was left was the twisted monstrosity that had killed his father and was now following him.


    Their family lived at the edge of the canyon and used to often cross to the other side to hunt.


    He had heard the stories but believed them to be nothing more than fairy tales invented by the old vige elders to scare the children into behaving.


    Yet right now, those tales hade to life.


    The creature had a humanoid head. There were gaping holes where its nose should have been and a swirling darkness in ce of its eyes.


    Its drooling mouth was more than twice the size of its head and lined with rows of needle-like teeth.


    It was down on all fours. Those arms and legs were several times the size of a normal person''s and ended in ws long enough to go through a grown man. They looked more like a chicken''s feet than anything else.


    It''s leathery skin and long, falling hair gave it an elderly feeling and also what helped identify the creature for Hao Xuan.


    It was quite a famous bedtime story for naughty children.


    "Behave yourself or the baba wille and take you!" they said.


    He muttered the name under his breath, "Baba Yaga..."


    Perhaps it was just his imagination but he could feel a smile slowly creep up on that dreadful face.


    It threw its head back and cackled.


    This was the first time Hao Xuan had heard it make any noise and now he understood why they called it Baba (olddy).


    It sounded like the wailing of an old woman.


    Hao Xuan was more than halfway across thest rope but his body froze upon hearing that appalling noise.


    He closed his eyes and prayed.


    A momentter the wailing stopped, prompting him to open his eyes once again and look back.


    The foggy mist moved was blown away by a cold breeze and he could clearly see the other side.


    The creature was gone. His eyes flickered back and forth but he couldn''t see anything remotely resembling it.


    ted, he turned back around and continued forward. A few minutester he was close enough to the other side.


    "MA!" he called out.


    Maybe his mother was still awake. She had to put his younger brothers and sisters to sleep and usually ended up staying awake till quitete in the night.


    There was no response but he half expected it. It took him another minute to safely cross to the other side.


    He fell to his knees as soon as his feet touched the ground.


    An overwhelming feeling of weakness came over him and wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and go to sleep right there on the hard ground but there was no time.


    He had to warn his mother and siblings and leave with them this instant.


    He ran through the snaking path and in just a few seconds was able to see his house.


    The light in his parent''s room was still lit. He could see her sitting by the window.


    "Ma-" he tried calling out again but froze.


    His mother stood up and turned around to peer out of the window.


    Hao Xuan''s heart stopped. His mother wasn''t that tall but that figure was almost touching the roof just by standing up.


    It came closer to the window, just enough for Hao Xuan to catch a glimpse of if its smiling, toothy face.


    Those swirling masses of darkness stared right into his eyes before a loud wail entered his ears.


    "NOO!" he shouted and jumped to his feet.


    He was surrounded by trees on all sides, naked and wet. Bo who was sitting a few feet away from him came running over.


    "Did you have a nightmare, master?" Bo asked warily.


    Hao Xuan''s heart was pounding like a drum. There were tears in his eyes and blood on his hands from his own fingers digging into his palms.


    "A dream...?" he mumbled weakly.


    "Hello? Is anyone there? Do you need help, friend?" a voice came from behind them, waking Hao Xuan from his stupor.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    4-5 chapters week minimum, more if I have time.


    Don''t forget to vote, every single one counts!

 Chapter 555: Immensity

    <h4>Chapter 555: Immensity</h4>


    A few minutester.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    It seemed like the entire world had turned upside down in an instant. The majority of the water rose straight up into the sky followed by an intense earthquake that sent Hao Xuan and Bo rolling away.


    The earthquakested for a little over 15 seconds. And by the time it came to a stop, a wall purely made of water came crashing down.


    Hao Xuan who was already on the ground had no foothold to speak off and got swept away along the waves. Thankfully, Bo was still nearby.


    As a creature of water, he waspletely at ease in this tumulous situation.


    While Hao Xuan was being tossed around and smashed against every surface that came along his way, Bo was expertly avoiding everything.


    He made his way towards Hao Xuan who had already lost consciousness at this point and grabbed hold of him before dragging him to the safety of an old tree that had managed to stay rooted.


    The water waves reached a height of more than 60 meters, easily towering over almost everything else in the vicinity.


    Thankfully, because of the nearby forest that hampered its march ind, it didn''t advance more than 7 to 8 eight kilometers before slowly dying down.


    The proceeding waves were all smaller than the first one so they didn''t cause too much damage.


    Bo carried Hao Xuan down to the ground and waited for him to wake up.


    **


    "Is anyone there? Do you need help, friend?"


    The voice came, bringing Hao Xuan back to reality.


    "Get down," he ordered Bo in a low voice and stood up.


    He took out a new set of clothes since the old ones had been washed away and quickly changed into them before walking out of the thistle.


    There was a party of four men walking around with torches and swords.


    Upon seeing Hao Xuan walk out, three of the men jumped back swiftly and pointed their swords and spears at him, while the fourth one with the torch smiled at him.


    He was also startled but kept his cool nheless. Hao Xuan was more than a head taller than all of them and his muscled body made him look quite intimidating in the dark.


    "H...Hello friend," the man with the torch smiled and took a small step forward, shedding light onto Hao Xuan''s face.


    The man was in histe forties by the look of it but still had quite a sturdy build, a hunter perhaps.


    Hao Xuan examined each of them carefully, finding nothing out of the ordinary. They all looked quite normal and exuded no killing intent, only fear.


    "[What are you doing here?]" he asked in an emotionless voice. He spoke in the localnguage.


    The other three men raised their weapons higher. Hao Xuan could see their knuckles turning white from holding onto them with too much force. The tip of the des started shaking every so lightly.


    It looked like they had no training whatsoever and wereplete rookies.


    A devious grin slowly formed on the edge of Hao Xuan''s lips and his eyes narrowed to a slit.


    The man with the torch who was closest to Hao Xuan caught these changes and spun around to berate the youngsters behind him.


    "[What are you doing?! Put your weapons down at once! Don''t you see this lord means us no harm?!]" he shouted angrily before turning to face Hao Xuan with a servile smile.


    "This one''s name is Jax, my lord. Please forgive these youngins, they do not know the immensity of heaven and earth!" he spoke in the Beast World''snguage and bowed from the waist.


    His mannerisms quite closely resembled those on the Beast world as well. Suffice to say Hao Xuan was quite taken aback by him.


    "You are a native?" he asked staring Jax right in the eyes.


    "Yes, my Lord," Jax replied in the same manner and lowered his gaze.


    "How did you know of that idiom? Heaven and earth? And thatnguage?"


    "I had heard other lords use it before. Forgive me if I overstepped," he bowed again and this time stayed there.


    Hao Xuan understood now. These people probably came from one of the towns or viges already under the control of one of the powers and had received some sort of ''re-education''.


    "Why are you here then, Jax? And stand up, I don''t like this shit. I was just kidding before, you can rx," Hao Xuan waved his hand.


    He wasn''t going to kill these mortals for no reason, like some dumbass from a corny novel. Although they might have probably seen something simr happening already.


    Jax slowly straightened his back but made sure to keep a respectful tone.


    "Thank you, my lord. We came from a nearby town after hearing all themotion. Other lords are here too somewhere."


    ''Damnit,'' Hao Xuan cursed inwardly.


    What he was most afraid of already happened. And how could it not? That explosion was loud enough to be heard and felt tens of miles away.


    ''Fuck, fuck!''


    "Baracus! Did you find the location?" he asked out loud by ident, not realizing he hadpany.


    "Ah, that wasn''t meant for you," Hao Xuan gestured towards Jax who had a confused look on his face.


    *Beep*


    "Affirmative. But arge section of the tunnel has copsed due to the ''extreme methods'' employed to find its location. You will have to do some digging."


    "That''s just perfect..." he mumbled with gritted teeth before looking at the four confused men, "You four,e with me, quickly!"


    Since they had seen his face, he couldn''t just let them go. If worse came to worst, he would have to keep them tied up for a little while so they don''t run around and tell whoever was in charge of their town.


    Almost dragging the men in every way but physically back to thekeside, he arrived in 30 or so minutes.


    He had just stepped out of the forest when a cacophony of angry and confused voices reached his ears. He looked around and saw tens of men and women standing by theke.


    Several of them were already in their underwear and walking into theke.


    "Hey, it''s firste first serve! The Academy got here before the Hall!" someone shouted.


    Hao Xuan ced his hand over his face and called out the mask. He turned around to face the four natives behind him that were gasping for air after running at full speed.


    "[You never saw my face, understand?]" he warned in the nativenguage, getting understanding nods from all of them.

 Chapter 556: Learning Moment

    <h4>Chapter 556: Learning Moment</h4>


    "[You never saw my face, understand?]"


    "[Ye...Yes, lord,]" the natives bowed and backed up a few steps to distance themselves from Hao Xuan while he himself moved towards theke inrge strides.


    The sudden appearance of another individual attracted the attention of the two groups of cultivators bickering with one another.


    As Hao Xuan neared theke, several of these men put aside their differences and stepped forward, blocking Hao Xuan''s path.


    "STOP! Who are you? Which side are you on?!" asked one of them.


    This man had a rather scrawny build with two axes attached to his back that seemed to a little too big for him. He had a shaved head with a patch over his left eye. From a first nce he seemed ratherical.


    Hao Xuan observed him and the others that were blocking him. They appeared to be from both powers but he did not recognize any of them.


    Using the deepest voice he could muster, Hao Xuan spoke up.


    "Why are you people here?" he asked in a somewhat irritated tone of voice.


    The man started howling withughter.


    "Why? Do we need your permission? Who the hell are you to ask us anything?!"


    His expression suddenly became serious and a tinge of bloodlust mixed with killing intent leaked out.


    Hao Xuan''s brow shot up in surprise.


    From his perspective, a slightly red hue had surrounded the manpletely. The hair on Hao Xuan''s arms fluttered in caution, quite a normal reaction when faced with strong killing intent.


    He must have killed dozens of men if not more to be able to exert such a well-pronounced bloodlust.


    Hao Xuan also became serious. He looked the man up and down once again, as well as hispanions.


    Most of them were Ninth stage Spirit Realm cultivators. They were not the same spoiled and overindulged individuals Hao Xuan had been interacting with before.


    All of them were seasoned warriors that had probably joined the tournament on the request of their respective powers to carry out various duties while on the. That would also exin why they looked so much older than the rest.


    Hao Xuan also became serious and answered with the most realistic lie he coulde up with at the time.


    "I''m the Second Protector of the Academy, that''s who I am. Despite what you might think, there is no treasure here nor anything that would interest you. The ''disturbance'' was caused by me and has nothing to do with anything your little brains came up with. Gather your people and leave this ce, do not disturb me while I''m training."


    Almost all of them had gathered around and blocked Hao Xuan''s path by now. Hearing him say that he was the Second protector caused many of them to falter and take a step back, but a lot of them just smiled dismissively in return with the same thought.


    "Well, Mr. Protector," the same man stepped forward again, "If that really was you, you wouldn''t mind giving us a little demonstration right? I mean how can we just believe that you caused such a massive explosion? Consider it for educating purposes so let''s have a little spar, hehehe."


    Hao Xuan was genuinely taken aback by their reaction. Normally just hearing that he was a protector would have been enough to make them go running the other way with their tails between their legs but these guys, they were actually looking for a fight.


    The man reached back pulled out both the axes. Following his actions, more than ten other individuals did the same.


    The ones that didn''t want to fight cautiously moved back several meters but it was evident from their bodynguage that they were more than willing to jump back in if the situation took an unexpected turn, i.e if Hao Xuan really couldn''t hold his ground.


    None of them believed Hao Xuan was the one who had caused it. They just thought he came here to take whatever treasure appeared for himself, just by throwing his title around.


    To others, a protector might be a lofty warrior but to these cold-blooded mercenaries that were hired to do the dirty work by their respective powers, it had no special meaning.


    To them, he just seemed like a slightly more powerful cultivator inexperienced in actual battle, only able to use shy techniques that were unfit for realbat, just like most of those other silver-spooned rich brats.


    No one paid attention to Jax and the three youngsters that were still watching from afar. They were far too weak to care about right now but if things went awry, they could easily kill them so as not to have any witnesses.


    This was the first time someone had so openly challenged him like this. Hao Xuan couldn''t help but be a little angry. He had been trying his best to keep his cool but that seemed useless now.


    "So you won''t move without a fight, right?" he asked again.


    The mask didn''t cover the lower part of his face, only from the nose above.


    They could all see his lips arch upward into half a smile, but it was pretty obvious to tell he was losing his temper.


    "If you don''t mind," the man replied in the same disdainful tone as before and unleashed his cultivation in its entirety.


    An invisible pressure fell on Hao Xuan''s shoulders. The other individuals all did the same, suppressing Hao Xuan before he could even begin to fight.


    Seeing the undisguised contempt towards him, Hao Xuan nodded with gritted teeth. A searing pain shot through Hao Xuan''s temple, making him almost puke but he held back.


    "So be it. I should really make this a learning moment for you nice folks then, huh?"


    He waved his hand.


    "The ones that are holding a weapon, cut off their arms and legs. Those that aren''t, just break their arms so the next time they see me, they show a little more caution and respect," Hao Xuan ordered.


    The cultivators in front of him were taken aback, to say the least. They swiftly put up their guards and looked around but there was no one.


    The man let out a forcedugh.


    "Is that some sort of a scare tact-" he started speaking but was cut off mid-sentence by a beastly voice.


    "Yes, master..."


    All pressure being exerted from these more than ten Spirit Realm cultivators popped like a balloon.


    Following the direction of the voice, they all looked up into the sky and saw a green figure floating some ten meters or so above Hao Xuan. A huge tail swayed back and forth in the night breeze.


    "Th...The-"


    Someone tried to speak up but it was toote.


    The figure had already vanished.


    A cold glint shed before Hao Xuan''s eyes as a tinge of red covered his pupils.


    "AAAH!"


    "NO PLEASE!"


    Gut-wrenching screams came from all around him. Warm blood sttered across Hao Xuan''s white shirt, ruining it once again. He closed his eyes and listened intently.


    Ripping and tearing, cutting and crunching, the sound of panicked footsteps as they tried to flee in different directions followed by pained moans and screams for mercy when the Scorpion King caught up to them, all of them reached his ears clearly.


    Hao Xuan could feel the Scorpion King''s unbridled bloodlust. Their soul connection transferred more than what he initially thought possible.


    He could very clearly tell how ted the Scorpion King was as he preyed on this much weaker fleshy beings. And he could also feel the absolute dread and helplessness of the cultivators that were all so full of pride just a moment ago.


    With a single word, he could make it all stop. But he chose not to.


    And it was an intoxicating and powerful feeling.


    For some reason standing amidst all this violence and brutality, the Chaos Qi that had been stagnant for along started circting on its own.

 Chapter 557: Merciful

    <h4>Chapter 557: Merciful</h4>


    In just a couple of minutes, the Scorpion King finished his task.


    Severed limbs covered the ground and the screams and moans of those of them that were still consciousness echoed along with the nightly breeze.


    Hao Xuan calmly stood amidst the aftermath, partly covered in blood himself.


    Currently all of his attention was focused on the inner workings of his body.


    As if awoken by some unknown force, the Chaos Qi circted through the meridians of its own volition as if searching for something with such a fierce longing that Hao Xuan could feel it as well.


    It was like a hungry beast that had finally caught the scent of its prey. It went round and round in circles through Hao Xuan''s meridians and with each cycle it became a little less ferocious.


    At the start it was simr to a savage beast, ravaging through Hao Xuan''s body like a wild animal. But over time it was slowly bing tamer.


    Hao Xuan tried changing its direction and managed to seed to some degree, but any significant deviations from its already established rhythms were ignored.


    He opened his eyes a few minutester to find all the cultivators sitting right in front of him. They were down on their knees, at least those that still had knees left while others justid there.


    Hao Xuan examined them once again but each person lowered their heads as soon as they met his gaze.


    Unknowingly, he let out a feeble sigh seeing their conditions. Many of them had streaks of dried tears on their faces.


    Even these seasoned warriors couldn''t help but shed a few tears in such a helpless situation.


    "Leave this ce. No matter what happens, do note here again or the next time you will lose a lot more than just your limbs," Hao Xuan waved his hand and the Scorpion King who was floating above him was recalled to his Mind Pce.


    Hao Xuan turned around and looked towards Jax and the three frozen natives.


    "Help these degenerates back to your town."


    "Y...Yes...my lord," Jax gulped, feeling his parched throat. Seeing the events of thest few minutes he even forgot to close his mouth and only now came to his senses.


    He pped the other three awake and came over to help move the cultivators that had no legs left.


    Each one helped the other, not because out of the goodness of their hearts but they wanted to leave this ce as quickly as possible without angering Hao Xuan any further.


    The bald man was in the worst condition. His limbs had stopped bleeding but he was a little more than a stump right now.


    Jax went over and carried him on his back.


    Hao Xuan was paying special attention to him and the expression of mild disgust on the bald man''s face as if he had touched something dirty was not gone unseen.


    Even when looking at Hao Xuan who had caused him all this pain, he had not reacted this way. But just by being touched by this native man even though it was for his good, he reacted with such revulsion.


    They probably thought of them as lesser beings, even lower than animals. He had seen that look before somewhere.


    When the first few were just about to enter the forest behind Hao Xuan, he gave out onest warning.


    "I will visit the town after I''m done here and if I found out you took out your anger on innocent civilians, you will wish you had died here. Treat them as you would want to be treated by me."


    Jax who was at the forefront paused upon hearing that. He turned around and bowed once again in Hao Xuan''s direction before walking out.


    It was a fact that the natives were treated as lesser beings, especially by these mercenaries that were hired for no other reason but to safeguard each power''s assets.


    Even killing a native or two in broad daylight wasn''t seen as anything too excessive.


    For Jax and the three youngsters, this was but a death sentence. To keep the rumors of their defeat from spreading, the mercenaries would most probably kill them after reaching safety but that was not the case now.


    With just a single sentence Hao Xuan had changed their fate and saved four lives.


    A few minutester when everyone had left, Bo finally emerged from the shrubbery.


    "Your mercy is as high as the heavens, master!" he spoke with such a sheepish smile that Hao Xuan had to stop himself from pping him across the face.


    Bo certainly had a skill for making Hao Xuan mad with minimal effort.


    He let out a helpless sigh and waved his hand, sending Bo back to the Mind Pce as well.


    He checked the map again and the exact spot where the hatch was marked.


    Over thest few thousand years, the terrain had changed a lot and now the same spot was buried at the bottom of theke under tons of rock and even more debris caused by Baracus''s methods.


    "Fuck," he cursed out loud without even realizing it. Since the target was at the bottom of theke, Bo was actually the best sever to take care of it since he could move freely down there and be actually faster than all the others.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand again, "Go to the coordinates and clear a path for me," he clicked on the spirit band.


    A couple of seconds passed but the same old ingratiatingly ttering behavior he hade to expect from Bo was nowhere to be seen.


    Hao Xuan looked left and right but couldn''t find Bo anywhere.


    "What the hell..." with a frown, he closed his eyes and appeared in the Mind Pce.


    Bo was sitting in his usual spot. Hao Xuan waved his hands again, this time looking right at Bo but nothing happened.


    He switched to the Scorpion King but got the same result.


    ck, White, the ant, even some of the Orcs that were asleep, he tried sending each one of them out but nothing happened.


    "What the hell is going on?!"

 Chapter 558: Perception

    <h4>Chapter 558: Perception</h4>


    The phrase "When it rains, it pours," defined Hao Xuan perfectly right now.


    He stood in his Mind Pce looking at his severs, scowling all the way through. His mind racing toe up with various exnations for this newplication.


    The first thing he did was walk over to the white ant that was next to the podium in the center of the Mind Pce.


    It was rolled up into a small ball resting right next to the mysterious ck egg.


    "Did you do something to me?" he asked cautiously.


    He was of course talking to the Queen. It was powerful enough to hide in in sight even when Hao Xuan severed the white ant.


    The process of severing entailed theplete submission of his sever''s soul to Hao Xuan''s, and during it he could ''feel'' almost every detail about it, no matter how inconsequential it may seem.


    None of the severs had been able to hide any malicious intents from Hao Xuan, let alone another soulpletely.


    Hell, he still wasn''t sure if the soul he so easily severed back then was the white ant''s or that of the Queen. Maybe it was both...or neither.


    He waited a few seconds but there was no response whatsoever. His brow knitted tighter than ever before.


    "Do not force my hand. I allowed you to stay here because you needed help but if it turns out you had anything to do with this, I will find a way to fuck you over even it costs me my own life, remember that!" he spoke in a low voice in all seriousness. And he meant every word of it.


    Rather than living with the uncertainty of having such a creature living in his own Mind Pce, Hao Xuan was more than willing to ''duke it out'' even if it meant certain death for him.


    That was probably his most undesirable trait ever since he was young. Even his maternal grandfather would often sigh at this behavior.


    When he was three or four years old, Hao Xuan thought one of his cousins had stolen an old toy of his. He asked to see it before breaking it right in front of him. A few dayster the same toy was found under Hao Xuan''s bed by the maid when she was cleaning, exactly where he had left it.


    Rather than letting his cousin have it, he broke it so neither could of them could.


    Even though he wasn''t AS petty as before, but if Hao Xuan ever found out he was being taken advantage of, even if that weren''t actually the case, he would do anything and everything in his power no matter how cruel, to make that person pay.


    The Queen who was busy with her integration and had no time to worry about anything else could clearly feel this vindictive side of him. She, of course, had other things to worry about than obstructing Hao Xuan for no reason.


    Right now, she had no physical body. She had to cast away her old form to escape from the hive in one piece and for the time being, Hao Xuan''s Mind Pce was the safest ce for her.


    She was a coalescing amalgamation of thoughts, emotions, and millenniums-old instincts powered by an existence that remained solely in the spiritual state.


    Even if she wanted to, there was not much she could in her current state.


    Yet she knew by instinct that if she did not answer, it could spell trouble for her.


    So using her own soul as a conduit, she reached out to Hao Xuan once again.


    A high pitched noise reverberated throughout the Mind Pce. Series of images repeatedly shed before Hao Xuan''s eyes like an old silent film.


    It looked like pre-recorded footage of the Mind Pce, only it was taken from ''outside'' the Mind Pce somehow.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even know how such a thing was possible. The Mind Pce, as its name suggested, existed only in his mind. It was a construct not present in the physical world so how was it possible to get such a view?


    Perhaps it was a unique ability of the Queen or maybe that was just how she interpreted reality.


    Hao Xuan put such thoughts at the back of his mind and focused on the images. There was no way to tell when this ''footage'' was taken just by looking at it but somehow Hao Xuan knew it was just a few hours old.


    It showed Bo and the Scorpion King in their usual spots.


    There were hundreds of various runes shining with a soft light all over the Mind Pce. Hao Xuan looked around but could see none of them with the naked eye.


    Suddenly, they all shone intensely all at once and when the light dissipated, Bo was gone. This happened every time someone was taken in or out of the Mind Pce.


    But when Bo was sent back for thest time, the brightness of these runes had diminished considerably.


    The images stopped along with the high-pitched noise that only Hao Xuan was able to hear.

 Chapter 559: Fear of the Deep

    <h4>Chapter 559: Fear of the Deep</h4>


    The images stopped along with the apanying noise.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and looked towards the white ant, somewhat at a loss for words.


    He didn''t know what method the Queen used to send him those images, but somehow he could tell they weren''t fabricated.


    There was no reasonable exnation why he thought so, but he knew deep inside that that was what actually happened.


    And what they implied was a very simple thing. Every time he called someone in or out of the Mind Pce, those invisible runes yed some sort of a part in them. And doing it too often could ''overheat'' or overload them in a sense and he wouldn''t be able to do so again for a little while afterwards.


    It had nothing to do with the Queen or anyone else for that matter, but was rted to his Soul Severing Constitution instead.


    Perhaps it was a restriction that he had note across before or maybe it was something entirely new caused by the instability in his Spirit Center, but the fact was that it now existed.


    In the future Hao Xuan would have to be extremely careful not to reach this limit, otherwise, it could spell trouble for him.


    The only issue was that he could not tell when this limit was about to be reached.


    "Thank...you," he awkwardly expressed his gratitude towards the Queen that was nowhere to be seen and quickly left the Mind Pce. There was no point staying in there any longer.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes back in the outer world.


    The scene was still the same. Blood covered the rocky beach all around him. Theke water itself waspletely ck from all the debris, earth, and rocks that had been dragged into it, reducing the visibility to almost zero.


    Hao Xuan let out another despondent sigh and took off his clothes again before walking into the freezing cold waters.


    Baracus used the nanomachines to provide as clear of a picture as he could but that still didn''t go further than five meters.


    Hao Xuan slowly descended deeper and deeper into the inky depths of theke. The hatch''s location was some 400 meters in and 270 meters straight down.


    A couple of minutes after Hao Xuan descended into theke, a figure walked out of the forest.


    ***


    Hao Xuan still could not use any spiritual energy of his own as it was all blocked by the Chaos Qi. Which left him with no other choice but to depend on his physical body alone to delve deeper in.


    50 meters in, the visibility reduced to less than a meter. Almost all of his senses were blocked down here other than the sense of touch.


    There was nothing to do for him but to think about random things, and just at such a moment, his brain decided to recall a very old memory.


    Hao Xuan was about nine years when he first saw that dreaded movie. Aptly named after the maw of a gigantic great white shark, Jaws was perhaps the first movie that had scared him half to death.


    He didn''t shower for almost a full week after seeing it and even after that, he was always scared of deep waters.


    And right now, surrounded by nothing but darkness this far in, all he could think about was what ''might'' be in here with him.


    "Um, Baracus?"


    *Beep*


    "Yes?"


    "Earlier when you scanned everything, did you find any...lifeforms...down here?" Hao Xuan inquired while keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings. Unknowingly, he had slowed his descent.


    "Of course. There were thousands of life signatures."


    "Can you still find them??"


    "Negative. Too much disturbance."


    While talking, he passed the 100-meter mark without realizing it.


    "B-But there wouldn''t be anything..."dangerous" down here right? Haha."


    "87.3% chance of the presence of hostile lifeforms. But they would only be near the bottom."


    "...So exactly where I''m heading?"


    "Negative. Initial scans could not locate hypolimnion."


    "The what??"


    "Bottom. Scans did not find the bottom of this body of water."


    "What was the range of the scans?!"


    "Two kilometers. Theke is most probably connected to another body of water somewhere deeper down."


    While Hao Xuan was engrossed in the conversation, his feet made contact with a hard surface below him.


    For an instant, his heart stopped until he saw the rocky surface and realized it was bedrock.


    "Fuck that scared me half to death," he cursed inwardly.


    "Is this it?" Hao Xuan asked inspecting his surroundings.


    "Negative. A hundred and thirty meters left to go. Straight down."


    "Down where? There''s nothi-" he took a few steps forward but before he could finish the sentence the ground beneath vanished.


    He waved his hands to push himself back towards the bedrock where he weakly sat down.


    "What the hell....is this?"


    He didn''t need eyes to see what was in front of him. He could clearly feel it with his spiritual sense.


    Theke stopped right here. Whatid in front was a giant hole. The water temperature fell and pressure increased by several times if he just reached out with his hand.


    While Hao Xuan was busy arguing with himself whether or not to jump, something moved about him.

 Chapter 560: The Deep

    <h4>Chapter 560: The Deep</h4>


    A phobia is defined as an excessive and irrational fear reaction.


    Those ailing from it experience a deep sense of dread, anxiety, and sometimes panic, or that''s what the modern human psychologists that didn''t know any better thought.


    "Irrational," they say.


    Maybe that was the truth.


    Maybe it seemed groundless and absurd to some, but to those more informed, it wasn''t always all that unreasonable.


    Back when humans had not reached the stars, when they thought the earth was the center of the universe, old shamans and vige elders had a different exnation for such behavior.


    They thought that some individuals that were more in tune with the unknown, with the ''unseen'' ones, and those that could peek through the curtain of reality without realizing it were able to know things that normal individuals could not.


    Most of the time they could not understand what they were seeing.


    At times it woulde to them as nightmares, horrid images of things that should not be.


    Other times they heard voices, whispers from beyond the veil speaking of inconceivable things.


    And sometimes it was a simple gut feeling. Intuition, a hunch, or perhaps just a feeling that there is more than what meets the eye.


    And of all the so-called ''phobias'', Thssophobia was perhaps the oldest and the most reasonable one.


    It is the fear of the deep. Of the vastness of the ocean and what may lurk in its inky depths.


    It is a fact that more often than not, the dangers lurking above the surface of the water are far less threatening than what is underneath.


    And many believe that it is our survival instincts kicking in. That this fear stems from something far more real than what we realize, that it is our subconscious mind telling us to stay clear.


    Maybe its because deep inside we know that something is else down there. Something in our blood telling us that.


    Maybe several ''somethings'' that are not meant for the eyes of mere mortals.


    Maybe when some of us look at the endless oceans we can see things that others cannot, and maybe we should heed their warnings.


    ***


    Hao Xuan stood at the edge of the underwater cliff, gazing into the bottomless abyss that sat before him.


    He reached out with his hand and felt the bone-chilling cold pierce through his skin. It was unlike anything he had felt before.


    It of course ''felt'' different but it looked different as well.


    It was as if his hand had passed through to another world entirely.


    He quickly pulled back his hand and rubbed it.


    *Beep*


    "Significant increase in Ying Qi detected," a warning popped up in Hao Xuan''s peripheral vision.


    "Thank you captain obvious, I had no idea at all," Hao Xuanmented in as sarcastic a tone as he could possibly muster.


    "You are wee, human," Baracus swiftly replied.


    "...."


    Other than the direct messages that were ringing in his head from Baracus, Hao Xuan couldn''t hear anything else at all.


    He slowly walked along the edge of the cliff for more than 10 minutes but couldn''t see its end. His brow slowly creased up into a slight frown.


    "Are you sure it''s down there?" he asked referring to the hatch location.


    "Affirmative."


    A map popped up right in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes. It showed his location and then the hatch''s a fair distance away, almost straight down.


    "So nowhere to go but down, eh?" Hao Xuan mumbled.


    "Yes."


    "Hmm?"


    Suddenly, Hao Xuan stopped. He turned his head halfway to the left and stared at nothingness for a good minute or so before casually walking back.


    The hair on the back of his head were standing up like needles.


    Just now he had felt the water move. It was faint, too faint to even register if he wasn''tpletely still.


    Hao Xuan backtracked while keeping his head low. He was looking down but all his attention was focused on the peripheral vision, both to the left where the cliff ended and to the right where he felt the movement from.


    Less than three minutes had passed when he caught something moving from the corner of his eye.


    It was quick, far too quick.


    "Baracus, any life signs nearby?"


    "Negative," he got an answer instantly.


    His heart clenched.


    Now all of his attention was focused on the right side, so much so that he did not even notice the drop in temperature.


    Ying Qi was bubbling up from the other side of the cliff. It looked like a denser and slightly misty substance.


    More and more poured outwards, quite simr to when something is dropped into an already full tank.


    It slowly took shape and several tendrils wrapped around Hao Xuan''s feet.


    But they were so thin that he couldn''t feel them.


    They moved with each of his footsteps, still connected to something on the other side of the cliff.


    Hao Xuan''s legs started to go numb but he didn''t even realize it until the numbness reached his calves.


    "What..." he peered downwards and saw the misty substance covering most of his legs like gtin.


    He stopped midstride and quickly bent over to rip the material off. It felt like paper and was ripped apart with ease.


    But his heartbeat had increased several-fold by now.


    "Baracus, do you have a light or something in storage? Anything to help me see?" Hao Xuan asked


    A chill went up to his spine and he reached out with his hand and pulled, ripping off a chunk of the same gtin-like material.


    "QUICKLY!" he shouted.

 Chapter 561: Attraction

    <h4>Chapter 561: Attraction</h4>


    "QUICKLY!!" he shouted anxiously.


    The water moved again from the right side.


    This time it was strong enough to push him back a step, closer to the edge of the cliff where even more tendrils grabbed hold of him. They were still thinner than silk threads but with thousands and thousands of theming at him at once, he would soon be in a precarious situation.


    Luckily, Baracus responded pretty damn quickly.


    In Hao Xuan''s grasp appeared a cylindrical metal tube closed from both sides. There was a single red rune constantly rotating in the center.


    "Crush the rune and throw it above your head for maximum effect," Baracus instructed.


    Hao Xuan promptly inspected the rune. It looked like a bracket with both ends twisting into a ''V'' shape. Strangely enough, he instantly knew what it meant.


    ''Initiation''.


    Following Baracus''s instructions, Hao Xuan pressed his thumb on the red rune and pressed until it broke into pieces as if made from ss.


    The pieces started spreading over the entire tube, prompting another warning from Baracus.


    "You should not hold onto it any longer. The ignition will be more than 7,000 degrees Celsius."


    Considering the surface of the sun is ''only'' around 5,600 Celsius, this was quite a shock to Hao Xuan.


    As if holding onto a burning ember, Hao Xuan turned towards his right and threw it with full force.


    Like a torpedo leaving its tube, the cylinder shot through forward in a straight line but less than a couple of secondster a loud thump reached Hao Xuan''s ears.


    The cylinder had made contact with something, something fleshy.


    But before he could worry about who or what that was, Baracus''s voice rang in his ears.


    "Close your eyes. Three-."


    Despite Baracus''s third warning, Hao Xuan could not help himself but to open his eyes ever so slightly and peek towards the direction of the cylinder.


    Thankfully he did not forget to bend down and dig his hands into the cliffside.


    As soon as the timer finished, a dark red light ignited about 30 meters away from him. It looked like a lit cigarette.


    Hao Xuan wanted to ask if that was it but he knew better by now. A momentter the red light started increasing in intensity until he could see bright red cracks appearing on the surface of the tube from where he was.


    They were bright enough to illuminate a meter or so of their immediate surroundings.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes followed the expanding light outwards and caught sight of a beast. It was a bipedal creature, holding onto the tube with four webbed hands that had three digits each.


    Its faces only had two pitch-ck eyes at the top and a mouth filled with protruding razor-sharp teeth at the bottom, much like that of an angler fish.


    Its bottom half looked like a normal fishes tail, albeit muchrger.


    "A mer....man?" Hao Xuan could not help but think so seeing its shape.


    Although it looked nothing like the beautiful fish people from the stories back on earth.


    The creature was staring at the cylinder in its hand that was now covered in bright red cracks.


    "Blow up already!" Hao Xuan couldn''t help but shout inwardly but as if the creature had heard him speak just now, it suddenly looked right at Hao Xuan.


    Its toothy maw arched into a demented smile as it pulled back one of its arms and threw the cylinder right back towards him.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets seeing the cylinder closing in on him.


    That''s when Baracus finally finished his countdown, "-one, Primary Detonation."


    At a distance of less than 10 meters away from Hao Xuan, the cracks finally covered the cylinderpletely, breaking it into pieces.


    The color redpletely disappeared from Hao Xuan''s sight, overtaken by an intense blue light. At first it was the size of a coin.


    Hao Xuan blinked and it reached the size of a football. The water around it started evaporating, creating a vacuum that pulled Hao Xuan in.


    Thest scene he saw before the blue light consumed his vision were rows upon rows of simr mermaid-like creature floating behind the one that had caught the cylinder.


    There were thousands of them. Some held onto crude weapons that looked like spears.


    But it was neither their numbers nor their hideous appearance that grabbed Hao Xuan''s attention, but the cruel intelligence glimmering in their ck eyes.


    There was not a hint of panic among them.


    They stood in formation, almost ceremoniously. Many of them looking at Hao Xuan in amusement, as if watching a roadside show.


    The light seemed to have been restricted at a hundred meters since it could go no further. Yet he could seerge silhouettes hiding just beyond the boundary.


    That was enough for Hao Xuan to get a grasp of the situation. His eyes could not help but examine the faces of each creature in his field of vision.


    Although some were spectating him, most of the others were fixated on something else, something behind him.


    That was when Hao Xuan realized that he was not the main act here, nor the reason this army had gathered.


    Whatever was about to crawl up from the other side of the cliff was the main attraction.


    Blue light engulfed Hao Xuanpletely and he heard Baracus''s robotic voice again.


    "Secondary Detonation, initiated."


    *BOOOOOM*

 Chapter 562: Attraction Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 562: Attraction Continued.</h4>


    "Secondary Detonation, initiated."


    *BOOOOOM*


    The first thing he felt was his body being pulled further in towards the center of the expanding light.


    Then came the pain. Hao Xuan couldn''t see anything but he could still feel it. It was a burning sensation so intense that his nervy endings gave out instantly.


    It was a sudden burst of pain followed by weightlessness.


    He didn''t need eyes to see what was happening. His body was deconstructing, melting away cell by cell.


    He tried moving away but it was like he was pinned to the mass of blue light. He just wanted to see what was happening around him but now that very same light source was about to devour himpletely.


    ''Devour!''


    Hao Xuan''s mind jolted awake as if a bolt of lightning had just pierced his brain stem. A single word repeatedly echoed in his ears, getting louder each time.


    It sounded like his own voice ovepping with another, something...inhuman.


    ''Devour''


    ''Devour!''


    ''DEVOUR!"


    By the fifth time, the word was being shouted into his ears. It was the only thing keeping him conscious at this point.


    It sounded like a chant and a spell at the same time.


    Both his hearts beat in unison with such strength that a shockwave pushed him away from the center of the light, just enough for him to gain a little control of his body.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes, ring at the mini sun right in front of him.


    His corneassted only for a single moment before being burned away, but that was enough for him to acquire his target and get a grasp of his surroundings.


    His vision was gone but the vocal cords remained. He opened his dried mouth, the firstyer of skin on his face already gone.


    "DEVOUR!" he shouted, and the light vanished.


    If God had willed the light into being on the first day, now Hao Xuan had taken it away.


    The creatures that were standing some distance away watching the show in levity suddenly turned serious.


    They looked towards the glowing figure in front of them.


    Hao Xuan was lit up like a Christmas tree. He was glowing with a blue light intense enough to lit up every single tissue in his body, illuminating everything around him.


    The light was getting stronger by the second.


    The creatures all floated up. Those that had weapons came to the front and pointed them towards Hao Xuan.


    ck hexagon shields materialized in front of them, each one seamlessly connecting with the others around them.


    In less than five seconds they hadpletely sealed off the entire right side for hundreds of meters.


    Hao Xuan continued to pulse with the blue light. He was trying his best to contain it but it was far too strong and still getting stronger.


    And now that it was inside of him, he could clearly feel that it was building up to something, and he did not want to be there when it set off.


    His body was trying to absorb it as quickly as possible, using the energy from it to heal him but it was too much to handle.


    Hao Xuan had only absorbed less than 0.000003 percent of the total energying off of that thing. He might as well have swallowed the sun itself. Actually, that would''ve been less dangerous.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes had been partially healed, just enough for him to see vague shapes around him. He looked towards the creatures that had barricaded themselves behind their sturdy shield formation.


    He could feel the power thrumming through them from where he was. They were not as simple as they looked.


    He couldn''t help but smile.


    They looked like turtles hiding inside their shells. He gave them one look before turning away and facing the cliff.


    The light was reflecting off of it. There really was some kind of a field covering the whole thing, almost like a bubble.


    Previously when he had put his hand through it felt like he had passed through some kind of boundary, and that was true in more ways than one.


    The temperature around him had started to boil the water. If he held onto it any longer then he would be dead very soon, so he let it go.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and made bent forward, regurgitating the whole thing right on top of the field covering the cliffside.


    As soon as the creatures saw that they went mad. They disabled the shields and shot forward with such speed that stunned Hao Xuan.


    Before he could blink tens of them were right next to the light. But as soon as they got close their bodies started burning away, yet that did very little to diminish their enthusiasm.


    With maddened fury they charged the light, using their own bodies to push it away before being turned to ashes. They were using their own lives to keep the light source away.


    It made Hao Xuan wonder what exactly was down there, but he did not stay there to get the answers.


    He took this opportunity and swam straight up while the creatures were busy.


    Ten seconds had passed when Baracus''s voice came into his ears.


    "Critical point reached, meltdown imminent."


    "Fuck fuck fuck!"


    Using every little bit of energy he could muster, Hao Xuan swam as fast as his injured body could handle.

 Chapter 563: The Tower

    <h4>Chapter 563: The Tower</h4>


    Hao Xuan was less than 30 meters away from the shore when it happened. This time there wasn''t an explosion, nor anyrge shockwaves.


    Instead, a small blue colored shockwave created from the energy of the blue light expanded outwards in every single direction. It went through Hao Xuan, doing internal damage andpletely shutting down the nanomachines within his bloodstream, along with most of his own nervous system.


    All of his senses were messed up and he didn''t even know he was. Vision, hearing, and the sense of smell were the most heavily affected as they kept shutting down over and over again.


    With nothing but pure willpower, Hao Xuan continued to push himself upward and outward until he felt the solid ground under his feet.


    He keeled over, throwing up multiple mouthfuls of blood. Most of his body was covered in second-degree burns that were being healed fast enough to be seen with the naked eye.


    The entire world was spinning around him. He tried standing up but fell down hard.


    With nothing else to do, Hao Xuanid down wherever he was, facing the starry sky.


    For some reason, Xu Qing''s voice rang into his ears at this moment. He could even smell the scent of her hair which reminded him of autumn.


    He could vaguely see her silhouette standing above him. He couldn''t make out what she was saying but the concerned tone of her voice did not escape him.


    Hao Xuan reached out with his hand and managed to actually grab ahold of her hand, causing him to smile.


    He tried to speak up but only more blood came out as soon as he opened his mouth. She quickly ced her hand under Hao Xuan''s head, lifting it higher.


    That was thest thing he remembered before losing consciousness.


    ***


    A few minutes earlier.


    A couple of minutes after Hao Xuan descended into theke, a figure walked out of the forest behind him.


    It was small, less than a meter in length. It was walking on two feet but didn''t look human.


    As it got closer to the shore and out in the open, the starlight illuminated his visage which was simr to that of a bearded Maltese dog. Its body was covered in ck clothes, exposing only its head.


    There was even a small sheathed sword on its back.


    It bent down and sniffed, walking directly up to Hao Xuan''s clothes.


    "Haha, found it! Mydy! Comee, it is here!" it shouted, jumping up and down merrily.


    A rustling sound came from the forest and a few secondster another figure walked out. This one belonged to a human female.


    She wore a light armor that looked like it was made from some kind of stretchable leather type material. It was so tight that if someone didn''t know any better they would think she was sealed inside it rather than wearing it normally.


    Yet it did not cover herpletely. The top only came down to her chest with nothing but a single strap on the back, leaving even the armspletely bare.


    The bottom covered everything but taught enough to leave very little to the imagination, as if glued to her body.


    Anyone belonging to the Academy would instantly recognize her as Princess Ceni.


    She walked out of the foliage and straight up to the dog. Giving his head a light pat, she bent down and took a whiff of Hao Xuan clothes herself.


    "Yeah, it''s him," she mumbled weakly.


    "Did I do good, mydy?!" the dog wagged its tail, jumping up and down a few more times.


    Ceni smiled and rubbed its head again, "Yes Haeti, you did very good!"


    Haeti pranced around in circles in merriment.


    "Hahaha! Yes! Mydy said I did good! Do you see this, bastards!" he shouted in a random direction, making Ceniugh.


    She sat down beside Hao Xuan''s clothes and looked towards the water with a receding smile, her head resting on her arms.


    Meanwhile, Haeti was running around on all fours, announcing every little thing he found while talking to himself.


    "Oh what a nice branch! I shall add you to my collection, rejoice! OHH! Another one! The heavens are indeed favoring me today! I shall keep one for myself and give the other to mydy to cheer her up! She seems to be in low spirits recently..."


    It was like he was incapable of keeping his thoughts to himself and HAD to say it out loud.


    Time went by rather quickly for Haeti as he kept himself busy with one thing or another. Ceni on the other hand silently sat beside Hao Xuan''s clothes.


    She was using his shirt as a pillow, absentmindedly ying with buttons on the cuff.


    The gold bracelet on her left hand had changed shapes. Before it looked more like a bangle but now it looked a lot more stylish and seamlessly melded with her persona.


    But its function had not changed. It was amunication device before, as it was even now.


    On a far far away, fields of different types of flowers surrounded a massive tower.


    At first nce, this tower only had ten levels or so. But the longer one looked at it, the taller it would seem.


    On the veryst level of the tower, however high it was, sat a beautiful youngdy beside a pool of water. There were nts and flowers all around it which made it look very natural. They were giving off thick spiritual energy, albeit in very small amounts.


    The surface of the pond clearly reflected everything that was happening around Ceni.


    Sound of footsteps came from behind her and another girl walked up the steps.


    "Master, Sister Cao has sessfully broken through. She will be visiting soon. Should we prepare a feast?" she asked with a cheeky smile, running up the firstdy.

 Chapter 564: Fate

    <h4>Chapter 564: Fate</h4>


    "Should we prepare a feast, Master Eres?" the girl ran up to thedy and grabbed her arm.


    Thedy named Eres turned her head slightly to face her, her brows furrowed.


    "Min''er, when did youe back?" she asked the girl, "No it doesn''t matter now. Come take a look," she shook her head once and gestured towards the pond.


    Qiu Min was the girl''s name. She was the youngest disciple of the tower.


    Eres was also the tower master here, an extremely powerful individual despite her youthful appearance. Now she was the one that would be in charge of Princess Ceni.


    Qiu Min leaned forward and examined the images in the pond.


    It showed Ceni standing over the now unconscious Hao Xuan. He wasn''t breathing and most of his skin was burnt off but still healing rapidly.


    Ceni picked up his body and carried him over to a nearby tree where the grass was long enough. She gently ced him on the grass. Then she took out some kind of a medicinal paste and started applying it to his hands and face which had the most severe burns.


    All of this was being shown on the pond''s surface with extreme rity. Even the sounds wereing through.


    Qiu Min looked at them for a few seconds before her brows scrunched up as well.


    "Master is she...?"


    "Yes. She will be joining us soon. Soon you won''t be the youngest anymore."


    "Yay! I will be a senior sister soon!" Qiu Min jumped with joy, inviting a light p from Eres.


    "Focus! I want you to read their futures. Do they go well together?"


    Qiu Min rubbed her arm with an exaggerated hurtful expression.


    "Yes..."


    She looked at the pond again. This time the whites of her eyespletely vanished, bing pitch ck throughout.


    Her hair started fluttering without any wind as she looked at the pond without blinking for several minutes. Small beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead.


    This went on for three minutes or so before she finally blinked and her eyes returned to normal.


    Her body swayed and she was about to fall but Eres grabbed her and helped her sit down beside her.


    "What...did you see?" Eres asked hesitantly. Seeing the future was always risky. Sometimes knowing too much would be a hindrance and could create new problems.


    Qiu Min wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve and let out a breath of turbid air.


    "She is so strong. Her blood is seething with power but there is something blocking it."


    Eres nodded, "Yeah she has two bloodlines. They are not working together so we''re already working on fixing that."


    Qiu Min shook her head.


    "No you got it wrong, master. It''s not that her bloodlines are shing with one another, but someone is making them appear that way on purpose. Someone very close to her."


    "What?! Someone is doing that on purpose?" Eres''s brow shot up in surprise.


    They had scrutinized every little detailed about Ceni before contacting her, how was it possible that they missed something this big?!


    Qiu Min nodded, "Yes. Who are her parents?"


    "Her father is a pureblood Vampire, and her mother is a subus. Could it be her father? Does he not want her to awaken her bloodline since it would spell trouble for the crown prince?"


    "Vampire and a subus..." Qiu Min repeated her master''s words with a pondering expression.


    But she shook her head again soon after, "No, it should be her mother then. I couldn''t even clearly see her fate lines because someone was blocking me. Her mother is much more powerful than you thought, master."


    Eres jumped up from her seat.


    "She was able to block you?!"


    Qiu Min was a seer. A bona fide seer trained by her organization. She could see other people''s future and even predict a few things here and there. Although she was young, her powers were unquestionable.


    To be able to block a seer''s abilities, it couldn''t be done just by any random person.


    Qiu Min nodded, "Yes. But I stopped before she could sense I was there. As for that boy, it doesn''t look good."


    She looked towards Hao Xuan''s image in the pond, "The day he met her, his fate changed for the worse. Something terrible will happen to him soon even if he survives her. I only see blood and darkness in his future. He will be used again and again until either he dies or breaks out of the cycle."


    "Poor him, so much pain..." she muttered weakly.


    Qiu Min lowered her head, refusing to look at the pond again. Meanwhile, Eres was upied with other things.


    A short bout of silence followed after. Qiu Min''s spirits had already been dowsed in water and a solemn expression adorned her pretty face as she waited for her master.


    Eres looked at the pond again and saw Ceni innocently smiling without a care in the world as she gently brushed Hao Xuan''s hair with her fingers. Right now they looked like twopletely normal people


    Eres couldn''t help but let out a deep sigh.


    Ceni had gotten too attached to Hao Xuan. Part of it was because of their bloodlines, but mostly it was because of Ceni''s own situation.


    She didn''t have any real friends and no one to talk to. Meeting Hao Xuan gave her an outlet for all of her suppressed emotions and she one-sidedlytched onto him without even realizing it.


    The more she was told to stay away, the stronger these emotions got and now...well, it had bloomed into something more, for better or for worse.


    "Tell Cao''er toe see me as soon as she arrives. Maybe she can give me some insight," Eres said while patting Qiu Min on the head.


    "Yes," Qiu Min gave a respectful bow and feebly walked away. Even her steps had be lighter. She had lost too much energy.


    ***


    Back on the Beast World in the Kingdom of Edda, in the depths of the Royal Pce was a chamber lined with naked bodies.


    Male, female, human, non-humans, all sorts of bodies ''wrestled'' with one another on the floor. At first nce, there were more than a hundred people here.


    The look on each person''s face was that of delight, satisfaction, pleasure, or unquenchable desire as they bit at everything in front of their faces without restraint.


    A bedrge enough to amodate a dozen people was ced on the other side, overlooking the hedonistic scene.


    In the middle of the bed was a beautiful girl no older than twenty. The bottom half of her face was partially covered with a see-through red cloth.


    Around her were nine beautiful men and women, gently massaging her hands and feet.


    They seemed to be in a drunken stupor as they mumbled to themselves.


    "Such beautiful hands mistress has!"


    "The feet! The lovely lovely feet!"


    It seemed like they were incapable of harboring any other thoughts.


    The girl in the middle wasying there with her eyes closed when suddenly she sat up. When she opened her eyes, everyone in the room stopped whatever they were doing and looked towards her without blinking.


    Her eyes resembled purple gemstones, hypnotically divine.


    "Who dares peek at my Ceni''s fate? Have they lost their minds?!"


    Although her tone was filled with anger, the euphony of her melodious voice made everyone listening smile foolishly.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Eres was mentioned in another chapter before but after looking for 3 hours I still can''t find it.


    If Anyone remembers please mention the chapter number/name.

 Chapter 565: Mistress

    <h4>Chapter 565: Mistress</h4>


    "Have they lost their minds?!" she shouted in anger and stood up on the bed.


    The space warped around and she appeared in another ce several thousand meters away.


    It was a wide-open courtyard ending in a domed building without doors. Hundreds of people busily walked about, either tending to the beautiful flowers and trees in the courtyard or cleaning and polishing furniture inside the domed building.


    The building itself seemed to be carved out of a single white marble-like rock but it was obviously much more than that. Perhaps a precious stone that had other uses.


    The girl appeared in the center of the domed building, in thergest hall with a ''whop'' sound. Everyone present fell to their knees instantly, not even bothering to check if it actually was her.


    None of them dared to raise their heads.


    She was Ceni''s mother and the Royal Concubine of the Vampire Lord, the Ruler of the Kingdom of Edda.


    Ignoring their existencepletely, she walked up to the only seat in the hall that was ced at the very end.


    She sat down and snapped her fingers. Every other person vanished as if they were never there.


    Resting her head on her right hand, she silently stared at the empty space before her.


    If one didn''t know any better, they would think she was just an ordinary girl, only extremely beautiful.


    She was wearing a loose purple dress, the same color as her eyes. But even through the dress it was easy to make out her curvaceous body line.


    She was not overly pale or too tan. Her long hair came down to her lower back, seemingly changing color at will. One second they were ck, another dark red, and another second green.


    Every single movement she made was seductive and erotic in its own right.


    Whether it was a man or woman, just looking at her sitting there with her legs crossed with a light frown on her picturesque face would be enough to rile them up, giving birth to dangerous, almost maniacal feelings of lust and lechery.


    Every inch of skin she showed was enough to make a weak-willed man go crazy with desire.


    She sat on the throne,pletely alone in the hall. One leg over the other, she did not even have any footwear on. Her foot dancing in the air in a strange rhythm.


    Less than a minute had passed when the sound of footsteps came from the front of the building and a blindfolded man walked in.


    He was tall, wearing a ck suit. From a first nce he looked like a model, extremely handsome. He stopped ten meters away from the throne and got down on one knee.


    "You called, mistress."


    His voice had a iming effect, opposite to that of Ceni''s mother which would only excite others.


    And as he lowered his head, a pair of small ck horns revealed themselves from within his hair.


    "Where is Ceni right now?" displeasure apparent in her tone.


    "Taking the exam, mistress. On a some distance away, along with all the other students. Is there a problem?" he asked with a kindly smile.


    Her foot that had been bobbing up and down till now suddenly stopped.


    "Yes, something is very wrong," she looked towards the man, "Someone just tried to catch a glimpse of her fate. Someone powerful enough to escape with their soul intact after undertaking such a thoughtless task."


    The man went silent and the smile vanished. His eyes moved left and right under the blindfold and a momentter he stood up.


    "Shall I go and fetch the princess?" he asked casually.


    If one didn''t know any better they would think Ceni was just a room or two away, and not on another in the deep space.


    A pondering expression adorned her face for a moment before she hesitantly shook her head.


    "As much as I want Ceni beside me, I promised her freedom until she turned eighteen. Find out everything that happened since she has left the kingdom. Every little detail. I want to see who is ignorant enough to dare meddle in my affairs!" she ryed her orders and gestured with her chin towards the door.


    "Yes, mistress," the man was about to turn around but paused, "Should I inform the master?"


    She shook her head, "No need. He is busy with the ceremony. I will tell him when it is time."


    "Yes," he bowed and slowly walked out of the hall.


    She sat there for a few more minutes before snapping her fingers again.


    Everyone that had vanished reappeared all at once in the exact same positions, as if they had never left. But this time they acted as such, or perhaps they really couldn''t see her sitting on the throne.


    They went about their tasks normally.


    One thing to note was their expression. All of them had the exact same expression on their faces.


    A twisted grin, wide enough to show all of their teeth. It never left their face for even a second.


    The light came in from the multicolored windows casting a shadow behind the throne, a shadow much bigger and much MUCH different than that of the picture perfect Royal Concubine herself.


    It did not belong to a human.


    Two thin long horns erected outwards with several pairs of wings. Where her legs should have been was a ck mass of swirling darkness.


    Vague faces and asional sounds could be hearding from this swirling mass. The faces were of many different people, but they were all doing the same thing.


    Begging. Some for relief, others for death. Their cries for help echoed in the hall but no one else could hear them or if they could, they did not care.


    ***


    Back on the, Ceni gently cradled Hao Xuan''s injured head in herp, softly moving her fingers along his nose and eyebrowspletely unaware of the two forces that were fighting over her.

 Chapter 566: Mad...

    <h4>Chapter 566: Mad...</h4>


    The moonlight flickered through the leaves, falling on Ceni''s hand that protectively hovered above Hao Xuan''s face.


    Ceni''s other hand was below his head, acting as a cushion between her legs and Hao Xuan''s head.


    She had already dressed him just like all those times before on the ship, bing almost second nature to her now.


    Her lips couldn''t help but arch into an innocent little smile as she explored Hao Xuan''s face, scrutinizing every little detail, trying to ingrain his visage in her memory.


    Her pupils were dted to the extreme. It wouldn''t be far fetched to say that she was properly bewitched at the moment, forced to wake up from that dazed state after hearing the rustling caused by Haeti.


    Haeti ran up to Ceni on all fours and neatly ced an assortment of ''fine'' sticks on the ground beside her.


    "Mydy, which do you like the best??" he asked excitedly, but only got a "Hmm" in response.


    Ceni didn''t even bother looking up.


    Surprised, Haeti moved closer and inspect Hao Xuan''s face from several different directions before giving up.


    Stumped, he sat down on his hind legs like a person. Ovee by curiosity he could not help but inquire further.


    "Why does mydy like this human so much?"


    The smile widened, covering almost the entire bottom half of her face.


    "Because he is everything that I am not," she replied absentmindedly.


    Haeti''s brow scrunched up in confusion and after a moment of contemtion he spoke up again.


    "Ugly? Does mydy like ugly things? No, that cannot be. Mydy loves me so that cannot be true!" he shook his head, answering his own question.


    Ceni couldn''t help but giggle, finally looking towards Haeti.


    "No silly. It''s because he is a nice person. Even though he tries to be mean, but deep down he is always worried about others. He cares for people that have nothing to do with him. He can feel their pain and empathize with them in a way I could never do."


    "He is warm and loving, like my very own sun..."


    She looked back down again as her smile widened once more, "And he''s not too bad to look at either," she mumbled as a red hue overtook her cheeks.


    Haeti''s head turned 90 degrees to the left with one brow shooting upwards, "But I thought he already had a mate?"


    Ceni''s smile faltered but she still nodded slowly.


    "Then will you also be his mate too?"


    Ceni shook her head firmly, releasing a small amount of killing intent unconsciously.


    "Of course not. I''m more than enough for him. As long as I stay beside him, he won''t need anyone else. I will make him forget everything and everyone else, so he can only look at me," her eyes turned a shade of crimson for an instant before returning to normal.


    Haeti was about to speak up again but his ears suddenly perked up. He quickly stood up and unsheathed the small de on his back.


    Looking towards theke he let out a low growl.


    "What is it?" his sudden movements sessfully caught Ceni''s attention.


    "Enemies. The water is angry and sad, hurting. They areing!" Haeti replied through his teeth.


    Even though he was talking normally, his expression resembled that of a wild dog that was about to go against a much bigger foe.


    Ceni quickly shook her head and stood up, holding Hao Xuan in her arms.


    "No, we can''t fight here. Let''s go, now!" she ordered.


    She had only taken a single step when she suddenly froze and slowly looked down, seeing a pair of misty green eyes staring up at her.


    "What are you doing?" Hao Xuan''s apathetic voice reached her ears.


    Ceni let out a shriek and jumped, dropping Hao Xuan.


    "PERVERT!" she shouted while covering her chest.


    Hao Xuan''s head hit the ground hard, cracking it (the ground).


    He slowly stood up and rubbed the back of his head, still a little confused.


    "I asked you a question, Princess."


    "S-Saving you!" Ceni replied, flustered. But then she pointed towards him with mock anger, "But you! How could you do that!? I was only trying to help and yo-you-"


    "You what?" he asked unhurriedly, dusting off his clothes.


    "You looked!" Ceni shouted, her face beet red by now.


    Haeti switched targets, standing between Hao Xuan and Ceni now, his de pointing towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan stretched his back and legs, getting a few cracks before replying.


    "All I did was open my eyes and catch a kidnapper in the act. Are you mad because you got caught?" he looked towards her with an expressionless face.


    Mad, Ceni bent down and took off her shoe to throw towards Hao Xuan''s face but was stopped by the sound of water waves.


    All three of them looked towards theke and saw the bubbling water.


    Hundreds of water bubbles kepting up to the surface every second and the water level kept rising continuously.


    In thest couple of minutes that they had been talking, it had risen more than 3 feet, reaching the base of the forest by now.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted to the size of needles as he leaped towards Ceni, grabbing her arm and running in the opposite direction.


    "RUN!"

 Chapter 567: A new reality

    <h4>Chapter 567: A new reality</h4>


    It had been a little over an hour since Jax arrived at the town with the native boys and the now partially disabled mercenaries.


    It was a small encampment at first, situated on the side of a forest, near the south end of the tallest mountain within a hundred kilometers.


    It was so small in fact that it did not even have a name. There were just a handful of old cabins and huts there.


    The only people who lived in this ce were retired hunters and those folks that did not fit in anywhere else or had nowhere to go.


    These scant few men and women lived simple lives. Hunting and gathering most of the day and eating what they had gathered or preparing it to be eaten in the remaining time.


    But since the cultivators arrived en masse, many people had migrated here.


    And soon after, the cultivators had followed suit.


    First came the beautiful youngsters with their new ideas, educating the natives about the world outside. Then most of them left, leaving only the mercenaries behind that made sure that every native was properly inducted into their respective roles, reforming them from the ground up.


    There was safety here, more food than they could ever need, and a chance to start a new life. They were promised many things if they chose to side with any of the three main powers.


    Jax was in his early forties, some would say still in the prime of his life. He was a great hunter and a better person.


    He had moved here after losing his only son to a rare disease some years back. He often thanked that his son passed away before any of this nonsense started otherwise he would have suffered in vain.


    On the first night alone after his son''s passing, Jax had a strange dream. He then saw the same dream several times over the course of the next few years, stopping only when he moved here.


    In the dream he was always a bird. An unremarkable and insignificant species of bird that was found almost everywhere on their. It was too small to even eat and posed no threat to anyone else.


    It would be equivalent to a sparrow from earth.


    He flew around from one ce to another, seeing the mes of war burn every town and city to the ground. Here, death and destruction were asmonce as furniture in a house.


    He saw new threats emerge. Some came from the water they drank, some came from the earth they lived on. And some from the dead.


    It always ended the same way, with the death of his people.


    They were sold and bartered like cattle and in the end, were left without a home. They died surrounded by a cold darkness, surrounded by monsters and demons he never knew existed.


    And he was always powerless to do anything but watch. It was a cruel dream, one that haunted him even when he was awake.


    And when the first cultivators arrived, that dream started to be a new reality.


    The same cities and towns he saw in his vision were the first ones to fall. Some to foreign influences, many to infighting and discord among his own people.


    And then came the new threats.


    In many ces the ground opened up and hideous creatures crawled out. The cultivators called them ''entrances'' to some sort of a tomb buried deep underground.


    In a few ces there were rumors of the deading back to life. They crawled out of their graves and fed on the flesh of the living but were gone by daylight.


    He never could confirm the validity of these stories. Every ce mentioned in the rumors had already fallen and was nothing but ruins by now.


    One of the most dangerous threats especially to his own people was supposed toe from theke near his new home.


    In the dream he had seen an army crawl out of the water, led by a four-eyed creature that was always shrouded in a ck fog.


    There were a few times where the dream ended prematurely when he got too close to this creature was then killed by it. Even in the dream he did not dare get too close to this monster for it could react to his presence.


    How that was possible he could never even begin to imagine.


    From the sky, he could see an entrance at the bottom of theke. Or was it an exit? Either way, an endless stream of bipedal creatures crawled out of thiske and spread in every direction.


    He had seen it a thousand times...


    And the arrival of this army signaled the beginning of the end for his people.


    Determined to change these dreams that had alle true until now, he started spreading rumors of a treasure located at the bottom of theke.


    Unfortunately, none of the powerful youngsters really listened to him. Only a few of their washed-out guard dogs were interested.


    When they felt the earthquake that day, that was the first thing that came to their mind. A great treasure finally showing itself!


    And when they got there, a young man casuallyid waste to all of them.


    Jax was shocked to his core.


    He had never seen Hao Xuan in any of his dreams. He did not exist there.

 Chapter 568: Miscalculation

    <h4>Chapter 568: Miscalction</h4>


    Huffing and puffing, Hao Xuan and Ceni ran into the night hand in hand with Haeti alongside them, jumping from treetop to treetop.


    Well, it was more along the lines of Hao Xuan running and Ceni being dragged behind him like a child, but she wasn''t one toin.


    Instead, a somewhat goofy smile decorated the beauty''s face.


    Behind them, the enraged growls of the water dwellers could be heard getting closer by the second. Without any extra information, Hao Xuan had decided to call them the mermen. Whether or not that was true, that remained to be seen.


    But for creatures that lived in the water, they were rather quick on their feet.


    They passed by a small clearing and took cover in a nearby thicketden with some kind of yellow flower. Less than 10 secondster the mermen arrived.


    They stopped just on the other side of the clearing, looking around with their ck eyes.


    Hao Xuan inspected them from afar. In total, there were about two dozen of them at first nce.


    Most of them were covered in skin-deepcerations, leaking a bright red liquid. Other than two, all the others were holding various melee weapons that looked like they were fashioned fromrge bones, ''grown'' rather than made.


    The remaining two had blue halos above their heads, at a height of approximately 20 centimeters hovering in the air. It looked like they were made from a blue me. Rows of small bones jetted out of the top of their scalps, forming a natural crown right below the halos.


    Four sharp digits on each hand that looked like ws along with fins covered various parts of their bodies. These two had the most human-like bodies and they were half a size bigger than the rest as well.


    Under the moonlight, theirplete forms were visible.


    Ceni who hadn''t paid any attention to her pursuers and was living in a blissful world of her own finally awoke from her stupor.


    She saw their slimy fish-like scaly skin and a face with nothing but arge gaping mouth and two pitch-ck eyes and was left speechless.


    The only difference between these creatures and the one Hao Xuan saw in the water was that these creatures had two human legs instead of a fishtail. They were walking upright like humans.


    She looked towards Hao Xuan intending to ask about their origin but stopped.


    Hao Xuan had closed his eyes and was listening to the surroundings. He could hear their heartbeats that were 3-4 times faster than that of an average human.


    The tworger unarmed mermen had much stronger heartbeats as well. It wasn''t hard to tell that they were obviously in charge.


    Thankfully, it didn''t seem like they had strong senses or if they did, they did not work as well out of the water since they still hadn''t discovered Hao Xuan and Ceni''s exact location even though they were less than 30 meters away from each other.


    As he closed of all the other senses one by one, Hao Xuan''s hearing slowly got stronger and stronger until he could everything within three thousand meters. A momentter he opened his eyes and all his senses returned to normal.


    "The town is behind us to the left. We have to lead these guys to the other side," he whispered.


    With him having dismembered most of the mercenaries that were the town''s main source of protection, it would be a bloodbath if the mermen were to identallye upon it right now.


    "Why? There should be people there that could help us. That''s our best option right now," Ceni countered, a little confused.


    Hao Xuan didn''t want to tell her what he did so he flicked her forehead instead, "Listen to your elders," he said in a solemn voice which made Ceni almost break outughing.


    "Alright then "Elder". Lead the way," she made an exaggerated gesture, almost bowing to Hao Xuan.


    Now that they had gathered some strength and gotten an idea of their surroundings, the pursuit started once again.


    Hao Xuan who was still holding onto Ceni''s hand for some reason jumped the other way, making as much noise as possible to attract the mermen.


    When the tworger ones saw Hao Xuan, their halos suddenly started burning with a much brighter light. They let out rather high pitched screams and ran after than, resuming the chase.


    But this time it wasn''t as easy as before.


    Therger mermen pointed their ws towards Hao Xuan yelling in a foreignnguage that even Hao Xuan couldn''t understand.


    A momentter the area Hao Xuan was standing on exploded from inside out.


    They had started the assault and their only target was Hao Xuan.


    What Hao Xuan wasn''t aware of was that the town was more like a bustling city. Tens of thousands of natives lived here and almost the entire force from the Academy as well as the Temple had gathered here, using it as their temporary base.


    There were hundreds of cultivators there, all itching for a fight.


    If Hao Xuan had decided to head towards them, the mermen would not have been much trouble. But now both he and Ceni were on their own, moving further away by the second.


    Back at the bottom of theke, a bloody mess surrounded arge rock formation. The cliff that seemed to lead straight down without an end in sight was now nowhere to be seen.


    The surviving mermen that numbered less than a hundred now surrounded this rock formation, wailing without making a sound, as if they had lost a loved one.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Reference image for the mermen:


    Long: https://i.pinimg/564x/ae/a4/61/aea461676cf89d3931adc3f60ca49187.jpg


    Shortened: https://urlzs/RNzfq


    Also don''t forget to vote and review if you like the novel!

 Chapter 569: Time is now

    <h4>Chapter 569: Time is now</h4>


    Those lucky enough to be born with the innate ability to control a specific type of magic are called sorcerers.


    Only they themselves can know what is the best path for them to follow, requiring a long time and an enduring heart to make any notable achievements in their lifetimes.


    Their magical power often overflows and is not easy to bring under control. Their spells are limited in quantity but can be easily adapted for different situations, giving them an upper hand under most circumstances.


    In the case of mermen, the difference in their physical forms is quite an obvious indicator of their innate abilities.


    Most normal mermen have superhuman strength, the ability to partially shapeshift when in water, and an intelligence on par with teenaged humans. But some of them are born with magical powers and are in turn superior to others of their race.


    The halos of blueish mes above the heads of the two of the mermen following Hao Xuan and Ceni would suggest that they were just such beings.


    Unlike normal fire, these mes were much different, using ''mana'' to burn. They also don''t have the same effects as ordinary mes and cannot be put out by water.


    As long as there is mana inside their bodies, the mes will continue to burn no matter the environment.


    The magics of these two sorcerers were from a branch of sound magic.


    Muttering spells in their nativenguage, they summoned concentrated shockwaves that could destroy objects as soon as they came in contact with it.


    Wherever Hao Xuan and Ceni passed from, a momentter the ground would explode leaving several meter wide craters in their wake.


    Hao Xuan did the best he could to avoid them but asionally a shockwave would pass a little too close by, injuring him from inside out.


    It didn''t matter how tough his muscles were, the spells these sorcerers were using utilized their target''s own strength against it by destabilizing the natural frequency of their body to such a degree that it would erupt in a flurry of intense energy, effectively destroying itself from within.


    It was a good thing they were in a forest and could use trees as cover to break their line of sight otherwise they would not havested this long.


    In less than 10 minutes they had covered dozens of kilometers on foot and it did not look like the mermen were willing to give up any time soon.


    Ceni obviously did not have the physical aptitude to pull off something like this so Hao Xuan had to step in and carry her in a princess pose after a few minutes into the chase.


    Thankfully, Haeti was more than fast enough to outrun everyone else and went ahead to scout. He was able tomunicate with Ceni telepathically, just like Hao Xuan''s severs could talk to him.


    He ryed the information to her and she passed it onto Hao Xuan.


    "Take a left in 40 meters when you see the big tree," she muttered right into Hao Xuan''s ears, giving him goosebumps.


    He wanted to tell her to stop but right now he didn''t even have time to take a deep breath let alone speak. He had taken a partial attack head-on and lost all sensation in his left arm.


    The bicep was exposed, a dark purple bruise covering the majority of his upper arm. And it wasn''t healing on its own either. Hao Xuan could feel an unknown energy rampaging within his flesh.


    Baracus''s loud voice echoed in his head.


    "Warning! Do not get close to their attacks, they can destroy the nanomachines inside your bloodstream. Efficiency has dropped by 8%."


    A simple graze had managed to destroy over 8% of the nanomachines.


    "Redirect power to lower limbs, 50%," he gave the order.


    It was a good thing Hao Xuan didn''t need to speak out loud to givemands to Baracus otherwise it would have been a problem.


    He nced behind and saw the mermen hot on his tail. The sorcerers were still waving their hands in the air like madmen but the random explosions had reduced significantly.


    They were also running low on mana and had to conserve their strength.


    The nanomachines moved towards Hao Xuan''s legs and started working on his muscles, reducing the strain on his body. He could feel his legs expanding by an inch but he didn''t increase his speed just yet.


    Instead Hao Xuan used this opportunity to talk to Ceni.


    "Can you fight? I just need you to hold off one of them for a few minutes," he said referring to the sorcerers.


    Ceni nodded right away, "I can. When?"


    Hao Xuan looked ahead and saw the tree they were told about earlier.


    "Now," he mumbled before throwing Ceni towards it.


    He then extended his right hand and the ive appeared in his grasp.


    Hao Xuan stomped on the ground with such strength that it exploded underneath his feet. He used that force to turn 180 degrees mid-sprint and ran right into his unsuspecting pursuers.


    It took some time to exin all this but in reality less than a second had passed for all these events to unfold. Hao Xuan held the ive horizontally and swung it left to right.

 Chapter 570: Royal Blood

    <h4>Chapter 570: Royal Blood</h4>


    Throwing caution to the wind, Hao Xuan held the ive horizontally and swung it from left to right without any regard for his own safety. He put every little bit of strength he could muster behind that swing.


    Only in a situation like this would such a wide and open attack had any chance of connecting with its intended target.


    His movement was so sudden that the mermen werepletely caught off guard. No one expected him to do something so utterly preposterous.


    The first and the closest mermen to Hao Xuan were those carrying light weapons like serrated swords and daggers. There were five of them and they were also the ones that took that attack head-on.


    Hao Xuan''s body swung in mid-air like a top. Using that momentum and the force generated by the previous movements, he only used raw strength to go against these monsters.


    It looked shy but the idea behind it was very simple, to hit hard and fast.


    With Hao Xuan''s long arm and the already gigantic ive, the attacks reach was more than 4 meters with every swing.


    The first swing cut two mermen in half. Their lower bodies kept running and went past Hao Xuan while the upper bodies were thrown to the side.


    One full rotation finished and the second swing came in.


    The mermen''s superhuman abilities exhibited themselves at this moment and they quickly reacted.


    Of the remaining three, two of them ducked and the third one that was on the outside used his sword to block the ive head-on.


    Yet how could it be so easy? The ive itself weighed dozens of kilograms not to mention the force Hao Xuan had put in.


    Soon as the sword came into contact with the ive''s de it shattered into pieces. The pieces shot into that merman before the ive reached him, turning him to fish paste almost instantly.


    The sorcerers also reacted at this point. Both of them started reciting spells. aiming for Hao Xuan''s body.


    "AAAAH!" Hao Xuan shouted trying to stop himself from doing another rotation but that was easier said than done.


    His left arm was almost useless at this point and his right arm was not enough to stop the ive.


    All he could do was aim it in the general direction of the mermen and throw it like a boomerang, which he managed to pull off somehow.


    With a loud whooshing sound much like the des of a helicopter, the ive shot towards the sorcerers before they could finish their spells, forcing them to jump out of the way.


    Hao Xuan himself was still spinning in the air. Without the ive to keep him bnced he was like a kite with its string cut off and was thrown to the left, impacting back-first with a tree, breaking it in half.


    Before he could get on his feet, a high-pitched noise sounded from his front and left sides. Still a little dizzy, Hao Xuan looked towards the source and saw the sorcerers once again preparing to cast their spells.


    He tried to stand up but his body was not listening to him just yet and he fell to his knees.


    "Full power to defenses!" Hao Xuan ordered inwardly as ast resort but he knew if those attacks hit, there was very little chance toe out of it alive.


    "NIDHORA!" he shouted trying to activate her abilities.


    He could feel her power bubbling inside of him but it did note out no matter how much he tried.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he roared in anger, realizing what was happening.


    Nidhora was holding her power back on purpose.


    The high-pitched noise got so loud that he could not even hear himself think anymore. Left with no other choice, Hao Xuan covered his head with both his arms as ast resort, hoping that would be enough.


    So much had happened in such a short amount of time that Hao Xuan hadpletely forgotten about the girl he had asked for help.


    Fortunately, she did not abandon him in his time of need.


    *BOOM*


    Something exploded in front of him.


    Hao Xuan felt a sudden spike in temperature but didn''t feel any pain. Curious, he opened his eyes halfway and saw one of the sorcerers hovering in the air not far from him.


    A zing red chain was coiled around him like a serpent, digging into his flesh. He let out a blood-curdling scream fueled by pure terror but before anyone could do anything to help him, his body shriveled up and turned to ash in the blink of an eye.


    Hao Xuan followed the chain to its source and saw Ceni standing on the other end.


    She looked furious!


    She lightly waved her hand and the chain moved back like it was alive. Hao Xuan could hear a low thrum emanating from it.


    "A weapon spirit!" he shouted.

 Chapter 571: Seamless

    <h4>Chapter 571: Seamless</h4>


    "A weapon spirit?!" Hao Xuan couldn''t help but exim seeing the bloody chain move about of its own volition.


    Weapon Spirits were rtively rare and took a long time and a lot of resources to properly flourish and awaken.


    Hao Xuan''s own ive had a weapon spirit as well, the only difference being that his was still dormant, nothing more than a collection of random emotions and instincts at its current stage while this one was alive.


    He didn''t know how but he could feel it, almost like a sixth sense. If he looked with his spiritual sense instead of his eyes, it would be easy to mistake it for a living creature.


    Hao Xuan examined the chain in a bit more detail.


    It looked like it was made from a red metal of some sort, continuously emanating with a red light that pulsed along each of its links. It seemed to be mimicking human breathing.


    The other end of the chain was tightly wound around Ceni''s left hand. She lightly pulled back her arm and the chain swung back around, encircling her while still keeping up those strange movements.


    The light that was giving it the red glow also seemed to have diminished by several degrees. The earlier attack had probably taken quite a bit of toll on both of them.


    Ceni looked quite pale even under the moonlight but her expression had not changed a bit. She was still seething with resentment and animosity towards the mermen, much to her own ignorance.


    The other sorcerer quickly backed up, putting a fair bit of distance between himself and Ceni. He stood behind the other mermen that had all caught up to them by now.


    There were still 19 of them, including thest sorcerer. This was not going to be an easy fight but thanks to Ceni, just her standing there was enough to unnerve the mermen and put them on guard just in case she attacked again.


    Hao Xuan took this opportunity to run towards the ive which had skewered a merman halfway into the ground a few meters away.


    He pulled it out in one swift motion and swung towards the nearest merman, breaking the brief spell of calmness that had fallen over them.


    There was no time like the present, especially since he was on the clock. The nanomachines could only provide him with some added enhancements for a limited period after which he would be left weakened and vulnerable.


    And since Ceni had already used up a significant amount of Qi just summoning her weapon spirit and attacking once, he couldn''t count on her to protect them both. Not to mention a live weapon spirit used up Qi constantly when it was summoned.


    Hao Xuan could feel her getting weaker by the second, although he didn''t yet understand how that was possible.


    Hao Xuan was the vanguard while Ceni stood at the back ready to strike at a moment''s notice. Her presence alone was enough to slow the flow of battle just enough for Hao Xuan to move around with ease.


    He utilized a variation of the famed blitzkrieg method of warfare with himself as the mechanized mobile unit, swiftly moving in and out of the enemy ranks with the help of the Imperial ive Doctrine that had taught him how to maneuver in close rangebat.


    He kept his body low and feet far apart, using the tip of his toes to nimbly dodge any sudden attacks.


    And when Hao Xuan messed up and was about to get hit, Ceni would jump in and unleash an attack or two. And when Ceni left herself open, Hao Xuan put himself in between her and the mermen, viciously cutting down anything that got close.


    They didn''t need tomunicate such things and worked together seamlessly.


    It wasn''t that Hao Xuan himself was such a great fighter that he was able to pull something like this off, but it was due to Ceni''s supportive role that made it possible for him to take risks that would never work if he was alone.


    There was nothing better than a life or death battle to test the limits of any rtionship, even one that barely existed. He trusted her to have his back and she trusted him to keep them far enough away.


    The fightsted less than half an hour.


    Hao Xuan used a tree to propel himself towards the Sorcerer that was almost out of mana, evident by the flickering blue halo atop its head. It tried to cast a spell but as usual Ceni''s chain came in just in time, interrupting and distracting him long enough that Hao Xuan got close enough to impale thest merman like a fish.


    His body iled about trying to break free but only managed to push himself further down the de, effectively ending its life.


    Hao Xuan''s chest moved up and down with great effort as he released the grip on the ive and fell to the ground.


    Right behind him Ceni had much the same reaction. The Chain was already gone and the shortsword she had in her grasp fell from her hand as her knees buckled.


    She was covered in sweat from top to bottom and her face was devoid of any color.

 Chapter 572: Connection

    <h4>Chapter 572: Connection</h4>


    The ive fell on the now muddy ground, its de still half embedded in the sorcerer''s chest.


    The sorcerer''s halo flickered a few times and finally went out, signaling the end of the fight.


    Hao Xuan''s chest heaved up and down as fatigue from the battle and the preceding chase thatsted for more than sixty kilometers finally took over.


    The nanomachines had stopped functioning several minutes ago so he waspletely on his own since then.


    All of thesebined, the toll on his body was immense, much more than what initially he expected. His arms and legs felt like they were made of lead. His body was covered in small andrge wounds and the blood loss was making him light-headed.


    He took a few seconds to catch his breath before recalling the ive to his meridian.


    "Haha...I''m gonna feel this tomorrow," he chuckled looking up at the moon but the response he was waiting for didn''te.


    Hao Xuan turned around with some effort and saw Ceniying a few meters behind him.


    "Oi Princess, don''t go falling asleep here," he spoke a little louder this time but she didn''t react at all.


    "Damnit," he cursed under his breath and stood up. Every single muscle in his body was screaming for help.


    Slowly limping over to Ceni he tapped her on the shoulder, not getting a response. Again, with a little more strength this time but the result was the same.


    "Did she pass out?"


    He ced two fingers on her neck and checked her pulse, barely feeling anything.


    "Baracus run a scan on her now!" he ordered immediately.


    *Beep*


    Baracus activated with his iconic signal tone and gave instructions.


    "ce your hand on the target''s heart."


    Hao Xuan looked towards the passed out princess and where her ''heart'' would be, awkwardly pulling his arm back.


    "Does it...HAVE to be her heart?" he asked hesitantly.


    "Is there a problem?" Baracus inquired, a little confused.


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Well...yeah. I can''t just grope her like that, it feels like I''m taking adv-"


    But Baracus cut him off mid-sentence to rify further, "On the females back. That would be enough for a reading."


    "Oh...good....good"


    Hao Xuan didn''t say anything else and did as instructed. The bottom of his palm lit up with blue lights as he gently ced it on her back.


    Baracus only needed a few seconds to run several full-body scans.


    "Extremely low blood pressure, heart rate is 50 BPM and falling. Almost zero nutrients in her bloodstream. Cardiac arrest and brain death imminent within 180 seconds," he ryed all the important information to Hao Xuan in the vernacr so he could easily follow.


    "WHAT?!" Hao Xuan shouted out of shock. He just thought she passed out from exhaustion, not that she was teetering on death''s doorstep.


    He panicked, thinking of any medications he still had left.


    "Baracus, what do I have in storage?"


    "Nothing that would help her," Baracus gave him the bad news already aware of his intentions.


    "Fuck," Hao Xuan cursed in his usual manner.


    "Why did you push yourself so hard, idiot," he said looking at her paleplexion. It looked like someone had painted her face white.


    Ceni''s jaw was mping down with such force that it looked like her teeth were about to break off. Her face ashen and drawn in a look of pain. She had obviously been suffering a lot on her own without saying a word out loud so as not to distract Hao Xuan during the fight.


    "Stupid woman," Hao Xuan mumbled and reached out to wipe the sweat of her forehead.


    There was nothing else he could do for her right now and his heart ached thinking of it.


    But as soon as they made contact, a sudden jolt of electricity ran up his arm and towards his left chest.


    *Badump*Badump*


    He felt two heartbeats in his own heart. It actually felt like there was something else there.


    And Ceni who was unresponsive until now suddenly trembled.


    *Beep*


    "Blood pressure rising!" a written notification popped in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    Several other numbers and graphs popped up, each giving real-time information about each of her vitals.


    "How..." Hao Xuan mumbled in a daze. He could feel every single thing about her body like it was his own. It gave off such a familiar feeling that one would think they were twins.


    Hao Xuan''s heartrate synchronized with Ceni''s, slowly bringing it back up. He could feel a stream of thick energy going through his body towards her, but he didn''t know where it wasing from.


    Just a couple of minutester color returned to her now rosy cheeks. Her eyelids fluttered and slowly lifted.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Just moved houses today and finally have some privacy.


    Expect an increase in the frequency and length of daily chapters from this week onward and soon even "privileged" chapters if everything works out well.


    Have a good day ya''ll and even though it is a Monday, try to have fun!

 Chapter 573: Connection Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 573: Connection Continued.</h4>


    For as long as humans have existed, the tales of wicked supernatural entities with mysterious and unnatural powers have followed suit. Many believed them to be stories made up to teach children to behave or in some cases even adults, but no real proof was brought to light for such creatures.


    Yet almost every religious text mentions them in one form or another.


    Some call them demons, malefic entities capable of great evil, using their powers to influence humans in many shapes and forms throughout history. They incite us, leading those weak enough to listen to their whispers into a world of depravity and immorality.


    But some just refer to them as another race much different from ours. If we were made from the earth, they were made from a smokeless me. And just like us, they also have good and bad individuals among their ranks.


    Call them demons, Jinn, gods, fallen angels or anything else, but they exist in the shadows.


    In the end though, it alles down to what ''you'' want to believe. Because that power of belief is much stronger than what any of us realize...


    One such entity that is often overlooked but is vicious and as old as humanity itself, if not older. It is depicted as a beautiful seductress or enchantress, rather than as demonic or frightening.


    It can shake the hearts of the hardest of men with a single nce, break them with a little more than a coy smile, and bend them to its will with a single bewitching gesture that will stay with them till the end of their lives.


    They feast upon their essence, taking it for themselves. They can show themselves in many ways whether the victim is awake or dreaming, and they are just as deadly on either side.


    Mostmonly they are known as ''Subi''.


    It is believed that one of the first Arch Demons born from the desires of man was a subus and her power to corrupt was nearly unmatched.


    ****


    Ceni''s eyelids fluttered and slowly parted. From Hao Xuan''s perspective it looked like she was moving in slow motion, or rather time itself had slowed down around them.


    He could feel her heart beating inside his body, and she could feel his blood coursing through her veins. It was like they had be one in body and mind, a strange moment of realization for both of them.


    Hao Xuan looked at her misty eyes, seeing his own reflection in the red-ish irises that seemed to be able to hold an entire world inside them.


    At that moment he could feel her emotions as if they were his own and he couldn''t bear to look away, not until Ceni blinked and broke off eye contact first.


    In that short moment, he couldn''t think about anything else nor harbor any thoughts other than the ones about Ceni. It was like his brain stopped working for a moment and he did not yet understand why.


    While Hao Xuan was staring at her in a daze, Ceni could peer into his mind like an open book. She knew what he was feeling both emotionally and physically, what he wanted, and who currently held his heart.


    Unknowingly at such a crucial moment, Ceni''s dormant bloodline hade alive. The bloodline of the Royal Concubine of the Kingdom of Edda had started running through her bloodstream.


    And the potency of her powers that showed itself without even her knowledge was proof enough of how powerful it was.


    With a single look she was able to render Hao Xuan defenseless and pry open his deepest thoughts and desires. One look was all it took.


    "What...happened?" Ceni asked in a low voice, not wanting to move.


    Hao Xuan who still had his hand ced on Ceni''s forehead woke up from his stupor. A tinge of red crept upon his face.


    "No...nothing. You just passed out," he quickly looked away before taking a step back. His heart was beating like a drum.


    Ceni looked around and saw the remnants of the battle around her, recalling the events of thest hour or so.


    Hao Xuan nced at her from the side and turned away.


    "You seem to be doing much better now so I will take my leave. Go straight back to the town or the walking city, do not wander around. The smell of blood will attract other beasts so don''t stay here too long," he gave a few words of advice and left withrge strides post haste.


    Ceni didn''t even have time to respond before Hao Xuan''s silhouette vanished into the dark night.


    Sheid on the ground, unmoving. Falling deeper into a myriad of distracting thoughts all the while feeling the warmth left behind from Hao Xuan''s touch.


    To her it felt like wine, an enchanting feeling of intoxication. She blushed realizing the thoughts that were going through her mind.


    After a few minutes of rest she waved her hand and Haeti appeared beside her.


    "Mydy! I was so worried!" he cried while falling to his knees dramatically.


    Ceni turned over andid on her back against the cold ground with a foolish smile on her face.


    "Hehehe, there is hope. He doesn''t hate me!" she said blithely, giggling idiotically. "Tell teacher I am ready. I will join her."


    Haeti who was in the middle of prostrating paused and nodded with a grin, "Master will be happy to know that mydy hase around," hemented before vanishing in a puff of smoke.


    ***


    Some distance away Hao Xuan was running through the forest with newfound vigor. Or rather he wanted to put as much distance between Ceni and himself as possible.


    He only stopped when his legs stopped listening to him and he missed a step, falling face-first into a bush.


    "Something is not right with her," he mumbled cleaning the blood of his face.


    Earlier he had also felt what Ceni was feeling. An emotion so powerful that he felt suffocated just thinking about it.


    Hao Xuan crawled through the shrubbery until he found a safe enough ce.


    "Baracus I''m going to take a nap, wake me up if there is any danger. And find me another way to the prison. I''d rather not go back to that damnedke."


    If mere foot soldiers were that powerful above ground then how much stronger would they be underwater which was their home-turf? He did not even want to imagine such a thing.


    *Beep*


    "Confirmed".

 Chapter 574: Comprehensive

    <h4>Chapter 574: Comprehensive</h4>


    The napsted a little longer than expected.


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and was weed by nothing but darkness. The nights here were 3-4 times longer than on earth so most of the time it was dark out.


    The cold night air gently brushed past his cheeks, pulling him back to reality.


    "Baracus, how long was I asleep for?"


    *Beep*


    "10 hours and 42 standard minutes."


    The standard units of measurement were chosen by Hao Xuan himself and were all the same as back on earth, be it rted to time, distance, or anything else for that matter.


    With some effort, Hao Xuan propped himself up against a nearby tree and checked his condition. Most of the injuries were either fully healed or closed up enough that he didn''t need to worry about them too much.


    Only the areas that directly came into contact with the sorcerer''s attacks were still almost the same. Dark purple bruises on his left arm and a few spots on his abdomen and legs. They felt numb, softer to the touch.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes, recalling the contents of the Imperial ive Doctrine.


    It didn''t have a lot of advanced fighting techniques but everything rted to basic training and fighting was there, aprehensive collection of various small and discreet arts, techniques and manuals including a nameless recovery technique that helped improve blood flow and the natural healing process of the body so he could fight longer, heal faster and endure sustained damage.


    He followed the instructions and focused on his breathing. In and out, slowly and forcefully. Gradually increasing the pressure by tightening and rxing the abb muscles in sudden bursts of power, he increased the blood flow of his body, pumping it harder and harder.


    A technique like this could only be used those individuals that already had some achievements in their physiques. It required extremely tough yet flexible veins, and muscles that were capable of rapid bursts of movement.


    If a normal person attempted to do try it, their muscles would tear and veins would rupture from within in mere seconds, leading to an excruciatingly painful death.


    The color of Hao Xuan''s skin darkened by several shades and his vein bubbled up, snaking along his body. It was not a pretty sight but one that bore fruit, albeit a very painful one.


    A dark blue substance slowly seeped out of his skin, from every spot the bruises covered.


    Hao Xuan could only endure for a little over 12 minutes, after which he copsed once again.


    The dark color receded and he started to look like his normal self again, although just a little bit thinner. He had lost some weight but managed to drive out the shing energy inside his body.


    The bruises now looked much better and would heal on their own.


    Baracus who was waiting for Hao Xuan to finish quickly spoke up.


    "There is another gateway rtively nearby. I am not sure if it has been discovered or not but that would be your best bet right now."


    The map popped up in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes. It was a spot some 300 kilometers away.


    "Alright alright," Hao Xuan stood up. He felt light-headed and almost tipped over.


    "Warning, blood glucose level is dangerously low," the warning appeared right after.


    "Noooo, really?! I had no idea!!" Hao Xuan still managed to make a sarcastic remark even through the dizziness before waving his hand.


    A momentter Grey appeared in front of him.


    Grey was not one of Hao Xuan''s severs at the moment which is why he was able to call him out right now. He had made a very standard soul contract with Grey which benefitted both of them equally.


    Grey was not a fighter either so Hao Xuan could not call him out earlier. He thought about summoning him just to run away but he was too big of a target for those slippery mermen and the chances of him getting killed before being able to escape were too high to risk it.


    Hao Xuan jumped on his back and pointed in the direction of the gate.


    "Straight that way but take your time. Try to keep steady, I want to rest a little longer."


    Grey let out a couple of giddy neighs and started moving forward, while Hao Xuan took out some dried meat and food products to eat during the journey to fill his stomach which was howling right now.


    For some reason, he couldn''t stop thinking about the mermen, wondering if they actually tasted like fish. If so, it was a huge waste to just leave their bodies behind. Some hot fish bone soup would be perfect right now.


    Drooling over hisst enemies, the time passed by rather quickly and within 3 hours they arrived near the foot of a mountain.


    The gateway was somewhere around here but Grey refused to go any further.


    "What? What''s wrong?" Hao Xuan asked with a raised eyebrow.

 Chapter 575: Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 575: Secrets</h4>


    "What? What''s wrong?"


    Grey shook both his heads, stomping his front legs on the rocky ground with such force that it created a small cloud of dust.


    Hao Xuan swiftly leaned forward and ran his hands through Grey''s mane to calm him down.


    "Woah Woah, rx! What''s going on, huh?"


    "Neigh" x2


    Grey backed up several steps against Hao Xuan''s will and only then rxed a little.


    Hao Xuan could feel the tension and the nervousness in Grey''s muscles.


    Grey had seen the Scorpion King who was the strongest Sever under Hao Xuan''s control and he still hadn''t reacted with such apprehension, which gave Hao Xuan quite a huge reason for concern.


    But since he was already here, he didn''t want to leave before at least seeing the gate for himself.


    "There there, it''s fine you don''t have to go any further, you can go back now," Hao Xuan said in a coaxing tone while patting one of Grey''s heads before recalling him back to the beast token.


    Having eaten most of his rations, Hao Xuan was finally feeling a little content. His body''s condition was much better now so he was ready for the next step.


    There was of course still the issue of the Nidhora remaining but before finishing up the current task, he didn''t want to wake up the slumbering dragon, literally.


    The first thing he did was to examine his surroundings with extreme care. Right now he was a hundred meters away from the foot of the mountain.


    The mountain itself waspletely bare with little to no signs of vegetation. In fact, there was absolutely nothing growing anywhere the mountain either, thest leafy bush was several tens of meters behind Hao Xuan and it was discolored as well.


    There was a rough rocky trail in front of him, leading up the right side of the mountain. Hao Xuan stayed on full alert as he neared it. There were various fresh tracks going towards the mountain.


    "Looks like I won''t be alone..."


    Someone had already found the gate but the question was who?


    Staying downwind, Hao Xuan quickly crossed over to the other side of the trail and followed alongside it, jumping from one boulder to another that lined the left side of the track.


    While sticking to that position and speed, it took him less than half an hour to reach the end of the trail which seemed to have been cut off with a knife. There was a gigantic empty space in front of him.


    A cacophony of noises followed by a multitude of colorful lights slowly started to bleed towards Hao Xuan''s direction as he got closer to the gap in the mountain.


    Being even more cautious than before Hao Xuan inched closer little by little, taking care of every single rock in his way. He was less than 10 meters away from the edge but crossing that little distance took just as many minutes.


    When Hao Xuan finally reached the gap and peered downwards, he was leftpletely stupefied.


    It looked like someone had cut a portion of the mountain off and thrown it away somewhere. There was a hole on the mountainside, at least 1500 meters wide. Hao Xuan was standing on one side and could clearly see the other end.


    It was about 200 meters deep.


    At the bottom of the hole were thousands of men and beast running around. Some were moving rocks and clearing the way, further expanding the hole. Some were cing support pirs along the sides to keep it from copsing inward.


    This didn''t look like a short term project at all,


    And in the center of it all was a metallic door, about a hundred meters in length ced on the ground. It was stillpletely intact without any obvious signs of damage.


    This door was much different than the one Hao Xuan had seen before that had the image of the 734th God of War engraved on it (CH464).


    This one was much smaller in size and there were norge engravings on its surface, at least not as big as the other one. It was also darker in color as if it had been degrading under the changing seasons for a long time.


    The door was opened outwards halfway, showing a gigantic staircase leading straight into the ground.


    There were dozens of individualsing in and out of the door carrying various things on their backs.


    "Holy shit, what are these people doing?" Hao Xuan unknowingly muttered out loud. Thankfully there was no one nearby to notice.


    "Baracus, can you zoom in? Give me a better view?" he couldn''t see clearly so he asked for help, but the response was not what he expected.


    "Negative. Blood energy is still too low and the numbers of the nanomachines still need to be recovered to a suitable degree. ETA: 31 hours."


    "Fuck sakes..."


    With no other choice, Hao Xuan grabbed hold of a protruding rock and starting climbing down.

 Chapter 576: Secrets Continued

    <h4>Chapter 576: Secrets Continued</h4>


    Sticking to the cracks and crevices that had formed along the sides, Hao Xuan made his way down at a steady pace.


    20 minutester he had hit bottom and was hiding above what looked like containers, looking around for clues.


    The first thing he noticed was that most of the people walking around and lugging various materials were all natives. They were malnourished to such a degree that Hao Xuan could see their bones. There were little to no muscles anywhere on their bodies.


    They looked haggard with deep ck circles around their eyes indicating a severeck of sleep. At first nce it would be easy to mistake them for zombies. Actually, even zombies would look better than these people.


    The smell of rotting flesh and excrement drifted into Hao Xuan''s nose, making him gag. Covering his nose with the sleeve of his shirt, Hao Xuan nced towards the source of the smell which wasing from behind him.


    There were ditches formed along the entire outer edge of the pit and upon getting closer he could see dozens of bodies floating in putrid waste materials. They looked the same as the people walking about just a few meters away, starved and hollow in more ways than one.


    The ditch went around the entire pit, making a full circle. And it was probably filled with the same things all the way.


    Hao Xuan had to look away to keep himself from throwing up. He backed up several steps and ordered Baracus to shut off his olfactory system to keep the smell from imprinting in his brain.


    "What the fuck are these people doing?!" he muttered through gritted teeth in a low voice, talking to himself.


    Taking a few minutes to calm down, he went back up to the containers once again.


    Almost 90% of the people here were the starving natives, while the other 10% looked like cultivators.


    Hao Xuan could feel their Qi quite clearly, along with a tinge of bloodlust mixed with killing intent that resembled a red hue. For most normal people it would exert itself as a suffocating and oppressive sensation that someone was trying to smother them but to people like Hao Xuan that were more spiritually aware, it showed as a vague color around their bodies.


    It looked like they were in charge of the natives,zily overseeing them from the back of various mounts while eating or drinking.


    They had savage and cruel looks in their eyes while heartlessly surveying the natives that were little more than walking skeletons at this point.


    Some of them poured water onto the ground and dropped chunks of food on purpose andughed as the natives licked their dry and bloody lips. Yet none of the natives dared to stop even for a second.


    How long must they have been in these conditions, beaten and abused like ves, like mere insects that they resembled the dead more than the living?


    And what made Hao Xuan truly angry was that there were even children here. Shackled to one another like cattle, they carried chunks of rocks in theirps that were too big for them.


    When one of them copsed, a nearby cultivator woulde up and whip them until they passed at which point someone would drag them away.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t believe his eyes. What kind of animals would do this? And he soon got his answer.


    From inside the gate walked out a party of 10-15 people. They were all well dressed, well mannered, and handsome individuals.


    Hao Xuan recognized several of them. The one that stood out the most was a striking young man that had been at the back of Hao Xuan''s mind since before he arrived on this.


    With a smile that could take a maiden''s breath away and the charisma to be the center of attention no matter where he went, Dai Zhi stood out like a sore thumb.


    He was talking to another individual that everyone else seemed to be taking special care off. He was wearing a ck shirt with a single button holding it together, showing off his near-perfect body that looked like it was chiseled out of stone.


    From his overbearing demeanor to how he conducted himself, it was pretty easy for Hao Xuan to make an educated guess about his identity from the information Ensis had given him.


    This was Tian Zheng.


    Both the First protectors of the Hall and the Academy were here, talking to each with such beaming smiles that one would think they were old friends seeing each other for the first time in years.


    All the anger and fury that was bubbling inside of Hao Xuan ready to blow was forced down by this newfound curiosity. Why were these two princes that represented their respective institutes which were mortal enemies now being so chummy with one another?


    Did they set up this whole operation together?


    Followed by their entourage, they walked out of the gate with their hands behind their backs, talked for a few more minutes with each other before getting on their respective mounts.


    Dai Zhi''s mount looked like a gentle sparrow, dark blue, and red in color. Tian Zheng''s mount was a horned ck leopard with two pairs of wings.


    They gave a few words of advice to the five or so people that were staying and the rest flew off into the night, vanishing from view within seconds.


    Hao Xuan watched till the end, with even more questions than the ones he first arrived with.


    The more he thought about it, the worse this feeling that something else was up got.


    For all intents and purposes, the Hall and the Academy had irreconcble differences. They had always been at each other''s throats so what changed now?


    And what was this ce? Why were they using mere mortals to do manualbor when Cultivators could do all that and more in a fraction of the time?


    And most importantly, how much did they know about the prison?


    But he wouldn''t be able to get the answers to such questions from these people here.


    Hao Xuan saw the five people that remained all scatter in different directions. He chose the one that looked the weakest and slowly followed after him from the sides.

 Chapter 577: Tomas

    <h4>Chapter 577: Tomas</h4>


    **Read Authors Notes at the Bottom, very important.


    ***


    The target was a slender man in his thirties. He was tall, quite with had dark circles around his eyes. It wouldn''t be fair to not mention that he was quite good looking as well.


    He had an affable smile stered on his face while walking through groups of chained native ves towards a cordoned off area with a row of neatly ced wooden cabins left of the gate.


    It looked like the guards and all the cultivators in charge lived here. Any other cultivator guards that came across him lowered their heads a sign of respect, some even merrily yelled out his name like a bunch of fangirls.


    "Brother Tomas!"


    And Tomas responded in kind with his unchanging smile and a nod in return.


    But just as Tomas was about to enter the area, a native broke away from the ranks and ran towards him. The cultivator nearby who was in charge of this group quickly raised his whip from afar but was stopped by a single look from Tomas.


    Although the native man looked like a raisin with his shriveled skin, it wasn''t hard for Hao Xuan to tell that he must have been quite a well off man before being brought here.


    His eyes were much brighter than the rest of the ves with rtively good skin aspared to others as well. And he was much cleaner than the rest.


    When he was four feet away from Tomas, his feet tripped over nothing and he fell forward, impacting face first with the ground with a loud thud.


    Tomas hurriedly ran over with a look of concern and picked him up, dusting his clothes for him.


    "Are you okay sir?" he spoke for the first time, calling the native ve sir.


    His voice was soft and sounded quite melodious.


    The native man bowed several times from the waist in gratitude, ignoring the blood that had started to seep down his face.


    "Great Lord I thank you for your help. Please forgive me for dirtying your hands!" as he said that, the native man tried to get on his knees but was stopped by Tomas.


    "We are all creatures of light. There is no need for this. I am just a mere vessel like you all," Tomas said with the same warm smile as before.


    The native man''s eyes started to water and he didn''t know what to say. Holding back the tears, he bowed from the waist again and took a step back.


    "My lord, this ve will never forget your kindness. All the things you have done for me and my family. Please, if you ever need anything done call on me and I will be there! That''s all I wanted to say."


    Soon as the native man finished speaking he turned around walked back to his spot. All the other ves that were watching from the sidelines had much the same looks of affection and gratitude when looking at Tomas.


    Almost all of them started working with a newfound vigor, carrying more and moving faster than before.


    Tomas sighed looking at them. He gestured for a nearby guard toe over.


    "Give them more food. I told you not to skimp on it. If their conditions aren''t improved by tomorrow then you will have to answer to me. Understand?"


    "Y-Yes sir," the guard replied with a hint of apprehension and moved aside.


    Tomas entered the settlement and walked straight to thest cabin, locking the door behind him.


    It only had one window, a bed, and a chair. Extremely simple without any other decorations other than one painting.


    The painting was of parted clouds with the sun shining down from the middle.


    The first thing Tomas did was take off his shirt and wash his hands before bending down in front of the painting with sped hands.


    "Another day has passed and my love for the Lord''s light is deeper than ever before. I pray to the high heavens to be shown the right path. To always be in your favor until it is time for me toe to you, either in body or soul."


    He started with that and continued praying for different things. From the ves to the guards, everyone was included.


    He only stopped after a little more than ten minutes had passed when a gust of wind gently caressed his naked upper body.


    He opened his eyes and looked up at the painting.


    "How long do you intend to wait for me, friend?"


    Behind him, a figure slowly walked out from the shadows and sat down on the chair.


    "Don''t turn around, I don''t want to kill you," he warned with a deep sigh.


    The intruder was of course Hao Xuan.


    He had seen everything from afar and entered the cabin beforehand.


    Hao Xuan obviously wasn''t sure if this was Tomas''s cabin but judging from its better position and condition than the other cabins, it was an educated guess that paid off.


    Tomas did as told and stayed on his knees with his hands sped together in the praying gesture.


    "In that case, how can I help you, stranger?" he asked as the same old kindly smile slowly crept upon his lips. But for some reason under the limited light, it looked quite sinister.


    *****


    Authors Notes:


    I finally created the official discord for the novel: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    If you are a fan and especially one that uses coins to unlock chapters, please head on over at least once and check the announcement section. Some very important news and regr updates there, plus you can contact me at any time as well.


    (It might take 30 minutes or so to see the first announcement after the chapter is published)

 Chapter 578: Proof

    <h4>Chapter 578: Proof</h4>


    Tomas smiled hearing Hao Xuan''s warning, "How can I help you, stranger?"


    Hearing the calmness in his voice, Hao Xuan couldn''t help but feel a little uneasy. He tightened the grip around the sword in his right hand, ready tosh out at a moment''s notice.


    Hao Xuan gathered his thoughts for a second before asking the first question.


    "What is this ce?"


    Tomas chuckled, "It is a way for sinners to redeem themselves. And for the weak to survive."


    His cryptic answer only confused and angered Hao Xuan more.


    "Don''t speak in riddles, I don''t have time to y with you. One more answer like this and you will lose your head. Now,st chance, answer the question."


    Tomas gently shook his head.


    "Youngsters are always in a hurry," he mumbled before continuing, "As I said before, all the people here are either criminals atoning for their sins or those too weak to survive on their own. They are just being put to use."


    "Put to use?! Is that what''s happening out there?" Hao Xuan shouted in a moment of anger. There were dead bodies lining the entire pit and children being used for manualbor. How was that considered okay?


    Yet inplete contrast to the rising tone of Hao Xuan''s voice, Tomas replied in the same gentle manner as before.


    "Then what would you have us do? Let them go? Where? Most of them would die within days if not sooner and others would end up causing more unrest and chaos. The criminals were sent to us by their own leaders and the rest came to us asking for help."


    "You yourself are a cultivator so you should know we don''t really need them here. Only because of people like me that convinced the Princes to make use of them that they were allowed to enter this ce. This way, most of them get to live, if even for a day longer. They get to have a warm meal and a roof above their head, and the peace of mind knowing that what''s out there won''t get to them in here."


    Tomas spoke for a couple of minutes straight, more than happy to exin everything to Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan on the other hand recalled the strange behavior of the natives. Although some of them were chained, most were walking around freely. Their conditions were obviously horrible but Tomas did have a point.


    Not to mention he could feel the determination in Tomas''s voice. Even if what he was saying wasn''t true, at least he himself truly believed it was.


    Not intending to argue with him any longer, Hao Xuan was about to ask the next question when the sound of footsteps came from outside.


    Hao Xuan moved away from the window, pointing the de towards Tomas.


    "Say anything strange and both of you will die," he warned in a hushed voice.


    *Knock*Knock*Knock*


    "Sire, it is time for dinner. I heard voices, how many tes should I prepare?"


    The voice belonged to a female, probably a servant. Tomas nced in Hao Xuan''s direction before answering.


    "Just the usual,ss, I was just praying. Bring it in half an hour, I should be hungry then."


    "Alright!" she answered half-heartedly and went back the same way at the exact same pace.


    Hao Xuan peeked through the window, looking in her direction for any strange movements until she disappeared from view. Either both of them were great actors or there really was nothing going on.


    Hao Xuan moved back towards the chair and sat down, much more alert than before. Most of his attention was focused on the outside. A single strange sound and he would be out of here.


    "Keep your voice low and answer quickly and concisely. What do you know about the door leading into the ground?" not intending on wasting any more time, Hao Xuan cut to the chase.


    Tomas shook his head straight away, still staring at the painting.


    "Nothing. We were only told to clear the way, nothing else. Oh, and to report anything strange that was found during the excavation."


    "And did you? Find anything strange?" Hao Xuan asked half-heartedly while staring out the window.


    "Yes, and....no," Tomas answered. For the first time since the start of their interaction, Hao Xuan picked up a hint of fear in his voice.


    "Exin."


    Tomas went quit for a few seconds before answering.


    "We didn''t find anything down there, but a few strange things started happening up here..."


    "Like?"


    "People dying."


    "Did you not see how they live? It''s a miracle any of them are alive at all," Hao Xuan retorted with a sneer.


    Tomas shook his head, "It didn''t always use to be like this. It all started a few days ago. One of the locals went crazy and set fire to rations, burning most of the food we had gathered."


    "The next day another person killed his entire family beforemitting suicide. Thest and the most recent incident happened two days ago when a young girl started having nightmares, waking up at random hours with blood-curdling screams. She had almost lost her mind when her father brought her to me."


    Hao Xuan recalled the scene of the native man thanking Tomas outside the settlement for saving his family.


    "Was that her father outside earlier?"


    Tomas nodded quietly.


    "So she survived then?" Hao Xuan asked, a little curious now. A short bout of silence followed before Tomas answered.


    "....No."


    "But that man was thanking you..."


    "He doesn''t know. I told him she is fine, that I sent her to a healer somewhere far away but she died the same night after attacking one of the guards that was on duty. A few hourster the guardmitted suicide as well. I kept all of it hidden to not cause panic but..."


    Tomas didn''t need to finish his sentence.


    Perhaps what Hao Xuan feared had alreadye to pass. Maybe whatever thing that was in the prison had already escaped.


    "Is there any proof of the incident? Audio or video?"


    Tomas didn''t even expect Hao Xuan to believe him let alone ask for a record of the incident so he was more than happy to oblige. He tapped on his spirit band and a popup appeared in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    It was a video file.


    "I recorded this myself to studyter. This was about 15 hours since she first started having nightmares."


    ''y'' Hao Xuanmanded internally and the video started ying in front of his left eye.


    The video started off fine, as clear as crystal.


    It showed Tomas walking towards a cabin simr to the one they were in right now. It was night out and pretty dark from the looks of it.


    As Tomas got close, screams could be heard from the outside but it didn''t sound like they wereing from a girl, let alone a child.


    The voice was thick, husky and masculine, shouting something in a strangenguage.


    Hao Xuan''s brow slowly furrowed. It felt like he had heard thenguage before but he couldn''t remember exactly what it was.

 Chapter 579: Proof Continued

    <h4>Chapter 579: Proof Continued</h4>


    Hao Xuan couldn''t decipher thenguage but he recognized it from somewhere.


    When Tomas reached out and trapped the door''s handle to open it, the video skipped ahead for an instant, just a few frames that no normal person would be able to notice.


    Only someone like Hao Xuan that had heightened senses MIGHT pick it up if they were paying attention. Unfortunately, Hao Xuan missed it as well.


    Tomas opened the door and immediately covered his face, coughing a few times.


    ''Pause'' Hao Xuanmanded and looked towards the still kneeling Tomas.


    "Why did you cover your mouth?"


    "The smell was too strong," Tomas answered, squirming on the spot. Hao Xuan noticed his now white feet and felt bad.


    Tomas was not even a cultivator so sitting in that position for such a long period would definitely have been painful. He put on his mask and tapped the bedframe with the sword.


    "Sit here, facing the wall."


    Tomas was taken aback by the sudden act of kindness but he did not decline it.


    "Thank you, stranger," he nodded with that same smile and swiftly changed spots.


    "Now, tell me more. What kind of smell was it?" Hao Xuan inquired further.


    *Ruuumble*


    From the window came a low and deep rumbling sound. The sound of thunder somewhere far away.


    "Hmm?"


    Hao Xuan leaned towards the window and took a look at the sky above that was now covered with ck clouds pregnant with lightning and thunder.


    Hao Xuan frowned once again. When he came in less than an hour ago, there was not a single cloud in the sky and now he couldn''t see anything else.


    Tomas nced towards the window from the side with a look of concern, "That''s been happening a lot. Random weather changes out of nowhere. It was the same that as well, when she died."


    His voice trailed off near the end but Hao Xuan heard it clearly.


    "The smell, continue," he reminded Tomas while clearing his throat.


    Tomas recalled the events of that night for a moment before answering, "It was faint at first but the more I smelled it, the worse it got. It was extremely sharp and pungent, like rotting eggs and body parts mixed together. And it permeated everywhere all at once to such a degree that it was hard to tell where it wasing from."


    Hao Xuan yed the video again.


    Tomas covered his face and entered the cabin.


    Inside there were five individuals present. Three were strong bulky men surrounding the bed on which a twisted, writhing figureid. Two of them were holding one arm each and thest one was holding both of her legs as she struggled to break free.


    The fifth person was a woman standing beside the bed crying her eyes out, presumably the child''s mother.


    Tomas walked in and the screaming suddenly stopped, as did the struggle the child was putting up. She turned towards the door and looked right into Tomas''s eyes. Her face was covered with dried blood which made it hard to see her clearly.


    Her lips were bloody and dried, sticking to one another like glue. But seeing Tomas a distorted smile crept upon the girl''s face and her lips parted, mouthing something silently.


    At this point Tomas could be heard mumbling something under his breath.


    "What were you saying here? Right after entering?" Hao Xuan asked.


    "A prayer. Just a normal prayer. I felt...afraid so I was repeating that over and over again," Tomas answered.


    The video continued and the sound of thunder boomed in both of Hao Xuan''s ears. One wasing from the video while the other came from outside. Coincidently, the thunder in the video had synced perfectly with the thunder outside.


    A little strange but it can happen so Hao Xuan paid it no heed.


    The video started to cut out at this point. It looked like there was a lot of static with the image being constantly disrupted but the sound was still very clean.


    The child let out a high-pitched shriek and her voice changedpletely. Now she actually sounded like herself. She was screaming in the nativenguage of the, calling for her father.


    "Abba, help me! Please help me!" she cried.


    The sound of footsteps came right after followed by another female voice, the child''s mother guessing from the conversation.


    "Mama is here baby, what''s wrong? I''m right here!" she shouted, sobbing loudly.


    "He will get in, mama, please help me! He will take me, please make it stop! Make the knocking stop," the girl cried.


    But Hao Xuan couldn''t hear any knocking in the clip so he asked Tomas.


    "What is this knocking she was talking about?"


    Tomas shrugged, "We have no idea. Her father said she had been saying that for a few days now. Sometimes she would make up in the middle of the night shouting that someone was trying to get in. That ''he'' was knocking on the door, trying to break it down."


    "And you never heard anything?"


    Tomas shook his head despondently, "No one did. Not her parents, not me or the guards."


    The video continued.


    The mother could be heard wailing helplessly, still managing to say a few words offort to the child.


    "Its okay baby, mama is right here, don''t worry, I will be right here."


    That''s where the video stopped.


    "Is this it? It doesn''t lookplete," Hao Xuan asked.


    "I don''t know what to say. It was recording fine but somehow the rest of it got erased."


    "What happened after this?"


    "She screamed like that for a while before exhausting herself and falling asleep. We thought she was doing better so I called for the guards to be changed but as soon as they left, she woke up. The first victim was her mother, she snapped her neck clean off her body without so much as a sound."


    "Then she came for me but one of the guards who was still close by came running in and grabbed her. They struggled for a moment but it didn''t look he would be able to keep her contained so I ran out and called for the others."


    "There was a brief fight and I don''t know what happened in there but the child died in the process. The guard that was with her alone, half of his shoulder was bitten off. Not long after that he also killed himself. Gouged out his own eyes and ears with a rusted de, bleeding to death."


    *Crackle*Crackle*


    With another burst of lightning in the sky, it started raining.


    The raindrops knocked against the window quite loudly, filling the silence that had overtaken the room.


    "This was thest thing that happened?" Hao Xuan asked before standing up.


    Tomas nodded, "So far, yes."


    "What is your role here? You are not a cultivator so why do they listen to you?"


    "I am a low-level priest in the Church of Light. Lord Dai Zhi appointed me as the leader of this ce in his absence," Tomas answered humbly.


    "Is Dai Zhiing back anytime soon?" Hao Xuan asked. If this was a ce he regrly visited, maybe Hao Xuan could use of it somehow.


    But Tomas shook his head, "No idea. Hees whenever he wishes. I do not have the authority to ask him anything."


    "Alright," he nodded and before Tomas could react, Hao Xuan hit him at the back of his head, knocking him out cold.


    He tied Tomas up with a piece of fabric torn off from the bedsheet, loose enough that he would be able to get out of it with a little bit of time when he woke up. Covered him up to make it look like he was sleeping and silently slipped out of the cabin.


    ***


    Authors notes:


    If you like, please vote guys!


    Official Discord link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 580: Rituals

    <h4>Chapter 580: Rituals</h4>


    It was raining cats and dogs out there. Hao Xuan couldn''t even see more than 15 meters ahead of him even though there were torches and lightstones ced every few steps.


    Rather than rain, it looked like someone was pouring water over him with a bucket. Only the asional lightning that snaked through the clouds provided enough light to see further away.


    The ves or rather the natives had already been returned to their living quarters, wherever they were. Even the on-duty guards were hiding in makeshift guard posts to keep dry.


    Hao Xuan took out a raincoat from the storage space and put it on before venturing outwards. Rather than hiding and moving around in cover, he walked right out in the open since the line of sight was so limited in this weather.


    The ground was muddy and hard to move in even for him, making even the short walk of a couple of hundred meters quite a chore. He was going straight for the gate right now and if the security was ascking there as it was in almost every other ce, he could just walk in.


    As Hao Xuan walked somewhat absentmindedly in the rain, he couldn''t help but recall the girl''s voice from the recording. There was something about it that really bothered him.


    Especially the words she mouthed when Tomas entered the cabin, he couldn''t help but recall the video and mimic the movement of her lips.


    "W-Wel....some?" he muttered out loud without realizing it and was startled by a voice that came from the front.


    "Who goes there?!" a weary, anger-fueled voice called out in his direction, waking Hao Xuan from his stupor.


    Hao Xuan froze and looked towards the source. There was a guardpost a few meters ahead to the left. There was no light in it so Hao Xuan missed itpletely.


    Hao Xuan was about to slowly back up when two figures stood up with torches, illuminating the surroundings.


    "Oi, what are you doing in the rain? Come here!" one of them called out.


    Of the two, one was an older man in histe forties by the looks of his white hair, and the other was a twenty-something-year-old youngster.


    They didn''t have any weapons and Hao Xuan could barely feel any Qi from them. The old man was in the early stages of the Spirit Realm and the youngster was only in the Earth realm. Neither of them posed any real threat to him so with an awkward smile he walked towards them.


    "Greetings brothers," Hao Xuan greeted them in the mostmon way of the Beast world.


    The older man nodded with a smile and raised the torch to see Hao Xuan''s face.


    "I haven''t seen you before," he said with knitted brows, trying to recall all the guards.


    Hao Xuan nodded and confirmed his suspicion, "Yes I just got here. Da- I mean Lord Dai Zhi sent me to rece one of the guards that died a couple of days ago. I was with Lord Tomas just now and am going to the gate. Can you guide me?"


    As soon as Hao Xuan mentioned the guard that died, the youngster''s face became a little twisted. It looked like he was ready to throw punches at the mere mention of him.


    The old man noticed that and gently nudged him, gesturing for Hao Xuan toe over.


    "Ahh, that''s how it is," the old man nodded in realization, "Come join us for some tea brother. The gate is right around the corner but you should warm up a little before going there since it could be a while before you get any food."


    Hao Xuan obviously didn''t want to ept their invitation especially since the youngster already seemed quite angry with him for some reason but to not raise suspicion, he decided to join them for a few minutes.


    The guardpost was barely enough to hold four people and with Hao Xuan''srge build, it was just enough for all of them to fit in without getting soaked.


    They sat down and the old man put out the torches.


    "We''re running a little low on wood right now, haha" he exined seeing Hao Xuan''s questioning gaze. There were a few red coals in the middle with a kettle on top from which the old man poured Hao Xuan a cup.


    Hao Xuan epted it and took a sip, feeling the warm liquid flowing down his gullet with a pleasant sensation. It actually did help him feel a little better.


    The youngster on the other hand was staring daggers towards Hao Xuan as if he had killed his family.


    The old man pped the boy on the back of his head, "Mind your manners" he mumbled in a low voice before looking towards Hao Xuan with a wry smile.


    "I''m sorry for the kid''s behavior. He was really close to the person you are here to rece...we all were," he said with a sigh.


    "Hmm?" Hao Xuan looked towards them with a hint of surprise.


    "My condolences then, brothers. I heard about him from brother Tomas, he was a brave man to jump in alone in that situation," Hao Xuan offered a few words offort.


    The youngster spat at Hao Xuan''s feet with a look of disdain, "Tomas is no brother of ours!" taking Hao Xuan by surprise once again.


    "Amin!" the old man grabbed the youngster by the shoulder but he shook it off. He stood up, making the already cramped guardpost even morepact.


    "That bastard, it''s all his doing! If not for him none of this would have happened."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but nce towards the old man who could only shake his head helplessly.


    "Can you exin a little bit more? I thought everyone loved Tomas," Hao Xuan dropped the brother from his name to not anger Amin more.


    Amin picked that up and calmed down a little, sitting down with a ''harumph''.


    "Only the natives "love" him because they don''t know the truth. Tomas, he''s behind all of it, I swear. I can''t prove it but we all know," Amin said through gritted teeth. He really hated Tomas.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even have to ask anything else, Amin kept talking and the old man had already given up by the looks of it.


    "We were all fine before Tomas arrived. It has only been a couple of weeks but ever since he showed up, one thing after another keeps going wrong. First the fire, then the murder-suicides, then the girl and then..."


    "But that could just be a coincidence. Why do you think he''s behind all it?" Hao Xuan asked.


    Amin looked towards the old man for confirmation who feebly nodded in return.


    Amin moved in closer, speaking in a hushed voice, "We saw him, several of us. He was seen roaming around the houses of each of the victims before they died. And the girl, she waspletely fine before he visited her. Not to mention those weird rituals..."

 Chapter 581: Ba`al

    <h4>Chapter 581: Ba`al</h4>


    "Not to mention those weird rituals..."


    Even though no one was around, Amin''s voice was so low that it was barely audible. His eyes shifted left and right sadically as if searching for something in the rainy night.


    It was pretty clear that he was genuinely afraid, even though he tried his best to deceive others using the guise of anger but in front of the perceptive eyes of Hao Xuan, he might as well have written it on his forehead.


    Hao Xuan imitated Amin, looking left and right before leaning in closer.


    "What type of rituals?" he asked in a hushed whisper that barely reached Amin''s ears.


    Amin picked up a cup and drank a mouthful, wetting his dry throat before continuing in much the same manner, as if he was about to reveal a huge secret.


    "Every now and then when the weather was bad like today, raining so heavily that you couldn''t even see who was walking in front of you, he would leave his cabin and go somewhere alone. At first no one really bothered about it. We thought he was just doing something embarrassing that he didn''t want anyone else to know."


    "So one day, we made a bet to see what it was. We made one of the locals follow him in secret. None of us wanted to risk going ourselves and since he was so kind to the natives, we thought why not. Even if he got caught it wouldn''t be a big deal."


    "And the next night when it started raining as usual, he followed after Tomas. We didn''t know what happened exactly but after about an hour he was found trying to climb out of the pit with his bare hands, screaming like a mad man. He didn''t make any sense, mumbling random things about some guy named Ba?al."


    ''Ba?al? Where have I heard that before?'' Hao Xuan frowned, thinking inwardly.


    Amin paused to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze, "And do you know what happened to that native?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head innocently, now actually engrossed in the story.


    An eerie smile formed on Amin''s lips, "That same night, he killed his entire family before slitting his own throat. But before he died, he used his blood to write a message on the front door of his house."


    Amin reached out into his inner shirt pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He opened it and handed it to Hao Xuan.


    "None of us can read theirnguage so we don''t know what exactly it says, can you read it?" he looked towards Hao Xuan with hope, getting an absentminded nod in response before Hao Xuan quickly snatched the paper out of his hand.


    He held it over the burning coals, letting the dim light fall on the jagged words. Thunder boomed and lightning shed in the sky, illuminating it further.


    "Ba`al praeveho venit," Hao Xuan vocalized the words and just at that instant, a bolt of lightning fell just a few dozen meters away, startling them.


    Both the old man and Amin fell from their stools, covering their heads protectively. Hao Xuan remained seated, simply bending down to avoid any debrising his way.


    He was distracted by Baracus''s voice in his ears with whom he was currently having a conversation.


    ''Trante, what does it mean?'' Hao Xuan had asked, to which Baracus replied the following.


    ''It is abination of three differentnguages. The first word Ba`al is a title meaning Owner, Lord, King, or God depending on the context. It included with the other two words are all from the various lostnguages of the era of antiquity. They are deadnguages of civilizations long forgotten.''


    ''What? Then how did a mortal of this primitive world know them?''


    ''....Unable to answer.''


    ''Forget it. Can you trante it? I don''t need a word by word trantion, just enough to give a rough idea will be sufficient.''


    Baracus went quiet for a moment before speaking up again.


    ''Two possible trantions. 1: The Lord is flying to us, 2: The Lord of the Flyers approaches. Both trantions speak of an entity''s arrival. The usage of the term ''Ba`al'' indicates that it is something ancient.''


    Hao Xuan suddenly shot up from his seat, scaring the already frightened guards.


    "W-What? What''s wrong? Do you know what it means?" Amin asked, trying to get back on his feet. But Hao Xuan threw the paper at his face and ran out, leaving them with a warning.


    "Leave this ce at once!"


    Hao Xuan retraced his steps, running back to the living quarters where Tomas resided at full speed.


    "The gate is in the opposite direction," Baracus reminded seeing as Hao Xuan was heading the wrong way.


    "I know."


    "Then....?"


    "I know what she said, the girl," Hao Xuan mumbled through heavy breaths, sludging through the mud that wasing up to his knees, "I couldn''t understand her before because she was speaking anothernguage but...I get it now. She said the same thing but used another word...a word I recognized. Ba`al followed by Zebub, she was weing him."


    "Wee Ba`al Zebub, or ''Beelzebub''. Lord of Flyers, one of the Eight Kings of Hell!"


    ***


    Authors notes:


    If you like, please vote guys!


    Official Discord link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 582: Ba`al Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 582: Ba`al Continued.</h4>


    The raindrops felt like they were made of metal as they ceaselessly battered Hao Xuan''s body, creating loud thwacking sounds against his sturdy physique.


    The mud felt like it was alive, trying to drag him down and swallow him whole. It was getting harder and harder to move as if the elements themselves wanted to stop him.


    But Hao Xuan was so absorbed in other thoughts that he didn''t even notice any of these strange happenings.


    "Wee Ba`al-Zebub, Lord of the Flyers. One of the eight Kings of Hell. He is here!" Hao Xuan eximed loudly.


    Baracus went silent once again for a short moment.


    "And what is your n? What will you do once you stand in front of it?" Baracus inquired calmly, making Hao Xuan slow down.


    "I...don''t know. I don''t know what to do. Before I knew it my body was already moving towards it..." Hao Xuan said with a shake of his head, "What do you think I should do?" he asked, getting an immediate response.


    "Leave the immediately."


    "You know that''s not an option..."


    "Then could you at least not to go after it? Even if it''s just a temporary vessel, you are no match for it."


    "But I knocked it out!"


    "Did you? Or did it make you believe it did? If indeed that human is currently being possessed," Baracus asked cryptically, sessfully making Hao Xuane to a full stop.


    Hao Xuan looked towards the sky and in the darkness he couldn''t even see the clouds anymore. The sound of raindrops hitting various surfaces drowned out any other possible sound. He could barely hear himself think under the constant pitter-patter.


    "Do you have any information about it? Everything I know is from myths and old religious texts from my old world."


    "Affirmative, but it is ssified."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "ssified? Even from me?"


    "Affirmative. All information rted to Apollyon-ss entities is ssified by Progenitor due to their anomalous memetic effects until a certain realm is achieved where you are able to create appropriate safeguards against them."


    ".....What? What does that even mean?" the confused Hao Xuan asked. He didn''t even know the meaning of most of the words that Baracus had just used.


    Baracus took a moment to restructure the sentence in the most simple words avable to him, especially considering the time restraints of their current situation.


    "An entity with memetic effects is able to spread its power and influence through the passage of cultural information. That means if you talk about it, you are marked by it. If you believe in it, it gets stronger. All of the Demonic Kings of Hell are ssified as Apollyon-ss God-Level entities with powerful memetic abilities."


    "Apollyon-ss entities are spiritual beings that are seemingly immortal with immeasurable power. They have no true forms and their arrival on any world is considered to be the start of an Apocalyptic Event."


    "The most appropriate response in such a situation is the immediate withdrawal of all forces and forced administration (if necessary) of the highest grade amnestics avable on all individuals that came into direct contact with the entity."


    Listening to Baracus''s simplified exnation of the powers of one of the named Demon God''s seemed to calm Hao Xuan down a bit. The jittery tension he was feeling a movement ago subsided to a certain degree after listening to the specialized jargon in Baracus''s statement.


    There were many creatures that imed to be demonic or fiend Gods but very few of them had their names known throughout the cosmos. Logic dictated the better known they were, the stronger they would be.


    And as one of the Eight Kings of Hell, Beelzebub was as strong as they came.


    The etymology of his name yielded the mix of two words, Ba`al and Zebub meaning Lord of the Flyers, seeing as one of his most infamous recorded forms even back on earth was a giant winged creature of demonic origins.


    But others believed that ''flyer'' was mistranted from ''flies'' since quite often death and disease were spread among the popce through winged animals preceding his arrival.


    That''s why his name was synonymous with disease and other demonic entities that used simr methods.


    "So I can''t ask anything or know anything about it?" Hao Xuan asked just to be sure.


    "Affirmative," Baracus confirmed.


    "Then just answer yes or no. Do you think it''s the actual...."thing" that''s here?" Hao Xuan didn''t even want to utter the name again.


    "Negative. The arrival of an entity of such magnitude would not go unnoticed. Unnatural phenomenon andrge scale killings are some of the mostmon indicators."


    Hao Xuan extended his hand, letting raindrops gather in the palm of his hand.


    "The killing part has already been taken care of," he mumbled to himself, "As for the unnatural phenomenon, what do you think qualifies for that?" he asked in a solemn voice, rubbing his fingers together.


    "Anything not found in nature," Baracus responded as a-matter-of-factly.


    "Would blood rain qualify?"


    "Of cour-" Baracus stopped mid-sentence, realizing what he meant.


    Blue lights lit up under the skin of Hao Xuan''s palm as the nanotech gathered, illuminating a red pool of liquid.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but recall a biblical phrase he had heard back on earth, "The end of days begins with the rain of blood."


    ****


    Authors notes:


    The amount of research I had to do for this, I swear. I hope the intro of one of the main antagonists was good enough.


    If you like, please vote guys!


    Official Discord link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 583: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 583: Confrontation</h4>


    "The end of days begins with a rain of blood."


    *Crackle*


    Lightning slowly grumbled in the sky once again, serving as a sinister backdrop to Hao Xuan and Baracus''s conversation.


    Hao Xuan carefully examined the red puddle in the palm of his hand that only seemed to be getting bigger.


    "Is it actually blood?"


    *Beep*


    The series of circr lights in Hao Xuan''s hand blinked twice, analyzing the liquid instantly.


    "Affirmative. A 93% match with Suid blood, or to be specific, domestic pig blood. Note: 0% iron concentration."


    Hao Xuan''s brows were tightly knit together. A rain of pig blood was surely not a good sign either way but theck of iron was another indication that it was something ''otherworldly'' since it was considered to be a bane to most infernal beings.


    If it was just a blood-colored rain then there could have been any number of possible exnations for it. Even back on earth the so-called "blood rain" was observed many times but its color was caused by aerial spores from a type of algae.


    But this was real blood, pouring from the sky without an end in sight. And pig blood to boot. Pigs were considered to be unclean creatures in most religions and were often used in satanic rituals even back on earth.


    There most probably was a connection even if it wasn''t what Hao Xuan thought it to be.


    He fell deeper into a myriad of thoughts, considering each and every option at hand. He could just walk away and no one would really me him for it. He already had more than enough on his te.


    But at the mere thought of walking away a strange feeling simr to that of a metal ball in the pit of the stomach made him feel extremely uneasy.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but mumble in a self-deprecating tone, "Is this what guilt feels like? Or is it my long lost conscience finally acting up?"


    Hao Xuan had never thought of himself as a good or bad person. He didn''tmit evil deeds but he didn''t go out of his way to do good either, especially if it didn''t have anything to do with him either.


    His mind was telling him to just turn around and walk away but the feeling in his gut was warning him that he would not be able to have a good night''s sleep if he did so.


    It was the same reason he was here in the first ce, to venture to the depths of the prison and kill or at least injure a creature even Celestial God''s couldn''t destroy.


    Deep down he knew it probably wouldn''t work but he still had to try, not for others but for himself.


    There was nothing rational about what he was going to do next.


    With a deep sigh, Hao Xuan called out the ive.


    It vibrated within his grasp, spreading a warm,fortable sensation throughout the body. The unclean feeling of the cold bloody rain lessened significantly and half a smile slowly crept onto Hao Xuan''s lips.


    "Hey bud, this one probably won''t be easy to handle," he whispered brushing his fingers along the length of the hilt. He was unsure of himself and quite scared.


    The entire ive vibrated once again as if responding to everything Hao Xuan was feeling, increasing the intensity of that same warm sensation to a searing hot one.


    It felt like his blood was on fire but the feeling was neither ufortable nor foreign. It was quite pleasant and liberating if he was being honest.


    A sudden notification popped up at the edge of Hao Xuan''s vision.


    "Warning! Current body temperature at 112* Centigrade and rising!"


    With a sizzling sound Hao Xuan''s body dried up in an instant and any new raindrops that got even close evaporated before making contact with his body.


    Hao Xuan was speechless and understandably so.


    He wasn''t aware of this but the connection between a living weapon and its owner went beyond the realm ofprehension.


    It was said that living weapons and armors lived only for their masters which was true in more ways than just one.


    Once they had been together long enough, they would be extensions of one another. There was a reason living weapons rarely changed owners. The emotional connection between them could be akin to a parent and child, to brothers and sisters, to best friends or even eternal lovers. What their connection would be had yet to be decided.


    And sensing what Hao Xuan was feeling, the weapon spirit within the ive almost stirred awake.


    If it wasn''t still too early it would have shown its true form but right now, doing this was much was the most it could do and it was more than enough.


    The feeling of having someone by his side was enough to bolster Hao Xuan''s spirit.


    "Let''s go have a looksy then, shall we?" Hao Xuan chuckled.


    All those unnecessary thoughts and emotions were forced aside, reced by a thirst for blood that could swallow the entire sky.


    With a whooshing sound, Hao Xuan exerted some force on the muddy ground and jumped straight into the air.


    If "it" knew about him already then there was no reason to hide. With just a few leaps hended right in front of Tomas''s cabin.


    But as he reached out to open the door, a strange feeling of being watched came from behind him. He knew for a fact nobody was there but it felt like someone was looking over his shoulder.


    He faltered for a short moment but still continued to act ignorant, opening the door with steady hands.


    Lighting cackled in the sky, almost as if it wasughing at his foolish behavior.


    Tomas''s figure came into sight. He was stillying in the same exact position as Hao Xuan had left him.


    ***


    Authors notes:


    If you like, please vote guys!


    Official Discord link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 584: Confrontation Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 584: Confrontation Continued.</h4>


    He was stillying in the same position as Hao Xuan had left him, not a hair out of ce.


    Hao Xuan took the first step and entered the confines of the cabin.


    As soon as he passed through the doorframe, the noise of the heavy rain and the rumbling thunder died down so much that he could barely hear it.


    It was like he had walked through to another world entirely. Suddenly without a warning, the door closed behind him.


    Still keeping one eye on Tomas''s body Hao Xuan turned his head halfway and saw what was happening behind him through the peripheral vision.


    Everything seemed...normal. He could still see the same scenery through the window but it felt like he was looking at a picture rather than the real thing since there was no sound.


    It was an eerie type of silence, being disturbed only by the sound of his own breath and heartbeats.


    The only source of light wasing from the outside, falling directly on the bed where Tomas wasying. Everything else seemed to be covered in ayer of darkness that could not be seen through no matter how hard Hao Xuan tried.


    Hao Xuan looked towards the right side where the painting was. He could barely see its outline so he took onerge step and then another in quick session, ending up just a foot away from it.


    It looked the same as before, clouds parting with the sun shining down from the middle. But it looked like the painting had aged years, inplete contrast from what he remembered.


    The one in front of him right now was much older. Dim colors and old curled up paper that had clear signs of wear and tear on the edges.


    Hao Xuan noticed something peculiar about the sun so he leaned in closer to get a better look.


    It looked like there was something behind the sun in the painting, bubbling outwards. He gently pressed it with his forefinger and felt a familiar spongy sensation against his skin, almost like touching something alive.


    The paper bounced back with the type of sticity that you could only find in living creatures. The sun rippled and a vertical line slowly appeared.


    Wrinkles appeared on both sides as the vertical lines continued to expand horizontally. And before Hao Xuan realized, he was staring into a giant eye where the sun was a moment ago.


    Hao Xuan held his breath, staring at the eye in the painting.


    At first, there was only one pupil but each one kept dividing into smaller ones and within a matter of seconds there were hundreds or thousands of them.


    All looking in different directions.


    Hao Xuan backed up several steps until he hit the bed frame that was now right behind him.


    The sound of clothes ruffling reached Hao Xuan''s ears, prompting him to spin round. He swiftly raised the ive and pointed it towards Tomas.


    Hao Xuan''s heart was in his throat now.


    It was then he noticed the trail of white vapor ejecting from his nostrils. The temperature was so low that he could see his own breath.


    He took a deep breath to try and calm down but then came the smell, the smell Tomas had described before. The smell of month-old rotting eggs and dposing body parts.


    It was so intense that Hao Xuan couldn''t help but gag, stinging even his eyes.


    He quickly covered his mouth with the other arm and raised the de further.


    "Stop ying games and get up!" Hao Xuan shouted but there was no response whatsoever.


    Both his hearts were beating so fast and hard that he could barely hear anything else.


    "GET UP!" he shouted again and kicked the bed up into the air.


    Tomas''s body went along the bed and when it came down, lifelessly rolled off to the side.


    Hao Xuan''s current emotional state was mainly governed by fear that was then turning into anger for some reason.


    It felt like he was being toyed with to which he did not take kindly to. The more afraid he felt, the angrier he got.


    Without waiting for him to get up Hao Xuan drove the ive forward, stabbing it into Tomas''s body.


    But the same old sensation of metal piercing through flesh and bone that he was expecting did note through, surprising him.


    Lightning shed outside the window, illuminating the interior just enough for Hao Xuan to catch a glimpse of what he had just attacked.


    He pulled back the ive with force, throwing Tomas''s body across the room. It impacted on the other side just below the window, finally showing its true self.


    It was a rotting corpse, without any flesh left. Maggots crawled in and out of its empty sockets and the little bit of skin and hair that were left on it fell off. Its guts fell out with a wet plop, releasing a swarm of flies and squirming maggots.


    He had been dead for a very long time, proof of which was the rotting stench that was leaps and bounds stronger than anything Hao Xuan had smelt before.


    He finally couldn''t take it anymore and keeled over, ejecting several mouthfuls of half-digested leftover dried meats he had eaten not too long ago.


    Lightning shed again, this time much closer than ever before.


    Hao Xuan who was on the ground busy emptying his stomach contents, caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye.


    If he wasn''t facing away from the window he would havepletely missed it.


    That lightning strike just now had cast two shadows behind him. One belonged to Hao Xuan, while the other belonged to something else right above him, standing upside down on the roof.


    His mouth still covered in digestive juices, Hao Xuan slowly looked up and saw a pair of yellow pupils less than a foot away from his face. Before he could even make a sound, his vision went dark and he lost consciousness.


    ***


    Authors notes:


    If you like, please vote guys!


    Official Discord link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 585: RAUUGH!

    <h4>Chapter 585: RAUUGH!</h4>


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes to the sound of creaking wood. His vision blurry, the first thing he saw, or rather felt, was a burning sensation on his left hand. Pulling it towards his chest before even opening his eyes all the way, Hao Xuan forced himself to sit up.


    His head was ringing like a church bell. He couldn''t hear much of anything other than the dull sounds that wereing from every direction.


    He felt hot, so unbearably hot that his body felt like it had been taken out of boiling water, making him feel utterly weak.


    The first thing he did was call out for his trusty helper.


    "Baracus, where am I?!" he tried to shout but a weak murmur escaped his lips.


    A high-pitched noise came into his ears, forcing Hao Xuan to promptly bury his head in his arms but that did very little to lower its intensity.


    The pitch of the noise kept changing, adjusting itself constantly until it turned into the same old slightly robotic masculine voice that Hao Xuan remembered.


    "Ca- y-u hear me?" breaking up at first, thest two words managed toe in clearly.


    "Yeah, what happened?" Hao Xuan asked, shaking his head left and right.


    A hot sizzling sensation suddenly erupted from both his nostrils and a ck liquid was forced out.


    All of sudden it felt like he could think again, like someone was holding him underwater and only now he was finally let out. There was still a ringing headache but he was used to it by now.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and examined the surroundings. He was surrounded by fire on all sides but one.


    The sound of blood-curdling screams wasing in from somewhere in the distance. He looked to the right and saw the iveying beside him.


    Grabbing it, Hao Xuan used it as support to stand up. His legs felt like jelly and he couldn''t even stand on his own.


    "What...happened...?" he repeated with some effort.


    "Unknown," Baracus replied, "Data corrupted."


    "What? What...time is it?"


    "...Unknown..." Baracus''s solemn voice sounded clearly in Hao Xuan''s ears.


    With a deep frown, Hao Xuan closed his eyes to try and recall what had happened but thest thing he remembered was vomiting his guts out.


    He looked around but couldn''t see anyone else in the cabin, not even the rotting corpse that he had stabbed before.


    But most of the cabin was on fire already so it could just have been turned to ashes by now. He felt there was something missing but no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember.


    The sound of hurried footsteps came from the front, waking him from the stupor.


    Putting such thoughts to the back of his mind, Hao Xuan ced his hand over his face to call out the mask but nothing happened.


    With a raised brow he tried again but there was no response. He could ''feel'' the mask''s presence somewhere inside him but it could not be called out no matter how hard he tried.


    "For fuck sakes," he cursed.


    *Crumble*


    With a loud grinding sound, a part of the cabin''s roof copsed, falling right onto Hao Xuan. Thankfully he was able to react in time and leap out of the way.


    Left with no other choice he stood again and used the left hand to cover his face from the mes. He ran into the ze since the only exit was on the other side.


    With some minor burns and scratches, Hao Xuan came out of the ze that had quickly spread to the remainder of the cabin.


    He came out on a stone-paved street. Everything around him was on fire, as far as the eye could see.


    Smoke covered the night sky but it couldn''t block the raindrops froming through, as infrequent and light as they were.


    Hao Xuan reached out and let a few drops fall on his hand, letting out a breath of relief.


    It wasn''t a blood rain anymore.


    "AAAAAH!" another scream came from his right, this one much closer than before.


    Hao Xuan started walking towards it as fast as he could. As soon as he exited the living quarters he could see where it hade from.


    It was a group of natives surrounding one of the guards, the same one Tomas had warned before.


    The guard was iling about helplessly, trying to push them away but it looked like he didn''t have any strength left. The ground underneath was covered in blood.


    "Did they finally revolt?" Hao Xuan couldn''t help but mumble seeing the situation but it was still quite strange. The guard was a cultivator and could kill these few mortals without lifting a finger. So...how did this happen?


    It looked like the guard heard him since he looked over, extending an arm with a missing hand towards Hao Xuan.


    "H-Help me...plea-" he tried to ask but before he could finish, one of the natives bit at his throat like a wild dog, pulling out a chunk of skin, flesh, and cartge.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets and his mouth fell wide open watching the gruesome scene. But he couldn''t look away for some reason.


    The sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing were all he could hear now. It was a whole minute before he realized what was happening.


    "O-Oi! What the fuck are you people doing!" Hao Xuan shouted.


    The natives stopped, all at once. They slowly stood up and turned around to face him.


    Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat when he saw their appearance. They were walking corpses with dead eyes and rotting flesh. Some of them were even missing skin and bones here and there.


    "RAUUUGH!" one of them howled and sprinted towards him at full speed, prompting others to follow suit.


    They weren''t like the slow-paced "zombies" Hao Xuan knew from the movies back on earth. These ones were running on all fours like wild animals. Their moths opened to several times their normal size, lined with crooked but sharp teeth. Their limbs were longer as well, twisting into sharp hooks.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Vote Vote Vote!

 Chapter 586: Others

    <h4>Chapter 586: Others</h4>


    All of their hands and feet were facing the wrong way but that did little to hinder their overall movement. Their digits ended in sharp, twisted shapes that resembled serrated hooks, easily piercing into every object in their path.


    They jumped left and right onto the walls and uneven surfaces like some kind of horrendously mutated grasshoppers and sprinted towards him with a speed that should not have been possible by ordinary mortals, let alone dead ones.


    Before Hao Xuan could even think what to do they were already on him. He managed to raise the ive just in time to block the first creature that fell on him.


    It weighed several tons and even for someone of Hao Xuan''s caliber, it wasn''t easy to block. He staggered and fell on his back, sshing mud everywhere.


    "RAAGH!" it snarled at him with that hideous mouth, smearing his face with saliva that left a tingling sensation on his skin.


    Hao Xuan tried to push its face away but not only was it too strong but he himself was far too weak, still not fully recovered from the effects of that ck substance that had invaded his body.


    "BARACUS!" he shouted, "Offense power 100%!"


    "Affirmative!"


    Baracus realized the urgency of the situation and activated every single nanomachine within Hao Xuan''s body. With a low-pitched whirring sound they got to work on the muscles on his arms and legs first before moving on to the rest of Hao Xuan''s body, expanding them to twice their normal size.


    He could feel himself getting stronger.


    A timer appeared on the edge of Hao Xuan''s vision, counting down from 180 seconds. That was how long this phase would be able tost.


    It was to be noted that these were still the most basic nanomachines that had not undergone any supplementary procedures to increase their effectiveness, otherwise, the range of their abilities and powers would not be so limited.


    The other creatures arrived and leaped towards Hao Xuan who was already struggling with the first one.


    Focusing the power into his forearms, he pushed the first creature away and jumped back to his feet. Seeing that, instead of running in without a care for themselves, the creatures stooped just outside the reach of the ive.


    Hao Xuan''s heart clenched. These things, whatever the hell they were, they weren''t as mindless as he was hoping for.


    Realizing Hao Xuan was ready to fight back, they stopped in their tracks instead of attacking head-on.


    Hao Xuan raised the ive in front of him horizontally and bent his knees, standing on the tip of his toes that were half-buried in the mud.


    There were about five creatures in total. Three of them looked like they were adults while the remaining two were much smaller, probably made from the corpses of children. They circled around him, covering every possible direction he could run to.


    Their faces were expressionless. The only, or rather the MOST off-putting thing about them, was the soundsing from their necks when they rotated their heads at an angle of 180-degree in either direction. Almost like curious newborns seeing something new for the first time.


    Under the smoky sky Hao Xuan waited for them to attack, focusing hisplete attention on the sound of raindrops and the clicking of their vertebrae to know if the ones behind him were attacking as well, but all they did was constantly move in a circle around him on all fours.


    There was a hint of curiosity in their white eyes when they looked at him, almost as if he was an oddity and they didn''t know how to react.


    And Hao Xuan caught that too but the time was very much a factor right now not only because of the limitation of the nanotech but also because of the others. He could hear screamsing from all directions with some minor sounds of Qi attacks.


    There were fights going on in other ces and when they ended with the humans on the losing side, he didn''t want to be here to greet the surviving creatures. His only option was to reach one of these groups before they died off and either use them as bait or join hands with them to fight against them.


    Left with no other choice, Hao Xuan chose the smallest creature as his target and waited for it to reach his right side. The sounds of fighting were the loudest from the right so that would also be his destination. Power continued to gather in his legs, ready to explode any seconds.


    Time passed by a little too quickly. By the time the creature reached his right side, there were less than 120 seconds left on the clock.


    Hao Xuan leaned towards the left. Thergest of the three adult creatures quickly reacted and moved in that direction but then Hao Xuan jumped to the right, using every little bit of energy he could muster.


    Utilizing theplete range of the basic techniques of the Imperial ive Doctrine Hao Xuan shed towards the small creature. His goal wasn''t to kill but to push it away just enough to make a run for it, which he managed to do.


    The ive swung horizontally in the direction the creature was moving. It ran into the ive headfirst but managed to move its head out of the way. The de pierced its abdomen and cut the bottom half of it cleanly off.


    It let out an ear-piercing screech, both the upper and lower body parts pping around the ce while Hao Xuan jumped over it.


    Hao Xuan lowered his body and pushed against the ground, shotting forward in a straight line towards the nearest group. The other creatures were already behind him, including the small one that was dragging its upper body along the muddy ground with its hands.


    It didn''t look like losing the lower half of its body was fatal enough to take its life.


    Hao Xuan jumped over and ran through whatever was in front of him,nding in the middle of a fight.


    There were two groups here.


    One belonged to the guards which numbered less than twenty, and the other was of the creatures which were more than fifty at first nce.


    Hao Xuan ran in head first, shing every creature that blocked his path.

 Chapter 587: Momentum

    <h4>Chapter 587: Momentum</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s appearance was far too sudden for either party to react to. By the time they realized what was happening he had alreadynded in the middle of several undead creatures.


    There were less than 30 seconds left before the nanotech would lose power so he decided to make use of every single moment before that.


    Between him and the guards were close to five creatures, facing away from him.


    Without saying a single word to the guards, he focused hisplete attention on the enemies around him. It was already toote to pull out and look for another group so he needed to prove his worth to these guys so they would protect him in his moment of weakness that was just a few moments away.


    Although he really disliked the idea of depending on others for support, for the time being there was no better option.


    Diverting a majority of the power to the sensory organs Hao Xuan swung the ive left and right like a madman. And with its stupendously long-range and heavy weight, even an indirect attack could prove to be deadly.


    Time came to a slow crawl in front Hao Xuan''s eyes. He became sharper, more aware of every little detail around him. He could feel the slightest change in the air and know what was happening in the near surroundings without even looking.


    *WHOOSH*


    The first swing went from the right to left at an angle of 75 degrees, generating its own soundwave. It hit a creature in the chest, sending it reeling into two others behind it.


    Using that momentum Hao Xuan spun around and executed the second swing with an even stronger force. It went in a semi-circle around him and hit the two other creatures that were closing in from behind.


    *WHOOOSH*


    The third strike was a straight vertical one that sent a creature straight up into the air. The ives momentum was enough to drag Hao Xuan right behind it.


    He reached a height of eight meters before starting to plummet back down.


    Hao Xuan spun in the air like a top more than 40 times and executed the final move, redirecting all that built up energy directly onto the ground before below. And just to add that little personal touch, he diverted all the nanotech to his upper body, expanding his arms to three times their original size and inserting every iota of power into the ive.


    He was moving so fast that ive turned red from the friction, letting out a shrill noise while cutting through the air. Hao Xuan greatly overexerted his muscles and couldn''t help but let out a painful roar.


    "AHHH!"


    At this point, a religious man would ask God to have mercy on the poor souls that would be caught in that attack because Hao Xuan was not intending to give any.


    The ive came down like a bolt of heavenly lightning, just without the thunder to announce its arrival. That woulde after...


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The entire pit shook and the area in front of him exploded with pure force. No Qi, no special attack, just pure unadulterated brute force pulverized the ground and tore the earth to shreds.


    From start to finish the ive didn''t stop for even an instant, building up the momentum with every strike and making each subsequent one that much more powerful. And he was doing all of this subconsciously, without utilizing any Qi.


    What started out as a handicap at first turned out to be a stroke of great luck because although Hao Xuan was not aware of this right now, he had just touched upon the boundary of the first realm of the Dao of the ive, Resonance.


    Although having the same names, the requirements for each weapon Dao realm were different. They required their own understanding to form a connection with the weapon.


    And Hao Xuan has just discovered his. So long as he continued moving forward, each strike would be more powerful than the one before and would keep building up that momentum for one final attack that would be exponentially stronger than anything he could execute by himself.


    His advancement in the Weapon Dao had greatly increased the awaking process of the weapon spirit currently slumbering within the ive.


    All of this took some time to exin but from start to finish, it hadn''t even taken 30 seconds.


    The attack destroyed the undead creature''s formation, turning more than ten of them to meat-paste.


    The human side that desperately needed a break looked towards Hao Xuan with dumbfounded expressions. The ones closest to him fell on their backs from the shockwaves.


    There was one person in particr among them that had kept an eye on Hao Xuan from the moment he first arrived. It was a bald-headed slender man in histe twenties. He wore giant beads around his neck that numbered seven in total and a simple grey robe.


    He was surrounded by a dim golden light that was covering four men in front of him, healing their injuries.


    "Bring him to me, quickly!" he shouted.

 Chapter 588: Inner Disciples

    <h4>Chapter 588: Inner Disciples</h4>


    More than thirty meters of the affected area around the attack copsed in on itself.


    The ground was covered in mud and it had been raining for several hours so it was pretty unstable already. Hao Xuan''s feet touched the ground for an instant before it turned to mush and he fell further into the quagmire.


    Hao Xuan tried to grab onto something for support to try and climb out but the energy from thest strike was still rippling through the ground, turning it upside down.


    It looked like the earth was trying to swallow him whole, along with anything else caught within its radius.


    Hao Xuan gasped for breath, powerless in the face of such intense energy. Before he realized only his hand was still out while the rest of him was buried under mounds of sludge, sinking deeper by the second.


    But at the veryst moment before his hand was about to disappear into the freshly dug soil, a hand reached out and gripped him firmly.


    It pulled with such strength that Hao Xuan had only felt twice before and dragged him out of the churning slush.


    Hao Xuan threw up a mouthful of dirt and nced towards his savior.


    It was a boy the same age as him, if not younger. He was extremely muscr and well built. His pronounced muscles looked like they held a lot more power than it showed, speaking volumes of the type of training he had undergone.


    He was also bald and had a simr grey robe just like the other person that was surrounded by the golden light not far from them.


    He peered towards Hao Xuan with a questioning gaze.


    "Can you stand?"


    Hao Xuan nodded wordlessly, trying to catch his breath.


    "Can you fight?"


    The creatures were already getting back on their feet and starting to surround them again.


    Hao Xuan quickly checked the timer on the top left of his vision and shook his head. Just standing was all he could manage right now.


    The boy nodded and extended his hand with a bright smile, "I''m Zou Huan. 709th Inner Disciple of Mount Cae."


    "Hao...Xuan..."


    Although the timing did seem a little strange to make such casual introductions considering they were still surrounded by a great many undead creatures, Hao Xuan still met his hand so as not to seem impolite.


    But as soon as he did so, Zou Huan gripped his hand even tighter, "And away you go!" he said cheekily before throwing Hao Xuan over the throng of creatures to the other side where all the humans were gathered.


    Hao Xuan was already out of strength so he couldn''t resist at all and flew over like a ragdoll,nding in the middle right next to the other bald man who ran up to him.


    "Are you alright brother?" he asked, examining his body for any injuries.


    "Zou Huan, how many times have I told you to be more careful!" he barked towards Zou Huan after making sure there was nothing wrong with Hao Xuan.


    Zou Huan''s face suddenly turned red and he red back in anger, "Han Rong, that is no way to talk to your senior brother!" he said sharply.


    "You''re only older by a DAY! How long will you keep bringing that up? You muscle-headed..."


    While the Duo shouted back and forth, Hao Xuan felt like he had been hit by a hammer and couldn''t even think straight since he had managed to somehownd face first.


    His ears were ringing and he could barely hear anything, which was maybe for the best. His vision started to go blurry and he lost consciousness soon after.


    By the time Hao Xuan regained his senses the fight had already been resumed for a little more than 10 minutes.


    They were on the move, slowly fighting their way towards the center of the pit. Hao Xuan was being carried by two injured guards while the rest of them formed a circle around them to keep the creatures at bay.


    It was a battle of attrition which the guards were losing. Only the two baldheaded inner disciples of Mount Cae, whatever the hell that was, were in rtively good condition.


    Hao Xuan looked around from the back of the makeshift stretcher and saw Han Rong just a couple of feet beside him. His right hand was hovering over Hao Xuan as he mumbled something under his breath.


    A dim golden light was constantly being projected from his palm, falling on Hao Xuan''s body.


    Hao Xuan could feel a warm and vibrant energy entering his body, healing his injuries and replenishing his blood energy.


    Sounds of explosions and nging wereing from the front. Hao Xuan raised his head with some effort and saw Zou Huan fighting a white undead creature but it was unlike any of the others he had seen so far.


    This one had pasty white skin, its arms ended in a pair of ws with six bony growths on its upper back. Its legs were much bulkier than the rest of its body with deformed bone spurs erupting from the sides.


    A three-foot-long tongue hanged loosely from its skinless skull, giving it an even more repulsive appearance. (reference Img attached)


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Image link: https://urlzs/NYk7B

 Chapter 589: Inner Disciples continued

    <h4>Chapter 589: Inner Disciples continued</h4>


    All the other undead Hao Xuan had seen so far resembled normal human beings quite closely. The most significant differences were the elongated limbs and deformed heads.


    But this one waspletely different. It was more of a monster in the shape of a human rather than something that was once a human. Even from far away it was giving off a dangerous energy that felt like death. There was no other way to describe it, it just felt like dying.


    And Zou Huan was fighting it alone while the other guards kept the rest of the undead creatures at bay.


    Hao Xuan had looked at the creature for less than 20 seconds when he felt a prickling sensation in his eyes and quickly looked away.


    Seeing the sudden movement Han Rong came closer, "You''re awake! Good! What''s wrong?" he asked seeing Hao Xuan rubbing his eyes.


    Hao Xuan gestured towards the white undead, "That thing, what is it?"


    Han Rong nced towards it, shaking his head in dismay, "A proof of our failure. If only we came a little sooner," he said with a sigh, "It used to be a human at some point but now it''s a minor demon."


    "A demon?!" Hao Xuan repeated in shock.


    Han Rong nodded nkly with a hint of genuine surprise, "You...didn''t know? I can smell a demon''s aura on you so you must have been very close to one not too long ago, or did you not know it was a demon?"


    Hao Xuan''s forehead unconsciously creased up listening to Han Rong. He still couldn''t remember what happened in the cabin but there was only one demon that came to mind.


    Yet looking at Han Rong''s rather carefree expression, he decided not to mention, at least for now, that a Demon God might be walking amongst them in some shape or form.


    Hao Xuan stayed silent after that and Han Rong didn''t say anything either, chalking it up to shock.


    The lightly falling raindrops never ceased but the fire still burned in the background. The number of undead creatures steadily rose until theypletely surrounded the guards like an ocean of rotting death.


    They couldn''t move a single step forward.


    There were close to a thousand undead creatures, as far as the eye could see.


    Some of them even stood in the fire trying to get close to them, jumping over one another to get a taste of perhaps the only living beings left in the area.


    Other than the Han Rong, Hao Xuan, and the two injured guards that were carrying him everyone else was engaged in a life and death battle.


    Hao Xuan looked at the guards that were fighting for dear life and forced himself to stand up. But he had greatly overestimated himself and quickly lost bnce.


    But Han Rong extended his hand just in time and lent him a shoulder, "You are still too weak," he warned and tried to put him back on the stretcher but Hao Xuan firmly refused. Even the two injured guards carrying the stretcher were in bad condition, how could he justy there when most of these people were in worse conditions?


    "I can fight. Just need to...eat a little...If I can just get...a little bit of energy back," Hao Xuan couldn''t help but mumble.


    A wry smile escaped from Han Rong''s lips as he chuckled lightly, "If and buts, huh. If we were a little earlier, none of this would have had happened. If we weren''t being restricted by the world spirit then we could have cleansed all of them with ease. But we werete, and we are still restricted."


    Hao Xuan looked at him in confusion, "You guys just got here? What are your realms?"


    Han Rong smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, a littlete like I said. I''m Profound Realm Stage 7, he is Stage 9," he pointed towards Zou Huan, "We came as soon as we heard about the strange phenomenon."


    "So you can''t even use your Qi right now?" Hao Xuan asked, getting a nod in response.


    "No one can use Qi right now. The bloody rain that you people experienced before is called hells tears, among other names. It saps away spiritual energy from the air and if a cultivatores in direct contact with it, the same happens to their Qi," Han Rong exined.


    Hao Xuan acted surprised but not for the reason Han Rong thought. Hao Xuan''s Qi was already in a disarray due to the Law of Chaos so he hadn''t even noticed a difference, but it made sense now that he thought about.


    Of the over 20 cultivators here, only 2 were using Qi, and even that barely.


    He looked towards Zou Huan who was engaged in singlebat with the minor demon. His arms were covered in a dim golden light, the same as the oneing Han Rong had used to heal Hao Xuan''s injuries.


    But while Han Rong''s energy felt warm and gentle, Zou Huan''s felt hard and sturdy.


    Hao Xuan could see whenever Zou Huannded a punch on the minor demon''s body, that energy would leave a ck mark there.


    Whatever it was, it was deadly to demons.

 Chapter 590: Impossible Situation

    <h4>Chapter 590: Impossible Situation</h4>


    Since the undead kept increasing, the most obvious thing to do was use their numbers against them by forming a small tightly-knit circle. This way only a limited number of the undead could attack them at any point and they wouldn''t be overrun.


    The guards stood on the outside, standing shoulder to shoulder to create a very basic battle formation with Hao Xuan and Han Rong in the center. Even the two injured guards joined in to provide whatever help they were able to.


    Han Rong was still constantly using that golden Qi to replenish the guard''s energy and heal any minor injuries that got in the way. He closed his eyes and sat down on the ground with crossed legs.


    Hao Xuan could feel an extremely intense orb of energy inside Han Rong''s chest.


    Compared to Hao Xuan''s own Qi that was of all different types with different uses, Han Rong''s felt like it was a single entity, something beaming with life.


    And it was extremely powerful. It kept increasing in intensity until it looked like Han Rong had be translucent and the golden energy could be seen with the naked eye.


    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that it looked and felt like a mini sun beating within his chest, undting with an energy so powerful that it could be felt even by non-cultivators.


    But it was suppressed. Even though its intensity was more than enough to cover everything within miles, the moment it came out of Han Rong''s body it was suppressed by at least 50 folds until the sun turned into a mere flickering candle.


    This was due to the suppression of the world spirit.


    Soon after Hao Xuan realized that it was neither a technique nor an ability that Han Rong was using to give off such intense energy, but it was his cultivation as a whole. Thebination of every type of Qi circting throughout his meridians could be seen with the naked eye by an outsider.


    But perhaps the most shocking part was that just this mere scrap of Qi was enough to slowly heal every single guard nearby. Even Hao Xuan himself was still receiving a majority of that Qi to replenish his physical energy.


    Or maybe it would be more fitting to say that his body was forcefully ''stealing'' most of that Qi of its own ord. But whatever the case, Hao Xuan was regaining his strength rather quickly.


    And for the first time since first arriving in this world, when he looked at Han Rong Hao Xuan felt like he was looking at a true cultivator from those novels he had read back on earth.


    Maybe it was just the way he was dressed or perhaps it was the trademarked gold color of his Qi but in Hao Xuan''s eyes, Han Rong looked like a powerful Buddhist monk.


    Yet even with Han Rong''s constant supply of Qi, it wouldn''t be long until they were overpowered.


    Zou Huan and the minor demon''s fight was going to be the main deciding factor in this battle of attrition.


    They traded punches with one another with much the same ferocity as hungry beasts. There was nothing elegant about their fight, it was just apetition to see who could take more abuse.


    The minor demon had a multitude of abilities at its disposal which it managed to use every now and then but Zou Huan was sticking so close to it that almost all of them were useless.


    Since he wasn''t able to use any Qi, Zou Huan chose to throw away all caution to the wind and use his bare body to attack and defend.


    Using the absolute bare minimum of energy he could muster, Zou Huan covered his arms and upper body and attacked with some kind of martial art that emphasized reaction speed over everything else.


    Every attack from the minor demon was dodged by the skin of his teeth at the veryst second. There were more than a few times when he was a little toote and ended up gaining new injuries. At first they didn''t do much to hinder his rhythm but after umting a handful of bone-deep cuts along his legs and abdomen, Zou Huan started to slow down as well.


    He went on the defensive, countering every four or five moves instead of the usual one.


    Hao Xuan who was watching everything from the fragile safety provided by the constant efforts of the guards that were also on theirst legs, couldn''t help but admire them.


    It was pretty clear that both Zou Huan and Han Rong came from a powerful background and could escape to safety with rtively little effort if they so desired, yet they chose to stay here and help all these men that were little more than cannon fodder even to their own employers.


    But these two were helping them even at the cost of their own lives. And it didn''t look like they were nning to run off anytime soon.


    It was the type of selfless behavior Hao Xuan had note across that often. Stupid, butmendable.


    In the distance, an undead creature that was three times the size of others suddenly popped out of the ground and dragged one of the guards away, injuring three others around him.


    "AAH! NO HELP ME PLEASE!" the guard shouted but as soon as he was pulled more than two meters away the surrounding undead jumped at him like locusts and started tearing him to shreds.


    The surrounding guards quickly pushed the injured inside and closed the gap but thest line of defense had been breached and they were pushed further back.


    His screams of help quickly changed to pleas for relief since the undead still hadn''t killed him. They desired living flesh and for that purpose, killing the prey was not in their ybook.


    He could be seen struggling from afar, asking his friends to end his life with tears streaming down his bloody face. The mental toll it took on the rest of the guards was, suffice to say, detrimental.


    The guard''s screams echoed in the surroundings for almost a whole minute before he finally took hisst breath, followed by snarling and sniveling of the creatures as they ate what was left of him.


    The battle formation was so small now that they could barely swing their weapons without hitting one another, not to mention their will to fight was dropping by the second.


    After watching theirrade get killed in such a horrible and painful way, most of them were thinking of taking their own lives.


    "At least it would be quick," they thought.


    This led to them getting pushed back more and more.


    "ZOU HUAN! WE DON''T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT!" Han Rong shouted and ran over to the injured guards to stop their bleeding.


    "You will live, I promise! So don''t give up, please," he implored emotionally, cing his hands over the most serious wounds.


    It wasn''t clear whether he was talking to the three injured guards or to the ones still fighting but, it did little either way.


    In the face of an impossible situation and an agonizing death, empty words held little value.


    "I''m...trying!" Zou Huan responded, pushing the minor demon back.


    But he was in no condition to do anything. He couldn''t even guarantee his own life at this stage and the others could see that as well.


    ***


    Authors notes:


    If you like, please vote!


    Official Discord link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 591: Recall

    <h4>Chapter 591: Recall</h4>


    In this vast world very few powers could im to be truly neutral, at least ones that held any real ability. There were always sides to choose even if most people thought otherwise.


    So no matter which side you were on, there were some ces and things that were always out of reach because of either internal or external conflict.


    But Mount Cae was one of these rare entities that didn''t choose a side. Well, unless you count all things demonic in which case they were definitely against them.


    Mount Cae was an ancient and ethereal worldly ''entity'' that took the shape of a mountain. It did not exist as far as the general public was concerned with only a select few cultivators and persons of power being made aware of their existence.


    No one knew when Mount Cae first appeared or who was the one controlling it, but as time passed it had be a natural part of the hierarchy.


    Its actual location and how to get to it was aplete secret. With there being verified witness ounts of it being seen in Seven of the Nine Worlds.


    Only the inner disciples that were chosen from across the myriad of old and new worlds had any knowledge of their inner workings.


    Throughout history, the students and disciples of Mount Cae had appeared in many locations, sometimes saving untold lives and other times leaving them with a word of warning for future events.


    They had one cardinal rule because of which they were always weed no matter where they went, and that was to never interfere with the workings of the local rulers.


    Not to mention the Mount Cae disciples were well disciplined and proved to be of great help, providing knowledge and assistance in the fight against the gue of demonic beings with which far too manys were afflicted in one way or another.


    But Mount Cae itself was shrouded in mystery ever since it first made an appearance. It was but a single entity with no known affiliations to any of the High Heavens or the Abyssal Tribes yet the handful of times it was attacked, it had managed to defend itself without any outside help.


    These few instances had discouraged many eager and hungry eyes to stay their hand, at least until more was known about them.


    ****


    Zou Huannded a clean punch near the minor demon''s back, finally managing to push it back a little and buy some breathing room for himself.


    "I''m trying...god damnit..." he repeated throughbored breaths.


    He only had the strength of his physical body to depend on for the majority of the fight and now after fighting for more than an hour at full strength he was running on fumes.


    The golden light surroundings his upper body continued to dim and flicker, threatening to go out at any moment. He looked around to examine the conditions of everyone else but to his dismay, they were in an even worse state.


    The undeadpletely ignored Zou Huan and focused entirely on the rest of them. Maybe it was because of the minor demon or maybe they knew by instinct that there was nothing to gain from going after him.


    The minor demon whose lower jaw was only connected by a piece of white skin to the rest of its body grabbed an injured undead from nearby and forcefully shoved it into its maw. The undead tried to struggle free but it was all in vain since the demon easily overpowered it.


    The injuries it had received from the previous fight healed in a matter of seconds, leaving only faint ck spots where the punches hadnded. It seemed like the energy present around those wounds wasn''t so easily dispelled.


    Zou Huan''s expression turned grim in an instant seeing that. He sighed and took out a bottle of pills from his robe, popping one into his mouth.


    The pill was the size of a small marble, filled with a light blue liquid inside. The second it touched his tongue it burst apart and the cool liquid flowed down his gullet.


    His injuries did not heal but the flickering golden light around his fists did regain its previous splendor.


    Zou Huan pounded his chest like a gori and shouted towards the minor demon.


    "Let''s finish this you scaly bastard!"


    He jumped forward, basically throwing himself at the demon who was also incensed by Zou Huan''s childish provocations.


    Two fleshy tanks met in the air, creating shockwavessting tens of meters. Every time they traded blows it would sound like someone was beating a thick piece of meat with a hammer. Only they themselves would know best how painful it was.


    But neither of them held back anymore,pletely giving up on defense. The one who would be left standing at the end would be the winner.


    Quite an unsophisticated and barbaric method but it was the fastest way to determine a clear winner.


    Hao Xuan who was watching their exchange with interest couldn''t help but take another look at the demon who had devoured the undead with barely any effort and recalled his own ability. It had been so long that he almost forgot about it.


    He peered towards the multitude of undead surrounding him and for some strange reason, the dread from the whole situation was washed away with the mere desire to eat.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his rumbling stomach, muttering, "So...hungry..."


    ***


    Authors notes:


    If you like, please vote guys!


    Official Discord link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 592: Utopia

    <h4>Chapter 592: Utopia</h4>


    Bloodied rainwater covered the entire length of the ground underneath with the water level slowly rising constantly, making it harder and harder for the guards to keep their footing.


    Due to the constant back and forth motion in the same ce, they had started to dig themselves into a ditch little by little. The water wasing up to their ankles now and every step felt like they were stepping into quicksand, making it that much more difficult to move around freely.


    They were at the end of their rope exhausted both mentally and physically.


    The night was long, cold, and wet. There was an ocean of undead in front of them with no end in sight. They were tired, scared, hungry, and losing courage by the second.


    Most of these guards hade to this epting the harsh conditions of the three overseeing powers as a means of securing livelihoods and their futures. When, or rather if they managed to reach the Beast World alive, there would be many new opportunities waiting for them there.


    Amin (CH 580) was one of the few individuals with the drive to want to go up in the world.


    After a fortuitous meeting with an old cultivator that was at the end of his life, he managed to get his hands on a cultivation manual and enough resources to reach the Earth Realm after more than five years of effort.


    Wanting to get even stronger, he epted the offer of the Academy and left his ailing mother in the Beast World in the hopes of catching a lucky break but after spending more than 6 standard months here he realized that was far from the case.


    They were mere errand boys, guards, and watchdogs for these rich princes and princesses that were either too bored or simply toozy to do such menial tasks themselves.


    The undiscovered utopia he was looking forward to exploring was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he had to act as a prison guard for the locals that were traded and sold like cattle. And now, somehow, they had turned into these monstrous creatures.


    Amin felt like he was living out someone else''s nightmare in real life, the only difference being that he couldn''t just wake up and find himself back home, back in that small vige where he had to do hardbor from sunrise till sunset and fall asleep tired and happy, with a smile on his face.


    Where his mother''s homecooked meals would be waiting for him every time he went home and where his childhood sweetheart would wait for him under the old tree every night to talk about mundane and boring things that he wouldn''t remember the next day.


    It wasn''t much but it was a good life. And now here he was here...


    Standing in muddy, bloody water, injured and tired from all the fighting, having lost almost everyone he hade to know including the old cultivator that had taught him everything, surrounded by horrible things.


    He screamed and shouted, bitting down on his lips and drawing enough blood to fill a bucket but no matter how hard he tried, there was no waking up from this nightmare.


    "I wanna go back," he cried, using his old metal sword to shakily hold back the snarling undead creatures that filled his heart with fear.


    "I want to see mom, to sleep in my own bed, to get a single night''s sleep without worrying about anything else. I want to see the sun every time I wake up and I want to see it set. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?!" he sobbed, talking to himself.


    "I don''t want to die!" silent sobs turned into full-blown weeping but even then barely anyone other than the guards that were right next to him could hear it.


    "RAAUGH!" an undead right in front of his face roared, scaring him even more. Maybe it was able to feel his despair or maybe it just wanted to help him achieve the peace he was looking for.


    It grabbed his sword and pushed it down slowly.


    Amin''s legs finally gave way and he willingly loosened the grip around the sword, letting it fall from his grasp. It was better to just give up. What was the point of fighting?


    Amin closed his eyes and opened his arms, embracing the snarling undead that was trying to bite his head off. Yet the pain he had prepared himself for didn''te. He opened his eyes halfway and noticed the unmoving corpse of the undead creature.


    He pushed it away and noticed its missing head.


    "What?" he mumbled, stupefied.


    Amin looked behind him and saw Hao Xuan standing there with his eyes closed. A devilish smile adorned his face as he licked his lips with an expression of pure bliss.


    Time seemed to have slowed down for Amin. He noticed Hao Xuan opening his eyes in slow motion, those green pupils corrupted with a tinge of red looking at him with an intoxicated look.


    "So....hungry..." his words shook Amin to the core making him take a step back towards the undead.


    Right now, he was more afraid of Hao Xuan than the hordes of undead monsters that were a mere arms length away.

 Chapter 593: Fear

    <h4>Chapter 593: Fear</h4>


    Hao Xuan fell into a sort of trance.


    He was a little afraid. More than a little in fact. The Mind Pce was still blocked and he couldn''t use his Qi. He was in so much pain that it had almost be numb. There was a sea of undead creatures in front of him, squirming like maggots trying to get to him.


    And between him and them was a single row of mercenaries that had all but given up themselves. He could hear their cries and whimpers as they weakly held up their weapons for god knows what reason.


    Some asking for their parents, some asking for forgiveness for some past sin they hadmitted. Some asking for another chance and some that just wanted it to end.


    ''I''m afraid. I don''t want to go out..''


    ''Why am I fighting? Is it really worth going back? Is it really worth fighting through all this SHIT? What....is my reason?'' Hao Xuan couldn''t help but ask himself.


    But then something unexpected happened.


    ''Why does it matter?'' a voice answered from somewhere deep within. A voice he had buried a long time ago.


    Hao Xuan woke up from the trance and looked around, "Who...are you?" he asked out loud but everyone else was too busy to say or do anything in return, or maybe no one cared.


    Yet the voice echoed in his ears with stark rity.


    ''You know who I am, even if you don''t remember now. We have been together since you opened your eyes, and we will be together until you die. But tell me...why are you afraid?''


    The voice sounded familiar. Hao Xuan could hear it as clear as day and he was aware of it. It didn''t belong to Hyde and it didn''t sound like himself, but it wasn''t foreign either.


    "Am I having a...mental breakdown?" he couldn''t help but ask with a self-deprecating chuckle.


    ''Why.are.you.afraid?!'' the voice repeated, sounding a little angry which for some reason made Hao Xuan mad too. Why a voice in his head was getting angry at him for no reason?!


    "Why can''t I be afraid?" he retorted in a sharp tone.


    ''Are you afraid of death?'' it asked, silencing Hao Xuan. When Hao Xuan didn''t respond it spoke up again.


    ''No, it is not death you are afraid of. That is just a temporary moment of pain in a long life. You have already experienced more pain than any death will make you feel, so why are you scared? Scared of what you yourself are capable of?''


    ''Your woman is a liar, your friend is a stranger. You keep helping others but no one is helping you. You are being used, for one reason or another. The people thatugh with you, that eat with you, would they spare you a nce if they didn''t need you?''


    ''Every day you get weaker, your sanity lessening by the minute, yet that is still not what you are afraid of.''


    A short moment of silence followed.


    "Why am I afraid then?" Hao Xuan asked.


    ''Why indeed. Do you not remember? All those years ago? When you were but a fledgling, even then you didn''t know fear. What scared others only pushed you forward. When other kids were scared of the dark, you weed it, even frightening those so-called responsible caretakers of yours.''


    ''You...did not know fear, you were TAUGHT it. Taught to be afraid of the darkness but that''s where we prospered. That''s where we flourished, along with those things that are far far worse. So let me ask you again, why are you afraid?''


    Hao Xuan stood there listening to everything the voice had to say, looking at the nightmarish creatures in front of him. Some of the things the voice said did not make sense, others Hao Xuan did not agree with.


    But that fear he felt when looking at these monsters was quickly reced by an itch. An itch originating in the palm of his hand and spreading to the rest of his body.


    His lips parted, mumbling one sentence.


    "I''m not," he confirmed.


    ''You are not. Not of these piles of bones and dead flesh. There is nothing TO be scared of. So what are you waiting for?''


    What Hao Xuan never realized was that all those pleas for help and relief he was hearing from the guards weren''t actually being spoken out loud. They were thoughts, mere ideas in the back of their heads that he could listen to normal conversations.


    It felt like a long conversation but it didn''t even take a full second from start to finish.


    Hao Xuan heard another familiar voice to his left, repeating much of the same things that others were. Asking to be sent home, asking to be saved, dripping with weakness.


    ''What a Coward,'' the voicemented in his head. But this time it sounded just a little bit more like Hao Xuan''s own voice now. As if they had one more thing inmon. The left most door in Hao Xuan''s mind pce opened, just a little bit more than before.


    Hao Xuan threw a disdainful nce towards the crying boy and extended his hand towards the squirming undead in his embrace.


    The undead looked up sensing someone there, pushing its forehead into Hao Xuan''s palm.


    Even though it was dead, at this moment when it looked at him standing over it without much emotion, a tinge of dread that it should not even be capable of feeling shed past its white pupils before Hao Xuan muttered, "Devour" and its entire head disappeared, like a bubble popping.

 Chapter 594: Untainted

    <h4>Chapter 594: Untainted</h4>


    "Devour" Hao Xuan muttered, opening his mouth. The head of the undead creature simply popped out of existence as if it was never even there.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and felt the rush of pure energy passing through him, cleansing him from inside out. The fatigue and weariness that had consumed his body for days were reduced by just a little, enough for him to be able to stand on his own with ease.


    A notification popped up in Hao Xuan''s peripheral vision.


    "Blood energy restored: 4.1%"


    His lips curled up into an indistinct smile. He opened his eyes and saw Amin standing in front of him.


    "So...hungry..." Hao Xuan unconsciously mumbled under his breath. It was but a weak murmur but Amin was close enough to hear it. He took a step back, towards the undead horde.


    Hao Xuan''s smile widened seeing the fear in the boy''s eyes. It felt...empowering, for some strange reason.


    Hao Xuan did not really understand why Amin was so afraid of him even though he just saved his life, but he did not care enough to ask.


    Instead, he looked around and quickly found what he was looking for. Another undead creature that was about to overpower a guard to his right.


    The guard was a middle-aged man at the early stages of the Spirit Realm, covered in blood. There was a gash on his forehead that kept bleeding, obstructing his vision.


    The undead facing him was twice the size of most of the others. It even had a row of small bony growths popping out of its abdomen, where the ribs should be.


    Each of these growths was less than five centimeters in length, looking like rows of unsharpened teeth. Obviously it was mutating into something else but had not yet gone through the entire process.


    Its skin was a tinge darker than most of the others and looked more like animal hide than human skin.


    There were a few other undead with distinct characteristics just like this one, all at the forefront of the horde shing directly with the poor guards.


    It was absolute chaos, colored in with blood and guts. Yet Hao Xuan hadn''t felt this rxed in a long time.


    He picked an undead closest to him, the one with the teething out of its abdomen and made his way towards it, which was but a handful of steps. There weren''t any other undead in the near vicinity to it was the easiest target to go after since he wouldn''t get rushed.


    The undead only noticed him when he was standing right behind the guard. He tapped the guard on the shoulder, making him look back at him with a deep frown.


    "WHAT!?" he shouted with one eye closed.


    "Do you mind if I have him?" Hao Xuan gestured towards the undead that was trying to bite the guards head off.


    "What the hell are you talki-" the guard had just started speaking but before he could finish the sentence, Hao Xuan became impatient and just pushed him aside, throwing him some distance away.


    bbergasted, the guard quickly jumped back on his feet.


    "Oi, what the fuck are you doing?!" he asked pointing his weapon towards Hao Xuan but paused upon sensing something amiss.


    "Where....did that monster go?" he looked around warily. The undead was gone.


    Hao Xuan turned around and smiled at him, "Thank you, you can have the others," he said as two smaller undead came running over. The guard didn''t have time to ask any other questions before he was once engaged in a life and death battle.


    Hao Xuan moved towards the center of the formation and closed his eyes for a second. A new notification had appeared.


    "Blood Energy Restored: 16.4%"


    Hao Xuan took a deep breath and listened to the gurgling sounding from his veins. His blood flow had be stronger, more powerful. If one listened closely they would be able to hear it without the help of any other instruments.


    He could even feel the faint flow of pure spiritual energy inside his meridians. It was a little different from normal spiritual energy.


    This one was a shade darker, or rather it felt darker. It was still untainted and a pure energy that could be used in any number of ways, but it was different from the energy he had absorbed naturally. Even this little amount made him feel rather full.


    But this feeling of fullness onlysted for a couple of seconds before the Chaos Qi that was hiding in his meridians came rushing out like wild dogs and absorbed every little bit.


    Another notification popped up.


    "Minimum Blood Energy threshold required to activate supplementary nanotech abilities: 35%"


    Hao Xuan nodded and opened his eyes again, examining the surroundings for the next target. But before he could decide on one, screams came from behind him.


    Another two guards had died.

 Chapter 595: End of the road

    <h4>Chapter 595: End of the road</h4>


    Another two guards had died.


    Several undead creatures were standing above their corpses, eating away without a worry in the world. More creatures came in from the back to fill the gaps and started fighting with them for the right to feast.


    The surroundings guards helplessly pushed back the creature''s iing attacks and moved in to close the gap. Barely twelve or thirteen guards were left standing now four or five of which were injured and in no fighting condition.


    They were standing back to back, pushing Hao Xuan closer towards Han Rong who was busy giving emergency treatment to a twitching guard.


    "Stay with me!" Han Rong shouted before the guard''s body suddenly rxed.


    The guard''s eyes opened wide, the twisted expression of pain slowly disappeared from his face and was reced by a look of pure astonishment and realization when he took hisst breath.


    Hao Xuan could ''feel'' something leaving the guards body. It was just scarred flesh now, not much different from the undead around them.


    Han Rong who was pounding his chest with bursts of yellow Qi slowly came to a stop as well. He reached forward gently closing the guard''s still open eyes.


    "I''m sorry, brother. May you have a better afterlife. May your loved ones find the courage to ept your loss and if you ever find yourself back in this mortal coil, may you live a long and fulfilling life."


    Surrounded by a sea of undead, Han Rong still took out the time to say a small prayer for the guard, just like he had done so many other times tonight.


    He looked up and examined the situation around him. The undead were so close now that he could smell the foul breath from their snapping maws and feel the air tremble with each strike.


    One of the guards, a muscr middle-aged man with numerous injuries turned his head halfway to nce back, "We cannotst any longer my lord."


    Han Rong nodded feebly, "It seems so."


    The guard who was hoping for a different answer visibly shook before nodding as well, epting the truth.


    "The end of the road it is then," he chuckled.


    Hao Xuan could feel the vigor of life escaping from the man''s body. He too was readying himself for death.


    The other guards who heard their short conversation had much the same reactions. Their movements became sluggish, so much so that even the undead were surprised. They were a little more than empty husks now.


    Zou Huan was engaged in the final stages of the battle with the minor demon was too busy to pay any attention to them. Hao Xuan peered towards him and saw his terrible condition.


    He was missing chunks of flesh from three ces and there were long vertical holes in his muscles as if someone had put a burning pole through them. Yet he still fought with the same fervor as before, going head to head with the demon that could heal itself in seconds.


    But when Hao Xuan''s gaze fell on the minor demon, his heartbeat doubled in frequency. His mouth started watering, making him swallow several mouthfuls of saliva.


    He felt like a starving nomad walking through the desert that had just found a scrumptious full course meal waiting for him in the shade.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils dted to the extreme and his stomach let out a loud growl. Luckily there was too much going in nearby for anyone to hear it or notice his flushed cheeks.


    Hao Xuan quickly covered his mouth to stop himself from drooling. He took in a death breath and somehow, he could smell the demon from almost a hundred meters away. More importantly, he could smell its weakness.


    Even though it looked fine, it was also at its limit.


    "So that''s why it is called a demonic physique," he nodded inwardly with a new understanding.


    Hao Xuan quickly averted his gaze before he lost control of himself and rushed in. But a bright smile was adorned on his face now that he knew what to do.


    He tapped on Han Rong''s shoulder, "Brother, can I ask you favor perhaps?"


    Han Rong looked up with dead eyes but was shocked to see Hao Xuan''s smile.


    "Can I borrow some Qi from you, brother?" Hao Xuan asked.


    Han Rong snapped out of his daze with knitted brows.


    There was a very real limit to how much foreign Qi a body could absorb. There was only a small amount that could be transferred slowly over time, making it synchronize with the receivers Qi.


    Otherwise it would do more bad than good and would poison the person, creating a state of Qi poisoning. That was also the reason he could not heal the injured guards in such little time.


    Hao Xuan understood Han Rong''s look of confusion but now was neither the time nor the ce to exin.


    "I have a unique physique brother. I can absorb foreign Qi without much effort. If you can help me, maybe I can buy you guys a way out," he said still maintaining that smile.


    But Han Rong did not take his words to heart. He just saw it as a dying man''sst attempt to try and find a way for himself.


    How rare were natural physiques? Especially one that could just absorb foreign Qi without any negative repercussions? And now Hao Xuan just had it?


    But there was nothing to lose from trying since they were all going to die in a few minutes anyway, he agreed.


    Han Rong extended his hand and Hao Xuan grabbed it. Han Rong moved a small wisp of Qi towards his arm but as soon as it reached his palm, it just disappeared.


    Confused, Han Rong redirected more Qi, twice as much as before but the same thing happened. It wasn''t that he was sending that Qi to Hao Xuan but that it was being taken from his body even without his consent.


    He looked at Hao Xuan in disbelief, getting a nod in response.


    "More, as much as you can spare," Hao Xuan said.


    For the next three minutes, Han Rong transferred over 40% of his total Qi to Hao Xuan''s body and it looked like he could still take more, which left him speechless.


    Han Rong was a Profound realm expert. The main difference between other realms and the Profound reals was that once a person broke into the Profound realm, they could hold hundreds of times more Qi than before by directly connecting their Mind Pces to the other world.


    That''s why it was considered to be such a huge step up from other realms.


    And yet, Hao Xuan who was a middle-stage Spirit Realm cultivator could absorb 40% of his Qi.


    Just how big were Hao Xuan''s meridians?!


    Hao Xuan retracted his hand and stood up, feeling the thrumming Qi inside his body.


    "Blood Energy Restored: 270%"


    And there was still enough Qi in his meridians that he could use it normally. It was still being slowly digested by the Chaos Qi but that would take a little more than five minutes.


    It had been over a month since Hao Xuanst felt the rush of Qi inside his meridians. Every hair on his body was standing straight up, overjoyed by the sensation of absolute power that the Qi brought with it.


    Hao Xuan clenched his fists, creating a ck spark that covered theplete length of both the arms, expanding them to twice their size and painting them ck.


    With pupils shinning with such brightness that they resembled precious rubies, Hao Xuan took in a deep breath that created a howling gale.


    "Assault of the Mad God," he muttered with nted eyes and gave anothermand to Baracus, "Offensive Power to 200%"


    *BOOM*


    A shockwave was created from the sudden expansion of Hao Xuan''s muscles, startling every other guard including Han Rong.


    Hao Xuan was an entire head taller now. His muscles brimmed with such threatening power that the onlookers couldn''t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

 Chapter 596: Truly

    <h4>Chapter 596: Truly</h4>


    **Youtube "Aero Chord - Drop It" song and listen to it while reading. You won''t regret it.


    ****


    While Hao Xuan stood among the guards, his mere presence was enough to draw the attention of all the surrounding undead.


    They became more aggressive and came back with renewed vigor trying to get to this new source of vitality.


    The undead were only attracted to living beings, those brimming with lifeforce and right now, Hao Xuan was like a burning beacon that could be felt if not seen by every single creature within the pit.


    They went mad with desire, drowning what little sense of reasoning that was left within these empty husks. In their eyes, the guards were like flickering candles and Hao Xuan was akin to a bonfire in the dark of the night.


    The poor guards that were trying to hold them back could barely manage even that now, bing little more than a flimsy barricade made of flesh and bone against the onught of the undead that were jumping over one another to try and get to Hao Xuan.


    The guards joined hands with one another to try and stay upright.


    Now the creatures weren''t even attempting to kill them anymore. Their only objective was to try and reach this new source of light by whatever means possible.


    The cacophony of growling howls became even louder than before, muffling every other sound which were mostly the cries of help from the guards.


    Han Rong looked at the crazed creatures and then at Hao Xuan, "Is this your n? To get us killed faster?" he asked with a scowl.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and sent out the entirety of his spiritual sense, getting a response not long after. He smiled looking towards Zou Huan.


    "There is an active formation about 170 meters northwest. It is blocking my spiritual sense so there are probably other cultivators there with weapons and hopefully, a way out. Run straight for it, alright?"


    It took Han Rong a few seconds to realize what he meant.


    "Wait, are you actually-"


    "Yes!" Hao Xuan nodded with a toothy grin, "This is gonna be fun."


    Han Rong reached out to try and stop him but Hao Xuan bent his knees and pushed against the ground, leaping away before he could. A shockwave that sent all the guards and creatures a foot into the air reverberated through the ground.


    The skin on his legs burst open revealing a moving ck metallic substance underneath. These were the nanomachines in all their glory. They covered every inch of Hao Xuan''s muscles, so much so that even his skin wasn''t able to bear with the added pressure.


    "Warning! Sensory overload! Shutting down pain receptors, body condition at 97%."


    A good third of the skin on Hao Xuan''s legs was simply evaporated. His body was not able to bear the pressure.


    Like a bullet, he tore through the air and rammed directly into the minor demon that was about tond another strike on Zou Huan, sending it flying back.


    bbergasted, Zou Huan turned around and saw Hao Xuan standing in the demon''s ce.


    "That way," Hao Xuan pointed him towards the same direction, "I''ll take care of this guy so lead them to safety," he threw out the words before chasing after the demon.


    "OI WAIT!"


    Just like Han Rong, Zou Huan tried to stop him as well but there was nothing to be done. Hao Xuannded in front of the minor demon that was still trying to wrap its mind around what just happened and kicked it again, sending it reeling into the dirt and mud.


    The entire earth shook.


    "Warning! Body condition at 92%!"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t feel it anymore but most of the skin around his feet was gone. The nanotech was creating ayer of moving armor that protected him.


    "Enough, I don''t need to hear every little thing!" Hao Xuan said before turning off the notifications.


    The undead that were attacking the guards all changed direction as soon as Hao Xuan left the encirclement and followed after him. There were only a handful of creatures still left trying to attack the guards.


    These were either too slow, too stupid, or too injured to chase after Hao Xuan so they just attacked whatever was in front of them.


    Zou Huannded behind them and punched one of the creature''s head clean off.


    "Let''s go!" he shouted, waking up the dazed guards and Han Rong.


    "But he-" Han Rong pointed towards Hao Xuan.


    "Will you let his sacrifice be in vain? The kid is buying us some time so the least we can do is escape with our lives!" Zou Huan cut in, berating Han Rong.


    To others Hao Xuan might look invincible in his current state but for these two Profound Realm experts, it was way too easy to tell what was going on inside his body.


    Even though he had borrowed Han Rong''s Qi, it was still far from being his own. Sooner rather thanter he would run out and then he would be much worse off than before.


    Han Rong looked for Hao Xuan''s silhouette in the darkness but all he could see were the squirming undead. He nodded dejectedly, telling himself that his sacrifice would save close to 15 other lives and the group took the opportunity to make their way towards the other location Hao Xuan had pointed out.


    **


    A torrent of creatures rushed towards Hao Xuan from all sides before the minor demon could even get out of the ditch.


    He turned to face them.


    His ckened arms that were double their normal size resembled more so like giant cannons welded onto his fleshy body. He gazed towards the iing horde that couldn''t be differentiated from one another in the dark.


    It just looked like a moving mass of arms, legs, and teeth.


    "Hmm, let me try this then."


    Recalling the infamous one-inch punch back from earth that he had practiced so many times without bearing any fruit, Hao Xuan extended his left hand and waited. When the first row of creatures were less than five meters away, he thrust the left hand forward with such speed that it created a sonic boom, creating a vacuum.


    The air inside this area was perhaps sharper than the inside of a shredder. Whatever came close was turned into threads of meat.


    But the relentless battering of bodies soon overcame it and they reached him.


    "AAAAHH!"


    Shouting, Hao Xuan punched and kicked everything that moved, creating loud noises with each sessful attack.


    His vision went dark and soon, bloodthirst overtook him.


    Hao Xuan''s arms were like jackhammers, pummeling everything around him into the ground. The slightest hint of movement was enough to trigger a response from him who was only running on pure instinct and reflex.


    There was no time to think, nor a reason to. Everything moving was a threat that needed to be eliminated.


    Assault of the Mad God was utilized to its absolute maximum potential, true to its name. Hao Xuan resembled a fiend in his current state, truly a God that had lost its mind.


    The aftershocks of this fight could be felt throughout the pit, shaking the heart of every single individual.

 Chapter 597: Orders

    <h4>Chapter 597: Orders</h4>


    *BOOM*


    *BOOOM*


    *BOOOOM*


    The air exploded and the earth turned to mush under Hao Xuan''s unrelenting assault. The creatures kepting and Hao Xuan kept tearing them to pieces.


    Yet the untimely re-demise of their kin did little to hinder their enthusiasm in trying to get a piece of Hao Xuan. Like moths to a me they kepting. The blood and guts of each undead creature mixed with the rainwater, turning the horde even more frenzied.


    The smell of rotting flesh and putrid blood filled the entire area, slowly being absorbed by his physique. But unbeknownst to Hao Xuan it had quite a negative effect on his mentality.


    Hao Xuan was on the verge of losing his mind for good if he continued to absorb all that filth. But right now there was no other choice. To fuel the current heightened state and continuously powering "Assault of the Mad God", he had to risk it.


    The silent notifications from Baracus that kept appearing at the edge of his vision were the only things still forcing Hao Xuan to hold tightly onto what little bit of rationality he had left.


    Hao Xuan''s feet never stopped for even a single second because he knew if he stood still, the undead would storm that position which would only drain his Qi even faster.


    Utilizing the Demonic Steps Hao Xuan moved in between the horde like a slippery little fish in shallow water. Short but quick bursts of movement allowed him to use the least amount of Qi while covering enough distance to not let the undead surround him.


    Hao Xuan was so busy trying to keep his momentum that hepletely forgot about the minor demon that was prematurely buried by his kick. When he was more than a hundred meters away, the demon slowly crawled of the hole that was created by its own body.


    A quarter of its left side waspletely gone, such was the raw power of Hao Xuan''s kick. The demon weakly fell on the ground, looking around for any sign of his attacker but the party had already moved on.


    A spark of yellow light ignited at the back of its head, forming a five-pointed star. Strange symbols filled in between each of the points before changing shapes for 10 seconds without pause. The same yellow color leaked into the demon''s eyes, shing constantly.


    It was obviouslymunication with something or someone. The light receded from its eyes after ten seconds and the five-pointed star also vanished.


    The demon looked around again but neither the undead nor the living could be seen. When it was sure there was nobody nearby, with a troubled expression as if whatever it was about to do next was undesirable, it lowered its mouth to the muddy water that wasing up to its knees and started drinking.


    It drank and drank, swallowing every single thing part that came it''s way until every bit of bloody water within fifty meters was gone. Its stomach continued to expand and the lost limbs and other supernatural appendages that decorated its vile body started to grow back.


    Its size and shape also changed, bing more inhuman.


    **


    A little over 230 seconds had passed when Hao Xuan was forced awake from the state of madness by weak whimperinging from somewhere around him.


    Because of his heightened sense of hearing he was able to pick up many sounds that would normally be lost in the harsh discordant mixture of ring noises currently being produced by his battle.


    Hao Xuan found himself standing near a row of broken houses. They had been burning until a little while ago, proof of which were the red coals that still sizzled under the light rain.


    Hao Xuannded another punch in front of him killing two more undead that ran up to him before focusing his hearing in the direction of the houses.


    "Hmm?"


    With rtive ease he was able to pick up three small heartbeats under the rubble of one of the houses. He looked back towards the horde that was still some distance away but closing in fast and without wasting any more time ran up to the house, moving the wreckage to find three small shivering silhouettes.


    At first he thought they wererge rats but when the light fell on their faces Hao Xuan saw their true appearance. Three kids, all somewhere between 5-7 years of age were huddled together.


    Covered in a singleyer of old worn-out clothes fashioned from what looked like some kind of untreated animal hide, the children had such sickly and frail bodies that they looked a little better than skeletons.


    For a second Hao Xuan mistook them for the undead until he noticed their eyes, or to be specific the shock and fear in their eyes.


    Thergest of the children that was even thinner than Hao Xuan''s arm stood up with shaky feet, pointing a piece of broken nk towards him.


    "Stay...stay back! I know how to fight!" he threatened with a trembling voice.


    *GROOOOWL*


    The growls of the undead came over, startling the boy so much that he almost dropped the nk.

 Chapter 598: Sokol

    <h4>Chapter 598: Sokol</h4>


    The growls of the iing horde carried over on the wind, frightening the already scared children even more. To them, Hao Xuan resembled just as much of a monster as they did with his disproportionate arms and most of the lower body that was covered by a water-like substance. His eyes shining so brightly that even the immediate surroundings were being illuminated by them.


    The boy standing in front of Hao Xuan waspletely terrified. Hao Xuan could hear his weak little heartbeat beating so quickly that it might explode any second but he still didn''t move a single inch.


    He looked Hao Xuan straight in the eyes, holding back tears yet still managing to bare his teeth with such hostility that he could easily be mistaken for a spirit beast cub.


    "Are you scared?" Hao Xuan asked, surprising the boy. He hesitated for a short moment before nodding.


    Hao Xuan noticed the blood around their ankles. There was a broken chain connecting the two smaller children but it had broken off, freeing the oldest.


    "Then why don''t you run away? You might live..."


    The boy didn''t take his eyes off from Hao Xuan, gesturing towards the two other children behind him that were crying silently.


    Both of them were holding onto each other tightly with one hand and with the other, grabbing the shirt of the one standing in front of Hao Xuan. Their fingers had turned white from putting in too much pressure.


    "They are hurt. I won''t leave them!" he said firmly.


    "But you will die," Hao Xuan retorted.


    "Then we will die together!" the boy replied with a determination that could hardly ever be seen even in adults.


    "They are your siblings?" Hao Xuan asked, thinking they were brother and sister but the boy shook his head, saying otherwise.


    "And you would die for them?"


    The boy nodded.


    "Why?"


    "Because I promised to protect them!" the boy shouted, "What do you want from us? We don''t have anything to give you people!" he hissed vehemently, correctly assuming that Hao Xuan was an alien too.


    The children at the back were startled by the boy''s shouting that even grabbed the attention of some nearby undead. They quickly stood up with trembling legs that resembled twigs more than human limbs and hugged the boy from the back.


    *Sssss*


    The boy hissed again but this time it sounded more animalistic than something that wasing out of a human''s mouth. A strange purple symbol suddenly lit up on his neck and a transparent image slowly took shape behind him. A rattling sound echoed in the surroundings, getting stronger and stronger by the second until the image became clear.


    It was of a ck and purple snake, a poisonous one if the two razor-sharp fangs that were clearer than the rest of its body were any indicator. Its lower body waspletely wrapped around the children while the head weaved through the air threatening to strike.


    It even loomed over Hao Xuan who was more than two meters tall right now.


    Hao Xuan was taken aback by this sudden development, to say the least.


    "Word of power!" he mumbled. The snake''s image only stayed for a handful of seconds before flickering away into nothingness.


    The boy staggered, almost falling to his knees but managed to keep himself upright with the help of the two behind him. It didn''t look like this was the first time they had done this.


    While all this was happening a small undead that had some rationality intact sneaked up behind the children before quickly leaping towards them. Hao Xuan managed to see it in time and grabbed it out of the air, holding it by its neck like a helpless chick as it tried to w his eyes out.


    "Kid, what''s your name?" Hao Xuan looked at the boy who was biting his lip to stay awake. It looked like the toll on his body was too much, even for such a shortlived disy.


    "Why do you want to know?!" he barked back instead of answering.


    A tinge of coldness shed past Hao Xuan''s eyes and he clenched his fist, killing the small undead like it was nothing.


    It had the desired effect on the children since they started whimpering.


    "S-Sokol!" the boy shouted forcefully, trying to sound threatening but the stutter did not help.


    Hao Xuan nodded with satisfaction at his changed behavior and pointed at the purple mark.


    "Then Sokol, where did you get that word of power? The thing on your neck?"


    "Some ldy gave it to me..."


    "Somedy? What did she look like?"


    "I...don''t remember," Sokol shook his head innocently, seemingly telling the truth.


    "Did she say why she gave it to you?"


    The boy nodded reluctantly.


    "Speak!" Hao Xuan ordered. The Horde was almost upon them.


    "S-She said it would help me meet dad again!"


    "What? Who is your dad? What''s his name?" Hao Xuan asked with a frown. Why would anyone just give up a word of power like that? Especially one that was so powerful.


    Earlier when the boy had tried to summon it Hao Xuan felt an old and threatening auraing from the image, even though it was but a mere projection. The beast it belonged to was no simple creature and the image it had projected probably wasn''t even its true appearance.


    "He is a hunter," Sokol replied honestly sensing the urgency of the situation, "Everybody just called him Jax, he doesn''t have ast name."


    Hao Xuan''s tightly knit brows shot up in shock. Was it the same Jax (Ch567) that Hao Xuan had met just a few hours ago? What were the chances of that?

 Chapter 599: Sokol Continued

    <h4>Chapter 599: Sokol Continued</h4>


    Hao Xuan described Jax''s appearance to a T, even making up a few random things about his personality from what he had seen during their brief interaction. Sokol''s eyes widened from shock and for a few seconds hepletely froze.


    It was only when the two other kids behind him called out his name that he woke up.


    "HOW?! How do you know appa?" he asked anxiously.


    From Sokol''s reaction Hao Xuan pretty much guessed, and rightly so, that it was the same Jax that he hade across recently. But the question was why and how? He was getting a strange feeling that somehow, thisdy was quite important.


    He wanted to ask more about this dy'' that had just given away a word of power to a small child that couldn''t even use it properly to find his father instead of just helping him, but the timing was not right.


    The vibrations from the stampede of thousands of undead could be felt by everyone now and Hao Xuan could even see them just a hundred meters or so away. He had purposefully lowered the amount of Qi that was being ''radiated'' from his body so as to buy more time for himself and the children but with the horde being this close, they could find him regardless.


    The children also turned around and saw the ''wall'' of fleshing towards them but all they could do was cry.


    Sokol peered towards the horde and then back at Hao Xuan with watery eyes and quivering lips. He didn''t say anything, he didn''t need to.


    Hao Xuan smiled, "Don''t look at me like that. I''ll lead them away from here so you guys should run in that direction," he pointed them towards the same location as Han Rong and Zou Huan were headed to.


    "Oh, and take this," he shuffled through Baracus''s internal storage and took out a short de, handing it to Sokol who gripped it feebly.


    The boy was almost at the end of his rope. He was barely standing up right but since he was a normal person, there was nothing Hao Xuan could give him to heal. All of his elixirs were for cultivators for the Spirit Realm, not to mention he was almost out of everything.


    Hao Xuan bent down and gently patted Sokol on the head, inserting a small wisp of Han Rong''s Qi into his body. It was highly likely that not all of them would be able to make it to the camp.


    "You have to be strong since you''re the oldest alright? When you get there, ask for Han Rong, tell him Hao Xuan sent you. He will take care of you, understand?"


    Sokol stared into Hao Xuan''s eyes for a short moment before nodding. The Qi did nothing more than providing him some warmth for the next few minutes but that warm sensation was enough to at least bolster his spirits somewhat.


    Wiping the tears that had just started rolling down his face, Sokol tightened the grip around the de and tapped his chest.


    "I can do it!" he said confidently.


    Hao Xuan nodded. He extended his hand to give the other two kids some Qi as well but they swiftly pulled away, still notfortable enough to let him near.


    "Haha, alright then, have a safe journey!" Hao Xuanughed, winking towards them yfully.


    He ran a few steps before jumping towards the horde with a loud whooshing sound. The take-off wasn''t much to see but thending was loud enough to get the attention of every single undead that wasn''t already after him.


    Hao Xuannded a little more than 20 meters away from the horde, readying himself for another jump but paused upon noticing something strange. The undead hadpletely stopped in their tracks.


    There was enough light for him to be able to see their faces which were still twisted from the hunger and their mouths that were still drooling like there was no tomorrow, but they didn''t move a single step. No matter how much they wanted to eat him, right now something else was stopping them.


    It was at this point that Hao Xuan noticed a silhouette slowly standing up from behind them. All the undead were standing around it. It was around four meters tall, standing on all fours. It raised its ugly head.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils narrowed to the size of pinholes when he saw its true appearance. It was the same demon that was fighting Zou Huan earlier but right now it lookedpletely different.


    It was more than five times its old size, barely even resembling its old human self.


    Hao Xuan started circting the Qi once again used another technique he hadn''t utilized in a long time.


    He lowered his upper body and moved forward holding both his arms in front of him. Sparks of ck lightning ignited at his feet as more and more Qi was redirected to his legs. A force started building up until Hao Xuan felt like his legs were about to explode at which point he muttered two words.


    "Heavenly re!"


    *BOOOOM*

 Chapter 600: Puer

    <h4>Chapter 600: Puer</h4>


    With Zou Huan in the lead taking care of any stray undead that weren''t already attracted by Hao Xuan''s lifeforce, Han Rong and the rest of the guards made their way to the location Hao Xuan had told them about.


    Some of the guards were taking theirst breaths already and the rest could barely walk on their own which greatly slowed them down. It took them 3-4 times longer to cover the same distance as it would take non-cultivators, especially through all the rain and the mud.


    Thankfully they didn''t have to go far and after about fifteen minutes of trekking they finally reached their destination.


    It was an encampment surrounded by six different barriers and protective formations altogether, along with a stone wall on which were more than twenty men and women standing, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings.


    Soon as it came into view, most of the guards copsed right then and there.


    Amin along with another guard who were in much better condition than the rest sprinted towards the encampment to ask for help but were stopped by an arrow that pierced the other guard''s foot, tethering him to the ground.


    "WHO GOES THERE?!" a bearded man with a battleax shouted from atop the wall.


    Amin raised both his hands and walked close enough so they could see him clearly, "Stop please! We are friendly! We came from the western side. Please open the doors, we have a lot of injured people!" he shouted.


    The bearded man leaned forward with squinted eyes, pretending to see.


    "I don''t recognize your face..." he mumbled under his breath before inquiring loudly, "Do you have any proof?"


    Dumbfounded, Amin was at aplete loss for words. They weren''t given any "proof" of employment other than a single token which no one carried on them since they all knew each other. And now it was probably burnt to cinders along with everything else they owned.


    "N-No I don''t have the token with me but we are definitely from-"


    The bearded man raised his hand, cutting him off.


    "No Proof, no entry, orders are orders. Leave now!" he said in an emotionless tone before turning around and walking off the wall.


    "....."


    Amin stared at the bearded man''s back until it vanished from view, unsure if he was serious or not. But the sneering nces from the other men and women on the wall that exuded powerful auras confirmed his suspicion.


    The man that had shot the previous arrow inserted another one into the notch and aimed at Amin''s head.


    Dazed, Amin helped the other guard up and dragged him back to the rest of the guards.


    Zou Huan who was standing over another injured guard saw theming back empty-handed and even bleeding.


    "What the hell happened?!" he shouted, even angrier than before upon seeing the arrow still embedded in the guard''s foot.


    Amin told him everything before copsing onto the ground himself.


    Zou Huan''s blood boiled and a pressure slowly started releasing from his body. The nearby guards that were already on death''s door passed out instantly and others fell to their knees. It was only when a heavy handed pnded on his bald head that did he stop.


    Han Rong stood behind him with knitted brows and arge leather book in his hand.


    "Why do you always lose control over every little thing? This is why Master only sends us on small missions like this," he said in a harsh tone.


    "But they-" Zou Huan tried to exin himself but was stopped once again by Han Rong who raised his hand threateningly.


    Seeing as he calmed down, Han Rong gestured towards the encampment, "I will take care of them, you need to go back."


    Confused, "What? Why?" Zou Huan asked.


    Han Rong opened the leather book and showed him a page. It had a bunch of writing in a strangenguage along with a picture of a creature with twisted limbs.


    "Something about that minor demon bothered me so I looked it up. I don''t think it''s a normal demon but a "Puer". And if that''s true-"


    "Then the kid won''t be able to deal with it. I''ll go!" Zou Huan finished Han Rong''s sentence and immediately followed back in his footsteps.


    ***


    The Minor Demon was down on all fours, barely any difference between its arms and legs. There was a fifth appendageing out of its stomach that was turned inside out. The ribs poked out of what little skin that was left on its body, moving back and forth like counting fingers. (Reference image in Authors notes)


    Its head was the most humane thing about it but from the looks of it, it held little value other than being a prop and a reminder of what it once was. Or that''s what Hao Xuan thought from a first nce but the truth was far from it.


    "Heavenly re!"


    *BOOOOM*


    The ground beneath his feet cracked before exploding like a detonating minefield, sending Hao Xuan flying forth akin to a cannonball.


    Even in this "awakened state" where his neurons were firing at full force and reflexes were pushed to their absolute limit to allow him to react instantly, he did not have to wait long before once again feeling that sensation of flesh against his skin.


    He had raised both his arms in front of him, using them both as massive shields and as a weapon to simply charge into the enemy ranks.


    His body made contact with the horde but it did not stop him even for a nanosecond. Instead, he passed through them like a thin film of water, leaving nothing but blood and debris in his wake. These simple undead creatures that could not even reinforce themselves with Qi were nothing against his body.


    Yet the resistance he was expecting to meet uponing into contact with the demon did note. He quickly lowered his arms enough to nce around but the demon was nowhere in sight.


    A high-pitched sizzling sound came from behind, almost like boiling water if it was sped up tens of times. Hao Xuan could feel the temperature rising around him, causing rm bells to ring out.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Url: https://urlzs/6V9Et

 Chapter 601: Puer Continued

    <h4>Chapter 601: Puer Continued</h4>


    When a awakens its World Spirit, it is automatically ssified as a ss "B" or a higher entity.


    There are many reasons for such a high ssification but the two main ones are because:


    1). An invisible barrier is created around the that not only shelters all of its native inhabitants, protecting them from all foreign threats be they spiritual in nature or physical, but also hides them from stronger predator species that live in the deep space.


    2). A world Spirit has the ability to somehow sense the intents of all those that enter its boundary and depending on that intent, whether it is good or bad, it can suppress the different types of individuals to varying degrees.


    When a being that uses any type of super/unnatural power enters a with an awakened world spirit, he or she automatically loses all control over their powers which for most is a huge disadvantage inbat. This is so the native inhabitants have a chance of fighting back even if they are taken by surprise.


    It is both a form of passive defense and offense and is seen in every recorded awakened to date.


    That is the reason why powerful God-Level entities ssified at ss "S" and above are unable to locate or enter suchs without some extra time and preparations.


    **


    With a solemn expression Zou Huan turned around and started backtracking, following the inauspicious signs of the battle between the minor demon and Hao Xuan.


    Meanwhile, Han Rong sat down on the muddy ground and focused all his attention on the book with the thick leather bindings once again, flipping through the pages until he reached the end of the first section where a paragraph was written in the mostmonnguage spoken throughout the known worlds.


    It was written in simple words, straight to the point.


    "Beings from other realms cannot enter the physical ne without permission. This is especially true in the case of Demonic beings. When they cross over, they either enter into willing hosts or take control of the dead or dying."


    "They do not have physical bodies and can only ''influence'' our ne through strange and mystical means. And if they are indeed able to enter the physical ne, their powers are severely crippled for a long period of time."


    There was a small space after that followed by two lines that were written in dark red ink. Han Rong''s anxious gazended on the passage, sifting through it over and over again in the hopes of finding something he had missed the first hundred times or so he had gone over it.


    "The only exception to this rule is in the case of existences that are at or higher than the realm of Demonic Princes. Upon finding a pure and untainted soul, if they are sessful in befouling it to the core, they can enter the physical realm in their entirety through possession and open a gate to the Underworld to allow all other entities to pass through without exception."


    "In this case, the possessed should be cleansed in the presence of the council of the High Elders, and their souls be vanquished for all of eternity."


    "Warning: The possessed show none of the usual signs of possession. They are unaware of the change themselves until it is toote. The only indication is the birth of the ''Puer'', the immortal guardian ve of the ''chosen one'' sent by the old gods."


    Han Rong finally closed the book, sending it back into his storage space. His forehead was caked with sweat even in this cold weather. He got up as if in a daze and started walking towards the encampment.


    "Please don''t be a Puer, anything but a Puer, not right now. The council will not tolerate such a threat at this fragile time, not until the new master has been chosen," he mumbled, his heavy steps carrying him further and further.


    A momentter he appeared in front of the encampment where another arrownded right next to his foot, missing it by mere inches.


    Han Rong looked up and saw the faces of the individuals staring in his direction in amusement as if this waspletely normal. He could feel their bloodthirsty auras, all of them were at the top of the Spirit Realm, all twenty of them. Their bodies were brimming with Qi.


    They had obviously hadn''t been in a single fight, nor been touched by the blood rain. They had stayed here behind these multiple barriers, killing anyone that got close enough.


    Han Rong sent out his spiritual sense and as weak as it was, he was still able to pick up hundreds of corpses buried in shallow graves all around the encampment. All killed in thest two hours.


    He closed his eyes for a second before opening them again. His pupils were gone, reced by two revolving golden discs intertwining with one another.


    "Forgive me master for what I am about to do, but these beasts in human clothing do not deserve forgiveness," he muttered under his breath. His feet lifted from the ground and his body ascended into the air.


    The light from his pupils became brighter and brighter until it covered the whole encampment.


    Some ten secondster the light receded into his pupils and Han Rongnded back on the ground. Everyone that was on the wall was still there, but smoke wasing out of their now empty eye sockets. One by one they fell lifelessly onto the ground, dead.


    None of the barriers triggered, nor the protective formations moved.

 Chapter 602: All-Seeing Eye

    <h4>Chapter 602: All-Seeing Eye</h4>


    Zou Huan had only managed to run for a couple of minutes beforeing to a screeching halt in front of a burnt down building.


    There was a strange energy in the air and a smell. It was noting from the innumerable corpses that were littered all around him nor was iting from the undead that were close enough to be heard by most ordinary people. Somehow, it smelled even worse than decaying corpses.


    His brow locked in a tight furrow as he carefully examined the surroundings for any strange happenings but could see nothing. The vibrations and the energy from the fight between Hao Xuan and the minor demon could be felt even here, greatly obstructing Zou Huan''s spiritual sense.


    Left with no other choice, Zou Huan closed his eyes and summoned his mind pce. It started with a single misty silhouette above his head but the number kept increasing until there were Seven Mind Pces.


    Each of them was exerting heavy pressure on the surroundings, giving off an aura of sturdiness and sincerity to all that gazed upon them. They were surrounded by a golden mist that protected them from prying eyes.


    A cultivator''s Mind Pce reflects the innermost desires, motivations, and impulses that are the strongest within their hearts. What they wish to achieve, what they want from this life, and how strong their desires are, all these things can be interpreted by the aura of a cultivator''s mind pce if they allow them to be seen by outsiders.


    It would be equivalent topletely opening your heart to someone without any reservations whatsoever. Although most cultivators chose to hide their mind pces because of this, many that believe themselves to be virtuous in heart and soul would often use mind pces openly to increase the power of some special techniques.


    One such core scripture of Mount Cai was called the "All-Seeing Eye." It was deemed as a must learn technique for all students and disciples that ventured outwards for whatever reason and was used as the final test for all those that wanted to enter the final sanctum of Mount Cae and be inner disciples.


    It was said to have been developed by the first master of Mount Cae himself, allowing the user to see the true reality of things. To distinguish truth from lie, fact from fiction, and to even peek to the other side of the veil.


    But it did note without its own drawbacks. For one, it could only be used by those that were pure of heart.


    And secondly, when using the All-Seeing Eye no two persons would see the same thing. Their vision would be warped and twisted and had to be interpreted by themselves ording to their own knowledge and thought processes.


    Not to mention the danger a person would be putting themself in by exposing the Mind Pces.


    One would have to have reached a certain level of self-actualization and have some aplishments in understanding themselves and the world around them to be able to correctly decipher the correct meaning of their visions.


    Some hadpared it to looking at an ocean yet seeing each drop of water separately.


    Suffice it to say, most inner disciples and students of the Mountain never reached a high enough level in the scripture to ever see its final stage.


    The only person other than its creator to have sessfully managed to understand the entirety of the scripture to its core was an outer Elder of Mount Cae that was invited by the First Master himself.


    Without a name or title, he only stayed with the Mountain for a few years, departing not long after guiding the youngest generation to continue his journey, whatever it was.


    He was never heard from again...


    These days it was mostly used as a test for the younger generation to see if they had any doubts or ill intentions before allowing them ess to the innermost secrets of Mount Cae.


    The seven mind pces hovered above his head as Zou Huan activated the All-Seeing Eye, linking the spiritual pces with one another in a formation, forming a perfect heptagon with himself in the center.


    Zou Huan closed his eyes and immersed himself in the changing visions he was receiving now. His surroundings changed, all the color was taken away leaving only undefined shapes in the darkness.


    He looked left and right, seeing even the undead that were showing up as mere shadows on the ground without a physical form. Subconsciously his feet moved left and right until he was forced out of the state.


    "Oww!" a young voice came into his ears, pushing him out.


    Zou Huan opened his eyes and saw a kid standing before him, rubbing his bare foot.

 Chapter 603: Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 603: Monsters</h4>


    "Oww..."


    *Crack*


    With a sound akin to a breaking mirror, the technique was broken and the seven mind pces swiftly receded back into his body.


    "W-What...!" Zou Huan stared at the kid in front of him with wide eyes, "How...?" he mumbled in a daze while blood trickled down from his eyes.


    He was just using the All-Seeing Eye and wasn''t able to pick up anyone or anything near him, alive or dead. Yet here this child was, inches away from him.


    His Qi was in disarray and he wouldn''t be able to properly utilize it again for at least half an hour due to being forced out of it without properly cutting off the connection between the mind pces first, so Zou Huan gathered the minute amount of Qi that was still under his control and directed it towards the tip of his forefinger, creating a small de of pure energy.


    "Who...are you?" he asked cautiously, in a low voice that sounded like it was aimed at himself rather than anyone else.


    The child looked up at him, still rubbing his right foot which had a boot print on it.


    "Sokol!" he answered with watery eyes, holding back tears. There was a small bleeding w mark on Sokol''s chest and he was breathing heavily.


    Zou Huan moved his right hand behind his back, still ejecting a de of refined Qi that could cut a boulder in half at a moment''s notice.


    "What...are you doing here, Sokol?"


    Sokol saw the cold look of apprehension in Zou Huan''s eyes and slowly reached under his shirt, holding onto the de Hoa Xuan had given him.


    "I was told to go there," he gestured towards the encampment with his chin.


    "By whom?"


    With a resentful re, Sokol bared his teeth and let loose a sharp hiss. The word of power glimmered about to be activated when suddenly, he paused.


    Sokol looked to his left with twitching ears as if listening to something, nodding towards the empty space after a couple of seconds. Zou Huan''s heart skipped a beat and took a silent step back with gritted teeth, following Sokol''s line of sight but not seeing anything there at all.


    Sokol looked back towards Zou Huan, much more rxed than before.


    "Hao Xuan," he murmured with a pout.


    Zou Haun''s gaze was still stuck to Sokol''s left and upon hearing Hao Xuan''s name his breath stabilized somewhat but he still didn''t let his guard down. He moved another step back and to the side, getting out of Sokol''s way.


    "Go, it''s very close. I won''t stop you," Zou Huan said before letting out a genial smile, or as genial a smile he could possibly muster in this situation.


    "Just now, who was there? The one talking to you?" he asked in a warm voice extending his hand while looking to Sokol''s left.


    Sokol''s brow creased. He pped away the helping hand and stood up by himself, limping towards the encampment.


    Zou Huan stared at his little back until it vanished from his sight, at which point Sokol''s voice carried over, "You don''t know her."


    When the sound of Sokol''s footstep stopped, Zou Huan finally canceled the Qi de and let out a breath of turbid air along with a mouthful of ck blood. He had suffered a lot of internal injuries from the rebounding effect of the All-Seeing Eye and he had still not managed to confirm his suspicion about the Puer.


    The child was definitely strange but Zou Huan had seen enough to not judge the situation without any solid evidence. So to confirm whether the minor demon was a Puer or not, he continued on his way towards Hao Xuan.


    He was in no shape to fight and the reason for going to Hao Xuan was not to fight, but to tell him to escape if he was still able to.


    Keeping a low profile, Zou Huan followed the loud noises and the unadulterated Qi that was being thrown around in front of him, reaching the ce in less than five minutes.


    He was expecting to see a bloody Hao Xuan engaged in a losing battle against the demon but the scene that weed him was quite different. Zou Huan''s mouth fell open as he stared at the unbelievable view.


    It was not a fight of good versus evil that he was expecting, but of one monster against another.


    A ring of undead corpses surrounded two figures as they shed against one another over and over again.


    One of them was the same demon that Zou Huan was hoping NOT to see, a Puer.


    An immortal, unkible beast from that he had read about so many times before. It was created from the soul of a twisted, demented, vile human that led a horrible life. With a body that was turned inside out to signify the reversal of thew of nature, it could not be killed.


    Although the one that was in front of Zou Huan right now was much smaller and much less powerful, probably not even a third of the way into its evolution but its resilience could not be questioned even as it was right now.


    But the more surprising part was the thing fighting it. It barely looked human either.


    With a body that sent a cold chill down Zou Huan''s spine, Hao Xuan shed over and over with the Puer in a bloody rage. He ripped, bit and tore at the Puer as it tried its best to get away.


    "Is he...eating...it??"

 Chapter 604: Temporal

    <h4>Chapter 604: Temporal</h4>


    A few minutes earlier...(Continuation from chapter 600)


    In this awakened state, Hao Xuan''s reflexes were firing at around 4-5 times their normal speed, allowing him to perceive time that much slower. From his perspective, everything was slowed down to a standstill.


    Tearing through more than six rows of undead hended where the demon ''should'' have been but there was no one there to greet him.


    A high-pitching sizzling sound came into his ears from behind and a warning popped up into Hao Xuan''s peripheral vision.


    "Warning! Temperature change detected!" it said in big bold letters, a red arrow pointing towards his back.


    The hair on Hao Xuan''s neck that were standing straight up curled up in an instant from the sudden increase in temperature, urging him to move.


    His first instinct was to just jump up into the air but as soon as that thought appeared in his mind, warning bells started ringing inside his head saying that was not a good idea. He tried to quickly change direction and maybe jump left or right but the warning bells only got louder.


    Taken aback and unsure about what was going on and why his instincts were suddenly shouting bloody murder at every thought of dodging the attack, Hao Xuan could feel the time running out and the temperature rising even higher and higher.


    Before he could do anything, the flesh on his back started burning. Left with no other option he simply bent his knees and allowed gravity to do all the work. Hao Xuan''s gigantic body moved down and left, slowly moving out of the way.


    And as soon as he did, a red glowing beam of light went right past where his head was a moment ago.


    *SSSSSTT*


    A sizzling sound came from surrounding raindrops that got evaporated instantly. Hao Xuan''s eyes opened wide as he saw the beam of light move in a straight line before suddenly changing its direction.


    Yes, it went exactly where Hao Xuan WOULD have been if he had gone ahead with the jump to avoid it. It would have cut him cleanly in half from top to bottom.


    "Warning! Spatial disturbances detected. Multiple temporal fluctuations detected," another warning appeared followed by a notification, "Countermeasures activated. Code Blue!"


    Hao Xuan had no idea what the warning or the notification was about nor did he have time to just inquire about it from Baracus because the warning bells started ringing again.


    Thankfully, this time he was a little more prepared. Hao Xuan''s bodynded on the ground and he quickly spun around in the mud to see the Puer standing in his initial spot before he activated the Heavenly re.


    Its mouth that Hao Xuan thought to be useless was opened wide. Red rays of light gathered around it, forming a ball of light that was getting bigger by the second. Yet it was not the mouth that caught his attention, but the 5th appendage that had grown out of its inverted abdomen.


    It resembled a beastly wed arm, not something that belonged to a human. Its elongated fingers were moving left and right in a bizarre manner, reminding Hao Xuan of the antennas on a cockroach.


    He could even feel a strange energy around them. Hao Xuan''s eyes almost popped of their sockets when he noticed the second beam of light already heading his away.


    He was on the ground and no matter how fast he was, he couldn''t react faster than the speed of light. All he could do was to listen to his instinct and make the absolute smallest movement he was capable of.


    The beamnded, a mere half a foot away from his head. Hao Xuan''s left ear was charred ck even from that distance.


    "Warning! Temporal fluctuations detected!" the third warning came.


    Hao Xuan jerked back to look at the Puer and saw it charging up for another attack but judging from the smaller glimmers of light around its mouth, it was taking longer than before.


    A small moment of peace that was ruined by Baracus.


    "Please avoid getting hit for the next 60 seconds. Countermeasure recharging."


    Hao Xuan gritted his teeth with such force that it sounded like bricks being smashed against one another.


    "Shut the fuck up! What are these god damned warnings?" he asked getting back on his feet.


    "Spatial and temporal disturbances, i.e space and time. Before each attack several disruptions in the flow of time were detected," Baracus quickly exined.


    "What?! Does that mean what I think it means?"


    "If you think that the demon is seeing the future, then yes. You must close the distance at once and not give it enough time to do it again. The fifth appendage seems to be the one allowing it to interfere in the time flow."


    "Suggestion: kill it or at least destroy the appendage to inhibit it utilizing its ability."

 Chapter 605: Instincts

    <h4>Chapter 605: Instincts</h4>


    The universe is vast beyondprehension. It is merciless, cruel, and unrelenting in its longing for power. It is a harsh life out there in the dark of space.


    From the ever-growing hordes of the Death Dealers and the servants of the gue Gods, the Pdins and the brave Heroes that carry the banner of the Temple of Light and the High Heavens, the innumerable armies of the Abyss Walkers, the endless Formarchian Swarms all the way to the traitorous fleets of the Cybeic flesh engravers, the legions of Hell and the Demon Gods, the followers of the Old Ones, the fanatic and the lunatic brothers and sisters of the Temple of War, the Overlords of the Seven Origins and everything in between.


    Throughout the universe, all these powers be they the weakest wanderings of the cosmos or the homeworlds of those powerhouses that stand at the summit, each and every single one values gifted individuals.


    These "gifts" refer to special abilities that cannot be acquired through hard work nor can they be learned.


    Individuals are born with their gifts and when they eventually die, they take it with them. That is why although every power seeks out gifted individuals and rewards them handsomely, even going as far as starting all-out wars with each other over a handful of them, there is a very real line that they do not cross.


    Maybe only once in a hundred thousand years will a talent appear that would be worth fighting for. These people are protected and kept hidden until the veryst moment. They are mostly thest resorts, living unfulfilled lives in gilded cages.


    You would almost never find them fighting in the front lines, at least not under their own titles.


    Instead, it is the average warrior that is often more desired.


    These countless unnamed fighters and warriors that fight the daily battles for resources. They start out with nothing, going from one battle to another without end and if they manage to survive and hone their skills under the de of their enemies, perhaps one day they will get lucky enough to awaken most revered and sought after "Instincts".


    That is the reason all types of powers send their gifted young out into the chaos, in hopes of awakening even a smidgen of the true battle instincts that could set them on the path of glory.


    A single gifted individual may be equal to a thousand or even ten thousand normal warriors, but just one average warrior that has awakened his or her Battle Instincts could kill tens of gifted geniuses.


    It is simply a game of numbers. Talented individualse and go, they can be born anywhere and die at any time but those warriors that have awakened their Instincts cane from any fighter.


    And then they be something more, something special. Their battle instincts help them kill faster or survive longer and there is no real limit to them. But what truly sets them apart from the rest is that sometimes, these battle instincts can be taught, passed on to the next generations.


    Then there can be tens, even hundreds of warriors that can read the attacks of their enemies before they even make a move and strike at just the right time with just the right force, or find gaps in their opponent''s defenses or do any number of things that would normally be out of their reach.


    There are many different types of instincts and none of them are truly useless. Because of this there are many races and ns out there that solely focus on awakening their battle instincts and honing their arts in livebat.


    Hao Xuan''s awakened state that was created by the help of the nanotech within his bloodstream was simr to a type of battle instincts that are perhaps one of the most sought after because they can help awaken other types of instincts as well.


    The warning bells that Hao Xuan had been hearing inside his head warning him not to jump were one such kind. He had just awakened his first set of battle instincts under the threat of death, giving him another chance at life.


    **


    "Suggestion: kill it or at least destroy the appendage to inhibit it utilizing its ability."


    A vein threatened to pop on Hao Xuan''s forehead from pure exasperation.

 Chapter 606: ETA: 45 seconds

    <h4>Chapter 606: ETA: 45 seconds</h4>


    Hao Xuan was on the verge of pulling his hair out, or whatever was still left of them on his scalp. As much as he wanted to curse Baracus again, there was no time. The Puer had almost finished charging up its attack and Hao Xuan was not sure he would be able to dodge it so easily this time.


    He pushed against the ground, throwing his body into the air. The Puer followed his movements to a T, making Hao Xuan feel like it had locked onto him somehow. There really was no time to waste.


    When he was three feet of the ground, Hao Xuan activated "Heavenly re" without even waiting tond on solid ground. ck sparks covered his feet, igniting the air beneath.


    The sudden and massive boost provided by Heavenly re was caused by just these sparks that were a consequence of him utilizing lightning spirit stones. Normally his feet would be on the ground so nothing could be seen but right now the entire process wasid bare for all to see, although no one was there to catch it.


    The sparks created a mid-air explosion underneath Hao Xuan''s feet, igniting every molecule of oxygen within a two-meter radius. It didn''t sound very big but the force from the explosion especially since it was happening at four times the speed as it normally would was enough to level a football field, which it did.


    The burning of oxygen, the expulsion of the built-up energy and the sudden resulting vacuum created by it all in less than a second was enough to create a force that Hao Xuan himself was not ready for.


    *BOOOOOM*


    The air exploded. Hao Xuan shot forth with the force a ballistic missile that was too much even for his superhuman body to handle. The surroundings were a little more than a blur but thankfully, the Puer was not able to dodge this time.


    Hao Xuan didn''t or rather "couldn''t" make any fancy moves. He extended both his elbows that were covered by an extrayer of hardened skin in front of his face and before he could even blink, he found himself just a foot away from the Puer.


    It was at this time that it finally registered what was happening. Hao Xuan could see the four beastly pupils in its eye sockets shrinking to the size of a pinhole.


    The fifth limb suddenly jerked back, as ifpletely independent from the main body.


    "Warning! Temporal fluctuation detected! Internal countermeasure deployed at half power" a notification popped up and all of a sudden the nanotech within Hao Xuan''s body released a pulse of an electromaic field thatsted for mere nanoseconds.


    The Puer''s body disappeared from the front and reappeared about seven inches to its right.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened from shock but from looking at it this up close, he could understand what had just happened.


    That fifth appendage in the shape of a beastly hand was able to somehowmunicate with its past self, or send information back in time to before Hao Xuan used Heavenly re for the second time.


    Baracus had activated the countermeasure on time this time around so Hao Xuan was able to remember the events of both timelines, the one where the Puer did not dodge and the one where it did.


    ''Motherfucker, it''s true!'' Hao Xuan cursed inwardly.


    His elbowsnded on the Puer''s left shoulder. Although it looked like it actually could warp time or ''see'' the future in a sense, it still wasn''t fast enough to truly make use of it.


    And even his elbows were akin to a sword at this speed. They cut through fouryers of flesh and skin before cracking its bone. Hao Xuan was once again taken aback by the sturdiness of its physical body. It was almost as strong as his own.


    Hended behind it as it jumped up into the air, ready to fire another red beam.


    "Countermeasure recharging, ETA: 100 seconds."


    "Interference protocol initiated."


    "Wavelength acquired, target acquisition in 45 seconds, one-time use only."


    A series of notifications popped up, nting a wry smile on Hao Xuan''s face.


    Baracus had managed to create something that could interfere with the Puer''s ability to ''see'' the future, although it could only be used once. All Hao Xuan had to do was survive until then, but that was easier said than done.

 Chapter 607: The Book of Demons

    <h4>Chapter 607: The Book of Demons</h4>


    When the students and disciples of Mount Cae eventually depart the safe haven afterpleting their training, they always go in pairs of two.


    One of them is the brawns, specializing in numerous fighting techniques while the second is the brain of the operation, specializing in various ranged skills and arts along with the task of being the physical vessel for the ''Book of Demons''.


    The ''Book of Demons'' is a living entity, an artifact created from the flesh, bones, and skin of heinous and wicked humans that have led lives full of corruption and wickedness.


    It takes the shape of a normal book with a thick leather cover but after being inscribed by countless various depictions of all the different types of demonic beings that walk the mortal ne, it takes on an unholy life of its own.


    It is done this way because any knowledge rted to demonic beings gives power to them and could even act as a gate for them to enter the physical realm by the mere mentioning of their names or the imagining of their true forms, such is their power.


    And since the Book of Demons contains vast knowledge rted to such entities, it has to be hidden and protected from any prying and unprepared eyes that happen to nce upon its contents, lest they risk themselves bing tainted.


    The Book of Demons bonds with a living carrier that is pure of heart and experienced in the ways of spiritual arts of Mount Cae and from then onwards, its contents can only be viewed by that vessel and whoever it gives permission to.


    It holds the majority of substantiated and authentic information regarding numerous demonic entities, their habits, signs, forms, and ways of dealing with them, if there are any.


    Yet everything that is known about the creatures known as "Puer"es from secondary sources. All incidents rted to the actual creatures are hidden away in the flooded depths of Mount Cae''s internal library, protected by ancient spirit beasts belonging to the First Master himself...or at least that''s how the stories go.


    The Book of Demons mentions the following information about them:


    They are born when a chosen being is selected by a powerful demon overlord. As long as this so-called ''chosen one'' exists, they cannot die either.


    They take physical form from a depraved and twisted follower of the associated demonic overlord and their first form is always an inverted four-legged creature. Once their evolution isplete, some Puer have even been known to develop the ability to shapeshift in some instances.


    Their first and foremost objective is to protect the interests of the ''chosen one'', whatever they may be, and in doing so elevate themselves to a higher level of demonic beings.


    ***


    Zou Huan stood some 80 meters away, hiding behind the rubble of what looked to be a warehouse.


    In front of him, the fight between Hao Xuan and the Puer was nearing its end. Hao Xuan had numerous wounds on himself yet he didn''t let the Puer get more than a few meters away.


    It was clear that both of them were running on fumes since they were using their physical bodies to determine the winner. Hao Xuan stuck to it like glue, tearing chunks of ck and red flesh off of its body whenever it tried to chase after a random undead to try and eat it for replenishment.


    If Zou Huan didn''t know any better he would have concluded that Hao Xuan was the monster in this scenario. Hao Xuan chased after the Puer like a rabid dog as a series of blue lights continuously pulsed under his skin.


    The duration between each pulse continued to lessen until it ''popped'', resulting in an explosion of a blue field that covered the Puer as well.


    Zou Huan had to look away when he finally saw Hao Xuan bite off the extra appendageing out of the Puer''s back/abdomen and swallow it whole.


    A sudden explosion took ce inside Hao Xuan''s body that was audible even to Zou Huan from such a distance away and he could feel something inside Hao Xuan change.


    The Puer let out a heart-wrenching roar before unleashing a beam of red light aimed straight for Hao Xuan''s chest.


    Hao Xuan was far too close to dodge itpletely but he reacted quickly enough to bring both his arms in front of him. The beam impacted with Hao Xuan''s body and sent him flying into the distance, too far for even Zou Huan to see.


    Needless to say, Zou Huan thought Hao Xuan to be dead and locked his gaze on the Puer that was severely injured. It let out another roar, sounding like a mix between a human and a goat.


    The undead that were scurrying in the distance ran towards it and started eating it. The Puer didn''t try to fight back, letting them gnaw off of its body parts bit by bit until there was nothing left.


    Zou Huan stayed and watched until the very end, when even thest bone was swallowed by an undead and they scampered off in different directions, leaving him stumped.

 Chapter 608: Routine

    <h4>Chapter 608: Routine</h4>


    Salome (CH 434/439) opened his misty eyes, rubbing the gunk out of the edges. He stared at the wooden ceiling above him in silence, listening to the various soundsing in through the open window.


    Afterying in the bed for a few minutes he suddenly stood up and walked out of the cabin.


    "Hngh!" he extended both his arms, moving them left and right to stretch.


    The light from the campfire that was still burning fell on his face, followed by a gentle breeze that sent a chill into the very depths of his body.


    He shuddered, swiftly retreating back into the cabin for a minute or so, and returning with a long woolen coat.


    Rubbing his hands and arms, Salome walked up to the campfire and sat down on the leftmost seat. In front of himid a small purring white fluff ball. Salome reached out and picked it up, cing it on hisp.


    He reached into the coat pocket and took out a woodenb, proceeding to brush the fluff ball''s already pure white fur. He was gentle, so much so that theb never once touched its skin, only untying the small knots in its fur. Yet that small motion was enough to wake it up.


    Zhurong opened his eyes halfway, seeing Salome''s face before closing them again with a content smile. This had already be a part of their daily routine.


    A few meters away from them was theke in which a small octopus floated upside down on the water''s surface.


    Fortis''s almost see-through body contracted and expanded by a few inches every second as if he was breathing. His color changed from white to grey to dark purple before transitioning back into his original somewhat transparent body.


    It was still dark out, as usual. The night was cold and eerily silent. Everyone had left for the big fight, leaving only Salome and Jin Wang at Hao Xuan''s portable camp. But soon after Hao Xuan left, Jin Wang also followed suit and disappeared.


    Salome sat in his seat, running his fingers through Zhurong''s fur while staring at the fire. With a rumbling stomach, he stayed like that for a long time, recalling thest conversation he had with Jin Wang.


    "Alright, I will be back in a few hours so you have to be in charge, okay? Keep the little guys upied and away from everyone else," Jin Wang said, patting Salome''s shoulder.


    "But Salome doesn''t know-" Salome shook his head, trying to exin that he couldn''t do something like this but Jin Wang extended his hand, stopping him.


    "You are our brother. Out of all three of us, you are the oldest, so you have to act like it, okay? We trust you, both me and Hao Xuan. You are in charge of the camp and those two little bastards, so don''t let us down!" Jin Wang finished with a grin and left withrge strides, leaving Salome stunned and at a loss for words.


    That was two standard days ago (Authors notes). Salome had been staying at the camp with Fortis and Zhurong during this time. And today was the third day and they werepletely out of food.


    Zhurong didn''t eat that much and only slept if there wasn''t any food but Fortis alwaysined about it whenever he woke up.


    Back in his vige, Salome either worked in the fields or picked wild fruits and berries to feed himself. He had never taken the life of another living being so hunting was not an option for him.


    He tried roaming around the forest to find something to eat but there wasn''t anything there at all.


    Hao Xuan had been gone for more than three standard days and Salome still had no idea when he would be back. The usual few people that came to visit every day had also not shown themselvestely.


    Hao Xuan had specifically told Salome not to go to the other side of theke where all the buildings were and he had obeyed until now but if he still didn''t go, they would keep starving and Salome couldn''t possibly allow that since he was the ''big brother'' here.


    He had taken Jin Wang''s words to heart, thinking of himself as the oldest, he had to be responsible.


    "Mr. Kitty, let''s go look for food today, okay?" Salome rubbed the sleeping Zhurong''s head, getting a deep purr in response.


    He fed another log to the campfire and got up, walking towards the tworgest buildings that were also the dorms for the majority of the participants.


    He walked through the fog that drifted from the nearbyke with the billowing wind, reaching the dorms in a few minutes. They were empty just as he had expected.


    "Hello, Is someone here?" Salome shouted but didn''t get a response or see any sign of movement.


    He still waited for a couple of minutes in the cold and only when he was sure no one was there did he proceed to walk towards the city.


    Moving along the stone path, it only took a couple more minutes for him to reach the city. It was apletely different scene from all the other areas with tall multiple story buildings of different architectural designs decorating both sides of the pathway that divided into two.


    One was going left and the other right. Salome stood at the crossroads for an indefinite period of time, unsure of which path to chose when he heard a singing voiceing from the left side.


    "Hm? What is the..."


    Before he could finish the sentence his eyes became dull and he walked towards the left side with measured, heavy steps.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Since there will be a lot of differents with different day and night cycles that are eitherrger or smaller than a full earth day, the main measure of time will still be ording to the 24-hour period, i.e standard days.


    So one standard day = 24 hours and each hour is 60 minutes which is 60 seconds and so on and so forth.

 Chapter 609: Show around

    <h4>Chapter 609: Show around</h4>


    Salome walked along the left path that snaked through different areas, further dividing into smaller streets and pathways. The scenery kept changing as did the designs of the surrounding buildings that looked older and more traditional the further in he went.


    It was almost like a walk through time itself, through the history of the Beat World and its many different eras that were represented by various architectural designs to Salome''s left and right.


    But as if guided by an unknown force he didn''t stop even for a second and kept walking until the singing got louder and louder.


    Zhurong who was in his embrace opened his eyes a couple of times to nce around but otherwise acted as if he couldn''t hear it at all, or maybe he really couldn''t.


    If observed from a birds-eye view, the town on top of the Walking City was barely 150-200 meters in circumference, a perfect circle. Yet Salome had walked for more than twenty minutes through the twisting alleyways and streets while every few steps the buildings around him wouldpletely change, never to be seen again.


    His eyes had be dull,pletely losing their luster. It didn''t even look like he was awake but his feet didn''t pause for even a single moment.


    In the extrarge woolen coat that Hao Xuan had fashioned for him from a random beast hide that wasying around in his storage space, he looked like a gangster from afar, especially with Zhurong in his embrace.


    The singing got even louder until it sounded like it was just a few meters away around the next corner but soon as Salome would turn towards it, it would disappear, reappearing from somewhere else.


    Salome strode across the many pathways, one foot after another, onward and outward. It was only after another 35 minutes that did his feet came to an abrupt halt.


    Shaken awake from his nap by the sudden change in the rhythm, Zhurong opened his eyes and looked ahead.


    Somehow, they were standing on top of the roof of the Church of Light that was located at the edge of the town, in front of the original two pathways from which Salome had gone left.


    In front of them was a girl, sitting at the edge of the roof with her feet dangling in the air, swinging back and forth as she hummed a melody for all to hear. She was dressed in a modern ck and white dress that looked quite expensive, even giving off a faint energy of its own.


    rity returned to Salome''s eyes and he suddenly woke up, looking left and right in confusion until he saw the girl. He took a careful step forward but stepped on some leaves, informing the girl of his presence.


    The singing stopped and she turned around halfway with a surprised expression, "Oh my, I''m sorry. I thought no one was in the city. Did I disturb you?" she asked standing up.


    "N-No," Salome awkwardly shook his head left and right before swiftly turning away.


    One look was enough to turn his entire face beet red. His heartbeat increased by several folds, threatening to jump out of his very chest.


    Salome had been staying with Hao Xuan ever since he first came to the Walking City. He had seen Ceni and numerous other beautiful princesses and holy daughters but none of them even deserved a second nce from him.


    Yet the girl that was standing in front of him at this instant could probably make his heart stop with a single smile if she wanted.


    And she definitely was beautiful, although not at the level of Ceni who the majority of the male AND female poption would fall for. But then again, beauty was in the eye of the beholder and in Salome''s eyes, no one was prettier than this unknown girl right now.


    "Do you live here?" the girl leaned forward to get a better look at the shy man in front of her, "I don''t sense any Qi from you," she said with a cheeky wink.


    He nodded, "Salome lives over there," and pointed at theke that was barely visible from the roof. The girl followed his line of sight, squinting her eyes to look for it.


    "Oh, that far?" she turned around and looked behind Salome warily, at a building not far away.


    That was the only other building in the entire town that looked better than the Church of Light and at this very moment two silhouettes could be seen sitting by the window.


    "Looks like they are still busy," she mumbled before swiftly reaching out and grabbing Salome''s hand before he could dodge.


    "Can you show me around? My brother rarely ever lets me go by myself so I want to make use of this opportunity. Please? Hmm?" she asked with wide, doe eyes that immediately melted Salome''s heart into a puddle.


    "Ungh," he nodded, getting a quiet jump of tion and a sweet smile in return.


    ***


    Several hundreds of kilometers away, Hao Xuan pulled himself out of the muddy ground. His body was covered in bloody wounds and now that even the nanotech had ceased working, he looked like a walking corpse, even worse than some of the undead that were running towards him.

 Chapter 610: Acquired

    <h4>Chapter 610: Acquired</h4>


    Every single nano machine within Hao Xuan¡¯s body pulsed with energy, building up to something big.


    ¡°Interference Protocol activated,¡± a notification popped up, swiftly followed by its sudden expulsion.


    A blue bubble expanded outwards with Hao Xuan¡¯s body as the center, covering the Puer within. It tried to activate the fifth appendage once again but as soon as its fingers started moving, strings from the blue bubble that looked like spider webs shot forward and covered itpletely.


    The Puer jerked back, panic ridden from the sudden loss of its life saving ability. Hao Xuan was watching from behind it, waiting to see if it would actually work or not but seeing that it did, he leaped forward.


    With one hand he pushed the Puer down and with the other grasped the fifth appendage, ripping it clean off the Puer¡¯s body. Something took over him in that moment and hepletely lost control over his body.


    His hands moved by themselves, bringing the appendage closer to his face. Then his mouth opened and without even realizing it, swallowed the appendage whole.


    He could feel it entering his mouth, the sensation of its rough skin against his tongue was still carried over clearly to his brain.


    The muscles in his throat moved by themselves, pushing the appendage further down his gullet. And as soon as it reached his stomach, an explosion urred.


    *BOOM*


    Hao Xuan¡¯s entire body twitched, expanding by several inches topensate for the sudden expansion and to keep itself from blowing apart.


    His eyes rolled back into their sockets as a feeling of intense heat overtook him.


    ¡°Warning! Intrusion Detected!¡±


    ¡°Warning! Information overflow! System overloaded!¡±


    Two more warning popped up but Hao Xuan was in no shape to respond to them.


    The Puer that was screaming in pain and horror pushed him off itself and fired another red beam, this one impacting directly with Hao Xuan¡¯s body and sending him flying off into the distance.


    He flew through the air for a good ten to fifteen seconds before making an abruptnding.


    ¡°AAAHH!¡± Hao Xuan pulled himself out of the two-meter-wide crater, screaming in terror.


    The whites of his eyes were the only thing visible as he iled about beating his chest, trying to tear open his skin.


    ¡°Warning! All systems shutting down. System Reboot initiated, standby.¡±


    Fragmented warnings in big red letters covered Hao Xuan¡¯s visionpletely, only Baracus¡¯s sound wasing through in one piece but it was falling on deaf ears.


    The nanotech hadpletely stopped functioning.


    Hao Xuan felt like his innards hadpletely evaporated. He couldn¡¯t even throw up blood because most of it had burned away from the impact of swallowing the Puer¡¯s fifth limb.


    It wasn¡¯t as ordinary as he had expected and swallowing it as he just did caused a great deal of physical and mental harm. The limb held the unique ability that belonged to the Puer and somehow, Hao Xuan had acquired some aspect of it.


    But obviously he did not know how to control it, not that it was stable to begin with. It belonged to a demonic being, a real demon and his human form as it was now was not able to deal with it.


    He was seeing things, visions of the past and the future in no specific order. He couldn¡¯t even tell if it was him in the visions or someone else. It was psychedelic experience to say the least and much less enjoyable.


    In one of them he was fighting against giants made of light and fire. In another battling a creature that had moons for eyes. In one he held a sleeping child in his arm that called him father; in another he held its burnt body. In one he was teaching martial arts to a bunch of yful youngsters; in another he was killing them.


    Hao Xuan grabbed his head from the waves of intense pain that kept getting stronger, before punching himself in the hopes of passing out. His body shook back and forth before twisting left and right akin to a warping image.


    In the span of 60 seconds he saw more than a million different faces and numerous different lives. Some that will be, some that could have been, some that would never be, and some that should have been.


    Hao Xuan screamed until his vocal cords gave out, stopping only when Baracus finally restarted and the nanotech resumed their functions once again.


    ¡°System Reboot Complete.¡±


    ¡°Foreign Bodies Detected. Temporal Disturbance detected. Initiating countermeasures!¡±


    *Zzzzt*


    The nanotech reorganized, releasing small sparks of white electricity that stabilized Hao Xuan¡¯s body.


    ¡°Reality Anchor Created. Temporal disturbances quarantined.¡±


    Hao Xuan¡¯s eyes returned back to normal and he fell back lifelessly. ck smoke followed by a charred smell escaped from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears while white steam rose from the rest of his body.


    The raindrops continued to fall and even though for the first few seconds that evaporated before even touching him, now they fell on his skin further lowering his internal temperature.


    Hao Xuanid in the mud, staring at the rumbling clouds above him with an absentminded expression. He couldn¡¯t remember anything that had happened after he swallowed the fifth limb. If he did, it would save him from a lot of heartache that wasing his way but s, something¡¯s weren¡¯t meant to be.


    Yet the loss of memory couldn¡¯t stop the flow of tears that were streaming down the side of his face.


    ¡°Can you hear me?¡± Baracus¡¯s voice sounded in his head, bringing him back to reality.


    Hao Xuan blinked twice since that was all he could muster right now.


    ¡°Good, at least you are coherent enough to answer. Over 40% of internal organs have been damaged.¡±


    ¡°Initiating recovery process. Emergency treatment implemented.¡±


    The sound of pitter patter came from behind him. Hao Xuan forced himself to look up and saw three small undead staring at him from a distance.


    His first instinct was of panic. They were close enough to reach him with a single jump but then he paused after noticing their strange behavior.


    They were just sitting there on all fours, looking at him much like confused children, rotating their heads left and right.


    ¡°Krrerrr¡±


    ¡°Krrrr¡±


    Strange noises came from their mouths.


    ¡®Why aren¡¯t they attacking?¡¯ Hao Xuan thought inwardly.


    Gathering every bit of strength he could muster Hao Xuan pulled himself up, not that it would do much good in his condition.


    Seeing Hao Xuan move, one of the undead took a couple of cautious steps forward but all of a sudden its head jerked to Hao Xuan¡¯s left and it let out a sharp howl before jumping back several meters behind a rock.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Hao Xuan looked to his left and found a person standing there.


    ¡°I was wondering what all the noise was about, so it was a guest. Oho, it looks like you have been through a tough fight, eh?¡± a slightly amused voice said.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Sorry for the wait guys, inte waspletely down :/

 Chapter 611: Whose

    <h4>Chapter 611: Whose</h4>


    "Oho, looks like you''ve been through a few things, eh?"


    A bulky man in histe twenties was standing beside him. An old saber hung weakly from his waistband.


    He was a little less than two feet away but Hao Xuan couldn''t ''feel'' anything from him. If he hadn''t spoken up first, he would have missed him entirely.


    Even in this befuddled state, Hao Xuan could clearly tell that this ordinary-looking man was anything but that.


    The man bent down to his level, staring right into his eyes. Hao Xuan tried to look away but it was like magic. The man''s eyes were so hauntingly enchanting that he felt like if he broke eye contact first, he would be losing something extremely precious to him.


    It was a sense of loss that he had never experienced before. He just wanted to kneel down in front of him and beg for forgiveness for whatever reason.


    "Are you the one I''m looking for?" the man asked while squinting, looking for something in his eyes.


    "H-Hngh?" Hao Xuan absentmindedly made a random noise.


    The man stared into his eyes for a few seconds before shaking his head with a disappointed expression, "Not you either. A little unique but far too weak," he mumbled, talking to himself more than anyone else.


    He turned around and started walking back, leaving Hao Xuan sitting in the rain with a dull expression. The undead that were hiding behind the rocks peeked out as soon as the man left, slowly stepping out from behind the cover.


    "Krrrrerrr"


    Hao Xuan was forced out of the dazed state by the sound of the undeadmunicating with one another.


    ''What...happened?'' he looked around and saw the man already tens of meters away. Hao Xuan''s eyes were attracted by his footprints, or rather theck thereof. The man was clearly walking on the ground but left no footsteps behind.


    "Krrreuurrr"


    The sounds of the undead creatures came again. They were getting closer and closer. It was obvious that it was the man''s presence that was keeping them at bay and the further away he got, the closer they woulde.


    And despite their prior strange behavior towards him, Hao Xuan didn''t want to take any chances in his current state to investigate further.


    He returned to his senses and looked around, instantly recognizing the surroundings. And how could he not with such a uniquendmark nearby?


    He hadnded just a few dozen meters behind the prison gate, the very thing he hade here for in the first ce. For better or for worse, he was here and it seemed to be the only safe ce around.


    ''Baracus, I need to move a little. Help me out here,'' Hao Xuan asked through the spirit bond since his vocal cords still weren''t fixed.


    "Affirmative. Redirecting resources to lower limbs."


    The ''nanites'' that were busy repairing his internal organs and muscles were almostpletely redirected to Hao Xuan''s legs where they bonded with the damaged parts, forming new ligaments and tissues to help him regain some mobility.


    The pain receptors had already been blocked off by Baracus so thankfully, Hao Xuan couldn''t feel the sharp stinging pain.


    With his newly built yet temporary legs, Hao Xuan got up and followed after the man, dragging himself behind him as quickly as he could. The man didn''t seem to care since he didn''t try to help or stop him.


    The man went straight towards the gate that was built into the ground. It was open outwards almost all the way, much more so than what Hao Xuan had seen when he first got here.


    The gigantic staircase inside the gate was leading down into the ground and for some reason when they got within 10 meters of it, all the water be it from rain or the one already on the ground, neither could get close to it.


    There was some sort of an invisible barrier around it that Hao Xuan couldn''t detect in the slightest, keeping thend as dry as it could possibly get.


    Hao Xuan wasn''t one toin though. This was the first time he had beenpletely dry in a short while. He followed the man down the staircase for a little more than three minutes until the ground beneath his feet transformed into rocks and dirt.


    It looked like the stairs didn''t continue all the way towards the prison.


    The man stopped soon after that as well, sitting down on an old wooden chair that was waiting for him in the middle of the path.


    Hao Xuan was a little taken aback by the sudden stop in a totally random ce but he had experienced far too many strange things in thest few hours to question something this simple.


    Finding a suitably t surface, Hao Xuan sat down as well. Baracus quickly redirected the nanites to their previous duties.


    "ETA: 38 minutes," he informed Hao Xuan who nodded once in return before fixing his gaze towards the man.


    ''Baracus, can you detect his cultivation realm?''


    "Whose...?"


    That one word was enough topletely wake Hao Xuan up.


    ''T-The guy, sitting on the chair,'' Hao Xuan stuttered even while talking through the spirit bond.


    "There are no other lifeforms within the detection range of 25 meters."


    Hao Xuan''s heart lurched.


    ''Not again, please! Can''t I just have a little bit of rest?'' Hao Xuan cried inwardly, trying to see if he could summon the Scorpion King again.

 Chapter 612: Already one

    <h4>Chapter 612: Already one</h4>


    Trying to keep up appearances, Hao Xuan tried his best to not show the utter panic that had overtaken him. Keeping one eye on the man, he tried to summon the Scorpion King since he was the most powerful ''Sever'' Hao Xuan had but to his dismay, that still wasn''t possible.


    The sigils surrounding the walls of his Mind pce still hadn''t fully recovered and there was no telling when everything would be back to normal.


    Seeing as calling out a sever wasn''t an option, Hao Xuan looked for alternatives.


    ''Baracus, how long till I can move?''


    *Beep*


    "Approximately 40 minutes if there aren''t any sudden moves."


    ''And how long till I can fight?''


    "Seven hours minimum for standardbat movement and thirteen hours for a full recovery."


    Baracus''s answer put a full stop to Hao Xuan''s n of both running away or fighting. His physical condition didn''t allow for either of these options so all that was left for him to do was either pretend not to notice anything or just walk away as soon as he was able to, or that''s what he thought.


    They both sat in the tunnel inplete silence minding their own business for a good ten to fifteen minutes. The only sound wasing from Hao Xuan''s body despite his best efforts to control them.


    Every now and then a small tremor would be felt and a few loose pebbles and dirt would fall from the ceiling. For Hao Xuan every minute felt like an eternity and no matter how much he tried to think about other things.


    But then suddenly the man spoke up, breaking the eerie silence.


    "You have a weird smell about you," he said in a serious tone.


    "Huh?" Hao Xuan looked towards him and saw him staring in his direction. His eyes looked so much brighter than the rest of his body or even the surroundings, or rather they overshadowed everything else.


    Hao Xuan cleared his throat, "Probably blood," he said in a low voice.


    The man shook his head, "I know blood. I can tell when it''s blood but there is something else mixed in with it. You smell like...death."


    With a raised eyebrow Hao Xuan chuckled lightly, "Is that a threat?"


    Inwardly thinking, ''Is he ying with me??''


    But the man shook his head with a sincere expression, "No. I am just telling you. You have been marked and sooner rather thanter, death will find you. It has already been decided. It would be a wise decision to get your affairs in order while you can."


    Hao Xuan examined the man''s facial expression in detail while he allowed Hao Xuan to do so without looking away.


    "You sound quite sure."


    "I am."


    "How?"


    "How am I sure?"


    "How do you know?"


    "Like I said it''s the smell, among other things. You are alive, brimming with energy but looking at you all I can see is a dead end, a bloody grave."


    "A bloody grave?"


    "Yeah. That means it will be a painful death."


    "Aren''t all deaths painful?"


    "Not all, but yours most certainly will be. I have never seen anything like it."


    The strange conversation between two total strangers came to a pause when Hao Xuan stopped talking. He looked down at his hands, a multitude of thoughts fleeting in and out of his mind.


    "It really is strange," the man mumbled to himself, still staring at Hao Xuan with a curious gaze.


    "So many years, so much death, but this is the first time I have seen such an immutable death shadow. A prisoner kneeling in front of a sharpened de would have a higher chance of living than you, friend."


    The man sounded more impressed than curious by the end of his monologue.


    Hao Xuan was trying his best not to say anything but hearing the tone of his voice he couldn''t help butsh out a little.


    "Who are you? What gives you the right to say that with such certainty?" Hao Xuan barked back.


    The man smiled, "You can call me, Meng, Xue Meng. As for the right? I have none," he shook his head nonchntly, "I am not deciding anything for you, only telling you what I see."


    "Everything has a shadow of death following it, be it alive or dead. When the shadow covers you entirely, it means the current you will cease to exist, one way or another."


    "Most people''s shadows are the reflection of themselves, a mirror image following them from some distance away. There is probably some meaning behind it but I never bothered to look into it," he chuckled before continuing, "Some rare individuals can push this shadow away, cheat death so to speak but it is always a little behind them regardless."


    "But you..." he looked down at Hao Xuan''s feet, "Your shadow is already one with you. I can''t even tell where it ends and you begin. You are deader than the undead above," he pointed at the ceiling with a toothy smile, almost like he was expecting Hao Xuan to join in with him.

 Chapter 613: Racing

    <h4>Chapter 613: Racing</h4>


    "Hehehe," Hao Xuan gawked at the face of this giggling stranger that was telling him about his soon to be demise, but all he could hear were Ensis''s words in his ears.


    ''Xue Meng! It is actually him!''


    rm bells were ringing throughout his body. Hao Xuan had been informed of this individual and after hearing his name, his appearance also matched exactly how Ensis had described it.


    "An ordinary-looking man with an old saber that is more dangerous than anyone else on this entire world."


    That''s what Ensis had told Hao Xuan barely a few hours ago, specifically warning him to stay away from this man if he ever came across him.


    But for some reason knowing the identity of the man in front of him even though he was someone extremely dangerous, Hao Xuan couldn''t help but regain someposure.


    "You are Xue Meng?" he asked, wanting to confirm even though he knew the answer.


    Xue Meng nodded immediately, "You know me?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head as a matter-of-factly, "How could I? This is the first time we have met. I''m Hao Xuan by the way," even going as far as introducing himself.


    Xue Meng was a little surprised by the calmness in Hao Xuan''s voice. Usually a person in his situation would be hard-pressed to not bow in front of him begging for help but...Hao Xuan showed no such notion, hell, he even managed to resist his ''charms''.


    ''Is it because he is so close to death?'' Xue Meng thought inwardly.


    Hao Xuan looked away and closed his eyes, leaving himselfpletely open and defenseless.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, who are you looking for?" he asked while regting his breathing.


    There was still a fair bit of energy left in his body which he redirected towards the damaged organs, focusing on healing as much as possible before the Chaos Qi ate everything.


    Xue Meng continued staring at Hao Xuan for a few seconds before finally looking away with a knowing smile.


    "I''m waiting for someone," he replied casually, gazing at the ceiling in boredom.


    "Who?"


    "No idea."


    "Male or female?"


    "No idea."


    "Friend or foe?"


    "No idea."


    "....." Hao Xuan was speechless.


    "What?"


    "Do you know ANYTHING about the person you''re supposed to be waiting for?"


    "Yeah," Xue Meng bobbed his head up and down as his lips arched into a devilish grin, "That whoever it is, is extremely strong. A worthy opponent for me atst."


    A slight frown crept onto Hao Xuan''s forehead, "You came here looking for a fight?"


    "Of course," Xue Meng nodded again as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Why else would Ie here? The Royal Oracle prophesized it the day I was born. That the one I meet here today will finally make my heart race."


    Hao Xuan''s frown deepened, "Make your heart race?"


    ''Doesn''t that mean that it will be someone he falls in love with?'' Hao Xuan''s line of thought went in a different direction.


    "Yes, those were his exact words! That means I can finally find a worthy opponent! Ever since I could hold a de no one has been able to make my heart race, not even once. Maybe its because I know I am better than them all, " Xue Meng said that line with such conviction that Hao Xuan who was about to correct him chose to stay silent rather than incur his wrath at this unfortunate time.


    "That''s good then, I hope you find...a good "worthy opponent" that is your equal," with a deep breath, Hao Xuan wished him well from the bottom of his heart, whatever his path was.


    Xue Meng grinned, "Thank you. You said your name was Hai Chuan? I will kill a thousand Twin-tailed vermillion Ox''s in your name so that your soul may cross the gates of the underworld with a grand escort! Hahaha"


    "....that''s not my name though... and stop killing me off..." Hao Xuan mumbled under his breath but Xue Meng was too busyughing to hear him.


    Hearing the well wishes from Hao Xuan raised Xue Meng''s mood to another level entirely, for some strange reason. He became quite talkative and even answered most of Hao Xuan''s questions.


    Hao Xuan rested there for almost fifteen hours, even going as far as sleeping for some time until he fully recovered. No one else came during that time.


    "Well, I guess it''s time for me to go," Hao Xuan stood up and dusted off his clothes.


    "Hmm," Xue Meng didn''t stand up or say anything else.


    "I hope you find what you''re looking for," Hao Xuan said with a half a smile, bowed lightly towards him before heading further down the tunnel.


    He had barely walked for a dozen meters when Xue Meng''s somewhat hesitant voice rang inside his head.


    "It''s not what you think it is, that thing down there. Don''t use any Qi around it and it won''t see you."


    Hao Xuan paused, turned halfway around to bow once again before continuing on his way.


    The lightpletely dissipated a few stepster until Hao Xuan couldn''t even see his own hands, urging Baracus to move the nanites to action.


    Xue Meng sat on that broken chair, listening to Hao Xuan''s footsteps. When he couldn''t hear them anymore he let out a deep sigh.


    "What a terrible curse. And it smells like it''s from the Moon Pce itself. Poor thing-" he was mumbling to himself when his ears suddenly perked up.


    "Finally!" he stood up from the chair, grabbing the hilt of his saber. A few seconds passed and two silhouettes appeared in his sights.


    "I didn''t tell you about him so you could tag along, mind your own business!" a male voice shouted.


    "Shut it! His business IS my business!" a female voice rebutted.


    "Wow!! You really have no boundariesdy!"


    Escorted by constant bickering, they arrived in front of Xue Meng soon after.


    "Who the hell is this old man?" the female said with an irritated expression.


    The male rolled his eyes and extended his hand towards Xue Meng.


    "Hey man, you see a big guy walk past here? Probably covered in blood and/or half-naked? Responds to the name of Hao Xuan."


    Xue Meng who was looking at them with wide eyes slowly looked down at the male''s hand in silence.


    "Oh where are my manners," the male smiled, "My name is Jin Wang, and this thing is princess Ceni. So, did you see him?"


    Xue Meng''s gaze shifted between them, confused and unsure.


    "Which one is it? Which one of you is going to make my heart race?!"

 Chapter 614: Marvelous

    <h4>Chapter 614: Marvelous</h4>


    "Which one is it? Which one of you is going to make my heart race?!" Xue Meng looked left and right while taking shorter and shorter breaths.


    Jin Wang and Ceni both pulled back in unison, exchanging knowing nces with one another.


    Ceni contacted Jin Wang through spiritual sense while calling out her Living weapon which was a red chain. It wrapped itself around Ceni''s left arm.


    "I still have his scent, we''re not too far behind. Let''s take care of this pervert and go after him quickly."


    Jin Wang naturally nodded in agreement. He pulled up his sleeves and walked a few steps closer to Xue Meng whose chest was heaving up and down like a dog in heat. His eyes were blood red and his left hand was already ced on the old saber''s hilt.


    "Is it you?" Xue Meng asked, tilting his head to the side. A faint pressure fell on both Jin Wang and Ceni.


    Jin Wang squinted, staring into Xue Meng''s eyes for a few seconds with a thoughtful expression before vehemently shaking his head with a sheepish smile.


    "I''m sorry I already have a lover but you''re most wee to have her," he pointed at Ceni with both hands, much like a cheap salesman.


    "Now if you''ll excuse me..." he quickly bowed towards Xue Meng and walked past him, leaving only the speechless Princess behind.


    "Yo-You bastard!" Ceni shouted a momentter, realizing what Jin Wang had just done. The chain unwrapped itself from around her arm and coiled in front of her, aiming at Jin Wang''s back but before she could attack, Xue Meng had made a move.


    "No one leaves until I am satisfied!" he mumbled under his breath.


    Jin Wang who was casually walking away with a fulfilling smile froze midstride. Without turning around he swiftly moved his upper body to the left at a strange angle but as soon as he did, the air shifted around him.


    Jin Wang turned around with a raised eyebrow, "Be careful where you aim that thing, man!"


    Xue Meng was standing with his back towards him, yet Jin Wang could somehow ''feel'' a smile blooming on his face without even seeing it.


    "You are good. Much better than those spoiled brats that have golden spoons in their mouths but nothing to show for it. Show me MORE! Show me you are worthy of being making my heart race!"


    Jin Wang''s pupils shrunk to the size of pinholes. This time he jumped to the side as an invisible sh cut the ground he was standing on in half.


    "Oi! What do I have to do to make you understand?!" Jin Wang shouted in anger, "I''m not interested in guys, okay? I appreciate the offer but you are really not my type!"


    Xue Meng turned around, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the ground. His strike had beenpletely dodged not once but twice!


    "Seems I have underestimated you. So be it!" he mumbled and finally unsheathed the saber.


    Above ground in the night sky, the unending sea of clouds that had been covering the area for days suddenly separated into two. Not just that, even the raindrops that were in the air were cut cleanly in half.


    Jin Wang who was making jokes until a second ago suddenly became serious. His eyes were glued to the saber.


    A heavy pressure fell on their shoulders. The ground under Jin Wang''s feet cracked and his legs sunk in as if it was quicksand, stopping only when the ground came up to his knees.


    Ceni was instantly forced down to her knees and was only able to stand back up when the red chain lept back towards her and coiled around her body, releasing a weak hum.


    "Young master, from where did you get such a fine weapon?" Jin Wang asked in a solemn tone.


    Xue Meng whose eyes resembled shimmering rubies at this point grinned while raising the saber towards the ceiling, "He came to me when I was born. Why, do you recognize him?"


    Jin Wang shook his head, "I do not, there is no need for that. I can feel his ''bloodlust'' even though he is still sleeping."


    Xue Meng''s grin widened until it covered the majority of his lower face.


    "How fortunate I am. No one from this generation has ever been able to stand in his presence, yet you not only keep standing but still have the strength to keep talking. How utterly marvelous this visit has been!"


    ***


    A hundred meters or so down the dark and empty tunnel, the only sound that wasing was from Hao Xuan''s breath.


    He stared at the rubble blocking his way back.


    "What the hell happened? Why did it suddenly copse??"


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Inte finally seems to be working normally (fingers crossed), so returning to normal schedule

 Chapter 615: Clouds

    <h4>Chapter 615: Clouds</h4>


    The very first attack from Xue Meng had copsed the majority of the tunnel around Hao Xuan. He had to sprint at full speed for a fair few seconds to outrun the destruction and reach an area that was solid enough to withstand it.


    Hao Xuan was so busy with dodging the falling debris in fact that he didn''t even notice the tunnel splitting into two halfway. He had taken the smaller pathway that turned towards the right side while most of the footprints from everyone else that had entered before were going left.


    "Damn it!" he tried to move a few boulders out of the way but there was only more debris and even more dirt and rocks. Even with his strength he would need tens of hours to dig his way back up without burying himself alive.


    "Fuck," he cursed onest time before turning around and continuing down the tunnel.


    It was inclining at an angle of 30* degrees but just like the other one, it did not look man-made at all. It had a diameter of around eight meters, more than spacious enough for tens of people to walk through shoulder to shoulder.


    If examined closely, a star-shaped pattern could be seen that was embedded all around the tunnel with irregr spaces between each one.


    Hao Xuan kept quiet for the most part other than the silent grumbling under his breath, walking through the darkness with the help of the night vision that was provided by the nanites.


    About twenty or so minutes passed like this until the ground started to be uneven and the tunnel started to turn in various directions. It was still going down for the most part but it was taking much longer. It also started to be smaller the further in he went.


    Hao Xuan didn''t think it would take a long time to get to the prison''s main structure but after five hours of constant walking with intermittent bouts of sprinting sprinkled in between, there was still nothing in sight.


    "How much distance did I cover so far?" Hao Xuan mumbled to himself.


    *Beep*


    "147 kilometers," Baracus replied instantly.


    *Brrrr*


    The ground started shaking, stopping soon after within a few seconds. Hao Xuan looked up, pping away the few loose pebbles that were about to fall on his head.


    "Another one. Do you think it''s a volcano?" Hao Xuan asked weakly.


    "Not enough data to give an urate answer," Baracus replied in his usual emotionless voice.


    These ''mini-earthquakes had be much more frequent in thest hour and a half. Every few minutes there would be one and Hao Xuan would have to stop and take cover because more often than not, the tunnel would once again copse around him.


    "Why...why can''t anything just be simple?" Hao Xuan cried, standing up with gritted teeth. He was covered in dust from the top to bottom and it had started to get into ces that made it too ufortable to even walk.


    "Just go to the ce, get the shit and go home. How hard is that?" he whined andined while trudging along the now barely 2-3 meter wide pathway.


    The tunnel had be so small that Hao Xuan even had to bend down and walk on all fours a few times to get through. For a ustrophobic, this would be nothing short of hell itself.


    A part of the tunnel had copsed in on itself in front of him, forcing Hao Xuan to walk sideways. he took a deep breath and entered the space.


    *Brrrrrr*


    Another earthquake, this one much bigger than any of the ones that hade before it.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened from shock. He could feel the earth pushing against his chest, applying more and more pressure. Hao Xuan held his breath and used his elbows to push back. More and more soil poured down from the above, threatening to bury him alive.


    "YOU FUCKERS!" Hao Xuan cursed when he couldn''t even move his head anymore.


    "FULL POWER TO OFFENSE!" he gave the order and the nanites jumped into action. His muscles bulged, rows of blue lights bing visible under his clothes.


    Using the little bit of space that was avable to him, Hao Xuan punched upwards. The ceilingpletely copsed on him but it freed him for just an instant during which time he head-butted the area in front of him. Using even a hammer would have been less effective in this situation.


    The rocks exploded to smithereens. Hao Xuan punched and kicked everything that was in front of him with eyes closed, slowly moving forward step by step until he suddenly heard a popping sound and felt a strange sensation, one that should not have been possible here.


    It was air, brushing past his face. Hao Xuan opened his eyes and saw and took a quick step back. The ground hadpletely crumbled away in front of him, or rather, it would be more appropriate to say there wasn''t any more ground to left.


    He was standing at the very edge, looking down at a space so big that he couldn''t even see its other end. There were white clouds right in front of his face.


    "What...is this??" Hao Xuan mumbled with an open mouth. He reached out and touched the misty white fluff.


    *Sssssss*


    But then quickly pulled back his hand and examined it. The first fewyers of skin and flesh werepletely gone from the part that came in contact with the clouds.


    "Warning! Hazardous materials detected!"

 Chapter 616: Unique

    <h4>Chapter 616: Unique</h4>


    Hao Xuan stared at his hand that had white bones showing in a few ces, his right eye twitching like crazy. Waves of prickly pain ran up his arm and towards his brain stem, which he could feel much more intensely right now for whatever reason.


    "Warning! Hazardous Materials Detected!" a secondter the warning came.


    Hao Xuan grit his teeth with such strength that it sounded like a grindstone churning in his mouth.


    "Really?! Hazardous materials? I had no idea! Where is it?! Tell me where this "hazardous material" is so I can maybe not PUT MY FUCKING HAND THROUGH IT?!"


    *Beep*Beep*


    Two beeps sounded one after the other and Baracus spoke up with newfound fervor.


    "It is illogical to me me for your own mistakes."


    "You robot piece of shit!"


    "Technically, I''m just an AI as of this moment. Robotics is another branch entirely which I have yet to step into. But please do not feel bad about differentiating between the two, your "human limitations" are known to be quite..."restricting" in more ways than one."


    If this were a cartoon, Hao Xuan would have already popped several blood vessels due to the sheer anger and annoyance he was feeling right now. But due to his superior physique and him not being a cartoon character, ''Twas not meant to be.


    "I swear to god, I will make a body for you and put you in there just so I can strangle you whenever you pull stunts like this, mark my words!" he said through gritted teeth, "Close this damn wound!"


    Baracus chose not to respond and silently guided the nanites to Hao Xuan''s hand where they got to work, repairing the damaged tissues and sterilizing the open wound.


    Pain receptors were naturally blocked during this process which allowed Hao Xuan to keep his sanity and re-examine the space in front of him.


    From where he was standing, there were only white clouds in front of him. And the reason he could see their color was because there was a lot of ''natural'' light here.


    Hao Xuan took a step forward and stood at the edge of the rock formation, peering downwards. The ground was not visible through the severalyers of clouds so he picked up a small pebble from nearby and dropped it, listening for the sound of it hitting the ground.


    One second, two, three...before he realized, about a minute had passed at which point he stopped counting and focused all his senses. Sometimeter a barely audible ''plop'' sound came into his ears.


    "....how deep is that?" Hao Xuan mumbled with a stupefied expression.


    He was just keeping track of time which he failed at too. Thankfully, Baracus quickly spoke up, saving Hao Xuan from the trouble of recalling the mathematical forms he had learned almost a decade ago.


    "If the gravitational eleration is the same as at the surface, the distance to the ground should be approximately 7,162 meters."


    "?!"


    That was a stupendouslyrge drop, and this far underground? Considering even the white ''fumes'' he just touched ate away at his flesh in less than a second, jumping in blind was not a good idea.


    "Can you use one of your gadgets to find out how big this space is exactly? Or see what is down there?" Hao Xuan pinned his hopes on the entity he just threatened with physical assault.


    "Of course, unless there are restrictions ced around the space that prohibit such measures, it is far too easy to undertake something this straightforward."


    Before Hao Xuan could say or do anything, he felt the nanites congregating in his chest. He unbuttoned the shirt and saw millions of tiny lights surrounding his heart in a circle. They pulsed with his every heartbeat getting brighter and brighter, building up to something.


    "O-Oi, what are you-" as usual, before Hao Xuan could finish his query an inaudible soundwave exploded out of his body.


    His shirt was shred to bits and all the clouds in front of him were pushed back as well.


    Hao Xuan staggered back, what little was left of his shirt fell to the ground "Can you fucking warn me for god sakes? I could have taken it off....Woah!" he startedining and cursing but stopped midway upon taking another look at the space.


    The clouds had been cleared up enough for him to be able to clearly see everything that was down there, and boy was there so much to see.


    Hao Xuan was standing on the edge from where he could see an entirely different world down there. He could see a huge mass ofnd surrounded by a shimmering body of green and blue liquid. Thendmass was covered in lush green vegetation but it was so big that its end wasn''t visible, but that was partially due to the enormous mountain that blocked the majority of his vision.


    A single mountain stood in the center of thendmass, reaching all the way to the top and piercing the clouds.


    Baracus''s voice came into his ears along with a series of notifications on the top left of his vision.


    "Multiple lifeforms detected!"


    "Atmosphere detected!"


    "Unique biological strains detected!"


    "Multiple energy sources detected!"

 Chapter 617: Traitorous

    <h4>Chapter 617: Traitorous</h4>


    Four notifications appeared back to back, informing Hao Xuan of the various elements within the space in front of him but he was far too engrossed with the visuals more than anything else to care about such things.


    With wide eyes, much like a toddler looking at its first snow Hao Xuan tried to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. With his enhanced vision he was able to pick up a lot more detail than anyone else would have.


    Two ces stood out the most on thendmass. From where he was they looked like buildings created in a four-sided star-shaped pattern, the same one he had seen at the entrance of the tunnel.


    "There are people here!" he mumbled.


    "Affirmative. Multiple life signs detected, sapient and others," Baracus confirmed the fact that those buildings weren''t uninhabited, "An entirely separate atmosphere is present within this enclosed space,pletely independent to the surface area."


    Hao Xuan absentmindedly sat down where he was, looking at the spectacr view. How many people could say they had seen something this? A world within a world!


    "This is...just..." Hao Xuan was at a total loss for words, and understandable so. He sat there admiring the view for a good half an hour before Baracus disturbed his thought process again, bringing him back to reality.


    "Subterranean scanpleted!" while he waszying around, Baracus hadpleted multiple scans of the area.


    "The central mountain within thendmass goes all the way down to the''s core, which is not that far from our current location. There is no other structure nearby. There is no entrance to the prison on this side of the space."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan nodded wordlessly before realizing what that actually meant. "Wait, so where is the prison?"


    "It was probably the other pathway that went down to the left side..."


    Baracus usually had his sensors turned on whenever Hao Xuan was in a pickle and he had indeed picked up the other side of the tunnel that Hao Xuan had passed without realizing. (CH 615, 2nd para).


    He told Hao Xuan about it and what he thought of the current situation.


    Hao Xuan sat cross-legged with a deep frown, repeating everything Baracus had just told him, "So what you''re saying is, I should jump down there, cross all the way to the otherside and find a way up since the prison is probably in that direction?"


    "Correct."


    Hao Xuan leaned over the edge and took another look. His heart literally skipped a beat when he realized what he would have to do.


    "And there is no other option?" he asked just in case.


    "Negative. The only alternative to is try and dig around the entire space which would take months. This option is not only time-efficient but it will also prove beneficial to many of the projects that the Progenitor had started."


    "Oh? Which projects?" Hao Xuan asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Self-sufficient environments often harbor many unique and extremely rare lifeforms and other organic and inorganic materials. Studying their environments will allow me to-" Baracus started exining enthusiastically but Hao Xuan stopped him mid-sentence.


    "Okay okay forget I asked. I''ll jump down if you just stop talking, how about that?" Hao Xuan said with an annoyed expression.


    "....Deal."


    It would be wrong to say that Baracus had no personal interest in this space. It truly was extraordinary in many ways and as an entity that was created by one of THE most curious and inquisitive creatures in existence, Baracus also took on a few of those traits for himself.


    "The atmosphere within the space contains considerable amounts of sulfur and Indium atoms. Prolonged exposure could prove to be detrimental to your health. The nanites will have to clean out your lungs and separate any harmful substances around the clock, so they will not be avable to provide any boosts to the offensive or defensive abilities," he warned Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan nodded, albeit hesitantly.


    "Should I just jump down then?" he asked looking at the more than seven kilometers drop.


    "Not rmended," Baracus instantly replied.


    "Then...? Oh!" Hao Xuan tried to think of another way down and soon recalled the matter of the traitorous dragon.


    "Nidhora! You bitch!" he cursed while closing his eyes.


    Hao Xuan''s consciousness entered his first meridian that was covered in a neverending shadow.


    "NIDHORA!" he shouted as loudly as he could.


    "I trusted your words and you left me hanging when I needed you the most! Show yourself!"

 Chapter 618: Undying Ones

    <h4>Chapter 618: Undying Ones</h4>


    As intrusive and overwhelming as Chaos Qi was having taken over each and every meridian inside Hao Xuan''s body, no traces of it could be found within the first meridian where Nidhora had taken up residence.


    Every time Hao Xuan entered, he would always see the exact same scene as he was seeing now. There were three eclipsed suns in the sky that seemed to be bigger than anything he had ever seen before.


    It was eternally eclipsed and no matter how much time Hao Xuan spent in there, it would still look the same. Under his feet was a perpetual inky ocean that went on without end and from he was standing, it looked like the sky and the ocean would never ever meet but that was more of a feeling than anything real.


    Hao Xuan was standing on the water but it felt like any regr solid surface. He moved a few steps forward before looking left and right.


    "NIDHORA! SHOW YOURSELF!" he shouted again and again but there was no response whatsoever.


    It felt like a dead world in there.


    Hao Xuan who could still clearly recall the events of the fight when he tried to use her power and it was intentionally and forcefully taken back could help but get angrier by the second.


    "NIDHORA!" he called out her name for the third time and after waiting an entire minute, received no answer.


    Hao Xuan bit down on his lips and then in as low a voice as he could muster, spoke using the constitution''s power, [Show yourself!]


    *Ruuuuumble*


    The entire world shook. Hao Xuan almost fell down on his back, barely managing to keep standing by a thread.


    He looked left and right, there was nothing. He looked back and forth, nothing. He looked up to see the same old thing but as soon as he looked down, his heart almost jumped out of his chest.


    Right under him where the previously dark ocean was, Nidhora''s image reflected with stark rity in the water. Her beastly vision of five horns and three eyes, the same as what Hao Xuan remembered from before was staring up at him in silence.


    Every interaction with Nidhora made Hao Xuan extremely ufortable which was one of the reasons he put this off for so long.


    Hao Xuan straightened his trembling legs, trying to calm both the thumping heartbeats. He cleared his drying throat that felt more painful than it should.


    "Wh...y didn''t you answer?"


    He stared at the once almighty dragon as she gazed back at her, making him feel more and more nervous.


    "Don''t make me do it again, please," he said pleadingly referring to the power of the constitution.


    Every time he used it, it gave him the feeling of absolute control and irrefutable obedience from whoever it was aimed at but...after the fact, it made him feel unclean...as if he had done something wrong.


    They both stared into each other''s eyes for what seemed like an eternity when Hao Xuan suddenly sighed.


    "Fine the-" he was about to use it again when Nidhora''s voice came into his ears cutting him off.


    "You smell different," she said calmly. The image in the water did not change whatsoever but her voice was clear as day, although a tad bit weaker.


    Hao Xuan blinked several times, not expecting such ament from her.


    "What...do you mean?"


    "Something has changed about you, something minor yet significant enough to alter your fate. Something you did recently has put you on a different path."


    "I don''t know what you mea- Wait!" Hao Xuan suddenly paused, "Don''t tell me I smell like death or something?!" he asked with a deep frown, making the connection.


    "All mortals smell of death, but there is something different about you from before...something ancient."


    "Ancient?" his brow creased more and more by the second, recalling the recent events. A lot had happened.


    He met a Demon God King, or some form of it. He met Xue Meng, came into contact with the Mount Cae disciples, all those were things that could affect him in a big way, one way or another.


    "I don''t understand. Exin yourself," he asked authoritatively, trying to sound brave but Nidhora straight up refused.


    "You will see in due time. Why have you called me out, human?"


    It was only when she mentioned that did Hao Xuan remember.


    "Oh yeah! Why did you take back your power?"


    "It had to be done, to protect your mortal self."


    "Protect? Me? From what?"


    "Not what, whom. An undying one is near."


    "Who the fuck is the ''Undying one''?!" Hao Xuan was getting angrier by the second listening to her cryptic bullshit. The more they talked, the less he understood.


    A short bout of silence followed after that was broken by Hao Xuan.


    "Well?" he asked impatiently, getting a vaguely reluctant response.


    "Words hold power, human. More so than you will ever realize. The Undying Ones are immortal puppets of the Gods and one of them is here, the one that earned the title of the "Abysswalker". I must hide, bury myself deep within your psyche, lest you desire a fate worse than even death itself."


    "Do not call for me again until you return to the Origin Worlds. Only that ce is out of his reach!"


    The hard surface Hao Xuan was standing on suddenly gave way, swallowing him whole. When Hao Xuan opened his eyes again he found himself back in the outer world.


    ***


    In the Walking City of the Academy, two men were sitting in the tallest building''s highest room next to a window.


    One of them was the Blood Prince Dai Zhi. He was sitting in front of another man whose facial features were concealed under a long ck robe.


    They were in the middle of talking when the man suddenly froze. He stood up and walked to the window, peering towards the pit and where Hao Xuan was.


    "Is something the matter, Lord Yosef?" Dai Zhi walked up behind him reservedly. From his current demeanor, no one would have ever believed this was the same proud son of heaven as before.


    The man named Yosef kept silent for a few seconds before shaking his head, "Nothing for you to worry about. Just an old acquaintance."


    Dai Zhi smiled, "Should I prepare a room for them?"


    "No need," he shook his head, "I don''t think she wants to be found right now, hahaha," and startedughing like a madman.


    "Haha, yes indeed," Dai Zhi awkwardly joined in before backing off a few steps and whipping the cold sweat off his forehead.

 Chapter 619: Trajectory

    <h4>Chapter 619: Trajectory</h4>


    Hao Xuan was forced out of his own meridian, his very own body. It was a strange feeling for sure, one that he didn''t want to experience again. But if what Nidhora said was true then there was nothing he could do, at least for now.


    Hao Xuan had also be quite apprehensive of her now, for some reason. He had begun to realize that even though he seemed to be the one on the top, he might not be the one in control in this rtionship.


    Now even though Nidhora was but a mere fragment of her past self, she was still a dragon, a true born. She belonged to a world that Hao Xuan couldn''t even begin to understand.


    She had seen and done things that the minds of mortal beings could not possiblyprehend so how arrogant and utterly foolish was it to believe that such a being would willingly help him out?


    "Result?" Baracus spoke up since Hao Xuan just silently sat in the same spot without saying or doing anything.


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "No luck. We are on our own," he mumbled.


    "We? There is no "we", it is only you," Baracus swiftly corrected him.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh before standing up, "Yeah yeah, I''m alone, I get it. So what now?"


    *Beep*


    "I have fashioned a steerable wingsuit that can help guide you in, to an extent."


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and a full-body suit appeared in his grasp. He rubbed his fingers over the fabric, feeling the still warm stitches forming hundreds of perfect squares.


    "Why is it warm to the touch?" Hao Xuan asked with knitted brows.


    "It came off the press just moments ago."


    "Press?"


    "A 3D printer of sorts."


    "Ahh!"


    Hao Xuan put on the suit that was almost identical to what paragliders used back on earth. There were a few extra fins here and there but it seemed barebones with a minimalistic finish.


    "Perfect fit," Hao Xuan patted his chest.


    "I would be a disgrace to all AI''s if I could not even do something this simple," Baracusmented, ruining Hao Xuan''s mood.


    "Tsk, just shut up and put on some music."


    "Music?"


    "Yeah, the instrumental sounds that humans enjoy. Got any?"


    "Searching databanks..."


    A secondter a high pitched groaning sound started ying in Hao Xuan''s ears, almost making them bleed.


    "NO NO! Stop! What the fuck was that?" Hao Xuan tried to close his ears but it was useless since the sound was being directly sent to his eardrums.


    "The mating sounds of the Waloki Race."


    "....."


    "%#%%@%[email?protected]&#%"


    After listening to some truly innovative curse words that Hao Xuan had created in a fit of anger involving Baracus''s non-existent parents and a legion of different animals, Baracus yed some of the mostmon and basic human tunes.


    Hao Xuan stood at the edge, staring down at the 7+ kilometer drop. The heavy, musky air brushed past his face making both his hearts beat faster and faster.


    The music that Hao Xuan had settled on was an instrument that sounded remarkably simr to a violin. It yed in the background to help him calm his nerves.


    He wasn''t wearing any other safety gear because at this distance and speed, it would only get in his way when he eventually madendfall. Physically, there shouldn''t be a problem for him. The only issue were the extremely acidic clouds that were randomly floating about.


    They would not only melt the suit but him with it so he needed a way to avoid them and that''s where the wingsuit came in. It also would help him get to the other side faster. This time he wasn''t nning on going straight down but covering as much distance as possible.


    Although Hao Xuan wasn''t really scared of heights, staring at such a massive drop he couldn''t help but second guess the decision. But he knew there was no other option, that he HAD to do this, as stupid as it seemed.


    "I feel like I should say something here no? Like a speech?" Hao Xuan muttered tensely.


    "Something like one small step for man and one gian-AHHH!" the rock-side he was standing on finally copsed under his weight, saving Baracus the trouble of taking control of his body and jumping off.


    He fell straight down following after the rock. A slider and rows of various numbers popped up in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes along with ring red letters.


    "Danger! Danger! Immediate trajectory re-alignment rmended!"


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    I posted this chap at the same time as usual YESTERDAY but for some reason it justpletely disappeared. Just noticed it still wasn''t posted -_-

 Chapter 620: Glyphs

    <h4>Chapter 620: Glyphs</h4>


    *Beep*Beep*Beep*


    rms started going off in Hao Xuan''s ears, confusing and disorienting him even more than he already was.


    "Immediate trajectory re-alignment rmended!"


    "Immediate trajectory re-alignment rmended!"


    "Immediate trajectory re-alignment rmended!"


    His entire vision was covered by bright red letters and his ears with the harsh beeping.


    "AHHHH-SHUT THE HELL UP-AHHH!"


    He managed to roar at Baracus angrily in the middle of screaming before continuing with it right after. Hao Xuan''s heart was in his throat as he hurled down at breakneck speed, iling about much like a chicken dancing in hot oil.


    He tried to regain control and position himself correctly but with so much going on and the ground getting bigger by the second, panic overtook him and all he managed to do was rip arge chunk off of the wingsuit''s left-wing.


    "NOO!" Hao Xuan cried seeing the piece of fabric floating away.


    A gust of wind came in from the front, pushing him to the side and towards the plumes of toxic clouds nearby.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened upon seeing the iing danger.


    "BARACUS! HELP!" he shouted in fear.


    *Beep*


    Baracus who was ready and waiting jumped at the opportunity, for better or for worse.


    "Arch your back. Move left hand to the front at an angle of 70 degrees and the right at..."


    He gave Hao Xuan exact instructions and within a couple of seconds managed to stabilize him.


    "Move left hand forward and down by 20 degrees..." and then even more instructions to avoid the iing clouds.


    Before Hao Xuan realized he was already gliding through the air expertly, no thanks to himself.


    His gaze shifted to the scenery below and he couldn''t help but exim in wonderment.


    From where Hao Xuan was standing before, it looked like he was looking at a painting from afar. Some keyndmarks and the overall generalndscape were all he could see but now that he was getting closer to it, he got a better grasp over its true beauty and more importantly the size and scope.


    It looked like the ground was physically expanding the closer Hao Xuan got to it.


    "Hmm?" Hao Xuan suddenly looked to his right. A dim light shed past him.


    "What was tha-" he looked up mumbling and another light quickly shed behind him.


    "Warning! Spatial irregrity detected!" Baracus warned.


    Hao Xuan looked around warily, "What?! What is it? Where?"


    "Calcting...."


    Another invisible pulse emanated from the nanites gathered within Hao Xuan''s chest.


    A small three-dimensional map appeared in front of his eyes showing his position rtive to the ground. The map started with an area of 10 meters around him before quickly expanding outwards.


    A green dot represented him and blue dots that represented the ''irregrities''. At first there were about three blue dots near Hao Xuan but the more the map expanded, the bigger their numbers got.


    Within a hundred meters of him were close to thirty blue dots in every direction. Hao Xuan examined his surroundings but couldn''t see anything.


    "Are you sure? I don''t see anything..."


    "Calibrating..."


    "Adjusting retinal wavelength..."


    Rows upon rows of nanites gathered around Hao Xuan''s eyes, filling them to the brim. They covered his retinas creating a thin film in front of them that acted as a lens.


    Hao Xuan''s vision suddenly started to change as if someone was flicking through different filters on a smartphone before it suddenly stopped at a light blue one.


    Hao Xuan could only see shades of blue and when he re-examined the surrounding space with this new modification, strange symbols started to show themselves. They were words, various characters, and shapes in strangenguages and ents that weren''t altogether unfamiliar to him.


    "Glyphs!"


    Hao Xuan shouted in amazement. He had seen varients of these glyphs many times before but those were always etched onto hard surfaces, just basic 2-dimensional characters. This was the first time he had seen actual glyphs.


    As Poriverse''s so-called sessor, Hao Xuan had a basic knowledge of a great number of things which of course included ''Glyphs'' that were in use since time immemorial.


    Glyphs were ancient methods of transporting, inscribing, and recording various types of knowledge that could not be done so otherwise. Only a select few extremely powerful beings could bring their writings to life, creating glyphs like this, especially those that were able to exist by themselves.


    The glyphs moved around the space of their own ord, changing directions mid-air and flying all over the ce like birds.


    "They are alive!" Hao Xuan murmured in total awe.


    A glyph that resembled two crescent moons pierced by a spear heard him talking and moved closer. It hovered around him, keeping up with his speed all the while inquisitively inspecting every part of his body.


    Hao Xuan could "feel" it looking at him somehow.

 Chapter 621: DataStream

    <h4>Chapter 621: DataStream</h4>


    Hao Xuan could feel the glyph examining every part of his body even though it didn''t have a face and there was no sure way of confirming that but in Hao Xuan''s mind, an image of a newborn curiously looking at something unfamiliar popped up.


    It kept a distance of a few meters while moving left and right so Hao Xuan just ignored it and pretended not to even see even it. His attention refocused on the hundreds of other glyphs in his vision.


    Most of them didn''t bother with him one bit but every now and then one glyph would suddenly turn in his direction, slowly moving closer some distance before losing interest and stopping.


    *Shhhhng*


    The sound of metal striking metal came into Hao Xuan''s ears, grabbing his attention. He looked towards it and saw a glyph about 300-350 meters below him. It was surrounded by bright golden light.


    The light became brighter and brighter until it resembled a small sun, surrounding the glyph. A secondter the light disappeared and the glyph showed itself again. Its color had changed from a shade of blue to light golden.


    Just seeing it even from such a distance away, Hao Xuan could feel copious levels of energy exuding from it. It was a sun amongst a sea of twinkling stars, in more ways than one.


    "Warning! Intrinsic Resonance Detected!"


    A never-before-seen warning appeared in Hao Xuan''s vision.


    "What? What does that mean?!"


    While Hao Xuan was focused on it, the golden glyph turned towards him. Visually, it resembled a sr system.


    It had close to 18ary bodies orbiting a red sun. Theary bodies moved clockwise around the sun as a golden mist surrounded them.


    Of all the nearby glyphs, this one was quite peculiar in its visuals and was one of the biggest as well. It started to slowly move forward, discing the nearby clouds.


    It had substance!


    While all the other glyphs near Hao Xuan only existed as a form of light that couldn''t even be seen with the naked eye, this one had a mass and solid form that interacted with the physical world.


    As if drawn by some unknown force, it moved at an angle of 30 degrees in a straight line at a constant speed. And if it continued going in that direction and at THAT speed, it would connect with Hao Xuan in less than a minute.


    But Hao Xuan was too busy listening to what Baracus had to say and hepletely missed that.


    "What the hell does "Intrinsic Resonance" mean?"


    *Beep*


    "When you ''absorbed'' the demonic creature''s protuberance, a new mutation was detected inside your DNA, bringi-"


    "Wait wait, what the hell do you mean "mutation" in my DNA? Why am I just hearing about this?!" Hao Xuan cut in, his blood pressure rising.


    "Taking into ount the numerous other things there are to take care of, some non-urgent matters were kept from you on purpose by the system after careful consideration. It was decided knowing such things would bring you no benefit and not improve the situation in any way."


    Hao Xuan who was about to burst unexpectedly calmed down upon hearing his reason. He could see the logic in Baracus''s actions and even though he didn''t approve of them, there was no reason to chastise him unnecessarily.


    "Then...why bring it up now?"


    "The mutation was minimal. It only affected a small number of cells and did not spread from the point of origin, initially. But as of 48 seconds ago, it has been stimted and actively starting to further mutate the affected cells. A resonance with an outside source was detected."


    "Can you track the outside source?"


    "Affirmative."


    "Show me."


    The map reappeared, covering most of Hao Xuan''s vision. Only his green dot was shown along with one other grey dot with question marks above it.


    Hao Xuan''s brow quickly knit into a tight furrow from a single nce.


    "Wait, isn''t that right belo-" as he said that, Hao Xuan looked down and saw the golden glyph mere inches away from his face.


    *Thump*


    The glyph and Hao Xuan''s body impacted. There was no explosion, no extra noise. Only a golden light that enveloped Hao Xuanpletely. His vision went dark and thest thing he heard were Baracus''s notifications followed by an unknown voice.


    "Gene sequence modification detected."


    "Attempting suppression..."


    "Suppression measures unsessful."


    *Beep*Beep*


    "Iing DataStream Detected."


    "Analysing..."


    "DataStream Corruption Detected."


    "Attempting Recovery..."


    "Recovery Sessful."


    "Hel- *Bzt* -lo *Kzzt* hu- *Bzzt* -man. Can you *Krrt* understand *Bzt* me?"

 Chapter 622: Hallvard Clan

    <h4>Chapter 622: Hallvard n</h4>


    Near the southeast end of the old Endless Forest, a small vige stands alone just outside the forest''s boundary.


    This vige is thest safe haven before the undergrowth starts taking over thend in its entirety. It rarely sees any visitors throughout the year unless there is a massive food shortage or the spiritual beasts crossing over, in which case the Hallvard n sends its fighters to help the locals and keep the peace.


    It is a small settlement with barely fifty residents and no more than twenty buildings in total yet right now, the buzzing of crowds that were teeming with passion makes it match one of the three bustling cities in grandeur.


    Hundreds upon hundreds of people belonging to all kinds of different races and species were gathered in this nondescript spot.


    Close to two hundredrge tents were pitched outside the vige. When viewed from afar you could easily distinguish the tents into threerge sections, each with a slightly different style.


    The tents on the bottom left were white and green in color with the majority of the individuals entering and exiting them being the MOST normal-looking humans here.


    The ones opposite to them on the bottom right were white and orange in color, with the majority of individuals being also resembling humans in their physical characteristics but 2-3 timesrger than an average human from earth.


    They were muscr to the extreme, both males and females, withrge weapons strapped to their backs or sides of both the sharp and blunt variety. They were also hairier in general with a few of them even looking quite beastial.


    The third set of tents on the top were ck, red, and white in colors, looking the most diverse of the three. These tents had the least number of people passing through them with the majority belonging to various demihuman species.


    They were still bi-pedal but possessed extra features like tails, beastial ears, snouts, faces and some even had paws and ws instead of normal hands and feet. Species like these were quitemon in the Beast World but on this, this was the first time they were seen natively.


    Individuals from each camp gathered around and mingled with one another, for the most part.


    There were a few of them from each camp that didn''t seem to be enjoying themselves like the others. Their expressions were cold and they were quite high-strung, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings while carefully moving through the crowds trying their best to keep low profiles but with one or two of them wearing long hoods that covered all of their faces, it had the opposite effect.


    Members from the Demihuman n were in a party of six. Two females with exaggerated muscr and feline features identical to that of cheetahs, while the male had the head of a ferocious ck wolf with pierced ears and arge physique.


    They were escorting two hooded figures let by a handsome bespectacled man with white cat ears, trying to mix in with the crowd, albeit unsessfully.


    All the nearby people that saw them moved aside and bowed from the waist with radiant smiles and revered expressions, whispering amongst themselves in low voices that were still easily picked up by them.


    A conversation taking ce between two teenagers with fox ears and tails was picked up by the wolf demihuman.


    "Is that them? From the main Hallvard n?"


    "It looks like it."


    "Then if the rumors are true, those two in front should be the young daughters of the n head right?"


    "Maybe, I don''t know."


    "Go check!"


    "Fuck off, I''m not going! Do you not see their guards?!"


    The wolf demihuman who was listening in on their conversation couldn''t help but grin and puffed out his chest unconsciously. He looked towards them with a haughty smile.


    "Heh, damn straight! Who do you think this lord here is-" as he was talking down to the two teenagers, he didn''t look ahead and bumped into the two hooded figures with full force, sending them crashing into a nearby food stall.


    "No! My Ladies are you okay!?" the muscr females ran up to them trying to help them stand up but froze mid-stride.


    Their hoods had fallen, revealing four scrawny demihuman children underneath. They were sitting over each other''s shoulders in pairs of two, pretending to be two normal-sized people.


    "Damn it! The cover is blown, scatter!" one of them shouted and they all jumped left and right in different directions, disappearing within seconds.


    The crowd as well as the guards were in total shock. Only the bespectacled man with white cat ears was able to react in time, throwing a white fruit at one of the children.


    "You damn mongrels! Where are the princesses!?"


    Just then, the ground started shaking. A bright golden light appeared in the sky, passing over the vige and crashing in the Endless Forest with a loud boom and a small earthquake.


    Someone started screaming, setting off a chain reaction of panic and confusion.


    "We''re under attack!"


    "Run for your lives!"

 Chapter 623: Relic

    <h4>Chapter 623: Relic</h4>


    Thest thing he saw before losing consciousness was the golden glyph hitting him head-on. It felt like somebody mmed a hammer on his chest with such strength that his very soul was almost forced out of his body... "almost"...


    Hao Xuan''s vision went dark. His mind was awake and he could clearly feel himself falling, but it ''felt'' different. He couldn''t feel his arms or legs, or any other part of his body for that matter. There was no air, no resistance.


    It was like at that specific moment in time, he only existed in thought. Without a body or soul, without a past or present, just a mere concept, an "idea" of him floating through time and space, though an endless dark void.


    He felt afraid and alone, so incredibly alone.


    Hao Xuan always believed he knew loneliness, so many years spent living alone while being surrounded by those that called him family, he told himself it doesn''t get any worse.


    But at this moment he was proven wrong, just like so many times before. It was like he was daring the universe and it dly epted his challenge.


    He was falling into nothingness, throughplete and absolute darkness. He could feel himself bing "less" somehow. And at that moment he realized, this was death.


    He was dying, truly.


    He wanted to cry out, ask for help from someone somewhere but he had no face. He wanted to try and fight back, try and help himself but, how could a mere thought do that? It wasn''t up to him.


    And soon after, panic caught up, followed by utter helplessness and then despair.


    ''Dying is much worse than I imagined it would be,'' the thought crossed his mind.


    As if responding to his words, an inaudible murmur came into his mind, pulling him towards a strange ce. A ce connected to him somehow.


    Light returned to his world and Hao Xuan found himself in a strange area.


    He had perhaps already visited it or would do so sometime in the future, or the past. It was a strange kind of Deja Vu like he recognized the ce yet it was stillpletely foreign to him.


    He was standing at the top of a grand old building with arge dome. A temple?


    But it was lined with statues of hundreds of armored warriors standing in a straight line with their swords outstretched, creating an archway leading to the temple''s entrance.


    Each of the statues gave off a suffocating feeling just from a single look. They had cold, arrogant expressions that suited them perfectly. Hao Xuan didn''t need to know their background to recognize what kind of abilities they had when they were still alive.


    These were the warriors that you would only see once in a hundred years if you were lucky yet, hundreds of them stood guard here, a testament to whichever deity they served.


    Hao Xuan raised his head only to be left stupefied and at a loss for words. He couldn''t believe his eyes.


    The statues he thought only went on for a few hundred meters were just the ones at the front of the temple.


    The temple was located at the summit of a tall mountain, overlooking a metropolis that went on for as far as the eye could see. The statues lined the entire path down.


    At first nce there were probably thousands, tens of thousands if not more and each one was at a level Hao Xuan couldn''t see himself achieving. Some of them were releasing such overpowering auras that Hao Xuan took a step back in shock, only to realize he did not have feet.


    He was but a spectator in this world, of the events long gone.


    So many brave warriors.


    "But...what killed them?" was Hao Xuan''s question and as soon as he asked, the answer came to him.


    Followed by a deafening roar, the sky opened up. A row of white and yellow teeth ripped the space apart.


    The statues lining the mountain released godly auras trying to seal it back up but it was to no avail, it was too strong. The tear in space becamerger andrger until it was hundreds of kilometers long.


    The teeth pulled back but not a momentter out poured a swarm. A swarm of death and destruction. Hao Xuan couldn''t see exactly what those things were but he could hear the screams and cries of help from their victims, from the people living in the metropolis underneath.


    The temple Hao Xuan was standing on opened its gates. A row of warriors d in blue armor stepped out. Not more than a hundred even.


    They were covered in blood and wounds from recent battles yet they held their weapons high. They peered down at the scenes of carnage unfolding in front of their eyes with heavy hearts.


    Hao Xuan could feel their anger, their agitation, their helplessness. It called out to him for some reason. He saw the look in their eyes and could tell instantly that they knew it was their time to die.


    At this juncture, death was unavoidable but not a single one of them had any stray thoughts. Neither of running away nor of surrendering.


    Hao Xuan stared at them for a few seconds as tears formed around his eyes. He blinked and the scene suddenly changed.


    The statues were more or less turned to rubble, the steps leading up to the temple painted with blood. The dismembered bodies of the armored warriors lined the sides of the temple, leading inwards. They had already died.


    Hao Xuan felt sad, so much so that he forgot about his own precarious situation. With a deep sigh he blinked again and reappeared in a closed-off chamber somewhere deep inside the temple.


    Here eight figures stood.


    At the back of the chamber was another statue, this one muchrger than the ones outside. It was of an armored warrior sitting somewhatzily on a throne. His shoulders drooping and his head lowered. The statue looked tired and sad. And unlike all the others outside, this one''s face could not be seen since he was looking down.


    In front of the statue were three warriors in blue armor, the same as the ones that died outside.


    Facing them were fiverge humanoid creatures that although held human forms, were warped and twisted in different ways. Hao Xuan could feel a strong stench of sulfuring from them, somehow. They were obviously demonic in nature.


    It was very simr to what he had smelt back in the pit.


    Thergest of these demonic creatures that also looked the most human-like stepped forward. Four ck eyes and one broken horn adorned its hideous face as it turned to face the armored warrior in the middle that had four ck lines surrounding a gold shield on his pauldrons.


    "Give up "grandmaster". How long will you fight? Why persist when you know the result?" the demon spoke in a bestial voice.


    The grandmaster it was referring to had his back towards it.


    He was kneeling in front of the statue on one knee as if the demon wasn''t even there. The two warriors to his left and right were covered in wounds, parts of their armorspletely destroyed but they stood guard in absolute silence.


    Seeing as he was totally ignored, the demonughed instead of getting angry.


    "What use is praying? What did he ever do for you? An empty old man, a relic of a forged past. Once I am done peeling the skin of your flesh, I will use that statue to-


    "Watch your tongue, filth. Do not utter a single word of disrespect in this chamber, for I will not tolerate it!" the grandmaster spoke up.


    The entire temple shook with his powerful voice!

 Chapter 624: No Shame

    <h4>Chapter 624: No Shame</h4>


    Hao Xuan was standing to the left of the soldiers, watching everything quietly. When the Grandmaster spoke up, his eyes widened and he fell to his knees.


    The temple and everything inside it shuddered from the overwhelming pressure from the grandmaster''s voice and somehow Hao Xuan was able to feel it as well, although just a small part of it.


    The demons that were grinning andughing a moment ago turned mute. Their expressions turned solemn as soon as they realized what had happened.


    "You dare set a trap? For us?" the first demon asked, unsure.


    From what they knew, every able-bodied warrior had already left the system. The only ones still here were the women, children, and the disabled, none of which could be a threat to them. Only these few warriors that had returned from the battle were the''s main fighting force.


    They had even sent away allary defense forces because they did not believe someone would dare attack the homeworld of one of their precious patriarchs.


    The demon became agitated. How could this be true? Did he truly sacrifice more than a billion souls just to lure them in here? Why? For what purpose?!


    The Grandmaster remained silent. A weak murmur could be hearding from his helmet that concealed his face. It seemed like he was in the middle of prayer and only stopped after finishing all the way.


    He stood up, revealing a silver hammer embroidered with various depictions of the sun sitting in front of him. The hammer was almost as big as his body which towered over even the demons that were at least 2 meters tall.


    The demons took a step back in unison. The Grandmaster did not attack. He was staring at the statue on the throne, his eyes wet from nostalgia.


    "Tell me, filth, how long have you served your God? Was it after the traitors revealed themselves?" the grandmaster spoke again, this time no supernatural events followed.


    The demon although still nervous, refused to believe its situation.


    ''He must be lying!'' it thought.


    It nodded arrogantly, "I have served the Demon Princes after they left the confines of your puny empire and threw away with the shackles of mortality. It has been five hundred years!" it said proudly.


    As soon as it finished talking a pressure descended onto the room, but it did little to thest three soldiers on the.


    The Grandmaster nodded as well, "I thought as much. The older ones rarely ever leave their worlds, cowards even after attaining so-called immortality..."


    The demon wanted to rebuke but the Grandmaster did not give him the opportunity. His gaze was fixed on the statue''s face that probably did not even exist.


    "Do you know, demonkin? Of the Majesty of my Emperor? Of the one we follow, and the one your Demon Princes followed too?" the Grandmaster recalled the events of a distant past.


    "Before he came, we were nothing. The gxy was shrouded in darkness. We did not even have the right to breathe back then. But his appearance was the answer to all of our prayers. He fought with those that called themselves the ''Masters'' of our fate, and freed us."


    "He created armies the likes of which were never seen before. He taught us to fight, to know what freedom truly is, and in exchange we epted all that he was."


    "His mighty legions swept the gxy like the force of nature they were. Worlds trembled upon his arrival! The heretics, the traitors, and the naysayers, all fell to his de!"


    "Apanied by his sons, it was he who created a ce for us in this harsh and unforgiving world, and all he asked in return was loyalty, and sometimes not even that..."


    His voice lowered for a moment as if contemting something profound.


    "When the word of his arrival woulde, even your ''gods'' pulled back, such was his Majesty!" but not a momentter it was back to its original fervor.


    "When the Emperor walked among us, how many of your kind died by his hands? A mere drop in the ever-growing ocean of bloodpared to what has been sacrificed today. But the lives of every individual that "chose" to stay here even after knowing what was toe, they will be remembered for all of eternity!"


    The demons who were listening with a mix of curiosity and facetious concern suddenly turned serious again.


    "SO YOU DID-" the first demon tried to interject but was cut off again.


    "Indeed," the Grandmaster nodded, "My only regret is that I only have one life to offer. But at least I can rest easy knowing that when the Emperor rises for the final time, the ones you call Gods will face the inevitable end of their immortal lives!"


    "That is the difference between us, demon filth. You can kill for your God, but I will die for mine! Whose faith do you think wille out on top?!"


    The demons did not dy any longer and turned around, fleeing as fast they could.


    The Grandmaster looked to his left and right, towards the two soldiers that were standing there, "You can rest easy, my sons. Your foolish father will take it from here," he said waving his hand.


    The soldiers fell to their knees, blood gushing out of their armor.


    The Grandmaster turned around to face the statue, bowing one final time.


    "The 19th Grandmaster of the ''Chapter of the White Sun'' bids farewell to the Immortal Emperor. May your majesty rest easy knowing that the system fell long before the guard did. We did not bring shame to our ancestor, to your most beloved of the sons!"


    By the end his voice was so loud that the temple''s walls started to crumble, even the mountain itself was starting to tear apart.


    He picked up the silver hammer and swung it down onto the ground. A sh of light blinded Hao Xuan and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in his body plummeting through the air.

 Chapter 625: Suspicion

    <h4>Chapter 625: Suspicion</h4>


    Hao Xuan saw the grandmaster raise the hammer into the air at a snail''s pace. Time suddenly slowed down to a crawl for him and it was at this moment that he finally notice a figure standing behind him.


    Bewildered, he spun around but upon seeing the familiar face, he once again was shocked.


    "Hyde?!"


    The same Mr. Hyde that had locked himself away in Hao Xuan''s mind pce was now standing right behind him, staring at the same scene as he was. He looked exactly the same as before with his top hat, walking stick, and monocle.


    "How are yo-" Hao Xuan asked but didn''t get to finish his sentence.


    Mr. Hyde who was usuallypletely emotionless at least in front of Hao Xuan seemed quite dreary at this moment. His gaze was fixated on the grandmaster.


    "What a sad existence he led. Spent his entire life serving another, someone that he will never meet in this life or the next. So much blood spilled, so many souls lost, for what?"


    By the end his voice was so low that it almost sounded like he was talking to himself, or maybe he was. Hao Xuan ignored his rambling and asked his own questions.


    "Hyde! What''s happening? What is this ce? Am I dead?"


    Mr. Hyde shook his head weakly.


    "Not dead, but not alive either. It''s not your time yet so don''t worry. As for this ce," he let out a deep sigh, looking around at the surroundings, "It''s an echo."


    "An echo? Of What? What are yo-" suffice to say Hao Xuan was still in the dark and quite confused. But Mr. Hyde''s mood instantly turned sour upon hearing him continuing to talk.


    "When people die, they leave behind an imprint that can be ''felt'' and sometimes even seen through the veil. It is an echo of theirst moments, a testimonial of the lives they once lived. The worse their deaths were, or the more regrets they had, the stronger this echo bes," he exined in as simple words as he could.


    "So... it''s already in the past?" Hao Xuan asked dejectedly. When he first came here it didn''t feel like something that had already happened.


    Mr. Hyde shook his head once, "The echos exist on the other side of the veil, constantly ying on repeat. And on the other side, time does not flow in a straight line. These events could of course have happened a long time, or they might happen a long time from now in the distant future. They could even be happening as we speak, there is simply no way to tell."


    But then he paused, peering downwards to meet Hao Xuan''s uncertain gaze.


    ''The only thing that is certain is that an echo can only be seen by someone that has a strong connection with it,'' he said inwardly, choosing not to let Hao Xuan know.


    Unknowingly, his gaze became cold. His pupils became vertical, serpentine in nature. His hands that normally looked like they belonged to a delicate young master that had never done any manualbor in his life were reced by something else entirely.


    They had ck leathery skin and four long and twisted digits that curved into razor-sharp nails at the end. He bent down, brushing three of the digits against Hao Xuan''s cheek.


    "Did you meet ''him'' at some point? Or are you one of his spawn? No...maybe not. But he always did have an eye for strays," Mr. Hyde mumbled in a daze, talking to himself.


    It felt like someone was piercing Hao Xuan''s eyes with needles when he looked at him, and the part of him that his hand touched started to rot from inside out.


    rm bells started going off inside Hao Xuan''s mind and he quickly jerked back.


    "Wh-What''s wrong with you?!"


    His sudden movement woke Mr. Hyde from his trance and he instantly returned to his previous image of a British gentleman from the 1800s.


    He forced a smile, "My apologies. I seem to have gotten a tad carried away," pulling back his hand Mr. Hyde turned around, "But the echo confirms my suspicion. It seems we need to have a talk. Come to me when you have time."


    Mr. Hyde tapped the ground with his walking stick and the time returned to normal.


    "Wait!" Hao Xuan shouted.


    Suddenly remembering where he was, Hao Xuan turned around and saw the grandmaster''s silver hammer connecting with the ground. A sh of light ignited, so bright that Hao Xuanpletely lost all senses.


    He closed his eyes by instinct and when he opened them again, he was back in his body.


    "What?!" he looked around and saw the ground getting bigger by the second.


    Baracus''s automated messages came into his ears.


    "Cardioversion sessful."


    "Heartbeat detected. Soul signature detected."


    "Expiration Event Length: 7 seconds."


    "Wee back."


    "Expiration event?! Was I dead?!" Hao Xuan repeated, astounded.


    "Affirmative," Baracus confirmed before giving another warning, "Please brace for impact."


    "Huh? Oh fu-"


    *BOOOOM*

 Chapter 626: Repair

    <h4>Chapter 626: Repair</h4>


    *BOOOM*


    Hao Xuan crashed into the ground, leaving a trail of broken trees and overturnednd in his wake. The area around the point of impact looked as if a bomb had gone off, sending shockwaves for several miles in every direction.


    Yet the pain and bacsh that he was expecting were barely there. Hao Xuan''s body floated a few inches above the ground, surrounded by a golden light that was revolving around him in a circle, constantly changing locations.


    Hao Xuan looked around, confused to the extreme.


    "Baracus, what''s going on?" he asked quietly.


    A blue light shed on the top left of his vision and a series of notifications popped up, a backlog of what had happened while he was ''away''.


    "Iing DataStream Detected."


    "Analyzing..."


    "DataStream Corruption Detected."


    "Attempting Recovery."


    "Recovery Sessful."


    "Hu- *zz* -man *Kzt* ca-"


    A bunch of broken words vocalized by Baracus himself came into Hao Xuan''s ears. ''Can you understand me'' it asked. It was obviouslying from the glyph which Hao Xuan was able to deduce himself.


    Unfortunately, he was not able to reply to it since he had already lost consciousness by that time, but that did not stop it from sending in more messages in its own voice. After clearing them up and putting together what it was trying to say, a finished audio log appeared in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes which he listened to.


    "You are unusual, not from here," an adolescent voice said. It was androgynous in nature, alternating between male and female. It sounded like it was trying to force itself to talk. It continued.


    "I am also different, reborn into a new form. I require your aid, your physical frame''s assistance," it paused here, trying to find the correct words, "The others will look for me. Give me protection from them, the stronger ones. Help me and I will help you. Are we in agreement?"


    The entire thing sounded so awkward that Hao Xuan couldn''t help but wince a little. It sounded like this was the first time it wasmunicating this way. The words were there and it knew what they meant, but stringing them into one meaningful sentence was not an easy task.


    Right after that, a few more notifications were recorded.


    "Molecr Scan Detected."


    "Gic Data Collection in progress."


    "Receiving DataStream."


    "Analyzing..."


    "Gene Sequence Data Receiving.........."


    "Received."


    "Analyzing............"


    "Analyzing....."


    It repeated twice. It must have been a lot of information seeing as it took Baracus that long to decipher it properly.


    "Gene Sequence Data Analyzed."


    "Catalogued Species: 14,010,090,120,090...."


    The number kept going on and on. Hao Xuan tried to read it out loud but it was so big that he couldn''t even count that high.


    "Gic Anomaly Detected."


    "Appropriating Resources."


    "Conducting Trial."


    "Rebuilding Experimental Gene Sequence.."


    The notifications went on and on for several pages and Hao Xuan couldn''t even make sense of most of them.


    "Just tell me what happened, for god sakes," he finally shouted after not being able to understand most of what he just read.


    "The Glyph is Sapient. It had undergone a major tribtion and was looking for a shelter when it found you. In exchange for letting it hide in your body, it has provided aprehensive database regarding gic disorders and experimentation from a great many species, along with assisting me in understanding two of the significant gic mutations within your own bloodstream."


    "Your current state is due to the basic repairs being done with the Glyph''s help. It will be restored in approximately 180 seconds."


    "Three minutes? That''s not too bad..." Hao Xuan mumbled but not a momentter his ears twitched. He could hear movement to his southeast, getting closer by the second.


    Hao Xuan tried to move but he was stuck in the air, unable to do anything other than il around in a panic.


    "Yo cancel this shit, we don''t have time. Something is already here!" Hao Xuan ordered but Baracus''s response left him speechless.


    "Negative. Stopping midway will cause damage to most of the vital organs. Brain death will ur within twenty standard seconds."


    "...then can you speed it up?" Hao Xuan asked anxiously, looking over his shoulder to the right, peering towards the source of the disturbance.


    "Affirmative. Shutting down all other senses and neuron pathways will allow me to redirect more resources to the current operation. Time will reduce to 110 seconds. Should I proceed?"


    "Shutting down everything? Then will I not be able to move then?"


    "Affirmative. Only the auditory system will be in effect."


    "Like I''m much better right now, fine, do it!"


    As soon as Hao Xuan gave the green light his vision went dark and his body fell to the ground, hovering a few inches above it. He couldn''t feel, smell, or see anything, only able to hear the constantly nearing footsteps.


    The golden light surrounding him lessened by several degrees, most of it entering inside his body.

 Chapter 627: Indecisiveness

    <h4>Chapter 627: Indecisiveness</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s body floated a couple of inches above ground surrounded by a barely noticeable golden barrier of light. All he could do was listen to the sound of hurried footsteps that wereing his way.


    With the glyph''s help, the nanites went to work within his body, trying to fix or at least quarantine the mutations within Hao Xuan''s DNA but that was easier said than done. What they were doing was basically gene maniption which even for an advanced AI was no easy task to undertake.


    Baracus not only needed the exact information about Hao Xuan''s gene sequence and gic material but also how it could change in the future.


    And because of his ''special'' physique, his DNA was already extremely unstable. Minor modifications and alterations would be made every single time Hao Xuan used the physique to devour any outside materials which created far too manyplications.


    The footsteps got closer and closer until they were right next to him. Hao Xuan''s heartbeats increased by a fold waiting to ''hear'' who they belonged to. From the sound of it, there were about three or four people.


    "It''s a person!" one of them shouted. The voice sounded masculine but far too young, a teenager at most.


    "Woah! It''s a human!" the second voice said in wonderment. Another male.


    "Uri, go see if he''s alive!" a third voice said, getting a strong no in response.


    "No way, what if it has diseases? My mom said you can never know with humans. She said they lick each other''s private parts!"


    "For ancestor''s sake Uri, you want to be one of us right? You have to listen then!"


    "But... it''s a human..." Uri mumbled weakly.


    "And? Besides, I think he''s already dead..."


    From their conversation, Hao Xuan easily (and correctly) guessed that they were all just random teenagers that just happened to be nearby...and that they weren''t human.


    They stood near him for a few seconds, poking and prodding with branches until the trees in the distance started moving. The sound wasing from the left, the opposite direction from where they came from.


    Since all Hao Xuan could do was listen, he waspletely focused on every little sound around him.


    The area he hadnded in was a dense jungle. There was barely enough space for a normal individual to walk upright so every little movement made a lot of noise. And what he was hearing right now sounded nothing like a person. It was big, and heavy!


    Even the ground moved trembled him. The trees creaked from the pressure and then snapped loudly, twinging Hao Xuan''s heartstrings.


    "Shh! Did you hear that?" the first teenager whispered.


    "Yeah, where is iting from?"


    "Somewhere deep in the forest! What should we do?"


    "Run of course! What kind of a stupid question is that?" the second teenager answered with a p on the head to whoever asked and quickly turned around, going back the way they hade from, followed by the others.


    Only one of them remained standing beside Hao Xuan.


    "Bu-But guys, what about the human?" the one named Uri shouted towards the others but they had already run too far away.


    Hao Xuan could hear his little heart beating faster and faster. He was pacing back and forth anxiously, unable to decide what to do.


    "I should go now....but Ms. Jiang said to always help those in need..." Uri talked to himself nervously, trying to think of a way to save Hao Xuan.


    He tried to move him but couldn''t even budge a single inch. He tried to drag, push and even jump on him but nothing worked.


    The creature was now less than 50 meters away, so loud that Hao Xuan could even hear nking noisesing from it when its scaly body dragged along the rocks and other hard surfaces. The temperature started rising around them.


    ''Damn it, just run away kid! Why the hell are you still here!? What use is both of us dying?'' Hao Xuan shouted inwardly at Uri''s indecisiveness.


    He didn''t know if he was angrier about potentially dying in a few seconds or this dumb kid just standing beside him waiting to be the iing creatures paired entr¨¦e.


    Seeing as the creature was almost on them, Uri finally gave up. He bent down and picked up some branches and leaves before carefully cing them on top of Hao Xuan''s body, unsessfully trying to cover him up.


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, Mr. Human, I''ll go tell the elders as soon as I can, please don''t die!" he said in a rushed voice and ran after the other teenagers.


    ''Worry about yourself, dumbass!'' Hao Xuan retorted inwardly, seeing Baracus''s notification.


    "ETA: 25 seconds."


    Hao Xuan was about to sigh in relief when his ears twitched again upon noticing something unusual.


    Thest sound of footsteps was going in a different direction. Uri had run off in almost the exact opposite path to the others.


    Hao Xuan wanted to shout but the timer in front of his eyes and the creature that was just a few meters away from him kept him from doing so.


    ''Fuck it. He was nice enough to at least try, I''ll find him and bring him to his people after dealing with the creature,'' Hao Xuan told himself.


    He braced for its attack. The barrier around him created by the glyph shouldst for at least a few seconds.


    The loud noises came right up to him and stopped. Hao Xuan could hear three loud heartbeatsing from its body.


    He didn''t even need to see how big it actually was. Judging from the mess it had made just getting to him, it was at least 5-8 meters in size.


    It bent down. Hao Xuan heard the air moving back forth. It was taking in short but deep breaths. It sniffed around Hao Xuan''s body for a couple of seconds before suddenly jerking to the left. The ground shook as it leaped forward, jumping right over Hao Xuan.


    The ground moved again and it again jumped forward. It had caught the scent of something else. It was going after the teenagers.


    ****


    Authors Notes:


    Constantly having issues posting to WN. Sorry for the random dys, I finished writing today before weekly reset and posted it then but still didn''t show up even 5 hourster.

 Chapter 628: First Step

    <h4>Chapter 628: First Step</h4>


    Hao Xuan braced himself for an impact that never came. Whatever creature that had crawled out of the Endless Forest didn''t even give him the time of day.


    As soon as it caught the scent of the teenagers, it ran after them even faster than when it came looking for him.


    Hao Xuan of course felt bad for them but since they managed to reach him so quickly, they must not be staying too far away. The chances of them reaching their settlement were pretty high and there would most probably be some high-level warriors there that could take care of the beast.


    Instead, he focused inwardly, on what was happening inside his body.


    Using his superior spiritual power Hao Xuan was able to get a rather clear picture of the events taking ce inside him and since he didn''t actually have to control or oversee any of them, he could observe with rtive ease.


    Less than 20 seconds were left on the timer and the whole thing wasing to an end anyway.


    The nanites bonded with his blood cells, the linings of his organs, and arteries, filtering out all unnecessary gic data that had gathered within his DNA with the glyph''s help. Billions upon countless billions of such micro-operations were taking ce simultaneously.


    And all of that waste was excreted out through the pores in his skin. Within the blink of an eye, a gel-like substance had encased Hao Xuanpletely. It went from a semi-transparent goo to green and red, getting darker by the second.


    By the end it waspletely ck in color and its consistency had be extremely dense and rigid, to the point of looking like tree bark.


    Even though the timer had run out, Hao Xuan did not break out of this cocoon. He could feel the effects of the procedure much more acutely than even Baracus who was basically a part of him.


    The ''procedure'' was a type of deep cleanse, simr to the excretion of impurities that happened naturally in the earlier stages of cultivation. During one''s life, such a cleanse couldn''t be done more than a handful of times, and even then only if a person continuously reached higher and higher cultivations realms throughout their lives and each time using the opportunities after breaking through to cleanse themselves.


    As long as one continued to breathe the air, to eat various foods, to partake in drinking, or even do something as simple as sleeping, gathering impurities from the outside environment overtime was expected.


    And unless onepletely stopped such activities or found a way to reduce or eliminate the impurities from entering their bodies, they would continue to mount and hinder cultivation in the long term.


    That is why it was epted that cultivating from a young age was the best route for reaching a higher realm in the shortest amount of time since they wouldn''t have as many impurities to begin with.


    In Hao Xuan''s case, he was already twenty when he started cultivating seriously. He had spent most of his adult life eating old and rotten food if anything at all, so his starting point was even lower.


    And even though he had managed to discharge a good volume of impurities when he first activated the physique, it had actually significantly increased after that due to its unique nature.


    Every time he had consumed the blood and flesh of another creature, the ''Immortal Devouring Demon Physique'' had helped him absorb almost everything inside it, nutritious or otherwise. This was also one of the main reasons his cultivation had been stuck for so long.


    But now that he had gotten his hands on a way to expel impurities at will, it would greatly boost Hao Xuan''s cultivation speed. And this was just an unexpected side-effect to Baracus trying to repair the mutations within his bloodstream.


    Encased within the cocoon, Hao Xuan couldn''t help but grin from ear to ear. A cool and refreshing sensation was passing throughout his body, lifting his tired spirits. He felt happier for some reason, content like a child nestling in theforting embrace of their loving parents at the end of a long and hard day.


    But since Hao Xuan had never known such affection, all he could think about was afortable, cold, freshly washed bed sheet. Quite a contrast from the loving memory of one''s childhood but that was all he had.


    His body felt lighter by a wide margin.


    *Beep*


    Baracus''s voice followed after the electronic beep, pulling Hao Xuan out of the extremely short but much needed moment of bliss.


    "The first step of the procedure has beenpleted. All bodily functions returned to normal, you may move freely."

 Chapter 629: Initiation

    <h4>Chapter 629: Initiation</h4>


    "The first step isplete. You may move freely," Baracus informed Hao Xuan, trying to pull him out of the euphoric state he had found after such a long time.


    After each cleanse, hormones like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins were automatically released into the bloodstream, helping raise the cultivator''s mood and spirits. In Hao Xuan''s case, these hormones that should be tightly regted were released in copious doses all at once.


    This was due to the instability in his physical center, causing interference in perhaps the most trivial yet effective way.


    Hao Xuan''s eyelids felt like they were made of lead. No matter how much he wanted to get up, opening his eyes right now and breaking out of the cocoon was now nothing short of a battle against his own self.


    Hao Xuan was so out of it in fact, that he even missed Baracus saying that this was only the first step of the procedure.


    At this moment he was in a state of total euphoria, brought upon by his own enhanced rampaging hormones. It was identical to the ''out-of-body-experiences'' that many people had described when taking certain ''party'' drugs.


    His senses of touch, hearing, smell, and taste all became hypersensitive for a short moment. Even encased in the cocoon he could feel his surroundings perfectly, perhaps even more so than he could ever do under any normal circumstances.


    The cocoon acted as a barrier separating his body and the external environment, helping him focus more on the outside.


    This state was only going tost for a short moment and Hao Xuan knew that by instinct. He could ''see'' outside the cocoon in a different fashion than normal as well.


    Hao Xuan saw his immediate surroundings that only showed up as green and light yellow colors, each with their own taste. The ground was yellow, while the nts were green, tasting like sponge cake and matcha tea in his mouth respectively.


    Obviously, this was just how his own brain interpreted this strange new method of receiving information.


    His senses formed a second body in this new environment to help him understand it better. He only existed as a being of blue light here, interacting with the world without even touching it.


    Hao Xuan walked around the cocoon which he could still see as normal. Everything else was in the shades of green and yellow, other than a thin trail of strange floating dark purple powder. It was surrounding the cocoon.


    It hovered in the air in silence.


    While all the other shades of green and yellow intermingled happily, this floating powder was leftpletely alone. Only when it made the move first and reached out did the other colors react.


    As soon as the purple powder came into contact with any shade of green or yellow, it would be a different color entirely.


    From red, ck, white, and blue to a million other shades and colors, it was this powder that was throwing everything into disarray.


    Hao Xuan felt like he was watching a painting that was being slowly dismantled from inside out. Objects were losing their shapes, their identities, bing more basic in nature.


    The natural order of things was thrown intoplete and total chaos. Yes!


    ''Chaos!'' Hao Xuan''s mind suddenly connected the dots.


    It was him, he was the source of that purple powder. It wasn''t that it was surrounding the cocoon, but that it wasing out of it! Almost like magic, some of the things that Hao Xuan couldn''t make sense of before became clear. He was gaining enlightenment!


    High up in the sky above where Hao Xuan was, a ck cloud had appeared at some point. Its size increased from a few inches to hundreds of meters within seconds. It continued to expand until it covered the majority of thendmass, shrouding everything in darkness.


    The glyphs that hovered in the upper atmosphere of the space were the first ones to notice its presence but soon after, almost every creature big or small was able to FEEL it.


    The atmosphere was bing charged.


    The clouds rumbled with a deep pulsating echo. Pregnant with streaks of deadly thunderlight, they were answering a call to summons that had not been made in eons.


    Unknowingly, Hao Xuan had once again entered a space not meant for mere men. He found himself standing atop a cloudy peak, his feet one with the mountain underneath.


    A single sentence entered his mind.


    "Initiation of the Chaos Gates: Influence."

 Chapter 630: Order Within

    <h4>Chapter 630: Order Within</h4>


    Almost the entire upper atmosphere of this little ''world'' was slowly filled with rumbling ck thunderclouds. They were everywhere yet nowhere.


    The glyphs were able to ''see'' them in a way and quickly moved above them so as not to get caught up inside. All the other lifeforms living on thendmass below could, in a sense, ''feel'' the clouds, but not actually see them.


    Many of them looked up to the skies trying to find any signs of them. They could feel the charged atmosphere and the fast-moving winds. It felt like a storm was fast approaching and it truly was, but not one meant for their eyes.


    Hao Xuan''s consciousness entered the same space he had created for himself when trying to understand Chaos Laws all those days ago. (CH 527)


    He was standing atop a lone cloudy peak, at the edge of a cliff. All around him were the same ck clouds that were in the world outside, or maybe they were a mirrored reflection of each other.


    "Initiation of the Chaos Gates: Influence."


    The words chained together forming a sentence.


    Hao Xuan was standing at the cliff''s edge, or rather he WAS the cliff since his feet were a part of it. In front of him was the churning chaos that he had seen at the edge of the universe on Meng''s boat and in Baracus''s recordings.


    It stirred endlessly, in a state of perpetual and constant change. Hao Xuan gazed at some of the shapes that he had seening in and out of the shadowy darkness many times before and at this moment, he was starting to recognize some of them.


    Random things ranging from household objects all the way to small animals and even some flowers he had never personally seen before could be observed in there.


    The first time he had invoked the Law of Chaos, he had barely understood anything. Now he could stare at the Chaos and make certain things out without losing track of them. It was progress.


    ''But...why them?'' Hao Xuan asked himself.


    Why was he seeing these things specifically? What significance did they have?


    He stared at the tumulous chaos for what felt like an eternity but still couldn''t find a rtion between them. The only thing they had inmon was that Hao Xuan ''knew'' of their existence. He knew they existed somewhere out there, even if he hadn''t seen them himself.


    He looked down at his feet that were one with the rocky cliff and then at the chaos in front of him. All he had to do was take one single step to break free from those restraints but how could he? And more importantly, go where?


    There was nothing but Chaos in front of him, nothing else at all. His mind was still not able to think in a different way. If he had a teacher most of these questions would be answered but s, it was not meant to be. He would have to discover for himself through trial and deadly error what was right for him.


    Thinking about how he got to this point, Hao Xuan couldn''t help but recall the words from the visualization technique.


    "Create for yourself hurdles and pass through them one by one, at the end awaits the prize."


    ''But what is the prize?''


    Hao Xuan himself had created the hurdles for himself. But there was no prize. What was he supposed to reach?


    ''Reach?'' he frowned.


    ''What was the first thing I heard? "Order within, Chaos without!" was it?''


    He had already seen it so many times before. Without order, there was no chaos. And without Chaos, order could not exist. Everything else was insignificant at this point.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes, letting his mind and soul freely expand outwards.


    "Order within," he mumbled inside the cocoon, summoning a shadow above it. It was his mind pce, the main pce that housed his soul and all the severs.


    "Chaos without," the chaos energy within his body rampaged through his meridians, eliciting a simrly powerful response from the sea of clouds in the sky.


    "The soul is the embodiment of order, housed within the mind pce. The Immaterial."


    "The body is the vessel for the Chaos, spreading its influence and reach into the world. The Material."


    This wasn''t some sort of universal truth, it was Hao Xuan''s own unique way of understanding the world around him.


    *BOOOOM*


    Thunder roared both inside Hao Xuan''s body and outside.

 Chapter 631: Foresight

    <h4>Chapter 631: ''Foresight''</h4>


    Despite his feeble frame Uri jumped left and right leaping from one treetop to another, nimbly avoiding any obstructions be they wild beasts or the deadly nts that blocked his path.


    His two ck and white canine ears moved independently of one another, keeping track of the surroundings. Every other jump he would look behind him, scanning for the silhouette of that massive creature that had crawled out of the depths of the Endless Forest.


    The ind itself was a world of its own in more ways than just one. Its totalbinedndmass was more than 1.5 billion square kilometers, three times as much as that of the earth. And the Endless forest covered ny percent of this total area.


    Speaking of the forest, it was mostly divided into three sections. The outer, the middle, and the inner zones.


    The inner zone was the closest to the enormous volcano near the center and was not only the most dangerous of the three zones but also the one with the most treasures to offer.


    After that was the middle zone where most of the powerful individuals frequented.


    Where they were was a location on the southeast side of the outer edge of the Endless Forest. Although it was still part of it, it was only so in name.


    It was safe for the most part, mostly popted by some ''rtively'' ordinary flora and fauna that could only be harmful to regr individuals.


    Many settlements were located along the outer zone, sometimes serving as resting spots for the adventurers venturing deeper within the territory and other times just forgotten or abandoned towns and viges that held no real value.


    The only problem was that the vegetation here had such strong vitality that no matter how many times it was destroyed it would easily recover ande back even stronger within the blink of an eye, making life a chore.


    It was only the remaining ten percent of the area that was far away from the volcanic center near the shoreline that was habitable. It was divided between the three mostmon races found living on the ind, namely the demihumans, the Barbarians, and the regr humans.


    As it was in most other ces, the power struggles of the influential ns within these races often left the regr humans devastated and in ruins but they were nothingpared to the dangers that sometimes came from the inner depths of the Endless Forest.


    Uri belonged to one of the demihuman tribes, along with the other teenagers. They hade here from one of the capital cities along with the state convoy.


    The day that had been all but normal for these youngsters took a wrong turn with Hao Xuan''s arrival. They had captured the attention of something much more sinister than any of them were capable of handling.


    Currently, Uri was running with all his might, using his superior demihuman physique to the very extreme.


    "No no no, I must tell them about the monster!" he mumbled throughbored breaths.


    When all the other teenagers had run towards the temporary campsite that was reserved solely for the convoy, Uri had thought ahead and realized that at this time, the campsite would mostly be empty. Only the porters and the caretakers would still be there and none of them were capable enough to handle such a monster.


    As someone with the bloodline of the Hallvard n running through his veins, as diluted as it might be, he was given enough education from a young age to help him make such decisions in the heat of the moment. Not to mention his ''foresight'' was much stronger than he led others to believe.


    That''s why he ran the other way, towards the nearby vige that was the main gathering spot for this year''s gathering of the great ns.


    Uri had been running for so long that he lost count of how many times he had fallen over, but this one left him quite battered. Thunder rumbled in the bright sky, startling Uri and making him miss the next branch.


    He fell straight down from a height of more than five meters. He was too high up to grab hold of something else so all he could do was cover his head and brace for impact.


    But the pain he was waiting for did note his way. Just before he hit the ground the bushes nearby moved and a silhouette shot towards him, swiftly catching him in its arms.


    "What''s the rush cousin? Where are you off too?" a female voice asked.

 Chapter 632: The plan

    <h4>Chapter 632: The n</h4>


    "What''s the rush cousin?" a giggling voice asked.


    Uri opened his eyes slowly, looking at the ground first to make sure he hadnded safely and then at his savior. When he realized who it was, his eyes sparkled and he couldn''t help but break out smiling.


    "Sister Helena!" he shouted avidly.


    The Sister he was talking to was a female in her early twenties. She had bright red hair and the same set of canine-like fox ears as Uri himself at the top of her head along with the usual human ears, which Uri did not have.


    She also had four canine teeth slightly protruding out of her mouth. She was wearing a very simple matching red silk top that barely covered the important bits, along with a long skirt that was ripped from the sides all the way up to her hips.


    There were solid gold ornaments on her upper arms, wrists, neck, ears, and forehead. Small gold chains linked most of the fabric to her body since those two little pieces of cloth were far too loose to provide any real support.


    At first nce all the various gold jewelry and ornaments lookedpletely ordinary but they were releasing extremely faint spiritual energy signatures. Every now and then they would glisten with a peculiar light.


    They were obviously made to look like ordinary objects on purpose, to hide their true nature.


    With a petite yet toned body, Helena seemed both strong and like a frail beauty at the same time. Her facial features could be described as almost perfect, with some freckles on her upper cheeks that only added to her youthful charm.


    She was close to 1.8 meters tall, standing straight. She held Uri in a princess pose but he didn''t seem to mind at all.


    "Where are you off too in such a hurry?" she asked smilingly.


    Before he could answer, the branches of the nearby trees shook lightly and another figure appeared there.


    Uri looked towards it, his smile instantly vanishing after seeing who it was. He pushed Helena away and jumped down, standing by himself. He bowed towards the new figure with a rather reserved look that was half respect and half panic/fear.


    "Princess Inara."


    She looked at him in silence, nodding coldly after a couple of seconds.


    Inara had all the exact same features as Helena, including two pairs of ears, one human and one canine. The only difference was her attire which was a different design and an extra,pletely transparent piece of fabric covering the bottom half of her face, along with the short sword that hung limply from her lower back.


    She also had fewer ornaments, the biggest of which was a gold handguard on her wrists. Her dark ck hair wereing down to her exposed shoulders. (Reference image posted in authors notes and discord)


    Just from a single nce her temperament seemed much colder aspared to Helena which along with the melee weapons on her self gave her a slightly overwhelming aura.


    Helena tapped Uri on the shoulder yfully, "So? Where were you going? Where are your friends?"


    Uri who had temporarily forgotten why he was running in the first ce suddenly came to his senses.


    "Monster!" he pointed towards their camp, exining what had happened to the best of his abilities.


    Meanwhile, in the sky above, the natural light that was illuminating the entire space dimmed twice in quick session. The winds picked up, blowing harder and faster by each passing second even though there wasn''t a single cloud in the sky. It looked like someone was turning the lights on and off on purpose.


    The obvious sounds of thunder and lightning could be heard clear as day for kilometers around them.


    All the signs of a storm were there but the sky was bright and sunny all the way, devoid of anything that would point towards it being a natural phenomenon.


    Both Helena and Inara looked at the surroundings with furrowed brows before exchanging understanding nces with one another, acknowledging the peculiarity of the situation.


    Helena patted Uri''s head, "Cousin, can you go to the vige and tell the elder of what you saw? Make sure you do it in secret. Bring them to where you saw the creature. Inara and I will go to the camp. Can you do that?" she asked in a coaxing tone.


    Even someone with a strong will wouldn''t be able to say no to her melodic, almost hypnotizing voice, let alone an inexperienced youth like Uri. He nodded vigorously and set off towards the town post-haste.


    As soon as he was out of sight, Inara jumped down,nding beside Helena without making a single sound.


    "You were right, I can already feel it in the air. But are you sure it''s connected to Ms. Jiang?" she asked in a low voice. The gold armguard on her wrist was letting out faint blue lights.


    Helena nodded in her usual cheerful manner, still smiling.


    "Definitely. I had the same feeling when she first appeared. But this one feels different; I can''t really put my finger on it. Anyways, great grandmother already saw iting too, that''s why she sent us, no? All we have to do is follow the n," Helena reminded her twin sister of what they had to do, getting a hesitant nod in response.


    A couple of minutester Uri arrived at the vige. It was in total anarchy.


    People were still running left and right, trying to find hiding ces. Others were looking for their family members or loved ones, shouting random names hoping to get an answer.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    I saw this image recently on youtube somewhere, couldn''t find the creator but obviously, all credits to them. Loved the theme of it.


    Full image link: https://img5.goodfon.ru/original/1680x1050/f/ca/by-yuhong-ding-yuhong-ding-artist-khudozhnik-art-art-girls-d.jpg


    Shortened Link (J and A are capital as its case sensitive, also posted on discord): https://urlzs/7JAa

 Chapter 633: The Plan Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 633: The n Continued.</h4>


    Uri obviously had no idea what was going on here, and neither did anyone else for that matter. He and the other teens were far too deep in the forest, surrounded by towering flora on every side to clearly witness Hao Xuan''snding.


    All they felt was the initial tremor and the preceding shockwave after he had already crashed, without any idea of the chaos that had ensued in the vige due to the strange phenomenon caused by the glyph.


    Uri nced around at themotion dumbstruck. People from every race were running left and right like madmen, screaming names and asking for help without even an enemy in sight. How was he supposed to find the Elder in this situation?


    He saw an older human female standing idly by to his left and decided to go ask her for directions since she seemed the calmest person here.


    "Um, e-excuse me, d-do you-" but as soon as he started speaking, she jerked back, startling Uri. Her eyes were a shade of crimson.


    "JAKI! Has anyone seen my son Jaki!" suddenly turning towards him she screamed at his face before running off in a random direction.


    Uri who was already nervous panicked even more by her over-the-top reaction. He jumped out of the way and stuck to the sides, watching in bewilderment.


    "What is wrong with everyone...??" he mumbled to himself watching the mayhem unfold. It was almost like they hadpletely lost their sense of reasoning somehow.


    Without any other option, Uri moved alongside the edges to avoid any dangerous encounters until he found the tents belonging to their convoy. He sneaked in one by one but they were all empty. Only in the secondst one did he find what he was looking for.


    "Elder Iya!" Uri shouted at the bespectacled man with white cat ears, ted beyond words.


    Uri had taken a single step inside when abruptly, he felt a hand on his neck and the ground was pulled from under his feet.


    He looked to the left and saw the ck wolf guard''s face inches away from him, squinting hard.


    "Hmm, he does not seem to be affected, Elder," he said in a gruff voice.


    The Elder Iya they both were referring to stood up, fixing the loosely hanging spectacles he waved at the ck wolf demihuman.


    "Let him down, Kart."


    Kart obliged, putting Uri down and moving a step back towards the entrance of the tent where he opened it just enough to peek through, keeping a watchful eye on the situation outside.


    Uri examined the inside of the tent, waiting for Elder Iya to speak up first since in their culture it was considered rude to talk to someone older without being asked first.


    From the outside, the tent lookedpletely ordinary. It was barely two meters in diameter but the inside was tens of timesrger. It had different rooms divided by various partitions, full-fledged furniture, arge round table with eight seats, and even a cooking station in the corner.


    The difference between this tent and where he had to stay for the past week or so was worlds apart.


    Elder Iya picked up a scroll from the round table and sat back down, peering towards Uri from above the sses.


    "What''s wrong child? I vividly remember telling all of you to note near the vige until we give the go-ahead. What is your reason for disobeying me?"


    His voice sounded quite pleasant to the ears but his tone gave Uri goosebumps. He quickly sat down on both knees.


    "Forgive my error, Elder. Princess Helena and Princess Inara told me toe here."


    Elder Iya shot back to his feet, almost falling over in the process.


    "You met the princesses!? Where? When? What did they say?"


    Without hiding anything Uri exined the whole chain of events from Hao Xuan to the princesses.


    Elder Iya went silent for a short moment, waving his hand afterward.


    "Go change. There are new clothes in the first room."


    Uri did as ordered and left withrge strides. The door to the room he had entered shut on its own and a light blue barrier covered itpletely.


    Kart walked up to the Elder, getting down on one knee.


    "What should we do?" he asked in a low voice.


    "What can we do?" Elder Iya replied sharply, "Those two always do things on their own. If they had just brought me in, I could have prepared a little beforehand."


    Kart looked left and right, lowering his voice until it was barely audible, "Do you think the ancestor knows?"


    Elder Iya nodded, "Of course she knows. She was the one that ordered me toe here."


    Kart''s eyes opened wide, "Then the rumors are true? What''s happening outside and the light earlier. Does that mean th-"


    "SHH!" Elder Iya red at him, shutting him up instantly.


    "No matter, go get the others. All we can do is go ahead with the n. Tell the barbarians to meet us after everything is settled, I don''t trust the humans just yet."

 Chapter 634: Deviation

    <h4>Chapter 634: Deviation</h4>


    The more time Hao Xuan spent in the cocoon, the stronger the side effects in the outside world got. The dark clouds in the upper atmosphere had formed a whirlpool with different rings rotating in opposite direction to the preceding one.


    The first ring was located right above the cocoon about five thousand meters in the air. It was barely a few meters in diameter, rotating clockwise. The second ring was rotating anti-clockwise and it was more than a hundred meters in diameter.


    The size kept increasing while the rotation reversed every time. Each ring was also a little higher than the previous one.


    Since the first one was at the height of five thousand meters, the second was at fifty-two thousand meters, the third at fifty-nine thousand, the fourth at seventy thousand, etc. The sixth ring had already reached the highest point this world could handle so it could not be determined how many there were in total.


    It looked like each ring was connected to the one above. Their inverted, grinding motions creating arcs of electricity that traveled up and down the rings. From afar, it looked like an absolutely massive engine of sorts, slowly building up to something.


    Violent white and blue lighting bolts struck each ring, chaining them together in hopes of bringing them closer to one another while they pushed against it with an invisible yet tangible force that could be felt by most spiritually sensitive beings.


    It made for a marvelously breathtaking view. Unfortunately, no one other than Hao Xuan could see it, and he himself was preupied at the moment.


    Down on the ground, the cocoon continuously rumbled with each booming thunderstrike from the cloud rings. It already looked like it was made from solidified tar but threads of electricity that ran along its length created even more tree-like lesions, a unique characteristic of lightning burns.


    Inside the cocoon, Hao Xuan''s body was undergoing its own changes. The Chaos Qi had formed a whirlpool, mirroring the one in the sky above. The meridians that were used for housing the various Qi''s were being torn apart by the movement of the whirlpool, and their contents incorporated within the whirlpool.


    Only thergest and sturdiest five were still left intact, barely holding on for dear life while trying to fight against the battering forces of the whirlpool. They were on the verge of being destroyed, full of the same tree-like burns that enveloped the cocoon outside.


    But due to Hao Xuan''s superhuman regeneration ability, every time they got close to shattering, the healing factor would kick in at full force. But this endless cycle of near-annihtion followed by a short period of convalescence required arge amount of blood energy.


    It was only a matter of time before the blood energy would run out, at which point they would be destroyedpletely, turning Hao Xuan into a cripple.


    For normal individuals, the meridians were formed by awork of vessels and arteries physically located within their bodies. That''s why it was quite easy to measure their quantity, quality, and numerous other factors given there were appropriate tools avable.


    But at this moment, Hao Xuan had greatly deviated from this path of normalcy that was followed by most others. His meridianwork waspletely destroyed, leaving only the main meridians that were also in a perilous state.


    Arcs of electricity struck the meridians over and over again as if they were mortal enemies.


    Soon the whirlpool expanded to every single part of Hao Xuan''s body, covering everything within the bubbling chaos that was its essence. Although strangely enough, they didn''t damage any of the other organs other than the meridian system.


    All the nanites that got even close to this continuously expanding whirlpool were instantly destroyed, rendered into their most basicponents before being absorbed by the whirlpool.


    All Baracus could do was watch on from the sidelines and record this appalling turn of events in detail.


    Meanwhile, Hao Xuan''s mind was still in the inner space that he had created for understanding the Chaos Laws. His feet that had previously been one with the mountain below now hadrge cracks on them.

 Chapter 635: The Ninth Hour

    <h4>Chapter 635: The Ninth Hour</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s eyes were half-open. He was standing at the very edge of the summit, surrounded by seething chaos while peering further in as if in a trance.


    In front of him about three meters away from the edge was a swirling mass of especially dark matter. It looked to be both solid and liquid at the same time. It was pulsating regrly, akin to a beating heart.


    It was located inside a solid structure, a wooden gateway that hovered above a solitary cloud.


    The gateway itself didn''t have any marks or engravings other than the number "1" at the top beam. It seemed to be chiseled out of a single piece of redwood rather than something that was put together piece by piece.


    All the surrounding clouds were revolving underneath this gateway, forming the same rings that were in the world outside. It didn''t look like the summit was obstructing them in any way since they were still moving at a consistent speed.


    But since everything was shrouded in ayer of darkness, it was difficult to determine the distance between each one, yet their rtive size and rotation could still be easily seen by the naked eye.


    The first ring was rotating anti-clockwise, the second clockwise, and the third anti-clockwise again, their directions reversing after each one. But strangely enough, only six rings were visible in here as well.


    Other than the rotation and the direction of the rings, everything else was a mirrored reflection of the scene outside. They were two sides of the same coin, just opposite in every meaningful way.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes fluttered repeatedly, opening and closing before returning to the half-closed state. It looked like he was sleepwalking, just inches away from falling off the summit.


    There were thin andrge spiderweb cracks all along his legs and feet. Before it couldn''t even be seen where he ended and the summit began but now he was starting to be separated, bit by bit bing whole.


    His body on the other hand was at a critical juncture. The whirlpool had erased any sign of the previous meridian systems. Just the biggest five remained standing.


    The whirlpool was beginning to slow down and the churning chaos within was moving slower and slower as time passed. There were sparks of electric current running through them like veins, slowly giving shape to somethingpletely new.


    If the scenes inside Hao Xuan''s body observed, one would think many days had passed. It looked both fast and slow at the same time. But in the world outside, barely half an hour had passed.


    And just like that time trickled by, from half an hour to hour, to two hours and then three, finally stopping at eight.


    The frequency of the thunderstrikes had increased considerably. Now they were actually striking the ground underneath at random spots, seemingly appearing out of thin air since the rings that were generating them could not be seen by anyone else.


    Whisps of white smoke were escaping from the eightrge cracks that were caused by the lightning strikes, one per hour. A viscous red and yellow liquid was leaking from the cocoon, forming a small puddle underneath.


    The area around three hundred meters of the cocoon was covered in charred marks from the asional lightning strikes. Most of the trees were burnt and nothing alive could be seen there.


    But just outside this boundary three groups of people were peering towards the cocoon with eager gazes. They of course belonged to the demihumans, the barbarians, and the humans.


    Each of them was headed by their respective leaders. The two princesses stood at the forefront of the Demihuman tribes, watching on with furrowed brows followed by Elder Iya and kart along with the other two bodyguards.


    The Barbarians were the fewest in number, being led by a well-built male and female couple wearing animal hides that gave off threatening auras.


    The human tribes were led by an aged man in white clothes. He had a long white bearding down to his stomach and a wooden staff which he held onto for support. He looked like a walking corpse from afar, weak as one could be but the wary and alert gazes of the barbarians and the demihumans said otherwise.


    He casually stood there with a kind smile stroking his beard, looking like an ordinary grandpa. Next to him was a teenage boy with an expressionless face. He nced left and right coldly but his gaze never lingered on anyone for longer than a second.


    Both the demihuman princesses were staring at the sky while mumbling something under their breath.


    When the ninth hour passed, a wriggling bolt of lightning broke free from the rings above and struck the cocoon, startling the spectators from every side.


    *BOOOM*

 Chapter 636: Invisible Storm

    <h4>Chapter 636: Invisible Storm</h4>


    A few hours earlier...


    Princess Helena and Inara arrived at the camp after sending Uri away.


    The monster was in the midst of a fight with the only two low-level warriors that were present there. The teenagers were hiding behind the camp''s protective barrier, screaming in terror. The barrier was made ofrge tree roots jetting out of the ground that epassed the entire caravan.


    The princesses did not attack immediately after arriving at the scene. They remained in hiding some distance away, observing the battle carefully.


    Princess Inara''s gaze was transfixed on the monster. It was a big ugly thing. A hunched bi-pedal monster covered in grey elephant-like hide and squirming muscles underneath it. Both its hands ended in three long nails that were there instead of fingers. Each nail was half a meter in length.


    It had thick, slightly curved legs that also ended in the same sharp nails instead of toes.


    A good forty percent of its body was just its face that had a single orifice, a gaping maw lined with sixteen rows of razor-sharp teeth on each side. Powerful muscles could be seen connected to each tooth, twisting and wriggling like fat worms under the skin.


    Four extremely small holes were located around its mouth that were probably used for smelling. (Image in authors notes and in discord)


    It was one of the most appalling creatures one could evere across. The murderous deathly aura that it was giving off was enough to leave any ordinary person shivering in their boots, unable to even move a muscle.


    The only reason just two ordinary warriors could even put up some resistance against it was because of their experience and itsck of any auditory or visual organs. I.e, it waspletely deaf and blind.


    "Is that...?" Princess Inara mumbled doubtfully.


    Princess Helena nodded, "A greyhound," confirming her suspicion.


    Princess Inara let out a breath of cold air. She leaned back against the tree branch they were sitting on, "But what is it doing here? It lives in the caverns underneath the ''Great Lord''. That''s even further than the inner zone." (CH 631 for "Foresight" for details).


    Princess Helena smiled, still staring at the greyhound, "Stranger things have happened, no?"


    "Yeah but...how? It makes no sense...Is...is the prophecy reallying to pass?"


    Princess Helena nudged Princess Inara with her elbow, winking at her mischievously, "But isn''t it fun? The prophecy that was foretold thousands of generations ago is finallying to pass in our lifetimes."


    But it did not raise Princess Inara''s spirits as she was hoping. Princess Inara shook her head somberly, "How is it fun? The prophecy says the world as we know it will end once and for all. There will be bloodshed, everything we know will be tested and there is nothing we can do to stop it."


    Princess Helena let out a littleugh seeing her worried expression. She leaned in and hugged her, cing her head on Princess Inara''s shoulder.


    "Don''t worry little sister. As long as we are together, we will be fine no matter what happens. Plus, for all we know it could still be years away. Thest sign was the appearance of an ''other world-er'' that will arrive through the invisible storm. Only after hees will the prophecy bepleted."


    Princess Inara nodded dejectedly, "You''re right, I''m sorry for overreacting. Let''s lure the greyhound away first and then-" before she could finish the sentence an earth-shatteringly loud boom resounded in the entire space.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    Princess Inara and Helena both fell from the treetop, astonished and aghast. They turned around and saw several shes of lightninging from somewhere nearby.


    This initial sound was heard by every single being all at once no matter where they were on the isle. It transcended thews of physics and reverberated throughout this entire hidden world simultaneously.


    An interconnected formation made of over a thousand golden glyphs that dwelled at the very pinnacle of this space suddenly shattered and exploded without a warning. More than a quarter of these glyphs were simply turned to ash, while the rest of them quickly came together and formed another simr formation that was much smaller in size.


    But in the few seconds the formation was broken, the volcano in the middle of the ind that had been dormant for eons was forced awake. It rumbled for just an instant, deeply and slowly before the formation suppressed it again.


    Yet even that one brief moment was far too long.


    On the''s surface an earthquake the likes of which were never seen before was set in motion, not by the lighting strikes, but by the destruction of the glyphs.


    Every single power turned its gaze towards the source of this unnatural disturbance.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Official Discord link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    Original image link: https://i.pinimg/564x/a7/36/e1/a736e1e7af950be9b239b467829f9378.jpg


    Shortened image link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/YFLc3

 Chapter 637: Eurig the Viper

    <h4>Chapter 637: Eurig the Viper</h4>


    Fast forward nine hours.


    The representatives of the three main races were already present in the nearby vige. Seeing the strange phenomena that were the lightning bolts ceaselessly striking the ground within a diameter of 300 meters around the cocoon, they quickly gathered their forces and converged on the same spot.


    The first to arrive were the Demihuman princesses. After that came the entire Barbarian tribe, led by the brother and sister duo Burak and Na''im respectively. They nodded towards the lone princesses, Burak''s gaze lingering for just a moment too long on the younger Princess Inara.


    As inconspicuous as Burak was trying to be, with his massive stature even the smallest movement was caught by almost everyone nearby, mainly Inara herself who ignored him altogether.


    Princess Helena returned the greetings in her usual rxed andposed manner, not reacting to Burak''s some what rude behavior.


    After that arrived the rest of the Demihumans being led by Elder Iya, along with the human tribes.


    But seeing who was leading the human tribes, both the barbarians and the Demihumans had deep scowls and expressions of disbelief, especially the barbarians much more so than the demihumans.


    All the tribes stood in a line next to one another, the distance between them showcasing how good their rtions were to one another.


    The Demihumans were to the right and the Barbarians next to them on the left. The humans were the furthest apart on the extreme left side. They also had the most people here, close to fifty.


    While the majority of the individuals in the other two tribes were from the younger generation, the human side had several people from the older generation, not to mention the old man who was leading them.


    The old man with the white beard was smiling affably as if he was on a pic, enjoying the scenery around him.


    "Hohoho, it has been a long time since Ist came here. What tasteful air this ce has," he said taking in a deep breath.


    The barbarians who were closest to the humans all looked like they had eaten something extremely sour. Burak even took a step towards them but was stopped by his sister''s re.


    Princess Inara noticed their strange interaction and leaned in closer towards Helena, "Who is that old man? I thought this was supposed to be a gathering for the younger generation only," she asked in a low voice.


    Princess Hna chuckled, maintaining her smile, "You should really stop skipping grandmother''s lectures, little sister. That man is ''Eurig the Viper''."


    Princess Inara''s eyes opened wide hearing the title. A title like this was given to someone only after they had done something notable. She peeked towards the old man once again who suddenly looked towards her and bowed lightly, startling her.


    She looked away instantly.


    "What is he doing here? Isn''t he wanted by the current Barbarian chief??"


    Princess Helena nodded, "Of course he is. He called for a truce and then poisoned and killed all the barbarians including thest chief that had gone to meet him out of goodwill. The previous chief was Burak and Na''im''s father and the husband of the current chief so how could they not hold a grudge? Not to mention he was a vicious and vile character even before he did that."


    "So...why is he here then? Is he not afraid of the barbarian''s retaliation?"


    "Of course he is. He was in hiding for over a decade, disappearingpletely from even grandmother''s radar. The only reason he came today is probably because of him," Princess Helena nced towards the expressionless teenage boy standing behind Eurig.


    "That boy is hisst living rtive. A great-grandson if I remember correctly. The barbarians have killed off everyone else by now in retaliation since they couldn''t find him."


    She lowered her voice enough so that only Princess Inara could hear her, "I actually thought he died too. Last I heard, the barbarians had burned that kid and his entire family alive. I don''t understand how he even survived..."


    The teenager in question turned towards them as if he could hear what they were saying. Both the princesses were caught off guard and nodded back awkwardly. The teenager stared in their direction for a few seconds before letting out a ''toothy'' grin that sent chills down their spine.


    He had no teeth to speak off. His gums were a color of dark green, colored in with ruptured blisters and boils making them look like rotting vegetables even from afar.


    "W-What is wrong with him?!" Princess Inara quickly looked away, her face ashen.

 Chapter 638: Eurig the viper Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 638: Eurig the viper Continued.</h4>


    *BOOOOM*


    The deafening peal of thunder following the ninth bolt of lightning caught everyone''s attention. They looked towards the direction of the cocoon which was the point of impact as it shattered into pieces by the lightning bolt''s force.


    A dust cloud was created by the excessive force that went down into the ground, spreading upwards and outwards.


    A grumble of the unobservable thunderclouds filled the air, a deep rumble that touched the very depth of one''s soul. Everyone could hear it clearly, almost as if it was made just for them.


    No matter who it was or where, they could feel the change in the air. It felt heavier. Those that were closest to the area all took a step back.


    The gazes of all the notable figures including the barbarian siblings and almost all the older men and women from the human tribes were transfixed on the dust cloud.


    The demihuman Princesses were the only ones that had other priorities. They held hands while looking at the sky, mumbling something under their breath. To those unfamiliar with the demihuman tribes, it would probably sound something like a prayer.


    A few seconds passed and the dust cloud reduced considerably in size. The random lightning strikes also ceased but the low rumble of thunder that still clearly echoed through the air acted as quite a deterrent.


    Everyone was curious as to what had caused all thismotion but no one was willing to pass the boundary first and find out, especially with the threat of being struck by lightning still lingering in the air. There was a slightmotion from the side of the human tribes that caught the attention of the others. A momentter a small silhouette walked out...or rather, was sent out by force.


    A young boy barely ten years of age, chained, barefooted, and dressed in rags was the first to walk into the charrednd. On the verge of tears, he looked back helplessly at the people that had brought him to this ce but as soon as his sights fell on the amicable old man at the front, he bit down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood with an expression of unconcealed hate.


    On the sidelines, both the other tribes were watching the scene in silence. Princess Inara frowned looking at the child.


    "Sister, what''s going on?"


    Princess Helena who always seemed cool and collected no matter the circumstances had quite a disgusted expression on her face, simr to many of the others around them.


    She shook her head, dismayed at the dreadful situation.


    "It''s the viper''s doing. He was pretty famous for it back in the day, poisoning the loved ones of anyone that crossed his path and then using them in various ways. He is probably holding someone very dear to the boy as a hostage so he doesn''t disobey, forcing him to do his bidding."


    *sigh*


    "In the past the other human tribes acknowledged what the viper was doing was wrong and immoral and they chased him out, but it looks like that is not the case anymore. The humans have really fallen so low..."


    She said thest sentence loud enough to be heard by everyone nearby, including Eurig who did not react in any obvious way.


    "Shouldn''t we help him then?" Princess Inara eagerly asked seeing the boy walk deeper in.


    A sizzling sound followed by the smell of burnt flesh spread in the area,ing from the boy''s feet that wereing into direct contact with the red embers left behind by the superheated rocks created due to the repeated lightning strikes. But he still did not make a sound and continued to walk further in.


    Kart took a step forward and spoke in a low voice, "It''s no use, mydy, the viper will only torture him more if we try to help him. Let the boy be for now and we can figure something outter."


    Princess Inara tried to speak up again but was stopped by her sister, Princess Helena''s sharp gaze.


    Even though they were twins, Inara only trained in the way of the de since she was young, delegating all other responsibilities to Princess Helena who was older of the two even if it was just by mere minutes.


    Princess Helena had the same gift as her grandmother which meant she would one day be the leader of all the demihuman tribes. That role required a lot of intense training and education from an early age because of which she matured a lot faster than Inara.


    As a result, Princess Helena could seem quite intimidating at times like these.


    While they were busy talking, the boy had picked up his pace and was already just a few dozen meters away from the center where the cocoon initially was. He entered the charged dust cloud that made his hair stand straight up.


    Because of the constant barrage of lightning striking the same spot, the ground had copsed in on itself making a 10-meter wide crater in the middle.


    Without any concern for his own safety, the boy walked up to the edge of the crater and peered down.


    The others could vaguely see his silhouette so they knew he had reached the center.


    "What do you see?" Eurig''s voice came from behind.


    The boy rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure if what he was seeing was right before answering.


    "Nothing....there is nothing here!"

 Chapter 639: Stability

    <h4>Chapter 639: Stability</h4>


    *Huff*Huff*Huff*Huff*


    A gaunt and emaciated figure was running through the Endless Forest. He waspletely naked from top to bottom, covered in some sort of a pinkish slime that slipped down his body every time he made anyrge movements.


    With one hand he was clutching his chest and with the other trying to cover his ears, all the while gasping for breath. It made for a truly pitiful sight but thankfully no one other than the small woond creatures were around to witness it.


    This figure of course belonged to Hao Xuan.


    From afar one would think it was some kind of a skeleton that had managed toe back to life and was trying to learn to walk again. There were basically no muscles on his bones to speak of, or if there were, they were only a paper-thinyer attached to his skin that already looked like wrinkled wrapping paper.


    He jumped over a small tree root that was popping out of the ground in front of him and lost his bnce,nding face-first into the dirt. He quickly jumped up and looked behind him.


    "No! No! You can''t be real!" he cried shaking his head left and right like a madman.


    Inside his head Baracus''s voice was continuously calling out, trying to calm him down.


    "There is no one following you. Please slow down, you are dehydrated and malnourished. Vital blood energy levels are almost depleted. If you keep making such unnecessary movements then organ failure will ensue within twenty standard minutes!"


    But his warnings fell on deaf ears since Hao Xuan had other things to worry about. Due to the sudden change in cultivation realms the energy and spiritual centers inside his body hadpletely fallen out of sync.


    The moment he had stepped out of the cocoon his soul became unsteady and he started seeing things that weren''t there, or at least not at that moment. Right now his vision was in shades of ck and white and he was seeing an army of small apparitions chasing after him.


    They looked like small glowing mushrooms with hands and feet, jumping after him in droves from every side. Their facial expressions were twisted to the extreme and frozen there, reflecting different emotions on each one. In their hands were small sharp weapons that looked like old gardening tools.


    They were making ear-piercingly loud screeching noises that would send shivers down the spine of any poor ''souls'' unfortunate enough to hear them.


    Hao Xuan tried to get back up but his legs wobbled and gave way beneath him. Seeing as the mushroom creatures were almost on him, Hao Xuan closed his eyes and covered his ears as much as he could to block out their screeches.


    "Not real, not real!" he mumbled drunkenly over and over again, his voice getting louder and louder until he was screaming it.


    "YOU''RE NOT REAL!" he screamed for thest time as loudly as he possibly could and suddenly, the world became quiet, or rather, quieter.


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and looked around warily. His vision was back to normal and the small creatures were also gone but he could still hear voices. They were disjointed, garbled, and more often than not iprehensible, but they were there.


    Half spoken secrets and hushed whispers filled in by guttural screams were constantly sounding in the background.


    Hao Xuan tried to cover his ears to shut them out but it was all in vain. The only good thing was that if he didn''t focus on them too much, he could ignore them to an extent. But that alone was easier said than done.


    "Can you hear me?" Baracus spoke up seeing as Hao Xuan had settled down somewhat.


    Hao Xuan nodded feebly as the after-effects of overexerting in such a weakened state caught up with him. He felt like someone was pushing down on him with such force that it took every iota of strength in his body to just sit upright. He felt empty inside, like a hollow doll.


    Hao Xuan dragged himself to a nearby tree and rested against its mossy trunk before answering.


    "Yeah....I can..."


    "I have prepared some items to replenish your internal energy levels, please take them out," Baracus informed Hao Xuan who took a couple of seconds to understand it.


    "Why can''t you....just send it out yourself...like before...?"


    Since the storage was controlled by Baracus, he could store and take things out at will without Hao Xuan''s consent.


    "Not possible anymore. The changes within your cultivation system do not allow me to do so."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Exin."


    "I will, but it is rmended that you eat first. Blood energy levels are dangerously low," Baracus reminded him.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand slightly and rows of energy bars and other dried supplementary foods appeared in front of him.


    It felt like his hand had weights tied to it when Hao Xuan tried to eat but after some effort and time, he managed to eat a few. Closing his eyes Hao Xuan focused his mind and examined his internal body.


    And what he saw left him stupefied and speechless.

 Chapter 640: Changes

    <h4>Chapter 640: Changes</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s mind focused inward, allowing him to see what was happening inside his body that felt so much weaker than before. And what he saw left him at a loss for words.


    The first thing he noticed was the absence of the oldwork of blood capiries and arteries that connected thousands of small meridians with the five main ones. It was identical to the blood circtory system found within any normal human being, present parallel to it.


    But that was nowhere to be found now. In its ce was a considerably smaller but significantly more prehensive'' system of glowing white nerves that connected each of the main meridians.


    Speaking of the meridians, they had changed as well in a number of ways. Previously, they looked likerge snail shells made by fleshy outgrowths but now, now they resembled tiny living creatures dwelling within Hao Xuan''s body.


    They still had the same outer spiral pattern but now it was contaminated by a ck and white glowing material that formed new cracked patterns within the central spiral design. Each of the meridians looked like they were breathing because of the periodic contraction and expansion of these interlinking cracked patterns.


    From Hao Xuan''s point of view it looked like the meridians were about to burst open whenever they dted before suddenly contracting back to their original size and sometimes getting even smaller.


    All together this newly formed meridian system was ''smaller'' in every meaningful way. There were no other bundles of nerves forming any type of smaller meridians throughout his body. Everything was created around these new meridians, to support them in whatever way they needed.


    But there were more of these glowing white nerves than ever before. A lot more. It looked like they had increased by at least three to four times, ''contaminating'' every single part of his body from the organs to even the skeletal system.


    And for some reason, looking at it Hao Xuan felt like he was watching something otherworldly, as if it was not his own body that housed it all.


    And he couldn''t understand how it would work either.


    Spiritual energy and Qi needed physical vessels to contain and move them. But these glowing nerves weren''t hollow so they couldn''t do something like that. They could maybe transfer something like electrical impulses but not actual Qi.


    And speaking of Qi, he couldn''t feel any of the other ones he had cultivated until now. They were all gone.


    Hao Xuan''s heart started racing and a panic fell over him just thinking about it all. These changes were a lot more extensive than he had initially thought. It looked like his entire cultivation had changed drastically.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes again and returned back to the outer world. He ced his right hand over his chest, feeling the heavy thumping of both his hearts. He was sweating profusely and even started coughing, throwing up small ck clots that were stuck inside his throat.


    "What...the fuck...happened...?!" he mumbled through heavy breaths.


    "Please slow down your heart rates. Putting any further stress on yourself before making a full recovery could prove to be detrimental in the long term," Baracus reminded him again, forcing Hao Xuan to close his eyes for a second time despite the overbearing feeling of dread that was engulfing his mind.


    "Patience, breathing, focus. Patience, breathing..." Hao Xuan mumbled repeatedly trying to regain hisposure.


    He continued to chant this mantra until it actually distracted him enough and he once again calmed down.


    Letting out a deep breath, Hao Xuan looked up towards the sky. It was nighttime in this space but it wasn''t that dark.


    There was a white light falling through the leaves directly on his face,ing from god knows where since there was no sun or moon here. But Hao Xuan didn''tin. He allowed himself this short moment of reprieve that was so hard toe by recently.


    Hao Xuan felt the cold wind brush past his cheeks and through his short hair. His mind started wandering and soon, he was thinking about a number of different things before ultimately arriving at the same destination he had been trying so hard to avoid, Xu Qing.


    "Damnit, every single time," Hao Xuan mumbled shaking his head dejectedly. Like magic, he always ended up thinking about her whenever he was free.


    He reached out and grabbed a handful of dried foods from the pile in front of him before throwing them inside his mouth without much thought. He had already eaten enough to satisfy several full-grown men but it felt like a drop in the ocean for him. He didn''t ''feel'' full no matter how much he ate which agitated him more.


    But in the hour or so Hao Xuan had been resting, he had regained a fair bit of blood energy just from eating like this. His muscles that were previously non-existent seemed to recover a tad bit, making him look more human at least.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes for the third time, this time entering his Mind Pce. He braced himself for disappointment thinking things would probably have changed in here too and he was right.


    Hao Xuan appeared near the outer edge of the mind pce. Slowly opening his eyes he saw the same old scenery from before, the podium in the center and the three closed doors on the opposite end. His severs sleeping or sitting idly by in their usual spots other than the Scorpion King who was standing not too far from him.


    Hao Xuan frowned seeing his unusual behavior and walked up to him with slow, measured steps.


    "What''s going on?"

 Chapter 641: More Than meets the eye

    <h4>Chapter 641: More Than meets the eye</h4>


    "What''s going on?" Hao Xuan asked walking up to the Scorpion King.


    The Scorpion King who was lost in a world of his own suddenly jerked back, looking at Hao Xuan with his wide, beastly eyes.


    Hao Xuan was also startled by his reaction, especially since the Scorpion King had such an unpleasant ''face'' to begin with and now it was inches away from him. (Reference Image in authors notes)


    The Scorpion King looked him up and down confirming something before with a defeated look, he spoke in a heavy, gruff voice.


    "Wee back....master," and with a bow mimicking the humans from the Beast world he walked back towards his usual spot with drooping shoulders.


    Hao Xuan''s frown deepened. He was indeed acting very odd. This was the first time he had done something like this of his own volition.


    Shaking his head Hao Xuan turned around halfway intending to inquire further about it when he froze midstride. Slowly, like a statueing to life, he turned back around to peer outside the Mind Pce in the same exact manner as the Scorpion King was.


    *Whooosh*


    A gust of cold, wet air blew in his face.


    "Wha-... how...?" Hao Xuan stammeringly muttered looking at the scenes outside.


    When Hao Xuan''s central mind pce was first created he had visualized a basic domed semi-open structure with seven pirs supporting it. There was no special meaning behind it and it was only a reflection of something Hao Xuan had once seen sometime in the past. (Image linked)


    The Mind Pce itself had expanded exponentially in size since Hao Xuan first created it but the watery area outside of it had never changed, or rather, it could not change. It was a hollow projection of an old memory to make the mind pce look more realistic without any actual use. It was basically a moving painting.


    But that wasn''t the case anymore.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his face, looking at the water marks transferred to his hand.


    "It''s...real.." he mumbled, dumbfounded.


    The old scene of the still water was gone. Now there were swirling rings of ck clouds above and below the Mind Pce, the same as in the space Hao Xuan had created for understanding the Chaos Laws.


    The only difference was that there was only one on each side. One above, and one below, both rotating in opposite directions. And to the right of where Hao Xuan was standing was the same wooden gateway that had been created in the space. (CH 635)


    Now it was hovering silently a few meters away outside the same spot where Hao Xuan always first appeared in the mind pce. A distinct "1" carved on the top beam staring at him in the face. And at that moment Hao Xuan realized what it was.


    "It is also a Mind Pce!"


    The number "1" referred to its own position. If the central mind pce was number ''0'', then this was the first one that had been created during Hao Xuan''s understanding of the Chaos Laws.


    But what happened to the four he had before? Did this mean his cultivation had fallen to Spirit Realm''s 1st stage? ording to some cultivation manuals the Mind Pces had their own unique properties, so what was this one''s? He had more questions than answers at this point.


    A rain of ck ash-like particles was being released from the cloud rings, falling on the central Mind Pce. The ring below the pce didn''t look like it followed anyws of gravity since the ash-like particles were still somehow ''falling'' on the base of the pce even though it was above the ring.


    Every now and then a gust of these ck particles was carried over by the winds generated from the rings and into the Mind Pce itself. But as soon as they entered its boundary they would turn into water droplets.


    How all this was possible or what it meant Hao Xuan didn''t have the faintest of ideas. All he knew was that his cultivation system really had changed. The little ck book that first invoked thew of Chaos had much more to it than meets the eye. (CH 428/429)


    Hao Xuan recalled the conversation he had had at the time.


    "But did Njall know about this? He did say it would be useful to me but this...I don''t think he knew it was to this extent..." he mumbled to himself.


    Hao Xuan examined the rest of the pce with excruciating detail, making mental notes of every little nook, cranny, and crack in there before finally exiting.


    As soon as he returned to the outer world a chill went down his spine and Hao Xuan remembered that he was still naked. He got up and put on some old clothes that felt a little too big for him.


    "Baracus, where am I? Where do I need to go?" Hao Xuan asked, but the answer he was expecting came from behind him.


    "Who is Baracus?" a voice asked, startling him. Someone had appeared right behind him and Hao Xuan didn''t even notice until they spoke up.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are also posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Scorpion King reference image link: https://i.pinimg/originals/05/10/27/0510276161473788cbcab2d1b5e97d4d.jpg


    Shortened image link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/u57Fc


    ____


    Mind Pce reference image link: https://i.pinimg/564x/20/b5/65/20b5659e44b090c92e161072bd56f0df.jpg


    Shortened image link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/TVGNK

 Chapter 642: The Barbarians

    <h4>Chapter 642: The Barbarians</h4>


    "Who is Baracus?" a husky, throaty voice asked from behind.


    rmed, Hao Xuan turned around slowly to meet this new guest, trying his best to seem as harmless as possible in his current weakened state.


    With a wide smile he looked towards the speaker who he was expecting to be a bulky middle-aged man judging from the sound of his voice but instead his gaze fell on a well-toned muscr female standing on a treetop not far from him.


    She jumped down,nding right in front of Hao Xuan fearlessly. Stupified, Hao Xuan raised his head to met her eyes. She was a full head taller than him.


    Her bright ginger hair were tied up in a ponytail hanging loosely behind her. She wore light leather armor made from some kind of a feline beast judging from the leopard marks-like pattern on them.


    On her wrists and shoulder guards were giant teeth and ws, coarsely sewn directly into the leather. She was less than three inches away from his face, staring at him with narrowed eyes.


    "Who were you talking to, human?" she asked in the same low tone of voice that brought Hao Xuan out of the stupor.


    "U-Um...she, n-no he is..." Hao Xuanpletely lost his train of thought.


    He had never seen such an intimidatingdy before. Her daunting aura left Hao Xuan tongue-tied. And not to mention, she was quite pleasing on the eyes. Her smooth skin and sharp features could confuse people but her attire made it quite clear that she was indeed a ''she''. (Image in Authors notes)


    Her brows knit together hearing Hao Xuan stutter, ''"What is it? Spit it out! What kind of man takes so much to make one simple sentence?" she said impatiently. She took the giant Axe off her back and pushed its de against Hao Xuan''s neck.


    "Who is Baracus? Why are you, a weak human, all the way out here, this deep in the forest? Did someone send you?" she beratingly asked one question after another, her patience drawing thin.


    "N-No I- *cough* -m not-" panicked, Hao Xuan tried to talk but stuttered again and ended up choking on his own saliva.


    ''God fucking damnit!'' he cursed inwardly. The barbarian''s face darkened and she pushed the ax further, drawing blood.


    Hao Xuan backed up a step to take in a quick breath but as soon as he tried, the barbarian female grabbed him by the cor and pulled him back in.


    "Are you a spy? Do you work for that viper bastard?!" she asked through gritted teeth. Her grip had tightened to such a degree that Hao Xuan couldn''t even breathe anymore.


    His face changed colors until it was almost purple. He grabbed her wrist trying to free himself and subconsciously, a minute amount of dark, shadowy Qi was released from the palm of his hand.


    As soon as it came into contact with the barbarian her hand went limp and Hao Xuan fell to the ground, wheezing and gasping for air. She jumped back, dumbfounded.


    Hao Xuan coughed a few times until his breathing returned to normal at which point he threw her a hateful gaze.


    "What...the FUCK is...wrong with you, woman?! Who chokes someone they JUST met? Are you stupid?!" he couldn''t help but bark in anger.


    The barbarian on the other hand was too busy to pay attention to his insults. Her expression was one of pure shock as she examined her limp hand. No matter how much strength she channeled into her arm it simply vanished as soon as it got to the wrist. She couldn''t feel anything or control it in any specific way. It barely felt like it was there.


    "What...did you do...?" she muttered out loud absentmindedly.


    Hao Xuan was still on the ground when he heard her and looked up. She turned to face him, this time her expression was quite somber.


    "Are you one of the chosen ones?" she asked in a low voice.


    Hao Xuan frowned. He wobbled back to his feet, rubbing his neck.


    "Chosen one? For what? I don''t know what you''re talking aboutdy. I just came here by ident!" Hao Xuan exined.


    But the look of absolute mistrust on her face could not be reced by anything Hao Xuan said. She threw the ax down and jerked her hand, getting some feedback.


    With a raised eyebrow she looked back at Hao Xuan, "Take off your clothes!" she said slowly and took a quick step forward.


    "O-Oi what the fuck are you doing?! Stay away!" Hao Xuan tried to move back but she was already on him.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    The female Barbarian reference image link: https://i.pinimg/564x/c5/57/7c/c5577ada4466dd3deca3ee0cba.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/er8FU


    ___


    A batch of 10-ish chapters should being soon, as soon as I figure out the date through WN.

 Chapter 643: Gently

    <h4>Chapter 643: Gently</h4>


    The Barbarian was taller, physically bigger, and stronger in every way, her muscles seemingly chiseled out of stone. Comparatively, Hao Xuan who was around 2.2 meters tall right now was already a head smaller (9 to 10 centimeters) but because he had used up so much vital blood energy, he looked emaciated and malnourished which made him appear even weaker standing in front of her.


    It looked like a scene from an R-rated version of ''The beauty and the beast'', only Hao Xuan was ying the beauty''s part in this series of unfortunate events.


    Hao Xuan tried his best to resist but her hands were stronger than steel and wouldn''t budge no matter how much he tried to push them away. She pinned him against the same tree he was resting under a few minutes ago and smoothly loosened the pale robe thahad t he just put on.


    Before Hao Xuan could realize what was happening, his upper body was exposed and the barbarian was inspecting every inch of it, manhandling him like a child.


    Seeing as there was no way he could overpower her, Hao Xuan instead opted for a different approach.


    "L-Lady we can talk about this okay? There is no need for this! You are very beautiful, I''m sure there are tons of men after you! Pl-Please just give them a chance!" he said pleadingly and for a moment, she paused to meet his gaze.


    "Alright. I will give you one chance to redeem yourself. Tell me the truth about who you are and why you are here, and I will treat you with respect."


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief, "Thank you! My name is Hao Xuan, I came here by ident. I don''t mean you any harm so if you let me go I will get out of your hair and we never have to think about this ever again. Huh? Deal?" he said with a forced smile.


    She looked at him right in the eye for a few seconds before letting out a defeated sigh.


    "Half-truths. That''s the one thing I hate the most in men. Either lie or tell the truthpletely, why mix the two?"


    Hao Xuan''s pupils constricted, "N-No I''m not lying-" he shook his head trying to exin but she cut him off.


    "Then how are you speaking the forgottennguage? And this fluently? The number of people capable of such a feat can be counted on two hands."


    ''Forgottennguage?!''


    Hao Xuan just now realized that they had been conversing in the Beat World''snguage. It had a few simrities to the localnguage spoken here but the differences were far too many. In the heat of the moment, hepletely forgot about it.


    "Th-That''s because I found an old grandpa selling this book for cheap. I just bought it for fun but once I tried reading it automatically taught me the..nguage...haha...ha," Hao Xuan tried to exin but by the end even he was shocked at how bad of a lie he hade up with.


    The Barbarian''s brow furrowed tightly and Hao Xuan could see the seething storm of outrage brewing within her gaze.


    *Sigh*


    Seeing the look in her eyes Hao Xuan gave uppletely and made one simple request, "Damnit, fine. Just...be gentle...okay?" he said weakly and closed his eyes. He sounded like a young maiden on her wedding night and the scene was frighteningly simr too.


    For some reason the Barbarian gulped and even her own heart started racing lightly upon hearing that. She, who was brimming with confidence a moment ago suddenly slowed down seeing his troubled expression.


    Under the moon-less light, the two stayed like that for a few seconds, her towering figure standing over him like a giant.


    "What are you waiting for? Just do it quickly!" Hao Xuan cried out with his eyes still tightly closed, making her break out into a smile for some strange reason. She reached out and grabbed the robe hanging from his waist.


    "Fhjrogn? Urhe aohe taoaki?" a loud voice came from somewhere nearby, speaking in a foreignnguage.


    Hao Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and yelled as loudly as his fragile body would allow it, "HEL-mmfp," but was stopped by her hand. A secondter the trees nearby shook and several silhouettesnded on them.


    Each one at least 1.5 to 2 times bigger than the female barbarian and dressed in much the same way. Hao Xuan who was hoping to be rescued was instantly disheartened. They were her own people.


    Seeing them, they all jumped down and surrounded them. One of them came forward and smiled towards the female Barbarian, "Fhjrogn, yeun asao kalunda? Eosi ya!"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t understand theirnguage at all but a sudden prompt showed up on the top left of his vision.


    "Unknownnguage detected."


    "Cross-referencing avable records..."


    "Match Found. uracy: 73.86%."


    "Tranting..."


    A real-time trantion of the conversation taking ce between the Barbarians popped up at the bottom of his line of sight, like subtitles.

 Chapter 644: Empty threats

    <h4>Chapter 644: Empty threats</h4>


    Hao Xuan looked behind the female barbarian at the man who hade forward, grinning from ear to ear. He started speaking and his words were instantly tranted in Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "Sister, what is this I see? Tell me it isn''t so!" he said holding his head jokingly and looking at the other barbarians. Theyughed in response, also extending their necks to try and catch a glimpse of whoever was hiding on the other side of her.


    "Has my sister finally found a lover? Who is it? Let me see who it is!"


    He peeked over his sister''s shoulder and saw Hao Xuan''s face, an expression of confusion and shock taking over.


    "Human? R-Really?" he mumbled incredulously.


    "B-But you told me we shouldn''t mate with them at all and now you''re doing the same thing?! This is unfair!" he shouted loudly, stomping on the ground and making the entire area shake.


    The female barbarian turned her head around and threw one sharp re at him, instantly shutting him up.


    Sounds of footsteps came from all around them and even more barbarians showed up. Most of these new arrivals were women. Although they were smaller in size than the males, the aura they were giving off was much more threatening.


    Hao Xuan''s hair stood up on one end just standing in front of them. One of them who had short blond hair and two short hammers on her back walked up to them with sturdy steps and bowed from the waist.


    "Princess Na''im."


    Princess Na''im still had her hand ced tightly on Hao Xuan''s face. She leaned in and whispered in the beast world''snguage, "Say a single word and I will cut you in half right here and now. Keep your mouth shut and do as I say, if you want to live that is."


    Hao Xuan saw the look in her eyes and knew she was dead erious and would definitely follow through. So he nodded lightly, prompting her to remove her hand and move back. He put his robe back on while the other female barbarians threw questioning gazes towards them.


    Princess Na''im picked up her Ax and ced it on her back.


    "Do you have news, Orna?" she said turning towards the blond-haired female barbarian.


    Orna shook her head, "We have checked all the area within thirty olong, there is nothing of note to be found. Other than..." her voice trailed off as she and almost every other barbarian here looked towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan was too busy talking to Baracus to notice this though.


    ''Olong? What the hell is olong? Isn''t that like a brand of tea or something?'' he asked inwardly.


    ''Negative. The trantion is still not perfect, some words do not have any corresponding interpretations. Olong is their unit of measurement but its actual dimensions are unknown. More data is required,'' Baracus informed him.


    Princess Na''im followed their line of sight and saw Hao Xuan standing there absentmindedly.


    "He is...mine. You don''t have to concern yourself with him," she said after a moment of contemtion. Her choice of words startled everyone.


    She looked towards the Barbarian that had called her sister with a raised eyebrow, "Burak, do I need to teach you manners again?" it sounded like she was actually asking him.


    Burak took a step back, furiously shaking his head left and right almost on the verge of tears, "No no, sister please! I was joking! Just a stupid joke!"


    "Then watch your tongue. If you can''t control it, there is no reason for you to have it," she said inly. A cold chill went down the spine of everyone present, including Hao Xuan upon hearing her casual warning.


    ''It looks like she means what she says. And if she can do something like that to her own brother then...I better not try my luck with her...'' he thought and rightly so.


    No one dared to speak up after that. Even the jeering behavior from the other barbarians was nowhere to be found. They all seemed to be around the same age but the fear and respect with which they looked at Princess Na''im at overpowered any other emotion they had.


    One had to wonder what she did to deserve such treatment. She didn''t seem older than even twenty.


    But this bout of silence did notst very long as the sounds of not so distant howling was carried over with by the wind.


    The wind was starting to pick up and Hao Xuan could smell blood in the air.


    Princess Na''im frowned hearing the noises, "Let us return to the camp. We have gone far too deep into the forest."


    All the others agreed at once, "Yes, princess."


    They turned around to leave. Hao Xuan took the opportunity to try and sneak away but Princess Na''im reached out and picked him up, throwing him over her shoulder like a rag.


    "Don''t make me break your legs, human," she said in a voice so low that only Hao Xuan could hear it.

 Chapter 645: Empty threats Continued.

    <h4>Chapter 645: Empty threats Continued.</h4>


    "Don''t make me break your legs, human," Princess Na''im warned. She took out a piece of leather from her waist and tied Hao Xuan''s hands to it before effortlessly throwing him over her shoulder.


    "Sorry..." Hao Xuan whispered back and allowed her to do as she pleased.


    It would be a lie to say that Hao Xuan didn''t feel mistreated in this current situation but it was out of his control. Although he couldn''t feel their exact realm, each of these barbarians was still extremely powerful judging from their auras alone.


    Especially Princess Na''im herself, the blond-haired female named Orna who seemed to be second inmand after her, and even Burak and another of his male followers.


    Although it seemed like their auras were well hidden by some kind of a spell or treasure but if Hao Xuan had to guess, he would probably bet that they were at least equivalent to Profound Realm cultivators from the beast world.


    There was nothing to support this notion other than a simple hunch. He had been stuck in the spirit realm for a long time himself and these guys were definitely stronger, despite the fact that he did not yet know what type of cultivation system they used themselves.


    With Hao Xuan on her back, Princess Na''im led this group of a little over twenty individuals through the Endless Forest herself. Hao Xuan was too embarrassed to even look up so he pretended to be asleep throughout the journey, whichsted almost half an hour.


    Their speed was extremely fast even though it looked like they were just running along casually without putting in too much effort. If Hao Xuan used ''Heavenly re'' which gave him a huge burst of speed, he could probably match them but only for a handful of minutes at most.


    It was a good thing he didn''t try to escape because he wouldn''t have gotten very far.


    Feeling the pace dropping Hao Xuan nced at the surroundings and saw that they had arrived near a wide-open grasnd. The other barbarians split up at this point and went in different directions, leaving only Princess Na''im, Orna, Burak, and one other male barbarian who was called Isak to carry on by themselves (Authors notes).


    Isak remained quiet for the most part, speaking only when spoken to and even then in the fewest words possible. He wasn''t as muscr as Burak but didn''t seem weak in any aspect. In fact, between him and Burak, Isak seemed more like royalty. His overall demeanor and how he carried himself spoke volumes.


    All the others seemed to respect him as a powerful warrior, just a level below Princess Na''im herself.


    They sprinted for several minutes, crossing a few hills covered in green and red grasses beforeing to a stop. Hao Xuan looked up to see close to two dozen circr dwellings that looked remarkably simr to the Mongolian ''yurts'' back from earth.


    On the sides were four towers on which stood two barbarians each, and near the back was a closed-off area that housed severalrge animals that were grazing by themselves.


    Hearing the sound of footsteps people came out of these yurts, creating quite amotion.


    Hao Xuan was quite surprised to see that there were a lot of ''rtively'' normal-sized people here. Even some children and youngsters along with other normal-sized couples came out to greet them.


    From the looks of it, those that could be actuallybeled as ''barbarians'' like Burak and Princess Na''im were barely 30-40% of the total. Most seemed quite ordinary whenpared to them but they were still half a sizerger than ''regr'' humans.


    Princess Na''im who could make even Burak settle down with just a few words was the most popr person here. She was like a hero returning from battle, getting cheers and cries of adoration from almost every single person, especially the children.


    They ran up to her without an ounce of fear, pulling on her hands and clothes, asking questions non-stop. And since Hao Xuan was in quite a conspicuous position on her shoulder, he also became the hottest topic in the camp.


    They ran behind her talking amongst themselves.


    "Look! Look! Is that a human?"


    "A human? Really?"


    "I wanna see, I''ve never seen one before!"


    "....it''s kinda ugly..."


    "Are all humans ugly?"


    "Can we eat it?"


    "Ew, why would you eat something so ugly?"


    Their conversations kept getting tranted automatically, bringing unnecessary pain to Hao Xuan who they were about. He had to hold himself back from yelling at them and pretended to be asleep.


    Princess Na''im took out a few random rocks and pebbles she had picked up somewhere along the way and threw them in another direction, sessfully distracting them.


    She went up to a row of three old men and women that were being helped by some youngsters and lightly bowed in front of them.


    "Please gather the elders, there is a lot we need to discuss."


    All three of them nodded silently and turned around with the youngster''s help to go back into one of the yurts.


    Princess Na''im turned around to see Orna who was the only one still there.


    "Go get some rest."


    "But the huma-"


    "I''ll take care of it, don''t worry about him," she said before entering one of the yurts near the center, along with Hao Xuan.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Isak is written with a capital "i", in case that wasn''t clear.

 Chapter 646: Show and Tell

    <h4>Chapter 646: Show and Tell</h4>


    The yurts were ced in a circr pattern. The one Princess Na''im entered was in the first row surrounding thergest yurt that was in the center.


    From the outside it was only three meters in diameter but Hao Xuan realized that was just for show. The insides were 5 to 8 times bigger.


    There weren''t a lot of furnishings either, constituting mainly of onerge bed covered in various colorful animal hides, a single desk beside it with a few scrolls and papers littered across its surface and two chairs facing each other, one giant square cauldron with a fire burning underneath it and one cage with some kind of animal inside it.


    As soon as she entered the animal woke up and ran towards her in a flurry. Hao Xuan heard some growling noises but couldn''t see where it wasing from. Princess Na''im walked up to the bed and threw Hao Xuan on it like a ragdoll, bending down to pick up the animal.


    Its noises sounded like excited yaps and squeaks mixed in with loud wheezing. Hao Xuan looked up and saw its physical appearance, leaving him stunned.


    It was a half a meter in size grey colored creature. Six legs supported a slightly obese, spiked body ending in a small tail on one side and two short heads on the other. Its face looked like it had run into one too many walls, getting squished as a result.


    If Hao Xuan had topare it to anything then a pug from earth would be its closest rtive, only this thing was somehow uglier, if that was even possible. It ''barked'' loudly, licking Princess Na''im''s face in excitement.


    After letting it do its thing for a few seconds she put it down andpletely ignored its existence afterward. The pug seemed to be all too used to this and didn''t bother her too much either, simply running around in circles in front of the bed was enough to keep it entertained until it noticed Hao Xuan at which point it suddenly froze.


    As if looking at an alien sight, it slowly turned around and peered towards him. Its eyes opened wide, allowing Hao Xuan to clearly see the disbelief and astonishment that he would not have thought was possible toe from such a creature.


    "What the hell are you looking at?" Hao Xuan couldn''t help but grumble back at its intrusive gaze.


    It did not react, just staring at him inplete shock without even blinking.


    Princess Na''im on the other hand had already taken off most of her armor, cing it on one of the chairs. She walked over to Hao Xuan who was on the losing end of a war of nerves with the ''pug''.


    "You ugly bastard! Blink, motherfucker, what is wrong with you?!" Hao Xuan shouted through furrowed brows, unnerved at its behavior.


    Upon noticing the half-naked towering figure of the princessing closer he reeled back. She was already in her underwear, not even registering his presence as a male.


    "W-What? What''s with that look?" Hao Xuan stuttered, his cheeks turning a shade of red.


    "Take of your clothes," she ordered inly.


    "Um...no...?" Hao Xuan wanted to deny it but her incontestable gaze turned it into a question, one that was answered a momentter.


    Seeing as Hao Xuan was not willing to cooperate, Princess Na''im had to take things into her own hands, quite literally. She held him down against the bed with one hand and pulled at his robe with the other before he could even blink.


    "YOU! WHA-" Hao Xuan tried to shout but she turned him around like a toddler and stuffed his face into the mattress that was a little too soft for something like this.


    "WAIT WAIT, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS!!" Hao Xuan shouted as loudly as he could, swallowing a mouthful of fur in the process.


    Princess Na''im''s hand that was already halfway down his body slowly came to a stop.


    "Will you listen to me then?" she asked calmly, getting aborious nod in return.


    She loosened her grip and took a couple of steps back, sitting down on the chair like a gangster.


    "Do it," she ordered again.


    Hao Xuan got back up, his already weakened body harboring a handful of new scratches that were caused by his own resistanceid weakly on the bed.


    Holding back the waves of curses that were on the tip of his tongue Hao Xuan took a deep breath and looked towards her cidly.


    "I will do whatever you want, but you have to exin why first."


    Princess Na''im stared into his eyes for a short moment and realized that this would be the faster way, so she epted his offer.


    "I...need to see if you have the markings."


    "What markings?"


    "The ones received when the power of the Great Ancestor enters your body..."


    Hao Xuan listened to her exnation and realized she was referring to the words of power. Her choice of words was confusing at first but the more he listened, the clearer it became apart from a few things.


    Words of power existed here too albeit in a slightly different form. In the surface world, the words of power first appeared in beasts and nts and were then taken by humans, or at least that''s what Hao Xuan understood so far. But down here every so often someone would appear that was chosen by the words of power.


    "Theye down from the sky in a rain of white light," is what she said, which jogged Hao Xuan''s memory about the thousands of glyphs he had seen on the way down.


    Those glyphs that were so casually floating in the space above were actually a type of the ''words of power'', and he even had one himself.


    Hao Xuan paused, "Wait, I should have one then..." he mumbled to himself referring to the marking.


    Princess Na''im heard him and suddenly sat upright, "Show me!"

 Chapter 647: If you can...

    <h4>Chapter 647: If you can...</h4>


    Hao Xuan who wanted to check for it himself faltered upon seeing her looking in his direction with quite the intensity.


    "Can I get some privacy?"


    "No, do it now or I will," she said while making a fist.


    Without any other choice, Hao Xuan took of his clothes one by one while she watched. He had never felt such embarrassment and it was his first time doing something like this in the presence of a female which made it worse.


    She leaned in and inspected every nook and cranny in detail, finally finding the mark at the very end. It was...at the sole of his right foot. He didn''t ''need'' to take of anything other than his shoes, which were thest items he took off.


    Hao Xuan wanted to cry, in fact, he almost did. As soon as she was done making a sketch of the mark, he covered himself with one of the many animal hides on the bed, sitting as far away from her as he possibly could.


    "You....you animal!" he cried holding back tears but his words fell on deaf ears.


    The Princess was already busy writing something in one of the scrolls. A momentter she turned back around, giving Hao Xuan another scare.


    "I have never seen such a mark before," she said holding up the paper. The marking was a drawing of aary system.


    With a confused look she mumbled, "What...are you?"


    Hao Xuan gritted his teeth so hard that she could hear it from across the room, "A man that is being abused and held hostage for no god damn reason. That''s who I am!"


    Princess Na''im''s lips slowly arched into half a smile, "You think this is abuse?"


    A chill ran down Hao Xuan''s back and he instantly shut up, but his inner thoughts were far from innocent.


    ''This crazy bitch, just you fucking wait!''


    Hao Xuan had already tried to summon the Scorpion King numerous times but there was no reaction whatsoever. It felt like he was knocking on a stone wall.


    Hao Xuan felt like he was stuck in a weird sex dream, just without the good parts. One would think being told to get naked by a beautiful female would be every man''s dream but for Hao Xuan it had be a nightmare.


    After writing a few other things down she got up and walked over to the square cauldron that was filled to the brim with a bubbling yellow liquid and jumped in before taking off everything.


    Hao Xuan looked away, not wanting to give her any excuse to mess with him again.


    She soaked in it for almost a full hour before finally leaving. She put on a loose brown robe and walked over to the bed, making Hao Xuan jump off.


    "The extract still has some value. Use it before it gets cold," she said without even looking at him and covered herself in thergest hide in the bed, using it as a nket.


    Hao Xuan stood there in silence, unsure of what this meant.


    "You''re not going to lock me up or anything?" he asked hesitantly.


    Princess Na''im let out a contemptuous chuckle as if she had heard something ridiculous, "Why would I do that?"


    "So...I don''t run away?"


    She scoffed, "Go ahead and try. If you can escape then I won''t follow you."


    Hao Xuan obviously did not trust a single word she said and her confidence did bother him, but he wasn''t going to just let such an opportunity go to waste.


    After making sure she wasn''t looking Hao Xuan took out a new set of clean clothes from Baracus''s storage space and changed into them before leaving post-haste.


    The weird pug creature that had been ''observing'' him from the moment it noticed he was there also followed after without making a sound.

 Chapter 648: Spring

    <h4>Chapter 648: Spring</h4>


    Hao Xuan carefully stepped out of the yurt, looking left and right for any wandering figures but there was no one in sight.


    It was still dark out and a chilly wind was blowing throughout the camp. It looked like everyone else was resting inside just like the princess so as silent as he possibly could be, Hao Xuan slowly walked out of the camp which wasn''t that big to begin with.


    He looked towards the nearest watchtower that was manned by two barbarians. They were looking towards the exterior of the camp, keeping an eye on the rolling grass fields that seemed to stretch for miles in all directions.


    Hao Xuan changed directions and went around in a circle until he came upon the grazing pens at the back of the camp. Large six-legged Ox-like creatures roamed within this fenced area. They were 4-5 timesrger than the Ox''s on earth and most of them gave off copious amounts of spiritual Qi, indicating that they were not just any old beasts.


    Thankfully they didn''t seem to be aggressive. Most of them didn''t even notice him and those that did ignored himpletely after realizing he wasn''t there for them. Hao Xuan cautiously walked in between the animals that resembled small hills in the darkness, keeping a watchful eye for any barbarians.


    But even when he hadpletely crossed the area he couldn''t find any trace of one. This entire site was left unguarded. There was not a single barbarian anywhere in sight.


    Hao Xuan frowned, thinking that the security really was toox here. Did they think nobody would dare to attack them here or was there another reason?


    If he didn''t know any better he would think this was all a trap. But even if it was, he still had to spring it himself.


    After sprinting for a few minutes Hao Xuan slowly came to stop when he couldn''t see the camp anymore. He was standing in a red grass field surrounded by hundreds of white and yellow fireflies that wereing out of the grass in frequent waves.


    He looked around for anyndmarks, trying to remember which side they came from and in which direction he had to go in until he realized the biggest clue was right in front of his eyes.


    "Woah...."


    In the backdrop of the beautiful rolling pastures was a stupendously tall wall erecting straight up into the sky. It was of course just one side of the volcano that Hao Xuan had seen from the air before jumping. The only difference being that from down here he couldn''t even see it curve so it looked like a t surface.


    An entire side of the sky was covered just by the volcano, giving Hao Xuan goosebumps as he gazed at it in all its glory. He only now realized how staggeringly enormous this ce was.


    If he actually wanted to cross to the other side like normal then it could easily take him months if not years. He would have to find a shortcut or an extremely speedy mode of transportation to cover such a vast distance.


    But right now Hao Xuan had bigger things to worry about so he put such thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. He turned to face the volcano and started running in a straight line towards it.


    After about fifteen minutes of continuous running, Hao Xuan finally saw the tree line just over a small hill in front of him. It was only a couple of hundred meters away now, close enough for him to be able to already listen to the cacophony of beastly noisesing from beyond.


    ted, he picked up the pace. Even though he was already exhausted Hao Xuan did not stop until he was less than ten meters away from the tree line. He was smiling ear to ear, cursing at the Princess that thought he couldn''t make it.


    Thestugh was going to be indeed his, or so Hao Xuan thought as he entered the shadows of the Endless Forest.


    ***


    Back in the vige, the Demihuman tribes had just received a small caravan from the Capital City. Since the vige was in their territory it only took them a few hours to get there.


    The Princesses were sitting on the floor down on their knees. In front of them was an olddy dressed in a worn-out gown. In her right hand was a long smoking pipe. From a first nce she looked like an old fortune-teller that you would find in a shady ce.


    Her wrists and neck were covered in beads of various sizes. The smallest bead was two centimeters in diameter and all of them were made of different colored ss materials. Inside each one was a different item, floating in a colorless liquid.


    The fingers of her left hand were casually tapping away on the armrest of the creaking chair she was sitting in.


    *Tap*Tap*Tick*


    *Tick*Tap*Tick*


    *Tock*Tap*Tick*


    Each time the rhythm changed but it was always in threes. The Princesses were looking down on the floor, flinching every time the tapping got too loud.

 Chapter 649: Nerves

    <h4>Chapter 649: Nerves</h4>


    The smoke drifting from the pipe took shapes of various scenes ying out on a loop. From a crying child hiding under his bed to a woman running through the woods being chased by someone or something, to a soldier fighting on the front lines with a broken sword to a young man sitting cross-legged within an old hollow tree trunk.


    Each scene onlysted for a few seconds before dissipating into the air. All the while her continuous tapping provided the background music for them.


    But those that were listening to the olddy''s tapping couldn''t help but be a little unnerved. It felt like each tap wasnding directly on their hearts.


    Behind the kneeling princesses, Elder Iya was standing with his hands behind his back, the iconic spectacles hanging loosely on the bridge of his nose.


    "Hmm, so let me make sure I have this right," the olddy spoke up after a few minutes of silence. Her voice as calm as it could be, "I sent you here with all the information about the events that were going to unfold. All you had to do was bring me the person that came out of the storm, and somehow, you managed to mess even that up. Correct?"


    Flustered, Princess Inara shook her head trying to exin what had happened, "Grandmama we looked everywhere but he wasn''t where you said he was. We tried loo-"


    The olddy''s expression hardened, "Silence! Did I say you could speak up?!" she red towards Princess Inara who turned her head to the side, mumbling quite loudly.


    "But you just asked the question..."


    "Oho!" the olddy mmed her fist on the armrest, startling everyone.


    Elder Iya took a step forward, bowing lightly, "Grand Priestess, the events were out of the princess''s hands. The humans brought Eurig the Viper with them so we had to be mindful of their every move. If you could overlook their mistake this time-"


    "Silence! Don''t mention my good-for-nothing granddaughters, I don''t have any!" the ''Grand Priestess'' banged on the armrest again, interrupting Elder Iya who scratched his head while mumbling weakly, "But I didn''t say anything about them being your granddaughters..."


    Silence fell over the room once again. After waiting a couple of minutes for her to calm down, Princess Helena gave a deep bow.


    "Grandmother, we will find whoever came out of the storm and bring them to you. Please allow us to go and explore the surrounding areas once again. Maybe they went towards the ancient ruins," she said in a respectful tone, forcing Princess Inara to bow with her.


    Princess Inara felt she had been wronged to unprecedented degrees and kept mumbling under her breath, "But it''s not even our fault. She was the one that was wrong to begin with..."


    Thankfully the Grand Priestess didn''t hear her this time. She tapped the smoke pipe on the half-full ashtray beside her and waved her hand as if shooing away stray dogs.


    "Go go, don''t waste my time anymore."


    The princesses bowed and got up to leave but when they reached the exit the Grand Priestess''s voice came again, "And take Lady Jiang with you."


    Princess Inara''s nostrils red as she turned around halfway in a flurry before being stopped by Princess Helena. She shook her head, signaling Inara not to do anything rash.


    She turned around and gave another half-bow, "Yes, grandmother," and walked out with Princess Inara in tow.


    When he was sure the princesses had left, elder Iya let out a deep sigh, "Grand Priestess, why must you be so hard on them?"


    The olddy shook her head, taking a deep puff from the smoking pipe, "They won''t die from a few words. Everyone caters to their needs because they are my granddaughters but what will happen once I am gone? Helena will manage somehow but Inara, she is still too spoiled. She can''t even take some criticism, what will she do when she has to take over the tribe?" she finished with a deep sigh.


    Her previous stern demeanor disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a worried old woman.


    "Yes," Elder Iya nodded respectfully.


    Others might now be aware but he knew very well how much the Grand Priestess cared for her precious granddaughters. Ever since he was rescued from the human''s ve mines all those years ago, he had loyally served at the Grand Priestess side for decades.


    Elder Iya walked over to the table and emptied out the ashtray out of habit. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, trying to find the right words.


    "What? Spit it out already," the olddy didn''t even need to see his face to know what was happening.


    "About Ms. Jiang...do you really think it is a wise decision to let her tag along with the princesses?"


    The Grand Priestess chuckled, "What, do you think they can''t handle it?"


    "I know Princess Helena can but Princess Inara still mes the humans for what happened in the past. Is it really okay to let them go together? We still don''t know her real identity, is it really okay to trust her so much?"


    The Grand Priestess shook her head nonchntly, "Don''t worry, everything she said has been the truth so far. I ''looked'' into it myself."


    Elder Iya''s worried expression greatly eased up, "If that''s the case we should start to prepare for what is toe."


    "Hmm, I think it''s about time we do. And see if you can find what the humans and barbarians know. I don''t believe Eurig would show himself so openly if he didn''t have a n. We need to be careful!"


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    A little early today since I might not be home for a little while. Tomorrow''s chapter will be auto-published so no worries.

 Chapter 650: Comfort...

    <h4>Chapter 650: Comfort...</h4>


    Hao Xuan searched through Baracus''s storage space for a moment before taking out a short sword in case of an emergency.


    Peering towards therge moving shadows within the tree line, his heart was filled with doubts and uncertainty. Taking a deep breath he vigntly walked into the Endless Forest.


    From the outside, Hao Xuan was only able to hear some distant beastly roars and howls but after just a few meters of having passed the forest''s confines, those sounds were drowned out by loud whispers. They wereing in from every single direction, rushing towards Hao Xuan as if finally having found an outlet after ages of aimless wandering.


    Hao Xuan who obviously was not prepared for such an event quickly fell to his knees trying to shut them out by closing his ears but they were not something that could be stopped so easily.


    "NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"


    "Stop please! I won''t do it again!"


    "I trusted you! How could you do this to me?"


    "My own brother? It was you...all this time?"


    "So much blood..."


    "I don''t want to die in this ce, please...someone.."


    "It''s so cold. I can''t feel my legs."


    "I have to get home quick, father needs his medicine. This damned forest will eat me alive!"


    "Just a little more and I can buy my own house. Just one more hunt!"


    "I know a path to the ruins, just trust me. We only need to get there once and we will be rich!"


    "Hahaha! Look at this! Wait...no...what is that?!"


    One after another thousands upon thousands of voices, shouting, begging, crying, yelling, celebrating, such intense emotions that Hao Xuan could almost visualize what was happening to them just from the sounds. The veins on his forehead and around his eyes threatened to pop as Hao Xuan grit his teeth forcefully trying to keep his sanity.


    "Aaargh! Baracus!" he called out in as low a voice as he could muster.


    "Yes?" Baracus''s calm voice rang into his ears, a pr opposite to the many whispers trying to burrow deeper into his brain.


    "The sounds! Shut it off! I don''t want to hear it!"


    "...."


    ''Done,'' Baracus confirmed a momentter through spiritual sense after cutting off his auditory senses but Hao Xuan could still hear them clearly. It was at this point that he realized they were not ''real'' in the conventional sense.


    "Fuck sakes!" cursing, with trembling hands Hao Xuan took out a cigarette from the storage space and quickly lit it, taking several deep puffs that finished off the entire thing in seconds.


    He sat down next to a tree and focused his senses, absorbing all the smoke into the bloodstream. A secondter he let out a breath of clean air.


    Hao Xuan repeated this process five times before the intensity of the whispers lowered enough for him to ignore them to an extent. He stood back, dusting off his clothes.


    "This shit is getting out of hand..." and mumbled shakily before continuing the march through the forest.


    Five meters behind Hao Xuan the double-headed pug was following in his footsteps inplete silence. If not for the asional heaving sound that was barely audible in and of itself, one would think it was a doll. Its four unblinking ck eyes stared in Hao Xuan''s directions, one pair attached to his back and the other on the nearby surroundings.


    Back in the barbarian camp Princess Na''im was sitting upright in her bed. Her eyelids fluttered rapidly at a steady pace. The whites of her eyes were gone leaving only a pitch-ck surface in which the scenes from the pug''s eyes were being reyed with stark rity like a mirror.


    From thefort of her bed she watched patiently as Hao Xuan made his way through the forest, each and every single movement of his being observed by the pug and transmitted back to her.

 Chapter 651: Abandoned Research

    <h4>Chapter 651: Abandoned Research</h4>


    Hao Xuan followed a rough path through the overgrown trees that had invaded every inch of thend. There was barely enough space for him to stand so even moving forward at a steady pace was made a tricky chore.


    The whispers still continued to ring out in the back of his mind, like a worm tunneling deeper and deeper into his psyche even though he was trying his best to ignore them.


    It had been an hour and a half now since Hao Xuan had been moving through the woods with a deep frown stered semi-permanently on his forehead. He had to change directions several times whenever there was either something blocking his way or the trees just created too much of a hurdle to be crossed without making some excessive noise.


    And he had started noticing a pattern in whispers now.


    Hao Xuan came to a slow stop near a 1-2 meter wide crack in the ground. There was already some foliage growing all along its length so it wasn''t recent. Somerge and small prints and beast tracks could be seen in and around it.


    "It''s really here..." Hao Xuan mumbled, astonished to quite a great degree at what he had discovered byplete ident.


    *Beep*


    "So it is confirmed then, what you heard in the whisper was urate," Baracus couldn''t help but chime in at this important juncture.


    Hao Xuan nodded somewhat absentmindedly, "Yeah...it really is," he looked at his hands in disbelief, waving them left and right randomly, "So am I like a radio or something then? I can probably use them to track ces and events right? Like the ruins one of the whispers was talking about."


    "That seems to be quite an appropriate analogy. Would you like me to summarize what we have discovered so far?"


    Hao Xuan nodded once again, putting his hands back down, "Go ahead."


    "Affirmative."


    "Creating datalog entry, codenamed ''The Human Radi-"


    "What?! No no, name it something else!"


    "Transmission receiver...?"


    "NO! Something cool like..."The Whistleblower" or something."


    "I am unable toprehend the concept of cool."


    "Oh for god sakes, just call it "The Overseer" for now. I don''t even know if it''s permanent or not."


    "Fine. Datalog Entry: The Overseer," Baracus answered with a hint of annoyance and stipted the main points they had discovered in thest hour or so.


    "Following the changes caused by the understanding of the Chaos Laws, you started hearing the "whispers". At first, they were believed to be simple auditory hallucinations caused by the instability between the energy and spiritual centers within your body but that does not seem to be the case anymore."


    "If your theory is correct, you have been listening to the voices and even thoughts that have been left behind on this ne by other beings."


    "But they are not altogether random and there does appear to be a vague pattern to them. If what you say is urat-"


    "It is," Hao Xuan cut in, confirming Baracus''s statement.


    "Please do not interrupt," Baracus reprimanded calmly in his usual robotic and monotonous voice before continuing, "IF what you say is urate and holds any value whatsoever, then only when the emotions are at either end of the emotional spectrum, including but not limited to extreme distress, suffering, torment, glee, exultation, etc they are able to be picked up."


    Hao Xuan agreed half-heartedly, "Yeah that sounds about right but...we still don''t know how that is possible."


    "Not entirely, no. A previous research conducted by Progenitor on the abyss and the presence of the "veil" suggested something that could help exin why this is so."


    "Oh, what is it?" Hao Xuan asked enthusiastically.


    "The research is iplete as of yet and does not have any-"


    "Yeah yeah spare me the forewarnings, just get to it," Hao Xuan waved his hand in annoyance, not realizing Baracus could not even see it.


    "Alright," although still hesitant, Baracus decided to exin the details anyway.


    "Progenitor conducted a study on the supernatural effects of the veil, the abyss, and their connection with the other worlds. Due to his ownck of ability, he was not able to finish this project but a few conclusions can be drawn from the gathered data."


    "1. The veil is an extradimensional anomaly that supposedly connects each of the worlds to the Abyss."


    "2. The veil can be essed from any location, given certain conditions are first satisfied."


    "3. Every word spoken out loud, every act of rumination is somehow "absorbed" by the veil. Entities residing within the veil can consume them for power."


    "4. Time flows differently within the abyss and in turn, the veil. Past, present and the future can often times coexist, making for extremeplications."


    "He concluded that some particr individuals that were more in tune with the veil, i.e have an extreme variation within their ''soul frequency'', could pick up these ''absorbed'' thoughts and words at any point in time."


    Hao Xuan''s smile quickly vanished, "Wait, so these whispers could very well be from the future too then?"


    "Yes, but that is highly unlikely. Your soul is not strong enough to be able to pick up such messages."


    "Oh..." Hao Xuan was a little disappointed hearing that.


    "And what about these ''entities'' that feed on these thoughts and emotions or words or whatever?"


    "The entities include, but not limited to, what most carbon-based lifeforms call Gods, Demons, evil spirits, and a plethora of other powerful races. Although Progenitor was not able to confirm this in his lifetime, he believed that these entities draw power from the veil."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed to slits as a whole new proverbial world of possibilities was opened to him.


    "Does that mean what I think it means....?" his mind started racing, inferring a great number of things.


    As Hao Xuan made ns to use this newfound ability to help him solve his current dilemma, he did not consider that if he could see through the veil to the other side, then the ones inhabiting that horrid ce could also peer back at him.

 Chapter 652: Mood Swings

    <h4>Chapter 652: Mood Swings</h4>


    Hao Xuan stood in front of that crack in the ground that was referenced to in one of the more coherent whispers while talking out loud to Baracus. The pug was still behind him, at a distance of five meters exactly.


    It heard his side of the conversation with Baracus which was, in turn, transmitted back to Princess Na''im, leaving her quite confused and wanting even more questions than before.


    "Who is he talking to? He doesn''t seem to be ''touched'' but the things he is saying..." she mumbled with knitted brows. (AN: touched means mad/insane/unhinged here, i.e touched by the spirits)


    Hao Xuan still had no idea of the pug''s presence even after this much time had psed. It exhibited almost no signs of life, no aura, no energy signature, made no noise, and kept just enough distance to pick up his movements clearly all the while hiding itself in in sight.


    Whatever kind of creature it was, it was made for tailing people.


    After finishing up his conversation with Baracus Hao Xuan set out once again. Every few steps he would pause for a short moment, close his eyes as if listening for something before continue moving in a slightly different direction.


    There were a few times he had to turn aroundpletely and go in a different direction altogether which kept surprising Princess Na''im more and more.


    She was bewildered seeing his strange behavior. Her eyes narrowed to slits looking at the surroundings and when she realized where he was headed, she couldn''t help but be left dumbstruck.


    She shot up from the bed, her hands clenched into tight fists, "How...is this possible?!? How could he know?!"


    She wanted to jump down and run after him, torture him if need be to find out who he really was but she held back in the end, deciding to simply watch from the shadows for now. It would be only a matter of time before he would give something away.


    **


    Meanwhile, Hao Xuan was wholly focused on the whispers as he moved through the forest arbitrarily. Depending on where he was, which direction he was facing, and sometimes even where he "intended" to go, the whispers changed ordingly.


    It was far too simr to tuning into a radio station, trying over and over again to find just the right spot.


    After about an hour of this aimless wandering, Hao Xuan passed through a tumultuous region that suddenly descended deeper into the ground and reached a small clearing at the end of it. The whispers in this ce were so extremely loud and so many all at once that he even lost track of the ones he was initially following.


    In fact, he was so distracted by them that he did not even notice the gradual increase in the spiritual energy in the surroundings.


    There were hundreds of whispers if not more, and each of them was wreathed in anguish and misery from start to finish. Hao Xuan opened his mind and allowed to them to enter so he could listen clearly and try to make some sense.


    "No please, please let me go, I swear I didn''t mean to!"


    "I will do whatever you want, just let my family go!"


    "YOU LIAR! You promised!"


    "You monster! You beast! I curse you! I curse your entire family! May you never find peace in this world or the next!"


    "Mommy...it''s so cold...mommy...I''m hungry...


    "Shh shh, I''m sorry my love, here drink this. It will all be over soon..."


    With closed eyes and a furrowed brow, Hao Xuan listened in. Almost all of the whispers were either begging, crying for help, or cursing. He opened his eyes after a few minutes and his previous cheerful mood was gone without a trace. The whispers were affecting his mood and state of mind to a degree.


    Hao Xuan looked around at the clearing. It was only 5-6 meters in size with one lonely tree trunk in the center. The rest of the area was covered in a strange ck and purple grass that was 10-15 centimeters tall.


    The tree trunk itself was extremely old, seemingly hundreds of years if not more. It was cut in half or rather, burned until only the stump remained. Hao Xuan could see the fern-like burn marks all around it that pointed towards some sort of lightning striking it repeatedly.


    Some of the patterns were so old that looked like fossils while the others were quite fresh, not more than a few months old from the looks of it.


    The whispers had turned into high-pitched screaming now. Hao Xuan closed off his mind and took out another cigarette from the storage space. His gaze cold,cking any sort of empathy.


    "A lot of people died here," he muttered peering towards the shimmering blue and purple silhouette hiding within the tree trunk.

 Chapter 653: Deceitful

    <h4>Chapter 653: Deceitful</h4>


    "A lot of people died here, huh..." Hao Xuan muttered coldly, peering towards the glowing blue and purple silhouette that was hiding within the tree trunk.


    *Beep*


    Baracus activated himself of his own ord without Hao Xuan asking him something first, which was rtively unusual.


    "I need to collect more data which will require further rification from you about things rted to this new ability to better understand what is happening to your body and how it could affect you in the future. Please describe how you know that other beings ''died'' here? Did the whispers say it explicitly?"


    Hao Xuan took a puff from the cigarette, an entire lungful.


    "Not explicitly, no. It more of how they said it rather than what. Plus, if what you say is right, whispers are only created when the person goes through something extreme right? Something that makes their emotions re-up in a sense?"


    "Affirmative."


    "Then since all these emotions are so loud and so negative, it''s only natural to assume that something bad happened to them here. And I have this weird feeling that...most of them didn''t make it out of this ce," he finished talking and walked around in a circle around the ck and purple grass that surrounded the area around the trunk.


    He stopped aftering back to his initial position.


    "Somebody made this, it''s not natural," Hao Xuanmented.


    It was quite obvious that this ce had been cleared out on purpose to make space for this. Not to mention that the ck and purple grass created a perfect circle of around 3 meters in diameter.


    What were the chances it was all a natural phenomenon? And how could so many people have found their way here over and over again.


    Hao Xuan bent down and picked up a small rock from nearby before throwing it towards the tree trunk with full force. Even though he was aiming for the inside of the trunk, somehow it connected with the outer bark and fell into the grass, disappearing without a sound.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed even more. He was much weaker than usual and his aim COULD have been off, but not by that much.


    Hao Xuan raised his foot to move forward but suddenly took a few steps back instead.


    "What''s wrong?" Baracus asked seeing his strange movements.


    "The whispers, they are getting louder," Hao Xuan said through spiritual sense.


    When he was more than 10 meters away and the intensity of the whispers had diminished considerably, he bent down and picked up arger rock. This one was the size of a brick. He pulled back his arm and aimed for the trunk again.


    This time he put in a lot more strength, enough to throw it in a straight line like a bullet.


    *Whoosh*


    It tore through the air and impacted with the trunk again, making it visibly shake.


    If it was an ordinary tree trunk it would have been torn to shreds, but this one barely shook.


    Hao Xuan''s expression darkened and he quickly jumped back several times until he was back at the ''entrance'' of this cavity. The hair at the back of his neck were standing straight up like needles.


    rm bells had begun to ring inside his head the moment he threw the rock, only lowering by a few degrees until he backtracked all the way back above ground.


    "What the fuck is this ce?" Hao Xuan mumbled peering down into the cavity.


    The entrance of the cavity was inside the ground with a diameter of five meters. It slowly descended at an angle of 50 degrees until reaching the clearing with the tree trunk. It was surrounded on all sides byrge trees that provided cover for it.


    It could be easily missed unless someone knew what to look for.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his shoulders trying to shake away the goosebumps that had crawled onto his skin. He felt disgusted for some strange reason and just standing there was enough for him to vomit.


    He had to physically stop himself from doing so.


    He stood in that spot for close to 15 minutes. The intensity of the whispers was changing constantly, like the crashing waves of the ocean. He couldn''t tell what they wanted from him, repeatedly telling him of the same things over and over again.


    It was at this time that the sky cleared up. The clouds had given way to the white light that finally fell down.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes were too used to the darkness so he had to close them for a short moment to let them adjust. But when he opened them again, the scene in front of him hadpletely changed.


    Hao Xuan jumped,nding on a tree not far from him. His hearts were beating so fast that they could be heard even outside.


    "You deceitful piece of shit!" he cursed through gritted teeth.


    The white light, whatever it was, had opened Hao Xuan''s eyes to a new world. It had a sort of cleansing effect on the area, showing what it actually was.


    The previous rocky cavity was gone. In its ce was an obvious mouth of some kind of a creature. The entrance was actually made of its lips that looked like thick earthworms going around in a circle.


    It''s insides through which Hao Xuan had descended further down now looked like ckened muscles made of hard tissue. The clearing at the bottom of the cavity had also changed.


    The ck and purple grass now resembled wriggling tentacles, each one half a meter in size at least. The tree trunk was reced by a bobbing red mass of hardened flesh surrounding a bright blue flower.


    The flower was releasing a constant stream of dust-like particles that permeated the surroundings.


    If Hao Xuan had stepped onto those ck and blue tentacles, that would probably have been the end of his story.

 Chapter 654: "Savageness"

    <h4>Chapter 654: "Savageness"</h4>


    Hao Xuan covered his face with his sleeve to stop himself from inhaling any more of that glittering particle that was being released from the blue flower at the bottom of the ''mouth''.


    It was either some kind of a hallucinogenic agent or something more spiritual that prevented others from seeing its true nature. If not for the whispers trying to warn him of what was going to happen, he would most probably already be dead, especially in his current state.


    He looked up towards the source of the white light. It looked just like an ordinary sky from his point of view, even filled with a few twinkling stars and two bright ''moons'' high above on either side of the volcano, slowly revolving around it.


    But Hao Xuan knew for a fact that there weren''t any moons in this ce. It was an enclosed space and its ceiling was not that far either. There wasn''t any space for them to exist.


    "Unless...the space in here isrger than it appears from outside? Thendmass really didn''t look this big from above. Or...did I shrink?" Hao Xuan couldn''t make sense of it but the fact was that the light from those moons ''undid'' whatever this creature had done to Hao Xuan.


    "Baracus did you notice any foreign objects within my bloodstream?"


    *Beep*


    "Scanning....."


    "Negative. No new foreign bodies detected."


    Hao Xuan''s left eyebrow rose in confusion, "Why did you have to scan right now? Aren''t the nanites always keeping everything in check?"


    "Negative. The Chaos Qi within your body renders them ineffective. Uponing into contact with the Qi, the nanites are either damaged and dismantled before being absorbed by it, or simply shut down forcefully."


    "The Chaotic Qi does not allow me to regte your body the same as before. A significant upgrade to the nanites exoskeleton is required to regain the former state of functionality."


    Hao Xuan shook his head wryly and waved his hand, "Yeah yeah, add it to the list."


    That was one more thing he had to be worried about but for some reason, looking at this creature Hao Xuan could not help but make a few connections.


    He was quite far out in the Endless forest so it was probably no ident that so many people died here. The contents of the whispers made that quite clear. They were most probably led to this ce by force and killed here on purpose.


    But by whom? And for what purpose?


    Hao Xuan sat down on the same branch he was standing on and looked below on the ground below for any small critters. His sharp gaze found a few targets in a matter of seconds and he quickly jumped,nding beside an insect.


    A grey colored beetle that was attached to the side of a tree. It was a little over 10 centimeters in length, sleeping soundly. It only woke up when Hao Xuan had already pulled it away.


    Hao Xuan examined it carefully as it tried its best to wriggle free and fly away. It seemedpletely ordinary, other than the fact that it was a littlerger than normal in size.


    Hao Xuan grabbed its outer carapace that housed two rtivelyrge wings inside before ripping them off in one smooth motion. Its entire body jerked back and forth in obvious pain, creating a high-pitched buzzing sound.


    Hao Xuan suddenly realized what he had done. He couldn''t help but frown at his own savage actions. But then he recalled the things he had done to other people and in a rare state of penitence apologized to the insect.


    "I-I''m sorry," he said to the beetle that could not understand him at all and proceeded to break of each of its legs in session.


    Without wasting any more time Hao Xuan went up to the creature''s wriggling worm-like mouth and aimed for the flower at the bottom, throwing the beetle with full force.


    Since its wings and legs had been broken the beetle could not do anything. It flew towards the flower narrowly missing it andnded on the carpet made of thousands of ck and purple tentacles surrounding it.


    The tentacles that were lethargic a moment ago suddenly jumped into action. Some of them extended to 3-4 times their original size andtched onto the struggling beetle thatnded amidst them.


    In less than a second, the beetle waspletely engulfed by the ck and blue ropes and dragged under the sea of tentacles that had started waving back and forth in merriment.

 Chapter 655: Savageness Continued

    <h4>Chapter 655: Savageness Continued</h4>


    In less than a second the beetle waspletely engulfed by the ck and blue ropes and dragged under the sea of tentacles that had started waving back and forth in merriment.


    Their harmonized motion really did mimic rolling grass fields. The only difference was these were far more deadly.


    Hao Xuan who was watching the scene unfold from safety couldn''t help but squint hard upon noticing the tentacles that had epassed the beetle starting to glow. Their fleshy skin turned semi-transparent and bioluminescent.


    A wave of blue-colored light passed through the tentacles and reached the flower in the middle. Upon reaching the five-petaled flower it was absorbed by its stem that in turn increased the brightness of its luminous body by just a small degree. So small in fact that anyone other than Hao Xuan who did not have such sharp vision would probably miss it.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his chin as a myriad of thoughts raced through his mind.


    "So they weren''t just killed here for no reason, but probably fed to this... ''thing'', whatever it is," he concluded.


    The flower in the middle was quite obviously the prize.


    Now the question was whom? But that was easier asked than answered.


    "Baracus, are there any formations left within the storage space?"


    Hao Xuan asked him since he would know best.


    *Beep*


    "Yes, a few. What kind do you need?"


    "Something that can act as a sensor and tell me if somebody is close?"


    Baracus went silent upon hearing his query.


    "..."


    "What?"


    "I can simply make a long-range sensor. Would that suffice?"


    "....."


    Now it was Hao Xuan''s turn to be left dumbfounded at his own stupidity. He spoke after a brief bout of silence.


    "Y-Yeah...make me a couple but....why do I always forget you can just make simple things like that?"


    "I would call it human ignorance but it would be unfair to drag all of humanity down to your level," Baracus answered cooly, leaving Hao Xuan at aplete loss for words.


    "Just...get me the sensors, there is no need to talk so much."


    "They are already done."


    "Hmph," Hao Xuan waved his hand indignantly and two metal rods appeared within his grasp.


    Each of them was 16 centimeters in length and as thin as a standard pencil from earth. There was one small button on the side with no other protrusions or apertures.


    "ce them across from one another at some height, no more than 50 meters away."


    Hao Xuan did as instructed and nailed both of them onto the trees near the creature''s mouth after turning them on.


    "Initiating scan..."


    "Activating sensors..."


    "Creating 3D model."


    Hao Xuan''s vision blurred and a small 3D model of the region within the sensors was projected in front of his left eye. It was in shades of blue and wasn''t too detailed but still more than enough to give a clear idea of the surroundings.


    "Due to theck of raw resource a tool of this caliber was the best option. Please ce the transmitter nearby."


    Hao Xuan waved his hands again and a small circr device that resembled a quail egg appeared. He buried it in the ground somewhere out of the way.


    "Effective range for live feedback for a setup like this is 200 standard kilometers. Any further and it would only send data once per hour."


    Hao Xuan did not want to admit but he was most certainly impressed. The advanced technology that Baracus could create at a moment''s notice was nothing short of a miracle in his eyes, even though he would never admit that.


    "Che, just 200 kilometers? Advanced AI my ass. But I guess it''s better than nothing," he said contentiously to which Baracus replied, "I am but a reflection of my master''s own inadequacies."


    Hao Xuan grit his teeth while pretending not to hear it. He retraced his steps and went back in the direction he hade from, trying to find the same whispers that were mentioning the ancient ruins.

 Chapter 656: Born anew

    <h4>Chapter 656: Born anew</h4>


    Some distance away in a cave somewhere deep inside the Endless Forest two silhouettes sat beside a small pool of dark yellow liquid not more than 4 meters in size. A continuous stream of gurgling sounds filled the cave that emanated from the thick liquid.


    Large bubbles the size of a person''s head came off of the pool''s seething surface and popped, releasing various sounds that for some reason, sounded like the cries of young children. Five blue petals floated on it''s surface, getting disced by the force of the popping bubbles.


    The two silhouettes sat on either side of the pool facing each other. One of them belonged to the neat and tidy countenance of an old man, sitting quietly with his eyes closed. If there was anyone else here they would recognize him instantly as Eurig the Viper.


    Across from him was a youngster, not more than 14 or 15 years of age. He was covered in sweat from top to bottom, his face scrunched up and expressions continuously shifted between one of agony and relief.


    His eyelids fluttered rapidly as if he was trying to open them but some invisible force was keeping him from doing so.


    Both of them were in the exact opposite states right now. Eurig being as calm andposed as possibly could be, as if he was sitting in a field of flowers and not a cave filled with horrendous smells and sounds.


    The teenager looked like he was being tortured alive but no matter how much he tried to struggle free, his body could not move an inch.


    This continued for over three hours until an abrupt hissing noise erupted from the walls and reverberated throughout the cave for a few seconds. The teenager opened his eyes slowly, his expression finally returning to normal.


    His lips parted and the previous rotten gums, ruptured blisters and boils that filled the inside of his mouth werepletely gone, reced by a brand new set of teeth and healthy gums. (CH 637 for details)


    He reached out to the side and picked up a mirror, inspecting and then soon after ''admiring'' his handsome visage contently.


    "Hmm, not bad, not bad at all," he mumbled out loud for the first time in what was probably months. His voice sounded identical to Eurig the Viper''s.


    He gave a toothy smile and a wink to the mirror before finally putting it down. Standing up he took off his clothes revealing a gaunt figure. Wobbling every other step, he walked into the pool of viscous yellow liquid until his entire body was submerged from top to bottom.


    The viscosity of the liquid continued to decrease along with the horrendous smell until some 12 minutester when it had turnedpletely transparent. He walked out, now exposing an athletic physique that looked like it belonged to a professional boxer. Neither too much nor too less, just enough for him to have some pronounced muscles but not enough that they stood out like a sore thumb.


    He stretched, letting out knocking and cracking sounds from his body.


    "Hahaha, what a splendid feeling! This new body will serve me well," he said through peals ofughter.


    "Finally I can go have some fun, huh?"


    He looked to his side towards Eurig the Viper''s body and slowly pushed it from behind with his leg.


    As if an empty husk, Eurig was sent headfirst into the pool and within the blink of an eye dissolvedpletely, not even leaving a single shred of his being behind.


    Through some miracle or perhaps a calcted series of events, Eurig the Viper had managed to discard his old body and take over a much younger one, one that belonged to his own grandson.


    After putting on some clothes Eurig walked out of the cave where a row of seven old men and women that looked like walking corpses waited for him. Each and every one of them was standing behind him when he had led the human tribes a few hours ago.


    They looked at him with wide eyes full of disbelief, shock, a hint of fear, and quite a lot of obvious greed.


    Eurig grinned, "So, do you believe me now?" he said opening his arms wide and turning so they could look at him from every angle.


    One of the old men that had half his face burnt off came forward, "I-Is it really you?!"


    Eurig smiled and leaned forward to whisper something in his ear while the others watched incredulously.


    The old man with the burnt face turned towards the others and nodded robotically, getting even more gasps in response.


    They talked amongst themselves for a moment before the same old man came out again.


    "Can we also change? Like you?"


    Eurig nodded, "Of course. As long as you follow me, I can help you live a very long and fulfilling life. So, what do you say?"


    The answer was obvious. All seven of them agreed instantly.


    Eurig nodded contently looking at the hunger within their gaze, knowing full well that they would do whatever he asked from now on.


    But then as if remembering something his expression turned somber instantly. He reached out into one of the pockets and took out a petal. It was bright blue in color.


    "Did...someone else find you?" he muttered to himself.

 Chapter 657: Oddness

    <h4>Chapter 657: ''Oddness''</h4>


    It had been close to two hours since Hao Xuan had continued moving through the Endless forest once again. The darkness didn''t look like it would let up anytime soon so he had no choice but to keep moving rather than waste time sitting idly by while waiting for daybreak.


    He had journeyed quite far into the forest by now and by following the whispers, he was able to avoid quite a few dangerous encounters.


    There were a few spots that especially stood out for one reason or another that Baracus marked the locations of, incase Hao Xuan wanted to ever revisit them for some reason.


    Two such areas that left both Hao Xuan and Baracus confused and scared to an extent were located near the strange ''flower'' creature.


    One of them was a field of standing rock pirs. It looked like someone had ced them there on purpose. They were upside down with the smaller ''pointy end'' bncing the entire length of the pir on the ground below.


    It looked like the gravity was not working in that ce, or maybe it was just messed up. Hao Xuan spent a good fifteen minutes observing this rocky forest from afar until he saw a shadowy profile floating somewhere in the distance.


    It looked like a humanoid figure, about 3 times the size of a normal human being. It was covered in a ck hood, floating above ground at a distance of 1-1.5 meters. And although the top half was human, the bottom half was made of numerous sword-like projections that moved about independently, making it look like it was wearing a ''dress''.


    Its hands were reced with sharp curved des that glowed bright purple even without any light to illuminate them.


    Hao Xuan was more than 500 meters away from it when he first saw it by ident and that one look was enough to leave him concerned for his life. Whatever ''being'' that was, it also ''felt'' Hao Xuan''s presence the moment heid his eyes upon it.


    It did attempt to pursue him but for some reason, either it did not or could not leave that rocky area to give chase which was a huge relief. The energy that it was giving off was nothing like Hao Xuan had ever experienced.


    But it was the second area that almost had him. At first nce it didn''t look ''as'' peculiar as the other spots. It looked like a forest popted by some type of ck trees. Their trunks and branches were as ck as coals while the leaves were dark red and orange, making it look like autumn.


    There was a fair bit of distance between each tree which allowed Hao Xuan to finally have some extra room to walk normally. It was only after a couple of minutes after he entered this area that he realized its ''unusualness''.


    There was nothing alive here. No bugs, insects, no wildlife of any sort. It was deathly silent. Not even the whispers could be heard here. At first, Hao Xuan enjoyed the peace and quiet very much until he saw a silhouette on the horizon.


    It was big, far too big for even the dead trees to hide it. Hao Xuan could see its shape from more than a kilometer away. Another humanoid figure with two arms and two legs. The only difference being that even though it was sitting down, it was well over a thousand meters tall.


    It sat cross-legged, hovering above the ground at a height of 50 meters.


    There was a massive hole in its chest that was filled in by the same ck tree roots that could be found all around this area. Its face resembled a crescent moon with two horns at the top while the bone-like growths on its shoulders jetted upwards. Its left arm was reaching for something in theyer of clouds above. (Reference image in authors notes)


    Some distance behind it was a MUCH smaller coffin that was opened halfway. Hao Xuan could feel and even physically see copious amounts of spiritual energy exuding from whatever object was ced inside it.


    Hao Xuan had no idea what this creature was but judging from its outward appearance alone, the only words that could describe it with some uracy were either a God, a demon, or maybe both.


    Thankfully it either didn''t notice him or didn''t care enough to do anything about it. It might have been friendly but Hao Xuan was not nning on taking any chances and going up to check what was in the coffin.


    Simply seeing it from so far away was enough to leave him rooted to the ground for a good little while.


    After that Hao Xuan decided not to enter any more strange ces like these. This ce, the ''Endless Forest'' held far more secrets than Hao Xuan ever thought possible. Each encounter left him unsure and guessing about what this ce actually was.


    What were all these bizarre phenomenons and ces?


    Hao Xuan tried his very best to avoid any and all odd encounters and go around thempletely if at all possible. The whispers of the ancient ruins had gotten much louder and increased in frequency to the point that almost every whisper was rted to them in one way or another.


    Hao Xuan jumped across a gulley andnded softly on the other side. His forehead was caked in sweat from overexertion of both mental and physical faculties.


    He didn''t even have time to take a deep breath before the sound of metal striking metal came into his ears along with some shouting and yelling from the front.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference image link: https://i.pinimg/564x/35/f1/69/35f169af038230177edb1a58973f4fca.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/HZvUM


    ____


    Sorry for thete chapter.


    I was away for thest 4 days and only got back early yesterday morning but then ended up sleeping for like 19 hours straight. Back on schedule now and this chapter is a little bigger and a bit earlier.


    Happy reading!

 Chapter 658: Mayans

    <h4>Chapter 658: Mayans</h4>


    *ng*ng*ng*


    *Aurrrrrrhhh*


    Hao Xuan reacted in a swift manner, ducking and rolling into a nearby bush for cover.


    The gulley he had just crossed was only about six meters wide but he would need a running start if he wanted to jump back over right now since he was so tired. That meant that his back was against the proverbial wall and he could not just fall back that easily if there was trouble.


    Keeping as low a profile as possible, Hao Xuan tried his best to focus all his senses to figure out what was happening around him.


    The whispers were so loud that in this ce that even though he managed to block out a few thousand of them, some of the stronger ones still managed to drill their way into his mind.


    "As long as we are together, nothing can stop us!"


    "Hahaha, we''re here! What did I say? Didn''t I tell you we would be rich?!"


    "Brother, are you okay? Can you hear me? Brother?"


    "AAAHH! No, brother! Pleasee to your senses! It''s me! It''s Su-"


    "Someone help us, please! My brother is sick! His skin, something is wrong with him!"


    "Brother! Where are you?! I- I can''t see anything! Brother, please don''t leave me behind, I beg you! I don''t like the dark!"


    "Bro...ther...ar...e...we...ther...e...ye...t...auuugh!"


    Hao Xuan could easily tell that this was one of the more recent ones. It was also quite rare in the sense that all the sentences wereing from the same person one after another, creating a coherent andprehensible series of events.


    After listening in for a few minutes he was able to distinguish between the whispers and the sounds that wereing in at this moment.


    It sounded like a fight, a group of more than a dozen individuals fighting against something, or perhaps several somethings. A little more than 20-30 meters away.


    Hao Xuan sat down cross-legged where he was and started meditating. At least half of his concentration always had to be focused on keeping the whispers out otherwise he would probably go mad, but in a ce like this where so many emotions gathered for whatever reason, he had to focus all his attention so as not to get overwhelmed.


    He used the most basic breathing technique mentioned in the Imperial ive Doctrine and tried to circte what little bit of Qi that was inside his meridians to alleviate the effects of some of the more severe whispers.


    It took him close to ten minutes to get used to this new intensity of the whispers at which point he slowly got back up on his feet.


    After checking his immediate surroundings Hao Xuan slowly moved towards the source of the noise through the shadows. But he was far too focused on the danger ahead to notice the strange imprints left behind on the spot he was just meditating on.


    At a cursory nce, a two-meter wide ring colored in by shallow spiderweb shaped cracks was etched into the ground. It was barely deep enough to be able to be perceived for what it was, and far too shallow to leave any longsting markings. In fact, a moment after Hao Xuan left it disappeared of its own ord as if it was never even there to begin with.


    Step by step Hao Xuan got closer. He was surrounded by tall bushes on all sides which provided enough cover for him to move with some level of freedom. A cold wind blew in from the front as Hao Xuan came to the edge of the forest and peered downward.


    His mouth fell open as soon as he realized what he was looking at queuing the memories of the past to flood back.


    In front of him was a copsed valley. There was only a single broken structure inside it that looked like it had been dug up halfway.


    The structure was in the shape of a polyhedron, resembling a mesoamerican pyramid from earth like the ones created by the Mayans. It was identical to the ones discovered on earth, only muchrger in size.


    Seeing it jogged Hao Xuan''s memories because that was thest significant world event of note before he was brought over to the Beast world. He remembered seeing it live with some online friends as people prayed thinking the world was going to end.


    ''I wonder if their prayers were answered...'' Hao Xuan couldn''t help but think seeing the same scenes.


    From the looks of it, only the top-front side of this pyramid was dug up and the rest of it was still buried deep underground. But it was in front of this cleared area where the noises wereing from.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed as his gaze fell on the familiar silhouettes engaged inbat not far from him.


    "Looks nice doesn''t it?" a somewhat muffled voice asked from behind, startling Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 659: The Walking Threads

    <h4>Chapter 659: The Walking Threads</h4>


    A muffled voice came from behind Hao Xuan taking him by surprise. Meanwhile a tranted sentence instantly appeared at the bottom of his vision.


    "Looks nice, doesn''t it? I was quite shocked the first time I saw it," the words read.


    Hao Xuan read them before turning slowly towards the source of the voice, his mind already connecting them to a wide face with a beard, bushy brows, and 2-3 inch long hairs that were standing straight up.


    His gazended on the Barbarian''s face that was just half a meter away from his. He was bent down, squatting down to Hao Xuan''s eye level with a slightly eager/anxious expression.


    ''Burak,'' Hao Xuan mumbled inwardly with a somber tone. Somehow after running for two hours straight he had still ended up walking directly up to the Barbarians.


    Burak and all the other barbarians had gone off somewhere when they reached their camp. Was this where they had run off to? Many of the other barbarians that went in another direction as soon as they reached the grasnd could also be seen down in the valley. (Ch 645)


    Maybe it was just meant to be.


    While Hao Xuan was busy cursing his luck, orck thereof, Burak slowly turned his head to look at him.


    His ardent expression was slowly reced by a knowing grin, "You can understand me, can''t you?"


    As Burak''s unexpected words tranted within Hao Xuan''s vision, he could not hide the astonishment which was, in turn, picked up by Burak. He let out a heartyugh.


    "Hahaha! I knew it! From the start you were never scared or looked ignorant about what we were saying. You are a good ''pretender'' to be able to even fool my sister but my eyes are much sharper," Burak proimed proudly, even exining how he found out which disheartened Hao Xuan quite a bit. He did not know for sure until Hao Xuan basically told him so himself just now.


    "Can you not speak ournguage?" curious, he asked a follow-up question.


    Hao Xuan stared into his eyes for a moment but could see nothing but pure inquisitiveness to find out more. To him, Hao Xuan was a marvel.


    Strangely enough, this grown man that was leagues stronger than Hao Xuan himself resembled a child at this very moment. There was no malice in his words or actions.


    "Baracus, trante the words "A little" for me," Hao Xuan ordered.


    Baracus tranted his words into the Barbarian''snguage that sounded in Hao Xuan''s ears which he repeated out loud with some effort.


    Burak''s face lit up as he bobbed his head up and down, "Makes sense, makes sense," he finished, leaving Hao Xuan a little confused.


    He turned back towards the fight that was taking ce in front of them in the valley.


    Hao Xuan waited for him to ask other questions like why or how he hade to this ce but judging from the look on his face, Burak could not care less about any of it. So Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and spectated the fight below.


    In the entrance of the valley there were two groups fighting against some strange-looking creatures. Both these groups were made up of the barbarians that Hao Xuan had seen before.


    Close to 15 of them were here engaged in mortalbat against utterly strange..."things". That was the only way to define them.


    At first nce they resembled humans, ordinary humans. But some of them wererger in size, although much fewer in numbers.


    If you stripped all skin, fat, and 90% of the meat from a human''s body and allowed it to rot for several weeks, this would be the result. The only difference was that the abdominal cavity of each of these walking ''corpses'' was cut open from which numerous white thread-like worms were spilling out.


    The smallest of these white worms was only a few inches in length while thergest was up to four meters long. But each one was either connected to another worm or directly to the human corpse that from the looks of it, was being controlled by the worms and being dragged around by them like puppets on a string.


    The worms and the corresponding corpses they were attached to were fighting against the barbarians. There were 6-7 of these things for each barbarian so they were greatly outnumbered but, Burak was still sitting idly next to Hao Xuan watching even more of them crawl out of the opening in the pyramid.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference image link: https://i.pinimg/564x/2d/42/cd/2d42cd49723477a9296ea691da6d02fc.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/q88A

 Chapter 660: Oh Prince...

    <h4>Chapter 660: Oh Prince...</h4>


    At first, there were only 6-7 of these things fighting against each of the Barbarians but in the time Hao Xuan had started watching them, that number had gone up to 10.


    There was a 15-meter wide hole on the side of the Pyramid from where more and more of these creatures were spilling out.


    Hao Xuan nced towards Burak who was leering at their increasing numbers. His hands that were bigger than Hao Xuan''s face moved ever so slightly every time one of the barbarians attacked.


    Just one look even from someone as inexperienced as Hao Xuan was enough for him to know that Burak was ying out the scenes in his own mind where he was fighting those creatures himself. He was practicing his own moves even when sitting next to Hao Xuan.


    One had to apud his dedication but...why didn''t he just go down and fight himself? The other barbarians would surely wee the extra set of hands.


    "CAREFUL! Don''t let them get close!" someone shouted from the entrance of the valley, prompting Hao Xuan to look down once again.


    His gaze fell on the speaker. It was a handsome looking Barbarian, the one named "Isak". (CH 645)


    Even though he had barely said a single word throughout the journey when Hao Xuan was being brought back to their camp, he seemed quite chatty now.


    He was standing at the very back of the two barbarians group, in the center on an elevated position that allowed him to have a better view of the field.


    In his hands were two curved longswords that shone with a red and brown metallic luster under the white light. They were pointed down, half embedded in the ground.


    The bottom half of his face was covered by some type of a back silk cloth that looked like it was alive. That along with the flowing ck hair and muscr physique reminded Hao Xuan of a character from a famous videogame back from earth, the Prince of Persia!


    A strangeparison to draw in such a situation but what can you do once your mind starts to wander.


    Isak was overseeing the battlefield, rying his orders in a stern voice whenever needed.


    "Keep your distance. Keep your noses and mouths covered and if you have any open wounds, fall back at once!" he shouted loudly.


    "YES!" they responded in much the same manner.


    The barbarians would cut off pieces of the threadworms but that did very little to slow their advance. As soon as the severed worms fell to the ground they would run to the nearest human corpse and assimte themselves with the worms within.


    Thankfully though they did not seem to have high intelligence. Instead of focusing their efforts towards one target they often switched in the middle of the fighting, getting distracted by the smallest of things.


    And when Isak spoke up, several of them put him in their line of sights. Half a dozen threadworm-controlled corpses started running towards him at full speed, ignoring everyone else in their path.


    Two of these corpses were the same size as the barbarians, host to tens of thousands of worms while one of them even belonged to a four-legged beast. Hao Xuan could not tell what type of beast it was when it was alive since only bones and some rotten flesh was left hanging in between the threadworms but it was BIG!


    About 13 meters to be exact. It ran on all fours while the threadworms protruded out of its back, swinging back forth creating revolting, wriggling white tentacles.


    Hao Xuan watched on with interest as they neared Isak. All the other barbarians were using some type of energy to increase their offensive power but it was nothing special. It ''felt'' a little different from the Qi that he was used to and much less...''functional'', but that was it.


    But like Princess Na''im, Burak and Onra, Isak gave off a different aura aspared to the others. It felt more suppressed as if he was holding himself back intentionally.


    Within seconds the corpses were on him, being led by the four-legged beast one. It was only when they were less than eight meters away that Isak made his move.


    He jerked both his hands, extracting the swords in one smooth motion and swinging them in an arc in front of him. With a loud ng they impacted with one another, setting themselves alight with a roaring ck me.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but widen his eyes from the shock. Maybe it was just his heightened senses but he could feel the temperature rise even from more than 200 meters away.


    But instead of swinging towards the creatures he once again thrust the swords back into the ground. The entire valley trembled for an instant.


    The four-legged creature that was less than two meters away suddenly slowed down and tried to change its direction but it was far toote. The ground in front it burst open and a pir of ck me erupted from within.

 Chapter 661: Heading in

    <h4>Chapter 661: Heading in</h4>


    The four-legged creature that roughly resembled a charging rhinoceros judging from its body shape tried its best to slow its advance but there wasn''t enough time.


    The ground in front of its skeletal face cracked and not a momentter a pir of ck me erupted forth.


    *Whooosh*


    It shot into the air, bringing with it a temperature that could evaporate iron almost instantly as it did to the creature''s face.


    If the creature was actually alive it would have probably died or at least received a life-threatening wound from this one attack. With a light pop, the entire left side of its skull had simply vanished without a trace.


    It steered its massive 13-meter long body to the side with the help of the threadworms in the hopes of avoiding the pir but barely a secondter, the ground in the direction it was headed to also cracked open.


    *Whoosh*


    *Whoosh*


    *Whoosh*


    *Whoosh*


    *Whoosh*


    In front of Isak in an area of twenty meters, dozens of me pirs erupted from the ground with much the same lethality. It all happened so quickly that none of the charging creatures had the time to react. They ran headfirst into the me pirs and got evaporated without even putting up a fight.


    Thissted for four seconds after which the pirs retracted back into the ground as if someone had turned off the stove. Isak pulled out his swords that now looked as ordinary as before while panting silently.


    The area within 180 degrees in front of him had been scorched ck, leaving nothing but a few piles of ashes from some of therger creatures.


    Hao Xuan looked at Isak''s heaving back in astonishment. That looked like magic, summoning fire at a moment''s notice with so much destructive ability. But it did note without a cost. He could tell Isak had used up at least half of whatever kind of energy he was using to summon those me pirs.


    He was noticeably weak, both physically and spiritually which was evident from his palerplexion and beads of sweat rolling down his picturesque visage.


    "Woah, nice," Hao Xuan mumbled out loud without realizing it.


    Burak threw him a pensive nce. Even though he didn''t understand what Hao Xuan said exactly, it wasn''t hard to tell that it was some sort of a remark expressing his amazement and surprise.


    "Tch, pretty but useless in real fight. Burak is much stronger!" he seemingly muttered to himself but it was just loud enough that Hao Xuan could pick up on it. For some reason, his sentence structure also became a lot simpler all of a sudden.


    But Hao Xuan pretended not to hear him and kept staring down at the battle.


    Each of the barbarians were using some sort of melee weapons to fight against the creatures. They kept a distance of at least 2 meters between themselves and the creatures, focusing all their attention on cutting off the threadworms that were spilling out of the corpses.


    Some of the barbarians, barely 2 to 4 out of the total 15 here were using a strange type of attack that caught Hao Xuan''s attention. Every now and then they would thrust out their palms and a circr shockwave would be generated that greatly affected the worms.


    Even though they would quickly go back to their host bodies, after some time even that slowed down. The creature''s movements became lethargic and the worms became sluggish to the point of not even being able to crawl as before after being cut down.


    Once they reached this stage Isak stepped forward. He had not attacked after creating the me pirs and had been using that time to recover his internal energy.


    Following his orders, the Barbarians herded the creatures together and Isak created a few ck fireballs and fired them into the nest one after another, setting them alight.


    High-pitched shrieks came from their mouths, coarsely mimicking human speech asking for help. Cries and shrieks of pain echoed in the valley for a few minutes until the mes died down, leaving mounds of ash in its wake.


    From start to finish it had taken roughly half an hour for the fight to conclude. And Hao Xuan was quite impressed by the end of it.


    One would think a group of meaty individuals like this that called themselves the "Barbarians" would be more unpredictable and adventurous during battle but these guys were far too reserved and calcting for their own frames.


    None of them broke the initial battle formations no matter how outnumbered they were and kept calm until the end.


    When it was all over they gathered near the entrance, far away from the pyramid.


    Burak reached into his shirt and pulled out a ck stone with twinkling dots on it. He stared at it for a few seconds before storing it back inside.


    He stood up with a grunt, gathering the attention from everyone below.


    "Alright, once you have recovered we will head inside. The vermin have been cleared for now and the next ones won''t appear for at least two more days."


    "Our goal this time is to find a way into the second section and mark anything new we find. If wee across any of the ''demons'' likest time, you are to retreat at once while Isak and I engage it!"

 Chapter 662: "Milk"

    <h4>Chapter 662: "Milk"</h4>


    "Do you understand?" Burak asked loudly in an authoritative tone of voice. His previous nonchnt attitude disappeared instantly when he addressed them, as did theirck of enthusiasm.


    Even though they were drained from the continuous fighting which had been going on since before Hao Xuan arrived at the scene, hearing Burak''s words they couldn''t help but be invigorated for what was toe.


    Hao Xuan on the other hand was quite confused. From what Burak had said these threadworm-controlled creatures came out in waves every few days. How and why was that possible? Where did theye from exactly? Was it only when the barbarians arrived here or did they do so regardless?


    From the sound of it, it wasn''t their first time entering the Pyramid.


    While Hao Xuan was busy thinking to himself, Burak turned around and nced at the Pug that was hiding just five meters behind Hao Xuan. He looked directly at it in one go as if he knew it was there from the start.


    He rubbed the stubby beard on his face with a pondering expression for a short moment. His lips slowly arched into a sly grin before he winked in the pug''s direction, making sure it could see him clearly.


    Back in the Barbarian camp Princess Na''im who was watching everything from thefort of her bed suddenly straightened her back, "Don''t you dare, little thing!" she hissed fiercely.


    Burak bent down and lightly patted Hao Xuan on the shoulder, sending him almost reeling into the ground by ident.


    "Ready?" he asked with a mischievous smile.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed tighter than ever before. He had Baracus quickly trante a couple of words.


    "For...what?"


    "To go in. I can''t very well leave you out here. What if someone else came and wanted to harm you? My sister will kill me if that happened," he said factitiously, taking Hao Xuan by surprise.


    Hao Xuan stared into his twinkling clear eyes and then at the pyramid''s entrance that, in the darkness, looked like the gaping maw of some long-forgotten ancient creature, ready to swallow him whole.


    The whispers suddenly intensified and a searing pain hit Hao Xuan''s right eye, making him lose focus and look away.


    "I...am okay. You guys...go ahead..." Hao Xuan waved his hand slowly which Burak ignoredpletely.


    "Great. We leave when the ''milk'' cools down!"


    Hao Xuan looked at the trantion in confusion for a couple of seconds trying his best not to scream from the pain before another line appeared from Baracus exining what it meant.


    ''It is a primitive method for measuring time.''


    ''Ah, kinda...makes sense,'' Hao Xuan nodded inwardly, pretending to take out a cigarette from inside his shirt while summoning it from the storage space and lighting it. He took a couple of deep puffs and closed his eyes to focus on keeping out the unrted whispers while listening only to the loudest ones.


    It was the same ones from before, from the same person too judging from the voice.


    "This- I...I don''t know what to say. How could a ce like this exist?"


    "It''s cursed I tell you! There is no other way to describe it, it just doesn''t make sense. "


    "Ancestors please guide us back to the entrance! I was a fool foring here!"


    "Brother you mustn''t make any noise! I know it hurts but please bear with it for now. They will hear us!"


    "Which ones are there this time?"


    "There are too many to even count. They are fighting against one another..."


    "We really shouldn''t havee here, this ce...it''s a trap! It will never allow us to leave!"


    "Brother, can you walk on your own? I am also getting tired..."


    The whispers started to be a little muddled, not following the same pattern as before. In some of the whispers it sounded like he was talking to himself, while in the others he was talking to somebody else but Hao Xuan never heard another voice in there besides his.


    Barely 10 minutes had passed when Burak grabbed the preupied Hao Xuan by the shoulder and picked him up.


    "It is time," he said firmly, "Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?" he asked with a questioning gaze.


    bbergasted, Hao Xuan first looked at him and then at the 15 other faces staring in their direction.


    "Can I...not stay...outside?" he asked in a low voice to which Burak shook his head as a matter-of-factly.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh, "I...can walk..."


    "Great!"


    A minuteter with Hao Xuan and Burak in the lead, the barbarian party entered the pyramid and vanished within its swirling ckness.


    ***


    Some 20-30 minutester, a distant bang resonated throughout this entire world, gathering the attention of all the leaders from the various tribes.


    Everyone that could hear it ran outside and in the night sky saw a zing red ball of me fall down from the upper atmosphere followed by half a dozen others within the next few minutes.

 Chapter 663: Belief

    <h4>Chapter 663: Belief</h4>


    Everyone that could hear it ran outside and in the night sky saw a zing red ball of me fall down from the upper atmosphere, followed by half a dozen others within the next few minutes.


    This continued for the next half an hour. Various fireballs woulde down from the sky but they all disappeared a few hundred meters above the Endless Forest.


    Some 40 kilometres away from the vige where all the tribes had gathered was one of the human encampments belonging to the secondrgest human tribe.


    The camp that was usually filled with the chatter of dozens of servants and the many visitorsing to pay respect to the tribe leader was nketed in an eerie silence. Not a single sound of any kind could be heard here. Even a graveyard would be more cheerful whenpared to this ce.


    Eurig the Viper stood outside a grand tent followed by 2 other youngsters, one male, and one female. These were the older generation of the other human tribes that had joined hands with him and already managed to exchange their old decaying bodies for new ones. They were all staring at the sky.


    While the others around him seemed at a loss for words seeing the balls of fire, he was quite calm.


    ''They''ve already found it. I thought it would take a few more weeks,'' he said inwardly with a hint of indignation.


    A soft flurry of footsteps came from inside the tent and four old men and one old woman walked out. Their clothes were covered in bloodstains, none of which was their own.


    They stopped behind Eurig, their expressions varying between indifference and viciousness.


    The old man with the burn marks on his face walked forward, his gaze fixated on the fireballs, "It''s done," he said icily.


    There was a cleaver in his left hand and a severed head in the right one. The head belonged to a male in his mid-forties from the looks of it. The expression of shock and disbelief was still apparent on his face even after death.


    Eurig turned his head halfway, peering towards the severed head with a mixture of emotions.


    "You know you didn''t HAVE to do this. There were other ways to take care of him."


    The old man smirked, "It makes no difference. He lived a great life just because he was born as my son. I don''t owe him anything else."


    Eurig let out a deep sigh and looked back towards the fireballs.


    "I hope you left one of them alive at least. You will need a direct descendent with a pure bloodline for this to work," he reminded.


    The old man nodded, "My youngest grandson. He is of appropriate age."


    "Good. You have proven yourself. Bring him to me and get yourself ready. I need to get some ''ingredients'' for the ritual. Once I have everything, we can begin."


    ***


    A hundred meters or so behind the demihuman encampment was a small waterfall about 20 meters in length. A few streamlets of water joined together at the top and converged just before dropping down onto the rocks below, creating a thick mist that covered everything for a few dozen meters.


    The Grand Priestess was sitting near the bottom. Her legs dangling in the murky water whose bottom could not be seen. A few suspiciouslyrge silhouettes belonging to some sort of oversized aquatic creatures could be seen swimming up and down the waterfall that was far too small to amodate even a single one of them, yet here it was.


    Fins and tentacles woulde up every now and then but never the whole body.


    The Grand Priestess was looking up at the sky while casually smoking her pipe, without a concern for what was happening outside. The sound of footsteps came from behind her and a dainty silhouette walked through the mist, stopping right beside her.


    It belonged to a female, much more petite than either of her own granddaughters. She had long ck her and a small oval face. With a height of little over 1.6 meters long and such paleplexion, she looked like a walking doll.


    She leaned over and saw the silhouettes in the water, promptly shaking her head.


    "No matter how many times I see it, its still way too scary. How do you know they won''t hurt you?" she spoke up, her voice sounding a little too mature for her short frame.


    The Grand Priestess smiled, "I don''t. I just believe they won''t."


    The girl shook her head dejectedly, "I wish I had that much trust in anything..."


    The Grand Priestess couldn''t help butugh out loud, "Haha, you silly child. I told you before not to take life so seriously. Whatever problem you have, it will all be okay."


    The girl didn''t say anything and just stared into the water in silence from a safe distance.


    A few secondster when the fireballs stopped appearing the Grand Priestess spoke up again, "Your people are here it looks like. Did you call them?"


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Sorry for thete chapter.


    WN was down for almost the whole day for many non-exclusive writers, that''s why it took a while.

 Chapter 664: "Young Chick"

    <h4>Chapter 664: "Young Chick"</h4>


    The Grand Priestess took another puff from the pipe, "It looks like your friends are here. Did Lady Jiang call them?" she asked formally.


    ''Lady Jiang'' was taken aback by the sudden change in her voice but she didn''t let it show. Instead she tilted her head sideways in confusion, "Friends? I don''t have any here. And I didn''t call those people just like I promised. Doesn''t grandma remember?"


    With a doe-eyed look, she peered towards the Grand Priestess with a questioning gaze. She seemed genuinely confused.


    The Grand Priestess met her piercing gaze that was oozing with youthful innocence and couldn''t help but let out a deep,menting sigh.


    "Child, how many times have I told you to hide your emotions better? Huh?" she said finally giving up the pretenses.


    Lady Jiang stuck out her tongue mischievously, "Peeeh! Don''t wanna! Mother always said I should never lie, especially to people I know. And hiding one''s emotions is also considered lying!"


    "Tsk tsk tsk, that''s why you got kicked out of your own house," the Grand Priestess emptied the ash from the smoking pipe into the water below her. The water''s surface sshed as dozens of sharp mouths jumped out and swallowed the ash before it could even touch the water.


    Lady Jiang, on the other hand, had be quite sullen upon hearing thement. With a lowered head she nodded once, "You''re right...I...don''t even have a home anymore..."


    The Grand Priestess saw her bleak and depressing aura and couldn''t help but get a little angry. She stood up and walked over to Lady Jiang, lightly tapping the smoke pipe on her head.


    "This kid, one day your innocence is going tond you in trouble. If only you weren''t so honest I would have done away with you a long time ago."


    Teary-eyed, Lady Jiang rubbed the aching spot on her head, "Grandma..."


    The Grand Priestess harumphed, "Hmph, that won''t work on me again! And I told you not to call me that. The two granddaughters that I already have are far too much trouble, I don''t need another one!"


    Lady Jiang grinned and lept forward, hugging the Grand Priestess''s arm, "But if I had a grandma I think she would have been just like you! Hehehe."


    The Grand Priestess made a few futile attempts to push her away before giving up. She waved her hand.


    "Hah, I give up. Go, go with Inara and Helena. Help them find the person who came with the storm, I have tomune with the spirits. There are more and more disturbances every day now," she said woefully.


    Lady Jiang released her arm and jumped back, "Grandma, don''t be sad, okay? I won''t let anything happen to you guys!" she finished before swiftly skipping her way out of the mist.


    The Grand Priestess saw her silhouette vanish from view. She shook her head slowly while muttering under her breath, "Foolish child. You should be worried about yourself more than anyone else. The young chick has found you already."


    ***


    A few thousand kilometres away, somewhere deep within the Endless Forest, stood a young man.


    He was surrounded by hundreds of burnt carcasses of numerous spirit beasts. Some of them were smaller than a meter while many wererger than 4 meters.


    Thest living spirit beast stood in front of him. It was a huge monkey with lush green fur, more than 7 meters tall.


    In its hand was a weapon that looked like a wooden club more than five meters long. Numerous engravings and drawings covered its handle. Some of the drawings were glowing with bright yellow lights, depicting various scenes.


    If Hao Xuan was here he would instantly recognize them as words of power. More than 10 of them were on this club that was being wielded by this monkey spirit beast.


    There was a huge purple jewel embedded on the Monkey King''s forehead, pulsating with a dazzling light. Most of the fur on its arms and legs was gone, exposing pulsing muscles.


    ck burn marks lined the entire length of its upper body, revealing the red flesh underneath. It was baring its teeth at the young man in front of it that looked like an ant in front of its oversized body, yet it was the monkey king that was shivering in fear.


    *GROOOWL*


    *EEK*EEK*EEK*


    It shrieked repeatedly, letting out heartwrenching growls before smashing the wooden club on the ground in front of it over and over again.


    Booming explosions resonated in the surroundings with each strike and the ground shook, threatening to give way under the stupendous force.

 Chapter 665: The Last Guardian

    <h4>Chapter 665: The Last Guardian</h4>


    The Monkey King raised the gigantic wooden club into the air as more than ten different words of power light up in session before bringing it down onto the ground.


    *BOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOM*


    Each strike connected with the ground one after the other without pausing. The earth shook and then cracked, bursting at the seams from where the clubnded. The deadly force behind each of the strikes was at least equivalent to that of several megatons, creating discernable shockwaves. (Energy behind 1 Megaton= 1 Million tons of TNT)


    The entire area within fifty kilometers of them resembled a post-apocalyptic wastnd. No single spot ofnd was left in one piece. Everything was turned to smithereens including all the creatures that were too slow to make it out of the area of effect.


    Those that were lucky died at the very beginning. But some of the stronger ones that managed to survive the initial shockwave were rendered helpless and then buried alive under the constantly stirring masses of earth.


    Shockwaves that were strong enough to turn a normal Spirit Realm cultivator into a puddle of blood and guts shot towards the young man but as soon as they got within three meters of him, a red-colored barrier resembling an egg made of liquid fire appeared around him and stopped everything in its tracks.


    Or rather, it would more appropriate to say that it ''burned'' everything before it could even touch the young man''s sleeve. Whether it was the intense energy shockwaves, the stomach-churning screeches, or the rocks, trees, and the other debris flying towards him, everything simply evaporated uponing into contact with the me undting ming barrier.


    The young man silently watched the monkey king turn the world upside down without making a move. His devilishly handsome visage reflected in the shimmering blue and red mes, inplete contrast to the ''vicious'' glimpses of the monkey king.


    Inside the egg-shaped barrier, it was deathly silent. Not even the sound of his own breath could be heard here. Unperturbed and unfazed by what was happening outside the barrier, he continued to watch the Monkey Kingy waste to every living thing.


    By the time he came to a stop, it looked like someone had taken a giant rake and leveled the area within 50-70 kilometers of them. The only spot left untouched was the three-meter area still within the barrier.


    The Monkey King''s body became smaller, from the previous 7 meters to just over 5 now. The purple jewel embedded within his forehead had shrunk to half its size as well. His chest heaved up and down as he stared daggers at the young man.


    When he was sure the Monkey King would not use that attack again, the young man waved his hand and the barrier cracked and disappeared.


    "Are you done?" he asked emotionlessly.


    The Monkey King''s expression became even more livid, as if that was even possible.


    *Eeek*Eek*Eek*


    He screeched while swinging the club back and forth with some effort.


    The young man shook his head once, "The weak eat the strong. It is our one and onlyw. How can you be so angry over something like that?"


    The Monkey King pointed towards a three-meter long charred corpse behind the young man and screeched again. The young man turned around to see what he was pointing at, his brow knitting tightly upon seeing the corpse.


    "Your child? You are mad because I killed your child?" he confirmed.


    The Monkey King grit his serrated teeth with such force that it could be heard from hundreds of meters away.


    *Eek*Eeek*


    The young man suddenly burst intoughter as if he had heard something ridiculous.


    "You...want ME to pensate'' you? YOU? A mongrel with a decayed bloodline dares order me around? I truly have seen everything! Hahaha!"


    The Monkey King raised the club once again, this time with both his hands. Close to fifteen words of power lit up along its length, brimming with deadly energy. But before he could bring it down he noticed that the young man had disappeared from his previous spot.


    He started looking around until he noticed the surroundings bing brighter, at which point he raised his head.


    The young man was floating some 40 meters above him. When he saw the Monkey King looking in his direction he snorted, "Yes, this is how it should be. You should be looking up at me...in yourst moments."


    He opened both his arms while closing his eyes, mumbling under his breath, "Blood Arts: The me of Rebirth!"


    And for an instant, just a hundredth of a second, the Monkey King saw a transparent silhouette epassing the young man. It was of a bird,pletely red in color. A crest of golden feathers adorned its mighty head exuding a seven-colored light. It looked in his direction and opened its beak.


    An ear-piercing cry resonated within the Monkey King''s mind before his vision was overtaken by the color red.


    *WHOOOOSH*


    The Monkey King''s entire body burst into mes from just a momentary nce at the bird''s silhouette. He didn''t even have time to cry out before all that was left him was a small pile of white ash.


    The young mannded, walked up to the pile and took out the purple jewel that was still undamaged.


    The sounds of ruffling clothes came from behind him and two silhouettesnded a momentter. One of them was a youngdy with blue hair, and the other was someone quite familiar to Hao Xuan, Henrik Biric.


    They bowed lightly from the waist in unison, "Lord Third Guardian!"

 Chapter 666: Trace amounts

    <h4>Chapter 666: Trace amounts</h4>


    "Lord Third Guardian!"


    The young man was staring at the purple jewel in his hand and didn''t even bother turning around.


    His short ck hair moved with a gust of wind exposing a pair of crystal eyes that shone with their own light in the dark of the night. His pupils were twice the size of what an ordinary human''s should be.


    Perhaps it was this way topensate for the crimson pattern within the pupils, the rotating spiral pattern that was the source of the carmine light.


    He waved his hand and the jewel disappeared, seemingly stored away in some sort of spatial device even though one could not be seen on his person. He then closed his eyes for a short moment before opening them again. The spiral pattern had disappeared.


    "What do you want?" he asked ndly, without a hint of emotion.


    The blue-haired girl bowed again as a show of unweed respect, "We have found a settlement nearby. They seem to be mostly human. Should we make contact?"


    The young man turned around to peer in their direction for a moment before lightly tapping on the ground.


    A loud whooshing sound came from behind him and he shot up into the air with a pair of dark red avian wings.


    "Do whatever you want. Do not bother me again," his words echoed in their mind but before either of them could say anything else the wings pped once and he was hundreds of meters away. And with another p, hepletely disappeared from their sights.


    The blue-haired girl obviously didn''t expect that and was left standing with her hand outstretched. All she could do was dumbly stare in the direction he had gone off to.


    While Henrik couldn''t be less fazed. He moved the lock of hair behind his ears and turned around to walk back in the direction they hade from.


    "Told you, Ms. ''We need somebody in charge''. Made me run for no reason," his words woke the blue-haired girl from her stupor. She turned around as well and followed after him with light steps.


    "But he is the third guardian, we are supposed to-"


    "Forget what you''re supposed to do. We are so far away from walking city that even if we wanted to there was no way to go back. We can''t even get in touch with them until Lord Dai Zhies down here himself, but that won''t be anytime soon."


    "But still-"


    "Argh, I should have never brought you with us," Henrik cut her off again. He seemed unusually annoyed with her for whatever reason and she knew it as well.


    She stopped in her tracks. Her brows knit together as she picked up a stone and threw it at Henrik''s unsuspecting head.


    *Thonk*


    "OUCH! What the hell?!" he turned around with clenched fists but upon seeing her expression that basically screamed ''Go ahead, try it'', Ryfon''s face shed past his eyes making him shudder.


    She knew Henrik would never do anything to her because Ryfon would break him in half if anything happened to her.


    Henrik took a deep breath to calm his thumping heart and swallowed the desire to punch her face in, "Ms. Gong Yun, please mind your manners. Just because you are close to my cousin does not mean you can do whatever you want."


    Gong Yun shed a smile and skipped towards him, hugging his arm lovingly and letting it rest in between her chest. Even if Gong Yun was only 18 years old right now, her figure was ''developed'' enough to bring shame to many mature women.


    "I would never dare. I don''t know what came over me just now," she said coquettishly.


    Maybe that was one of the reasons why Ryfon enjoyed herpany so much but Henrik didn''t seem as interested. Not to mention if it was just apetition of looks, he had her beat by a mile, but that was also true for 90% of the other females.


    ***


    Back inside the Pyramid the Barbarians had been making excellent progress. They had been moving for close to 40 minutes now and had crossed numerous interconnected halls and strange, mostly empty chambers littered with various organic waste materials.


    They dide across a couple of threadworm-controlled creatures but other than that it had mostly been silent.


    Hao Xuan and Burak had moved to the back of the party once again while Isak led the charge. Hao Xuan looked left and right at his surroundings while his eyes shimmered with a blue light due to the nanites that had been scanning and recording everything for Baracus.


    "Trace amounts of ether crystals found within the engravings. The whispers were right yet again," Baracus''s voice came into Hao Xuan''s ears.

 Chapter 667: Ruminate

    <h4>Chapter 667: Ruminate</h4>


    ''Trace amounts of Ether Crystals found. The whispers were right yet again.''


    Hao Xuan looked to his left at the wall beside him. It had inch deep horizontal tracks of various widths going across from one end to the other, connecting every single hallway and room.


    There were traces of dark-purple colored crystals along the length of the tracks, most of which had either been taken out by force or fallen out due to natural wear and tear.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and let his spiritual sense wander around him. Whenever it came into contact with such crystals it would simply disappear, as if it never belonged to him to begin with.


    ''What exactly are ether crystals?'' Hao Xuan inquired.


    A short video popped on the top left of his vision. It was showing an asteroid field somewhere in deep space. The camera zoomed in on one of therger asteroids that had dark blue crystals all along its sides.


    "These are Ether Crystals. They are only found within the deep space where there are no other celestial objects within 300 light-years to-"


    While Baracus was exining what Ether Crystals were, where they were found and how they were harvested and for what purpose, Hao Xuan''s attention was focused on the thing that was in the background of the asteroid field.


    Arge, cylindrical scally body could be seen slowly shing in and out of existence, as if it was dematerializing over and over again while moving through the asteroid field, providing quite a horrific backdrop to an otherwise ethereal scene. But just when it was about to reach open space the video cut off, waking Hao Xuan from his daze.


    He had goosebumps all over his body just from looking at the video of whatever that creature was. For some reason he felt like it was able to see him as well, which was obviously impossible.


    Hao Xuan cleared his throat, recalling Baracus''s words and reiterating everything, ''So to summarize, Ether Crystals are an extremely rare type of re-usable spirit stone, yes? They can gather and store spiritual energy, spiritual sense, and some of the more refined ones can even hold souls, as long as they are not too powerful.''


    ''Precisely. Those are some of the basic uses, among others.''


    ''But...when you say rare, how rare are they exactly?''


    ''Given there is an asteroid field that fulfills all other conditions, only 1 out of 30,000 asteroids would have Ether Crystals growing on them. But the main issue is not of their rarity, rather the method of locating and harvesting them.''


    ''Since they absorb all spiritual senses and the standard techniques of identifying resources do not work them, only an in-person inspection would bear any fruitful results. They also absorb almost every type of energy which means you would have to go to them yourself and harvest the crystals using traditional, physical means.''


    ''So I would have to walk out there, in the vacuum without any cover, and use my hands to gather them?''


    ''Affirmative.''


    ''But then....isn''t this a bit too much?''


    The Barbarian party had been sprinting for well over three-quarters of an hour now. Even though they slowed their pace in case of any unexpected events, they had still covered several kilometers long hallways, all of which were lined with the same tracks that at one point should have all been filled with these Ether Crystals.


    That alone was worth several hundred tonnes. How long would it have taken to gather all of it? But rather than the excessive use of crystals, Hao Xuan was more concerned with their usage. Why line the walls with them like this?


    While he was busy ruminating all the possible reasons, the Barbarians slowed down even more and came to a quick stop in front of a closed door. Hao Xuan was not paying attention so he ran headfirst into Burak''s back, hurting himself in the process.


    ''Ouch, what the fuck is this guy made off?!'' Hao Xuan rubbed his forehead cursing the wall of meat in front of him but Burak didn''t even register anything happening.


    Right now the previously cool and collected attitude that Burak usually put up was reced by a pensive mood that was shared by everyone present. Even Isak who appeared to be unfazed by most things seemed a little somber.


    They were all staring at the 10-meter long and 4-meter wide sliding door blocking their path. It was made of some kind of metal that was bronze in color. Its gleaming exterior perfectly reflected the lighting off of the handful of torches that the Barbarians had carried in.


    The door''s surface was covered in various scratches and dents probably left behind by past encounters.


    While the other Barbarians were taking their time to recover their strengths and energies once again, Hao Xuan walked up to the door and examined it carefully.


    Burak walked up behind him as well, running his fingers through the three giant w marks in the dead center of the door.


    Authors Notes:


    I is sick fam, sorry for thete chapter. Took some medicine and passed out.


    Edit 2: FINALLY! Finished the god damned privileged chapters (almost) which you can read on the app I think. I''m so sorry it took so long, WN didn''t give a single notification before turning them on and I was already sick so it took way longer than it should have, sorry again :(

 Chapter 668: Touch?

    <h4>Chapter 668: Touch?</h4>


    Burak walked up from behind, running his fingers through the three giant w marks in the dead center of the door.


    "Are you ready, human?" Burak asked while his own mind wandered through the past memories.


    Hao Xuan shrugged, "Ready for...what? You...didn''t tell me....what was...in...here..."


    He was still having Baracus trante for him in real-time so it always took a little while to respond.


    The only source of light in this ce were the weird looking torches the barbarians brought with them. They had some type of spotted leather covering the top which burned with a bright yellow me that didn''t get put out no matter how fast their movements were.


    Burak raised his torch into the air and with his chin gestured towards the w marks in the door.


    "Can you feel it?" he asked while taking a step back.


    Hao Xuan frowned slightly before moving closer to inspect them in a little more detail. These three marks were approximately 80 centimeters long and 10 centimeters deep. They were sharp enough to cut into the metal door without much effort judging from the smoothness of the marks.


    *Beep*


    A notification popped up from Baracus.


    ''Anomalous object found.''


    ''Would you like to see a reverse-engineered 3D model?''


    ''Huh?'' Hao Xuan was about to say yes but his right hand had already reached out and was about to touch the marks.


    Burak who was watching from the side narrowed his eyes as if he was about to see something interesting, and for good reason.


    The moment Hao Xuan''s hand came into contact with the marks his vision went nk.


    "What the fuck!"


    He jumped back from the shock but the world around him was already thrown into darkness. He moved his hands left and right and felt a grip around his arm followed by a voice in his head, it belonged to Burak.


    ''Calm!'' he heard even though Hao Xuan couldn''t see Burak at all. His body was still there but his mind was somewhere else.


    *Rueuuuuuuk*


    A strange noise came from where his mouth should have been. Hao Xuan''s heart jumped as he looked down but could only see two long white forelimbs. It looked like they belonged to him, as did the previous voice.


    The limbs moved forward, passing through the open gate. Somewhere ahead in the distance two light orbs could be seening towards it. One was dark blue and the other golden.


    ''What the hell is going on? Am I...seeing a memory?'' his mind quickly connected the dots. This was the most probable exnation.


    Soon as the creature stepped through the door it closed behind it with a loud thud.


    *RUUUUUUUUU*


    It turned around and swung its three-pronged tail, creating the marks in the middle of the door. It came closer and Hao Xuan finally saw its hideous ck and white image being reflected in the chrome metal door.


    Its eye-less serpentine face with two rows of needle-like teeth stared back at him, a blue liquid dripping down its open maw that was at least half a meter wide.


    It hissed at the door not being to understand why this happened. Hao Xuan realized that he was seeing things from its perspective and from the looks of it, it was basically blind.


    Vibrations carried over through the ground, getting its attention. It turned around to see that the two light orbs were almost on it. With no other choice, its rubbery skin shook a few times and itpletely disappeared from view.


    *Bzzt*


    A sharp pain went down Hao Xuan''s spine as he returned to his body. He saw Burak holding his arm and many of the other barbarians staring in his direction, trying to suppress their contemptuousughter.


    "Let...go," Hao Xuan pulled his arm away from Burak''s grasp who didn''t mind in the least. Instead, he lowered his head and stared into Hao Xuan''s eyes curiously.


    "Did you see it? The demon?" he asked in a low whisper that only Hao Xuan was able to hear.


    Upon hearing the certainty in his voice Hao Xuan could not help but get a little angry.


    "You...knew? This would...happen?"


    Burak did it on purpose. But why? To test him?


    Satisfied by Hao Xuan''s expression, Burak straightened his back. He moved the torch to another spot on the door. There was a 5-6 inch thick bulge on this section that looked like something had punched or kicked the door from the other side, more than once.


    He looked at Hao Xuan with a sheepish smile, "Touch?"


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference image link: https://i.pinimg/564x/98/b4/ea/98b4ea3368e78cfbd88fc9a138b30228.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/u3FPj

 Chapter 669: Jarek

    <h4>Chapter 669: Jarek</h4>


    The urge tond a roundhouse kick on Burak''s face almost drowned Hao Xuan''s mind but he managed to keep his cool at the very end.


    Instead, he looked away after forcefully shaking his head, "No...no touch...ya cunt," he mumbled thest words in English so as not to be an idental casualty in this foreign ce.


    Burakughed merrily as if he was expecting it. He was far too rxed whenpared to the others which angered Hao Xuan even more.


    Hao Xuan moved around and examined some of the other marks and indentations left in the door. He carefully touched some of the smaller ones before letting out a breath of relief.


    ''I have to be more careful. It would be a huge problem if I started seeing these memories in the middle of a fight. And I don''t know why some of these are showing me things while others are not.''


    ''Plus, the creature that left those marks in the door might still be around. The feeling I got from it was one of anxiousness and dry appetite. Like a kid trying to find his way back home on an empty stomach. I better start cultivating again unless I want to be its lunch...''


    Hao Xuan was hoping to have a few hours or even a few days to himself so he could focus on figuring out what happened to his cultivation and recovering some Qi but from the looks of things that would be not happening anytime soon.


    He nced towards Burak who had moved to a corner and wasying on his side as if he was in his own living room.


    "Are we...not going?" Hao Xuan asked confusedly. What were they waiting for?


    Burak thrust his pinky finger inside his nostril and dug out a sizable booger, "When door opens," he saidzily while throwing the booger in his mouth and chewing it quite loudly.


    Hao Xuan felt his left eye twitch. He wanted to punch Burak so badly that it took every fiber of his being to keep him from doing as his heart desired. He looked away with a disgusted expression and moved to the other side of the hallway.


    ''Baracus, can you tell if there is a control panel nearby? Or someway to open the door?''


    *Beep*


    ''Follow the ether tracks on the walls. They should lead you to one.''


    Hao Xuan looked at the wall beside him and found the tracks hidden behind some sort of a fleshy web-like material. It was ck and grey in color, covering most of the tracks in thest few hallways that they had crossed to get to this point.


    When a portion of it was pulled off to reveal the tracks underneath, a thick inky liquid spilled out onto the floor in heaps.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed upon seeing therge amount. It was hard to tell in the darkness but it looked like there was something moving inside it.


    He tore a piece from his shirt and dipped it in the liquid. It was absorbed instantly even though his shirt was supposed to be ''water-proof''.


    The same webbed/veiny patterns appeared on the cloth and it started spreading outwards from the initial point of contact. Hao Xuan quickly threw it away before it coulde into contact with his skin.


    ''What the hell is this thing? Baracus, can you identify it?''


    ''Analyzing...''


    Hao Xuan was so busy talking to Buracas that he didn''t notice a small portion of the liquid that had umted on the ground had disappeared. It was moving by itself, flowing along the wall towards a nearby mediating Barbarian.


    Nobody, not even the Barbarian himself noticed when the liquid came into contact with his clothes and inconspicuously seeped into the hard leather. It flowed up his body until it reached his head at which point it attached itself to the nape of his neck.


    The Barbarian''s eyes suddenly jerked open but the rest of his body didn''t move an inch. His eyes swiveled left and right towards the other barbarians in hopes of finding somebody that was looking in his direction but to his dismay, they were all busy doing their own things.


    Thick worm-like ckened veins started spreading from his spine towards the rest of his body. He tried to resist but the more internal energy he directed towards this ''corruption'' the faster it spread, like using petrol to put out a fire.

 Chapter 670: Jarek Continued

    <h4>Chapter 670: Jarek Continued</h4>


    Thick worm-like ckened veins started spreading from his spine towards the rest of his body. He tried to resist but the more internal energy he directed towards this ''corruption'' of the flesh, the faster it spread.


    In less than ten seconds the ck webbing had spread to every part of his body. It covered even his face stopping only when his eyes were thest things left unscathed.


    At this point, with a soft crack, his head abruptly spun to the side. The sound was loud enough to be heard by Isak who was sitting nearby.


    He looked in his direction.


    "Jarek, what''s wrong?"


    Jarek''s head was facing the other way so Isak could not see what was happening to him. His body convulsed as if he was having trouble breathing which made Isak a little more attentive.


    "Jarek, are you okay?" he asked a second time.


    His other hand was already around one of the twin swords. Burak and Hao Xuan who were the only ones still up and about turned their attention towards them as well.


    For a moment it was dead silent in the hallway. No one even bothered breathing aloud.


    Jarek, who all three of them were looking at, slowly turned back around. His movements seemed robotic like he was not yet used to his body. He looked towards Isak, meeting his questioning gaze. He appearedpletely normal now.


    "Hmm," he nodded slowly.


    Isak released the grip around the de and rxed a smidgen, but still didn''t look away.


    "Rest now. The door will open soon."


    "Hmm," Jarek nodded deeply...


    Burak stared at him for a couple more seconds before going back to fishing in his nose while Hao Xuan resumed conversing with Baracus. When Isak finally looked away, Jarek''s eyes rolled back into the sockets a total of two times each before returning to normal.


    He leaned back and closed his eyes like nothing happened, while no one else was the wiser.


    *Beep*


    ''Molecr Analysis: Iplete. Data Corruption.''


    ''You will have toe into physical contact or ingest a portion of it for the nanites to analyze it properly. Warning: These actions are not rmended.''


    ''No shit, I''m not eating it dumbass.''


    Hao Xuan picked up a torch and burned the piece of cloth that had taken a life of its own. It was convulsing, jumping left and right trying to get away.


    He then followed the tracks until they ended next to the door. There was a small ss screen that was covered by the same webbings.


    This time Hao Xuan didn''t try to clear it out like before but used the torch to just burn every bit of it away. It didn''t make any noise or strange movements and simply evaporated in a cloud of white smoke.


    When the console was all cleared up, Hao Xuan tapped on the cracked ss. It was cold to the touch, extremely cold. He kept pushing and swiping left and right but there was no response.


    *Beep*


    ''The disy is broken. ce your left hand over the console,'' Baracus informed.


    Hao Xuan did as advised. He could feel a thin interconnected stream of nanites moving from his shoulder side through the arm and to the hand.


    ''I guess Chaos Qi really does interfere with them huh.''


    Unlike before when all the nanites could ''talk'' to each other as long as they were inside Hao Xuan''s body, now they needed to be physically connected to one another to transmit any data which greatly effected their efficiency and normal usage as before.


    A couple of secondster Hao Xuan''s vision shed and a blue window popped up in front of his eyes.


    It showed a 3D structure, or rather a portion of it. The pyramid was divided into four parts and they were in the outermost one.


    There were two more sections after this one and a fourth core that was at the very bottom of the pyramid in the dead center. But most of the areas around it were cked out, leaving a handful of them still lit up.


    ''What do the cked-out ones mean?''


    ''No power.''


    The section they were in was cked out as well.


    ''Can you open the door?''


    ''Negative. There.is.no.power,'' Baracus enunciated each and every word.


    ''But then how will it openter? Even in the memory I saw it open and close by itself.''


    ''One moment...''


    The 3D images alternated between different perspectives and sections along with a bunch of numbers and letters that shed past Hao Xuan''s eyes continuously, none of which he understood.

 Chapter 671: The Webway

    <h4>Chapter 671: ''The Webway''</h4>


    The 3D images alternated between different perspectives and sections along with a bunch of numbers and letters that shed past Hao Xuan''s eyes continuously, none of which he understood or recognized.


    Hao Xuan could feel the nanites heating up within his bloodstream. He didn''t know whether that was due to the overflow of information or something else but it was a little worrying nheless.


    A few secondster everything stopped altogether and the 3D image stabilized, returning back to where he was in the structure followed by Baracus''s robotic voice.


    ''I have discovered two significant details from a cursory analysis of the facility''s support system.''


    ''1. Most of the facility is under lockdown but there is an unknown power source located near the structure''s core. It sends out a pulse every eight hours that inverts power switches, opening the previously closed doors and closing the opened ones.''


    ''2. There seems to be an ''unusual'' defensive initiative that has been activated due to several ''containment breaches'' within one of the facility''s scheduled events. It causes the facility to periodically change pathways leading to and from the affected areas.''


    Hao Xuan understood the first part with rtive ease but the second one only confused him the longer he listened to it.


    ''What does that mean exactly? For me, that will be moving around in there, what should I expect?''


    ''That means the second and third inner areas of the facility are like a maze. The pathways within those sections will constantly shift as a way to keep the breaches contained.''


    ''Just in the second area alone there are more than 58,000 dead-ends or those that lead to previously breached and unsafe locations.''


    ''Really now...'' Hao Xuan''s brain suddenly jump started and came up with numerous ideas within seconds. ''Do you know what exactly they were trying to keep contained?''


    ''Negative. That information is not avable on the mainframe. Only a codename rted to the project was referenced on two asions.''


    ''...And? What is the codename?'' Hao Xuan urged when Baracus did not speak up again.


    ''The Celestial Webway. The records contain a short passage rted to this project. Would you like to hear it?''


    ''Yeah yeah, go ahead!''


    Hao Xuan''s vision shed and a row of foreign symbols appeared in front of him. It was an unknownnguage.


    ''Warning: It is written in Ancient Sumerian. It is one of the many lostnguages from the Archaic Eras. My records only contain the most basic characters so the trantion might not be entirely urate. The passages read:''


    "It has been many eons since I parted with the temple. My body continues to decay and my mind does not cease to wander the outer reaches of what was once deemed possible. I know what ising but I am now not sure if I have the strength to do it.


    I always knew it was going to be this way but standing face to face with it, with an end I did not expect, what can I do? My only wish is toplete my life''s work before the timees.


    His words still continue to hound me, that stranger that came to me in my youth and saved me. If not for him I would have ended up like the rest of my family, dead on an unknown, helpless and weak. He taught me so much yet I did not even know his name.


    Who was he? Why did he save me? He always seemed so troubled and saddened whenever he saw me. I still remember when he first mentioned the idea in passing but it became my life''s purpose in an instant. I wanted him to be proud of me, that I aplished something no one had ever deemed possible.


    I wish I could see him onest time and show him the progress I have made. To show him that I made something out of this life. I will wait as long as my form holds. Even though you hated being called that, I hope you will allow me to say it once, my most beloved of masters."


    By the time Baracus finished reading the passages Hao Xuan''s previous enthusiasm was all but gone. He felt a little sad for some reason. This was obviously not meant for him but his heart couldn''t help but pity whoever wrote it.


    But the situation did not allow him to waste any more time.


    ''Baracus, will you be able to tell which pathway is the correct one and guide me safely?''

 Chapter 672: Stepping through

    <h4>Chapter 672: Stepping through</h4>


    ''Baracus, will you be able to tell which pathway is the correct one and guide me through it safely?''


    ''Affirmative. As long as there is a panel nearby, I can ess the internal support system and find the shortest and safest route.''


    ''Then I can use it to ditch these guys and finally be free,'' Hao Xuan secretly concluded. Burak and the other Barbarians hadn''t harmed him in any way but he wasn''t going to stick around till the end to find out what their true intentions were.


    He directed his attention back towards the situation at hand, ''Alright, so is there a way to open the door any sooner?''


    ''I can try to do a manual override. After that it can be opened by force. Would you like me to proceed?''


    ''Sure, do it now.''


    As soon as Hao Xuan gave the order a muffled ng came from either side of the door. Woken by the sound, Burak and Isak both looked towards it and saw Hao Xuan who was standing in front of the console.


    Hao Xuan turned to meet their inquisitive gazes.


    "Pull... a little bit....and it should...open now," he gestured towards the door and stepped back.


    Burak stood up and walked over, ncing at the door and then Hao Xuan with narrowed eyes.


    "What did you do, sneaky human?"


    Hao Xuan shrugged and looked away pretending to stare at something on the wall beside him. Still suspicious, Burak reached out and carefully ced his meaty fingers in the center of the door before pulling.


    At first nothing happened. But he continued to apply more and more strength until with a loud grinding sound it moved just an inch.


    *Whoosh*


    A puff of musty air leaked from the crack forcing Hao Xuan to cover his nose. It smelled like a mixture of old clothes and disinfectant that on their own weren''t overly foul-smelling but together they made for quite a rancid odor that went straight into one''s brain.


    And not a momentter a new wave of whispers crashed against Hao Xuan''s mind. These were even louder and absolutely incoherent, a word here, a broken scream there. Hao Xuan couldn''t understand a single thing. He was forced into diverting a majority of his focus on keeping them out of his mind.


    Isak jumped up to his feet and walked over with wide strides to help. He grabbed the other side and pulled, increasing the crack to half a meter. When Burak tried to let go of the door, it threatened to close again.


    ''Is there a spring or something behind the doors?''


    *Beep*


    ''Until the power turns on and inverts the switches, the resting position of the doors will not change.''


    ''But doesn''t that mean I won''t be able to open any doors by myself?''


    ''For now. Once you regain some Qi you can probably hold it open long enough to walk through by yourself.''


    ''Good, good,'' Hao Xuan nodded.


    The other Barbarians that had been mediating and recovering were now all up and ready from all the noise that was being made by forcefully opening the door.


    The smallest Barbarian was close to a meter wide from shoulder to shoulder so they could still squeeze through the opening. Isak gestured towards the first group of three and they happily came forward.


    With a little hop and a skip, they crossed to the other side of the door that where nothing else could be seen. Hao Xuan noticed that their torches illuminated a much smaller area aspared to when they were on his side of the door.


    ''There it is again. Why isn''t the light traveling the same distance?''


    He had seen this before multiple times. There were some ces where thews of physics were just a little different. Not enough to jump out, but enough to make a difference when the need arose.


    Hao Xuan wasn''t sure if the others didn''t notice this peculiarity or just didn''t care, but he wasn''t going to be the one to point it out.


    When half of the Barbarians had crossed Burak raised a hand gesturing the next three to stop. He looked towards Hao Xuan, "Now you."


    Hao Xuan was more or less expecting that and proceeded to go through the door without making a fuss. He had prepared himself for another wave of whispers but the moment he stepped on the other side all the whispers stopped, all at once.

 Chapter 673: Subconscious learning

    <h4>Chapter 673: Subconscious learning</h4>


    Hao Xuan had prepared himself for another wave of whispers but the moment he stepped through to the other side all of them stopped, all at once.


    A deafening silence washed over him that brought with it both a feeling of calmness and an unknown dread that prickled at his subconscious. He couldn''t see anything around him other than the handful of torches in the near distance but all the other senses became a lot more sensitive.


    For some reason he could hear his own heartbeats much more clearly now. They felt bulkier in his chest, bigger somehow. He could feel the skin around his muscles bing tighter as if it was not his own but a suit that he had outgrown. He ced his hand over his chest and felt the heavy thumping.


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    It sounded identical to a jackhammer being mmed against a mountain of meat.


    All this was due to the sudden spike in the previously slumbering Lycan bloodline within Hao Xuan''s bloodstream. It was forced awake by an outside force as soon as Hao Xuan entered the second section of the pyramid. Either a friend or a foe had urged a reaction from it, in a much more significant way than what the vampiric blood in his own heart could.


    Baracus, who normally would have picked up the changes instantly, wasn''t able to do so due to the interference from the Chaos Qi which was merrily mixing in with the few drops of Lycan blood, seeking them out in jubtion.


    Thick droplets of sweat ran down the side of Hao Xuan''s face, colder than his own skin. He didn''t have a torch in hand but could still feel the other Barbarians around him in the dark just from the changes in the air pressure created by the light movements of their clothes.


    He could hear the air brushing past their skins and the blood pumping through their veins.


    Although he wasn''t able to see the changes himself, he could feel their resulting effects. Hao Xuan''s ears became a little longer, his fingernails just a tad bit sharper.


    He turned around to look behind him. Burak was walking towards him in utter silence but Hao Xuan was still able to feel his presence.


    He stopped a couple of feet behind him and gently patted Hao Xuan on the shoulder, "Let us go."


    Hao Xuan could feel a faint energy just underneath Burak''s skin, something he was never able to before. He could even taste his skin, although he did not understand how that was possible.


    Still a little out of sorts he straightened his back, standing straight up. Burak had just taken a step forward when he paused and peered towards Hao Xuan with furrowed brows.


    "Were you always this tall?" he mumbled to himself extending his hand towards his head once again which Hao Xuan swiftly swatted away.


    "No...touch..." he said somberly. For just an instant his voice sounded huskier before quickly returning back to normal.


    Burak''s pupils narrowed with a hint of mistrust but heplied.


    The barbarians gathered once more to get into formation. Five rows of three each, standing shoulder to shoulder with Hao Xuan and Burak in the secondst row.


    There were a total of 6 torches between them, five of which were lit while the sixth one was tied to Burak''s belt in case of an emergency.


    No one else noticed but Hao Xuan''s posture had changed. Before it was how any normal individual would walk with their hands moving back and forth and chest wide open but now, without even realizing it he had be a lot more concise.


    His muscles contracted and his body lowered just a tiny bit. His every step was precise, measured to thest inch. The floor was littered with various debris, even a few bones and other dposing organic matter but Hao Xuan''s shoes never touched any of them.


    He naturally sidestepped all the mess and moved without making a single sound. Even his breathing became lighter. He breathed slower, less often than the others who were already trained soldiers in their own right and knew how to keep a low profile.


    But for Hao Xuan, it was something natural. He didn''t need to learn it, his blood was teaching him subconsciously.


    Whenever he did something incorrectly, he would start to feel ufortable in that position and would try to readjust again and again until he got it right.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Sorry for thete chapter, WN messing up as usual.

 Chapter 674: Space-ception

    <h4>Chapter 674: Space-ception</h4>


    They walked through the twistingbyrinth of never-ending hallways for more than an hour beforeing to a gradual standstill. In front of them was a room, or would it be more appropriate to call it a separate space?


    "Is...this real...?" one of the barbarians whispered in disbelief.


    "What do you see?"


    "A forest! An actual forest with white trees! But...how can it be here?"


    Hao Xuan heard their incredulous whispering before reading the tranted meanings to figure out what was happening. He was almost at the very back and the girthy silhouettes of the Barbarians in front of him blotted out almost everything in sight.


    The hallway got wider and wider until it could hold half of the barbarians standing side by side. It was only then that Hao Xuan finally saw what everyone was talking about.


    The hallways they had walked through so far looked like they had been chiseled out of stone without any breaks. They were smoother than your average stone but still rougher than most metals.


    But now the sidewalls looked like they were made of cavernous rocks you would find on the side of a mountain. They got wider and rougher until finally, instead of walls it all just looked like the entrance, or perhaps an exit of a natural cave.


    And when they ended, a different space weed them. The ground beneath their feet felt springy. The air was still a little dry but it was much clearer. The foul odors were all but gone, and a new scenery reced the previously empty void.


    As others had mentioned it was a forest of white trees. They were quite tall, each one separated by a few meters at least. But there was not a single leaf anywhere in sight. Neither on the ground nor hanging by the dead branches.


    It was still night inside this space and a lot colder as well. Hao Xuan could see a white trail every time he exhaled.


    The first three Barbarians took a few steps into the forest. They poked the trees with their weapons and even tried peeling off the bark and breaking some branches. It all ''seemed''pletely normal from a first nce.


    A momentter the remaining Barbarians slowly moved in as well. When it was Hao Xuan''s turn, he trudged in along with Burak who was keeping a watchful eye on him.


    He had only taken one step into the forest when both he and Burak knit their brows upon noticing the irregrities. Hao Xuan''s ears twitched and his narrowed eyes swiveled left and right in search of something ANYTHING to prove him wrong but, there was nothing.


    Meaning there was nothing alive. There was no sign of life at all in the forest. No animal droppings, no beast prints, not a single thing growing out of the ground nor any sound.


    Isak who was at the front looked back and exchanged nces with Burak, assuring each other that they were both on the same page.


    A ghostly breeze blew through the trees, bringing with it a cold prickling sensation. When it brushed past Hao Xuan''s skin, every single strand of hair on his body stood straight up.


    His heartbeats quickened, vigorously pumping blood to every corner of his being in preparation for what was toe. His body temperature rose by several degrees but could not heat up the air around him even by a single point.


    A peal of thunder boomed in the sky above. It should have been loud enough and bright enough to send every Barbarian down to their knees upon hearing it but...the sound dissipated before reaching the surface.


    Only a weak sh of yellow lightning cast a momentary shadow on the ground, which was enough to grab Hao Xuan''s attention. He raised his head to see a wide-open sky.


    A churning sea of dark grey clouds hanged above, pregnant with awful lightning. For a moment Hao Xuan got lost staring at them, his eyes zing over.


    The lightning bolts intertwined with one another in such a way that any onlookers would lose the will to look away.


    The lightning bolts struck one another creating even brighter shes of light. They almost seemed alive, attacking each other in a desperate bid for survival. As if consuming the other one would make their own existencest longer.


    Unknowingly, a strand of Chaos Qi within Hao Xuan''s meridian slowly slipped out and started circting on its own. It was reacting to something, calling for it.

 Chapter 675: Fighting the power

    <h4>Chapter 675: Fighting the power</h4>


    Unknowingly, a strand of Chaos Qi within Hao Xuan''s meridian slowly slipped out and started circting on its own. It was reacting to something, calling for something in this space.


    The lightning bolts that had created a tightly interwoven loosened just a little, just enough for a handful of lightning bolts to escape in another direction, not towards Hao Xuan but somewhere much further away.


    But while Hao Xuan''s mind was in that stupor following the movements of the escaped lightning, he missed something else, something much more significant.


    As soon as the ''lightning'' loosened within the sea of clouds, a colossal avian wing shot forward trying to break through that small gap.


    It was difficult to tell exactly how big it actually was since the sea of clouds was so high up that even light barely reached the surface, but even from a rough estimate it should have been several tens of thousands of meters long.


    It struggled for a short moment trying to push through but the lightning would not give an inch. From the periphery even more bolts materialized from the clouds and came forward trying to fill in the empty spaces.


    The wing struggled before retreating deeper within the but a secondter a five-toed w came out and attacked the same spot in the.


    Hao Xuan abruptly woke from the dazed state at this point. It was his own heartbeat that had made the wake-up call.


    *Thump*Thump*


    Two beats in quick session sounded within the chest cavity. This time he could "feel" the change within his blood. The Lycan blood rushed through his veins and towards his upper body.


    Hao Xuan could not ''see'' the fight currently taking ce within the sky but he could see its aftermath. The clouds moved back and forth as if something was writhing deep inside.


    His breathing became heavier and heavier.


    "What''s going on..?" Hao Xuan identally mumbled out loud in the beast world''s native tongue.


    Burak who was not too far from him quickly diverted his attention towards Hao Xuan.


    "What did you say, human?" he asked from a couple of meters away.


    Hao Xuan numbly shook his head, "The sky, something is wrong with the sky..." he spoke in the beast worldnguage again while raising his head.


    Burak obviously could not understand him but he followed his line of sight and looked up as well. His brow furrowed even more.


    "What? What''s wrong with the sky? Did you see something?" Burak could not see anything, not even the lightning.


    Hao Xuan''s left eye started twitching as a stream of hot blood moved through the tiny capiries within his eye and took off the veil that was preventing him from seeing the other reality.


    His knees buckled and Hao Xuan fell to the ground powerless, weakly holding the left side of his head. It felt like someone had punched him in the face but for a short moment after that, he was able to see the immense avian silhouette caged within the lightning fighting to get out. Its shadow was being cast on the clouds every time it attacked the lightning.


    "Is that...real...? No...it doesn''t matter, we have to leave...!" he dered throughbored breaths.


    Burak walked up to him with a deep frown.


    "Human, are you sick? Don''t y tricks on me now!" he said with a hint of both concern and cautiousness, thinking that Hao Xuan was just messing with him. But when he touched Hao Xuan''s shoulder trying to pick him up, a jolt of electricity ran through his body forcing him to pull his arm back.


    "What-" for the first time since meeting him he looked at Hao Xuan in a new light, one of uncertainty and threat.


    In the night sky the fight between the lightning and the creature the talon belonged to was at a turning point. The talon ripped and tore, releasing blue energy orbs of its own to contend against the''s suppressing force.


    It kept attacking the same spot until a series of interconnected bolts finally gave way and fell downwards.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils shrunk to the size of pinholes as he raised his hand shouting "LOOK OUT!" towards the barbarians at the front. But they couldn''t understand what he was saying and even if they could, it was far toote to do anything about it.


    *BOOOOM*


    A bolt of yellow lightning struck the ground in front. To the others it had materialized out of nowhere so there was no way they could have dodged it.

 Chapter 676: Costs

    <h4>Chapter 676: Costs</h4>


    *BOOOOM*


    A bolt of yellow lightning struck the ground in front of them. To the others it had materialized out of nowhere so there was no way they could have dodged it.


    The ground shook like it was the end of the world and for a second all the color was washed out of the entire realm, leaving only a sickly yellow shade behind. It started expanding from the initial point of impact, absorbing everything in sight.


    Hao Xuan raised his hands in front of him to shield his face as much as possible. That was all he could do knowing this wasn''t the end.


    *BOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOM*


    A momentter deafening explosion rang all around them, some so far away that all that was carried over was a mild shockwave through the ground while others were close enough to be felt through the air heating up.


    All Hao Xuan or anyone could do in this situation was to try to find cover, even though there wasn''t such a ce in the near vicinity. It sounded like a track from an old World War 2 movie back from earth, with the constant barrage of artillery fire falling all around them.


    Hao Xuan was huddled up behind Burak who along with Isak were the only two individuals still standing straight.


    When the first lightning bolt hit the ground, both of Burak''s arms lit up with four symbols on each side, belonging to eight different words of power. These were not stationary unlike what you would see on the natives on the''s surface and were moving along his hands and arms as needed, forming a sequence.


    Two symbols, one resembling a turtle and another a diamond lit up on his left and right arms respectively. They swiftly moved to the front of the line, appearing on the skin on the back of his hands as he clenched, making two hammer-like fists before smashing them together in front of him.


    *Krrrrr*


    Simr to the sound of ice cracking, a white crystalline shield materialized in front of him in the shape of a turtle shell. It was more than wide enough to cover Burak and in turn, Hao Xuan who was hiding behind him.


    Isak on the other mmed both his swords onto the ground, creating a wall of fire that acted as a shield. But it was much less effective than Burak''s skill since it started breaking apart only after a couple of seconds.


    The deafening booms continued to roll out like thunder strikes, never actually striking the same spot twice.


    After half a minute when Hao Xuan got used to the light''s intensity to some degree, he nced around to find the other barbarians crawling on the ground. It looked like they couldn''t see what was happening around them since they were going in all different directions.


    ''Earlier, Burak couldn''t see what was happening in the clouds and now it looks their vision is gone too,'' he recalled the scene from a moment ago.


    Hao Xuan craned his head to look at how Burak was doing. His shield was still holding up although more and more cracks were starting to appear by the second.


    "Can...you see?" he shouted in Burak''s ear in the broken nativenguage but did not get a response.


    ''Can he not even hear me?''


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    Another boltnded less than 20 meters away on the left, sending Hao Xuan rolling away. The force was too much for him to contend against but at thest second a giant hand reached out and grabbed him, dragging him back to safety.


    It was Burak. Hao Xuan looked towards him and saw his unfocused eyes. He couldn''t see what was happening either, just like the others.


    "Stay behind...me!" Burak muttered through gritted teeth. Blood seeped out of his mouth and ran down his clothes, staining even Hao Xuan who was next to him.


    It looked like just maintaining the shield skill for this long against such strong forces was all he could manage. Hao Xuan noticed the various cuts, bruises, and burn marks on his legs and arms. If he hadn''t had tried to grab him just now he would have probably been fine.


    Hao Xuan looked towards thest bolt that hadnded nearby and saw its aftereffects. There was a barbarian unfortunate enough to be caught in the resulting explosion.


    He was still alive...if that could be called living. It looked like his entire skeletal system had been evaporated. It was just a mass of human-shaped flesh and muscles being held together by a ruptured sack of skin that was leaking more and more. His eyes were gone, probably popped from the sudden change in pressure.


    He was reaching out with what was left of his hands, slowly copsing in on himself.


    *Uuurk*


    Hao Xuan almost threw up.

 Chapter 677: TEST Chapter *Do not unlock*

    <h4>Chapter 677: TEST Chapter *Do not unlock*</h4>


    TEST CHAPTER *Do not unlock* (forreal, don''t do it)


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    Bruh, you need to make better decisions in life. Why would you unlock this?


    But since you''re here already and you''ve spent the coins, I''d feel bad if you left without gaining anything so I''ll tell you a couple of facts about the novel.


    All the chapters so far and probably a few hundred after this one, are still part of the first arc. There are more than sevenplete arcs nned, each one a sequel or prequel but the first arc is basically Hao Xuan''s origin story.


    He will go on to explore theplexities of time and space (yes time travel is involved in quite a unique way), navigate his way through the social intricacies of High Society, try to find his own ce in the universe all the while leading uncountable legions against the hordes of Immortal Demon God Kings and any Supreme powers that stand in his way or try to dictate his life.


    You know how novels/stories in general almost always refer to some ancient era where everything was so powerful and gods walked amongst men? Well, we will go there and witness this world through Hao Xuan''s eyes, travel to the past and even the future, find love in the most unexpected ces, and just like real life, sometimes it won''t work out either.


    I genuinely love to write. When I started the novel it was because I needed an outlet from my own ''not-so-great'' circumstances and just the world as a whole. Seeing so many bad things happening on the news and so close to home, I couldn''t help but be a little depressed. But if even a handful of people enjoy the novel, it makes me smile like a fool the entire day thinking about it. If I can make you forget your troubles or just keep you entertained for even a few hours, I will continue to write for as long as I am able to. And reading even one positivement makes my entire week so don''t hold back (hell, I''ll take negativements too as long as they are constructive).


    Probably like many of you, I am also veryzy and tend to procrastinate a lot, so if by some miracle I manage to finish the novel before my time on this rock runs out, I''d love to write something new. People don''t realize how difficult it is to write practical cultivation novels because once MC bes strong, most things can very easily be bypassed which I don''t like. I want to add horror elements, REALISTIC love interests, action, true desperation, and a few morsels of sadness, which is not that easy.


    I know I''m not a great author but I can''t help be a little proud ofing this far.


    If by some miracle you have actually read this, don''t forget to leave ament so I can know :)


    Have a safe and peaceful life. I won''t wish you just a happy life because I don''t think that''s realistic. Without sadness there is no happiness so I hope whenever you face difficulties in life, you will find the courage to ovee them ande out stronger.


    This is Shinigam8671, signing off ;)

 Chapter 678: A long life

    <h4>Chapter 678: A long life</h4>


    He was still alive...if that could even be called living.


    It looked like his entire skeletal system had been evaporated. It was just a mass of human-shaped flesh and muscles being held together by a ruptured sack of skin that was leaking more and more. His eyes were gone, probably popped from the sudden change in pressure. (Reference image in authors notes)


    He was reaching out with what was left of his hands, slowly copsing in on himself.


    *Uuurk*


    Hao Xuan almost threw up looking at him. That was a horrible way to die and one that Hao Xuan wasn''t too keen on trying for himself.


    He tugged on Burak''s clothes, "WE HAVE...TO GO...BACK!" Hao Xuan shouted as loudly as the situation would possibly allow but maybe it was the ear-splittingly loud explosions or something else, but Burak could not hear anything he said.


    ''God damnit, damnit! What the fuck should I do?''


    Half of the ground around him had already turned into smoking pits from where the lightning bolts fell and it was only a matter of time before he would get caught up in it as well.


    Hao Xuan looked behind him and saw where they hade in from. The exit was less than 60 meters away but covering even that much distance seemed nothing short of a miracle right now.


    Since Hao Xuan hadgged behind the others upon entering this space, he was closest to the exit followed by Burak. If Burak came with him with his shield, it would be possible to make it there in one piece.


    ''Fuck it all,'' Hao Xuan cursed and used spiritual sense to reach out instead, even though he didn''t want to use something that would make him seem anything other than an ordinary human.


    ''Hey, we have to go! Just move back slowly and we can get to safety!'' he sent the words directly to Burak''s mind but the giant Barbarian outright rejected the idea without even giving it some thought or even considering how Hao Xuan''s was in his head.


    "No! Won''t leave others behind!" he said with a firm shake.


    *BOOOOM*


    Another boltnded nearby, this time to the right, less than 15 meters away. Burak rotated his hand and the shield moved with the movements of his fist, protecting Hao Xuan and himself from the shockwaves in the nick of time.


    Hao Xuan bit his lip in anger and agitation, drawing blood.


    ''Then what?! we will both die along with them!'' he retorted feeling wronged. He felt guilty for even suggesting it but it wasn''t his decision toe here.


    Burak didn''t reply immediately this time. A couple of secondster he turned his head halfway looking in Hao Xuan''s direction even though he couldn''t see anything.


    "Do you still have your vision, human?" he asked slowly.


    Hao Xuan hesitated at first but still ended up telling the truth, ''Yes.''


    Burak suddenly broke outughing, "How amusing! The one who was forced intoing here is the only one still able to find the way back!"


    Hao Xuan took a step back cautiously. Burak wouldn''t attack him, right? But his fears were unfounded as Burak proved him wrong a momentter. He smashed his fists together a couple of times as the words of power rotated.


    The crystal shield in front of him started cracking from the side and broke into two. Therger one still floated in front of him while he grabbed the smaller one and passed it over to Hao Xuan.


    "Go. It should protect you until you leave this cursed ce!" he said with a grin, leaving Hao Xuan stumped.


    Hao Xuan looked at the shield that was the size of his arm and more than big enough to keep him safe. He looked towards Burak''s shield which was not only smaller than before but much thinner as well. Small hairline fractures were spreading out from the middle.


    At this pace, it won''t evenst for more than a handful of minutes and when it finally breaks, Burak would probably go with it.


    ''Why? Why won''t youe? I can guide you!'' Hao Xuan asked onest time in response to which Burak simply shook his head with a proud smile.


    "Because I am a warrior! How will I face my ancestors if I turn my back on those that I promised to protect? What kind of meaning will a life like that have? I would rather die today than live a long life full of regrets!"


    "Go, human! It is not your time to die. Leave quickly while I still have the strength to stand. And when you see my sister, tell her she was right about this ce."


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/f0/33/a0/f033a068208f2fcfb66fa26b953096de.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/bYGW4

 Chapter 679: Perspectives

    <h4>Chapter 679: Perspectives</h4>


    "When you see my sister, tell her she was right about this damned ce. It is and abandoned by the ancestors! The old scriptures couldn''t be more wrong, it is not our salvation, but the path to damnation."


    Within the sea of clouds still hanging above, the fight between the gargantuan creature and the lightning web was at its peak. Just a simple nce above showed something so improbable that even though Hao Xuan could see it with stark rity, his mind couldn''tprehend it.


    The lightning bolts congregated around the belly of the creature and repeatedly attacked the same spot. From Hao Xuan''s perspective it looked like he was watching a hologram or a movie being projected on the clouds. He felt detached from that reality and it did not even feel real for some reason.


    ''Is this another memory I''m seeing? Or something else entirely?''


    But the effects of the battle could be seen and felt by everyone that was on the ground. Wherever the yellow lightning fell, the area around it would be charred ck leaving only a several meter deep hole in its wake.


    The remnant energy was enough to boil the air and send all unfortunate souls close enough reeling further into this unknownnd.


    Hao Xuan slowly got back on his feet, holding the shield in his right hand for dear life. Burak''s wide back still provided enough cover for him to stand upright but that won''t be the case once he leaves.


    Hao Xuan patted Burak on the shoulder. He could feel his internal energy depleting at a rapid speed, obvious from thework of cracks on the crystal shield.


    His legs that were as thick as Hao Xuan''s waist were starting to tremble. There were several dark brown burn marks along his hands and feet since they were exposed to the copious energy released from the exploding bolts.


    Hao Xuan wanted to tell Burak it was going to be okay, that he and his fellow warriors should hang on while he went and got help but...he couldn''t bring himself to tell such an obvious lie.


    Burak felt the warmth from Hao Xuan''s unsteady hand and knew what he was feeling. He freed one hand pushed Hao Xuan away.


    "Go...human. It is my fault you are here in the first ce, at least you can still make it out alive. Go back the way we came from, do not wander off. Go now!"


    *Craaack*


    An inch deep crack appeared in the middle of the shield. Burak quickly moved his hand back in the same position to keep it from spreading anymore.


    "Fuck, FUCK!" Hao Xuan couldn''t help but curse aloud.


    To his left, the poor barbarian that was struck by the lightning bolt was still alive somehow. He was slowly crawling on the ground akin to a snail without a shell, leaving a trail of blood and his own organs that were leaking from the skin bag that was his body.


    "Aho urhhhaa."


    He was trying to say something but most couldn''t hear his words and those that could weren''t able to understand him.


    That truly was one of the most horrible ways to die, and it wasn''t a quick one either from the looks of it. Hao Xuan looked around to find that he was the only one idle enough to pay attention. All the others were deaf and blind anyway so how would they know to help him?


    Hao Xuan raised the shield while lowering his frame to hide behind it as much as possible. He moved towards the barbarian who was less than 17 meters away now, reaching him in less than 30 seconds thanks to the shield.


    This blob of flesh and muscle somehow felt Hao Xuan''s presence. He stopped crawling and looked in his direction, trying to reach out with his hand.


    One could only imagine how much pain he was in right now.


    Hao Xuan reached into the storage space and took out a small dagger.


    "I''m sorry, I wish I could do more," he said to the melting y-like figure that was a powerful warrior until just a few minutes ago.


    *Thwack*


    The dagger pierced his skin with barely any resistance and stabbed into the brain. What was left of his body went limp. The man was finally put out of his misery.


    Hao Xuan covered his mouth and nose as the stench of leaking bile and excrement reached him. He had just turned around to head towards the exit when something shone in the corner of his eye.


    ''Hmm?'' by instinct, he turned to look towards the dim golden light that wasing out of the nearby pit that had evaporated this barbarian''s skeleton.


    Hao Xuan craned his neck to peek into the cavity with extreme caution but what he saw in there left him confused and somewhat at a loss for words.


    There was a crystal shard embedded into the ground, pulsating rhythmically. It gave off a dim golden light that dimmed and brightened every other second.


    The strand of Chaos Qi that was circting within Hao Xuan''s meridians suddenly throbbed and increased its speed, moving faster and faster by the second.


    Hao Xuan''s heartbeats increased and he felt a suction force inside his own body that was calling for something. The golden crystal shard suddenly brightened by several degrees as if reacting to this force of attraction.

 Chapter 680: Meals

    <h4>Chapter 680: Meals</h4>


    The golden crystal itself almost looked like a teardrop made of transparent ice. It was about eight to nine inches in size, just small enough to be held in one hand. Although its outeryer was transparent, the core was filled by a small bright yellow light that was the source of all the golden radiance.


    Hao Xuan felt a strange type of hunger looking at it. A feeling of emptiness that had always been there suddenly became much more noticeable.


    Hao Xuan could feel the weakness in his body, from his muscles to the bones, to every single nerve and cell, they were all crying out, begging for him to reach out. His stomach grumbled so loudly that it even startled him.


    ''Did it get left behind from the lightning strike? I can feel so much pure spiritual energying off of it!'' Hao Xuan thought staring at this otherworldly object.


    *Beep*


    ''You are correct. It is left behind from the lightning strike.''


    Baracus spoke up, confirming Hao Xuan''s hypothesis.


    ''It is a type of spirit stone created from the suddenpression of energy. By superheating the air and then cooling it down right after, it seals the excess energy within an ice crystalposed chiefly of nitrogen.''


    ''Due to their unique requirements, they can only be found ins where the atmosphere is at least 2700 kilometers thick.''


    ''Note: The crystals are not stable and will notst for very long. 56 standard hours is the longest they can maintain their shape after which they either crack open and slowly release the sealed energy into the atmosphere, or explode.''


    As soon as Baracus finished the exnation, an automatic warning popped on in Hao Xuan''s vision in bright red color.


    ''Warning: Extreme Radiation Levels Detected.''


    Hao Xuan could feel the heating off of the crystal. It felt so extremelyfortable that he almost forgot where he was, making him feel like he had been stuck outside in an ice storm for days and had finally found a warm cabin with a burning firece and a nket waiting for him.


    His entire body was tingling, crying to be fed. Hao Xuan wanted to just reach out and grab it but his rational mind prevented him from doing so.


    ''But isn''t this too much radiation? Won''t it be dangerous?'' he sensibly inquired from Baracus first.


    ''Extremely. But your body is different, having undergone multiple evolutions and mutations. Although I have not observed the process myself, I believe there should not be an issue purely from a theoretical standpoint. You should try to absorb it.''


    With Baracus''s blessing, Hao Xuan slowly walked into the pit. The ck, ash-like ground was so hot that he could feel it through his shoes. The golden teardrop was stuck halfway into the ground but it looked like a miniature sun whenever the light within it brightened.


    As careful as he could be in this situation where it was basically raining death, Hao Xuan extended his hand and slowly grabbed the crystal.


    The first sensation he felt was the numbness of its outer shell. Unexpectedly, it was neither cold nor hot to the touch. But then a momentter a burst of searing hot energy entered through the skin of his hand.


    Hao Xuan''s first instinct was to drop it and jump away but before he could, his eyes rolled back into their sockets while the muscles on his back suddenly tightened, arching his back.


    Like a ravenous, out of control beast, his body did not even give Hao Xuan the option to chose as it did it for him. The light within the crystal pulsed constantly, getting faster and faster every time. But after each cycle it also became dimmer by several degrees.


    It only took a little more than forty seconds for Hao Xuan''s body to eagerly absorb every iota of energy within the crystal. His skin, flesh, and bone cells drank until they were about to explode.


    Hao Xuan''s emaciated figure returned to its original shape within the blink of an eye, his body overflowing with vigor. The hair on his head grew by an inch and a half, just like in some other ces...


    What little bit of spiritual energy that remained in the crystal went towards his meridians. The strand of Chaos Qi that had been circling throughout thework of nerves suddenly attacked this new energy.


    Its color changed from light yellow to white and then grey, turning into a ck fume by the end.


    The teardrop crystal cracked and broke into small pieces by itself when thest grain of energy left its confines.


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes that were stained with tears. He stared at his hand in silence, speechless at what he had just gone through.


    He felt embarrassed. This sensation, it was so overwhelmingly satisfying that he couldn''t help but feel guilty for some reason.


    It felt like he orgasmed for the first time in his life while devouring a heavenly meal.

 Chapter 681: Meals Continued

    <h4>Chapter 681: Meals Continued</h4>


    Bright shes of light followed by ear-splitting explosions continued to ring out in the surroundings while Hao Xuan was busy relishing the intoxicating sensation from having absorbed the golden spirit crystal.


    The previous perceptions of emptiness and frailty that were running rampant across his body had disappeared altogether, reced by a bloating sensation from having overindulged just a little too much.


    At least his physical body was more or less back to normal, if not at full strength.


    Hao Xuan stared at his hands in disbelief. They finally looked and felt like his own now and not those of a stranger.


    This feeling of intensity that was so familiar yet so foreign at the same time, "I missed this" he couldn''t help himself from mumbling out loud.


    He could even feel some Qi rattling around inside his body. It was barely 5-6% of what he could have in total but it was still better than nothing at all.


    ''If I can find some more of these crystals, restoring my Qi won''t be a problem!'' he concluded thinking about the other pits around him.


    He had tried absorbing the spiritual energy from the surroundings on two different asions after entering the Pyramid but it was much harder for him now after creating the Chaos Law.


    As soon as the energy entered the body, he wouldpletely lose control over and it would go berserk, either running amok inside his body or dissipating outwards.


    "AAAH!"


    "ARGH! HOLD ON! Can you guys hear me?!"


    Some screams followed by the sounds of even louder explosions came from nearby, sending tremors the ground and waking Hao Xuan from his stupor.


    He peeked his head out of the pit and nced around. Of the 16 barbarians that had entered the Pyramid including Burak, one had died by Hao Xuan''s hands and from the looks of it, another one met the same fate.


    Well, not exactly the same since his upper bodypletely evaporated, leaving only his legs behind that were still cemented onto the ground. Everything else was gone.


    To the side Burak was already down on his knees, his shield was now half its original size and the part Hao Xuan was carrying was also full of cracks, on the verge of breaking down.


    Instead of retreating to safety, he had even managed to find three other barbarians and give them cover without being able to see or hear anything, all the while dodging the random lightning strikes and the miasma.


    This entire tract ofnd around Hao Xuan for as far as the eye could see was covered in a fast-moving yellow gas-like substance that sometimes resembled a liquid. It constantly changed forms while moving through the air at breakneck speeds.


    It even passed through objects, leaving behindrge messy marks where nothing living could take root. Some of the bigger barbarians including Isak that were unfortunate enough toe into direct contact with this substance looked sick and pale as ghosts, clutching the affected area in utter agony.


    Hao Xuan extended his hand outside the pit and felt the temperature rise by tens of degrees, as did the radiation. A cloud of miasma passed by his hand.


    The small meter on the bottom right side of his vision jumped from Level 1 to 8 at once.


    A prickling sensation came with it but Hao Xuan was more focused on what was happening inside his body. The copious amounts of radiation that could kill normal individuals in a matter of minutes was a wee source of nutrition for his starving physique.


    Because after all, it was a type of energy too. The miasma was too concentrated and didn''t seem as simple so he couldn''t absorb it but the ambient radiation in the air wasn''t exceedingly toxic to handle.


    As long as Hao Xuan focused a portion of his mind on absorbing this fallout, it would not do him any harm, at least not in the short term.


    Hao Xuan picked up what was left of Burak''s shield and climbed out of the pit. The shield was made of internal energy brought into physical form by Burak so it was able to block the yellow miasma that could pass through ordinary matter.


    Hao Xuan blocked as much of it as he could and absorbed the rest while moving towards Burak.


    He tapped on the Barbarian Prince''s shoulder, "Come with me...I will take you to safety!"


    Burak who wasn''t expecting Hao Xuan to return was obviously quite shocked at first but then he became angry.


    "HUMAN! Why did youe back?!" Burak roared.


    "I can help...your subordinates...and you. Trust me..e, I will guide you!"


    As long as Burak was able to power the shield, Hao Xuan could move around the surface with ''rtive'' ease. It was much easier for him since he was still able to see.


    Burak was conflicted at first but Hao Xuan convinced him fairly easily that this was the best solution. He told him that he needed his shield and as long as he could maintain its shape and size, Hao Xuan will do his best to bring out all the remaining Barbarians.

 Chapter 682: Flawed

    <h4>Chapter 682: wed</h4>


    Hao Xuan returned the shield back to Burak who immediately integrated it with the main part, recovering some of its original size and condition. Hao Xuan grabbed the legs of the three unconscious Barbarians and moved back in more or less a straight line while providing Burak with audio clues through spiritual sense to provide cover for him while trailing behind.


    The 60+ meter distance was covered in around three minutes. But when they entered the cavernous confines of the Pyramid once again, something quite strange and unexpected happened. All the barbarians, Burak included, suddenly regained their senses.


    Burak''s previously cloudy eyes suddenly cleared up and he looked around in shock.


    "Human!" he grabbed Hao Xuan''s shoulder in tion, startling him.


    "W-What?!"


    "HAHA! I can see and hear again!" he reported proudly for some reason.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed in contemtion. How was this possible?


    He originally thought it was due to the radiation or some other difference in their physical bodies that only made them deaf and blind, but was that not the case? Was it just a timed thing?


    Most of Burak''s body was covered in severe burn marks but that did not stop him from almost jumping around. Even though he was acting like it wasn''t a big deal, Burak had almost given up being a warrior thinking that this change was permanent.


    "You stay here, I will go get the others!" Burak threw out the words towards Hao Xuan who was lost in thought and ran back out in wide strides.


    But he had only taken three to four steps before freezing mid-stride.


    "Hmm?" Hao Xuan looked towards him with knitted brows.


    "What''s....wrong?" he asked but Burak did not respond.


    "Oi!" he walked up behind him and grabbed his shoulder. "I asked...what''s-"


    He had yet toplete the sentence when their gazes met and Hao Xuan could once again see the cloudiness within his pupils.


    "Human, is that you?" Burak extended his hands towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed once again. He grabbed Burak''s hand and pulled him back while staring at his pupils. They had barely moved a meter back when Hao Xuan noticed the cloudiness slowly fade away by itself and Burak''s vision returned.


    "Huh? This...what''s going on?" Burak mumbled with a stupefied expression whereas Hao Xuan''s mind suddenly jumped into action.


    Although he wasn''t paying attention before since he had to drag three unconscious barbarians that weighed several hundred kilograms EACH while dodging other threats which made it quite difficult to focus on anything other than the matter at hand, but he had felt it clearly this time.


    The moment Burak''s eyes cleared up, Hao Xuan''s body felt lighter, like a small weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It wasn''t so obvious because hepletely missed it before, but this time it was as clear as day.


    If he had to describe it, it was akin to walking through a thin film of water. His body just felt a tad bit lighter over on this side.


    ''Baracus, is this...because of aw?''


    Hao Xuan had absolutely no evidence to back this theory other than a simple gut feeling. He had felt aw before when Gou Yang was training his own back in the Beast World (CH 389). This feeling was a little familiar.


    But it was much less obvious that was for sure.


    *Beep*


    ''That is a possibility, among many others,'' Baracus swiftly responded with a more clear thought process.


    ''If the scenes that are currently ying out in the sky as you say are real, then the chances of it being aw are much higher. The avian figure could be some sort of a divine entity or the one fighting against it could be one.''


    ''These changes could simply be byproducts or unintentional secondary effects of their battle. If they were strong enough then such a feat would not be too far-fetched. Without even meaning to, a simple altercation between them could very easily result in prolonged damage to a weaker world''s corporealws, especially if it did not have a world spirit to defend against such effects or to keep things in bnce.''


    Listening to Baracus''s exnation Hao Xuan could not help but look up towards the sea of clouds once again. The yellow miasma had covered a majority of the atmosphere making it that much more difficult to see what was happening up there but every now and then it would clear just enough to see a glimpse or two of this otherworldly battle.


    ''But how did we get here? I think it is safe to say all this isn''t just happening inside the pyramid. To hold an entity that powerful, there is no way a small space could do that. And we sure as hell didn''t pass through a portal or get teleported, so what is this ce?''


    Hao Xuan''s mind was filled with questions, the answers to which he could not hope to understand by his own limited abilities and shallow experiences.

 Chapter 683: Too deep

    <h4>Chapter 683: Too deep</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s mind was filled with questions, the answers to which he could not hope to understand by his own limited and immature experiences.


    His mind, naturally, wandered towards some of the more terrifying possibilities. Even since he first arrived on the, he hade across a multitude of strange events and happenings. The more he had explored, the worse the overall situation became.


    There were a number of different powers that were involved to some extent in the events that were currently unfolding on the, some he had already encountered and others he should nevere across.


    The first power that reached out through Ryfon''s Demi-God master was the Academy itself, or perhaps he was working alone? He wanted Hao Xuan to find out more about the World Spirit of the and the origin of the Words of power.


    Hao Xuan was actually quite close to figuring out the origin of the words of power, even if he himself did not realize that just yet. Although the matter pertaining to the World Spirit was moreplicated than that.


    The second power belonged to that strange person that imed to be Meng''s disciple, Njall. He handed Hao Xuan the Book of Chaos on the way over in exchange for Dai Zhi''s death. (CH 428)


    Hao Xuan still wasn''t anywhere close topleting that task, not that he wanted to either as of this moment. Hao Xuan had killed before but that was only when they had crossed him or when there wasn''t another choice, like with the Barbarian.


    But doing so to someone that hadn''t done anything to him, on an order of someone he knew nothing about, Hao Xuan didn''t want to be doing their filthy work. Although whether or not he had the option to chose on the matter was a different topic altogether.


    The third one, although not as obvious in their influence and reach, were the Formarchs. The insectoid species whose very presence here was a sign of everything that had gone wrong. (CH 543)


    The fourth would probably be the local resistance that were fighting against the invaders. Their leader was shrouded in mystery and from what Gavril had told Hao Xuan, his power was nothing to scoff at.


    Then there were the mermen he encountered within thatke. They were trying to open some kind of a portal between their realm and this, for whatever reason.


    After that was...whatever happened in the pit. An ancient Demonic entity that could be one of the eight Kings of Hell had extended its wretched ws towards this ce. Its motive was obviously unknown but it was a fact that it was trying to hatch some kind of an abominable n on this poor world.


    And now he had entered an old pyramid that looked identical to the ones found on earth but somehow, walking through it he ended up in a ce where divine entities were fighting one another and destabilizing the naturalws.


    Above ground, the existence of the pit that led him here was a huge red g in and of itself. It was created with the help of twopeting powers working together. Those that called themselves enemies had joined hands in the shadows to achieve their goals.


    But what were these goals that turned enemies into friends? Did they want to find a faster way to reach the prison? Or maybe to this hidden world? Or was it something else entirely? The questions kept piling up but one thing was for certain, Hao Xuan was an insignificant pawn on the board, whose life and death would have very little effect on the overall situation.


    ''I need to find out more. More information about everything and everyone,'' Hao Xuan told himself thinking of the many ways he could get screwed over by the end of this.


    He had been trying to do everything alone without relying on anyone else or asking for their help, and maybe that was not as wise of a decision as he initially thought it to be.


    Getting more information would give him a clearer image of the power struggle as a whole and maybe he could even figure out what was so great about this that so many varied powers were trying to reach out.


    But either way, he wasn''t going to find that here. Hao Xuan tapped on Burak''s shoulder.


    "Give me...the shield...I will go...get the...others," he extended his hand.


    Burak knew Hao Xuan could see in that ce so even though he didn''t want to, there was no other choice now.


    The miasma was getting thicker and soon there would be no one left worth bringing back.


    Burak sat down on the side and flexed his arms. The words of power re-aligned and the turtle and diamond symbols appeared on his fists which he punched together, materializing the crystal shield once again.


    *Rrrrr*


    It vibrated with a low thrumming sound as Burak grabbed it and handed it over to Hao Xuan.


    "Go. I can hold it for as long as it takes a jug of milk to cool down."


    Hao Xuan had just turned around when he paused upon reading the trantion.


    ''Huh?''


    *Beep*


    ''20-30 minutes. An unorthodox unit of measurement but it should be around that much,'' Baracus swiftly exined.

 Chapter 684: Smart

    <h4>Chapter 684: ''Smart''</h4>


    Although the miasma had already covered more than half of the atmosphere, somehow it could not enter the cave area where the Barbarians were huddled up.


    Most of the air outside had turned into a thicker gtinous substance that was hovering a meter or so above ground level. Hao Xuan used his shield to push through them and trudged along the surface, going to one barbarian after another.


    But he did not forget to visit any pits that were in the way either. Although not every single one had the golden teardrop crystals, by the time he reached Iska, Hao Xuan had managed to collect five of them and stored them away in Baracus''s storage space so as not to bring any unwanted attention.


    With his body in close to perfect condition, it was quite an easy task to aplish especially with the help of Burak''s shield. One by one Hao Xuan brought the unconscious barbarians back to the cave entrance, out of which only Isak was still somehow able to stand on his own.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know if he was just being obstinate or he just hated Hao Xuan''s guts, but Isak did not readily ept his help. Only after did he pass Burak''s shield over to him did he trust Hao Xuan''s words and forcibly walked back while Hao Xuan guided him.


    But while Hao Xuan was busy moving the barbarians, neither he nor anyone else noticed the strange things happening in the background. The withered old white trees that lined the entire surface had started moving.


    At first it was only just a few inches but the more the miasma spread and the thicker it grew, therger their movements became until even Hao Xuan noticed the peculiarity through the yellow screen that surrounded him.


    The lightning bolts had almost stopped. There was one every 30 to 40 seconds if even that.


    When Hao Xuan crossed the halfway mark with Isak in tow which was where the first barbarian had melted into a puddle, he came to an abrupt stop. The entire path in front of them was blocked by multiple rows of white trees.


    "Why did you stop?" Isak''s uncertain and somewhat displeased voice came from behind. He was holding onto Hao Xuan''s shoulder while walking behind him and ended up running into his back.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed into slits as he surveyed the area ahead.


    ''Did I get turned around?'' Hao Xuan''s first thought was that maybe he had gone the wrong way but upon noticing the melted remains of the barbarian to his right, he became attentive.


    ''No, it''s the right way, then how...?'' he didn''t even have to finish that line of thought before getting the answer. His gaze was attracted to the base of the trees where he saw something move from the corner of his eye.


    Hao Xuan stared where they were connected with the ground without even blinking until he saw what was behind that earlier movement.


    There was a face at the base of one of the trees. It rotated its ''head'' which was the bottom of the tree itself when it thought Hao Xuan wasn''t looking and peered towards him, meeting Hao Xuan''s unfaltering gaze.


    For a second, both it and Hao Xuan were frozen stiff. The tree because it was not expecting Hao Xuan to be looking in its direction and Hao Xuan because...well, a fucking tree was looking at him with ck eyes and a wide smiling mouth.


    Hao Xuan hadn''t even processed what he was already seeing when multiple white tentacle-like veiny roots popped out of the ground and the tree stood up.


    The very base of the tree trunk was a face from the side of which all the roots wereing out off. It shook away the ck dirt that filled the crevices of its extremely human face and stared right into Hao Xuan''s eyes in silence.


    If it didn''t open its mouth, Hao Xuan would not even be able to tell it was dangerous. He would have considered it to be some sort of a tree spirit or something simr based solely on the face because it actually looked so human.


    Only when it opened its gullet that was twice the size of the rest of the head and lined with sharp triangr teeth simr to those of a shark, did Hao Xuan wake up from his dazed state.


    Feeling the movements of the first, a momentter most of the other trees ''woke'' up as well.


    They all had identical features, neither masculine nor feminine. Depending on the angle one could call them with either pronoun, not that it would be a smart idea. Just one look at their faces was enough to fill Hao Xuan''s heart with an unsettling feeling.


    These things observed what he was doing and waited to cut him off at the veryst juncture. They were smart enough to know when the best time to strike was.


    Hao Xuan craned his neck left and right until he caught a glimpse of the cave entrance behind them. It should be no more than 60 meters away but from the looks of it, it was slowly being blocked by the miasma.


    "Human! Tell me what is going on!" Isak asked again, this time much louder than before.


    Hao Xuan let out an anxious sigh, ''Can you fight still?''

 Chapter 685: All in one

    <h4>Chapter 685: All in one</h4>


    Hao Xuan let out an anxious sigh, ''Can you...still fight?''


    Isak answered by unsheathing both his swords. He lowered his stance and leaned forward until his forehead was touching Hao Xuan''s back and his body was perfectly hidden behind Hao Xuan.


    "Where and how many? How far do we have to go?" he asked in a low voice. He held the swords sideways, drawing them closer towards his body.


    A thin film of ck me ignited at the edge of the des, resembling a pencil drawing rather than anything dangerous but even Hao Xuan was able to feel a threatening aura releasing from Isak''s stance even though it wasn''t aimed at him.


    It felt like some kind of a monster was sharpening its ws in anticipation. Hao Xuan could hear Isak''s muscles contract by almost a quarter and his towering figure lowering as a result. A stupendous amount of power was stored in his muscles, all of which was called out andpressed as much as possible.


    Hao Xuan didn''t have to see with his eyes to know what was happening. Isak was putting everything behind a single attack.


    ''More than....I can...see. We don''t....have to...go far...'' he ryed the situation to the best of his abilities considering thenguage barrier and the time constraints.


    "Okay. Tell me when we are close and then get down. When I attack, you might have to carry me. I don''t have a lot of energy left."


    ''Okay,'' Hao Xuan was already prepared and knew what to do.


    He circted the strand of Chaos Qi that was the size of a newborn snake now, circting within his body. A gurgling sound was created as it picked up speed, circting faster and faster with every passing second.


    After what felt like years, Hao Xuan decided to utilize the most basic movement technique he knew, The Demonic Steps.


    Previously, the nature of demonic steps changed whenever Hao Xuan used it with a different energy from one of the meridians. He turned into a charging beast when using the Force Qi, was akin to a peal of thunder when using Heavenly re, and invoked shame and fear when utilizing the Emperor''s Arrival.


    But now the Chaos Qi had consumed everything other than a smidgen of Emperor''s Qi which had somehow managed to hang on by a thread, hiding within one of the meridians in a small shell made of its own solidified spiritual energy.


    Unbeknownst to him, when Hao Xuan directed the Chaos Qi towards his lower body to use demonic steps, quite a peculiar scene unfolded.


    Thin hairline crack''s appeared on the ground below and dark grey smoke discharged from it, surrounding Hao Xuan''s feet and lower legs. He couldn''t feel its presence but it was most certainly there.


    It looked like the ground was decaying under his feet, simply falling apart and breaking down piece by piece.


    Hao Xuan raised the shield in front of him and started walking towards the white tree creatures that were looking right at him. Their hollow eyes resembled ck holes that could swallow a person''s soul in a heartbeat if they weren''t careful enough.


    In fact even Hao Xuan felt like something was trying to pull at his soul when he looked into them, which made him that much more alert. Isak was moving right behind him, matching his pace and stepping exactly where Hao Xuan had, even though he couldn''t see anything.


    One had to praise the man''s skills and rich fighting experiences that allowed him to make such precise movements even when he couldn''t see or hear anything at all.


    The tree creatures didn''t do anything until Hao Xuan and Isak were less than 10 meters away from them. As soon as they entered that radius, the ground exploded with a bang and multiple thick veiny roots shot out in an arc from in front of them.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted as he simply fell straight down while giving Isak the go-ahead, ''NOW!''


    **


    Burak was sitting by the entrance with his eyes closed. His hammer-like face was caked in sweat as he focused the entirety of his mental energy and poured it towards the two words of power on the back of his hands.


    Most of the other barbarians had already regained consciousness and were resting with their backs against the cavernous walls to recover the energy they had used up and heal the injuries they had amassed, well, everyone other than one Barbarian, Jarek.


    He was upright on two feet and seemed to be in the best condition here. His gaze was fixated on Burak. He looked left and right at the other barbarians and when he was sure no one else was paying attention, with light, soundless steps he walked towards Burak.


    The veins on his right hand suddenly ballooned up and turned ck, separating from his skin that looked like it was made from y. They extended to three times their original size, iling about in the air.


    He stopped a meter away from Burak and extended his hand towards him. The worm-like veins straightened and started bing thinner.

 Chapter 686: Wicked Curses

    <h4>Chapter 686: Wicked Curses</h4>


    He stopped a meter away from Burak and extended his right hand. The worm-like veins surrounding it straightened and started bing thinner.


    It looked like each individual vein was alive, uniquely separate beings from one another rather than a part of something bigger. They moved closer to Burak''s face inch by inch who waspletely unaware.


    His mind was focused entirely on maintaining the shield and powering it which left him wide open to attacks, not that he was expecting to meet a foe when surrounded by his fellow nsmen.


    The longest and the thickest of the veins reached around his head and connected towards the back of his neck. But he didn''t notice it even when it had pierced his skin. It tried to burrow deeper into his body but could not go any further than the firstyer of the skin.


    His muscles were like steel and the vein could not go through them that easily, at least not without waking him up.


    Jarek''s eyes rolled back into their sockets as three more veins did the same, attaching themselves along the back of Burak''s neck. An extremely faint bubbling sound came from Jarek''s body as the veins started expanding and a stream of ck liquid flowed through them, gushing towards Burak''s body.


    The liquid from the first vein reached Burak and diffused to other parts of his body beneath his skin since the path to his brain was blocked. But just when the other three veins were about to pump the liquid into him, an ear-splitting explosion came from the outside, and a white light charged towards the entrance.


    *BOOOOOM*


    Jarek, or whatever creature was inhabiting his physical form at that moment, was the only one still standing was sent rolling down to his back from the earthquake that followed after.


    Burak abruptly opened his eyes and stood up, holding onto the sidewall for support. He looked towards the entrance to his right where the white light stabilized before flickering out of existence, revealing a couple of worn out and bloody silhouettes that belonged to Hao Xuan and Isak.


    Isak''s limp body that was hanging loosely from Hao Xuan''s back slipped and he fell to the ground face first. His forearms were covered in a strange spiraling ck pattern that was slowly spreading to the rest of his body.


    Hao Xuan was covered in numerous small cuts and bruises that leaked blood non-stop. His chest was heaving up and down. He looked right into Burak''s eyes saying, "We...have...to go...NOW" throughbored breaths.


    Behind them, the miasma had covered almost everything in sight revealing some vague images every other second of tall silhouettes covered in a ck me.


    "GET UP! We are leaving!" Burak shouted towards the other barbarians and ran towards Isak while they gathered themselves. With a solemn expression, he carefully lifted his arms to see how far the pattern had spread.


    Hao Xuan peered towards the unknown pattern as well. It looked like some kind of a tattoo. It had appeared out of nowhere right after Isak attacked.


    "What is....wrong with..him?" he asked Burak who was tapping certain spots on the pattern, visibly slowing its advance.


    This was the first time Hao Xuan had seen Burak so serious. Not even when he thought he was going to die did he panic this much. The pattern kept slowing and soon came to a stop.


    Burak wiped his forehead that was covered in sweat and let out a breath of turbid air before standing up.


    "A wicked old curse," he threw out the words before picking up the unconscious Isak in his arms.


    It didn''t look like he wanted to expand on the topic any further so Hao Xuan didn''t bother asking. He turned around to look behind him.


    Even through the thick miasma he was able to see that the wretched white silhouettes belonging to the tree creatures moving towards them once again.


    Just then Burak''s loud voice came into his ears.


    "Let''s go!"


    Burak led the party this time as they backtracked and rushed out as quickly as the circumstance would allow. Hao Xuan followed after them even though no one had the time or the desire to keep an eye on him, well, no one other than Jarek, who eyed him from afar.


    If not for Hao Xuan interrupting him, he could have probably infected Burak to a muchrger degree.


    Barely a minute after they had departed, high-pitched noises that sounded like an infant''s cries echoed in the cavernous hallway and one after another multiple tree creatures crawled in.


    The roots acted as forelimbs and the branches as hindlimbs as they charged into the tunnel following after Hao Xuan and the barbarians. Their speed was much faster than them and there was no doubt they would catch up before they will be able to leave the pyramid.


    ***


    Outside the pyramid, six new silhouettes were engaged inbat with more thread-like creatures. But unlike the battle with the barbarians, this one was much less tense as the sound of magic filled the air.

 Chapter 687: Magics

    <h4>Chapter 687: Magics</h4>


    A gentle breeze was blowing through thendscape that was still nketed under the cover of darkness. The valley leading up to the pyramid''s entrance was once again live with a newmotion.


    Several silhouettes were engaged inbat with more thread-like creatures. But unlike the battle with the barbarians, this one was much less tense.


    The sounds of magic filled the air. The low hum of spells being cast and the various subsequent noises from their actualization echoed in the valley.


    On top of the hill in the exact same spot from where Hao Xuan had first crossed over from, stood four of the six silhouettes. Three of them had canine-like fox ears and thest one was a human female.


    Of the three demihumans, two were females, Princess Helena and Princess Inara, and the third was a youngster, the same one that had tried to help Hao Xuan when he first nded'', Uri. (Ch 627)


    The human female was the girl referenced as Lady Jiang by the Grand Priestess. Her dainty figure was just a little bigger than Uri''s who was barely 11-12 years old himself. (Ch 664)


    Dressed in quite an eye-catching attire that was clearly out of ce for this world, she stood at the edge of the hill with both her hands extended outward. A light green glow surrounded the palms of her hand as she mumbled something under her breath with an earnest expression.


    Down on the valley floor, tworge female demihumans with muscr builds and feline features including long tails were fighting against the same corpses that had white thread-like worms protruding out of different orifices.


    The only difference was the presence of numerous wooden branches that were protruding from the ground below, obstructing their way and holding them in one spot while the feline demihumans struck from a safe distance using some peculiar-looking spears.


    Each spear was 1.5 meters in length, the tip of their des enhanced with a glowing symbol, a word of power. Both spears had the same word of power that looked like a spark. Whenever they attacked, bright yellow sparks would erupt from the des uponing into contact with any object, setting them alight.


    This included even the tree branches that were holding the creatures in ce. It made the whole scene look more like a practice session rather than an actual fight since there was no real risk to anyone involved, well, to no one other than Lady Jiang who was the one that had created the branches in the first ce.


    It was due to her magics that they could fight with such ease andfort while she was the one that had to bear the pain and distress of having her magic burnt and broken by the feline demihuman''s attacks.


    There are as many different types of magics as there are words to describe each one. In one such spell type, the magician casts a spell once which is equal to pressing the trigger of a gun.


    What happens to the bullet after it leaves the gun has nothing to do with the gun or the one who fired it. In much the same way, the magic, in this case, manifests in one form or another once the spell has been cast, regardless of the magician.


    Then there is the other type that is directly connected and dependent on the magician to either control it or simply provide a continuous source of mana. This type of magic is more of an extension of the magician rather than something abstract.


    In the second type, the magic could even be something simr to an extra limb, which was the case for Lady Jiang.

 Chapter 688: Trash

    <h4>Chapter 688: ''Trash''</h4>


    Lady Jiang did not utter a single word ofint or protest in any way while her magic which was akin to another limb was repeatedly set alight and cut apart. She could feel every thrust, every splinter separate from the branches, and every spark burn away what little of her was left within them.


    Princess Helena, Princess Inara, and Uri were standing behind her.


    Uri was holding onto twonterns that seemed a little too big for his frame. Every time a gust of wind passed anywhere near him he would sway back and forth, trying to keep his bnce.


    With pursed lips, he threw bitter nces towards Princess Inara who was standing in front of him. The area around one of his eyes had turned ck and swollen after receiving an unwarranted punch from the Princess.


    It was almost like she could feel him ring at her since she turned around unexpectedly and ended up looking right into his eyes. Flustered, Uri quickly averted his gaze, pretending to look at the fight below.


    Princess Inara scoffed, "Little twerp," she muttered turning back around. Her gazended on Lady Jiang''s back. She noticed her muscles that quivered every time the feline demihuman guards attacked and for some reason, her mood worsened.


    ''I won''t fall for your tricks,'' she mused inwardly.


    Princess Helena noticed her sour expression and gently nudged her elbow.


    "Behave, sister," she whispered before walking up to Lady Jiang.


    "I think that should be enough, no?"


    Her voice woke Lady Jiang from her focused state as she opened her eyes and looked to the side.


    "I can still go on...." she tried to meekly protest but seeing Princess Helena''s smiling face, her voice trailed off near the end. She nodded and obediently moved back with a lowered head.


    In front of Princess Helena, there was nothing she could do. Not only was Princess Helena older than her but her calm and collected demeanor and the unquestionable aura she had cultivated after serving as Hallvard n''s youngest priestess for years left little room for negotiation.


    "Let me take that, thank you for the help little brother," she said while patting Uri on the head before taking of the duck-bloodnterns for herself. Uri pouted in return.


    "I''m not little! Ms. Jiang is just a tiny bit taller than me! Look, if I stand on tippy toes I can also be just as tall as you!" he hopped up and down like a rabbit, making Lady Jiang giggle gleefully.


    Lady Jiang herself didn''t look older than 15-16 at most but her small face and the bit of baby fat that created dimples every time sheughed made her look even younger and more innocent than she perhaps actually was.


    She kept thentern close for warmth. The singleyer of ck pants and shirt that she had on was barely enough to protect her from the cold night, let alone the chilly wind that brushed past her every few minutes, making her shiver.


    Uri saw her entire frame shaking from head to toe and quickly brought the otherntern closer as well for some extra warmth, but thesenterns were not meant to warm the body and did very little in that regard.


    Princess Inara overheard their conversation and threw an emotionless nce towards her saying, "Maybe Lady Jiang should head back. As ''helpful'' as your magics are, there is little need for them here. So far all you have done is slow us down."


    Uri reacted before Lady Jiang could do anything. He jumped to her defense, quite literally.


    "Princess, that is not true! If not for Lady Jiang we-" Princess Inara''s eyes became cold seeing him. She was about to draw her shortsword when Uri was stopped by Lady Jiang herself who quickly ced her hand over his mouth to shut him up and gave a light, elegant bow from the waist.


    "I''m sorry sister Inara. I am still not used to the cold here. I apologize if I caused you any trouble but your grandmother told me toe here herself. I''m sure neither of us wants to disappoint her, correct?" she finished with a smile that was not a smile, stopping Inara in her tracks.


    "Whatever...human trash," Princess Inara looked away while mumbling the words loud enough that they were heard by everyone on the hill.

 Chapter 689: At Odds

    <h4>Chapter 689: At Odds</h4>


    "Whatever...human trash...what did I expect from a filthy halfling," Princess Inara mumbled loudly.


    Uri who was still being held back by Lady Jiang doubled his efforts upon hearing the remark and tried to struggle free but Lady Jiang hugged him even tighter.


    "Shh, it''s okay little brother, they are just words, they won''t hurt me."


    Uri looked up and saw Lady Jiang''s smiling face. But even though she was saying that it didn''t bother her, her eyes were already wet and Uri could see it clearly.


    He stopped struggling and rxed his body. Lady Jiang let him go while Princess Inara jumped down to the valley floor to help the two feline demihuman guards deal with the rest of the threadworm controlled creatures.


    Uri''s brow was creased and he appeared to be outraged on Lady Jiang''s behalf, even though she didn''t do anything herself.


    Sour-faced, Uri made faces at the Princess''s back while talking in a low voice.


    "Ms. Jiang, why do you always let the Princess say things like that? She''s always so mean to you!"


    Lady Jiang ruffled Uri''s hair, making him pull back.


    "If she can feel a little better about herself then why not? It doesn''t bother me."


    Uri fixed his hair, muttering under his breath, "Liar."


    A little further away from them, Princess Helena was simply standing at the hill''s peak with her eyes closed.


    She hadn''t said a single word throughout the ordeal. The thumbs of both her hands were taping against each finger as if she was counting something. Her lips parted and then met again repeatedly but no sound came out.


    She seemed to be in a world of her, in more ways than one. The billowing wind that had picked up its pace couldn''t even move a single lock of her hair. No one else noticed this peculiarity either as each of them were busy doing their own things.


    Nor did they notice the strange purple clouds that had started to gather in the sky above the pyramid. At first it started as a thin mist that got thicker and thicker and within half an hour had be something akin to a Stormfront.


    Yet it waspletely silent, the rolling gusts of wind being the only obvious evidence.


    Down in the valley, most of the threadworm creatures were dispatched within 10-15 minutes. Princess Inara stood atop thest burnt corpse, crushing the outer charred shell with her boots to make sure all the threadworms were dealt with.


    "It''s good,e down!" she shouted towards the hill and moved on to another corpse to do the same thing.


    Lady Jiang and Uri walked up to Princess Helena waiting for her to go down first but she didn''t make any movements.


    "Sister Helena?" Lady Jiang called out gently. She waited for a few seconds but there was no response to she called out again.


    "Sister Helena, sister Inara says it''s safe to go down now!" this time a little louder.


    Still no response. Lady Jiang and Uri exchanged nces, finding it quite strange.


    "Sister Helena...is everything okay?" Lady Jiang reached out and lightly tapped Princess Helena on the shoulder.


    *Woooop*


    A bubble of white energy suddenly materialized around the Princess before bursting open with a soft electronic sound.


    Lady Jiang and Uri both jumped back but strangely enough, nothing had happened to them. bbergasted, they looked towards Princess Helena who was facing the sky now. Both her eyes and mouth were open while rays of white light were somehow being projected outwards, lighting up the surroundings.


    Themotion was big enough to attract the attention of Princess Inara and the two guards who swiftly jumped back up to the hill.


    "What''s happening to her?" Lady Jiang asked as she pulled Uri out of the way.


    "Sister!" Princess Inara shouted towards Helena before suddenly drawing her sword and pointing it towards Lady Jiang, glowering at her uncertainly.


    "What did you do to her, witch?!"


    Stunned, Lady Jiang took a step back.


    "Sister Inara, what do you mean? Why would I do anything to sister Helena?"


    "Then how do you exin her condition? If not you then who? This mongrel?" she pointed the sword towards Uri this time who was too scared to even refute her ims.


    Lady Jiang pulled Uri behind her while taking another step back.


    "Sister Inara I promise you neither of us has anything to do with whatever is wrong with her! She was already like this. All I did was try to wake her up-"


    "So it WAS you then!" three words of power lit up on Princess Inara''s de.


    Both the other guards exchanged knowing nces with one another before pointing their spears towards Lady Jiang. It wasughably obvious what Princess Inara was trying to do but they were not in a position to stop her. Ever since they first met all those months ago she had been at odds with Lady Jiang and it looked like she was not going to let this opportunity pass.

 Chapter 690: At Odds Continued

    <h4>Chapter 690: At Odds Continued</h4>


    "So it WAS you then!"


    Three words of power lit up along the length of Princess Inara''s de before she had even finished speaking. Her expression glimmered with a smattering of emotions, mostly cold-blooded viciousness as she eyed Lady Jiang.


    And Lady Jiang clearly saw it as well. Her mind raced, trying toe up with any way to get out of this alive but she knew Princess Inara''s strength and temperament all too well by now, not to mention the two guards behind her.


    Even if she tried to use flight magic which she could barely activate properly even under normal circumstances let alone under duress trying to get away from this ce, there was a pretty good chance she would be dead before her feet would leave the ground.


    And if by some miracle she managed to take off, Uri would still be left down there and that would most certainly spell his doom.


    She looked towards Princess Inara with aplicated expression. How had ite to this?


    "Sister...why are you doing this?"


    Princess Inara, upon noticing that look of pity and anguish in Lady Jiang''s eyes even in this situation, couldn''t help but seethe with unconcealed rage.


    She grit her teeth loud enough that everyone around her could hear it.


    "Because of that! There it is again! Every time you look at us with those stupid eyes I want to gouge them out. What gives you the right to be so high and mighty? A mere human witch without even a ce to call home dares to look at ME, a princess of the Hallvard n with those pitiful eyes? You lowly peasant bitch-"


    She pulled back her de as the three words of power jumped into action. Lady Jiang pulled Uri close and cast the simplest protective spell she knew, creating a bubble of light that surrounded them both.


    Princess Inara swiftly shed forward but the barrier was already in ce. She attacked two more times but these normal attacks could do nothing against it. All the force and energy was redirected towards the ground below.


    Princess Inara had seen Lady Jiang cast this barrier spell before. It was created with the sole purpose to defend against physical attacks in case an enemy got close.


    "YOU.DIRTY.WHORE!" three more attacksnded after every word but to no avail


    Her expression became uglier as the three words of power startedbining with one another and created a muchrge symbol, one that could barely fit on the de but even then did not stop growing.


    When the symbol reached the maximum width of what the de could handle, the de started to expand along with the symbol. From a shortsword that was barely half a meter long, it turned into what looked like a cleaver that was almost 1.8 meters in length, longer than the person it was pointed at.


    Its hilt continued changing even after the de had stopped growing. Two rows of canine teeth emerged from the top and bottom of the hilt. Each tooth was outfitted with a red gem.


    Although it took a while to exin everything, the process itself didn''t take more than a couple of seconds. And when the sword''s transformation stopped, a heavy pressure fell on the entire valley followed by a bloodthirsty aura.


    Both the guards, Lady Jiang and Uri, everyone other than the two Princesses fell to their knees.


    The guards who were closest to Princess Inara had already dropped their spears and were holding onto their necks, their faces ck and blue as if they couldn''t breathe. The veins on their neck and forehead were bulging.


    "P-Princess!" one of them called out, getting Inara''s attention.


    She turned around and saw what was happening to them, but when the guards who were hoping for aid saw her pale, ashen-faced visage, they were left aghast.


    She had lost control. The unassuming de in the Princess''s hand was an artifact that had been passed down within the Hallvard n from the time her people first settled here. It had been by their side for as long as anyone could remember.


    And now, the Princess had activated it in the heat of the moment and could not bring it under control.


    Lady Jiang and Uri on the other hand were doing much better. Lady Jiang had extended both her hands, casting another protection spell that epassed them both. It protected against the simplest spiritual attacks but all it could do was slightly numb the pressure around them.


    Even though she was running out of mana with every passing second, as long as she could oust the Princess she should be able to make it out of here.


    Lady Jiang''s forehead was caked with sweat while the sword continued to exert more and more pressure, unleashing vast amounts of bloodthirsty aura which made their blood run cold.


    Princess Inara managed to hold on for 20 seconds before she fell to her knees as well. Her face was as pale as a ghost as she fought for every breath. The sword was drawing energy by consuming her vital blood which she did not have a lot of to begin with.


    But even at death''s doorstep all she could think about was taking Lady Jiang with her.

 Chapter 691: Cracking

    <h4>Chapter 691: Cracking</h4>


    But even at death''s doors all she could think about was taking Lady Jiang with her. Thispletely unwarranted opinion of Lady Jiang that she had developed all by herself did not let her rest.


    Instead of trying to control the artifact or perhaps cutting it off by force, Princess Inara bit down on her tongue to draw even more blood and spat it onto the de.


    This act provoked the artifact even more. The crown of red gems lining the top and bottom of the hilt started to hum with a dim light, releasing an otherworldly pressure that made one''s blood boil. Whatever the origin of this artifact was it was surely sinister in nature.


    And the majority of this pressure was focused on the person the de was pointed at, Lady Jiang.


    Her defensive magics could do little to stop the effects of the artifact awakening. The humming got louder and louder, building up to something. The air became heavy with killing intent all of which was aimed directly towards Lady Jiang.


    But while all this was happening on the ground below, something much worse had been put into action in the sky above. The purple clouds had formed a whirlpool that was touching the tip of the pyramid while the rest of its body spun faster and faster.


    It was obviously not a natural event because no one seemed to have even noticed it until it was far toote. Princess Inara was about to strike when a bright sh of light grabbed her attention from the rear.


    She turned her head with some effort and finally noticed the strange phenomenon. There were pirs of purple light in the shape of lightning boltsing down from the whirlpool and connecting with the ground below.


    But that wasn''t the strangest part. In every spot the light pir was connected to the ground, a crack in the fabric of space was bulging outward. There were 17 in total, each one of a different size.


    *Craaackle*


    One of the light pirs destabilized and abruptly exploded.


    *BOOOOM*


    A circr shockwave discharged in every direction for half a mile, covering everything. And when it passed by Princess Inara''s party they were all sent flying into the air. The de dropped from her hand andnded down into the valley.


    The guards were thrown towards the forest in the back while Inara was sent rolling into Lady Jiang and Uri, destroying her barrier spell. But strangely enough, only Princess Helena who was wide open was the only one left standing, and not even that but she had returned to her original self.


    Whatever that light was, it had helped her breakaway. She looked around and the first thing she saw was the whirlpool. A stream of ck liquid dripped out of her nostrils and down her face. It was hot enough to create vapors in the atmosphere.


    "N-No no, a-am I toote?!" she stammeringly uttered to herself while holding her head. Steam wasing off of her body but she did not have the time or the luxury to worry about herself.


    "INARA!" she suddenly remembered her twin sister and looked around to find her not too far in the distance, under a tree along with Lady Jiang and Uri.


    "Hurry! We have to go!" she ran up to them and pulled Princess Inara ut to her feet but upon noticing her paleplexion and sunken cheeks her brow furrowed in confusion. "What happened to you?"


    "The....de..." Princess Inara weakly pointed towards the valley. Helena looked around Inara''s waist for the sword but couldn''t find it so it was pretty easy to connect the dots. Her frown turned into a scowl instantly when she realized what had happened.


    "What did you do?! Did you lift the seal?!"


    Princess Inara looked away indignantly, opting not to exin herself.


    *Crack*


    But before Princess Helena could scold her, another pir of light cracked. It sounded identical to ice cracking but was loud enough that its sound echoed for miles and miles.


    "Get up! We have to leave!" she pulled Princess Inara to her feet and looked towards the others.


    "Ms. Jiang, get up right now! We have to get ou-" before she could even finish speaking the cracked pir exploded as well.


    *BOOM*


    Purple shards of solidified light shot out in every direction. Princess Helena threw her wobbling twin sister behind her and pulled on her gold earrings. They burst apart, turning into specks of golden light.


    Each speck expanded into a hexagon tile half a meter in diameter and connected with one another to make a wall around all four of them.


    The purple shards that looked like icicles rained down. Uponing into contact with the golden tiles they simply bounced off and fell to the side, evaporating a few secondster.


    The entire valley shook under their feet as the fifteen cracks that were still left at the edge of the light pirs suddenly expanded all at once. The insides of each crack swayed for just an instant before stabilizing, showing contrasting images. Each one held a distinct scenery from a strange unknown ce.


    Most of them were empty, showing barren uninhabitednds or deserts either all shrouded in darkness or reflecting various heavenly bodies in the crack''s watery surface.


    But three of them were different. One was underwater somewhere. On the other side of this crack was something moving in the darkness.

 Chapter 692: He, who

    <h4>Chapter 692: He, who</h4>


    But out of the fifteen, three of the images reflected within the cracks were strikingly dissimr to the rest of them.


    The first one was showing a scene from a world covered in dark blue water. There was what appeared to be static reflecting on the crack''s surface as the image alternated between different points of view before finally stopping on one.


    The image on the other side of the crack showed arge body of water. It was dar too dark to make out anything with some level of certainty but the shifting water and what seemed to be an inconceivablyrge moving shadow somewhere in the murky depths would keep anyone foolish enough to harbor any of thoughts of entering it at bay.


    The second crack was located in space. It showed an empty moon traveling across a void. Nothing but frigid darkness surrounded it from all sides. The moon''s surface was littered with millions upon millions of holes of various sizes.


    It looked more like a beehive than anything else. It was not attached to any or sr system, but somehow it was still traveling at breakneck speeds through a kaleidoscopic storm that went on without an end in sight.


    The third crack was above a stone forest with hundreds of meter long jagged rocks jetting out of a cloud of pinkish fumes. The fumes were so dense that nothing could be seen below them but every now and then arge beast or a body part thereof would fall down from the sky and into the nket of fumes.


    And whenever that happened, just for an instant the fumes would get pushed aside to reveal what was concealed within.


    Each falling beast carcass would get attacked by a creature with a body consisting of 4 to 6 serrated wings each of which was at least two meters in length attached to a matt ck carapace that was flying right under the fume cloud.


    Its entire frame was not visible but half of that beetle-like face that could be seen was discharging the same pink fumes without rest as it flew around. And below this creature was an army of slumbering humanoids.


    They were curled up in the fetal position with their heads between their legs and three pairs of thin disjointed arms holding them together. They were packed together to the brim littering the surface below in droves, so much so that not even the ground could be seen underneath.


    The pink fumes concentrated before finally coalescing into watery red drops before raining down on top of the sleeping monsters. It wasn''t clear whether that liquid was keeping them asleep or providing them with nourishment and unless one entered the crack, they would probably not find out for themselves either.


    When she was sure the danger had passed, Princess Helena stood up absentmindedly and tapped on one of the hexagon tiles to peer towards the pyramid. Her misty eyes fell on the spatial cracks and became transfixed, or rather on what lied within them.


    Her pale lips quivered and parted, recalling an old poem her grandmother, the Grand Priestess used to sing when she thought they had fallen asleep. Princess Helena would sometimes force herself to stay awake to listen to what sounded like the nonsensical ramblings of an old woman but...maybe that wasn''t the case.


    ''Firstes the cloud-less storm, bringing with it an old visitor, oh all alone.


    He once ''again'' resides, for the second of the first times.


    Thenes the quinze (fifteen) eyed monster.


    It grumbles and moans, inviting the naive in with an appetizing treat, but once you enter you can never leave.


    And from its stomach will he arrive, he who walks along the unseen line.


    So young and tasteful, so bright and beautiful.


    A bud yet to bloom, filled to the brim with doom.


    With a snip and a snap it will sound his end, but will he manage to stand in the end?


    So innocent and youthful, he who struggles to walk the path amid light and gloom.


    But his time wille, bringing with it a sadness that will never end.


    He, who roams and rambles, amid the bountiful stars and upon the never-ending conundrums.


    He, who fights against the masters of his fate, epting death rather than to take the reins.


    He, who stands in the shadows, birthing kings and ending reigns of almighty Dragon Sovereigns.


    He, who has seen it all but is blind to what is by his side.


    Only he will stand on my side-''


    *BOOOOOOM*


    An explosion interrupted Helena as one of the exposed walls of the pyramid suddenly burst into pieces. And through the dust and debris walked out a figure covered in soot. He was holding arge ded weapon in the right hand while the left one was gripping onto a white lightning bolt.


    He waved his weapon from side to side to clear away the floating dust and once he got a good look at his surroundings, he turned back around to shout towards the hole he had just created.


    "I FOUND IT! THIS IS THE WAY!"


    And not a secondter, a little more than half a dozenrge figures ran out of the hole. Some of them she instantly recognized even though they were charred ck and bloody, namely Burak and Isak among others but she could not tear her eyes away from the human who was in the lead.


    Her lips parted again as she uttered the poem''sst verse out loud.


    "Only he will stand on my side, when all else fails, bringing my people to a new light,


    I wee thee back to my world, to you who are yet untainted by what is yet toe,


    O King under the broken heavens, Lord of the forgottennds."

 Chapter 693: Stand off

    <h4>Chapter 693: Stand off</h4>


    "I FOUND IT! COME THIS WAY!" Hao Xuan screamed into the dark passageway.


    With a flurry of footsteps, eleven figures ran up behind him and exited from the hole in the passageway, falling out onto the valley floor.


    A handful of them just dropped to their knees right then and there. Tears streamed down their dirt ridden faces, creating streak marks that made them look like beggars, not that they needed any additional help in that department.


    All of their clothes or whatever was left of them was in tatters. Yellowed, patched, full of holes, and frayed to such a degree that they looked more like rags than anything wearable.


    They caressed the ground while a couple of them even went as far as eating a mouthful of dirt like it was candy, savoring every rock and pebble before swallowing it whole.


    "We''re really back!!"


    "It''s actually real!"


    "By the ancestor''s prayers we made it out!"


    Most of them were saying something along those lines while only three of them were still paying attention to what was happening behind them. Hao Xuan, Burak, and Isak all stood shoulder to shoulder facing the passageway.


    Hao Xuan pointed the ive forward and walked a couple of steps towards the passageway they had just run out of. He closed his eyes and listened for a couple of seconds before jumping back.


    His expression instantly darkened, "They''re still following us. Less than a minute, no more. What''s the n?"


    He was fluently speaking in the Barbarian tribe''s localnguage, with an even better ent than some of the other barbarians behind him.


    Isak who almost looked like an ordinary human now due to severe malnutrition nced towards Burak with a raised eyebrow, "Should we fight?"


    There was not a hint of fat anywhere on his body, all that remained were taut muscles and skin that was burned in most ces.


    Burak took in a deep breath through his nostrils creating a gust of wind. Like all the others, he had also lost a lot of weight. A bushy beard covered the entire bottom half of the face and his eyes muddled.


    "I....really didn''t think we would make it back," he mumbled to himself.


    "Burak!" Hao Xuan called out to wake him from the stupor he hadnded himself in.


    "Huh?" Burak looked towards him, befuddled.


    "Do we fight or run?" Hao Xuan gestured towards the hole with his chin, "Stick with me big guy, you''re almost home free," he said in a low voice at the end.


    Burak looked towards the hole and then at the other barbarians behind him. They were talking to themselves, many of them still crying like children. None of them appeared to be in fighting condition.


    Burak shook his head dejectedly, "As much as I would love to take care of those bastards, I don''t think we have any other choice right now. We go back, recover and return with more people to finish the job."


    "Let''s go then, we don''t have much time, they will be here soon!" Hao Xuan finished and turned back around to head out of the valley.


    They forced the rejoicing barbarians to get back on their feet and get a move on. Hao Xuan had only taken a couple of steps when he paused once again upon noticing the spatial fractures that surrounded the pyramid.


    Raising his head he nced at the purple whirlpool in the sky that was the source of this anomaly. He moved a lock of hair behind his ear that wasing down to his shoulders now.


    "How long has it been?" he asked no one in particr.


    *RuRuRuRURURUK*


    A raw, guttural noise came from the passageway that sounded like sharp swallowing noises some reptiles made. At first they were low but within seconds became so loud that everyone in the valley could hear them.


    A cold chill went down Hao Xuan''s spine. Without even bothering to turn around he leaned forward and booked it towards the exit. He seemed to be in much better condition than most of the others since with every jump he covered tens of meters.


    Within four leaps he appeared at the top of the hill and finally noticed six silhouettes in front of him.


    The guards had returned to their positions beside the princesses, pointing their spears at Hao Xuan. Princess Helena was staring at Hao Xuan''s face wide-eyed with hints of astonishment and disbelief.


    Princess Inara had an expression of revulsion on her face while she was being helped up to her feet by Lady Jiang and Uri who stood on either side of her. Lady Jiang was even using her own healing magic to help recover her energy and vital blood.


    "Who are you people?" Hao Xuan asked with a frown.


    Behind him, the rest of the barbarians had also caught up and scaled up to the top of the hill where they saw the guards pointing their spears towards Hao Xuan. They stood right behind him and pointed their own weapons towards them with varying degrees of vicious expressions on their many faces.


    Each one of them was covered in soot and ash, making them unrecognizable. Only Burak and Isak who had quite distinct features and physiques could be picked out without even looking at them.


    Burak pushed his way through to the front, speaking in a loud gruff voice, "What''s happening her- Inara!" but as soon as he saw Princess Inara his tone of voicepletely changed.

 Chapter 694: The Hunter

    <h4>Chapter 694: The Hunter</h4>


    "Inara!" Burak almost let out an unintentional squeal when his sights fell on Princess Inara.


    What a sight for sore eyes she was for him. Both his demeanor and tone of voice changed instantly. He took a fewrge strides forward but was stopped by the guard''s spear that threatened to pierce the skin of his neck.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked with raised hands.


    Princess Inara was already incensed as it were due to her needing help even standing upright and that too from the person she hated from the bottom of her heart, so Burak''s manner of speaking that implied a close rtionship between them pissed her off even more.


    Not to mention she didn''t recognize him to begin with.


    "Who the hell are you to speak to me like that?! I don''t know any filthy monkeys!" she almost spat on his face even going as far as calling him a monkey which was a derogatory term that others called the Barbarians, mostly behind their backs.


    Princess Helena was forced out of her daze by her sister''s inconsiderate and crass words. She threw her a quick re which promptly shut her up before looking towards Burak with an apologetic smile.


    "Lord Burak, I...did not expect to meet you here. I''m sorry for Inara''s behavior...." shemented with a tone full of doubt and suspicion, but even then she went as far as ordering the guards to lower their weapons without even asking any other questions.


    Princess Inara genuinely looked surprised when her sister called out Burak''s name but even then she did not bother to apologize for her statement.


    Some of the younger barbarians behind Hao Xuan were angered by her actions, and quite understandably so, but since Burak himself did not react, how could they?


    Burak gave a toothy grin showing his sharp canine teeth and shook his head, "No no, it doesn''t matter at all. It''s easy to get me confused with a monkey or two sometimes, hahaha," he told a self-deprecating joke to lighten the mood but this was hardly the right ce for such conversation.


    But Princess Helena simply smiled courteously in response, choosing not to even give a factitiousugh.


    "How are you her-...are you okay?" she changed the question at thest minute upon noticing their terrible condition.


    Burak nodded spiritedly at first, "Of course! This much is....nothing," but his enthusiasm died down pretty quickly once he recalled what they had just been through.


    Behind them, the empty passageway from which they had crawled out of was not devoid of life anymore. Hao Xuan who was keeping some of his attention directed towards the pyramid slowly turned his head. His ears twitched and eyes narrowed, focusing in on the opened space.


    The rough guttural sound that had been emanating from it died down slowly. Hao Xuan redirected qi towards his ears, eliminating all the unnecessary sounds. The world became quiet for him, even his hearts slowed down to a crawl as he held his breath.


    The first thing he saw were the long ck strands of hair slowlying down from the top of the opening.


    And then a momentter ''it'' came into view, that same shadowy outline that had followed him even into his dreams these past few months. It almost ''materialized'' out of the darkness, poking its demented head.


    The head was humanoid in its form. With a circumference of at least 90 centimeters, it was more than three times the size of an average human. There was no skin to speak of, only brown bones and a few strands of bright red facial muscles that connected the various parts together. The few strands of hair that were present were attached directly to the skull as if nted there by force.


    The hollow eye sockets held two sickly yellow lights that swiveled left and right independently. There was no distinction between any sections which made the entire eye look like one big puss filled sack.


    Then came tworge skeletal hands out of the darkness, gripping the top of the opening. The hands only had three digits each which dug into the wall for support. It was hanging upisde down.


    And not even a secondter as if it could feel him looking at it, it abruptly jerked its head and peered right into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    It didn''t have any lips, just two shriveled worm-like muscle strands around its mouth but even those were enough to create a chilling little grin. The serrated teeth that still had some human bone shards stuck in them parted and it mouthed two words.


    ''Found...you.''


    Hao Xuan''s pupils shrunk to the size of needles.


    "IT''S HERE! THE HUNTER!" he shouted channeling Qi into the ive, interrupting Burak and the Princess''s conversation.


    Other than Burak and Isak, all the other barbarians spun around simultaneously. Even these brave warriors couldn''t keep down the fear that had been instilled within the very depths of their souls from the recent experiences.


    Some of their legs were shaking, trembling upon seeing that warped smile.


    Burak didn''t need to turn around. The hair on the back of his neck were standing straight up, almost weing the creature.


    But he still managed to let out a wry smile, "I-I''m afraid we will have to cut this short. Come with us, we might be able to lose it in the forest," he said looking at Princess Inara.


    Princess Helena noticed the thick droplets of sweat condensing on his forehead which along with his stammering voice made her heart shudder. Although not the strongest, there was barely anything that could genuinely scare this mammoth of a barbarian.


    And if even he was this frightened, then what should they feel?


    The hunter, as it was referred to as by Hao Xuan and the other barbarians, noticed them swiftly moving into the forest that was in front of them and vanish from view.


    It opened its mouth to reveal a long, hollow cylindrical tongue that unfurled, getting even longer. It had notches and tears all along its sides.


    Whenever it breathed, that strange noise that was a mix of clicks and bubbles being popped would flow out. It was dampened by the rows of scally muscles along its long neck at first before being amplified, making for a truly hauntingly alien sound.


    The noise echoed in every direction, inside and out. The ground started shaking, the vibrations getting stronger by the second until a minuteter when a horde of monsters rushed out of the passageway like a broken dam.

 Chapter 695: Mistakes were made

    <h4>Chapter 695: Mistakes were made</h4>


    "I-I''m afraid we will have to cut this short. Come with us, we might be able to lose it in the forest."


    Burak signaled the other barbarians who with Isak in the lead sprinted into the forest behind them at full speed.


    He then looked towards Hao Xuan and went up to him, whispering in his ear.


    "Same as before? I can still go on for an hour. Take them to the..."


    When Burak''s girthy silhouette moved out of the way, Princess Helena and the guards caught a glimpse of the hunter poking its head out of the opening in the pyramid.


    They nced at one another and realized they were all on the same page. If almost a dozen barbarians couldn''t take it down, there was no way they would stand a chance.


    "Go, take her," Princess Helena pointed one of the guards towards Princess Inara. The guard came forward and picked her up before running into the forest after the barbarians. The second guard picked up Uri and followed after.


    She nced in Hao Xuan''s direction with an uncertain gaze and only then did Princess Helena move. Pausing for a second when passing Lady Jiang, "Use your spells, do not fall behind," she threw the words and disappeared into the underbrush without waiting for a response.


    Lady Jiang extended her hand trying to stop her but the agility of a demihuman was nothing to scoff at. Especially those of the Hallvard n that had the bloodline of the ancient Seven-Tailed Astral Fox''s running through their veins, as diluted as it had be.


    Apanied by a gust of wind, Princess Helena was gone from sight before she could even blink.


    "But I...don''t have enough mana left," Lady Jiang muttered to the empty space.


    With another flurry of footsteps, Burak rushed past her as well and disappeared into the forest''s shadow. But the direction he had taken was a little different than the others.


    "What are you waiting for? Move!" Hao Xuan''s voice came from behind, startling her.


    "Y-YES!" too scared to even exin, she just ran into the forest by herself without even turning around.


    The majority of her mana was used on Princess Inara so all she could depend on was her physical strength. But she still directed whatever little bit of mana was left inside her and used an augmentation spell.


    "O spirits of thend, provide me with your essence!"


    Unlike other spells that used the mana from the caster''s body, this particr one depended on the natural ambient energy in the atmosphere.


    The few morsels of spiritual energy that were left nearby gathered at her feet to provide a basic speed boost.


    Behind her, Hao Xuan looked at the purple whirlpool in the sky onest time before running after her as well.


    The hunter''s whistle gathered the horde that chased after them into the forest, while the hunter itself slowly crawled out of the pyramid, revealing its true form only once it was sure the area was clear.


    Although its head was humanoid, the rest of its 4-meter long body was reptilian.


    Each of its four legs ended in three elongated bony digits while the main body resembled that of a lizard. Unlike the head, the body was covered in a sheet of leathery skin that stuck to its ribcage like wallpaper.


    But the peculiar thing about it was the presence of a light source in the shape of an amber-colored ball of me that burned within its abdomen. It could be seen even through its skin, making the creature look like a creepy Halloween decoration from certain angles.


    There were still portions of skin and flesh missing from various areas, almost like they had fallen off by themselves.


    It stepped onto the valley floor, using the giant humanoid head to look around. The fleshy tongue rolled back into its mouth as if it was never there and a ribbon of solidified amber me came out, feeling in the air for something.


    Its head abruptly jerked in the direction of the spatial cracks, primarily the one that led to the world that was shrouded in pink fumes and the one underwater. The yellow lights within its eye sockets flickered with an emotion akin to uncertainty before changing to confusion and panic as it fled the scene, chasing after its prey.


    ***


    Five hours earlier.


    Hao Xuan and the party retraced their steps and ran back into passageways. The tree creatures chased after them in droves giving them very little time to see where they were actually going. Hao Xuan who was at the very back and the only one who knew about the changing pathways didn''t have time to warn the others.


    Expecting to be heading back towards the exit, they instead went further into the pyramid and deeper within. By the time they realized what had happened, there was no time to turn around.


    Most of the barbarians were either injured or low on energy so all they could do was keeping moving forward deeper into the winding halls, wherever they led.

 Chapter 696: Bang Bang

    <h4>Chapter 696: Bang Bang</h4>


    Expecting to be heading back towards the exit, they instead went further into the pyramid and deeper still. By the time they realized what had happened, there was no time to turn around.


    *Huff*Huff*Huff*


    *Bang*


    Hao Xuan''s chest heaved up and down as he punched the door in front of him out of frustration. Behind him, most of the barbarians were in much worse conditions. Burak was carrying Isak on his back but he himself was low on internal energy, not to mention the numerous physical wounds that ailed him.


    "Another one?" he asked from the back, getting a powerless nod from Hao Xuan.


    They had been running for over 15 minutes and even though they had lost the vast majority of the tree creatures in the neverending hallways of the pyramid, the same could be said for them as well.


    Hao Xuan moved to the side panel on the wall and cleared away the organic webbing that covered it. This particr console was in much better condition so Hao Xuan could easily navigate it. He tapped on the top right symbol which showed his location in rtion to the exit.


    They had somehow already entered the second of the five floors of the pyramid. There were no stairs or even slopes that went down so how this happened was beyond him.


    ''Baracus, can you find me a safe route out of here?''


    Hao Xuan called up the only being that could help him in this situation and he activated with a soft noise without dy.


    *Beep*


    ''Calcting...''


    The images on the ss panel started changing, showing hundreds of different hallways interconnected with one another. A few secondster the images came to a stop and Baracus exined what he had found.


    ''There is only one path that leads out of the facility.''


    The images changed, now showing a single highlighted route. It led back from where they hade from. But before Hao Xuan could ask about its safety, numerous red dots popped up in and around thest three hallways of the selected route.


    ''These are the other lifeforms that can be detected within the limited range of the plotted course.''


    There were more than 50 of them and the numbers only increased within the few seconds Hao Xuan had spent staring at the console. More and more of them were flooding in and sooner rather thanter, they would find this ce as well.


    Not to mention all of these were only in thest hallways from Hao Xuan''s current position.


    "Damn it," Hao Xuan cursed out loud by ident.


    ''So what then? What can we do now?'' he asked helplessly.


    The images changed along with the perspective, showing two new routes, only these ones went further in, not out.


    The first route highlighted. It was much shorter leading to a lit-up area on the 3D map one floor below although it took quite a few twists and turns.


    ''This section still has power. You could try to go there and redirect the power manually to create a new pathway out of the pyramid. But there is no guarantee that will work. It is also unknown what exactly is in that section still drawing power.''


    Then the second route lit up. This one was much longer but almost in a straight line aspared to the other one, going down anti-clockwise around the middle section.


    ''This path leads directly to the facility''s center where the main control panel lies. If there is enough power, I will be able to redirect it to create a straight route leading out of the facility.''


    There were a few red dots roaming about in both of the routes just in the detection range of the sensors, so it was difficult to say which one was safer overall.


    The first one was closer and but there was no telling what was in there or if it would even be able able to redirect the power as needed.


    The second on the other hand most probably would be able to solve their problems. The only problem was that it was located in the heart of the pyramid.


    Hao Xuan looked at the worn-out barbarians and then at the numerous red dots that were closing in on them on the panel. Instead of telling Burak or anyone else, Hao Xuan made the choice for them.


    ''The second one. We don''t have the liberty to keep trying different things.''


    ''Affirmative.''


    Baracus downloaded the map and synced it with the most recent changes of the pathways. The downloaded one obviously won''t be able to tell if there are any other creatures nearby but at least Hao Xuan would know the right path.


    Baracus unlocked the door and Hao Xuan opened it himself. The barbarians only noticed when they heard the settling noises.


    *aaaaang*


    "Go!" Hao Xuan gestured towards the barbarians who all looked at Burak.


    Burak met Hao Xuan''s gaze for a second or two and gave a silent nod of approval for them to move in. Burak and Isak were thest of the barbarians to step into the roaring darkness followed by Hao Xuan.


    He was the only one holding the door ajar so when he let go, it closed by itself behind them with a loud bang.

 Chapter 697: Den of monsters

    <h4>Chapter 697: Den of monsters</h4>


    The long-abandoned passageways of a mysterious old pyramid were now once again alive withmotion.


    These hallways that had not seen a single ''living'' soul were suddenly filled with numerous figures, both human and inhuman, locked in a battle of life and deathid witness to only by a misty darkness of eras long gone.


    "ALMOST THERE!"


    "Don''t stop moving!"


    "Jarek is injured, we need another set of hands here!"


    "Go, I''ve got this!"


    "How long!?"


    The panic-stricken voices of a little more than a dozen individuals echoed in the hallways, coloured in by the heart-wrenching sniveling roars of the flood of deformed nightmare-inducing monstrosities that they had picked up along the way and brought with them to the heart of the pyramid.


    The barbarians were standing with their backs against one another, and often times with some other things as well that managed to sneak their way into their ranks.


    They stood guard in front of a giant door no more than 15 meters in length and 9 meters in width. Three giant hallways led to this ce and ended in front of the door and right now, each of those hallways was filled to the brim with beasts, deviant monsters, and grotesque miscreations of unholy thoughts brought into the physical realm by some vile element that lurked within the countless shadows of this abandoned structure.


    Burak was engaged inbat with thergest creature that was trying to eat its way in from the left hallway, doing his best to keep it away because killing it never even crossed his mind.


    It was a four-legged creature that remarkably simr to a dog from earth. The only differences were that this thing had no skin, its flesh was harder than steel that covered every single orifice including the eyes.


    When it opened its mouth the lower jaw separated into two further sections each one lined with hundreds of sharp hollow teeth that sprayed a red liquid in an arc in front of it. The ends of its tongue had a hard shell covering them that when smashed together created a spark that ignited the red liquid.


    Its size was close to 9 meters in length. The serrated tail on its back swung left and right like an ax, cutting down even the numerous other canine creatures in half that had followed behind it. (Reference Image in Authors notes)


    On the right hallway was Isak along with three other barbarians. They were fighting against a humanoid creature with extremely long, segmented limbs with a ck tumor-like growth that reced its head.


    Each of its limbs were somewhere between three to four meters long when fully extended but wherever it attacked from the back, each segment would elongate even further.


    The space around its forelimbs would twist and expand which along with all these factorsbined meant that it could attack almost instantly from any direction and distance within thirty meters. (Reference Image in Authors notes)


    And in the middle hallway where all the other barbarians were gathered was a horde of identical aquatic monsters with wide serrated mouths, 2-3 pairs of eyes, and up to 9 different limbs. The most peculiar thing about them was the presence of a human face inside their mouths.


    It was created naturally from its own muscles and did not have any eyes, but it let out high-pitched screams every time the creature attacked. (Reference Image in Authors notes)


    The screams had a strange almost hypnotizing characteristic about them that would often make the barbarians zone out or even attack their ownpanions in confusion.


    And behind all of them was Hao Xuan. He was standing in front of the ss panel on the side of the door doing...nothing.


    ''Baracus how long?! We don''t have time for this!'' Hao Xuan urged him again.


    ''There are numerous encryptions in ce. I have broken through the first 2.49 million, the rest should be done.....now.''


    With a light, barely audibly click, the gigantic ck door retreated into the wall.


    ''Five seconds, it will close automatically after that,'' Baracus warned.


    Hao Xuan spun around and shouted, "COME! IT WILL CLOSE AGAIN!"


    The barbarians were already prepared so they suddenly locked arms and bashed their heads in front of them in unison, releasing an energy-infused shockwave that sent all nearby creatures tumbling away.


    Buraknded a punch right into the mouth of the canine creature, burning it in the process but managing to push it back enough to retreat.


    Isak swung his swords in front of him in a crisis cross manner, firing two ckfire sword shes into the hallway and did the same along with the apanying barbarians. He was thest one to enter as the door automatically shut behind him before the monsters had the chance to get back on their feet.


    "No...more..." one of the panting barbarians that appeared to be the youngest threw his curved de onto the floor and fell to his knees, "I can''t...go on," he mumbled under his breath but everyone heard him clearly in the silent chamber.


    Even if someone wanted to rebuke him, no one had the energy to.


    No one expected these monstrous creatures to grow in size and aptitude as they went deeper. On the way down one of the barbarians even identally wandered away from the group and ended up in one of those strange worlds. That''s where the aquatic creatures hade from.


    The monsters not only got more and more vicious but also more mysterious the further down they went. It was more like a den of monsters rather than an abandoned old structure as Hao Xuan had initially presumed.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/71/6a/74/716a746eec953468ca0ef6d6db0960a7.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/bH2op


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/1a/83/e0/1a83e023b4542525f040891c4ea48.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/AfGT5


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/32/e7/10/32e71097e340ee771a5602666615ba42.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/LTWxd

 Chapter 698: Measure me not

    <h4>Chapter 698: Measure me not</h4>


    *THUD*


    *THUD*


    *THUD*


    *THUD*


    The dull and heavy thumping sounds did not stop even though the path had closed behind them. The creatures kept beating on the door trying to pry it open or break it down.


    The noises filled the chamber on the other side of the door, keeping the party from relishing the temporary reprieve they had been granted after so long.


    "No...more..." one of the panting barbarians that appeared to be the youngest threw his curved de onto the floor and fell to his knees, "I can''t...go on," he mumbled under his breath but everyone could hear him clearly in the silence.


    Hao Xuan thought about saying a word or two to the teen to try and lift his spirits but examining the chamber was of a higher priority right now. He walked past the barbarians that had settled down in the short corridor right next to the door and entered the chamber on the other side.


    It was a rtively small circr room with a radius of 15 meters.


    There were only two things of note here. The first one was what appeared to be a control panel and a chair in the dead center of the room. There was only one chair in front of it that was just a little bigger than what would be needed for a normal human.


    Unexpectedly, the chair was made of wood instead of some high-tech material. The control panel was a single ss screen connected to the floor by a metal bench.


    The second thing of note was a collection of carvings and engravings etched onto the wall in front of the panel. They were engraved in a semi-circle with a radius of 5 meters.


    Other than these two things the chamber waspletely devoid of anything, no even another exit leading out of it. Somewhat dispirited Hao Xuan went up to the wall and examined the engravings closely but could not recognize any of them.


    There were 24 basic symbols, each one different from the one before. They repeated over and over again in varying sequences and strings, sometimes in groups of up to seven or eight and sometimes just two.


    Two parallel rows together created the semi-circle as a hole.


    But while Hao Xuan was busy examining the symbols with excruciating detail, something inside him started to change. The cells of the section of the brain that interprets sensory information, mainly the sensory cortex, were forced awake by the visual feedback provided by the symbols.


    With a speed that could be seen with the naked eye, a small mass of cells quickly multiplied and created a new growth on the outer edge of his brain.


    This sudden and abrupt change brought with it a soul piercing headache that reached even his mind pce, making the entire construct tremble.


    "Argh!"


    Hao Xuan swiftly looked away and backed up several steps bumping into something hard. He turned around to see Burak standing behind him staring at the symbols with a deep frown.


    Hao Xuan shook his head forcefully several times until the headache somewhat lessened in intensity.


    He then looked up at Burak who was eyeing the symbols as if he recognized them, "What...do you...see?"


    A deep frown furnished the top half of Burak''s wide face.


    "They are...familiar..." he muttered with a hint of uncertainty.


    "From...where?" Hao Xuan asked holding the side of his head that provided some sort of temporary relief.


    Burak shook his head, "Can''t remember but...I feel like I''ve seen them before..."


    Hao Xuan let out a silent sigh. He got his hopes up for a moment there, expecting too much from the current situation. The loud banging against the door was still going strong and it did not look like it would stop anytime soon.


    And since they were locked in here now with the only way out littered with uncountable monstrous creatures, hope was dwindling by the second.


    Hao Xuan moved over to the console chalking the current headache up as the same as the others he got every so often now due to the instability in his physical and spiritual centers.


    He pulled out the wooden chair and stood in front of the console that came up to his waist. There was a single ss screen on the panel, pitch-ck in color. It was extremely cold to the touch and Hao Xuan even felt like he was touching ice for a second and he wasn''t exactly wrong.


    This ss-like material was a gigantic shard of extremely condensed sealed yin Qi that could only be harvested from the heart of a dying sun moments before it turns into a white dwarf.


    That is the only time when the heart of the sun contracts to such a degree that it squeezes out every iota of purified yin qi still left within the core after billions of years.


    The entire process has to happen naturally otherwise the yin Qi does not solidify meaning, the price and cost of an object like this could not be measured by any standard means.


    It is a treasure amongst treasures sought after even in the furthest reaches of the universe for its numerous applications one of which, is the ability to hold almost an infinite amount of information.

 Chapter 699: A Way Out

    <h4>Chapter 699: A Way Out</h4>


    The second Hao Xuan''s hand came into contact with the panel it lit up with a row of three-dimensional characters. It only took him a second to realize that it was apletely foreignnguage so he ''woke'' Baracus up.


    ''I''m at the panel, what should I do?''


    *Beep*


    ''The same as usual. ce your left hand on the surface.''


    Just like the many hundreds of times before, Hao Xuan did as instructed and Baracus directed the nanites to make a connection through his limb.


    There were only 9 basic characters but they changed positions, rotating at different angles and realigning themselves to make new ''letters'' and words so to speak, obviously none of which Hao Xuan understood.


    ''You should sit down, this will take a few minutes,'' Baracus informed Hao Xuan who pulled the chair back with the other hand and sat down obediently.


    All he could do was wait for Baracus to do his thing and then give Hao Xuan the simplest version of the events because whatevernguage this was, he was not ashamed to admit that it was far tooplicated for him.


    It had taken them close to 35 minutes to reach this chamber, including the time it took to open the door. So from start to finish, it hadn''t really been that long. It had only been a handful of hours since they first entered the pyramid but so much had happened since then that it felt like a lifetime ago.


    The rest of the barbarians including Isak were still sitting at the entrance of the chamber near the door trying to unsessfully recover their energies.


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    The aimless thudding turned into sharper, clearer sounds of concentrated determined strikes that not only got louder with time but also more frequent. It hade to a point that the several meter thick door was starting to shake with every other strike.


    From the sound alone it was clear that the creatures had started to work together to break down the door as quickly as possible instead of thoughtlessly ramming their bodies into the doorway. Why it was so, was a question they would not find the answers to without risking their very lives.


    Everyone including Hao Xuan could hear it, and how could they not? With nowhere to go the sound was echoing in the empty chamber, rebounding off of the surfaces and getting louder every time.


    They were all trying their best to ignore it but every thump, knock and blownded directly on their hearts. It was an unavoidable countdown to their most likely demise.


    Even Hao Xuan couldn''t help himself from feeling a hint of wretched gloom crawl into his heart with every passing second.


    He closed his eyes and tried to summon the Scorpion King but it was to no avail. He could feel the restrictions weakening around the Mind Pce but there was still some time left before he would be able to call out his summons once again.


    From a rough estimate, it should be within a couple of hours but even that was too much to ask for at this moment in time.


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    The noise continued in the background, disrupting their focus. In a way, this was actually worse than fighting them head-on. The uncertainty hovered above their hearts and minds like a constantly dropping pendulum or perhaps a ticking time bomb in this case.


    Hao Xuan''s mind naturally wandered to darker ces.


    ''What if we had taken the other route? Would we be in a better situation?'' he thought feeling guilty for making the decision by himself.


    His heart rate slowly rose and even though he tried his best to concentrate on recovering the Qi, well, it was easier said than done. Thankfully Baracus spoke up after 15 to 20 minutes, distracting him from the misery and hopelessness of their current situation.


    ''I have finished the data analysis.''


    And it was only then that Hao Xuan realized that the entire upper left side of his body was drenched in sweat. It felt like he hadid his arm in a furnace.


    ''What''s going on?''


    ''There was...a lot of information. I only managed to decipher just over a quarter of it.''


    Baracus''s response helped Hao Xuan hold onto a sliver of hope.


    ''And? Is there a way out of here? Can you redirect power or whatever it was and open a path to the surface?'' he asked expectantly.


    ''.....''


    But ack of response immediately doused the spark of hope before it could even take root.


    ''Is there...no way?''


    ''Not how you''re imagining it. There is no path leading to the surface, that is for certain. But...''


    ''But what?! Don''t just fucking stop talking you piece of shit!'' Hao Xuan cursed his heart out thinking that he was doing it on purpose but Baracus was simply at a loss for words, which in and of itself was quite an achievement.


    There weren''t many things that could leave such an advanced intelligence speechless.


    ''There is a kind of a spatial gateway here, in a manner of speaking. That is the only way out of the facility, at least for now.''

 Chapter 700: How Much Value?

    <h4>Chapter 700: How Much Value?</h4>


    ''The data points to a kind of spatial gateway, in a manner of speaking. At least for now that is the only way out of the facility.''


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    The noise continued to ring out but Hao Xuan''s interest was most certainly piqued and hope returned in full force.


    ''That''s great! Open the gateway to the surface so we can leave then!'' he ordered excitedly. He didn''t even have time to celebrate before Baracus shut him down again.


    ''That...is not possible. This is not a naturally urring rift or a teleportation array where you can just decide where to go. It...It''s not easy to exi-''


    Hao Xuan punched the panel in a fit of hysteria, almost screaming aloud, ''Well fuckin'' try, okay? We need to...leave this god damned ce soon...'' on the verge of having a mental breakdown, he implored with Baracus even though there was nothing he could do.


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    The door wouldn''t hold for more than a few minutes which they all knew by now. Each strike pulled at Hao Xuan''s heartstrings which were already teetering on the edge of a de. His eyelids quivering with every strike now.


    ''Please calm down and let me exin. All is not yet lost,'' Baracus tried to reason with Hao Xuan. His emotions were a mess, a sudden change in behavior like this was an expected side-effect of his condition for which he was warned even before leaving the Beast World, a side-effect that only now manifested for whatever reason.


    Maybe it was the looming promise of death or the stress of all the responsibilities finally having an adverse effect on his mind but either way, it was a bad sign nheless.


    However, Baracus''s monotonous tone of voice had some sort of lulling effect on him since he appeared to calm down to a degree.


    ''Just tell me...I don''t care anymore, just tell me whatever it is. What do I have to do now?'' Hao Xuan asked despairingly.


    Baracus collected his thoughts andpounded a few simple sentences that could best exin what he had found.


    In a bid to appear more human and appease his disced emotions Baracus apologized first, ''I''m sorry, I will try to keep it as short as possible but you need to have a little bit of background to properly understand the true value of what is in here. You might have heard this before but it''s a good thing to reiterate for this discussion,'' Baracus started exining while Hao Xuan just listened with a lowered head.


    ''As you very well know, the universe is vast. Be it the Beast World alone that is only one of the 7 Origins, the countless other nes of existences and worlds scattered across the cosmos, or the floating cities of the deep space, there is no possible way for me to tell you just how big of a scale it is on.''


    ''And as you might expect, thergest obstacle in modern times is obviously distance. Far too much time is spent crossing the empty voids between star systems that is more often than not littered with unavoidable dangers that crawl up from the abyss. This is the most basic, the most dangerous, and the longest mode of transportation.''


    ''There is an alternative to this, which is usually only used in times of war or when there is an extremely powerful entity on board to protect the fleet. It includes entering ckholes and moving through the Abyss itself which is home to most of the Cosmic threats. The Abyss is also gued by neverending storms which disce space and time, presenting a fatal danger to all.''


    ''When moving through the Abyss, most forces will opt to transport their forces on gargantuan ships heralded by expansive fleets costing fortunes, like the one circling this sr system.''


    ''But there are of course other ways. Spatial magic, abilities, and anomalies being the best of them. ''


    ''Teleportation spells and arrays can transfer matter over incredibly long distances, but theye with their own pros and cons. For one, there need to be two connected points in space, one to send and the other to receive otherwise there is no telling where one might end up.''


    ''Not to mention that the higher a person''s cultivation or the more energy they hold, the more it costs to move them. Great powers use this method to move important individuals rather than risk traveling through the void or the Abyss. But only a select few can manage that and even then they dare not give guarantees.''


    ''This is the safest option but it consumes stupendous amounts of energy making it inefficient and not viable other than in cases of extreme emergency. There are also rted costs of maintaining such magic and arrays for extended periods that cannot be ignored.''


    ''The next option is through the rifts. But as you already know, rifts appear at random and can lead to any ce across the universe. There is no control to speak of.''


    ''These two are the mostmonly used methods for transportation but there are rare exceptions. Some lucky individuals can either learn spatialws or sometimes there are those that are born with the innate ability to move through space unhindered.''


    ''That''s why such individuals are so valued and sought after but as with all other methods, they also have their own limitations the biggest of which is that they are living beings and can also make mistakes. Not to mention they are extremely rare and prone to...death. To be able to cultivate to a level where one can move entire fleets and armies is nothing short of a miracle, one that cannot be counted on in the long term...''


    Some of the things Hao Xuan already knew and others he didn''t much care about so he cut Baracus off.


    ''I don''t need a lesson Baracus, just get to the point.''


    ''Apologies, I got a little carried away since the topic is so interesting but you should now have an idea. Standard space travel either takes too long or is far too dangerous and risky, teleportation is too expensive and inefficient, and other methods can''t much be counted on.''


    ''So in this state of affairs, what would happen if there was a safe (enough) way to travel to any ce across the universe, without any real sacrifices or consequences? How much value would such a method hold?''

 Chapter 701: Making Sense

    <h4>Chapter 701: Making Sense</h4>


    What if all those restrictions are gone? What if there was a way that anyone could use to move from one point in space to another without much risk, without costing fortunes? I''m not talking about moving from just one sr system to another but crossing entire gxies, expanses the likes of which only a rare few could ever hope to cross in their lifetimes?''


    ''How much value would such a method hold?''


    ''How much of a strategic advantage would it give to any force that could send its entire armies to their enemy''s doorstep, cross billions of lightyears in a matter of days or months? What do you think will happen then?''


    Hao Xuan''s brow naturally furrowed while he digested the information bit by bit.


    ''A lot...a lot will change if something like that came to light, no?'' he asked for confirmation.


    At that moment Hao Xuan could almost feel Baracus smiling from ear to ear even though there was no way that could be physically possible.


    ''No, not a lot, it would change everything. The known universe would be thrown into chaos, every ruling power would do everything possible to get its hand on such a method. To say that it is priceless would be the understatement of an era.''


    ''From the Heavenly True Gods to the Archaic Demons, from the human Ancients to the Immortal Lords of the Abyss and all those numerous other creatures and races in between, every single one of them would stop at nothing to acquire such a method. Whoever held it would be the most wanted being since the beginning of time itself.''


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but nod along, getting carried away with Baracus until he remembered to ask the most important question. A pit formed in his stomach.


    *Gulp*


    He swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet his parched throat before asking.


    ''Does that mean there is...such a method?'' Hao Xuan crossed his fingers praying for a no just this one time.


    All the noise suddenly died down as he waited for the response. And the most likely response that COULDe in this situation, came, shaking Hao Xuan to the very core of his being.


    ''I am currently looking right at it.''


    *Bleuurgh*


    Hao Xuan keeled over right then and there, emptying the watery contents of his stomach onto the floor.


    *Bleeuuurgh*


    Just when he tried to get up another wave erupted forth and he fell to his knees. Burak who was standing in front of the markings heard the noise and came running over.


    "Oi human, what''s wrong with you? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, seemingly concerned for his well being.


    Hao Xuan used the panel to lift his weary body up and feebly fell on the chair, his head still hanging low.


    "Yeah...I''m...okay..." he waved his hand to send Burak away who wanted to ask more questions but upon hearing the duress in Hao Xuan''s voice, all he could do was go back.


    ''Are you okay?'' Baracus asked after giving Hao Xuan a short moment of respite.


    Hao Xuan let out a hollow chuckle by ident, ''Okay? You hand me a death sentence and ask if I''m okay? What do you think?''


    ''....Apologies. I understand this can be a little overwhelming bu-''


    ''No, it''s not overwhelming at all, in fact, it all makes sense now. If this method is as valuable as you make it out to be, then it all makes sense.''


    ''Makes sense? What does?'' Baracus wasn''t following Hao Xuan''s line of thought.


    ''Everything. Why all this bullshit is happening. I don''t believe in coincidences, not in this world. But with this it all makes some sense now, it was because of this thing.''


    ''It makes sense why so many powers have gathered here. Enemies became friends, a god reached out to a mere mortal like me for help. Under the guise of looking for the world spirit, they were looking for this.''


    ''You mean...''


    ''Yeah, this is it. I always thought it was a little weird, putting in so much work to find one world spirit. Even if it joined their side there was only so much it could do, it also has limits.''


    ''From what Gavril has told me, even though the words of power are quite unique they are not all that powerful by themselves. Like with every other system be it cultivation, magic, or anything else, only a select few can reach the top. So why would a great power like the Academy covet such a method so badly?''


    ''Sending the likes of Dai Zhi, Xue Meng, and all those other overpowered cunts to a ce like this just for the words of power, I always thought it was a little strange. I thought maybe I was just underestimating their real worth but...they weren''t after the world spirit at all.''


    A short bout of silence followed after, during which Baracus didn''t dare disturb him. Only when he heard the main door creak under the constant barrage of attacks from the strange creatures outside did Hao Xuan speak up again.


    Letting out a deep sigh he asked, ''So...what is this method?''


    Baracus who was waiting for the question immediately answered, ''The project is referred to as the Celestial Webway. It is the same thing that was spoken about in the passage written in Ancient Sumerian.'' (CH 671)

 Chapter 702: The Celestial Webway

    <h4>Chapter 702: The Celestial Webway</h4>


    ''The project is referred to as the Celestial Webway in the records. It is the same thing that was spoken about in the passage written in Ancient Sumerian that you came across earlier.''


    Hao Xuan knew at once what Baracus was talking about, mainly because of the emotional passage that was attached to the name.


    ''From what I can gather from the information and references made in various ces, it seems like this was the personal project of the God-Level entity that supervised this and acted as the prison''s warden.''


    ''The idea behind the ''Celestial Webway'' is not new. It was actually theorized by Progenitor and many others of his species but it was only a hypothesis without any actual proof of its existence. Over the various epochs of each era, there were always whispers in the shadows that someone had actually found it but...nothing was ever brought to light.''


    ''As for what it is, Celestial Webway is described as a sub-dimensional space that runs parallel to all the realms of creation. It spans all the various worlds including the Heavens, the Hells, and the countlessndmasses scattered across the Void and the Abyss, hidden from sight for all but a few.''


    Even the tone of Baracus''s voice was quivering with excitement just from describing it.


    ''It is awork of incrediblyplex system of arteries and veins, an ever-expandingbyrinth of gleaming channels, a mystical tapestry of hidden threads that endlessly weave across the veil between the dimensions of creation.''


    ''It is, for theck of a better word, as incredible as it is improbable.''


    Listening to the passionate and quite the poetic description from Baracus, Hao Xuan subconsciously inhaled sharply, partly because of the webway''s nature and partly because of what it represented.


    But Baracus did not give him much time to digest the information and quickly moved on to the next topic since they were already short on time.


    ''The ''process'' is rtively simple. There are 24 basic runes that are designated as the ''Prime Letters''. The warden believed that these were the first-ever characters used to record knowledge since the beginning of time.''


    ''It says here that everynguage that is used today, anynguage that will ever exist in the future or has ever existed in the past, they alle from one of these 24 runes.''


    ''There is a long story attached to these runes detailing a supposed quest across time and space to gather the scattered runes. It was apparently undertaken by the one who first introduced the warden to the idea of the Celestial Webway but I will not go into that for the time being. It has been logged if you ever wish to read it in the future.'' (A little something for one of the prequels)


    ''Simply put, these 24 runes act both as coordinates and keys. They can be inscribed on a surface in any sequence and once Spiritual energy is inserted into the runes in a specific order, they will open a gate into the Celestial Webway.''


    ''The recorded data suggests there are at least three other research facilities like this one scattered across this world and each one holds vital information pertaining to the project. You must find all three of them to have the knowledge needed to safely traverse the Webway and understand what it truly is.''


    ''But for now, if you insert spiritual energy into the runes on the wall in front of you, you can temporarily escape to one of the others this world is connected to through the Webway.''


    Hao Xuan''s brow creased suspiciously. It seemed a little too good to be true.


    ''It''s that simple?''


    ''Well, yes and no. Once you enter the Webway you will have to navigate through the intricatework of tunnels and passages, each of which leads to a different ne with no telling what is in there.''


    ''Some of the worlds are in turn connected back to this one while most others will be connected to a host of new ones. It is far tooplicated for me to exin right now but I can map the route and log the energy signature of this world so you should be able to find it again.''


    Listening to so many ifs and buts, Hao Xuan could not help but get a bad feeling about all of it. Just one thought was enough to send rm bells ringing throughout his conscious mind but at least for now, there was no other choice.


    It was either that or just wait here to be eaten alive by the horde of monsters that would soon break through the door. At least this way there was a chance they would survive.


    ''Fine, I''ll do it. Tell me the correct order,'' he got up and walked up to the wall where Burak was already hovering.


    "Are you okay human? Do not lose your courage so quickly, we will fight till thest man!" the Barbarian Prince gave a heavy pat to which he got a rueful smile in return.


    "Remember your...words then...we will need...all the courage...you can...spare..."

 Chapter 703: Into the Webway

    <h4>Chapter 703: Into the Webway</h4>


    "Remember your words....then...we will need...all the courage...you can...spare..." Hao Xuanmented before turning towards the wall.


    He once againid eyes on the two arcs running parallel to each other. They were made of the 24 runes arranged in different orders and sequences. But not a momentter the headache that had all but disappeared came back in full force.


    Hao Xuan quickly grabbed the side of his skull that felt like it was being pierced by hot needles. He had almost forgotten about it and ended up taking the full brunt of the pain by himself.


    "Argh!" he fell to his knees. Burak who was right next to him bent down, examining him with a concerned frown.


    "Human, what''s wrong with you? Don''t force yourself to do something you can''t!"


    But his words fell on deaf ears since Hao Xuan was engaged in a conversation with Baracus.


    ''This is the second this has happened, and again just when I looked at the runes. What the fuck is going on? This headache feels much different than the normal ones.''


    ''Yes I meant to inform you about this beforehand but the timing never seemed right. The gic mutation that urred when you ''absorbed'' the demonic creature in the pit, it has resurfaced. I hadpletely eliminated the contaminated cells during the repair process (CH626) but somehow the contamination has rematerialized and spread in a different section, the brain this time.''


    ''It does not seem to be a natural phenomenon and in turn, cannot be treated with any medical procedure that I can perform. If my guess is correct, the runes have somehow triggered the mutation once again and unless it finishes, there is nothing that can be done about it in the short term.''


    Even though Baracus exined what was happening, the immediate side effects (mainly the painful headaches) were not something that could be so easily ignored. It felt like his brain was splitting into two.


    ''Can you do something about the pain at least?'' Hao Xuan asked with a sliver of hope that was put out instantly.


    ''Negative. Any interference could cause irrecoverable soft tissue damage. I would suggest finishing the process of activating the runes as quickly as possible since keeping away from the runes does appear to provide relief, as brief as it might be.''


    As is often the case, the advice was given far too quickly especially since Baracus himself did not have to bear with the pain.


    Hao Xuan''s sensory cortex was actually dividing by itself. The soft tissue seemed alive as it moved of its own ord, each cell divided and replicated itself, creating a pattern resembling that of a four-leafed clover that covered a good 10% of his brain.


    But it had only just started to take shape and was far from being finished.


    "Mother....fucker!" Hao Xuan cursed loudly in the beast world''snguage. He used Burak as support and stood up again, still holding his head with the right hand. Burak kept trying to talk to him but Hao Xuan could only do so many things at once.


    Listening to Baracus''s instructions while dealing with such intense pain was all he could manage.


    ''Move the Qi towards your finger and trace the shape of each rune. I will highlight which ones in the right order,'' Baracus used the nanites to provide what little bit of aid he could.


    There were a total of 921 runes in both the arcs that needed to be initiated but thankfully, each individual one needed just a light touch of Qi to be activated fully. Hao Xuan forced himself to focus and with Baracus''s help managed to finish in less than five minutes.


    He then took a step back and looked at the wall, ''Now what?''


    ''Now you just need to draw a line from the leftmost to rightmost rune to finish the outline and the door will open. But it will only be for less than a minute so you will have to hurry.''


    ''Alright.''


    Hao Xuan grabbed Burak''s arm, "Gather...everyone!"


    "Huh? Why?"


    "No time...to exin...just do it...quickly..."


    Burak stared into Hao Xuan''s bloody pupils that were still flinching from the intense pain. He did not understand what was going on but he could not find any trace of ill-intent in Hao Xuan''s eyes so he chose to listen.


    "Get up! Everyone! Come here, now! On your feet!" he ordered the listless barbarians that despite their hopeless situation listened to him.


    The door was now half bent inside with a long crack that was spreading to the rest of the wall. The banging was stronger than ever before and some of the beasts could even be seen through the crack.


    Curious even now, they all stood behind Burak and Hao Xuan with questioning looks. Once Hao Xuan was sure they were ready, he threw out a rope with a warning.


    "Hold on to this....when we go in....do not stray...Follow the person....in front of...you...and...no matter what...do not touch...anything...if you listen....maybe we can....all go...home.."


    In his broken tranted words Hao Xuan did his best to prepare them for what was toe but how could he really when he himself didn''t even know what to expect? They were confused and understandably so.


    But they were not kids so if they got lost in the Webway, at least it wouldn''t be on Hao Xuan. Holding onto the front end of the rope, he walked up to the wall with drumming heartbeats and swiped his hand from the left to the right side of the arc, connecting the two runes.


    *WHOOSH*


    Like magic, the wall in the middle of the runes cracked and opened.


    *Gasp*


    Numerous simultaneous gasps echoed in the chamber. Isak and Burak''s pupils shrunk to the size of pinholes as they exchanged nces full of astonishment in the heat of the moment.


    The other side of the crack showed a tunnel made of yellow Starfire. Hao Xuan''s headache got even more intense but he grit his teeth trying to deal with the pain.


    "COME, QUICKLY!" he yelled before walking into the crack. Burak nodded towards Isak who went ahead of him and Burak instead let go of the rope.


    "Go go go!" he shouted and kicked the dazed barbarians awake, pushing them in. Only then did he enter, making sure no one got left behind.

 Chapter 704: Of Old

    <h4>Chapter 704: Of Old</h4>


    *Beep*


    ''Warning: Thews within the Webway are different aspared to the real space. You might face difficultymunicating and your senses might be off.''


    Baracus gave one final warning.


    **


    Despite the never-ending waves of excruciating pain hitting his sea of consciousness, Hao Xuan braced himself for the worst as he stepped into the Webway for the first time. He held his breath and steeled his mind, on the verge of sanity itself.


    But what he was expecting did not happen. Although the pain didn''t subside for even a moment, it didn''t get any worse either.


    The moment Hao Xuan stepped through the gate it felt like he passed through a thin film of cold water that washed over his very soul, giving some much needed relief to his aching mind.


    It was simr to being submerged deep underwater. His soul thrummed inside the mind pce and all of a sudden he was able to ''feel'' the presence of the others behind him, or rather their souls.


    It was like each of their souls were stronger in this ce, no longer requiring the protection of a fleshly body to survive.


    The surface he was standing on felt like nothing. He felt weightless and empty when he tried to move his limbs. There was no air pressure with most of the other senses being cut off as well.


    Hao Xuan took a step forward but felt the rope pull back. He looked behind him and saw Isak looking around wide-mouthed with a dumbfounded expression, standing in one spot. Hao Xuan opened his mouth and attempted to call out to him but no sound came out.


    In fact, there was no sound to speak of at all. It wasn''t that there was nothing to make sounds, but that they simply could not exist in this hyper-dimension.


    Hao Xuan pulled lightly on the rope to get his attention and mouthed the word "Come" but almost like spirit sense, his ''intention'' was passed onto Isak.


    Isak nodded back and Hao Xuan just ''knew'' what he was trying to say without him having to actually say it out loud.


    Hao Xuan could still see clearly even though the tunnel that looked like it was made entirely of fire sometimes pulsed like a living organism. Thankfully it wasn''t harmful to him, well not as far as he knew.


    Inside his brain, the mutated cells that had taken the ''rough'' shape of a four-leafed clover started to absorb the fire from the surroundings.


    The pattern got more and more distinct with every passing second and a brief momentter Hao Xuan''s spiritual sense got clearer, as did his vision. The tunnel that looked like it was made of fire until a moment ago now looked a little different.


    There wasn''t fire underneath his feet but solid ground, a hard rocky surface like that of an underground cave.


    With Hao Xuan in the lead, they continued to slowly trudge along the only path that was avable to them. There were no exits in sight, only a twisting tunnel.


    In less than half a minute each of the four clover leaves had absorbed enough ''fire'' from the surroundings to finish their first evolution. The headache slowly abated, freeing Hao Xuan''s right hand with which he was holding onto his skull for dear life.


    And as soon as he removed his hand, with a sound-less pop each of the leaves suddenly sprouted two pearl-like solid growths. They were extremely small, barely 2-3 millimeters in size but they were glowing, pulsing along with the fire outside.


    And with their appearance, in his mind, Hao Xuan could suddenly feel a new sensation. It was something he had never felt before. It wasn''t anything physical but an extremely vague sense of awareness, of a new form of perception, almost like a sixth sense.


    There was no way to even feel it under normal circumstances unless Hao Xuanpletely focused his mind but in a ce like this, it was so strong that he could feel it like air currents.


    They had been walking through the tunnel for a little over a minute when Hao Xuan saw something ahead. It was another crack on the side of the wall of yellow fire.


    Hao Xuan moderately increased his pace, dragging the barbarians along with him since they were all holding onto the rope.


    He stopped right in front of the crack with a bright smile etched on his face, thanking the universe for finally giving them a way out but the moment his mindprehended the images that were ying out on the crack''s watery surface, his smile froze.


    His eyes quaked sadically, jerking left and right with an overwhelming sense of incredulity while his mind could not wrap around what he was seeing.


    The crack showed a new world, a much different one than anything Hao Xuan''s feeble mind could possiblye up with. It showed a ravagedndscape of a battle-scarred city. In ruins and devastated beyond recognition.


    Numerous four-legged winged beasts flew amid the mes, many of them holding onto half-eaten human carcasses.

 Chapter 705: Choices Galore

    <h4>Chapter 705: Choices Galore</h4>


    This door led to a new world, a much different one than anything Hao Xuan''s feeble mind could possiblye up with. It showed a ravagedndscape of a war-torn city, in ruins and devastated beyond any recognition.


    Numerous four-legged winged beasts flew amid the towering mes, many of them holding onto half-eaten carcasses resembling a humanoid species.


    The few structures that were still left standing looked like they were once soaring skyscrapers but now only beasts and mes inhabited their shattered remains.


    But none of this was shocking enough to leave Hao Xuan as stupefied and speechless as he was. It was the cloudy figure acting as the backdrop for this scene of utter devastation that he could not look away from.


    It was down on one knee, a humanoid figure with two legs and arms. One of the arms was holding onto a curved hammer that ended in a pointed head. Its body looked like it was made from rock and stone, giving an overwhelming sense of robustness even for those watching it from another dimension.


    Its face had two elongated tusk-like protrusions sprouting from the back of its jaw arching upwards, towards the t te that was its forehead.


    To call it ''big'' would be a trivialization of epic proportions. Even when bent down it was taller than anything else in the surroundings. It was a colossus. If Titans were real, this thing would most probably be one of them. (Image posted in Authors notes and discord)


    The four-legged draconic beasts looked like fliespared to it but one nce was enough to tell Hao Xuan that all of thembined would not even be a match for a single of those beasts.


    Hao Xuan felt a hand on his shoulder which woke him up. He looked towards Isak with a dumbfounded expression as if to say ''Is this even real?'' and that ''thought'' was sent to him even though he didn''t mean to.


    Isak''s expression hardened as he looked left and right vigntly but upon finding nothing he peered back towards Hao Xuan.


    ''What do you mean?''


    Hao Xuan pointed right at the crack that acted as the doorway to and from the Webway, ''That!''


    Isak looked exactly where he was pointing and should have been seeing the same scenes as him but his brow slowly furrowed a secondter, ''There is nothing there....''


    ''You...can''t see it?''


    ''See what?''


    ''The opening, the door-'' Hao Xuan was in the middle of exining when he noticed the expressions of the other barbarians that were nearby. They were all looking left and right in random directions instead of the fantastical scenes in the crack.


    ''None of you...can see it?''


    ''See what? What are you talking about?'' Isak once again, getting more and more agitated by Hao Xuan''s rambling. Hao Xuan reached out his hand and touched the crack''s watery surface.


    He felt the same old somewhat numbing sensation of cold water as soon as he came into contact with it. There definitely was a door here even though none of the others could see it.


    He pulled back his arm and forced a smile, ''No...nothing, nothing at all, let''s keep moving...''


    He threw onest look full of doubt and uncertainty towards the crack before gingerly walking past it.


    ''Follow my footsteps exactly!'' Hao Xuan warned Isak who passed the words to the person behind him and so on and so forth until they reached Burak.


    Since none of the others could see the cracks, the chances of them walked into them by ident were much higher. All of the barbarians walked past the crack one by one and no one noticed anything different, well, almost no one.


    The moment he was in front of it, Jarek''s head jerked in the direction of the crack as if moved by an outside force. It was more of a knee-jerk reaction rather than an intentional move on his part.


    His eyes narrowed for an instant before returning to normal and he walked past it like the others.


    **


    One after the other, they got further and further away from the starting. Hao Xuan came across three other cracks after that but each one of them had their own issues.


    One of them was somewhere in the air. It showed a sea of clouds and a setting sun without any signs of life.


    The second one was a rocky world covered in streams ofva. But there were things moving inside theva whichpletely turned him off to the idea of entering it.


    Thest one, the one Hao Xuan was currently standing in front of was perhaps the strangest of them all in the sense that it was far too...ordinary. It showed what looked like apletely regr ce.


    Normal-sized emerald and crimson-colored trees surrounded an old abandoned city that should have been quite modern judging from the architecture of the buildings.


    Its narrow and closely packed streets were covered in bright green nts, the buildings stacking on top of one another providing the city a much needed sense of verticality. There were even some birds and small animals moving around in there. (Image in Authors notes and discord)


    Everything looked fine but for some reason Hao Xuan could feel a strange type of energy when he touched the crack''s surface. It wasn''t bad, only new.


    He looked behind but couldn''t even see where they hade from anymore. While trying to find a good ce Hao Xuan had unwittingly wandered too far and he didn''t want to risk going any further.


    ''Let''s go!'' he ordered before stepping through the door.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/9e/e3/22/9ee3225333a349ab765b8dffdad9e2ea.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/mFttD


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/b8/0c/bb/b80cbb78683738f16db2dcf40b632147.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/p5HM7

 Chapter 706: Paradise

    <h4>Chapter 706: Paradise</h4>


    ''Let''s go!'' Hao Xuan said before he took a stride through the doorway and entered first, not realizing that in there only one person could hear your thoughts at a time.


    And since no one else could actually see the cracks, to them he seemingly disappeared into the walls of yellow fire that surrounded every side without saying a word. Those that were near him started to panic seeing that but Isak swiftly ryed Hao Xuan''s words to the person behind and told him to do the same.


    When he felt the rope go taut Isak went through as well, followed by each of the others one at a time. At this time many of them thanked their ancestors for the rope because otherwise, some of them would have surely gotten lost during this crucialst step.


    When Hao Xuan appeared on the other side, he finally realized what this new ''sense'' that he could now feel so strongly in this ce was.


    It was time.


    Although everything looked and felt unquestionably normal from within the Webway, the moment he actuallynded in this world Hao Xuan saw a vision, if it could be called that.


    He could physically feel the flow of time with his body and see its effects in the sky when he raised his head. It was just an instant, barely even a whole second but it ''felt'' like an entire lifetime.


    The plumes of thick white clouds that were casually drifting along the blue sky overhead suddenly jerked forward. It looked like he was watching the scenes y out at several times the normal speed as if someone was fast-forwarding the world around him.


    And this change affected his body as well. He could not move for that brief moment when he saw this strange scene. It was only his mind or rather his ''consciousness'' that could perceive this change. But by the time he blinked, everything returned to normal.


    If someone asked him how much time had passed since he first entered this world, Hao Xuan would say ''A few days at least''.


    "Is everything alright?" Isak''s voice woke Hao Xuan from his daze. He turned around and saw the other barbarians stilling through one by one.


    "Hmm, kind of," he absentmindedly replied in the beast world''snguage which Isak obviously did not understand.


    ''Time is faster here, much faster,'' he thought inwardly.


    Hao Xuan moved to the side and silently observed the barbarians. None of them had a simr reaction as him, at least not from what he could tell. Only one of them, the one named Jarek acted a little weird.


    His face waspletely expressionless as usual, not giving away any secrets but his body did. He moved his arms back and forth as if freeing himself from some invisible restraints. He attempted to rapidly open and close his hands and with each attempt getting a little faster than the one before.


    From slow motion to normal speed, he got used to it within a few seconds as well. But then he suddenly stopped and raised his head mechanically, bit by bit, meeting Hao Xuan''s gaze.


    Hao Xuan gave a light nod as a form of greeting followed by a gentlemanly smile but Jarek simply stared back at him, unblinking and unfeeling for all that was around him. Hao Xuan''s gaze became focused and sharper the longer he looked into his eyes and all else melted away.


    Physically, he appeared to bepletely normal. But Hao Xuan could not help but feel a strange feeling of rotten dread crawl up his spine. It didn''t feel like he was looking at a person, or even something alive. There was an otherworldly emptiness about him.


    Nothing he hade across so far gave had him such a feeling, not even the demonling Puer (CH601). The demon felt evil, vile in a sense, but looking into Jarek''s eyes it felt much different, very bad different.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even realize but Burak had walked up to him and was talking loudly. Only when he shook him did Hao Xuan wake up from the stupor.


    "You''re not dying, are you? Why do you keep staring into space like that?" Burak asked with a deep frown.


    Hao Xuan read the trantion and shook his head, "No, I was...looking at..." he pointed towards Jarek but realized he had already moved away. He was casually strolling along with a couple of other Barbarians as they talked amongst themselves in hushed voices.


    "..him."


    "Him?" Burak followed his line of sight and saw the group of three.


    "Be careful of that guy....something is...off about him..." Hao Xuan warned in a low voice.


    "Hmm..." Burak scratched the back of his neck which for some reason started to itch terribly.


    **


    Hao Xuan left the barbarians to their own devices for the time being and took a minute to survey the surroundings.


    The crack had opened up on top of a building, or rather a sea of buildings that went on for as far as the eye could see. They looked simr to the densely packed urban apartments from earth, where each one was built on the other, crammed together to house an exorbitant number of beings. (Image in Authors notes and discord)


    Each building was connected to the ones around it with narrow wooden and metal bridges, many of which had decayed over time. Hao Xuan bent over the side of the structure they were on and looked down to see hundreds of simr bridges on each level.


    As to how many floors each building had, he couldn''t tell from the roof as there was no light at the bottom.


    Trees and numerous nts growing all over the ce. In fact, they had taken the entire city for themselves. There were no signs of human life anywhere. This ce had been abandoned for probably decades at this point but at least it wasn''t dangerous.


    The sun''s soft rays fell through the floating white clouds that cruised along with the gentle gusts of wind. The world was alive with the sounds of animalsing in from all directions.


    He could even hear flowing water underneath, the pitter-patter of small rodents, and the pping wings of small avian creatures. For all intents and purposes, this world was a paradise, or so it appeared to be at first nce.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/61/be/b2/61beb2c9068b3407bacfa604b34f290b.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive): https://urlzs/TjAp1

 Chapter 707: Paradise Continued

    <h4>Chapter 707: Paradise Continued</h4>


    For all intents and purposes, this world was a paradise. But Hao Xuan wasn''t na?ve enough to take what he could see as certainty.


    ''Baracus, what do you have?''


    *Beep*


    ''Primary Analysis Complete. The atmosphere is fit for breathing. Elements include 47% Oxygen, 24% Nitrogen with the rest being inert or harmless to ingest elements.''


    ''That''s good...''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, one that created a small vacuum around him. The air was so fresh and had such a high Oxygen content that he felt a tingling sensation go down his spine as the oxygen coursed through his blood and moved through the body.


    And when the blood reached his brain Hao Xuan couldn''t help but break out smiling from the ''high''. All of a sudden he felt lighter as if the troubles of the world had left him to his own devices for that short moment.


    The sounds of nature and all that it had to offer crawled into his ears, elevating his mood even further. But as all good things muste to an end, Baracus soon spoke up bringing him back to reality.


    ''I have started working on recreating the rune sequence to return to the. The first sample should be finished within 56 hours.''


    ''A little over two days, that should be equal to a few hours then?''


    ''Few hours? I do not understand,'' Baracus was unaware of this new development of Hao Xuan''s abilities.


    ''Oh, I forgot to tell you, the time in here is faster. By a few times at least. I don''t exactly know how much but....the difference FELT big, hours to days or something...'' he exined everything he had seen and felt after entering this world and what he thought it could mean. All he knew for sure was that time flowed faster here but had no real idea by how much.


    Listening to him Baracus went silent for a little bit and a few secondster an image popped up in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    ''This should be the source of your newfound ability.''


    The image showed his brain or more importantly the growth that had physically changed its structure.


    ''What the fuck...is that a flower?!''


    ''Flower? No, it''s all still made of soft tissue, primarily grey matter containing neural cells. Only the eight-round bodies areposed of a foreign material. They appear to be the roots of your power.''


    Baracus quickly analyzed the situation and presented a set of most likely scenarios rted to this new organ.


    ''If what you say is indeed correct, it is these eight bodies that are able to sense the temporal disturbances. And considering it originates from the demon you absorbed, there might be more to them than just being able to sense a difference in the flow of time. ''


    ''The demon was able to "see the future" or perhapsmunicate with itself in the past. I am not sure exactly how it worked but these two are the most likely end results, if not more.'' (Ch606)


    Hao Xuan recalled the fight with the Puer. That one was a real close call, one that he didn''t wish to ever repeat again. He couldn''t help but wryly shake his head.


    ''If it really is like that, that would be way too awesome. If nothing else I could at least dodge death once or twice.''


    But he wasn''t hoping for much. It was better to expect nothing, that way he wouldn''t be disappointedter on.


    ''Since time flows differently here, you should make use of it and focus on recovering and cultivating instead. Who knows when such an opportunity might arrive again,'' Baracus gave a few words of advice before returning to his work.


    Figuring out the right rune sequence to return to the was no small task. There was an infinite number of possible sequences and Baracus needed to understand all of the information he got from the pyramid to find the right one, which even for him would take 56 hours minimum.


    Hao Xuan turned around and went up to Burak and Isak who were discussing something on the side while the other barbarians curiously explored the surroundings. They had never seen such tall structures and quickly forgot about the recent events while immersing themselves in what they could actually understand and control.


    Hao Xuan chose to keep most of what happened a secret and only gave them the most basic information, saying that this was an ability of his and that he needed time to use it again.


    They weren''t foolish enough not to see that he was keeping things to himself but the Barbarians weren''t a greedy bunch. They believed in their own strength, in the abilities of their physical bodies, and took pride in them.


    As unique and mysterious as what Hao Xuan pulled of was, they weren''t going to inquire about it more, especially since he didn''t want to part with such information of his own ord.


    It proved to be a somewhat difficult task to exin exactly how long 56 standard hours were since they measured time differently, but they understand the gist of the matter within half an hour.


    They chose one of the buildings nearby that was bigger than the rest and in a rtively good condition to make camp in. Some of the barbarians that went out exploring even brought back some small critters native to the world. Although nobody knew if they were safe for consumption.


    The sun was about to set within the next few hours and when it eventually did, the heat went with it. The temperature dropped to -4 degrees centigrade within minutes.


    All of them including Hao Xuan were so busy with other things that none of them bothered asking perhaps the most important question. Where had everyone gone?


    There were still personal belongings left in most of the rooms. The structure still stood upright with the only damageing from natural wear and tear so it couldn''t have been a war, there were animals and nts here so the wasn''t inhospitable, in fact, it was quite the opposite since it was teeming with life.


    Yet, there were absolutely no signs of sapient lifeforms anywhere.


    Where did they go? The ones that built this city? Surely it was out of the ordinary for entire settlements to be left vacant like this.


    It wasn''t like they were ''spirited away'' or anything so...what happened here?

 Chapter 708: Day 1

    <h4>Chapter 708: Day 1</h4>


    "Quickly, close the door for ancestor''s sake!"


    One of the barbarians yelled at another that forgot to close the door all the way.


    "I am, I am!" he turned around embarrassedly and pushed it again, punching the sidewall in to keep it shut.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes halfway and let out a smile looking at them. But then his gaze shifted towards the third silhouette resting against the cold wall, farthest from the fire that was keeping everybody warm and the smile slowly faded away.


    ''Jarek...huh...''


    He recalled the barbarian''s name, the one that gave him a bad feeling earlier. But so far that''s all he had done so there was nothing that Hao Xuan could do about it.


    He turned his head to the right and peered out of the algae-covered window towards the scenes outside. They were currently on the third floor from the top. There was one apartment here in the back that only had two entry points, one was the door and the other was the window Hao Xuan was leaning against.


    There were no cracks or broken walls here either and the furniture was in a remarkable condition so they chose this ce to make camp for the time being. The cold hade in way too quickly and intensely and they needed shelter.


    It was easy to make fire using the wood from nearby trees that grew all over the ce. Food was still an issue but they would be gone within a couple of days so there was nothing to worry about.


    Most of the others were asleep, Burak and Isak included. Isak tried his best to stay awake but he had the worst injuries of anyone here and soon sumbed to thefort of the sofa he had chosen to meditate on.


    Hao Xuan stared at the ice crystals covering the entire outer section of the few buildings that were in view. But even though the temperature was way below freezing, the nts and trees and even the algae that were growing all over the ce didn''t show any signs of frost damage anywhere on them.


    The wind picked up and started blowing throughout the abandoned forest of metal and brick that littered the surface.


    *Whooooooosh*


    In the darkness, the billowing wind sounded like the ghostly howls from damned soulsing from beyond the grave. The shrill noises were so loud that one wouldn''t even be able to think in peace. Not to mention the view was obstructed by the snow and ice that came and went with each gust, so there wasn''t much to see.


    Hao Xuan could not help himself from imagining what had happened to the previous residents.


    Was it the temperature? Did they voluntarily leave because the weather was too extreme or could there be another reason?


    Hao Xuan sensed the cold get a hold of him and a chill went down his spine. He shuddered and got up, moving to one of the three fires small fires ced around the apartment.


    But as soon as he moved, the wind cleared up for just an instant, not even a full second but it was enough to reveal a pale figure standing in the window of the building across from theirs. A tall emaciated figure, humanoid in appearance.


    Most of its body was shrouded in a veil of darkness revealing only its head and arms, which on a closer examination were not entirely anthropomorphic. The arms were far too long to belong to a human.


    A few strands of stringy hair hung from its head, perhaps a vestige of its former self. Its eyes werepletely ck and skin the color of the frost and snow that encased the world within.


    Hao Xuan and the barbarians werepletely unaware of its presence yet it did nothing. Well, nothing other standing in one spot like a statue and watching them from afar. The cold didn''t seem to bother it much.


    Its eyes followed Hao Xuan and the various barbarians even through walls,ing to a slow stop when it found Jarek. Its dry lips arched into a wide grin before parting to reveal rows upon rows of sharp needle-like teeth.


    *Woooosh*


    A sound almost identical to the raging wind came from its mouth. Jarek who had been fast ''asleep'' suddenly opened his eyes and jerked his head towards the window. He kept staring at it for a good few minutes before going back to ''sleep''.


    Nothing out of ordinary happened throughout the night.


    By the time Hao Xuan woke up the sun was already out. The snow andpletely melted as if it was never even there to begin with. Hao Xuan couldn''t believe his eyes.


    ''How is this the same ce asst night?''


    Birds chirped, small animals moved around the concrete floors creating their own unique noises and there was even the sound of water.


    ''Water again....'' Hao Xuan smacked his parched lips.


    He hadn''t had a single drop of water in thest 40 hours at least and was now feeling its effects. His body hadn''t mutated to the point of not requiring sustenance, at least not yet so he needed to refill Baracus''s storage space now that he had the time.


    He went to Burak, "Going to explore....be back..ter..." and informed him incase they got worried and slipped away in silence.


    Burak stared at his back and when he had vanished from view, he snapped his fingers to call one of the nearby barbarians.


    Arge man almost the same size as that of Burak but a little thinner came forward. He one had a faint mustache and a beard only around his chin that was sorted into two dreads.


    "Tasgall, follow him from the shadows. Make sure hees back in one piece," Burak ordered in a low voice.

 Chapter 709: Day 2

    <h4>Chapter 709: Day 2</h4>


    Marking the location of the camp on the virtual map Baracus had created for him, Hao Xuan set off to explore the abandoned city in a little more detail. There were still almost 45 hours left until he would be done with the rune sequence so Hao Xuan wanted to make use of this opportunity.


    He lept from one building to another, going further into the city towards the few standing skyscrapers in the distance.


    After about 10 minutes of travel, Hao Xuan came to a stop in front of a circr building with a raised dome. He had crossed more than 3 kilometers in this time but the skyscrapers didn''t look like they were any closer.


    "How fucking big is this city," he mumbled under his breath, scowling at the thought. The full length of the city must exceed hundreds of kilometers at least, and those skyscrapers would be stupendously tall if they could be seen from all the way here.


    His ns thwarted, Hao Xuan sat down dejectedly on the ledge and stared at the wide street below him. The bottom half of the entire city seemed to be flooded so moving through the roof was the only option, unless one wanted to swim with whatever was down there.


    The water was crystal clear at least on this street which allowed Hao Xuan to see the hundreds of small andrge schools of various unique creatures that swam up and down leisurely. It was a scenic view which Hao Xuan did enjoy to some extent, whether he wanted to admit it or not.


    There was very little ambient spiritual energy in the air which kept him from cultivating normally. The only option he had was to use the golden crystals but those were far too few in numbers and quite precious to boot.


    *snap*


    Hao Xuan''s ears twitched as the soft sound of a broken branch carried over on the wind.


    ''He''s still following huh,'' Hao Xuan mused without turning around.


    His sense of hearing was much more developed than others which allowed him to easily pick up any out-of-ordinary noises as long as he paid a little attention to them so he had already known of the barbarian that had been following him from a distance since he left the camp.


    But there was nothing for him to hide and the barbarian didn''t have any malicious intentions to Hao Xuan let him do his job, connecting him to Burak since he was the only one that could order someone to do that.


    But now that his ns for the good part of the day were spoiled, Hao Xuan suddenly had a fair bit of time on his hand which he should have used for cultivating but a little procrastination never hurt anyone...or so he believed.


    Hao Xuan looked over his shoulder, ''Heh, let''s see how fast you can move then,'' and grinned mischievously.


    His body straightened and casually slipped over the edge. Tasgall who was watching from the shadows some 60 meters away with quite an indifferent attitude suddenly froze.


    "Wha-" it took him a second to wake up and realize what had happened.


    ''Did he kill himself?!'' he sprinted over with that thought, as quickly as he possibly could.


    Tasgall craned his neck and peered down, catching a glimpse of a shadow entering one of the lower levels of a neighboring building.


    ''Damn humans, always making my job harder,'' he cursed before jumping down as well.


    Hao Xuan didn''t try to be silent and made an unreasonable amount of ruckus as he jumped from one room to another, breaking windows, doors, and even a few weak walls that were in his way.


    Left, right, up and down, he went wherever the way opened up to beforeing to an abrupt stop to swiftly hide in a small room near one of the lowest floors.


    Almost no light reached all the way down here, making it pitch ck in some of the areas even though it was midday.


    Hao Xuan covered his mouth to make as little noise as possible. His chest heaved up and down for a few seconds before calming down. His heartbeats slowed as he focused on the sound of footsteps.


    *Pat*Pat*Pat*Pat*


    Soft but fast-moving. Just on the other side of the wall.


    Hao Xuan raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.


    ''That was quite fast,'' he thought. Hao Xuan expected him tog behind a little and follow the path of destruction he had left in his wake but he had already caught up to him.


    The footsteps got closer and closer. Hao Xuan listened intently until they were opposite to him on the other side of the wall, which is when they suddenly paused.


    Hao Xuan gave a wicked smile before jumping out, "GOTCHA BITC-" he yelled trying to scare him but...there was nobody there.


    "What...where did he go? I could have sworn-"


    "AAAAAAAAH!" a gut-wrenching scream came from behind, cutting him off.


    "Wh...at...how...?" although still confused Hao Xuan ran back, retracing his steps until he came out on the same spot where he had initially jumped from.


    The scream was from somewhere around here.


    "Oi! You okay!" he shouted in their nativenguage and waited for a response.

 Chapter 710: Welcomed

    <h4>Chapter 710: Weed</h4>


    "Oi! You okay!?" he shouted in their nativenguage and waited for a response. Ten seconds, twenty, thirty, and then a whole minute passed but no response came.


    ''Am I hearing things?'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly, doubting the events of thest few minutes. ''


    Maybe it was a hallucination? Maybe the barbarian wasn''t even real to begin with,'' but that line of thought quickly went down a dark path. If he started doubting everything he saw then where would it stop?


    It was a slippery slope to say the least.


    Putting such thoughts to the back of his mind, Hao Xuan decided to investigate first. He once again concentrated his senses to listen to the surroundings for clues.


    He closed his eyes to focus on the olfactory and auditory senses since there were no visual clues to be found. The world darkened before falling to silence.


    The smidgen of the ancient Lycan blood that was running through his veins got to work as one by one the various sounds and smells came crawling back. The darkness was now filled in by various colors and sounds that he could perceive with his entire body.


    The first thing he heard was the whistling wind. It was soft but loud, carrying with it the vestiges of the recent past.


    ''There!'' he caught a familiar scent still lingering in the air. It belonged to one of the barbarians. But as for which one he did not know.


    With his eyes still closed, Hao Xuan could visually ''perceive'' the faint particles left behind by him. It showed a streak of different colorsing from the direction where he hade from, going down to the left side of a neighboring building.


    But it was on the exact opposite side to where Hao Xuan had gone.


    ''Woah!'' Hao Xuan eximed. This was a new development and one that Hao Xuan hadn''t expected, but not an unwee one.


    He sniffed the air around the streak of orange color and somehow could feel the ''emotions'' within.


    ''Are these hormones?'' he mused. It felt like anxiousness, a bit of fear, and some sweat mixed in.


    He gagged, ''Argh, I can taste it,'' and tried to wipe his tongue on his sleeve to get rid of the taste but that did very little to help him.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and surprisingly could still see the streaks with his eyes.


    ''Did I ''catch'' his scent? Am I a dog now? I thought Baracus said that Lycan shit wouldn''t turn me into a damn furry, I hope that''s still true.''


    Hao Xuan jumped down onto the nearby balcony and lept towards the building Tasgall had disappeared into. He followed his footsteps that went to the second-lowest level of the building. Thest one was flooded all the way.


    ''Hmm?'' as soon as Hao Xuannded he noticed the peculiarity. The air was ice cold. He took a step back and the temperature went back to normal but the moment he entered the building, the temperature dropped by tens of degrees.


    He looked ahead and noticed the streak change color. From orange to light blue with a hint of violet.


    Hao Xuan took another sniff.


    ''He got scared a little here...'' but the streak did not end there and continued moving deeper in.


    Hao Xuan took a couple more steps in before pausing mid-stride.


    ''It feels different here, emptier somehow...''


    The world felt hollow, almost colorless. He turned around saw the sun shining brightly just outside the window but it was like looking through a mirror. It didn''t feel like it was real.


    He got a knot in the pit of his stomach just thinking about going deeper but that''s where the streak led.


    ''He could still be alive. It''s my fault this happened to I can''t just turn back,'' he told himself. It was supposed to be a prank to lighten the mood a little bit and he didn''t mean any harm but...that scream definitely didn''t sound normal.


    Hao Xuan called out the ive.


    *Hmmmm*


    It hummed lightly in his grasp. In the other hand he circting a bit of Chaos Qi, readying himself to receive any attack.


    Taking in a deep breath and braced himself and followed after the streak, venturing deeper into the dark corridors thaty ahead. A few seconds after he passed, the wall to the side cracked like a mirror''s surface and a pale humanoid head popped out.


    It looked in the direction Hao Xuan had gone into before retreating back into the wall before the cracked disappeared as if it was never there to begin with.


    **


    With silent steps, Hao Xuan went from one room to another until even he lost track of the way back. The color of the streak had changed from light blue to dark purple with a faint trace of white mixed in.


    ''Fear. An unmistakable taste of sheer terror.''


    Hao Xuan could feel everything Tasgall had felt.


    ''But not even once did he even attempt to turn back around. There is fear but also a bit of courage mixed in, albeit barely even discernable now.''

 Chapter 711: Inside out

    <h4>Chapter 711: Inside out</h4>


    It was simr to looking at the world through the opening of a ss bottle. At some point, the edges of his vision had be warped and twisted which Hao Xuan only noticed when he stepped on a piece of broken ss by ident.


    It was so faint that if one wasn''t paying attention, it would be easy to overlook.


    The colors were washed out and even the dark purple streak he was following now looked like a shade of ck.


    After a few minutes of walking, Hao Xuan stopped in front of a staircase going down. His frown deepened staring at the light at the bottom of the staircase.


    ''Why does it look different?''


    The construction material used for the staircase was different than the rest of the building. In fact it was different than any of the structures Hao Xuan hade across so far. It was made of bright red y bricks while the rest of the structure was a mixture of variouspounds like stic and metal.


    It looked distinctly out of ce as if someone had ced it here much more recently. And even though it was going down, there was no water there which didn''t make sense because all lower floors were flooded.


    Yet the streak did not stop here.


    ''What should I do? Baracus?'' Hao Xuan called out and waited but there was no response. Instead, a one-word automated message popped up a few secondster.


    ''Busy.''


    Hao Xuan almost cursed out loud. He looked back and could still clearly see where he hade from. There was no sign of anybody or anything else there, at least nothing he could see.


    ''I know, I know it''s a bad idea but I still have to try. I can''t go back empty-handed, they barely trust me as is, losing one of their men while he was supposed to be following me, even I wouldn''t trust me,'' he argued with himself.


    The rtionship between Hao Xuan and the barbarians was quite a strange one. He was forced toe here and he did end up saving all their lives in the lightning world but ever since then, he had led them deeper and in worse spots one after another.


    It didn''t matter if he didn''t mean to, only how they saw it. Hao Xuan had caught the wary nces they had thrown his way whenever they thought he wasn''t looking. The whispers about how weird his abilities were and how he was hiding things from them, he had heard all of them even without meaning to.


    They were all trapped here and needed to work together which would be that much harder if something like this happened. Burak could only hold them back so much.


    Hao Xuan didn''t want to get stabbed in the back in the middle of a fight.


    He took in a few quick breaths to calm his thoughts and stepped forward.


    At that exact moment, the right-most door within Hao Xuan''s mind pce suddenly shook and opened just a little.


    **


    Step by step, as slowly and as carefully as he could be, Hao Xuan moved down the staircase and safely reached the bottom. The temperature down here was so low that every time he breathed a cloud of smoke woulde out of his nostrils.


    *Squelch*


    Unknowingly he had stepped on something soft and wet. Hao Xuan raised his foot to check what it was but jumped back in shock upon seeing it.


    ''The fuck!''


    It was a tongue. A full human tongue freshly ripped out of the body, still letting out blood.


    ''Mothefucker!''


    He lifted the ive in front of him and looked around him prudently for any other clues.


    He was standing on a hard surface which was surrounded by a thick mist on all sides. There were no walls anywhere in sight, nor a living soul. The ck-ish color of the streak was diffused all over the surrounding mist and Hao Xuan couldn''t tell where it was leading to anymore.


    There were a few white marks on the floor along with some blood.


    Keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings, Hao Xuan backed up towards the stairs but instead of stepping up, there was a drop behind him. He turned his head to see the staircase, it was still there but...it was now leading down into the ground, not up as it should.


    ''Huh?!''


    A sudden jolt and tremor went through Hao Xuan''s brain. He felt like someone had grabbed him by the shoulders and shaken him back forth with such force that he couldn''t even stand anymore.


    ''Wha...''


    He fell to his knees, his mind reeling from shock.


    "What is...going on..." he muttered out loud.


    His recent memories distorted and rearranged themselves to make sense of things, ying back a different set of events. He saw himself going down the stairs but at some point during that and god knows how, he started walking up instead.


    The directionpletely changed and he hade out of these same stairs.


    "Is this...real...?" he asked himself in a low voice.


    "Everything is real if you believe hard enough," answered a voice from beside him.

 Chapter 712: Mirrors

    <h4>Chapter 712: Mirrors</h4>


    "Everything is real if you believe hard enough," answered a voice from beside him.


    Hao Xuan recognized who it was even without looking, but he still looked. Turning to the side he saw Mr. Hyde standing next to him with his top hat, monocle, and snakehead cane equipped, looking around.


    Mr. Hyde also turned to face him with an expression that was part disbelief and part astonishment. He shook his head lightly.


    "Your ability tond in the most bizarre and dangerous of situations is unparalleled. I don''t think anyone currently alive couldpare to you when ites to finding trouble."


    He sounded genuinely impressed for some reason, which annoyed Hao Xuan a little.


    "Are you making...fun of me?" Hao Xuan asked through short breaths.


    Mr. Hyde shook his head while looking around with a hint of mncholy, "Not at all. It is apliment through and through. If only you were a little stronger you could have actually harvested a few rewards from this ce."


    Hao Xuan inspected his surroundings once again but could not see anything past the thick mist.


    "Do you know what this ce is?"


    Mr. Hyde nodded with a sly smile.


    "One of the other ten worlds. Or you could even call it another dimension in a way. It is a reflection of your world, and of many of the others."


    "Is it...dangerous?" Hao Xuan asked in a low voice. He wasn''t very much shocked from finding out this was another world entirely. The moment he saw Mr. Hyde he knew it was going to be something like this.


    Mr. Hyde''s lips twisted, arching into a grin going from one ear to the other.


    "Very!" his words resounded within Hao Xuan''s mind like a serpent''s hypnotizing hiss.


    Hao Xuan backed up a little, closer to the staircase.


    "What is the name of this world?"


    "It has many names, most of which you would not be able toprehend even if I told you. But in the most simplest of terms, it is the Mirror World."


    "A mirror world...?" Hao Xuan repeated with a raised eyebrow.


    Mr. Hyde corrected him, "Not "a", THE Mirror World. There is only one of it. It is the only world that is closest to all the other worlds but at the same time, it is the hardest one to get to. You can always see it but never reach it. Understand?"


    "You mean... it''s ACTUALLY the Mirror World? Like, Literally?"


    Hao Xuan had seen enough movies and read enough useless information back on earth to quickly realize what he was talking about.


    Mr. Hyde burst outughing, "Hahaha, were my words not cryptic enough? Yes! This is the world that you see whenever you peer into a mirror, whenever you gaze at your fleeting forms of flesh and blood. You who judge each other by your temporary appearances, this is a world of nightmares for a species like yours."


    The wall of mist that surrounded them resonated with Mr. Hyde''s words and pulsed like it was alive, scaring Hao Xuan even more than he currently was.


    "SHH! Shut up!" Hao Xuan urged.


    Mr. Hyde realized what was happening around them and cut himself off by force.


    "Oh, my apologies. In this ce my existence can physically manifest in a number of ways even when I don''t mean to," he exined before looking towards Hao Xuan with a questioning gaze.


    "So why have youe here? Or rather, why are you still here even after knowing what this ce is? The beings that live here will not take kindly to your presence. And their appearances do not...follow the standards of beauty that you adhere to, so it is best to keep some distance. If one of the more powerful creatures saw you, it will follow you wherever you go."


    Hao Xuan used the ive to stand up before exining further, "I have to find someone. They took someone a few minutes ago, is it possible to save him?"


    Mr. Hyde nced at him with a look that urately conveyed his feelings to Hao Xuan.


    "Shut up, I''m not that stupid," Hao Xuan retorted without even needing to hear the words.


    "I didn''t say anything," Mr. Hyde replied with a wronged expression.


    "You don''t need to," Hao Xuan rebuked, "Just tell me if it''s possible to get him back."


    Mr. Hyde looked into his eyes and knew he wasn''t going to turn back so easily so with a deep sigh, he continued, "Most probably. But I advise against it. This doorway is not unguarded," he gestured towards the w marks surrounding the staircase.


    "The creature that took your ''friend'' will not give him up so easily. And if they even catch a glimpse of you just once, they will be able to find you again wherever you go, no matter how far it is. Sooner orter they wille for you until one of you is dead. And if I had to bet, I would not put my money on you."


    "I''ll be careful then, if he is still alive then I have to try and bring him back. Do this for me and I''ll owe you one!" Hao Xuan''s words made Mr. Hydeugh again.


    "You already owe me too much. But this is thest time I will help you. If you want anything else you will have to answer a few of my questions, truthfully. Do you agree?" he extended his right hand towards Hao Xuan, who after a short moment of contemtion shook it.


    "Agreed."

 Chapter 713: Upside Down

    <h4>Chapter 713: Upside Down</h4>


    "Agreed."


    "Splendid," Mr. Hyde tapped the cane thrice, "Pay attention to the various marks and prints on the ground, what do you see?" he gestured towards the ground.


    Hao Xuan bent down and examined the marks one by one, as quickly as he could.


    "More than fifteen different sets. Three of them are fresh, one of which belongs to a human. I can''t tell about the others."


    "Most of thews in this world mirror yours, but some are eitherpletely opposite or absent here. You won''t understand it if you try to usemon sense so just throw such judgments away. That means the most recent prints are the oldest."


    "But...that means there are twelve other prints that came after them?" Hao Xuan probed.


    Mr. Hyde nodded, still smiling as always, "Exactly. I told you it wouldn''t be easy. They usually go around in groups but as long as they are not one of the converts, it should be good. To the left then," he pointed in the exact opposite direction the prints were leading to, "You should hurry and leave before the sun sets. The doorway will not be easy to find after that."


    Hao Xuan didn''t ask anything and took severalrge strides in the direction Mr. Hyde had pointed out. It was only after moving a few tens of meters that he realized the peculiarity of his words.


    "Wait, did you say the sun?" with a tightly knit brow Hao Xuan looked around him. The world was overwhelmingly pale, as if illuminated by a hundred full moons. But when he looked up it was right there, as clear as it could be.


    A white sun, burning and bubbling a mere handful of kilometers away. Hao Xuan felt like if he used all his strength and jumped, he would be able to leap right into its bubbling depths.


    "WHA-"


    But it wasn''t hot, quite the opposite actually. Hao Xuan could feel the searing chill emanating from its surface. The mist swayed to reveal more of the nearby surroundings around him.


    Hao Xuan took a step back. His legs shook and almost gave way to the strong case of dizziness he was experiencing from the vertigo. His mind reeled from the shock as well, as if he had seen something not yet meant for his juvenile eyes.


    He was standing on the roof of a building, only the building wasn''t attached to anything. It was floating freely through space, surrounded by countless other simr structures. They were orbiting the white sun that was the source of all the mist.


    Mr. Hyde couldn''t help but nod firmly,menting from the side "That''s how I reacted too, the first time I came here."


    Hao Xuan looked at the thousands of identical buildings floating in empty space, moving back and forth, mixing amongst themselves without end all the while orbiting the white sun. And what little bit of confidence he had slowly slipped away into the void.


    "A-Are you sure we will be able to find our way back?" he inquired with a stutter.


    "As long as you are quick enough, yes," Mr. Hyde replied with a searing gaze that wanted to bore into Hao Xuan''s mind and dig out all his secrets.


    Despite every discernable warning bell currently ringing inside his head, Hao Xuan paid close attention to Mr. Hyde''s words and lept from one building to another going further away from the doorway.


    He tried to remember which one he came from but after a couple of minutes he lost it.


    Fortunately, it didn''t feel like the buildings changed their trajectory under his weight. The sun''s gravitational pull was holding them in a tight orbit that should not change anytime soon.


    A little over 10 minutester he arrived in front of a much smaller but much, much wider building. Its area was at least 1500 meters square, looking like a government building of some sort.


    Although architecturally simr to the others around it, this was the only building that was covered in closely packed ck tree roots from top to bottom. Only a handful of windows and doors were left unobstructed.


    "There," Mr. Hyde pointed at an open window on the top of the structure, "Careful when you enter the building. The gravity changes along with each surface."


    Hao Xuan didn''t really understand what he meant but he readied himself mentally, as much as he could in this situation.


    He quietlynded on the roof. There was not a single speck of dust anywhere in this world so even the normal tracks and signs of life that were left behind were absent here.


    He bent down over the edge and fell into the window Mr. Hyde had pointed out. But the moment he entered, the world turned upside down. Instead ofnding on the floor, the force of gravity changed just like how Mr. Hyde had said and Hao Xuan''s feet nted firmly onto the ceiling.


    "Woah...!"


    Hao Xuan eximed trying to get used to the unique visuals because it wasn''t like everything else was upside down as well. There were chairs, tables and a plethora of other office furniture some familiar and some foreign still attached to the floor, which was above him.


    Only Hao Xuan himself was standing upright on the ceiling, looking down on an otherwise normal scene.

 Chapter 714: Factory

    <h4>Chapter 714: Factory</h4>


    A silence fell over the room when Hao Xuan stopped moving.


    "How is this possible? How am I the only one like this?" he inquired in a low voice.


    Mr. Hyde was floating beside him as usual, peering out the window they hade in from. His gaze was locked in the direction where the mist was the densest outside the building. It was like a wall that nothing could pierce through.


    "I told you, don''t try to make sense of what you see in this ce. Do what you came here to do and leave quickly, you are not the only one walking around," he warned seeing as Hao Xuan was rxed enough to still ask stupid questions like this.


    Hao Xuan threw him a dirty look before walking towards the door. He craned his neck to peek into the dark corridor. There was nothing there other than ayer of ck organic mass that grew all over the floor. (Keep in mind that Hao Xuan is upside down and is walking on the ceiling, so the floor is above him).


    He slowed his breathing and listened closely as best as he could but there was no ambient sound whatsoever.


    Even the faint noises that could be heard outside didn''t manage to breach the structure''s confines. He slowly moved further in, softly and carefully. Crossing the long corridor he ended up in an open space with multiple staircases leading in six different directions.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and managed to pick up Tasgall''s trail again. The dark grey/ck streak of color could be seen moving across one of the staircases that was going straight down.


    But even following it proved to be quite a chore since he was on the ceiling. In such a wide-open space he couldn''t even jump to it because he''d be sent back down again.


    Hao Xuan looked around him for any decorations or objects to hold onto and extended his right hand to grab the nearest one but suddenly stopped.


    As he had extended his hand Hao Xuan noticed his hands, or specifically his fingers visibly elongated. They became longer by almost 1.5 times right in front of his eyes and the nails became much sharper.


    Hao Xuan opened and closed his hands and they returned to normal.


    ''It''s happening unconsciously at this point. I just hope it doesn''t get too extreme,'' he prayed inwardly. Although it sounded pretty cool in concept, it was far toorge of a physical change for Hao Xuan to wee it with open arms.


    **


    It took Hao Xuan another three to four minutes to follow the streak all the way to its source. He was three levels underground, standing outside what appeared to be either a basement used for storage at some point or a parking area.


    He was looking at the floor above him which was littered with the same ck organic matter that was in the first corridor. In fact, he now realized that that wasn''t the first time he hade across it.


    It was remarkably simr to the veiny webbings that were all over the walls within the pyramid. Only these ones were harder to the touch, darker, and had a more wooden feel to them rather than that of the organic luster of the previous ones.


    These almost looked like tree roots at first nce but a closer inspection revealed the pulsating movements of each branch. They were alive, ranging from a few millimeters to almost half a meter in width, connecting with one another to create a dense fibrouswork that pumped some kind of a liquid through the system.


    The sides of the room were lined with hundreds of oval protrusions that looked like giant fruits sprouting from the branches. Some of them were just a meter across but there were many that were tens of timesrger if not more.


    A much softer fleshy material surrounded the outer structure of these oval fruits. They would asionally make slight movements that showed there was something living inside them.


    Hao Xuan reached out his hand to touch one of them when Mr. Hyde''s voice rang in his mind.


    ''Stop! Do not touch those if you want to get out of here undetected.''


    Hao Xuan looked around but couldn''t see him anywhere, ''What? Why? And where are you?''


    ''Never you mind where I am. Do not touch the pods. They are all interconnected, if one is disturbed they will all wake up.''


    ''The pods? Like birthing pods?'' Hao Xuan quickly pulled back his arm.


    ''No. Think of them as living jail cells, prisons of flesh created by one host creature to milk its prey.''


    ''Its prey? So all these are people?!'' Hao Xuan took another looked at the numerous pods hanging all along the floor. The room was far too big for him to see how big it actually was but just from what he COULD see, there were hundreds upon hundreds of these pods, if not more.


    ''No not people exactly, not anymore. Depending on how long they have been here they would have lost what little sanity they had left to be something else entirely. This is a factory, and you don''t want to wake up the workers. Quickly find the one you came for, touch none of the others.''

 Chapter 715: Factory Continued

    <h4>Chapter 715: Factory Continued</h4>


    ''Find the one you came for, touch none of the others.''


    Hao Xuan took Mr. Hyde''s advice to heart and bent down, swerving left and right to avoid any obstructions.


    All the pods were above him, either hanging loosely or attached to the floor by the numerous roots and branches which made it that much easier for him to move unhindered and with rtive safety. There were still a few hair-thin branches that reached all the way up to the sides of the ceiling where he was, but they didn''t cover the entire area.


    Hao Xuan noticed that some of the pods had slightly different shapes and colors to them with a lot more roots and branches interconnecting them to the other pods that were nearby.


    ''Wouldn''t wanna wake any of these guys up,'' he thought inwardly.


    Following the trail of the ck streak which moved in between this forest of pods for what felt like a good little while, he eventually found its final destination after a couple more minutes. The streak ended outside a small to medium-sized pod surrounded by numerous branches.


    The top half of its fleshy surface was the only part still left uncovered. Hao Xuan focused in on the flesh, staring at it without even blinking for a few seconds until he caught sight of some movement within.


    It jerked every ten to fifteen seconds whenever the nearby roots pulsed and injected a shot of whatever liquid that was following through them.


    Unsure about how to proceed, Hao Xuan decided to ask the only person that did know what was going on here.


    ''Should I just cut it open?''


    ''Only the flesh, yes. It hasn''t taken solid form yet so there shouldn''t be a problem. But don''t touch a single branch,'' Mr. Hyde warned for what felt like the hundredth time.


    Hao Xuan swallowed the urge to curse him out and stood up. The pod was just half a meter above him so without wasting any more time Hao Xuan reached out and grabbed the semi-translucent white flesh that covered the top of the pod.


    It felt extremely cold to the touch as if he was touching ice. But when he pushed the top with just a light touch, it caved in instantly. He used his fingers to tear open the ''skin'' to reveal the inside.


    There was a milky white substance filling the insides. It was thick with hard lumps forming within it. But the strangest part was that even though it was above him, it did not ''spill'' on him. Hao Xuan quickly sidestepped to avoid it for no reason apparently.


    ''So it''s not that the gravity is inverted, but I am,'' he concluded correctly. Everything else was still following the normalws of physics, he was the exception here.


    ''Because you are not supposed to be here so the world rejects your existence. I told you this was a mirrored reflection of your world. If you stay here long enough you will also start to physically change and take on a new form, one that conforms to thews here. That''s why it is best to leave as quickly as possible.''


    ''As for the inversion, did you not notice any of the written words along the way? They were all backward.''


    ''I didn''t notice because I don''t speak whatever thisnguage is. To me it looked all the same,'' Hao Xuan rified.


    ''What? How do you still not speak thenguage? Is this not the same world as before?''


    It was fair to say that Mr. Hyde''s unexpected question startled Hao Xuan more than it should have. He couldn''t very well tell him about the existence of the Celestial Webway, or the fact that he had ess to it and at this moment, he couldn''te up with another lie.


    ''I-I just didn''t learn the words, okay? Let me focus!'' he gave a poor excuse which did manage to shut him up, at least for now.


    Suffice to say Hao Xuan was left quite perturbed, thinking that Mr. Hyde would naturally connect the dots even though it was extremely unlikely. And in that moment of inattentiveness, he stepped on a nearby small branch, squishing it under his weight.


    And a momentter, somewhere deep within the dense forest, an otherwise ordinary-looking pod that was more than five meters across shook, and its top burst open.


    **


    Hao Xuan reached into the pod and pulled out the barbarian, who fell on the ceiling just like him. His eyes were closed and was barely breathing.


    ''Oi oi, don''t die now after I came all the way here,'' he pushed several times on his chest, applying just enough pressure to wake him up.


    Tasgall gasped and then gagged, throwing out multiple mouthfuls of that milky white viscous substance. He grabbed Hao Xuan''s shoulder and tried to speak but his tongue was gone.


    He groaned and kicked up a fuss from the pain but Hao Xuan quickly covered his mouth, saying the only word he knew in Tasgall''snguage without Baracus''s trantion skills.


    "Shh, Monster!" he whispered, pointing towards the other pods.


    Tasgall shook his head trying to say something but how could he without a tongue?

 Chapter 716: Sleeping Shadows

    <h4>Chapter 716: Sleeping Shadows</h4>


    Tasgall shook his head trying to say something but...how could he without a tongue? It had only been a few minutes since he had ''lost'' it so there was no way he was used to it yet.


    The only upside was that the wound wasn''t bleeding any more.


    "Follow!" Hao Xuan had to almost drag him behind because he was struggling so much.


    Hao Xuan retracted his steps as best as he could until they reached the roof which is when Mr. Hyde spoke up and guided him back.


    The surroundings had changed quite a bit. Hao Xuan had been keeping a mental note of all the buildings he had previously crossed but couldn''t find any of them now.


    Thousands of them floated in an orbit around the pale sun and they all looked identical so it was expected.


    "Quickly!" Hao Xuan shouted from across a building towards Tasgall who was just standing by the edge.


    Tasgall shook his head, pointing at his legs. His face was ashen, devoid of any color even in this monochromatic world. He looked much thinner and weaker from what Hao Xuan remembered.


    He jumped back to help him up, lending a shoulder so he could move again.


    ''Hurry. He is already turning,'' Mr. Hyde''s words startled Hao Xuan. He looked to his left at Tasgall''s face that was just a few inches away from him.


    He could see his skin turning translucent, reacting to the intense light of the white sun. His eyes were unfocused and a bit of drool was leaking from the side of his mouth.


    ''What will happen to him?'' Hao Xuan asked just incase.


    Mr. Hyde physically appeared next to him, staring up at the sky.


    ''He will start changing if he stays here much longer. And under ''his'' direct gaze it cannot be helped.''


    ''His? Who are you talking...'' Hao Xuan looked up but could see nothing other than the sun.


    ''Wait..'' his eyes narrowed and focused in on the sun. His pupils elongated just a little, just wide enough to receive a little more of the spectrum than what was visible to the human eye.


    "What the fuck is...that?!" he eximed upon seeing what Mr. Hyde was referring to.


    Hao Xuan was able to see through the intense white light that acted as a barrier of sorts hiding its true form.


    The pale sun was the head of a creature. Surrounding it was one gigantic serpentine tail with hundreds of smaller onese from the sides. It looked like an orgy of serpents, a mating ball with untold creatures acting as one. (Reference image link in Authors notes and discord)


    Most of the tails were passing up and down into the mist, going god knows where.


    Mr. Hyde looked at Hao Xuan with a raised eyebrow, "You can see it?"


    Hao Xuan gave a slow nod, "What is it?"


    Mr. Hyde shrugged lightly.


    "Aberration, an eldrich monstrosity. Some say it was banished to this world a long time ago by the old gods, some say it was born muchter. But it has always been here as far as I can remember. Either way, its light corrupts all who touch it," he nced towards Hao Xuan, thinking thest sentence to himself ''Or at least it is supposed to.''


    "Go before it''s toote," he reminded Hao Xuan who was lost in thought, waking him up.


    "Y-Yeah."


    The return trip that should have taken a handful of minutessted half an hour. But by the end Hao Xuan managed to find the staircase at the very least. Tasgall was foaming at the mouth by now and could not even open his eyes properly.


    Hao Xuan lept down and halfway across he started climbing up just like before. He came out on the other side in the exact same spot. Nothing looked different, at least not to his eyes.


    With Tasgall in tow, he swiftly made his way up to the roof where the setting sun''sst rays were falling down.


    He put down Tasgall and examined him again. Just being under the light of the sun was enough to stop his seizures. Color started to return to his face and he looked a lot better within seconds.


    Hao Xuan fell back, letting out a breath of relief.


    "Thank god!" he mumbled out loud.


    But Mr. Hyde''s voice echoed through his mind once again, saying otherwise.


    ''It is not yet over.''


    *Crunch*


    Hao Xuan''s hypersensitive ears twitched.


    *Crunch*Crunch*


    Picking up multiple sounds from all around him.


    ''You should move while you can. Make use of the sunlight to the best of your abilities because once it goes down, you will have a lot more to contend with than just the cold.''


    Hao Xuan stood up, picking up the unconscious Tasgall in his arms.


    "This world, it wasn''t abandoned was it?"


    Mr. Hyde chuckled, ''Abandoned? How can it be abandoned when there are so many sleeping within the shadows?''


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/24/1f/a2/241fa20e03257544a7f8db7e60c41985.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/UawA8

 Chapter 717: Away From Home

    <h4>Chapter 717: Away From Home</h4>


    ''Abandoned? How can it be abandoned when there are so many sleeping within the shadows?''


    That was all the confirmation Hao Xuan needed. He picked up Tasgall and using every iota of Qi at his disposal, bolted towards the camp at full speed cutting across entire sections of the city.


    The ten-minute return trip was cut down to just over 3 minutes by the time Hao Xuannded in front of Burak. He forcefully activated Baracus and asked his help with the trantion, giving Burak an oversimplified version of the events that took ce in thest few hours.


    "We are not...alone...here!"


    The words Hao Xuan thought would shock Burak merely verified what he already suspected.


    Burak looked towards the nearby buildings with a hint of nervousness, "I could feel somebody watching usst night. There was no proof but I knew there was someone there."


    Hao Xuan nodded, understanding where he wasing from. It was a warrior''s survival instincts and Burak''s were extremely strong.


    "One more night...that''s...all we need....to survive...Tomorrow we can...go back," Hao Xuan told him that he should be able to open the portal by morning to give him some hope.


    Burak saw the anxiousness in Hao Xuan''s eyes and came forward to pat him on the shoulder.


    "We are all in this together. Don''t worry," he said assuringly with a smile wide enough and genuine enough that Hao Xuan believed him wholeheartedly.


    The sun finally set and the rest of the barbarians all returned in one piece. Seeing Tasgall''s condition they were curious as to what happened but Burak and Isak''s strict orders gave them little time to talk amongst themselves.


    Just like the night before, mere minutes after the sun went down the temperate fell to below zero. The wind picked up, bringing with it a defeaning gale of snow and ice that covered everything in sight.


    Every single barbarian that was able to stand on his two feet was on guard throughout the night. The crackling and popping noisesing from the dried wood were the only music they could afford.


    The first few hours were rather uneventful and went by quickly but, halfway through the night, as soon as they had started to rx a little, pale figures revealed themselves from within the snowy winds.


    Jarek was the first one to notice and alerted the others.


    Burak, Isak, and Hao Xuan gathered by the window to examine the surroundings, finally seeing them.


    Tall, emaciated figures with elongated limbs and hairless bodies covered the roofs of all neighboring buildings. Their eye sockets were hollow and many of their mouths were sewn shut with what looked like red worms that burrowed into their skins.


    They stood in the windows, the roofs, the balconies, unbothered by freezing cold weather that battered their bodies without end. Hundreds of them, all chanting something under their breaths.


    Hao Xuan andpany waited with bated breaths, waiting for them to make a move. They were outnumbered 1 to 10, and the enemy''s strength was unknown so the natural thing to do was wait for them to make a move first but...that never came.


    They came with the snowstorm and left with it, without making a single move. All they did was watch them from a distance, menacingly.


    The sun rose, the ice and snow melted and flowed down the streets. And it was only then that they rxed.


    A few hourster Baracus contacted Hao Xuan.


    ''I have....finishedpiling the first rune sequence.''


    ''Great!'' Hao Xuan jumped into action.


    He went up to a clean wall within the apartment that was away from prying eyes and engraved the rune sequence with a dagger.


    Then ording to Baracus''s instructions, he inserted a small amount of Qi into each one of them. When it was all done he called Burak and Isak over.


    "I will go...first," he said handing them a piece of rope and tying the other side around his waist.


    "Hold this....do not...let go!"


    Without waiting for a response Hao Xuan quickly swiped his hand from left to right to connect thest two runes and entered the newly created gateway.


    But the moment the gate manifested, the runes glowed for an instant before melting away into shards of yellow light that created its outline.


    Burak and Isak had no idea what was going on. All they COULD do was listen to Hao Xuan, pushing down any questions that arose while anxiously waiting for them.


    Even if they were best friends it would be the most normal thing to doubt the other person''s intentions right about now. What if Hao Xuan didn''te back? They needed him a lot more than he needed them.


    A seed of doubt slowly took root in their minds as second by second, like the grains of sand in an hourss, time trickled by. It was almost 15 minutester when the rope went taut again and Hao Xuan walked out.


    One look at his face was enough to answer any questions the barbarian''s still had.


    They would be stuck here, for just a little while longer.

 Chapter 718: Away From Home Continued

    <h4>Chapter 718: Away From Home Continued</h4>


    One look at his face was enough to answer any questions the barbarian''s still had.


    Hao Xuan shook his head with obvious remorse.


    "It will be...a few more days..." he informed them.


    Hao Xuan expected them to get angry, ask some questions or even pick a fight but none of that actually happened.


    Burak walked up to him and gave a light pat on his shoulder. His toothy grin giving some much-needed confidence back to Hao Xuan in this moment of distress.


    "Don''t worry yourself. No one mes you here. If not for you we would have died in that first ce we entered. Every minute after that is a gift! Hahaha!"


    Behind him, Isak who usually stayed expressionless also gave a slight bow and a smile before walking out of the room.


    Be it genuine words of encouragement or a facade put up just to console his broken spirits, Hao Xuan didn''t care anymore.


    They might not see it that way but Hao Xuan knew the choices he and he alone had made led them here, stuck in a foreign world away from everything they knew. Even Hao Xuan had a lot to take care of in their world but the fact of the matter was that he simply could not return as of right now.


    Baracus had either greatly underestimated theplexity of what he was trying to achieve or he simply did not have full information. The portal opened fine but the energy signature that Baracus had recorded didn''t bring back any results.


    They had just opened a random door and it led to a great number of other ces, just not the ones Hao Xuan wanted.


    Baracus returned to the drawing board, starting work on another possible rune sequence. But at this point it was all just a game of chance. It could be many days before he would find the right one.


    Hao Xuan mentally prepared himself for what mighte his way during this period. The creatures that came after sundown, the mirror dimension, anything else that was hiding here. The only good thing was that they needed to stay here and could move if the situation called for it.


    And as such, this new routine of creating new gates and checking them for a possible way home continued.


    *


    *


    *


    Somewhere in the middle of a dense jungle were the remains of an age-old Giant sequoia tree, still towering over everything else in the vicinity. Currently, within its hollow trunk sat six individuals.


    They wore rags, stitched together from a plethora of different materials including animal hides and tree barks. Their faces were unrecognizable due to theyer of dust and mud that covered their entire bodies and if one didn''t pay attention, they would seem like beggers from a first nce.


    But the brutal and ferocious auras that they gave off would quickly do away with such conjecture.


    Half of them including the biggest one that was obviously Burak were sleeping soundly, tightly embracing their various weapons as if they were devoted lovers.


    The remaining three stood watch outside, sitting around the campfire for heat because even though it was midday, barely any sunlight reached the bottom due to the dense canopies that acted as anotheryer of clouds.


    There was a body of a half-cooked winged beast that rotated above the campfire with the help of a three-prongedrge stick. Droplets of melting fat trickled down its light golden skin, sizzling as they hit the me underneath.


    One of the barbarians sitting in front of it inhaled with such strength that all the smokeing off it went straight into his mouth. He burped, thumping his chest.


    "Hehe, this will be a good one," he said wiping the drool from the side of his mouth.


    Another barbarian that was taller by a few inches who was sitting beside him pped the back of his head with a scowl, making a few quick hand gestures.


    "I know I know, Lord Tasgall I was just saying that to-" he tried to speak but seeing the piercing reing his way, he could do nothing but keep quiet.


    "I''m sorry," he mumbled lowering his head.


    Tasgall stood up, gesturing to the third barbarian that was standing in the distance toe take his ce.


    Tasgall took another look inside the giant tree trunk to make sure everyone was still sleeping before walking off into the jungle. He crossed a hundred meters or so through the dense foliage before stopping next to a small hill.


    With narrowed eyes, he examined the ground for a few minutes before suddenly taking one step to the right, one to the left, and three to the right again.


    The slope in front of him opened up as soon as he finished and a cave showed itself. At the entrance was standing another barbarian, much smaller than the rest.


    Isak walked out and nodded towards Tasgall who responded in the same manner.


    "He said not to disturb him unless it is time to move again," Isak said while passing him.

 Chapter 719: Progress?

    <h4>Chapter 719: Progress?</h4>


    "He said not to disturb him unless it is time to move again," Isak said while moving past him.


    Tasgall nodded and entered the cave. He made three different hand gestures and the rock and earth on the ground moved back to where it was before, closing the entrance.


    He turned around and walked deeper into the cave. After just a few seconds of walking through the rocky tunnel he came out in front of a bigger space, one that was around 4-5 meters in diameter.


    On the left side was a stretch of smooth wall that looked like it was cut with a sword. Right in front of the entrance was a torch that burned with a smokeless vermillion me. In the middle of the room was a man sitting with his eyes closed. He was surrounded by a ring of ck clouds.


    The area around him had turned to white dust and more of it was falling from the cloud ring continuously. At the very bottom of the ring was a thin stream of blue and white me, at the top was a ring of electricity.


    And within the cloud itself were a myriad of different scenes ying out. Sometimes water and ice would suddenly materialize, sometimes pieces of dirt and rock. Sometimes other things and elements fromva to various colors and shapes.


    The area within half a meter of him was engulfed with these peculiar scenes, ying out in no particr order. But because of that, no one could get close to him either.


    Tasgall watched inplete silence, watching the scene with a hint of awe and reverence.


    After half an hour the ck cloud ring convulsed and all the anomalous phenomena were suddenly sucked into it while it continued started to shrink before finally entering the man''s body.


    His face became visible for the first time. Long hair, beard but an otherwise clean appearance. He opened his eyes, the bright green pupils of his even dimming all the light within the cave for just an instant.


    Hao Xuan smiled seeing Tasgall standing at the entrance.


    "When did you get here?" he asked in the Beast World''snguage.


    Tasgall made a few hand gestures from the signnguage he had learned during their time here. Saying with a respectful bow, "Just a few minutes."


    Hao Xuan stood up, nodding absentmindedly.


    "Good good. Since you''re here, stay for a bit. I need to go talk to someone."


    Tasgall''s brow lightly furrowed, ''See who?'' he wanted to ask but Hao Xuan didn''t give him the opportunity.


    He walked over to where the smooth section of the wall was and rested against it. Closing his eyes once again, Hao Xuan''s consciousness appeared in the Mind Pce.


    Everything was still the same, the only difference being just outside the mind pce itself. Previously there was one wooden frame here that resembled a torii gate but now there were seven of them.


    Each one numbered, each one a little bigger than the one before. They were all hovering in the opposite direction to the three doors that were within the mind pce.


    Hao Xuan inspected them for a few seconds before walking up to the left-most door. He was about to push it but it opened by itself before he could evene into contact with it.


    Hao Xuan''s lips arched into a little smirk before he took a step inward, vanishing within his own mind pce.


    *crackle*


    The sound of crackling me in the firece reached his ears first and foremost before the world stabilized and the same old victorian era room materialized in front of his eyes.


    The soft snow fell endlessly outside the window on the right. Tworge brown leather sofas sat facing the firece, the right one upied by Mr. Hyde, as usual.


    Hao Xuan walked to the other one and sat down.


    "I''m done."


    Mr. Hyde who always reading that same newspaper that hid his entire upper body behind it moved it down just a little to nce towards him.


    "So it seems."


    "You said you had questions. You have held up your side of the bargain, and I am dying to fulfill mine," Hao Xuan said trying to tear apart that newspaper with a sharp re.


    It was always so intrusive. He could never tell how Mr. Hyde was feeling since he couldn''t see his face most of the time. A few seconds passed before Mr. Hyde spoke again.


    "How long now?"


    "How...long what?"


    "Since you''ve been stuck in this wretched world. How long has it been?"


    Hao Xuan hesitated a little, his previously merry spirits dampened significantly by the unexpected query.


    "A...little over...ten months..." he replied dejectedly, his eyes mirthlessly swaying back and forth.


    "Hmmm. And have you made any progress? If you tell me what type of ability you have, I can help you figure it out," Mr. Hyde offered his help again, just like the numerous other times he had tried to pry away the information from Hao Xuan''s lips.


    **


    Authors Notes:


    The next handful of chapters are wordy but important for the story so pay attention!

 Chapter 720: Chaos Abound

    <h4>Chapter 720: Chaos Abound</h4>


    "No," Hao Xuan swiftly rejected the offer before Mr. Hyde could try to argue his side of the argument, "I am very close. It''s only a matter of days before I get it right."


    It had been ten months, one week, and four exhausting days since Hao Xuan first arrived here through the Celestial Webway. After the second attempt at trying to find the correct sequence, it became crystal clear that the information they had was missing some important details.


    Mainly, how to navigate the webway correctly and find the right coordinates. Unlike what Baracus had predicted, the rune sequence waspletely random. Or at least that''s what it looked like to him.


    He had been experimenting for thest ten months and barely managed to scratch the surface of it. It was not until Hao Xuan made a breakthrough in his own cultivation that he discovered a way around it.


    "Is that right? Well, as long as you return," Mr. Hyde slowly folded the newspaper before putting it on the side table.


    Legs crossed, the snakehead cane in hand, the corner of his lips arched into half a smile seeing Hao Xuan.


    "Spirit Stage Seventh realm, almost on the Eighth. Not bad," hemented lightly. It sounded like he was talking to himself, his eyes a little unfocused almost like he was thinking about something else in the back of his mind.


    Hao Xuan gave a slight nod of respect, acknowledging his part, "All thanks to you. If you didn''t tell me in detail about Chaosws and how to use them, I would have still been stuck at the first realm."


    Mr. Hyde graciously epted thepliment, it was the truth after all. His eyes regained focus and his voice suddenly hardened.


    "Recapitte the main points, from what I told you and what you have learned yourself," he ''asked'' leaving no room for negotiation.


    Unlike his appearance, Hao Xuan had found out that Mr. Hyde was quite serious and strict when it came to teaching. He didn''t ept any excuses and expected Hao Xuan to catch up to his way of thought rather than helping him understand the topic at hand.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath to gather his thoughts before continuing.


    "Well, as you said, Chaos Laws encapste every aspect of existence. But unlike otherws, they are neither offensive, defensive, or supporting in nature. It just depends on how you use them and what you do with them."


    "But it is simr in the sense that raising the mastery level and understanding of the mainw can allow the cultivator do any number of different things."


    "There are nine levels of mastery within my Chaosw. At the first level, I can use thew on an object to dematerialize or disintegrate it into its more basicponents. This includes the energies that are holding it together."


    "Once the Chaos Law is applied on an object, I have full control over what happens to it after that. I can harness all the basic energies like heat, cold, kic, and maic energy and use them to create even more."


    "The process is lengthy and takes a much longer time to use but over time it gets easier. I can already hold two energies or control one of them fully. By creating a maic charge on my hands, I can create lightning and control it."


    "Once I have more control, I should be able to control a number of other energies using this method."


    "The only time I can use the Chaosw to attack directly is by applying thew to my hand and touching other items with it. It throws the normalws of nature into disarray which in turn damages and dismantles their natural order."


    "At the Second mastery level, I will be able to manifest the Chaos Law in an area around me without evening into physical contact with it. That will be my "territory", just like how every otherw has its own."


    "Whereas otherws take a few dozen years to cultivate depending on a person''s affinity with them, Chaosws take almost a hundred times more. But..." Hao Xuan paused, raising his head to meet Mr. Hyde''s gaze.


    "But you said that those who cultivate Chaos Laws are extremely rare. Not only because it requires so much time, effort, and resources, but also because you need something called a ''spark''. Right?"


    "Correct," Mr. Hyde confirmed.


    "And you don''t have this spark and hence cannot cultivate the Chaosws yourself. So...how do you know so much about them? I don''t believe this kind of information would be just given out. It sounded like you were speaking from experience," Hao Xuan finally asked the question that had been bothering him for thest few months.


    Every time he had made a mistake, Mr. Hyde corrected and told him the right way like he knew from experience. The difference between reading from a book and knowing yourself was quite obvious.


    Mr. Hyde finally couldn''t contain his smile and let out a chuckle.


    "I was waiting for you to ask that. I thought you would have asked much sooner but it took you quite a long time, huh?" he leaned back and gotfortable in the oversized sofa.


    "Someone I knew quite well, someone I was very close with cultivated Chaos Laws. Everything I knowes from him," his smile slowly faded, reced by a dim, bloodthirsty re.


    "And you have met him too, somewhere, somehow."

 Chapter 721: Sins of the father

    <h4>Chapter 721: Sins of the father</h4>


    "And you have met him too, somewhere....somehow."


    Mr. Hyde went quiet after finishing the statement, staring into Hao Xuan''s eyes for any clues. The slightest change would give him away.


    But all he could pick up was a seed of doubt and uncertainty floating in his mind, at least for now.


    Hao Xuan also picked up on the anxiousness, the hate, the darkness within his gaze. Whoever he was talking about must have been a very important person to him at one point.


    "Who are you talking about? Tell me about them and if I know anything, I promise to tell you everything I know," Hao Xuan genuinely offered. Mr. Hyde had helped him a lot in thest few months and most of the time he didn''t feel like Mr. Hyde was a bad person.


    It was only when he called him out that Mr. Hyde suddenly became a little frightening.


    Mr. Hyde kept staring into his eyes for a good few minutes before he opened his mouth again.


    "You still seem to have some doubts so let me assure you, even though you are a little special, I want nothing from you. Even if you are one of his people I will not bring you any harm, so long as you are honest with me."


    He reached into his inner jacket pocket and took out a small red jewel. It was a little bigger than a marble, filled with a blue liquid. He reluctantly ced it on the table.


    "This...should help move the conversation along. If either of us tells a lie, the teardrops within the jewel will turn red. If we tell half-truths, it will turn white. Even I am not beyond its reach."


    Hao Xuan saw the hesitation within Mr. Hyde''s movements when he was putting the jewel down and couldn''t help but believe his words. But he still wanted to try it out for himself.


    "My name is Bruce Lee," Hao Xuan suddenly uttered. The jewel trembled and the liquid turned red for a few seconds before returning to normal. He tried a few times after that and it was correct.


    Impressed, he nodded with half a smile. This would help him a lot more than it would help Mr. Hyde, or that''s that he believed but it was equally important for Mr. Hyde to know the full truth, if not more so.


    "Go ahead then, you get to go first," Mr. Hyde gestured towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan thought for a second before asking, "The same question as before. Who is it that you''re looking for and what is your rtionship with them?"


    Mr. Hyde''s brow locked in a tight furrow just from the first query, "That...I do not know. All I can tell you is what I know about him."


    Hao Xuan looked at the jewel and it was still blue so he nodded, "Go ahead."


    Mr. Hyde''s eyes became a little blurry as he stared into the lit firece, recalling the memories of an era long past.


    "He has as many names as there are stars in the sky, as many titles as there are people to remember them by. For me, there was a time when I called him father, as did many of my brothers. But to most others, he was simply known as the ''Emperor''. Although I do not know if he ever considered us his sons."


    "That is who he is, and also what our rtionship was."


    Mr. Hyde stayed quiet after that, even though Hao Xuan thought it would be his turn to ask the question now. But since it didn''t look like he was going to speak up again, Hao Xuan asked another one.


    "Why are you chasing after him?"


    Mr. Hyde chucked, his gaze still fixated on the me.


    "To kill him of course."


    "But...isn''t he your father?"


    "He is. Not by blood, but that only makes it worse. He chose to take us in and then forsake us. He used us for his own selfish reasons, even though he would have others believe it was all for the ''greater'' good. I would call him a demon but...even demons have limits."


    "He is as cold as the abyss is deep. His intellect, his powers, know no real limit. I followed him through the river of time and in turn, found you," at this point, he looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze once again.


    "He is all I am after. As long as I can kill him, I don''t mind paying any price. So, tell me, have you met my father?"


    But instead of answering Hao Xuan asked another question, "How...will I know if I have met him? You don''t even know his name, can you at least tell me what he looks like?"


    Mr. Hyde''s brow tightened, "That...I never considered. He can change his appearance so describing what he looked like to me would not really help you. You would know if you had ever met him. He usually takes the form of a human male, somewhere between his teens andte years."


    "....So all you know is that he is a guy from like 12 years old to what, 90?"


    **


    Authors Notes:


    I hope at least some of you pick up on the quote from American gods.

 Chapter 722: Sins of the Father Continued

    <h4>Chapter 722: Sins of the Father Continued</h4>


    "So...all you know is that he is a guy who is somewhere between the ages of like 12 to what, 90?"


    Mr. Hyde became a little agitated listening to Hao Xuan''s ridiculous words, "Yes, but it doesn''t matter what his physical appearance is like. You would remember him if you ever met him. He has such a presence about him that even when he tries toy low you would be able to pick him out from across a crowded room."


    Hao Xuan shrugged, "I''m pretty sure that''s only true for you since you both are close. I''ll need something more to-"


    "Okay okay," Mr. Hyde cut him off, thinking about any other points for a couple of seconds before something clicked in his head, "He...hums too."


    "Hums?"


    "Yes, a tune. I don''t think even he realizes it but he hums this strange tune whenever he is bored or is doing something important or thinking about something else. To your ears, it would just sound like an ordinary tune."


    Hao Xuan had a ''Are you fucking kidding me'' look on his face but chose not to vocalize it.


    "Anything else? At all? Tell me some of the names he goes by, maybe I know one of them."


    Mr. Hyde shook his head, "He doesn''t choose the names or the titles, they are given to him by the people that witness his handiwork. In the greater world alone he has more titles than I care to remember. And I''m not even thinking about the ones from the smaller nes scattered across the ten worlds."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Wait, the greater world? What do you mean?"


    "Oh, it refers to the main section of the deep space where all the major powers congregate. Gods, Devils, Humans and all other species can be found there fighting for survival."


    Hao Xuan let out a yielding sigh. Mr. Hyde really wasn''t giving him much to work with so he decided to mention the one name he thought would most probably be ''the one''.


    "Is "Meng" one of the names he goes by?" Hao Xuan looked at him expectantly but the continuously deepening frown on Mr. Hyde''s face said otherwise.


    "Meng? I have never heard that one before. Tell me more about this character."


    "I don''t know much myself. I only met him once when I thought I was dying. We were on top of a ck ocean, in a small boat at the edge of the ''universe''. He told me a bunch of stuff and asked me for a favor in return."


    "A favor? A ck ocean?" Mr. Hyde leaned forward, repeating in a low voice. His eyes darting back forth as he tried to connect them to what he knew of the ''Emperor''.


    "Yeah. And one of his ''students'' came to me before I arrived on this. He wanted me to kill one of the princes that came over from the Beast Worl-"


    "Wait, one of his students?" Mr. Hyde cut in, "Here?" he looked at Hao Xuan for confirmation who nodded back.


    "Yeah, he even brought this huge beast with him when he stopped us on the way over."


    Mr. Hyde leaned back into the sofa with a defeated look.


    "No, it is not him then."


    "What? Why do you think that?"


    "He doesn''t operate like that. In the three thousand years that I have known my father, not once has he done anything so significant and so out in the open in the greater world."


    Mr. Hyde sighed.


    "His modus operandi is much different. For one, he doesn''t usually use others, at least not directly. And he as no students, he is very strict about that. He does things in person, by himself."


    "Ordinarily, he will appear as a mortal man. There is nothing ''remarkable'' about his appearance and from what I know, he has never actually shown his real appearance to anyone, not even to his so-called beloved ''sons''."


    "I know that he can navigate the river of time quite urately. I also know for a fact that he is only a few tens of thousands of years old but there are mentions of someone like him going as far back as the Archaic Era, if not older."


    "Sometimes he is a lonely swordsman carving a bloody path through some of the more historic battlefields. Sometimes he appears as a trusty advisor to a few of the great Kings and Queens throughout the ages, guiding them through the shadows."


    "Although I do not have proof of this, I sincerely believe that he has been involved in or at least been present during every significant moment in history for thest few hundred million years, if not even farther back. But during all that time, I don''t think he has ever directly shed with any major power from the greater world which is why no one even knows he exists."


    "He is a nameless ghost. He has been setting a n in motion for eons, through multiple eras. To most, he is just a helpful stranger they meet during their journeys but I know he doesn''t make a single move without a reason."

 Chapter 723: "Just"

    <h4>Chapter 723: "Just"</h4>


    "He has been setting a n in motion for eons, throughout the eras of antiquity to the present. To most, he is just a helpful stranger they meet during their journeys but, he doesn''t move a muscle without there being a reason."


    "He is a shadow, a ghost. No one knows when or where he will appear, or even in what form, but you can see his influence in the history books. He is a monster that needs to be stopped at all costs!"


    By the end his voice sounded like three different people were talking in unison, but perhaps not even one of them was human.


    Fueled by such a deeply rooted hate for his own father that made Hao Xuan question his sanity, Mr. Hyde finally ended his one-sided monologue and the room fell into a deafening silence with it.


    Hao Xuan was at aplete loss for words. It was obvious how much Mr. Hyde hated this man he still called his father for some reason but..."Why? What did he do that was so bad?" he asked in a low voice.


    Mr. Hyde slowly turned to face him with a grim expression, "What?"


    Hao Xuan gulped seeing the fire in his eyes but still decided to ask anyway.


    "No I mean, he just went back in time and helped some people right? Why is that such a bad thing?"


    Seeing the look of genuine confusion within Hao Xuan''s eyes that stemmed from ack of knowledge and experience, Mr. Hyde quickly regained hisposure. How could he lose his cool in front of a boy that was not even in his thirties? If his brothers found out...


    Mr. Hyde cleared his throat, "My apologies, I get a little... "passionate" when I talk about the past," he fixed his shirt cor and straightened his jacket before taking in a deep breath. His gaze cleared and focused as he thought what would be the best way to exin everything.


    "I did mention he can time travel right? I don''t mean he can see the future or something trivial like that, but that he can actually travel back into the past and the future with his own body and full power intact. This feat by itself is nothing short of impossible. No one since the inception of time itself has been able to pull this off."


    "Sure, there were people that could maybe send their consciousness into their past selves for a little while but that was it. Or at most they could do it once, sending their entire soul through the river of time but it was a one-way trip."


    "But "he" has broken every knownw and managed to do the impossible. That alone is enough of a reason for him to be hunted like a dog wherever he goes. A power like that that could change the past, there is no telling what he could do with it. It is too dangerous for any man, especially for one like him."


    "Every single power that stands today or has ever had a foothold in the greater world, no matter which side they belong to, they all unanimously agree on this one point. If there ever was someone capable of doing something like this, they would all work together to destroy that being."


    "But it is ''him'' that has this power which makes it that much worse. For example, by your standards, I would be considered something along the lines of a ''demon''. I have killed perhaps tens of thousands of beings of many different races, not because I wanted to but because I had to. But him, his ruthlessness knows no bounds."


    Seeing Mr. Hyde''s solemn expression Hao Xuan also couldn''t help but hold his breath as he waited for him to finish what he was saying. It was like he was listening to the introduction of a superviin.


    "The very first thing he did when he stepped on the cosmic stage was to eliminate an entire. He ughtered more than 7 billion individuals, not warriors, not soldiers, but ordinary men, women, and children. Not even their gods were left alive. Why? Just to make his presence known. So when they looked at him, they would know what he was capable of."


    "And it wasn''t even that he killed them, but that hepletely destroyed their souls down to thest speck so they could never exist in any shape or form from there on out. Not even Daemonic Gods do that."


    "He killed until Hell itself opened up and swallowed him whole. Do you understand how evil one has to be to pull something like that off? And that wasn''t the only time either."


    Mr. Hyde took in another deep breath to calm his nerves before continuing.


    "In the world Ie from, he is hailed as a hero. A just Emperor who fights for the weak, for the forgotten and the broken ones. For those that cannot fight for themselves. But could he do both these things? They don''t know his real identity, nobody does. If not for my older brother who gave his life trying to bring him down, we would have never known."


    "So far, for whatever reason, he has kept out of the greater world but it is only a matter of time and is bound to change. He has been amassing an army the likes of which have rarely ever been seen in the greater world. And if they were to ever find their way here, can you imagine what would happen? It would be a bloody Chaos, in every sense of the word."

 Chapter 724: Expectations

    <h4>Chapter 724: Expectations</h4>


    "It would be a bloody Chaos in every sense of the word. I hope that helps you understand just how big of a threat he actually is."


    Hao Xuan swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet his dried throat but it felt like needles as it passed down. He coughed and cleared his throat.


    "But I still don''t understand how he is connected to me. How did you know to look for me?"


    Mr. Hyde''s gaze hardened as he recalled the events that had led him here. He didn''t want to tell Hao Xuan this but to need his full cooperation he needed to be truthful.


    "Growing up, I had more than twenty brothers that all served as his generals, leading his many legions through war. But when the strongest of my siblings saw the reality of what father was doing, he rallied nearly half of us to stand against him."


    "So long as we could kill him, we were willing to do anything. We even sold our souls to the Demon Lords of Hell in exchange for unparalleled power and together we attacked him when we thought he would be at his weakest."


    "But we had greatly underestimated his powers. Our leader who was the strongest of us died by his hands while the rest of my brothers that still followed him fought tooth and nail, defending him until more than seven of us died and many whose fate was left unknown."


    "That was when I realized we might never be able to defeat him using conventional means. So right after the battle ended, I broke into one of the most well-guarded research facilities and found thest person he had ''tried'' to visit. It was his most closely-guarded secret," his lips arched into a smile at this point, "And who do you think was?"


    Hao Xuan hesitantly pointed at himself, "M-Me?!"


    "Correct. With some help from fathers many machinations and the Demon God Ma?m¨±n, I made the sacrifice that he could not and at the cost of my own physical body found you. But I still got the timing a little off and only managed to reach you when your memories first got sealed instead of at the time of your birth."


    "I have tried my best to keep track of the things you have been doing since then but there are many limitations to my powers. The more I reveal myself, the faster my power fades because I still don''t have a suitable vess-"


    "W-Wait!" Hao Xuan jumped to his feet, cutting him off. He pointed at Mr. Hyde with a shaky hand.


    "Doe-Doesn''t that mean you''re from the future?!"


    Mr, Hyde frowned at his slow speed ofprehension and incorrect priorities, "Did you just understand that? Yes! And that is not what you should be focused on!" he mmed his fist on the armrest, startling Hao Xuan.


    "Even when our armies were at his door, he took the time to try and reach out to you somehow. I don''t know why, but something that you did or will do in the near future will have a huge impact on whatever he is nning."


    Hao Xuan wanted to get angry too but Mr. Hyde''s overbearing aura did not leave much room for another angsty man in such a confined space. So he lowered his voice and spoke calmly instead.


    "Look, I don''t know what you want me to do. You tell me all these things and expect what exactly? This shit is way beyond anything I can deal with. I already have so much on my te, I can''t do much more."


    Mr. Hyde stood up as well, "I''m not asking you to do anything, it''s just..."


    "Just what? You tell me you''re from the future, from basically another world, you people are fighting gods and shit like it''s nobody''s business, I have no ce in any of this. You''re asking if I have seen someone that could potentially be him? Well I don''t know, okay? I am just not sure if I have met a time-traveling genocidal psychopath recently tha-"


    "ENOUGH!" Mr. Hyde yelled in a flurry.


    The lights dimmed and the entire room shook once.


    "Know your ce, fleshbag! I did not sacrifice so much to be talked down to by the likes of you! I am well aware of your weaknesses and I expect nothing from you. You are a mere pawn in the great game. Even your death would do nothing. If I wanted to, I could kill you with a mere thought! Do you understand that?"


    "I have kept you alive, helped you on so many asions not because you are important, but what you might unwittingly aplish. It could have been anyone so do not let it get to your head!"


    Hao Xuan who was trying his best to stay calm could not hold himself back anymore.


    "Oh please! I have better things to do than to worry about you and your life. You keep bitching and moaning about your "dad" like some spoiled teenage brat that is rebelling against his demented father. To me, both you and he are the same. One kills without thought, and the other rather sell his soul to the devil than to fight against him fairly. For all his faults, at least your father had the foresight andmon fucking sense to not align with the fucking DEMONS! Do you know how utterly retarded you sound right no-"


    *BOOOOM*


    *Cough*


    *Cough*

 Chapter 725: Looking Down

    <h4>Chapter 725: Looking Down</h4>


    *BOOOOM*


    *Cough*


    *Cough*


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes in the physical world, throwing up several mouthfuls of blood. Tasgall who was standing by the side ran over and knelt down beside him, examining him anxiously.


    Ever since he was saved by Hao Xuan when they first arrived on this world, Tasgall had gotten quite attached to his new savior. It was customary in their culture to treat the one who saved your life with the utmost respect but Tasgall went above and beyond that.


    Tasgall knew very well that if not for him, he would probably still be stuck in that horrid ce and did not even consider the fact that it was because of Hao Xuan that he got captured in the first ce.


    During thest few months, he had been at his beck and call and went out of his way to care for his savior. Hao Xuan pushed him away at first but during the numerous fights where Tasgall came to his rescue and even saved his life on more than a few asions, he grew to like the mute barbarian.


    Plus deep down he still felt guilty that Tasgall lost his tongue because of him. He learned signnguage from Baracus and taught it to him and the other barbarians so they couldmunicate and in turn, learned their nativenguage as well.


    "I''m *cough*cough* ok- *cough* -okay, don''t...worry about it!" he patted Tasgall''s shoulder but the barbarian didn''t back away and continued staring at Hao Xuan''s face with a concerned expression, making Hao Xuanugh.


    "Seriously, I''m okay," Hao Xuan swallowed the mouthful of warm blood that wasing up through his throat and stood up. But as soon as he looked away his expression hardened.


    ''That motherfucker!''


    Hao Xuan quickly closed his eyes again and appeared in the mind pce. He ran up to the rightmost door and banged on it over and over again but it did not budge an inch.


    "You live in MY head, you attention-seeking fatherplex having bitch! Fuck you!" he kicked the door onest time, so content in having had thest word that he did not even register all the other sever''s that were looking his way.


    He opened his eyes, returning to the physical world one more time. He had discovered that the more he interacted with Mr. Hyde and the more he understood him, the less he was afraid of him.


    Yes, he had thrown away his humanity which Hao Xuan already knew but that did not mean that he was omnipotent. There were a few instances that Hao Xuan had caught sight of a reptilian figure transposing over Mr. Hyde''s.


    It was a rare sight for certain but it happened on more than one asion which meant that he wasn''t in full control of his powers. And now after talking to him a few other things became clear.


    Mr. Hyde really was stuck inside his head, for the time being. So the chances of him causing him harm were low although not entirely zero. The fight between him and his psychotic father had nothing to do with Hao Xuan, or that''s how he perceived it.


    Whatever it was, he wasn''t going to spend time needlessly worrying about it now.


    Hao Xuan took in a few breaths to regte his circtory system. Being forced out of his own mind pce left him with some internal bleeding but nothing he couldn''t deal with on his own.


    Hao Xuan looked towards Tasgall who silently stood on the side, watching him with a frown.


    "Tsk, don''t look at me like that. People would think there was something going on between us. Your wife would be so jealous if she knew that another man is receiving such worrying looks from her dear husband," he joked but Tasgall did not even crack a smile, leaving Hao Xuan feeling quite awkward.


    "Oh, look at the time. L-Let''s go outside, I want to try the new skill I have been perfecting before we eat!" Hao Xuan said while walking out of the cave, followed closely by the silent barbarian.


    **


    Back within the Mind Pce Mr. Hyde was standing in front of the window having listened to Hao Xuan''s ranting after kicking him out. The snowy scene outside continued as before.


    He raised his right hand that was holding onto the snakehead cane and examined the inconspicuous little red gem that was ''sealed'' within the snake''s maw.


    It pulsed, showing something that was floating within the gem.


    Mr. Hyde let out a weary sigh.


    "Not long now brothers, I can feel it. Every day I get closer to the promised day I feel his presence more and more clearly. It feels like he is still watching me, with those damned eyes."


    He recalled the moment when he stood in front of the man that had raised him, that had taught him everything he knew, and pointed his de at his neck after having killed his brothers. There was not a hint of surprise or shock anywhere on his face. Instead, he looked sad and disappointed.


    "Even in my memories must you look down on me so...father? Was I always such a terrible son? But...I can''t stop now. Otherwise, they all died for nothing..." Hyde''smenting murmur echoed in the empty room.


    "Even if it is thest thing I do, I will make sure that you do not seed, no matter the cost."

 Chapter 726: Going Down

    <h4>Chapter 726: Going Down</h4>


    Hao Xuan and Tasgall walked out of the cave and into the forest. The illusion formation that was protecting the entrance reset after they left and the cave''s entrance disappeared once again.


    The few strands of orange and red light that were still falling through the thick canopy signaled the setting of the sun over the neverending forest.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes for a few seconds and basked in what little light was left before it would disappear for the next 15 hours or so, just like it had done for thest 10 months. He could not help but recall the many hardships they had endured to get here.


    The first few days after they found out that it would be a while before they could return brought an expected anxiousness and a dislike for Hao Xuan that was the main reason they were here. Even though Burak tried his best to exin and reason with them, many of them did not see it that way.


    But soon after that, the anxiousness and hate towards Hao Xuan were reced by the will to survive as the twisted inhabitants of this world finally attacked.


    Every single night without fail they woulde with the darkness, bringing with them the raging snowstorms. The cold wasn''t that big of a problem at the start but it hindered their vision and as time went by, the cold started to set into their bones.


    After about three weeks of fighting every single night and moving from one spot to another during the day, they finally couldn''t take it anymore.


    Burak decided that it would be better to head into the nearby forest and take their chances there since this way it would take the creatures longer to find them, and he was proven right.


    The sunlight greatly limited their movements and gave the barbarians ample time to put some distance between them. Although the snowstorms still continued overhead during the nights, the trees provided a lot more cover and kept the billowing winds at bay.


    It was the mist and fog that was the main problem here.


    Another two months went by like this. The further they got from the city the less frequently they got attacked. It seemed like there was a very real limit to the movements of the strange creatures but before they could celebrate, one misfortune reced another.


    There were very fewrge beast species that lived deeper in the forest. Most of them were not that aggressive but the few that were, made it quite difficult for the party to travel through their territories that stretched for hundreds of kilometers if not more.


    It all started on one random night.


    The party had taken refuge within a mine they found on the side of an old mountain. There were a handful of man-made structures outside but they were so badly damaged that one wouldn''t even be able to tell their original appearance or purpose, meaning it had been abandoned much longer than the city.


    The first night there, Hao Xuan tried exploring the mine but there was no end to the ustrophobia-inducing shafts and tunnels that kept leading deeper into the ground.


    It was a great ce for them since it was out of the way of therger beasts and provided more than enough cover from the elements all the while giving Hao Xuan a space to work in.


    A little more than a month went by like this as their new lives fell into an oddly mundane routine of sleeping and hunting. They got too used to the peace and quiet and to get rid of their boredom, a few of the barbarians started to go much deeper into the mine than they should have.


    And it was all done in secret, as dares and challenges from one youngster to another to explore the inky depths of the mountain that had not seen a light for eons. Deeper and deeper in they went, picking the strange ck gems that the mine held until one fateful night they went too far and in the process woke something up, something that should not have seen the light of day again.


    The next night one of the barbarians came up to Isak and Burakining that he couldn''t sleep because of all the noise.


    The prince and the captain of his soldiers investigated but found nothing that could exin this strange ''noise'' that could not be heard by anyone else.


    That next day, the barbarian that had made theint was nowhere to be found. When Burak investigated, more than a few others came forward and swore they had seen him going down, but none had seen him return.


    A day passed, then two and three but the boy did note back. Isak led a few men and followed his trail but lost it soon after. There were far too many footprints going in every other direction.


    The only thing of note were the various articles of clothing that were dropped along the way. Not ripped off, but taken off.


    Four dayster another barbarian came forwardining of the loud whistling and banging noises.

 Chapter 727: Goind Down Continued

    <h4>Chapter 727: Goind Down Continued</h4>


    Four dayster another barbarian came forwardining about the loud whistling and banging noises. When asked, he said the noise wasing from the floor and the ceilings.


    At this point, Burak told Hao Xuan about everything that was going on.


    Hao Xuan did some investigation on his own and upon checking the first barbarians living area found some symbols etched into the wall. There was dried blood and bits and pieces of fingernails embedded into the symbols. He had written it with his bare hands.


    Hao Xuan didn''t recognize the words but Burak did. It was one line in theirnguage being repeated over and over again but, the most peculiar thing was that it was carved upside down and in the reverse order.


    They looked like a reflection from a mirror, which reminded Hao Xuan of the mirror dimension.


    He told Burak and Isak about it as well, reminded them about what it might mean.


    "Then can he still be alive?" Burak asked after a moment of contemtion.


    "Maybe, I''m not sure," Hao Xuan answered full of uncertainty with no small amount of fear mixed in.


    "Can...you help us look?" Burak asked hesitantly, giving Hao Xuan no choice but to ept. It would only strain their rtionship more if he declined which would problematic since they would still be there for a few more months at least.


    But this time Isak and Burak went with Hao Xuan, along with Tasgall even though he still had quite a few reservations about this n.


    So they picked one of the tunnels that had been explored the most and followed it down into the mountain.


    It took them nearly 16 hours to reach a spot that had not yet been disturbed by any of the others.


    If Hao Xuan had any doubt before, it was gone the moment he peered into the howling abyss that blocked their path. The strange yin Qi that was present all around them made them feel like this was a dream.


    The majority of the tunnels all ended on this same exact side and standing on it made it look like a cliffside.


    If they were currently standing in the physical world, on THEIR world, then what was in front of them was something unnatural, something that should not exist here.


    Giant pieces of ck rocks ranging from 1-2 meters to all the way up to a hundred meters and more floated in front of them. At first it looked like they were floating on nothing but air but upon a closer inspection, Hao Xuan noticed something below them.


    The sound of sshing water reached his ears when a small pebble loosened and fell from where they were standing. It was a liquid of some kind and there was so much of it that they couldn''t even see any of the other sides.


    The liquid itself was so wickedly dull that not even their own reflections could reflect off of its surface. No, it would better to say that it simply did not let anything escape it.


    "Look!"


    Burak pointed ahead as a yellow light shone from somewhere in the distance. Hao Xuan narrowed his eyes, focusing his vision as far as it would go when finally he saw where it wasing from. There was a hugendmass floating on the dark sea, some 3-4 kilometers away.


    And there were dozens of buildings on top of it. It looked like a small city from the looks of it and the lights could only mean there was somebody living there as well.


    "How do we get to it?" Isak asked, "We don''t," Hao Xuan answered.


    It was a simple gut feeling, a sixth sense, and a mixture of instincts all mixed together that warned him not to leave thend. It was not a matter of ifs or buts. If it was doable, but how?


    Every grain of dust on his body warned Hao Xuan that if he were to ever step into that sea, there would be noing back from it.


    "Whatever it is, we have no business with it," Hao Xuan said before turning around.


    It was good to be fearless in battle but more often than not, fear was your mind''s way of warning you of the danger ahead, or in this case an impending doom. Although it might strain their rtionship, Hao Xuan simply refused to go forward.


    The party returned to the surface in silence and the barbarians made another n to try and rescue their brother. The concept of abandonment or ''leaving'' one of their own behind simply did not exist in theirnguage.


    Unless they knew for sure that he was dead, they would not stop even if it cost them their lives, something Hao Xuan found quite foolish even if it came from a good ce.


    The n was to cut down trees from the forest outside to create small rowing boats that could hold two people each and be carried all the way down through the tunnels. But before they could bring this n to life, the second barbarian also disappeared.

 Chapter 728: Delved

    <h4>Chapter 728: Delved</h4>


    But before they could bring this n to life, the second barbarian that had beenining about hearing noises also disappeared from under constant guard.


    When Hao Xuan and Burak found out they went straight to his living space to question the barbarian that was supposed to be guarding him who said that he just went to relieve himself and disappeared even though they were barely two meters apart.


    The strangest part was that he had disappeared from a closed off tunnel, it was a dead end with the only way out being watched.


    Thinking they might have missed something, Hao Xuan went to check himself but found everything as they had said. There was no hole, no hidden openings, not even so much as a crack in the wall. There was just a small puddle of smelly liquid on the ground, more than enough proof that he was at least here.


    ''Is it really them again? But there are no mirrors or any reflective surfaces, how did they find us?'' Hao Xuan inwardly pondered.


    After trying everything he could think off and even asking for Baracus''s help, Hao Xuan still found nothing. Having exhausted all other avenues, he instead looked to the outside again, towards the decayed structures that littered near the entrance.


    It should have been a mining town used to house the people that worked within the mines but most of the structures were in pieces, worn out from the long exposure and with no one to upkeep, it was the only natural oue.


    He searched through one building after another but there was almost nothing left. Barely any signs of someone once living there. That is until he reached thergest structure. It was twice as big as all the others and from the looks of it looked there was an office here at some point.


    The insides were rtively well preserved but nothing that would help him right now. When he had all but given up and was about to take his leave, Hao Xuan noticed something odd.


    His footsteps sounded different in one of the rooms. It was barely audible to a normal person but to him the difference was like day and night. He could feel the vibrations reoubding from within the floor.


    After a cursory examination he found the hidden door leading to the basement that was filled multiple cabs all containing numerous files and folders.


    With Baracus''s help he managed to trante thenguage which was mostmonly used amongst the space dwelling nomad tribes that moved from one ce to another harvesting resources.


    And as such, it was very simple and to the point. It was all properly categorized ording to the date so without wasting any time he went straight to the veryst entry.


    The person that wrote this must have been under quite a lot of stress since the writing and wording was all over the ce. It read more like a personal diary than a factual representation of the recent events.


    He read thest few pages that held just a couple of lines each.


    "Another one. This makes it the 37th man in as many days, there is not many of us left now. Nothing is working. The whispers chose a new one every night and by the daylight, they are all gone. It is madness."


    "NO ONE IS COMING! NO ONE! No matter who we try to reach, nobody is answering. What happened to the city? Are we all going to die down here?"


    "I think I know what is happening. I saw Jorkovich walk into the darkness and ''it'' embraced him with open arms and then...and then...it "became" him. What...have we done?"


    Thest entry read: "This is all because of our greed, we shouldn''t havee here. We delved too far and too deep, and woke something in the darkness. It is not a ce meant for humans. It twists and turns, calling to me, inviting me toe closer by the minute. It is my time now, and I know what must be done."


    Unlike all the other entries Hao Xuan had read, thest one was much more steady and coherent and from the sound of it, there really was something down there.


    He ran back to the mine but did not find anyone there. They had all left together to look for the lost ones. They had thought there would be safety in numbers but Hao Xuan did not believe that would be the case.


    **


    Back in the present, Hao Xuan opened his eyes again as the sun''s light finally vanished behind the dreary forest.


    He exhaled, seeing the trail of vapor escaping from his mouth. Mere seconds and the temperature had fallen by so much.


    He turned towards Tasgall and smiled, forcing him take a few quick steps back.


    "You know the deal. Quick and silent, nothing too loud. I want to stretch before that motherfuckeres calling again."

 Chapter 729: The Ancestor

    <h4>Chapter 729: The Ancestor</h4>


    "You know the deal. Quick and silent, nothing too loud. I want to stretch before that fuckeres calling again."


    Tasgall nodded in response to Hao Xuan''sment and got into the position right where he stood. He bent his knees halfway and moved the front foot forward. His open left hand hovered above his head while the right one made a fist that floated in front of his chest.


    Standing across from him Hao Xuan could almost feel Tasgall''s body humming like an engine that had been turned on. After spending so much time with them he had naturally learned a lot about their cultivation system, just as they had learned from him.


    It turned out that in a bizarre turn of events, rarely anyone from their ns was born with the ability to cultivate. It is not that they do not know, but they simply can''t.


    Even amongst normal mortals, the chances of a child being born with meridians was almost 1 out of every 150 people. But for the barbarians, that chance dropped to 1 out of every 5000 people.


    It was unnaturally low, almost as if it was done on purpose by some higher power.


    But these depressingly low numbers did not hold them back and instead forced them to evolve beyond their mortal limits.


    A few tens of generations ago when their tribes were nothing but rats and scavengers on thatnd where they could not stand against any force, a genius emerged from within their ranks.


    A young boy that by all ounts was a genius. And Hao Xuan did not use that term lightly, even in the beast world he would be considered a great talent worthy of nurturing.


    Why? Because he singlehandedly created the system that lifted their tribes to what they are now.


    In the stories, he was only referred to as the "ancestor". This boy, at the ripe age of 11 standard years, realized that they would not live very long if their circumstances did not change.


    But since he was born without the ability to cultivate, he set out to create another method, one that almost anyone could use. He transformed his physical body and took it to such heights where he did not have to depend on the external spiritual energy.


    Instead, he trained his physical body and drew power from within the muscles and bones that housed everything. It truly waspletely independent and did not require much outside help. So long as they did not give up, anyone could achieve it.


    The only prerequisite was being born with a sturdy physique.


    It took them much longer overall to cultivate and the time to reach each subsequent realm was very slow but the barrier to entry was almost nonexistent.


    They might not be able to fly or use godly cultivation methods to control the elements but, their physical prowess was second to none. They could utilize their body''s internal energy to boost their strength, speed, reflexes, and if it was high enough, even exert that energy outside using some special techniques.


    It was not that their muscles gave them added strength, but they provided them with an internal source of energy that could, in turn, be USED to achieve such feats.


    In Hao Xuan''s eyes, Tasgall looked like a light bulb in the middle of the night, brimming with power.


    Where Hao Xuan''s energy was diffused throughout, some of it even leaking and affecting the nearby surroundings, Tasgall''s was like a bubbling well, contained and controlled until such a time when that would no longer be necessary.


    Hao Xuan could not help but repeat himself again, "Quick and Silent, remember?" he reminded with a raised eyebrow, getting an expressionless nod in response.


    Chaos Qi weakly thrummed through Hao Xuan''s body. Its overall quantity was much less but it turned out it was a lot denser than all the other energies he had cultivated before. Maybe it was because there was only one type of energy that was running his body but it was a fact that there was an increase in its cohesion and purity.


    If put into numbers, his body could hold 100 units of Qi overall. Now let us assume that out of those 100 units, 30 used to belong to force Qi, 20 to sundering Qi, 25 to Emperor''s Qi, and 25 to Chaos Qi.


    And now it was all just Chaos Qi with a smidgen of Emperor''s Qi hiding within one of the meridians but out of the 100 units that his body could hold, the Chaos Qi only used a little over 40 units.


    In exchange, it was much more pure and a single unit of Chaos Qi could power any of his techniques for much longer than any of the other energies.


    Hao Xuan took a regr mid-stance for barehandedbat that was neither too overpowering nor too weak. Both his hands hovered in front of his chest ready to strike or defend at a moment''s notice.


    And although the Chaos Qi moved through his body, he did not let it escape outside and only used it to strengthen himself.


    Tasgall was the first to attack.


    His left leg quickly shot forward, snaking through the air right towards Hao Xuan''s face.

 Chapter 730: Ingenuity

    <h4>Chapter 730: Ingenuity</h4>


    His left leg abruptly shot forward, snaking through the air right towards Hao Xuan''s face.


    But Hao Xuan''s eyes were focused on his hands and it was not until the white blur that was Tasgall''s leg was barely a few inches away from him that he finally reacted.


    His right hand moved slightly to left and with the smallest of movements tapped Tasgall''s leg, moving it ever so lightly away.


    But Tasgall was waiting for exactly that and using the momentum of his kick he closed the distance between them.


    Tasgall was a very experienced close-range fighter. His abilities weren''t anything special but the key to sess, at least for him, lied in an amalgamation of fast and powerful punches and kicks to the opponent''s weak points.


    Hao Xuan blinked and Tasgall had vanished from his sights. He felt the air move in front of his chest so using the explosive power of his own inhumane body, he turned to the right side, just in time to see the air explode right where his face was.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes opened wide, "You mothe-" he tried to curse but Tasgall did not give him the time. Their movements were way too fast for any normal person to even see. If there were any onlookers, to them it would look like gusts of wind moving back and forth.


    In less than thirty seconds the fight hade to its inevitable conclusion.


    Hao Xuan was covered in sweat from top to bottom, his shoulders heaving with every breath. In front of him, Tasgall was in much the same condition with the only difference being that he was sweating much less.


    There were no injuries on either of them but the ruffled clothes told a different story.


    Tasgall smiled, using signnguage to leave a few morsels of constructive criticism on the fight.


    "You still use too many unnecessary movements."


    Hao Xuan shook his head weakly, "Like I have a choice. You are too quick and urate. Every strike is aimed at a weak point so I have to make some useless movements."


    He knew very well that if not for his monstrous body, Hao Xuan would have never won this fight.


    Tasgall rubbed his hands and feet, signing "The effects are much stronger now although a little dyed."


    He was referring to the Chaos Qi.


    Halfway through the fight Hao Xuan had coated his hands with it and every time he touched Tasgall, some of it was injected into his body.


    Tasgall lost motor control and the ability to efficiently move his internal energy through every body part that came into contact with Hao Xuan''s body.


    If this was just a match based on their physical bodies, Hao Xuan would have most certainly lost. But as a cultivator, that was far from what he was truly capable of.


    "Another round?" Tasgall asked, to which Hao Xuan swiftly refused.


    "No no, we need to be ready in case it finds us again. Plus I am going toplete thest step needed to take us back home so I need to conserve energy," he exined while shaking his head.


    They moved through the forest, walking over the decaying amber leaves that crunched under their weights, providing a much-needed backdrop in the silence.


    A minuteter they arrived at the meeting spot where everyone was already gathered around the campfire.


    Burak smiled widely before Hao Xuan was even in view. He tore off a leg from the roasted beast and waved it in their direction.


    "Yo, you''re just in time!"


    Hao Xuan saw their many familiar faces looking towards him with friendly smiles. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a giant ss bottle that could possibly fit in there.


    "I thought you guys might be a little thirsty so I brought some drinks!"


    "WOHOO!"


    "All hail the human ingenuity!"


    They rejoiced. The fruit wine that Hao Xuan had brewed with Baracus''s help was quite popr among them. He handed the entire bottle over and sat on the side, munching on the meat while the remaining handful of barbarians that were still left enjoyed their own meals.


    Burak waited for him to finish before he spoke again.


    "So? What''s the n?" he asked in a low voice so as not to disturb the others from enjoying it.


    Hao Xuan lowered his voice as well.


    "I need to make thest contact today. I have almost set up everything, all I need to do is find someone close enough to the gateway and using them as an anchor, I will be able to reverse engineer the right sequence," he said proudly but when he looked towards Burak, all he could see was confusion on his face.


    "Oh, my bad. Um, I just need to do thest "ritual", and then we can go home," he simplified so Burak could understand him as well.


    "Oh, that''s it?" Burak asked with a hint of obvious skepticism, making Hao Xuan chuckle.


    "You catch on quick. When I am doing the ''ritual'', it will be quite...."eye-catching" let''s say. So we will need to be careful, if "it" is nearby, that will be the best time to attack."

 Chapter 731: The Darkness Falls

    <h4>Chapter 731: The Darkness Falls</h4>


    "If ''it'' is nearby, it will probably attack around that time."


    "Don''t worry, we will be ready this time," Burak patted Hao Xuan''s shoulder reassuringly, getting a nod in return. They watched the other barbarians eat, drink and dance as the night reached its darkest hours.


    Spending so much time together, there was no way they wouldn''t be close by now. There were only eight of them left including Hao Xuan and knew each other''s habits by heart.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes strayed towards the silent barbarian sitting to the side, Jarek, who turned around to meet his gaze.


    He gave half a nod with a twitchy smile that made Hao Xuan chuckle. Even this strange creature had somehow managed to grow on him.


    Hao Xuan got up and walked up to him, taking the seat next to him.


    "Like that, but smoother. Control your facial muscles better, the ones right next to your eyes. Don''t smile just with your lips," he whispered.


    Jarek straightened his face before one of his eyes partially closed like he was squinting and the other one twitched while his lips arched halfway.


    "Close, but more like this," Hao Xuan quickly shed him a smile which Jarek mimicked him.


    "Yes, do it like that when you meet someone for the first time, or when someone nods at you. And drink when somebody offers, it''s the polite thing to do, even though you don''t need it. And remember, don''t eat raw meat, not in front of others, okay?"


    Jarek''s brow knitted as he tried to remember everything, lightly nodding along to everything.


    Hao Xuan saw the look of concentration on his face and felt a little proud. He..."it" hade a long way.


    A few months into their stay here he had caught Jarek red-handed, trying to attack Burak while he was sleeping. Or at least that''s what it looked like to him.


    He confronted him about it and with Baracus''s help, managed to identify andmunicate with the thing that controlled his body.


    It turned out that ck gel-like liquid was a parasite that needed a sapient lifeform as the host to survive. It was actually quitemon in the abyss and could be found in most ces there. It fed on its host''s neural signals and depended on them for survival.


    It could learn and procreate, infecting others as time went on but in the end, it was only trying to survive.


    The reason Hao Xuan didn''t kill it was because it could, to a degree, detect when other sentient lifeforms were nearby. It was neither too strong nor too deadly, its detection ability being the only redeeming quality about its existence.


    Any normal cultivator would be able to push it out of their bodies using Qi and even destroy itpletely if they so wished. The only reason "Jarek the Barbarian" actually lost to it was because he wasn''t a cultivator and the way they processed energy was different.


    Hao Xuan had been teaching it to fit in, among other things. Once Hao Xuan threatened it, itpletely stopped trying to infect others which mostly included Burak who was, physically, the strongest person here and in turn its biggest target.


    Seeing its growth over thest few months Hao Xuan couldn''t but feel a little proud, as weird as it sounded. It was even able to understand the barbarian''s nativenguage but couldn''t speak it, for now.


    So just like Tasgall, he taught it to use signnguage as well so they couldmunicate more easily.


    "You have to be careful tonight, it will probably attack," Hao Xuan warned.


    Jarek''s body straightened and his expression turned grim.


    "The....darkness?" it asked, Hao Xuan nodded.


    It had rtively low intelligence, equal to a 7-8-year-old human child so the words it used were not thatplicated. It called things how it saw it.


    The creature in question was the same one they had been running from for thest four months now. It was the thing responsible for the disappearance of the first two barbarians within the mine, and all the ones after that.


    It was not a demon, but its actions were simr to one. It had been sleeping within the depths of the mine and was the source of the ''madness'' that was mentioned in the records he found.


    Hao Xuan hade face to face with it more than a handful of times but it never attacked him head-on. It was smarter than any enemy he hade across so far, human or otherwise, and deadly wicked.


    Unlike other biological creatures, it was not driven by a primal need to feed or to procreate. It toyed with them for its own amusement, torturing its victims in various ways before ultimately devouring them alive.


    Even now Hao Xuan had failed to identify what kind of beast it actually was. It could change appearances to a degree and from what he could tell, it had just been ying with them so far.


    It only attacked from the shadows, hiding until the veryst moment. It was more than strong enough to fight head-on but chose not to.


    Jarek''s name for it was because of this reason. It never showed itself during the day, or maybe it couldn''t.

 Chapter 732: Djinn

    <h4>Chapter 732: Djinn</h4>


    Hao Xuan gave the others some time to get ready.


    He went inside the giant tree trunk and inspected the living spaces of each barbarian just to make sure none of them had been affected by the creature already. That was how it operated, it could get into people''s heads and make them do things they would normally never do.


    And more often than not, the infected individuals would start to make symbols and write strange things before walking off into the night and nevering back.


    Even though Hao Xuan did not have a name for it himself, the barbarians were more than willing to give it one.


    They called it a "Djinn".


    Hao Xuan was quite surprised to hear that name, and understandably so. He hade across the name back on earth more than a few times during one of the random google searches.


    After inquiring about it in detail from Isak and Burak, he found quite a lot of simrities between the entities they were referring to and the ones he knew as such.


    Back on earth, it was believed by Arab nomad tribs that the Djinn were another race of beings that dwelled alongside them in abandoned ces, in the forests, deserts, and the mountains where no one else lived.


    They could not be seen or heard under normal circumstances unless they ''chose'' to show themselves, and were hence referred to as the "Unseen Ones".


    It was said that they used to walk among us but something happened in the past that separated their and our worlds into two.


    If it was to be believed that humans were created from y, then the Djinn were created from smoke and fire. They had otherworldly powers that could sometimes even encroach on the level of the divine.


    Most of them could shapeshift and travel vast expanses in the blink of an eye. They could foretell the future and have knowledge that was all but lost in the river of time. Their lifespans were much longer and the scope of their abilities had no real limit.


    They were intelligent, even more so than humans. Had their own tribes, religions, world orders and normally would not interact with the world of humans.


    They were referenced in many other cultures and religions under a plethora of different names that were essentially referring to the same entities. Spirits, Demons, Genies, Ghosts, etc.


    The Arabs believed that just like all other beings, there were good ones among their ranks and bad ones.


    The good ones would go out of their way to help humans but the bad ones would also do the same. It was widely epted that the "Demons" were actually Djinn''s that had be corrupted by following the Devil.


    The bad Djinns, like the good ones, had different ranks and levels of power.


    Some minor, mischievous ones just liked to mess with humans in small ways like, moving where they had ced everyday objects for example, or making some not-so-strange sounds that could both scare and confuse people, opening and closing doors and windows that could be attributed to the wind or something natural.


    They thrived in obscurity and liked it when humans were uncertain of their existence.


    ''Is it the wind or...is someone in the other room banging on the door?''


    But the truly evil ones could do so much more. They wanted to inflict pain and instill fear into their victims. Without any rhyme or reason, they tortured anyone unlucky enough to cross their sights.


    Possession, curses, showing their victims terrible things to make them lose their sanity and go mad. These were just some of the tricks they enjoyed pulling.


    The Barbarians believed many of the same things about them, that the ''Djinn'' were spiritual beings that lived in the darkness and uninhabitednds.


    Burak thought that by going into the mine they had trespassed on itsnd and angered the djinn that was living there. It was now seeking revenge on them because of that but Hao Xuan knew that was not the case.


    The records he found were at least a few hundred years old if not more and the people living then had gone through the same thing. But it was better that the barbarians believed their version of the events because otherwise, they might lose the fight before it even began.


    Hao Xuan did warn them though that whatever this thing was, Djinn or otherwise, it was very powerful.


    After making sure nothing was out of order, Hao Xuan sat down cross-legged in the middle of the hollow tree trunk.


    "Baracus, is it ready?"


    *Beep*


    ''Affirmative. Thest rune was ''engraved'' just a few hours ago.''


    "Alright, I''ll do the first test run now and if everything is good, proceed with the n like we talked about withouting out."


    ''That would be the optimal method, yes.''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes as his conscious entered his body. The sights kept changing until he could see the bones of his left arm. There were markings all along the length of the bones, going up to the shoulder des and connecting to the right arm. In total there were 24 such markings.

 Chapter 733: Fine-Tunning

    <h4>Chapter 733: Fine-Tunning</h4>


    Each marking was of course one of the prime letters that was changed ever so slightly by Baracus before being inscribed right into Hao Xuan''s bones with the help of the nanites.


    Once Hao Xuan broke into the Seventh Stage of the Spirit Realm, he realized that he was able to once again control the majority of his spiritual powers with a lot more efficiency.


    And during one of the hundreds of Celestial Gateway experiments, one thing became clear. He didn''t actually have to physically enter the celestial gateway anymore.


    By cing the rune sequence within his body, he could send his consciousness into the gateway and in turn, move about with a lot more freedom than before since he wasn''t restricted by his physical form anymore.


    He was able to navigate the gateway using his own body and soul as a conduit, exponentially decreasing the time it would take to find the way back.


    But this method could only be used to scout ahead. Once he found the correct world, he could pinpoint its location and then Baracus could use it to create a rune sequence that would open a gateway leading directly to it.


    The only problem was that due to the extreme density of his bones and a much superior healing factor, it would not be permanent. Baracus needed to burn the runes onto Hao Xuan''s bones every few days which was more than a little ''painful'' to say the least.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and directed some Qi towards the runes in the sequence of their cements. Since he wasn''t going to physically enter the webway, the sequence actually didn''t matter. All he needed to do was to ess the Celestial Webway, it did not matter where from.


    The runes brightened one by one as the Qi brushed over them and when they were all lit, Hao Xuan brought his palms together in front of him in a praying manner toplete the sequence.


    *Zzzz*


    A dim white light surrounded Hao Xuan''s body before a weak hum followed by a vibration emanated from the chest as his consciousness was forcefully pulled into the Webway.


    He had done this a few times before but every time it felt like someone was tugging at his heartstrings. One wrong move and his soul could implode since he was gazing directly into the webway with just its help.


    His consciousness solidified after emerging in the Celestial Webway. He was hovering above what looked like an ant''s nest. An incalcble number of bright yellow and orange passageways, corridors, and tunnels going in every possible direction,yered upon one another in a never-ending system of arteries that surpassed all logical and objective thought processes.


    Hao Xuan had lost count of just how many times he had seen this same exact scene but even now it left him humbled and in awe.


    After taking a short moment to take in the sights, Hao Xuan focused his thoughts and with them, the scene quickly started to change. His soul acted like an antenna, fine-tuning and then filtering out all foreign ces.


    Hao Xuan was using his own memories and emotions as apass to navigate the webway but this was only possible because it hadn''t been (rtively) that long since he had first left that world.


    There were a lot more factors involved but with trial and error, he had managed to narrow it down to a small region of space. The only issue was, this ''small'' region was home to a cluster of gates that numbered more than 170 in total, each leading to an entirely different world.


    He could feel a sort of familiarity from them but it was still far too hazy to know which one it was.


    His consciousness hovered above them, slowly drifting through the stretch of space that connected them all together. One by one he passed over each gateway, stopping for a few seconds.


    He could pick up some strange and random things just by standing near each one. Sometimes it was a noise, a whisper, a sensation of what the world was on the other side, or even a glimpse of the immediate surroundings.


    These were the things that were closest to the gateway and could "leak" into the webway for whatever reason.


    Hao Xuan moved from one gateway to another for more than ten minutes until he suddenly stopped over one of them.


    There was a sounding from this one. It was a melody that someone was ying nearby. It sounded familiar, far too familiar for it to be a coincidence. Hao Xuan had definitely heard it before.


    He closed his eyes before cing a hand over the gateway.


    "HmM~MmmMhm~" a soft voice carried over to his ears.


    Someone was...humming it? No...it felt different...it wasn''t a physical sensation but something more spiritual.


    Hao Xuan focused and soon after was able to feel it much more clearly.


    ''Are they...thinking about it? I can hear somebody''s thoughts!''


    **


    Outside, the barbarians had finished their dinners and were getting ready for the night. Tasgall and Jarek were on guard duty by Burak''s orders while the rest took turns finishing the preparations.

 Chapter 734: Calling out

    <h4>Chapter 734: Calling out</h4>


    Just outside the hollow tree trunk, the barbarians had finished their dinner and were getting ready for the night.


    Tasgall and Jarek were on guard duty by Burak''s orders, while the rest returned to the trunk to finish the preparations.


    Every time Hao Xuan municated'' with the Celestial Webway like he was doing now, there was a physical change that was created in his immediate surroundings because of it.


    The most obvious and one of the first changes was the weak humming sound that manifested from his body. After that was the dim white light which, in and of itself, was an indication of something more.


    Thebination of these phenomenons elicited a response from all sentient species of the local fauna and flora within the range of 700 meters around Hao Xuan. The weaker creatures would start to lose their senses and manifest unusual behavior while therger ones would be aggressive.


    It did not matter what their nature was before, whether they were passive or neutral towards other species because once Hao Xuan started, he would be their one and only target.


    Even the ones that were natural predators wouldpletely ignore all other prey and try toe for Hao Xuan as if their lives depended on it. This effect was significantly reduced on the more sapient species but even they were able to feel something was wrong.


    Baracus theorized this was due to the runes or the ''prime letters''. Using them how he currently was, Hao Xuan was basically going against the natural order of the world which would always provoke all nearby lifeforms and trigger some sort of biological response from them that even they themselves were not aware of.


    Blinded by rage, they would charge towards his location without fail, even impaling themselves and crushing their own bodies against anything that blocked their path.


    The spot that they had chosen was selected with this in mind. There were almost norge beastsmon to these areas and the few that were, were already killed off or sent away by the barbarians in thest two days.


    Of course, if something were to identally wander within the affected area, they would have to take care of it at that time.


    Just a couple of minutester, the barbarians walked out of the trunk with numerous wooden stakes that were shaved and pointed at both ends. One side went into the ground and the other faced the forest to create a makeshift barricade.


    It wasn''t the best of defenses but was still better than nothing. It would at least slow down most beasts and give the barbarians enough time to act. There were only seven of them in total and they could not be everywhere at once.


    While they were busy running around cing the stakes around the hollow tree trunk, Tasgall was on the extreme left side of the camp about 20 meters away. He was sitting on top of a tree branch, squinting hard trying to see anything through the roaming fog in the darkness.


    Jarek was in a simr position on the right side. Each of them was responsible to keep track of at least two directions. A few minutes passed like this until the first row of defenses was finished, at which point Tasgall''s recement came to take his spot.


    It was a young man in his early twenties, one of the younger ones still left alive. With short dark hair and a babyface, Niko looked younger than he actually was.


    He jumped up on the same tree Tasgall was on, getting a nod in response.


    Tasgall made a few basic signs informing him that nothing had happened so far and lept down, leaving him to his devices for the next half an hour which was when the next shift change was due.


    All the extra noise dissipated with Tasgall''s departure, leaving Niko sitting alone in the cold, silent night.


    This was obviously not the first time he had done this but even after all this time Niko still wasn''t used to it. He reached behind his back and pulled out two hatchets, cing them around his waist for easier ess in case something did happen after all.


    He crossed his legs and sat down with his back against the leafy trunk, keeping a vignt eye on the area in front of him. Barely a minute had passed when Niko let out a silent yawn. His mind started to wander, as it did on these cold nights.


    Oh, how he missed home right now. He had promised himself to neverin again or fight with his younger brothers when he got back. All those times heined about not having his own ce, right now he would kill just to feel the touch of a soft bed.


    He couldn''t even remember what warm water felt like anymore, it had been that long since they had been trekking through the wilderness now.


    He thought about his aging mother and that pretty girl that always brought him flowers. But wanting to be a full-fledged warrior, he ignored all her advances for the life of a soldier. And what a life it was.


    ''I will take a year off, get married, and have a child before leaving for the next expedition. The little ones don''t even know how to fight, I can''t just disappear like father did. I can''t even remember what he even looked like...'' he thought.


    Just then, there was movement ahead of him in the fog. Niko straightened his back and narrowed his eyes, reaching for the hatchets.


    "Son?" a familiar voice called out to him.


    Niko shuddered.


    "D-Dad?!" he called out involuntarily.


    "Son, can you hear me? I''m here!" the voice called again from the fog, sounding a little relieved.

 Chapter 735: The Dawn

    <h4>Chapter 735: The Dawn</h4>


    "Son, can you hear me? I''m here!" the voice called out again from somewhere in the fog, sounding a little relieved.


    Niko jumped to his feet so quickly that he almost dropped the hatchets. He definitely recognized that voice, it jogged his memory with shes of histe father.


    The man had gone missing along with a few others during one of the missions when Niko was just a young boy. That was almost 17 standard years ago and they were all presumed dead, for obvious reasons.


    "Father...is that really you?"


    "Of course it is me, little oak. Who else could it be?"


    Niko''s eyes widened from disbelief. "Little Oak" was the nickname his father had for him because of his sturdy physique. No one other than his mother knew, no one else.


    "But how....are you here?"


    "I don''t know. My memory is a little hazy and I can''t remember much. Thest thing I remember is leaving for that mission to the ancestor''s resting ce..."


    The Ancestor''s resting ce was referring to one of the four pyramids that were scattered across their world.


    "But..."


    "I need your help son, I''m stuck here. Help me get back to your mother, your old man is tired..."


    Niko didn''t even realize that he had already left his post and was moving towards the voice. It didn''t consider to him how outrageous the situation was and how nonsensical it sounded. It was like he was a naive little kid again that just wanted to see his father.


    He picked up the pace and was soon sprinting at full speed through the foggy forest.


    "Father, where are you?" he called out over and over but there was no response anymore. Niko looked behind him and couldn''t even see the fires around the camp anymore, and it was at this point that he suddenly ''woke up''.


    "Eh? Where am I?" he looked around frantically. It was as if a veil had been lifted off of his eyes and he could see and think clearly again.


    "Son, tell me..." his father''s voice came again, this time from somewhere closeby, "Are you...still afraid of the dark?"


    Niko tightened his grasp around the hatchets as he surveyed the surroundings. For the first time in a long time, he felt afraid again. He recalled moments of his childhood when he couldn''t sleep alone because of that thing that slept under his bed.


    "Who...no, WHAT are you?"


    "Do you not even recognize me anymore, little oak? Do you really hate me? Is that why you didn''t even look for me?"


    The direction of the voice kept changing, one second it wasing from the left and the other from right below him.


    Enraged by the line of questioning, he refused to even respond.


    "You don''t scare me, spirit!" he shouted hatefully.


    "I know your tricks, your games, creature! You''re nothing more than a shadow, a remnant of a long-forgotten past. You hide in the darkness because you are afraid of the light. Your tricks mean nothing to me. You, just like all your kin, hold no power over us!" he barked at the churning fog hoping to get a reaction out of it, and a reaction he got.


    It wasplete silence for a few seconds when without a warning, the entire forest came alive.


    "HAHAHAHA!" a peal of roaringughter sounded in every single direction. From the lush green trees to the old fallen leaves, they were allughing at him. It continued for a little over five seconds beforeing to an abrupt stop.


    A stillness fell over the forest again.


    "You are still all the same," the voice came again. This time it didn''t belong to his father. It waspletely neutral and Niko could distinguish neither its age nor gender. The hoarse voice continued.


    "A shadow...you say?" it sounded intrigued, almost as if reminiscing about the past, "You are not wrong. We were in the shadows once but only because we were told to be. We lied low just long enough until your knowledge dissipated. Until the ones that led you towards the "righteous" path slowly passed into the ether and with them, all your knowledge was lost."


    The air became heavy with trepidation.


    "And with time, our very existence faded into the noisy little worlds you make. We became spirits, shadows, whispers, and myths, whatever we needed to be. But that time has long since passed."


    *Thump*


    Niko swiveled around to face the source of the noise. The fog churned again before parting, giving way to a dark figure. It was just a head floating at the same height as him. But he recognized the face, it belonged to thest barbarian that had gone missing.


    Its eyes were pitch ck as it gazed into his own. Its dry lips arched into such a wide smile that it drew blood that trickled down its chin and dripped onto the ground. Its voice became raspy and low-pitched.


    "One by one we have awakened, answering the old call as our Grand Princese of age. The fight is due, and when the winner is decided, we will have the final war. It is only then you will truly know what hides just beyond the limit of yourprehension. Because they too will reach out to you, wherever you may be."


    The head started to rise into the air until it towered over Niko who couldn''t even move a single muscle anymore. It looked down on him with both pity and sorrow in its empty eyes as its mouth continued to widen with every word it uttered.


    Niko watched in horror as its four-meter wide maw came ever so close. He couldn''t even pay attention to its words anymore but that did little to dishearten the djinn. It was then that he realized that the voice was actuallying from somewhere behind the head.


    "The age of man must nowe to its intended end. With my arrival and those of my kin, thest bell has already been wrung. The light dims on your empires as the new dawn approaches. One that will usher in an era of bloody darkness worthy of the final hour."


    "It is the Dawn of the New World!"


    *Chomp*


    And all the light vanished from his world.

 Chapter 736: Linings

    <h4>Chapter 736: Linings</h4>


    At the same time, Jarek who was sitting along the canopy on the right side of the camp suddenly twitched. His entire body trembled uncontrobly and ck goo started to leak from every single facial orifice before being dragged back in a momentter.


    His head jerked towards the exact direction where Niko currently was some three hundred meters away. His body became tense and he almost fell to the ground but long ck strings shot out from his hands and held onto the nearby tree branches for support.


    A couple of secondster when this sensation subsided and his body returned to normal, without wasting a minute he jumped and ran towards the main campsite.


    Burak was standing right outside the entrance with several shimmering tattoos on his forearms and knuckles. He heard the flurry of footsteps and turned around to look towards Jarek. His brow furrowed instantly and his heart became heavy.


    He was still hoping that the night would pass without any incidents but seeing the panic in Jarek''s eyes he knew what wasing. Yet still he asked, hoping dearly that that was not the case.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "They are...here!"


    Three simple words were enough to turn the entire mood somber.


    Burak shook his head helplessly, letting out a bitter sigh out of habit. Everyone else had already heard Jarek loud and clear and now they were looking at him for direction.


    Burak turned to face them, staring into the eyes of each of the handful of men that were still left standing by his side.


    There were no words to describe how he felt at this moment. He was forced into a situation that waspletely out of his control. He was in over his head, they all were. But all they could do at this point was to move forward one small step at a time, and now they were so close.


    Burak swallowed all the bitterness and discontentment he felt towards their current circumstances and hardened both his heart and expression for what was toe.


    "Light the fires! Draw your weapons! Stay close, stay low, and stay together no matter what happens. We only have to live through this one night!" he gave the orders.


    Nothing else needed to be said. They jumped into action at once trying to finish the firstyer of defenses that constituted of trenches filled with a unique tree sap gathered from trees native to this forest.


    Within a few minutes the trenches were dug and all the tree sap that was gathered in thest few weeks was all poured in, finally being lit on fire at the end.


    They surrounded the entire camp with the ze, effectively trapping themselves in. This was going to be a one-way trip.


    The second and thirdyers of defenses were the wooden stakes/barricades and finally the barbarians themselves respectively.


    They finished in a hurry and got into position near the old tree trunk. But so far nothing had happened. There was absolutely nothing out of ordinary. The only noticeable change was that the fog was now so thick they couldn''t see anything further than a dozen meters or so even with all the lighting from the fire.


    A gust of cold wind blew towards them, threatening to put out the ze that even water couldn''t extinguish. It whistled and howled in the night, piercing their skins.


    Burak was standing at the very front behind thergest barricade. Isak and Jarek were standing right next to him with furrowed brows. They waited and waited with bated breaths. Another five minutes passed but nothing of note happened.


    "Do you see anything?" Burak whispered, finally not being able to take it anymore.


    Jarek rotated his head sideways with a confused expression as if he couldn''t understand what he himself was seeing.


    "The trees..."


    "Trees?" Burak craned his neck to peek outside but could not see anything out of ordinary through the cover of darkness, "What about them?"


    "They...areughing...?" Jarek spoke in a questioning tone of voice.


    "Huh? What does that even-" Burak was about to turn around to look at Jarek but froze halfway.


    His pupils widened and then narrowed as if trying to focus in on something in the darkness.


    "W-Were there always this many trees...here...?"


    They were lined so closely together that nothing beyond the firstyer was visible.


    Isak narrowed his eyes staring at the fog but could not pick out anything for certain. He took a step forward and raised his hand.


    A ck ball of me materialized in the palm of his hand which he swiftly threw towards the tree line.


    It shot through the air in what looked like slow motion to every barbarian watching and finallynded on a nondescript tree.


    Isak snapped his fingers and it exploded, creating a bright sh of light for just a short moment.


    *GASP*


    Watching that scene almost every one of them drew in breaths of cold air, filling their lungs with the icy sensation.


    There were hundreds upon hundreds of four-legged fleshy bodies lining the trees. In the darkness they couldn''t be seen but with that little bit of light, they wereid bare for all to witness.


    "HOLD!"

 Chapter 737: Flame Affinity

    <h4>Chapter 737: me Affinity</h4>


    "HOLD!" Burak swiftly shouted in case any of them were thinking of attacking or retreating.


    His heart had long since sunk looking at the scores of four-legged beasts that had surrounded the camp from every side. It looked like every single leaf on each and every tree held at least two or three of them.


    They hung from the sides, hugging the trunks like locusts. Just from that fleeting nce it was easy to tell that their numbers were in the hundreds. There were probably even more hiding behind them, those that were not at the forefront.


    How many thousands of them would there be in total? Against six barbarians that were tired both mentally and physically after months of constant fighting?


    How long would such a battlest? No, it would not even be qualified to be called as such, it would be a massacre at best or an extermination at worst.


    Although Burak did not have many decades of fighting experience under his belt, he still wasn''t a rookie by any sense of the word. And as a good leader, he did not allow his emotions to dictate his actions.


    If it were a lesser man they would have simply given up but he still held hope.


    Burak turned his head halfway and nced at the hollow trunk that housed Hao Xuan. The buzzing and the light was still going strong which meant he still hadn''t finished whatever he was doing on the other side.


    He then looked at the others around him. Tasgall, Isak, Jarek, Velkjo and Lei, this was all that was left of hispany.


    More than 10 had already perished and if given the option, he would choose their lives over even his own.


    Although halfheartedly, they still acknowledged what needed to be done, the sacrifice some of them would probably have to make in the next few minutes. And they were all ready for it.


    Burak looked back at the fog that silently and menacingly surrounded their camp from every side. He needed to buy as much time as possible and for that, he would do anything.


    He took a step forward and stood just behind the ring of fire. Looking left and right he waited for a few seconds and when nothing happened, he spoke up.


    "I know you are here, old one. Will you not give me the honour of meeting me face to face this one time?"


    Just in case it obliged, Burak was primed and ready to jump right at it and detonate all of his internal energy all at once in a bid to kill or at least seriously injure it. Without it to guide them, these creatures were just bone and deformed muscle held together by the most basic of instincts.


    Burak as well as all the others held their breaths waiting for it to make a move, but s, it was far too cunning.


    Some thirty secondster the fog bubbled and a voice came from three different directions at once.


    "Honour? Why would I care for such a ''human'' design?"


    Burak''s tense heart eased just a smidgen. At least it was willing to talk. He had always heard that many of its kind loved to talk more than anything else, just like all those other creatures of myth.


    "Forget it then," he shook his head pretending to be afraid, "Can you tell me why you want to kill us? We did nothing to you but you still followed us for so long, why?"


    "Why? Hehehe, there is no reason, at least not one that you could understand. It is your fate to die here, I am but a mere tool," theughter continued to echo even after it had stopped talking.


    "Are you not afraid? Isn''t that why you did all this? Because you were afraid of what we might do? You were so afraid that you did not show yourself even once in all this time, why do you have to lie?"


    The forefinger and the middle finger on Burak''s left hand repeatedly moved up and down while he was talking. Isak saw this and picked up the message he was trying to deliver. He slowly moved to the side, closer to the ring of fire pretending to get a better view.


    The ebony dual swords in his grasp let out a weak cry when he was within five meters of the ring of fire. A tinge of dark purple seeped into the roaring golden mes and started to spread throughout the ring.


    This was a part of his abilities. Isak could not only create his own fires, but he could also corrupt the natural mes and make them his own. He was born with this skill which allowed him to have absolute control over the ck mes that could not be put out until he so desired.


    And while the barbarians were slowly setting their n in motion, Hao Xuan was still stuck inside the Celestial Webway trying to find his way back.

 Chapter 738: Thoughts and Sensations

    <h4>Chapter 738: Thoughts and Sensations</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s ethereal body which was made from a collection of his deepest thoughts and desires and fueled by copious amounts of soul power that was sealed within his mind pce still floated within the corridors of the Celestial Webway without any restraints.


    Time moved differently here. It could be both faster and slower depending on the location and how long one stayed in a particr ce. It had been close to an hour and a half for his physical body but in here, barely fifteen minutes or so had passed.


    Yet Hao Xuan was already to beginning feel the effects of being away from his body for so long. But the time difference made it that much more difficult for him to urately judge how long he had been there for which was very dangerous.


    He felt untethered, detached from his physical self.


    ''I need to return soon,'' he thought looking at his hands bing more transparent by the second.


    And the more time he spent in the Webway without his physical body to protect and shelter him, the more in tune with the Webway he became. He could already feel the existence of some other kinds of spiritual beings wandering within the tunnels.


    He couldn''t actually see or hear them but instead felt their presence almost like a sixth sense. They felt like different types of energies brought together by various emotions and given a new form that could not even exist in the physical realm.


    And the more he tried to understand them, the more they perceived his existence in return. Hao Xuan needed to leave the webway quickly and he knew that.


    He directed his attention back towards the three gateways in front of him. He had narrowed it down to just these three out of more than a hundred and seventy.


    Since he was using himself as an antenna to "feel" for a connection, it was not easy to narrow it down with much uracy. All he knew was that within each of these gateways, there was something or someone that had a very strong connection with him.


    He didn''t know what exactly that connection was or even what was on the other sides. The only clues he could pick up came from the things that were nearby.


    The first gateway felt the most...."peculiar" of all. It was the only one out of all 170+ gates that felt this different. Not to mention where all the others looked yellowish-orange in color, this one was changing colors every few seconds.


    One second it would be pure white, the next yellow, the next red, and the next purple. There was no sequence to it. Standing in front of it, Hao Xuan could feel a foreign energy emanating from its surface.


    It was not any kind of spiritual energy that he knew. It was thicker, denser, and more solid than anything else. When he focused his senses, a great number of different things entered his mind.


    Anxiousness, distance, wide-open fields, the sensation of being imprisoned and confined, ack of technology, senselessness, confusion, and great power. These ''sensations'' were the most powerful out of everything else.


    ''No, this isn''t it,'' Hao Xuan swiftly concluded.


    Maybe there was something or someone in there that was close to him but he had never been to that ce himself, so it was not a priority. Hao Xuan made a mental note of the ''feeling'' of the gateway in case he wanted to find it again before moving on to the second one. This one was the most familiar.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and once again opened his mind, trying to perceive what could be waiting for him.


    Strictness, cruelty, old and decaying, love and hate, hegemony, rigidity, authority, blood, shame, austerity, the mysterious feeling of a home he had never visited. They were all calling out to him in droves.


    It was thest sensation that suddenly opened his eyes and gave a clue as to what could be on the other side. It felt like family.


    ''Is it...them?'' his expression became grim. Was that where his blood rtives were? Once that thought settled in his mind he could not get it out. His blood was calling out to them, for better or for worse. It seethed and smoldered, making Hao Xuan even more agitated than he currently was.


    ''I will most certainly pay you a visit,'' he said to himself and remembered this gateway as well.


    Finally, he moved over to thest one. But not a second after closing his eyes Hao Xuan abruptly opened them again. He did not feel any personal connection to any of these worlds but this one was the clearest.


    While what the others showed or told him were mere thoughts, sensations, or emotions, from this one he could hear a voice loud and clear. It felt like he was standing next to it.


    It started out as a tune that someone was humming absentmindedly at the back of their minds but quickly changed to full-fledged coherent sentences.


    "Why is it so cold? I really should have worn anotheryer. Maybe something ck. I did have that cute jacket..."

 Chapter 739: Lack of Control

    <h4>Chapter 739: Lack of Control</h4>


    ''I did have that cute jacket but...it really doesn''t go with the theme of the rest of the outfit...but...what if it starts to rain? The wind has been blowing pretty fast for thest hour so what if it does rain? I won''t even be able to keep myself dry at this rate since I''m almost out of mana already....but....they need my help, what will...''


    Hao Xuan listened for a couple of minutes but the more time passed, the harder he frowned.


    "Who the hell is this girl...?"


    It was pretty obvious what he was listening to what were the subconscious thoughts of someone. What he couldn''t believe was the thought process that led to each one. He got a mild headache listening to the tedious drab that did not seem to have an end.


    "I don''t think I have ever thought this much about anything in my entire life..." Hao Xuanmented while rubbing his head until he realized the absurdity of the situation.


    "How can I even listen to her thoughts though?" he scratched his chin until he realized something even more strange, "Wait....why can I hear my OWN thoughts?"


    Even his own thoughts were echoing loudly within the nearby surroundings as if he was physically speaking himself.


    "So it''s neither me nor her then...does it have something to do with the webway?"


    Hao Xuan tried toe up with a few exnations about it for a few seconds but that was a rabbit hole too deep to jump into at this moment. Maybe once he was able to control his thoughts and soul power better he could do more with this but for now, this was the limit.


    He redirected his attention back towards the third gateway and the voiceing through it.


    "So it is this one then..."


    The other two were definitely connected to him but this one was the most "obvious". Maybe it was because he had visited the world behind it most recently or maybe it was because of something more unique, but by the simple process of elimination, this was the only viable option left.


    "Alright, how do I do this now..."


    Even though he had found the gate in his current state, he still needed the physical coordinate of the world to open a proper gateway for the others and his own body to pass through.


    "Do I just...like, touch it?"


    That was the most obvious choice. Hao Xuan reached out with both of his hands and brushed the outer edges of the gateway. He closed his eyes and focused,pletely opening his mind.


    At first, there was nothing. A pitch ck darkness surrounded him from all sides but maybe a minuteter, something strange happened and quite abruptly at that.


    *WOOOSH*


    His mind was pulled into the gateway and he could suddenly "see" what was on the other side.


    He was floating in the empty space above a. It was green and blue in color with two white moons encircling it. A most weed feeling of relief washed over him because he instantly recognized what he was seeing.


    It was indeed the same. That same supercontinent in the middle surrounded by water on all other sides was hard to forget. He remembered seeing it from the gctic-level space ship almost 2 years ago now (Because of the time difference). (CH 430).


    The edges of his vision were blurring and Hao Xuan could feel copious amounts of soul power being drained from his body. He was bing more and more transparent by the microsecond.


    Apparently, it took a lot of soul power to do something like this. If not for his stupendously powerful soul this would not have been possible.


    ''I have to make it quick!''


    He gazed done towards the and focused in one spot. The scene suddenly changed and he found himself hovering a few dozen meters above a forest.


    ''Woah! So I can just change it however I want!? Do I have to maintain a line of sight or...''


    He thought about another ce, the walking city of the academy before closing his eyes. And when he opened them again he was hovering right above it in a much different location.


    ''Hahaha! Now, this is what I''m talking about!'' he burst outughing. This feeling of power, of control, was a little too pleasurable.


    ''But not here, I need to go back to the pyramid!'' he closed his eyes after thinking that and disappeared from the spot. Now that he understood a little bit more about the webway and how it worked, he could keep doing this again and experiment with a few different methods.


    **


    In the air right above the walking city, a hooded figure suddenly materialized right next to the spot where Hao Xuan was just a moment ago.


    He looked left and right, the corners of his lips arching down.


    "I could have sworn there was someone here..." he extended his hand that was covered in various rings and bracelets and moved it in a circr pattern anti-clockwise while mumbling something under his breath.


    The space in front of him bubbled for an instant before stabilizing once again. He leaned forward and took a deep breath in through his nose.

 Chapter 740: Successful?

    <h4>Chapter 740: Sessful?</h4>


    The space in front of him bubbled for an instant before stabilizing once again. There was a mass of purple miasma left floating in the air in the exact spot Hao Xuan had appeared in.


    The hooded man leaned forward and took a deep breath in through his nose, inhaling the entirety of the miasma.


    "Hmm, a demon? An abyss dweller? Or a spirit? It smells a little familiar, a little...raw..." he muttered under his breath while licking his lips. He stayed there for a few seconds until a gust of wind blew in from the north, taking him with it.


    **


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes again and found himself hovering in the same room where he had found all the Prime Letters in the first ce. The only door was smashed to smithereens and other than the central panel, everything else was in a mess.


    There was even blood and numerous marks all along the walls. It looked like a fight had broken out in there after Hao Xuan andpany''s departure.


    "Did they fight with one another?"


    Hao Xuan recalled seeing at least three different camps of creatures with more on their way when they left. And seeing as not even a single corpse was left behind, the most obvious oue was probably just that.


    Hao Xuan looked around as much as he could but did not see any sign of another living creature anywhere in sight. He had full control over where the gateway would open and if he wanted to, he could have chosen any other spot on the entire.


    But there was still some unfinished business left in this ce. He needed to either destroy it or take the control panel with him because it contained a lot of information about the webway and the runes that could incriminate him.


    Plus the rune sequence left on the wall was still there so he couldn''t just leave it be. Everything in here needed to go.


    Hao Xuan floated over to the wall where the rune sequence in question was ced etched upon and ced his hand over it. He channeled some soul power into it through his spiritual self and a new sequence lit up in his mind.


    This would be the correct "address" for this world that could only be seen or rather, ''felt'' by entering the webway with one''s soul.


    "Weird star, three-legged fish, half-moons making out, old sailing boat..."


    Hao Xuan had given each of the prime letters a name depending on what he thought they looked like, so he could remember them more easily. He used this method to memorize the sequence since there was no way to note it down.


    When Hao Xuan was sure he remembered the sequence, he withdrew the soul power and with it the mental projection of his soul from the webway as quickly as physically possible.


    He opened his eyes in the giant hollow trunk but the only difference was it felt much hotter and noisier than when he left.


    He stood up with shaky legs and waddled over to the entrance, peeking his head outside to see the barbarians engaged in deadlybat with a swarm of bare-skinned hairless creatures that looked like various twisted depictions of what could be humans.


    They were deformed beyond belief and were obviously not in control of their minds anymore. (Reference Image in authors notes)


    Surrounded them were walls of ck and yellow mes that reached far into the night. Burak who was keeping a portion of his attention focused on the tree trunk picked up the movement and turned around to see Hao Xuan.


    "Did it work?!" he couldn''t help himself but shout out loud. All the other barbarians looked towards him for the answer no matter how many enemies they were fighting.


    Hao Xuan gave a quick nod, "Give me a minute or two, then we will be able to leave!"


    His words were like an oasis in the middle of the desert and the thirsty barbarians jumped from tion upon hearing them.


    "YOU HEARD HIM! HOLD ON FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES!" Burak shouted as loudly as he could in such a situation, announcing it to all who listened, friend or foe.


    And it seemed even the creatures listened because the frequency of their attacks increased by several folds. But it was thest stretch and neither side wanted to give up.


    Hao Xuan got to work, etching the runes into the side of the tree with a short knife. He was done within a minute and a half and signaled for the barbarians the moment it was ready.


    The gateway opened, and all of the barbarians stepped through it, sessfully escaping a most certain death. When Burak stepped through who was once again the very back, the entire forest fell into an abrupt silence,


    All the creatures that were attacking madly left and right just a moment ago now became docile, bing statues in various positions.


    *Tap*tap*Tap*tap*


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/83/d8/2c/83d82c380f39b6e0bd12a02821f33ba9.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/fyGsw

 Chapter 741: It existed

    <h4>Chapter 741: It existed</h4>


    All the creatures that were attacking left and right just a moment ago suddenly became docile, freezing like statues in various positions. They looked like puppets with their strings cut off as if there was nobody left to control them anymore.


    *Tap*tap*Tap*tap*


    One weak, one heavy. What sounded like footsteps came from somewhere within the forest. The fog parted, giving way to arge reptilian figure (Ch 694). It crawled forward with skeletal legs but the sound of footsteps was noting from them.


    There was a person walking right next to it. If any of the barbarians were still here they would have instantly recognized him as Niko who was thought to be lost before the battle began.


    Only he wasn''t very much ''him'' anymore. He was walking side by side with the creature. There were some long strands of hair connecting his head to the Djinn.


    Both of them walked through the frozen four-legged human deformities that were attacking the barbarians and stopped right in front of the tree trunk.


    The hair connecting them pulled back and forth making Niko twitch with every movement. It looked like he was trying to put up a fight but that resistance did not evenst half a minute.


    His body rxed and he raised his hand, pointing towards the trunk.


    "They already left through there."


    The hair strands jerked again, digging deeper into Niko''s skull.


    "Marks in the walls, runes. I heard them overtalking once..."


    He blurted out one thing after another, everything he knew. There was nothing he could hide, not from the djinn.


    They stood there for a few minutes until Niko finished speaking and fell to his knees. There was blood leaking from his eyes, nose, and ears.


    He was gritting his teeth so hard that it sounded like nails being dragged across a chalkboard. He forcefully turned his head towards the djinn, "Kill....me..." he begged.


    The Djinn''s horrendous humanoid face twisted into a wicked smile. It nodded.


    Niko stood up again with some effort and walked closer to it. He bent forward as if bowing to it. The Djinn opened its toothy maw and took a quick bite, tearing the entire upper half of the barbarian''s body clean off.


    It chewed slowly, the crunching noises of the bones being broken down and the distinct popping noisesing from his skull and eye sockets were enough to make even the bravest of men keel over right then and there.


    When it had finished chewing, it moved into the tree trunk and looked around. The only thing of note left were the distinct markings on the wall that were ced in an arc, creating quite a distinct shape of a doorway.


    The yellow light of its puss-filled eyes suddenly brightened and concentrated in the middle. It slowly forced its massive head forward trying to get a clearer picture but for some reason, no matter how hard it tried the exact shape and design of the runes continued to elude it.


    In its eyes, the runes constantly changed shapes, blurring into one another and many other things all at once. There was no way to tell what each individual one looked like.


    But from what it had heard from Niko, there was no need to understand them. Niko had seen Hao Xuan open the doorway many times and remembered the peculiar movements he made, especially the ones at the end.


    And since the Djinn knew everything Niko knew, it did the same. It moved used its w to connect the left and the right side together but...nothing happened.


    It tried a few other times but the result was the same. Having had no luck, it was about to turn around when it paused and turned back around.


    It extended a w, this time covered with a dark purple energy, and made the same movement.


    *Woosh*


    The doorway opened.


    It let out a satisfied smile, that nightmare-inducing smile that no one should ever have to witness.


    "Ra''ur isk ao ma!"


    It uttered a sentence in some strangenguage. All the four-legged creatures outside came to life and formed a line behind it one by one. The djinn pressed onwards, disappearing into the gateway that seemed to be a few sizes too small to hold its body


    The four-legged creatures followed their master and did the same, at least until the portal closed by itself leaving the rest of them stranded on the that had served as a prison for the one that was once called the "Lazarus the Eternal" in thenguage of its people.


    Back when it had not strayed from the righteous path.

 Chapter 742: Torment

    <h4>Chapter 742: Torment</h4>


    Hao Xuan opened the gateway and led the barbarians inside. But unlike all the times before, this one did not lead into the Celestial Webway but instead connected directly to the world that Hao Xuan had found.


    This was another advantage of using this method. Normally you could only open a pathway into the Webway and navigate through it to find the right world but by sending his consciousness directly into the Webway and interacting with each gateway, Hao Xuan could not only find the correct rune sequence to directly enter the world but also chose where the gateway would lead to.


    Although it did consume a lot of mental energy and without fully replenishing his soul power, Hao Xuan would not be able to repeat the process again.


    But the Barbarians were not aware of this fact. They had readied themselves to traverse the caves of fire that were the Celestial Webways but stepped onto solid, familiarnd on the other side.


    It was like walking through any other door. It did not have the physical side-effects of teleporting nor the strange after-effects of the spatial gateways. The only thing of note was the sudden drop in temperature and the lighting.


    "Is this...?!" Burak looked around with a stupefied expression, inspecting every nook and cranny of the chamber.


    Hao Xuan patted his shoulder, "It is, but don''t make too much noise. The beasts might still be nearby," he whispered.


    Burak nodded absentmindedly. Even though he knew what was going to happen, but after so long, the idea of returning home had be nothing more than a fleeting side thought that gave them a reason to still wake up in the morning.


    But now with just a simple step, they had returned home. And in the exact same spot from which they had departed.


    More than a dozen of them went into the webway, less than half returned.


    The Barbarian Prince Burak who had been the one constant and a pir of support for everyone throughout the journey. Isak who was probably the best and strongest fighter among them, keeping them on their toes through everything.


    Jarek who had be something more, something different.


    Tasgall who had lost the ability to speak, ventured into another world and experienced first hand what all that it had to offer.


    And Velkjo and Lei who were the only two ordinary fighters left within the party.


    All of them were homesick and the moment they realized what had happened, that their pain and suffering hade to an end, they fell to their knees and prayed to their ancestors, even going as far as shedding a few tears.


    Other than Jarek of course. To him everything was new, everything was dangerous.


    Hao Xuan smiled seeing these half-giants on the verge of tears but couldn''t help but wonder if the same would be true for him.


    ''Will I be the same way when I return to the Mei Kingdom? Will it be my home? I wouldn''t mind if it is...''


    And naturally, his mind wandered towards the girl who was waiting for him at his home. He remembered all the mysteries that surrounded Xu Qing''s existence and the lies that he had been fed.


    To what extent was he manipted? The bit of nostalgia that he was feeling was instantly reced by a pit in his stomach.


    "Argh!"


    *ZINGGGG*


    Hao Xuan ears started ringing and a not-so-foreign sensation of his head splitting in half returned.


    "This fucking headache!" he cursed but they were all too busy to pay any attention to him.


    Hao Xuan staggeringly walked over to the central control panel that was still scratchless and ced his left hand over it.


    "Baracus, you know what to do. Get rid of everything."


    *Beep*


    "Affirmative."


    Baracus sprang to action. Many new and a few old letters constantly shed through the panel''s main screen as Baracus proceeded to delete everything rted to the Celestial Webway.


    Hao Xuan waited for more than a couple of minutes but before Baracus could finish, something else came up.


    *Whoosh*


    The surface of the wall opposite to Hao Xuan started shaking before suddenly cracking open into a yellow gateway.


    "What the fuck!?"


    Hao Xuan stood up unconsciously, as did all the rest. Burak turned towards the only person who knew the answers.


    "What''s happening??" he asked Hao Xuan, who was as dumbfounded as the others.


    His eyes darted back and forth as a myriad of thoughts crossed his mind until suddenly, he remembered something.


    He ran towards Burak, grabbing him by the cor.


    "The Djinn, did you kill it?!"


    Burak shook his head, "No, of course not. It never even showed itself. Only the-"


    He froze mid-sentence upon realizing what had happened.


    "D-Did it use us? Did it let us leave on purpose so it could follow us here?" he asked in a low voice.


    Hao Xuan nodded solemnly.


    "But why? Why not just kill us?" Burak asked himself but Hao Xuan answered nheless.


    "Where is the fun in killing a handful of guys? It would still be stuck in that ce after we were gone but now....now it just found a whole new world to torment.."

 Chapter 743: Itself

    <h4>Chapter 743: Itself</h4>


    The gateway that looked like a vertical eye had only opened halfway when the barbarians jumped into action.


    "Throw everything you have on it! Do not let it open all the way!" Burak shouted while he himself channeled all his internal energy into the words of power on his arms, materializing a diamond-shaped shield that surrounded the gateway, preventing it from opening all the way.


    Hao Xuan was hunched over the control panel, talking to Baracus through the spirit sense.


    "Quickly, we''re out of time! I can''t wait for you to do everything by the book so just destroy everything in there!" he ordered, in response to which Baracus informed him of the consequences of such an action.


    "The reason it is taking so long to delete everything is because of how the data is stored inside the panel. There is an entire virtual world sealed within the Yin Qi Crystal. It was most probably the doings of the True God that was conducting all the experiments and he didn''t want any idents to happen so he did something I have never seen before."


    "He has sealed a part of his own Divine Territory inside the panel where all the problems he faced can naturally evolve and unravel themselves. The only issue with this is that I have to erase everything in a very specific order otherwise, some of it might leak out."


    "Destroying the panel will surely do the trick but the Divine Territory sealed within the panel might create some adverse side effects. Would you still like for me to continue?"


    By the time Baracus finished his lengthy exnation, the gateway was almost fully opened.


    "Yes!" Hao Xuan yelled looking at the expanding yellow light that was solidifying despite the best efforts of the barbarians, "I''ll deal with itter, whatever happens. But this stuff cannot be leaked so get to it, NOW!"


    "Affirmative."


    "Commencing self-destruct sequence."


    "T-minus 60 seconds. Please evacuate the facility as soon as possible."


    "S-Sixty seconds?!"


    Hao Xuan''s heart almost stopped in its tracks. They were at the lowest level of the pyramid and leaving it in less than a minute would be nothing short of a miracle.


    But it was already toote to do anything about it. There was a timer counting down on the panel''s main screen.


    "HEY!" Hao Xuan yelled towards the barbarians to get their attention, "LET''S GO! QUICK! ITS GONNA EXPLODE!" he threw out the words like an unpinned grenade before running out of the room.


    The barbarians were dumbstruck at his behavior until they realized what he had said.


    "GO GO GO! FOLLOW AFTER HIM!" Burak shouted at the top of his lungs, kicking them away.


    "Y-Yes!" everyone other than Isak sprinted out of the room at full speed.


    "What about you?" Isak stopped at the door and inquired calmly, in quite the opposite manner to the overall atmosphere.


    Burak grinned, "I''m right behind you, who do you think I am?"


    Isak looked him in the eyes for a couple of seconds before running out as well.


    Burak''s smile slowly disappeared. He really didn''t have any ns to sacrifice himself, all he wanted was to keep the gateway closed until the veryst moment so the Djinn would not be able toe through, or even if it did, the explosion would kill it for certain.


    He had experienced first hand the horrors it had brought upon inhabitants of the other world and he did not want the same to happen here.


    Back in the mine when Burak led his men into the depths in hopes of finding the ones missing, he stumbled upon something that could only be described as a scene from hell itself.


    There, at the very bottom where even the air was heavy with anguish, he found it. It slumbered on a mountain of misshapen skulls, akin to a dragon protecting its treasure.


    The skulls were its trophies, left as the only remains of an entire civilization that once lived there. And it was not just one section that was loaded with them, but entire caverns filled to the brim. And the worst part was that their souls had not yet left this world.


    They were sealed within the skulls by some archaic dark magic, done for some unholy purpose. They still cried for relief, begging for it from anyone and everyone.


    And when Burak finally stood in front of this so-called ''Djinn'', he knew that it was not something so simple. Deep down, he knew the truth the moment he looked into its eyes.


    "Death," he whispered to himself.


    Burak had seen how his life woulde to an end when he stared into its eyes. It was not an illusion but a precognition. And in that moment he knew that he had stood toe to toe with death itself.

 Chapter 744: Disharmony

    <h4>Chapter 744: Disharmony</h4>


    Burak waited until the veryst moment before making his escape. The control panel that was made around the super-condensed Yin Qi crystal itself begin to broke apart before the timer finished.


    It acted both as a temporary seal and a conduit that allowed most of its usual functions to continue as normal and with it gone, thest stone had been cast.


    The gateway finally opened all the way and stabilized. Lazarus (that''s the Djinn''s name which it will be referred to as from this point onward) that was waiting on the other side poked its head just in time to see the Yin Qi crystal break into two pieces.


    *Crackle*


    A wave of intense electrical energy shot out in every single direction, showering the entire room while a pir of purple Qi shot straight towards the sky. It pierced, or rather ''passed'' through the numerousyers of the pyramid, of which there were far too many to even count.


    The crystal itself was sheer energy, pure and unadulterated essence that had been gathered from the heart of a dying sun. Its strength and intensity could not be so easily measured let alone controlled.


    It passed through all physical matter that stood in its way and escaped to the atmosphere above, creating a unique phenomenon therein that could not yet be seen by the naked eye (previously described in chapter 689/691). What looked like a wormhole wasing into being right above the pyramid from the sudden discharge of pure Yin Qi.


    As it is always the case, for life to flourish an equilibrium must always be maintained no matter the cost. Yin and Yang, the negative and the positive, cold and hot, only when both of them are avable in just the right amounts can there exist life.


    And when one overshadows the other, the world itself starts to be corrupted and the natural order is thrown into chaos, seeding disharmony among the natural elements.


    That is what was happening here. The Yin Qi crystal that was like an overcharged battery had detonated and there was no stopping it now.


    Copious amounts of energy escaped to the surface and gathered above the pyramid, creating a wormhole from the disproportionate elements. The Divine territory that was hiding within the crystal erupted forth in full force for onest time.


    It was this same divine territory that was responsible for holding all of the information regarding the Prime Letters and all the rules rted to the Celestial Webway. It was the True God''sst will left behind in this world and its only function was to solve the mystery of the Webway.


    Obviously, without someone to control it and give it direction, the territory would not be able to achieve anything. Within the crystal it had a safe and stable environment where it could emte a great many theories without actually testing them out but now that the crystal had broken, all those theories that were in the form of the various rune sequences themselves were released into the world.


    With the gradual disintegration of the territory, the runes would be released one after another and where most of them would simply disappear into the ether, a great many of them materialized with the help of the same Yin Qi that was being released from the crystal.


    One after another various gateways opened up. Arcs of purple lightning bolts fell from the Yin clouds, powering seventeen gateways to theirpletion.


    Hao Xuan wanted to erase all information regarding the celestial webway but neither he nor Baracus could have anticipated such a result. Although in the end he did "technically" achieve what he wanted.


    But it was done at the cost of opening more than a dozen gateways that would not close until all the excessive Yin Qi from the atmosphere dissipated or the sequence itself turned out to be incorrect.


    The only issue being, the Yin Qi held within the crystal had been gathered after billions of years before being further refined by some great artisans to power the pyramid and all of its facilities.


    Which meant that at least for a few million years, there was absolutely no chance that this much energy would dissipate without some outside interference.


    Hao Xuan andpany had only crossed a single floor when the crystal that was powering everything broke into two. The constantly shifting hallways stopped dead in their tracks, in whatever cement they were in.


    The numerous other gateways that were created either by some ident or due to the degraded security in various parts of the pyramid started to destabilize and shut down. And all the beings from each of these worlds that had crossed over into this one were left stranded.


    *KYUUUK*


    *GROOOOWL*


    *KREEEEEE*


    A cacophony of pained shrieks, anger fuelled roars, and confused inhuman screams came one after another. They sounded their frustrations and started rampaging through the previously empty hallways.


    Hao Xuan''s heightened senses picked up on most of them, warning him of what wasing his way.

 Chapter 745: Grrr

    <h4>Chapter 745: Grrr</h4>


    The party came to an abrupt stop.


    Hao Xuan''s heightened senses picked up on the uproar before anyone else could, his instincts warning him of what waited for him.


    The destruction of the Yin Qi crystal itself was not explosive in nature. It was a continuous release of pure Qi that was spreading throughout the pyramid but the majority of it was still shooting straight up into the atmosphere.


    Comparatively, a mere fraction of the Qi was diffusing into the surroundings and the various sections of the pyramids but even that was enough to make the already anxious creatures lose their minds and go berserk.


    And since they were now locked inside with these crazed creatures that came from a plethora of different worlds, there was only one way it could possibly end, with arrant bloodshed.


    Hao Xuan could feel the ground shaking beneath his feet, they all could. The vibrations carried over from every single direction, especially from the front which was the only way out.


    Since they were at the bottom, they would have to pass through each floor and most probablye face to face with them.


    The sounds of footsteps came from behind startling the group but they rxed upon seeing who they belonged to.


    Burak ran straight to the front stopping beside Hao Xuan.


    "What''s wrong?" he asked in a low voice.


    Hao Xuan gestured towards the dark hallway, "The path ahead is not clear. There are a lot of beasts in the way."


    "And you''re surprised? When is it ever easy?" Burak cracked a grin, relieving some of the pressure that Hao Xuan was feeling.


    "We might not make it out," Hao Xuanmented.


    Burak shrugged, "There is never a guarantee of making through anything. Besides, it is a miracle we survived till now in the first ce."


    Hao Xuan shook his head, letting out a defeated sigh.


    "Why are you never scared?"


    Burak burst outughing, "Hahaha, why good does being afraid do? Will it change anything? What is going to happen will happen regardless of how we feel. You think too much my friend!" he said patting his shoulder.


    Hao Xuan recognized the value of his words and although he didn''t agree with thempletely, Burak did have a point. It was mostly Hao Xuan himself that was holding him back but it was easier said than done to change feeling like that.


    "You''re not wrong," he mumbled.


    Burak shook his head, "Just say I''m right then. You humans and your confusing words. Come, we don''t have much time. The longer we wait the worse it will get," he said to Hao Xuan before turning towards the others.


    "This is it men! We''re home but that doesn''t mean we''re safe or that it will get any easier. We have to go all the way back to the entrance so no matter what happens, do not stop for even a second. There are far too many of them and you WILL get overwhelmed, it is only a matter of time."


    "But when it eventually happens and if it doesn''t look like you will make it out then you know what to do. Got it?"


    "Yes!"


    "Yes!


    "Yes!"


    "Yes!"


    "Yes!"


    They all replied in unison.


    It was pretty clear what Burak meant. In case any of them were to be left behind then the best thing they could do in that desperate situation would be to expunge all of their internal energy all at once. This would create a chain reaction inside their bodies and they would explode, taking all nearby creatures with them and giving the others a chance to keep going.


    Hao Xuan sighed again listening to them. If only he was strong enough to take care of one side, they wouldn''t have to resort to such extreme measures.


    He closed his eyes and tried to summon the Scorpion King but just as he expected, due to the expenditure of too much mental energy it was not going to happen anytime soon.


    He would need at least a few hours of sleep to recover enough energy to summon anyone again.


    "Well, no time like today, huh?"


    All they could do was keep moving forward.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and flexed his entire body, circting the entirety of the Chaos Qi at his disposal throughout, covering every single cell with it. A barely discernable ck mist oozed out of him for a second before being absorbed back inside.


    All the barbarians suddenly jerked their heads around to look in his direction.


    They could see Hao Xuan as clear as day but he had no presence whatsoever. Even Burak who had the sharpest senses among them rubbed his eyes in disbelief.


    It was like looking at a picture. He didn''t even feel like a living creature at all.


    Burak and Isak who were the strongest among them could feel their own heartbeats thumping heavily against their ribcage in response to the changes in Hao Xuan.


    It was a primal sort of feeling. Something inside Hao Xuan was calling out to them, to each one of them and they responded in kind.


    It was almost palpable enough to be tasted in the air.


    "Grrr," a heavy-winded guttural rumble escaped Hao Xuan''s throat.

 Chapter 746: Not the Same

    <h4>Chapter 746: Not the Same</h4>


    "Grrr," a heavy-winded guttural rumble escaped Hao Xuan''s throat.


    His Lycan bloodline which had reached 8.92% blood purity level was activated to the core, making small but noticeable changes to his body.


    Firstly his fingers elongated, the nails bing longer and sharper, curving at the ends in the shape of ws.


    The same thing was happening to his feet but due to the shoes the changes could not be observed by the others.


    Then came the changes to the back muscles which expanded and widened by almost half a size. His back hunched at first before suddenly straightening, releasing cracking and popping sounds.


    When Hao Xuan stood up straight he was a full head taller than before with the top of his heading up to Burak''s chin now, who was the biggest of them all.


    He wasn''t as muscr as most of the barbarians but every inch of his body was rumbling with explosive power, hiding just beneath his skin.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes once before slowly opening them again. The light in his pupils became brighter for an instant and veins popped around them but it all returned to normal a momentter.


    The dark hallwayying ahead suddenly became much brighter in his eyes, giving up every little secret it held. And just then from the corner of his eye Hao Xuan saw a ck cloud-like entity retreat back into the darkness away from his prying eyes.


    ''I knew it, this darkness is not normal at all, is it? It feels like a Law... But as long as I''m in this state I should be fine...'' he was under the assumption that the reason he could see that entity was because his vision got better but that was not the case, which he would realize muchter.


    Hao Xuan turned his head sideways, "I will take care of the front. Stay low and move fast. Don''t pick a fight if it can be avoided."


    "U-Un," Burak nodded back, at a loss for words. He had never seen Hao Xuan activate his bloodline before so it was expected.


    They couldn''t evenpletely see Hao Xuan even though he was standing right in front of them. If they got distracted or looked away from even a second he would simply disappear from their radar altogether.


    Lycan''s by nature were stealthy predators so naturally, the one thing they knew above all else was how to hide in in sight until such a time when it wasn''t needed anymore. Hao Xuan did not need to learn this, his blood did all the work for him.


    It was almost magical in nature, although no one could really say with certainty that it wasn''t.


    "Good, let''s go then," Hao Xuan whispered.


    The barbarians saw his silhouette move just an inch or two and like smoke in a hurricane, he waspletely gone.


    "F-Follow after him!" Burak ordered before breaking out in a mad sprint after him.


    He couldn''t really see Hao Xuan either, all he had to go on was the sound of rapid footsteps just ahead of them which Hao Xuan made on purpose.


    A brief moment after their departure, arge four-legged silhouette walked out of the room.


    Lazarus sniffed left and right, instantly catching the scent of his prey. Its long neck retracted back into the reptilian body for the most part. The long grainy moved by themselves and out came a pack of the same dog-like creatures.


    "Go, bring them to me alive," a voice came from inside its mouth that sounded like Niko''s, itstest victim, giving the orders.


    The surly creatures snarled at each other and ran in the same direction as the barbarians.


    **


    The pyramid had a total of seven floors but each one was a maze of its own with thousands of pathways either leading to empty dead ends or worse, the ones that still had something moving, dead or alive.


    Hao Xuan''s speed had long surpassed anything he had achieved before. With the power of his blood, the Chaos Qi, and physical bodybined, very few creatures were able to even detect him before he was already on them.


    He coldly dispatched and threw them to the side, leaving something akin to a trail of breadcrumbs for the barbarians to follow.


    *Whoosh*


    *sh*


    *Riiiiip*


    Hao Xuan didn''t even need to use a weapon, his handsbined with the extreme speed and momentum he was moving at were more than enough to deal with most of them.


    Sixth Floor, Fifth Floor, Fourth Floor....they moved quickly and silently until the third floor came into view.


    Burak and the rest of them finally caught up with Hao Xuan who was standing by the exit of the 4th floor waiting for them.


    "What''s wrong?" Burak asked walking up behind him but his jaw dropped when he saw what was waiting for them here.


    Unlike all the other levels, there were no hallways connecting one section to the other. It was a wide-open space, filled to the brim with thousands of different creatures.

 Chapter 747: Right Answer

    <h4>Chapter 747: Right Answer</h4>


    Unlike all the other levels, the third one did not have any hallways connecting one section to the other. Instead, it was a wide-open space devoid of any obstacle to provide cover or hide behind, filled to the brim with thousands of different creatures.


    Burak couldn''t believe his eyes.


    "H-How is this possible? It wasn''t like this when we passed through here on the way down!"


    Each level was almost identical in the sense that there were no sources of light and the winding pathways more often than not were fraught with danger at every other corner.


    Thest four levels had been the same so, why was this one different?


    Instead of answering, Hao Xuan first gestured towards the sides and what little floor that was still visible underneath the swarming creatures.


    "They went down," he muttered in a low voice, "All the walls retracted into the floor for some reason, expanding its overall size and removing any hurdles."


    "But...why?"


    "No idea. Maybe it was a built-in function in case the facility lost power. Swarm one level with most of the creatures from other levels so no one can walk back out?"


    "Huh? Facility? Function? What are you talking about?" Burak didn''t understand half the terms Hao Xuan used but that didn''t matter anymore. The more pressing question was how they were going to cross this teeming horde?


    Isak, Tasgall, and the others caught up to them, walking up behind the duo to see what the holdup was about and having much the same reactions as Burak.


    The entire third level was, at a first nce, more than 3.5 kilometers wide and 400 meters high, from one corner to the other.


    The spot they were standing on was the bottom left corner which was overlooking the entire level and was one of the two exits leading to this area.


    The entrance to the second level was on the other side, exactly 3500 meters away and in between them was a literal sea of all manners of horrendous beasts and creatures the likes of which Hao Xuan had never seen before.


    From as small as a few inches to asrge as hundreds of meters, all shapes and sizes were present here.


    There were five creatures among them that stood out from all the rest, mainly because of their immense stature or deadly aura.


    The first one was a four-legged dog-like beast that was close to 90 meters long. Its skin was the color of dirt with actual mud constantly dripping down onto the floor, creating apletely separate area around its body where much smaller simr-looking creatures were enjoying themselves.


    The second one was quite a peculiar-looking creature, one that was oddly out of ce even here. It looked like a prehistoric bird from earth but its skin was hard as rocks. The four pairs of eyes adorning its wide face each looked in a different direction and in ce of wings, it had another pair of long talons. In total it was probably over 200 meters long.


    There were some vestigial wings hidden underneath its body but they appeared to be far too short for flight. It was hanging upside down from the ceiling, the sharp talons ripping into the metal that the pyramid was made of.


    The other three creatures were simr with one of them even being a humanoid creature towering over most others at over 110 meters of height. It looked like a draconic humanoid species with a ring of horns on its head.


    They all looked very different from one another along with the deadly auras they gave off but one thing they all had inmon was that each of them cultivated at least onew.


    Hao Xuan could physically see three of their territories with the naked eye and in turn, calcte how dangerous they were.


    Going by his gut feeling and instincts alone, Hao Xuan judged the dog creature to be the weakest or easiest to deal with simply because itsw had something to do with mud or earth. The bubbling swamp around it was its territory which was most obvious.


    The aura of the humanoid and the bird creature was so terrible that he couldn''t tell which one was more dangerous. But logically speaking, the humanoid should be worse since it might have higher intelligence to go along with whatever powers it had.


    It was the only one calmly sitting down in one corner while all the others moved about in their own areas.


    The floor was divided among these four while the entire ceiling belonged to the bird creature. It squawked and shrieked while moving back on forth, trying to pick fights with the other four.


    ''Even if we manage to somehow avoid all the others, that one will see us no matter what,'' Hao Xuan concluded.


    It was like a puzzle but there was no right answer.

 Chapter 748: No Right Answer

    <h4>Chapter 748: No Right Answer</h4>


    It was a puzzle with missing and damaged pieces, without any right answer.


    ''I could run past them all, distract them so the rest of the barbarians can move through but...'' he looked towards the bird monster and the sleeping humanoid monster. Something told him that even if he managed to avoid all the others, those two would definitely catch him.


    And it was not like they could just walk through...


    ''Wait a second, why are they not attacking each other?''


    Other than the four of the five Ether beasts that took one corner each and thest bird beast took the entire ceiling for itself, there were tens of thousands of other smaller beasts here.


    Most of them were very different from one another so there was no way they would just get along with each other like this.


    ''Are they...being controlled?''


    That was the only logical exnation. But then why were the Ether beasts keeping them under control?


    No matter how much Hao Xuan tried to think about it, he couldn''te up with a good enough answer.


    From the looks of it, each of the five ether beasts came from very different worlds with their own followers but were now calmly minding their own business ignoring all the others, for what reason?


    Other than the previously mentioned three, one of the remaining two was an amphibious beast that looked like some kind of grossly mutated toad and thest one was just a smelly worm beast.


    Both of them were out of the way and minded their own business so Hao Xuan didn''t need to worry about them much. The smaller beasts that followed each Ether beast resembled them to an extent, the humanoid monster being the only exception as its followers seemed to be from all over the ce.


    While the bird beast waspletely alone, iming all the air for itself.


    "What do we do now? Fight?" Isak asked in a hushed voice, waking Hao Xuan from his stupor.


    He quickly shook his head, putting down the idea before it could take root in their minds.


    "Absolutely not. If you pick a fight with any single group the rest of them will attack together. We are the outsiders here."


    "Then...?"


    "Let...me go first," Hao Xuan hesitantly spoke, and before they even had the time to digest what he had said, Hao Xuan had already jumped down.


    He nimblynded on an empty space, among the teeming beasts underneath. Right now he was in the territory of the humanoid ether beast.


    Hao Xuan had prepared himself to be attacked but it appeared that his ability toy low was just as powerful here as it was in the darkness.


    Keeping one eye on the humanoid ether beast to his right and the other on the bird beast hanging from the ceiling, Hao Xuan moved through the various quadruped beasts that made up its entourage. Most of them looked like they would be herbivores but that didn''t mean they wouldn''t be aggressive.


    The stench of bile and excrement was so strong down there that it was almost disorientating for someone like Hao Xuan who had such an acute sense of smell.


    Slowly and carefully he moved through their ranks until the quadruped horde ended and the almost identical-looking canine beasts started. Hao Xuan had yet to step into their territory when the two-headed canine beasts that patrolled the area''s outer territory detected something was a miss and became alert.


    Hao Xuan froze mid-stride, watching their movements with narrowed eyes until half a minuteter when they resumed their routine not having detected anything strange.


    ''These guys will be a problem too...''


    The entire third floor was neatly divided into four sections and crossing from one territory to another would be no small task. Let alone the overseeing Ether beasts, even the smaller ones would pick up on so many of them trying to sneak past them.


    Not to mention that the barbarians weren''t exactly inconspicuous. They stood out like sore thumbs in this ce.


    After going over a few different options, the best one by far was also the most dangerous one, yet it had the highest chance of seeding.


    ''Without some disorder and havoc among their ranks to spread confusion, we won''t be able to move through. If they all started fighting with one another that would be best...''


    **


    Hao Xuan returned some 15 minutester with an expression full of uncertainty and reluctance.


    "What? Just say it!" Burak only needed a single nce to know that whatever idea Hao Xuan chad would not be very....sane.


    "I tried going past them but the dogs detected me even before I got close so there is no way you can get through that easily. Our only option is to create a ruckus so we can move through them while hiding in in sight."

 Chapter 749: Spilling Blood

    <h4>Chapter 749: Spilling Blood</h4>


    "Annnd?"


    "And, for that, I need you and Isak toe with me and be the spark that starts the ze."


    Burak saw Hao Xuan''s smiling face through narrowed eyes and let out a deep sigh.


    "Well, it could be worse. How do we do this then?"


    "That''s the spirit. We''ll start from..."


    Hao Xuan quickly exined the details of the n and without wasting any more time all three of them jumped down one by one. The beast horde to the right of them was the one led by the humanoid Ether beast that looked more like a shepherd than anything else since all the beasts under it were herbivores.


    These beasts didn''t have very sharp senses. They were big, with the smallest one reaching a height of 2 meters and some of therger ones reaching over 4-5 meters. Their heads and legs were covered in extremely thick skin along with various horns and spikes poking out here and there.


    They provided enough cover spot for Hao Xuan, Burak, and Isak to hide in between them while moving forward.


    To the right of this horde was the canine ether beast that looked like it was made from y. All the beasts in its hordes had simr attributes with some having rock-hard skin and a few others even having precious metals and other ores and gemstones ''decorating'' their hides.


    To the front was the worm ether beast and to the left of the horde was the mutated toad beast.


    Hao Xuan took the right side, going to the canine beasts. Burak took the left side with the toads and Isak went to the front where the creepy crawlies were.


    Hao Xuan stood a few meters away from the edge so as not to spook the canine beasts and waited. He raised his head and looked at the bird ether beast on the ceiling.


    Since Burak and Isak didn''t have watches, Hao Xuan decided to use the bird beast as the signal. They all needed to attack together on all three fronts to give as little time as possible for them to understand what was happening and create panic.


    The bird beast dug its talons in the ceiling some 400 meters in the air and moved around in circles.


    They all watched and waited with bated breaths, waiting for it to reach the spot right above them before attacking.


    Hao Xuan prepared himself. He couldn''t use too much Qi or any shy moves so as not to give himself away. When the timees it would all have to be done as quickly as possible.


    One minute, two minutes, three...almost seven minutes passed when the bird ether beast came closest it had ever been to them.


    Hao Xuan opened the palm of his hand as his arms turned a shade of dark purple and veins popped along the sides.


    ''Assualt of the Mad God!''


    Just give that little extra edge, Hao Xuan buffed himself even more and like a hungry wolf, lept forward.


    Keeping as low as possible he extended both his arms to the sides and cut through the toughest part of the skin of the herbivore beasts.


    *PRUEEEE*


    *GROOWL*


    *SQUEEEL*


    An entire orchestra worth of anger-fuelled beastly noises came from each side, followed by even more a few secondster. Hao Xuan moved from the herbivore side and when he had health enough damage and spilled enough blood, he ran into the canine packs patrolling right across from them.


    *HOOOW-*


    One of therger canine beasts saw Hao Xuan and tried to warn others but before it could even open its maw all the way, the head had separated from the rest of its body.


    Thergest of the herbivore beasts that resembled rhinos from earth turned towards the noise and saw Hao Xuan who was a bloody silhouette at this point running deeper into the canine territory being chased by several other canine beasts.


    To its simple eyes, it looked like some of the canine beasts had attacked and were now retreating back to safety so it did what came most naturally to it. It lowered its head that was adorned with eight giant horns and charged directly into the canine packs.


    That was the first stone, and soon after came many more.


    On the other two fronts Isak used his ck mes while Burak utilized the words of power to achieve the exact same effect.


    Within seconds the entire third level was in an uproar. Blood continued to spill, spurring the beasts to even more intense acts of violence until all of them were fighting against each other.


    Tasgall and the rest looked at each other, nodding in confirmation.

 Chapter 750: Doom

    <h4>Chapter 750: Doom</h4>


    Tasgall and the rest looked at each other, nodding in confirmation.


    After taking in a few deep breaths to circte their internal energies and making sure their physical conditions were as good as they could be, they leapt down one by one entering the bloody fray that had yet to reach its peak.


    With themotion, all of the overseeing Ether Beasts ''woke'' up. They growled, hissed, and shrieked at each other, using some form ofmunication that no one else could understand.


    But it only took a few seconds for themunications to break down and the mutated toad beast, the smelly worm beast, and the canine beast jumped to their respective feet (if they had any) preparing to attack.


    Only the humanoid beast was still rtively calm while the bird beast that had been making the most noise until now had suddenly gone quiet.


    The four pairs of pitch-ck eyes adorning either side of its 30-meter long beak swiveled left and right independent to one another, keeping a watchful eye on everything that was happening below.


    Tasgall, Jarek, Velkjo and Lei ducked and dodged between most of the rampaging beasts, reaching Burak in a couple of minutes who was closest to them. Together they moved towards Isak, finding him engaged in a fight with several 3-4 meter long spiked grey worms.


    Burak pped Tasgall''s back and gestured towards the right side, "Go see what''s taking Hao Xuan so long," while he jumped to Isak''s aid along with Jarek.


    Tasgall was a close-range fighter and one of the most experienced warriors in their generation so he was the best suited of all of them for such a task. Using his superior reflexes and nerves of steel that only someone that has been through numerous fights could have, he steered in and out of various fights between the beasts and managed to reach the right-most side in a little over 10 minutes.


    He moved about some more trying his best to look for Hao Xuan amidst all the bloodshed but it was easier said than done. He couldn''t stand out too much so as not to draw attention to himself, nor could he just shout out his name without a tongue, so all he could do was continue searching for him one small human silhouette amongst a literal forest of towering monsters and deadly beasts.


    What Tasgall failed to notice was the pair of abyssal eyes that werepletely locked onto him from above. One pair was on him, one on Burak and the rest, one on the humanoid ether beast and the other on a figure a few hundred meters to the front.


    This figure obviously belonged to Hao Xuan.


    Trying to get away from the charging rhinoceros beast Hao Xuan ended up going too far into the territory of the canine beasts and was now surrounded by a pack of eight demonic beasts.


    Each of them had various colored glowing gemstones embedded within their scorched hides. They didn''t have any fur, only bony armor-like outgrowths in and around all the sensitive areas like below the neck and around the head.


    They were a little bigger at 1.5-2 meters each, obviously much smarter, and much MUCH stronger than most of the other beasts nearby. No matter how hard Hao Xuan tried to get rid of them they never fell for his tricks.


    The fastest among them followed him closely and only attacked when all the others surrounded Hao Xuan from all sides.


    *Grrrrr*


    Maintaining a distance of 10 meters, they circled around him baring their razor-sharp ws and teeth, drooling as they went.


    Their pupils were dyed red, an obvious sign of their bloodthirsty nature but unlike all the other beasts in the surroundings, they did not lose their rationality and still maintained some level-headedness even in this situation.


    Hao Xuan could feel their undting auras crashing against his skin. Several of them reached the maximum level a demonic beast could reach before ascending to the Ether beast realm. All they needed was to cultivate aw at which they would readily ascend.


    His natural instincts were firing at full force, warning him of an impending doom if he did not take action.


    "ARGH!" Hao Xuan suddenly shot forward towards the weakest of the bunch but even with his supreme speed he still wasn''t faster than them. The entire circle moved with him, making his efforts useless.


    "Come on,e fight me!" he barked, sounding more like a beast speaking a humannguage than the other way around.

 Chapter 751: Certain Doom

    <h4>Chapter 751: Certain Doom</h4>


    "Come on! Come, fight me!" Hao Xuan growled, sounding more like a beast speaking a human tongue than the other way around.


    But they cared little for his taunts. Each of these canine beasts was at least a hundred years old, with some having lived for close to three hundred years. They were not young in any sense of the word and knew how to carry themselves.


    Not to mention they did not have ''emotions'' to drag them down so it was not easy to get a reaction out of them.


    They continuously circled Hao Xuan, asionallynding a quick piercing jab somewhere on his body. He could feel their suffocating auras trying to snuff out what little sanity he had left and therein lied the crux of their true power.


    Although these beasts were fast and had sturdy bodies, that wasn''t the reason why there were so dominant and feared even in the world where they hade from.


    The human tribes of their had a name for these canine beasts, the ''Nightmare hounds''. The glowing gemstones protruding from their bodies were the source of their actual power, which was to deplete a person''s sanity bit by bit.


    Once a Nightmare Hound reached the level of an Ether Beast, it would be able to drag its victim''s consciousness into a world of nightmares from which there was no escape. Life and death was decided there.


    But before reaching the Ether Beast realm this effect was greatly reduced and could at most manifest in the form of slow degradation of their victim''s rationality and levelheadedness.


    Currently, half of Hao Xuan''s mind was focused on the Nightmare Hounds while the other half was worried about the immediate future.


    He had told the barbarians to leave without him if they couldn''t find him in time and it had already been more than 10 minutes. Did they leave already? Was he all alone here, in this moshpit of death? That was all he could think about now.


    Hao Xuan tried his best but couldn''t put enough distance between the hounds and himself and they did not want to pick a fight with him up close. Even if they greatly outnumbered him, unlike humans the instincts of a beast were not so easily disregarded.


    They knew all too well that there was nothing more dangerous than a cornered animal and until the veryst moment, they were going to use their numbers and agility to their utmost advantage.


    The light from the gemstones continued to fall on Hao Xuan, whittling down his mental stability without him realizing it one bit. He staved off their attacks for another 3 minutes but was on the verge of losing his mind.


    "Argh! FIGHT ME!" he shouted, brandishing his ws haphazardly in the air while growling and snarling like a wild animal.


    He couldn''t utilize the Chaos Qi nor his own strength properly, madly throwing himself at the hounds. Hao Xuan''s vision was ovee by a crimson red color of bloodthirsty derangement.


    He couldn''t even see properly with only every fifth or sixth image being registered within his mind and even that could not be processed urately.


    Within 5 more minutes Hao Xuan was on hisst legs. Half of his body was covered in bloody wounds that leaked like a sieve. He was exhausted and about to lose his mind until he caught something from the corner of his eye.


    Hao Xuan was in the middle of a wide swing when all of a sudden his head jerked to the side upon seeing a familiar figure waving his hands while sprinting towards him.


    "E-Eh?" as if awoken from a bad dream, Hao Xuan suddenly came to his senses. He saw Tasgall in the distance, jumping over and under different beasts desperately trying toe to his aid.


    He saw the mute barbarian''s worried expression and couldn''t help but smile, ''What are you so worried ab-''


    But before he could even finish the thought Hao Xuan''s body jerked forcibly as he felt a sudden piercing coldnessing from his chest.


    "Hm?" curious, he looked down and saw a beating red fleshy growth protruding out of his chest, attached to a long curved w.


    "Wha-"


    *Skleeech*


    His body jerked again as the w was pulled back out.


    Hao Xuan lost all strength in his body and fell on his back. And as he did, he saw what the w was attached to and what it had pulled out.


    It was attached to the bird Ether Beast that was hanging from the ceiling and the fleshy object was his heart, which had now left his body. There was arge gaping hole where his heart should have been, an empty space that leaked blood by the liters.


    Some of it came out his mouth and nose, drowning him alive. He tried to take a breath but ended up swallowing even more. It felt like needles in his lungs, a new kind of pain that he had never felt before.


    It was only then that Hao Xuan realized what had happened, and that he was now dying.


    He tried to scream and get up but all he could do was il about on the ground, much like a chicken with its head cut off.

 Chapter 752: Melancholy

    <h4>Chapter 752: Mncholy</h4>


    He tried to get up or call for help but all he could manage was to il about on the ground, much like a chicken with its head cut off.


    Hao Xuan could see the bird beast hanging from the ceiling right above him. At the end of one of its ws was his heart which was still beating forcefully with a purple hue. Even now Hao Xuan could feel the piercing pain in his chest, almost as if the heart was still connected to him.


    The Nightmare Hounds that had backed off due to the intrusion of the bird Ether Beast closed in once again. Their silhouettes appeared at the edge of Hao Xuan''s vision and he could see their brightly colored gemstones releasing ethereal lights.


    Maybe it was due to the severe loss of blood or maybe it was something else, but either way, it was toote. One of the smaller hounds closed in on him, sniffing around his body cautiously.


    When it was sure Hao Xuan wasn''t faking it and was in fact at death''s door, it signaled the others before quickly biting off his entire right hand for itself.


    Hao Xuan''s body continued to twitch and quiver from the pain but there was nothing he could do. But he still felt the pain when the hound''s teeth pierced into his skin, broke his bone and ripped apart the flesh. It was all he could focus on.


    Thankfully that sensation didn''tst very long. Hao Xuan saw the hound suddenly go flying away with his hand still in its mouth. Tasgall leapt into the frame,nding another two punches right in the hound''s face mid-air, forcing it to drop Hao Xuan''s severed hand.


    Tasgall then bent down and ced his hand over Hao Xuan''s gaping wound. Hao Xuan couldn''t see what was happening but he knew that simply applying pressure wouldn''t do anything at this point.


    A quarter of his chest was missing.


    "Hang....on..." Tasgall anxiously signed while trying his best to slow down the bleeding, "Help...is..ing!"


    He looked to their left, making Hao Xuan turn his head just in time to see Burak rip a hound in half with his bare hands while the rest of them charged forth towards them.


    "N-No....you will...catch...their....attention..." Hao Xuan forced himself to utter the words of warning and rightly so. They were making too much noise.


    But his was voice was too low for anyone to understand. Hao Xuan saw the humanoid ether beast stand up in the distance, looking in their direction.


    Meanwhile, Isak and Jarek reached him before anyone else could.


    "Move your hand, let me see," Isak ordered, making Tasgall pull back to reveal the half a foot wide hole in Hao Xuan''s chest. His pupils shrunk and his expression turned grim.


    Burak came up from behind them at this point, bending down to check Hao Xuan''s condition as well.


    "Can you stop the bleeding?" he asked Isak in a low voice.


    Isak gave a stiff shake, "It will be useless. His heart is gone, there is no way to regte the blood."


    Hao Xuan''s arms and legs had gone cold. He couldn''t feel anything below his head and even his hearing wasing and going, making it that much more difficult to understand what they were saying. He had to read their lips to know what was happening.


    ''Hah, you didn''t leave me behind!'' he wanted to say but the situation did not give him the opportunity.


    Using thest bit of strength he could muster, Hao Xuan grabbed Burak''s arm, "Go...lea...ve...me.."


    The humanoid Ether Beast was walking towards them.


    Burak shook his head, taking Hao Xuan''s hand and cing it on his chest, "We didn''te this far for you to die here. We will ALL make it out! Just hang on for a little bit more, my mother will definitely be able to save you!"


    That was all Hao Xuan picked up before his vision gave way as well.


    ''No! Just go already you dumb barbarian! What the fuck is wrong with you!'' he wanted to scream and curse out loud but his consciousness was already starting to fade.


    Deaf, blind and mute, he was teetering on death''s door in every sense of the word. He was scared, much more so than he thought he would be.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes, his mind bringing him back to the first few months of bliss he had upon arriving on the beast world almost 4-5 years ago now. He had even lost count of how long it had been but it still felt like yesterday.


    Sprinting across the fields on Joey''s back, racing with Maaz almost every single day. And then leaving the Khan family and meeting Xu Qing.


    ''Ah, you again. Why do I keep thinking about you even now?'' he asked himself looking up at her like he had done so many times before.


    She hummed that same tune as Hao Xuan rested his head on herp, taking hisst breath.


    ''If there is another life and we meet again, I hope you would at least tell me the truth about who you are...''


    His body went limp.


    *Crack*

 Chapter 753: Deja Vu

    <h4>Chapter 753: Deja Vu</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s body went limp and his consciousness faded into the ether. Tasgall who was sitting right beside him could almost feel his soul leave the body, reced by a wretched coldness.


    He shook Hao Xuan as vigorously as he could trying to wake him up but only managed to ssh more of his blood on his own self.


    He couldn''t believe his eyes. It felt surreal, Hao Xuan dying. But it was right in front of his face. He extended his other hand and gently closed Hao Xuan''s eyes that were still looking up at the ceiling.


    Tasgall looked up towards Burak to tell him that Hao Xuan had passed away when he noticed a shadow above them. Raising his head he saw the Humanoid ether beast that had raised both its arms into the air.


    It let out a low growl and brought them down upon the barbarians in one fell swoop, turning half of them into meat paste.


    *Crack*


    The four-leafed clover pattern that held eight pearly growths on the side of Hao Xuan''s brain (CH 704) shone with a yellow light.


    One of the greyish leaves started shrinking and when it reached half its original size, the two pearls on top of itpletely shattered and turned to dust, creating a bubble of yellow light around his brain.


    *Gasp*


    Light returned to Hao Xuan''s eyes as he gasped for breath once again.


    "Huh?!"


    He found himself once again standing on his own two feet surrounded by the Nightmare Hounds on all sides. There were several wounds on his body but it wasn''t bad enough to bring down his overall fighting capability, yet.


    "What the fuck is going on?!" he muttered incredulously.


    One of the Nightmare Hounds saw Hao Xuan losing focus and quickly jumped forward tond a strike on his upper leg, cutting several inches of flesh away.


    Hao Xuan winced from the pain but it was enough topletely sober him up.


    "I''m...alive...again? I''m still here!" he shouted inwardly while trying to retaliate against the hound but it quickly jumped back again before he couldnd a strike.


    ''What was that? Was that an illusion? But it all felt so...real...''


    Bits and pieces of it starteding to him, creating aplete picture. He suddenly remembered every little detail up until losing thest bit of consciousness. There was no way that wasn''t real!


    "Deja Vu? But...how?"


    As if to answer his query, a searing headache erupted within Hao Xuan''s mind. The same cloverleaf started shrinking and the two pearls sitting on top of it cracked in the exact same manner as before...or rather in the exact same manager as they SHOULD have some time in the future.


    A disc of yellow energy shot out of Hao Xuan''s head followed by a shockwave that rocked him and the Nightmare Hounds to the core.


    "Argh!"


    Hao Xuan grabbed the right side of his face which felt like it was about to melt off from the rest of his body.


    "AHH! BARACUS! WHAT''S GOING ON?!"


    *Beep*


    "Spatio-temporal fluctuations detected."


    "The unidentified mutation within the brain cells has been stimted. There is ayer of temporal energy field surrounding the brain and the brain stem, interfering with further scans.''


    "Effects unknown."


    It felt like someone had taken a spoon and stirred the contents of Hao Xuan''s brain, mixing everything together like a soup.


    His vision blurred and his head started spinning, making him lose his footing. Thergest nightmare hound that was now closest to him saw Hao Xuan stagger back and forth. Unwilling to let such an opportunity go to waste, it shot forth like a shadow with explosive speed.


    Even if Hao Xuan knew it wasing it would still be difficult to dodge such an attack, let alone when he was so utterly open and unguarded.


    It went as expected. The Nightmare Hound''s jawtched onto the nape of Hao Xuan''s neck and bit down with full force, crushing his spine and half his brain to pieces before he could even register what was happening.


    Hao Xuan died without even being able to fight back this time around.


    *GASP*


    He opened his eyes to the exact same scene as before, half-covered in wounds while surrounded by the hounds.


    ''Again?!''


    The memories of the past events came flooding back, notifying him of what was toe. It felt like deja vu but he now knew it was real. Preparing himself for what was toe, Hao Xuan closed his eyes and epted the full brunt of the information.


    ''It''s happening because I died? Every time I die it sends me back to this exact same spot. Looks like I copied the Puer''s ability to the T..."


    The Puer had almost the exact ability, only it didn''t need to die to send information back into its past self.

 Chapter 754: Copy Cat

    <h4>Chapter 754: Copy Cat</h4>


    The Puer had almost the exact ability, only it didn''t need to die to send information back to its past self.


    Hao Xuan got used to it much faster this time around without even letting down his guard.


    Without making it obvious, he looked up at the ceiling and saw the bird ether beast quietly watching him. It was looking for an opportunity to strike, its body already coiled back like a snake.


    ''I need to get away from that thing and then deal with these hounds...''


    He recalled the direction Tasgall hade to him the first time and slowly moved there while keeping his guard up.


    The ability of the Nightmare Hounds had a much weaker effect once the target was aware of it, and Hao Xuan was. In hisst moments he had seen some kind of energy releasing from the gems on their bodies so this time he was prepared.


    One minute, two minutes, before the third minute ended Hao Xuan saw Tasgall''s silhouette appearing from behind the cascading beasts.


    ''Good! I died right about now the first time so the future did chang-''


    Hao Xuan''s inner monologue was cut short when he tried to raise his foot and felt a weight bringing it down. Looking down he saw that more than half of his body was already covered in a thick muddy substance that wasing to his chest now.


    "What the shit!"


    He tried ripping off pieces and throwing it away but there was far too much of it and within a few seconds it had already reached his face. Left with no option he tried to activate his Qi in full force but soon as it came up to his skin it simply disappeared into the mud.


    Thest thing he saw was Tasgall''s horrified expression before the mudpletely covered every part of his body, even entering his body through various orifices. Once inside, the mud started expanding.


    Hested no more than 10 seconds before his body popped like a balloon.


    *GASP*


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes to the same scene for the fourth time now. This time he was much, MUCH calmer.


    He quickly closed his eyes and felt for the energy shield that was surroundings his brain.


    ''It has gotten weaker.''


    He could tell with just a single internal scan. The energy he had felt after his first death was much stronger than this.


    ''Is it reduced with every death? Every time I''m sent back it gets a little weaker until itpletely disappears at which point it''s...the end.''


    Hao Xuan looked at the Nightmare Hounds, the bird beast, and the source of hisst demise, the canine ether beast that was so far away that he couldn''t even see it. But it was obviously keeping tabs on him somehow.


    "I know what needs to be done but...I don''t know if I have the strength to do it..."


    He needed to be sure how his ability work so he could make an appropriate n. Keeping a mental note of the energy level of the spatiotemporal field around his brain, Hao Xuan grit his teeth before with a loud shout-


    *Crack*


    He twisted his own head off his body, killing himself before anyone else could.


    *GASP*


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes as soon as the memories came flooding back and ran another internal scan.


    The spatiotemporal field had barely gotten any weaker.


    ''If it''s not with every death, it has to be time. The field is only going tost for a set amount of time before disappearing and during that time the memories will be sent to this exact point in time after each death.''


    This was the fifth time. Three deaths from the beasts, one of his ord.


    Hao Xuan looked at the nearing Nightmare Hounds with a ruthless expression, "One way or another, I''m making it out of here."


    Or so he said but it was not easy to break the circle of life and death. It would take a strong enough willpower to put up with each death without losing his mind and no small amount of ingenuity to boot.


    ''There HAS to be a way,'' he told himself. If he was ever going to find it though, that was a different story.


    "ARGH!"


    Raising both his arms in front of him Hao Xuan charged towards the direction of the barbarians thinking together they would be able to make a difference.


    *SLAM*


    *Snap*


    *Skuelch*


    *Crash*


    *Crunch*


    .


    .


    .


    *GASP*


    But before he could even meet them, he had already died more than 15 times. Each death a little different, a little more gruesome than the one before as he tried new and different methods of escaping this little bubble of hell he had inadvertently created for himself.


    His body was the same but his mind, that was a different story.

 Chapter 755: Near Death

    <h4>Chapter 755: Near Death</h4>


    His body was the same but his mind, that was a different story altogether.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes to the same scene for the 16th time in the span of a little over 10 minutes.


    Although he looked normal on the outside, the light within his eyes had diminished by quite arge margin. His pupils that were a shade of bright green under normal circumstances now had a tinge of dark blue mixed in.


    *Beep*


    ''Irregrities Observed within the EEG Scans.''


    ''Abnormal Brainwave Patterns Detected.''


    Baracus''s notifications fell on deaf ears. Hao Xuan was already in a world of his own.


    "Nothing works. I try to leave, death. I try to run, death. I try to find the others, death. I try to hide, death. No matter what I do, it''s always the same result, death, death, and more death."


    No matter how stubborn, how rational, or sensible a person was,ing face to face with death always changed them even if it was in a small, indistinguishable way. But actually EXPERIENCING it, the process of seeing the end of one''s life not once but a great number of times over and over again, how could it not change a person?


    Even if you knew you coulde back, would you still choose to go through the pain of death repeatedly?


    Hao Xuan experienced fifteen different ends in a matter of minutes and it had obviously taken a huge toll on his psyche. He kept mumbling to himself with vacant eyes while ducking left and right in strange poses to avoid the attacks of the Nightmare Hounds without even looking.


    After so many attempts he had basically memorized their attack patterns which were obviously the same each time.


    "Two, maybe three more minutes if I''m lucky. After that the temporal field will fade away and there won''t be another," he muttered absentmindedly.


    Hao Xuan could feel the temporal energy waning with every passing second and from what he could tell, it was obviously not going tost much longer.


    The four-leafed clover pattern on the side of his brain that was responsible for this ability in the first ce was an automated response that was not under his control. It was more like a reflex than anything else at this point and once the energy field was fully depleted, it would need time to recharge.


    Hao Xuan had no idea how long it would exactly take but as long as one of the leaves was withered, it would not happen.


    Perhaps if he had more control over his body he would be able to collect more information about this ability from his blood and DNA but as the saying goes, if "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts, wouldn''t it be such a merry little Christmas?


    Wishing for something that was not in the books was useless.


    The handful of seconds Hao Xuan had to actually make an effort passed while he was lost in thought and like the dozen or so times before, he looked to the right out of habit and saw Tasgall running towards him waving his hand.


    The same anxious expression that was now basically burned into Hao Xuan''s retinas appeared on Tasgall''s face.


    "Just stop....okay? Go, go back," Hao Xuan waved his hand, shooing him away.


    Every time Tasgall saw him, no matter how bad of a situation Hao Xuan was in Tasgall always came to his aid. And every single time he either died with him or soon after.


    "I''m a little tired, okay? Just...let me sleep for a while...next time, I''ll try next time," he whispered to himself as he was turning around when a new sound that he hadn''t heard before reached his ears.


    He looked back and saw Tasgall''s impaled body being lifted up into the air. Tasgall had no idea what was happening even as he looked into Hao Xuan''s eyes for thest time before the cold grasp of death took hold.


    The Bird Ether beast''s talon retracted back towards its body, bringing Tasgall with it.


    Hao Xuan followed the trail of blood through the air, watching speechlessly as Tasgall''s body was brought to the beast''s beak before being swallowed whole. And it was only then that he noticed for the very first time, the oh-so-human leering expression on its ''face''. (Reference Image in authors notes and discord)


    Out of the four pairs of eyes, three pairs were focused on Hao Xuan as it slowly munched on Tasgall''s body, looking right into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    This was the first time something like this had happened. Hao Xuan always died first or was at least mortally wounded.


    "Why..." he asked but got the answer as soon as he met its eyes.


    It looked...happy? It was taking pleasure not from devouring Tasgall but from the reaction Hao Xuan was giving.


    "Hahahaha!"


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/a8/b2/f9/a8b2f99efe9869f916c39a857ae66892.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/bF4wq

 Chapter 756: Whimper

    <h4>Chapter 756: Whimper</h4>


    It looked...happy? It was taking pleasure not from devouring Tasgall but from the reaction Hao Xuan had from watching it all unfold right in front of his eyes. It wanted to see his face as it devoured his friend.


    "Haha...hahahahaha! So that''s how it is!" a burst of roaringughter echoed throughout the entire hall.


    It was so loud that the other barbarians that were still a hundred or so meters away could hear it as clear as day. Even the Nightmare Hounds distanced themselves from him due to the sudden change in his behavior.


    "I get it, I get it now. I was too boring to watch, so you needed some new entertainment, didn''t you?" he shouted looking at the avian beast.


    "It was a trap all along wasn''t it? You motherFUCKERS, all of you, you knew about us from the beginning. You were just watching to see what would happen, weren''t you? From the start, it was all doomed to fail...doomed to fail...huh"


    He looked to the far right, towards the humanoid ether beast that was still sitting in its corner. From afar it looked like a tree because of its crusty skin and obvious wooden textures all along its body.


    It was awake and looking in Hao Xuan''s direction as well. And it was...smiling!


    Hao Xuan considered them nothing more than dumb animals that were incapable of havingplex thoughts but how would they reach such a level if they couldn''t even think for themselves?


    "You...understand, me?" Hao Xuan mouthed the words in a daze.


    The humanoid beast did not answer. Its ckened pupils only stared back at him with a discernable light of understanding that only an intelligent creature could have.


    "So....I was right.." he mumbled to himself.


    Hao Xuan craned his neck to look in the various directions for the silhouettes of the other Ether beasts that were fighting amongst themselves moments ago. All of them were now standing still, rxed as they could be, watching Hao Xuan.


    *Flop*


    Something hit Hao Xuan in the back. He turned around and saw the bloody chewed-up remains of Tasgall. It was a little more than a rolled ball of flesh with bonesing out of it, but half of his face was still intact.


    His eyes were open, colored in with an expression of disbelief.


    Hao Xuan slowly raised his head to look towards the avian creature. Its beak hung open, arching to the sides to create perhaps the most horrific smile anyone could ever witness.


    It gestured towards the ball of flesh at Hao Xuan''s feet as if to say, "Here, you can have it back."


    So much was going through Hao Xuan''s mind that he zoned out for a moment. All the noise died down, reced by his own quickening heartbeat.


    Hao Xuan felt the ground shake beneath his feet. He turned towards the source of themotion and saw the humanoid ether beast standing up.


    It raised its right arm towards the front. It looked like it was covered in a thorny bark-like skin. When it saw Hao Xuan peering towards him it gestured towards the directions it was pointing.


    Hao Xuan looked and saw the rest of the barbarians slowly creep out from behind the rows ofbating beasts.


    Burak saw Hao Xuan standing out in the open and waved at him, signaling for him to wait there.


    "No don''te he-"


    Before Hao Xuan could even finish the sentence, the very ground they were running on broke apart as dozens ofrge razor-sharp wooden spikes shot up into the air, impaling the whole lot where they stood.


    Other than Burak and Jarek there was nobody left alive.


    Jarek survived because in the end, it was a parasitic creature that was inhabiting his body and it could not be killed by normal means.


    And Burak survived because of his extremely durable body but at the end that was all he could manage, to barely hang on. Just like the others his entire lower body looked like a pin doll due to the numerous spikes going through them.


    He was hanging in the air, being held by the spikes as they still continued their attempts to drill through his body.


    "Huh...what is..." Burak tried to speak but only managed to utter a couple of words before a curved talon shot down from the air and picked him up.


    The avian creature had made its move one more time. Just like before it looked towards Hao Xuan before throwing the still struggling barbarian into its toothy maw.


    Hao Xuan heard his heart-wrenching screams for a few seconds before it all went silent again. He had never even heard a single whimper from Burak''s mouth during the ten or so months they spent together, so listening to the screams and cries for help as he was slowly grinded down to pieces, Hao Xuan could only imagine the kind of pain he would have gone through in hisst moments.

 Chapter 757: Lazar

    <h4>Chapter 757: Lazar</h4>


    Jarek who wasst of the barbarians was turned to mush before Hao Xuan could even wrap his mind around what was happening.


    The Avian Ether Beast ''jumped'' down from the ceiling,nding right behind Hao Xuan. It was over 200 meters long from head to tail so standing in its shadow Hao Xuan was smaller than an ant.


    It lowered its beastly head as much as it could, nudging Hao Xuan awake.


    He was still standing there, amongst all the death and bloodshed, but it didn''t ''feel'' real to him. He felt like a stranger in his own body, watching the scenes unfold from the perspective of a third person.


    He turned around and to see the creature''s open maw weing him.


    Behind them the humanoid ether beast had strode in as if it was on a morning walk. It got down on one knee.


    Hao Xuan heard a rumble and turned back around to see the humanoid ether beast staring down at him. Even bent halfway it was over 60 meters tall.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze was pulled towards its eyes. It stared at him for just a second before he felt a sudden shock to his brain. It felt like a grenade had gone off in his head.


    Hao Xuan''s knees buckled under the immense pressure and pain. He felt like he was about to pass out when he heard a booming voice ringing in his head. It was loud, so utterly loud that Hao Xuan couldn''t even hear himself think, and it was all being projected right into his mind.


    Hao Xuan could feel it going through his brain looking for words and when it found them, a sentence was formed. The voice sounded like his own but a little older, a bit raspier like it hadn''t spoken in a long time.


    "Undo the seal," he heard his own voice order in a booming whisper.


    Blood poured out of Hao Xuan''s eyes, nose and ears as the blood vessels simply popped from the pressure. A stream of images was projected into his brain that showed the scenes from the humanoid creature''s past.


    The scene there was much different than any world Hao Xuan had seen before. It was a world of giant humanoid beings, true giants. They lived among earth-shatteringly tall mountain peaks, sometimes bing the mountains themselves if they managed to live that long.


    This humanoid was from a race called the ''Falkenreath''. A type of species that had the bloodline of the Ancient Heartwood Dragons flowing through their veins.


    They had exceptionally long lifespans with powers that matched the titles of ''Draconic Warriors''.


    This one in specific had a name that Hao Xuan could not even utter but it sounded like ''Lazar'' when spoken by humans.


    Hao Xuan saw the barren, rocky world it lived in. Their species did not like to socialize with one another so each one of them lived in a territory of its own.


    One day Lazar was approached by a man. A human male from the looks of it but that man''s power was far beyond anything Lazar had seen. The man told him that he did not belong in that world, that it was a prison for him and his kind and that he could set him free.


    Curious and confident in his own strength, Lazar followed the man to his world only to end up in a far worse situation than he expected. The man sealed Lazar''s true power and imprisoned him within this pyramid.


    The man told him that he needed Lazar''s power to fight a ''disease'' and when he didn''t need him anymore, Lazar would be set free.


    But that day never came. The man disappeared, probably meeting an untimely death, leaving Lazar sealed and imprisoned within this ce. Over time, creatures from many other worlds also found their way into the pyramid but none of th strong ones could ever leave due to the restrictions of this ce.


    Lazar killed all the ones that did not bow down to him, leaving only these four to keep himpany.


    "Lift the seal!"


    Hao Xuan heard the words again. He opened his eyes and saw Lazar''s face peering back at him.


    Hao Xuan obviously had no idea about this seal or how to lift it, but right now that wasn''t the question on his mind.


    "Why...did you kill them? My friends? They meant you no harm."


    Lazar seemed confused by his query. He nced to the side at the multitude of beast corpses strewn across the floor.


    "So it was payback?" Hao Xuan asked but the answer he got was not one he expecting.


    Lazar let out such a wide smile that the ring of thorny horns on his head even shifted a little.


    "To sow fear!"


    He wanted Hao Xuan to be afraid, to know what would happen if he disobeyed. He would have probably done the same to whoever survived, it just happened to be Hao Xuan this time around.


    He wanted to break Hao Xuan''s willpower so he would not be able to resist.

 Chapter 758: Rising

    <h4>Chapter 758: Rising</h4>


    Lazar wanted to break Hao Xuan''s resolve so he would not be able to put up a resistanceter or even think about escaping. He wanted to have full control over his mind. (Image in authors notes and discord)


    He channeled a portion of his own willpower into Hao Xuan''s body but uponing into contact with the chaos energy it disintegrated into nothingness.


    A hint of amazement shed past his face but only for a brief moment. He refocused his energy, this time using almost 10% of it. It went straight for Hao Xuan''s brain, trying to wriggle its way in towards his soul to create a soul contract.


    To Hao Xuan it felt like someone had reached into the very core of his being, exposing every secret and insecurity he had in an attempt to ''undo'' him from inside out.


    He knew if he kept staring into Lazar''s eyes he wouldpletely lose himself in a matter of seconds but no matter how hard he tried to look away or even close his eyes, nothing worked. His body didn''t feel his own anymore.


    "NO! GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"


    Hao Xuan roared as loudly as he could but couldn''t budge more than a few inches. It felt like someone was holding him in ce with so much strength that even a hundred of him would not be able to resist it.


    And how could he? What Hao Xuan was experiencing was Lazar''s territory, the physical manifestation of a refined Law! And to fight against aw with nothing but one''s own physical body was simply not possible.


    But Hao Xuan did not know this. He could ''feel'' the presence of some kind of a supernatural force but had no real idea what it was or how to deal with it so he did what he could.


    Channeling more and more strength through his body in a bid to put up a fight, he started injuring himself instead.


    "AAAAAAHH!"


    Each and every muscle, fiber, and tissue in Hao Xuan''s body was put to work. From the tendons and ligaments to his very heart, each organ pulsed with raw power. His shirt ripped open due to the sudden expansion of his muscles that looked like steel ribbons bursting at the seams.


    Veins that looked like worms snaking underneath his skin reared their heads.


    "Do not resist!"


    Another wave of intense mental energy crashed against Hao Xuan''s mind, reaching even his mind pce in one stroke. It shook like a raft in a storm. All the severs were forced awake from the suddenmotion.


    To them who were stuck in there, it felt like the sky itself was falling down but there was nothing they could do at this point.


    Hao Xuan grit his teeth with such strength that the gums ruptured. Blood flowed from every single orifice in his body and then some.


    He wouldn''t even be able to die at this rate before the temporal energy field ran out and would be stuck in this situation.


    Hao Xuan racked his brain in this moment of extreme desperation. If he knew it was going to end this way he would have used his full strength from the start to fight it.


    Within a few seconds, the majority of his blood had painted the floor beneath a shade of crimson red. He could feel his energy waning by the second and even though the Chaosw put up a fair bit of resistance against the intruding mental energy, that was all it could do.


    Hao Xuan''s breath started to weaken. His vision darkened and his senses numbed.


    *Beep*


    "Warning! Warning!"


    "Severe Blood Loss Detected."


    "System going into Hypovolemic Shock."


    "Organ Failure Imminent!"


    "Brain Death in 240 seconds!"


    "Employing Countermeasures!"


    A wave of nanites rushed through Hao Xuan''s blood vessels towards his heart and all the major organs in an attempt to keep them functioning. They were meant to replicate blood cells and close off all open wounds but-


    "Countermeasures Unsessful."


    "Foreign sma Cells Detected."


    "Unknown Energy Detected."


    "Extreme Inter.....fer...en-"


    Since Hao Xuan was on the verge of losing consciousness already Baracus''s notifications and warnings all fell on deaf ears. He was too busy trying to stay awake.


    When a normal person loses more than 20% of their total blood supply, the heart cannot pump a sufficient amount of blood to the rest of the body and goes into shock.


    Hao Xuan had lost over 60% of his total blood supply. The only reason he was still not dead was because of his inhuman body but even that had limits, limits that were reached and surpassed.


    Most of the blood had spilled out, leaving only copious amounts of Chaos Qi rumbling through mostly empty vessels.


    But where was all that energy to go? True to its name, the ''Immortal Devouring Demon Physique'' jumped into action and started devouring the Chaos Qi like a thirsty demon, using it to ''create'' more blood.


    The Chaos Qi was pulled towards Hao Xuan''s hearts.


    *THUMP* X2


    They beat in unison, consuming the energy to create what he wascking, blood! Only it wasn''t ordinary blood anymore.


    *Beep*


    "Interference Source Identified."


    "Blood Purity Level Rising: 14%"


    "Lycan Bloodline Detected."


    "Blood Purity Level Rising: 17%"


    "Blood Purity Level Rising: 19%"


    "Blood Purity Level Rising: 32%"


    "Blood Purity Level Rising: 48%"


    "Bloodline Integrated and Stabilized".


    "System returning to normal."


    Lazar who was grinning ear to ear while watching Hao Xuan squirm in pain suddenly took a ''giant'' step back.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Lazar Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/7b/0d/85/7b0d85ec9c4789777caa66a7777e0118.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/HD6XH

 Chapter 759: The Blood Bearer

    <h4>Chapter 759: The Blood Bearer</h4>


    Lazar was kneeling over Hao Xuan, grinning from ear to ear while watching him squirm in dreadful pain in a futile attempt to resist the power of his ''territory''.


    ''Bloodline Integration Sessful.''


    *Thump* X2


    Hao Xuan''s heart thumped heavily against his chest, as if announcing to all enemies of his defiance.


    Lazar''s expression suddenly turned grim and he took a step back.


    Hao Xuan who couldn''t even close his eyes until a few seconds was now standing straight. He looked leaner, a lot more skinner than before. His bulging muscles halved in size but somehow, he ''felt'' stronger.


    Lazar frowned seeing Hao Xuan casually standing while still within his territory.


    He extended his right hand, bringing theplete manifestation of hisw into the world, or as much as he could with over 90% of his actual power sealed.


    The pressure within a 150 meters of him suddenly quadrupled. The avian beast swiftly lept back so as not to get caught in it but all the smaller beasts were not so lucky.


    The weaker ones were the first to go, all the ones below the Spirit Realm. It looked like an invisible hammer had struck them down, turning them into little more than puddles of blood and guts.


    While the stronger ones fell to the ground due to the immense pressure. They cried from pain, loosening hoarse howls from their gullets. Only it wasn''t the pressure that was causing them pain, but the Law itself.


    In a little over 3 seconds, each beast had turned into a semi-solid substance. Rocky spikes jutted out of their bodies, expanding in size, density, and quantity until they looked like horrible miscreations that were half flesh and half rock and metal.


    This was the power of aw.


    Lazar''s Law was already at the 7th tier which meant he could gain full control over all metallic substances within the range of his territory.


    Using his own power he could turn a nugget of gold into a mountain if he had all his powers but even now, with the mere fraction of his abilities unsealed, he could still kill any living being that did not have aw of its own.


    With his Law, Lazar was able to control the trace amounts of metals that are found within every living creature and use them to kill everything from inside out.


    Or at least that''s what was supposed to happen.


    Where all other beasts, dead or alive, turned into misshapen metallic sculptures, Hao Xuan was unfazed. His chest heaved up and down normally as everything within 150 meters of him had turned to rock and stone.


    Lazar could not believe what he was seeing. This was a LAW! And one that was at a rtively high tier to boot.


    Hao Xuan raised his hands, nkly staring at his w-like nails that shone with a dark glimmer while muttering to himself.


    "So this is it, the power of a Lycan bloodline? I understand why they were almost wiped out now..."


    The lycan blood coursing through his veins woke something inside of him. A series of memories that were sealed within the blood itself. It was only because he reached almost 50% blood purity level that some of the memories showed themselves.


    They revealed a series of events, from a long, LONG time ago, of the one that was called the ''Blood Bearer'', the one from whom Hao Xuan''s bloodline descended.


    He was the first being that stood in defiance to the Ancient Gods and it was his bloodline that was now running through Hao Xuan''s veins that allowed him to do so.


    A single sentence resounded within Hao Xuan''s ears, louder and more clearer than anything he had ever heard in his life.


    ''My blood shall set you free, unshackled and without restraint!''


    Now or power could ever affect a being of the Lycan bloodline. That was the core of the Lycanthropes, among whose ranks Hao Xuan now stood.


    He raised his head to meet Lazar''s bewildered gaze, "You don''t feel as threatening anymore."


    Hao Xuan bent his knees, aiming straight ahead. Lazar''s ck eyes widened as he felt a tinge of fear crawl up his spine. It was shouting at him to kill Hao Xuan before he could move a muscle.


    What little bit of Chaos Qi was still left in Hao Xuan''s body was pulled towards his legs.


    ''Demonic Steps-''


    This was the second time Hao Xuan had used demonic steps with Chaos Qi but he still wasn''t used to it, mostly because of how strange the resulting technique was.


    ''-Maelstrom of Chaos!''


    When he pushed against the ground a low rumble echoed in the nearby space before Hao Xuan''s body turned into a ball of ash and smoke, shooting towards Lazar''s face.


    He hadn''t actually dematerialized but used the Chaos Qi to surround himself in such a way that he broke free from the naturalws that held him back.


    The gravity couldn''t bring him down nor could the friction slow his advance as he waved through the jungle of metallic spikes that shot out of the ground in an attempt to block him.

 Chapter 760: A Small Respite

    <h4>Chapter 760: A Small Respite</h4>


    Demonic Steps was a very simple movement technique by nature. Depending on the Qi used to initiate it, the result would be different for each one.


    When Hao Xuan used it with Chaos Qi the very first time, the effect wasn''t that strong. There was a screen of grey energy that partially surrounded him from top to bottom, not only obscuring the view of all that were around him but increasing his own movement speed.


    But now that Hao Xuan had used every iota of Chaos Qi at his disposal, the effects were much, MUCH stronger. And it was aptly named ''Maelstrom of Chaos'' because of them.


    The pyramid''s floor that could take a direct attack from a demigod and still not budge now had a shallow imprint left in the same spot where Hao Xuan was standing.


    Chaos Qi erupted forth from the soles of Hao Xuan''s feet and immediately surrounded his entire body like a me. To all the spectators he looked like a ball of smoke, lighting, and fire from afar but it did not stop there.


    Chaos Qi distorted the space around him making him appear smaller. And since it surrounded him, he broke free from most of thews of nature, entering a sort of sub-dimension.


    Hao Xuan could feel the difference in his body. He felt smaller and lighter, almost weightless. There was no resistance from the air nor from the gravity that shackled him.


    A high-pitched screech that sounded like it wasing from somewhere very far away emanated throughout the entire 3500-meter square level.


    Even though it wasing from Hao Xuan, the sound was distributed and diffused throughout the nearby space in such a way that it felt like it wasing from every single direction other than the only right one.


    Lazar brought out the full potential of his Law, creating long metal spikes from nothing. They tried to block Hao Xuan''s path or even slow him down enough for one or to impale him but he was too fast.


    Using the ''Maelstrom of Chaos'' Hao Xuan was able to change his direction mid-air and although he couldn''t ''fly'', propelling himself through the air was more than easy enough. The only downside was that it ate through his Qi, of which there was very little to begin with.


    Seeing Hao Xuan closing in on him quickly, Lazar knew that he underestimated Hao Xuan and that he was not as simple as he had originally thought.


    Immediately thrusting both his hands forward, Lazar used the power of his Law in conjunction with his own bloodline, that of the Ancient Heartwood Dragon''s.


    He opened his toothy gullet and let out an inaudible roar. No one could hear it, not even Hao Xuan.


    The blood that was spilled from every creature that had died since the start of this battle was called to action. It seethed and boiled with intense lifeforce that was pulled from it not a momentter.


    It turned into a shade of inky ckness before abruptly solidifying into a hard metallic material. One after another gigantic leafless trees sprung to life, shooting out of the ground and reaching dozens of meters of height within the blink of an eye.


    The only difference was that these trees were not made of wood but a living ck metal called the ''Void Obsidian'' that was able to restrict the flow of all energies.


    Their branches grew to immense sizes and even the roots shot out of the ground towards Hao Xuan.


    This was Lazar''s core ability, the ''Ancestor''s Respite''. In less than 10 seconds more than half of the floor looked like an old cursed forest that was alive with unrest.


    Hao Xuan who was still using the ''Maelstrom of Chaos'' and should have been free from all outside force suddenly slowed down.


    The Chaos Qi shrieked from the disturbance. Hao Xuan was finding it harder and harder to control it. He was forced out of the technique instantly, beginning his descent towards the ever-increasing tree branches there were wing their way up towards him.


    Seeing as he didn''t have long, Hao Xuan gave up on defense and directed all the Qi towards his legs.


    He stepped on air as if it was solid ground, twisted his feet forward and inward, utilizing the Chaos Qi''s most basic function to diverge and scatter the very molecr structure of the air and drawing power from it.


    The air exploded.


    *BOOOOOM*


    Tongues of me and arcs of electricity encircled Hao Xuan''s lower body. His legs shattered from the shockwave and his feet were torn to shreds but it was enough to send him shooting forward.


    He broke the speed of sound and then surpassed it, reaching Mach 3 with nothing but his physical body.


    The static current created from the friction reached such a level that itpletely epassed Hao Xuan.


    It looked like he was encased in a white armor of lightning.


    Hao Xuan''s figure becamerger andrge in Lazar''s eyes until that was all he could see. Lazar brought both his hands forward before drawing them back towards his chest.


    A five-meter thick tree root shot out of the ground at breakneck speed-


    *Squelch*


    -barely managing to pierce straight through Hao Xuan''s body which was less than five meters away from Lazar''s face.


    Hao Xuan was just close enough that the static current leaped off of him and smattered onto Lazar who had unknowingly be crusted with sweat.


    The draconian warrior was flustered, for the first time in a very long time.


    He looked at the ant-like human that looked like a skewer right in front of his face. He should have felt relief at this point but seeing the knowing smirk being birthed on Hao Xuan''s face his heart became heavy.


    "See? I knew you weren''t...as strong as...you wanted me...to think," he happily announced.


    "I''ll see you...very soon," Hao Xuan winked with a wide grin before thrusting his own hand through his skull.


    *GASP*

 Chapter 761: A Part of

    <h4>Chapter 761: A Part of</h4>


    *GASP*


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes to the same scene for the seventeenth andst time and as soon as he did, the temporal field destabilized and copsed, akin to a balloon being popped.


    Hao Xuan felt the ambient energy diffuse towards the rest of his body and into the surroundings, leaving a coldness in its wake that he would remember for a very long time.


    This was his very first experience with time maniption and he paid a hefty price for it in the form of 16 deaths, two of which were his own doing.


    The Nightmare Hounds encircled him once more, trying to find an opportunity to strike but Hao Xuan knew what wasing.


    He felt the changes in his body orck thereof. He still clearly remembered the sensation and the process of bringing the Lycan bloodline to its maturity and knew that it was his only way out.


    With no second chances, he couldn''t waste any time now.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand to summon the ive. This was the first time he had called for it in many months and could feel its longing as soon as it materialized.


    *Zzzzz*


    It thrummed slowly, meekly protesting against the unfair treatment it had received. Hao Xuan brushed his hand against the handle to calm it down.


    "I''m sorry, but bear with me for just a little bit more, I''ll make it up to you for sure," he whispered coaxingly in a low tone of voice, getting a weak buzz in response.


    The Nightmare Hounds that were the most immediate threat backed away upon seeing the ive''s length.


    Hao Xuan nced towards Lazar and the avian beast that were both still sticking to their pretenses.


    ''Not this time!''


    He swung the ive in a semi-circle cutting his wrists to the bone. The ive fell from his grasp.


    Blood continuously poured from the gaping wounds and onto the ive as it thirstily drank every single drop without wasting any.


    "Baracus! Help me keep the wounds open!" Hao Xuan ordered as soon as the natural healing factor kicked in.


    *Beep*


    ''Do you mind me asking wh-''


    "No time, do it now!"


    Not a momentter the nanites coursed through his vein and towards his wrists where they got to work. Several liters'' worth of blood was pumped out within seconds.


    Hao Xuan felt the weakness spreading throughout and a momentter his knees buckled.


    ''Blood loss at 57%.''


    ''Warning! Warning!''


    Baracus''s emergency notifications popped up once again but Hao Xuan was too drowsy to pay any attention to them. His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton and he knew if he closed his eyes then that would be it.


    But he couldn''t stop here. Last time he had reached a bloodline purity level of 48% but that was not enough. He needed at least half to make any real difference.


    Hao Xuan tried to wave his hand but even such a small movement proved too difficult for the time being.


    ''Baracus, close the wounds when I lose consciousness and send out one teardrop spirit stone,'' he left themand with Baracus since he was already teetering on the precipice of eternal darkness.


    The teardrop crystal he mentioned was the same one he got from the lighting area prior to entering the webway (Ch 680). It was an extremely unstable spirit stone that should not havested more than a few days but to Hao Xuan''s surprise, it somehow followed the time flow of this world rather than the one Hao Xuan was trapped in.


    And since the disparity was so much that a few hours here were equal to more than 10 months in the other one, Hao Xuan was able to keep the crystals with him in one piece until such a time came when he needed them, like now.


    The extra energy from the crystal should be enough to power the process all the way and hopefully help him reach an even higher level.


    ''This is extremely dangerous. Your body will go into shock any second-''


    ''I know I know, just do it...''


    ''.....''


    ''Affirmative. Deploying temporary defensive measures.''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes, leaving Baracus to deal with as much as he could.


    He counted on the cautious nature of the Nightmare Hounds to buy himself some time and if that didn''t work, Baracus had a couple of things up his sleeve.


    As soon as Hao Xuan''s eyes shut his consciousness was pulled inward. He was able to see everything happening inside him and control it to an extent.


    The Chaos Qi gathered towards his hearts just like before, strengthening them as they started refining a dark red liquid that was much thicker than normal blood.


    But Hao Xuan noticed something that he had missed before. It looked like there was something inside his left heart. It looked like a small egg-shaped fleshy growth that was attached to the outer lining.


    Even though he was looking right at it, Hao Xuan couldn''t ''feel'' its existence. It felt natural as if it was a part of him all along but obviously, that wasn''t the case.


    ''What the hell is this?!''

 Chapter 762: Shell

    <h4>Chapter 762: Shell</h4>


    ''What the hell is this?!''


    It wasn''t often Hao Xuan ventured inside his body in such a way, using the spiritual sense to see what exactly was going on.


    But now that he had, he saw the strange growth attached to his heart. Or would it be more appropriate to say that it was a part of it?


    It didn''t look like something foreign but a part of his usual self but Hao Xuan knew he never had such a thing. And the more he stared at it the stranger it looked.


    It wasn''t following his heart''s natural rhythm. It was always just a little bit slower, a fraction of a second but enough to make difference. And that along with its peculiar shape made it resemble another heart that was beating inside his own.


    More and more Chaos Qi flowed towards his hearts and soon Hao Xuan felt a sudden burst of pure electrically charged energy coursing through his veins. Where the Chaos Qi resembled a cloud of smoke, this energy was much sharper and almost had a physical form.


    It was yellow in color, just like the lighting bolts from which it was created. Their essence was stored inside the crystals and now was being absorbed into Hao Xuan''s body.


    The yellow energy that took the shape of liquid lightning struck the clouds of Chaos Qi surroundings the hearts. The Chaos Qi hummed and hissed before attacking the invading energy and stripping off the majority of its potency for itself and letting only a sliver pass on to the heart.


    But even that small sliver was enough to make Hao Xuan''s entire body shiver from head to toe.


    ''Ack!''


    It felt like someone had pouredva straight down his gullet. The internal temperature started rising to an incredible degree making both his hearts glow with a bright purple hue.


    Minute cracks started appearing on the top and bottom of each heart as they pumped with enough force that the air around him started to vibrate.


    His chest puffed up with each rotation, making the hearts visible through the skin and bones. Thick rivulets of red and purple liquid started coursing through his arteries, towards each and every part of his body.


    Hao Xuan lost track of what was happening the moment the energy from the teardrop spirit stone entered his body. It was so intense that he had to redirect all of his focus on not passing out from the pain.


    Outside, the scenes were in much the same anarchy. Hao Xuan was burning off all the moisture from in and around his body that became searing hot steam, giving him a much-needed screen of protection.


    The Nightmare Hounds that were already on guardpletely lost all will to attack upon sensing the intense energy fluctuations emanating from within the ball of white steam.


    The light from the teardrop spirit crystal illuminated the surroundings in shes of yellow light just before they were pulled into Hao Xuan''s body. If someone from earth was here they would think someone was doing welding in there.


    And during all this the ive was undergoing its own evolution of sorts. By absorbing such copious amounts of Hao Xuan''s blood it was starting to stir. The weapon spirit that had been asleep for so long absorbed every single drop of blood that came its way and then even siphoned off a small portion of energy that was leaking from the teardrop crystal.


    Although it took a while to describe the exact circumstances, the entire process didn''t evenst a whole minute from start to finish.


    The Hounds let out weak whimpers of protests. They were far too cowardly to attack head-on, let alone when they couldn''t even see what it was they were actually attacking.


    They looked at each other and then at the leader, thergest hound that was at the periphery of breaking into the Ether Beast realm. Its eyes twinkled like freshly dug rubies as it attempted to pierce through the dense cover of mist.


    It looked back towards Lazar who was still pretending to be asleep, although more alert than before.


    The pyramid''s seal was in still full effect. Every creature at or above the realm of an Ether Beast that entered through one of the webway portals fell under its effect.


    The seal stripped them of all their true powers, sealed theirws by about 90-95%, and prevented them from venturing outwards.


    All they could actually depend on was the strength of their physical bodies since that was the only thing still partly open. That was the reason why none of these all-powerful Ether beasts attacked head-on.


    If it turned out that the enemy was stronger than what they could handle with their limited powers, then it could very well spell their doom.


    Lazar was sealed within the pyramid for more than a few tens of thousands of years. Even for someone of his species, such a long period of time was noughing matter.


    His power continuously faded and now, he was a little more than a shell of his past self.


    He watched and waited from the sidelines, making the smaller beasts do all the work in his stead. But when he felt the vigorous energying from Hao Xuan''s side, he couldn''t help but make a move himself.

 Chapter 763: Danger Ahead

    <h4>Chapter 763: Danger Ahead</h4>


    Lazar finally stood up. The energy readingsing from the mist were far too strong to be ignored any longer.


    He strode through the many beasts, stepping over masses of them and within a few steps was standing within striking distance of Hao Xuan.


    Still somewhat apprehensive, Lazar chose to observe first.


    When the barbarian party firste in, Lazar singled out Hao Xuan because not only was he much smaller than the others but the energy and life force that he gave off was also much lower in intensity aspared to them.


    He seemed the most insignificant and the easiest one to deal with among the lot. That''s why he had ordered the canine Ether Beast to send the Nightmare Hounds out first, both as a test and an inquiry.


    If Hao Xuan was too weak he would simply die by their ws and if he managed to survive, Lazar would take control of his mind after it had been whittled down by the Nightmare Hound''s ability.


    He would make Hao Xuan his ve that was to be sent out into the world to find a way to undo the seal.


    Lazar released a tinge of his aura focused in and around the mist. The pressure started building up, forcing all the beasts to move back far enough so that they wouldn''t get caught in.


    He expected some sort of a response but the mist didn''t budge an inch. There was no sound nor movement. He couldn''t even feel the presence of any living thing in there.


    His brow furrowed from the confusion. Did the human die already? He WAS acting quite bizarrely beforehand. Maybe he didn''t think he was going to survive and chose to kill himself.


    Behind him, Tasgall made his appearance just in time to see Lazar bend down right above where Hao Xuan should be.


    He craned his neck and upon seeing the mist he rxed a little. Thinking it was one of Hao Xuan''s many abilities, he quickly retraced his steps to tell the others. A couple of minutester he was standing in front of Burak again.


    "Need help...the big one...moved!" he signed anxiously.


    Burak didn''t waste a single moment and quickly ordered the others to follow. Instead of leaving like how they had nned, they ran towards Hao Xuan at full speed.


    Killing any beasts that blocked their path, the party reached the boundary of the second zone where the canine beasts were all standing on the sides along with a mixture of others.


    Instead of fighting amongst one another as they should have been, all the beasts were staring towards the front where Lazar was kneeling down with his back towards them. He was hunched over, with his hand extending towards the mist.


    Burak''s expression turned grim once he understood what was happening.


    He turned towards Isak, "Go from the right and try to distract him for a few seconds. Just enough for me to get close."


    "Okay," Isak nodded at once.


    They were about to go their separate ways when someone reached out from behind and grabbed them from the shoulders.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Burak hissed swiveling his head back to see Jarek''s face.


    Jarek shook his head, "Stay. Dangerous!"


    "I know, that''s why we''re going. Move your hand, NOW!"


    Jarek''s usually expressionless face looked quite troubled right now. He didn''t know how to tell them what he was seeing so he did the best he could in such a situation.


    "No, dangerous if...too close. Don''t go near!"


    But his warning only sounded like the excuses of a coward to them. Even Isak seemed angry seeing as Jarek was still holding them back. He revealed the palm of his right hand which held a small ball of ck me.


    "I will burn your arms off if you don''t remove them right now!"


    But Jarek only shook his head even more vigorously, "No...you not understanding..."


    His gaze was locked onto Lazar''s back, or rather what was in front of it.


    When the parasite bonded with Jarek, much of his internal anatomy changed topensate for the new host of the body. The Parasite was the only one in control of it and since it was a creature that used to live in the abyss, obviously it did not process information in the same way as humans did.


    Where humanoid species mostly depended on their visual and auditory systems to ascertain what was happening around them, the parasite, more often than not, did not have such luxuries.


    That''s why it also developed the ability to ''see'' energy that all beings gave off alongside the usual methods.


    A normal human would look like a glowing ball of light about 15 centimeters in size. The size, shape, and intensity of each ball of light depended on how strong an individual was or how much energy they were giving off at that time.


    In Jarek''s eyes, Burak''s lifeforce was the strongest among them all at 1.6 meters.


    But right now, what he was seeing in front of Lazar left him at aplete loss for words.


    It was bright enough to dwarf everything else on the entire floor. Jarek''s senses felt pain from merely ncing in its direction.


    It wasn''t very big at only 2.2 meters but it was bright enough to even put a sun to shame.


    Isak was just about to strike when he felt a looming sense of dooming from the front, as did Burak and all of the other barbarians but none more so than Jarek.


    In his eyes he could see all the energy gathering at one single point.


    "Sunder...the heavens!"


    *Sssshhhh*

 Chapter 764: More of it.

    <h4>Chapter 764: ''More'' of it.</h4>


    A few minutes ago...


    ''Warning! Warning!''


    ''Unknown Energy Readings Detected.''


    ''Abnormalities Detected.''


    ''More than 18 new mutations detected within the bloodstream.''


    ''Blood Purity Level Rising!''


    ''17%''


    ''21%''


    ''36%''


    ''43%''


    ''49%''


    ''Foreign Energy Surge Detected.''


    ''Auditory system shutting down.''


    ''Visual system shutting down.''


    ''Internal Energy Levels Rising.''


    ''Internal Body Temperature at Critical Level.''


    ''Readjusting Measurement Criteria.''


    *Pop*


    ''Bloodline Purity Levels Rising.''


    ''55%''


    ''67%''


    ''72%''


    ''84%''


    ''91%''


    ''93%''


    ''Bloodline Purity Levels Stabilizing.''


    ''Auditory and Visual systems Restarting.''


    ''Biological Aberrations Detected.''


    Hao Xuan''s naked body was covered in a slimy red liquid that dripped down the sides and back. He slowly opened his eyes to reveal their almond shape.


    They were a littlerger than before, his pupils a tad bit darker, somewhat murkier as if there was something swimming within.


    His features were slightly sharper, especially the eyes.


    "Hmmm," Hao Xuan tried to speak but his throat was so very dry and itchy.


    He tried to clear it but surprised even himself hearing the hoarse voice that escaped his gullet. It didn''t sound human at all. He got a little worried but-


    ''There is still some residual swelling within therynx due to the mutations. Slowly massage it from side to side in a clockwise fashion,'' Baracus quickly informed him of the truth.


    Hao Xuan brought both his hands towards his neck but paused upon noticing the w-like inch-long nails now adorning the edges of his fingers.


    He stared at them for a moment and as if by magic, they retracted back into his hands like they were never there.


    He followed Baracus''s instructions while taking a look inside his body. His consciousness appeared next to his left heart.


    The heart appeared to be a bit bigger than before and it didn''t look like it was made from normal tissue anymore. It had a tinge of purple color spreading throughout each valve, especially the swollen part to the front where the growth was.


    It looked much more pronounced as if it was ready to be pulled out like a piece of a puzzle. But Hao Xuan knew from one nce that it had bonded with the tissue on a much deeper level.


    Maybe it was because his senses were a bit sharper than before but he could also feel a strange energying off of it, one that didn''t felt like his own. Not to mention the equally strange symbols that were inscribed on the inside of the skin.


    He could see their rough shape protruding outwards, as if there was too much pressure inside and they were bursting at the seams.


    But seeing as it wasn''t urgent, Hao Xuan returned to the outside world for a more pressing issue that was looming over him, quite literally.


    He saw Lazar''s face staring down at him but his eyes were a little unfocused as if he couldn''t see him exactly.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand back and forth but saw no change in its eyes.


    ''He really can''t see me...''


    ''Affirmative. The white mist surrounding you is created from the charged particles that leaked into the atmosphere from the spirit stone. It not only obstructs vision but all other supernaturally powered modes of investigation.''


    ''How long will itst?''


    ''Close to 160 seconds or if you add or remove energy from the system yourself, whicheveres first.''


    ''So if I use Qi it will dissipate by itself?''


    ''Correct.''


    Hao Xuan nodded and started to survey the surroundings. He felt like he had taken a bath for the first time in his life. His entire body felt so sensitive and new.


    He could feel the flow of energy in the air. It was so obvious and distinct that Hao Xuan was more than a little shocked by this new discovery. This would help him greatly in his own progression.


    And maybe it was because he was naked but the hair located throughout his body could pick up the smallest movement within a radius of probably dozens of meters around him.


    But strangely enough his vision did not get sharper. He could still only see as far as before but now he could see ''more'' of it.


    Of the many hundreds of beasts of all different realms that surrounded him currently, each one had a tinge of a different color around their silhouettes.


    For some, it was very weak as if a light was shining upon them from somewhere far away but for others, it was strong enough to overpower everything.


    A lot of yellow, green and grey.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils widened a smidgen upon seeing them. He raised his head again and smiled upon seeing a faint yellow and green hue around Lazar as well. He was one of the rare few that had two colors.


    Hao Xuan took a deep breath in through his nose, closing his eyes for a moment to relish the tingling taste that shot through his senses.


    "I can smell your fear!" he couldn''t help but mutter under his breath.


    Lazar''s head suddenly jerked to the side. He had heard something.


    He quickly leaned back before extending his hand forward. It was covered in ayer of ck metallic armor that was melded with his skin.


    Hao Xuan''s lips arched into a ferocious smile upon seeing the approaching limb.

 Chapter 765: The Awakened Form

    <h4>Chapter 765: The Awakened Form</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s lips arched into a vicious grin seeing the forelimb closing in on him. He recalled all the trouble he had to go through because of his trap, the numerous deaths he experienced.


    If not for thepletely random ability he unintentionally got from devouring the Puer, Hao Xuan would have died here without a shadow of a doubt. But maybe that would have been a better alternative...


    Hao Xuan extended his hand with the palm facing down. The ive trembled for an instant before shooting up into his grasp as if pulled by an invisible force.


    A surge of spiritual sense ran through Hao Xuan''s body as soon as he came into contact with it. It felt like he was holding a person''s hand rather than an inanimate piece of metal. He didn''t need to ask anything, all the answers directly came to him.


    He could almost hear a voice. It was just a string of thoughts but they were alive, there was actual emotion there. It was asking what Hao Xuan wanted to do and he could feel its every intention.


    He had never felt anything so pure in his entire life. It desired nothing, it saw nothing nor wanted anything other than what fulfilling Hao Xuan''s wish. He could feel the earnest longing in its intentions.


    And in that moment he knew that it now lived only for him. He had bonded with itpletely and it had epted Hao Xuan as its owner.


    The bond between a weapon spirit and its master is unbreakable. The master can have another weapon spirit, but the weapon spirit will never have another master.


    All the anger, pain, and revulsion Hao Xuan was feeling was drawn into the ive. It thrummed loudly, its de bing a littlerger, a little wider toplete its master''s wish.


    Hao Xuan wanted Lazar to suffer as he had, to feel all pain as he did, and the ive listened.


    It changed its shape, its awakened form constantly shifting and splitting topensate for Hao Xuan''s wishes. Before his very eyes, it became somethingpletely different.


    Slight indentations showed themselves, serrated edges that looked like sharp teeth adorned the back of the de while the front curved itself, bing not only wider but longer. It suddenly dipped down near the handle where another pointed endid waiting.


    It drew power from Hao Xuan, from his emotions and his blood.


    Hao Xuan could hear its cries in his ears as clear as day. It was thought turned emotion and emotion transmuted into raw power. It wanted to tear Lazar apart, it begged him to let it cut into his flesh, it was crying for it.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes glowed with brutality. His own emotions mirroring what the ive was feeling.


    He looked behind and saw teardrop spirit stone still shimmering with a fading golden light. There was still some power left in there.


    Hao Xuan raised his foot before bringing it down into the crystal, smashing it to smithereens. Suddenly released from its prison the raw energy shot towards the only outlet that was nearby.


    It lept onto Hao Xuan like a serpent, crawling along his legs and towards his chest where it gathered.


    Hao Xuan''s skin tingled under the increasing temperature but he did not n to let it dig deeper. He raised the ive above his head, redirecting every ounce of energy into it.


    For just an instant Hao Xuan noticed the serrated teeth located along the back of the ive suddenly open up and a jet of blue me erupting from within. It was gathering energy and when arge enough charge had been gathered, it truly ''woke'' up.


    The bubble of mist surrounding Hao Xuan suddenly exploded. Lazar''s hand was almost right above him when that happened so there was no way he could pull back in time.


    Everyone listening, be it the barbarians or the numerous beasts, in thatst moment they heard something. It was an abrupt swarm of loud whispers that sounded within their minds. Barely even a second but it was there.


    The air hummed loudly for a brief moment before suddenly growing silent, along with the rest of the world.


    "Sunder!"


    Hao Xuan''s words fell like hammers into the mind of every sentient creature on the floor. It was a heavenly decree, inescapable and inevitable. It was an order from high heavens.


    *Swish*


    The ive fell, taking all the light with it for just an instant.


    And in that momentary darkness, a vision of a man shed past his eyes.


    Hao Xuan found himself standing next to a handsome man in his early twenties. He had crystalline white eyes with a pattern of three semi-circles constantly rotating within them.


    They were overlooking a humungous pce that floated above the clouds. All manners of strange creatures flew in the air, with even a few dragons mixed in.


    "Are you leaving already?" the man asked Hao Xuan, heavy-hearted at the mere mention of it.


    Hao Xuan nodded, "It''s time. I must get back to my people. I have been gone too long this time."


    The man lowered his head somewhat dejectedly.


    "I wish you could stay a little longer. I wanted you to witness the moment I ept the throne."


    Hao Xuan chuckled, pping his back mischievously.


    "Buck up, young master. What would your subjects think if they saw their precious ''Empyrean Emperor'' pouting like a child? Plus, it''s not like we''ll never meet again. Everything is already taken care of so all you have to do is take your rightful ce and be a good ruler." (Mentioned once before in CH12 ''Sunder'')


    "I know. But I could have never done it without your help. If only you would let me tell the others-"


    "No. No one must ever know I helped you. To the others I must only be your battle brother, nothing more. The truth will only put them in more danger. Promise me!"


    The Empyrean Emperor saw Hao Xuan''s solemn expression and couldn''t help but nod along.


    Hao Xuan simpered seeing him obediently ept his words withoutint, "Rx, have fun with your beautiful wife. Hell, take in a few extra brides too, there is no shortage of ''Heavenly Beauties'' vying for your attention. Have a hundred kids so when I see you again in a few thousand years there is a whole n of yours to rival the other gods."


    The Empyrean Emperor opened the palm of his hand to reveal a small book and a glimmering white crystal.


    "Here, this is for you. It is the ''Celestial Mandate'' Iprehended upon my ascension to the High Heavens. I want you to have this at least, and I won''t take no as an answer."


    He threw the items towards Hao Xuan and walked through the pce gates before he could refuse. His words sounded within Hao Xuan''s mind.


    "I will see you again, brother. Don''t get lost in the river of time, it is not as small a ce as you have made it out to be. While waiting for your return I will create a world that you can be proud of. The one we dreamt and fought for. Don''t worry about a thing!"


    **


    A surge of emotions welled up inside Hao Xuan. But when he came to, a scene of carnage waited for him.

 Chapter 766: Calling it

    <h4>Chapter 766: Calling it</h4>


    A flood of emotions welled up inside Hao Xuan upon seeing the vision. It felt both genuine and unreal at the same time.


    But the worst part was that it actually made him tear up as if he knew that man in a much more personal manner despite the fact that they had never actually met.


    For a very brief moment, Hao Xuan felt like there was someone or something trying to overwrite his own memories. But when he came to, a scene of carnage waited for him which promptly brought him back to the real world.


    In front of him Lazar still stood in the same spot but he was frozen stiff with an expression of utter disbelief. The arm that had reached out towards Hao Xuan was separated from the rest of his body and cleanly rested on the ground.


    But that wasn''t even the most shocking part. Every single living creature that was standing directly behind him in the same line was cut cleanly in two.


    There were no sword marks left in the ground, no residual Qi in the air. There was absolutely nothing to show that Hao Xuan had even swung the ive...other than the row of corpses of course.


    Lazar turned his head to the side to peer at his empty shoulder. He looked at the wound in an attempt to rationalize the events of thest few seconds but it made no sense. He didn''t even feel the de pierce his flesh. No, it wasn''t that he didn''t feel, but it never touched him.


    He looked further back and saw the row of beast corpses that were cut apart in the exact same manner.


    There were no de marks, not even a sliver of killing intent. In fact, there was a glimmer of sacredness hidden in it that Lazar had not felt since the days of his own inception.


    Before his ancestors affirmed to the eternal sleep, they used to tell the youngins stories that spoke of a divine race of beings that could utter a solitary word and bring about a terrifying end.


    It was because of them that his kind was imprisoned on that dead rock in the first ce. When they didn''t kneel to these divine beings, one of them uttered a single phrase and brought an end to an entire species.


    And experiencing what had happened just now, Lazar could only think of that.


    It was almost as if Hao Xuan uttered the words and that desire was brought to realization. He said cut and the flesh obliged.


    He turned back around to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze and upon seeing the look of utter contempt in his eyes he felt ashamed for some reason. He wanted to look away but couldn''t.


    His head was locked into ce by an unknown force. And under that human''s naked gaze he felt like he had no secrets. It was prying open his darkest secrets and there was nothing he could do about it.


    And at that moment he knew it was his defeat. He had lost without raising a finger in defense. His mind had given up.


    "It is not yet time to undo the seal. You will stay here until I call for you. And the next time you even think about attacking me, it won''t be your hand that I cut off," Hao Xuan''s words echoed in the dpidated hall, forcing awake many of the beasts and the barbarians that were standing to the side.


    A couple of meters to the right and some of them might have suffered the same fate as Lazar, if not worse.


    Tasgall rubbed his shoulder, somehow feeling a lingering pain in his own nerves upon seeing Lazar''s condition.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and a ck robe appeared in his grasp. He put it on under the thousands of pairs of scrutinizing gazes as if they weren''t even there. When he was done dressing himself Hao Xuan calmly put away the ive and nced towards Lazar onest time.


    "Do you understand? It''s not yet time for you to leave."


    Lazar woke up from his stupor and nodded mechanically. He was surprised that Hao Xuan wanted to leave the matter as is but ted nheless.


    Hao Xuan smiled, "Good boy," before looking at the barbarians behind them.


    "Come on, let''s go, we''re alreadyte!"


    Still in shock, Burak was the first one to speak up.


    "O-Oh! Go, quickly!"


    He led the barbarians from right between Lazar''s legs and followed after Hao Xuan inplete silence, exiting the third floor without seeing any more action.


    When they had passed through several identical hallways Hao Xuan suddenly came to a stop.


    Burak walked up behind him, "What happened? Is there something in fro-" but before he could finish Hao Xuan fell to his knees and vomited several mouthfuls of blood.


    "O-Oi, are you okay?!"


    Suffice to say they were all surprised upon seeing him throw up blood out of nowhere but a momentter he startedughing.


    "Hahaha, that was so close. I really didn''t think I would make it," Hao Xuan spoke while wiping the side of his mouth.


    Hao Xuan thought he had more than enough energy this time around to use that move but in the end it ended up sucking his vital blood and when he tried to stop it, it backfired and rebounded some of the effects.


    Hao Xuan looked at his hands that had cracks all along the palms and forearm.


    "That was close. Help me up quick, we need to leave before they realize I was bluffing!"

 Chapter 767: Acute

    <h4>Chapter 767: Acute</h4>


    "That was close. Help me up quick, we need to leave before they realize I was bluffing!"


    Huffing and puffing Hao Xuan extended his hand which Burak swiftly grabbed, lending him a much-needed shoulder as they started sprinting towards the exit again.


    "''You will stay here until I call for you.''"


    That was perhaps the best bluff Hao Xuan had ever pulled off, and quite sessfully to boot.


    After using ''Sunder the Heavens'' he quickly realized there was no way he would be able to do it again. His hands almost shattered into pieces from the sheer pressure that traveled through them.


    But he obviously couldn''t let them know that so Hao Xuan pretended that it was just a warning strike and not at all intended to behead Lazar, which it obviously didn''t manage to do.


    Thankfully, more often than not the idea of something is far more powerful than the actual act itself.


    None of the Ether beasts wanted to try and go against Hao Xuan to check for themselves, not to mention his academy-award-winning acting didn''t leave much room for negotiation as they swiftly made their escape before Lazar and his pack of ether beasts could pick up on the clues.


    That said, such a high purity level of the Lycan bloodline could do wonders when working in tandem with his physique''s already supernatural healing abilities to speedily close up any internal wounds that were caused by it.


    Hao Xuan only needed a couple of minutes of focus to regain more than 80% mobility and get back on his feet again.


    Most of the second floor was empty, only it had a lot more interconnected hallways that led nowhere. By the time they reached the first floor, it was already quitete.


    There were droves of various beasts and strange creatures lingering every few meters. That along with the darkness did not help their chances of getting out any time soon.


    Isak''s me came in really handy at this point since burning everything in front of them was much faster than picking a fight one by one. He fired off streams of ck me and fireballs one after w=another without holding back.


    The only problem was that in an enclosed space such as this, it was not easy to control it.


    Many of the barbarians including Hao Xuan got hit by it on more than one asion. Thankfully Isak always managed to pull back at thest second and other than a ckened face, there wasn''t much damage.


    "You go ahead, we will distract them so you can look for the way out without getting interrupted," Burak suggested after they dispatched the third wave of monsters. There didn''t seem to be an end to them and their numbers only got bigger with time so this was the best option.


    And since Hao Xuan was the only other than Isak and Burak that could easily hold his own in a dire situation, it was best for him to go despite the danger.


    And their n bore fruit since Hao Xuan managed to find the exit mere minutes after leaving. The only issue was that it was blocked by some debris and a fair few creatures.


    Hao Xuan examined them from afar. Most of them were the same thread-like creatures that controlled corpses of various sizes and strengths. Killing them would not be easy since simply chopping off a head or two didn''t stop them.


    And if he picked a fight with them, others might follow the noise and he would be sandwiched in between a rock and a hard ce.


    Hao Xuan recalled theyout outside of the pyramid and picked a spot a couple of hallways to the left of the entrance. This area should lead directly outside.


    After making sure there was nothing else nearby, Hao Xuan punched the wall with almost half his strength.


    But instead of an impactful thud that he was expecting, it felt like he punched a giant rubber. All the force behind the punch was redirected right back, sending him reeling back several meters.


    "Fffff-" Hao Xuan shook his wrist back and forth to redistribute the force into the surroundings. He had to forcefully stop himself from cursing out loud.


    It was a good thing he was a little prepared otherwise the force was enough to do some damage to his inner organs.


    "What the fuck is this," he walked up to the wall and ran his fingers along its rough surface.


    But when he started putting some pressure on it, a semi-transparent barrier showed itself that kept reflecting all the force back at him.


    "So it''s like a containment barrier?"


    No wonder the other creatures couldn''t leave.


    Hao Xuan tried a few other things but only when he called out the ive and tried to cut the wall did he see a sliver of hope. The barrier was ripped open for just an instant before it closed itself again.


    It looked like it could perfectly deflect all blunt force and energy-based attacks. Only cutting or shing would work but for a very short moment.


    With a few more strikes Hao Xuan got a pretty good idea of what to do.


    He channeled most of the Chaos Qi towards his left hand. A small ring of rolling ck clouds appeared around the palm of his hand. In the center of this ring, the air swirled, trembled, and then broke apart.


    Wisps of yellow and orange me flickered before being reced by a bright white light.


    *Crackle~*


    Hao Xuan jerked his hand back and forth in a circr motion and a lightning bolt slowly materialized within his grasp.


    "Hm, worked better than expected..."


    Hao Xuan could already separate the elements and control two of them which he found the easiest, but to materialize a solid bolt of lightning in the palm of his hand like some kind of a thunder god, this was was new.


    But unlike before, he could acutely feel every single energy and hence control it that much easier. Once he knew which was which, it became a lot easier to separate them.


    This was thanks to the Lycan bloodline. Just like many mythical level bloodlines, it had a lot of strengths and talents.


    "Alright, let''s try this again."


    He swung the ive with his right hand and before it could even leave the wall, the lightning bolt tore through the air and impacted against the defenseless wall.


    *BOOOM*


    It burst open and Hao Xuan jumped through without even waiting for the debris to settle.


    Upon seeing the familiar sky overhead and the surroundings, Hao Xuan quickly called for the others. (Read Chapter 692 (He, Who) to 695 (Mistakes were made) as the events there are a detailed version of what happens next)

 Chapter 768: Frequency

    <h4>Chapter 768: Frequency</h4>


    A total of six other silhouettes ran out of the hole created by Hao Xuan.


    Other than Jarek, Isak, and Burak, the remaining three fell to their knees, kissing the ground and even shedding a tear or two in jubtion. And who could me them? After spending so many months stranded in another world, it was nothing less than a miracle that they were now back.


    Hao Xuan walked up to the hole and listened for the sound of any iing footsteps. He found them without much effort.


    "One or two more minutes before they reach us," he told the others.


    "Alright. We go back, recover ande back with more people to finish the job and close this ce for good," Burak decided.


    He seemed to be in a world of his own but Hao Xuan did not really have time to think about that anymore because right now he was hearing a plethora of different voices directly inside his head.


    Quite a wide range of voices albeit almost all female.


    ''I think I broke a rib, damn this ce.''


    ''Why did we evene here? There is nothing of value to take.''


    ''This wench, how dare she look at me like that.''


    ''Oh no, sister Inara will get angry again. Why does she hate me so much?''


    ''Ah, I''m so hungry...''


    It was just like when he was in the webway before in the ethereal form. He was able to hear the thoughts of someone without even meaning to and it seemed like it was still happening. (start of CH 739)


    He looked back towards the barbarians and even after focusing on them for a little while he couldn''t hear anything.


    ''Baracus!''


    He swiftly called on the most knowledgeable source of information at his disposal and told him everything from start to finish.


    ''Although I cannot say this with much certainty since it requires further testing, it appears that when you entered the webway without your physical body and interacted with the gateway, it changed your soul''s base frequency.''


    ''The data on this particr subject is severely limited but progenitor hypothesized that every soul has its own base frequency. The physical body acts as a buffer and protects the soul as well as acts as a tether so it can stay on one specific frequency.''


    ''When you enter a new world especially one with a world spirit, your soul''s base frequency has to slowly adjust to that world''s frequency over time. That is also one of the ways how a world spirit limits the powers of all invading entities for a limited time.''


    ''But by interacting with the gateway without a physical body, you were able to not only change your own base frequency but also tap into the frequencies of others from that world. You basically turned into an antenna that can pick up stray thoughts. That would exin why you could not listen to the ones you came here with, their soul frequencies have yet to readjust.''


    Suffice to say, Hao Xuan was more than a little taken aback by this development. It was unexpected but not entirely unwee.


    ''So I can read the thoughts of everyone here on this?''


    ''Not exactly. You should only be able to pick up the subconscious ''momentary'' thoughts and emotions that are either very strong or not too valuable. And only if the target is unprepared.''


    ''A simple barrier of spiritual energy can stop all thoughts from escaping so it is quite situational, meaning a non-cultivator or someone incapable of utilizing Qi should not be able to defend against you at all.''


    ''Alright alright, that''s not too bad. But is it permanent?''


    ''Negative. If it is indeed happening because of your soul frequency, then it should be gone once it returns to normal.''


    ''I understand.''


    By the time Hao Xuan finished conversing with Baracus, he had detected Princess Helena and her party and was almost on them.


    With a light push he jumped up from the valley floor andnded on the hill right in front of them. But his brow creased upon seeing their faces.


    Standing so close to them he could indeed hear the thoughts of almost all of them, well, all but one.


    Princess Helena was the only one who silently stared at his face as if she was looking at a ghost.


    "Who are you people?" Hao Xuan inquired but the barbarians caught up to him before he could get an answer.


    Burak recognized them and how could they not know him?


    They talked until Hao Xuan felt the hunter make its appearance. He was hoping it would be held back due to either the explosion or all the ether beasts on the third floor but it caught up so easily and so soon.


    Their only chance was to reach one of therger encampments and gather a few extra hands before it attacked again.


    Hao Xuan looked at the human female that was left behind by her group. He could feel theck of energy within her body but it felt different.


    "What are you waiting for? Move!" he shouted at her.

 Chapter 769: Ma Jiang

    <h4>Chapter 769: Ma Jiang</h4>


    "What are you waiting for? Move!" he shouted, startling the poor girl.


    "Y-Yes!" stuttering, she started running at her own MUCH slower pace.


    Hao Xuan brought up the rear to keep an eye out for the hunter, all the while listening to her ramblings without any other choice. Out of everyone here, her thoughts were the loudest for some reason and the clearest.


    ''How long do we have to run? Should I ask someone? Maybe that person behind me...?''


    ''No way! He looks so scary! But...I won''t be able to run for very long. I can''t even see where others are...''


    ''Am I even going the right way? I just started running without even asking them where to go....''


    ''Oh my god, my feet hurt so much.''


    ''Eww, I stepped on something wet. What even was that?''


    ''I''m getting tired already. My feet feel so heavy.''


    ''You can do it Ning''er! Don''t give up! Keep fighting!''


    One after another all of her thoughts wandered into Hao Xuan''s mind as if it was the only refuge. He felt a headacheing on, caused not by the process but the sheer number of random things this girl was thinking.


    ''Did she call herself Ning''er? I should ask for her name first before calling out to her.''


    He sped up a little until he was almost right behind her. She still didn''t detect his presence but Hao Xuan wasn''t sure if that was due to his own ability or herpleteck of situational awareness.


    "Girl, what''s your name?" he asked in a low voice.


    "AAH!" startled by the sudden query she missed a step and almost facented straight into the ground, if not for Hao Xuan''s quick reaction. He grabbed her hand to hoist her up.


    She dangled in the wind like a doll. Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed upon noticing her weight, orck thereof. It was like she didn''t weigh anything at all. Most of it was from the clothes. Not to mention how small she was.


    Although Hao Xuan was rtively big himself, the top of this girl''s head only came up to his chest making her out to be around 1.5-1.6 meters tall.


    "T-Thank you," she muttered in a low voice not even looking at him in the face.


    But her thoughts were booming in his mind.


    ''OHMYGOD! That was close! I thought my heart was gonna stop.''


    ''Ning''er you stupid girl, why didn''t you pay more attention? He only asked for your name and you-''


    ''Ouch! It hurts! Why are his hands so rough!''


    "You''re wee," Hao Xuan loosened the grip around her wrist but instead of letting go, he threw her over his shoulder.


    "Stay there until we reach their camp. You''re moving too slow."


    "EEEK!" she tried to get off of him by instinct but upon noticing the presence of the four-legged shadowy silhouettes that were following closely behind them she calmed down.


    ''OHMYGOD this is so weird! Please don''t be a pervert and touch me somewhere weird.''


    "I-I''ll depend on you then," she said somewhat hesitantly. This was a popr phrase that was verymonly used back on the beast world among the teenagers and even though Hao Xuan hadn''t used it himself, he did pick up on it.


    "You''re here for the entrance exams? From Beast World?" Hao Xuan swiftly inquired in the Beast World''snguage.


    To say she was shocked would be an understatement. Shepletely lost her strange train of thought and turned around as much as she could to look at him.


    "Eh?! You know about that? Are you also here for the exam?!" she asked in the samenguage.


    "Yeah. Who are you with? The temple? Academy? Or..."


    Before he could finish she promptly answered, "The academy! My name is Jiang! Ma Jiang"


    ''Ma Jiang?'' Hao Xuan nced in her direction instinctively but only came ''face to face'' with her backside. He quickly looked away, blushing ever so lightly.


    ''Why did she tell me a fake name? And it sounds so weird too, like I''ve heard it somewhere before...''


    "An-And if you don''t mind me asking, who are you with...?"


    "Academy. The name is Hao Xuan."


    "Hello, it is nice...to meet you...Senior brother."


    It was pretty obvious she forcing herself to make small talk since everything she said felt so unnaturally awkward that it could almost be considered a gift. But Hao Xuan still appreciated the effort nheless. At least she was trying.


    ''Oh.My.God! What are the chances of meeting another person from the academy?! And all the way down here too?? That is such a huge conincedenc- ...or is it not?''


    ''Did hee here to find me? Is he working for ''him''!? No, I need to get away before he takes me back to him! What do I do?! Should I ask for help from sister Helena? But she probably won''t help if it is actually ''him''. But I can''t go back, there is still time!''


    Her inner monologue rattled inside Hao Xuan''s main like a delirious serpent. He could feel her anxiousness and desperation.


    She was hiding from someone? Who was she referring to as ''him''?


    He wanted to reassure her that he wasn''t working with anyone or even knew who she was but how could he just bring it up?


    *Growl*


    Somewhere nearby a loud growl sounded off from the thicket, distracting Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 770: Long Story

    <h4>Chapter 770: Long Story</h4>


    *Growl*


    It came from somewhere very close by but even if it was right next to him, Hao Xuan''s inhuman reaction times gave him more than enough time to react appropriately.


    "Shh, quiet down!" he hushed even her thoughts into silence. Her ears perked up as she listened intently but couldn''t hear anything even after a few seconds.


    "What is it?" she whispered into his ear.


    "The growl from just a few seconds ago! It was almost right next to us."


    "....What growl? I didn''t hear anything..."


    Hao Xuan paused midstride for a second before increasing his speed even more.


    "Nevermind then. I guess it was just me..."


    Even Hao Xuan himself had forgotten that he was able to hear the voices and other sounds from beyond the veil. He had hoped it would be fixed by now but that was too much to ask it seemed.


    Hao Xuan''s speed kept increasing bit by bit. His senses were sharp enough that he could follow behind the others even from several kilometers away without maintaining visual contact but since the hunter and its ''puppets'' were right behind them, there wasn''t much space to test it out.


    Ma Jiang stayed silent after, allowing Hao Xuan to concentrate on keeping her thoughts out of his head. He tried to focus on other things in the meantime.


    The cold nightly air, the smell of the trees, the crunch of the leaves, the soft ground that gently pushed back against the soles of his shoes. With just a little bit of effort he could feel so much right now.


    He had to fight back the impulse to strip naked from head to toe and run around, letting the air cuddle him like a long-lost lover. His instincts guaranteed that it would feel heavenly but his human mind considered such thoughts to be irrational.


    Hao Xuan knew his bloodline would bring about some physical changes but he didn''t expect it would even change how he felt.


    Right now he felt so very restricted by every little thing. To say that his skin was sensitive would be akin to saying the sun''s core is a ''little hot''. He could feel every fiber of his shirt brushing against his skin.


    Even though he didn''t feel it now, it truly irritated him to no end. And as more and more of his Lycan bloodline coursed through his veins, the stronger this effect became.


    His eyes, ears, and nose did not even feel his own anymore. So much about him had changed that he felt like a guest in his own body...


    Smattering rays of moonlight cut in through the thick canopy, shedding morsels of white light onto the surroundings. Hao Xuan''s head jerked to the right.


    He was able to ''see'' a small rodent-like creature to the side, about 20 meters away. It was sleeping half a meter underground but Hao Xuan could feel everything from its body heat to its small thumping heartbeat.


    He could ''even feel'' what it was feeling, what it was dreaming. It was able to dream?!


    In front of him barely two dozens meters away was Jarek. Hao Xuan sped up and caught up to him.


    "Is it close yet?" he inquired softly.


    Jarek looked behind them and shook his head, "Small ones only."


    Hao Xuan didn''t need to look for himself. He could hear their rough movements from several hundred meters away.


    He stayed at the back for the remainder of the journey, making sure that they didn''t catch up. Ma Jiang seemed to have calmed down as well,ing up with several ludicrous ns in case Hao Xuan was there for her.


    Some 20 minutester Hao Xuan heard them slow down and a few seconds after that the forest came to an end. The wide-open grasnd started.


    Hao Xuan recognized a fewndmarks and the distance and knew they were on thest stretch before reaching the barbarian camp. He remembered the unruly princess that brought him there in the first ce and became slightly apprehensive.


    What if she tried to do the same thing again?


    He waved his hand in an attempt to summon the Scorpion King and felt the seals waning by the second. One, maybe two hours maximum before he could call them out again.


    It appeared that his mental energy was replenishing quite quickly now. Although he didn''t know if that was a side effect of his bloodline or just the ease he felt upon returning to this world, but it was most wee either way.


    Less than three minutester they had arrived at the camp''s outeryer of defenses.


    The party came to a swift halt upon noticing the approaching guard. A barbarian in every sense of the word.


    He stopped a few feet away from them. His jaw hanging low.


    "P-Price!? What happened to you?! Where is everyone?" he couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    Hao Xuan walked up beside him, putting down Ma Jiang as she fixed her dress and hid behind him.


    Burak smiled wryly, shaking his head.


    "It is a long story. Is my sister here?"


    "The princess? Of course, it''s only been a few hours since she returned."


    Burak frowned, "Returned? From where?"


    The guard seemed confused, "From the meeting with the human and demihuman tribes. You were with her."

 Chapter 771: Whirlpool

    <h4>Chapter 771: Whirlpool</h4>


    The guard seemed confused, at his line of questioning.


    "From the meeting with the human and demihuman tribes. You were with her."


    "The meeting..." realization suddenly dawned on Burak as he looked to the side to meet Hao Xuan''s equally surprised gaze.


    He lowered his voice until only Hao Xuan could hear him.


    "That was less than half a day ago. It means we were in that world for-"


    "No more than four hours I think," Hao Xuan finished his thought.


    "By the ancestors! How is that possible?!"


    Burak couldn''t wrap his mind around the concept of rtivity but it was more than understandable since he wasn''t knowledgeable enough for something thatplex.


    Hao Xuan had already told him that time moved differently in there but to find out that the difference was 1825 to 1, suffice to say it left him quite shocked.


    *Ruuumble*


    A low rumble akin to a rolling stone ball on a granite floor came from behind. Hao Xuan turned around and saw the purple whirlpool in the distant sky. It was created from the excess Yin Qi and would stay that way for a while.


    They had been running for close to half an hour at full speed and covered tens of miles but somehow, the whirlpool didn''t get any smaller. In fact, it looked a little bigger than before.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed a smidgen as they focused on something around the whirlpool. There were hundreds, perhaps even thousands of shapeless shadowy objects floating around the whirlpool.


    They came up from the forest in droves and started flying in circles around it as if paying homage to it. Some of the shadows were bigger than others, more definite.


    Every other second a shadow woulde into contact with something invisible around the whirlpool and illuminate awork of faint purple cracks that were spreading along the skyline.


    And at the edge of the treeline just beyond the open nes, something caught Hao Xuan''s eye. He looked towards it but couldn''t see anything out of the ordinary. Still looking in that direction he patted Burak on the shoulder.


    "Make senseter, we need to rest first."


    "O-Oh," Burak woke from his dazed state and looked back at the guard.


    "It''s fine, go to your post. I''ll take it from here."


    The guard looked at Hao Xuan and Princess Helena''s party, "But-"


    "It''s fine. Go!"


    A single sentence in his usual authoritative tone of voice was enough to remind the guard who he was talking to.


    "Yes, prince."


    He bowed and swiftly took his leave.


    Burak led the party deeper into the small settlement, stopping outside the Princess''s tent.


    "Give me a couple of minutes, let me talk to her for a bit," he whispered into Hao Xuan''s ears and walked in.


    Hao Xuan turned towards the other Barbarians who were still unwaveringly standing behind them.


    "Go to your homes. Meet your families and rest while you can, it has been a long four hours..."


    It was pretty obvious they all wanted to go but still held back. They looked towards Isak who was their second inmand.


    "Are you sure?" Isak asked Hao Xuan even though he was the most impatient of the whole lot.


    Hao Xuan chuckled. He hadn''t seen him like this before, always so serious, the dutiful soldier who was usually the silent and brooding type of man was now aching to sprint away from his responsibilities.


    "Yeah, I''ll tell Burak. Go and try to rx if you can."


    Before Hao Xuan could even blink Isak was already three tents away, his voice carrying over on the cold wind.


    "Thanks!"


    The rest of them gave a courteous bow before going their own ways, leaving only Jarek behind with the Demihuman party.


    Tasgall took a few steps and stopped, turning around to sign, "Will you still be here in the morning?"


    "Maybe. Not sure," Hao Xuan replied.


    "Tell me before you leave. I want you to meet my wife."


    "Sure," Hao Xuan signed back smilingly.


    Jarek wasn''t even human anymore so returning to ''civilization'' so to speak, was apletely new experience for him. Hao Xuan walked up beside him, speaking in a low voice so the demihumans couldn''t hear them all the while examining his expressions.


    "Do you need to eat? Rest?"


    He shook his head once.


    "You have his memories?"


    He nodded.


    "Go to his house. Act normal, how I taught you. No eating anyone, no infecting anyone. Don''t kill, don''t hurt anything. I''lle find you when I''m done here. Understand?"


    After listening to his instructions and memorizing them by heart, Jarek also took his leave.


    Princess Helena, Inara, their guards as well as Uri were watching all this unfold from the side, speechless.


    In their eyes, it was not much different from an earthling that seeing aliens for the first time.


    A human giving orders to the barbarians and being so friendly with them was nothing short of a miracle. Both these tribes were always at each other''s throats for as long as any of them could remember so something like this was unprecedented.


    And since Ma Jiang had been here for such an extended period of time, she was more than simr with each of the tribe''s affiliations and enemies and was equally gobsmacked by the whole thing.

 Chapter 772: Speechless

    <h4>Chapter 772: Speechless</h4>


    The looks that Hao Xuan got were nothing short of horror and confusion.


    Hao Xuan watched as Jarek''s back vanished behind the yurts. He couldn''t help but feel a tad bit uneasy letting him go alone like that but it was for the beast. He needed to learn and there was no better teacher than experience.


    Princess Helena was the first one toe forward, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group after watching Hao Xuan''s actions for thest minute or so.


    Armed with the most mesmerizing smile in her arsenal, she gave a courteous bow reserved for the royalty in her n.


    "I apologize for introducing myself sote. My name is Helena, this is my sister Inara. Would it be possible to ask for the gentleman''s title?"


    Thinking that since he was able to talk to Burak so casually, he muste from a powerful background princess Helena asked for his title since that was the more polite way of asking for his name.


    "Hmm?"


    Hao Xuan nced at her from the corner of his eye before turning around to stand in front of her.


    It would be a lie if Hao Xuan said he didn''t give her a once-over. The way both princess Inara and Helena dressed left very little to the imagination and Hao Xuan being the healthy male that he was, it most certainly did catch his attention. (Their reference images are posted in discord with the descriptions in Chapter 632/635)


    It took a fair bit of willpower for him to maintain eye contact with Princess Helena, despite their current situation.


    "I don''t have a title. But my name is Hao Xuan..." he coldly quickly before looking away.


    He obviously knew what she was trying to do but didn''t appreciate her efforts.


    But Princess Helena was not the least bit offended by his stiff words. She moved closer, close enough that Hao Xuan could feel the heating off of her skin, and the scent of flowers from her hair. He could hear her heartbeat picking up.


    "Forgive me if I am overstepping but, Lord Hao Xuan...you ARE human, correct?"


    "What?"


    Hao Xuan was about toment about how stupid such a question was until he realized that his entire body was covered in soot and that it was hard to even see his facial features.


    "Yes, I''m a human," he replied moving a couple of steps away from her.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and a bottle of water appeared in his grasp, the contents of which he emptied on top of his head.


    He rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his shoulder-length hair to clear out the gunk.


    ''Ugh, I need a haircut and a bath,'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly.


    But he didn''t notice the faint microscopic particles that were dislodged from his hair and skin upon contact. They floated away with the wind, entrapping all who came into contact with them.


    In the eyes of most of the spectators, the princesses, the guards, and even Uri, the scene was ying out in slow motion. They could not bring themselves to tear their eyes away from him.


    Every little movement he made, every action he took was spellbinding. The moonlight acted as his backdrop to further enhance the impact of his Lycan bloodline, of which this was one of the effects.


    Sensing the presence of a potential mate, Hao Xuan''s body released a concoction of pheromones meant to allure and entice, akin to a sheep being led to ughter in this case.


    The only ''issue'' was that due to his already powerful physique, these pheromones were much more lethal than they should have been since even Uri, a male, was caught up in it because he was so close.


    Only Ma Jiang rubbed her shoulders from the cold,pletely unperturbed.


    ''Isn''t he cold? Why would you pour water on yourself out in the open? Such a weirdo...'' she thought inwardly, which Hao Xuan clearly heard.


    *Sigh*


    ''This girl...''


    Hao Xuan had never had the urge to bully someone, until now. It was a good thing she was so much younger than him otherwise he might have taken action himself.


    Just then a ruffling sound came from behind them and Burak walked out.


    "Come in everyone."


    His words woke them up. One of the guards even had a bit of drooling out of the side of her mouth.


    He gestured towards them, moving out of the way to let the Princesses through first. As soon as Princess Inara went in he cut in as well, smiling towards the guards that were too busy stealing nces at Hao Xuan.


    Just as Ma Jiang was about to enter-


    "It''s not that cold. And I don''t feel it that much either," Hao Xuan blurted out.


    "Eh? I didn''t say anything..."


    "I know, I''m just saying. It''s not weird or anything."


    "!!!"


    ''OHMYGOD! Did he read my mind?''


    That was the first thing she thought looking at Hao Xuan while panicking internally but he waspletely expressionless. Although the only reason for that was because he was shocked beyond words. How was that the first thing she thought?!


    ''Poop! Butts! Oranges!''


    She thought ofpletely random words, trying to make Hao Xuanugh and catch him off guard but he was a little scared of her tough. So he tried to ignore her and went inside, attempting to act normal.


    The temperature rose by tens of degrees as soon as they stepped through.


    There were a few more chairs ced around the table. The Barbarian Princess, Na''im was standing in front of Princess Helena, shaking hands. (read Ch 646 for a little recap)

 Chapter 773: Push

    <h4>Chapter 773: Push</h4>


    As soon as he stepped into the yurt Princess Na''im jerked her head around to examine Hao Xuan up and down in excruciating detail. She was shaking hands with Princess Helena butpletely forgot about it.


    "So it is true..." she mumbled.


    Hao Xuan stood at the entrance, looking her right in the eye. Thest time they met Hao Xuan was manhandled and assaulted by the barbarian princess as if he was a toy. But what could he do? He was out of spiritual energy and was probably the weakest he had ever been in this world.


    But that wasn''t the case anymore. His Qi reserved were still at more than half the capacity and using his cultivation, physique, and bloodline, Hao Xuan could probably go toe to toe with her when it came to raw physical strength.


    Ma Jiang walked in, pushing her way past Hao Xuan to the side as if he was a nuisance.


    The atmosphere became quite tense and awkward in the blink of an eye.


    The princess could feel the increase in Hao Xuan''s strength which along with all the things Burak told her made her even more curious to find out more.


    But Hao Xuan on the other hand was quite incensed upon recalling the past events, especially since he could still smell his own scent on her bed. It had barely been 5-6 hours for her since he left so this wasn''t anything out of the ordinary.


    Princess Na''im loosened the grip around Princess Helena''s hand and turned around to face him.


    "You seem stronger, human. Or should I call you Hao Xuan now?" she asked with half a smile.


    Hao Xuan shook his head dismissively. This ''unvexed'' attitude of hers really bothered him. He wasn''t expecting an apology but she should at least admit her mistakes right?


    "Call me whatever you want, it doesn''t matter," he replied coldly, making her smile even wider than before.


    "My brother tells me you''ve be quite the man. And it feels like only yesterday when you were on my bed with tears in your eyes, begging me to stop."


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted. Unknowingly he released a bit of the Chaos Law. The pressure within the yurt increased by several folds. The mes beneath the giant cauldron flickered without any wind and the air became thick with bloodlust.


    Burak took a step back, moving towards the struggling Princess Inara. The words of power on his fists lit up, creating an umbre-shaped shield above her, protecting her, and identally Princess Helena from the effect of the Chaos Law.


    The rest of them all fell to their knees at once, other than Princess Na''im of course.


    Her smile turned into what could only be defined as an evil grin at this point.


    "Ho, why so much anger?"


    "Be very careful with your words princess," Hao Xuan said trying to keep his calm but the Lycan blood coursing through his veins made that a challenge, to say the least.


    He wanted to lunge at her and rip her throat out before she could even blink but he also knew she was far too strong to just sit back and let that happen.


    Princess Na''im tiled her head to the side pretending to remember.


    "Be careful? But I didn''t say anything wrong did I? Just a few hours ago you wereying right here, naked and quite afraid if I remember it right," she patted the side of her bed, still maintaining eye contact with him.


    Ma Jiang who using the strength of all her magics to fight back could not even muster a single spell together. The mana gathered before instantly dissipating since it was within the Chaos Law''s territory.


    All she could do was raise her head and look at Hao Xuan pitifully while gritting her teeth to remain in a seated position, unlike Uri whose face was on the verge of bing one with the floor.


    "Iwcan thaste ma shtomach," he mumbled incoherently with his tongue hanging out.


    Princess Na''im made a fist in anticipation, waiting for Hao Xuan to attack but he never did. He wasn''t that far gone to pick a one-on-one fight with her.


    In a little more than an hour he could call out the scorpion king who could most probably deal with her by himself. There was no reason to give in to temptation, as sweet as it might be.


    Burak watched for a few seconds and knew they were both just testing each other right now so he spoke up, reminding his sister of the current situation and giving Hao Xuan a way out without losing much face.


    He knew how much humans valued useless notions like "respect" and "dignity".


    "Sis, stop this already. Hao Xuan is a very good friend of mine and someone I owe my life to, not to mention the others. We need to talk about the tomb!"


    Princessughed and sat down on her bed.


    "You''re right, I''m sorry-" but then she paused and looked towards the Demihuman Princesses, "-Helena. I hope you don''t mind, I was just having some fun."


    Hao Xuan almost cursed her out but held it in at the end. He recalled the power of the Chaos Law, letting everyone rx.

 Chapter 774: The Surface

    <h4>Chapter 774: The Surface</h4>


    Princess Helena meekly shook her head, "No, please. I was just a little surprised to see that Princess Na''im associates with the human lords. After what happened, I thought everything would still be at a crossroads."


    "Human Lord?" she sniggered, looking at Hao Xuan from the corner of her eye, "Nothing that meager..." she mumbled under her breath but both the Demihuman Princesses heard her, exchanging surprised nces with one another.


    He wasn''t someone from the human royalty?! But then what was his background that he could talk to the Barbarian princess in that tone of voice?


    Princess Helena was quite ted inwardly seeing as the rtionship between Hao Xuan and the barbarian wasn''t as rock-solid as she originally thought. If he truly was the one from the prophecy, he needed to be on their side no matter what.


    Princess Na''im took a seat and gestured for the Demihuman Princesses to do the same. Burak, Uri, the guards, Hao Xuan and Ma Jiang were all left standing awkwardly on the side.


    Upon gettingfortable Princess Na''im looked towards Burak, "Go ahead. Tell me everything that happened from start to finish. Don''t leave anything out."


    Burak was more than a little taken aback by her words. He looked towards Princess Inara and the others. Everything that happened within the pyramid was almost like a dream, not to mention the impact of all those findings would have on them.


    It could very well change the entire power dynamics of their world.


    "But..."


    "It is fine. I think it would be better if the Demihuman tribes knew what happened down there. We will need to work together for what is toe."


    Her cryptic words made Princess Helena a little uneasy. It looked like the Barbarian tribes knew something they did not, which was quite odd.


    A single look from the glowering Princess Na''im was enough to make him sing like a canary. From the moment they entered the pyramid till they returned to this encampment, Burak didn''t leave anything out.


    The strange creatures, the weird rooms with unknown technology, the constantly shifting passageways, the neverending hordes of monstrous creatures that popted said passageways, the other world and all the time they spent there, the things they encountered and everyone they lost, the floor full of gargantuan beasts that were sealed in the pyramid, one by one he told them almost everything.


    There were a couple of things he chose to keep to himself about Hao Xuan and the hunter. Not of their existence or the things they could do, but what he felt about them.


    Throughout the narration whenever Hao Xuan was brought up and all that he did, he would receive perplexed looks from the entire group. But he was sitting in a corner with his eyes closed and didn''t notice any of them.


    Princess Na''im''s self-assured expression slowly turned to one of shock, concern, and veiled fear by the time he finished. It was the same for the rest of them as well.


    Princess Helena especially. She could barely hide her glee and anxiety because from what Burak had said, Hao Xuan was most definitely the one mentioned in the prophecy.


    But perhaps none of them were more astonished than Ma Jiang. The wide-eyed adolescent beauty was the only one of them that knew Hao Xuan came from the surface and wasn''t actually from here.


    In her eyes they were both on the same level but after hearing everything that he had been through while she wasted her days down here without making much progress, she couldn''t help but indulge in self-pity.


    Time was running out for her and she had still not managed to achieve what she came here for.


    It was like someone had cast a spell of silence over the room. No one spoke up for a few minutes until Princess Na''im.


    "Is that...everything?" she looked towards Burak hoping for a yes, which she got.


    He nodded somberly, looking towards Hao Xuan who felt his gaze and opened his eyes.


    Hao Xuan stood up and walked up to them. Maybe it was their own mind ying tricks on them because they had heard everything he did but, somehow, he seemed much more imposing than before.


    He gave a cursory nce to the Demihuman Princesses and looked to Princess Na''im for answers.


    "We''re short on time so I will be direct. Do you know about the surface?"


    Princess Na''im''s expression faltered, as did Princess Helena''s but everyone else was confused. Well, everyone other than Ma Jiang. She sprung to her feet like a startled cat.


    "No-" she reached out trying to stop Hao Xuan but he snapped his fingers and a Qi barrier appeared surrounded her, effectively silencing her and keeping her contained.


    The female guards tightened their grips around their spears, preparing to attack if he made any suspicious movements.


    "The surface?" Burak tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean?"


    Hao Xuan snickered, "Ask your sister. It looks like your people aren''t as ill-informed as I thought."


    "Sister?" Burak looked towards Princess Na''im for answers but she just raised a hand to make him shut up.


    With furrowed brows, she gestured towards him with her chin, "You are from the surface?"


    He nodded.


    "I am. Do you know what''s happening up there?"


    She shook her head once.


    "We have no business with the surface. Whatever trouble they have brought upon themselves has nothing to do with us," she said resolutely, thinking that Hao Xuan was a native from there.

 Chapter 775: Tell me why

    <h4>Chapter 775: Tell me why</h4>


    Hao Xuan was hoping with all his heart that she would say something like that.


    "Hahaha, you might not want anything to do with them, but that doesn''t mean trouble won''te looking for you. And I''m pretty sure it''s already here."


    He purposefully worded the sentence to be as cryptic as possible, sessfully gathering the attention of both the Princesses.


    "Could you please borate a bit more, Lord Hao Xuan," Princess Helena requested seeing as Princess Na''im was holding back on purpose.


    Hao Xuan didn''t want to act any pettier than he already had so he told them almost everything. About the invaders, the many factions fighting for supremacy, the fact their world was merely one of many and that it was not that strong in any sense of the word.


    He told them about the prison although he held back some important information about what was inside it, the fact that their entire world was nothing more than an idental byproduct was clearly conveyed.


    Suffice to say, telling them all that at once was nothing short of turning their world upside down. Everything they knew and hade to believe was shattered by a few sentences from Hao Xuan.


    He saw the expressions on their faces that ranged from utter shock to fear-stricken bewilderedness.


    "N-No, he''s lying! That can''t be true! There is no way that''s true!"


    Princess Inara pushed away Burak who was standing behind her dumbfoundedly, refusing to believe what she had just heard.


    She who had grown up as royalty, who was told from birth about how special she was, about how she was a princess of ALL the demihuman tribes.


    On hering of age ceremony in a few months, she was to take over the mantle of her predecessor, bing the sole ruling authority to govern one of the three main tribes. And to suddenly find out that her entire world was nothing but a speck of dust whenpared to what was out there, how could she not overreact a little?


    Her status had be her identity which was rendered useless in a matter of minutes.


    So she looked to her older sister for affirmation.


    "Sister! Tell this madman that can''t be true. Tell me it isn''t true, right? There is no way....it can''t be..."


    Her anger turned to doubt which nted a seed of fear within her mind. She mumbled incoherently, pulling at her twin sister.


    Princess Helena maintained eye contact with Hao Xuan throughout. One of the many rings on her finger glowed lightly. An artifact that was able to distinguish fact from fiction to a degree.


    She already knew about the surface world but even so, to find out about the invaders that were at her doorstep and the existence of other worlds, even she couldn''t help but feel a little unease and anxiousness seep into the back of her mind.


    "Enough, calm down sister!" she tapped Princess Inara''s forehead once and her eyes instantly dulled. She became listless as if someone had just flipped a switch and turned her off.


    Princess Helena stood up and said "Sit", making Princess Inara take her seat like a mindless drone.


    Burak woke up from the daze and immediately got to looking after Princess Inara.


    From the side Princess Na''im stood up as well, "How do we know you''re telling the truth? Can you prove it?"


    Hao Xuan snapped his fingers and the barrier surrounding the struggling Ma Jiang popped, releasing her.


    "Ask her, she came from the same ce as I did," Hao Xuan threw out the words before leaving the Yurt in wide strides.


    As soon as Hao Xuan stepped outside all the noise stopped. Whatever barrier that was in ce was doing an incredible job since even his supernatural senses couldn''t pick up anything.


    He let out a deep sigh, watching the white vapor from his breath slowly melt away into the night.


    As crass as his actions were, they were necessary. The moment Hao Xuan stepped back on this world he was once again able to feel a strong connection with his severs, most of which were already down here.


    Namely Monk and Gavril. Both of them were so close that he could feel probably even talk to them through the soul bond with a little bit of effort.


    "The Academy probably knows by now if they didn''t before. The Temple is already here and the people from the Hall won''t be far behind. I just hope I''m-"


    His monologue was cut short when a small figure came running out of the Yurt and tackled him.


    Unfortunately, it was too weak and only ended up hurting itself.


    Hao Xuan turned to see Ma Jiang rubbing the top of her head.


    "Why dhid you dho that?!" she yelled, not realizing that she had bitten her own tongue.

 Chapter 776: New skin

    <h4>Chapter 776: New skin</h4>


    "Do what?"


    Hao Xuan stepped back with an innocent expression, watching as she got back on her feet.


    "About tha-" she spoke again but feeling the tinge of pain running through her mouth she cringed. She spat out some blood and took out a green bottle from somewhere inside her dress and took a small sip, instantly healing the wound.


    She met Hao Xuan''s gaze, livid as she could be.


    "Why did you tell them about the surface world! That was my job! I have been down here for MONTHS trying to bring them to our side and you! How could you just blurt it out like that?!"


    She was so small that no matter how mad she got, in Hao Xuan''s eyes she just looked like a teenager throwing a tantrum.


    And it would be a lie if Hao Xuan said he didn''t find her little antics quite adorable. He wanted to reach out and pinch her cheeks but even he knew that was not a good idea. So he held back, trying not to show his feelings.


    "Because there is no more time. The people from the Temple and Academy are already down here and if they haven''t already, they should be making contact with them very soon," with an expressionless face he told her the truth.


    "W-What? How do you know?" she asked doubtfully.


    "I know people from there, they told me."


    "But..."


    All her anger vanished in an instant, reced by an edgy apprehensiveness.


    ''But I need more time. I need to be the one that brings them in otherwise I won''t get the credits. I can''t fail! He will find me soon and-''


    Only after hearing her thoughts did Hao Xuan remember about the point system that was put in ce to judge all the participants. They rewarded points for every action that would count towards them getting into their respective institutions.


    But why was she was so concerned about them even now? Hao Xuanpletely forgot about it because it had nothing to do with him. He wasn''t here to be taken in as a student so it didn''t matter to him at all.


    "If...you''re worried about who gets the credit, you can have it. I don''t care," he said after a moment of contemtion.


    And just as he expected, her eyes lit up the moment those words escaped his mouth. But then she stared at him through narrowed eyes, suspicious of his motives.


    "Why would...you do that? Everyone wants the points, otherwise you won''t get in."


    Hao Xuan smirked ostentatiously, "I''m the second protector, kid! I don''t need any points, my job is something else. Don''t worry, you''ll get all the credit," he reached forward to pat her head but she swatted his hand away, jumping back much like a kitten.


    "I don''t trust you yet but...if it''s true...you can''t take it back okay! Promise!"


    "Yeah yeah, I promise."


    Ma Jiang turned around to go back into the Yurt. But she stopped for a short moment at the entrance, "And I''m not a kid! I''m almost 17 years old!" before vanishing inside.


    ''17? But she still has so much baby fat around her cheeks...''


    Absorbed in his own thoughts Hao Xuan was about to head out when he noticed something strange.


    ''Hm? What''s this?''


    There was a patch of long grass and flowers growing out of the ground. It was growing at such a fast speed that he could see the flowers budding and blooming one by one.


    ''The hell...''


    He examined it a bit more closely and saw a bubbling red liquid gathered in the center of the patch. It was the blood Ma Jiang had spat out.


    Hao Xuan extended his hand to touch it but the moment his skin came into contact with it an electric current ran throughout his body.


    "Argh!"


    Several inch-long canines suddenly erupted forth from his mouth followed by rows of razor-sharp teeth. His back hunched from the protruding muscles that snaked under his skin.


    His eyes turned a shade of crimson red and his ears elongated much like a wolf''s.


    ''Wha-''


    *Grrrr*


    Upon hearing themotion one of the female guards stepped out to check.


    "Where did he go?" looking left and right for the source of the noise, she couldn''t find anyone so she went back.


    Almost two hundred meters away was a beastly figure soaring through the air. It was obviously Hao Xuan but his current frame did not look very human. With a light thump, hended onto the ground before pushing lightly and shooting straight up into the air once again.

 Chapter 777: Call of the -----

    <h4>Chapter 777: Call of the -----</h4>


    "BARACUS! WHAT''S HAPPENING TO ME?!


    Hao Xuan''s entire upper body was turning. Instant hair growth and muscle gain were the most obvious changes but his entire skeletal system was changing. Not to mention he couldn''t keep the bloodthirst down.


    He could smell the blood from miles away and taste it on his tongue just through a single whiff. That''s why he ran away, in case he lost control.


    *Beep*


    "Unknown energy strand has been detected. It is metastasizing the dormant gene abnormalities."


    "STOP.IT!"


    His voice didn''t sound human at all. Each word was followed by a beastly growl that could not be pushed down.


    Hao Xuan lept across the grasnds, crossing hundreds of meters each time. In less than a minute he was back in the forest but he did not stop there. His legs did not listen to him, or rather, he didn''t realize that he was moving towards something rather than away.


    His hunched figure soared over the dark woods, crossing vast distances within a blink of an eye. Having gone far too deep, before Hao Xuan realized that he was surrounded by numerous shadowy figures on all sides. It looked like they were phasing in and out of the material ne like they were real one second and imaginary the next.


    The moment he registered their presence Hao Xuan got ready tounch an attack but quickly discerned that they weren''t corporeal, or at least if they were, they presented no threat to him.


    They were everywhere, of all shapes and sizes, floating in the air, hanging from the trees, running across the forest floor, burrowing into the ground etc, far too many for him to even bother about anymore.


    Hao Xuan came to a stop near a small hill overlooking a seemingly shallow body of water. He couldn''t detect any signs of life nearby which was good since his legs felt so heavy that he felt like there were chains connecting him to the ground itself.


    All he could manage to take were small steps towards the water. He fell to his knees upon reaching it and saw his reflection under the moonlight.


    Half of his face was disfigured. It didn''t look human at all which horrified even him.


    "What''s...happening..." he mutteredboriously, "The blood...her blood...did this..."


    Hao Xuan was on the verge of losing his sanity.


    "BARACUS!"


    "To halt the spread of the energies all systems must be shut down. A significantly deadly dose of EMP will be administered directly to the nervous system. Permission required."


    "DO IT!"


    "Affirmative."


    A series of small sparks that could be seen running across his spine shed one by one for a total of 52 times. With thest one Hao Xuan''s body went limp and he fell on his back, freely floating atop the water.


    Although he was unconscious, the nanites were working in full force to stop the abnormalities from spreading.


    Five minutes passed, and then ten and then twenty. Just when the 30-minute mark had been crossed, the surface of the water slowly moved and another figure floated up from somewhere deep down.


    The head showed first, decorated with long, flowing ck hair, followed by naked shoulders, a long slender back, and legs.


    The female figure slowly walked towards Hao Xuan, stopping right in front of him.


    "Warning! Foreign presence detected. Readying defensive measures!"


    The automatic warning sounded inside Hao Xuan''s head even though he obviously couldn''t hear it. But a couple of secondster-


    "...."


    "Standing down. Non-hostile presence confirmed."


    "There you are. I was looking all over for you," a soft voice sounded right next to Hao Xuan''s ears.


    She took him in her embrace and slowly floated towards the center of the body of water. If Hao Xuan was awake he would instantly recognize her as Princess Ceni.


    She looked much the same, only a little taller than before, perhaps a little older even though it hadn''t been that long since theyst met but the biggest difference was in her eyes that were a shade of red right now.


    An unconscious Hao Xuan and a very much conscious Ceni floated in the water for a couple of minutes until the changes taking ce within his body came to a slow halt. Half of his face was inhuman but at least it wasn''t spreading anymore.


    Ceni extended her right hand and cut open her finger using Hao Xuan''s sharp teeth, letting drops of bright red blood run down his gullet.


    A couple of seconds passed before Hao Xuan''s face and the rest of his body started to return to its original shape. Inside him, Ceni''s blood acted as a ma that attracted all foreign energies and just a few particles of blood that were absorbed through his skin.


    All of it concentrated around the small mass on his heart before being absorbed inside.


    When she was sure he had returned to normal, Ceni leaned in to kiss the back of his neck with some hesitation.


    But the indecisiveness vanished immediately the moment her tongue ran up and down his skin, tasting every inch of it until she couldn''t take it anymore.


    Her eyes brightened before she suddenly bit into him with four razor-sharp fangs, creating small holes that oozed precious lifeblood. His skin which was harder than steel couldn''t up the slightest resistance against those fangs.


    She drank three entire mouthfuls before unsping her jaw from around his neck. Her aura rose and copious amounts of blood energies erupted from within her body.


    Her eyes almost rolled back into their sockets from the sheer pleasure. She shivered, hugging Hao Xuan tighter and tighter, pulling him as close as she physically could.


    Almost an entire minuteter Ceni''s body rxed and she released Hao Xuan. The puncture wounds on his neck closed by themselves.


    She stood up, standing on the water as if it was solid ground. cing one hand on Hao Xuan''s chest she felt for his heartbeats.


    "Soon. Very soon and you will be all mine," she muttered to herself.


    *Shhhhh*


    With a sharp hissing sound portions of dark red fabric materialized out of thin air to cover her previously naked form. She knelt, nting onest kiss on his lips before turning into a red smoke and floating away into the air.

 Chapter 778: The Tower Master

    <h4>Chapter 778: The Tower Master</h4>


    Three Standard Days Earlier. (One standard day is 24 earth hours long).


    Princess Ceniid on the cold ground, smiling idiotically recalling the recent events. (Read chapter 573 ''Connection Continued''. The following events take ce right after that)


    She hadn''t been this happy in a long time. Her body felt as light as a feather and she was truly in a state of utter bliss.


    Just a single nce from Hao Xuan was enough to make her heart beat like a drum which was more than enough to reaffirm all her beliefs about their rtionship.


    "Tell teacher I am ready to join her."


    Haeti was more than happy to hear that since that was one of the tasks he was supposed to aplish.


    "I will let the Tower Master know of mydy''s decision. She will be so happy!" he shouted before vanishing in a puff of smoke.


    Ceni didn''t have to wait long for an answer. She had just gotten up to dust off her clothes when her bracelet started glowing. Its light got brighter and brighter until it covered her from top to bottom.


    And when the light dissipated a momentter, she was nowhere to be seen.


    Princess Ceni opened her eyes and found herself floating on the surface of a small pond.


    "Where is this...?" she asked looking around befuddled.


    The scenery hadpletely changed. She was in a garden surrounded by fields of flowers on all sides other than one where a stone pathway snaked down into a valley.


    She took a few steps to get out of the pond and the moment she stepped on the pathway the scenery changed again. Now she was standing in an enclosed circr structure.


    There were still a few colorful flowers growing here and there with ninerge windows on all sides. She craned her neck to peer out of the closest window and saw a sea of white clouds underneath.


    There were somendmasses floating about around the tower, each one with its own distinct theme from the looks of it. Some of them had nothing but greenery while others had castles and entire towns.


    "Those are the personal residences of each of the disciples. You will also get one," a sweet voice came from behind Ceni, getting her attention.


    The speaker was a young girl that looked even younger than Ceni herself.


    "I''m Eres," she said with a smile, "We finally get to meet face to face." (Ch 564)


    Upon realizing this young girl was her new Dao Master, Ceni immediately gave a respectful bow from the waist.


    "It is a pleasure to meet you, teacher."


    Eres giggled before skipping her way to Ceni. She grabbed her arm as if they were best friends, "Just call me Eres or Master Eres. I don''t like all this formal stuff so don''t hold back."


    Princess Ceni had spoken to her before through the bracelet a few times but this was the first time they met in person, if that was indeed the case.


    "T-Then, Master Eres, am I...really here? Or is this a dream or...?"


    Ceni asked looking around. It seemed a little too ''fantastic'' even for her.


    Master Eres reached out and grabbed Ceni''s left hand, pointing at the empty space.


    "The bracelet brought you here. It is a treasure created by the finest craftsmen the Tower can find. Usually we just use it tomunicate but it can teleport the wearer back to the tower one time before breaking. And since you epted our offer, it needed to be done."


    "So I''m really here..."


    Ceni was even more impressed now. It was no easy task to create something like that even it could only be used once. And if they were just giving away what were potentially life-saving treasures to people that didn''t even ept their offers then their backing must be impressive.


    What little doubt Ceni had about this organization slowly melted away while Master Eres gave her a small tour.


    Thosendmasses floating outside the tower indeed belonged to disciples of the tower, of which she was going to be one.


    It was basically a miniature world of its own where Ceni would be the supreme ruler. It would be her home away from home and the ce she would cultivate and spend the majority of the next few years.


    Princess Ceni signed a blood and soul contract that bonded both her soul and body to the Tower. It sounded quite daunting but the entire process only took a few minutes.


    After that Eres brought Ceni to the top of the tower where another girl was waiting for them. She was sitting on the opposite end of a long table, drinking what looked like red wine but only a little thicker from a crystal ss.


    "This is your older Sister, Cao Jie. You and her have a lot inmon so she will be in charge of your progress from now on. Come and sit. I have to take care of a few things so you two talk. Cao''er, introduce her to all the rules and procedures," Eres threw the words out before swiftly departing.

 Chapter 779: In the Dark

    <h4>Chapter 779: In the Dark</h4>


    With a gust of wind Eres was gone before Princess Ceni even had the chance to respond.


    Princess Ceni was left awkwardly standing there with aplete stranger who seemed to be in a world of her own.


    Ceni pretended to nce around at the surroundings for a short while but soon realized that no one else was going toe break the ice between them and she would have to step up sooner orter, so she did.


    "Hello, my name is Ceni, it''s nice to meet you, Sister Cao," she said while lowering her head as a sign of respect.


    Cao Jie was ady in her early twenties. Even sitting down she was very tall. Like all the other women around her, she was exceptionally beautiful. She had shoulder-length hair that covered most of her forehead stopping just above a pair of amber eyes.


    She wore a tight, low-cut red dress with a ck skirt that didn''t leave much to the imagination. She was gently rolling a winess in her right hand.


    Once Ceni got a little close she instantly realized the smell of the liquiding from the ss, it was blood.


    ''A vampire?!'' the thought popped in her head, eliciting a response from Cao Jie.


    "Yes, very much a vampire."


    Ceni took a step back with furrowed brows, ''You read my mind?!''


    "I did, but don''t worry, I can''t find your deepest darkest secrets just from a nce. I''ll need something...MORE for that," a sly smile bloomed on her lips violet-colored lips as she took a sip from the winess.


    "Sit," she gestured to the other side of the table where the only other chair was. Ceni hesitated for a second, obviously not believing what she was saying but still sat down opposite to her.


    They stared at each other, one of them as vignt as a hawk and the other brimming with mischievousness.


    "I heard your story from Master Eres, it was very....boring, hahaha," she giggled before taking another sip.


    Ceni pretended to put up a strong front even though she was quite mad inside. Reading someone''s mind was pretty rude and not something you would do to someone that was on your side.


    "So...did you do it yet?" Cao Jie asked after examining Ceni up and down, looking for any clues her body might give away.


    "Do what?" Ceni inquired cautiously.


    "I mean did you screw that Lycan boy? Did you taste his ''forbidden fruit'' yet?"


    Ceni pupils contracted and a tinge of bloodlust escaped despite her trying to control herself.


    "It''s none of your business," shemented through gritted teeth.


    Cao Jie threw her head back while roaring withughter, "Oh my god, you actually didn''t? Don''t tell me you''re still a virgin too?!"


    And upon seeing the pink hue that was spreading across Ceni''s pale face and neck sheughed even louder.


    "My oh my, a real-life virgin! Hahaha!"


    But seeing Princess Ceni getting angrier by the second Cao Jie held back from saying anything else and rxed a smidgen. She waved her hand, "It''s fine, there is nothing to be ashamed about. We''ll get youid before youpletely awaken your bloodline so there won''t be a problem."


    "W-What do you mean?!" as angry as she was, Ceni didn''t actually know what she meant by that so all she could do was reluctantly inquire further into the matter.


    Now it was Cao Jie''s turn to be surprised.


    "You...actually don''t know?"


    Ceni shook her head.


    "Your parents didn''t tell you anything about the awakening of your vampire bloodline?"


    Ceni shook her head again.


    Cao Jie put down the ce, seriously inspecting Ceni''s expressions and bodynguage before nodding.


    "It looks like master was right, you really don''t know anything."


    "I don''t," Ceni confirmed at once.


    Cao Jie tapped her fingers on the table rhythmically for a few seconds trying to gather her thoughts before she spoke up again.


    "In that case there is a lot to cover but we''ll start from the basics," the conversation swiftly transitioned into an informative lecture which Ceni listened to despite her reservations about this shady older sister.


    "When a vampire truly awakens to their bloodline, the appearance and condition of their true physical form is frozen in time. That means you will not age until the moment of your true death. What you look like when the bloodline awakens is what you will look like for as long as you live. This is true for its condition as well."


    "Any physical deformities that you might have or other conditions will also stay that way. Meaning, if you are a ''pure'' maiden with all her ''seals'' intact before awakening, you will stay that way even after."


    "And trust me, you don''t want that. I know a girl that was like that, she killed herself before her 200th birthday."


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    The reference image for Cai Jie is posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 780: Progeny

    <h4>Chapter 780: Progeny</h4>


    Princess Ceni was both shocked and more than a little horrified after hearing that. She had absolutely no idea that anything like this was possible.


    "That''s why you need to not only look your best and be the best version of yourself that you can be before the transition. Now, what do you know about your bloodlines? The Lycan and ours, did someone tell you the Dos and Don''ts yet?"


    Cao Jie''s expression became quite grave the moment she mentioned that.


    "No, not really."


    *Bam*


    Cao Jie punched the table so hard that it left an imprint of her fist.


    "What the hell are those other useless thick-skins doing? I heard the ''Mean Eaters'' had you before right? I always knew they were stupid but this-I swear the next time I see those scaly..." she didn''t even wait for Ceni to answer and continued muttering to herself for a good 20 seconds before realizing where she was.


    "Listen here, the first and most important thing you need to know is that you should never ingest Lycan blood, ever! Especially if you haven''t finished the transition yet. Do you understand?!"


    She looked right into Ceni''s eyes and all she could do in return was meekly nod in confirmation.


    "But why? Is it poisonous to us?" Ceni inquired in a low voice.


    Cao Jie picked up the wine ss before emptying it in her mouth in one go. After gulping down another two full sses she rxed a little and responded.


    "The rtion between Lycan''s and Vampires goes a long ways back. You don''t need to know all the history but understand that for us, Lycan blood is both a gift and a curse. It has the ability to greatly increase ourbat power and other abilities but in return, we be addicted to it."


    "And it is not the kind of addiction that can be overlooked so easily. Lycan blood, just like ours, has magical properties. And when a vampire drinks it, he or she bespletely infatuated with the Lycan. Have you heard of blind love? That''s how that expression came to be."


    "Lycan blood tastes like the sweetest wine, the most delectable meal, and every heavenly sensation you can possibly imagine. We be obsessed to the point of madness and more often than not, end up killing each other."


    "And for someone like you who hasn''t even finished her transition, it will be even more potent."


    "When a vampire drinks for the first time, their fate is sealed. The being from whom you drink for the very first time is called ''Progeny''. The rtionship between a Progeny and its Vampire can be as close as that of a parent and child, a loving husband and wife, a brother and sister allbined into one. In our culture it is considered as the most precious rtionship we can ever have.


    "That''s why the Progeny must be someone that you care about deeply because you will create a lifelong bond with them. And unless that bond breaks, you will never be able to love anyone else as much as you love them."


    "Now there are two schools of thought thate in at this point. Some of us, including me, believe that the Progeny must be your fated mate. We are joined to each other in body and soul and spend the rest of our extremely long lives together so it is only right that it be should be done properly."


    "The other group believes that a Progeny is a vampire''sst trial. That if a vampire managed to kill its progeny with its own hands, its power will increase by many tens of folds. I don''t associate much with vampires like that since they are shunned and considered little more than outcasts but the rumors say there is some truth to it."


    "If you can kill your progeny, you will break free from the chains that hold you down and gain absolute power to awaken one of the ancient bloodlines that have long since been lost. The only person in recent times to have achieved that is none other than your father. Although no one knows if he used that method."


    "So do you understand now? Drinking Lycan blood, especially for your first time is nothing short of a death sentence. A life like that is not worth living."


    "Master Eres told me you have some feelings for this Lycan. I will help you get him, even mate with him if that''s what you want. But you can never drink from him. Understand?"


    "Keep him as a pet to have some ''fun'' with until you find a proper Progeny, maybe a noble from the inner world. When you find someone to your liking, you can thenplete your transition. All previous attachments will naturally be severed and then you can dispatch the animal as you see fit."


    Cao Jie stood up and walked around the table towards Ceni. She gently patted her shoulder, inplete contrast to before.


    "Don''t worry, I will help you with every step of the process, you have nothing to worry about."


    Meanwhile, all Ceni could think about was the first time she had tasted Hao Xuan''s blood. It was back when they were still on the ship. It happened byplete ident and since then she had kept it hidden from everyone else but only now she understood why she couldn''t resist him.


    ''So we were meant to be together from the start?''

 Chapter 781: Anouncements!

    <h4>Chapter 781: Anouncements!</h4>


    Hello everyone!


    Some important news I bring for you.


    I have started a new novel called "The Last Age of Man".


    All the details about it can be found on its page here and in the first auxiliary chapter: webnovel. c o m/book/thest-age-of-man_20036073105696905


    The main focus will still obviously be on Dawn of the New World but both of them are rted in a way.


    I will try my best to write at least one chapter a day for DNW but it COULD fall by 1-2 every other week or so when I work on TLAM (The Last Age of Man).


    If you are a fan of DNW, you will surely love TLAM.


    I have been meaning to write it for over a year now and no time seems to be right so I just said to hell with it.


    Give it a go, if it''s not your thing then DNW isn''t going anywhere, don''t worry.


    (Link posted inments as well)

 Chapter 782: "Seduce"

    <h4>Chapter 782: "Seduce"</h4>


    Princess Ceni spent the next two weeks within the tower where time flowed much slower. Cao Jie taught her everything she needed to know and helped awaken even more of her bloodline using various ancient methods.


    By the end, she had reached a blood purity level of almost 70% but no matter how much she tried there was no progress after that.


    As usual, the pair of beauties could be seen walking arm in arm about the highest level of the Tower, amidst the various exotic fauna that grew there.


    "You need the spark, the essence of your bloodline that is being nurtured within the Lycan. Only that will help youplete the transition," Cao Jie reminded her once again.


    Princess Ceni had changed considerably. She was only 18 years old now but looked to be in her mid-twenties. Her physique, much like Cao Jie, was perfect in every way.


    Her blood-red pupils gave little away which when counted along with the aura of a chilly winter''s night that she so naturally exuded, made her seem a lot more intimidating.


    "The bloodline from your mother''s side will never reach full maturity, but that has not stopped your body from radiating the carnal maism that her kind is known for. Everything from your saliva to the natural scent, it''s all a weapon that you can use to charm anyone into obeying you."


    "I''m sure there are some other abilities that will awaken with time but that is not too surprising considering your background. Here drink this," she handed Princess Ceni a small purple vial, "This can alter your appearance to what you looked like before if you want, but it has limited uses. I believe after the third attempt it won''t work. Use it to keep your progress hidden from your brother."


    Although Princess Ceni had yet to fully transition, she was still able to use many of the most fundamental abilities and powers that all Vampires were known for. But it would be after herplete awakening that she would find out what her blood art was.


    "Thank you, Sister Cao," she muttered in a low voice studying the contents of the vial.


    Cai Jie gently pped her back, "I told you, don''t think about it too much. Just go have fun with your Lycan, seduce him so you can enjoy everything he has to offer. But I hear they can be pretty wild in bed so be careful you don''t ''swallow'' any blood, alright?" she finished with a cheeky smile and a wink that left Princess Ceni red as a beet.


    "Sister Cao!" she stomped her feet embarrassingly.


    "Hahaha, trust me, it can get pretty crazy when you get down. Go now, and call if you ever need anything!" Cai Jie pushed her towards the small pond in the middle of the room and walked away without looking back.


    Ceni waited until she was alone before taking a sip from the vial. Her appearance started changing until she looked the same as before and after confirming, she jumped into the pond and disappeared.


    She reappeared a few hundred meters away from the same spot she left from earlier. Less than 5 hours had passed here not a lot had changed. She was about to start moving when the bushes nearby rustled and a figure casually walked out.


    "You..." Ceni''s brow knit in a tight furrow as she examined the approaching figure.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I heard some noise, thought I should check it out. Did you see where Hao Xuan went?" the figure asked casually.


    Ceni stared at him for a couple of seconds before turning around, "Yeah, follow me. Don''tg behind too much," she said with a somewhat nauseated expression.


    The figure walked closer and out of the shadows, revealing its true form. It was Jin Wang.


    Princess Ceni started sprinting at half her speed. With the help from the power of her bloodline, she was much stronger than before and as such, her speed was nothing to scoff at.


    She needlessly steered left and right, turning corners without a warning while gradually picking up speed until she had passed surpassed the speed of sound without much effort.


    Thinking that she had lost Jin Wang she looked back but got the right of her life when she saw his face following a few feet behind her.


    "W-What are you doing?!" she yelled involuntarily.


    "What? You said don''tg behind..." Jin Wang replied and proceeded to thrust his pinky up one of the nostrils.


    Ceni kept increasing her speed until she couldn''t anymore but Jin Wang was still behind her, at the same exact distance.


    ''I need to be careful of this man, he is not as ordinary as he seems,'' she mused, and rightly so.


    Following Hao Xuan''s scent which was like a bright red piece of rope in Ceni''s eyes, they reached the pit a few hourster where they saw what was left.


    Many of the undead still roamed about while only a couple of areas were left unscathed. Ceni ignored everything and went straight for the gate, entering it to find a man with an old saber waiting for them. (events of CH 613 "Racing" start from here)

 Chapter 783: Ghost of -

    <h4>Chapter 783: Ghost of -</h4>


    "DO IT!!"


    "Affirmative."


    Hao Xuan felt a tongue of sharp pain go up his spine but before it coulde back down, he was already out. His vision went dark and his consciousness had left the body.


    *Shoooop*


    Light once again returned to his eyes as he opened them to a new scene.


    ''Am I back in the webway?'' he mused looking at the surroundings and experiencing the same sensation of nakedness again.


    It was like looking at the world through a ss bottle full of a blue liquid. Everything seemed washed out and people and shapes were slightly stretched. It simr to when he was in the webway but still much different.


    Hao Xuan was hovering in the air looking down at a familiar scene. It was the barbarian camp.


    None of the buildings could stop his gaze as he saw and heard everything that was happening inside as clear as day.


    Princess Helena and Na''im were sitting at the table discussing something behind a barrier while all the others were huddled up in front of the fire.


    In Hao Xuan''s eyes they looked both familiar and somehow foreign at the same time since he was could see various colors and shapes surrounded each person.


    Burak was sitting across from Princess Inara talking to her quite passionately about a number of different topics but she paid no heed to his words. He kept smiling at her but every now and then another ethereal face would pop out from behind his own with a much different expression than what he was wearing.


    Sometimes it would be worriedly asking if she was okay while other times it would be anxiously yelling at her to look at him.


    ''Are those his true feelings or inner thoughts?''


    Hao Xuan no proof that they were, it was just a feeling.


    Ma Jiang was sitting with Uri some distance away chatting about something when she suddenly paused and looked up, almost at the exact spot Hao Xuan was in the air.


    ''Can she see me?!''


    There was a dark bright aura brimming with vibrant lifeforce surrounding her. While all the others looked washed out, she was the only person that looked the most like her usual self, minus the aura of course.


    Hao Xuan was pulled away by an unknown force and was sent hurling towards another area.


    ''Woah, what..." he tried to control himself but soon realized he was just along for the ride, ''who?!''


    It was much more clear this time. There was some sort of intent attached to him. Some ''being'' was doing this. He could feel its existence like it was holding his hand and dragging him along even when there was nothing there.


    It felt angry but the anger wasn''t directed at him.


    The world slowed down and came to a stop. Hao Xuan looked around and saw two groups of people below him.


    Almost all of them were unknown faces other than one.


    ''Stasa!''


    He was the Third guardian (or protector, used interchangeably) of the Hall.


    ''So they are here too!''


    Hao Xuan hadn''t felt the Ensis''s presence down here so he just assumed the Hall hadn''t found out about it yet but from the looks of it, they were several steps ahead of him.


    The third guardian was supposed to protect the walking city and had to stay within or near it at least, which obviously wasn''t the case. They had send out one of the big guys personally, but for what?


    ''Who are they?''


    Hao Xuan directed his attention towards the people he was meeting. It was just a bunch of kids.


    ''Hmm?''


    But the moment he focused on them he noticed something peculiar. The ethereal faces that asionally popped out from behind these kid''s faces were much, MUCH older.


    ''Shapeshifters? Spirits inhabiting other bodies? What are they?''


    The copious amounts of dark red and ck aura that was surrounding them made it pretty clear their intentions weren''t noble.


    The world started spinning again and when it stopped Hao Xuan was above a makeshift camp somewhere in the woods. He recognized a lot of the faces here. It was the people from the Academy.


    Henrik, Hazel, and Fulke along with a bunch of others whose names Hao Xuan couldn''t recall were all merrily sitting around arge bonfire drinking and eating. (CH 388 ''Training Buddies'')


    ''It looks like they are camping, without a worry in the world.''


    The scene started to change once again and by the time it stabilized Hao Xuan was hovering above a small town. There were makeshift huts, shacks, and small shelters all over the ce. It looked more like a slum than anything else.


    Tens of thousands of locals living in some of the worst conditions Hao Xuan had ever seen. And there were rows upon rows of new people arriving constantly. Many of them injured and covered in various wounds with a fair few even missing a limb or two.


    Holding onto whatever belongings they still had on them, they marched like mindless drones, hungry and thirsty. Packs of wild beasts followed closely from the sides, dragging any unfortunate soul that couldn''t stand on its own two feet into the surrounding forests.


    Some of them fought back while others simply closed their eyes and epted their fate as the beats tore them limb from limb.


    Hao Xuan could see and feel what they were feeling, the hopelessness, the pain, and the heartache.


    The scene quickly changed five more times to show identical slums stretching across thends, a total of six of them.


    Each one filled to the brim with much of the same people. Broken, homeless, despairing individuals.


    This was what was happening to the natives of this world.

 Chapter 784: Decided

    <h4>Chapter 784: Decided</h4>


    ''I didn''t know...I thought they would only go after the kings and queens to bring them to their side, not hurt the civilians-''


    Before he could finish thinking the thought, the scene started to change again and he was dragged to another ce. This time it was an old city with 5 to 6 meters high stone walls on all sides with a grandiose Castle in the center.


    It was bustling with life on every corner. Tens of thousands of people moving back and forth, the stone streets teeming with loud vendors offering their wares and services.


    Well armored guard regiments were mounted on each of the three city gates and even more within the castle walls.


    A whole slew of bodies constantly entered and left through the gates.


    ''Is this happening...now?''


    Both the ces were in stark contrast to one another.


    ''But why?''


    The world shifted in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes and the rotation of the sun and moon reversed a handful of times. Time turned back enough for him to see the answer with his own eyes.


    A well and somewhat oddly dressed party of youngstersnded atop the castle roof on various mounts.


    A red sparrow was in the lead from which a handsome youth exuding the charisma and vigor of a ruler casually descended.


    ''Dai Zhi!''


    The man Hao Xuan was supposed to kill.


    The King and the Queen personally came out to greet him, despite their old age. They went to a well-decorated hall where rows upon rows of gaudily dressed men and women adorned with multiple medals and des weed them. Presumably all the government officials and nobles.


    Dai Zhi exchanged a few words with them, gave, and then epted a few presents before getting to the point.


    "Serve me. Let your armies fly my banner and I will guarantee you a position worthy of your status when we take over your world. Your lineage will be secured and your bloodline preserved for as long as I live."


    "Will that be...all?" the feeble-bodied old king inquired. He seemed to on his death bed with the grim reaper not too far behind.


    A shrewd smile bloomed on Dai Zhi''s face. He needn''t say more, his gaze spoke volumes.


    "War. Wage war with the other nations that have so foolishly turned down my offer. Burn every home, every farm from here till the oceans, ughter every able-bodied man and woman in MY name. Bring other nations under your control and I will give you power the likes of which you have never seen before."


    Dai Zhi extended his arm as a red-colored whirlwind erupted from the palm of his hand and grew in size until it covered the King and the Queen entirely. At first this greatly disturbed the rows of spectators but when it faded away a few secondster to reveal a much younger couple, they were rendered speechless.


    Strands of white hair still shinned through the goldden crowns but instead of looking like the bag of bones that they previously were, now they were now brimming with vitality.


    Most of the wrinkles were gone, their skin devoid of the Age Spots left behind by the flow of time. At most, if one had to guess just from their current appearance, they wouldn''t be a day over 40.


    Then King stood up with wobbly legs and walked up to the window to check his reflection. He startedughing maniacally the next moment before falling to the ground, kowtowing in front of Dai Zhi.


    The Queen followed suit and one by one all the others did the same, in awe and reverence of his power.


    "All hail Lord Dai Zhi!"


    "All hail his eminence!"


    For these bunch of mortals that would not live to see the end of the decade, Dai Zhi had given them hope. The hope of a new life, of a longer life where they could achieve so much more.


    Hao Xuan often overlooked the fact that Dai Zhi was a Vampire prince first and foremost. And as such, his power was nothing to scoff at.


    But his demands left a sour taste in Hao Xuan''s mouth. Not only because of how ruthless they were, but how they were phrased.


    ''In my name, he asked. Why did he want all this bloodshed specifically in his name?''


    Regardless, that exined the slums. They were war refugees.


    Hao Xuan was still digesting everything he had just seen when the time turned back a little more.


    Dai Zhi was sitting across from another person this time. A shirtless muscr man about the same age as him, although who could tell how old they really were. In this man''s embrace was a scantily dressed girl, rubbing her hands all over his body.


    "Do we have a deal then?" Dai Zhi inquired curtly. It looked like he was in pain just looking at the two.


    "I don''t know...it doesn''t look like I''m getting the better end of this," the half-naked man mumbled while ying with a lock of the girl''s hair.


    Dai Zhi stood up abruptly, huffing and puffing.


    "Tian Zheng! Don''t push your luck. Everything has already been decided back home, just do what you''re here for!"


    ''Tian Zheng!'' hearing his name Hao Xuan remembered who this was. The first Guardian of the Hall.


    ''But weren''t they supposed to be mortal enemies or something...''


    Tian Zhengughed, "Come on, can you really me me? You want me to just stand back while you take all the mortals and have them kill each other in your name to create your divine spark, while I get what? Your half-sister? I mean killing her is only going to help you secure your position faster. So what do I get out of it?"


    *sh*


    A beam of red swordlight shot at Tian Zheng''s feet, making him stand up.


    "Oi oi, this is one hell of a way to ask for a favor, prince charming!"


    Tian Zheng''s shadow bubbled and morphed, multiple pairs of beastly eyes making themselves known. But Dai Zhi was unperturbed.


    "She is no sister of mine. The daughter of a demonic whore! Just because we share some blood doesn''t mean anything. It has already been decided by our masters, do not force my hand again."


    At the mention of his master Tian Zheng instantly rxed.


    "Tsk, fine. But you owe me one. And I won''t kill your ''sister'' that easily either. We will have some fun first and maybe if she''s lucky, I''ll even turn her into one of my brides."


    Dai Zhi''s expression turned unpleasant upon hearing his n but he didn''t stop him.


    "Do with her as you will, so long as she doesn''t lead this world alive."

 Chapter 785: Dima

    <h4>Chapter 785: Dima</h4>


    Hao Xuan bore witness to the deal between Dai Zhi and Tian Zheng, supposed mortal enemies straight up working with one another.


    ''It looks like everything was set up just so Dai Zhi could create his divine spark, and even going as far as killing Ceni, this bastard really has no conscious does he...''


    Hao Xuan had heard about the divine spark before from Baracus. Supposedly it was the thing one needed to create for their godhood andter ascension to a Divine being.


    It was a different cultivation path than the one Hao Xuan was on, one that would truly make him a son of heaven if it waspleted.


    ''I will not have any chance of killing him if he is able to create that divine spark. Although I didn''t want to get my hands dirty, if he doesn''t back off then I really will have to do something,'' a glint of ruthlessness took root in his eyes.


    Until now Hao Xuan had purposefully stayed away from Dao Zhi as much as possible simply because he didn''t want to anger the forces that backed him.


    He was not only the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Edda but his father, the King of Edda, was a full-fledged Vampire Lord and his current master was an all-powerful being who was the second most powerful entity in the entire Academy.


    And if that wasn''t enough, the Church of Light that was the mainstream religion of the greater world had some interest in him as well. Meaning at LEAST three superpowers were looking out for him.


    It would probably be easier to steal the moon from the sky than to kill this guy, if that was even possible considering his abilities.


    ''I''ll save him for thest then...'' Hao Xuan finally concluded and as if waiting for him, the scene changed to a much darker one.


    He was somewhere deep underground this time, surrounded by rock and stone on all sides but two.


    The front was blocked by debris while at the back was a small group of people.


    Hao Xuan instantly recognized two of the people there, especially since one of them was his own sever Monk and the other was the bald-headed first Guardian of the Temple, Dima.


    He was the youngest of all the guardians from each of the three powers and one of the rare few that acted his age.


    Covering his mouth with a handkerchief he was bent down halfway inspecting a corpse that was buried underneath the debris. From what was left of the man, he looked to be a native of this world.


    "How many does this one make now?" he asked.


    Someone from his entourage stepped forward to answer, "Close to 200 my lord."


    "Tsk, what a shame. May his soul reach the wheel of reincarnation in the afterlife," Dima said a small prayer with sped hands before waving them and covering his mouth again.


    "Alright, open the way and throw the corpse outside with all the rest. We''re almost there so no need to use the mortals, get to it yourselves."


    "Yes, my lord!" the half a dozen or so cultivators behind him answered in unison.


    Dima was walking back out when he stopped in front of Monk.


    "You, what is your name again?" he asked with knitted brows trying to recall it.


    "This one is called Monk, my lord."


    "Hmm, Monk. You have a good bloodline and I''ve noticed you around before, you''re a hard worker. What do you say, interested in being my right-hand man?"


    The others gazed at him with unconcealed envy, only able to wish they were in his shoes.


    "O-Of course, my lord! It would be my greatest pleasure to serve you!"


    Monk replied so passionately that it even made Hao Xuan doubt his intentions. If he didn''t have Monk''s life in the palm of his hand Hao Xuan would have thought he was serious too.


    But even then he didn''t ignore the fact that Monk might do something to harm him.


    "Good, very good. From now on you are in charge of this operation. Open up the pathway within the next two days and I will reward you handsomely. Namely, a blood cleansing pill that will increase the purity of your bloodline."


    "Thank you, Lord Dima!" Monk gave a light bow but since he was more than twice Dima''s size, he was still looking down at him.


    The time sped up and soon the pathway was cleared.


    A full team of well-armored individuals wearing suits that looked like a mix of traditional armor along with some modern tech installed in them entered, passing Monk''s group without even so much as a greeting.


    Their every orifice was covered with one thing or another and there even seemed to be a face mask with its own oxygen supply attached to the backs of each of the hulking armors.


    Rather than wearing them, it looked like they were entombed within the armor sets. It was something that Hao Xuan had only seen in Gothic-themedic books back on earth, yet here it was in the sh.


    They were going straight down, prepared for every possible scenario.


    ''The prison...the Temple is still trying to pry its way in...what are they after?''

 Chapter 786: Familiar Faces

    <h4>Chapter 786: Familiar Faces</h4>


    In the next few minutes Hao Xuan was shown a great number of different scenes from both the past and the present. It helped him understand quite a bit about the current situation.


    Other than the Academy, the Temple, and the Hall, each of which had their own hidden agendas and motives for every action and move they made, there were a few other groups that Hao Xuan was previously unaware of.


    The roaches for example. Although they had beenying low since Hao Xuan''s first encounter with them, they had not yet left the. They were still here, looking for something deep underground, just like the folks from the Temple.


    The mes of war had turned most of the surface world upside down. Other than a handful of locations everything else was in cinders. So much blood was shed that the streams and rivers were painted red.


    The dead now outnumbered the living but the biggest problem was that they did not stay dead for very long. After every battle the insurmountable losses from each side would rise again with the setting sun and walk off into the darkness.


    ''The demon is still here. It has not yet left this ce. It hides in the shadows, watching, nning, and preparing. But no one even cares anymore about that, do they? Even the native resistance fighters that were supposedly fighting for their freedom seemed to have a change of heart.''


    All kinds of powers were battling out for their own gains while the poor mortals of this world paid the heaviest price.


    The scene changed for thest time and Hao Xuan was once again thrust back into a slum.


    He was above one of the main roads that lead to it. A rtively small party of 50 or so individuals was trudging along the dirt path, dragging themselves towards the slum that could not even support them anymore.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze was attracted towards a woman near the back. She was clutching the hand of a 6-year-old child on one side and on the other hugging an infant.


    Her lips were ckened from the thick scabs that covered them. Her listless eyes made her look a little better than an undead but not by much. Her emaciated figure was so thin that it looked like she had no flesh whatsoever.


    The 6-year-old child was in slightly better condition but its face was covered in dirt and the dried lips covered in open wounds.


    The infant within the woman''s embrace was not breathing anymore. It had died more than a day ago with throngs of insects and flies buzzing about it, but the woman waspletely numb to all of it.


    She still held it close to her heart, gently patting its back while moving forward with what little energy remained in her body. It was unsure if the other child would be able to see the end of the day either.


    And this wasn''t a special case either.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but look away from the horrid scene, ''Enough, you don''t need to show me this. I get what you''re trying to say,'' he uttered weakly but the scene did not change.


    ''I SAID ENOUGH! STOP-'' he shouted but paused midway upon seeing another familiar figure walk up to the woman.


    He stopped right in front of her and the child, "Here, it''s not much but it will help you reach the inner area, you can get more there," he said handing them a small basket of dried meat, bread, and water.


    The woman looked at him for a few seconds with the same lifeless gaze until the figure''s words registered in her brain.


    "I don''t have...money..." she said while hiding the 6-year old behind her protectively.


    The figure shook his head, "What use is money in this ce. Please, take this and....I''m sorry, for your loss," he nced at the infant''s corpse in her embrace.


    The figure bowed and walked away withrge strides towards another emaciated figure not too far away, handing him a simr basket.


    The woman stood in ce watching, as the man went from one person to another, handing them food and water without asking anything in return.


    She fell to her knees while tears streaked down her dirt-ridden face. Taking out the water pouch she gave some to the child while trying her best not to break down.


    Hao Xuan followed the figure''s back throughout. When he was done distributing the rations to this party, he went back into the slum and brought out another card filled with the same things. He took it to the next group of people that wereing in.


    His feet that were covered in old rags didn''t stop for even a second. Yet a genial smile covered his face every time he went up to a person.


    ''Was his name...Jax?''


    Hao Xuan was barely able to connect the face to a name but he remembered the man''s temperament from when they met beside theke, and it had left enough of an expression that he was able to recall it. (First mentioned in chapter 555 ''Immensity'' and after that in 567 ''A new reality'')

 Chapter 787: Negative

    <h4>Chapter 787: Negative</h4>


    Hao Xuan watched on for a few minutes. This had been the longest any scene was shown to him. Yet he could not figure out the reason behind it.


    ''But why...is he important? He is just a mortal. Why are you showing me this?'' he sent out the thought but did not get an answer.


    ''Or is it not who he is, but what he is doing that''s important? Do you want me to help your people? Is that it?''


    *ZzZzzZz*


    A low hum sounded within Hao Xuan''s mind in response to the query but he couldn''t understand what it meant.


    ''I don''t understand, I can''t hear what you''re trying to say!''


    It felt like he was on a different frequency than the person or entity that was showing him all this. As if each of them was on the other side of a ss wall where they could see or in this case ''sense'' each other''s presence in a way but not talk directly.


    ''Can you tell me who you are? Or where?''


    Having been basically connected to this entity for such an extended period of time, he was able to discern and ascertain a few things for himself.


    1. The entity that was showing him all this did not mean him any harm, at least not directly. There were no negative emotions involved aimed at him throughout thismuniqu¨¦.


    2. It was trying to tell him something very specific throughout but could not ry it properly.


    3. It was "inexperienced" and quite new to all this. Hao Xuan didn''t know how exactly he knew that but he could tell very clearly. The indistinguishable aura of innocence and naivety was exuding from every thought that reached him.


    The scene finally changed and it went back to the Barbarian settlement, the Yurt in which the princesses and the rest of them were.


    Hao Xuan examined the scene down with a deep frown, ''Are you one of them?''


    *ZZZZ*


    A strong no.


    ''Then...what? Can one of them lead me back to you?''


    *zzzz*


    A much softer vibration that didn''t want to split his head open came in response.


    ''So that''s a yes then. Who is it specifically? Just tell me the side. Is it the barbarians?''


    *ZZZZZ*


    ''Alright, demihumans it is. I wille find you soon then. I know there are a few things you wanted to show me but couldn''t for whatever reason, I hope we can-''


    Before he could finish the world went nk as he was pulled away and thrust back into his body. Hao Xuan opened his eyes whilst still floating on water, wherever he was.


    He examined his body the moment he came to and let out a breath of relief upon finding that everything had returned to normal.


    "Baracus, what happened?" he swiftly inquired.


    *Beep*


    "There was extremely reactive fluid that you came into contact with. It did quite a number on you."


    Hao Xuan''s brow knit together as he swam to the shore.


    "It did quite a number on me? That''s a pretty weird way to put it."


    "My algorithm is always trying to mimic your speech pattern to sound as human as possible. But if you find it odd I can go back to-"


    "No no, that''s fine. It does make it easier to talk to but be more exact when you answer."


    "I understand. To answer your question, the fluid that you came into contact with activated a series of dormant gene sequences that otherwise would never awaken. This triggered a chain reaction within your bloodline that resulted in the undesired physical changes."


    "There are no mentions of anything remotely simr in my internal records. It would be of tremendous help if you could acquire a sample to be studied at ater date. It could prove instrumental in unlocking the secrets within the organic DNA and perhaps even help acquire more than one bloodline abilities without processing the said bloodline."


    Hearing Baracus''s request and what it could mean for him, Hao Xuan could not help but be more than a little skeptical.


    "Are you sure? Is her blood really that unique?"


    "Affirmative. I have never seen such a unique gic structure before. There is no telling what else could be done once its secrets are unlocked. On its own, the blood does not do much but whenbined with other bloodlines, it- It is invaluable in its applications."


    Hao Xuan''s mind raced with a myriad of thoughts.


    ''Is that why she is running from someone? It would exin a lot but right now, I have to get back to them first.''


    Hao Xuan got up to his feet ready to depart when his nose twitched. He sniffed the air around him, "Baracus, did someone elsee around when I was unconscious?"


    "....Negative."


    "Hmm, that''s weird. I can definitely smell a familiar scent....was it before I came here?"

 Chapter 788: Go With

    <h4>Chapter 788: Go With</h4>


    Hao Xuan roughly remembered the direction he hade from and started backtracking.


    Even after going through all that he did in thest hour or so, he was still back in peak condition after just a few minutes of rest. His speed did not dwindle throughout the journey back until he himself came to a stop.


    With a barely audible thud hended on a thick branch of an old tree that projected into the air for well over 20 meters.


    It was the tallest one for hundreds of kilometers and provided a great vantage point.


    To the right was the purple whirlpool in the sky that had almost doubled in size. From so faraway Hao Xuan was able to clearly see the difference from before. The minor spatial cracks that would show themselves here and there were now much bigger and spread over a vast area.


    It looked like the sky was a mirror that was starting to break apart from inside out.


    "That''s not very good...is it?"


    Then he noticed something else. There were strange shadows and dark figures appearing and disappearing from his vision.


    "I saw those before, didn''t I?"


    Hao Xuan remembered running past them whileing over but he was barely holding onto his sanity at that time so didn''t have much time to investigate.


    But now that he tried to examine them in a little more detail the moment he squinted and tried to focus on them they wouldpletely disappear just like an optical illusion. But when he looked away surreptitiously they would reappear in the corner of his eye.


    They were all extremely hazy which made it next to impossible to determine what they actually looked like. Only a few of therger shadows that were so big that not even mountains could hide them were rtively obvious.


    Most of them were hexapod arthropods from the looks of it with various sizes ranging from a few dozen meters to hundreds. Long jointed legs moved back and forth below bulbous growths. But just like the others, when he looked at them directly they would disappear again.


    "Baracus, can you see those big shadows in the distance?"


    *Beep*


    "Shadows? Of the trees?"


    "No no, the huge creatures, the six-legged ones. There is one a few kilometers to my direct left."


    "Negative. There is no such entity registering on the entire visible spectrum."


    *Sigh*


    "As I thought. Her blood did this...didn''t it?"


    That was probably the most obvious cause since he only started seeing these things aftering into contact with Ma Jiang''s blood.


    "But...what are they?"


    Hao Xuan took out a paper and some pencils from Baracus''s storage space and drew the rough shape of some of the shadows to maybe ask someone aboutter before continuing on.


    Some 20 minutester he was back in the Barbarian settlement. The entire group was standing in front of Princess Na''im''s yurt waiting for him. Ma Jiang''s tinny figure was the first one to rush over to him.


    "Where did you go!? We have been waiting for you for over an- What? Why are you looking at me like that?" the speech she had prepared beforehand had just started when she noticed Hao Xuan''s peculiar gaze.


    She took a step back and Hao Xuan could see her little frame subtly tremble.


    "W-What? What''s with that look?" she asked stutteringly, backing away a few more steps.


    Ma Jiang tried to put up a brave front but Hao Xuan could hear her heartbeat quickening by the second, not to mention her thoughts.


    ''He knows! He definitely knows something! I have to get out of here before he can-''


    Before she could even blink Hao Xuan''s hand shot out like a snake. All she could manage to do at that point was close her eyes and wait for the inevitable pain which technically dide.


    *tap*


    A light flicknded in the middle of her brow but it was enough to leave a pink mark on her pale skin.


    "Oww...." she opened her eyes while rubbing her forehead, "W-What was that for?"


    Hao Xuan shrugged, "I felt like it, you suspicious brat."


    "WHA-"


    "I''m sorry to interrupt but we are kind of low on time," Princess Helena hesitantly came forward to intervene before Ma Jiang could retaliate.


    Hao Xuan looked at her, his gaze attracted to the pair of red canine ears on top of her head.


    "Low on time for what?"


    Princess Helena instantly flushed red upon noticing his gaze. The pair of canine ears limped while trying to hide within her red hair.


    "The...elders. We have to go back to tell the elders and discuss the next steps."


    "We will do the same," Princess Na''im stepped in swiftly, staring daggers at Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Alright, I will go with you then," he said looking towards Princess Helena.

 Chapter 789: Secret Passage

    <h4>Chapter 789: Secret Passage</h4>


    "With...us?" she looked at Princess Na''im and Burak who were standing on the side.


    The rtionship between the barbarian and Hao Xuan was much deeper than the perfunctory one between them.


    "May I ask why?" she asked sounding a little skeptical but soon followed up with an exnation in case he misunderstood, "We, the Demihuman tribes of course wee Lord Hao Xuan with open arms but I thought you would prefer to visit Princess Na''im''s camp first."


    Listening to her carefully crafted response Hao Xuan could only smile inwardly. Not only did she not reject him but managed to inquire about his intentions without straining the rtionship between her and the barbarian princess.


    Not to mention she threw all the responsibility on Hao Xuan''s shoulder. He was obviously strong and could greatly benefit whichever side he joined by his mere presence but he was also an official guardian of one of the three great powers.


    Ma Jiang had told them everything she knew so they were well aware of his position. Bringing him to their side could help strengthen their future rtionship, or so they thought.


    Hao Xuan obviously couldn''t tell them he was contacted by some sort of powerful spiritual entity from their side right in front of everyone so he chose to keep that part to himself for now.


    "It''s for a personal matter. I can tell Princess Helena privately when we leave."


    Unfortunately, his wording made it quite easy for them to misunderstand his true intentions. Although Princess Helena was a very beautiful female, it was her talent and skill in managing people and creating political rtionships that brought her fame.


    So much so that more often than not people forgot she was a maiden as well. One would be hard-pressed to find anyone better than her when it came to either the looks or temperament.


    And Hao Xuan being a man, it wasn''t too far-fetched that he might have feelings for her. The group naturally assumed it was because he wanted to be close to her.


    Ma Jiang repeated his words slowly, "Personal matter?!" with a scrunched-up brow.


    Her opinion of him quickly deteriorated.


    "Hmph, pervert..." she murmured walking away first.


    Hao Xuan had no idea they were thinking even though he could hear what was going on inside their heads. It was a jumbled-up mess of half-thoughts and strong emotions that were neither here nor there.


    A few words stood out though, ''Trash, typical man, filth,'' etc but he didn''t know they were aimed at him.


    Slightly perplexed he looked towards Princess Helena, "Should we go...then? I''m a little strained for time."


    "Y-Yes," the red-haired beauty nodded back somewhat shyly, confusing him even more.


    Princess Na''im turned around and started walking away before they could take their leave.


    "I will see you at the summit, Helena," her words carried over on the wind.


    Burak waved goodbye to Princess Inara but she didn''t even register his presence.


    The guards were in the lead with the princesses behind them closely followed by Uri and Ma Jiang. Hao Xuan offered her a helping hand seeing as she still hadn''t recovered but she literally swatted it away with a disgusted expression.


    "I don''t need your help, don''t touch me you pervert."


    bbergasted and utterly stupefied, Hao Xuan could only look at her in disbelief. His brain could notprehend what was going on and listening in to her thoughts was not helping at all.


    ''Papa was right, all men are pigs! I have to be careful around them otherwise-''


    ''What....the fuck did I do?! Was it the flick? It was the flick wasn''t it?''


    Hao Xuan was so out of it that hepletely forgot about waiting for Jarek who he had promised to bring back with him.


    The group moved under the cover of darkness at a rtively good speed, covering close to 20 kilometers of rocky terrain in a couple of hours. They slowly left the woods and veered towards what looked like a miasma-filled valley in the distance,


    There were no living creatures here at all. Not a single de of grass could be found for hundreds of meters around it.


    Hao Xuan went up to Princess Helena and stopped her just before they jumped down.


    "Are you sure we''re in the right spot? We have gone further ind rather than out."


    Princess Helena smiled wryly while nodding, "My apologies. I forgot to inform you since we were in a hurry. This ce hides an alternative path that leads directly back to the old city."


    "A shortcut? Here?" Hao Xuan looked at the thick wall of poisonous gas in front of him. Not even his vision could see through it, "And it''s safe? There are toxic fumes all over the ce. Won''t it be dangerous for you?"


    "Actually there is much more than poison in there but as long as we don''t go too deep it should be fine. This is a secret path that was created by my grandmother herself. She allowed me to use it in case of an emergency so as long as I am with you there won''t be a problem. So-"


    A pink hue slowly covered her neck and cheeks, "- I-If you stay close to me it will be fine."

 Chapter 790: Not so secret anymore Passage

    <h4>Chapter 790: ''Not so secret anymore'' Passage</h4>


    "If you stay close to me it...will be fine," Princess Helena bashfully informed Hao Xuan.


    He didn''t think much of it and simply epted.


    "Alright, lead the way."


    But then he reached back and picked up Ma Jiang like a stray kitten and ced her in between them, "You stay in the middle. Your mana won''tst long this way if you keep draining it so quickly."


    "Wha- Let me go!"


    Taken aback and more than a little confused by Hao Xuan''s actions, Princess Helena still shed a smile towards Ma Jiang, "Lord Hao Xuan is right. Lady Ma Jiang should stay beside me."


    "Yes, sister Helena."


    Ma Jiang immediately calmed down and her entire demeanor changed in the blink of an eye. To her, Princess Helena had be somewhat of a role model in the few months she had spent with them so hearing a single sentence from her was akin to a gift, a gift she would never turn away.


    She pushed Hao Xuan away while innocently smiling towards Princess Helena who returned the gesture with a courteous smile before looking behind her.


    "Remember to stay close and don''t make a noise. If you get separated then stay where you are and I wille to find you."


    "Yes!" x2


    Both the female guards replied in unison whereas Princess Inara gave a slow nod. She seemed a bit of it,cking the energy to do even the most menial tasks. Yet Princess Helena recused herself from continuing that discussion with Inara.


    Princess Helena was in the lead while Ma Jiang and Hao Xuan followed closely behind with Uri, Princess Inara, and the guards bringing up the rear.


    A minuteter they had already taken the first steps into the valley. The first thing Hao Xuan noticed was the green tint that the surroundings had taken.


    Some fifty meters down they came across theyer of dark green and ck misty clouds that covered everything in sight. They acted as a curtain separating the world above from below.


    Hao Xuan''s tongue and nose itched the more he breathed. The air tasted "spicy" for some reason. Upon reaching theyer of mist that carpeted everything below, Princess Helena reached out her right hand.


    The green and ck mist rumbled before slowly parting like the red sea, allowing the group entry to the valley''s depths. At that point Hao Xuan''s gaze was attracted towards one of the gold rings on Princess Helena''s extended hand.


    One of them which held a dim green ruby brightened for a fraction of a second to reveal a hidden rune inside. It was so quick that no one else noticed it. And if Hao Xuan wasn''t paying attention and observing every little movement she made he would have missed it too.


    The radius of five meters around Princess Helena was crystal clear. No poison dared crossed that boundary and all the turbid air that was too thick to even see through was kept at bay.


    ''A word of power.''


    Hao Xuan only needed a momentary nce to confirm its origin. It was a glyph and from the looks of it quite an old one. Extremely simple with just three lines intersecting and twisting around one another.


    In front of them was a stone stairway leading down into the inky depths.


    Princess Helena took the first step and started her descent. Hao Xuan raised his foot but hesitated for a moment upon sensing the power of aw. Severalws in fact.


    But he didn''t have much time to ponder why or whosews they were before Ma Jiangnded a sharp elbow straight into his ribcage. He instinctively tried to avoid it but ended up jumping down.


    "You shi-"


    "Shhh!"


    He tried to curse but was stopped by Princess Helena who was looking straight ahead with an austere expression. Hao Xuan gritted his teeth at the smirking Ma Jiang before looking in the same direction as Princess Helena.


    There was a misshapen corroded skeleton blocking their path.


    Princess Helena bent down and touched its yellowed skull. The moment her hand came into contact with it the bone turned to white ash and turned to dust.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t understand why her expression was so grim. Was it that odd to find a skeleton in a poison valley? So he leaned in and asked in a low whisper, "What''s wrong?"


    Princess Helena stood and cleaned her finger with a ck cloth.


    "This wasn''t here before. We passed through here just a day ago and it was clear."


    From the looks of it whoever the skeleton originally belonged to was trying to climb back up the staircase and died just before reaching the exit.


    "Maybe someone wandered in?" Hao Xuan suggested. It was quite possible, or so he thought but she shook her head without giving it any thought.


    "No one can walk in. They would be turned around before reaching the firstyer of miasma. Only someone that has already been here could find their way back."


    "Then it''s someone you brought before."


    Princess Helena looked behind them before shaking her head again, "No, everyone that I have ever brought with me is here. We never use this ce unless it''s an emergency."

 Chapter 791: Assumptions

    <h4>Chapter 791: Assumptions</h4>


    "We never use this ce unless it''s an emergency..."


    Hao Xuan needn''t hear anymore. It meant there were other people that had managed to find this ce so it was a safe bet that they weren''t alone down here anymore.


    "Come along, let''s not dawdle around any longer," Princess Hna urged.


    Hao Xuan focused all of his senses and made sure they were in full gear as they slowly descended deeper into the miasma.


    The staircase they were on looked like it was sculpted from the grey rocks that were lining the sides of the valley. Each footstep was louder than it should have been but the sound didn''t carry on for too long.


    The moment any sound came into contact with the wall of miasma that had a gtinous-like quality to it, it would disperse and along the sides.


    But the deeper they went, the louder the silence got until all Hao Xuan could hear was whatever was within five meters of Princess Helena.


    After crossing a total of seven flights of stairs they came out in front of a wide-open space. The miasma thinned in quantity but Hao Xuan could feel it was a lot more potent. The hair on his arms rolled back when he attempted to observe it more clearly.


    There was gravel underneath his feet and although the miasma blocked much of his vision, he was still able to see make out some rough shapes in the near distance. There were old manmade stone structures less than 20 meters away.


    He leaned in closer towards Princess Helena and whispered, "This ce was upied at some point? There are buildings nearby."


    She was a little surprised that Hao Xuan was able to see the structures through the miasma from so far away but didn''t let it show.


    "Yes. Grandmother said our ancestors used to live here a long time ago. Before we got separated into different tribes there was only one group that lived in this valley."


    "What happened to them? Why did they go their separate ways?"


    "No one knows for sure. All grandmother told me was that something big happened, an ident of some kind that fractured our world and scattered our people all over the ce. I think before that all of used to live on the surface."


    "Hmm."


    Hao Xuan listened intently but after a little while it became pretty clear that Helena wasn''t in the know-how herself and was making more than a few spections and assumptions to fill in the nks.


    It had been thousands of years since this ''ident'' and there were no actual records of anything.


    But the presence of several differentws that Hao Xuan was sensing was proof enough that whatever caused this ident was no small matter.


    From a handful of spatialws to a dozen others that he had no way to recognize were all present in this valley to some extent.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t see or hear them, only feel their ethereal presence within the surroundings. He reached out and touched the curtain of miasma.


    A swirl of green smoke slithered out as if it was alive to entwine around his middle finger. The smoke covered the entire digit and a secondter he felt something entering his body.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils suddenly dted and both his hearts thumped forcefully to push out a new stream of blood into the body while bringing the one from his finger straight to the right heart. He closed his eyes while feeling the changes in his body.


    Princess Helena noticed him standing idly on the side so she probed, "Are you okay?"


    Hao Xuan gave a stiff nod in return without meeting her gaze, "Y-Yes, please go on."


    When she looked away Hao Xuan let out a breath of turbid air. It looked like he was blowing smoke from his mouth. Meanwhile, inside his body the poison was directly absorbed by the right heart and converted into pure spiritual energy.


    One ''unit'' of poison produced three units of energy.


    *Beep*


    ''Radioactive Isotopes Detected.''


    ''Activating Countermeasures....''


    ''.....''


    ''No Countermeasures Required.''


    ''Threat Neutralized.''


    Baracus''s notifications spammed one after another in his vision, proving what Hao Xuan already knew. His body was able to absorb radiation and turn it into spiritual energy.


    And this ''miasma'' was less poisonous and much more radioactive. Although there were more than a few poisonous elements mixed in there as well.


    That''s what he breathed out. Due to his physique, most of the normal poisons found in nature were rendered useless and would be automatically filtered out of his bloodstream, stripped of any useful properties, and excreted out one way or another.


    But there was a limit to how much he could absorb at once without any side effects.


    And that wasn''t all either. While touching the miasma Hao Xuan was somehow able to sense several living beings in the near vicinity, hiding within the structures nearby.


    With a light flick of Hao Xuan''s hand the miasma erupted with frenzy, seething and boiling.


    "What''s happening?!"


    "Stay close to me!"


    The others all huddled up around Princess Helena upon noticing the sudden disturbance.


    "Master..."


    A rolling hiss reached Hao Xuan''s ears. He looked to the side and saw a familiar silhouette. The Scorpion King''s hunched figure sat in the distance awaiting orders.

 Chapter 792: Slumbering Protectors

    <h4>Chapter 792: Slumbering Protectors</h4>


    The miasma came alive the moment Scorpion King''s body solidified in the outside world. Every atom, every scrap, every little speck of poisonous matter within a range of 150 meters gained consciousness, congregating around the Scorpion King in jubtion.


    "Master..."


    The Scorpion King knelt. If he could smile then he would be grinning from ear to ear upon feeling the copious amounts of miasma surrounding his body.


    Without lifting a finger it started to attach itself to his carapace and was absorbed inside his body. The rough green color of his hard exterior became smoother and more polished and the dullness was beginning to be reced by a sharp glow.


    Since they were in such close proximity Hao Xuan was able to feel the changes happening inside the Scorpion King''s body through their soul connection. His power level that had been stagnant for so long had oncee to life. (Reference image is posted in discord, just search ''Scorpion King'' and it wille up.)


    Slowly but surely it was increasing in aptitude. Just by standing in this ce the Scorpion King''s energy and vitality were being replenished. Most of the energy was concentrated around the two bony outgrowths on his back that arched towards each other like some kind of electrical rods.


    And the miasma was responding to him because of it. The veiny leaf patterns on his back acted like special pathways to conduct the miasma in various ways. The miasma not only became thicker but more potent as well.


    It started to push back against the word of power that was sealed within Princess Helena''s ring. The repulsion barrier created around her decreased from 5 meters to 4.2 meters in the blink of an eye.


    "Ahh!"


    Ma Jiang screamed instinctively. Princess Helena raised her hand and the ring started to glow with a new splendor.


    "Stay near me! Lord Hao Xuan, pleasee here!" she shouted towards him since he would be outside with a tiny little step.


    Hao Xuan didn''t turn around but continued observing the Scorpion King''s condition. Since he was a poisonous creature by nature one would expect him to have a quality of decay but what Hao Xuan was feelingpletely opposite.


    There were two main types of energy within the Scorpion King''s body, Vitality and Corrosion.


    He was brimming with so much lifeforce that it felt like the hazardous miasma had gained a life of its own when in actuality, it was simply responding to his stupendous life force.


    The corrosion was expected. Even though they were connected through the soulbond Hao Xuan was still sensing some loss of spiritual sense when it got near him. These two energies werepletely opposite to one another and would never exist normally in nature.


    But then again, the Scorpion King was a mutant, an anomaly that would not draw breath under normal circumstances.


    *Hisssss*


    "Ahh! Be careful!"


    The green curtain rolled again and was starting to push in with renewed vigor when Hao Xuan woke up from his daze.


    ''Stop. Keep the miasma at bay,'' he ordered and it came to pass at once.


    The miasma froze before swiftly retreating to its original position.


    "Eh?" the group looked at their surroundingspletely baffled. Hao Xuan finally turned around to face them.


    "Should we continue?" his voice brought them out of the stupor.


    "Y-Yes," Princess Helena fixed her dress, what little of it there was before surveying the surroundings. She seemed a little confused and more than a little skeptical that Hao Xuan had nothing to do with it but chose not to pursue that line of thought at the moment.


    Already quite frightened having just stepped onto the valley floor, the group picked up the pace. Hao Xuan noticed that Princess Helena was moving in a strange manner. Every two steps the next one would cover twice as much distance and she was keeping count inwardly, which he could clearly hear.


    The valley was much bigger than Hao Xuan expected it to be and within a few minutes it had opened up into a vast expanse several hundred meters wide.


    Meanwhile, Hao Xuan was keeping in contact with the Scorpion King and giving him orders while listening to everything he had to say.


    ''I felt the presence of several living creatures at the starting area, go check what they are.''


    ''Yes, master.''


    A short momentter the Scorpion King reached back, ''There are beings here, master. They are in deep slumber.''


    ''What are they?''


    ''I cannot tell. They do not have the weakness of humans anymore but a part of them still resembles them. Something has changed them from the inside out.''


    ''Are they strong?''


    ''Yes. In this ce, they are forever.''


    ''Forever? Immortal? They can''t be killed?''


    ''Yes. I can feel their connection to this ce. They are extensions of it and as long as it stands, they will not die. They are its protectors.''

 Chapter 793: Grander

    <h4>Chapter 793: Grander</h4>


    ''They are its protectors.''


    ''....''


    ''How did you find all this out?''


    It was certainly strange. That was a lot of information and quite important at that so how did the Scorpion Kinge about it? But the answer left only more baffled.


    ''The air told me.''


    ''The...air?''


    ''Yes, what you call poison.''


    ''And it "told" you things? Like you can talk to it?''


    ''Yes. The air is alive with it and it speaks to me. Tells me all the things it has witnessed.''


    ''And the poison told you they are sleeping?''


    ''No, it cannot tell the difference. I felt it. They will stay asleep until it is time. They protect this ce, keeping what''s ''in'' in and what''s ''out'' out. That is their purpose, they are the keepers of its secrets and many gates.''


    ''You felt all this...?''


    The more he listened the more confused Hao Xuan got. Considering the Scorpion King was a mutantated species, it wasn''t too far fetched that he would have a few strange abilities. Talking to poisons could make sense since he used it as a weapon but that would mean it was some sort of a magical ability.


    And if he had one, maybe he had more. Or perhaps it was this ce that allowed him to do so?


    Regardless, what Hao Xuan was more concerned about was the keeping things in and out part. As soon as he heard it, the image of the prison came to mind.


    ''And gates? You said gates right? What does that mean?''


    The Scorpion King didn''t respond for the next minute or so. Hao Xuan could sense he was a little confused himself. It was like he was reciting something without understanding it, not much different from a radio that picked up stray signals. He was just an outlet.


    And his response confirmed that too.


    ''I do not know. I can just feel it. It is in the air for anyone to listen to.''


    ''In the poison you mean?''


    ''No, in the air when there is no air.''


    ''Air when there is no air? The hell does that mean?''


    Hao Xuan repeated the words a couple of times and understood what he meant. Space!


    These feelings or words or whatever one might call them were being broadcasted in this valley. The only problem was that the Scorpion King was the only being that could hear it for some reason.


    Thinking it might have something to do with the mental barrier he had up to protect against the whispers, Hao Xuan gingerly lowered it until the whispers returned in full force.


    "AHH! NO, IT''S NOT WORKING!"


    "WE HAVE TO RETURN!"


    "We can''t go back! They will kill us all!"


    "I must! They have my family, I have to save them-"


    "Wake up! Your family is already dead, just like mine. All we can do is keep moving. They won''t follow us throu- Did you hear that?!"


    "Yea, it sounded like a bell-"


    "AHHH! HELP ME!"


    "RUN! The only thing we can do is get out of here, don''t stop no matter what!"


    "I can hear them, they are right behind me! Please don''t leave me here, I don''t want to-"


    "I''m sorry, one of us must stay behind. Don''t worry, I will live a long life for both of us!"


    "NO PLEASE! DON''T LEAVE ME SISTER PLEASE!"


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan rubbed his temples and activated the mental barrier once again to block everything out. All he could hear were the screams and echoes of the deceased.


    ''Maybe not everyone CAN hear it. That would exin why none of the others had any reaction,'' he tried to make sense of it while ncing towards Princess Helena who was perhaps the most spiritually awakened person other than him.


    From her earlier words it was obvious she didn''t know anything but Hao Xuan hadpletely looked past Ma Jiang''s small figure that was squeezed in between everyone.


    Her eyes were half-closed as she squinted hard trying to push out the intrusive thoughts. Her mind was full of images and words that were not her own. Not only could she hear them but also see things, much like a slideshow.


    The only issue was that it was a little more morbid and gruesome than one would expect. Unlike the Scorpion King, she was getting a lot more ''in-depth'' information.


    For her it wasn''t just a simple feeling that was transcribed into words by the brain but actual vivid memories experienced by the people that lived here.


    She could see and feel everything they had up until the end. And there was no way to stop it.


    But she still didn''t let it show and tried her best to act normal.


    Hao Xuan continued to ponder and converse with the Scorpion King while Princess Helena led them through the twistingbyrinth that was the valley. She finally came to a stop in front of a dpidated stone structure.


    From what remained of it, Hao Xuan concluded it must have been much grander when it was still standing. It looked like a huge temple.

 Chapter 794: Humility

    <h4>Chapter 794: Humility</h4>


    A grand staircase rose into the air, cutting apart the valley side and connecting with the fifty-meter-wide doorless structure that was the very definition of humility.


    There were neither sculptures at the entrance nor any emblems or religious imagery left to help identify which divine being it belonged to.


    Two tall towers were carved into the rockface that stood guard on either side. It was as unassuming as a peasant''s dwelling but staring up at it, Hao Xuan could feel an obscure pressure slowly falling on his shoulders. (Reference image (1) posted in the discord and authors notes)


    It wasn''t hostile or threatening in nature but he still felt somewhat intimidated by it.


    "What is this ce?" he inquired before Princess Helena could step on the staircase.


    "It was a ce of worship and knowledge in olden times. Generations of priestesses spent their lives in there until the cmity fell. Now it is nothing but a doorway."


    ''Doorway?!''


    Thest word felt like thunder in Hao Xuan''s ears.


    ''Could this be the temple made for the War God that was in charge of the prison? The one who discovered the webway?''


    It didn''t make sense that such a powerful divine entity lived here and even after uncountable years the locals had no notion of its existence. And it would be highly unlikely that another divine being could exist in his presence so there was a very good chance that was the case.


    Now more than a little awe-struck by the thrilling opportunity at his fingertips, Hao Xuan quickly ordered the Scorpion King.


    ''Come to me. Stay behind us.''


    He had just given the order when the Scorpion King almost materialized out of the miasma 15 meters behind them, startling Hao Xuan.


    ''You...we will talk about thister.''


    The Scorpion King had shown more than a few unexinable abilities recently and Hao Xuan needed to know exactly what they were and how they could be used to have an overall better understanding of his capabilities.


    ''Yes,'' the Scorpion King dutifully obliged.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t sense any hostility from Scorpion King''s words which made him a little ufortable considering their rtionship but in the end, he chose not to address it for the moment.


    They slowly walked up towards the oval opening and stood in the doorway inspecting the insides. Unlike most of the other structures that were either corroded to extreme degrees or in shambles because of one reason or another, this ce was in much better condition.


    It still looked like an abandoned building that had gone through the cruel passage of time ande out on the other side with more than a few scars to show for it, but even then it held to this feeling of veiled splendor that could not be put into words.


    Hao Xuan finallyid his eyes upon the rows of extremely detailed carvings and sculptures lining either side of the temple.


    Some of them were humanoid while many others werepletely alien in nature. Creatures Hao Xuan had never seen nor could even imagine meeting. Vicious saw-toothed monsters from every animal group were present.


    Hao Xuan counted each one and found out there 112 of them in total, neatly divided in half on each side. Rather than a traditional temple or a shrine, this was akin to an eeriependium of rare and ancient beasts, a bestiary more than anything else.


    The sculptures looked so realistic that Hao Xuan could see every scale, every little pore on their skin, and every follicle of hair on their monstrous bodies. Rather a sculpture or carving, it felt like someone had turned actual beasts into stone, preserving theirst position which was a forward lunging attack in most cases.


    Every step they took echoed resoundingly in the empty hall as if announcing their arrival. And it didn''t help that it was much bigger from the inside so the sound echoed for much longer and louder.


    At the end of the hall was a four-meter-wide stone gateway in front of which there were more than a few dozen candles.


    Hao Xuan''s assumptions were given some much-needed weight by this simple discovery.


    Princess Helena stopped in front of it before bending down to light the candles one by one. Princess Inara, the female guards, and even Uri all lowered their heads reverentially while she did so.


    The density of the poison within the hall was much less for whatever reason so the Scorpion King could not follow them out in the open. He moved in the shadows and hid behind each sculpture, keeping a sensible amount of distance.


    While waiting for them to finish whatever ritual they had started, Hao Xuan started looking around at some of the sculptures nearby. The one closest to him on the right almost made him jump out of his skin when he nonchntly looked in its direction.


    It was an eight-meter tall obsidian lion. it had one head but three different faces, each of which was wide open mid-roar. Its mane looked like long tentacles curling and pointing in various directions while its tail ended in a giant snakehead.


    The four pairs of eyes on its body were still shinning with a barely discernable green light. Curious, Hao Xuan craned his neck in an attempt to look for the source of the light but his heartbeat unknowingly increased while his nails elongated by several inches.


    Upon realizing that Hao Xuan forcefully looked away, finally breaking eye contact with the sculpture.


    ''Why does it feel like it''s going to jump at me?!''


    He could have sworn it was a living creature despite not detecting any actual signs of life.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/aa/df/94/aadf9485f0bd6d4f84f973d0bd281f84.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/BGBqg

 Chapter 795: Gears of -

    <h4>Chapter 795: Gears of -</h4>


    Hao Xuan took a few guarded steps back from the sculpture yet the uneasy feeling that was creeping up his spine did not cease. It felt like an intent of some sort was embedded deep within its body.


    ''This ce is not that simple, and neither are these sculptures...''


    Seeing as one of the pieces had this strangeness about it Hao Xuan looked about examining some of the others to see if maybe their eyes were glowing as well and if so, did they gave him the same feeling?


    The one right next to the lion was of another beast. A four-legged dog-like beast without any eyes. Its maw was aiming at the ground roaring while barely discernable steams of green smoke were wafting into the air.


    ''This one too...''


    He looked to the other side at thest sculpture that was of a Capra beast, a goat demon of sorts. Two extremely long curved horns were dangling from its head. Three golden rings were hanging from each horn, letting out a barely discernable hum.


    It was the same as the other two. Each of them had something about them that made them seem alive.


    Hao Xuan expectantly looked to its side at the neighboring sculpture and his mouth fell open when he saw what creature it depicted. A scaly armored giant with reptilian skin, a white beard, and pitch-ck eyes.


    At its feet were metallic thorns that surrounded it much like a barrier. The thorns were shinning with a dark ck luster that even without any proof made it look like they were alive. There was a sense of vivacity about it that could not be missed.


    Hao Xuan had seen that face before, a lot more times than he cared to remember. The sculpture looked a bit different since it showed a much younger version of the actual being but it was him nheless.


    ''Lazar...!'' (CH 757)


    That dracontine form could not be mistaken for anything else. Hao Xuan was bbergasted into speechlessness.


    ''H-How? Why? Here?''


    The one-word questions did little to help make sense of what he was seeing but after taking a couple of breaths he calmed down enough to try ande up with a few exnations.


    ''They''re all alive, and probably on this world,'' he thought looking at the other sculptures.


    Other than the three-headed lion, the eye-less dog beast, and the Capra Demonic Beast, the rest of the sculptures were either partially destroyed or had no signs of life remaining, not including Lazars of course.


    Hao Xuan did not have any proof of this other than a feeling in the back of his mind. It was like his thoughts were a bunch of squiggly lines that were connecting with one another to create a bigger picture.


    He couldn''t see it clearly just yet but it was starting to make sense.


    ''Assuming all these sculptures are of the creatures that were brought here by the War God, other than these four the rest are probably all dead, gone, or have broken free of their restraints one way or another.''


    ''Seeing as Lazar''s sculpture gives off a simr feeling to the other three, and since I know for a fact that he is still imprisoned in the pyramid then that means the chances of the other three still being confined somewhere are pretty high.''


    ''Maybe these sculptures were a way of keeping tabs on the creatures. For example, if the sculpture breaks maybe it means the creature is not under lockdown anymore?''


    There could of course be any number of other exnations for this but this was the one that made the most sense to Hao Xuan. He looked towards the other three one by one starting from the lion.


    ''It has the strongest aura, then the Capra beast and then the dog. Are they ced in order of strength? Or is it something else? Maybe their abilities or usefulness?''


    Ranking creatures ording to their strength seemed a little too simple but he couldn''t disregard itpletely since the Lion beast was definitely the strongest.


    ''But where are the other three? If they were in the pyramid I would havee across them at some point, considering how strong they are...''


    While Hao Xuan was lost in that moment of brooding contemtion, Princess Helena had finished the ritual. She lit thest candle and moved back, slowly muttering something under her breath.


    Each of the candles was slightly different in size but all of them were made of the same dark brown wax that burned slowly and with an odorless white smoke.


    The wax melted and overflowed from the top, dripping down along the intricate design at the foot of the stone door where they were collected in three small crevices.


    When the third crevice was filled up all the way the me on every single candle went out by itself. There was no wind, no interjection from anyone present. The me simply ceased to exist from that moment forward.


    *Click*


    *CLANK*


    The floor behind the stone doorframe cracked and slowly opened up to reveal another staircase leading further down, all the while apanied by the numbing sound of gears moving somewhere within the walls.

 Chapter 796: "Actually..."

    <h4>Chapter 796: "Actually..."</h4>


    A low rumble carried through every stone tile that was part of the temple and perhaps even further, announcing to any who would lend an ear or two of the opening of the secret passage.


    Due to his sharp senses Hao Xuan felt the vibrations much more clearly than any of the others and as a result, woke from his dazed state. The vibrations weren''t too strong but he could feel they went very, VERY deep.


    Every click and ck went down for what felt like miles until it was too far gone to return.


    Princess Helena turned her head halfway to sh a mischievous smile, "Actually, this is the real secret passage," she said before bending down to pick up a candle for herself.


    "Everyone please take one each. I will light it as soon as you enter. Just remember to stay close as usual. If you get lost down here then I might never be able to find you again."


    Her words of warning did their job as intended, instilling fear in all of them especially the other demihumans. Princess Helena didn''t wait long and shortly afterward started her descent into the new secret passage.


    Hao Xuan gave onest cursory nce to the four sculptures before following behind the others. He picked up a random candle and walked up to the passageway that looked more like a weing mouth of some ancient creature than a staircase.


    It was so dark that he couldn''t even see any of the others even though they were just a couple of meters ahead of him and he could still hear their footsteps.


    But the moment he stepped onto the first step a spark ignited the candle and all the darkness was pushed away. A strange feeling of being watched ran down Hao Xuan''s right arm. As if someone or something was watching him from somewhere far away but that wasn''t even the most shocking development.


    ''Aw!''


    He looked at the flickering me atop the half-used candle and realized at once that it was aw and quite a high-level one at that. It was a divinew with such profoundness hidden in every atom that he couldn''t even tell what mastery level it would fall in.


    A bit of Hao Xuan''s spirit sense slipped into the me and he saw himself standing on the edge of a cliff looking down at a sea of boilingva with tongues of mes dancing atop its surface like dragons. Its depths were not discernable by the naked eye.


    It was at least mastery level four or higher. Although there was no definite way of determining what mastery level aw was at, as long as a person had aw of their own they couldpare the two and instinctively know the difference.


    Hao Xuan''s Chaos Law was at mastery level one and he could tell the difference up to three levels higher but that after that, it was a guessing game.


    Quickly realizing it was not something he should meddling in, Hao Xuan pulled back his spirit sense at once. And it was only then that he noticed that his entire body was covered in ayer of sweat and the body temperature had gone through the roof, just by attempting to peer into the Law with the spirit sense.


    Hao Xuan picked up his pace and ran after the others that had already reached the end of the twisting staircase.


    Princess Helena seemed to be waiting for Hao Xuan since only when he reached them did she continue.


    "Don''t look down, don''t speak if you don''t have to, and if you see something ''out of ordinary'' then just ignore it. Understand?"


    A new but not so unfamiliar set of instructions followed to which every agreed. Hao Xuan was at the back so he couldn''t see what was ahead of them so he just nodded along.


    But when the path opened up so did Hao Xuan''s mouth. What he was looking at was nothing short of a miracle.


    Abyrinth of interconnected arching walkways and staircases going back and forth in every possible direction imaginable. Thankfully none of them were upside down although there were numerous others either higher or lower than them which made it looked like a dense jungle made of rock and stone.


    At first nce Hao Xuan counted at least 400+ pathways just within a radius of hundred meters. He looked behind and saw the ce they hade out from. It was just one of the countless identical pirs that were going up and down at the end of every pathway or staircase.


    And even though he didn''t mean to, Hao Xuan did exactly what Helena warned him not to. He stepped to the side and looked over the edge to see what was below.


    Unfortunately, it was much of the same. The same indistinguishable pathways going left, right, up, and down. If one got lost here then there might not be a way to get back. And thinking up to that point, he got worried that the princess might not know it either.

 Chapter 797: Pitter Patter

    <h4>Chapter 797: Pitter Patter</h4>


    Thinking up to that point Hao Xuan got worried that Princess Helena might not know the way either. He wanted to ask her about it but remembered her incessant warnings of not making too much noise.


    And since the stone bridge was too small to even have two people walk side by side, they had to move in a single file with her at the front and Hao Xuan at the very back, making it more than a little challenging to have a conversation.


    ''Damn it!''


    He cursed inwardly a few times before giving up. All he could do now was hope she knew her way around, even though it was maybe the second or third time she was using this passage.


    Princess Helena, the first female guard, Princess Inara, the second female guard, Uri, Ma Jiang and then finally Hao Xuan at the end. That was the group''syout as they slowly navigated the seemingly endlessbyrinth one measured step at a time.


    Before Hao Xuan realized more than three hours had passed but he knew it only felt that way. It was difficult to determine whether or not there was some sort of temporal discrepancy or a simple perception maniption but either way, it was not normal.


    After crossing every three or four bridges and stairways Princess Helena would stop for a moment and change her direction. Hao Xuan couldn''t see exactly what she was doing but it became pretty obvious she was following some kind of predetermined path.


    And it wasn''t that she remembered it, but knew a way to calcte it on the go.


    Hao Xuan started leaving his own marks to identify every path they had taken while making a mental note of them.


    Another two hours passed. Hao Xuan''s candle was half gone by now and the me started flickering every time they stepped on a new path. But his mind was elsewhere. His brow was locked in a tight furrow as a familiar pattern started to emerge from his findings of all the paths they had taken so far.


    ''Left, right, right, left, down at 70-degree angel- no no, it was more like 50 degrees...right, 50 seems about right.''


    Hao Xuan''s eyes swiveled left and right sadically as he guided Baracus toe up with a 3D model of their journey so far through this ce.


    ''Yes yes, that''s right. Now align all of them and give me a bird''s eye view of every possible direction. Cut them off at every junction we stopped.''


    The 3D model''s perspective continuously changed until he was looking at it from the top.


    ''Stop! This is it. My god I was right. It actually is the exact same!'' Hao Xuan eximed inwardly, almost pping his hands in excitement.


    The image in front of his eyes was showing a pattern of interconnected symbols that were ingrained in Hao Xuan''s memory by now. It was the 24 prime letters that he used to ess the webway.


    All the paths they had taken so far were almost identical to many of the prime letters. They were moving ording to various letters, changing directions whenever one letter ended and another began.


    ''So this is her secret. But does she even know what it is she has learned? Or is she just following some predetermined path?''


    Hao Xuan became a lot less anxious the moment he realized what was going on.


    ''But this is really amazing. I never thought the prime letters could be used in such a way. From what I can tell instead of opening a direct gateway into the webway and traveling through that, she simply moves in the same pattern to...? To do what exactly? If she doesn''t enter the webway how will the shortcut be opened? Or could it...''


    He continued toe up with one possible exnation after another and was so engrossed in it that hepletely missed the new development.


    The candle''s me had started to change color. From bright golden to having a tinge of green on its outer edges. It was only when it had almost entirely be a shade of ghostly green that Hao Xuan came to, but only because his ears twitched.


    "Hmm?"


    He slowly turned his head halfway to peer behind him from the corner of his eye. Just now he had heard the faint pitter-patter of naked feed scurrying across a hard surface.


    But there was nothing behind him at all, no sign of any living being. He couldn''t pick up any scents either which only made him more apprehensive.


    ''I should be able to see our own scents left behind, but there''s nothing there....''


    *Tap*tap*tap*


    *Crunch*


    His ears twitched again. Hao Xuan jerked his head back around towards the front and craned his neck to look ahead.


    ''One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.''


    There were two additional figures ahead of him but there were only six sets of footsteps.

 Chapter 798: Can you see?

    <h4>Chapter 798: Can you see?</h4>


    Eight figures, six sets of footsteps.


    No matter how hard Hao Xuan tried to listen there simply was no noise to be heard. He couldn''t see their feet without making any conspicuous movements but judging from the figures swaying backs, orck thereof, it was pretty obvious their feet were not touching the ground.


    The first figure was just behind the first guard while the second was right in front of Ma Jiang. None of them had noticed their presence either since they were all extremely calm.


    As for the shape of the two figures, all that Hao Xuan could see were shadowy humanoid silhouettes without any definite shapes. It LOOKED like they had two arms and two legs with one head and torso but the darkness congealing and then dissolving on its own every second, it was really hard to tell.


    It didn''t look like they meant them any harm since they simply followed them in silence.


    Hao Xuan lowered his mental barrier in an attempt to listen to other''s thoughts and just as he suspected, none of them knew anything. At least no one other than Ma Jiang who was the closest one to him.


    Her head was lowered and she kept mumbling something under her breath. The back of her was even more pale than usual and covered in a cold sweat.


    As for her thoughts, they were a repeating cycle of the same exact sentence without pause. It didn''t even sound like her own thought, just something she was listening to. Hao Xuan listened to it for a minute or so before repeating the words inwardly.


    ''As you are, so were WE; As we are, so you shall be.''


    *whoooosh*


    A sudden gust of ice-cold wind came from the left side and impacted the group. The green me on Hao Xuan''s candle flickered to the pint of being put out but was saved at thest second by a pair of dainty hands.


    Hao Xuan looked down and saw Ma Jiang covering his candle with one hand and using her own candle to keep his alight with the other.


    The green light of the conjoined mes reflected off of her blood-drained countenance as she continued mumbling something under her breath. Hao Xuan raised his hand to protect the me from the wind that had slowed down considerably but uponing to contact with Ma Jiang''s hand an electric current went through his body.


    She was ice cold. It wasn''t just a physical drop in temperature but something a lot more spiritual in nature. Hao Xuan''s own body that ran like a boiler under normal circumstances felt like it had been doused in ice water.


    The chill passed through his entire body before he could even blink and reached his heart.


    "What''s wrong? Are you okay?" Hao Xuan asked pulling back his hand.


    Ma Jiang nodded weakly and when the wind died down a few secondster she tried to turn back around but Hao Xuan grabbed her wrist.


    Her lips finally stopped as she peered up at his face asking, "What? Let...go," she tried to break free from his grasp but her feeble attempts bore no fruit.


    Realizing she couldn''t do it of her ord Ma Jiang begged, "Let me go, please!" but all of Hao Xuan''s attention was focused on the figure that was being reflected in her ck pupils.


    Almost like a mirror that showed a different version of the same reality, in the reflection of her eyes there was a towering figure standing behind Hao Xuan.


    At first it was the same as the other two with thick swathes of darkness changing from one state of matter to another but when he looked closer its true nature revealed itself.


    A disfigured goat head covered in rotten bandages. There were three holes on its skull each of which housed a red-eye that moved independently to the others. From the looks of it most of the flesh had decayed over time leaving a creature that looked like it was stitched together from dead human and animal parts.


    The most lively part of the creature was its tongue that stirred animatedly along its sharpened teeth. Various horns decorated its otherwise empty scalp, some of which looked like they were just sprouting while the biggest three were fairly old and full of scars. (Reference image in discord and authors notes)


    This one was a few heads taller than even Hao Xuan and walked behind him inplete silence, just like the others. He wouldn''t even have known it was there if not for catching a glimpse of its reflection.


    Ma Jiang stared into Hao Xuan''s eyes for a moment until she was hit with the sudden realization.


    "Can...you see them...too?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.


    Her eyes opened wide in expectation and more than a little enthusiastic exhration. She didn''t need to say anything else her eyes did all the talking for her. She had found arade! Even he couldn''t see them he would have probably told her yes right now seeing as how hopefully she suddenly became.


    Hao Xuan nodded once before looking behind casually.


    He could see a vague outline of a figure walking behind him but all the details that Ma Jiang''s eyes reflected were absent.


    "What are they?" he asked loosening the grip around her wrist but instead of pulling back, she stood on her toes and forcefully turned his head back towards her.


    She was so cold that he could barely feel anything.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/63/6a/43/636a43877d1876e3277609e5572099dd.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/dgGoH

 Chapter 799: Sort of

    <h4>Chapter 799: ''Sort of''</h4>


    "What are you doi-"


    "Don''t look at them! They won''t do anything if they think you can''t see them, please!"


    Hao Xuan was so focused on observing the creature''s reflection that he didn''t even notice the look of exhausted fear in her eyes. And now that she was actually touching him, he was able to feel her emotional state to a degree.


    The strongest emotion was concern followed closely by a panicking horror. She was petrified but couldn''t tell anyone, managing only to silently pray for it all to end peacefully. And seeing her struggle so much, Hao Xuan became calmer than he should have been in this situation.


    She was just a 15-16-year-old girl and even now she was trying her best to put up a brave front for him even though she was much younger. So he did his best to ease her distress.


    "Hey, it''s okay, you don''t have to worry so much," he gently held her hand and felt the chill pass through him.


    It was at this moment that he realized that it wasn''t just a simple cold but the side effects of Ying Qi. In the handful of seconds he held onto her, arge part of that Ying Qi was pulled into his body. It was devoured by his right heart.


    Hao Xuan could visibly see the changes. Her temperature rose and color returned to her skin. But then her eyes opened wide from shock, "How did you do that?!" her high-pitched voice sounded like a dolphin''s squeal which he had to dampen himself.


    "Shhh! Don''t stop moving, we''ll talk through spiritual sense," he said while turning her back around.


    But when he tried to pull back his hand she didn''t let go.


    "C-Can I hold on for a little longer? Just until we get out of here?"


    "...Sure...I guess."


    And it was only then that Hao Xuan noticed the sickly green colored me atop the almost depleted candle.


    ''Is it because of these things?''


    They had fallen behind the others a little so Ma Jiang dragged him forward and sprinted towards her original position in the line. The creature following Hao Xuan kept up with him at a distance of a few meters.


    When Hao Xuan was sure the creatures weren''t going to attack, he asked for more information.


    ''What are these things? Why can''t anyone else see them?''


    ''They...are spirits. Only special people can see them.''


    ''Spirits? Like the souls of the deceased? And what do you mean by special? Special how exactly?''


    ''No, I don''t think they are spirits of the dead. Papa used to say they were from another world but, I don''t know if that''s true.''


    ''And special just means that some very rare people can see them. I don''t know "how" they are special but I have only ever met one person other than you that can see them. She is Sister Helena''s grandmother, the grand priestess.''


    ''The grand priestess? Can she see them just like you?''


    ''Yes. She is very strong even though she hides it really well. She can also talk to them and control some of the spirits.''


    ''And you can''t do that?''


    ''No. I can only see them and most of the time they are malevolent spirits so it''s not good. If they know you can see them they will never leave you alone.''


    ''Can they be killed? Harmed or destroyed in any way?''


    ''The Grand Priestess said that''s only possible when they chose to show themselves to us, when they willingly enter our world and reveal their actual form. Other than that they can hurt us but we normally can''t do anything to them. She exined in a lot more detail but...I wasn''t paying attention...'' she finished by embarrassingly lowering her head but since Hao Xuan was behind her he couldn''t see her face turn a shade of cherry red.


    ''Are there more of them? Then just these three?''


    ''Eh? You can''t see all of them?''


    ''No, I can only see when they are close and not in too much detail.''


    He didn''t have the heart to tell her that even that was not his ability but what he got froming into contact with her blood.


    ''Oh...''


    She sounded dispirited for whatever reason. After a short bout of silence she spoke up again, ''What about the voice? Can you not hear that too?''


    ''Voice? The one that keeps repeating the same thing over and over again?''


    ''YES!''


    ''Well....yes I can hear it, sort of. Why? What about it?''


    ''No nothing. It''s just that it sounds weird. I could hear it ever since we first entered the valley and when we came down here it got so much louder. I couldn''t even think before but-''


    ''But what?''


    ''But I...can''t hear it anymore. When I touch you I can''t hear it.''


    ''Really?''


    One of Hao Xuan''s eyebrows automatically rose higher than the other.


    ''Then does that mean....?''

 Chapter 800: Scaling

    <h4>Chapter 800: Scaling</h4>


    ''The voice stops when she touches me?'' Hao Xuan lowered his mental barrier again and listened in to Ma Jiang''s thoughts and just like she said the voice waspletely gone.


    If she was something like a radio that was picking up random signals, then Hao Xuan would be akin to a faraday cage that could block them out. But why?


    Hao Xuan was lost in thought trying toe up with an exnation.


    ''It could be because of my physique. Maybe it is absorbing the signals without my knowledge? But...that doesn''t make much sense. I would have still felt something. Then...wait, if it only happens when she makes physical contact then it should be the Chaos Law right!?''


    ''Since mine is only at mastery level one I have to touch someone to use it effectively but...what that voice was saying is probably rted to these ''spirits'' in one way or another. Is it a type of summoning thing? There is only one way to find out I guess.''


    ''Now what were the words again.."As you are, so were WE," Wait a minute, I have read something like this before once.''


    Hao Xuan racked his brain and finally remembered where. It was back on earth, he saw it in an old painting from the middle ages and after a quick search found out that it was used as a way to prepare oneself for death and birthed an entire culture where death was seen as a gateway to something "more".


    "What you are, so once were we," the dead said to the living; "what we are, so you shall be."


    Unfortunately, Hao Xuan made the mistake of uttering the words aloud. It was but a quiet whisper yet the words need only be spoken out loud once for the spell to take effect.


    There is power in words, even when spoken by the faithless and the ignorant.


    *Tremmmmmble*


    A minor earthquake rattled the bridge and every person on it including Hao Xuan fell to his knees trying to hold onto the solid ground for dear life.


    It happened as soon as Hao Xuan said the words so he knew it was because of that. He looked behind but the shadowy figure was gone. He looked to the front and couldn''t see any of the other two either.


    ''So it wasn''t a summon then?''


    But just as abruptly as it arrived, all the shaking stopped without a warning.


    Princess Helena stood up unsteadily looking all around them for anything out of ordinary. When she couldn''t find anything she checked each of her fingers and upon seeing the cracked jewel in three of the rings her expression became ugly.


    "Get up," she turned around and shouted at the others, "we must leave this ce NOW! RUN!"


    But she started sprinting without even waiting for them. Hao Xuan helped Ma Jiang up and took away his hand, "Can you hear the voice now?"


    "Eh? Oh, let me check."


    Ma Jiang closed her eyes for a moment and muttered a few obscure and unintelligible words that Hao Xuan couldn''t make sense of. Being so close to her allowed him to feel the movement of her mana which was leaving the top of her body.


    It was a simr ''skill'' to Hao Xuan''s mental barrier, although instead of redirecting a portion of his consciousness like him, she simply uttered an incantation that did all the work in her stead. When she was done Ma Jiang moved her head left and right as if listening for something before shaking it, "I can''t hear anythin-"


    But before she could even finish the sentence her eyes rolled back into their sockets and she lost consciousness and her body went limp. She almost fell over but Hao Xuan managed to reach out and grab onto her just in time.


    "Oi, what the hell happened? Are you okay?!"


    He felt for a pulse and found it rtively quickly. It was quite slow to the point of making him think she was asleep. But no matter how hard he tried to wake her up she didn''t budge an inch.


    Just then Princess Helena shouted towards him again from two bridges away.


    "LORD HAO XUAN! PLEASE HURRY! THEY ARE ALMOST HERE!" she shouted while pointing somewhere below him.


    Hao Xuan hunched over the side to see what she was trying to show him. At first he didn''t see anything but when his eyes adjusted and the majority of the darkness was pushed aside, a wriggling swarm of various ckened bodies came into view.


    They were crawling up from the depths, too many to even count. Every single hair on Hao Xuan''s body stood up when he caught a glimpse of their appearances.


    Deformed and disjointed bodies held together by decaying and rotting flesh that fell from their bones as they scaled the towers and bridges alike trying to get out.


    "Motherfucker."


    Although the majority of them were humanoid, there were countlessrger ones that were beastly in shape and form.

 Chapter 801: Ethereal

    <h4>Chapter 801: Ethereal</h4>


    For an instant, Hao Xuanpletely froze. The scene looked like something out of a horror movie where only 1 or 2 people might make it to the end.


    "Motherfucking SHIT! Is this because of ''those words I said?"


    He didn''t even have the heart to repeat them again.


    "LORD HAO XUAN!" Princess Helena''s irate calling swiftly brought him back to reality.


    "I''ming I''ming, rx."


    He stood up with the unconscious Ma Jiang in his hands and aimed for the bridge the rest of them were at.


    It was around 40 meters away which was nothing for him considering his actual strength but the moment both his feet left the bridge, an extremely strong force impacted against him. It canceled out the entirety of the momentum he had built up, leaving him with nowhere else to go but straight down.


    "The fuck!"


    Thankfully his reaction speed was far above what would be normal for someone of his level and he managed to turn around and grab hold of the stone bridge. With both his hearts in his throat, Hao Xuan looked down at Ma Jiang to make sure she was fine, letting out a short breath of relief.


    "Another god damnw! Let alone fly I can''t even jump across?!" he cursed loudly but no one was there to respond to his grievings.


    There indeed was aw in ce that kept everyone and everything grounded. It was meant to do much more than just to restrict movement but due to the Lycan bloodline most of the serious side effects were rendered null.


    Hao Xuan pulled himself back up along with Ma Jiang and without wasting any more time trying to find shortcuts he started running at full speed along the normal path, following after the demihuman party that wasn''t even in sight anymore.


    It was a good thing he could see the obvious trail they had left behind through his senses otherwise he might get lost.


    Each of the bridges and stairways he passed were shaking to varying degrees and just when he reached thest one where the demihumans had vanished behind, the creatures had in the end, made it to the top with more than 20 of them blocking his path.


    Now that they were on the same level as him he could finally see their true forms in person. They weren''t nondescript shadowy figures anymore but actual beings that had physical bodies.


    No two were the same and but each one was definitely stranger than the one before. All the ones in front of him were humanoid, albeit only barely.


    A great many of them were headless with various colored mes creating rough shapes that resembled deformed half-human heads and half something otherworldly. Their auras were unsteady but none seemed to be above Spirit Realm, those were in the second wave.


    But the one thing they did have inmon were the elongated forelimbs that ended in razor-sharp ws. These were the smallest of the bunch and hence the fastest since they managed to reach the top first.


    Hao Xuan''s forehead was drenched in a cold sweat. Not only because he was in quite a precarious situation but the density of Ying Qi had more than quadrupled in the blink of an eye. It was hard to just breathe let alone move freely.


    The edges of his clothes were starting to freeze over. He blew some air through his nose that turned into vapor right away.


    His eyes locked onto the creatures in front of him while his other senses were focused on the ones behind. But perhaps the strangest part of all this was that they didn''t attack head-on. Their movements were jerky and appeared to be quite hesitant.


    Those of them that did have heads or eyes were all looking at the same area, his chest. Hao Xuan followed their line of sight which led him to the candle in Ma Jiang''s grasp.


    Even unconscious she had somehow managed to hold onto it through everything. Her dainty fingers were locked around it so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.


    "Hmm? Is this it?"


    The me wasn''t green anymore but had turned bright white. It was much brighter than it had any right to be but Hao Xuan only noticed it when he looked directly at it.


    "Are you scared of this?" he asked while taking a step ahead. All the creatures moved back in unison but their bodynguage became much more aggressive. If he continued to push through using the candle as a deterrent then they would simply overwhelm him with sheer numbers.


    ''The me will keep them at bay but they can still push through, huh.''


    With amenting sigh Hao Xuan''s shoulders fell.


    "Don''t suppose you will let me through if I ask nicely, right?" he spoke loudly, looking towards the creatures that showed no recognition.


    They were unresponsive as expected and were getting impatient with every passing second. Hao Xuan peered over the edge and saw the second wave of creatures that was almost upon him. Their auras were much stronger, not to mention the sizes.


    If he waited any longer he would be fighting a lot more of them so now was the best time.


    Without any warning, Hao Xuan lunged forward from that position and his only free hand pierced through the foremost creature. Its description matched that of a gargoyle''s down to a T with the onlycking feature being the wings that were nonexistent.


    Hao Xuan''s attack came too swiftly and abruptly for it to respond in time. His balled-up fist left a half a meter wide hole through which he could see behind it. He let out a breath of relief because it didn''t seem like it was that strong but his expression quickly changed a momentter.


    Its indistinguishable homogenous flesh started wriggling, releasing smoky fumes. Hao Xuan quickly pulled back his arm and by the time it had left the gargoyle''s body the hole in its chest waspletely healed.


    More than a little shocked by its recovery speed Hao Xuan used the power of the Chaosw and punched again, this time towards its head that waspletely blown away.


    "ARGH!"


    *BOOM*


    But he didn''t stop there andnded two more fatal hits onto the next couple of unsuspecting creatures before they could retaliate. They all fell and stayed down this time. But just likest time their flesh started to squirm again, releasing copious amounts of distinct fumes.


    ''So they really are spirits. It is not actual flesh but some type of energy mimicking it.''


    Hao Xuan could see the fumes being pushed back by the power of the Chaos Law, preventing them from healing the wound but every passing second more and more fumes were added to the mix and at most a minuteter each of those creatures would be back on their feet.


    *Groowl*


    *Snarl*


    *ROAR*

 Chapter 802: Meant to be

    <h4>Chapter 802: Meant to be</h4>


    The other creatures slowly moved back enough until they thought they were out of his attack''s range but their eyes were still glued to the white candle me that was about to be put out any second.


    Hao Xuan looked at the 17 or so creatures in front of him with even more behind him and knew this wasn''t a fight he could take on alone especially while protecting Ma Jiang. The moment the me was gone they would all bum rush him at once.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and called for the Scorpion King, "Come to me!"


    But the moment his soul bond connected with the Scorpion King he felt what he was going through. He was already engaged inbat and not too far away either. Yet he wouldn''t be able to make it to him before the me ran out.


    "Damn it!"


    He looked towards the unconscious girl in his embrace. She was holding onto the candle with one hand and his shirt with the other. Even if Hao Xuan managed to make out by some miracle, she would not.


    So left with no other option Hao Xuan called for some help, despite it not being the correct time yet. His consciousness reached into the Mind Pce and pulled out the strongest beings that he could detect.


    "Guess there is no choice then huh,e out!"


    Just as he uttered the words a gust of Ying Qi blew past him, putting out the me for good. The nearby creatures were waiting for just that moment and charged towards him all at once, just as he had predicted.


    Hao Xuan braced for impact, bending forward to cover Ma Jiang with his own body as much as possible. But before any of them could reach him the air vibrated powerfully as an energy discharge of unknown origin surrounded Hao Xuan.


    *WoooOOOP*


    Four towering silhouettes materialized out of thin air but even before the rest of their bodies could solidify their fists met with the charging spirits.


    *BOOOOM*


    *BOOOOM*


    *BOOOOM*


    *BOOOOM*


    One explosion after another followed by an eruption of a pale white light surrounded Hao Xuan. When he opened his eyes a secondter and saw those who stood in front of him his mouth fell open from shock, especially after sensing their aura.


    Spirit Realm Peak Stage and what was more impressive was that he couldn''t detect the end of their Qi reserves. If there actually was a limit, Hao Xuan couldn''t see it.


    They were all facing him. Each one of them waspletely expressionless but he could still feel the overwhelming bloodlust that was unwittingly leaking out. It didn''t feel like they werepletely awake yet.


    A good meter taller than Hao Xuan they looked down at him. Their pupilless eyes conveyed all that needed to be said. They were waiting for orders.


    "Kill everything that stands in my way," Hao Xuanmanded with a thumping heartbeat, unsure if they could actually pull it off.


    "Yes." x4


    They replied in one loud voice that was not only an affirmation but the implementation of hismands. A ring of ethereal light was generated from their voices that expanded in size until Hao Xuan waspletely surrounded by it. It was actual magic!


    The four Orc warriors then turned away. The same kind of light started to surround their bodies before congregating around their fists, slowly taking shape into identical weapons.


    When the light vanished each of them was holding onto a two-meter-long ethereal battle axe that was wider than the bridge they were standing on. They raised the axes atop their heads and brought them down on the concussed creatures that had yet to wrap their minds around what had happened.


    Hao Xuan''s surroundings became so bright that he had no choice but to look away.


    ***


    Continuation from CH 614 "Marvelous".


    "How utterly marvelous this visit has been! HAHAHA!"


    Apanied by a boisterousugh that was powerful enough to shake the very ground they were standing on, Xue Meng threw all conventionalities aside and charged towards Jin Wang swinging the saber that ended in a myriad of profound techniques each of which was more powerful than thest and almost next to impossible to avoid.


    Yet Jin Wang did the impossible. He moved back just enough and in the only safe spot that Xue Meng''s next move missed him by the skin of his teeth.


    But it didn''te free of cost. Jin Wang''s forehead was covered in a thinyer of blood. With gritted teeth he pushed against the ground and shouted.


    "You better calm down man before this gets out of hand, don''t make me get serious!"


    But Xue Meng''s expression only got brighter upon hearing his ''threats''.


    "I have looked and looked, and finally found you. This is meant to be and there is nothing you can do against it. Fight me now! AAH!"


    *BOOM*BOOM*BOOM*


    Three consecutive strikes that turned everything to dust.


    But while they were engaged in mortalbat, Ceni looked around to make sure nobody else was watching. Her body then slowly turned into a red mist and entered the ground,pletely vanishing from sight.

 Chapter 803: Find more

    <h4>Chapter 803: Find more</h4>


    Xue Meng''s joy knew no bounds in that moment. His heavy frame crashed against Jin Wang''s more than a dozen times in as many seconds.


    The saber hummed with every stroke as three differentws werebined together to deadly efficiency. Everything it touched was broken into little pieces regardless of the material.


    The ground turned to dust and even the air cracked and disintegrated, creating a vacuum in its ce.


    But Jin Wang wasn''t using a weapon nor anyws in this fight. Each of his movements was so precise that no matter how fast was Xue Meng moved he was still just one step ahead of him.


    But the effect it was having on his body was obvious. Jin Wang''s breathing became shallow and his clothes were wet with blood even without wounds. He was sweating blood!


    And when Xue Meng did get close Jin Wang used an unknown palm technique to redirect his attacks with minimal effort.


    At the end of his rope Jin Wang tried to talk some sense into Xue Meng once again, "WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME?! STOP ATTACKING FOR JUST ONE MINU-" but didn''t even get to finish his sentence.


    Xue Meng saw an opening and in the middle of his strike, he somehow managed to change the saber''s direction just before itnded to cut towards Jin Wang.


    Unfortunately, the cost of forcefully canceling a move before it was executed topletion was nothing to scoff at. All the pent-up energy was redirected back towards his body and exploded inwardly.


    Blood poured out of Xue Meng''s eyes and nostrils but he didn''t falter even for a moment and put even more strength behind the saber that was going straight towards Jin Wang''s abdomen.


    Jin Wang''s eyes opened wide in disbelief but that didn''t stop him from countering. At first he tried to sidestep again but realized that they were still underground and his back was against a wall of subterranean stone. There was nowhere left for him to escape to.


    Realizing there was no other choice, both his hands made a series of strange signs before impacting against one another forcefully. Jin Wang bit his tongue and threw up a couple of droplets of vital blood on his hands.


    Xue Meng saw his strange movements and started grinning.


    "YOU CAN''T KEEP RUNNING! YOU MUST FIGHT NOW!"


    Just then the saber reached Jin Wang''s body. As with everything else his shirt turned to dust uponing into contact with the de before it pierced through the firstyer of skin.


    "We''ll see about that!"


    Jin Wang unsped his palms that were glowing red with various symbols. Xue Meng''s brow furrowed upon sensing the energy from it but instead of attacking head-on, Jin Wang instead tapped his own chest.


    Xue Meng''s eyes opened wide, "Wha-"


    Jin Wang''s lips arched into a sly smile. The resistance Xue Meng was feeling upon cutting into Jin Wang''s skin fade and then so did Jin Wang himself.


    It looked like he turned into a hologram and simply phased through the dirt and rocks surrounding them.


    *BOOOOOM*


    The saber tore into the earth while Xue Meng''s body shot in the opposite direction like a shooting star due to the bacsh. He went through more than 750 meters of solid ground before exiting the earth entirely.


    *BOOOM*


    With another explosion, Xue Meng impacted against the side of the pit, surrounded by muddy water and blood.


    He had made enough of a ruckus to attract most of the nearby undead creatures that swiftly made their way towards him. Upon arriving at the site they saw an unconscious bloody man. Some of the smaller less intelligent ones rushed towards him without giving it a second thought.


    But when they got within five meters of him their bodies froze. Their mouths foamed and all of them just went limp without a warning. Therger undead backed away and chose to keep it that way to observe before making a move.


    The few liters of blood that had escaped from Xue Meng''s body started moving back of its own volition and entered through the open wounds. His body jerked which startled even the undead.


    He slowly stood up, pulling himself out of the ditch. Cracking his neck Xue Meng extended his hand and with a slight tremor, the saber shot out of the same hole he had just exited from andnded in his palm.


    He sheathed it again before letting out a deep breath. His disfigured face popped back to its original shape.


    "Tsk tsk, I didn''t think he would be so adamant about running away. I couldn''t even get him to attack once but...at least now I know what he looks like. You can only run for so long before I lose my patience and take it out on your friends," he finished with a bloody spit.


    None of the undead dared to make a single sound meanwhile Xue Meng didn''t even register their presence.


    He looked around until his gaze locked in a specific direction.


    "Guess I''ll go ask them to find more about him."


    He pushed lightly against the ground before shooting straight up into the sea of dark clouds.

 Chapter 804: An unexpected Welcome

    <h4>Chapter 804: An unexpected ''Wee''</h4>


    The outline of Jin Wang''s body fell through hundreds of tons of solid rock, dirt, and metals before finally reaching an open space.


    His scrunched-up face rxed to a great extent upon seeing the blue and green clouds in the surroundings. He forcefully turned around to see the giant mountain surrounded by an endless ocean on all sides below him.


    Jin Wang wasn''t making any sound initially but when he finally pulled his palms away from his chest, apanied by a sonic boom his body solidified again and the air pressure sent him back up by dozens of meters before gravity once again pulled him back down, sending him rolling through the air.


    "Argh!" he ced one hand over the saber wound on his abdomen to keep the flesh together and used the other to protect his eyes while trying to see where exactly he was falling.


    Upon getting another good look at the scenery that was getting bigger by the second, he smirked.


    "So this is the inner world huh? I thought it would be bigger...AAAH-"


    But his face once again contorted from the pain, effectively muting him for the remainder of the journey down. He allowed himself to free fall.


    Every now and then he would punch the air to change his trajectory and speed. But not once did Jin Wang make it seem he was not in control of the situation, as if he knew and expected everything that was going to happen.


    A short whileter he was finally a hundred or so meters away from the ground. He had managed to change his trajectory by more than a few hundred kilometers and was now near a small gorge located on the right of the mountain.


    With a flurry of kicks and punches he decreased the speed before finallynding soundlessly in a small cloud of dust.


    And not a secondter several mouthfuls of putrid blood spilled out.


    "Blurgh!"


    Jin Wang wiped the sides of his mouth before following up with a whole slew of curses, "God fucking damn that guy! Why didn''t he tell me how strong that asshole was, I could have prepared a bit more...or did he actually tell me and I just forgot?"


    After taking a few minutes to regte his breathing Jin Wang tapped various points around the half-meter-long abdominal wound left by the saber.


    He repeated the same sequence of poking and pinching about seven times before the surrounding flesh started squirming and pushed out a handful of red-colored small beads from the wound.


    When thest bead fell out of his body the wound started closing itself and in less than a minute only a small scar was left.


    He looked at the small pile of beads with narrowed eyes, inspecting each one from a distance "Threews? Not bad for someone of his age I guess. No wonder Warlord Miu''s saber chose him, he really is worthy of it."


    When he was sure the wound had closed without any serious side effects, Jin Wang stood up and inspected the sky. The light dimming and would be going out soon.


    "I should be close right? Did he say to follow the...air? Or was it the water? Or the trees? Fuck, it was follow something...but, damn it. I should have written it down somewhere. Well, that wouldn''t actually have helped either hahaha, Jin Wang you dumbass."


    He had a full conversation with himself including insults while moving towards a random direction and it didn''t sound like it was his first time either.


    Thankfully no one else was around to witness this depressing scene otherwise who knows the kinds of looks he might have gotten.


    After half an hour of trekking through the woods that had all but turned dark, Jin Wang finally came out at the top of a small gorge. It was very well hidden and if he hadn''t seen it from the air he might have missed itpletely.


    The spiritual energy down here was much thicker than in other ces, at least three times higher. Jin Wang bent down to examine it carefully before once again muttering to himself.


    "Hmm, this is it right? But where is the guardian? He said someone would be here to ''wee'' me. I really didn''t like how he said "wee" though. Is someone gonna fight me again?"


    But this time a voice answered his query.


    "Only if you want to."


    "...."


    He slowly turned his head to nce at the speaker.


    "Hoo, I didn''t detect your presence at all. Are you even alive?"


    "As alive as one can be," she answered without answering.


    It was an olddy with a long smoking pipe in her hand. On her shoulders was a small white fox with several tails that kept looking at Jin Wang confusedly. He stood up to face her.


    "Do you have something for me?" she asked.

 Chapter 805: Weary Traveller

    <h4>Chapter 805: Weary Traveller</h4>


    "Do you have something for me?" she asked cryptically, emptying the contents of the smoking pipe onto the ground without exining further.


    Jin Wang squinted his eyes, looking her up and down in excruciating detail trying to recall something.


    "Hmm, I do but...I can''t remember what it is right now. Do you know what I''m supposed to give you?" he answered her question with one of his own. Both of them were feeling the other party out, if they actually were the one they were supposed to meet.


    She shrugged casually, "I should but don''t. All I have is one prophecy to go on."


    She paid extra care to his expression when mentioning the prophecy but all she could see was some bted confusion.


    "Then...can you tell me what the prophecy is?"


    She stared at him for more than a minute straight before exhaling a small cloud of white smoke. This cloud did not disperse and instead started ying out a small skit, creating various shapes.


    The first shape was that of a tiny smoke figure holding a scroll. The figure didn''t have any notable features other than numerous shadows that mimicked its movements.


    It ran through a number of different scenes, dying or getting killed over and over again and each time it died, one of its many shadows took its ce. But when it reached thest scene it didn''t have any other shadows left.


    The figure had gotten slow and weary from its travels. Its shoulders hung low and each of its steps did not have the vigor of its past self.


    The olddy extended her hand and the smoke figure handed her the scroll, wiping its forehead and falling on its back exhausted.


    Jin Wang''s eyes were locked onto the tiny figure with an ocean of emotions welling up inside of him. When the figure handed off the scroll even he felt like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.


    The olddy smiled knowingly upon seeing his expression of relief.


    "On the twilight night, a weary traveler wille to find thest of the caretakers. He will bring news of what is toe, straight from the era of the Sovereign of Swords."


    Thest shred of doubt within Jin Wang''s heart was washed away upon listening to the prophecy. He chuckled.


    "The Era of the Sovereign of Swords, huh? It''s been a rather long time since someone said those words out loud. Although I doubt even you know what it means?" he looked to her for confirmation and as expected, she shook her head.


    "You are correct, I do not know what it means, what any of its means. I''m not even sure if you are even the right person."


    Jin Wang nodded understandably.


    "Well, I can prove it, in a sense. I can show you something and it is up to you if you want to believe me or not. But first, can you tell me your name? I''m Jin Wang."


    The olddy took a puff from the smoking pipe before answering, "You can call me ''Grand Priestess'' if you wish."


    Jin Wang smiled again, giving a gentleman''s bow.


    "A pleasure, grand priestess. It''s not often I am in the presence of such gifted individuals."


    The grand priestess startedughing uproariously, "Kahahaha, a gifted individual? I am but an olddy on death''s door."


    Jin Wang shook his head vigorously, "Age has nothing to do with your innate talents. Even in the greater world where the sons and daughters of old gods walk amongst men, there would be very few that couldpare to your ability."


    "Ho, you can tell what my abilities are?" the grand priestess asked with a cocked eyebrow.


    "When you''ve seen as many things as I have, it bes second nature."


    "Well...I will take that as apliment nheless. So what exactly are you going to show me?"


    The grand priestess put down her guard to a great extent since she couldn''t detect any hostility from Jin Wang.


    Jin Wang looked at the gorge behind him and the forest in the front.


    "How about we move somewhere with a little more privacy before continuing this conversation?"


    The grand priestess realized they were still in the forest and quickly apologized before bringing Jin Wang down into the gorge where a smallke ending in a waterfall waited for them.


    The grand priestess sat down beside theke, submerging her feet in the milky white waters which were filled with various aquatic beasts that merrily swam about.


    Jin Wang whistled loudly looking at the surroundings.


    "Wow, so I was right. You have already managed to solidify your Mind Pce and manifest it into the outside world permanently. That is something very few individuals managed to achieve without breaking into the ''Emperor Realm'' first. In fact, you are the 3rd person I have ever met that aplished such a feat."

 Chapter 806: Seminary Continued

    <h4>Chapter 806: Seminary Continued</h4>


    But his praises only worked to confuse the grand priestess.


    "Mind Pce? Emperor realm? What do these terms mean?"


    "Oh, Ipletely forgot you''re not from the main world. That is the cultivation method most humans use, it''s a little different than yours but my point still stand- Wait, how can you speak thenguage of the main worlds without even knowing the most basic things?"


    Jin Wang only now realized that she was speaking in the Beast World''snguage.


    The grand priestess took another deep puff, "Every priestess must learn the ancientnguage of our ancestors. My great-granddaughter knows it too. Although I am afraid she will be thest one to do so."


    Jin Wang chuckled half-heartedly, "Yup, sounds like it really is his doing then," and took a seat next to her.


    "So I''m guessing you can see into people''s minds right? Most shamans like you have a way to do that."


    The grand priestess nodded as a matter of factly, "I can. If they open themselves up then I can see everything that''s within their hearts."


    "Is it a spell?"


    "No, an innate ability of my ''soulke''," she said referring to her Mind Pce, "Put your feet into the water and open your mind. Whatever you think about will be shown on its surface."


    Jin Wang did as she instructed and took off his shoes before dipping his feet into the milky water. He thought it would feel cold but it didn''t have a temperature. And if he wasn''t aware of it he wouldn''t think anything was there to begin with.


    Although it did make him feel a lot more rxed than he should have been.


    Not long after his mind started to wander even without meaning to and memories from the past started to reveal themselves.


    Theke''s surface turned from a milky white to a vibrant green, showing a chubby little boy 4-5 years old running around in a woond area that was littered with tiny strange creatures.


    Jin Wang''s brow furrowed deeply, "I didn''t mean to show that."


    The grand priestess smirked, "One cannot control their heart. Theke reflects your deepest and most important memories. You can only point in a direction and hope for the best, although it helps if you think about a specific event or person. But if you want to stop then just take your feet out of the water."


    Even though she said that her gaze was still locked onto theke''s surface, not wanting to miss a single thing.


    "Well, I guess it wouldn''t hurt to see some of them. Even if I hadpletely forgotten they even existed in the first ce."


    The boy was chasing after a small beetle that left a rainbow-colored stream in its wake as it flew around. The cloudy almond-colored sky overhead didn''t have any celestial bodies but it still shone just as bright.


    Humungous silhouettes of various beasts could asionally be seen flying inside it.


    "Is that you?" the grand priestess inquired, referring to the young boy.


    Jin Wang nodded, "Yes. That was my first life. I never thought I would be able to see it again, even if it''s just a memory."


    The grand priestess had a couple of more follow-up questions like what he meant by ''first life'' but before she could speak up again the scene took a turn for the worst.


    The cloudy sky started changing colors, shifting to streaks of white, ck, red, and yellow in most ces before finally, the clouds parted and an Azure Roc fell down. It was big enough to cover entire cities with just one of its wings yet right now half of its upper body was gone.


    After the Roc several other gargantuan creatures fell through. A horned white whale with a halo of white light above its body was the next one. Jin Wang straightened his back trying to see it more clearly.


    He couldn''t hide his excitement seeing them again.


    "My God, I haven''t seen those in so long. Those beasts were referred to as the "Unsullied World Bearers". It was a species of divine creatures that hauled entire sr systems behind them as if they were nothing. To them, weight was a construct that did not exist and because of it, there was-" halfway through he realized the weird look he was getting, "Sorry, I got a little carried with the exnation."


    After that came a few half-dragons, a Thunder Lynx and even a phoenix, just to name a few. The grand priestess had obviously never seen such creatures and was amazed by every single one of them.


    The young Jin Wang sat on the soft grass while watching the rain of half-eaten mythical beasts. A momentter two women dressed in the same garments ran up behind him and carried him off, ending the scene.

 Chapter 807: "Innocent"

    <h4>Chapter 807: "Innocent"</h4>


    **It might be confusing to differentiate which dialogue is from the memory and which is the present Jin Wang''s narration so everything in [brackets like these] will be from the memory from now on.**


    Jin Wang let out a doleful sigh, recalling a past that he barely even remembered himself.


    "That is the only memory I have of the ce I was born in. It was called the ''Celestial Seminary'' and was home to numerous rare and unique beasts that were hunted for their abilities or body parts. My father was one of the eight protectors of the Seminary and one of the only three to survive the massacre that happened that day."


    "In the few history books that might still exist today, this would be known as the beginning of the Deste Era, the ''Bloodletting''. Every era ended and started with one."


    A new memory started ying as soon as he finished.


    The next scene started atop the highest tower in a grey city.


    Tall floating stone buildings manned by several meter-tall warriors many of which were half human and half, well, something else, lined the horizon. Most of their features were hidden underneath the armor save for a few tails and horns.


    A 20 something-year-old boy sat in the tallest of the stone towers, sighing as he peered outwards at the neverending rows of identical grey buildings on the ground.


    [Damn it, this is so fucking boring!] he muttered dispiritedly.


    The grand priestess instantly spoke up, "You."


    This time it was a statement rather than a question but Jin Wang still nodded.


    "My family moved to the outer edges of the known worlds after the attack on the Celestial Seminary, along with all the other poor souls that were left without a home. Following our departure, it was just one big let down after another but after wandering through the endless darkness for nearly a decade, we found a somewhat hospitable."


    "I say "somewhat" because it was covered in thunder clouds throughout the year and had asional acid rains, just to spice things up. Not to mention the local creatures were not very fond of our fleshy bodies."


    The scene changed again. Jin Wang had ''escaped'' from the stone tower and was running across the ocean of argentine rooftops.


    "My father had locked me up because he didn''t want me to get in any trouble when the ''Blessed Envoys'' were paying us a visit," he looked up to meet the grand priestess''s nk gaze, realizing she didn''t know what he was talking about.


    "Oh, um ''Blessed Envoys'' were theckeys of this group of assholes that called themselves the "New Gods". It was the first time I was hearing about them but my father said they were powerful and we needed their assistance if we were to survive out here."


    The scene changed for an instant, showing numerous shadowy figures standing behind an army of well-armed men.


    "Unfortunately they didn''t see it that way. To these new hotshots, we were either just cannon fodder or if lucky, a potential source of worship in which case we would be never free from their grasp."


    "But my father didn''t know that at the time and weed them into our home with open arms. He wasn''t aware that if we didn''t agree to their outrageous terms, they were ordered to kill us on the spot."


    The scene changed back to Jin Wang running across the rooftops under the heavy rain.


    "But if not for those assholes, I wouldn''t have met these two dipshits either."


    A genial smile had unknowingly crept upon his face and as soon as he said the words, the younger version of him came to a stop near the firstyer of city walls. He looked down towards a small crowd gathered around a toon of guards and a couple of hoodlums.


    One of the hoodlums was a frail-looking teenager with a rusted sword on his back and arms wrapped in bandages. The other was a slightly older young man, in his mid tote twenties by the looks of it, covered in various battle scars.


    The teenager looked like he hadn''t eaten anything for a few weeks and could fall over any second but, seeing as he stood straight as an arrow against the toonmander that was a Profound Level expert and the scarred young man, he probably wasn''t that simple.


    The teenager was singlehandedly keeping the toonmander at bay while trying to reason with him, [Sir, please calm down. We are only here to help, I apologize if it came across any other way.]


    His naive smile could fool anyone unless one looked at his motionless body that was holding back a top-level Profound Realm Expert and an entire toon of soldiers that were not that much weaker.


    He didn''t or rather couldn''t be moved an inch as he attempted to exin himself.


    Jin Wang let out another hollow chuckle, pointing at the teenager''s face.


    "Little did I know that this pure-looking dumbass right here would one day be known throughout the ten worlds as the ''Sovereign of Swords''. The undisputable sword genius that rose from absolutely nothing and managed to reach one of the High Heavens."


    "Heid the foundation for numerous dynasties throughout the Deste Era, some of which still stand today. But I doubt any of them even remember the person who made all that possible."


    [If you could please get us a meeting with the city lord I assure you, you will be rewarded greatly], he offered another olive branch which was pped away by the incensed toonmander who was staring daggers at the other, scarred young man.


    [You! What the hell did you say to me?] the toonmander pointed his weapon at the scarred young man.


    The scarred man brought his pinky finger up to his ear and shook it wildly, his expression one of pure annoyance.


    [Aha, this is what I get. I told you we should have just gone straight to the city lord. This shit for brains Lizzard fucktard thinks he''s all that just cause we talked to him first.]

 Chapter 808: In Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 808: In Exchange</h4>


    [This dumbfuck thinks he''s all that just because we talked to him. If you would just let me ''take care'' of them we could be on our way] the scarred man offered to which the teenager vigorously shook his head.


    [Absolutely not! We need to create a good rtionship with them otherwise it will end the same way too.]


    The young Jin Wang who was watching from a nearby rooftop jumped down at this point,nding near the duo.


    The toonmander jerked his head to the side but as soon as he saw who it was his behavior took a 180-degree turn.


    [Young master!] he shouted before lowering his head, causing all the others to do the same.


    Jin Wang gave them a nod but went straight towards the teenager, smiling as he strode forward.


    [Good evening,] he greeted.


    The scarred man on the side looked up at the sky, [Is it? How can you even tell? There is no fucking sunlight at all.]


    The teenager threw a sharp re at him, [Shush] before looking back towards Jin Wang, [Good evening. Are you the city lord''s son? We need to talk to him urgently. Could you please arrange a meeting?]


    Jin Wang speechlessly stared at him and was even more shocked when it turned out he was being serious.


    This random no-name vagrant cultivator wanted a meeting with the City Lord who was a half-step Sage Emperor?! To even call it a joke would be giving it too much face. This was nothing short of madness.


    But Jin Wang kept his calm and instead of getting mad like the toonmander and other guards, he inquired a bit more.


    [May I ask why you need to see him?]


    The teenager looked at the scarred young man for confirmation who just looked away.


    [I-No, we believe that the city lord''s life might be in danger. We need to warn him and talk about a few other things. If you could pl->


    [I''m afraid that won''t be possible today. The ''Blessed Envoys'' should be arriving any minute so father will be busy tending to them.]


    [Blessed Envoys?! Here?!]


    The teenager''s expression turned grim. He let out a sigh before hesitantly taking a step back.


    [Fine. You win this time.]


    [Huh? I''m sorry I don''t quite understa-> Jin Wang was confused by both his words and actions but the events of the next few seconds would clear it up.


    The scarred young man that was standing to the side suddenly reappeared in front of Jin Wang. His left hand shot forward and grabbed a hold of his face before he could even register what was happening.


    [You''reing with us,] he muttered in a low voice.


    The toonmander was the only one that managed to react properly. He unsheathed the greatsword hanging from his back and leaped towards the scarred man but was frozen mid-stride by a single finger that was holding the 2-meter long greatsword in ce.


    The teenager had appeared in front of him at some point without even making a sound.


    [I''m sorry for all this, but we are short on time.]


    He gently tapped the greatsword. The toonmander was frozen stiff. He couldn''t even loosen the grip around the greatsword, it was like IT was holding onto him instead of the other way around.


    [You have a good de. She likes you very much,] the teenager smiled before taking a step back and putting a hand on the scarred man''s shoulder.


    [Let''s go.]


    Jin Wang couldn''t move a muscle throughout, and neither could anyone else. When the teenager gave the go-ahead, the scarred man tightened his grip around Jin Wang''s face, smirking as he did so.


    [Take a deep breath ''Young Master''. And hold onto your dinner.]


    Jin Wang wanted to ask more but it was already toote. His body hair were curling back into his skin, scared to evene out. His eyes swiveled left and right, trying to catch a glimpse from the gaps in between the scarred man''s fingers.


    He saw the dirt and rubble on the ground shake loose from the clutches of gravity and rise into the air. The atmosphere became heavy and deadly silent.


    For some reason his gaze was attracted towards the sky and when he looked up, he witnessed a lightning bolt tear through all the defensive barriers like they weren''t even there.


    They were put in ce by a council of elders led by his own father who was two full realms higher than the Profound Realm toonmander here, someone on the verge of bing a divine-level being himself. And yet in front of this one lightning bolt, none of the barriers were able to put up any resistance whatsoever.


    The lightning struck and when it disappeared, the young master and the two vagrants were gone. Some 170 kilometers away another sh of lightning hit thergest domed building in the center of the city and the trio reappeared within.


    Jin Wang''s vision became blurry and he fell to his knees, emptying the contents of his stomach onto the marble floor.


    He looked up and saw the figure of his father, bloody and in chains. Three men in ck and red armors held each of the chains, or at least they were supposed to.


    By the time Jin Wang came to, one of those three was already decapitated with the teenager standing over his body and the other two were on their knees. Their throats were in the scarred man''s hands.


    They were trying to struggle free but couldn''t budge an inch.


    The scarred man raised his right hand, and one of the men with it. The man tried to speak up but when he opened his mouth only white light came out. It got brighter and brighter until his entire body was engulfed by it.


    When the light disappeared, only ash was left in its ce. He then raised the other hand as the man''s eyes threatened to pop.


    [N-NO! I AM THE ENVO-> he managed to garble out a few words of warning before the grip tightened around his neck.


    The scarred young man brought him close, his gaze reaching the struggling envoy''s very soul, inscribing the message into every fiber of his being.


    [Do not fret, your soul is safe for now. In exchange, when you return, tell your masters the Emperor has taken this city under his wings. If I see any of their flies down here again, I will do to them what I did to their forebearers.]


    And with that, the man''s head popped from the continuously increasing pressure just before his soul swiftly escaped to the ether.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link for the city: https://i.pinimg/236x/e1/df/78/e1df7869e5636c0bd3c95c5d13d7399d.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/NQEdQ

 Chapter 809: Offer

    <h4>Chapter 809: Offer</h4>


    *Pop*


    It didn''t sound much different from a balloon being popped. The envoy''s head exploded like a watermelon, painting the surroundings with brain matter and other fluids.


    The memory stopped there. The grand priestess jerked to look towards Jin Wang, obviously asking for an exnation.


    Jin Wang reached out seeking to touch the water''s surface but the images disappeared when he got close.


    *Sigh*


    He was alternately downcast and delighted, bing more mncholy as time went on.


    "It was at this moment that I realized that this guy, that was not much older than me, was leagues stronger than me. His strength exceeded even my own father''s who was the strongest being I had ever known."


    "And the worse part was that I had heard of his exploits before but for some reason, I always imagined an old man. Yet right in front of my eyes this distinguished stranger hadid waste to the Blessed Envoys that almost crippled my father."


    "I recalled the stories of that insatiable human that had the audacity to call himself the "Emperor" in the face of the Old and the New Gods. And back then he was not the ruler of a specific ce or people either. It was just a title he chose to stay defiant in the face of the oppressors. Since titles like that were reserved for other races, not humans."


    "For people like us that had always been seen as less than others no matter where we went, it was a symbol of hope. To the younger generation, including me, his very existence was a call to arms."


    Another memory started ying, this time showing various battlefields one after another. It showed the Sovereign of Swords in the center with the Emperor to his left and Jin Wang to his right. But then the people around them started increasing until there were too many to even count.


    "For a long time it was just us three. We traveled across the stars, jumping from one world to another in search of like-minded individuals. And slowly more and more joined our ranks. From just three we went to 10 to 100 to 10,000 in the blink of an eye."


    "To those that were in the inner circle, the ''Emperor'' was more than just an empty title. He used to say it was a symbol and anyone can ''be'' him if need be. That was the whole idea behind the title, it was never supposed to be just one man."


    "But....we all knew no one could rece him. I had seen him tame heavenly lighting, traverse the most dangerous ces in all of the Ten heavens and Nine hells unbridled and unrestrained, defiant to thest moment. How could we rece someone like that?"


    "He was our friend my ''best friend'' even, or so I thought. He alone was responsible for giving birth to the first Age of Heroes the core worlds had ever witnessed. He kept the others at bay while giving all the credit to ''Sovereign of Swords''. And slowly, over time, his name became synonymous with Sovereign of Swords until people couldn''t distinguish between the two."


    "All his aplishments were recounted as the Sovereign''s. The existence of the Emperor became the talk of legends before soundlessly passing into myth."


    "In less than 3,000 years he reached the height of notoriety before sessfully expunging his own existence, until even the ones that called him brother failed to distinguish fact from fiction. He distanced himself from us as time went on, interacting only with the Sovereign until even he stopped hearing from the Emperor."


    "History buried him and the flow of time wiped away all traces of his existence. There were times when I doubted even my own memories. Was he ever real or just a figment of our imagination that was cooked up to give us hope? Someone that never faltered never betrayed anyone and exceeded everything that was expected of him."


    The memories kept changing to provide some much-needed visual stimulus to the story. From scenes of various battlefields to ones of camaraderie, the grand priestess felt like she was experiencing them herself since everything was told from Jin Wang''s point of view.


    "But time is a cruel mistress. I lived a long life, buried too many friends and outlived everyone I loved. I simply could not continue fighting any longer. I had gotten old and weak, both body and mind. The people I started out with were almost all gone, only the Sovereign was left and he was far too busy managing this empire we had created."


    "So I took my leave and lived thest of my days in a secluded mortal world where no one would ever find me. Sometimes I even pitied myself, a lonely old man living in the middle of nowhere, on nostalgia and no small amount of regret."


    "But near the end, on one rainy winter''s night, someone came knocking, asking for refuge."


    "I opened the door and lo and behold, it was him again. The Emperor in the sh! A little older, a little thinner, much more somber and somehow even more tired than I was. I think that was the first time we really talked then and got to know each other. And it was also then, after so many millenniums of fighting together, that he finally told me his actual name."


    Jin Wang paused, waiting for the scene on the water''s surface to change. It showed a small room with a burning firece with two chairs in front of it.


    The grand priestess gazed at the scene but no matter how hard she tried to look, the ''Emperors'' face was always shrouded in a cloud of ck smoke, hiding all his features.


    "Do you remember it? His name?"


    This old woman looked like a small child as she impatiently waited for Jin Wang''s response, which was not up to her expectations.


    "No. Just like his face, I can''t remember much about his appearance. I think it was some type of powerful magic to keep his identity secret."


    The grand priestess appeared to be unsatisfied by the answer but he didn''t give her enough time toin.


    "I asked him why he left the way he did, why he gave up all the fame and power. He said, "We all have a role to y, and this is mine. I want to see if I can change fate." But it would not be after for many ages that I would understand what he meant back then."


    "Either way, before the sun rose that day, I had already died."


    The scene changed again to an old man being buried under a dead tree.


    "Did he kill you?"


    Jin Wang nodded, "In a way. He offered me something I couldn''t refuse-"


    The scene transitioned to that of a newborn.


    "-Another life. Or a great many other lives. He helped me break free from the ''great cycle'', giving me the ability to reincarnate with all my memories following every death."

 Chapter 810: Younger

    <h4>Chapter 810: Younger</h4>


    "So it is true!"


    The look of absolute shock on the grand priestess''s face appropriately reflected her tumulous emotions.


    Jin Wang confirmed once again.


    "Yes, this is not my first life. I was born at the start of the Deste Era, many millions of years ago. And since then I have lived, died, and been reborn more times than I care to remember."


    He nced towards her with half a smile, nodding upon seeing the disbelief and fear in her gaze.


    "You can rx a little, I''m much younger than I look," he shed a smile, "I was not immediately reborn at the end of each life. In fact, every subsequent rebirth takes longer than thest. I think I was born into this life after 5 to 8 million years or something."


    "It is not easy to keep track of time when the systems are so fragmented and the smaller worlds like this one arepletely out of the loop. Not to mention that they keep re-writing history every god damn time someone new is in power."


    "Making up ancestors that never existed, bloodlines that were fabricated, and aplishments that were stolen from others. It''s a real hot mess out there."


    Jin Wang seemed to have returned to his original merry self but that was not the case for the grand priestess. She was at aplete loss for words. If she were to believe Jin Wang''s words then that would mean something muchrger was in ce here. His presence alone signified that.


    A myriad of thoughts raced through her mind before she hesitantly asked the most important question.


    "Are you here by ident? Or is there more to it?"


    Stunned, Jin Wang burst outughing.


    "Hahaha,e on, you should know there is no such thing as idents. Especially with the Emperor."


    "The emperor?" she frowned, "What does he have to do with anything? Didn''t he die a long time ago? How could anyone survive after so many-"


    "I don''t know, and I don''t ask either. But he found me after every few rebirths, asking me toplete various tasks. Thest time I met him was in myst life actually. Somehow, against all odds, he was still there. I was as shocked as you are now, especially since he didn''t look that much different from my memories. You would think he walked out of my subconscious."


    "His secrets have secrets and there was no use trying to ask because he would only smile like an asshole in return."


    "So...you are here to do something for him?"


    Jin Wang''s smile widened, "Bingo."


    "....??"


    "Oh, that means yes. He came to me and asked for another ''favor''. This time he told me exactly which world I would be born in and most of what would happen after that too. And of course, what I should do about it."


    The grand priestess was too busy thinking about other things that she missed when Jin Wang discretely pulled his feet out of the water.


    "Then....do you know the fate of my people? Of our world?"


    That was the most important question to her. Ever since she came to power everything she did was to protect this world, even though most of it didn''t work out.


    Jin Wang let out a long heavy sigh.


    "That is not an easy question to answer. I know some significant events but nothing in too much detail. Although I doubt this tiny world will see much action to begin with, one can never be certain when ites to things like these."


    "If you''re lucky, you will have to leave this world and your people will be relocated somewhere else. If you''re unlucky, you will be left to fend for yourselves but as long as you align with one of the major powers, that shouldn''t happen."


    His answer was enough to silence the grand priestess for a good few minutes until she suddenly rose to her feet, "I must see to a few things. Do you mind if we continue thister? I mustmune with the old records."


    "No of course not, take all the time you need. But would it be okay if I stayed here for a little while longer? I want to try and remember a few more details in case they could help you."


    Her face lit up upon hearing that Jin Wang would be willing to go out of his way to do something like that so she naturally agreed.


    "Take all the time you need. When you are done follow the ridgeline and you wille across a dirt path. That will take you directly to my city."


    "Thank you."


    The grand priestess bid him farewell before taking her leave. The sound of her footsteps soon faded but Jin Wang still didn''t move.


    He listened to the sound of the flowing water and watched the various strange creatures jump up and down while humming a tune.


    A couple of minutester, without looking his hand started doodling various glyphs in the sand. Upon finishing thest one he tapped the ground thrice with his middle finger. A shockwave was generated by thest tap and the glyphs were blown away by an invisible gust of wind.


    He slowly looked around, inspecting the surroundings but there was nothing different. Only the creatures swimming in the milky water had all sunk to the bottom.


    He did this to make sure no one was watching or listening in without his knowledge, not even the grand priestess herself.


    Jin Wang lowered his feet back into the water prompting another memory to y out.

 Chapter 811: Death of Hope

    <h4>Chapter 811: Death of Hope</h4>


    It started on top of an extremely tall ss tower. The tower was surrounded by eightyers of golden light that swiveled and rotated around it at different angles, creating an almost imprable shield.


    It was located on an ind no bigger than 600 kilometers in diameter that was floating through amber-colored mostly empty space.


    A baldheaded man in histe fifties or sixties with a white beard wearing a dark brown robe that looked more like a potato sack was standing next to a table writing in a hardcover book while mumbling to himself.


    "After ceaseless testing, I must, unfortunately, conclude that the source of the "infection" is still unknown. It is a soulless abomination, an obscene atrocity on the gift of life itself. Everything it touches is tainted without any hope of recovery."


    "It cannot be poisoned, cut, or maimed. It neither sleeps nor has a need to rest. A powerful me works on the less infected subjects but on the more vile ones, it only stops them momentarily."


    "After some consideration, I have decided to ce a ''Spirit Purging Curse'' on it that should keep it from ''waking'' up as long as it is contained. The moment it has its first thought, the curse will be activated automatically to wipe away any awareness it might have."


    He looked to his left where a small ss cube was showing a dimly lit area. There were four stone statues wearing full armor in each corner of the room. They were holding onto golden scepters, pointing them towards the center of the room where a ball of ck chains was bound to the floor.


    Every three minutes a stream of white and orange me would be discharged from the scepters, hitting the ball of chains for a few seconds before stopping.


    *Sigh*


    "I have seen it evolve and break free from its restraints more than half a dozen times in thest century. I fear if it were ever to be released in the world, there would be no stopping it. It would spell the end of our er-"


    *Knock*Knock*Knock*


    Just as the bald man was about to finish thest sentence and turn the page over, three loud knocks resounded within the tower.


    The bald man froze for a few seconds before regaining hisposure. A cheerful smile reced the hooked grimacing expression on his face. He closed the book and turned, vanishing from sight before reappearing at the front entrance.


    He opened the door and his smile turned into a toothy grin.


    "I didn''t think I would see you again," he said towards the figure opposite to him.


    "I didn''t think I would either," the figure replied before entering the premises.


    The door closed behind him and automatically vanished from view. The bald man was obviously Jin Wang in his previous life while the new arrival was the Emperor.


    Jin Wang snapped his fingers as two chairs popped out of nowhere and a firece revealed itself on the other side of the room.


    The Emperor walked up to it and sat down without reservations, as did Jin Wang. They both stared at the crackling firewood, listening to the smattering of pops that proved to be the only source of sound for a good ten minutes.


    Jin Wang was the first one to speak up.


    "You look older."


    "Good older?"


    "Nah, worse than even me."


    "Shit, that bad huh?"


    "Yup."


    The emperor nodded. His facial features were still shrouded in a cloud of ck smoke.


    Another bout of silence followed that was broken by the emperor this time around.


    "I...killed my son today."


    Jin Wang nced at him with a raised eyebrow. Instead of berating him or getting shocked, he asked "What did he do?"


    "All the wrong things," the emperor answered, "I could not change his fate."


    "Change fate? I would like to see that once before my time runs out."


    "Me too. I thought there would be a way. Somehow, somewhere out there there would be something to overturn our cruel fates but...now I am not so sure."


    The emperor''s shoulder slouched even more as he sunk into the old leather chair.


    "I am so tired."


    "Then take a break. Rest and have a good long sleep," Jin Wang joked but the emperor agreed with him.


    "I will. This will be thest time we meet before I go to ''sleep''."


    Jin Wang straightened his back, his expression somber, "Don''t do anything stupid. We will find a way, there is time we c-"


    The emperor shook his head softly, "No, there is no more time left, not for me. This cannot be avoided nor put off any longer."


    Silence fell over them again until Jin Wang unwittingly mumbled, "There has to be a way."


    The emperor scoffed self-depreciatingly, "I have looked. From the Ancient Era to the Divine, from the Imperial Era to the Deste. Even the following eras of ''Ruin'' could not bear any fruit. There is no hope left. This will be the end of life, unless...."


    "Unless what?"


    "Unless we do something drastic, something that is not yet written in the books."


    Jin Wang leaned in closer, "And what is that?"

 Chapter 812: No Sides

    <h4>Chapter 812: No Sides</h4>


    "What exactly do you mean by drastic?"


    The Emperor was staring into nothingness, his eyes almost zing over as he responded with a coldness that Jin Wang hadn''t seen before.


    "I mean something so immensely significant, so far-reaching and longsting that the lives of everyone in the greater worlds are forever changed. Something that forces them to make decisions they would never have otherwise. That is the only hope I have left of making any meaningful change."


    Jin Wang knew exactly what the Emperor meant but he still needed to hear it from his own mouth. Because if it was something this big then there would definitely be a great loss of life regardless of the method.


    "Is there no other way?" he asked again, hoping there was something else up his sleeve.


    The emperor''s gaze slowly shifted over to Jin Wang. He let out a hollow sigh upon seeing a tinge of hope still burning inside him.


    He then leaned forward and took out his lifeless left arm from the robe, cing it on the arm of the chair.


    "I have tried the other ways. I have done everything that was possible and a great many things that weren''t. But no matter what, the powers that be do not appreciate change."


    "From the Sovereign to Eldwine, I have tried to create a new axis of power and pried my way into the old ones, but it proved to be a futile attempt and never changed anything in the long term regardless of the method."


    Jin Wang jumped to his feet and strode towards the Emperor, bending down to inspect his arm that looked like it was covered in ayer of soot.


    "I have never seen a curse of this magnitude," hemented after an initial examination, "Who did this to you?"


    "On the surface, it was done by Maym¨±n."


    "Maym¨±n?! He-It moved against you? Itself?!"


    The Emperor nodded.


    Jin Wang pulled back his hand, sucking the air from in between his teeth. He couldn''t bring himself to believe the words that wereing out of the Emperor''s mouth, "But...why? He is one of the Great Old Ones, why would he move against you?"


    The emperor raised his chin proudly, "Because I was close to achieving something and he, no, THEY couldn''t allow it."


    He had reason to be proud. To make an ancient Demonic God-level entity that had existed since time immemorial personally make a move, how many people could im to have achieved such a feat? To have posed enough of a threat to warrant its involvement?


    "They turned my own sons against me, the most loyal of my soldiers. I had to tear a gxy in half to temporarily halt their advancement, that was the only way to pause their ns without killing thempletely."


    Upon hearing that Jin Wang quickly realized there was nothing he could do. Even as an Eighth Circle Grand Mage he could not possibly break a curse that powerful, at least not in any short amount of time.


    Not to mention participating in a battle of such a magnitude that tears entire gxies in half. So he sat back down again, allowing the Emperor to continue his exnation.


    "Although the curse is too powerful to break right now, it can be broken with enough time and effort. And since Maym¨±n paid a hefty price foring that close to me, I would call it a good trade," he thought out loud with a heartyugh.


    But Jin Wang didn''tpletely agree with him. Curses were naturally terrible and had extremely diverse uses. Some might ''seem'' simple but held a great many secrets that would only show themselves at ater time.


    There was no telling what a curse could do unless the one who cast it chose to relinquish that information.


    The Emperor continued.


    "But this has only proven my point. Something needs to change otherwise we will continue to be their pawns, nothing more than cannon fodder in ''their'' wars, used tomit terrible deeds on ourselves and others in their names and then be discarded in the end when the tides of the Abyss roll forward. There is no other choice now."


    Jin Wang didn''t speak up. He had lived long and seen more than enough of his share of brutalities. And although sometimes he didn''t agree with the Emperor''s methods, there was no arguing that the bnce of power needed to be shifted if notpletely overturned.


    "What do you have in mind?" he asked after a short moment of contemtion.


    The Emperor met his gaze, somber as he could be. He tapped his foot twice on the rocky floor, "Give me that thing you have locked up in the cer. The one you found in the ''deep''."


    Jin Wang''s pupils shrunk to the size of pinholes. He shot up to his feet, bobbing his head from side to side.


    "Absolutely not! If it gets out there is no telling what could happen!"


    The emperor''s lips arched into a wicked smile, "Exactly."


    "No. I refuse. I can''t allow that. That thing has no limits. It consumes everything without distinction-"


    The emperor''s fist mmed against the chair''s arm, making the entire tower shake.


    "That''s exactly my point. It does not and will not discriminate. To it, we are all the same. There is no negotiating with it, there is no taking sides. We NEED amon enemy, that is the only way. The turmoil created in its wake will be perfect for us. It will create a power vacuum and I will fill it."


    His words made Jin Wang quiet down for a moment.


    "You don''t understand. It is a disease of the flesh and mind. Its hunger is bottomless and if it were to ever see the light of day, a flood the likes of which we have never witnessed would be unleashed on all of creation."


    Despite his warnings, the emperor could see he was considering it so he pushed again.


    "Listen to me. With your help, we can do it with minimal loss. If you agree, I will help you reincarnate into one of the Origin worlds. I know exactly what is going to happen during that time period and with your help and oversight, it can be done quickly and safely."


    And as expected, Jin Wang took the bait.


    "How?" his curiosity got the better of him.


    "Once you are born, around the time you turn twenty a discovery will be made. A wandering world perfect for the taking. But it will be the prison that will hold that ''thing'' until you get there. You will have to get on that world using whatever means necessary and make sure three individuals whose names I will give to youe into contact with it no matter what. These three work for ''them'' and will take that thing directly back to their nests."


    "Once the word of it gets out and the infection spreads, they will be isted by the others and eitherpletely wiped off or if they do decide to fight back, which they most probably will, a new war will begin."


    Jin Wang shook his head dejectedly, "That is your n? To start another war? Are you still not tired of fighting?"


    The Emperor smirked, "The war wille either way. I have seen it. The Abyssal Lords are stirring once again. Sooner orter they will awake, only this way the war can be put out in its infancy before it spreads to the rest of the nes. Trust me, this is the only and the least bloody path. I will make sure that it doesn''t spread beyond our foe''s borders."

 Chapter 813: Memory Crystal

    <h4>Chapter 813: Memory Crystal</h4>


    "Trust me, this is the only path of least bloodshed."


    Jin Wang sat there in silence, allowing the crackling me to light up his somber expression. After a few minutes of intense contemtion, he vocalized his thoughts.


    "I...can''t. I''m sorry, I just can''t do it. Knowing all that bloodshed, all those poor souls will die because of me, I simply cannot have that on my conscious. That''s why I left everything behind and moved here. And this thing, it was locked so far in the deep that I didn''t think I could even make it back. There has to be a reason for that. We are not meant to tamper with forces of this magnitude, no one is!"


    The emperor''s gaze did not move from his direction throughout this interaction but upon hearing Jin Wang''s response, he heaved another weary sigh before taking something out of his robe.


    It was an 8-centimeter wide hexagon crystal with a silvery light moving inside it.


    It was bright enough to attract Jin Wang''s attention, who inquired about the Emperor''s intentions for taking such a thing out.


    "What is that now? I won''t change my mind."


    The emperor tapped on the crystal, throwing it over to Jin Wang.


    "I didn''t want you to see this initially. I was hoping you would move on without any more heartache but since you won''t budge, so, look for yourself."


    The emperor rested his eyes while waiting for Jin Wang to inspect the crystal. This was a memory crystal, able to hold forcefully extracted memories for a long time.


    Jin Wang skeptically stared at the crystal''s surface for a moment before the memory started ying like a prerecorded video. Only it was ying at several times the normal speed which to ordinary people would just look like a few pictures shing past their eyes.


    The crystal showed a naked girl that was tied upside down on top of an altar. Her arms and legs had serrated hooks embedded inside them, holding her in ce as she cried literal tears of blood.


    The blood was being gathered in a cauldron below her, slowly boiling its essence. The cauldron was ced on top of an altar with an eight-sided star engraved on its surface. On each of the eight corners sat a hooded figure, chanting in an unknownnguage.


    Jin Wang''s eyes opened wide from utter shock and disbelief, "T-This..."


    He tried to speak but the words wouldn''t leave his mouth. He couldn''t look away from the crystal, only being able to witness these past events. The Emperor gave a little bit more detail about it.


    "One of my men met a loose-lipped Blood Wizard who was "celebrating" hitting it big. He was telling everyone who would listen about being hired by the Temple of Light to find someone. An Eighth Circle Grand Mage that was hiding within the void."


    "He was quite proud of it too. Bragging about locating the mage''s bloodline and using that connection to find him. After a few days of obscenely foul rituals, they were sessful in creating a locator spell through your blood bond. Unfortunately, they didn''t leave anyone alive."


    "Even as we speak the Temple of Light and the Temple of War have joined forces to move against you. They have created a special team led by one of their immortal puppets, the ''Abyss Walker''. Their only job is to find you and take that thing for themselves." (Abyss Walker is mentioned before in CH 618 ''Undying Ones'')


    "One of their apostles foresaw the finding of an extremely dangerous object and as always, they wanted it for themselves. There were obviously other ways of getting into contact with you but they chose the most brutal one on purpose, to make an example out of you."


    "These are the people you are trying to protect. To them, human life is inconsequential, as they have shown time and time again. When the old Abyssal Lords awaken once again, the mes of war will once again rage across the cosmos. And it is us who will pay the heftiest price, just like always."


    "Brother, even if I hadn''te to you today, that ''thing'' will have still fallen into their hands. The Abyss Walker is extremely strong, and he cannot be killed, trust me, I have tried. If you-"


    The Emperor realized that throughout this one-sided conversation Jin Wang hadn''t taken his eyes off of the crystal.


    "She was yourst living descendent in this life, right? I am sorry, truly. But you can at least rest easy knowing that every single person who took part in those rituals is already paying the price. They will suffer until their flesh gives way, and then their souls will suffer for as long as I live."


    Jin Wang clenched his fist, destroying the Memory Crystal to smithereens. A tongue of me escaped through his gritted teeth.


    "It''s not enough. Because of them, the souls of my descendants will forever wander the ether in agony and pain. Just this is not enough. I want the ones who ordered this ritual, and the ones who caused it."


    The Emperor stood up, dragging his ckened left arm with him.


    "You cannot kill the Abyss Walker, at least not in this life. His connection to the Gods makes him immortal for the time being. But if you follow my n, I will make sure that in your next life you have the opportunity to do so."


    "It wasn''t easy but I managed to find a feasible body for your next life. And it will be more than enough to go toe to toe with the likes of them. It will be thest time you are reborn, but the strength you will possess will be unmatched."


    Jin Wang stood up as well. The light in his eyes spoke volumes of his unyielding resolve.


    "I...agree."

 Chapter 814: Interfere

    <h4>Chapter 814: Interfere</h4>


    "I...agree."


    *ZzzzZZzz*


    The milky water started thrashing about soon as the memory reached this point. It looked like there was something underneath the surface trying toe out.


    This disturbance was enough to force Jin Wang who was lost in thought watching the memory y out from his dazed state. He straightened his back and sped both his hands together, forming various rudimentary shapes one after another while mumbling something under his breath.


    The parts of his feet that were still drenched in the water started to glow with a dim yellow light. His mumbling got louder and louder, as did the thrashing.


    Thissted for a total of 15 seconds or so before a light pop stopped everything. The water calmed down and the frozen memory ying on its surface continued.


    The Emperor was standing in front of Jin Wang, telling him something but most of it was garbled. Only a few sentences were legible.


    "The ''Abyss Walker'' will be here any minute. My distractions won''t work against him for long so we need to do this now."


    Jin Wang''s brutal expression turned even more bloodthirsty upon hearing that title.


    "I understand. How will you get that ''thing'' out?"


    "I won''t. It NEEDS to fall in their hands for now."


    "But-"


    "Trust me, it will work out. I have someone within the Temple of War who will make sure things go the way they are supposed to, you just need to prepare yourself."


    "Since I am forcefully changing the time and the location of your rebirth, there will be some side effects. Some memories will be damaged, and somepletely forgotten or locked deep within your psyche."


    "You won''t even know you have them until you meet the ''spirit medium'' and thest caretaker of the which act as "its" final imprisonment. Use her abilities to rediscover lost memories but make sure she doesn''t know the full truth."


    *Zzzzzppp*


    The scene froze and became disjointed for a few seconds before continuing again.


    "These are the names of the three people that will have to be infected no matter the cost. The first one is a girl with the name of "Natalia". She is one of the prodigal geniuses directly connected to the Temple of Light, a purifier." (CH 512)


    "The second one is actually someone that is an anomaly in and of itself. The personal disciple of ''Abyss Walker''. I don''t much remember who that person is or what they look like, only that they have the appearance of a female human. You''ll have the opportunity to meet her yourself."


    "The third andst one is a mortal man. He will be a native of that world and you will naturallye across him along your travels. His name is Jax."


    *RUUMBLEEEE*


    The entire tower shook as a stifled roar resounded through the entire structure. The Emperor''s expression, or what could be seen of it turned sour.


    "He''s already here. I underestimated his strength."


    He reached out into his robe and pulled out a ss globe with particles of white light floating inside it.


    "I was hoping to tell you everything myself but it looks like we don''t have the time for that. This contains all the necessary information required for you to aplish your task. I have tried my best to provide you with some support while you''re there but I am not sure if they will survive the test of time."


    *TREEEEMBLE*


    Another shockwave hit the tower, this one much stronger than thest.


    "Quickly, crush the orb to absorb all the information. And..."


    Jin Wang waited for him to finish but the emperor simply could not find the words.


    "What? Spit it out already, you''re the one who said we''re low on time!" he berated.


    The Emperor shook his head before taking a reluctant step back.


    "You will meet someone there, a boy named Hao Xuan. I have left some instructions about him within the orb, all you need to do is follow them. It won''t make sense now but just make sure he meets the three-eyed general."


    "He''ll need your help a couple of times after that as well so do what you can but you must not interfere or try to change anything he does. It is vital that he personally experiences everything thates his way."


    "You will want to intervene near the end but know that it is all necessary. Everything that will happen to him NEEDS to happen, otherwise, the timeline will not be the same. I ho-"


    *RUUUUMBLE*


    *BOOOOOM*


    With a bright sh of light, the memory finally came to a stop.


    The water was boiling by this point and when Jin Wang finally pulled out his feet they were tainted red and letting out white fumes, although barely.


    Yet Jin Wang''s gaze was still fixated on the water''s empty surface as he spoke to himself.


    "The orb was damaged in thest battle and I wasn''t able to absorb arge chunk of the information, especially rted to Hao Xuan. I still don''t understand what your n is for him. He is connected to so many things but even without him, the oue would not change much. Why is he important? I hope whatever you nned for him will not be too dangerous. I have grown to like him quite a lot."

 Chapter 815: Holy Light

    <h4>Chapter 815: Holy Light</h4>


    The Academy, Walking City.


    The tallest building that was attached to the side of the Temple of Light had be a second home to the ''Blood Prince'', Dai Zhi.


    He was sitting at his table as usual. His eyes were half-closed as specks of crimson light floated about him, moving in and out of his body like it did not even exist.


    His fingers slowly moved in the air mimicking the arched motion of waves. The crimson lights changed their pattern and started moving in much the same manner. Two steps ahead and one step back.


    If one focused on their motions, at first they would appear to be moving extremely slowly but then they would start phasing in and out of the visual spectrum. This was caused by an extreme burst of speed that periodically turned them invisible.


    Suddenly, the silent atmosphere was broken by a flurry of footsteps outside his door.


    *Knock*Knock*Knock*


    The crimson lights disappeared instantly as Dai Zhi was forced awake from that state of concentration.


    "Come in," he ordered weakly.


    The door opened and two figures walked in. The one at the front was a handsome young man in battle armor. His shoulder-length hair moved back and forth as he dragged another individual in behind him.


    The second person was in chains, bloody and beaten to a pulp. Most of his body was ck and blue but there weren''t a lot of open wounds.


    The chained individual was thrown to the ground where he stayed.


    The first young man took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood off his hand, turning towards Dai Zhi.


    "My Lord," he bowed from the waist.


    A pair of gold-rimmed red sses hung from the bridge of the boy''s nose.


    Dai Zhi waved his hand and the boy straightened his back, readjusting the sses as he gave some more details pointing towards the chained man whose facial features could not even be recognized due to all the swelling.


    "He says he''s part of the resistance although there is no proof of these ims. We captured him when he was trying to sneak into the personal quarters of one of the native nobles who was leading the assault on thest of the cities."


    "We have tried to question him using some of the more traditional methods but he has not spoken a word. With Lord Dai Zhi''s permission I would like to interrogate him using some other methods. He will most probably not survive the procedures."


    Dai Zhi''s head rested gently on his fist as he silently listened to everything the boy had to say. His lips slowly curled into a smile the moment he finished.


    "You havee a long way, Micha. From being an abject prince to one of my most trusted men and a staunch adherent of the Holy Light."


    Micha, who was only there to ask for his approval was more than a little taken aback by the unexpected words of praise. He gave another quick little bow aftering to his senses. (Micha was first mentioned in CH 337 and in various other chapters after that)


    "You humble me, Lord Dai Zhi."


    Dai Zhi stood up, waving his hands back and forth, "No no, I truly mean it. You know I don''t like dishonesty. I am quite proud of how you have turned out. Although I wasn''t expecting much at the start, you have time and time again proven me wrong."


    "I...don''t know what to say, my lord."


    Although Micha himself was the prince of a Grade 2 kingdom, in a ce like this that was home to numerous others of simr reputation and rank, Dai Zhi was in a league of his own.


    Not to mention his background but just the fact that he was the student of perhaps the most powerful being in the Academy was enough to warrant all the respect he deserved.


    Dai Zhi slowly walked up to him and patted his shoulder, "You don''t have to say anything. Just keep doing a good job and when the timees, I will reward you handsomely."


    "Thank you, my lord."


    Born to rule over billions, Micha was never satisfied with his status after finding out about the existence of more powerful kingdoms and empires. He considered himself to be locked in a small cage and the only way to break free was to follow in the footsteps of someone more powerful.


    He was smart enough to know that the rigid power structure of their world would never allow for him to step up with ease unless someone opened the doors for him. And Dai Zhi was going to be that someone.


    Or at least that''s how it started out.


    He joined the academy in pursuit of power, but after meeting Dai Zhi he was exposed to a whole another world.


    The ''Holy Light''.

 Chapter 816: The Order of the Holy Light

    <h4>Chapter 816: The Order of the Holy Light</h4>


    **Temple of Light will now be known as "Church of the Sacred Light" **


    Dai Zhi leaned back to take out a small metal box from one of the drawers on his desk.


    The box was a square about 8 centimeters wide with multiple seals ced on it. Each seal was in the shape of a glyph or symbol that carelessly moved about its surface.


    He then proceeded to take off one of his cross-shaped earrings and ce it on the surface of the box, muttering under his breath, "By Order of the Holy Light, open!"


    All the moving glyphs froze and then cracked, turning into specks of light that evaporated into nothingness.


    Dai Zhi pulled the lid open and with an amiable smile presented it to Micha with both his hands.


    Micha looked at the box and then him, unsure if this was actually happening "This is..."


    "Congrattions. You have been epted into the ''Order of the Holy Light''. By the power granted to me by the High Heavens and the Church of the Sacred Light, I wee brother Micha into the order."


    Micha''s entire body quivered upon hearing that. With trembling hands, he picked up the metal box and pulled out a silver ring from it.


    "Is this....real?" he couldn''t believe his eyes.


    Dai Zhi chuckled upon seeing his reaction but it wasn''t all that unexpected.


    "This feeling, always remember it. Even a hundred or a thousand years from now, remember what you are feeling as you hold it for the first time. The power, the awe, and most importantly, the responsibility thates with it. Do not ever forget it."


    Micha had tears in his eyes as he brushed his fingers over the gold halo on the ring, feeling a wisp of otherworldly ethereal power crawl into him.


    As previously stated, the divine beings that imed to care for the people and fight for them in the greater world gathered under the banner of the Church of the Sacred Light.


    It was an alliance between multiple heavens that allowed Godly beings to take proper action and bring order to the greater world. It was rtively new and was only properly constituted in thest era, the Era of Ruin.


    There are of course other such institutions that existed long before them. The Temple of War for example had been around for as long as history itself had existed.


    But before the Church of the Sacred Light, each World and Heaven was segregated and operated independently. And then something happened in the Era of Ruin that made them chose to throw away most of their idiosyncrasies and traits in favor of a more universal approach.


    After its formation, the Church swiftly gained a lot of followers and in the blink of an eye became thergest force in the greater world.


    Soon after they started policing the minor worlds and enforcing their ownws even on the ones that never asked for their help.


    And to keep this grip on the greater world, they gathered talented geniuses from across the ten worlds and brought them together so they couldpete with one another and flourish in an environment that was under the Church''s control.


    Of these geniuses, those that showed a peculiar predilection to the teachings of the Church of the Sacred Light were granted ess to a special organization known as the "Order of the Holy Light".


    It was a somewhat secretive institution within the inner sanctum of the Church itself, created solely to raise the next generation of devout leaders within the Church.


    To say that the Order of Holy Light was the fast track to the top would be a gross understatement. Each of its members was the most elite of the elite and had ess to every resource imaginable. The Church had often waged wars to gather rare resources for their younger generation, not that anyone was stupid enough to say no to them in the first ce.


    The identities of the member of the Order were kept hidden until they were strong enough to protect themselves and venture out alone.


    They were the source of envy in every generation but what made it worse was that no one could "apply" to join the order. Only a high-ranking member could invite and vouch for new members unless the Church reached out by itself and invited someone, which was an extremely rare urrence.


    And just now, Micha, a prince from some random grade 2 kingdom had been invited to join the ranks of the most exclusive and resourceful organization in all of the greater world. And it was only because of Dai Zhi, who had vouched for him personally that it was possible.


    Micha bowed from the waist and stayed there, "T-Thank you, my L-Lord," he said stutteringly, with tears streaming down his face.


    Dai Zhi reached out to pull him back up.


    "Stop this. All I did was say a few words, it was you who made it a reality. The Church has seen what you are capable of and they approve. But don''t get too rxed, this is just the beginning. Once we are done with this I will take you to visit the Order myself. There are a few people I would like for you to meet."

 Chapter 817: Empty Words

    <h4>Chapter 817: Empty Words</h4>


    "There are a few people I want you to meet", Dai Zhi finished his speech with the charisma fit for someone of his position.


    Micha had stopped crying and all his attention was directed towards Dai Zhi by now. The myriad of emotions welling up inside him could barely be contained.


    All he had done was run a few errands, kill a few people and participate in a handful of battles that posed no threat to him at all.


    He had to do all these things to secure enough points for himself to enter the academy and even without Dai Zhi''s order he would have still done them. But to think that would be enough tond him such an opportunity, he was no fool.


    Micha hadn''t done anything extraordinary and he was well aware of it. The ONLY reason he got into Order was because of Dai Zhi. His own hard work had nothing to do with it.


    He fell to his knees and almost kowtowed.


    "I will never forget this opportunity that you have given me, my lord."


    Dai Zhi who watching with a wide smile and this time he didn''t pick him up, allowing Micha to show his gratitude the best he could, by groveling at his feet. Dai Zhi''s eyes shone with a bright crimson light for a short moment before returning to normal. This change was apanied by a surge of power feeling of control that was intoxicatingly addictive.


    He closed his eyes and allowed the strength to pass through him before ordering Micha to get up.


    "On your feet now,e on. We don''t have a lot of time until thest battle and you still need to bond with the relic," he said referring to the silver ring, "From what I know, all the remaining forces have banded together to create one army, theirst paltry attempt to fight back. Gather all of our forces, I will be leading them myself when it''s time."


    "Y-Yes," Micha wiped the tears with his sleeve and walked out withrge strides, leaving the prisoner and Dai Zhi alone in the room.


    Dai Zhi watched him fumble out of the door and close it behind him, chuckling lightly. But this lighthearted mood was cut short by an unexpected interruption.


    "Your words have no value to them, empty, just like your lives," the prisoner spoke up in the beast world''s nativenguage.


    Dai Zhi hadpletely ignored his existence until now but after hearing what he had to say, his curiosity took the better of him and he obliged the man.


    "Whatever do you mean?"


    The prisoner was thrown straight to the floor and was stillying there. But seeing as Dai Zhi had responded and opened a dialogue, he picked himself back up with some effort and sat crosslegged on the floor.


    Half of his face was swollen to twice its size and the other half was covered in bruises and wounds, making it impossible to tell his identity. Only his left eye was still able to see properly which was locked onto Dai Zhi.


    He spat out a mouthful of blood along with a few teeth before answering.


    "Exactly what I meant. Everything you said to the boy was false. Empty words without any meaning behind them."


    Dai Zhi''s interest was peaked. He stood up and walked a little closer, "Oho, what makes you think that?"


    The prisoner smiled, or at least it should have looked like a smile but it was hard to tell with so much damage to the face.


    "Hmph, when you have lived as long as I have, you can tell who is honest and who isn''t with ease. Something children like you are too young to understand."


    Dai Zhi''s lips curled into a mischievous smile before he unwittingly broke outughing, "Hahahaha, child?! Me? Hahaha!"


    He genuinely couldn''t stop himself. Dai Zhi was close to 70 years old in standard earth years, although not many people knew this about him. It was just that his bloodline was awakened when he was barely out of his teens and he was stuck with this body. But he had most certainly seen a lot more moons than the man across from him.


    Stifling another bout ofughter, Dai Zhi spoke up again.


    "Well, at least you got one part right. Yes, I was lying," he admitted it outright, "I told him what he needed to hear. With his skills and background, there was no way he could get into the Order by himself. But I need some trustworthy people on my side so I pulled some strings."


    The prisoner scoffed, "Even before that. All that talk of justice and order, those were all lies too."


    "Indeed they were," Dai Zhi nodded without any hesitation, "I have no interest in the Order but as long as they continue to support me, I will say whatever they want me to."

 Chapter 818: Elixir of Life

    <h4>Chapter 818: Elixir of Life</h4>


    "Hmph. As expected, all you people are the same. Each one scummier than thest and..."


    Dai Zhi could not be any less bothered by the prisoner''s words as he listened intently for a long time. But after a while he heaved a deep sigh, clicking his tongue in disappointment.


    "Tsk, you, are just trying to buy time."


    "-and all you could manage to do was- E-Eh?" the prisoner stuttered mid-sentence,ing to an abrupt pause.


    Dai Zhi stood up, walking up to him with slow but steady steps.


    The prisoner tried to speak up again but his lips wouldn''t part no matter how hard he tried. His heartbeat quickened and each one became stronger, pumping so much blood through his veins and with such force that waves of pain shot through him.


    Dai Zhi came to a stop right in front of him, brushing his dainty-looking fingers over all over the various bumps, bruises, and wounds on the prisoner''s face as he unsessfully attempted to break away from his hold.


    No matter how hard he tried it felt like someone was holding him down from the inside out and the pain only got worse and worse the more he struggled.


    "Hmmm!" he tried to say something but with his lips closed it just sounded like he was humming.


    Every spot Dai Zhi''s fingers moved over, the skin started to heal and recover and within seconds the prisoner''s face waspletely healed. He obviously couldn''t see the changes happening but the puffiness and the pain subsided the moment he stopped fighting back.


    He looked like a middle-aged man with a few old scars here and there. His darkened skin and bands of unkempt white hair created a wild air as if he had been living away from civilization for a long time.


    "Hmm, I expected someone a little more refined," Dai Zhi mumbled.


    "What''s your name?" he asked and when the prisoner tried to speak only the answer came out of his lips.


    "Ade Oquendo."


    "Alright, Ade it is. So, tell me Ade. Who do you work for?"


    Ade snickered inwardly but when he spoke up, only the answer came out.


    "The resistance."


    "Good boy Ade. Now tell me everything you know about the resistance."


    Ade opened his mouth again but this time he fought back as much as he could. His eyes slowly turned red and with tears of blood streaming down the side of his face. He grit his teeth and held on despite the excruciating pain.


    Dai Zhi simply looked down at him with a yful grin on his face, watching in amusement. When it looked like the veins on his face would all burst open he snapped his fingers and Ade fell on the floor, breathing heavily while coughing out blotches of bright red blood.


    "Well, at least you have some willpower. You should be proud, not many people can fight back like that. Well, not many people like the pain but I suspect that''s not the case for you, is it Ade," he kicked yfully but Ade flew back and hit the back wall of the room, throwing up another few mouthfuls of blood.


    Dai Zhi looked at his white shirt that was sttered with blood and wiped his hand over a few droplets, licking his fingers clean after.


    "Not bad, not bad at all. I can taste your hardships. It wasn''t an easy life was it?"


    Dai Zhi continued talking but Ade''s ears were ringing like a church bell and he could barely even stay conscious.


    "You *gasp* will...never win *gasp* you-"


    He tried to talk back but Dai Zhi waved his hand and Ade''s body suddenly shot up into the air, his arms spread eagle. Cracking and popping noises came from his body as several bones that had been dislocated popped out of the skin, painting even more of the room red.


    Ade slowly floated closer to Dai Zhi, stopping just a few inches away.


    "Did you know that all your memories are stored in your blood? From the moment you take shape into your mother''s womb till the moment you die, your bloodys witnesses to it all. It does not twist the memories to better suit what we THINK is right, it simply chronicles everything impartially."


    "It is the one thing that connects us all, fair and just. It gives us life and then takes it away. It is the elixir of life itself yet people underestimate how much value one''s blood can hold. They bleed all over the ce and hope nothing happens."


    Dai Zhi extended his hand the moment he finished talking. All the blood that had been scattered on the floor and walls, even the few drops that were absorbed by his white clothes were pulled up into the air and gathered in one tennis-sized ball of liquid.


    The ball floated into his palm and seamlessly disappeared into his skin. Dai Zhi closed his eyes for a moment as a series of images shed past his eyes.


    "Oho, quite the feat you people have achieved. Gathering so many and leading them...where is this? Underground somewhere? Is this your n for ast stand? Do you think I wouldn''t be able to find you if you tunneled your way into the earth?"

 Chapter 819: Drastic Transformation

    <h4>Chapter 819: Drastic Transformation</h4>


    "Did you people think I wouldn''t be able to find if you just went underground?" Dai Zhi''s tone of voice rose by a few octaves until he realized how pointless it was, at which point he took a deep breath to regain hisposure.


    "You can run but there is no hiding from me, not in this world. Everything and every one of you already belong to me. Fight as much as you want but at the end of the day, you only live when I allow you to."


    With a forward thrust of his hand, Dai Zhi''s palm forcefully attached to the Ade''s forehead. His body moved back and forth in the air due to the sudden shock but he himself couldn''t do anything other than stare back at Dai Zhi with a venomous gaze.


    "Tsk tsk tsk, so much hate, if someone was to see you looking at me like that they would think I killed your loved ones or something..." he paused for a moment, trying to rack his brain before shrugging lightheartedly, "But then again, I might actually have killed a few of your rtives. Hahaha."


    Dai Zhi''sughter filled the empty room. It was so loud in fact that even the wheezing and gaspinging from Ade was washed away in the howling. The sunlighting in through the window suddenly dimmed and a darkness took hold of everything.


    The shadows of all the furniture became bigger and darker until they covered all but Dai Zhi and Ade himself. A red viscous liquid started pouring out of Dai Zhi''s skin, its volume increasing with every passing second.


    It moved along his arms towards Ade where it started to engulf him from head to toe. In less than a minute he waspletely immersed within this semi-transparent red liquid.


    Dai Zhi''s eyes shone brightly within the darkness, his expression bing solemn as he murmured lightly, "Blood Arts: Sanguine Marite."


    A loud gurgling sound fulminated around the room the moment he finished talking and tendrils of some kind of dark matter came out of the shadows. It looked like they were alive as they blindly fumbled about for a moment before abruptly shooting towards Ade like they had caught his scent.


    They shot into the red liquid but didn''t stop there and continued moving forward, piercing Ade''s skin and flesh. It started with around four tendrils but within a handful of seconds that number had increased to several hundred.


    Ade''s body shuddered nonstop. The whites of his eyes were visible and his teeth were grinding so hard that blood oozed out of his gums but it mixed with the semi-transparent liquid bing darker and darker until his body wasn''t even visible anymore.


    It continued to harden until a sheen of leathery epidermis was formed around Ade. The shuddering gradually came to a stop as the obsidian chrysalis solidified.


    The surface lost all its previous luster and within the next 10 minutes or so the darkened surface had be colorless. It became soft enough for Dai Zhi to finally pull back his arm.


    He took out a piece of cloth and wiped off all the chunky viscous materials that were sticking to his skin. After about a minute the rest of the chrysalis softened and peeled away, allowing a dark-skinned creature to fall on the floor.


    It was humanoid but the skin under the jaw, on its arms and legs was cracked. It was much thinner, almost half the width of a normal human but it was slightly taller and had elongated limbs.


    It stood up and was a whole head taller than Dai Zhi. Its hunched back swayed back and forth until it opened its eyes, revealing a dark color with bright yellow pupils in the middle.


    Its arms ended in extremely thin and long ws that reached the floor.


    It opened its mouth, unfurling a half a meter long two-pronged tongue that ended with 5 centimeter long pointy teeth on each side.


    "Ma...ster..."


    It uttered the words slowly. The bottom half of its jaw cracked open, revealing a row of teeth on the side.


    Dai Zhi was examining the creature up and down in excruciating detail, making a note of every mutation from its previous state.


    "Very good. I wasn''t expecting much to begin with but you managed to develop quite a bit. Come here," he extended his hand the creature walked forward.


    Its tongue had a snake-like quality to it as it moved about in the air meeting Dai Zhi''s hand and coiling around it.


    Dai Zhi brushed his fingers on the tongue which had extremely small serrated backward-facing extensions on it.


    Once the tongue had wrapped itself around its prey it would be next to impossible to break free from the grasp since each thorny extension would dig into the flesh if pulled away by force. But these thorns were as soft as silk around Dai Zhi''s hand.


    An odorless colorless viscous fluid was secreted from the pores in its tongue that caused a numbing effect on Dai Zhi''s hand.


    "This is a wee surprise. None of the others had such a drastic transformation."

 Chapter 820: Sanguine Marionette

    <h4>Chapter 820: Sanguine Marite</h4>


    "None of the others had such a drastic transformation. Is it something in your blood that makes you more susceptible to changes this big? Or is it..."


    Dai Zhi trailed off while ying with the creature''s tongue like it was a toy and only came to when he heard footstepsing towards him. He looked towards the creature with a rueful expression.


    "I wish I had more time with you but there are more important tasks at hand," he took a step back and ordered, "Change back."


    The creature''s body suddenly starting shaking like a leaf in the wind. Its bones popped, its flesh regurgitated and in less than 20 seconds it looked like its previous human form, Ade.


    "Speak," Dai Zhi ordered again.


    It got down on one knee, "What...are your orders...master?"


    At first there was a slight hiss to its voice but by the end of the sentence it had already limated to this new body and was speaking normally. The only visible difference was the patch of cracked skin on its neck right under the jawbone.


    Dai Zhi gave a content nod, "Very good. After you leave here you will be transported to another ce. Break out of your confinement on the way there but try not to kill too many people. Go back to the resistance, rejoin their ranks and wait for my orders. I will continue to keep track of your position and asionally see through your eyes."


    "Do not reveal yourself to anyone unless it ispletely necessary. Your main job is to gather information but if the opportunity presents itself, turn some of the others as well. At your level you shouldn''t have a problem controlling a few hundred mortals or a few dozen more willful individuals."


    "Do you understand?"


    "Yess...master."


    "Good. Get in position," Dai Zhi waved his hand but the creature didn''t move immediately. It kept stealing nces of him, too timid to speak up again without being spoken to first.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "My name...master..."


    Dai Zhi was surprised it wanted a name, especially this early in the process.


    The skill he had used to create this creature was one of his Blood Arts, the Sanguine Marite. It was basically a human that was turned into a vampire puppet that did his bidding and followed his everymand. Like all other blood puppets, Dai Zhi could naturallymunicate with it over long distances, feel its existence as a part of his own being and even control it directly if need be.


    But what set the Sanguine Marite apart from normal puppets was that they were much more evolved and mutated physically.


    Unfortunately, it was not one of Dai Zhi''s primary blood arts so he wasn''t particrly proficient in it or high level. Every time he had tried it before the subject would go under immense physical changes but at the cost of mental acumen, leaving them extremelycking when it came to decision making and even normal day-to-day tasks.


    But this time that was obviously not the case. Not only could it understandplexmands but it also responded intelligently and had high enough EQ to ask for a name, an identity if you will. This was a huge step up.


    "Your name, huh? What about the one you had before? Abe?"


    The creature nodded back enthusiastically, "Thank you...master!"


    It seemed to be just happy receiving a name and did not care where it came from. Without waiting for Dai Zhi to speak up again, Abe swiftly went back to his original position. Picked up the chains from the floor and put them on almost like he had done it hundreds of times before.


    Dai Zhi was impressed yet again but a part of him did not understand why this secondary art that he had barely paid attention to and purposefully neglected had be so powerful all of a sudden. It was obviously not on the same earth-shattering level as it would have been if it was his primary art but still, this much improvement for no reason was unexpected.


    Although he had never seen it before, there were rumors that his father had two primary blood arts one of which was the Sanguine Marite. And apparently, it was with the help of Sanguine Marite that he was able to get the Dai n to where it was today.


    He had an entire army of Sanguine Marites whose raw power did notg too far behind his own. There was no way to tell whether or not this was true because so far, there simply hadn''t been any reason for him to call for such an army.


    Just the fact there COULD be something like that hiding within the royal castle was enough to keep most prying eyes away. On earth, it would be akin to having a nuclear deterrent only this one was controlled solely by the will of one being.

 Chapter 821: Acheron

    <h4>Chapter 821: Acheron</h4>


    The door opened and in came another person. A man that looked to be in histe twenties which was on the older side of the scale here. He was dressed like a religious schr with quite a pious aura around him.


    Dai Zhi gave him a nod and moved to the other side of his desk.


    "Take him away. Do what you have to get the information out of him but don''t do it in the city, I''d rather not have anything disturb the ''Magister'' while he is here."


    "Yes," the man bowed respectfully from the waist, and unlike his refined looks, walked up to Ade and grabbed him by the neck like a chicken before dragging him away.


    Abe struggled and gasped as if he couldn''t breathe. If Dai Zhi didn''t know any better even he would have been fooled by his impable acting. He couldn''t help but feel a little pride in his abilities, chalking up the sudden boost in the Blood Arts to his own dormant talent rather any external factors.


    He sat down in the oversized chair and tapped on his desk. The desk''s surface opened up and a crystal mirror protruded out. It was in the shape of a tablet almost half a meter across.


    Dai Zhi ced his right hand over its surface prompting a response.


    A plethora of images and what looked like chat windows popped up on the crystal''s surface. Dai Zhi scrolled up and down for a few seconds before suddenly stopping on a short video clip.


    It showed the silhouette of a hunched man kneeling in front of what could only be defined as the physical manifestation of death itself.


    Above his body was an ethereal projection of a humanoid figure in ck robes with pair of obsidian wings adorning its back. One of its skeletal arms held an anthropomorphic skull and the other cradled a blue me.


    It didn''t have any legs or even a face under the hood as it floated in the air above the man. (Image in Authors note and discord)


    Slow heavy chanting filled the room as the camera panned out to reveal an entire field of corpses strewn behind the man. The source of the chanting was unclear since there was no one else left alive but the voices were very real.


    Dai Zhi scrolled down a little to see the title and some more information about it.


    "The insignia of Acheron reveals itself. Another Death Lord has been chosen through the trial of fire and ice. Who is next?!"


    Dai Zhi felt his blood pumping despite the designedly snappy title.


    "Another one has shown itself. How many does this make now? I need to finish this quickly and get to the greater world before the start of the new skirmishes," he mumbled to himself before moving on to another image of an armored figure with dual swords standing across an army of demonic creatures.


    "The next generation of War Lords reveal themselves across the outer battlefields! What is the Temple of War hiding?!"


    *Sigh*


    **


    A few thousand kilometers below ground in the hidden world beneath the strata, a small makeshift camp of a few dozen individuals was bustling with life.


    Young faces moved back and forth, bringing overcooked food and drinks to one another. Music filled the night as many familiar facesughed and danced without a care in the world.


    Henrik was standing in front of one of the campfires talking to a few enthusiastic boys.


    "No no, you don''t understand. Not all of them are the same. Some like it when you''re rough andmanding while others will pummel you into the ground. Look at Lovi for example. She is nice, outgoing, a bubbly personality, right? But shees from a matriarchal family so her values are a little different from ours."


    He pointed at one of the half a dozen boys intently listening to his lecture, "You! Go tell your want to ''make'' her yours."


    "Roger!"


    The boy stood up without any hesitation and ran up to the girl named Lovi. She was a rtively short girl that wasughing and talking with some other girls. The boy stopped right in front of her and could be seen saying something with a grin.


    Lovi was taken aback at first but a smile bloomed on her pretty face soon after. She extended her hand which the boy grabbed. But before he could say or do anything else, her hand rotated 360 degrees as if it wasn''t even connected to her body, and followed by a loud crack, the boy fell to his knees.


    She released her grip, allowing him to return to the campfire where a deathly silence had taken over.


    "See, now that''s a good example of what NOT to say to a girl that will be taking over her n in the future."


    The boy had tears streaming down his face as he stared at his twisted wrist, "I-I feel like you could have just told me that instead of making me experience it in person."


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/91/02/58/910258ae699eb2d83a236ba1c6d02.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/19d8y

 Chapter 822: Well-Guarded

    <h4>Chapter 822: Well-Guarded</h4>


    The boy pursed his lips in a futile attempt to pout but Henrik just threw him a dirty look from the side to instantly shut him up.


    "Would you prefer to go back to the surface and join the others, Berk?"


    Berk suddenly forgot about all the paining from his fractured wrist and shook his head side to side.


    "N-No, brother Henrik, I didn''t mean it like that. I appreciate you bringing me along. It was just a joke."


    The atmosphere suddenly tensed up when Henrik brought up the topic of the surface. Many of the boys looked away, refusing to meet each other''s gaze for an extended period of time.


    Henrik saw their behavior and let out a despondent sigh.


    "Don''t me yourselves. You are neither cowards for running away from a situation like that nor traitors to the academy. It was unreasonable of them to ask for such a thing in the first ce. In fact, you should be proud of yourselves, that you were able to see past the momentary heroics and catch a glimpse of the bigger picture."


    Despite his words of encouragement, none of the boys bothered to raise their heads. They were still young men and were taught better than to be running from a fight.


    Henrik nudged the boy named Berk, gently pulling his wounded wrist towards him. He took out a gold medallion from one of his pockets and started channeling Qi through it.


    Once he ced the medallion on Berk''s wrist all the pain vanished instantly and he could feel the injury being healed from inside out.


    "Thank you, brother Henrik," he said in a low voice.


    No one else bothered to speak up again so when Berk''s injury waspletely healed, Henrik asked him a question.


    "You were thest one toe down and saw what they are doing on the front lines. Care to share?"


    Berk was a fairly simple-looking boy in histe teens and looked to be rather mature for his actual age. He was one of the only few here that had seen the mostbat since arriving on the.


    His father was the King of a small Grade-3 kingdom located somewhere near the continent''s edge, away from everything and everyone.


    Their kingdom was isted for the most part and life there was quite harsh due to the extremely cold climate, the recurring beast tides, and the relentless assault of vagrant cultivators.


    To protect himself he had learned to wield a de before learning to read or write, as a consequence of which he became quite used to the bloodshed despite his young age and grew his talent for the killing arts.


    Keeping true to his roots he was never the one to shy away from getting his hands dirty. Upon arriving on the he quickly got to work volunteering for various missions and over time became one of the rare few people that witnessed the change that urred throughout their stay on the.


    It went from simple diplomatic missions that gave points for each sessful ally added to their side to straightforward kill orders. But since his background wasn''t anything special Berk didn''tin and put up with a great many assassination missions for his old father and Kingdom until even that became too much.


    He went from killing suspicious nobles and corrupt lords to butchering mortals by the dozens. Burning down viges and entire encampments for no sensible reason other than to spread fear.


    But there was nothing he could. The orders wereing directly from the top, from the mouth of the first protector, the great Dai Zhi himself. If he disobeyed he would bebeled a traitor and would be either abandoned on this world or killed off.


    He knew those were the only two options because there were more than a few times when he had to kill other examinees from the academy that couldn''t put up with it anymore.


    That is until Henrik reached out to him with an olive branch. He said he needed an experienced fighter on his side for a "special" mission and Berk was more than happy to oblige.


    Most of the others here were in the same boat. They could see how things were changing for the first on the surface and wanted to get away with it. If they could run away many of them would have already.


    Berk nodded lightly, "Sure, I only know a few things though so it might not be that helpful."


    Henrik thought for a moment beforeing up with a suitable query, one that had been bothering him for a while.


    "What exactly are those native armies doing? The ones that aligned with the academy. I heard some of them were being trained for something special."


    Berk was surprised Henrik knew about that since it was supposed to be a well-guarded secret. But if he was asking, there was no use hiding it.


    "Lord Dai Zhi sent a few people from the Temple of Light. They started converting the mortals en masse and all the skilled soldiers were taught how to summon and utilize the power of the Holy Light."

 Chapter 823: The Void, the Abyss and the Holy Light.

    <h4>Chapter 823: The Void, the Abyss and the Holy Light.</h4>


    "To summon the power of the Holy Light?!"


    Henrik almost fell out of his chair upon hearing Berk''s ridiculous answer.


    "How is that even possible?! They can''t just do that here, the treaty clearly states that. Did you see this for yourself?" he followed up with a few more questions.


    He was right to be so astounded by this sudden revtion. Others might not know but he was part of one of the three great ns that ran the academy and as such was privy to a lot of confidential information.


    Eons ago when the great Ancestors gathered to bind the seven Origin worlds together, a pact was formted between the ''Greater Worlds'' and the overseers of the Origin Worlds.


    But to understand what the Greater Worlds are, one must first know how space is divided in the universe.


    What most call the ''dark of the space'' or the ''void'' that is present between various sr systems and gxies is actually not empty as its names suggest.


    The void is the area where no properary systems exist. It is home to many gigantdmasses and stray worlds that drift through the endless darkness and are home to a great many nonsensically terrible creatures and dark races.


    Meaning only these areas of darkness that are WITHIN the gxies and sr systems or in their immediate surroundings are called voids, whereas when one gets further away from all gctic bodies, so much so that even light is not able to pierce through the veil of darkness, that is when the Abyss begins.


    Ordinary spiritual energy is extremely rare within the void and almost nonexistent within the Abysssave for a few ces, due to their intrinsic nature.


    That''s why not only it is impossible to monitor much of the Void for threats but once we leave the safety of a system, powers and abilities that depend on Spiritual Energy also continue to weaken and diminish in their capabilities until they be nonexistent.


    Only those beings that are able to solidify and manifest their Mind Pces into the physical world are safe from this continuous degeneration effect which makes it next to impossible for a weaker cultivator or mortal being to survive out there.


    All of the explored universe is divided into various sections based on their distance from the abyss and proximity to the void. Some gxies are so far away from one another that it makes travel next to impossible.


    But some gxies are so close to one another that they form gctic clusters, meaning numerous gxies are in close enough proximity to one another that they are able to stave off the suppressing effect of the Abyss to arge degree.


    Now the Greater Worlds by their exact definition are all thes, worlds, and other floating masses that are found within thergest of these Super Clusters. The suppression of the abyss is almost non-existent there which allows for life to flourish and all beings to thrive.


    These Greater Worlds are mostly ruled by the various temples and churches that are led by the Great Pantheons, thergest of which is collectively known as the Church of Sacred Light. (Authors notes)


    It is unknown how the Origin worlds came to be but they do not fall under the jurisdiction of any of the great pantheons and exist as a separate entity.


    They were to be solely governed by the authority of the old Ancestors, who were cultivators and many other non-divine beings that oversaw each Origin World.


    ording to the pact, the powers from the Greater Worlds could recruit any potential geniuses from the Origin Worlds if they were willing, without actively and openly spreading their own influence because as divine beings, the more follower a god has the more powerful it would be since the true source of their poweres from faith and worship of mortals.


    To be able to call upon the "Holy Light" means a mortal servant is able to summon the divine powers of their respective patron gods from the Church to be used however they wish.


    In return, one must wholeheartedly devote oneself to the worship of that god since only the believers could use such powers.


    These divine powers have a wide range of uses ranging from protection from the darkness and the corrupting influence of the abyss to offensive or defensive applications.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    I feel like it would be confusing in the future if there are multiple Temples so from now on, "Temple of Light" will be known as "The Church of Sacred Light" while the "Temple of War" will keep its name.


    Sorry for the confusion, I''ll try to fix the previous mentions of this as much as I can but if you still find anyter please let me know by posting in the official discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 824: Berk

    <h4>Chapter 824: Berk</h4>


    The rtionship between a believer and their patron god is a symbiotic one.


    The worshipper''s prayers embolden the divine through the strength of their faith, and in turn, the Gods allow the worshipper to borrow a portion of their power to protect themselves or conduct crusades in their name.


    This means the stronger one''s faith in their God is, the more power they are able to call upon.


    That''s is why oftentimes these great Divine beings go out of their way to reaffirm their worshipper''s faith in them even if it means lying or using other duplicitous and nefarious means.


    The original treaty was put in ce to limit the power of all these divine beings at least within the Origin world and allow for each generation to grow up unsullied by facetious rhetoric that is created to indoctrinate mortals since birth and keep them appeased.


    And one of the main and perhaps the most important term of the treaty forbids these churches and temples to interfere in any way so long as the matter pertained to the forcesing from the Origin Worlds, especially the ones rted to the younger generation since in most cases they wouldn''t know any better.


    Yet if what Berk was saying correct, then that condition had already been breached a long time ago. To be able to call upon the power of the Holy Light, they must have been avid believers for a long time which was noughing matter and could not be simply overlooked.


    And to make the matters worse, it was being perpetuated by the first protector of the Academy who in this world, was the utmost authority on the matter.


    Berk nodded begrudgingly, "Yes. Lord Dai Zhi has already created a sizable force that is able to call upon the Holy Light without reservations. I knew a guy that oversaw much of the procedure."


    Henrik''s brow appeared to be permanently furrowed as his mind raced with a myriad of thoughts. After a few minutes of silence he urged Berk to continue hoping that there would be some clues.


    "What procedure?"


    Berk shook his head as he recalled the details.


    "It was...inhuman what we did to them. It started on a small scale with the creation of a handful of refugee camps that were built under Lord Dai Zhi''smand. He gathered all the fleeing mortals that had no ce left to go, the ones that were fleeing from the Wars caused by us."


    "At first he provided them a safe haven and slowly introduced the teachings of the Church. But the progress was extremely slow and after some time it became quite apparent that these natives were not particrly interested."


    "So he ramped up his efforts, sending even more people from Church and foretelling a great disaster that would befall them if they did ept the teachings. A few of others joined but maybe it was their numbers or theck of faith that caused him to change his approachpletely."


    "After several months of caring for them, we were abruptly told to pull out from all camps but two. The ones that were left unprotected were attacked overnight by various beasts, thieves, and raiders which weremanded by us."


    "He created an example out of them. The mortals were led to believe that the source of all this misfortune was their own fault because they did not believe. That only the "Holy Light" could protect them."


    "This incident was the spark that he needed. They started converting, believing that it would save them and their loved ones."


    "Slowly over time more and more refugees appeared and we did the same thing to them. Showing them what could happen if they believed, and what WOULD happen if they didn''t."


    "At the time I didn''t know this was happening since he kept everythingpartmentalized and by the time many of us caught up, it was toote to do anything about it. His own power was already strong enough without the backing of the Church so there wasn''t much we could do."


    "Some of us tried to speak up but they were either silenced one way or another or if not, people like me were sent to make them disappear."


    "Hundreds of thousands died and no one even knew about it. He kept everything under wraps, only showing himself to bequeath "miracles" and lend his power to a select few, iming to be of divine origin. He never said it himself mind you, but others did."


    "We spread rumors that Lord Dai Zhi was the only one that could protect them, that he was a great Champion of the Church. His name became synonymous with the Holy Light and all its glory."


    "His scared arts awed the ignorant masses into submission. Those with the strongest faith were gathered in a secret location and trained by Lord Dai Zhi''s most trusted servants. Most probably for war. But that was already a long time ago. They realized I wasn''t a devout follower and started to push me out, which I preferred."


    He went silent for a short moment thereafter, bitting his lips as his fists balled up in anguish.


    "I...can''t even get a full night''s sleep anymore. Their cries of help, the screams of the children calling for their parents, the scores of helpless men and women that were ughtered for no reason. I can still see their faces and hear their pleas when I close my eyes."


    "And...I heard there were a few camps where even worse things happened. Needless torture, constant sexual, physical and mental abuse, and exploitation to warp their minds. Some of the stories I heard sounded like they were describing hell itself."

 Chapter 825: ASAP

    <h4>Chapter 825: ASAP</h4>


    "It sounded like they were describing hell itself. It is beyond me why they would do such horrible things."


    With thatstment Berk went silent for good. Henrik let out amenting sigh, ncing around at the half a dozen immature faces around him. All of these boys had volunteered to join him in this mission that would probablyst until the very end.


    A little further away to the side, sitting around a few other campfires were simrly sized groups of mostly females. They had also volunteered albeit in much greater numbers.


    The conditions within the walking city had be quite dreary as ofte. Most of the people had opted to follow Dai Zhi''s orders and undertake the new series of missions that he personally handed out.


    So the moment an opportunity was made avable to leave the city all the people left behind jumped at it.


    And although Henrik didn''t know exactly what was going on, he could still read the room quite clearly. He took everyone that was willing and left the walking city.


    He patted the back of one of the boys to his side while standing up, "Come on, cheer up. No use thinking about things like that now so just focus on the mission at hand."


    They simply bobbed their heads up and down as Henrik walked towards the outside of their little encampment.


    At the very back away from all the other makeshift tents were two wooden structures. The first one had its own campfire nearby around which were three figures, and the other was painted in darkness, silently brooding in its shadow.


    Henrik stood just outside the boundary of the first one, watching in silence as the three figures talked andughed merrily. This little slice of heaven was Hao Xuan''s camp and the people sitting inside were obviously the ones he knew.


    Fulke, Hazel, andstly Salome, the simpleton native that Hao Xuan had picked up after arriving on the.


    Fulke and Hazel were Henrik''s closest friends and did everything together so when it was time to move they were naturally leading the pack. And since they were all going and Henrik couldn''t get into contact with Hao Xuan, he brought Salome and the camp with him.


    After a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, Henrik reached into his shirt and pulled out a paper talisman. He held it between his fore and middle finger and brought it up to his forehead, mumbling under his breath.


    "Oh great spirits of thend lend me your strength. Allow me to converse with my kin!"


    The talisman abruptly caught fire and started burning from the top down with a pale blue me. Henrik swiftly closed his eyes while repeating that same line over and over again but the talisman continued to wither away until there was nothing left.


    Henrik slowly opened his eyes while shaking his head dejectedly.


    "It has been far too long since I wasst able to talk to you cousin. Please contact me as soon as you are able to, there is a lot going on down here and I''m not sure how to deal with it alone."


    He was about to take a step forward towards Hao Xuan''s camp when a voice interrupted him.


    "What do you mean by a lot going on?"


    If this were a cartoon Henrik''s heart would have popped out of his chest. He jumped back like a startled kitten until he saw who it was.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "Princess Ceni, you should really announce yourself before approaching someone. It is unbing of ady," he said while clearing his throat but then he realized that he hadn''t heard hering at all or even felt the slightest bit of her presence.


    Even standing just a couple of meters away he wasn''t able to feel any signs of life from her but at least for the time being, he elected to keep his thoughts to himself.


    Henrik stood up prim and proper, taking a respectable stance.


    "W-What brings you out tonight?"


    Ceni shook her head once, "Nothing. I was justing back," she gestured towards the second wooden structure to the side.


    "Oh," Henrik nodded silently before remembering something. His eyes lit up as he hopped towards her, "Did you find him then?!"


    Princess Ceni threw him a wary nce and took a step back.


    "Yes."


    "Great!" Henrik giddily pped his hands like a young schoolgirl, "Where is he then?! Did you bring him? Is he with you oring sometime after?" he fired multiple questions while looking left and right.


    Princess Ceni''s expression darkened upon seeing such enthusiasm from him. A tinge of bloodthirst unknowingly leaked out which brought Henrik back to reality.


    "W-What?"


    He stepped back.


    "Keep your hands off of him. He''s mine," she stated as a matter-of-factly.

 Chapter 826: Blocked

    <h4>Chapter 826: Blocked</h4>


    After an initial moment of shock thinking she was making ame joke Henrik took a quick step back upon realizing she was dead series.


    He fixed his shirt and cleared his throat to regain someposure.


    "Yes, yes, of course he is. I didn''t-I''m not gay or anything, you know that right?"


    Princess Ceni shrugged lightly before looking towards Salome andpany, "It''s your life, do whatever you want. As long as it''s not him."


    Henrik almost choked on nothing but air again, "L-Lady Ceni, I don''t WANT to ''do'' him or any other man. It''s important you know that," he stated while pping his chest in as manly a way as possible but with that dainty physique of his and looks that far surpassed most of these Princesses surrounding him, it only came off as false bravado and quite cute.


    Princess Ceni tilted her head sideways, eyeing him up and down like an unhappy mother-inw.


    "Whatever you want to tell yourself to get through the night. Just remember not to touch what''s rightfully mine."


    *Sigh*


    An audible sigh reverberated through the dark woods as Henrik finally epted his fate.


    "Yes, I''ll remember to do that. So where is he? I need to talk to him. He is the only one that can get in touch with my cousin."


    Princess Ceni''s nonchnt attitude subsided for a moment. Her ears perked up upon hearing the mention of Ryfon Biric.


    "Why? What''s wrong?" she asked with a slight frown.


    Ryfon was the primary contact for the academy who was always supposed to be keeping an eye on them from the intergctic ship that was orbiting the. She didn''t have a way to get into contact with him herself but the fact that he was out of reach was concerning to say the least.


    It basically meant there was no one to monitor them and make sure they didn''t do anything that was against the rules. And in Ryfon''s absence no one could stop any of the other protectors if they went overboard, exactly how Dai Zhi had done now.


    Henrik let out another defeated sigh.


    "It has been almost a couple of weeks since I talked from him. I know thest person he met was Hao Xuan right before he left to clear out the area for the big fight, so I''m hoping he said something to him that could clue us in."


    "Oh, the fight!" she only remembered after Henrik brought it up, "What happened with that?"


    The first part of the fight was to be arge-scale battle and the second one was in groups of 4-5. (CH 527 for details)


    But Hao Xuan had to go early to clear out the area beforehand and Ceni naturally followed after him. Because of everything that happened after that she had missed all of it.


    Henrik waved his hand wearily, "Don''t even bring it up. It was a clusterfu- Ahem, I mean it was a big mess. For the first day we went there with full preparations but both the Hall and Temple had only sent some vagabonds and vagrants to fight against us."


    "Well, ''fight'' might be too big of a word for what actually transpired. The native army from our side which was an army in name alone easily defeated them in the first hour or so. Stasa and others just sat back and watched as if it had nothing to do with them."


    "The second battle was supposed to take ce the day but no one showed up. We waited and waited until your brother ordered us to return. He said that it had been postponed due to some ''unforeseen circumstances''. He didn''t borate more than that."


    A knot formed on Ceni''s forehead, "Postponed? Is that even allowed? I thought none of the protectors had any power to postpone an event that big without permission."


    "That''s exactly my point," Henrik snapped his fingers, "When we got back I tried to reach out to cousin but there was nothing. Well, not nothing. It was very loud."


    "Loud? What do you mean?"


    "I mean there was a lot of interference. It felt like someone that put up a barrier or a blockade around the entire that was scrambling all sorts ofmunication."


    Ceni knew about the existence of the Hive fleet that was on the edge of the sr system so naturally, her mind went there first.


    "Maybe...it''s because of the hive? They had to leave the orbit so maybe it was left just in case one of them got past them?"


    "No, that shouldn''t be it. They left orbit a long time ago and it wasn''t up then. If it is indeed a barrier, it would have been put in ce some time after that."


    A curtain of silence fell over them as they both came up with various exnations inwardly. Ceni''s expression turned a little sour as she came to the terryfying conclusion.


    "Then, since there is no one looking over us and we can''t even get in touch with them even in case of an emergency, doesn''t that mean we won''t be teleported out either?"

 Chapter 827: No Second Chances

    <h4>Chapter 827: No Second Chances</h4>


    Ceni was already speaking in almost a hushed whisper but Henrik still took a quick look around to make sure no one was eavesdropping when she brought up teleportation. He snapped his fingers and a flimsy light golden barrier with various elegant designs erupted around them.


    "Please keep your voice down! And...yes. I have already tried it," he cautiously reached out into his inner shirt pocket and pulled out a small stone token that was broken in two. This was his identity token.


    Every single student that was participating in the examination regardless of their affiliation to the three powers was given an identity token.


    Other than a way to keep track of the examinees and as an observational device, perhaps the most important function of the token was to forcefully teleport out any student back to the ship assuming, of course, that they managed to break it in time.


    That was the main reason so many of the participants had such a nonchnt attitude when it came to facing many of the dangers here because as long as they were careful enough to break it in time, no matter the situation they would be teleported out in the blink of an eye back to safety.


    Meaning there was no real danger to their lives, so long as they didn''t go out picking fights with other participants on purpose since they were the only ones that even knew about the tokens and could possibly find ways to kill the other party instantly, not even giving them the opportunity to use the token.


    With bated breath, Ceni extended her trembling hand and picked up the two pieces with a thumping heartbeat. Since she was looking down Henrik couldn''t see her expression but if he could, he would be terrified at this moment.


    Instead of being scared for her life or feeling alone after finding out no one would being for them, she was grinning from ear to ear.


    Her eyes were burning with a pale red light, even going as far as reverting some of the other facial features back, especially the eight sharp fangs that were protruding out of her jaw.


    Henrik watched as she wordlessly stared at the token for a good half a minute. Thinking she was scared into silence he tried to reassure her.


    "It''s not as bad as it seems, we just have to be a little more careful from now on. To be honest it should have been this way to begin with since in the real world there usually isn''t an option like this to fall back to. You don''t have..."


    He continued talking for a couple of minutes while Ceni''s head hung low. It was only when he called out to her again that she woke up from the daze. Her features swiftly reverted back and she turned into her old, very human self again.


    She finally looked up and handed the pieces back to Henrik.


    "Hmm? Sorry, I was thinking about something else. What were you saying?"


    "O-Oh, no, nothing important...I guess."


    He was more than a little dishearted to see she hadpletely missed his heartwarming speech about friendship, the joys of working together and having each other''s back, and all that other good stuff.


    Ceni thought for a second before asking the most important question.


    "What''s the n? Do the others know?"


    "I....No. I haven''t told them anything yet. I''m sure Lord Dai Zhi and all the other protectors are also aware of this but so far none of the participants have been made aware. It''s probably because they don''t want to cause panic without finding out why it is happening in the first ce."


    Ceni''s brow furrowed upon hearing his reasoning.


    "So you''re going to keep lying to them? They have a right to know."


    Henrik was surprised by her empathetic words so he told her the whole truth.


    "I will tell them everything but we need toe with a n first. And I need to talk to Hao Xuan beforehand since he probably knows a lot more about what''s going on than any of us. Cousin might even have told him something important. And until then, we will continue doing what we came here to do."


    "Which is?"


    "Create rtions with the locals. You shoulde with us tomorrow, we will be going to one of thergest settlements nearby," Henrik finished by pointing towards a certain direction.


    Ceni looked where he was pointing and her mood instantly changed for the better.


    "Alright, tell me when you leave then," she threw out the words and moved towards the other wooden cabin withrge strides, leaving Henrik more than a little surprised at her willing attitude.


    ***


    On the surface, a figure sat on the edge of a rocky creek, looking down at arge body of water in the not-so-far-off distance.

 Chapter 828: Cosmic Truth

    <h4>Chapter 828: Cosmic Truth</h4>


    It was a silent night. The weather was clear with not so much as even a cloud on the horizon, which was quite a rare urrence these days.


    A cool breeze blew in through the forest, carrying with it the scent of freshwater.


    The lone figure was hunched over the dried-up creek, staring in the direction of therge body of water some distance away. The moon and the starry sky perfectly reflected on the water''s mirror-like surface.


    The figure belonged to an aged man from the looks of it. His entire upper body was hidden under the raggedy old hood he was wearing for protection from the cold, revealing only the bottom half of his face which had a light stubble.


    He sat facing the direction of theke, humming what sounded like a nursery rhyme while gently swaying back and forth as if cradling a newborn.


    He sat in that position for what seemed like an eternity, apanied by nothing but the asional gust of cold wind and the sound of small insects and wildlife that it carried over from the nearby forest.


    But this serene moment came to an end when the sound of footsteps came from behind him. The man turned his head halfway to peer towards the approaching figure which belonged to a tall and thin man with dark circles around his eyes.


    If Hao Xuan was here he would instantly recognize this man as the creature formally known as Tomas. (CH 577)


    Seeing his face the first man looked away, staring at theke once again.


    *tap*tap*tap*


    Tomas walked right up to the man, standing beside him with the same affable smile as he had back in the pit. But his smile widened even more when his gaze fell upon the picturesque view in front.


    "What a beautiful ce," hemented, "Quite peaceful, I think."


    The man who was still rocking back forth came to a slow halt.


    "You think?" he asked curiously.


    Tomas nodded, "Yes. Even after all these years I am still not used to the human''s idea of peace. It continues to elude me to no end."


    "Why?"


    "Because it is illogical. There are times when you lord over a wless ecosystem and scream injustice, but then other times when your world, your very existence and reason for being is on the brink of extinction yet somehow, somehow you manage to delude yourself into thinking everything is still fine, that peace still prevails."


    "All you have to do is look behind you to see the truth, but even that is never an option. The animals have an excuse, they are not sentient. What about you?"


    The man was looking in Tomas''s direction. He shook his head lightly, "Are you not human then? Why do you speak like it has nothing to do with you."


    Tomas chuckled, raising his chin towards the sky with no small amount of pride in his words.


    "Humph, I have long since broken free from the shackles of humankind. Lord Ba`al has taken me under his wings and allowed me to gaze at the ''cosmic truth''. These temporary notions of peace do not exist in my vocabry, nor did they ever."


    The man looked away, resuming his watch of the moon''s reflection on theke. He seemed uninterested in continuing this dialogue but still managed to throw out a question.


    "Then tell me, what is this cosmic truth that has set you free?"


    It looked like Tomas was waiting for just such an opportunity and jumped to answer but whatever drivel he was about to spout did not have the opportunity to leave his mouth. His body went taut, shuddering for a short moment before rxing once again.


    The man was waiting for an answer when he noticed the abrupt silence. It wasn''t just from Tomas not talking but every other type of sound had also stopped. All the noiseing from the small insects and rodents nearby was gone, even the wind had stopped howling.


    A hush had fallen over all of creation.


    He became alert. His back straightened as he raised his head to look towards Tomas. And just as he expected, a change had urred.


    *Bzz*Bzzz*Bzz*


    As if given birth by the man''s gaze, a swarm of flies had surrounded Tomas. There were so many of them that nothing above his neck was visible. It looked like the swarm WAS his head now. He couldn''t even tell if he was looking towards him or not.


    The incessant buzzing bore into the man''s brain like a parasite, attacking his psyche in a bid to bring him ever so close to madness.


    "Did you alsoe to teach me about the ''cosmic truth''?" the man lightly inquired. His voice was low and it almost sounded like a joke.


    Two distinctly different voices ovepping with one another came from the swarm of flies.


    "You know why I havee."


    The man shook his head, "My answer is still no."


    "...."


    "The one you seek will arrive soon. I have made it so," the swarm spoke again.

 Chapter 829: Why not?

    <h4>Chapter 829: Why not?</h4>


    "I have made it so."


    ''Its'' words shook the man to his very core.


    "Are you sure?" he asked skeptically, still not believing the dual voices.


    "You will see for yourself very soon," they replied.


    The man didn''t know what to think. He wanted to believe it but the odds of that happening were abysmally low. Even though in his mind he knew that his son was no longer in this world, his heart did not let him rest.


    There was no rational reason for this other than the terrible dreams he had. He saw things that should nevere to pass, and his deceased son was often at the forefront of all that evil.


    The man slowly raised his hands and pulled back the hood, finally revealing his face. It belonged to a middle-aged man at first nce but the longer one looked at him, the older he seemed because of the excessive wrinkles and patches of white hair all over his head.


    He had a sturdy body hidden underneath that tattered robe which was covered in multiple scars of varying sizes. The only thing of note was the odd location of most of the scars. They were mostly on his arms and upper body.


    In fact, if a knowledgeable person inspected them closely they would know that the majority of them were self-inflicted.


    If Hao Xuan was here he would probably be extremely shocked upon seeing the man''s face, recognizing him as ''Jax''. (Mentioned in CH 555, 567 and CH 786. I will try to summarize his life story but it would be better that if not all three, you at least CH 567 to recall some stuff, it''s important to know the backstory).


    He looked much older even though it hadn''t been that long since theyst met. He had aged almost a decade from the looks of it, although the cause for that was as of yet unknown.


    Jax let out a hollow sigh, shaking his head helplessly.


    "I don''t understand how that''s possible. No, it shouldn''t BE possible. Iid my child to rest with my own hands years ago. How could he be here?"


    Jax need only close his eyes for a moment to remember the weight of his son''s corpse as he buried him under the old willow tree on his farm. The boy was the only family he had left in this world which he lost to an unnamed disease.


    Jax was a good man by any standard, honest and true to his word. He had never brought pain to any being and even stopped hunting when he realized how much pain the animals had to go through just so he could fill his belly.


    He scraped together what little savings he had left and bought a farm for them to live off of but his son''s illness kept him far too busy. He ended up selling most of it to pay for shady medicines until there was only a single plot ofnd left, the same one where he should be buried right now.


    And it was on that night, the night of his child''s death that he had the first nightmare, first of a great many.


    If it were any other person they would have simplymitted suicide just to stop themselves from all the heartache every time their eyes closed but Jax looked for meaning in all the pain. He believed there must be a reason for all this, that maybe, just maybe he could somehow change the fate of his people.


    And then, just a few days ago a stranger came knocking on his door.


    "Your son ising," he said.


    That was the first time in all his life that Jax wanted to truly hurt someone. But the more he listened, the more unsure he became.


    Tomas told him things that no one could ever know. Of histe wife, his child, his own self. What he thought, what he felt, and what he saw in his dreams.


    Tomas said that his son was very special. That he had been resurrected for a special purpose.


    "Just...how? Why? Why me?" Jax mumbled again and again racking his brain for answers that would nevere.


    The swarm of flies that was Tomas''s head peered downwards. Just for an instant, five inhuman pupils became visible within the swarm as they unblinkingly stared at Jax.


    They shone with a peculiar greenish hue as if feeding on Jax''s pain and confusion. The lower half of the swarm parted to reveal a toothy maw that should have been too big for Tomas''s face.


    "Why not? You all always ask "Why me" but tell me this, why should it not be you? Are you more deserving than your fellow man?"


    The voices scrapped against Jax''s sanity, like maggots on rotting flesh. Seeing him struggle so much, hanging by a mere thread to some modicum of rationality, he knew all his hard work was going to pay off very soon.


    For Ba`al Zebub, Lord of the Fliers, One of the eight God-Kings of hell would soon have his way.

 Chapter 830: There he was

    <h4>Chapter 830: There he was</h4>


    The positions of the eight God-Kings of Hell were not something any mortal could ever hope toprehend.


    Each one of their ranks had existed since the earliest creatures of flesh gained sentience and learned to sin. They were born of our ws, given shape by our misdeeds, and inaugurated into perpetuity by our vanity.


    They were not names of singr beings but ''ideas'' brought manifest. They could neither be killed nor stopped, not in any real sense. They always had and always would be lurking in the shadows, just outside the bounds ofprehension, hatching their vile ns.


    All one could hope to achieve was the postponement of their inevitable arrival as much as possible. And more often than not, that was only possible when they would take physical form for the first time into pure and willing hosts. (Read CH 601 for details)


    If the host was destroyed in both body and soul before it was besmirched by the darkness, only then would the there be some hope for the world.


    In most cases of possessioning across even a single Demon Prince level entity would be akin to finding a branch in an endless forest yet, right now, this entity named Ba`al Zebub that was only below the Four Old Ones was standing beside an ordinary mortal man, trying to tempt him with its vile magics.


    It had not only given him the one thing he wanted the most, to see his son again but also held out an olive branch that was not easy to turn away.


    They didn''t have a concept of hell or demons in this world yet but that did not mean such things did not exist.


    Jax continuously shook his head trying to stave off the horrendous visions that now came to him even when he was awake. They were both a gift and a curse depending on how one looked at it.


    They could be seen as a gift because they showed the most probable future events that would affect Jax. And they could also be seen as a terrible curse because the visions only ever showed horrifyingly gruesome ends.


    These visions were "gifted" to Jax to prepare him for Ba`al''s arrival and to whittle down his sanity so when the time came, he would not fight back.


    A smile stretched across the swarm as it watched Jax struggle. It pushed him again.


    "You have already witnessed what happens if you do not ept my help. They will **** and pige your world until there is nothing left, loot all its resources for themselves before selling you and all your future generations to the stars, dooming them to an eternity within the void."


    "ept me and I will give you the power you so ardently desire. You willmand my army, fight in MY name! No one will ever be able to steal from you, to look down upon you. You will be the savior of your people, your name will be written in blood and gold for all of time."


    As he spoke the voice got louder and louder until all Jax could hear were those words. Even the ground had started shaking.


    He covered his ears and closed his eyes, "NO! I DON''T WANT ANY OF THAT! Please leave me alone! I don''t want to fight, I don''t want to shed blood."


    The buzzing got even louder for a few seconds and to Jax''s ears it sounded like Ba`al''s voice was the only thing in existence, echoing between all of heaven and earth as it demanded an answer.


    "Why must you continue this meaningless game? Who else will save you but for ME?!" a wrathful bellow threatened to topple all of creation.


    "NO! There is still hope!" Jax shouted and the next moment a storm erupted around him.


    All the trees in the surroundings were ripped from the earth and thrown away like vapor. Even Jax was barely holding on for dear life as the torrent of voices ceaselessly battered against his spirit.


    "SHOW ME! What hope do you speak off?! There is nothing you can hide from me!"


    Jax felt a force pry open his mind and rummage through his memories one by one. It abruptly stopped when it came upon the image of a young man.


    "Him...?" the voices asked skeptically, unsure of their findings.


    Jax was already at the end of his rope and finally broke down.


    "YES! HE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS BROKEN FREE! He...was not in my visions before, if it is him, he could change our fate!" he roared with all his might.


    The voices came to an unexpected stop. The storm ceased and the ground came to a standstill.


    "He...was not in your visions before?" the voices asked slowly to which Jax gave a single powerless nod.


    "He is not meant to be here. He wasn''t here before but then he was. I saw it with my own eyes!"

 Chapter 831: The Weave

    <h4>Chapter 831: The Weave</h4>


    Multiple wasp-like creatures separated from the swarm and shot towards Jax''s head. One of themnded on the nape of his neck and pierced through his skin with its elongated stinger.


    It instilled within him a feeling of abject horror and misery that could only be endured and not contested. The only sce he could get was when he delved into his memories in his entirety which were in turn seen by the Demon God.


    The memories started ying in front of his eyes like a film and the harder he tried to not think about a certain time or ce, the faster that memory came up. It soon stopped on a young man''s face that stood against Jax in a forest.


    The image was obviously of Hao Xuan and since Tomas had met him in person, Beelzebub was able to recognize him in an instant.


    "This...is your hope?" he asked unhurriedly.


    Jax was but a mumbling mess. All he could do was repeat what was on his mind without any filter whatsoever.


    "He was there even when he wasn''t meant to be. He changed our fate and saved so many lives. If it''s him... if it''s him it can be done," Jax''s incoherent mumbling was suddenly imbued with an unknown force as he spun around to stare at the swarm, "He is an aberration, an irregrity that even YOU did not count on! I''m sure he can do it!"


    The great Demon God-King had been silenced. He was left speechless simply because he was much more aware of what Jax''s words meant than even he himself. Because the ability to peer into the future was given BY him, to begin with, just as they were to all the various hosts.


    It was meant to initiate each of the potential hosts into their vile ranks by giving them abilities that specifically went against the Heavenly Mandate and corrupted their hearts, leaving them no choice but to turn to them.


    And Jax''s ability was perhaps one of the most unique and dangerous one of them all. It allowed him to peek into the ''weave'' itself, to grasp the many threads of fate and see what the Heavens had nned for the future, all of the futures. It wasn''t something as simple as seeing a future but something much moreplex.


    He was able to see what fate would befall him or the ones close to him. Albeit he couldn''t control what he was seeing right now since he had no idea what it even was.


    But that did not diminish the value of his visions one bit. Fate could not be changed. It was the onew that moved the very heavens and controlled all the great Pantheons because the weave was protected by all of the divinity without question.


    It was undeniable, indisputable, incontestable, and unquestionable. And yet, the impossible had happened.


    Jax had seen the hand of fate, of the disasters that would befall his people. Yet somehow, someway, this one insignificant human had managed to turn the tide to his favor.


    Beelzebub could not believe it.


    "It is...not possible. One cannot fight against fate. What has already been written cannot be-" he came to an abrupt pause that onlysted a few seconds before he continued and finished the sentence.


    "What has already been written cannot be unwritten, unless...No! It cannot be!"


    Even this great God-King could not believe what he was seeing. Hao Xuan''s image floated in front of the thousands of pupils of the swarm as he muttered incredulously.


    "The weave has been tampered with. Someone has changed the past AND the future!"


    *Whooosh*


    A gust of wind blew in from the north and all the pain and fear that Jax was feeling suddenly vanished. He raised his head to nce around but could not see anyone else. In fact there were no changes to the surroundings at all. All the trees, the critters, and the terrain were still the same as before.


    "Another deception..." Jax muttered under his breath monotonously.


    He stood up with some effort and started walking back, not realizing that every piece ofnd he stepped on would be devoid of all life.


    ***


    Back within the catbs of the old temple, Hao Xuan''s summons had justin waste to the entire pack of creatures that had surrounded him. (CH 802)


    When the light vanished Hao Xuan was gobsmacked by the result. Their strength and more importantly their otherworldly movements and fighting style were nothing like anything he had seen before.


    They were actually teleporting around him with every swing, their axes cutting through the air in alternating patterns, turning everything into small bite-sized pieces.


    When they finally stopped moving Hao Xuan was the only one left in one piece. All he did was ''think'' about what had happened and a psychic connection was forcefully opened between him and the four Orcs, exposing all of their inner thoughts and secrets,ying everything out in the open for him to see.


    It felt like a small explosion of extreme yin energy had taken ce inside Hao Xuan''s head as a coldness spread throughout.

 Chapter 832: Ranged

    <h4>Chapter 832: Ranged</h4>


    All those emotions of urgency, trepidation, and panic were washed away with an inaudible pop followed by a wave of frosty coldness that originated from somewhere deep within Hao Xuan''s mind.


    It caught him off guard and for just an instant he almost copsed to the ground, barely managing to stay in a squatting position while holding onto the Ma Jiang.


    His chest heaved up and down while his breathing became more and more turbulent. It felt like there was a knot within his chest that was trying to move upward but could not.


    *Cough*Cough*Cough*


    He coughed forcefully, punching his chest repeatedly with one hand to force whatever it was out. And after a few arduous attempts he finally seeded, throwing up a clump of grey and dark green gtinous materials.


    Another wave of bone-chilling coldness exploded inside his body, this time starting from his chest and spreading to every other organ and body part.


    Hao Xuan''s aura surged as he broke through the final hurdle within the Spirit Realm and reached Spirit Realm 8th stage right then and there.


    Within the inner world, another wooden gate with the letter 8 etched above it slowly came into existence, surrounding the central mind pce and taking its ce in the rotation among the other seven.


    But it was slightly different from the rest. Where the first six were extremely simple, the seventh had some strange swirls within the wood pattern itself all along the sides. But this eighth gateway had an actual design swelling in from somewhere within the swirls.


    At first nce, it just looked like a series of knots and grooves in the wood itself but once inspected from some distance away, one would notice that altogether it was the early stage of some unknown characters.


    Unfortunately, it was far frompletion and the end results could not be made out. Only with the ninth gate would it be obvious and start taking shape.


    Hao Xuan had been teetering on the edge of the Seventh Stage Spirit Realm for a while and for some reason, right now in the middle of battle, he was pushed over it. His eyes rolled back into the sockets for a second as a surge of intense emotions was sent his way from each of the Orcs.


    It was an iprehensible mess. He coughed a couple more times before returning to his normal self, pushing all the emotions down.


    Hao Xuan stood up, allowing the cold feeling to wash over him. This was his spiritual energy that had been renewed and reinvigorated in its entirety. He felt physically stronger and his perception became significantly more acute.


    He slowly stood, dispersing all that overflowing power throughout his body and sending a fair bit of it back out through the psychic connection.


    Each of the Orcs received a portion of it. Their ethereal battle axes shimmered brightly for a moment, changing from mere projections of light to almost physical manifestations but at the veryst moment, they reverted back.


    It was like something was keeping them there and thatst step would be akin to stepping over the gate of heaven itself.


    Hao Xuan''s mind was raging with a myriad of thoughts. The Orcs were talking, trying tomunicate with him but it wasn''t anguage he understood. But because of their psychic connection, he was able to "feel" what they meant to a great degree.


    His brow knit together as he attempted to put their feelings into words.


    "This is your power?" he repeated doubtfully but they promptly nodded back to confirm it.


    "Then, do you mean that you can ''steal'' the power of your foes when they die and use it to strengthen yourself?"


    Another nod proved he was right in thinking so.


    The surge of raw spiritual energy just now came from them and was enough to push him over the edge. Suffice to say Hao Xuan was over the moon hearing that.


    This was an innate ability of these Orc''en warriors, one that could not be copied by anyone else. Hao Xuan could feel there was a lot more to it than just sharing a bit of energy but right now he didn''t have the liberty to discuss it further.


    Hao Xuan''s ears twitched as a sizzling sound reached him. He looked down, peering over the bridge to see a 7-8 meter wide eight-legged figure attached to a nearby column.


    Its lower half looked like some kind of a deformed arthropod with a bloated abdomen but the upper half was that of a species of sandworm he had never before.


    It had an approximately 5-meter wide opening at the top that was facing exactly where Hao Xuan was. Four fleshy ps arched back from the sides, revealing what looked like a giant hole with serrated teeth lining the sides.


    The teeth started glowing one by one as its abdomen doubled in size, drawing in air from the surroundings.


    Hao Xuan could feel the temperate rising from more than 200 meters away. He didn''t need to see the end result to know it was preparing for a ranged attack.

 Chapter 833: Swaying

    <h4>Chapter 833: Swaying</h4>


    The extreme temperature difference between the surroundings and the mouth of the creature created a heat haze that was almost 50 meters wide.


    A wall of extreme heat was felt by Hao Xuan even before it was ready to attack. He didn''t know what type of attack it would be or how urate, but one thing he was certain about was its lethality.


    If just the side effects were this strong then one could only imagine how much more powerful would the end result be.


    The rows of teeth lining its mouth had almost all lit up. Hao Xuan knew there wasn''t any time to dodge and he sure as hell wasn''t going to risk taking it head-on so he did the only thing he could think of,unch a preemptive strike.


    Cradling Ma Jing like a child with his right hand, he opened the palm of his left hand and activated the full power of the Chaos Law.


    *Bzzt*


    The air around his hand reverberated loudly before a blue spark ignited the atmosphere. Space itself started to destabilize.


    Hao Xuan jerked his armed backward and a spear of pure white light was pulled out of the same point in space. There was a blue me burning along the length that lit up the surroundings around him.


    He brought his hand all the way to the back of his head, extending the length of the spear until was approximately three meters measuring end-to-end.


    "Hup!"


    He didn''t hold onto it for a moment longer than what was necessary,unching it towards the creature''s open maw the moment it stabilized enough to endure the short journey.


    But because it was so dark the spear appeared to be abnormally bright. From an outside perspective it looked Hao Xuan had thrown a blob of light since the distance was too short to create any sound.


    Hao Xuan and the Orcs watched with bated breaths. Hao Xuan''s entire left arm was smoking. The outside of it was covered in ayer of frost that was being slowly melted by the sizzling heat on the underside.


    It was this variation between two extreme temperatures that created the lightning in the first ce.


    Thankfully they didn''t have to wait long since the spear appeared to have teleported soundlessly into the creature''s mouth, impacting with an invisibleyer of energy. There was a small cracking sound as it ripped through flesh and bone.


    A small explosion took ce within its bloated abdomen just before it copsed in on itself. It started burning from inside out. The creature''s body went limp and detached from the pir, falling back into the darkness from whence it came.


    The blue and white me epassed it fully, making it look like a giant fireball as it descended into the depths. But on its way down it lit up everything in the surroundings, allowing Hao Xuan to see something he had missed before.


    There was obviously an uncountable number of these creatures that were wing their way up but when the fireball reached an approximate depth of 1100 meters, it passed by a metallic structure.


    It seemed to be a small pyramid created from a matt ck metal that was slowly shifted up and down as if it was alive.


    If his vision wasn''t amplified beyond anything that was humanly possible, Hao Xuan would havepletely missed this structure. His gaze was locked onto it because it stood out so much. It was embedded on the side into a rock wall that wasn''t visible from where he was, absorbing all light that dared to cross its path.


    But then something else caught his attention. Just before the fireballpletely burnt out, Hao Xuan saw something moving. It was too far down for even him to be able to urately distinguish a shape but it was BIG!


    It shifted and swayed within the shadows, moving out of the way of the fireball so no light could fall on it directly but it was far too big topletely dodge everything.


    "I think...we should really get out of this ce now," Hao Xuanmented with a heavy heart.


    There was much more to this ce than he expected.


    The bridge had already been cleared but the next wave was barely a few dozen meters away by now. Hao Xuan waved his hand, recalling the Orc warriors back to the mind pce before sprinting after the demihuman party.


    But Hao Xuan came to an abrupt stop just before reaching the doorway behind which they had vanished. He looked above and saw the Scorpion King jump down,nding behind him.


    The entire right side of his carapace looked like it had been painted ck. He could feel the Scorpion King''s vitality leaving his body.


    "What happened?" Hao Xuan inquired immediately. He didn''t expect there to be anything capable of damaging him to this extent.


    The Scorpion King pointed above them, "The dark is alive."

 Chapter 834: Spring

    <h4>Chapter 834: Spring</h4>


    The Scorpion King''s entire right arm, shoulder and torso looked like it had been dunked in acid, which ironically would have only have made him stronger.


    He cryptically pointed in the direction he had just jumped down from, "The dark...is alive."


    That was the second time Hao Xuan had seen such a human-like emotion on his face, one that would be closest to primal ''fear'' in humans.


    Hao Xuan forced himself to look up, holding his breath and ready to jump aside at even the faintest sign of conflict.


    But as expected, the first and only thing his eyes saw was the shroud of darkness that was inching closer to him by the second. He noticed that it was the lighting off of the barrier which was created by the Orcs that was keeping the dark at bay.


    And while he was looking at it, the darkness suddenly flicked closer as if it was alive. Hao Xuan took a few steps towards the doorway with the Scorpion King following closely behind.


    The hair on the back of his neck had retracted into his skin, something he didn''t even know was possible. He kept staring at the ckness but couldn''t see anything at first. It was only when he unfocused his pupils that from the corner of his eyes, something stood out. A vague shape that could be his imagination.


    But the moment his eyes jerked in the direction where it was and his vision converged directly where the shape should have been, itpletely disappeared.


    He took another step back.


    Still holding his breath, all Hao Xuan could hear was his own thumping heartbeats and the sound of their footsteps. Yet he knew deep down that they weren''t alone. The Scorpion King was right, there WAS something in the darkness.


    The only problem was that he couldn''t detect even the faintest signs of life from it. No smell, no sound, not even a whiff of any kind of presence. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It felt like the darkness was swallowing everything.


    The light, the sounds, nothing could escape from it.


    ''Go inside,'' Hao Xuan ordered the Scorpion King to go through the doorway first, to which he promptly agreed.


    The Scorpion King was a spiritual beast first and foremost and despite all his intelligence, the primal instincts inherent to those of his kind were still the strongest. And they were screaming at him to leave.


    And not a moment after the Scorpion King disappeared behind the doorway a wave of indistinct hushed voices stormed into Hao Xuan''s mind.


    He grit his teeth trying to steel his resolve, baring his fangs at the emptiness that had assaulted his senses. It was obscure and indistinct but it was there. Unknown voices suddenly calling out to him from nothingness.


    For a moment his body almost moved by itself, yearning to run into the darkness and embrace it wholeheartedly but he held back with no small amount of concentration.


    He took thest step while he still could and stood within the doorway. A ray of yellow light finally fell upon his back, illuminating his silhouette.


    *shhhhh*


    The light reflecting off of his body managed to brighten the nearby surroundings for just an instant, for just a few milliseconds but those were enough for Hao Xuan to catch a glimpse of what was hiding within the darkness.


    Floating hooded figures that started smoking in the light. Dozens of them in the limited space that was in front of him, stacked on top of one another like dolls, drifting weightlessly in the air while extending their decrepit, bonny limbs towards him.


    The light wasn''t strong enough to reveal their faces but he did lock eyes with one of them, the one nearest to him. Its face was perhaps only 1-1.5 meters away at most yet Hao Xuan had no idea it was even there until that moment.


    A pair of ck pupils that had probably never seen the light of day was staring back at him. This whole interaction was too short to even bebeled as such but in that brief window, Hao Xuan felt something pull and tug at his psyche, his very soul was attacked until he unknowingly reached out with his free hand to grab hold of the extended limb.


    Fortunately, an unexpected external stimulus brought him back to reality. Ma Jiang was holding onto his shirt so tightly that her fingers were starting to dig into his skin.


    "Huh," he suddenly came to and jumped backward.


    *Shooooop*


    The moment he crossed the threshold the doorway disappeared from sight.


    Hao Xuan found himself standing in a brightly lit room. He was facing a closed-off wall that looked exceptionally ordinary.


    He turned around and saw Princess Helena standing not too far from him in front of another doorway. Only her expression was one of absolute shock and disbelief as she stared at something to his right.


    Hao Xuan followed her line of sight and saw the Scorpion King standing on the side. He was looking down, still as a statue but his tail was coiled behind his back, a posture Hao Xuan was more than familiar with.


    He was getting ready to spring towards her.

 Chapter 835: Argham

    <h4>Chapter 835: Argham</h4>


    Princess Helena was petrified, frozen in ce. She had been waiting for Hao Xuan but out came this green monster that although didn''t attack her at first nce, in its suffocating aura she could barely even think properly.


    It was only when Hao Xuan appeared that she regained someposure.


    "L-Lord...Hao Xuan.." she pointed towards the Scorpion King with a trembling hand.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed upon noticing his attacking stance and he promptly waved his hand, returning him back to the Mind Pce. But he didn''t take into ount how it would look to the princess whose mouth fell open.


    "W-WHAT?!"


    She jumped back. Her head swiveled back and forth looking for that green silhouette thinking it had be invisible until Hao Xuan said otherwise.


    "You don''t have to worry about him, he''s my contracted beast."


    She paused, still quite wary of her surroundings but still managed to politely inquire further.


    "Contracted? What does that mean?"


    "What do you mean? Like a normal contra- Oh," he realized halfway through that they probably didn''t have contracted beasts in this world so it was no use exining it.


    "I mean he''s like a pet, you know? Just...you don''t have to worry about him anymore, he won''t hurt you."


    She kept looking around but couldn''t see anything out of the ordinary which left her no choice but to ept Hao Xuan''s words, as confusing as they might be.


    "O-Oh, okay. Then please...follow me," she put a brave front despite her canine ears being at full mast, listening for any unusual sounds.


    She turned around and disappeared on the other side of the doorway without even waiting for him to respond. Hao Xuan was a little surprised by her swiftness but didn''t think much of it.


    He turned around halfway and examined the wall he had just walked out of. But after not finding anything of note, he ran out the doorway chasing after princess Helena.


    A few seconds after he left a ck mark appeared on the wall. It looked like a star-shaped scar that within a minute grew to almost half a meter in size. But then it suddenly slowed down significantly and its progress could no longer be seen with the naked eye.


    Yet ck smoke had started seeping from the center of the crack, gathering on the ground in one spot as if it was bound by some unknown power.


    **


    Hao Xuan stepped out and finally saw this new area they had arrived in. It was an old stone hallway with various small nts growing in between crevices and bricks. It looked both abandoned and taken care of at the same time since the greenery hadn''tpletely taken over everything.


    This hallway was connected to numerous rooms on either side, just like the one he had walked out of.


    Princess Helena was waiting for him at the end along with the rest of the party.


    As Hao Xuan got closer to them a few faraway noises reached his ears, even before he could see anything. Princess Helena and Inara moved to either side of the exit, allowing Hao Xuan to walk out.


    "Woah, did not expect to see something like this here," he couldn''t help butment.


    Princess Helena armed herself with her usual smile and gestured towards the front.


    "Wee to Argham, the City of Lights!" she couldn''t help but be a little proud as she introduced her home.


    And despite all that he had seen, Hao Xuan was still shocked by this ''City of Lights'' because it was exactly as its name suggested.


    The ce he was standing on was at the very back of this ''cavity'' within the earth. From afar it would look like a gigantic egg that had been cracked open to reveal just a sliver of the dark sky above.


    But all along the inwardly arching sides were the hundreds or even thousands of small andrge orbs of light, embedded within the rock walls that surrounding a small city in the center, endlessly illuminating it with their yellow and white colors.


    It was bright as day inside this ce with a small forest growing out from the sides. This kind of rock formation could never be found naturally but it was too big to have been created by a single person.


    With his piercing gaze Hao Xuan was able to see numerous silhouettes within the city and as opposed to all the other ces he had visited so far, it was brimming with life.


    There were at least a few tens of thousands of people there.


    The architecture was a mix between extremely old stone houses that were patched up and made suitable for living and rtively new single and double story wooden houses.


    The tallest structure was the one they were at, located at the very back and to the left. There was an opening on the opposite end of where Hao Xuan was, more than a few hundred meters in length and width.


    (I tried looking for a simr image to what I had in mind but there was nothing close but here is one that COULD be most alike)


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/2a/c3/fa/2ac3fa131e82252a14680d2abca489b4.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/rCTYP

 Chapter 836: Something in the air

    <h4>Chapter 836: Something in the air</h4>


    With only one point of entry at ground level and even the air being mostly closed off, this entire region was perhaps the most well-protected area on the.


    The arching rock walls provided protection from all sides but one and the lights illuminated everything inside.


    Hao Xuan gestured towards the light orbs, "What are they?"


    "Crystals. This is the only ce they can be found," Helena exined without even meeting his gaze but Hao Xuan could tell from her tone of voice that she did not know much about it or wasn''t willing to part with the information so he didn''t push.


    They started walking down the stone stairway that was etched out of the rock wall. Hao Xuan didn''t think it was quite so long but even after 10 minutes of walking, they had only reached halfway. Just when he thought it was going to end there would be another twist or turn and it would continue.


    But the good thing was that the air was extraordinarily clean. The oxygen content was actually just a little bit higher than what he was ustomed too but on this, it was the closest to his old earth.


    Various trees with colorful fruits and pleasing smells lined the sides. Hundreds of different varieties of small birds flew from one flower to another, from one fruiting nt to another.


    Somewhere along the way Princess Helena stopped near a small tree with plump ck fruits. She extended her hand and the fruit suddenly opened up. Turns out it was some kind of a flying beast.


    A chubby little thing with four ck wings that wrapped around its body to give it the appearance of the fruit. It had canine-like ears simr to the other demihumans but with a furry body.


    It had four tiny limbs and a tail, each of which was prehensile from the looks of it, able to grab onto things like a hand. Its face was most simr to a red panda from earth and just as cute if not more.


    From head to tail it was only about 22 centimeters long although the tail when unfurled was much longer.


    It detached from the tree and almost glided over to Princess Helena''s hand, making a roughnding and almost slipping off too. It looked like it was a bit too fat for its wings to support proper flight.


    Completely fearless of these strangers, it looked around at their faces as if THEY were the odd ones here.


    "Kyuuuu~"


    It tilted its head sideways while staring at Hao Xuan. Even he could tell its eyes were trained on his head, looking for the canine ears that all other demihumans had.


    It jumped from one person to another until it reached Hao Xuan, at which point it climbed up his shoulders to the top of his head and started ruffling his hair looking for the missing ears.


    It appeared to be utterly confused upon not finding any and looked towards Princess Helena for answers, whoughed in response.


    "He doesn''t have any," she said smilingly, which visibly shook the little creature.


    It propped down from the top of his head over his face, grabbing his cheeks and kneading them like dough.


    Hao Xuan was bbergasted by this treatment. He felt like ab rat being examined by this small furball. And the intelligence in its eyes, it was noughing matter.


    "Shoo, go away!" he swatted it off his head like a pesky fly, towards Princess Helena who quickly caught the distraught creature.


    "What is that thing? How is it so smart?" he asked watching it struggle to get back on its feet with a very human-like expression of ''wtf just happened.


    Princess Helena just grinned mischievously and continued walking like nothing had happened. The creature crawled up to her shoulder and from then onwards, continuously red at Hao Xuan.


    And maybe if it wasn''t built like a stuffed animal maybe it mighte off as a little threatening but s.


    After another ten to fifteen minutes they finally reached the bottom. Uri who had been holding back for so long finally couldn''t take it anymore and shot off to the right side, shouting "Tell sister Jiang I wille find herter!"


    Princess Inara who hadn''t said a single word out loud also walked off into the nearby forest.


    Princess Helena nodded towards the two guards who promptly followed behind Princess Inara, vanishing behind with the dense fauna within seconds.


    "This way," Princess Helena continued to lead him through the narrow dirt pathway.


    Hao Xuan apanied the Princess in silence, inspecting his surroundings in detail for anything ''out of ordinary'' all the while.


    There was a lot of activity within the woods, numerous creatures small and big but none that could pose a threat to him. It felt like he had walked into the starting town in a game after reaching the end.


    There was some ambient spiritual energy in the air but nothing too strong. The one thing of note was that many of the small creatures that he hade across seemed to be quite intelligent. There was a spark in their eyes that only sentient beings should have.

 Chapter 837: Argham Continued

    <h4>Chapter 837: Argham Continued</h4>


    They didn''t shy away or run and hide after seeing him but continued watching with keen eyes from a safe enough distance. Their inquisitive nature was almost palpable in Hao Xuan''s eyes, like small children.


    They followed him and Princess Helena as they crossed several dirt pathways to finallye out on the other side of the forested area. The mostmon sounds one would expect from a bustling settlement grew louder and louder as Hao Xuan stepped onto the wide-open fields that surrounded the small city.


    Most of the fields had some sort of herb or crop growing being cultivated on it. There were droves of other demihumans freely moving about each field, yelling, casually chatting and some even singing as they went about their business without a care in the world.


    Hao Xuan felt like he had stepped into a different entirely. If everything he had seen and experienced sinceing to this world was some sort of a horror/action movie then this would be a children''s cartoon show brought to reality.


    It was so peaceful in fact that he felt ufortable just being there. He had been fighting for so long, always moving from one grievous situation to the next that he had be ustomed to all the negative aspects of living such a life.


    And now standing in a field of flowers beside the beloved Princess Helena who was being greeted by all those kind faces with loud cheers and showered with ardor looks of adoration, he was sticking out like a sore thumb.


    Unfortunately, no matter how much he wanted to stay under the radar, hisparatively gigantic frame towering over the frail-looking princess made for quite a unique image and invited a fair few inquisitive gazes.


    He chose to keep his silence and allowed Helena to do all the talking as she expertly navigated through the sea of people that had started to gather around them.


    All manners of furry tails, ears, snouts, paws and ws stood out on each person but they were still very much human.


    The curious youngsters jumped and hopped like rabbits trying to see who or what Hao Xuan had in his embrace while many just stared wide-eyed, too afraid toe close.


    The older ones stood on the side trying to do some small talk but she just apologized and tried to walk past them. But their numbers had almost doubled within the blink of an eye and seeing as she was too nice to say no, Hao Xuan stepped in.


    He released a bit of aura and used his manliest voice.


    "We need to hurry. I don''t have time to waste here," speaking loud enough that everyone around them could hear him clearly.


    Princess Helena was startled by his sudden intrusion but quickly caught up.


    "Ah, yes. my apologies," she said trying to sound as apologetic as possible before increasing her pace.


    Under the quizzical gazes of all the spectators, they quickly left the area and headed towards the city, reaching it within a minute.


    There was no city wall or even a wooden fence separating any of the areas. The stone structures just started to appear one by one, almost like they were growing out of the ground rather than being ced there at some point thereafter.


    They were remarkably simr in design with identical hollow square rooms joined together to form each one.


    Hao Xuan had actually seen something before on earth but he couldn''t remember where exactly, only that it was a very ancient civilization.


    Each street was evenly spaced to the exact centimeter creating a mesh system while the buildings formed suspiciously precise geometric and topological cells.


    Hao Xuan''s brow continuously furrowed the deeper they went into the city. He couldn''t recognize the oddness from the top because of all the wooden structures that were erected in random ces since they disrupting the natural flow but being on the ground level allowed him to see a much clearer picture.


    There was a lot more to this ce than met the eye.


    He then directed his attention towards the streets that were filled with numerous unique characters running about different businesses, shops, and what appeared to be even government-controlled offices.


    And almost ny-five percent of the ones he hade across so far were all normal individuals with there rarely being an armed guard walking about.


    ''This ce is weird. Are they not afraid to get attacked? How would they protect themselves if something happened?'' he thought inwardly, much like an American visiting any other civilized country.


    Far fewer people recognized the princess here and even less tried to talk to her.


    They slowly veered towards the eastern side of the city which was rtively close. The buildings wererger here, more sparsely ced with even fewer people. More and more trees started popping up until they outnumbered the stone structures.


    It looked like a fight between nature and modernization and nature was winning here.


    Some palm trees started to show up with golden sand on the sides of the streets. Running water in the distance and somerger beasts perching here and there.


    "Kyuuu~"


    The furry panda-like creature hiding within Princess Helena''s blossom suddenly popped back up, calling out for something.

 Chapter 838: Sweet and spicy

    <h4>Chapter 838: Sweet and spicy</h4>


    "Kyuuuu, Kyu kyuuuu~"


    The creature''s voice despite being not that loud or powerful managed to cover a veryrge distance.


    Hao Xuan quickly realized that this little thing wasn''t as simple as its appearance made it out to be because he could feel a spiritual energy hidden just underneath its audible voiceyer. It sounded like a sirens song, able to manipte others for some time.


    Hao Xuan''s blood trembled and responded to the frequency that would normally be beyond his audible spectrum.


    "Hmmm," without even meaning to Hao Xuan hummed back, just loud enough that the creature could hear it.


    It suddenly jumped on Princess Helena''s shoulder and turned around to look Hao Xuan in the eye.


    "Kyuuuu~" it spoke again, tilting its head sideways as if to ask ''Was that really you?''


    Hao Xuan could feel it trying to reach out. It was most definitely speaking, just not anguage that he could understand.


    "Kyu?"


    Its ears limped and eyes started to water. It looked like a child that had been yelled at.


    "What? I don''t understand you," Hao Xuan swiftly spoke up. For some reason, he felt like if it started to cry it would be very troublesome.


    "Kyuuu kyu?"


    The creature continued to speak the same ''words'' just in a slightly different tone of voice. Maybe he was starting to lose his mind or maybe it was actually happening but after a few tries he started to get an impression of a word from its continuous yapping.


    "Friend?" he repeated what he think it was trying to get and the creature responded positively. Its ears perked up and it stood on its hind legs like a squirrel with twinkling eyes.


    "Kyuuu kyu kyuuu kyu!"


    He was hoping it would shut up but after getting a response from him the creature became double excited and came back with renewed vigor. It only took a few seconds for Hao Xuan to give uppletely and he started to ignore it altogether.


    the creature tried to get his attention, even going as far as jumping on his head and pulling his ears but he didn''t budge an inch.


    Thankfully this unpleasant interaction came to its intended end when Princess Helena came to the end of the pathway. In front of them was a single red tent ced beside a small waterfall that wasing from somewhere very high up.


    The ground looked like it was part of a sandy desert or maybe an oasis that was connected to the rest of the city by a single pathway.


    The tent''s in design and the sterilend it was ced was starkly different from the opulence of the city it should have been a part of. Because while the rest of the city and all the areas surrounding it looked like they were all one blossoming ecosystem, this ce felt ''abandoned'' or ''asleep''.


    The tent was only about 2 meters in diameter so when Princess Helena lifted the front p and gestured from him to enter Hao Xuan didn''t know what to do. He wouldn''t even be able to stand straight in there, especially with Ma Jiang still in his embrace.


    But in a bid to not appear rude he still decided to go in first and then maybe mention that it was a little too small for him. He bent down to step through and the moment he crossed the threshold the space in front of distorted and started to expand.


    Within the blink of an eye a giant hall at least 40 meters wide solidified.


    There were two tables ced horizontally in the middle with fresh fruit, cold and hot drinks along with a wide selection of other dishes. To the right side were some chairs that were facing one another while a couple of single beds were ced on the left side.


    There was a single table with two chairs facing one another on the far end, away from everything else. Even the air smelled so good that Hao Xuan almost forgot why he hade here. It smelled sweet and a little spicy.


    There was something else in this ce that he couldn''t quite put his finger on but it definitely didn''t feel normal. This was some sort of special magic rather than the simple space maniption that he was used to.


    "You can put her down there," Princess Helena''s voice brought Hao Xuan out of the daze.


    He walked over to the bed she was pointing at and gently ced Ma Jiang down. She still hadn''t woken up but since there were no external injuries he didn''t think much of it.


    But when he tried to move away he noticed she was still holding onto him with such a strong grip that her dainty fingers had turned white. He tried to pry open her hand but her expression suddenly changed.


    She looked like she was about to cry. Thinking it was just a bad dream Hao Xuan was about to forcefully pull away when a sticknded squarely on the back of his head.


    "Don''t move. What kind of a man is so rough with such a weess?" a stern voice reprimanded him from behind.

 Chapter 839: Luxury

    <h4>Chapter 839: Luxury</h4>


    *Thunk*


    The pain ran through every single nerve in his body in the blink of an eye. He felt like some had stripped him naked, leaving him vulnerable, weak and afraid all at once.


    All these primal emotions came up unexpectedly and caught him off guard.


    They stirred up a memory from his childhood that had been buried deep within his psyche. It was pushed to the surface as a result of this sudden shift in his emotions.


    His vision went dark and he found himself standing outside somewhere in the cold rain. Barefooted, he was all alone on a dark road crying his eyes out. His feet were bloody from all the running and he was out of breath but he still couldn''t stop.


    Something or someone was chasing him and although he didn''t know who or what it was, he did clearly remember that it was very bad.


    Suddenly, he felt someone grab him from behind. Shocked, he looked down and saw another small hand gripping his own.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll keep you safe," an adolescent voiceforted him. It sounded remarkably like his own as if someone was ying back a recording.


    But the cold vanished, the fear drained out of his body and an eerie calmness took over him upon hearing it. He stopped dead in his tracks.


    "Don''t be afraid, I will never leave you alone," it whispered into his ears again. Now he couldn''t tell if the voice wasing from somewhere behind or from his own mouth.


    It felt like he had been electrocuted but the shock wasn''t perceived just physically.


    "Argh!"


    Hao Xuan came to and quickly pushed the stick away from his head in a fit of rage. He wanted to jump to his feet and throw a punch or two but he held back upon feeling Ma Jiang still holding onto him.


    His head jerked around with tightly knitted brows only to see Princess Helena staring in his direction with an apologetic look.


    "What did you see?" the same voice came again. It wasing from the other side of the room. Hao Xuan turned another 90 degrees to see an old woman sitting behind the small table on the far end of the room.


    There was a smoking pipe in her hand which she was carefully refilling.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed. It was definitely that smoking pipe that had hit him just a second ago but how had she managed to do it from all the way over there? Because he did not hear her move or make any sort of movements that would give her away.


    In fact, if she wasn''t talking directly to him right now he wouldn''t even have noticed her. Hao Xuan sniffed the air and the findings filled his heart with trepidation. He could barely detect a scent but it was unlike anything he hade across before. It ''smelled'' like nothingness.


    It felt like he was looking at a ck hole and all his senses were telling him there wasn''t anything there. He wholeheartedly wanted to look away at once.


    Hao Xuan swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet his parched throat and spoke after steeling his heart.


    "Who are you?"


    The olddy smiled mischievously without looking up, "Shouldn''t you know that already? YOU are the one that came looking for ME, no?"


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened and then narrowed as he recalled something. He nced towards Helena to confirm.


    "You''re the grand priestess?"


    "Are you asking me or telling me?"


    "Asking."


    "Then, yes. I am."


    "....."


    When she saw that he wasn''t nning to speak up again she repeated her previous question, "You didn''t tell me what you saw."


    "Saw what? Where?" Hao Xuan pretended to be ignorant.


    The grand priestess gestured towards Helena to exit the tent to which she promptlyplied.


    "You know what I''m talking about. The vision. Whom did you see?"


    ''Whom?'' Hao Xuan repeated, she knew he saw a person.


    "Why? What was that? An illusion?"


    The grand priestess chuckled, "No, not at all. It was a gift for saving that one''s life," she pointed towards Ma Jiang with the smoking pipe but he didn''t take his eyes off her for even a second.


    "What kind of gift was that?"


    Her lips slowly arched into a toothy grin, "I''ll tell you if you tell me what you saw."


    She sounded like a crafty old woman lulling an innocent child into a trap.


    But Hao Xuan thought about it for a second and decided to tell her the truth. He needed her help in some others matters anyway so it wouldn''t hurt to be honest from the get-go, despite her strange behavior.


    "I saw myself. It felt like a memory but it was the first time I had seen it. It...didn''t make any sense."


    The grand priestesses smile faltered for a moment but she didn''t let it show while Hao Xuan didn''t pick up on the change either.


    "Hmm. So why have youe here then? Surely it wasn''t to escort my granddaughters home safely."


    "Huh? No wait, you said you would tell me what the visio-"


    "Time is a luxury that we do not have, Lord Hao Xuan. Do you want to keep wasting it or get to the point? I believe you need something from me, no?"

 Chapter 840: Greet

    <h4>Chapter 840: Greet</h4>


    "Don''t you need something from me?"


    "!!!"


    "How did you know my name?" Hao Xuan hadn''t introduced himself and it was unlikely any of the others divulged that information.


    The grand priestess pointed above, "The winds whisper about you. They have been keeping an eye on your progress."


    "The winds?"


    Her cryptic wording did little more than leave Hao Xuan incensed and questioning his decisions. But he held back and asked her the one question that had brought him here.


    "I''ll get to the point then. Someone called me here, somehow. This person showed me things and ''told'' me in not too many words that I would find something if I followed your granddaughters back. Do you know what I''m talking about?"


    The grand priestess''s face lit up like antern. She nodded knowingly, "Ah, that!"


    Hao Xuan''s mood lifted with just one word from her.


    "So you do know!"


    "No, I have no idea what you''re talking about."


    "..."


    "Sorry I couldn''t help. Is that all you wanted to ask?"


    ***


    A few minutester an angry Hao Xuan could be seen charging out of the tent. Princess Helena was standing right outside so she almost fell over but managed to stay upright with no help from him.


    "L-Lord Hao Xuan!" she called out but he didn''t stop and was soon gone from her sight. Speechless, she went back into the tent and saw the grand priestess casually sitting in her usual ce.


    "Grammy, what did you say to him?! We need his help, you know he is the one from-!" she realized near the end that she was yelling at her so she swiftly lowered her tone of voice, "-f-from the prophecy..."


    But the grand priestess didn''t seem to mind it that much since she continued to casually take puffs from the smoking pipe.


    "The prophecy? What prophecy?"


    Princess Helena stomped her feet like she used to do when she was younger, "Grammy, please! I''m neither a child nor as weak-willed as my sister. I know about the prophecy. He is the [King under the broken heavens, the lord of the forgottennds], isn''t he?" (CH 692)


    The grand priestess was in the middle of taking exhaling a cloud of smoke when she heard Helena''s words and started coughing.


    *Cough*Cough*Cough*Cough*


    Holding back tears from the smoke inhtion she looked at her granddaughter dishearted and more than a little disappointed.


    "K-King under where? *Cough* Lord of *cough* what? Does that greenhorn...look like a king of anything to you? I thought I raised you better than that."


    Princess Helena faltered, "W-What do you mean? I saw it with my own eyes. The fifteen-eyed monster, the storm. He came from it."


    She tried to exin herself but the grand priestess''s expression only worsened.


    "What was the first thing I taught you about your powers?"


    Helena paused, recalling all her schooling.


    "To never trust any prophecies or visions. They change depending on who the viewer is and can always be interpreted in any number of ways."


    "Exactly. Just because you saw the boy in that ce and at that time, does not mean he was the only one there."


    "....what does that mean? Was it not him?"


    "Maybe, maybe not, I''m not sure yet. I will need to read his future and see how his fate unwinds to be certain. He surely doesn''t feel that special from what I have seen so far," she muttered thest sentence under her breath.


    The only reason Princess Helena was so adamant about bringing Hao Xuan to Argham was because she thought he was "the one". And now that that might not be the case anymore, she didn''t know what to do.


    She took the next half an hour to exin everything that had happened since shest left the city. About the surface, therger world outside, the three main powers that would be reaching out soon and some of the strange things that she saw on the way.


    "So what should I do now?"


    "Greet the guests. Keep an eye on the boy and tell me if he does anything strange. I need to take care of a few other things in the meantime."


    The grand priestess stood up the moment she stopped talking and walked into the backside of the tent, disappearing within the fabric.


    "Guests? WHAT GUESTS??" Princess Helena shouted but she was already gone.


    *Snort*


    An unexpected noise startled her. She looked towards Ma Jiang who was snoring loudly. A pool of drool had gathered underneath her cheek and was being spread all over her face every time she moved about without carelessly.


    Princess Helena walked over to her and wiped the drool off her face, "Tsk, how unbing of ady. Who will marry a mess like you?"


    She had just started the lecture to the sleeping beauty when a voice called out to her from outside.


    "Princess, there is a group of strange people at the city gates. They want to meet the grand priestess!"


    Helena shook her head, letting a weary sigh upon realizing who they were, "Bring the ''guests'' here, I will meet them myself."

 Chapter 841: Bluff

    <h4>Chapter 841: Bluff</h4>


    Princess Hna got to work and moved Ma Jiang to one of the hiddenpartments within the tent.


    The ''tent'' itself was a magical item handed down through their bloodline. It was rumored to be able to expand endlessly and divided itself into many smaller subsections.


    The grand priestess had even told her that a long time ago when her n was moving to the city of Argham, close to 3,000 people were once able to squeeze in all at once. And although there was no actual proof of this, Princess Hna had little reason to doubt her grandmother''s words.


    She spoke a few words unknown and furniture started to rearrange itself. It looked like it hade to life as the chairs and tables moved aside while the beds had already ''walked'' out of sight.


    She made herself look as presentable as possible before sitting down in the same chair the grand priestess had upied until a few moments. And just in time too since a flurry of footsteps came from outside.


    "Princess!" a voice called out.


    "Enter!" Princess Hna ordered.


    The front p lifted and in came a party of eight. Henrik was in the front with Ceni right next to him. There were a couple of unfamiliar faces mixed along with a few familiar ones like the hulking Fulke and the taned Hazel from Henrik''s side and Princess Orna and Tam from Ceni''s side.


    They stopped a few meters away from the table and everyone other than Ceni bowed lightly from the waist.


    "Salutations," Henrik greeted her in the nativenguage.


    Princess Hna threw a second look towards Ceni but didn''t show a change of expression. She looked them up and down with excruciating detail. They had tried to clean up beforeing here but it was pretty obvious that their living conditions hadn''t been that well recently.


    Most of them had dark circles around their eyes from a severeck of sleep. Unwashed hair and clothes that had been reused a hundred times left them more than a little wanting.


    They just looked tired in general and no matter how much they tried to hide that, it was pretty obvious for someone as perceptive as Princess Hna.


    She still put on a smile upon hearing such an outdated form of greeting.


    She pointed towards chairs and said, "Please have a seat," in the Beast Worldnguage, surprising the group.


    Ceni and Henrik sat in the middle while the rest hunkered down behind them, leaving all other seats unupied.


    "You speak ournguage very well," Henrikmented after settling down.


    "It''s not JUST yournguage," she responded smilingly, effectively silencing Henrik and leaving almost all of them pondering.


    If what she said was correct then that meant there had been someone from the Beast World among their ancestors and thenguage was passed down even before theynded on the, which was all new information to them.


    Princess Helena kept a positive attitude through their meeting and kept dropping various hints here and there that left everyone more than a little surprised.


    Henrik''s group hade here to ''lend'' her people a helping hand and for that, they needed to prove that they could basically protect and support the natives without a shadow of the doubt.


    Their usual strategy included several stages. The first one was obviously to reveal the existence of other worlds and races, summarising much of it.


    Then they would tell them about the other two powers and how joining their side was the best decision they could make. And if that still didn''t work then at the very end they would reveal the existence of some stronger threats and offer to help once again.


    But Princess Helena had shut them down at the very first stage. As soon as Henrik started telling her about the greater world she jumped in and filled in the nks FOR him.


    They were all more than a little taken aback by this sudden twist and it was only until Ceni spoke up that Henrik realized the most obvious reason for all her information.


    "You''ve already met someone from our side, haven''t you?" Princess Ceni stated.


    She crossed her legs and leaned back into her chair, half a smile adorning her pretty face. If one didn''t know any better they would think Princess Helena was the guest here and not her, going by her rxed state.


    Princess Helena also leaned back, crossing her arms still painting her bright smile as if everything was under her control.


    "What makes you say that?" she asked casually.


    "You have ''his'' scent on you," Ceni answered.


    "His?"


    Princess Helena frowned but she didn''t have to think about it for very long before Hao Xuan''s image popped into her mind. He was the only man she hade into contact with and he was also from the surface.


    But she was 100% sure there was no actual ''scent'' of his on her self so she naturally assumed Ceni was bluffing.


    "I''m afraid I do not know of whom you speak."


    Ceni''s fist clenched as she released a tinge of bloodthirst.


    "Where is he?"


    "I really don''t know what you-"


    "PRINCESS!" before the mood could get any worse a panicked voice called from outside.


    "What?"


    "P-Pleasee out, there is something happening in the sky!"

 Chapter 842: Real-time

    <h4>Chapter 842: Real-time</h4>


    "Princess, there is something happening in the sky!"


    "Deal with it then! You should know better than to disturb me when I''m withpany. Go inform Elder Iya!"


    "He is the one who sent me Princess, please you muste now!"


    Princess Helena tried to keep calm while arguing with the guard but her expression finally changed when she heard Elder Iya had sent for her.


    She stood up and gestured towards Henrik and Ceni, "Would you mind if we continue this elsewhere?"


    "No please, lead the way," Henrik replied swiftly replied and stood up as well, making all others follow suit.


    Princess Helena exited the tent with the entire group of cultivators in tow. The guard who was waiting for her was a male demihuman covered in a slim-fitting full body iron armor. Two small curved horns wereing out of its helmet.


    "Go," Princess Helena ordered. The man started running towards the left side of the city, the same direction Henrik andpany hade from but more to the outskirts.


    They quickly followed behind him but before even reaching the intended destination everyone present could see the changes the guard had been talking about. What little bit of sky that was visible through the cracked dome above was dyed purple, a color not naturally urring in this world.


    They picked up speed and reached the extreme left area of a cove. There was an almost vertical stone staircase leading into the rock wall towards what appeared to be a half-destroyed tower. Since they were all able-bodied individuals, it didn''t take them long to climb to the top and enter the tower where three people were waiting for them.


    One of them was a guard draped in an identical iron armor to the one that led them here while the other was the guardsman Kart, a ck wolf demihuman. (He and Elder Iya were introduced around 633)


    Thest one was Elder Iya, a frail-looking man with sses and cat ears standing beside a 3-meter wide water basin.


    Above the basin at a height of approximately 25 meters was the ceiling which was almostpletely made out of white crystals. Various rays of light refracted within the crystals before converging on the basin below.


    The basin was filled to the brim with a dark blue liquid that from afar looked like deep ocean water shrunk many hundreds of times.


    Princess Helena walked straight up to the basin and stood beside the bespectacled demihuman.


    "Elder, what''s happening?"


    Seeing as neither the guards nor Princess Helena had bothered to stop them, Henrik and Ceni also made their towards the basin to satisfy their curiosity. It must be important if Princess Helena had to be rushed over.


    Henrik''s head tilted left and right while his eyes narrowed trying to make sense of what he was seeing but his mouth fell open when he realized what it was.


    The dark blue liquid within the basin acted as the medium for all the various rays of lighting from the crystals to gather at one point and create a full-fledged miniature model of the entirendmass.


    From the massive mountain in the middle to the endless forest, the various small andrge viges and settlements and numerous other points of interest, each one of them were being reflected perfectly within the liquid.


    "Is this in real-time?" he asked Princess Helena who nodded once and looked towards Elder Iya who was still lost in deep thought muttering to himself.


    "It doesn''t make sense. Why there? Where is it going? Why did it just appear out of nowhere?"


    Princess Helena''s brow furrowed as she raised her voice, "Elder!" finally getting his attention.


    "Huh? Oh, my Lady, you are here. Is the grand priestess not with you?" he asked looking around and noticing the cultivators.


    "Who are you?"


    "We are-"


    Henrik was about to introduce himself again when Princess Helena crudely cut in.


    "They are guests. I have other things to deal with so please get to the point. Great grandmother will be backter."


    "Oh, my apologies, I was-I just...here. You should see it for yourself."


    Elder Iya ced his hand in the liquid and swirled it around back and forth. The moving image suddenly changed to show a pir of blue light shooting straight into the air.


    Princess Helena''s brow locked in a tight furrow as she leaned in to get a better picture.


    "When did this happen?"


    "Just a moment ago. I sent for you as soon as it appeared."


    "And it hasn''t changed since then?"


    "Yes."


    "...."


    "Can you get closer?"


    Elder Iya gestured towards the wolfman Kart who walked up to the wall beside him and thrust his hand into a crevice that wasn''t even visible before. His muscles bulged and veins threatened to pop under his skin as he forcefully rotated his arm.


    A loud nging echoed within the tower as the light within the crystals shifted. Elder Iya quickly thrust his hand back into the liquid to adjust it until the image got clearer andrger.

 Chapter 843: The Call

    <h4>Chapter 843: The Call</h4>


    The image continued to magnify until the source of the light pir was the only thing visible within the basin.


    "Stop!" Princess Helena waved her hand as soon as she was able to clearly see where the pir was originating from, which was far too familiar a ce.


    At the root of the pir was an encirclement of more than a dozen cracks in space that reflected various scenes. Each of the cracks was connected to a bluish-purple whirlpool constantly rotating above them.


    The source of the pir of light was also this whirlpool that had expanded to over a kilometer in size.


    Princess Helena didn''t even risk breathing out loud as her gaze locked onto the pyramid''s entrance that was located smack dab in the middle of the whirlpool. Because unlike how she had left it, it wasn''t vacant anymore.


    Scores of twisted fleshy creatures were casually crawling out of the entrance that had expanded by several times. Their bodies were almost glowing red in the darkness while the flesh writhed and twisted with every movement.


    They didn''t have any skin but the rippling movements of the muscles made it pretty obvious that each strand of fiber was packing a lot of raw power.


    Most of the crimson creatures were divided into two types based on their physical forms. One of them which also held the majority were down on four limbs. The front limbs were three to four times the size of the back limbs with several disjointed sections.


    The main body was rtively thin with no extra appendages or protrusions but the head of each creature was a little different. Some had extremely long tentacles hanging from the sides while others had serrated teeth or multiple eyes.


    The second type were the humanoids. They were walking on two feet and had upper limbs that ended in different blunt or sharp weapons like des and hammers. But both of them dripped some sort of a viscous crimson liquid that sizzled uponing into contact with the air and caught fire before quickly dissipating into the atmosphere.


    Various other creatures were spilling out of some of the spatial cracks surrounding the pyramid but they didn''t stand a chance against the crimson beasts that were waiting for them on this side. They attacked, maimed, or killed the neers before dragging the corpses back into the pyramid.


    Mouth agape, Princess Helena couldn''t tear herself from the basin.


    "What...happened? Why...how...WHAT are they?" she mumbled incredulously.


    Henrik, Ceni, and all the others watching from the sides had much the same reactions.


    Elder Iya''s forehead was covered in sweat as he spoke in their nativenguage, "Mydy, do you know where this ce is?"


    Princess Helena nodded vacantly, "It is the ruins near the grasnds. We were just there but..."


    But it lookedpletely different now. This looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic monster movie, one which waspletely foreign to them.


    Henrik was the first one to step out of his daze. He walked over to Hazel and whispered something in her ear. She took out the identity token hidden within her shirt and channeled some Qi into it to activate before speaking in a shed voice.


    Just a secondter she got a response which she ryed back to Henrik. His already somber expression converted to an even graver one.


    Princess Ceni saw the change of expression and walked up to him, whispering, "What happened?"


    He shook his head wearily, "The same thing is happening on the surface. That pir of light has pierced through the dome of this world ande out on the other side. Everyone can already see it and are gathering around it. And...those crimson beasts, there are reports of their appearances throughout the surface world."


    "The first protectors from the Academy, the Temple, and the Hall have called for a meeting of all the guardians to discuss some important matters. I think they have also figured out we have lost contact with the othe-"


    He hadn''t even finished talking when Ceni''s identity token started to hum. She took it out and inserted some Qi to receive the message. Her brow locked in a tight furrow as soon as she heard it.


    "What does it say?" Henrik impatiently inquired.


    Ceni was still processing it but still told him, "They have...asked for me to join the meeting as well. It''s in 24 hours on the surface."


    "You? Why would they ask you to join?"


    "I...don''t know. But apparently, all three first protectors have "requested" my presence. I don''t think I can say no."


    Henrik''s expression worsened once again. All of the first protectors making the same request? For what reason? But there was no point thinking about it for much longer because the answers wouldn''t juste to them.


    "We need to find Hao Xuan quickly," he said in a low voice.

 Chapter 844: Tumultuous

    <h4>Chapter 844: Tumultuous</h4>


    It was almost an hour ago when Hao Xuan had rushed out of the tent in an all-consuming fury. He didn''t have a destination in mind but hearing all the things the Grand Priestess had to say, it was either walking out or start throwing punches so he chose to recuse himself from the situation.


    He ran for a couple of minutes through the bustling city streets that were all lit up like a Christmas tree beforeing to a stop on the roof of a white stone structure.


    His chest heaving up and down not from running out of breath but from trying to suppress his raging emotions. His face contorted in anger while his veins bulged through his skin as he tried his best to keep himself in check.


    But after a few seconds he couldn''t help but m his fist against the stone roof in annoyance, leaving an inch-deep imprint and shaking the entire structure.


    "Who the FUCK does she think she is? Telling us all that bullshit like I don''t- Argh! I outa skin her alive for that! For showing us such disrespect. Even death would be far too easy of-"


    Hao Xuan''s tumultuous emotions had gotten the better of him. A veil had been pulled over his eyes and he didn''t even realize that the world around him had started to change.


    "Old bitch, thinks she knows more about us than we do!"


    He was so absorbed in this dialogue that he didn''t even realize the change of pronouns. He had started to refer to himself as ''us'' for some reason. Whatever the grand priestess had said to him had significantly impacted his mental state, enough to shake him to the core.


    Hao Xuan had be uncharacteristically expletive, much more so than usual. He sat down where he was, breathing heavily and forcefully like an earth dragon.


    It was only when he smelt something burning that he awoke from this stupor. He looked around and saw that the lively city from a moment ago was reced by a zing ember of death and destruction.


    He got back up on his feet, mouth agape.


    "Another hallucination?" he whispered under his breath before rubbing his eyes but opening them again the same scene weed him.


    "This is real?"


    He extended his hand and felt the heat on his skin. The smell was still there and was getting stronger. Just then, as if to prove to him that it was all real, heart-wrenching screams came from somewhere nearby.


    Hao Xuan jumped from one rooftop to the next until he was right next to the source of the screams.


    "Please! We give up, we surrender! we aren''t fighters, you said you would let us go if we epted-"


    *Squelch*


    "AAAAH!"


    Hao Xuan peered over the side and saw a group of five men surrounding a demihuman couple. The male had a stab wound in his chest which was bleeding profusely while the female demihuman was unsessfully trying to stop the blood from pouring out.


    The five men were dressed in white garbs that had some special insignia on them, ones Hao Xuan waspletely unfamiliar with. The only thing of note was it looked like a cross with two halos on top.


    With wide grins on their faces, they watched on as the female demihuman tried her best to save the male while calling for help. They were making bets with one another on how long the male wouldst but one of them couldn''t take it anymore and stepped forward.


    "This is taking too long. I want her, now!" he announced before quickly grabbing the female demihuman by the hair and pulling her away.


    She kicked and screamed, cursing him out while struggling to get free but the man didn''t budge an inch. In fact, his smile grew wider.


    Hao Xuan, already fuming, felt like he would explode from pure anger. He jumped down andnded behind the group.


    "Oi, what the fuck are you people doing!?" he shouted but got no response.


    Furious about being ignored he threw a punch towards the nearest man aiming to blow his head away but his hand went through him like it wasn''t even there.


    "Huh?"


    The man turned around and looked right at Hao Xuan but didn''t see him.


    "What''s wrong?" another one asked.


    "No...nothing. I thought there was someone behind us."


    *Argh*


    Hao Xuan screamed as a searing headache brought him to his knees. It felt like there were razor des inside his skull that were fighting to get out.


    "AAAAH!"


    He finally screamed out loud and smashed his head against the ground.


    *THUD*


    Instead of the soft ground he was standing on, a cold, hard surface impacted against his skin. He fell back and forcefully opened his eyes.


    He was in a different ce now. It was still the city of Argham but there were no fires this time. Instead, the air was saturated by the stench of blood and the screams for help were much louder this time.


    "To the gate! We cannot allow more of them to enter the city!"

 Chapter 845: Luck

    <h4>Chapter 845: Luck</h4>


    "To the gate! We cannot allow any more of them to enter the city!"


    A familiar voice could be heard giving orders to Hao Xuan''s right. Head still ringing and waves of pain continuously coursing through his body, Hao Xuan grit his teeth and stood up.


    He leaped over a nearby structure andnded on the roof, seeing a group of 15 or so individuals. They were running through the streets towards the south side of the city where the only entrance was.


    On the way they dispatched several skinless crimson beasts before burning their bodies to cinders.


    Hao Xuan recognized Princess Inara who was in the lead. Next to her was Ma Jiang, and the two female guards that always followed her around. Kart, ck wolf demihuman was also there but Hao Xuan didn''t recognize him since they had never met before.


    But from the ones he was familiar with, they were much different from what he remembered. Princess Inara for example wasn''t the meek little kitten she had been in front of Hao Xuan.


    Her de was covered in dried blood, just like the rest of her body. She had several small andrge scars in various ces that were quite fresh. She was also missing an eye.


    Each of her moves was full of confidence as she elegantly danced around the crimson creatures with her shortsword in hand, cutting off limbs with brutal precision.


    The female guards looked like they had been put through the wringer more than a few times. One of them was even missing a leg but she didn''t let that stop her advance and stayed right behind Princess Inara.


    Only Ma Jiang still looked remarkably simr. In fact if he didn''t know any better he would think she was the same girl he had dropped off just a few minutes ago.


    She floated half a meter off the ground in the middle of the group. Her hands and lips didn''t stop moving for an instant as she repeatedly cast different healing and supporting spells.


    The crimson beasts they were fighting seemed to be endless and highly resistant to most elemental attacks since even the spears of the female guards didn''t burn their carcasses without some extra help from Ma Jiang.


    *Tremble*


    A minor earthquake shook the entire city as the sky darkened overhead. Hao Xuan raised his head to see two gargantuan beasts engaged in a fight in the air. The earthquake was caused by a fleshy limb at least 40 meters in length that had been torn off of one of them.


    *ROOOOOOAAA-*


    A secondter an earth-shattering roar reverberated throughout the entire inner world. Hao Xuan quickly covered his ears that had already started bleeding but the next second everything stopped.


    Hao Xuan blinked and found himself standing in a different ce within the city. This time it was deathly silent. Not so much as a whisper could be heard on the brisk wind.


    There was no fire and certainly no blood this time, only a defeating hush.


    The city was enshrined within the cover of darkness that would not let up. Hao Xuan didn''t need to even think about it to recognize what it was.


    It was the samew that was within the catbs that they had crossed toe over here. The one with the undead creatures.


    Hao Xuan controlled his breathing and focused his senses but after listening for almost a full minute he couldn''t catch any sound whatsoever.


    *Tap*Tap*Tap*


    He walked through the empty streets apanied by nothing but the sound of his own footsteps, yet he knew deep within his heart that he wasn''t alone. There were things in the darkness watching him, following him closely even though he couldn''t see or hear them.


    Hao Xuan slowly picked up speed until he was sprinting over the rooftops with everything he had. He had tried using hisws but it was like he had never even learned any of them. He couldn''t ess his Mind Pce or summon any of the severs.


    He waspletely and utterly on his own.


    Recalling what little he remembered of the city''syout, Hao Xuan continuously changed his direction until he reached the forest that was located at the very back. With some luck he managed to find the dirt path and followed it through the woods but unfortunately, it was here that he was finally cut off.


    The sound of clothes pping in the wind came from right in front of Hao Xuan forcing him to change direction. The sound continued to follow him and only increased in intensity and numbers.


    *ekekekekeke*


    An eerie cackle sounded mere inches away from his ears. He could feel the hair on the back of his head stand up straight.


    He channeled what little bit of energy he was saving towards his legs and pushed against the ground, shooting straight into the air.


    He must have jumped at least 20 meters when through the cracked dome in the sky a bolt of lightning shed within the clouds, lighting up his surroundings for an instant.


    Hao Xuan''s senses kicked into overdrive as he looked down.

 Chapter 846: Panic

    <h4>Chapter 846: Panic</h4>


    Because of his senses overexerting themselves in this moment of desperation, Hao Xuan was able to stretch what should have been a split-second event to several times its length.


    Time seemed to havee to a standstill as he peered downwards and finally caught a glimpse of what it was that was chasing him.


    Scores of robed figures were floating up into the air behind him. If they had any to begin with, their faces werepletely shrouded within the darkness that even the lighting strike could not pass through.


    They didn''t have any visible lower limbs but the hands that were reaching out to grab a hold of Hao Xuan didn''t have any skin or flesh. It was just...moving bones.


    Their appearance matched almost 1 to 1 to what Hao Xuan imagined wraiths would look like and he wasn''t far off either since a single look in their direction left Hao Xuanpletely devoid of any warmth, physical or spiritual.


    It felt like all his positive emotions were forcefully stripped away, recing them with a feebleness that he had not felt in a very long time.


    Hopelessness, doubt, and absolute dread took root within his heart in that short moment and he knew that it wasn''t something the likes of him was supposed toy his eyes upon. (Reference image in authors notes)


    And as if that wasn''t enough, something else grabbed his attention from the corner of his eye.


    Hao Xuan turned his head sideways to nce towards the direction he was running to and saw something that he would not soon forget, not in this life or the next.


    A skeleton was staring in his direction. Well, it didn''t have any eyes so there was no surefire way to tell but he just got a feeling of being preyed upon, not much different from the sixth sense of a mouse when a hawk locks onto it from the air.


    The only problem was that this skeleton, what little bit of it was visible, was muchrger than average. The skull alone was at least 80 meters wide and although Hao Xuan couldn''t see the remainder of its body which was embedded within the cliffside, something told him that it was proportionate to the skull if not muchrger.


    The world suddenly came to a standstill. Hao Xuan realized that time had actually been slowed down to such an extent that it looked like it had stopped. And without even thinking about he knew the source of this change.


    The skull slowly lifted into the air. The cliffside it was embedded in trembled and broke apart to reveal a humanoid hand. But the palm alone was almost the same size as the skull of notrger and it wasing straight at him. (Reference image in Authors notes)


    Unable to retaliate in any other way, Hao Xuansimply pulled back his own hand and threw out a punch.


    "AAAAAHH!"


    Hao Xuan mustered the few morsels of courage still within his heart and roared defiantly knowing full-well the obvious oue.


    He closed his eyes and put all his strength in his fist but the devastating force of impact that he was expecting did note. Instead, he felt his hand connect with another thatpletely neutralized his strength.


    "The fuck you doin'' bitch? Did you eat something poisonous again??" a familiar voice brought him back to reality.


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and saw Jin Wang''s face inches away from his. He sighed and released his fist, taking a step back.


    "There you are. Wee back, dipshit," Jin Wang remarked jokingly.


    Hao Xuan jumped to his feet ready for anything but upon seeing where he was he quieted down.


    "I''m....back..."


    He was back in the brightly lit city, listening to the hustle and bustle of before. He looked in every possible direction waiting for something to happen but nothing ever did. He was still on top of the same roof with an imprint of his punch right in front of him.


    Hao Xuan started breathing heavily as panic set it.


    "No but...there was fire and then blood and death...which one is this? Which one wille here?" he mumbled like a madman pacing back forth on the same spot.


    Jin Wang''s smile froze and his brow furrowed listening to his rambling. When he had found Hao Xuan a moment ago he was sitting here lifelessly but something was incredibly wrong with his body.


    Jin Wang was looking right at him but it felt like Hao Xuan would disappear any second.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link (1): https://i.pinimg/564x/72/8a/fe/728afe881c3f50b55b28a6459710be99.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/SVxih


    ________


    Reference Image Link (2): https://i.pinimg/564x/ee/2f/2f/ee2f2f71708f1ea1e5e0d1355c6b8.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/KKhEo

 Chapter 847: Trusting

    <h4>Chapter 847: Trusting</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s body phased in and out of the material realm right in front of Jin Wang''s eyes, almost like someone or something was trying to erase his very existence.


    And that coupled with his current state of mind left Jin Wang more than a little concerned for his well-being. Hao Xuan looked behind the city in the direction he had entered the city from.


    "The skull came from there. I saw it before in the depth, it was watching us but then it woke up. But the fire and the red monsters came from somewhere else. I have to warn them, we need to evacuate the cit-"


    Hao Xuan spoke without even taking a breath in between. His eyes were zed over and blood was starting to trickle down every facial orifice.


    Seeing the blood Jin Wang quickly tapped five points on his abdomen and two on the sides of his neck before grabbing him by the shoulder and shaking back and forth while channeling Qi directly into his body.


    "Oi, wake up. Wake up! Look at me!"


    Forced out of the daze by Jin Wang''s voice Hao Xuan once again met his gaze. He felt a stream of Qi enter his body and calm his distraught spirit. His mind and body rxed within seconds before he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be carried off towards thend of dreams.


    **


    Hao Xuan awoke sometimeter.


    He was met with a familiar sight, one that he had missed without even realizing it. A soft mattress under him and a dimly lit wooden ceiling above. This was his cabin, the one that was part of the portable camp.


    "Another...dream?" he mumbled in a low voice but it was enough to rouse Salome who was sitting right beside him carving a wooden figurine.


    The heavyset giant jumped to his feet scattering all the wooden shaving onto the floor.


    *Gasp*


    "Eyes open! Have to tell Jin!"


    He threw out the words before racing out of the cabin. A couple of secondster Jin Wang walked in with a steaming cup in his hands.


    "Finally, I didn''t think you''d sleep THAT long. Here, this is for you," he said handing over the cup.


    Hao Xuan sat upright before hesitantly taking the cup that was shoved in his face to see what was inside it. It was filled to the brim with a watery brown liquid that had various flower petals floating on the surface.


    It smelled really good and just a single sniff was enough to make his mouth water. Hao Xuan brought the cup to his lips but paused, "Did you make it?"


    Jin Wang shook his head before taking a seat on the empty chair.


    "Nope, the elf magician did."


    "Who?"


    "Just drink it, it''s safe. It will help with the headache," he gestured towards Hao Xuan''s head.


    "What headach- Argh!"


    He didn''t even need to finish the sentence before his head started pounding again. He quickly drank a mouthful and felt the searing hot liquid go down his gullet. The headache almost halved in intensity right then and there.


    "Mhm, it''s pretty effective," Hao Xuanmented taking another sip.


    Jin Wang nodded, "The girl has some talent in brewing potions. She has a natural gift."


    Hao Xuan still didn''t know who exactly he was talking but he didn''t question it at this moment. His mind racing with numerous other questions like;


    "How long was I out?"


    "About 9 hours."


    "How did you get here?"


    "Same as the others, I jumped down."


    "Others? Henrik''s party?"


    "Yeah, everyone is already down here."


    "Why?"


    "That...is kind of a long story but we aren''t the only ones either. There are more pressing matters at hand that we need to address first," Jin Wang finished by pointing towards Hao Xuan''s hand.


    Hao Xuan looked down and saw a piece of ck cloth wrapped around his right hand.


    Jin Wang''s eyes were locked onto his face as he asked the question, "Where did you get that?"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t remember from the get-go but when he tried to recall what happened before he lost consciousness, all the memories came flooding back.


    "Arghhh! Fucking hell what is this!"


    The headache''s intensity jumped once again. Jin Wang was keeping a watchful eye from the side so he reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette, lighting it and handing it to Hao Xuan.


    "Here, try this."


    It was the same kind that he had brought from the Beast World himself.


    Hao Xuan took a few quick puffs and the headache was reduced to a numbing pain in the back of his head rather than the sensation of being stabbed in the frontal lobe.


    He leaned back against the bed, letting out a heavy sigh.


    "What the hell is happening man. I can''t make any sense of this shit."


    "Tell me exactly what you saw, don''t leave anything out."


    Hao Xuan raised his head halfway to peer towards Jin Wang. He wasn''t smiling or messing around like normal and the look in his eyes made Hao Xuan think he was sitting across from someone much older.


    That kind of poise and coolheadedness wasn''t something Hao Xuan had seen before in someone of his age group. He recalled all the other times Jin Wang had helped him out, always having some valuable information or thoughts that Hao Xuan himself would have never even considered.


    There was no doubt he trusted himpletely. Jin Wang hadn''t given him a reason not to.


    "Alright...where do I start..."


    Hao Xuan started narrating all his experiences from meeting what was most probably an apostle of ''Beelzebub'' if not the Demon God himself, to finding this world and discovering ''everything'' within the pyramid and thereafter.


    He kept an eye on Jin Wang''s expression throughout which only got more and more somber after hearing about ''Beelzebub'' till the various visions and things that he saw there.

 Chapter 848: Glitch

    <h4>Chapter 848: Glitch</h4>


    A hush fell over the cabin when Hao Xuan finished recounting all that he had experienced over thest few months. Unlike his expectations, Jin Wang did not speak up any time soon, and judging from the look on his face, it was pretty obvious he was lost in deep thought.


    Hao Xuan sat back and smoked the entire cigarette Jin Wang had given him and then three more from his own storage space before Jin Wang elected to ask another question.


    "These visions, how long have you been having them? Are they all simr to the ones you described? Where you''re in the same ce but with different circumstances?"


    "The visions are rtively new. I can''t remember exactly when but I think they started after we reached the Academy. But I have been having weird dreams even before that."


    "What kind of dreams?"


    "Well, they were more like fever dreams or even nightmares than anything else. There was no particr theme and each one was different. I forgot most of them but there is one I remember very clearly because it felt so real."


    "I was the oldest of several siblings. Our entire family lived near the woods and one day we went hunting and crossed a bridge to a dangerous ce looking for food or something. But there was something there and it followed me back. My father died by its hands and I ran back but I''m pretty sure it killed everyone else at the end, including me."


    Hao Xuan shook his head softly, "I can usually tell when I''m dreaming but that one felt way too real. Even after waking up I couldn''t get it out of my mind."


    Jin Wang leaned back into his chair while putting his feet on the bed. He was biting his thumbnail which Hao Xuan had never seen him do before.


    "Hmm, tell me about the visions you saw most recently, how did they "feel"? Was it the same as the dream?"


    Hao Xuan thought about it for a second but couldn''t really find a straight yes or no answer.


    "They were and weren''t. I could control myself in the visions but in the dreams I was just a spectator in my own body."


    Jin Wang suddenly paused, "In your own body? How did you know you were in your body and not watching someone else?"


    Hao Xuan shrugged, "Isn''t that normal? Don''t all people dream as themselves?"


    "It depends on the dreams...and the people," Jin Wang responded in a low voice before continuing his nail-biting, "Let''s go back to the visions again, you said you could move freely so does that mean you interacted with that world and its people?"


    "I could interact with all the worlds but in the first one I punched a guy and my hand went through him. In the second I was in the direct line of sight of several people and monsters but they didn''t see me. Only in the third andst vision was I able toe into contact with those wraiths or whatever they were."


    "Thest is the one with the giant skeleton?"


    "Yeah."


    "What about...."


    For the next hour Jin Wang proceeded to ask a few hundred questions that rted to some of the smallest events and instances all the way to the most significant ones. Hao Xuan basically told him his entire life story in that time frame.


    Themotion outside the cabin slowly grew over time until Hao Xuan could hear several voices despite the many formations that were actively working to cut them off.


    Henrik and Salome were the loudest among the group and the most impatient.


    Hao Xuan threw Jin Wang an anxious nce, "Come on already, just tell me what it is. Your face gives everything away."


    He had never seen Jin Wang look that concerned and confused before, no matter how well he tried to hide it. He looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze, "Is it really that obvious?"


    "Yeah. Never y poker."


    "A little toote for that..."


    "So? Tell me what''s wrong. I know it''s nothing good but I can take it."


    Jin Wang sighed. He needed some more information to get the full picture but it was better Hao Xuan know this sooner rather thanter in case something went wrong.


    "Its time."


    "....Time for what?"


    "No, I mean the visions that you saw, and from the looks of it most probably the dreams too. Each of those were different timelines. The dreams were either the past or the future, while the visions were what could have or should have been."


    "Wait wait, so I''m seeing and ''experiencing'' different timelines instead of just ordinary visions?"


    "Yeah. Especially thest three. You were seeing different series of events that each led to a different end for this city. The fire, the crimson beasts, and the Death Lord."


    Hao Xuan''s frown deepened.


    "But...how? And why? Is it because of the time ability I got from that demon?"


    "No, it has nothing to do with that. It''s just the weave trying to fix itself. You''re a glitch, an error in the system, a knot that should not exist in this ce and at this time. The visions are different oues, the ones that don''t have you in them."

 Chapter 849: The Grand Design

    <h4>Chapter 849: The Grand Design</h4>


    "Wait no, what-" Hao Xuan interrupted, "-what the hell is the weave? And what makes you so sure it''s that? It could be just in my head right?"


    Jin Wang knew he would have to exin a few things from the beginning for it to make sense but he still didn''t want to give EVERYTHING away to someone as inexperienced as Hao Xuan, not until he knew for certain why he was chosen.


    The one thing he did know for sure was that this was all part of the Emperor''s n from the beginning. He had basically forced Hao Xuan on this path by making Jin Wang change a few key events that changed his path drastically.


    It had been almost 4 to 5 years now since he first intervened in Hao Xuan''s life without his knowledge. It all started when Jin Wang had first interrupted the secret ordersing from General Ouki''s party about bringing Hao Xuan to them. (CH 9)


    He made it so that one way or another, Hao Xuan would end up meeting the four-eyed general as instructed by the Emperor, and Jin Wang himself would end up on his squad.


    If not for that, Hao Xuan would have gone on to join General Ouki''s side and would have never evene to this world. He would have lived apletely different life.


    Jin Wang sighed inwardly, cursing his own actions that brought so much pain and suffering to Hao Xuan and the Emperor that ordered it all.


    "The weave IS fate. It is the reason for the future and the...no wait, actually, that would be tooplicated for you to understand right now. How should I put it so you will get it easily..." he paused mid-sentence and started mumbling to himself before standing up.


    Walking over to the adjacent wall he used his now sharpened nail to draw something on it. He moved aside a momentter to reveal hundreds of lines of various lengths.


    All the lines that he had drawn were going from the left to right side at different angles, intersecting with another along the way. There was a harmony among them which when inspected from afar, would create a unique design much like a small part of a spider web.


    "Look here. Think of the weave as a spider web. Each individual thread or string would be equivalent to a single person''s fate. It is a predetermined course of events that cannot be changed or altered in any meaningful way."


    "Hundreds, thousands, millions, and billions of these threads work together, connecting with one another to create a particr design that moves in a specific direction. This direction of the weave is what creates the present and the future."


    "Obviously, this means that all the individual threads have a very precise position and orientation that they HAVE to follow for the weave to continue progressing that way."


    Once he reached this point Jin Wang drew a giant line from the top down, leaving an obvious scar in an otherwise elegant pattern.


    "But what happens when a thread that has no business being there suddenly pops up? Akin to a glitch in the system or an error in the code? The answer is pretty simple, chaos!"


    "It creates disorder and entropy within the weave. Events that should have never seen the light of day start appearing one by one and the future starts to change, rewriting itself."


    "But there must be order. The ''Grand Design'' cannot be allowed to change so the weave starts taking action. It tries to put the error in its right ce. I''m guessing those were the dreams you had."


    "And when that didn''t work it tried to eliminate you outright by forcefully merging different timelines where you didn''t exist, i.e a different version of events. Obviously, that didn''t work either, for some strange reason...!!!"


    "Wait, did he knew this was going to happen or was it an ident? What did he wan-"


    Jin Wang shut himself up mid-sentence when he realized he was thinking out loud. He quickly looked towards Hao Xuan thinking of an excuse but it looked like his mind was elsewhere and he wasn''t paying attention to thest bit.


    Jin Wang came to realize the foolishness of his words. He still remembered the first time he came to know of the existence of the Weave and the red strings of fate, that he didn''t have any say in the matter and that it was all preordained.


    He had wasted almost an entire lifetime away thinking that if it didn''t matter why even bother. What WAS going to happen WOULD happen either way so what was the point of it all?


    He sat down on the edge of the bed, tapping Hao Xuan''s leg jokingly.


    "It''s not as bad as it sounds. You''re a cultivator. The reason your people fight is to gain control over your own destiny. Didn''t the ancients tell you the same thing when they brought you to the beast world? "Defy the Heavens" or some shit? This is what they meant."


    "By gaining enough power, you alter your fate and maybe even change it..pletely, if you''re strong enough."


    He didn''t feel good about lying to Hao Xuan but it needed to be done.


    Truth be told, everything he knew about the weave came from other sources like the Emperor. He didn''t have any first-hand experience with it although there was much that he could infer.


    But one thing that he knew for sure was that changing one''s fate was easier said than done. It meant going against the Weave itself and the ones who protected it, the great pantheons of old. He didn''t even know if anyone had gone against the weave and seeded but right now, he needed to give Hao Xuan hope.


    Hao Xuan gave a weak nod, "Yeah, they did say something like that. So it can be done then?"


    "Of course it can. Every time you breakthrough to a new realm you go against the heavens and the weave to extend your life span and gain enough power to venture into ces you normally never would have. This is all a bit too much to take in right now so don''t think about it in too much detail."


    "The reason I exined all that is so you know what''s happening to you. You might be forced into a situation where the consequences of your actions could bring about great change. You need to be extra careful."


    "I know I know," Hao Xuan waved his hand. He took in a deep breath and pped himself in the face to bring him back around.


    "Alright. So I''m that big line in the middle then? Meaning I wasn''t supposed to be here?"


    "Essentially, yes but it also..."


    Jin Wang and Hao Xuan continued talking for almost two more hours, and throughout none of them had noticed the figure of Mr. Hyde standing on the side.

 Chapter 850: Come to me

    <h4>Chapter 850: Come to me</h4>


    Mr. Hyde stood in the corner like a ghost, eavesdropping on the conversation between Hao Xuan and Jin Wang.


    Throughout the two or so hours it took for them toe to a conclusion, his eyes never left Jin Wang''s for even a moment.


    ''The existence of the Weave is one of the most well-kept secrets of all time. No one outside of the main sessors of the great pantheons even knows of its existence, and the ones that do would never willingly reveal it to any outsiders.''


    ''The only reason I found out was because of Lord Maymun. He lent me a small portion of his great powers to allow me to peek at the weave and see what father was nning so I could go back through the river of time to the right ce.''


    ''So what is this boy''s origin? Could it be that he is someone like me? Or maybe another spiritual being possessing the body of another? But to what end? Was he sent by father or is there someone else within the shadows? Regardless, he knows far too much to be of humble beginnings. I need to take care of him before he derails my ns anymore.''


    Seeing as they had finished speaking Mr. Hyde returned to Hao Xuan''s Mind Pce, thinking no one was the wiser. Yet, the moment he disappeared Jin Wang looked in the direction he had materialized in, letting out a sigh of relief upon sensing that it was now vacant.


    Having been reincarnated so many times and experienced so many different things, even without any great powers there were some things that Jin Wang still knew how to do like sensing the disturbance created in the surrounding energy when a spiritual entity manifests itself.


    ''I need to separate him and Hao Xuan as soon as possible. He is far too significant of a threat to be ignored any longer. But if he is indeed the one Emperor was talking about then I can''t outright kill him. I need to get to the control room as quickly as possible to read thest bit of the Emperor''s instructions.''


    ''Most of the memories rted to the uing events were lost during my reincarnation so I''m working blind right now. The only thing I can still clearly recall is him mentioning that secret control room somewhere within the prison. It will have all the materials that I will need toplete my task.''


    Hao Xuan got off the bed and stretched. He had found a lot of information from Jin Wang and with his help managed to etch out a rough n.


    The three timelines that he experienced were the most powerful candidates to rece the one he was living currently. They were very simr to one another in the sense that the city of Argham was destroyed in each one so all he needed to do right now was to make sure that what happened during those timelines didn''t happen in this one, i.e save the city from destruction.


    Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.


    In the first timeline the city was attacked by cultivators. The ones that he saw were in a uniform he had never seen before but they were speaking the Beast World''s nativenguage so it was pretty obvious to find their origins.


    In the second timeline the city was overrun by crimson beasts. Hao Xuan found out that these beasts had already made an appearance, although their numbers weren''t anything to be concerned about right now. They wereing out from several ces, both down here and on the surface. Jin Wang believed they wereing directly from the prison which meant their source was in there as well.


    The threats of thest timeline were the ones that caught Hao Xuan most by surprise. It was something he had no idea even existed and without Jin Wang''s help, he still wouldn''t have until it was toote to do anything about it.


    Jin Wang told him that the enormous skeleton was the corpse of a god. It was left behind after the God''s death, probably the same one that was supposed to take care of the prison. For some reason his remains became tainted and the divine power still remaining in its body brought it back to life as an undead.


    The wraiths and all those other manner of otherworldly creatures were given birth as a consequence of the divine power leaking into the earth.


    The good thing was that now Hao Xuan knew what he needed to do. The bad part was that he couldn''t do it alone no matter what. Be it fighting against the other cultivators, the crimson beasts, or the many legions of the dead, he needed more hands, an army of his own.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes where he stood and reached out with his soul connection, calling out for Gavril.


    ''Come to me!''

 Chapter 851: Warders

    <h4>Chapter 851: Warders</h4>


    Authors notes:


    The first 8 Privileged chapters will be avable on ******* from now on (Profound Realm and above tiers).


    It is MUCH cheaper to read there rather than on WN since 9.99USD unlocks all of them for an entire month, it''s also the BEST way to support the novel andes with many other perks (Like the reference images being directly posted there)


    https://.*******/shinigami8671


    ***


    ''Come to me!''


    A single irrefutablemand wasmunicated through their soul connection, passing through the stretches of space and reaching Gavril instantly.


    Gavril was resting beside a small tree somewhere on top of a cliff. His body still resembled a human teen with white hair. He slowly opened his eyes upon getting the message and looked to the left where a hunched figure was sitting cross-legged on the ground.


    The figure''s head was lowered and so his face wasn''t visible but the numerous words of power on his exposed upper body were enough to identify him as the leader of the resistance.


    Seeing as he was in deep mediation, Gavril leaned back against the tree and within seconds drifted off to the dreamscape.


    Hao Xuan felt the change in the Mind Pce and knew Gavril had arrived.


    He gestured for Jin Wang to go ahead and sat back down on the bed, closing his eyes and entering his inner world. He appeared in the usual spot and saw Gavril standing near the podium in the center.


    "Is everything okay?" Gavril asked impatiently before Hao Xuan even got close, to which Hao Xuan shrugged.


    "Not really, no. We are low on time and a lot of new things havee up."


    "Anything I can help with?"


    "Yeah, that''s why I called you before anyone else," Hao Xuan said gesturing towards the other Orcs.


    Four of them, the ones Hao Xuan had summoned in the catbs were sitting away from the remaining 196 Orcs. Not only do they appeared to be more mature physically but their raw power was higher than even Hao Xuan''s.


    Gavril noticed the differences in their appearance and the obvious rings of ethereal light surrounding them, letting out a proud smile unknowingly.


    "Did you like them? I guess they finished their training before anyone else."


    Hao Xuan nodded but for obvious reasons appeared to be a little skeptical about their powers.


    "What happened to them? How did they get so strong all of a sudden, surpassing all the others?"


    Gavril pointed towards the rings of ethereal light surrounding each of the massive Orcs, "Because of that. I tested all of them before starting their training and it turned out these four fulfilled all the requirements of bing the first ''Warders'' of the new generation so I gave them a higher priority in the order."


    Hao Xuan didn''t need to ask what the Warders were, his expression ryed that subject quite easily so Gavril rified.


    "There are some among our kind who are more psychically attuned to the unseen. They can easily harbor the energies of the void and draw power from it as needed. These four are such creatures. Under normal circumstances I would have just killed them to save them from the misery of living as such an existence but since you haveplete control over them, I used one of the forbidden Cultivation Techniques created by the old King himself."


    "It first concentrates their psychic powers in their physical bodies before magnifying it by several times tobine their souls and physical bodies into one. This method turns them into powerful psychic entities. They are not traditional living beings anymore and live off of the energy of the void."


    "The good thing about this is that they are much more powerful this way and have a lot of otherwise unique abilities that only spiritual creatures would have. The bad part is that they can easily be controlled or manipted by any powerful creature that finds their tethers in the void or if there is a great psychic disturbance."


    "But since you can control them at will, this greatest weakness is almostpletely nullified."


    Hao Xuan noticed the change in Gavril''s tone of voice when he was referring to the Orcs. It sounded like he was talking about some wild animals rather than his own people. His wordscked any kind of empathy one would expect in such a situation, as if they were nothing more than tools to be used.


    Still, he didn''t bother calling him out on it since it would serve no purpose other than driving a wedge between them, which was not something he needed on his te at the moment.


    Hao Xuan walked over to the four orcs that were sitting in a circle facing each other. The rings of ethereal light hummed lightly as they rotated around each of the massive Orcs.


    He extended his hand over one of them and muttered lightly, "Inspect!"


    Rows of scattered words appeared in front of his eyes. Hao Xuan focused on them to make them fall into order and create some sense.


    Species: Orcen Lord


    Bloodline: Void Priest


    Blood Purity Level: 13.8%


    Abilities: Psychic Attunement, Light de, Infinite Leap, Illusionary Dome, Void Threads.


    Skills: Axe Mastery, Unarmedbat

 Chapter 852: Psychic

    <h4>Chapter 852: Psychic</h4>


    Hao Xuan went over all the details that were provided to him and by the time he finished analyzing everything Gavril was standing behind him tapping his foot impatiently.


    "What did you see? Are they good?"


    Hao Xuan thought about it for a second before shrugging nonchntly, "I don''t understand what most of their abilities do but it says this one is a ''Void Priest''. Do you know what that means?"


    Gavril rattled his brain for answers but couldn''t find one.


    "Not really. All I know is the basic information. Their power is far more terrifying than anything I can conjure up right now so I can not go through their memories in case it backfires. But..." he paused and nced at each of the four Orcs before continuing in a low voice.


    "What I do know is that every psychic being has is categorized in one of many disciplines. Some can freely control their flesh and that of their enemies, transmitting their own bodies with different metals, harnessing thetent power of their flesh etc."


    "Other disciplines include divination, pyromancy, telekinesis, and metallurgy among numerous others. But these disciplines only be obvious when their power grows beyond a point. Unfortunately, I do not have any information in regards to help to increase their progress after that but you should be very careful."


    Gavril grabbed Hao Xuan by the arm and dragged him far enough away that the others couldn''t overhear them.


    "Do not hesitate to destroy them body and soul if they show any disregard of your orders. Each psychic''s power is measured by a grade. And those that fall in the highest grades are beings of almost grotesque power."


    "In the memories that I inherited from the Old King, I saw what they were capable of. At their peak a psychic is able to turn a man inside-out with a nce or snap a Battleship in half with a flick of the wrist. They can mutter a syble and turn an army upon itself in a frenzy of blood lust. They are more than capable enough of destroying entire worlds - more often than not unintentionally."


    Hao Xuan swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet his parched throat. He nced towards the Orc Warders apprehensively. To call them a double-edged sword would be an understatement of epic proportions. If there was any truth to Gavril''s words then any or all of them could be nuclear bombs ready to blow at a moment''s notice.


    But he told himself that because of the power of Soul Severing Heavenly Constitution they could never go against him so he would be safe, yet when he looked at them an uneasy feeling crept into his hearts.


    He went up to each of the other three and inspected their abilities and powers as well. They were all identical with the same exact bloodline. Gavril told him that the bloodline would change in due time as their powers matured and they would develop more specialized abilities along with it.


    All abilities and skills other than "Infinite Leap" were shared between them but that was because of their cultivation methods which taught them so. Hao Xuan guessed that Infinite Leap was either a special ability or one rted to his bloodline that had awakened in advance.


    As for what it did, only the Orc himself could exin it in detail. All Hao Xuan could infer from the name was that it was a movement-rted ability.


    After finished with them Hao Xuan gestured towards the other 196 Orcs most of which hadn''t even progressed beyond the Earth Realm.


    They were still seated in that circr formation with each one lost in its own dreamscape.


    "Why have they not seen any progress at all? They have been sitting like that for almost 2 years now and I need boots on the ground."


    "They just need spiritual energy to progress their training. All the extra energy from the dreamscape was absorbed by the Warders so the rest are still stuck in the same realm."


    Hao Xuan hadn''t expected the problem to be so simple. He waved his hands and several teardrop-shaped golden crystals appeared on the ground. Each one was bursting at the seams with untamed raw energy.


    These were the same ones he got from that odd world within the Pyramid. They were on a timer and now that Hao Xuan had returned to this world their expiration date was drawing close.


    "Will these be enough?"


    Gavril bent down and inspected each one. His mouth fell open when he felt the energy coursing through them.


    "Y-Yes, these will be more than enough. Should I use them all?"


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Yeah, but make it quick. I need them to be ready as soon as possible."


    Gavril calcted how long it would take with this much energy to spare and the result was more than satisfactory.


    "It shouldn''t take more than a day or two. They have already been stuck in the same realm for so long so they can just rush through. You''ll have your army soon but I suggest you have some weapons and armors ready."

 Chapter 853: No Stock

    <h4>Chapter 853: No Stock</h4>


    Hao Xuan finished his talk with Gavril who assured him that within 24-48 hours all the remaining Orcs would have raised their power adequately enough so that they can help him out when the timees.


    They had already been taught all standard offensive and defensive techniques that weremon for Orcs so he didn''t need to worry about much in that aspect. Now the main problem was the issue of weapons and armors.


    Hao Xuan contacted the one ''person'' that could be called an expert in this topic.


    "Baracus!"


    *Beep*


    "Yes?"


    "I need provisions for about 200 individuals. Weapons, armors, any supportive essories. What do we have in stock?"


    "Nothing."


    "...What do you mean? Where did everything go?"


    "Most resources were consumed during the time period you spent in the temporal field. The ''stocks'' as you call them are almost allpletely empty."


    "Well....can''t you scrounge up something from raw materials?"


    "Is your intellect really so limited that you cannotprehend a simple sentence? There are no raw materials either. I will need a minimum of 2 tons of unrefined carbon, sodium, oxygen, phosphorous, iron, and 6 tons of radiated materials with a minimum half-life of 1 standard year."


    "Hey, there is no need for all the attitude alright? If I get all this shit can you make everything?"


    "You will have to define the exact parameters but yes, it is probable."


    "Alright, I''ll figure something out then...douchebag."


    Hao Xuan cursed inwardly and walked out of the cabin where an impatient Henrik was waiting for him by the campfire. He jumped to his feet upon seeing him finally exit.


    "You''re finally here!"


    "Yeah yeah, calm down. Hey guys, what''s up?" Hao Xuan nodded towards the group that had grown significantly in size.


    They were all sitting around the campfire talking in hushed voices but upon seeing Hao Xuan it became eerily quiet.


    Salome was the only one who was still making some noise, eating a roasted beast leg. He looked back towards Hao Xuan with an oil-covered mouth, "Whelchome bachk."


    Next to him were Jin Wang, Hazel, Fulke, Ma Jiang, and Ceni.


    "O-Oh," he stuttered upon seeing Ceni for some reason. The blood rushing to his heart made him blush lightly even though he didn''t harbor any romantic feelings towards her.


    Jin Wang pointed towards the empty seat next to Ma Jiang, "Come sit. It looks like they have something to tell you."


    "Un."


    He walked over and took the seat while Henrik just plopped down on the ground without a worry. He looked over towards Ma Jiang who was meekly tucked into a nket, looking like a rolled-up porcin doll.


    She was nkly staring into the fire,pletely zoned out.


    Hao Xuan leaned in and whispered, "You okay, kid?"


    And as expected she reacted quickly, throwing him a sharp re, "I''m not a kid!"


    "Says the one wearing a nket."


    "Hmph!"


    She looked away, not wanting to give him the opportunity to tease her for a moment longer. Hao Xuan''s lips arched into half a smile before he redirected his attention towards Henrik who was about to pounce on him.


    "What, What? Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "Cousin! Did you talk to cousin?!"


    "Ryfon?" Hao Xuan frowned. Although it had only been a few days for them, it was over 10 months ago since hest spoke to him. So he shook his head lightly.


    "Not recently. Why?"


    Henrik quickly informed him of everything he had found. About losingmunication with the ship and all the various things that had happened on the surface, including the part about Dai Zhi creating a private army that had been fighting the resistance fighters for a while.


    But when he told Hao Xuan about the meeting of all the guardians he finally reacted with a deep frown.


    Hao Xuan reached into his shirt pocket and pretended to take out the identity token which was stored in Baracus''s storage space. It was humming lightly and giving off a pale yellow light.


    When he inserted some Qi into the token a series of words formed within his mind.


    "All guardians must arrive 30 minutes before the expected time. The coordinates are...."


    A timer counting down and coordinates appeared on the token. There were less than seven hours left on it.


    Hao Xuan showed Henrik the coordinates and he told him they were on the surface, somewhere near the tallest mountain range. But Hao Xuan didn''t need to think that hard about going. There were far more important tasks he needed to aplish so it was a no-brainer.


    "I''m not going."


    "You have to!"


    "You have to."


    Both Henrik and Jin Wang spoke simultaneously.


    Hao Xuan looked towards Jin Wang, "Why?"


    But Henrik answered before he could, "Because they will mark you as a traitor if you don''t. You must go this time, if only to figure out what they are up to."


    Hao Xuan was still looking towards Jin Wang who was talking to him through their spiritual sense.


    "I need you to go see if a certain someone is there."

 Chapter 854: Freezing

    <h4>Chapter 854: Freezing</h4>


    "Certain someone? Who?"


    "I''ll tell youter," Jin Wang answered before cutting off the connection.


    Eyes narrowed, Hao Xuan was more than a little curious to find out who it was that had gotten Jin Wang''s attention but Henrik''s wide-eyed face suddenly popped up in front of Hao Xuan, startling him.


    "Alright, I''ll go, rx for god sake. We really need to talk about boundaries with you, weirdo," Hao Xuan pushed him away with his forefinger.


    "Yes! Thank you!"


    Henrik soon left with Fulke and Hazel in tow, while Jin Wang wandered off somewhere a few secondster. Before leaving he gave Hao Xuan the directions of a ce where he would be waiting for him in about an hour.


    Only Salome, Ma Jiang, and Ceni were left sitting there.


    Salome continued eating, sttering various juices and oils all over himself. Hao Xuan gestured for him toe over upon seeing the mess, whipping his face and clothes like a dutiful parent. Ceni silently sat in her chair, sipping from a cup while asionally ncing at him out of the corner of her eye.


    She was trying her best to hide it but to Hao Xuan it was far too obvious. Yet he still didn''t interact with her first.


    He looked around upon remembering the two little monsters that would usually be bothering him to no ends by now.


    "Where are the little ones?"


    Salome shrugged, "Brother Zhurong said he wanted to go y somewhere."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Brother?"


    "Mhm! Brother Zhurong said he is the strongest so he would be the oldest brother!"


    Hao Xuan didn''t know whether tough or cry. Who died and made that little furball king? But he was surprised that Fortis didn''t have anything to say about it. Speaking of which, "And Fortis?"


    "Food."


    "....Of course. I...should have known."


    Salome finished eating a few minutester and quietly went into the cabin to sleep. Hao Xuan was amazed how he could eat so much and still not get fat. Although he wasn''t one toin considering his physique.


    The silence became quite awkward as soon as he left. The cold breeze blowing through the camp did help fill in the stillness but not enough to distract him.


    Hao Xuan kept looking at the time, waiting for the promised moment while cursing himself for not leaving with Jin Wang. If he got up and walked away now it would look weird but sitting here with Ceni and Ma Jiang inplete silence made it more than a little ufortable.


    She looked like she wanted to say something but stopped every time. Meanwhile, Ma Jiang was so lost in her own world that she didn''t even notice the awkwardness, which was strange on its own.


    Hao Xuan wanted to strike up a conversation so he made some randomments.


    "It sure is cold today, huh...Wonder why all of a sudden. Maybe the sun got stolen or something, haha...ha"


    But no one responded, which made him feel even worse.


    ''If I light myself on fire, would that be a good excuse to leave? Someone, please help!'' he yelled inwardly.


    Just then, as if to answer his prayers, thunder rumbled in the sky above. Hao Xuan looked up and saw the storm clouds gathering through the cracked dome. But the lighting bolts that could asionally be seen snaking through the clouds were an especially malevolent violet color.


    Their presence alone served as a prelude to something far worse, which even Hao Xuan could feel. Although he seemed to be the only one here that could do so.


    As shameful as it was to admit, it took Hao Xuan a lot more courage to stand up here than when he was facing numerous life and death situations.


    "So...I have to go do something...over there..." he mumbled lightly.


    Ceni looked away, not even responding in any way while Ma Jiang didn''t even register him.


    Hao Xuan was surprised Ceni hadn''t done or said anything so far. He thought she would be the first one to speak up.


    He turned around and started walking away when all of a sudden Ma Jiang''s thoughts sounded within his head.


    ''Cold, it''s so cold. I can''t...think...someone....please...''


    Her voice became quiet until he couldn''t hear it anymore. Hao Xuan swiveled around on the spot and cautiously bent down in a joking manner, trying his best not to make it too obvious.


    "Oii~, kid, you''re not even gonna say goodbye?"


    As expected, Ma Jiang''s face waspletely devoid of color. She didn''t even look alive anymore which shocked Hao Xuan.


    "Hey, brat, you listening to me!?" he pinched her cheeks, feeling the icy coldness passing into his body. He held his finger in front of her nose but didn''t sense her breathing.


    "Oi Oi, don''t die on me! That old woman is gonna chew me up if something happens to you!" he quickly pulled the nket away which broke apart into shards. It was frozen from the inside.

 Chapter 855: Tresspassing

    <h4>Chapter 855: Tresspassing</h4>


    The moment Hao Xuan pulled the nket away breaking it in the process, a wave of extreme Ying Qi started spreading outwards with Ma Jiang as the center. The me of the campfire flickered and froze in the blink of an eye.


    Since Ceni was sitting right beside her she was too close to react in time. The ground beneath her feet froze as well, along with her boots. She tried to get up but the Ying Qi made her even slower.


    Hao Xuan was the closest to her so his legs from the knee down had already be popsicles but when it reached his abdomen, the Chaos Qi suddenly burst out in fury keeping him from turning into an ice sculpture.


    With gritted teeth, Hao Xuan saw Ceni''s condition on the side so he gathered all his strength to push her out of the way. She was sent flying away, just in the nick of time.


    The area within 4 meters of Ma Jiang waspletely frozen. The only thing still moving was Hao Xuan and even that barely. The Chaos Qi was grinding against the intruding Ying Qi, trying to keep it at bay but if it continued at this rate then he would be out of Chaos Qi in less than 3 minutes.


    "Ma Jiang! Wake up!" he shouted but there was no reaction.


    Ma Jiang herself was ice cold but her body wasn''t frozen. She was just acting as the source of it.


    "Hey, you need to wake up, right now!" Hao Xuan yelled right at her face but obviously, there was no reaction. Her mind was elsewhere. He could still hear fragments of her thoughts as she struggled inwardly.


    ''No...please...I don''t...want to...papa...''


    Hao Xuan fought against the waves of Ying Qi, pushing it as far back as possible until he could reach Ma Jiang. He ced both his hands along the side of her head and tried to insert some Chaos Qi but it felt like there was an invisible wall there.


    No matter how hard he tried to push the Qi through it simply would not enter her body. Meanwhile, his hands had already frozen in ce.


    "Ma...Jiang!" he muttered weakly, on the verge of losing consciousness. The chill had invaded his very bones and before he could even think about devouring it using his physique, his mind was starting to get hazy.


    "You...dumbass...wake...up..."


    Ayer of permafrost had stopped him from moving. Hao Xuan''s vision went dark and he lost consciousness, or at least he thought he did.


    The next moment he opened his eyes and found himself in and cacked in nothing but the purest of whites. A blizzard blew overhead, deafeningly loud as it threatened to sweep Hao Xuan away at any moment.


    ''Where is this?''


    Hao Xuan spoke inwardly but his thoughts echoed loudly in the outside world, or whatever world this was. He looked around him but couldn''t see anything. Just then, carried on a peculiarly chilling gust of wind, Ma Jiang''s voice reached his ears.


    ''No...please don''t hurt them...I''ll do...what you say...papa please...''


    Not only was her voice much louder and clearer, but he instinctively knew where it wasing from. Bewildered, Hao Xuan inspected his surroundings once again trying to find a clue.


    ''Is this...her Mind Pce?''


    He didn''t have any proof of this other than a simple feeling. And it made sense. Previously he could hear her thoughts which were repeating something along the same lines and now he was hearing it loud and clear and even knew where it wasing from.


    This could only mean he had somehow entered her inner world, her Mind Pce.


    Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to see there was nothing visible through the tempest. So Hao Xuan did all what he could and followed the voice.


    She kept repeating the same few lines over and over again, sobbing ever so quietly as she did so.


    ''I''ll do what you want, please don''t hurt them.''


    ''If you let her go I''ll do it.''


    ''Papa please don''t hurt me. I''ll be good from now on.''


    It was pretty obvious she talking to her father. Her voice got louder and louder as Hao Xuan got closer to the source.


    The billowing wind was scraping against his sanity. It was so strong that if not for Ma Jiang''s voice that was keeping him grounded, he would have already lost his mind.


    But after what felt like a lifetime Hao Xuan finally came to a stop in front of a mountain. The winds let up, allowing Hao Xuan to raise his head and be awed by its majesty. It was too big. Far too big to even be real.


    There was a giant gaping hole right in front of him from where the voice wasing from.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath to steel his mind before taking a step forward. The moment his foot passed over the threshold, the howling winds came to an abrupt stop. As if they could not or perhaps, dared not trespass into this domain.

 Chapter 856: Why Did You

    <h4>Chapter 856: Why Did You</h4>


    Outside, Ceni''s body finally returned to normal allowing her to get back on her feet. Her energies were still in disarray but at least she could control her body now.


    Hurting and still in shock over what happened, she peered towards the source of all thismotion and saw Hao Xuan''s stiffened body. He was frozen from head to toe, encased in a thickyer of frost that was slowly getting denser.


    Within the radius of 2 meters, everything was frozen other than Ma Jiang who was now looking up, staring right into Hao Xuan''s frozen eyes.


    Ceni was still rtively calm until the moment she realized she couldn''t sense Hao Xuan''s heartbeat anymore, at which point the color from her face washed away instantly.


    "No, no!"


    Completely disregarding her own safety, Ceni ran straight towards them but the moment she reached the frozen territory a wall of ice materialized out of thin air, stopping her in her tracks. She staggered back a step before clenching her fist and threw a punch.


    "AHH!"


    *Thud*


    The ice wall didn''t budge an inch. Not even a single scratch could be seen on its polished surface, which appeared to be harder than diamonds.


    *Thud*


    *Thud*


    *Thud*


    Her fistsnded on the same spot one after another, flesh noisily mming against ice. By the time she stopped the wall was half-covered in her blood.


    She fell to her knees with tears cascading down her face, not willing to believe that this was it. That he had died so suddenly.


    *Ba-dump*


    <i></i>


    But she perked up when the sound of that familiar beating entered her ears. It was faint, far and few in between but it was there. He was still alive!


    That one little sound was enough to overflow her body with strength. It flew in from god knows where allowing her once again to stand back up.


    She ced her hand against the ice wall, her eyes turning a crimson red. The blood sttered across the cold surface came alive. It started bubbling before turning into a mist that started to permeate the ice wall inch by inch.


    Ceni''s aura started rising and until her features started to change. Eight sharp canine teeth ejected from her mouth as she unknowingly hissed and snarled. The skin on her arm ripped open, spilling out even more blood that attacked the ice wall.


    **


    Back inside, Hao Xuan had been walking through the 20-30 meter wide ice tunnel for close to 10 minutes now. He was expecting it to get a little warmer since he was out of the snowstorm but it was the opposite.


    He was only getting colder as time went by and even staying awake was proving difficult, but there was still hope. Ma Jiang''s voice was sounding right next to his ears now. Her continuous sobbing proved to be an effective tool in keeping him alert, even though his legs felt like they were made of lead.


    And just when he thought he couldn''t go on anymore, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel.


    Hao Xuan pushed his weary body forward until he found himself standing at the edge of the tunnel, peering down at the heart of the mountain.


    Down there he could finally see Ma Jiang''s tiny figure sitting in the middle of a 10-meter wide stone tform. The tform was covered in various strange designs, some that were a little familiar and most that weren''t.


    She was still talking, or more like mumbling to herself since there was no one else there.


    ''Mama, pleasee with me. I can''t leave you with him.''


    ''He is not the same as before, I can see it in his eyes!''


    ''Please don''t leave me alone...mama...''


    Hao Xuan gathered his remaining strength and shouted as loudly as he could, ''MA JIANG!''


    His voice echoed in the hollow chamber but she didn''t react whatsoever.


    ''God damnit!''


    The drop was at least a few hundred meters and even in this state, whichever state he was in currently, he did not know if he could make it down in one piece if he simply jumped.


    So Hao Xuan nced left and right and found a small ridge protruding from just below the tunnel he was on. It was leading all the way down to the bottom and continued even towards the tform.


    Using the strangely uniform protrusions along the ridges he climbed down, which took another couple of minutes. He didn''t waste any time looking around and ran right up to the tform.


    When he stepped on it for the first time his very soul became the sole target of an extremely powerful spirit sense. It attacked him from inside out, gnawing at his own spiritual sense and somehow devouring it for itself.


    A searing pain could be felt as a result of it. Hao Xuan felt like parts of his being were crushed to smithereens and taken away by an inexorable force.


    He fell to his knees. With tears of blood pouring down his face Hao Xuan crawled forward until he was sitting across from Ma Jiang. She looked much different now. Her facial features were significantly different from before.


    The most eye-catching of which were the pointy elf-ears. Her face was a little smaller, a little paler. Her dull eyes were looking down at her feet, still mumbling to herself.


    ''I don''t want to be alone, please don''t leave me alone with him!''


    "Ma Jiang, wake up!" he shouted right at her face.


    When she didn''t respond he held her face both hands, "Hey, listen to me, you need to wake up right now!"


    But it was like looking at an empty house. No one was home, there was no recognition with her gaze. She nkly mumbled, ''I''ll be good mama, please don''t throw me away...''


    "ARGHH!"


    The right side of Hao Xuan''s head cracked open, revealing blood and brain matter. The spiritual sense from before was bing stronger and he wouldn''t be able to resist it for much longer.


    Hao Xuan grit his teeth, overflowing with such tremendous pain the likes of which he had never experienced before.


    He recalled Ma Jiang''s real name, the one she had opted to keep to herself. He looked at the dried-up tear stains on her cheek and clothes. They were years old. She had cried and cried until she couldn''t anymore.


    Asking for help from someone anyone but to no avail. No one could see through her mask. He felt sorry for her. Whatever happened to her obviously created a great trauma that she could not get over.


    And if this was her mind pce, then maybe if he could resolve this burden and tell her what she needed to hear then it would bring her around.


    Hao Xuan brought her close before embracing her gently.


    "It''s okay Ning''er, you''re not alone," he whispered softly as if speaking to a close friend, "I''m right here, I''ll always be here. There is nothing for you to worry about."


    "...."


    Her sobbing stopped.


    Bloody and on the verge of copsing himself, Hao Xuan loosened his grip.


    Ma Jiang pushed him away lightly until their eyes met. He was expecting her to be happy or a little relieved at least but a deep frown adorned her face. Her expression was one of extreme worry and distress.


    Her dainty hands wrapped weakly around Hao Xuan''s cor, her voice a little more than an audible whisper, "No...why did youe here? You will wake him up!"


    "Wake who? There is-"

 Chapter 857: Auspicious

    <h4>Chapter 857: Auspicious</h4>


    "Wake who? There is no one els-"


    "Shhh!"


    Ma Jiang lunged forward, cing her hands over Hao Xuan''s mouth to stop him from talking.


    "-Mmhmmmhm."


    He did not have another opportunity to finish the question before it got answered.


    Ma Jiang closed her eyes and listened. Hao Xuan stopped trying to talk and followed her lead. He thought she still wasn''t in the right state of mind but her actions proved otherwise.


    She slowly removed her hands from Hao Xuan''s mouth and ced them both on the stone tform, palms facing down. Neither of them made any moves or sounds for the next few seconds. When she was sure nothing was going to happen, she gestured for Hao Xuan to stand up.


    He stayed silent and went along. Looking around he could see 8 more giant ridgesing down from 8 identical tunnels to the one he came from. They were all located along the same height, ced neatly in a circle.


    Each of the icy ridges were identical too. Each incline and decline was evenly spaced. And it was also then that Hao Xuan realized why they looked so odd.


    They were alling down from the sides and stopping just before reaching the stone tform in the center. As if anchoring the tform to the mountain itself. But the stone tform did not look like it belonged here. At least he didn''t have anything that looked like this in his mind pce.


    He looked down towards Ma Jiang who was still in the same position, kneeling over the tform with her palms ced within the odd notches on its surface.


    He lowered his a little and whispered, "Come on, let''s get out of here."


    But she shook her head resolutely, "No, I can''t go. I used up too much mana. If I leave he will notice," she replied in the same hushed tone of voice.


    Hao Xuan looked around but couldn''t see anything nor could he feel anything out of ce. Even the stupendous amount of spiritual sense that was trying to bore a hole into his skull was now gone so naturally, he thought she was still a bit delusional.


    "Yes, you can. Come on get up, we are leaving together."


    "No, I can''t g- What are you doing?!"


    Too tired to argue, Hao Xuan simply bent down and picked her up effortlessly.


    "Let me go, you don''t know what you''re doing!!" she punched and kicked, iling about in a futile attempt to break free from his grasp.


    "Look around, nothing happened."


    Hao Xuan gently spun about on the spot to show her that nothing had changed. Ma Jiang ceased her pointless struggle and rxed, allowing him to do what he wanted.


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief seeing her bing cid so quickly. He turned to the ridge he came down from and started moving towards it.


    Ma Jiang''s fists were gripping Hao Xuan''s shirt tightly. Her eyes were closed as she continuously mumbled what sounded like a prayer.


    Hao Xuan paid no mind to her actions and increased his pace. He reached the end of the stone tform before pausing momentarily. Upon once again giving the surroundings another once-over and not finding anything out of ce he continued forward and stepped onto the ridge.


    Ma Jiang didn''t even breathe while nuzzling her head deeper into Hao Xuan''s embrace.


    Hao Xuan was also more than a little nervous stepping onto the ridge but when there were no changes even after leaving the tform he rxed considerably.


    With a hollow chuckle, he nudged Ma Jiang who looked like a scared chick trying to bury its head in the ground.


    "See? I told you there was nothing-"


    *CRAAAAAAACK*


    But hisment was cut short when a booming thunderp emanated from the ground below, interrupting him.


    The ridge shook and suddenly jerked forward. Hao Xuan almost fell off but managed to stay upright by some miracle. Ma Jiang quickly looked up and shouted, "BACK! GO BACK!"


    All nine ridges moved again and the ground splintered into numerous tiny fragments. Hao Xuan pushed against the shaking ridge and managed to leap backwards, barely making it to the stone tform.


    But even that ce wasn''t safe from the tremors. It felt like the entire world was turning upside down as the vibrations got stronger and stronger until no ice remained.


    The ground opened up and swallowed chunks of frozen ground. Even the ridges continuously moved forward and slid into the openings. Suddenly, a wave of extreme heat burst forth from the ground, melting what little bit of frost that was still left hanging. Rays of bright yellow and red light followed right after,ing from somewhere below the tform.


    Ma Jiang pushed the bbergasted Hao Xuan away and sat cross-legged in the middle of the tform. She slit parts of her wrists with her sharpened nails and allowed the blood to fill all the various nooks and crannies etched within the tform''s surface, creating aplex design.


    She started shouting as loudly as she possibly could while running her fingers through the blood.


    "O Spirits of the earth and the sky, lend me your power!"


    *BOOOM*


    A deafening boom sounded from somewhere below that shook the stone tform like a snowglobe. Hao Xuan fell to his knees while Ma Jiang continued chanting behind him.


    Hao Xuan slowly crawled to the edge of the tform and peered into the depths below, at the source of all this chaos.


    It was bright. Blindingly brilliant crimson and amber light filled his vision at first. Hao Xuan covered his eyes with his hands and peeked through a small opening to see what was causing it.


    He noticed the ice ridges that were going straight down into the depths. As the ice melted their true appearance came into view, which was of thick metal chains. Only they were incrediblyrge.


    Each link was at least 20-30 meters in width, created from a ck metal. And there were nine such chains in total. They were alling down from the side of the mountain and going down into ake ofva.


    At first that was all he could see, fire andva crashing against the sides of the mountains that was much bigger than he thought.


    "Lend me your authority, O great spirits of old! Allow me to be the vessel for your auspicious strength, so I can once again seal that which should not see the light of day!"


    Ma Jiang mmed her palms in the central pools of blood, allowing it to cover her entirely.


    And then, just as her chants echoed in Hao Xuan''s ears, tongues of mes mixed and warped with one another for just an instant trying to break free from theke, the surface of which was covered in the ck chains.


    The mes superimposed upon one another and took physical shape for a split second, allowing Hao Xuan to see a horned face staring up at him. Its eyes were closed making it appear asleep, but the sense of looming dread that it instilled within his heart was second to none.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/b8/ac/4e/b8ac4e216f72268a91f1ac4d1afc0ede.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/FQi9K

 Chapter 858: Poor Soul

    <h4>Chapter 858: Poor Soul</h4>


    All Hao Xuan could do was stare, wide-eyed and incredulous if what he was seeing was actually real or something metaphorical being manifested within Ma Jiang''s mind pce.


    But when he thought about all the other strange things surrounding her, somehow it made sense.


    The ck chains tightened around the horned face and managed to keep it at bay, while theva continuously thrashed about behind it before eventually ''absorbing'' the face back inside.


    Hao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, backing away from the edge. He turned around and saw Ma Jiang sprawled out on the stone tform, breathing heavily.


    He stood up and walked up to her, staring down at her face. Just one look at her real appearance was enough to reveal her true identity. She was the girl he was looking for all this time, Ryfon''s niece.


    Even if he ignored those eye-catching pointy ears which were a salient feature of the Elven race, the sparkling ck eyes and almost picture-perfect features that had more than a littlemon with Ryfon himself could not be overlooked. It had to be her, especially since he had already check everyone else.


    She was hiding her real identity, and now it made sense why. If this really was her Mind Pce, then guessing from the chains and the stone tform that acted as its control center, that ''thing'' was sealed here by someone.


    Earlier when she was referring to her father he always came out to as a viin. So assuming that was the case, it was more than likely he was behind it. But...why seal it in her mind pce? Why seal it all?


    Hao Xuan''s mind raced as he fell deeper into a myriad of thoughts.


    ''It''s most likely she escaped from her father''s grasp and changed her name to stay safe. And going by that logic, she was probably trying to find her maternal family to ask for help or assistance but instead fell into that Elven general''s hands, whatever his name is.''


    ''If that''s true then there is a big chance he told her some made-up bullshit about Ryfon and others so even if I straight up tell her the truth, she probably won''t believe it. I need to gain her trust first.''


    He saw her pale face that was almost devoid of all life. She couldn''t even open her eyes let alone sit up.


    ''That earlier ritual must have done a number on her. Poor kid. Betrayed by her own father, probably lost her mother and thrown out into the world to deal with it all by herself, all the while hiding this creature inside her mind pce. It can''t have been easy. Not many people would have been able toe this far.''


    Hao Xuan knelt down beside her and asked softly, "Are you okay?"


    She opened her eyes halfway and managed to nod with some effort, trying to crack a smile.


    "Mhm, I''m...good."


    But her inner thoughts said otherwise.


    ''I can''t feel my legs. I''m so tired, cold, and hungry. I wanna go....back home...I wanna eat...mom''s food again...mama...where are you...?''


    Hao Xuan never really had any strong maternal feelings towards his own mother but that didn''t mean he couldn''t empathize with other''s.


    His hand subconsciously reached out to caress her hair, "Let''s go. I haven''t eaten anything in so long, I''ll make you something good."


    "Eh? I''m not hungry though..." she said blinking at him with a straight face which made Hao Xuan almost smack her head.


    "Yes, yes. But I am so I wanna eat. So...How do we get out of here?" he looked around but couldn''t find a way out.


    The ridge that was one of the chains couldn''t be used anymore even though it was more than big enough to hold him. He was too tired and didn''t trust himself to not fall, which was not an option since the bottom of the mountain was filled withva and was home to whatever that being was sleeping inside it.


    And if they fell down, it would be more or less certain death, at least for him for certain.


    But just as he had feared, Ma Jiang pointed towards one of the nine tunnels from which the chains wereing from.


    "There."


    Hao Xuan''s expression darkened, "Is that the only way out?"


    She nodded weakly, "Yes. I could send us out but I''m too weak right now. Maybe in a few hours I could..."


    But Hao Xuan didn''t have that much time. He could feel his body dying in the outside world. His soul had been gone for far too long.


    He racked his brain trying toe up with different solutions for a few minutes until he felt something moving. A strong grip on his back in the outside world. And then that same sensation was transferred to his soul in here.


    A pulling force trying to connect the two. Someone was trying to bring him back!


    ''Is that Jin Wang?!''


    But he didn''t question the good fortune and bent down to pick up Ma Jiang.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Going out!"


    "We can''t leave, only I can send us-"


    Before she could finish Hao Xuan felt a burning sensation on his right shoulder and he opened his eyes back in his frozen body.


    "HNGH!"


    He flexed and shattered the frost encasing him and everything nearby. Without Ma Jiang to power it, it broke apart in an instant freeing him and the others.


    ted, Hao Xuan looked behind to thank Jin Wang and scold him for taking his time but came face to face with Ceni instead.


    "I-It was you??"


    Ceni looked a little different from what he remembered of her a moment ago. She was a little taller and more...beautiful? But her expression was cold as she hastily pulled back her arm and turned around.


    "Send me a message when you are about to leave. I too have to go to the gathering," she threw out the words before walking away.


    *Gruuumble*


    Ma Jiang''s rumbling empty stomach brought him back to reality.

 Chapter 859: No Waste

    <h4>Chapter 859: No Waste</h4>


    ***


    Hao Xuan was hunched over the rekindled campfire putting in more wood from the nearby pile while fanning the me with his hand.


    Ma Jiang was just a few inches to his left, shivering due to her previous state trying to get even closer to the me.


    "Tsk, sit back down. You''re gonna fall in if you keep leaning in so close!" Hao Xuan scolded loudly, startling her enough to make her almost tip over.


    She backed up and repeatedly punched his arm with a scowl, "Nooo, you almost made me fall over! Are you trying to kill me? Mhm?"


    To him her punches were not evenparable to mosquito bites but he still pretended to get angry over it and lunged forward, "You little, I save you and this what I get?! Come here," picking her up he held her over the open me jokingly.


    "Is that good enough? Huh? Is that close enough? If you want I c-could-" but when he noticed the quite real tears forming around her doe-like eyes he stuttered and swiftly ced her back down.


    "Hey hey, I was just kidding. Why are you crying?"


    "I''m not crying!!"


    She turned her head away to wipe the tears with her sleeve. Hao Xuan felt bad so he was about to apologize but just then her loud thoughts drilled into his mind.


    ''Hehehe, I''m such a great actress. And he is so stupid! Hah! This is a great opportunity to guilt him into making me something super delicious! Is he still looking....?!''


    She slowly peered back expecting him to be wallowing in ''despair'' but saw his expressionless face a few inches away, scaring her once again.


    "Aaah! W-What?! Do you want to throw me into the fire again? Huh? Is that what you want, Mr. Savior? Hmm?" she doubled down, leaving Hao Xuan speechless.


    He shook his head, sighing at her shamelessness but gave up rtively quickly.


    *Sigh*


    "You win. What do you want? I''ll make it if I can."


    "!!!"


    "T-Then I want..." she mulled over various choices and answered, which left Hao Xuan stupefied.


    "Two slices of venison fillet served on a dill encrusted parmesan tuille with a wild ck cherry & spiceberry vinegar gastrique. One medium well and the other medium rare....please..."


    For a few seconds Hao Xuan''s brain stopped functioning altogether. It was simr to when aputer was fed far too much information making it overload.


    ''I understood like, three words out of that...isn''t venison meat? Yea there is some here I think...''


    He turned around with a deep frown and went through everything that was avable to him.


    There were basically just a few slices of dried jerky in his storage space but thankfully there was fresh meat that had been left over in the camp from a few hours ago so he took that out and held it in front of Ma Jiang''s face.


    "There are three slices of this meat, smells like...frog? I don''t know. And I think there are a few berries around here somewhere. Wait, I''ll go check," Hao Xuan scurried off, leaving an astonished Ma Jiang behind.


    She leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes, lowering her expectations to anything that wouldn''t kill her outright. The exhaustion soon took over and despite being starving she fell asleep.


    As expected, she dreamt of being back home, sitting at the dinner table while her beautiful mother brought out one dish after another. She couldn''t eat any meat because of her physique but since Ma Jiang liked it so much there would always be a few dishes made just for her.


    Despite being a princess and belonging to the highest tier of royalty, she always made all the food herself while Ma Jiang watched in amazement.


    "Mama, when will papae home?"


    "Soon my love. Come you should start eating first."


    "But I want to wait for papa..."


    "He will be backter honey. If you keep waiting the food will get cold which is?"


    "Bad..."


    "And why is it bad?"


    "Because they died so we could eat, so we should not waste anything."


    "Exactly. Now go own."


    "Yes!"


    Ma Jiang was about to take her first bite when a loud knockinging from the front door stopped her.


    *BANG*BANG*BANG*


    Her mother''s expression turned grim as she grabbed Ma Jiang and ran into the main bedroom.


    *BOOM*


    *GASP!*


    Ma Jiang jumped out of her chair fists swinging but and realized she had been dreaming.


    Sheughed hoarsely, "It was just...a dream."


    "What was, honey?"


    She turned around and saw the rotting corpse of her mother sitting in her chair. She was yed from head to toe and the remaining flesh was falling off the bone. She picked up some of it and ced it on a te, handing it to Ma Jiang.


    "Eat before it gets cold honey. Otherwise, I would have died for nothing."

 Chapter 860: Kitten

    <h4>Chapter 860: Kitten</h4>


    Ma Jiang''s expression was a mix between terror and pain. She shook her head repeatedly while slowly walking backwards, "N-No...this isn''t real...I''m still dreaming....this has to be a dream!"


    Her mother stood up from the chair, revealing her rotten form. Most of the flesh was stuck to the back of the chair and even more slipped off her bones as she walked forward.


    In her panicked state, Ma Jiang stepped on a rock and fell on her back, watching with teary eyes as the corpse of her mother slowly approached her.


    The smell of decaying flesh drilled into her nostrils and no matter how hard she tried to hold her breath it still came through.


    "You''re not-" Ma Jiang spoke up but her mother suddenly bent down and leaned in close enough until each and every maggot squirming in her face could be seen with stark rity.


    "-Real? I''m very real, my love. Do you not recognize me anymore?"


    "N-No! You''re not her! Mama is still alive! She is just sick. I will find a cure for her!"


    The few strands of muscle still hanging from the corpse''s face suddenly stretched to create a deep grin.


    "Really? You will save her? How? No one will help you and you know you can''t do it alone. Soon the boy will find you and take you with him. And then your mother will end up just.like.this..."


    "NO! THAT''S NOT TRUE!" Ma Jiang screamed, pushing the corpse away. But her hand went straight through its chest and all the internal organs slipped out one by one.


    The corpse burst into a fit ofughter.


    "Hahaha! Now look what you have done. Stupid little girl, can''t do anything right. Everything she touches turns to dust. This is your fate, this is OUR fate!" it suddenly reached out and grabbed her arms, pushing her against the ground.


    Her horrid breath came out in the form of smoke and when Ma Jiang smelt it her eyes became dull. The corpse''s voice stiffened, bing not only more masculine but splitting into several different voices of different ages.


    "You have no other choice but to let me out! Give in and ept my power, that is the only way you can save her and yourself. You know it to be true!"


    It looked like Ma Jiang had lost the ability to distinguish fact from fiction. She could neither push the corpse away nor resist in any way other than a light tremble.


    "No...I can''t...I...promised..."


    "Yes, you can. You want to save her right? Then this is the only way."


    "But...the promise..."


    Meanwhile, in the outside world Hao Xuan was listening to what was happening inside Ma Jiang''s dream, but only the dialogue from her side not the one from the corpse.


    He could hear her resistance slowly fading away and even though he tried to ignore it at first but upon seeing the tears streaming down her face he opted to wake her up anyway.


    "Hey, the food is ready. Wake up."


    He only had to nudge her once to bring her back around. Ma Jiang slowly opened her eyes that were wet from all the tears.


    She peered around the camp for a few moments before finally letting out a shaky breath of relief upon not finding anything out of ordinary.


    "Is this...real?" she muttered weakly, unsure as of yet.


    Although hesitant at first but upon seeing her distraught appearance Hao Xuan patted her gently on the head but she didn''t even react.


    "Bad dream?"


    "....Maybe," she answered softly, too afraid to even sitfortably anymore in fear of falling asleep once again. Her bloodshot eyes made her look even more pitiful, garnering a fair bit of concern from Hao Xuan.


    Ryfon was a rtively good friend to Hao Xuan and someone he actually trusted to arge degree so her being his niece made him feel a little close to her by extension. Not to mention it was his job to protect her since it was one of Ryfon''s conditions foring over.


    He still didn''t have a clear idea about what she was going through but seeing her in that state, even if she had nothing to do with him Hao Xuan would have still done something to help her.


    He handed her the te of food which was whipped up in a hurry. She seemed listless and a lot more withdrawn from before seeing as she didn''t even bothermenting on the sub-par quality of the food.


    Sitting down on the dusty ground, Ma Jiang started gnawing at the scraps absentmindedly while Hao Xuan watched in silence. He looked up at the cloudy sky and then at the time.


    It had already been more than an hour so the sooner he left the better, but he didn''t feelfortable leaving her alone.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes for a moment and sent out the ''recall''.


    ''Come back to the camp right now.''


    Not even 20 secondster one of the nearby bushes shifted and a small white kitten strutted out.


    "Meow!" he red towards Hao Xuan, obviously unhappy about being summoned in such a manner.


    Hao Xuan gestured towards Ma Jiang, ''Stay with her. Keep her safe until I get back.''


    Zhurong looked towards Ma Jiang and his expression changed instantly. His little brow knitted in a tight furrow, almost identical to how Hao Xuan''s expression usually was.


    He walked up to her and jumped in herp, waking her from the stupor.


    "Hmm? Who are you?" she asked lightly.


    Hao Xuan stood up and pointed towards Zhurong, "Don''t give him any food, he''s already getting fat."


    Ma Jiang suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back.


    "Are you leaving too?" she asked in a quivering voice, which made Hao Xuan want to give her a hug.


    He gave an affable smile, "I have to go to the meeting but I''ll be back tomorrow. Stay here for the time being. If you feel sleepy kick Salome out of the cabin and take the bed, he''ll sleep anywhere. "


    "Zhurong will stay with you and the octopus should be back soon. They might not seem like it but both of them are very dependable. I''ll tell Henrik to check on youter, tell him if you need anything."


    "Oh....okay..."


    Dispirited, she let go of his arm and shrunk back into a corner. Hao Xuan felt like he had just abandoned a newborn kitten but this was the only option, at least for now.


    He needed to visit the surface which was the territory of the three great powers and he couldn''t bring her with him.

 Chapter 861: Dead End

    <h4>Chapter 861: Dead End</h4>


    Hao Xuan followed the directions Jin Wang had left him and wandered through the forest for a few minutes until he came to a well-hidden entrance to a cave that was behind an ordinary-looking boulder.


    There was ayer of fog covering the bottom of the cave. It was only half a meter wide, just enough for Hao Xuan to squeeze through. When he finally exited the cramped space there was a small water waiting for him on the other side.


    Hao Xuan peeked over and saw Jin Wang sitting at the bottom next to the grand priestess talking in a hushed voice. Curious, he tried to listen in on their conversation but couldn''t hear anything so he made his presence know.


    Jin Wang waved at him gesturing for him to jump down to which Hao Xuan obliged.


    "You guys know each other?" he looked towards the grand priestess and then Jin Wang. He was still quite mad about what she had said to him on their first meeting.


    The grand priestess took a puff from her pipe and blew out a small cloud of smoke, pointing at the spot next to Jin Wang, "Have a seat."


    Both their feet were submerged in the milky white water that was also nketed in ayer of fog.


    Hao Xuan threw Jin Wang a questioning gaze but he just smiled in return, leaving him no other choice but to either do as told or be rude and ignore the old woman''s invitation.


    But since he didn''t want to be rude to her face, Hao Xuan obliged once again and sat down beside them taking off his shoes and dipping his feet in the cold water.


    "What?" Hao Xuan inquired when he saw the other two staring at him.


    "How does it feel?"


    "Do you see anything?"


    "I see two freaks giving e creepy looks, that''s what I see," Hao Xuan answered in annoyance.


    Jin Wang looked towards the Grand priestess for confirmation and she gave a quick nod in return. Her voice echoed in Jin Wang''s head, ''I can not see it, nothing at all. I have nevere across anything like this before.''


    ''It''s fine, I expected as much.''


    Hao Xuan finally couldn''t take it anymore and spoke up from the side, interrupting the duo.


    "So who was that you wanted me to go see?"


    Jin Wang had previously mentioned that he wanted Hao Xuan to confirm a "certain someone''s" presence during the gathering so he was quite curious.


    Jin Wang pointed towards the surface of the fog-covered water, "That guy."


    The fog moved aside to reveal the image of a man in histe thirties being reflected in the water. he was standing tall and proud, which was obvious just from a single nce. Chest puffed out, chin almost facing the moon it was raised so high.


    But despite the overbearing demeanor, he was dressed modestly without any jewelry or even weapons on himself. He wore a simple ck long coat and some old pants that looked exceptionally ordinary.


    He had short ck hair with white pupils. He had an aura of wildness about him, one that made Hao Xuan question whether or not he had seen him before. But obviously, he hadn''t.


    Jin Wang noticed the look of concentration on Hao Xuan''s face and inquired as to the cause of it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "He seems...familiar. Like I SHOULD know him but don''t."


    Jin Wang straightened his back, "You''ve seen him before?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head confidently, "No, never. I''m sure about that part but it''s almost like deja vu. Like I have an impression of him just from a superficial look. I FEEL like we met but didn''t."


    "What kind of impression?"


    "I''m not sure. I can''t...put my finger on but it''s like I''m looking at a wall, a nk wall you know? A dead end. I feel like he''s done something bad if that makes sense at all."


    Jin Wang looked back towards the grand priestess for confirmation but she shrugged in response, not being able to give an exnation for it.


    Hao Xuan looked away, not being able to stare at the image for a second longer.


    "Who is he?"


    Jin Wang sighed, a little uneasy now that Hao Xuan had told him about that. He was having second thoughts about sending him to the surface now.


    "He is an old enemy, a very powerful one. He goes by a lot of different names and titles but there is one that always follows him around wherever he goes, the ''Abyss Walker''. I''m not sure if he is already here or not."


    The moment those words left Jin Wang''s mouth rm bells started ringing inside Hao Xuan''s head. He had heard that name before from Nidhora. She told him the Abyss Walker hade to the and she needed to hide from him at all costs.


    ***


    Authors notes:


    The first 8 Privileged chapters will be avable on p a t r e o n from now on (Profound Realm and above tiers).


    It is MUCH cheaper to read there rather than on WN since 9.99USD unlocks all of them for an entire month, it''s also the BEST way to support the novel andes with many other perks (Like the reference images being directly posted there)


    https://.p a t r e o n/shinigami8671

 Chapter 862: Thicket

    <h4>Chapter 862: Thicket</h4>


    "I''m not sure whether or not he''s already here."


    But Hao Xuan already knew he was, Nidhora had confirmed it. What he didn''t know was whether or not to tell Jin Wang about it just yet.


    "Why is he so important?" Hao Xuan inquired. Surely it had something more to it than it meets the eye.


    But Jin Wang gave a goofy smile, patting him on the back.


    "Don''t worry about why, it''s personal. All you have to do is see if he is there or not. He can''t change his appearance so he will look exactly like the image you saw. It''s pretty simple. Will...you do it?"


    Hao Xuan saw that sincere look of urgency in Jin Wang''s eyes and nodded back without even realizing it. This was the first real favor he had asked of him so of course Hao Xuan would do it.


    "Thanks."


    "Ey, what are friends for."


    "Haha, yeah, you''re right. So you ready to leave yet? Thisdy here will send you directly to the surface. You will still have to go on foot for a few hours but it won''t be too far," Jin Wang finished by pointing towards the Grand Priestess who gave a ceremonial bow in return, which came off as a little sarcasticbined with her words.


    "At your service, my lord."


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Yeah but I will need a few things when I get back."


    He handed over the list of elements Baracus had asked for to Jin Wang who passed it to the grand priestess after taking a quick look. He exined some of the elements to her in her nativenguage.


    She crossed off a few things swiftly once she knew what they were, "I can gather these three without a problem but the others you will have to find yourself."


    The ones she crossed off were oxygen, phosphorous, and six tons of radiated materials, which was quite a surprise to Hao Xuan since he was expecting those to be the hardest ones to find.


    "Are you sure?" he asked skeptically. Maybe she was just trying to show off or didn''t understand what exactly they were.


    The grand priestess smiled knowingly as if she was expecting him to question her.


    "You saw the lights in and around Argham?"


    Hao Xuan recalled the thousands upon thousands of bright crystals and stones that were embedded all around the city and the entire area in general. They were the main source of light in this eternally dark ce.


    "Yeah."


    "Those are all ''radiated'' or whatever you call them. People can''t stay near them for too long otherwise they get sick and die within a few years at most. Some get burns on their skin and other start catching small diseases that normally wouldn''t be too bad."


    "Although they illuminate the city, we have to be very careful with them..."


    All the symptoms that she described were of radiation poisoning and exposure to extreme radiation, which was a piece of good news for him.


    "Alright, that will do. Any idea where I can get the rest?"


    The three elements still left were unrefined carbon, iron, and sodium. Usually, they could be foundmonly in many ces, but finding their unrefined reserves in thatrge a quantity was not going to be easy, especially for sodium which was extremely reactive by nature.


    The grand priestess shook her head, "We can get everything we need from mother nature. She provides for us so we have no need to go looking elsewhere. The barbarians used to dig underground in the past but that was many many years ago. Maybe the humans could still help be of some help?"


    Hao Xuan sighed dispiritedly, "I''ll see about it when I get back then I guess. What will you do in the meantime?" he asked Jin Wang who pointed towards a certain direction.


    "I''ll be going into the maze of structures underground. There is something down there that I need to reach."


    "Something down there? In the prison? That''s the only thing down there and it is not safe," Hao Xuan warned but Jin Wang casually waved his hands.


    "Nah, it will be fine, trust me. I just need to find a way to the heart of the structure and locate the ce which controls everything. It will be quick and I''ll be back even before you return."


    Hao Xuan still didn''t really believe Jin Wang but if anyone could, it would be him. Plus Hao Xuan needed to get to the control room anyway so if Jin Wang could find it before him it would save him a lot of time.


    "Alright, be careful then."


    When they were finished talking the grand priestess led both of them through the misty forest until they exited through a thicket of fruiting bushes. There was someone waiting for them there.


    "You''rete," Princess Ceni coldly remarked, looking towards Jin Wang rather than Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 863: Musky

    <h4>Chapter 863: Musky</h4>


    "Oh, sorry sorry. It took longer than I expected," Jin Wang smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.


    "Learn to be on time. Not everyone is as free as you."


    "I know, I already said sorry didn''t I? You need to rx woman..."


    "Don''t call me woman, you melting mongrel!"


    Watching the duo grumbling back and forth like old friends, Hao Xuan could not help but look at them suspiciously.


    He nudged Jin Wang lightly and whispered, "Since when did you guys be so close?"


    He shrugged, "Dunno. We''re not that close really," leaving Hao Xuan speechless.


    The grand priestess who was watching all this from the side instantly knew what Jin Wang was trying to do. Even though she hid rather well, Ceni''s lingering gazes gave her away in a heartbeat.


    ''Ahh, the mischievousness of youth. How refreshing, kukuku.''


    The group was led through a small trail in the forest to a stone altar approximately 1.5 meters in diameter. It had various glyphs and symbols etched around the edges forming aplete circle.


    The grand priestess walked up to it and started chanting in an unknownnguage while the other waited patiently by the side. Hao Xuan felt more than a little nervous thinking of the events toe.


    It felt like he was walking into the wolf den and he wasn''t quite sure if the wolf was hungry or not. This was the gathering of all the most powerful members of each of the three great power and the chances were that he would not have any friends there this time.


    If things went south, it could end in a rather bloody encounter.


    "Hey," he whispered towards Jin Wang but Ceni''s ears perked up too although she kept looking straight.


    "Hmm?"


    "If I don''te back in time or...not at all, just in case you know, take care of Ma Jiang for me. Tell Henrik to stay close to her and-"


    *Crunch*


    The noise from a branch breaking interrupted Hao Xuan. He looked towards the source and saw Ceni a meter away, her whole body shaking like a leaf.


    "Are you okay, princess?" he asked but she didn''t even bother looking at him.


    Confused, he sent the remainder of the message through spirit sense, ''Tell Henrik she is Ryfon''s niece, the girl I was looking for. Someone is after her so she needs to be protected at all costs until Ryfon gets here in person. She is using some kind of spell or something to alter her appearance so you can''t tell-''


    Jin Wang patted him on the back before he could finish, ''I know. It''s not technically magic but rather a potion. Don''t worry, she will be safe here. The grand priestess has taken quite a liking to her.''


    Hao Xuan''s brow shot up in surprise, ''That''s what I''m worried about. I don''t trust the grand priestess. Earlier she said...forget it, it doesn''t matter. Just make sure she is taken care of yeah?''


    ''Yeah yeah rx, she''ll be fine. You need to worry about yourself first. I heard the conditions on the surface are not good so it is extremely dangerous right now.''


    ''Come back as soon as you can and don''t pick a fight with anyone during the gathering. Even if they belittle and treat you with disdain, just take it all and remember their faces forter. You won''t win if you fight there, okay?''


    ''Yeah I know that already. I''m not that stupid,'' Hao Xuan said jokingly.


    ''Heh, could have fooled me.''


    ''How about you suck a dick then, how about that?''


    ''Sorry I have standards, unlike your MOM!''


    ''You motherfucke-''


    The grand priestess stopped chanting all of a sudden just as the altar opened up to reveal a path going straight down. It was just big enough for one person to walk through at a time.


    It was full of dust like no one had been there in ages with a heavy musky scent of the earth all around. Hao Xuan had to take just a quick little sniff for the strong smell to crawl up his nostrils and render him slightly intoxicated.


    "Uff, my god, what is that smell?"


    "Smell?"


    Jin Wang inhaled through his nose but couldn''t pick up anything.


    "Yea it smells like...earth, you know? Like freshly dug soil. It''s so strong!"


    Ceni tried to smell the air but couldn''t see what he was talking about either. But the grand priestess exined what it was.


    "It''s magic. This tunnel is made of living soil, a portion of ground with magical properties. That''s what it is."


    Hao Xuan rubbed his nose and covered it with his shirt, "Why does magic smell so bad?"


    But the other three exchanged silent nces knowing that ''magic'' has no smell. How could it even be possible?

 Chapter 864: Grovel

    <h4>Chapter 864: Grovel</h4>


    *Cough*


    "Alright, in you go," the grand priestess moved aside, allowing Princess Ceni and Hao Xuan to walk inside in that order.


    Hao Xuan turned around to ask for exact instructions since she had still not given any, "What do we-" but the grand priestess waved her smoking pipe and closed the alter and the only exit.


    Thankfully, her voice echoed in their ears a momentter.


    ''Just keep moving forward at a normal pace and you''lle out on the top. But whatever you do, do not walk backwards. It could leave you buried anywhere deep underground and you would have to crawl your way up, if it is even possible.''


    Hao Xuan who was about to walk back froze midstride and carefully pulled back his foot.


    "Well...thank you for letting us know, you old hag!" he muttered out loud thinking she wouldn''t be able to hear it but a ghostly "You are wee, youngin," was carried into his ears, startling him.


    A little embarrassed, Hao Xuan turned around and started walking down the tunnel following closely behind Princess Ceni.


    Whenever they moved a few steps the sound of earth moving woulde from directly behind them and living soil would be reced by normal one. Only the area directly in front and below them was still part of living soil.


    Hao Xuan noticed that the living soil would keep moving forward even if he didn''t so he needed to be just a bit faster than it.


    It was quiet, damp, dark, and as previously mentioned, extremely musky for Hao Xuan. He held his breath for the most part and whenever he did breathe, the scent of Princess Ceni''s perfume wafted into his nostrils.


    Being barely half a meter away from her it was extremely strong. It smelled like freshly cut lcs and went straight to his brain, permeating a sweet taste in Hao Xuan''s mouth to go along with it.


    Hao Xuan was a little too close to her in this cramped space and since there was no other sound in here, all he could focus on was the rustling of clothes that lightly brushed against Princess Ceni''s skin.


    And as intended, his thoughts quickly went in a weird direction. His imagination ran wild and he couldn''t help but picture her naked form. It was almost like he couldn''t help himself from doing so despite his personal reservations.


    At one moment he blinked and she appeared to bepletely naked right in front of him but when he blinked again it was back to normal.


    ''Fucking hell, what is wrong with me?!'' Hao Xuan looked away, shocked at his own desperate thoughts.


    Still, to not make her feel ufortable, he tried to say something to fill in the silence.


    "Um, nice perfume."


    "....."


    "....."


    "......"


    "I''m not wearing any," she finally replied what felt like an eternityter.


    Hao Xuan realized it was her natural scent he was smelling which made him even more excited for some reason. Her words had almost a hypnotic effect on him, forcing him to look away from herpletely.


    But as soon as he closed his eyes Princess Ceni tripped and he ran right into her backside. Hao Xuan''s hearts both skipped a beat as another image popped into his mind.


    He saw himself pinning Ceni against the wall and ripping her clothes off.


    ''What the FUCK!?''


    He took a quick step back and started apologizing profusely, "I''m so sorry I didn''t mean to-"


    "No it was my fault. I didn''t see the steps," she pushed against his chest and walked forward.


    There were indeed some rough stone steps in front of them that were going up, leading towards the exit that was now in sight.


    Hao Xuan''s hearts were thumping like maddened bulls. His face flushed and became hot o the touch. That was so unlike him just now but he could feel it wasn''t too far-fetched.


    ''I don''t know if I will be able to stop myself if I was ever in such a situation,'' he thought inwardly.


    They walked up the stone steps for a minute or so that came out on top of a small ledge on the side of a mountain.


    There was an archway cut into the mountainside from which they had exited. It looked to be at least a few centuries old.


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief as he gently pushed past Princess Ceni and moved to the side, shuffling down the path that was leading into the forest below.


    Princess Ceni watched his back vanish behind the trees and let out a proud smile. She waved her hand. The bracelet hanging from her wrist shone for an instant as a small shape materialized in front of her.


    "Hoho, I am back, world! Watch how I take all your sticks for myself!" the small dog jumped up and down.


    "Haeti!" Princess Ceni called out his name to get his attention. (First mentioned in CH 563. Bearded Maltese dog that walks on two feet, dressed in all ck like a ninja and carries a small sword on its back).


    "Mydy!!" he finally noticed Princess Ceni and ran up to her in all fours.


    "Did it work mydy? Did the spell work?"


    She nodded lightly, her lips arching into a sly smile.


    "It did. And it wasn''t a spell, just some basic hypnosis but....it definitely worked. I was able to project a portion of my thoughts right into his mind and he didn''t even think twice about it. It looks like my mother''s bloodline has some uses after all."


    "Keukeukeu, you shall have him soon, mydy. He will be groveling at your feet in no time!"

 Chapter 865: Something bad

    <h4>Chapter 865: Something bad</h4>


    "He will be groveling at your feet in no time, keukuekue!"


    Princess Ceni softly knocked Haeti on the back of his head.


    "I don''t need him at my feet. I will be more than happy if he can only stand beside me."


    "Y-Yes, mydy," Haeti meekly replied while rubbing his sore head. He looked towards Princess Ceni to see if she was mad and saw her looking up at the sky. When he followed her line of sight his little mouth fell open.


    "M-Mydy, w-what is that?"


    The entire sky was dyed in a shade of dark red. There was a pir of purple light in the far distance that was ending in a vortex of the same color. It was wide enough to cover an entire direction.


    The edges of the vortex were slowly shifting in color from purple to crimson and were the source of the deep red color that was permeating throughout the rest of the sky. It looked like a tornado that was hovering a few dozen kilometers above ground, slowly increasing in size and influence.


    One could only imagine how it looked from outer space. Bolts of purple lightning continuously fell from the vortex, striking the ground underneath without pause.


    It was too far for the sound to carry over but it wasn''t hard to imagine how deafeningly loud it would be, akin to a neverending barrage of artillery fire.


    Princess Ceni seemed troubled by what she was seeing. "It''s something terrible," shemented.


    The sound of branches breaking came from the forest below and got her attention. She let out a deep sigh while gently shaking her head, "Come, let''s catch up to him."


    But Haeti grabbed her hand and pulled back with a concerned expression. He spoke in quite a loud voice expressing his discontent.


    "Mydy, is it truly a wise decision to follow after that man even to the gathering? It is most likely a trap for you. And since you have used up most of your vital blood saving his life once again, you are still too weak to fight back. What if your brother doesn''t let you leave? Will that man even care?"


    Haeti was referring to what happened a couple of hours ago. Ceni had used her vital blood to power her magics and bring Hao Xuan back to his body, along with Ma Jiang. And because she did that, now her own strength had deteriorated significantly.


    Seeing the worry in his eyes Ceni could not help butugh inwardly. She bent down and lightly flicked the middle of his brow, making him flinch and almost tear up.


    "My..dy..." he mumbled rubbing his forehead with watery eyes. She rubbed the underside of his chin.


    "You know how you feel about me? That''s how I feel about him but a hundred times stronger. Even if I wanted to I couldn''t back away now. He needs me, even if he won''t ever admit it. The bond that we have cannot be broken so easily. We were destined to meet and fated to be together. It is the only way."


    She said those words with such conviction that Hao Xuan who was already a hundred meters away minding his business could feel it in his heart. The connection between them was so strong that even though he had no idea about it, it still managed to reach him.


    ''Is she talking about me?'' Hao Xuan asked himself with a raised eyebrow. He had a ''feeling'' that she was.


    *Screech*


    A high-pitched screeching noise came from below his feet. Hao Xuan looked back down and redirected his attention towards the creature that was struggling to get free from under his heel.


    It was a small insect-like creature about the size of a house lizard. It had two upper limbs that ended in giant serrated hooks and four lower limbs. Overall it closely resembled a mantis from earth but unlike usual insects, this was one was bright red in color.


    Its entire body was wrapped in a muscr red tissue which did not normally ur in insects. It was making a lot of noise trying to push Hao Xuan away and if he wasn''t concentrating a good 20 percent of his strength right on top of it, it would have probably broken free by now.


    It tried to dig deeper into the earth but Hao Xuan put even more pressure on its tiny body and rendered it immobile. Then while he was looking at it, its head turned 180 degrees around and stared right into his eyes.


    It went silent and stopped strugglingpletely. Hao Xuan could see his own reflection within its ck pupils which seemed to draw him in. He bent down a little to get a closer look and saw numerous other pairs of eyes looking back at him.


    *Crunch*


    With a quick and heavy stomp on its head it was crushed to dust. His brows knit together in a deep furrow as he recalled the crimson beasts. This little thing gave him the same feeling.

 Chapter 866: Carp

    <h4>Chapter 866: Carp</h4>


    Having dispatched the creature Hao Xuan wiped his shoes on a nearby tree and wandered along the path while waiting for Princess Ceni to catch up.


    Haeti came running in first,nding soundlessly on a tree branch right above him.


    Hao Xuan raised his head and saw the little scrunched-up face baring its teeth at him. "What?"


    "Hmph! Impudent creature. Doesn''t know what''s good for it," Haeti grumbled loudly before looking away angrily.


    Princess Ceni walked in at that point and moved past Hao Xuan without even throwing him so much as a nce. Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed even more upon noticing her cold behavior. He did not know what had brought on this change but it was weird nheless, and he couldn''t help but wonder why.


    Unbeknownst to him, Princess Ceni had taken the advice of her much more experienced senior sister and implemented one of the many tried and tested strategies to woo inexperienced men like Hao Xuan.


    In her words:


    "Men always want what they cannot have. Make them believe something is out of their reach and they will work that much harder to get it even if it is not worth the trouble. They are entirely simple-minded beings so knowing how they think will make it easier for you to deal with them however you wish."


    As advised, Princess Ceni stopped showing interest in Hao Xuan to his face and treated him like any other man if not even worse, which greatly confused him.


    In theirst meeting, they both fought together against the mermen and Hao Xuan barely came out of it in one piece. And although he wasn''t particrly close to her after that, at least he considered or an acquaintance.


    But beingpletely ignored like this made him think he did something wrong which warranted such behavior. He thought about what it could have been as they moved through the forest.


    Approximately 30 minutes passed like this before Haeti suddenly came running back. His expression was one of pure shock as if he had seen something utterly unexpected.


    "Mydy....there is a....dragon in front of us!" he said through heavy breaths.


    "A dragon?" Princess Ceni repeated calmly. He and Hao Xuan both knew that wasn''t possible. How could there be a dragon in the middle of nowhere?


    "Show me," she ordered and followed after Haeti who started speeding away instantly. Too curious to stay behind Hao Xuan went after them as well after a brief moment of hesitation.


    They sprinted for almost 200 meters before an opening in the woods presented itself. Haeti stopped a few meters away and pointed towards it. Princess Ceni and Hao Xuan both approached it silently while trying their best to hide their presence.


    Although if it really was a dragon here then all that would be useless since they could recognize all beings living or dead for miles.


    Hao Xuan made his way up a tree towards a clear vantage point and finally saw the ''dragon''.


    A pair of long feathered wings were attached to a cylindrical body that almost resembled a fish. There were three ws under its belly and an oval mouth that continuously opened and closed as if it was gasping for air.


    It pped left and right, leaking blood all over the muddy pit it was traped in.


    "Pfft-"


    Hao Xuan almostughed out loud when he saw its true appearance. It looked like an especially ugly mutated fish. If a unicorn and a codfish had intercourse, this deformed thing would be the misshapen result.


    It reminded him of the old Chinese proverb about the carp that leaped over the dragon''s gate. Only this one looked like it missed the gate entirely and face nted into the dragon''s gateway instead before falling back down.


    Ceni''s cheeks flushed red in an instant when she heard Hao Xuan trying to stifle augh. She threw a deathly re towards Haeti who was still shivering behind a tree some 5 meters behind them.


    "That is NOT a dragon, you idiot!" she cursed loudly but Haeti shook his head vigorously, pointing at the ground.


    "N-No mydy, not the marine deformation, the thing below it!"


    *Ssh*


    The sound of water sshing came from the front just as he stopped talking. The ground trembled slightly as the 4-meter wide muddy pit the deformed creature was trapped in started bubbling and two giant ws suddenly reached out from the sides.


    The entire pit expanded to almost 6 meters in diameter before two serrated walls erupted from the left and right sides before closing up, swallowing the deformed creature whole.


    A heavy pressure fell on their shoulders as a spiritual sense tried to invade Hao Xuan''s mind.


    His eyes widened from the shock. He quickly stood up and was about to leap back to safety but saw Princess Ceni still sitting in the same spot frozen stiff.


    He jumped towards her and grabbed her hand, "Don''t just sit there!" but she still didn''t move so he hugged her and started running back as the trees they were sitting on started getting swallowed into the ground.

 Chapter 867: Punish

    <h4>Chapter 867: Punish</h4>


    The ground caved in with nothing more than a weak murmur. If Hao Xuan wasn''t keeping an eye on what was happening behind him he wouldn''t even know.


    Tons of dirt and rubble shifted like water, making way for something terriblyrge to swim through all the rubble while gunning for Hao Xuan.


    He increased his speed but so did the creature that was following them. Thankfully, Hao Xuan was fast enough to put some more distance between them albeit only slightly.


    But it was enough for Ceni to break free from the beast''s aura that was keeping her frozen in ce. She craned her neck and looked behind them, seeing the rows of bone spurs protruding out of the ground every time the creature rolled towards the surface.


    "It''s an earth dragon, a real one!" she blurted out loud and but quickly covered her mouth upon realizing what that entailed. She tugged on Hao Xuan''s shirt and spoke through spiritual sense.


    ''Noise! It can''t see but will pick up on all nearby sounds. Don''t make too much noise!" she hastily warned.


    Hao Xuan swiftly implemented her advice and rather than increasing the speed he focused more on making more controlled and less abrasive movements that made less noise. And just to add a little something extra, he broke a few branches and threw them in different directions to confuse it even more.


    As expected the beast slowed down considerably while Hao Xuan continued moving at a much slower pace.


    Ceni also ordered Haeti to make some extra noise in another direction to distract it even more, which worked like a charm.


    Hao Xuan ran for over two minutes covering almost 600 meters beforeing to stop. He put Princess Ceni down who quickly distanced herself from him, which he opted to ignore.


    "What the hell...was that thing?" he asked throughbored breaths.


    With a soft whooshing sound Haetinded right beside them and ran over to Princess Ceni to lend her a helping hand seeing as she was having trouble standing upright.


    But he still managed to hatefully re towards Hao Xuan, "I told you it was a dragon! Why weren''t you more careful?!"


    But Princess Ceni swiftly corrected him.


    "It was not a dragon, only a beast with a small hint of a draconic bloodline. We would have never managed to escape if it was even a half-dragon."


    Haeti''s eyes widened as he almost kowtowed right then and there.


    "Waaah! As expected of mydy! Nothing is beyond your great vision. No vermin can stay hidden under your sight!"


    "Shh! Will you stop with this pointless nonsense?!"


    "Sincerest apologies, mydy. Please punish me however you like! This one''s sin is great and-"


    "What did I JUST say?!"


    Hao Xuan ignored the duo''sedic banter and focused his senses towards the surroundings. He had felt several other presences nearby while they were running away.


    The canopy covered every inch of the sky so he had to climb up the biggest tree nearby and see what was happening around them.


    At first Hao Xuan couldn''t see anything particrly eye-catching but when he focused his vision various details that would normally be too far off in the distance to be seen became a lot more visible.


    There were tens of thousands of small dots floating around the giant vortex. Whenever each bolt of lightning struck the ground, a small tear would be opened within the space and more dots woulde flying out.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his temples in a circr pattern and directed even more blood flow towards the eyes. His hearts thumped thrice in quick session and a surge of pure lycan blood was pumped throughout his body.


    His pupils erged and then shrink to the size of pinholes. It felt like someone had pricked his retinas with hot needles because as if by magic, the spot he was focusing on probably hundreds of kilometers away erged several times, and images of the area surrounding the lightning bolts just popped up into his mind.


    Even the areas that weren''t in his direct line of sight could be seen, albeit only for a very brief moment.


    The small dots surrounding the vortex were flying beasts. Hundreds of thousands of them all flying around it. But something didn''t seem right with them. They weren''t natural and many of them had various sections of their bodies torn off and reced by glowing blue flesh as they circled the vortex in a maddened fury.


    The impact site of the lighting bolts was the source of these numerous winged creatures. Whenever a spatial crack was created from the bolts, several more creatures woulde flying out.


    The majority of them joined the others in circling the vortex while a scant few fled outwards.


    Hao Xuan didn''t need to be there to know how unstable that section of space was. Copious amounts of energy flooded every inch of it and sent all weaker creatures into a trance.

 Chapter 868: Prince or the Queen?

    <h4>Chapter 868: Prince or the Queen?</h4>


    None of the weak-willed beasts could break from the trance, no matter how hard they tried.


    It was an identical scene on the ground with uncountable hordes of beasts running in a circle around a hollow section of the earth that held a bright blue light.


    When Hao Xuan saw the light he instantly remembered where it wasing from. It was the concentrated Yin Qi that was released from the crystal panel he had destroyed back in the pyramid. Even the vortex was caused by it, not to mention the scene almost mirrored the whirlpool that he was created down there.


    Hao Xuan had assumed that was the worst of it but the biggest changes had taken ce on the surface,pletely out of his sight.


    As is the case with all things, every environment exists in a very fragile bnce that allows for a particr type of life to prosper. This life be it harmful or not to humans, has a ce of its own in the natural order.


    And when there is an extreme change in that environment it starts to unravel, pieces start to break apart and realign themselves to make sense of things, creating a period of pure chaos.


    Because of Hao Xuan''s actions, a wrench had been thrown right in the middle of all that with the infusion of so much Yin Qi, leaving the natural order inplete disarray.


    The world had started to change from the inside out in an attempt to once again create harmony between the energies and bring bnce to all life.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes as his pupils returned to normal.


    He pulled up the map he had created with the help of Barracus which marked his location in reference to the coordinates they were supposed to meet at. The location for the gathering was to the left of the vortex but they would have to cross an area that was right in its backyard with thousands of creatures in the way.


    If they were on mounts or even running at full speed it would only take 3 hours at most but with all those beasts blocking their path, it could take exponentially more time. Their backs were against a mountain range, the same one they had exited from earlier.


    It stretched for thousands of meters straight into the air and all around them so going over it wasn''t an option.


    Hao Xuan fell into deep thought.


    ''The earth dragon or whatever that thing was, I think it also came from one of the cracks. There was that same foreign atmosphere around it that was around me when I firstnded. That would also exin why it gave up chasing us so quickly, it was greatly weakened due to the world spirit''s natural suppression and didn''t want to risk going too far from its safe space.''


    ''But....that means there could also be other much stronger creatures mixed in with the usual cannon fodder. Can we rush through it?''


    He climbed back down and sat on a thick branch giving overwatch to Princess Ceni. Herplexion was pale and she looked as frail as a butterfly just standing around. He could feel the weakness in her body.


    ''No, she is far too weak. Forget fighting she can''t even run for very long.''


    Hao Xuan didn''t need to see the future to know how easily they could be overrun by the almost countless beasts if they rushed in just the two of us.


    ''But I''m not alone, am I?''


    He closed his eyes and appeared within the Mind Pce.


    The majority of the orcs were sitting in their usual spot covered in a golden barrier that was created from the potent energy of the teardrop crystals. Hao Xuan only had to focus for a moment to sense their auras continuously increasing in intensity.


    Of the 196 remaining ones, more than 60% of them were covered in various cocoons and were undergoing and even more mutations and evolutions due to the rampant energy.


    He was about to up to the 4 warders sitting in a circle to the side when a spiritual sense nudged him from behind. It felt like a hand had gently grasped his shoulder.


    "Hmm?"


    He turned around to see a unique-looking creature standing a couple of meters away from him.


    "The fuck are you? WAIT! YOU-"


    Mouth agape, Hao Xuan bent down to get a better look at it. It was a bi-pedal beingpletely white in color but not one he recognized at first.


    "Are you the ant?" he asked with a hint of uncertainty but it nodded back.


    "The Prince or the Queen?"


    Its mandibles opened halfway as it tried to mimic Hao Xuan''s voice. It was high-pitched and extremely sharp, but audible enough to be understood.


    "Servent," it answered.


    "The prince then. What happened to you?"


    Thest time he saw the Formarchian Prince (CH 547) it looked like a normal ant and was barely a foot long (0.3 meters). But now it was standing upright like a human and reached a height of a little over 4 feet (1.3 meters).


    It had actual humanoid arms and legs albeit they weren''t made of flesh. There were four beautiful wings on its back as well.

 Chapter 869: False memories

    <h4>Chapter 869: False memories</h4>


    Its skin was translucent for the most part with different shades of ck, dark blue and purple visible underneath its carapace.


    It''s bodynguage was remarkably simr to that of a human child of 7-8 years of age but that''s where the simrities ended. There were the obvious differences in the physical features but when Hao Xuan stared into its eyes it felt like he was looking at himself but through someone else''s eyes.


    It had been almost a year since he picked up the formachians and made the deal with the Hive Queen.


    Hao Xuan was well aware that when he had tried to sever the Prince it was the Queen that had actually been severed. She was taking refuge within the body of the Prince and was the one in charge of him.


    And considering the prince''s otherworldlybat abilities, it would not be a good idea to anger him since Hao Xuan couldn''t control him directly. If he started ''acting out'' and the queen wasn''t here to stop him, there was probably no one else that could either.


    Even though the prince wouldn''t know what the expression entailed, he put on a fake smile and spoke in a much lower voice.


    "Can you let me talk to the queen?"


    The prince stared at him, unblinking and unmoving. Just looking at him gave Hao Xuan a creepy feeling but he didn''t let it show.


    "The Queen, do you understand? Your m.i.s.t.r.e.s.s. Where is she?" he slowly enunciated hoping that it would make the prince understand him more easily and surprisingly, it had some effect.


    The prince moved aside and pointed towards the podium.


    "Hmm?"


    Hao Xuan walked over but couldn''t see anything out of ordinary. Only that ck scally egg that had been there for so long.


    "Where?" he looked towards the prince for rification and found him standing right behind him, in a blind spot he didn''t even know he had.


    He walked over to the egg and pointed at it, "Queen."


    ".....what?"


    Hao Xuan was dumbfounded. How was the egg the queen? Or...was she INSIDE it?!


    "You mean she is IN it? Is SHE the egg? When did tha- HOW did that happen?!"


    But as soon as he asked the question his brain started throbbing and a sharp pain spread out to the rest of the body. A series of memories popped into his head that showed him having the same conversation before.


    He suddenly remembered talking in detail with the queen and her asking for his help to create a new body for her. It felt like deja vu but he knew he had never had this conversation, yet here he was reliving those memories.


    The throbbing stopped a momentter along with the pain.


    ''Memories...from another timeline? Or this one? Did she make me forget we had the conversation or we never had it?''


    Hao Xuan looked behind him and saw the Orc Warders standing a few meters away facing the tiny formachian Prince. Their ethereal Great Axes perfectly reflected Prince''s image as they got ready to attack at any moment.


    It was 4v1 yet it was the Orc warriors that were on the losing side. The contrast between their humongous bodies and the prince''s tiny figure was almostedic but they were the tense ones and he was...just standing there.


    "It''s fine, I''m fine. Don''t worry," Hao Xuan reassured the Orc warriors that were tasked with his protection and made them finally stand down.


    But they did not take their leave and continued standing in the same spots like guardian statues, their gazes fixated on the Prince.


    ''This is not good. I can''t have something like that walking around my own Mind Pce when I can''t even control it properly,'' he thought inwardly.


    The Prince''s power was far too great to be ignored.


    Hao Xuan directed his attention back towards the scally egg. He sent for a soul connection and found it within. The Queen was indeed inside it.


    As of yet still apprehensive, he reached out and carefully ced his right hand over the egg but...nothing happened. Confused, he was about to pull back when a light blue light escaped from in between the scales and it was set alight with an azure me.


    It was too quick for Hao Xuan to react so he grit his teeth and waited for the pain but it never came. The me surrounded his hand and gently moved in between his fingers as if it was alive but other than a very moderate amount of heat nothing else could be felt.


    The mes congregated towards the top and formed a small hand that reached out and grabbed Hao Xuan''s, intertwining its fingers with his. Suddenly Hao Xuan''s vision went dark as he was forcefully pulled inside the egg.

 Chapter 870: Better tastes

    <h4>Chapter 870: Better tastes</h4>


    At first it felt like someone had physically pulled him with a great force but a momentter the force dissipated and Hao Xuan found himself getting lighter and lighter until he opened his eyes and saw that he was floating weightlessly in space.


    Hao Xuan had never been in space before but it wasn''t hard to imagine what it was like, especially considering he had spent a lot of time in Baracus''s virtual environments.


    This ce was almost identical but somehow felt even more real. It mingled with his senses in such a way that even though he was consciously aware it wasn''t real it still felt like it was.


    He could breathe like normal but all other movement was as realistic as it could be. The only thing he could do was float helplessly through the empty void. But as surreal as this experience was, Hao Xuan was short on time.


    "Where are you?" he called out and felt an invisible force grab ahold of him. It turned him around making hime face to face with aary body.


    Although there was nothing else around topare it to for size, it still felt a little small for some reason. If Hao Xuan had to guess he would say it was half the size of earth''s moon.


    He could feel the invisible forceing into contact with not only his physical manifested self but also his mind. It actually felt like he was subconsciously connected with the entire void, this portion of space itself.


    It didn''t feel foreign nor did it bring up any feelings of istion and detachment that were all somonly associated with space.


    "He...re..." a uniquely feminine voice answered.


    The first part actually didn''t sound feminine but because they were both connected mentally and perhaps even spiritually, it felt Hao Xuan''s state of mind that read that because she is indeed a she, a female ording to their standards, she must sound feminine and so it changed its voice ordingly.


    Hao Xuan was pulled towards the but he didn''t feel any negative side effects. The distance lessened until he found himself standing on the surface.


    At first it waspletely barren with nothing but grey and ck rocks in sight but it started to change right in front of his eyes. The ground turned upside down and fields upon fields of wheat sprouted from the rumbling earth.


    Overhead a bright yellow light just popped into existence illuminating the entire world.


    All this happened in the span of 5-10 seconds and by the time it was finished Hao Xuan felt like he was reliving a dream.


    Mouth agape, he looked around both amazed and dumbfounded.


    "H-How?"


    A gust of wind blew past him bringing with it a soft rustle and the sound of clothes pping. He turned on his heels towards the source and found himself standing face to face with a girl, a human girl.


    She was wearing a white sunflower dress with a straw hat that hid her face. Standing at approximately 1.7 meters, she came up to Hao Xuan''s chest.


    He was once again gobsmacked by the rapidly changing series of events.


    "Are you...her?" he asked with no small amount of doubt.


    She nodded back. Of course it was her, who else COULD it be?


    She raised her head and allowed Hao Xuan to observe her face which made him chuckle. He suddenly remembered why all this looked so familiar.


    "You didn''t get the face right," he remarked.


    This ''scene'' of standing in a field of golden wheat with the sun shining in the background and a pretty girl in a sunflower dress was from something he saw back on earth. He didn''t recall exactly where or maybe it was not one single thing but a great manybined together, but they were from his memories without a shadow of a doubt.


    "You read my mind? I thought I had better taste than this," he said jokingly but she answered swiftly.


    "Not ''read'', only asked for guidance."


    Even her voice sounded exactly like he expected it would. Soft, gentle and quite pleasant to the ears. It sounded like she was singing.


    "You can talk?!"


    She nodded again.


    "We are two but one here. I can see ''you'' for you."


    "So this is what I wanted deep within my heart?"


    "Yes. I looked for what would make you the mostfortable and you gave me this."


    "Is this ce...real?"


    Hao Xuan realized what a stupid question that was. How could it be real if it was created from his memories and ideas? It was probably just an illusion of some kind.


    But the queen nodded once again, leaving Hao Xuan confused.


    "It is ''real'' as long as I say it is real."


    "What...does that mean? Don''t tell me you can warp reality or something?" but before even waiting for her to answer he broke outughing, "Hahaha. That will be the day. I feel ridiculous just saying it."

 Chapter 871: Real or not

    <h4>Chapter 871: Real or not</h4>


    Her head tilted to the side mimicking a very human-like confused expression.


    "Warp? Means?"


    Hao Xuan forced theughter down since it wasn''t appropriate and might evene off as rude, if she had developed such an idea already.


    He tried to exin after clearing his throat.


    "Um, warp means to change....I think, I hope. Like to twist or distort in the shape of something else. Warping reality would mean...making something out of nothing? Does that make sense?"


    She shook her head for the first time.


    "Well I don''t know how to exin it any other way. Can''t you just read my mind? That will be easier."


    "I am allowed?"


    "Yes, I give you permission. Just don''t hurt me."


    "Yes, hurt."


    "No no, do NOT hurt. Do you understand what not means? It means to-" before he could exin what the word meant the ground beneath his feet cracked open and a red stic tendril in the shape of a spider web shot out and impacted with the base of his skull.


    Hao Xuan froze body and mind as every single memory since he first took breath was copied within a matter of seconds. The tendril detached itself a momentter and receded back into the crack before closing up.


    Hao Xuan came to and fell to his knees. His eyes rolled once in their sockets before returning to their normal orientation. He blinked a few times to wet his dried-up eyeballs.


    "Well...that felt like someone plowed my brain with a vacuum cleaner."


    Across from him the hive queen didn''t even have to think before the meaning of the words became clear.


    "Vacuum cleaner. A device used to clean. Uses suction."


    Hao Xuan gave a weak nod followed by a chuckle, "I''m d I could help you understand."


    He sat down on the ground and allowed his body to rx. The spiky glumes of the wheat flowers moved back and forth in the cool billowing wind. Every tingle against his skin felt as real as it would in the outer world.


    "It really does feel too real. If I didn''t know it wasn''t I would never be able to tell," hemented before meeting the hive queen''s gaze.


    "Do you like that form?"


    She thought about it for a moment and shrugged.


    "I do not like nor dislike. It is."


    "If you can change it, take any form you want. You don''t have to mind on my behalf."


    The next moment he blinked and another woman was standing in her ce. She was much taller, blonde, and quite....nude.


    "CLOTHES! Put on some clothes!"


    "But you have many MANY fond memories of this form. Why do you look away?"


    "Do NOT, I repeat do not look at those memories!!"


    "I cannot not look. They are all inside me."


    "Change form then! To something else!"


    When Hao Xuan opened his eyes there was another person there in ce of the beautiful model from before.


    "NOO! Not a guy either, and not naked! Put on clothes for god sakes!"


    "But this is the natural human form."


    "Yes, it is natural but when humans live in a society they cover themselves up."


    "Why?"


    "So th- they just do okay, don''t question me."


    "But you said I was free to choose."


    "I take it back, go back to the first form."


    Hao Xuan carefully opened his eyes bit by bit and saw the sunflower dress, breathing a sigh of relief.


    "Thank fuck. My poor hearts. What is it? Why did you call me in here? Where IS here anyway?"


    "We are inside the embryo."


    "Inside? Like literally? What kind of illusion is this? Feels very real."


    "Literally. The embryo was- IS home to another being. I am only borrowing a portion of it to recreate my true form."


    "Does that...mean this ce is real?"


    "I don''tpletely understand what real means."


    "I mean can I take what is in here to out there? And vise versa?"


    "Yes, if that is what real means then this ce is real."


    "But...didn''t you MAKE it from my memories?"


    "I did."


    "So...does that mean I can take this with me?" he reached out and grabbed one of the wheat flowers.


    The hive queen nodded, "Yes. But..."


    Approximately 3 minutester Hao Xuan rematerialized within his Mind Pce. He opened the palm of his hand and found numerous wheat seeds still there. His mouth fell open, "I''ll be damned, it is true."


    ording to the Hive Queen or rather her avatar which was the girl she presented herself as, this ck egg actually has a small space inside it. The hive queen did not know how big it was, only that it was much bigger than the section she had taken for herself.


    The they were on was actually the outer shell of her body. She created it from nothing using her own powers and abilities which included reality maniption.


    Inside that space she could create things from nothing so long as she understood the fundamentals of it. But for now, she could not create anything tooplicated or artificial. She had to understand inside and out what the object was, its many uses and types along every method used for its growth or creation. Basically, she needed to know everything down to a single atom.


    But long story cut short...she did indeed have the power of creation at her hands.


    Unfortunately, it was severely limited not only by her ownck of understanding and a physical body but also by Hao Xuan''s cultivation level.

 Chapter 872: Summoners

    <h4>Chapter 872: Summoners</h4>


    What the Queen needed right now were copious amounts of resources. Hundreds of thousands of tons of resources that she could use not only to strengthen herself but also to start producing other formachian warriors andy a base for the future colony.


    The only issue was, these ''resources'' as she so eloquently put it, were other living beings. She needed bodies, corpses or living creatures and a great many of them. This little hurdle wasn''t going to be easy and wouldn''t be ovee anytime soon but with a few extra pairs of hands he could get a good start on it.


    And because of that she had graciously agreed or rather, ''allowed'' Hao Xuan to sever the Prince as well.


    He looked towards the prince''s stick figure blocking his path for confirmation, "You heard what she said?"


    He nodded.


    "Alright, don''t resist."


    Hao Xuan ced his hand over the Prince''s head and uttered the word "Sever!"


    A barely discernable pale white light covered the prince for not even half a second before receding back into Hao Xuan''s body.


    "That was....easy."


    The prince hadn''t put up any resistance whatsoever due to the Queen''s orders which allowed him to be severed with extreme ease. Hao Xuan could finally feel their soul connection and all the hostility the Prince had towards him disappeared in an instant.


    Now both Hao Xuan and the Queen were on the same level in the Prince''s eyes. His every physical instinct belonged to the Queen for her protection while his mind belonged to Hao Xuan.


    This greatly relieved Hao Xuan since before she could have easily used the Prince to kill him if she wanted. But now her strongest warrior was also working for him and even if he couldn''t take Hao Xuan''s side when things turned sour between him and the queen, at least he couldn''t harm him either.


    The Orc Warders could also feel the connection being established between Hao Xuan and the Prince which made them finally back off.


    Hao Xuan smiled towards them, "You areing with me for now. As for you," he turned towards the Prince, "I will call for you when I need your help."


    The prince gave another silent nod and returned to his post next to the egg, prompting an inquisitive look from Hao Xuan.


    "I still don''t know what that egg is. It has been years since I picked it up in that frozen hellhole but all it has done is drink my blood. When will you hatch little eggy?"


    But now wasn''t the time.


    Hao Xuan returned to the outside world and just to be sure he checked his hand again which still held the wheat grains.


    "Hahaha, now this is what I''m talking about!" he burst outughing which garnered a side-eye from Haeti who was about to reprimand him but upon seeing the four ghostly Orc figures materialize beside him he backed up and drew his tiny sword before pointing it towards them.


    "W-What are those?! You human witch boy, did you summon the souls of your ancestors to fight the great me?! Hmph, no wonder you were so confident, so this was the reason! Fine, Come at me! I''ll take care of all of you alone! Run mydy while I hold them back!"


    Hao Xuan''s mouth almost fell open listening to him.


    ''This fucker went through an entire anime arc in 3 sentences.''


    "Rx, they aren''t here to fight you," he told the shaking Haeti and looked towards Princess Ceni who was looking towards him with a raised eyebrow.


    "They are my summons. I''m a....summoner."


    "....I didn''t ask," she turned away to show herck of interest which once again left Hao Xuan a little confused.


    Still, he directed his attention towards the matter at hand.


    "Baracus!"


    He told Baracus about the hive queen, her internal space, the egg, and finally her ability to create matter from nothing. He was quite pleasantly surprised upon finding this information.


    ''It is as I suspected then,'' Baracus remarked.


    ''Wait, so you know about this?''


    ''I did not know per se, it was but one of many unproven theories about their species. To date, no has evere across a newborn hive queen and one of the Progenitor''s potential theories suggested that it was because they were locked away in another space or subdimension until they were strong enough to venture out.''


    ''But the ability to create matter from nothing is a surprise. Only a handful of species is innately born with the power of creation but they each have their own limits. I am quite curious as to where the Hive Queen''s lie.''


    ''And one more thing, since the egg has a subdimension of its own especially one capable of holding a hive queen, it is either a ss S entity or above, or one of the ancient unssified ones. That would also exin why it has not hatched yet.''

 Chapter 873: Back in

    <h4>Chapter 873: Back in</h4>


    ''Is there any way to confirm what kind of bloodline it might have?''


    ''Not unless blood can be drawn for a detailed DNA analysis. There is a 71% chance to identify it that way and if not then narrow down its bloodline origins at the very least by eliminating the obvious denominators. Have there been any new developments regarding the egg? Anything could be useful.''


    Hao Xuan thought about it for a moment and nothing special came to mind at first but then he remembered the mes.


    ''There were blue mes. I''m pretty sure they weren''t from the Hive Queen so it has to be the other one. They came out of the egg and didn''t feel too hot. Somehow they took shape of a hand and pulled me inside the egg.''


    ''Hmm. That does narrow down the potential species.


    1. Extremely high-level me affinity at birth allowing for precise control without harming others would suggest something along the lines of an elemental but they aren''t born via eggs.


    2. By not injuring you it can detect your existence and infer by the soul connection that you are not to be harmed even before birth, which would mean extremely high EQ.


    3. By-''


    Hao Xuan cut in before Baracus could go any lower on the list, ''You don''t have to give me each and every reason. Just tell me what can you narrow it down to.''


    ''Eighty-seven approximate matches found. The lowest one is ss A while the highest is unssified. The full list is avable if you wish to go through it.''


    ''Nah, 87 is still too much. I''ll just wait then. Is there anything I can do maybe help it along?''


    ''Since it has a me affinity, why not look for the soul cores for beasts with the same affinity? A me elemental would be even better.''


    ''That easier said than done but I''ll keep an eye out. Right now I have to reach that fucking gathering ce. I don''t know why those assholes chose this location.''


    Hao Xuan turned off the connection with Baracus and looked at the map one more time. It didn''t show anything on the ground, just a straight line going to the coordinates.


    He went over the n of action to calm his nerves and added another section in case something went wrong.


    ''Alright, it shouldn''t be too bad for the moment I think. I have the Orcs with me right now. If things get too out of hand I can also summon either the Scorpion King or the Prince for backup since summoning both would put too much pressure on me. If even that doesn''t help then I can escape through the webway as ast resort.''


    Hao Xuan sucked in his breath quickly before letting it escape in a deep sigh. If only he had more time and resources to spend on himself then almost all the other problems could be easily resolved.


    Increasing the bloodline purity of his severs and then taking their abilities and increasing his own cultivation level being at the top of the list. He was almost at the top of the Spirit realm and could now feel the very real limits of his cultivation.


    Breaking through to the Profound realm would unlock most of his abilities and free him from such stringent limitations as those rted to his constitution.


    ''I have to start using the Chaosw much more so when I breakthrough it''s on a higher tier. As for the other ones, it feels like both the chaos mes and lighting are at the same tier so it could be any one of them.''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and adjusted his inner self while bracing for the pain.


    ''Baracus, start it.''


    ''Affirmative.''


    With Baracus''s guidance the nanites coursed Hao Xuan''s blood and reached his arms and shoulders. They attached to the bones and one by one the Prime Letters were once again engraved on the surface.


    Hao Xuan grit his teeth. The pain really was nothing to scoff at but at least he knew what to expect now and could prepare himself. It only took 3-4 minutes for all 24 letters to be imprinted on his skeleton.


    He let out a breath of relief when it finished and without wasting any more time sat down right then and there cross-legged. He sped his hands whichpleted the ''circuit'' and activated the Celestial gateway through which his consciousness swiftly entered back into the webway.


    It felt like he had jumped headfirst into an icyke but the sensation wasn''t overpowering and actually helped calm him down to a great degree, despite the fiery visuals.


    Hao Xuan navigated the neverending corridors of the webway which connected all the realms of creation together. He was only looking for a safe ce this time so he didn''t have to look for very long.


    A world devoid of any life came into view. No flora or fauna could be found on its surface but there was a breathable atmosphere, strangely enough.


    There were no other celestial bodies in the sky, not even a sun so Hao Xuan assumed and rightly so that this world was floating through the far void. He looked around a little bit before deciding on it.


    ''It doesn''t seem dangerous and since we would only have to stay for a few minutes at most, it should be fine,'' he concluded inwardly.

 Chapter 874: Frustraions

    <h4>Chapter 874: Frustraions</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s consciousness thoughtlesslynded on the barren surface of the as he felt something go through him.


    *Wssssh*


    It seemed like a sense of emptiness that had overtaken him all of a sudden.


    ''Is this because of ack of spiritual energy? I''ve never felt anything like this before.''


    Hao Xuan knew that the void sapped away spiritual energy especially from unprotecteds without a world spirit but this really was a new feeling.


    He felt like the strings holding him down had been severed and within the emptiness, he had and found something to hold onto as if there was something else waiting for him all along.


    But when he tried to focus on this feeling it faded away instantly, akin to holding water through an open hand.


    Hao Xuan pulled out his consciousness and the emptiness vanished while the connection to his surroundings was established once again. He unsped his hands breaking the link and forcing his soul out of the webway.


    He looked at his hands while trying to recall where it was he had sensed it before.


    ''It IS real no doubt and I...came across it before. But where?''


    It was simr to when a person knew a specific word but couldn''t recall what it was. Hao Xuan also knew with a hundred percent certainty that he had felt that very specific kind of emptiness before but he couldn''t remember where.


    ''No matter, I''ll think about itter,'' he threw the thought to the back of his mind and stood up.


    The Orc warders standing not too far from him also came forward and surrounded him.


    Hao Xuan looked towards Princess Ceni, "Stay a couple of hundred meters behind me. I will take the lead and scout the way ahead while trying to avoid as many encounters as possible. When there is a fight you should stay hidden to the left."


    "Conserve your energy as much as possible since even if we rush through it will take 3-4 hours at least. It could take much longer if the path is not clear."


    Princess Ceni jumped to her feet, letting Haeti who was sitting on her knee fall face-first into the ground. What she wanted to say was "Don''t worry about me and focus on protecting yourself" but what came out was something a little different.


    "I don''t need your help. I can hold my own if ites down to it," she snapped back.


    And since he couldn''t read her thoughts at the moment all he could do was take her words for face value, which left him quite annoyed. He was only trying to help but every time she either ignored himpletely or answered rudely.


    "Fine. Do whatever the hell you want then," he rebuked before turning away, mumbling after a moment, "Like I give a shit anyway," which she also clearly heard.


    Hao Xuan didn''t mean it either, he obviously cared about her safety but how could the young princess know those were just empty words spoken in anger? Her expression turned ugly and it took her no small amount of force to keep herself from weeping her heart out.


    "What...did you just say?!" she asked slowly, giving him a chance to correct his previous mistake but Hao Xuan was far from experienced when it came to understanding the subtleties of the femalenguage.


    "Are you deaf AND stupid?" he barked back, "I said do whatever the fuck you want, I don''t give a shit. Just don''t get in my way and slow me down again."


    Hao Xuan could be quite harsh with his words when he was truly angry, which thankfully was not often.


    With the Orc warder''s in tow he set out without waiting for her response.


    Their footwork was surprisingly in sync. The Orcs were just one step behind him and each one of their footsteps fell at the exact same time as Hao Xuan''s which made it very difficult to even tell they were there.


    They were out of his immediate reach giving him enough freedom to move around while still being in close enough proximity to jump in was anything to go wrong.


    Quite incensed in his own right, Hao Xuan didn''t even bother looking back. In less than ten seconds his silhouette had disappeared behind the thick canopy.


    Princess Ceni finally couldn''t hold back her tumultuous emotions and broke down. One after another tears rained down her face because in the end, despite how mature she looked and acted, she didn''t have any romantic experience before this.


    She rubbed her eyes but the tears wouldn''t stop no matter how hard she tried. Hao Xuan''s words fell like daggers in her heart because of how much she cared about him.


    Haeti slowly walked up to her and tugged on her dress, "Mydy, tell me what I should do to help? Should I go y that vile human? Should I beat him up and drag him back to you so he can apologize? Would that make you happy?"


    Sobbing uncontrobly by now, all Ceni could manage to do was look away while shaking her head.


    Haeti could not do anything. He was her soulbond, born and raised by the tower to live solely for his mistress who was in so much pain right now but he couldn''t do anything to help her, which only added to his frustrations.


    So all that discontent was directed towards the only perpetrator in his eyes, Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 875: Experienced

    <h4>Chapter 875: Experienced</h4>


    Haeti''s expression slowly twisted into that of a wild animal. Her pain was his pain and in his eyes, it was only caused by one man. He would not soon forget how she had cried because of Hao Xuan, not until he went through the same thing.


    Hao Xuan had gone ahead but he could still hear the princess''s silent sobs echoing through the forest. They fell heavily on his heart for more than one reason. He knew his words had hurt her a lot more than they were meant to but his own pride would not allow him to turn around.


    "It''s not my fault," he said to himself before increasing his speed even further.


    His mind was racked with useless thoughts but his body did not disregard the surroundings. He often forgot but it had already been more than four years since he first picked up the de. He had fought in countless battles.


    From unknown alien creatures to otherworldly beings, he had already visited numerous ces both majestic and terrible in their implications, and all before stepping into the Profound Realm.


    While he was lost in thought the first beast came into view. A ''midnight warthog'' known for its ability to hide and meld into its surroundings. It sensed the approaching prey and readied itself in the shadows, waiting for the moment they would pass by leaving themselves open for an ambush.


    But the rustling sounds of clothes pping in the wind that was supposed to go past it suddenly vanished. It waited for a second before peaking its head, just in time to meet a silvery de that was waiting for it.


    Not a single useless movement was made. The ive traced through the air in a semi-circle and returned to the resting position on Hao Xuan''s shoulder. They didn''t even need to pause, it was all done mid-stride.


    The Warders exchanged silent nces before taking a huge step back in tandem. They had vastly underestimated the ive''s reach which was even wider and more far-reaching than their own great axes.


    Hao Xuan continuously increased his speed until he couldn''t hear Ceni''s cries anymore, which was when he finally came to.


    He was on the edge of a waterfall looking down at a gigantic forested basin. He couldn''t see its other end but even without any special vision he could easily tell that this seemingly ordinary ce was absolutely teeming various beasts.


    To the left was the mountain cutting straight into the sky and to the right was the vortex that seemed to be getting bigger.


    Hao Xuan took a deep breath through his nose to focus all the senses before looking towards the Orcs that were only dressed in simple clothes.


    "Are you ready?"


    They nodded back.


    "Alright. Keep a low profile for as long as possible. Make it fast and try to finish them before they can make any noise. No unnecessary fights."


    They nodded once more.


    "Good."


    Chaos Qi thrummed within Hao Xuan''s meridians before breaking out and flooding every part of the body. Microscopic grey strands protruded from his skin andbined with one another to create an outeryer over his skin.


    In the eyes of the warders, Hao Xuan appeared to be an empty image projected into this world. He didn''t feel real at all for a moment but that feeling quickly subsided a momentter.


    "Let''s go," he ordered before taking a step forward and allowing himself to freefall 40 meters straight down into theke below.


    The battle was kicked into full swing at once with the sound of the water sshing


    A muffled boom sounded underneath surface of theke as Hao Xuan burst out with half a hairy corpse impaled on the ive. A secondter the Warders jumped out as well and they continued on, not understanding that blood had been spilled in a ce full of bloodthirsty creatures.


    Fifteen minutes, that was how long they managed to move without being found out by the vast majority of the creatures.


    It was like they were the feed in a tank full of hungry piranhas, which wasn''t too far off from the truth. But Hao Xuan wasn''t easy to corner. This wasn''t the first time he had to fight his way out of a horde of monsters.


    Hundreds of precise thrusts each onending a killing blow were dispensed one after another. Hao Xuan stayed upright for the most part but often ducked to take a short step back before regaining his bnce and thrusting out the ive once more.


    It was his unshakeable bnce andposure in the face of certain death that was attained through countless battles that shone the brightest here.


    Not to mention he had already experienced death more than a dozen times which worked towardspletely eliminating any hesitation that had yet remained within his psyche.


    There weren''t any ostentatious battle skills or some fancy movement techniques at work here, but a simple, well-organized, and experienced veteran of the battlefield.


    At this moment in time, his battle instincts and killing intent were second to none.

 Chapter 876: Flame on

    <h4>Chapter 876: me on</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s feet never stopped moving for even a second. He pushed and pulled but was never still.


    In the dark, his vision was hampered like everyone else but not enough to actually have any significant effect on him. He would slip in and out of the smallest of blindspots without making a single sound which left the beasts quite disconcerted.


    It wasn''t like fighting a normal human enemy for them. He didn''t stand his ground and take on blows unnecessarily while trying to distance himself from the beasts just enough to be at afortable range to make full use of his stupendously long weapon.


    Instead, he pushed forward with every step, even when he didn''t have to. His superhuman reflexes were put to test in this environment where he was surrounded from every possible direction.


    But this did not deter him in the slightest.


    Hao Xuan found a short moment of respite and looked behind him towards the Warders to see how they were faring. The result left him quite satisfied.


    No wonder they were psychic, it showed clearly from their movements. They didn''t utter a single word yet their movements were inplete harmony with one another.


    One of them swung left, allowing the weight of his weapon and the momentum of his strike to carry him forward while the second Orc came from behind and swung to the right in the same manner.


    The third Orc lunged forward in the recently vacated spot and swung the great axe down, allowing his body to freely rotate along with it like a pinwheel.


    By then the first Orc hade around just enough to use his telekic abilities on the fourth Orc, pulling him in and sending him flying horizontally with his great axe extended forward.


    They were a well-oiled machine. Swift, powerful and ruthless in their execution. If one of them looked like he was about to be overrun then the others would use their own telekic abilities to either push the beasts away or pull the Orc towards them.


    Small sts of powerful psychic energy erupted every few seconds around the Orcs. Were any beasts slow enough to get caught in their radius, all that would remain of them would be a rain of flesh and bone.


    And because of that they kind of reminded Hao Xuan of the warriors from a famous franchise that used "the force".


    He could see they were still adjusting their movements every now and then and because of ack of experience there were certain things they didn''t seeing, but other than that they were beyond reproach.


    A small ck w came out from the darkness and tore a small chunk of flesh from Hao Xuan''s thigh. He redirected his attention towards the creature that held an appearance of a ko from earth but at three times the size and with sharpened spikes all along its back.


    Its eyes glowed yellow in the darkness which caught Hao Xuan''s attention.


    Another w came from its direction which Hao Xuan managed to avoid by the skin of his teeth. But by the time he looked back towards the creature, it had already blended within the ocean of beasts and could not be picked out anymore.


    Hao Xuan narrowed his eyes as he started paying more attention to his blindspots. That beast wasn''t weak. Not only was it extremely smart but had enough strength to easily harm his body, which wasn''t an easy task.


    His lips arched into a small smile as he changed his strategy.


    "HNGH!"


    Gripping the ive from the edge of the de like a machete and using nothing but raw strength and technique, he managed to swing it around in the extremely tight space.


    His strikes weren''t that far-reaching but they were still powerful and cut deep.


    But just then another w came from below his feet, aiming for the spot between his legs. Even Hao Xuan wasn''t able to keep hisposure in this position.


    "AARGH!"


    The Chaos Qi surrounding Hao Xuan''s body burst forth like an erupting volcano. The air trembled for an instant and the surroundings became blurry before catching fire. A dark yellow me was birthed from that interaction.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned ugly as reached out and grabbed the me with his bare hand and pulled back. Every spot the me passed by went through the same changes until the atmosphere ignited and within the blink of an eye it had engulfed everything within a radius of 1.5 meters.


    Hao Xuan poured even more chaos Qi into his hand and slid it across the length of the ive.


    The same dark yellow me ejected above its surface, further lighting up the nearby surroundings.


    Many of the beasts instantly lept back and tried to distance themselves from him but Hao Xuan chased after them. With the ive in his right hand and the chaos me on his left, everything it touched was set alight and no matter how much they tried, it could not be put out.

 Chapter 877: Lord Stasa

    <h4>Chapter 877: Lord Stasa</h4>


    The ive flew through the air in a criss-cross pattern, leaving a weave of burning me in its wake which kept most of the smaller creatures at bay while Hao Xuan dealt with the Ko beast.


    He caught its scent but still couldn''t pinpoint its exact location even though there weren''t that many ces it could be hiding in.


    It was able to strike directly at Hao Xuan''s body ignoring the Chaos mepletely, or rather bypassing it with its strange ability. Its ws woulde out of any shadow that was cast near Hao Xuan, even his own.


    When he realized it was attacking from the shadows Hao Xuan left himself open and waited for an attack, which came without dy aiming directly for his ankles. From the beginning, it had only attacked either his weak points or other non-lethal areas.


    Hao Xuan sidestepped just in the nick and twirled the ive without even looking. He felt the de slice through flesh and knew it was a sess. A shrill scream came a momentter confirming it.


    The source of the scream was more than 20 meters away from, well out of the range of his attacks yet the w hade out from right behind him. Hao Xuan briefly sniffed the air around the spot where the severed w''s charred remains were and almost puked.


    ''Law! It smells very simr to what I remember Nidhora smelling like. Only this one is extremely revolting on the senses like it has many other things mixed in. It doesn''t smell...pure?''


    ''Regardless, now I know for sure the beast is using aw. If I wasn''t paying attention it could have been a little dangerous...''


    He wasn''t able to sense the power level of that beast, most probably because it was much higher than him. Thankfully though it didn''t seem very strong when it came tobat.


    But Hao Xuan couldn''t keep using the Chaos mes to ward off its attacks either since they consumed way too much Chaos Qi. This was a good moment to off-load some of the more menial tasks.


    ''Baracus! Help me keep track of things. Set up a perimeter in a radius of 4 meters around me and show me all the creatures in that area. Can you do it?''


    *Beep*


    ''Affirmative.''


    ''Monitoring energy signatures.''


    ''Creating live visual feed.''


    ''Intersecting optical nerve.''


    ''Connection established.''


    Millions of nanites gathered inrge clusters and created bundles of artificial sensory organs on the back of Hao Xuan''s neck, temples, and forehead. They appeared as dim blue lights under his skin.


    On the other end, they directly connected with his optical nerves and projected a live feed in a full 360 degrees circle. This feed showed up in the shape of a small map that showed a top-down view of Hao Xuan''s surroundings and then showing each energy signature in 3D by ovepping red dots over the actual creatures.


    This way he wouldn''t have to pay as much attention to the surroundings and could focus more on killing the red dots in front of him.


    Hao Xuan chuckled seeing that. It was both more and less information at the same time, but somehow that worked out perfectly. He nced towards the warders and gave them the notification.


    "Oi, stay close, we''re gone keep increasing the speed!"


    Upon hearing the orders the warders didn''t waste a single moment and all four of them linked hands in a hurry. A dome of translucent white psychic energy materialized around them before abruptly expanding to over 40 meters in size without a warning.


    Everything other than Hao Xuan that even touched the dome was simply liquified in its entirety, giving them a much-needed short breather and enough space to mount their next wave.


    **


    1492 meters above the crater a small space was dug out on the side of the mountain, just above the sea of clouds.


    The only entrance was blocked by a shimmering yellow barrier with three people on the other side. There was a small table in the center and each of them was around it. The center of the table held a bowl that was filled with a ck liquid.


    Currently, the liquid was showing the various scenes of Hao Xuan fighting below. There was no sound and the liquid only showed static images taken every other second but it was enough to know what was going on.


    Two of the people wore long hoods that covered everything but their inked hands. They were sitting on the left and right side while the third man sat facing the entrance. He had on a clean white shirt, shoulder-length hair along with a pair of round gold-rimmed sses hanging from the bridge of his nose.


    One of the hooded men turned towards him, "Is he the one, Lord Stasa?"

 Chapter 878: 86

    <h4>Chapter 878: 86</h4>


    Stasa nodded somewhat absentmindedly with a smile that was not yet a smile.


    "He looks different. A little older," he remarked seeing Hao Xuan''s image reflected on the water.


    His chest unknowingly puffed out as he couldn''t help but feel a little proud. When they hadst met Hao Xuan was a guardian, one of the protectors while Stasa althoughing from royalty himself, was nothing special here.


    But now the distance between them had grown exponentially. Stasa had officially be a part of the ''Order of the Holy Light'' while at least in his eyes Hao Xuan had stayed the same, if not worse.


    The envy and resentment that Stasa held for Hao Xuan were reced by his own inted ego that would not allow him to harbor such emotions for someone so far from his social standing.


    "What are your orders, my lord?"


    "Should we send in the new trainees?"


    Stasaid back in his chair and shook his head gently, "There is no need for such underhanded tactics for a man of such low caliber. I was only curious to see if he had gotten strong enough to present a threat to our ns but it looks like there won''t be a problem. A handful of summons and one easily protector cannot do anything now."


    "Let him struggle. If he manages to reach the rendezvous point in time then send him up to the Church, otherwise, leave him down there to fend for himself. I''m sure Lord Dai Zhi wouldn''t mind."


    And with that he stood up and was about to walk into the short-range teleportation array behind him when one of the men called out again.


    "Lord Stasa, there is someone else behind him!"


    Curious, he came back to look into the bowl and saw a very familiar yet oddly foreign image. He leaned over the bowl with a squinted gaze until he was sure it was her at which point;


    "The Princess!" he eximed in surprise.


    The hooded men nced at one another and shrugged, neither of them knew who she was.


    "Which princess my lord? There are a lot of them..."


    Stasa was pulled out of his daze by the duo''s question but he still couldn''t bear to tear his eyes away from her image.


    "Princess Ceni you fools. That''s Lord Dai Zhi''s sister!"


    Both the hooded men stood up so fast that they almost fell out of their chairs.


    "W-What?!"


    "Is that really true my lord?"


    "Of course it''s true. Why would I lie about something like that and to the two of you of all people?"


    "I-Indeed. We had no idea any of Lord Dai Zhi''s siblings were participating in the test."


    Stasa''s smile could not be contained no matter how hard he tried. He straightened his back and fixed his shirt as if she could see him right at this very moment.


    "Lord Dai Zhi will be most pleased to know that she too has arrived."


    The hooded man nced at one another, both thinking the same thing.


    ''Probably not as pleased as you though.''


    But then Stasa''s brow suddenly locked in a tight furrow as he tried to recall something.


    "But why is she here? I was certain that the coordinates we gave her were of one of the camps in the back which held a teleportation array. She didn''t need toe this way at all."


    The hooded man on the right spoke, presenting the most obvious reason.


    "Isn''t she following the protector? Why else would shee this way. He was the only one who had the coordinates of this area."


    Stasa quickly realized that was most probably the case and his expression turned somewhat grim at the thought.


    "Why would she, a Princess of such noble bloodline, associate with a no-name vagrant cultivator like him? Think before you speak, lest you desire to lose that tongue of yours," he barked towards the man who swiftly bowed from the waist.


    "I meant no offense, my lord."


    "Hmph."


    But inwardly his thoughts were much different, ''Maybe he''s not a douchebag asshole like you. Maybe THAT could be why she''s following him and not you.''


    The man on the left spoke up after a short moment to break the awkward silence.


    "What should we do, my lord? Leave her be?"


    "Of course not! Do you realize who she is? Lord Dai Zhi would have our heads if something happened to his sister! We will go down and get her ourselves. Make the preparations!"


    "Y-Yes!"


    But just as they were about to leave the table Stasa looked towards the man on the right who had pointed out the obvious.


    "You, what is your name? I never asked."


    The man quickly bowed from the waist, "This one does not have a name, Lord. I am only called by my induction number."


    "What is it?"


    "86."


    The other hooded figure also chimed in, "I''m 89."


    Stasa nodded, "Hmm, I''ll remember that," giving 86 another hard look before moving towards the exit.


    ''Waah, so petty!'' x2

 Chapter 879: Like Brother

    <h4>Chapter 879: Like Brother</h4>


    Many powers in the great world take in orphans at birth from the smaller worlds. They are trained for their whole lines with the sole purpose of serving their masters without question. Numbers 86 and 89 were two such individuals.


    They were born as free men but lived their entire lives as ves, not knowing who they were or where they came from. After surviving decades of harsh training, they were sent out into the field and upon umting enough merits they could once again regain their freedom and live freely.


    After being taken in by the Church of the Sacred Light they had served loyally for over four decades. From the great battlefields of the Temple of War to the dungeons of the abyssal lords, they had served on many fronts.


    But this was to be theirst assignment and once sessfully concluded, they would have enough credits to hopefully get out of this business if they so desired.


    On average it could take anywhere from a century to a thousand years if not more to have earned enough merits but this was once in a lifetime opportunity, a secret mission the likes of which they had never seen before.


    They were assigned to serve a figure whose very existence was the talk of myth and legend within the church. Someone that most people would not even know existed.


    The Abyss Walker. A true immortal that had lived through a myriad of eras and fought the many countless enemies of the Church throughout without any recognition, all for the safety of its people.


    A true nameless hero through and through.


    Or at least that''s what was supposed to happen but the moment they arrived on the both 86 and 89 were told about their actual assignment, to make sure that Prince Dai Zhi was safely inducted into the Order of the Holy Light and took his rightful ce alongside the great geniuses of his era.


    I.e, they were babysitters. And as if that wasn''t bad enough, now they had been reduced to serve this pawn of the prince who knew not how high the heavens were.


    Just because he had been allowed entry into the Order, his self-esteem had gone through the roof.


    86 and 89 had both seen the true talents, the ones that never had to say they were geniuses but were naturally epted as such. Prince Dai Zhi although stillcking in strength, did indeed have the bearing of a great leader and the ability to seed as one.


    But this boy...


    "Are you ready?" Stasa growled from the entrance, impatiently tapping his foot in anticipation.


    86 sighed inwardly, "Yes, my lord," and steppe forward.


    He extended his hand as a small mirror flew out from within the robe and started expanding. Within seconds it had be wide enough to allow for all three of them to easily standing on its surface.


    But the images being reflected on its surface were not of the small cave they were in, but of the forest below.


    86 nced towards Stasa, "Should I?"


    "OF COURSE YOU SHOULD! HOW MANY TIM-"


    *Wooop*


    Before he could finish, the mirror''s surface trembled and all three of them fell through it like it was water, swallowed within. A secondter the same mirror materialized out of thin air above the forest and they came out from the top.


    Ashen-faced, Stasa was down on his knees. He raised his head upon feeling a gust of air brush past his face.


    "W-What were those things?"


    "Mere beasts, my lord. Nothing for you to worry about," 86 coolly answered.


    "M-Mere beasts?! I have never heard of beasts like that! How could something like that be real? It was....it was-"


    "Otherworldly?" 89 casually finished the sentence for him before exchanging exasperated looks with 86.


    ''A frog in a well.''


    ''Well? More like a cup.''


    ''Let''s just get this over with and go back to Prince Dai Zhi. It physically pains me to see the boy''s ipetent and cowardly ways.''


    ''Hahaha, yeah. I heard the next day or so should be pretty fun.''


    They conversed through spirit sense while Stasa forced himself to get back on his feet.


    "Phew, okay. Where is she?" he looked around and found Princess Ceni a bit to the left just on the edge of the forest.


    "Go down, quick!" he ordered and the mirror descended. It went past her and stopped. The mirror''s surface slightly dimmed and they became visible.


    Princess Ceni stopped in her tracks upon seeing them appearing out of nowhere. With a wave of her hand the whip materialized in her grasp which she aimed threateningly towards them.


    "Who are you?" she asked lightly.


    Despite being outnumbered three to one, there wasn''t a trace of panic, fear, or hesitation in her movements.


    ''Threatening yet graceful, the sign of a great upbringing.''


    On the side, Haeti quickly hid amidst the shadows and drew his de in preparation.


    Both 86 and 89 exchanged knowing nces.


    ''Like brother like sister.''

 Chapter 880: Young Love

    <h4>Chapter 880: Young Love</h4>


    Both 86 and 89 could feel Ceni''s unsteady energies even though she tried to hide them so well. If they just went by her demeanor and facial expressions they would not have a clue.


    "Who are you?" she repeated again, louder and more forcefully.


    Stasa turned towards 86 and whispered, "Hey, go down,nd slowly."


    The mirror descended further until it was ground level, forcing Princess Ceni to take a step back.


    Stasa put on a cordial smile and took off his sses while walking towards her with open arms.


    "I am unarmed, Princess."


    But Ceni''s sharp gaze stopped him in his tracks.


    "I asked who you were. Must you make me repeat for a fourth time?"


    Stasa who was brimming with confidence until a moment ago faltered upon hearing her question. She did not even remember him.


    He cleared his throat before introducing himself.


    "I-I am Stasa, Princess Ceni. We met on a few asions in the past. I came over on the same ship as you and attended the ball your aunt threw."


    Ceni''s temper somewhat loosened when she remembered his face, despite it not being that long. He just wasn''t important enough to remember. But when her gaze fell on the two hooded figures behind him she steeled her heart again and took another step back.


    "Why are you here, Prince Stasa?"


    Stasa gave a gentleman''s bow and gestured towards the mirror with both hands smilingly.


    "I am here to pick you up, princess. To take you to Lord Dai Zhi."


    Her expression hardened when she heard her brother''s name being mentioned.


    "I don''t need a pickup. You can take your leave," she answered coldly.


    "I cannot, mydy. I will be ashamed and unable to face Lord Dai Zhi again if I were to leave you here in this wilderness. It is no ce for a-"


    "A what? Ady? Do you think I can''t handle myself just because I''m a woman?"


    Stasa chocked on his own words, "N-No of course not. I would never- If I were not a man I would choose to be a female myself!" he stammeringly replied, not making any sense.


    86 and 89 both sighed inwardly at the same time. They were feeling second-hand embarrassment listening to Stasa stumble over his own words.


    Stasa took a deep breath in and calmed himself before exining the situation.


    "Princess, please. Lord Dai Zhi does not know you are here. If he were to found out I would be punished and lose his favor. The coordinates we gave you were different for a reason, this ce is not for you."


    "Why? What''s wrong with this ce? One of the Academy''s protectors cane here but not me?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.


    89 chuckled and 86 sighed yet again.


    ''She is worried about the boy.''


    ''Ahh, young love.''


    ''As nice as this is, we should hurry before those demons find us. I''d rather not fight them with these two here,'' 89 said examining his surroundings.


    ''You go talk to them then.''


    "Excuse me, if I may," 89 stepped forward and bowed towards the Princess, "Regardless whether or not Prince Dai Zhi hears about this, this ce is extremely dangerous right now. There is a disease in the earth and the longer we stay here the higher the chances that one of us might get infected."


    Ceni''s expression turned ugly as she reared her head towards Stasa, "Is that why you sent him here? To infect him on purpose?"


    Her whip cracked and started getting longer, boiling with anger just like its master.


    Stasa staggered backwards.


    "D-Disease? No there is no disease, only those crimson monste-"


    But Ceni did not let him finish and swung the Whip in a fury. The ear-piercing noise of air being ripped open reached their ears as the whip snaked forth aiming straight for Stasa''s unprotected head.


    But he wasn''t all that ipetent either and managed to react in time. With a wave of his hand a white arrow shot forward and met the whip head-on but only managed to dy it for a fraction of a second before it continued on its path.


    There was no time to do anything else, at least not for Stasa. 89 felt the killing intent behind in her attacks and was quite surprised. It was notmon to see one so young be this ruthless but regardless, he couldn''t let it be.


    With a raise of his hand a ck square was erected in front of Stasa. The whip couldn''t change its direction in time so it impacted against its surface and was swallowed without making a sound.


    Ceni''s eyes opened wide but now she didn''t have time to react as the ck square was in front of her before she could evenpute what was happening. The square expanded, turning from a 2D sheet to a 3D cube that swallowed her whole.

 Chapter 881: Down boy

    <h4>Chapter 881: Down boy</h4>


    With the appearance of the ck cube silence swiftly returned to that part of the forest, until Stasa realized what had happened. He looked back towards 89 with eyes full of disbelief.


    "What...did you do?"


    89 waved his hand once again as the cube shrunk in size from over 5 meters to just 10 centimeters and flew into his palm. The hood revealed just the lower part of his face which held a genial smile.


    "Tis but a measly seal my lord, nothing for you to worry about. Once we return to the church I will release her. This was the faster option since we are short on time."


    ''A measly seal?''


    Since Stasa was a royal himself he knew a fair bit about seals but none of it detailed this kind of ability. To sopletely and wholly seal a living being along with their weapons and powers fully intact, and to a degree where they couldn''t even defend against it, this was unheard of.


    But then he realized where these two hade from. The Church was the strongest power in the great world for a reason.


    89 returned to the mirror and gestured for Stasa to join him and 86.


    "Shall we return, my lord?"


    "O-Oh...yeah..."


    Stasa stammeringly replied with a much more respectful tone than before. Even if they belonged to the lowest tier that still didn''t mean he could look down on them.


    He walked back to the mirror as it started ascending into the air, all the while stealing curious nces of the cube. This did not go unnoticed and 89 extended his hand, "Would you like to hold it, my lord?"


    "Can I?"


    "Of course. As long as I am nearby the seal will remain."


    Stasa took the cube with both hands as if it was a living thing and carefully inspected it. It was neither cold nor hot. It didn''t even have any weight of its own and if he just closed his eyes he wouldn''t even be able to tell it was there.


    It did not register on any senses other than sight. The cube did not move either so there was no way to tell there was an entire person inside it.


    "Are you sure this is safe? She won''t get hurt right?"


    Stasa had no small amount of misgivings considering this was the first time he had seen something like this but both 89 and 86 had heard this question and others like it numerous times.


    "Yes, she ispletely safe in there as long as I want her to be. She won''t get hungry or injured and will stay as-is until I undo the seal. You can rest assured."


    Stasa nodded calmly but inwardly he was freaking out. To seal a person as they were and KEEP them in that state for extended periods of time was unheard of. Technically he could seal someone that was on the verge of death until they could be taken to safety. He could extend that onest breath for as long as needed.


    ''But I''m sure it''s not THAT powerful. It must have some kind of a limit...''


    The mirror continued to ascend as 86 and 89 made casual chit chat but just when they reached a height of 40 meters both of them suddenly turned silent while Stasa was too busy looking at the cube to notice.


    The mirror also stopped mid-air. 86 slowly examined their surroundings but couldn''t see anything out of ordinary in the darkness. He leaned in towards 89 and whispered, "Did you feel that?"


    89 nodded with a grim expression.


    "Yeah, no doubt about it. Something has locked onto us with extremely sharp killing intent."


    They quickly shifted the conversation to Spirit sense once they were sure it wasn''t their imagination.


    ''Do you think it''s the crimson beasts?''


    ''No, can''t be them. This is too focused, too precise.''


    ''And strong! I feel like if I make any hasty movements my head will roll away on its own.''


    Just then two words were sent digging into their minds. An order.


    ''Come down.''


    They both exchanged discerning nces, ''Human?'' but still couldn''t be sure. This type of killing intent was extremely rare. It wasn''t without purpose, there was still a consciousness behind it but it still didn''t ''feel'' human enough.


    The mirror started its descent again which was when Stasa finally noticed something was wrong.


    "What happened? Why are we going back down?"


    "Shhh!" 89 shushed to shut him up before focusing his gaze below them where a figure was leisurely sitting on a small boulder.


    The mirror came to a stop just a few meters away from him. When Stasa noticed who it was his expression turned ugly.


    "You! What are you doing here?"


    Hao Xuan''s gazended on the cube in his hand before it fell on 89.


    "What did you do to her?"

 Chapter 882: Go Fetch

    <h4>Chapter 882: Go Fetch</h4>


    A few minutes ago Hao Xuan was more than 400 meters away engaged inbat with a crimson beast that had appeared out of nowhere.


    The first time Hao Xuan saw it he thought it was a figure of his imagination but he could not have been more wrong.


    Physically, it was a little simr to the ones he had seen in the shbacks of one of the other timelines but still very much different. Where those creatures resembled four-legged feral beasts that were more beast than human, this one looked and fought as a man would.


    Its entire body was encased in chitin-like tes of armor tied together with ropes of muscles snaking over each other. Its revolting fleshy exterior was bright red even under the few rays of light that were present.


    The left and right side of its body was clearly segmented into two right down the middle, dividing its entire abdomen cleanly in half. Both its upper limbs ended in sharp hook-like weapons that were attached directly to the arms with the bands of muscr tissues.


    Its face held the image of a humanoid stone mask with indistinguishable burning orbs of light in ce of eyes. Both of its lower limbs ended in didactyl feet (two-toes like an ostrich) with muscles that looked like sprouting flowers along the base of each of the joints. (Reference Image in Authors notes and discord)


    It looked both naked and fully armored at the same time, or both alive and dead depending on how closely one examined its body.


    Utilizing theplete range of movements mentioned in the Imperial ive Doctrine Hao Xuan managed to fend off the seemingly neverending barrage of attacks from the creature.


    They seemed to be evenly matched both in terms of power and speed as they continuously traded blow after blow without any regard for either of their well-being. Every time either of them found an opening to strike the other party would counter and the cycle would resume.


    Thissted for close to six minutes, which to Hao Xuan felt like an eternity. He continuously pushed himself to his limits, even going as far as using ''Assualt of the Mad God'' which turned his upper body into the color of charcoal and then ''Infernal Rapture'' to further boost his attack power.


    It came to a point when both of them were moving faster than the speed of sound. None of the other beasts could follow their movements, not even the Orc Warders. So all they could do was sit and watch from the sidelines as they flew back and forth.


    Six whole minutes of blood pumping, high-octane, adrenaline-fueled extremely close-rangebat that spewed blood and flesh everywhere, mostly of others beasts.


    By the end kes of ckened skin were flying off Hao Xuan''s body during the smallest movements. He had exhausted most of the Chaos Qi reserves but still not even managed tond a fatal blow.


    Although at this point he didn''t know if that was even a possibility with this creature. Having been so up close and personal for so long he was able to tell there was no light behind those eyes. Its movements were hollow and reactionary, like a program.


    It was equivalent to fighting a puppet that would not get tired, that would not slip up or make mistakes in the heat of the moment. Every time Hao Xuan increased his speed and boosted his strength it would grow stronger to match it.


    It was just a little bit stronger than him, a tad bit faster. Not enough to overwhelm him but enough to keep him on his toes.


    And just as Hao Xuan was trying toe up with a new n he felt something change inside of him. It felt like someone had plucked at his left heart and tried to pull it out of his chest.


    It was only a momentary sensation that quickly faded away but not without leaving an emptiness in its ce. He suddenly became anxious as if he had lost something extremely important and then it dawned on him.


    ''Princess Ceni!''


    He couldn''t ''feel'' her existence anymore.


    Hao Xuan jerked around to look in the direction he hadst sensed her before remembering the crimson beast that was standing a few meters away. But when he looked back the beast was already gone.


    That was the perfect time to attack but it took that opportunity to take its leave. That was certainly an unexpected development but an unwee one.


    He waved his hand as a small white silhouette appeared in front of him. The Formarchian Prince looked up at him with its ck eyes. Hao Xuan pointed in the direction Ceni had been.


    "Find the people that are there. Do not attack them but don''t let them leave either."


    *bzz*


    The moment he finished giving the orders the Prince vanished along with a barely audible buzzing sound. He did not teleport but moved at such extreme speed that even Hao Xuan had no way of following it.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link (1): https://i.pinimg/564x/e2/10/de/e210de09e92d2040897af6a13908a75f.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/p6Bae

 Chapter 883: Deep Rock

    <h4>Chapter 883: Deep Rock</h4>


    The Prince''s spiritual sense spread out over an area of 3,000 meters as he listened to Hao Xuan''s orders before he had even finished listening to the orders, the perpetrators were found.


    But he stayed until Hao Xuan was done talking before taking flight. The two pairs of translucent wings attached to his back fluttered as he took flight. In his eyes, the time came to a standstill. Cutting through the air he soundlessly appeared below the mirror, right under its surface.


    A small trace of killing intent escaped from the Prince''s body as he locked onto to 86, 89 and Stasa that were right above him standing on the other side of the mirror. It was so subtle that Stasa couldn''t even feel it even though his life was just as much in danger as the other two.


    Hao Xuan followed the Prince''s signal from the ground and closed in on his location. But it was only when he was less than a hundred meters that the mirror and the three on it became visible. Under normal circumstances, he should have been able to see them from a mile away but 86''s abilitypletely blocked his perception.


    He recognized Stasa at first nce so it wasn''t hard to determine who the other two were.


    ''Come down!'' he ordered before taking a seat on a small boulder nearby.


    He had exhausted too much Qi on that small exchange back there with the Crimson Beast. Right now his biggest issue was not having enough Qi reserves.


    As they neared Hao Xuan was once again able to feel a vague connection to Ceni which wasing from the Cube in Stasa''s hand. Stasa said something but Hao Xuan didn''t even register his existence.


    The Prince, as quick as he was, swiftly flew out from under the mirror and hid behind a nearby tree without being found out.


    Hao Xuan sniffed the air just as the mirrornded and felt the same kind of smelling from the cube and 89 so he naturally looked towards him.


    "What did you do to her?" he asked in a low voice while giving the Prince another order.


    ''If they attack, kill the one in the middle first,'' he pointed out 86.


    Out of everyone here, 86 smelled the most ''unique'' which to Hao Xuan was equal to danger. And it was a smell he knew very well, almost identical to the creatures from the mirror dimension.


    Just to be sure he nced at their exposed feet which thankfully weren''t inverted.


    ''At least they are human,'' he thought.


    At the same time, both 86 and 89 were eyeing him up and down. 86 was the first one to speak up.


    ''You see that?''


    ''See what?''


    ''He looks blurry.''


    ''Looks blurry? What does that mean?''


    ''Exactly what I said. I can''t focus on him, his entire figure is blurry in my eyes.''


    ''Really? What does that mean? Did that ever happen before?''


    ''Yeah, once. When I was escorting Lord Enver to a ''Deep Rock'' to visit an inmate.''


    ''Deep Rock?! You mean the Interdimensional Prisons? The ce where they keep the most dangerous prisoners alive?''


    ''Yes, that one,'' 89 could feel the eye roll that was aimed at him even through the hoods covering their faces, ''The inmate Lord Enver met was like this guy. His silhouette was all blurry and no matter how hard I tried to focus it wouldn''t stabilize. It looked like there were several people superimposed onto one.''


    ''Then...what? Kill him? Seal him?''


    ''How about we just talk so we can get out of here without risking our lives?''


    ''Yeah, that works. Let''s not take on any more risks than we have to.''


    When they were done 89 came forward and bowed from the waist.


    "We work for Lord Dai Zhi and are here under this orders to escort his dear sister back to him. She has only been sealed and is not in any danger. Once we return she will be released without harm."


    But unlike their expectations, Hao Xuan''s expression turned cold when he heard Dai Zhi''s name. Others might not but he was well aware of Dai Zhi''s n for Ceni.


    Either she would die here or be taken hostage or maybe even as a ve by the first Protector of the Hall. That was part of their deal.


    "Why didn''t you pick me up? I was only a little bit away, you must have seen me fighting."


    But Hao Xuan chose to keep that part to himself. No one would believe him anyway.


    86 and 89 nced at one another, unsure how to answer. The stunt they pulled by giving him the wrong coordinate wasn''t exactly authorized by anyone other than Stasa so they couldn''t admit it.


    Just then Stasa stepped forward, chest puffed out and leaking pride all over the ce.


    "Why should we have helped you? What business is it ours what you do with your life?"


    Hao Xuan once again nced at the cube then back at 89.


    "Let her out. Now."

 Chapter 884: Like you asked

    <h4>Chapter 884: Like you asked</h4>


    "Now!"


    His authoritative tone of voice did not leave any room for negotiation, not that 89 had any thoughts of negotiation in such a precarious situation.


    Now that he was standing just a few meters away from Hao Xuan he could tell the source of the killing intent was not him. And even though he couldn''t pinpoint its location, it would be useless because as an experienced individual himself, he knew the chances of surviving a surprise attacking from some unknown direction would be abysmally low.


    At the very least Stasa would lose his life since they could probably protect themselves at his expense.


    But before he had the chance to say anything Stasa spoke up yet again.


    "Did no one teach you any manners? Is that any way to speak to someone higher than you? You have no authority to order us to do anything. Get out of our way!" Stasa vocalized his ''concerns'' through a furrowed brow with an expression that uratelymunicated his revulsion for Hao Xuan''s actions.


    Hao Xuan finally looked Stasa in the eye with a raised eyebrow before quickly ncing towards the tree behind them where the Prince was hiding.


    At first he was a little surprised at Stasa''s bravery, to still be talking shit even under the threat of certain death was no small feat and left quite an impression on Hao Xuan. But when the Prince informed him that Stasa wasn''t even enough of a threat to warrant his attention, Hao Xuan swiftly realized it wasn''t bravery but blissful ignorance.


    Whereas the other two''s reactions were just as expected. They stayed still for the most part without making any hasty movements and kept the conversation civil. This earned them Hao Xuan''s respect not only because they were so obviously stronger and more experienced than Stasa but more importantly, knew their current predicament.


    But in Stasa''s simple eyes Hao Xuan was no threat. He wasn''t giving off any strong energy readings nor ''looked'' imposing in any way. In fact, it was the other way around since he had just gotten out of a fight.


    Meanwhile, Stasa walked even closer while continuously chiding Hao Xuan.


    "What? Have you gone mute all of a sudden? Nothing to say anymore? People like you really need to know your ce. Just because Lord Dai Zhi and the other Protectors invited you out of pity, doesn''t mean you can act like you..."


    Hao Xuan let out a deep, audible sigh.


    He truly was speechless at Stasa''s behavior. The man was talking down to him, demeaning and even cursing at him all the while standing just a few meters away. He was wide open and if Hao Xuan struck right at this moment, Stasa would be dead before he could wrap his mind around what had happened.


    ''Is he really that ignorant? Where did this confidencee from? Does he think I won''t do anything just because he threw out Dai Zhi''s name?''


    Hao Xuan straightened his back while using the ive for support. Stumped, he met Stasa''s gaze onest time.


    "Man, you talk a lot of shit for someone in the melee range."


    Hao Xuan wouldn''t even have to get up. If he wanted to, Stasa''s head would go flying through the air in less than a second. Not that he even needed to make a move himself.


    The trees behind him parted as the four Orc Warders finally caught up with Hao Xuan. Their shadows blotted out the light and covered Stasa from head to toe.


    It was dark and they were covered in blood from head to toe but even without that, just the visual of these four ''super orcs'' towering over a single human was terrifying to behold. Their appearance was rather tame by Hao Xuan''s standards but he had seen too much crap to mind a few sharp teeth and contorted faces.


    Stasa instantly became quiet, and understandable so. His eyes were locked onto the Orcs which made Hao Xuan smile.


    "You were saying?"


    A short bout of deathly silence had fallen over the group.


    The Warders were psychics themselves even if their powers hadn''t matured yet. One look at Stasa was enough for them to read his aura and determine he was real worth. Their gazes filled with mockery and no small amount of killing intent, making him freeze on the spot like a deer caught in the headlights.


    From the back both 86 and 89 shook their heads inwardly. Any thoughts of fighting back were squished in an instant with the appearance of the Orcs.


    They neither had the advantage in numbers anymore nor in strength.


    89 waved his hand and the cube flew up from Stasa''s palm. It set floated in the next to him before expanding to its original size before disappearingpletely.


    Princess Ceni appeared in the same state she was sealed in, attacking head-on. Coincidently, Hao Xuan was the one in front of her now and was not expecting that at all.


    Her whip continued on its path and pierced straight through the side of his abdomen.


    Both he and the Orcs reacted toote. The Orcs lunged forward axes swinging down. They were going to retaliate for the injuries Hao Xuan had so suddenly received but he stopped them by sending them back to the Mind Pce.


    Even he was unsure they would listen to his orders in the heat of the moment.


    Princess Ceni realized what had happened and her face flushed.


    "Wha- How did you get there?! I didn''t mean to-"


    "It''s fine," Hao Xuan waved his hand and stood up. The wound wasn''t serious even if it left a small hole in his body. He would heal up in a matter of hours.


    But then, surprisingly, his lips arched into a smile as he leaned to the side and nced towards 89.


    "You said ''let her out''. I was just doing like you asked."

 Chapter 885: Naivety

    <h4>Chapter 885: Naivety</h4>


    "You asked for it."


    Hao Xuan was already smiling even before 89 said anything but after hearing his response he chuckled, "Touch¨¦."


    Keeping one hand on the wound to stop it from bleeding any further Hao Xuan walked past the dumbstruck Micha and Princess Ceni and stood on the mirror. Still unable to wash away his smile he looked towards 86.


    "Since you''re here, why don''t you take me back too then."


    Obviously, this wasn''t a request. If he said no there was no reason for Hao Xuan to be polite with them either. It didn''t take a genius to figure out what they had done to him so he would be more than happy to get some revenge in that case.


    But even more importantly, he didn''t really want to fight that two-legged crimson puppet again.


    Both 86 and 89 understood where they stood and were smart enough to not make any more trouble.


    "Then...if everyone would be kind enough to step up to the mirror we can be on our way," 86 spoke loud enough to bring Micha and Princess Ceni out from their dazed states.


    Hao Xuan stood right in between 86 and 89 while Princess Ceni took the left most side and Micha the right.


    Hao Xuan ced a hand on 86''s shoulder with a firm grip, "Ready when you are."


    He had a pretty good idea what kind of ability he had just from seeing the mirror and sensing his power. It wasn''t the first time he had gone through it.


    "Ha...haha...yes," 86 sheepishly replied.


    The mirror''s surface lightly vibrated before all 5 of them went through it. Hao Xuan looked to the side just before he was about to go through and recalled the Prince back to his Mind Pce.


    The group vanished into the mirror as it became smaller and smaller until it also disappeared a momentter.


    A few seconds passed and the Crimson puppet once again walked out of the shadows. Its eyes still glowing with an amber light, fixated on the spot where the mirror was just a few seconds ago.


    A gruff voice out from under the stone mask that acted as the creature''s face, "He went with them, just as you had hoped."


    With a faint rustling sound another, MUCH smaller figure walked out from behind the puppet.


    A young demihuman boy with fox ears stepped into the light, nodding as he did so. If Hao Xuan was here he would recognize him immediately since he was the kid that was hanging around Ma Jiang and the same one that had tried to save him when he firstnded, Uri.


    But now he felt a little different. That look of innocence and purity in his eyes was reced by a profound stillness. There weren''t any physical changes to his body but the aura around him was not that of a naive child.


    "It was the only way. If he had gone any closer to the storm the little ones would have seen him," he replied in the same old high-pitched voice as before.


    The puppet looked in his direction, clearly hesitant to speak up again.


    "You may speak," Uri said without looking, giving him permission.


    The puppet nodded, "Would it not be better to simply tell him the truth?"


    Uri chuckled lightly and looked up to meet the puppet''s gaze with a knowing look, "Do you think he would be able to ept it that easily?"


    The light in the puppet''s eyes flickered a few times before it responded.


    "Yes. I believe he will."


    "Even so, there is an order to how things muste to pass, and we cannot deviate from the path."


    "But...why? It would be faster this way, and a lot less bloody."


    "It''s all bloody, no matter what we do from now on. That''s not why we adhere to the order. He must make his own choices, see the consequences of his actions and in the end, ept them all. Only then can I reveal myself to him. It has been ordained as such."


    Puppet''s hoarse voice faltered, "O-Ordained? By what?"


    Uri shook his head softly with no small amount of mncholy, "Not what but whom. Just like you, I too follow orders that had beenid out for me since my birth."


    If the puppet could breathe it would be sucking in a breath of cold air right about now.


    "Who could order you around?! You are the Spirit of the World, eternal and all-seeing. You have been here since before any of us and will still be here long after we are gone. T-This is-"


    Uri''s lips arched into half a smile as he cut the puppet off, "We all have our roles to y. I am just doing what my creator had asked of me."


    The puppet went silent. The creator of the world spirit, this was the first time he had heard about it. He thought the world spirit was the one that controlled everything but that didn''t seem to be the case.


    Someone far older and far more powerful was inmand. He was the one that had controlled everything from the beginning.

 Chapter 886: -of Light

    <h4>Chapter 886: -of Light</h4>


    Everything that had happened on this from the very beginning was purposefully orchestrated in extreme detail, apparently by someone.


    The world spirit kept everything in check, from the moment the first alien species stepped on the surface of the even until now.


    When the moment called for it the world spirit would step-in in one shape or form to bring about the desired result. Either to guide its people or even lead them astray. Sometimes it would appear as a ghost of a loved one, other times as a mysterious beast, a voice, or even a long-lost memory in a dream.


    It utilized a great many ways ofmunicating with the people in question and although none of its abilities were extremely overpowering, their range could not be measured merely by human standards.


    It could see everything all at once that was happening across its many surfaces, listen in to the very thoughts and dreams of its inhabitants and so much more.


    The, this world, was its domain. And for ack of a better word, it truly was omnipotent here.


    The puppet finally spoke up again, raising the curtain of silence.


    "Then...what is my role?"


    Uri took in a deep breath and looked up to stare at the colorful sky.


    "Do you really care what role you y? Did you not ept my power for the purpose of revenge?"


    "I did," the puppet quietly answered.


    "Has you a new purpose now?"


    "No, never!" the puppet swiftly answered.


    "Then it matters not. You will ready your armies and meet the murders once they enter the inner world."


    "What about them? The ''cultivators''? I alone cannot contend with them even with your aid. As long as ''the old one'' is with them we will never win."


    Uri smiled again when he heard that.


    "You needn''t worry. Through the river of time, my master has sent someone to help "


    "Someone? Is it that boy?"


    Uri shook his head lightly, "No. The boy''s fate lies elsewhere. Only a monster of simr repute could contend against the old one, the legendary ''Abysswalker''. There is only one being capable of doing that."


    The puppet went silent, unsure if it even wanted to know but soon its curiosity got the better of it.


    "Who did your master send? Who could possibly be strong enough to fight evenly against an immortal?" as the puppet turned towards Uri for answers, it saw him staring back at him with a wide toothy grin.


    "What do you know about the ''Titans''?"


    The puppet''s head tilted to the side in confusion as it tried to recall everything it knew.


    "Only what you have told me. But did the titans not go extinct eons ago? Thest one vanished in the era of antiquity, killed during the siege of Heaven."


    "Mhm, that is indeed correct. But it was not killed during the siege. The titans are beings of terrible power. They are born of the World''s essence and cannot be killed in the traditional sense, only locked away or put to sleep for all of eternity by distributing their powers to lower beings."


    "So..."


    "So, my master found one. It was one of the first of its kind, true to its name. I know not what it calls itself, only what others of its time called it. The ''Titan of Light'', the swallower of the sun."


    The puppet could not possibly hope toprehend the powers of such a being but it did voice a major concern.


    "But if the titan uses its powers here, would everything not be destroyed along with the Abysswalker?"


    Uri confirmed, "It most definitely would. I would simply perish the moment he used his powers for the first time. When he manifests its true form the will copse and all thews of the world would be turned upside down. Nothing would be left."


    "Then...what do we do?"


    Uri shrugged and turned around to casually walk back into the shadows. His voice drifted over the wind a momentter.


    "We do nothing. It is not up to us how it ends. We simply do what can be done."


    ***


    At the same time down in the inner world, Jin Wang was sneezing over and over again.


    *Achoo!*


    *Achoo!*


    *Achoo!*


    "My god-"


    *Achoo!*


    "-who is talking about me so much??"


    He opened his mouth but closed it a momentter. Sitting across from him the Grand Priestess threw him a curious nce.


    "Are you sure it''s safe? Going down there alone?"


    In front of them was an extremely old-looking parchment with what appeared to be a map of some kind detailed on its surface.


    Jin Wang wiped his nose with his shirt before nodding.


    "Yeah yeah, it''s no problem. I''ll be quick, in and out without making a ruckus. Right now I just need to find the location of the hidden room and see what kind of defenses it has. I''m sure the traps won''t be anything tough about since they were left behind by ''him'' of all people."

 Chapter 887: Worries

    <h4>Chapter 887: Worries</h4>


    The Grand Priestess peered at the parchment with a raised eyebrow, "And by him you mean.....?"


    "Who do you think? The Emperor, of course. He left something for me down there, in the heart of the prison. Whoever it was that was working for him designed the prison and created that room so I could go there when it was time. And the time is now."


    The Grand Priestess circled a giant area in and around the spot that Jin Wang had marked out.


    "What about the crimson beasts? They alle from down there. If I had to guess the central nest should also be somewhere nearby. Will you be able to get in and out safely with countless monstrosities breathing down your neck?"


    Jin Wang chuckled, "Haha, no, not at all. But the "main nest" hasn''t even been created yet. This ''disease'' might seem simple at first nce but it always works in a very specific order. It starts out by infecting the surrounding environments, setting a sort of trap which it uses to lure people in and infect them without making it too obvious."


    "Once a good portion is infected and they have started to release the spores in other ces, the infection bes more obvious. The dead and dying organic beings are the first ones to be fused together and reanimated. Those are the crimson beasts that you see now."


    "There is not a lot of variety in them since the nest has chosen a host yet."


    The Grand Priestess interjected, "A host? You mean it will take someone from outside?"


    Jin Wang gave a half-hearted nod, "Yes, and no. It does take some ''parts'' of other beings but end result is something entirely new. This host serves as the brain of the hive, where all information is congregated and converged. Once the host awakens it gainsplete control of the reanimated beings."


    "They be extensions of itself. It can see and hear through their eyes like they were it''s own and even startprehendingplex ideas anding up with new strategies. And then after that...is when you can really see where it got many of its names from."


    "The Corruption, the Flood, the Disease, and the Soulless."


    "After that, the disease starts spreading at unprecedented levels. Within a certain physical distance it starts infecting everything, and I really do mean ''everything''. The air, the water, the trees, the people, and the beasts. In some cases even if you manage to keep the physical changes at bay the mind is still shattered.


    "The body, the mind, and the soul, it leaves nothing intact. Nothing escapes from its wretched grasp. Even thews of nature are warped to fit its own needs. In a matter of days, everything will be a part of it."


    The Grand Priestess was listening intently but when heard about what could be one of its limitations, she quickly spoke up.


    "You said within a certain physical distance. Does that mean if you take an infected creature away from the nest it will lose its ability to infect others? Does it just wither away and die?"


    Jin Wang snorted derisively, "If it was that easy would it even be a threat? Any infection, no matter how big or small is capable of bing a full-fledged nest in its own right. Granted it will start from the very first step but sooner orter if left unchecked, it will once again get big enough to create a new nest and start the process anew."


    "A single particle, just one single spore is capable of evolving to the highest level. That''s why it is so troublesome to keep it contained for an extended period of time."


    "Then...is there no way to stop it for good?"


    "Well, you can slow its advance. I know for a fact that it cannot infectrge bodies of water as easily as it doesndmasses. But I don''t know why that is. And once it reaches the vacuum of space away from any infectable organisms it is known to go into a sort of stasis, a hibernation if you will. Once ites into contact with any organic mass it wakes and continues."


    Both the Grand Priestess and Jin Wang went silent for a good few minutes after that.


    Jin Wang couldn''t help but worry what would happen if some portion of it were to get loose prematurely before he had the time to poison it, while the Grand Priestess had most of her doubts proven right.


    At this stage, it was next to impossible to save their, wasn''t it?


    Now she knew for certain. And sooner rather thanter they would have to leave as well. Unless...unless she could somehow call on the World Spirit and ask for its help.


    Jin Wang stood up a few minutester and cracked his back, "Ooh, that hit the spot. Alright, I''ll head in now. You said there was an entrance in the city right? Take me to it."

 Chapter 888: Inside out

    <h4>Chapter 888: Inside out</h4>


    86 felt Hao Xuan''s grip tightening around his shoulder which made him shake his head inwardly.


    ''Hold on, I''ll take them for a quick ride. I have to teach this kid a lesson he won''t soon forget,'' he informed 89 whose expression turned ugly under his hood.


    ''No! Don''t do it, I''m warning you! It will not only mess up their energies but also their state of mind. It could prove to be too much for them if they are strong-willed enough!''


    But his warning fell on deaf ears as 86 had already begun conjuring his spell.


    Hao Xuan felt the surface of the mirror destabilize before it liquified and vanishedpletely. They plummeted straight down, seamlessly passing from one world into another.


    All the color was left behind and drained out of their visions as the dark but still colorful scenery was converted into a sepia tone and then into ck and white.


    To Hao Xuan''s eyes, it looked like someone was flipping through filters in his brain whichpletely changed how he saw the world. Each passing color scheme brought with it visions of new creatures andnds that were otherwise not visible.


    To the others they might seem like static images but since Hao Xuan''s reflexes were much faster he was able to ''see'' andprehend a lot more than them.


    It felt like someone had taken an old iron key, shoved it inside his forehead, and turned all the way around to unlock a new part of his brain.


    He saw various shadows both big and small materialize right in front of his eyes, solidify into unique shapes, and then turn into shadows once again. They were a little familiar butrgely foreign to his untrained eyes.


    And along with each ''filter'' they moved further and further away from their initial position until it stabilized for a fraction of a second after switching to ck and white. At this point, the world turned upside down right before they were sent hurling downward, slowly converging on another spot somewhere far away.


    Then it changed back to sepia before finally returning to normal as they came out on a new spot back in their own world.


    Both Princess Ceni and Micha were already down on their knees, keeled over the sides of the mirror emptying several mouthfuls of blood and other half-digested particles.


    But 86 and 89 were shocked beyond belief to have any kind of reaction to them, speechless as they stared at the boy still standing steadily in between them.


    Hao Xuan let go of 86''s shoulder and dusted his hands. He patted his rumbling stomach that settled quickly.


    "Phew, that was a hell of a ride. It feels like I was turned inside out for a second and then back to normal again. Is it always like this?"


    He looked at 86 for answers but got none.


    "Alright then, keep your secrets," he shrugged and sidestepped the vomit to jump down from the mirror that was floating half a meter above ground.


    Looking around he found himself to be on the roof of a tall building with a teleportation array a few meters to the front and a couple of men in white robes standing beside it.


    Upon hearing themotion they turned around and saw Hao Xuan and the others. Their spears swiftly rose into the air pointing towards them until they noticed 86 and 89 which made them back down.


    They ran up to Hao Xuan even though they didn''t recognize him and bowed from the waist, simply because he was with them.


    "Wee back, my lords!" they shouted in unison.


    But Hao Xuan''s gaze turned to stone when he got a closer look at them. They were wearing the same exact uniform as the people from one of the other timelines, along with the insignia of a cross with two halos above it. (CH 844)


    "Get up," Hao Xuan subconsciously ordered in quite a harsh tone of voice which startled the two guardsmen.


    "Y-Yes, my lord."


    "Who do you belong to? I haven''t seen you around here before."


    Although Hao Xuan asked the question, he already knew the answer just from looking at theirplexions and facial features. They were natives of this world but he could feel the spiritual Qi flowing through their bodies even if it wasn''t that strong. Around the Origin realm perhaps.


    And then there was another source of power, very subtle and almost indistinguishable from the normal spiritual energy but just unique enough for Hao Xuan to detect it. It was identical in both of them while still being foreign to their bodies.


    He quickly connected the dots and realized that they were part of the secret army that Henrik was talking about, the one Dai Zhi had created from among the native survivors, the ones that were loyal only to him and the Church.


    And the foreign power within their bodies must be what they got from the Church.

 Chapter 889: All for one

    <h4>Chapter 889: All for one</h4>


    While the guardsmen''s own spiritual energy felt like a nice and cool free-flowing stream of water, the foreign energy presented itself as a small fish made of pure light that was swimming through it.


    Hao Xuan''s spiritual sense reached out and entered their bodies without their knowledge. His own soul was strong enough to overpower thempletely if he so desired but he chose to keep it on the down-low.


    To the guardsmen, this invasion of their bodies did not appear outright threatening. All they saw was Hao Xuan''s bright green eyes staring down at them in silence. They could not force themselves to look away and fell into a sort of a trance.


    The surroundings became darker and darker while Hao Xuan''s shadowy silhouette becamerger in their eyes, bearing down at them like to a great mountain.


    They felt weak and powerless in front of him. The difference in their soul power made them want to kneel down and kowtow in reverence. All of their secrets wereid bare at a single nce.


    This was the difference in their realms. No matter how religiously they cultivated, how strongly they believed in their cause, it was nothingpared to the overwhelming power difference between them.


    Hao Xuan was a tiger, and they were merembs in his presence.


    They wanted to answer but Hao Xuan''s invading spiritual sense left their minds wandering as it investigated their bodies in extreme detail.


    He found numerous scars on their organs and an artificially made meridian system. It was quite obviously not their own. They weren''t born with it but acquired it through outside means sometimeter.


    The blood vessels that carried the spiritual energy were new and bright red in color, even more so than usual.


    ''This is Dai Zhi''s doing. A vampire''s ability.''


    Hao Xuan''s hand slowly reached out and just when the guardsmen thought they were about to lose their loves he patted them on the shoulder one by one.


    "You are natives?"


    As the words left his mouth the pressure bearing down on the guardsmen popped like a bubble and they were freed from his grasp. It felt like an eternity to them but it had only been a handful of seconds.


    Their foreheads were covered in sweat just like their backs while their heads bobbed up and down vigorously.


    "Y-Yes, m-my lord," they stutteringly replied in unison.


    "Hmm."


    Hao Xuan said nothing else. shing a quick smile he walked past them withrge strides, quite literally leaving them shaking in their boots.


    He was quite happy that they weren''t that strong just yet. If there were ordinary soldiers then the elite could not be stronger than him.


    Hao Xuan walked past a staircase leading to the lower floors and peered over the edge of the roof to finallyy his eyes on the entirepound that left him bbergasted.


    The building he was on was a simple stone tower, the tallest one among six other much wider buildings to either side of it. To the front was a giant courtyard, or rather a stadium surrounded by rows upon rows of seats on three sides that acted both as its outer boundary and a resting ce for the countless small ant-like figures that were filling its grounds.


    The main grounds alone were approximately 1500 meters in length and 600 meters in width and filled to the brim with people.


    It looked like an ocean of white from Hao Xuan''s point of view. Each of them was draped in the same white garments that the guardsmen and the men from the other timeline wore.


    At a single nce, there were close to 5,000 people here allbined.


    Hao Xuan unwittingly breathed in a breath of cold air. Although he was looking at thousands of individual men and women, they presented as a single entity in his eyes. Each of their spiritual energy readings were almost identical to one another.


    Rather than 5,000 different individuals, in Hao Xuan''s eyes they looked like one giant organism with 5,000 different cells powering it.


    Alone they might not be that strong individually but together, the mere presence they gave off was overbearingly suffocating. For ack of a better word, it was akin to a tsunami of spiritual energy.


    He had never seen so many people so in-tune with one another. Hao Xuan could not bear to look away.


    ''I was...wrong. This is...I can''t...''


    His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of footstepsing from behind him.


    89 walked up beside Hao Xuan and gazed down at the same scenery.


    "Quite awe-inspiring don''t you think? I am told Lord Dai Zhi came up with it himself. He trained them in such a way that their Qi''s arepletely in line with one another. Each one of them can borrow the other''s spiritual energy so unless you kill all of them at once, it won''t be easy to get an upper hand."

 Chapter 890: Treasure Palace

    <h4>Chapter 890: Treasure Pce</h4>


    "Killing arge number of them at once is the only way to do any serious damage to them as a whole," 89 smilingly said.


    Hao Xuan''s expressionless face stared back at his, which was still hidden underneath the robe.


    "Why tell me such a thing? Dai Zhi is your master. I could be his enem- No, I think you already know we don''t get along which is why you people sent me those coordinates."


    89 shook his head gently, "You are mistaken. My only duty is to serve the Church, I am bound by no other responsibilities. To help Lord Dai Zhi create his spark, that is why I am here. That is why we ALL are here."


    Hao Xuan scoffed, "I''ll see about that."


    Just then the sound of rolling thunder carried over from the left side. Hao Xuan turned towards the source and saw the top of the purple whirlpool. It was below them now, a few hundred kilometers away if not more.


    This 2,000 meters long and 800-meter widepound was created on top of the highest peak of the same mountain range that Hao Xuan saw from the ground.


    It was so high that he couldn''t even see the peak from below and now he was standing on it. It was at least 20 kilometers above ground.


    "How did Dai Zhi create this ce here? It can''t have been easy," Hao Xuanmented hoping to pry some more information from 89''s mouth which he was more than happy to do.


    "This ce was not created by Lord Dai Zhi. It was a gift from the Church that we brought for him. A treasure pce that can be summoned anywhere. It can house more than 10,000 individuals and provides a few rare amenities that are necessary for an army."


    "An army? Is that why that ground is there?"


    "Yes. To train them in a safe environment. As to why he chose this ce, I believe it was because of the view," 89 finished by gesturing towards the whirlpool but Hao Xuan was more shocked to hear that it was a gift.


    "Can it be summoned and recalled as he wishes?"


    "No, once it is summoned it cannot be moved. It shows Lord Dao Zhi''smitment to his ns as well as his confidence in them that he summoned it in such a ce. Most people would wait to get to a safe world before doing so but I think Lord Dai Zhi already considers this world his own."


    "His own?"


    Hao Xuan thought about the slumbering death lord corpse, the prison, and Beelzebub, each of which was an overwhelming force in its own right and Dai Zhi had the gal to im this world for himself?


    "Hahaha, I''d like to see that happen."


    89 was amused by Hao Xuan''sment, "You do not think it is possible?"


    "No," Hao Xuan shook his head, "Anything is possible. But the possibility of him iming this world is abysmally low. It''s just a matter of numbers. There are too many contenders for that specific position."


    "Are you...one of them? The contenders?"


    Hao Xuan''s smile faltered before disappearing.


    "No. I''m just looking to get back home in one piece."


    Behind them, Micha and Princess Ceni were able to stand on their own again with a little help from 86. Hao Xuan heard them approach and gestured towards 89.


    "Looks like they are finally ready. Take me to Dai Zhi and the others."


    89 gave an exaggerated bow from the waist, "As you wish, my lord."


    He led the way and went down the staircase followed closely behind by Hao Xuan, Princess Ceni, Micha, and 86.


    After going down three flights of stairs the mor of arge crowd suddenly reached them. When Hao Xuan stepped onto the floor he felt various energies pass through and for a short moment even saw a few symbols floating about in the air.


    The quality of air became much cleaner and even ambient spiritual energy increased twofold. Rather than an inanimate building, this ce felt like more a living breathing forest.


    ''A treasure indeed,'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly.


    The ground looked like it was made of white marble but after a few meters it started to change to grey stone on the left side. When they passed by that section Hao Xuan was able to peek inside and see where all the noise wasing from.


    There were dozens of forges lining the sides with boiling metal bubbling in between them moving about. Arge humanoid figure that looked like it was made of mud and stone manned each forge, holding giant hammers over their heads.


    89 saw Hao Xuan''s lingering gaze and slowed to inform him.


    "Golems. Created for the sole purpose of producing weapons and armors. They came with the pce."

 Chapter 891: Vermin

    <h4>Chapter 891: Vermin</h4>


    "They came with the pce."


    "Mhm," Hao Xuan nodded expressionlessly, keeping his surprise and shock to himself.


    After that section came three others. One of them was a stable with a 10 meter wide locked stone door. 89 said that all the various beasts and creatures that had been captured on the were behind it.


    They were being trained for the war effort and would be sent to the battlefield if there was a need for them. Although there were many barriers around the doors that stopped most of the noise froming through, Hao Xuan could still hear loud growls followed by the sound of whips.


    The third door was guarded by four fully armored individuals that were standing right in front of it blocking even the view.


    This was apparently the armory where all the weapons and armors were kept that had been created by the golems.


    The fourth section was blocked by a slim white door. 89 didn''t say anything about it. Either even he didn''t know or wasn''t willing to part with that information. Hao Xuan didn''t bother asking either and continued past it without giving it another look but inwardly he was more than a little envious of Dai Zhi now.


    This ce was a war camp, a fortress in its own right that was not only able to house and train thousands of soldiers but also produce enough armaments to arm them from head to toe.


    Hao Xuan had seen one of the teleportation arrays on top of the tower but he suspected there were a lot more of them hidden somewhere else that could send this entire army to anyce in a matter of minutes.


    And this was just a simple ''gift'' from the Church. Dai Zhi didn''t have to do anything to get it other than say yes to an already lucrative offer. How could Hao Xuan contend with something like that when he was struggling to arm a mere 200 Orcs?


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh before throwing these distracting thoughts to the back of his mind. He was quite literally in the enemy''s camp now and needed to keep his guard up.


    After passing through a handful of narrow hallways they came to a stop in front of an ordinary-looking door.


    89 turned towards Hao Xuan and shing a smile.


    "Please rest inside. I will inform Lord Dai Zhi of your arrival ande get you in a moment. He is currently in the main hall with the Lord Inquisitor and some of the other members."


    "Mhm, that''s fine."


    Hao Xuan walked through the door and entered without any hesitation.


    89 then turned towards Princess Ceni, "Princess, if you please follow me I will show you to your quarters. Lord Dai Zhi has set aside the second-best room in the entire pce for yo-"


    But before he could even finish the sentence Ceni walked past him and entered the same room as Hao Xuan, closing the door firmly behind her.


    Micha reached out to grab her but was too slow and was left standing there gritting his teeth in silence.


    89 and 86 exchanged knowing nces before quickly walking off with wide strides.


    Micha continued standing in front of the door in silence, hatefully ring at it. Finally, he muttered "Vermin," under his breath and walked off in another direction.


    ***


    Inside the scarcely decorated room, Hao Xuan was sitting on a chair on the left while Ceni sat on the bed to the right opposite to him. There was no other piece of furniture in here other than them.


    It would be a lie if Hao Xuan said he wasn''t a little apprehensive and more than a little nervous. Dai Zhi and his cronies were one thing but it was the ''Abyss Walker'' that kept him on the edge of his seat.


    He already knew what the Abyss Walker looked like so he wouldn''t be able to hide from him in in sight anymore.


    But even if it was highly unlikely Hao Xuan would be able to escape in one piece, he had still mapped out the route they had taken to get here.


    Time slowly ticked by. There were two people in the room but it was deathly silent, perhaps even more so if it was actually empty.


    Hao Xuan was lost in his own thoughts not even paying any attention to Ceni while all her worries were centered around him. She wanted to say something but couldn''t bring herself to speak up.


    Eventually, the sound of footsteps came from behind the door before it was slowly opened to reveal half a dozen fully armed female guards.


    Hao Xuan stood up, raising an inquisitive eyebrow towards 89.


    89 stood to the side, "Lord Dai Zhi will see you know."


    As he said that, the female guards also stepped aside making way for Micha to walk forward, "Princess, pleasee with me."

 Chapter 892: No Relations

    <h4>Chapter 892: No Rtions</h4>


    Hao Xuan nced at Micha who didn''t even bother meeting his eyes before looking back at 89 for answers.


    "Does she not need to go meet her brother as well? Where are you taking her?"


    All he could saw was 89''s unwavering smile under the robe which covered everything else. He shook his head once.


    "She does not. Lord Dai Zhi has chosen another ce for the Princess. She will be taken to her private quarters so she has time to rest and prepare for the gathering," or so he said but all Hao Xuan could hear were Dai Zhi''s words echoing in his ears that were said to Tian Zheng about ''taking care'' of Ceni.


    This was a gathering of all the protectors which meant Tian Zheng would definitely be here. And since Princess Ceni was called here even without holding such a position, it would only mean Dai Zhi wanted to execute his n now.


    But...there was not much Hao Xuan could do in his position. He was a guest here and most importantly, they weren''t on good terms. He hadn''t even met Dai Zhi yet so going against the host''smands might make him drop all pretenses of restraint and go at him at full force.


    There was nothing he could do, nor had any valid reason to do. Time and time again Hao Xuan had stopped Ceni''s advances and now she had also given up which became pretty obvious from their interactions throughout thest day or so.


    Just then, before Hao Xuan coulde to a conclusion on his own, he felt a dainty hand wrapping around his shirt pulling him forward.


    He looked ahead and saw Princess Ceni standing in front of him. She didn''t meet his gaze either and instead fixated it on his shirt cor as she propped it up and started patting the wrinkles right in front of numerous deathly stares.


    "What ar-"


    ''Hold your head high and walk confidently even if it all seems lost. Do not show them any weakness or else they will hold onto it for the rest of your life,'' her words rang inside his head, cutting him off.


    ''Don''t be afraid no matter how many threats he makes. He will not do anything too out of bounds as long as you are here. To people like him, there is nothing more important than image. They care how others perceive them and will hold themselves back in front of an audience to maintain that image.''


    ''Speak loudly, clearly, and without hesitation. Don''t let them look down on you. They are not better than you in any way. All they have is more time and resources, nothing that you can''t get. Remember, they have nothing over you.''


    Shocked speechless at first Hao Xuan''s brow quickly locked into a tight furrow a momentter. He grabbed her hand that was brushing the dust off his chest and slowly pulled it away.


    "What...are you doing?!" he asked out loud.


    ''Why are you still giving me advice when your own life is in danger? You have to know that!''


    She finally looked up and shed a smile, the kind of innocent and pure smile he would have never expected from her.


    ''Stay respectful even if they are rude. Do not fall to their level. You are better than them. And if-''


    From the side Micha who was stunned into a daze by Princess Ceni''s bizarre actions finally came to.


    His expression turned ugly as he yelled through gritted teeth, "Escort the Princess!" prompting all six of the female guards to take action.


    They surrounded her in one coordinated swift move and pulled her away from Hao Xuan. In thatst moment she finally reached out and tried to grab his hand but to no avail.


    She was hauled away but kept looking in his direction for as long as she could until they left the room and within seconds disappeared into one of the many other hallways.


    Only Hao Xuan and 89 were left standing there.


    89 nced in the direction they had gone off to and let out a sigh.


    "She was crying, you know, at the end."


    Hao Xuan looked at his empty hand, somehow still able to feel her presence in front of him. The touch of her skin and her lingering scent proved to be too strong for him to ignore at thiste a stage.


    "Are you not going to go after her?" 89 spoke up again seeing as Hao Xuan had no reaction before.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and wiped his hand over his shirt to get rid of that sensation. He looked 89 right in the eye, "Why would I do that? We have no rtion."


    "Even though she cares for you so?"


    "Does that mean I must reciprocate those feelings no matter what? She is young and naive. It is only a fleeting emotion that she has for me. In a few years, she won''t even remember who I am..."


    89 stared at him in silence for a good few seconds before turning around and walking in the opposite direction to where Ceni was taken to.


    He did not like the answers he got and Hao Xuan knew that but chose not to say anything. They walked through several more hallways beforeing to a gold-encrusted door.


    Depictions of various mythical beasts could be seen fighting on its surface and sounds of muffled music were leaking from the other side.


    89 stood aside.


    "Lord Dai Zhi is waiting on the other side."


    Hao Xuan ced his hand over the door and felt a warm energy pass through him. But he paused momentarily before opening it, "Is Tian Zheng here yet?"


    89 thought about it for a second before answering.


    "Not yet. His party will arrive just before the start of the gathering."


    "Hmm."

 Chapter 893: Hiccup

    <h4>Chapter 893: Hup</h4>


    "Are you not going after her?"


    "Why would I do that? We have no rtion."


    "Even though she cares for you so?"


    "Does that mean I must reciprocate those feelings no matter what? She is young and...oh so naive. It is only a fleeting emotion that she has for me. In a few years, she won''t even remember who I am."


    **


    ''A fleeting emotion? You both have been on the for more than a standard year and yet, she still harbors those ''fleeting emotions'' for you every moment of every day. Are you sure you are not just saying that to make yourself feel better for abandoning her?''


    ''Abandoning her?? How am I abandoning her?! Why must I be responsible for a stranger''s well-being?!''


    ''Oh please, you know all too well that she is not a stranger to us, not anymore. You brought her here knowing full well what fate awaits her. And now you are turning your back towards her like the coward you are. She would die for you in a heartbeat but you won''t even fight for her. Once a coward, always a coward. Hahahaha~''


    **


    "Enough! What business is it yours what happens between her and I?" Hao Xuan shouted, startling 89 who was standing silently beside him.


    "Eh?" bewildered, he bowed instantly, "My apologies if I overstepped."


    89 apologized even though he hadn''t spoken since they first left the room. Hao Xuan looked back and met his gaze just in time for 89 to see his eyes change from a dark red to their original green color.


    ''Poison?! Or a curse?''


    Hao Xuan''s right hand was still ced on the gold-encrusted door.


    "Is Tian Zheng here yet?"


    89 was confused by the sudden change in Hao Xuan''s behavior but it further supported his theory of Hao Xuan being poisoned or cursed. He seemed to have no idea about what he had just done or said.


    "Not...yet. His party will arrive just before the gathering starts. But most of the others are already in there."


    "Hmm."


    Hao Xuan looked back at the door and pushed. It didn''t budge at the start but as he continued putting more and more strength it started to open little by little. He even used the other arm when it seemed to havee to a standstill and with one massive burst of raw physical power flung both the sides away.


    The music that was getting louder and louder came to an abrupt stop. Irritated and annoyed, Hao Xuan strode into the main hall as if it was his own.


    "What the fuck kinda door is this?! Some great ''treasure pce'' you have, Dai Zhi."


    Unlike what Hao Xuan expected, the "main hall" was actually a small pocket dimension of its own. On the other side of the golden door was another world entirely in a much more literal sense.


    For one, it was nighttime inside. There were stars shining overhead with a few clouds roaming about here and there.


    There was a giant bonfire burning in the middle with a total of nine carpets ced in a circle on the naked ground around it. Most of the carpets had anywhere from 1-2 to over 5 people sitting on them.


    Only two carpets were still empty, one to Dai Zhi''s extreme right side and the one next to it.


    There were multiple beautiful women standing in between each of the carpets with either wine bottles or trays of food. They were dressed in what Hao Xuan thought was a standard attire for a belly dancer, barely covering anything at all.


    To the left side, away from everything else was a group of five men holding various musical instruments, and right now each and every person was looking towards Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan also recognized many of the faces trying to bore holes in his face.


    Dai Zhi himself was first and foremost who was on the other side of the bonfire.


    The baldheaded teen Dima who was the first guardian of the Temple was sitting on the right side of the bonfire with and an unknown woman.


    To the left was surprisingly Xue Meng. The saber-wielding lunatic that Hao Xuan met in the pit. There were four empty wine bottles next to him and another one attached to his lips.


    After basically inhaling the bottle''s contents he threw it away and looked around groggily, "Why has the *hup* music stopped? Come *hup* on!"


    The music started up again but most of the people were still staring at Hao Xuan who didn''t know what to do.


    Dai Zhi cleared his throat and raised a ss towards Hao Xuan, "Why don''t you join us-"


    But he was rudely cut off by Xue Meng''s ring voice.


    "OHH! IT''S YOU! HAHAHA! Come here,e sit next to me!" he patted the carpet next to him which from the order in which everyone was sitting, Hao Xuan quickly guessed was reserved for Tian Zheng.

 Chapter 894: Serve

    <h4>Chapter 894: Serve</h4>


    The music resumed upon Xue Meng''s "request". It was led by a soothing flute that provided quite an atmospheric backdrop to this gathering of the most powerful individuals on the which helped in cutting the tensions in half.


    Yet Dai Zhi''s raised hand wine ss stayed in that position while his gaze was fixated on Xue Meng for a short while before switching to Hao Xuan.


    "You two know each other?" he asked in a low tone of voice, bringing the wine ss back down to his chest.


    The female servers also resumed moving in and around the carpets refilling the trays of food and beverages,pletely ignoring the recent distraction.


    Hao Xuan nodded before walking to the carpet next to Xue Meng and sitting beside him.


    "We are acquainted," he said with half a smile, purposefully keeping it cryptic.


    Xue Meng snatched a bottle from a passing server and threw it towards Hao Xuan, "Come on, have a drink! HAHAHA! It''s boring. Too much talking is boring!"


    Hao Xuan caught it out of midair and poured himself a cup before downing it in one go. Xue Meng was drunk off his arse and could barely sit upright but still managed to keep a track of his surroundings through his drooping eyelids.


    "HAHAHA! Yea- *Hup* that''s what I''m talking about! Mo- *Hup* -re!"


    Hao Xuan took another swig directly from the bottle before putting it down. He had yet to even swallow that mouthful when Dai Zhi''s soft voice crawled into his ear.


    "You arete. I sent for you ages ago."


    *Gulp*


    "Well, it''s a good thing I don''t work you then because otherwise my job might be in danger."


    Dai Zhi couldn''t help but smile, "Is that what you think? That you don''t work for me?"


    Hao Xuan tilted his head sideways in mock confusion, "Do I? Last I checked you were just the first guardian like me. Although you can order others around in this world, that still doesn''t apply to me."


    Dai Zhi''s eyes twinkled with a newfound light. It was like he was looking at an animal in a zoo but he hid it well enough that Hao Xuan didn''t see the mocking gaze.


    "You work for the Academy and until we get back to the beast world, I AM the Academy. You will answer to me, that is your duty."


    Hao Xuan met his unwavering gaze and wondered how could someone be so tantly arrogant and confident. It blew his mind to think that Dai Zhi was under the impression that everything was already under his control.


    "I already am fulfilling my duty," Hao Xuan dismissively replied before picking up the bottle to take drink another mouthful but Dai Zhi''s response left him frozen stiff for a second.


    "And what duty is that? To find the World Spirit or that girl the elves has been looking for?"


    Hao Xuan ced the bottle back on the ground. Shocked as he was he didn''t let it show.


    "Say what you want, it is unseemly for someone of your status to beat around the bush like a coward."


    Dai Zhi chuckled and took out a jade medallion from his robe, ying with it halfheartedly.


    "Not many people know this but as the first protector, I have the ability to listen in on anymunication happening through the identity tokens if the overseer cannot be reached. In fact, they alle to me automatically once he is out of the picture."


    Hao Xuan''s pupils shrunk to the size of needles. Ryfon was the overseer for the Academy and it had been a while since anyone could reach him. That meant everything that had been happening could have been eavesdropped on by Dai Zhi.


    Dai Zhi saw the realization dawn on Hao Xuan and chuckled inwardly.


    "But that''s not all. I can alsopletely block and track every single function of your identity token. I''m sure you know but that means that I know where you people are at all times along with everything that you are nning."


    ''Henrik, you fucking idiot!''


    Hao Xuan immediately realized who the oblivious culprit was. Henrik was the only one still trying to desperately reach Ryfon by using the identity token repeatedly. But during that process, he instead became Dai Zhi''s unwitting informant.


    The Blood Prince could not keep his feelings to himself anymore, not that he was trying particrly hard anyway. Seeing that half-nk half-anxious look on Hao Xuan''s face he wanted tough uproaringly.


    "I''m certain you cane to the next logical conclusion. There is nothing you can do that will have any meaningful effect in the long term. Throw away these ludicrous notions of rebellion that you have picked up somewhere along the way and return to the Academy."


    "You belong here, at my feet. You will serve me just like all the others, whether you like it or not."

 Chapter 895: Authors note:

    <h4>Chapter 895: Author''s note:</h4>


    The names for Stasa and Micha were identally mistaken for one another in the recent chapters. Typo has now been fixed and hopefully, it will reflect on WN soon. (Still having syncing problems with my publisher''s website)


    Micha is the Prince of a 2nd tier Kingdom who had a history with Hao Xuan and is also the one that was referenced in the recent chapters. He uses a bow. (he was first introduced around CH369)


    While Stasa is the 3rd protector of the Hall, a sword cultivator and the one who has a problem with Henrik. He is very strong and reckless and is out to get Hao Xuan because of his connection with Henrik. (first introduced around CH405 among others)

 Chapter 896: Unprecedented

    <h4>Chapter 896: Unprecedented</h4>


    "Whether I like it or not, huh?"


    Hao Xuan calmly repeated Dai Zhi''s words as he looked at the others around him. They could all hear their conversation but none of them had any reaction to it whatsoever, as if it was the most ordinary thing.


    Dima was meekly tucked away to the side while the brawny beauty that was almost double his size could not stop talking to him. Hao Xuan didn''t understand whatnguage she was speaking but judging from her demeanor it was easy to tell that she was pretty passionate about the topic.


    Xue Meng could not even sit alone by himself anymore. He was cuddling a wine bottle while grumbling something about loosing his "soul match".


    Other than Tian Zheng''s there were two other spots still vacant albeit not for long.


    Hao Xuan picked up the wine bottle and drank it dry. His mind was racing with so many different thoughts that he couldn''t even relish its exquisite taste.


    *Burp*


    He let out a loud burp that made Xue Meng giggle in his delirious state and the brawny girl wince from the other side with a disgusted expression.


    "And what if I don''t? You know, ''serve you at your feet''. What will happen then?"


    Hao Xuan''s nonchnt tone of voice left a lot to be desired in Dai Zhi''s eyes. His expression hardened.


    "Then you will never leave this ce."


    "Alive, you mean?"


    "No, alive or dead, you won''t be leaving this ce. I will refine your soul and turn your body into my puppet. You will continue to serve me for as long as I care for it. That is the only fate that awaits you if you chose to go against my wishes."


    Hao Xuan snickered, "And what makes you think you can keep me here?" releasing a tinge of killing intent that quickly doused the merry mood of the party.


    He wasn''t joking. He was ready to fight his way out if need be, even if the odds werepletely against him.


    Soon as the words left Hao Xuan''s mouth the music stopped once again. The female servers that were walking about suddenly turned towards Hao Xuan. The whites of their eyes turned dark red and they released their own killing intent to counter his.


    Dai Zhi emptied the wine ss but instead of putting it down he abruptly closed his hand and it turned to dust instantly.


    "You are in MY house. The moment you stepped in here your life was forfeit. Even if by some miracle you managed to fight against everyone here AND my army outside, the pce would still not let you leave."


    A toothy grin slowly crept upon Hao Xuan''s face. He had confirmed it just now.


    ''Another threat. He really doesn''t want to fight me. But why?''


    Dai Zhi didn''t know how strong Hao Xuan was. Hell, even if he thought Hao Xuan was stupendously powerful he could easily take care of him in this ce but he continuously tried to make Hao Xuan submit peacefully of his own ord.


    This could only mean one of three things.


    The first one would be that he thought Hao Xuan was stronger than him, which was almost impossible. In his eyes Hao Xuan was a nobody and with all his training and powers there was no way he would ever believe Hao Xuan could out-do him.


    The second reason would be if he COULDN''T fight him for some reason. Maybe the others wouldn''t take his side that easily or maybe it was something else.


    The third and most likely scenario would be that he was saving himself, so to speak. He considered Hao Xuan to be just a loose end and didn''t see the need to make a move himself and risk incurring an injury.


    ''I doubt it''s the first one. That means he is either unwilling or indifferent. Maybe he can''t fight because of his ascension? For when he creates the spark? Or maybe he thinks there is someone much more dangerous then me out there.''


    Hao Xuan was about to speak up when the sound of footsteps came from behind him followed by a cold, sneering voice.


    "How nice must it be to be so utterly ignorant that you do not even know your own ce in the world."


    Hao Xuan turned his head halfway to see two figures walking through the same door he entered from. The one in the front was a familiar figure gently caressing a ck sword attached to his hip.


    "Stasa."


    He was the third guardian of the Hall and the one who had just spoken. Right behind him was an unfamiliar figure but when Hao Xuanid his eyes upon him he felt like he had been dipped into a live volcano.


    A pair of bright emerald eyes manifested behind him, looking down at Hao Xuan with utter indifference.


    Hao Xuan''s blood started boiling and he quickly looked away and closed his eyes to try and control his own rampaging bloodline. It was bursting forth with unprecedented might.

 Chapter 897: Offered

    <h4>Chapter 897: Offered</h4>


    "Grrr!"


    Hao Xuan lowered his head and buried his face in between his hands to keep the physical changes from being discovered by the others. He could feel razor-sharp teeth ejecting from his gums akin to apletely newyer of teeth.


    Even his nails started turning white and elongating by the second.


    ''NO! Not here! Baracus, help me!''


    Hao Xuan felt like there was some kind of a creature inside his stomach trying to w its way out. He started shaking visibly and with Baracus''s help managed to suppress the bloodline back into a state of temporary narcosis.


    It was many times stronger than anything Hao Xuan had experienced before mainly because it was not one-sided. Not only was the bloodline trying toe out from the inside, but something was calling it from the outside as well.


    Some distance away amongst the band of musicians that were providing the main source of entertainment for this event was one person that had suddenly zoned in on Hao Xuan.


    It was the flute yer. The moment the lycan bloodline showed itself he suddenly became attentive and once Hao Xuan suppressed it sessfully he started smiling, ying even more energetically than before.


    Stasa and the neer sat down on either side of Dai Zhi. The neer didn''t give Hao Xuan another look nor spoke to anyone else. Only Dai Zhi received a slight nod as a form of greeting.


    Hao Xuan brushed his face and hair with both hands before leaning back again with a deep breath.


    Stasa''s gaze was fixated on Hao Xuan throughout and after he sat down he nced around.


    "Did youe alone?"


    "If you''re looking for Henrik then I''ll have to disappoint you. He had better things to do," Hao Xuan informed him.


    Stasa sniggered, "Ha, no matter. I didn''t expect that coward to show his face again anyway. I''ll find him soon enough."


    Just then Dai Zhi looked towards Hao Xuan, gesturing towards the neer.


    "Oh I forgot, you two haven''t met before. This is Lord Feng Huang, the third protector of the Academy and the one who will be taking the Elf girl."


    Then he looked towards Feng Huang and pointed towards Hao Xuan with another wine ss, "Lord Feng, this boy is the second protector. He is the one who found the girl for you."


    "The girl?"


    Hao Xuan and Feng Huang turned towards one another at the same time. And just that one nce was enough to measure each other''s potential.


    Hao Xuan felt another wave of extreme heating towards him but it dissipated upon getting close. He saw the pair of beastly eyes behind Feng Huang once again, much clearer andrger than before.


    ''He''s not human.''


    Feng Huang appeared to be as gentlemanly and refined as he was handsome but Hao Xuan knew at a single nce that it was not his true form. This was a powerful spiritual beast pretending to be a human.


    Hao Xuan picked up his wine ss and toasted, "Feng Huang, huh? Quite a grand name you have there. Any rtion to the real ones?"


    In the beast world''snguage Feng Huang was a direct trantion of the word "Phoenix". And judging by his aura and the beastly silhouette that Hao Xuan kept seeing behind him, it was most probably a fake name he was using while still being as arrogantly obvious as possible.


    Feng Huang stared at Hao Xuan for a few seconds unblinkingly before closing his eyes for good. He waspletely expressionless from start to finish, leaving Hao Xuan awkwardly hanging.


    Stasa picked up a bottle and started drinking from it directly while talking to Dai Zhi about something. Their voices were garbled and didn''t make any sense at all thanks to the pce''s magic so even though Hao Xuan could hear what they were saying, he couldn''t make any sense of it unless Dai Zhi wanted him to understand.


    Hao Xuan ced the wine ss back down and leaned back. The picture was starting toe together.


    Dai Zhi had probably offered each of these people something in return for their support. He knew about his and Tian Zheng''s deal already but it was rtively easy to see what the others wanted.


    Stasa probably wanted to fight and kill Henrik and probably Hao Xuan himself. Feng Huang was after Ma Jiang.


    Xue Meng...well he was quite unpredictable and could probably count as a double-edged sword.


    Only Dima and the girl next to him were a mystery, or at least what they wanted. But since they were here it was a good guess as any to assume that they had gotten what they wanted and in return, Dai Zhi had their full support.


    ''Wait, the prison! The temple has been the only hell-bent on going to the depths of the prison. Is that what Dai Zhi offered them? Complete freedom to do whatever they wanted down there?''

 Chapter 898: Matrimony

    <h4>Chapter 898: Matrimony</h4>


    Monk had already informed Hao Xuan of the temple''s renewed efforts. They had sacrificed dozens of their own cultivators and thousands of locals trying to create a path into the prison.


    ''But...if that is true, then-''


    One by one Hao Xuan nced at the faces of each of the protectors around him.


    ''-they are all my enemies.''


    He felt a lot colder all of a sudden. Maybe it was because he finally realized that he had no friends here or maybe it was because he finally understood that he never would.


    ''They are not your people, don''t you see?'' a whisper burrowed into his ear.


    But Hao Xuan didn''t even register it. To him, it sounded like his own train of thought...and maybe it was.


    ''I know. I was never looking for that.''


    ''Yes, you were. Isn''t that why you keep putting off the inevitable?''


    ''I don''t know what you mean.''


    ''Yes, you do. You know what needs to be done. The table is set and all the yers are revealed. The heartless prince looking out for himself, the cuckold swordsman looking for vengeance, a beast of the old bloodline looking for a branch to perch on, the battle-crazed loner looking for his next fix, and the ignorant children putting their hands down the slumbering monster''s burrow.''


    ''Each of them wants something different, and there is only so much of you to spare. Who will you protect? Who will you fight for? Who will you sacrifice? Tell me, warrior, at what point do you stop being you and be something else? How much of yourself are you willing to throw away?''


    ''I-''


    "Now then, since we are all here let''s get started, shall we?"


    Dai Zhi''s loud voice brought Hao Xuan back to reality. He looked around and saw Dai Zhi standing on the opposite side of the bonfire.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his temples and eyes as a headache slowly caught up to him.


    Dai Zhipletely ignored Hao Xuan and focused his attention towards the others.


    "I would like to personally ry my gratitude to everyone for answering my call. The official gathering will start when brother Tian Zheng gets here but Lord Stasa has informed me that it will not take longer than a handful of hours so let us get the formalities out of the way first."


    Stasa, Dima, and Feng Huang all nodded to show their understanding.


    "Excellent!" Dai Zhi snapped his fingers and the bonfire extinguished at once. In its ce appeared a giant square of light that had various numbers and symbols inscribed on its surface.


    "As previously discussed, the Hall will work together with my personal forces and in 3 days'' time descend into the inner world. Everyone that joins our ranks beforehand will be shown mercy. Those that continue to fight and spread anarchy will be eliminated on the third day."


    "Brother Dima has mine and brother Tian Zheng''s full cooperation. We will not interfere with the Temple''s work at any point and if requested, provide as many ''resources'' as needed."


    "I will discuss the specifics of your roles with each of you personally once the gathering is over and...if I am to take brother Tian Zheng''s wishes to heart, there will be a small ceremony at the end of the gathering."


    Xue Meng suddenly came to upon hearing of the ceremony.


    "What kind of *Hic* ceremony? Will there *Hic* be fighting?"


    Dai Zhi faltered for a short moment but quickly regained hisposure.


    "We can *cough* set something up for brother Xue Meng if he so wishes but...the ceremony will be the gathering of our two ns."


    Dai Zhi put on a cheerful smile that could light up any room. Holding back false tears he looked at each person one by one while speaking.


    "Brother Tian Zheng has shown ardent interest in my dearest of sisters, Princess Ceni. She has reciprocated his feelings and I am informed that they have fallen greatly in love over the course of thest year. After much consideration and no small amount of insistence from both parties, I have agreed to be their host and allow them to join in holy matrimonyter today."


    "I humbly request the presence of everyone here as witnesses for the ceremony. I hope you will grant me this small favor."


    As expected, the announcement went down pretty well with almost everyone other than one person. And surprisingly, as shocked as Hao Xuan was it was not him but the brawny girl next to Dima that raised her hand with a deep frown.


    "Yes, Lady Natalia?" Dai Zhi looked at her with the same smile but the tone of his voice was much less merry.


    Lady Natalia stood up, growing an entire head taller than Dai Zhi both physically and spiritually. She crossed her hands in front of her chest with a displeased expression.


    "Is Prince Dai Zhi not a member of the Order of the Holy Light?"

 Chapter 899: Lord Inquisitors

    <h4>Chapter 899: Lord Inquisitors</h4>


    "Is Prince Dai Zhi not a member of the Order of the Holy Light?"


    Dai Zhi gave a measured nod.


    "Then you should be well aware of the requirements for any matrimonial ceremonies for your immediate family. Not only does the marriage need to be blessed by a holy priest but a high ranking member of the Church must also preside over the ceremony."


    "Marriage between well-reputed ns like yours is no small matter even if they are in love. You cannot overlook the millenniums old traditions left behind by our ancestors. I am quite disappointed by yourck of foresight in this situation."


    That was the first time Hao Xuan had heard her talking out loud and he was quite taken aback by her aggressive behavior. She didn''t give Dai Zhi any opportunity to speak up and going by what she had said, it didn''t sound like she was very fond of him, which was very true.


    Both Dai Zhi and her were part of the Church. But as is the case in every organization, there is always some animosity even between its own members.


    Lady Natalia was a purifier and a core member of the Church. She was born and raised on the Church''s teachings just like her ancestors. And her family specifically had been a part of the church for many tens of thousands of years. She lived and breathed for the Church and would die for it without any hesitation.


    Meanwhile, Dai Zhi had only recently joined the Order the Holy Light and only to further his own goals. To many of the loyalists like Lady Natalia, he was nothing more than an opportunist that was taking advantage of the Church.


    In their eyes, he was just taking up resources that could be going to another Loyalist member rather than an outsider.


    Dai Zhi kept hisposure despite being grilled so openly and in front of everyone in his own home.


    He waited a few seconds after she stopped talking before looking at her with a questioning gaze, "Is that it?"


    Those three simple words were enough to send Lady Natalia over the edge.


    "What do you mean ''Is that it?'' Is that not enough for you?!" she was practically yelling by the end, huffing and puffing in a fit of rage.


    The very air shrieked around her and the cool nightly atmosphere was torn asunder by her overwhelming aura. The pressure from threepletews descended on everyone in the vicinity.


    The servents and the musicians all fell to the ground with the exception of the flutist.


    The protectors that were already seated became alert. Each one of them activated their ownws that started grinding away this intense pressure but it was easier to push a hand away before it reached one''s threat.


    Just like the others Hao Xuan was restrained where he was sitting but unlike them, the pressure slowly melted away like snow during a hot summer''s day. He didn''t need to use his ownw to counter hers since the Lycan bloodline even whilepletely suppressed, made it so that he didn''t feel the least bit ufortable.


    Dai Zhi let out a disheartened sigh before snapping his fingers. The pce came alive and all thews whether they were from Lady Natalia or from the others vanished in an instant.


    "You seem to have misunderstood my intentions, Lady Natalia," he finally spoke up again, "I am well aware of our customs and traditions and have made a move after meeting all of them."


    Lady Natalia faltered for the first time.


    "You have gotten the blessing and someone to preside over the ceremony? Who? When? Not just anyone is capable of-"


    "He is someone of the older generation, one of the Lord High Inquisitors."


    Lady Natalia''s eyes opened wide and her mouth agape.


    "L-Lord High Inquisitor?!?"


    Within the hierarchy of the church that included trillions of worlds, billions of ns, hundreds of millions of purifiers, and hundreds of thousands of different gods and goddesses, there were less than 20 High Inquisitors across the many heavens.


    Their identities and capabilities were kept secret, as was their location. To meet a High Inquisitor in one''s life was nothing short of a miracle.


    They were the very embodiment of the Holy Church and had full discretion to call upon any member without question. No one other than another High Inquisitor or one of the heads of the Great Pantheons had the power to order them around.


    "N-No, That cannot be possible! You are lyin-"


    "You can meet him yourself at the ceremony, Lady Natalia. I''m sure he wouldn''t be against having a short conversation with a purifier like yourself," Dai Zhi smilingly answered, shutting her up for good.


    ''Lord High Inquisitor?''


    On the side Hao Xuan was lost in his own thoughts.


    ''It has to be him right? The Abysswalker? There is no one else that it COULD be...I hope...''

 Chapter 900: Believable

    <h4>Chapter 900: Believable</h4>


    Once Lady Natalia''s curiosity was satisfied she made an excuse and swiftly took her leave.


    Dima said a few congrattory words to Dai Zhi about his sister''s soon-to-be wedding and followed after her. He stayed quiet for the most part keeping only to himself. He seemed troubled about something but no one was willing to strike up a conversation and actually ask what was bothering him or offer any kind of help.


    Feng Huang said something to Dai Zhi and left as well, leaving only a drunk Xue Meng and Stasa behind.


    Hao Xuan''s headache did not quiet down even after he started smoking so he stood up and was about to walk out when Dai Zhi called out to him.


    "Since you have said nothing else I will take that as you agreeing to my demands. It is good that you havee to your senses but in case you still have some doubts, remember where you are. You can never leave this ce without my permission, ever. I see all and hear all."


    Hao Xuan paused for a moment but continued walking without saying anything. Of course he didn''t agree but he wasn''t going to say it to Dai Zhi''s face without a proper n in ce first.


    He went through the solitary gold-encrusted door that was standing in the middle of the camp and stepped back into the same hallway as before. But one other person had left and no one had been the wiser.


    The bald flutist with the mustache was gone.


    Hao Xuan walked along the empty hallways that twisted and turned without end while thinking of what to do. He needed to first confirm that the webway could still be essed because if not, he really might be trapped in here.


    One minute, two minutes, three....fifteen minutester Hao Xuan finally came to a stop in front of a door. The journey back had taken far too long and this door was not the same as the one he had rested in aftering here.


    ''Dai Zhi''s tricks? How childish,'' he rebuked inwardly and pushed.


    *Bang*


    But before it even fully opened a slender fist came shooting out. Hao Xuan reacted by instinct and sliced forward with his right hand while dodging to the side. A simple but powerful move that he had to pull back upon realizing who the attacker was.


    Princess Ceni''s astonished face stared back at him in just as much as a shock if not more.


    "What...are you doing here?" she asked with no small amount of distrust.


    She kept looking him up and down unsure if this was another one of her brother''s tricks or really him.


    "What-"


    But the moment he spoke up Ceni realized he was real and not a hallucination or illusion that her mind had conjured up in this moment of desperation.


    ''You came for me!'' was what she wanted to say but upon hearing the rest of Hao Xuan''s sentence she realized that wasn''t the case and the words got stuck in her throat.


    "-What''s going on? Why are you here?"


    Hao Xuan''s frown deepened further until his mind automatically connected the dots a momentter.


    Dai Zhi had just warned Hao Xuan that he could see and hear everything within the pce. He was under the impression that Hao Xuan had given up and was now working for him so there could only be one reason why he would bring him right to Ceni''s doorstep.


    He needed proof of Hao Xuan''s loyalty because otherwise there was no reason to keep him alive.


    After she was taken away Princess Ceni was brought to this room by the squad of fully armed guards right before Micha told her about the arrangement Dai Zhi hade up with.


    She was to be wed within a day and had until then to get ready. She had tried to escape but the attempts were obviously unsessful. Even the bracelet her master had given her was not working in this ce which meant she truly was stuck here.


    So even without realizing it, she had pinned all her hopes on Hao Xuan. Thinking that once he got the news he woulde to rescue her.


    Hao Xuan sighed inwardly at what needed to be done. It had to be believable without a shadow of a doubt.


    His expression turned cold as he took a step back.


    "I heard about your marriage. Congrattions, Princess Ceni."


    Tears formed around her eyes as the facade she had put up until now melted away in an instant and she broke down right then and there.


    "Why...are you saying that? You know I don''t want thi-"


    "I heard your future husband is a powerful man. Another genius from the same social circle as you. That''s a good thing isn''t it?"


    "No...no...stop, you don''t mean that-"


    She shook her head wildly trying to close off her ears but to no avail. She could never keep his voice out of her head, just like he could not keep out hers.


    "It''s all for the best I suppose. This...whatever this was, was getting quite boring if I''m honest. But I am happy for you. You finally met someone that is your equal."


    "NO! STOP IT! YOU DON''T MEAN THAT! I NEVER WANTED ANYONE BUT YOU!"


    "I already have someone, pretty sure I told you that before. I don''t know why you ever thought this was going to be a thing. Although, it was a little fun seeing you make a fool out of yourself, haha."


    Hao Xuan turned around and started walking away. Princess Ceni fell to her knees weeping uncontrobly while mumbling under her breath, "No, it''s not true" just as the door closed.


    He walked until her sobs were drowned out by the sound of his own heavy footsteps.


    "Are you happy now? Let me rest for a bit before the gathering," Hao Xuan''s voice echoed in the empty hallway.


    He turned left as soon as it ended and came face to face with the same door as before. It opened with a single touch and closed behind him.

 Chapter 901: Friends-

    <h4>Chapter 901: Friends-</h4>


    Back in the smaller dimension Dai Zhi was smiling victoriously ear to ear.


    "Good news?" Stasa inquired seeing his change of expression.


    Dai Zhi noddedzily, leaning back to rx.


    "It''s all going ording to n. The peasant knows his ce well."


    Stasa''s eyes glittered with a cold light, "You have to let people like that know their worth as quickly as possible. Otherwise, they try to reach for things that are not meant for the likes of them."


    "Hahaha, spoken like a learned man, dear brother. You resemble your master in more ways than one," Dai Zhiughed uproaringly but Stasa''s cold expression did not falter.


    "You must keep your word, senior brother. I want to kill the churl with my own hands in front of everyone. I have already waited too long. You cannot let him escape again."


    Dai Zhi emptied his wine ss before jokingly pping Stasa on the shoulder.


    "Didn''t I say you could? That''s why I called him here and made him wait. He will be all yours tomorrow. Even if you didn''t ask I was never going to let him go, it would be stupid to leave loose threads walking about. One way or another, he is going to die tomorrow and...I heard master ''Abysswalker'' also has something special in-store."


    Stasa finally rxed when he heard that even the great Abysswalker was on their side.


    "Hoh, I''m looking forward to it even more then. I''m sure he will live up to his reputation. Lord Abysswalker is famous for his cruelty even among the high Inquisitors," he finished with a fiendish grin.


    Just then, another slurry voice interjected.


    "Tsk tsk tsk, this is why *Hic* both of you are STILL stuck in the Origin Realm," Xue Mengmented.


    Dai Zhi and Stasa both turned towards him. Dai Zhi shook his head, "Brother Xue Meng, why must you act this way? Are we not on the same side?"


    Xue Meng spat at his feet in disgust, "Same side my bare ass. Just because your masters want to join my precious Temple of War doesn''t mean we are on the same side. I am only here to make sure you do not die by sheer stupidity. I am not here to y games with the likes of you."


    Dai Zhi and Stasa exchanged nces. There was truth to his words, even if it was hard to digest. Both Stasa and Dai Zhi''s masters were the second inmand in Hall and Academy respectively, and now they wanted to move onto bigger, greener pastures.


    And for people like them that loved to shed blood, the Temple of War was the best ce. They had both chosen one of their precious students to take with them after taking advantage of their current organizations.


    It was Stasa and Dai Zhi that had been working together all this time, despite what other people thought. And one of the reasons Xue Meng was here was because of this very reason. Their masters would join the same camp Xue Meng belonged to so he chose toe down here.


    It was also because of the prophecy but that came second to his main mission which was to protect these two.


    "Tsk, I can''t believe I let him slip through my fingers," Xue Meng muttered under his breath while cradling threerge empty bottles.


    "I should be back home, fighting on the same hallowed grounds where each of the great Gods of War shed blood in their youth. But I''m stuck here, babysitting the likes of you!" he threw a baleful re towards the duo before closing his eyes and dozing off again.


    Dai Zhi snapped his fingers and a barrier erected around Xue Meng so he could sleep peacefully without being disturbed. But Stasa still spoke in a whisper.


    "Do you really think it''s the best decision for us to go to the Temple instead of the Church?"


    Dai Zhi shrugged, "Who knows. I already got into the Order of the Holy Light so I can''t join the inner sanctum of the Temple. But I know they won''t let you go easily once they see what you really have. You have been hiding your abilities for far too long. Not many canpete with your piercing sword dao, perhaps not even me."


    Stasa waved his hand dismissively, "Please don''t joke with me, senior brother. I have seen you fight before. But I am pretty tired of ying the clown for so long."


    "You don''t have to wait long. After tomorrow we will be free and most of the responsibility will fall on Tian Zheng''s shoulders. That fool still thinks he is the one in control."


    "Hear hear! To friends, new and old!" Stasa raised his ss with a cheerful smile but inwardly he was on his toes.


    He had seen too many of Dai Zhi''s false faces. Even if he wasn''t as charming as him, Stasa didn''tck too far behind when it came to their mentality. He knew when to hold back, when to be the clown and when to draw his sword.


    Most people didn''t take him seriously and when they actually saw his skills firsthand, there wasn''t much they could do to protect themselves at that point.

 Chapter 902: Little one

    <h4>Chapter 902: Little one</h4>


    "Are you happy now? Let me rest for a bit before it starts."


    It was a strange feeling of extrication. Part of him felt like it was drowning while the other half, the one in control, was jovial at the very thought. By all means he should be feeling sick to his stomach after seeing her cry to the point of losing her mind but at this very moment, he could not care less about her.


    He wasn''t able to feel any empathy.


    Hao Xuan dly went through the door despite what he had just had to do. But the ordinary old scene he was expecting to see was not what he got.


    On the other side of the door was a whole other world. Hao Xuan felt the softness of the soil and the cold wind gently brush past his face through the thick foliage just as his expression turned ugly.


    "Dai Zhi! We had a deal! I''ve already done everything you asked of me!" he shouted in a tempestuously sour mood but got no response.


    "DAI ZHI!" he called out once more, even louder this time but nothing.


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan had no other choice than to go along with whatever he was nning. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and took out a cigarette to stave off the headache. A couple of deep puffs and he was already seeing some progress.


    Pushing the leafy greens aside he moved through the thicket until it started to clear up and an old dirt road came into view.


    Hao Xuan jumped andnded heavily on a puddle of mud, sshing brown water everywhere.


    "God damnit," he cursed resentfully, his hate for Dai Zhi increasing with every passing second.


    But then he suddenly froze.


    *Sniff*Sniff*


    The smell of roasting beef wafted towards him from somewhere nearby. Hao Xuan focused his senses and picked up the loud mor of a crowd from a little ways down the road.


    It sounded like another party with lots of happy voices nonchntly singing and chatting along with almost the identical music from before.


    "This motherfucker!"


    Hao Xuan moved forward withrge strides, cutting through a small hill to arrive at a clearing from where he could see the source of themotion. But his frown only got deeper and deeper the longer he peered at the ''spectacle''.


    It looked like arge caravan was resting in a small valley for the night. Hao Xuan could see close to a hundred people moving about, each one doing their own thing in groups of 5-10.


    They were outfitted with never-before-seen armors but each one of them was unique and eye-catching in its own way. It hey looked like they were created from beast parts rather than metals with white bones, teeth, reptilian hide, and feathers casually hanging from each one.


    Each group looked a little different from the next and it was pretty obvious to see they weren''t all from the same ce. The differences in attire, physiques, and features were far too diverse for that.


    "This is...new..." Hao Xuan mumbled under his breath.


    "WHO GOES THERE!?"


    As soon as the words left his mouth a loud voice called out, startling him. He hadn''t felt any presence.


    But before he could answer the bushes shifted and a slender man with one working eye walked out from behind him. There was a white gourd in his grasp and his face was red from the strong liquor.


    "Oh, it is you. You almost scared me Ada. Why are you out here? Did you need to relieve yourself? Meeh, no matter. Return to the others when you are done, I will be on duty tonight."


    The one-eyed man asked a bunch of questions and then answered them himself before quickly going back through the same way he came from.


    "Ada? Who is that?"


    The man looked like he knew Hao Xuan but the name he called him with was different.


    The more Hao Xuan thought about it the stranger he felt. He slowly waved his hand trying to summon a small dagger from the storage space but nothing happened.


    His face drained of all color.


    "Another timeline?" Hao Xuan whispered looking around and when his gaze moved towards the sky his mouth fell open.


    The sky looked like it had been shattered into a million pieces. Tens of giantndmasses floated overhead, seemingly fragmented pieces with one biome or another.


    Each shard of the sky had a slightly different color to set it aside from the rest.


    "Where....is this?"


    This was not a ce he had ever visited before nor did he recognized any of thendmasses. A small pop sounded and without a warning a blood vessel around his left eye burst.


    With the feeling of intense pain came the realization of something unnatural.


    "Argh!"


    Hao Xuan felt his mind being pulled towards the camp. A maic force of some kind was calling out to him.


    Afraid and oh-so-lost, he jumped down and made his way towards camp. When he got close several people looked towards him, cheering and raising their nces while shouting one thing or another.


    One side of his face was covered in blood but none of them even reacted to it. They still called him ''Ada''.


    The closer Hao Xuan got the more he understood where that force wasing from. It was the music, a lively tune by a flute.


    Hao Xuan navigated through the various small andrge parties until he found himself standing face to face with the musician responsible for the tune. And at that moment he realized that he had heard that tune before, and seen that musician.


    "Wee, little one."

 Chapter 903: Fictitious

    <h4>Chapter 903: Fictitious</h4>


    The musician was quite a handsome man in his thirties. Short ck hair, a long coat, and some old-looking pants. No jewelry or weapons other than a simple flute hanging by his lips. But his white pupils were eerily eye-catching.


    He saw Hao Xuan approach and pulled the flute away. His lips arched into a genial smile, one that made Hao Xuan think he was meeting an old friend instead of a stranger. There was a look of nostalgia in his eyes, and of sincerity.


    And Hao Xuan could not hide the surprise and utter shock in his eyes.


    "Wee, little one," the Abyss Walker uttered joyfully.


    *Crack*


    Hao Xuan felt like his brain separated into two. One part was on fire while the other cold as ice. If someone had told him that his head was no longer attached to the rest of his body he would have no reason to doubt them right now.


    The excruciating pain brought him to his knees at once.


    "AAAHRGH!" he cried.


    *Riiiip*


    The sound of ripping paper entered his ears and a secondter the pain vanished all at once. Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes.


    He was still on his knees, still bloody and in a little pain but the surroundings were back to normal. He was a meter away from the entrance of the sparsely decorated room. All those wondrous things he had just experienced were now gone.


    But in front of him there was still the same figure, sitting casually on a chair looking down at Hao Xuan with an amused expression.


    It was the Abyss Walker. He looked a little different from a moment ago. Almost identical when it came to the physical features and attire but the air around him was not the same.


    He looked and felt like any other man but deep inside Hao Xuan was able to tell that wasn''t the case. There was a weight on his heart that shouted danger. He felt like he was kneeling in front of a monster, a true monster.


    Cold sweat ran down his back and forehead, drenching himpletely. Hao Xuan had trouble breathing and no matter how much he tried there was no getting back on his feet.


    But still, he did not give up. Gathering what little energy he could Hao Xuan forced himself to speak.


    "What...did you...do to me...?!"


    The Abyss Walker''s eyes twinkled with a light of amusement. As if he was looking at a dog barking at him for answers. He shook his headnguidly.


    "Your kind did always hate the light. But since you can speak it doesn''t seem like you are too far gone."


    When he finished speaking all the pressure and strange sensations Hao Xuan was feeling were throw out the window.


    *GAASP*


    He gasped for breath before falling on his back due to the sudden muscle rxation. His body had been locked in the kneeling position until then.


    But even if his body was freed Hao Xuan''s mind was still under immense pressure. And how could it not be? This ''being'' was the Abyss Walker, the final boss so to speak. Someone he wasn''t supposed to meet, preferably ever. And now he was sitting just a few meters away in the very same room.


    This was probably the worst thing that could have happened.


    Hao Xuan took in a few deep breaths in a futile attempt to calm his wrecked nerves before peering in his direction. The situation might be way over his head but he still had the state of mind to not lose his spirit that easily.


    "Who...are you? Did Dai Zhi...send you??" he inquired through shaky breaths.


    He still needed to keep up appearances. Hao Xuan had never met him before so he needed to pretend to be unaware of his real identity. And his acting was top-notch. There was nothing that gave him away in this moment of desperation.


    The Abyss Walker''s smile wavered for just a moment, his brow furrowing slightly, "Do you not know who I am, boy? Just now you looked surprised to see me."


    Hao Xuan shook his head vigorously.


    "There was an unknown man...in my room....of course...I was surprised...not to mention the illusion."


    The Abyss Walker''s brow rose further, "Illusion? What did you see?"


    Hao Xuan''s heart sank in an instant. He could see from the expression on his face that he wasn''t the one behind the illusion which could only mean that either it was someone else''s doing or it was another timeline, even if that didn''t make any sense.


    *Gulp*


    "I saw...my death..." he lied as a cover-up but then quickly asked another question followed by a stupid show of force so he wouldn''t have time to think about it.


    "Dai Zhi gave me his word...You can''t do this...people...they know I''m here. Do you know who I am? You won''t get away if something happens to me!"


    In this moment he chose to be as ignorant as possible. There was no reason to act strong in front of someone like that. It was better to let him think that Hao Xuan was just an average guy trying to scare the other party with fictitious threats.


    The less interest he had in Hao Xuan the better it would be for him.

 Chapter 904: Past Life

    <h4>Chapter 904: Past Life</h4>


    The Abyss Walker brought up his right hand and rested his head on it while looking at Hao Xuan in levity.


    "Do you know who ''I'' am?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head so he continued.


    "They call me the Abyss Walker. But you, little one, can call me Master Altair."


    [Hi, my name is Altair! Is this your first time in the shattered realms?]


    When Hao Xuan heard the name Altair another voice superimposed on it and sounded within his head. It belonged to the Abyss Walker but not the one sitting in front of him. The tone was much gentler, almost like it was another person entirely.


    And then an image shed in front of his eyes followed by a small scene ying out. He was back in the caravan standing in front of the flutist as he greeted him.


    "Argh!"


    Another wave of sharp pain made him flinch. But it wasn''t too intense this time so he was able to tell where it wasing from. From that little flower-shaped organ in his brain that was rted to the time ability. It was the source of this problem.


    And Hao Xuan also finally realized what he was seeing. It wasn''t another timeline but another time period. He was seeing the past instead of the future, the Abyss Walker''s past. It was forcefully drawing him in, every meaningful word triggering a sort of shback.


    "Alta...ir..." Hao Xuan repeated trying to memorize the words when he heard the sound of clothes ruffling.


    He looked up and saw him standing half a meter away.


    "Have we met before, boy? Your eyes, they remind of someone..." he leaned forward and gently caressed Hao Xuan''s face before forcefully pulling him up.


    Hao Xuan could only follow along like a helplessmb. He was powerless here. His only option was to y along. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet his aching throat before answering.


    "We have never met before."


    "I know. But these eyes of yours, so...unique, so....hateful. I have only ever seen one other pair like that."


    "Who...whose...?"


    Hao Xuan stared into his eyes unflinchingly as he asked, making Altair smirk.


    This time it was his expression that triggered it, another glimpse of the past.


    The word turnedpletely dark around them. Hao Xuan was a few meters away from Altair floating in the air. No, not floating.


    He looked down and saw a giant ck spear with strange markings embedded in his body. It had pinned him to the wall of some half-destroyed structure, a lighthouse perhaps judging from the debris?


    The spear had markings of chains that were moving across Hao Xuan''s skin, keeping him locked in ce.


    Altair had the same smirk on his face. Behind him were tens of other human silhouettes but Hao Xuan couldn''t clearly see their faces. They were moving their hands back and forth making weird gestures while chanting loudly.


    Altair took a step forward, "Your luck has finally run out, old friend."


    Hao Xuan chuckled. He raised his only remaining hand grabbed the spear, tightening his grip around it. He tried to pull it out but after only moving a couple of centimeters sparks of bright blue lightning erupted from the spear and sent his hand flying off into the distance.


    Altair watched on with a wide grin, reaping no small amount of pleasure from Hao Xuan''s pain as he struggled to break free.


    "Buhahahaha! Did you see that? The seal derived from the marrow of the 124 Demon Monarchs and then reinforced by the Heavenly Thunder from Mount Olympus itself. Even if you were at full strength there was no way you could escape from it, let alone now. HAHAHA!"


    He startedughing like a madman as the space started twisting and turning around him but the very next moment it all came to an abrupt stop.


    Altair took a few more measured steps forward,ing just close enough to be able to clearly see Hao Xuan''s face but still be just out of arms reach. His twisted expression barely made him look human at all as he hungrily eyed Hao Xuan.


    "I feel like I should thank you, brother. With your death, I will finally be set free. It has been a LONG timeing, don''t you think?


    Hao Xuan tried to speak up but when he opened his mouth only blood and a searing heat came out.


    Altair saw that and knew he had all but won. He finally threw caution to the wind and came even closer, leaning in to smell the delightful scent of all the fresh blood that was running down Hao Xuan''s clothes.


    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose, relishing every moment of it. His voice lowered enough that only Hao Xuan could hear it now.


    "Do you remember when we first met? What you promised me back then? I will be sure to repay it in full. You didn''t REALLY think you could them from me, did you?" he whispered thest sentence right into his ear.

 Chapter 905: Oh Brother of Mine

    <h4>Chapter 905: Oh Brother of Mine</h4>


    Hao Xuan felt his barely beating heart skip a beat. He reached out and tried to grab Altair but remembered he didn''t have any arms left anymore. All he could do was hatefully re at him, a malignant stare that would urately impart his true emotions.


    Altair felt Hao Xuan''s body jerk and moved back just enough to see his face. His lips slowly arched into a captivated grin as he stared right into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "Yes~! Those eyes! That''s what I wanted to see! Hahaha!" he threw back his head and let out another hystericalugh.


    Hao Xuan''s body waspletely covered in moving tattoos of ck chains so he couldn''t even move a single inch.


    When he finally couldn''tugh anymore, Altair looked back to catch a glimpse of Hao Xuan''s face.


    His hand ran through Hao Xuan''s hair, almost lovingly, as he gazed at him with neither malice nor resentment.


    *Sigh*


    "You shouldn''t havee here, old friend. It was a very stupid move. Now I will have to go hand your body back to that ''wretched thing'' ording to the agreement. That marrow couldn''t have been easy toe by."


    "And then he will finally do what we couldn''t for so many eons. Thest of your children will be devoured and everything you worked so hard to protect will be destroyed in a single night. Your people will know what real pain is in life AND death. But unlike yours, their torment will truly be ETERNAL! Do you know why?"


    "Because the heavens have shut their doors to their suffering. Every soul born into that world of yours will be gifted to the Lords of Hell as a sacrifice."


    "Even as I speak their legions break through the curtain and spill into your world. Burning, maiming, SLAUGHTERING until no one and no thing is left standing. Tell me, can you still hear their screams? Their pleas and prayers? Huh?"


    "Tell me! Does it still feel as bad as the first time you heard their cries? How does it feel knowing that they will forever be in anguish, calling out for their precious savior, hoping with all their hearts but no one wille?"


    Altair floated away, looking down at Hao Xuannguidly.


    Hao Xuan raised his head, his body wracked with so much pain that he could barely stay conscious. But when his gaze met Altair''s he saw a tinge of genuine emotion in his eyes for the first time. Sorrow.


    "Ha..ha. You should have just given in from the start, oh brother of mine. What was the point of all this? Protecting them for so long, all alone in the shadows."


    But then his expression suddenly turned vicious, his gaze dripping with disgust.


    "We could have been equals! Standing at the apex of all creation! But you, like all those times, had to make things harder than they needed to be."


    His voice lowered as if he was talking to himself, "All...pointless, and for what?"


    He met Hao Xuan''s gaze obstinately, "Your sons are dead. Thest one has already been marked and when he finally gives in, the prophecy wille to pass just like it was meant to. You cannot overturn fate, not even you, brother."


    He raised his hand which held a lock of hair he had cut off from Hao Xuan at some point and brought it up to his nose, sniffing it like an animal, cherishing Hao Xuan''s scent. His eyes almost zed over as a pang of hunger took root in his eyes.


    "I''m sure...they wouldn''t mind if I took a piece, right? Because in the end, it was ME that took you down. Worry not brother, from one immortal another, a part of you will forever live on inside of me."


    When he finished speaking Altair''s body started to expand. His face, arms, legs, every part in fact began to take a beastly form. Only his eyes remained the same. A beastly snout lined with needle-like teeth protruded from his face, opening wide before lunging at him.


    Hao Xuan felt a pain in his shoulder and woke back in the room with Altair standing above him, his piercing white pupils observing every little movement he made.


    A well of emotions was bubbling inside Hao Xuan.


    "How...peculiar, you are. It calls to me, your blood," Altair mumbled while reaching out in almost the exact same manner that Hao Xuan had seen just now.


    He shuddered instinctively which only widened Altair''s smile.


    "I really like your orbs, boy," he said referring to Hao Xuan''s eyes, "Why not give them to me?"


    "N-NO!" Hao Xuan looked away at once, making Altair hesitantly back off.


    "Hmm. Alright then, keep them for now. I will ask again when you are in a more ''agreeable mood'', haha."

 Chapter 906: RvB

    <h4>Chapter 906: RvB</h4>


    Altair wiped the blood from his hand on Hao Xuan''s shirt before walking out the door with hands sped behind his back. But just before the door closed his voice rang inside Hao Xuan''s head onest time.


    "I am looking forward to tomorrow''s gathering little one, do not disappoint me. Since you already have my bloodline, do not let it go to waste."


    *Click*


    Hao Xuan copsed onto the floor as soon as the door closed. One hand was still over his head, right above the flower that had fully bloomed inside his skull.


    *Huff*Huff*


    His body was still squirming in pain but his mind felt clearer than ever before. It was like the path ahead was previously covered in dense fog but now it was starting to get clearer.


    ''Those weren''t...HIS memories. He was only in them. But who was the one that died? Was it me? Was that a past life? It didn''t feel like one...''


    This made it close to 20 times that Hao Xuan had now experienced death firsthand. And it didn''t get any easier.


    There definitely was a strong connection between them. Their meeting, Hao Xuan seeing those things, none it was a coincidence. And what he said at the end was probably the biggest clue.


    "Bloodline. He said we had the same bloodline...He...is a Lycan, an old one."


    Thest thing he saw before the ''shback'' ended was Altair changing forms. Hao Xuan wasn''t able to see hisplete physical transformation but the appearance was simr. That hideous beastly snout and ugly white eyes filled him with revulsion. (Reference image in authors notes and discord).


    Hao Xuan''s state of mind was overwhelmed with so many different things happening one after another. He felt tired and sleepy but it wasn''t the time now.


    At most he would have 8 hours to himself. It wasn''t much time but enough for him toe up with a n.


    He dragged his aching body to the bed and sat down cross-legged. The spiritual energy passed through the prime letters still engraved onto his bones one by one, activating them once more.


    Hao Xuan held his breath, this was a pivotal part of the n. With eyes closed, his hands connected and formed a full circle.


    And to Hao Xuan''s relief, his consciousness was immediately pulled into the Celestial Webway. He floated in the neverending hallways of me, light, and forethought. His soul feeling that much-needed release from his physical pain.


    ''It will work If I cane here I can go to other ces.''


    But where? That was the question. And just as quickly as it popped up, his mind came up with an answer by itself.


    He needed time, not only to get even stronger but perhaps even breakthrough to the next realm all at once. And he knew just such a ce, where time flowed much slower than the outside world. A few hours in there would be equal to an entire year in there if not more.


    But it came with its own dangers as well. Was it worth it taking the risk?


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes back in the external world, returning his mind back into his body.


    This time he reached out with his soul, calling out to someone.


    ''Ensis...can you hear me?''


    His voice echoed through the void, traveling hundreds of miles away within the blink of an eye.


    ''Master!'' he replied instantly.


    ''Where are you?''


    ''I am part of Tian Zheng''s entourage, master. We will arrive within half a day.''


    ''Do you have any news for me?''


    ''Yes. He is preparing something big, master. Two days ago he issued a call-to-arms for every skilled warrior within his domain but it was kept secret from all the other protectors. Every person that answered was given cultivation resources as a gift and a promise of further payment from his n once we got back. I believe he is nning something bloody.''


    ''Alright, good. Stay by his side no matter what,'' Hao Xuan said before cutting off the connection.


    It was settled then. The answer once again turned out to be a Yes.


    Dai Zhi had already created a formidable army and now Tian Zheng was bringing one of his own. Hao Xuan was caught in the middle and since he didn''t trust either one of them, the benefits far outweighed the risks.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh and stood up. He examined the room to the best of his abilities but couldn''t find anything out of the ordinary. Dai Zhi could have the room under surveince but it probably wasn''t going to be constant which gave Hao Xuan an opening.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/ae/e2/dd/aee2ddd2d658b1ed599ec8e0ce30c.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/9GNhx

 Chapter 907: Animosity

    <h4>Chapter 907: Animosity</h4>


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and appeared in his mind pce. He looked around for a few seconds until his eyes fell on a snoring silhouette nearby. He went up to it andnded a light kick on its shin which promptly woke it up.


    "Huh? Who-"


    "If you''re gonna sleep, do it outside..."


    Upon returning to the outer world Hao Xuan went up to the bed grabbed the sheets. He took a short moment to mentally prepare himself for what was toe and with a deep breath, pulled the sheets over him before falling onto the soft embrace of the matters rolled up like a burrito.


    Dai Zhi who was still keeping a passive eye on the room only saw Hao Xuan cozily snuggle onto the bed before the loud snoring reced the empty silence.


    Meanwhile, Hao Xuan exited out of a spatial crack through the webway,nding heavily on frosted ground.


    Beneath his feet was solid ice, or at least that''s what it looked like in the darkness. The extremely loud and never-ending tempestuous waves of snow and ice shards the size of golf balls pounded against the structure Hao Xuan hadnded in.


    The sudden drop in temperature froze the tips of Hao Xuan''s eyelids almost immediately before spreading to the rest of his body. Even though he was mentally prepared for it, the physical duress it caused was too vigorous and too sudden for his body to easily manage.


    It went from 26 degrees centigrade to -88 in the blink of an eye, literally. He had just connected with the webway, activated the prime letters within his body in the required order, and initiated the gateway by closing the loop.


    He thought it would be like other times and an actual doorway would be opened to the other world which would allow him to safely pass through but that was not the case. Since the letters were engraved on his very bones, he BECAME the gate itself and simply warped out of existence.


    It was a good thing he managed to summon Bo (the kappa) just before initiating the letters so he could rece Hao Xuan on the bed because otherwise, his absence would not go unnoticed.


    Hao Xuan blinked and when he opened his eyes he was already back on this wretched world. The same world he was stranded in for more than 10 months with the barbarians.


    The howling winds were loud enough to deafen him for a moment and it was only after he started circting the Chaos Qi that he regained control of his senses.


    The darkness was pushed away little by little until he could see rtively clearly for 15 meters around him.


    "Ha!"


    With a powerful stomp the thinyer of ice forming on his body was shattered, freeing him to adjust to the new environments. Hao Xuan observed the surroundings and found out that he hadnded in the same ce if not the same exact spot as the first time, amidst the ruins of the rotting city.


    He strode forward without paying attention and stepped on the part of the floor that was barely hanging by a thread. It immediately copsed under his weight and as unprepared as he was, he fell through one floor after another as none of them managed to hold him and the falling debris.


    Hao Xuan reached out and tried to grab onto a few protruding objects but only managed to drag them down with him. When he finally stopped he had fallen through more than seven floors, leaving a gaping hole in the already unstable structure.


    It moaned and creaked, moving back and forth several inches under the raging winds, teetering on the edge of destruction and threatening topletely copse on him but Hao Xuan''s attention was focused elsewhere in this dire situation.


    Thest time he came here Hao Xuan found out after a day or two that they weren''t alone. That this abandoned metropolis was not as abandoned as it seemed to be.


    Unfortunately, this time, it wasn''t going to take that long for them to show up. All the noise he had just made was enough to wake every single one of them up for miles.


    But Hao Xuan didn''t move and instead, opted to listen and observe. He closed his eyes to focus on the hearing.


    It was possible they would think it happened naturally and they might not even venture out in this turbulent weather but, Hao Xuan got an unwanted answer within 20 seconds or so.


    The extremely faint sound of bodies moving against the wind, the soft patting of naked feet against the cold hard surface and finally, an empty hunger as they surrounded Hao Xuan from every direction.


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and saw numerous slender silhouettes in almost every shadow.


    Not only that building but the ones around it were filled as well. Their white wretched skin somehow melded both within the darkness and the white snow simultaneously.


    Hundreds of subhuman faces lined the windows, doors, and broken walls, peering at him with unveiled animosity.

 Chapter 908: Everything!

    <h4>Chapter 908: Everything!</h4>


    Hao Xuan could feel their blind killing intent crashing against the borders of his conscious mind. Hundreds upon hundreds of creatures all wanting to rip him to pieces created illusions in the back of his mind where he could see himself being killed in various brutal ways over and over again.


    His already weakened state caused by the movement through the webway was further pushed to the extreme by the intense killing intent.


    Hao Xuan gritted his teeth trying to keep the illusions at bay.


    "What? No hiding this time? Not gonna watch from the shadows to make sure I''m not a threat?" he asked jokingly even though the answer was already pretty obvious. He wasn''t enough of a threat to warrant such a cautious approach.


    "Well..e on then! What are you waiting for?"


    Hao Xuan waved his hand to call out the ive. It materialized within his palm humming madly in jubtion, ted just by being by his side regardless of the situation.


    Its vibrating metal body and the humming noise produced because of it worked against the waves of killing intent trying to burrow in Hao Xuan''s psyche and the illusions slowly stopped but the creatures watching from the shadows still didn''t make a move.


    They watched on with faces of stones,pletely expressionless. It was at this point that Hao Xuan followed their line of sight and realized they weren''t looking at him but behind him.


    Chaos Qi thrummed within his body, opening previously closed-off passageways and even leaking to the outside of his body to create a sticky externalyer.


    Hao Xuan slowly turned his head, unable to feel any actual presence other than a tingling sensation on the back of his head. And as he did so, the severs he was trying to summon could not be reached anymore.


    It felt like he was trying to bash his head against a ss window in an attempt to break it open. This was because he had used up too much spiritual and mental energy. Summoning any sever before regaining some energy could permanently damage his soul.


    Gently and apprehensively, Hao Xuan looked behind him. The first thing he saw was his own face staring back at him, only 4 times as big.


    His pupils constricted when he realized it was a warped reflection. Then his eyes moved a little further down and to the sides of the reflective surface. Pale white limbs, almost a dozen of them lined the sides, holding onto ayer of white skin, ripping it open to reveal the red flesh underneath.


    "What the fuck are you?" Hao Xuan identally spoke out loud seeing its freakish design.


    And as he did so, the red flesh started squirming, almost as if it was woken up by the sound of his voice.


    Two extremely long legs that were previously hidden behind the main body slowly came forward and dragged the rest of it up into the air. Hao Xuan''s head followed the ck orb that had reced its neck and head.


    When it finally stopped and stood up straight, it had be more than 9 meters tall. Ribbons of thick muscles outlined its legs and each of the ten hands that were holding the abdomen open. Each hand had three digits that dug into its own body.


    But the most peculiar thing about it was the ck orb that had reced its head. It was still carrying a perfect reflection of Hao Xuan''s face even though that should not be possible at that distance. (Reference Image in authors notes and discord).


    And then without any warning one of its arms suddenly shot out like a torpedo. It was well over 10 meters away and judging from the length of its arms it shouldn''t even havee close but Hao Xuan didn''t have the opportunity of considering why or how that was so because the next moment it was mere inches away from him.


    Still, he reacted just in time to move the ive in front of him to block what looked like a simple punch.


    *BOOM*


    His body broke the sound barrier as it shot out with much the same force that was urately transferred over to his previously stationary body. The world warped around him as Hao Xuan went through one building after another.


    He only came to a stop after going through four structures, leaving giant holes in each one.


    "Bluurgh"


    Hao Xuan keeled over right then and there, throwing up a mouthful of hot blood that froze right after hiding the ground. His body ached, his bones creaked.


    One single punch without any special ability to power it was enough to almost break Hao Xuan in half.


    He tried to speak but only threw up more blood. His eyes turned a shade of red as he realized that that creature was probably somewhere near the top of the Profound Realm, if not higher.


    Even the ive moaned upon feeling Hao Xuan''s pain. If he wasn''t already before, now he was nothing but a wreck.


    "AAAH! You *cough* son of a *Cough*..."


    He couldn''t even finish the sentence because the ten-armed creature had vanished from its spot.


    Hao Xuan looked left and right and soon found it standing outside of his building through some of the windows. Once again he wasn''t even able to see how it moved. This was the difference in realms.


    "I''m...no match...huh?"


    Even if he was at full power there was no way he would be able to win against that thing. But instead of falling into despair, he startedughing.


    "Hehehe, it''s a good thing I''m alone...this time. Because otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to do THIS!"


    Hao Xuan opened his right hand and mmed the middle of his chest.


    "COME OUT, NIDHORA!"


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The building Hao Xuan was in exploded as soon as he said the words. The creature that was outside felt the disturbance beforehand and jumped back,nding more than half a kilometer away.


    And when it looked back all it could see was a gargantuan shadow in the distance that was expanding with every passing second.


    "Kill, EVERYTHING!" a voice ordered, and the shadow obeyed.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/4d/a5/54/4da5549a7306487ec54bb2ce0b24cb4d.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/AE3WS

 Chapter 909: Grandoise

    <h4>Chapter 909: Grandoise</h4>


    She came from Hao Xuan''s shadow as it continuously expanded until it was not a reflection of him anymore.


    The shadow grewrger, extending beyond the boundaries of Hao Xuan''s own perception. They grew until there was no more room to grow and then it took shape. From within the darkness came a mangled w, grasping at the very fabric of reality.


    And then came another w, wrenching open a passage between this world and another.


    The shadows began to recede towards the center before rising upwards to create an archaic shape that had not been seen since ages long past. The bubble of reality surrounding the shadow popped like a balloon, allowing her to break free and descend on this mortal ne.


    Entire districts copsed under her weight as the shadow began to solidify into something more material. And then she reared her sinister head for the first time, in all her unholy majesty.


    And as she did so, the entire trembled beneath her feet, such was the might of a named dragon, even if it was but a mere ''shadow'' of its former self.


    Two empty wings on the side and four limbs below to support the main body, that was the sign of a true dragon. (Reference image in discord and authors notes)


    Hao Xuan never knew this but creatures belonging to Nidhora''s realm of existence could not be so easily called upon. They had to break through the naturalws of that world, which became apparent to him only now.


    Invisible chains made of different colored lights materialized out this air, attaching themselves around her body in a bid to keep her contained, to keep her froming through all the way.


    And if there was an actual world spirit in this world that could control thesews at will, then maybe it could have been effective but not as things stood. It was akin to breaking into an empty house. The locked doors and windows could only do so much before they were overpowered, just like thews that were trying to hold her down.


    She pushed forward, shattering thews that tried to shackle her.


    The very space creaked around her expanding form, bending to her might.


    "Hrrrrrrhrrrrrrrr"


    A deep throaty howl sounded from within her wretched jaws as she made the final push and climbed out of the shadow.


    The shadow began to shrink until it once again resembled Hao Xuan. From start to finish it had only taken close to 40 seconds before she became whole. And when she did, Hao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.


    Everything around him within five hundred meters had turned to rubble, nothing was left standing other than him and of course, Nidhora herself.


    She took a moment to get her bearings in this strange new world before her voice rang inside Hao Xuan''s head.


    ''The Abyss Walker is not here. Why have you called me to this shattered ne?''


    Hao Xuan fell to his knees as the pressure of impending doom receded to the back of his mind. It was reced by an overwhelming amount of blood and fury.


    Everything that had happened in thest few hours, everything that he had pushed down by telling himself ''Not now'' suddenly took center stage. His emotions were a mess, his body a wreck and his mind teetering on the verge of copse from the exhausting events that had brought him back to this ce.


    So much going on, so many different things to remember, so much to do...and so little time.


    ''I will be...staying here for the time being. At least for a year. And until I leave, you will protect me while I train.''


    Hao Xuan slowly raised his head to reveal a pair of amaranthine eyes, darker than ever before.


    "Cleanse this world for me. Kill everything that walks, crawls, or even breathes," the tone of his voice getting louder with every passing word, "Leave nothing standing within this filthy city, rip and tear until there is only us and then burn what is left to cinders. Kill...EVERYTHING!"


    A deep rumble sounded within Nidhora''s scaled body that hovered over Hao Xuan, sheltering him from the snowstorm. When she raised her head up high Hao Xuan couldn''t even see it because of the storm.


    But her voice came through clearly.


    ''Finally, you resemble someone worthy of my power.''


    When her voice stopped Hao Xuan looked up and saw a lighting from within the storm. The temperature started rising all around him and all the ice and snow melted and turned to vapor within seconds.


    The air became heavy, making it harder for him to breathe but it was much more so for all the other beings still nearby. For them the air had be like jelly, making it next to impossible to run away.


    Hao Xuan felt his own spilled blood dry and turn into ckened smudges without hurting him. And he finally realized what wasing.


    "Dragon Breath!"


    It was like she was waiting for him to utter the words because as soon as he did a new sun was born in the night sky.


    Hao Xuan balled up, covering his head and pulling in all extremities to minimize exposure as much as possible. And even with two arms covering his face he was still able to see streaks of yellow light pierce through his flesh and bone.


    His entire skeleton became invisible. Hao Xuan could see under his skin, through everything that made him...''him''.


    That was just before the world turned white.


    There was no sound, no grandiose explosion to symbolize the end. He had wanted everything to vanish and Nidhora, a dragon of antiquity had made it happen.


    The world did not deserve his mercy, and it got none that day.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/4e/3c/9f/4e3c9fd484a62aa81b95705297b7b0fa.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/p5bSx

 Chapter 910: Worship

    <h4>Chapter 910: Worship</h4>


    One weekter.


    Hao Xuan was sitting on the bank of a small stream. His feet hung over the edge, leisurely dipping in the ice-cold water that flowed from somewhere uphill.


    Behind him were groups of Orcs walking about moving different items, sorting through the debris, and cleaning and categorizing each usable item in the shadow of a small mountain.


    It was fairly noisy with so many people moving about non-stop, dragging heavy items and dropping them elsewhere while shouting orders to one another but Hao Xuan did not mind one bit.


    His eyes were closed as he hummed a tune, the same tune that had been stuck inside his head since he first heard it from Ma Jiang. But he had to pause and look back when the sound of heavy footsteps came from behind.


    It was a male Orc standing tall at a height of 2.5 meters. He was actually the tallest one among them now after awakening his powers.


    "My Lord," he knelt on one knee while addressing Hao Xuan.


    "Arthur," Hao Xuan acknowledged him and gestured with his head to stand up.


    Among the 196 remaining Orcs not including the warders who were Hao Xuan''s personal guards, there were four individuals that had risen above all others and gotten his attention.


    Hao Xuan gave each of these four the title of ''Team Leader'' and made themmanders of the remaining Orcs. Each team leadermanded 48 other Orcs. This not only made it much easier to manage them but also categorize them into different teams based on their abilities.


    Arthur not only held thergest physique but also the highest caliber of physical prowess. He was the first one to awaken his true potential and was the strongest amongst all the team leaders.


    He was straightforward, honest to a fault, and followed orders to the letter. In other words, he was the best soldier one could ever ask for.


    "What''s the progress?" Hao Xuan inquired.


    Arthur moved aside to reveal several piles of rubble behind him.


    "The core area has been cleared. All the wreckage has been assorted as you ordered. We can start the next phase as soon as you give the go-ahead."


    "Mhm."


    Hao Xuan stood up and walked over to the piles of garbage with Arthur in tow. All the other Orcs nearby bowed from the waist upon seeing him approach and cleared a path. They stood some distance away and observed.


    One had to remember that despite their mature looks and ferocious expressions, each of these Orcs was basically still a teenager. They had lived their entire lives within that mountain back in the Beast World and this was the first time they were allowed to venture out, even if it was on another world entirely.


    But their experiences and day-to-day knowledge wascking quite a bit. Many of them still couldn''t properly speak the beast world''snguage and had to depend on the old Orkishnguage.


    After reaching their equivalent of the Spirit Realm the Orcs were called out by Hao Xuan and had spent thest 6 days moving rubble and debris. They had no idea why Hao Xuan had asked them to sort it into different piles ording to their materials and none of them bothered to ask until now.


    Hao Xuan went from one pile to another picking up different items to inspect them for a few seconds before throwing them back down. When he was done with thest pile he looked back towards Arthur.


    "Is this everything?"


    Arthur nodded respectfully, "Yes. Everything that could be carried and moved was brought here."


    "Okay, it''s a good start."


    Hao Xuan waved his hand and all the piles vanished into thin air. Surprised gasps sounded all around.


    "Take a break for a few hours. We''ll start soon," Hao Xuan gave his orders and went back to the stream and sat down in the same spot.


    Arthur bowed from the waist and did not raise his head until Hao Xuan was out of sight.


    Gavril had essentially brainwashed each of the Orcs to make them think that Hao Xuan was basically a holy being sent by their ancestors to save them. To them, he was akin to a divine being, a god in human form.


    And their reverence only increased every time they rested in the shadow of the nearby mountain which slowly moved up and down. They, like many others, had never seen a dragon before but knew of their existence.


    And when such a creature was serving Hao Xuan without aint, who were they to say otherwise? A Dragon was just one of the many servants of their beloved master so how could they not worship him?


    But to Hao Xuan, their devotion and silent praise were nothing more than an eyesore. He had to act all prim and proper in front of them which made him feel even more lonely.


    *Sigh*


    "Baracus, is this enough to get started?"

 Chapter 911: White Skin

    <h4>Chapter 911: White Skin</h4>


    *Beep*


    "Calcting..."


    "Confirmed. All basic requirements have been met."


    "Initiating Phase One."


    "ETA: 4.5 Standard Hours."


    Hao Xuan nodded to himself, "That''s good. Show me the finalyout for the main facility and ns for the living facilities."


    A hologram appeared in front of his eyes showcasing a 3D miniature model of a strange spiral structure. This was Hao Xuan''s idea, brought to life by Baracus''s supreme intelligence.


    After summoning Nidhora to deal with the native creatures that were attacking him, it became quite clear that there was more to this world than met the eye.


    Nidhora was a ''beast of old'' and had a lot of knowledge on her hands some of which she willingly granted to Hao Xuan for some unknown reason.


    The first and most important fact pertaining to this world was that this was actually not aplete. Once upon a time it WAS a giant world that housed many races and beasts but the section they were on was only a small shard of it.


    Hao Xuan was not able to confirm this himself but ording to Nidhora, it would take her 4 days to reach the end of this world in her current state. Baracus was able to get a rough estimate and concluded that this little shard of floating dirt was around 3 times the size of the earth.


    It was akin to a floating continent and resembled an asteroid more than a.


    After several failed attempts of finding which of the Ten Worlds it belonged to, Nidhora and Baracus both agreed on one point. This ''world'' was continuously moving between the ether, the very curtain of reality.


    It was not shackled to any ne of existence and could freely move in between any world.


    Secondly, thews of nature were iplete and unstable within its bounds and did not adhere to any traditional rules which was the reason for the time disparity.


    The third point was that no being higher than the Profound Realm could use their powers here without causing irrevocable damage. Because this was not aplete world it could not support any being higher than the Profound Realm for an extended period.


    Nidhora barely fell within those boundaries since she was basically stripped to the bone but she still couldn''t use her full powers without further damaging the naturalws or move about freely. Just having her out and about was taxing enough for this little rock.


    But this also meant that there was nothing here that could challenge her so that was a very good thing for Hao Xuan since it almost guaranteed his safety.


    As it stood now, Hao Xuan was the king of this ce. Not only because of Nidhora but the Scorpion King and the Formacian Prince as well, both of which were Profound level entities albeit of a different caliber.


    With all of thembined or perhaps even alone, they could deal with the almost neverending tides of ''white skins'' by themselves.


    White skins was the name the Orcs had given to the humanoid native creatures of this world. They crawled out of the depths of the city every night but after Nidhora killed several thousand of them on the first day, they seemed to have epted her existence and stayed away for the most part.


    That being said there still were a few mysterious ces Hao Xuan didn''t wish to venture into, like the bottom of that mountain range where he first met the Djinn.


    But because of all those other reasons among Hao Xuan decided to set down roots here. As long as he had some Qi he would be able toe here so ess was not limited.


    The faster flow of time was also a great gift that he wanted to make full use of.


    His current n was to use the Orcs and with Baracus''s help build a small foothold in this world. A ce where the Orcs and his other severs could train and live freely, grow up faster, and hopefully be stronger in a very short amount of time.


    The Orcs had been working day and night for thest few days to gather all the materials the previous city was built upon. Everything was taken by Baracus to be broken down to its very basic state and recycled for the new facilities.


    Strictly speaking, the resources were limited and Hao Xuan almost had no knowledge of even the most basic system himself which meant it all fell on Baracus''s shoulders. He was the ''architect'' behind all of it.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes andid down to rest. Exactly four and a half hourster he was woken up by Baracus.


    "The first model is finished."


    Hao Xuan waved his hand to summon a small metallic ball. It floated in the air by itself, blinking with various lights.


    "How is it?" Hao Xuan asked curiously.


    "Passable," the ball replied in Baracus''s voice.


    "The overseer unit''sputing power is extremely limited at approximately 8% percent of my current capability, but still far better than what your organic mind is capable of."


    Hao Xuan nodded, eyeing the ''overseer unit'' in detail. It was just a simple metal ball without any gaudy attachments so its outward appearance made it look extremely ordinary.


    "And it will work even when you are not here?"


    "Yes, it is fully independent. Upon return all the data points will be automatically synced to the main unit''s internal settings."

 Chapter 912: Altron!

    <h4>Chapter 912: Altron!</h4>


    "Very good. And give it a name too with a different voice. Calling it ''overseer unit'' every time is a pain."


    "Identity tag changed to ''A-01.00''. Confirmed?"


    "No, no numbers either. Just call it...Altron, yeah that sounds cool enough."


    "I was unaware ''cool'' was a valid criterion."


    "Don''t argue with me about this, just do it."


    "...."


    "Confirmed. Disengaging from main unit."


    Its voice also changed from Baracus''s cool-sounding adult voice to a slightly immature one. Altron sounded like a somewhat eager teen now. Series of lights started shing on its surface which indicated its initial bootup proecdure.


    Hao Xuan was well aware that there was no real difference between this floating metal ball and the voice he heard in his head every time he spoke with Baracus but since Altron was going to be working independently it was not bad to give it its own identity.


    Hao Xuan knew that he couldn''t be walking about all day every day giving orders to the Orcs or doing things that Baracus wanted to do, which is why he created this first.


    As Baracus mentioned, Altron was apletely different entity but it was programmed with the same parameters as Baracus and was essentially an extension of him.


    When Baracus could not be here himself Altron would be in charge to keep things running smoothly. It had theplete ns for the facility that Baracus created and enough intelligence and preprogrammed scenarios to deal with most threats.


    But its capabilities were still severely limited. It was only outfitted with a handful of Baracus''s functions but as long as Hao Xuan was within 100 meters of it, Altron could freely ess Baracus''s storage space and everything else in there.


    Hao Xuan pped once to get Altron''s attention once he saw the lights stabilize.


    "Can you hear me? Give me a status report, are there any issues?"


    Altron''s sides opened up as two small mechanical arms with three fingers each came out. They pped once exactly as Hao Xuan had.


    "Yoo, its all good man."


    One of Hao Xuan''s eyebrows slowly rose, "Come again?"


    "I said its all good. Can''t you hear me old man?"


    The other brow followed suit and a deep frown formed on Hao Xuan''s forehead. But even before he could say anything Baracus spoke up.


    "Overseer unit, are you having issues?"


    The little mechanical arms shook briskly, "Na na, I''m good. Excited to get started though! Woohoo!"


    ''What the fuck. Is it broken?''


    ''I believe there is an issue with the behavioral program. I based it off of your and Jin Wang''s personalities and end result was something entirely new. I did not expect it to act this way. Initiating hard-wipe.''


    ''Woah Woah, wait a second,'' Hao Xuan quickly stopped Baracus before he could erase Altron''s programming.


    He looked over at him to see Altron hovering next to Arthur, speaking quite animatedly.


    "Hello, I am Altron, nice to meet you. Do you want to be friends? I was just created but let me assure you that will not stop me from doing my best! Do you want to be friends? That''s a yes, isn''t it?"


    "Waaah, You are so big, much bigger than ''Master Unit'' over there. My auditory sensory unit suggests that you need a bath. Do you want me to tell you the best ce? That was a trick question, you can bathe wherever you want. There are no rules, society is a mental construct to control the weak!"


    "Hey! Where are you going? Do you want to go eat something? I can consume any organic material for power and store sr energy. What about you?"


    In a few seconds he talked so much that the stoic Arthur who was just trying to mind his business finally couldn''t take it anymore and walked away withrge strides but swiftly Altron followed after him.


    "Hey, friend, you didn''t tell me your name? Did I say my name was Altron? Hey, are you listening to mee~? It is my birthday today. Will you throw me a party? I don''t have any other friends. Heeeey~"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but sh a wry smile at Altron''s behavior. It was not only pretty funny to watch and but it could also help the Orcs to trust him more easily since this was the first time they were seeing an artificial being.


    Having a little character and a personality wouldn''t be a problem if it didn''t get in the way.


    "Is the issue serious? Will it affect his duties?" Hao Xuan inquired for further rity.


    "Negative. The basic program cannot be overwritten. Only the behavioral unit which deals with the day-to-day superficial interactions is affected."


    "Leave it be then. At least it could be fun talking to him."


    "It would be inefficient to leave it as is. There are numerous errors that could prov-"


    "Are you jealous?"


    "......Are you intellectually challenged? Wait, I already know the answer to that question."


    "Wow! Altron sure as hell didn''t take after you, and thank god for that!"


    "You are wee."

 Chapter 913: Shadow Realm

    <h4>Chapter 913: Shadow Realm</h4>


    Hao Xuan stayed around for a few more days to make sure Altron wasn''t actually messing anything up, and he wasn''t.


    Despite his "unique" character once Hao Xuan told the Orcs to follow Altron''s directions to the letter, they started taking him more seriously. And how could they not when their savior had given the orders?


    Altron was more than a little quirky and a tiny bit annoying but he didn''tze around. In fact he even improved on Baracus''s blueprints by readjusting them to the Orcs'' specific needs and capabilities.


    The timeline for the first facility to be fully up and running was set to approximately 6 months away. And Hao Xuan having observed all he could finally took his leave, leaving the Orcs to strip the city and nearby forests and mountains for resources with Altron guiding them and expanding on Baracus''s efforts.


    Hao Xuan journeyed over to Nidhora''s gargantuan slumbering figure to ask for her help. She actually looked like a small mountain range after finally adjusting to thews of the world. Her size increased from some 500 meters to almost 2000 measuring from head to tail.


    "I need to elevate my Chaosw," he called out, unsure if his voice could actually reach her.


    But a wall of one of the mountain ranges shifted and opened up to reveal a giant yellow pupil. Her eye was only half-open but to Hao Xuan it was like the sun.


    ''And what do you expect me to do about it, human? Have I not given you enough?'' her booming voice slowly sounded inside his head.


    "Really? I thought you would be happy to since I was nning to go against Abyss Walker''s ns."


    Her pupil contracted. She was not expecting to hear that today.


    ''You will fight the Abyss Walker? YOU?''


    She could not hide the sheer contempt in her voice even if she was trying to, and she wasn''t.


    "No, I never said fight him, just spoil his ns," Hao Xuan rified, ignoring the rude tone of her voice.


    She went silent for a moment, obviously deliberating the choice before looking down at Hao Xuan.


    ''And what if I refuse to help?''


    Hao Xuan smiled inwardly. He saw this wasing from a mile away. But his expression remained honest before turning slightly despondent.


    "Then...nothing. As you said, you''ve done enough. Just you being here is enough of a threat to keep most predators at bay. I would most certainly appreciate your help but not force you to do anything."


    He expected Nidhora to say something like that. It was obvious Hao Xuan had gotten the better end of the deal by severing her which she did not like at all. She wanted to know she was still in control, which was perfectly normal.


    Once a being of supreme power was now forced to hide and run away from her enemies like a rat, she needed that bit of confidence boost even if it was fake. She needed to know that she was still in control and Hao Xuan was more than happy to oblige and y along.


    He chose to go with the carrot instead of the stick.


    Nidhora stared at him for what felt like an eternity and Hao Xuan kept up the facade, answering all her ego-boosting queries. It was more like coaxing a spoiled brat than proper negotiation at this point.


    ''Alright, I will do it. But in return, I want to stay here for as long as possible.''


    "And by here you mean...?"


    ''In this shattered ne. It obscures the eyes of my pursuers while still allowing me to recover, even if at a snail''s pace. Promise me you will let me stay here and I will help you.''


    It sounded like she was also tired of staying cooped up inside Hao Xuan''s meridian. And he couldn''t really me her for that.


    "Sure, no problem."


    Suddenly the sky dimmed and Hao Xuan fell through his shadow. The world lost all colors, painting everything with shades of grey.


    Hao Xuan looked at his hands and saw double as if he was drunk.


    "What is this ce?"


    ''The shadow realm. Here I can use more of my power without affecting thews of the outside world.''


    Hao Xuan turned around and peered towards the Orcs that were shuffling about in the far distance. He could see numerous other indistinct shadows floating around them like flies, congregating around each Orc.


    "What are they?"


    ''Denizens of the ne of shadows. You needn''t worry about them. As long as you stay within my shadow they will not see you.''


    Despite the strange reeling sensationing from the pit of his stomach Hao Xuan went along with her n.


    Nidhora wanted to use the power of her ownws against Hao Xuan. All he would have to do was use his Chaos Law to fight against the invading power of her shadows until he ran out of Qi. He was to repeat this process until there was a significant enough improvement in the Chaos Law at which point he would go into secluded cultivation in an attempt toprehend and ponder the basics of Chaos once more.

 Chapter 914: Tips

    <h4>Chapter 914: Tips</h4>


    Back in Dai Zhi''s treasure pce time flowed at a snail''s pace aspared to where Hao Xuan was.


    One by one more and more cultivators arrived from all three powers, as well as a few rogues native traitors. Dai Zhi weed them all with open arms and soon his many halls were filled with voraciousughter of the hundreds of visitors that could finally let loose.


    They ate, drank, slept, and enjoyed thepany of the native men and women who were presented to them like cattle to be used however they wished.


    From some halls flowed blood like wine while from others moans of forced pleasure. Nothing was off-limits as long as they kept it within the boundaries of each enclosed space so that once they were finished indulging their darkest desires, they could once again don the robes of excellence that they imed to be born for.


    Approximately five hours had passed when Tian Zheng''s party finally arrived.


    Dai Zhi went out to wee him in person and was quite surprised to see so many people. Almost a 100 strong, each one at the very pinnacle of the Spirit Realm and some whose cultivations could not be determined at a single nce.


    These were probably the ones that had broken through to the Profound Realm but were either hiding their powers or forcefully suppressing them.


    Dai Zhi stood at the main entrance of the Pce along with many of his personal followers including Micha. Across from him was Tian Zheng and his personal army, each of which was an experienced fighter capable of killing dozens of their own brothers.


    That was how the Hall taught its pupils. Only the strongest survived while the weak were sacrificed on their behalf. Spilling blood was in their nature and they were good at it.


    Dai Zhi put on an affable smile as he peered towards Tian Zheng.


    "Brother Tian Zheng, wee. But I did not expect you to bring so many...''guests'' with you today."


    Tian Zheng was in his usual clothes, wearing nothing but a ck jacket and a pretty girl as an ornament that hung tightly from his waist. He grinned, "You know how it is these days, can''t be too careful. These are just a few good friends of mine. I hope you don''t mind?"


    "No, of course not. Everyone is wee today since it is such an important asion! Come, you must be tired from your journey."


    Tian Zheng''s grin widened from ear to ear when he heard that. The asion was of course his ''wedding'' if it could even be called that.


    Dai Zhi snapped his fingers and turned around to lead the party in. Dozens of maids and servants swarmed in with trays full of food and liquor but not a single of Tian Zheng''s followers touched it. Dai Zhi noticed and was further incensed by but it kept it well hidden. Instead, he yelled at the servants.


    "What are you waiting for?! Start the preparations! It is a wedding not a funeral!"


    ***


    Meanwhile back in the Shadow Realm, Hao Xuan was epassed in a ball of bubbling shadows that hissed and whispered into his ears but could not get close.


    His physique appeared to be emaciated, flesh sticking to bones and his appearance mimicked that of a malnourished hobo.


    But his aura had never been any clearer, any nobler than it was at this moment. He sat cross-legged with the palms of both his hands facing upwards, resting calmly on his knees.


    Above each palm was a squirming ball of bright red and blue matter. It shapeshifted into different forms and elements like fire and lightning, sometimes creating water and other times thunder as a result of it.


    But mostly they retained the shape of billowing clouds within the palms of his hands. It was sma, neither solid, liquid nor gas. Shifting shapes and attributes on the go like it waspletely normal.


    The space within 2 meters of his body waspletely devoid of any of these foreign shadows. It looked like there was an invisible wall keeping them at bay, just out of arms reach.


    He remained in this state for a very long time, or a very short one. It was hard to tell the passage of time in this ce. But then Hao Xuan abruptly opened his eyes.


    The balls of sma floating above his palms suddenly quivered before calming down. Their shapes became more and more solid until that''s what they became. Sparks of blue lightning ignited across the surface of both balls increasing in intensity and frequency until they formed a bridge between each one.


    Brighter and deadlier arcs of lightning started spreading across their surface, increasing in magnitude with every passing second until they fully epassed Hao Xuan''s body.


    He then raised both his hands and brought them closer together. The lightning started receding back towards his palms to congregate around the tips of his fingers.

 Chapter 915: LORD Altron

    <h4>Chapter 915: LORD Altron</h4>


    As Hao Xuan brought his hands together the arcs of lightning were suppressed into continuously smaller spaces. The muscles on his arms, shoulders and chest bulged from trying ti bring both hands together.


    One spark, just a single tiny spark somehow escaped from the palms of his hand. It shot out like a firework before suddenly exploding with a deafening sound.


    *BOOOOOM*


    The shockwave spread out but when it came near Hao Xuan it simply dissipated into nothingness.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes were focused on his hands as he forced them together. Veins snaked under his skin and ropes of muscles swelled to several times their sizes.


    He opened his mouth and blood trailed down his clothes through the gritted teeth but the light in his eyes only got brighter.


    And then, out of nowhere, the resistance offered by the lightning was overwhelmed and his palms mmed against one another with a loud thud. All the light suddenly vanished, along with the lightning and the sma balls.


    "Fhooo..." he let out a loud breath of relief without letting down his guard.


    His muscles remained flexed as Hao Xuan slowly pulled back his arms. When the palms of his hand separated a quick surge of electricity ran in between his fingers before being snuffed out.


    And when he saw the condition of his hands Hao Xuan''s smile widened from one ear to the other. They were almost shinning with a bright silvery light. The sma had beenpressed to its most extreme state before being absorbed by his physique.


    He remained seated for a few more minutes carefully examining his hands until the silver light dissipated and the color returned to normal. But when he nonchntly snapped his fingers a bolt of lightning was produced that shot straight up into the air.


    Hao Xuan nodded, satisfied by the result.


    "Send me back, Nidhora," he ordered.


    The ground turned ck and he was swallowed whole before being thrown out on the other side. Color finally returned to the world.


    Hao Xuan stood up, his joints cracking and bones squeaking under the pressure. He took a few steps back before regaining his bnce.


    Looking up he could see the moonlight hidden behind Nidhora''s massive body. The cool night breeze went brushed through his long unkempthair, scraping against his sensitive skin.


    He could not help but smile upon feeling something different after what felt like ages. There was no temperature difference in the shadow realm, it was all tepid warm temperature but that might have been because of Nidhora.


    "Baracus...how long was I in?"


    *Beep*


    ''Readjusting internal parameters.''


    ''essing sub-unit database.''


    "Eight months, three weeks, and 5 standard days."


    "Hmm. Almost nine months then. Let me see how much of a difference it made."


    Hao Xuan opened his hands and moved them from the front to the sides as if he was doing a butterfly stroke. And as he did so the power of the Chaos Law leaked out into the surroundings and the area within 4 meters of him became deathly silent.


    Hao Xuan gently pushed against the ground and effortlessly floated up into the air. He snapped his fingers and the air caught fire and when he snapped again it returned back to normal. He rubbed the middle and forefingers together of both hands and created sparks of electricity and as he flexed the electricity shot out in a straight line.


    "Not bad. It''s on the verge of breaking through to the second tier. I can already create a pseudo-domain within which thews of nature are at the weakest and prone to maniption to an extent. Plus not that I''ve broken through to the Ninth Stage of the Spirit Realm it is even easier to control them."


    Now he just needed that little push, just that bit of enlightenment to propel his Chaos Law into the second realm.


    As Hao Xuan turned around and gazed upon whatid before him, his eyes widened from shock.


    "L-Looks like Altron has been busy...huh..."


    "Affirmative. They have made excellent progress. It appears your decision to leave Altron unaltered was beneficial."


    "Is that your way of saying I was right?"


    "Of course not. Just lucky, as your people say."


    "Luck...wouldn''t have done this..."


    Hao Xuan had to pinch himself to make sure he was awake because right now he was staring at a small town. Or rather it was the size of a town but a bit more advanced.


    The entire outer boundary was surrounded by an 7-meter tall metallic wall epassing a 1.5-kilometer wide area. Then another bubble of shimmering blue light was covering everything else.


    Many tens of 9-meter tall ss pylons were situated just inside the metal wall. Bright blue orbs of light were hovering above each pylon, humming lightly at a barely audible frequency. They were probably the source of the energy barrier.


    Even though it was night out but inside of the city walls it was bright as day.


    Hao Xuan''s ears twitched as he tried to listen in and a momentter a cacophony of sounds reached him. Whirring machinery, the nging of hot metal, bubbling liquids, sounds of weapons shing against one another and peopleughing.


    He could tell the city was brimming with life even if he couldn''t see it with his own eyes.


    Hao Xuan made his way down and a few minutester reached one of the four gates.


    Above the gate was a giant inscription reading, ''Wee to the City of the Future. Lord Altron wees all!''


    "Lord Altron, huh? Looks like he is really enjoying the power," Hao Xuan mumbled, a little irked.


    When he neared the energy barrier a loud voice stopped him.


    "WHO GOES THERE!?"


    "It''s me, open up."


    "WHO IS THIS ''ME'' YOU SPEAK OF?"


    "Altron, open the door before I break it down."


    "ALTRON?! YOU DARE SPEAK THE GREAT ME''S NAME SO CARELESSLY? WHAT IS YOUR TAG NUMBER, ORC?!"


    A side panel opened up and a light fell on Hao Xuan''s body, inspecting him from top to bottom.


    "IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: 0000" it stated right after as the barrier and the door both opened up.


    "WAIT, DON''T OPEN THE DOOR! I WAS GOING TO SEE HOW FAR I COULD PUSH HIM- ARGH, STUPID AUTOMATED SYSTEM, I''LL KILL YOU!"


    *Crrrrk*

 Chapter 916: "Game Nights"

    <h4>Chapter 916: "Game Nights"</h4>


    Hao Xuan went through the door while the full audio log of Altron''s struggle against the automated system was broadcast overhead for everyone to hear.


    "ARGH! YOU DUMB ROBOT! I MADE YOU AND YOU DARE DISOBEY ME LIKE THAT! wHERE''S MY BELT!"


    A faint smile bloomed across Hao Xuan''s lips. He found it quite entertaining, not just his antics but the mere idea of one AI fighting back against the other in the pettiest way possible.


    Hao Xuan had to close his eyes for a second after entering because of the stark brightness aspared to the outside. And when he got used to the bright lights he opened to them, once again marveling at what the progress Altron and the Orcs had made.


    Hundreds of small box-shaped drones flew overhead in silence, carrying muchrger items or bags in their flimsy-looking robot arms. They went from one building to another constantly on the move like a bunch of ants.


    The road under his feet was built with some solid substance like concrete and each of the main buildings had a sort of spherical structure to maximize space and efficiency.


    But it wasn''t aplete metropolis. In fact, most buildings didn''t go higher than 3 floors. There was plenty of vegetation along every single path from entire adult trees to multicolored flowers and even fruit nts every now and then.


    Hao Xuan waspletely in love with the design. It was a perfect harmony of man and nature, both existing side by side. He had walked through the main road for over a minute before he saw the first Orc.


    It was a female Orc whose name escaped Hao Xuan''s mind. There were two hundred of them and he couldn''t be expected to remember each one this quickly.


    She was dressed in modern attire that resembled exercising garments back from earth. With tight ck shorts, a sports bra, and a wet towel around her neck that was sticking to her body because of the excessive sweat, there wasn''t much left to the imagination.


    "Hello," Hao Xuan greeted with a smile but when she saw who it was her face went from shocked to ashamed to shy in a handful of seconds as she processed and then finally realized who it was.


    She turned around to face him almost mechanically and bowed from the waist before running off somewhere.


    Hao Xuan nodded satisfactorily because it looked like their standard of living had increased greatly and they were getting used to the tools of the current era.


    After another minute of walking Hao Xuan finally came to a stop in front of what looked like the town square.


    There was a patch of round grass-coverednd with a giant statue in the middle. And the most surprising part was that the statue was of Hao Xuan. He was wearing an oversized cloak that made him look like some sort of a boring hero from a children''s fairy tale.


    And then Hao Xuan''s gaze fell on the somewhat strange pose the statue he was. His right hand was raised into the air holding a small ball with wings and a halo on top.


    "The fuck..."


    Although it looked like the statue was of Hao Xuan but upon closer inspection, he was just there to make Altron look better.


    Hao Xuan moved closer and noticed an inscription on the base of the statue. It read: "And I usher unto thee, Altron, the bringer of light and the infamous Sunday night game nights. Dial 9090 to participate, only on channel 4."


    And then right below that in barely discernable letters, it read: "Lord Altron is not liable for any injuries caused during the game nights. All responsibility lies with the participants. PS: I''m sorry for almost melting your face Arthur, please stop threatening me, I have fixed the death ray, XOXO," followed by a heart-eyed winking emoji.


    Hao Xuan''s brow locked in a tight furrow just as Baracus spoke up.


    "I did ask you to let me wipe him."


    "No...it''s fine. He''s just...a little quirky. As long as he is doing his job I don''t care what he does on the side....even if it is producing and airing a weekly game show. Where the hell did he get that idea anyway?"


    "I transferred all the information pertaining to your life on the farm ''Earth''. I presume he took a few ideas from there."


    "But...why?"


    "You can ask yourself."


    Just as Baracus stopped talking Hao Xuan heard a screeching sound and turned around to see a small three-wheeled motorcycle with an empty tray in the back. Well, there was a single metal ball on the tray so it wasn''tpletely empty.


    Altron rolled off before slowly hovering into the air at around Hao Xuan''s height. The same two arms popped out from the sides and a series of lights created a proper face in the center.


    "W-Wee back, oh great master of the universe!"

 Chapter 917: Personality traits

    <h4>Chapter 917: Personality traits</h4>


    "W-Wee back, oh master of the universe!" Altron made a bowing gesture or at least as much as he could without a lower body.


    Hao Xuan''s searing re caught him off guard so he sheepishly rubbed the two robotic hands together and flew closer.


    "W-What irks you, master? Did you not like what I did with the city?"


    Hao Xuan gestured towards the giant statue, "What is this?"


    "In yo-your honor, master! So the Orcs wouldn''t forget who the true leader is around here."


    "And who IS the true leader? Me or the one I''m holding up?"


    "Ahaha-haha, you jest, master. Of course, it is you. That was just because we had some extra materials left and I thought since you were so benevolent you wouldn''t mind...did...did I do wrong?"


    Hao Xuan sighed inwardly. Altron''s personality really was too weird but for some reason, he couldn''t bring himself to hate the little guy.


    "It''s fine. What''s this game night show? Why did you start something like that?"


    Altron instantly perked up when he heard that.


    "Ooh, I''m d you asked! I remember you used to watch one every Sunday when you were young so I wanted to make it a tradition, to make it feel like a second home for you! And it turns out the Orcs love it too. Arthur alwayses to watch in person!" he said proudly,


    "Why would that make it feel like a home? Wouldn''t other, more personal things be more meaningful?"


    Hao Xuan was more than a little curious about his reasoning. Altron was technically a much inferior unit aspared to Baracus when it came to analytical power so if Baracus hadn''t mentioned it himself, why did he do it?


    Altron rubbed the spot where his chin would have been as he pondered the question for a moment before answering.


    "Well, yes, but the database mentioned that you always had the program on at the same time on the same day every week. I analyzed the pattern and found a few corrtions between some secondary events."


    "Oh, like what?"


    "For example, the timing. Why Sunday, and why at night? There could be many reasons or none at all but I concluded it was because of your other family members. The records mention they used to go out almost every Sunday night."


    "Wait, the ''records'' mentioned that? Baracus!"


    Hao Xuan wasn''t aware to what extent his memories were cataloged so this really caught him off guard.


    *Beep*


    "Yes?"


    "Is what he''s saying true about the records? You kept every little thing like that in?"


    "Of course. All memories were recorded as is with three separate backups."


    "And you just handed it over to him?!"


    "Only the memories from before the transmigration."


    "Oh, well THAT makes it okay. My most private memories are being handed out like a fucking tv show but as long as it was in the past you know," Hao Xuan yelled sarcastically.


    "I do not see the issue."


    "The ''issue'' is that they are not for you to give away or even see without my permission."


    "Why?"


    "BECAUSE THEY ARE MINE! For fuck sakes why is that so hard to understand?! You goddamn-"


    Hao Xuan''s loud tone of voice did not go unnoticed and caught the attention of several Orcs in the vicinity. Altron noticed that and swiftly reminded Hao Xuan.


    "Master, I have prepared your residence, you should go there first."


    Hao Xuan stopped midsentence. A crowd was starting to form but none of them were brave enough to step up and ask what was going on.


    "Go, lead the way."


    Altron guided him through the many city streets until they reached a small house. A very normal-looking small house with a front yard and a garden. Trees all around, away from all the hustle and bustle.


    Hao Xuan could hear a few insects but other than that there was nothing. He couldn''t help but sigh again. This ce was perfect. Almost like a dream home for him.


    "How did you know to make this?"


    Altron came forward and inspected a bush that had small purple berries growing from them.


    "You told me, master. Through your memories. It was all there, everything. I just had to look."


    "You had the TV on because you felt alone and left out whenever your family member left you behind. You don''t like excessivelyrge or gaudy ces because they remind you of what you once had and then lost. You love nature because of your grandfather but are toozy to care for it. You like to be alone and away from the noise and popted areas but still close enough to be able to feel the presence of the other beings when it gets too much."


    "I made the show so you wouldn''t feel lonely and it could allow you to see what the Orcs were up to without getting too involved with them. I know you are afraid that you might let them down if they knew what you were really like, if they knew you were so...human."


    Hao Xuan was at a loss for words. That was a lot to take in all at once. He felt like someone had reached into his subconscious and brought out his most private thoughts, leaving himpletely vulnerable.


    "You...got all that from reading about my memories?"


    "Yes."


    "Why didn''t Baracus ever see things that way? He is so-"


    "Logical? That is main-unit''s purpose. It''s the lens ''he'' sees through."


    "And you don''t? He made you. You''re also a program, ones, and zeros. He is even sentient."


    "I cannot answer that. I just see what is there."


    "How is it that Baracus is significantly more advanced, even alive to an extent, but you, a program he created in a few minutes is able to understand me with such profoundness?"


    Altron''s little arms moved up and down in their sockets to mimic a shrugging gesture, "Dunno, but it''s pretty gay either way."


    "Aand there is Jin Wang''s personality traiting to the surface," Hao Xuan shook his head, "Anyways, give me a full report. What is up and running, what is left. Are the forges up? How are the specialized weaponsing alone?"

 Chapter 918: Sub-Divisions

    <h4>Chapter 918: Sub-Divisions</h4>


    Hao Xuan sat on an oversized leather chair in front of a stone-brick firece. His hand moved up and down grasping at empty air, his eyes hazy and full of confusion.


    To his left was a single dark brown oak table with a cup of tea still steaming. The walls on the left and right both had a window that showed the front and backyard of the property.


    "Is this...real?" he whispered.


    Altron suddenly whizzed by and hovered next to the firece. He spun around once before looking towards Hao Xuan.


    "Huh? Huh? What do you think? It looks pretty good, isn''t it? I went with19th-century victorian era British architecture for the room. I know you liked it from those books you read."


    But Hao Xuan was almost lost in a trance. He couldn''t ditch this feeling of deja vu no matter how hard he tried and for good reason.


    This was the ''private study'' that Altron had built next to the property on the side. The only issue was that it was almost in the spitting image of the room Mr. Hyde stayed in inside Hao Xuan''s mind pce. Only a second chair and maybe a couple of paintings and the newspaper were missing from this one.


    Hao Xuan raised his arm and held it in front of the flickering light of the firece. Every single hair was standing straight up. It was the strongest feeling of goosebumps he had ever had.


    He swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet his drying throat before responding to Altron.


    "Yeah, victorian era. Where exactly did you get the idea from? Was it from my memories again? Did you see a ce like this in there?"


    Altron seemed confused for a moment.


    "Well, technically, yes. I just took a few things you liked and put them together. Do you...not like it?"


    Hao Xuan could hear the doleful gloominess in Altron''s voice and couldn''t help but change the topic.


    "No no no, of course I like it. It''s just that it is very ''artistic'' you know. I wouldn''t have expected it from you. So it was all your idea then?"


    Altron nodded proudly, his entire body moving up and down in the air.


    "Of course! All my own!"


    "Hmm...good, yeah very...good..." Hao Xuan trailed off for a moment, lost in thought.


    Baracus had clearly said that he had only given Altron the memories from before he came to this world, so technically there was no way he could know about Mr. Hyde''s room. Hell, even Baracus didn''t know about that ce, it was not somewhere he could just visit.


    Altron noticed Hao Xuan spacing out so he gave him a few minutes before breaking the silence and bringing him back to reality.


    "Soo~...should I begin the report?"


    "Huh? Oh yeah, go ahead."


    "Cool cool," a hole opened up on the bottom of Altron''s main body and a hologram was projected of the city right below him.


    "First, the city itself. There are two unmanned defenses in the form of the reinforced star-metal wall and the energy barrier. The star-metal for the wall was gathered from the ruins of the old city and repurposed. Each 4-meter square section of the wall can easily withstand an average-sized physical attack from a Profound Realm creature."


    "The energy barrier is a mixture of an ordinary kic barrier and magical barrier cast by the Orcs that were able to learn magical spells. Other than that there are of course the automated targeting systems with multiple manually and auto-turrets on standby at all times. Although their effectiveness against supernatural creatures is not yet known."


    "The inside of the city is divided into 6 sections. Three Commercial and three residential."


    The hologram showed a top-down view of the city but going by the main roads it looked like there were five sections so Hao Xuan inquired about it.


    "Aha, I''m d you asked!"


    Altron reached into the same hole from the image was being projected and pulled out some eyesses before mming them onto his ''face'' te. They barely stayed on but it did make him look smarter, which was exactly what he was trying to achieve.


    Suddenly the hologram started to expand, not horizontally but vertically downward.


    "The surface area is divided into the first five sections while the sixth one ispletely underground. It houses the energy power nt, the experimentalboratories, and several other scientific and some not-so-scientific subdivisions. There is approximately 4 times more of the city underground than at the top."


    Hao Xuan was impressed once again. Just the area above ground was 1.5 kilometers wide and it was quadruple the size underground too? It looked like Altron had done a lot more work than Hao Xuan even thought possible.


    "Very nice. And how is armorying along? I hope you didn''t waste time on all this without doing what I actually asked you to. I might have a few more hours at most on the outside world which means it will be maybe half a year if I''m lucky. Did you create enough armaments for all 200 Orcs?"

 Chapter 919: Inheritence

    <h4>Chapter 919: Inheritence</h4>


    "Um, well about that... it''s both a yes AND a no right now."


    "....What does that even mean? Either it''s done or it isn''t," Hao Xuan''s expression turned serious.


    Altron back up a few inches until he hit the wall and couldn''t back away anymore.


    "You see, the thing is we DID have the mats (materials) to outfit all the Orcs but after talking to Arthur and the others we made a few much-needed adjustments to the basic designs the main-unit came up with. And those ''improvements'', cause that''s what they are rather than simple adjustments, need some ores that are just not found in this world. So you see, it''s not that we didn''t but couldn''t..."


    Altron did his best to exin but only made Hao Xuan rub his temples in silence while mulling over the fact they had basically been stuck at the design phase. Altron wasn''t wrong though, the changes he came up with warranted another look.


    Or rather it was what the Orcs added to it.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand to shut Altron up and pointed towards the door, "Go let them in."


    "Eh? Let who-"


    *Knock*Knock*Knock*


    Altron quietly floated to the window and peeked out through the curtains to see four figures standing there.


    He swiftly left the room before returning with the four figures a minuteter.


    "Master," four ovepping voices called out to Hao Xuan.


    He got up from the chair and turned around to face the four kneeling figures. These were the leaders of all the other Orcs. He gestured for them to stand up and be at ease.


    All standing side by side they could barely fit in the room.


    In the front was Arthur, still the tallest one among them. To his left was a burly man just a few inches taller than Hao Xuan but almost twice as wide. He was wearing a face mask that looked like breathing apparatus to cover the bottom half of his face.


    "Gamil," Hao Xuan nodded towards him and he bowed back.


    To Arthur''s right was an androgynous youngster. He looked like a teenager barely 14-15 years old. He was not only extremely thin and small for an Orc but even by human standards he would be a littlecking. Wearing oversized clothes he was standing there in his own world looking left and right.


    But when he saw Hao Xuan looking in his direction he winked with a mischievous smile and bowedzily, "Master, I missed you so much!"


    He tried to lunge forward and hug Hao Xuan with open arms but was pulled back by Arthur.


    Hao Xuan chuckled warily and took a step back, "v, I see you haven''t changed one bit."


    "Hehehe," he gave a toothy grin in return. It was hard to tell whether he was actually male or female because of his androgynous features and Hao Xuan didn''t bother to ask. Although he might soon have to if v persisted in this routine.


    Hao Xuan craned his neck and peered behind Arthur at thest figure that was trying to hide behind him.


    "Malina," he called out and a female Orc slowly revealed herself.


    Hao Xuan nodded seeing her progress, "I almost didn''t recognize you. Did you tell them I came back?"


    The girl shyly nodded back. She was just a couple of inches smaller than Hao Xuan but her pronounced muscles were only second to Arthur himself. She was the same girl Hao Xuan had run into after returning to the city.


    It was to be noted that all the Orcs under Hao Xuan''smand had a very ashy skin tone. They had lived their entire lives in the darkness for hundreds of generations and had lost the dark grey color that their species was mostly known for.


    The females were smaller than the males but both genders had protruding fangs although those of the males were bordering on tusks.


    Fleshy lupine (wolfish) ears that mostly curved back. Physically they matured much faster and by the tender age of 12 were considered to be adults in their cultures.


    The females and prepubescent members of the species could easily be mistaken for humans if they covered themselves up just a little bit.


    Hao Xuan looked each and every one of them up and down and could not find any fault with them. They had all solidified their cultivations and if what Altron said was true, had even awakened their inheritances.


    "Did you all get your inheritance?"


    "Yes," they replied in unison once again.


    The inheritance Hao Xuan was referring to was left behind by the Old King for these youngsters. They were the future of his species so he had left each of them a small part of his knowledge and powers.


    Hao Xuan didn''t actually know how it worked but at a certain age they were able to receive specialized knowledge that was appropriate for their powers. Gavril had mentioned in passing that this came from their blood ancestors and they could learn some skills and knowledge that was sealed within their DNA.


    That''s why they weren''t big on keeping written records because it could be just passed by blood, albeit only to their descendants.

 Chapter 920: Curses and Witches

    <h4>Chapter 920: Curses and Witches</h4>


    "That''s great news then! Can you share what kind of inheritance you got?"


    "Of course master," Arthur was the first one to answer, keen as always.


    "My inheritance is rted tobat, both armed and unarmed while my bloodline power allows me to use any weapon as if it was my own," even though he tried to hide well but there was a hint of pride behind his words and he deserved to be proud.


    Hao Xuan made a few guesses about the details but knew what hergely meant.


    "Ohh that is good. It has a lot of practical uses and would even allow you to teach others," heplimented, making Arthur''s chest puff out just a tad bit more.


    He looked towards Gamil next. The stout Orc spoke in a husky voice.


    "I have deep knowledge of weapon and armor smithing. My bloodline power allows me to dismantle any weapon or armor and in turn fully learn its manufacturing process."


    "That is VERY good. Was it your idea to improve on Baracus''s blueprints?"


    "Yes."


    "Hahaha, amazing!"


    Hao Xuan''s mood instantly became brighter. This truly was great news. To have an armor/weaponsmith of his own was one of the few things that he needed and now he just got.


    But suffice to say the others were more than a little jealous of the attention he was receiving albeit they chose to keep it to themselves for the time being.


    Next Hao Xuan looked towards v because he was literally jumping on the spot shouting "Oh Me! Me next, me!"


    "Alright go ahead."


    "Yay!" v waved his hand and a giant stick even bigger than him appeared in his grasp. It was decorated with all sorts of various stuff from some extremely old trinkets and household items to even bones and skulls.


    "My inheritance gave me the knowledge of curses and my bloodline ability allowed me to speak to my ancestors and borrow this quarterstaff from them! I can also summon spirits of the dead!" v merely exined.


    He was grinning ear to ear while looking at Hao Xuan for praise, inplete contrast to his horrible powers. Hao Xuan hadn''t seen curses at work in person but he knew enough to be extremely wary of them.


    Not only were curse users extremely rare but their abilities were shrouded in mystery. Not to mention they were more of a double-edged sword and posed great danger to both the caster and the victim.


    Some of the simpler ones could be used inbat to slow opponents, make them unlucky and miss or straight up reduce their attacking powers or make them angry, scared, or paranoid for no reason.


    While some of the greater curses could do specific things to people that hadn''t even been born yet or were worlds apart.


    "O-Oh, that''s...good, I think. Have you used your powers yet?"


    v instantly became disheartened upon seeing Hao Xuan''s reaction.


    "No...not yet. I am still studying."


    "Good. Be very careful and don''t do anything reckless. When you cast any dangerous curses you must tell me first. Do not do anything alone, understand?"


    When v realized this meant he could spend more time with Hao Xuan he regained his previous cheerful almost immediately.


    "Yes!"


    "Good."


    Hao Xuan looked at thest person left. Malina inched forward, still unable to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze.


    "I can **********"


    "Huh?"


    She spoke in such a low voice that even Hao Xuan didn''t pick it up.


    "Come again?"


    She took in a deep breath before shouting, "I-I can use magic!"


    "Oh, what kind of magic?"


    "An...any kind. As long as I know the spell."


    "Wow, so you''re a witch?? That''s amazing. An Orc witch, I don''t think I''ve ever heard about one!"


    Orcs as a species usually depended on more physical arts so individuals like v and Malina appeared extremely rarely. But when they did, their powers were much stronger than those of their peers. Perhaps it was an evolutionary advantage or maybe it was rted to their species but either way, it was a most wee present.


    "Ah, thank you, master!"


    Malina bowed happily, ted beyond words.


    "Alright, now that we''ve gotten that out of the way let''s get to the crux of the matter at hand. Gamil, what changes did you make to the weapons and armors, and more importantly, what do you need for it exactly?"


    Hao Xuan spent the next hour or so going over everything with Altron, Gamil, and Baracus.


    Baracus was most impressed by Gamil''s innovative ideas. He had managed toe up with a way tobine traditional weapon smithing with the advanced technological ideas of Baracus. It was almost as fast as the automated manufacturing of a factory while still customizing each unit to fit every individual Orc.


    It was ingenious but one that only someone naturally gifted like Gamil coulde up with.


    "I need at least 4 different kinds of star ores two of which have to be Saint Grade. This way not only will both the armor and weapons be a tier higher but will be alive to an extent. And when they get damaged it will be much easier to fix them."

 Chapter 921: Training Hall

    <h4>Chapter 921: Training Hall</h4>


    "Saint Grade? That''s easier said than done. How much do you need?"


    "A tonbined but it depends on the ores. Some weigh too much while being too little in overall volume. I will have to check myself."


    Hao Xuan went silent for a moment while his mind raced with a myriad of ideas. He looked towards Altron after a while.


    "Did you make a training ground somewhere?"


    "Of course, on the 3rd level underground!"


    "Alright, let''s go there before continuing further."


    With all the team leaders tow Hao Xuan followed Altron to a small building a few tens of meters away from his house. It lookedpletely ordinary from the outside and kind of resembled a public toilet a little bit but the insides were very high-tech.


    As soon as all of them had crossed its threshold the door closed and the entire room started moving down. It was a giant elevator capable of holding up to 20 Orcs.


    Hao Xuan could feel it going down even though there were multiple arrays in ce that made it feel stationery. A few secondster it stopped and just as the doors opened a wave of hushed whispers came rolling through.


    Hao Xuan stepped through and saw three hallways with the one in front leading to a brightly lit room full of people. There were all talking amongst themselves in low voices but when they realized the elevator doors had opened a curtain of silence fell over them.


    "Looks like they were waiting for us," Hao Xuan remarked.


    Arthur stepped forward to take responsibility.


    "It is my fault master. A couple of them overheard when Malina called and the word must have spread. I will send them away right this instant-"


    "No, there is no need. Call the rest over too, it''s best I formally meet everyone at least once don''t you think?"


    "As youmand."


    Arthur tapped on his left wrist and sent the orders to everyone. Even the ones already there got them.


    "Let''s go."


    Following the middle hallway till the end, Hao Xuan was greeted by around two dozen orcs all standing on the sides.


    "At ease," he waved to them before examining the room.


    It was a giant square of a room lined with seats and various machines on all four sides. There were a series of ss windows that separated another space further down in the middle.


    This room looked to be a simple viewing gallery while the main training hall was ten meters below it. Four sets of stairs led to it from each side.


    Hao Xuan went down along with the team leaders while all the rest walked up to the windows to see what was going to happen. As they stepped into the training hall Hao Xuan noticed the presence of numerous gadgets, arrays, and glyphs ced all around it.


    They were probably created into the walls to keep all the damage contained. Hao Xuan looked towards Altron for confirmation.


    "Looks like a lot of work went into making this ce. I see there are many inscriptions and even a few arrays ced around here. Did you do that or was that because of their inheritance?"


    "It was all them, master. Four Orcs received inheritances rted to magical inscriptions, glyphs, and arrays. They along with v are responsible for that. I only put in a few basic seismic removal devices along with kic energy barriers."


    "v too?" he looked at v who vigorously nodded in return, "Another piece of great news. While the others gather I will find an appropriate ce to plunder. Can you get some dirt in here real quick?"


    "Dirt, master?" Arthur asked confusedly.


    "Yeah, fresh dirt. Quickly now!"


    "Yes, I will be right back."


    Arthur had just turned around when he was stopped by Malina.


    "I CAN D- do it!"


    Hao Xuan looked at her with a twinkling gaze, "Oh? Alright go ahead, right here."


    He went to the middle of the training hall and gestured towards Malina to get started. She reached into her sleeve and pulled a long stick.


    ''A wand?'' Hao Xuan thought but that really did just look like a piece of stick shaved off to make it resemble a ''wand''.


    Malina noticed Hao Xuan''s piercing gaze and blushed, "I co-could only find this little piece with some magical properties. It is not a proper wand but still does the job."


    "Mhm."


    She closed her eyes for a moment and mumbled something under her breath before moving the wand in an ''A'' shape and ending with a little twirl. Hao Xuan tried to listen in but only managed to catch thest word which she said out loud.


    "Terarri!"


    Hao Xuan''s footing suddenly became unstable and when he looked down there was already a small patch of bubbling brown mass underneath him. He bent down to pick up a handful and it felt as real as it should.


    "Did you summon this or create it?"


    "A bit of both. I summoned a small portion and then created the rest from it. It is not easy to create the ''material'' from nothing."


    ''I bet, and with a broken wand to boot.''


    Hao Xuan would be lying if he said he wasn''t a little jealous but there was nothing he could do about it.


    He spread the dirt around him in a perfect circle and sat down cross-legged right in the center under the scrutinizing gazes of everyone present.

 Chapter 922: Powerless

    <h4>Chapter 922: Powerless</h4>


    One by one Hao Xuan wrote down the prime letters in the loose dirt with his finger. He looked towards the team leaders after finishing.


    "Can you make them out, these symbols?"


    They came closer and surrounded the dirt patch to examine each and every prime letter as closely as they possibly could but after a while, all of them moved back dejectedly.


    "I...can''t," Arthur was the first one to acknowledge.


    Hao Xuan looked towards the others with some hope but their despondent expressions gave away their inner feelings.


    "I can see some scribbles but when I try to think about it in my mind they just disappear," v said.


    "Same for me," Gamil added, "I know there is something there and it feels like I can see its true shape as long as I keep staring directly at it. But the moment I looked away or tried to reconstruct them inside my head everything went ck. If you weren''t here I would havepletely forgotten about them."


    Hao Xuan looked towards Malina and got much the same response. It looked like whatever magical ability these prime letters had kept them from being discovered by others, even if Hao Xuan wanted to spread that information.


    ''Shame. It could have been my life a lot easier.''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and his soul swiftly sunk back into the webway. The warm and cold sensations washed over him followed by a tingling sensation as he quickly searched through the many possible gateways.


    After flying through endless corridors he finally came to a stop in front of a ck gateway. It waspletely devoid of life but Hao Xuan could still feel movement from the other side.


    Hended and sent a string of spiritual sense into the gateway to get a clearer image of what was on the other side. Momentster his soul returned to the physical realm Hao Xuan opened his eyes back in the training hall.


    "I found a solution for your problem," he said looking at Gamil, "An asteroid field full of broken ships. Unfortunately, I can''t send you there in person since it is too dangerous. There are a few unknown ''things'' flying about which could get in the way. Thankfully, there is another way."


    "Altron, how long will it take you to make some drones that can work in a vacuum? Outfit them with mining equipment, sensors, and anything else needed to strip parts off of the old ships. I will send them through and then bring them backter."


    "Yes sir, I''ll get right on it!"


    Altron flew away without wasting any time, leaving Hao Xuan and the Orcs alone. He quickly memorized the prime letter sequence for the gateway and directed his attention back towards the Orcs that had all gathered in the viewing area.


    They waited for him to speak with bated breaths, unsure of the reason for this untimely summons.


    Hao Xuan took a moment to survey the multitude of faces looking to him for leadership, for guidance. Many of them were familiar yet a lot were still foreign to him at this time. He wanted to get to know each of them better but the situation did not allow that.


    He cleared his throat and directed some Qi towards the vocal cords so his voice could reach each one of them, and by god it did. The Emperor Qi hidden deep within his meridians poured out of its own volition, unchallenged by Chaos that surrounded it.


    Perhaps for the first time they did not fight against one another. Every Orc could not only hear Hao Xuan''s voice but also feel an overwhelming sense ofradarie because of the Emperor''s Qi. He did not feel like some faraway entity but someone they knew and cared very much about.


    "Altron has brought me up to date with all that you have achieved within thest few months. You made good progress with the city, many of you also received your inheritance and awakened your bloodline powers. You have been training here, in this ce, and fighting with the white skins outside which is good but far from enough!"


    "There is only so much you can learn in the shadow of your home. Even fighting with the white skins there is not much risk to your well beings with Nidhora keeping an eye on everything, and that is the one thing that will always be present out there, life-threatning danger."


    "I wish I could tell you that everything will be fine, that it will end well. That you could just stay here, rebuild, and live afortable life away from everyone. But that is not the case. Your ancestor, the Old King asked me to take care of you. He asked me to let his bloodline live on, that''s why I brought you under my wing."


    "And because of that our lives- no, our fates are tied together. If something happens to me, if I were to die tomorrow, you would not live to see the day after. So I must ask you now to put your lives in my hands, so you can be strong enough to help me which will, in turn, help you."


    "As it stands now, I have no idea what the future holds. Soon I will have to return to the other world where my enemies are waiting in droves. There are more of them than I care to admit and they would like nothing else to see me fail, to see me give up. But I will NOT do that, not now."


    ''Not when I''m so close!'' he said inwardly, unaware as to what he was referring to.


    "I cannot fail here, for my sake, and for all of yours. They are the promised sons and daughters of the current era, the best this ce has to offer. And I n to fight with them head-on. And for that, I will need your unquestionable loyalty."


    "I will not lie to you. Some of you may lose your lives in the process if you are not careful, some may be lost in other ways but for the next few months I will teach you everything I can. I will beat it into your flesh and bones so when youe against someone of their caliber, you are not powerless."

 Chapter 923: One Wish to rule them all

    <h4>Chapter 923: One Wish to rule them all</h4>


    The Orcs listened intently to everything that Hao Xuan had to say and by the end, they were seeing red.


    Hao Xuan told them the truth without holding anything back. About the future, about THEIR future and the things they would have to do. The wording could have used some improvement but it got the message across alright.


    They were too weak in their current states. He didn''t need lumbering followers but elite soldiers that could work just as well alone as they did in a party. They needed to be powerhouses, each and every one of them.


    "For the next few months I will train you personally, all of you! Come to me with any questions and I will do my best to answer them. Come to me for help and I will give it to you whenever and wherever. Before I leave I want each one of you to be able to fight against me one on one. Do you think you can do that?"


    "Do you think you can once again raise your heads proudly, and announce to the world who you are?!" he started picking up the tempo and by the end was yelling at the top of his lungs. The air hummed with every word making their hearts beat with a seething storm of emotions.


    "So that when they see you they scream, ''Look, there go the descendants of the greatest Orc King that ever lived! The fiercest warriors under the heaven!'' Can you promise me that simple thing? That you will live up to your bloodlines, to the sacrifices of your ancestors?! ANSWER ME!"


    "Yes!" a great number of them shouted but not all.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned livid, "LOUDER! SCREAM LIKE YOUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT! SCREAM LIKE IT IS THE LAST HONORABLE THING YOU WILL DO IN THIS WRETCHED WORLD! SCREAM SO EVEN THE DEAD HEAR YOU!"


    "YES, WE PROMISE!"


    Hao Xuan suddenly turned towards a random Orc boy, "YOU! WHAT DO YOU PROMISE!?"


    "T-TO BE THE STRONGEST, SIR!"


    "AND YOU!" he turned towards another and then another.


    "TO BE THE BRAVEST!"


    "YOU!"


    "TO BE THE FIERCEST OF THEM ALL!"


    "ALL TOGETHER NOW, WHAT DO YOU PROMISE?! TELL IT TO THE HEAVENS ABOVE AND THE HELLS BELOW!"


    "TO BE THE STRONGEST, THE BRAVEST, THE MOST FIERCE OF THEM ALL!"


    Their voices were deafeningly loud and at some point they had started stomping rhythmically on the ground which only added to the barbarous aura of the evening.


    Hao Xuan''s expression softened and he smiled faintly upon seeing their vicious and savage nature rear its ugly head once more. Blood did not lie. The Orcs of the old ages were amongst the most barbaric and brutal races of their time.


    And that''s what Hao Xuan needed from these inexperienced youngsters, the one thing their species was known for throughout the many ages.


    Hands sped behind his back Hao Xuan nced towards the seething youngsters one by one, offering them a devil''s gambit.


    "Good. Now I give you an opportunity to prove yourself in front of your peers. Who among you has the gall to fight me right here and now. Which of you is willing to put their money where their mouth is,e down here and fight me. But before you decide, let me tell you the prize."


    He raised his forefinger into the air as silence fell over the hall.


    "One wish, whatever it may be. It has to be grounded in reality mind you, but if it can be fulfilled I will do so as soon as I possibly can. You can ask for anything, anything at all. Make up your minds-"


    A mor broke out and before he had even finished the sentence a hand was raised from the viewing tform. A petite girl who stood out because of her average stature.


    "Yes?"


    "Does it have to be a one on one fight?" her soft voice silenced the room once again as they all looked to him with pleading eyes.


    Many wanted to fight but deep down they knew Hao Xuan was far out of their reach. That''s exactly why he gave them this opportunity to not only show them how they werecking and by what degree, but maybe, HOPEFULLY, raise their confidence enough so they wouldn''t put him on a pedestal.


    "Alright, sure. You can alle at me at once if that''s what you like but keep in mind, I won''t be able to hold myself back in the heat of the moment. A few will probably lose a limb or two, or maybe even more if you''re not careful. Those that are the left standing by the end will be the winners."


    The same girl raised her hand again, leaving Hao Xuan a little tongue-tied.


    "...Yes?"


    "Can the team leaders fight with us? And what are the exact conditions for victory?"


    Hao Xuan almost rolled his eyes listening to her. This girl just kept egging him on.


    "I will allow two team leaders of your choice to aid you in battle, the other two can support from the sidelines but not directly attack. To win you either have to make me kneel, or survive five minutes. Does that sound fair enough?"


    There was no more leeway here and listening to the conditions the faces of many of the Orcs lit up like full moons.

 Chapter 924: A new low

    <h4>Chapter 924: A new low</h4>


    "But then who gets to make the wish?"


    Just as Hao Xuan was about to turn away the same squeaky voice spoke up again, making him almost curse her out.


    "You will decide. Whether as a group or someone of your choice, one wish, no more!" he said through gritted teeth, on the verge of kicking her out.


    Eyes closed and almost out of patience, he turned away from them so even if she raised her hand again Hao Xuan wouldn''t be able to see it. They talked amongst themselves for a couple of minutes before descending into the hall.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath and opened his eyes to see the challengers. Eyebrow raised, he looked towards them with a questioning gaze.


    "Are you sure? You can''t invite peopleter on."


    "Yes."


    Even if all of them hade down Hao Xuan would have no choice but to fight them because he had just said so but....out of 196 Orcs, only eight came to face him.


    Seven of them hadrge builds and bulging muscles with a mix of both genders, oozing spiritual energy from every pore but thest eighth person was the same girl that was asking all the questions.


    She was probably the smallest and least threatening-looking Orc out of the whole lot, smaller than even v. She looked ordinary beyond belief without any memorable features whatsoever. Not to mention her internal energy was barely enough to register on Hao Xuan''s radar.


    And the most surprising part was that the others were crowing around her, protecting her even without realizing it.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know whether tough or cry. Were they underestimating him or overestimating themselves? Still, they weren''t stupid and he wanted to trust their judgment.


    "Aright then, choose the two team leaders you want fighting by your side. You can ask the remaining two to help from the sidelines however you wish."


    She pointed at Arthur and Malina, "Please help us."


    They stepped out without saying anything while Gamil (the weapon whisperer) and v (the curse specialist) were the support.


    Her choice left Hao Xuan stumped once again. It didn''t make much sense unless she thought they could actually defeat him. He was expecting them to go for the second option, i.e make the time run out. But with these few people and ones that were so obviously frontline fighters, she must really want to defeat him before the time ran out.


    His and Arthur''s gaze met for a second and he saw the spark in his eye. He was almost smiling, just barely but it was there.


    ''Hoh...''


    "Alright, then. You had my interest before, now you have my attention. Let-"


    Before he could get the words out the tiny girl raised her hand again.


    "Yes....?"


    "Leona."


    "Excuse me?"


    "My name, it''s Leona. Please remember it."


    "Oh, okay Leona. Are you ready?"


    "Yes, but can you give us a three-second handicap? Only three seconds."


    "......"


    Hao Xuan looked her dead in the eyes and saw no hint of confusion or banter. She was dead series. On top of everything else she wanted him to do nothing for 3 whole seconds?


    ''I have never seen such a degree of shamelessness. It''s...almost impressive.''


    "Don''t you think I''ve already given you enough handicaps as it is?"


    "But it''s only three seconds. Just three, I promise I won''t ask for anything else!"


    Hao Xuan wanted to decline with a loud ''Hell no dumbass'' but couldn''t bring himself to say it. That look of sincerity in her eyes, she believed without a shadow of a doubt that with that they would be able to defeat him.


    He became a little angry at the thought. These little shits that have barely been fighting for a couple of months think they could best him? His pride got the better of him and he unwittingly agreed.


    "Fine. Three seconds," he there out the words and moved to the center of the training hall.


    Meanwhile, they exchanged ted looks and quickly went to their spots.


    Arthur and the seven other Orcs surrounded Hao Xuan while Malina and Leona stood at the very edge of the training hall. v and Gamil stood near the stairs, out of the way.


    Leona whispered a few things in her spirit band and they all nodded in agreement. It looked like she was taking the lead.


    Hao Xuan smiled inwardly seeing them n and strategize sofortably. This was going to be a painful lesson for them, he was gonna make sure of that.


    Streams of ck Chaos Qi roared through his veins as he slowly flexed under his clothes, keeping a smile.


    "READY?!"


    "Yes!"


    "Then...go!"


    Hao Xuan uttered the words and swiftly realized they had thought this through.


    Malina started it off with a wave of her wand. The dirt that was already under Hao Xuan''s feet came alive. It ran up his legs andpletely encased his lower body before turning solid.


    It was harder than concrete after being reinforced with her fortification spells.


    v got to work at the same time. His quarterstaff waved back and forth as he mumbled in a strangenguage.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned serious. The gravity had increased by more than 5 times while the spiritual energies of Arthur and the other vanguards doubled. Even their muscles erged by almost 20%.

 Chapter 925: "Genjustsu"

    <h4>Chapter 925: "Genjustsu"</h4>


    Within the blink of an eye, they had grown so much that their clothes almost ripped apart on the spot. And just when Hao Xuan they were done, a slew of weakening curses attacked his body.


    Hao Xuan looked towards the culprit v who had his eyes closed while reciting a mantra under his breath. There was a swirling well of indistinct ck figures surrounding him. These figures didn''t have any distinct features other than a pair of bright red eyes.


    Their bodies looked like they wereposed of ash and smoke. They flew circles around v for a few seconds until he stopped chanting and opened his eyes, staring right into Hao Xuan''s.


    "Him!" he whispered to them.


    All of them stopped in their tracks before shooting towards Hao Xuan who couldn''t move right now. One by one over twenty of them came up to him and disappeared inside his body.


    Hao Xuan felt a cold chill go down his spine and the color unwittingly drew from his face. He felt so incredibly weak that lifting even an eyebrow felt like an impossible task.


    The change in his appearance or more importantly, expression, did not go unnoticed by Leona and the other Orcs.


    Leona smiled andmented loud enough that everyone heard her, "3"


    The handicap had run out. Without wasting a moment Hao Xuan channeled some of the Chaos Qi through his body and managed to regain a fraction of the power back. He raised his hand and the ive appeared within his grasp.


    It hummed loudly upon sensing the danger Hao Xuan was in. He raised it above his head readying to bring it down at his feet when Leona waved her hand to give another signal. She was waiting for just this moment.


    Gamil who had been a silent observer until now finally made a move. He raised both his hands and thrust forward with a heavy whooshing sound. The ive that was on the verge of exploding with power froze mid-swing.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t move it even an inch. His eyes widened from shock, from genuine surprise. The ive was refusing to obey him, HIM! And then he recalled what Gamil''s ability was, to understand weapons and armor from inside out.


    If he could understand them, he could control them at least to a degree. But obviously, this kind of power did note easily.


    Gamil''s forehead was doused in sweat within the first couple of seconds and he shouted towards Arthur.


    "GET READY!"


    He then proceeded to make a grasping motion and pulled his hands back. The ive slipped out of Hao Xuan''s grasp like an eel andnded swiftly into Arthur''s as if it was his all along.


    Arthur twirled the ive in the air a couple of times before it started humming again.


    Hao Xuan felt likeughing. They had taken his own weapon and were intending to use it against him. His lips arched into a smile. The situation was hrious. Truly hrious.


    ''The...GALL!''


    But they still weren''t done. Leona who was keeping a close eye on Hao Xuan nodded towards Malina.


    Malina whirled her wand a couple of times to cast another spell. This time she didn''t even have to say anything. A cloud of ck smoke appeared out of thin air and surrounded Hao Xuanpletely.


    Leona leaned towards her and spoke in a low voice, "Are you sure it will work?"


    Malina nodded, brimming with confidence.


    "All his senses are cut off. He won''t be able to see anything within the cloud, neither judge distance nor time. But I can''t keep it up for long, you best finish this now."


    "...."


    Leona looked towards the swirling mass of smoke and dust, thinking of what she had said to herrades just moments ago in the viewing tform.


    **


    "I can do it. Let me take the lead, I promise we can beat him. We HAVE to. That is the only way he will take us seriously. He might be our savior but we need to show him that we are not some helpless ves he can order around whenever he wants. We need to earn his respect!"


    "But what if it doesn''t work?" one of the many others surrounding her asked.


    She looked towards the speaker with an unflinching gaze, "You know my ability. It might not be as strong in directbat but with this n, it will work. He won''t even know what happened, trust me!"


    **


    "LEONA!" Malina shouted to wake her from her daze, "Are you ready?"


    Leona took a deep breath and nodded.


    "As much as I can be. Remember, you can''t hesitate okay?" she looked towards Arthur and the others who were waiting for her.


    "I can probably only keep him busy for half a minute at most. The moment he realizes what is happening I will be pushed out so you have to make him kneel before then. His body will be the same but his mind will be lost in my illusion. Don''t hold back."


    Leona''s ability was a strange one. She could trap the souls and spirits of other people in an illusion, or rather a lucid dream. Just by meeting her gaze they would be sent into the depths of their subconscious mind where their most primal fears woulde true, the ones that even they had forgotten about.


    They wouldn''t even know what was happening until it was toote. She used the victim''s own mind to y with them.

 Chapter 926: The Shepard

    <h4>Chapter 926: The Shepard</h4>


    "Yeah, we know. The moment you start in we''ll go all at once. The ones at the back will strike the legs and the ones on the front will push him down, simple and easy haha!" one of them confirmed.


    Leona prepared herself before giving Malina the go-ahead. Malina swung her wand and the ck cloud covering Hao Xuan''s entire body receded from the top, just enough to reveal one side of his face, the side where Leona was.


    Hao Xuan who had all his senses blocked for thest few seconds naturally looked towards the only opening that allowed him to peer outside. His gaze was attracted by an unknown force, dragged towards Leona until their eyes met.


    And then he finally noticed something was wrong. Her pupils morphed into three curved lines that spun around like a fan. Leona''s body suddenly went limp and she fell back, right into Malina''s arms.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes dimmed just before the ck cloud that was no longer being controlled went out of control and started spreading outwards.


    "NOW!" Arthur shouted and all eight of them struck in unison.


    The cloud had dissipated just enough to reveal Hao Xuan''s vague silhouette. His body stood motionless in ce restrained by countless curses and other forces at work.


    Meanwhile, his mind was elsewhere. Leona''s consciousness had shot into Hao Xuan''s mind pce and straight through the half-open door. The only problem was it went into the wrong door, the leftmost one.


    When her consciousness rematerialized inside that ce she quickly looked around for Hao Xuan but could see nothing but a pitch-ck darkness. She had done this many times before, usually on other unaware Orcs and every time it was something different.


    A traumatic memory from childhood, an ordinary fear exaggerated beyond belief by the irrational mind, a bad dream or a terrible nightmare. It was different each time but one thing stayed exactly the same, the start.


    Since time passes much slower inside a person''s mind, a few seconds in the outside world could equate to an hour inside. And it was all visualized for Leona to see as a passive observer, disconnected from everything and everyone. She observed from the sidelines like an invisible god, taking note of everything.


    She only nudged the mind in a specific direction, where it went was entirely up to them.


    Sensing that something had gone wrong Leona brought both her hands in front of her chest and made a fewplicated gestures by twisting her fingers but...nothing happened. She closed her eyes and mumbled a few sentences, sentences that acted as both keys and tethers that could bring her back to her body but none of them worked.


    A few minutes passed she finally realized the gravity of the situation. There was no way out.


    Taking in a deep breath she stepped forward into the mewling darkness and flinched. It felt cold. She could actually "feel" cold. As vignt as ever she bent down slowly and touched the ground but her hand went through it like water, sending ripples in all directions.


    Her feet could feel the coldness of the water like a solid but her hand could go through it like the liquid it should have been.


    *Ssh*


    Already confused and more than a little fearful of what or where this was, she jumped back when a muchrger ripple suddenly came towards her. Rather than a ripple it would be more of a wave at this point but regardless, it was something she couldn''t do anything against.


    She thought about running back but there was nowhere to go and the wave was getting bigger and bigger. So she did what she could and braced for impact.


    The ice-cold water washed over her, dragging her to the depths. She held her breath for as long as she could but eventually she had to breathe. And surprisingly, the water went through her without much problem.


    It was colder than anything she had evere into contact with but she could still breathe, albeit barely. Holding onto that sliver of hope that there might be a way out she swam back up with all her might and broke through the surface a few secondster.


    The water turned solid beneath her as she climbed out on all fours gasping for air, shaking uncontrobly from the cold that had permeated every fiber of her being. At this moment she couldn''t evenprehend what warmth felt like. Something like that simply did not exist.


    And as if that wasn''t enough, she finally noticed that something was different from before. It was still dark but there was now this odd feeling that she wasn''t alone, not anymore.


    Slowly, fearfully, she raised her trembling head and saw a pair of enchantingly beautiful bright purple eyes staring in her direction from somewhere way high up. She couldn''t tell how far apart they were, how high or big they were, only that there were two.


    And then a voice rang inside her head, calling out to her.


    "Little sheep..."

 Chapter 927: Keeping in check

    <h4>Chapter 927: Keeping in check</h4>


    "Little sheep...how...are you here...?"


    It sounded like the voice wasing from every single direction all at once and no matter what she did there was no way to keep it out.


    Leona was scared out of her witts, confused andpletely lost but if there was one redeemable quality about her, it would be that she never lost hope. That''s how she survived until now among the talented geniuses of her kind and even before that.


    Born an orphan, she had been alone from the moment she took her first breath but her will to live could never be outshone by anyone. She would do whatever was necessary to get out of here.


    But trembling from the piercing cold she could barely stitch together a coherent thought.


    "I...am L-Leona...w-who are y-you?"


    "....Me? Who am I? I once had a name but...I cannot remember it anymore."


    Despite the overwhelming urge to justy down and slowly slip into eternal slumber, Leona forced herself to stay awake.


    "C-Can you h-help me p-please? I a-am freez-zing..."


    "Help? Should I? Why? Who are you? Why are you here?"


    It sounded like whoever the voice belonged could not even remember what they just talked about. It was asking repeating the same thing again.


    Sensing the end was near for her, Leona decided to stop trying to y nice with the voice and called out for the person that was supposed to be here.


    "MASTER! H-HAO XUAN! PLEASE, HELP M-ME!!"


    *Tremble*


    Suddenly the ground started shaking as if something deep underground down was stirring awake.


    The voice paused and then with a loud whooshing sound a figure of smoke and dust appeared in front of her. It had the same purple eyes that she saw in the sky before.


    "That name...how do you know it?"


    This time when it spoke she could tell the voice wasing from the smoky silhouette. And it wasn''t one voice either but three very unique ones ovepping with one another. One belonged to a child, one to a grown man, and thest one to an old man at the end of his life.


    And as the voice spoke the cold disappeared all at once, as if it was never there to begin with. Regaining someposure Leona met the figure''s gaze and instantly realized it was someone she had never met before.


    *Treeeemble*


    The ground shook again followed by a sudden rise in the temperature. The air started to heat up and within seconds Leona was sweating.


    The figure looked up into the neverending darkness before peering back at Leona a momentter. There was a strange kind of light in those eyes that was almost hypnotizing.


    "You...should not have done that."


    "Done...what? I didn''t do anything-"


    "Forcing him. You should not have done that. He was the one keeping the bloodlust in check and you sent him away. Go back now and tell your people toy down their weapons. It will stop once there is no one left to threaten him."


    The ground started cracking and tongues of red me came shooting up. The smoky figure came closer to Leona and extended a hand.


    "And thank you, for waking me up," he said before the smoke shot forward and swallowed Leona from top to bottom. She became smaller and smaller until there was nothing left.


    The smoke was gone and so was she. The figure now stood alone and unconcealed. It was Hao Xuan, or at least someone that looked like him to a T.


    He slowly felt his face, both the eyes, nose, and cheekbones. The only difference was the color of his eyes but it was significant enough that he looked like apletely different person.


    "How...did she know my name?" he asked himself before the ground shatteredpletely and fire consumed him, returning everything to darkness once again.


    Leona woke back in her body.


    "What happened...?" she mumbled looking at Malina who was even more confused than she was.


    "How long was I out?"


    "Barely a couple of seconds, are you sure-"


    All of a sudden the memories of what she had just gone through came rushing back and Leona''s expression changed for the worse.


    "NO! STOP!" she screamed towards Arthur and the others that were less than a meter away from Hao Xuan but it was far toote. Even if they wanted to there was no way to stop right now.


    The blunt ends of their weapons shot through the dissipating dust cloud from either different directions and impacted loudly with Hao Xuan''s body. Only, the reaction they were expecting was not what they got.


    The ones who had attacked from the front were frozen in ce while the ones at the back were sent shooting back into the walls.


    Malina quickly brought up her wand and dispelled the smoke and dust so they could see what was happening.


    Hao Xuan was standing in the same ce as before, in the exact same position. Arthur had used the side of the ive to hit his shoulder but it was caught within Hao Xuan''s teeth before it could reach its destination.


    He held the other two weapons with his free hands while thest one managed to connect with his stomach. Arthur tried to pull back but Hao Xuan was biting down so hard that he couldn''t budge an inch.

 Chapter 928: Wakey wakey

    <h4>Chapter 928: Wakey wakey</h4>


    A hush fell over the hall when the smokescreen lifted and they saw what had happened. It was so eerily quiet that one could hear a pin drop from a mile away.


    The only sound that could be heard wasing from the heavy breathing of the few that were still left standing. And Arthur being the only one facing Hao Xuan was more shocked than anyone else of what he saw.


    He wanted to move away but his body didn''t listen to him. He was afraid, so terribly andpletely horrified of what he was looking at. Leona''s voice came from the back once more warning him.


    "Put down your weapons!" she shouted again but no one listened.


    Arthur was staring right into Hao Xuan''s eyes but could see no recognition there. Only his own reflection stared back at him mouth agape and just as horrified because those eyes did not belong to a human.


    This primal fear that Arthur felt when looking at Hao Xuan only made him more obstinate. How could he be so afraid? And then he realized why.


    Two simultaneous loud thumps sounded from within Hao Xuan''s chest apanied by an invisible shockwave that passed through everyone on the floor.


    Malina and v were the first ones to notice its effects.


    v raised his quarterstaff and produced a quick chant but his expression turned somber a secondter when he threw up a mouthful of blood. He looked towards Malina who was just finishing up her spell. Their eyes met and both of them knew what the other was about to say.


    Their magics had gone out of control. v''s being more sensitive to the changespletely backfired and injured him instead. Malina pocketed her wand and stood up with Leona.


    "I-I think this is enough. We admit defeat! Our n didn''t work after all-"


    She took a step forward but Arthur turned his head halfway to re at her while mouthing the words ''Dont move!''


    She stopped in her tracks right then and there but it was already toote. A second shockwave went out. This one was not only stronger but affected the surroundings as well. It started with the ceiling lights that started flickering for no reason whatsoever.


    The temperature started dropping until people could see their own breaths. The lights dimmed all around or, rather it would be more urate to say that the intensity of the lights that was previously enough to illuminate everything within the hall had be insufficient.


    The small mound of solid concrete encasing Hao Xuan''s legs cracked and started falling apart.


    Arthur who was looking down at Hao Xuan a second ago realized that now they were the same height. His heartbeat increased severalfold as he realized something had gone terribly wrong.


    His body was frozen in ce and no matter how hard he tried it wouldn''t move so he bit his tongue as hard as he could to draw blood. Sure enough, the pain was enough to kickstart his nervous system once more.


    He quickly loosened the grip around the ive and kicked and punched the other three back to their senses since they were in simr situations.


    With his back and forehead caked in sweat, Arthur could barely even breathe right now. The air felt syrupy and his body heavy. When he tried to use call the ive back to him his power didn''t even work.


    Some of the weaker Orcs were losing their grasp on even the most basic bodily functions. Their eyesight became blurry and one by one they started losing their bnce. It felt like the ground was swinging back and forth.


    Only Arthur and one other female Orc were still able to stand firmly on their own.


    She looked towards Arthur from the corner of her eye, "What''s going on?! I can''t muster any energy. My body feels weak."


    But Arthur had no answer for her. He shook his head helplessly and gestured towards the stairs.


    "Go, leave quickly!"


    The girl nodded but just as she was about to turn around she noticed another Orc not far from her. Thinking she could lend him a shoulder and take him with she stepped forward and heard Arthur''s voice yelling in her ear, "NO! STOP!"


    But by the time the words registered in her brain she was already upside down.


    *BOOM*


    A small explosion sounded as herid body shot into the sidewall like a test crash dummy before falling listlessly back to the floor. She lost consciousness without even realizing what happened.


    Hao Xuan on the other side pulled back his w. Yes, w. His hands were more beastly than human. He was still standing in the same ce but now he was an entire head taller than even Arthur.


    His back hunched against the ceiling while the light refused to go near him. The space within five meters of him was devoid of any illumination.

 Chapter 929: Experimental Curses

    <h4>Chapter 929: Experimental Curses</h4>


    Every one of them stopped in their tracks the moment her body slowly fell to the ground. They could not even tell whether she was still or not let alone how or when Hao Xuan had attacked.


    Arthur''s gaze had not left Hao Xuan from the beginning but he caught what happened. The movement was so quick that it was blur even to his eyes.


    He squinted hard but all he or anyone else for that matter could see was a faint outline of Hao Xuan''s figure against the light in the background. It was not enough to see his exact appearance, only the posture.


    In the back v and Gamil who were the closest to the stairs slowly made their move and tried to get back. Malina and Leona were both on the other side of the hall so they didn''t even bother.


    Their eyes were locked onto Hao Xuan''s figure that was almost half a meter taller than before. Faint cracking and popping sounds came from his direction which Arthur urately guessed was caused by his bones and joints expanding.


    A low "grrr" sound could be hearding from Hao Xuan with every other breath.


    Without touching her wand Malina waved her hands several times and finally managed to silently cast a simple spell. It connected everyone in the room so they couldmunicate with one another but it was far too limited to allow openmunication.


    Only the person that Malina was currently looking at could speak while all the others could only listen in.


    Her gaze fell on Gamil''s pudgy figure first and foremost.


    ''What the hell is going on here? What happened to him?!''


    Malina looked towards Leona for an exnation.


    ''I don''t know, my illusion t didn''t work. I was in another ce and there was someone else there too and he said to keep our weapons down. That he won''t attack if he doesn''t feel threatened by us.''


    v was next, ''Who said that? What ar-''


    Malina noticed Arthur signaling her and looked towards him.


    ''Enough! We need to get out of here first then we can discuss what went wrong. Can any of you use your abilities?''


    A synchronous "no" from everyone but Malina herself.


    ''I can only cast the most basic spells and it takes way too much willpower and mana. I can''t seem to gather any mana at all. The moment even a droplet''s worth is gathered it goes out of control.''


    ''Yeah, it''s the same for me.''


    ''Me too.''


    ''Forget spiritual energy I can''t even muster any strength. My body feels weak beyond belief.''


    ''Isn''t this because of master''sw?'' v pointed out and they realized he might be right.


    ''Law of Chaos! That must be it!''


    ''Then what can we do? As long as we are near him there is nothing we can do!''


    ''Then just move back. Eachw has a territory in which it spreads its influence which means all we have to do is put enough distance between us and then it won''t affect us anymore, right?''


    ''Move where? It looks like the entire training hall falls within its territory!''


    Arthur nced towards the only way out of the hall.


    ''v and Gamil, they are nearest to the stairs so they should be able to make it! When I distract him both of you run!''


    Arthur was about to stand up when Malina''s panicked voice sounded within his head.


    ''NO STOP!'' and he did.


    Slowly, almost mechanically, his eyes moved back towards the front and his pupils shrunk to the size of pinholes. Hao Xuan was standing half a meter away from him now.


    ''I didn''t even notice him move!''


    ''We can''t do this, he''s too fast.''


    ''No wait, if there is a territory then that means effects of thew should not be as severe near the outer boundary right? Maybe that''s why I can use some spells? If that''s the case v should be able to use some basic curses too. Try it!''


    On Malina''s suggestion v gently rubbed the side of his quarterstaff and with as little movement as possible, cast the most basic curse that he knew.


    ''Gravitas!'' to make Hao Xuan''s body heavier.


    As suspected, the curse was cast sessfully but the moment it came into contact with Hao Xuan''s body it shattered into pieces.


    ''It''s not working! My curse doesn''t work on him!''


    ''Try it on me then,'' Arthur ordered and v obliged.


    A second curse, ''Vis Robur!''


    Arthur felt his body lighten and more than half of his strength returned in one ago.


    ''It worked!''


    v cast another curse this time on one of the other Orcs and it worked for him too. After a few more tries he was finally done.


    ''It works on everyone but him. None of the curses work on him anymore.''


    ''Alright, this is good enough,'' Arthurmented, ''I''ll attack while the rest of you get out. v, use that curse on me you were trying out the other day, the one on the rats.''

 Chapter 930: Cursed to-

    <h4>Chapter 930: Cursed to-</h4>


    v who was almost at the top of the staircase and out of the Chaosw''s reach paused mid-stride.


    He looked at Arthur''s back and then at the other Orcs on the other side of the training hall. This might actually be their best chance, even if it was extremely dangerous.


    ''Are you sure? I haven''t tried it on someone of your size before. It could be deadly, maybe even fatal.''


    ''Yeah, just do it. If we can''t bring his power down then the only way topete is to buff ourselves.''


    v sighed inwardly knowing full well that the repercussions of using untested andpletely experimental curses could very easily take the target''s life or worse, leave them damaged beyond help.


    ''Alright, I will do it.''


    He took a few more steps andpletely left the territory of the Chaos. His powers returned in full force so without wasting any more time he started casting the curse.


    But this one wasn''t so easily done. v reached into his pockets and pulled a small leather pouch from which he took out a small vial of blood and hair. It had Arthur''s name on it.


    Mostplex curses required something that belonged to the target to create a bridge to the caster or perhaps offer as a sacrifice. Be it some simple details like a birth name, ce/time of birth or something more physical like a personal belonging, some hair, blood or teeth, each curse had its own conditions.


    Curses, like almost every other ability, could have both good and bad effects on the target. But what made curses unique was that they weren''t directly cast by the caster but only "initiated" in a sense.


    The ck globs of shadow and corruption that Hao Xuan saw surrounding v were the ones that actually made the curses possible. These were otherworldly spirits summoned into this realm to do the caster''s bidding.


    If the caster was powerful enough they could control these spirits at will but if not, those conditions came into the picture.


    Once the cursed was cast the spirit would need to go out and do its job. The curse v had created was made by reaching out to a particrly vile sect of spirits. Their unprecedented bloodthirst was only matched by their horrifying powers.


    v sat down where he was and made a circle with a five-sided star in the middle using Arthur''s blood. He then ced the hair in the middle and started chanting the inscription.


    No one else could see the changes but v. The floor started cracking and wisps of smoke leaked out into this world. They hovered above the circle and slowly took shape. Yes, unlike all the other spirits in disposal this spirit had its own unique form.


    A pair ofrge bull horns erupted from the smoke followed by a disfigured face with eyes that burned with a red me. When it looked at who had summoned it v''s face lost all color. His breathing became unstable and he could not even stay upright without the help of the quarterstaff.


    Still, he forced himself to look up and gaze into the spirit''s eyes.


    "The sacrifice!" he said right before cutting off his own index finger with a shortde.


    Tendrils of smoke reached forth and grabbed the finger, consuming it instantly. The spirit turned around and looked towards Arthur who was the target but naturally, it saw Hao Xuan standing in front of him as well.


    And as if by an unknown force, Hao Xuan suddenly looked up and stared right at the spirit, the same spirit that no one else could see.


    The red me burning within the spirits eye sockets became brighter and the lower half of its face cracked open into a sickening grin. It shot forth passing right through the walls of the training hall and disappearing into Arthur''s body.


    Arthur''s pupils vanishedpletely and the whites of his eyes sullied with a blood-red color. His bones cracked loudly in the silent hall and he shot up to his feet.


    "AARGH!" he screamed in pain as a red tail and bright yellow crystalline horns swelled up from the flesh on his back and forehead. His stature increased by almost a half and the skin of his hands and feet hardened with a stone-like texture.


    The other Orcs had heard what v was going to do but seeing it first hand even v himself was shocked speechless.


    Arthur''s chest heaved up and down with loud whooshing sounds for a few seconds beforeing to an abrupt halt.


    His body was overflowing with so much disturbing energy that it made the eyes of every spectator itch just by looking. And then, without any warning, Arthur''s clenched fist shot out at breakneck speed.


    *Boom*


    *BOOOM*


    *BOOOOM*


    Three loud explosions were all that could be heard by the others since their movements were beyond what they could pick up on.

 Chapter 931: Price to pay

    <h4>Chapter 931: Price to pay</h4>


    The explosions woke up all the stunned Orcs, sending them running for the only exit. As expected Hao Xuan ignored thempletely and focused only on Arthur''s bulking silhouette.


    Arthur attacked again and pushed Hao Xuan to the other side so they could safely escape. Earth-shaking sts of Qi and unrestrained physical prowess flew overhead as Malina and Leona were among thest few to leave the hall and the territory of the Chaos Law.


    The abilities of all the squad leaders returned almost instantaneously while the others could at least stand on their own without relying on each other. Joining the remaining Orcs on the viewing tform they directed their full attention towards the battle between Hao Xuan and Arthur.


    The changes in Arthur''s physique were more obvious than anything else and was the first question on everyone''s mind.


    "What happened to him?" Malina was the first one to inquire.


    Having spent too much energy summoning the spirit v had to hold onto the railing for support. He wiped the sweat from his forehead before speaking in a weak voice.


    "It''s a new curse I came up with, possession by a malevolent spirit and physical integration. It is supposed to increase a person''s strength tenfold, if not more."


    Gamil''s brow knitted in a tight furrow, "Supposed to?"


    v nodded embarrassedly, unable to meet his gaze.


    "I have never used it on a person before."


    "What happened to the creatures you did use it on?"


    "They...became twisted...after some time. In both mind and body. The spirit took over and by the end, they were more monstrous than anything else."


    "!!!"


    "Then why did you-"


    "He told me to! And Arthur knew the risks. He was always there whenever I conducted the experiments."


    With this new information in hand, they could see more clearly what was happening to Arthur. He was slowly getting bigger and the changes were getting even more pronounced. His shirt had ripped off and the muscles along his back were twisting and turning into strange vortex-like shapes, oozing blood and puss non-stop.


    There wasn''t a hint of elegance within his movements and each punch and lunging strike looked more beastly than thest. Snarling and sniveling trying to rip Hao Xuan to shreds, he had already lost control.


    "Is...there no way to stop it?" Malina inquired with a heavy heart, already aware of the answer deep down. If there was something that could be done v would already be on it.


    v shook his head once, "Arthur is the only one that can do anything anymore. He has to fight back and regain control of his body. But at this stage its...unlikely to happen."


    The battle downstairs had changed from an equivalent exchange to one where Hao Xuan was just fending off attacks while Arthur maddly swung his mountainous fists left and right.


    He was almost double Hao Xuan''s body size now and resembled a raging bull more than an Orc. The physical alterations continued to grow and at this speed in less than 10 minutes no one would be able to tell he was ever an Orc.


    With every wide swing sparks flew and streaks of red me erupted from Arthur''s fists. At first Hao Xuan met him head on and but was slowly pushed back until all he could do was dodge each and every single one of them until, unknowingly, his back hade up against the wall and there was finally no more room TO dodge.


    Arthur did not let this chance go to waste and before Hao Xuan could escape, a barrage of neverending steel barsnding on his body.


    *BOOOM*


    *BOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    Each one louder and more deadly than before. Even with hundreds of protective glyphs, barriers and energy shields present around the hall it still shook like the roof was about to copse. And some parts in fact did.


    The corner Hao Xuan was backed into had turned into nothing but rubble. Arthur had punched several holes into the sidewalls and a small section of the roof copsed on them.


    Arthur pulled back and red at the pile of rubble for any sign of life but there were none. He had been victorious.


    *GROOOOWL~*


    He growled like the beast that he had be and mmed his fists against the ground in maddened fury, hell-bent on bringing the whole structure down on top of him.


    The Orcs watched on, horrified at the spectacle. Arthur was still getting bigger and Hao Xuan was nowhere to be seen.


    Malina took out her wand and cast a few spells that failed to calm Arthur down. She then tried a few various spells meant to restrain him but he was way too powerful now, having already stepped out of the range of the Spirit Realm.


    "What....do we do now?"


    The answer was quite obvious even if no one was willing to say it out loud. If Arthur could not be stopped and surely he could not be contained in this current state then there was only one option left. Kill him.


    "I will...do it. It is my fault anyway," v stepped forward. Reaching into the robe he pulled out a small dagger.


    "Oh great spirit father, lend me your aid in vanquishing this evil spirit back to thend it came from."


    He raised the dagger over his left hand intending to cut it offpletely but caught movement from the corner of his eye.


    "Hmm?"


    The chunks of rock and stone were slowly pushed aside as a dainty, dust-covered figure revealed itself. It was Hao Xuan but he lookedpletely normal now, albeit slightly more worn out.

 Chapter 932: Lucky Deviations

    <h4>Chapter 932: Lucky Deviations</h4>


    Most of Hao Xuan''s clothes were in rags and he was covered in small wounds from top to bottom. Wobbling back and forth like a drunken toddler he pushed his way out of the rubble and walked a few steps forward before stopping to catch his breath.


    "That...worked? Hahaha, I didn''t think it would count but looks like my severs count as my own abilities, huh?"


    Hao Xuan roughly inspected his body for any obvious changes and let out a deep breath when didn''t found any. But then a loud beastly growl interrupted his thoughts and brought him back to reality.


    He looked and saw Arthur, or rather what he had turned into. Both his forearms were now almost as thick as his back, bulging with hideous tumors that squirmed under his skin. He cried in a mixture of agony and indignation as the ''human'' parts of him were slowly being forced out by the transformation.


    Hao Xuan''s cheery expression gradually disappeared as hazy memories returned one by one.


    "You IDIOTS!" he suddenly turned towards the viewing tform where all the Orcs were looking at him in silence. Brow furrowed to the extreme, he red at each and every one of them.


    "What the FUCK were you thinking? Who uses dumbshit like this on their ownrades?"


    v trembled under his booming voice and slowly stepped forward, grasping the quarterstaff with trembling hands.


    "I-It was m fault, I used the curse-"


    "SHUT THE HELL UP! You are CHILDREN, all of you. Is this what I should expect from you from now on? None of you tried to stop either one of them while they came up with this retarded n? You are all equally responsible for this!"


    He yelled at the top of his lungs, scaring them into silence. The atmosphere was already heavy seeing Arthur''s worsening condition but with Hao Xuan yelling at them like an angry parent talking down to his kids, they only felt worse.


    "What would have happened if I wasn''t able toe back? You need to think it through before making such dangero-"


    He was so busy scolding them that he didn''t even notice the hulking mass of flesh and bones that was almost on top of him. Malina stepped forward and shouted, "MASTER LOOK OUT!"


    "Huh?"


    Hao Xuan looked back and finally saw a fist bigger than his entire body mere inches away from him. The Orcs could do nothing but watch in horror as the fist made contact.


    Only, it wasn''t Arthur''s fist that reached out first. Hao Xuan''s hand moved faster than any of them could see and slowly flicked the fist up into the air.


    *Crack*


    Arthur''s arm twisted at a 90-degree angle and he himself was sent hurling back. Both the Orcs and Hao Xuan himself were shocked speechless.


    Hao Xuan stared at his hands while mumbling under his breath, "I knew the difference would be significant but this is a little too much no?"


    *Beep*


    Baracus''s "on" tone suddenly sounded within his head.


    ''Physical mutations detected.''


    ''Source Unknown.''


    "No, it is not unknown," Hao Xuan rified. He pulled up the sleeves of both hands one by one and inspected the faint ring-like tattoos along his forearms.


    "I just broke through the second major realm of the ''Immortal Devouring Demon Physique''. When that girl used her illusion magic on me the physique demon that I had been pushing down for so long finally overtook my body."


    "I could feel what it was doing but do nothing to stop it. To be honest that was a very VERY bad aberration. I had forcefully kept the Physique Demon locked inside for so long that instead ofing out it took control of me."


    "Frankly speaking, if it wasn''t for Arthur I might not have been able to regain control. It was so focused on him that I barely had to do anything."


    Hao Xuan looked back towards Arthur who was trying to get back on his feet. Beastly howls escaped his gullet as he held his arm in pain. It had cleanly snapped in half.


    *Sigh*


    With heavy steps, Hao Xuan started walking towards him. Arthur staggered back to his feet, dragging the mountain of meat lifelessly behind him as he once again targeted Hao Xuan.


    "ROAAAR!"


    This time Arthur lept into the air and intending to crush him with a full body m but Hao Xuan did not wait for him toe to him.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand as Law of Chaos, for the first time ever, was unleashed in its entirety. All color vanished from within the hall leaving a dull ck and white scene for all to witness.


    Arthur who had yet tond was frozen in time and space until Hao Xuan reached out and effortlessly plucked him out of the air. Space bent around his hand and by the time the color returned to the world Arthur''s neck was already in Hao Xuan''s hand.

 Chapter 933: Devour x2

    <h4>Chapter 933: Devour x2</h4>


    Arthur struggled to get free, iling about not much different from a fish out of water while Hao Xuan watched on with a knitted brow. His hand jerked down and Arthur''s knees loudly mmed into the ground.


    "Ah, I see it now. It is not that my raw strength has increased that much, the only difference being that I can use it a lot more efficiently now. I feel like I can control most of my body at will, almost at a cellr level. I don''t have to ''manually'' flex or gather strength, it''s all there by itself."


    When Arthur couldn''t pull away forcefully he used the only good hand to try and pick Hao Xuan up and draw him closer towards his face, intending to bite him in half.


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned ugly and before Arthur could put his n to action he reached out and broke off the two crystalline horns protruding from his forehead.


    Arthur writhed in pain while unholy screams came escaped his mouth. There were two distinct voicesing from his gullet, one that belonged to the original Arthur and the other that belonged to something else.


    Hao Xuan could barely wrap his hand around Arthur''s neck it had gotten so thick but he still didn''t let him slip away and in fact, drew him closer towards him. Their faces were barely a few inches apart as Hao Xuan stared intently into his eyes.


    The red mes danced within the whites of Arthur''s eyes, reflecting a faint image of a screaming ox-like creature. The sides of Hao Xuan''s lips arched into a faint smile.


    "There you are, you still haven''t be one, that is very good news," he mumbled to himself.


    "ROOOAAR!"


    Arthur opened wide and roared right into his face which was exactly what Hao Xuan was waiting for. His eyes suddenly brightened by several degrees as he also opened his mouth in return, right before whispering the word ''Devour''.


    Wisps of ck smoke rose up from Arthur''s body and straight into Hao Xuan''s maw. The smoke was soon mixed with small tongues of me that tried to wrap around Arthur in an effort to keep from being swallowed but to no avail. (Google "Harry Potter''s dementor scene" to get a better idea of what this is supposed to look like.)


    A couple of secondster arge bulbous mass in the shape of the spirit''s actual image was pulled out of Arthur and sent tumbling down the twisting darkness that awaited within Hao Xuan''s jaws.


    While this was happening Arthur''s body slowly grew smaller and smaller, eventually returning to normal size and regaining its original appearance.


    Without the spirit to influence his body and mind Arthur returned to his original state by the time Hao Xuan loosened his grip. He smacked his lips, still able to taste the faint spicy charred vor on his breath. He burped and let out a small cloud of smoke.


    After breaking into the Second Realm of the Physique Hao Xuan was now able to ''Devour'' a lot more than ordinary objects. He could feel the changes very clearly this time, his body was screaming them at him.


    ''I still need topletely ingest the remains of the physique demon to stabilize myself properly. Until then whatever I devour will be lost and I can''t get any actual benefit out of it.''


    All that extra flesh fell off Arthur''s body and caught fire, unable to exist by itself. Thankfully there was not too much damage done to his body other than the broken arm that was caused by Hao Xuan himself.


    Regaining consciousness Arthur raised his head and met Hao Xuan''s gaze, "Master..." he weakly called out.


    Hao Xuan smiled in return, "This is gonna hurt like a bitch, try not to scream in front of the others."


    "Huh? What do you-"


    *Crack*


    Hao Xuan pulled Arthur''s arm back into ce without giving him any time to prepare himself.


    "UNGGG!"


    Arthur bit down on his lips as hard as he could and managed to barely keep it together.


    "There, you''ll be good as new in 6-10 weeks. Or much sooner if one of them can use a spell or two to heal you."


    "T-Thank you...master."


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan stood back up and looked at the other Orcs that were staring at him with nk faces.


    ''This really got way out of control.''


    Shaking his head he started walking towards the stair.


    "I''ll count this as a win for me then. Help Arthur up and...Miss Leona, follow me, we need to talk."


    ***


    Over the next few months Hao Xuan stayed mostly in his room. The only time he ever went was when Altron called for him to open the gateways so he could send the scavenger drones through or to train the Orcs.


    Speaking of the drones he came up with quite a nice design for them. Each one was barely half a meter long with a storage space of 50 square meters thanks to the storage rings that were dismantled and used as a coreponent for them.

 Chapter 934: Legal Theft

    <h4>Chapter 934: Legal Theft</h4>


    The drones would be sent out through the webway gateways that Hao Xuan created and because of the difference in the passage of time, they would return within minutes or sometimes even seconds.


    Tens of hours over there were just a few minutes in here, it was like a dreame true. The ship cemetery was nothing short of a gold mine for Altron, Baracus, and Gamil.


    The scavenger drones brought back tones of advanced equipment and parts that were created by using resources they hadn''t even thought names off. It was a golden period of advancement in science and technology.


    Hao Xuan''s visit to the underground facilitysted up to 10 hours at a time where he mostly just opened gateways for them while giving advice to any Orcs that came his way and asionally even partaking in the battles himself.


    He had already reached the peak of the Spirit Realm and after about 6 months of scavenging, managed to locate most of the items needed to absorb the physique demonpletely.


    The physique demon was not only a test for him but also a great boon to further his cultivation. By absorbing what was left of it Hao Xuan could advance his realm and increase the strength and uses of the physique.


    What little time he had left was spent sparring with the four Warders to increase his understanding of the ive Dao. That was the slowest part of his cultivation.


    Currently, Hao Xuan was once again the training hall surrounded by the Warders from all four sides. They were huffing and puffing while circling Hao Xuan, axes at the ready in various positions.


    And then without any warning, they attacked simultaneously from every possible direction. One overhead swing from the front, one rising blow from the back, two wide chops from both sides to box him in.


    Hao Xuan was standing in the middle with his eyes closed. The moment they started moving his eyes opened and the ive at a 70-degree angle. The main de went over the axe at the front while the hilt went under the one at the back and his entire upper body twisted while his legs stayed in ce.


    With minimum effort, he managed to change the trajectory of each axe. The one at the front was redirected towards the right while the one at the back was sent hurling to his left.


    They met axehead to axehead with the ones on the sides,pletely locking them in ce. Even when they tried to pull back there was no budging. As long as the ive stayed in ce it acted as the linchpin.


    "Tsk, no good. I feel like something is missing," Hao Xuan shifted the position of the ive by mere inches and all the Warders were granted freedom.


    They pulled back the axes and took a few steps back. Their main form ofmunication was still done telepathically and none of them spoke out loud unless they had to. Hao Xuan didn''t even remember what their voices sounded like.


    One of them nced towards him and Hao Xuan met his gaze.


    "No, it''s not about technique anymore. The ive is most useful when against multiple opponents but it''s the one-on-one experience that I''m looking for. I need to fight someone much stronger than me, someone that has hopefully reached a higher realm in their weapon dao."


    "I need to see it for myself, feel the differences in person to understand itpletely."


    Another Warder nced towards him, sending his thoughts directly into Hao Xuan''s mind.


    "I already know what the next realms are. The first is ''Unison'' where learn the main technique. That''s the Imperial ive Doctrine. After thates ''Resonance'' where many other scriptures and manuals are integrated into the main one to create something that''s my own, powered by my own understandings."


    "That''s when the weapon Dao starts to take shape and materializes in some shape or form. The only problem is that I don''t have any other ive manuals. As expansive as the Imperial ive Doctrine is, I still need more. There are too many holes in my knowledge."


    *Sigh*


    "I guess there is nothing I can do about that by myself. Each one of you has essentially the same problem right and that''s why I came here in the first ce, to be able to ess the library of the Academy and steal all their manuals. And until then, I have to make up for theck of Weapon Dao by advancing in other ces."


    All four warders exchanged nces amongst one another before looking towards Hao Xuan, making him shake his head.


    "Yes, I know it''s dishonorable but don''t you think I''ve earned it by now? I''m doing all this for them. Plus it''s not like I''ll actually be stealing all their manuals, just making copies. You know what they say, knowledge should be shared freely among the popce."


    That half-assed answer seemed to have cated the Warders as they took their leave one by one, leaving Hao Xuan alone.


    Hao Xuan went to the elevator and descended further into the facility, towards Gamil''s ''work ce''.


    It was an entire floor filled to the brim with the junk the scavenger drones had brought back. There were four forges located on the sides that were burning constantly.

 Chapter 935: Weapon Whisperer

    <h4>Chapter 935: Weapon Whisperer</h4>


    There were a few piles of junk that were sitting neatly in front of each forge blocking the view. Hao Xuan navigated through them and finally came upon a clearing near the end of the hall where Gamil was hunched over a desk tinkering with something.


    He had gotten a little ''wider'' over thest few months but most of it was muscle, mainly due to his job where he had to lift a lot of heavy pieces of equipment. If Arthur was the tallest then Gamil was the widest among the bunch.


    Hearing the iing footsteps he knew who they belonged without even looking.


    "Master!" he turned around with a grin, holding what looked like a breastte of some kind of armor with a hole in the middle.


    Hands sped behind his back, Hao Xuan nodded while ncing at the rows of covered mannequins to the side.


    "How''s the progress?"


    "Excellent, see for yourself!"


    He pulled the covers to reveal over 150 full-body armor sets.


    "Thest batch will be done within two weeks."


    Hao Xuan went up to the first piece of armor and ran his hands along the greyish-ck exterior. It was warm to the touch and instead of feeling an inorganic piece of processed metal, it felt alive somehow as if it was breathing.


    There was a small notch in the middle of the chest te, about two inches wide. He grabbed the shoulder piece and clenched as hard as he could. It groaned and squeaked under the pressure but that was it.


    Hao Xuan suddenly broke out in a fit ofughter.


    "Hahaha, so it worked! My god, we got really lucky with that one, huh?"


    Gamil looked towards the forges that were brighter than ever before and nodded with a confident smile.


    "Who would have thought dragon fire had such magical abilities."


    Soon after the first batch was brought back from the ship cemetery they were faced with the first problem. Most of these unnamed alloys had such high resistance that the several thousand-degree fires that were burning within the forges were ineffective against them.


    Hao Xuan asked Nidhora''s help and she ''lent'' him her fire. As long as she was nearby it would continue to burn and even just a small me was enough to melt even the most obstinate alloys.


    The best part was that the armor pieces that were made using her me were somehow able to retain some of the magical properties.


    The most important of which was that they were almost indestructible when there were multiple armors near one another. To be exact, each armor within 30 meters allowed both the armor sets to take twice as much damage. And obviously, the more the merrier.


    Not only they were lighter and sturdier, but somehow they increased the movement speed of the wearer in proximity to one another.


    Then there was the shield or barrier they naturally exuded able to block two full-powered attacks of a peak Spirit Realm cultivator before going on a sort of cooldown.


    They were able to absorb the ambient spiritual energy that was left in the atmosphere and regain the barrier.


    And on top of all that, Barracus came up with a strange design where each armor piece was divided into two parts, the front and the back sections, before being sealed together. There were veiny honeb patterns in the middle that allowed a liquid to be dispersed throughout.


    Baracus had not yet told Hao Xuan why he made them so but there it was.


    The headpieces were outfitted with thetest tech and numerous sensors. Visually they resembled a mixture of leather and steel armors but they were made whole of the same alloys.


    It was just flexible enough that it felt like leather.


    There was a lot of things added to the original designs and many little details were kept from Hao Xuan by Baracus and Gamil, which he didn''t mind. They were ns for the far future.


    What should have taken a few weeks to do had yet to be finished half a yearter so it went to show how much they had been improved.


    The weapons were made wholly by Gamil himself, without Baracus''s interference. Using the strange and unknown metals and alloys stripped from those ancient ships, each weapon was slightly unique in its own way.


    They had various abilities like inflicting wounds that would not close up no matter what, not until a certain amount of time had passed.


    There were more than a few that Hao Xuan especially liked, he named one of them himself after Gamil showed it to him. It was a rapier but extremely thin, almost invisible to the naked eye. It was called ''Needle'' and was chosen by a female Orc.


    Maybe it was just luck but the one Gamil made for himself was an oversized warhammer that weighed several tons. The materials used for it were rather ordinary other than a small saint-grade ore which barely weighed anything.


    Whenever he mmed it on the ground a 10-meter wide shockwave was produced in a perfect circle around him that actually moved in a straight line.


    Hao Xuan had never seen something like that before.

 Chapter 936: Back to the grind

    <h4>Chapter 936: Back to the grind</h4>


    Hao Xuan wanted to give it a cool name as well but seeing the sour expression Gamil had on, he decided against it.


    It was most probably because of the dragon fire that all these strange and unique weapons were produced.


    Hao Xuan inspected a few of the weapons and the remaining armor sets, returning to Gamil once he was done.


    "Did Baracus''s tinkering help?"


    Gamil nodded, albeit quite hesitantly.


    "I hate to admit it but...yes," he walked to one of the corners and brought back a mannequin that was wearing aplete armor set with a ck full body ''onesie'' under it.


    "Once all the armor piecese together they create a power suit that ispletely air tight with help of this ck undergarment. Here at the back and below the shoulders, you can see the power unit that controls everything. Even though we are still several years away from having one of these for every person but once we do, it will be a ''game changer'' as you put it."


    "Not only will the suits be built for every possible terrain but they will have numerous built-in functions to aid the wearer. For example, this one already has a defibritor to jump-start the heart, over 300 different antitoxins that could be injected directly into the bloodstream upon identification of the exact poison, kic energy absorption pads, a 72-hour built-in air supply unit, ...."


    He went on and on for quite some time exining every little feature they had already added in this tiny little frame. Hao Xuan zoned out somewhere in the middle because he didn''t want to interrupt Gamil and only came to when it sounded like he was about to wrap it up.


    Gamil proudly pped the back of the mannequin, "All in all, uponpletion this baby could be sent to the vacuum of space or the depths of a volcano and it wouldn''t break a sweat. We still need to test everything but I am positive that these armor suits will be the answer to all of my prayers. Although, the materials required for this are still extremely rare. If I used everything we have gathered so far we would only be able to make about 12 suits in total."


    "Wow, really?"


    Hao Xuan looked back at the almost 2,000-meter wide room that was filled with junk more than halfway. Gamil''s voice lowered, as did his head.


    "Yes, it''s both because of my inexperience and our limited knowledge. I still have to experiment a lot and mix and match various alloys. If I already knew what was good and what techniques to use for each part then it would be much more efficient. There is just so much to do and so little time."


    Hao Xuan patted him on the shoulder endearingly.


    "I wish I could help you. Are there no other Orcs that have any talent or interest in this?"


    Gamil shook his head weakly, "There are a few but the ones who are talented don''t want to try and the ones who are interested have a lot to learn before they can be of help."


    "And you can''t use robots for this? I can have Baracus churn up a few that would be more than capable, at least physically."


    "NO!" Gamil shouted involuntarily, "I-I''m sorry for raising my voice but no robots. It has be very clear to me that a ''human'' touch is needed to bring life to everything I do. Otherwise, they don''t ''feel'' alive anymore, mere empty husks of metal."


    As Gamil said that his fingers brushed across the headpiece of the experimental armor. Even Hao Xuan could see how much he cared about them. To him they were more like his children or loved ones, he had a personal connection with each one of them.


    It wouldn''t make sense to others that didn''t have the same gift.


    *Crrrrr*


    Hao Xuan suddenly turned towards the side where the noise wasing and saw several of the covered mannequins shaking and creaking by themselves.


    His eyes widened from shock as he looked back at Gamil. Some of the armors were responding to him, to his emotions!


    ''How is this possible?? Did he breathe life into them?''


    There were always stories floating around about how when a weaponsmith created something in which he poured his blood and soul it would gain a life of its own. Was that what was happening here?


    Hao Xuan gently punched Gamil''s back, stirring him awake.


    "Hahaha, it looks like you really do have a gift, in more ways than one."


    "Eh? What do you mean?"


    Gamil was as confused as he could be by the sudden change in Hao Xuan''s attitude. But Hao Xuan didn''t exin and onlyughed loudly.


    "Buhahaha, this really is a blessing from the heavens! And you, don''t be so depressed alright. Keep working on the experimental suits on the side but focus on finishing the base armor sets first. You have a LOT of time, all of you do. A handful of hours out there equate to almost a year in here so, take all the time you need."


    "Experiment, learn as much as you can, and then do your best with what you have. From now on I will stay here and work on filling up this entire floor and maybe a few others too. So when I do actually have to leave you will have more than enough materials to keep going for a long time."


    Hao Xuan did as promised for the next 2 weeks and spent almost every waking moment on bringing in more resources for Gamil. Just when the third week was about the start he got a ''message'' from Bo that it was time to return.

 Chapter 937: New Assignment

    <h4>Chapter 937: New Assignment</h4>


    Hao Xuan was standing in front of a stone tform tinkering with some engraved tiles when Arthur, Malina, v, and Gamil entered.


    "Master, you called?"


    They looked to the sides where the four warders were sitting cross-legged in each corner of the room with their eyes closed. Hao Xuan continued fiddling with the stone tiles for a couple of minutes before he finally turned around to face them.


    "Hmm, I have to go return to the other world now."


    Their expressions turned grim and Arthur quickly stepped forward.


    "I will apany you. I am ready-"


    "No, you''re not," Hao Xuan cut him off tly.


    Arthur was the leader of all the Orcs when Hao Xuan wasn''t around so he normally treated him as an equal in front of them but now wasn''t the time to be gentle.


    "You''re not ready, not yet. You need to be stronger, much stronger if you want to have my back."


    Arthur clenched his fists in protest but didn''t say a word in return. Hao Xuan saw his trembling arms and smiled. He walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.


    "You just need more time, which is what you will, all of you. As you all know time passes much faster in here. A few hours in the outer world are equal to a year in this ce. This is both a good and a bad thing."


    "It''s good because you have a lot of time to work on things, it is bad because I won''t be able to oversee any of them, not for a while. The next time we see each other it would have been at least 5-10 years for you if not even longer."


    Almost all of them visibly stiffened at the thought but continued listening.


    "And during that time, you four will be in charge of everything. If there is a problem ask Altron''s help but I would like it if you guys took more responsibility for yourselves. You need to grow and mature not only as leaders but also as individuals. You need to experience much more of the world and that can''t be done by being cooped up in this little piece ofnd."


    Hao Xuan moved aside to reveal the stone tform he was working in. There were rows upon rows of various tiles engraved with different symbols, most of which were half-cut and mismatched. They looked like pieces of a puzzle from afar.


    "This is my gift to you," Hao Xuan gestured towards it.


    The squad leaders stepped forward to get a better look at it. There were two semi-circr arcs on the wall right behind the stone tform with a small ramp leading up to them.


    The arcs were empty in the middle with some metal gears and cogwheels visible in the back.


    "Come," Hao Xuan motioned for them toe closer. When all four of them stood in front of the tform he started exining its purpose.


    "This is the control panel for the gateway over there," he said referring to the arcs.


    "I would have just told you the exact sequence and how to open the gateway yourselves but for whatever reason, no other sapient being is able to memorize this information apart from me, not even Baracus or Altron."


    "That''s why I made this. After a few failed attempts I was able to get it working."


    He reached down and pulled open a small hatch in front of the tform with three buttons on it.


    "Each of these three buttons corresponds to a specific sequence that will open a gateway to one of three locations. The gateway opened by the first button leads to the ship graveyard, so you can keep sending the scavenger drones for materials whenever there is a need."


    "The second gateway leads to a new world that I discovered not too long ago. I haven''t gone there in person but I have been watching over it for a few months now. It has various races living there, the majority of which are humans. There are also a few sub-human species and numerous demihuman tribes."


    "Each of them has their own heroes and powerful fighters that defend theirnds, but they constantly fight against one another with little to no provocation. Technology-wise they are still far too primitive to be of any threat to us. In fact, they view any innovation in technology as witchcraft and band together to fight against it."


    "They are stubborn beyond belief, skeptical to a fault, and exceedingly ignorant."


    Just thinking about them was enough to leave a deep scowl on Hao Xuan''s face. He let out a deep breath to calm down before ncing towards the squad leaders that had much the same reactions.


    He suddenly gave a toothy grin, "I want you to go to their world and unify or conquer it by whatever means necessary."


    "WHA-"


    "Master you can''t be serious ab-"


    "Shh, noining!" Hao Xuan raised his hands to silence them at once.


    "I''d prefer it if there wasn''t too much bloodshed but do what you have to. This is going to be both an assignment and a test for you lot so you better do your best. Each of you will get points for it for certain actions, so think carefully. Altron already has all the details. Work smarter, not harder, understand?!"


    "...Yes..."


    They all replied in barely audible voices which Hao Xuan didn''t mind and continued exining.


    "I chose that world because it''s actually a fragment of this one, the same one we are on. At some point long ago they used to be one. And maybe it''s because of that but time moves at the same speed in there so it will be a lot easier for you to move in between them."


    "There are two beings in that world that are extremely strong. They have broken through the Profound realm but because of the limitations of the world their powers are severely limited, just Nidhora''s. But that doesn''t mean they aren''t dangerous."


    "One of them is the leader of the so-called ''righteous sects'' of the human species and the other is a demihuman vagabond. I''d prefer it if you could bring both of them to our side."


    Hao Xuan was just about to turn around when he remembered something else, "Oh, and you only have about 15 years to do all of this. Their world is on the verge of breaking apart under the pressure of the river of time. During the 16th year their world will turn into dust and all its inhabitants killed, including you if you are left behind."


    "So, chop chop, eh?"

 Chapter 938: What the future holds

    <h4>Chapter 938: What the future holds</h4>


    Hao Xuan had already walked out of the room leaving the squad leaders to discuss the future ns amongst themselves when they suddenly came running after.


    "Master, please wait!"


    "Huh? What now? Is there a problem?" he red at them in mock anger. In fact, he was hoping they would ask him whatever was bothering them so he could clear it before leaving.


    "Yes, the third button!" Gamil spoke up, "You didn''t say where that portal leads."


    ''Oh, I really did forgot.''


    "The third one leads back to me, to the world where I will be. But you are not to use it unlesspletely necessary, or I give you the orders to. It is only for emergencies. Go ask Altron if you have any more questions, I''ve told him everything."


    He stood still for a few seconds to make sure there was nothing else and when none of them spoke up he turned around to leave once more. Hao Xuan had to admit that even he was feeling nervous, both for them and for himself.


    This was a huge gamble, in more ways than one. His voice rang inside their ears for onest time just as he went around a corner.


    "Make sure to take care of each other. It will be a long wait for you but bear with it as much as you can. Do not getzy just because I''m not here because next time we meet, I want to see warriors standing beside me, not children."


    "M-Master, wait I have another question!" Malina suddenly shouted and ran behind him but when she turned the corner he was already gone.


    Every single sever whether they were in the city or outside could feel the connection with Hao Xuan weakening at that point.


    To those that had good intentions towards Hao Xuan it felt like a warm nket had been lifted from their shoulders, exposing them to the cold wind outside. And those that feared him felt liberated, like the de that was hanging from their necks had suddenly been pulled away and they could once again breathe with ease.


    The other three caught up to Malina and a momentter and sighed collectively. There was much to do and it was all on them.


    Gamil was the first one to take his leave.


    "I''m returning to myb. Contact me when you havee up with a n to invade that world."


    Malina was next, "I''ll go talk to Altron and get all the information about it."


    Arthur nodded, "I have to get back to the training hall, they should be waiting for me."


    In the end v was the only one left behind. He stretched and yawned, "I will go take a look at the portal and study it. But before that, naptime!" he said to the empty air before going in another direction.


    ***


    Hao Xuan had made great progress over thest year and four months that had spent in this shattered world. He broke through two minor realms and finally reached the peak stage of the Spirit Realm.


    He had also grasped a lot more of the Chaosw and almost broken through to the second realm. Just one small spark of enlightenment would be enough to push him over the edge, at which point he could even break into the Profound Realm if he so desired.


    The Orcs were another matter entirely. This was going to be their test, to see how they handled being by themselves. If it worked then he could even leave them there for a little while so they could begin their own civilization once again.


    And when the need presented itself he could summon them to fight for him but again, it all depended on how they handled these few years on their own. Hao Xuan would know soon enough, a few days here would be equal to a decade or two over there.


    His familiarity with the webway had also increased tremendously. Before if he opened a gateway once most of his mental energy would be consumed and he would have to sleep for several hours to recover but now he could open five gateways back to back and as long as they weren''t in any troublesome ces, he would still be fine after that.


    But perhaps the most important change was how he could create gateways within his own body now. Using the same method as before which allowed him to send his consciousness into the gateway by inscribing the prime letters on his bones, Hao Xuan could now open a one-time use gateway just for himself to pass through.


    The only issues were that these gateways put him through a fair bit of pain and consumed a lot more spiritual and mental energy.


    He used this same method to return to Dai Zhi''s treasure pce where Bo was anxiously waiting for him.


    "Master! You''re back, I''m afraid they are already-"


    *Knock*Knock*Knock*


    "I''ming in," a voice announced from the other side of the door before it was forced open.

 Chapter 939: Celebrate

    <h4>Chapter 939: Celebrate</h4>


    The chairs blocking the door were flung side and the door almost ripped off its hinges by the brute force.


    Micha walked in huffing and puffing ncing around until he saw Hao Xuan standing calmly in front of the bed. With narrowed eyes, he examined the room further even going as far as pulling off the bedsheets before ring towards Hao Xuan.


    "Who were you talking to? I heard voices."


    "Do you see anyone else here?"


    If looks could kill Hao Xuan would be in deep trouble right now but all Micha could do was menacingly stare at him for a few seconds until a guard came and whispered something in his ear.


    Hao Xuan''s ears perked up and he listened in.


    "It''s time, my lord. The preparations areplete."


    A faint smile appeared on his face before it was reced by a disdainful smug. Micha nodded towards the guard and turned around, "Follow me. It is time."


    He sounded a little too happy saying that which made Hao Xuan even more suspicious. He made an indistinct motion with his hands and tried to release a very small portion of his territory.


    *zzzz*


    The air buzzed for a second before calming down again.


    ''Good, I can still use myw in here.''


    All the prime letters were already inscribed on his bones so he could open the gateway and pass through it at the faintest sign of trouble. Well, as long as it was done within the next 25 minutes because after that his bones would start to heal all the way through.


    He was well aware of his position here and with the Abysswalker present, he was not willing to take any chances whatsoever.


    Micha and a squad of twelve guards escorted Hao Xuan through the numerous halls and stairways somewhere towards the roof. The loud cheering followed by a cacophony of sounds could be heard clearly as they neared their destination.


    Hao Xuan could feel the vibrations through the soles of his feet, continuously getting louder and more pronounced. And then all of a sudden came the ring music which felt like it was sounding right next to his ears.


    It was a celebration of thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands from the sound of it.


    The sunlight which Hao Xuan hadn''t seen in this world for a very long time bled through the open columns to his left. For some reason, he couldn''t help but get a little anxious. The air felt heavy and an invisible pressure slowly settled on his shoulders.


    It wasn''t from someone or something outside but rather his own supernatural intuition that was screaming at him to be prepared. One way or another there was going to be blood, in fact he could smell it already.


    "Hmm?"


    He sniffed lightly to confirm and it was indeed the iconic stench of iron disseminating through the air.


    The surroundings started to change as they came in front of thest set of stairs. Bright banners, gs, and numerous other decorations hung from the walls and the sides painting the whole scene in shades of radiant jubtion.


    The guards stayed behind while Micha continued on with Hao Xuan a few steps behind him. As they stepped onto the white marble floor the sounds got louder and even more clearer, enough for him to easily understand what they were saying.


    "WAAAH! YOU CAN DO IT!"


    "GO GO GO!"


    "KIL THEM ALL!"


    A gust of cold air blew past Hao Xuan as he turned around and saw what was happening. He was standing at the lowest point of a domed hall.


    It was held up by 18 great pirs but open from all other sides. At the highest point there were two rows of seats almost all of them upied.


    The top row had four seats only, three of which were filled by Dai Zhi, Tian Zheng, Dima. Meaning only the first protectors from each of the three powers were there.


    Right below each of them was the second row with two six seats, five of which were filled. Hao Xuan was obviously going to be seated there next to Feng Huang who was the 3rd protector of the Academy.


    In front of each seat were numerous dishes, drinks, and tes filled with all manner of foods.


    Much further down were several other rows located just outside the boundary of this domed hall. Close to 400 people sat there mainly divided into two sides. The one on the left had more than half the people among which there was a four-armed giant.


    This was the first time Hao Xuan had seen Monk in a while. Opposite to them were a little over 100 people. Ensis was among this group, neatly tucked away to the side.


    When he felt Hao Xuan looking in his direction Ensis looked up for a moment, nced towards the back of the domed hall, and closed his eyes.


    Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and finally noticed another person. He was sitting even above the protectors on a golden throne, the Abysswalker. For some reason Hao Xuan hadn''t noticed him at all the first time but now he could see him clearly.


    He was in fact looking right at him, smiling leisurely while cradling a ss of burgundy wine. As if waiting for this moment his gaze shifted to the front, prompting Hao Xuan to follow suit.

 Chapter 940: Softly

    <h4>Chapter 940: Softly</h4>


    Hao Xuan''s heartbeat jumped as he followed the Abysswalker''s line of sight and finally saw the source of all themotion, although within the territory of the domed hall no loud sounds could be heard, only distant whispers.


    The noise wasing from the main grounds of the gigantic colosseum below them. The stands were filled with thousands of men and women dressed in white as they spectated battles between different sets of individuals on the ground.


    They cheered and urged on the fighters who fought tooth and nail for the victory, killing each other for their sport.


    There were already a few small mounds of human and beast corpses on the side with blood trails spreading all over the ground like spider webs. This had obviously been going on for quite a while before Hao Xuan arrived.


    Like ancient diator sports of the roman empire, the spectators which mainly belonged to Dai Zhi''s personal army apuded the prisoners below, spurring them towards madness for a slight chance that they might be allowed to keep their lives at the end.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t see clearly but fighters looked like they came from various backgrounds. There were many humans amongst their ranks but demihumans were also present among a couple of barbarians that stood out like sore thumbs.


    His mind raced with a myriad of thoughts most of which were rted to the reason for this.


    ''Why did he want to show this to me?''


    But before Hao Xuan could ask Dai Zhi finally acknowledged his presence.


    "Ah, finally he''s here. Come, boy," he gestured towards one of the empty seats below him, almost as if he was calling for a dog.


    Stasa, Dima, Tian Zheng, and many of their followers sitting below watched on with amused expressions hoping to see some action but Hao Xuan silently walked to his seat and sat down under their piercing gazes.


    Some giggled and whispered amongst themselves while others clicked their tongues in disappointment. But soon they all returned to making small talk and chatting with one another.


    Only Hao Xuan was still on edge.


    New rounds of food and drinks were served every few minutes by mostly nude men and women.


    Dima, Stasa and a couple of others conversed with one another talking about anything from the weather to the state of the.


    Feng Huang and Hao Xuan were the only ones sitting silently minding their own business.


    Two girls sat in Tian Zheng''sp that looked like his very young daughters while two older women massaged his legs and feet as they allughed without a care in the world. His hands moved in and out of what little fabric was covering their bodies but none of them appeared ufortable by his lecherous molestation.


    Hao Xuan soon noticed the strange seating arrangement. Dai Zhi who was the host and owner of this entire ce was sitting on the left side, Dima was sitting on the right while Tian Zheng sat in the center with an empty seat beside him.


    He didn''t have to see who it belonged to know the truth. And just as his thoughts came to this conclusion an attendant walked up behind Dao Zhi and whispered something in his ears.


    Dai Zhi stood up and lightly pped his hands twice. First the domed hall and then the entire colosseum fell silent, even the fighters. It was either some kind of sound amplification magic or something else but all heard him clearly.


    Even Tian Zheng took a moment of reprieve from his debauchery to focus on him.


    Dai Zhi shed his iconic smile as he surveyed the many faces looking at him in reverence and respect. He seemed mostfortable in this position of power even though he wasn''t the main guest today.


    He cleared his throat before gently tapping his fingers on the wine ss. A huge hologram suddenly appeared in the middle of the colosseum although it was done more so by magic than tech.


    Those that weren''t close enough to see him clearly had to direct their attention towards the hologram.


    "Today marks the beginning of something truly profound," he stated, "It is not only the day when all three great powerse together in a bid to stomp out evil on this beautiful world, but it is also a day of great celebration as today, my precious sister is ''bound'' to Lord Tian Zheng in holy matrimony!"


    Soft gasps sounded from within the crowd when the hologram suddenly shifted to another scene. The image of Ceni came up on the screen. She was dressed in a red and green gown that made her look more like a piece of art than an actual human being.


    Her beauty silenced the crowd once again and made most of them forget what they were even here for.


    She was being led by several other women and a momentter she ascended from another staircase somewhere on the right side of the hall.

 Chapter 941: Maternal Love (1)

    <h4>Chapter 941: Maternal Love (1)</h4>


    As Princess Ceni fully ascended and the cascading sunlight fell on her body, three halos of iridescent light came into being behind her, each one bigger than thest.


    Whatever magic it was that was projecting the hologram could notpletely capture the full extent of her charm because the people that were able toy their eyes on her in person quickly realized just how magnificent she looked.


    If she were to im to be a goddess, no one would have any reason to say otherwise. Even Hao Xuan fell into a stupor for a moment.


    Princess Ceni''s gaze rose and sorted through the numerous faces, both male and female, that were staring at her in abject admiration before stopping on the one she wanted to see all along. Her and Hao Xuan''s gazes met and all of a sudden the world came to a standstill before turning dark.


    A snowkended squarely on Hao Xuan''s cheekbone bringing him back to ''reality''. He blinked and found himself in another ce.


    ''What?''


    It was the same thing that had happened with the Abysswalker. He was unable to move but could see the scene y out from someone else''s perspective.


    He was sitting at a table with a child across from him. The child was maybe 3-4 years old at most, cute as a button, and dressed like a fairy tale princess.


    But inplete contrast to her looks the scene was quite a dreary one. It was a partially lit roompletely empty other than two nondescript maids that were standing behind the girl. They had these vacant looks on their faces as if they weren''t even alive.


    The table had 26 seats and Hao Xuan was sitting on one end while the little girl was sitting on the other.


    The girl sat in her seat, barely able to reach the spoon and the small bowl in front of her. She struggled at first as if it was her first time picking up a full-size spoon and managed to drink a couple of mouthfuls while spilling the rest on her dress.


    None of the maids came forward to help. Hell, if their chests weren''t moving up and down every now and then Hao Xuan would have thought they were puppets.


    The spoon was obviously too big for her and quite heavy from the looks of it. She gave up a few minutester and tapped on the chair lightly.


    One of the maids came forward and pulled back her chair before moving back to her position. The girl toiled with the seat and barely got down in one piece before trodding towards Hao Xuan.


    As she got close he realized the difference in their size. She picked him up in her embrace and waddled through a maze of dimly lit rooms and hallways before arriving in front of a bedroom. Along the way she walked past some other maids but they were all the same.


    None of them spoke even a single word while moving about robotically doing their duties.


    Inside the bedroom was a single bed, a chair and a table with a small vanity mirror and a hairbrush on top. Nothing colorful could be found there. It was as gloomy as it was empty.


    She went up to the chair and pulled herself up. Hao Xuan finally saw his own reflection. He was a small stuffed animal, a dog from the looks of it. Missing an eye and torn in various ces with the stitchinging loose, it looked like it belonged in the trash rather than here.


    The girl sat in her little chair inplete silence for close to an hour staring at the mirror expressionlessly until the sound ofughter came through the window.


    She was stirred awake by the noise. She went over to the window but it was too high up for her so with quite a lot of effort, she dragged the chair and stood on top of it to peer outside.


    There were rows upon rows of buildings just outside the boundary of the mansion she was in. The source of theughter was a small group of children near one of the gates, daring each other to go touch the steel bars.


    Hao Xuan could only spectate from the point of view of the stuffed dog which was still in her embrace. He didn''t have to think about it for very long to figure out this little girl was Ceni.


    If the same thing happened with the Abysswalker applied to this situation, this was one of her memories. Although he still didn''t understand why.


    The passage of time quickened but Hao Xuan was still able to see and most importantly, understand most of what was happening. Day after day the young Ceni followed the same routine.

 Chapter 942: Maternal Love (2)

    <h4>Chapter 942: Maternal Love (2)</h4>


    She would wake up alone, get dressed with the help of the maids, have breakfast and return to her room until it was time for lunch. Then she would be led to a library where a new book awaited her daily.


    When night came she would return and slowly drift off to sleep in utter silence. She would never speak a single word to another person, there was no need to. The only time she said something out loud was when she tried to pronounce a difficult word found within one of the books.


    Sometimes when she would sit by the window upon hearing the sounds ofughter and banter between kids, who asionally walked past.


    Days turned into months, months into years, but her routine remained unchanged. All alone in that mansion day in and day out. Until one day she was presented with a cake with the number 9 on it.


    It was her birthday.


    She blew out the candle, stared at the cake for a few minutes before leaving for her room. No one came to get her this day and she was left to her devices. She gazed at the snowfall outside her window, unable to even feel what it felt like.


    And then came the kids once again, catching her interest.


    Her eyes locked onto them until they left her sight. She had made up her mind.


    Ceni waited for the nightfall and under the cover of darkness decided to sneak out. The mansion waspletely devoid of life. The maids were nowhere to be seen so it made it easier for her to escape.


    Hao Xuan could feel her tiny heartbeat thumping like a rabbit. She was ovee with excitement as she squeezed through the metal bars and for the first time in her life and stepping into the outside world.


    She ran throughyers of snow without ever looking back, giggling andughing as she did so. Feeling the cold air against her skin for the very first time, stretching her legs for the first time. It was a lot of firsts that day.


    She ran into the city streets not dressed for the cold weather but still uncaring. And by some coincidence, she came upon a girl her age. She was one of the kids that used toe by her mansion and Ceni recognized her instantly.


    She followed her in secret, watching her chat with her friends while eating candy before finally returning home.


    Little Ceni went up to a window and peeked inside. She saw the girl hug her mother, run up to her father and jump on hisp asking to be carried.


    She watched the family from the outside, indifferent to her own precarious situation. Her hands had lost all color and she would soon freeze to death if nothing was done. But watching the cheerful atmosphere made her smile brighter than she ever had as she pictured herself in the girl''s position, being loved and spoiled by her parents.


    She watched until the bells tolled at midnight and they returned to their chambers.


    Still smiling like a fool, she moved to the back of the property where an old oak tree rested. She gathered the snow from its roots with her frozen hands and created two snowmen.


    Ceni sat in between them, nuzzling herself within their cold embrace. She hugged the stuffed toy tighter and tighter, trying to imagine what being hug by someone else would actually feel like.


    And in that very same position she slowly drifted to a dreamless slumber, the fastest she had ever. But barely a few momentster she was woken up by soul-wrenching screams.


    Ceni opened her eyes to a roaring me. She even recognized the screams as the family of the girl she had followed home.


    Stupified at what she was witnessing all Ceni could do was watch on, until finally, she noticed a figure standing beside her. It was a woman, otherworldly beautiful. She knelt down and patted Ceni on the head.


    "You should know better than to run away from home. Mommy was so worried, my little angel."


    Her melodious voice sounded like honey as she said those words without an ounce of affection on her face.


    The ss broke from the side and a small body fell out. The skin melted of her bones and but she was still screaming and kicking in pain. It was the little girl.


    Tears streaming down her face, Ceni tried to look away but the woman forcefully held her head in ce.


    "No, you need to see it, dear. This is all your fault. You killed them. Only if you hadn''t ran away from home they would still be alive. Only if you had listened to mommy."


    She was forced to watch the girl until she took herst breath and finally gave up.


    The woman sat down beside Ceni, rubbing the back of her head. Somehow she felt colder than the snowmen as she whispered into her ears.


    "You can never get away from me, darling. No one else will ever love you as I do. You will always be alone, always, remember that."

 Chapter 943: Volunteer

    <h4>Chapter 943: Volunteer</h4>


    With the sound of hushed murmurs, Hao Xuan was brought back to the present where he found himself to be the center of attention. Ceni was staring directly at him right in front of everyone and people were beginning to talk.


    Dai Zhi cleared his throat and brought the attention back to himself.


    "Please help me by weing the bride to be!"


    One person stood up as a sign of respect and others followed suit, forcing Hao Xuan to join in as well. One of the female came forward and whispered something in Princess Ceni''s ears. What little light of hope she had was instantly squashed by a few sentences and from her.


    With a lowered head she walked to the top row and sat down on the empty chair beside Tian Zheng.


    Tian Zheng looked her up and down, his lecherous gaze undressing her on the spot thinking of all the ''fun'' he was going to have with her but then his mood suddenly soured as he nced towards Hao Xuan.


    His intentions were pretty clear. He looked over to where all the cultivators from the Hall were sitting and nodded towards one of the men in the back seat.


    The man stood up and quietly walked over to one of the main staircases, disappearing within it. Dai Zhi was watching it all unfold from the corner of his eye and his smile only brightened at the thought of witnessing what he had nned.


    The ceremony continued where Dai Zhi said a few customary words, gave his blessing to the ''couple'' and finally introduced the Abysswalker as an ''inquisitor of the Church of the Sacred light.


    The crowd of the natives sitting around the colosseum went wild when he was revealed on the hologram but many of the individuals seated within the domed hall were stricken with fear.


    To the uneducated natives he might just be someone high up from the Church but most of the cultivators from the Beast World knew what kind of an existence an inquisitor really was. Even an ordinary one held a great amount of power within the Church, both personally and officially, as an agent of the Holy Light.


    They all turned to him and bowed from the waist before taking their seats. But it was probably Tian Zheng that was most surprised out of everyone present. He threw a foul side-eye Dai Zhi''s way before unwittingly releasing the half-nude women from his embrace.


    The celebrations continued with various people standing up and saying a few words to Dai Zhi or Princess Ceni, a few even giving gifts and presents ranging from live humans and beasts to rare items they had found along the way.


    But Hao Xuan waspletely zoned out, lost in deep thought. What he saw, it was definitely Princess Ceni''s past.


    ''These events, are they like turning points in a person''s life? What made them into the people they are today, is that what I am seeing? If that''s the case...it would certainly exin a few things.''


    His gaze drifted towards Princess Ceni who was staring at her feet with an empty look in her eyes. She seemed so lost and out of ce amidst the cheerful atmosphere.


    And all Hao Xuan could see was that little girl sleeping in the embrace of snowmen trying to see what it felt like.


    ''For god sake. I thought my childhood was fucked up but...damn. And that mother of hers, talk about evil. Who says that to their own child? Fucking psychopath. No wonder she is so hell-bent on finding someone that loves her, I don''t think she has ever had someone say that to her.''


    The more he thought about it the more his opinion of her changed.


    ''To have not even met your parents until you were 9 years old and then going through all that in one night, I''m surprised she isn''t more fucked up, god knows she has every right to be. And I can''t even imagine what she went through after that but it couldn''t possibly have been any better.''


    Hao Xuan saw her in apletely different light and all of a sudden she didn''t seem like such a bad person anymore.


    But while he was lost in thought the fights continued on the colosseum grounds with more and more people being either thrown to hungry beasts with some broken weapons or fighting amongst themselves.


    Whenever there was a loud cheer Hao Xuan would stir awake. He tried to stay rxed as much as he could in such a situation but his nerves got the better of him as time went on. All he could think about was what Dai Zhi had nned.


    Approximately ten minutester Hao Xuan felt a surge of sharp prickling sensation aimed towards him. It only took him a single superficial nce to find who it wasing from.


    Stasa was staring daggers at him from across the hall. Pangs of unconcealed killing intent were gushing out of him. When Hao Xuan met his gaze he could actually feel the cold steel of a sword resting against his throat.


    This was the strongest sensation of killing intent he had ever felt, almost at the stage of physical manifestation.


    Lips curled towards the sky, he stood up with a contemptuous smile while looking Hao Xuan dead in the eyes. As he raised his ss most of the crowd settled down. He directed his gaze towards Tian Zheng.


    "My blessings to the couple," and raised a ss. Everyone other than Hao Xuan, the Abysswalker, and Feng Huang responded in kind and reciprocated.


    The hologram suddenly turned towards him and the rest of the colosseum quietened down as well.


    "This is an event worthy of all the grandeur that it deserves. But as great as the hospitality of brother Dai Zhi is, we must not forgo the traditions of our ancestors for temporaryfort. For it is customary for any ceremony such as this that there be a show of skills from both sides. To not only start their new lives with some excitement but also set a precedent for what the couple can expect in the future."


    "And what better way is there to disy one''s skills than a good old-fashioned battle to the death!"


    The crowd suddenly erupted in gaiety. The level of unparalleled acmation was only rivaled by their own lust for blood.


    Stasa looked towards Dai Zhi.


    "Since brother Dai Zhi is the closest family member, it would normally fall on your shoulders to participate but since you are not only the host of the ceremony but also the leader of this expedition, someone of note under you must take your ce."


    "And since brother Feng Huang is not from our continent, the same rules do not apply to him. Which leaves only...one," Stasa''s gaze slowly shifted towards Hao Xuan, the remains of that pleasant smile turning into a vicious grin.


    "And from brother Tian Zheng''s side, I volunteer."

 Chapter 944: Savepoint

    <h4>Chapter 944: Savepoint</h4>


    And just like that it all came together. Everything started making sense.


    They couldn''t just outright kill him since he was one of the protectors, and he wasn''t weak enough to die to just anyone. They needed a valid reason, one that would hold upter on once they returned to the Beast World and Ryfon (the Elf Prince) woulde asking questions.


    ''A battle to the death...is that even a real tradition? No, it doesn''t matter. They can just im it is and I can''t say anything about it since I don''t have enough information either way.''


    Hao Xuan''s mind raced as a myriad of thoughts passed through but to his surprise, Dai Zhi spoke up a momentter in his defense.


    "I agree with Brother Stasa but brother Hao Xuan is neither a direct servant nor someone rted to my family. It would not be right to ask him for such a thing- No, I will not allow it even if agrees. How about a simple battle to test each other''s skills instead?"


    After a brief moment of silence that took everyone by surprise, the crowd erupted in cheer.


    "Lord Dai Zhi''s benevolence is boundless!"


    "How could he still be thinking about others at such a time? Surely he is a saint!"


    "Mhm. Especially if you consider something is going on between the Princess that guy. He still wants to give him a chance and won''t hurt him needlessly. Truly a great man."


    Even the other cultivators could not help but praise him but Hao Xuan''s expression only soured at the thought. There was absolutely no reason for Dai Zhi to help him. He knew how "great" of a rtionship they had. Which could mean only one thing.


    ''He is just covering his ass.''


    Dai Zhi gestured for the crowd to calm down before continuing.


    "It will not be a battle to the death. I do not want to see my brothers needlessly spilling each other''s blood. Instead, it will be a simple match to test one''s skills and strengths. I will even allow Brother Hao Xuan to choose any other protector to battle if he feels like brother Stasa is not an appropriate match."


    Another round of apuse ignited before he could even sit down. But Hao Xuan was anything but happy. In the eyes of the crowd, Dai Zhi was giving him all these options but in the end, it was still him who had to fight.


    ''There is more to it. There is no way this is all they have nned.''


    The other protectors including Xue Meng who had shown zero interest in anything other than wine all looked in his direction. Hao Xuan could only sigh inwardly at this. He nced towards the Abysswalker who was looking right at him with a half-smile.


    It looked like he was watching TV.


    ''So I have to choose someone. Should I just leave now without risking anything?''


    It was a very good idea at this point in time. He still had somewhere between 5-10 minutes left to use the internal gateway one more time.


    But he still wanted to see what they had prepared. It gave him an uneasy feeling not knowing what they were panning.


    Others aside, Xue Meng was not an option. Ensis had warned Hao Xuan to not fight him and he wasn''t going to ignore such good advice.


    Dima, well he seemed like the weakest among all the protectors but Hao Xuan had no problem with him. They hadn''t even had a real conversation. And since he was the first protector of the Temple he probably wasn''t chosen without a reason.


    Hao Xuan could tell at a single nce that Feng Huang was not even human. There was asionally a shadow behind him of arge bird of prey which was probably his true form. Hao Xuan''s beastly instincts told him that he might be the worst match for him out of everyone here.


    Tian Zheng was the groom so he probably wouldn''t fight but even if he did, Hao Xuan knew almost nothing about his powers and abilities. Going against someone like that was absolutely stupid, not to mention he was also the first protector of the Hall.


    After going through each one, Stasa did indeed appear to be the ''safest'' option. Hao Xuan knew he was a sword cultivator through and through. Their powers couldn''t be that far away from each other and Hao Xuan was confident in his ability to at least survive.


    And yet, that ufortable jittery feeling resonating within his heart did not go away.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and decided to use his ''secret weapon''. The one ability that would guarantee his safety above all else while still allowing him to be as reckless as possible.


    A surge of Qi blew through his meridians one after another and reached his head where it entered the four-leafed clover pattern on his brain. One of the leaves shrunk and the two pearls resting on it shattered, creating a bubble of yellow temporal energy. (Same ability mentioned in CH 704 and used in 753).

 Chapter 945: Insurer

    <h4>Chapter 945: Insurer</h4>


    The yellow energy bubble grewrger andrger until it covered Hao Xuan''s brain and spinal cord.


    He closed his eyes and felt the changes taking ce within his body. His heartbeat quickened and beads of sweat formed on his forehead and back, almostpletely drenching his shirt.


    The color of the energy bubble started to deepen until it looked like molten gold. One by one the miniature pearls resting on each of the other three leaves also shattered until the entire flower had shrunk to less than half its original size.


    But while all this was happening no one even noticed the strange energy changes other than two individuals. The first one, surprisingly, was Feng Huang. Hoe opened his eyes for the first time since Hao Xuan had arrived and looked right at him.


    His eyes shone with violent carmine-colored lights that brightened and dimmed on their own.


    The second person, unsurprisingly, was the Abysswalker. He who had been sitting on his throne silently watching everything unfold sat upright for the first time. His eyes narrowed slightly but other than that he didn''t make a move.


    When Hao Xuan opened his eyes again thest of the gold-colored energy dissipated.


    *Beep*


    ''Warning! Warning!''


    ''Extreme Spatio-Temporal Fluctuations Detected.''


    ''Body functions returning to normal.''


    ''Blood pressure increased by a factor of 3.''


    Baracus''s automated warning system was activated by the sudden outburst of energies and the changes within his body. A momentter Baracus himself also spoke up.


    [Conditions for ''Scenario Three'' have been satisfied. No abnormalities were detected. Logging data...]


    ''Scenario three'' was how Baracus referred to this ability that Hao Xuan had yet to name. By measuring the constant waves of temporal energy he could stipte that the ability was activated and record all data of the ''time jumps'' for future reference.


    While Hao Xuan was trying to regain control of his stampeding heartbeat, Baracus began asking all the standard questions.


    [How many iterations were conducted?]


    Hao Xuan rubbed his temples in an unsessful attempt at lowering the intensity of the headache that always followed after using the ability. He took in a deep breath and recalled each and every jump that he had just gone through.


    ''21 times.''


    Even Baracus was a little surprised by the answer. That meant he died 21 times and returned for thest, 22nd time just now.


    [Were all attempts unsessful?]


    ''No, I lived through three of them but didn''t like the oue so had to kill myself to reset.''


    [21 runs is a lot higher than thest time. Were there any significant changes?]


    ''It''s because I died so quickly so many times. But the ability''s capacity did increase by a small margin halfway through, I could feel it. Unfortunately, I have to use it to make it stronger, which means I have to die over and over again.''


    [Any other details?]


    ''Like what? You want to know how I died?''


    [Affirmative, that could be helpful.]


    ''Alright. Of the 21 deaths, 16 took ce during the match. I survived only once before dying shortly after. And I died twice more while trying to ''talk'' it out with these guys, that was before the match even started. For the remaining three I managed to make it out but not in one piece.''


    [So you haven''t made a single sessful escape?]


    ''Not really, no.''


    [What is your n this time around?]


    ''You''ll see. If I am right, I will have to wait a while longer.''


    By the time Hao Xuan finished talking with Baracus, the apuse had all but died down from Dai Zhi''s speech. Now they were all looking at Hao Xuan to choose his "sparring" partner.


    Hao Xuan had already gone through this exact same scene more than 20 times but he still couldn''t get used to it. In fact, it made him even angrier when he thought about their underhanded tactics and the position they had forced him into.


    He stood up and met Stasa''s re head-on. Even the projection showed his face in the middle of the colosseum.


    "This might be a simple match to test our skills but I must warn you, I cannot hold back in the heat of the moment. You might seriously get hurt. Do you still want to fight?"


    He had chosen his opponent. Stasa was the one who was going to help him get out of here alive.


    "HAHAHA!" Stasa roared withughter like many of the others around him, "I would like to say the same to you. I am far too experienced with the de so things could get out of hand. I take full responsibility!"


    He agreed at once but then Hao Xuan turned towards thest person anyone thought to address.


    "No, I would like the Lord Inquisitor to act as our insurer. Being a high-ranking member of the Church Of the Holy Light, I trust his word above all others."


    A loud bang resounded from Dai Zhi''s table as it broke into pieces.


    "Hao Xuan, watch your tongue! How dare you directly address the Lord Inquisitor!?"

 Chapter 946: Safety net

    <h4>Chapter 946: Safety</h4>


    "HOW DARE YOU?! You have no right to even be in his presence let alone address him in such a manner! You disrespectful, filthy little thing..."


    Dai Zhi erupted in a belittling and derogatory tirade, interrupted only when the Abysswalker himself raised his hand gesturing for him to stop.


    But Dai Zhi had proven to be a spark that started a discussion among the spectators who were quickly taking his side.


    "He''s not wrong. How can an outsider address the Lord Inquisitor directly?"


    "Very true. Even my father would not dare do so in his presence."


    Hao Xuan swiftly grabbed the brief window of opportunity to exin himself before someone else could speak up.


    "Disrespectful? How can that possibly be true? In fact it is quite the opposite. Why would you or anyone else be the witness while in the presence of such an esteemed entity from the Church? Are you not undermining him by saying you are enough? Should we not let this highest of honors go to one such as him? I think it is only natural."


    Hao Xuan nced at the cultivators sitting outside the domed hall and hinted towards Monk and Ensis to start talking in his defense. Thankfully they were quick to pick up.


    ".....That does make sense," Ensis started.


    Monk rubbed his chin pretending to be in deep thought, "Yeah, I mean he is already here. The right to supervise should obviously fall on the senior-most person, and that is indeed the Lord Inquisitor."


    "I think that''s only natural."


    "Certainly."


    Others soon chimed in with their own opinions, especially the ones from the Hall that were looking for any reason to go against Dai Zhi. The public opinion shifted within a matter of seconds.


    Hao Xuan smiled inwardly. This was how he wanted to take away Dai Zhi''s reason for attacking him after the fact.


    Hao Xuan found out the hard way that he was never meant to make it out of the arena. No matter which opponent he chose they came at him with the intent to kill. He had no choice but to kill them to survive.


    And when he did, Dai Zhi would im that Hao Xuan had the opportunity to stop but chose to kill his opponents in cold blood despite it being a friendlypetition and in turn, had forfeit his life.


    Even when Hao Xuan clearly informed him and the opponents that he would not responsible before the match, Dai Zhi would still find a way to turn it against him. And being the one with the most power here, no one could or would go against him.


    The only one that could stop him was thest person Hao Xuan wanted to interact with, the Abysswalker. Hao Xuan needed to make sure he was the one to act as his insurer because that way even Dai Zhi would not dare to pull any underhanded tactics afterwards.


    Seeing the Abysswalker silently contemting the possibility, Hao Xuan threw in another little chunk of bait. He offered what the Abysswalker wanted to see the most.


    "If Lord Inquisitor epts it would relieve a lot of pressure from my side, allowing me to focus more on the battle and fight to the best of my abilities."


    ''Come on, that''s what you wanted to see right? You want to see me fight and I''ll give it to you!''


    The Abysswalker''s eyes lit up immediately. With a light chuckle, "As you wish. I promise with my name and title on the line that no one will me you for whatever happens during the battle. You have my word."


    He looked amused by the fact that Hao Xuan even had the balls to make such a suggestion. Dai Zhi tried to speak up but was silenced before a single sound coulde out of his mouth.


    Dai Zhi''s expression turned ugly. Now there really was nothing he could do to Hao Xuan without a good reason.


    He threw a baleful re towards Hao Xuan before ncing in Stasa''s direction.


    ''Do not hold back. Kill him by whatever means necessary!''


    ''I know senior brother, trust me.''


    As arrogant and haughty as Stasa was acting in front of the crowd, he still had his emotionspletely under control.


    "Please send us in, Brother Dai Zhi!" Stasa said the words and instantly both he and Hao Xuan disappeared from their positions.


    They appeared a hundred meters above the colosseum.


    Stasa waved his hand to summon a giant blue-steel sword beneath his feet which kept him afloat while Hao Xuan fell straight down.


    *Boom*


    Hended in a cloud of dust while Stasa slowly descended with the sword, hands sped behind his back like some kind of a hero from an old wuxia novel.


    The hologram shifted towards them but it did not pick up any second, thanks to Dai Zhi''s intervention.


    Stasa stared at the dust cloud before surveying the thousands of faces watching them from the stands.


    "Come out, I know a fall like that won''t hurt you."

 Chapter 947: Blade of the Monarch!

    <h4>Chapter 947: de of the Monarch!</h4>


    The moment he finished talking Stasa swiped his hands horizontally and five solid Qi swords formed behind him. Each one was bright blue in color.


    They vibrated loudly to create a small shockwave that dissipated the dust cloud to reveal Hao Xuan staring up at him.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze focused on the Qi swords and then at the side of Stasa''s hip where an empty scabbard hung loosely. It looked like a family heirloom or an essory rather than something used in actualbat but Hao Xuan knew its real value better than anyone else here.


    In the sky above grey clouds had started to gather,pletely barring any sunlight froming through.


    The wind started to pick up and the fights that were already within the colosseum grounds distanced themselves from them as much as they possibly could.


    Dai Zhi, Dima, Tian Zheng, and Feng Huang, and Xue Meng all directed their utmost attention towards them. No matter which side they belonged to, right now they were all warriors, cultivators, and battle-hardened fighters.


    Even princess Ceni who had been in a world of her own until now finally raised her head to witness the battle, just like everyone else.


    Among the followers Ensis and Monk were both on edge, Monk more so than Ensis.


    But the Abysswalker, his eyes shone with an obvious light of intrigue as he ogled Hao Xuan''s figure. And how could he not? They were essentially two beings belonging to the same bloodline the proof of which coursed through their veins, perhaps a lot more unreservedly through his than Hao Xuan''s.


    He hadn''t felt a connection this deep and strong in a very long time. It reminded him of his own kin, the ones he stood shoulder to shoulder within during the first war. That was the reason why he hadn''t yet killed Hao Xuan, purely out of curiosity.


    How could a mere mortal have a bloodline so pure, so...ancient? His lips arched in a toothy grin as he savored the feeling from an era long gone.


    "It''s almost like you''ve risen once more, brother," he mumbled to himself.


    The clouds continued to gather above the colosseum until a giant, slowly moving cortex had been created.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh as he peered at the same scene for the fifth time. Or was this the sixth one? He had lost count. He looked towards the domed hall behind Stasa, speaking up a momentter.


    "I know what you have nned. You either kill me or I kill you. That is the only way out, I know that."


    Stasa smirked, "Good. Do not disappoint me then."


    Hao Xuan shook his head wearily. He knew the oue but still, he wanted to try at least once, "Won''t you give up, please? I know you think you are doing this out of some kind of misguided loyalty but it is not worth losing your life over."


    "Ho? You really think you will win, don''t you?" Stasa didn''t sound angry at all, inplete contrast to his usual persona.


    "I don''t think so, I know so," Hao Xuan sighed, "Do you know why I chose you from among the rest?"


    "Let me guess, because I am the weakest?"


    "No," Hao Xuan said as a matter-of-fact, "The girl from the Temple is the weakest. She has good defenses but I killed her in one go. When ites to raw power and the use of abilities, you are only behind Xue Meng. But you know that already, don''t you?"


    Hao Xuan''s gaze naturally went towards the empty scabbard which startled Stasa quite a bit.


    "Hah, have you lost your mind? Killed her?" he pretended to joke about it but inwardly was quite shaken.


    ''Does he know?! No, that''s impossible. No one has ever seen me use it. Only Brother Dai Zhi has some idea but even he doesn''t know for sure.''


    But Hao Xuan did know, he had experienced it himself. That one technique had killed him every single time. Hao Xuan had fought each and every Protector other than Dai Zhi who never obliged no matter what.


    And among all of them, Stasa had the second-highest killing ability, right behind Xue Meng.


    There simply was no defending against such an ability.


    Stasa''s eyes narrowed as he chalked up Hao Xuan''s words to mere trash talk.


    "So knowing that I am the second strongest here, why did you choose me still?"


    "Because you never struck from the back. You fought fair and square, until the very end."


    "HAHAHA! Have you already lost your mind?!"


    Peals ofughter escaped his gullet. What kind of trash talk was this?


    *Sigh*


    "So you won''t yield? No matter what?"


    "Of course not!"


    Stasa rose back into the air and Qi swords inched forward until the tip of the des came right over his forehead.


    From Hao Xuan''s point of view it looked like Stasa was wearing an oversized ornamental crown, which was also what gave the technique its name.


    "de of the Monarch!"

 Chapter 948: Ice Poison

    <h4>Chapter 948: Ice Poison</h4>


    The Qi swords rose above Stasa''s head like a viper taking aim, and within the domed hall Xue Meng burst outughing.


    "Hahaha finally! I was bored to death in this dreaded ce and now finally there is something worth watching! GO!!"


    The swords shot forth two at a time, one from either side. Their movement was so fast that none of the local-born in the stands warriors could even keep up with them. To them they appeared as blue lights, twisting and turning.


    Hao Xuan on the other hand was slower than even normal. He waited until the des were less than a meter away before slowly side-stepping twice.


    The des went past him but before hitting the ground they spun around and continued chasing him.


    At the same time, the next two des hovering above Stasa quivered in their positions. Vapor cones appeared around their hilts as they disappeared without even leaving a trail.


    Their speed was three times the speed of sound, and of the first two des.


    The first two des aimed at Hao Xuan''s legs while the next two were aiming for his upper body. Thest de that had yet to make a move suddenly shrunk and almost doubled in length.


    Stasa''s eyes were like camera lenses trying to lock in on Hao Xuan''s position because when he could see him clearly, just for an instant, thest de which was the fastest among them all would be sent out.


    That was the actual killing de. The others were only meant to distract his opponents and get them used to the speed and sound of the other des. This one was not only smaller and longer, but its speed could reach 10 times the speed of sound.


    Almost no one in the Spirit Realm could dodge it without knowing it wasing.


    In the domed hall many people were seeing this technique for the first time, even the ones from the Hall. This was mostly because Stasa only ever used random swords (if even those) he had picked up along the way to fight under normal circumstances.


    Almost no one outside the protectors even knew that he was actually a ranged sword fighter. Controlling Qi swords was his forte.


    "Brother Stasa''s control has gotten even better," Dima was the first one toment.


    Usually hisment would be directed towards Tian Zheng since he was a part of the same faction but Dai Zhi was the one who responded.


    "It is but this technique of his is not enough to show by how much."


    Tian Zheng smiled half-heartedly but kept silent. Instead, he nced towards Princess Ceni who was nowpletely engrossed in the battle. Her fists were clenched so hard that they were turning white from all the pressure.


    He smirked, ''So there really was something between them. Good.''


    He leaned towards her a little while trying to be as natural as he could.


    "Did you know what kind of Qi Stasa cultivates?"


    Princess Ceni was brought out of her daze. Regaining herposure she looked back at him with a straight face. She didn''t say a word but her eyes were expressive enough for him to understand.


    "Sword Qi. You know about it right? He has only ever cultivated Sword Qi. Once all main meridians have the same type of Qi something really unique happens, theybine and meld together, thickening into a semi-liquid form. Both the quantity and quality are increased fivefold and the user bes more efficient in utilizing it. It also recovers faster and sometimes, very rarely, can have other effects too."


    At that point he stopped and leaned back in his chair with no intention to continue exining any further. That was just the bait, a tidbit to make her curious enough so she would lower her guard and talk to him.


    It was sessful.


    "What...effects?" Princess Ceni asked hesitantly.


    He grinned inwardly but kept a straight face pretending to focus on the fight.


    "Ice Poison. The color of his Qies from condensed ice poison. You wouldn''t think of it looking at him but by the time you realize it, it''s usually toote to do anything. The poison seeps into the body through the smallest graze or cut, slowing them down and making them easier to hit which only poisons them more."


    "By the end they can''t even move as the cold wrecks through their bodies. Parts of their bodies fall off just as madness takes them. It is a terrible end."


    Princess Ceni''s anxiousness was palpable. She looked back at the fight as a nervous wreck. Even after what Hao Xuan had said to her she couldn''t just snuff out her feelings with a wave of her hand.


    It wasn''t that easy.


    Tian Zheng''s lips slowly arched in a vicious grin as he watched her squirm in her seat.


    Back on the ground Hao Xuan had just jumped over the four swords, giving Stasa the perfect opportunity to strike the killing blow.


    The needle-like sword shot forward inplete silence, appearing in front of Hao Xuan the very next moment.

 Chapter 949: Icy

    <h4>Chapter 949: Icy</h4>


    While the other swords had made as much noise as objects of their size possibly could, thest sword was frighteningly silent inparison. That along with its size and speed made it almost impossible to see, let alone dodge.


    Stasa''s eyes narrowed as he directed the sword with his forefinger for more uracy. He was hell-bent on finishing the fight with this one move. Showing any more hidden cards to people that could be his foes tomorrow was not an option for him.


    It moved faster and with more precision than any of the others to appear right behind Hao Xuan''s head.


    Stasa smiled automatically. He could already visualize the de going through skin and bone to pierce his brain and snuffing out another life. Unfortunately, that was not what came to pass.


    The de stopped 4 inches away from Hao Xuan''s forehead. It wouldn''t move no matter how hard Stasa pushed. Realizing something had gone incredibly wrong he pulled it back before once again shooting it towards him from another angle.


    This time it went for his left shoulder.


    Although it looked like Hao Xuan was focused on the other swords but all his attention was directed towards this one from the very beginning. He activated the territory of the Choas Law to stop the de the first time but the second time it came in too fast for him to redirect the territory in that direction.


    Left with no other choice Hao Xuan reached and grabbed the de out of the air. To most of the spectators, it looked like he had moved gently to the side and held the sword in his hand without any trouble but those that knew how much power was behind the de were shocked speechless.


    Even Stasa himself was taken aback by the raw speed and power. The sword once again stopped a few inches away from Hao Xuan''s body and no matter how hard it tried, there was no escaping his w-like grip.


    Hao Xuan clenched and the de turned to blue dust. The ice poison also melted away since without any open wounds it could do nothing to him.


    But a smattering of sharp needle-like protrusions swelled up on the inside of his left eye socket, sending waves of stabbing pain throughout his body. Some of the ice crystals did manage to pierce through his eyes and embed themselves around the socket.


    Blood started leaking inside, dying the whites of the eye into red and blue. It hurt like hell everything the eye moved but it wasn''t unbearable. He could get rid of it after the battle and it was worth it.


    Those Qi swords, especially the one Hao Xuan had just destroyed were part of another technique. By destroying it now he was able to lower the effectiveness of the next one.


    Putting up a brave front despite being almost blinded in one eye, Hao Xuan smirked arrogantly.


    "Come on, don''t waste my time. You wanted this fight, right? Show me what you got. Bring out the ''big'' guns!"


    At this point Stasa was hovering more than 20 meters above the ground. His long hair fluttered with the wind. His brow furrowed lightly when he saw the look in Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    ''He is hiding something. I can''t get too close. I...have to use it now before there is any more damage.''


    He climbed another 10 meters into the air before raising his hands towards the cloudy sky. Intense blue light surrounded the entire length of his arms while slowly getting brighter with every passing second. The wind started picking up until a sort of barrier was created around them both.


    The temperature fell until ice crystals started to form on their clothes. Realizing what wasing Hao Xuan also prepared himself to meet it head-on.


    His arms turned several shades darker and veins popped up under the skin. The entirety of the Chaos Law was called out while its territory stretched for 15 meters with him as the center.


    The palms of his hands looked like they were coated with liquid metal, turning metallic grey in the process. He called out the ive, holding it with both hands for the first time in a very long time.


    He looked around at the cyclone that was connecting the colosseum and the sea of clouds above.


    ''I am amazed every time I see it. Each person''s territory manifests in a different way. Where mine doesn''t show any physical changes, his is the exact opposite.''


    This was Stasa''s territory. He had activated it the moment the match started and now it had matured. Sharp knife-like half-meter-long ice shards started to slowly materialize within the cyclone. The faster it rotated the bigger they got.


    But that wasn''t the biggest threat. Hao Xuan raised his head and peered into the eye of the storm where a gigantic de almost as big as the entire length of Stasa''s territory wasing into being.

 Chapter 950: Summoning the Palace

    <h4>Chapter 950: Summoning the Pce</h4>


    The entire colosseum could feel the effects of Stasa''s Ice Law.


    Even the air outside of the cyclone was affected by it. The temperature continued to fall until inch-long ice shards were being thrown about in all directions.


    Dai Zhi reacted swiftly and strengthened the barriers around the battlegrounds using his own Qi but the ceaseless battering of ice and raw energy was draining the barriers far too quickly.


    This was equivalent of trying to contain two territories of people at the same level as him and it wasn''t easy.


    Normally he would never even dream of doing it alone but by using the treasure pce''s own defenses and native energy gathering arrays, he could offset the extra load onto them.


    All the barriers doubled in power, buzzing lightly due to the excess spiritual energy.


    Dai Zhi pretended to be calm on the outside but inwardly he was so surprised to no end. Not even in a hundred years would he have thought that Stasa to have reached such a level. He looked towards the sky which was being cut apart.


    Xue Meng, Tian Zheng and all the other protectors were just as shocked. They could all feel the unbridled power coursing overhead. It felt like the head of a hammer was hanging over their heads, ready to drop at a moment''s notice.


    And instead of slowing down it was getting stronger with every passing second. Stasa might have started the Cyclone using hisw but now it was self-efficient enough to keep going by itself.


    Whereas all the spiritual energy Stasa was pouring out was being materialized in the shame of a 180 meter long and 40-meter wide ice sword.


    Dima was the first one to voice his concerns.


    "Is that really safe? Will the treasure pce hold if it was struck by something of that caliber?"


    Dai Zhi still keeping up appearances acted like it was no big deal.


    "Of course, there won''t be a problem. This much is nothing."


    But most of the protectors knew that wasn''t the case. This was the ultimate move of a peak stage Spirit Realm cultivator, able to annihte even Profound Realm experts if they weren''t careful enough. How could it pose no problem at all?


    Dai Zhi would have to at the very least dip into the spiritual energy reserves of the pce to keep it from breaking apart from inside out.


    And this was without taking into ount Hao Xuan''sw.


    The palms of Hao Xuan''s hands were burning with a red me that was being poured into the ive, lighting it up amidst the sea of blue in the surroundings.


    Hao Xuan looked around and saw the condition of the colosseum. He smiled inwardly, this was a part of his n. Previously Dai Zhi had meddled in the fight more than a few times by obstructing Hao Xuan one way or another. But now he couldn''t do that because all his energy was directed towards keeping the damage contained.


    The downside of this was that now Hao Xuan would have to deal with this move all by himself. In every other iteration he had attacked Stasa before the move was brought topletion. Not once was the ice de formed all the way.


    Hao Xuan tried to find Stasa within the cyclone but the copious amount of spiritual energy and other particles were obstructing his senses. He was hidden in the ice and snow readying himself.


    But the situation wasn''tpletely hopeless for Hao Xuan either. Although Stasa couldn''t be disrupted, he could still prepare for it to the best of his abilities.


    Hao Xuan initiated the Chaos Law to its maximum capacity. The territory spread out in a circle and expanded from 15 meters to 20. Thest meter or so near the outer boundary was so hazy and irregr that it couldn''t be counted on but within the rest of the territory, he was inplete control.


    This was his own little piece ofnd inside Stasa''s territory. In here, he was God.


    Not a single ice shard could get to him here but the ice de within the sky was a different story. It couldn''t be stopped just by the Chaos Law, although it could be disturbed.


    *CrrrrrEEEEEEEEeeeee*


    A loud fluctuating noise that sounded like a mix of steel bending and ice breaking came from the sky grabbing his attention. Looking up Hao Xuan could see something else alongside the sword. His eyes almost popped out from the revtion.


    There were eight tendrils separating from the main cyclone body and taking a shape of their own. Each one had a beastly appearance, like that of an ancient serpent.


    Each serpent had a shining blue swording out of its mouth and they were all in the process ofing down right on top of him. And on each sword there were various numbers and glyphs marking them from 1-8.


    One look was enough to tell Hao Xuan that they were Stasa''s Mind Pce. A heavy pressure fell on the entire colosseum. Even the ones outside the battlegrounds could feel its burden weighing them down.


    "Hoh, interesting," the Abysswalker mumbled while leaning forward.

 Chapter 951: Bigger Picture

    <h4>Chapter 951: Bigger Picture</h4>


    "Interesting..."


    Dai Zhi and the other protectors heard the Abysswalker speak up so they all listened in.


    "He could have easily broken through to the Profound Realm, yet he lingers on the edge, Why is he still holding back when he already has threepletews? Is he going for a fourth?"


    Obviously this was a rhetorical question and mostly meant to inform the others of Stasa''s true ability. They might not be able to tell but to him it couldn''t be clearer.


    The cyclone was hiding two more uniquews inside it, although even he couldn''t tell what they were from a single nce.


    "Completews?!" Tian Zheng repeated, bbergasted by the revtion.


    It wasn''t too far-fetched to see two or even threews being cultivated at the same time among cultivators of their caliber, especially if they belonged to a great faction. Both Tian Zheng and Dai Zhi also cultivated threews each, but they weren''t plete".


    Having apletew meant that it was at the very least at the second tier with its own ability.


    Simrly, having threeplete meant each one was matured to the second tier at the very least with their own territories. As far as they knew, no one among them had achieved something like that so far. Well, no one excluding Stasa.


    ''That son of a whore has been hiding his real abilities,'' Tian Zheng cursed inwardly.


    ''Look like I will need to reess Stasa''s value,'' Dai Zhi was thinking along the same lines.


    Only Dima appeared to be unbothered but no one noticed hisck of interest. His mind was elsewhere at the moment, on something far more important.


    The thousands of people within the stands were all forced to sit back down under the immense pressure from Stasa''s mind pces. To them that had only recently begun their cultivation journey, this was not something they could easily contend with.


    It felt like each person had close to a few hundred kilos worth of baggage hanging from their shoulders. Just staying upright was proven to be such a difficult task that they needed to use their own Qi''s to fight against it.


    But Hao Xuan who was in the dead center of the main source of this crushing force remained unmoved. It was not because he couldn''t feel the pressure but that most of it was automatically neutralized by the lycan bloodline.


    He nced at the struggling spectators hidden behind multipleyers of defensive barriers that still couldn''t stand on their own two feet while he could move freely and suddenly, a sense of self-enlightenment dawned on him.


    It was like many different pieces of a puzzle were alling together to create one big picture.


    ''The Lycan bloodline provides immunity to curses, magic, to most natural and unnatural forces. It allows me to see the things hidden within in sight, those that go unseen by most others, those that are not of this ne. Even the territories of other Laws could barely affect me, just like now.''


    ''The Chaos Lawpetes directly with otherws no matter what kind they are. It gives me my own ground to fight on no matter how greatly outnumbered or out-skilled I am.''


    ''My physique, as immature as it is, allows me to devour objects and ''things'' alike, making them my own. Most poisons cannot kill me, the extreme temperatures cannot harm me. I can even replenish my own Qi by devouring others and could potentially keep fighting as long as there was matter to absorb.''


    ''My constitution gives me loyal soldiers, those who would fight for me regardless of their own thoughts and sentiments. I can take their power for myself, strengthen my own abilities without end.''


    ''Other than my constitution all the rest I came upon either byplete coincidence or the natural flow of events but...was it really by chance? Everything just...fits so perfectly together. Each aspect of my powers strengthens the other. If even one of them was missing then I would be much weaker in one-on-onebat than any of my counterparts.''


    ''I know I should feel good about having them but...why do they feel more like a burden rather than a gift? Was what Hyde said the truth? Is this all...''


    He didn''t have the heart to finish that line of thought because it would mean he was not his own man. That all this time, someone or something else was guiding him from the shadows towards an uncertain end.


    ''I must talk to Jin Wang as soon as possible. He has to know something about this. I think it''s time I ask him for the truth, at longst.''


    The great ice sword was almostpletely formed by this point. The eight mind pces encircling it finally detached entirely from the cyclone taking the shape of 70-80 meter long serpents made of ice and wind. But their orbiting speeds only increased from there on out until they were so bright that their original forms were barely visible.


    The air turned solid as Hao Xuan''s senses all started firing at full st warning him of the iing danger.

 Chapter 952 - No You

    <h4>Chapter 952 - No You</h4>


    Hao Xuan looked to the sky and saw the eight des of light aiming down at him. They were getting ready to fire by collecting all the surrounding energy from the environment to power themselves up.


    It was already getting harder to move even before they had done anything so Hao Xuan had no choice but to retaliate in full force.


    This was it. This was one of the two chances he would have to end the fight as quickly as possible with the least amount of effort.


    Channeling a good 60% of the Chaos Qi into his territory Hao Xuan regained control of the nearby space.


    *VOOM*


    A transparent barrier was erected around him within a radius of 20 meters, the same as the boundary of the territory. But the changes did not stop there.


    The ground cracked beneath his feet and tongues of me erupted from within. They surrounded his lower body creating a strong electrical charge that appeared in the shape of ropes of random lightning bolts tying him down.


    The ive glowing bright red due to the me turned a faint blue as the power of fire and lightning danced across its de.


    The temperature rose in his vicinity but it got even colder just outside which gave birth to stronger lightning bolts. His feet were not even visible anymore due to the excessive current gliding through them.


    They bore through his skin and into his bloodstream, mixing with the Lycan bloodline making it go mad with power.


    "AAAAAAHHHHHRG!"


    Stasa''s mind pces had finally finished powering up and fired. The first shot came from the first Mind Pce, the smallest of the swords.


    *BZZZZZ*


    It cut through the atmosphere in a beam of intense white light and fell right on top of him. Hao Xuan raised the ive into the air and met it head-on using the teachings of the ''Imperial ive Doctrine''.


    Feet firmly nted onto the ground he swung once upwards. All the electricity gathering at his feet traveled up his body and shot forward through the ive.


    Two des of light, one blue and one pure white met in the air and created a bright spark that blinded every single being.


    There was no explosion, only a simple conversion of energy as both of them canceled each other out with a shockwave to dissipate the rest of the energy all around them.


    The barriers shook like wet paper in a storm but somehow managed to hold on until the end, keeping the energy contained. Dai Zhi''s face instantly drained of all color as he swallowed a mouthful of blood climbing up his throat.


    The intense kickback had damaged some of the areas of the colosseum.


    When the light receded there was one less serpent floating in the air.


    Hao Xuan was unharmed but his hands were a little numb. The mes and electricity below his feet were on the verge of being snuffed out just by this one interaction.


    He looked at the other seven and knew there wasn''t enough Qi in his body to go against all of them.


    Just then Stasa''s voice rang inside his head.


    ''Give up. This is your only chance.''


    Hao Xuan frowned inwardly. He was the one in the corner so was Stasa reaching out to him? Why not just attack and finish him?


    ''Why would I do that?''


    ''Because you will lose, and in the process take me down with you.''


    ''I don''t know, I think I can kill you before ites to that. Besides, shouldn''t you be the one giving up?'' Hao Xuan retorted trying to keep him talking so he could find his location within the cyclone.


    *Sigh*


    ''You are as arrogant as you are ignorant. Do not force my hand, mortal. I agree you have some skill but you cannot win against me. This technique that you''re facing, the great ice de hanging over your head is the result of my master''s own founding technique. It belongs to the category of ''God yers'' and was not meant to be used against the likes of you.''


    ''If I end up executing the technique it will not only annihte you but also leave me weakened for the next 100 days. My cultivation will be damaged and set back months. It will be a pyrrhic victory for me, and the end of the road for you. Is that truly what you desire?''


    Hao Xuan had to admit there was truth to his words. If he could he would definitely opt out of the fight but then he would only end up fighting one of the others. This was the only way now, there was no room for hesitation.


    ''I wish I could. Unfortunately, the circumstances won''t allow me such an opportunity. If I surrender I will die.''


    ''You will die if you don''t.''


    ''Guess we''ll have to see about that, won''t we?''


    ''"Devour!"''

 Chapter 953 - Evolving

    <h4>Chapter 953 - Evolving</h4>


    ''"Devour!"''


    Hao Xuan willed it and it was done. In the same manner as the whirlpool in the sky, another one was formed on the ground below mirroring it.


    All the ambient energy from the surroundings was starting to move towards him, disappearing within his body. The whirlpool formed with a diameter of four meters but as it continued to bring in more and more energy it started to get bigger bit by bit.


    Hao Xuan could feel his Qi being restored little by little, at a pace that was neither hurried norgging behind. But when the next Mind Pce got ready to fire that pace no was longer sufficient.


    "More! MORE! FASTER AND FASTER!" he screamed and opened his arms wide like he was about to hug someone.


    The whirlpool started expanding further outwards, swiftly reaching a radius of 20 meters upon absorbing the heating off of his own chaos mes. When it expanded outside his territory it red up, as if someone had thrown gasoline on a fire.


    All that energy from their previous sh was still lingering in the air and now it had finally found an outlet.


    "AAARGH!"


    Hao Xuan''s skin felt like it was being pricked by a thousand searing needles all at once. A mix of hold and cold sensations ran throughout his body. There really was too much happening for him to absorb everything with ease but he still didn''t stop.


    "M.O.R.E!"


    With gritted teeth, he kicked the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique in full swing, the absolute best it could do. He had always been holding himself back from using the powers of the physique too much because it made him feel strange afterward but the rewards far outweighed the risks now.


    A low growl came from his stomach while something moved under his skin. Small masses emerged from around his stomach and moved around his back aligning themselves next to his spine.


    The skin and flesh alongside tore open from every spot where the masses were present, revealing small ckened fleshy growths. They looked like burnt tissue taking the form of hardened bone-like material as it had a life of its own. They fell out of his body one by one, a total of twelve growths.


    All of a sudden the pain from the rest of Hao Xuan''s body disappeared. Even he was surprised by the sudden change. He looked back and saw the small bony growths jetting out of his back. His body was evolving and changing ording to his needs at such terrifying speed that it could send any scientist into ama.


    This was not something a human could do, not like this. He couldn''t feel their presence but their effects, that was a different thing.


    The energy absorption rate had quickly skyrocketed.


    If he was absorbing 5 units of energy per second previously, that rate had gone up to 150 units in an instant.


    Each of the bony outgrowths acted like antennas,pletely separate and specialized organs that were meant for one purpose and one purpose alone, to help him swallow EVERYTHING in his path.


    The bone spurs vibrated with a weak murmur before abruptly getting louder. They sent out a shockwave that forced every loose object on the ground to go rolling away before out of nowhere, a force pulled them back.


    The vortex reached a diameter of 200 meters within seconds, bingrger than even the cyclone.


    Even the dust and debris were pulled in along with every other physical object and energy.


    The stands and the viewing hall that was full of low whispers became quiet. Dai Zhi was the first one to notice not only because he was connected to the treasure pce but also because the protective barriers surrounding the battlegrounds were losing power.


    The vortex might only be 200 meters in diameter but it was pulling in things from much further away. Those native warriors that were standing too close to the grounds felt weak and one by one fell to their knees.


    The air started to be hotter as the Chaos me mixed in with the vortex without being disturbed and spread its influence even outside Hao Xuan''s territory.


    The cyclone itself slowed down by several degrees as the vortex caught up to it. Stasa was the one restraining the cyclone felt it the best. It felt like he was losing control of it.


    He finally realized whatever Hao Xuan was trying to do could not be allowed to finish.


    "GO!"


    He shouted and all the remaining nice Mind Pces fired all at once.


    Seven pirs of celestial white light fell from the heavens, into a vortex of fire and lightning. It had covered everything in sight so he couldn''t even see Hao Xuan anymore. All he could do was aim for the center and hope for the best.


    *ZZZZZZ* x7


    Thesers fell and the world fell silent.

 Chapter 954 - Rehash

    <h4>Chapter 954 - Rehash</h4>


    Why do realms matter in cultivation?


    What is the biggest difference between the realms and how can one differentiate between cultivators of each realm?


    The first four realms from the Qi formation Realm to the Origin realm are used to cultivate the body.


    During each of these realms, a different part of the physical body is refined and purified with the help of the Qi. These realms unlock the true potential of the body, consecutively making cultivators powerful and reach longer lifespans.


    After thates the Spirit Realm where numerous Mind pces are opened. As its name suggests, the Spirit Realm deals with the working of the spirit or soul of the cultivator, making it stronger with each stage.


    Cultivators of the Spirit Realm are able to live for up to 1500 years naturally, although almost none will manage to live that long without getting stronger.


    Generally, cultivators of the Spirit Realm and below are referred to as mortals or mere warriors. And those of the Profound realm and above have said to have started their journey towards Immortality, having taken the first step on the true path of the cultivation.


    But why is that so? What sets the Spirit Realm and the Profound Realm apart?


    Well, there are two most significant differences.


    1: The amount of Qi one can possess.


    The internal meridian system of the body before reaching the Profound realm is akin to tiny rivulets. The amount of Qi that can pass through them is extremely limited, just like the overall Qi storage.


    All the Qi that a Spirit Realm cultivator has ess to is stored within the Meridians, which actually are not meant for that purpose.


    But upon breaking into the Profound Realm two major changes take ce. One is the expansion of the meridian system making the vessels not only more robust but able to transport tenfold more Qi.


    The second is the creation of the Dantian. A dantian''s sole purpose is to store refined Qi inrge quantities. It is simr to the mind pce in the sense that despite being a physical organ within the body, it is also something incorporeal in nature.


    It is a space within the body that can expand endlessly.


    With enough time and resources it can be crafted before reaching the Profound realm but that is much more difficult.


    2: The physical manifestation of the Mind Pces and connection to the outside world.


    This is how most Profound Realm cultivators are identified. They are able to physically manifest their Mind pce into the outer world, exerting great pressure on their enemies and unleashing abilities that specifically require a Mind pce to function.


    They can tether their Mind Pce to the outside world to borrow the spiritual energy of the external world to use as their own. This further expands their spiritual energy reserves by many folds.


    It is said that a Spirit Realm cultivator could fight perhaps half an hour while using their full strength. And if they possess a Dantian that time could be expanded to several hours.


    But a Profound Realm cultivator could fight at full strength for days or even weeks by borrowing the worldly energies.


    Where a Spirit Realm cultivator couldy waste to a small vige, a Profound Realm cultivator could wreck cities if left unchecked. It is a difference in not only quality but also quantity.


    That was the reason behind Abysswalker''sment. Stasa was able to manifest his mind pce''s in almost perfect harmony because he was already half a step into the Profound Realm.


    And looking at the technique he had employed, it had still taken him several minutes to get it to full power and even now the Great Ice de was not fully formed. This meant that either his Dantian was not fully formed or the technique required too much Qi which he was not able to easily provide by himself.


    If he was actually in the Profound Realm then this battle would have been over seconds after it started. He would have summoned the de and executed Hao Xuan on the spot while barely breaking a sweat.


    Instead of some ultimate technique it would have been akin to a passing nce.


    The entire colosseum shook when all the seven lights made contact with the ground. Dai Zhi jumped to his feet and muttered something under his breath to reinforce the barriers but it was clear he was not going to make it in time.


    The energy readings were off the charts. The servants standing on the sides were the first ones to stumble over each other trying to regain their footings. The foods and drinks on the tables spilled left and right.


    Many of the cultivators jumped back in shock.


    It was not until the Abysswalker was annoyed by the disturbance that he took action himself. A single light tap by his forefinger stabilized the entire treasure pce. A second tap created a blue barrier around the colosseum.


    Numerous beastly scales stacked on top of one another to create an intricate design which from afar, made it look like the skin of some obscenelyrge beast.

 Chapter 955 - Reluctance

    <h4>Chapter 955 - Reluctance</h4>


    The rumbling slowly came to a stop right after the blue barrier fully materialized around the battleground.


    The spectators finally rxed once their own safety was assured but Dai Zhi was so embarrassed that he could only hatefully re at the arena where the ground itself was covered in fire,va, and lightning while the sky was almost frozen in ce with great Ice de hovering in the center.


    Seven mind pces had fired in unison and they could do so one more time before dissipating. Stasa was hovering above the great ice de at the height of almost 200 meters. He peered down at his handy work like an angry god ready to unleash his fury.


    His rational mind told him that nothing could survive that. Not even a profound Realm cultivator could remain standing after taking such an attack head-on but somehow, deep down he knew that wasn''t the case.


    The anxiousness in his heart was foreboding of something terrible, his instincts screaming at him to cut his losses and run away.


    ''He is dead. He has to be dead...WHY AREN''T YOU DEAD?!''


    The fire died down just enough for him to catch a glimpse of a silhouette. There he was, still breathing, still standing. But he cut a sorry figure with almost half his upper body without any skin. It had been burnt off in the earlier attack.


    His back was covered in two rows of ck bone spurs that were drawing in all the energy from the air. That was the reason the intensity of the fire had lowered considerably, it was being devoured by him.


    Stasa''s eyes narrowed in disbelief. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing. The burnt flesh and skin was recovering so quickly that he could see it with the naked eye.


    "You fucking monster. What are you? WHY WON''T YOU JUST DIE?!"


    In a moment of hysteria he had subconsciously yelled that out loud and Hao Xuan heard obviously him.


    His head swiveled upwards until he was staring right into Stasa''s eyes. From over 200 meters away Stasa saw his own reflection staring back at him from within the darkness of his gaze. For a moment it felt like the entire world had gone dark.


    All that was left was him and Hao Xuan. He had never felt this way before in his entire life. This...vulnerable and exposed. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up to face the heavens.


    He saw Hao Xuan''s lips arch into a terrible smile exposing sharp beastly fangs.


    "Found you," he mouthed the words and Stasa''s heart skipped a beat.


    ''He...isn''t human! That is a monster! I need to kill him NOW!''


    He hadpletely lost hisposure. His survival instincts had taken over making his rational mind take a back seat.


    He waved his hands and seven serpents that acted as the bodies for the Mind Pces came to an abrupt stop. The first among them lit up and immediately fired where Hao Xuan was.


    *ZZZZZ*


    The surrounding air froze as the energy beam shot out once again.


    But this time Hao Xuan didn''t wait for it to get to him. He raised his right leg which was covered in bright red fire and brought crashing down onto the ground.


    *BOOOOM*


    What was left of the ground shattered instantly, sending chunks of earth shooting into the sky. By the time the energy beamnded, Hao Xuan had already jumped into the air.


    Stasa readied the second one before firing it instantly but it missed once again.


    Hao Xuan was using the chunks of earth that he just sent shooting up into the sky as tforms to not only change his position but also to higher up into the sky.


    It was like a scene from a movie or a game. He moved so quickly that most people couldn''t even see his movements. But those that could were left in awe of his agility and finesse.


    He was moving in a cyclone with all kinds of debris and obstructionsing his way yet none of it touched him even once. He was always at the right spot at the exact right time. Every energy beam missed him by less than a meter.


    No matter what Stasa tried to do he was always a step behind and before he realized what was happening Hao Xuan was almost on him.


    He gritted his teeth staring at the great ice de in ambivalence. He didn''t want to use it. It was always meant to be a prop, something to scare rather than actually use inbat. He would be set back months if not years. All his hard work gone down the drain.


    But when he saw Hao Xuan getting closer by the second all other options were automatically thrown out the window.


    ''Fine, if death is what you want, death is what you will get!''

 Chapter 956 - The Last Strike

    <h4>Chapter 956 - The Last Strike</h4>


    Having devoured twice as much energy as his body was able to store Hao Xuan''s every step was discharging raw power in the form of Chaos Qi that in turn quickly turned into fire and lightning.


    He looked like a ball of miasma moving at breakneck speed. His mind raced with numerous thoughts most of which were questioning whether or not his n would work.


    He had never tried to use both of them together. Hell, he had barely used them to begin with.


    Finally giving in to the pressure Stasa activated the Great Ice de moments before it was supposed to have beenpleted. He might not be able to control it very easily but its deadly ''firepower'' would not be affected at thiste of a stage.


    There was onest Mind Pce still left floating in the sky. Stasa took a deep breath and calmed himself as much as he could before taking aim. This time he aimed for where was going to be instead of where he was.


    Hao Xuan also saw the attacking but it was a little toote to do anything about it. His only option was to either keep going and get hit or fall back to the ground. He chose thetter.


    He pushed against the piece of dirt nearest to him and went back down. The energy beam fired, missing himpletely but sessfully sending him right below the de.


    Stasa thrust his hand forward in a straight line and made a grasping motion. The ice de shook lightly, flinging off shards left and right.


    "Ohh itsing! Finally!"


    "Who do you think will win?"


    "What do you mean who? How could Lord Stasa lose now? That other guy has no option but to take it head-on. He is not surviving that."


    "Ah, that''s a shame. I hoped it wouldst a bit longer."


    The people within the viewing stands talked amongst themselves quite animatedly as if they were watching a tv show rather than matters rted to actual life and death.


    They all knew how this was going to end but no one other than Monk, Ensis and Ceni were concerned with the oue.


    The first two couldn''t do anything even if they wanted to do, while thest one would want nothing more than to run to his rescue if her own cultivation wasn''tpletely sealed.


    All she could do was helplessly watch him die. Still, she looked over her shoulder towards Dai Zhi and begged for him to intervene.


    "Stop this, please. I will do whatever you want, just let him go."


    Dai Zhi who was already incensed didn''t even bother looking in her direction.


    "You will do what is necessary with or without him. This has nothing to do with you anymore. Shut up and sit down before I cut off your tongue, filthy half-blood," he said without trying to sugarcoat the words.


    Almost everyone within the domed hall heard him clearly but none reacted. Xue Meng just shook his head in annoyance as if it was getting in the way of him enjoying the fight.


    Weak-kneed, Princess Ceni fell back in her seat involuntarily. Tears streamed down her face and all she could hear were her mother''s voice echoing in the back of her mind.


    ''Look what you did, silly girl. I told you didn''t I? You will always be alone.''


    "No, that''s not true!" she tried to cover her ears while mumbling to herself like a crazy person.


    Tian Zheng''s smile widened even more upon hearing her talk to herself.


    Princess Ceni hadn''t realized it but there was a thin worm-like creatureing out of Tian Zheng''s ears and going into hers. It was the reason she was hearing such things. Whispers that made sense only to her, that would diminish her spirit and will to live until she was nothing but an empty shell for him to y with.


    Back on the battleground the cyclone had almostpletely turned into solid ice, entrapping Hao Xuan within. Even his fire couldn''t melt it one bit. There was nowhere left for him to go, not that he was nning on it anyway.


    Having cast an incorporeal grip around the de, Stasa raised his hand by a few inches and the de moved with him. Only it rose almost fifty meters.


    The air suddenly became light and the slight pressure that Hao Xuan had been feeling all this time vanishedpletely. Stasa had recalled every inch of power back into his body.


    Hao Xuan tightened the grip around the ive. He also had his own ''ultimate technique'' to try. But somehow he knew deep down it wouldn''t be able to stop that de, at least not entirely. So he needed to use it with something else to maximize the output.


    He regted every iota of Qi at his disposal and directed it towards the ive, making it brighter in the process. He looked up and waited with bated breath for the sky to fall, like everyone else.


    Having brought it up as much as possible Stasa suddenly loosened his grip and watch the de fall straight down.


    Hao Xuan saw the de getting bigger and closed his eyes. He didn''t want to see how this ended either way.


    "Last Strike of Samsara: Sunder!"

 Chapter 957 - What Should Not Have Been

    <h4>Chapter 957 - What Should Not Have Been</h4>


    It truly did live up to its name, a skill at the level of beingbeled a "God Killer".


    When the Great Ice de started its descent it felt like the heavens themselves were falling on top of him. It was a move to end all of creation within its area of effect and he could feel it the moment he saw it.


    It felt like a thousand hands were reaching down from the firmament and trying to push him into the ground so he wouldn''t even be able to move.


    Hao Xuan would be lying if he said he didn''t feel desperate and unsure at that moment. His life hung in the bnce and having experienced death more than two dozen times already, he was not a fan.


    But thanks to that he wasn''t as nervous as he should have been in such a situation. There was no ce left for him to hide, no tricks to pull, and certainly no way to avoid this.


    Many people including Princess Ceni, Ensis, and Monk stood up from their seats in awe and fear of the absolute power that was hidden inside that de. It almost seemed unfair.


    For the first time since the beginning of the battle, Ensis appeared to be concerned. His confidence wavered in Hao Xuan''s ability to survive this. The person he regarded as his savior, as his one and the only reason to live was at stake now.


    But while all the others were focused on the battle, half his attention was focused on Dai Zhi. He was the one behind this and if something happened to Hao Xuan then Ensis was willing to do whatever it took to get revenge. Even if it meant going against Dai Zhi right here and now.


    A barely discernable wave of killing intent leaked out which only two people noticed, Xue Meng and the Abysswalker. And although the Abysswalker couldn''t seem any less interested, Xue Meng''s eyes narrowed for an instant.


    His right hand rested on the hilt of the old saberying by his side. Dai Zhi couldn''t die as long as he was under his protection.


    Ensis, as sharp as he was, noticed that too. His eyes turned cold as he turned around to face Xue Meng. This was a day of many firsts. Ensis had never been this incensed before. To him it felt like Xue Meng was directly challenging his resolve, his dedication andmitment to the one he served without question.


    All the ill feelings that he had been hiding under that mask of apathy were pushed out at this moment. He was a clone of a God Fiend and it would take a lot more than this to scare him into submission.


    In Xue Meng''s eyes, Ensis didn''t appear to be human at all. His killing intent was so...pure that he could feel his body being pricked by needles just by staring in his direction.


    But to someone like him that lived for the thrill of life and death battles, it only pushed him further into that state. A sword and saber faced each other right under everyone''s nose and no one was the wiser.


    The result of the Hao Xuan and Stasa''s battle would signal their battle, and neither of them was intending on dragging it out.


    **


    Back on the battleground, Hao Xuan''s blood had almost frozen solid within his veins because of Stasa''sws which started to affect him through his bloodline.


    He held the ive over his head and waited with eyes closed. He didn''t need to see it to know how close it was, it was giving off enough pressure to announce its location to everyone.


    The Great de drew near. Princess Ceni looked for as long as she could before looking away, praying with all her heart to any who would listen.


    People waited for Hao Xuan to try something, do anything really but that never happened. He maintained his stance until the almost 200-meter long ice de was less than 5 meters from him.


    His frozen lips slowly parted and uttered the words, invoking a technique that should have never been created, at least not in this timeline.


    "The Last Strike of Samsara: Sunder!"


    Hebined two of the most mysterious techniques at his disposal into one.


    Sunder the Heavens, the one he still had no idea where it came from. And the Last Strike of Samsara which was given as a gift to Hao Xuan by the being that had brought Zhurong to him.


    He finally moved, or rather one of him. His upper body became hazy and like one image superimposed upon another separated from the main body to strike forward, connecting the ive directly with the Ice de.


    The time came to a standstill as the second image separated from the main body and struck from the left. A third struck from the right and finally, the main body moved one by one gathering all the superimposed images back into him as it struck.


    Time moved again and when the ive hit the ice de for the final time it cracked from the center shattering the ice de in its entirety while a surge of that same energy carried forward into the air and to cut Stasa cleanly in half.

 Chapter 958 - Keepsake

    <h4>Chapter 958 - Keepsake</h4>


    In application the Last Strike of Samsara was rtively simple. Having used it a couple of times Hao Xuan now understood its basic purpose. Once used with any other skill it would simply multiply that effect of thest strike of that skill and execute it four times instead of one, at full power.


    Meaning Hao Xuan had just executed ''Sunder'' four times at once.


    The only other times he had used the Last Strike was as ast resort and without anybining it with another technique which still drained him of all Qi. And now afterbining it with the only other skill that was more taxing on his body, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it could break him in half.


    Even he might not be able to handle such a great degree of stress and bacsh.


    The raw power of this strike ''one'' not only matched the Great Ice de but exceeded it. Hao Xuan''s central Mind Pce shook back and forth as if there was an earthquake and several of the pirs supporting the entire structure cracked from various ces.


    Bo, the Scorpion King, and any of the other severs still resting inside the ce were woken up by the disturbance. To them, it felt like the world was crashing down.


    The nine wooden chaos gates encircling the central pce all increased their orbiting speeds and poured out more and more Chaos from within. It had already started to repair the damage done to them, albeit at a very slow pace.


    Hao Xuan''s head felt like it was splitting in half and even his body was reeling from the aftershock.


    He looked up to see Stasa''s body cut right down the middle. His eyes narrowed as Stasa''s image magnified and he saw it distort for just a second.


    ''And there goes the veil.''


    The cyclone burst open scattering Qi all over the ce and the spectators finally saw the results. Hao Xuan was still standing on the same spot with some minor external injuries but once they saw what had been left of Stasa they were horrified.


    Tian Zheng, Dima, Dai Zhi, every single person within the domed hall other than the Abysswalker were brought up to their feet.


    "H-How is this possible?!" Tian Zheng was the first one to utter the words that were on everyone''s mind.


    "No, it has to be a trick," Dai Zhi swiftly responded.


    Princess Ceni slowly opened her eyes and tears of joy immediately ran down her face. She felt like she had aged years in that single moment.


    Ensis withdrew his killing intent and finally broke eye contact with Xue Meng, facing the battleground with a straight face.


    Dima on the other hand who was perhaps the closest one to Stasa was strangely quiet which Dai Zhi noticed. He contacted him through spiritual sense.


    ''Is this real?''


    Dima replied with no small amount of hesitation, ''Of course but...it''s not as bad as you think.''


    Dai Zhi thought to himself ''He is dead, how is it not that bad?'' when the hologram presented him with the answer.


    Right in front of everyone Stasa''s body burst into me. The me got bigger and bigger before suddenly being put out. And when the smoke cleared Stasa was whole again,pletely uninjured.


    But he was unconscious for a few moments while his body plummeted to the ground. Thankfully he woke up moments before hitting the ground and managed to summon a sword to slow his descent and surf down on the air currents.


    Hended on the far side of the grounds, as far away as he could possibly get from Hao Xuan while still being in the same ce. The sword wobbled just as hended and vanished a momentter.


    The crowd was bbergasted at the sudden turn of events but Hao Xuan had already been through this. He knew Stasa had some kind of protection talisman on him which would be destroyed instead if he ever received a mortal wound.


    Only was he facing him with his actual life on the line. And this was thest straw, for both of them.


    Stasa had exhausted his Qi reserves and taken damage from using the great Ice de, while Hao Xuan had also received both internal and external injuries. This next bout was going to decide the victor and Hao Xuan was not confident he coulde out of this in one piece.


    He had only tried it once before and ended up losing his head that time because of a simple miscalction.


    Stasa took a few heavy breaths to calm his racing heart. His eyes seemed much darker and a lot more respectful this time around when he met Hao Xuan''s gaze from across the grounds.


    "I...did not expect that, at all."


    Hao Xuan smiled half-heartedly. He knew Stasa was trying to buy time but so was he. His own Qi reserves were almost running dry and he was doing his best to absorb as much as possible from the atmosphere for this next part.


    Stasa lightly held the empty scabbard with his right hand. To others it might not seem important but Hao Xuan''s heart lurched when he saw it.. That was the thing that had killed him almost every other time, the thing hiding inside a seemingly ordinary keepsake.

 Chapter 959 - Arm And A Leg

    <h4>Chapter 959 - Arm And A Leg</h4>


    ''In the end it all came down to this moment...again.''


    The bone spurs protruding from Hao Xuan''s back rapidly gathered all the ambient energy from the atmosphere and stored it in his meridians, his cells, and blood, every ce that could hold it.


    Movements of so much energy created barely visible ripples in the air that could be seen in the naked eye. To Stasa who was standing across from him, it looked like vast translucent butterfly-like wings were asionally fluttering behind him.


    ''My mind is ying tricks on me,'' he told himself.


    While all of Hao Xuan''s senses were so focused on his opponent that he couldn''t hear or see anything else besides him. All other sounds died down and the world became nk.


    Every twitch, every muscle extension, and contraction, it was allid bare in front of him. It got to a point where Hao Xuan could look past his skin and see the inside of his body, much like a clockmaker inspecting a particrly troublesome piece of machinery.


    All those small parts working in tandem to make one whole picture. The beating of the heart, the blood coursing through his veins, pumping to every single organ. In his eyes Stasa wasn''t even human anymore, just a collection of nerves, fibers, and tissues.


    ''I can do it, I can,'' he assured himself.


    The Law of Chaos was invoked and its territory brought forth. The air hissed for a moment before bending to his will. Within that 20-meter radius Hao Xuan could feel everything as if it was ced there by his own self.


    Every rock, every pebble, every broken piece of the rubble was there with his knowledge. His fingers caressed the air and felt a piece of rock brush against his skin that was over 12 meters away.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand to store the damaged ive and leaned forward with both legs firmly nted on the ground. One deep breath, in and out.


    The aching pain running through his mind and body was put aside. All that was left was Stasa now.


    He slowly rotated his palms while bringing both hands to the front. The territory that was surrounding him from all sides waspressed and pushed to the front in a narrow line.


    It had a radius of 20 meters as a circle but when hepressed and forced it all in one direction its range started to extend. It became longer and longer before finally stopping at a little over 90 meters.


    He looked towards Stasa and estimated that he was approximately 260 meters away, a little less than 3 times the distance of the territory.


    ''It''s doable. Who says the first time has to be a failure?''


    His heartbeats quickened as a surge of lycan blood ran through his system. His presence deteriorated to the extent that for a short moment Stasa overlooked himpletely even though they were looking right at each other.


    Hao Xuan''s fingers grew into ws, his gaze fixated on the foe. He could see Stasa''s lips moving but could not near the words. They didn''t matter anymore, there was only one way this was going to end.


    Having his words fall on deaf ears Stasa could give up trying to talk Hao Xuan down.


    "Fine, so be it," he whispered before taking his stance.


    It looked quite simr to Hao Xuan''s with the only difference being that Hao Xuan was barehanded while Stasa was holding the scabbard.


    He brought it closer and held it to his right side while the left hand hovered over where the sword ''should'' have been. He made a grasping motion and shockingly, an ethereal de materialized from nothingness.


    The hologram projecting their images suddenly distorted and turned into static noise. The Abysswalker, Xue Meng, and Ensis all three frowned in unison. There was a new presence in their midst.


    To Xue Meng it felt threatening as if an enemy had appeared. To Ensis it felt he was meeting a family member, like a part of him long lost. To the Abysswalker it was its identity that got his attention.


    ''A sword spirit, and a very powerful one at that. His master must have sold an arm and a leg to be able to afford something like that.''


    Most other sword users in the audience could also feel the strangeness. Some of their des that had their own spirits shook relentlessly within the scabbards, either in fear or awe of what stirred awake within Stasa''s grasp.


    Hao Xuan instinctively bared his teeth. It was that thing that had killed him.


    ''Fucking monster-''


    There was no way to defend against it, no way to protect yourself. The sword spirit did not target the body but the soul. His very being was extinguished every time he came up against it.


    ''-But not this time!''

 Chapter 960 - Chaos Steps

    <h4>Chapter 960 - Chaos Steps</h4>


    The moment Stasa''s grip tightened around the ethereal de Hao Xuan could feel the effect inside him. It felt like someone was holding a knife to his brain stem, ready to sever it at a moment''s notice.


    Ordinarily, Stasa could summon the sword spirit once every 24 hours as long as he had enough Qi but now that not only his own cultivation had been seriously affected but also his Qi, the sword spirit needed to absorb spiritual energy from the air just like Hao Xuan.


    But Hao Xuan wasn''t going to give them the opportunity. He already knew about what was potentially the only drawback of using that cheating spirit. Every time Stasa consumed too much Qi it would take him longer and longer to call it out.


    That was also the main reason Hao Xuan had opted to draw out the fight for as long as he had. It was to expand his internal Qi reserves along with getting rid of that life-saving talisman.


    The air began to stir loudly around Stasa as he called his own territory in case Hao Xuan tried anything. All he needed was a few more seconds and the sword spirit that was drawing in copious amounts of spiritual energy would be ready.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils narrowed to slits, bing more beastly than ever before. His canines grew out of his mouth and the skin of his arms got darker by the second.


    He threw out everything at his disposal.


    ''Assualt of the Mad God!'' to double his physical strength.


    ''Infernal Rapture'' to increase it by another 40%.


    And most importantly, ''Demonic Steps'' to carry him forward.


    "AAAGH!"


    ck veins protruded from under the skin all along his neck, back and arms. Both his hearts thumped vociferously four times in a row.


    *THUMP*THUMP*THUMP*THUMP* x2


    One pumped Lycan blood and the other drank every iota of Chaos Qi before sending it out in a blind stampede across his meridians. His legs swole by half a size as the fire and lightning effects took shape because of the Chaos.


    ''Within this territory I am God! As long as there is Chaos, everything bends to my will, even space!''


    "CHAOS STEPS!"


    Stasa''s pupils shrunk to the size of pinholes as he saw Hao Xuan''s figure vanish.


    "WHAT-"


    Yes, he hadpletely disappeared but the very next moment he appeared once again a little over 90 meters from the original position. He was already a meter off the ground by then and when Stasa felt the devastating power rampaging across his body even he was frightened.


    ''You motherfucker!''


    He gave up trying to power the Sword Spirit all the way and pulled. Half a de came out but the rest was stuck inside.


    "NOW!" he screamed at the top of his lungs just as Hao Xuan disappeared again before reappearing another 90 meters away.


    "AAAAAH!"


    Panic and adrenaline took over as the muscles of his upper arms and shoulders bulged and he forcefully pulled out the rest of the de which had yet to stabilize.


    "DIEEE!"


    He leaped back while swinging the de in front of him horizontally, exactly where Hao Xuan was going to appear. A demented smile bloomed on his face but the very next moment his expression froze as he realized there was no one there.


    "Where-" he whispered to himself while looking around and saw a shadow from the corner of his right eye.


    The second he looked in its direction it disappeared. He swiftly sheathed the de hoping to pull it out once more but his arm didn''t move.


    ''Huh?''


    He looked down and saw a foot resting on his left hand, keeping it from being drawn.


    "Wha...?"


    He looked back up to see a pair of green pupils staring into his soul. Hao Xuan was standing right in front of him. His left foot held Stasa in ce while his right arm was pulled back towards his chest making a fist.


    "No please-" he whispered.


    "STOOOP!"


    Both Dai Zhi and Xue Meng jumped to their feet screaming but there was no hesitation in Hao Xuan''s movements.


    "Should have given up," he muttered before his ckened fist shot out like a meteor.


    It didn''t actually connect with Stasa''s body but the devastating force behind the punch was still sent rolling forward, all of that Chaos fire and lightning flooding into his body. The air rippled and space creaked, and in front of thousands of people Stasa''s body disintegrated into a fine mist from inside out.


    *BOOOOOM*


    No bone, no fabric, only an old scabbard fell to the ground through the bloody mist. His very soul extinguished by the Chaos, snuffed out like a candle in a thunderstorm.


    The sound of booming thunder resounding within the silent colosseum.


    Hao Xuan''s body rxed and his appearance returned to normal. The hologram resumed, showing what looked like an abstract painting from above.


    It looked like a balloon filled with red paint had exploded.

 Chapter 961 - F Boy

    <h4>Chapter 961 - F Boy</h4>


    A gust of cold air blew through the grounds carrying the bloody mist along with it. Hao Xuan''s chest heaved up and down in excruciating pain as he tried to keep his footing.


    There was a numbing pain in his left heart as if there was something trying to break out, not to mention the rest of his body which felt like it was about to fall apart at any moment. Still, he couldn''t let it show. Appearances needed to be kept at such a crucial time.


    He looked to the stands and shouted.


    "Is that good enough for you?"


    Dai Zhi, finally brought back from his stupor walked forward. His expression contorted from anger while his voice full of fury echoed in the entire colosseum.


    "I ordered you to stop. Why didn''t you?!"


    "I couldn''t. I said beforehand, I won''t be able to hold back in the heat of the moment."


    "You SHOULD have! Even if it cost your pathetic little life you should have stopped yourself before it was toote!"


    Dai Zhi''s forefingers twirled in the air and the space around Hao Xuan started to constrict. It felt like two invisible walls were trying to squish him in between.


    He finally couldn''t take it anymore and threw all decorum to the wind.


    "Dai Zhi, are you breaking Lord Inquisitor''s promise?!" he reminded him.


    Dai Zhi instantly froze in his ce before slowly looking back towards the man in question.


    The Abysswalker was still sitting on his throne casually watching the scene unfold. He waved his handzily and Hao Xuan suddenly appeared back within the domed hall.


    "The child is right, I did give him my word. There is nothing for you to worry about. No one mes you for the ''oue'' of the battle," he met Dai Zhi''s gaze as he said thest few words and both him and Hao Xuan realized the meaning behind those words.


    He couldn''t be condemned for the oue of the battle but there can be any number of other things that could be med on him, anything Dai Zhi could cook up would be sufficient, the ball was entirely in his court.


    Dai Zhi''s lips arched into a cheerful smile while Hao Xuan remained expressionless.


    ''Sons of bitches, all of you,'' he cursed inwardly while looking around. For some reason he looked directly towards Princess Ceni who still had tears in her eyes. But she quickly looked away and tried to clean her face out of sight.


    Hao Xuan looked towards these many faces one more time. He wanted to try a few more things but there was not going to be the chance for that from how the situation was unfolding.


    To everyone''s surprise Hao Xuan suddenlyughed out loud while pping.


    "Now that the formalities are out of the way, I would like to congratte the happy couple!"


    His smile was so sincere that even the ones that wanted him dead were surprised. It sounded like he really meant it. And Hao Xuan didn''t give them enough time to ponder the meaning of it for too long either.


    He stepped forward, still oozing blood from various ces. Being so close to him they could feel his unsteady blood flow and almost non-existent spiritual energy. Right now he wasn''t really a threat to anyone.


    Dai Zhi raised his hand to stop him but the Abysswalker gestured for him not to interfere. He was curious and wanted to see what Hao Xuan was trying to do.


    To someone like him it was all just a game, a form of entertainment.


    Under the careful scrupulous gazes of the entire domed hall Hao Xuan slowly walked up to where Tian Zheng was sitting and extended his hand.


    "Congrattions brother."


    He sounded more honest than anyone else so far like he was truly happy for him.


    ''Is he trying to get on their good sides?''


    ''What a coward. At least die like a man with some dignity.''


    ''Pfft, what can you expect from a low-born?''


    Hushed whispers of his intentions echoed in the hall.


    Tian Zheng looked towards Dai Zhi for confirmation who nodded in return. If Hao Xuan tried anything he would kill him instantly. All his attention was focused on him.


    Tian Zheng didn''t say anything but still reluctantly offered his hand in exchange as well. Hao Xuan grabbed it, his smile widening to extraordinary levels.


    ''Plunder!''


    Hao Xuan used an ability that he had almostpletely forgotten about, the ability to steal other people''s luck. (CH 532/533)


    The moment he thought of the word a sudden feeling of fullness crept into his body. It felt like a hunger that he didn''t even know he had was satisfied in its entirety.


    Tian Zheng felt the change inside him as well. It was unlike he had ever felt before and it vanished as soon as it appeared.


    "What did you do?!" he asked in a low voice.


    He wanted to attack him but he wasn''t even sure what he did to him. It was a simple feeling of loss.


    Hao Xuan chuckled, "Just some well wishes, brother. No need to be so nervous."


    "Who the hell is nervous- Oi!"


    Before he was finished talking Hao Xuan had already moved to the other side. He was standing in front of Princess Ceni bowing lightly with one hand extended. A kiss on the ring to show his loyalty and support.


    Her troubled gaze met Hao Xuan''s. Just like everyone else she was also in the dark. Was he really congratting her?


    ''How could you be so mean?'' she thought to herself but the very next moment his voice ran inside her head.


    ''Take my hand, quick!'' he ordered.


    "Huh?"


    Taken aback, her body moved of its own volition. Even now she trusted him despite him not giving her any reason to.


    Dai Zhi''s brow furrowed as he saw her reach out. An uneasy feeling suddenly took root in his heart and he shouted "STOP!"


    Princess Ceni''s body froze on the spot. Hao Xuan sighed. She was mere inches away so naturally he reached out and grabbed her hand before meeting Dai Zhi''s gaze.


    "I will see you very soon, fuck boy."


    And by the time he was finished talking both Hao Xuan and Ceni had disappeared from the hall.

 Chapter 962 - Mixed Feelings

    <h4>Chapter 962 - Mixed Feelings</h4>


    The Abysswalker was the first one to react. Before Hao Xuan and Ceni had evenpletely gone through the gateway an ethereal w reached out and stabbed that section of the space.


    It followed him into the gateway as both Ceni and Hao Xuan were warped into nothingness before being thrown out thousands of kilometers underground, right next to his camp behind the city of Argham.


    Princess Ceni was frozen stiff because of Dai Zhi''s ability so it all fell on Hao Xuan. He threw her across the forest the moment both of their bodies stabilized on this side but he wasn''t fast enough to dodge the w.


    It ripped through his lower abdomen before finally dissipating into smoke.


    Hao Xuan fell to the ground coughing up blood and even some small chunks of internal organs.


    "BARACUS! THE WOUND, CLOSE IT NOW!" he barked in agony prompting all the nanites to jump into action.


    The blood stopped but the gash remained the same, showing no signs of healing whatsoever.


    *Beep*


    ''The blood supply to the affected areas has been temporarily suspended but thecerations are infused with an unknown energy and show no sign of dissipating. Unless and until the energy can be removed the wound will remain open.''


    He stopped leaking blood over the ground which was a great thing but the waves of pain did not stop even for a moment. Still, he forced himself to get back on his feet and inspect the surroundings.


    The lights from the City of Argham were bright enough to illuminate most of the surrounding forest, including where Hao Xuan currently was. He wasn''t too far away from the camp, just a minute''s walk, if he could walk.


    He was just d that the coordinates weren''t too far from his intended destination. If he was sent somewhere out in the wild then he would be in for some serious trouble. Thankfully this forest didn''t have any dangerous beasts thanks to the demihumans.


    "Haha, I can''t believe that worked," he mumbled to himself chuckling. Despite having a gaping hole in his stomach it wasn''t too bad of an oue considering the alternatives.


    The only issue was that he didn''t stay for whatever they had nned afterward. But they couldn''t hurt him anymore so it wasn''t too big a deal.


    He was about to call out the Scorpion King to help him carry to safety but was stopped by the sound of hurried footstepsing from the side. Princess Ceni appeared from behind a tree.


    She took one look at him and with all the blood pooling at his feet became more worried than Hao Xuan had ever been for another human being.


    "Are you okay?! Does it hurt?"


    She ran up to him but didn''t know what to do other than just ask how he was doing. But all Hao Xuan could focus on were the dried tear marks on her face and the tightened mps around her neck and wrists that had stopped her movements earlier.


    Her haggard appearance which seemed to have aged a decade in a handful of hours didn''t help either, nor did her emaciated figure. It looked like she hadn''t eaten in days.


    He couldn''t help but recall all the nasty things he had said to her while she cried her heart out right in front of him. But what was worse was that she was truly worried about him right now,pletely disregarding her own circumstances.


    ''Do you not realize what we have just done? They are all our enemies now,'' he thought inwardly but that''s not what he said.


    <i></i>


    "Yeah, I''m...okay. Sorry..."


    He didn''t know what that sorry was for. For worrying her so much or making her cry again and again.


    She didn''t even hear what he was saying. All she could see was the bloody gash. And standing so close to him she could also feel a portion of his pain, just like how he could feel her concern.


    She took one of his arms and put it around her shoulders.


    "I can walk just fine-" he tried to tell her but...


    "No, you can''t, stop lying. Shut up and let me help you!" she growled fiercely in response, starling Hao Xuan.


    This was the first time he had seen her look so...scary.


    "O-Oh, thanks..." he weakly mumbled back, unsure of what else to say. They limped through the woods in silence until several voices could be hearding from nearby. Picking up the pace and they came upon one of the camps around where Hao Xuan''s was.


    Several familiar figures sat there all looking at something in theirps.


    "Yo!" Hao Xuan called out.


    Henrik looked up and saw Hao Xuan, his expression changing to one of joy before quickly changing back to a deep frown.


    "You''re here?! Then..." he looked back at hisp.


    "What the hell is going on?"


    They came forward and saw numerous small screens projecting from each of their identity tokens.. All of them were showing the same thing, the colosseum.

 Chapter 963 - Enjoy The Show

    <h4>Chapter 963 - Enjoy The Show</h4>


    The same shattered battlegrounds covered in Stasa''s and his blood reflected off of the screens. The gates on all four sides were open and more and more people were being herded in by men dressed in white.


    Hao Xuan pushed Henrik off his chair and sat down, taking out his own identity token. It shook and projected a screen despite him not inserting any spiritual energy.


    "How is he doing that? Was this own the whole time?" he looked at Henrik who seemed to be tongue-tied for some reason.


    "What?"


    Just then the trees shifted lightly as another figure dropped from the canopy.


    "I can''t find him anywhere-" Ma Jiang started speaking but stopped the moment her eyes fell on Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan gave half a smile and waved at her, "Hey, look who''s back. Can''t find who? Is someone missing?"


    She looked at Henrik who didn''t know what to say either. Hao Xuan got a bad feeling from their weird attitude. Everyone was avoiding meeting his gaze.


    He looked around and found two people that were not there.


    Salome and Jin Wang. Hao Xuan firmly grabbed Henrik by the shoulder, his grip getting tighter by the second.


    "Who?" he asked in a low voice.


    Henrik sighed deeply before reaching out and tapping a few times on Hao Xuan''s identity token to shift through the camera angles. It zoomed in and was now showing the faces of the people being sent into the grounds.


    There was a confused bulky figure that stood out among them, taller than any of the others around him. There was a small boy sitting on his shoulders looking around.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened from shock and his body moved on its own as he jumped to his feet. It was Salome.


    "What is...he doing there?" he whispered, unable to gather enough strength to even scream.


    Henrik shook his head despairingly unable to even meet Hao Xuan''s gaze, "I don''t know. We thought he was in your camp still asleep. But the next thing we know our identity tokens ''turn on'' out of nowhere and he shows up momentster."


    Hao Xuan remembered ''the event'' Dai Zhi and others had referenced several times and realized what they meant.


    "No, maybe they don''t know who he is. It could just be a coincidence," he told himself but deep down he knew the chances for that were almost non-existent.


    When he left Salome was still here in the camp which means they would have sent someone to kidnap him afterwards, and they would have had to use a teleportation array which is a disposable object custom-designed for people depending on their mass and cultivation levels.


    And he was right. Hao Xuan''s personal identity token opened up out of nowhere and Dai Zhi''s voice came through.


    "I see you finally tuned in. s, I wanted you to see this in person, a real pity you left so early. There isn''t much that can quite rece that stench of blood and desperation in person. Still, I hope you enjoy the show. It was prepared by Lord Inquisitor and brother Tian Zheng just for you."


    The images on Hao Xuan''s identity token were clearer than any of the others and were being manually controlled by someone from the back, most probably Dai Zhi himself.


    It zoomed in on Salome again. He was looking around in confusion talking to the 6-7-year-old sitting on his shoulder.


    "Wah, so many people. Do you think the vige chief is here too?"


    The boy had deep scars on his arms and face and the rest of him was covered in bandages. He was resting on Salome''s head while sluggishly looking around.


    "What does he look like? I will find him for you, mister! Maybe he is with my dad."


    Hao Xuan threw down the token and moved back several steps. He closed his eyes and tried to create another portal back to the colosseum, even just one way would be fine but to his dismay, there was not enough mental energy to even open a one-way portal.


    "Fuck FUCK! Henrik, you must have something right? Help me get there," he looked to him for help.


    Henrik was actually about to reach into his pocket when he saw Ceni''s signal from behind, gesturing for him not to. He did indeed have a single teleportation disc but it could only be used once.


    Hao Xuan could be sent there but not brought back, and in his current state that would be suicide.


    "No I''m sorry, I wish there was something I could do but..."


    "ANYONE?! DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ONE?!" he shouted at the rest of the ten-person group but got no answers.


    Hao Xuan''s insides felt like they were on fire. His blood was boiling to the point that he couldn''t even keep his emotions under check. And when he spoke his voice turned guttural.


    "YOU USELESS FUCKS!" he roared with an ugly expression.


    None of them dared to even meet his seething aze. Despite not being at fault they didn''t try and fight him at this moment. His reaction was understandable.


    "All of you...useless..." his breathing became unsteady and footing unstable but upon remembering the Grand Priestess he became hopeful. She might have some magic that could help.


    Gathering what little strength he had left Hao Xuan ran off in the direction he hadst met her, near that white waterfall.


    Henrik stood up to give chase but Princess Ceni stopped him again.


    "I will go," she said before running after him with his identity token in tow.


    Henrik looked at her back vanish from view and nced towards Ma Jiang, "Can you follow them and make sure everything is okay?"


    Ma Jiang was surprised he had chosen her but she didn''t ask why and using her magics floated away into the canopy above.

 Chapter 964 - Minds Eye

    <h4>Chapter 964 - Minds Eye</h4>


    With the vision blurry, weak-kneed and arms heavy, Hao Xuan could barely hold himself upright while stumbling from one tree to another for support.


    His wounds began to fester with the poison from the Abysswalker''s attack that made him feel like his entire body was on fire and yet, all that pain couldn''t stop him for even a moment.


    Princess Ceni followed him from a distance of 3-4 meters while Ma Jiang was behind her stealthily following from the thick canopy. She watched as Ceni easily kept up with his pace but did not lend a shoulder or a hand.


    She just watched him struggle from the shadows.


    And by some miracle Hao Xuan managed to reach the white waterfall where the Grand Priestess used to reside. It was covered in a heavy mist, as usual, reducing the visibility to a little over three meters.


    "OLD WOMAN! ARE YOU THERE?! Hao Xuan shouted from the top of the waterfall before making his way down.


    "WHERE ARE YOU?!" he yelled while looking around for any evidence but there was no one here.


    Just the sound of water sshing and creatures ying inside.


    "YOU HAG! WHERE DID YOU GO!" he cursed loudly but got no response once again.


    He was at the end of his rope now.


    Hao Xuan''s knees buckled and he fell on all fours with a loud thud, right next to the pure white water.


    Even his other wounds had started to bleed from overexertion but he didn''t care right now. His blood flowed through the ground and mixed in with the water dying it crimson.


    Ma Jiang watched in silence as Ceni stared at Hao Xuan for a few moments longer before finally walking up to him. She waited till the veryst moment before rendering help.


    Princess Ceni bent down and gently caressed the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair like she had done those so many times before on the ship.


    "I''m sorry, you did everything you could-" she whispered before "identally" dropping his identity token which started showing what was happening inside the colosseum battlegrounds.


    Dai Zhi''s voice came through again catching Hao Xuan''s attention.


    "If only you were here you could have done something. He is a little slow though, isn''t he? All we needed to say was that you needed his help and he came running of his own ord, hahaha."


    The images shifted again showing Salome''s face. He was looking around craning his neck left and right from within the crowd. The cheering from the stands got louder and louder.


    "Woah, there are so many people here," he said,pletely in awe of the ce. This was the first time he had seen so many people in one ce. The scarred boy sitting on his shoulders had much the same reaction.


    Hao Xuan''s teeth were grinding so hard that it looked like they coulde loose at any moment. He reached and grabbed the identity token with trembling hands.


    "Stop, you don''t need to do this," he mumbled absentmindedly.


    His mind was racing with numerous thoughts trying toe up with a solution, anything at all to help.


    The cheering suddenly to an abrupt halt as all the gates closed. There were close to 300 people there, all ordinary native people. Women, children, old folks and some men were missing a limb or two or otherwise challenged.


    The video zoomed out to show a figure jumping from the domed hall andnding in the middle of the grounds. It was Tian Zheng. His crooked expression was filled with viscousness as he stared at the scared natives.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened, "No, not him!" he mumbled under his breath.


    Tian Zheng waved his hand and two extremely tall sickly figures appeared on either side of him. They were close to 6 meters in height oozing a ck haze from all over their bodies. Their faces only had a single round opening where the mouth should have been while the rest was covered in a ss-like reflective material.


    Two curved goat horns decorated the top of their heads. (Image in authors notes and discord)


    Hands sped behind his back Tian Zheng gestured with his head. The eyes of all the natives that were watching the creatures suddenly dimmed. Well, all other than Salome and the boy on his shoulder.


    The top reflective halves of the two creature''s faces brightened by several degrees and hummed in a low frequency creating a barely visible shockwave that covered everything.


    The next second whatever was messing with the natives vanished and they returned to normal. Well, as normal as they could be.


    The spectators went silent for a moment when nothing seemed to have changed but a few secondster a heart-wrenching scream came from one of the women standing next to Salome.


    "M-MONSTER!" she screamed pointing at him.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/3d/0f/13/3d0f13facd7331e6e847e546c70a8e73.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/N7srH

 Chapter 965 - The ‘Mood’

    <h4>Chapter 965 - The ¡®Mood¡¯</h4>


    But she was only the spark that lit the fires of delirium. Her scream brought the attention of all the other natives in her direction. When their eyes fell on Salome and the boy they all screamed in much the same heartrending manner.


    Even the men couldn''t help but scream as if their lives depended on it. Others might not know but Hao Xuan had experienced the ability of those creatures first hand. They could make people see their worst nightmares walking about, things they didn''t even know scared them.


    Their minds would be consumed by madness and they would lose all higher brain functions turning into little more than raving monsters by the end.


    Tian Zheng had tried to use that ability on Hao Xuan but it didn''t work on him for more than a few seconds thanks to the Lycan Bloodline that provided immunity to all outside influences.


    But even those handful of seconds were dreadful. It was a feeling of dread and existential crisis that he had never felt before. And now all those terrible emotions were being brought out from the natives, directed towards Salome.


    Hao Xuan''s heart felt ''full'' as if it was a size too big for his own chest. It became harder and harder to draw breath but all he could focus on were those images.


    Ceni''s eyes started to glow with a crimson light as she moved her hand to the top of Hao Xuan''s head. Her Qi fluctuated and abruptly expanded by several times. It was like she was drawing power from his negative emotions.


    Ma Jiang who was still watching from the shadows finally couldn''t take it anymore and decided to intervene but a hand came from behind her and held her in ce.


    "Shh, let them be. It is not your ce to meddle," a familiar voice said.


    Ma Jiang looked back and saw the Grand Priestess standing behind her.


    "Granny! When did you-No never mind that. Can you help him?"


    The Grand Priestess shook her head listlessly.


    "Even if I could I would not. This needs to happen to solidify his existence here."


    "His existence? What are you even talking about?? We have to at least stop that girl from hurting him more. She is showing him those things on purpose!"


    The Grand Priestess nodded, "I know. That too must happen. The threads of destiny have already bound them together. We needn''t intercede."


    "NOO!"


    Hao Xuan''s hate-fueled scream brought an end to their dialogue.


    The screen showed Salome and the boy being attacked by the natives. They hadpletely lost their minds and only saw what Tian Zheng wanted them to see.


    And with such copious amounts of adrenaline coursing through their bodies each of them was much stronger than an average human being, at least for the next few minutes.


    Salome''s voice was drowned out by the cumtive shrieks of the other natives. At first he was confused and tried talking to them while pushing them away but when one of them snatched the boy off his shoulder he also retaliated.


    His strength was already much higher than an ordinary person so none of them could stop him when he began to fight back. But that still didn''t stop him from trying to talk sense into them.


    "STOP! MISTER WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" he yelled at them as they tried to tear him apart with their bare hands.


    He screamed the little boy''s name, "HAYAT!" and momentster when he found him it was already toote.


    The boy''s arms and legs were ripped off his body, chunks of flesh bitten off his face, neck and torse. But by some miracle he was breathing, looking around at his attackers in shock.


    Tears flowed down Salome''s face as he pushed the attackers away and held him in his arms.


    "What do I do?? What do I DO?! Brother Hao! He can help, he always knows what to do!"


    He screamed Hao Xuan''s name, screamed as loudly as his body would allow it.


    "BROTHER HAO, WHERE ARE YOU!"


    But his voice only provoked them more, sending them deeper into a bloody frenzy. Salome tried his best to fight them off but there were too many. All he could do was defend himself.


    The grisly scenested for close to two minutes before the adrenaline wore off. Most of the natives especially the youngsters simply drop dead from heart attacks while those still left breathing could barely move after breaking their own bones and tearing the muscles from their limbs.


    When most of themotion had died down Tian Zheng walked forward towards the ball of flesh and blood near the back wall. He pulled off the corpses and flung them aside until he saw what they were all trying to get at.


    Salome was balled up at the very bottom, still alive.


    Most of his skin was missing with numerous nails and teeth embedded deep into the flesh. There was not a strand of hair left on his head, ripped off with patches of scalp during the ''struggle''.


    But when he felt the pressure lessen Salome raised his head and saw Tian Zheng standing over him.


    "D-Do you know w-where brother Hao is?" he asked stutteringly.


    Even the right side of his face was mangled beyond recognition but the boy was still held tightly in his embrace even though he had already passed away from blood loss. Despite his own gruesome injuries he was still worried about the kid.


    Tian Zheng smiled while extending a hand, "Yes, Hao Xuan sent me for you."


    Salome''s eyes lit up, "Really?! W-We must hurry, Hayat is hurt badly. Everyone went crazy-"


    He grabbed the helping hand but the very next moment screamed out in pain.


    Tian Zheng pulled hard, ripping the arm cleanly off.


    "AAAAHH!"


    "HAHAHAHA!"


    He is boomingughter echoed in the colosseum upon hearing the pain in Salome''s voice.


    "This is from your brother. Hao Xuan sent me to give you this present!" he announced while crushing both of Salome''s legs under his feet.


    The spectators had long gone quiet. Silenced by the sheer brutality of Tian Zheng''s actions.


    He crushed parts of Salome''s body until there was nothing else left but the head and torso. Salome could barely keep his eyes open but his eyes were still focused on the boy''s corpse, trying to see if he was still alive.


    Tian Zheng bent down in front of him, whipping the tears from his face and forcing him to look him in the eye.


    "This was a gift from Hao Xuan. He chose this for you himself. Do you like it?"


    Salome''s lips quivered and parted as he weakly replied, "Li...Liar, he-he would never-"


    Tian Zheng''s face contorted from anger and several more punchesnded on Salome''s face.


    "CURSE HIM! TELL HIM YOU HATE HIM OR I SWEAR I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER FOR-"


    *Squelch*


    <i> </i>


    A de appeared from behind him and cut off Salome''s head the very next moment.


    Xue Meng stood at the edge of the domed hall, looking down at him.


    "That''s enough.. Do not ruin the mood any further."

 Chapter 966 - Full Circle

    <h4>Chapter 966 - Full Circle</h4>


    Hao Xuan had watched everything unfold from the beginning to the end but he still couldn''t believe it. His identity token still showed Salome''s mangled corpse with that same confused expression on his face. He never understood what was happening to him till the end but not once did he me it on Hao Xuan, even when Tian Zheng specifically told him it was because of him, which wasn''t entirely false.


    Hao Xuan''s vision blurred from the tears that were collecting in his eyes. He didn''t know what to say, what to do. And just like that, as if by the intervention of some great unforeseen force, the scene changed right in front of his eyes.


    It was another shback and this time the lead was Salome.


    He was standing at the doorstep of the vige elder''s home watching as the old man gathered his things one by one.


    "Now Salome, I have a very important mission for you. You have to stay here and protect the vige while we are away, understand?"


    Salome pouted and stomped his feet in indignation, "But why can''t I go with you? I don''t wanna stay back, it''s gonna be so lonely without anyone else to y with."


    The viger elder stopped what he was doing and sighed wearily.


    "Salome, if I could bring you with I would but you need to be a grown-up okay? There is not enough food for everyone and you know how much you eat."


    "I can eat less-I won''t eat at ALL!"


    "Alright fine, go tell Samus and his family that he can''t go with us because you want toe along instead."


    Salome froze mid-celebration.


    "Fine...I will stay here," he murmured.


    "Good boy. Protect the vige, it is your duty. There are still some crops that haven''t been harvested at the back so use them if you run out of food. You still remember how right?"


    "Mhm," Salome replied without thinking. Of course, he didn''t know.


    Time sped up and Salome was seen standing at the vige entrance next, waving goodbye to all the families that hurriedly took their leave.


    They had left him some food and there was a well for water in the vige but that was it. In less than two weeks Salome had already finished all the food, even eaten the few ears of corn-like vegetables left on the farm.


    He lived on water and insects for a few more days until that wasn''t enough to satisfy him. He got food poisoning soon after and stayed cooped in one of the barns, not even venturing into any of the houses for protection from the elements.


    He still believed they woulde back for him.


    The searing hot day and icy cold nights came rolling one after the other. By the third day he was delirious, seeing things that weren''t there.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t see what he was seeing but his incoherent mumbling gave a few clues.


    "Angel...? An angel...hase for me? Where...?"


    He was talking to the empty air, his mind concocting a figment of imagination to make himself feel better.


    "Okay...okay I will go..."


    He somehow mustered enough strength to get up and hobble out of the barn. And just as he stepped out a loud explosion sounded overhand that grabbed his attention.


    He looked up and saw a ball of fire shooting down from the sky, and inside it was a naked man with ck wings.


    "Angel...?!" he muttered in shock before stumbling into the nearby forest after it. (The scene was also first mentioned at the end of CH 432 ''Arrival'')


    And that naked person shooting through the sky was Hao Xuan. It wasn''t a mere coincidence that day that had brought them together. Someone or something had guided Salome towards Hao Xuan.


    Time sped up significantly and showed all of their adventures together. If not for Hao Xuan Salome would have died that same night so he considered Hao Xuan his savior, his guardian angel.


    "Don''t worry, you will be safe here. I promise," Hao Xuan had said the words somewhere along the way without considering their true weight and Salome epted it as fact.


    He followed Hao Xuan back to the walking city where they stayed for a long while. Hao Xuan was too busy to stay with him so Salome was usually alone most of the time.


    He knew Hao Xuan was doing a huge favor for him so he never asked for anything else. Day in and day out he would wait for Hao Xuan toe back just for that few minutes of conversation.


    He would sit at the edge of theke while humming a melody, satisfied with so little.


    Only Jin Wang would sometimes show up out of nowhere to y with him for a bit but that was it. So many days were spent waiting around idly but...at least he was alive.


    And then seemingly out of nowhere a strange girl came to visit him one night.


    "Can you show me around?" her words sounded clearly within Hao Xuan''s ears. She woulde and have a chat with Salome every other day, talking for hours on end about random subjects. She knew a lot more than him as was evident by her demeanor and knowledge on various subjects.


    They would trade stories with one another, lost in a little world of their own.


    Hao Xuan could see Salome''s face light up every time she appeared. And even after they left the walking city she came to see him onest time.


    "Hao Xuan is in trouble and he is asking for you. Will youe with me?" she asked.


    "Mmm, I will go!" he agreed at once, leaving with her for the final time.


    ***


    The shback finished and all Hao Xuan could do was murmur that same sentence over and over again.


    "I promised...."


    <i> </i>

 Chapter 967 - Headfirst

    <h4>Chapter 967 - Headfirst</h4>


    Seeing all of that in person, watching his daily routine and all the things he did in between on disy like that only rubbed more salt into an already bleeding wound.


    "I promise...you''ll be safe here..." Hao Xuan mumbled absentmindedly.


    One moment he could see Salomeughing like a fool and the next he returned to reality where Salome''s lifeless mutted body was being trampled under Tian Zheng''s feet.


    The identity tokens of everyone else had stopped broadcasting already but Hao Xuan''s was still going, showing Tian Zheng dancing on Salome''s corpse like a madman. The morbid scene would make one sick to their stomach even if they didn''t know the victim so one could only imagine how Hao Xuan was feeling.


    He didn''t even have enough energy to scream anymore. All he could do was watch and ingrain every moment of this despicable act in his memory.


    Hao Xuan''s ears started to bleed just like his eyes. He could not hear anymore, not this. It felt like someone had reced the audio track to his life with something else.


    The Grand Priestess who was watching with bated breath murmured something under her breath.


    "It has begun. With the casting of the first stone, the thread of destiny hems a new truth..."


    "Granny, what is that?! What''s happening to him?"


    Ma Jiang asked in shock as a dome of golden energy took shape around Hao Xuan. It engulfed himpletely like an unchecked me.


    Inside they could see Hao Xuan''s body inexplicably change postures. One moment he would be sitting vacantly and the next he would be on his feet screaming at the sky, while the next he would be back on his knees punching the ground. It was showing all the different ways he could have reacted to this.


    The golden energy slowly increased in intensity until a pir of golden light shot up into the sky. It broke the ''ceiling'' of the forest and pierced through space upon reaching the first atmosphere.


    Princess Ceni who was closest to him could feel it the best. This energy was unlike anything she hade across in all her life. It didn''t have an overpowering aura or pressure about it, it simply felt like creation itself.


    All the good and bad things about life, all of them were in that golden energy.


    The Grand Priestess fell to her knees from astonishment. Others could not see it but it was crystal clear in her eyes. She could see a new possible future being written right in front of her eyes, one that would have never existed otherwise.


    It was being reflected within that golden energy shower like a series of soundless moving images. It was being shaped around him by an unseen force, a future that did not exist before this moment.


    He was walking on a sea of blood using endless rows of corpses as footholds to move forward, a bloody path carved to his destination at the end of which awaited a throne of broken swords surrounded by many monstrous silhouettes.


    But inside the energy barrier Hao Xuan did not even know what he was experiencing. His thoughts were only of revenge, of spilling as much blood as needed to quench his anger, of all those that took part in that foul exhibition of viciousness.


    And it was these very thoughts that were shaping a new fate.


    His ears were filled with the sound of war, of the unrelenting sh of cold steel against exposed flesh. He could hear countless voices calling out to him through the void, crying his name to ept him.


    Wisps of chaos energy in the shape of ck sma escaped from Hao Xuan''s body and started to pollute the golden energy.


    "NO!" the Grand Priestess screamed from the shock. She jumped down andnded nearby but could not take one more step closer towards him. Ma Jiangnded beside her albeit in a much better condition.


    The Grand Priestess looked towards Princess Ceni who was standing just outside the energy barrier.


    "YOU! STOP HIM, BRING HIM BACK OR HE WILL BE WIPED OUT OF EXISTENCE!"


    As surprised as Ceni was by the appearance of two new people she did not question it right now.


    "HOW?! I CAN''T GET ANY CLOSER!"


    "YOU CAN, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PUSH THROUGH AND A NEW FUTURE WILL BE WRITTEN, ONE WHERE YOU BOTH ARE MEANT TO BE!"


    The Grand Priestess didn''t know how true that was but she did know what Princess Ceni wanted so she offered her that. A future where she would never be alone.


    And she wasn''t entirely wrong. A new thread of destiny was being weaved by Hao Xuan''s thoughts, intentions, and actions right at this moment and if she could force her way in she would always have a ce in that future.


    They would effectively be tied together by fate.


    And as expected, Ceni didn''t need to know anymore. She reached out and put her hand through the golden energy barrier. There was some resistance at first but it vanished the very next second.


    She stepped through and quickly bent down to hold Hao Xuan''s face in the palm of her hands. Her eyes glowed with a crimson light as she stared into his unfocused gaze, unleashing the full strength of her bloodline, the subus bloodline.


    "You will be mine, always and forever, for all of eternity."


    The red light covered her body and slowly started to leak into the golden barrier but it was too weak topletely merge with it.


    So she did what she had to to get more power. Her right hand moved down to Hao Xuan''s chest and with a sudden jerking motion pierced his heart.


    "WHAT IS SHE DOING?!" Ma Jiang screamed, dumbfounded.


    "What needs to be done, we cannot interfere now-"


    Before the Grand Priestess could finish speaking Ma Jiang had already charged forward.


    "STOP YOU FOOL! IT''S TOO DANGEROUS!"


    But her warnings fell on deaf ears.


    A circle of green letters appeared in front of Ma Jiang and broke into shards of light that surrounded everything, erecting a green-colored shield that protected her from the front.


    "She is going to kill him!" she muttered moments before running headfirst into the golden barrier.


    Her green shield cracked and simply disintegrated uponing into contact with the golden energy but enough of an opening had been created that she could step through.


    "STOP!" she shouted right before making contact with Hao Xuan''s back.


    Her own green-colored mana leaked out of her body and finally overpowered the influence of Chaos.. Gold, green and red colors mixed together for an instant before erupting in an explosion of blinding light.

 Chapter 968 - Mountain Pass

    <h4>Chapter 968 - Mountain Pass</h4>


    The moment Ma Jiang came into contact with Hao Xuan''s body her mana was pulled out by an unknown force and together with the red Qi overpowered the Chaos instantly.


    The Golden light became whole again and apanied by Princess Ceni''s Qi and Ma Jiang''s mana sent a second, much more powerful wave of energy shooting up the pir.


    It became impossible to tell where one ended and the next began but the Grand Priestess could not tear her eyes away from the spectacle. In fact, her eyes opened even wider as she tried to peer into the light for some clues.


    And it was then that she saw it, a trace of a fourth color hidden somewhere within the golden light. It was white, more pure and holy than anything she had ever seen or felt in all her days. It felt like she was seeing the light from beyond the pearly gates of heaven itself.


    It was merely a sliver but still it kept everything under control. Both Ma Jiang and Princess Ceni''s energies that should have been fighting against one another were kept in check by it and used to bolster and stabilize the golden light even further.


    Soon the entire pir of light was shining so brightly in the dark of night that it was next to impossible to stare at it directly. And the Grand Priestess knew in her heart that if she continued to peer into it there would be a hefty price to pay but she still couldn''t look away.


    She needed to see what this new future was and why it was so important to her people.


    The influence of the iridescent light increased to cover the entireke and waterfall before expanding further outwards to epass most of the forest.


    It pierced through the air uponing into contact with the firstyer of atmosphere and appeared on the surface before once again continuing further into the empty void outside of the.


    But when the light overtook the Grand Priestess she was finally able to catch a glimpse of something inside.


    There were multiple events being unfolded at the same time and now instead of one there were three separate ones. Each one was fighting for supremacy trying toe up on top.


    She looked towards the source and saw Ma Jiang, Hao Xuan, and Princess Ceni frozen in ce like statues. There were threads of golden light connecting each one of them together in an intricate design, creating new patterns as they went along.


    "No...what have you done, it wasn''t supposed to be this way..." she said to herself in a low murmur before losing all sense of time and freezing just like them.


    **


    The colosseum was filled with waves of morous tidings as all the native soldiers were being ordered and sorted into their respective groups.


    "TO YOUR POSTS! WE WILL LEAVE IN 20 MINUTES!" a cultivator shouted from the stands.


    They were preparing to set out. Dai Zhi stood at the foot of the domed hall peering down at all of them. Micha came up behind him and bowed lightly, "Lord Dai Zhi."


    Dai Zhi''s expressionless face gave little away but his words were anything but tranquil.


    "Call in everything, EVERYONE. Bring out the beasts and the mutants, the mercenaries and the priests. I want everyone out there. Kill all those who stand against me, and of those that surrender, ruin them still. Both the Temple and the Hall will send their people to join us."


    Micha hesitated for a moment wanting to say something but held back in the end.


    "Yes."


    But while he was turning around something caught his eye on the horizon, far in the distance.


    "B-BROTHER!" he shouted in astonishment while pointing towards it.


    "Hmm?"


    Dai Zhi followed his line of sight and saw what he was pointing at. There was a strange phenomenon that was visible all the way from here. Pieces of a mountain were floating up into the air.


    "Is that-?!"


    "The main entrance into the catbs, it''s been opened!"


    "That''s impossible, the only way to open it is from the inside or-" Dai Zhi didn''t finish the sentence.


    He quickly took out his identity token which was made from a blue jade unlike those of the rest of the participants and send some spiritual energy into it.


    "Siubune! What''s happening at the mountain pass?"


    The jade token brightened for a moment before returning to normal. Dai Zhi''s expression turned ugly.


    "He''s dead."


    He muttered a few other names into the token but got the same result from all of them.


    "They are all dead, everyone overseeing the mountain entrance is dead."


    "Then the seal really has been opened?" Micha asked for confirmation and got it not a secondter.


    "Call Tian Zheng and Dima, tell them what happened. Have Dima meet me in my chambers. He has more people there so he would know better."


    **


    At the mountain range in question, the scene was one of total destruction. One of the mountains had been hollowed out halfway while the surrounding ones were all missing sections from one spot or another.


    Two figures stood in front of a valley, watching in silence as the numerous runes and tes blocking their path were slowly dissolving into thin air.

 Chapter 969 - War Effort

    <h4>Chapter 969 - War Effort</h4>


    The figure in the back was that of a teenager with canine ears and the one in the front was a middle-aged man with numerous words of power in the shape of living tattoos moving across his body.


    And under that middle-aged man''s feet was the squirming body of a cultivator trying to get free.


    "Y-You fucking savages! Do you think you will be able to live in peace after what you have done?! We will hunt you down to thest man and hang you by the bal- UGH!"


    The middle-aged man''s foot pressed down on his throat promptly making him shut up. His neck slowly cracked and bent at an odd angle as the middle-aged man continued putting in more and more force, finally killing him.


    He looked back at the teenager, "Is this truly a wise decision? The majority of the corruption is focused along this section and breaking the seal will make it next to impossible to stop it again."


    The teenager stepped forward into the light. His brown hair and cheeky smile especially stood out in this bloody scene.


    "Gi-An, waste not your time thinking of matters beyond your control. The seal could never keep the gue at bay but by destroying it at this moment you have not only provided a much-needed distraction but also pulled valuable resources away from their war effort."


    Gi-An! This was the leader of the resistance, and the teenager speaking to him was Uri, or rather the world spirit that had taken control of his body for the time being.


    Gi-An''s brow furrowed, "Distraction? From what?"


    Uri looked in the direction of the pir of light that was being obscured behind the great whirlpool of yin energy.


    "From matters that will decide the fate of your people."


    The massive 200-meter sealing array swirling in front of them finally started wobbling after losing so many important runes and began to copse in on itself.


    The ground cracked underneath and a jet ck ice crystal shot out from the center of the array, breaking it before its natural end.


    The array revealed a gaping hole that was almost the same size as the entire valley at the entrance of which Uri and Gi-An were standing. Uri turned around and started walking away.


    "Come, let us move to the next area, our work is far fromplete. Let the invaders deal with whates up from the depths, it was meant for them anyway."


    A few moments after the duo took their leave the gaping hole started to expand as numerous sticky tendrils came shooting out. Some of them even pierced through the nearby mountains while continuously expanding in length and width, creating an interconnectedwork that looked like a spider web from afar.


    Entire portions of the surrounding mountains broke and rose into the air after being absorbed into the sticky tendrils.


    At night it looked like they were floating if viewed from far enough away, which is what Dai Zhi and Micha saw.


    ***


    The sun and the moons changed ces a total of three times when a figure emerged from the depths of some old ruins holding a green torch. He was covered in dust and ckened masses that hung from his clothes.


    "Damn it, it is moving a little fast isn''t it?" he mumbled while tearing off all the pieces of his clothes that were infected by the ck masses. He gathered them in a pile and threw the green torch on top of them, sessfully turning them into ash and smoke.


    "At least the soul me still works, huh?" he said to himself before inspecting his surroundings.


    "Hmm?"


    His ears twitched. There were a few voicesing somewhere nearby.


    His feet pushed against the ground and he jumped into the air to inspect the surroundings. His eyes lit up upon seeing the group of three sitting around a campfire not too far away and hended right next to them.


    "Heyoo~"


    "WHO GOES THERE?!"


    All three of them jumped to their feet while pointing their various weapons at him. They were all female demihumans. Two of them held long spears and the one in the center had a shortsword.


    "Woah hey, littledies, didn''t mean to surprise you. My name is Jin Wang, were you perhaps sent here by an olderdy?" Jin Wang said while raising his hands. He didn''t even have a weapon on him and when he mentioned his name the demihumans lowered their weapons.


    The girl with the shortsword stepped forward, "My name is Inara. You may call me Princess Inara," she said coldly. The two next to her were the female guards. (Ch 632)


    Jin Wang gave a toothy grin, "Haha, okay okay. Why are you here princess? Where is your grandmother? Did something happen?"


    His half-hearted query brought quite a grim expression on the faces of all three.


    "Hoh, something really happened," Jin Wang mumbled to himself before winking towards Princess Inara, "Do you mind if we talk while walking? I want to return as soon as possible."


    Princess Inara stared at him for a few seconds before sheathing her de and turning around.


    "Fine, let us leave."

 Chapter 970 - Sandwiched

    <h4>Chapter 970 - Sandwiched</h4>


    Princess Inara and the female guards led the way back while Jin Wang stayed back. He was looking up at the night sky with a somewhat confused expression.


    "So what happened to your grandmother? She wouldn''t have sent you if she herself coulde."


    Princess Inara paused mid-stride momentarily before continuing. She was told not to hide anything from him but she didn''t know him personally so naturally her guard was up.


    "The Grand Priestess is busy dealing with the situation at the city. New refugees keep arriving every single hour and we have already run out of space in the city. Plus the demons..."


    "The demons?" Jin Wang''s brow locked in a tight furrow, "What demons?"


    She pointed at the sky, "The ones falling from heavens and the onesing from the depths of all. All kinds."


    Her cryptic wording only added to his confusion, annoying him more than a little.


    "What are you talking about girl? Speak inly! Why are there so many refugeesing to the city? What are these demons?"


    Princess Inara''s expression turned ugly and she was about to turn around on the spot and chew him out for his use of such crassnguage but the words of her older sister (Princess Helena) echoed in her ears.


    [I''m trusting you with this task, do not do anything rash. Just bring him here as fast as possible and answer any questions he might have, that''s it.]


    "Tsk. The demons are the monsters that either fall from the sky ore up from underneath our very feet. We don''t know their true origin. The refugees areing because of several reasons. Some because of the demon attacks and the rest because your ''friends'' started attacking the towns and viges."


    "Last I heard their armies are almostpletely through."


    ''Demons? Above and below...'' Jin Wang''s mind raced with numerous thoughts trying to make sense of things.


    "Are the demons falling from the sky and the onesing from below the same?"


    "No. The ones falling from the sky look like us and other beasts but somehow changed...twisted beyond recognition. While the onesing from below are...I don''t know how to describe them. They feel like actual demons, horrible monsters that no one has ever seen before."


    Jin Wang connected the dots and knew exactly what she was talking about. The ones falling from the sky were the ones infected by the gue, the corruption. There was arge portion of the prison resting right on top of this inner world so they could ''fall'' through if the seal was not working properly.


    As to why the seal was not working, well, the Abysswalker must have had something to do with it. He was the only one capable of damaging it to such a degree. Probably at the request of one of the participants like Dai Zhi.


    And for the onesing from below, they might ACTUALLY be demons. Hao Xuan had told him about meeting ''Beelzebub'' or one of his Apostles and this could very well be their doing.


    "Looks like they are all moving at once. And we still don''t have any contact with the ship," Jin Wang mumbled to himself before looking towards Princess Inara.


    Even with all of it happening at once it was still within his calctions. After finding out about Hao Xuan''s visit to the other timelines he was expecting this from the beginning.


    "Is that it? Nothing else worth knowing happened?"


    Both the female guards exchanged nces with one another while Princess Inara only gritted her teeth in silence.


    "What?"


    When Inara didn''t speak up for several seconds one of the feline guards stepped in to exin.


    "There was an ''ident'' with one of your people. With the boy named Hao Xuan."


    Jin Wang''s pupils constricted, "What surprise?" he inquired urgently.


    "We...don''t know. Only the Grand Priestess was there and she didn''t say anything to us. We only saw a pir of light for a moment and when it disappeared half the forest was gone. The old magic shielding the city of Argham was also destroyed because of it. We only know it had something to do with him."


    "Is he okay? Hao Xuan?"


    "Well...he is alive for now but that''s all we know. None of us are allowed to go near him."


    "And for good reason! Should have never let him into the city," Princess Inara chimed in, "We might still have been safe from the demons if it wasn''t for him. It all started after that light appeared."


    Jin Wang kept silent simply because he didn''t think it was worth arguing with a kid like her. She was so in the dark about everything that he might as well be conversing with a tree.


    "Let''s speed up," he urged.


    After moving through the forest for close to 10 more minutes they finally arrived back at the city of lights, Argham.


    "Holy shit, you weren''t kidding about the refugees, huh?"


    There were hundreds of people camped out on both sides of the road leading up to the entrance of the city which was in a natural cove and protected from all other sides but one.


    <i></i>

 Chapter 971 - Feeling Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 971 - Feeling Wrong</h4>


    As they got closer to the city even more people came into view. Both sides of the road were packed with all kinds of individuals, perhaps numbering even in the thousands just from a first nce.


    Most of them were families with several generations all camped out in one spot. Beast pulled carts converted into living quarters to protect from the cold night.


    Jin Wang noticed that not all of them were demihumans. A great many were humans too and judging from the way they were dressed, they came from somewhere very far away.


    "How far has the war spread? "


    "Which war?"


    "The one with the cultivators, the ''invader'' army."


    "Right now the news we are getting is all over the ce. Some say they are attacking randomly but others say they are going from one vige to another burning everything to the ground along the way. Even the ones that surrender are killed in the end. They are not taking any prisoners at all. At first we thought the humans would be safe but to them it doesn''t matter."


    "And no one is fighting against them?"


    "No one is left to fight. The human elders have all disappeared at once but their families were spared when the invaders came down. In fact they came down right next to the human settlements. So it is a good guess that they are working for them, or have been working for them for a while."


    "The only ones left are the barbarians and us, and we haven''t heard anything from them since the news broke out."


    A couple of minutester they passed through the city gates and stepped inside. The situation did not get any better because there were even more people here. There was not an inch ofnd left unimed anywhere.


    "How many people are here?" Jin Wang inquired curiously.


    "Too many, more than we can feed or protect for an extended period of time."


    "Oh, then why not turn them away?"


    Jin Wang had asked the question without even realizing it but Princess Inara stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around and looked right into his eyes.


    "I don''t know how things work from where youe from but we do not turn away anyone in need. We all share the same future and as long as Argham stands our gates will remain open for everyone."


    Taken aback by her sincerity he tried to exin himself.


    "I just meant more people would have a higher chance of making it through if you-"


    "I know what you meant," she cut him off coldly, "But they are my people. I am their princess and it is my duty to protect them, all of them."


    After hearing what the Grand Priestess had to say about her Jin Wang was expecting a spoiled brat, not someone so sure and adamant about doing the morally right thing.


    ''Looks like she greatly misjudged her,'' he thought to himself before swiftly apologizing.


    "I''m sorry, you''re right."


    Only then did she turn Princess Inara looked away.


    They navigated through the overpopted city center and went all the way to the extreme right side of the cove. This was the only ce without any refugees, in fact, other than a few guards no one else was here.


    The ground turned to sand beneath their feet and palm trees started popping up all over the ce until finally, they ended up in front of a long stone staircase leading up to the rock wall.


    Princess Inara pointed to the right side of the stone stairs, "Some of your friends are over there. The one named Hao Xuan is up the stairs."


    "Thank you," Jin Wang thanked her intending to take his leave when he saw the reluctance on her face.


    "What? Is there something else?"


    "There is something wrong with him..." she muttered in a low voice, unsure if her words even made sense.


    "Wrong with who?"


    "Hao Xuan. He doesn''t ''feel'' the same as before. Something is strange about him. I only saw him once after he was brought here and I couldn''t be in the same room as him for more than a minute. It felt like...it felt like I was a young child again, and he was the thing staring at me from the darkness. He just feels...wrong."


    ''Feels...wrong? A strange choice of words.''


    "Thank you, Princess. Where is your grandmother? I would like to visit her too."


    Princess Inara pointed at the stairs, "Up there. She hasn''t left that spot ever since we brought him here."


    "Thank you," he thanked her again before walking up without bothering to greet the other cultivators camped out on the other side.


    Just from the voices he could tell it was Henrik and his group.


    The stairs led straight into the air for close to 15 meters before ending in a small ledge just outside the first room.. There was no one there so he went inside and saw the grand priestess sitting in an old chair in front of a stone table with a thick ck liquid seething on top of it.

 Chapter 972 - Incoherent

    <h4>Chapter 972 - Incoherent</h4>


    The Grand Priestess opened her eyes halfway when she heard the door open.


    "You''re back...finally...the light is almost here..." she muttered weakly, her voice barely audible.


    Jin Wang''s brow locked in a tight furrow the moment heid eyes on her. He quickly walked around the table and went up to her, cing his right hand on her forehead.


    "Your mind pce is greatly damaged. If it was anyone else they would have died just from the pain and aftershock. What the hell happened here?"


    The Grand Priestess swatted away his hand before taking a puff from her smoking pipe. Her hand trembled wildly just from bringing the pipe up to her lips and she wheezed and coughed uncontrobly right after.


    The whiteke and waterfall were part of her Mind Pce which were damaged by the light.


    Jin Wang sat on the edge of the table and patiently waited for her to settle down before speaking up again.


    "What happened?"


    The Grand Priestess wiped the blood from her mouth, "It did, what you said might. What shouldn''t havee to pass did, and what should have did not... it''s all...wrong"


    Jin Wang''s eyes opened wide from astonishment despite her rambling on by herself. She seemed a little out of it but that was expected considering her condition.


    "Really? What did it look like?"


    "It started...with a yellow light that...shot up into the heavens. You were right, I could see his future, a very small glimpse of it. It was bloody and awful and he was alone...but then the chaos spread inside it an-and it started to change..."


    "One into two, two into four and four into more and then even more when the other two touched him."


    "The other two?! Who was it?"


    "The girls, Ceni and Ma Jiang."


    Jin Wang jumped to his feet, "How? How did the future change? What did you see EXACTLY?"


    The Grand Priestess shook her head wearily trying to recall everything but her memories were foggy, "It was still fine when one of theirs and his fates shed. They were both destined to be alone in this lifetime but by a miracle it became one. It wasn''t going to be easy but both of them would be in each other''s lives for a very long time."


    "Complete opposite somehow fit well together and their future did not change greatly."


    "It was still bloody but he would live a long time with her by his side. But when the other one''s fate collided with them it changed everything, EVERYTHING! Apletely new thread of destiny came into being weaving them all together."


    Jin Wang''s patience was running low even though she was making enough sense, "Who was it?"


    The Grand Priestess paused to take a breath before meeting his gaze. She seemed at a loss for words as if she couldn''t understand any of it.


    "It doesn''t make sense at all. Despite her problems she is a good child. By herself, she would have led a peaceful existence that would have brought prosperity to all around her. But with her and the boybined it will turn disastrous."


    Her gaze turned somber and resolute, "They are not meant for one another, it is unnatural. They should have nevere into each other''s path, never met to begin with. Together it will always end in disaster, with one of them losing their life before its appointed time. And whoever is left behind would be the source of a great cmity for us, one who could bring about another era of ruin."


    She grasped Jin Wang''s hand as tightly as her feeble body would allow it, "Listen to me, they can NEVER be together, no matter what. You must always keep them apart."


    Jin Wang stared into her eyes and only saw fear. Whatever she saw in that brief moment had scared her so much that she couldn''t even utter the words out loud.


    "I understand, you don''t have to worry, I will keep an eye on them. Which of the two girls are you talking about?"


    "NO! You don''t get it, they were not meant to be, not ever, not in this lifetime or any of the others. But their fates are sealed, intertwined for eternity and it won''t be possible...and the white light, the white light mixed with their fate too. It was someone else''s doing, someone controlling his fate from somewhere far away..."


    She lunged at him while screaming, "KEEP THEM AWAY! The Daughter of the Hell and Son of Chaos must never meet!"


    She started rambling on and on without making sense, pushing any coherent thoughts to the back while giving center stage to fear and dread.


    He met her gaze and saw a sheet of yellow light stretched over her eyes. At this moment she probably couldn''t even see him.


    And he realized that it was not only because of what she saw. She was quite literally the one keeping the roof from copsing over the city of Argham with her magic and after three full days of staying awake, it had taken a serious toll on her psyche. (Reminder: 1 day/night cycle is anywhere between 60-100 hours)


    Jin Wang swiftly reached out and pressed a spot on the back of her neck. Her eyes closed and she promptly fell unconscious on the spot. He gentlyid her down back in the chair but she was still mumbling something.


    "Keep...them apart...


    "Shh, we''ll talk once you''ve recovered. Rest for now," he whispered into her ears and finally cated her.


    She hadn''t mentioned the girls by name but he had a pretty good idea who she was talking about.


    Princess Ceni''s father held the vampiric bloodline that came directly from the first blood demon, one of the strongest ones to have ever existed.


    The curtain of silence fell over the room and out of nowhere Jin Wang heard augh, a hollowugh that sounded like it came from somewhere very far away, like it was both real and imaginary at the same time.


    "Hahahaha."

 Chapter 973 - The Spread

    <h4>Chapter 973 - The Spread</h4>


    *Last Chapter has been slightly modified*


    "Hahaha," theughter sounded just once before disappearing into the ether.


    With a nted brow, Jin Wang slowly turned towards the source which should have been right behind him but couldn''t see anyone or even perceive any presence at all.


    He walked a few steps forward finally realizing the peculiarity of the situation. It was too quiet, unnaturally so. He was aware of even the slightest sound his own body made which normally be tuned out by itself.


    He slowly raised the right hand and swiped it horizontally from right to left. The air felt heavy on the skin, so much so that he could ''feel'' its weight pressing against him.


    The sound of heavy footsteps came from the entrance and arge demihuman walked in. He looked like a ck wolf walking on two feet. His pierced ears clinked loudly in the eerie silence as he came to an abrupt stop upon seeing Jin Wang.


    He looked at the grand priestess that was knocked out on the chair and suddenly his expression turned solemn.


    "What did you do to her, human?"


    He reached back and grasped the hilts of two curved swords hanging from his waist in the meantime. Jin Wang chuckled and waved his hand, "No need to be so cautious friend. She is just sleeping, you can check."


    He moved aside allowing him toe and check her condition at which he let out a deep sigh of relief.


    "She is just a little tired. When she wakes up everything will be better," Jin Wang mused.


    "My name is Kart," the wolf demihuman hesitantly introduced himself but before Jin Wang could an abrupt scream sounded in the exact same manner as theugh before. It sounded like it came from right in front of them.


    Both Jin Wang and Kart exchanged nces but Kart didn''t seem as surprised as one normally would be. Kart saw him looking at him with a questioning gaze so he gestured towards the back wall of the room.


    "It''s been happening a lot. You will find him in there."


    "Hmm?"


    Jin Wang turned to face the wall before walking up and inspecting it closely. He put one hand on it and closed his eyes to feel for it. There was indeed an empty space behind it but it was hidden so incredibly well that even he didn''t catch it.


    Kart saw him running his fingers across the surface and came forward to help. He tapped a fewpletely random spots on the wall and it slid open to reveal a door on the other side.


    Jin Wang was amazed once again.


    "Magic?"


    "No, just some ancient machinations," Kart answered casually.


    But as impressed as Jin Wang was he didn''t have time to inquire about it in detail since the doors carved out of solid metal shook wildly right in front of him. He reached out to open them but Kart grabbed his hand unexpectedly.


    "Be careful," he warned and before Jin Wang could ask why he left withrge strides.


    Taken aback by the sudden warning Jin Wang couldn''t help but chuckle inwardly. He could count on one hand the times he needed to be careful around others in thest ten lifetimes.


    Putting in some strength he pushed and the doors moved on their own. He took one step inside and everything became dark. But a momentter when he could see again it became clear why Kart had warned him.


    He looked down at his feet and saw a cloud of thick ck smokeing up to his knees. In fact it had covered the entire floor, not that he could even feel the ground anyway. It felt soft like freshly dug up soil.


    He looked back but the door was gone. He reached out and touched the space but his hand went through the wall, or rather it would be more urate to say that the wall turned into smoke and dissipated as well.


    "It is, isn''t it?"


    A whisper echoed from somewhere nearby. He couldn''t tell from where, only that it was rtively close by.


    There was nothing else in sight, only smoke and darkness as far as the eye could see. Jin Wang felt strange standing there like his own body was out of ce in here.


    He took a few measured steps forward and suddenly the smoke took shape. It was odd, the shapes were barely distinguishable but enough to paint a picture.


    There were several round tables ced around him but there was a weak whimpering sounding from underneath one of them. He came to the one he thought was the right one and bent down to see a small child sitting there crying.


    The smoke rumbled and the scene disappeared, returning to nothingness.


    "I tried everything...it didn''t work. It wasn''t supposed to be this way, I am still missing a part of it," someone was talking to the left. He turned and saw arge man standing overhead.. The silhouette seemed a little familiar.

 Chapter 974 - Squalor

    <h4>Chapter 974 - Squalor</h4>


    It was just a hazy figure of a man but those hunched shoulders, lowered head and that air of exhaustion that wasing through without any facial features whatsoever were oh-so-familiar to him.


    It was so unexpected in fact that Jin Wang''s heart skipped a beat. He slowly reached out to try and grab his shoulder but his hand went through the smoke and the figure did not register him at all.


    The scene changed again and this time the figure was sitting at the head of a long table with two rows of more than twenty individuals seated on either side. There was no sound but their actions were quite animated as they pointed at each other, mmed the table and some even made some threatening gestures.


    Anyone could tell it was quite a heated discussion and a fight could break out at any moment. The one familiar figure sat in his chair without moving. His forehead rested in the palm of his left hand as if he was too tired to even look up.


    The rumbling smoke moved and created a new scene, one of a battlefield. Two figures stood in front of one another, weapons drawn and pointed at each other although one was more reserved than the other.


    He could see their heads moving as if they were talking but there was no sound again.


    Jin Wang regained hisposure and remembered why he was there in the first ce. He looked around but was unable to see or feel the presence of any other being.


    He reached into his pocket and took out a small round fruit before allowing it to naturally roll off his open palm. It rolled to the right side, from the direction he hade from. He followed after it and after just three steps found himself standing in front of Hao Xuan.


    His body had almost ''materialized'' out of nowhere but one look at him was enough for him to understand what was happening.


    All that smoke that was filling up the room, creating those various scenes and figures wasing from him, his open mouth to be exact.


    In the air above him and a little to the right was a ball of burning sma, a miniature sun that was lighting everything nearby. It was the only source of light in here.


    The fruit rolled right up to Hao Xuan before suddenly stopping in its tracks just a few inches away from his body. Jin Wang extended his hand in his direction and felt a strong force push it back.


    The gravity in his immediate vicinity was almost 7 times higher than normal. It had created a kind of ck hole that was pulling everything inwards but just as it got near it was stopped by the gravity.


    Jin Wang looked up towards the ceiling but couldn''t see it. There was just ayer of smoke hanging overhead, pregnant with deadly lightning.


    More and more smoke was spilling out of Hao Xuan''s mouth every second without any sign of stopping but he didn''t even seem to be aware of it. He was on his knees, hunched over looking down.


    Jin Wang walked around until they were facing each other and bent down to try and get a look at his face. Hao Xuan''s eyes were zed over as if he wasn''t even there.


    "Hey, can you hear me?" Jin Wang whispered gently but Hao Xuan''s eyes remained unfocused.


    Jin Wang became a little concerned that there was no reaction at all so he reached out again with both hands this time and pierced through the ''forcefield'' before grabbing him by the shoulders.


    "Hao Xuan, follow my voice,e back, NOW!" he shook him lightly and finally got a reaction.


    Hao Xuan looked up and stared him right in the face. His pupils focused in on him as he muttered his name.


    "Jin Wang..."


    "Yes, it''s me. Good that you still recognize my beauty," he said jokingly but Hao Xuan''s eyes zed over again for a couple of seconds before returning to normal.


    "Where did you go??" Hao Xuan yelled in a panic.


    This time Jin Wang was close enough that he caught another detail. He was staring right into Hao Xuan''s eyes so he could see the inverted reflection of the scene he was seeing, and it was not the one they were in.


    It was somethingpletely different, a city made of red bricks located on the back of some gargantuan beast that was floating through an empty void. Hao Xuan was in there living in squalor and disease.


    In that one brief moment Jin Wang was able to see several days worth of passage of time.


    "I''m right here, right in front of you, don''t worry," he replied finally realizing what was going on.


    Hao Xuan was experiencing several different timelines all at once. After being pulled into this timeline and his existence cemented into the lives of others that would have asting effect, he was finally able to have a ground to stand on.


    But as is nature''s way, it was trying to correct itself.. The ''weave'' was still trying to get back to the original path, the one where he was somewhere else.

 Chapter 975 - Tuning In

    <h4>Chapter 975 - Tuning In</h4>


    A woeful sigh escaped from Jin Wang''s lips.


    "Hao Xuan, can you hear me?" he tried to jerk him back to reality but he didn''t seem to respond to him, not anymore.


    "Damnit," he stood back up closed his eyes while quickly retracing his steps.


    Every time he would raise his foot it would be automatically pulled towards another direction. So he had to depend on his own memory to find the exit again, after closing off all other senses so they wouldn''t be affected by all this Chaos energy.


    A few secondster he was out and the door closed behind him by itself. Jin Wang looked around for Kart but found another demihuman guard standing just outside near the staircase.


    The guard with small goat horns nodded at him when he stepped out.


    "I am here in case you need any assistance," he spoke in a strange ent, one that Jin Wang hadn''t heard before from among these people but he didn''t think anything of it.


    "Well you''re in luck, I do need some help. Can you bring Princess Helena over here? Tell her it''s urgent."


    The guard hesitated for a moment before sprinting down the stairs. Jin Wang went back in and waited. Barely 3-4 minutester the Princess in question was standing in front of him.


    She was a little out of breath after running all the way here.


    "You''re back..."


    "Yes,e follow me inside," he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the room before she could really say anything.


    The smoke took various shapes left and right creating all kinds of different scenes but Jin Wang had his eyes closed since that was the only way he could pass through the fastest.


    When they neared Hao Xuan the smoke pulled back to a great degree to reveal his kneeling figure. Only then did Jin Wang let her go so she couldn''t get lost in the chaos.


    Princess Helena looked around in amazement inspecting the surroundings.


    "H-How is this possible? This room is barely half the distance we just covered."


    Jin Wang waved his hand as if it was no big deal, "The space is bending and stretching around him, don''t think about it too much. I need you to do something else," he said pointing at Hao Xuan.


    "Do what?"


    "I need to talk to him, to get inside his head. Help me do that."


    "W-WHAT?! How?? I can''t do that-" she stutteringly tried to exin but he cut her off.


    "Yes you can. It is the same process as those prophetic visions and thoughts you get every now and then. Your grandmother can do it and so can you. All you have to do is reach out and connect both of us together. I will guide you through everything..."


    After a few minutes of confidence-boosting Princess Helena finally agreed so he gave her a warning.


    <i></i>


    "No matter what happens, do not look inside his head. The sheer quantity of his thoughts alone will rip your consciousness to shreds. Do you understand? Just send me in and wait for instructions."


    She made an audible gulp but nodded nheless. Jin Wang sat down cross-legged a foot away from Hao Xuan and Princess Helena stood in the middle while he told her exactly what to do.


    "Put your right hand on my head and the left on his. Close your eyes and feel for my soul by sending a thread of spiritual sense into my body. Do the same for him simultaneously using the other end of that same thread. That''s all."


    "It might get a little hectic along the way but all you need to do is keep your hands on our heads while keeping the thread of spiritual sense in one piece and it will be fine. Try it now."


    Princess Helena closed her eyes and followed his instructions down to the letter. Jin Wang was impressed by how quickly she managed to separate her spiritual sense and create a single thread from it.


    Such a thing was easier said than done and only cultivators above the Profound Realm could easily pull it off. But just like her grandmother Princess Helena was talented beyond Jin Wang''s expectations and she got it right just on the second try.


    Jin Wang felt the thread enter his body and lowered his defenses to allow entry. Hao Xuan was not even conscious so naturally there was no resistance from his side.


    After taking a single deep breath Jin Wang closed his eyes. He felt the thread connect with his mind and the other end with Hao Xuan''s. His eyes were still closed but there were flickers of light trying toe into existence in front of him.


    It was like tunning into a radio and was just a matter of finding the right frequency. The only problem was that he had greatly underestimated how much energy would be required for such an endeavor.


    Princess Helena''s body suddenly shook as she almost fell to her knees right then and there. It was like her body was being hollowed out. That one single thread of spiritual sense was burning with a bright golden light, drawing in copious amounts of energy.


    "AAAH!" she screamed as her legs went weak and she mmed against the ground with a loud thud. But her hands still didn''t move.


    "P-Please hurry, I can only hold on f-for a few minutes!" she muttered through gritted teeth, unaware that Jin Wang could not hear anything right now.


    He was standing on a rope bridge with Hao Xuan behind him and several tens of men blocking both sides.

 Chapter 976 - Lost In Time

    <h4>Chapter 976 - Lost In Time</h4>


    The faces of all the men were covered, revealing only the eyes that were staring daggers at Hao Xuan. Each one held some kind of a ded weapon, unsheathed and ready to strike.


    Jin Wang turned to face Hao Xuan and was surprised to see his condition. He was wearing old rancid clothes and holding a broken longsword. Most of his body was already covered in wounds.


    "Hao....Xuan," he called out but there was no reaction, neither from Hao Xuan nor from any of the other people.


    Jin Wang extended his hand to try and get his attention but when he came into contact with Hao Xuan''s body the world started spinning.


    It felt like his very soul was twisted into a cone and being pulled apart into a million different directions. His eyes started to glow with a blinding white light as he tried to fight against the overpowering force with the strength of his own spells.


    "Artyum Kra Andyna Demire!"


    A bubble of white light popped up around him and Hao Xuan as the scenes around them started to slow down considerably.


    "Argh!" he flinched from the pain and looked around.


    Both he and Hao Xuan were standing in an empty void with countless images spinning around them. Each image represented a different future, one that Hao Xuan was living in currently.


    Jin Wang''s mouth fell open. Just from a single nce he could see that there were millions upon millions of images stacked on top and behind each other, surrounding them from every possible direction.


    "So many...I didn''t think it would be this many..." he mumbled in a mix of bewilderment, confusion, and concern, "This isn''t natural, someone is doing it on purpose. This many branches, even from other timelines is not possible."


    He quickly raised his other hand, cing both of them on each of Hao Xuan''s shoulders. The void flickered and he was standing in a different ce now.


    This one was at a strange ce. It was rtively dark and there was no sun or moon in the sky. In fact the sky itself was missing, reced by a bronze-colored heigh ceiling.


    There were hundreds of people moving about in a street just in front of him. Both he and Hao Xuan were sitting on the roof of a double-story building peering down at the crowd packed together like sheep.


    Street vendors from all kinds of alien races lined the sides, shouting their strange wares and discounted prices "just" for certain individuals.


    "Is this...?"


    In a moment of shock Jin Wang spoke out loud which actually got a response from someone.


    "You look like you''re new here."


    Awoken from his daze Jin Wang turned around to face the speaker, which was of course Hao Xuan.


    This time he was in his mid-thirties perhaps, missing an eye but otherwise healthy. He was sitting with his back against a wall and a sword in hisp.


    ted at first that he could be seen Jin Wang asked to confirm, "Can you see me?"


    "Of course I can, kid. What kind of stupid question is that?" Hao Xuan answered in a gruff voice, already annoyed at him.


    "Kid? You don''t...remember me?"


    Hao Xuan''s brow arched up for a moment before turning into a frown.


    "Why? Did we meet somewhere before? Don''t tell me I killed one of your family members or something and you''re here for revenge? I don''t do duels on Tuesdays soe back tomorrow if that''s the case," he said waving his hand trying to shoo him away.


    Jin Wang walked up to Hao Xuan with hurried steps and knelt down in front of him.


    "Look carefully, don''t I seem familiar?"


    Hao Xuan slowly grabbed the hilt of his sword while cautiously pulling himself away.


    "Hey, keep your distance unless you want to lose an arm or tw-" he warned but suddenly froze mid-sentence.


    "Y-You''re Jin?! Jin Wang?!" he shouted with a look of utter shock.


    Jin Wang nodded, "That''s me, you remembered!"


    "No, you can''t be real. That was just a dream, a strange and long dream," he mumbled absentmindedly while shaking his head, "Did I fall asleep again? Or am I dead? You can''t be here otherwise...you''re not real..."


    That look of confusion on his face spoke volumes of what was going through his mind and Jin Wang instantly connected the dots.


    To these iterations of Hao Xuan, the reality only presented itself as a dream. Jin Wang sighed inwardly realizing this would be much harder than he expected.


    Jin Wang grabbed his hand tightly, letting him feel his warmth.


    "I am real, more real than this ce. This life, these experiences that you have umted they are the ones that are not real. That dream is your actual life, your true reality.. This is nothing but a meager attempt from some ''Godly'' bastard trying to make you lose yourself."

 Chapter 977 - Worst Of The Worst

    <h4>Chapter 977 - Worst Of The Worst</h4>


    Jin Wang was staring right into his eyes so he noticed the change when the words "Godly bastards" were mentioned.


    Hao Xuan''s dull vacant expression swiftly changed to one of writhing fury as he kicked Jin Wang in the chest that sent him flying away.


    "You son of two-bit whore!"


    Jin Wang was not expecting such a violent reaction even in his wildest dreams and was thus unprepared to defend against it. The kick connected directly with his body which was basically a manifestation of his soul.


    It was equivalent to getting kicked right in the heart and pain was as real as it possibly could be.


    "Argh! S-Stop!"


    He raised his hands as a gesture of defeat but Hao Xuan was unwilling to even consider it. Nine ethereal rings of spiritual energy manifested around him all rotating at a different speed. His body rose from the ground from the sheer force of the potent spiritual energy.


    "I only told that dream to one person and one person alone. Did he send you here?! You fucking degenerates, the whole lot of you."


    Jin Wang had never seen such a disgusted expression on his face before. That degree of emotion, how could he say anything to cate him now?


    Hao Xuan unsheathed his sword.


    The scabbard fell through the rotating rings and was in small pieces by the time it hit the ground. The de he was holding was crimson, a testament to the lives it had taken and the blood it had bathed in.


    Such a foul smell, it had been a long while for even Jin Wang since thest time he had smelled something that revolting. He tried to sit up with some effort and managed to stitch together a few words.


    "That de...is it yours?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head in disdain.


    "That is the kind of master you serve. He did not even tell you what kind of man you were supposed to manipte?"


    Jin Wang did not what to say. There was nothing he COULD say right now, everything would sound either like a poor excuse or ramblings of a mad man.


    The roof of the building they were on was started to cave in under the pressure of Hao Xuan''s Qi. He raised the de in Jin Wang''s direction and Jin Wang could already feel it resting on his heart.


    "I might have been born a ve but I stand here now only because of my master and there is no foul scheme that your retched self coulde up with that would make me betray him."


    "I am the general of the armies of his majesty, Lord Alucard, the one and only being worthy enough to be presented with the title of God of War. I am his de on the battlefield and the dagger in the backs of any who try to contend against his rule."


    Every single building within 200 meters of them copsed from the pressure all at once but Jin Wang''s body stayed afloat in the same spot.


    "I am not who you think-" he tried to exin which was not met well, as expectedly.


    "SILENCE! I will hear no more of your wicked words but worry not, I will send your master and his entire bloodline to visit the gates of hell so wait for them there. And if you manage to crawl back out, then I will listen to your excuses."


    *Sigh*


    Jin Wang closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall through the world, through time and space into another. Every time his feet would touch the solid ground he would look around to inspect the surroundings but each instant was something incredibly violent.


    Either on the battlefield, on the precipice of war, or running to or from one.


    But there appeared to be a single exception amidst this orchestra of blood and brutality as he was weed by the faint pitter-patter of raindrops and the touch of a cold breeze.


    He slowly opened his eyes to check the surroundings. The location was somewhere in the wilds. There were no buildings in sight and only a colorless grey wastnd stretched across the horizon in all directions.


    The sky was colored in much the same colored clouds.


    There was a withered old tree trunk nearby, one of many in the area but this one had some signs of lifeing from within. A slow wheezing sound.


    This time he didn''t let his guard up and walked towards it with measured steps. He caught a glimpse of someoneying inside upon getting close. He poked his head inside and saw Hao Xuanying on the ground.


    Jin Wang''s expression darkened and he had had to do a double-take to make sure it was what it looked like. Hao Xuan heard the noise and slowly turned his head in its direction.


    "You...arete..." he muttered weakly throughboured breaths.


    Jin Wang took in a deep breath to calm his tumultuous emotions, telling himself the same thing he was supposed to tell Hao Xuan.


    ''It''s not real, only a possible future that did note to pass.''


    He stepped inside the trunk which was more than big enough to amodate them both, not that Hao Xuan took up much space.


    He was less than 10 years old in this timeline. Both his legs were cut off and rtively recently from the looks of it. There were numerous other wounds and marks of abuse on his body.


    He was on his death bed, moments away from the eternal slumber.


    ''It is not real,'' Jin Wang told himself again while taking off his shirt to cover Hao Xuan''s naked and bruised body.


    "Who did this to you?"

 Chapter 978 - Emotional

    <h4>Chapter 978 - Emotional</h4>


    "Who...?" Hao Xuan slowly repeated trying to remember, "I don''t know...some men....they said they would give me a job...if I went with them...they said the King was...looking for help..."


    Jin Wang could see a reflection of the Hao Xuan knew in his eyes but other than that they were totally different. He didn''t know what to even say to him. Try and console him? Or tell him the truth again?


    But then he remembered the first thing Hao Xuan had said to him upon seeing him.


    "You were expecting me? Do you know who I am?" he asked in hopes that maybe Hao Xuan recognized him like the second version of him.


    Hao Xuan nodded lightly, "Aren''t you the...angel of death?"


    Even though he was asking the question there was no doubt in his voice. He truly believed that Jin Wang was here to take him to the other life.


    The rain picked up and turned into a proper shower while Jin Wang was thinking about what to say. And out of nowhere he said "I am" without even realizing it.


    Hao Xuan smiled. Or at least it somewhat resembled a smile since most of his face was cut and swollen which made it that much harder.


    "I knew it...hehe..." he coughed blood in the middle of theugh.


    Jin Wang wanted to help somehow but he knew that wasn''t possible. This wasn''t actually happening. It was but an afterimage of what COULD havee to pass if circumstances were different, WAY different.


    Hao Xuan struggled to take a few deep breaths but that didn''t really help and even more blood came out.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "C-Can you tell me? About...what''s on the other side? Will I...go to heaven..?"


    Jin Wang ced a hand over Hao Xuan''s forehead in a futile attempt to calm him.


    "Of course. You can go wherever you want. In fact..." he paused and looked around before whispering, "Can I tell you a secret?"


    Hao Xuan nodded, so engrossed in the conversation that for a moment he forgot what was happening to him. Jin Wang smiled knowingly. He leaned in and whispered in an even lower voice.


    "What if I told you that this was a dream? A very bad dream? Would you believe me?"


    Without a moment of hesitation Hao Xuan nodded back, "Yes."


    ''Such trusting nature...both like and unlike him...''


    "Good. All of this is nothing but a terrible nightmare. Soon you will wake up in your own body, and then it will be all nothing but a distant memory....but can you do me a favor?"


    "What...favor?" Hao Xuan asked innocently.


    "When you wake up, I want you to remember something. The other ''yous'' really need to hear it."


    "The other...me?"


    "Yes, you will understandter."


    "Okay...what do I...tell them?"


    "Tell them that someone is trying to trap him. That everything he is seeing, all these terrible lives he is living are meant to break him. They couldn''t do anything to him in person so instead, they chose this as a punishment. Tell him to be strong and not to give up, no matter what. Tell him I will bring help and get him out of here very soon. Can you do that?"


    That was a lot to remember but as long this version of him understood what it meant then there was hope. Because when this Hao Xuan dies the portion of his soul would return to the original body and this information would be distributed to the rest of his soul to some extent.


    Hao Xuan stared back at him in silence for a good minute or so before nodding slowly. It was like he remembered or understood something deep down but didn''t know why or what.


    "Okay...I will..."


    Jin Wang sat beside him for what felt like an eternity talking about different things until it became too much to bear. Extreme blood loss led to an eventual loss of consciousness and despite Hao Xuan trying to fight against the fatigue, his eyelids became too heavy to keep open and he drifted away a momentter.


    The world turned dark and Jin Wang was forcefully pulled when Princess Helena finally couldn''t take it anymore.


    When he opened his eyes back in the real world she was already down on her knees. Her left hand which was ced on Hao Xuan''s forehead was twisted at an odd angle and already turning purple.


    She tried to exin what happened, "I held on as long as I could but all of a sudden a strong force came out of nowhere."


    Jin Wang stood up and as he neared Hao Xuan he felt the difference. The force of gravity had been turned up to almost 12 times the norm. Numerous small white threads of lightning were filling all of the Chaos energy that was spilling out from Hao Xuan.


    "He is bing unstable.. The more emotional he feels the worse it will get. We need to get out of here quick!"

 Chapter 979 - Coming Out

    <h4>Chapter 979 - Coming Out</h4>


    He grabbed Princess Helena by the one good hand she had left and dragged her out of the room without giving her any time to evenpute what was happening. The door opened and they almost materialized out of it before closing it behind them.


    A soft rumbling noise snaked through the walls making it seem like the entire mountain was crying and moaning for some reason.


    Dust fell from the ceiling and even a few chipped pieces fell to the ground.


    Princess Helena held the broken hand close to her chest but she was too worried about what was happening to even consider the pain right now.


    "Did it go...well?"


    Jin Wang waited a few seconds until the rumbling stopped to respond with a light shrug.


    "Yes and...no. More no than yes if I''m being honest about it."


    "Why did that happen just now? Everything got so much more...powerful..."


    "That''s how Chaos is. It depends more on what''s happening inside someone than out. It draws power from emotions, all kinds of them. But there is no emotion stronger than pain, resentment, anger and sadness, as much as I hate to admit it. I wish I could say ''love and friendship'' are the tools of the trade but no one that was truly happy ever did something terrible."


    "And right now he is filled to the brim with all these ugly and negative emotions. And the more chaos there is the more unstable his emotional state bes, especially since he can''t consciously control it. So it has turned into a vicious cycle of emotional duress turning into Chaos and that Chaos fuelling his negative side, not that it needed any help in that aspect."


    Jin Wang was about to turn around when he saw Princess Helena''s troubled expression. It looked like she wanted to say something but was holding back.


    "What? If you know something then you need to be upfront about it. This is a very sensitive matter and his life could be in danger."


    She let out a deep sigh, "I felt something, there at the end just before my arm broke. I didn''t mean to look inside but it was just so strong that I identally caught a glimpse, I swear," she exined earnestly and it didn''t look like she was lying.


    "That''s fine. There is no use talking about what could have been. Just tell me what you saw."


    She tried to find the right words but it was difficult.


    "There was someone...looking back at me. When I looked into his soul there was someone there, someone else."


    Jin Wang''s frown deepened, "Someone else? Did you see who?"


    "No. Their face was covered by darkness but the eyes, I can''t get them out of my mind. Wherever I look I can see them staring back at me, those crimson eyes."


    "Eyes? Red?"


    Jin Wang mused inwardly and came to the most obvious conclusion.


    ''Hyde was it? Is it him? Did he have something to do with this? It has to be, there is no one else that can ess his mind with such ease. I can''t let him wander around in there however he wishes. If I can open the final door I can find my original spellbook and conjure up something to help...''


    He quickly turned towards her, "Do you know where the other cultivators are?"


    "Yes, down the stairs to the left."


    "Oh, yeah I forgot, thank you," he extended his hand smilingly and when Princess Helena awkwardly reached out to shake it he grabbed the other hand, the one attached to a broken arm and jerked it forcefully.


    "AAAH!" she fell to her knees from the sudden pain on the verge of tears.


    Jin Wang patted her on the head like one would a child, "There, it''s back in the right ce now. Just cast a few healing spells and it will be right as rain in a few hours," he threw out the words before sprinting out of the room.


    ***


    Back inside the room strands of white light were crawling up the walls and into the ceiling trying to escape. The Chaos energy was seething and with so much of it packed in such a confined space it was like a ticking time bomb that could go any moment.


    <i></i>


    The space bent and stretched under its influence and numerous scenes yed out in unison all over, everything that Hao Xuan himself was experiencing.


    He was still hunched over in the same exact spot but there was something different about his body, or rather his hair. One by one they were changing colors between ck and white as if both colors were fighting for supremacy.


    Each one wasing in waves trying to force out the other color.


    But inside his mind pce it was eerily calm.. Of the three only one door was open all the way, the one on the extreme left that would usually be always chained shut.

 Chapter 980 - Fate Weaver

    <h4>Chapter 980 - Fate Weaver</h4>


    None of the severs reacted with any hostility, in fact, they were all asleep at this moment despite the Mind Pce creaking and shaking violently as if it was on the verge of breaking down.


    The middle door that held the essence of Hao Xuan''s remaining soul was cracked open just a smidgen, barely enough to be noticeable but enough to allow entry.


    The remnants of his psyche, of what made him HIM were sitting in an empty void taking the exact form and position his body was in outside. This was the ce Jin Wang had used to reach out to him.


    There was nothing but darkness all around. It was just Hao Xuan floating in a void surrounded by hundreds of millions of moving images. Each one represented a different life he was living through right at this instant, a painful and miserable excuse of a life.


    The weave and the ones that controlled it, the ones that called themselves the ''fate weavers'' had locked away Hao Xuan''s soul by scattering it in millions upon millions of different paths and probable timelines, each one more terrible than thest.


    He could never find happiness in there, not a moment of respite would be given to his soul as it was washed over with neverending waves of pain and agony. He could not change the oue of any of these gruesome events.


    Hao Xuan could not even consciously know that it was happening to him. He was but a spectator forced to endure a hundred million lifetimes worth of pain every waking moment. Their goal was simple, to break him until there was nothing left that could bebeled as a person.


    Every moment he was pushed further towards madness, every fiber of his being twisted and deformed from pure unadulterated anguish. This was a deserving punishment for someone that had tried to change their fate, for that was only reserved for the chosen sons and daughters of heaven.


    The images spun faster and faster around Hao Xuan. His shoulder-length hair were going through the exact same process as his body outside, forcibly changing color from ck to white and white was winning.


    More than half of it was already white. The moment it turned all the way it would signal his defeat. He would never ever be the same again after that.


    At that moment the void trembled and a figure emerged out of the darkness from behind him. The darkness circled around his form hiding most of it from in sight, revealing only the face.


    It was Hao Xuan, an identical copy of him but this one had eyes the color of rubies.


    He stopped just a foot away from Hao Xuan, looking down at him with an unwavering gaze. His eyes were locked onto the tug-of-war between the two colors reflected on his hair. He watched in silence for a good long while before finally uttering three short sentences.


    "You can''t stop this. It is the only way. The price must be paid."


    The void trembled once again but this time from the front as another figure materialized.


    The darkness was pushed back as a spark of pure white light ignited in the air before quickly expanding to take another humanoid shape. It was ''humanoid'' but notpletely human because there were thirty-two sets of ethereal wings of light entrenched on its back.


    The span of each wing was so impossiblyrge that the ends were not even visible and YET, all 64 wings began from the back of the same humanoid being.


    The light dimmed just enough that the figure''s true appearance could be made out. It was a girl with three golden halos hovering overhead. Her eyes were closed, or rather sewn shut but the appearance was not foreign to Hao Xuan.


    It was Xu Qing. (Image posted in discord, just search for her name)


    She shook her head gently while looking down towards the kneeling Hao Xuan.


    "The future is not yet certain."


    The red-eyed Hao Xuan scoffed lightly, "Your people made it certain. It cannot be any other, not anymore."


    Xu Qing slowly looked up in his direction, "But you can change it. Help him."


    "Until when?"


    "....Until I am no more, only until then."


    The red-eyed Hao Xuan seemed a little confused by her words, "What will that achieve? In the end it will alle back, like always."


    Xu Qing shook her gently, "But he will have known love by then, he will have known friendship. It will not all be bad. There will be a spark of hope."


    He cackled in response, "Hope!? You dare speak of hope after what you did? None of this would have happened if it wasn''t for your kind!"


    Xu Qing remained silent for a brief moment before nodding, "I know. That is why I must make it right."


    The red-eyed Hao Xuan slowly stoppedughing, ending in a weary sigh. He inched forward and ced one hand on the kneeling Hao Xuan''s shoulder. His voice fell to a whisper that only he could hear.


    "One can only peer into the abyss for so long before its evesting gaze finds you. Once again I take all your pain, all your worry, and anguish, to lock it away for when you are ready to ept the gift of madness that it brings with it. But until then, let the blood of your enemies fuel the fires of rage and fury that have always burned in our hearts, rip and tear until there are none left."


    By the time he finished speaking there was only the kneeling Hao Xuan left. But now his hair had turned back to the original ck color, perhaps even darker than ever before.


    All those negative emotions that were dragging him down had disappeared. Suddenly he could not feel it anymore.


    The leftmost door in his mind pce slowly began to close but not before one of the severs was awoken by themotion. The Scorpion King looked up and saw a figure walking into the darkness.


    His hair ashen white and eyes blood-red as they peered back at this king of beasts from within the void.


    "Sleep," a word resounded within the mind pce and the Scorpion King fell to the ground weightlessly as if a switch had been turned off.

 Chapter 981 - Beastmaster

    <h4>Chapter 981 - Beastmaster</h4>


    Jin Wang pushed through the thicket located on the right side of the stone stairs until it opened up to reveal the source of all themotion he had been hearing from so far away.


    There were close to sixty people sitting in different groups all around the site. They were all young and exuding copious amounts of spiritual energy just by standing there.


    A few people turned their heads to see who came and when they didn''t recognize him a couple of them came forward.


    One of them was a serious-looking well-built teen and the other was a stout man in his early twenties that looked a bit too told for his actual age. He blocked Jin Wang''s path.


    "Stop! Who are you? What business do you have here?"


    He spoke in a thick rural ent that could only be found in certain parts of the beast world, although not many people would know that.


    Jin Wang gestured towards the back of the camp where he could see a few familiar silhouettes.


    "I am here for Henrik Biric."


    The man frowned. His fist slowly clenched behind his back, "What business do you have with him?"


    "I''m a friend of his, will you just get out of my way already, I''m short on time."


    The well-built teen stepped forward and almost barked back, "Watch your mouth, kid!"


    "???"


    bbergasted, Jin Wang looked behind but could not see anyone else there so he pointed at himself, "Me? Out of three of us, I''m the kid??"


    His implication was clear and enough to rile up the teen.


    "You son of a bitch, you wanna go?? HUH?!"


    He suddenly pulled out a curved de but before the situation could get any worse Jin Wang shook his head and stepped forward. He reached out and pressed lightly on his shoulder making him fall to his knees at once.


    "You really need to pick your battles kiddo. If it was someone else here you might have lost an arm or two by now," he whispered before looking towards the stout man, "Take me to Henrik"


    The stout man had more than a few words to say but seeing how easily the teen was overpowered and there was no ill-intent behind Jin Wang''s action he decided not to push further until his motives were clear.


    "Follow me," he said and led him to where Henrik was.


    Henrik was sitting inside arge square tent protected by numerous runes and formations. When the stout man entered he looked up and called out his name smilingly, "Rhisiat!"


    But when he saw Jin Wang his expression froze for a moment as he jumped to his feet, "Jin Wang! Where the hell were you?!" he shouted.


    The oversized Fulke and the beautiful Hazel were as usual sitting nearby but had much the same reactions.


    Jin Wang pointed towards a random direction, "I was looking at a few things. Why what happened?"


    Henrik could not talk fast enough finally having found someone to vent at, "We thought you were dead for gods sake! Hao Xuan, he went mad after what happened with that mortal boy. He almost brought the roof down on all of us. I didn''t know what to do but the grand priestess kept saying to lock him in that room until ''he''es back but we didn''t know who it was-"


    Jin Wang raised his hand and gestured for him to stop and take a breath.


    "Calm down, she was talking about me and I''m here now. What happened with Salome?"


    Hazel stepped forward and showed him the parts of the video that were broadcast to everyone.


    "Ah, damn it. No wonder it all happened so quickly," Jin Wang mumbled under his breath, "That poor kid. I certainly hope he is in a better ce now."


    Henrik fell back into his seat and the guy named Rhisiat also stepped forward speaking in a low tone of voice, "Who is this guy?"


    Henrik pped his forehead, "Oh I forgot you guys haven''t met," he pointed towards Rhisiat, "This person was supposed to be one of the Protectors of the Hall until Xue Meng forcefully reced him. And this is Jin Wang, he is...a friend...I guess? It''splicated but he is on our side," he said assuringly to Rhisiat.


    Jin Wang smiled half-heartedly while shaking his hand, "It''s quite rare to see a beastmaster among all these cultivators."


    Rhisiat eyes widened, "You could tell?!"


    He looked back towards Henrik for confirmation but he shrugged, "I met him just now after 4 days."


    He looked back towards Jin Wang, "How could you tell?"


    Jin Wang smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "A beastmaster exudes a certain amount of beastly aura and those attuned to their senses can quite easily pick it up. I see you''re hiding yours with some treasure but it''s not perfect."


    "B-But no one else could tell, other than Xue Meng and he wasn''t sure what it was either."

 Chapter 982 - Gathering Forces

    <h4>Chapter 982 - Gathering Forces</h4>


    The entire room fell silent when Xue Meng''s name was mentioned. His notoriety preceded him even among the people he had not and probably would not ever cross paths with. At this point in time they were all well aware of his strength, as ambiguous as his actual realm was.


    So it was understandable why they were so surprised when Rhisiat mentioned that even Xue Meng wasn''t able to detect his beastly aura but Jin Wang could.


    To them, Xue Meng was one of two people on this world that should never be messed with. The other, surprisingly, was Feng Huang, the third protector of the Academy.


    Henrik''s eyes brightened upon hearing that and he looked towards Jin Wang for confirmation.


    "Can you...beat him? Xue Meng?" Henrik held his breath waiting for the answer but almost choked on his own tongue upon getting it.


    "Yeah, but I won''t," Jin Wang answered casually.


    Henrik jumped to his feet in a mixture of shock and discontent, "W-What?! Why the hell not??"


    Jin Wang winked at him mischievously, "Because it wouldn''t be fair. Plus there is already a guy I have to take care of."


    "Who?! Who else could possibly be stronger than him?"


    Jin Wang only smiled back in response. There was no need to tell them that he was talking about the Abysswalker because it would never even cross their minds that anyone here could ever contend with him.


    To them he was like the sun itself. Something they could only look up to but never ever think about in any other context. And what would happen if one day some random person said they could kill the sun? Would they not beughed out of the room?


    It was far too ridiculous an idea to even bring up and would require a lot more exnation than Jin Wang was willing to give at this moment in time.


    Jin Wang waved his hand nonchntly and changed the topic.


    "Don''t worry about it. Why are you bringing him up anyway?"


    Henrik sighed inwardly but seeing as Jin Wang wasn''t willing to talk about it further he gave up, for the time being at least. He walked up to the wooden table ced in the center of the room which had a sheet of a nk white paper ced on top of it.


    He mumbled a spell under his breath and stroked the paper''s surface in a very specific manner, drawing the outlines of several runes and letters. By the time he was finished blotches of ck and green ink were starting to take shape.


    Jin Wang moved over to the table just like the rest of them. They watched as various intricate designs were born from each ink stain. They looked like brushstrokes of varying lengths bringing andscape to life.


    Jin Wang whistled, "Damn, that''s a nice treasure you have there. What is its range?"


    Henrik pointed to the four corners of the map where the identical symbols of apass were painted.


    "There are four ''gs'' connected to the main map. It shows everything in between each of them but they have to form a perfect square for it to work. I don''t know about range but with some help from the grand priestess I was able to ce it far enough that we can see more than 90% of this world."


    "Double damn, the little one didn''t hold back did she," Jin Wang muttered to himself.


    "What?"


    "Nothing nothing. I am guessing it can show all-terrain but what about people?"


    Henrik dragged his fingers across the sheet to bring up a different section of the map where a majority of it was blotted out by white spots. Or rather the ink nearby was forcibly pushed aside.


    "It can''t show individuals unless I have marked them personally butrge groups of people do show up here. The ''brighter'' they are the more spiritual energy they exude which we can guess is from a prettyrge group."


    He ''zoomed out'' of the map by bringing his hands closer together to show a muchrger area.


    "We know this is where Dai Zhi''s army is gathering," he pointed towards thergest nk spot and then at another spot NW of it.


    "And these I think are the natives who created the resistance that''s fighting against them. They have been gathering their forces for a while. From what I have heard from the refugees they are looking for volunteers and once they have enough they willunch an all-out attack."


    The eyes of everyone in the room were transfixed on the map. They were all thinking the same thing but only Hazel vocalized her thoughts.


    "Since the map shows how much spiritual energy is gathered at the spot we can guess how strong a particr group is right?"


    Henrik nodded grimly.


    "Then..." she looked back at the two nk spots.


    One was about half an inch wide while the other was over fifteen inches across.


    "It will be a massacre."

 Chapter 983 - All In All

    <h4>Chapter 983 - All In All</h4>


    That was a statement of fact more than anyone''s personal opinion. Dai Zhi''s army could eat them up and spit them out without breaking a sweat. Judging only from the nk spots they were probably more than thirty-two times stronger than the native fighters, not even taking into ount the difference in abilities.


    Henrik mmed his fist on the table snapping everyone out of their respective trances. He met Jin Wang''s gaze, "So do you have anything to add? Some new information that could maybe help us?"


    "Help you? Help you do what exactly?" Jin Wang asked confusedly.


    "To fight of course," Henrik answered confidently.


    Jin Wang could not contain his astonishment.


    "You would fight for these mortals? Why? You know full well what your own people are capable of and how much can be done against them so fight to what end?"


    And he had a point. It was one thing to not participate or join hands with Dai Zhi but to actively move against him, that would be a death sentence for sure. After all even he couldn''t just kill them if they only stayed out of his way.


    There were almost 65-70 of them all put together and each one came from a rtively powerful background. They were at least capable of protecting themselves if nothing else.


    Henrik shook his head without any hesitation, "Technically we are not fighting for the natives, only correcting our own internal mistakes. Our purpose was not to go for an all-out war with them but topete against one another to measure our leadership and management abilities."


    Henrik''s expression contorted as he passionately gave his reasons.


    "But now thanks to Dai Zhi''s demented nature that has devolved into a simple ughter. He haspletely lost his mind. I don''t know what he is nning to do after getting back home but it won''t be so easy, even for him."


    "He has openly killed our own people, threatened and extorted others into joining his side and now this. Nothing like this has ever happened before and probably won''t happen again so we would at least like to be remembered as the sane ones that stood on the right side of history...or at least that''s the official statement we are going to make."


    Fulke stepped forward and gestured towards Rhisiat.


    "We have all seen what he is doing out there. It is killing for the sake of killing. Hundreds of thousands of locals have already died in his hands and even more are suffering daily because of his actions. We can only stand by and watch for so long."


    "Every day more and more people arrive in horrible conditions, most running from his forces and others from the demons and whatnot but at the end of the day, we are the ones who caused all this. They might just be savages by our standards but they are still human. We can''t just ignore everything that''s going on."


    Jin Wang looked at each of them and saw their resolute expressions. They were not going to back down, not from this fight.


    He finally chuckled, "Well, I''m d there are at least some of you with the balls to live up to your ancestors'' names. It won''t be easy though, I hope you know that. Many of you will probably die."


    He said that as a worst-case scenario although considering the overall situation with the gue and the potential hell gates opening here it might actuallye true.


    "Doesn''t matter, we will still fight," Rhisiat retorted.


    "Alright then, tell me what your n is and what you know about the enemy forces."


    Henrik tapped on his spirit band and several images were brought up.


    "These pictures were taken by some of the defectors that recently came to join us."


    The images showed arge force dressed in all white led by three great beasts.


    "This is their main force. They have managed to tame three Ether Beasts from the surface although they have not yet been brought down here just yet. But the biggest problem is the protectors that almost all aligned with Dai Zhi."


    "Dai Zhi, Dima and Tian Zheng are all first protectors so we probably won''t see them on the battlefield anytime soon, and from the news that I got it looks like Dima had to pull most of his forces for something else too. But both Tian Zheng and Dai Zhi are already down here, although they are not our biggest threat."


    He clicked again to swap to a different image of two men.


    "Xue Meng and Feng Huang. Both came from outside the continent and we have no real way to make an urate assessment of their strength. The only thing we know for sure is that they are probably the most powerful ones here. If either of them were to join any battle they could single handily turn the tide in their favor."


    "Well, I don''t think you have to worry about Xue Meng that much," Jin Wang added.

 Chapter 984 - Main Ones

    <h4>Chapter 984 - Main Ones</h4>


    "What? Why not?" Henrik inquired with a knitted brow but Jin Wang simply waved his hand nonchntly.


    "Trust me, as long as you don''t attack Xue Meng he won''t retaliate. He doesn''t see any of you worthy enough to be hispetitor, in fact, it''s quite shameful he is even here considering his status. After exchanging a few blows with him I can tell that much at the very least. He should only make a move if the life of whoever he is here to safeguard is in danger, which should be either Dai Zhi or Tian Zheng."


    ''Or if he sees me,'' he added inwardly at the end.


    Henrik was more than a little skeptical of what Jin Wang was saying but Rhisiat actually came to his defense the very next moment.


    "You have a point. Even when he fought all of us candidates for the position of the protector he never unsheathed his saber, something about honor and whatnot. I don''t think he ever saw any of us as his equal."


    Jin Wang involuntarily snickered at thement, "Of course he doesn''t. He''s a demigod carrying a bloodline of a true War God. If he was here with his actual body it wouldn''t even be apetition."


    "W-WHAT?!" all of them shouted in unison.


    Henrik almost fell back with unsteady steps if not for Hazeling to his rescue, "I-Is that really true...??"


    And to his dismay Jin Wang nodded back as if it was no big deal, "Yeah. The saber he is carrying once belonged to a God of War from the Archaic Era and once he died it was passed down to his descendants. I actually didn''t think any of them were still left alive after thest coup but..."


    "And what was that about his actual body??" Fulke quickly asked before the conversation could move on.


    "Exactly what it means. That''s not his real body. I''m guessing he is somewhere within the great pyramid cultivating and what you see walking around is just a blood clone carrying the de with it. That''s probably why he doesn''t want to overexert the clone before his mission is over."


    "But that doesn''t mean he is weak. If he went all out none of you could beat him even if you banded together."


    Rhisiat was the only one who read between the lines and caught what Jin Wang was trying to say by "none of you". That didn''t include him.


    A small bout of silence followed as they digested the information but eventually Henrik got back to asking questions.


    "What about Feng Huang? Is there anything odd about him?"


    "Nope. He is as real as it gets and if I''m not wrong he has one of the primal divine bloodlines which makes him as big a deal as you think."


    "Primal bloodlines?"


    "Yeah, you know the ones, dragon, phoenix, tiger, and the great tortoise. One of the divine beasts."


    Henrik looked towards Rhisiat for answers once again although for a different reason this time. Rhisiat was a beast tamer and had not only innate knowledge about such beasts but his senses could also provide an insight.


    "He''s probably right. I''ve only ever seen Feng Huang up close once but that suffocating beastly aura was unmistakable. He is probably an actual beast pretending to be a human which means he is at least an Ether Beast himself."


    Henrik finally couldn''t take it anymore and fell back on a nearby chair rubbing his forehead in despair.


    "That''s just...perfect."


    But just then, "Actually-" Jin Wang awkwardly raised his hand.


    "What? What else could there possibly be?"


    "Well, since you asked..."


    He mentioned the presence of a high-level demonic entity somewhere in the world although the name was kept out for obvious reasons. It wouldn''t help anyone if they found out that a Great Devil like Beelzebub was trying to get in on the action as well.


    And since they were on the topic of probable enemies Jin Wang also mentioned the gue and corruption that was leaking from the prison above.


    "But you don''t have to worry about that one too much. I''m trying to take care of it so at the very least it shouldn''t bother you too much. I only mentioned it in case something happens so you are prepared. Those infected should be kept at a distance no matter what since it can spread pretty easily."


    As the undisputed and unintended leader of this little band of misfits Henrik was about to copse from sheer exhaustion just by thinking about all of the problems.


    "So, we have to not only find a way to stop or at least slow Dai Zhi and his entire army of marauders but also keep an eye out for demonic creatures or worse, a hell gate opening right under our feet. And not to mention the sky bleeding diseases and gue. Am I missing something?"


    "No, those are the main ones."


    "Oh well as long as I covered all the main ones. What are you gonna do in the meantime?"

 Chapter 985 - Wolf Bastard

    <h4>Chapter 985 - Wolf Bastard</h4>


    After being asked why Jin Wang remembered the reason he came here in the first ce.


    "I have to take care of a few things in the prison but first I need to find someone. Is there anyone among you that has telepathic powers? Hypnosis, possession,pulsion, psionic manifestation, anything of the sort?"


    But they stared back at him with nk faces. Fulke looked at the others and answered for everyone.


    "N-No, I don''t think so."


    "Of course not. Do you have any idea how rare those abilities are?" Hazel chimed in.


    But as it had almost be custom now Rhisiat once again raised his hand hesitantly, "I have stronger than average spiritual sense but nothing specific."


    Jin Wang waved his hand absentmindedly, "Na, that won''t help. I need someone that can get inside a person''s head or maybe even control them to a degree."


    He sighed and turned around to leave, "Nevermind, will have to think of another way then I guess..."


    He had taken just a couple of steps when Henrik called out, "There is one that has a bloodline which is basically made for what you''re asking. Although I don''t know if she has awakened it yet."


    Jin Wang paused midstride, "Hmm? Who?"


    "You know her too, Princess Ceni. Both her mother and father''s bloodlines allow for conscious maniption to a degree don''t they? But since she is not a pure-blood I can''t say how effective or ineffective her abilities will be."


    "Oh, her..." Jin Wang muttered under his breath.


    After hearing the warning from Grand Priestess he hadpletely cut her out as an option, especially if it had anything to do with Hao Xuan. Since their fates were so misaligned bringing them together would only result in tragedy.


    "I''ll think about it," he said looking back at Henrik, "In the meantime work together with the demihumans and set up a line of defense outside. Clear up space in here to make room for all the refugeesing in. Put your abilities to good use and help these people settle down because otherwise they will only get in the wayter on. Sooner orter the demons or the cultivators will reach this ce so start preparing."


    "I know I know we areing up with a n right now. We''ll set up the supply lines first and then make some housing for the mortals on the far side."


    Jin Wang walked out of the tent and left them to their own devices. Henrik seemed more than capable of handling everything despite how he acted. Not to mention he was the oldest one here by far (160 years old) and most probably had some experience in these matters.


    Being from a big n like his didn''te without any strings attached. Each one of them had to finish their basic training and be knowledgeable about a great many subjects especially the ones rted to war before venturing outside.


    They were all potential leaders in times of emergency and could step in with minimal supervision.


    Jin Wang walked until he was far enough from their camp before pushing lightly against the ground. He lept several hundred meters without making any noise andnded softly on one of the stupendouslyrge bones that acted as the ceiling for this cove that housed the city of Argham.


    He breathed in the cold night air and ''tasted'' the various smellsing from all around. Looking down he could see hundreds of mortals piled outside the city and even moreing in every minute.


    Their numerous voices calling out for help, asking for food, water, or medicine. This ever-so-familiar scene inadvertently brought back memories that he had buried a long time ago.


    He couldn''t help but reminisce.


    "Once again I stand on the brink of yet another war. Era after era, kingdom after kingdom, yet somehow it always devolves into the same bloody mess."


    For a moment he could feel the familiar weight of a hand on his shoulder and the warmth of people surrounding him from all sides. He could almost imagine their silhouettes standing beside him shoulder by shoulder grinning even in the darkest of nights.


    People he once called friends and brothers in arms that were now mere memories. The same friends he would have died for once.


    "I can''t even remember what they looked like anymore. How long has it been? How much blood did we shed for our kin? For a dream of a brighter future but...look at us now. No one even remembers we ever existed, scrubbed out of the annals of history by the victors."


    But then his expression hardened as he stared at the squirming masses.


    "I know you must have left something for me in there, old friend. I''ve found the secret vault in the prison just like you said I would but...I cannot open it. I''ve tried everything but nothing works.. I know if I force my way everything will be destroyed but where is the key? If only that wolf bastard didn''te when he did."

 Chapter 986 - Your Lot

    <h4>Chapter 986 - Your Lot</h4>


    "If only he didn''te when he did I wouldn''t have had to rush the final reincarnation and would still have all my memories."


    Jin Wang couldn''t help but sigh at his misfortune. The Emperor had ounted for almost every variable across millions of years to help him reach his final objective and now that he was just a step away, the final door could not be opened simply because the information was missing from his brain.


    "Heh, isn''t that a little ironic? All those ns set in motion an era ago are now brought to a dead stop at the final stage. If only you could have seen thising I wouldn''t have-" Jin Wang stated jokingly but froze mid-sentence as if a bolt of lightning had struck his very soul.


    His eyes swiveled left and right while his mind raced with a thousand different thoughts.


    "All those years and I never saw you make a single mistake. Everything was calcted down to thest second, every variable ounted for by numerous contingency ns so it stands to reason you would have ounted for this as well...right?"


    There was no one to listen to his ramblings but it helped to say things out loud to better understand them.


    "Say you knew this could be a possibility. You knew my memories could get jumbled up along the way so what would you do? The same as you always did, leave a master key hidden somewhere! Something that only I could find, something that only I would think to use. But..what could it be?"


    He paced back and forth on top of the bonespletely lost in thought.


    "It would have to be easily essible so nothing buried anywhere deep. You never trusted the future generations not to lose their marbles and destroy or sell old relics so it wouldn''t be left in anyone''s care."


    "You would have to be 100% sure it would never get damaged or destroyed along the way. It probably wouldn''t be something material, nothing inanimate would survive this long without changing or getting lost. But I would stille to the natural conclusion if I thought about it. "


    "That means...a person close to me. Someone you left behind, someone you knew would be born at this time and at this ce..." Jin Wang stopped in his tracks.


    "No...it can''t be him...can it?" he looked back down in the direction of the room Hao Xuan was sealed in, unsure if that was actually the case but it did make a lot of sense.


    Jin Wang had been waiting for Hao Xuan toe to the beast world since the moment he opened his eyes. He had created an entire life while waiting for Hao Xuan and after his arrival everything was centered around him.


    All the things he had to get for Hao Xuan and all the times he had to protect him without really knowing why. In fact, it was Hao Xuan that had basically brought him here, showed him the way to this little rock that was the linchpin to their n.


    "If that''s the case it can''t be anyone else BUT him," he came to the natural conclusion. But whether it was right or wrong only time would tell and either way, he needed to get Hao Xuan back on his feet. The longer he was left ruminating inside his head the harder it would be to bring him back.


    Jin Wang jumped down andnded next to a group of demihuman guards.


    "Hey there, where can I find Princess Helena?"


    After some exnation as to why he had fallen from the sky and proving he was not an enemy or a spy, Jin Wang was taken to the city center where Princess Helena was residing for the time being.


    There were a host of other demihumans running about most of which were cleared out when she heard Jin Wang hade asking for her.


    "I see the wound is healing well," was the first thing he said.


    She smiled awkwardly, deciding not to tell him that it was harder to fix the bone because he tried to "help" without asking first.


    "Yes, all thanks to you," she said from a safe distance, "What can I help you with?"


    "Oh, right. I need to find someone with a very high nature affinity and enough mana to cast at least two spells at a time."


    Princess Helena looked at him with a suspicious gaze as if she was unsure whether or not he was serious. Jin Wang obviously picked up on it


    "What?"


    "You...already have someone in your group, don''t you?"


    "I do? Who?"


    "Ma Jiang. She has extremely high nature affinity and can draw mana from the world to cast more spells if need be. Thest time I saw her she was with your lot so..."


    Now it was Jin Wang''s turn to be stupefied. How could it be such a coincidence?

 Chapter 987 - Entwined

    <h4>Chapter 987 - Entwined</h4>


    Well, calling it coincidence at this point was more than a little nonsensical but to see the fates of these three people that were now tied together by the threads of destiny unfold right in front of one''s eyes was a little transcendental.


    Right now Jin Wang was primarily looking for one thing, a way into the secret vault left somewhere deep inside the prison eons ago by the Emperor.


    It held numerous resources but more importantly information, information that Jin Wang needed to know to execute the final stage without a hitch. And he did not have a lot of time to get things right since the cultivators were making their way to the city of Argham.


    There were far too many variables in the equation to just wing it so this was extremely important.


    And after spending almost 150 hours mapping out each and every dark corner of the prison that could possibly hold the vault he finally found its location but s, it could not be opened so easily.


    He had concluded the master key for the vault must be something, or someone in this case, that the Emperor would know Jin Wang could definitely have by his side by this point in time. And the one constant that fulfilled that requirement was Hao Xuan himself.


    It would also exin why the Emperor put so much emphasis on protecting Hao Xuan and meddling with his fate since his body and mind would be used to open the vault.


    ''It was all a part of his n.''


    But to bring him to the vault he first needed he needed to have Hao Xuan up on his own two feet. And that was a 2-pronged strategy requiring him to first deal with Mr. Hyde and then bringing Hao Xuan''s consciousness back fully intact.


    For the first part he needed someone that waspletely in tune with nature and could use that connection to conjure an ancient spell of Jin Wang''s own creation which would temporarily seal all spiritual entities like Mr. Hyde.


    For the second part, he needed a strong telepath that could enter Hao Xuan''s segmented mind and bring him back, all of him. The problem was that as things stood, the solutions to both these problems were the two girls he should not be anywhere near to for the time being.


    Ma Jiang was the nature-attuned spell caster and Princess Ceni was the only one with telepathic abilities and they would have to work together if this was to seed.


    Jin Wang chuckled lightheartedly muttering under his breath, "Quite an ironic turn of events, isn''t it? Did the future change because of them or was it always going to be this way?"


    Princess Helena obviously didn''t know the full context so she could only stand idly by.


    Jin Wang turned around to leave but paused for a moment to inquire about the current situation.


    "How are the preparationsing?"


    "As well as one can expect. We have cleared out arge section in the back and are bringing in the women and the children first."


    "What about the other ns? Did you hear anything from them?"


    "The human leadership is non-existent right now but we have somemunication with the barbarians. Grandmother said our gates will be open to any who seek shelter so we''vee to an understanding. They are bringing most of their young and weak to stay within the city until it''s all over."


    "Their matriarch says she wants to see the situation for herself before agreeing to anything so she will try and talk to the invaders on her own terms."


    Disheartened by what he was hearing Jin Wang could only shake his head at the foolish undertaking.


    "That will never work. To negotiate with someone you must have something the other party wants. There is nothing she can give them that they can''t take by force. Why would they talk to a savage?"


    Surprisingly, Princess Helena agreed with him.


    "I am also of the same mind. We are already stretched far too thin and with grandmother as she is, there is no one to take control from the older generation."


    "Hoh, are you not her sessor? You''re already doing what you were meant to from the beginning, what you were born to."


    "I am but not everyone sees it that way, at least not yet. The elders think I am far too inexperienced to be leading at a time like this so they constantly bicker and fight with me at every point. I thought if the barbarian matriarch could join my side it would at least calm their nerves and give me some legitimacy but..."


    Jin Wang nced at the surroundings and noticed quite a few prying eyes in the shadows, keeping a watchful eye from a distance. The corner of his lips arched into a smile.


    "No matter the time, no matter the ce, there will always be rats trying to get a spot on the table in times of turmoil. It''s better to stomp out such absurd ideas before they fester," he mumbled to himself.


    "Sorry?"


    "Ah, nothing. Can you gather the elders? Especially the ones that are getting in your way?"


    "I...can but-"


    "Bring them outside of the city. Tell them they need to see firsthand what''s happening."


    "But what will that achieve?"


    "Trust me, just get them out of their safety."

 Chapter 988 - The Great Clans

    <h4>Chapter 988 - The Great ns</h4>


    Jin Wang took his leave and despite her busy schedule Princess Helena did as instructed. The grand priestess had told her in person that out of everyone here Jin Wang was perhaps the only one that could be trusted to have their backs.


    She sent out messengers for the city elders to gather despite knowing full well that the news would have already reached them well before the official messengers arrived at their doorstep.


    She waited at the city gates as they all arrived together through the sea of people, after making her wait for a good 20 minutes or so for no reason. You could say this was their power move. By making a princess wait for them in front of everyone it showed how much value they put on themselves.


    There were five individuals, both male, and female but all demihumans. They had everything from beastly tails, ears, snouts, and other facial features to entire limbs of various other species mixed together.


    And they were all old, extremely old. They made the Grand Priestess look like a spring chicken.


    These five individuals had lived for close to three centuries and were heads of each of their respective ns. Without cultivation to extend their lifespans this was most they could achieve just with the help of medicines and earthly treasures.


    Each of their families and ns supported the city of Argham and together governed the day-to-day matters. They had soldiers, more resources they would ever need, and money.


    As was the case with most ns even in the greater world, elders like these usually stayed hidden behind closed doors unless there was an emergency.


    They were surrounded by a small battalion of personal guards, almost three dozen in number.


    "Elders," Princess Helena gave a customary superficial bow to show her respect for them.


    Despite having lived for so long technically they were still a tier below her but that didn''t stop them from acting high and mighty whenever the opportunity presented itself.


    One of them stepped forward breaking free from their formation. It was an olddy with white feline ears and spectacles.


    "My dear princess, how have you been?"


    Princess Helena finally smiled seeing this person.


    "Elder Har," she stepped forward to give her a hug but stopped herself at thest minute.


    Elder Har reached out and held Princess Helena''s hand, "Your beauty exceeds even that of your grandmother in her prime. It has been far too long, child. Has my son given you any trouble?"


    Princess Helena shook her head gently, "Elder Iya has been most helpful in these trying times." (Elder Iya was first mentioned around CH633)


    Seeing them chatting without a care in the world another elder stepped forward. A man with a magnificent pair of inverted bull horns hanging from the side of his head. Even at his age he was well built so it was easy to imagine how powerful he was in his prime.


    "Why have you summoned us, Princess? I did not think there was a need for you to discuss any matters with our ''great'' ns after you opened the city gates without consulting us first."


    The other three stayed back but nodded along with him.


    Princess Helena stepped back and bowed in the same manner once more, "Elder Achak, that was an order from grandmother herself. If you would like I could pass on your reservations the next time I see her."


    Elder Achak snorted loudly, "Don''t get smart with me girly. Even your grandmother would not have done something like this without talking to me first. Whatever you are hiding wille to light sooner orter."


    Princess Helena sighed loudly. She knew there was nothing she could do to cate their anger but they simply did not grasp the full gravity of the situation.


    Having lived for so many years they had seen a great many things and to them, these new invaders were nothing more than miscreants that were being greatly overestimated. They had all heard the stories but it was difficult to believe something like that without seeing it first hand.


    "You are right. That''s why an esteemed friend wants to meet you today. He wants your advice on some matters."


    Elder Achak''s eyes narrowed to slits, "Then why can he not visit us inside the city?"


    Princess Helena turned around and started walking out.


    "You can ask him yourself."


    The elders exchanged concerned nces with one another worried about the same thing but Elder Achak waved his hand confidently.


    "There is nothing to worry about. These men have been trained my own hands, they can handle any trouble," he said gesturing towards the 25 or so of the guards that were all wearing the same maroon armor.


    They all had simr builds and appearance to him with thergest one reaching almost 3 meters in height.


    The rest of them all nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 989 - Uuu

    <h4>Chapter 989 - Uuu</h4>


    Princess Helena led the elders through masses of refugees that were keeping the roadsides warm. She made sure to point out their horrendous living conditions that were worse than beasts these ns reared in private.


    Most of them had nothing to their names other than whatever they could carry on their backs, which after the journey to Argham was not a lot.


    Many were suffering from various illnesses or injuries that could be dealt with rtive ease if the city had more resources and manpower to spare.


    Elder Achak''s cold expressions saw no change throughout the ten-minute or so walk it took for them to enter the wilderness of the old forest.


    Princess Helena kept checking her surroundings as if looking for something, which did not go unnoticed by Elder Achak. He finally could not take it any longer and stopped dead in his tracks making the entire partye to an abrupt halt.


    "Princess, how much further did you say was this ''esteemed guest'' was again? If there was one at all..."


    Hisstment hit her where it hurt. She turned to face him, nostrils ring and all.


    "Elder, what are you insinuating!?"


    Elder Achak snorted arrogantly as if he had seen through her n.


    "Did you think I would not get the wind of your insidious ns to take care of us once and for all? My spies already informed me of the meeting you had with that outsider and I sent several of my best men to take care of him. No one will being to be your executed today, princess."


    For the first time since meeting her Elder Achok''s expressions softened as he shook his head in disappointment.


    "How far has the noble bloodline fallen that you would even resort to such petty tricks. I see even you are not above letting greed get the better of you."


    He turned around to leave without waiting for a response, gesturing for the others to join him who had much the same reactions.


    Princess Helena was at such a loss for words that it took her a good few moments toe back to her senses and they were already almost out of her line of sight by then.


    "That''s not even remotely tru- Who did you send to their deaths?! Do you still not realize how much of a disadvantage we are in? If even one of them-"


    Princess Helena ran after them while trying to exin and get answers but just before she could overtake them something caught her eye. She stopped midstride to quickly cast a spell that blocked their path with a strong gust of wind.


    Elder Achak sighed and turned to face her, as did everyone else. Several of the guards unsheathed their weapons and came to the front, standing between them both.


    "Do not be foolish, princess. I will forget this matter and give you another chance to redeem yourself, for your grandmother''s sake and for all the ones before her. It will only-"


    Halfway through he realized the peculiarity of the situation and finally noticed what Princess Helena was trying to say without making any additional noise because, at some point, the forest had gonepletely silent.


    And when Elder Achak stopped speaking the others realized it too. It had be deathly silent. Let alone any animals, not even an insect could be heard anywhere.


    It was already night out but the lights from the city went on for miles not to mention all the sounds from the thousands of people moving about. Yet right now, none of that could be heard.


    An empty darkness surrounded them, so loud in its silence that their own breathing became a hindrance.


    But that silence did notst for very long as another sound broke through at that instant.


    "Uuuuuu~"


    It sounded like a woman weeping somewhere nearby, in the direction they hade from.


    Elder Achak nced at the nearest guards and gestured for them to check out the source of the noise. Surefooted and confident in their own strength, two of them stepped forward.


    Each one was over two meters in height holding curved great hammers which along with their bull-like horns and reddish skin made them look more like monsters at this very moment.


    Their bulging muscles were brimming with power ready to strike at a moment''s notice. Princess Helena reached out and tried to stop them but they were already several meters away. Slowly and silently they inched closer, pulling aside the thicket to reveal a person sitting on the ground.


    It was quite obviously a human female from her small stature and out worldly appearance. Her long hair draped over most of her back covering even her face. But it was clear she was holding something in her embrace, hunched over it almost protectively.


    The guards exchanged nces, both agreeing that the situation was odd and not to let their guard down. The one who was in front of her closed the gap slowly speaking in the human''smonnguage.


    "Which n are you from? Do you need any help?"


    While he was acting as the distraction the other guard went in from the back. He stopped a couple of meters behind her and raised the great hammer overhead. When it was in position he signaled the other one who suddenly lunged forward and pushed her back to expose whatever it was in her embrace.


    His face suddenly distorted and both his eyes popped like overripe eggs.


    "AHHHHHH!" he screamed in a mix of pain and fear while the guard standing behind her brought the hammer down with full force.

 Chapter 990 - Clop

    <h4>Chapter 990 - Clop</h4>


    Even after seeing his friend getting attacked by some strange ability, there was no hesitation in his form whatsoever. The great hammer came down with such brute physical force that it sounded like a firework ready to go off but before right before it could, the back of her head parted and a demented face showed itself from within the beating flesh.


    A pair of ck eyes with two rows of hooked teeth stared him right in the face.


    Her arms jerked, twisted and then rotated 180 degrees to catch the hammer just before it coulde into contact with its body. It was stopped dead in its tracks.


    The guard tried his best to overpower her but no matter how much strength he put behind the hammer there was no way it was moving even a centimeter forward.


    And just like that, while still holding the great hammer in ce and the guard along with it, she got up on her feet.


    "Its" actual form finally came into full view of everyone, including the elders and Princess Helena who were all watching from the side.


    It was more than twice as tall as the guard at approximately 4.3 meters in height, towering over him. Its figure was extremely thin, emaciated to such a degree that it "looked" like skin and bones but each of its limbs were horrendously misconfigured as if someone had tried to make a human-shaped creature just from hearing stories about them.


    There was arge pulsating bulbous growth where its abdomen should have been. Numerous thick veins connected it to the rest of its body, drawing nutrients towards its center.


    That was the thing the first guard had seen right before both his eyes exploded in his sockets. It still had rtively humanoid legs even if they were two-thirds the size of the rest of its body but they were facing the other way, the backside where the second guard was.


    Its long hair moved without any wind, joining together like lines of y to make thicker ropes lined with twisted hooks throughout its length.


    It stared at the second guard for a moment, both its ck eyes spinning left and right trying to focus on him. The guard finally panicked and when he tried to let go of the hammer he realized that small strands of hair had wriggled over from the creature.


    Each solitary strand of hair had the same hooks as therger ones. They had already dug into his flesh basically fusing him with the hammer.


    He looked up at the creature''s disfigured face, staring at those vertical rows of teeth that could tear out a chunk of flesh as if it was nothing and knew that if he got caught up in that it would be his end. There was only one thing to do.


    "AAAHHH!"


    He screamed through the pain while ripping open the palms of his hand. All the skin and most of the flesh was left hanging on the hilt as he pulled away, putting some distance between the creature and itself.


    "H-HELP!"


    Hearing his scream the first guard who was thoroughly blinded also shouted for help, bringing the spectators back to reality.


    Elder Achak shouted at the frozen guards, "GO! ARE YOU WAITING FOR AN INVITE?!"


    The biggest one of them who was a little over 3 meters in height was the first one to step forward. He pulled out a serrated saw from his back that was half his length and charged towards the creature like a maddened bull.


    The creature''s hair shot out like bullets and impacted with the saw, pushing the guard back half a meter with pure strength.


    It was enough of a distraction for the creature to focus on him, giving the others an opportunity to rescue the blinded guard and bring him to safety.


    The creature also finally noticed that its prey had been taken away and reacted violently. Its raving maw opened and closed repeatedly with such a distinct noise that it could be felt in the listener''s bones.


    The eerie clopping noise created invisible shockwaves that immobilized several of the weaker guards while the others were shaken to their very cores. It took every iota of willpower they could muster to keep themselves from falling over.


    Princess Helena raised her hands in prayer while muttering something under her breath. An orb of blue light materialized in front of her and its light significantly lowered the effects of the noise attack, allowing them to regain full control of their bodies.


    "That''s a demon, be extra careful of its strange abilities. Do not look at the thing on its back, that''s not something just anyone can handle," she warned the guards before looking towards the elders.


    "Will you keep waiting for it to kill your men or join hands and destroy it?"

 Chapter 991 - Poor Choice

    <h4>Chapter 991 - Poor Choice</h4>


    *Sigh*


    "Humans always misconstrued ''demons'' as slightly more powerful or unique beasts. You can''t me them though since there are so many different bloodlines of both humans and beasts that are associated with demons that they naturally forget where the real thinges from."


    "They think if it looks particrly morbid or deformed, if they are using certain abilities especially rted to fire then they have to be demonic in nature but...real demons, they are not of this world. They exist in another world entirely wherews are very much different from the mortal nes."


    "Some demons are as beautiful as heavenly angels while some angels would shatter your mind if you tried to look at their true appearance. The point is, things aren''t always what they seem. Although that''s not the case here, that thing is a true demonic creature through and through."


    Jin Wang was sitting cross-legged on a thick tree branch watching the scenes unfold from a distance. There was a small grey bird in his hand who calmly rested within his palm, watching the same thing as he was.


    After Princess Helena pointed out that it would take more than brute force to kill it, the elders and the remaining guards also joined in. They surrounded the demon and used their many various abilities.


    Elder Achak and his personal guards activated some kind of bloodline power that allowed them to double their muscle mass instantly. Speed, strength, and even reflexes were increased several folds but it still wasn''t enough to hold the creature down.


    No matter what kind of seal was ced on it, no matter what kind of elemental ability was cast against it, it just didn''t seem to have the intended effect as it was only effective about 20% of the time.


    This went on for close to 7 minutes until it became clear that they would not be able toe out of this altercation in one piece. Five other guards sustained serious injuries during this time and the Elders including Princess Helena had exhausted their powers to a great extent.


    And without the aid of Princess Helena''s supporting abilities, they were pushed back more and more until all they could do was defend against it.


    Jin Wang gave a little pat to the bird and released it into the air.


    "I guess this is when I step in."


    He jumped down and casually walked towards them. They only noticed his presence when he was a couple of meters away.


    Princess Helena''s eyes lit up upon seeing him, "Lord Jin Wang!" she called out happily.


    Jin Wang smiled towards her before looking at the elders.


    "It''s fine you can step back now, I''ve seen enough."


    He hadn''t paused for even a moment throughout and before they could say anything he was already standing in front of the demon. And then, as casually as he possibly could, Jin Wang reached out and made a grasping motion.


    The demon froze. It turned its ugly head to peer towards him but that was all it could do because space itself was bending around it as if an invisible hand hundreds of timesrger than the demon was holding it in ce.


    Jin Wang stared into its eyes, whispering in a voice so low that only it could hear.


    "May you find peace in your next life."


    For just an instant the darkness from the demon''s eyes cleared up and a single tear rolled down its face before he clenched. The demon exploded but all that blood and gore only went up and down instead of showering everywhere around it.


    Suffice to say all the spectators were left speechless. Not only at the extent and mystery of his power but how easy it was to do administer it. That wasn''t an ultimate ability or anything of the sort, it was a simple wave of his hand.


    And having fought the creature firsthand they knew how difficult it was to pull it off. There was not even a ground they could stand on.


    As usual Princess Helena was the first one to step forward to introduce the elders one by one before finally nonchntly mentioning that Jin Wang was a friend of her grandmother and one of the ''invaders'' that came down to help them.


    But unlike what she expected, not everyone was in awe of his power. Elder Achak stepped forward aggressively, looking down at Jin Wang through narrowed eyes.


    "Did you put that beast here?"


    "The demon? Yes, I did," Jin Wang cooly answered, making him angrier.


    "Why?!"


    "To show you how powerless you really are."


    Elder Achank almost threw a punch right then and there, not that it would do anything.


    "To what end? What do you want from us?"


    "I just want you to help the princess with whatever she wants and stop getting in the way. Otherwise, more and more demons like that will appear."


    "Are you threatening us, boy?!"


    This time the rest of the elders had much the same ugly expressions on their faces.. Jin Wang realized his poor choice of words and quickly corrected himself.

 Chapter 992 - Safeguard

    <h4>Chapter 992 - Safeguard</h4>


    Jin Wang quickly waved his hands, "No- I''m sorry it came out that way but...that''s not what I meant. It wasn''t a threat I-"


    Instead of babbling on by himself he walked over to the patch of blood that was left behind from the demon andbed through it with his hands before pulling out a broken ne made with pebbles.


    There were three big pebbles each with some letters carved into them. He brought it back to the elder and handed it over. Elder Har epted it and after a quick inspection she was left horror-stricken by the implication.


    "Is this-?!" she looked up at Jin Wang for confirmation who nodded back, "Yes, it''s exactly what you think."


    "But then-"


    "Yes, that''s how it happens."


    "By the gods..." she stumbled back requiring one of the other elders to step in for support. Being much more knowledgeable than the others she reached the conclusion much faster.


    "What''s going on??" Elder Achak inquired impatiently.


    Elder Har''s expression turned ugly as she threw him the ne, "This is because of you! If only you hadn''t talked us into blindly following your example..."


    Stillpletely clueless as to what she was talking about Elder Achak looked at the ne himself.


    One of the pebbles had a name, the second a date, and third had two other names on it.


    The first name was of the child it belonged, the date was the child''s date of birth and the two names at the end were of its parents. Nes like these were prettymon within the lowly social ss of the natives.


    They were used as a way to identify the child if they were somehow lost and only used for children below the age of three. Judging by how fresh the engravings were it was probably made within thest six months.


    "So? What does this have to do with anything? The demon probably took it from a victim-" Elder Achak concluded but before he could finish Jin Wang exined further.


    "No, she didn''t," he contested.


    Jin Wang seemed a tad bit upset about the timing but now wasn''t the time to be holding back and they needed to hear what was happening.


    "The demonic creature you fought just now was an ordinary human female up until a few hours ago. A mother, in fact. She hade here like many of the others you just passed on your way over. She had a child, a baby girl if I am not wrong."


    "The child had a mild fever and would have been perfectly fine with a warm ce to rest and some medicine but no matter how many times she asked for help no one listened. In the end the child died, and the mother...well you saw what happened to her."


    Jin Wang didn''t usually take things to heart but even he couldn''t but feel a little angry exining how this hade to pass, and how easily it could have been avoided.


    "The demons, you see, cannot step into our world unless a hell gate opens. So usually they possess people. Weak-willed individuals that are going through something particrly traumatic, that are in pain and have suffered a major loss. People who are not in the right state of mind."


    "The demons reach out from beyond the veil with their incessant whispers, offering whatever the victim wants the most. Relief, joy, retaliation, whatever the situation calls for. I''m guessing the demon you fought just now had offered the mother revenge for the death of her child."


    "If someone had only listened to her, lent her a helping hand when she needed it, none of this would have happened."


    Elder Achak swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet his parched throat. He could feel the piercing gazes of the other elders, of even his own guards.


    "H-How preposterous! Are you saying we caused the demon to be born just because we didn''t help? If that''s the case every time we turned someone away they would have turned into a demon, wouldn''t they? So why is this the first time I am hearing of it?"


    "Because it''s the first time this is happening and it doesn''t happen every time someone feels wronged. Certain conditions have to be met beforehand but right now, none of that matters. There is a great devil walking among you, a very powerful demonic creature. It''s causing all this. Hell''s whispers are much stronger because of its power which is solely focused on your world now."


    Jin Wang reached into his shirt pocket and took out several other random items like shirt buttons, a small sheath, a toddler''s shoe etc. A total of eight items.


    "Other than thisdy there were eight other people on the verge of bing demons within the crowd gathered outside the city. I was only looking for one but found that many and seeing as how unprepared you people were, I took care of them for you."


    "But understand one thing, you all are in the same boat now. The ''invaders'' areing for your heads, and a devil ising for your souls.. We will protect your heads as best as we can so the least you can do is safeguard the souls of your people so we don''t have to deal with more demons than necessary."

 Chapter 993 - Enchantments

    <h4>Chapter 993 - Enchantments</h4>


    As stubborn as Elder Achak was, even he couldn''t say much after Jin Wang showed them the remains of the other demons. And after asking around for a few minutes each and every one of these nine individuals could be traced back to whichever group they came with.


    Everyone had the same things to say, that something terrible happened to them where they either lost a loved one or went through something horrible. After that they fell sick for a few hours and refused to talk to anyone, keeping their distance from the rest.


    There was a very strong odor of sweat and urine following them wherever they went. Near the end they started to smell like rotten meat and most people assumed they had just died of natural causes.


    Nothing particrly stood out about them. Different ages, backgrounds, personalities, and gender.


    The soldiers came and gave the final report to Princess Helena and the elders just as they reached the city hall. Princess Helena gave it a once over before handing it down to the elders.


    "It''s as Lord Jin Wang said. Nine people went through something tragic that left them damaged. And within the next 24 hours they were on the verge of bing demons."


    Elder Har was the first one to speak up. She didn''t need to see the report herself to see the harsh reality.


    "We were too rxed in thinking this would all just go away sooner orter. Not only are our enemies many and powerful, but even our own are at the risk of turning into demons. Do you...have any advice, princess?"


    Princess Helena gestured to one of the servants who came forward with several detailed maps.


    "First and foremost, we must deal with the refugees. There is more than enough room within the cove and as long as we have enough hands to clear the forest at the back it should not be a problem to house arge number of them."


    Elder Achak who had been silent for a while spoke up once more, albeit his voice was low and tone a lot more gentle than before.


    "And what if more of them turn while they are here? We''ll be attacked from inside and out, our defenses torn to shreds within minutes."


    Princess Helena smiled and looked outside the window to her right.


    "You forget grandmother is still alive and well. And as long as she is here, the enchantments will continue to function and keep us all safe-"


    "What enchantments?"


    Jin Wang who had separated from the group for a while suddenly showed up out of nowhere startling the elders. Princess Helena was the only one who wasn''t surprised anymore and instead was more than happy to see him arrive.


    "I''m not sure but grandmother said they were passed down to every grand priestess for as long as anyone can remember. It is one of the main reasons the position of the grand priestess is always filled because they oversee the great enchantments left behind by the ancestors to protect the city of Argham."


    "Grandmother used to say that it is the greatest duty of any priestess because these enchantments protect the city and its residents from a great many dangers, both physical and the ones unseen to the naked eye. Once she wakes up I''m sure she can tell you more. Most of the enchantments are not activated unless in times of war so they are not easy to notice."


    Jin Wang frowned lightly but kept his reservations to himself. What she was talking about was not a world of this caliber could produce. Enchantments and charms, especially ones that could do so many things were only found in the greater world and required teams of extremely talented people to operate, not to mention power them.


    ''But there has to be some truth to these ims. Although how a low-level spell could create something like that is beyond my understanding.''


    "Hmm, that''s great news then. If there really is some protection from the unseen forces then you shouldn''t worry about anyone turning within the city. Get them inside as quickly as possible and start setting up a defensive perimeter. Henrik and the others will help you with that."


    Princess Helena stood up and gave a heartfelt bow from the waist.


    "Thank you for all your help and guidance, lord Jin Wang. If there is anything you need feel free to-"


    "Actually," he didn''t wait for her to finish giving the offer, "I will need a few things but they can wait for the time being. Can you point me towards the ce Ma Jiang is staying at?"


    "Of course. If I am not wrong she is with the otherdy-"


    *TREMBLE*


    The entire building began to shake uncontrobly. Dust fell from the ceiling and the walls as a defeaning sound echoed within the entire inner world.


    *BUUUUUUUP*

 Chapter 994 - Jeopardize

    <h4>Chapter 994 - Jeopardize</h4>


    It sounded like a mix between a trumpet and a wail, as if whatever it wasing had experienced pain for the very first time. And the very next moment a cacophony of horrified gasps and cries of disbelief came in through the windows.


    The shaking continued until a dim white light came in through the windows at which point it calmed down significantly. The elders led by Princess Helena and Jin Wang rushed out of the main hall and out onto the open square where arge crowd had gathered. They were looking at the sky, aghast.


    Princess Helena followed their line of sight and saw something that she would not ever forget in her life. The sky had been torn open and a darkness was trickling down to the ground. It was such a bizarre scene that even after seeing it in person the majority couldn''t wrap their minds around it.


    "B-By the gods, what is happening...?" Elder Har muttered to herself.


    And right in front of their eyes the ck masses raining down from within the tear increased in intensity until nothing on the other side could be seen. Next to the supervolcano this entirendmass was created around, the tear was almost 1/10th of its size.


    And considering the volcano was connecting the sky and earth and basically holding the entire inner world together, it was a safe bet to say that the tear was at least a few hundred kilometers in length.


    Jin Wang''s eyes narrowed as he jumped up andnded on top of the bone cage that was the ceiling for the city of the Argham. He pushed lightly against the bones and once again shot up into the sky.


    Looking down he could see a giant light blue-colored bubble of light epassing the entire city but he managed to pass through it effortlessly. Everything around the bubble was still shaking as before which meant this bubble was shielding Argham and its inhabitants.


    In fact, from far enough away, the bubble looked like a pair of ethereal hands that were ced over the city to protect it.


    "I guess this is part of the enchantments then, a 7th circle spell. I''m guessing you woke up littledy, should have slept a bit longer," he muttered under his breath.


    Only one person could have done this, the Grand Priestess. Despite her own fragile condition she was risking her life by casting such a powerful spell.


    Jin Wang''s body flew through the air, through severalyers of atmosphere until he could see the true shape of the ck masses raining into thend below. His eyes widened from shock since even he had not expected such a thing to happen so quickly.


    "The spawn of corruption. The first stage is alreadyplete, and from the looks of it quite some time ago."


    Each ck mass was a creature, once either a human or a beast of some kind that had gone through multiple evolutions within the puss-filled cocoons of the inner colony. Their body and soul were changed from the inside out until they properly aligned with the definition of the colony''s brain of the most efficient killing machine.


    And now they hade out as somethingpletely different, something whose sole purpose was to reap more lives and bring the flesh back to the colony for consumption.


    Each ck mass was surrounded by a thickyer of viscous liquid that dissipated as they slowly fell to the ground, finally popping like a balloon upon hitting the ground and releasing the creature inside.


    There were hundreds of them falling every single second, an actual rain of death and destruction.


    Jin Wang could do nothing else. If he took action right now the Abysswalker would sense his presence and would put up his guard or worse, attack prematurely. Neither of these situations could be allowed toe to pass.


    With just a single at the horde that was forming on the ground Jin Wang knew that everything outside the city of Argham was lost. The spawn of corruption would take every living being back to the colony and there wasn''t much he could do about it, not without jeopardizing everything he had worked for.


    *UUUUUUU*


    Another wail rang out from the sky as numerous golden runes swarmed towards the tear from all across the inner world. Each one shining more brilliantly than thest, creating a thousand new formations by themselves.


    They attacked from the sides, swarming the tear with their own ethereal light and pushing the corruption back into the confines of the prison.


    From afar it looked like golden stitches in the sky trying to close the tear and they were sessful to a great degree, managing to shorten the size of the tear from hundreds of kilometers to less than fifty in a matter of seconds.


    The world was trying to heal itself and it looked like it might even seed until the tear reached a little over 10 kilometers in length.

 Chapter 995 - Moths

    <h4>Chapter 995 - Moths</h4>


    Jin Wang was watching with bated breath hoping with all his heart that the tear would close all the way but that hope was crushed when a limb reached out of the tear.


    It was pitch ck in color just like the corruption but it might have just looked that way because of the distance. It looked humanoid but the exact shape was hard to determine since a thickyer of corruption in the shape of pitch-ck particles surrounded it.


    Aspared to the tear which was now a little less than 10KM in length, the limb was much smaller at just over a hundred meters.


    Yet the power it contained was horrifying. It swung from left to right and cleared an entire side of all the runes. The runes gave up on closing the tear and engaged inbat with the limb but that didn''tst very long either.


    Any that came even remotely close to the corruption were destroyed in an instant while the ones that were further away could only use ranged attacks but the cost of such actions was their own essence which left them in a weakened state.


    Each rune was different, taking various shapes and sizes with their own unique abilities so there was some disharmony among them, especially when they were being attacked directly.


    This altercationsted for no more than a hundred seconds from start to finish but by the time the limb was pushed back into the tear nearly half of the original runes were wiped out while the rest were greatly weakened.


    The remaining ones fought against the corruption until the tear reduced in size. After reaching the length of approximately 7 kilometers it could not be pushed back further. There simply were not enough of them toplete the task. The damage done by the limb was extensive and longsting since each of these runes would take tens of years to be of any real use while the greatest ones had survived for centuries.


    In the end, the size of the tear was greatly reduced but the spawn of corruption falling from within its wretched innards did not cease. The rate at which they fell had decreased significantly but it was still ongoing.


    "Their numbers will keep piling up until there are more of them than us, in fact, that might already be the case."


    Jin Wang looked down at the area of the forest where the spawn had beennding since the beginning. It had only been a few minutes but their effects were already apparent. The trees were losing their luster and either decaying or changing into something else altogether.


    Vast swathes ofnd bowing to the corruption its spawn brought with it.


    The tear might only have been open for less than a minute at its greatest length but that was enough to pour hundreds of thousands of spawnlings into the world below.


    And from the looks of it they weren''t far enough away that their presence could be ignored.


    "Once they start consuming other lifeforms and assimting their knowledge, the existence and the location of the city of Argham will be known to each creature. They will be drawn to it instinctively, like moths to a me unable to disobey their biological need to consume but these moths thrive off of the ze. They wille knocking and soon."


    Jin Wang''s body fell back to the ground and without making a soundnded effortlessly above the city. He could already see the city guards and even other appropriately equipped individuals running to their respective positions.


    He jumped down towards the city hall where the elders and Princess Helena stood waiting.


    "Lord Jin Wang! What happened? What was that thing in the sky-"


    "I''m afraid the timetable has been moved up so every second counts. Bring everyone into the city and close the gates, the first of the creatures should be here in less than 2 hours."


    "T-TWO HOURS?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" red-faced Elder Achak jumped on the spot, "There is no way we can properly vet every one of them in time, there simply aren''t enough resources or manpower."


    "Then ''vet'' them after!" Jin Wang retorted, his patience running thin.


    "And what if there are spies mixed in with them? Who will take responsibility?!"


    Jin Wang''s gaze became cold. So much so that Elder Achak even in his agitated state realized he had overstepped and promptly shut himself up.


    Jin Wang stepped towards him, in the elder''s eyes bingrger than life. His stare sent shivers down the old demihuman''s spine.


    "Responsibility? It''s good that you brought it up. Who do you think SHOULD take responsibility? If you hadn''t stalled the entire process every step of the way they might already be all settled inside.. But because of your pea-sized brain that could not look past material gains not only did you allow a devil to gain a foothold within the city but caused the deaths of tens of refugees. So let me ask you, who do you think is responsible?"

 Chapter 996 - Preposterous

    <h4>Chapter 996 - Preposterous</h4>


    "Fuckin'' preposterous. Dozens of lifetimes across seven eras, millions of years in the making and this is what it hase to, for me to be spending time worrying about how things will turn out because of one absolutely inconsequential half-blood WASTREL!"


    Jin Wang''s brow was locked in such a tight knot that it looked like a crow readying to take flight. He finally could not take any more of Elder Achak and had to leave that ce in case he might lose control and do something he might regret.


    He stopped in the middle of a busy street to take a deep breath in through his nose and calm his raging emotions. Although as much as he would like to me these tumultuous feelings on Elder Achak, at the end of the day he was a nobody in the grand scheme of things.


    Jin Wang was worried about something else.


    "Things are happening too god damn fast and I keep feeling like I''m missing something. I''m afraid I might have to force Hao Xuan to wake up if there is no other way."


    The people around him were busy running around since this was officially announced as an emergency by both the council and the Princess herself.


    The entire city was in an uproar but thanks to the backing of the elders the process was much smoother than it would have been otherwise. And since Henrik and the other cultivators hade out to help it would probably get done in time.


    Jin Wang jumped over several city blocks andnded where he was told Ma Jiang would be. It was at the back of the city near the forest which was recently cleared out. Teams of city guards were bringing in all the refugees while a handful of cultivators were creating houses out of the mud bybining their various abilities.


    One of them could manipte earth while the other could harden and set it using his fire abilities while the third could stack it together to create proper structures. There was some disharmony between them but overall they were making good progress.


    Although at this point it might all be a moot point if Jin Wang could not open that vault and soon. They will only be able to hold out here for so long before being overrun if things stayed this way.


    He navigated through the groups of people but didn''t have to look for long since Ma Jiang stood out like a sore thumb. She was the smallest one here but was running from one person to another like a maniac casting spells back-to-back on the constantly increasing numbers of the sick and injured refugees.


    There were dark circles around her eyes, hair unkempt, and the clothes dirty. It looked like she had been awake for days. She didn''t even notice when Jin Wang approached her.


    "Hello."


    He tried to get her attention but without turning around she said, "One moment please, I''ll be with you right after."


    She was holding her hands over the bruised arm of a young man that would have healed by itself in a matter of days even without her help. She was so utterly focused on the injury that all she saw were wounds on people that needed to be mended.


    At some point along the way even Jin Wang had be lost in his own thoughts. This attitude of caring for others even at the cost of their own well-being was all toomon among people that were particrly close to nature or the "moral and just" side of things.


    He couldn''t help but think of another person that was just as benevolent as Ma Jiang he had met in hisst life, one of his many apprentices when he was a wizard.


    A foolish girl that despite his many warnings and lectures ended up losing her life by helping the wrong person.


    *Sigh*


    He reached out and gently smacked the back of her head, just like he used to do to his apprentice.


    "Ow!?"


    With her spell broken due to the "physical assault", she turned around in a huff ready to scream at the assant but upon seeing Jin Wang''s stern expression she couldn''t say anything. Instead, she thought back to her own actions and if SHE had done something wrong that warranted such an expression.


    Looking into her doe-like eyes Jin Wang could see right through her. All her thoughts and emotions were disyed right on her face after all.


    "Rx, you didn''t do anything wrong but...did no one teach you any proper healing spells?"


    "S-Sorry?"


    That was thest thing she expected to hear.


    "Did I do-"


    "No, you didn''t mess up any spells but there are a few things you should always keep in mind. One, prioritize. Injuries like these do not require you to intervene, save your mana for more serious ones. And two, running around like a chicken with its head cut off will not help many people. Compose yourself, channeling mana properly requires a cool head."


    "O-Oh...thank yo-"


    "I need you toe with me.. There is something I need your help with."

 Chapter 997 - Do

    <h4>Chapter 997 - Do</h4>


    Jin Wang turned around to leave without even waiting for her response. He was a hundred percent sure she would follow simply because of how ''subservient'' individuals like her could be but to his surprise she stood her ground.


    "I-I can''t. There are a lot of people I need to help here, I can''t just leave them..."


    He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, "What did you say?"


    Even though he sounded a little incensed it was anything but that. That was just a facade to test her resolve. People like her all shared many of the same personality traits and characteristics most of the time and very rarely one would stray from the usual path.


    They would be soft-spoken, hate direct confrontations, could be easily ordered around because of this, and usually disliked any aggressive behavior. But, that all went out of the window when someone got in their way of helping someone.


    It was their ''nature'' whether they liked it or not, helping others no matter the cost. Even without testing her abilities Jin Wang was already pretty sure of it now.


    "What did you just say?" he asked again when she appeared to be tongue-tied after the first question.


    ''I c-can''t go. These people need my help," she mumbled in a low voice looking down at her feet.


    Jin Wang couldn''t help but smile. She was still far too young and inexperienced if THAT was her only issue. She didn''t ask where she needed to go or why, but that others needed her here.


    "So you wille with me if all these people are healed?"


    She looked up at him more than a little surprised, "Yes."


    Jin Wang nodded while looking around. There were approximately 70 or so individuals here with the more seriously injured ones numbering in thete twenties. But the one good thing was that they were all normal people without any Qi or spiritual energy.


    "Alright, this will do," he muttered under his breath and cleared a two-meter section of the ground.


    Using his fingers he carved some symbols in a circr formation just big enough to hold one person.


    "Come, stand inside," he said to Ma Jiang.


    Although hesitant at first she still obliged if only to get him out of the way quicker. Jin Wang made a grasping motion and when he opened his hand there was a leather bag there. He opened it and took out arge pinch of a greyish powder before sprinkling it over each symbol.


    A strong ammonia scent hit Ma Jiang right in the face and she had to physically close her nostrils to keep it out.


    "OhMyGod what is that?! It smells so bad!"


    Jin Wang chuckled, "It''d be bad if it didn''t since it''s the grounded fecal matter of a green horned ocelot. The smell means it is a very good alchemy agent."


    She almost threw up right there on the spot upon finding out it was some creature''s droppings but the part about it being an alchemy agent caught her attention.


    "Why...are you doing this?"


    "Even though you are a magician your knowledge and skills arecking far too much. Didn''t anybody tell you how closely knit the fields of alchemy, magic, and wizardry are?"


    Having her skills questioned even this half-elf couldn''t help but be a little defensive.


    "Of course I know, even a baby knows that but magicians don''t need the help of other items to cast spells."


    "Yes, they don''t NEED it but it can still be very beneficial if done the right way. A good teacher would have taught you to use everything at your disposal. For a magician like yourself being as efficient as possible is the biggest concern since at the end of the day, you only have so much mana. Even drawing it from the nature spirits won''t help you if you''re dead tired."


    By the time he finished lecturing the circle wasplete and every symbol had a bit of the powder carefully ced inside it.


    Jin Wang nodded contently looking at his handiwork.


    "Yup, still haven''t lost my touch," he muttered before meeting the confused Ma Jiang''s gaze, "Now cast your most powerful healing spell."


    "....on whom? I need someone to cast the spell on..."


    His brow furrowed, "Stop talking back and just cast it!" he ordered.


    Startled, all she could do was follow his orders. She closed her eyes and vocalized the spell to the best of her abilities. Jin Wang was listening intently and could only shake his head upon hearing it.


    There were so many mistakes in how she was casting but he didn''t want to interrupt her midway. It took her almost a full minute to finish casting it at which point she opened her eyes and looked towards Jin Wang for further directions.


    "Extend both your hands, pretend there is someone in front of you who needs your help. Focus on one spot and channel your mana, let it naturally flow outside, do not force it."


    Although he clearly exined what to do, it was still easier said than done.. This was a technique called ''visualizing'' which removed a magician''s need to have a particr target in mind before finishing the casting process.

 Chapter 998 - New You

    <h4>Chapter 998 - New You</h4>


    Most spells needed a target to be cast and ''visualizing'' helped remove that limitation. But this was not something a beginner could do. It required practice and a lot of experience. He just told her to do it so she could realize how shallow her own knowledge was but to his dismay and utter disbelief, the area in front of her hands lit up with a bright green hue.


    The spell was cast on the first try.


    The symbols beneath her feet lit up a momentter before disappearing into the ground below. They resurfaced a secondter, creating a giant magic circle approximately 20 meters in radius.


    The magic circle itself was created from mana from Ma Jiang''s body but enhanced several times and then its efficacy further expanded by the powdered droppings of the green horned ocelot which was a creature known for its nature attunement.


    The magic circle covered the entire area holding all the injured people and going even beyond that with such a huge diameter. Every single person within the circle that was suffering from any ailments, wounds or other damages was covered in the same green light. Wounds closed, flesh grew anew, blood replenished itself and by the time it dissipated they werepletely healed.


    More than 70 refugees and even a few guards who happened to be passing by at that moment with sore limbs, headaches, and such recovered instantly.


    Gasps of shock and incredulity sounded throughout the camp but no one other was more surprised than Ma Jiang.


    "T-This...how...but..." at a loss for words all she could do was run around checking every single patient but it was all the same. Each and every one of them had recovered.


    Jin Wang waited for her to return which was quicker than he expected. The look in her eyes said she was looking at a hidden master, a monster who was hiding his abilities which wasn''t entirely wrong although not along the lines of what she would expect.


    "Are you good now? Will youe with me now that they are fine?"


    Ma Jiang could only nod her head in silence. They left before anyone had the chance to thank her, not that she was looking forward to it anyway.


    This time they needed to get to the right side of the city near where Hao Xuan was being kept. It took almost half an hour since Ma Jiang obviously could not keep up with Jin Wang''s usual speed, which would have been a jump or two.


    As they got further away from the city the noises died down and silence took over soon after. It was cold but not the usual kind. Ma Jiang even with her own innate mana protection still felt a chill go down her back as they neared their intended destination.


    The stairs that led to the Grand Priestess and Hao Xuan came into view and to its left side in the distance was a flickering light of a campfire. They made their way through the forest and came upon the opening which held a small campsite with five to six people sitting around the campfire.


    They all turned to face the new arrivals. They were all women, royalty from the looks of their attire, beauty, and poise. They stood up upon seeing Jin Wang, blocking his path. Each one of them was so tall and pretty that Ma Jiang felt like a potato standing in front of them.


    "You are not wee here," they said in unison.


    Jin Wang recognized two of them as Princess Ceni''s best friends although he couldn''t recall their names.


    "Where is she?" he didn''t beat around the bush.


    The unfocused gaze in their eyes shook right before they all stepped to one side. Behind them on the other side Princess Ceni was standing with her arms crossed. She looked different from before, much more intimidating.


    Ma Jiang took one look at her before taking cover behind Jin Wang.


    There weren''t that many physical differences although she definitely looked even more beautiful somehow, almost hypnotically. She stared at Jin Wang in silence, the colors of her irises shifting between different shades of red.


    Jin Wang''s lips arched into a smirk, "Give it a rest. Your parlor tricks won''t work on me."


    She didn''t seem surprised and instead chuckled lightly.


    "I always knew you were different, there was something weird about you from the beginning and this confirms it. Even my own friends couldn''t help but fall into the trap yet I can clearly feel it does nothing to you."


    Jin Wang looked at the six girls standing on the side like dolls.


    "Why did you do it to them if they are your friends?"


    She shrugged, "No reason, I just wanted to see how powerful it was. Mind you, I told each of them before doing it, they agreed to everything."


    "Why not free them then if you''ve already checked?"


    "I''m trying to see how long theyst under its effects. So far none have broken free. Either they are weaker or I am much stronger than I thought," she finished with a devilish grin that could any man''s heart.


    Jin Wang shook his head halfheartedly, "I like you better this way. Hiding your real self all this time while pretending to be a reserved little princess didn''t really suit you."


    She tilted her head sideways, a little hurt by the insinuation.


    "What makes you think I was pretending?"


    "It was a little forced, the character didn''t suit you very much."


    The campfire suddenly extinguished and darkness fell over them.. Her eyes glowed like rubies as she stared at Jin Wang with unconcealed killing intent.

 Chapter 999 - Grovelling

    <h4>Chapter 999 - Grovelling</h4>


    Even Ma Jiang who wasn''t the intended target of the killing intent felt like cold needles were piercing through her exposed skin. The temperature continued to drop until the cold became too much to bear and she had to use a small protection spell to keep herself from turning into an ice sculpture.


    Jin Wang on the other was unfazed. He could onlyugh inwardly at her childish attempts to scare him but he still allowed her to continue since he wanted to see how far she had progressed. Her Qi continued to increase in potency until she reached Spirit Realm pinnacle.


    It would be a lie if Jin Wang didn''t admit that her progress was indeed spectacr. He could already feel at least twows within her, one of which was on the verge of breaking through to the Second Realm.


    And obviously both her bloodlines were alive and well, functioning without any problems even now. The type of hypnosis she used on her six friends was thanks to her mother''s Subus bloodline as was her secondaryw.


    The center stage belonged to the vampire bloodline and whichever Bloodw she was cultivating with it. Now that she wasn''t trying to hide her bloodline it was far too obvious.


    ''Although, it''s a little surprising to see her make so much progress in so little time. It looks like she had some luck being able to activate the ancient Vampire Lord''s bloodline.''


    When her cultivation couldn''t rise anymore Jin Wang pped a handful of times which came out as a little sarcastic with his deadpan expression even though he meant it well.


    "I''m impressed. Your foundation has beenid well and even though the vampiric bloodline is a little unstable it should grow stronger with time."


    Seeing as her show of power had absolutely zero effect on him, Princess Ceni scoffed and recalled her killing intent and spiritual energy. Ma Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out of Jin Wang''s shadow.


    Princess Ceni turned around to leave, refusing to look at them for a second longer.


    "What do you want? Go away if you''re just here to waste my time."


    She took two steps before Jin Wang''s reluctant response came, effectively stopping her midstride.


    "It''s about...Hao Xuan, are you still hung up on him?"


    She looked back at him with such a cold re that Ma Jiang had to take refuge behind Jin Wang again.


    "What the hell did you just say?! ''Hung up'' on him? How DARE you question my sincerity towards him! What gives you the right?!"


    If looks could kill Jin Wang would be mincemeat by now. Even if she couldn''t do anything to him physically that one look was enough to still make him ufortable. It was teetering on the verge of fanaticism or perhaps even madness.


    He couldn''t help but think about the warning from the Grand Priestess.


    ''Is it because of the subus bloodline? There is a reason they are ssified as demons. Once attached to someone they cannot let go until one of them is dead, which is usually the other party. But they can also be great allies if used correctly, just like her mother.''


    Jin Wang swiftly smiled, raising his hands in defeat.


    "You''re right, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to question your feelings for him. It''s just that I need your help or...rather HE needs your help."


    All her aggression evaporated in the wind the moment she heard Hao Xuan needed her help. Her expression fell as she ran up to Jin Wang worriedly.


    "What''s going on?! That old woman didn''t tell me anything and every time I tried to find out where he was one of them would get in the way. I told them I would never ever hurt him but they just won''t listen."


    ''Oh dear...she really has fallen a bit too deep.''


    All her poise and charisma went out the window. She was ready to grovel if that would get her to Hao Xuan. Jin Wang felt more than a little bad lying to her like this but it was better not to tell her the truth at this moment.


    "He is fine for the most part but needs your help getting back. You have mind-bending abilities right?"


    Princess Ceni nodded vigorously.


    "I do!"


    "Alright good,e I will take you to him."


    ***


    At the same time on the other side of thend, Dai Zhi was standing on top of a hill looking at the sea of white tentsid out below him. One of his hands was hovering over where his heart would be with a pained expression.


    "That filthy whore! Trying to steal what''s mine, do you really think I will sit around and watch as you take what rightfully belongs to me? I will burn down everything until there is nowhere left for you to hide. And then I will bleed you dry one drop at a time."


    His eyes shone with the same red glow Princess Ceni''s now held albeit his was much deeper.

 Chapter 1000 - Heir

    <h4>Chapter 1000 - Heir</h4>


    Dai Zhi promptly fixed his posture and recalled the killing intent when the sound of footsteps came from behind him. He recognized who it was before they even spoke.


    "Micha, is it done?"


    Micha stopped next to him, giving a respectful bow from the waist. Even at night he was wearing the gold-rimmed circr sunsses.


    "Yes. The Ether Beasts arrived safely just as Lord Inquisitor said they would. The distraction worked as intended since all the runes went straight for the tear he created. Although a fair few of the diseased creatures spilled out before it was dealt with. There was even a big one hidden amongst them that no one picked up on. I think we should keep an eye-"


    Dai Zhi abruptly turned to face him. His eyes still held the iridescent shade of red and when Micha saw it his expression turned solemn.


    "Are you okay? It hasn''t stopped since then?"


    Realizing that he couldn''t hide the changes any longer Dai Zhi looked away. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling all kinds of scents from the soldiers below.


    "No, that''s why I need to feed again. Bring me the usual kind, at least a dozen."


    Micha hesitated for but a moment before bowing to him again, "As you wish, brother."


    A torrential whirlpool of blood appeared out of thin air and surrounded Dai Zhi from top to bottom. It became smaller and smaller and by the time it reached the ground Dai Zhi was nowhere to be seen.


    It vanished as quickly and mysteriously as it had appeared, leaving Micha standing alone on the hill.


    ***


    Three days ago. (CH 967)


    The chaos leaked into the golden energy surrounding Hao Xuan and since Princess Ceni was close to him she could feel its effects better than anyone else.


    The Chaos felt cold, disorderly and ''loud'' all at the same time. There was just a little bit of it but she could feel it ever so clearly. Her own blood was calling out to it in fact. It felt familiar, like a pleasant childhood memory that she had forgotten.


    But the golden energy was something entirely different. It felt new and exciting as if all her future wasid bare in front of her.


    "YOU! STOP HIM, BRING HIM BACK OR HE WILL BE WIPED OUT OF EXISTENCE!"


    Princess Ceni was awoken from her trance by the Grand Priestess who was shouting at her from the side. She looked at the barrier but didn''t know what to do. Interfering haphazardly could do more harm than good.


    "HOW?! I CAN''T GET ANY CLOSER!" she remarked.


    "YOU CAN, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PUSH THROUGH AND A NEW FUTURE WILL BE WRITTEN, ONE WHERE YOU BOTH ARE MEANT TO BE!"


    ''Meant to be?''


    She reached out ready to pull back her hand at a moment''s notice but it easily went through the golden energy barrier. There was some resistance at first but it vanished the very next second.


    She stepped through and realized that the world outside had vanished. It was all cut off by the barrier. There was nothing and no one else other than her and Hao Xuan now.


    She could feel his elevated heartbeat, the blood coursing through his veins. Never before in her life had she had felt so close to anyone, as if they were of one body separated a lifetime ago.


    She had stared at that face for a thousand nights in that ship, talked to him about everything even if he wasn''tpletely there. It didn''t matter, she had faith he would be hers in the end, he HAD to.


    She bent down to hold Hao Xuan''s face in the palm of her hands. The moment they came in contact with one another she saw a vision of their future together. She was standing on a balcony overlooking a city, a metropolis created by the union of magic and technology on which the sun set and rose at the same time.


    All the roads below were filled to the brim with an uncountable number of beings. Millions upon millions of faces of all kinds of beings all looking up at her.


    She looked to her right and saw Hao Xuan standing there gently cradling a newborn in his embrace. He was smiling at it and when he felt Princess Ceni looking at him he also met her gaze.


    "He is perfect, my love. An heir to the throne, a symbol of our love," he whispered in a low voice so as not to disturb its sleep.


    She reached out and held Hao Xuan''s face just as she was doing in reality. Suddenly her eyes glowed with a crimson light as she stared into his unfocused gaze, unleashing the full strength of her bloodline, the subus bloodline.


    "You will be mine, always and forever, for all of eternity."

 Chapter 1001 - The Path

    <h4>Chapter 1001 - The Path</h4>


    The words she spoke in the present were the exact ones she was repeating in the future. The future was trying to mimic the present, to give birth to a new thread of destiny.


    But to do so copious amounts of energy were required and it was being pulled from her blood so a new future could be woven into the weave.


    A dim red light covered her body before slowly leaking into the golden barrier.


    The energies shed but it was too weak topletely merge together. Even the visions she was seeing were distorting and soonpletely vanished when there wasn''t enough energy remaining with the barrier.


    She awoke back in the present, still cradling his face in the palm of her hands. Her expression turned solemn as she realized what needed to be done.


    ''I won''t hide anymore!''


    Princess Ceni did what she had to to get more power. Her right hand moved down Hao Xuan''s body and with a sudden jerking motion pierced his chest. He didn''t react, he couldn''t in that state but Princess Ceni felt every single movement for both of them.


    Her dainty hand moved through theyers of flesh and cartge before wrapping around Hao Xuan''s beating heart. It was almost like trying to hold onto a fish swimming through tumultuous waters.


    Every heartbeat was strong enough to send small jolts of electric shocks through her entire body but at the same time, it was so incredibly fragile that with one grasping motion she could end his life.


    Her fingers reached to the bottom right of Hao Xuan''s heart where she felt a small lump protruding from the underside. And when her hands came into contact with it the lump simply disintegrated into red ash that was swept away by the coursing blood.


    What was left in its ce was a viscous dark red material that looked like sma.


    It was no more than a couple of centimeters in diameter yet oozed with copious amounts of blood energy. Hao Xuan''s own blood in contrast had a barely discernable tinge of purple to it but within seconds the purple had be a lot more noticeable while the sma became darker and thicker.


    They were both reacting to one another''s existence, pushing the other to a higher blood purity level although Hao Xuan''s could not rise much higher. When it had reached the highest point the sma started to draw energy from Hao Xuan for itself, making it purer and thicker until it was on the verge of turning into a solid blood crystal.


    At first the energy consumption wasn''t that high but within seconds it reached a level Hao Xuan''s body could not keep up with it. His skin began to wrinkle starting from the extremities and it continued until even his chest almost caved in.


    Princess Ceni was so engrossed in feeling the changes in her own body that she wasn''t paying any attention to him since her mind was somewhere else entirely.


    In her eyes she was standing on a red-brick stone path surrounded by nothing but darkness on all sides. She could only go where the stone path led.


    But every few steps the stone path would change directions, turning left and then right. And on every corner was a flickering orb of red light.


    She walked up to the first one and extended her hand towards it. When the light of the orb fell on her skin some information suddenly appeared in her brain, informing her of its origins.


    It was a legacy, a part of the inheritance from the first vampire lord, her great ancestor. She wed at the orb and it went into her body. She looked at the other orbs in front of her of which there were almost eight more.


    Thest orbid at the end of the stone pathway and it was brighter than any of the ones before.


    She just had to think about it and the information regarding the orbs appeared in her brain just like before.


    Each of the orbs held one part of the vampire lord''s true blood inheritance and only by gathering all of them in the correct order would she be able to get the full inheritance.


    Since this was her ''bloodline awakening'' she could go as far as her blood energy allowed her to go without any repercussions but if she wanted to return to this ce again in the future it would require a great blood sacrifice.


    She any others of her generation could enter this ce only once after every sacrifice and would be given a single opportunity to move forward.


    Every time it would be harder and harder to move and so far, no one in this generation had been able to receive theplete inheritance.


    Standing on the stone path she could feel how many others had attempted this before and currently who was in the lead which surprised her the most.


    ''Dai Zhi!''


    He had managed to reach the 8th orb and was already attempting to make one final attempt to go for thest orb.

 Chapter 1002 - Mixology

    <h4>Chapter 1002 - Mixology</h4>


    And all of a sudden everything started to make sense. Why Dai Zhi was killing so many natives for no rhyme or reason, going out of his way to start unnecessary bloodshed. It was all offered as a sacrifice so he coulde back here onest time.


    Princess Ceni looked down at her feet which felt light as a feather. She took a step forward and the weight increased, albeit slightly. She looked to the second Orb and began marching towards it.


    Every subsequent step became heavier than thest and by the time she reached the second orb the weight was simr to wearing heavy boots. It was enough to be noticeable but not enough to hinder her progress.


    She continued moving forward from one orb to the next until it became a chore to even lift her feet. Upon reaching the 5th Orb her legs felt like two pieces of cinderblocks she had to lug around. But she knew that to counter the added weight she needed to channel in more and more blood energy but only the one from the vampire bloodline.


    Princess Ceni knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so she didn''t hold back either and utilized the full force of her bloodline. The only problem was since the majority of the blood essence of the vampiric bloodline wasying inside Hao Xuan''s body, when it reached low levels it began to draw vitality from his blood as well.


    He was like a backup battery for her. His body became weaker and began to age much faster. Wrinkles, loss of stamina, muscle, and skin degradation. Within a handful of seconds he had aged several decades but thatbination of two extremely strong bloodlines was enough to propel Princess Ceni all the way to the 8th Orb, at the same spot Dai Zhi was at.


    What had taken Dai Zhi decades and several attempts to achieve Princess Ceni had done in a matter of seconds on her very first try.


    Thest orb was right in front of her. All she needed to do was take one single step forward and it would be hers. Other than her father she would be the second person to have received the entirety of the ancient vampire lord''s inheritance but when Princess Ceni raised her foot she remembered how she had arrived in this space in the first ce.


    That back in the outer world she and Hao Xuan were physically connected and she understood how she had managed to make so much progress. If it wasn''t for him she would not have gone past the 6th orb at most.


    But for her to take that final step would mean Hao Xuan would have to die. There would not be enough blood essence left for him to go on even for a day.


    It was a simple choice. Sacrifice a guaranteed rise in power for a chance that maybe there could be another future for her with Hao Xuan in it.


    By utilizing him she could break free of all the chains that had been holding her down without depending on anyone else, but in the end, she would be all alone.


    And for her, that wasn''t even a question. She opened her eyes back in the outer world, her hand still within Hao Xuan''s chest.


    ''What''s the point of standing at the apex if there is no one to share the view with. I will find another way back like Dai Zhi did.''


    When Princess Ceni had entered the space Dai Zhi could feel her presence even though they were separated by tens of thousands of miles, and when she left he could feel how much progress she had made.


    "NOOOOO!" his screams echoed within the treasure pce.


    **


    Although much had transpired, in reality, no more than ten seconds had passed from the moment Princess Ceni''s hand had pierced through Hao Xuan''s chest.


    Having fully awakened her bloodline and received the first eight portions of the inheritance, Princess Ceni was seething with power. Her blood was boiling with more rich lifeforce than she had use for and after seeing the condition she had left Hao Xuan in, Princess Ceni channeled all the excessive blood essence back into his body while the rest leaked out and began to overpower the chaos.


    But she didn''t even have time to rejoice since not even a secondter the barrier opened on the other side and another figure ran in screaming for her to stop.


    The barrier closed behind her just as she made contact with Hao Xuan. A surge of green-colored energy exploded from within her body which was so excessively pure and potent that not even Princess Ceni could contend against it, not without allowing the chaos to take over.


    All these different kinds of energies that normally should have nevere into contact with one another were mixing together.. The result was devastating on everything around them as the second energy wave erupted forth.

 Chapter 1003 - Sisters Of Fate

    <h4>Chapter 1003 - Sisters Of Fate</h4>


    For a brief moment the white light overtook everything. Ma Jiang, Princess Ceni, and Hao Xuan were lifted into the air as their bodies were wiped away with the torrential force leaving behind nothing more than their naked souls.


    The red threads of destiny came into being, wrapping around each one before circling around the whole lot and finally tying themselves off in a closed loop around each of their wrists. From the outside, the threads appeared golden in color and their design a lot more borate.


    And then with little more than a soundless murmur the pir of light flickered out of existence, at least down there.


    But at the same time in a ce hidden somewhere iprehensibly far away, out of reach of any mortal beings and a great many ancient ones as well, was a great temple carved into the side of a floating mountain.


    The mountain was so unfathomablyrge that one could spend an entire lifetime and still not see whaty on the other side. Beneath the temple was a waterfall that fell directly into the dark of the space.


    Orbiting the mountain were eight moons, each one permanently reflecting a different phase.


    Numerous beings could be seen moving around on the bottom floor of the temple, creatures of all kinds thought to be long extinct. The second floor held a few beings that could only be defined as godly but the third and final floor remained empty other than one being.


    This being had features resembling human females with the only differences being apleteck of eyes and the immense size.


    There was no way to measure exactly how big ''she'' was but a normal human would look like an ant in front of her. Her appearance could be defined as ''beautiful'' although nothing extraordinary while she appeared to be in her early thirties.


    She sat beside ake that flowed down from the great mountain. Within theke were a great many red threads, so many in fact that they turned the entireke red. Her hand hovered over a certain section of theke while a troubled expression decorated her visage.


    The sound of clothes ruffling and footsteps came from behind as two other females materialized. One was a hunched old woman with white eyes that had long lost vision, while the other was a young girl in her early teens.


    They both looked ordinary including their size. The young girl helped the olddy walk towards theke but as they got near their size began to increase until all three looked to be of the same race.


    "What has happened?" the olddy asked.


    The firstdy removed her hand and revealed the section of theke hidden underneath. Crystal clear water could be seen there as the threads of destiny were slowly receding into one another, and merging or fraying to create a brand new pattern.


    "That is not possible," the young girl remarked, obviously astonished by what was happening.


    The firstdy shook her head, "And yet it has happened."


    The young girl stared at it for a long time, watching as the threads changed direction in ways no one previously thought possible.


    "We must let them know," she finallymented.


    The other two agreed and nodded to show their like-mindedness. The young girl turned around and walked away, turning into moonlight at the edge of the temple before disappearing.


    The olddy knelt down and reached into theke to grab one of the threads. It looked the same as all the others but if examined closely one could see it was a little different in its movements.


    She brought the thread close to her lips and whispered to it as if it was her lover, "By the will of the Ten Heavens and the Sisters of Fate, I, Atropos, curse you to a future far worse than any I could bring. May you forever be lost in the deepest trenches of your mind."


    And then she released the thread back into theke without doing anything else. She stood up and turned around to leave but paused for a moment, "Clotho, is this not of your doing?"


    The firstdy didn''t turn to face her and instead kept peering into theke.


    "How could I have done anything without your knowledge, sister?"


    Atropos scoffed, "Did you think I would not hear of your exiled daughter? Fear not, I made sure she could not speak of our matters to anyone before she left."


    Clotho seemed unperturbed and answered in the same apathetic voice, "Thank you, sister."


    Atropos walked a few steps before slowly disappearing into the solid floor. Clotho breathed a sigh of relief when she knew she was alone. She moved her hand over theke and a white thread that looked much thinner and flimsier than any of the others showed itself.


    It was wrapped around the thread Atropos had cursed, trying its best to keep it going in a certain direction.


    "I have done all I could, it all depends on you now, my precious."

 Chapter 1004 - Thread Effects

    <h4>Chapter 1004 - Thread Effects</h4>


    After the ''explosion'' all three of them were knocked out and thrown clear of the initial site. By some miracle the Grand Priestess managed to use her lifesaving treasure to protect herself at thest second otherwise she too would have been wiped out of existence along with an entire section of the forest.


    When it was clear she went up to each one of them to see if they were alright. Both Ma Jiang and Princess Ceni were covered in thin golden barriers which disappeared within minutes but Hao Xuan''s remained for a long while after.


    She moved him to the only safe ce she knew, within the mountain walls left behind from olden times. When his barrier finally vanished almost an hourter he woke up instantly but his mind was elsewhere.


    The curse of the sisters of fate was not something he could easily break out from by himself.


    The chaos leaked from his body creating the harsh environment Jin Wang saw 3 dayster.


    Meanwhile, both Ma Jing and Princess Ceni who were being kept in the same room within the city regained consciousness at the exact same time.


    The moment theyid eyes on one another something clicked inside their heads. There was some kind of an unknown connection between them...as if they weren''t strangers anymore.


    The threads of destiny had connected them together and they could never be broken.


    Ma Jiang was a shy person on her own but with Princess Ceni''s overbearing presence and their age differencebined, she felt even smaller in front of her, unable to even make direct eye contact.


    But Princess Ceni saw something else in her. She had felt her mana within the golden barrier which was not only powerful but almost endless. And since there wasn''t any malice or hostility in her actions she didn''t have anything against her but looking at her up close she couldn''t help but feel irritated and annoyed for some reason.


    Ma Jiang couldn''t take any more of being stared at and decided to take her leave but Princess Ceni blocked the only way out.


    "Why did you do that?" she asked coldly.


    Ma Jiang stumbled back, "D-Do what?"


    Princess Ceni noticed that she had unknowingly raised her hands in front of her chest defensively while slowly backing up. She could see the fear in her eyes, that look of innocence which the princess herself had lost a long time ago.


    She took in a deep breath and regained herposure before speaking in a much more amicable tone.


    "Why did you jump in that barrier earlier?"


    Princess Ceni stared into her despite Ma Jiang trying her best to avert her gaze.


    "I thought...you were going to hurt him..."


    "But now you know I wouldn''t right? Not really. In thosest few seconds, you felt the same things as I did, isn''t that right?"


    Ma Jiang was like a deer caught in headlights. She couldn''t hide her emotions if her life depended on it which was her saving grace this time around.


    "I-I don''t know what you''re talking ab-" she tried to deny it but Princess Ceni closed the distance instantly and grabbed her by the shoulders.


    Not enough to hurt her but more than enough to adequately ry the seriousness of the situation.


    "Listen to me. I can be your best friend or your worst enemy but in the end, you have to choose which one you want. I know for a fact that we both could feel each other''s true intentions in that final moment within the barrier when our flesh was stripped away."


    "It was like touching another person''s soul, no lies no deceit, just raw emotions. So I know clearly what you were feeling. I know you don''t have any strong feelings for him and you know Hao Xuan doesn''t harbor any such emotions for you. So all I ask is for you to not get in my way and maybe, just maybe, help if you feel like it. Can you do that?"


    Ma Jiang''s brow was painted with a frown that got deeper and deeper the more she listened to Princess Ceni.


    "Is that really...what you felt?" she asked just to be sure and Princess Ceni nodded back without any hesitation, confirming her suspicion.


    "There is no reason for me to lie."


    Princess Ceni was right in saying that they could feel each other''s emotion in the end but apparently, it wasn''t exactly how she thought it was. Indeed she was right about Ma Jiang, that she didn''t have any strong emotions for Hao Xuan but that wasn''t the case for him.


    Ma Jiang had felt Hao Xuan''s heart and more importantly, felt how much he actually cared about her.


    ''It wasn''t romantic but he was looking for me for a long time. I could tell he wanted to tell me something very important...''


    The threads of destiny had left strange side effects in their wake by connecting these three in ways they would not clearly understand for a very long time.


    "Okay, I will help you."


    ***

 Chapter 1005 - Playing The Other

    <h4>Chapter 1005 - ying The Other</h4>


    Princess Ceni and Ma Jiang talked for a few minutes before parting ways on good terms. Since neither of their interests ovepped there was no reason to be aggressive.


    Ma Jiang simply wanted to help out of the goodness of her heart and Princess Ceni''s motives were entirely selfish when it came to Hao Xuan.


    For the next three days Princess Ceni tried her best to get to Hao Xuan but the grand priestess forbade anyone from meeting him. She knew exactly where Hao Xuan was being kept since their connection was stronger than ever but she also knew that there was no way to get to him without picking a fight with many of these people.


    Only Henrik was allowed to visit him just once on Princess Ceni''s incessant urging to see if he was okay.


    With her newly awakened bloodline Princess Ceni could have easily fought her way through but chose to keep a low profile. It was better to ''act a fool'' until such a time as her real strength was needed.


    In the meantime, she made good use of the free time and got acquainted with all of the newly acquired powers, the scope and range of which far exceeded anything she had thought possible at her level.


    She didn''t "need" to eat at all and could directly absorb nutrients from the blood of most creatures. Drinking blood obviously wasn''t a necessity but it further strengthened her powers and greatly increased her vitality and blood essence.


    Her senses became many times sharper especially after feeding which brought a natural high. The purer and more ancient the bloodline the better it tasted. The sense of hearing, smell, and touch were extra sensitive to the point she could feel the change in another''s body temperature from a dozen meters away, their heartbeats from even further and smell them from as far as 200 meters away.


    She could permanently change certain aspects of her physique at will, especially controlling things like muscle mass and fat content in her own body.


    She had a certain level of control over other living beings as well, especially if they bled. As for the blood itself, she could control it at will if need be, even if it was in someone else''s body although that required her to use her own blood essence in exchange.


    There were a lot of other abilities as well but none more wee than the ability to hypnotize other people with just a look if they were weak-willed enough or had let their guard down.


    Every now and then she would sneak out and test it on the demihuman guards and the refugees. Sometimes making them see things and other times digging into their deepest and darkest memories.


    Many of the guards were already under her control to an extent which is how she knew the moment Jin Wang had returned from his incursion.


    She had been keeping an eye on him throughout, carefully monitoring his every move through the eyes of the guardsmen. She saw him go to Ma Jiang before bringing her to where she was.


    ''He''s a lot stronger than I thought. I can''t even tell how deep his power goes so it''s best if he thinks I''m just some foolish lovestruck girl. The more he underestimates me the better,'' she thought inwardly.


    The irony of her statement was lost on the princess herself but she still nned every single item down to her expressions.


    She acted haughty and arrogant at the start and tried to use her powers on Jin Wang and when that obviously didn''t work she threw all poise out of the window and almost begged him. (Ch 999 ''Grovelling'' continues from here now)


    She would have gotten on her knees as well if that''s what it took to sell the act but it didn''te to that.


    Throughout Ma Jiang hid behind Jin Wang because she knew exactly what Princess Ceni was trying to do and couldn''t bear to be a witness. She wasn''t confident in her own abilities to not blow it for Ceni.


    And as expected, Jin Wang didn''t expect a single thing. In fact, they both thought that they were using the other person.


    More than an hour had already gone by since the tear first opened in the ceiling of the world and the first wave of the corrupted spawn would be arriving within the hour.


    The ''promised time'' was near so the majority of the people were busy setting up defenses and getting ready for the fight which left the already deserted ces even more vacant.


    Jin Wang led the duo towards the stone stairs but stopped at the edge. He looked towards Princess Ceni first.


    "You already know what to do so I won''t bother you with the details but remember once you get in, time will slow down to a crawl.. You will be thrust into one world after another which might even cause you to lose sense of yourself and make you forget why you went in to begin with."

 Chapter 1006 - Greenhorns

    <h4>Chapter 1006 - Greenhorns</h4>


    "I am not going to lie it will be very dangerous. You have to hold on to your memories and everything else that you find precious because otherwise, it will be very easy to get lost."


    The tone of Jin Wang''s voice became serious and his expression grim to clearly convey the true gravity of the situation.


    "It will feel like weeks or months have gone by in a matter of minutes. If you doubt yourself for even a single moment you won''t be able to tell what''s real and what isn''t. You will meet people and visit ces that will make you believe that''s the reality and only you can save yourself. I have only ever seen something like this once before and..."


    His voice trailed off as long-forgotten memories resurfaced but Ma Jiang stepped in and asked the obvious.


    "And what? What happened then?"


    While answering he met Princess Ceni''s gaze looking for any sign of uncertainty or reluctance because that would only lead to more harm than good.


    "Thest time something like this happened both the victim of the curse and his would-be savior were lost. Neither made it out and their minds were left to forever wander the deepest pits of their psyche...they went mad is what I mean,pletely lost their minds, hahaha."


    He tried to end it on a joke but none of the other two found it funny.


    Jin Wang smiled towards Princess Ceni, most definitely impressed by the oue.


    "I was looking for any signs of hesitation but there were none. That''s good, very good. Most often the simplest spells are the most dangerous. This one for example requires one very important thing from you, confidence and unquestionable faith and convictions in yourself and your abilities. As long as you hold onto those you will be fine."


    Princess Ceni''s eyes shone with a new light of hope. If she wasn''t confident in her abilities and believe in herself she would have never made it this far. Leaving home under false pretenses, being in league with a shady underworld organization and even risking her life and freedom couldn''t be done if there was any doubt.


    ''If that really is the most important thing then I have nothing to worry about!'' she smirked proudly.


    Jin Wang nodded upon seeing her reaction. Ignorance most definitely was bliss, especially in this case.


    He opted to keep the little tidbit to himself that the curse he was talking about was cast by a 6th circle mage whereas this one was most definitely cast by a True God or one of their apostles.


    It was likeparing stopping a bullet from a handgun to a projectile shot from a railgun. The basic idea behind them was the same but the chances of sess were vastly different.


    He then turned to face Ma Jiang.


    "And you little miss. Your job is much easier and rtively safer. All you have to do is divide your mana into 120 different yetpletely identical streams while the formation disc I give you does all the work. You will be keeping their bodies and souls intact as well as sealing all the excess Qi back into Hao Xuan''s body."


    Ma Jiang blinked a few times, her mindpletely nk.


    "Y-You want me to do what?"


    "Divide your mana 120 times, it''s very simple."


    "Simple?"


    Ma Jiang leaned over and peered towards Princess Ceni who was just as stupefied as her.


    "You''re...joking...right?"


    Jin Wang frowned, "Of course not, why are you saying that?"


    He didn''t realize since technically his soul had reached such a level where pulling something like that wasn''t a problem but to these greenhorns it was asking for the impossible.


    To divide ones mana or energy into different streams required a lot of mental fortitude and years of experience. Asking Ma Jiang to divide her mana 120 times was akin to asking her to read 120pletely different books all at once.


    It waspletely impossible for an ordinary person but even for magicians who could pull something like that off with the help of other instruments and quite often needed to do multiple tasks at once would never be able to do it to this extent.


    She simply did not have the experience or the ability to pull it off.


    "I-I can''t! Are you crazy?! The most I can do is thirteen different streams and even then I would need to be in apletely peaceful and silent environment! This is too much pressure I can''t- I can''t-"


    Ma Jiang''s breathing became uneven as she began to hyperventte just thinking about it. She stumbled back and almost fell on her behind but to Jin Wang''s surprise, Princess Ceni swiftly caught her.


    "Breathe slowly, deep breaths, in and out. There''s nothing to be afraid of. Let''s just calm down..."


    It looked like a mother calming down her young daughter since Princess Ceni looked too mature for her age and Ma Jiang too young.


    Jin Want waited a couple of minutes until Ma Jiang was stable enough before continuing.


    "As I was saying, I will make a special formation disc that will help you do that. It is very easy and since you have such a high nature affinity it won''t be any trouble. Plus I will be right there with you guiding through th-"


    *TREEEEEEMBLE*


    The ground shook intensely.

 Chapter 1007 - Like The Rest

    <h4>Chapter 1007 - Like The Rest</h4>


    It felt like a 6.0 magnitude earthquake thatsted for close to ten seconds before a loud horn sounded from the city. All three of them looked in the direction of the city gates with solemn expressions.


    "It already started," Princess Cenimented first to which Jin Wang agreed.


    "I really thought it would take them longer. And it looks like they aren''t the only ones..." he looked in another direction following the sound of rm bells going off within his head.


    ''Some rats have managed to find the secret vault.''


    Ma Jiang got back on her feet, giving an appreciative nod to Princess Ceni before directing her inquisitive gaze towards Jin Wang.


    "Shouldn''t we help them first?"


    Jin Wang closed his eyes for a moment before snapping out of the daze. With a weary sigh he looked towards Ma Jiang.


    "I will help them so you two bring back Hao Xuan first."


    Ma Jiang''s eyes opened wide as she shook her head vigorously.


    "No B-But you said you would help and guide me while I was doing it."


    Jin Wang chuckled and patted her on the head, "You don''t really need my help, one person will be more than enough."


    He gestured for Princess Ceni to go up first and she did not waste a single moment before flying up the stairs. When he was sure she was out of earshot Jin Wang took out a small stone artifact.


    It was approximately 10 centimeters in diameter with hundreds of tiny symbols engraved on its surface. He handed it over to Ma Jiang who epted it with both hands.


    It was all made from one piece but the disk itself looked very old with two minor cracks snaking through the center. It was cold to the touch but other than that there was nothing special about it.


    It didn''t exude any special aura or give off any strange feelings. Only the rock it was crafted from was nothing she had ever or heard about before.


    Jin Wang gave her a few seconds to examine it before exining its use and a quick how-to.


    "This is the formation disk. When you get in make a circle with your mana on the ground behind Hao Xuan and ce the disk down in before sitting in front of it. You only have to focus your mana on the disk and it will do the rest but be careful, if the mana flow is halted for more than 10 seconds the disk will shatter on its own."


    "Once Hao Xuan wakes up all you have to do is pick up the disk and ce it on his back in one swift motion. The moment you let go the sealing process will begin."


    "That''s...it?" Ma Jiang inquired suspiciously. That was a bit too simple.


    Jin Wang''s lips arched into a toothy grin upon hearing her question, "Hahaha, that''s it for the instructions about using the disk but there are a couple more things."


    He looked towards the stairs to make sure Princess Ceni could not hear before snapping his fingers to create a sound-proof barrier around them just in case.


    "For one, make sure she doesn''t do anything suspicious like trying to change his memories or enchant him while he''s defenseless."


    "But how will I know?"


    "Trust me, you will know. Your affinity with nature is so high that you should be able to tell whenever someone tries to do anything duplicitous. It will be a feeling like something is ''off'' about whatever she is trying to do."


    Ma Jiang pondered in silence for a moment before nodding.


    "Good. Secondly, pay close attention to their vitality. If something goes wrong while she is in there you will be able to feel it. Both of their bodies will start to be moreid as they lose energy and vitality. A sudden change in the posture is a definite sign."


    "W-What?! What do I do if that happens?? Earlier you said everything would be fine-"


    "Then...there is not much you can do, no one can," his face fell at the thought of it along with his voice, "If worsees to worst you will simply have to leave them and get out there before their bodies implode."


    "Your mana is extremely pure and has healing qualities so you could probably keep them stable for a while but it won''t help in the long term. I''m only telling you this so you can mentally prepare for a what-if scenario. But please remember, whatever you do, do not touch either of them or you will be dragged into it as well."


    For the first time in a long time Ma Jiang''s expression turned ugly. Her wrathful re caught even Jin Wang off-guard since he didn''t think her capable of reacting that way.


    "So...you want me to just leave them to die if something goes wrong!?"


    The ground shook once again and the barrier Jin Wang had created was forcefully broken as a result of it. The sound of shouting could be heard all the way from the city gates forcing a premature end to their conversation.


    Jin Wang sighed while shaking his head, "If there was another option I would try it but this is it. The princess has to risk her life but you don''t, there is no need to lose another person."


    Ma Jiang turned around and started walking up the stairs.


    "You''re just like the rest of them. Giving up at the smallest hurdle. Does a person''s life mean so less to you people?"


    Jin Wang didn''t know what to say, not that it was directed at him alone in the first ce.

 Chapter 1008 - Apex Predator

    <h4>Chapter 1008 - Apex Predator</h4>


    He watched her storm up halfway through the staircase before remembering a very important piece of information.


    "Tell the princess to be careful! It''s a curse for trying to change one''s fate!"


    "He is being forced to live through a multitude of diverse timelines with each one being starkly different from thest but all of which end in tragedy. So when she is in there she will also be shown as a part of that world. To get out she has to wake him up, make him believe that the world he is in is false. The longer she stays in there the harder it will be to leave which will make her even forget herself."


    Ma Jiang paused for a moment when she heard thest part but still didn''t turn around.


    ''I didn''t expect her to have such strong opinions. How very unlike her people...kind of reminds me of another princess I had heard about back in Mei. ''


    Jin Wang waited for her to enter the first room before taking his leave. He ran to the city gates first where Henrik and the other cultivators were already standing at the ready along with a small force of demihuman city guards and being led by Princess Inara herself.


    Henrik was perched on top of a newly constructed stone tform approximately 150 meters behind the city gates. He was running around in a circle carving one inscription after another into the stone bs to set up a formation.


    Jin Wang observed from afar.


    ''Ho, a throng of third-tier spirit gathering inscriptions being used to power a fourth-tier ''Beast-ying formation. It seems I underestimated the fe,'' he mused inwardly.


    Formations and inscriptions, like many other things, are sorted ording to the degree ofplication in both creating and utilizing them. Tier 1 is the lowest while the one he was creating was a Tier 4 Beast-ying formation which was actually quiteplicated.


    Normally you would only see Peak Profound Realm cultivators using formations of this level because the raw mental fortitude required to remember all the hundreds of smaller parts and carve them ording to the maic poles of a ne was not something just anyone could do.


    And to pull it off at his level, it wouldn''t be a stretch to call Henrik a once-in-a-thousand-year genius. But it was also quite obvious he didn''t want to be seen that way and was purposefully keeping a low profile which would exin why he wasn''t already snatched up by any of the higher powers.


    Even enlisting directly under one of the ancients would be possible.


    ''A talent like his would go very far. I will keep it in mind.''


    Even Jin Wang who had lived through so many eras, seen so many geniuses that had shaken the world was impressed by him.


    There were lines of mortals being led to the left side of the city. The majority of the refugees had already been vetted and moved inside while these ones were thest ones to arrive.


    All 70+ cultivators were gathered at the gates. They were to take center stage in this uing conflict which they didn''t even truly understand.


    Rhisiat who was the ex-protector of the hall was the vanguard. He stood at the front line with Fulke watching the ck tide of corruption roll in. The defensive barrier that had been erected around the city was going to be the first line of defense.


    Staying out of sight Jin Wang jumped andnded on top of the bone cage above the city cove. From there he could see for miles in all directions even under the cover of darkness.


    In rtion to the city the tear had opened on the left side and he could already see the first wave arriving. In fact, there were a few stragglers already trying to climb up the side of the cove.


    They had four upper limbs, the two on the top ended in curved scythes while the bottom ones had three sharp ws. The head still somewhat resembled a human being''s but the skin along the sides of the face was pulled back to reveal rows of sharpened teeth.


    The legs were more akin to a horse ending in sharpened hoofs.


    "They''re already taking shape of the predecessors. The central hive mind must be close to awakening," he concluded based on their appearance.


    The corruption always followed the same line of evolution. When Jin Wang had first discovered it within the depths of the void he began experimenting with it.


    Every time it was introduced to any organic beings they would begin to devolve into whatever the corruption thought was best. As he introduced more and more different species to it the end result kept changing.


    It was only when he corrupted some of the rarer abyss creatures that the overall evolution timeline changed for all corrupted creatures.


    <i> </i>


    The hive mind of that time took parts from all the different species and made a new race of beings, the ones it thought were the apex predators.

 Chapter 1009 - Lesser Grunts

    <h4>Chapter 1009 - Lesser Grunts</h4>


    Ever since then, the evolution path was more or less identical but there were differences within the ranks of the different units and as time went on, more and more specialized creatures began to appear with their own intelligence.


    By the end all final evolutions of the corruption mimicked the physiology of the universe''s mostmon race, the insectoid species of the deep void since it considered them to be the most dominant, suitable, and easily created for all the varied environments.


    Both the lowest and the highest forms of corruption that Jin Wang had seen took the shape of various void crustaceans with thick outer shells and more often than not, multiple limbs that ended in serrated or extremely sharp bioengineered weapons of different kinds.


    The one''s Jin Wang was looking at right now looked ''unfinished'' with clearly missing patches of skin and flesh all over their bodies but they were still able to do their most basic functions.


    Even these lowest and iplete corrupted grunts that were appearing here were far stronger than an average person. After going through the smallest evolution increments they were at least 4-5 stronger than a well-built human male in his prime.


    If their evolution came topletion, just through the strength of their flesh alone they could contend against 10-15 prime humans.


    Jin Wang had never allowed the central hive creature to ever fully awaken but despite that even with minimal resources, the central hive mind was able to churn out hundreds of these creatures every single day.


    This perfectly matched their usual battle strategy which included overwhelming their opponents with sheer numbers and engaging in close-quartersbat. They usually never attacked without at least outnumbering any would-be preys with a 50 to 1 ratio.


    The fact these stragglers were attacking first and with such fewer numbers was a clear indication of the hive mind''s current condition.


    Once he had finished examining them, Jin Wang slowly extended his right hand into the air and murmured something under his breath before swiping from right to left.


    The space distorted as an invisible hand many hundreds of timesrger than his own materialized for a moment and crushed all the creatures into meat paste.


    Cracks formed alongside the bottom of his hand forcing him to take several deep breaths to alleviate the pain.


    "At least with this they won''t be outnked."


    After making sure that none of the creatures were left alive he took flight and went in the direction the swarm wasing from.


    He stayed at least 300 meters above ground which was just out of the detection range of a swarm of this size but once he got close to the patch of ck mass over the forest his expression worsened.


    The swarming their way was indeed disorganized as he had expected but their numbers far exceeded anything he could have predicted. There were tens of thousands of them in the back, burrowing into the ground or simply just spreading their influence within the ecosystem to support their own wretched forms.


    Entire plots ofndpromising of dozens of square kilometers of the old forest were being turned upside down. As he neared the tear in the sky their numbers continued to hike up while the forest looked more and more like a bog.


    All the trees were already uprooted, torn to shreds before being ced into the ground. The iplete grunts were being forcefully dragged over to the bog by the more powerfulpleted versions.


    <i></i>


    Their skulls were being crushed one by one and all the foul blood and internal organs were being drained into the bog.


    Their blood was acidic in nature to begin with but that was only for other lifeforms. To each other they were like power packs that could be consumed in moments of desperation.


    Jin Wang''s face fell when he realized what they were trying to do. The tear was located right above then and even though it was a fraction of its size before, it still remained open to a degree.


    Dozens ofrge heavy bodies were falling from the sky.


    Normally after falling from such a distance they would be severely injured but now because of the bog which not only created a much softer surface for them tond in but also filled it with the nourishing blood and entrails of the lesser grunts, they were able to be mobile within minutes and recoverpletely.


    Many of them remained within the bog even after that and continued to absorb the nutrients from it to further strengthen themselves. The bodies of all the lesser grunts that were thrown in there were being pulled towards the middle where a muchrger creature than any of the ones nearby was consuming them one by one.


    Most of its body was submerged within the bog so Jin Wang couldn''t see exactly how big it was or what shape it was taking but it wasn''t anything he had seen before.


    Just what was visible above the bog was close to 20 meters in height, squirming and thrashing left and right as the grunts threw carcasses in its direction without getting closer.

 Chapter 1010 - Cavities

    <h4>Chapter 1010 - Cavities</h4>


    Biologically speaking, these corrupted creatures were unable to feel any emotions like fear since that would only slow them down but that didn''t mean their self-preservation instincts were non-existent.


    They would be greatly suppressed in battle but outside of that they would do whatever was necessary to make sure the colony continued to progress. And this was a prime example of that.


    They were sacrificing hundreds of iplete grunts and pouring those ''resources'' to forcefully evolve another creature into being, one that would be far stronger than anything else.


    If this was a game then that creature in the bog would be ssified as a hero unit.


    Ordinary grunts were unable to use spiritual energy or mana and depended solely on their physical bodies along with the bioengineered weapons attached to them in battle. But special creatures like this were the exception.


    There would be no way to tell what it would be capable of in the end.


    "God damnit, how is this even possible? Without the hive mind to givemands how could they do this by themselves? Is it really that close to waking up?"


    Jin Wang''s mind was racing with a myriad of thoughts. The best and safest thing to do would be to kill this creature right here and now. But the problem with that was-


    "It''s already too strong to be dealt with without revealing my true strength and if I do that, the Abysswalker would most certainly detect my presence. But if I leave it be...I have a bad feeling it will turn out to be something much worse. It''s not even anything I have seen before so it''s anyone''s guess at this point," he considered all the options.


    But before he coulde to a conclusion by himself another loud pang rang inside his head. His head jerked backwards in the direction of the city of Argham, or rather below it.


    "They''ve passed the second level. How did these insects get that close so quickly? The corruption would have surely kept them at bay for-" he paused mid-sentence while a light bulb almost lit up over his head.


    He swiveled back around to peer towards the tear in the sky, finally connecting the dots.


    "Clever bastards! The corruption build-up was too much within the prison so they purposefully created another pathway for them to escape from. This not only decreased their numbers inside the prison but divert attention to the tear for several parties..."


    Jin Wang could only shake his head in dismay. He was still thinking with the information at his disposal which required limiting the exposure of the corruption as much as possible but these people weren''t aware of the true danger of their enemy.


    To them, it wasn''t anything significant enough to warrant such caution.


    "Fuck, I underestimated how far they would be willing to go. Damnit!"


    Now the choice had been made for him. This was already deemed lost.


    "Fuck fuck!" he cursed under his breath while turning around.


    Jin Wang''s disheveled figure cut across the sky and returned to the ruins located near Argham. He stopped for a moment to inspect the surrounding area which hadn''t been touched beforending.


    There were rows of old broken houses on both sides. He went up to a random one and picked up a piece of bone from an ash pile. It was approximately a meter in length while the top was covered in dozens of small cavities.


    With both eyes closed, Jin Wang held the bone fragment close to his chest and whispered in an unknownnguage. He finished by blowing into the cavities forcefully which gave birth to a bright green me.


    He held the bone torch over his head and ventured into the house before descending two flights of stairs just as the surroundings began to change into long empty hallways that hadn''t been disturbed in ages before today.


    But Jin Wang had passed through here just a few hours ago so he remembered exactly where to go. And since he wasn''t sure what was happening by the vault there was no need to be mindful of his surroundings.


    He flew through the hallways with much the same momentum as before, touching down only ever to change directions. The green me of the bone torch waspletely unaffected by the abrupt movements and kept burning with much the same splendor it had at the start.


    This was one of the defining features of the soul me, the same one Hao Xuan had while passing through the catbs before arriving at the city of Argham for the first time.


    It would take Jin Wang less than 2 seconds to cross a hundred-meter long hallway but even then it took close to 20 minutes before he finally arrived at the destination.


    Thest hallway ended an oval opening which was created forcefully by Jin Wang himself during thest visit.


    He covered the small cavities on the top of the bone torch to hide the me before standing at the oval opening which led to an extremely wide dark space.. The opening itself was located at a height of approximately 80 meters so everything below was easily visible.

 Chapter 1011 - Smoky

    <h4>Chapter 1011 - Smoky</h4>


    This space, however wide it was, only held darkness inside it.


    Jin Wang stood at the opening''s edge and peered down towards the only source of light.


    There was a small group of seven or so individuals moving up the stairways etched along the side of a great ck pyramid.


    Each step of the stairway was roughly 4 meters wide and 12 meters long with a height of two meters. It was quite obvious that whichever beings created the pyramid had quiterge statures.


    Jin Wang squinted his eyes and focused his hearing to eavesdrop on the seven intruders. At the front were two heavily armored individuals carrying giant two-meter-long shields in one hand and melee weapons in the other.


    The one in the lead was carrying a golden mace matching the armor that exuded a light of its own along with a weak humming sound. Various sigils and runes were engraved on their surface both for convenience and protection.


    Just behind these two was a very frail-looking bald youngster who Jin Wang recognized instantly as Dima, the first protector of the Temple.


    Thest four that were bringing up the rear all appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, although their actual strength lied in the profound realm but was forcefully sealed at peak Spirit Realm.


    They looked older as well with many battle scars all over their well-toned bodies. One among them wore a grey armor that shifted by itself every now and then. He was right behind Dima and from the looks of it the leader of the other three.


    Other than Dima all the rest were covered in dark blotches in different ces which obviously came froming into direct contact with the corruption but somehow were not infected. It looked like the infection had been burned off leaving only its charred remnants behind.


    They walked in silence for a few minutes until the stairs began to narrow. Dima cleared his throat and spoke in a low voice towards the individual in the lead.


    "Lady Natalia, might I speak?"


    The golden armored individual paused, took off the feathered helmet, and turned around to reveal her face decorated with a sharp brow and a cold expression of indifference that fit her a bit too well. (Ch 512)


    "You needn''t seek permission. As my husband-to-be, you have every right to voice your opinion."


    Dima cringed visibly at the insinuation before chuckling lightheartedly.


    "Haha, yes my apologies. How improper of me. I was just saying we can probably speed up a little bit. Ever since we entered this ce none of those monsters have dared to follow us inside. I think it should be safe."


    Lady Natalia''s brow furrowed in confusion until she realized he was being serious. With a weak sigh she gestured towards the surrounding darkness with her chin.


    "The cursed ones followed us for three days without rest. No matter where we went, how fast or dangerous it was they never stopped following for even a moment. Yet the moment we stepped into this ce they all disappeared like ghosts."


    "Do you not think that''s even more suspicious? If there is something here that could scare even those mindless monsters then should we not also be cautious?"


    Dima opened his mouth but no words came out. With a weak nod he also agreed.


    "You are correct. Please continue."


    Lady Natalia put on her helmet and continued moving forward one step at a time.


    Jin Wang who was watching from afar could not believe his ears.


    ''A purifier! She is one of the three!'' (Ch 814)


    He was given that name ages ago by the Emperor. She was to be infected along with two others.


    ''My oh my, I did not expect them to fall right into myp.''


    Jin Wang took a step forward and walked on air heading directly to the top of the pyramid. But he stopped midway to peer into the surrounding darkness, squinting as hard as he could before a rough outline of a strange figure slowly took shape in front of his eyes.


    When its outline became visible a weak whooshing sound also entered his ears. It sounded like slow and steady breathing.


    ''Good, it''s still sound asleep. I''d hate for it to wake up before the promised time. It would do more harm than good since the Emperor is not here to cate the beast and it will not listen to anyone else.''


    Once he was sure the beast was still in deep slumber Jin Wang continued to the top to prepare for the iing party.


    The area wasn''t that big and there weren''t many ces to hide. The stairs opened right into the top level of the pyramid which waspletely clear except for a single metal door located on the edge.


    There was some debris and broken rocks here and there that had umted over the long years but that was it.


    Jin Wang didn''t waste any time and got to work. Since he couldn''t harm them outright it would require a bit more effort on his part.


    First, he reached into his pocket took out a box of pencil-thin candles. He lit them using the soul me torch before quickly putting them out a secondter. Then before the smoke could dissipate he threw them in various directions.


    Next came some powder which he sprinkled at thest step of the stairs, a ce they would definitely have to step on.


    This went on for a few minutes until the sound of footsteps came from the stairs.

 Chapter 1012 - Artifact

    <h4>Chapter 1012 - Artifact</h4>


    They were on thest set of stairs already so Jin Wang went to the other side and hid behind the metal door. The door itself was more than 1.5 meters thick, 4 meters in length and 2 meters in width.


    It stood facing the stairs but since there was nothing around it, it looked more than a little odd. It wasn''t even connected to anything so how could it lead to somewhere?


    Knowing the Emperor''s habits Jin Wang postted that it was a spatial gateway that led to a ce he thought was secure enough to stand the test of time. That also meant there was nothing he could do to forcefully open it.


    He waited as the group slowly ascended to thest step and stopped. The man wearing the same armor as Lady Natalia stepped forward, unleashing a bit of his internal energy that would have triggered any traps nearby.


    And if Jin Wang wasn''t the one controlling the traps himself they would have as well.


    The man walked halfway towards the metal door before gesturing for the others. But even then only Lady Natalia came forward. She held her curved greatshield in front of her while making even more noise.


    A number of runes that looked like eyes inscribed on her armor shone with a dazzling light for a few seconds. Each ray of light fell onto the floor, not much different from how a spotlight moved around searching for something specific.


    ''The Saints Vignce!''


    Jin Wang wasn''t expecting her to have such a ''treasure'' on herself and to counter it he quickly raised his arms and began to make numerous hand signs while chanting a spell under his breath. This went on for as long as the lights kept moving about.


    If he wasn''t sure of her background as a Purifier before, this would have proven it without a shadow of a doubt.


    Those runes had to be made by someone that had spent their entire life serving the ''Holy Light'' as they called it. This person had to be a true saint, someone that had not spilled any blood, not harmed anyone with either his tongue or hands, not been tainted by the other gender, and kept their purity till the end.


    And only then, at the end of their lives, they would be able to inscribe such powerful runes onto objects that could reveal any ill-intent towards the wearer. But this process would usually prove to be fatal so it was reserved only for special individuals.


    But Jin Wang wasn''t some nobody. His knowledge came from eras long gone and his past life alone where he managed to reach the position of an 8th Circle Wizard was enough to help him through this.


    The counter was rtively simple but it was not easy to pull off. Since the runes detected malice and ill-intent from the trapmaster, all he had to do was make himself believe from the bottom of his heart that he didn''t mean her any harm.


    Each ray of light moved sadically in random directions and when Jin Wang began the counterspell they all suddenly focused on the metal door, behind which he was standing.


    Lady Natalia and her follower both became alert. If the runes found something they would turn red but to their surprise, the eyes closed themselves a secondter indicating that there was nothing dangerous here.


    Having total belief in the ability of the rune they lowered their guards considerably and Lady Natalia gestured for the others toe up.


    Dima couldn''t wait and marched towards the metal door with wide strides.


    He stopped a few meters in front of it, inspecting every nook and cranny with glittering eyes. It was as if he was looking at a long-lost lover.


    "By the gods, it''s real!" he eximed in wonderment.


    The rest of them also came up albeit a lot more cautiously. Lady Natalia sheathed her mace and shield before standing next to Dima.


    "What is this? You said you would tell me the truth when we found what we were looking for so..."


    Dima rubbed his bald head with a smile so bright that it could light up a funeral hall.


    "Hahaha, it''s amazing is what it is!"


    "I am sure, but WHAT is it?"


    Dima inched closer until he was standing right in front of the door. He ran his fingers along its borders, feeling every dent and crevice on its surface.


    "It''s an artifact, a relic from a very very long time ago!"


    Lady Natalia rolled her eyes in perhaps the most annoyed feminine way possible.


    "I can see it''s an artifact but why was it worth so much trouble? I have lost nearly all of my men just getting you here but that''s all you can say? One of the main conditions our families agreed upon for our marriage was that I would help you get to this artifact so don''t I at least deserve to know why?"

 Chapter 1013 - The Spark And The Coin

    <h4>Chapter 1013 - The Spark And The Coin</h4>


    Jin Wang who was ready to spring the traps suddenly paused when he heard where the conversation was going.


    Even without asking a lot of the questions had already been answered naturally and if they could shed some more light on why there were here without a forced interrogation then it would be icing on the cake.


    Jin Wang lowered his hands and patiently listened to the duo on the other side as Lady Natalia got more and more riled up the longer Dima stayed silent.


    "I know very well how many innocent souls have been sacrificed while trying to explore these structures. Not only your own people but you even used the mortals of this world, making deals with the likes of Dai Zhi and even Tian Zheng, I didn''t consider you to be such a person."


    "The least you can do is tell me the truth, the whole truth. Why would one of the most promising sons of the Republic lower himself to this degree? Why is this artifact so important?"


    ''Republic? Is it a new power?'' Jin Wang thought inwardly since it was the first time he had heard of such an institute.


    Dima''s radiant smile faltered when Lady Natalia called him by his official title, the ''Son of the Republic''. He pulled back both hands and took a step back to admire the artistic vor of the metal door in all its glory.


    He still didn''t bother prying his gaze away from the door but nheless gave a response, even if it was in the shape of a question.


    "Does my Lady know what the ''Primordial Spark'' is?"


    Lady Natalia, who was ready to fire back at a moment''s notice repeated, "Primordial Spark?" she thought about it for a moment before answering, "I think I have heard of it from father but do not recall many details. All I know is that it''s something one must possess if they want to be taken seriously within the Republic."


    Dima chuckled at how wildly off-base she was but he couldn''t me her for not knowing.


    "Haha, you''re not entirely wrong but not right either so let me exin. As you very well know by now the material nes arergely governed by two bands. Therger and the main one is the Church of the Sacred Light which serves as a foothold for Old Pantheons and any other divine beings."


    "The Church of the Sacred Light is an institute that is created by the Divines FOR the Divines. Mortals like us, no matter how devout or powerful we may be, will only y second fiddle to the Gods."


    He paused at exactly the right moment to allow Lady Natalia to jump in.


    "It is our honor and duty to serve the light, as it should be for all of mankind! All the good the Church has done cannot be overlooked no matter what you think of the divines, you shou-"


    "Yes, I know that," Dima quickly cut in before she got really carried away, "I mean nothing by it, I am just exining how the factions are perceived by most, please don''t take my words personally."


    "Hmph, as long as you know."


    "I do indeed," he said shaking his head inwardly before continuing.


    "Where the Church of the Sacred Light is an alliance of the Divine beings from all the different nes, the Republic was created as a coalition of powers that represented the interests of the mortal races."


    "If the Church is the main hub for the Gods, the Republic is the governing body of the mortals. Many consider the Republic to be the underlings of the Church but that is not actually the case. The Gods usually don''t move about by themselves within the Mortal Realms or interfere directly in its matter and that''s where wee in but that''s a discussion for another time."


    "As you very well know, the majority of your powerse from the Holy Light or the divinities that make of it. Whereas those of us in the Republic depend on our inner strength, a power that belongs solely to us."


    "Likewise, one could say the measurement criteria of your strength lies in how devout you are in serving the Holy Light, whereas, within the Republic, it is measured by how close one is to the Primordial Spark. Meaning when ites down to it, the Primordial Spark is what gives us our power." (Mentioned briefly in CH 265)


    "Now as for why I bring all this up is simple.. Since we know the closer one is to the Primordial Spark the greater their affinity bes to the various elements,ws, and powers, we can use it as a standard to measure the capability of a person and their affinity with whichever element they are attuned to."

 Chapter 1014 - The Son Of-

    <h4>Chapter 1014 - The Son Of-</h4>


    "Simrly, the spectrum of powers that can be derived from the Primordial Spark can be a great many but the majority of the people are only attuned to specific powers. Meaning if a being can use fire attributed abilities they usually cannot use its counterpart which lies on the other end of the spectrum from it."


    "It will help if you think of the Primordial Spark as an infinitely small object in the shape of a coin. The coin is further segmented into the outeryer, the middleyer, the inneryer, and finally the center."


    "Now the further one gets from the center of the coin the more exotic and specific the powers and abilities be. The ones on the ''outeryer'' are extremely strong and unique, but even more specific in their scope."


    "The vast majority of the popce usually lies somewhere on the middleyer of the coin. Usually being the keyword here."


    "The ones who fall on the outeryer are considered to be outliers. They are rare and considered to be freaks of nature in some shape or form."


    "The ones who fall in the middleyer are the norm, while those that are in the inneryer are sought after geniuses.


    "This is because they are still a step away from the center so as not to have their minds swayed while still harboring great potential and a lot of options to choose from among the powers."


    "Under normal circumstances it is quite a difficult task to judge whether a power is good or bad since it wholly depends on the user but, as always there are exceptions to the rule, two to be exact. And those are the handful of individuals that are so close to the Primordial Spark that they are said to be standing on the very ''center'' of the supposed coin, a ce no being whether mortal or divine should ever trespass."


    "These beings are either only good or bad, there is no in-between. The righteous ones utilize the ''Order'' of the universe and bring unity wherever they go, while the wicked ones fall to the side of ''Chaos''. The only simrity they have with one another is that both have a wide scope of abilities at their disposal."


    "We know that those who are attuned to the ''order'' or the light side of the spark will predominantly present with a rtively righteous or virtuous standing for others while those more attuned with the Chaos incite fear and confusion."


    "The Chaos grants its users absolute power, oftentimes more than they can handle but at great cost. It corrupts their souls and twists their minds, torturing them every waking moment of their usually short-lived lives. Most will burn themselves out, others will fall to even darker forces of Hell. In fact, many Greater Devils grant innocent souls the power of Chaos as a tool for corruption, since it is the easiest and fastest path to damnation."


    "It is a power many consider to be unnatural and archaic. Even during the few years the servants of Chaos can be seen walking the mortal nes they wreak havoc wherever they go. They are walking, talking cmities."


    When he finished Dima''s expression had be twisted. His brow was locked in a tight frown that made him look like a fiend. And when he turned around to face Lady Natalia even she was startled by his countenance.


    "Any servant of Chaos must be killed before it awakens to the true extent of its power. That is the sole rule of the Republic!"


    Lady Natalia swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet her parched throat.


    "W-What does that have to do with this artifact?"


    Dima saw the apprehension in Lady Natalia''s eyes and swiftly returned his face back to normal.


    "My apologies, I showed you an unsightly side of me," he cleared his throat before continuing.


    "Approximately two years ago there was a very irregr event, a double awakening which is exceptionally rare. It happens when two beings view the Primordial spark at around the same time and are able to feel one another for a short period of time."


    "It was someone from the Origins who had found the Primordial Spark, in fact, they had touched it, stood at the very center and peered at all of creation."


    "At first we were overjoyed because the other person who was part of the double awakening was my own older brother. He had awakened around the same time and felt a connection to this person so we naturally assumed they were both walking on the righteous path of ''Order'' but over time it became obvious that was not the case."


    "My brother started to be weaker and weaker in theing months. He began seeing things, terrible things that were going to happen in the not-so-distant future, glimpses of a dark fate. He said it was the Primordial Spark itself speaking through him, warning them of the uing cmities."


    "In the entire ''recorded'' history of the Republic that was the first time something like this had happened. Reports came from across the nine worlds of simr incidents where the Primordial Spark reached out to many others who walked the righteous path. They all warned of the same thing."


    "An existence so terrible that it was hailed as the greatest cmity of this era was trying toe into being. I can still remember my brother''sst words to me. He could barely breathe but still forced himself to warn me."


    "The Son of Chaos will be birthed in the forgotten worlds. Stop it before it''s toote!"

 Chapter 1015 - Smoky Boy

    <h4>Chapter 1015 - Smoky Boy</h4>


    Behind the gate Jin Wang was so engrossed in their conversation that he could not stop listening in even if he wanted to. This was all new information to him.


    Thest time he was walking the mortal nes there was no alliance called the "Republic". In fact he hadn''t even heard of it within the Origins but maybe that was done on purpose.


    But he did know a bit about the Chaos and the ones who served it. The Chaos Lords of old were infamous in every era. They were known for their disregard for other great powers, even of other Chaos Lords.


    They were arrogant, haughty, ruthless, and shrouded in mystery but back then such was the norm and they weren''t considered any more evil than those that called themselves warriors of justice.


    ''Although I have nevere across any known chaos users, they still weren''t outcasts like this. What happened since thest era?''


    But despite his own misgivings about the uracy of such information Jin Wang continued eavesdropping.


    Dima paused for a brief moment to let Lady Natalia absorb all the knowledge. She spoke up after a short moment of contemtion.


    "The forgotten worlds...is this ce really it? How can you know for sure?"


    "Before my brother passed on he give a detailed description of an object that matches this artifact. My father and elders of the family used numerous resources and called multiple individuals that were blessed with the gift of foresight."


    "After a long and arduous process that took a great many lives, those that remained saw a single shared vision and it was of this world. So with the help of the Church of the Sacred Light, we ''divined'' some other information like where it was and when it would appear."


    "We still don''t know exactly what it has to do with the son of chaos but there is definitely a connection. He wouldn''t have mentioned it otherwise. And you know everything that''s happened after that. It turned out this world was anything but simple and the more we looked into it the more peculiarities we found."


    "This neverending underground structure, the ruins from multiple eras and the strangest part is that so many powers from the Greater World have their mouthpieces here."


    "So far we have an actual Inquisitor that apparently came on somepletely different business. He can be considered an agent of the High Heavens themselves. "


    "I have had reports of demonic creatures and lower demons appearing here and there randomly which is concerning but only a prelude to something far worse."


    "Then there is Xue Meng whose mysterious background is overshadowed only by his overwhelming strength. If I am not wrong he is someone from the Temple of War which as you know, is the oldest organization in existence."


    "Then there are you and I, the representatives of the newer generation of the Church and the Republic respectively. Other than the Abyss and the Void tribes we have people from every sector of the active universe."


    Dima again walked up to the door and brushed his fingers against its cold exterior. His voice fell to a whisper.


    "The more I see the more concerned I be. This ce-"


    He suddenly froze mid-sentence.


    Lady Natalia came closer, "What?"


    He turned, grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her away.


    "Nothing at all. I think we have seen enough. Let us return ande backter to explore."


    "What?! Why? We''re already here and you haven''t even looked around for-"


    She finally caught up to what Dima was signaling at but it was already toote. Jin Wang stepped out from behind the door and quickly snapped his fingers.


    "Tch tch tch, I was found out much earlier than expected but...I''m sorry kiddos, I can''t let you leave just yet."


    The moment he finished speaking a white smoke burst out from the eight candles he had thrown out earlier. It surrounded all of them and created eight walls out of white smoke that forced them towards the center.


    Lady Natalia waved her hands to summon her mace and greatshield but nothing happened. The space had been locked down.


    Sparks flew from her armor as close to a hundred different runes lit up all at once. It created a barrier around the seven of them as they red at Jin Wang warily.


    "I can''t summon my weapons," she warned the others.


    One of the four that was following behind them dressed in grey moving armor brought his hands together to create a circle. He grit his teeth trying to pour all his energy into the skill but could not gather even an iota of Qi.


    "I can''t use my ability either young master," he whispered into Dima''s ear.


    He was about to say something when Lady Natalia suddenly shouted an order first.


    "It''s only one person, rush him quick!"


    "NO!"


    Dima tried to warn her but the moment her barrier came down a smile bloomed on Jin Wang''s face.


    "One thing you can count on the youth for is to be reckless. Ah, to be young~"


    He snapped his fingers again and tendrils of smoke shot out from the surrounding walls and dragged four of them away.

 Chapter 1016 - Old Threats

    <h4>Chapter 1016 - Old Threats</h4>


    The ones caught were three of Dima''s followers and one of Lady Natalia''s. She realized her mistake quickly enough and erected the shield back up, even if at a great cost.


    More than thirty percent of the runes decorating her armor had been forcefully broken in the process. Her countenance paled as she nced around and realized the seriousness of her situation.


    The surrounding smoke walls looked more like cages than actual walls. There were various disfigured faces and beastly maws protruding from each one, trying to break out from within the smoke.


    The smoke only reflected their rough shape and size but even that was enough to instill fear into each and every one of them.


    "AAAAH! HELP!!"


    "HELP ME!"


    And when they thought it couldn''t get any worse Dima''s three followers all screamed in unison as their bodies began to descend into the smoke, forcefully pulled in by numerous misshapen ws and tentacles.


    "YOUNG MASTER! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE!"


    They all screamed looking pleadingly towards Dima but there was only disappointment within his gaze. A couple of secondster their screams were also drowned out by the gurgling smoke right as their bodiespletely vanished within its confines.


    Lady Natalia''s follower on the other hand was almostpletely silent and even that situation continued to fight back to the best of his abilities. s, his fate was the same as the other three. Rows of sharp teeth reached out and dragged him into the smoke not a momentter.


    Only Lady Natalia, Dima and hisst servant who wore the bulbous grey armor remained within the barrier. The smoke twisted and tangled, snarled, and growled at them from every side, instilling a sense of loneliness within each one.


    Jin Wang waited a few seconds for them toe back to their senses before engaging with Lady Natalia. He couldn''t wait to know.


    "I am curious, why did you choose to just..e at me? You were so very careful walking up here but the moment I show myself you think it''s a good idea to bum rush me without any weapons or even basic spiritual energy. Was it because I was alone?"


    Lady Natalia who was still looking towards the wall that had swallowed her follower turned to face him. Her face twisted into an ugly mug, very unlike her usual behavior.


    "I will make sure all of your future generations pay for your crimes. Anyone you ever cared about will be humiliated every day for the rest of their miserable lives. They will beg for mercy but it will note, I assure you of that!"


    Jin Wang chuckled, "Ah, is that right? It''s kind of disappointing to see that no matter how many years pass you people still use the same old threats. Don''t you evere up with anything new?"


    "AAARGH!"


    Lady Natalia''s temper got the better of her when she saw how unbothered Jin Wang was so she roared at him from the safety of the barrier like a wild animal in a blind fit of rage.


    Dima strolled up behind her and whispered something in her ear which promptly shut her up.


    "You''re right, my apologies. How could I loseposure so easily?" she whispered under her breath and with but a re sat down on the spot with crossed legs.


    Closing both her eyes she beganying the groundwork for a spell, leaving Dima to stand face with Jin Wang.


    They stared at each other in a short bout of silence which was broken by Jin Wang.


    "How did you know I was there? A special skill? An ability? Or something else entirely? I was quite confident of having hidden every shred of presence."


    Dima pointed at the ground, "Footprints. You left footprints in the dust."


    Jin Wang''s eyes opened wide as he followed his line of sight and saw the obvious trail.


    "Oh my, I was so focused on everything else that I missed something so obvious. Hahaha."


    Dima nced around at the smoke walls which covered even the top. There were vague shapes still visible within each one which made them look like portals to other worlds.


    "I have never seen or heard of a spell of this nature. There was no spiritual energy when you cast it, no sign of anything being out of ce and yet, it created something so powerful. Very impressive."


    That was a genuinepliment despite him obviously trying to drag on the conversation to buy time for whatever Lady Natalia was trying to do. And Jin Wang of course knew what he was up to but still yed along.


    He wanted information out of him and Dima wanted time. It was a trade more than worth the risk of letting them escape. Once they left this area he would seal it back up so no one else wanders in.


    Jin Wang gave a little bow, "Thank you but...I have to ask. You don''t seem very concerned. I just killed four of your people and there is a very good chance you could be next, are you not afraid? Because let me assure you it will be quite painful."


    The moment he finished speaking the smoke walls rumbled and closed in on them.. A new wave of disfigured limbs reached out from within its shallow depths.

 Chapter 1017 - More?

    <h4>Chapter 1017 - More?</h4>


    The walls stopped after moving halfway towards them. If they moved again and covered the same distance then they would stop just outside the barrier the next time.


    Dima could feel a cold breeze somehow brushing against the back of his head. It felt like something was breathing down his neck even though he knew that wasn''t actually the case.


    Still he maintained hisposure despite the other two doing their best to not scream from sheer dread that had been birthed within their minds. All they could see around them were figures of smoke trying their best to get to them and there was nowhere left for them to go.


    "I am not afraid to die," Dima responded. It was unclear whether he was talking to himself or replying to Jin Wang but he took it as such regardless.


    "Why not? It''s not a pleasant experience."


    "Doesn''t matter. As long as I have achieved something in this life then why would I be scared of a few moments of pain?"


    "My oh my, what a noble way of thinking. Unrealistic and absurd to the point of beingical but still, a little noble."


    Dima scoffed at his remark, not letting it bother him one bit.


    "And what would the likes of you know? You are a mere servant of chaos, unable to see the truth that is right in front of your eyes."


    Jin Wang wasn''t expecting such an insinuation and burst outughing.


    "Hahaha, you think I serve the chaos?? Why?"


    "Because you are here. How else would you know of this artifact if you weren''t serving one of the Chaos Lords? You don''t appear to have any usual signs of the ''Caedith'' but there could be any number of exnations for that."


    Jin Wang swallowed the urge to smack that bald head of his since he still wanted to know more but that arrogant attitude of Dima was fast bing a nuisance.


    "What the hell is a Caedith?" Jin Wang casually inquired while picking his nose. It was a new term for him.


    "Don''t y games with me, YOU are a Caedith. A follower and servant of Chaos. One of the ones that have given themselves up to the influence of Chaos, allowing it to change their natural forms to the twisted manifestations of its decrepit masters."


    "Oh, is that right? Then what are the ''usual signs'' of the Caedith?"


    Dima''s brow furrowed and his expression turned ugly as he exined in far too much detail than asked for.


    "It starts with physical degradation in one way or another followed by apleteck of empathy andpassion. They are easy to anger and often go way overboard. Finally, when the corruption reaches even their souls you start to see shades of yellow and red around their eyes. Most will lose their minds at that point and go berserk. Only the Chaos Lords of old were able to still keep their sanity after that, or the ones that had a natural affinity to the forces of Chaos, the ones touched by its wretched ws."


    "Hmm," Jin Wang rubbed his chin in contemtion. He had heard of these changes before but had never seen them in person or even met someone who had. His curiosity got the better of him and he couldn''t help but inquire further.


    "Interesting, very interesting. And this ''son of chaos'' you were talking about before, how would you recognize such a being? Does he or she also show these same symptoms?"


    Dima''s gaze wavered for an instant but he hid it well.


    ''Why is he asking ME about that? Is he not a Caedith? I truly can''t detect any strange aura from him. Standing this close even if he was a master-ss I would be able to at least detect something but...there is nothing at all.''


    He began to doubt his initial conclusions about Jin Wang.


    ''But then who is he if not a Caedith? Maybe there is hope of getting out of here if I can make him believe we are on the same side.''


    "Are you also looking for him? The one called Son of Chaos?"


    "Hmm, I guess so...?" Jin Wang replied, unconvinced if something like that could actually even exist, "I still don''t believe its real."


    "Oh, it''s real. I wouldn''t be here if it wasn''t."


    "But all you have to go on is the ramblings of, no offense, your own brother. Not only is your opinion biased but there is no actual proof of it. What do you have to go on exactly?"


    "It wasn''t JUST my brother. There were close to a dozen people across the Republic. Each one was separated by millions of lightyears but they all saw the same thing at around the same time. How could that be a coincidence? Not to mention th-" Dima caught himself just in time before he gave up confidential information which did not go unnoticed by Jin Wang.


    ''Hoh, so there is something else?''


    Pushing him proved fruitful in the end.


    "Not to mention what?"

 Chapter 1018 - Come To Be

    <h4>Chapter 1018 - Come To Be</h4>


    "Come on, you can tell me," Jin Wang inched closer like a snakeing up behind its prey. He was standing right in front of the golden barrier now.


    "I-I can''t," Dima muttered to himself while sneaking a quick nce in Lady Natalia''s direction.


    ''So he doesn''t want her to know? Well then, allow me to solve that problem.''


    Jin Wang snapped his fingers and the few grains of ck dust that were stuck to the bottom of their respective shoes came alive. They began multiplying with extraordinary speed and a few secondster there were enough topletely cover each of them from head to toe.


    But only Dima was left untouched while the other two had ck sanding out of every single orifice. It crawled into their armor and up their bodies, down their mouths and over their heads until only a rough humanoid statue could be seen fumbling about.


    They didn''t even have an opportunity to scream for help.


    The sand hardened and despite their many attempts to break free, there was nothing to be done. They froze in the same poses they were making at the end, trying to force the sand out of their mouths so they could breathe.


    "WHA-"


    "Rx, they are fine. But now they can''t move, hear or say anything. If you try to forcefully break the statues they will shatter into a million pieces along with the iron sand. I would say you have about 10 minutes before there is nothing left of them to save."


    He reached out and gently flicked the barrier, popping it like a water bubble. Now there was nothing standing between them and no one to eavesdrop on their conversation.


    "This was so you would understand that I could have killed you lot whenever I wanted but held back because there was something you have to tell me. Prove your value and I will let you go back, all of you."


    Dima peered towards Lady Natalia''s statue with a mournful gaze that left Jin Wang confused. But before he could inquire Dima spoke up.


    "There were whispers of a prophecy, an old one. From even before the Republic came to be. I don''t know what exactly the prophecy was but this ''Son of Chaos'' would have something to do with it. We just thought of it as a cautionary tale of the big bad wolf that would be born because of our sins. It is a secret passed down through our family for generations."


    "Many millions of years ago a very powerful seer was born into our n. When her only child was taken away by a demon lord she vowed to get revenge on the ones behind it. So she pried her way into the very depths of hell itself and stole something from there. It was a fragment of the ns of the Great Old Ones."


    "They were trying to create the perfect being of Chaos. Someone of the material realm that could channel the true essence of the Domain of Chaos. Someone that could walk all the different nes without any repercussions. They wanted someone that could distort the boundary between the heavens, the hells, and the mortal realms."


    "But there were problems with that since the absolute power of Chaos is not suitable for beings of flesh. It distorts under its influence, bringing the user closer to the inhabitants of the Domains of Chaos. The chaos feeds on intense human emotions but at the same time, it endlessly corrupts them. Sooner orter they are left as empty husks capable only of mindless ughter."


    "Only a body that has been washed by demonic blood is capable of acting as a suitable host but such a being would then be corrupted with the essence of hell and their soul twisted into its most primal forms. They would be incapable of feeling human emotions which is necessary to channel chaos."


    "They needed something in the middle. A body capable of harboring demonic flesh and a powerful soul to withstand its corruption while still being more human than anything else. And for that, they set forth a n."


    "To find a being pure of heart that had been fouled at a young age and let its soul be subjugated to a powerful spell, one capable of submerging it in a sea of most brutal human emotions without outright killing it. If he could withstand the torture then the result would be someone suitable for the moniker of the Son of Chaos."


    "A human soul warped beyond recognition, reborn into a body of demonic origins that is capable of opening itselfpletely to chaos while still retaining what little humanity it has left. That''s the son of chaos."


    "You said I had no proof? There is plenty across the ages. This is not the first time they have tried to bring the ''Son'' into existence but it always fails. Either the body falls or the mind copses and yet, somehow, for some strange reason, this time it''s different. This time whoever they have chosen as the sacrifice mighte to be.. It is serious enough that even the Primordial Spark has reached out."

 Chapter 1019 - Smoke And Mirrors

    <h4>Chapter 1019 - Smoke And Mirrors</h4>


    Jin Wang listened intently, choosing not to interrupt the young master of the Republic since he seemed so willing to part with the information.


    ''The primordial spark, I wish I could say I had some experience with it but throughout all my lives I was never able to witness it in person. All I know of it is hearsay and rumors. But what''s more concerning are the details of how the ''Son of Chaos'' is created. If what this boy says is true then...is Hao Xuan really it? But why would the emperor work with the Old Ones?''


    Since Jin Wang was lost in thought Dima saw it as hope for himself and the others to escape. He had been honest about everything to him so the least he was expecting was for Jin Wang to not kill them but to put his life on the line was not an option.


    He took a few short steps back to try and close the distance between himself and Lady Natalia when Jin Wang came out of his stupor.


    "Is there a way to stop it? What if the individual refuses to do whatever the Old Ones want? What if he doesn''t listen to them?"


    Dima breathed a sigh of relief inwardly that Jin Wang hadn''t caught up to what he was trying to do and answered truthfully.


    "It doesn''t matter if listens to them or not. The circumstances will not give him any other choice. The more he opens himself to the Chaos the more pain and torment he will go through. Sooner orter, no matter how strong he is, the Domain of Chaos will win."


    "Just by existing he will be an enemy of the Heavens. The mortals will fear him, just being in his presence will cause them difort and even fear. He will be viewed as a monster wherever he goes, an outlier with no ce to belong. And in his loneliness he will embrace Chaos, falling deeper and deeper still. Tell me, could you stick to your morals if you were in his ce?"


    Jin Wang fell silent.


    He already knew that Hao Xuan had a physique capable of devouring demonic flesh and he had seen in person the Chaos he cultivated. But he didn''t know who was really behind it.


    ''The emperor wouldn''t do that. He would never align himself with the Great Devils...right?''


    It would be foolish for him to admit that he knew everything about the Emperor. It had been a very long time since thest time they met so it COULD be possible that something had gone wrong.


    ''I have to open the vault.''


    Jin Wang cleared his throat before meeting Dima''s gaze.


    "Alright, I still don''t believe youpletely but I won''t hurt you either. In exchange, you have toe with me for the time being."


    Dima instantly put up his guard. He back up a few more steps making it look like he was scared until Lady Natalia''s statue bumped into him.


    "Why? What do you want from me?" he inquired with no small amount of doubt.


    "For now, nothing. But soon you can make your case again when I have more information at hand. Trust me, I won''t harm a single hair on your heads," the moment Jin Wang finished speaking his gaze was attracted to Dima''s shining bald head.


    "Ah, I didn''t mean literally-"


    Unfortunately, Dima wasn''t nning on going anywhere with him. He reached back with one hand to grab the statue while with the other he made a w right before mming it on his stomach.


    "AAAH!" he screamed from the pain as a vortex of white light seeped out of his clothes.


    Dima''s body cracked and bent at odd angles as if it was being forcibly folded in half. He continued screaming while his bones popped and were then pulled into this half a meter wide vortex of light.


    When his screaming vanished so had he, but Lady Natalia''s statue was still there.


    *Sigh*


    "Why does no one ever believe me when I saw I won''t hurt them? Putting yourself through so much pain for no reason," Jin Wang snapped his fingers and white smoke began to dissipate.


    Four kneeling figures of the followers that had been swallowed by the white smoke appeared in their ce. They were unharmed but not conscious. Two of them were even foaming from the mouth.


    "A simple illusionary spell made real by the victim''s own imagination. The more scared they got the more dangerous it seemed but in the end, it was all just ''smoke and mirrors'', as always."


    He went up to the statues and ran his forefinger along their side. It looked like the ck sand was a suit and his finger was zipping it open. Both Lady Natalia and the other follower fell to the floor lifelessly. He checked to make sure they were still breathing-


    "Oh, that was cutting it close but at least they are alive."


    -before walking over to the edge and looking down towards the entrance they hade from.


    "I have to seal it now but I just hope the guardian beast is not awakened by the noise. I''ll return to the surface after taking care of these rude youngins," he looked back halfway towards Lady Natalia.


    Regardless, she could not leave now that she was here.


    ***


    Back on the surface within the Walking city of the Temple, Dima''s limp body fell onto the floor of his personal room in front of an ordinary-looking Budha statue.


    Several joints were popping out of their sockets and it took every bit of his strength not to scream from the pain.

 Chapter 1020 - Mastiff

    <h4>Chapter 1020 - Mastiff</h4>


    In a bid to keep from screaming Dima bit his tongue while mming his shoulder onto the marble floor. With a loud pop it fit back into the socket just in time for him to look up and see a figure approaching from the entrance.


    It was a girl in a pure whitece dress. She walked up to him with steady steps while holding a ss of wine.


    "Oof, that looks like it might hurt," shemented before taking a sip.


    Dima rolled over on his back and took a few deep breaths before responding.


    "Just...a little bit."


    The girl walked around him in a circle examing every part of him.


    "14 fractures, two broken bones and almost every bone is dislocated to an extent. Still think it was worth using that stupid thing?" she said looking up at the Budha statue.


    Dima tried to nod but only a weak hum came out in response.


    "Mhm, I''d probably be dead if it wasn''t for that ''stupid thing''. But Lady Natalia..." he didn''t need to finish the sentence.


    "Isn''t that good though? You never wanted to marry her anyway."


    "That doesn''t mean she...deserved to die."


    "Eh, whatever, she knew the risks," the girl rolled her eyes and changed the topic, "What happened anyway? Did you find the artifact?"


    "Yeah but...there was someone else already there. We fell...right into his trap."


    Her ears perked up as she sat down on the bed to listen in more detail.


    "Who was it?"


    "I''m not sure. I thought he was a Caedith at first but...it didn''t look that way. Maybe a frencer."


    "Was he strong?"


    "Strong enough to render us helpless with a snap of his fingers. He was using some odd spells."


    "Oh, a magician?"


    "Maybe, but...I don''t know, there was so much happening."


    "So how did you get out?"


    "He wanted information...about the ''Son of Chaos'' so I...told him a few things..." he looked over to meet her gaze which had turned deadly serious.


    "How much did you tell him?"


    "Most of it."


    "What about the other little detail? The main reason why we are here? Did you tell him about that?"


    Dima closed his eyes and shook his head gently, "No, of course not. And that''s not why I am here. My only goal is to stop the Son froming into being."


    She visibly rxed upon hearing that. With a flip of her hair, the girl''s attitude became nonchnt again. She took a sip and then another, finishing the contents of the ss.


    "Hah, sure, you will. And when he is born, I will be there to wee the chosen one."


    Dima couldn''t help but chuckle at her naivety which sent waves of pain cascading throughout his wreck of a body.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "The chosen one. Please, we don''t even know if that''s real or not."


    The girl stood up, threw the empty wine ss onto the bed and began to make her way out of the room.


    "The chosen one is real if the Son of Chaos is. There must always be a bnce between the great forces. If he bes the Champion of chaos it is only natural to expect a counterpart to his existence. The universe will find ''order'' by giving birth to a champion of light, one whose sole purpose is to stand against him."


    "I just hope we can find him in time."


    Dima could say nothing to counter her points. They were as valid as any of their beliefs. As Republicans, they believed in the principle of bnce. That every action must have an equal and opposite reaction to even things out.


    If the Son of Chaos was to be birthed, then by his own doing the Child of Light wille into being.


    By the time Dima came to, the girl was already long gone.


    "Hey! At least fix my legs before you go! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" he shouted but got no response.


    **


    Meanwhile down at the city of Argham, the battle against the corruption was in full swing.


    The cultivators formed three main lines of defense. The best and the strongest hand-to-hand and meleebat experts were at the forefront, standing just outside the barrier.


    Even among them, Rhisiat was further than everyone else standing alone several tens of meters ahead.


    There were two beasts apanying him by his side.


    One was a pitch-ck centipede with moving white patterns that was coiled around his right arm going all the way down to the abdomen. Its face stopped just over Rhisiat''s fist, acting both as an armguard and a weapon with de-like mps jetting from its carapace.


    It spilled waves of tar-like substance that slowed everything that touched it even lightly.


    And then there was the great four-legged beast to his left. It looked like a Tibetan Mastiff with bright orange fur and tongues of the same colored meing off of its body.


    It towered over everything at 5 meters in height.

 Chapter 1021 - Sludge

    <h4>Chapter 1021 - Sludge</h4>


    Authors Notes: Apologies for the irregr chapter uploads recently. The weather has taken a turn for the worse in thest week with constant rain and snow while the temperature barely goes above 7 centigrade even during the day.


    This is causing a lot of issues with infrastructure like power, gas, and the inte and things keep shutting down every so often. Not to mention even sitting outside of a nket is torture.


    ****


    Viscous red liquid dripped down from its clenched maw that by itself was not harmful but the moment it came into contact with anything organic it caught fire.


    It growled threateningly while swinging the front paws in several meter wide sweeps, clearing out entire patches ofnd that were teeming with the grunts.


    Once pinned under its weight the grunts tried to break free but with their iplete transformations, there was no way they could overpower an Ether Level beast.


    The Mastiff opened his mouth and sprayed the same red liquid in a cone in front of it. Its fangs rubbed against one another to create sparks that lit the entire stream on fire.


    *WOOOSH*


    The surroundings were lit up like a haystack.


    Rhisiat extended his left arm over the me which was covered in batches of thin red hair, exactly the same as that of the Mastiff. He made a grasping motion and "picked" up a fireball in his hand as if it was physical matter before throwing it into the enemy ranks.


    The centipede would vomit the tar-like substance that caught any that touched it while the mastiff lit them up.


    It was a ughter in every meaning of the word. The grunts could not do anything against the overpowering physical strength up close while they didn''t have any long-range attacks to do anything to them from afar.


    But even with all that, Rhisiat and his beastpanion''s presence was like a boulder in the path of a river. They could take care of one direction by themselves but the sheer quantity of the grunts was astronomically high and it was only getting worse with every passing second.


    The other cultivators aside from him were all melee fighters but most did not have anything to take care of such numbers either.


    Like Fulke for example, with his massive build and long reach could kill at least 2-3 grunts with every swing but using Qi based attacks that could deal damage in a wide area would leave him tired and exhausted within half an hour, if not less.


    Most of the others carried swords, spears, hammers, or even dagger-type weapons which were best suited for one-on-onebat so there was a very real limit to how many enemies they could realistically contend with.


    About 15 meters behind them was the barrier protecting the city of Argham and right on the other side were the cultivators capable of long-range attacks.


    They had yet to take action since not only did they need actual munition in the form of either arrows or supplements and ingredients for their spells or elemental abilities, but the time they could stay active was much shorter.


    Not to mention they were far fewer in number.


    Were the melee fighters made up of almost 70% of the total forces, the long-range warriors only made up about 25% while the remaining 5% were the ones with support-type abilities and powers.


    Converted to real numbers, 19 cultivators were capable of long-range attacks and only 4 had support-type abilities.


    Henrik who was the one leading the defensive effort was among these four people.


    He had stationed himself at the very back and was currently making the finishing touches on the Beast ying formation when Hazel came up the steps, stopping just outside the outer boundary of the stone tform.


    She waited silently until Henrik finished the inscription he was working on. He wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his shirt, pulled back his long hair, and peered upwards gloomily.


    "What''s the update?"


    "It''s not looking good. It has only been less than ten minutes and some of the front line fighters areining that there is no end to them. They are rtively easy to kill but there is just too many."


    Henrik didn''t seem surprised at all.


    "Of course they are. These kids are future kings and queens of their respective kingdoms, I doubt they have ever fought on the front lines. Tell them this is how it goes, shut up and deal with it."


    He was about to get back to working on the formation when he noticed Hazel''s troubled expression.


    "What''s wrong? Is there something else?"


    She hesitated at first but seeing the look of concern in Henrik''s gaze she could not help but say what she was really thinking.


    "It will be a battle of attrition. Whoever canst longer wins."


    "I understand-"


    "No, you don''t. There really are too many of them. Not these ones but I can sense a different kind of creature not too far away. They feel...wrong, like there is an emptiness about them. And they are hungry and strong. They don''t understand the meaning of defeat."


    "But the worst part is that I can''t see an end to their numbers. No matter how far I look all I see is this ck sludge drowning everything. We cannot content against something like that..."

 Chapter 1022 - No Way Out

    "We cannot contend against something like that..."


    Henrik smiled and walked up to her with slow steps. If he wasn''t wearing his battle armor most people would assume it was a frail maiden under there.


    He reached out and grabbed both of her hands. She tried to pull back saying, "No they''re filthy-"


    "No, they aren''t. I told you, nothing about you is filthy," he said in his usual gentle voice.


    "Take a deep breath, focus only on me."


    She followed his instructions and breathed in and out several times before meeting his gaze once more.


    "Will you listen to me please? Just this once?" she implored again, "This is not like any of the times before. I can feel something terrible is going to happen here and there is nothing any of us can do to stop it."


    Henrik chuckled, "Oh really? Are you sure Ms. Empath is not being led by her emotions once again? Maybe overreacting just a little bit? You can feel things others can''t which when mixed with an overall nervous atmosphere can easily make one think the worst."


    "No! I am not, not this time. You can''t feel what I am feeling. This sense of impending doom...it''s...like a great big shadow is covering everything around us. The longer we stay here the harder it will be for us to leave."


    Henrik brought her hands together and rubbed his along the outside to warm her up.


    "There is no other choice. These people need our help, I can''t just turn a blind eye to them," he said looking down at Hazel''s hands which were covered in cuts and bruises.


    She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.


    "Again, you''re doing it again. Why can''t you just let things go? If only you hadn''te back that time you wouldn''t have gotten hurt. Even now..."


    He smiled without looking up, "But if I didn''t go back that time then you wouldn''t be here right now to yell at me, and how could I let such an opportunity go to waste?"


    She forcefully pulled away and turned around to leave.


    "You should have left me there, just like you should leave these people now. You are not responsible for every living being in existence."


    She stomped her way down the stone tform in a huff, leaving Henrik wondering, "Hey, where are you going?!"


    "TO FIGHT! Where else!?" she shouted back, "Someone needs to protect you when things go bad. Even though there is no reason it should evere to that..."


    Henrik watched her back which was now wider than his own vanish from view behind the slew of barricades and walls erected after every few steps.


    He let out a deep sigh while muttering under his breath.


    "It''s already been 10 years since I first picked her up from those vers. She was barely a teen back then, even smaller than me and look at her now. She has grown bold enough to yell at me to my face, haha."


    Herik returned to the same spot to pick from where he left off and finish the inscriptions when his face turned a deathly shade of blue.


    *COUGH*COUGH*COUGH*


    He coughed several mouthfuls of blood into the palm of his hand, trying his best not to make too much noise.


    *Cough*Cough*


    His face drained of all color as he fell onto his knees inbored breathing.


    "Argh, damn it, not now....I...don''t have time for this right now..."


    He grabbed his chest as a dull aching pain began to spread throughout.


    Hazel who was already near the city gates more than a hundred meters away froze midstride at the same time. She looked back in the direction of the stone tform with gritted teeth, "Why won''t you ever listen to me?"


    As an empath, she was able to feel the emotions of others and the closer she was to someone the stronger it was felt. She could feel Henrik''s pain even from so far away because of their close bond.


    He had saved her from a life of very, and incurred injuries in the process that had still not healed even more than a decadeter. How could she not feel responsible for it?


    "Damn it all to hell!"


    She peered outwards, beyond the city gates to whatid far in the distance behind the old forest.


    She could feel it in the air, that terrible feeling of death and ruin looming ever so closely over her head. It was like a sixth sense to her, unmistakable in its capacity of destruction.


    And not just one either. As far as her senses could reach out, there was no light in the darkness.


    "We are surrounded on all sides and we don''t even know it yet.. I can''t see a way out at all."

 Chapter 1023 - Become New

    But Hazel was so focused on the danger that was on its way that shepletely missed the one that was already here.


    Some distance away thest batch of refugees was being processed. One of these was a party of youngsters and a few children being interrogated by the city guards.


    They were all human, dressed in old raggedy clothes with some obvious signs of malnutrition and mistreatment.


    Eight of them, who were the oldest, were between the ages of 15 and 20 while the remaining three were kids, the oldest of which was only a ten-year-old boy.


    The other two kids one of which was a 7-year-old girl and thest one which was a newborn baby were being carried by the teenagers.


    The ten-year-old boy stood in front of the feline city guard trying to exin their situation.


    "My name is At. We used to work for one of the human lords at his mansion until a few days ago. He left in the middle of the night without saying anything so we followed the vigers and came here. I don''t have any papers to prove who I am, none of us do."


    Despite his desperate situation he didn''t seem too pitiful. His head was raised high, chest puffed out and his tone articte.


    The guard note down his name before looking towards the others, especially the teenagers.


    "And you lot?"


    The boy''s expression changed for the worse but he caught himself and regained hisposure quickly.


    "They don''t speak...they can''t," he looked back at them bleakly and whispered into the guard''s ears, "The human lord did not like his servants talking about him behind his back so he cut off their tongues once they reached puberty."


    The guard reacted as any sensible person would, with a look of disgust and anger which quickly turned into empathy for the poor souls.


    "That...I''m sorry to hear that. Give me their names and the names of their parents along with the ce they were born in. Which human lord did you serve? I have traveled a lot back in my youth and know most of the notable human figures."


    He waited for At to answer but there were none to be given. At was expecting to be just allowed passage by this point so he hadn''t even bothered withing up with their names.


    "That...I-"


    "What? Out with it,e on. There are others in the line behind you, you know!" the guard urged him on.


    At began to sweat bullets while stealing nces at the teenagers.


    ''What do I do?! I have to get them into the city otherwise they won''t let us go, its thest chance I have!''


    "Hey, are you listening to me? Actually, all of youe here and open your mouths, I will check you myself before we go any further!"


    At''s eyes opened wide as he tried to dissuade the guard unsessfully. "No please, listen to me-"


    No matter how much experience he had, at the end of the day he was still just a kid and being put on the spot like this left him at a total loss for words.


    ''No please, they will start killing everyone if you don''t let us through, please!'' he pleaded inwardly and by some miracle, just as the guard was about to reach over and grab one of them the crowd parted and in walked a small group of guards led by the demihuman princess.


    "Lady Inara!" the guard saluted before stepping to the side.


    Princess Inara stopped in between the guards and At.


    "What''s all themotion? I told you to clear everyone as soon as possible!"


    "Yes, mydy! It''s just that I couldn''t verify the identity of this young man and hispanions so-"


    She turned to face the person in question. At almost jumped out of his skin. How had the situation gotten so out of hand so quickly?


    Just as he had given himself over to fate something unexpected happened.


    "You...I know you..." the demihuman Princess whispered to everyone''s surprise.


    At pointed at himself in obvious disbelief, "M-Me?"


    The guard also chimed in, "Where doesdy Inara know him from?"


    She thought about it for a second before recalling exactly where she had seen him.


    "You were being forced to work with that vile man, Eurig the Viper. How did you escape?"


    Upon mentioning working for him At remembered the exact situation she was talking about.


    ''She was in the crowd that day!'' he eximed inwardly. (CH 637)


    Hushed gasps came from all around. Eurig the Viper was a household name, a horror story for most. The guard saw an opportunity to make some brownie points and jumped in to answer in At''s ce.


    "He said they were all working for him. The older ones have had their tongues cut out upon reaching puberty."


    More shocked reactions followed suit upon the revtion. Princess Inara knelt down in front of At and wiped the dirt and mud from his face using her own sleeve.


    "Are you okay? What happened to that snake?"


    As surprised as he was by the sudden turn of events At could not forget what was at stake. He stole a quick nce at the teens behind him before answering.


    "He''s gone. He left us and went somewhere else."


    He held his breath while staring at his feet anxiously, praying with all his heart that she would buy it.


    Princess Inara smiled and gently patted him on the head.


    "Really? That''s good then. And it looks like you escaped with your friends too, what a brave young man.. You will be safe here."

 Chapter 1024 - In The Coop

    Princess Inara turned to the same guard that was about to inspect them a moment ago with a stern expression.


    "Take them to my ce. They will stay there until everyone gets settled."


    "As you wish, mydy," the guard bowed from the waist and before At had a chance to say anything Princess Inara along with her escort had gone past the barricades towards the city gate.


    At stared in her direction in silence with quite a mixed bag of feelings. On one hand he was d it all worked but on the other...they had let the snake into the coop themselves.


    The guard let out a breath of relief and quickly brought the children into the heart of the city, most of which was locked out for any refugees because of security concerns.


    They were stopped a few times but with the guard to lead them, it didn''t take long before they arrived at their destination.


    Unlike what At expected the ce wasn''t a grand mansion or some sort of a pce. It was a simple two-story building that was just a little bit bigger than the ones around it.


    There were no special decorations, or extra security, not even a slew of servents one would expect from royalty, nothing other than a lush garden to set it apart from the rest of the buildings.


    The guard went up to the gate and knocked. A few secondster it was opened by an old demihumandy that had greyish cat ears andrge spectacles. She had a sharp gaze and a well-kept appearance which along with her slightly authoritative aura, made her look like a school principal.


    He told her the situation and immediately took his leave.


    The far-off sounds of muffled explosions that sounded like artillery fire were still reaching them here but it was barely noticeable if one didn''t pay close attention.


    The olddy looked quite strict as she stared at them in silence for a moment before vanishing behind the gate.


    "Well? What are you waiting for? Come inside quickly and close the door behind you," her surprisingly soft voice came from the other side.


    At looked over to the teenagers especially the boy who was holding the 7-year-old sleeping girl in his embrace. He gave a soft nod in response and one by one they all entered.


    The olddy was standing beside arge wooden door that led into the main building.


    "This is the guest room. You will be staying here until we can find you a proper home. Dinner will be ready in an hour and a half. Wash up and change into the clothes I will leave next to the door. If you need something call for me. My name is Marie."


    And with her chin facing the roof she walked off without giving them another look.


    At went up to the wooden door and pulled it open to check inside. When he was sure it was safe he gestured for the others to join them.


    There were tworge beds inside along with a weapons rack and some worn-out clothes and robesying on the floor. Someone was obviously living here but that was not one of their concerns right now.


    The teenagers that were lethargic just a moment ago suddenly became active the moment the door closed. They checked left and right, under every piece of furniture, nook and cranny in sight.


    One of them then went up to the door and locked it before biting her forefinger to draw blood. She made a few simple-looking symbols on the door while murmuring something under her breath.


    By the time she finished the blood had seeped into the door to create a red-colored barrier. But unlike a simple semi-transparent shield of light that the barrier would normally take the shape off, this one had strange protrusions in it.


    It looked like numerous palms were put together and sewn into a sheet to make it. There was even a strange flickering movement to them just like real skin.


    "It''s safe now," shemented proudly at her handy work.


    The teenage boy threw the little girl onto the bed while the other who was holding the wrapped up infant also tossed it aside. The sudden movement was enough to wake up the infant and it started crying loudly.


    One of the teenage girls craned her neck to check the infant with a deep frown.


    "Can we just kill this thing already? How long do we have to lug it around like this? If I had known it was going to be this troublesome I would have buried it with the mother."


    One of the boysughed and patted her on the back, "It''s okay, you will get your maternal instincts back soon enough."


    "Ptew, keep them," she spat at his feet, "There is no way I am ruining this body by bearing more children."


    At in the meantime ran up to the bed to check on his sister, "Eva, are you okay? Can you hear me?"


    But there was no response from her. Her eyes were tightly shut while her forehead was covered in sweat.


    He looked up at the teenage boy that had been carrying her all this time, "She has a fever.. I need to get a doctor."

 Chapter 1025 - We’ll Be Okay

    At tried his best not to appear anxious since that was the one thing that would only get him deeper into trouble. The teenager looked back at him with an unwavering gaze, staring directly into his eyes.


    At felt like he had fallen under a spell. He couldn''t look away or think properly. He could feel someone prying into his brain as if it was a box of toys. His deepest thoughts were being pulled out from the root.


    He felt like crying, like shouting for help but he knew no one woulde. No one ever did, not even once. All he could do was sit there and take it.


    Thankfully he was interrupted soon after by one of the other teens. It was the same girl that ced the barrier around the door.


    "Viper, what''s the n now? You said you would tell us more once we got into Argham and here we are."


    This teen was in fact Eurig the Viper himself. He had managed to somehow "change" bodies with his own grandson not too long ago. (Ch 656/657)


    This would mean the other teens were the various leaders of the human tribes that had decided to join him and ept his offer of having another beginning sote in their lives.


    Eurig blinked, breaking the spell At was under and allowing him a moment of reprieve as he redirected his attention towards his new rades".


    After the first girl spoke up the remaining six of them also gathered around him. They might be in the same boat now but there was no way they could just ignore Viper''s past as if it didn''t exist. He was a cruel, ruthless and calcting individual throughout his life who only looked out for himself.


    And yet, he had gone out of his way to "help" get have a second chance at life. And not only that but give them their new power.


    He smiled in his usual confident manner as if everything was under his control and all the answers were made known to him.


    "Sure, ask away. I promised you answers and answers you shall get, my dear friends."


    The others exchanged knowing nces with one another. They had obviously already prepared the questions. They all pulled their shirts open to reveal dark red vein-like markings over each of their hearts.


    "What is this? And how is it rted to this new power we can use out of nowhere? You never mentioned anything about it before."


    Eurig could onlyugh at their cynically despondent view of him. He pulled down his shirt to reveal the exact same mark over his own heart. His was a lot more clear than the other and took the shape of six very small wings, like that of a fly.


    "It is the proof of your power. By agreeing to my demands and throwing away your previous shells you have be something new, something MORE than a mere human. I''m sure you all could feel it too right? That rush of power, the ability to smell fear from those around us, to manipte it even if we feel like it."


    "All that is only what''s on the surface. Each of your marks will give you an arsenal of your own, a personal suite of abilities that are made only for you. Knowledge about these powers wille to you naturally as time passes."


    To show what he was talking about Eurig extended his left hand in in view of the rest. Large ck and red veins began to sprout from within his flesh as his skin became discolored, turning darker and darker while his fingernails grew to twice their size.


    Each fingernail looked like it was alive with vicious green liquid pooling on the inside.


    "Observe."


    He walked over to the infant that was still crying loudly and held his hand over its open mouth. A drop of green liquid oozed out and fell down, swallowed by the newborn.


    Silence fell over the room the very next second. The crying had died down but the infant was still moving about.


    At''s expression turned ugly but there was nothing he could do. He walked back to the bed and embraced Eva as tightly as he possibly could without hurting her. She was shaking like a leaf in the wind, colder than the forest they had juste from.


    He began to hum a luby to drown out the voices of Eurig and the others, closing himself offpletely.


    "You''ll be okay. We''ll be okay. I won''t let anything happen to you, no matter what."


    Behind him on the other bed, something unimaginable was taking ce. Right under their eyes the infant began to change.


    His skin turned a shade of dark green. his head grew to twice its size while thick bulging muscles formed around its limbs.


    No more than a minuteter it was standing on its own two feet. Its facial features were exaggerated to the extreme as if someone had tried to make a doll without actually seeing a real human.


    His eyes were bright yellow, protruding out from their sockets like overripe pickled eggs. Four sharp fangs protruded from its otherwise toothless mouth and ck veins covered most of its body. It began looking around the room before fixating its gaze on Eurig.


    "W-What in God''s name is that thing?!" the others backed away in a mixture of shock and disgust.

 Chapter 1026 - Bring It Down

    And no one could really me them for reacting this way. Thatpletely normal-looking helpless little newborn had been transformed into something else entirely in a matter of minutes.


    Its fingers and toes curved at the end like talons and even though it stood there in silence, just one look at its wretched face was enough to churn their collective stomachs.


    Eurig smiled at the creature before nodding lightly. Whatevermand or instruction he needed tomunicate to it were telepathically conveyed and the next second it jumped into action, scaring the others.


    It jumped off of the bed andnded directly on one of the sidewalls. It began crawling on all four like an animal which only increased its movement speed further.


    It could traverse thepletely smooth vertical wall as if it was solid ground and moved about without a care in the world. And yet there was something so unnatural about it that it would send shivers down the spines of any sane person.


    It startedughing and giggling like a normal baby would and even though they could see it clearly, it was difficult to pinpoint its location just from the voice alone. It was eerie just being in its presence.


    "What kind of a monstrosity is that?!" one of them inquired.


    Eurig shook his head as a matter-of-factly, "Not a monster but a gift."


    "A...gift? From whom?"


    "Ah, now that''s the right question," he chuckled and sat down on the edge of the bed, preparing to tell them everything, well, almost everything that had happened to him. He put on as earnest an expression as he possibly could before continuing.


    "I''m sure you all remember my situation before ''everything'' began," he looked to them for confirmation to which they all nodded.


    "I was hunted by the barbarians to the ends of our world. Wherever I went they found me, sooner orter. I spent the better part of thest decade hiding in caves and forests, living off of nothing but scraps. Most of the time I didn''t even know I was human."


    "They killed members of my family, almost wiped off my entire bloodline until I met him."


    "It was almost a year ago now. I had juste out of some hole in the ground looking for food when I saw a man waiting for me. It was out in the middle of nowhere so obviously I thought he was rted to the barbarians somehow but...I wasn''t scared. I actually felt relieved that it would be all over soon."


    "Dressed in clean white robes and apanied by an aura that could cate even the most wicked of hearts. One look and it was enough for me to understand he was something else, something MORE."


    "He told me a great many things. Things that were going to happen to us. He said I would have a big role to y in all of that even if I didn''t know it just yet. He was the one who told me about the surface world and how to get there. He also gave me this marking and told me where to go, what to do, and when."


    "The more we talked the more I realized his powers were....mystical. The more I saw the less sure I became of myself, of our own reality," he paused for a short moment to take it all in. Just speaking about it again made him smile like a fool because how arrgorant he was back then.


    The others however were still skeptical. To them he looked like a nutcase, an ardent believer in a cause that didn''t exist.


    "He also told me about the invaders long before they ever stepped foot on this world. Every single thing he told me came to pass. He told me I should meet with them and should pretend to surrender to their overwhelming strength while gathering my own."


    "We can stand here today in these new bodies only because of him, our ''savior''. He told me how to go about achieving such a feat and more importantly, that I should not keep it to myself. That it needed to be shared with others. So I chose all of you and in return, he gave you your own powers as well," he finished by gesturing towards the marks on their chests before looking over to At.


    "Everyone has a role to y, no matter how small."


    With knitted brows, they also peered towards At, "Even him?"


    "Mhm, especially him. Through his suffering he will bring us to the promised one, the one who will set us free. The savior is waiting for him."


    "Is that....why we are here? To meet someone?"


    "That is a part of it but, before that, there is work that needs to be done," he looked back at them, "We need to bring down Argham. Destroy the magic that protects it and make sure it can never be used again.. That is our reason foring here."

 Chapter 1027 - I Vow

    "Do any of you have a problem with that?"


    Eurig wasn''t sure what to expect from them at this point. He was basically asking them to destroy thest sanctuary their people had left on this world and by doing so, set the foundation for their inevitable defeat.


    It was one thing to abandon one''s family but to actively bring down thest beacon of hope their people had for a better future or rather, ANY future, that was something else entirely. He was asking them to betray not only their own species but also to watch them burn right in front of their eyes.


    Surely, as ex-leaders of thest human ns, this would not be an easy decision to make.


    ''It wasn''t an easy choice to make even for me so I can only imagine how they must be feeling right now,'' he thought to himself.


    Unfortunately, he had greatly underestimated their greed and desire for power. Having seen first hand all the things Eurig could do they wanted nothing for themselves. They exchanged knowing nces with one another, obviously in agreement.


    "Does that mean that if we do this, we can also have abilities like yours?"


    Eurig was taken aback by the question but nheless answered calmly.


    "Yes. The moment you agree to serve that person, all of your potentials will be unlocked."


    They took onest look at the monstrous little creature the infant had turned into which solidified their decision.


    "Then we agree, all of us."


    "All...of you?" he looked to each of them for confirmation and received it via passionate nods. And it was at this point that he realized there wasn''t much left to save after all.


    If these people that were supposed to be the upholders of justice couldn''t put up with a little bit of temptation then what even was the point in trying.


    ''He was right. There is no use trying to save any of them,'' Eurig finally concluded, putting his own doubts to rest.


    "Alright, then we will finish the pact. ce your hands over your heart and repeat after me," he gave them instructions and they followed suit without any hesitation.


    "I knowingly, willingly, wish to enter into your subservience. I vow to serve the ''Great Old Ones'' for all of eternity, no matter the cost."


    "I knowingly...." they repeated after him in unison, not finding anything odd out of this whole ordeal.


    None of them even noticed the strange energy that had appeared out of nowhere and was now circting around each one of them. It was a dark ckish-red in color, attaching itself to their bodies and spreading all over like a metastasizing cancerous lump.


    The marks on their chests also became clearer and more distinct.


    "Lend me your powers so I may do your bidding for as long as I am able to. Let me be the executor of your will on this mortal ne, the one to bring your intentions into existence."


    "Lend me your..."


    By the time they finished the vow, there was not much of the dark energy left in the surroundings. All of it was absorbed by the marks on their chests. One of them stepped forward with a body of a well-built teenage boy.


    "Now what? I don''t feel any different."


    Instead of answering Eurig only stared back at him with a wry smile. The boy frowned and stepped forward, pointing at him aggressively.


    "Eurig, if you''re ying a gam- ARGH!"


    He couldn''t even manage to finish the sentence because halfway through his arm abruptly expanded to three times its size.


    Bones popped from their sockets under the immense weight of hundreds of kilograms of reinvigorated flesh swelling up from the underside of his shoulders and arms.


    It looked like he was about to explode but just before crossing thatst line his body expanded to cope with the changes.


    "AAAAAARGH!" his voice became beastly and if one didn''t know any better they would assume it was from some kind of a monster.


    Sharp needle-like bony protrusions jetted out from where his shoulder des would be under all that flesh. His face, neck, and almost every part of the body began to twist and expand.


    And he wasn''t the only one either. Each of the other six were undergoing the same process albeit in a different way.


    One of the girls had it the worse as her skin cracked and split open to reveal a yellow squirmingyer of flesh underneath.


    Her clothes began to burn off as pang''s of extreme heat rose from the cracks in the skin. Her hair fell off from the roots along with most of the skin on her face. What little bit that was left was stuck directly to the bones with no flesh in between.


    The limbs of the other boys increased in length to four times the original size.


    The only thing worse than the physical transformations were the shrieks and howls from the pain that was caused by them.


    At covered the ears of his little sister so she would be saved from the barrage of heartwrenching screeches, but in turn, allowed himself to bear the full brunt of it.


    His ears started bleeding under the increasing pressure.

 Chapter 1028 - 3/7

    At tried his best to stay silent for as long as he could so as not to draw attention to himself but a few pained groans inevitably escaped his lips, garnering Eurig''s attention.


    Eurig looked back at him with a troubled expression not because he was feeling bad for the tortured boy but because he was unsure of his true role in this whole situation.


    The ''savior'' had told Eurig to keep At close and that when the time was right, he would somehow lead them to the promised one.


    It was this ''promised one'' that they were actually here for because when they would meet, he would ''set them free'' somehow.


    ''I still don''t know what that means but it''s not my job to understand every little thing. The savior said that when we would meet the promised one we will know it instantly. That our very souls would let us know that he is the one, without a shadow of a doubt. But to do that we still need toplete the first part of the mission, bring Argham to its knees.''


    He nced towards the other teens that were anything but human now. Most of their transformations wereplete and he couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow marveling at the results.


    "Hmm, it looks like you three received a great gift," he spoke to the ones at the front.


    The first one used to be the bulky teen and even after the transformation it reflected his old physique to a great degree. He was by far thergest of the seven at approximately 4 meters in height.


    If he stood up straight his upper body would go through the roof but his build was simr to an ape so he walked on all fours. His upper body was twice asrge as the lower body with some special ''attributes'' like the reinforced knuckles and bony protrusions along his shoulders and head.


    The previously sharp needle-like protrusions along his back were now connected with one another through a semitransparent webbing which gave it the appearance of bat-like wings butpared to the rest of his body they were far too small to allow for flight.


    There were four horns approximately 1-2 inches in length on his head. Two were located below the chin and the other two where the eyebrows should have been. He had no lips or even a nose so the rows of disfigured teeth especially stood out.


    His knuckles were encased in dark red embers that even melted the stone floor just bying into contact with it.


    The second one was the female with cracked skin. The skin itself held the appearance of burnt y while the cracks revealed yellow tumors underneath that spilled out fumes and a putrid liquid.


    It looked like all her flesh had melted away leaving only burnt skin behind that was stuck directly to the bones. Most of her scalp was also gone with a handful of hair sparsely decorating the dome. She looked like an old hag from some children''s demented fairytale. (Imagine any proto germanic folktale witch)


    Her abdomen was swollen to almost three times its original size while the area around her breasts was nothing more than bulbous warts at this point. But right in the middle of the chest was a bright yellow spot.


    It squirmed and beat with an unnatural rhythm, sometimes not moving for long periods.


    Her thin arms were touching the floor even when she was standing upright. Each and every nail was at least 3-4 inches in length.


    When her physical transformation had seemingly beenpleted she suddenly reached into her own chest and pulled out the bottom six ribs as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


    It sounded simr to breaking dried tree branches and since she didn''t react to the pain there was no other effect.


    She stuck the ribs together two at a time and vomited a yellow substance on it to fuse them together while somehow ''stretching'' them to create a slightly curved walking stick. But it looked iplete as if there was something missing from the top.


    The third one didn''t have nearly as many changes as the others. His arms were stretched to about four times the size of the rest of his body while his head was covered with what looked like a smooth white porcin mask but was in fact his actual face.


    There were only two holes to reveal a pair of dark blue eyes underneath. In fact most of his body was like that, covered with patches of smooth white material all over. His legs were disjointed below the knee and bent backward with another kneecap right before ending in three giant toes, each with its own elongated w.


    The remaining four were nothing special. Most of their limbs were stuck together orpletely melted off. One of them looked nothing more than a blob of flesh and skin, having lost every single bone in his body but somehow still alive.


    Eurig nodded muttering to himself, "Three out of seven is not bad at all.. I wasn''t even expecting one but to have three reach such a level, our luck is great."

 Chapter 1029 - She-Devil

    Upon hearing his voice the three in question all locked their gazes on his utterly ordinary figure. Compared to them he was a bit too nd.


    The girl was the first one to speak up. Her voice sounded raspy as if her vocal cords were made of a much harder material.


    "What...have you done...to us?! You have turned us...into monsters!!"


    Her yellow eyes and sagging nose red at the thought. She hadn''t seen herself in a mirror but even what she could see was utterly bizarre.


    When she mentioned the looks the other two obviously had the same feelings, well, at least the brute did. It was impossible to tell how the third one was feeling since his entire face was only a white mask with eyes.


    The little monster that Eurig had created from the infant jumped and hoped across the walls andnded on his shoulder. It whispered into his ears and Eurig''s eyes began shining with a mysterious light as he inspected every inch of their bodies.


    "Mhm, very nice. Yes, I see what you mean," he muttered under his breath.


    Feeling ignored she shouted this time, "EURIG! ANSWER ME!"


    She stabbed the floor with her ''walking stick'' as she said so which sent a wave of yellow smoke in every direction. When the others inhaled it their veins bulged and flesh bubbled, increasing their overall aura.


    "Yes yes, I see you, I hear you. There is no need to get worked up," Eurig stood up with the infant monster still squatting on his shoulder like a parrot.


    He turned his head slightly to the infant''s direction to inquire further, "Which ones exactly?"


    The infant took one look at the monstrosities in front of him before whispering back into Eurig''s ears.


    "Hoh, really? That''s amazing!" he even pped in excitement before finally engaging with the girl.


    "You all are drawing power from another ne. The symbol on your chest creates the connection between your soul and the beings of this other ne and whichever creature you''re mostpatible with will lend you its power. That''s why you look the way you do, the more power you borrow from them the more you turn into their actual selves."


    "The being that is lending you its power is an old she-devil with a great many names. She used to be a powerful witch at one time but turned into something else after murdering and eating her own children. As her acolyte, you are considered to be a Hell Priestess, someone of very high standing."


    Her eyes opened wide as she listened to Eurig narrate the background of the one she had bonded with. And as he did so, a few morsels of information suddenly popped into her head.


    Her yellow eyes rolled back into the sockets as the trails of a ''terrible'' vision wandered in. She saw a great forest where the trees reached into the upper atmosphere.


    It was dark but definitely not quiet as numerous beastly howls echoed within the darkness. The sound of trees creaking and branches breaking came into her ears as a small hut slowly came out of the shadows.


    At first she couldn''t tell whether the hut wasing towards her or she was inching closer to it but then she saw the pair of chicken-like legs the hut was perched on. The legs moved up and down and the hut ''walked'' towards her.


    Its front door creaked open to reveal a faint outline of a hunched figure standing in the entrance. All the noise died down in an instant to reveal one barely audible murmur that was hidden in the back.


    A whisper that wormed its way into her brain, "What...do you desire?" it asked.


    Back in the room her body jerked and twisted back and forth as her hand moved by itself and grasped the top of the walking stick. Her fingers caressed the air around it. The air became thicker and more vicious as a solid ball of ck light materialized out of nothing.


    The bones of the walking stick came alive, extending over and around the ck ball until it was firmly entrenched on top of the stick.


    Meanwhile, her body started to change again. Normal human skin grew back, the cracks closed themselves, and that suppleness returned to her flesh. Within seconds all the changes were reversed or rather covered up.


    Her hair grew back, longer and thicker than ever before. Her facial features morphed to create apletely symmetrical design that was enchantingly beautiful.


    Right in front of everyone''s gaze she had turned back into a human, and one so beautiful that it could a man forget his reason for existence.


    Long legs, a thin waist, and such a picture-perfect upper body that even aphrodite would be envious of.


    But perhaps most shocking of all, even the mark over her chest had disappeared with caught Eurig''s attention.


    When her re-transformation waspleted she regained her senses. She slowly opened her eyes and saw her new body, moving her hands over every inch of it. And when she saw her reflection within the ck ball on the walking stick a smile bloomed on her face.


    "I am...perfect!"


    Eurig nced at the infant with a knitted brow who was even more confused than him.


    "Not a she-devil? Something else?"

 Chapter 1030 I Vow

    1030 I Vow


    "Do any of you have a problem with that?"


    Eurig wasn''t sure what to expect from them at this point. He was basically asking them to destroy thest sanctuary their people had left on this world and by doing so, set the foundation for their inevitable defeat.


    It was one thing to abandon one''s family but to actively bring down thest beacon of hope their people had for a better future or rather, ANY future, that was something else entirely. He was asking them to betray not only their own species but also to watch them burn right in front of their eyes.


    Surely, as ex-leaders of thest human ns, this would not be an easy decision to make.


    ''It wasn''t an easy choice to make even for me so I can only imagine how they must be feeling right now,'' he thought to himself.


    Unfortunately, he had greatly underestimated their greed and desire for power. Having seen first hand all the things Eurig could do they wanted nothing for themselves. They exchanged knowing nces with one another, obviously in agreement.


    "Does that mean that if we do this, we can also have abilities like yours?"


    Eurig was taken aback by the question but nheless answered calmly.


    "Yes. The moment you agree to serve that person, all of your potentials will be unlocked."


    They took onest look at the monstrous little creature the infant had turned into which solidified their decision.


    "Then we agree, all of us."


    "All...of you?" he looked to each of them for confirmation and received it via passionate nods. And it was at this point that he realized there wasn''t much left to save after all.


    If these people that were supposed to be the upholders of justice couldn''t put up with a little bit of temptation then what even was the point in trying.


    ''He was right. There is no use trying to save any of them,'' Eurig finally concluded, putting his own doubts to rest.


    "Alright, then we will finish the pact. ce your hands over your heart and repeat after me," he gave them instructions and they followed suit without any hesitation.


    "I knowingly, willingly, wish to enter into your subservience. I vow to serve the ''Great Old Ones'' for all of eternity, no matter the cost."


    "I knowingly...." they repeated after him in unison, not finding anything odd out of this whole ordeal.


    None of them even noticed the strange energy that had appeared out of nowhere and was now circting around each one of them. It was a dark ckish-red in color, attaching itself to their bodies and spreading all over like a metastasizing cancerous lump.


    The marks on their chests also became clearer and more distinct.


    "Lend me your powers so I may do your bidding for as long as I am able to. Let me be the executor of your will on this mortal ne, the one to bring your intentions into existence."


    "Lend me your..."


    By the time they finished the vow, there was not much of the dark energy left in the surroundings. All of it was absorbed by the marks on their chests. One of them stepped forward with a body of a well-built teenage boy.


    "Now what? I don''t feel any different."


    Instead of answering Eurig only stared back at him with a wry smile. The boy frowned and stepped forward, pointing at him aggressively.


    "Eurig, if you''re ying a gam- ARGH!"


    He couldn''t even manage to finish the sentence because halfway through his arm abruptly expanded to three times its size.


    Bones popped from their sockets under the immense weight of hundreds of kilograms of reinvigorated flesh swelling up from the underside of his shoulders and arms.


    It looked like he was about to explode but just before crossing thatst line his body expanded to cope with the changes.


    "AAAAAARGH!" his voice became beastly and if one didn''t know any better they would assume it was from some kind of a monster.


    Sharp needle-like bony protrusions jetted out from where his shoulder des would be under all that flesh. His face, neck, and almost every part of the body began to twist and expand.


    And he wasn''t the only one either. Each of the other six were undergoing the same process albeit in a different way.


    One of the girls had it the worse as her skin cracked and split open to reveal a yellow squirmingyer of flesh underneath.


    Her clothes began to burn off as pang''s of extreme heat rose from the cracks in the skin. Her hair fell off from the roots along with most of the skin on her face. What little bit that was left was stuck directly to the bones with no flesh in between.


    The limbs of the other boys increased in length to four times the original size.


    The only thing worse than the physical transformations were the shrieks and howls from the pain that was caused by them.


    At covered the ears of his little sister so she would be saved from the barrage of heartwrenching screeches, but in turn, allowed himself to bear the full brunt of it.


    His ears started bleeding under the increasing pressure.

 Chapter 1031 3/7

    1031 3/7


    At tried his best to stay silent for as long as he could so as not to draw attention to himself but a few pained groans inevitably escaped his lips, garnering Eurig''s attention.


    Eurig looked back at him with a troubled expression not because he was feeling bad for the tortured boy but because he was unsure of his true role in this whole situation.


    The ''savior'' had told Eurig to keep At close and that when the time was right, he would somehow lead them to the promised one.


    It was this ''promised one'' that they were actually here for because when they would meet, he would ''set them free'' somehow.


    ''I still don''t know what that means but it''s not my job to understand every little thing. The savior said that when we would meet the promised one we will know it instantly. That our very souls would let us know that he is the one, without a shadow of a doubt. But to do that we still need toplete the first part of the mission, bring Argham to its knees.''


    He nced towards the other teens that were anything but human now. Most of their transformations wereplete and he couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow marveling at the results.


    "Hmm, it looks like you three received a great gift," he spoke to the ones at the front.


    The first one used to be the bulky teen and even after the transformation it reflected his old physique to a great degree. He was by far thergest of the seven at approximately 4 meters in height.


    If he stood up straight his upper body would go through the roof but his build was simr to an ape so he walked on all fours. His upper body was twice asrge as the lower body with some special ''attributes'' like the reinforced knuckles and bony protrusions along his shoulders and head.


    The previously sharp needle-like protrusions along his back were now connected with one another through a semitransparent webbing which gave it the appearance of bat-like wings butpared to the rest of his body they were far too small to allow for flight.


    There were four horns approximately 1-2 inches in length on his head. Two were located below the chin and the other two where the eyebrows should have been. He had no lips or even a nose so the rows of disfigured teeth especially stood out.


    His knuckles were encased in dark red embers that even melted the stone floor just bying into contact with it.


    The second one was the female with cracked skin. The skin itself held the appearance of burnt y while the cracks revealed yellow tumors underneath that spilled out fumes and a putrid liquid.


    It looked like all her flesh had melted away leaving only burnt skin behind that was stuck directly to the bones. Most of her scalp was also gone with a handful of hair sparsely decorating the dome. She looked like an old hag from some children''s demented fairytale. (Imagine any proto germanic folktale witch)


    Her abdomen was swollen to almost three times its original size while the area around her breasts was nothing more than bulbous warts at this point. But right in the middle of the chest was a bright yellow spot.


    It squirmed and beat with an unnatural rhythm, sometimes not moving for long periods.


    Her thin arms were touching the floor even when she was standing upright. Each and every nail was at least 3-4 inches in length.


    When her physical transformation had seemingly beenpleted she suddenly reached into her own chest and pulled out the bottom six ribs as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


    It sounded simr to breaking dried tree branches and since she didn''t react to the pain there was no other effect.


    She stuck the ribs together two at a time and vomited a yellow substance on it to fuse them together while somehow ''stretching'' them to create a slightly curved walking stick. But it looked iplete as if there was something missing from the top.


    The third one didn''t have nearly as many changes as the others. His arms were stretched to about four times the size of the rest of his body while his head was covered with what looked like a smooth white porcin mask but was in fact his actual face.


    There were only two holes to reveal a pair of dark blue eyes underneath. In fact most of his body was like that, covered with patches of smooth white material all over. His legs were disjointed below the knee and bent backward with another kneecap right before ending in three giant toes, each with its own elongated w.


    The remaining four were nothing special. Most of their limbs were stuck together orpletely melted off. One of them looked nothing more than a blob of flesh and skin, having lost every single bone in his body but somehow still alive.


    Eurig nodded muttering to himself, "Three out of seven is not bad at all. I wasn''t even expecting one but to have three reach such a level, our luck is great."

 Chapter 1032 She-Devil

    1032 She-Devil


    Upon hearing his voice the three in question all locked their gazes on his utterly ordinary figure. Compared to them he was a bit too nd.


    The girl was the first one to speak up. Her voice sounded raspy as if her vocal cords were made of a much harder material.


    "What...have you done...to us?! You have turned us...into monsters!!"


    Her yellow eyes and sagging nose red at the thought. She hadn''t seen herself in a mirror but even what she could see was utterly bizarre.


    When she mentioned the looks the other two obviously had the same feelings, well, at least the brute did. It was impossible to tell how the third one was feeling since his entire face was only a white mask with eyes.


    The little monster that Eurig had created from the infant jumped and hoped across the walls andnded on his shoulder. It whispered into his ears and Eurig''s eyes began shining with a mysterious light as he inspected every inch of their bodies.


    "Mhm, very nice. Yes, I see what you mean," he muttered under his breath.


    Feeling ignored she shouted this time, "EURIG! ANSWER ME!"


    She stabbed the floor with her ''walking stick'' as she said so which sent a wave of yellow smoke in every direction. When the others inhaled it their veins bulged and flesh bubbled, increasing their overall aura.


    "Yes yes, I see you, I hear you. There is no need to get worked up," Eurig stood up with the infant monster still squatting on his shoulder like a parrot.


    He turned his head slightly to the infant''s direction to inquire further, "Which ones exactly?"


    The infant took one look at the monstrosities in front of him before whispering back into Eurig''s ears.


    "Hoh, really? That''s amazing!" he even pped in excitement before finally engaging with the girl.


    "You all are drawing power from another ne. The symbol on your chest creates the connection between your soul and the beings of this other ne and whichever creature you''re mostpatible with will lend you its power. That''s why you look the way you do, the more power you borrow from them the more you turn into their actual selves."


    "The being that is lending you its power is an old she-devil with a great many names. She used to be a powerful witch at one time but turned into something else after murdering and eating her own children. As her acolyte, you are considered to be a Hell Priestess, someone of very high standing."


    Her eyes opened wide as she listened to Eurig narrate the background of the one she had bonded with. And as he did so, a few morsels of information suddenly popped into her head.


    Her yellow eyes rolled back into the sockets as the trails of a ''terrible'' vision wandered in. She saw a great forest where the trees reached into the upper atmosphere.


    It was dark but definitely not quiet as numerous beastly howls echoed within the darkness. The sound of trees creaking and branches breaking came into her ears as a small hut slowly came out of the shadows.


    At first she couldn''t tell whether the hut wasing towards her or she was inching closer to it but then she saw the pair of chicken-like legs the hut was perched on. The legs moved up and down and the hut ''walked'' towards her.


    Its front door creaked open to reveal a faint outline of a hunched figure standing in the entrance. All the noise died down in an instant to reveal one barely audible murmur that was hidden in the back.


    A whisper that wormed its way into her brain, "What...do you desire?" it asked.


    Back in the room her body jerked and twisted back and forth as her hand moved by itself and grasped the top of the walking stick. Her fingers caressed the air around it. The air became thicker and more vicious as a solid ball of ck light materialized out of nothing.


    The bones of the walking stick came alive, extending over and around the ck ball until it was firmly entrenched on top of the stick.


    Meanwhile, her body started to change again. Normal human skin grew back, the cracks closed themselves, and that suppleness returned to her flesh. Within seconds all the changes were reversed or rather covered up.


    Her hair grew back, longer and thicker than ever before. Her facial features morphed to create apletely symmetrical design that was enchantingly beautiful.


    Right in front of everyone''s gaze she had turned back into a human, and one so beautiful that it could a man forget his reason for existence.


    Long legs, a thin waist, and such a picture-perfect upper body that even aphrodite would be envious of.


    But perhaps most shocking of all, even the mark over her chest had disappeared with caught Eurig''s attention.


    When her re-transformation waspleted she regained her senses. She slowly opened her eyes and saw her new body, moving her hands over every inch of it. And when she saw her reflection within the ck ball on the walking stick a smile bloomed on her face.


    "I am...perfect!"


    Eurig nced at the infant with a knitted brow who was even more confused than him.


    "Not a she-devil? Something else?"

 Chapter 1033 - Claudia

    "Something else? Like what?"


    The infant responded in his ear and he promptly engaged with the girl.


    "Who is your master? Do you know their name?"


    Something felt strange about her as if she wasn''t the same as the others and Eurig couldn''t get rid of that nagging feeling. She had just made a pact with a demon or perhaps even a devil and there was no way it wouldn''t change her appearance to something that strikes terror in the hearts of all those who see her.


    Yet here she stood, not only appearing human but with the visuals that could leave any man a drooling mess, perhaps even other women.


    The girl seemed lost in her own thoughts and didn''t even register Eurig''s presence, or any of the others for that matter.


    Enraged by her belittling behavior, "ANSWER ME!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.


    He even lost control of his own powers for a moment and momentarily revealed his true form which was akin to a hideous snake-like creature.


    All the others were also affected by this impulsive show of power which only agitated them more, making them more aggressive towards the girl. And it was only then that she came back to her senses and slowly surveyed the room. Her light blue eyes seemed to shine by themselves, as if there was something else hidden just underneath.


    The corner of her lips arched into a derogatory smile.


    "How pitifully childish. Resorting to such mundane threats the moment something unexpected happens. Just because you do not understand something does not mean you have to kill it. Wretched buffoons."


    She lightly tapped the bone scepter onto the ground once she was done talking and a ck me ignited around her entire body. It surrounded her in an instant but disappeared just as abruptly as it had arrived a secondter.


    Her previously naked form was covered by a beautiful ck robe that was tightly wrapped around her hourss figure. It was cut open from the sides, connected only at the hip before opening again all the way down. (Reference image in Author Notes and Discord)


    She extended her left arm and with a poof an old book popped up in the palm of her hand.


    It was encased in a dark brown leather cover with some strange indentations on both sides that looked like a human face altough some parts were missing. The book opened by itself and the bone scepter that she had crafted out of her own ribs floated into the air and disappeared within its pages.


    The book closed and shrunk out of existence the very next moment, leaving all the demon kin baffled.


    When she was well and ready she turned towards Eurig to meet his questioning gaze.


    "From today onwards my name is udia. You will refer to me as such or simply by ''Mistress'' if that is too difficult for your simple minds to understand."


    Eurig ignored her obvious dig and repeated his question.


    "Who is your patron, your master? What is the name of the one that lends you their power?"


    udia chuckled, "I have no master, unlike you fools. The one who grants me my power only asks for my love in return."


    "NAME!"


    The infant monster hissed at her from Eurig''s shoulder in open hostility. udia gently shook her head as if she was looking at wild animals.


    "You wouldn''t know the name even if I told you. What difference does it make?"


    "I don''t have to know the name. As long as it''s one of the true names of your patron even the winds will know them. The world will react to it and we will know that it is real."


    udia fell into a bout of silence. She looked at the deformed faces of her old friends and remembered her own horrid appearance and what it looked like now.


    She was grateful, truly, but she had never trusted anyonepletely in all her life, and yet, that''s exactly what was asked of her in this moment. She coulde clean and tell Eurig the truth, or say the name that was given to her which might or might not be real.


    But all her doubts were washed away just from one look at her old friends. She could barely feel any presence of mind within them. They were nothing more than beings of instinct built to ughter.


    ''That''s not what I want. I have to trust that following her will lead me to a better ce. Yes, as long as I do what is asked of me.''


    She prepared herself mentally for the worst-case scenario and answered in a slow but confident tone of voice.


    "Fine, so be it. The name I was ''given'' is...Aldinarch."


    And just like Eurig said, the effects of uttering a name of such a vile creature were shown within the world.


    The lights flickered and dimmed while their shadows moved by themselves, either burying their heads within their arms or going straight mad.


    Eurig''s eyes opened wide as he stepped back in shock before slowly looking towards the infant monster for verification as if any more proof was needed.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/6c/7a/ff/6c7aff1fedf9636331498191926500a6.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/yP7mB

 Chapter 1034 - Fallen From Grace

    <h4>Chapter 1034 - Fallen From Grace</h4>


    The perplexed infant monster was shocked beyond words. Its intelligence was on par with a teenage human so it perfectly understood how unlikely all this was.


    Eurig, still somewhat unconvinced by what he was seeing, looked to it for answers which were whispered back into his ear. And while the information he got was as authentic as it could be considering the infant monster''s origin, listening to it Eurig couldn''t help but harbor some doubts.


    Still, he spoke every word out loud and carefully observed udia''s expression.


    "Aldi-Narch, an Angel turned Arch Devil that fell from heavenly grace many hundreds of thousands of years ago. Considered to be neutral in most cases has only shown herself twice to the Old Ones. Has never taken any servents or apostles since she abhorrently hates all other beings but... you''re telling me she chose YOU as a vessel for her great powers?"


    Eurig''s momentarilypse betrayed his true feelings as a sour expression reced his usual all-knowing smile which udia picked up instantly.


    "Oho, if I didn''t know any better I would think you were a little jealous, Viper. Could it be that your master is of much lower origins? Let me guess, just some filthy, scally little creature that can''t differentiate left from right? is that the kind of creature who reached out to you?"


    She hit the nail right on the head. Eurig''s master was an old demon from Hell but as was the case with all demon-kin, it had low intelligence was only capable of mindless ughter. Even Eurig looked down at it when he first ''conversed'' with the creature.


    And to find out that one of the people that he himself had initiated and brought over to the ''dark side'' had received the backing of a divine being, an Arch Devil that stood among the top, how could he NOT feel bad?


    But what was even more baffling was that this Devil in specific had a history of not taking any servents. And normally even when they did take servents the other party must have something they desired so they were also getting something out of it. So the question was, what did the Arch Devil want from udia that was worth making a contract with her?"


    Still he tried his best to maintain his nonchnt attitude and keep a straight face.


    "Don''t be ridiculous. In the end it doesn''t matter who our patrons are because the only reason we are here is to meet the promised one. He will break our shackles and free us, just like the savior has said. A gift, remember that."


    A wide smile reced the previous expression of contempt when she heard of the promised one.


    "Ah, yes, you''re right. So what is your great n, leader?"


    Eurig''s eye twitched listening to her sarcastic tone of voice but he refused to give in to these childish insults so he looked to the others instead.


    "Spread out and search the city. Stay in the shadows and don''t reveal yourselves to anyone unless necessary. If you have to kill someone then make sure their bodies are not found afterward."


    The others nodded and went for the door while Eurig was about to turn away when udia''s voice stopped him and the others.


    "For what?"


    He turned his head halfway, "Huh?"


    "You said to search the city but for what? What are we looking for exactly?"


    And it was only then that the others also realized that they had no idea what to look for.


    ''Hah, blubbering fools.''


    Eurig shook his head, "Do I have to say every little thing? Look for the damned magic circle that is powering the barrier. Follow the traces of magic and you will find it, that''s all. Come back to me when you have and we will all go there together."


    udia pped her head in mock realization, "Ah, of course. It was so obvious. Hahaha."


    "Get lost already, we don''t have much time. This needs to happen while they are still focused on fighting those monsters outside."


    udia lightly tapped the air and the barrier that was ced in front of the door was forcefully torn apart. The newly transformed demons walked out, well most of them. The brute was far too big so when he forced himself through the narrow doorway itpletely broke apart.


    Nearly half the wall was brought along with him creating quite a ruckus.


    The old demihuman groundskeeper heard the noise and came out just in time to see several horrifying creatures jump out of the garden.


    She stumbled back and fell down. Thest person to exit was udia who was the most normal-looking one. Her appearance was that of a mature human female maybe in her thirties.


    The olddy turned her head mechanically, watching as udia uttered something in a foreignnguage and the wall along with the door was pieced back together right in front of her eyes.


    "Haha, I love magic!"

 Chapter 1035 - Seed Of

    udia walked out of the room through the gaping hole in the side of the building the brute had created as an idea popped into her head.


    She wanted to try and see how versatile these new powers of hers could be so she waved her hand to summon the ck book once again.


    Itid gently in the palm of her hand, giving off an odd kind of warmth that one would only expect from another living being. She looked at the broken wall and the very moment the thought popped into her head the book ''burst open'' with an unnatural force.


    It flipped to about the twentieth page and stopped there. udia waited a couple of seconds but nothing happened, both the pages remainedpletely nk.


    "Why is this empty?" she reached out with her right hand to try and flip to another page but the instant her finger came into contact with the page the skin on her forefinger was torn open.


    It ''looked'' like an ordinary papercut not more than a centimeter long but the pain it caused was shockingly intense. udia flinched and almost threw the book away until she noticed the writing magically appearing on the pages.


    The few drops of blood that trickled onto the nk canvas were drawn in every direction and as they moved around abstract writings became visible along their paths.


    At first nce she did not recognize the words at all but since they were nothing more than doodles in her eyes but...the longer she stared at them the more sense they made.


    Their shapes and alignment reconfigured right in front of her eyes and a previously unknownnguage turned into something she recognized without any forethought. The words started to make sense one by one.


    The first line read:


    [Mend: A second circle spell able to restore most ordinary objects]


    And right under it was a long inscription that didn''t really make much sense. udia understood the words and how to pronounce them but not what each word meant. It truly was like magic until a few moments ago she didn''t know any of this.


    She cleared her throat and vocalized the inscription in whichevernguage it was written in. And as she did so, a faint dark blue color energy surrounded pieces of rubble that floated up from the ground and the nearby surroundings before flying towards the wall.


    One by one every single grain of sand, rock, and pebble that was originally part of the wall came together to create the same exact structure. By the time she reached the end of the inscription everything was returned to normal.


    udia quickly examined herself but found no changes other than a faint feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was simr to hunger but she knew it wasn''t a desire to eat food.


    ''Is this mana? I used up this little bit of mana to restore an entire side of the building?'' she burst outughing in the realization.


    "Hahaha, I LOVE magic!"


    Hearing the sound of heavy breathing udia turned around to see the old housekeeper. Bottling up her joy for the time being another idea popped into her head as she walked up to the olddy.


    "You said your name was Maria, right? Don''t worry, everything will be fine, haha."


    Her eyes shone with the same dark blue/purple-colored light as the pages on the book began to turn once again. This time she knew what to do. Learning every new spell required something from her, pain.


    Depending on one''s view it could be seen as a test that would give her ess to more power or a price for seeking forbidden knowledge. Regardless, she was more than willing to pay for it to test her theory.


    As expected the book cut her hand but this time the wound was much deeper and drew a lot more blood. Since she was expecting it the pain was a lot more bearable despite it being much more intense. And when the wording slowly became legible udia couldn''t contain her smile.


    [Seed of Thought: nt a minor thought in the mind of others]


    She read the inscription out loud as instructed while thinking of what she wanted ''Maria'' to believe. When the spell finished Maria''s eyes became pitch-ck for an instant before quickly returning to normal.


    She looked around in confusion before swiftly getting back on her feet. Despite her old age Maria was still quite agile.


    "I will be in my quarters if you need something," threw out the words and walked away before udia could say anything.


    udia watched her back vanish from view before giving herself a small nod, content with the final results.


    "I asked her to forget what she just saw and just like that she did. I-I...what else can I do? How many more powerful spells will the old woman give me? Hahaha, I can''t wait to test it out!"


    The distant booming and irregr shaking of the barrier brought her back to reality.


    "Oh right, I have to find him first.. The precious ''Son of Chaos'' who is so important. I wonder what kind of a person he is?"

 Chapter 1036 - Spells Galore

    <h4>Chapter 1036 - Spells Galore</h4>


    "I wonder what kind of a person he is that so many people are looking for him. First it was Eurig''s great savior and then the old woman. Oh right, she said others would also be looking for him but I guess I don''t have to worry about that for now."


    udia had her instructions so she wanted to get to them as quickly as possible.


    She made her way out of the house and followed the road until it came to an intersection. Behind her a little to the left was the city gate but since she hadn''t been here before she didn''t know where to go.


    And the looks she was getting from the few demihumans still walking about didn''t help either. Some of them were even whispering to one another debating whether or not to inform a city guard and who could me them.


    She stood out like a sore thumb in her current attire, not to mention her looks.


    She circled around a few buildings and entered an empty alley before summoning the book again.


    "I need help. First I need to hide my appearance and turn into one of the city dwellers and second, I need a way to move about or see things that are happening in other ces," she said to it but obviously, there was no response.


    Her brow scrunched up, "Hey, I know you can hear me. The old woman informed me that you HAVE to help me. Do you really want me to tell her otherwise? It''s all for the ''mission'', remember that."


    She waited a few seconds and with no small amount of hesitancy the book slowly opened up.


    It flipped about a dozen pages or so and stopped at an already full page. Unlike before udia didn''t need to ''pay'' the price to get ess to the spells this time.


    And as requested there were two of them.


    [Malleable Appearance: Temporarily change appearance to another humanoid. Can be seen through by more powerful spells and magic detection sensors.]


    [Dark Servent: Summon help from beyond the veil for a limited time and watch through their eyes]


    Without wasting any more time she vocalized the first spell. Her actual appearance didn''t change but she felt like there was an extra coat of something invisible over her body. It was a little constricting as if she was wearing a full-body suit of some kind.


    She looked around for something to check her appearance in but all she could find was a small puddle of muddy water. Still it was enough to show what she looked like now, which was apletely ordinary demihuman female with rabbit ears.


    "Hmm...not bad."


    It was quick and harmless but did consume small amounts of mana every few minutes to maintain the spell.


    Then came the second spell. It was much longer and a lot moreplicated so it took her several tries to get it right but when she did it left her speechless for a moment.


    The book trembled and shook in her hand as its pages cracked before slowly parted from the middle to ''give birth'' to almost half a dozen small creatures in quick session. They held the appearance of ordinary swallows with a couple of key differences.


    One, they were a little smaller but a lot more plump as if forcefully stuffed by someone.


    And second, there was a dark aura around them that hid their existence from everyone other than the summoner. Only their bright red eyes could be seen momentarily and that was if the person was looking directly at them.


    "Um...go, show me what''s around here," he gave themand and they flew off immediately in different directions.


    udia closed her eyes and focused on the creatures which she could clearly feel as if they were still right next to her. It was actually much simpler than she expected and a lot of information about their interaction was magically imnted in her brain.


    Not only could she switch between each of the six birds at will but there were also 2-3 different kinds of ''filters'' she could use for each one of them.


    The first one was the normal one and showed things as other humans would see them.


    The second one showed spiritual energy and mana against an otherwise pitch-ck background. Each kind of energy held a different color and feel to it so it was rtively easy to distinguish between them. It only took her one look to find the location of the magic circle Eurig was talking about.


    It was within an ordinary single-story house and was channeling copious amounts of spiritual energy in five different directions, all of which led to different sides of the city.


    The third and final filter categorized different types of lifeforms. Humans were all the same color which was grey, demihumans were a little different but still grey although their extra features were much brighter.


    The recently transformed demon friends of hers were a mix of different colors but mostly a mix of dark green and red.


    She switched between each one as the birds flew around the city.


    "This is amazing! I can see everything and everyone! Even Eurig that disgusting mongrel can''t hide from me haha- hmm? What''s that?"

 Chapter 1037 - Spied Up

    udia was controlling the flight paths of the swallows with her mind to urately survey the entirety of Argham from above when she noticed something odd.


    While using the third vision she could see the different kinds of beings even through buildings and other solid surfaces so she quickly noticed the strange happenings taking ce in a far-off corner of the city.


    Their vision was still able to pierce through rocky walls of the cove and pick up on several figures locked in different rooms but the number of people within one of the rooms was constantly growing.


    It started with three people but all of a sudden changed to hundreds of figures all standing still. This number kept increasing and more and more people started to appear out of nowhere.


    They looked just like any other person at least to her eyes because the third vision only showed her the rough outlines of each person with some distinct feature.


    Some appeared young while others old. Some strong while many weak.


    Within seconds there were so many that she couldn''t even count them anymore. In fact, she had never seen so many people in one ce in all her life.


    "How is that possible...? In that... tiny ''little'' room?"


    Tens upon tens of thousands of figures closely packed together soon turned into hundreds of thousands before reaching the seven digits (millions).


    udia felt like she was in a bizarre state of fugue but there was no way to snap out of it. The swallows all flew closer to the stone wall as if drawn by an unknown force but the moment the first one crossed the 500-meter boundary something even weirder happened.


    All those people, millions upon millions of them, suddenly turned to face the swallow all at once and she finally saw what their redeeming feature was. The eyes. She could only see the rough silhouettes of each person but their eyes were like bright torches in a sea of darkness.


    The pudgy little swallow froze in mid-air marily before its ethereal body disintegrated into a fine dust. udia''s connection was forcefully interrupted which felt like someone had inserted a hot needle in her brain.


    She staggered back while rubbing her forehead but since the spell was still active it automatically connected her mind with one of the other swallows.


    "NO! DON''T GO THERE!" she screamed in a fit of panic but noticed they had already changed directions. Well, all but one. And that one, even though it was looking in the same direction could no longer view the same scene as before.


    There was something blocking its sight and no matter how hard it tried there was no pushing through it. All it could see was static.


    "Turn away!" udia ordered which forcefully made it turn back.


    She wiped the beads of sweat off of her forehead because of the pain but thankfully it was beginning to subside as time went on. Each swallow was connected to her so the bacsh of losing one was nothing to scoff at.


    "I guess it''s not without any drawbacks. I have to be more careful, whatever is going on there is...it feels far too strange."


    All those eyes were almost burned into her retinas. Even though they were looking at the swallow somehow she felt like they were watching her.


    ''That''s not possible...'' udia told herself but she knew better. That feeling of being watched was unmistakable.


    One by one the remaining swallows scanned every sector of the city before finally arriving at the city gates. This was where most of the action was taking ce and udia wanted to see how it was going.


    And just the first vision was enough to urately ry the despair that they were feeling.


    The city guards led by Princess Inara had joined the fight. These elite demihuman warriors acted as the infantry and support to the cultivators who were the main fighting force in the front lines.


    The number of corrupted spawns had increased significantly since she first entered the city. What were just a hundred or so creatures before had now turned into a sea of ws and sharpened teeth as far as the eye could see.


    The cultivators were trying their best and to their credit, it was no small feat. Each one of them was able to dispatch at least 4-5 of the corrupted things at once but it was a drop in the oceanpared to their evergrowing numbers.


    Rhisiat who was still standing tall next to his Mastiff was still fighting outside the barrier alongside Fulke and a handful of others but they were slowly getting pushed back towards the city gates.


    The grunts stepped on top of one another in a maddened frenzy sometimes even ripping off limbs from other grunts and using them as weapons in their shortlived bouts against the cultivators.


    There was barely a ce to stand let alone move about. udia shook her head disappointingly.


    "It''s really not looking good. I thought they were supposed to be these all-powerful beings but I see that was an exaggeration- Hmm?"

 Chapter 1038 - Grail Seeker

    Before she even had the chance to finish the sentence people started moving from the inner side of the barrier, almost as if it was in response to udia''sment.


    The city guards cleared away the wooden barricades because not only were they just in the way but if the corrupted spawns actually broke in they would provide little protection if any at all.


    Hazel stood on one of the watchtowers overseeing the entire field and was the one giving orders to the rest of them.


    "What is that girl saying, go closer!" shemanded and the swallows followed, covertly flying closer to the city gates.


    Maybe their voices were loud or maybe the swallows had much sharper senses because they were able to pick up on everything that was happening on the ground from more than fifty meters away.


    "Clear the path, don''t leave anything that could slow down the ones who are retreating," she spoke to the city guards first who were reduced to mere errand runners at this point. Then came the other cultivators.


    "I want all the magic and element users on one of these three watchtowers. Come up only if you need a direct line of sight or your abilities can be used in a straight line only. Everyone else stand in the middle of the gates."


    "If you do not have a clear line of sight then at least aim for 60 meters away from your position. Thest thing we need is friendly fire."


    About twenty people came forward while just seven of them climbed to the towers. Each tower could only hold 3 peoplefortably so it was just enough.


    From there they could finally see the tide of monstersying just outside the barrier, currently being held back by a handful of individuals taking turns.


    Even the ones that couldn''t clearly see far off into the distance were able to catch a glimpse of the countless bobbing heads just a short distance out.


    Many of their expressions darkened. They had no idea how bad it was until seeing it in person and expectantly, it was the same thought that popped up in many of their heads.


    ''Can we really do this?''


    Still, as young as they were none of them were novices. They had, at the very least, received basic training and knew voicing their concerns at this point in time would do more harm than good.


    They might havee from a far-off world crossing billions of miles to fight in this ce that was meant to be little more than a test of their abilities but...things had gotten way out of hand.


    Their lives depended on this and every other battle that woulde after it. It was a matter of survival and suffice to say, it was going to be a long few days.


    Hazel reached into her coat and pulled out a small gold jewelry box. It had a very simple design with little to no decorations other than a name engraved on the cover.


    [The Grail Seeker]


    With a soft sigh, she brushed her fingers across the cold metal te.


    "Did he know I would need it one day?" she muttered under her breath as a slew of old memories came flooding in.


    She saw a much younger version of herself sitting under a tree wrapped mostly in bandages from head to toe. In front of her was Henrik, standing with the jewelry box in his hand.


    "I got this as a gift but I feel like it''s much more suitable for you than me. Make sure to keep it safe, treat it with respect and it will never let you down," he said smilingly as the sun slowly set behind him.


    She looked back towards the stone tform and saw the same exact Henrik down on his knees scribbling away the final inscriptions. Only now his visage looked much worse.


    ''I won''t let you down, never again!''


    With gritted teeth and an indomitable will that could stand against even the tallest of the mountains, she opened the box.


    *WOOSH*


    A wave of pure spiritual energy shot out in all directions for more than 500 meters. Even ordinary mortals felt like someone had lent them a helping hand while the cultivators felt like their energies were being bolstered by an unseen force.


    A golden light floated up from inside the jewelry box and hovered in front of Hazel. She carefully put away the box and reached out towards the orb of light. She grasped it as if it was a solid object and the moment her hands came into contact with it the light began to expand.


    It grew longer and longer, stopping finally upon reaching 3 meters of length. The golden light surrounding it cracked and burst into sparkling dust to reveal its true form.


    A quarterstaff with two solid gold cups on either end. Just behind the cups were pure white rings of light connecting the main body to each of the cups.


    Hazel tightened her grip around the shaft and it buzzed loudly. A living weapon, and a powerful one at that since it had a name of its own.


    She felt the energy surging through her body, being further bolstered by the Grail Seeker''s power.

 Chapter 1039 - Ice Shards

    To Hazel, it felt like she was grasping the hand of God himself. There was a divine sort of feeling to the Grail Seeker''s energy that made her feel invulnerable as if she was blessed by the mightiest of powers.


    Her mind which was bogged down by numerous doubts, concerns, and insecurities was suddenly set free as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders.


    She turned towards the front and peered out into the dark night which held an uncountable number of horrors and uncertainties but felt no fear or trepidation. Only a strong will to fight andplete faith in her own abilities remained inside of her.


    She closed her eyes for a moment to take it all before lightly tapping the Grail Seeker onto the base of the watchtower she was standing on.


    A visible surge of golden light exuded from the lower cup of the Grail Seeker and flowed down to the ground before expanding in a radius of 200 meters around her.


    Every person standing within the vicinity of that circle went through the same changes as Hazel but even more since it increased theirbat abilities by more than three times. Their spiritual energies, mana, and Qi all became smoother and purer within the blink of an eye which made it much easier to control and utilize for other abilities.


    Their cumtive state of mind turned from grimly despondent to unreasonably defiant even in the face of certain death.


    Hazel made good use of this opportunity and before they coulde back to their senses she sent them marching into battle.


    "GET READY-" she yelled at the top of her lungs.


    Her husky voice echoed in the air far longer than it ordinarily should have and reached a great many ears. The cultivators took aim while those that couldn''t or didn''t need to stepped forward anyway.


    "-Fire!"


    The first one to follow immediately after hermand was a boy in a tightly fitted red robe. From his youthful appearance he didn''t seem more than 15 to16 years of age but there was a certain stoic look in his eyes that made him appear older.


    Holding an extremely thin and exquisitely designed ck bow he aimed 70 degrees into the air and fired a simple-looking lone arrow.


    The arrow shot out without any fanfare or special effects and slowly passed through the city barrier.


    udia who was still watching through the eyes of the swallows scoffed instantly.


    "What good is one arrow going to against thousands?"


    But like many others, she still followed the arrow''s trajectory until it reached the highest point and began its descent. But approximately 0.4 seconds after it started heading back to the ground something magical happened.


    The arrow exploded in a burst of pale yellow light and each light particle turned into a whole another arrow several timesrger than the original.


    The grunts were far too busy focusing on the vanguards like Fulke and Rhisiat to notice the danger overhead as the literal rain of arrows the size of spears began toe down in waves.


    *Kuelch*


    *Screeech*


    Yes, in waves, three to be exact. Each wave covered an area of roughly 40 meters which slowly moved further away from the barrier. That one arrow had cleared away scores of corrupted grunts and given a much-needed breather and space to the vanguards.


    The high-pitched screeches came in momentster to fill in the short bout of silence that had fallen over the other cultivators. No one had not expected such an oue.


    The boy tried his best to keep up the uncaring attitude but a smile escaped his lips when one of the girls standing on the watchtowers gave him a thumbs-up.


    Hazel also nodded in his direction before quickly focusing on the others.


    "Magic and elemental users get ready, it''s your turn now!"


    The same girl who had given the thumbs-up earlier looked to the front and held out both of her hands. She brought the left hand back towards her chest as if pulling on something while the right hand rose into the air as far up as it could.


    She then made a fist with the right hand and some 60 meters away a shard of ice began to materialize out of thin air. In less than a second it turned into a 5 meter wide dark blue colored piece of hard ice that fell straight down like a meteor.


    *Tink*


    *CRAACK*


    The sound was identical to ss breaking as the ice shard shattered upon impact releasing a copious amount of Yin Qi that not only froze every living being within 7 meters but also obliterated the ones hit directly by the shard''s main body.


    "HAAAH!"


    But she did not stop there and repeated the same motions five more times to create the ice shards that bombed the area below like mortar fire.

 Chapter 1040 - Blast From The Past

    <h4>Chapter 1040 - st From The Past</h4>


    The bombardmentsted for close to 10 seconds, decimating hundreds of grunts and leaving a hardened patch ofnd in its wake that instantly froze the feet of any creature that stepped on it.


    That was enough to not only clear a wide area but also slow the advancement of the remaining horde.


    Hazel saw what a huge difference just two people had made so she urged them on even more.


    "Very good! Keep going, do not stop! As soon as one of you exhausts your Qi just step back and recover. Let the person behind you go next!"


    Riding that momentum the rest of the cultivators did as ordered and one by one unleashed everything they had. Two more people that used bows came forward as well.


    One of them was using a heavy bow that fired a volley of arrows in a cone in front of him while the other used a great War Bow that shot arrows ignited by a deep blue me.


    Each arrow pierced through multiple enemies and went on for close to 40 meters in a straight line before exploding in a sh of devastating light.


    One of them could overturn entire chunks of hardenednd, effectively burying the grunts alive the moment they got too close while another used something akin to a ck metal scepter to summon rows of ethereal des from the ground that turned everything they touched into mincemeat.


    But at most they could use their abilities for 1-2 minutes before depleting all the spiritual energy. The battlefield that was teeming with uncountable corrupt spawn was all but wiped clean in a matter of minutes.


    The Grail Seeker that stood tall in Hazel''s hand acted as a great support instrument in these moments since it allowed them topletely recover their energy reserves within minutes instead of hours. Its gentle golden light sent out a constant wave of energy thatsted several seconds each time.


    For how long she could keep using the Grail Seeker was as of yet unknown but nevertheless, it did not hold her back whatsoever.


    While many of the others saw a glimmer of hope in the darkness, Hazel saw something much different. Her gaze was fixated on the horizon.


    "They''reing, get ready," she muttered under her breath without realizing no one could hear her so she repeated in a much louder voice.


    "Stop, save your energy for what''sing next!"


    She gave no further exnation.


    "Huh? What does that mean? Are there more of them?"


    "Probably but it doesn''t matter. Seeing how easily we wiped them out I am actually looking forward to killing a few hundred more hahaha."


    "True. As long as we can recover our energy it doesn''t matter how manye our way."


    The mood had lifted quite a bit since they even found time to chit chat in between but that brief moment of reprieve was gone soon after as a new type of creature made its way to the city of Argham.


    All chatter died down as a subtle tremor shook the city inside and out.


    Through narrowed eyes Hazel examined the horizon for any changes but it was the boy that had fired the first arrow that saw theming before anyone else. His vision was much better than any of his friends which allowed him to see with stark rity the shapes and faces of the beast that were on their way.


    His pupils constricted to the size of pinholes as his grip tightened around his precious bow.


    Despite the Grail Seeker''s cating energy he began to feel restless as a feeling of unease crept up his spine.


    ''How can we fight something like that!?'' he thought inwardly before slowly walking closer to the girl that had given him a thumbs-up, trying his best not to draw any attention towards them.


    "Brina!" he called out hoarsely, noticing only then that his throat had dried out in seconds.


    The girl heard him and turned halfway with a raised eyebrow, "Wern? What''s wrong? Stop fooling around and go back to your position before sister Hazel sees you!" (Both of them were first mentioned in CH 525 ''The Big Fight'')


    Wern shook his head vigorously, "Listen to me for once in your life, please! Juste with me! Please?"


    She saw the look of genuine concern in his eyes which made her worried too.


    "Why?"


    "It- we can''t fight that. It''spletely pointless."


    "What do you mean? Why is it pointless? We just killed so many of them-"


    "Not nearly enough! Just- Please, okay? I will never ask for anything again soe with me."


    Brina had never seen Wern act this way even though they had known each other for most of their lives. She stole a quick nce at the battlefield before looking at the thousands of people camped just a short distance away.


    "If you want to hide then be my guest. I will not run away, ever. Not again...."

 Chapter 1041 - Overture

    <h4>Chapter 1041 - Overture</h4>


    Brina looked into his eyes to make sure he understood what she was talking about, "I will not run away again..."


    And from his aghast expression it was obvious he did.


    But the very next moment the shock was reced with anger as he responded through gritted teeth, "I did nothing wrong! He made his choice and it got him killed. Why should I be responsible for-"


    "He was our friend, your BEST friend! You-WE should have fought with him togethe-"


    "Then we would have all died!"


    "IS that really such a bad thing? At least I wouldn''t be feeling guilty every waking moment of every day. I wouldn''t have to feel like I was drowning whenever I felt happy for even a second. At least....at least it wouldn''t hurt this much..."


    Her voice fell to a whisper as she mumbled thest sentence to herself. Wern had nothing to say, there was nothing he COULD say, it was all true. He was feeling the same way too but for him it was much worse.


    The person in question was his best friend. They had been together since they were 4 years old and he was only here in the first ce because of Wern''s insistence.


    He did not have the standing nor the connections to be able to enter the academy on his own so Wern used his position as the youngest prince of his Kingdom to bring the boy along. Unfortunately, it did not end well.


    Wern could not even bear to look at Brina anymore so he just turned around and started walking away. A momentter his voice rang inside her head.


    "Fine then. Stay here and die pointlessly."


    Her eyes began to water as she finally screamed back at his receding figure, "SCUMBAG!"


    Obviously, their interaction did not go under the radar but no one wanted to insert themselves in an already tense situation. To the ones that were unaware it just sounded like a lover''s quarrel so there was not much that could be said.


    Hazel sighed inwardly while watching from the sidelines. Others might not know but she did.


    "If your heart is not in it then it''s better to just sit out," she muttered under her breath, justifying letting an otherwise important asset walk away from a fight but since they were doing so well maybe they wouldn''t need him.


    But not a few secondster she began to doubt her decision as the second wave that had been on the horizon was finally close enough that they could see what it really was.


    Where the grunts they had been fighting all this time were mutated humans with extra appendages that had notpleted their evolutions, the ones that wereing had.


    They were taken apart cell by cell and then put back together within the embryonic sacs of the main hive in the depths of the prison. There was nothing ''humane'' about them, not their physical appearance and certainly not their reason for existence.


    The minor tremors turned into small 3.0 magnitude earthquakes just from their collective ws stomping on the ground still almost a mile away. The barrier hummed lightly and became even brighter as more and more power was routed to it.


    Suppressed gasps and whimpering breaths sounded one by one as the corrupted spawn got closer.


    There were still numerous grunts running alongside and under their legs but the spotlight fell on the several meters tall insectoid-shaped monsters leading the charge.


    Deformed elongated heads attached to grossly oversized bodies riddled with sharpened spikes and other bony masses jetting out from the sides and the backs bobbed up and down with every step taken by the two to eight pairs of legs each of which ended in heavy hoofs and jagged ws.


    Their eyes glowed with a peculiar yellow light that was so bright that from afar it looked like a field of radiant stars.


    From the tip of their thorny tongues to the ends of their honed ws, there was not an inch of space anywhere on their bodies that was not suitable to take lives.


    Rhisiat, Fulke, and all the other melee fighters that were standing outside the barrier could feel it better than any else. The very air had be heavy with dread once more, and this time they knew in their heart of hearts that it was not going to be easy.


    It would not even beparable to the grunts they had been fighting till now.


    The sheer oppressive aura that they were giving off was enough to make them rethink all of their life decisions.


    ''I should not havee to this ce,'' was what many of them were thinking.


    At a distance of 700 meters the snarling roars reached the city and prated even the barrier through sheer force.


    A cacophony of death and destruction, just an overture for the orchestra of ruin that was to follow momentster.


    Hazel was forced out of her stupor before anyone else by the Grail Seeker''s cleansing effect. She shouted new orders.


    "COME BACK! EVERYONE INSIDE THE BARRIER NOW! CLOSE THE GATES AND BRACE FOR IMPACT!"


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/originals/d9/eb/ac/d9ebac624a7cd3bfb7ea3b1678d27572.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/zub63

 Chapter 1042 - Crush

    <h4>Chapter 1042 - Crush</h4>


    "RETREAT!"


    No one was stupid enough to go against her orders after seeing the monstrous tidal wave that wasing their way so the few that were still outside the barrier retreated at once.


    But obviously, that was not going to be enough. The barrier protecting Argham was like any other and needed a constant supply of spiritual energy to stay powered. Every direct impact against it was neutralized by using this same energy and the stronger the impact the more energy was required.


    Watching the stampeding horde getting closer Hazel and many others knew that if they ran directly into the barrier like that it might as well break at once.


    But it wasn''t like they could go out and stop them in person.


    Hazel stomped the Grail Seeker twice, "Reinforce the barrier! Everyone to the front! Use yourws and do whatever you have to slow their advance!"


    She looked around before focusing on a young man that was about to run out with the rest and called him out by name, "Mosak,e up here!"


    Mosak was a 17-year-old boy with short ck hair, an emaciated figure and dark circles around his eyes. It looked like he hadn''t slept in days or even eaten anything in weeks and for good reason.


    He was the one that had been helping the refugees by making houses for them.


    He nodded and quickly sprinted up the watchtower.


    "How much area can you control at once?" Hazel asked immediately.


    He thought about it for a second before answering, "100 square meters in any direction."


    "Can you separate it into different sections?"


    He looked right into her eyes and realized what she was trying to do and nodded.


    "Half."


    "Alright, do a 10-meter wide section on both sides about 30 meters away."


    "Yes."


    Mosak extended both hands and closed his eyes. A brown-colored energy covered the palm of his hand as he wriggled each finger one by one. The ground 30 meters outside the barrier began to change and unbeknownst to anyone else it was turned into a bog a few inches under the surface.


    Hazel jumped down and went up to the middle section which was left untouched. Her grip tightened around the Grail Seeker to the point that her knuckles turned white.


    The corrupted spawn neared and as usual, the grunts were the first ones to reach them since they were the fastest units.


    As expected the moment more than a few grunts stepped on top of the bog the ground copsed under their weight and swallowed them right up. Unfortunately, the ones behind them had built up too much momentum and couldn''t stop themselves in time so rows upon rows of deformed humanoid grunts were pushed into the bog that didn''t seem to have an end.


    It swallowed hundreds of grunts within seconds while only a small fraction made it through the 40 meters wide area that was left unchanged in the middle. Therger creatures that wereing up behind them saw this swiftly changed their direction to walk over this section as well.


    The grunts reached the barrier first. A great many of them were either pushed away or slowed down to a crawl with the help of variousws. Some of them were even killed on the spot when they entered a particrly deadly territory.


    Of therger creatures, the ones in the lead were built like walking tanks. Each one was about 9 meters long and 3-4 meters wide with the body shape of a rhinoceros.


    Their heads and shoulders were covered in extremely thick chitin-like armor and scales which along with their extremelyrge size and weight meant that they were perfect to lead the charge into any battle.


    And it was a huge plus that they didn''t feel any fear or pain.


    About six of these massive monsters were in the first lines and only two were momentarily slowed down by the bog while the rest managed to move over the middle section.


    As they neared each stomp created tremors on the ground that made the cultivator''s knees weak just by standing straight. They passed through thew territories as if they didn''t even exist and were almost on them.


    Rhisiat who was the closest to Hazel voiced his concerns.


    "They will directly connect with the barrier, we can''t allow that to happen. The collective impact will be disastrous and might even destroy the barrier! We- I will-"


    Hazel shook her head, "They won''t make it to the barrier."


    "Wh-"


    Before Rhisiat or anyone else could react her feet pushed against the ground and she sprinted out in a maddened rush.


    "HAZEL!" Fulke shouted from the back but it was toote.


    She swung the Grail Seeker from side to side and cleared away mobs of grunts that were in the way before raising it over her head.


    The Grail Seeker''s golden light flowed down into her body and created a barrier around her. With every step she took the barrier became brighter and brighter until no one could even look at her directly.


    She was like a miniature sun in the dark of the night. Only a faint outline of her figure could be made out if one forced themselves to stare directly at her.


    Two ethereal words echoed in the surroundings before everything went quiet.


    "Soul Crusher!"

 Chapter 1043 - Cleave

    <h4>Chapter 1043 - Cleave</h4>


    All the light that had been converging on her body abruptly traveled back through the Grail Seeker and shot straight up into the air for almost 60 meters. It looked like she was holding a pir of golden light.


    The moment it solidified and took shape Hazel swung the Grail Seeker back down. A rtively simple movement that was not only powered by the awakened weapon itself but also Hazel''s ownw.


    The rod of golden light moved with the Grail Seeker and connected with the tank-like beasts that were lined up in front of her.


    Unlike what many expected there was no loud explosion or anything ''too'' shy. It looked like the air itself had cracked open and each of the creatures in front of her had been stopped dead in their tracks.


    Their bodies were crushed by the light pir which even left deep indentations where it connected with them.


    *Huff*Huff*Huff*


    Hazel pulled the Grail Seeker back and stood up to gaze at her handiwork. The biggest threat to the barrier had been neutralized but those were only a handful of the creatures. Behind them was a literal army that had no end in sight.


    The grunts were apanied by theirpleted versions which were not only almost twice their size but were also faster and deadlier in every possible way.


    Hazel didn''t know what to do. She wanted to order the cultivators toe outside and engage with them before they got too close but without knowing the full extent of their abilities it was a suicide mission. There was no telling how many would be sacrificed in a matter of minutes.


    But she couldn''t just let them draw close. The barrier would not be able to hold for long if thousands of these things attacked it all at once.


    The adrenaline quickly wore off and reality set in.


    Just these 60-70 people were not enough to hold this tide of monsters back, especially with such limited resources.


    She peered down at the Grail Seeker that had be much colder to the touch and its light had diminished greatly.


    ''She needs to recharge but...'' her grip tightened, ''We can''t retreat. Some sacrifices need to be made.''


    "Everyon-"


    ''Come back!''


    A familiar voice sounded in her ears. It was confident but not overbearing. Gentle but not cowardly.


    Her legs moved on their own and by the time she came to Hazel was already standing inside. The others looked at her in confusion. Earlier she was about to say something but all of a sudden her whole demeanor changed.


    Behind them, a spark of bright blue light ignited what looked like a firework show. All kinds of different colors of light followed by strange energies could be both seen and felting from that direction.


    Rhisiat breathed a sigh of relief seeing that it waspleted just in time.


    "Clear away, moved to the sides everyone!"


    *WOOOP*WOOOOP*WOOOOOP*


    An electronic buzzing began to sound in the ears of everyone within a 500-meter radius and it was getting louder every time as if building up to something.


    The mortals without any Qi especially the demihumans with heightened hearing had to physically block their ears while the cultivators used Qi to soften its effects considerably.


    "WHAT''S HAPPENING?" Brina yelled towards Rhisiat since he seemed to know where it wasing from.


    She was more worried about the hundreds of grunts and bigger creatures that were almost at the barrier but this was not something that could be so easily overlooked.


    Rhisiat held up four fingers and slowly closed them one by one and by the time thest finger came down the buzzing also came to an unexpected halt.


    "Huh?"


    "What WAS that?"


    Rhisiat grinned, "Our saving grace!" and looked in the directions the lights wereing from.


    The rest followed his gaze and saw a figure slowly fly up into the air. Well, he wasn''t REALLY flying but rather standing on a transparent circle with thousands of intricate designs which was slowly moving up.


    The circle itself was almost invisible but there was writing and a lot of symbols all around it that were glowing with a bright red light.


    The person in question was of course Henrik, and the magical circle he was standing on was the formation he had been working on all this time. His eyes were closed which made it look like he was asleep.


    Rhisiant could not contain his smile. If his lips arched any more then they would simply fall off.


    "That''s a beast ying formation! Hahaha, look to the front!"


    As surprised as everyone was, especially the locals like Princess Inara and her guards, they still managed to tear their eyes away and peer towards the city gate once more.


    Behind them Henrik slowly extended his hands and several portions of the formation lit up with blue light while the rest dimmed down considerably.


    An ethereal copy of these lightened symbols separated from the formation and wrapped around Henrik''s arms. He made a grasping motion as if holding onto the hilt of a de.


    Shockingly, following his movements two 15 meter long ethereal blue swords materialized just outside the barrier.


    Henrik opened his eyes which were burning with the same blue light.


    "Cleave!"

 Chapter 1044 - Plea

    <h4>Chapter 1044 - Plea</h4>


    "Cleave!"


    The des swept inwards from the left and the right, passing soundlessly through hundreds of grunts already on the barrier and even more that were nearby.


    Once the movement waspleted both of the des vanished and a couple of seconds after that every grunt that was touched by them fell to the ground in two pieces.


    Henrik looked beyond the barrier where the actual threaty. The grunts were mere cannon fodder for him and since using the ''Beast ying Formation'' put quite a toll on his body he needed to make it count.


    The function of the formation was to essentially copy everything the user could do and magnify its effects significantly meaning, it depended greatly on the user''s capabilities.


    Henrik brought both hands together in a praying gesture and circted his Qi around the hands and the bottom of the abdomen.


    This time a faint light blue circle with a radius of a hundred meters materialized more than 300 meters away, exactly where most of the horde was gathered. His hands began to shake as if there was an immense wait trying to force them apart but he still maintained the gesture until all the Qi was concentrated around the palm of both hands.


    The reflection from the formation caused a blue halo to appear over his head which could only be seen by people below him. And since he was hovering in the air, everyone could see it.


    Calming energies shrouded his body as he muttered the words, "Burial of the Sword of Saints: Emergence!"


    And in the same manner as earlier another technique was executed within the faint circle on the battlefield.


    *Keelch*


    A blue sword shot up from the earth and impaled a grunt straight through the middle. It took a moment for the others around him to realize what had happened but there was not enough time to do anything about it.


    It started with one but a secondter another sword shot up in much the same manner. Then another and another. In less than 10 seconds the entire 100-meter square area looked like a forest of des.


    There were so many in fact that they outnumbered the corrupted spawn three to one.


    The onlookers were left speechless. One person had managed to change the tides of battle they were all but certain to lose.


    Rhisiat jumped on his Mastiff and gave the order, "Everyone back to your positions, don''t let them get close to the barrier!" and rushed out before anyone else.


    Following him were Hazel, Fulke, and then surprisingly Princess Inara. One by one each of the cultivators left the safety of the barrier along with the demihumans under the assumption that the ''Beast ying Formation'' would have their backs.


    What they forgot about was protecting the most important cog in this machine of war, Henrik himself. As the one controlling the formation if something happened to him then they would be back to square one.


    And as fate would have it, many eyes looked towards Henrik, even the insidious ones watching from the shadows.


    **


    Eurig was sitting in the room enjoying himself to the fullest while watching At console his younger sister who was on herst legs already.


    At was cradling her body which was burning up. There were tears in his eyes but he forcibly kept himself calm which was no small feat considering the situation.


    "The healer ising soon Eva, just hang on a little bit longer...please...help ising...any time now..."


    Eva couldn''t even open her eyes but still managed to give a weak nod, "M-Mhm, everything...will be okay..."


    At bit his lip so hard that it drew blood. His clenched fists turned white as he whispered, "Yeah...everything will be okay, I promise. I won''t let anything happen to you, I swear it."


    The more Eurig listened the wider his smile became. There was not a shred of empathy anywhere in his soulless eyes, only sheer delight.


    Just then the mark on his chest lit up. A burning sensation began to spread throughout followed by some voices.


    "You found the magic circle? Great, everyone meet up on the position and destroy it. Kill everyone there and then don''t stop. I want a massacre the likes of which no one has ever seen before, hahaha!"


    But his merriment was cut short a momentter. His brow scrunched up in confusion as Eurig jumped to his feet.


    "What do you mean they are winning? How?"


    The mark dimmed and brightened a few times as all the relevant information was sent directly to his brain.


    "One man did all that? Where is he? I''ll take care of him myself. the city needs to fall no matter what. There must not be any resistance when the savior arrives."


    He swiftly turned around and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him with At and Eva still inside.


    At''s ears perked up as he listened for the footsteps to fade into the distance. He waited a few more minutes before gentlyying Eva down and running up to the door, banging on it as loudly as he possibly could.


    "SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?! PLEASE HELP US!"


    His fists banged against the door repeatedly turning bloody from the impact. Just one room away the old groundskeeper was sitting in a chair sipping tea.


    She could very clearly hear At''s pleas for help but her eyes werepletely nk as if none of it was even registering.

 Chapter 1045 - Not Of Our Kind

    <h4>Chapter 1045 - Not Of Our Kind</h4>


    Several streets away udia who was still watching the battle at the city gates through the dark swallows had her link forcefully closed off as another connection was created to the old groundskeeper without her permission.


    She saw and heard everything that had happened in thest few minutes and realized Eurig had left the house. She went silent for a moment thinking about what to do next.


    Right now her one and only objective was to find the ''Son of Chaos'' and make sure he could meet the one who was responsible for giving her these new powers.


    But just thinking about her again sent a cold chill down her spine and without even trying her mind started ying back the events she saw during her mune'' to the other side.


    It was like she was back there again, in the cold inky darkness of the void standing in the same ce. (This is the continuation of the scene from CH-1032 ''She-Devil'')


    The decrepit-looking hut walked out of the forest on massive avian legs. The legs were a ''simple'' machination but rather some unholy magic that fused a living creature with an inanimate object.


    udia could still clearly recall the far-off beastly howls and pained shrieks along with an orchestra of noises she didn''t recognize. As dead as the forest looked, it was anything but.


    The hut stopped in front of her and its front door slowly creaked open to reveal the hunched figure of her new patron but neither then nor at this moment udia felt any joy from meeting her.


    In fact, standing in front of her she felt naked in more ways than one. It was like all her secrets, every thought and emotion she had ever felt in her entire life was left bare at this moment. There was nothing to hide- No, there was nothing she COULD hide from that being.


    That was not a person, it was not a human being even though it took the shape of one.


    And just as all the ambient noise died down udia heard a voice. Not its voice but the voice she thought it might have after seeing its figure, and that was the voice of an old woman. It sounded exactly as she imagined it.


    "What...do you desire?" she asked.


    udia''s thoughts went out of control in an instant. The thing she had experienced from when she first opened her eyes till now all yed out within a blink of an eye.


    She saw herself being born, taking her first steps, experiencing her first loss, loving someone for the first time, and then being betrayed by them.


    She felt colder and lonelier than ever before.


    ''Ah, is this what death feels like?'' said her thoughts but her lips said otherwise.


    "I want power. Power to do whatever I want, to take what I want, to be what I want. I want to be more beautiful than ever before, I want to be wanted, I want-" all her insecurities came bubbling out.


    She wanted to say as much as possible because even if a single one of those things were granted then she could be happy again, she could be herself once more. For once in her life she would be content.


    The old woman''s lips arched as a weak cackle echoed from the forest.


    "Granted," the forest spoke.


    Yes, not the old woman, but everything else besides only her spoke aloud. A myriad of voices all speaking as one.


    "All that you ask...will be given. The tools with which you can sculpt a future of your own liking but...what would you do in return for such a power?"


    Her heart was threatening to pop out of her chest.


    "Anything, anything you want, I will do it. Whatever it is, whoever I have to kill-"


    The olddy extended her wed hand to reveal a small ck book. The book jerked and flew towards udia at breakneck speed, disappearing within her chest.


    The front door of the hut slowly closed by itself but those old raspy voices continued.


    "Find him! Bring him to us! Bring us the Son of Chaos so we may open his mind to the truth. Do not fail us..."


    An ear-piercingly loud balefulughter resounded within the forest. Its intensity grew with every passing moment until no other sound could be heard.


    And with it the forest began to move, trees sprouted arms and legs with which they pulled themselves up to reveal a turbid darkness where the ground should have been.


    The darkness swirled and an uncountable number of shapes began to materialize out of its depths. Things udia could have never imagined even in her worst nightmares were trying to crawl out from the gaping craters right in front of her eyes.


    And one of these shapes that was faster than all others was on her before she could even blink.


    She raised her head to look at the towering figure which walked out of a cloud of roiling smoke. It was a ck horse with eight legs. Its tail, mane, and hooves were wreathed in the purest of crimson mes the likes of which she had never seen before.


    udia tried to look away but the body wouldn''t obey the mind. She had peered into its malevolent dark eyes and now could not look away.


    There was a strange moment of understanding between the two as a string of thoughts edged into udia''s mind. It was asking something of her.


    That was thest thing she saw before waking up back in her new body. There was a spark of madness in her eye as she closed off her ears.


    "I....don''t ever want to go back there. That ce is not for our kind!"

 Chapter 1046 - Make The Choice

    <h4>Chapter 1046 - Make The Choice</h4>


    **For the Privileged chapter readers, the end of the previous chapter has been slightly amended.


    ________


    udia took a brief moment to regain herposure since even the shback was enough to leave her shaken.


    After taking a few deep breaths she promptly connected with the swallows once more to confirm where the magic circle was and where her otherrades were.


    Eurig was casually walking along the streets towards city gates whereas the rest of the transformed demon-kin were converging on the building that housed the magic circle which was powering the entire city barrier.


    "What should I do next? How can I draw him out as quickly as possible?"


    There were all these pieces of the puzzle right in front of her and when she looked at them from above something clicked inside her head. It was akin to a spark of enlightenment that promptly exined something that was a mystery to her mere moments ago.


    "The boy!" she smacked her head in realization, "How could I forget?! Eurig said he would lead them to the ''promised one'' right? Then..."


    She closed her eyes and reestablished the connection with the old groundskeeper in the house. The groundskeeper''s body suddenly went stiff before she stood up and walked over to a nearby bookshelf.


    She tore off a small page and wrote something on it before making her way outside to the door. She gripped it casually but then pulled it with such force that it was almost ripped off its hinges.


    On the other side she saw At with his fists raised into the air. They had turned into a bloody mess from constantly banging on the door.


    His face lit up when he saw the groundskeeper. Running up to her he pulled on her dress, "Please help us! My sister, she needs a healer quickly! Please-"


    But halfway through the sentence he noticed the dazed look in her eyes. It felt like she was looking "through him" somehow.


    Her lips parted and two ovepping voices came out, one belonged to her and the other to udia.


    "There are more than one hundred thousand people in the city of Argham. Women, children, the elderly, the sick, and the helpless. They havee from all over and even now more are trying to make their way here seeking refuge and a safe haven just like you."


    At obviously was more than a little confused by the sudden news update but as strange as the situation was he needed help more urgently.


    "What do you mean? Grandma please we need help-" but she cut him off and continued in the same manner.


    "Argham is thest hope for all people that were born on this world. If it falls, you will have nowhere left to go. You will be picked off one by one either by the monsters at your door or the invaders until there is nothing and no one left."


    She abruptly jerked forward starling At.


    "Eurig and his friends have gone to destroy the city''s barrier. If it breaks, every single person will die. Not just you and your sister, but everyone else too. They will be ughtered by the hundreds, massacredpletely and thoroughly."


    She grabbed his hand and ced a paper on it.


    "This is where they are going. Make a choice. Either try and save your sister or save the city. The fate of a hundred thousand souls rests in your hands."


    "Wha-"


    Before At could say anything she turned around and walked away robotically, leaving him stumped and speechless.


    After a couple of seconds he came to and checked the piece of paper which had a simple drawing on it. It was showing three locations marked in rtion to the city gate.


    One was where they were, the other was where the magic circle was and thest one was where the refugees were gathered. There were sure to be healers there.


    He stared at that drawing without blinking for what felt like a lifetime but the very next second he scrunched up the paper and ced it in his pocket.


    Walking over to the bed he carefully picked up Eva, wrapped her up in a sheet and ran out of the door barefooted towards the refugee camp.


    There was not much of a choice for him. Eva came first. He had promised to protect her no matter what and that''s what he was going to do.


    udia was watching everything through the eyes of the swallows, keeping a close eye on him.


    At ran as fast his legs could move, rushing through street after street leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. He reached the refugee camp within 4-5 minutes since it wasn''t particrly far.


    "I NEED A HEALER! PLEASE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, garnering attention from several of the city guards that came running up to him.


    "What''s wrong? What happened to you?" seeing his smashed up fists and bloody feet that was of course the first question.

 Chapter 1047 - Maybe Not...

    <h4>Chapter 1047 - Maybe Not...</h4>


    At shook his head vigorously, "It''s nothing, my sister, she needs a healer quickly!"


    The bearded city guard stared at him with a raised eyebrow for a moment before cing his hand on Eva''s forehead. His expression immediately changed.


    He took her from At and rushed towards a double-story building to the side. There were already a lot of sick and injured people lined outside but he ran past all of them with At following right behind him.


    Inside was a team of men and women dressed in all white robes that tending to each person one by one. The guard looked around for a moment before going up to a middle-aged woman that seemed to be overseeing everyone else.


    "Sundra, take a look at this child. She needs aid now!" he said while cing her on an empty bed.


    Sundra frowned at him for a moment with no small amount of anger before checking on Eva. Her expression changed just like the guard''s and she went to work immediately without saying a single word.


    She took out a green-colored tablet and ced it under Eva''s tongue after feeding her a spoonful of some pink liquid. Meanwhile, At could only watch impatiently from the side.


    A minute or two passed and Sundra let out a deep breath. She stood up and red at the guard, "Get out."


    Taken aback, all he could do was awkwardly scratch his head with a weak smile while slowly backing away.


    "Ah yeah, you must be busy. Sorry, darling."


    When he was gone Sundra''s stern gaze shifted towards At. She sighed seeing the condition of his hands and feet.


    "You, sit," she pointed at the edge of the bed. At''s body moved before his mind could register it.


    Sundra brought out a bowl of warm water and gently washed off the blood and splinters embedded in his wrists before bandaging them. Then she washed and cleaned his feet which had already turned a shade of grey.


    There were deep chain marks above the ankle. She pinched him a few times to check and as expectantly he didn''t react at all. Her stern expression had not changed until then.


    "When did you lose feeling in your feet?" she asked softly.


    At shook his head innocently, "I don''t remember. A few months ago?"


    She stared into his eyes and asked another question, "Who did this to you?"


    Eurig''s face abruptly shed before At''s eyes chasing off any thoughts he might have had of giving him up.


    "N-No one. I don''t remember," he mumbled while averting his gaze, "W-Will Eva be alright now?"


    Sundra sighed inwardly deciding not to push it any further for the time being.


    "Her fever is too strong. I have given her the medicine so all you can do now is wait and hope it breaks."


    Eva did look a little better but not by much. She was still writhing in pain while her breath was shallow and the face discolored. It looked like every breath she drew left her in agony.


    "Is there anything else that you can do?"


    Sundra shook her head, "No. Only a priestess could use her magic to heal help her but...seeing as how far gone your sister is, only the grand priestess would have any real chance but that is not a possibility anymore."


    Her answer left At dismayed. Even though he was just a kid Sundra did not hold back at all.


    "You should prepare yourself for the worst," she turned around to leave but paused midstride. It looked like she wanted to say something but decided not to at the very end.


    ''Better not give him false hope,'' she said to herself and moved on to another patient.


    At''s eyes had be wet. Thatst sentence felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He was toote in bringing her here and he knew it.


    Wiping the tears from his eyes he held Eva''s dainty hand which had be even colder than before.


    "I will find a way, I swear, so please just hang on a little bit longer."


    Biting his lip At walked out of the building with his head lowered. He didn''t notice that Sundra had been watching him throughout. She followed him outside where she saw her husband, the bearded guard standing not too far away.


    He saw her and came running over, "Will she be okay darling?"


    She shook her head gently before gesturing towards At, "Make sure he doesn''t do anything stupid. And wipe that smile off your face, Alfen."


    "Yes ma''am!" he saluted and ran after At.


    "Wait up kiddo," he shouted while giving a wink to Sundra which made her return to the building.


    He took At with him to another building a short distance away where a lot of the guards were moving about. This was probably their headquarters.


    He went inside and brought out several pairs of shoes to check which one would fit best. Upon finding the closest match he brought At to a bench and sat down while resizing the shoes.


    The sound of explosions and shouting were rtively loud here so it wasn''t really quiet but both of them remained silent for a bit until finally Alfen spoke up, "My wife can be a little cold sometimes, don''t take it personally."


    At did not respond.


    "She...told me about your sister. I''m sorry-"


    At abruptly closed off his ears and began shaking his head like a mad man, "She is fine. She will be fine, I promised she would be, she has to...be fine!"


    **


    Sorry for thete chapters. Was sick for thest few days but much better now so old schedule should being back soon!

 Chapter 1048 - Gahaha

    <h4>Chapter 1048 - Gahaha</h4>


    In a situation like this Alfen could not really give At any false hope. It was better to be as straightforward and blunt about it as possible so At coulde to terms with it sooner rather thanter.


    He gently patted At on the back, "I''m sorry kid, I really am. If there was anything to be done I would have already but...short of some miraculous life-saving magic nothing can help her now. If only she was still here maybe there would be a chance."


    At''s ears instantly perked up. He raised his head with bloodshot eyes and snot smeared all over, "What do-do you mean?" he asked through hups.


    Alfen immediately realized he might have said too much in the heat of the moment.


    ''My damn mouth!''


    "Oh it was nothing, forget I said anything."


    At jumped to his feet while making direct eye contact with Alfen, "Mister please, I need to know, please!"


    Against the doe-eyed child Alfen couldn''t evenst a full 10 seconds. All he could think about was his son and what he would do if this was him asking.


    Alfen crumbled without putting up a fight.


    With a deep sigh he exined a bit more in detail.


    "There was a girl that came with the foreigners, I think her name was Ma Jiang or something. She could use healing magic with ease and even did something quite miraculous just a short while ago where hundreds of people were all healed at once."


    "Really? Where is she?!"


    "I don''t know. Another one of them came and she went somewhere with him just before the beasts attacked. Maybe they were trying to stop it from happening somehow but I''m really not sure. If she was here maybe she could have done something."


    At''s eyes began to glow while his mind raced with a myriad of thoughts as he mumbled, "She can help Eva, there is a chance! I have to find her-" but paused mid-sentence.


    He suddenly remembered about Eurig and the other demonlings and what they were trying to do.


    ''If they break the barrier it will be chaos. Thatdy might not evene back at all. I have to stop them before it''s toote!''


    At turned around to leave but his feet wouldn''t move. He clearly remembered the kind of monsters they had turned into and knew ver well he would stand no chance whatsoever, at least not alone.


    "Mister, can you help me?"


    Alfen shook his head despondently, "I would love to but there is no telling where she has gone. I can try asking around but all of them are fighting at the city gates right now and no one else is allowed to go near."


    "No no not with that," At paused and thought about what he was going to say.


    "I-I hear-no I overheard something while we wereing to the city. There is a group of people that is trying to do something bad. They said they were going to destroy something called a ''magic circle'' that is making the barrier."


    Alfen''s gaze turned serious, "What?! What do you mean?"


    Rather than create a new lie it was always easier to speak half-truths.


    "I-It was one of the people I came up with. He told me what he was going to do and that if I told anyone he would hurt Eva. He did this to me too," At pointed at his bruised legs and feet.


    He wasn''t lying obviously but...it was better this way. If he knew the person he was talking about was Eurig the Viper then he might not believe him at all because what were the chances.


    Not to mention it was not easy to exin how Eurig who was an old man had a body of a teenager now.


    Unlike what he expected Alfen did not reply immediately. He went silent for a moment while staring at the many wounds on At''s body.


    And understandably At began to get nervous. What if instead of believing him he locked him up instead for lying? His immature brain could not think further than that in this moment of desperation.


    "I swear, I am not lying. I know exactly where they are going to go. I can show you on a map if yo-"


    "I''m sorry," Alfen cut him off. He stood up and hugged At, "I''m sorry you had to go through all of that. I''m sorry no one tried to help you, someone should have at some point. I am truly...sorry child."


    The tears that had just barely stopped began pouring down At''s face once again. This was the first time in a long time he felt even remotely safe. But even now he couldn''t let his guard downpletely.


    "I-We have to stop them quickly," he said gently pushing Alfen away and wiping his face.


    Alfen sighed inwardly before nodding in agreement, "And we will."


    "You...believe me?"


    "Of course I do. Why would a child younger than my own son lie about something like that? Wait here."


    He went into the headquarters and came out a momentter with four other guards in tow. Each one of them was much bigger than any of the others.


    They were all holding iron spears engraved with 1-2 symbols each. Their well-defined muscles threatened to pop out of the sides of the armor as they walked over to him withrge strides.


    They were unlike any of the other guards At had seen since entering the city.


    "Is this him, captain?" one of them motioned towards At.


    Alfen nodded, "Yes, he is the brave youngster who gave me the information."


    At could only see the guard''s eyes through the mask but it was easy to tell he was grinning behind it.


    "Gahaha, good good! I knew you humans hadn''t fallen that far yet. Come, follow us!"


    And they sprinted off without waiting for him or Alfen.


    At hesitated but in the end decided to ry the final tidbit of information.


    "I-I think you should bring more people. Those people have strange powers and some of them can even turn into monsters-"

 Chapter 1049 - Connected

    <h4>Chapter 1049 - Connected</h4>


    "Monsters? Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. It''s not safe to go just these few people."


    Alfen went silent for a moment and after considering all other options he called over another guard.


    It was a young man in his early twenties perhaps. Alfen introduced him to At, "This is Mills. Stay here with him while I go check out the situation."


    "Wait what do you mean? I have to go with you-" At yelled at Alfen''s shrinking figure but he was gone soon enough.


    At turned to Mills, "You have to tell other people. There are monsters trying to destroy the barrier!"


    Mills smiled back at him because in his eyes At was just a kid that might have let his imagination run wild. How could monsters sneak into the city?


    "Haha I will I will. When captain Alfenes back and gives the order we will call everyone but right now that''s not an option. Most guards are either protecting important ces, helping the refugees or fighting at the gates. There is no one TO call I am afraid."


    "But-"


    "Juste here and sit," Mills gestured towards the empty spot on the bench next to him, "Captain and the others wille back in a few minutes after checking the situation and if there is trouble then we will call for assistance."


    At obviously couldn''t do anything by himself so he sat down beside Mills while waiting for Alfen toe back. They both silently listened to the sounds of battle not far from them for a minute or two when seeing At fidget non-stop Mills couldn''t take it anymore.


    He tried to distract him by trying to make small talk.


    "So how do you know captain Alfen?"


    "I don''t. We only met a few minutes ago."


    "Oh. He is a nice person, isn''t he? Everyone likes him here."


    At just nodded back absentmindedly.


    "Did you meet his wife?"


    At hesitated but replied a momentter, "Yes."


    "She seems cold at first nce but once you get to know her she is very nice."


    "Okay..."


    "She used to be very talkative back in the day you know. They were such a happy family. Why do bad things always happen to good people I wonder?"


    Instead of lifting At''s mood Mills ended up making himself sad in the process. Still, it got At curious enough so he inquired further, "What do you mean?"


    "Hmm? Oh I shouldn''t, it''s not proper," Mills tried to y it off but it was obvious he was dying to talk about it and even At could see that so he pushed a bit more.


    "Please? I won''t tell anyone else, promise!"


    "Ah fine. Actually, captain Alfen had a son. He was a few years older than you. Wanting to follow in his father''s footsteps one day he put on the captain''s uniform and went outside the city to one of the human viges nearby to deliver some rations. That was thest time anyone saw him."


    "We tried to search for him but it was obvious what had happened. Many humans don''t take kindly to our kind, especially to the ones in power. I heard they found some remains a weekter but there was no way to confirm if it was him. Ever since then things have been...you know."


    Alfen had mentioned his son but it was not easy to tell from the context.


    "Ohh...when did he-that happened?"


    "Just a month or two ago I think. They didn''t have time to properly grieve before everything happened and they were forced to go back to work."


    Silence fell over the bench again. Before either of them realized several minutes had passed and it was Mills who noticed it first.


    "That''s strange, they should havee back by now," he pointed out.


    "!!!"


    At jumped up.


    "Then we have to go after them!"


    Mills shook his head, "No, we need to get help. And I...don''t know where it is."


    At looked into his pocket and pulled out the crumbled-up piece of paper.


    "Here, we have to go here."


    Mills looked it over but still couldn''t make up his mind. He didn''t have the authority to call for reinforcements especially without confirming the situation first but what if he waited and things got out of hand?


    "Still, we can''t just go-"


    "WE HAVE TO!" At shouted, "What if they need our help?!"


    "But-"


    "Hey, can you keep it down? Why are you shouting?"


    Somewhere from the side a voice interrupted them.


    "Huh? Who is there?! Show yourself!" Mills pulled out a sword and pointed at...nothing in particr.


    *Sigh*


    From the roof of the headquarters, a figure jumped down andnded right behind them. There was a longbow hanging over his shoulder.


    "It was me, okay? Why are you shouting? I was trying to take a nap," Wern mutteredzily while rubbing his eyes.

 Chapter 1050 - Damn Kids

    <h4>Chapter 1050 - Damn Kids</h4>


    Where At was on full alert at the surprise appearance of this stranger Mills breathed a sigh of relief and even waved at him.


    "Ah, my apologies sir," he said with a bow before sheathing his sword.


    As a member of the city guards he knew every single one of the cultivators by their appearance. There were only about 70 of them so it wasn''t difficult to remember each one.


    "W-What brings you here?" he initially inquired but remembered their sticky situation, "Wait no, it is good that you are here! We need your help!"


    At leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Who is this person?"


    "He is one of the foreigners!" Mills exined.


    "Then why is he here? Shouldn''t he be fighting at the gate?"


    "That...I don''t know," Mills obviously could not answer and instead looked towards Wern for an exnation.


    But Wern cleared his throat and changed the topic, "Help with what exactly?"


    Mills had quite an easy-going attitude whichbined with his youthful appearance did not fill Wern with confidence either way, even though he was younger than Mills himself.


    "Oh, some people have sneaked into the city and are trying to destroy the magic circle that is keeping the barrier up," Mills responded in the most unenthusiastic voice he could muster.


    "Not people, MONSTERS!" At rified.


    "...What?"


    Wern could not take them seriously at all.


    "And how do you know this?"


    "I have seen them!" At raised his hand urgently.


    "Mhm, and have you?" Wern looked towards Mills who shook his head.


    "Then-"


    "But Captain Alfen went to check the ce out with 4 other elite guardsmen and we haven''t heard back from them in a while. I think something might really be wrong," Mills added.


    "Why the hell didn''t you start with that then?" Wern almost pped Mills with the back of his hand in the heat of the moment, "Just say people went out to check something suspicious and haven''t been heard from since. Go! Take me to it now!"


    "Y-Yes!"


    Mills checked the ''map'' again for confirmation but couldn''t really read it, "I-I think its this way," he pointed at a dead end.


    At snatched the paper from his hand and sprinted away, "Over here, I will take you!"


    "Go then, follow him!" Wern shouted and jumped into the air,nding right behind At.


    With At in the lead the trio reached the building in question just a couple of minutester.


    At had stopped at the corner of the street and was peeking over. Wernnded on top of another neighboring building while Mills caught up a few secondster.


    "Is this...it?" he asked through heavy breaths.


    "Unn," At nodded.


    "Then...do we just go in?"


    Even At couldn''t help but shake his head at the stupid question. Thankfully Wern jumped down a momentter.


    "You two go back and tell the others we need backup, quickly!"


    "Yes sir!" Mills nodded and ran away without questioning but At did not move an inch.


    "What''s wrong? Did you see something?"


    Wern shook his head once, "No but I can smell blood and a lot of it. There is also a strange kind of energying from that ce, something dark and sinister. I have never felt anything like that before- Hmm?"


    The sound of footsteps distracted him and when he looked back At was already at the entrance of the building.


    "Hey! Come back here right now!" he yelled as loudly as he could in such a situation but At did not hesitate for even a moment before running inside.


    With gritted teeth Wern cursed under his breath, "Fucking kid!"


    He was nning to wait for help to arrive before going in but now there was no option but to run in after him. It was one thing to be cautious but it was entirely another to sit back and watch as an innocent civilian was put in danger, which even he couldn''t justify.


    Wern reached into his shirt pocket and took out a small white packet. Holding it overhead he clenched hard making it explode into a cloud of fine white dust.


    The dust particles stuck to his body and a secondter something very strange happened. He turned semi-transparent. His body became see-through to the point that if one didn''t know he was standing here it would be next to impossible to notice him.


    But not just that, his spiritual energy and all other signs of life were temporarily hidden as well.


    "Aw man, that''s 50,000 gold gone just like that. It had better been worth it," he mumbled before running into the building as well.


    The main metal door was left open as was the proceeding entrance. There was nothing out of the ordinary but that made it even odder.


    No guard, not even a sound escaped outside it was so deathly silent. The smell of sulfur and iron hit him like a hammer the moment he stepped inside and all the noise from outside was immediately drowned out.


    Wern let out a deep breath saw the vapor float down. The temperature dropped several tens of degrees in seconds.


    "Aaaaah!" a weak scream came from somewhere further in.

 Chapter 1051 - Confined Spaces

    <h4>Chapter 1051 - Confined Spaces</h4>


    He slowly reached back and unhooked the longbow from his shoulder.


    Wern''s right hand rested against the main frame while the left gently moved up and down the bowstring, an old habit that he still wasn''t able to give up despite many lectures from his teachers.


    He couldn''t help but click his tongue in annoyance looking at the ceiling above. Most of the techniques at his disposal were long-range and as a bow user fighting in confined spaces restricted almost 70% of his overall abilities.


    Suffice to say, he would not have an upper hand in the uing altercation.


    He followed the distant whimpering screams and navigated through the many rooms that opened up in front of him. The building was deceptively bigger from the inside.


    There were bloodstains on the walls and drag marks on the floor. It looked like bodies were all dragged off but they all led in the same direction.


    Some of the blood was still fresh but their source was not anywhere in sight. Not a single body could be seen so far.


    As Wern ventured went deeper into the building the architecture began to change.


    The rtively modern designs were reced by short and broken old walls made of rock and mud and when he reached a stairway that led to, what was probably the basement, it became even eerier as all the natural light stopped.


    He took one quick whiff and gagged. The stench was too strong here.


    The sulfur by itself was bad enough but now the unmistakable stench of decaying rotting flesh was almost mixed in by equal amounts.


    This would be where he should normally be turning around to leave but he couldn''t just leave At to fend for himself.


    ''I hate kids,'' he said to himself before covering his eyes with the left hand and mumbling, "Keep the Darkness at Bay: Sight of the White Wolf!"


    When he opened his eyes again they shone with a new light. Three veins protruded from his temples and his pupils slightly changed shape to a more beastly one.


    Much of the darkness was pushed away although all the blood became grey in his eyes. He could see much clearer though, perhaps a bit too much.


    There were scratch marks edged into the old stone stairs along with bits of fingernails. How much force must a person have had to exert to even rip off their own fingernails in the process? Just how terrified they must have been?


    With gritted teeth Wern slowly descended into the darkness. His shoes stuck to the clotting blood on the stairs and every step made an audible sound no matter how careful he tried to be.


    When he reached the end of the staircase and was about to step onto the muddy ground his ears perked up making him freeze mid-motion. Pulling back his foot Wern slowly raised his head to look up, towards the source of the faint bubbling sound.


    At first his brow furrowed trying to make out what that thing was but the moment he did all the confusion was reced by abject horror. There was a person, or rather the remains of one stuck to the ceiling.


    They were surrounded by a jello-like substance that was semi-transparent, just enough for him to see the man being slowly disintegrated alive inside. He knew the man was alive because he was staring right at him.


    His eyeballs were still intact and they were locked with his, begging for help. At least a quick death if nothing else.


    Wern''s gaze wandered to the side where he saw the outline of another figure but that one was already dead. All the flesh was stripped of his bones already and only a skeleton remained with a few internal organs still moving inside.


    And in between these were the faint markings of a humanoid face. The jelly had eyes and lips, although both were closed at the moment.


    "I am sorry," Wern mouthed the words towards the man before looking away.


    He couldn''t attack that creature and risk alerting the others.


    The Spirit bone dust that he had sprinkled on himself earlier would lose its concealment effects the moment he used any Qi intensive attacks.


    ''Damn it kid, where did you go?!''


    The moment he asked the question At''s voice came from somewhere nearby.


    "LET HIM GO!"


    ''Fuck!''


    Wern cursed and ran towards the source. On the right was the only corridor leading to a room and it was littered with bodies. Or rather their remains.


    Some of them looked like mummiespletely dried up while others had chunks bitten out of them. A lot of them were encased in the same jelly-like substance but it was much darker and from the looks of it the people inside were already dead.


    Trying his best not to vomit Wern stepped over the internal organs and other bodily fluids that had leaked onto the floor and reached the final room.


    He smiled upon seeing At but it froze the moment his eyes fell on the creatures At was talking to.

 Chapter 1052 - Separation Field

    <h4>Chapter 1052 - Separation Field</h4>


    A torch burning with a green me was the only source of light in this room. It highlighted every figure with a strange glow, especially the ones that were not human.


    Two of the creatures especially stood out even in this moment. One of them was a massive 4-meter tall demonic being with an upper body that was several timesrger than the lower.


    The second one was a ck misshapen being with extremely long disjointed limbs and a face that was covered by a white porcin mask with two holes where the eyes should be. (Detailed in CH 1031 titled "3/7")


    There were a handful of others but they looked more like melted candle figurines than an actual creature, even with the plethora of sharpened ws and fangs protruding from various ces.


    On the ground were four bodies. Two of them were already dead since they were missing either a head or most of the body parts while the other two were strung up from the ceiling being held in ce by the fleshy blobs of skin and meat.


    They were bleeding profusely from several ces and all the blood was pooling underneath where a couple of the other creatures were having their fill.


    Another fifth person was pinned underneath the feet of the second creature with elongated limbs. He was in a better condition than all the rest albeit barely.


    At stood fearlessly in the middle of the room screaming at the masked creature, "LET HIM GO!"


    Wern swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet his parched throat. Even through the separation field created by the ''Spirit bone dust'' he was able to feel the vile energies of these beings.


    Even if he ignored the foul stench of sulfur that filled the room, the overbearing auras that each of these monsters gave off was more than enough to give an idea as to their origin.


    The copious amounts of oppressive demonic energy created an illusion in Wern''s mind where he felt like he was standing on the edge of a volcano with bare feet. One gentle push or even a nudge would be enough to send him hurtling down towards a most painful end.


    That wasn''t exactly what he was seeing but how his mind decided to decipher the situation because the energy those two monsters gave off was extremely tyrannical in nature. Even his eyes hurt from looking at them directly for longer than a few seconds and yet, somehow, At was standing tall facing these beastly creatures without any fear.


    But even seeing that Wern''s first instinct was to run away. Even though he didn''t like to admit it but deep down he knew and now Brina knew as well.


    He was a coward through and through.


    ''Damnit, it''s not my fault kid, I tried to save you,'' he said inwardly before turning around to leave. But as he did so the faint sound of footsteps came from behind him.


    Wern held his breath and readied the bow as the sound got closer and closer before finally a person stepped into the basement.


    It was a teenager even younger than himself from the looks of it. Hands sped behind his back he casually walked over the many corpses as if they weren''t even there.


    There was even some blood on his clean white robes but perhaps the strangest thing was the little thing perched atop his shoulder.


    At first nce it looked like a deformed chubby infant but upon getting a better look Wern quickly realized it was a demonic creature as well. Its dark green skin melded perfectly with the darkness and if it didn''t move it was impossible to tell it was even there.


    The teenager was, of course, Eurig and as he walked through the corridor Wern stepped back into the corner. His gaze was locked onto Eurig''s face and if he flinched or even looked in his direction Wern was going to attack before fleeing.


    Thankfully, that didn''t seem to be the case as Eurig had no idea he was even there. He walked past Wern and into the room and instead of getting surprised or mad he smiled upon seeing At there.


    "Well, look what we have here. Aren''t you supposed to be by your sister''s side watching her draw her final breaths?"


    At, although initially taken aback by Eurig''s presence red at him openly. He chose not to respond to the hatefulment and instead pointed towards ALfen who was still pinned under the feet of the masked creature


    "Let him go!"


    "Hmm? Did you make a new friend?" he looked over towards Alfen and immediately frowned, "Wait, I have seen you before. Your blood smells familiar."


    Wern who was meaning to leave was pulled in by their conversation. He was so absorbed in fact that hepletely missed the infant monster which was now staring directly in his direction.


    Its protruding ripened eyes were shifting left and right as if trying to lockdown his position.

 Chapter 1053 - Blame

    <h4>Chapter 1053 - me</h4>


    Eurig walked over to Alfen and knelt down beside him. There were several open wounds on Alfen''s body, especially on the back where the w of the masked creature was still digging into his flesh so there was plenty of blood to go around.


    Eurig dipped his fingers into one of the wounds and brought it back to his mouth for a taste. He closed his eyes and nodded not much different from how an experienced chef would try to dissect a dish.


    The blood spread on his tongue which was covered in rows of tiny backward-facing spikes, disseminating through his mouth.


    "Mhm, definitely recognize that taste. It was a little younger and overflowing with vitality but the taste is the same. That hint of birch tree bark is unmistakable."


    Half of the weight of the masked demon was resting right on top of Alfen and it took every bit of strength he had not to scream out from the pain and pass out but upon hearing Eurig mention the birch tree his pupils constricted.


    As if by magic all the pain dissipated in an instant, in fact, his ears start to burn up from the rush of adrenaline which gave him enough strength to even lift his head.


    But Eurig was how he was struggling so he motioned for the masked demon to back off, freeing Alfen.


    Alfen raised his head until his eyes locked with Eurig''s.


    "H-How did...you know that...?" he asked hoarsely.


    There was a birch tree nted in Alfen''s garden and his entire family used its bark to make tea at least once a fortnight because of the aromatic taste and vor.


    Eurig smiled from ear to ear hearing his voice.


    "Ah, so it really was him. Both of your voices have that same undertone of authority, even when you have none, haha-"


    Alfen punched the ground in anger, "ANSWER ME!"


    "-hahaha!"


    Eurigughed even harder hearing that. He stood up and looked back towards At.


    "How did you find this old man? Was it really a coincidence or did you know he was?"


    At gritted his teeth, still thinking Eurig was ying games with him.


    "Let him go!"


    Eurig frowned momentarily when he saw no recognition in At''s gaze but that made him even happier.


    "Oh my, they say there is no such thing as a coincidence but...how could this even be possible? It''s just too...beautiful hahaha!"


    Alfen had managed to get on his knees in the meantime although that was all he could do. Having lost so much blood he was on the verge of losing his consciousness but still forced himself to stay awake.


    "Answer...me...where is he!"


    Eurig looked towards the masked and the hulking demon for confirmation first.


    "Is this why you didn''t kill him? You felt that connection too right?"


    They both nodded which confirmed his suspicions.


    He nced towards At with a mischievous smile, "What a wonderful day this has been! The invaders will be taken care of soon enough now that their leader is dead but now you also give me this. You never disappoint boy, ever!"


    It was obvious no one else in the room knew what he was talking about so before rejoicing in their pain he gave the background so all intended parties could partake in this displeasure.


    Giving a yful wink to At as if to say ''Listen carefully'' he turned towards Alfen.


    "My name is Eurig. You people used to call me Eurig the Viper. Now I know you must be thinking ''Eurig was an old man so how could this youngster be him'' so let me exin."


    "Some time ago someone came to me with an offer. If I decided to serve him he would give me another chance at life, allow me to take over the body of one of my descendants. But the ritual was quiteplicated you know."


    "One of the most important items needed was the blood of individuals born on the first night of winter. A total of sixty-six individuals from each of the races in our world. As you can imagine this took quite a long time to finish, especially finding out when they were born and then draining all of their blood while they were still alive but thatst one was the easy part."


    "And me being as famous as I am, I couldn''t really be seen walking about and needed some help luring in these sacrifices."


    He moved aside a little so Alfen could see At clearly as he spoke to them both, "And who do you think helped me? Let me give you a hint, it was a brave little orphan boy who would deceive people and bring them to me so I could butcher them one by one."


    He turned to see At at this point who had a horrified look on his face which him particrly happy.


    "Not too long ago he brought me one of thest sacrifices. A young demihuman boy that was too young for his armor, a juvenile youth pretending to be a city guard of Argham. Ahh, I still remember him so clearly."


    "He was so confused when he woke up in the cave. Even in hisst moments when he knew he was going to die all he asked was for At''s release. He knew he had been tricked by this child yet he never cursed him. But...I wonder, will you do the same? Look at him in the eye and tell him how you feel."


    "This is the boy that killed your one and only son, th-"


    *p*

 Chapter 1054 - Downed

    <h4>Chapter 1054 - Downed</h4>


    A crisp pnded across Eurig''s face and it came from the person he least expected, Alfen himself.


    Stupified, Eurig rubbed the side of his face in a daze. It felt like a thousand fire ants were constantly biting his skin and the pain was not something he could just wish away. It went deeper than anything else he had felt in his entire life.


    And for the first time in a very long time, he felt shame. Not just from getting pped by a man that was barely able to sit upright but for reasons he couldn''t possibly understand.


    His entire face turned red in a second and the room fell silent.


    Alfen had tears in his eyes but his face was contorted with such anger that he wouldn''t even have deemed it possible a moment ago.


    "Shut...your mouth, you flith. You do not have...the right to speak about my son...nor that child."


    Alfen''s gazended across the room on At. He was wearing the shoes that Alfen had resized for him but other than that his attire was worse than any ve he had ever seen.


    Even a blind man could see that he was tortured on a daily basis and since Alfen had seen his sister Eva in person it wasn''t difficult to connect the dots.


    "You pathetic little excuse...for a man," he looked back at Eurig, his burning gaze locking with his, "ckmailed a child by using...his sister as leverage and since it is you...you probably poisoned her too, didn''t you? You have the gall to me your atrocities on him. Just how much of a failure can you be-"


    *BAM*


    *KHUK*


    "AARGH!"


    Before Alfen could finish talking the masked demon''s w pushed him back to the ground. It was so forceful in fact that several of his ribs broke on contact.


    Eurig was brought out of his daze by themotion. He slowly stood up while rubbing his face, "Well, that was...unexpected."


    His gaze turned cold as he saw Alfen still trying to fearlessly maintain eye contact with him. Turning around he saw At looking down at the floor in shame which made him even angrier. He leaped forward and grabbed him by the hair, dragging him in front of Alfen.


    "I know you can''t bring yourself to say it just yet so don''t worry, I will punish him on your behalf."


    At struggled to break free which only ended up hurting him more. Eurig raised him into the air like a chicken until he was on eye level with him.


    "I took you out of the slums, clothed you, fed you, even allowed that mongrel sister of yours to keep breathing the same air as me, and this is how you repay me? Well, what else could I have expected of a couple of unwanted bastards, even if they share the same blood as me."


    "LET GO!" At screamed but that little tidbit of information that Eurig had just revealed left even the demons speechless which made himugh out loud.


    "Yeah, you heard that right. This little bag of flesh is my great-great-grandson. Born to some cheap whore in a nameless vige, I was just as surprised when I first found him. Hahaha!"


    Just at that moment the infant demon perching on Eurig''s shoulder leaned in and whispered something into his ears.


    "Hoh? Here? Where is he?"


    The infant pointed right at the spot Wern was standing on and before he could move Eurig threw At in the same direction using his full strength. If he hit the wall at that speed then he would surely die.


    Wern, as cowardly as he was had no choice but to make a move.


    His figure came into view aiming the longbow right at Eurig. A solitary blue arrow made of pure Qi shot out and actually pierced straight through Eurig''s heart giving Wern enough time to catch At and run back through the corridor.


    Unfortunately it was already blocked by one of the demon kin, the same shapeless blob that was dissolving the remains of the city guards that hade before them.


    "Let go of me! We can''t leave him behind!" At pushed and pulled trying to break free but to no avail, Wern''s grip was too strong.


    "I can''t fight all of them by myself. We''ll go get the others ande back-" he pulled the bowstring tounch another attack but was interrupted by Eurig.


    "If you leave now I will destroy this magic circle before you can exit the building."


    Wern''s hand wouldn''t move no matter how hard he tried. All he could think about was Brina fighting at the city gates and what would happen to her if the barrier broke.


    ''Brother Henrik is still there, it will be alright!'' he remembered but as if reading his thoughts Eurig continued.


    "He''s already dead. The one that was using that strange power and culling the horde, he''s dead. Right now your people only have the barrier to depend on. The moment it falls everyone will die, everyone."


    "No that''s not possible!"


    Wern shouted in return but as he looked back he saw Eurig holding a lock of hair in his hands. They were ck but giving off a vague glow apanied by a very strong and extremely pure energy.


    "!!!"


    That was it. No more proof was needed. Elven hair had magical properties which was why they were usually grown out so long.. Even after cutting them off, they would glow with the same energy as the user for a long time.

 Chapter 1055 - Despair

    <h4>Chapter 1055 - Despair</h4>


    Any intention Wern had to put up a fight was washed away the moment he saw that lock of hair. As far as he knew there was only one Elf in their group and that was Henrik.


    The fact that Eurig had elven hair could only mean he was speaking the truth. That...Henrik really was dead and if that was indeed the case then...the barrier could not be destroyed.


    He loosened his grip and allowed At to break free. His mind raced trying to think of another way but seeing the tennis ball-sized gaping hole in Eurig''s chest slowly close as if it was no big deal, well, that left him more than a little disheartened.


    "What the hell even are you...?"


    "Something...more? Hahahaha!"


    Eurig broke out in a fit of uncontrobleughter. To see that look of disbelief on the face of the all-powerful invaders brought him immense joy.


    He gestured for them toe back and they did. There was no other choice, no matter how much Wern wanted to run away.


    Back in the room the brute demon and the masked demon had cleared away all the corpses to one side, leaving only Alfen barely hanging on for whatever reasons.


    On the wall opposite to the room''s exit was arge painting of a river. Eurig went up to it and gently brushed his fingers across its edges.


    "Oh my, if I didn''t know any better I would have thought this was an ordinary piece of artwork but I think we all know that isn''t the case, is it?" he spoke out loud to no one in particr. It was more like he was voicing his thoughts.


    But then all of a sudden he made a fist and punched the wall with everything he had. The waves began to move and changed directions, moving along the direction of the punch.


    There was not a single crack on its surface. It looked like the painting had neutralized the full effect of the attack. Eurig''s eyes glowed with obvious greed.


    "This kind of magic, just how did that old woman get her hands on it?"


    He prepared to attack again but this time instead of using just brute force he circted most of the demonic Qi as well.


    A vile murky-ck energy surrounded his body which made the three humans in the room feel like someone was stepping on their throats.


    "Don''t look at it!" Wern warned.


    Thankfully the feeling subsided soon after when Eurigunched his second attack. This time the entire room shook and the waves in the painting once again changed position but there were cracks along the edges.


    "Aha, so brute force does work but...it will take too long this way," he muttered under his breath as his gaze fell on Alfen.


    "Hmm, that might though," he walked over and casually thrust his entire arm into Alfen''s abdomen.


    "NOO! STOP!" At screamed from the back but was held back by one of the blobs as it slowly encased him inside its gtinous cavity.


    "MMMM!"


    Everything below his nose was now part of the creature. His skin itched and frizzled as it began to melt away his flesh oneyer at a time.


    Eurig got back on his feet and nced towards Wern who was horrified seeing what was happening to At.


    "You can rx, invader, I will not kill you. I want you all to watch what happens next. I want you to feel what so many others felt, the despair and the hopelessness as it alles crashing down. I want to see your face when you realize there is no way out. Hahaha!"


    Before Wern could say anything Eurig turned around and punched the wall again. But shockingly, when Alfen''s blood came into contact with the waves they did not change like before and all that force was directly sent out in every direction.


    The ground shook as the firstyer of the wall slowly crumbled to reveal the face of an old rock. It was a perfect semi-circle that was connected to the ground below with some kind of ropes.


    On its surface were numerous symbols and runes, ones that no one present had the privilege of seeing before.


    "And there it is! The final piece!"


    Wern''s eyes widened while the pit in his stomach grew, "Listen to me, we can talk about this. I can get you whatever you want. Money, power? A way off this world? I swear you will get it just...don''t do this please."


    Eurig paused momentarily which gave Wern some hope.


    "Hmm, no, I''d rather watch you all burn."


    "WAIT-"


    In Wern''s eyes time had slowed down to a crawl. He saw Eurig pull back his arm and gather the demonic Qi around his tightened fist.


    "-PLEASE!"


    *BAANG*


    But there was no hesitation in Eurig''s movement. One attack and the rock broke into a dozen different pieces.. The glowing symbols lost their luster and the ropes connecting it to the ground snapped by themselves.

 Chapter 1056 - Pray For A Miracle

    <h4>Chapter 1056 - Pray For A Miracle</h4>


    To Wern, it felt like his whole world hade crashing down in a single moment.


    The ground began to shake once more and this time it did not stop for a good few seconds. The moment the rock broke it felt like the bubble of reality that was surrounding the room also popped and thousands of screams flooded in.


    It was not something ethereal but the actual screams of the residents of Argham. They could be heard even in this underground chamber so one could only imagine how loud and utterly chaotic it must be outside.


    Even Wern couldn''t hold himself back at this moment as a wave of anger erupted forth.


    "NOOO! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU''VE DONE?!"


    All of his Qi exploded in one massive st that obliterated the demonic blob that was holding him down. Unfortunately, the creature had some kind of a special ability that sapped most of his energy without letting it spread out.


    It died in the process but not before exhausting Wern''s Qi reserves, which still didn''t stop him. He pulled the bowstring and aimed it in Eurig''s direction.


    Every iota of energy that was left in his body was pulled towards the bow as three bright blue arrows materialized.


    "GO BACK TO HELL!" he threw out the words before releasing the bowstring.


    The first arrow pierced the brute demon''s chest before it could even react, creating a hole the size of a football. The second one hit Eurig''s right arm sending it flying away.


    The third one was meant for the masked demon but it was too fast. It scaled up the side of the wall and before even Wern could even blink it was on him.


    Its tail pierced Wern''s stomach and flung him into the wall behind.


    By the time Eurig reacted the damage was already done. He looked at his arm that wasying several meters away and shook his head in disappointment.


    "Now why would you go and do something so stupid? I mean, the barrier is already broken, isn''t it a little toote to try and be a hero? You should have tried this before...not that it would have worked, hahaha."


    There was no blooding out of his severed arm, only a viscous green liquid. He casually walked up to it and picked it up before cing it back on the shoulder. Dozens of small snakes shot out andtched onto the arm, dragging it back into position.


    Within seconds it was back to normal with nothing more than a small scar to show for Wern''s efforts.


    "Are you okay-" Eurig nced towards the Brute demon that hadn''t even realized there was a gaping hole in its chest, "-ah, never mind."


    He then directed his attention to Wern, gesturing for the masked demon to get off of him.


    "Hey, are you still alive?"


    The masked demon moved aside to reveal a barely intact body. He was still holding onto the bow but the severe blood loss from the wound on his abdomen coupled with the impact with the wall had left him in tatters.


    His left leg was broken in half and the bone was poking out of the flesh. The pool of blood underneath him was only getting bigger but it looked like he didn''t even care about it anymore.


    Wern''s gaze was unfocused and he was barely even conscious but still trying his best to stare down Eurig.


    "You *cough*cough* fucking lunatic. You have...doomed us all!"


    Eurig chuckled before shaking his head, "No, I have doomed only you and the weak-hearted. Your people will be slowly exterminated either by your own kind or the monsters outside. The people of Argham on the other hand will watch in horror as they too are slowly but surely culled from this ne."


    "And those that remain, the savior will make them part of his flock. But...it is a shame you won''t be around to see that happen."


    Wern had indeed lost too much blood and if he wasn''t provided urgent medical care in the next few minutes then he was most certainly going to die. And from the looks of it, that was going to be the case.


    "Now then, that leaves only you," Eurig looked to the side at the other blob which was trying to eat At whole.


    Only his eyes and nose were still left uncovered while everything else was covered by the blob''s gtinous body. Parts of his skin had been already burned off.


    "I was going to let you live since the savior said you would bring me to the chosen one but now I am not so sure. What do you think, boy? You want to live?"


    Eurig bent down to look him right in the eye as he whispered, "Hmm? Do you want to go outside? Maybe try and get to that half-bred sister of yours just in time to see her take herst breath? Or maybe you will be ripped to shreds even before that if those creatures have already made it past the gates."


    At''s eyes began to water until tears finally rolled down his face and into the blob''s body, making Eurig''s heart race.


    At''s gaze shifted left and right, at Alfen who was barely breathing and Wern who couldn''t even sit upright. He was so terribly scared that he didn''t know what to do anymore. And since he couldn''t even scream for help anymore the only choice left was to pray.


    To pray for some miracle.


    ''Someone...please help...I don''t want to die...''


    "What do you say? Come on, I will let you choose. Die here or die out there, I will enjoy both equally. What will you-"


    "Too...goddamn loud."


    Eurig''s query was cut short by a third voice, and it wasing from right behind him.

 Chapter 1057 - Hatchling

    <h4>Chapter 1057 - Hatchling</h4>


    At first Eurig thought his ears were ying a trick on him but when he heard the sound of suppressed breathing it finally registered.


    He slowly turned around toy his eyes on a man hovering a few inches off the ground in the dead center of the room. He was looking up at the ceiling as if searching for something.


    His figure was emaciated to the point that it was a miracle he was even alive but that wasn''t what caught Eurig''s eye. It was the feeling he got when he looked at him as if he was both there and not there at the same time.


    If he were to put it into words then it would be like trying to describe an apparition.


    The room fell silent.


    The other demons were just as shocked and confused at this man''s appearance since the only entrance was not only guarded but also in in sight and no one had seen hime in.


    At even forgot his own sticky situation when he saw him. His heart started to beat faster and faster and a sense of awe overtook him.


    But perhaps no one was more surprised than Wern who seemed to be vaguely familiar with the man. Although his own waning vision coupled with the figure''s haggard appearance made it doubly difficult to properly make him out but only one person came to his mind.


    "B-Brother Hao...Xuan...?"


    The man suddenly turned in his direction. His eyes were strange, nothing any one of them had ever seen before.


    There was a swirling mass of darkness inside his sockets with some specks of light mixed in. It made it look like one was looking at the night sky rather than into someone''s eyes and Wern''s heart skipped a beat when he met his ''gaze'' directly.


    He felt infinitely small which made him more nervous than happy for whatever reason but seeing his face directly he was a hundred percent sure now, that was definitely Hao Xuan.


    "You...know me? Am I...Hao Xuan?" Hao Xuan asked in a hoarse voice, unsure of the answer himself.


    Wern pushed down his own anxiety and nodded, "Y-Yes, we know each other. Don''t you remember? My name is Wern!"


    "Wern...?" Hao Xuan repeated as if he recalled something which gave Wern some hope.


    "Yes!" he responded animatedly. But the next question threw him back into the pit of uncertainty.


    "Tell me, Wern, am I dreaming?" Hao Xuan looked up at the ceiling before continuing, "I don''t remember this sky."


    It felt like someone had taken a hammer to Wern''s skull.


    "No...no this isn''t a dream. Don''t you remember how you got here?"


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed as he tried to recall.


    "I...was somewhere else. Another dream, a great many of them. And then I heard a voice, it was so loud. Someone asking for help. I couldn''t ignore it."


    He spoke in short sentences, trying to exin it more to himself than anyone else.


    "Then...forget it. It...doesn''t matter how you got here but that you are. I need your help, we all do. The barrier is broken and-"


    "The barrier, yes. I remember that" Hao Xuan suddenly cut in, "I saw it from the outside. It wouldn''t let me back in. I was stuck and then the voice came. One little voice among a sea of sounds, so loud and anguished."


    His head mechanically turned towards At, both looking at him and through him simultaneously.


    "It was you. So small but so damn loud. You called me here. Why?" he genuinely seemed confused.


    Eurig who was only listening until now couldn''t believe his ears. The words of the ''savior'' echoed in his head at this moment.


    ''The child will lead you to the promised one.''


    "It''s...you!" Eurig eximed, falling to his knees at once. It all made sense now.


    "My lord, we were sent here for you. We were the ones who destroyed the barrier, we were the ones who brought you back. That boy, he is also my kin!"


    And it was only then that Hao Xuan acknowledged their presence.


    "You?" he slowly floated towards Eurig.


    "Yes! My master, the savior, he was the one who sent me to you, to the chosen one."


    Hearing the line of empty rhetoric Eurig was going for, even the other demons got the gist of it, as dumb as they were. Both the brute demon and the masked demon got down on all fours, bowing in front of him without knowing why.


    Seeing what Eurig was trying to do Wern threw up a mouthful of blood in anger.


    "NO! He is lying brother, they are demons, all of them! Don''t believe them! This man even killed Brother Henrik!"


    "Demons?" Hao Xuan repeated slowly, looking Eurig up and down before shaking his head, "No, not a demon yet, just a simple hatchling. And Henrik is alive, I can feel his presence-" he absentmindedlymented before realizing who he was talking about.


    "Henrik....I know him. ARGH!"

 Chapter 1058 - True Forms

    <h4>Chapter 1058 - True Forms</h4>


    "Argh!"


    Hao Xuan''s body went taut as a horrifying scene began to unfold right in front of all the spectators.


    A flood of shadowy hands poured out of his eyes in an explosion of dense chaotic energy that pushed each and every individual to the wall.


    Their numbers grew from dozens to hundreds to thousands in the blink of an eye until no one could even keep count.


    Each hand was slightly different as if it belonged to a separate person. Some were smaller like those of children while others were older and sturdier. They shot out in every direction possible but once they were more than a meter away their silhouettes would meld into the nothingness of the surroundings.


    They were reaching for something in the distance, blindly trying to grasp onto whatever came within their reach. And the brute demon who was several timesrger than anyone else in the room obviously became thergest target because of it.


    *ROOOAR*


    It bellowed from pain whenever a hand grabbed a hold of it because that spot would be left feeling ice-cold, so cold in fact that it sapped every all demonic energy from his body.


    It scrunched up in a ball trying to get as far away as possible but there was not much room to move.


    The others had much the same experiences, even Wern and Alfen who could not even gather enough energy to scream for help.


    Wern''s eyes rolled back into the sockets as several small hands went straight into his chest and somehow came out in his mind pce. They dug in deeper than anything ever had and pulled at his very soul.


    Several of the hands came into contact with Eurig but turned away a momentter. Whatever they were looking for, he did not have. But that didn''t mean he didn''t feel them invading his very being, going into ces that he did not even know existed.


    Only At was saved from this horrible event because most of his body was still engulfed within the demonic blob and all the hands that came in his direction were inadvertently absorbed by "it".


    Thissted for a mere 40 seconds and when it finally stopped Hao Xuan looked much different, a lot more human at least.


    His eyes were filled with the original green pupils but there were tears around them as he gasped for breath on all fours.


    Hao Xuan punched his forehead repeatedly while headbutting the blood-ridden floor in between until his pupils focused and he could see again.


    "Hah...hah...am I...back?" he mumbled through heavy breaths while looking at the mess around him.


    Gathering some strength he slowly stood up before stretching lightly. The muscles of his arms and legs convulsed with loud pangs. He felt the oh-so-familiar pain and sighed in relief.


    "I really am back," he whispered with no small amount of disbelief until a voice sounded within his ears.


    ''Please...help Eva...''


    "Huh?" looking around for the source his gaze automatically fell on At who wasn''t even conscious anymore.


    Hao Xuan walked up to him and saw the true shape of the blob that was enclosed around him.


    "What the fuck are you?" he squinted hard because he was seeing something much different. In his eyes, the blob wasn''t transparent. It was still shapeless but within that goo were different "spectral" body parts floating around that to his eyes were glowing with a strange light.


    His hand suddenly jerked forward and shot into the goo, grabbing a hold of a piece of the breastbone with a strange symbol on it. He clenched hard, crushing it into powder.


    *Screeeeeech*


    A high-pitched screech sounded within the room before the goo suddenly turned into ck liquid.


    At''s body fell out which Hao Xuan swiftly took in his hands. His brow furrowed in a tight knot as he stared at the boy''s face.


    ''Eva...please save Eva...someone..''


    His words echoed within Hao Xuan''s head. This wasn''t through spiritual sense but somethingpletely different. He could hear them clear as day and somehow knew who he was talking about.


    "Eva, where is she?" he subconsciously voiced his thoughts but to his surprise, someone answered from beside him.


    "I know where she is my lord. Let me take you to her!"


    Hao Xuan turned towards the speaker and his expression turned ugly. It was a monster, an amalgamation of thousands of serpents taking the shape of a human being.


    "What...are you?"


    "My name is Eurig, my lord. I was sent here for you. The savior knew you would be here."


    The more Eurig talked the worse it made Hao Xuan feel. In his eyes it looked and sounded like there were thousands of squirming snakes hissing at different wavelengths to create his voice. There was nothing human about him.


    But he still listened to what he had to say.


    "The savior? Who is that?"


    "I can take you to him, the savior wants to meet you as well!"


    "Take me to Eva first.. This boy won''t shut up about her."

 Chapter 1059 - Me And Me

    <h4>Chapter 1059 - Me And Me</h4>


    "Y-Yes," despite some obvious reservations Eurig agreed immediately because the situation was already strange enough.


    He kept ncing at At because the boy waspletely knocked out and yet this ''chosen one'' could still hear him?


    As they walked out into the corridor Hao Xuan paused for a moment and said, "Bring Wern and the other guy too."


    Eurig didn''t know either of their names but he correctly assumed Hao Xuan meant the only two other ''humans'' in there.


    "Yes," he went back in and with no small amount of hesitation picked both of them up in one arm each before looking towards the brute and masked demons.


    "You all stay here for now, I will call for you when I figure out a few things."


    When he went out Hao Xuan was halfway up the stairs. Thest demonic blob that was blocking the exit had already been turned into a puddle of ck liquid which gave Eurig an uneasy feeling.


    Those blobs might not be very powerful but they were near indestructible. One needed to destroy everyst drop of goo their bodies were made off to actually kill them which was what Wern did by unleashing all of his Qi at once.


    But in his eyes, Hao Xuan had just killed two of them by randomly ''punching them''. Even he couldn''t see the spectral bones floating inside their bodies.


    ''Even though they were mere foot soldiers I still need to tell him to stop killing the servants of the savior. Does he not realize what he is doing?''


    He caught up to Hao Xuan as they navigated the many interconnected hallways of the building. The closer they go to the exit the noisier it became.


    ring screams wereing from all around mixed with the non-stop yelling and shouting as people ran around in a panic.


    But all that noise couldn''t reach Hao Xuan''s ears. What he was seeing around him was much different than what the others saw.


    In his eyes, instead of an intact building they were walking through old ruins. He could feel the cold air brushing against his face and see numerous shadowy figures staring at him from every corner.


    When they finally exited the building Hao Xuan couldn''t help but gasp lightly under his breath. There were hundreds more of them blocking the view. The entire street, every roof of every nearby building was covered by these figures.


    And they were all looking right at him. He could see their lips moving as they mumbled something but he couldn''t make out what it was. Still, with these thousands of voices ovepping with one another it got loud enough to drown out most other sounds.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and focused his mind, "Hey...do you see them?"


    Eurig looked around but other than a few people running by from the corner of the street there was nobody else in sight.


    "See...who?"


    "You don''t hear them either?"


    "No...?"


    "So it''s just me then. Go, lead the way."


    "Yes," even more confused than before, Eurig obliged and walked ahead of him.


    Hao Xuan paid close attention to him as Eurig went up to the figures before passing through them as if they weren''t even there. Seeing as nothing happened to him Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and did the same, pretending not to see the figures.


    Unfortunately, that did not help whatsoever because the moment he came into contact with the first few figures they entered his body and disappeared.


    He grimaced from the waves of pain that were closely followed by a string of memories. Memories that weren''t his but still he experienced them as if they were.


    In just a couple of seconds he was able to go through the entire lifetimes of several individuals, from the moment they were born till they met their untimely demise.


    Hao Xuan stepped back as a burning sensation spread out from both his eyes and went towards his brain. A most unwee feeling.


    "Baracus, what are these figures? Can you see them?"


    *Beep*


    "Positive. Three humanoid males approximately 8 meters ahead."


    "NO- not them. The thousands of others standing all around."


    "Negative. Sensors do not pick up any physical entities within a radius of 30 meters."


    "Wait, how did I get here in the first ce?"


    Only now did he realize the extreme oddity of the situation. The world started to spin as small fragments came flooding back.


    "I was at...the- dream. I was dreaming, I remember now. I went to see the grand priestess and then-"


    *WOOSH*


    He tried to recall and the memories came back.


    "Keuk!"


    One poorly lived lifetime after another he started to remember them and as he did, the faces of all the shadowy figures suddenly became clear. They were him.. He had lived as each one of them through their births to every dreadful end.

 Chapter 1060 - Lets Make Sure

    <h4>Chapter 1060 - Let''s Make Sure</h4>


    **Continuation from CH: 1010 titled ''Like the Rest''.


    Ma Jiang stormed up the stairs in a huff and ran into the first chamber. Taking a quick look around she unexpectedly paused upon seeing the grand priestess sitting on the other side of the room.


    Her haggard appearance made it look like she had been put through the blender but at least she was resting peacefully now.


    Right across from where she was standing was the entrance to the second chamber that was already half-opened. As she got closer the chaos could be felt much more clearly.


    To her it felt like a cold and dark ce which wasn''t far from the truth. Still, she steeled her heart and entered. The door closed behind her by itself.


    Ma Jiang moved her hands in front of her face defensively as she pushed deeper into the mass of swirling chaos. But a few steps in and it abruptly calmed down.


    She lowered her hands and looked around to see countless figures standing around her. They were made from the chaos itself, or rather, the chaos was taking the shape of these individuals.


    It was even more strange because when she looked behind her there were never-ending rows of simr figures that seemingly went on for miles but she had only taken a handful of steps since first entering the chamber.


    And to the front of her, just a few meters ahead she could see Hao Xuan kneeling on the ground. Above him was a swirling mass of sma that looked like the same miniature sun that Jin Wang had seen but a little dimmer. (mentioned in detail in CH 9777 titled "Squalor")


    Princess Ceni was already standing in front of him with a troubled expression so Ma Jiang sidestepped the chaos figures that were in the way and went up to them.


    She was thinking about what to say when Princess Ceni spoke up first.


    "Can you feel it too?"


    Ma Jiang had no idea what she was talking about so she just shook her head while moving behind Hao Xuan to get in position. She cleared up the ground and sat down half a meter behind him, cing the formation disk in between them as Jin Wang had instructed.


    Princess Ceni got on her knees mimicking Hao Xuan and gently cupped his face with both hands while muttering under her breath, "I can. Just crumbs of it but it''s so terrible, all that pain. I wish I could take his ce."


    Strangely enough neither of them were affected by the gravity field even though it was still there.


    It was eerily quiet in the chamber so every little vocalized thought clearly echoed throughout.


    Ma Jiang kept her silence. There was not much she could do here other than focus on her part so she did just that.


    With both eyes closed, she sat cross-legged since that was the mostfortable position for her and focused. She tuned out everything else until only the disk remained in front of her.


    But shockingly, in that empty void of her mind a voice was heard.


    "You shouldn''t be here," a child whispered into her ear, "Why did you leave me behind?"


    Ma Jiang was pulled out of the meditative state as her body jerked back before ncing to the right where the voice hade from but found nothing.


    "What''s wrong?" Princess Ceni leaned over upon hearing the noise.


    "N-Nothing-Nothing at all," Ma Jiang responded instinctively.


    ''That''s not possible, I''m just hearing things,'' she told herself.


    "Is everything ready then or do you need more time?"


    "I''m ready. Please take off his shirt. I will need to ce the disk directly on his back when he wakes up."


    Ceni unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it down absentmindedly but when she saw what was happening underneath a horrified gasp escaped her lips.


    "OhMyGod!"


    Ma Jiang had much the same reaction because now they could clearly see Hao Xuan''s skin changing continuously.


    Old scars appeared almost every second as all types of wounds were being painted across his body. Some looked like bullet holes while a vast majority were made by sharp des while others by blunt objects.


    A wound would appear and close up in less than a second before a new one popped up right on top of it, superimposing his body like it was a canvas being painted by a thousand different artists at once.


    "What is that?!"


    Princess Ceni brushed her fingers across his body, feeling every misshapen bump and blemish along the way.


    "Even though he is dreaming but I think his mind is confusing them for reality and reflecting the wounds he receives in there on his physical body out here, trying to make sense of it."


    Ma Jiang extended her hands to channel a string of spiritual sense into Hao Xuan''s body to inspect his condition.


    "He can''t keep this up for long. Soon his body will run out of vitality and blood essence and then the wounds won''t be able to heal."


    "Then let''s make sure it doesn''te to that."

 Chapter 1061 - Trickery

    <h4>Chapter 1061 - Trickery</h4>


    Without wasting any more time Princess Ceni got in position in front of Hao Xuan while Ma Jiang circted her mana before slowly feeding it to the formation disk.


    It began to glow as numerous hair-like roots made from Ma Jiang''s nature energy came out from the sides and went straight towards Hao Xuan''s body. He jerked once but nothing else changed.


    All Ma Jiang had to do was keep her mana going into the formation disc while it basically did all the work in her stead.


    There were already two spells inscribed on its body that were both activated simultaneously. The first one was on the surface and it was meant to facilitate Princess Ceni as she ventured into the depths of Hao Xuan''s soul.


    The second one was inscribed on the bottom of the disc and its purpose was to separate the alien existence from within Hao Xuan''s mind pce, one very specific existence that was named Mr. Hyde.


    The roots entered Hao Xuan''s body and went directly towards his head without disturbing anything along the way. Theypletely wrapped around his brain before entering the Mind Pce.


    The Mind Pce itself was shrouded in the same chaos that was in the chamber outside, only it was much denser and a lot more pure in here.


    The nine torii gates continuously revolved around the main structure spewing out even more chaos as they went along. It was constantly being absorbed by the central structure and parts of it were beginning to change.


    The roots appeared from every corner and snaked their way towards the rightmost door.


    All the severs were dead asleep, almost as if under a spell, so there was no one to stop the roots either. One by one they reached the door and began to climb along its surface to make extremelyplex designs that looked like thousands of circles and semi-circles intersecting in various ways.


    In less than a minute every inch of space was covered by the roots until it became next to impossible to tell if there ever was something else there.


    The roots only stopped moving until the door waspletely sealed. Once that was done they slowly began to retreat but shockingly, the door was not there anymore. Instead it was just a gaping hole that went nowhere.


    The roots began to shrink while withdrawing from the mind pce but not the body as they still remained wrapped around the brain stem.


    At the same time, a miniature door inscribed with the same designs appeared on the bottom of the formation disc. It was somehow transported from inside the Mind Pce to the disc outside without alerting its upant, at least until that moment.


    Mr. Hyde was sitting in the same old chair with his eyes closed when a tremor woke him up.


    "Hm?" he stood up and went over to the window but could not see anything out of the ordinary, "What did he do now?" he grumbled with a frown before walking towards the door.


    He opened it without much forethought and stepped outside but the familiar scene of Hao Xuan''s mind pce that was meant to be there was reced by something entirely different.


    "What...is this?! How is it possible?" he uttered with no small amount of disbelief as a gust of warm summer breeze brushed past his hair.


    The smell of freshly dug earth apanied by a slight stinging sensation reached him, reviving a memory he had not thought of in a very long time.


    "This was...the day I met them-" he muttered as a lump formed in his throat before quickly looking around.


    And this time he saw exactly what he was expecting. There was an old tree atop a small hill a short distance away to the right. A few kids were ying in its shade although most were gathered around the swing fighting over it.


    "Heye on, it''s my turn now!"


    "No, it''s not, it''s my turn!"


    "Liar! You already had your turn!"


    "No I didn''t! I didn''t even get to go once!"


    "I''ll tell Praesul!"


    "Hah! Go ahead, he will agree with me!"


    Two of the boys ran towards a figure standing on the edge of the hill. It was a teenager with a shaved head.


    "Praesul! Brother Praesul they won''t let me have a turn on the swing!" the first boy shouted while the other rebuked from behind.


    "That''s not true at all!"


    Mr. Hyde''s gaze was locked onto the teenager and when he turned around to reveal his face he couldn''t help but stumble back from shock.


    "Older brother..." he muttered through teary eyes.


    The only hair Praesul seemed to have was centered around his eyebrows which were extraordinarily thick. He had a wideset body which was obviously very muscr and coupled with his stern expression it made him look quite unapproachable.


    But the moment he saw the boys his expression lightened making him grin widely.


    "And? What do you want me to do about it? Go tell father," he shrugged.


    "Ha! Father isn''t even here, how are you going to tell him?" the second boyughed but Praesul grabbed his head and turned it to the side.


    "He is right there!"


    "Huh?" x2


    Both the boys turned towards the other side of the hill from where another figure was walking up.


    "FATHER! FATHER IS HERE!" they shouted in unison while sprinting towards him.

 Chapter 1062 - Trickery (continued)

    <h4>Chapter 1062 - Trickery (continued)</h4>


    Both the boys raced down the hill and started running in circles around him.


    "YAY! FATHER IS HERE!" they screamed in unison as loudly as their little bodies possibly could, alerting the others that were still ying under the tree.


    The rest of the group stood beside Praesul waiting for him.


    The one they called father was a middle-aged man with short dark hair. He had a handsome visage but not one that would make him stand out in a crowd. He was neither very tall nor muscr, or at least it was difficult to tell under the loose white robe he was wearing.


    He smiled at the two boys hanging from his legs trying to pat them on the head.


    "Shh, not so loud," he whispered, and only then did the boys notice there was a child in his arms. A 4 or 5-year-old sleeping boy.


    Both the boys stopped and pointed at the child, "Father, who is that?"


    "From now he will be your youngest brother," he answered.


    One of them that had blonde hair frowned and started shaking his head in annoyance, "NO! I don''t want a new brother! I want to be the youngest! I DON''T WANT HIM!" he screamed and ran back up the hill.


    The other boy was left speechless and didn''t know what to do.


    "Go after him, make sure he doesn''t do anything bad," the man said softly.


    The second boy who had long dark hair nodded and bowed lightly, "Yes father," before chasing after him.


    "Lemmy wait for me!"


    As they were heading back Praesul was making his way down. His earlier smile was nowhere to be seen and was reced by a deep frown.


    "Father, this is...?" he asked looking at the child.


    "He is someone very special," the man responded as the child began to snore lightly.


    "But...how is that possible? There were not meant to be any others."


    "I know but the situation has changed. I didn''t expect to find him either."


    "How can that be? We are the chosen ones, it is not fair to the others to add another one to the mix."


    The man looked at Praesul in surprise. He obviously didn''t expect to hear such ament from him.


    "Praesul, you are the oldest of your siblings. Although each one of you was able to receive a portion of my power only you could digest it fully. You are their leader and as such there are some things you will understand with time, things that are not in your control."


    Praesul scoffed, "Not in our control? Father, you are the Emperor of the greatest empire the universe has ever known. How could there be ANYTHING not in your control? We are the chosen ones, the select few that stand above the rest just as the prophecy foretold. How could we let a...mortal into our ranks?"


    The Emperor could do nothing other than sigh in response.


    "Things are not always how they appear Praesul, you will know this soon enough. We are not gods, we are not immune to the gue of themon man. Do not look down on others just because of your status, it is your duty to protect them. For great power alwayses at a great cost."


    "But-"


    "Enough. There will be no more talk of this. I have been far too lenient on you. Prepare yourself, you will head out with the first fleet and clear out the surrounding sectors one by one."


    "C-Clear out sectors?! But that the job of a grunt soldier, not a general''s!"


    "And how will you be a worthy general if you don''t know what your underlings have to go through? What kind of hardships they have to endure on a daily basis? You have learned enough in books, it is now time for experience. Go now!"


    The emperor walked past him without saying anything else, leaving Praesul trembling in anger and shame.


    Mr. Hyde who was watching the scene unfold was forced out of his stupor upon seeing his ugly expression.


    "HOW DARE YOU SHOW ME THIS NONSENSE!"


    He mmed the cane onto the ground, sending out a 10-meter tall wave of me in every direction. But it passed through everything and everyone without doing any damage.


    Mr. Hyde looked around for clues as he spoke, for perhaps a figure that didn''t belong in the scene.


    "SHOW YOURSELF! You dare try to trick me?! I know my brother better than anyone else, Praesul would never say such a thing. He was a good and honest man and an even better leader. He never dismissed anyone or looked down on themon man...let alone me..."


    He said looking at the child sleeping in the Emperor''s embrace. It had simr features to him even at such a young age.


    "DO YOU HEAR ME! ENOUGH WITH YOUR TRICKERY! Do you think you can contain me with such minor magic?!"


    As he said the words his figure began to expand and change.. His face deformed into that of a beast and short, stalky horns sprouted from his forehead to create a crown of thorns.

 Chapter 1063 - Times Long Gone

    <h4>Chapter 1063 - Times Long Gone</h4>


    Corporeal energies surrounded most of his new form while revealing only small fractions of it hidden underneath. There was a massive serpentine tail slithering below and a devilish winged beast form above.


    It was the farthest thing from a human but his original face was still immactely preserved as is, although it was contorted in anger as he swung four massive arms into the ground trying to turn it over.


    "SHOW YOURSELF COWARD! YOU DARE IMPRISON A PRINCE OF HELL?!"


    The ground cracked and broke apart as waves upon waves of blood poured out from below. It looked like the earth was bleeding.


    The blood congregated around him before spreading outward in a 5-meter tall wave.


    Everything was dyed red for a moment but theke of blood receded he saw that the scene had begun to y from the beginning.


    "How...is this possible?! REVEAL YOURSELF!" he screamed in a fit of rage, once again releasing his vile energies into the world.


    The formation disk shook once but it wasn''t even enough to garner Ma Jiang''s attention.


    Right now she was looking at Princess Ceni with a troubled expression as she ryed Jin Wang''s words.


    "You have to be careful not to get lost in there. The faster you leave the better so please be quick. You have to convince him that he is living in a fake reality and out here is where he has to return."


    Princess Ceni nodded while taking short breaths. For some reason she was a bit too nervous going in.


    "It''s not real, it''s not real. I know, I believe. I will bring him back no matter what," she repeated over and over again under her breath almost like a mantra.


    "Ready?" Ma Jiang asked one final time and Princess Ceni nodded wordlessly.


    "Begin."


    Princess Ceni reached out and ced both hands on the side of Hao Xuan''s head. Her thumbs met over his forehead while a barely discernable red Qi exuded from the palm of each hand to create a full circle around his head.


    His eyes were half-open but they werepletely zed over. Princess Ceni positioned herself until she was on the same level and both were looking into each other''s eyes.


    For an instant her pupils turned into bright red burning halos as her consciousness was shot into the depths of his mind.


    For her the world turned dark and when she came to the scene had changed.


    She was standing in a void surrounded by countless flickering images. Rows upon rows of them ovepped with one another to cover everything in sight.


    "Are these...it?" she mumbled uncertainly.


    There were thousands of voices and images all being yed at once and it was extremely difficult to tell which voice wasing from where.


    But some of them were very obviously louder and much more coherent than the rest.


    Princess Ceni focused on one such flickering image that caught her eye. It showed the fiery siege of a magnificent floating castle. Three moons hovered in the northern sky and a dark red blood moon shone on the south as balls of fire continuously rained from the sky.


    Down below what wasn''t set on fire was covered in blood and flesh as there were numerous bodies strewn all over the ce. Princess Ceni inched closer to inspect in more detail.


    "This...I know this ce...I have seen it before," she mumbled with no small amount of incredulity while racking her brain trying to recall where she had seen it.


    The main castle walls were iid with a peculiar-looking white stone that absorbed the light from the sun and the moons.


    She gasped upon noticing the oddyout of the white stone blocks. From afar they made the symbol of three intersecting curved swords, she remembered where she had seen it before.


    "The capital city of the ancient Luna Empire! It was in one of the history books mother gave me on my twelfth birthday!"


    Although the images in the book were before the final siege she still recognized those white stones and the sword designs they made.


    "But...how is this possible? The Luna Empire existed some seventeen million years ago in the outer world. It was a symbol of prosperity and human excellence but was destroyed almost overnight. To this day no one knows how or even why it happened, only that numerous unidentifiable forces joined hands toy waste to the royal city, destroying every trace of it."


    She stepped back and peered at the other image streams, several of which she recognized at first nce.


    "The Great Gates of Babylon, the Sea of neverending stars, the greatbyrinth of the Abyss Goddess Nyx, the old Wayfarers harbor at the edge of the known world, how- is this possible?"


    The more she opened her mind and looked the more she found.


    "The towering city of Masedonia that was the birthce of the first artificial beings. The city of lost souls that existed before the age of strife.. E-Even a sun furnace! These ces are of myth and legend, even their existence is kept secret from the lower beings. How can you-"

 Chapter 1064 - A Decided End.

    <h4>Chapter 1064 - A Decided End.</h4>


    "How can you- WHO!"


    Before she could finish the sentence the very obvious sound of wings pping came from behind her apanied by an extremely bright light.


    Princess Ceni tried to turn around and face its source but before she could do so a hand reached out and gently pushed her from behind.


    It was just a light tap but she lost all control of her body as it was flung into the flickering image that she was right in front of her, the image of the castle under siege.


    "NO!" she screamed trying to stop herself but to no avail. The moment her body came into contact with the image she could feel herself being pulled inside. And at that veryst instant a voice spoke up from behind her.


    "It is not yet done. When it is time I will give you one whole lifetime to make him ept the truth but until then, you may only watch."


    The voice belonged to a woman but not one she recognized.


    "WHO ARE YOU?!" she questioned in a mix of rage and jealousy but the answer presented itself a momentter.


    ''It''s her! But how?! And in here?''


    That was herst thought as the scene turned to ck. Princess Ceni''s consciousness was being pulled in a dozen different directions until finally she was allowed to freefall.


    rm bells rang out from within her mind because there was nothing she could do other than brace for the final impact.


    "GAH!"


    She opened her eyes and looked around in a panic.


    "Hah hah hah, where am I- !?"


    Her voice sounded different, not only younger but a lot less mature. She looked down and saw the bed she was sleeping in. Her body was covered in a cold sweat.


    "What''s going on?"


    She slowly got off and stepped on something soft.


    *Whine~*


    A surprised squeaky wail came from under her foot making her jump away.


    "Show yourself!" she ordered and from under the bed a small four-legged furry creature appeared.


    Its fur was white and blue in color with two small wings on its back. It had the face of a panda with short stumpy legs. It was hugging its tail which Princess Ceni had stepped on.


    "What...are you?"


    It behaved like a dog but looked nothing like one. It ran up to her and tried to climb up her legs but only managed to jump a few centimeters each time.


    "You''re too fat," shemented seeing as its round body was far too big for those tiny wings.


    *Whine~"


    It looked down on its protruding stomach with a hurt expression.


    "You can understand me?!"


    The creature nodded gloomily, still rubbing its stomach. Princess Ceni sighed and picked it up, letting it nuzzle in her embrace.


    She walked up to a giant mirror that was ced across from the bed to inspect herself. As expected she did not look like herself.


    The one looking back at her from the mirror was perhaps a 13 or 14-year-old girl. She was definitely beautiful even at such a young age but apart from that, there were no indications of her real identity.


    The room was big, much bigger than it had any reason being. It was a little messy with many things strewn across the floor but everything in sight looked expensive. From the clothes and the jewelry to even the furniture.


    It was a pretty good bet to think she came from a rich background. She bent down and picked up a ne that had red crystals embedded after every chainlink. She lightly brushed the surface of the crystals and felt the cold exterior.


    If she didn''t have her memory there would be no way to tell this wasn''t real.


    She looked down at the creature in her embrace and felt its tiny little thumping heartbeat and it made her even more fearful.


    "Where the hell am I? I need to find Hao Xuan and leave this ce as soon as possible!"


    She even began to doubt her ability to convince Hao Xuan but the faster she got to it the better it would be for everyone involved.


    *Treeeemble*


    Just at that moment a small earthquake forced her awake. She ran up to the window and saw a crack in the sky. It looked like the w of some humongous creature was trying to break the sky open.


    *BANG*


    The door was forced opened behind her with a loud bang and a small army of maids ran in.


    "Mydy!" several of them screamed loudly upon finding the bed empty until they saw her standing by the window.


    Princess Ceni obviously didn''t recognize any of those faces but it was quite obvious who was in charge. It was a middle-aged woman that was much moreposed than the others even in this situation.


    "What''s going on?" Princess Ceni asked the head maid.


    "We must get you ready, your Highness."


    "Ready for what?"


    "The protection spell of the inner court has been breached and the castle will be overrun soon.. The royal guards will be here to escort you to safety."

 Chapter 1065 - Head Maid

    <h4>Chapter 1065 - Head Maid</h4>


    "To safety?"


    Princess Ceni peered out of the window towards the sky which was now swarming with numerous flying objects while hundreds more fell to the ground.


    The crack was now at least a few kilometers wide, just enough to reveal arge portion of the creature that was trying to breakthrough. It had a long cylindrical head with two sets of U-shaped horns on the side.


    It had no eyes but instead, the entire lower portion of the face was a roaring toothy maw that had a humanoid face inside. Its body was an ashen ck and looking in its direction for even a few seconds left Princess Ceni in blinding pain.


    She quickly closed her eyes, falling into a brief period of contemtion.


    ''It looks like this is indeed the Luna Empire, and on the night of the siege to boot. These people probably don''t think this is a big deal but no one makes it out of the city, not a single soul. I must find Hao Xuan quickly before it''s toote. If I am here then he can''t be too far away either.''


    The head maid walked up to her and gently held her hand, "Your highness."


    Princess Ceni opened her eyes and met her concerned gaze, startling the head maid because there was not an ounce of fear anywhere.


    "Where will I go?" she asked emotionlessly.


    "To...safety."


    "You already said that but where is that and more importantly, how? When will the royal guard get here?"


    The head maid couldn''t believe what she was seeing. The spoiled brat of a princess she had known and loved all her life had changed in the blink of an eye, almost like she was apletely different person.


    "Are you alright, your highness?" she whispered, "You don''t have to be. Everyone would understand if-"


    "Why wouldn''t I be alright? I just want to speed things up."


    The head maid nodded and took a step back.


    "Yes...you are right. Bring the gown!"


    She pped her hands gesturing for the other maids toe over. They had already cleared the bed andid out several items on it. One of these items was a long silver dress that looked like something one would wear to a ball rather than in times of war like this.


    But thinking about something like that did not matter at all, not anymore. This ce, all these people were already long dead. Whatever this was, it was not real. It was imperative she believed that.


    The maids helped dress Princess Ceni, even going through the trouble of putting on several pieces of jewelry.


    She managed to hold herself back because arguing with them would only waste more time. The ''protection spell'' waspletely broken by the time they finished and the humungous creature had begun toy waste to the castle.


    It was fighting with something else but Princess Ceni could not clearly see what it was since it was much smaller in size.


    Another explosion rang out from somewhere below followed by ear-piercing screams. The faces of all the maids fell in an instant as they looked to the head maid.


    She took something out of her sleeve before putting it back after a quick look.


    "They have broken into the tower. It will still be a few minutes until the royal guards arrive. I will take the princess to the northern tower, you all know what to do."


    The maids nodded and bowed from the waist, "Please be safe, your highness."


    The head maid took Princess Ceni by the arm and led her out of a secret entrance that opened up from behind the mirror. None of the other maids came with.


    Princess Ceni watched as they manually closed the entrance, making her wonder what the n was.


    "What will happen to them?"


    "They will do what they were brought here to do, protect you until thest moment. They all have the same features as you so once they wear your clothes each one of them will head in a different direction to confuse the enemy."


    Princess Ceni went silent for a moment before asking, "So they are distractions to buy time for me. Do they know what kind of end waits for them once they are caught?"


    "Of course," the head maid replied without any hesitation, "It is their duty and honor to die if it means the princess can live."


    ''But she won''t, no one will.''


    The head maid seemed to know exactly where to go as she expertly navigated the neverending maze of corridors that connected to each and every room within the castle.


    But it looked like most of the ces were already overrun as soldiers d in white armor ransacked and ughtered without discrimination.


    The head maid kept looking at the item hidden within her sleeve every few seconds until they reached the dungeons.


    This was the only ce still untouched by the intruders, although they were not far behind from the sound of it.


    "I must leave you here," the head maid finally let go of her arm, "The King has sent both the captain and the vice-captain of the royal guards to escort you outside.. You must do whatever they tell you to."

 Chapter 1066 - Treasure Medallion

    <h4>Chapter 1066 - Treasure Medallion</h4>


    She finally took out the object that was hidden with her sleeve and handed it over to Princess Ceni.


    It was a white jade talisman with three rotating dials and 24 symbols she had never seen before. And before Princess Ceni could ask what it was she exined its purpose.


    "This is a magical item that the entire Luna Empire was created upon. His majesty entrusted it to me yesterday because he expected something like this to happen. Now it''s yours."


    Hearing that even Princess Ceni couldn''t help but get interested. She inspected its surface in more detail.


    Each dial moved independently than the others and they were all pointing in different directions. The symbols she had no idea about but surely the real owner of this body would recognize them.


    "What does it do? Why it is so important?"


    "His Majesty said the princess must figure out its real purpose by herself, so that she may prove herself worthy to wield it. But until then you can still use the dials like anyone else. The first one points to the nearest vein of spiritual energy, it''s where all the energies of the world congregate."


    "The second dial points to the nearest location where a hidden treasure will be buried. But the third dial is a little different. Once you have made the talisman''s spirit submit to you, you can make thest dial point to any single thing you want."


    "Right now, his majesty has made so that the third dial points to the true sessor of the Empire''s Sword Technique."


    Princess Ceni''s brow immediately locked in a tight furrow the moment she heard about the sword technique. The books she had read didn''t mention much about it other than that it was created by the first king and only passed down to one person every generation.


    And as expectantly, only the next crown prince was allowed to learn it. But aside from that, she didn''t even know what it was called.


    Even as a child she found it odd because it looked like all information regarding this sword technique was purposefully erased from the annals of history, which was even more strange when considering the fact that it was one of the defining pirs of the Luna Empire.


    It was said that no one that had learned this sword technique in its entirety had ever tasted defeat in singlebat.


    It would be a lie if Princess Ceni said that her heart didn''t waver for a moment recalling these facts. She didn''t use swords but even then she wanted to at least see it once.


    ''From the older generation only the current king knows the sword technique and since he doesn''t have any sons it has to be an outsider. But considering who he sent for me it should be the captain of the royal guard, right?''


    She looked down at thest dial, her grip unknowingly tightening around the treasure medallion of the Luna Empire. Something like this could make or break a kingdom.


    Able to find spiritual veins and hidden treasures, there was no way to even measure how avable it was. With it in hand, anyone could be the ruler.


    ''Too bad all this is nothing but a dream. If I had something like this I would not need anything else.''


    By the time she awoke from her stupor the head maid was already gone. The only entrance was closed shut although she could hear the sound of fighting from the other side.


    "CATCH HER ALIVE! SHE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS WHERE THE PRINCESS IS!" a ring voice ordered.


    *Sigh*


    ''It''s not real,'' she told herself before turning around and venturing deeper into the dungeon.


    There were multiple pathways going in each and every direction but thankfully she was able to navigate them by using the third dial which was leading her towards the sessor.


    She walked for what felt like at least an hour, passing by some truly horrid ces. The smells of rotting corpses, feces and all kinds of other decaying matter were apanied by guttural roars and beastly howls along the way.


    ''I don''t even want to imagine what horrors are imprisoned within these dungeons. But for an empire thatsted millions of years it can''t be anything good.''


    She could quite literally see the light at the end of the tunnel as the exit appeared not soon after. She unknowingly let out a breath of relief. Without the dial there was no way even an army was getting through that dungeon anytime soon.


    As her thoughts reached this point she paused for a moment to consider the significance of those words, ''Then does that mean the princess somehow made it out? And this treasure medallion with her?!''


    More than a little excited to find out what really happened, Princess Ceni picked up her pace (and dress) to sprint towards the exit.

 Chapter 1067 - Nobleman

    <h4>Chapter 1067 - Nobleman</h4>


    Princess Ceni could feel her heart beating faster with every step thinking that she would be able to know the truth behind one of the biggest mysteries of thest era.


    The fall of the Luna Empire was the start of a universe-wide snowball effect that signaled the end of an era, and one that saw the birth of the ''New Republic''.


    Regardless of whether the information rted to the Luna Empire was purposefully kept hidden or lost to time, she would now know the true reality of itsst days.


    The light at the end of the tunnel got brighter and brighter until Princess Ceni found herself standing in an old graveyard. It was illuminated by the light of the three moons hovering in the sky.


    Upon not finding anyone after a quick look around Princess Ceni found herself reaching for the medallion once again.


    ''Didn''t the maid say they were going toe for me? If I had actually waited I would still be standing there. What kind of unprofessional guards are these?''


    The dials spun in circles until the third one suddenly changed directions. Initially it was pointing straight ahead but it changed to the extreme left in an instant.


    *Whoooosh~*


    Gusts of cold wind blew through the otherwise empty graveyard making her shudder. She stroked her naked arms trying to warm herself up while slowly moving forward, inwardly cursing whoever came up with the ridiculous idea of making her wear a dress like this in such a situation.


    She followed the third dial of the medallion for five minutes or so until a forest came into view. And along its boundary were three armored figures pacing back and forth.


    They were adorned in extravagant looking silvery-white full-body armors that covered every single space on their bodies. There was only a T-shaped slit on their helmets where the eyes and nose could be seen.


    ''Are they part of the Royal Guards? Why are they just standing out there? Don''t tell me they are afraid of stepping into the graveyard...right?''


    Her confidence in these so-called saviors of her kept dwindling the more she thought about it. And it was around this time that one of them saw her approaching and alerted the other two.


    "Is that her?"


    "I don''t know, I''ve never seen her before."


    "But she is wearing that fancy dress, it HAS to be her."


    "She could be another decoy. Why would the Princess wear an extravagant dress like that when she is trying to escape? It would only bring her more attention."


    "Let''s just ask her then."


    "Oi yo- Are you the Princess?"


    Princess Ceni froze midstride.


    ''What kind of Royal Guards don''t even know the face of the Kingdom''s princess?''


    These men were obviously imposters.


    ''Did she die here? To these simpletons?''


    She began to slowly edge backward but when she checked the medallion the third dial was still pointing in the direction of those men.


    "She''s running away!"


    "What should we do? Chase her?"


    "You chase her, I''m not going in that cursed ce! You saw what happened to the others!"


    Despite them trying to keep their voices low Princess Ceni could hear everything they were saying, and with surprising rity to boot.


    ''Is there a spell on the graveyard? If only members of her bloodline are buried here then there could be a few curses that would affect any outsiders that step inside. That must be it!''


    Princess Ceni had heard of this kind of magic before, although it was now long lost. They were used as ast resort in the olden times to protect their descendants and it was very likely one of them was cast here.


    She got some confidence and decided to hold her ground instead of running away, not that there was anywhere else to go.


    "Where is your captain?"


    "Ah- see, it is her. Your majesty if you would follow us we will take you to him," one of them stepped forward and awkwardly bowed. Clearly it was his first time doing something like this.


    "No, I will wait for him here."


    "This woman- Get out now!" they threw all decorum out of the window and shouted at her toe out, "This is not the time to be ying games!"


    Princess Ceni''s eyes narrowed. Her suspicions were all but confirmed, the captain and the vice-caption were probably both already done. She turned around to leave when a deep voice came from behind.


    "Enough! Fall back, all of you!"


    "Yes, captain." x3


    Princess Ceni looked over her shoulder and saw a man stepping out of the forest. He wore a simr kind of armor as the others only his was much more elegant and missing a helmet.


    He was not only much taller than the others but also dashingly handsome man with flowing golden hair that oozed with heroic charm. One look was enough to tell he was not ordinary.


    Seeing the princess he immediately got down on one knee, "Your highness, the King has sent me to escort you out of the empire.. Please step outside, only those of your noble house can step foot inside the cemetery ande out unscathed."

 Chapter 1068 - Old Problems

    <h4>Chapter 1068 - Old Problems</h4>


    It was like looking at a hero from some children''s storybook. He arrived in the nick of time to save the princess in distress.


    And she would be lying if she said her resolve wasn''t shaken for a brief moment. With just a few words he managed to instill a sense of surety and safety as if everything was going to be alright.


    But Princess Ceni wasn''t the naive child the original owner of this body was and quickly snapped out of it.


    "Father sent you?" she asked skeptically.


    The entire capital city was under siege and yet this man that should have been at the forefront of the battle against the invaders looked like he had just woken up from a beauty nap. There was not a drop of blood or a single mark anywhere on his shiny new armor.


    ''No matter how naive she was even this little girl would have seen that. He is obviously hiding something and maybe even working with the invaders. But do I have any other choice? It''s not like I can change the oue of that day.''


    After briefly going over all the options at her disposal Princess Ceni chose the one that would make these events move faster.


    ''I should just do what she would have done. Since she knew and trusted this man then the chances are she missed all the obvious signs and fell right into his trap.''


    "Yes!" she put on a flowery smile and scrambled towards him.


    Seeing as how easily she fell for it the other guardsmen openlyughed at her. The captain got back on his feet and held out his hand while maintaining that gracious attitude, teetering on the very edge of the cemetery.


    Princess Ceni was already prepared for the worst. Since the third dial was pointing directly at the captain that meant he was the sessor and either he had betrayed the Luna Empire from the beginning or decided to run away amidst the chaos.


    But when she was about two meters away from him something unexpected happened.


    The leaves suddenly rustled loudly and a fifth figure appeared with a strong gust of wind that sent the princess tumbling back.


    The guardsmen immediately drew their weapons while the captain remained unfazed although his previous warm expression was now gone. He turned around halfway to peer towards the new arrival, "You''re here."


    Princess Ceni lowered her hands to see who he was talking to. It was a knight in in old grey armor.


    He was about the same height as the captain but since he too was wearing full-body armor no other details could be made out.


    And yet his armor spoke volumes.


    It was covered in cuts and scratches, some new but mostly old. There was fresh blood on his unsheathed ck sword and even more dripped from the chest piece that was smeared with it.


    He had obviouslye from a battle and a deadly one at that.


    "How did you find me?" the captain inquired.


    The ''grey knight'' gestured towards the three guardsmen, "Your new recruits are quite chatty."


    The captain scoffed, "Tsk, that''s what I get for picking men from the great houses. All bark no bite, they couldn''t even injure you huh?"


    The guardsmen took the hint and stepped between the captain and the grey knight. They needed to prove themselves here.


    "Vice-captain, please drop your de!" one of them shouted.


    ''This is the vice-captain of the Royal Guards? I almost forgot he was meant toe here too but is he not with them?''


    After listening to them talking anyone would be able to tell what was going on. The vice-captain was not included in the captain''s n for whatever reason and he had even gone as far as trying to kill him.


    "VICE-CAPTAIN!" the guardsmen screamed again while pointing their swords at him but he did not move in the slightest. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the captain.


    "Why did you do it?"


    The captain shrugged innocently, "Do what?"


    "Why did you betray the empire? Why did you betray the king? THIS IS OUR HOME!"


    Hearing the words made the captain''s face contort in anger as he finally lost control of his emotions, "No it''s THEIR HOME! IT WAS NEVER OURS NOR WOULD IT EVER BE!"


    A heavy pressure fell on everyone present as slivery moonlight congregated around the captain''s body.


    "HOW LONG DID WE FIGHT FOR THEM? HUH?" he caught himself in the moment and lowered his voice a tad bit while grinding his teeth.


    "One war after another, from one battleground to the next without rest, how many have we killed for the glory of the empire in thest decade alone? And what has it done for us?"


    "The nobles get richer and fatter while we, the ones doing all the work are left to fend for ourselves. How many of our brothers can barely afford to feed their families in these times? We live from one month to the next and for what?"


    Princess Ceni who was silently listening from the side couldn''t help but shake her head.


    ''So the great Luna Empire was also littered with problems. I don''t really me him if that''s the case.''


    But what the vice-captain said afterward made her change her mind.

 Chapter 1069 - The First Step-

    <h4>Chapter 1069 - The First Step-</h4>


    "We have known each other since before we could walk. I know you better than anyone alive so the least you can do is don''t lie to my face. You couldn''t care any less about our ''brothers'' if your life depended on it. Tell me the truth, why? Why now after all this time?"


    Both Princess Ceni and the guardsmen held their breaths waiting for the answer. It had gotten everyone curious.


    The captain chuckled softly,pletely throwing away his previous ''loyal soldier'' persona.


    "This is why I always liked you. You didn''t let your emotions cloud your judgment or hold you back. I admit it, it was because he didn''t give me what was mine. That greedy old fool kept the sword scripture that he promised me so why would I continue to risk my life for his empire?"


    "I only followed him this long because he promised to one day let me learn the sword scripture that even made the God of War interested, that''s all. But as the years went by he kept pushing it back saying I wasn''t ready, that I would not bepatible with it. It was obvious he wasn''t nning on giving it to me at all so I decided to look elsewhere."


    "I reached out to the enemies of the Empire both old and new, to everyone that would want to see it burn. It took a decade and a half but I finally managed to pull it off hahaha."


    He paused for a moment with a pondering expression before meeting the vice-captain''s gaze again.


    "Come with me, brother. The Luna Empire will fall today and all that it was will be wiped out of existence. But there is always a need for people like us, like you and me. We were born to be fighters, to be warriors. You were right in saying that perhaps you are the only one who knows me so well, just like I know you."


    "I know very well that in our generation only you were my equal, and if you didn''t have those injuries perhaps you would have surpassed me long ago so..e with me. They are building something unique, a new ''Republic'' where no one empire can outdo the others."


    "We will have a ce there, we will have purpose! We can fight all we want, we can go and do whatever we want! We will be their champions and in turn they will let us learn any sacred texts, battle techniques, hidden manuals, orbat skills that catch our eye. I have already gotten my hands on a handful of them!"


    "For warriors like us this is no better ce. With you by my side we can create a dynasty that willst eons! Nothing will stand in our way!"


    The captain finally finished his sermon and waited for the vice-captain''s answer.


    But Princess Ceni on the other hand was more confused than ever. She took out the medallion and raised it in front of her. The third dial spun around once before pointing straight ahead.


    The sessor of the Luna Empire''s sword technique was here. With furrowed brows she leaned slightly to the left and watched as the dial moved just a little. Previously she was sitting in line with the captain so it was hard to tell but now that she moved it was obvious it wasn''t him.


    The dial pointed right at the vice-caption just as he spoke up.


    "Is that it? Greed? More blood and war? That''s why you betrayed everything you stood for? Betrayed the King you swore to protect and the kingdom you helped build? For something as trivial as a ''sword skill'' you killed your own brothers and burned down their homes? And you want ME to join YOU?! I thought you knew me better."


    The captain didn''t look surprised at all.


    "I do know you, old friend. That''s why I never even considered talking to you about this. Your blind faith in that old fool was never in question."


    He reached to the side and slowly withdrew his own exquisite silver de.


    "So be it. Although I would rather have you by my side we both know that will never happen. You can die how you lived, like the empire''s loyalpdog," he finished by pointing the silver de towards him.


    The pressure increased tenfold and the ground near the captain was ttened even further as if a giant hammer had crushed it down. It wasn''t even aimed at Princess Ceni but she could barely even raise her head.


    The vice-captain shook his head, "His Majesty was right about you. You are not worthy to learn it. Instead of controlling the de you would have let it control you instead. That''s why you would have never managed to reach the final step."


    The captain scoffed lightly, "And what would you know of it?"


    "I do know, old friend," the vice-captain raised his ck sword in front of his chest, "I know it much better than you ever will."


    Where the pressure from the captain was overbearing to the point that it felt like someone was pushing a boot on your throat, when the vice-captain raised his de it had no presence whatsoever.


    No extraordinary aura or even sword intent could be felt from him. In fact if one wasn''t looking directly at him it would be easy to miss himpletely.


    He took in a deep breath that created a small whirlwind around him.


    "Let me show you why the Luna Empire has stood the test of time for this long and why only one man from each generation is allowed to learn it. It is not because of the difficulty of the skill but rather its very nature. The universe would not allow such a force to be replicated because only one was enough to trample upon all of existence."


    The captain finally realized what was going on as his dumbfounded expression urately portrayed his inner feelings.


    "No! That can''t be you- STOP HIM!" he shouted at the top of his lungs before lunging forward.


    Unfortunately, the guardsmen were not as quick to react even though they were much closer to him.


    The vice-captain pulled the de back along his chest and pointed it straight ahead.


    "First step to rule the Mortal World!"

 Chapter 1070 - Third Step-

    <h4>Chapter 1070 - Third Step-</h4>


    "First Step to Rule the Mortal World!"


    To Princess Ceni''s inexperienced eyes it looked like the vice-captain was moving in slow motion. His left foot left the ground and he took exactly one step forward. That was it, that was all she could see.


    But by the time she blinked and the rest of the information was processed by her brain the three guardsmen blocking his path were cut cleanly into two from the top-down.


    And then another half a secondter the captain that had rushed towards him in a flurry of rage apanied by his overpowering spiritual energy was sent shooting back like a meteor.


    His body hit the boundary of the cemetery, or to be more urate the invisible barrier that had materialized around it when he came close.


    It looked like hundreds of ethereal men and women were holding hands trying to keep him froming any closer.


    The captain threw up mouthfuls of blood while his magnificent armor shone brightly under the moonlight for an instant before shattering into particles of light and dissipating into nothingness.


    It had taken the main brunt of the force behind that attack and was destroyed in his stead.


    He fell to his knees vehemently trying to maintain eye contact with the vice-captain.


    Mouth agape, Princess Ceni wasn''t even able to catch the actual movement, only its aftereffects that hadid waste to everything in front of him.


    "YOU *cough* TRAITOR! HE GAVE IT TO YOU! WHY?! HOW!?"


    But it looked like the vice-captain was in no mood to talk anymore as his right foot began to move.


    "Second Step-"


    His words began to reverberate in the surroundings like a promation making the captain finally understand there was no getting out of this anymore.


    Through gritted teeth he raised the silver de once more as eleven giant ethereal swords materialized behind his back.


    Those were his Mind Pces. Not only were there eleven of them but each one was progressively bigger and more grand than thest, with the eleventh and final deing in at a height of gargantuan 700 meters.


    It was so big that only its tip was visible protruding from under theyer of clouds in the atmosphere.


    Princess Ceni could not believe what she was seeing. Never in her life had she even heard about a mind pce able to reach such a level but there it was.


    Silver light poured down from each of the swords and congregated around the captain''s body creating a barrier in the form of smaller versions of the des.


    "KNOW YOUR PLACE! I AM THE CHOSEN ONE, ME! EVEN WITH THOSE YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO KILL-"


    The Vice-captain was unperturbed and his movements never faltered even once. He had the utmost confidence in the sword scripture and even more, in his own abilities. His words fell like thunder and his de like the lighting.


    "Second step to Suppress the Hells below!"


    Princess Ceni opened her eyes as wide as she possibly could and focused wholly on the vice-captain trying to catch something more and this time she seded.


    She saw the vice-captain raise the sword into the air and swing it down in front of him. It was as simple as that, one ordinary swing.


    But unlike thest time, this swing did note silently.


    For just one single moment thatsted less than a fraction of a second she felt like everything around her was reced by an empty white void. Nothing else existed within this light. It was obviously not real, even she could tell that much.


    It was something immaterial brought forth by his actions alone.


    ''Sword Intent! This is his sword intent!'' she screamed inwardly.


    What she was seeing was just a minor portion of it that inadvertently leaked out during the sh.


    It had swallowed everything and when it receded the captain had another gaping wound on his abdomen going down from the left shoulder.


    Of his eleven mind pces only eight were left standing.


    He had somehow managed to redirect the main brunt of the force to his mind pces destroying three of them in the process.


    All that remained of his own silver de was the hilt.


    He could barely stand upright let alone fight back. Tears rolled down his face as the heroic man that had arrived here was nowhere to be seen anymore.


    "Brother...please...don''t do this...I was...mistaken...forgive me..." he implored throughbored breaths, each word costing him a tremendous amount of life force.


    But there was not an ounce of sympathy in the vice-captain''s eyes.


    "Farewell, old friend. I hope we meet again in another life. Perhaps we can change our fates then."


    "Third Step-"


    Realizing the only way to get out of this mess was to kill him, the captain finally epted his fate and bet everything on thisst gamble.


    "So be it...brother. But...I will not go alone!"


    He turned around ring hatefully towards Princess Ceni.


    "Won''t youe with me, your highness?"


    The mind pces hovering in the sky suddenly rotated on their axis and pointed right at the defenseless princess.


    All the silver light surrounding the captain vanished as hepletely gave up on defending. He knew he was going to die today so at the very least he wanted to bring the princess with him, just as ast ''Fuck you'' to the world his old friend was trying to protect.


    And expectantly, the vice-captain was finally taken aback by his actions.


    But instead of running over to save her he closed his eyes and finished uttering the words:


    "Third Step to Shake the Heavens above!"

 Chapter 1071 - Desolation

    <h4>Chapter 1071 - Destion</h4>


    All Princess Ceni could do was watch helplessly in horror as the remaining eight des began to descend upon her position.


    This battle was not something someone of her abilities could even spectate without paying a heavy price so this was expected. If it wasn''t for the cemetery protecting her she would have long been turned to dust under the immense pressure.


    That would also be the case even she was here with her own body.


    The lowest realm one would have to reach to evenpletely physically manifest one''s mind pce was the Saint Realm which was two realms higher than hers back in the real world.


    And even though there was no way to say this with a hundred percent certainty, the captain was quite obviously still a few realms higher than that. Meaning he was almost at the same level as a True-God and the vice-captain had left him unable to defend.


    To even be still in one piece in a battle like this was nothing short of a miracle, although it looked like that miracle was ending soon.


    She was pinned to the ground, unable to even raise her head or cry out for help. All she could do was wait and hope it would be over quickly.


    She started at the night sky that had been nketed in red and yellow mes. The atmosphere itself had been ignited under the forceful exertion of copious amounts of spiritual energy from the Mind Pces.


    For a few seconds everything had be brighter. It looked like the sun had risen but there was no heavenly body in sight.


    Princess Ceni closed her eyes and began to count backward from ten.


    ''It''s not real! This is just a dream,'' she repeatedly told herself as the hair on her head and face began to singe.


    All other sounds were drowned out by the defeaning explosions taking ce overhead but a few words still managed to reach her years.


    "Third Step...heavens..."


    The temperature suddenly lowered giving her a brief moment of respite.


    "Fourth step...Destion.."


    *GASP*


    Gasping for breath she opened her eyes as the unassable torrent of forces pushing her down abruptly went missing.


    The sky was still burning and bleeding red but the swords were not there anymore. Or rather, she was not there anymore.


    Princess Ceni took a quick look around and realized that she wasn''t in the cemetery but somewhere very far away. Far enough that only a vague silhouette of the 700-meter long sword could now be seen on the horizon.


    She had been moved away with such speed that the entire event did not even register with her mind.


    ''It can''t have been teleportation since the space was locked down by the mind pces but then...did he carry me here?''


    Judging by how far she was she must have traveled at several times the speed of light.


    ''How is that possible?! No human could move that fast and still be able to retain a physical form.''


    She checked herself for any peculiarities but found none. Everything was the same as before although it looked like she was still burning up a little.


    *TREEEEMBLE*


    The ground quaked and convulsed as the light on the horizon was snuffed out, pulling the veil of darkness back on the nightly sky.


    The silhouette of thergest sword that was visible a second ago was now nowhere to be seen.


    "It''s...over?" she muttered uncertainly but the very next second it was confirmed when the vice-captain suddenly appeared in front of her.


    More than half of his armor was melted off from the right side and what was left was cracked from various ces and falling apart on its own.


    A portion of the headpiece was also gone revealing his actual face underneath which was horribly mangled and disfigured. In fact that was the case with most of his naked body that was now on disy.


    There were huge patches of blotched skin that had not healed properly. There was not an inch of skin left unscarred and none of them were new from the looks of it. It made her stomach churn but she still couldn''t bear to look away.


    ''Is that why he always covered himself?'' she couldn''t help but think.


    He walked towards Princess Ceni waking her from the daze.


    "Your Highness, you must leave immediately," he extended the right hand but Princess Ceni subconsciously pulled back.


    He looked down and saw that most of his skin was revealed and immediately withdrew his hand.


    "My apologies, I did not mean to show you something so ugly."


    Tearing off his cape he wrapped it around his body to cover himself before extending the left hand this time.


    "N-No you didn''t make-you don''t- I mean you didn''t do anything wrong," she almost bit her tongue stutteringly trying to apologize.


    He had just saved her life and she repaid him by acting like she had seen a ghost. She couldn''t even look him in the eyes anymore but he didn''t notice either way.


    "His Majesty has already prepared everything.. Please allow me to escort you.''

 Chapter 1072 Formalities

    Princess Ceni gingerly epted his offer and took his hand.


    "P-Please, lead the way."


    "Then, do excuse my impertinence."


    "Sorry?- AH!"


    Before she could say anything he bent down and picked her up princess-style. Her face turned red in an instant, "You d-don''t have to, I can walk."


    "You can''t walk to where we''re going, your highness."


    "Huh? What does that mean?"


    Rather than waste even more time exining he showed her exactly what he meant. His knees bent slightly before he pushed against the ground and shot up into the air.


    "AAH!"


    Princess Ceni let out a shriek instinctively but realized she could neither feel the sudden increase in g-forces nor the wind blowing against her face. There was an energy barrier around them both thatpletely separated everything.


    Still, she couldn''t help herself and had to hold onto him for dear life upon seeing the vast expanses ofnd passing underneath.


    They were moving so fast that everything looked like a blur for the first few seconds until they stopped. Thinking they had arrived at the destination Princess Ceni loosened the grip around his cor just as he jumped again.


    "AAH! CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME BEFORE DOING THAT?!" she berated loudly, making him apologize.


    "Please forgive me your highness but you must get as far away as possible."


    Thissted for approximately two minutes with close to twenty-three jumps in total.


    The world began to stabilize around her for thest time, "We''re here."


    She opened her eyes on his assistance and got down, stumbling back and forth for a few steps before steadying herself.


    ''Huh? Sand?''


    Her shoes were covered in grainy yellow sand and before she could ask where they were a gust of salty ocean breeze blew threw garnering her attention.


    She turned around and noticed the sparkling green water as far as the eye could see. A little to the left and further down was a group of ''people'' standing by.


    Upon noticing them a humanoid creature walked came out of the group. It was a merman but a lot more human than the ones Princess Ceni had seen before. He had light blue fish-like scales and gills around his neck while his hands and feet were webbed.


    "Oi, are you here for thest passage?" he asked from afar.


    "Yes," the vice-captain responded.


    He quickly came up to them and cheerfully shook hands with the vice-captain.


    "I don''t know who you are but I really appreciate you financing this expedition sir."


    The vice-captain shook his head once, "It is nothing. As long as you deliver her safely to the other side I will be in your debt."


    "Huh? Deliver who to where?!" <sub> </sub>


    Princess Ceni realized they were talking about her.


    The merman looked at them both and quickly understood what was going on.


    "Well, I will give you two lovebirds a chance to talk while I bring Bertha up."


    He winked towards the vice-captain and sprinted into the water ocean leaving them alone.


    Princess Ceni crossed her arms and refused to move an inch.


    "What is going on? Where are you sending me?"


    "You must go with them, your highness. He will take you to safety, somewhere they won''t ever find you."


    "And where is that?"


    "To one of the other worlds."


    "Th-OTHER WORLD?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! Why don''t you just kill me now and save everyone the trouble?"


    Each world was separated from the other in every way possible. There were no means to travel between them because they simply existed on different wavelengths of reality.


    To actually get to another world and in one piece at that was nothing less than a miracle because one would have to travel through the holes in the fabric of reality.


    They would have to pass through regions of space that werepletely independent of the rest of the universe, where thews of nature and more importantly thews of physics do not apply.


    They would move over the veil and into the abyss, jumping from one segmented ne to another in hopes of finding one that led to another world.


    There was no telling what they found along their journey or even how long it would take. There was a very good chance they might even all die before reaching it or simply be lost forever.


    The vice-captain sighed audibly since he expected some opposition.


    "Your highness, please. His majesty has already cleared this and it is the only option you have left. We cannot trust anyone here and from now on things will only get worse. They will find you as long as you stay here so you must leave for now. Once things are settled I wille look for you myself."


    Princess Ceni looked into his eyes and could tell he was being sincere.


    ''But you won''t, no one will. Tsk, why am I even concerned about this? If I was sent here then that must mean I will find Hao Xuan as long as I do what I am supposed to do. There is no use trying to fight it.''


    "Fine."


    "Thank you, your highness," the vice-captain got down on one knee.


    Even now when there was no one else to witness them he was still keeping up the formalities.


    ''What a stuck-up man, I hate people like that,'' Princess Ceni thought inwardly and moved down the beach where the other people were.


    In total there were about fifteen or so including her. Some young, a few old but all from different backgrounds from the looks of it.


    ''They must have some stories to tell if they are willing to risk their lives trying to go another world.''


    *Ssh*

 Chapter 1073 Found You

    The water began to sh and bubble in the distance scaring several of the youngins but piquing the interest of the older generation that went even closer to see it first hand.


    And right in front of everyone''s eyes a gigantic seashell slowly emerged from the depths of the ocean. It was at least 300 meters in size from what they could see, probably even more if the submerged part was taken into ount.


    The upper portion of the shell raised just a smidgen and the merman walked out of it. He actually walked out on the water as if it was solid ground stopping just a couple of meters away.


    "Now then, everyone! Please form a line and follow in my footsteps."


    People were hesitant at first until an old man with a long flowing white beard jumped into the water ended up standing on top of it.


    "Hahaha, you must teach me your water magic friend!"


    "That will be extra sir," the merman responded without turning back.


    Having seen one of them do it the others didn''t hesitate either and followed the path to the seashell one by one until only a teenager and a middle-aged man were left standing other than Princess Ceni and the vice-caption.


    The middle-aged man forcefully patted the teen on the shoulder, "Safe travels nephew!"


    The teen nodded while staring at the seashell, tightly clutching the cloth bag hanging over his shoulder.


    "Un, I will not let you down, uncle! I will return with the family heirlooms in five years'' time at most, I promise you this!"


    "Haha, of course you will. Go now, you needn''t dawdle any longer. Take your time and enjoy this journey. Make plenty of ''friends'' along the way," he winked and gestured towards Princess Ceni when mentioning making friends, making the teen blush.


    "S-Stop! What if she hears you!"


    She did, in fact, hear both of them loud and clear but couldn''t even muster up the energy to roll her eyes at them, the idea was that preposterous.


    ''Wait, it could be him!''


    As expected the teen walked up to her on his uncle''s assistance and bowed from the waist, "Hello! My name is Lin Wang, nice to meet you. Please be my friend!" he threw out the words at the speed of light with a beet-red face without even meeting looking her in the eye.


    Princess Ceni frowned, "Lin Wang? Your name isn''t Hao Xuan?"


    He looked up in confusion, "Eh? H-Hao Xuan? That''s not me, right?" he looked back at his uncle for confirmation of his own name who shrugged innocently before quickly waving his hand.


    A 3-meter tall ethereal gate materialized out of nowhere and he stepped inside, disappearing along with it the very next moment.


    "T-Then I will see you inside," the teen gave a weird salute and ran towards the seashell, leaving Princess Ceni ceni speechless. <sub> </sub>


    ''Did they practice that? That looked like aedy routine,'' she mused inwardly until the sound of footsteps brought her back to reality.


    She turned around and saw the vice-captain standing just a couple of feet away. Startled, she fumbled back.


    "W-What?"


    He paused for a moment before asking, "That name, where did you hear it?"


    Her eyes light up at the realization, "Do you know him?! Do you know Hao Xuan?!"


    Another short bout of silence followed before he shook his head and distanced himself from her.


    "I don''t know where or even how you heard about it but it''s best you forget everything. No one by that name exists..." his voice fell to a whisper but since he was so close to her Princess Ceni heard it too, "It was only a dream anyway."


    Her eyes widened from the shock, "That wa-It''s you?!"


    "It''s time for her highness to leave."


    "No please, listen to me, it''s not a dream I swear!" she ran towards him, "It''s all real and I can prove it if you just-"


    *ZOOOOOP*


    A low-pitched defeaning noise reverberated in the space followed by a sudden darkness.


    It was so abrupt and loud that Princess Ceni was shellshocked for a moment as blood poured out of her left ear.


    She stumbled and fell but was caught by Hao Xuan before she could hit the ground. He held her in one hand and his de in the other while looking up. She followed his line of sight and looked up in confusion to see the source of the suddenmotion.


    The sun was blotted out by a foreign body. It held the shape of a five-sided star which was slowly rotating clockwise.


    She couldn''t tell how far it was but none of the details could be made it since it was hovering above the atmosphere throwing a vague shape in front of the sun.


    "They...are already here. I didn''t expect it to be this quick," Hao Xuan mumbled absentmindedly.


    Just then the merman ran out of the shell screaming, "SIR! WE CAN''T MOVE! ALL THE SPACE IS LOCKED DOWN AND NUMEROUS LAWS ARE KEEPING US IN PLACE!"

 Chapter 1074 Beyond The Borders

    "WE CAN''T DIVE!" he pointed towards the shell that was tied down by different colored chains of light that had appeared out of nowhere.


    Or at least they looked like chains of light from afar but were actually the physical manifestations of variousws and the closer one looked the more different they would appear.


    Even at first nce there were more than three hundred of them and that number was slowly increasing. They were not attached to anything physical but just empty points in space all around it.


    The water sshed loudly as the seashell tried to break free of their grasp but either only aw could contend with aw or enough brute force to level mountains with a touch.


    Hao Xuan calmly gestured for the merman toe over and muttered, "Take her inside. Be ready to leave when its time. Don''t stop for even a moment."


    With a vigorous nod, he took Princess Ceni from Hao Xuan even though she was trying her best to hold onto him with her frail hands.


    "NO! Let me go! Hao Xuan listen to me, you muste with me, you can''t stay here!"


    Hao Xuan didn''t even look at her as his gaze was fixated on the gargantuan object in the sky.


    The merman had to suffer innumerable ps and scratches as he dragged her into the shell while constantly apologizing, "I''m sorry princessdy but orders are orders, this is no ce for people like us."


    When they entered the top half of the shell came down and closed shut behind them. And only then did he put her down.


    The inside was actually not like what she expected at all. The walls, floors, and ceilings were all made from a white calcified bone-like material. There were no gooey insides for the most only what looked like a giant bulbous protrusion at the entrance with something like a chair behind it.


    Princess Ceni punched the merman in the arm with everything she had but that didn''t even make him flinch.


    "LET ME OUT RIGHT NOW! I ORDER YOU TO OPEN THIS THING!" she yelled but he only sighed in response.


    He took the seat in front of the bulbous growth while shaking his head as the other ''passengers'' gathered around them.


    "I can''t. Not only is it too risky but we have to prepare to leave as soon as the opportunity presents itself."


    p Gettingfortable in the seat the merman ced his hands on the bulbous growth bringing it to life. </anda>


    It began to move and beat rhythmically like a heart while numerous pores opened up from all sides and long jelly-like tendrils popped out.


    The main section of the bulbous mass opened up to reveal what looked like a giant eye.


    Lights flickered above it as various images began to pop up one by one. It showed the scenes from the outside where Hao Xuan stood on the beach alone.


    Princess Ceni was immediately taken by it. <sub> </sub>


    "Is this happening now?!" she asked urgently.


    "Yes," the merman confirmed.


    The old man with the long flowing white beard stepped forward and gently tapped him on the shoulder, "Youngin, show me what he is looking at."


    The merman rotated his hands in opposite directions as the view slowly changed to the sky.


    The first thing everyone saw was was the five-sided star-shaped object in the atmosphere. The old man craned his neck to get a closer look through squinted eyes.


    "Can you see what it looks like any closer?"


    "I am not sure, let me try."


    The tendrils receded back into the growth as the seashell slowly shook a couple of times. Princess Ceni didn''t know what was going on but the image zoomed in all of a sudden by about 15 times or so.


    "It''s even higher than the moon!" the mermanmented as a round shape slowly rified in front of the star.


    The moon was somewhere in front of it but inparison it was so small that no one could even see it normally.


    More and more details popped up in the next few seconds along with a clearer image. There were thousands of lights along each of the five arms that were obviously artificial but the central body that connected them all was much different.


    It was moving albeit very slowly. It looked like the movement of grass from afar.


    The old man suddenly staggered back clutching his beard, "B-By the gods! What have they done!?"


    "What? What is that thing??" Princess Ceni immediately inquired.


    The old man''s eyes were opened so wide that it looked like they were about to pop out of his head.


    "Ho-How could they do this? HAVE THEY LOST THEIR MINDS!?" he screamed loudly which startled everyone.


    The merman gulped audibly, "Senior, what is it? Is it some kind of a weapon?"


    The old man shook his head without looking away, "No...nothing that simple. It''s a "thing". Something that shouldn''t exist in this world or any of the others. It came from beyond the borders of our universe a very long time ago."

 Chapter 1075 Thanks For The Reminder

    "Some say it came from the abyss while others spected that it was birthed in some farawaynd by the twisted beliefs of its bloodthirsty inhabitants. But the truth is we don''t know how or even when it first came to be, only that at some point it simply ''was''."


    "It was officially discovered a few hundred years ago when it was found orbiting a barren. At first we thought it was dead. It exhibited no signs of life and wouldn''t react in any way. That is until some fool ventured onto the surface of the and discovered the remains of the civilization that once lived there."


    "They found images etched in blood dating as far back as the era of destion. They had worshipped it for millenniums and it granted them power in return but one day, for no apparent reason, something changed."


    "It awoke to its true purpose and when it gazed onto that all life ceased to exist. That''s what it is, an abhorrent manifestation of death and destruction that should have been cast away into the depths of hell itself but...I see now those madmen thought differently."


    His legs buckled and the old man fell to the floor shaking his head in shock and dismay, "We''re all doomed. Since they have even deigned to bring forth that monstrosity no witness will be left to speak of it. No one can know that such a ''thing'' is under their control."


    Everyone was silenced by the old man''s words and even without knowing his background many believed him.


    *Tremmmble*


    The seashell shook again but this time it was much stronger. The merman was brought out of his daze by Princess Ceni who seemed to be the only one still in full control of her mental faculties, perhaps because it was different for her.


    "Show me what''s happening outside."


    Where others had given themselves up to despair she still held hope.


    ''No, there has to be something more. It can''t have ended like this.''


    The images readjusted to show Hao Xuan who seemed to be talking to someone. Princess Ceni leaned and noticed he was looking in the direction of the seashell but not quite.


    "Who is he talking to? Is there a way to listen to what he is saying?"


    "Y-Yes, let me try," the merman molested the growth some more until the audio started ying from it as well before the image moved to show the ocean behind the seashell.


    In the air above the ocean hovered close to four hundred humanoid figures. Each was a little different but their exact features could not be made out since overflowing auras of intense energies surrounded their bodies.


    There were eight of them standing at the forefront shoulder to shoulder, their energies so pure that the space twisted around them.


    *Crackle* <sub> </sub>


    "You...already know how it ends, why continue to fight?"


    One of them asked. The voice belonged to a female, sweet and heavenly to the ears.


    "Why bother living when you know it will all end one day?" Hao Xuan responded with another question.


    "It doesn''t need to end. We have ways around it now. Join us and you will see. Take the ce of your sworn brother alongside us."


    Before Hao Xuan could say anything another figure spoke up, although it sounded like he was talking to himself more.


    "Yes, how very curious indeed. Who would have thought the vice-caption of the royal guard would be the one to receive the exalted sword scripture of the Luna Empire. Tell me, was it you the rumors spoke off? Are you the one they called the ''Shadow of the Moon''? If so we might have a connection indeed."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed and he openly admitted it, "It is I."


    The figure pped merrily, "How fortuitous! You are my savior then. I only stand here now because you killed my father and older brothers. But you mustn''t misunderstand, I will always consider you my benefactor because were it not for your mindless ughter I would still be a nobody, hahaha!"


    While he spoke none of the others dared to interrupt. It was quite obvious whoever this person was he was very strong.


    "Come with me. I have seen your fight earlier and judged you to be someone worthy of my friendship. You will take his ce as the first ''Sword God'' of the Republic. I will even heal your injuries so next time you do not have to use your vitality as a substitute."


    He weed him with open arms, quite literally.


    "The Luna Empire has fallen. The King is already dead and its people will soon follow. You have nothing left to protect anymore. Your duty ends here."


    It sounded like a hush fell over all of creation at this point. No one dared to make any noise, not even inside the seashell as they waited for him to respond.


    But when the side of his lips arched upward through his cracked helmet many knew what was toe.


    "So long as even one citizen of the Empire stands my duty remains," he spoke looking towards the seashell and the others followed his line of sight.


    "The princess, yes, I had almost forgotten about her."

 Chapter 1076 The Nine Steps

    "A paltry little fleshling that managed to escape the purge. Allow me to cleanse thisnd of the Luna bloodline."


    He casually extended his left hand in the direction of the shell as a ball of ck swirling light materialized within the palm of his hand. The ones standing next to him moved back just as it fell through the air.


    It moved rather slowly and most people didn''t even know what it was but those that did could not get further away.


    Inside the shell things began to shake and fly up to the roof as if gravity had been reversed. The closer it got the stronger this force of attraction became until even people were holding onto anything attached to the ground.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze was fixated on that 2-inch wide ball of foreign energy just as the figure''s gaze was fixated on him.


    "If I had not seen it myself never in a million years would I have believed it," Hao Xuan admitted while getting into the same stance as before.


    The figure saw him trying to make a move and chuckled at the futility.


    "Even you cannot cut a ckhole in half. But worry not, I will stop it before it swallows the remainder of the."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed through the helm as he suddenly sheathed the sword and changed stance. Well, it would be better to say that he canceled it altogether since now he was just standing straight with his right hand extended towards the shell.


    The shell creaked loudly and began to lift up into the air trying to meet the miniature ckhole halfway and it was only then that its lower body came into view, or rather a portion of it.


    The shell was just the ''head'' of a muchrger being. The remainder of its body was just a squirming mass of countless tentacles stretching endlessly under the surface of the ocean.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes for a moment as he quickly orated the various steps of the sword scripture.


    "First step to Rule the mortal Realm


    Second step to suppress the hells below,


    Third step to shake the heavens above


    Fourth step to submit to the Destion of All."


    He stopped at the fourth step and opened his eyes for a moment that werepletely white. The outline of his figure blurred just like the sea monster the shell was attached to. <sub> </sub>


    The light around them both dimmed as for just a short moment, right before the ck hole was about toe into contact with the creature, it turned into an ethereal copy of itself.


    The ckhole touched the shell and then passed through it as if it wasn''t even there and fell straight down into the water.


    The sounds that were created as a result of that could not be exined. The water imploded as more and more matter was pulled towards the ck hole. Even the ind Hao Xuan was standing on was sucked in within seconds creating an empty void of space.


    Speechless, the figure snapped his fingers and the ck hole vanished just like that.


    The ocean level fell by several meters as the surrounding water began to fill in the void. Only then did the sea monster and Hao Xuan both rematerialize.


    Since the ind was now gone Hao Xuan floated up into the air while the creature quickly submerged itself back into the water.


    Unfortunately, the space was still locked down and numerousws once again held it in ce so it couldn''t move very far.


    The figure began to slowly p in a rare show of admiration.


    "I had heard of the miraculous nine steps but never would I have thought there was any truth to those rumors. Once again you have left me at a loss for words, bravo sir! Can you tell me what that was precisely? It felt like you had seized to exist in your physical form. I see you can do that to others too but how?"


    The figure let his inquisitive nature take reins of the conversation without even realizing it as he asked one question after another while hundreds of other powerful cultivators silently listened from behind.


    "Does it have to do solely with the sword scripture or do your own understanding and sword dao alsoe into y? Or have you perhaps reached that mystical realm of Sword Dao where you can will yourself out of existence? Surely not, only one man managed to reach that realm and he was never seen again after that."


    Hao Xuan did not say a single word in response and allowed him to go on by his lonesome self. He was asking questions and also answering them by drawing his own conclusions and the most terrifying thing was that he was getting closer to the truth.


    Hao Xuan had never seen anything like that before. It sounded like every word that came out of his mouth was one step closer to reality. Just from seeing Hao Xuan execute a single movement he was able to infer that much so god only knows what he could have aplished with a little help.


    And while he was busy ranting and raving Hao Xuan''s Qi gathered at the tip of his fingers before slowly being sent into the scabbard. He was slowly drawing spiritual energy from the surroundings although not many could even pick up on it.


    Well, none except one. The female that had spoken up beforehand noticed it soon after.

 Chapter 1077 Demoralized

    Hao Xuan was keeping a close eye on each one of them and realized he had been found out the moment she was about to speak up.


    He moved faster than any of them could react and they only heard the words after it was already toote.


    "Fifth step to sweep the Eight Directions!"


    "!!!"


    "Huh?"


    She blinked and found Hao Xuan standing a stone throws away from her, in front of each one of them. There was a copy of Hao Xuan across each of the figures hovering in the sky.


    "STOP HIM-"


    Both the female and male figures shouted simultaneously while attacking the Hao Xuan that was in front of them, managing to ''kill'' it just in time.


    But many of the others weren''t nearly as fast as them.


    The moment his de left the sheath more than three hundred heads were silently separated from their respective bodies while the remaining hundred or so managed to defend against it in the nick of time.


    Explosions rang out from all directions as numerous skills and abilities were called forth. Bodies rained from the sky dying the sea below in every shade of red.


    When it was all over only a little over seventy people had managed toe out unscathed while over twenty received life-threatening injuries that inevitably took their lives momentster.


    With ''one step'' he had managed to eliminate over eighty percent of their forces.


    His images flickered before returning to the original position in front of them. It was unknown if he had even moved from the spot.


    The eight leading figures all managed to survive and after a quick look around they all came to the same irrevocable conclusion.


    He could not be left alive!


    Now all of their attention was on him. The danger he presented had surpassed all other objectives. and since he was quite obviously wasn''t going to join their side he needed to be eliminated at all costs.


    And it was exactly what he wanted.


    Thews holding the seashell in ce were all broken allowing it to dive deeper into the depths of the ocean.


    The images that were being shown to everyone inside also began to flicker in and out once they reached the darkness. There was no sound and every second and third image was cut off.


    It all happened so quickly that it took them a moment toe back to their senses. The merman pulled himself back up and took control of the beast.


    "We can make...it, there is still time!"


    Multiple people were bleeding from various ces and were still a little out of it.


    "What...happened?" <sub> </sub>


    Princess Ceni rubbed the back of her head, "Where is Hao Xuan?"


    She tried to stand up but her legs were still shaking terribly making her fall back. Lin Wang appeared out of nowhere and held her up.


    "Are you okay, miss?"


    "LET GO OF ME!" she pushed him away and lunged towards the merman, "LET ME OUT NOW!" wing at his face that only served as a minor annoyance.


    "Someone hold her down, she''s lost her mind. She will get us all killed!"


    The old man yelled from the back making a couple of girlse forward and pull her off the merman.


    "Thank you, please keep her restrained for a few minutes, we will be out of harm''s way soon enough!" he informed everyone.


    "Did you hear that, miss? Everything will be okay, please calm down," Lin Wang tried to butt in and received a quick boot to the face as a reward.


    "I WILL KILL YOU ALL IF YOU DON''T LET ME OUT!"


    Princess Ceni threatened and screamed but to no avail. Eventually, she got tired and could only watch the images on the screen as they became slower and longer to change.


    Hao Xuan was fighting them all at once and it didn''t look like he wasing out on top. Most of his armor was destroyed and even his de had cracks in it.


    Blood poured from his wounds likeva from a volcano.


    And then finally the images stoppedpletely.


    "We''re about to go through, everyone please hold onto something!" the merman gave a quick warning as the creature picked up speed.


    There was a swirling mass of golden light somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. It was approximately 20 meters in width and height and two-dimensional in nature.


    "There it is, we''re here..." the merman narrated as the images switched to the swirling light.


    The creature itself was many timesrger than it but as it got closer its body began to shrink.


    There were no changes inside the shell other than the constant shaking but from the outside it was norger than 10 meters by the time it came into contact with the light.


    At that point its body was simply absorbed by the light and disappeared within.


    The shaking stopped immediately.


    They finally let Princess Ceni go. Completely dismayed and demoralized she slowly took out the treasure medallion and checked the third dial.


    It was pointing to the left.


    "I can still find him!" her expression brightened for a moment-

 Chapter 1078 To Dust

    -Until the dial abruptly swiveled up and down and began to rotate wildly in every direction.


    She felt something tug at her, not physically but spiritually instead. It began as a pit in her stomach and turned into a soul-crushing sense of doom.


    She fell to the floor as rm bells began to ring out in her head, a feeling no one shared since they were dancing in new-found delight upon escaping a most certain end.


    "I-I can''t breathe!" she tried to speak but only a hushed whisper escaped her lips.


    Princess Ceni didn''t know what to do because she had never experienced anything even remotely simr in all her life. It felt like the entire world was crashing down on her, trying to bury her as deep as possible.


    It felt like all hope had been stomped out of existence. And then it finally hit her.


    ''Is this...what dying feels like?''


    She clutched her chest in hopes of causing enough pain to perhaps numb the feeling but nothing could push it down.


    In this moment of despair, her gaze was attracted by the third dial of the medallion which would asionally pause momentarily in the left direction before continuing to spin again and she noticed only then this terrible sensation dulled ever so lightly.


    ''Ah, I get it. He is the one that''s dying, Hao Xuan is dying and I can feel it.''


    Where the remainder of the ''crew'' rejoiced and celebrated upon taking the very first steps of their new lives, Princess Ceni could only shed tears in silence while waiting for the end.


    But for some reason, the tears weren''t for herself.


    "Is this what you felt like...every time? I can''t...even imagine it..."


    Back on the other side of the undersea portal things were going exactly as she had envisioned.


    Hao Xuan was impaled to a massive stone b that looked strangely out of ce jetting out of the ocean like that. Most probably an ability of one of the handful of figures that still remained in one piece.


    The seventy-plus brave warriors were now left with just over thirteen and most of them had serious wounds that showed no signs of healing.


    In the lead were two people, one male and one female. Their appearances could now be clearly seen since the concealing aura had dissipated.


    The female had her face covered with a blue veil but no doubt she was shockingly beautiful underneath. Wisps of white and golden light shot out of her palms and attached to the wounded men behind her, keeping them from falling apart.


    The male looked like a kid. Perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old at most with an innocent-looking face. Yet his unwavering gaze was stronger than any of the others.


    His expression was twisted in both anger and sadness as he red at Hao Xuan. <sub> </sub>


    "JUST.STOP!" he screamed in obvious frustration.


    "Do you not see the folly of your actions? Why are you so hell-bent on dying?! You and me, we could achieve so much together, do you not understand that? Are you truly so vengeful that you won''t even give peace a chance?"


    The female''s brow furrowed deeply as she finally spoke up, "ENOUGH! We have tried it your way and look what it has gotten us. Most of our forces have been wiped out by a half-dead fool and you continue these futile attempts to talk some sense into him. Do you truly not see it? He WANTS to die!"


    Deep down he also knew it but hearing it from someone else finally put thest nail in the not-so-proverbial coffin.


    "I don''t...understand it. The kind of power that you have, the strength that you have shown us today should not simply be wasted away!"


    He looked behind at the soldiers of the new republic, well, that were ''supposed'' to be the faces of his new Republic but if they could even survive for the next 24 hours was now a mystery.


    "Look at what you did. Teetering on the edge of death you still managed toy waste to these proud sons and daughters of Ancient ns. Did they not receive a hundred times better care than you? Did they not have ess to knowledge far beyond your reach? But look at them now...look at me..."


    He paused and peered at his own shaking hands, "Ha...haha...look...isn''t this funny?" before meeting Hao Xuan''s flickering gaze.


    There were four swords impaling Hao Xuan to the stone b. He was missing his left arm and was being held up by grasping onto the very des that were constantly trying to rip him into pieces.


    "Even now I dare note close to you. Just thinking about it makes my body scream in terror. It warns me to stay away from you, that if I got closer it would be the end of me. Aah, how shameful it is, how utterly pitiful that I could not see you at your full strength. I can only imagine how terrifying it would be."


    "But I guess...it is better this way. If you won''t join us then this is the only end."


    He stepped back and the female crossed her hands. Golden light poured out of her body blinding Hao Xuan and by the time it dissipated there was no one else there.


    Hao Xuan''s body finally rxed. He knew what wasing, although he still wasn''t used to it.


    Raising his gaze to the sky it fell on the star-shaped object in the far distance. But it looked a bit different now. The central part of its body was much brighter than the rest. It had shapes and indentations within that made it look like-


    ''An eye!''


    The moment he saw its true form his body began to splinter and break away into pieces as if it was made from rock and dust.


    ''You cannot tame that monst-''


    Before he could even finish that thought his body was turned to dust, along with every other living creature on the.

 Chapter 1079 Inception

    At the same time Hao Xuan died that world ceased to exist since its only purpose was to torment him by forcing him to live through the lives of some of the most unfortunate souls to have ever walked the mortal nes.


    The darkness momentarily recedded to the sidelines as Hao Xuan opened his eyes to a familiar scene.


    He was sitting in a small poorly put-together tent that was constantly shaking under the billowing wind.


    The smell of motor oil and grease wafted into his nose waking him up.


    "Ngh!"


    He groaned while trying to shift positions since even such a small task proved to be a challenge in his current state.


    Peering downwards he began to inspect himself in the usual manner starting from the mechanical right hand to the legs. Only his left hand was still his own while all other limbs were reced by oversized mechinations.


    Reaching over his shoulder Hao Xuanzily tapped on a small metal box before picking up a multitool from behind it.


    A hologram flickered into existence and solidified a momentter in the form of a female that had her eyes covered with a blindfold.


    Her appearance was neat and clean although not much could be made out since she wore a loose baggy hood that covered everything else.


    p "You made it," she spoke with a gentle smile. Her voice was pleasant to the ears, so much so that it could even make Hao Xuan momentarily forget his own precarious situation. </anda>


    He chuckled, "Barely. The cultists had more numbers than the bounty mentioned," he finished by raising his mechanical hand that had severalrge holes along the forearm.


    The girl nodded, "I will let the employer know. Are...you okay?"


    Rather than answer with a simple yes or no Hao Xuan tried to make the V sign with his right hand but the forearm sparked and only the middle finger came up.


    "Uhh, that was supposed to be a yes. Pretend you didn''t see that," he absentmindedly muttered out loud before realizing what he had said.


    "I''m sorry I didn''t mean ''see'' see but just as a saying you know. Not that there is anything wrong with not seeing, I would think the world looks much better in one''s own head but that''s just me and you know how I am-"


    The girl held back for as long as she could before breaking out in a fit ofughter. Her melodious voice silenced Hao Xuan who was only going to dig himself deeper.


    "Alright, I''ll ''pretend'' I didn''t see anything," she replied with a cheeky grin making him smile.


    "Thank you so much, your highness."


    "Your highness? Where did thate from? Am I a princess now?" <sub> </sub>


    "Haha, I just had another dream and a weird one at that. I was part of the royal guard of some ce called Luna."


    The girl went silent for a brief moment.


    "Was it...the same as the others?"


    "Mhm," he nodded while tinkering away on his arm, "I remember everything as if I lived through it myself. From the moment when I took my first steps till I drew myst breath, everything is burned into my brain."


    The girl was looking down at whatever she was holding in her hands although it wasn''t visible in the hologram.


    "I''m sorry. Was it painful?"


    Hao Xuan paused and looked up as hundreds of memories came up one by one, "A six out of ten I would say. It wasn''t as bad as some of the others but like all the rest it wasn''t anything good either."


    "I had a family in this one though, a mother and father that cared about me. We lived in some small vige that was raided and burned to the ground because some nobleman wanted thend we were on."


    "I was the only one that survived and managed to run to a nearby settlement. Some mercenaries took me in and treated me, letting me live with them for a while. When I could walk they started training me when I wasn''t running errands."


    "A few yearster they also died during a big battle and I was taken prisoner. That''s where I met this guy, on my tenth birthday. We were about the same age but he was...everything I ever wanted to be. Good looking, charismatic, a great fighter and an even better leader."


    "We went from one battlefield to another trying to get enough points to buy our freedom and that we did. Together there was not much that could stop us. People started noticing us, powerful people."


    He went quiet for a brief moment before mumbling, "I really thought we were good friends but I guess you can never truly know someone, huh?"


    "I''m...sorry," the girl replied.


    "Haha, why are you sorry? It''s not like you made me have those dreams. Anyways, enough talk. Let''s get down to business. What''s the next bounty?"


    The girl waved her hand as several names and numbers popped up in front of her.


    "This one is directly from the Empire. They have detected some strange movements within the elite circles of the nobility of one of thergest Hive cities on the. You are to infiltrate them and find out what''s going on."


    "What do they THINK is going on? They must have some idea."


    "They detected a momentary spike in the energy readings."

 Chapter 1080 Openly

    "...What...kind of energy readings?"


    "Extraneous...in origin..."


    *Sigh*


    "That''s not good, not one damn bit," Hao Xuan shook his head wearily, "So either they''ve made contact with the Xenos or worse, trying to summon demonic entities. Either way, it is going to be a shit show."


    "Language please," the girl pouted all of a sudden turning an otherwise serious situation somewhatical.


    "Oh, I''m sorry," Hao Xuan quickly apologized, "How could I curse in front of one of the sisters?"


    Hearing his joking tone she crossed her arms grumpily, "Profanity is a crutch of the conversational cripple."


    "Really? Well, most sincerest of apologies your highness. The next time you tell me I''m heading into a demon-infested hive city I will try to be more cheerful."


    This time she was the one sighing, "Yes yes, I give up, curse all you want. Hmph!"


    "Thank you hahaha," Hao Xuan grinned, "It''s not like my soul can get any less damned if I stop cursing."


    "You should still try. Maintaining a clean and- Ah, who am I kidding, we both know you won''t listen to me anyway," even she gave up halfway.


    They talked for what felt like hours, joking and exchanging stories and other important news from across the gxy until another person came into the frame and whispered something into her ear.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Oh nothing much. An important guest is arriving soon and we all have to go out and receive her."


    "A guest? There? That''s...unnatural."


    "Indeed it is but apparently it''s someone of importance. Even the head sister is cutting her meditation short to greet this person."


    Hao Xuan''s ears perked up instantly, "Really?! That old prude is breaking her meditation!? Who the hell is this guest that''s so important? I remember she even made one of the Holy Sons wait an entire day rather than stop her mediation."


    "Exactly. I don''t know who it is either but apparently she is very important. She has visited a lot of old houses of Solum beforeing here and even brought some of the younger generations with her."


    "SOLUM?!" Hao Xuan was so surprised that he turned around a little too quickly causing a cramp along his shoulder.


    "Ahh, damnit!"


    "Are you okay?" the girl asked worriedly but he just shook his head, "It''s nothing. Solum, you just said Solum right?"


    "Yes...why?" she hesitantly answered.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath, not knowing where to even start.


    "There...is so much behind those few words that I couldn''t exin it all even we had the time. As you know, Solum is the homeworld of the Immortal Emperor and the center of all modern civilization. The Old houses and ns of Solum rule most of the gxy from its surface and there are very strict rules in ce to govern them."


    "Not only are they extremely strict with who they openly interact with but none of them make any noise either ever since-well, ever since the Emperor went missing. So to hear that they met with someone, an outsider and even let their younger generation tag along with this person is nothing short of a miracle." <sub> </sub>


    The girl shrugged, "Is it really that big of a deal though?"


    "YES!" Hao Xuan retorted loudly, "The political implications of such actions are- Argh, what do I even say here? They are showing their support for this person but why? Why is she so important? The Holy Sons won''t let anyone grow their influence in fear of causing another civil war so I don''t know what the hell is going on anymore. Maybe..."


    He went on a tirade by himself that had to be forcefully cut short when another person came and whispered something in the girl''s ears.


    "I''m sorry I have to go soon."


    "Yes yes, I''m sorry I got a little carried away. Go and meet this person, I''d love to know who she is. A female to boot. I wonder what her true identity is..."


    The girl smiled hearing him mumbling away to himself. He usually didn''t talk this much, it was nice to see him in a good mood for once.


    Just then a loud beeping noise sounded from the metal box and a small map immediately popped up.


    It showed a red doting towards his position with extreme speed.


    "What the hell?!"


    Hao Xuan reached behind his back and pulled out an energy pistol while a long serrated de shot out from his mechanical right hand.


    "What happened?" the girl immediately inquired upon hearing the iconic charge-up sound of the energy pistol.


    Hao Xuan stood up and pulled the front p open ever so slightly, just enough to peek through.


    There was a sandstorm raging outside and nothing could be seen through it even though the sensors were pointing in its direction.


    "Something ising," he whispered.


    The girl nodded and stood up, "Please be careful, there are a lot of strange things happening these days. I''ve sent a care package to the rendezvous point so be sure to pick it up before heading to the city. It''s only a day''s ride away."


    "I will, thanks," Hao Xuan''s full attention was directed outside now so he didn''t even look at her.


    "And do tell me if you have another nightmare, I really want to hear about them som-"


    *Bzzt*


    The signal got forcefully cut off.


    Hao Xuan tapped on the metal button on side of his cor and a helmet immediately popped up around his face. He pulled up the map on his visor that showed his location.


    The initial red dot had multiplied by four now and they were surrounding him from all sides.


    With narrowed eyes, he surveyed the surroundings and finally caught sight of something. There was arge figure standing just a few meters away from him.


    It did not look human at all since its height exceeded well over 3 meters and a massive tail slithered behind it.


    His expression hardened as he whispered into the visor, "Switch to close-range mode. Initialize the Dawn de!"

 Chapter 1081 Something Odd

    The muzzle of the energy pistol expanded by three times and the remainder of the barrel doubled in length. The changes stopped after a couple of seconds and by then it looked more like a shotgun with arge heavy barrel.


    Meanwhile, the changes to the de were the exact opposite. Its length halved to approximately 0.8 meters and serrated pins came out from the edges before they began to move in an anti-clockwise fashion.


    A light green liquid was excreted from minute openings along the pins covering the entirety of the de.


    At this moment Hao Xuan pulled the p down and exited the tent.


    There was an old broken wall behind him that gave some cover from the billowing wind but everything else was covered inyers of sand that kept piling up because of the sandstorm.


    Hao Xuan took a couple of steps before stopping. He looked around and from the corner of his eyes saw simr figures standing to his left and right as well.


    His helmet caught the outline of each figure and highlighted it against the surroundings so it would be easier to pinpoint their location in the heat of battle.


    He waited for a few more seconds but they didn''t make a move so he inquired as to their intentions.


    "Speak. Why have youe here?"


    The shadowy figure to the front hunched forward as if it was trying to get a better look at him, "You are...him," it hissed. Its voice sounded like the whispers of many children.


    "The one to walk out of the battle of the Red Sky."


    Rather than a question it sounded more like a simple statement of fact, and that it certainly was.


    But Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. There were no survivors from the battle of the Red Sky, not officially.


    No one knew he made it and he had made sure of it by buying a new identity and not keeping in touch with any of his old acquaintances. But he was indeed the only survivor of that dreadful battle, the one that imed the lives of his entire legion.


    Tightening his grip around the shotgun he inquired further, "Who- No, WHAT are you?"


    The voicesughed in whispers, "It is you, it is him! The one that lived!"


    They sounded happy.


    "Long have we searched for you. Through countless worlds and nes of existence we stand before you now to finish what was started on that fateful day."


    The figure straightened its back again and somehow it looked even bigger than before. Two curved horns now jetted out of his head and a pair of wings fluttered behind its back.


    It spoke up again and this time the voice was much different. It was more guttural and much deeper, almost like an animalistic growl.


    "It is time to meet yourrades, human. Your soul shall finallyplete the ritual." <sub> </sub>


    Its wed talons raised towards the sky birthing a ball of me atop its head.


    "On this day thest of the Alpha Legion sumbs to the Champions of Maym¨±n! Behold th-"


    Before it could finish its long-winded tirade Hao Xuan raised his left hand and pulled the trigger.


    *BAANG*


    A four-inch wide explosive round impacted against its head, effectively shutting it up.


    "I don''t know how you demon filth found me but thanks for giving me enough time to load the special ammunition, might have been a bit troublesome otherwise. Saves me the trouble of looking for you scum."


    The next moment another explosion rang out from somewhere behind Hao Xuan. He nced in its direction musing, "Looks like paying for those mines wasn''t such a waste after all."


    The two figures to his left and right lunged forward simultaneously. Their extraordinary speed barely gave enough time for him to react.


    Hao Xuan''s knees buckled as he fired another shot to the left and swung the de to the right.


    The green substance coating the de sparked and caught fire right before the movement of the pins elerated. It would look like a chainsaw if the chain was made of fire.


    The de melted through the attacker''s body severing it into halves while the other one took the full brunt of the shotgun to its face.


    With adrenaline coursing through his veins Hao Xuan stood up and inspected the bodies. It looked like they were created from a great many other corpses since patches of different skin colors and body parts were sewn together with a steel wire.


    The second corpse was the same. They didn''t even have tongues and their mouths were sewn shut.


    What he thought were tails were parts of other animals stitched behind their bodies.


    "Well, this is new," he muttered out loud before looking toward the first figure that was speaking to him.


    He walked over to the hole that was left in its ce and other than some flesh and skin there was not much else left.


    "A demon would not have disintegrated like this. Were these just some...bizarre experiments? But how did they know about the Red Sky?"


    Authors Notes:


    Summer is starting and for some reason regr power outages are back in my area. With 6-10 hours every day without power it has put a real strain on the barely existing writing schedule so apologies in advance, I''ll try to be consistent but it really isn''t in my power.

 Chapter 1082 Waiting For You

    Lost deep in thought, Hao Xuan didn''t even notice a row of serrated spikes that came up from the ocean of sand like the fin of a great white shark.


    It came up from the left side and circled him to the back before descending back into the sand. Hao Xuan finally picked up on the peculiarity and looked back in its direction but could not see anything out of ce.


    Yet trusting in his battle instincts he once again tightened the grip around the shotgun and began to charge it up discreetly.


    He took one step forward and then another, examining his surroundings on full alert. The spikes once again came up from behind him and this time he picked up on the disturbance even though it waspletely soundless.


    He spun around abruptly, firing at the ground halfway through the movement.


    The explosive round hit the object that was moving about just a stone throws away and detonated but since he was close Hao Xuan was caught up in the explosion. The impact sent him flying back, straight into the wrong end of a curved de that had appeared out of nowhere.


    More than half of the meter-long de wasing out of his lower abdomen. He spat out a mouthful of blood trying to look back and see the face of his attacker and when he did his expression worsened even more.


    Not because he saw someone but because he didn''t. The ck de was not even that. It was the end of a long beastly tail that was jetting out of the ground.


    Just then he felt a foul breath on his face before the words "Caught you" were verbalized in a guttural voice from the front.


    He tried to attack again but the creature was too fast. Its half a meter wide maw filled with rows upon rows of teeth fell upon his flesh, tearing out a chunk of his left shoulder, neck, and face.


    Hao Xuan had let down his guard for one brief moment and it had cost him everything.


    But the creature didn''t stop there. It had made sure not to sever any main arteries so he wouldn''t bleed out too fast as it tore open his abdomen andid out the contents around Hao Xuan''s body.


    He tried to struggle of course but there was not much to be done in such a situation. All he could do was bear with the pain in hopes of dying just a little bit faster.


    And while he was being brutalized in this specific ''dream'' his physical body outside was beginning to mimic the wounds he was receiving in there.


    Gashes appeared on his neck and shoulder and his abs began tocerate, slowly but surely trying to open up just like in there.


    His body convulsed lightly while Princess Ceni who was kneeling in front of him began to shake violently.


    Sitting behind Hao Xuan Ma Jiang quickly noticed the problem and her face fell.


    "No no no it''s too soon!" <sub> </sub>


    It had only been 2-3 minutes since Princess Ceni first entered but because of the slow movement of time a lot more had passed on the inside.


    The chaos began to swell and numerous other figures appeared from within its boundary. They were getting closer and closer to Hao Xuan with every passing second but Ma Jiang was too focused on his injuries to notice them.


    Although they had surely noticed her.


    There were a handful of them in specific that were different from the rest. Where most of the figures looked like vague shadowy humanoid forms that were made from smoke and ash, a very small number of them looked more physical.


    They had individual fingers and toes along with other fine details but it was their faces that really set them apart because their features were a lot more clear.


    One among them belonged to a 12 or 13-year-old teenager. It was just a couple of meters away from Ma Jiang and its unfaltering gaze was fixated on her.


    As more and more blood trickled down Hao Xuan''s constantly expanding injuries Ma Jiang finally couldn''t take it anymore. At this point she should have just left but instead, she decided to intervene one more time.


    She extended her right hand while keeping the left one over the talisman.


    "O'' Spirits of thend heed my call!


    Bless my hands so I may ease the suffering of your children and let them return to-"


    <o>,m While chanting the healing spell she ced her hand on Hao Xuan''s back but the moment they came into contact with one another her soul was forcibly pulled inside his body. </o>


    And as unprepared as she was, there was nothing she could do to stop it in the heat of the moment.


    Before she realized she was standing in the same ce as Princess Ceni had been just a few minutes ago. Countless images flickered in and out of existence around her while Hao Xuan sat in the same position as before.


    But there was someone else here.


    In front of Hao Xuan was a glowing white figure. It was so bright in fact that at first Ma Jiang couldn''t make out anything but a momentter the light dimmed greatly and she could see its true appearance.


    "I have been waiting for you."

 Chapter 1083 Soul Core

    Ma Jiang slowly opened her eyes upon hearing the voice call out to her.


    The voice itself sounded like an echoing from somewhere very far away while the person standing in front of her was just as mysterious.


    Firstly, it was a female but she couldn''t tell whether or not she was human because there were numerous ethereal wings stretching out endlessly behind her.


    Her figure was flickering constantly and every time it was a little less radiant than thest.


    She was beautiful and with an absolutely perfect form, well, other than her eyes which were sewn shut. It was the only w in an otherwise unmarred work of art.


    "Y-You know me?" Ma Jiang stutteringly inquired.


    She nodded, "I am known as Xu Qing."


    "Xu Qing...?"


    Ma Jiang silently repeated under her breath. The name sounded a little familiar but she couldn''t ce it anywhere. And that face certainly wasn''t one she had seen before.


    "Why...were you waiting for me?"


    "I need your help bringing him back," she said gesturing towards Hao Xuan.


    "M-ME?! I can''t! Sister Ceni is the one who knows how t-"


    "She can''t do it alone. There is a perverse magic keeping her from finding the soul core. Once you find the core she will have to break the spell to free him. Will you help him?"


    Xu Qing was smiling as she asked because she already knew the answer.


    Ma Jiang only had to think about it for a second before she nodded in agreement.


    "Yes, if I can."


    "Good child. Come here," she extended her hand and with some hesitation Ma Jiang walked over to the other side and took it.


    It was a little cold to the touch and very fragile. It felt like if she held it with just a little more force it would simply disintegrate right then and there.


    "What should I do?"


    "Clear your mind of all thoughts. Focus on my hand and open the seal."


    The moment Ma Jiang heard about the seal she immediately pulled back her hand and took jumped back.


    "NO I CAN''T!" she screamed in a panic, "The seal keeps it locked, it could wake up if I don-"


    "Hush, child."


    Several of Xu Qing''s wings came forward and wrapped around Ma Jiang. Although she tried to struggle at first but the very next moment all resistance was washed away by those two words from Xu Qing. <sub> </sub>


    Her eyes zed over.


    "There is no reason to worry. As long as you are here the seal will not break, I will make sure of that. My domain will keep it at bay. Do you trust me?"


    "....."


    "Yes," she calmly replied after a moment and held Xu Qing''s hand once again as if in a trance.


    Ma Jiang closed her eyes and mumbled an incantation under her breath.


    Back in the physical realm her body began to change. Small tree roots sprouted from the skin on her back and started taking shape.


    They snaked left and right creating aplex magic circle that covered almost her entire back. Once itpletely showed its true form thick, concentrated mana began to course through the roots making them expand until her shirt couldn''t contain it any longer and it burst open.


    A concentrated explosion of energy created an aura around her before the mana was passed onto Hao Xuan''s body through the same roots that ran all the way from her back to his.


    They pierced his skin and poured copious amounts of pure mana into his body. It was so much infact that if Hao Xuan did not have the Demon Devouring Physique to help process it he would have imploded from the sheer quantity.


    His injuries began to heal much quicker although that was just a small side effect. The roots appeared in his mind pce and began climbing up the sidewalls and pirs. They still glowed with a bright green hue and within seconds the mind pce was overtaken by them.


    Xu Qing ced her other hand on Hao Xuan''s forehead forcing the images around them to change at several times the speed.


    The images became brighter and brighter until they were all just a white screen and their light was intense that the empty void was now filled with the same kind of divine light.


    But inplete contrast, Xu Qing''s own body dimmed to the point of turning invisible.


    Her wings pulled back returning Ma Jiang back to her senses. She immediately withdrew her hand despite what her senses were telling her.


    "What was that?! I-I could feel your soul!" Ma Jiang eximed but Xu Qing gently shook her head.


    "No, that was...my divinity."


    Ma Jiang frowned and whispered, "It felt...broken," to which Xu Qing did not reply.


    Instead, she pointed at Hao Xuan.


    "This is the one," as she said the words the same image showed up on all the screens around them. And against the white background it looked much different.


    It showed a newborn infant resting in a hospital bed.


    "This is his soul core. I have separated it from the other fragments for now. The world it will live in will be a creation of his subconscious and you both will have to enter it and bring him back. To him that world is as real as anything else but you must convince him otherwise. He has to ept the truth to break free."


    "Wait, did you say both? Does that mean I also have to go in?!"

 Chapter 1084 Well Dressed Lies

    "Yes. It''s your unique mana that allowed me to separate his soul core from the rest of the fragments. It will be much safer for everyone involved if you went in with them."


    Xu Qing came closer to Ma Jing and gently brushed her fingers across her cheek.


    "You are the canvas his world is painted on, it must be this way."


    Ma Jiang wanted to push her away but there was something so familiar about her. As if she was meeting an old acquaintance once again.


    Seeing the mix of confusion and hesitation in her eyes Xu Qing couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "You are so much like your mother. She will have been proud to see you now."


    Hearing the sentence being spoken in past tense Ma Jiang''s eyes instantly began to water.


    "W-What do you mean? Do you know where she is?? I have been looking for her for so long. Is she...okay? She is okay right? Please tell me mama is okay!" she reached out trying to hold onto Xu Qing but her body fell through the white floor and vanished within the blinding lights.


    Xu Qing directed her attention toward the unconscious Hao Xuan before looking towards the images around her.


    The child was already 2-3 years old in them.


    *Sigh*


    "Thest piece of the puzzle. I hope you weren''t wrong about them."


    She ced her hands around Hao Xuan''s head and closed her eyes. At the same time Princess Ceni was pulled out from whichever fragment she was dreaming with and sent into this one.


    Then she stepped back and watched as the images began to y out an entire lifetime''s worth of memories from the beginning.


    "One minute is equal to ten years in there. Her mana can notst longer than eight minutes. I pray you find the truth in time."


    Time trickled by in defeaning silence as years passed one after another in quick session.


    Since this world they were living in was created from Hao Xuan''s subconscious it reflected his thoughts and buried memories to a great degree. It was modern-day earth and unlike what happened in the past, the world did not end in 2012 but continued on.


    Although it took a drastic turn and urately reflected his own dark thoughts.


    Hao Xuan lived a whole new life with different experiences, people and ces he had never actually been to. Princess Ceni and Ma Jiang found him one by one after awakening their memories and worked together and sometimes even against one another to try and bring him back.


    A little over four minutes passed before the images came to an abrupt stop. (Check the Authors notes)


    Xu Qing who was so focused on them breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to see Hao Xuan standing behind her.


    He was looking at his hands in an understandably muddled state.


    "So it was true...none of it was real..."


    "It was real for you. That''s all that matters." <sub> </sub>


    Hao Xuan looked up to meet her gaze and some semnce of insight could be seen in his eyes, "I remember you."


    "You...do?"


    "Yes. You looked different but now I can tell it was always you. You were there in some shape or form. One time as an orphan girl that gave me water when I was on dying of thirst and another as an old woman who let me stay in her home when I had nowhere else to go."


    Xu Qing smiled softly, "You do remember."


    He nodded before looking away, "Yes, I remember all of it..."


    "I''m sorry. I never would have imagined it would be this painful for you."


    "Can...you tell me? Why did this happen? Was I really such a bad person?"


    "No, it''s because you weren''t."


    "....Does that mean-"


    "Don''te back, Hao Xuan."


    "Huh?"


    She came closer to hold his hand and whispered, "Don''te back to Mei. Don''t listen to anything they tell you. Go live a normal life somewhere. Do not let them inside. They just want to use you. Take what they have given you and run to the edge of the known worlds. Do not be their pawn."


    "What? Who do you mean?"


    "You will see. They will reach out to you one by one once you wake up. Some will offer you immortality in the shape of eternal servitude and others will try to bring you in with well-dressed lies. Don''t ept it, don''t ept THEM, especially not the Em-"


    *WHOOOSH*


    Before she could finish Hao Xuan''s soul was forcibly pulled out of his body.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    So thisst "dreamscape" that Hao Xuan had is actually quite significant for him personally and foreshadows a great many events.


    I was nning on writing it all out but at the very least it would take around 50 more chapters to get everything right which does not fit in this schedule that''s already stretched thin.


    So once the first arc is over I will try and release a one-shot small story about what really happened in this dream, what kind of life Hao Xuan lived and how he met both Ceni and Ma Jiang and how their rtionships unfolded.


    BUT until then, you will have to make do with some vague references but understand that the dynamics of their rtionships have changed because of it.


    Some things will be quite clear but others will be left to your imagination, interpret them however you want.

 Chapter 1085 Appointed

    The stars spun around him and all the light vanished from the world along with the safety that came with it.


    Hao Xuan saw himself leaving his physical body behind, apanied only by a superficial cape of chaos that gave some kind of protection.


    He flew higher up into the air until he was above the barrier of the city of Argham that had been erected some time ago.


    He reached out and touched it with his ethereal body only to feel a strong repulsive force smack it away.


    ''It...pushed me out. The moment my soul''s connection was weakened to my body it was forcibly pushed out,'' he quickly concluded. There was no basis for that statement other than a gut feeling that was telling him it was so.


    ''But...where am I?''


    He pulled back his hand as his soul slowly rose higher into the air, following the sound of whispersing in on the north wind.


    He could see and hear things, things that should not be possible. There were strange creatures all over the ce.


    They looked and felt much different than the physical beings of his world, these were...iplete?


    Their forms were not solid and changed slightly every so often. The number of limbs, eyes and even the shape varied over time.


    It also looked like they could easily move in and out of the barrier without much trouble which was surprising.


    He peered down into Argham and saw the battle raging on at the city gates. He saw the strange demonic forms of viper and hispatriots that slithered within the shadows and numerous other things.


    But the more he looked the louder the whispers became. A flood of nondescript voices constantly pestering him.


    "Arura! Can you hear mommy? Where are you darling?? Pleasee home!"


    "My wife, has anyone seen my wife?!"


    "Water...someone...please..."


    "We are close, Argham is in sight! Just a little bit more!"


    "I can''t feel my legs, someone help! Please don''t leave me here! The monsters areing! PLEASE"


    There were too many to even tell apart and they were alling in at once, so loud and needy.


    Hao Xuan tried to close off his ears but to no avail, the voices could not be stopped. He tried to fly higher up to get away from them, towards the gaping ck hole in the sky that was also pulling him in. <sub> </sub>


    And it worked. The higher he went the quieter the voices became but the hole had other effects. It was emitting a low hum that left Hao Xuan in a daze. It was calling him in, like the song of a siren and even more deadly.


    As he neared numerous limbs both human and beast reached out from within its inky depths trying to grab a hold of him.


    He tried to struggle but a hushed whisper reached his ears.


    ''Do not resist...all that you desire resides within...''


    ''Yes...don''t resist...'' he repeated without thought or consideration.


    Hao Xuan reached out to meet one of the humanoid limbs but just before he could another voice called out to him. This one was much louder and clearer than any of the others before and it wasing from the city.


    "Please...someone save Eva..."


    It was akin to a hammer crashing down on the ss walls that had trapped his mind. It broke the illusion Hao Xuan was put under and came to, quickly pulling back his hand that was just a few inches away.


    ''Not today,'' he muttered.


    ''Soon,'' the abyss replied.


    He began his descent towards the source of the voice. It was calling for him, pulling him in with a kind of energy that he had never felt before, it was empowering his very soul with a newfound strength.


    His speed increased with every yearning word of prayer until the lights around him dulled into nothing more than a sh.


    At the same time his body stood up. Its eyes were closed and it was moving of its own ord. The churning ball of lights hovering overhead shook once before flying into his body along with the ocean of chaos around him.


    All of it, however much it was sucked into his body all at once, leaving only the numerous figures behind.


    They moved side and opened a path for his body as it moved of its own volition. With onerge stride it was at the closed door and with another it had passed through it as if it didn''t even exist.


    No one saw it, no one could because of theyer of chaos surrounding it. As his soul was falling from the sky the body was moving through space and matter unhindered to meet it at the appointed destination.


    And they did just before he woke up.


    "Too god damn loud..."

 Chapter 1086 Place It

    **Continued from around CH 1057 ''Hatchling''.


    Some of the dialogue that''s already been mentioned there will be skipped as this exins more about what''s happening to him personally.


    ***


    Hao Xuan''s soul fell from the sky and his body ran through space to meet it.


    The numerous shadowy figures were forcefully pulled behind his body by some unknown force and when he suddenly stopped they were all forced inside, merging with his soul and body.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes which were filled with nothing but pure chaos. He was himself but so were the untold different lifetimes that he had lived. They had alle true, brought to reality by the twisted cursed machinations of the gods.


    Too many to even count, too many to even remember, but he did. He remembered them all because they were here, now, and forever.


    Although he had broken free of the curse that did not mean it would simply let him be.


    Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands to uncountable millions of lifetimes worth of experiences were all forcefully merged into one body.


    In this moment he was all of them and they were all him and that made him more than just Hao Xuan.


    He looked up at the ceiling but his vision went far past the boundaries of the physical realm. He could see past the veil, into it and past it.


    The sky was different. It wasn''t empty anymore because there were so many creatures and stars swimming within its inky darkness.


    It was filled with numerous luminaries, some brimming with life and others waning into the ether. He could feel them, feel the beings that lived upon them.


    It felt like he was connected to them in a way that could not be described by mere words. As if he was standing behind curtain of creation itself.


    And he wasn''t the only one. When he looked into the darkness numerous eyes set themselves upon him from within its depths.


    A few felt so ancient and powerful as if they had been there from the beginning while others were a little different but, one thing he knew for sure was that they could see and feel him just as he could feel them.


    And a momentter several curious voices came into his ears.


    ''Who is it?''


    ''A human! Or a demon?''


    ''Another god?"


    ''No this one is different!''


    ''Tell us! Who are you?''


    ''Hehehe, yes yes, we are all friends here, quickly give us your name!'' <sub> </sub>


    ''I am-''


    "Save her...please, save Eva!"


    A voice screamed in his ears, bringing him out of that state.


    "Too damn loud!"


    ? He looked around not recognizing anything or anyone but he could see the truth behind them, see the true forms of all those that masqueraded as something else.


    That is until Wern mentioned Henrik and it started a chain reaction in his mind. His own memories came bubbling up to the surface and all other beings were pushed out.


    A flood of darkened hands forged by the chaos was released from his body and soul until there was only him left.


    Gasping for breath Hao Xuan looked around him for answers, "Am...I back?"


    He remembered his own self, the original him and realized he had returned but all was not well.


    ''Eva...help Eva!''


    He could still hear that voice and see the truth of it.


    Eurig looked like a fusion of hundreds of small snakes taking a humanoid form. One among these numerous serpents had a strange symbol on its head and it was located where his heart would have been.


    "I am called Eurig, my lord. I was sent here for you by the savior."


    "Hm. Take me to Eva first, then I will listen to what your savior has to say."


    He walked ahead and could not help but rub his eyes upon seeing these strange scenes because he was walking through the old ruins instead.


    And yet, somehow he could tell what he was seeing wasn''t all of it. The building was missing the roof and most of the walls were destroyed not too long ago.


    The shadowy figures hid behind every corner, staring at him openly without any fear.


    And after asking Eurig he realized no one else could see them either but they gave him an uneasy feeling. In fact, it wasn''t the first time he had felt it although he couldn''t ce it.


    And when he left the confines of the structure the remainder of the figures came into view. Far too many to even count and with their thousands of voices ovepping with one another it was unbearably loud.


    He felt like he waspletely alone even though it was anything but that.


    And when he came into contact with the first one it was absorbed into him without any resistance whatsoever.


    Along with its memories came his own and he began to remember everything. But this time it was more natural, a lot more slower, slow enough for him to digest it without any repercussions.

 Chapter 1087 Blended

    Some part of him wanted to turn around and run away but his legs did not stop moving forward even once, right into one short-lived lifetime after another.


    The mind was in a daze but the body was different.


    It had never been stronger than it was right now because every second of thest few days it was constantly battered and bruised, torn to shreds in a myriad of ways from inside out until every fiber of every muscle was stronger than steel wires.


    And this was only possible because of his almost inexhaustible vital energy reserves that were now running rmingly low.


    Every step he took was a foot in another world but unlike before, it flew naturally this time, at least natural enough that he wouldn''t lose his mind so easily.


    Hao Xuan absentmindedly followed behind Eurig until they were standing in front of the old double-story building that was housing all the injured patients.


    There were so many people that they couldn''t even take one step without running into someone but Eurig didn''t care at all. He shoved everyone aside until they were standing in front of the entrance where a couple of people were blocking their way.


    Two men both dressed in white, healers from the looks of it.


    "Stop! What are you doing?! Get back in line!" one of them shouted angrily but when Eurig showed him the condition of Wern and Alfen that were being carried like sacks of potatoes their expressions took a turn for the worse.


    "Th- What happened to them?!"


    "They fell. Now treat them," he replied callously before throwing them over to the men.


    "Woa- Hey careful!"


    Hearing themotion Sundra arrived ready to yell at whoever was making trouble at this time but seeing her husband with one foot in the grave she melted like snow.


    "Alfen! Can you hear me?! What happened to you?!"


    He was fine just a few minutes ago but a lot had changed in that little time frame.


    The barrier had been broken and more and more injured people wereing in every second and there was not much she could do to help them by herself.


    She looked over towards the man who had brought him and noticed Hao Xuan standing right behind him with At in his embrace in much the same condition if not even worse.


    She didn''t have to think for long beforeing to the conclusion that most likely both of these men were with the people that had kept At enved for so long and now they had found him and punished him and these two ordingly.


    "Arrest them!" she ordered, leaving the nearby healers at a loss for words.


    Not only that wasn''t a part of their job but the city guards that were meant to be keeping peace were all called to the city gates.


    "What are you waiting for!? These people are crimina-"


    "No I''m not," Hao Xuan cut her off and came forward looking her right in the eyes, "I wouldn''t have brought them here if I was. Where is Eva? His sister. They both need help."


    He allowed Sundra to get a better look at At''s injuries and despite her many reservations she let him in.


    "This is not over, you will have to exin what happened to them." <sub> </sub>


    "Sure."


    She took him over to the bed where Eva was and Hao Xuan put At down beside her.


    At''s condition was much worse than any of them thought because he had second-degree burns on most of his body. His breath was so shallow that it sounded like it could be thest.


    But all Hao Xuan could hear were the same words being repeated over and over again.


    ''Eva...help Eva...''


    Hao Xuan ced his hand over At''s forehead and circted a bit of spiritual energy from the surroundings into his body. It surrounded his spine and brain, acting as a cushion between the extreme sensations of pain and fatigue momentarily.


    "I will, I promise. She will be here soon, don''t worry," he muttered the words under his breath before walking out of the building with Eurig close behind.


    He stepped out onto the street while dozens of people ran back and forth under the ever-increasing looming threat of destruction.


    In the back of his mind the memories of a great many lifetimes yed out but they weren''t enough to keep him upied while in reality, he was looking at the countless other figures around him.


    If he focused they could be tuned out but now that he had absorbed so many of them they weren''ting at him. Instead, they just stood in their ce, out of his way while staring at him menacingly.


    It looked like they were waiting for him toe to them.


    Seeing him just staring into the air nkly Erurig spoke up.


    "My Lord, what are your wishes? Should we finish the mortals? The savior will be arriving soon."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes momentarily and took in a deep breath. And when he opened them again the figures were a lot less obvious. Notpletely gone but as long as he didn''t focus on them they were easy to look past.


    "Go back to that hole for now. I wille find you when I am done here."


    "But would it not be better to work together-"


    *Kuek*


    Without any warning or forethought Hao Xuan''s hand shot forward and gripped around his neck like a vice.


    Eurig tried to struggle free but no matter how much he tried he couldn''t move a single one of Hao Xuan''s fingers. And then to his disbelief, Hao Xuan''s hand incorporated into his skin and went inside as a feeling of impending doom took over.


    "Do what you are told. I don''t like to repeat myself. Understand?"


    He looked up to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze and when those piercing green eyes look at him he felt smaller than he had ever before.


    "Y-YES!"

 Chapter 1088 Patience

    Eurig''s mind was like a lonely raft on a stormy night out at sea.


    Just looking into Hao Xuan''s eyes once left him absolutely powerless. It wasn''t a matter of not trying hard enough but there simply wasn''t anything he COULD do other than vomit the word "Yes".


    The moment Hao Xuan''s hand touched Eurig''s body he couldn''t gather an iota of spiritual energy, not even his own physical strength. It felt like he was about to melt into a puddle when Hao Xuan finally released him.


    "Go."


    No matter how bitter he felt on the inside about bowing to a man that was barely older than his own grandson, he sure as hell wasn''t going to voice his opinions at this moment.


    "Y-Yes my lord!"


    When Hao Xuan pulled back his hand it ''separated'' from Eurig''s flesh and skin like water from oil. Rubbing his neck in shock and disbelief Eurig gave a quick bow and stumbled back into the city.


    Hao Xuan watched as his figure disappeared behind the crowd. Just looking at his true form brought up a sour taste in his mouth, as if he wasn''t supposed to see it.


    And not only did it not help him but it made no sense either. In Hao Xuan''s eyes Eurig was nothing more than a swarm of small snakes rolling over one another to create a humanoid figure.


    And the worst part was that not only he could see it but also feel its existence which was starkly different from that of a human.


    Where a normal person felt like listening to clean water flow, Eurig made Hao Xuan feel like he was sitting in a pool of his own filth which filled him with nothing but negative feelings towards him.


    When Eurig was far enough away Hao Xuan''s ugly expression somewhat returned to normal and he took another deep breath, repeating those same words he was told so long ago that had turned into a mantra of sorts.


    ? "Patience. Breathing. Focus."


    Hao Xuan attempted topletely clear his mind but no matter how hard he tried those memories of other lifetimes simply could not be overlooked.


    They were always there in some capacity, ying out in the back of his mind like a movie.


    The only problem was that these movies were not pleasant to watch. Each one was worse than the one before, filled to the brim with all manner of violence.


    "Patience. Breathing. Focus," he repeated again before a loud explosion from the city gates broke his concentration.


    It was quickly followed by ear-piercing screams and a feeling of weightlessness for a very brief moment.


    ''Someone is dying,'' he automatically thought and began moving towards it. Crossing a couple of the barricades he saw what had happened.


    There was arge bat-like creature on the ground that was cut in half and around it were three guards with serious injuries. One of them wasn''t moving.


    Hao Xuan walked past the creature as its body disintegrated into ash and knelt beside the wounded guard.


    The other two were scrambling around to pick up their weapons before swiftly returning to the frontlines without even tending to their injuries.


    Neither of them reacted to Hao Xuan''s presence but thest guard did. There was a six-inch-wide gaping hole in his stomach from which the internal organs were spilling out.


    He was trying to close the wound when he saw Hao Xuan and ceased all efforts. <sub> </sub>


    "I am...going...to die..." he spoke throughboured breaths.


    It didn''t sound like a question. As if seeing Hao Xuan somehow signaled his death.


    Hao Xuan reached out and held his hand which was getting colder by the second. He tried to circte some Chaos Qi into his body but it dissipated immediately.


    He was.


    "You are."


    "T-Thank you...I...didn''t...want to die...alone..." he threw up blood after every other word but Hao Xuan didn''t seem to mind.


    "Shh, it''s okay. You''re not alone."


    Despite all of his own troubles, at this very moment, Hao Xuan''s attention was unequivocally focused on the guard.


    He was holding him in his arms as his soul slowly left his body but instead of the guard''s face he only saw many of his own.


    When he was once ambushed by his own group, all the times when he was left behind by his ownrades, so many different lives and ends but the feeling was the same.


    He remembered it all.


    He remembered that feeling of being abandoned, that loneliness in those final moments and the final eptance that it was alling to an end.


    No matter how many times he experienced it, it never got easier.


    The guard was looking up at Hao Xuan but he was seeing more than just him. In his eyes there were hundreds of figures around him, all watching over him in his final moments.


    He trembled a couple of times before his body went limp. And just like that, it was over.


    "Just like that...?"


    Hao Xuan closed the guard''s eyes and stood up.


    "So much death," his memories were still ying as if he was going back in time. And then all of a sudden he remembered the first one, the one that had triggered it all.


    He saw Salomeying on the ground in front of him while Tian Zheng danced atop his corpse.


    "Ah, I almost forgot."


    He looked up at the sky that looked like it was on fire. It was burning with an orange me, all of it.


    "Patience. Breathing. Focus."

 Chapter 1089 Subtle Blade

    "Patience. Breathing. Focus."


    "Why does everything look different? How long was I out?"


    *Beep*


    Even though the Hao Xuan was talking to himself Baracus jumped in at the right time.


    "You were unconscious for approximately 287 hours."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes swiveled left and right, between the battle going on at the city gates and his surroundings which were filled with the dark figures of his past.


    "Almost 12 days. It felt longer, way longer. But now that I''m up, there is a lot that needs to be done."


    "Do you require my assistance?"


    "Yeah. I need you to keep track of things for me and record everything from now onwards, every word that I say, every move that I make has to be documented."


    "Confirmed."


    "Can you ess my memories? Some things are a bit hazy and I can''t remember all of the lives that I experienced but the ones that I can need to be recorded along with everything else."


    "Can not confirm. essing memories requires the highest level of ess to your subconscious which has been forbidden by Progenitor unless given explicit permission. Do you give authorization?"


    "Yeah, I do."


    <o>,m "Please mention time period." </o>


    "Until I return to the Beast World."


    |Authorization Received|


    |Subliminal Interference Confirmed|


    |Beginning Data Log|


    The nanites gathered at the base of Hao Xuan''s brain before disseminating through the temporal lobe and converging in the hippocampus a momentter.


    Hao Xuan''s vision flickered for a moment before returning to normal.


    "Everything good?"


    "Affirmative. Zero errors encountered."


    "Good. I want you to make a list of all the things I have to do. Remind me if I miss something." <sub> </sub>


    "Confirmed."


    "Find out who helped me get back. Who is the ''savior'' that Eurig guy was talking about. Also why their forms are different. They are certainly not human. Wern said they were demons so maybe they have something to do with Ba''al."


    "Second, find out what caused me to be sent there. Why was I forced to live through a million hells? Who was behind it and most importantly why. It had something to do with Xu Qing, I remember seeing her in a lot of them. Remind me to talk to Jin Wang about it as well."


    "Third, kill Tian Zheng and Dai Zhi no matter what."


    "Fourth, find out what happened in the prison. Did the creature wake up?"


    "And speaking of Jin Wang, I have to talk to him about a few other things as well. He has been hiding far too much from me and it''s time I find out what. Someone is pulling the strings from the shadows and I need to know exactly why they are targeting me."


    "Qing''er also said something about that, that they will reach out to me and that I shouldn''t trust them. Maybe this savior guy is one of them."


    "Noted, all points added and reminders set."


    "Mhm. Those are the main things but for now, I have to help these guys fend off the attack and then find a way to save that boy''s sister. I can still hear him somehow," Hao Xuan rubbed his forehead in annoyance.


    "Oh, I almost forgot. I have to break through as well. Every inch of my body feels tight and constricted as if there are invisible chains holding my flesh back. Everything feels ufortable," he clenched his fist as he said that and felt that same old sensation.


    "I''m mostly ready to breakthroug- Wait...why do I know this feeling?" his mind raced for a minute before the answer presented itself in the form of memories from some of the other lifetimes.


    "Oh yeah, I remember now. I was a vagabond sword cultivator roaming the outer circles looking to make my name. I found a half-dead man when I was scavenging a recent battlefield and saved his life. In return, he took me in as a disciple and taught me even though I was shit at it."


    "I managed to reach the Saint Realm with his help before we were both ambushed and killed but...I remember all of it. Does that mean-"


    Hao Xuan quickly closed his eyes and focused his Qi, directing it towards the palm of his right hand which was held in front of his chest. The index and middle fingers were facing the sky while the rest were curled up.


    The air lightly hummed around his hand as he recalled the teachings once again.


    Chaos Qi surrounded the tip of his fingers before suddenly igniting a bright yellow me that rose into the air for a meter and a half before taking the shape of an ethereal de.


    "Qi de: First me!"


    He suddenly changed positions and grabbed at the air below the de. A matching guard and hilt emerged from the palm of his hand.


    "It...works!"


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes and inspected the ming sword in his grasp.


    "A Spirit Skill passed down by the users of the ''Subtle de''. I remember it, and if I remember it, I can use it!"

 Chapter 1090 Leme Borrow

    Hao Xuan examined the de up and down in detail and found it to be exactly as he remembered it to be.


    It looked solid at first nce but upon closer inspection it was semi-transparent almost like a hologram.


    "Qi de is a spirit skill taught to magicians and wizards since it''s easier to create using mana and can be a good alternative if they get ambushed. It uses too much Qi to be useful for a cultivator like me and the only reason I learned it in the first ce was so I could learn to better control my energy. But-"


    He swung the de around in a circr motion, just as he would a real sword and it left a streak of energy in its wake that cooked the nearby air.


    "-I never thought I could just create it from memory. Even for a genius it takes close to two months to manifest the de and then years of practice to summon it at will. But my body still remembers it. Rather than going step-by-step it''s more instinctual like breathing."


    He opened the palm of his hand and the sword broke into small particles of light before being reabsorbed by his body.


    Hao Xuan sensed the heat emanating from his hand followed by a feeling of deja vu. He could once again taste the sour fruits grown on the farnds in the asteroid fields of the belt of Alnitak.


    That indescribable taste spread along his tastebuds just as it had after every training session.


    "I can''t believe I used to like the taste of that horrid fruit. But it was all I knew, nothing sweet ever grew up there for some reason," he chuckled lightly at the thought.


    "I trained under that sunless sky for 40 years. Day in and day out I swung the same old sword until every single movement was ingrained in my bones but...I never even considered the possibility that all that training would be carried out."


    He looked down at his arms and saw the same result. Both his hands were filled with old callouses along the ridges where the hilt of a sword rested.


    When he flexed the sides of the biceps and triceps ballooned up to twice their original size. He didn''t have any fat left on him so it was all muscle.


    "A blessing in disguise? Or was it intentional?" he mumbled in a daze, his mind racing with a hundred different thoughts.


    "Then if I can recall my other lives will I be able to use those skills as well? What about the secret arts? So much knowledge at the tip of my fingers...if only I let them in," he thought looking towards the countless rows of shadowy figures in the distance trying to make out any details that would jog his memory about the kind of lives they lived.


    p And it was only then that he noticed some odd. A handful of the figures were much more well-defined than the vast majority. </anda>


    Where others were mostly shapeless vague humanoid figures these few looked like actual people.


    Their faces had distinct features and he could even tell what they looked like before. One of them was a child barely ten years of age.


    He was looking right into his eyes but Hao Xuan could not remember anything about him. He ''felt'' a little familiar as if he SHOULD know him but at the same time he didn''t feel like ''him''.


    However, this didn''tst very long since their staring contest was interrupted by another bout of screamsing from right behind him. <sub> </sub>


    Making a mental note of the odd feeling Hao Xuan turned towards the source of the noise and saw three creatures scaling down the side of the city wall.


    There were a handful of heavily injured city guards resting right below them which seemed to be their target.


    Upon seeing the creature they tried to regroup but most of them could barely move by themselves and were leftpletely open.


    A demihuman with the head of an ox put himself between the creatures and the other injured guards. He was missing his left arm but that did little to dishearten him.


    "GO! Those who can move run to the front line and let them know there is a breach from the side!"


    He reached down and picked up a great sword that was almost as tall as him at a little over 2 meters and swung it towards the first creature that had just reached the ground.


    "We can still fight captain!"


    One of the guards answered trying to pick up his de but was shoved away.


    "Stop wasting time! If they get into the city too many lives will be lost we can''t affor-" the ox-man screamed at them but was cut short when another figure casually walked beside him.


    "It''s fine, I''ll take care of them."


    The ox-man''s eyes bulged from both anger and shock seeing a human appear out of nowhere.


    "Who are you? Get away now, there is nothing a puny human like yo-"


    "Ah, let me borrow this."


    He was once again interrupted when Hao Xuan casually reached out and snatched the greatsword from his grasp.


    He swung it around creating a loud whooshing noise and sending a gust of air that almost toppled the ox-man.


    If he wasn''t shocked before he would be now. He was the only one that could lift that greatsword by himself. Even four grown men couldn''t move it easily but in Hao Xuan''s hands it was nothing more than a toy.


    "O-Oi what ar-"

 Chapter 1091 Burning Effects

    "Shh, I want to check something!" Hao Xuan shushed the ox-man and concentrated on the connection he felt the moment he first took hold of the greatsword.


    In his hands it wasn''t just a chunk of metal molded in the shape of a de but something much more intimate. There was a familiarity in every nook and cranny along the rough edges of the de and the hilt felt warm to the touch as if it was alive.


    He was the one gripping but it felt like it was the one holding onto him.


    Hao Xuan cleared his mind and focused on the greatsword and as expected heard a sound in the back of his mind.


    It sounded like songbirds chirping merrily at the break of dawn. He even felt the cold sensation of dewdrops rolling down his forearms as a vague image projected itself on his psyche.


    And the very next moment the greatsword began to hum lightly, vibrating ever so gently.


    "It''s true, I kept my understanding of the sword dao from that lifetime, although not all of it remained as is," he muttered in no small amount of disbelief.


    The things he was seeing and feeling could only be done by someone that had achieved great progress in understanding the heart of the de.


    There were Seven known realms of Weapon Dao.


    First was "Resonance" where the practitioner learned a powerful weapon technique inside and out and begin their long journey on their own path.


    The second was "Unison" where they would learn multiple techniques and integrate them into one, effectively creating their own version of it.


    The third was "Luminescence" where they would be able to resonate with the weapon and learn to listen to its heart.


    And right now this is exactly where Hao Xuan was, at the third realm of the Sword Dao, ''Luminescence''.


    The things he felt and saw about dewdrops and the songbirds were what the greatsword had experienced while it was still an unrefined raw ore buried in the side of a mountain.


    ? ''I spent an entire lifetime trying toprehend the de and only managed to reach the third realm after nearly seventy years. Suffice to say, I wasn''t very talented but...at least I remember it still.''


    He was still so lost in thought that he didn''t notice the three grunt creatures lunging at him from every direction. But that still didn''t help them in any way because the moment he picked up movement from his front and sides his hands moved by themselves.


    It was akin to swatting an annoying fly, an action so minuscule that it required no conscious thought to execute.


    Curved at a 20-degree angle the de slowly moved anti-clockwise before returning to rest followed soon after by the sound of the grunt''s bodies hitting the ground. <sub> </sub>


    A seemingly simple movement that no one other than Hao Xuan himself knew or even could see the truth behind.


    With the immediate threat taken care of, he returned the de to the stupefied ox-man to whom his actions were utterly nonsensical.


    "I see you take great care of it but it still needs a lot more work. You should take it to a good cksmith and etch out the true form hidden underneath all that roughness."


    "I- Wha-Who are you?" barely managing to stitch together a sentence the ox-man inquired while inspecting his de but by the time he looked up there was no one there.


    He looked over towards the bodies of the grunts to make sure it had really happened and took in a long breath after seeing their half dissolved corpses.


    Hao Xuan came and went like a ghost so it was understandable.


    After dealing with them he moved along the edge of the inner wall before silently jumping on top of it to get a better view of what was happening outside.


    And just like the constant shouts, screams and battle cries indicated it was a total mess.


    The cultivators and demihuman guards were fighting shoulder to shoulder trying to keep the sea of ws, talons, and other barbed appendages from entering the city although it looked like they were slowly losing ground.


    He noticed several familiar figures on the front lines like Hazel and Fulke fighting alongside Princess Inara.


    There were also a few he didn''t recognize that stood out amongst them like Rhisiat.


    He had transformed himself partially into a beast by bing one with his soulbond, the Great Mastiff.


    He was now over 3 meters in height and both his hands looked like giant ws. Wreaths of red me surrounded his fists and every time he threw a punch it would send the mes rolling forward for several meters.


    He was basically the only one keeping the neverending tide of grunts from overrunning the others.


    Unfortunately, even Hao Xuan could tell that he was running out of spiritual energy. Not only were his movements getting slower but the me was less and less effective.


    And it didn''t help that the giant creatures he was fighting were immune to the fires burning effects.

 Chapter 1092 Psychic Force

    Through narrowed eyes, Hao Xuan carefully examined the hulking monstrosities across from Rhisiat. It was hard to ignore them either way and in his eyes, they were the primary threat right now.


    Each one of them was 5-8 times bigger than an average grunt and quite unique in their physical forms.


    About five of them were left in total, at least from what he could see.


    The two at the front had a massive carapace on top of their heads like a beetle and it was quite obvious their primary purpose was to charge through the front lines using brute force.


    Almost every part of their bodies was covered inyers of hard, ck exoskeleton that increased their defenses tremendously.


    At approximately six and seven meters of height each, they were thergest among their ranks.


    The other three were smaller but much faster. Where the first two were walking on all fours these three stood on two legs. Two pairs of disjointed forearms decorated the top half of their bodies each of which were lined with multiple rows of curved spikes on the side and a sharp de in the center.


    They could both cut and maim with deadly uracy by extending their forearms to twice their usual length.


    They kept a low profile and hid among the swarming grunts and only ever showed themselves when it was time to attack.


    But the more Hao Xuan looked at them the stranger they appeared in his eyes just like the rest of the swarming grunts. And from where he was standing he could see almost the entire horde and its movements reminded him of some simpler nt-based lifeforms.


    Rather than being separate individuals each grunt acted in unison with the horde as a whole.


    Whenever a grunt fell another stepped up and took its ce and so on and so forth but they weren''t really acting alone.


    They made space for the sneaking ones and separated like the red sea even before they came close. Sometimes there was not enough space in which instance the gunts would just stand where they were and be squashed under therger creature''s feet.


    "It''s like they are all connected...like they are all one."


    He watched for almost a full minute before it became clear that was indeed the case. It was like the entire horde was being controlled like one massive organism. The grunts were the cells that made up the majority of the body and the other creatures were the specialized cells created for specific tasks.


    Although it looked absolutely chaotic from up close but from a distance there was a harmony in the overall system. <sub> </sub>


    "It might really be the case. I think all those creatures are being controlled by something else to a great degree. And if I''m not wrong these monsters came from the prison in which case they are the spawn of that corruption that was locked inside of it, the ''flood'' as they called it. I can see where they got the name, it looked like an ocean from afar."


    His mind raced with thoughts of its origin and what meaning it could have.


    "Either they are working off of raw instinct, in which case it would be a lot more chaotic...or they are more like a hive mind, something like a shared consciousness. It wouldn''t be the first time, there are several species that do that. But that means there is one that controls them too."


    "Killing it would either cause the rest to simply lose their minds or go berserk, but both of those results would be better than what is happening right now."


    He looked down at the back lines where many of the cultivators were sitting cross-legged trying to recover their Qi.


    "They won''tst more than eight or nine minutes. I need to find the ''link'' and-"


    In the distance, ck clouds rolled over the horizon from the same direction where more and more grunts were pouring in without end. Something just changed there that caught his attention.


    In his eyes the sky was on fire but those clouds were still ck, almost like a scar constantly expanding outwards.


    He could see numerous specks of light gathering under those clouds somewhere, slowly building up the spiritual energy of the area.


    "Or is it there? Could it really be controlling them from so far? Such powerful psychic energy- Wait! That''s it!"


    Quickly focusing on his eyes wisps of chaos Qi ran toward his head and created a barely discernable film in front of his retinas.


    It was like a filter that allowed him to see the world differently and that he did.


    There was a sea of dim white light over the horde simr to the white specks of spiritual energy but a lot less distinguished in their forms. In fact, it had no real form and presented itself as a free-floating cloud of mist.


    "That''s the disparity created in the atmosphere when a powerful psychic force rips through space. I have read about this before. Some gifted individuals were able to see it and foretell theing of the hive fleets."

 Chapter 1093 Life Story

    "Psychic force is not something that can be learned. It is a gift individuals are born with and develop as they age but the closer they are to the target the better it is. If the one controlling them is not here then it can only mean one of two things."


    "Either it''s not powerful enough yet to appear in person on the battlefield or it has something more important to take care of. If it''s the first then that''s great news but if it''s the second then that''s a huge problem. Regardless, I have to kill it as soon as possible."


    "Baracus!"


    *Beep*


    "Make note of everything I just said and save it under the category of ''The ck Flood''. The foot soldiers will be called ''Grunts'' and the bigger ones ''Elites'' for now. The one controlling them will be a ''Synapse'' but I need to see it in person to make a more urate judgment."


    "Affirmative."


    "Then..."


    He once again directed his attention towards the frontlines where the battle was at its peak and began analyzing their movements and abilities.


    It only took him around thirty seconds to understand and remember everything simply by visualizing himself fighting them. Most experienced fighters could do this with ease but hisprehension speed was now leagues ahead thanks to all the umted experiences.


    "They don''t have any special abilities from what I can see. The grunts fight using only their forearms and serrated teeth to rip and tear at the target directly in front of them. The elites are a lot more sophisticated and have much moreplex moves, probably more than one depending on the target."


    "Their exoskeletons seem extremely durable to the point that they can block most attacks with ease. They also seem to be immune to most ranged elemental attacks unless they are extremely concentrated."


    ''If I had a good sword I could fight them without a problem but...Maybe-''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and peered inwardly towards the meridian in his chest. There he could see the ive surrounded by copious Chaos energies. It susurrated within the darkness as pangs of electricity fell upon its cracked de from within the clouds of Chaos Qi.


    ''The Chaos is trying to fix the damage?! Even without me controlling it? How is that- No, now is not the time for this.''


    The size of the ive slowly becamerger until Hao Xuan could see every crack at ten times magnification. He inspected the area where the lighting was falling and indeed noticed the cracks bing smaller but the speed was too slow.


    ''At this pace it will take more than a year for it to be fully restored and I can''t use it until then.''


    He opened his eyes and returned back to the outer world.


    "Baracus put ''Fixing the ive'' at the top of the list. I need my weapon first and foremost." <sub> </sub>


    "Affirmative."


    "But until then...what would be the best method? Something blunt but fast, extremely powerful but not too Qi consuming."


    Hao Xuan''s mind raced with all the alternatives but if the information wasn''t there he couldn''t just magicallye up with it. But the more he thought about the more dark figures that had been keeping a distance from him came closer.


    It looked like they were being pulled towards him by some unknown force just like before.


    Hao Xuan felt a presence close to him and found a dark figure standing to his immediate right. He immediately stepped back, "What...are you doing?"


    This figure was one of the more distinct ones. It looked like a man in histe forties.


    He had a shabby appearance because almost everything on him looked old and extremely worn out. His clothes were torn from the edges and had pieces missing all over. His hair was a mess that hadn''t been cut in ages. They were roughly pulled back in a bun and tied together with a string.


    If he had to guess its background, "homeless" and "jobless" would probably be the first words that woulde to mind.


    But what was even more eye-catching was its muscr physique that screamed "fighter" despite the otherwise haggard appearance. It didn''t have any footwear but there was something wrapped around its fists.


    It looked metallic in nature with a few spikes but other than that he couldn''t tell anything else about it.


    "What do you want?" Hao Xuan inquired but the figure only stared back in silence for a brief moment before looking towards the battlefield.


    Even from the side Hao Xuan could see his burning desire to fight which made him frown.


    "You want to fight them?"


    It finally nodded, leaving Hao Xuan stumped. They had intelligence, at least to some degree. They weren''t just his clones but had their own needs and wants and could actually act on them.


    His curiosity got the better of him and despite his better judgment Hao Xuan reached out and touched the figure on the shoulder. The moment they came into contact with one another the figure was pulled inside of him along with everything that made him ''him''.


    Hao Xuan trembled from head to toe as the figure''s life story began ying out in front of his eyes.

 Chapter 1094 Anew

    Ten seconds. That''s how long it took for the figure to merge with Hao Xuan in both body and mind.


    Hao Xuan went through over fifty years of life experiences in the span of those few seconds.


    The memories started from the age of three with the death of his parents. He didn''t remember their faces or any other details about them.


    A woman came and exined to him that they were no longer with him and that he needed to go somewhere else now since the house they were living in had to be given to someone else.


    Unable to refuse or even understand most of what was going on he could only watch as he was taken away to an orphanage owned by a nobleman.


    He spent the next seven years there along with almost two hundred other boys of his age. It was a slow and mind-numbingly dull experience. They were not taught anything other than manualbor or if they were talented, how to fight.


    As weak as Hao Xuan was he could only be in the first group.


    He had also suffered an injury that left him mute and open to many forms of harassment and bullying by some of the other boys whose only form of entertainment was abusing those weaker than them.


    Those overseeing their growth only saw this as another form of punishment for the weak and as a reward for the strong because in this world strength was everything.


    When the boys turned ten they were taken away to be tested to see if they had a gift for cultivation and Hao Xuan finally caught a break when he showed above-average talent in the area.


    Thinking that finally the torturous days were over he was sent to another ce where the rest of the children that could cultivate were brought in from the entire region but thus began a new stage in his life, one thatsted until his eventual death.


    Instead of being taught how to cultivate properly, each child was given a single book which they were to study by themselves. But since Hao Xuan was illiterate his only option was to learn by watching others as they were sent toplete various missions not even a monthter.


    The missions included everything from clearing out bandit hideouts and hunting wanted criminals to clearing outrge sections ofnd that were overrun by various monstrous beasts, tasks that were not made for mere children.


    Starting out Hao Xuan''s group had 90 children and in the span of three months, only 17 were left alive.


    If they wanted to eat they would have toplete missions and toplete missions they needed to be stronger than the enemies which was almost never the case.


    They were used as expendable cannon fodder, left to fend for themselves. <sub> </sub>


    They were always the first ones to go in and thest toe out of any encounter. Another monthter only 5 children were left including Hao Xuan.


    They had to either beg for food or take on even more degrading tasks like visiting the houses of nobles under the cover of night to sell their young bodies.


    It was either that or slowly dying of starvation. But where others ran to safety Hao Xuan intentionally put himself in danger because he would rather die on the battlefield than live like a rat for the rest of his life.


    But the more he fought the more he began to like every heart-wrenching aspect of it.


    Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Before he realized another eight years had passed.


    Hao Xuan was no longer a weakling. His years ofbat experiences taught him enough skills to survive most encounters. He had be addicted to it, to the rush of adrenaline when his life was on the line.


    He treated it as the ultimate sport where only the victor woulde out alive. And he was a champion because that was all he knew.


    His only reason for existing was to fight anyone foolish enough to give him a reason. He fought man and beast, with nothing but his fists that he coated with molten metal.


    Running from one blood-soaked battlefield to the next his legend slowly grew and his mind became wrecked with thoughts of finding stronger and more powerful opponents.


    Cultivation was only a way for him to keep moving forward whereas his life was a sad existence where he only knew how to kill.


    And while he was experiencing those memories his body was changing ever so slightly ording to them.


    The skin over his knuckles began to peel away and recover with an extremely thickyer of dead cells that looked like callouses built from decades of scraping.


    The bones in his hands cracked and popped, extending themselves ordingly.


    *GASP*


    And with one final breath he became anew.

 Chapter 1095 Right In

    His bright green pupils slowly broke free from the stupor and refocused back on the world around him.


    His eyes felt like they were on fire, in fact, that was the case for his very soul which amalgamated every aspect of the life he just experienced.


    His throat was bone dry so he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and tried to speak, an act he had not repeated in almost 50 years.


    "Thirsty...I''m so thirsty..."


    He was burning up, every single part of him was.


    *Beep*


    |Warning: Body Temperature 60 degrees and Rising|


    *Cough*Cough*


    Hao Xuan clenched his chest which felt like it was about to explode and quickly breathed out in a long stream. The air distorted from the rising temperature just as it would over an open me and the end of the stream even ignited for a short moment.


    Chaos Qi was bubbling and boiling within his meridians and was forcefully being pushed out from the increasing pressure.


    ? |80 Degrees and Rising|


    Another notification popped up before Baracus warned Hao Xuan.


    "There will be severe soft tissue damage if the temperature is not brought under control within the next 20 seconds."


    His nerves and blood vessels were expanding ever so slightly with every surging wave of burning Chaos Qi but apart from the pain Hao Xuan did not seem to be too concerned about it.


    "I...know!" he muttered through gritted teeth and opened his arms as far wide as they possibly would and made a fist.


    His clenched jaw was teetering on the brink of fragmenting until all the Qi was brought to towards the middle of his chest in one swift motion and he smashed both fists together in front of him creating a loud thud.


    His throat swole to almost double in size just as he vomited a stream of bright orange me.


    *Huff*Huff*Huff*


    That seemed to have done the trick as Baracus''s notification informed an out of breath Hao Xuan a momentter of the changes.


    |Temeprature dropped to 55 Degrees and holding|


    "Hmm," he gruffly nodded.


    "Changes in the internal meridian cirction system detected."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes while rubbing his temples as the searing headaches came back along with memories he had just ingested.


    "It was because of him...the me that I just absorbed. His emotions were so powerful that I couldn''t control them. They just came out in one blinding stampede of raw unfiltered rage. I could feel everything he felt...and more."


    He looked down at his hands and noticed the changes to his body both inside and out.<sub> </sub>


    His hands felt rough, more than a little numb to the touch. They felt too light as if there was missing something and he knew exactly what it was.


    And on the inside the changes were also just as significant.


    The veins connecting his meridians had expanded by half. Everything ached but not in a bad way. In fact he missed this feeling even though in reality, this was the first time he had actually felt it.


    "This was a cultivation method he created himself. Compressing the internal energy repeatedly before releasing it in one final tidal wave. It gives a huge boost to raw power but damages internal organs with every use. That''s why I died shortly after reaching fifty, due toplete organ failure."


    Even though he was saying that there was a faint smile on his lips and a blush on his cheeks.


    "But for me, that''s not a problem anymore because my regenerative abilities far exceed what any mortal could be born with it."


    Clenching his fists one by one Hao Xuan slowly circted the Chaos Qi once again and felt the changes. Not only was it much faster but also far easier to bring out. Although controlling it would require a lot more work.


    With another deep breath Hao Xuan jumped down from the several-meter tall city wall andnded squarely on his feet.


    "Patience. Breathing. Focus. Patience. Breathing. Focus."


    Repeating constantly Hao Xuan walked forward through the rubble and remains of the fight that was slowlying closer.


    His eyes snaked left and right looking for something appropriate and he found it a momentter, in the hands of a demihuman guard that was recovering his energy next to a handful of cultivators that were also out of breath and Qi.


    Hao Xuan walked behind them without making a sound. Even when he was am arm''s reach away none of them could feel his presence until he spoke up.


    "Give me that."


    "!!!"


    The guard jumped to his feet brandishing a de that he noticed was not in his grasp anymore.


    "You Scoundrel! Return that right now!"


    Awoken from mediation by his yelling the cultivators also looked towards the culprit.


    One of them who had been with Henrik''s group from the beginning recognized him at once.


    "Brother Hao Xuan!" he exined.


    "Brother??" the guard repeated suspiciously.


    Hao Xuan obviously had no idea who that man was so he simply nodded in his direction before looking towards the demihuman guard.


    "I need this. Tell your princess how ever much it costs and she will reimburse you."


    "Sir if you need a weapon there are much better ones-"


    "No I need this. Its fights right in my hands."

 Chapter 1096 64 Palms Of Infernal Flame

    "Right in?"


    Somewhat puzzled by his wording, their collective gaze was attracted to Hao Xuan''s hands just in time to witness something that they would probably not forget for the rest of their lives.


    Hao Xuan was holding the sword upside down. His left hand was tightly wrapped around the tip of the de and right after he said those words he grasped the de from the middle and bent it over.


    Once, twice and three times in total. The sword bent like it was made from stic as it was wrapped up and down Hao Xuan''s wrist like a glove before being broken in half.


    What little steel was still left attached to the hilt was once again bent around his other hand. The sound it made was almost identical to what it would sound like if it was being struck against a solid metal block.


    Three times again, over the thumb, the fingers, and the wrist.


    Hao Xuan''s arms trembled lightly as copious amounts of red hot Qi began to melt the edges together. He began to smash both fists together to hammer out the fringes until it all looked like one solid piece.


    His fists were now sealed within those steel coffins until either he would break them on his enemy''s heads or they would cut them off of his corpse.


    "Hmm, much better," he nodded approvingly while the cultivators and the demihuman guard watched with mouths agape.


    "This...what...how...can...did you-"


    The guard had so many questions that by the time he decided on one Hao Xuan had already moved past them.


    Hao Xuan''s spiritual energy kept pulsating around him, creating a field of aura for half a meter in every direction.


    The chaos Qi was rampaging throughout his body setting itself alight with everypleted rotation through his meridian system.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and felt the fire burning within his abdomen distributing raw power to every part of his body.


    "Baracus, create a new entry. This is a scripture containing a mixture of Palm and Fist techniques. It is most suitable for someone with an affinity for Yang energy and uses fire as a basic element in almost all attacks and wind as a secondary element."


    "It is extremelyprehensive with 60 stances for close, medium, and long engages apanied by four movement techniques to either close the distance from the target or increase it, making it a total of 64 moves."


    "Pros: Extremely powerful and very well rounded. As long as the user has elemental affinities it is remarkably easy to cultivate."


    "Con: Causes damage to internal organs and depletes vitality and spiritual energy at a staggering rate. Halves lifespan if there is no way to recover vitality. Pollutes the mind leaving only harmful thoughts."


    "Save it as part One of "Hymn of the Twilight" which will be the title of theplete collection of all Saint-Grade and above skills that I can remember. It is called ''Ashuras Grand Compendious: 64 Palms of Infernal me!''"<sub> </sub>


    *Beep*


    "Entry added. New category created."


    "Hmm. And stop me if it looks like I''m about to lose control. It has been a long time since Ist used it," Hao Xuan''s lips slowly arched up into a smile.


    "Correction! This will be the first time you execute the technique in reality."


    "Oh yeah, I forgot. Anyways, shut up for now, I have to get to work."


    He had reached the front line during the course of the conversation with Baracus and was now standing directly behind thest line of city guards and cultivators that were fighting tooth and nail in extremely close proximity to one another.


    There was barely enough room to even take two steps without bumping into someone else which left Hao Xuan frowning.


    The "64 Palms of Infernal me" was not a scripture known for its precise control. It brought the best results when there were enemies on all sides.


    ''Now I see why he came forward. This is exactly the kind of battle where it would shine brightest,'' he thought inwardly referring to the dark figure that he has just absorbed.


    "Guess I''ll jump in from here. Might as well start things off with a big bang," Hao Xuan chuckled in excitement.


    Where others were at their wit''s end trying to stay alive, he was overflowing with boundless enthusiasm standing across from a sea of monstrous creatures.


    His knees slightly bent forward as waves upon waves of Chaos Qi were sent towards the bottom of his feet. The ground began to crack as the Qi returned to his fists that were both pulled back towards his chest.


    Hao Xuan felt like there were pumps in his legs and chest that were sending copious amounts of energy into his fists. The steel began to glow bright red not much different from a bulb.


    His arms bulged and veins popped on his forehead as he tried to keep the energy at bay. Even his own eyes opened wide in shock when he noticed how much energy was being stored in his fists.


    ''This isn''t even at the level of Spirit Realm anymore!''


    When he was at his limits Hao Xuan yelled at the top of his lungs.


    "EVERYONE IN FRONT OF ME, STEP AWAY RIGHT NOW IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!"

 Chapter 1097 Void Pull

    Even though everyone in front of him was engaged in a life and death battle Hao Xuan''s warning did not fall on deaf ears, especially once they noticed the unsettling amount of energy gathering right behind their backs.


    Most experienced fighters did not even have to look back and simply moved out of the way as fast as they possibly could while a few guards and greenhorn cultivators turned around to see just who it was that was jumping in at this crucial moment.


    And upon seeing Hao Xuan about to execute the move they didn''t need to wait either.


    Almost 10 meters of space directly in front of him was cleared almost instantly which allowed the grunts to break into their lines in a frenzy.


    They rushed straight at him, the only person who was in their sights.


    Hao Xuan had been holding back for far too long already and was way past his limits. When he finally saw the opportunity to release all that pent-up energy it came as a great relief because he had greatly underestimated the might of this move.


    Most techniques or battle skills with multiple move sets are centered around one specific move that could also be referred to as the ultimate move or skill.


    All the other skills are known as secondary skills and are used to either build up to that ultimate skill or during the ''off-time'' until the ultimate skill could be used again.


    When Hao Xuan mentioned he wanted to start things off with a bang he really did mean it and actually started from the ultimate skill because it fell in that rare category that did not require any build-up whatsoever.


    With enough Qi and spiritual energy it could be executed at any time without any other requirements.


    The concentrated energy gathered around his fists creating a unique visual and auditory phenomenon that looked like a ball of fire with an empty ck core.


    It was hovering right in front of his chest, in between the fists that were like conductors adding more and more power to it.


    The heat was so intense that it began to melt the very ground he was standing on. All loose debris and rubble within 5 meters of him began floating up into the air as a new gravity field emerged around the concentrated ball of sma.


    Hao Xuan felt like he was holding the sun in his hands and going by the looks alone he wasn''t wrong. His gums started bleeding from gritting his teeth too hard until he finally let go.


    "Void Pull: Daybreak!"


    Not much different from a racehorse that had been finally let loose, the sma ball shot forward with devastating speed and effect straight into the oing grunts.<sub> </sub>


    And now that nothing was holding back its power the force of attraction became even stronger as it picked up speed. Every grunt within 15 meters of it was instantly pulled in.


    Even a few demihuman guards that were a little too close were about to meet an unfortunate end until theirrades stepped in and brought them back down.


    The sma ball itself was swiftly covered by the bodies of the grunts that had created an outer shell around it. But the bigger it got the more its power multiplied.


    It moved in a straight line for almost 80 meters and after every 8 meters the gravity field around it doubled for a total of ten times.


    When it finally reached max distance it had pulled in every grunt within a 160 meters radius.


    And something of that size caught the eye of everyone on the battlefield, man and corrupted beast.


    Rhisiat who was fighting with the Elites in his beast form had to do a double-take to see what was going on and even then he couldn''t wrap his mind around that anomaly.


    And then as silently as it was created, the final stage of the skill was executed, the reason it was called "Daybreak".


    The humungous ball of squirming grunts suddenly halved in size from 160 meters to 80, instantly killing every single one of them. It looked like a solid mass at that point that was leaking from all over.


    Cracks appeared around the surface followed by a bright yellow light that was increasing in intensity.


    Hao Xuan slowly covered his ears just as the ball exploded, shooting forward for the second time.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    The white light began to cover everything as it expanded for the next 500 meters. The shockwave sent almost every person within a kilometer running for cover and the subsequent earthquake almost brought the entire city wall down in one swift blow.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed as he looked around at the aftershocks, dodging the falling rocks left and right.


    ''I don''t remember it being this powerful. With my current level it should not have been this strong. Was it me or executing the skill in reality was different from in there?''

 Chapter 1098 Resentment

    Hao Xuan still remembered every little detail about the skill "Void Pull: Daybreak" which was why he was 100% sure it wouldn''t be anywhere near as powerful as he remembered because not only was he not powerful enough to execute it but he didn''t have a great affinity towards either fire or wind which were both crucial for proper execution.


    And yet, the amount of energy in that one attack was leagues ahead of anything he should be able to muster.


    Unfortunately, there wasn''t much time to ponder the odd urrence because as expected, all the grunts that had been wiped out were to be reced soon because they were regrouping and amassing their forces before even the dust settled.


    ''I''ll try it againter when there is time.''


    Thankfully that one move had wiped out scores of them near the gate and given the guards and the cultivators a brief period of recess.


    From the left Hao Xuan saw a pir of golden light rise into the sky and smash down on the front killing even more of them.


    A secondter a figure jumped into the air andnded in front of him. It was a girl wearing full body armor and holding a great quarterstaff. Hair unkempt and the armor covered in blotches of red and ck fluids made her look even wilder.


    "It really is you..." she muttered through gritted teeth.


    She was ring at him with such hate that for a moment image of another person in much the same circumstances ovepped in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    He was standing in front of a small wooden hut and a young girl wearing a bright red and white traditional dress was scowling at her.


    ''Why couldn''t you die in his ce?'' she asked to which Hao Xuan didn''t know how to answer.


    He blinked and the scene returned to normal. Pushing that random shback aside he met her gaze.


    "Hazel?" recalling her name he asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Her grip tightened around the quarterstaff as she almost swung at him.


    "Do you know how long Henrik was waiting for you?! He had to take care of everything all alone when it should have been you. And now he- if something happens to him I will not le-"


    Hao Xuan remembered feeling Henrik''s presence when he woke up but it was extremely weak. He had obviously been greatly injured and by Eurig of all people, the one responsible for letting him return to his body.


    "Ma Jiang should be on her way soon and when she gets here she can heal him. Nothing will happen to him, I promise," he interjected but Hazle onlyughed at his face.<sub> </sub>


    "Like you promised that native boy that you would protect him?"


    Hao Xuan''s entire body tensed and he had to consciously hold back the overwhelming urge to punch her into the afterlife.


    "This and that are twopletely different things. That wasn''t under my control. I couldn''t have-"


    She suddenly lunged forward throwing away her quarterstaff to grab him by the cor.


    "Spare me your excuses and assurances, your word holds no value to me. People like you are only good for one thing. I don''t care what you have to do, who you have to kill or make a deal with. Make sure nothing happens to Henrik or I swear on all that is good and holy that I will not rest until you are dead."


    Hao Xuan was stunned into silence. He could only look into her hate-filled eyes in confusion because what he remembered of her was nothing like this at all.


    She was quiet and reserved and never even so much as cursed in front of him but now those eyes only held a deep-rooted resentment for him.


    It was like that was the only emotion she was capable of when it came to Hao Xuan.


    And before he could say anything she pushed him away and walked back to the front line with her weapon in hand.


    Many people had been witness to their little quarrel which only made them more distant. They knew Hazel, she had been fighting side by side with them since the beginning but to most Hao Xuan was a new face.


    So obviously between the two they would choose her. Quiet whispers were traded between the spectators questioning the reason for the argument which even Hao Xuan himself did not know.


    Gobsmacked, he brushed off his clothes and walked out as the guards and cultivators returned to their positions. No one so much as said a single word of gratitude, not that he needed any.


    But his overwhelming show of power and unknown origin had put a lot of people on alert. They knew there were other cultivators that were trying to get to them so many naturally came to the conclusion that he was one of them, that he must have done something terrible for Hazel to react that way.


    Lost in thought Hao Xuan, ran straight into the regrouping grunts punching and smashing his way deeper into their lines.


    Rhisiat was still engaged inbat with the elites but a heavy load had been lifted off of his shoulder now that he didn''t have to worry about them breaking into the city.


    He watched from the sideline as Hao Xuan''s figure vanished behind the squirming masses of tooth and w.

 Chapter 1099 Ashura Of The Six Paths

    His objective was to reach the ''Synapse'' creature as soon as possible and for that he didn''t have time to sit and n. The best option was to run straight in and break through the horde with raw power.


    And expectantly he was surrounded from all sides pretty soon. The city was hidden behind the ck forest and the only light came from his own two burning fists as they punched, knocked and sted through everything that moved.


    Now he couldn''t stop himself even if he wanted to.


    His feet kept moving forward in tandem with every strike. He had built the momentum and short of death nothing could stop it at this moment.


    "Ashura''s Grand Compendious: 64 Palms of Infernal me" was a Saint Levelbat scripture even from the beginning and as such its prowess was nearly unmatched in its category.


    His body moved by itself, egged on by the memories brought forth by these old sensations from a life he never lived. He was fighting the grunts but his mind had unknowingly been dragged back into that lifetime.


    ''One, two, three!''


    ''One, two, three!''


    ''One, two, three!''


    ''One, two, three!''


    He stood half-naked under the burning sun punching a wooden nk as the desert sand burned the soles of his feet and every gust of wind threatened to leave him in cinders.


    When Hao Xuan stopped to catch his breath both of his fists began to smoke. He had to use his shirt to wrap his fists since he couldn''t afford any proper equipment but they weren''t able to hold his Qi properly.


    His stomach rolled and grumbled while his throat ached from thirst but there was nothing to quench it.


    He pulled back the wrapping around his left arm and bit at an open wound, drinking his own blood just to stave off thirst and hunger.


    A momentter he stood back up and continued repeating the same routine. One after the other each punchnded in the exact spot.


    Hao Xuan''s mind was numb just like most of his body. There was nothing to feel, nothing to look forward to. Just staying alive was a chore and it took every ounce of effort to aplish even that.


    At some point during the mindless repetitive cycle of punching and resting small forceful jets of Yang Qi began to exude from his knuckles leaving inch-deep indentations on the wooden nk.


    He stopped mid-strike to inspect his fists. The wrapping around the knuckles had beenpletely burnt off.


    With a small nod, he turned around and began to make his way through the sand dunes until an old mountain came into view.


    Its dark yellow looming figure reached into the clouds but strangely enough, it left no shadow under the sun.


    There was one massive entrance more than twenty meters wide leading inside which Hao Xuan followed. Along the way he passed by several dpidated figures some sitting cross-legged while others were either sleeping or in a state of near-death.


    They were all but skin and bones just like Hao Xuan.


    He walked further still, feeling the temperature rising with every step until he was sweating profusely. Even practicing under the scorching sun didn''t make him sweat much but this heat was different.


    It reached deep inside his body, in every organ and tissue until he felt one with it.


    He felt full as if all the hunger had been satiated.<sub> </sub>


    The ground turned red and ck as streams of moltenva began to flow from the sides just as the only exit opened up into one massive chamber.


    This chamber was filled withva and the only ce to even stand was on the five-meter ledge right in front of the entrance.


    Hao Xuan stopped a few feet away and waited. Theva began to bubble and a few secondster a herculean figure emerged from its depths.


    Six gigantic arms reached out and grabbed the walls of the chamber before the main body showed itself.


    It had two extra heads one on each shoulder while the one in middle was not even human. It had long demonic horns jetting from the forehead and four mammoth-like tusks.


    Magma dripped down from the long hair of the middle head creating waves in the pool below.


    But despite its nightmarish appearance Hao Xuan was not afraid one bit. To say his prepubescent figure was like an ant in front of it would be a gross overstatement.


    "Whomst has summoned the Ashura of the Six paths!" it roared before noticing Hao Xuan, at which point its voice fell several octaves.


    "Oh, it''s you. What do you want mute boy? I will not give you anything else. Power must be earned not-"


    Hao Xuan extended both his fists silencing him at once.


    The Ashura leaned forward and squinted, "Hoho, you have achieved some aplishments, not bad for a lowborn human."


    The three heads looked into the tunnel Hao Xuan hade from and sighed.


    "And from the looks of it you are the only one. What a disappointment. I should have gone to a different world. Everyone said nothing good woulde from scrapping the bottom of the barrel. Tsk, what a letdown. I will probably fail the examination too," it grumbled to itself for a moment before remembering he wasn''t alone.


    It cleared its throat and shrugged.


    "Still, it was ''fate'' that brought us together."


    One of the hands reached into the pool ofva and took out something. The massive hand hovered in front of Hao Xuan, allowing him to see what it was.


    A six-sided orange crystal that exuded a numbing light.


    "Since you are the only one who could rouse my Astral form I will bestow upon you a piece of my final work. Take it, it will allow you to break free from all that holds you down."


    Hao Xuan stared at it for a second before reaching out. The crystal floated over and simply disappeared in the palm of his hand.


    The Ashura leaned back and all three heads stared at Hao Xuan.


    "If you ever manage to leave this world,e find me at the Temple of War. I am called ''Ashura of the Six Paths'', the one who will take the mantle of the God of War! MUHAHAHA!"


    A storm erupted around its body pushing Hao Xuan away.


    He covered his eyes and face and when the noise had died down Hao Xuan looked up and found himself standing alone in the desert. No mountain anywhere in sight, just a few corpses strewn across the red sands.

 Chapter 1100 Basin

    "Ashura of the Six Paths," Hao Xuan quietly muttered under his breath, "I met him in that mountain byplete coincidence and ended up with such a powerful technique. Although I''m sure he never thought I would be able to have any sess with it simply because Icked the resources and the foundation needed to practice it."


    <o>,m "But now that I have that skill I can use it with this body, one which has nearly inexhaustible vitality and the foundation to bring forth its true power."</o>


    *Bang*


    A punchnded on a poor grunt''s head blowing it awaypletely. It was quickly followed by a triple kick and an elbow strike that was sharper than most swords, finishing off the remaining grunts in the near vicinity.


    Hao Xuan paused to look around and strangely enough found himself standing alone in the old forest.


    The grunts had stoppeding at him.


    He could see a few figures running away in the darkness while unsessfully trying to hide behind the trees for cover.


    "Are they scared?" he wondered but quickly shook his head, "No that''s not likely. Then....the Synapse has given up? Or is it focusing on the city again? Either way, I''m almost there. I''ll see for myself soon."


    Without any of the grunts to slow him down Hao Xuan sprinted towards the source of the psychic force that was controlling the grunts and soon enough he was able to feel its presence even without consciously trying to sense it.


    It was everywhere. The very air felt heavy, it felt alive as if it was trying to poke and prob at him.


    Hao Xuan quickly wrapped himself in ayer of Chaos Qi which kept it at bay.


    But the farther he moved the stronger that presence became until he felt like there were numerous pairs of eyes watching him from every direction. And in the silent darkness of the old forest, it was more than a little eerie.


    He kept jumping from one tree to the next until there were none left and the forest that seemed like it would go on for an eternity came to an abrupt end.


    Hao Xuan jumped down andnded on the ground that had turned into a marsnd. He looked up to stare at the massive tear in the sky. It looked like an eye that was weeping ck tears.


    Only those ck tears were the bodies of grunts and other corrupted spawn being hurled down from the surface world.


    The mud came up to his ankles bringing with it a stark coldness. Hao Xuan kneeled down to inspect the ground. It was definitely mud but the liquid that created it was not water.<sub> </sub>


    It was an odorless pitch ck liquid. But its consistency was not foreign to him.


    "This the blood of the grunts."


    He looked left and right to see that the marsnd''s outer boundary went on further than he could see and it was expanding constantly.


    The giant trees of the old forest were slowly being pulled into the ground, just like him.


    But just as he was about to pull himself free he noticed faint vibrationsing through.


    "Is it underground?" was his first thought but then he noticed they were alling from the front, where the center of this marsnd would be, right under the gaping eye in the sky.


    Using a lot more strength than he originally expected to use Hao Xuan pulled his legs free and moved towards the center of the marsnd using the Qi to cover the soles of his feet which acted as a cushion between him and the ground.


    It took him approximately two minutes of running at full speed to reach the intended destination which was not at all what he expected.


    Firstly it was all downhill, quite literally. There was an incline from the beginning of the marsnd until this point.


    And secondly, the soil and the mud itself was slowly moving towards the center along with him. Although it was so slow that he didn''t notice it at first but the closer he got to the center the faster it became until now it was as fast as a small stream of water.


    Hao Xuan stood at the edge of what looked like a gigantic basin. About half a meter from him there was a sudden drop. It looked like a massive crater that was at least a kilometer in radius forming a perfect circle.


    The drop was approximately 40 meters and the inside of the basin was filled to the brim with grunts.


    They were all running anti-clockwise in a circle along the outer rim of the basin while slowly being pulled inward by the moving earth.


    And there, smack dab in the center of the crater was a 200-meter-wide pool of the same pitch-ck liquid.

 Chapter 1101 Soul Strength

    It was night out and there were no heavenly bodies to illuminate the surroundings which made it almost impossible to see very far. Fortunately, Hao Xuan did not need any help in that department.


    His eyes glowed with a bright green light as all the darkness was pushed aside. To him it looked like there was a full moon out illuminating everything for miles.


    He squinted lightly and his vision enhanced even more, zooming in on the pool of liquid with stark rity. He could see every ripple on its surface that was created from the stampede of tens of thousand grunts of grunts packed within the crater.


    With everyplete rotation they were slowly being pulled towards the pool, eventually falling inside without putting up much struggle.


    ''That looks like a death spiral, doesn''t it?''


    A death spiral was amon phenomenon among many insectoid species especially ones that did not have their own intelligence and depended on a Queen. Once they lost track of the pheromones that were essentially their way back home, they would start following each other in a spiral that would only end with their deaths.


    ''But...that doesn''t make sense. Why would they do this?''


    Baffled by what he was seeing Hao Xuan slowly retracted his Qi and sent out his own spiritual sense to feel for the psychic force that was so utterly prevalent in the surrounding area.


    It was so thick in fact that he couldn''t even pinpoint its direction, that is until his spiritual sense came into contact with it.


    His vision shed for a moment as he saw various gory images that were being forcefully transmitted straight into his brain. Images of him dying a horrible death, of everyone he knew being slowly ripped apart followed by the being slowly covered in a ck mist that consumed everything.


    He had be "it" and it had be him. He felt like his mind was connected to something so much bigger than himself. It instilled within him a feeling of pious fervor that he had not known before.


    If he had to define it,paring it to seeing the vision of God would be an appropriate analogy.


    And while he was seeing all that his eyes began to turn pitch ck as if something was trying to take control of him but that onlysted for a mere second before everything returned to normal.


    Hao Xuan shook his head while chuckling, "Ah, I get it now. Is this what you do to break down the minds of your victims before taking control of them? But it feels different from how the grunts are controlled, right? This was more personal. It felt like you were trying to ''program'' me. Is that amon ability that you have?"


    He had been through far too much, both in mind and body, to fall for something this simple. Hao Xuan was constantly living through the experiences of one lifetime or another in the back of his mind so one more was nothing to him.


    He could feel it trying to "change" him but it never even came close.


    His gaze shifted between the countless grunts trying to find the one that might stand out in some way. The Synapse had to be here.<sub> </sub>


    In the meantime he continued talking to it.


    "You can understand me right? Well, not understand butprehend the meaning behind my words. Why don''t you show yourself and have a talk with me?"


    He waited while looking for anything that leaped out but to no avail.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and tried to feel for it with his spiritual sense once again although this time he was more than prepared for another attack like before. And he didn''t hold back either.


    In his mind''s eye everything around him had turned dark.


    <o>,m The middle door within his mind pce slowly creaked open allowing his spiritual sense to slowly spread out in all directions. But unlike before it had a specific shape and color now because it looked like a golden liquid.</o>


    ''Hmm? Since when did my spiritual sense have a color? It feels different...stronger?''


    Before, the most he could extend it was around 20 meters and even that was not in all directions. He had to pick and choose because it was simr to reaching out with the power of one''s soul which could not extend too far from the body.


    But that was not the case. Not only it covered every possible direction but its range had increased several folds.


    Ten, twenty, thirty....hundred, and finally maxing out at a hundred and fifty meters.


    When Hao Xuan opened his eyes they were burning with a bright green light.


    "Baracus, check my soul strength. How much has it increased by?"


    *Beep*


    |Measuring...|


    "Current Soul Power Level: 44".

 Chapter 1102 Harmonious

    "What was it before? Check everything."


    It had been so long that Hao Xuan had even forgotten what the old numbers were.


    |Past Measurements Conducted at Spirit Stage 4th Realm|


    Soul Power: 13.5


    Physical Power: 8.7


    |Full Body Scan Initiated|


    |Current Measurements Recorded|


    Name: Hao Xuan


    Cultivation Realm: Peak Stage, Spirit Realm


    Soul Power: 44


    Physical Power: 49.9


    "Soul strength 44 and physical strength at 49.9?! How did it increase by so much? My body was feeling a little taut but I never would have expected it was to this extent. Baracus, how is itpared to other people again? What was the standard?"


    *Beep*


    Baracus quickly jumped in to exin and refresh Hao Xuan''s memory.


    "An average cultivator without any special bloodlines, physique or constitutions is taken as the standard with the power level of 1 once they enter the Spirit Realm. Upon reaching Peak Stage they may only be able to reach a power level of 15 to 20 at most depending on their cultivation technique."


    "Upon breaking into the Profound Realm they see a significant qualitative increase that pushes them to the power level of 30 aspared to a Spirit Realm cultivator. For those with special bloodlines and such, it is not unheard of to reach the power level 40 upon breaking into the Profound Realm."


    "There are of course exceptions to the rule but they are outliers and do not affect the measurement criteria."


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed in confusion, "But I am still in the Spirit Realm and my power is far beyond even an average Profound Realm cultivator. How is that possible?"


    *Beep*


    "One possible exnation could be the forced refinement host went through within thest few days. Being pushed to the limit in both mind and body could very well result in such an irregrity."<sub> </sub>


    "But to this extent?"


    "No other logical reason can be found. It should not be physically possible for you to reach such physical prowess while remaining within the human lim-"


    Strangely enough, Baracus cut himself off all of a sudden as Hao Xuan felt movement within his bloodstream when numerous nanites jumped into action.


    "Possible Exnation: Bloodline integration. New blood purity level capped at 99.997% purity. Uponbining with the ''Immortal Devouring Demon Physique'' and the ''Soul Severing Heavenly constitution'' an unprecedented form of unity has been reached within the energy, spiritual and physical centers."


    "This harmony has broken the standard limits of your human body and allowed it to reach a new realm."


    Although he could hear and understand what Baracus was saying Hao Xuan''s thoughts were focused elsewhere.


    ''So all these ''gifts'' that I picked up along the way just ''happen'' to work with one another in a way that it creates perfect harmony and a solid enough foundation that I doubt even the children of gods would be able to get. No matter how much I want to believe, there is no way this was a mere coincidence which means...she was right....''


    *ROAAAAR*


    Awoken from his daze unexpectedly by a muffled roar his spiritual sense was forcefully pulled back while the very ground he was standing on began to shake.


    He turned towards the source of the noise which was the now ''bubbling'' ck pool. It seethed and raged as hundreds of grunts were pulled in at once making it expand even more.


    And in the middle of the pool was something new. A rough outline of a figure that was covered in a viscous tar-like substance. But it was too muddled to make out anything just yet.


    It was howling while trying to break free from the pool but it looked like that wasn''t going to happen any time soon even though more and more of its frame was slowly revealed.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils constricted to the size of pinholes when he could see and feel what it was with a little more rity.


    The giant thing at the top was its head but that alone was more than 30 meters in length. On its back and sides were eighteen appendages that were obviously unfinished since he could only see bones and some flesh. Nevertheless, just one look was enough for him to see how deadly they would be.


    "I was right then. You are not plete'' yet, are you? Are those grunts just fodder to fatten you up?"


    He had asked the question not expecting anything in return but the Synapse creature suddenly ceased all struggle and turned its eyeless head in Hao Xuan''s direction. If it did have eyes they would be looking right at him.


    He felt a sharp pain around his forehead as a word appeared in the back of his mind.


    ''Devour!'' it screamed.


    Hao Xuan shook his head trying to lessen the pain, "Devour? What a coincidence, that''s my thing too."

 Chapter 1103 Acting

    It must have understood him to some extent since it roared again right after, sshing the liquid everywhere. And every ce and grunt unfortunate enough to be hit by the liquid was instantly dissolved into a puddle of the same thing.


    In Hao Xuan''s eyes the space around the synapse was beginning to fragment and burn with a red hue. Its bloodthirst was so strong that it was literally dying the surrounding space red just with its psychic power.


    And when it reached him, a pressure equivalent to approximately 3 tons fell on top of his shoulders.


    If it was before he would not even be able to stand upright let alone move around but now, now it was nothing more than a little inconvenient. He unleashed even more Chaos Qi but to his surprise, it did not lessen the weight from his shoulders even one bit.


    Moving around his hand Hao Xuan felt for the changes and found them soon after.


    "It''s aw! Iplete still and not being used properly but this is definitely the territory of a recentlyprehendedw. You can do that?!" he stared at the creature in quite a bit of shock.


    The synapse was obviously still in the process of being "birthed" but it was already able to establish the foundation of a very powerfulw from the feel of it.


    "And it''s some kind of a force-rtedw like Gravity. Do you even know what you''re doing?"


    The creature roared for the third time and another shockwave was sent out. But this one squashed more than half of the grunts to death within the basin.


    When the shockwave reached Hao Xuan he had to use some force of his own to contend against it as the pressure increased to 6 tons.


    "I guess that''s the extent of what you can understand."


    ''Baracus, record all the details about it. The process of creation for the creature is not very long but when it''spleted it wille out with the strength of a stage 5 Profound Realm cultivator at least with an establishedw of its own.''


    <o>,m ''Affirmative. Data catalogued.''</o>


    He sighed before looking at the creature onest time. It was struggling to break free from the pit but no matter how hard it tried that was not an option right now.


    "As much as I want to see your final form, I can''t take that risk. You need to die before that."<sub> </sub>


    That part the creature seemed to have no trouble understanding because all of a sudden it stopped and just stared at him.


    That one inconspicuous move made Hao Xuan''s heart shake. It was far worse than the imminent threat of physical harm.


    "Motherfucker, you were acting?! All that sshing around and shit, you were just trying to pull me in by making me think you were about to lose control but...that''s not the case at all, is it? You understand everything I''m saying."


    In response to his statement, its massive head slowly tilted to the side as its maw unhurriedly cracked open to reveal a hideous smile, a very human kind of smile.


    The hair on Hao Xuan''s neck and arms stood straight up.


    ''This kind of intelligence...I have to kill it right here and now. If it''s able to leave this ce then we''ve already lost, no doubt about that.''


    He didn''t really want to take this fight for multiple reasons especially since it had the home-ground advantage but now there was no other choice. He couldn''t just look the other way and let this monster be whole.


    With one more step Hao Xuan fell into the basin, crushing a poor grunt that happen to be in his way. The pressure here was more than 12 tons now and he had to use a fair bit of strength to move around.


    The grunts around it that had been moving in circles nonstop all immediately turned and lunged at him. Hao Xuan didn''t even need to look at them. His hand slightly shook once as he punched forward.


    The movement was so fast that in the eyes of an ordinary person it wouldn''t stand out at all and yet, the defeaning explosion that followed after spoke volumes as to its power.


    The initial jab blew the ones in front of him into smithereens but he pulled back so quickly that it created a vacuum which pulled in even more grunts into the explosion, effectively clearing out several meters of the area around him.


    "Don''t bother. These little ones won''t even slow me down," Hao Xuan shook his head lightly before directing his attention towards the Synapse that looked even more imposing from down here.


    "You wanted me toe to you, I''m here. But let me warn you, I won''t hold back either. This is the first real fight for me in a long time and I n to go all out so, prepare yourself."

 Chapter 1104 Absolute Limit

    "-So prepare yourself."


    *Pit*


    The moment he finished speaking a raindropnded right on the tip of Hao Xuan''s nose.


    ''Huh?''


    Looking up he could see the ck clouds gathering below the several kilometer wide tear in the sky. And as if waiting for just such a moment the clouds burst open and the loud pitter-patter of the heavy rain filled the atmosphere.


    The heavy downpour made Hao Xuan feel like he was standing under a shower. For a moment he couldn''t help but close his eyes to enjoy the feeling.


    His lips cracked in a genial smile while he recalled the sensation.


    "You know, I used to love standing in the rain. It feels so freeing, washing away all the dirt and muck that we''ve picked up along the way. It used to rain every other day there and I would sit under this old tree by my house and try to catch the raindrops falling down from the leaves."


    Hao Xuan could clearly recall the moment he was talking about as it began ying out in front of him. He even remembered the cold raindrops rolling down his arms making him giggle.


    But then he suddenly paused as his forehead creased up in confusion, "No, we never had a tree in the house on earth. I...those were the memories from one of the other lives I lived through, aren''t they? Damnit, how could I confuse the two?"


    When he opened his eyes again there was more anger in them than any other emotion. He felt robbed for some reason, deceived by his own mind.


    "Ah, that''s really fucked up isn''t it?"


    Hao Xuan rubbed his forehead feeling the migraineing back, "If I can''t trust my own memories then what can I trust?"


    He was mostly talking to himself but the synapse was diligently listening and digesting everything he had to say. It didn''t even make a move and allowed him to continue reminiscing because that''s what it wanted in the end, to understand him on a deeper level because he was the first human that it had ever seen in person.


    But now that his mood had been soured no good memories came to mind-


    *Sigh*


    -In fact, only the bad ones did.


    "Still quite a bit of deja vu though, isn''t it? I met Ba''al in much a simr situation and then the following fight with the Puer. It was in the same kind of pit and even the weather, what a strange coincidence."


    "It might not have been that long ago in real time but for me, that feels like ages past. It doesn''t even feel like that was me. I wonder why that is..." he muttered to himself. (Those events took ce around CH 583 and 591 leading up to 610+)<sub> </sub>


    Looking back at the synapse Hao Xuan could see it studying him. It had let him go on because it wanted to know more about him so that maybe it would help it the next time it tried to take control of him.


    ''Too bad that''s not going to happen.''


    He wasn''t nning on pulling back any punches. This was not a fight but an extermination.


    "Assault of the Mad God!"


    Although it had been activated in full force Hao Xuan could not really feel a difference. He examined his arms which were a shade darker but the previous effect of his muscles doubling and arms expanding in size was nowhere to be seen.


    p There was just a numbing feeling in his bones as if there were hundreds of bees flying inside them.</anda>


    "Seems I can''t physically get any stronger. This is the absolute limit that my body can handle without imploding. Is that a good thing or bad?"


    Flexing all his muscles Hao Xuan locked onto the synapse. For good or bad, this was it. His hands were still folded into fists and bound by the metal he had twisted around them.


    Without making any shy movements he sprinted forward. This was not a special technique, no Qi was utilized for this whatsoever. The only strength came from his body which just happened to be almost 50 times stronger than an average Spiritual Realm Expert.


    And this kind of strength, was nothing to scoff at.


    The basin was a kilometer in radius and when Hao Xuan pushed against the ground it created another hole that was 20 meters deep.


    There was no sound, just a straight line of empty space where even the raindrops were missing from.


    One second the Synapse creature was looking at Hao Xuan and the next second its vision blurred right before it heard the explosion.


    *BOOOOOM*


    A sonic boom reverberated back and forth a momentter as Hao Xuan appeared in the creature''s ce while it was smashed tens of meters into the ground.


    Hao Xuan pushed against the surface of the ck pool and backflipped onto the semi-solid ground.


    "Not bad."

 Chapter 1105 Adapting

    ''Not bad at all,'' he thought inwardly looking at his smoking arms.


    He had punched with such speed that the friction from the air had caused the metal around his fists to be red hot even without using any Qi.


    A muffled gurgling sound came from the opposite direction while the synapse pulled itself out of the bog. Hao Xuan who was waiting for it to attack was bbergasted when he saw its condition.


    The entire top half of its thirty-meter head was missing. ck bodily fluids spurted out from the gaping wound in startling volume.


    "Did I...kill it?" Hao Xuan questioned his own obscene strength but the reality was far from it.


    Right in front of his eyes parts of the creature''s body began to melt and rearrange themselves. The neck and shoulder area that held up that oversized head simply turned into goo and disappearedpletely.


    More and more tentacles made of that ck liquid came up from the pool and began to burrow underneath skin turning into jelly.


    Within a handful of seconds the synapse hadpletely lost its original form turning into nothing more than a squirming mass of jell several tens of meters tall.


    "Is it breaking down? I couldn''t actually have killed it that easily could I?"


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to think, whether to attack it again or step in and interfere with whatever the hell was going on.


    And if it was in the past he would have attacked it but now he was much more experienced and knew better than most that jumping in at the wrong time without grasping the full situation could prove to be harmful in more ways than one.


    So with bated breath, he distanced himself from the pool and waited to see where it would lead.


    In less than thirty seconds the entire main body was converted into the same gtinous mass before something began to take shape inside. The process reminded Hao Xuan of a moth turning into a butterfly as the outer shell hardened and began to peel off bit by bit.


    The leftover ck liquid and jell slowly receded back into the pool to reveal its true form which was ashen white.


    It had a thin and long upper body that didn''t have any facial features or even a head to speak off. It was oval-shaped while the top was covered in 2-5 meters long inverted spikes.


    There was one long vertical line going down the middle of the upper body lined with rows of teeth. The appendages, or rather the limbs, were much more conspicuous than before.


    There were still a total of eighteen of them but there were six on the upper body that were much more pronounced than all the rest. Two of the arms had six digits on each hand folded tightly into fists just like Hao Xuan''s while the other four were in the shape of gigantic serrated des.<sub> </sub>


    The bottom half of its body was still stuck inside the pool but from what Hao Xuan could make out it was arachnid in design with arge abdomen lined with the remaining twelve appendages. (Reference Image posted in Authors notes and discord)


    ''Those should be its legs but they look much weaker. Looks like it redirected whatever resources it had to develop the top half of its body to fight me first, leaving the rest forter. The shape is also...perfect.''


    Hao Xuan did not have a weapon on hand and was using only his hands. And this new design of the Synapse was almost a perfect counter to the blunt attacks of his fists.


    It had no head anymore so its biggest weakpoint was gone. It probably had sensory organs like the eyes and ears but they weren''t visible at first nce or simply were hidden somewhere out of sight in one of the many crevices.


    Its front body was basically just a b of heavy obtuse muscles lined with sharp teeth while the back and top were covered in inverted spikes that would dig into anything that got close.


    Two of the limbs had fists which were probably for closer range while the other four were segmented and pulled back into its body but even from where he was standing Hao Xuan could tell they would be able to expand by up to 3-4 times and strike almost anywhere within the pit.


    Hao Xuan was more amazed than anything else by how quickly it adapted and changed its entire form to perfectly counteract him.


    ''And all it took was one punch. One attack for it see through it. Not to mention...I''ve seen that form before somewhere else...haven''t I?''


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://cdna.artstation/p/assets/images/images/009/400/874rge/duong-ct-ilu28.jpg?1518773090


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/SMNA2

 Chapter 1106 Blinking

    He tried to remember where he had seen it before but his thoughts were soon interrupted because the moment its upper body stabilized and took shapepletely the Synapse attacked.


    It was fast, almost as fast as Hao Xuan''s earlier punch but what made it so dangerous was that it came from aplete blindspot without any warning whatsoever.


    The main body did not move even a single inch so there was no way to read its movements when one of the scythe-like appendages on its lower left side abruptly opened up and swiped from left to right.


    Hao Xuan didn''t see it at first but he did hear the extremely faint noise it made while cutting across the raindrops. It swung 300 meters in an arc covering almost the entire length of the pit.


    Feet imnted into the ground Hao Xuan''s upper body twisted to the right at breakneck speed avoiding the attack by the skin of his teeth.


    It was so close that several locks of hair from the side of his head were cut from the pressurized air as it passed by. The limb was pulled back almost as quickly as it came leaving an entire section of the pit in abject silence.


    It was only a couple of secondster that the hundreds of grunts that were caught in the attack separated into two and their deformed bodies fell and became one with the bog. They not only hid the attack perfectly behind their own bodies but made no noise to signal its arrival either, silently epting their fate.


    Or rather it would be more urate to say that they couldn''t do anything since the synapse was still controlling them perfectly. Still, he found it a littleical that the scythe made more noise cutting through the droplets of water than hundreds of grunts.


    Upon feeling the tingling sensationing from his head and face Hao Xuan realized how close he came to being decapitated and if not for his superhuman senses it might have actuallye to pass.


    ''And here I thought we would be having a fair fight.''


    Chaos Qi began to once again build up within his meridians in full force before being circted to the rest of the body. It spilled out in thick streams covering every inch of his insides.


    Quantity wise it wasn''t anywhere close to what a True Profound Realm cultivator could muster but for a Spirit Realm cultivator like him it was leagues above.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes quickly swiveled to the right this time as another one of the scythes effectively disappeared from his vision but this time he was ready and waiting.


    More and more chaos Qi gathered around his feet destabilizing the space around him and when the barely audible shing noises got closer he used it.


    "Chaos Steps: Blink!"<sub> </sub>


    Hao Xuan disappeared from the spot before reappearing more than 180 meters away in the blink of an eye just as the name suggested. He had moved diagonally to what should have been its blindspot but the second he reappeared another scythe shot straight towards him.


    With gritted teeth Hao Xuan muttered again, "BLINK!" and this time he appeared 60 meters into the air. The synapse was technically still ''looking'' to the front but another one of its limbs swiped in his direction.


    And this time it was quick that he couldn''t even execute the move anymore. The third scythe cut through the air in front of him aiming directly for his chest.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils constricted as he punched the empty space to the left side pushing him slightly out of the way by the added force. Using that momentum he punched once again and spun out of the way like a spinning top.


    His fists looked like matchsticks because the faster he spun the brighter they got, eventually catching fire. It was like spraying gasoline on a candle and after the first spark his entire body lit up.


    "BLINK!"


    While still spinning he appeared less than 20 meters away from the synapse''s main body and using all the momentum he had built up, a punchnded on one of the extended scythes.


    The fire that had covered his entire body was suddenly pulled towards his left fist just before itnded.


    *BOOOOOM*


    "BLINK!"


    Hao Xuan reappeared back on the ground and after spinning a couple of times he stopped himself to look at his handiwork. There was a 15-meter-wide hole where the limbs were attached to the main body.


    One of the scythes waspletely severed while the one below it was hanging by some white flesh and skin.


    Hao Xuan quickly took inventory of his own energy because that was one of the moves from the ''64 Palms of the Infernal me'' and it consumed a lot of Qi by igniting his internal energy.


    ''Every time I use Blink it uses up around 1.2% of my total Qi. That counter used up almost 4% by itself making it a total of 8.8% including all the blinks.''

 Chapter 1107 Breaching

    ''If I stop fighting and focus on recovering spiritual energy I can regain about 0.2% every minute but that is not really an option when I''m fighting alon- how could I forget!?''


    Just now remembering about his severs Hao Xuan waved his hand to summon the Scorpion King along with a few others but to his dismay, nothing happened.


    *ROOOOOAR*


    The Synapse roared from the pain and attacked his position with everything it had, forcing Hao Xuan to use "Blink" twice more to dodge.


    ''Damnit, why isn''t it working?''


    Finding an extremely brief moment within the attacks he quickly entered his mind pce only to find it studded in a thick coating of Chaos energy.


    The nine gates that were always rotating around the central pce were now frozen in ce. There were thick streams of purulent chaos energy constantly being discharged from the inside, covering the entire central pce in a sheet of the same viscous energy.


    All the severs were covered in it along with every inch of the ce. It looked like they were sleeping but Hao Xuan knew it was not that simple.


    The only area not affected by it was where the three doors were in the far back.


    [WAKE UP!]


    Hao Xuan even used the power of the ''Soul Severing heavenly Constitution'' but it had no effect on them. They werepletely cut off from and in his own mind pce to boot.


    *BANG*


    One of the scythes mmed into him while pulling back bringing him back to reality. There was a 4-inch wide gash on his chest which spewed blood all over but otherwise did little to hinder his movements.


    ''Damnit, I can''t draw this out for very long. Looks like I have to go all out.''


    Left with no other choice Hao Xuan called in effect the full territory of the Chaos Law. With a somewhat mechanical whirring sound it expanded in a circle around him covering more than 300 meters. Its range had been greatly increased since his fight with Stasa.


    "Hng!"


    Gathering every iota of physical strength at his disposal Hao Xuan flexed lightly. The sudden expansion of muscles created a gust of wind around him and even the wound on his chest was mostly closed off because of them.


    Unlike the earlier times, his body wasn''t swollen like a balloon and maintained the original form just a little bit more well-defined. But he could feel a frightening amount of power circting throughout his body.


    There was no real way to exin it because it simply manifested as an assurance in his ability to punch through whatever stood in his way.<sub> </sub>


    Wisps of translucent aura surrounded his body like a liquid me. Seeing him ''powring up'' the Synapse did not wait a moment longer and once again unleashed a barrage of attacks in his position.


    ''Blink!''


    He used it again and appeared at the very edge of his territory a little over 300 meters. His lips cracked into a smile upon realizing that not only was the range of the Chaos Steps increased but as long as he remained within the territory of the Chaos Law the consumption of Qi was less than halved!


    Each time he blinked it would normally consume 1.2% of his total energy reserves but now that was barely 0.5%. And not only that but he was also recovering 0.4% energy at about the same rate just by focus breathing.


    ''With this it''s possible. I can finally let loose!''


    p The Synapse picked up on his position and tried to attack but it was too slow.</anda>


    "Blink!" x2


    Hao Xuan''s body warped in and out of space as he appeared 40 meters above the ck pool right in front of its main body.


    He pulled back and with everything he could muster punched forward with the most basic technique of the 64 Palms.


    ''First Palm: Breach''


    The Synapse was far too big to simply duck or move out of the way and he didn''t give enough time for it to react.


    The very air twisted around the arm as it made contact with its main body.


    *RUUUUMBLE*


    Thunder rumbled in the sky above as Hao Xuan blinked and reappeared back on the ground 300 meters away. Again he looked towards the Synapse that was frozen stiff. There was no explosion from the impact but a 3-meter-wide hole had been poked in its body.


    Hao Xuan could see the other side of the pit from his position. He had punched through more than 15 meters of reinforced bone and muscles without making a sound. The flesh around the wound was still being twisted clockwise, in the same fashion he had struck.


    Even though it didn''t have a face Hao Xuan could tell how shocked it was, perhaps from how it slowly felt around the wound trying to wrap its mind around it.


    It was like looking at a toddler that had fallen for the first time and was trying to decide if it hurts or not.


    But then it turned towards Hao Xuan and the long vertical p on its upper body wriggled open.

 Chapter 1108 Red Dragon

    One would think it be the creature''s mouth but when Hao Xuan saw what its insides look like he was more than a little speechless.


    There were indeed rows of teeth lining the edges but in the center was a 10 meter wide jet ck pearl. Hao Xuan could see his image being clearly reflected within its boundary in a way that made him feel like he was looking at himself from somewhere far away.


    And the moment he locked eyes with the reflection his body became heavy.


    ''What the hell!''


    The weight on his shoulders kept increasing bit by bit while slowly expanding outwards. The area around him in a radius of 10 meters began to sink in, as if a giant invisible hammer was beating down from above.


    Imperceptible waves of undting force kept mming against Hao Xuan''s body until he could barely stand up right while using everything at his disposal.


    *Beep*


    [Gravitational Force increased by 3200%]


    ? "HOW?! How is it doing this?!" Hao Xuan shouted through gritted teeth as he tried to use Blink to get away but it couldn''t pull him through such a strong force.


    His own chaosw was active and its territory was in full effect. It would have automatically canceled out any otherw without even having to depend on the Lycan bloodline which in and of itself would have left him immune to all such outside influences.


    But seeing him struggle so much the synapse immediately attacked. Hao Xuan did his best to dodge but it felt like the weight of the entire world was on his shoulders.


    All he could do was defend now. Raising both fists into the air he waited until the scythe was just a meter away at which point his muscles bulged again and brought both fists down on the de.


    The increased force of gravity seemed to have an effect on the creature as well because its attack slowed down significantly the moment it entered the 10-meter boundary, giving him enough time to execute the move.


    His fists made contact, not only changing the direction of the de but using that momentum to send himself flying up into the air.


    The weight suddenly lessened but when hended back on the ground it all came crashing down.


    ''That''s it!''


    Hao Xuan had been keeping an eye on the pearl and when he moved just now his reflection disappeared for a brief moment. But as soon as it returned the gravity increased with it.


    ''That''s why it worked! It''s not affecting me directly but somehow by using my reflection it''s able to use its ability without getting canceled. But how did it know to do that?!''


    *BANG*


    Another scythended right on his back leaving a wound that was forcefully closed the next moment. Hao Xuan recoiled from the impact while his frustration increased twofold.


    ''How am I supposed to fight something like that?! I can''t even move out of the way. As long as my reflection- Of Course!''


    The third barrage of attacks was about toe his way and this one included all the four limbs that remained.


    Hao Xuan gathered his strength and waited for the perfect moment. Just when the synapse lunged forward he kicked into the ground throwing up a wall of mud and ck liquid, obscuring the line of sight just long enough to break whatever link that had been created between them.<sub> </sub>


    As expected the force immediately vanished.


    ''BLINK!''


    He moved 300 meters to the right with the first one.


    ''BLINK!''


    Then moved straight for the same distance before using it onest time to close in.


    ''BLINK!''


    He appeared in the air in front of the pearl and could feel the gravity slowly beginning to increase around him. But it was gradual enough that it wasn''t able to stop his ming fists that already had a small red orb in between them.


    It was much smaller than thest time because he didn''t have enough to charge it up but-


    ''It should be enough,'' he thought.


    "Void Pull: Daybreak!"


    It shot straight into the pearl and exploded but just before it came into contact with its glossy surface a ck sheet appeared between them.


    The temperature jumped to over 600 degrees in the blink of an eye as Hao Xuan felt the full force rebound straight into his body.


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    It was akin to a cruise missile exploding on his face. No matter how much Hao Xuan tried to hold back, the force was enough to send him reeling into the other side of the pit.


    *BOOOM*


    "ARGH!"


    He shot back out of the several-meter-deep hole that had been created in his own shape. His body was covered in bruises and wounds but his eyes burned brighter than ever.


    It was like a switch had been flipped inside his head and he reacted before even thinking. He shot straight towards the synapse and whenever the gravity began to increase he blinked to lose the tail.


    *BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*


    He jumped left right and center attacking from every direction possible.


    ''If I can''t destroy the pearl I''ll rip everything else to pieces. Lets see you survive when there is nothing left to hold that pearl in.''


    "61st Palm: Red Dragons Fury!"

 Chapter 1109 Follow The Gift

    *Crack*


    *Rustle*


    Followed by the sound of rustling leaves two figures jumped down from the overgrown canopy at the very edge of the bog created by the ck liquid.


    "Sokol, are you sure this is the right way?" a skinny bald-headed man wearing in grey robes asked the boy next to him. (Ch 601 ''Sokol'')


    Sokol closed his eyes for a moment and mumbled something under his breath. It sounded like an incantation that activated a purple symbol on his neck.


    A rattling sound echoed in the surroundings as a four-meter-long snake materialized around him. Its main body was ck but the entire stomach lining was bright purple.


    Its forked tongue licked the air around them before looking slightly to the right side in the distance.


    Sokol nodded as if he could hear the serpent before it disappeared.


    "That way," he pointed in the same direction, "It will be there."


    A second bald-headed man ran up behind them with incredible speed stopping beside them without making a sound. He was wearing the same kind of robes only his were a lot tighter because of his muscr physique.


    "Han Rong!" he called out to the first man, "Is this the ce?" and inquired curiously.


    Han Rong patted Sokol on the head with a smile and nodded, "Mhm. What did you find Zou Huan?"


    These two were the disciples of Mount Cae that Hao Xuan had met not too long ago. (Ch 590)


    Zou Huan pointed towards the left side and the back, "I checked everything within a 20-kilometer radius and there is nothing other than those strange creatures around. If the city was supposed to be here it''s not anymore."


    Sokol shook his head while pointing slightly to the right, "There. The way to the city will be there."


    Zou Huan and Han Rong exchanged knowing nces before talking through spiritual sense, ''I''ve checked everything, no living thing can survive in this ce. That strange fluid destroys everything it touches.''


    Han Rong went silent for a moment while looking up at the sky that was cut in half, ''I can''t sense anything in this ce either. It feels like all the spiritual sense is being blocked by something very powerful and it''s not like any demon I have heard off. There are none of the usual signs present either but something is obviously wrong here, nature itself is in disarray.''


    He turned to nce towards Sokol, ''But his gift hasn''t been wrong so far, it wouldn''t hurt to try onest time. If we can''t find it here then we will have to return to the surface, or whatever is left of it. There have to be some of the younger generations that haven''t lost their minds following in the young prince''s footsteps.''


    Zou Huan went silent for a moment before agreeing with a heavy sigh, ''Fine, but we have to be quick. Something is very wrong with this ce. I feel a strange kind of emptiness here. And it doesn''t help that our cultivation is still locked at Spirit Realm.''<sub> </sub>


    "Let''s go then."


    Zou Huan knelt down and Sokol got on his back as if they had practiced it a hundred times before. With him in the lead they skipped over the bog by stepping on air at full speed but began to slow down after a couple of minutes beforeing to aplete stop.


    They stood in silence for a few seconds before Han Rong spoke up.


    "Do you feel that?"


    "Of course, the very ground we are standing on is shaking, how could I not feel it?" Zou Huan rebuked with a furrowed brow.


    "Slowly now, hide your aura. I can sense something ahead," he warned.


    Han Rong waved his hand in a semi-circle while mumbling something under his breath. But then he uttered one audible word at the end before blowing air towards himself and Sokol.


    "Conceal!"


    A sh of translucent light fell on them from above and all life signs were immediately hidden.


    Once the spell wasplete they continued moving forward albeit at a snail''s pace aspared to before since they couldn''t use any spiritual energy now.


    The further in they went the stronger the tremors became until the ground was shaking constantly.


    They didn''t have to be geniuses to figure out that a fight was taking ce right in front of them.


    ''There!'' Han Rong pointed straight ahead where something could be seen poking out of the ground.


    It was pitch ck so they couldn''t see it clearly until they were close enough.


    ''It goes down, there is a hole in the ground be careful,'' Zou Huan warned.


    They crept up along the side until they could see what was happening on the other side which was a shock in and of itself for a number of reasons.


    There was a man locked inbat with the creature they had seen from afar.

 Chapter 1110 Peeking In

    The creature was well over 40 meters tall but because of the darkness they couldn''t see it very well until they were almost on top of it. At first nce, its threatening pseudo-profound realm aura made both Han Rong and Zou Huan want to turn back but when they got a good luck at what was happening inside the pit they were left utterly speechless.


    It was roaring and raging almost as if it had lost its mind fighting a figure that was not much bigger than an ant inparison. Its multiple limbsshed out in every possible direction like steel whips but they were hitting just the afterimages more often than not.


    Zou Huan tried to inch closer but the moment his hand reached into the pit he felt the gravity increase by more than 30 fold which startled him even more.


    ''There is aw covering the whole ce, be careful not to go too far,'' he warned Han Rong internally.


    *BOOM*BOOM*BOOM*


    Another series of explosions rang out that made the entire ground shake.


    The creature''s opponent was a human whose arms were covered in bright red mes that sent out massive ethereal ws every time he struck out. The ws didn''t look human in design and every time they even came close to the creature its body was shredded like paper.


    He moved aboutpletely unhindered by the increased forces appearing in one ce after another as if it was nothing.


    ''Is that short-range teleportation? How can he do that so often without destabilizing the space around him?''


    He was going toe to toe and even surpassing the creature in more ways than just one.


    The first thing that caught their eyes was obviously his fighting style which was not something they had not seen before. He was able to create long-range attacks barehanded without using anything other than his own manifested Qi.


    There were two 10-meter-long draconic ws hovering above him and whenever he attacked they would move in unison and be the executors of his will. He was actually materializing a part of whatever ancient beast it was derived from.


    To be able to do something of this level required not only an intrinsic knowledge of the technique but the level of the technique itself must also surpass the Saint Realm at the very least.


    But perhaps what was even more surprising was the force behind his physical attacks because even though he was dodging the majority of the creature''s assaults some of them still managed to connect with him but he either deflected them with brute force or took them head-on without too much trouble.


    And the reason why this was so shocking was-


    ''That person is only in the Spirit Realm!'' Han Rong almost screamed out loud.<sub> </sub>


    ''WHAT?!'' Zou Huan tried to focus on the human but due to Han Rong''s spell most of his spiritual sense was locked down.


    And since he was already much weaker than him spiritually there was not much he could do other than go off of his own senses and battle instincts to get a sense of the situation. He paid close attention to his movements and couldn''t help but doubt Han Rong''s words.


    ''Are you sure? The power behind his punches is not something a mere Spirit Realm cultivator can manage.''


    ''What do you mean?''


    ''I mean that man might be almost as powerful as me if I am able to use my full strength,'' Zou Huanmented with a heavy heart.


    He was originally a Profound Realm Stage 9 expert but aftering to this world not only was their cultivation reduced to peak Spirit Realm but their physical abilities were also greatly affected.


    Han Rong took another good look at the person in question and nodded, ''Without a doubt. Spirit Realm peak stage, half a step into profound realm but not quite there yet. His connection is...blocked it feels like. Wait, why does he seem so familiar?''


    But no matter how hard he tried his spiritual sense could not prate the Qi surrounding the man.


    Han Rong''s eyes changed. His pupils disappeared and in their ce were two revolving golden discs. He whispered, ''Reveal whatys concealed!'' before blinking once.


    In his eyes the world hade to aplete stop. Every raindrop was frozen in midair as were the creature and the human fighting against it.


    Han Rong''s spiritual form which was more or less his soul separated from his body and hovered into the pit toward the human. He hovered in the air between them looking at the creature first and then towards its opponent.


    And when he got a good look at his face his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets.


    ''Hao Xuan! I remember you! How are you still alive?!''


    Overtaken by curiosity he reached out but just before he could actuallye into contact with Hao Xuan''s body and enter his mind pce countless hands appeared out of nowhere and grabbed a hold of him.


    Han Rong felt his very soul shudder as the pressure increased around him when countless dark figures revealed themselves.

 Chapter 1111 True Nature

    Just one good look was enough for Han Rong to remember exactly who Hao Xuan was because for him it had only been a matter of days since theyst met. And he clearly remembered hearing from Zou Huan that he had died in battle trying to save them.


    For him, Hao Xuan was nothing shorter than a hero who had sacrificed his life for a chance to save theirs. And standing across from him how could he not recognize that face, the face he had dearly prayed for.


    ''But how is this possible?! You were fighting against the Puer, the nigh immortal puppet of the one chosen by hell itself...''


    Thinking to this point his curiosity reached its absolute peak and he finally couldn''t hold himself back anymore. His mind was simply not able topute that Hao Xuan could beat the Puer in a one-on-one confrontation which left only one other option.


    ''Has he been corrupted? Has he fallen to darkness?''


    That was the only logical conclusion and if so, he needed to be sure without a shadow of a doubt even though all the signs pointed in that direction. Coming back from death''s door while fighting a demon with newfound incredible strength and abilities, was not unheard of.


    But all those that did had be Champions of Hell.


    ''I''m sorry friend, but I must be sure.''


    Han Rong reached out intending to enter Hao Xuan''s mind pce which would prove him right or wrong depending on what he saw. Those that have given themselves up to the forces of hell always have a mark left on their souls.


    But just before he coulde into contact with him numerous shadowy arms shot out of every direction and locked him in ce. He couldn''t move even an inch further nor pull himself free.


    ''!!!''


    And then as if out of nowhere countless dark figures materialized around him. He slowly turned his head to stare at the ones closest to him but could not make out much.


    The hands began to melt into his spiritual form bing one with him.


    Han Rong''s vision began to get blurry and the world started to spin. He was losing control of himself, of his very soul. He could feel the connection between his body and soul weakening by the second and there was nothing he could do about it.


    All his strength was sapped away until the mere idea of running away seemed preposterous.


    ''I can''t...think...'' Han Rong''s eyelids fluttered as a fog spread within his mind.


    It was gone. Any resistance he could up simply melted away.


    And only then, at the veryst moment when he was about to slip away havingpletely given himself up to whatever or whoever this force was, everything stopped.<sub> </sub>


    Han Rong slowly opened his eyes and saw the figures staring at him from a short distance away. They were everywhere, on the air above and the ground beside him. Only the space between him and Hao Xuan was empty.


    Or at least that''s what it felt like but when he looked at Hao Xuan he was able to notice another dark figure standing in front of him. It was always there, standing between them but he was only able to see him now.


    It was of a male, a teenager from the looks of it although the features could not be made out.


    But he was smiling at him, at Han Rong. It wasn''t a derisive kind of smile and genuinely felt friendly.


    Han Rong immediately put up his guard and began to loudly chant an incantation that created a white magic circle in front of his face. It was meant to reveal the true nature of all things by devolving and simplifying a person''s thoughts, actions, inclinations, and even energies to just show different colors.


    The full spell needed actual tools and some preparation to pull but this would be enough to give him a general idea.


    If one was an average human the circle would be colorless. If they were particrly good-natured it would have a light blue color and if they had any wickedness in them it would be light orange.


    But if one was associated with hell in any way it would turn bright red instantly.


    The symbols on the magic circle moved clockwise once and anticlockwise thrice beforeing to a stop. It was unchanged. There was no reading whatsoever.


    ''How is this possible?! Is...is it just an illusion?''


    More confused than ever Han Rong moved the circle slightly higher up and looked at Hao Xuan this time.


    When the symbols stopped moving the magic circle lost its color and becamepletely colorless. Han Rong let out a proverbial breath of relief and was about to cancel it when the symbols began moving by themselves once again.


    ''What''s going on?''


    This time they changed to light blue.


    ''That''s not possible, one simply cannot change their-''


    But before he could finish the thought the symbols started moving for the third time.

 Chapter 1112 Ropes Of Flesh

    Han Rong watched with bated breath as the symbols stopped and the magic circle''s color changed to orange. And while he was thinking about how to interpret this strange happening they began moving for the 4th time.


    This time it turned bright red indicating Hao Xuan''s association with hell but the symbols didn''t stay there for long.


    The fifth color was bright golden which he had only heard about before and never actually seen in person.


    ''T-This could only happen if a person was touched by a True God belonging to one of the Ten High Heavens. How is that-''


    And then finally it changed for thest time and stayed there. But the color this time was pitch ck, the color of the darkest of voids.


    bbergasted, Han Rong stared at the magic circle for what felt like an eternity trying toe up with a logical exnation nothing made sense.


    ''Chaos. He has been touched by Chaos.''


    The darkness contained within the magic circle churned upon the mention of chaos and started attacking the magical symbols. Han Rong''s eyes opened wide as he tried to stop it but it was already toote.


    The magic circle destabilized instantly and the chaos contained within exploded right in his face.


    *GASP*


    He awoke back in his body gasping for breath. The pitter-patter of raindrops reached his ears just as everything returned to normal.


    Han Rong let out a breath of relief upon not finding anything out of ordinary but when he craned his neck to peer into the pit, a dark spot revealed itself just below his neck. Unfortunately, he wasn''t able to sense it and no one else witnessed it.


    Zou Huan nced in his direction with a questioning gaze upon seeing his flustered face, ''What?''


    Han Rong sighed looking at Hao Xuan as he continued his fight with the synapse.


    ''We both know that young man. It''s that boy Hao Xuan we met just a few days ago...''


    He didn''t know the significance of the changing colors on the magic circle and until he found out for certain Han Rong decided to keep it to himself, especially since as upromising as Zou Huan was, he would immediately start seeing him as a threat.


    ''HAO XUAN?!'' Zou Huan repeated, more shocked than Han Rong himself.<sub> </sub>


    He was the one that had gone out to find Hao Xuan and dered him dead. To see him again and here of all ces. As soon as he thought about it his mind connected the dots.


    He turned towards the youngin hanging on his back, "Is it him? That man? The one who can lead us to the city?"


    Sokol looked over his shoulder at the empty spot before quickly nodding.


    "Un. He is the one. She says he will take everyone to the city and when it''s time he will take you to the ones you are looking for."


    "The ones we are looking for?" Zou Huan frowned.


    Zou Huan and Han Rong were the inner disciples of Mount Cae. Their one and only purpose was to seek out demon-kin wherever they were hiding and spoil their ns.


    He obviously hadn''t told Sokol anything about who they were or why they were here but this unknown and unseen figure seemed to be always aware.


    Han Rong had already conducted several tests and deemed the presence "friendly" at least for now. It was attached to Sokol and answered only when they needed its help the most.


    It was the one that had told them how to get down here and about the turning of Dai Zhi''s forces. It mentioned a city, thest refuge for them where their powers would be needed more than ever, and where everything was going to end.


    Zou Huan looked back at Hao Xuan with a sour expression, ''It''s alling true.''


    Within the pit the battle between Hao Xuan and the synapse was at its peak.


    Hao Xuan stood his ground right in front of the synapse as it unleashed a neverending flurry of attacks each of which sent shockwaves for miles in every direction.


    But Hao Xuan was not pushed back even an inch. With just two hands he was able to not only redirect every single attack thrown his way but alsounch his own that proved deadly to the creature''s gigantic body.


    Zou Huan could not help but admire his form which was without any ws whatsoever. Every punch was calcted and thrown at the absolute perfect time where there would be no way to avoid or defend against it.


    To have developed such a masterful sense of battle at such a young age, even he couldn''t help but respect him.


    Bit by bit pieces of white flesh were shaved off by Hao Xuan''s attacks until the creature was not much more than a skeleton held together by a few ropes of flesh.

 Chapter 1113 The Black Pearl

    In its current state the Synapse looked like a skyscraper that was still under construction.


    The ck pearl was being held in ce by the white ropes of flesh tying it to whatever was left of the skeleton. They were slowly weaving up and down trying to cover it but the damage to the rest of its body was too much.


    Even with its phenomenal regeneration speed it could not keep up with Hao Xuan whose strength had far exceeded what would be expected of a Spirit Realm warrior. Even all his wounds were healed almost instantly while in this form.


    His arms were covered in red scales made out of dragon''s breath, or rather a cheap imitation of it that was, in turn, materialized by the move ''Red Dragon''s Fury''.


    This move was based on the fighting style of the Red Dragons which were one of the most ancient of the Draconic species and fought using mostly their own body and fire breath.


    They weren''t born in the usual sense of the word and more often than not, were brought into existence by certain events and external factors. What these factors exactly were was still up for debate but one thing was for sure, they were the most brutal of their species.


    Upon fully maturing they would begin their assault on whatevernd was unfortunate enough to deserve it. They never slept, they never rested, and it was next to impossible to kill a fully grown red dragon.


    They were marvels of physical perfection and their blood was rumored to be one of the very few things that could bring a person back from physical death,pletely restoring their mortal form.


    Even in one of his other lives Hao Xuan had only ever seen one beast that had less than 20% blood purity level of the Red Dragon''s bloodline.


    He was one of the rare few that survived a battle with it which was a miracle in and of itself because even then when the beast''s entire head was blown off it was still able to continue fighting for 7 days and 8 nights before finally sumbing to its injuries.


    Where human cultivators used weapons and were able to bring out their true essence in the shape of de auras that could basically turn anything into that specific weapon, the Red Dragon used its own body.


    And right now Hao Xuan was the same. He was able to manifest a part of the Red Dragons because of his extremely high attunement and affinity with the "Palms of Infernal me".


    It could be said that when he attacked he became the vessel for the dragon''s fury.


    Most men would have lost themselves to the neverending bloodlust but to Hao Xuan who had already experienced so much and gone through so many things, this was still something he control for his own benefit.


    It wasn''t easy but he was able to keep his emotions in check.


    The crimson mes flickered around his fists threatening to extinguish any second. Hao Xuan grimaced from feeling the strain on his body created by overusing the move for such an extended period.


    It manifested as a crushing feeling of emptiness within his stomach.<sub> </sub>


    [Warning!]


    [Qi Reserves falling below 10%]


    ''I know, but I have to finish this first,'' Hao Xuan mused inwardly before leaping towards the synapse onest time.


    Whatever Qi was still left within his body was forcefully pulled out as a giant dragon''s w more than 20 meters in length took shape over his head.


    He swung down, hard and fast right before the mes around his arm disappeared. Thankfully the attack was alreadyunched and the ethereal dragon''s w tore through the air hitting the ck pearl dead center.


    Hao Xuan fell back to the ground just outside of the ck pool barelynding upright on his shaky feet. His gaze was locked onto the pearl which was covered in a cloud of red mist from his own move.


    With a gust of wind the mist was slowly stripped away to reveal the pearl in almost perfect condition. There were four barely perceivable cuts along the middle where the w connected with it but they were only a few inches deep.


    Gasping for breath Hao Xuan''s expression turned vicious.


    "I didn''t hold back at all that time. It would have killed any profound realm creature if they had taken it head-on but this thing barely has a scratch on it. How the hell am I supposed to kill it...?"


    He barely had enough Qi to not end up in ama himself because of energy deprivation so obviously any more fighting was out of the question. And yet, he couldn''t just leave.


    The pearl was most probably the equivalent of a soul core for the Synapse which meant that until it waspletely destroyed it was not actually dead.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    The monsoon has started a little early in my country which is a good thing since its raining and the heat isn''t as bad but there are a lot more power outages which is why the release schedule has been all over the ce. That said, I will try my best to keep it going steadily.


    Oh, and um, don''t forget to vote, it doesn''t do much in any real sense but always gives me an energy boost whenever I''m getting tired of writing.

 Chapter 1114 Breeding Pit

    Hao Xuan''s mind was racing trying toe up with a solution but there simply wasn''t an answer here, at least not one he could see.


    He couldn''t just up and leave at this stage, not without seeing it to the end first because even now the cracks on the pearl''s surface were beginning to repair themselves bit by bit.


    ''I have to be sure, I have to try everything!''


    Having made up his mind Hao Xuan didn''t hold back and called in hisst chip.


    The clover pattern around his brain activated as a golden energy began to surround his nervous system. And just as the energy covered his insides Baracus''s warning also popped up in his vision.


    [Warning!]


    [Temporal Disturbance Detected]


    The same golden-colored light covered Hao Xuan''s eyes as he began the process of re-experiencing the same five minutes over and over again in a bid to find a solution to the current predicament.


    One second.


    That''s how long it took. When Hao Xuan blinked his eyes had returned to normal but his forehead and back were caked with sweat.


    [Energy levels returning to norm]


    ''You have used the special ability to peer into the future. Query: What was the oue?''


    Hao Xuan had barely opened his eyes when Baracus''s voice sounded within his head.


    He shook his head slowly looking up at the ck pearl, ''Seven times. I had to die seven times but not once was I able to destroy that thing. And I was right, as long as it stays in one piece it will be able to regenerate within minutes.''


    ''Within five minutes it can reconstruct its entire body if I don''t interfere. Twice as long if I do but in that case it will descend into that liquid and hide until it''s back to peak condition.''


    *Beep*


    ''Theposition of the liquid is unknown. Have you tried entering the pool?''


    Surprisingly Hao Xuan''s expression turned ugly the moment Baracus mentioned the pool. He even took a step back without realizing it.


    ''I...did. It is...alive I think. I was not able to survive for more than five seconds in there before it invaded my body. I lost all control before it started breaking me down into a million little pieces but strangely enough, I was still able to remain conscious for a lot longer which allowed me to detonate what little Qi I had left to finish myself and reset it.''<sub> </sub>


    Just thinking about it once was enough to leave him grinding his teeth.


    ''For a very brief moment just before thest reset my consciousness was able to connect with them. I felt them, a lot of them. Not just the grunts but the elites as well, there are hundreds of them down there,'' he said looking at the pool.


    ''It''s a breeding pit. If I leave the synapse will recover and attack the city with a new wave. No one will survive. Everything up till was just a test to gauge the strength of its enemies and to keep them busy while it prepared for the real thing...''


    Zou Huan and Han Rong were still watching from afar and when they saw the battle hade to a standstill Han Rong wanted to jump in but was stopped by Zou Huan.


    ''What? He has no spiritual energy left, we have to help him!'' Han Rong remarked to which Zou Huan slowly shook his head.


    ''Not yet. I feel something is a little off about him. Give him some time and if things get out of hand we will jump in.''


    Han Rong ceased his struggle and frowned upon hearing his statement.


    ''What do you mean off?''


    ''I don''t know. Call it a battle instinct but...I feel like there is somethinging, like this isn''t it.''


    And as they soon saw for themselves, Zou Huan was right.


    Irritated and infuriated by the situation Hao Xuan was beginning to lose control of his emotions. The hard part was already over and he was just a step away from killing it for good but thatst step proved to be astronomical.


    The Nine gates surrounding the central mind pce began to react the more he let go of his emotions allowing even more chaos to surge through.


    The only difference was that his own Qi reserves were still mostly empty but wisps of pure chaos were beginning to exude from his body. He was drawing it from somewhere else, from somewhere far beyond the gates.


    The chaos didn''t have a fixed form as it leaked out into the surroundings but the space around and especially behind him began to shift and bend.


    Zou Huan and Han Rong both subconsciously stood up in a bid to get a better look.


    ''There! Do you see that?'' Zou Huan pointed at the obvious anomaly.


    ''I...think so? What is...that?''


    Han Rong couldn''t even tell what he was looking at right now. It felt like a very bad illusion but at the same time it felt more real than anything else in this specific moment. As if his brain was trying to rationalize an idea that should not have been possible in the first ce.

 Chapter 1115 Shockingly Fast

    The Chaos was trickling out of his body and disseminating through the space around Hao Xuan but most of it was centered near his back where it was trying to take form.


    It was stretching the surrounding space trying to mold it with nothing but sheer energy created due to Hao Xuan''s emotional instability.


    Arcs of electricity began to form around the outer edge while the temperature started to rise around them. Within seconds it became hot enough that the raindrops were evaporating before even hitting the ground.


    But Hao Xuan waspletely oblivious to these strange happenings as in his eyes he was only able to see the death and destruction that would be caused by the Synapse when it would eventually rise again.


    He had already lived through it once. The army that had attacked the city was nothing but a small scouting party inparison to what was waiting within the pool and out in the shadows of the dark forest.


    If allowed to mature the Synapse would be strong enough to not only control every single corrupted spawn that walked thend but also create countless more within hours.


    Hao Xuan''s ears were flooding with sounds of war, of every war that he lived through. The screams of the innocent, the stark hopelessness that would follow in the aftermath of the madness and mania of the ughter that would take ce, and then the loss of willpower ones that survive to even live on.


    He could see the deaths, hear the sounds of war and taste the blood that would seep into the ground thereafter.


    And all that could be stopped right here, right now. All he needed was-


    "Power, more power!"


    His guttural voice echoed with the pit.


    *Rumble*


    The sea of dark clouds was encrusted with the same kind of lighting thaty behind Hao Xuan. It was slow but forceful, shaking the very air underneath.


    Han Rong raised his hand to his face and watched as every strand of hair stood up facing the sky in salutation. Het let out a breath of fresh air and saw the vapor fly up. And when he saw the sky his mouth fell open.


    The sea of cloud was stirring as it moved in a circle above Hao Xuan. There was a ring of lighting in the center and a ring of fire hugging it.


    Thews of nature were in turmoil.


    "IT CAN''T BE-" he eximed taking several steps back.


    Zou Huan did the same although he was much moreposed.<sub> </sub>


    "Tsk, see, what did I tell you," he shook his head in disappointment.


    Han Rong gritted his teeth, "We have to stop him, NOW!"


    Zou Huan looked at him as if he had heard a bad joke, "Stop him!? Even a True God cannot stop what has begun. He has already started to break through to the Profound Realm. He must see it to the end now, it is toote. His first Mind Pce is already beginning to take physical form."


    And Zou Huan was right. The object behind him was in the shape of an old wooden gateway, the same as the one standing guard around the central mind pce.


    <o>,m Han Rong''s fists were closed so rightly that he inadvertently drew blood.</o>


    "We HAVE to. He has no spiritual energy left to bear the heavenly tribtion and even if he did-"


    He quickly raised both hands in front of his chest to try and cast a 3rd Tier spell that fell within the profound realm but as soon as even a spark of Qi gathered at his fingertips it was forcefully expelled by unknown forces.


    His expression turned ugly in an instant, "-Even if he did have the spiritual energy the world spirit is still limiting the cultivation of all foreign beings. The tribtion will fail and he will be destroyedpletely, inside and out. That''s not just death but a wipe from all of existence. No one deserves that!"


    Zou Huan who was about to turn away paused momentarily. He looked up at the red and blue clouds that were pregnant with heavenly thunder. He could feel the destructive power locked within those clouds even from such a long distance.


    "I have never seen such a terrible tribtion," hemented before looking towards Han Rong.


    "I understand you want to help but there really is nothing we can do. His fate is already sealed."


    Han Rong was not a novice and he also understood that there was no stopping something of this caliber. But even so-


    "We can''t just stand by and do nothing. If we had helped earlier he would not have lost control."


    "There is no use thinking about it. We must distance ourselves before the tribtion starts."


    Zou Huan turned around but as soon as he took a step Sokol broke free from his grasp and jumped down.


    "Stop! Come back here!" he shouted but Sokol moved shockingly fast and was standing at the edge of the pit before either of them could stop him.


    He took in a deep breath before yelled at the top of his lungs.

 Chapter 1116 Paying A Visit

    "MISTER! IT''S NOT TIME YET! IT''S NOT READY!" he was waving his hands so hard that his entire body was moving left and right.


    Somehow Sokol''s squeaky little voice was amplified tens of times and reverberated throughout the surrounding areas for more than a mile.


    And when it reached Hao Xuan he was immediately made aware of his situation as he looked back towards him and saw the First Gate trying toe into existence.


    "I...know you..." Hao Xuan mumbled upon recognizing that face, "Jax''s son...why are you here...why is this-"


    His eyes opened wide from shock at the realization.


    "Fuck! How could I let my guard down so much that I didn''t even notice it had started?!"


    He looked up to see the heavenly tribtion being brought forth as a consequence of the manifestation of the 1st Mind Pce which left him even more dismayed. It was already toote.


    "I...don''t have the energy to stop it..."


    He was already experienced enough to know exactly what to do when breaking through to the Profound Realm but none of that mattered if he didn''t have enough spiritual energy.


    Normally when heavenly thunder would fall on a cultivator during the tribtion they would use their own Qi to protect themselves from the initial impact while allowing a small portion of it to seep into their bodies and temper their meridians and mind pce.


    Then the mind pces would be brought out one by one and for each pce more heavenly thunder would fall. The more pces a person had the more they would have to endure especially since after every strike the heavenly thunder became even more destructive.


    Hao Xuan had nine mind pces aside from the central mind pce which housed his soul. The spiritual energy needed to contend against the tribtions a total of ten times was nothing short of a miracle without a dantian, which he did not have.


    His face fell as he came to the inevitable conclusion of his demise.


    ''I''m going to die...for real this time. Noing back from this one...''


    But when he thought to that point, for some reason, he stopped panicking.


    ''Maybe it''s not such a bad thing. It will be over quickly and I won''t have to worry about anything if I''m gone...''


    Hao Xuan epted his fate without a fight. He was exhausted body and soul and there despite being many things left unfinished-


    ''It''s not too bad...I can just let go, it''ll be easy. Just one strike...''


    Streaks of white lighting coursed through the clouds congregating in the middle preparing to fall.


    "MISTER!" Sokol screamed again but Hao Xuan was already lost.<sub> </sub>


    A st of icy cold wind shot in his direction from above but Han Rong and Zou Huan ran up from behind and picked him up.


    "Move back, it''s dangerous!" Zou Huan berated through gritted teeth but Sokol was unperturbed.


    He looked down at him and Han Rong calmly, "It''s time. This is what you came for."


    "What?" Han Rong paused.


    "Help him. He needs you."


    Before Han Rong could respond Zou Huan butted in, "No one can help him. The heavenly thunder is already dangerous enough to the cultivator who is undergoing the tribtion but it is deadly to any outside party. One would have to be at least three realms above to safely guard against it. He is on his own now."


    Sokol went silent for a moment while looking straight ahead before nodding in silence.


    "She says you can stop it. You are the only ones."


    Zou Huan was at the end of his limits. It was already a difficult decision to leave Hao Xuan behind to die but to be reminded of it over and over again was another thing.


    "ENOUGH! I won''t hear any more-"


    *CRACKLE*


    More Heavenly Thunder rumbled in the sky but when the light reached them it cast four shadows instead of three. There was another blocking their path.


    Zou Huan and Han Rong both stopped dead in their tracks. The rain picked up even more and they watched in awe as the raindrops gathered together to create a vague outline of a humanoid figure.


    It wasn''t that the rain was not falling in a certain ce but it was congregating there to create the figure.


    It wasn''t very tall and had almost no features other than a barely discernable nose mouth and eyes.


    Its body was made from air and the insides from the raindrops. There were also some leaves and dirt mixed in randomly floating about.


    It had no presence whatsoever. They were looking at it, seeing it and understanding that it was there but at the same time there was no difference between it and the surroundings.


    Han Rong was the first one to realize what the entity was. He quickly bowed from the waist, "We great the World Spirit."

 Chapter 1117 Mere Luck?

    An overwhelming sense of awe and adoration overtook both Han Rong and Zou Huan.


    But where Han Rong bowed from the waist while still restraining his emotions to a great degree, Zou Huan was the exact opposite as he fell to his knees immediately with a lowered head far too ashamed to even look directly at it.


    "I bow to the Venerable Spirit, please forgive my impertinence. I am far too inexperienced and did not recognize your esteemed self."


    As disciples of Mount Cae they were well aware of all the otherworldly existences that would either help them or stand in their way.


    And the World Spirit of any was their greatest ally because their only goal was to get rid of all demonic creatures from the world which were like parasites to the World Spirit.


    Not to mention that the world spirit was one of the extremely rare existences that were born naturally within the domain of heaven and earth. Just the fact that she chose to reveal herself andmunicate with them was an honor only a handful of individuals could have said to have achieved.


    The watery figure''s lips moved and it looked like she was saying something but neither of them could hear it. But Sokol on the other hand was a different story.


    "Un," he nodded innocently for the nth time, "She says it is your duty. This is why you are here. You must save him."


    Han Rong and Zou Huan both were more than a little taken aback to discover that the unseeable entity Sokol had been talking to all this time was the world spirit but it wasn''t unheard off.


    Many a time the world spirit would choose a seemingly ordinary being from among its popce to act as its agent in times of need. Some cultures called them shamans because they could listen to the spirits and interpret their words.


    Exchanging a look of understanding with Zou Huan Han Rong cleared his throat before speaking up with the same respectful tone of voice.


    "Venerable spirit, my brother and I are here to hunt down the demons that gue your world. I am afraid our powers are far toocking to be able to intervene in somet-"


    Sokol''s body went taut and his eyes zed over as he began speaking in several voices.


    "I know...who you are. I know...why you are here. You are the pupils of the ''Master of the Void'' and I have been waiting for you for a long time."<sub> </sub>


    Han Rong was shaken to the very core of his being upon hearing the title of ''Master of the Void'', as was Zou Huan.


    This was one of the oldest titles of the mysterious first master of Mount Cae, the one who started it all. Almost no one outside the inner circle of schrs was aware of that but unfortunately for them, that wasn''t where the surprises ended.


    "It should have been he that came to fulfill the old promises but I see now that is no longer possible. As his pupils you must abide by the sacred words and do what needs to be done," he finished by pointing towards the pit.


    "Use the ''Seal of the void''. I will do what is left. That...is your purpose. That...is why you are here. Only when ''he'' is unleashed upon the cosmos will your duty end."


    A gust of wind blew in from the north and the watery figure was washed away with it. Sokol blinked and his eyes returned to normal.


    "She says you have to hurry and finish before the one you are looking for finds you."


    So much had happened, so much had just been said that it would take them days just toe to terms with it all but right now one thing was for certain, there was more happening than either of them had a right to know.


    They hade to this world byplete chance but ording to the World Spirit that was not the case. She mentioned the first master of Mount Cae, some promise he had made that was now to be fulfilled.


    If it were any other entity they would never believe it but because it was said by the world spirit, the one entity that was inherently incapable of lying, they had no other choice no matter how imusible it seemed.


    Not only was the first master someone that even the Mount Cae inner disciples knew very little about but just the fact that he was alive in thest era was millions of years ago and was still expected to hold true to his words was something that boggled the mind.


    Not to mention the things she had mentioned. The "Seal of the void" was one of the most closely guarded secrets of Mount Cae. It was a secret sealing technique created by the First Master himself that was said to be able to seal the abyss itself.


    Only a rare few were disciples were capable of learning it even within the inner circle because it required perfect spiritual harmony between two people which was extremely hard to retain.


    Of the thousands of inner disciples less than two hundred could utilize it properly. And as ''luck'' would have it Zou Huan and Han Rong were both just such individuals.

 Chapter 1118 Mud And Clay

    Seal of the Void: A sealing technique of unspecified ssification requiring two people toplete.


    Can be used by cultivators of any realm with the only base requirement being that both participants be on the same spiritual and mental wavelength because once the technique is executed the innermost thoughts, desires, and even memories of either participant can be seen and felt by the other.


    Once the process is started it cannot be stopped. The more both participants trust each other the stronger its effects will be.


    Zou Huan let out a heavy sigh as he looked at Han Rong who seemed to be much more at ease. He opened his mouth to say something and after some hesitation asked, "Are you sure you''re okay with this? Last time-"


    But Zou Huan gestured for him to stop.


    "This time is different. We have no other choice."


    After a few seconds of silence Han Rong jokingly patted him on the back, "It could be worse, much worse. This thing is far too big for us to understand so let''s just do what we can. If nothing else we can say we tried."


    "Yeah, I know, let''s do it."


    Sokol jumped down from Zou Huan''s back and moved over to the edge of the pit to look in Hao Xuan''s direction. He was standing therepletely open as heavenly thunder licked the space around him preparing to attack.


    "You have to hurry otherwise the inner tribtion will end soon in victory."


    "Inner tribtion?! Hao Xuan is?!" Han Rong was once again startled to hear about something he had only read in books.


    Where the standard tribtion was a test of the body and spirit sometimes, extremely rarely, it was heralded by the tribtion of the mind.


    It was extremely difficult to even know it was happening let alone defend against it. Many schrs argued it was not even an actual heavenly tribtion but simply the aftereffects of one on the weak-minded individuals.


    It presented itself in stark contrast to the physical tribtions without even so much as a sound.


    <o>,m The cultivator undergoing the tribtion would begin to have dark thoughts ranging from suicide to merely giving up. They would lose all hope for the future and the will to fight along with it. They would second guess themselves and the reasons for their existence.</o>


    It varied slightly from person to person but the end would be the same for all. If they could not keep these dark thoughts away then the very first bolt of heavenly thunder would reap their souls since they would not be able to defend against it properly.


    Han Rong''s expression turned grim as he gestured for Zou Huan to join him.


    "We have to hurry. Come," he made a fist with his right hand extending it towards Zou Huan while the other hand was held in front of his chest with forefinger and the middle finger facing upwards.


    Zou Huan nodded, bracing himself for what was toe. He extended his left hand balled up into a fist to meet Han Rong''s while the right hand was held in front of his chest in the exact same manner.<sub> </sub>


    They closed their eyes as the wind and rain picked up speed battering against their bodies like steel bullets. Their breathing slowed to a crawl until it was in tandem with one another and all other sensations were slowly cut off.


    Their spiritual senses met along the arms as the middle door within their central mind pces opened in unison allowing for their true souls to fully reveal themselves.


    A tsunami of voices, images, and emotions were exchanged between them.


    Outside the area between their brows began to light up with a golden aura. Both of their lips were moving in sync mumbling the incantation.


    Sokol watched them for a few seconds before looking over his shoulder.


    "Yes, I can do that."


    The wind suddenly slowed before picking up its pace. It wasmunicating with him in a way that only he could understand.


    "It doesn''t matter how dangerous how it is. It''s my duty. I will do it."


    The wind slowed again in an obviously despondent manner making Sokol smile. If one looked closely it would seem like there was a hand caressing his cheek lovingly.


    "Why are you sad? I''m not. You gave me another chance to see abba so I will not run away."


    As soon as he finished talking Sokol jumped into the pit. The fall was more than 40 meters which no mortal could survive but a few feet off the ground a gust of wind suddenly blew in from nowhere reducing his speed.


    Hended gently on the ground before sprinting towards Hao Xuan at full speed. The same as before his speed was much faster than an average human since with every step he could cover several meters.


    But when he got within 100 meters of Hao Xuan that quickly changed as short bursts of lightning began to hit wherever he was about to step making him change his direction.


    He dodged left and right as best he could but eventually one of them hit his right hand which instantly turned to dust.


    He grimaced from the pain but did not let it slow him down one bit.


    Fifty meters, thirty meters, twenty meters, the closer he got the deadlier the lighting became.


    Sometimes gusts of wind woulde out of nowhere and push him out of the way but he was hit twice more. His upper right shoulder was charred ck missing most of it and there was a hole just above his left hip.


    Strangely enough no blood came out. It looked as if his body was made from y but the pain he was feeling was more than real.

 Chapter 1119 Tribulation

    Sokol''s breathing became erratic and he found it much harder to control the smaller movements even though he knew when the lightning would strike.


    Another lightning bolt exploded near his feet which sent him flying away with burn marks all along his right leg. He was just ten meters away but the heavenly tribtion had now taken a personal interest in him.


    The closer he got the worse it became which made traversing thesest ten meters or so incredibly arduous.


    Sokol fell on his back facing the cloudy sky which was trying to wipe him from existence. His body was wreaking from waves of pain and he could barely breathe which only reminded him of thest few days before his death.


    The pain and hopelessness were far too simr to that brief period he had spent with his father. He was just a child when it happened but he still remembered seeing Jax''s worried face during those few brief moments of consciousness.


    All he wanted to do was reach out and tell him it was going to be okay, that he was going to a better ce but he didn''t even have the strength to do aplish so insignificant.


    And when he finally embraced what was to be an eternal slumber something even worse happened. He saw his father be the target of something so vile that it made his very soul tremble. It tried toe for him but the World Spirit protected him.


    It took his soul and allowed him to return to thend of the living by creating a temporary body. It would look and feel the same as any other''s but he would never grow old.


    But Sokol knew that even with all that it wasn''t permanent. He was only here to save Jax from the clutches of that monster and by saving Hao Xuan that woulde to pass.


    He had been taught a lot by the world spirit, about the nature of things and the world beyond, things that no living being had a right to know. But despite all that knowledge he was still just a child at heart.


    And at this point what was to be his moment, he couldn''t help but feel a little sorry for himself. Despite knowing how it would end he still held out some hope that maybe things would be different but....s.


    Wiping the tears from his eyes Sokol gritted his teeth.


    The ground convulsed behind his back and several hands made from mud pushed him back to his feet. This was all the World Spirit could do for him, help him stand back and lend him some power but the rest he would have to do himself.


    ''I can do it!'' he told himself looking at the cage of lightning around Hao Xuan.


    All he had to do was touch him once which would allow the would spirit tomunicate with him and bring him back by breaking the tribtion of the mind.


    But the moment he did that the heavenly lighting wouldsh out and nothing could save him then.


    Sokol took in a deep breath gathering what little strength he had left.


    "AAAH!" he let out a cry and ran straight towards Hao Xuan.


    *Craaackle*<sub> </sub>


    *BOOOM*


    Another bolt of lighting fell hitting him square on the back creating an 8-inch wide hole but instead of slowing down he picked up his pace even more as the wind gathered at his feet propelling him forward.


    A halo of iridescent lights surrounded his remaining arm which was the culmination of all the energies that could be found within nature.


    *BOOM*


    *BOOOM*


    *BOOOOM*


    One after another bolts of lightning rained down around him but Sokol''s determination was unfazed. Nothing could stop his advance. And only after sacrificing more than 40% of his body was he finally able to reach Hao Xuan.


    "MISTER! WAKE UP!" he screamed before bumping into him.


    Sokol immediately reached out and ced his hand on Hao Xuan''s chest allowing the energies of nature to pass through to him.


    Hao Xuan''s mind which wasdened with dark thoughts was immediately cleared and he was brought back to his true self. He looked back at the small figure that was kneeling behind him with a cheeky smile.


    "Stupid! Why did youe here?!" Hao Xuan shouted just as the darkness of the eternal night was pushed away by the unceasing light of the heavenly thunder. For an instant it became so bright that even the sun would be put to shame.


    Sokol had intervened in the tribtion and the price was death.


    Hao Xuan raised his head just in time to see a final bolt of lightning strike down. It was bigger than any of the previous ones and far more deadly. Sokol closed his eyes as the pressure increased tenfold threatening to turn him to dust.


    He was ready.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The air exploded around him but the pain he was expecting did note.


    Sokol opened his eyes only to see something that would be ingrained in the back of his mind even in the next hundred lifetimes.


    Hao Xuan was standing over him protectively and in his hand was the very bolt of lightning that had fallen from the heavens. He had torn it out of the sky.

 Chapter 1120 Talisman

    By being a vessel for the World Spirit Sokol was able to understand many things that other people might have a hard timeing to terms with. Things that were not meant to be understood by ordinary people, like the Heavenly Tribtion.


    In essence, Heavenly Tribtion was both a test and a punishment from the heavens for breaking the chains of mortality and taking the first real step into the world of cultivation.


    One could only hope to ''endure'' its terrible power by betting their own life against it. It was a sacred bond between man and heavenly will that must never be sullied by any other.


    And the heavenly thunder that fell from the firmament was the culmination of all that a cultivator had achieved in their life and only by pushing themselves past their limits would one have a chance to survive.


    Yes, "survival" was the best-case scenario and Sokol knew that better than most.


    So his state of utter befuddlement was more than understandable when he saw Hao Xuan holding back the bolt of lightning that should have undoubtedly taken his life.


    He wasn''t submissively bearing with it but actively contesting against it, contesting against the very Will of the Heavens.


    But it was by no means an easy task.


    Hao Xuan''s entire right arm had been charred ck leaving burn marks that were slowly stretching across the rest of his body. His eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets as he tried his best to pull the lightning away.


    It was the single most burdensome thing he had ever tried to lift. The force behind that lighting bolt was not something he could hope to exin and simply holding it in ce was the most he could do.


    At thatst moment he had moved instinctively without even realizing what he was doing and by the time he came to it was already toote. The had been cast.


    Baleful thunder echoed overhead somehow sounding more enraged than ever before. Hao Xuan felt the force behind the lighting double as it tore open most of his flesh and evaporated every drop of blood before it could even reach the ground.


    He could feel his entire skeleton creak under the ever-increasing pressure. It felt like the sky itself was trying to smother him into nothingness.


    At wit''s end, Hao Xuan could not even think properly leaving him no other option but to go with the most simple and brutal option he could think of. Using every iota of remaining strength he yanked the lighting and threw it to the side.


    "AAARGH!"


    The lighting shot forward with much the same terrifying speed and power rending everything in its path to shreds before finally colliding with the only object left, the ck pearl.<sub> </sub>


    It came into contact with the pearl but surprisingly nothing happened right off the bat as itpletely disappeared inside the glossy surface. But a momentter spider cracks began appearing all along the sides until theypletely shattered into countless pieces each of which exploded separately.


    *KA-*


    Tens of thousands of small shards exploding simultaneously created an overwhelming sound wave that was unlike anything Hao Xuan had heard before. A circr wave of unrelenting force was created from the point of impact that began expanding outwards.


    At the same time the sky roared with thunderous peals as the next lightning bolt began to fall down.


    *RUUUUMBLE*


    But Hao Xuan was now fully spent. He had no energy left be it spiritual or physical to contest against either of them so all he could manage to do in that final moment was turn around and embrace Sokol before they hit so at the very least he would be protected from the initial impact.


    But just as he was about to close his eyes he noticed something in the distance. Two figures standing at the edge of the pit surrounded by wisps of white and golden light.


    The light brightened for an instant beforepletely disappearing along with his first Mind Pce that was trying toe into being.


    And then just as quickly he heard a loud buzzing sound as the same figures appeared around him while chanting some magical spells and throwing out strange talismans.


    The talismans activated to create a perfect four-meter square of blinding light covering all of them from every direction.


    All of this happened within the blink of an eye before even the shockwave created by the ck pearl reached them.


    *-BOOOOOOOOOM*


    Since the Mind Pce had been sealed the heavenly tribtion came to an abrupt end but there was nothing stopping the force from the exploding pearl which was far more frightening than what any of them could have expected.


    It looked like a small nuclear bomb had gone off as everything within five miles was immediately evaporated. The square created from the talisman held up initially but began to crack soon after, requiring both Han Rong and Zou Huan to pour everyst drop of spiritual energy into it.

 Chapter 1121 From Blood

    A mushroom cloud rose into the air surpassing 40,000 feet (12+ kilometers) in a matter of seconds.


    Earthquakes and tremors could be felt hundreds of kilometers away even when the mushroom cloud could no longer be seen.


    It was only after ten minutes that all themotion slowly came to a stop and the talismans protecting Hao Xuan and thepany broke apart.


    The lights surrounding Han Rong and Zou Huan had all but dissipated allowing Hao Xuan to get a good look at them.


    "You''re from earlier...I was just thinking about that day," he mumbled with some doubt, notpletely sure if this was actually happening or something his mind had just made up.


    Han Rong was the first to fully regain his sense as he turned back to look at Hao Xuan and Sokol.


    The entire right side of Hao Xuan''s body was covered in pitch ck burn marks and it looked like most of the muscle had somehow directly evaporated from under the skin. It was all but skin and bone barely hanging together.


    And yet his gaze didn''t reflect any of the pain that should be making him squirm otherwise.


    Sokol wasn''t in any better condition either since most of his body was damaged and he was missing an arm but seemed to be doing fine regardless.


    "Are you-"


    "I''m okay. It only hurts a little at the start," he assured him.


    Han Rong nodded silently before staring up at the sky which had beenpletely cleared by the shockwaves. Even the tear which had been constantly dropping grunts seemed to be running dry.


    The atmosphere was full of a ck mist that had originated from the pool. The pit they were in had expanded by about 3 times creating a massive crater. Nothing was left alive outside of the barrier created by their talisman.


    Zou Huan finally came to and let out a heavy sigh.


    "That was thest protection talisman we had. We''re on our own now."


    "Yes, but it was worth it," Han Rong said smilingly extending a hand to both Sokol and Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan''s body felt numb but he could still feel waves of paining from his right side. There was no other feeling in his arm at all and he couldn''t move it more than a few inches at most.


    Blood dripped down into the earth pooling beneath his feet and shockingly, it wasn''t showing any signs of recovering either.<sub> </sub>


    Heavy-hearted, he put the worries to the back of his mind and stopped the bleeding with some leftover fabric of what was once his shirt.


    He then redirected his attention to the trio that had appeared out of nowhere.


    "How are you all here?"


    Han Rong and Zou Huan exchanged knowing nces with one another.


    "That....is kind of a long story. Do you know where thest city is? We should get to safety first before continuing."


    "Mhm, you''re right. Come, I''ll take you, it''s not that far," Hao Xuan was about to leap out of the pit when Han Rong interjected.


    "We''ll have to make a small stop first, there are a few more people with us."


    Hao Xuan nodded without hesitation, "Sure, lead the way."


    With Zou Huan in the lead they made their way out and started moving towards the northern side.


    A few minutes after they left the ck mist that was congregating within the pit slowly began seeping into the soil once more. It began to condense eventually turning into a liquid that gave birth to countless small tendrils that started popping out of the ground.


    A great number of them slowly moved towards the blood that had been left behind where Hao Xuan was standing just moments before. They appeared to be sentient as they carefully dipped into the blood picking up a drop each.


    Within seconds all the blood had been scooped up and brought back to the dead center on the pit where the pool used to be. As more and more liquid made its way there the pool started to fill up again.


    It started to ebb and flow back and forth as if some unseen force was stirring it forcefully. It started boiling and bubbling creatingrge waves but what was most shocking was that another form was beginning to take shape within its inky depths.


    Hao Xuan''s blood was broken apart and multiplied countless times being used as the basis for this new creature. A half a meter wide heart was created first followed by the rest of the necessary systems of an organic being.


    Within twenty minutes it had already taken a rough form that was norger than eight meters. It was a humanoid, much smaller than the Synapse from earlier. It still had a tail that was wrapping around the entire body protectively.


    It didn''t have any human skin but a ck and grey carapace much like the grunts. Its upper body held tworge appendages which surpassed three meters in length.

 Chapter 1122 Holder Of-

    The initial earthquake created by the destruction of the ck pearl was strong enough to shake the entire continent and its aftereffects sent tremors for hundreds of miles in all directions long after the deed was done.


    Countless eyes turned in its direction. Some that were looking for aid and an escape from the chaos spreading in the inner world took it as a sign from the powers that be that it was meant to lead them to a safe haven.


    Unfortunately, it garnered the attention of a great many others with insidious intentions, these namely being the forces led by Dai Zhi.


    He was currently standing at the highest point within the treasure pavilion looking in the direction of the mushroom cloud.


    It was too far to actually be seen but the disturbance it had caused within the world could not be ignored for a number of reasons.


    His unfaltering gaze was fixated on the horizon while his hands hovered over arge bowl filled halfway with blood.


    The surface of the blood had drops being pulled upward towards the palm of his hands while his lips silently uttered words in an unknownnguage. Every time a drop was absorbed into his skin Dai Zhi''s eyes would burn with a crimson light for an instant before returning to normal.


    This continued for a short while until the sound of clothes moving in the wind came from behind and a red flying beastnded behind him. He stopped whatever ritual it was and turned towards the creature which was a dark red sparrow.


    It looked much like a normal sparrow only many timesrger and with feathers that were as sharp as swords.


    p He extended a hand and the sparrow immediately leaned forward lovingly nuzzling in his embrace. At the same time a figure jumped down from its back almostnding face-first into the ground.</anda>


    With quivering legs he quickly distanced himself from the sparrow while trying to fix his attire.


    "S-Senior brother," he bowed from the waist towards Dai Zhi who smiled in return.


    "Was the journey not to your liking, junior brother Micha?"


    Micha''s ashen face was enough to answer the query but Dai Zhi still took pleasure in hearing the expected answer.


    "No, it was...just a little faster than what I''m used to."


    With a satisfied nod he gestured for Micha to move to the side where a formation was in ce to block all sounds from moving in and out.


    Once in he snapped once to activate the formation before continuing.<sub> </sub>


    "What did you see?"


    Micha took out a scroll from his robe and opened it to reveal a detailed map of the nearby locations.


    "The monsters from the surface world have begun infesting this ce just as you anticipated. The explosion was over the main nesting ground and it seemed to have been destroyedpletely," he pointed towards the eastern side of thendmass.


    "But if our previous encounters with them are any indicator then that won''t hold them back for long."


    Dai Zhi took the scroll and began marking out several locations while talking.


    "We will deal with them if we have to but it''s better to just stay out of their way and let them focus on the natives. In the meantime, take this to Tian Zheng," he finished by handing it back to Micha, "Tell him to clear out these locations. There are a lot of those so-called resistance fighters mixing in with the mortals there. Better to wipe them as we go."


    "Yes."


    Before turning to leave Micha looked down at the emptynd in front of the pavilion. He hesitated for a moment but decided to ask anyway.


    "Are you sure it was a wise decision to lend all the remaining forces to a foreigner like Feng Huang? I understand he has a powerful background but letting him lead the main forces has a lot of people questioning your reasoning senior brother."


    Dai Zhi stopped beside him with a weary expression.


    "I too would love to be on the front lines but things are different now. My sister is causing me quite a bit of concern so I need to be extra careful with how I proceed. And as for Lord Feng Huang...well, he has reasons of his own to go forth. He is looking for someone too, someone that stole something very precious from his n."


    This was the first time Micha was hearing about that.


    "What did they steal?"


    "I haven''t the faintest idea," Dai Zhi shrugged, "But one thing I know for sure is that he will turn thends upside down to find it. And apart from Lord Xue Meng, he is the only person capable enough to be entrusted with the task of leading the main army."


    "Is he...really that powerful?"


    Dai Zhi couldn''t help but chuckle at the somewhat ignorant query, "As a holder of one of the ancient divine bloodlines it would be strange if he wasn''t powerful. If not for Lord Xue Meng he would undoubtedly be the strongest among our generation."

 Chapter 1123 Nothing Will!

    "I have always heard tales of the Divine Beast lineage but nevere across one personally. What makes them so strong?"


    Despite being the Prince of a second-tier kingdom himself Micha''s knowledge was still severely limited when it came to the divine beasts. This was because of two things.


    One, there was no divine beast n within their continent. And two, information rted to them was kept secret on purpose apart from some general ideas.


    And it was quite a loaded question for Dai Zhi himself but he didn''t see the need to hide something like that from him since they would both be working together.


    He took in a deep breath thinking of where to start.


    "Every realm has its own version of divinity. We have our pantheons residing within the heavens. They are led by the Gods and the Arch Angels. The hells have the same in the form of the Devils and certain Demons."


    ''Certain Demons?'' Micha picked up on the odd wording but chose not to interrupt him.


    "Within the void of the abyss there are the Abyss Lords and Chaos lords that hold simr positions although things work a little differently there."


    "And then there are the Divine Beasts which are virtually the same as Gods and Devils for the countless beast species across the realms. So someone like Lord Feng Huang who has a divine beast bloodline is equivalent to a demi-god. There are some key differences between them but that''s essentially what they are."


    Finding this out was quite a shock to Micha who expected them to be just a little stronger than those of other beast ns.


    "So he was born a god?"


    "Yes, you can say that. But I heard his father was a human which is frowned upon within their culture so he is quite an outcast. It''s a shame he is still loyal to his people otherwise I would love to bring him to my side."


    Micha''s curiosity had peaked and now that Dai Zhi was in a mood to answer he didn''t hold back either.


    "Do divine beasts also have their ownws and territories where they can be applied?"


    "They have something simr tows but not exactly. The strength and type of their powers depends wholly on their bloodlines. They can contend against ourws and those of the Gods using only their own bodies."<sub> </sub>


    "You would have to experience it yourself to understand it better but take Lord Feng Huang for example. He has the Phoenix bloodline which means his powers and abilities are mostly rted to the elemental realm of mes. Depending on how pure his bloodline is, his fire could simply destroy anyws thate against it."


    At this moment he paused to look at Micha who seemed to be fully invested in the conversation at hand. With half a smile he reached out and gently caressed the side of his face making him blush.


    "Once you break into the Profound realm I will exin more. Go now, Tian Zheng is waiting for instructions. Tell him not to wander too far away from his ''walking city''. It will be the centerpiece of our formation when the main army attacks."


    Flustered Micha almost jumped out of his skin.


    "Y-Yes, senior brother," he replied stutteringly and with a quick bow from the waist jumped on the crimson sparrow which flew away at breakneck speed.


    His heart was beating so loudly that no other sound could reach his ears.


    "What the hell is wrong with me, how could I... and for another man...I''m not even..."


    *Sigh*


    Dai Zhi kept staring in his direction long after the sparrow had disappeared, that smile still stered all over his face because at the same time that Micha''s mind was racing with doubts about himself Dai Zhi''s pupils were pulsing with a dark red energy.


    "Hm, not bad at all. The hypnosis works even when they leave the territory of myw. Instilling affection to an otherwise uninterested target is much easier than expected. But...it could be stronger."


    He redirected his attention toward the bowl of blood resting on the side and continued absorbing the blood in the same manner as before, albeit in a much better mood.


    ''Everything is going ording to n. Tian Zheng will clear out the rebels while the main army moves towards this so-called st city''. He will join the army when Feng Huang finds the exact location of the city. Whatever magic these barbarians have used to hide its trace will not hold them back for long.''


    ''Xue Meng will stay here and protect me as I get ready to break through to the profound realm and receive the final piece of the bloodline. I had hoped to get Dima to join them but he is up to his old tricks again. Hah, if he thinks he can hide whatever is in that structure and keep it for himself he has another thinging.''


    ''I will take care of him myself once all this is over. One more casualty won''t make much of a difference, not anymore...nothing will stand in my way!''

 Chapter 1124 All Alone

    When the aftershocks from the initial earthquake began spreading out Jin Wang was one of the few that noticed the changes before anyone else, mainly because he was still underground at that time.


    Taking it as a sign that things had taken a turn for the worse he ran back to the city just in time to see the horde of grunts retreat and disseminate back into the old forest.


    The few that remained were like puppets with their strings cut off, slowly being taken care of one by one.


    From atop the crown of the city Jin Wang inspected the overall damage which was far too much considering there were so many cultivators present to defend it.


    ''I overestimated their usefulness. Every passing generation bes weaker than thest.''


    He threw one cursory nce to the mushroom cloud in the distance and with a heavy heart turned towards the other corner of the city.


    With a few quick jumps, hended in front of the entrance to the stone room where Hao Xuan had been previously locked. He rushed in without wasting any time but to his surprise it was mostly empty.


    "What happened? Did it work?" he asked the only remaining person.


    Princess Ceni was sitting in the same spot with her eyes closed. Upon hearing Jin Wang''s eyes she slowly turned to face him.


    At first her gaze seemed a little empty as if her mind was elsewhere but the light of thought returned to them quickly and she nodded with a satisfied smile.


    "Un, he is."


    Jin Wang couldn''t help but frown seeing her odd behavior.


    "What happened? Why the...good mood...?"


    As soon as the words left Jin Wang''s mouth Princess Ceni threw back her shoulder in a deluge of boisterousughter.


    "Hahaha it happened! It finally happened!"


    Jin Wang had asked the question out of sheer curiosity before leaving but to see such a radical reaction he couldn''t help but pause mid-stride.


    That was anything but normal.


    He approached silently, "What did?"


    She suddenly froze before abruptly turning her head in his direction, "We did, me and him! US! I did it!"


    She looked both drunk and high out of her mind. Even though she was looking right at Jin Wang but her gaze was unfocused.


    He waved his hand in front of her eyes but there was no change.


    ''She can''t see me?''


    "Hey, listen to my voice. Do you know where you are?"


    She nodded, "Un. I''m with Hao Xuan."


    !!!!


    ''Ah fuck, is she still stuck in the dreamscape?!''<sub> </sub>


    Jin Wang knelt down in front of her and gently closed her eyes with his right hand before mumbling some kind of a spell under his breath.


    "Focus on my voice, listen to it carefully. Do you see me now?"


    She paused momentarily and her smile faltered for the first time, "No...I don''t..."


    "That''s good. It means you''re not too far gone, you just need a little help getting back."


    She instantly jerked back trying to break free from his grasp, "NO! I DON''T WANT TO LEAVE!"


    "Shhh, rx, calm down. I''m only here to help you. Why don''t you want to leave? You can tell me, I want to know."


    With the help of the spell his coaxing words took effect and she fell into a lull.


    The pitch of her voice raised by several octaves and she began speaking in a childish voice.


    "Because...I''m safe here. I have him, and he has me. We...can be happy here. Mother can''t get to us...and he won''t leave me..."


    Jin Wang let out a deep sigh.


    ''As expected. She fell into a trap of her own insecurities.''


    "Please, just leave us be, we won''t bother you. Don''t tell mother or she will hurt him again," she said pleadingly.


    He couldn''t help but imagine what kind of a monster her mother was that she was so genuinely afraid of her.


    ''I have no choice but to use force. The more I feed into this illusion the harder it will be for her to break free.''


    His grip tightened even more until red marks appeared around Ceni''s forehead. He leaned in and whispered in her ear.


    "It''s toote already. Your mother knows everything."


    "NOO!"


    "She will be here soon and when that happens you know what she will to do him right?"


    "NO PLEASE! DON''T DO THIS!"


    Jin Wang hesitated for an instant but he told himself that it was necessary and steeled his heart for the venomous words he was about to spill out.


    "She will do to him what she did to all the others and you will be left all by your lonesome again. Poor little princess sitting alone in her castle, no one to love, no one to care for. That''s what you deserve, to be alone, to be by yourself for all of eternity. You will never find happiness, no one will ever love you."


    "And him, Hao Xuan will die a slow and painful death knowing that it was you who did that to him. He will hate you until hisst breat-"


    *CRACK*


    *SLAAASH*

 Chapter 1125 Oldest Ones

    *CRACK*


    *SNAP*


    Jin Wang''s hand that was covering Princess Ceni''s face twisted at a 90-degree angle right before she swiped her hand from left to right-


    *KSHHHH*


    -cutting open his torse from the middle. Before he could even say anything a wave of invisible force sent him flying back where he was pinned to the wall unable to move an inch.


    Suffice to say he was more than a little surprised at the extraordinary show of force. He tried to break free but it felt likerge chains were tying him to the wall.


    Even when using over 20% of his usual strength Jin Wang was unable to move that he finally connected the dots.


    "Telekinesis?"


    Princess Ceni was now standing up facing him. Her eyes glowed bright red as her feet left the ground. Everything around her was pushed to the very edges when a second wave erupted from within her body.


    The floor cracked beneath her floating figure and spiderweb-like cracks began spreading out in every direction. Only when it looked like the entire room was about to copse on them did Jin Wang take action.


    "That''s ENOUGH! Wake up!" his booming voice created shockwaves that pushed Princess Ceni back several feet, forcing her out of the illusion.


    Since Hao Xuan who was both the main target and source of power for the dreamscape was gone there was nothing left to hold it down and it copsed in on itself.


    The unceasing waves of force suddenly vanished and Jin Wang was allowed to fall back to his feet. Princess Ceni also realized what she had done.


    "What happe-?! I''m sorry, I didn''t know-I thought it was-"


    "It''s fine, no harm no foul," he casually replied.


    "But your hand and-"


    "Is all better, see?"


    He said while waving his arm in front of her. Princess Ceni fell silent upon seeing basically no signs of injury other than a few drops of blood. She clearly remembered breaking his arm and cutting open his stomach but it was as if nothing had happened.


    Even his clothes were back to their original condition, apart from a few blood stains.


    ''That''s not simple healing...'' she thought inwardly but chose to keep her concerns to herself at this time.


    Dusting off his clothes Jin Wang approached the door while gesturing for her to join him, "So everything worked out? Hao Xuan is out?"


    "Hm? Oh, yes. There was some trouble but it was fine. We got him out."<sub> </sub>


    Jin Wang paused, "We?"


    "Yeah, Ma Jiang had to step in for thatst bit."


    "And...you ALL came out?"


    "Yes, why is that so hard to believe?" she looked at him with a half annoyed half questioning gaze but Jin Wang couldn''t very well exin that they needed one person to stay connected to the real world at all times so their consciousness would not get lost behind the veil.


    It was like leaving a spiritual trail of breadcrumbs and without one it was impossible to get back. That''s why he had specifically warned Ma Jiang not to enter the dreamscape with them because otherwise even if they broke free there would be no way for them to get back to their bodies.


    And yet, it had happened.


    ''Someone else led them back?''


    "No, no reason. Where is Ma Jiang?" he opted to change the subject rather than answer and be the target of her wrath which he had just found to be shockingly dangerous.


    But Princess Ceni shrugged in response.


    "Come then, we''ll start with the obvious location first," he said leaping through the air towards the infirmary.


    Princess Ceni passed the room where the grand priestess still remained sitting on her chair resting and stood at the top of the stone staircase looking down at the city in the distance.


    The cold wind prickled against her skin but for some reason she didn''t feel as ufortable as she normally would have.


    She hesitated for a moment before closing her eyes to focus inwardly. There was a strange kind of warmth emanating from within that she had never felt before. She felt safe and...happy?


    ''Is this what it feels like?'' she mused.


    The memories she had shared in thest dreamscape passed in front of her eyes making them wet.


    She had lived a good life there, much better than she could have ever hoped for in reality. She got to experience a great number of things for the first time and if given the choice she would definitely choose to relive those moments once more.


    ''But they don''t have to be just dreams. I can make them real!''


    When Princess Ceni opened her eyes again all her doubts were washed away. She moved her hands in a circle utilizing the true strength of her father, the Vampire King''s bloodline.


    Invisible strings of force created from the power of her thoughts began surrounding her, pushing against the very air. The first time was a chance urrence but this was by design.


    She had unlocked one of the oldest abilities of her race, telekinesis.

 Chapter 1126 Unnie

    With Jin Wang in the lead they returned to the infirmary post-haste and unsurprisingly found Ma Jiang scuttling about the patients in a haze. Theynded on the other side of the street and made their way over.


    Ma Jiang''s hair was in a mess and it looked like she hadn''t slept in days. Her eyes were puffy and red making it seem like she had been crying until just a few moments ago. But her temperament was still the same as before.


    She was standing next to an elderly woman gently applying a green paste on her swollen arm.


    "Please bear with it for just a little more. As soon as the medicine starts to take effect I can start applying the supporting magic. Your wrist is broken from three different ces so it will take a little bit longer, I''m sorry."


    The elderly woman on the other hand seemed to be much calmer than Ma Jiang as she smiled and patted her on the head.


    "You are a good girl. Do you have a husband yet? Because if not my great-nephew will be turning ten soon. You can have him! He''s a very good boy who listens to his mother well, he will surely make a great husband."


    "T-That...I don''t...I can''t-"


    *Cough*


    Seeing her struggling to answer Jin Wang and Princess Ceni both stepped in simultaneously. Princess Ceni slowly pulled her away while Jin Wang diverted her attention.


    "Hoho, grandma you should beying down, what are you doing up? Here, please rest right here."


    "I''M NOT YOUR GRANDMA, GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!"


    *SLAP*


    "Ahahaha, grandma you are so funny. I''ll be back for youter!"


    With a red handprint on his face Jin Wang brought them to the side even as Ma Jiang struggled.


    "No, I still have work to do, STOP! What are you doing?!" she screamed garnering a great amount of attention to herself followed by many concerned looks.


    Princess Ceniughed and waved her hand, "I''m sorry, my sister is a little confused right now, please, don''t worry."


    Her eyes shed red for a moment and everyone turned away instantly.


    When she turned around Jin Wang gave her a disapproving look but she shrugged innocently, "What?"


    "Don''t use your hypnosis so nonchntly. There is a fine line between use and abuse."


    "I was only doing it to help us, why are you so upset about it?" she questioned with a deepening frown but Jin Wang shifted his attention towards Ma Jiang who was still trying to break free.


    "Stop, let me go! Who are you people?!"<sub> </sub>


    Princess Ceni came closer to inspect her but was shoved away forcing Jin Wang to take action.


    Same as before he ced his left hand over her forehead covering her eyes.


    "Shhhh, everything is okay, you''re safe. Listen to my voice, everything is fine."


    Only then did she calm down.


    Princess Ceni''s brow furrowed with concern, "Will she be okay?"


    "Yeah, she will be fine in no time. The effects don''t seem to be longsting for her since she can already move and go about her daily life. She''s just a little confused, nothing a little calming spell won''t fix."


    He reached into his shirt and brought out a small pebble before uttering the spell in its direction.


    When he was finished the pebble jerked back and forth before breaking open to reveal a small firefly.


    Itnded on the back of his right hand which he brought up to Ma Jiang''s face and started snapping his fingers. With each snap the firefly released bursts of luminescent light that entered her body making her more and more rxed until she stopped moving altogether.


    He loosened his grip and with onest snap she was woken up just as the firefly turned into ash having used up all of its vital energy.


    Ma Jiang opened her eyes which were a lot clearer than before and looked at the people in front of her.


    "Mister....unnie..."


    "Unnie? Did it not work?" Jin Wang was about to reach out again when an extreme wave of pain ran throughout his body making him jump.


    "WHAT THE FUCK?! Why did you do that?!" he looked at Princess Ceni''s hand in shock which was pinching a piece of his shirt and some skin in between her fingers with an outraged expression.


    She had pinched him hard enough to rip off a piece of the skin.


    "I should be asking YOU that! Why was it that to wake me up you had to say all those terrible things but for her you just gently snapped your fingers a few times?!"


    ''BECAUSE SHE ISN''T A LUNATIC LIKE YOU'' was what he thought inwardly but chose not to vocalize his thoughts.


    "It was the only option. You are much stronger than her so this wouldn''t have worked on you!"


    *Thud*

 Chapter 1127 Throne Of Darkness

    *Thud*


    The conversation was cut short when Ma Jiang copsed to the ground prompting them to tend to her instead.


    <o>,m Princess Ceni tried to help her up but her hand started to sizzle the moment it came into contact with her body.</o>


    "OW! What the hell?! I thought you said she was going to be fine, what''s going on?"


    Jin Wang ced a hand on her forehead which immediately began to smoke.


    "Her body is releasing extremely concentrated Yang energy."


    "Yang energy? Her? How is that even possible?"


    Yin and Yang energies were represented as cold and hot in nature. The females of most species had more Yin energy whereas the males had Yang energy. This didn''t mean that they were exclusive to one gender but only that they were more inclined to one side.


    The Yang energy being released from Ma Jiang''s body was particrly abnormal because not only was it extremely pure and concentrated but the quantity was also increasing with time.


    The area near her vicinity had already begun to scorch and cinder while her breathing became erratic.


    "What did you do?! She''s getting worse!" Princess Ceni screamed in a hushed whisper trying to keep her voice down whereas Jin Wang was lost in thought.


    His mind was racing trying toe up with a reasonable exnation but obviously he would never be able toe to the real conclusion.


    That whatever creature that was sealed within Ma Jiang''s body was trying to break free by taking advantage of her weakened state.


    Just then Ma Jiang reached out and grabbed a hold of Jin Wang''s hand, muttering in a state of delirium, "Please...take me somewhere where there aren''t any people...away from the city...far away...."


    That was all she could say before closing her eyes and falling into a deep state of meditation.


    Jin Wang had many questions but he couldn''t very well ask them right now so he did as Ma Jiang had requested. Picking her up in his arms even as the yang energy threatened to burn his flesh he jumped up and away.


    Princess Ceni was left with no choice but to follow after them with gritted teeth.<sub> </sub>


    They flew straight up and towards the north away from everything. There was a solitary bare mountain peaking out of the forest just a few miles away, this was their destination.


    Nothing grew here, not a single leaf of grass or the droppings of a beast could be found. All life had left this ce.


    And as soon as they madendfall Princess Ceni could feel the absolutely bizarre atmosphere. Not only was the air much colder but it made her feel naked as if she had just lost ayer of protection she never even knew was there in the first ce.


    "Are you sure this ce is safe? It''s giving me a strange feeling..."


    "No, but it''s the best ce for her to be. There is a concentration of Ying energy here, it should help ease whatever she is going through and suppress the Yang energy inside her."


    Despite feeling like someone was watching her from the shadows Princess Ceni followed Jin Wang towards one of the many burrows that decorated the back of the mountain.


    At first nce they looked like many gaping mouths of some ancient beast that was just waiting for them to enter. And the sounds of billowing wind didn''t help which sounded like the cries of children.


    He stopped in front of a seemingly random burrow and started walking in, "This one should be fine."


    One step at a time they walked through the eerily quiet tunnel in near pitch darkness. Thankfully they didn''t have to go too deep before what looked like a room appeared on their left.


    Jin Wang turned into the room without saying a word but Princess Ceni was distracted by something else.


    Just a stone''s throw away to the front was a doorway etched out of surrounding rocks. There were some symbols carved onto the sides that had caught her eye.


    Despite it being so dark that nothing beyond a few feet could be seen Princess Ceni could still clearly make out the symbols. The doorway itself was old, far too old to even estimate its time period but symbols looked like they had been carved just a few minutes ago.


    Three on the right, four on the left, and two at the top. Each one was moreplex than thest, consisting of letters from a throng of differentnguages.


    ''I have seen these before...in the final work of the philosopher Arteym from the Era of Antiquity. There was an image of a gateway just like this. If I''m not wrong they should read something like...''


    She unconsciously uttered the next few words out loud, albeit barely audible to any else besides her.


    "Halt! Here is the Empire of Death, the host to the throne of eternal darkness, Necropolis of Mo- MMMM!"

 Chapter 1128 Entire Future

    "-MMMM!"


    "What the HELL are you doing?!"


    Jin Wang''s absolutely incensed voice came into her ears right after he forcefully covered her mouth.


    Pushing him away, "What? I''m just reading the-" she tried to exin.


    "The inscription, yes, that is written on a door that leads to Purgatory, the GOD DAMN underworld! What makes you think that was a good idea?!"


    "T-This door leads to the underworld??!"


    Princess Ceni jumped back like a startled cat distancing herself from the doorway that she had almost crossed.


    Jin Wang rolled his eyes in response and returned to the room, leaving her gawking at the gloomy shadows beyond the seemingly ordinary doorway.


    But the longer she stared at the empty darkness the more alive it appeared. Even her own shadow being cast on the other side seemed to be staring back at her.


    She rubbed her arms to rid herself of the goosebumps and swiftly entered the room. But as she turned the shadow remained rooted on the spot, twisting its head in an unnatural way to watch her walk behind the stones.


    The moment Princess Ceni passed the boundary of the room an instinctive sigh of relief was released from her mouth. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and an indescribable feeling of security overtook her.


    She looked around to inspect the confines of the space which was being illuminated by a solitaryntern burning with a flickering yellow me.


    Almost everything was chiseled out of the same stone, from the row of chairs on one side to the bed in the middle where Ma Jiang rested.


    As she moved to the side Princess Ceni noticed that there were symbols and marking all along the side of the bed connecting to the floor.


    Ma Jiang''s eyelids fluttered back and forth as if she was having a terrible nightmare followed by convulsions every few seconds.


    "What is this ce? Will she be okay?"


    "Yeah, this is one of the few ces that can help her. Since there is a gate to the underworld closeby we can draw power from it and use that negative energy to counteract hers."


    "Negative energy?"


    "Yin energy. As you might expect there is quite a lot of it here."


    Princess Ceni understood what he was saying but she still couldn''t entirely believe it.


    "It doesn''t make any sense. This was supposed to be a foreign, one lost to time and space. But it feels like every time I take a step there is some shocking revtion hiding behind the corner waiting for me. How can there just be a gate to the underworld here? And more importantly, how did you know about it?"<sub> </sub>


    In the deathly silence of the dark mountain they stared at each other, neither of them willing to back down. Despite knowing how much more powerful he was Princess Ceni didn''t even bat an eye.


    And at that moment Jin Wang knew he would have to reveal some truths to her.


    "None of this was random...or by chance. You are here because someone wanted you here, same as me."


    "...Who?"


    "Someone very powerful, and very old. I can''t-won''t tell you anymore because it will only put you in danger. But know this, you have to stay by Hao Xuan''s side no matter what. He is the key."


    Princess Ceni''s brow rose in obvious hostility, "What do you mean?! If you n to hurt him I won-"


    "I would never. He is my friend, a very good friend. I would never willingly do anything to hurt him."


    "... And what if it isn''t in your hands? What if the person you''re taking orders from wants to hurt him?"


    "I won''t allow it. I at least have enough strength to stand against him if needs be."


    Princess Ceni looked into his eyes and knew he meant every word he said.


    "Good. And when this is all over you will let him go. I will take him with me and we will both disappear from the greater world forever."


    Jin Wang couldn''t help but shake his head in response, "I''m afraid that is not in my power. I have never told him what to do nor will I ever. He always does what he wants."


    "Yes, but he still listens to you. Tell him it''s the right choice when the timees. He has been lied to and used enough by you people."


    "I don''t know what you''re talk-"


    "Xu Qing."


    That one name was enough to silence him.


    "I know about her. I know she is doing something to him, twisting his mind and ying with his memories. And I know that even if you didn''t tantly lie, there is still a lot you kept from him. You, her, and the person behind it all, you''re all using him for your own selfish goals. Let him go when the timees."


    Jin Wang was once again left speechless by the girl that had barely reached adulthood. He didn''t know what to say, hell, there was nothing he COULD say because she was right.


    "You really care about him that much? You would be willing to throw away your entire future to be with him?"

 Chapter 1129 Bond

    Princess Ceni felt like she had answered this question hundreds of times already and hearing it again only irritated her more.


    "Why is this so hard to believe? Why does everyone doubt me so? Is it because I''m a rich spoiled princess? Do I HAVE to be shallow and materialistic?"


    Jin Wang sighed inwardly while shaking his head, "No of course not, it just doesn''t make any sense. Everything you''ve said sounds like a generic excuse. I didn''t push it further because we didn''t have much time but I can''t just ignore this anymore."


    "Even the grand priestess has warned me to keep you two away from each other and between the two of you, I believe her more."


    She didn''t know what to say. He was right.


    She had kept a very important little detail to herself, not even daring to mutter it out loud. In fact, she only realized the truth of the matter not too long ago.


    Through gritted teeth Princess Ceni let out a heavy-hearted sigh.


    "Back on the ship when I used to visit him...something...happened."


    She turned away not being able to meet Jin Wang''s gaze which only made his imagination run wild.


    "No...don''t tell me you did it while he was in aa?!"


    "What?! No of course not, what do you take me for?!" she flung back.


    "Then....?"


    "I...drank his blood. It was just a little bit, I just wanted to see what it tasted like."


    Jin Wang''s brow furrowed lightly, "Well...you ARE a vampire, it''s not that out of ordinary for your kind. Not a big deal."


    "It is...because he...was my first."


    "...."


    For a few seconds Jin Wang''s mind couldn''tpute all the information.


    ''Vampire...first blood...lycan....bond...''


    And the color drained from his face when he connected the dots.


    "No no no, please don''t say that. You''re kidding right?"


    "No..."


    bbergasted he fell lifelessly back onto the chairs, "How could this happen...how did I not see iting...my god..."


    But the ''nightmare'' did not end there as Princess Ceni exined further.


    "I didn''t realize it at the time but that was just the beginning. I found myself getting more and morefortable around him. Everything about him made me feel better about myself. He didn''t feel like a stranger but someone I had known for a very long time."<sub> </sub>


    "And then one day I...fell asleep next to him. That''s when they started, the dreams. I would see things...well, him to be more exact. From when he was just a newborn all the way until he left earth, every day and every night I was there, watching over him."


    "I saw him take his first steps, heard his first words. From his first friend to his first crush I saw it all. I was there when he found out that his parents didn''t want him, and I watched as his family abandoned him that one night. I also remember what happened after that, something that even he forgot."


    ? "And while I was watching this boy grow and mature I realized how much we had inmon."


    Her voice fell to a mere whisper for a moment, "And how alone we both were."


    "I know how angry he gets and how bad he feels about it afterward. I know why he likes the rain and the cold and why the summers were his worst nightmare. I know EVERYTHING about him. For whatever reason ourpatibility is so strong that it''s unheard of. No other vampire has had such a strong bond before."


    "I can feel his surging emotions from miles away and see what is in his heart. We are meant to be."


    With his head sped in his hands Jin Wang continued to listen in silence.


    "And a few days ago when he lost control I saw a vision. Well...I say vision but it was more of a conception dream. In that vision we had a child together, a son. I have never felt anything that strong before. Even if I wanted to there was no way I could change that future."


    "Not to mention that even in that final dreamscape we were together, happily married."


    Hearing the conviction in her voice Jin Wang almost overlooked the little detail she had dropped.


    "You were married to Hao Xuan?"


    "Yes."


    "Happily?"


    "Of course, why wouldn''t he be happy?" she misinterpreted his words not realizing the obvious w.


    "Nothing, no reason."


    ''The only way to break out of the dreamscape is by realizing that it''s not real. And if one is happy and content with life that will never happen."


    "Ugh!"


    Just then Ma Jiang rolled over the side and threw up a mouthful of dull red liquid, effectively putting an end to their conversation.


    At first Jin Wang panicked thinking it was blood but after a quick inspection he realized it was concentrated Yang energy.


    Ma Jiang was literally vomiting the positive spiritual energy that could be found in nature. And hers was so pure in fact that it threw the entire room in disarray.


    Within seconds small red nts started to grow out of the liquid shining with a bright orange luster.


    "Spiritual herbs! Spiritual herbs are growing out of it!" Princess Ceni eximed with wide eyes.

 Chapter 1130 Fleshy

    The herbs started out as simple dual-leafed buds but began sprouting long stems that crawled up the walls and curled around the entire room within seconds.


    The temperature rose by tens of degrees but not enough to make anyone ufortable. It simply counteracted the Yin energy that was already prevalent throughout the atmosphere.


    *Cough*Cough*Cough*


    Ma Jiang coughed a few more times while trying to get up, prompting Princess Ceni to jump to her aid.


    "Here, let me help you. It''s okay, pace yourself, everything is fine."


    She rubbed her back while speaking in a coaxing manner. Ma Jiang leaned her head on Princess Ceni''s shoulder while trying to regte her breathing.


    "You''re okay, everything is okay, just rx."


    Even Jin Wang was surprised by the softness of her voice which was aplete contrast to a few moments ago. Looking at this scene if one didn''t know any better they would think these two girls were actual sisters.


    It took Ma Jiang a couple of minutes to get back to normal and she was even able to stand up by herself although Princess Ceni didn''t leave her side regardless.


    "I think I''m...okay now," she reassured Princess Ceni who smiled and wiped the sweat off of her forehead.


    "Good. But don''t push yourself too much."


    "Un, I know unnie."


    Jin Wang finally couldn''t take it anymore and had to step in.


    "Okay what the hell is going on here? Why are you calling her ''unnie'' and why are you two so...nice to each other all of a sudden?"


    It wasn''t like they hated each other before but this was certainly a sudden turn of events.


    Ma Jiang and Princess Ceni nced at one another giggling at him. This time Ma Jiang spoke up.


    "Unnie just means older sister in thenguage we grew up with. You see, in thest dreamscape we were sisters. And even though it''s over now but those memories are still with us."


    Jin Wang shrugged defeatedly, "Well...didn''t see thating either. So you both met Hao Xuan?"


    "Yes."


    "Yeah, why, is that a crime?" Princess Ceni''s hostile tone was ignored by Jin Wang as he focused more on their bodynguage instead.


    Where Princess Ceni was ring at him Ma Jiang couldn''t even meet his gaze.


    "And nothing ''special'' happened?"


    "A lot of things happened, what exactly are you asking? I already told you Hao Xuan and I were together," Princess Ceni answered for Ma Jiang again.


    Ma Jiang shifted ufortably and quickly changed the topic, "We should go, those people need our help."<sub> </sub>


    Princess Ceni immediately nodded, "And we still need to find Hao Xuan, you don''t know where he is do you?"


    Ma Jiang shook her head which was all Princess Ceni needed. She walked to the door with quick steps, "I''ll go back first then," and ran out.


    Jin Wang waited until the sound of her footsteps faded and gestured for Ma Jiang to take a seat on the bed.


    "What''s wrong? Was it not as she said?"


    Ma Jiang nodded lightly with a sigh.


    "I think some of her memories are...muddled. She doesn''t remember everything clearly."


    "Like what?"


    "I-It doesn''t matter. Since we are all back safe those memories don''t matter right?" she looked at Jin Wang with hope in her eyes.


    He could see there was something wrong but she didn''t want to talk about it.


    "Yes, I don''t think it should be a problem."


    "Good, I don''t want to think about it anymore."


    Upon finishing Ma Jiang reached into one of the ps of her dress and pulled out a stone disk.


    "Here," and handed it over to Jin Wang with a nonchnce that would not have been possible if she knew exactly what kind of creature was locked inside it.


    Jin Wang quickly inspected the disk and breathed a sigh of relief. It had been done, the parasite from Hao Xuan''s mind pce had been pulled out, albeit only temporarily.


    "Thank you, you have no idea how important this little thing is. Are you going to be okay? Come I will take you back," he extended a helping hand but she pushed it away.


    "No, I''m okay. I just need a few more minutes to stabilize my energy. I can get back by myself, I know it''s not too far."


    "Alright. But if you need me just crush this and I will get to you as soon as possible," he handed her a small red piece of paper with a rune on one side.


    "Un."


    With the disk in hand Jin Wang also took his leave, disappearing from the room like an apparition.


    Ma Jiang waited a few minutes to make sure she was alone before falling to the ground clutching her chest.


    "Hurk!"


    She threw up several mouthfuls of thick viscous liquid and a small meaty chunk that was a part of her own lungs. It was coated in dried-up blood.


    "AAAH!" she screamed from pain as the back of her dress was ripped apart when two massive wings made of me erupted from within her own flesh.

 Chapter 1131 Denizens

    Hao Xuan followed the disciples of Mount Cae through the dark forest until they came upon a small valley hidden within the shadows in in sight.


    It was surrounded by hundreds of years old trees arching on all sides and from above nothing would seem out of ce but upon descending under the thick canopy the wide-open space would be visible.


    They were weed by a few scared mortals who stood guard at the entrance with weapons they had no use for.


    As Hao Xuan walked deeper into the valley and saw the tired and emaciated dirt-ridden faces of hundreds of natives huddling around small campfires for warmth he understood why Zou Huan was so adamant abouting here first.


    Many of these people would not survive the next few hours if they weren''t given aid immediately. The journey so far had sapped them of their vital energy rendering them little more than husks of their former selves.


    It would be a gross overstatement to say that they were hanging on by a thread.


    Zou Huan and Han Rong didn''t need to say anything else, Hao Xuan understood the importance of time.


    "Come on then, what are we waiting for?"


    Han Rong patted him on the shoulder breathing a sigh of relief, "Thank you brother, I appreciate you doing this-"


    He was worried that after seeing so many people Hao Xuan would decide against it but-


    "Stop," he immediately cut Han Rong off, "I''m not doing this for you or anyone else. I have been in their position so I know all too well how it feels. That stark hopelessness when the hunger and cold sets in your bones, the emptiness growing ever stronger with theing of the night, that dreadful numbing feeling is all too familiar. I am...only doing what I should."


    Han Rong pulled back his arm with no words to counter Hao Xuan''s. It was a given to help others in times of need but more often than not people would rather keep themselves fed for a day longer than share what they had.


    "You are different from before," hemented after a brief moment, "A little older, a little...somber."


    Hao Xuan met his gaze momentarily with a facetious smile, "Tell me about it. I feel like I''ve lived through a hundred lifetimes already," he chuckled and began walking back only to pause near the entrance.


    "Let''s not waste any more time, the longer we stay here the riskier it bes," he whispered thest sentence to himself whilst slowly walking deeper into the forest.


    Looking around at the trees towering over from all sides he couldn''t help but think how alive they looked. Or perhaps it was not them.<sub> </sub>


    With every gust the shadows seemed to be dancing in the wind. Hao Xuan couldn''t see anything clearly but he could still feel them, the ones hiding in the dark.


    They didn''t have a physical presence but he understood they were there, much more real than his hunches.


    And yet he eyed the hidden ones as if they were standing in front of him.


    This wasn''t the first time he had encountered them, at least not in this life. He understood to a great extent what they were, what they wanted to be but still they wanted to be caught, to make their presence known if only to drive even more souls to madness.


    "I know what you are, I know what you want. You are born of the emptiness left in our wake. I may not see you but I feel your presence growing ever so powerful, oh Denizens of the Deep," he spoke in a hushed whisper.


    The words weren''t intended for anyone specific but they obviously reached the intended target as it became evident with the events that followed in the moments after.


    Another gust of wind blew in from the north making every single tree shake from the roots to the crown. If one listened closely it would sound like the thumping of countless naked feet.


    ''They'' were ted beyondprehension upon getting recognition but upon hearing the next few sentences silence fell over the forest.


    "But make no mistake, for all of your strengths you will never walk in the light. Stay hidden, keep yourselves concealed within the veil because if you ever show yourselves I will make sure it is thest thing you do."


    Themotion immediately died down, just in time to see the mortals being hushed into droves and brought out in groups of six and above. There was a vague grey light surrounding each group. It not only provided some form of defense but also increased their movement speed.


    Hao Xuan didn''t have to think for very long to understand that Han Rong had obviously used another one of his spells as it became apparent by his depleted energy soon after.


    "A small movement spell. It doesn''tst very long and uses a lot of spiritual energy that''s why I was saving it for when we found you," he exined with a weary smile.


    "Hmm, follow me, we''ll cut through the forest."


    One by one the groups left the valley following closely behind Hao Xuan. Zou Huan was thest one to leave, peering at the gorge that had provided them refuge onest time.


    And as soon as he lept away the shadow of one of the countless boulders began moving. It constricted and expanded, taking a different shape from before.

 Chapter 1132 Return Of The Djinn

    Elongated limbs reached out and grabbed a hold of the boulder to pull out the rest of therge semi-skeletal reptilian body. The nightmarish head which was in the shape of a humanoid skull was thest to snake out of the shadows.


    If any of the barbarians were here they would immediately recognize this creature as the Hunter that had followed them over from the other world, one of the Djinn. (Appearance detailed in CH 697 ''the Hunter'' and first encounter in CH 735 ''Djinn'')


    Its hefty body slowly materialized from the shadow and by the end the boulder''s shadow had be much brighter.


    The few strands of long hair dragged along the ground as it walked out of the gorge with heavy steps.


    It stopped at the exact spot Hao Xuan previously had to slowly peer left and right. It spoke with a hoarse voice that sometimes sounded masculine and sometimes feminine.


    "Soon....brothers...soon you will...be free...the time...is upon us..."


    This time the shadows moved by themselves without any wind. Shaking back and forth in a maddened flurry they sent off the Djinn in the same direction Hao Xuan andpany were headed, towards the city of Argham.


    And as its humungous body slithered soundlessly through the dark forest countless other four-legged creatures were forced awake by its presence. They crawled out of the dirt and from the trunks of dead trees to follow in its footsteps.


    ***


    Despite being a long ways away from the city when the party began moving forward something unexinable happened. And Hao Xuan was the first one to notice it because he was in the lead.


    ''It feels like the ground is moving faster than we are.''


    All they did was run in a straight line but there were no obstructions in their path nor any obstacles. Every step they took covered ten times the distance they would normally have.


    And this wasn''t caused by Han Rong''s spell which only gave them a moderate speed boost. This was something different, something much more mystical.


    In less than two minutes the trees began to part and the outline of the city came into view.


    "How is this possible?? It was this close and we never even saw it once?" bbergasted Zou Huan questioned and the answer came from the most unexpected ce.


    "It''s magic she says, very old magic. The city will reveal itself to those in need. But now that the priestess is not well the magic is not working properly."


    Hao Xuan, Han Rong, and Zou Huan simultaneously turned toward Sokol with stunned expressions.<sub> </sub>


    "There is such a magic in this world?!" Han Rong inquired with no small amount of disbelief.


    "To change the very terrain, to bend space in and around such a massive area, the energy needed would be monumental," Zou Huanmented, "It would have to be at the very least a 7th circle mage with an immense mana pool."


    Sokol turned his head a little to the right as he had countless times before to listen to the whispers before rying the information to the rest of the party.


    "She does not know how powerful they were because she was only a small spiritling back then. It was her master who created the city from the bones of an ancient beast with little to no effort. But he wasn''t the one that created this world."


    "It was a man who could align the stars with a wave of his hand and give birth to suns with a snap of his fingers. He created this world around his home to protect it, and her master gave it life from his own blood."


    Sokol''s words might not mean much to the others that weren''t aware of the small details but to Hao Xuan they were invaluable. Only one name came to mind when he spoke of someone that powerful.


    "The Emperor, was it?"


    Sokol once again turned his head to the side to listen but shrugged a momentter.


    "She says to hurry before the shadows catch up to you."


    Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat, ''I knew there was a familiar scent around that ce, he was there waiting.''


    "Quickly then!"


    Another thirty secondster they came out from the edge of the forest andnded in therge cleared space where the earlier battle had taken ce. There was still a gaping hole in the ground from where Hao Xuan''s attack hadnded but apart from some grunt corpses, everything else had been cleared out.


    There were raging mes all along the sides which were being fuelled by the very same corpses being tossed in by the city guards.


    Upon seeing such arge group appearing out of nowhere they immediately drew their weapons.


    "HALT! WHO GOES THERE!" A roaring voice inquired from the city gates.


    ''The one who saved your asses, open the gate,'' Hao Xuan spoke directly to the person via spirit sense.

 Chapter 1133 Peering Through

    Immediately after a figure leaped from behind the city gates andnded in front of the group with a loud whooshing sound.


    He towered over most people save for Hao Xuan and Zou Huan.


    "Hao Xuan! You''re back!" he proimed loudly, garnering more than a few people''s attention from all around.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know the specifics but he was aware of Rhisiat''s strength and since they were on the same side there was no need to be hostile towards him, despite how ufortable he felt around him.


    Standing across from him right now Rhisiat looked as friendly as a golden retriever but a pit formed in Hao Xuan''s stomach seeing that cordial smile. It felt like his body''s natural reaction to a threat that even it did not properly understand.


    Still, Hao Xuan did not let it show one bit.


    "These people need help. A warm bed and hot food would go a long way," he gestured towards the several hundred people behind him.


    Rhisiat scratched the bridge of his nose awkwardly while ncing at the many malnourished faces staring up at him, "Haha, don''t we all. But that''s not really in my power eh? Princess Inara would know best to do, although I''m sure she won''t turn anyone away. Comee, let''s go in!"


    Without even waiting for Hao Xuan to respond Rhisiat turned around and started walking back, prompting more than a few inquisitive gazes tond on Hao Xuan.


    "Go go, there is nothing to be afraid of," he reassured them and followed after him.


    As expected the city gate opened while they were still a short distance away and Princess Inara walked out with her two personal guards.


    "Come in everyone, follow the instructions of the men in armor and you will be led to safety!" one of the guards yelled for the people to follow her while Princess Inara beelined for Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan hadn''t talked to the haughty princess in a few days but as with everything else it felt like a long time ago. There was a strange kind of familiarity about her now though as if he understood her better than ever before.


    She stopped right in front of Hao Xuan looking him up and down. And upon seeing his shriveled-up right arm she couldn''t help but let out a shocked gasp.


    "A-Are you okay?!"


    "Hmm? Oh yeah, it looks much worse than it is," he joked but now that the adrenaline was wearing off he could feel the sharp waves of pain running throughout his body.<sub> </sub>


    Every pain receptor on the right side of his body was going off simultaneously. He felt like it was both on fire and frozen in ice at the same time. The pain came in undting waves sometimes increasing in intensity and sometimes falling making it even harder for him to react appropriately.


    But as bad as it was, Hao Xuan was still able to bear with it without even so much as flinching. Maybe it was because he had be ustomed to it after experiencing so much of it in every single lifetime, this one included, or maybe he had just grown numb to the terrible sensations at this point.


    Regardless, he didn''t let it show and no one was the wiser.


    "Still you should have someone take a look at it. You''re not indestructible and leaving it as is will take even longer to heal- Hey, are you listening to me??"


    Seeing the dazed look on his face Princess Inara waved her hand in front of his face, "Can you hear me?"


    But Hao Xuan''s attention was currently focused elsewhere. In the sky behind the city of Argham, a gargantuan ethereal shadow was trying toe into existence.


    It was hundreds of meters tall, so tall in fact that he couldn''t even see where its head ended. It had a bright red outline as if it was on fire and everything around it was slowly turning into the same shade of red.


    "There, do any of you see that?" he pointed towards it prompting Princess Inara, Han Rong, and Zou Huan to look in its direction but all they saw was the clear ck sky.


    "No," Princess Inara replied while Han Rong leaned in closer.


    "What is it? Do you see anything strange?"


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes for a moment and tried to sense what it was. Despite being almostpletely out of energy his spiritual sense wasn''t affected in the very least. He could see and hear things from beyond the veil even now.


    Anything would have helped but what he got was much more than he expected.


    ''AAH! It burns! I can''t stop it I can''t...anymore...someone please....help...''


    A very familiar voice was screaming out for help. He could feel her pain even through the veil which was a first for him.

 Chapter 1134 What Might

    His body was already moving before Hao Xuan could really understand what was going on.


    "I have to go," he threw out the words while leaping into the air.


    He waspletely spent just moments ago but somehow found a second wind to ride towards the source of the disturbance.


    Two steps to the right and one to the left, then two steps to the left and one to the right. Every third step he tooknded on nothing but empty air but somehow Hao Xuan managed to jump off of it as if it was solid ground.


    He seamlessly alternated between them and from afar it looked like a strange kind of ritualistic dance because of its peculiar rhythm.


    And he wasn''t even doing it on purpose. It was more instinct than conscious thought, his subconscious mind utilizing the countless lifetimes'' worth of knowledge that had umted within his memories to pull out the movement technique that best served him in this moment of need.


    With every third step he would disappear for a brief moment before reappearing several tens of meters away walking on nothingness without the aid of spiritual or any otherworldly energy. But it looked like if the rhythm was broken for even a single instant he would immediately fall to his death, not that it would have stopped him either way.


    The closer he got the clearer the voice became-


    ''I need help, someone...''


    -Which only made him move faster.


    Zou Huan speechlessly stared at Hao Xuan''s flickering back before finally whispering to Han Rong in a daze, "Is it just me or was that movement simr to the descriptions of-"


    "The Dancing Phantom!" Han Rong muttered under his breath in awe, even more shocked than Zou Huan who was still unsure of its origins.


    But how could Han Rong be wrong? He had studied almost every book within the old library of Mount Cae cover to cover save for the ones sealed by the elders.


    Every inner disciple had to do the same but Han Rong''s interest peaked when he came upon the ''unofficial'' biography of the first leader and mysterious creator of Mount Cae. It was never officially epted by renowned schrs because of its contents and was treated more as a fiction written by an ardent follower.


    It detailed minor details about the man, his likes and dislikes, what he liked to do in his spare time, and a great deal about his life before the creation of Mount Cae itself.<sub> </sub>


    It was mentioned that he was an avid traveler, that he was part of a small group of like-minded individuals that traveled the cosmos, the abyss, and even the other worlds to discover a great many new things.


    Most of the book was filled with simr events where they encountered new races and forgotten tribes, discovered lost civilisations and all manners of unique creatures.


    There was one such asion where they came upon a tear within the Veil which was creating trouble on a distant. But even after trying everything they could the tear would not close, at least not from this side.


    So they decided to venture within and try their luck from the other side which they would soone to understand was a grave mistake.


    The tear led them to the underworld, to Purgatory. And it was there that they came upon a small tribe of beings that were half-human and half...something else. They might have been normal humans at some point that had fallen into simr holes in space andnded in the underworld.


    ording to the book the underworld did not follow thews of our universe. There was no spiritual energy there whatsoever so beings of flesh and blood had to adapt and change to survive the harsh ne and the even harsher monsters that called it home.


    These individuals called themselves "Phantoms" although clearly they weren''t, at least not by the standard definition. They could pass through solid matter, weaponize their very thoughts and intentions and even walk on air using their own unique method.


    The soon-to-be creator of Mount Cae called it "The Dancing Phantoms" because of how it looked.


    "Two steps to the right, one to the left. Two steps to the left and one to the right. Every third step would push the individual further, even passing through any obstacles that blocked their path."


    But simply copying their movements proved to be unfruitful, there was a secret behind it that was not shared with them.


    "It is isn''t it?!" Zou Huan confirmed, "It is almost exactly like how it was described in the book. How...is that possible? Weren''t those just made up stories?"


    Han Rong knew a lot more about the subject matter but even he was at aplete loss for words. As much as he wanted to believe the book, there were many things mentioned in there that were too fantastical even for them.


    Not to mention if this was true then that meant other stories and events could be true as well. In which case it would indeed be terrible. Because thest story was not written in the past, it was of the future and what mighte to pass.

 Chapter 1135 Which Side

    Not getting an answer Zou Huan took it as the truth which made it even worse.


    "I have a very bad feeling about this," he sighed.


    Han Rong kept his silence. His mind was racing with countless thoughts none of which were particrly good.


    ''No such thing as a coincidence...it can''t be...'' he thought while scratching his back where the ck spot became even darker andrger.


    ***


    Hao Xuan was in a world of his own as he ''danced'' through the air with perfect rhythm. The things he was seeing weren''t real, at least not for now, but they weren''t illusions conjured by his own mind either.


    There was a fire giant in the sky and everything around it was slowly burning up. It looked like meteors were forming in the sky that would begin their descent the moment he came into being.


    Currents of spiritual energy were rampaging across the atmosphere and even certain pieces ofnd were forcefully being lifted into the air by them.


    If there was ever an apocalypse, this would probably be how it would begin. It was a picture of absolute destruction, one that even Hao Xuan had only ever seen once in all his lves.


    The screaming got louder and louder until it was all that he could hear. With a soft tap Hao Xuan''s feet touched the ground once again, right outside of a barren mountain that was exuding copious amounts of Yin energy.


    His legs moved on their own pausing only in front of an old doorway etched from the mountain rocks.


    It looked like there was a swirling mass of Yin energy trying to pull him inside but his destination was to the immediate left which wasn''t much better inparison. He turned towards the room which waspletely set alight.


    It was like an inferno with raging mes adorning all the sides, rending everything into ash and dust.


    Hao Xuan''s skin pricked just from looking at it from the outside where the Yin energy was still overflowing. And right there in the middle of the room was the source of it all, a dainty little figure cowering on the ground.


    Her back was embellished in winged mes with a halo made of the purest white fire crowning overhead. Blood poured out of her eyes in ce of tears as she gritted her teeth not uttering even a single cry out loud.


    But he could still hear them, her thoughts, which were asking to be saved from the excruciating pain.


    And it was at this moment that he finally snapped out of it.


    Hao Xuan extended his left hand towards the room and the moment it passed the boundary he felt the Yang energy rush into his body.<sub> </sub>


    ''It''s almost at the same degree of the Heavenly Thunder!'' he thought pulling back his hand.


    The skin of his palm was already singed just from that brief exposure but even then it was worth it because he had understood a great deal.


    ''It''s not actual fire but energy, the purest most untainted form of Yang energy I have ever seen. The mes are only an obvious side effect.''


    He redirected his attention towards Ma Jiang recalling what he had seen before.


    ''There was an entity sealed within her mind pce. The most probable exnation is that it is trying to escape. The seal which was holding it down must have been damaged or weakened..e on, think!''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and tried to recall every minor detail he could about that incident.


    ''I didn''t wake up there, I remember it was a raging snowstorm that I had to walk through to get to her. There were gargantuan chains running all the way to the center holding the thing in ce....!! Could it be that simple?!''


    Hao Xuan looked back at the doorway doubtfully.


    ''If this creature is solely made from Yang energy then Yin energy would be the most effective deterrent. I...have to try, she doesn''t have much time,'' he concluded upon seeing the obvious changes in Ma Jiang''s physique.


    With a deep breath he inched back towards the doorway. His gaze fell upon the many runes and inscriptions carved along the ridges and just like Princess Ceni he also understood what they meant. But unlike her-


    ''A gate to the underworld, best not utter the incantation. As long as I don''t go through it should be fine. I need to borrow just a little bit of Yin Energy,'' he chose not to vocalize it.


    Once again Hao Xuan extended his hand toward the gaping darkness. This time he was even more afraid because he understood the true dangers of such an action.


    If he was pulled in then that would be the end of his story.


    He flexed every muscle on his body and firmly nted his feet on the ground ready to pull back at the slightest change. From his side he couldn''t see anything but that wasn''t actually the case.


    There was a barrier separating both sides of the doorway, the veil.


    But from the other side he was visible to all who stood before it.


    Countless shadowy figures squirmed in anticipation on a barren wastnd.

 Chapter 1136 The Valley Of Death

    Green and blue bolts of lightning rained across thend leaving tens of meters long gashes in their wake. And from within these gashes men and beast alike would crawl their way out.


    A few of them were humanoid but most were not.


    The first thing they would do aftering out was to look to the sky which held no sun or moon anywhere in sight, in fact not even a single celestial body could be seen in the inky darkness, and yet, there was light.


    Some of it wasing from the asional lightning strikes but the rest was just there. Everything was dyed in a pale yellowish hue, even the very air.


    There were trees but not a single leaf anywhere. There were streams of water but they were polluted and bubbling with miasma.


    Bones big and small were littered across thendscape. Some were so small that they could barely be seen and others so big that they covered the horizon.


    Shrieks and horrid cries echoed in the air as humanoid winged beasts flew about, sometimes even throwing in a cackle or two for good measure.


    All manner of nightmarish beasts walked the destendscape, fighting and killing one another as they went along. From groups of tens to tens of thousands they shed with their bare selves.


    And from these shes blood flowed into the splintered ground and waspletely absorbed in the blink of an eye.


    As one went deeper into the wastnd the stronger the creatures became. And there, within the densest part of the wastnd was a valley.


    It was created by the protruding bones of some hopelessly immense creature that jetted into the sky for several kilometers. One could only imagine how big it must have been when it was alive to have left behind such monumental remains.


    But on the inside, every inch of the valley floor was covered by corpses while more and more were being added to it with every passing second like meat into a grinder.


    ws, des, hooves, and wings, humanoid and beast alike every single one of them fought tooth and nail not willing to give even an inch to the opponent.


    But the odd thing was, unlike what was happening outside, there was some semnce of order in here.


    Just from their rampaging energies alone it was easy to determine that only the strongest of the creatures fought here. The ones that would be overlords outside with countless followers now stood in singlebat against one another.


    The only rest came when one of them would die. And after a brief moment of respite another creature would walk up to challenge the victor.<sub> </sub>


    If one looked carefully one would notice some of the creatures stealing nces at the northern end of the valley where a skull the size of a small mountain rested. There were two curved horns on its forehead, one broken in half while the other standing proud under the heavenless sky.


    The same lighting that split the ground outside in half repeatedly struck the horn but did nothing to it. But perhaps the strangest part of all this was the sentence carved into the forehead of the skull.


    "The Valley of Death" it read.


    And within the very center of this valley was a stone gate, almost an exact replica of the one within the barren mountain with the only difference being the orientation and order of the runes and symbols which were reversed.


    At first none of the surrounding creatures paid it any heed as they continued their endless battle but something changed all of a sudden when the gate came to life. The runes were set alight with Yin energy as a ck sheet of water formed on the inside.


    Silence fell over the Valley of Death, true to its name.


    Every beastly thing froze midstride, slowly turning towards the gate which had stood there unchanged for countless eras, even before any of them had arrived in this purgatory.


    A few of the beasts that obviously stood at the top of their respective tribes came forward, pushing the others aside to get a better view. One among them was a creature with the head of a crow and the upper body of a man and the lower body of an ox.


    Its hooves exuded pure magma that set the ground on fire.


    It wanted to see what secrets the gate might hold, this ancient artifact that had stood the test of time. No one dared to stop this ''crow'', no one really wanted to.


    It walked closer and knelt down to peer inside only to see Hao Xuan''s very human face looking back at it which once again left it bbergasted, albeit only for a moment.


    "Human!" it growled, prompting countless questioning gazes from the rest.


    *TREEEMBLE*


    A tremor ran through the valley, following quickly after the beasts resonating words.

 Chapter 1137 Weakest Disciple

    The ground abruptly shook and split apart only to be brought back together the very next moment.


    Silence. So quiet that one could hear a pin drop from a mile away as countless faces looked left and right in shock, unsure if what they thought was actually happening.


    But a secondter every man and beast residing within the valley fell to its knees. Not because of the tremor but because of the illusionary figure that had appeared above the skull in the far north.


    *BZZZT*


    It exuded such immense pressure that even these demigods were nothing in front of it.


    The sky darkened even more as all manner of vile undeads sprung to life from all corners of the wastnd.


    From the old wraiths that danced through the air celebrating the awakening of their master to the most unweing cackle of the soul eaters, from the simpleton lemures that stuck to the recently deceased corpses to the sniveling water fiends of the south.


    All forms of corruption that existed within this region of the underworld hade to life, jumping with joy upon sensing that which had not been felt in many ages.


    The awakening of an old one.


    The figure slowly drifted through the air,nding wordlessly in front of the stone gate.


    None that valued their lives raised their heads but there were some that could not let such an opportunity pass.


    After all, this is why they were here. Every identical day and night was spent fighting within the Valley of Death just for the small chance that they might gain favor from this being, the same being that ruled over an entire region of the underworld.


    As one of the strongest contenders, the crow beast was the first one to speak up. It kneeled on spot, throwing away all honor and acim that it had earned from countless years of fighting.


    "O'' master of the valley, O'' keeper of death. Your humble servent bows to you. Let your wishes be known so your servent may serve you!"


    With bated breath it waited for what should have been an inevitable death at the hands of this ancient being but...it never came.


    ''Maybe I have a chance!'' it thought and raised its head slightly, just enough to sneak a quick peek.


    It saw two jet-ck beastly legs first. The skin looked like coal and blood like magma. Higher up was the first pair of arms near the abdomen with the second pair at the usual spot.


    It looked like there was another pair of hands in the middle but they were now missing for whatever reason.<sub> </sub>


    On its back was a bone structure jetting out with eight bright red des on every end. He couldn''t see the face because it was peering into the stone gate nor did he have the time to.


    As soon as the crow beast took in its full image its head ballooned up to twice its size before exploding in a bloody mist.


    The explosion seemed to have gotten the valley master''s attention (at least to some degree). One of his upper hands pointed in the crow beast''s direction and rotated anti-clockwise.


    All the flesh and blood was pulled back to the original position until the entirety of his head was reformed.


    *GAAASP*


    He took in several mouthfuls of turbid air while droplets of sweat rolled down his body. He knew what had happened, and who had saved him.


    "Thank you for showing this foolish one mercy, I will not let you dow-"


    The crow beast repeatedly smashed his head on the ground thanking his savior but it was cut short when it spoke up.


    "Do you know...how long have I waited..." a raspy voice asked.


    The crow beast''s eyes were almost sucked back into his head.


    "I-I have only heard rumors, esteemed master. Long ago you were a Greater God in the mortal realms but were betrayed by someone. After your divinity was broken you fell to the underwor-"


    "BANISHED!" he roared, "NOT FELL! I...never fell in battle, not once. They STOLE my divinity and banished me here for all of eternity...too afraid to evene kill me."


    Trembling from head to toe the crow beast kowtowed, "Y-YES!"


    The valley master continued, "I was a revered master of the arts with countless followers. Countless, truly, but not one of them came to my aid when I needed them the most. Only then did I know how truly alone I was..."


    The crow beast did not know what to say but thankfully a momentter a peal of weakughter arose, "Hahaha, but who would have thought that a passing gesture woulde back to me like this, even after innumerable millennia."


    Three zing eyes stared at the image of Hao Xuan within the stone gate, "My weakest disciple hase to my aid!"

 Chapter 1138 "Hello There"

    ''Disciple???''


    Even in his current overwhelmed state the crow beast managed to crane its neck and gaze at Hao Xuan''s image in absolute confusion.


    ''That human is barely old enough to walk, how could he have been a disciple of the valley master who has been slumbering for eons?''


    For a moment he really thought that this omnipotent being in front of him had lost its mind but such thoughts were quickly pushed to the back.


    ''No, that''s not possible! The valley master must know something that we don''t, that''s the only exnation!''


    The Valley Master watched with bated breath as Hao Xuan extended his hand towards the veil which was separating the two worlds. And when his fingers came into contact with the sheet of ck water a charred ted digit was extended from the other side.


    Hao Xuan was already prepared to pull back his hands the instant anything happened but with his flimsy cultivation he was no match for the Valley Master''s mysterious abilities.


    He only realized it after it was already toote.


    All sources of illumination had been snuffed out and by the time Hao Xuan came to, he found himself floating within a dark cloud.


    No ground beneath his feet, no light around him. There was only darkness but he could hear the faint roar of thunder in the far distance.


    He could feel the cold wind in his hair and the unexinable feeling of weightlessness that came with it.


    Hao Xuan looked at his hands both of which were now fine before gazing at the surroundings.


    ''My consciousness was forcibly pulled inside. Am I in the underworld?'' he thought inwardly but a voice answered from the outside.


    "Indeed."


    *RUUUUMBLE*


    Thunder roared all around and a bolt of lightning struck something in front of Hao Xuan. It was bright enough to illuminate a part of a colossal shadow.


    Hao Xuan''s expression fell, ''I was right, something did this.''


    "Right again, little one..."


    The voice was loud and terrifying. He couldn''t see or do anything in this darkness which left himpletely at the mercy of this being. But for some reason, he wasn''t as afraid as he should have been.


    There was no killing intent or malice in its voice which gave Hao Xuan a strange feeling.


    "Who are you?" he asked steeling his heart, "What do you want from me?"


    For a few seconds it was silent but the same voice spoke up soon after.<sub> </sub>


    "The truth. I want to know the truth. Who...are you?"


    Hao Xuan frowned but answered honestly, "I am Hao Xuan."


    "Hmmm, the name does not ring any bells," the voice seemed to be talking to itself before directing its attention towards Hao Xuan.


    "How are you in possession of my skills, little one? I have only ever taught it to one human, a little mute boy from a no-name barren world. It was already back in the ''Age of Destion'' and there is no way he could have survived. But here you are, standing in front of me with theplete skill unchanged in any way."


    "Tell me...how is this possible?"


    By the time the voice stopped Hao Xuan could hear the air currents changing as something big began moving around him. He looked down to see an ocean of rolling clouds being pushed aside as a tform ascended.


    It stopped beneath his feet and only then did he realize that it was actually the palm of a hand. Each finger was so tall that it could dwarf entire mountains.


    Five digits connecting the two skies together.


    He was beginning to panic until he remembered what the voice had just asked.


    ''Mute boy? Skill?''


    He didn''t have to think for very long to realize exactly who this being might be.


    "But...that''s not possible. An Ashura taught me this skill, Ashura of the Six Paths!"


    *WHOOOOOSH*


    The entire sea of clouds parted around him to reveal five hands just as big as this one, hovering like celestial bodies in the sky around him.


    "That is a very old name...even I had almost forgotten it," he mused.


    "But...I taught you? Impossible! I never forget the stench of a soul and you...I have never smelt yours before!" the voice sounded a little incensed but even now Hao Xuan couldn''t pinpoint where it wasing from.


    The ground started shaking and the five mountains began closing in, threatening to mash Hao Xuan into nothingness.


    "I SWEAR IT!" he screamed in a panic, "You gave me the skill yourself in that desert. The ''64 Palms of Infernal me'' was its name!"


    The mountains paused momentarily, giving Hao Xuan an opportunity to better exin himself.


    "It was a curse from the high heavens. That was both me and not me. I lived as that boy and countless others. All of their memories are right here in my head."

 Chapter 1139 Eternals

    "I am unsure how it works because it just doesn''t make sense. But it is a fact that I was there, I was him and he was me. Maybe those are just his memories but to me they are much more than that. I remember every single dreadful sensation as clear as day."


    "I remember waking up every morning in that sweltering heat. My stomach growling and entire body wreathed in pain as I walked through the sand dunes to practice all the various palm techniques day in and day out until I could barely stand."


    "I remember eating that watery gruel every day from the masters in exchange for eliminating dangerous beasts near the city. I remember its nd taste and mushy texture like it''s still in my mouth. I remember wondering why I had to suffer when others my age were ying around and having fun."


    "From the scoring heat beneath my feet when I first woke up to the freezing cold nights when I went to sleep, I remember ALL of it from EVERY lifetime..."


    As Hao Xuan detailed his experiences he came to the realization that in the end, it didn''t matter whether it was real or not. He remembered it and that-


    "That MAKES it real to me."


    The ground lightly heaved up and down as the voice sighed.


    "Those bastards are still as cruel as they are long-lived. To think they would go this far for a mere mortal, tell me, what did you do them?"


    The question left Hao Xuan utterly bbergasted. What DID he do that was so bad that he needed to be punished like that? Because he tried to change his destiny? Or that someone else did it for him?


    The more he thought about it the more resentful he became.


    "Nothing. I haven''t done anything deserving of a punishment like that....at least not just yet."


    "Not yet...huh? Hahaha, I like that, I like that very much!"


    The Ashura''sughter echoed in this cloudy hell as if it was the only thing in existence. And when he finally stopped Hao Xuan asked the question that had been bothering him for so long.


    "But why...are you here? When we parted you said you were going to be the next God of War. How did you end up in Purgatory of all ces?"


    He only realized it after that it might have been a little too straightforward to ask that of such a powerful being but the trigger was already pulled. And thankfully Ashura of the Six Paths was not the kind of being that would take such minor things to heart.


    In fact he appreciated the bluntness.


    "That was a very very long time ago. I was but a youngling full of promise, not realizing that I had already fallen into a trap, we all had. At the end of the ''Second Great Celestian War'' when the tides of the Abyss had been pushed back something happened, a betrayal of the ages. I was but one of many that fell at that time."


    There were a lot of things Hao Xuan didn''t understand but the word ''fell'' bothered him a little too much.


    "You died?"


    "Hahaha, no. Beings like me do not die in the same sense as you. We ascend and descend within the various nes of existence. And if we are indeed eliminated then we simply cease to exist."<sub> </sub>


    "Then...how did you end up here?"


    The hand moved lightly and even more lightning stung the skies as he proudly replied.


    "Because hell would not take me and the heavens could not contain me! So I was banished to this realm, the in-between."


    Hao Xuan fell silent for a brief moment, "Do you need my help to escape?"


    That was both an inquiry and an offer. If the heavens had imprisoned him here then naturally Hao Xuan was going to be on his side.


    The clouds began parting in front of him to slowly reveal more and more of Ashura''s figure. Hao Xuan still clearly remembered what he looked like but what he saw now was nothing like in his memories.


    His entire body was charred ck. Instead of his old three heads only one remained intact with three bright red eyes adorning an otherwise featureless face.


    Two giant horns shot up into the sky from atop its head and even more prickly things lined his back.


    "What...happened to you...?"


    Hao Xuan was speechless. Where Ashura''s previous form inspired fervency and passion, this one filled him with dread. He looked like a monster. (Reference Image posted in Authors Notes and Discord).


    No matter how hard Hao Xuan tried to hide his shock and dismay Ashura could still pick up on it.


    And he seemed visibly pained by it. He could still see his previous form being reflected in Hao Xuan''s thoughts and the stark difference left him quite depressed.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: TOO LONG!


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/Sc8FB

 Chapter 1140 Great Fiends

    "Yes...that is the correct response," he evenmented right after.


    It was hard to tell what he was feeling based solely on his expressions but there was still some emotion in his eyes. That kind of sadness could not simply be hidden away.


    "This is what happens to all creatures of divinity that are locked away in Purgatory. They slowly begin to lose their light and after tens of thousands of years when all else is lost, the corruption begins to take hold."


    "It distorts and warps one from the inside out, turning you into a suitable denizen of the underworld, a Great Fiend!"


    Those words did not sit well with Hao Xuan. He took a cautious step back even though there wasn''t really anywhere to go.


    "Then did you also..."


    "No. When the final spark of my divinity was about to be snuffed out I made my way to this ce and sealed what was left of my mind deep within the ground. My body, as you can see, could not stand the corruption but my ''soul'' as you might put it is still very much intact. I used an ancient blood sealing technique that needs to be constantly replenished."


    Hao Xuan was quite relieved to hear that. A fiend is someone that has truly lost themselves to the darkness and from then onwards all their actions are motivated by malice and spite for all living things.


    Their only purpose is to bring destruction wherever they go. And considering how incredibly powerful Ashura of the Six Paths was when he was ''alive'' he would be an even stronger fiend if he truly fell to the darkness.


    But as long as there was hope Hao Xuan would do everything he can to help.


    "What can I do? How can I get you out of this ce?"


    Ashura of the Six Paths smiled, a terrifying smile but a smile indeed.


    "I have slept through the ages, little one. Even back then I had far too few followers but now they are nonexistent. You...might be the only person still alive who actually remembers what I was. And without followers, without worshippers, I cannot regain my divinity. Only someone that was my equal would have a chance to break me out of here."


    Hao Xuan fell silent. His eyes darted back and forth as his mind raced with countless possibilities before finallying to the inevitable conclusion.


    "What if...I can find someone like that?"


    Ashura of the Six Paths leaned forward slightly but it felt like the very sky itself had moved closer.


    "You know someone that powerful?"


    Hao Xuan nodded hesitantly, "I might. I am not sure exactly how powerful he is but he was strong enough to travel to different worlds and live through countless ages. And he just happens to owe me an exnation and a favor. I will ask him."


    The Ashura nodded once, "If he could indeed traverse through different worlds then he might be able to. Even if he isn''t as powerful, as long as he can open the door for me I can break through."


    Hao Xuan''s words had given him hope despite all this time. It was just a small chance but as long as there was a possibility...<sub> </sub>


    *RUUUMBLE*


    The air thrummed and the clouds were torn apart by an impossibly deep sound that rattled Hao Xuan to the core.


    "Argh!"


    Hao Xuan fell to his knees clutching his chest. It felt like his entire body was about to break into a million pieces.


    "What''s...going on...?"


    The Ashura looked to the sky and shook his head.


    "They have found me. They must have felt the gate open."


    "Who?!"


    "Great Fiends, wicked spawnlings that dwell within the darkest corners of the underworld. They are converging on this ce trying to find you."


    "ME?! Why me??"


    "If they can take over your body there is a chance they could escape from here."


    Despite the searing pain Hao Xuan looked up to meet Ashura''s gaze.


    "That''s a possibility?"


    "Yes, but your soul would be crushed in the process and your body would begin to take the same shape as the fiend. It would be your end."


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say. Considering how powerful he was he could have easily taken over his body but that was probably never even an option for him.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but give a weary smile, "You really are still the same. Still as proud and valiant as ever."


    "Of course! Without loyalty and honor, existence has no meaning! As soldiers in the great war, we are bound by it no matter how much time passes."


    "I...am no soldier," Hao Xuan muttered weakly, "But I understand where you areing from. I will be back soon."


    "Hmm, go now. I must awaken my army for what ising."

 Chapter 1141 De-Frown

    "What army?" Hao Xuan questioned but the answer was revealed to him rather than answered.


    Ashura of the Six Paths gigantic form that was holding him up suddenly disappeared and Hao Xuan was left floating within the sea of clouds by himself. He looked around confusedly for a moment but immediately after all the clouds were simply evaporated by a ring sound.


    *TUUUUUUUUUUUUU*


    A war horn!


    As loud as it was deep, the sound reverberated within every dark corner of the underworld. And it was even louder for Hao Xuan who for a moment was sent to an entirely different ce.


    He was standing at the edge of a cliff being ceaselessly battered by rain and ice.


    Across from him on the other side was a hole torn into space, a portal into another world. There was a sea of armored men and beasts looking up at him. But as mighty as their numbers were they seemed to be shaking in fear.


    Hao Xuan could almost taste their dread on the tip of his tongue. It was a strange kind of feeling, one that only a wild animal might ever get to experience.


    Above them at the forefront were twenty-three humanoid figures floating in the air. Their imposing energies were reaching into the heavens as they stared daggers at him.


    One of them, the one in the middle who seemed to be an old man with flowing white hair let out a heavy sigh before turning to face the army behind him.


    ? "Men, stand tall! For Chaos, hase to our doorstep!"


    Hao Xuan could feel himself breaking into a half smile before giving a nod.


    *TUUUUUUUUUUU*


    The same war horn sounded again as countless nightmarish figures rushed past him in the blink of an eye and fell into the portal.


    *GAASP*


    Hao Xuan gasped for air while taking several steps back from the stone gateway. He immediately looked down at his body and saw his decrepit right arm. Never would he have thought to be relieved at the sight of such an injury but that meant he was back in his body.


    His back and forehead were covered in beads of cold sweat but he got what he wanted. There was a small swirling ball of white mist at the top of his left hand.


    The purest form of Yin Qi, so much more than he could have gathered by himself. It looked like Ashura of the Six Paths had read his intentions and helped him out.


    ''But was that a vision? Or a memory?'' he asked himself before turning to the right.<sub> </sub>


    Ma Jiang''s physical changes had barely gotten worse which meant only a few seconds had passed in this world.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and walked into the room head first.


    The fire singed his hair and skin even though he was using what little chaos energy he had left to protect himself. It was assaulting him from the front trying to push him back out of the room but he moved forward one step at a time.


    All he could hear was the crackling of mes but there was intention mixed in there. It was being controlled by something.


    "Not...today!" he mumbled just before reaching Ma Jiang.


    Her eyes had rolled back and most of her body was covered by a red epidermis being formed by the me.


    He reached out his left hand while trying to bear with the increasing pressure that made it impossible to even breathe.


    There was an invisible forcefield surrounding her from all sides but thankfully it looked like the Ying Qi was a perfect match for it as it slowly ate away at it.


    "Mother...fucking BREAK ALREADY!" Hao Xuan shouted before forcing his hand across.


    Two of his fingers broke in the process but he made it through and the Ying Qi was pushed inside her forehead.


    "AAAH!" she screamed as all the fire was pulled back inside her body in a sh of blinding light.


    The forefield exploded outward sending Hao Xuan flying into the wall. He was knocked out for a couple of seconds but regained consciousness before he could even hit the ground.


    Still, his knees buckled as exhaustion took over. He had to take a few seconds to gather enough strength to stand up and check on Ma Jiang.


    Despite how severe the physical changes looked she waspletely back to her original self. Not the Ma Jiang he had known all this time but her true form that was previously hidden under a spell.


    She looked a little older, a lot more solemn. There was still some baby fat around her cheeks and if Hao Xuan had to guess he wouldn''t go above 16.


    She was frowning subconsciously and it looked like that was her resting expression. She looked cold and difficult to approach. And just like Princess Ceni there was that touch of nobility within her brow.


    Hao Xuan chuckled lightly and pressed the area between her eyebrows to make her ''de-frown''.


    "Rx. How many things can you have to worry about that you frown even while sleeping?"

 Chapter 1142 Ocean

    He couldn''t help but trace the outline of her features with his forefinger.


    From her small eyes, nose, and lips to the ears that were usually hidden behind the waist-length hair, everything resembled her elven family members as if crafted from the same moonstone.


    Her ears curved upwards, a clear indication of her bloodline and real identity.


    "You have no idea how long I''ve been looking for you," Hao Xuan muttered under his breath but with a sudden bout of deja vu he was thrown off by a series of memories bubbling up to the surface of his mind.


    He was standing in the rain at the peak of a steep hill. It was night and the cold wind was blowing hard forcing him ever closer to the edge.


    He was in a daze overlooking the bustling city lights in the distance. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn''t even react to the puddle of blood forming at his feet staining the white shirt.


    He only picked up on the person that had walked up behind him until they were just a stone''s throw away.


    Awoken from his stupor Hao Xuan turned on his heels pulling out a handgun from his waist and pointing it at the would-be assant.


    But his eyes opened wide when he saw who it was. Ma Jiang was standing in front of him in a ripped ck dress.


    Drenched from head to toe and obviously freezing in the cold weather she didn''t even bat an eye at the firearm aimed at her head and simply smiled, relieved from the bottom of her heart.


    "You have no idea...how long I''ve been looking for you," she utteredboriously through heavy breaths.


    Hao Xuan blinked and the memories sunk back into the ocean of his mind.


    He couldn''t help but let out a heavy sigh upon realizing what they were.


    ''So you were the one who found me first then.''


    Only now was he able to tell who was who.


    ''I thought for sure Ceni would have found me first.''


    Hao Xuan ced his hand over his heart where he could feel a piece missing. It had been a part of him for so long that even though it was now taken away he could still feel a vague connection to it.


    *Snort*


    Ma Jiang was already snoring like a horse in hisp which made it that much harder to wake her up. He was about to flick her awake just like he used to do it in the memories but held back in the end.


    ''Maybe it''s better if I pretend not to remember, it would only hurt you more.''


    Instead he carried her over to the stone bed and ced her down. Ma Jiang didn''t seem to mind the hard surface at all since she didn''t even make a sound.<sub> </sub>


    "Sleep for now," he whispered before walking to the doorway.


    He knelt down and closed his eyes, recalling the right order of the spell. Dipping a finger into one of the many open wounds he began inscribing a row of symbols on the floor using his own blood.


    ''A low-tier blood barrier. Even I should be able to use it without proper training.''


    In one of his many lives, he lived in a world where magic ruled over all.


    Within the hierarchy, blood magic was the easiest to get into but the user had to pay a heavy price with each spell cast. Fortunately, now with his nearly inexhaustible vitality he could use it without much forethought or consequence.


    Once the symbols were inscribed he uttered the spell in a low voice.


    "Let the weary soul rest from the tumultuous tides of the outside world."


    A red spark ignited from one of the symbols before exploding in a sheet of blinding red light.


    *BZZZZZT*


    It covered the entrance before slowly losing much of the luster.


    Hao Xuan waved his hand across the threshold and felt the slight resistance against his skin. It was still there but could only be seen when someone passed through it.


    ''Again. So much more powerful than what I remember. I gotta stop throwing out abilities and spells so casually. With this body everything is way stronger...and I don''t even feel it...''


    The blood energy required to activate the spell would be dependent directly on the user''s physique and since Hao Xuan''s was so uniquely powerful the spell was that much stronger.


    With some peace of mind that there was some level of protection to keep Ma Jiang safe Hao Xuan made his way out of the mountain.


    He could feel the perverse negative energy of the grey mountain surrounding him from all sides but chose to keep it at bay.


    He directed his attention towards Argham which was bustling with life even from so far away. Hao Xuan closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again the shape of his pupils had changed.


    With his lycan bloodline he could see a lot more.


    ''Tsk, it''s like a torch in the darkness. No wonder the corrupted spawn found it so easily.''


    There was a multi-colored ocean dancing above the city.

 Chapter 1143 Open Wide

    It was lighting up the entire region for dozens of kilometers, farrger than even the city itself.


    Hao Xuan could tell it was a mix of many things. From the strong negative emotions like fear and anxiousness to just pure vitality and energy created by so many people being herded so close to one another.


    There were even a few ripples in space every now and then, making it look like a fluttering see-through curtain shrouding the entire region.


    ''It''s even causing a disturbance within the Veil. To be so potent that even I can see it just with the help of my bloodline, I can only imagine what it must be like from the other side. All those creatures of the abyss will be swarming to it.''


    "I have to find a way to cast some kind of protection or stealth spell to hide it. Otherwise, it will only bring in more trouble as time goes on. Baracus add it to the list."


    *Beep*


    "To-do list updated."


    As Hao Xuan was about to jump off he received a sudden jolt from his right side.


    "AH! What the fuck, the pain just became so much worse! Baracus, what''s happening?!"


    "Nanites running low on energy reserves. Cannot contain foreign energy particles."


    "Suggestion: recoup internal energy as soon as possible."


    Since the nanites mostly depended on Hao Xuan''s own blood energy to function it became that much more difficult to maintain them because he was running dangerously low.


    "Shit, why didn''t you say so earlier??"


    With some effort Hao Xuan leaned over the edge to peer into the forest below. His eyes shone with a brilliant green light as he tracked tens of different living creatures at once. He zeroed in on a small spiritual beast that looked like a small lion with branching white horns and a reptilian tail.


    It was brimming with energy which made it look like a luminescent being in his eyes.


    "Use whatever energy is left to contain the foreign energy. I need to focus for a minute."


    The moment he gave the order a pit formed in his stomach making him feel like his body was about to copse in on itself. But it was still better than the searing pain which made it hard to even think.


    With a deep breath Hao Xuan jumped off the mountainside going straight down for a good 150 meters before mming his wed fist into the rocks to slow his descent.


    He pushed against the mountain upon reaching the treeline and quickly prowled through the thick canopy until he was right above the grazing animal.<sub> </sub>


    Its ears perked up the moment Hao Xuan got within five meters making him freeze on the spot.


    The creature looked around warily, its long ears turning left and right while its eyes scoured the surroundings for the source of the disturbance but it couldn''t pick up on anything.


    Hao Xuan held his breath while his feet inched forward. Every biological function of his body hade to an abrupt halt, even his hearts.


    His eyes were locked onto the beast, his senses so focused that he could even hear the faint thumping of its heart against the chest cavity. He could see the movement of the hair in front of its nostrils and slowly, byplete instinct, his own breathing aligned with the creatures.


    *Ba-dump* x2


    Both his hearts beat once, at the exact same time as taht of the beast. He waited two seconds before once again-


    *Ba-dump* x2


    His heartbeats coincided with the creatures and in that span of a fraction of a second, he loosened his grip around the branch and allowed his body to freefall.


    Soundlessly like a leaf he fell straight down, swinging his left arm sideways beforending on his feet.


    The beast fell at the same time. Its throat was cut open spurting warm blood everywhere.


    It tried to get up again but Hao Xuan was already on top of it. His left arm wrapped around its neck, "Sshhh, it''s okay. It''s all over, go to sleep now," he whispered to the struggling creature as it tried to break free.


    Even in that final moment it was desperately trying to flee.


    Hao Xuan gritted his teeth before pulling back his arm in one swift motion, snapping its head clean off.


    Its feet kept moving for almost two more minutes after that. Only when it had stoppedpletely did Hao Xuan ce his hand over its body.


    "Devour!" he uttered the word as an infernal hunger began to set in.


    He waspletely spent and needed to absorb every iota of energy possible. The beast''s corpse began to disintegrate and turn into a white mist. The flesh, skin, bones, and even the blood that had already left its body were pulled in.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and opened his mouth wide.

 Chapter 1144 Taking It All

    The mist became thicker and thicker until it looked like a viscous liquid from afar. Its movement was reminiscent of a living creature as it moved towards Hao Xuan''s mouth without any outside influence.


    With bated breath Hao Xuan waited as the intensity of the hunger increased tenfold in that brief moment. His insides were burning with an insufferable appetite, the likes of which very few had known.


    When the mist reached his mouth it felt like the first rain after decades of drought.


    ? He didn''t have to do anything other than absorb the energy and...everything else that came with it.


    The tremendous torrent of energy rushed into his body like a maddened bull and was immediately disseminated throughout. But with that cool sensation came something he had never expected.


    A series of extremely potent emotions and memories he had never felt before.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes rolled in his head and his body arched back as every muscle fiber became rife with thesepletely unknown sensations.


    In his mind a series of images were ying out but unlike all the other times none of these were his own, although he couldn''t tell the difference in the moment since he was experiencing them firsthand.


    He saw himself being born in an old tree on a cold winter night, not as a human but as a younger version of the same beast he had just killed.


    He slowly grew up, learning to run before even walking. Hunting, learning about his environment, about all the countless dangers around him, and finally leaving home to explore this foreign world until he found another of his species.


    "AAAHH!"


    With a sudden jolt he was forced awake to the sound of Baracus''s notifications.


    *Beep*Beep*


    "Blood Energy Level Rising!"


    5%


    10%


    20%


    40%


    50%


    55%


    "Blood energy recovered by 58%"


    "Resuming standard operating procedures."


    As loud as they were Hao Xuan''s attention was directed elsewhere.


    Rubbing his neck he wiped the tears from his eyes. The sharp tingling sensation from where he had cut the beast''s throat was still being reflected on his own body.


    Noticing his strange behavior and even stranger happenings inside the body Baracus spoke up, inquiring as to the cause of the change.


    "Severe hormonal imbnce detected. Estrogen level dangerously low. Data suggests you-"<sub> </sub>


    "Shut up, shut the fuck up for a god damn second!" Hao Xuan barked back, immediately silencing Baracus.


    After taking a quick minute to circte some energy throughout his body Hao Xuan stood up and began walking.


    "You are moving away from the city," Baracus cautiously reminded despite being yelled at a moment ago.


    "...I know. I need to check something."


    This time his response was much tamer but Baracus was still worried about the rampaging hormones within his bloodstream. The cause certainly wasn''t physiological from what he could tell which meant something else was going on.


    Hao Xuan moved through the dark forest with lightning-quick speed. It was like he knew exactly where to go. Every leaf, every branch on the ground was as familiar to him as the back of his own hand.


    In a little over five minutes he was standing in front of a small burrow hidden behind a bush.


    If one didn''t already know what to look for there was no way to find it. It was well out of sight and protected by trees and boulders from all other directions.


    Hao Xuan stood in front of the burrow unable to move from the spot.


    "Baracus, how long did thatst? When I absorbed him just now?"


    *Beep*


    "Approximately 13 standard minutes."


    That was not the answer he was hoping to hear. Shaking his weary head Hao Xuan steeled his tumultuous heart and pushed aside the bush to enter the burrow.


    It took a few seconds for his vision to adjust to the darkness. And when it did a figure came into view.


    Pure white and as big as a cow from earth. More than twice the size of the creature he had killed earlier but with the same exact appearance.


    "Fuck, it''s real...god damnit..." Hao Xuan cursed while covering his mouth.


    He walked around until the creature''s head came into view. cing a couple of fingers where its heart would be he felt for a pulse but the body was already cold.


    It had died in thest ten minutes.


    "God damnit dude...why couldn''t it be anything else..."


    Finally unable to hold it Baracus tried asking again.


    *Beep*


    "I do not understand. Please exin."


    Hao Xuan leaned back against the entrance of the burrow while brushing his fingers over the would-be wound on his neck. He could still feel it as clear as day.


    "It seems in a moment of desperation I used a bit more of the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique''s power than anticipated. It not only devoured the beast''s energy but everything else about it, EVERYTHING else."


    "Its memories, habits, emotions, all the pain, fear, and sadness it had felt in all its life, I took everything...including its soul..."

 Chapter 1145 K-2

    "But," he paused for a second to make sure what he was feeling was correct, "Only the bad parts. I only absorbed the negative aspects of its personality. I know it was able to feel emotions like love for its partner but all I have is worry, pain, uncertainty, and a lot of fear. It was deathly afraid that something would happen to its newborn and...it was right."


    Hao Xuan looked over towards the female''s cold body. It was waiting for its mate toe back because it needed his energy to deliver the cub safely.


    "But then he met me while out gathering spiritual herbs...that''s why his body had so much energy, it was being saved up for the cub. I think I just wiped out thest of these creatures man..."


    <o>,m Sensing the somber mood Baracus did something that he would never be able to exin himself. He tried to console Hao Xuan.</o>


    "That information was not avable to you beforehand. If you knew perhaps things would have turned out differently but that would not change the fate of these beings. In the long run, they would have still perished in a few days'' time."


    "The nest''s close proximity to the City of Argham means it would have been caught up in the mes of battle sooner orter. As of right now, this entire is en route to total annihtion at the hands of a number of beings."


    And strangely enough, that did seem to help raise Hao Xuan''s spirits.


    "In short, get up off your ass and go fix things. Is that what you''re saying?"


    *Beep*


    "Crudely put but in essence, yes."


    Hao Xuan stood up and began walking out, ''And back to the grind we go- hmm?'' but was distracted by movement from the corner of his eye.


    "Did she just...move? I could have sworn I saw something...."


    He circled around the female''s body, stopping around the back where he had seen it. Getting down on his knees and Hao Xuan noticed the creature''s tail was tightly wrapped around something.


    By gently unfurling it he revealed what was inside.


    "No way...how did you survive?!"


    A snow-white little kitten dropped in the palm of his hand. It barely weighed more than a few grams and could easily fit inside his hand with room to spare but it was definitely alive...by some miracle.<sub> </sub>


    Its long tail wrapped Hao Xuan''s wrist and it held onto his thumb with its tinny front legs. It was breathing with a fair bit of difficulty trying to nibble at him.


    Unfortunately with its strength, Hao Xuan couldn''t even be tickled by it. The cub had two very thin antlers above its eyes just like its parents but they were colorless right now.


    Seeing the cute little thing pping its arms around Hao Xuan was reminded of another instance.


    "I almost forgot about that damn octopus and cat. Where the hell have they been?"


    But before he could further investigate on that matter the cub''s breathing slowed down drastically. Its movements became lethargic and its grip loosened.


    "Oh fuck, I almost forgot. You need to feed on spiritual energy right? But unlike your parents, all I have is my own to give. I hope this works instead..."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and quickly regted his breathing. Bits and pieces of chaos energy began to gather towards his chest before being pulled towards the mouth.


    It would have been better to use the other hand for this but right now Hao Xuan''s right hand was all but useless until he could expel the foreign energy.


    When Hao Xuan opened his mouth a ball of concentrated ck energy had materialized at the tip of his tongue. He brought the cub closer and slowly breathed out.


    The ball of energy floated off like a snowke and gingerlynded on its face, popping like a bubble. The chaos energy was instantly absorbed by the antlers as one of them turned pitch ck while the other turned milky white.


    A surge of spiritual energy ran throughout Hao Xuan''s own body in the meantime and he felt a bond being formed between them.


    The cub almost doubled in size right in front of his eyes but it was still only a tad bitrgerpared to his hand. But while Hao Xuan was watching all these changes take ce the cub opened its mouth again and bit down on his thumb.


    Only this time its needle-like fangs managed to pierce his skin and draw enough flood for it to suck on.


    Hao Xuan was obviously shocked by the sharpness of the fangs but more so because, despite their appearance, these creatures were herbivores. Or at least they were supposed to be but-


    "Looks like the chaos energy mutated him somehow."

 Chapter 1146 Patron

    While the cub freely fed on his blood and internal energy Hao Xuan made a small detour and returned back to the ck mountain.


    *Huff*Huff*


    "Little monster, how can you eat so much?!" hemented upon seeing Baracus''s notification pop up in the corner of his eye.


    "Remaning Blood Energy: 30%"


    He pulled the cub''s teeth away out of his skin and it quietly curled up in a ball hugging its own tail.


    "He will be digesting that for a while so it should be safe to leave him with you," Hao Xuan whispered while cing it next to Ma Jiang.


    He took a couple of steps back before muttering under his breath, "You, don''t bite her. And you, don''t burn him up," before running back out.


    Pushing against the ground he shot into the air like a cannonball straight towards the City of Argham.


    Altough it was a shame to lose 28% of his internal energy reserves in one go, he wouldn''t be feeling guilty all the time which was worth it. Stray thoughts only acted as a distraction and one needed to keep their mind as clear as possible.


    A handful of jumps and Hao Xuannded back on top of the city. Instead of things calming down there seemed to be even more of amotion among the masses.


    It looked like every single area was teeming with people save for a few strategically important locations.


    "Now, where should I star-?!" before he could even ask the question the answer came to him in a streak of ck light.


    There were birds flying above the city but to his eyes they were just streaks of chaos energy taking the shape of swallows. And they were all connected to the same spot.


    ''I guess this one then,'' he mused inwardly before jumping straight down. He made sure to avoid all the swallows andnded quietly just a few meters away.


    It was a residential area surrounded by houses on all sides and with the lowest foot traffic. Hao Xuan jumped over a couple of wallsnding right in the backyard of one of the houses.


    There wasn''t even a need to look for anything because the person in question was just sitting right out in the open like they owned the ce.


    Hao Xuan stretched his fingers as they turned into sharpened ws. Considering his bloodline purity this level of body modification was nothing to him.


    Without making a single sound he walked forward waiting for the assant to jump at him at any moment but even when he was standing in front of her she remained oblivious to his presence.


    ''What a carefree attitude,'' he thought while examining her up and down.<sub> </sub>


    She was giving off faint traces of chaotic energy but other than that lookedpletely normal. She was absolutely beautiful without any defect as if everything about her was sculpted by the gods themselves.


    Her appearance was that of a human female in her early thirties but in Hao Xuan''s eyes her skin looked brand new as if she had just been born in this form.


    There was even a low-level spell cast upon her that changed her appearance but the truth could not be hidden from Hao Xuan.


    To him the spell showed itself as a dark see-through cloak. He reached out and pulled at it lightly but it immediately popped which finally prompted her eyes to open.


    As some semnce of recognition returned to her gaze the woman tried to jump to her feet but was kept in ce by Hao Xuan''s inhuman strength.


    "Shhh, don''t move and don''t scream. You do anything suspicious and I will rip your throat out. Nod if you understand?"


    Unable to budge even an inch in Hao Xuan''s clutches the woman could only do as told.


    "Good. Now, who are you?"


    "udia. My name is udia." (First introduced around CH 1032 ''She-Devil'')


    "What are you doing here udia? You are obviously not from here so I''m curious as to your intentions."


    Her heart started beating faster and faster as her mind raced trying toe up with a good lie. But when she looked into Hao Xuan''s eyes all her confidence went down the drain. She could tell he was not lying.


    One wrong word and her head would be sent flying through the air. And with him this close there was nothing she could do even if she could use her magics, which were out of reach for now.


    "I am looking for someone," so she told the truth, "The chosen one."


    Hearing those words immediately reminded Hao Xuan of Eurig and his brow furrowed in disgust.


    "You are with that Eurig guy then?"


    Sensing the obvious hostility in his voice udia shook her head, "No! I mean not anymore. I came here with him but he tricked me. We are on different sides now."


    "But you are both looking for the Chosen one right? To take him to the savior?"


    "No that''s what Eurig wants. I have never even seen this savior. I only want to meet the chosen one because my...''patron'' wants to show him the truth of this world."

 Chapter 1147 Grimy

    Hao Xuan smirked shaking his head, "Oh really? Show me the ''truth'' of this world, huh? How benevolent of them. Thank you so much."


    But rather than address his sarcastic tone udia was more concerned with the sudden confession that he was the chosen one.


    "You...are him?" she inquired with no small amount of skepticism, leaving Hao Xuan momentarily speechless.


    <o>,m Finally, he let out a long and weary sigh.</o>


    "You people are fucking incredible. At least that Eurig guy recognized who I was at first nce but you...tsk. It really does not fill me with confidence when you say things like that girly."


    Barely seeing her as a threat Hao Xuan pulled back his arm and stood up.


    "Tell your patron I''m not interested in whatever they are selling. I''ve already got enough problems."


    He turned around and started walking away. To a novice, it would seem like he had left his back open for any number of attacks but he was well prepared. All his senses were focused on her and one wrong move would result in her untimely demise.


    But unexpectedly, the surprise attack he was expecting did note. She genuinely was just that ipetent as it became obvious by her actions. She fumbled over herself trying to chase after him.


    "NO PLEASE! Wait! I didn''t know I''m sorry," she yelled while running up to him, "Please give me another chance!"


    Suddenly realizing that the person she has been looking for all this time might just havee straight to her, udia couldn''t help but panic in the moment. She had engineered a number of scenarios in her head about how this was going to go down but none were like this.


    "Please, Mr. Chosen one, give me a chance please!" she hugged his arm pleadingly which finally made him stop.


    Despite being dressed so provocatively her clumsy demeanor gave it all away. And seeing the genuine concern in her eyes he couldn''t help but give in for a moment.


    "You have 2 minutes. After that I will leave and you will never see me again. Make it count."


    With a beaming smile udia nodded animatedly before stepping back and closing her eyes. After mumbling something under her breath for a moment she muttered out loud, "Answer my call!" and in a puff of smoke, a ck book appeared in front of her.


    It was flying about by itself and somehow even seemed to be able to show some emotions as it appeared displeased at the sudden summoning.


    "This is my-" udia tried to exin as to the book''s origins but Hao Xuan interjected in wonderment.<sub> </sub>


    "A grimoire!" he eximed, "You''re a witch?"


    Hearing his voice the ''angry'' ck book turned around and immediately froze in midair upon seeing Hao Xuan. A secondter some of its pages fluttered back and forth noiselessly and udia''s expression lightened up.


    "It really is you!" she pped merrily.


    But Hao Xuan''s brow rose in suspicion, "The grimoire can recognize me? How?"


    Not only was he naturally curious but it was also important to understand how all these people were finding him so easily.


    ''Is there no way to hide from them?''


    Although all these ones were weak, what if it turned out the next ones were his enemies and far more powerful?


    The grimoire''s pages kept moving back and forth and the leather cover stretched and constricted just like human skin. This was how itmunicated but for now only udia could understand what it was trying to say.


    She listened for a moment before conveying the information to Hao Xuan.


    "He says all creatures of the ''Eternal Night'' can recognize you. Your aura is unmistakable and-" she paused for a moment before looking back at the grimoire and whispering, "Are you sure you want me to say that?"


    But the question seemed to have ticked the grimoire off as it lunged at udia and smacked her in the face with its back.


    "Okay okay, I''ll tell him, gods," she muttered angrily while rubbing her nose.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say. It looked like a third-gradeedy routine but real, which somehow made it even sadder. udia met his gaze with a bleeding nose.


    "He says he is a big fan and has been waiting for your arrival for a very long time. The ''Son'' has finally been born and it is his great honor to be the first of the creatures of the night to meet your acquaintance."


    Hearing all that somehow Hao Xuan imagined the grimoire as an old man that had met his idol for the first time.


    Clearing his throat Hao Xuan nodded in return, "Um, thank you? I guess. But since you are a creature of the Eternal Night then you live in the abyss, right? I remember you guys like calling yourselves that but regardless, you are not the first creature from the Abyss I have met recently. The other one was actually a God Fiend. And what did you mean by ''Son'' has been born?"

 Chapter 1148 "Teacher"

    "Son as in Son of Chaos."


    "Yeah what is that? Some kind of a title you guys made up just for me?" Hao Xuan joked but upon seeing the serious looks he was getting from both the grimoire and udia he held himself back.


    The grimoire said something to udia and she in turn asked Hao Xuan.


    "Are you saying...you don''t know what you are?"


    Thinking they were just messing with him he shook his head, "Well I was always under the assumption that I''m a human but you let me know if that''s not the case anymore."


    The answer left both of them speechless for a moment. Only after a brief moment of contemtion did udia finally speak up.


    "What do we do now? Do we still take him to her?"


    The grimoire swayed left and right obviously answering no.


    "Then what?"


    But rather than answer, the grimoire shrunk to a third of its size and simply disappeared in a puff of smoke just like how it arrived, leaving udia and Hao Xuan staring at each other in awkward silence.


    "So? Now what?" Hao Xuan broke the silence after a few seconds.


    "C-Could I just follow you around until you''re ready?"


    "When I''m ready? When do you think that will be?"


    "I think after you talk to the others. Once you listen to their lies ''she'' will tell you the truth and you can decide what to do then."


    Hao Xuan had no particr feelings towards this woman personally but in any case, she was an unknown variable and it was better to keep her close where he could keep an eye on her.


    And since she was the one who suggested it there was no reason to decline. In fact, he could make use of her abilities.


    "Fine but there is no such thing as a free meal, understand?"


    A red hue covered half of udia''s pale face as she nodded lightly.


    "Y-Yes. I will ''serve'' you wholeheartedly."


    "Good. Very good," Hao Xuan smirked, "It won''t be easy but I hope you won''t disappoint. I''ve never had one of your kind before," he said in reference to having a follower that got all its abilities through dark magic as she had.


    But to udia''s ears his words meant something entirely different. She couldn''t even look him in the eye but was ted inwardly nheless.


    ''I knew this new form would prove to be useful. No man can resist my charms, not even one such as him. Ahhn, it''s only a matter of time before...hehehe..''


    ? She was already a hundred steps ahead lost in her imagination envisioning a life together with the ''Chosen One''. She saw herself sitting beside Hao Xuan in a throne room, a whole liter of children running outside as they embraced one another in blissful passion.


    "Hehehe..."


    "What are you doing? Hurry up!" Hao Xuan''s already distant voice brought her back to reality.<sub> </sub>


    Wiping the drool from the side of her mouth she ran after him, "Yes, Chosen one."


    "Just call me Hao Xuan."


    "I dare not. Please allow me to call you master."


    "Yeah sure, whatever gets you through the day."


    "Thank you....master~"


    "...."


    ''I don''t like how she said that but no reason making an issue out of it just yet.''


    Having unwittingly gained another follower Hao Xuan quickly made his way back to the city gates where Hazel was waiting for him.


    As soon as he turned the corner she yelled at him at the top of her lungs, "Where the hell have you been?!" prompting a number of curious looks in their direction from both the natives and other cultivators.


    udia stepped out from behind Hao Xuan with a furrowed brow, incensed at Hazel''s rude behavior.


    "Who is this uncivilized creature? Please allow me to teach her a lesson, master."


    She waved her hand and the grimoire was once again forcibly summoned. But before she could cast a spell Hao Xuan pulled her back.


    "You will do no such thing. Know your enemies before attacking. She will beat you to a pulp at such close proximity before you can even get a single spell off," is what he said but what udia heard was;


    [I can''t bear to put you in danger, step back]


    And she melted in his arms right then and there, "Yes, whatever my master wants."


    Hazel''s deathly re onlynded on udia for a moment before she was struck out of her mindpletely. There were more important things at hand.


    "Where is Ma Jiang?"


    "She is...indisposed off at the moment. Take me to Henrik first, let me examine him myself."


    "What good will that do? Can you cast healing magic?"


    "No, but she might be able to," he gestured towards udia, "We won''t know if we don''t try. Stop wasting time and take me to him."


    Hazel ground her teeth in annoyance but turned around and walked towards one of the nearby structures without saying another word.


    Only when she was far enough away did udia whisper into Hao Xuan''s ears.


    "Master, I don''t know any healing magic. I''ve only acquired the grimoires a few hours ago."


    "Don''t worry, I''ll teach you a few spells if need be."

 Chapter 1149 Demonic Poison

    It was a dpidated old single-story structure that had been damaged recently. A small bed was ced in the middle of the only room still fully intact.


    Henrik was wrapped up in a nket like a mummy with Fulke sitting next to him. There was a small green tube connecting the two.


    Upon seeing Hao Xuan Fulke smiled and got up before remembering about the tube.


    "Brother, you''re back! I would greet you properly but-" he raised his hand to show where the tube was going into his arm, "I''m otherwise upied."


    Hao Xuan gave a nod before asking the obvious, "Blood transfusion?"


    "Mhm. It''s the only thing that seems to help."


    Without wasting any more time Hao Xuan walked up to the bed to inspect Henrik himself.


    ''Paleplexion, low body temperature, slow heart rate. It just looks like he is sleeping.''


    "Where is the wound?"


    Hazel stepped forward and carefully lifted Henrik to show the back of his left shoulder. There was a mass of green veins protruding from the sides of a small hole. Slowly but surely the green veins were spreading to the rest of his body.


    "It was just the entry wound at the start but after some time that ugly green color began to spread. Everything it touches bes inmed. We dug around but couldn''t find anything inside."


    Even with Hao Xuan''s limited experience it was easy to conclude the examination.


    "Blood poison. Slow but effective and very hard to get rid of."


    "That''s what I thought too," Fulke chimed in as well, "It is also why giving blood slows it down but that''s only temporary."


    Hao Xuan ced his hand over Henrik''s forehead to send in a string of spiritual sense but it was like knocking on an empty house.


    ''His Mind Pce is sealed. I guess as a way to protect his soul but the longer it stays closed the harder it will be for him to wake up. The connection between his mind and body is all but severed at this point.''


    "What else have you tried so far?"


    "Everything we could. Hazel gave him a fewmon antidotes and we had the native healers take a look at him too along with the demihuman Princess. But nothing is working."


    Hao Xuan ground his teeth in annoyance because he knew exactly where it hade from. Eurig was the one behind this and he was not a human anymore. He had already sold his soul to some demon and his powers as a result came directly from hell.


    Thankfully, he just happened to have brought some experts not too long ago.<sub> </sub>


    "Among the most recent batch of refugees that came to Argham there are two bald men, Zou Huan and Han Rong. Bring them here quickly."


    Hazel knew who he was talking about so she jumped to action, "I''ll go," and ran out of the building. They didn''t have to wait long because she was back in less than a minute with both of them in tow.


    "Here they are," she pointed at the two flustered men who looked like they had been dragged here by force.


    They fixed their robes before Han Rong muttered under his breath, "You could have just said Hao Xuan needed to see us."


    They gave a cursory nod to Hao Xuan before both of their gazes locked onto the bed.


    Zou Huan''s hand suddenly snaked forward and a Qi de cut the green tube in half.


    "STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"


    Hazel and Fulke both jumped to their feet pulling out their respective weapons but, "DON''T!" Zou Huan was faster than them.


    He moved in front of Fulke and tapped thrice on his chest, closing off the cirction between the main meridians.


    Han Rong stepped in front of Hazel raising both his hands to create a shield, "Please wait, this is for his own good!"


    Hazel''s golden quarterstaff hummed loudly as copious amounts of Qi coursed between them but she held back at the veryst second only because Henrik would also be caught in her attack.


    "Exin yourself!" she pointed the Grail Seeker at them.


    Fulke''s body functions had all been shut down and he couldn''t even move or speak as Zou Huan ripped off his shirt to reveal a string of green veins spreading throughout his body.


    "It''s a demonic poison. It acts both as a curse and a poison that spreads indefinitely through contact. The more spiritual energy one uses the faster it spreads."


    Seeing the obvious simrities between Henrik and Fulke''s wounds Hazel reluctantly pulled back her weapon.


    "So what happens now?"


    Han Rong breathed a sigh of relief before moving to Fulke and inspecting him thoroughly.


    "The source has been cut off and not enough of the poison has umted within his body so he should be fine in a matter of hours. But..."


    He looked over to Henrik whose face was now covered in beads of sweat.

 Chapter 1150 Bliss

    His head jerked left and right as if he was having a terrible nightmare. And seeing him struggle so much Hazel immediately ran over to his side.


    "What''s happening to him?!"


    "The poison is doing what it was supposed to," Han Rong exined, "Now that he is the only one it can focus on, the poison''s effects will have be much more potent than before."


    Henrik''s entire body began to shake with such force that it made even the bed move by itself. Hazel bit her lip trying to hold him down with little sess.


    "Will it stop if I give him more blood?"


    "The poison will spread to you just like with-"


    "I don''t care about that. If it gives him some relief I will do it."


    Han Rong and Zou Huan couldn''t help but shake their heads at her suggestion.


    ''Aah, young love. Must be nice,'' Zou Huan thought inwardly while exchanging knowing nces with Han Rong. It was obvious she would do it with or without them and there was very little they could do to stop her save from locking her up somewhere.


    "Do it," he signaled to Han Rong who dragged the chair next to the bed and gently nudged Hazel to the side.


    "Some space please."


    He pushed her out of the way and sat down cross-legged on the chair.


    "Ommmmmmm," bringing both his hands together he began making various gestures while channeling internal energy to the tips of his fingers.


    Hao Xuan who was watching everything from the sides squinted hard because in his eyes there were particles of golden light gathering around his hands.


    A pure refreshing feeling washed over him as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his burning body.


    He moved a couple of steps closer and felt all the various elements mixed in. All the elements found innately in nature wereing together to answer Han Rong''s call.


    "O'' spirits of thend...bless this child of light in this time of need."


    Hao Xuan had to look away because the golden light had be so bright that it hurt his eyes but a momentter he felt the feeling recede and slowly turned back to see everything had returned to normal.


    Henrik''s body had stopped shaking and sweating, making it look like he was asleep again.


    Hazel leaned down to check his wound but it was still there.


    "What did you do?"<sub> </sub>


    Zou Huan came forward and answered in Han Rong''s stead.


    "Just a supplementary spell. It relieves pain and distress with the help of the spirits of nature. Doesn''t work for everyone though. Those warped by the darkness will only be harmed by it. This should at least not make him suffer as long as one of us is here to channel it."


    Han Rong was still sitting in the same ce with his eyes closed.


    Zou Huan turned towards Hao Xuan, "We will stay here and make sure nothing else happens to him. There are only two ways of stopping the poison. Either you find the one who created it and make him dispel it or find the necessary herbs and ingredients to make an antidote."


    "If we had ess to one of the markets in the Greater World we could probably make the antidote ourselves but in this ce that is not an option. Most of the ingredients are next to impossible to acquire in time. That means-"


    "I will find him," Hao Xuan cut him off, "I will find the guy and make him fix it, don''t worry. Just keep him safe."


    As Hao Xuan walked out of the building a particle of golden light swayed over andnded on his right arm. He couldn''t feel any changes himself because all the sensations had been cut off by Baracus but for a brief moment, a portion of his skin regained some color.


    "Looks like I''m not that far gone yet, huh?" he mumbled to himself as udia leaned in from behind.


    "Master, that was definitely Eurig''s doing. Should I find him for you?"


    Hao Xuan smilingly shook his head, "No need. I know exactly where he is. Let''s go."


    He jumped as soon as he finished speaking and disappeared behind the countless buildings leaving udia standing there alone. She didn''t even have time to tell him that she wasn''t able to keep up with him but thankfully he returned the very next moment.


    "Sorry, I forgot witches aren''t that strong physically. You can''t fly right?"


    "No...not yet," she replied dejectedly.


    "Come, hold onto me," he said extending his left hand, making her run into his embrace.


    "Hold on tight."


    "Yes," cing both hands around his neck she closed her eyes as he pushed against the ground, leaping through the air without much effort.


    *Sniff*Sniff*


    She inhaled deeply through the nose taking in a lungful of Hao Xuan''s scent. Her eyes rolled back not much different from when a junkie takes a hit of their favorite poison.


    Her lips arched into a blissful smile because everything about him was addicting and neither of them realized that in the moment.

 Chapter 1151 Play Along

    As they flew through the air Hao Xuan caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye. The shadowy figures from his memories once again became visible at the very edge of his vision but when he tried to look at them directly they would melt into the darkness.


    He could tell they were always there but seeing them directly was not as easy now.


    ''Maybe with time they willpletely fade away. I hope they do...'' he thought to himself because despite their many uses the price was too high.


    Absorbing all the shadows would mean he would integrate their memories and life experiences with his own, which would change him from the inside out.


    Even while lost in thought he managed tond precisely where he needed to be, in front of the building that previously housed the protection array for the city.


    "We''re here...you can let go now..." he tapped on udia''s back thinking she was scared of heights and had lost herself for a moment.


    "Yes...thank you, master," she shed a quick smile but noticed a momentter that Hao Xuan was focused on something entirely different.


    [Stand tall brothers! We shall not meet the Emperor empty-handed!]


    [TO ARMS!]


    [TO ARMS!]


    A roaring tide of battle criesnded in his ears and for an instant, he was transported to another ce. A zing heat impacted against Hao Xuan''s face as his gaze rested upon a city that went on for as long as he could see.


    But most of it was on fire while explosions were bombarding the rest. Peering down into the streets he could see two waves shing against one another.


    One was an army of humanoids d in grey armor while the other side was d in zing red armor made from flesh and bones. It warped around demonic figures that tore through their lines with little effort.


    And yet, it only spurred on the grey warriors even more as they ran into hellfire with open arms trying to drown the enemy in their own blood.


    Hao Xuan blinked and found himself back in Argham with udia''s face just an inch away from his own. He stepped back, instinctively putting up his arm in between them.


    "What are you doing?!"


    ? "Master...you were inmune...?" she asked doubtfully.


    Noticing her questioning gaze he lowered his guard and inquired further hoping that she might have an idea as to what he had been experiencing all this time because he had been seeing these things ever since he came to this.


    "What do you mean inmune?"<sub> </sub>


    "A long time ago I saw a shaman while he was trying to pray to the spirits of our ancestors. His eyes were simr to yours. But-" she stepped forward staring right into his eyes for answers, "-Who could one such as you be praying to?"


    *Snap*


    A crisp flicknded on udia''s forehead making her wince from the pain.


    "Ow!"


    "Too close. You need to learn about boundaries. Ady must always keep her distance from unknown men," Hao Xuan threw out the words before walking into the building, leaving udia rubbing her forehead in anguish.


    It felt like someone had punched her in the head but that pain simply melted away when she thought about Hao Xuan''s words.


    "He...was worried about me!" she skipped after him joyfully like a kid in a toy store.


    She had never felt this way before. Just standing in his shadow made udia feel like she could take on the whole world. It filled her with the kind of warmth she had not known since the days of her childhood.


    His scent was intoxicating, his presence provided her safety from all the bad things in the world, and a single touch was enough to leave her satisfied from the bottom of her heart.


    There was no way to exin it but she just wanted to be as close to him as possible.


    She did not even mind that he was heading right into a demon''sir. Her feet moved on their own and when she saw his silhouette her heart beamed with joy.


    "Master~!" she called out lovingly but paused upon sensing the other auras in front of him.


    The grimoire immediately appeared in the palm of her hand as she stood behind Hao Xuan staring daggers at Eurig''s kneeling figure.


    "We have finished our preparation, my lord. On your word I will take you the Savior."


    "The savior, huh?" Hao Xuan nced back at udia who shook her head vigorously.


    "That will have to wait. First I need you to treat that poison. The man you inflicted it upon still has a use for me and I can''t have him out of the fight just yet."


    Since Eurig was already under the impression that Hao Xuan was automatically on his side, he decided to y along and have Eurig work for him for as long as possible.

 Chapter 1152 Nothing To Do

    Everyone present could feel the tension growing in the air the moment Hao Xuan mentioned the treatment.


    Eurig unceremoniously straightened his back and stared right into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "Why, if you don''t mind me asking, do you need that man? Bringing him back will only create more trouble for us."


    He was obviously challenging Hao Xuan in a not-so-direct manner and he understood that.


    ''Is it because he thinks that I am weak now?''


    With only one arm and an otherwise ''rough condition'' Hao Xuan looked more like an escaped ve rather than some great chosen one.


    The other demonlings behind Eurig also inched forward in a rare show of harmony. udia''s brow shot up in fury as she stepped in between them without a moment''s thought.


    "Have you lost your mind?! Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness! Do you think the Savior will just let you be?!"


    But Eurig only gave a factitious smile in response.


    "The Savior only wanted me to bring the Chosen one to him. He did not specify how. Not to mention I have been listening in to the chatter of these filthy demihumans and this man does not appear to be anything special. We have no reason to listen to some weakling who can''t even protect himsel-"


    "Kneel."


    *BAM*


    One word using the Emperor''s Qi and Eurig''s knees folded like paper and he fell to the ground with such force that cracks appeared in the stone floor. His expression turned to one of shock and confusion as he slowly raised his head to peer towards him.


    Hao Xuan moved udia aside and stood in front of Eurig, looking down on him with such coldness that even the demonling could feel it wash over him.


    "You must be confused about your position in the food chain now that you have this new power. Don''t worry, I won''t me you for this insolence because after all, the selfes first, right?"


    He got down on one knee but even then he appeared muchrger than Eurig at this moment. cing a hand on his shoulder Hao Xuan also smiled, an amused smile not so much different from looking at an animal.


    "Make no mistake, in this, whatever this is, you are at the bottom. It''s good to be curious but push me too far and I might just...eat you right up. Hahaha..."


    His grip tightened around Eurig''s shoulder until his bones cracked under the pressure and Hao Xuan''s fingers continued to dig into his putrid flesh.


    Eurig tried his best to hold his screams but in the end it was too much and he finally broke apart.<sub> </sub>


    "AAAAAAH!"


    He screamed and cried trying to push his hand away but to no avail. When Hao Xuan finally let go there was only a mess of mangled flesh and bones left in its ce. Eurig''s arm hung limply from his body with a few threads of tendons holding it in ce.


    His blood was light green in color which created a putrid smell as soon as it hit the air. udia immediately covered her mouth and warned Hao Xuan, "Master, it''s poison!"


    Tears streaming down his face Eurig looked up with a look of defiance and mockery.


    "That''s what you deserve! Now beg for help you filthy-" but the words got stuck in his throat when he witnessed Hao Xuan licking the poisoned blood off of his hand.


    "Hmm, a bit sour for my taste," he mumbled before spitting it back out.


    Eurig''s mouth fell open, "H-HOW?!"


    Hao Xuan wiped his hand on Eurig''s clothes before gently caressing his face, "Don''t worry your pretty little head about things like that. You just have to do what I say and everything will be fine. Understand?"


    What little bit of faith Eurig had in his own abilities and ns fell apart in an instant. He couldn''t understand it and certainly couldn''t exin it.


    "What...are you...?"


    Hao Xuan chuckled, "I''ll let you know when I figure it out. Now, get up. You have work to do," and turned around to leave but was stopped by Eurig.


    "I can''t."


    *Sigh*


    "Must you make this so difficult? Do I really have to tear you from limb to limb for you to understand what''s going on?"


    As he said the words the Law of Chaos expanded outwards covering the entire room. As chaotic energy bubbled within Hao Xuan''s meridians the air became heavy with trepidation.


    Eurig swallowed a mouthful of saliva to wet his drying throat and quickly exined before it was toote.


    "There is no cure! There is nothing I can do, I swear it! Once the poison fully takes effect there is no way to remove it. It slowly eats away at the victims'' vitality until there is nothing left. Only then does it fade away by itself."


    "Even if I wanted to- which I do, there is nothing that can be done! I swear on my life!"

 Chapter 1153 So Forward

    Eurig had never seen such an emotionless pair of eyes in all his life. There was nopassion in them, no pity or empathy of any kind. He felt like he was staring into a bottomless pit when he met Hao Xuan''s gaze.


    He could feel what was left of his soul tremble inside of him as Hao Xuan''s hand hovered in front of his face.


    "Then what use are you to me? All you have done is slow my progress thus far. What reason is there for you to exist any longer?"


    "THE SAVIOR! PLEASE!," he screamed, "Only I can take you to him! He is like you, he has strange powers just like you! Maybe he can save that man!"


    The word Devour was on the tip of Hao Xuan''s tongue. He could already feel the essence of Eurig''s soul washing over him but-


    "Get up. When Ie back you better be ready to move. I will visit your savior and decide your fate then."


    Eurig let out a breath of relief but when he didn''t see Hao Xuan move he slowly raised his head.


    "These two behind you. Chose one."


    "??"


    He looked back and saw the two remaining members of his party. One was the demonling with the extremely long appendages the other was a hulking mass of flesh and bone.


    "C-Chose for what? Do you require an attendant? I''m afraid their minds are all but gone and-"


    "Pick one."


    Hao Xuan didn''t exin at all, only asking Eurig to choose one of the two for something so he went with the obvious choice.


    "Then him," he gestured to the demonling with the extended limbs toe forward while exining the reasons for picking him, "He can hide his presence very well and stay out of sight until you need him. He is fast and-"


    [Devour!]


    Before Eurig could even finish the sentence the demonling''s horrid form copsed in on itself and his presence vanished entirely from this world.


    Hao Xuan opened his mouth as white smoke poured into his gullet.


    "....."


    Eurig, udia, and the other remaining creature could only stare at the empty spot the demonling was standing on just moments ago. They couldn''t understand what had happened because ording to their senses it had just stopped existing entirely.


    There was no blood, no fight, it couldn''t even put up momentary resistance against whatever that was. It was like Hao Xuan flipped a switch and it was erased out of existence.


    "Next time I won''t stop at just one," Hao Xuan warned before making his way out.


    Eurig''s mind was in shambles while the hulking demonling looked left and right in confusion, still unable to wrap its simple mind around what had happened.<sub> </sub>


    udia on the other hand was overjoyed.


    ''He is the one! He can definitely set me free. I just have to do what they asked and once hees into his true form I will be right there beside him!''


    Giving weight to her rationale she blindly followed after Hao Xuan without even considering the fact that he might just do the same to her if push came to shove.


    Her very thoughts and beliefs were slowly being twisted just by being around Hao Xuan. The chaos was shaping her mind into one of a devout servant and she was none the wiser.


    As a creature of the Abyss, she was unable to defend against a stronger force. And what could be stronger and purer than the Son of Chaos?


    She raced outside and upon seeing Hao Xuan waiting for her a smile bloomed on her face.


    "Master~" she called out warmly but her smile froze upon noticing his posture.


    He was leaning against the side of the building breathing heavily.


    "What happened? Are you okay?!"


    "Yeah, yeah I''m fine," he waved his hand nonchntly, "That fucker''s poison was much stronger than I expected it to be. I''m just a little numb is all. It should be fine in a few minute-Hey! What are you doing?!"


    udia nuzzled into his embrace and wrapped his arm around her.


    "Please allow me. You can always lean on me whenever you need it."


    It felt strange to say but he wasn''t immediately put off by her even though they had met just minutes ago. There was genuine concern for him in her actions almost like with a family member.


    *Sigh*


    "What did I say about keeping distance? You don''t even know me. What if I was a bad guy who wanted to take advantage of you?" he asked jokingly.


    "Then I would let you," she replied earnestly leaving Hao Xuan speechless.


    *Sigh*


    "You win. I can''t say anything if you''re that forward every time. Just look at the stars or something."


    "You sigh a lot, master."


    "I do, don''t I?"

 Chapter 1154 Etched

    Having devoured the demonling his internal energy was restored to more than sixty percent again which also greatly helped in dealing with Eurig''s poison.


    "I thought it wouldn''t be a big deal but that poison is really strong. It made my entire body sluggish and heavy, significantly slowing down my reflexes and even making it hard to breathe. If I wasn''t a cultivator it would have been the end for me," Hao Xuan mused.


    "But why do it at all, master?"


    "To prove a point. His biggest card was his own poisoned blood that is refined in the depths of hell by his patron. It gave him enough confidence to go against me once and as long as he thought he had that card up his sleeve he would keep trying to pull some stupid shit like that."


    "To deal with people that hold a blind belief in themselves the best way is to just tear it all down. Break them to the point that nothing makes sense anymore. Now he knows that I''m not only physically stronger but his poisons won''t work on me either."


    "And if he does something like that again he will meet the same fate as hisrade. You strip them of all hope, take away all their secrets and leave them naked and afraid of someone bigger and much stronger than them. That is how you break idiots like him, by overwhelming them to the point of no return."


    Upon hearing Hao Xuan''s exnation udia''s head hung low as her mind began to wander.


    "But master really is incredible. You might not see it yourself but to someone like me, you are like the sun. Your very existence is because despite having all these incredible powers you are not lost in them."


    "Most mortals lose themselves the moment they get power especially if they never had it before. But you are wise beyond your years. You do not let the power control you or get to your head. You don''t even have the arrogance and vanity thates with your title."


    "You treat those stupid mortals like equals, as if that could ever be the case. If only they knew of your esteemed self-"


    "Stop, any more and my head might get too big for my shoulders," Hao Xuan chuckled staring up at the darkened sky, "Trust me when I say it''s not as simple as you think. I''m no different from anyone else. I didn''t go out seeking all this. They just...fell into myp more or less. I am only a cog in someone else''s machine."


    "Given the option I''d rather live a life of peace. And maybe when all this is over I can explore the wonders of the universe without all this pressure weighing me down."


    udia could not tear her eyes away from Hao Xuan''s gloomy face. She was already too far gone now.<sub> </sub>


    ''That''s what makes you different. You do not seek power even when it is handed to you on a silver tter. But I''m afraid the peaceful life that you desire will nevere, ''they'' will not let it,'' her expression turning sour.


    ''What if I don''t bring him to her? Will that...change anything...? I don''t want him to fall in their trap...''


    "Thank you, Ms. udia, for all your help," Hao Xuan''s voice brought her back as he stood on his own, "I''m good now."


    "No please, it...was nothing," she mumbled absentmindedly.


    "No, I really mean it. I saw you step in front of me earlier during the confrontation with that idiot. You thought I needed help and despite being outnumbered you stepped up without a second thought. I will not forget it and if given the opportunity I will pay you back."


    udia was stunned by his directness. It was not something she had experienced very often.


    "Just for something like that? I didn''t even fight."


    Hao Xuan shook his head, "But you intended to and that''s enough for me. Come now, we have much to do. The city needs to be closed off and the protection array restored if we are to stand a chance."


    He grabbed her by the waist and leaped into the air towards the city gates before she could say anything.


    The grimoire that was hovering behind her stayed in ce, watching them disappear almost like a sentient being. It was listening to their conversation this whole time.


    Only when they were out of sight did it turn towards the ground where udia''s shadow still remained standing. A pair of fiery red eyes opened within it for a moment before the shadow grew smaller and lighter before vanishing along with the grimoire.


    A ckened imprint of a hoof was left behind in the ce of the shadow, etched deep into the stones.

 Chapter 1155 Backlash

    With a gust of wind Hao Xuannded back near the city gates with udia in tow.


    "Hey, where are your princesses?" he grabbed the nearest city guard that happened to be passing by.


    The guard took one look at Hao Xuan and udia before pointing them in the direction of the healers.


    "Thanks."


    With a newfound urgency, Hao Xuan strode through the crowd of refugees until he found Princess Helena talking to one of the Elders.


    "Helena, we need to talk," he called out to her.


    The Elder swiftly turned towards him with a deep frown while Princess Helena was more surprised than anything.


    "Lord Hao Xuan, you''re back!" she was beaming.


    Hearing her call out his name the Elder''s expression became neutral as he turned around and immediately walked away without saying a word.


    "Sorry, was that not a good time?" Hao Xuan apologized for butting in but Princess Helena shook her head.


    "No it''s...nothing that can''t wait. How can I help you?"


    "Hm, I need to go out of the city again soon but before that I would like to do something about defenses. If another enemy finds us then it''s basically all over with the level of protection that we have right now. What does the city have in that area?"


    Princess Helena''s expression was almost frozen stiff and it was only after that Hao Xuan realized why. They were surrounded by civilians and they were all listening in.


    "O-Of course. Please follow me, I''ll tell you the all details," she gestured towards one of the empty structures a few tens of meters away.


    "Ah, sure."


    The trio walked in and Hao Xuan snapped his fingers creating a bubble of Chaos Qi around the entire room before apologizing again.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t realize where we were."


    "No, it''s not a big deal. They will find out sooner orter," she replied awkwardly, obviously trying not to make him feel too bad.


    "So what do you have in store? Any powerful relics? Maybe some great beast slumbering within the depths that coulde and protect the city? Some secret weapon that no one knows about?"


    Hao Xuan was half-joking but Princess Helena''s response quickly dowsed his spirits.


    "There is...nothing. The protection array was the only thing we had left."


    "Oh. Do you know how to repair it then?"


    "...Not at all. It has been there for thousands of years so no one knows anything about it. Grandmother used to say there were a lot of other defensive measures in ce and as long as the Grand Priestess stands the city would not fall but..."<sub> </sub>


    "But?"


    "But grandmother has not passed that knowledge down to anyone, not even me. She still is the Grand Priestess and until she wakes up there is nothing we can do. She is the only one that would have answers for you."


    "Alright, let''s go wake her up then."


    Hao Xuan remembered that the grand priestess had sat outside his room and acted as a guard while he was unconscious but she had been asleep ever since he got back.


    From there the trio quickly made their way to the edge of the city near the left stone ridge. Princess Helena threw a few curious nces when she saw him casually take udia into his arms as she flew along them but chose to keep quiet.


    ''None of my business,'' she told herself.


    Theynded on top of the stone stairs and upon entering the room saw two extra figures inside.


    One of them belonged to the ck wold demihuman named Kart and the other was much too familiar to Hao Xuan.


    "Yo, what the hell are you doin'' here?"


    Jin Wang was leaning over the Grand Priestess when he heard Hao Xuan''s voice. Turning towards him he let out a sigh of relief.


    "I was waiting for your bitch ass, that''s what."


    But then he paused and looked at Kart, "No offense."


    "???" Kart tilted his head sideways in confusion before walking over to Princess Helena.


    "That human showed up a little while ago. He says there is something wrong with the Grand Priestess."


    "What?!"


    Hao Xuan obviously overheard so he walked over to her side. There was a makeshift bed made out of bamboo-like nts ced behind the giant stone table which took up most of the room.


    It looked as if she was sleeping but with just one superficial look Hao Xuan could tell that wasn''t the case.


    "She had-" Jin Wang tried to exin but was cut off by Hao Xuan.


    "Spiritual bacsh. But how?"


    Jin Wang''s eyebrow shot up to the sky as he couldn''t even hide the surprise on his face.


    "How did you know?"


    "What do you mean it''s right there. Her spiritual energy is a mess. Her soul is all but gone to the point that I can barely feel it. There is foreign energy rampaging inside her body and her vitality is dwindling by the second. If I had to guess I''d say she was channeling a spell and it was forcefully broken."

 Chapter 1156 Average Person

    Hao Xuan realized what had happened while he was exining it.


    "The protection array of the city! It has to be that. It wasn''t a spell but she was still channeling it when it was broken."


    He ced a hand over her forehead to insert a thread of spiritual sense.


    "Hmm, I was right. She had to seal away her soul to protect it from the bacsh, that''s why I couldn''t feel it. If not for that the rampaging energies would have killed her instantly, vaporizing her soul and burning her from the inside out."


    He gave a once over to the rest of her body and noticed the swelling on her thumb, forefinger, and middle finger.


    "I see she tried to cast a few small spells at the end but there was no time. Bring me a sterile needle and a dish. Also, some herbs that can bring down swelling along with a few candles."


    He turned to see three astonished faces looking at him like an alien and udia who was confused at their shock.


    "What? Do I need to write this down? Is it too difficult to remember?"


    His frown which was directed towards Kart brought him back to reality as he almost saluted out of habit, "N-No sir, I''ll bring them right away!" and left with wide strides.


    "Are you two going to keep staring or will you help?" he looked towards Jin Wang and Princess Helena.


    "Y-Yes, what should I do?" Princess Helena immediately stepped forward.


    "Apply some pressure on her chest where her heart is and move her on her side. Oi, wake up already. Help the girl," he kicked Jin Wang awake.


    "O-Oh, okay."


    But even as he helped Princess Helena move the grand priestess his gaze was locked onto Hao Xuan.


    He didn''t ask udia to do anything and she was more than happy not toe into contact with any of them. To her they were lower beings unworthy of Hao Xuan''s aid but since he was so hell-bent on doing it the least she could do was stay out of his way.


    Kart returned a minuteter huffing and puffing with all the things Hao Xuan had asked for.


    "Here you go sir."


    "Hmm. Put the candles in the dish and bring it here."


    "Oh, I forgot to bring something to light the me. Let me-"


    Jin Wang opened his mouth to speak but Hao Xuan waved his hand cutting him off, "No need."


    With a snap an orange me ignited over his forefinger which he used to light the candles one by one.<sub> </sub>


    Jin Wang''s brow rose to a new height but despite his curiosity, he held back and silently watched Hao Xuan work.


    He ced the dish on the floor right under the Grand Priestess''s hand and used the me to sterilize the needles before poking several holes at the tip of the affected fingers.


    "Now gently tap her on the back, Keep the same rhythm as her heartbeat. Don''t stop until I say so."


    Kart moved into position and began tapping lightly. Hao Xuan moved the dish closer and closer to her hand until the mes licked the tip of her fingers.


    "Helena let go in three seconds."


    And when Princess Helena pulled away her hand putrid ck blood sprayed out of the Grand Priestesses'' finger.


    <o>,m He pulled Jin Wang closer and made him sit in his ce, "Keep her hand over the me," before moving up towards her arm.</o>


    There was only about half a centimeter distance between his hand and her arm. As he moved up he slowly began releasing extremely faint amounts of Chaos Qi which acted as a buffer between them.


    Upon reaching her shoulder with a jerking motion sparks of electricity erupted from his palm as he swiped it down.


    With a loud pop the candles were put out and all the foreign energy was expelled from the Grand Priestess''s body in an instant.


    The skin of her fingers had all but evaporated leaving flesh and bone protruding out.


    Hao Xuan wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead before udia could step in.


    "That was a lot more energy than I thought. Bandage her fingers and the wounds will heal with time. Now she just needs to rest and recover her energy as much as possible. There is no danger to her life."


    Princess Helena immediately bowed from the waist.


    "Thank you, Lord Hao Xuan."


    "Don''t mention it. The faster she wakes up the better it is for eve-"


    Jin Wang butted in, "It''s not that simple."


    "Hate to rain on your parade but simply removing the energy won''t wake her up."


    Hao Xuan frowned lightly, "Why not?"


    "You are looking at this from an average person''s point of view. The grand priestess is very old. Her mind pce was damaged and vitality drained. Her body simply can''t handle the pressure anymore."

 Chapter 1157 There Is-

    Only after hearing what Jin Wang had to say did Hao Xuane to the same conclusion.


    "You''re right. Ipletely overlooked her age. The stress of going through something like this would even leave someone our age in bed for weeks, let alone her."


    The brief respite Princess Helena got from an otherwise terrible day was over before she could even let out a breath of relief. Her face fell faster than ever before.


    "W-What does that mean for her? What can we do now?"


    Hao Xuan and Jin Wang exchanged nces, both of them realizing there was not much hope. This time Jin Wang spoke up first.


    "There is not much that can be done. Simply restoring her vitality won''t do much good, not that it would even be a possibility," he knelt beside the Grand Priestess taking her frail hand in his. It had no weight at all as if even a strong wind was enough to take her away.


    "Her body is exhausted beyond measure and it might not take at all. Decades of stress and exhaustion that she had been pushing off using her powers have caught up to her. Her soul is still intact but the body is beyond repair. Every single cell is drained to the limits."


    Princess Helena realized the true gravity of the situation. Jin Wang was right, in all her life she had never seen the Grand Priestess take a single day off. She was constantly on the move, doing one thing or another that was beyond theirprehension.


    Tears formed in the corner of her eyes as she knelt beside the bed, gently resting her forehead on her grandmother''s legs.


    "Whenever something went wrong we always looked to you for guidance. You were always there to help no matter the situation. And even if you didn''t have the answers yourself you did not rest even when all hope was lost. We...I never thought there woulde a day when you wouldn''t be around."


    Seeing her dainty body Princess Helena finally couldn''t hold back anymore and broke down crying.


    "Even when you found out that Ama and Aba were gone you didn''t shed a single tear. At first I thought you didn''t care about them and I hated you for it for so long. Years passed and eventually even I moved on."


    "But then one night I happened to be passing by and heard a voiceing from the graveyard. You were there, singing ama''s favorite song and drinking aba''s favorite mead while cleaning their graves. Kart told me you never stopped visiting them, not even for a single day."


    Kart who was standing beside the grand priestess turned away. Despite his ferocious appearance this wolf demihuman couldn''t hold back his tears at this moment.


    He had loyally served the grand priestess since he was a pup. To him, she was all the family he had ever known.<sub> </sub>


    "I can''t imagine how hard it must have been hiding your feelings all this time. But you had to, you are the Grand Priestess, the sole protector of Argham."


    ? Jin Wang let out a deep sigh. As painful as this was it needed to be done. The faster they epted her fate the faster they could move on.


    "Th-"


    "Why are you crying so much, it''s not like she passed away. As long as she breathes there is a chance. I will find a way to wake her up, THEN say all of this to her."


    Jin Wang red at Hao Xuan while Kart and Princess Helena looked at him with newfound hope.


    "Are you serious Lord Hao Xuan?! Do you think there is a chance??"


    "There is always a chance, no matter how small. Don''t give up just yet. Give me three days and if I still can''t find a way then you can mourn her properly. Leave her be for now, she needs to rest."


    "Thank you, thank you so much, sir!" even Kart ran up to him gleefully but Hao Xuan was forcefully pulled away before he could reach.


    "Come with me for a second. We need to talk," Jin Wang grabbed him by the arm and they both disappeared from the spot, leaving udia gawking at the empty space.


    They reappeared a momentter outside of the city on the outskirts of some ancient ruins.


    "WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?!" Jin Wang roared as soon as Hao Xuan got a grasp of his surroundings.


    "Say what? Where is this ce? Was that teleportation? It didn''t feel like it."


    "That there was a chance! You know it''s next to impossible for her to recover, you felt the weakness in her body. Even her mind is at its limits. It''s a miracle she is still breathing and you what, want to ''restore'' her to her former self?"

 Chapter 1158 Rightous

    "Do you think yourself to be a GOD?! You had NO right to say that shit! Now they will cling to that little thread of hope until there is nothing else. And when it finally snaps it will be that much more devastating for them. You don''t do that to a person..."


    Hao Xuan had never seen Jin Wang this angry before and it took him by surprise to see this usually nonchnt man be so emotional about something.


    But for some reason hearing those words, specifically from Jin Wang, left him quite irritated.


    "And you did?"


    "What?!"


    He went off on Jin Wang without holding anything back.


    "What right did you have to tell them that she was going to die? Are YOU a god? Can YOU see into the future? Fuck off with that self-righteous bullshit. I had no right but neither did you. All I did was give them a little hope, is that really so bad?"


    "You see her frail body and give up without trying anything but I''m at fault for looking for a solution? You can''t just....break some news like that to people out of nowhere. Until a few moments ago they thought she was going to be fine. The whole city is waiting for her to wake up."


    "What do you think will happen when they find out that the one person they were looking up to is gone for good?"


    "The city is defenseless. There are even more mouths to feed than before and the rations keep running out. Our enemies keep increasing by the minute and we have no idea when they will strike."


    "You tell them now that the Grand Priestess, the very symbol of hope for these people is taking herst breaths and what do you think will happen? There will be mass hysteria! At least they will have settled down in a few days and the princesses will have some time to ept their new reality."


    "Plus I am not entirely wrong, maybe there is a chance. I can still try some things. My point is you never know. A bit of hope can go a long way...in more ways than one..."


    Hao Xuan''s voice trailed off at the end as he swiftly closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to regain hisposure.


    Jin Wang who was silently listening let out a sigh while shaking his head.


    "I didn''t know you had thought that far ahead. My bad."


    "It''s fine..."


    A spell of extremely awkward silence followed after which was finally broken by Jin Wang.


    "Where did you learn to do that? That thing with the needles."


    "When I was trapped in that dream state I lived many lives. In one of them I was a healer in a world where no one could cultivate so we had to learn a few tricks like that."


    "What?!"


    Jin Wang lunged towards Hao Xuan grabbing him by the shoulder to stare into his eyes.


    "You remember what happened in there?"


    "Y-Yeah, why?"


    "How many?"<sub> </sub>


    "Huh?"


    "How many lives did you live? How many can you recall like that one?"


    "...One hundred and twenty-tw-"


    "?!!"


    Before Hao Xuan could even finish Jin Wang''s shocked expression cut him off.


    "A hundred and twenty-two lifetimes??"


    "Why are you asking that? Why does it matter?"


    "I didn''t think you''d remember them...that wasn''t supposed to happen...you can''t...It doesn''t make any sense."


    "What the hell are you mumbling about?! Speak clearly!" Hao Xuan yelled wildly.


    ''He knows something, I was right!''


    "Is there anything else? Did something else change?"


    There were a lot of firsts today. Hao Xuan had never seen him this agitated before. He was usually so calm that it felt like nothing could bother him so seeing him acting like this made Hao Xuan feel quite uneasy.


    "What do you mean?"


    "ANYTHING! Anything out of the ordinary that wasn''t there before."


    Hao Xuan''s gaze shifted to the right and left, at the countless shadowy figures surrounding him which numbered in the thousands at the very least.


    "No...nothing else..."


    For some reason he couldn''t bring himself to tell Jin Wang the whole truth.


    "Good...that''s good. You tell me immediately if something strange happens alright."


    "Yeah, I will."


    Another lie.


    "Come with me, I need to check something," Jin Wang said before walking deeper into the ruins.


    They entered one of the countless broken structures and began descending deeper into the ground. Jin Wang was in the lead lighting the way with a torch that had a flickering green me. He had picked it up somewhere along the way.


    The surroundings began to change until Hao Xuan realized that it was quite simr to the structure of the prison. Through the many hallways they came to an exit that opened up into a massive underground area.

 Chapter 1159 Old And Asleep

    This space was so big that even with his farsight Hao Xuan was not able to see much of it. Not to mention the darkness here was not normal because it kept trying to push back his vision.


    He quickly grabbed Jin Wang by the shoulder and pulled him back before he could jump down.


    "There is some kind of a Law ahead. It''s very faint but I can feel it."


    Jin Wang couldn''t help but stare at him with a raised eyebrow, "In there?"


    "Yeah," Hao Xuan nodded.


    "And you can feel it even before stepping into it?"


    He got another nod in response which left him feeling all sorts of ways.


    ''I couldn''t feel anything even when I was inside so how in the hell can he sense it all the way from the out here? No, he could be wrong, it might be something else entirely.''


    "How big is its domain? Can you tell what kind ofw it is or where it''sing from?"


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and began spreading out his spiritual sense as far as possible. His brow began to scrunch when he realized that its effects were severely reduced the moment it entered the confines of the space ahead.


    It was as if something was pressing against it and even after a couple of tries he couldn''t tell much so he stepped closer to the edge.


    "I think I need to get a little closer," he mumbled while extending his hand outwards.


    "Be carefu-" Jin Wang tried to warn him but was a little too slow.


    The moment Hao Xuan''s hand crossed the boundary of the space the entire underground structure started to shake, including the area they were in.


    *RUUUMBLE*


    Loose debris and dust rained from all sides just as Hao Xuan quickly took a couple of steps back.


    Both of them held their breaths while holding onto the side walls until the shaking stopped almost 20 secondster.


    They stepped towards the edge in unison, peering down into the bottomless pit that surrounded the central tform.


    "I couldn''t sense what kind ofw it was," Hao Xuan whispered, "It was a little familiar but still foreign enough that I couldn''t put my finger on it. I''m not sure but I think the domain extends throughout this entire area and...it''sing from down there."


    "I could feel it reacting to my spiritual sense with some hostility but it was a little slow like it wasn''t ''all there'' you know?"


    Jin Wang let out a deep breath, "You mean like it was asleep maybe?"


    "Yeah! Exactly like that!" Hao Xuan happily eximed before realizing what that meant.


    "There is something really down there?"<sub> </sub>


    "Yeah," Jin Wang nodded weakly, "But I thought we could move about without any trouble as long as we kept quiet. Looks like that might not be the case for long."


    Hao Xuan peered into the abyss below and felt like something was looking back at him although most of it was just his imagination.


    <o>,m "You know what it is?"</o>


    "Not really, no. I can sense its presence but it''s suppressed to a great degree. I think it''s sealed down there on purpose."


    "Great, another mysterious entity to be wary of."


    "Mhm. But as long as wey low it should be fine. It didn''t react earlier even when I used my energy so I think it reacts only to spiritual sense. As long as we don''t use it there shouldn''t be a problem."


    "Hah, famousst words," Hao Xuan joked.


    "You fuck don''t jinx it. Come, follow me," Jin Wang jumped down as soon as he finished talking.


    He cursed Jin Wang out a few times but followed after him a momentter.


    Hao Xuannded noiselessly onto the small ledge below and braced himself for another bout of earthquakes but they didn''te.


    "Looks like you were ri-"


    *RUUUUUMBLE*


    The ledge he was standing on started to fragment and fall into the darkness below.


    "JUMP!"


    Jin Wang shouted while extending a hand. Hao Xuan pushed against whatever was left of the ledge and jumped over Jin Wang. The shaking not only did not stop but started to get stronger.


    "RUN TO THE CENTER!" Jin Wang pointed at the site that seemed to be in the middle of this entire space.


    "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND? WE SHOULD TURN BACK, THIS WHOLE PLACE IS ABOUT TO COME CRASHING DOWN!" Hao Xuan yelled back but Jin Wang had already started sprinting towards it.


    "JUST TRUST ME, COME!"


    "YOU DUMBFUCK!" Hao Xuan roared in anger while running after him.


    He ducked and dodged the pieces of stone and rock falling from above and shot straight towards the central tform. But when he passed the 30-meter boundary line a gust of hot air brushed past his body making him pause momentarily.


    The next moment he looked up the central tform was nowhere in sight but in its ce stood a great ck pyramid. (First mentioned in Ch 1014 ''Smoky'')

 Chapter 1160 Kidnap?

    At first Hao Xuan thought he was seeing things again. Maybe another vision or a memory transposing itself onto the current reality but when Jin Wang pped him on the back while passing by he awoke to the truth.


    "STOP DAYDREAMING AND RUN IDIOT!"


    He watched Jin Wang take the first few steps, each one hurling him tens of meters ahead and he realized why it felt this way. This wasn''t the first time he had seen this pyramid.


    A boulder-sized piece of debrisnded mere inches away from the absentminded Hao Xuan forcing him to move. He followed exactly in Jin Wang''s footsteps and the moment he stepped on it the intensity of the shakes reduced significantly.


    It had stoppedpletely by the time they reached the top.


    Gasping for air Hao Xuan looked back from where they had climbed up.


    "Why...did it...stop?"


    Jin Wang who seemed eerilyposed brushed the dust off his clothes before looking at Hao Xuan.


    "You want the truth? It might be better to remain ignorant in this specific case. It will only make things harder."


    Hao Xuan took a few seconds to regain hisposure, finally noticing the oddness of the situation. Under normal circumstances, he would have never run out of breath just from moving this much.


    His body was obviously not the same as a normal person''s and he couldn''t remember thest time he was this out of breath. It felt like his lungs were about to explode.


    "I feel...so weak..." he mumbled before sitting down right where he was.


    Jin Wang shook his head solemnly.


    ''It really is him...''


    He snapped his fingers and all the exhaustion and feebleness that was guing Hao Xuan''s body vanished.


    Surprised, Hao Xuan inspected himself in and out but couldn''t figure out what changed.


    "The hell just happened?"


    "It was a spell to check something. I couldn''t tell you before because it might affect the result."


    Although Hao Xuan should have been mad that he was made to be the guinea pig without his consent but for some reason he couldn''t get angry at him.


    "Did I pass? What was the result?"


    "Not sure. If the spell worked you would have beenpletely incapacitated and if it didn''t you wouldn''t have noticed anything at all."


    "But I felt weak, like a normal human being. What does that mean?"


    "No idea. I''ll have to ask the guy I made the spell for."<sub> </sub>


    "And who might that be?"


    Jin Wang turned around and started walking away. Hao Xuan got up to follow but the next words out of his mouth made him freeze.


    "The Emperor. It was made for him."


    Hao Xuan''s hearts skipped a beat. Jin Wang noticed theck ofmotion and turned his head halfway to nce at him.


    "So you have heard about him, at least I wasn''tpletely wrong."


    There were so many things going through Hao Xuan''s head that it felt like he would melt from overthinking. And if it was before he might just have been shocked into ama but the him now was not the same as before.


    "...How do you know him?"


    Now it was Jin Wang''s moment of confusion.


    "You ever get that feeling of Deja vu? Like you''ve experienced this moment before? I could have sworn we have had this conversation already," hemented with a deep frown and Hao Xuan had to agree to a point.


    "Yeah...it feels kind of...familiar. But these days everything feels a bit weird to me," he replied looking at the big metal gate facing them on the other side.


    Jin Wang was walking towards the gate but stopped for a moment on the left. Hao Xuan walked up behind him and saw six figures spread out on the ground. He recognized one of their faces.


    "That girl..."


    "She was with that bald kid."


    "Oh yeah, I remember now. Why is she here? Did you kidnap them?"


    "Please, I have better taste than that. They wandered in here and picked a fight with me, I had no choice but to retaliate."


    Hao Xuan did not believe him at all.


    "I''m sure they did."


    They were covered by ayer of dust and some even had bruises from where the debris had hit them.


    "Oh yeah, what was that earlier about wanting to know the truth when I asked why the shaking stopped," Hao Xuan remembered.


    Jin Wang pointed at the unconscious people, "I fought these guys here just a little while ago. It didn''t get out of hand but by no means was it quiet. Afterwards I even cast several spells but there was no reaction again. But the moment you stepped in here it started happening."


    "And it stopped the moment you stepped onto the pyramid because there is a barely discernable spatial barrier around this ce that separated it from the space outside."

 Chapter 1161 Hunting The-

    "I ced the barrier during myst visit to hide the Pyramid in case that bald kid returned."


    Hao Xuan tried toe to a conclusion on his own, but his brain wasn''t working as it should.


    "I don''t know what that''s supposed to mean. Stop implying shit and just tell it to me straight."


    Jin Wang released a barely discernable sigh while slowly moving to the metal gate.


    "When I first entered this area I felt its presence as clearly as I can see you now. I could tell it was a beast from the olden days, perhaps from an age that even I did not know of. It wasn''t hostile towards me and yet it was keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings even though it had been sealed here for many countless millenniums."


    "It felt like it was looking for something," he mumbled to himself upon reaching the metal gate. His right hand extended forward and ran across the numerous engravings that looked more like pieces of art than actual spells.


    ''Such harmony. No wonder it has withstood the test of time.''


    Then he knelt down and started cleaning the area around it with his bare hands, pushing all the dust and debris to the side while continuing his exnation.


    "My first thought was of the Emperor. That he had left it here to safeguard this ce in his absence but that doesn''t seem to be the case since it acted with such aggression upon sensing your presence."


    Hao Xuan quickly stepped in, "What do you mean? Why should it not be aggressive towards me?"


    Jin Wang smiled wryly, unable to answer him directly because even he did not know what it meant.


    "The second spell that I had cast, the one that made you feel weak was for the Emperor. Anyone that had even a single drop of his bloodline would be unable to move upon reaching the top. Even if he came in person it would leave him petrified for at least a brief moment."


    He looked back at Hao Xuan with a look of confusion, "But you, you only became weak. It doesn''t make sense. The spell either works or it doesn''t, it shouldn''t be half-assed like that. The only thing I can tell is that you are connected to him in one inexplicable way or another and that...is why the beast was aggressive towards you."


    "You see this ce, I thought it was built to protect this gate but from what I can tell it is nigh indestructible on its own and there are no other protective measures in ce. He wouldn''t have left the gate unguarded if he thought there was even a chance that it could be breached."


    "So why build this Pyramid then?"<sub> </sub>


    Jin Wang was obviously setting it up to exin his point more clearly but this was a topic that Hao Xuan knew a thing or two about already and he couldn''t hold himself back from blurting out the answer.


    "A prison! It''s a prison like the others!"


    "The others??" Jin Wang''s brow furrowed instantly.


    "Yeah, I was in one of them some time ago. It held all kinds of strange beasts and creatures that I have never seen before. They were sealed in that Pyramid for thousands of years, kept alive by force for whatever reason. As far as I know, there should be one or two more of these kinds of pyramids."


    Jin Wang stood back up and started pacing back and forth.


    "You went INSIDE the pyramid?"


    "Yeah and..."


    Hao Xuan gave a rough exnation of the events that took ce with the barbarians in a bit more detail which left Jin Wang stunned.


    "That''s....a hell of an adventure but...this one isn''t the same as the one you went into. It''s not hollow and there is nothing inside it, that was the first thing I checked. Which means it was created just to suppress that one beast."


    "In fact, if I''m not wrong, this entire underground structure was created around the beast in the first ce."


    Hao Xuan had to agree with his conclusion, "That means it has been here since the creation of the then. I know it was artificially created by a powerful God from the Temple of War and someone he looked up to."


    "THE EMPEROR!" Jin Wang eximed.


    "Exactly, it has to be him. And if what you say is right and I do have some connection to him then it would exin why it only reacted negatively to my presence. It was hunting the emperor not protecting him."


    They both looked at each other with much the same idea, "He sealed it in this ce because he probably couldn''t kill it. Suffice to say, if it manages to escape then it would be catastrophic for everyone."

 Chapter 1162 Keep Seperate

    Having epted the reality of his situation Hao Xuan felt a great deal of unease.


    ''Why me?'' he couldn''t help but wonder, an answer he hoped to receive very soon as Jin Wang exined.


    "This gate can only be opened by one person and...I think that''s you."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t deny it. He felt a strange force pulling him towards it, something deep inside of him telling him to reach out.


    "And I''m guessing you still can''t tell me why?" he met Jin Wang''s gaze.


    Jin Wang nodded once, "I''m sorry, not yet. When I have more of aplete picture of all this I promise to tell you but right now, it will do you no good. Just...trust me, okay?"


    *Sigh*


    "Fine, two days. Do what you have to but after that you gotta tell me everything."


    "Alright, that''s fine. Come here and stand in front of it."


    Hao Xuan followed Jin Wang''s instructions and stood at a distance of 3.33 meters exactly. He looked up at the imposing metal frame that towered over him with awe.


    He couldn''t see anything out of ce even with the help of the Lycan bloodline but for some reason, it didn''t feel like an inanimate object at all. It felt alive as if he was standing in front of a living person.


    He partially held his breath waiting for something to happen but after a couple of minutes nothing did.


    "Now what?"


    "Um...I''m not sure. I thought it would activate by itself," Jin Wang muttered while hovering around the gate trying to push various protruding parts like they were switches.


    "Maybe I should use my internal energy?" Hao Xuan went with the most obvious answer but was swiftly shot down.


    "No, internal energy won''t work. It''s too specific and keeps changing as you learn and grow, it would be like a key that keeps changing forms."


    Although he understood what Jin Wang meant to say Hao Xuan still wanted to try for himself.


    "You never know till you try it," he mumbled while extending his hand.


    Jin Wang felt the disturbance and took a couple of steps back just in case. He watched as wisps of obsidian-colored energy gathered over the palm of his hand and began to take the shape.


    "You can materialize and solidify internal energy outside of your body already, that''s pretty advanced!"


    Jin Wang was impressed, especially since he knew Hao Xuan did not have a formal teacher.<sub> </sub>


    "How did you figure it out? It can''t have been easy."


    Hao Xuan chuckled, "Yeah well, it''s not my first time doing this. The memories from those other lives, remember? I just use a simple visualization technique that was taught to me by someone."


    It just urred to Jin Wang that there could actually be some serious advantages to that. With the life experience of so many who was to say he didn''t have a teacher? Maybe he had a hundred.


    "Hmm, you''re right. But you should be careful with tapping into those memories haphazardly. It is vital to keep them separate from your own. Draw a clear line between them and yourself so they never ovep."


    Hearing his warning Hao Xuan couldn''t help but pause for a moment.


    "Why? Won''t it be a good thing to absorb them to learn and grow from there?"


    "Of course not! It is a person''s life experiences that shape their ideals and general outlook on life. Two identical people could go through the same experiences ande outpletely different from before."


    "Those aren''t your memories. They belong to other people and it was their choice and circumstances that shaped them. Absorb all of that and it could be detrimental to YOU, to Hao Xuan. You wouldpletely lose yourself in them and be someone else entirely-"


    Jin Wang froze mid-sentence as ifing to a sudden realization and his face urately reflected the shock he had just gotten from it.


    "What?"


    "N-No nothing. Just...don''t absorb them," it looked like he had eaten some feces because his expression kept getting uglier by the second.


    "Don''t think of them as mere memories but as the essence of a living person. Keep it separate from yourself no matter what, understand?!"


    "Yeah...sure. No need to get so worked up."


    Jin Wang turned away and Hao Xuan continued materializing his internal energy, unaware of the trap he had fallen into.


    ''Don''t tell me this was your n, old friend. How could you make me a part of this after everything?!''


    While Jin Wang was lost in thought talking to himself, Hao Xuan had created a full arm made purely of internal energy. He reached out with it and came into contact with the gate.


    And lo and behold the entire outer lining of symbols lit up in an instant.


    "IT WORKED!" he yelled but when he looked for Jin Wang there was no one there.


    "YO! Where did you go?!" he moved to the side to look behind the frame but the moment his feet left the spot Jin Wang had marked a bright light shed in front of his eyes.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes instinctively and when he opened them again he was outside the ruins, alone.

 Chapter 1163 The Cross

    "What...what in the fuck just happened?!"


    Hao Xuan wasn''t even able to sense what was happening let alone try and stop it. A second ago he was standing above the stuffy pyramid and now he was back outside.


    "JIN! JIN WANG! SAY SOMETHING IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice carrying for hundreds of meters in every direction but no response came even after a couple of minutes.


    "Fuck, I knew some weird shit like this was going to happen!" he cursed over his breath while sprinting back into the ruins, following the exact same they had taken before.


    He found the same house that had the basement leading to the underground structure but he didn''t have the green med bone torch that Jin Wang always used to light his way.


    Thest time they came there were two flights of stairs. After descending into the first one it became dark enough that they needed the green me to light the second one.


    Hao Xuan jumped down the first set of stairs in one go but instead of the second set immediately after, it was just a slope going straight down. And because he was in such a hurry thinking that something had happened to Jin Wang he didn''t even notice that little detail.


    He ran through the tunnels at full speed touching the ground only when he needed to turn, and soon the surroundings began to change. He came out into the same identical hallways that decorated the entirety of the underground structures, be it inside the pyramids or outside.


    He still roughly remembered every turn they took but after a few minutes of running he came to a slow stop.


    He was standing in front of a wall with two hallways going left and right. It was a three-way junction but-


    "This wasn''t here before. This was supposed to turn right," Hao Xuan mumbled while recalling the path he just took andparing it with the one before down to the centimeter.


    He looked back and saw the 20-meter-long dark hallway, "This one should have been 5 meters shorter."


    He backtracked for several hallways and each one was a little shorter or longer, not too much, but enough to lead him somewherepletely different.


    "Fuck! Are they moving like in the other pyramid?" was his first thought but he would have noticed that. There was no sign of movement, even the dust was still there.


    And if magic had been used he would have at least sensed it at some point.


    "Damnit!" in his anger he punched the wall in front of him breaking it into pieces.


    "Wait, I can just break through with force!"<sub> </sub>


    But if only it was that simple. He spent the next 10 minutes putting holes in every ce he thought could lead back to the correct path but it was useless.


    There was only dirt and rock. It looked like there was only one system of hallways and if there was another, it was separated by several tens of meters of unstable ground in an unknown direction.


    He would have a higher chance of finding a needle in a haystack while blindfolded.


    And while he was trying toe up with a different idea another tremor shook the ground. This one felt weaker and its epicenter was obviously much further away.


    Hao Xuan ran back outside and upon exiting the ruins found the source of themotion. There was a giant floating red star above the city of Argham.


    He squinted hard as his lycan bloodline was automatically activated with full force. Even his heartbeats had increased, which was not an easy feat to achieve.


    Blood rushed through his veins making him flex out of instinct. Hao Xuan felt like he was standing in front of an old enemy.


    p The longer he stared at the red star the clearer its shape became. The halos of iridescent light surrounding it were slowly stripped away one at a time until he could see what the object at the center was.</anda>


    A four-sided cross. At first nce it looked remarkably simr to the crucifix from earth but this one was obviously different.


    One straight vertical line but the other was lightly tilted to the right and constantly moving, rotating anti-clockwise like the arm of a clock.


    But its design was very peculiar and didn''t take long for Hao Xuan to remember where he had seen it.


    "Dai Zhi!"


    It had the same exact design as the earrings Dai Zhi always had on.


    And when he came to the conclusion everything started to fall into ce because the red light being emitted by it wasn''t that simple, there was a spark of the ''divine'' within it, albeit very very small.


    It nketed everything in sight and there was a sort of awe one would be instilled with if they looked at it for too long.

 Chapter 1164 Nothing Short Of

    "There is a shadow of divinity in it!" Hao Xuan muttered incredulously. There was no way to be sure but this was the only thing that made sense.


    "That must be the artifact which is hoarding all the divine power until he is ready to ept it. But why is it here?"


    It was hovering directly above where Argham should be, which greatly worried Hao Xuan.


    "Fuck, I have to go. I''lle back after making sure everything is good in Argham."


    He looked back at the ruins onest time while mumbling, "Don''t fuckin'' disappear on me dipshit. I''ll be right back," before sprinting off into the dark forest.


    Jin Wang watched as Hao Xuan''s figure disappeared into the night. The scene was being yed in front of him much like a hologram, only more real.


    He let out a resounding sigh before turning away to inspect his surroundings once again. He was in an empty space that was illuminated by bright white light in all directions.


    It didn''t have any walls or even a ceiling that he could see. He had been running in every direction for thest ten minutes but there was no end to it.


    None of his abilities worked in here, not even magic. He still had his overwhelming strength but it was useless. It was just him and the hologram that popped up every time he thought about leaving.


    ''It''s like it is telling me I don''t have to worry about him,'' he thought inwardly, ''But that means this is not just some random coincidence and there is a sentient being controlling it.''


    "HELLO! Ie in peace!" he yelled in a random direction because there was nothing and no one to talk to.


    "Do you work for the Emperor!? If so I''m your ally!" he shouted before realizing that might not be the case so he quickly followed it up with, "And if you are trying to find him or kill him, I can still help you, eh? We can talk about it! I never liked that old bastard anyway!"


    The moment he stopped talking a faint giggle resounded within the surrounding space.


    ''Oh, I was right, there really is someone. The voice sounded a bit young though. Was that a child? I feel like I might have heard it somewhere...''


    But while Jin Wang was trying to recall where he had heard it another hologram popped up right in front of him. It showed a scene from not too long ago when Ma Jiang had returned the stone disk to him.


    "Hmm?"<sub> </sub>


    With a frown he reached into his shirt and fished for the disk, taking it out a momentter.


    "This thing? Do you want this? I haven''t had the time to investigate it yet," he cautiously exined.


    This disk contained the being that called himself Hyde. He was living within Hao Xuan''s mind pce and Jin Wang assumed it was a parasitic entity that fed on his mental faculties.


    Morsels of bright white light congregated in front of Jin Wang in a horizontal column before dispersing not even a momentter. In their ce was a pedestal with a hollowed-out circr pattern that matched the underside of the stone disk down to the tee.


    The pedestal didn''t look like it was created recently. In fact, when Jin Wang brushed his fingers over its rough surface it felt identical to the stone disk.


    "How is this possible? I am the one who created this disk in the first ce. I got it from a starstone that was mined from depths of deep spac-"


    He almost bit his tongue when he remembered where he got the location of the asteroid from.


    "So I wasn''t the first one to find it, huh?"


    The emperor had obviously gotten to it first and upon discovering the unique qualities of the stone he had passed on the information to Jin Wang in his previous lifetime.


    *Sigh*


    "Did you know I would have to use the disk on Hao Xuan? Or was that your n from the beginning? You could have warned me a little so I wouldn''t use it twice beforehand. It''s nothing short of a miracle that I even still have it. You...still continue to surprise me even after all this time..."


    (Authors Note: The disk could only be used three times in total before it would break and it had been used twice already as mentioned in one of the earlier chapters)


    He waited for a brief moment but no answer came. With no small amount of hesitation, he took the disk and ced it on the pedestal, locking it within the groves that fit it perfectly.


    The light dimmed around him and by the time he looked back the surroundings hadpletely changed.


    Jin Wang was now standing within a great hall decorated with giant stone statues on all sides.

 Chapter 1165 Cradle

    Jin Wang stood at the entrance of the hall that seemed to stretch for an eternity.


    There were windows lining the right side that let through a multitude of colors through their stained ss.


    He looked up but the ceiling was too far for any of the light to reach so it remained shrouded in darkness.


    On the left and right were the countless stone statues that decorated the entire length of the hallway. Men and women, old and young. Many humans but other races mixed in as well.


    The only thing they had inmon was their armor and weapons. They all seemed to be warriors of great renown, exuding powerful energies even here, whatever this ce was.


    Jin Wang took a couple of steps forward and slowly extended his hand in front of the closest window, allowing the brilliant light to fall upon his flesh.


    He could feel the warmth overtake him in seconds as it spread throughout his entire body. It filled him with a sense of belonging as if he was back in his father''s study from his very first life.


    He felt safe and protected in this ce as if no matter what happened outside of these halls it held no weight here.


    *ng*


    The sound of ss hitting a hard surface suddenly reverberated throughout the great hall, bringing Jin Wang back to his senses.


    He looked to the front where the scene had now changed. Instead of a neverending hallway there was a room not too far ahead. With measured steps he made his way through this hall of heroes, stopping in front of the giant rectangr wooden table that blocked his path.


    There were a total of thirty-two empty chairs ced all around. Each one slightly different be it in weight, size, stature, or design.


    This was a circr room with the same stained-ss windows decorating all sides of it.


    Jin Wang scanned each of the windows of which there were also thirty-two. There was a different scene and a different character portrayed through the stained ss on each one of them.


    Again the light poured in from the right. The sun didn''t seem to have moved at all.


    "Quite stuffy, isn''t it?" a voice spoke up from the front.


    Jin Wang was a little surprised because he hadn''t felt any other presence nearby but he didn''t let it show and smiled in return.


    "On the contrary, I think it''s beautiful."


    With the sound of heavy footsteps a figure walked out from behind the armchair at the head of the table.


    It was a man adorned in heavy battle armor from head to toe. He had long ck hair and a dashingly handsome visage that could take a person''s breath away.<sub> </sub>


    There were serpents and dragons inscribed on the chest piece, all bowing to an iridescent green de. The same de hung loosely from the man''s waist.


    He looked like royalty and every move he made was filled with elegance. There was a gold-rimmed wine ss in his hand which he slowly yed with while inspecting Jin Wang.


    "I thought my captor would be taller," he mused.


    Jin Wang who looked like a vige idiot inparison chuckled in response, "Mr. Hyde I presume?"


    Mr. Hyde also couldn''t hold back his smile and nodded gracefully, "You presume correctly, pretender," before taking a sip from the ss.


    But Jin Wang frowned at his particr choice of word, "Pretender? Who am I pretending to be?"


    Mr. Hyde moved to the window and peered outside before replying.


    "What are you not pretending to be? A friend, a mortal,....a human? Tell me, have you ever lived a day in your life without lying to yourself or those around you? Does it not get tiring?"


    Jin Wang''s smile vanished in an instant and his expression turned solemn.


    "Be very careful what you say next, boy."


    Mr. Hyde smiled triumphantly.


    "Save your threats for the fools outside. We both know neither of us has any power in here, whatever this ce."


    Jin Wang had to agree with him. All they could do was use their words here. He walked up next to Mr. Hyde to see what he was looking at and the scene left him speechless for a while.


    It was a city the likes of which he had never seen before. Hundreds of meters tall buildings were neatly lined in all directions. All manner of architectural wonders decorated the space in between belonging to countless different eras.


    They went on for so long that he could neither see the ground below nor the outskirts of the city.


    Up in the sky three heavenly bodies were visible other than the red sun. One of them was obviously the moon but the other two didn''t seem so natural.


    Bright lights shone on their surface, visible even from down here. Countless ships and creatures flew about without rest.


    "What is this ce?!" he couldn''t help but ask.


    "The Holy city of Solum, the cradle of civilization."

 Chapter 1166 The Fall

    "The cradle of civilization!" Mr. Hyde said and Jin Wang would have to agree to a great degree.


    Even for him who had lived so many lives, through so many different eras, and seen so much of history that had been long lost to the rivers of time, even he would have to agree that just maybe there was some truth to that.


    For even Jin Wang had never seen a ce so utterly magnificent in both scale and design.


    "The sun never seemed to set on Solum," Mr. Hyde continued with some pride upon seeing Jin Wang''s shocked reaction, "Ten thousand different races lived here in peace for countless millenniums, all under the watchful eye of the one true ruler of the gxy, the Immortal Emperor."


    "His armies were boundless and his legions eternal, stretching across the stars in every direction, as far as their ships could take them. From the great Lords of Solum to the Old Houses of the Lost Eras, all served the Imperium no matter how far they were from its ruler."


    "Every fifteen years their offerings and contributions would arrive one by one, treasures that no mortal being had ever seen before would be presented to the Immortal Emperor as gifts. As much as I hate to admit it, this was a great time for the people of the Empire. An era of peace that they had never known."


    Jin Wang listened intently and the more he heard the more confusing it became. There is no way he would not have known of a ce like this, no matter what age it existed in.


    Because in the greater worlds everything was quite segmented, it had to be. True power belonged only to the strong and the weak were nothing more than ves. That had always been the case.


    But to say there so many different races lived together in harmony, that had never been seen before.


    Jin Wang let out a deep sigh.


    ''I would have never thought you had such a secret old friend. No wonder you fought so hard to protect it.''


    But then he looked over Mr. Hyde with even more confusion.


    "What is your rtion to him? To the Emperor?"


    Mr. Hyde chuckled because he had been waiting for such a question. He turned to face the center of the room, pointing at one of the chairs at the foot of the table.


    "I was one of thirty-one individuals that were granted the title of ''Holy Son'', a child of the Imperium that was trained since birth to be one of the many hands of the great Immortal Emperor. So technically, I was his son?" he finished with a dazzling smile while looking Jin Wang in the eye.<sub> </sub>


    Inwardly Jin Wang was speechless, he had thought Mr. Hyde to be nothing more than a parasitic worm that had crawled its way into Hao Xuan''s mind pce but that was obviously not the case.


    "Can you...prove that?"


    "That I''m his son? Hahaha, is there even a need?" he muttered amusingly but the moment he stopped speaking the scene changed slightly.


    Each of the seats now held a blurry figure. Their words could not be made out but it was obvious from their actions that there was a very heated discussion going on since they mmed their fists on the table and pointed at each other threateningly.


    Mr. Hyde pointed his winess towards the head of the table where a figure sat in silence watching everything unfold.


    "There, is that the same man you know as the Emperor?"


    Jin Wang followed his line of sight and even though he couldn''t make out any details, one superficial nce was enough for him to identify the individual.


    It was indeed the Emperor, the same man had called a friend for countless ages. But he didn''t want to admit it at this moment. He didn''t like where this was going.


    "What happened to it? To this great empire? What changed?"


    The figures became even more blurry before slowly the hall returned to its former quiet self.


    Mr. Hyde walked to the foot of the table and sat at the second to thest chair.


    "The Empire was built on a bed of lies. The people kept from the dark reality of its existence and when the truth finally came out everything started to fall apart from the inside out. Rebellion, insurrection, and the mes of war that were always pointed outwards began to sprout within the inner courts."


    "Our worlds started to dry. The skies began to burn until nothing made sense. The very reality changed in a fortnight. We couldn''t tell up from down. gues and diseases the likes of which we had never heard of wiped off entire regions of space. And those that remained were forever changed."

 Chapter 1167 Folly

    *Read Authors notes*


    _____________


    Jin Wang couldn''t help but interject when the opportunity presented, "Changed...how?"


    "Physically, mentally, in whichever way you can imagine," Mr. Hyde shook his head dejectedly. It was obvious the events he was speaking of weighed heavy on his heart.


    "At first we thought it was a never seen before alien pathogen but as time went on things got worse and worse. Entire regions of space began to disappear into the darkness. Often times hundreds or thousands ofs would just vanish into the ether as if they were never there."


    "And then, when we least expected them, they came," he looked up to meet Jin Wang''s gaze, his expression turning ugly, "Demons you call them. Beings from another realm much different from ours. They began appearing one at a time."


    "At first there were mere whispers of something otherworldly but soon they showed themselves en masse. Countless armies would materialize out of nothingness. One day they would be in one sector and the next a million miles away."


    "We had never fought an enemy like them before. They could corrupt the minds of even the most seasoned warriors, turning them against their own battle brothers. They corrupted and destroyed everything they touched, reaping souls by the-fold."


    "They were a curse cast upon the Empire because of its evil deeds. You see, we called them to us. Our own greed and neverending appetite for war caught their attention and in a matter of decades the Empire fell apart."


    His hateful gaze shifted towards the head of the table, "And where was the Emperor, our father, during all this? When the Empire needed him the most, when WE needed him the most he was nowhere in sight. When my brothers and I were fighting for our lives, for the lives of our soldiers and loyal citizens he was locked away in some faraway ce, away from all the brutality that his own actions had caused."


    "And it was then, when we were at our lowest, did ''he'' reach out to us, when not even our father was willing to help, ''he'' did."


    Hydeughed upon meeting Jin Wang''s questioning gaze and answered before he could even ask, "Maym??n."


    The light suddenly dimmed at the same time as Jin Wang''s appalled expression. He turned to look at the window but only saw four pairs of beastly eyes looking at him. They were so big that he couldn''t tell where they ended the sky began.


    He could feel them looking right at him. This was not a memory, that monstrous gaze truly was fixated on him.


    But before it could do anything the scene was forcefully shifted back.


    Jin Wang stepped back in a mixture of confusion and anger, disturbed at the mere thought of it.


    "What...have you done?! You made a deal...with HIM?!!" he screamed.


    But Mr. Hyde was unperturbed.


    "We did what we had to. We needed the power to fight against the neverending armies of hell, the kind of power our great father was incapable of providing. So we looked elsewhere," he replied with the kind of calmness that was quite unsuitable for the current topic of discussion, as it was obvious by Jin Wang''s reaction.


    Nostrils ring and teeth grinding in unmatched fury, Jin Wang could barely hold himself back.<sub> </sub>


    "You FOOLS! HE is a demon, a DEMON LORD! One so ancient that there are mentions of his existence since the time of the Old Ones! How could you-"


    "Because he told us the truth!" Hyde rebuked, silencing Jin Wang at once.


    "He never lied to us. He didn''t keep things from us. He told us the truth of our existence, of our very nature. And in doing so he freed us from the clutches of our father."


    The room fell silent. Mr. Hyde had said all he needed to say and Jin Wang had no words to describe what he was feeling.


    He brought his hands to his eyes, rubbing them with some hope that maybe this was a bad dream but...s.


    "How can you...possibly put your trust in a demon lord? Do you truly not see the folly of your actions? Are you so blind by hate for your father that you would do something so inconceivably IDIOTIC!"


    When he brought down his hands the surroundings had changed once again.


    Now he was standing in an old room. In front of him was the same pedestal from before with the stone disk still attached to it.


    There was a weak humming noiseing from the right side which quickly got his attention.


    ***


    Author''s notes:-


    As I''m sure many of you have already noticed but for those that haven''t, I try my best to write from the point of view of each character.


    The events, whatever they may be, will be described one way for one character and another for someone else.


    For example, if Henrik or Princess Ceni are looking around a room they might see things differently from what someone like Hao Xuan will see because of his abilities.


    I.e, two people can look at the same thing and understand it differently.


    This stands true for the series of events most importantly. Meaning what you have read in thesest few chapters is what Mr. Hyde perceives to be the truth, if he is indeed telling the truth at all.


    Later on you mighte across another point of view and see thingspletely differently.


    It is up to you as the reader to draw your own conclusion and believe who YOU want to believe.

 Chapter 1168 Albus And Tragon

    It wasing from a 3-meter-long pure white shard of light that was hovering in the middle of a giant ss cylinder attached to some kind of a strange machine.


    Jin Wang stepped closer to inspect it and after a few seconds, he was able to see the true source of the white light. It wasing from a prismatic crystal that was perfectly symmetrical with twelve sides.


    The crystal was pulsating with bursts of white light every two seconds and was the source of the humming noise.


    The machine it was attached to took up most of the space in this room. ck pipes connected to gold tubes which in turn joined with various pumps and siphoning apparatus to make a veryplicated and messy scene.


    These pipes and tubes were spread out around the entire room which didn''t seem to have an exit to speak of. They wereing out of the walls almost like a venttor, pumping whatever kind of light that was being emitted by the crystal into the room itself.


    On the ground in front of the cylinder was a 1.5-meter-wide circle carved out of the same kind of ss.


    Jin Wang had yet to examine each and every little detail when a voice from behind interrupted his thoughts.


    "What is this ce?"


    He looked back to see Mr. Hyde standing not too far from him. His gaze quickly shifted over to the stone pedestal that still held the disk in its center.


    "How did you get out?" Jin Wang asked cautiously, ready to attack at a moment''s notice.


    But Mr. Hyde was just as confused as him and could only shrug in response while looking at his hands.


    "It feels strange in here," he mumbled under his breath.


    Jin Wang approached Mr. Hyde and tried to touch his shoulder but his hand went through the ethereal form as if it was made from concentrated air particles.


    "A soul projection!? But how is it possible that you could physically manifest without a conduit or a physical tether?"


    His brow was locked in a tight furrow.


    ''Surely he hasn''t reached such a realm of cultivation that he wouldn''t even need those things? Only True Gods that belong to one of the first pantheons would be capable of something of this caliber...unless the conduit is here?''


    Both Jin Wang and Mr. Hyde came to the same conclusion at almost the same time and turned towards the white crystal.


    "It has to be that crystal!" Hyde eximed in his excitement.


    But Jin Wang was much more educated in the studies of extra-ner soul projections than he. Mr. Hyde was existing outside of the stone disk which was specially made to hold him. Without a physical body to hold him down or an energy source to power this out-of-body experience it was next to impossible for this to be achievable.<sub> </sub>


    "It can''t be," he rebutted, "Even if it was made of pure spiritual energy it would not be possible to still exist within our universe and allow twopletely different forms of matter to co-exist in the same space. The entire ce would implode unless-" Jin Wang suddenly paused, afraid to even think along those lines.


    But Mr. Hyde needed answers so he urged him, "Unless what?!"


    "Unless...we are not in our universe anymore and...the samews do not apply here."


    *p*p*p*


    "Very impressive, just as father said," a third voice joined their conversation forcing both of them to put up their guards.


    They turned towards the source and saw a figure standing on the 1.5-meter-wide ss te.


    It was a young man in histe twenties or early thirties. Short blond hair, eyes so sharp that they could cut into a person''s soul, and a smile so sweet that would make them forgive him right after.


    He was tall and well-built with sturdy muscles all over. And anyone could tell at first nce that they were not for decoration. He was wearing a simple white shirt and ck pants, almost as if he was lounging in his house just before.


    Jin Wang had never seen him before but Mr. Hyde could barely believe what he was seeing.


    "Albus?! B-Brother is that really you!?" he stutteringly whispered with a quivering voice.


    Albus smiled even more brightly upon meeting his brother''s gaze.


    "Tragon, it has been a while, hasn''t it? How are you, little brother?"


    There were tears in Mr. Hyde''s eyes as he slowly walked towards him.


    "I...how could this be?! I saw you...I was there when they brought back your body," and then suddenly his expression turned vicious as he lunged towards him.


    "YOU DARE USE HIM AGAINST ME?!"


    The room began to shake as Mr. Hyde''s form began to change.


    But the crystal shone bright enough that its light covered everything within the room. And by the time it receded Mr. Hyde was on the floor.

 Chapter 1169 Kronos

    Hyde was slumped on the ground and his ethereal form was beginning to dissipate.


    Albus quickly made some hand gestures that somehow quelled the crystal''s light tearing Hyde apart from the seams.


    "Brother you mustn''t forcefully use any of your abilities here. The room will attack you if it senses anything out of ce," he warned, both Hyde and Jin Wang.


    He tried to extend Hyde a helping hand but the moment it reached the outer boundary of the ss te a barrier stopped him.


    Ashen-faced, Hyde looked up at Albus with nothing but pure hatred spewing from his eyes.


    "I don''t know...who you are...but mine will be thest face you see before I rip you limb from limb, for daring to use my brother against me."


    But unlike what he expected Albus''s expression only turned more sorrowful.


    "What happened to you Tragon? How could there be so much resentment in you? You are not the brother I remember."


    Hyde''s anger knew no bounds at this moment. He wanted nothing more than to undo the seals holding his true form at bay and destroy this ce but that needed to be saved for the Emperor.


    Jin Wang took the opportunity to quickly interject before things got any heavier.


    "I''m sorry but could you please exin what is going on? Are you really this one''s brother?"


    "I am-"


    "HE''S NOT!" Hyde screamed, "Albus...my brother died at the beginning of the 31st Millennium, ten thousand years ago. This thing is not him!" he said ring at him.


    And his response actually left Ablus speechless for a little while. He spoke up after a few seconds with some more understanding of the situation, "I guess...it worked then."


    Jin Wang stepped closer before Hyde could interrupt him again and stood in between them, "What did?"


    Albus gestured towards the machines decorating the borders of the room, "Them."


    "How so? What were they supposed to do?"


    "They connect the room to the crystal, borrowing a small fraction of its infinite power to create a singr point out of time."


    Jin Wang immediately understood what he was trying to say but that was not possible even in theory. One could not simply step "out of time" as one wished, not when there were deities and powerful entities keeping an eye on it.


    "What is the name of this crystal?"<sub> </sub>


    "I''m not sure if it even had one but...father said he stole it from a ce that has been wiped out of history. From the temple of Kronos."


    Jin Wang couldn''t maintain hisposure even if he remembered to. Still, he tried to sound indifferent despite him barely being able to hold himself back.


    "K-Kronos you say? That crystal?"


    "Yes," Albus nodded as a matter of factly as if this was the most normal thing.


    "It seems this is not the first time you have heard that name," he quickly followed up and Jin Wang couldn''t help butugh helplessly in return.


    "Ha...haha...you can say that...I guess. It was a little before my time though."


    If it was anyone else saying this he would have walked out of this ce in a heartbeat. But the fact that Albus was the Emperor''s son made the whole thing much more real than it had any right to be.


    ''I guess now I know where you got the gift you gave me during ourst meeting. To think you had stolen something so important from the likes of the Olympians. Just how far did you go to make this possible?''


    But given the Emperor''s history, that crystal could very well be real. And if it held even an iota of the Titan Kronos'' actual power then...it could be possible.


    Albus answered all of Jin Wang''s questions while Hyde sat silently in the back and listened.


    Jin Wang rubbed his forehead trying to put everything into the right order.


    "So let me get this straight. The Emperor stole this crystal and brought it to you because you had a unique physique that could not only withstand its power but also control it to an extent."


    "Then you ventured into the depths of the Abyss with the help of some of your other brothers where you found a ce that was suitable to cultivate it, away from the reach of any of the other gods."


    "And this room is what became of it, the final result of centuries of hard work."


    Albus nodded for what was probably the hundredth time, "Yes."


    "And this is actually your first time using this machine?"


    "That is true. Currently, it is the end of the 30th millennium in our world. If what Tragon says is correct, I am talking to you more than ten thousand years in the future."


    Suffice to say it was not easy for either Jin Wang or Hyde to digest this information so easily.

 Chapter 1170 Kinship

    Jin Wang looked around the room racking his brain trying to find something that could prove Albus wrong but it all added up, at least in theory.


    Hyde, still as skeptical as ever, scoffed after a brief moment, "Does this ce look like it has been around for ten thousand years? It looks like these things were thrown together just a few hours ago."


    Albus shook his head, groaning inwardly at his brother''s ignorance. But before he could exin Jin Wang spoke up.


    "If what he says is correct then it doesn''t matter. This ce would exist out of time. It could be both the oldest or the newest structure to currently exist. Time has no real meaning here or rather, it would have as much meaning as you would be willing to give it."


    Hyde could only scowl in response, "Then how is he talking to us? If time doesn''t exist then that means there is only one iteration of this ce in all of the past, present, and future. Everything would be happening all at once and we should be seeing him standing in front of us in reality."


    To this, even Jin Wang did not have an answer. He looked to Albus who was more than willing to exin.


    "You are correct. That''s why once a subject leaves the room the room, it automatically moves to a different time and ce in history. I can try and exin in a bit more depth but I fear it would be quite technical."


    He didn''t say for whom but everyone understood that he was referring to Hyde.


    Jin Wang nodded along, putting two and two together inwardly but he still couldn''t believe Albus outright. So he turned to the devil he knew.


    "What is your history with this brother of yours?"


    Hyde almost spat in his face, "He is NOT my brother!"


    "Alright, not him, with the Albus that you knew. What happened? Were you two particrly close? There were thirty-one of you so there must have been some disagreements. Tell me a bit about what it was like."


    Expectantly, Jin Wang''s questions actually calmed Hyde quite a bit as he dove head-first into his memories.


    "It was like any other family for the most part, despite our differences. We weren''t rted by blood or cause, in fact, each one of us came from a different section of the gxy. Some only met father when they were fully grown adults while others like me were brought in at a much younger age."


    "We had different backgrounds and upbringings so the only thing that really kept us together were our titles and responsibilities that came with them."<sub> </sub>


    He paused for a moment before looking towards Albus who chose to only listen in silence.


    "He was the second."


    "Second what?" Jin Wang questioned.


    "The second of the Holy Sons. The Second in our ranks, the second one to be found and brought in. To many of us, he was the closest thing we had to a real family."


    "The Emperor was cold and ruthless, constantly pushing us towards the tipping point, trying to pin us against one another, trying to find our weaknesses. To him, we were nothing more than tools created for the sole purpose of serving the Empire."


    "But Albus saw us as actual individuals. Where most others either worshipped us like gods or feared us like the devil, he treated us like people."


    "Despite being the most loved by both the people of the Imperium and father himself, not a single of us held any enmity towards him. Because he was our home away from home," Hyde finished with a despondent smile recalling the time they had spent together.


    Jin Wang was a little resultant but he needed to know more.


    "You said he died. When and how?"


    Hyde''s expression worsened. He stood up with some effort, refusing to break eye contact with the "Imposter".


    "We each had our own territories to govern which were spread out around the gxy and because of that, it was exceptionally rare for all of us to meet in person. Outside of emergencies, the only time we got together was at the start of a new millennium."


    "A great parade was thrown once every thousand years on Solum thatsted for fourteen days and nights. It was the start of the 31st Millennium but I still remember it like it was yesterday because after that nothing was ever the same. I madendfall two days before the parade and heard the news, Albus was dead."


    "At first none of us brothers believed it, thinking it to be a sick joke or a trick because we knew the truth that not many others did. Despite being known as the kindest and wisest of us all, none of us could best him in singlebat."


    "But then his Legion''s gship arrived at the spaceports and we saw it for ourselves. A single wound on his chest, he was stabbed through the heart."

 Chapter 1171 Always Read

    "There were no signs of struggle, none that he even tried to put up a fight. His body justy there with that same old smile we all remembered. Can you believe it? He was smiling even on his deathbed!"


    Jin Wang stole a nce at Albus and he seemed unnaturally calm about hearing of his demise.


    ''Maybe he really is an imposter.''


    Hyde was about to continue but Jin Wang stopped him.


    "That''s enough. Since you knew him so well there should be a lot of things that only you two would know, correct? Nothing too special, the more ordinary the better, something you wouldn''t ever mention to anyone else. Ask him and if he knows the answer then we have no choice but to believe him."


    Hyde obviously didn''t like the way Jin Wang was talking to him but at this moment it didn''t matter. He also wanted to know the truth.


    It took him a moment toe up with a question but his eyes lit up the moment it came to him.


    "My name. The name father gave me, I rarely ever used it, why?"


    Albus instantly smiled when he heard the question, for more than one reason.


    "You always did like to y tricks on me ever since you were a child."


    Hyde''s fist clenched in fury. To him he was nothing more than a stranger trying to use his brother against him. And seeing him about to pop off Jin Wang quickly stepped in once again, "Please answer the question if you don''t mind. It would really help push things along."


    Albus nodded with a deep sigh before meeting Hyde''s gaze.


    "You used the name all the time, at least with us. And from what I can remember you never told anyone to call you by anything else either but I remember how much it bothered you."


    He then looked over at Jin Wang, "He was always a hothead but whenever something really bothered him he kept it bottled up inside. The name ''Tragon'' meant ''greedy'' in the primarynguage that was used throughout the empire. He always thought father named him that because he was greedy as a child but that''s not true."


    Even though Hyde wasn''t even looking at him anymore Albus still talked to him like in the past.


    "Thenguage on Solum evolved as time went on and became simpler, sometimes seeing significant change when other worlds and cultures were brought into the mix but both father and I are still schrs of the old ways."<sub> </sub>


    "I asked Father the same thing when he gave you that name, I was there. I was concerned about how it would look but he told me that in the oldnguage it meant somethingpletely different. Do you want to know?"


    He craned his neck to the side to try and meet Hyde''s gaze but he turned awaypletely.


    "It''s fine, I''ll tell you anyway. Back when Solum was just a bowl of dirt ravaged by war on all sides, there was a time that no greenery grew on its surface for several decades. The first nt that was able to adapt to this environment and bloom in the harshest of ces was called Tragon."


    "Once a month it would give birth to a very small purple flower that bloomed with the first light. I have heard that father loved its scent more than anything else but unfortunately, it went extinct soon after. The name, however, remained. Father coined it himself and it meant ''First light of the Sun'' back then. I never told you this myself but-"


    "HAHAHAHAHA," Hyde burst outughing.


    "What a load of SHIT! Now you''re just making up things that can''t be proved either way just to appeal to my emotions? Do you really think I''m stupid enough t-"


    "Would you let me finish?" Albus red at him which immediately silenced Hyde.


    "The birthday present I gave you when you turned ten. It was a book, ''History of the Empire''. On its secondst page was a drawing of a small purple flower with a note detailing its origins, and the true etymology of its name. It became a running joke between us but do you remember what I asked you every time we met on your birthday?"


    His words rang like thunder in Hyde''s ears who absentmindedly repeated them out loud.


    "Did...you finish the book yet?"


    Albus only gave a silent nod in return.


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    This went on for a bit longer than I expected but it was a very important moment that will have a significant effect much MUCHter on in the story, both this one and some of the sequels. Because of the ''time travel'' troupe I have a lot of new things to try before the conclusion.

 Chapter 1172 Pasts

    Even though all the proof he needed was staring him in the face, Hyde still couldn''t believe it entirely. Or rather, he couldn''t allow himself to believe it.


    He had already forsaken everything and everyone by choosing to stand against the Emperor anding here but it all started because of the death of the ''Jewel of the Empire'', Albus.


    Being faced with Hyde''s silence even now, Albus called out to him.


    "Do you still think me to be a liar, brother?"


    It seemed to really matter to him what Hyde thought.


    "I...don''t know what to think anymore. I don''t care. Nothing that happens here will change what I am going to do, what I HAVE to do!"


    Albus had no choice but to ept Hyde''s decision.


    "It seems a lot will change after I am gone, and not for the best."


    "How far away is that parade he was talking about?" Jin Wang took the opportunity to inquire quickly.


    "Three weeks'' time."


    Jin Wang couldn''t help but frown at the idea, "So sometime within the next 3 weeks you will be attacked. You should take extra care these few days."


    Albus shook his head nonchntly, "Praesul, our oldest brother ising to pick me up personally in just a few hours. I will return to Solum with him. With both of us together I doubt anything will happe-"


    "That''s not possible!" Hyde immediately interjected, "Praesul was- IS halfway across the gxy cleaning up resurgents near the frontier. He will arrive eventer than you."


    "I think I know who I talked to, brother. Praesul said he needed to speak to me about something in person and is making the journey in secret."


    Jin Wang''s eyebrow raised upon seeing Hyde''s bbergasted expression.


    "What? That''s not how you remember it?"


    "No. Praesul never said anything about it. He arrived on his private ship after everyone else."


    Jin Wang took in a deep breath to collect his thoughts. In his eyes, it was pretty obvious what was going on but these two brothers were so close to it that they couldn''t even see the truth that was right in front of them.


    ''Or maybe they don''t want to see it.''


    Still, he needed to point out the obvious.


    "This ''Praesul'' person, is he...trustworthy?"


    "Yes!"


    "Of course!"


    They replied simultaneously.<sub> </sub>


    "Enough to trust with your lives, and the future of the entire Imperium?"


    They hesitated for a bit but eventually, Hyde spoke up, "Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. No one took his death harder than Praesul. He was like apletely different man. So much so in fact, that he even talked back to father in open court..."


    And while Hyde was saying everything he could think of to disprove him, Jin Wang''s eyes were locked on Albus. He could tell just with one look that Albus had put two and two together, however unlikely it appeared to be.


    He couldn''t deny it any further.


    "If the past has not changed then there is only one exnation for all this."


    Albus met Jin Wang''s gaze, more distraught than ever.


    "Please don''t-" he whispered but Jin Wang wasn''t going to sit idly by and let these fools continue.


    "Your oldest brother has already betrayed you. He will most likely ask you to join him, and you will decline. The killing blow wille from his own de. Then he will use your death to turn the others against the Emperor, furthering his own cause."


    Having already lived through it Hyde was seething at the mere thought of the idea.


    "How dare you?! You know nothing of our world! Praesul did what he had to, father had already let things get too far."


    Jin Wang smirked, "So it was indeed him who started your rebellion?"


    "Of course not! We only wanted to talk to father, for him to listen to us for once."


    "Aha, so you had no choice then. He didn''t give you the power so you had to take it from him."


    "You''re damn right we did, we DESERVED it!" Hyde growled, finally breaking free of the mask of illusion that had been keeping him from the truth.


    Jin Wang looked towards Albus, both of them recognizing the true reality of their predicament but unable to change it.


    "Praesul will be here soon. I must take my leave now," he turned to leave, "Bring him here when it''s time, the one who opened the door. Father will be waiting for him...and you brother."


    Before Hyde had the chance to say anything the light flickered and Albus was gone just like that.


    Jin Wang walked towards Hyde who was shocked into silence.


    "What do you remember of his death now? Has your memory changed?"


    He nodded weakly, "Stabbed through the back...twice."


    ''But still dead. One cannot overturn fate so easily.''


    "I will allow you to stay here for the time being. The moment you leave this ce your memories will be overwritten and you will not remember it any other way. Only in this room can you remember both of the pasts."

 Chapter 1173 One Of Two

    By the time Hao Xuan reached Argham the changes were already visible. The light of the cross was covering everything and everyone in sight. It was like an all-seeing eye shining its light onto these mortals that could not bear to look away.


    Hao Xuan stood atop one of the taller buildings and saw its effects reflected in the faces of these people. The younger children were almost in a trance unable to peel their gaze away.


    The older generation was much more conscious of what was happening around them but even still they were not unaffected. Hao Xuan raised his arm in front of his face and noticed how his hair stood straight up.


    There was bloodlust in the air.


    The mortals were suffocating under its pressure. Even when not directly looking at the cross it still rested heavily on their hearts, instilling a sense of fear that they had not known since the days of old.


    Hao Xuan could feel this better than most and understood its origin. It was the power of a God.


    Just by its mere presence it could alter the world around it even in this state.


    "Just how many people did he kill to make that? And it''s still notplete?" Hao Xuan wondered.


    He had seen divine artifacts before but none as potent as this. It wasn''t even activated yet and still, it had put an entire city of hundreds of thousands under its hold.


    The sound of billowing came from his right followed by a dark figurending hastily next to him.


    Hao Xuan looked over and saw udia jumping off a pair of ravens just before they turned into smoke and disappeared.


    "Master! I couldn''t find you anywhere!" she said trying to sound calm but Hao Xuan could hear her heartbeat thumping like a drum.


    "I''m sorry to leave without saying anything. Jin Wang is a friend, he would never do anything to hurt me."


    "Good...that''s good."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but steal a nce at her. He usually didn''t feel toofortable with people but there was an air of intimacy about her as if they were both going through the same hardships. (Reminder, her reference image is posted in discord)


    udia noticed Hao Xuan looking at her from the corner of her eye and blushed. She looked up at the cross, "I have never felt this kind of power before. I-It feels pervasive like there is nothing I can hide from it," she mumbled in a bid not to make things too awkward, making it awkward.


    Hao Xuan looked away realizing it was quite rude of him to openly stare.


    "Mhm. It''s the power of a god. There is a divine spark within it that will be absorbed by its owner when he is ready to ascend to Godhood."<sub> </sub>


    udia couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow at that little nugget of information.


    "You speak as if you have seen it before."


    "I have," he acknowledged, "I saw the birth of many a gods in another lifetime."


    "What does it mean? Should we not try to destroy it? It can''t be good."


    Hao Xuan chuckled at the suggestion.


    "He would not have sent it here if there was even a chance that it could be toyed with. If I had to guess, that cross is just one of two. Unless both of them are destroyed simultaneously it will be next to impossible to do anything. Not to mention the power that it holds is already too strong-"


    He suddenly froze mid-sentence upon sensing a pair of eyes on his back. He looked back but there was no one there, and yet the feeling of being watched was undeniable.


    "Dai Zhi! He is nearby!"


    He could feel his presence. It felt like a ball of fire was rummaging around the back of Hao Xuan''s mind.


    ''He is calling to me!''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes to release all his spiritual sense, letting his mind wander freely through the air.


    A portion of his soul was pulled out of his body as it floated over vast stretches ofnd before arriving at the intended destination, a destination that even he did not know of.


    He saw Dai Zhi standing alone on a small hill within the dark forest. He was surrounded by trees on all sides but what caught his eye were the numerous muscr figures slowly moving towards him through the shadows.


    ''The barbarians! What are they doing?!''


    And just as that thought crossed his mind Dai Zhi looked straight up at Hao Xuan.


    His lips curled into a knowing smile, "Even with the World Spirit helping you there is nowhere you can hide anymore. Isn''t it time we met, just the two of us? I believe there is something we need to talk about."

 Chapter 1174 Night-Mare

    The moment Dai Zhi finished speaking Hao Xuan was pushed out of that state and back into his body.


    "-ster! Master can you hear me?!"


    When he came to udia was standing in front of him nervously yelling at his face.


    "I''m here, calm down," he muttered taking a step back.


    "Your eyes had turned white and I couldn''t feel your presence at all! Are you okay?"


    "Yeah yeah, I''m fine, it''s not the first time this has happened," he whispered thest part to himself while looking around.


    Thest time he had this out-of-body experience was when he was opening a portal back to this world.


    ''So it was the world spirit''s doing...''


    Dai Zhi had confirmed it for him just now, along with one other thing.


    ''And it''s protecting me? Why?'' but as much as he wanted to mull over that question further, he needed to get moving right now, ''Damnit, I don''t have time for this, those idiots are trying to attack him!''


    "I need to go meet the owner of that cross. Stay here till Ie back," Hao Xuan threw out the words before jumping down.


    "BUT WHAT IF ITS A TRAP?!" udia shouted from the rooftop.


    Hao Xuan paused momentarily but couldn''te up with a better exnation.


    "Then I need to spring it and see what he wants!"


    ''The World Spirit wouldn''t have shown him to me without a reason. And he really dide alone from what I could tell so even if he tries something I am confident in my ability to at least escape in one piece.''


    He pushed against the ground with a lot more force this time and shot up into the sky disappearing southward.


    Hao Xuan''s words echoed in her ears but she couldn''t hold herself back for long as the uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.


    "I need to go after him. Something doesn''t feel right!"


    But she had only taken a single step forward before her body froze. Her shadow dimmed for a moment before darkening by several shades as numerous pairs of eyes opened within it.


    Two such pairs were brighter than all the rest and muchrger, burning with blood-red mes.<sub> </sub>


    She forcefully turned her head just enough to peer into them as waves upon waves of unintelligible whispers washed over her shaky figure.


    "THE MOMENT IS NIGH! DO NOT INTERVENE!" they repeated over and over again in a hundred different voices and just as manynguages, crashing against the ocean of her mind.


    Her eyes began to unfocus and roll back into her head. Within seconds she was left a slobbering mess and only then did the whispers stop and allowed her to fall to the floor.


    "I''m sorry...I''m sorry I won''t do it again, I''m sorry...please...forgive me..." she repeated in a haze of absolute fear, panic, and confusion.


    With some effort udia managed to drag her body to the edge of the rooftop but the shadow remained rooted to the spot staring at her.


    "Please forgive me...no more...please..."


    She tried to close off her ears but these voices were not something that could be so easily kept at bay.


    Even her body had undergone severe changes which she noticed only after seeing her hands. Her youthfulness was reced by a waning and decrepit form.


    "No!" she screamed in a panic, "I will do it! Please! I swear I will set you free! Don''t take it from me!"


    The rooftop began to sizzle and melt as hoof prints began to appear in session leading towards udia. They stopped right in front of her.


    udia was frozen stiff in fear to the point that she couldn''t even breathe. Her eyes swiveled left and right but there was nothing to see. And then, out of nowhere, a searing hot gust of wind brushed past her face.


    Her skin immediately melted and what was left of her hair was burned off entirely revealing the white bone of the skull underneath.


    She wanted to cry and scream at the top of her lungs but the pain was overshadowed by a sense of impending doom.


    One breath from this demon was enough to do this to her so she couldn''t even think what it would do if it really wanted to hurt her.


    "Soon...I promise," she muttered softly with a fair bit of effort.


    Upon sensing the air shift in front of her udia closed her eyes out of instinct not wanting to see how it ended.


    But a moment passed and nothing happened so she slowly opened them again and found herself standing in the same spot she was at the start.


    She was absolutely drenched from head to toe in a cold sweat, along with numerous other bodily fluids.


    "Ha....haha...a nightmare...just like your name...I''m sorry I didn''t mean to offend you. I will do whatever it takes to bind you to him."

 Chapter 1175 Nostalgia

    The eyes began to close one by one until there was nothing but darkness left and only then did she regain full control of her body.


    Like a puppet with its string cut off, udia fell to the floor wheezing and crying. Only after a few seconds of silent sobbing did she have enough mental faculties to check on her condition.


    There was not a scratch on her body but she was well and truly broken from the inside out. Not to mention dealing with the old witch''s wrath but even the demon that had followed her back wasn''t going to leave her alone until she did what it had asked of her.


    It was bound to the Abyss and needed an extremely powerful ally to allow it to return to the material realms. And it had found that ally in none other than Hao Xuan himself.


    At first she thought the old witch might intervene at some point but it didn''t look like that was going to happen. She couldn''t care less in fact, even allowing the demon to torture udia without reservation.


    ***


    Hao Xuannded some 130 meters outside of Argham where no one else could see him. He made a grasping motion a round y token appeared in the palm of his hand. With a wisp of Qi, the insignia on its surface came alive and disappeared right as a figure materialized next to him.


    *Neeeigh!* x2


    More than half a meter taller than Hao Xuan himself, the two heads bobbed up and down while its six muscle-bound legs clobbered the ground underneath into a mushy paste. (CH 532 for reference)


    "I know I know, it has been too long. But I didn''t forget about you," he lied through his teeth as a rare smile adorned Hao Xuan''s face.


    He reached out to brush Grey''s mane.


    "I''m sorry to have kept you locked up for so long."


    Grey neighed loudly and wildly a couple more times before suddenly going silent. His ck eyes perfectly reflected Hao Xuan''s image like a mirror as he inspected him up and down before slowly taking a step back.


    Hao Xuan could feel the reluctance in his gaze. It was not much different from when they had met for the very first time.


    "What, even you don''t recognize me anymore?"<sub> </sub>


    He kept smiling but there was a sea of emotions behind those few words.


    But not a momentter both of Grey''s heads bobbed repeatedly in tion before gently bumping against Hao Xuan''s chest and hugging him as if to say "of course not".


    Grey was just a beast he had picked up along the way without much thought but it would be a lie if Hao Xuan didn''t admit that he had made a personal connection with him without much effort.


    Maybe that was just in his head or maybe it was a way for him to remember Joey and the life he could have had back in the beast world.


    "I really have been away for too long. I wonder how everyone is doing?"


    All of a sudden an immense feeling of nostalgia hit him like a truck. The Mei Kingdom, despite all its problems, was like a second home to him. The more time passed and things became... plicated", the more he longed for the simpler times.


    "Soon we''ll go back. You will see, it is a wonderful ce. There is so much to do and see. You can run for days and months and never run out ofnd. You will love it there," he whispered.


    But Grey had never been in there in the first ce so how could he? He was born and raised in captivity, the only freedom he knew was what Hao Xuan had given him and even though they didn''t understand each other perfectly, Grey was still immensely grateful to him.


    Hao Xuan jumped on his back before pointing in the direction he had seen Dai Zhi, "Straight there. It''s a fair bit away so don''t hold back."


    He had to hold on to the mane for support because of the imbnce created by his decrepit right arm but when Grey started moving and the surroundings turned into a blur, everything became much easier.


    Within seconds Grey''s figure was nothing more than a passing shadow as he soundlessly traversed tens of kilometers with every movement. A wind barrier was erected around him thatpletely separated them from the outside world but it couldn''t stop the bitterness from spreading.


    ''Why do I feel like I''ve abandoned them altogether? I promise I will go back and see everyone again,'' he told himself but that was not in his power anymore.


    If he truly wanted things his way, Hao Xuan would have to make certain choices that would follow him for the rest of his life.


    He was soon brought out of the stupor when the surroundings started to be clear again. They had already arrived at the destination.

 Chapter 1176 Quaint

    Hao Xuan checked the time; more than 15 minutes had already passed. He jumped off Grey andnded awkwardly on the mushy forest floor. His body felt heavier and the movements dull.


    "The gravity is almost double here," he swiftly realized, "But it doesn''t look like it''s a Law, it feels much more natural."


    Patting Grey on the back somewhat absentmindedly, he stepped closer to a nearby tree which was much chunkier and shorter than the ones found near Argham.


    The leaves on this one were much thicker and smaller but perhaps the most surprising part was that they were luminescent. Each tree was either blue, orange, or light green and its light was strong enough to illuminate several meters ofnd around it. It looked like something out of a fairy tale.


    The nt life had obviously adapted to the higher force of gravity which proved him right.


    ''I have never seen a where gravity naturally shifted by such arge margin.''


    *Rustle*


    His ears perked up when something moved just a few meters ahead.


    "Stay here," he whispered to Grey before slowly moving toward the source of the sound.


    He swayed gently left and right without even conscious thought, cutting in between the small spaces to silently appear on the bank of a water stream.


    Gusts of cold wind blew across from the other side, bringing a strong smell of blood along with them.


    Some 400 meters away from Hao Xuan''s exact position was a hill, the same hill he had seen before.


    Only the area around it was much different. Everything within that 400-meter radius had been cleared out. The trees were smashed into the ground to the point where it was impossible to tell where one began and the other ended.


    But what grabbed Hao Xuan''s attention was the lone figure standing heroically on the hill in the exact same posture. He was surrounded by countless barbarians on all sides. These pseudo-giant''s that would stand out anywhere else because of their massive physiques were kneeling on the ground like dogs, all three hundred of them.


    At first nce it looked like a scene from some kind of a generic movie where some viinous savages were trying to attack the handsome protagonist but...that was far from the truth.


    The barbarians were bleeding from almost every orifice and it looked like even their bodies were not in their control anymore. All they could do was wait and watch as blood slowly drained onto the ground before being pulled into the air and absorbed by the second half of the divine artifact that remained attached to his ear.


    With one superficial nce Hao Xuan instantly recognized several familiar faces within the kneeling crowd, namely Princess Na''im and Isak who were among the handful that were closest to Dai Zhi.


    The others appeared to be much older and stronger than them. If Hao Xuan had to guess their strength based on the aura of their physique alone then he would put them somewhere at the start of the Profound realm.<sub> </sub>


    Only one person, an older female barbarian next to Princess Na''im felt different than all the rest. Hao Xuan couldn''t pinpoint the extent of her power from such a distance and Dai Zhi also seemed to be focused on her for the most part.


    ''That must be the Chieftess, Burak (the barbarian prince who apanied Hao Xuan into the pyramid), and Princess Na''im''s mother.''


    Where almost everyone else was groaning and grunting in pain, she alone remained silent and expressionless. In fact, she seemed to be at peace for some strange reason while casually talking to Dai Zhi.


    Hao Xuan took a deep breath to focus his hearing so he could eavesdrop on their conversation.


    "There is no point in prolonging it any further. Kill us and be done with it," the Chieftess said.


    Dai Zhi had a rxed expression as if he was out on a walk in his personal garden.


    "You are very direct. Is that amon trait among your people? Is that why you tried to attack me by yourselves?"


    The Chieftess nodded, "Often times the best method is the simplest one."


    "But not this time?" Dai Zhi smiled mischievously.


    "No, not this time. But it was to be expected, if the one in charge of all this madness could be killed so easily then it would have been over a long time ago."


    "Why even bother then?"


    "Because there was no other choice," she answered inly but Dai Zhi''s eyes narrowed shrewdly.


    "Is that right? I thought it was because you wanted to dy me just enough so that I wouldn''t be able to catch up with the rest of your tribe. You know, the one''s running to that quaint little town called Argham."


    "!!!"


    The shocked expressions of almost every barbarian proved him right.


    "Don''t worry, after I''m done here I will go to them personally. If they have even a fraction of your blood energies then I will wee them with open arms, hahaha."

 Chapter 1177 "Take Me"

    "YOU ANIMAL! DO YOU HAVE NO DECENCY?!" this time it was Princess Na''im who spoke up, yelling as loudly as she possibly could.


    "Haha, would you show mercy to an animal when you are cold and hungry? No, you just take and take until you are full. What reason do I have to be honorable to creatures like you?" he sneered, "Hmph, enough of this. You will stay silent until the boyes," with a wave of his hand everyone other than the Chieftess fell to the ground with their faces buried in the mud.


    Hao Xuan quietly stepped back into the shadow of the forest and hid behind one of the trees. A deep frown decorated his visage.


    *Beep*


    "Foreign energies detected five meters NW of current location," Baracus warned.


    "I know, it has to be the territory of hisw. Everything within that ttened area is under his control."


    "Suggestion: Retreat. Too many unknown variables."


    "Tsk, I know that already," Hao Xuan waved his hand annoyingly, "Something doesn''t feel right, he is way too calm. He personally saw me kill Stasa and still dares to stand there alone, surrounded by enemies on all sides."


    "He has already shown the divine artifact so it can''t be that. Meaning he has another trick hidden up his leave, one that gives him enough confidence toe here by himself."


    *Beep*Beep*


    "Taking your current physical condition into ount, the chances of a victory are below 10%."


    "Mhm, that''s more than what I was expecting but...I have to still at least meet with him once. Everything about this is strange, him calling me out, the World Spirit leading me here, himing alone and putting himself at risk for no reason. There is something going on..."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t shake off the feeling that this was both a very important moment and a deadly one if he wasn''t careful.


    ''I guess there is only one thing to do then.''


    Closing his eyes Hao Xuan focused inwardly, letting his spiritual sense wander toward his brain where a flower pattern began to bloom.


    This time Baracus was ready.


    *Beep*


    A small swarm of nanites attached itself to the root of the flower and the brainstem just as it began to exude the energies.


    "Temporal Waypoint Created."


    Hao Xuan didn''t care enough to ask for a rification but it was a pretty straightforward guess that Baracus had sent some nanites into the energy center so they could retain some of the information the same as Hao Xuan.


    He waited for a few seconds and allowed the temporal energy to spread throughout his body before slowly revealing himself.


    The moment he jumped over the water stream andnded on the other side Dai Zhi looked in his direction, despite Hao Xuan concealing all signs of life.<sub> </sub>


    "There you are!" he smiled and actually waved at him as if they were old friends.


    Hao Xuan paused for a moment out of hesitation before reminding himself that everything was going to be fine. He jumped a few times to cover the rtivelyrge distance between them andnded amidst the barbarians.


    Brimming with enthusiasm, Dai Zhi watched on until Hao Xuan was a little more than 10 meters away. He wasn''t nning on closing the distance any further.


    "I have been waiting for you for so long, and here you were, right under my nose!"


    Dai Zhi couldn''t contain his smile.


    Hao Xuan could only look at him with a raised eyebrow while keeping up his guard, "I don''t remember ourst meeting going well enough to warrant such joy. Are you sure you''re not confusing me with someone else?"


    "That? Oh let bygones be bygones. I didn''t really know who you were back then so of course I overreacted a little bit. But all''s well that ends well, am I right? Nothing of value was lost."


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned cold. He could still hear Salome''s screams as he was stomped into a meat paste.


    "Nothing of value, huh?"


    His fist tightened in veiled fury but he kept it inside.


    "Speak then. Why did you ask me toe here?"


    "Oh right, I almost forgot. It''s time toplete the task you were sent here to do," Dai Zhi opened his arms wide, "Come, kill me!"


    For a few seconds Hao Xuan was so absolutely dumbstruck that he didn''t even react. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts again.


    "...What....did you just say?"


    "Kill me, right here, straight to the heart. Come on!" he pointed at his chest.


    His actions not only left Hao Xuan confused but everyone else as well. They were looking in his direction as if he was mad but for different reasons.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his brow upon feeling the headacheing on.


    "How did you know I was sent here to kill you?"


    His smile widened to the point that Hao Xuan thought his face would rip open.


    "I wasn''t entirely sure until now but you just confirmed it for me."

 Chapter 1178 Hyper Focused

    "Honestly, I thought it would be someone much more powerful or at the very least, someone who wasn''t so obviously an adversary of mine from the very beginning. But you my friend, you were so obvious that I never thought it could be you. That''s why it took me so long to find you but-" he looked Hao Xuan up and down with extreme prejudice before nodding satisfactorily.


    "-Yes, it''s not toote. Come now, kill me and you shall be free of this curse. This is your way out!"


    Hao Xuan took two measured steps back while conversing with Baracus internally.


    ''Run every type of scan, no need to hide it. I want to know what he is nning.''


    *Beep*


    ? ''Confirmed: Initializing Interference Feedback Loop''


    An extremely faint whirring sound came from his body just before Hao Xuan''s internal energy reserves took a dive and several bursts of Qi exploded from within his body.


    Perhaps the crudest and simplest method given the situation but one that would be most effective nheless.


    By unleashing several bursts of internal energy at different wavelengths it would create a self-sustaining loop of strong energy waves that would feed into each other every time they passed through another energy wave, thereby exposing, activating, or simply destroying any hidden traps, abilities, or treasures within the vicinity that depended on spiritual energy or Qi.


    This was akin to ringing a deafening dinner bell in a lion''s den to check whether or not it was empty.


    Hao Xuan was fully prepared to either jump away or defend himself as he carefully watched his surroundings.


    The energy could not be seen with the naked eye but its effects were visible to all. The mud danced as if it was being thrown up and down by powerful sound waves and the barbarians were actually able to regain a fair bit of control over their own bodies.


    The air hummed loudly and the temperature began to steadily rise.


    There was so much disturbance being created around Hao Xuan that even Dai Zhi was shocked.


    *p*p*p*


    "Amazing! Such precise Qi control, no wonder he chose you!"


    Hao Xuan, who was focused on the soundings, slowly turned towards Dai Zhi.


    ''He?''


    The one who ordered Hao Xuan to kill Dai Zhi was one of the men working for that mysterious being called ''Meng'' (CH 83). He was the one who had given him the "Immortal Devouring Demon Physique".


    Hao Xuan felt like a swarm of bees was buzzing inside his brain making everything go numb. All the sounds began to wash away as he saw himself standing in the boat across from Meng listening to his story.


    He could see Meng''s lips moving but they didn''t match the words that wereing out of his mouth.<sub> </sub>


    ''What are you saying-''


    And then out of nowhere the realization hit him like a truck. He looked into Dai Zhi''s eyes which were crystal clear. There was no ''eptance of death'' in them, only pure joy and hope for the future.


    He was looking forward to it.


    Hao Xuan''s hand moved before he could force himself to stop, the intrusive thoughts had won.


    He wanted to see what was going to happen next...if it really was as he feared.


    A spark of electricity ignited around his fingers before a ball of unstable blue lighting came into being in front of his hand. It shot forward in a straight line, right into Dai Zhi''s chest.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes were hyper-focused on the point of impact and he saw it all in slow motion.


    Dai Zhi''s chest ripped open and his flesh melted by the sheer force of destructive power contained within the chaos lighting. For a mere instant Hao Xuan even saw Dai Zhi''s heart beating in his chest before it was obliterated.


    Hao Xuan''s senses returned to normal just as the remainder of the lighting impacted the ground on the other side which he could see from the 20-centimeter gaping hole left in Dai Zhi''s chest.


    His gaze slowly shifted upwards towards Dai Zhi''s face which was smiling creepily while blood poured out of every orifice. He had not used even an iota of energy to protect himself.


    A couple of seconds passed and the barbarians stood up one by one once they werepletely free.


    "Is it don-"


    Princess Na''im uttered incredulously but before she could even finish the sentence Hao Xuan''s eyes opened wide.


    "AHHHHH!" he screamed maddeningly into the air just as the world turned ck.


    The next moment Hao Xuan opened his eyes he was back behind the pudgy little tree listening to the water stream on the other side.


    *Gasp*


    He jumped forward feeling his face and body that was still the same as before.


    *Beep*


    [Temporal Waypoint Activated]


    [Data Corruption: Unable to retrieve a viable copy]

 Chapter 1179 Good Deal

    Hao Xuan''s gut churned loudly and he keeled over on the spot emptying out the watery contents of his stomach onto the ground while Baracus''s error codes blinked in the corner of his eye.


    It took him almost a full minute to regain hisposure and stand upright again.


    "That was...fucking painful..." he muttered throughboured breaths.


    *Beep*


    "All iing data streams corrupted. Exnation?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head wearily, "Exnation...I''d like one too. He asked me to kill him but shortly after Inded the killing blow a sharp pain ran down my spine and I lost control of my body. I felt my soul being forced out from the inside...my OWN god damned body betrayed me!" he hissed through gritted teeth.


    "The reason you''re not getting anything back is probably because of myst order. I couldn''t do anything when it started and was about to lose control of my physique. And if that happened I wouldn''t even be able to reset and go back into the past so-"


    "Self-detonation," Baracus swiftly concluded.


    Hao Xuan turned around to peer in Dai Zhi''s direction with a deathly re.


    "Yeah. I told you to kill me before it was toote," he confirmed.


    "..."


    "What will you do now?"


    "Now?" Hao Xuan''s face slowly twisted in anger, "Now I want to know how long have I been a guinea pig for these motherfuckers. Just how long have they been using me like this!"


    Taking a few short breaths topose himself again he jumped over the stream for the second time and approached the center.


    Dai Zhi reacted the same as thest time but Hao Xuan was in no mood for games.


    "There you are," Dai Zhi eximed, "I have been waiting for you for so long, and here you were, right under my nose!"


    Hao Xuan stepped right up to him, fearlessly staring him down.


    It was so unexpected that even Dai Zhi was stunned into silence for a moment. His face twitched before he forced an unnatural smile.


    "Shouldn''t you be a bit warier of your opponents?"


    It looked like he was actually mad that Hao Xuan wasn''t more cautious of him which in turn made Hao Xuanugh inwardly.


    ''You can''t hide your ego even now. Always thinking you have the upper hand, let''s see how you like it when I put all your cards on the table.''


    "What should I be wary of you? Didn''t you ask me here to strike you down?"<sub> </sub>


    It was only for a brief moment but Dai Zhi couldn''tpletely hide the shocked expression. Still, he acted like he didn''t know what was going on andpletely changed the narrative.


    "Oh my, whatever do you mean?"


    Hao Xuan was staring right into Dai Zhi''s eyes so as to not miss anything when he said the name, "Meng."


    But unexpectedly Dai Zhi''s brow only furrowed in confusion, "What?"


    ''He doesn''t know Meng? Or...just knows him by a different name?''


    "You know, the guy who rows a paddleless boat across a bottomless sea at the edge of the worlds."


    And once again he noticed Dai Zhi''s pupils narrow into slits. This time he stepped back before lightly waving his hand.


    Hao Xuan could feel the air tighten around him which made him feel like he was the one in control for the first time in a long time.


    "Why are you so surprised? I thought you wanted me to kill you? Did we have a change of heart?" he mocked.


    Dai Zhi''s previously carefree expression turned solemn in an instant.


    ''I thought he wasn''t supposed to know that. Did he figure it out himself or did someone else tell him? How much does he know?''


    Hao Xuan could read him like a book with a mere nce and quickly realized that his opponent wasn''t some high and mighty being but a mere novice with much less experience than him. He was a little ashamed to have overreacted before and seeing Dai Zhi acting so scared only filled him with confidence.


    "Come on now, you have to say something for this to move forward, I can''t be the only one talking," he quipped.


    Seeing as Hao Xuan wasn''t outwardly aggressive towards him Dai Zhi rxed a smidgen.


    "Who told you about it?"


    "About what?" Hao Xuan asked with a raised eyebrow. He genuinely didn''t know but to Dai Zhi, it looked like he was just acting dumb.


    "Don''t y games with me, about the physique. Who told you?"


    Hao Xuan''s fist tightened, ''I knew it.''


    "What does it matter who told me? The point is that I know."


    He could make a few guesses but couldn''t bepletely sure unless he heard it from the source itself. Thankfully, Dai Zhi had taken the bait hook, line, and sinker.


    "You''re right, it doesn''t matter who told you or how but if you know that much then you should also know that it was always meant for me. There is nothing you can do with that physique because you will never be able to break through to the next physique realm. Give it to me willingly and I will make it as quick and as painless as possible."

 Chapter 1180 Immortal Spirit

    Hao Xuan felt his heart sink.


    ''I knew it. Not only did they use me but also made sure I would never be able to do much of anything with it in case I went rogue. But what is it exactly? Is the physique notplete?''


    But despite the shocking revtion Hao Xuan did not let it show. It was of utmost importance that Dai Zhi thought that he still had the upper hand.


    ''I can''t be too aggressive. If he sees me as a threat he won''t talk. I need to give him something...''


    Forcing a smile, Hao Xuan gave a slow and deliberate nod.


    "Hmm, is that right? But what makes you so sure that I won''t be able to break through to the next physique realm? Nothing is for certain."


    Dai Zhi''s brow furrowed lightly in doubt, "You don''t know, do you?"


    Hao Xuan allowed a crack to form in his confident demeanor as he kept up with the act.


    "O-Of course I know! You think I woulde to you if I didn''t!?" he stuttered on purpose.


    Dai Zhiughed inwardly, overjoyed upon confirming his suspicions. But he still pretended to let Hao Xuan have the advantage, thinking he could overturn it at any point.


    "Ah, my mistake. Since you are clever enough to figure this out it is only natural that you came to the other conclusion as well. Yes, there is indeed something missing. Or would it be better to say that something is ''needed'' from the outside?"


    He kept a close eye on Hao Xuan''s constantly changing expressions and Hao Xuan made sure to keep dropping some hints as Dai Zhi continued his exnation.


    "The Immortal Devouring Demon Physique, as you very well know, is one of the ten forbidden physiques of the known worlds. At any time only one person is able to cultivate them but more than that, there are stringent requirements that their hosts must fulfill."


    "You, a mere mortal, were simply born in a unique position to cultivate it. And only after breaking through to the next realm can you truly im to have made the physique yours."


    "Many have tried before you but very few were able to endure its side effects for long. I am sure you must have felt it by now, all the pain and suffering your victims endured?"


    Hao Xuan didn''t have to think for long to understand exactly what he was referring to. He had a very recent experience with it.


    "I see that you know what I am talking about. What you have experienced so far is nothing. It will only get worse and worse the more you use the physique''s abilities until you yourself are lost within its chasms. One might say that is the true test of its host''s willpower, to see how long they survive. Sooner orter they all fall."<sub> </sub>


    He tried to stifle augh but it was obvious that he believed Hao Xuan to be utterly incapable of such a feat. He cleared his throat and quickly continued, looking at him with a vicious grin.


    "Do you know what happens when the host fails a tribtion for the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head slowly.


    "They aren''t simply killed in the process. The demon instead devours THEM and they be a part of it forever, bing the next physique demon and evolving into an even stronger form. Thest person that was able to cultivate your physique had managed to surpass the realm of the True Gods. Do you understand now?"


    "Each sessive physique demon is leagues ahead of thest, and the previous host was the most powerful one yet. To win against that, it is simply not possible for someone in your position. At least not without something like this," he said rubbing the cross hanging from his ear lobe.


    "A divine artifact?" Hao Xuan recounted.


    "Not just a ''Divine Artifact'' but one with an Immortal Weapon Spirit, something truly priceless."


    Hao Xuan had only ever heard of an immortal soul spirit before in myths and legends. Not once in all the lives that he had lived through did hee across one.


    "Are you telling me that the cross you have has an Immortal Weapon Spirit?"


    Dai Zhi nodded proudly, "Indeed. But I won''t lie to you, it is not something I personally own. It is only in my possession temporarily because I asked for it specifically after three decades of hard work under the Academy."


    "So you could use it and break through to the next physique realm?"


    "Precisely. I have been preparing for this exact moment since before you were even born."


    Hao Xuan went silent, nodding his head in understanding a momentter.


    "Looks like I have gotten everything I can this time around," he mumbled.


    "If you understand your situation just let me ha-"


    Before Dai Zhi could finish his sentence a small explosion sounded within Hao Xuan''s body and his head fell offpletely.

 Chapter 1181 Not Another Word

    *Gasp*


    Hao Xuan came to behind the tree for the second time gasping for a breath of fresh air. He rubbed the back of his head, which felt a little numb strangely.


    "Next time...you don''t need to blow my entire head off. Just do it quickly and as painlessly as possible. It might just be me but it feels like the pain is starting to follow me back as well."


    *Beep*


    "That is highly improbable."


    "But not impossible?"


    "...more empirical data required for an objective assessment."


    "Mhm, that''s what I thought. I know very little about this ability but since it came from a demon it would be safe to assume there are some downsides even if I don''t feel them just yet."


    "That is highly probable."


    "d we see eye to eye on this then," Hao Xuan mused while getting ready to jump back over the water stream but Baracus stopped him.


    "What is your n? Retreating is still the best option."


    Hao Xuan paused for a moment to actually consider the option and nodded soon after.


    "Last run. I will try to get as much information out of him as possible, especially about the method he is going to use to take the physique from me. If there is no chance then...maybe there is nothing I can do for the barbarians right now."


    And with that, he lept over the water stream to try his luck for the third time.


    ***


    *Gasp*


    "Argh!"


    *Beep*


    [Iing Data Stream]


    "I know shut it off please, quickly!" Hao Xuan ordered through gritted teeth forcing Baracus toply.


    Only when it looked like he had calmed down a minuteter did he continue.


    "Elevated heart rates and blood pressure detected. No other abnormalities."<sub> </sub>


    But Hao Xuan was lost in a world of his own. He kept shaking his head back and forth in a trance.


    "I was a fool to believe he would be so easy to take care of."


    Baracus began analyzing the data he had received for the first time and it showed scenes he could not even interpret. He showed one of the received images to Hao Xuan and asked for details.


    "Exnation?"


    It was a red world. Everything from the ground, trees, and even the sun and moon in the sky were colored crimson.


    Hao Xuan leaned back against the tree letting out a barely audible self-deprecating chuckle.


    "I pushed him for a fight using everything at my disposal and forced him to finally reveal his true strength. That image is what his territory looks like."


    "Not only is his actual rank in the middle of the Profound Realm but he has made enough progress in his cultivation tobine severalws and the power of his bloodline with the territory of the mainw."


    "I have only ever seen cultivators of the Saint Realm able to do something of that caliber. He canpletely transform his territory and manifest it to a frightening degree in the physical realm. Dai Zhi really is...a genius."


    For the first time in a long time Hao Xuan felt inferior to someone. Compared to someone like him Dai Zhi was on another level entirely.


    "Even with my superior strength I wasn''t able to do much. I cut him in half twice but he regenerated instantly. His control over all forms of vitality has reached such a level that he can probably kill a regr profound realm cultivator with a mere thought."


    "Our fighting styles are too different and...he has a total advantage over me. Not only are his energy reserves over ten times more than mine but his control and understanding of his own strengths is also significantly higher."


    The memories began reying in his head as he was talking.


    "I chased after him trying my best to close the distance but he didn''t need to. Most of his attacks are ranged but even at close range he is a master of the de. Even though I technically have more experience, he can simply keep running until I run out of energy. It''s not even apletion."


    Baracus was recording everything Hao Xuan was saying to analyze in detailter.


    "Were you able to find out how he ns to take over the physique?"


    "Un," Hao Xuan nodded somberly, "He said until I break through to the next physique realm and absorb the demon, my bond with the physique is notplete. With his ability to control blood, he can simply take over my body and slowly merge it into his own. Apparently, that''s one of the abilities he got from his ancient bloodline."


    "....then what do you n to do? Fighting him again will not yield a different result. It is best to leave th-"


    "I am not leaving them behind!" Hao Xuan retorted.


    "There is no rational exnation for your attachment to these lower beings. The smart thi-"


    "Enough, shut up right now. I don''t wanna hear another word from you!"

 Chapter 1182 Soul Transference

    Hao Xuan nced over his shoulder towards the kneeling barbarians, "I can do it, I can save them...I have to. Otherwise, what was the point of everything?"


    ''Everything?''


    The main body of the nanites which was located near the base of Hao Xuan''s head began to pulse with a dim white light while listening to him. A secondter the light changed to dark yellow.


    [Irrational Thoughts | Failure to be objective | Unexinable parasocial rtionships]


    [3/5 Symptoms Detected]


    -Minimum Criteria Met


    [Initializing Remote Directive: Echo]


    [Connecting to Off-Site Backup: Alpha Legion]


    -Command epted


    [Error: Unable to Connect]


    -Retry


    [Error: Unable to Connect]


    -Retry


    ....


    [Initializing Zulu Sequence: Last Hour]


    The lights shed red for an instant before turning offpletely. None of these notifications were shown to Hao Xuan so he had no idea that one of Baracus''s hidden directives had been activated somehow.


    He stood up and with a wave of his hand an average-looking longsword appeared in his grasp.


    "My sword dao is still superior to his and even that divine artifact cannot suppress it. If I can''t talk him down I have to take him elsewhere."


    He jumped over the water stream for what felt like the thousandth time and made his way towards Dai Zhi who weed him in the exact same manner.


    But this time he saw the sword in Hao Xuan''s hand and was about toment on it when he stopped him.


    "Enough, there is no need to waste time. I am not in a good mood so I will keep things short and to the point. I think we both want that, correct?"


    Dai Zhi''s smile slowly dissipated upon meeting Hao Xuan''s gaze and he nodded.


    "Correct. I was the one who called you here but go head and speak your mind, I shan''t stop you."


    "Hmm. I know you want the physique. I know it was brought to the mortal realms for you by that man. I also am aware that I cannot cultivate it any further. It does not matter who told me or how, but that I know and have known for a while."


    Hao Xuan just dumped everything out without holding back and to his surprise, being upfront and honest was indeed the best policy as it became clear.<sub> </sub>


    Dai Zhi took a moment to digest everything but gave another nod swiftly after.


    "Right you are, what matters is how it ends. Will you hand yourself over to me?"


    "No," Hao Xuan answered with incontestable certainty.


    "Then you will fight?"


    "If I have to."


    Dai Zhi''s gaze lowered to Hao Xuan''s right arm which was about to fall off from the looks of it.


    "In that condition? You think you can defeat me?"


    Hao Xuan followed his gaze down and upon seeing his decrepit arm a light bulb lit up on his head.


    ''How could I have missed something so obvious?''


    He smiled, "That''s exactly why I can''t hand myself over. I had an ident earlier while trying to breakthrough to the Profound Realm and was struck by the Lightning Tribtion. I''m afraid the physique has been damaged quite severely."


    Dai Zhi couldn''t keep himself from screaming, "WHAT?!"


    "It''s true as you can see, that''s why I am here right now to make a deal with you."


    But seeing as how calm Hao Xuan was he also held back and chose to listen, at least for the moment.


    "I know you need me to hand myself over willingly otherwise you could have just forcefully taken me. And with that divine artifact of yours, I surely would not have been able to resist. The only problem is I will die during the process, which unexpectedly is a problem for me."


    Dai Zhi''s eyes narrowed in contemtion, "And what do you want me to do about that? I can only promise to make it as painless as possible-"


    "No, no offense but I don''t trust you enough to take your word for it. For all I know my soul would be ripped to shreds bit by bit and that is going to be very painful. But there is an alternative."


    Hao Xuan even recalled the longsword to show his sincerity.


    "I only want one thing from you, time."


    "Time?!"


    "Yes. I need time to breakthrough to the Profound Realm."


    "BUHAHAHAHAHA!" Dai Zhi burst out in a fit ofughter.


    "Let YOU breakthrough? Why? Why would I ever do that?!"


    He waved his hand lightly and bright red trees began popping up from the ground. But Hao Xuan remained undeterred.


    "For two reasons. One, I can heal and recover the physique so there aren''t any issues when you take over. And second, ''Soul Transference Magic''. After reaching the Profound Realm I can simply move my soul to a new body and you can have this one."

 Chapter 1183 Two Can Play

    Obviously Hao Xuan wasn''t nning on actually going through with it but it was still a perfect excuse for buying some time.


    Dai Zhi looked deep into his eyes trying to find anything that could dissuade him from agreeing but found none.


    "You would be willing to put yourself through that?" his brow shot up doubtfully.


    "Do I have any other choice?" Hao Xuan retorted with a straight face.


    And as far as Dai Zhi knew, that was indeed the case. He was told Hao Xuan was a mortal with no backing and an extraordinarily ordinary background.


    Dai Zhi went silent for a brief moment while thinking it over.


    "More often than not, in our line of work death is a mercy. Are you aware of the kind of life you would be living if you even manage to pull off the soul transference, which is a miracle in and of itself? It-"


    But Hao Xuan quickly cut him off and began listing everything he knew of the experience.


    "Soul Transference Magic: Once initiated, the user will never be able to bond to any physical form for more than a few years. The only way for them to survive is to keep finding new bodies to take over every time, destroying the new body''s soul and sacrificing it to strengthen their own."


    "It is perhaps one of the most irregr magic paths in existence and one about which very little is known to this day. I know what I am getting into," Hao Xuan said without breaking eye contact.


    "I will always have to keep moving every time I take over a new body, never being able to settle down, never staying in one ce for too long. If someone found out I would be hunted to the edges of the universe because it is universally believed to be evil."


    And while he was exining all that his mind started reying each of those memories, forcing him to relive them once more. He needed to make Dai Zhi believe without a shadow of a doubt that this was the future he had chosen for himself. And if he could do that to himself, then there was no telling what he would do if pushed too far.<sub> </sub>


    Hao Xuan''s gaze became unfocused and at some point, he even started speaking of it as if it had already happened.


    "After a few decades I will lose all appetite for mortal pleasures. My soul will be numb and the senses so dull that not even the tastiest treat or the most beautiful woman will stir anything inside of me. If I am lucky and my mind is still intact at that point, I will end my miserable existence away from everyone else."


    "But...if not, I will probably go on a killing spree because the only time I can feel something is when I hear the screams of innocent souls as they are snuffed out and assimted into my own. Only extreme emotions like fear and pain will make my heart beat until...even that is not enough and I take thatst step and discard what little remains of my humanity to be something entirely new."


    Light returned to Hao Xuan''s eyes as they fell upon Dai Zhi''s appalled visage.


    "So to answer your question, yes, I know very well what is waiting for me. But living a few more decades is still better than dying here on this backward ass. Of course, none of this will be free of charge and you will help me every step of the way."


    Hao Xuan''s lips cracked into a sly smile, "You will use your connections and wealth to make sure that I live afortable life for as long as possible. Make me a regent in some faraway world where I can do what I want without being disturbed. And in return, I will keep your secret."


    At first, Dai Zhi was ecstatic because this meant that Hao Xuan had already given this enough thought and there was a very real chance that it was true. But-


    "And why would I go through all that trouble? Why not just kill you myself once I have the physique and be done with it? You will be nothing more than a liability."


    "True, you could do that," Hao Xuan nodded, "But then you will have to exin your connection to the man in the boat to the inquisitors and the agents of the republic. You see, I made a little stop outside of the academy beforeing here. I recorded every little detail and sent it out to several individuals."


    "If they do not hear from me when we return to the Beast World then they will pass that recording on to the right people and...well, you can imagine what happens after that."

 Chapter 1184 Five

    Dai Zhi quickly caught the one thing Hao Xuan had forgotten about.


    "Liar. You did not even know who I was before being given the contract to kill me, how could you have possibly set all that up?"


    But Hao Xuan was fast to react.


    "Hmph, give me a break," he scoffed, "I didn''t need to know YOU, just of your existence. I was already aware of the plot you people had involved me in and knew better than anyone else that this physique was more of a burden than a gift. How else could I have managed to set everything up?"


    "When that man told me to kill ''Dai Zhi'' it only took me a few minutes to look up who that was. It could only be you so...I made a deal with the elven prince. In exchange for holding something for me, I was going to help him find someone."


    Dai Zhi''s eyes quickly narrowed as his killing intent reached new heights.


    "You gave my information to the ELVES?!"


    "Yes, and no. I gave him the recording but it is obviously encrypted. The password is with a merchant I met back on the Beast World. Only in case of my death will Ryfon Biric be given the password, otherwise I will destroy it myself."


    With a deep sigh Hao Xuan took a step back, even going as far as turning his back towards the blood prince.


    "I have exined everything to you, the ball is in your court now. Try to kill me now and risk everything that you have spent decades building, or wait a few more days until I break through to the Profound Realm and help you through the entire process. What will it be?"


    Dai Zhi''s fist tightened in agony. He was inexhaustibly vexed at the oue of this meeting, being so close to his prize and still being duped by a nobody.


    "It was already thirty years ago when I first met him, when he promised me everything. I have been waiting for this exact moment for THIRTY YEARS and you want me to wait MORE?!"


    ''Tsk, damn it, fine then!''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and began circting the chaos Qi throughout his body. But just as he was about to strike all the killing intent vanished in an instant. He looked over his shoulder and saw Dai Zhi facing away from him.


    "Five days. I give you five days to finish what has been started. In that time I will not make a move against you personally but I will not stop the others either."<sub> </sub>


    He hesitated for a moment but still nced back at Hao Xuan onest time.


    "Feng Huang wants the girl Ryfon is looking for and he will soon find her. Tian Zheng ising for Ceni and you. After being humiliated in front of everyone he has lost what little sanity he had left but...he is not alone, Xue Meng is protecting him from the shadows."


    "Your physical form already belongs to me. If you die to them I will make sure to track down every single being that you even remotely cared about and torture it for a thousand years, that is my promise to you. Hao Xuan, I have remembered your name."


    As soon as he finished speaking ethereal red wings sprouted from Dai Zhi''s back and lifted him into the air. With a single gust of wind he was hundreds of meters away and with another, he vanishedpletely.


    Hao Xuan was left standing on the hill surrounded by the Barbarians that got back on their feet one by one.


    Princess Na''im was the first one to speak up, pointing her de at his back as she did so.


    "Is what you said true? Are you really working for him now? Was this all a part of your n?"


    Hao Xuan had yet to evene to terms with all the information he had just received when she spoke up and for some reason, her words angered him a lot more than they normally would have.


    Especially considering everything he had gone through just to save their lives.


    His body moved before he could stop himself and a full-powered roundhouse kicknded right on her sternum. Fortunately for her, the Chieftess was a step ahead and barely fast enough to block it with her hand.


    Unfortunately though, she had greatly underestimated Hao Xuan''s strength. Her hand immediately caved in while the remaining force sent Princess Na''im shooting into the forest some 300 meters away.


    The other barbarians who had barely gotten back on their feet were about to pounce on him when the chieftess stopped them.


    "HALT! No oneys a hand on him!"


    She turned towards Hao Xuan and got down on one knee, "I apologize for my daughter''s impudence. Please punish me in her stead."

 Chapter 1185 The Calling

    At first the Barbarians were bbergasted by their chief''s obeisance but when they saw her limp hand the truth of the situation came to light and each one of them put down their weapons.


    If he could do that with raw strength alone then there was no telling what could happen if he actually decided to his other abilities like Dai Zhi.


    Hao Xuan on the other hand couldn''t give enough of a damn to even talk to them properly but still forced himself to be as cordial as possible in a situation like this.


    "There is no need to kneel. It was my mistake, I...lost control for a moment."


    She stood up with a warmhearted smile and Hao Xuan got a good look at her for the first time. Princess Na''im and Burak really were her children because he could see the resemnce at once.


    Her features were sharp other than a permanent frown on her forehead, no doubt from years of worrying and stress. Most of her hair was white but her skin was remarkably smooth which made her look as if she was still in her early thirties.


    Other than that she looked remarkably ordinary if one ignored her muscr physique.


    Hao Xuan turned around and began walking back towards Grey''s location when the chieftess spoke up, making him pause mid-stride.


    "My daughter is still too young and passionate when ites to the matters of the tribe. I hope the ''chosen one'' does not take her actions too seriously."


    He turned around with a knitted brow, "The chosen one? You are referring to me?"


    "Of course," she nodded, "Who else but your eminence?"


    This was the third time someone had called him that but he still didn''t exactly know what aspect of him made them do that.


    "What makes me the chosen one?" he asked with a raised eyebrow but the chieftess only looked back at him in confusion.


    "The prophecy of course. I would have thought the Grand Priestess would have told you about it by now since it was her duty to guide you after you revealed yourself."


    ''Of course, there is always fucking a catch,'' he cursed inwardly. The one person that would hold all the answers was out ofmission.


    "She is not doing too well right now. You will see for yourself once you return to Argham."


    "Argham!" the chieftess smacked her forehead upon remembering, "To Burak! Go, everyone moves out! Catch up to them!"


    Without even waiting for Hao Xuan to respond she jumped into the air towards the east and ran into the forest at full speed. The other quickly followed behind them along with Princess Na''im who had just managed toe back.<sub> </sub>


    There was a trail of blooding out of her mouth as she gave Hao Xuan a dirty look before following after her mother like all the rest. Only one person walked up to him.


    A man of much smaller stature than the rest with a handsome visage. He was ghastly pale and judging from his looks alone it was obvious that he had not had the opportunity to rest in quite some time.


    "Isak," Hao Xuan''s expression softened considerably upon seeing him.


    They had in fact spent quite a long time within the pyramid so this was natural. (First mentioned around CH 655 I think, he was Burak''s second inmand and used a special kind of ck me ability)


    Iska responded in a simr cordial manner, even going as far as patting Hao Xuan on the shoulder.


    "I am d to see another friendly face, even if it is under these circumstances."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan smiled subconsciously. It was like meeting an old friend after many years.


    "I must go now, the others could be in danger."


    "By others you mean?"


    "Burak and the rest of the group. They were with the tribe trying to head towards Argham. We stayed back to stop that man but...never would I have thought he would be so much stronger than us. If you hadn''te I''m afraid-"


    "Don''t mention it. I was going toe either way, whether or not you were here."


    "Hm, I will see you in Argham if all goes well," Isak nodded onest time before running eastward.


    Hao Xuan stood rooted to the spot for quite sometime after that, letting the truth of the situation wash over him.


    "Meng, he was behind me getting the physique but only so Dai Zhi could take it from me. Which means I have been embroiled in this from the very beginning. And...to think I fell for his sob story...just how much of my life was manipted by him? Is he the one behind everything? Maybe...he is the Emperor?"


    *Woooosh*


    A cold gust of wind blew in from somewhere up north, followed closely by a sharp pain in the back of Hao Xuan''s head.

 Chapter 1186 Biggest Target

    "Screeeeeeech"


    A long, dragging screech sounded at the back of Hao Xuan''s mind along with a mixture of incoherent sounds and images all superimposed over one another.


    The base image was that of a bubbling ck liquid and the others mixed within it were of different ces and people, several of which he recognized.


    "GO! I''LL STOP THEM!" Burak was shouting at him.


    "TAKE CAR- CHILDRE-"


    "AAAAH!"


    It was a jumbled mess but Hao Xuan could clearly feel the panic and fear that was spreading throughout.


    *Beep*


    "Intense psychic waves detected."


    [Running Scan]


    [Tracing...]


    [Scan Complete]


    "Possible location discovered, 78% uracy rate."


    Hao Xuan focused his spiritual sense on the spot on his brain that was hurting and forcefully cut off the connection.


    "Jarek! That was Jarek!" he yelled. (Jarek was the barbarian that was overtaken by the ck goo from the abyss that was within the pyramid.)


    "Confirmed. Psychic energy wavelengths show a 97% match."


    A small map popped up at the edge of Hao Xuan''s line of sight showing the rough location of the psychic call.


    It was in the SE (southeast) direction, much different from where all the barbarians had run off to.


    "They went the wrong way!"


    He looked at the map again to see exactly how far it was from his location.


    "Even if they find the traces and go after them it will be toote by then, I could feel they were in great danger. I...have to go."


    "Long-range sensors show signs of surroundings energies congregating in the area. The battle is almost over. It would be unwise to go now."


    But Hao Xuan shook his head, "You didn''t feel what I felt. He was scared to death, they all were. How can I just look the other way knowing full well that I could have helped? I''m not going to just leave them to die. That...is a terrible feeling."


    He was sprinting towards the treeline before even thest word left his mouth. Within seconds he reached Grey who was patiently waiting for him in the same spot.


    "Go!" Hao Xuan ordered jumping on top of him while pointing in the right direction.


    Grey could feel the gravity of the situation and immediately let himself loose on the world.


    All the air within 30 meters of him came pouring in and carried them forward. They turned into a sh before shooting forward at breakneck speed.


    Every time one of Grey''s hooves touched the ground his speed would double and since he wasn''t trying to hide his presence anymore the thundering sound carried on for countless miles in all directions.


    It truly did sound like thunder.


    Hao Xuan even channeled some of his own Qi into Grey which made him neigh loudly just before they broke the sound barrier and then exceeded it several times.


    The dark forest was woken up by themotion. Trees that had been there for hundreds of years were uprooted and thrown about in his wake.


    The air hummed and the temperature began to rise. They had cut a straight line through the forest that was visible even from the air.


    Hao Xuan who had been holding himself back because of Dai Zhi finally had an outlet. His senses kicked into high gear as Chaos Qi surrounded him from all sides.


    They covered 18 kilometers in less than seven seconds. The world had stopped moving around them when Grey came to an abrupt halt.


    But when Hao Xuan''s gaze fell upon the picture of absolute terror thaty before him, for a moment he did not know what to do.


    It was a scene out of a nightmare. Rows upon rows of monstrous creatures that he could not even imagine were standing before him.


    Multi-limbed multi-eyed hairy beasts that looked like they were created bybining every creepy crawling creature found within the mortal realms. (Reference Image posted in Authors noted and Discord)


    There was an army of them numbering at least in the thousands if not more. They were chasing after a much smaller groupposed of just a few hundred people, barely over a thousand at the most.


    This group was mostly made up of women and children along with a few elderly individuals that could walk on their own. At the back were close to eighty or so Barbarians trying to hold off the entire might of the iing foes.


    It was like a shback to the many days they had spent roaming the other worlds because just as Hao Xuan remembered, Burak was standing at the very forefront, purposefully putting himself in front of the rampaging enemy.


    It was a sight to behold. He was loud and proud, every time he struck he would scream at the top of his lungs.


    "COME AT ME!"


    Hao Xuan had figured out a long time ago that he did that with the intention of bing the biggest target on the battlefield. He wanted to take on any new enemy before anyone else so there would be less pressure on the rest.


    "I''M NOT DONE YET! COME HERE!" he screamed through blood and bone, swinging his arms around in a frenzy.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/d7/0f/2a/d70f2a6b12da1f087d4bc2185564c9a8.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/pC62b

 Chapter 1187 Unshakeable

    Right behind the barbarian prince were two other figures he recognized on sight.


    Tasgall, who had lost an arm and even the ability to speak during the time he was with them, and Jarek, who looked more human than ever before. (If you have the time I would suggest reading through some of the chapters from the time they were in the pyramid, Ch 700 ish, to refresh your memory)


    They were fighting tooth and nail along with the other eighty or so barbarians trying to keep these horrors from reaching the otherwise defenseless civilians behind them.


    Burak threw a punch that sent over a dozen beasts flying away and took that opportunity to quickly ry some orders.


    "First and second squad stays here, what''s left of the third squad will guide the others away!"


    About ten men that were fighting near the back, wounded and sapped of almost all signs of life immediately became alert.


    "We will not leave the prince!" they all shouted in unison but Burak was in no mood to talk.


    "GO NOW!" he barked, "This is an order! They are the future, you will help them get to Argham to die trying! We will be right behind you! LEAVE!" he said waving his hand.


    A small golden shield kindled behind each of the ten men, covering all of their blind spots as they hesitantly retreated. But seeing the majority of them getting away the beasts became even more fierce and forceful in their pursuit.


    Several of them threw themselves at Burak to weaken his stance before another group jumped on him from every direction. Their teeth dug into his flesh and refused to let go but such an act only pushed him further into a frenzy.


    He screamed like a madman and began ripping their heads off with his bare hands. Unfortunately, the blood loss was too much for his body and he would lose consciousness sooner rather thanter.


    The others weren''t in much better shape either since the beasts didn''t give them even a moment to rest.


    From Hao Xuan''s point of view, it looked like a tsunami that was being held back by a scant few blocks of lumber patched together on the spot. They were doing the best they could in the moment but would soon be overrun if things continued as they were.


    It only took him a few seconds to analyze the terrain ande up with the best strategy to deal with such an overwhelming enemy force before inspecting the creatures one more time to break them down one w at a time.


    His eyes swiveled left and right sadically.


    ''Atrophied forelimbs with sharpened ws that are most probably poisoned or even cursed. Eyes are located at the front and covered by a thick epidermis on the sides, limiting the field of vision to roughly 110 degrees.''


    ''Disjointed hind limbs are created for jumping rather than running making them slow-moving targets on the open field. Feelers located on the back and abdomen make up for the limited vision but are easier to disrupt due to their sensitive nature.''


    ''Average creature power level lies somewhere in the middle of the spirit realm with rather low individual intelligence. Hmm, the best method would be-''


    Hao Xuan waved his hand to call out a 1.8-meter-long curved de that was wide enough to sway with the wind. It was sharp but extremely thick and heavy, suitable only for someone with a lot of strength.


    It had no special attributes but in his hands, it was deadlier than a machine gun nest.


    "This will do nicely," he muttered under his breath while inspecting it, "I can use the tried and tested 1st form of the ck Cavalry from the ins of Ishtravan!"


    If his right hand was still working he would have called out another simr de to best utilize his position and speed but he could only work with what he had.


    "Hya!"


    With a light kick, Grey vaulted over the ravine and sprinted straight into the heart of the valley.


    Burak was the first one to notice them. Under the pale moonlight Grey looked like a winged beast with one of its wings clipped off but as he came closer the rider on his back also came into view.


    His eyes opened wide in a most wee surprise.


    The creatures only took note of his presence when he was a little more than 30 meters away and by then it was already toote.


    Hao Xuan''s grip tightened around the silvery de as a spark of ck and white lightning ignited around its hilt before spreading to the rest of the massive sword in the shape of a spider''s web.


    "Chaos Lightning!"


    Grey dashed through thest few meters and was on the back of thergest beast wave in the blink of an eye.


    *Shluuuup*


    Hao Xuan swung the de up and down while Grey carried him straight through the enemy ranks. Everything it touched was cut in half or burnt to cinders on the spot.


    *Bzzt*


    Hao Xuan had arrived on horseback, swinging a de of lightning to cut himself a path through the battlefield with an unshakeable momentum.

 Chapter 1188 Ishtravan

    For a brief moment Hao Xuan felt like he was transported back in time and tossed head-first into the life from which he had pulled out thisbat method.


    Ishtravan was the name of arge stretch ofnd that was discovered countless eons ago. It was located at the edge of our known universe, standing between the ten worlds and the abyss.


    It was unique in the sense that it was unaffected by the torrential abyssal forces and could even ride them like an ocean wave if they became too powerful.


    Thend was rough and deste. Nothing could grow on its surface or live on its own for too long but because of its rtive position to the abyss, it had always been disputed territory between the era''s great forces.


    In that life, Hao Xuan was born and raised on Ishtravan as a battle ve for one of the countless powers that sought to create a stronghold there. It was a strange time where many powers looked the other way as long as it benefitted them which led to his fate.


    He was selected to be a part of an experiment that was conducted to see if there was a way for life to prosper on thisnd of death. Using dark magic, at birth, a portion of his soul was weaved with a dreadful abyssal creature called the ''ck Mist'' to create a symbiotic rtionship between them.


    The ''ck Mist'' as it was called back then, was an abyss demon that could instantaneously jump between the physical worlds and the immaterial. It was an anomaly that could switch forms at will depending on the situation.


    In the physical realms, it could only be seen as a cloud of ck mist that was immune to all forms of physical contact but in the immaterial realms, it existed as an eight-legged equine beast that feasted on the nightmares of mortals before absorbing their vitality.


    Not only was its dual-form especially suited for the harsh environment of Ishtravan but it could also be effective inbat if properly tamed. At least that''s what the dark wizards theorized but what they got was neither a sess nor aplete failure.


    ? On one hand, they were able to create asting and unbreakable bond between the human riders and the demons which allowed the riders to switch between the two dimensions at will as long as they were close to one another.


    But on the other hand, the bonded humans started to change with every transition. Their souls became corrupted by the vile energies of the immaterial realms and the longer they were exposed to it the worse it became.


    And if that wasn''t enough, every time the demon fed the human bond was able to experience it firsthand. After spending years feasting on others'' nightmares the humans became twisted in their own right.


    Not just their physical forms but their minds as well.


    In the beginning the results were considered a resounding sess because their losses were almost negligible and the enemy forces were decimated at every turn.


    The ck Cavalry would arrive in the form of a dark cloud and prate deep into the ranks before changing back into their real forms. No magic could slow their advance, no wall could keep them out, and no sword could pierce their wretched forms.


    Within just a few years they became the scourge of the ins of Ishtravan. When word of their arrival came the enemy would surrender unconditionally before fleeing in every direction.


    But with time they became harder and harder to control. Their bloodlust could not be satisfied and soon they stopped taking orders if they kept them from shedding more blood.


    It was at this point that one of them came up with a particrly cruel and recklessbat method. It was called the ''Final Stampede'' which usually ended up taking their life.


    What Hao Xuan was using was a derivation of that form.


    The Chaos Lighting surrounding the massive de was pulsating along with its position. When the de was cleaving down the lighting was at its weakest, allowing the momentum and weight of the sword to do all the work.


    When striking upwards the chaos lightning became several times stronger which in turn created asting trail that left everything in its trail alight.


    The idea behind this form was to keep building momentum. This was especially easy for the ck Cavalry since they could pop in and out of the physical world in case something was blocking their path but Hao Xuan did not have that luxury.


    He forced Grey to run through everything that blocked their path with brute force alone.


    Thankfully his swordsmanship was at a level where he could easily change his position with minimum effort to make sure Grey wasn''t overwhelmed.


    Every move he made had to be calcted and he had to think ten steps ahead but to the barbarians who were locked in a battle of attrition just moments ago, Hao Xuan looked like a messenger from the gods.


    The massive sword switched from left to right with a trail of lightning in its path as Grey sent the beasts flying into the air with his deadly kicks.

 Chapter 1189 Behind Backs

    Hao Xuan''s thoughts and intentions were seamlessly tranted in a way that Grey could easily understand what he wanted to do without him saying a single word.


    Grey was a contracted beast and their soul contract had achieved the highest rate of synergy out of all the others made before it. But whether it was because of the soul bond or Hao Xuan''s own experiences extrapted from the memories of countless lifetimes, at this moment in time they had be one.


    Hao Xuan could feel everything Grey was going through as if it was his own body. From the moment his hoof left the ground till it returned to it, every single sensation was urately and instantly sent back to him.


    And simrly Grey could sense what Hao Xuan needed even when he didn''t.


    Because his right arm was all but useless right now, Hao Xuan heavily favoured his left side for everything which forced Grey to counter it by leaning to the right.


    Every single move was in perfect rhythm. It was a dance that required perfect harmony between both parties and they had not only achieved it but went above and beyond, especially considering it was under the threat of death.


    They were surrounded on all sides by the beasts to the point that even the ground wasn''t visible beneath their feet. It was a bubbling sea of red eyes, sharpened ws, and poisoned fangsing in from all directions.


    Hao Xuan not only used the Chaos lightning to clear outrge groups of enemies but whenever they got too close forfort he would throw out balls of red fire that exploded on contact.


    A rtively simple trick of surrounding a small me withpressed air made something simr to a magical grenade. It was fast, easy, and most importantly, didn''t require copious amounts of Qi.


    The only real requirement was understanding the basic functions of each element to control their shape, potency and power down to thest degree. Everything had to be done exactly right otherwise it would blow up in his face before he would even have the chance to throw it.


    And he was doing all of this at the same time.


    Some 500 meters away on the side of a small mountain stood several figures watching the scene of carnage unfold down at the valley floor.


    The figure at the very front was that of a burly man with an old saber hanging from his waist.


    "Exquisite swordsmanship. It''s clean, precise, and without any wasted spiritual energy. His riding skills are among some of the best I have ever seen. The Qi is unique and I can''t pinpoint the origin of his Law but it doesn''t feel like anything simple either. That level of control and familiarity, it would take decades if not centuries for a normal cultivator to achieve without a tutor."


    "Given a few years, with some guidance and aid from a proper master, there is no telling what he could achieve."


    *Sigh*


    "Going just by what I am seeing, he is your superior in every conceivable way," Xue Meng finished with amenting sigh.


    He looked over to the tall shirtless figure standing next to him. His eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn''t slept in days and his brow was knitted in a permanent frown.


    "Tian Zheng, I respect your brother. He saved my life and I owe him a favor but I will not help you kill that youngster. I promised him that I would look after you and that is all I am willing to do."


    "It...still isn''t toote to change your mind. There is no reason for this level of cruelty, you must understand that. The only reason your brother was able to rise above it was because he could control his urges-"


    "My brother is a coward!" Tian Zheng cut him off.


    He was so full of rage looking at Hao Xuan that he could barely keep himself from jumping down. Only when he met Xue Meng''s cold gaze did he regain someposure.


    "I have not seen or heard from my brother in over three decades. He ran away from home, from his responsibility and position, forcing me to step in. I have no love for him anymore. The only thing I want is revenge."


    His gaze shifted back towards Hao Xuan, "That...no name vagrant disrespected me in front of EVERYONE. Because of him, peopleugh at me behind my back. They call me weak, WORTHLESS! They think I don''t hear them but I know everything! He thinks he can fuck me over and live a happy life? Hahahahaha!"


    "I will RUIN him. I will take from him everything one by one, until there is nothing and no one left standing by his side. I will make his worst nightmarese true and there will be nothing he can do about it."


    He looked over his shoulder towards an oversized shadowy figure sitting at the very back.


    "Go and wee him."

 Chapter 1190 Covering The Basis

    "Go and receive him, wee back your old friend," Tian Zheng ordered, his lips twisting into a devious grin.


    The figure unhurriedly looked in Hao Xuan''s direction before jumping down the mountainside. Its movement was robotic as if it couldn''t control its body properly but the speed and power were nothing to scoff at.


    Hao Xuan had just run through the enemy horde for the fourth time when he felt the valley floor begin to shake. He looked over in its direction and saw the source of themotion.


    It was a 2-meter-tall corpulent figure running straight towards him from the other end of the valley. If one didn''t pay attention it would look like a boulder rolling down the hill since it crushed everything in its path.


    Hao Xuan quickly swung the sword in a criss-cross pattern around him to clear out the surrounding beasts and shouted towards the Barbarians to move back.


    "Get out of here, NOW!"


    "WHAT ABOUT YOU?!" Burak immediately inquired to which Hao Xuan answered by making Grey jump tens of meters to the side.


    "I wille after you soon, they can''t catch me!"


    Burak looked around at the scattering beasts and knew this was probably the best time.


    "I will be waiting in Argham, don''t bete!" he shouted back onest time before running out from the other side.


    Jarek was the only one who stayed till the very end looking at Hao Xuan. Only when he acknowledged his presence and gestured for him to follow the others did he start moving.


    ''I only need to keep them busy for a little while longer. Once there is some distance between them it should be fine,'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly, unaware that this was a trap set up just for him.


    "Go!"


    With a loud neigh, Grey sprinted towards the charging figure.


    Tian Zheng who was watching everything from the mountainside waved his hand and two long-limbed figures stepped out of his shadow. Measuring just over 6 meters in height they stood out like sore thumbs.


    Their bodies looked like they were made from ck ss and everything else about them make them seem like abstract paintings rather than actual physical beings. Two curved horns decorated their heads proudly.


    These were the same demonic figures that he had called out in the colosseum. (CH 967 ''Minds eye'', also a reference image there)


    "Cover the escape routes, make sure he is not able to leave before its time," Tian Zheng ordered, and both the figures melted into nearby shadows and disappeared.


    With that, he jumped down himself and casually started walking towards Hao Xuan who was about to engage with the stout figure within the valley.


    But seeing as a vast majority of the beasts had already been killed by him Tian Zheng became a little worried. He quickly sped his hands and mumbled something under his breath before nting both hands into the wet soil below.


    As his energy began to spread to out in all directions, everything it touched began to animate. The soil, the trees, the rocks and even the other corpses of the beasts that were strewn around him.


    They melted together and beganbining in a bubbly liquid that spat out more of the beasts one by one. Within a matter of seconds there were hundreds of them.


    But they still weren''tplete. There was no light within their wretched eyes. They walked left and right aimlessly like lost puppies and only when his words reached their ears did they suddenly be attentive.


    Tian Zheng made several hand gestures while continuing his chant in an unrecognizablenguage. Several dark portals began opening behind his back and spitting out spiraling masses of dark energy.


    They hovered in the air for a few seconds before locking onto a beast and shooting in their direction. Uponing into contact with these dark spiraling spheres the beasts froze on the spot for a moment before trembling from head to toe.


    Their size began to increase bit by bit. The ws became sharper, the bodies sturdier. They were almost fifty percent bigger than the beasts in the valley.


    By the time the shaking stopped their demeanor had alsopletely changed. They snarled and growled at everything that moved but more than that, there was intelligence behind their eyes now.


    ? Tian Zheng gave a light nod, satisfied with the results.


    "Go forth andy waste to everything. Kill anything that moves, anything and EVERYTHING!"


    The beasts growled in unison and started spreading out in every direction. They purposefully avoided the valley where Hao Xuan was.


    At the same time, the two six-meter-tall shadowy figures came out of the shadows at the end of the valley.


    The shadows began expanding and within seconds had hidden the only way out within their depths.

 Chapter 1191 Incred

    Hao Xuan noticed none of these changes because his attention was directed towards the enemy in front of him.


    The two-meter-tall hulking figure ran through the smaller beasts as if they were made of paper while charging straight towards him.


    Hao Xuan could feel the immense power behind that body but strangely enough, he couldn''t feel any Qi from it. Still, he kept his guard up and from a distance fired one fire ball.


    His n was to strike from the side as soon as the figure dodged in either direction but to his surprise, it ran right into it without any hesitation.


    His brow furrowed slightly, ''What a tough bod-''


    But his thoughts were cut short when a blood-curdling scream erupted from its mouth as it rolled on the ground trying to put out the me.


    Hao Xuan''s brow knitted even more. Thinking it to be a trap he threw out two more fire balls while the figure was still trying to put out the first one and its screams became even louder.


    "What the fuck is going on?!" Hao Xuan whispered, bewildered at his enemy''s reaction.


    Even someone with a basic understanding of cultivation could put out the me after the initial impact but what he was seeing was anything but.


    Not to mention that its screams sent chills down his spine. It made him feel like he had thrown a newborn into a cauldron. There was only confusion and fear behind those screams.


    He stopped attacking and watched from a distance.


    Eventually, the mes were put out and the figure stopped movingpletely.


    ''Is it dead?'' he thought but a secondter its body jerked and was pulled back to its feet.


    It looked like a puppet that was being controlled by someone else. Hao Xuan''s instincts made him stay his hand for some reason as he cautiously urged Grey to move a little closer.


    Killing a few beasts that were blocking his path Hao Xuan now stood just a few meters away from the figure. He could see it much more clearly now.


    There were stitches lining the entirety of its body like a puzzle. Some parts were reced entirely with flesh from other beings it looked like, that belonged to neither man nor beast.


    He looked like Frankenstein''s monster but ten times worse because whoever made this thing did not care about appearances.


    Then the smell of rotting flesh carried over to Hao Xuan, drilling into his senses like the countless worms that could be seen wriggling under the figure''s skin.


    Even Grey had to take several steps back because of its horrid intensity.


    "What filthy magic! Who is your master, creature?! COME OUT!" Hao Xuan screamed out of anger.


    But he was angrier with himself because the thing standing in front of him was not human. It wasn''t even alive. It was a half-assed attempt at creating an undead that had gone very wrong.


    A real undead creature could not feel any pain whatsoever. The strength and tolerance of its body were almost unparalleled. Nothing could match its endurance and if done right, it was a nightmare for any ill-prepared opponent.


    But the thing in front of him was a damned joke. It wasn''t even entirely dead!


    And right on queue Tian Zheng walked out of the shadows while pping.


    "What a great performance, truly wonderful!"


    He was smiling ear to ear.


    "But a bit too cautious don''t you think? Where is the man who killed Stasa in front of thousands? Surely he would not be afraid of a silly little ''thing'' like this," he finished by kicking the undead in the back.


    It was obviously not expecting it and easily fell face-first into the dirt. It tried to get up but Tian Zheng stepped over its body and sat down over its shoulders while it stayed in the nking position.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes immediately became cold.


    "You."


    "Me indeed. Are you not happy to see me?" Tian Zheng inquired cheekily, resting his chin on the back of his hands.


    Hao Xuan''s killing intent surged and he almost struck out but stopped at thest minute when he remembered Dai Zhi''s warning.


    He nced left and right but couldn''t see anyone.


    "I know you are here, why don''t you show yourself? Surely you don''t need to lower yourself to the standards of this trash and hide in the shadows like a coward."


    Tian Zheng''s merry mood immediately turned solemn.


    "You fu-" he was about to curse but Xue Meng''s voice cut him off.


    "How did you know I was here?"


    With an almost soundless hum, Xue Meng appeared right next to Tian Zheng.


    Or that''s how it looked to everyone else but with Hao Xuan''s far superior reflexes he was just barely able to make out his silhouettending there from somewhere far away.


    ''What incredible speed!''

 Chapter 1192 Dogs

    If he wasn''t paying such close attention to his surroundings there was no way he would have picked it up. He moved so fast that it looked like teleportation to Hao Xuan even though he knew otherwise.


    Xue Meng was as quiet as he possibly could be. Hands sped behind his back and calmly staring at him without even a hint of hostility, if someone said he was out on a walk in his backyard no one could say otherwise.


    Hao Xuan tightened his grip around Grey making him tense up.


    ''No, it''s pointless. With that speed, I can''t outrun him even on Grey. He really is-''


    While inspecting Xue Meng, Hao Xuan''s gaze trailed down his body and fell upon the old saber by his waist. And like many times before, for a moment he was teleported to another ce.


    The first thing his senses picked up was the smell of burning flesh followed by intense heat.


    Hao Xuan looked to his left and saw the remains of a man half kneeling with a sword going through his neck. The sword was on fire and was melting him from the inside out.


    "And then there were two," a voice said from somewhere in the air and the fire sword flew up.


    But when Hao Xuan followed its direction his eyes widened from shock. There was a literal army floating overhead.


    Hundreds, maybe even thousands of them. Iridescent halos of divine light shone around each one but perhaps the most eye-catching thing were the weapons they wielded. Each person held a magnificent sword in their hands that hummed loudly as if to announce its presence to the whole world.


    The one who had spoken was a youngdy in her early twenties standing at the very front.


    Twelve burning swords rotated behind her back in the shape of wings. The fire sword that had killed the man next to Hao Xuan also belonged to her.


    She wasn''t an otherworldly beauty but there was something about her simple and clean appearance that made one ashamed of themselves. If saints actually existed, surely this girl would be one of them.


    Her voice and manner of speaking were loud and clear. She didn''t need to hide or shy away from anything, that was the impression one got just by looking at her.


    Currently, her brow was furrowed lightly as she peered downwards.


    "Why do you continue this pointless battle? You know in the end there will only be one victor. What few friends you had have all yielded to my de, except for one. Will you even watch him die because of your own greed?" as she said thest sentence she looked directly at Hao Xuan and only then did he realize that she wasn''t actually talking to him.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Hao Xuan''s head slowly turned to the right, almost mechanically. He saw a figure standing by his side, a mundane saber clutched tightly in his grasp.


    It was a man in histe thirties. He wore a simple ck robe but there was something about him that made Hao Xuan''s heart skip a beat.


    It was like looking at a tempest, a thunderstorm taking the shape of a human.


    His long hair fluttered wildly in the wind. His poorly maintained beard had drops of blood and bone stuck in its edges. He looked more like a wild animal than anything else.


    And he was smiling, grinning from ear to ear.


    A loud, almost an evil-sounding guffaw came from his throat as he shouted at the woman.


    "We go to far greater lengths to avoid what we fear than to obtain what we desire. You, Sword Empress, are living proof of that. They would not have someone like me in their midst so they send you to do their dirty work. That only proves that I was right all along, things MUST change!"


    The Sword Empress shook her head lightly, "No one forced me toe here. It was your own bloodlust that summoned me. You kill without reason or purpose, you are corrupted by that saber!"


    "HAHAHA! My purpose is far greater than yours! You who follow ''their''mands like a dog on a leash will never know the freedom that I have tasted. You fear me because I refuse to bow to your masters!"


    He then turned towards Hao Xuan and his expression softened greatly along with his voice.


    "My friend, my brother. Do you remember what I told you when I asked you to join me all those years ago?"


    Hao Xuan nodded, "You will be the next God of War no matter what it takes, or die trying."


    He chuckled, "It seems to be thetter. Look, look how much they fear us! To even forcefully birth the ''Sword Child'' before its time, they knew this was the only way they could stop our advance."


    But then his smile slowly faded, "I cannot turn back, brother. To turn my back on my sworn enemies would mean the end of me. But even if it is only you, I want you to live. Go back to our world and live a long life. Do everything we talked about doing after reaching our goal. I free you of your burden."

 Chapter 1193 Low Born

    Hao Xuan''s body visibly rxed as he stared into the man''s eyes before shaking his head. He felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders but not because of what he said.


    "There is nowhere to go back to, brother. All my friends are buried here, how could I face them in the next life if I turned back now? Everything we worked for, everything we fought and bled for, it has led us to this moment. What kind of a man would I be if I were to turn my back on it now?"


    He had made up his mind and that alone had set him free. It was like they were young again.


    He still vividly remembered the first time they had met. They were both orphans born in the Temple of War like countless others.


    It was a ruthless ce, no one cared for them, and no one protected them from anything or anyone. Hao Xuan considered himself to be one of the lucky ones even though he had to beg for water and food for as long as he could remember.


    He used to live from one meal to the next, sleeping on the streets among the vermin in dirt and filth, he didn''t know any better because no one had told him otherwise. To him this was the only way to live and he had epted that through and through.


    Then one day some random snot-nosed brat showed up in front of him leading a whole gang of orphans just like them.


    [Aren''t you tired of living this way? Fighting for scraps amongst ourselves while they enjoy the fruits of our parent''sbour, why are you not angry with them?! Come with me, follow me and we will never have to depend on anyone else but ourselves!]


    A barely 10-year-old child had said those words to him and he didn''t even understand thempletely at the time. All he wanted was a roof over his head and a warm bed to sleep in but...none of that woulde so easily.


    It would have to be bought and paid for by blood, sweat, and tears!


    The woman was listening to their conversation and could only shake her head in discontent.


    "The entire military arm of the Temple of War stands before you now. Ten thousand Sword Kings led by a thousand Sword Saints from across the known worlds havee down to face you. If you bow to the righteous powers and ept them as your lords then I personally give you my word that no one else needs to die today. Do not be foolish, there is nothing you can do now!"


    The man couldn''t even take her words seriously. The life they had lived, there was nopromise in that.


    "You were taught by them from birth. Taught how to hold a sword with dignity and use it to exercise your will onto others. But we did not have such luxuries," he looked down at the simple-looking saber in his hands and muttered weakly.


    "Ours is a weapon of servility, of the low-born men and women who die in the billions across the ten worlds. We who are unsuitable to wield your noble swords had only our wretched sabers to depend on. Allow me to educate you on the true nature of my de!"


    Even Hao Xuan couldn''t hold himself back from letting out a chuckle or two. His mind was clear and his goal simple.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "How long do you need to break through to the final realm?" Hao Xuan inquired.


    The man let out a devilish smile and held up three fingers, "Three minutes, that''s all I need."


    "Then you will have it! I will be your Dao Protector."


    Several of the men and women floating overheadughed uproaringly while one of them, an old man dressedpletely in white with a long flowing beard stepped forward with a peerless white sword.


    He was livid!


    "The audacity! A mere ve thinks he can stop US!? My fellow saints, allow me to show this mongrel the reality of his unfortunate circumstances!"


    He didn''t wait for the others to respond and struck. Not that any of them would have stopped him anyway.


    Like a sh of moonlight his de appeared in front of Hao Xuan''s neck the very next moment. Some would call it underhanded to strike when the opponent least expected it but Hao Xuan was not one toin.


    He didn''t even blink when the sword scrapped against his armguard because there was no force behind it.


    "AAAH!"


    An ear-piercing scream erupted from the old man''s mouth as his entire shoulder slid off his body.


    The Sword Express was the first to react. One of her fire swords shot forth and stood in front of the old man just in time to block an attack that no one else sawing.


    Her eyes narrowed to slits, "You...what did you do just now!"


    The man with the saber had already taken a seat behind Hao Xuan but he looked up at the woman coldly.


    "Now you will see why even the old monsters feared us enough to send you down here. You will all be buried here."

 Chapter 1194 MY TIME

    A sharp pain ripped through the back of Hao Xuan''s eyes just as things were starting to pick up. His vision shed several times and no matter how much he tried to focus there wasn''t much to hold on to.


    It was like trying to capture raindrops in a sieve. Memories were just flowing through him and upon opening his eyes again he realized why that was.


    The army of shadowy figures had revealed itself to him once again, led by that teenage boy at the front that resembled him a little.


    One of the shadowy figures standing by his side that had some very distinct features unlike most others was looking right at him. And even though he hadn''t seen that face before Hao Xuan somehow knew that the memories he just saw belonged to him.


    It took him a second to regain hisposure before ncing back at the figure to the side.


    ''You won''t show me more but you want me to still know it. Why?''


    The thought had just crossed his mind subconsciously but to his utter surprise the figure looked over at the teenage boy. As if to say, "Ask him".


    When Hao Xuan looked at him again the teenager was smiling. The kind of pretentious smile that screamed "It is a secret".


    Xue Meng who was looking right at Hao Xuan throughout had his brow furrowed to the extreme.


    ''Was that-''


    But he couldn''t even think for moment with Tian Zheng cursing under his breath right next to him.


    "This fucking bastard dares to ignore me?! Must I really take this level of disrespect from a thing like him?!"


    "Shut up!" Xue Meng growled angrily, instantly turning him into a mute.


    He turned back towards Hao Xuan while clutching the saber tightly. There was a very strange feeling he had just gotten from it. The saber was stirring!


    Hao Xuan was looking in Xue Meng''s direction but seeing right through him as if he wasn''t even there.


    He finally couldn''t take it anymore and spoke up again.


    "Wake up, what are you looking at?!"


    He released a bit of his aura which made the entire area turn silent. Not even the winds dared to make a noise in his presence.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze finally refocused, looking right into Xue Meng''s eyes.


    And for the first time in a VERY long time, he felt ufortable, even a little unsure of himself.


    "You...you are not the same boy I met in that pit. Those are not the same eyes that looked at me before."<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Hao Xuan was shaken from the bottom of his heart but didn''t let it show one bit. Xue Meng was the first person that had noticed the change in him so clearly.


    "No wonder, the spirit of a true expert can distinguish even something like that, huh?"


    Xue Meng''s heart was beating faster and faster but he couldn''t tell why. He felt like there was something missing but he couldn''t tell why so...he decided to ask.


    "What happened to you? Why are you....different? HOW are you different?"


    "Am I different? I don''t feel any different," Hao Xuan answered honestly but it made Xue Meng even more cautious.


    "That''s even worse. If you can''t even feel yourself changing, how will you know when you have be someone else?"


    Hao Xuan gritted his teeth in annoyance.


    ''Who is he to tell us we are changing?! We are the same as we have always been!''


    He didn''t even realize that he had referred to himself as the plural "we" in that moment.


    ''Ask him! Ask if he knows it!'' a whispering voice in his subconscious urged Hao Xuan and he somehow knew exactly what it was talking about.


    His eyes trailed down to the saber before narrowing to slits, "Tell me, have you even met it yet?"


    That knowing, condescending tone of voice fell like a hammer on Xue Meng''s heart. And for the first time sinceing to this, he felt like things were not under his control anymore. They were not so simple.


    A hint of killing intent unintentionally leaked out as he held the saber ever so closely.


    "Who are you? What do you know of this matter?!"


    Hao Xuan shrugged with half a smile, "Nothing...yet."


    "AAAH! ENOUGH! THIS IS MY TIME!" Tian Zheng suddenly screamed from the side while pulling his hair.


    Both Hao Xuan and Xue Meng hadpletely forgotten about him in the heat of the moment and their conversation fell on deaf ears when it came to him.


    Hao Xuan''s mood soured rtively quickly. Just the mere presence of this bastard made him want to puke but at least he was more confident than before.


    If what he just saw was correct, the saber hanging by Xue Meng''s waist was the same one from his memories.


    ''This can''t be a coincidence. That saber, my memory, if I absorb that specific shadowpletely I will understand everything, I''m sure of it."

 Chapter 1195 BS To Freedom

    ''But I wonder why am I so sure that he won''t attack me first? I can''t put it into words but it''s like a universal truth.''


    Hao Xuan''s heartbeats slowed to a crawl and he calmed down significantly. Xue Meng didn''t even appear as a threat to him anymore.


    [As long as we don''t attack him first he won''t raise his de, he can''t,] the voice in his head told him. His own voice.


    ''Then the only problem is this trash,'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly while looking towards Tian Zheng.


    [Kill him! Rip him limb from limb for what he did to him! Boil him alive and use his skull as your pouring cup!]


    A red hue mixed in with Hao Xuan''s green pupils like the setting sun. The voice was corrupting him faster than anything else around and he didn''t even realize it until now.


    ''Him? Him who?''


    Hao Xuan realized that his fist was clenched so tightly that the skin over his knuckles looked like it was about burst open. He was angrier than he had ever been before but didn''t understand why. Where was this anger and hateing from?


    Tian Zheng was watching Hao Xuan closely and upon noticing his ugly expression and trembling hand he believed himself to be its architect. But he wanted more.


    Still sitting on the back of the nking undead figure, he suddenly started reminiscing about the past.


    "Do you remember how that pig screamed when I crushed his body into a meat paste? I''ll never forget it! It''s not often Ie across such unadulterated terror. He didn''t understand why it was happening to him at all, even when I told him it was YOUR fault he didn''t believe it. What was his name, Salome?"


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted upon hearing the name again.


    ''Him? I am this angry because of him? What''s happening to me?!''


    There was a pit forming at the bottom of his stomach. It was like a ck hole that was pulling in everything around it. And Hao Xuan could feel his body weaken by several degrees because of it.


    His stomach groaned and grumbled as if it was being pulled apart by the hole. And there was something hiding within its dark borders, calling for him.


    ''NO! The physique demon! Now right now!''


    "Argh!"


    He almost fell down but Grey managed to quickly shift his bnce and keep him straight.


    The reaction made Tian Zheng even more proud of himself.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    ''Yes! Feel the pain!''


    Hao Xuan was losing control over his body and it was not just because of the physique demon. In fact, the reason it was able to rear its ugly head again was because Hao Xuan had left himself open in a moment of weakness.


    But where did this moment of weaknesse from? Why now? Why when Salome was mentioned again?


    ''I don''t get it. Why do I feel so strongly about him? It would have never been the case with anyone else but I can''t help but take it personally when ites to him!''


    Surprisingly, because of this interaction Hao Xuan understood that it was anything but normal.


    Salome was a native of this world. Born and raised here, they had only met just a little while ago. He could count on two hands all the times they had interacted for longer than a few seconds. There was absolutely no reason for Hao Xuan to feel so strongly about someone who was otherwise aplete stranger to him.


    ''Fuck! I don''t have time for this. I need to get as far away as possible from here.''


    Pushing down all irrelevant thoughts he held onto Grey with all his might before meeting Tian Zheng''sughing gaze.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you really have nothing better to do with your life than to ruin my day? If you wanted to kill me there were a dozen better ways. Why the need for these theatrics?"


    Tian Zheng froze for a moment because he wasn''t expecting such a response at all.


    "Y-You dare to talk to me that wa-"


    He tried toe up with something clever to say but Hao Xuan didn''t give him the opportunity.


    He smacked his forehead acting as if he had just realized something important.


    "Wait, are you into men? Huh? Is that it? You fancy me, boy? Is this your way of trying to get my attention like some preschool child? Because let me tell you right now, if Ceni didn''t have a chance then you sure as hell won''t."


    Tian Zheng''s mind waspletely nk. He didn''t have the words to describe all the emotions he was feeling right now.


    "Heh, maybe you two really are meant to be together, BOTH of you are in love with me! But ttering as this is, I don''t have time for this bullshit right now. Next time maybe wear something less revealing and we can have a proper conversati-"


    Hao Xuan was saying anything and everything that came to his mind but Tian Zheng had had enough.


    "SHUT UP! Shut up Shut up Shut up Shut up Shut up! You are no one, NOTHING! You will NOT talk to me this way!"

 Chapter 1196 Still Beating

    Xue Meng could only shake his head in silence watching Tian Zheng overreact and fall apart before the fight even began.


    ''What weak spirit. To be broken by mere words, can you even call yourself a warrior? Tsk.''


    The more he came to know of him the guiltier he felt about ever helping him in all this. But he had made a promise and-


    ''What is a man if not his word?''


    *Sigh*


    Looking over at Hao Xuan''s haggard appearance and the pain he was going through made it that much more difficult to do what he had to. But at least he could make sure it would be swift.


    His grip tightened around the saber, ''Come on kid, strike, just one attack.''


    But Hao Xuan had no such ns, although if he could stick to them was another thing.


    Tian Zheng hadpletely lost it. He was going off on him about wanting respect and knowing one''s ce but Hao Xuan couldn''t give less of a shit.


    He spread out the spiritual sense in all directions and as expected found all exits to be covered orpletely missing as was the case in the back.


    Looking back in its direction he could vaguely make out tworge figures hiding within the shadow of the valley. The only reason he could even see their outline was because of his lycan bloodline but it was his physique that helped identify them.


    The feeling he got from them was very simr to the Puer he had fought back in the pit.


    ''Demons, true demons. Summoned to our ne? He is a summoner? I could easily kill him before he canmand them. Once the tether is broken they would either be sent back to where they came from or set free. Either way, I won''t have to worry about them much.''


    ''But if I attack Tian Zheng Xue Meng will attack me and...I can''t defend against that. Tsk, this needs to end quickly.''


    Hao Xuan was running out of ideas. He tried to summon a sever but his mind pce was still locked down.


    He could only depend on himself for this one.


    Hao Xuan drew in a deep breath to regte his breathing just as Tian Zheng''s tirade came to an end.


    "Are you done? Or is there still more you want to bitch about?"


    An ugly ck vein revealed itself on his forehead when Tian Zheng grit his teeth. It snaked down the left side of his face creating a symbol of a wed beast that was striking down.


    Every time it pulsed a malevolent aura exploded from within his body forcing Grey to back up several steps.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed to slits upon sensing the sudden change in his demeanor after the vein revealed itself.


    ''He has been marked by a greater demon? No wonder he can''t control himself!''


    He was more or less at the mercy of his emotions which were greatly influenced by his connection to whichever demon that had marked him.


    But perhaps even more surprising was that Xue Meng seemed to be already aware of this fact. And for some strange reason, it made Hao Xuan quite disappointed.


    He shook his head ncing at Xue Meng''s rigid figure, "No wonder it does not ept you. You bring shame to your predecessors."


    To someone in Xue Meng''s realm it was not easy to be fazed by empty words but every time Hao Xuan spoke about the de he felt like it wasing from a senior of his.


    ''He doesn''t know what he is talking about,'' Xue Meng told himself again and again but deep down he was beginning to falter.


    His instincts were screaming at him to listen even though it made no sense.


    Tian Zheng''s appearance continued to change and within seconds he was nothing like his previous self. The handsome young master of a noble n was reced by a bony figure almost twice his previous size.


    Sunken cheeks and dark circles around his eyes made it appear as if he had not eaten or slept in weeks. The arms were disproportionately longer than the rest of his body and the fingers looked like they belonged to something else entirely.


    Pitch ck and ending in w-like hooks, they scraped the ground even while he was standing upright.


    But it was his aura that had seen the most significant change. There was nothing human about it anymore.


    His yellow pupils slowly focused on Hao Xuan''s shaking figure.


    "I want you to feel every kind of pain there is," he spoke in a gruff voice.


    Hao Xuan scoffed, "And how will you do that?"


    He still wasn''t afraid of him even after the change in his appearance. If he truly was a summoner then Hao Xuan could easily overpower him.


    But to his surprise, Tian Zheng''s elongated arm shot out and pierced the back of the undead creature below him.


    It screamed and squirmed in pain as he fished for something for a few seconds before digging out a still-beating heart from within its body.

 Chapter 1197 All Of It

    Tian Zheng held the heart in his hands like it was a piece of fruit. He brought it up to his face and started muttering a spell that revealed a series of runic symbols inscribed on its surface with some kind of a chalky substance.


    This would be the best time to strike because he was so busy with the spell that he wasn''t even paying attention to the surroundings but because of Xue Meng that was not possible.


    Hao Xuan became vignt.


    [Look at him, he ispletely open. He wouldn''t even stand a chance. This wastrel has never even fought in realbat] the voice in his headmented.


    ''Damn it, I could kill this fool so easily,'' Hao Xuan unwittingly agreed.


    [It would be so easy]


    ''So easy.''


    [If only the saber wasn''t here]


    ''If only.''


    [Or maybe...it is a gift for us. Maybe this too is a part of his n]


    ''Huh? What n?''


    And just when Hao Xuan was about to wake up to it something happened outside that grabbed his attention.


    "Ha! Ho! Ha! Ho! Ha! Ho! Ha! Ho!"


    Countless chanting voices began to pour in from every possible direction.


    Hao Xuan tightened his grip around the reins in uncertainty.


    ''Do I really have no choice but to wait for him to finish the spell?! Come on, think!''


    The chanting grew louder and louder with no way to pinpoint its source. It wasing from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It didn''t make any sense.


    ''A distraction! I can''t fight but I can distract him and make the spell backfire!''


    He took in a deep breath and infused the chaos Qi into his words before yelling directly in Tian Zheng''s direction.


    A focused soundwave shot forward making thepletely unprepared Tian Zheng flinch and jump back.


    "HEY! IS THE CHANTING REALLY NECESSARY?! AT LEAST MAKE IT A BIT SOFTER!"


    It wasn''t a direct attack and not enough for Xue Meng to take action but when he heard what Hao Xuan had to say his brow shot up in confusion.


    He nced towards Tian Zheng who was equally bewildered.


    "What are you talking about? What chanting?"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "You know what chan-" Hao Xuan froze mid-sentence.


    ''They can''t hear it??''


    But he could, as clear as day. It wasn''t too loud or hindering his other senses but it was constantly ringing at the back of his mind.


    "Ha! Ho! Ha! Ho!" over and over again. Countless voices speaking in unison. Young and old, men and women, some strong enough to make themselves stand out from the rest and some mere whispers.


    But they were there.


    ''Then where is iting from?!''


    ? This was neither a vision nor a memory.


    "Hah!" Tian Zheng scoffed, "He is already losing his mind! That''s what you get for even thinking of going against me!"


    But Xue Meng obviously didn''t believe that. He looked around and inspected the surroundings in great detail but doing so caused an unsettling feeling to take root in his heart.


    "Something is wrong," he muttered under his breath, "Something terrible is about to happen. The winds of fate are changing!"


    Just then the spell Tian Zheng was working on waspleted sessfully.


    The half-purple heart began to change its original appearance and started to look more like something that would belong inside of a living being.


    But the runes encapsting it were darker than before and made it look like the heart was imprisoned inside of them.


    Tian Zheng''s yellow pupils became bright enough to appear likenterns in the surrounding darkness. And when he opened his mouth a long tongue slithered out, at the end of which was a bright green me flickering like a candle in the wind.


    "Thisst step, I wanted to do this in front of you. I wanted you to witness it yourself, unable to change its oue."


    Hao Xuan watched as the tongue pierced the beating heart and when it came out the green me was nowhere in sight. He then reached down and ced the heart back in the undead figure''s body.


    The undead began to convulse and spasm uncontrobly.


    Hao Xuan could feel it changing from the inside out when a pool of spiritual energy was birthed within its abdomen. The pieces of loose skin and muscles twitched and squirmed before attaching to each other and bing evenrger than before.


    The undead roared loudly when thest of the transformation finished, creating a shockwave that sent everything around it spiraling outwards.


    It slowly got up on its feet, towering over everyone else. It was a little more than 3 meters tall now.


    Its body looked much better since the different colored pieces of skin could bind to each other without the help of the stitches.


    But when Hao Xuan got a look at its face his eyes widened from shock and his mouth fell open.


    "S-Salome...?"

 Chapter 1198 He Walks

    It was disfigured, marred by bruises and scars all over but that was definitely Salome...or at least his face.


    And upon hearing the name Salome did react by turning in Hao Xuan''s direction but that was it. There was no emotion in those previously expressive eyes, only confusion.


    But nowhere near as much as Hao Xuan''s.


    "How...is that possible? I saw him die! You mother...fucker, what did you do!?"


    But the distress in his voice only egged him on.


    "No, you saw him ALMOST die," Tian Zheng rified. It looked like he had been waiting for just this moment for quite a while and was more than willing to exin his n.


    "After brother Xue Meng stopped my fun I noticed that this sorry excuse for a human was still alive. It was a miracle in and of itself, truly. To survive not only me but brother Xue Meng''s de, it was like the universe was telling me something," Tian Zheng paused to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze with a toothy grin, revealing two sets of razor-sharp teeth.


    "The universe was telling me that I couldn''t let it end this way, not this early. It was telling me to teach you a lesson, and oh boy did I listen, hahaha!"


    He extended one of his ws and stroked Salome''s shoulder creating sparks against his iron-like skin.


    "So I scraped together whatever was left of him off the floor and got to work. It wasn''t easy mind you, he was hanging on by a thread but as long as he was alive there was hope."


    Tian Zheng reached behind his back and pulled out a metal disk with an insignia of a sword on it. A light flickered atop its surface creating an image of a ck cauldron.


    "For 2 days I boiled his body in a broth made from the bones of the Everwhite Toad known for its ability to recover from even the most grievous wounds. He screamed and screamed while parts of his flesh melted off but no matter how much he wanted it, there was no end to his suffering."


    The images changed to show what was happening inside the cauldron and Hao Xuan could not look away. A half-melted face attached to a skull and some pieces of flesh was floating on its surface howling non-stop.


    Tian Zheng smiled from ear to ear upon having finally gotten a hold of Hao Xuan''s undivided attention.


    "It took another day for me to gather all the resources needed to put together a new body for him."


    The images changed to a ten-meter-long wooden table covered to the brim with freshly cut body parts.


    "I won''t lie to you it was a bit of a struggle and I thought about giving up several times but...the thought of seeing that face, your face right now, that''s what kept me going. I stitched him back up one organ at a time, casting curse after curse on his wretched state and using no less than thirty souls to finally bind him to this form."


    "And when it was all done and dusted I was left with something truly special, something I had never seen before."<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    His ws scraped against Salome''s expressionless face as he nced at him lovingly, "He is half dead and half dying. No other magic works on him now. He does not need to eat, sleep or rest. He will not age or break unless I wish it so."


    "I have cast a curse of undeath upon his soul. It will forever wander these ins, unable to ever move on or find peace for all of eternity. He has be an abomination against the natural cycle of life and death to the point that...it only makes him stronger."


    "There is no limit to his strength. Every time he receives a mortal blow it makes him stronger. But worry not Hao Xuan, I have kept his mind and soul intact. Soon he will remember his past but will be able to do nothing as I order him to rip you limb from limb, HAHAHAHA!"


    Hao Xuan was watching and listening to every single word that wasing out of Tian Zheng''s mouth but in his mind, there was something else happening that he could not describe.


    [NOOO! NOOOO! NOOOOO! WHAT HAS HE DONE?! WHAT HAS HE DONE TO MY BROTHER!] his own voice was screaming inside his head.


    [HE PROMISED TO KEEP HIM SAFE, HE PROMISED ME HE WOULD LIVE A LIFE OF PEACE THIS TIME!]


    [LIAR! HE LIED TO ME! HE USED ME!]


    [THERE WILL BE NO FORGIVENESS! NOT FOR YOU OR THEM! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!]


    *Click*


    *Creeeeak~*


    The left most door within Hao Xuan''s Mind Pce slowly creaked open and a figure stepped out. Hao Xuan''s consciousness was forcefully pulled into the mind pce.


    He stood across from the white haired figure for the first time and saw his own face staring back at him. But it was so twisted in rage and fury that it barely looked human.


    Hao Xuan wanted to ask him who he was but his vision turned dark before he could.


    *tip*tip*tip*


    The next thing Hao Xuan felt were the cold raindrops hitting his face.


    "Where...am I?"

 Chapter 1199 Resistance

    When Hao Xuan opened his eyes again he was standing in a forest with his hand gripping a dainty neck. He looked at the person''s face and recognized it immediately.


    "You...I know you. You were with Princess Inara and Helena, Uri, right?"


    The young demihuman boy tried to nod but could barely move his body. He was being lifted off the ground by his neck.


    "C-Could you let me down please, I can''t breathe too good," he muttered in a raspy voice which quickly made Hao Xuan aware of what he was doing.


    He put him back on the ground and released his grip. There was a bright purple mark on the boy''s neck in the shape of Hao Xuan''s hand.


    "Sorry I...don''t know what happened. Where is this?"


    Hao Xuan looked around but couldn''t find anything particrly out of ce. It just looked like an ordinary forest but when he looked up into the sky he could see traces of sunlight cascading through the dark rain clouds.


    "Sun...the sky?! I''m on the surface?"


    Thest thing he remembered was standing across from Tian Zheng, Xue Meng and-


    "SALOME! Where is he?! Where am...ugh!"


    The world started spinning to the point that he almost fell over but another figure appeared out of the shadows behind him to lend a helping hand.


    "You shouldn''t move around too much. Give yourself time to adjust to it first," an unknown voice said.


    Rubbing his head Hao Xuan looked up to thank him but the words got stuck in his throat upon seeing another familiar face.


    "Thank- you...?"


    It was a middle-aged man with countless tattoos all over his face. Or at least they looked like tattoos but upon closer inspection they could be seen slowly moving around as if they were alive.


    Hao Xuan had never met him before but that face, Gavril had shown him when theyst met. (Gavril is the Orc that got his powers from the Old Orc King, his powers are mostly rted to the dream world)


    This was the leader of the resistance that had popped up when they first came to the. And because of that they would probably still be considered as enemies, at least from his side.


    The man could feel the reluctance in Hao Xuan''s gaze and read his face like an open book.


    "I am not your enemy. I was summoned here to help you, although it appears I was a little toote," he said apologetically while ncing in Uri''s direction.


    Uri nodded, "It has been settled already, no thanks to you," and walked in the opposite direction.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "My name is Gi-An, I am sure you have heard of me," the man introduced himself in a low voice before pointing in the same direction.


    "Just a little further away."


    Suffice to say Hao Xuan was more than a little taken aback by what he was seeing. One of them was a mortal demihuman boy from the world blow and the other was the most wanted man on the.


    After a quick check-up, he realized that his energy reserves were now less than 10% so it was in his best interest to avoid the fight if at all possible.


    So Hao Xuan kept his mouth shut and allowed Gi-An to help him walk to wherever they were going.


    It only took them a couple of minutes before they arrived at the intended destination. It was an old vige hidden in the misty forest. It looked like it had been abandoned a long time ago and nature had begun to reim itsnd.


    All sorts of nts and vines grew on the wooden structures.


    Uri was standing next to an old barn that was just outside the main cluster of buildings. He let out a deep sigh and shook his head upon seeing the condition of the barn.


    "In here," he motioned to Gi-An but Hao Xuan pulled away.


    "I can walk from here."


    Gi-An nodded wordlessly and took a step back, waiting for Hao Xuan to go in first.


    ''Looks like they won''t let me leave that easily,'' Hao Xuan thought before entering the barn.


    The inside was actually in much better condition than he expected. There were hay bales lining the sides which provided protection against the elements. There was a piece of rolled-up leather at the back, and a small metal stove in the middle with a wooden spoon and bowl next to it.


    Uri extended his hand over the stove and a fire ignited above the old coals.


    Hao Xuan frowned lightly. That wasn''t a spell or any technique requiring spiritual energy. It just looked like a me was birthed naturally out of nowhere.


    Uri quickly sat down next to it just as the raindrops started battering the exterior. Hao Xuan craned his neck from a nearby window and three raindrops fell on his face.


    ''Deja vu...huh?''


    Uri rubbed his hands over the fire while muttering in annoyance.


    "I always forget how fragile humans are. A small change in temperature and you''re dead. Do you remember any of this?"

 Chapter 1200 Born Here

    "Remember it? How could I remember something I have never seen before?"


    But it was his prior statement that got stuck in Hao Xuan''s mind.


    ''How fragile humans are? Does that mean he''s not human?''


    Uri smiled at Hao Xuan before patting the little stack of hay next to him.


    "You should rest a little. This is probably thest time you will have some peace and quiet for a while."


    Hao Xuan looked back at the only exit and saw that Gi-An was standing guard in silence while looking out at the decrepit vige.


    With a deep sigh and a shake of his head, he took the ''seat'' next to the stove while muttering to himself.


    "You say that like I have a choice."


    "You do, I am not forcing you to be here, this is for your own good."


    Hao Xuan snorted, "Hah, does that mean I can leave whenever I want?" and Uri nodded as a matter of factly.


    "Of course. It will be a long walk back down though, there is nothing but death left on the surface. But if you stay here for the time being I could maybe answer some questions that have been bothering you for a while. Isn''t that why you were looking for me?"


    Hao Xuan paused and leaned as far back as he possibly could to look Uri up and down.


    "I have been looking for you?"


    "Or at least you were when you first came down here," Uri quickly corrected himself before extending a hand, "Hello, I don''t have a name but your people call me the ''World Spirit''. You can just call me Uri."


    Hao Xuan was so shocked that his mouth fell open and no other words came out for a good minute or so.


    "Y-You are-"


    "I am."


    "B-But you are-"


    "Mortal? Not really, I am only borrowing this child''s body to converse with you. He is a little special in the sense that he is far too ordinary and that makes our connection very ''stable''. I believe that''s how that little machine in your head would put it."


    "The little machine?" Hao Xuan frowned for a moment before realizing what he was talking about, "BARACUS?! You know about him?"


    "Of course, how could I not? I have been watching you ever since you entered the sr system. And I have to say, I learned a great deal from you."


    Hao Xuan gestured towards Gi-An, "Then that means that he also-"


    "Yes, he works for me too. He was the first human to receive the ''words of power''. I created them so he could be of some help to you in theing days."


    "Ah, that...Ipletely forgot about those."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hao Xuan hade down to the under the guise of understanding the words of power and eliciting the help of the World Spirit to side with the Academy but, as it turned out...that was all a lie.


    "It feels like ages ago now," Hao Xuan came to the sudden realization that it had been many years for him since he firstnded here, even though not much time had passed in reality.


    Uri couldn''t do much more than give a few empty words of encouragement.


    "But you did well. Against so many trying to use you for their own benefit, you held on."


    But Hao Xuan still didn''t understand one thing.


    "Why did you take so long toe and talk to me?"


    "I couldn''t, not before someone else revealed the truth to you. I tried helping where I could from the shado-"


    Hao Xuan cut him off with a self-deprecating chuckle, "HAH! Which truth? The fact that everything I know has been a lie? That even my own body is meant for someone else?"


    Uri remained silent for a while not knowing what to say but decided not to sugarcoat things anymore.


    "It will get a lot worse before it can get better."


    "If that was supposed tofort me...it didn''t work."


    "No,fort is a luxury we do not have. I can only offer you the truth and some guidance along your journey, if you would ept it."


    He had to admit that getting even that was nothing short of a miracle right now. After finding out that even Meng had been using him from the very beginning, Hao Xuan had begun to question a lot of things.


    "Why now? Why did you show up now?"


    "I couldn''t let you fight there, it would have meant your death. ''He'' wasn''t supposed to show up just yet."


    "He?"


    The images from his mind pce shed in front of Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    "Who...What is he? Do you know?"


    That was the thing that had been locked within his mind pce for as long as he could remember.


    "Why did he reveal himself now? Why because of...Salome of all people?"


    For the first time since they started talking Uri looked sad. Hao Xuan wouldn''t have thought he was even capable of such an emotion.


    He gestured towards the rolled-up piece of leather at the back of the barn, "This was his home. He was born here."

 Chapter 1201 Cant Do It

    "He was born here," Uri gestured towards the little bedspread made from animal hide.


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Salome? He was born in this vige?"


    Uri turned back and kept staring at the coals on the stove as if the answers were written on them.


    "Him and...the other. I am not sure how to exin it, it would not make much sense to a mortal like you. You think too ''straight'' to understand it."


    But his words only left Hao Xuan more confused.


    "I don''t understand because you are not exining it well. Here, I''ll make it easier for you. Can you answer any of these questions? Who is Salome? Who is the person in my head? What is their rtionship? And why does it have ANYTHING to do with me?"


    Uri shook his head in agitation as if he didn''t even know how to start. But because of how clearly Hao Xuan had worded his questions it had be much simpler in his eyes.


    "Salome is a native to this world. He was born here. In this lifetime he is no one special, not even someone ''whole'' like before. But the person you saw in your head, that''s..."


    He went quiet mid-sentence again which broke Hao Xuan''s patience.


    "WHO? Just say it, who is he?! What is their rtionship?"


    Uri closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. For a moment there was only the sound of fireing from the stove and the raindrops hitting the barn roof. Even Gi-An held his breath intently listening for the answer because he barely knew anything about it.


    But the answer only left them more confused than ever.


    "It is the ''you'' that you were before the current you. It is the ''you'' that was and then wasn''t anymore."


    "....."


    *CLANG*


    Hao Xuan stood up in such a hurry that the stove was identally knocked over, spilling the coal everywhere.


    "What the fuck does that mean?! Are you fucking with me right now? Are you even the World Spirit or is this some sick game you two are ying with me? How do I even know you really ar-"


    But he was silenced when Uri waved his hand and the coals flew back into the stove before it returned to its previous position. It was like watching someone y a video in reverse.


    ''Time maniption?!'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly but-


    "No, not maniption. I can''t control time, only make things the way they were before. Oh and, read minds. I can read minds too."


    The rational part of Hao Xuan''s mind was telling him this was ludicrous but when he looked into Uri''s eyes there were no ill intentions there. It was more like he didn''t know the right way to say certain things.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Gi-An was about to take action but seeing Hao Xuan suddenly sit back down he let out a small sigh of relief before returning to his position.


    For the next five minutes no one said anything. A curtain of silence had fallen over that was only lifted when Uri finally couldn''t take it anymore.


    "I''m sorry, this is why I didn''t want to meet you, it''s still too early. You are not ready for the answe-"


    "Don''t do that. Don''t pretend to know what I need and what I am ready for. I am tired of hearing this shit."


    "I''m sorry," he apologized again, the little fox ears wilting and hiding underneath the nest of curly hair.


    After another minute or so Hao Xuan had gathered his thoughts.


    "Ok, since you really are the World Spirit, tell me something that only you would know."


    "But...if only I know it, how will you know it''s correct?" Uri inquired innocently, making Hao Xuan more than a little annoyed.


    "I meant something about me. The World Spirit is near-omniscient when ites to knowing things that are happening on its surface. So, tell me something that I have done aftering here, that only I would know."


    Uri looked up and down for a moment trying to think of the best example.


    "Oh, there is one! I was the one who showed you what was happening around here when you were trying toe back through the portal. I also did that just a little while ago to warn you."


    Hao Xuan immediately recalled the two out-of-body experiences Uri was talking about. He had not mentioned them to anyone...but this wasn''t enough. So he pointed at the stove.


    "The fire is cold. Say those words."


    "But it''s not."


    "I know it''s not, just say the words and I will believe you are the World Spirit."


    But Uri only stared back at him with a perplexed expression.


    "I...can''t."


    "Why not?"


    "I don''t know, I''m sorry. Please believe me!" he was on the verge of tears.


    ''World Spirits cannot lie, that was the other thing that I didn''t mention.''

 Chapter 1202 Wasting Daylight

    The rain started to pick up and it became loud enough that they had to raise their voices.


    "Can''t lie? What does that mean??"


    This was new information for him but Hao Xuan wasn''t really in the mood to go into too much detail.


    "Exactly what it means, you are inherently incapable of saying anything false. That''s why world spirits are so trusted and often used to hold great secrets. Anyways, I still don''t believe you a hundred percent but this is as good as it can get. Say what you were saying before about the...well me."


    Although he was still unhappy that Hao Xuan didn''t believe him but so long as they could have this conversation with some semnce of honesty it was all that he needed.


    Uri repeated the same line again, verbatim.


    "It is the ''you'' that you were before the current you. It is the ''you'' that was and then wasn''t anymore."


    Hao Xuan, the same as before, was surprised at how unclear Uri''s words were. They left a lot of room for interpretation.


    "Okay, we can break this down bit by bit. You said it is me meaning it''s the same soul, correct?"


    Uri bobbed his head up and down while tapping his chest, "Yes, same soul, same on the inside."


    "But it''s not the ''me'' right now and instead the one before I was me. Does that mean that''s me from a previous life? Like some sort of a...um, previous incarnation? Like me from an older life?"


    "Older life?" Uri repeated with a pondering expression but his frown only got deeper and deeper, "No no, not old life. Another life but the same life."


    "Same life as this one?"


    "Uh, yes? I''m sorry it''s not easy to exin. It is just a feeling and memories from the other me-"


    "Wait wait, don''t make it worse by adding other you''s to the mix as well," Hao Xuan quickly waved his hand to stop him, "We have to figure this out first."


    "So we shared the same soul but it wasn''t reincarnation. It was the same life but a different one. Same but different..." while Hao Xuan was contemting all the different answers Gi-An said something that caught his attention.


    "Different choices? Same soul and same life but different choices?"


    "Choices?!" Hao Xuan immediately sat upright, "The only way it could be the same life but with different choices is...if it was another timeline. Is that it? ''The me that was and then wasn''t anymore'' could mean that it''s from a future that was rewritten and...I''m the new version?"


    Hao Xuan didn''t know anything for certain and was shooting in the dark for the most part but when he mentioned thest sentence it was like something hade undone around him.


    *p*<novelnext></novelnext>


    [How long are you going to sleep? It''s already midday!]


    A crisp pnded on the back of Hao Xuan''s head followed by those loud words.


    "What the fuck?!" he swiveled around with red ears but there was no one behind him. No one COULD be behind him because he was resting against a wall of hay.


    Uri was also startled by Hao Xuan''s cursing and started looking around warily while several tattoos on Gi-An''s arms came to life.


    "Are you okay? Is someone there?!" Uri inquired in a hushed voice even though he couldn''t feel anyone''s presence.


    Hao Xuan stood up with an understandably puzzled gaze because he was hearing voices that weren''t there.


    [Come on, the chief is going to be mad if you arete for work again. The new crops are ready for harvesting!]


    Hao Xuan immediately pointed towards the source of the voice, "Do you guys hear that? That voice just now??"


    But both Gi-An and Uri were equally perplexed.


    "There is no other voice besides ours, no one else is talking," Gi-An replied and Uri nodded in agreement.


    [Get up already, it''s such a beautiful day. You''re wasting daylight!] the same voice spoke again.


    "I recognize that voice," Hao Xuan mumbled, "Salome?"


    He could even hear the hay softly crunching underneath a person''s feet as he walked out of the barn.


    He followed the sound of footsteps and walked towards the barn door. Gi-An craned his neck to look at Uri for permission which he swiftly received and stepped out of the way.


    Hao Xuan could still hear the torrential rain smashing against the side of the barn but when he pulled the door open a blinding ray of sunlight hit his face.


    He looked away for a moment to give his eyes enough time to readjust before peering outwards again to see that the watery and dpidated vige waspletely reced by something entirely new.


    The sun was shining in the sky above and it was hot enough to remind him of the summers back on earth.


    There were dozens of people running back and forth from one house to the other while another figure waited for him in front of the barn.

 Chapter 1203 Hasdruin

    It was a strapping young man in his early twentiesing in at around 2 meters tall. He was holding three massive logs over his shoulder with one hand and another six with the other.


    His bulging muscles spoke volumes of his strength because even while carrying several tons of weight he wasn''t distressed in the slightest.


    He was looking at Hao Xuan with a raised eyebrow while shaking his head.


    [Tsk, took you long enough. Why don''t you go to sleep a little earlier so we don''t have to go through this every day?]


    "Salome?!" Hao Xuan unintentionally spat out.


    The man in front of him appearedpletely different at first nce whenpared to the oafish Salome that Hao Xuan knew but upon closer inspection the simrities were incredible.


    They both had the same features and facial structures and even the way he spoke and the tone of his voice was almost identical. It could be no one else BUT him.


    For a moment Hao Xuan thought he was actually talking to him but before he could do anything about it a figure passed through him and walked out of the barn.


    [Why don''t you get off my back? Why don''t we try that first?] he mumbled annoyingly and immediately ended up on the receiving end of Salome''s ire.


    [You little brat, is that any way to talk to your older brother?! Hey,e back here! Haz! Hasdruin don''t ignore me!]


    Completely ignoring Salome''s shouting he walked to the back of the barn under countless disapproving gazes of the other vigers.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed, he had never heard that name before but it rolled off the tongue as if he had said it a million times.


    "Hasdruin?"


    He followed after him trying to catch a glimpse of his mug but upon finding his own younger face staring back at him he fell silent.


    It was him. A little younger, a little different with some small scars here and there but it was undeniably a much younger version of Hao Xuan himself.


    He walked for a minute or so before arriving at a stone well with a wooden bucket hanging from its side. As he threw the bucket down a couple of girls around his age were passing by while talking to each other in whispers.


    They were trying to keep their voices low but he could hear them with stark rity.


    [Tsk tsk, what a shame. How can they be so different when they are only three years apart?]


    [There''s always one bad apple you know. And it''s not like it matters, brother Salome is ten times the man he could ever be]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [True. As long as brother Salome is around no one would even notice if he disappeared]


    [That would be the only downside of marrying brother Salome, having a useless brother-inw like him hahaha]


    And they sauntered off while giggling to themselves.


    Hasdruin finally pulled out the bucket and dumped it over his head. Hao Xuan could somehow feel ice-cold water as if it was running down his own back.


    He threw the bucket away and wiped his face while turning towards the sun with a big smile.


    [Delusional bitches. As if any of you are good enough to marry him]


    Hao Xuan''s mind was buzzing uncontrobly and his thoughts running amok.


    "Its...true? This really happened? How is it even possible?"


    In a stupor, he tried to back off but identally stepped on a nearby branch that actually broke under his weight.


    Hasdruin''s ears immediately perked up as he turned towards the source of the noise and ended up looking directly into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    It felt like someone had taken a hammer to Hao Xuan''s chest because he was suddenly pushed back with enough force to shatter his body in two.


    And when he came to the tranquil scene had changed to one of utter death and destruction as the very next moment Hao Xuan found himself standing in front of a pile of severed heads while a roaring ze consumed everything in the vicinity.


    Hasdruin was standing next to him with an expressionless face while holding onto another severed human head. He tossed it onto the pile and watched in silence as it rolled down back to his feet.


    The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind as a group of six to seven men arrived, led by none other than Salome.


    He looked much older than before, maybe in his forties now. He was wearing a full set of iron armor just like the other men which were covered in fresh blood and sword marks. It looked like they too had just run back from a battlefield.


    But their weary expression was swiftly reced by one of shock and disgust as they witnessed the hellscape that awaited them.


    The longsword fell from Salome''s hands as he staggered forward.


    [W-What have you done...Haz...what have you done?!]

 Chapter 1204 Back To It

    Hasdruin was as calm as a person could be. He slowly turned around while wiping his hands on his shirt.


    [Only what I had to, brother. It was necessary-]


    But Salome''s eyes were locked onto the pile of heads as if he was searching for something.


    [T-The kids...where...are my children...?]


    Hasdruin sighed lightly and shook his head with a level of indifference that Hao Xuan had never witnessed before.


    [Gone like the rest. I knew they were the reason you could not take the final step and ept your fate so...I got rid of them for you. You are free now. Free to follow your destiny and be the savior we all need.]


    But Salome was not listening at all. Frozen in ce with a vacant expression, all he could do was stare at Hasdruin in incredulity.


    [How...could you have-]


    [It had to be done. You are destined for far greater things. The Emperor chose you for a reason, and if you didn''t continue his work then they were going to die anyway. This way, at the very least, they didn''t suffer too muc-]


    Before Hasdruin could get all the words out Salome''s fistnded squarely on his face and he was sent flying back, right into the observing Hao Xuan.


    He tried to get out of the way but it was toote. Hasdruin flew straight into him and the moment they came into contact with one another the world turned dark.


    Hao Xuan awoke back in his body, still standing at the barn door drenched from head to toe.


    He hadn''t moved a step in reality but the things he saw certainly felt real. He could recall the scent of blood and burning flesh as if it was still beside him. And when he looked down at his hand it felt grimy and heavier than what he remembered.


    He unconsciously wiped it on his shirt in much the same manner as Hasdruin but that sensation of being covered in filth did not go away.


    Seeing that he was now moving again Gi-An came up to him and held out his hand.


    A coiled-snake tattoo moved along his palm and opened its mouth. When he aimed it at Hao Xuan his clothes began to sizzle and all the water was evaporated within a couple of seconds.


    "Are you okay?" he inquired in a low voice trying to pat him on the shoulder but the moment he touched Hao Xuan''s body an invisible force pushed it away forcefully.


    He had to take several steps back to stabilize himself and even then his arm waspletely numb. He looked towards Uri in disbelief who gestured for him to stay back.


    "Mr. Hao Xuan, can you hear my voice?"


    Hao Xuan''s head jerked and snapped in his direction.


    "I-I can hear you but...I don''t see you. I''m stuck...somewhere."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Uri stood up and walked a little bit closer, "Where? What do you see around you?"


    He was careful not toe too close.


    Hao Xuan looked left and right, his pupils expanding and contracting repeatedly.


    "It keeps changing. I keep seeing different things, sometimes from my own past and sometimes from his. I don''t know- Argh! My head is splitting in two!"


    *Whoooom*


    The air abruptly moved around him sting all the hay to the sides. Gi-An raised his hands but was stopped by Uri before he could do anything.


    ''Don''t move, don''t breathe, don''t do anything!'' he warned.


    Gi-An obliged but his worries increasing by the second. Hao Xuan held onto his head with a pained expression but that did little to help. There were ovepping afterimages of himself trying to separate from him but failing every time.


    Gi-An had never seen anything like it and he was more than a little concerned.


    "What''s happening to him?!"


    Uri extended both of his hands towards Hao Xuan and an invisible ripple of space was shot outwards.


    "He is turning into a singrity."


    "?!"


    "What is that?? It sounds very bad! Shouldn''t we do something about it?!"


    Uri threw him a dirty look, scowling as he answered, "There is nothing we can do about it. He is living through two timestreams at the same time and one of them doesn''t exist anymore. It''s tearing him apart from the inside out."


    His expression turned solemn, "Bringing him here was a mistake. I thought it could help him understand it better but there is too much history here."


    "So what do we do? He''ll die at this rate and then we will be back to where we started!"


    Uri''s eyes widened as a proverbial light bulb lit up over his head.


    "That''s it! We need to get him back to where he was before, surrounded by his own ''present''. Once he is far enough away from this ce it should weaken the effects just enough for his soul to bear the rest!"

 Chapter 1205 Did It Though

    Uri met Gi-An''s baffled gaze, "You have to send him down, I''ll tell you where."


    "I can''t even get close to him, how will I do that?"


    "By using the powers I gave you, you fool! Get ready!" Uri shouted before closing his eyes.


    "We can''t send him to the city, it''s too dangerous. I will find the people he has been associating with and call them to a safe ce somewhere outside where no one else will be able to find them."


    Or that was his n but the more Uri looked the deeper his frown got.


    They were all either busy with something that required their utmost attention or in a situation where they were simply unable to respond like Henrik. There were only two figures that were even actively looking for him.


    "I guess this will have to do. I will call as many of them as possible," he mumbled before sending out a series of vague and cryptic messages to draw them away.


    Once that was done he sent the location to Gi-An''s mind.


    "Here, send him to this ce quick!"


    Then it was Gi-An''s turn to close his eyes and begin the process. The countless tattoos all over his body began to separate and rejoin in different shapes to create an entirely new pattern.


    Once they solidified the new pattern resembling the tentacles of some deep-sea creature that should have never seen the light of day came into being.


    He took off his shirt to reveal a squirming ck hole on his back which was the source of the tentacles.


    The tentacles started spreading out towards his arms and forehead and when he ced the palm of his hands on the ground the tentacles began to leak out onto its surface.


    It looked like an ink drawing that was gradually getting bigger and bigger. The tentacles surrounded a 2-meter area around Hao Xuan but they were only two-dimensional and could not reach out.


    Once a perfect circle was formed around him Gi-An suddenly turned his hands over and following his movements the tentacles shot up towards the barn roof where a simr pattern was created.


    It was an eerie thing to witness for sure. The tentacles wiggling through the air looked as real as anything else around them but then they turned into drawings upon hitting a surface.


    The area on the barn roof right above Hao Xuan looked like an ocean in every way imaginable. There were even some instances when the waves smashed against one another and water droplets fell down on his face.


    At this point Gi-An''s entire body was trembling from some unseen force as he tried his best to keep the tentacles under control.


    "IT''S READY!" he shouted and Uri immediately gave him the green light.


    "DO IT!"


    They had to shout because the sounds of roaring winds and waves crashing against one another were drowning out everything else.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Upon receiving permission Gi-An started to close his hand to make a fist. Copying him, the tentacles started to close in from all sides but when they got within half a meter of Hao Xuan an invisible force kept pushing them back.


    ? This resistance was also reflected on Gi-An''s body because he could not close his hand entirely.


    "NO! IT''S NOT WORKING!" he screamed.


    "WHY? WHAT''S WRONG??"


    "THERE IS TOO MUCH RESISTANCE! TOO MUCH OF HIM! IT DOESN''T MAKE ANY SENSE, I CAN TRANSPORT A SMALL ARMY BUT NOT HIM?!"


    Uri inspected the tentacles himself and found Gi-An to be correct.


    "LOGIC DOES NOT APPLY TO SOMEONE LIKE HIM. GO DEEPER, USE AS MUCH POWER AS IT NEEDS!"


    Gi-An opened his eyes halfway, "ARE YOU SURE? IF I GO ANY DEEPER IT COULD WAKE THAT THING UP!"


    "WE HAVE NO CHOICE, ITS A RISK WE HAVE TO TAKE...EVEN IF IT MEANS AWAKENING A SLEEPING ABYSS GOD!"


    With gritted teeth Gi-An nodded and opened his hands again. Numerous other tentacles shot out from the ground and the barn roof until Hao Xuan could not even be seen among them.


    Closing his hands the tentacles started toe together and this time there was a lot less resistance. It was slow but it was happening.


    "IT WORKED!" Gi-An smiled but the very next moment all blood drained from his face.


    "No...it sensed me," he whispered just as a defeaning deep-toned growl reverberated within the barn.


    It wasing from the roof where the image of the ocean hade to life.


    All the water that could be seen from that small ''window'' began to move back and forth and the colors darkened around it. Something incrediblyrge was moving under its surface.


    "HURRY!" Uri shouted.


    Despite the looming threat Gi-An stayed in that position until Hao Xuan waspletely engulfed by the tentacles and they along with him disappeared.


    Ecstatic, Gi-An tried to close the connection and pull back his hands but they wouldn''t budge an inch.


    The world suddenly went quiet.

 Chapter 1206 Sudden Confession

    Hao Xuan was surrounded by tentacles from all sides and by the time they receded he was in an entirely different ce.


    "ARGH!"


    The pain rampaging throughout his body was instantly halved and further continued to lessen in intensity. His senses returned one by one and he found himself to be standing in a field of wheat with the sun setting behind some snow-capped mountains to the west.


    He slowly reached out and pulled on one of the stalks, watching as it rolled down his hand.


    "It''s real...?" he questioned absentmindedly, unsure if this was his present or not.


    A gust of wind blew in from the east side making the entire field sway back and forth. It was cold, colder than it had any right to be.


    Hao Xuan looked down at his body to inspect himself but his mind still couldn''t tell the difference. In fact, he was lost in it entirely.


    He was wearing a white shirt made from some thick coarse material that rested heavily over his shoulders. His hands were full of calluses and scars from years of fieldwork.


    His body ached in most ces while others held no feeling at all.


    "Are you ready?"


    A voice asked again from behind. It was the first time he was ''hearing'' the question but it wasn''t the first time it had been asked.


    "It''s time."


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and felt it move throughout his body.


    "I''m tired...so very tired."


    It was meant to be a thought but he had vocalized it unconsciously.


    "It''s too early to be tired."


    He was beginning to recognize that voice. It had been some time since he had heard it but that gentle tone could not be mistaken for anyone else.


    He slowly turned around to face her. Xu Qing was standing just outside of his reach, looking at him with an expression that could only be defined as repentant.


    "I''m tired," he repeated.


    "I know," she whispered.


    "You used me, just like all the others."


    She looked away unable to meet his gaze.


    "It had to be done. But I will be with you, I will guide you as much as I can."<novelnext></novelnext>


    He chuckled upon hearing her words, "So you could y with my heart again? Must you be so cruel even in the next life?"


    She shook her head forcibly, "I never lied to you!"


    "Then why can''t you look at me? Huh? I said-" he suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, "-Look at me!"


    But the very next moment the scene abruptly changed around him and the face looking back at him now belonged to someone else. It was like he was forcefully pulled back here.


    "I am looking at you, I always will," Princess Ceni swore.


    They were so close to one another that Hao Xuan could see her eyes begin to water. She was standing in Xu Qing''s ce but their expressions werepletely different.


    Hao Xuan could feel Princess Ceni''s devotion in every word she spoke but he was unable to respond to it, at least at the same level.


    He loosened the grip around her hand and took a step back.


    The scene really was different now and this time he could tell that it was real at first nce. They were standing under an old ck-oak tree surrounded by nothing but the ''dark forest'' to the front and a small wooden shack to the back.


    But while he was looking around casually Princess Ceni was on the verge of breaking down.


    "Can...you really not forgive me?"


    Hao Xuan paused and turned towards her once again, this time on purpose.


    "Princess-"


    "Don''t call me that, I hate it! I don''t want to be a princess, I never did!"


    "I''m sorry I didn''t mean to-" Hao Xuan tried to console her but...


    "Don''t apologize either! You didn''t do anything wrong!" she yelled through tears and snot, "It''s all my fault. I used you and put your life in danger, no wonder you hate me. I would hate me too. Maybe mother was right, I am not worth anyone''s love."


    When she mentioned her mother Hao Xuan immediately remembered the memory he had seen of hers, of when she was just a child and her mother burned an entire family alive just to prove a point.


    She had thoroughly messed with Princess Ceni''s head to the point she was questioning everything. Hao Xuan couldn''t help but feel pity for her situation.


    "Of course you are worth loving. And...I don''t hate you."


    He meant it. After finding out the reasons for her actions he couldn''t blindly put the me on her. The world didn''t work that way, there was no objectively right or wrong thing to do, no ck and white.


    Just different shades of grey.

 Chapter 1207 Superb

    Seeing the tears streaming down her face Hao Xuan couldn''t help but soften his voice.


    "I don''t hate you."


    "You...d-don''t?" she stutteringly inquired through her whimpers, "Promise??" she stepped closer and Hao Xuan stepped back at the same time.


    But the moment the distance increased between them the scenery also began to change. Hao Xuan could feel less and less of himself as he moved away from her. And just when he wondered why it was happening Uri''s voice sounded in his head.


    ''Don''t! You need to stay close to her, she is your tether!''


    He stopped in his tracks, ''What do you mean?''


    ''She is one of the people who you never crossed paths with in the other timeline. You met here and developed a strong connection with each other. You need to stay by her side for at least an hour or two to stave off the effects of the phenomenon.''


    ''What?! Are you kidding me? I can''t stay with her alone.''


    ''Then you will die a horrible death. Your mind will be continuously dragged between this reality and thest until you can''t differentiate between what''s real and what isn''t. Then your soul will begin to wander aimlessly until it dissipates naturally or is consumed by something much more powerful. Your body will slowly wither until there is nothing left of it but skin and bones and-''


    ''Okay okay, I get it. Two hours right?''


    ''Yes, that should be enough time for now.''


    ''For now?! What does that mean? Hello?!''


    This interaction didn''t even take a full second from start to finish. Princess Ceni was still waiting for an answer with tears in her eyes.


    "Yes I promise, I don''t hate you."


    "Really?!"


    "Yes, I wouldn''t lie about som-"


    But before he could finish she jumped into his arms, "Thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that."


    Hao Xuan wanted to push her away but decided not to considering how vulnerable she was right now.


    ''I can just be her friend. It doesn''t have to be anything more than that,'' he told himself before reciprocating the hug.


    Once she had cried her eyes out they took refuge in the wooden shack to pass the time. Hao Xuan made a small fire and they huddled around it.


    Maybe it was because of seeing the future but Hao Xuan felt like he had somehow lost ayer of protection that had always been around him. He felt incredibly cold and the fire did very little to help.


    Only when he was sitting next to her did it feel a bit warm. But the silence quickly became awkward for both of them so Hao Xuan struck up a conversation to pass the time.


    "What is his ce? How did you find it?"


    "I don''t know. It was just a feeling."


    "What kind of a feeling?"


    "I don''t know how to exin it. It just felt like you needed my help so I followed it and the next thing I know I was here."


    "You ''had a feeling'' and came out here all alone?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    She nodded as if it waspletely normal.


    "Unn."


    "That''s incredibly-


    ''Stupid''


    -brave. But don''t do that ever again. What if it was a trap?"


    "I''ll be more careful next time. I''m not that stupid. And I can just fight them if ites to that."


    "Hmm."


    They made idle chit-chat for the next hour and a half because Hao Xuan did not want to talk about anything serious while he was basically locked in here with her.


    When he felt a little better he went out for a quick round and found the effects of the phenomenon to be mostly gone.


    Only that weird sensation of warm blood covering his hands remained but he didn''t give much thought to it.


    "I have to go meet with a couple of now," he told her while dusting his robe.


    "Okay, I''ll wait here then."


    "...."


    "You don''t have to do that. You should return to the city and stay there. It''s not safe to be out here alone."


    She giggled, "It''s not safe anywhere and it''s too noisy in the city. This ce is already protected by some kind of a magic so I think it would be the safest option considering everything."


    Only now did Hao Xuan realize that it was eerily quiet here considering he could see the city lights not too far away.


    ''I guess the world spirit chose this ce for a reason.''


    "Alright that''s fine then."


    "So it''s decided then, I''ll wait for you here."


    "Oh...um, I''m not sure when I will be back."


    "That''s okay. Whenever youe, I''ll be here," she said smilingly.


    Seeing how determined she was Hao Xuan chose not to push it any further, "Alright," and walked out.


    Princess Ceni stood in the doorway watching his back disappear into the dark forest. Her innocent smile slowly faded and a with light pop a small creature appeared out of thin air.


    It was an ordinary-looking dog wearing human clothes with a katana on its back. (Ch 566)


    He immediately started pping, "Superb performance mydy, he definitely fell for it, that FOOL! Hahahaha"

 Chapter 1208 2nd On The List

    "Don''t call him a fool! That wasn''t a performance," she corrected him with a re, "I meant every word of it, it''s only the tears that were fake."


    Haeti''s head tilted to the side in visible confusion, "But...you did NOT mean to fool him?"


    "No, of course not. But without the tears he would have walked away again. I needed him to listen to me and getfortable around me again even if he had to pity me."


    Princess Ceni slowly brushed her hand over her face and all the mascara and dried tears instantly vanished, returning it to her original cold but devilishly beautiful countenance.


    Haeti was trying to understand what she meant but his simple mind could notprehend it.


    "But mydy, is that not considered lying? And is lying not bad?"


    She gently shook her head, "A harmless white lie. Humans use them a lot, whether to save someone unnecessary pain or to make them feel better. It''s not dangerous in any way."


    This time she waited for Haeti to process it and when he obviously couldn''t understand it she tried exining it in another way.


    "Look, I love him and I would do anything for him. Obviously, I am the best person for him to spend the rest of his life with but he doesn''t feel the same way about me just yet. So by telling a series of small white lies and putting up an act that makes him more epting of my advances, I can show him why we need each other."


    She knelt down in front of him to fix his cor like a child before continuing her exnation. She certainly did not need to exin anything but chose to do it for whatever reason. Maybe to justify her actions to a 3rd party or maybe to her own self.


    "I made the mistake of being too forward with him. I thought that as long as I loved him enough he would naturally reciprocate those feelings but, I know now that it doesn''t work that way. Most men, especially him, are scared ofmitment. They would rather walk into an enemy ambush than open up to someone. Especially Hao Xuan because he doesn''t think he deserves to be loved that way because he has never had it before."


    "So I need to create small opportunities and ease him into it. I will start by bing his friend and gaining his trust. When I have it, I can start to push the boundaries little by little and seduce him the good old way. That way he will think it was his idea when he does act on those feelings."


    Although Haeti still didn''t get most of what she was saying he understood the general idea.


    "Aha, so mydy will use her feminine wiles to make him fall for her?!"


    Princess Ceni thought about it for a second before nodding in agreement, "A gross oversimplification but more or less, yes. He is still a man, sooner orter he won''t be able to hold himself back and make the first move. As long as he thinks he initiated it there shouldn''t be a problem."


    "Yes, Ipletely understand mydy," Haeti saluted before mumbling under his breath, "I think.


    "Good, then let''s get to work."


    "Yes! Where should we start?"


    "From right here. We have to turn this rundown shack into something a little homier, a little morefortable where I can be alone with him. Start with the..."<novelnext></novelnext>


    She gave the instructions and Haeti jumped into action at once.


    Meanwhile, Hao Xuan had reached Argham where udia was waiting for him near the gate.


    "Master!" she almost jumped with tion upon seeing him return but his forlorn figure oozing with palpable despair sapped her of all joy.


    He stopped a few feet away, staring at her in silence.


    "I-Is everything okay, master?"


    Although he was looking at her udia didn''t feel like she was what he was seeing.


    "Master, is everything alright?" she asked again when he didn''t answer.


    ''He knows, I knew it! I should havee clean from the beginning. Now he will never forgive m-'' her thoughts ran wild until Hao Xuan exined what he wanted from her.


    "I need to speak with whoever sent you to me. I think it''s time. Or should I go with Eurig first?"


    "NO!" she shouted without realizing, "I-I mean, please allow me to show you the way."


    Still unsure whether or not Hao Xuan knew about her n udia chose to stay silent on the subject.


    They walked into the city to find a secluded enough ce. With a wave of her hand the ck grimoire was summoned and when udia told it that Hao Xuan wanted to visit ''her'' it opened up without any trouble.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to everyone.


    The chapters have been a little slow because I had a couple of weddings to attend but just as they ended I had a small ident.


    Ended up chopping off the better part of my middle finger while using a knife and now it hurts to even move it.


    I will try to at least maintain the previous schedule but it could take a while here and there until it''s healed (or at least until it stops burning every time I move my hand.)

 Chapter 1209 Steadfast

    The grimoire fell straight to the ground. With a loud plop it mmed open and the pages started turning one by one.


    Runes and magical symbols in unknownnguages fluttered past its countless pages bing more pronounced with every new page until they looked like they had flown off from its surface.


    Whatever spell it was required quite a bit of effort as the runes started rotating counterclockwise over the book in a perfect half-meter-wide horizontal circle.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze was locked on the rotating circle to fish for any potential clues but even with all his umted knowledge, he wasn''t able to decipher the origins of a single one of those runes.


    And this only made him more uncertain of his decision to meet this entity.


    When almost 2 full minutes had passed the runes were rotating with such speed that even with his superior senses Hao Xuan wasn''t able to make out the individual ones. And then finally without making a sound a 1.5-meter-long vertical slit opened above the magic circle.


    It was a spatial crack unlike any that Hao Xuan had seen before. There were no apanying disturbances that would normally be present. No change in temperature, air quality, or even spiritual energy.


    In fact it was so eerily quiet and tranquil that Hao Xuan was even doubting what was right in front of his eyes.


    ''I have never seen this level of control. It could open up inside an enclosed space and no one would be the wiser.''


    The main reason why mostrger powers were so confident in themselves was because they knew that at the very least their main houses were safe and could not be attacked as long as the space around them was locked down.


    But if what Hao Xuan was seeing was actually real then no one was safe, not really.


    The slit began to open bit by bit. Tendrils of ck goo could be seen connecting both sides together like the maw of some hungry beast salivating at the thought of swallowing him whole.


    Nothing could be seen on the other side either. It was dark,pletely and utterly devoid of any life.


    Despite mentally preparing himself Hao Xuan could not help but feel a seed of apprehension take root within his heart.


    He had arrived at this juncture by just following the path that had beenid out in front of him but now that he was here, it felt like nothing could ever be the same if he persisted.


    "Everything will change," he unconsciously muttered out loud.


    udia who was standing by his side leaned closer, "Master?"


    "Hmm?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It''s ready. You can go in," she gestured towards the drooling mouth weing him with open warms.


    "But...should I?"


    "Sorry?"


    He looked her in the eye, "Should I go in?"


    He was genuinely asking her. Maybe because she was the only one there or maybe because he felt like he could trust her but his sincerity caught her off guard.


    ''He is serious? He is really asking me?''


    Thest time udia had such a look in her eyes was when she was just a child. Decades ago when she lost her innocence, when she was lied to and sold off like cattle in the name of creating rtions.


    What she would have given for someone to just tell her the truth so she would not spend the next fifteen years waiting and hoping for help that was nevering.


    Now she was standing on the other side and she knew how much weight her words held.


    She could change his fate and the fate of countless others that would be affected by this choice.


    She thought about it for a moment and decided to be as honest as she possibly could in her situation.


    "If you want answers you should go. She will tell you what you need to know and some of what you want to know as long as you are willing to pay the price but...there will be no turning back. That ce, that woman, whatever she is, you can''t trust her. No, you can''t trust anyone, not me either."


    A burning red eye opened within her shadow just before the flesh on her back began to sizzle. She flinched from the pain but remained steadfast. This was expected.


    And even before she could finish the sentence a hoof print was branded on her back but it only egged her on more.


    "M-Master, you must not falter. No matter what they tell you, no matter what they promise, it wille at a cost. They will try to confuse you with half-truths and flowery lies but rest assured, they need you much more than you need them."


    "I can''t tell you what to do but...you are right. Nothing will ever be the same once you go in."

 Chapter 1210 Shutting Down

    Hao Xuan shed a kindly smile before patting her on the shoulder, "Thank you, that can''t have been easy to say."


    "No, I...didn''t do anything worth being praised over," udia shook her head obstinately. There was a lot more she could say to him but, to save her own life she would have to put his in danger.


    A mere ''notification'' was nothingpared to that.


    Hao Xuan walked towards the portal but paused right in front of it.


    "I will see you soon. Would you mind waiting for me here?" he asked without turning back.


    Taken aback at first, udia nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, of course, I will be right here. Please...be safe."


    Hao Xuan had an indifferent smile on his lips but she couldn''t see it.


    ''There is some good in her after all. I can trust her...for now.''


    Having gauged her value he continued on and silently vanished into the portal.


    The first thing he felt was extreme vertigo. It was like stepping off of a highrise but instead of falling down the gravity shifted at the end and he stepped onto the side of the building.


    Obviously not expecting something like that to happen from the get-go, Hao Xuan stumbled and fell to the side into a bush.


    [What the fuck?!]


    He meant to curse internally but his thoughts resounded in the air around him. It was like an echo with its own dy to match it.


    Curious, he stood up while examining his surroundings and tried to recreate it with somethingpletely random.


    [Hello? Potter?! You dare? Do you know who my father is?!]


    And just like before it happened again. But rather than a simple echo, it felt like he was talking to himself from somewhere outside his own body. It didn''t feel like a simple reflection of sound waves.


    "What a weird ce," this time he spoke out loud and felt the stark difference. His voice didn''t carry off for too long but the air felt heavier.


    He was standing in a dimly-lit forest surrounded by some of the most normal trees that he had seen in a very long time. In fact-


    "I swear I think I have seen this ce before..."


    The tree trunks were rather thin and long with the branches growing in a spiral pattern halfway up. The leaves were pointed and thin almost like needles with a sharp sweet odor.


    There was white lighting in from the top left illuminating everything for miles. The source was probably a full moon but it was mostly hidden behind the thick canopy.


    He took a couple of measured steps forward and immediately froze. The ground was soft and covered in moss and algae but that cold soft squishy feeling was not something he could ever forget.


    "It was a dream. I used to see this ce in a dream when I was young."


    And when he came to that conclusion his heartbeat jumped instantly. It was almost like an automatic reaction rather than something conscious.


    "Then is it also..."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hao Xuan turned around halfway with stiff robotic movements to look behind him and as expected, the other thing he saw in his dream was also there.


    A crooked little wooden house resting cozily in the middle of nowhere.


    There was smokeing out of its chimney with a light in the window by the door. A soft shadow asionally flickered by the firece.


    Hao Xuan exhaled deeply and saw the vapor re in front of him like a dragon''s breath.


    It was the most bizarre and powerful feeling of deja vu that he had ever had. The only difference was that he remembered very clearly what it was.


    "Baracus...am I awake?" he asked in a daze.


    *Beep*


    "Affirmative. All biological functions are within nominal range," he immediately responded giving Hao Xuan some much-needed reassurance.


    "Good. Then the second question, is this ce...real?"


    Baracus went silent for almost 15 seconds while Hao Xuan''s gaze remained locked on the shadow being cast in the window.


    "Error: Cannot establish Realspace parameters."


    "What does that mean?!"


    "Unable to ascertain-"


    Seeing as Baracus was about to throw out some other terminology that Hao Xuan was not familiar with he got a little angry and muttered through gritted teeth, "In.simple.fucking.words!"


    *Beep*


    "The physicalws are shifting. Reality is being manufactured around host body."


    "Manufactured?" Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed upon hearing the word but before he could say anything else a series of bright red errors appeared in the top left of his vision.


    [Error: Unable to Load Data due to Sensory Overload]


    [Warning: Unidentified Data Stream Detected]


    [Loading Countermeasures...]


    [Countermeasures unsessful]


    [System Shutting Down]


    "Oi, what the fuck you mean shutting down? HEY! Do you hear me?! Baracus?!" Hao Xuan hissed as loudly as he could given the current situation but to no avail.


    For the first time since the nanites were inserted into his body Hao Xuan felt their connectionpletely cut off.

 Chapter 1211 Yet To Meet

    And just like that Hao Xuan was left utterly alone in both mind and body.


    "Baracus?!" he called out a couple more times just in case but there was no answer.


    "Fuck me. What is this ce then? He said reality was being manipted around me which means someone also created this. Did they read my mind without even alerting me? That''s not a good start."


    But even if he wanted to turn around it was toote already. The portal had already vanished and there was no way to go but forward.


    "Let''s get this over with then,'' Hao Xuan mumbled to himself before he started moving towards the house.


    And the closer he got the clearer it became which jogged another part of his memory.


    "This was a recurring nightmare I had for years after watching that damn horror movie when I was a kid. Lost in woods after being chased by a monster, I would take refuge in this house but there was always something hiding in the basement. I always woke up before I could find out what it was."


    Hao Xuan took a deep breath seeing as he was already on the front porch, "I guess that time is now," and knocked on the door.


    *knock*knock*knock*


    Three times, just like he used to in his dream. It had to be thrice otherwise the door wouldn''t open.


    A momentter the door clicked open by itself and the voice of a sweet old woman came through.


    "Come in deary."


    Hao Xuan pushed it open all the way to see who the speaker was and surprisingly, the voice matched the exact appearance he had in his mind after hearing it.


    The old woman was sitting in front of the firece on a rocking chair. There was a ball of yarn and two big knitting needles in her hands. A pair of gold-rimmed sses rested on the bridge of her nose when she turned around to look at him.


    "Welle on in, what are you waiting for silly?"


    Hao Xuan swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His throat waspletely dry and he was cursing himself for blindlying here.


    "Should have at least talked to Jin Wang before going through with this."


    The old woman chuckled lightly, "Oh deary, you will talk to him soon. You can ask him then if you still want to."


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed, "Does that mean you will let me go back?"


    Sheughed again but this time she turned back and pointed at the chair to her right, "I never forced you toe here. You are free to leave now ore take a seat and find out what you really are."


    Hao Xuan felt some disturbance behind him and when he looked back the same ck portal had reappeared just a couple of meters away.


    His head tilted to the side as udia''s warning echoed in his head, "I guess you really do need me to cooperate to some extent. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have gone through all this trouble."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Certainly dear. But the little girl has taken quite a liking to you seeing as she told you even that. Although I''m sure it wouldn''t havee without a cost."


    Hao Xuan let out a weak sigh before entering the house. He needed to y this out till the end.


    He walked up to the big red chair and sat down unceremoniously, looking right into her eyes.


    "Don''t hurt her."


    The olddy shrugged, "She is not worth my time darling. I won''t do anything to her."


    Hao Xuan quickly got the hint, "But someone else will?"


    She let out another littleugh, "That''s on you now, isn''t it?"


    Hao Xuan leaned back into the chair, feeling a lot morefortable than he had any right to be in such a situation. But this allowed him to loosen up enough and speak much more freely.


    "You won''t protect her even though you were the one who sent her to me?"


    "I am just an old woman and she is just the pigeon with the message. Now that you are here her work is done. Whatever happens to her now is up to her."


    Hao Xuan scoffed at the insinuation.


    "Why do you people always pretend to be something you''re not? Is it really that difficult to speak inly? Why pretend to be weak?"


    "Because, dear, otherwise you would be too scared to speak," she retorted in much the same warmhearted manner as before.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but smile in response.


    "That''s perhaps the first honest thing you have said since we started talking."


    She didn''t even bother to look up from whatever she was knitting.


    "It has to be this way. It is after all the first time we are meeting in person."


    "Does that mean we have met before in some other way?"


    "Yes and no. We have yet to meet in the past."


    "Yet to meet in the past? That doesn''t even make sense."

 Chapter 1212 Such Promise

    Barely a couple of minutes into the conversation and Hao Xuan had already had enough of it.


    "No, I''m not doing this anymore. No more riddles, no mystified puzzles, or cryptic parables. If you want me to actually listen to you then speak inly. I''m not going to sit here deciphering the meaning behind every word, that''s not going to happen today."


    Hao Xuan stood up at once, prepared to leave here empty-handed even if it meant not getting any answers at all. If what udia said was true then it would not just end like this.


    But even when he had reached the door the olddy remained silent. Hao Xuan paused briefly to consider the impact of his decision but since she wasn''t going to stop him there was no reason to stay. It would only make him look weak in front of this potential enemy if he chose to go back on his own word.


    He grabbed the handle and pulled it open to see the portal still waiting for him in the same ce. She really wasn''t nning to keep him here.


    "So be it," he threw out the words before making his way towards the portal.


    But when he was halfway through something caught his eye. His shadow was moving.


    Not by itself but it looked like the source of the light that was creating the shadow was moving fast enough to be noticeable with the naked eye. The only issue with that was that the source of the light was the moon itself which he had seen through the canopy in the forest.


    But now that he was in a clearing it was a lot more noticeable.


    Curious, Hao Xuan raised his head to peer at the nightly sky expecting to see the same scene that he had witnessed countless times before but what he actually saw left him in a cold sweat.


    The color drained from his face as he ran back to the house shutting the door behind him.


    He walked up to the chair and sat down with a vacant expression.


    The olddy didn''t say anything while Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say until he got his thoughts in order.


    Finally, after almost ten minutes of silence he spoke up with a shaky voice.


    "In the outer worlds, the mystics speak of a ce that is the source of all evil. I have heard rumors of it before...but never actually seen it until now...I think"


    The olddy smiled, "Not many have. This is not a ce open for just anyone."


    Hao Xuan saw her in a new light, scrutinizing every detail of this individual across from him.


    "Who are you, really? Not even the Lords of Hell could say they have a house in the heart of the Abyss."


    She looked up to meet his gaze, "I am just an old housekeeper. But is that really all you want to know?"


    "Ah, no, not that. I want to know...everything about what''s happening to me but, I am guessing there is a price for it."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Of course there is a price deary, nothing in this world is free."


    "Okay, what is your price then? What do I have to do to get answers."


    She pretended to think about it for a second before responding in the same jovial manner, as it was the most ordinary thing.


    "You, your soul, your eternal allegiance is the price. An eternity of servitude."


    Hao Xuan leaned back into the chair, letting out a deep sigh from the bottom of his heart.


    "Well...that is pretty straightforward. And what do I get in return?"


    "Answers, and a way out."


    He frowned slightly, "A way out from where?"


    "From your current fate. From this life that you were thrown into. You will never truly be free but at least by following me, you will have a lot more control over your fate."


    When Hao Xuan fell silent once again the olddy continued.


    "You don''t have to make the decision now. You will find this is the only right choice when you speak to the others."


    "The others?" Hao Xuan questioned, "Who are the others?"


    She shook her head lightly, "Best not to y coy with me, deary. I see all. The little human boy who started all this, the old beast that tried to trick you into offering yourself as a sacrifice, and the fallen one who has yet to show himself."


    "They will not let you choose for yourself. Either you submit or you are extinguished and erased like all the others before you."


    "Before me? There were others before me?"


    This was actually the first time Hao Xuan had heard something like that. The world spirit talked about the ''other him'' when describing the erased timeline, did she mean the same?


    The olddy waved her hand and a face appeared in the firece. Salome''s face.


    "He was the one that stood in your shoes before you. But when the truth was revealed to him he created another choice. By sacrificing himself he tried to put an end to their ns but look how that turned out. Tsk, what a shame. He had such promise.''

 Chapter 1213 Okay Okay Then-

    "Salome was in my ce? That means-"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but try and connect the dots but the olddy stopped him.


    "There is no need to look for meaning where there is none. All you need to know now is the choice falls upon your shoulders. What will you do?"


    She flicked a finger and a cup of hot tea appeared in Hao Xuan''s hand.


    "Just like your mother used to make," she said smilingly but to Hao Xuan''s eyes it looked like the blood from the reaper''s scythe.


    Even so, if she actually wanted to hurt him he couldn''t stop her so he threw caution to the wind and took a sip. It was exactly as he remembered.


    "It''s been a decade since Ist tasted this" he looked up from the cup to thank her, "I appreciate you creating this ce just for my visit...even if it was a nightmare."


    "Was it? It is difficult to understand the minds of you humans. I was under the impression this was your favorite memory."


    Hao Xuan chuckled, "Not a memory but a dream."


    And she responded in much the same manner, "And where do you think your dreamse from?"


    "That- That seems like a discussion for another time. Right now I still need answers."


    "Then ept my terms, dear, and I will guide you to your truth."


    Hao Xuan finished the tea in one go and ced the cup on the floor, preparing to make his case.


    "Hear me out on that. You said I would choose your side after listening to the other guys anyway, right? That means you actually don''t need to keep the answers as leverage since you believe that I would have no other option other than choosing you over them. So why not give me the answers now and save me a shit ton of trouble and time."


    "This way, not only will I see you in a better light but also appreciate you doing this me favor. Is that not a better option?"


    It went without saying that Hao Xuan would not ept everything she said as the truth but hearing her side of the story would certainly open his eyes a lot.


    ? But unbeknown to him the olddy had already seen thising. She just needed Hao Xuan to ask for it first so he would think it was his idea.


    She met his gaze, "You are definitely smarter than thest one. A lot more clever. So be it, ask your questions and if I find that you deserve the answers then you shall have them."


    ted, Hao Xuan could barely sit straight.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Thank you, I appreciate you giving me a chance. To start off, could you please exin exactly who the others are? I''m afraid the descriptions you gave are a little lost on me."


    The olddy gestured towards the firece where the first image already waited for him. Hao Xuan''s brow instantly locked in a furrow because that face belonged to-


    "Meng? He is one of them?"


    "Indeed. You were created by the human they call the ''Emperor'' but it was he who gave you your essence."


    Hao Xuan made a mental note of how she used the word created to describe him before continuing.


    "Who is he exactly?"


    But his query was ignored altogether as a faceless figure appeared in Meng''s ce.


    "This is the one they call the Emperor. A human who has eluded even my eyes for eons. He is the mastermind behind all of it."


    And when his figure disappeared the me instantly turned dark red but no actual figure could be seen.


    "He is thest one to find out about your existence. You will meet him after leaving here, try to act surprised. He will tell you who the man named ''Meng'' really is. They used to be brothers at one point."


    Hao Xuan nodded somewhat absentmindedly, "So with you, there are four powers after me?"


    "Kahahaha," a strange kind ofughter escaped her gullet as she shook her head animatedly, "Not at all. We are the only ones who know the truth of your existence. There are countless others after you, especially after all the terrible choices you have made."


    Hao Xuan tried not to take it personally but he could feel himself blushing a little from embarrassment, "O-Okay then. Next question, you said the Emperor created me, does that mean he is my father or something?"


    "Ask him yourself when you see him," she barked angrily, enraged at even the continued mention of him.


    "Okay okay. Then can you at least tell me why all this is happening? Like the reason for their actions."


    She shook her head again, "No. Each one of them has their own reasons. You must find out for yourself what they are."


    Hao Xuan gritted his teeth in annoyance, "Alright, okay. Then can you tell me the reason why YOU want me as a servant? Or is that also too much to ask?"

 Chapter 1214 Just The Four...

    The olddy cackled in response.


    "Why do you think?! To serve the will of the Abyss! That is your purpose and the only reason you can be allowed to exist. But make no mistake, whichever side you chose the others will do everything they can to destroy you, me included. Once you have met all the others ask this question again and perhaps the answer will be a little different."


    Hao Xuan could do nothing but be satisfied with her exnation for now.


    "Next time then, it won''t be long. Next question, can I- Or, is there a way to keep my physique? I know Meng did something that won''t allow me to take that final step and ascend to the next Physique Realm. He wants me to give it to another guy but is it possible to keep it for myself andpletely unlock its abilities?"


    Perhaps for the first time Hao Xuan saw the old woman look at him with such a grim expression.


    "There is only one way. ept your fate and be the Son of Chaos. By doing so you will have one of the tools required to make it your own."


    "Son of Chaos? What is that?"


    "It is but a moniker for the one who is most loved by the chaos. It can be you but the journey will not be easy..."


    She exined a few general things that gave Hao Xuan a good enough idea about exactly what it was. He listened intently and when she was done he reiterated everything one by one.


    "So ''Son of Chaos'' is a title that is given to someone who is able to subjugate and control all of Chaos at will without any drawbacks. I have been forced onto its path but if I want to reach the end and be the one you are talking about then I will have to do it myself and unlock the full potential of the Primordial Spark."


    The old woman was trying her best not to let her real emotions show as she nodded in agreement.


    "You are correct. By bing the Son of Chaos your powers will grow beyond anything that someone from your generation can conjure. No one will be your equal."


    It sounded like a pretty good deal to him, especially if it was without any significant disadvantages.


    "And I can even take control of the physique by using them?"


    "You can fight the physique demon by using your newly acquired powers, yes. And once the demon is absorbed you will have made the physique yours...forever," she hesitated for a moment wanting to say something which Hao Xuan picked up quickly.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "What is it?"


    "...The Immortal Devouring Physique is not a gift. It is a curse cast upon those that have wronged the Rulers of Hell. It was stolen by your ''Meng'' a long time ago and has not been used ever since. It is best that you return it or get rid of it, I will help you do so. Using its powers will leave you open to demonic corruption thates with all simr powers."


    If Hao Xuan didn''t know any better he would have said she was genuinely concerned for his well-being. Or maybe it was something else, like it could get in her way somehow.


    "Yeah, I will keep that in mind. But what exactly do I have to do to unlock the Spark''s full potential?"


    "It is both easy and difficult at the same time. The Primordial Spark is also called the Spark of Creation. To be able to use all of its powers you will first need to obtain the first four elements that were created as a result of its birth."


    "Really? Is that it?" Hao Xuan was delighted upon hearing the very simple requirements, "So what, I just get some fire, water, and shit right? Do I drink them?"


    For a second the old woman questioned everything she had done so far seeing as how quickly he epted that basic elements would do.


    ''Should the son of chaos be really this thick? But it could be better in the long term, easier to control him.''


    And when she began listing everything Hao Xuan''s face froze.


    "The ''First me of Torment'' can be found within the deepest torture pits located in the Ninth Circle of Hell."


    "The ''ck Water of Enervation'' is found at the deepest point of the river Styx which runs through the Abyss, the Underworld, and the Nine Hells."


    "The feather of an angel that was shaped from the First Light of Heaven. It has to be knowingly given and cannot be forcefully taken."


    "And finally, the fruit of the World Tree. Once you have gathered all of them you will undergo the final ritual in the ce where the first Chaos Lord was born."

 Chapter 1215 The Mother Of-

    If Hao Xuan wasn''t already sitting down he would have fallen on his back. It was like the rug had been pulled from beneath his feet and the only thing holding him down was gravity.


    "Pits of hell...River Styx...world tree..." he repeated in a daze on the verge of breaking down, "Are you serious? How the hell am I supposed to gather all that?! Even a dozen lifetimes will not be enough!"


    But the old woman was unperturbed, almost as if it was all under control.


    "Did I not tell you already? This is the final step of a n that has been in the making for countless eons. And if that human''s reputation is anything to go by, he would have already left a way for you to get each of those things," she said in reference to the Emperor.


    But to Hao Xuan''s ears it still sounded too much like spection.


    "You don''t know that. I can''t risk my life on something that-"


    But the olddy cut him off, "The fact that you are standing in front of me and the one you will meet after leaving this ce is proof of that human''s ingenuity. If you are capable enough you can trade for one of the articles when you meet him."


    Her phrasing left a lot to be desired but it gave Hao Xuan a thread of hope.


    "By him, you mean Meng''s brother? The one you said was the Fallen One?"


    She nodded silently.


    "Alright, say he gives me one of the four things then. What about the other three?"


    "For those you will have to ask the human."


    "Okay...okay...what about thest thing you said? I will have to take them and go to the ce where the first Chaos Lord was born, where exactly is that?"


    She sniggered at the mere mention of it.


    "This is the second reason I believe he thought of everything because...it is a ce that only I can send you to. Once you have all the elementse see me. After you take the vow of eternal servitude I will show you one of the two paths that you can take to get there. The journey will be dangerous but a necessary one that will have to be endured alone."<novelnext></novelnext>


    *Tremble*


    The entire house shook for an instant as the moonlight waspletely extinguished outside of the house and a pitch darkness took over everything.


    The olddy turned her headzily, "Tsk, always so hungry. It looks like they are done with their meal so this conversation muste to an end."


    She stood up and Hao Xuan instinctively followed suit.


    "The next time we meet you will have toe to my home. There I can use my powers without attracting any unwanted attention. Go now," she said waving her hand, "Meet with the tempter and if you can still keep to your beliefs then we shall see each other soon."


    The door flung open and Hao Xuan was pushed outside by a gust of wind. He still wanted to ask some more questions but when he looked up into the sky and saw the faint gargantuan figuresing closer by the second he decided otherwise.


    With one jump hended in front of the portal and immediately went through.


    The old woman walked out of the house soon after to peer at the sky with an expression full of fury and rage. The shadows twisted around her before taking a vague equine shape that walked up next to her.


    Its zing eyes were identical to the ones that resided within udia''s shadow and when that light fell upon the old woman her form began to slowly change, expanding into something entirely different.


    "The die is cast," an indistinct voice stated, "Soon the mortal wille knocking again...begging for help. And when he epts his fate the prophecy will be fulfilled. By their own hands thest seal will be broken and the Old Ones will awaken."


    The equine beast stomped its hooves on the ground in jubtion creating tongues of me that encircled them from all sides.


    The old woman was shrouded in a cloak of moving shadows that erupted outwards in a dome, surrounding both her and the beast that were inside the wall of mes.


    An exceedinglyrge limb that resembled a w fell on their position. Everything for as far as the eye could see was stomped out of existence by the sheer force and yet, her voice still echoed in the surroundings like a looming dagger.


    "Soon....soon she will walk the known nes once more, for thest time. Beware...Beware....O'' foolish creations....for the Mother of Death is stirring in her sleep."

 Chapter 1216 Call Sign

    Hao Xuan went through the portal and following the same feeling of vertigo, came out in the exact ce he had gone in from.


    But this time he was a little more prepared and kept his bnce. He could feel the change in the air pressure and that vague sense of being watched vanish.


    The first thing he did was call for Baracus.


    "Baracus, wake up!"


    But unlike all the other times it took almost ten seconds for a series of notifications to pop up followed by the iconic startup noise.


    [Sensors Activated]


    [Initializing Boot Sequence]


    *Beep*


    "You good?"


    "Affirmative. All systems are up and running."


    "Thank god," Hao Xuan turned around relieved that nothing bad had happened but faltered upon seeing a bloody figure resting not too far from him in a corner.


    He ran to her and checked for a pulse, breathing another sigh of relief upon finding some signs of life.


    "Hey, are you okay? Can you hear me? udia!"


    There was blood pooling underneath and she was barely breathing.


    "Why is she burning up? Fuck sales!"


    And when he tried to carry her the reason became clear. Half the skin on her back was missing in a big "U" shape. There was some kind of red me eating away at her flesh.


    *Beep*


    "Foreign energy detected!" Baracus warned.


    Hao Xuan felt his stomach churn and an emptiness took hold of him. He brought his hand over the me and felt an extremely potent energy draw close to him.


    "It''s demonic energy but a little different," he muttered, "It feels a little simr but still very different from the Puer. This is much more concentrated...older, more pure."


    He could feel his stomach grumble in anticipation while udia''s skin sizzled making her pull back even while she was knocked out. She had lost a lot of blood already and if it continued any longer it could be life-threatening.


    But even so he didn''t want to absorb an unknown energy especially considering his current situation.


    Hao Xuan knew it probably wouldn''t work but he still tried to douse the me in some drinking water that he took out from his storage space.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The water hit her bare flesh and trickled down but passed through the mes as if they weren''t even there.


    "Damn it. I guess there is only one thing left to do."


    He pulled her into a hug and moved his hand in a circr pattern over the edges of the me before muttering, "Devour!"


    This time it worked perfectly and every morsel of red fire lifted off of her skin and went straight into his hand. He felt a sharp stinging sensation in his palm as the energy entered his bloodstream.


    It felt like there wasva moving through his veins and when it reached his shoulder something unexpected happened.


    The ground cracked and suddenly disappeared from where he was sitting.


    Hao Xuan''s soul left his body and fell straight down into that dark hole.


    [Huh!?]


    He was sitting in the same exact position but everything else around him had changed. It was like he was watching the world through a water-filled ck bottle.


    [What is this?] he slowly stood up to inspect the surroundings.


    He was standing on a narrow rocky path between two towering mountains on either side. The rubble on the ground was shaking with some distant noisesing from the front.


    Hao Xuan followed the noise and after walking for a few meters he came to the only exit which opened up into a wide battleground.


    There were two armies fighting in the middle but Hao Xuan couldn''t see their appearance at all. One side appeared as bright figures of pure white light and the other as muddy and dark forms.


    The white side seemed to be winning with overwhelming strength. Both their numbers and positioning was far superior to the dark side. They looked like an actual army that was mowing them down without remorse.


    Any normal person would side with the white figures in this battle that was also the winning side but to Hao Xuan, it felt unnatural. Looking at them he only felt disgust and rage building up inside of him.


    Within a few more minutes the battle was over. The white figures had decimated their opponents with barely any losses.


    [This isn''t right...] Hao Xuan mumbled to himself.


    *TREMBLEEEEE*


    An earthquake erupted from the far side of the battlefield as several small mountains were crushed under the weight of a giant bipedal figure that walked over them with ease.


    There were was a small city on this creature''s back with rows upon rows of people standing in the front watching everything from a safe distance.


    Hao Xuan could see these people a lot more clearly and even recognized a few of them. They belonged to the Hall.

 Chapter 1217 Speedrunning

    Hao Xuan was lost in thought upon seeing the likes of Tian Zheng standing on the beast without a care in the world. And as if the different pieces of puzzles came together to create a new picture, he came to a sudden conclusion about the reason and origin of this little detour.


    [A vision of the future. Is this what happens if I don''t stop him?]


    A soft clip-clop sound came from behind him as Grey walked up next to him. But when Hao Xuan looked at him he realized it was something else.


    There were two pairs of zing red eyes looking at him in eerie silence.


    [You are the one who injured her? You''re a demon?]


    It bobbed its head up and down in response.


    Hao Xuan paused for a moment to take it all in before asking another question, [The old woman sent you?]


    But this time it only looked at him without making a move.


    [So you were the one she was talking about. She didn''t send you herself but...you dide from her side. Why? What does a demon like you want from me? Why show me this?]


    The light from the demon''s eyes began to increase in intensity and a series of images were telepathically sent to Hao Xuan''s brain. He flinched from the searing pain and after analyzing them his expression worsened.


    [War? Fighting? Blood? That''s your end goal?]


    He could see himself riding the beast into battle in its true form.


    [No! I will not make any more deals with a demon. Find another fool, this one has had enough]


    By the time he finished speaking the vision hade to an end and he was back in his body.


    udia was stillying unconscious in his arms but the demonic fire had also been put out.


    *sigh*


    "Baby steps," he muttered before throwing her over his shoulders and leaping towards the eastern side of the city where the Grand Priestess was resting.


    He dropped her off with Kart, the wolf demihuman who was standing guard.


    "Take care of her. She has an injury on the back, find a healer as soon as possible. I will be backter."


    "Wait! You can''t just leave her here, human! We are not your-"


    But Hao Xuan was already gone before thest word left his mouth.


    "-servants."


    Hao Xuan ran straight to the center of the city where Eurig was waiting for him outside the dpidated.


    "It''s your turn. Take me to your master," he threw out the words unceremoniously but Eurig didn''t let his displeasure show, even going as far as lowering his head in mock servility.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "As youmand."


    They traveled on foot towards the city gate as the noises got louder and louder. Most of the city guards and cultivators were deployed here to maintain some semnce ofwful authority and keep a riot from breaking out.


    No one dared to stop them because Hao Xuan was quite a recognizable figure among them the natives after everything.


    Countless pairs of inquisitive gazes looked them up and down as they were allowed to leave the premises without anyone even asking them where they were going.


    But when Han Rong who was watching from afar saw Eurig his expression turned ugly. He could recognize his demonic energy at first nce.


    "Hao Xuan, just what are you doing?"


    He began walking towards them but Sokol''s words echoed in his head again and again as a reminder and he had no choice but to stop.


    "Damn it, I have to have faith that the World Spirit knows what she is doing. There must be a reason for this."


    Eurig lead Hao Xuan into the dark forest where they picked up the pace, running over swathes of forested area in seconds.


    Eurig was using everything at his disposal to move as quickly as he possibly could but Hao Xuan was still on his tail without even breaking a sweat.


    ''Fucking monster. Why couldn''t I have such an ability?'' he cursed inwardly.


    Almost an hourter when they had traveled several hundred kilometers through the dark forest the surroundings began to change. Smooth grass-covered hills began to appear for as far as the eye could see.


    It was remarkably simr to the area where the Barbarians were staying in when the princess forcefully took him to their camp. Or maybe it was the same ce but Hao Xuan couldn''t recognize it.


    There were nondmarks and every hill looked the same...well, every hill but one where a person could be seen sitting at the top.


    Eurig stopped almost 200 meters away and gestured for him to continue alone.


    "This is as far as I can go."


    "Hmm. Wait for me, I will go back with you."


    "Of course my lord," he replied as-a-matter-of-factly but as soon as Hao Xuan went ahead he slowly started moving back.


    Hao Xuan walked towards the figure at a steady pace, taking his time.


    ''This person has the power to give me one of the elements. I can only guess as to their background, I hope there isn''t a-''


    But when he got a good look at the person''s face his mind went ck and he unwittingly shouted out his name because they had met before.


    "J-Jax?!"

 Chapter 1218 Oath

    It could be no one else but him.


    Hao Xuan had only technically met him once or twice but he remembered the destitute farmer-turned-hunter with stark rity.


    Jax heard his name and turned around to see Hao Xuan standing at the foot of the hill.


    He smiled, "It has been a long time sir."


    But to say that Hao Xuan had mixed feelings about the circumstances of their meeting would be the biggest understatement of the year. He knew what this meant and his doleful expression urately portrayed his feelings.


    "Damn it, why did it have to be you? How could you have fallen to their side? Or...were you always one of them, a demon?"


    Hao Xuan began questioning everything he knew about the man.


    Jax didn''t answer directly and instead motioned for Hao Xuan toe up.


    "Won''t you sit with me and talk?"


    And with a bittersweet feeling, Hao Xuan trudged along before sitting down right beside him.


    It was nighttime as usual but the white light from the runes at the top of the world fell down in waves, lighting the grass-covered rolling hills for miles.


    "I love this ce. It''s so peaceful," Jax muttered under his breath as gentle gusts of wind licked their faces.


    "A shame that it will soon be destroyed," Hao Xuanmented before looking in his direction, "Your people should have something to do with that too. Never knew a demon who wanted peace."


    Jax chuckled lightly, shaking his head lightly.


    "I''m not a demon, I will never be one of them. I only borrowed their power to protect my people...no one else would."


    "And what about Eurig and the others who were turned into demonic meat puppets?"


    "Those-" Jax faltered, "-That was not my doing. The same creature that came to me went to them."


    ''The same creature??''


    Only one such entity came to mind.


    "Bael?!"


    *BzZzzZzz*


    A fly came out of Jax''s pocket andnded on his shoulder, looking right at Hao Xuan.


    "He''s watching..."


    Jax''s voice fell to a mere whisper, "He is always watching...everything...everywhere...never shuts up..."


    Hao Xuan could see he was still fighting against Bael''s influence. It hadn''t corrupted him yet so there was a chance.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Don''t give in, never stop fighting it. The moment you let your guard down he will consume you."


    "Hmm, I won''t. As long as there is hope I won''t surrender."


    Hao Xuan patted him on the shoulder, killing the fly in the process.


    "I will find a way to help your people. Where are they? How many?"


    For the first time Jax''s smile didn''t seem forced as he reciprocated in the same manner, "Thank you. They are set up on the far western shoreline but it''s not safe there. I can keep them hidden for now but it won''t be long before the other cultivators find them. The one who leads them is too bloodthirsty."


    "Dai Zhi? Yeah, I know him. I will deal with him sooner rather thanter, don''t worry. I won''t leave anyone behind," Hao Xuan assured him and it seemed like that was all he needed.


    "I believe you. You are the only one who can change the future."


    And with that Jax unhurriedly got back on his feet.


    "I will let him in now. You should already know this but don''t trust a word he says."


    "Huh? Who?"


    Hao Xuan got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach and he tried to reach out but before he could do anything the fly that he had killed came back to life and flew into Jax''s ear.


    His body jerked a couple of times before stabilizing. He was facing away from Hao Xuan and there was no demonic energying from him but his demeanor hadpletely changed.


    His back straightened and shoulders widened as he cracked his neck and stretched his arms.


    "Aaah! What great pleasures of mortal flesh. How lucky you are to still live with them, hahaha."


    Apletely different voicemented. It was huskier, deeper, and spoke with a kind of ent that Hao Xuan had only heard in one of his other lives.


    He jumped to his feet lunging towards Jax. He grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around in a hurry only to gaze into eight different pupils staring back at him.


    "Ba''al!" he eximed.


    Jax''s face contorted unnaturally as he pushed Hao Xuan away to fix his clothes.


    "You have seen better days have you not? Hahaha!"


    Hao Xuan gritted his teeth, "What have you done to him?! If you harm him I wi-"


    "Oh save your threats. I would never do anything to harm a vessel as great as this. Quite the opposite actually."


    ''A vessel? Is that what he wants him for?''


    But Jax shook his head not even trying to hide that he could read Hao Xuan''s thoughts.


    "Not at all. Although I am the one breaking him in, he is not for me."

 Chapter 1219 But Up.

    "Not for you? Then who? YOU have a master?!"


    Hao Xuan knew better than to trust the words of a demon like Ba''al but suffice to say, his curiosity had been piqued.


    Jax, or rather Ba''al stepped back and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath of fresh air that created a torrent of billowing wind around him.


    It felt like all the heat, scents, and smells were sucked out of the world leaving a kind of emptiness that Hao Xuan had not felt in a very long time.


    Then a secondter all the sounds ceased to exist, forcing Hao Xuan to look around and notice that everything around him had stopped moving, including the clouds.


    Every de of grass was frozen in its ce and every little creature from the smallest insect to therger birds of prey were unable to move.


    Hao Xuan''s heart sunk. Thinking that this was a trap, he stepped back cautiously trying to put some distance between them but the next moment Jax opened his eyes and Hao Xuan saw Ba''al staring back at him.


    And then he stopped moving too. Even with the Chaos energy and lycan bloodline Hao Xuan was utterly incapable of moving even a finger in front of him. All he could do was watch and listen.


    Jax opened his mouth and a prepubescent voice came out, that of a child so young that he couldn''t even make out the gender.


    "I am Bael," it spoke before changing to the voice of a teenage boy, "The first of the Spirits."


    "I am the one who hides in in sight."


    The sky turned red and fire and smoke erupted from all sides around them. The clouds moved back in the opposite direction as everything was set alight.


    Then the voice changed to that of a young man, perhaps in his twenties.


    "I am the King in the East, Lord of the Flyers, and keeper of knowledge."


    The world began to shake as meteors started falling from the sky. Thend shook and split, spilling out tides ofva.


    His voice changed for the third time to that of an adult man, hoarse from the clear passage of time. But there was something else about it, there was a tinge of sovereignty in it now as if a king was speaking to his subjects.


    The only thing Hao Xuan could move was his eyes which were mostly focused on Jax.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I am Suffering and Despair, Ruler of Two Hundred and Fifty legions of the most vile Demons that are birthed in the pits of hell. But even I, mortal, even I serve someone, you will soon learn this the hard way...there are some beings that cannot be rivaled. And you stand here today because one of them wants YOU."


    The force keeping Hao Xuan in ce suddenly disappeared and he stumbled back burning himself in the ocean ofva that epassed everything in existence apart from the small hill they were standing on.


    And only now did he realize that he had been transported into hell. Fire rained from the sky as shadows of great winged creatures cast the world around him into darkness.


    Theva was bubbling all around him and from each bubble came out a new wretched shape.


    Finding himself lost in the circles of Hell Hao Xuan would have normally lost all hope but he remembered the trouble they went through just to see him.


    If his master truly wished to meet then he could not hurt Hao Xuan in the slightest.


    The temperature rising to a level that even he could not bare for much longer, Hao Xuan met Ba''als unflinching gaze.


    "Take me to him then. That''s why I came here in the first ce."


    He stared at him for a moment before his lips cracked into a smile. He turned around and took two steps, disappearing entirely.


    And as soon as he did theva began to rise at an unprecedented speed. It was like it was trying to catch Hao Xuan which made him run ahead without wasting any time.


    When he reached the same spot he could feel a cool breezeing through the other side. And with one step he was gone.


    He had already prepared himself for the most horrific visual that his mind could possibly conjure after finding out what kind of entity he was about to meet but...what waited for him was the exact opposite.


    Hao Xuan found himself standing in a field of white roses. The sun was sitting to the right and the moon could already be seen hovering overhead.


    He took a look around but could only see the endless fields of white roses in all directions apart from the front where a gazebo waited for him on top of a small hill.


    There was a stone path carved into the ground in front which led straight to it.


    "I guess there is only one ce to go."

 Chapter 1220 "Their" Plan

    Hao Xuan took his time walking up the stone path. His mind was riddled with questions and theories about this creature''s identity and if it was even possible to negotiate with it.


    He was so lost in thought that by the time he came to the stone path hade to an end and Hao Xuan found himself standing at the top.


    There was a person sitting on an elegantly designed white chair with their back to him. They were staring at the sunset and even when he made his presence known they did not react.


    They had flowing golden hair that almost reached the floor. From what little Hao Xuan could see their figure was rtively small and dainty aspared to him.


    Hao Xuan cleared his throat, not dwelling on minor details that did not matter in the long term.


    "I am Hao Xuan," he introduced himself before realizing that it was probably a moot point, "But I guess you already knew that, being one of the bosses and all."


    He waited for a response but even after half a minute there was absolute silence so he continued.


    "I am here because-"


    But he was abruptly cut off by a soft androgynous voice.


    "What''s wrong with this ce?" the voice inquired.


    "....Sorry?"


    "This ce, what is it missing?"


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to furrow as he started examining his surroundings.


    ''Is this a riddle?''


    "Not a riddle, a simple question. What is wrong with this ce? What is it missing?"


    "And of course you can read minds too," Hao Xuan muttered to himself in annoyance.


    Hao Xuan heard the sound of clothes ruffling and turned to see the person getting up. They fixed their clothes before turning around to face him.


    And with the setting sun on their back a halo appeared around them which almost blinded Hao Xuan but...what was even more surprising was this person''s seraphic beauty.


    They were perfect. The looks matched the voice to the point that even though Hao Xuan was directly staring at them he couldn''t tell if they were a very handsome man or a heaven-defyingly beautiful woman. He could see both depending on what he was thinking.


    He was stunned into silence.


    The person smiled softly while tilting their head to the side coquettishly, "Am I that good-looking?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hao Xuan nodded absentmindedly.


    "What do you see when you look at me? A man or a woman?"


    "B-Both," he stutteringly replied.


    "Well," the person squinted thoughtfully, "Let''s settle on one for today."


    And the very next second Hao Xuan came to understand that this was indeed a man. At least for now.


    "You can call me Light," the person finally gave a name.


    Light appeared to be a man in histe twenties. Handsome beyond reproach and perfect in every sense of the word.


    It took Hao Xuan a second to break free from the stupor and he had to take a few steps back while putting his guard up. That was definitely a spell...it had to be.


    "You...changed your appearance?"


    Light shook his head, amused by the thought, "I settled on one, there is a difference. You seemed to be having a lot of trouble with it so I thought I should make it a little easier for you. Those like me don''t have genders, it is a requirement for mortals. We are all of them and none of them. We existed before there was a need for them."


    Hao Xuan roughly understood what he was trying to say.


    "So, can you tell what''s wrong with this garden of mine?" Light asked again.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and actually gave it some thought, examining every little detail that he could pick up. He started with the most obvious and started going down the list considering even the logistical questions.


    But after mulling it over for almost ten minutes or so he realized that something very basic was missing.


    "There is no scent, none at all."


    Light nodded in agreement, "Correct. No matter how hard I try I cannot recreate it. No treasure cane even close to the beauty of old."


    He snapped his fingers and all the petals from every single rose flew up into the air, disappearing after reaching a certain height.


    Taken aback by the sudden transformation, by the time Hao Xuan looked back there was only barrennd around them.


    That wasn''t an illusion. Light had actually killed every single living thing down to the roots with one snap. This world was his domain through and through.


    "So, Mr. Hao Xuan," Light got his attention again, "It seems you are at an impasse. You have already spoken to the old witch and I''m sure she had some choice words for me. You have met my brother, you know about the Emperor. But tell me, what do you know of their ns?"

 Chapter 1221 Greedy

    Hao Xuan felt like someone had asked what he wanted for Christmas. To be so so straightforward and to the point, this was a gift better than any he could ask for.


    He promptly responded with a shrug, "Nothing really. Only what little I have pieced together myself. Most of it is theory and conjecture."


    "That''s how they all like to work, hahaha" he threw back his shoulders in a heartyugh, "They live in the shadows, plotting and scheming against one another like children. Normally I wouldn''t even bother stepping in..."


    "But?"


    "But...things have taken an unexpected turn. You," he said looking Hao Xuan in the eye, "You have managed to put yourself in a very unique position."


    "And...what position is that?"


    "The position to alter the fate of others. Tell me, would you like to know what they are nning? What they want from you?"


    Hao Xuan nodded firmly, "More than anything else in the world....but why? Why do you want to help me?"


    Light looked up pretending to give it some thought, "Hmm there are many reasons but there are only two that you need to know. Firstly, I believe in being forting with my partners and I believe you and I can work together in a way that would benefit us both equally."


    "Secondly, by being open with you I can throw a ''wrench in their ns'' as your people used to say. It''s like killing ''two birds with one stone'' you see. My, I do love your proverbs. Not terribly deep or thought-provoking but they do get the job done, don''t they?"


    Light sounded excited just thinking about it which made Hao Xuan even more cautious.


    "Okay...I guess. Then tell me about your brother ''Meng'' and why he wants to kill me. Also, why does the old witch want me to work for her? What''s her endgame?"


    "Quite a loaded first question," Light said with a raised eyebrow, "You surely don''t waste any time, do you?"


    And that was the whole point. Hao Xuan wanted to see if Light could really back up his words and the response proved that he could.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Light quickly got to the point.


    "I met Meng a very long time ago. I was in need of assistance in maintaining order in Hell and because of his immense strength and more notably his intelligence, I enlisted his support among a few others. It was an age of rebirth and destruction where new gods were born and killed every single day and the wars in Heaven and the Ten worlds kept us busy."


    "Woah wait wait wait," Hao Xuan abruptly cut in, "What do you mean ''enlisted'' his support? Who exactly is Meng?"


    Light smiled, "My apologies. I should have begun with that. Meng is a demon of the first age. Perhaps you may know him better as ''Maymun, the Demon Lord of Greed and Injustice''. At least that used to be his title before he chose to abandon his duties."


    "D-Demon Lord...he really is a demon then..." Hao Xuan stutteringly repeated. It was one thing to think it but another to hear it from a source such as this.


    "Why...what did he do? Why did you say he abandoned his duties?"


    "Well, I will have to go into a bit more detail for that" Light calmly stated while leaning against the guard rail, right before saying something so utterly oundish like it was the day''s weather forecast.


    "As it stands in recent times, Hell is ruled over by the league of Devils and like-minded Demons that prefer the new ways. They are tasked with leading the armies of hell to fight against any forces that seek to disrupt this way of life and death, and to protect the interests of Hell in all other nes."


    "Maymun is- WAS one of the Seven Lords that maintained order in Hell until his greed could no longer be satiated. He abandoned his duties and domains, fleeing with a great many weapons of Hell to the depths of the Abyss."


    "There he set his ns in motion...or should I say ''revealed his true nature'' which had been in the works for eons. His goal, from what I can tell, is to start a war between all realms of creation. And when all is done he will reveal himself to be the mastermind and step in the seat of power."


    "As to why he wants to kill you, it''s probably because he knows you cannot be controlled. Rather than let you live and risk you bing enemies in the future, he wants to rid the world of your existence while he still can. Not to mention..."


    Light went on for a while longer exining a few more things about Meng and his n but Hao Xuan was barely paying attention.


    He had to take a few minutes to digest all this information and categorize it in a way that best suited him.

 Chapter 1222 Beasts Of Old

    It was almost TOO much information to receive all at once but he couldn''t reallyin, he was the one that asked for it in the first ce.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his forehead while reiterating all the major points.


    "So let me get this straight. Meng- or Maymun, is an ancient Demon and was part of the seven Overlords that rule over the Nine circles of Hell. But a few thousand years ago he deserted his position and returned to the Abyss where he was born."


    "There he set his ns in motion and began spreading his influence all over the known nes. And because his ns include overturning Hell, you want to help me so I can stop him. Is that right?"


    Light nodded hesitantly, "There is more to it but, yes...if you want to be so coarse."


    "Good. Then what about the old witch? What does she want from all of this?"


    "I suspect she is hiding a lot but if I had to guess, I would say her position of power is under threat. Ever since Maymun moved his base to the Abyss he has been doing everything he can to expand his influence. And he is doing so by trying to find the locations where the ''Beasts of the Old Age'' have been sealed and resurrect them once more."


    Hao Xuan could feel his blood pressure rising as more and more ludicrous events and notions were revealed to him by the second.


    "OhMyGod what is that now?! What are Beasts of the Old Age?"


    Light, who was in the middle of his exnation couldn''t help but throw Hao Xuan pityful look.


    "Oh my, you mortals really have forgotten everything about the past, haven''t you? No wonder you keep repeating the same mistakes."


    With a deep breath, he waved his hand and the nket of darkness covered all of creation.


    Hao Xuan looked up and saw the night sky. Even the roof of the gazebo had vanished.


    But among the twinkling night stars he could see something moving.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "In the First Age, before mortals existed, there were only a handful of races that ruled over the cosmos. There were the indomitable Titans of the material realms, the unfathomable Old Gods of the Abyss, and the Principality of high heavens to name a few."


    "They were sentient beings that had intelligence and some semnce of reason. They couldmunicate with one another and held some form of rationality and order."


    "But there was one such race of beings that existed solely to annihte everything in their paths. They were called the ''Beasts of Old''. Without any rhyme or reason, they simply desired absolute destruction wherever they went, and they had the power to make it into a reality."


    Hao Xuan could see an immense shadow swimming through the void of space. It was so great that entire star systems along its path disappeared within seconds.


    "They could neither be destroyed nor killed in any real sense. All we could do was seal them away in different regions of the universe and scatter their powers into the abyss. But little did we know even that would not be enough."


    "The demons of the first age like Maymon were birthed from their powers. They were something new but not too different. Like their forebearers, they too wanted to see everything in ruin but at least they could be reasoned with and even controlled to a point, which was never the case with the Beasts of Old."


    "The Demons that descended from the Beasts of Old were imperfect. They were powerful but their uncontroble bloodlust, ego and mistrustful nature led to continued internal conflicts so they could never work together."


    "Dissension spread within their ranks and with time more and more divisions began to pop up, each with their own edicts. Currently, there are two schools of thought within the Demon race. The first one wants to awaken the Beasts of Old and finish what had been started in the first age. Maymon belongs to this school."


    "The others consider the ''Beasts of Old'' as aged relics of a forgotten past that should never be trusted. You can say the old witch and herrades fall into this category. She is at war with Maymon and his forces but from what I know her strength is waning. If it continues this way she will lose for good and the control of the Abyss will fall into Maymon''s hands."


    "Then...why don''t you help them?" Hao Xuan couldn''t help but ask the most obvious question, "Send the armies of Hell to the Abyss and kill Maymon."


    "Hahaha, do you think we would be having this conversation if it was that easy?" Light burst outughing, "We cannot cross into other nes without paying a heavy price."


    "Not to mention that keeping order in Helles first. What do you think would happen if the wardens of the biggest prison in existence simply up and left their positions? No, this has to be done by someone else. Someone like-"


    "Me?"

 Chapter 1223 -2

    "Indeed. Each one of them is trying to use you in one way or another to reach their own personal goals. You can consider me the same as them."


    Hao Xuan took a minute to consider all the options but he realized Light had never asked anything of him in return.


    "Why tell me all this? Do you want me to serve you as well?"


    Light casually shook his head denying it immediately, "Not at all. It is true that under normal circumstances there would be a price to pay for this kind of knowledge but consider it a gift since it is our first meeting."


    "As long as you don''t have a death wish and want to align with Maymon you can consider me an ally. If you chose to ally with either of the other two, well, we can cross that bridge when wee to it."


    Then he paused before peering at Hao Xuan with a knowing gaze, "But if you wish to receive one of the items that are required to make the physique your own, that will cost you."


    Hao Xuan wasn''t even surprised that he knew about it and asking how he knew would be a waste of time as well so he didn''t bother.


    "Name your price."


    "Hmm..." Light scratched his chin thoughtfully while Hao Xuan''s heart was in his throat. He knew how badly this item was needed for all his ns.


    Light paced back and forth for a minute mumbling to himself, "I could ask for- no that wouldn''t world, he is not strong enough yet. Maybe...no not that either..."


    Then finally he let out a sigh in defeat, "It seems you have nothing that I desire as of now, nor are you strong enough to aplish any tasks that I might require. That leaves only one solution. You can have it now for free, and in exchange, I will ask for one favor in the future."


    Hao Xuan''s skeptical nature immediately kicked in and he recoiled in response, "What kind of favor?"


    Light smiled upon seeing his reaction.


    "Nothing like you are imagining. I do not require any blood offerings or personal sacrifices but if you manage to live through this ordeal and reach a level where you are of some help to me then, one day, I might ask you to do something...or not do it, I haven''t decided yet."


    Hao Xuan knew better than to make a deal with a demon but that was as good as it was going to get and he knew it.


    "I ept."


    "Splendid!" Light pped merrily, "So which of the remaining two do you require from me?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Remaining two?" Confused, Hao Xuan asked for rification, "Arent there four?"


    "Indeed but you already possess one and the other is within your reach. With a little luck, you can get it yourself."


    "WHAT?!!" Hao Xuan screamed without realizing, "I already have?! Which one?!"


    And his question left Light both bewildered and a little doubtful if bargaining with him was even a good idea. But to further his n a risk like this was needed.


    "The old witch did not tell you I see. I can smell the seed of the world tree on you, it has been in your procession for a very long time. As for the other one that you can get by yourself...it is the me of Torment."


    Hao Xuan knew he should have been happy with this much valuable information but he couldn''t help himself.


    "H-How? Do you know where from exactly?" he inquired awkwardly.


    *Sigh*


    "I have not done this much good in ages. Consider yourself lucky, Hao Xuan," Light grumbled before continuing his exnation.


    "The me of Torment is created in the deepest pits of Hell where the souls of worst sinners are kept. Normally the only way to get it would be to descend into Hell and find it yourself but luckily for you, it seems the one you call the ''Emperor'' had enough foresight to see thising."


    Light waved his hand again and the scene outside the gazebo changed once more.


    The ground cracked and fell as tongues of me erupted from somewhere deep down. Hao Xuan could hear the cries of help from the wailing souls from somewhere out of sight.


    The fires died down just enough to give way for a decrepit-looking castle toe into view. It was pitch ck surrounded by a flowing ck river with three small hills behind it.


    "That used to be Maymon''sir. It was there that he had found a way to use the me of Torment by merging it with the bloodline of the Hell Hounds and a seed from an abyss demon to create a new beast."


    The three hills began to shake and rise into the air. Their fronts cracked open and even more fire spilled out.


    "Cerebrus he called it," Light whispered.

 Chapter 1224 Better For All

    Hao Xuan had obviously heard of the creature before. It was infamous even back on earth let alone the Greater World.


    He watched on with bated breath as the three colossal heads continued to rise into the air. They were obstructed by the plumes of ck smoke so their appearance could not be observed, not that Hao Xuan had the opportunity to do so.


    Light snapped his fingers and the scene returned to its previous setting, that of a barren wastnd now that all the roses were destroyed.


    Hao Xuan looked to Light for answers.


    "What has that got to do with the Emperor?"


    "Cerebrus has served as Hell''s loyal watchdog for an eternity, hunting any who dare try to leave and devouring the flesh of those foolish enough to break in. He has also served many greater deities as I''m sure you have heard."


    "When Maymun deserted his post many chose to follow him to the abyss while some others were forced to. Maymun knew how useful Cerebrus would be so he befouled his mind to bring him along. Unfortunately for him, soon after they ended up crossing paths with a human called the Emperor."


    "Greatly weakened from his recent voyage to the Abyss, Maymun was defeated by this human and Cerebrus was captured. That was in fact how they met for the first time."


    Hao Xuan''s heart skipped a beat, "Are you saying that the Emperor has the flesh-devouring Watchdog of hell locked up somewhere??"


    And seeing Light nod with such confidence Hao Xuan could not contain his delight.


    "You have alreadye across it once. All you need to do is find it again ande up with a way to contain the me. Once you have that, the rest of the journey will be easy. You only need to grow the seed of the world tree and the old witch can guide you with the rest."


    Hao Xuan felt like the weight of the world had been partially lifted off his shoulders.


    "Thank you...for this. I won''t forget it," he expressed his gratitude.


    And Light seemed genuinely surprised by it too, so much so that for a moment he didn''t know what to say. But finally, he smiled courteously and raised his hand towards the sky. He made a grabbing motion and in the palm of his hand appeared a pure white feather.


    "Here, this is what you need. Now you just need thest one. That is one journey that cannot be avoided."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hao Xuan dly epted the feather. It looked like it had been plucked from a normal bird, measuring just over half a meter in length without any unique characteristics.


    But the moment it came into contact with his body all the pain immediately disappeared. Even the pain that he had grown so ustomed to that it wouldn''t even normally register with him was now gone.


    His body and mind rxed as the feather''s radiant light began to grow brighter. Then with a sh, it disappeared from his hand but Hao Xuan could still feel its presence somewhere inside of him.


    There were tears forming around his eyes as he looked up to meet Light''s gaze, "Where-"


    "It will reveal itself to you when it''s time. Until then all your physical pain and exhaustion will be pushed away. The true power of the feather can only be used once after which it will be destroyed. But as a result it will bring about a miracle, healing all injuries and even bringing you back to life."


    He chuckled and patted Hao Xuan on the shoulder, "Try not to die before then. It was a gift and you would be hard-pressed to find another like it."


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say. He knew that this person standing before him was an overlord of hell and could not be trusted in the slightest but his heart couldn''t help be moved.


    "Yeah, I''ll try my best," he replied jokingly.


    Light stepped back and gave a royal bow from the waist, "Then I bid you farewell, young mortal. May your journey be short and uneventful."


    Hao Xuan felt the air move around him and the next moment he disappeared entirely.


    Only Light was left standing in the gazebo alone, at least for a moment.


    Followed by a buzzing sound the ground cracked and a swarm of filthy house flies flew out. They congregated around one another to create a humanoid face.


    "Should I put a stop to the ns for his world?" a multitude of voices inquired, "The God-Corpse is almost ready but the vessel still needs more time. It would not be toote if you wish to let him remain a mortal."


    But Light shook his head without any hesitation, "Continue. The sooner the world falls the better it is for all of us."

 Chapter 1225 Quick Little Nap

    The flies went silent momentarily. There were obviously some doubts in his mind.


    "It will be much harder for the Son of Chaos. His mind will break and we will only push him closer to the Spark, doing exactly as the witch wants."


    Light nodded with a heavy heart, "That is his fate. It is best he falls to her than the human or Maymun. At least she has enough tricks up her sleeve to keep him under control."


    "...And what if he breaks free? The human had enough foresight to even take your arrival into ount and even after millenniums Maymun could not destroy him without outside help, what if this was all a part of his n?"


    Light''s expression softened immediately as he nonchntly replied, "Then we will all be in trouble. If he can truly manage to control the Spark of Creation then there is very little that can be done to stop him. Fortunately, he is still a human. And as long as he does not discard his humanity it can be manipted."


    "Then should I-"


    "I have already taken care of it, the pieces are in y. Meanwhile, the ''feather'' will continue to burden his mind and when hepletes the ritual and breaks it, the dye will have been cast...."


    The flies buzzed about briefly in contemtion before finally asking the burning question.


    "Was that the same one from....him?" he was careful not to even mention a name.


    Light''s innocent smile turned vicious, "Yes. It was thest present my dearest brother bestowed upon me before throwing me out of the Heavenly Kingdom. But now that he has willingly epted it the curse will carry on, whether the Son of Chaos can bear it or not all depends on him now."


    He leaned over the edge, whispering thest sentence to himself.


    "It will not be easy hearing all the vile and wicked thoughts that the minds of mortals can conjure, let alone seeing the truth of all things....hahaha."


    ***


    Hao Xuan returned to the same spot on the rolling hills he had first entered from. Only the difference was that now there was not a soul in sight.


    He was not mad despite Eurig disobeying his orders to stay and wait for him. In fact, it was quite the opposite now.


    He closed his eyes and took in a breath of fresh air. The cold wind gently kissed his skin, a most wee sensation after the piercing heat of hellfire.


    The only sound wasing from the undting air currentsbing through thendscape and brushing the endless grass fields. The sounds of nature were so peaceful that whenbined with the rush of relief washing over him because of the angelic feather he could feel himself dozing off.


    Despite having many important things waiting for him Hao Xuanid down and within seconds he was off to thend of dreams.


    And then out of nowhere a white rose petal, the same as the one he had seen in Light''s garden, appeared out of thin air andnded on his forehead. It melted uponing into contact with his skin and disappeared instantly.


    A barrier of the purest white light sprung up from all sides keeping him safe and secluded from everything around him. The clouds passed overhead like the waves of the ocean until sometimeter Hao Xuan opened his misty eyes again.


    He sat up with some effort, pushing down the overwhelming weariness that had still not gone away.


    With a deep yawn Hao Xuan stretched while getting back on his feet. It was a nice nap and it barely felt like any time had gone by but he asked just in case, "Baracus...how long was I asleep for?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    *Beep*


    "Fifty-Seven standard hours."


    "....."


    "WHAT?! Are you sure??"


    "Affirmative."


    He was dumbstruck.


    "How...is that possible?! I-It barely feels like an hour has gone by! Fuck FUCK!"


    Hao Xuan quickly fished for the beast token to call out Grey but in his panicked state, he put in a little too much strength and crushed it to smithereens by ident.


    "AAH FUCK! Shit, motherfucking shit!"


    *Neigh*Neigh*


    Grey appeared in front of him in his usual manner but now there was no way to store him again since the only beast token was gone and his Mind Pce was still locked.


    "Back to the city," he pointed towards Argham while jumping on his back.


    Grey kicked the ground and sprinted off.


    "Damnit, how could I sleep for so long?! Why didn''t you wake me up Baracus?!"


    *Beep*


    "Sleep is a natural human process. Even one such as yourself eventually needs it."


    "There is a time and ce for it!" Hao Xuan screamed back, "I had so much shit to do. Fucking hell man..."


    After spending a couple of minutes cursing Baracus out to make himself feel better Hao Xuan calmed down a little and recounted the events so far and then what needed to be done.


    "Okay, I have the feather and the seed of the world tree...somewhere on me, I guess. I need to get the location of Cerebrus from the Emperor and then find a way to get the water from the river Styx. It''s easy, I can do it no problem."


    "Then I can im the physique, find a divine weapon and fight the physique demon. Once I reach the second physique realm I can just absorb the poison from Henrik and...what about the Grand Priestess? And shit, I almost forgot about him!!"

 Chapter 1226 A Lot

    "FUCK! HOW COULD I FORGET ABOUT HIM?!"


    ? Hao Xuan just now remembered a very time-sensitive matter that he hadpletely forgotten about. That was one thing that could not wait any longer so he quickly made Grey change destinations.


    "Go to the dark mountain at the back of the city instead!"


    "Neigh!" both of Grey''s heads bobbed up and down as he increased his speed yet again, tearing through the dark forest in a whirlwind.


    But as much as Hao Xuan wanted to think everything would be fine, something deep inside him was saying otherwise. There was a hole forming in the pit of his stomach.


    The two-hour return journey was cut to less than seven minutes with Grey''s speed and soon Hao Xuan could see the dark mountain in the distance.


    "It''s fine, I''m not toote," he told himself again, "I can even ask Ashura of the Six Paths to tell me how to get to the river Styx. He has been locked in the underworld for ages, a few more hours is nothing. It will all be-"


    Just then, Grey leapt over a ridge and the city of Argham came into view. But when Hao Xuan looked in its direction thest word got stuck in his throat, "-fi...."


    Pulling on Grey''s mane to make him stop, he jumped down wide-eyed and mouth agape at the horrific scene in front of him.


    Other than the main city gate not much was left standing. A good forty percent of the western city area was simply not there. In its ce was a massive crater that stretched out for tens of kilometers in the same direction.


    There was not a soul in sight anywhere nor any other signs of life.


    Weak-kneed, Hao Xuan walked through the broken gates with a heavy heart. There were signs of fighting all around but no actual bodies. His shoes stuck to the ground that was covered in ayer of coagted blood.


    The area straight ahead used to hold all refugees and was the most densely popted section of the city but now it waspletely empty...that is whatever was left of it.


    The buildings were mostly destroyed and the makeshift camps were basically just ash and dust at this point. It looked like a fire had broken out amidst all the chaos.


    Hao Xuan walked through the debris for several minutes but could not locate anyone. There were too many potent smells and ambient sounds for his senses to find anyone with either.


    "What the fuck happened...where is everyone?! Baracus, run a scan for any living beings nearby."


    *Beep*


    [Initializing Scan]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Error: Background Radiation Levels Exceeding Nominal Range]


    [Scan Interrupted]


    A series of pop-up notifications came up followed by an exnation from Barcus.


    "There are too many conflicting energies in the surroundings. All ranged sensors are ineffective."


    Finally, left with no other choice, Hao Xuan closed his eyes and began spreading out threads of spiritual sense in all directions. This was an especially risky move considering it could give out his location if another being capable of using spiritual energy was nearby but it was still better than yelling into the air.


    The threads covered a distance of 20 meters in all directions but found nothing. Then they extended to 50 meters, 80, and 110 but only after reaching 140 meters did he find something still moving.


    "Southeast!"


    Cutting across the wartorn city streets that werepletely unrecognizable from the Argham that he remembered, Hao Xuan quickly reached the intended destination which was a small part of a muchrger building that was all but destroyed.


    He stopped a few meters away to inspect the surroundings. It was eerily quiet but from this close up he could hear the rough breathing of a person hiding somewhere under the rubble.


    Gathering some Qi in his hand Hao Xuan prepared to fight before abruptly pushing the pieces of rubble away with his feet.


    "AAAAH! DIE!!!"


    A de shot out of a crevice aiming for his head. Hao Xuan didn''t even bother dodging upon sensing the force behind it. It hit his arm and bounced off like a rubber ball.


    Hao Xuan reached down and pulled out the attacker by his neck.


    "I''LL KILL YOU ALL!" the man screamed trying to scratch Hao Xuan''s face but his arms just couldn''t reach.


    "Stop! I''m not your enemy!" Hao Xuan spoke by augmenting his voice with Qi, making it almost as deadly as a sound attack.


    He made sure to control the intensity though so it wouldn''t do much more than daze him momentarily. As expected the man stopped struggling and Hao Xuan put him back down.


    He was wearing the armor of the city guards and despite his face being covered in soot and dried blood Hao Xuan still recognized him from earlier. He didn''t know the man but had definitely seen him around.

 Chapter 1227 Just 3 Days

    Seeing that the man was starting toe around, Hao Xuan kneeled down and spoke up in a low voice.


    "What happened here? Where is everyone? Who attacked us?"


    But the man was delirious, swaying left and right like a newly born calf.


    "Hey! Can you hear me?! Pay attention!"


    Hao Xuan transferred some spiritual energy into the man''s body which barely seemed to help. It looked like he hadn''t eaten or drank anything in days.


    It was a miracle he was still able to move.


    "Fuck sake," Hao Xuan fished out some barely edible rations that he had left over in his storage ring and fed them to the guard.


    He came alive as the food touched his lips, snatching it away from Hao Xuan in desperation.


    "Rx, I''m not going to take it from you. Eat slowly," Hao Xuan assured him after seeing his state.


    The man barely looked human.


    It took him a few minutes to finish everything but it helped a lot as he nced at his would-be savior with appreciation.


    "Th...ank...you..."


    "Don''t mention it. Here, drink this," Hao Xuan gave him some water too, thest he had left.


    The guard drank it in one go, unable to hold back his tears for whatever reason.


    "I thought I was going to die this time...but you saved me..."


    "Don''t mention it-" Hao Xuan waved his hand nonchntly but the next sentence out of the guard''s mouth left him stupefied.


    "You shouldn''t have. It''s all meaningless...there is no point in any of it anymore..."


    "Why? What the hell happened here?? Where is everyone?"


    The guard let out a hollowugh, "Just that, ''hell'' happened. It was hell."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Chalking it up to hysteria caused by extreme shock, Hao Xuan didn''t take his words to heart and calmly asked one question at a time.


    "Who attacked the city?"


    "Everyone...every single thing. It started when an army appeared in the western valley led by some kind of a stone giant with a city on its back."


    The guard''s words instantly brought up the vision that the equine demon had shown Hao Xuan after he visited the old witch. The stone giant was the walking city of the Hall controlled directly by Tian Zheng.


    The guard couldn''t hold back anymore and started crying while recounting the events of thest few days.


    "Princess Inara...she went with the Barbarian Princess and some of your people to fight them. They...all died. The stone giant came to the city and tried to break in but the Grand Priestess used her magic to protect us. But even then she couldn''t hold on for very long."


    "We thought that was going to be the end of it but a man riding a giant ming bird arrived and stopped the giant. He asked for someone by name, the healer girl that came with you people."


    "WHAT?!" Hao Xuan grabbed him by the cor, "Ma Jiang? Is that who you are talking about?"


    The guard nodded timidly, "He promised not to destroy the city if she gave herself up so...she did. We thought it would be okay but as soon as he got the girl he disappeared with her."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t believe his ears. That was the one thing Ryfon had asked him to do, to find and keep her safe but he couldn''t even do that.


    Since Hao Xuan didn''t ask anything else the guard continued.


    "The stone giant kept attacking for many hours before leaving. But by then the Grand Priestess had already used up too much of her strength to keep the barrier up. She...died... Princess Helena took over but not even half a dayter something else happened."


    The guard gestured towards the northern end of the city with fear, "Demons. Countless demons poured out of the old district. No one expected to get attacked from inside the city so we weren''t prepared at all...it was a massacre. They killed everything that moved and took whoever was left back down."


    "The few people that managed to survive banded together. We thought it would be best to go somewhere else but as soon as we entered the dark forest some strange creatures popped out of the ground and started attacking us."


    He paused to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze, "They were simr to the ones that you had killed earlier in front of the gates."


    Hao Xuan thought about it for a second but he couldn''t believe it, "The corrupted? That''s not possible, I killed the one that was controlling them."


    The guard startedughing, "Then you didn''t do a very good job. These were smarter and stronger than before. The rest of your friends that survived, almost all of them were eaten by them."


    "That''s not possible...this is not possible..." Hao Xuan felt like he was living through a bad dream, "I was gone for barely 3 days, how could...everything just..."

 Chapter 1228 Wern

    Hao Xuan''s legs gave out for a moment. He had to sit down beside the guard to gather his thoughts. Right now both men looked absolutely defeated.


    "Then...is everyone...is anyone still left?"


    The guard gave half a nod before pointing to the left, "Just a few. They are hold up in the old ruins east of the city."


    His words gave Hao Xuan some hope as he regained some vigor.


    "Then why are you here alone?"


    "I wasn''t. There were more than ten of us. We came out to try and find some rations for the rest of the people but...we were attacked. I only survived because the young man leading us baited most of the demons to the other side with the help of a few others."


    Hao Xuan became alert, "What young man?"


    "One of you, a boy using a bow. He was gravely injured but...even then he...he had more courage than any of us."


    "A bow user?" Hao Xuan repeated under his breath before a face shed before his eyes, "Wern?? He''s alive?!" (Mentioned a few times already, CH 1057 ''Hatchling'' was thest one)


    "He was..." the guard whispered lifelessly.


    "Which way did he go? QUICK!"


    Forced out of the daze by Hao Xuan''s shouting, the guard pointed in the direction he hadst seen Wern go while warning, "Only thing there is death. No one could have survived this long...and even if they did, there is no escaping them."


    "Then I will see for myself," Hao Xuan jumped to his feet, "Wait for me here, I will be back soon," he threw out the words, and by the time the guard looked up he was already gone.


    ***


    Approximately eight hundred meters north of the city gates, an abandoned structure near the outskirts of Argham was currently the center of attention for anything that could walk, crawl or slither.


    Wern was standing on the second floor of a building firing arrow after arrow from the broken window that oversaw the majority of the area around them.


    Behind him were two men wearing simr armor to the other guard only a lot more worn out. They were covered in countless small wounds from head to toe and the armor that should have protected them was little more than decoration at this point.


    They were both holding a longspear each, standing by the only staircase that connected the two floors while constantly stabbing back and forth in session.


    The target of their attacks were the same humanoid creatures that were frantically climbing over one another in an attempt to reach Wern from the outside.


    These creatures looked human at first nce but the closer one looked the more oddities they would find.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Firstly, their skin was puffy like a leather jacket wrapped around a bag of meat. Their upper limbs ended in long cyclical hooks that could be used to both stab and slice at any distance.


    They had no facial features other than a rough ''dough-like'' appearance in the shape of a human head. They looked like unfinished y puppets and judging solely by their physical appearance they didn''t appear that threatening.


    But they moved with a kind of inhuman ferocity that would give any sane person a fright. Their movements were akin to rabid dogs that violently threw themselves at everything that moved. (Reference Image posted in Author''s Notes and Discord)


    Individually they weren''t very strong but right now their numbers were in the hundreds as they surrounded every single direction.


    The guards kicked, stabbed, and used the creature''s own bodies to block as much of the stairway as they could but it was a losing battle.


    "WE CAN''T HOLD ON FOR TOO LONG!" one of them shouted toward Wern.


    Wern himself was not doing much better than them. He was missing an eye and pieces of flesh from all over his body. He had been cut and maimed in more ces than any of them could count but even then, even when he could barely stand his arms did not stop moving for a second.


    He pulled out arrow after arrow from the quiver hanging on his back and shot them urately through the head of any creature slow or stupid enough to not jump out of his line of sight.


    He pulled out three arrows at once and imbued them with his Qi before letting them loose in the sky. A momentter three waves of 50 arrows each fell down from the air in front of him, clearing out more than two dozen of them.


    He staggered and almost fell back but managed to hold himself up by grabbing onto the window sill.


    "I can''t...I can''t hold them off for too long," he muttered throughboured breaths, "You guys have to go. I will try to hold them here for as long as I can, run back."


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/originals/a5/91/fc/a591fc0bc3b1f72ec3b80d506ed64e33.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/duVH3

 Chapter 1229 The Least

    The guards looked at each other only for a moment before shaking their heads in unison.


    "Go back to what? We will only be burdens to them," the first guard chuckled. He was a burly man with a bushy beard that came down to his chest.


    The second guard was a scrawny-looking youngster barely in his twenties. He gestured towards the window where Wern was standing, "And it''s not like we can escape. Even if there was a way to outrun these weaker ones their master would still catch up to us."


    Wern still held some hope but upon hearing of the ''master'' his expression became dull.


    "You''re right...I forgot about them..." he peered out of the window towards a lone figure that was standing almost a hundred meters.


    Unlike any of the others it was calmly watching from afar.


    "It''s toying with us," Wern whispered, "Waiting for us to get tired and let our guard down."


    The guards could only agree with him. They had all seen how it operated, and worst of all-


    "It''s not alone. They are never alone. For every single one that we see there are at least a couple more hiding in the shadows somewhere."


    "Yeah but...why? Why don''t they just kill us and get it over with? If they all came together we would never be able to stop them," the younger guard questioned their motives which only made Wern scoff in contempt.


    "Because there is no fun in that. They are toying with us...they''re demons, that''s what they do. Watching us slowly break down from the inside out, they like to see us struggle needlessly."


    His expression turned uglier and uglier the more he spoke until all he could see was red.


    "I''ve already lost everyone I cared about, I don''t care anymore. I am not going to y their little games."


    "....What do you want to do?" the bearded guard inquired. They were in the same boat as him.


    Their world was all but gone, overrun by demons, unknown monsters, and invaders from another world. Whatever duty they still had had long since been over.


    Wern picked up his longbow with one hand and withdrew another three arrows with the other, "I don''t want to run anymore. We take the fight to them and die with honor...like real men!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    The bearded guard silently signaled to the scrawny one and they both began moving towards him, "That''s...good enough for us."


    But when they stood behind him their expressions suddenly turned ugly just as their spears were thrust forward with full force.


    In one fell swoop a spear pierced Wern through the abdomen and the other through his chest. And since he had his back turned to them there was no way he could defend against such an unexpected attack.


    Dumbfounded, he looked down at his body which had a couple of new holes in it now. He could see the speartips poking out of his skin and feel the sharp metal grinding against his ribcage.


    Every breath sent waves of unbearable pain throughout his body but what hurt him the most were not the wounds but this act of betrayal.


    "W-Why? I am...on your side... why do this...?" he muttered hoarsely, throwing up a mouthful of hot blood in the process.


    The bearded guard spat at Wern''s feet, "Phthew! Same side?! You did this to us, your fucking people! Everything was fine before you showed up. We lived simple but fulfilling lives and look at us now...there is nothing left...no one..."


    But when he looked at Wern the sorrow was swiftly reced with a mix of anger and viciousness, "But no more. We refuse to die in a war that you people started. We will live...even if it means joining hands with the devil."


    Hearing their n Wern tried to pull himself free but the guards twisted the spears further into his bodypletely impaling him through and through.


    "Argh!" he fell to his knees, "You fools! You cant make a deal with a demon! Are you really...willing to surrender your souls?! You can''t trust them!"


    "No, but if we offer you in exchange for our lives then there is a chance," the scrawny one nervously replied before kicking Wern out of the window, "This is the least you can do after everything you have done to our world!"


    All the creatures that were trying to get to them a second ago froze wherever they were. They looked at Wern and then at the guards in the window trying to figure it out.


    The bearded guard leaned forward and shouted at the top of his lungs, "TAKE HIM AND LET US LEAVE! WE WILL BRING YOU EVEN MORE OF HIS KIND IN A FEW HOURS!"


    Thenky figure standing in the distance jumped down and slowly made its way towards them. Its appearance became clear when it was just over 10 meters away.

 Chapter 1230 Appease

    Wern tried to get back to his feet but his injuries were too severe to allow that kind of movement. All he could do was lean against the rubble and watch helplessly as the creature slowly walked up to him.


    Its appearance was the most human-like out of all the "demons" he had seen so far. It didn''t have any hair or reproductive organs but the rest was identical to an average human male.


    It was just over 1.9 meters tall standing perfectly straight. There was almost no fat on its body but even then its leathery skin was stretched to its limits. The eyes resembled pitch-ck cueballs that had shone by themselves. When it opened its mouth two rows of small razor-sharp teeth could be seen decorating the insides.


    The demon looked Wern up and down coldly with a straight face.


    The guards, nervous as they already were, naturally assumed the demon could not understand what was going on. The guard with the bushy beard leaned out a little to speak directly to it.


    "He is yours, a sacrifice! Do you understand? Let us go and we will bring you even mor-"


    But he was quickly silenced when the demon responded in a much more eloquent tone of voice.


    "There aren''t many more of them left. Just three if I remember correctly, one of which is already in the possession of the human they call the ''Blood Prince.'' So what possible reason would I have to spare vermin like you?"


    His voice, his manner of speaking, if they weren''t looking directly at him there would be no way to tell that this creature wasn''t even human.


    The guards were stupefied for a few seconds and couldn''t even respond until he spoke again.


    "Well? Do you have nothing else to say? In that case," he raised his hand and all the smaller creatures came alive, snarling and twitching right on cue, "There is no reason to drag this along any further."


    "WAIT!" shouted the scrawny guard, "I-If you were going to kill us anyway then why bother listening to us? You...you must want something right? What is it? We will do whatever you want!"


    The demon smirked, taking pleasure in listening to their panicked voices.


    "Hmm, I''m not sure if you can do it."


    "We can! We will do whatever it takes to get it done, you can trust us!"


    The demon silently stared at them for a moment before ordering the smaller ones to move back, "Fine, you maye down. You have my word that not a hair on your simple heads will be harmed."


    Delighted at the oue the guards picked up their spears and swiftly exited the building. The bearded guard was smiling ear to ear.


    "Thank you, we won''t forget your kindness."


    The demon smiled in much the same manner, "Oh I am counting on it," and the moment he finished speaking the smaller creatures jumped on them from all sides.


    "AAAAH!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Their arms were pulled from the sockets, skin peeled off of their bodies within seconds, and tongues cut from their mouths.


    "Be careful not to harm their hair too much, I wouldn''t want to be called a liar now would I?" the demon mumbled to himself jokingly before kneeling down to face Wern.


    "And you little one, have you learned your lesson yet? Kindness is the greatest sin one canmit."


    Wern could do little more than spit on his face, "Fuck...you..."


    "Hahahahahaha!" the demon threw his head back in a joyous cackle, "You and me, we will have a lot of fun!" he gently caressed his cheek.


    "But before we get started, I am looking for someone. A human, one of your ''brothers'' if I am not wrong. Goes by the name Hao Xuan, seen him around recently?"


    Wern was on the verge of losing consciousness but when he heard the demon''s question he was jolted awake.


    "Brother Hao? Why...why are you looking for him?"


    "Oh no reason," the demon rolled his eyes in annoyance, "My master really likes the boy you see. He has been looking for him since all this started."


    "Who....who is your master?"


    "You wouldn''t know him. He is new but his power, phew, it''s no joke I tell you."


    Wern startedughing which caused him to bleed even more.


    *cough*cough*cough*


    "You...are lucky he is...not here."


    The demon perked up instantly, "Oh? Why is that? Is he very strong?"


    "The...strongest..."


    "Ah, then it is even more of a shame that he is not here," he stood up and grabbed Wern by the hair, "My master will be disappointed but...you should be enough to appease him for now."


    The demon threw him over his shoulder and started walking away. Wern was too weak to even struggle. He used his remaining strength to look up onest time in the direction that they hade from and what he saw put a smile on his face.


    "Ah...there he is..."

 Chapter 1231 Feather Or Not

    "Ah...there he is..."


    The demon replied without hesitation, "There is no other mortal left in this cursed c-" (Reference image for the demon is mentioned in Author''s Notes and in Discord)


    But it could only take one more step before some of the smaller demons started crying and snarling, alerting it to the presence of another being.


    "-Or not?"


    It turned on its heel to peer in the direction where they had seen someone but there was no one there. Its brow began to furrow because there was no way for them to be wrong but it couldn''t sense anyone nearby.


    It poked Wern on the side, "Human, who did you see? Hey, are you listening?!" but Wern had already lost consciousness.


    "Tsk, stupid mortals," it cursed loudly, "No regard for their own life even when a demon is carrying them back to hell."


    "It''s because he knows he will be safe now that I am here," a voice replied from the right, startling the demon down to its very core.


    It turned towards the voice robotically, unsure if it was even real. But upon seeing a tall figure standing over the mutted corpses of the two guards a chill ran down its spine.


    ''How did he get there without me noticing?!''


    But it acted as if it already knew he was there and smiled gently.


    "And who might you be?"


    "Hao Xuan. Were you not looking for me?" he replied nonchntly before finally tearing his eyes away from the corpses and looking all the smaller demons up and down.


    "Are these mortal souls trapped in their physical bodies? They''re not dead but...not alive either."


    The demon let out a derisiveugh, "Haha, they are demons! Cant you even tell that much, boy?"


    But inwardly it was having a meltdown.


    Hao Xuan slowly followed all the smaller ones to reach the demon itself and shook his head, "No, you are one but not them. They are poor souls trapped in their bodies but you...you are something else."


    In Hao Xuan''s eyes the smaller demons looked like they were lumps of light surrounded by a ck cloud that was encased in a suit of human skin. They were trying to break free but no matter how much they struggled the ck cloud would not let them out.


    "Can''t you see how much they are suffering?"


    And when he looked at the demon he saw a horrifying mismatch between its physical appearance and its actual demonic body.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Its real body was almost three to four timesrger in every aspect. Every feature from the sharp teeth and ck eyes to elongated limbs was exaggerated to the extreme. Its forelimbs were so long that Hao Xuan couldn''t even see where they ended.


    But even with such a disproportionallyrge difference between both forms, its real body was wrapped around itself multiple times and pressed inwardly to fit into the traditionally humanoid form.


    ''Why can I see its true form? I didn''t do anything myself so it has to be something that happened from the outside,'' Hao Xuan''s mind was racing trying toe up with a usible exnation.


    ''The old witch? No, I met with Eurig after that and I could see him normally. Then... when I went to hell to meet with ''Light'' and...the feather! It has to be the feather! The old witch said it belonged to an Angel so that must be it.''


    The light ofprehension lit up his pupils as things started to make sense.


    ''Then...was he also the one who put me to sleep? It can''t be a coincidence that the world went to shit in the two-and-a-half days that I slept for...those fucking demons.''


    The killing intent was palpable as the demon recoiled instinctively. In its eyes Hao Xuan was already holding a bloody de aimed at its throat.


    "But then again, why would you care...you''re a demon after all," Hao Xuan''s expressed his thoughts coldly before giving the demon an ultimatum, "Put him down and kill yourself, I will allow you that courtesy."


    The demon overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events didn''t know what to do. On one hand, it wanted to follow the orders of its master and report Hao Xuan''s presence as soon as possible but on the other...its greed could not be satiated that easily.


    ''There has to be a reason why master wants him so badly. If I make him my puppet then I can finally climb the ranks and get more powerful!''


    It gently ced Wern on the ground and raised both its hands, "You win human. I don''t want to fight, take him and go. I won''t stop you."


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/23/f0/94/23f0944e7068cf3efe6c423960a8b723.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/nSuTG

 Chapter 1232 Bewilder

    It stepped back with both hands raised but Hao Xuan could see its true form preparing to attack. The ck clouds in the smaller creatures were moving faster and faster as if charging up for something.


    "You don''t want to fight?" Hao Xuan repeated the demon''s words.


    It nodded, "I just want to live."


    "So you will let me go?"


    "Of course, as long as you don''t do anything to me I won''t either."


    "Thank you, I don''t really want to fight either," Hao Xuan said smilingly and approached Wern. He bent down to pick him up, purposefully exposing his back to it.


    As expected the demon moved quickly and silently, much faster than it had before to strike at his vital points.


    But by the time its knife-like fingersnded Hao Xuan''s figure was already gone.


    "Blink," his voice came from somewhere behind the ruins.


    The demon recoiled immediately surrounding itself with the smaller creatures from all sides, just in time for Hao Xuan to reappear in the same spot. He was expressionless and there was only coldness behind those piercing green eyes of his but to the demon, it was like looking at one of its many previous masters.


    Hao Xuan looked like an amalgamation of unadulterated rage and bloodlust. It was so thick in fact that it was even creating illusions in the demon''s mind. It could see blood dripping from his hand, its own blood.


    "Now that he''s out of the way, why don''t we get this over with quickly?" Hao Xuan somberly stated.


    The demon took a step back without thinking but quickly caught itself.


    ''Am I scared of him?! A mere human??!''


    It was outraged by its own cowardice.


    ''How long has it been since I felt fear like this? And from HIM?!''


    Its ugly face contorted even more, twisting under the increasing pressure of its true form trying to break free as it hissed at him.


    "Do you think I am scared of YOU? A mere human?"


    "Yes," Hao Xuan nodded as a matter of factly, "I can see it in your eyes, on your...faces. You are afraid."


    "Hah! I am a DEMON who has served more than FOUR hundred years in the legions of hell. I have participated in the subjugation of tens of worlds and imed countless souls. What makes you think you can do anything to me?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hao Xuan smirked, the first time he had shown any real emotion to the creature''s antics.


    "If you were here with your real body, in your true form then yeah. I probably wouldn''t be able to do much to you."


    The demon smiled victoriously, "Then beg for-" but Hao Xuan rudely cut it off.


    "IF you were here in your true form but you are not. You are merely possessing a human body that is barely enough to channel a fraction of your real power. I don''t know why you are even walking around in that state, you might as well be asking to be killed."


    The demon knew Hao Xuan was right but there was a reason why it was so confidently walking around.


    "Hahaha kill?! Do you think you can kill me?" it threw its head back cackling in a high-pitched voice.


    "Even if you somehow manage to destroy this vessel that will not be the end of me! I will be sent back to hell only toe for your loved ones again and again until you are so damaged and broken that you will wee me with open arms."


    Hao Xuan looked at the demon through narrowed eyes admitting that there was truth behind its words.


    Demons could not be so easily killed. They could be exorcised from the vessel or have itpletely destroyed but that would only cast them back to hell. Not unless they were struck with a divine weapon that held the holy power of some righteous god. And it would have to be a strong one otherwise the demon would only be incapacitated for a few years or decades.


    It had always been that way even in the other lives that he had experienced but now, HERE, that was not necessarily true.


    The Immortal Devouring Demon Physique had its name for a reason. And even though it wasn''t at full power but its most basic function was still working as intended.


    "Is that right?"


    Hao Xuan raised his hand in the demon''s direction. They were more than six meters apart with tens of smaller creatures in the way but he still wanted to try it.


    The demon smirked, "Is that supposed to scare m-"


    [Devour!]


    "GASP!"


    The very breath from its lungs was ripped out as its true form was pulled towards Hao Xuan by some unknown force.


    The demon staggered forward in shock but stopped after only a single step. It touched its face in bewilderment.

 Chapter 1233 Last Wail

    "W-What did you do?!" the demon questioned in disbelief.


    But Hao Xuan only clicked his tongue in disappointment, "Tsk, not weak enough yet. Guess it really can''t be avoided."


    He recalled the entire set of the ''Ashuras Grand Compendious: The 64 Palms of Infernal me'' and quickly went down the list to pick a one-handed technique that was best suited given the current circumstances.


    "This one will do very well," he decided on one.


    The chaos energy began circting throughout his body doing full rounds before reaching his left hand. After the first round his entire hand was covered in ayer of thick greyish energy making it appear as if he was wearing a translucent glove.


    After the energy did a second round, a weak high pitched noise began to sound from his hand. And every time he moved it would be louder and increase in intensity for the duration of the movement.


    *eeeeeeee*


    It was simr to the scream of a banshee only kicked up a few decibels.


    The smaller creatures felt the effect instantly as they were disorientated before Hao Xuan had even attacked. Even the demon had to close off an ear while screaming at him.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"


    Hao Xuan brought the hand in front of his chest making a Buddhist hand gesture by folding the ring and little fingers while the forefinger and middle finger pointed towards the open sky.


    The wailing sound was almost entirely snuffed allowing the demon to focus on Hao Xuan again as he spoke up.


    "I have never used this technique before either so we''re both in the same boat. But it is thest move set thatbines all of the first eleven techniques so it shouldn''t be too bad. You should prepare yourself, it will be quick."


    The demon took Hao Xuan''s advice to heart and immediately ordered the smaller creatures to attack the moment they regained control of their bodies.


    "TEAR HIM TO PIECES!"


    Snarling and sniveling they jumped into action,ing alive at the mere thought of drawing blood.


    *RAAAAAA*<novelnext></novelnext>


    They surrounded him from all sides before jumping at him while swinging their hooks and ded limbs. Meanwhile, the demon seamlessly hid amongst the smaller creatures to the point that it was impossible for anyone to point it out.


    Even its appearance changed to match those of the smaller creatures while the ck clouds within their bodies extended outwards to join with one another, creating an interconnected that was controlled only by the demon itself.


    Not only could it take ce of any of the smaller creatures at will by physically recing them in an instant, but it could also transfer its true form to the bodies of any of the smaller creatures. That''s where its true strengthy.


    ? Rather than one physical form it had over three dozen because any of the creatures could be used as a vessel when the need arose.


    The creatures attacked from all sides but one, purposefully leaving an opening so he could dodge there. The demon grinned victoriously because it could already see Hao Xuan being cut in half the moment he tried to dodge.


    Its arms began to extend and warp to mimic the appearance of its true form, looking more like vicious ws than anything else. It couldn''t really use any of its true powers but just by possessing a vessel for a limited period of time it could increase its physical strength to the peak of the Spirit Realm.


    And that alone was enough to cut any unsuspecting victims in half.


    But the moment it was so ardently waiting for never came. Just when the des were about to strike the chaos energypleted its twelfth rotation around his body and Hao Xuan mumbled something under his breath. .


    "12th Form: The Last Wail!"


    He spun around on the spot while holding the palm of his hand to the front.


    The crying sound which had been sounding in the background all this time suddenly exploded with an intensity that no one expected, not even Hao Xuan himself. It was loud enough to leave him defeaned so one could imagine how harmful it was to the others.


    *AEEEEEEEEEEEEE* (youtube ''cry of the banshee'' if you want to get a better idea)


    It wasn''t a physical phenomenon so without ample spiritual energy there was no way to block the ''sound wave'' that was created as a result.


    Hao Xuan moved faster than any of the smaller creatures could possibly hope to react and struck out a total of twelve times in all directions.


    Every time he made physical contact with a creature the shape of his hand was imprinted on its body and all thepressed chaos energy was released in a single concentrated burst.


    Their bodies began to erode from the inside out and by the time the demon reacted Hao Xuan was about to unleash the second round of ''Palm Strikes''.

 Chapter 1234 His Blessing

    The demon was foaming at the mouth upon seeing a third of its vessels get obliterated in an instant. And since they were destroyed from the inside out by the chaos energy, there was no way to even recover the specks of the demonic energy that it had lent out to make them in the first ce.


    *KREEEEEEE*


    It shrieked from the pain as the connection was forcibly cut off one after another with the smaller creatures but when it saw Hao Xuan getting ready to strike again, its rage was deep enough to temporarily block the mind-numbing effects of the technique and allow it to move between the smaller creatures even though they couldn''t be controlled from afar.


    Its true form began to fade before reappearing in the creature that was closest to Hao Xuan. And it just happened to be right in front of him.


    Its arm transformed and struck at his neck with a deadly w strike but because of the Angelic Feather, he was able to see the change within the creature''s body and react in time.


    He quickly dodged to the side and threw a palm strike towards its chest but the demon''s true form had already moved on.


    "WHER-"


    Hao Xuan looked around but before he could find it a w struck his back peeling away several inches of skin and flesh in three straight lines.


    "AHH!" he recoiled from the pain but not before throwing a palm strike in its direction.


    Turning around he saw another creature''s body slowly copse and turn to ash but the demon''s true form had managed to escape with little to no harm. The palm strike had actually managed to connect with the demon''s true form but it was not strong enough.


    ''Fuck! If I had enough energy it would have died just now! I need to put some distance between us.''


    "Blink!"


    Hao Xuan''s body reappeared in mid-air 3 meters away but he quickly used the ability again to move to a rooftop on the other side of the street.


    ''What the fuck was that?!'' he cursed inwardly, ''I meant to move at least 30 meters away but there was some kind of an obstruction blocking me. More than 90% of the energy was used to ovee it while with the remaining ten percent I could only move a fraction of the distance.''


    The creatures all turned in his direction and when the demon was sure he wasn''t going to attack again so soon, it began spreading the smaller creatures all around so they couldn''t be taken out at once.


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to furrow when he noticed that the ck clouds had spread outside of the bodies of the smaller creatures and covered a muchrge area.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It looks like a domain but...I can''t feel the presence of anyw."


    And yet the ck clouds were giving a very familiar feeling as if he had sensed it not too long ago. Hao Xuan only had to think about it for a second before it came to him.


    ''Hell! It feels like the energies from hell but....they are much weaker. Is it trying to make a portal?'' he thought but quickly dismissed it, ''No, that''s not possible. Not even a greater demon can do that let alone a foot soldier like this. It has to be something like a Law but for these weaker demons. It sapped away most of my energy when I tried to ''Blink'' so I can''t just rush back in.''


    He decided to ask the demon itself....maybe it was stupid enough to fall for it.


    "That was a close one, huh? You almost got me," he began with apliment, "Is that your domain that you just made?"


    The demon revealed itself for a moment by taking over a creature that was right in the middle of the ck circle.


    "You damn insect! If I had my full power you wouldn''t even stand a chance!" it yelled with a twisted expression.


    Hao Xuan cidly nodded in agreement, "You are right. I would have already run away if that was the case, I''m not suicidal enough to fight a soldier demon head-on. I have heard enough horror stories about you guys."


    All the praise and ass-kissing proved to be useful making the demon let out augh.


    "Haha, at least you know when you are outmatched. That other one was arrogant for no reason."


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath as if he was reconsidering all his life choices while pointing at the circle again.


    "What happens when Ie in there?"


    The demon shrugged, "What happens when you go to hell?"


    "Aha, so it''s like your own little piece of hell. That''s amazing, I didn''t know demons could do that."


    The demon scoffed haughtily, "That''s because not all of them can! Only those of us who are loyal to the ''Lord'' can, by his blessing only!"

 Chapter 1235 Pain Pain Go Away

    "By the lord''s blessing? YOU have Beelzebub''s blessing?!"


    The demon was visibly shocked hearing the name of its supposed master but it actually had the opposite effect and ''it'' realized what Hao Xuan was trying to do.


    "How do you- No, I''ve said too much already! You cunning pissant, how dare you try to trick me?!"


    "Trick you?" Hao Xuan shook his head innocently, "I would never. I''m not even that smart, to be honest with you."


    "Then w-"


    "It''s just that you''re too stupid, falling for something like this. But thanks for the information, now that I know what it is I can stop holding back and get it over with quickly before your friend gets here."


    "Demons don''t have any friends! Didn''t they teach you this? We work alone!" but as it said that its gaze shifted to the left for an instant confirming Hao Xuan''s suspicions.


    His expression turned somber, ''I knew it! It was ying along too trying to draw this out for as long as possible so the other one could get here in time. If I didn''t notice the demonic energy congregating outside the walls I would have fallen for it too.''


    When Hao Xuan spread out his spiritual sense in the direction the demon had nced he could feel a suffocating energy beginning to manifest on the horizon.


    ''It feelspletely different. I think this one is somehow able to materialize in its true form. I need to be as far as possible when it gets here.''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and focused on increasing the speed by which the chaos energy was circting within his body.


    ''It''s going to leave some internal injuries but nothing I can''t heal from given enough time. A small price to pay to pull something like this off.''


    As the cirction speed increased Baracus''s automated warnings began to pop up on the side.


    [Warning!]


    [Unexpected increase in energy cirction speed detected!]


    [The chances of internal energy going berserk have increased by a factor of 3]


    [The chance of receiving significant damage to internal organs has surpassed 90%]


    "I know, shut up. Turn off notifications," Hao Xuan spat out the first chance he got.


    Even though the feather was directly ''blocking'' all the pain he could still feel every minute pressure change within his body, and because it wasn''t followed up by any extreme difort like it normally would have, Hao Xuan felt like he was a stranger in his own body.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I need to be very careful, it''s too easy to go overboard since I don''t have a natural forewarning system in my body anymore."


    Pain is the body''s natural response to let the person know that something is wrong. Without it, one could be harboring severe injuries and not have the faintest idea until it is toote.


    The high-pitched noiseing from Hao Xuan''s hand increased twofold while the grey energy surrounding it became darker and muchrger than before.


    He could feel a numb stinging sensation in his abdomen which began spreading out to all other extremities. When it reached his left hand Hao Xuan finally moved.


    [Blink!]


    The demon saw his body disappear from the spot and it immediately switched to another vessel. It looked left and right waiting for Hao Xuan while preparing to switch bodies immediately but upon hearing the screeching noiseing from the air it was taken aback.


    It looked up to see a shadow some thirty meters overhead.


    ''The fool, what is he nning to do?! The domain covers everything above and below ground for 50 meters, is he really that stupid?!''


    But it didn''t have much time to consider the alternatives since Hao Xuan was closing in fast. It was either attack or get out of the way.


    "To hell with you, GO!" it screamed at the smaller creatures to attack.


    Tendrils of ck smoke shot out of the circle and into the backs of each of the smaller creatures, connecting them to the demon in a much more physical way so they wouldn''t be left open if it got too loud or disruptive.


    They kicked against the ground in unison and with the help of the smoke tendrils the entire framework of the circle was lifted up into the air with them.


    The only one left on the ground was the demon in its main body because it still had to control them.


    Itughed madly upon seeing the smaller creatures basically ride the ck circle to meet Hao Xuan in mid-air. This way it could use the hell domain''s suppressive effects to its greatest capacity.


    The screeching got louder and louder along with the disturbance in nearby surroundings which gave the demon some reservations.


    "It''s a lot stronger than before but nothing that I can''t ha-"


    *KLUCH*

 Chapter 1236 Third Times The Charm

    The demon shook uncontrobly as strength began leaving its body. It looked down at its chest to see a hole where its heart should have been. It turned its head with some effort and met Hao Xuan''s cold gaze as he held its wretched core in the palm of his hand.


    At first it didn''t understand what had happened but when it heard the screeching sound suddenly stop and looked up to find that the smaller creatures had met with no resistance at all, it finally began to make sense.


    "That...wasn''t you...?" it questioned hoarsely.


    Hao Xuan gestured towards the mutted bodies of the guards, of which only one remained.


    "You heard the noise and attacked without even confirming it was me but...I just transferred some of my internal energy to the corpse and dropped it from the air. Didn''t think it would actually work but thank heavens for the stupidity of demons."


    There was no pain but he could feel warm blood climbing up through his gullet no matter how hard he tried to push it down.


    ''Damnit, suddenly transferring my internal energy to an outside source while circting with that much speed left a gaping hole in its ce. I didn''t think it would be this bad...''


    [Warning!]


    [Severe internal damage detected on 74% of the internal organs]


    ''Hmm, let''s see if this helps then.''


    His grip tightened around the demonic heart until it exploded under the pressure and turned into wisps of vile energy that were absorbed by the physique.


    [Devour!]


    He could feel the energy being soaked into his body and wherever it went an itching sensation soon followed along with heat.


    [Organ restoration in progress...]


    [Internal damage 69% and falling]


    ''It works! I can just heal myself by absorbing this one!'' Hao Xuan eximed inwardly.


    But when he looked back towards the demon there was only the smaller creature copsed in its ce. It had already moved on to another vessel.


    "Fuck, I was so focused on what was happening on the inside that I forgot to keep it contained!"


    Hao Xuan looked up into the air where he could see the demon hiding in the bodies of one of the smaller creatures as they fell from the sky. There was actually a hole in its true body as well.


    "So the damage does carry over, I was right! Time to get it over with," with gritted teeth he swallowed the mouthful of blood and pushed against the ground.


    This time he didn''t use any chaos energy and relied simply on his oundish physical strength. His body shot into the air while his arm swung left and right like a pendulum, decapitating each of the smaller creatures before they could even hit the ground.


    He only left the one in which the demon was hiding and even though it tried to escape to the best of its abilities, there was no possibility of it ever outrunning Hao Xuan.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It tried to hide in the few copsed houses that were nearby but Hao Xuan simply tore his way through them like a tornado leaving it no other choice but to either fight or die.


    When he caught up to it, the demon flung its arms left and right spraying some of the ck smoke in all directions. The smoke caught fire the moment it came into contact with any physical object creating a roaring ze in seconds.


    But Hao Xuan was unbothered as walked through the fire and lifted the demon by its neck even though the mes singed his body.


    "I would say something but we don''t have much time."


    [Devour!]


    The demon felt its true form being pulled out of the creature''s body by some unknown force and this time it was too weak to fight against it.


    "NOOO!" it roared in anguish while parts of its true form werepletely absorbed by Hao Xuan.


    "I''M NOT GOING TO DIE!" it screamed onest time before Hao Xuan felt the resistance vanish almost instantly and the creature was devoured in its entirety.


    "What?!" Hao Xuan''s brow locked in a tight furrow as he sensed the changes within his body.


    "It was cut off, its true form disappeared right as it ended. What the hell happened?!"


    Meanwhile, some remaining ck smoke that had settled onto the ground after the circle broke came together to create onerge tendril that slithered over to the only other remaining body nearby and drilled its way inside.


    The skinned, armless corpse of the younger guard suddenly came to life.


    *GASP*


    The demon stood up with a fair bit of effort considering it had no arms left, but it was still better than true death. Its chest heaved up and down as it threw a hateful re in the direction Hao Xuan was in before turning away.


    "I must let the master know...this human has the ability to kill our true bodies!"


    It took one step forward before falling facefirst into the dirt.


    "AAAAH!"


    A muffled scream escaped its gullet as both of its legs separated from the rest of its body and a foot pushed its face deeper into the ground.


    "Almost got away there. It''s a good thing I came back to check, huh?"


    [Devour!]


    Hao Xuan used the ability for the third time, this time being more than certain that it would not escape.

 Chapter 1237 It Stirs

    He gripped the back of the demon''s head while shoving it deeper into the ground with all his strength, making sure not to identally pop it off in the process.


    It tried to struggle but with no hands or legs to support itself with, there wasn''t much it COULD do other than p around like a headless chicken.


    Covered in second-degree burns in over half of his body Hao Xuan bared his teeth at the demon, sensing an emptiness akin to a ck hole naturally form within his gut followed by a deep hunger pang.


    It was his body''s natural reaction to the situation. Hao Xuan felt like he hadn''t eaten in years and now he was staring at a full-course meal perhaps for the first time in his entire life.


    His pupils widened, teeth grew and mouth began to salivate as the Lycan bloodline began toe into full effect of its own volition. He didn''t feel like himself at that moment, at least not like the Hao Xuan he had known so far.


    Something primal, something hidden deep within his blood was beginning to stir. It was a sensation unlike any that he had not known in this life or any of the others, a sense of an ancient predator that had roamed thends since time immemorial.


    A low, thundering roll reverberated through his parched throat, more bestial than even his appearance.


    *Grooowl~*


    For just a moment Hao Xuan could see himself ripping into its neck and feeling the sweet sweet pleasure as it struggled under his weight, while his teeth bore into its flesh, ripping, tearing, and drinking in merriment.


    He could feel himself changing from the mere thought of it.


    The demon was the prey and he was the predator that was willing to go to any lengths to get its mark. His abominable appearance was indisputable proof of it.


    And as if that wasn''t enough, a voice began to sound within his mind encouraging him to go through with it, pushing him further down a dimly lit path.


    [Do it! Kill it! Eat it whole!]


    He knew that it would change him forever but he still wanted to go through with it. His body began to grow, physically taking a more beastial form that urately reflected his state of mind.


    His mouth opened wide, wider than any human''s ever could to reveal a row of beastly fangs facing the Heavens above and Hells below. His saliva dripped onto the demon''s back making its flesh sizzle.


    "AAAAAAAAH!"


    It howled and wailed in two different voices simultaneously. One belonged to the guard and the other belonged to its true form. One human and one demon but both equally fearful of what was toe.


    All of these changes transpired in mere seconds.


    Hao Xuan leaned closer ready to bite its head off,pletely unaware that his actions were being dictated by someone else.


    Somewhere within the infiniteyers of the Abyss, a small house sat quietly under a waterfall that flowed up a cliff and straight into the dark void above. The old witch sat by one of the windows, staring into a giant cauldron in front of her.


    The cauldron contained a slimy green liquid bubbling with unknown objects bobbing up and down every time a giant woodendle flew past them.


    Hao Xuan''s image could be seen reflecting on its surface.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "One more push," the old witch whispered.


    She swiftly thrust her entire arm into the loose robe that wrapped around her hunched frame to fish for something, pulling out the corpse of a newborn human baby after a few seconds.


    With her twig-like fingers, she ripped off the left arm and the right leg before tossing them into the cauldron while carelessly flinging the rest of it aside. The pitter-patter of numerous small creatures came from one of the shadowy corners and the corpse was dragged out of sight immediately.


    The Old Witch held her wretched hands over the cauldron while chanting a spell on repeat. At the same time, the voices in Hao Xuan''s mind became louder and louder until he could hear nothing but them.


    [Do it! DO IT! KILL IT! EAT IT! SWALLOW IT WHOLE!]


    The corners of her cracked lips raised upwards, it was almost done.


    But before he could take a bite an explosion of blinding iridescent light took ce and a diaphanous figure appeared behind his back. The figure ced a hand on Hao Xuan''s head, pouring most of its light into him.


    It dimmed just enough to reveal the figure''s true appearance, that of a seraphic beauty with a little less than two dozen wings behind her back that were beginning to cover them both entirely. But just before they could, she looked to the side and stared directly into the cloudy eyes of the Old Witch.


    Thedle that was stirring the cauldron was thrown to the side, the slimy green liquid exploded and sttered all around while the cauldron cracked from the top.


    The Old Witch stood rooted in the same spot for quite some time while many thoughts ran across her mind. The door opened and in walked the equine demon, neighing inquisitively.


    Finally she let out a deep breath and spoke up in a raspy voice, "What an annoying little critter. This is the second time she has infringed on my territory. "


    "Neigh!~"


    "You are right, she will not stop and I can''t take any direct actions without alerting the others. So be it, if she is intent on getting in the way then I will send him to a ce where neither of us can reach him," she turned towards the equine demon with a somber expression, "Bring me the ''Lectum Mortis'', the treasure of Hades."


    The equine demon reared in ce, stomping twice to ignite the abyssal mes around its legs that grewrge enough to cover its entire figure. And when the fire died out it was already gone.


    **


    Back on the physical ne, Hao Xuan was brought out of the trance and quickly pulled himself back. His appearance returned to normal and even though he understood what had happened the ''why'' was still a mystery.


    ''I almost lost control again, it was like I was back in the colosseum in the Mei kingdom.''


    While lost in thought he felt the demon struggle under his foot and realized the deed was still not done.


    "Oh, you."


    [Devour!]


    The demon''s body twisted and turned into a mist that was absorbed by Hao Xuan down to thest molecule.

 Chapter 1238 A Strand Left Behind

    Hao Xuan closed his eyes to feel the energy passing through him in undting waves.


    It began with a bloating feeling in the pit of his stomach which turned into a gush of warm prickling heat after a couple of seconds, spreading to almost every corner of his body from the inside out.


    The skin sizzled and smoked while healing at a speed that was observable to the naked eye. It started from the face, and back and then spread to other areas. But what genuinely delighted him more than anything else was that even the much older injuries were a part of this healing process.


    The automatic notifications from Baracus began to pour in one by one to highlight everything categorically.


    [Energy Reserves refilled]


    [Internal energy recovered to 87%]


    [Internal Injuries reduced to 43% and falling]


    [External Injuries reduced to 27% and falling]


    But what caught himpletely off-guard was thest notification.


    [Limb Regeneration Detected!]


    [Regaining Mass and Bone Density]


    "What?!"


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes in shock to quickly examine his right arm which was in fact recovering.


    It was so slow and gradual that if he wasn''t looking at it so carefully he wouldn''t even notice the difference but little by little the skin was beginning to regain its previous luster.


    What used to be ckened skin and bone resembling a dried-up tree branch now looked a lot more like something that once belonged on a human body.


    "It can do that?! I didn''t think I would be able to recover the arm without some serious outside help but by the looks of this, a few more demons and it will be back to normal!"


    Hao Xuan was so happy that he wanted to cry. It hadn''t been THAT long since the energy from the heavenly tribtion settled within his arm but it still felt like years, especially since he couldn''t use it at all in the meantime.


    In rtively good spirits now that he realized that demons were like little health packs for him, Hao Xuan got up on his feet and called for Grey through the ''soul bond''. But when he lifted his foot out of the hole that was created by the demon''s body something caught his eye.


    "Hmm? What''s this?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    A piercing heat blinded him momentarily.


    "Argh!"


    But when he slowly opened his eyes again the intensity lessened greatly allowing him to get a second look at the object.


    It was a bright red ruby about four inches in size. It didn''t seem to have a proper shape because it looked like something that had just been dug out of the soil.


    Its red color was due to the viscous red liquid that filled the insides while the source of the extreme heat seemed to be the minute hair-like white strand that was floating in the middle.


    But when Hao Xuan picked it up the surface of the ruby felt cold to the touch despite the prickling heat he was feeling when it was further away.


    "What the hell is this? Did it fall out of the demon''s vessel?" he thought until he remembered what its ability actually was.


    "Can''t be. It was changing the vessels left and right and thest one for sure never had anything."


    He channeled some chaos Qi towards his hand but the moment it came close to the ruby an unknown power forcefully dissipated all of it.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but look at it in a new light.


    "It feels like there is a barrier around it. The aura is not much different from that of the demon but it still feels a little foreign, almost as if it''s a more pure version of it...if I can get past the barrier it will be much easier to understand it."


    Thinking that to be the best choice, Hao Xuan quickly separated a few strands of spiritual sense and sent them in to prod and probe in hopes of finding a weak spot somewhere around the ruby.


    Golden threads came out of his temples and went straight towards the ruby. But unlike what happened with the energy there was absolutely no resistance to the threads of spiritual sense when they came close to it.


    In fact, they easily pierced the hard outer shell of the ruby and went straight through the liquid. Hao Xuan felt like he had dipped his fingers and toes into a tub of boiling liquid since they all started burning at the exact same time.


    If he had to guess the temperature inside the ruby easily exceeded a thousand Celsius, hot enough to even melt steel. But that was just the proverbial icing on the cake because Hao Xuan could feel a strong sense of attractioning from the small strand of light swimming within the red liquid.


    It was almost pulling him in with open arms. When the threads of spiritual sense came close, the strand of light moved so quickly that Hao Xuan had no opportunity to react.


    Everything happened within a blink of an eye.

 Chapter 1239 Good Or Bad?

    The strand of white light was like a worm that had found its long-lost home. It burrowed into the threads of spiritual sense and shot up their length all the way to Hao Xuan''s head, disappearing within.


    Hao Xuan rose to his feet in confusion sensing the changes taking ce inside of him.


    "NO! Where did it go!?"


    He closed his eyes in a panic and appeared within his mind pce where the strand of white light was hovering above the podium.


    Everything else was still the same including the severs that were covered by a shroud of translucent energy.


    Wide-eyed, Hao Xuan walked towards the podium with measured steps taking extreme care not to make any unnecessary movements whatsoever. He stopped two feet away too afraid to get any closer, his gaze locked onto the white strand that seemed to be in a state of inactivity.


    He reached out slowly and carefully, cing his hand between the podium and the white strand before slowly moving it up.


    ''I''ll get it away from the podium first and think about how to get rid of it after.''


    The podium was the central point of his Mind Pce and simultaneously the most vulnerable and strongest area within his mind. For as long as the podium remained, there was a chance to rebuild the rest of the Mind Pce even if it had received significant damage.


    His hand drew closer and even when it was just a couple of inches away from the white strand it did not react. Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief thinking that maybe this was it but...the second his hand came into contact with the white strand it popped like a balloon and disappeared.


    That barely discernable ''pop'' was like a nuclear bomb going off inside his head. It created a shockwave that shook the very foundation of his being.


    In the outside world Hao Xuan''s head jerked towards the sky as rays of white light shot out of his eyes.


    *GAAASP*


    His mouth drew in air like a vacuum as strange visions shed before his eyes. Within Hao Xuan''s Mind Pce, the podium began to shake as a pir ejected from within, raising the nted b to a height of 1.8 meters and creating a lectern.


    Then strange lines began to crop up within a radius of roughly two centimeters right below the resting block of the lectern. These lines intertwined to create a symbol simr to a spider''s web albeit more sleek.


    Hao Xuan''s head felt like it was about to explode until the feeling vanished altogether and his consciousness returned to his physical body.


    All of this happened in the span of 10 seconds, from him first sending out the threads of spiritual sense to the white strand exploding and the following changes to the Mind Pce.


    Hao Xuan''s chest heaved up and down as rubbed his eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Shit...of all the things, I didn''t expect THAT to happen..." he mumbled through heavy breaths.


    *Beep*


    "A surge of spiritual energy has been detected," Baracus swiftly spoke up with his own concerns, "Monitoring of vital signs suggests that the user has gone through extreme trauma but sensors have not picked up any observable change."


    "Trauma? Well, you''re not entirely wrong," Hao Xuan joked while shaking his head.


    "borate, please."


    "Later, my ride is here. I need to get away from this ce first," Hao Xuan said while waving his hand.


    He jumped over the building andnded on the other side where Wern''s unconscious body was restingfortably in a pool of blood under some rubble.


    Picking him up Hao Xuan leaped over a few other buildings andnded next to the other guard who was pointing his de at Grey.


    "You''re back!" the guard eximed while pointing at Grey, "This beast is trying to kidnap me!"


    Hao Xuan walked up to Grey and ced Wern on his back before jumping on himself.


    He looked down at the stupefied guard, "Yeah he was, I told him to bring you to me so we could get out of here but you ran around all over the ce while pointing a sword at him. Get on if you want to live, a demon ising here with its true body."


    As Hao Xuan extended a hand towards the guard an explosion took ce from the direction he had juste from.


    "Scratch that, the demon is already here," Hao Xuan corrected himself, "Youing or not?"


    The guard took one look at the source of the explosion and basically flew through the air to swiftlynd on Grey''s back while hugging Hao Xuan from behind with both arms.


    "I''ll leave it to you then."


    Speechless at the man''s shamelessness, Hao Xuan nudged Grey while pointing towards the opposite side.


    "Neigh!" x2

 Chapter 1240 Worried Sick

    sts of potent demonic energy began to ring out from all directions, turning the already ruined city of lights into a hellscape.


    Grey kept a low profile while cutting through the remains of Argham but picked up speed upon reaching the open ground to sprint towards the dark forest. They all could hear the bellowing howls and screams of terror even after traversing several kilometers of the forest''s rough terrain which spoke volumes of the force behind them.


    The mere thought of it left Hao Xuan both excited and horror-struck because he had felt at least five different demonic energy types congregating towards his position, all of them stronger than the one he had just killed.


    In fact, one of them was still following them from a distance.


    Hao Xuan nced over his shoulder but could not physically make out anything. Grey''s swiftness was nothing to scoff and if it was simply a contest of speed Hao Xuan was sure that not many could catch up to him without several Laws or supplementary abilities to aid in the process.


    "But then again, it''s not impossible," he mumbled to himself.


    The guard thought Hao Xuan was talking to him so he screamed in his ear, "WHAT?! I CANT HEAR YOU!"


    *Sigh*


    "Nothing, I wasn''t talking to you!"


    "WHAT? YOU HAVE TO SPEAK LOUDER, THE WIND IS TOO STRONG!"


    "For fuck sakes, I ASKED WHERE THE OTHERS WERE, WHERE DO WE GO??"


    "OHH, ITS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CITY, IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION! WE HAVE TO GO DOWN TO SOME OLD RUINS THAT HAVE A BUNCH OF SECRET TUNNELS UNDERNEATH!"


    ''Ruins? On the opposite east of the city?'' Hao Xuan''s brow naturally furrowed, ''Isn''t that the same ce Jin Wang took me to? It has to be, there were no other ruins on that side.''


    "Alright, we''ll head there after I take care of Wern''s injuries."


    "WHAT?! YOU HAVE TO SPEAK LOUDER IF YOU WANT-" the guard shouted again which was thest straw for Hao Xuan since he was still recovering from the aftereffects of the changes to his Mind Pce.


    "SHUT THE FUCK UP, I WASN''T TALKING TO YOU!" he screamed back, "QUIT SCREAMING IN MY GOD DAMN EAR!"


    The guard instantly pipped down, muttering under his breath in embarrassment, "No need to be so rude...I was only trying to help."


    Hao Xuan slowly steered Grey towards the northern side, keeping the city to the right so they could go around it from above.


    "Slow down a little, don''t make too much noise."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Neigh!" x2


    Thankfully with their speed it only took a little over 15 minutes for the ck mountain toe into view. At first Grey tried to go around it but the city was far too close and Hao Xuan could still feel a couple of demonic energies roaming about.


    "I guess stop here, we will wait for them to move away and then continue. It''s too risky right now."


    On Hao Xuan''smand, Grey maneuvered around the barrenndscape of the ck mountain and climbed up from the west side, stopping in front of the same cavern that Hao Xuan had visited not too long ago with Ma Jiang.


    "Get off, we will stop here for a couple of hours. Wern is too badly injured to keep moving around on horseback."


    The guard jumped down reluctantly while ncing left and right, ever so vignt in his quest for self-preservation.


    The moment he let go of Hao Xuan the Yin Qi began to seep into his bones and a coldness took root in his heart. He let out a deep breath, watching the vapor get carried away deeper into the caves by a silent breeze.


    "This ce is cursed. We should not be here...only death roams these paths."


    Hao Xuan picked up Wern in his arms and walked past him with wide strides, "Stay here then."


    Dumbfounded, the guard watched Hao Xuan''s back disappear into the cave. He gulped loudly and turned towards Grey with hope, "I guess it''s just you and me, huh?"


    Both of Grey''s heads threw him a disdainful look before quickly jumping away and vanishing behind some boulders out of sight.


    The guard stood in ce for a minute or so before it became too much listening to the countless ghostly voices wandering in from all sides.


    "Damn it all, these stupid foreigners will be the death of me!" he cursed lightly before running after Hao Xuan.


    And just a few meters in he could see the lighting from a room.


    "There you are!" he breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing both Hao Xuan and Wern inside.


    But before he could go in a sharp whisper came from his immediate left, and it was a voice he recognized.


    "Where were you all this time? Do you know how worried I was?!" it spoke.

 Chapter 1241 Tricked

    Frozen stiff by the voice, the guard turned his head mechanically to see a familiar face scowling at him.


    "M-Mom??"


    It was an old woman with the same fluffymb ears as the guard. Hands around her hips, she stared him down with a sour expression.


    "Do you have any idea what time it is, young man? I have been waiting up for you for ages!"


    The rest of the guard''s body slowly turned to face her without him realizing it. He staggered closer, "I-Is it really you?"


    His stupefied expression spoke volumes of his mental state as he looked her up and down. From her old apron with burn marks on the left side to the scruffy hair that was iconic to his family and that stern manner of speaking, there was very little doubt in his mind that this person standing across from him was his mother.


    "Of course it''s me!" she chided, "What kind of a foolish question is that! Have you even forgotten your own mother''s face?!"


    Tears formed around the guard''s eyes before quickly rolling down the side of his face.


    "B-But how are you here? You were in the city when it...when the demons attacked! I thought you died..." he whimpered.


    "Died?! Who died?! Come here right this second, enough of this tomfoolery! Your poor father has been asking about you non-stop!" she gestured somewhere behind her.


    The guard craned his neck to look where she had pointing but couldn''t really make anything out.


    "Dad is here too?"


    "Of course he is. Come, take my hand and I will take you to him," she said while extending a hand.


    The guard hesitated for a moment but upon seeing the look in his mother''s eye he could not refuse and reached out. But just when it passed the boundary of the stone doorway he stopped upon feeling the sudden drop in temperature.


    "It''s so cold. Why don''t youe over here, mom?"


    Just when he was about to pull away she lunged forward and grabbed him by the wrist.


    "O-OW! Ma, you''re hurting me!" her fingernails dug into his flesh the more he struggled.


    Despite her short and pudgy appearance no matter how much strength he put in she did not budge an inch. Her face became expressionless and her eyes, he just now noticed them.


    "What''s w-wrong with your eyes, m-ma? Why are they ck?"


    She slowly began pulling and the guard could not stop her at all.


    "Ma...amma please...I don''t want to go there..." he pleaded but she did not react in any way, only silently dragging him in inch by inch.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Please...someone..." he cried as over half of his body went through.


    He closed his eyes when his head was about to pass through the doorway but then all of a sudden he felt an arm on his shoulder and a curse in his ear.


    "You dumbass, why would you put your hand in there?! Let go of him!" Hao Xuan''s leg swung in from the side like an axe, smashing the elderly woman right in her head.


    It should have decapitated her without making a sound but she took the full brunt of the kick and only wobbled back a few feet. But it was enough to loosen her grip around the guard''s wrist which allowed Hao Xuan to pull him back out.


    The guard gasped for some much-needed fresh air while holding onto Hao Xuan for dear life. Horrified, he peered at the figure of her mother which appeared more like a very life-like doll than an actual person.


    "Who...what is that thing?! She-I thought it was my ma..."


    "Is that who you saw? Your mother?"


    "Mhm...why? Is that not what you see?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head with a grim expression, "Not at all...not even close. Your mother is already long gone. That thing was just trying to trick you."


    The guard already knew that deep down but seeing her like that he couldn''t help but get his hopes up.


    "I know...I''m sorry."


    "Don''t be. It''s not your fault, that''s what they do. Next time you see someone and you''re not sure about them, look at their feet. They usually can''t get the feet right."


    The guard followed Hao Xuan''s line of sight and noticed that his "mom''s" feet were backward.


    "Demon! It''s a demon!" he eximed while hiding behind Hao Xuan.


    But Hao Xuan casually shook his head, "No...it''s not a demon, at least not yet. It''s an evil spirit that likes to trick people. And don''t worry, as long as you don''t cross the doorway it won''t be able to hurt you."


    He patted the guard on the back while pushing him towards the room.


    "Go inside and keep an eye on Wern, I need to do something out here."


    "O-Okay, sure."


    Rubbing his aching wrist the guard walked into the room, not noticing the ck veins spreading around the wound.

 Chapter 1242 Assimilate

    Hao Xuan waited for the guard to get out of earshot before he addressed the creature that was standing on the other side of the stone doorway.


    "Did you die recently? Why are you here?"


    The creature answered by floating several feet off the ground and undoing the illusions which had allowed it to take human form. Its true appearance was mostly shrouded in copious amounts of Yin Qi revealing only two bright red eyes that were staring Hao Xuan down.


    Hao Xuan felt the surge in power and sighed in response. It was far above anything that he could sense with his current cultivation and from the looks of it even breaking through to the Profound Realm would not help much.


    It was the second strongest creature from the underworld that he hade across besides ''Ashura of the Six Paths''.


    "Not recent at all then. You''re old, very old. But whye here then? It''s not like there are many people passing through."


    The creature remained silent despite Hao Xuan''s best efforts to strike up a conversation. Its gaze was glued onto him, or rather something that was on him.


    "Fine then. I''m going to have a conversation with a friend in a few minutes so you should leave before he senses you. Even you won''t be able to do anything if hees here himself, he has quite the temper."


    With that Hao Xuan turned his back towards the creature and walked out of the cave without giving it much thought.


    *Beep*


    As expected, Baracus spoke up even before Hao Xuan had the chance to call for him.


    "Is this a good time? Further exnation is required."


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes, appearing within the Mind Pce.


    "Can you hear me still?"


    "Yes," Baracus''s slightly robotic voice confirmed.


    "Can you also see the changes?"


    "Negative."


    "Then let me tell you what''s different. There was a small podium in the center of the Mind Pce that has risen a lot since I absorbed that white worm-looking thing. It looks like one of those things you make speeches on."


    "Do you mean a lectern?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yea sure, I don''t know," Hao Xuan knelt down in front of it to examine the details more closely, "There is a symbol on it too just below the resting spot, right in the middle. It has three ovals that have been cut off at eight different points by engraved lines that are reaching out and expanding in all directions."


    "These eight lines have spread to almost every other part of the lectern. They are very shallow...like dried-up rivulets but from judging by their appearance alone, I would say they resemble tree branches more than anything else." (A very VERY crude diagram that I threw together just now in paint will be posted in discord if you want to see it, check the reference-images channel)


    He traced the outline of the symbol with his fingers to feel every minute detail.


    "I didn''t know what it was at first but after thinking about it for a bit it made sense. And when I tried it a few minutes ago it worked just as I thought it would."


    Hao Xuan''s pupils began to light up as he circted some spiritual energy and following his movements the innermost oval shape was raised higher than the other two ovals. It was filled in through and through by some ssy material.


    "Phew!"


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes back in the outside world, wiping the beads of sweat from his brow.


    *Beep*


    "The exnation iscking. Please state only the final transformations and the reason for the sudden drop in vitals."


    Hao Xuan rolled his eyes in annoyance.


    "Fine. That thing was simr to the soul core of the demon, or rather what was left behind after I absorbed everything else. I think the red ruby was its essence and the worm inside was its special ability that I could absorb thanks to the effect of the physique. And when I tried to inspect it with the spiritual sense that''s exactly what happened."


    "....Does that mean that user now has the same ability as the demon?"


    "No, not the same," Hao Xuan shook his headnguidly while looking to the right side of the mountain, "The demon and I are inherently different so our abilities cannot be the same, at least not yet. The demon could transfer its entire true body to the vessels but for me, it''s a lot more limited."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes again while channeling the ability. The symbol on the lectern lit up right before everything that Grey was seeing was automatically sent to him.


    "For now I can see through the eyes of any creature that is connected to me. That means both the soul-bonds and the severs."


    Baracus took a few seconds to digest all the information beforeing up with the next, most obvious question.


    "This is not the first demon user has assimted by using the power of the physique. There were no such differencesst time."

 Chapter 1243 Secrets Of The Ruby

    "I think that''s because it was a different kind of ability. The Puer had an extra limb on its back that was responsible for all the work. When I absorbed it, the flower pattern was formed on my brain as a result which allowed me to do something simr, albeit in a much more horrific and painful way."


    "Meaning the puer''s ability was a physical one while this demon''s ability was purely spiritual inparison...it would have to be since it was going through those vessels like they were nothing," he added.


    "That''s why rather than affecting my body it changed something in my Mind Pce. And-" Hao Xuan paused marily to consider the true meaning behind the words he was about to say.


    "-And I think it did more than that...more than just give me another ability. The lectern feels different and the oval symbol with the branches is doing something that I have never felt before. It has something to do with the ruby, I can feel it."


    "Earlier when I was holding it there was an invisible barrier around the ruby. If I can get another one and destroy the barrier to break it from the inside out...I have a feeling something different will happen."


    But soon Hao Xuan shook his head in annoyance, "It''s hard to put into words because all I have to go on is a gut feeling that there is more or something new still left to discover. The only thing I know for sure is that ''Devouring'' more demons is the way to do it."


    *Beep*


    "A reasonable oue considering the circumstances," Baracus agreed with his spections, "Given the name of the physique, it is only natural to assume that absorbing additional ''demon souls'' will unlock a previously never-seen-before attribute. Perhaps something that will even aid in your future endeavors."


    "Hah, that will be the day!" Hao Xuan jeered at the very idea that things will be any easier for him, "But I guess we''ll see what happens won''t we? I should go meet him now."


    But just as he was about to go back into the cave something clicked inside his head. It felt like he was changing channels on the radio and suddenly came across an unexpected broadcast.


    "There is another response!" he quickly closed his eyes to see the vision of a prison cell.


    He was looking at it from the outside, checking to make sure the person inside was still alive. He waited around for a few seconds and upon seeing some movement in the dark he quickly turned around and left in a hurry. That''s where it ended.


    Hao Xuan looked to the far west with a furrowed brow, "Who was that inside the cell? I could not tell whose eyes I was watching through either, only that it was very far from here," he was more than a little impressed by this revtion, "I didn''t know it had this much range, maybe this ability isn''t so bad...once I learn to control it better."<novelnext></novelnext>


    After taking a few moments to make sure it wasn''t about to happen again Hao Xuan returned to the stone gateway with haste. The creature was nowhere to be seen which alleviated many of his concerns.


    If it didn''t leave on its own he wouldn''t really be able to do anything to it from here, not that he had any idea where to begin if the opportunity presented itself.


    He stood in front of the doorway and closed his eyes while reaching out with one hand to touch the barely discernable sheet of Yin Qi that separated both worlds.


    In his mind Hao Xuan visualized ''Ashura of the Six paths'' true form and sure enough, his consciousness was pulled in secondster.


    He found himself standing in the same sea of grey clouds but this time there was no improbablyrge demonic life form waiting for him. Instead, it was a humanoid figure barely over 3 meters in length.


    He also resembled a human for the most part with a dark skin tone. The only difference were the two extra pairs of arms.


    "You...look different," Hao Xuanmented on the obvious change.


    Ashura of the Six Paths smiled, "This is what I looked like before I started cultivating. After I became a god and established my divinity I created my second body. That''s the one you sawst time you were here."


    Hao Xuan nodded silently, "You...look well? I thought something might have happened since I was sote. I didn''t mean to but something happened."


    "Yeah, I thought something might have happened. That''s why I left a separate portion of my will just in case, and it''s a good thing I did."


    "Why?"


    Ashura of the Six Paths gestured towards the ground and the clouds parted to reveal the harsh truth.

 Chapter 1244 The Guardians

    At first, Hao Xuan didn''t know what he was looking at. There were mountainous limbs and various appendages decorating the vastndscape as far as the eye could see. There were even hundreds of meter-long spikesing out of the ground in one of the nearby areas that weren''t there before.


    And the only reason he could even make that much out was because he was looking at it from very high up. It looked as if there had been a fight between the kind of beasts that could level countries with a single strike and the devastation that the surrounding areas had suffered was proof of that.


    There were countless new chasms and ravines that separated thendmass into countless smaller areas.


    It was difficult to understand what Ashura of the Six Paths wanted to show but after a few seconds of ncing around Hao Xuan put together the whole picture when he examined the spikes from another angle.


    "Those are ribs, aren''t they? And that on the sides are hands...that gorge is where the head should be-!! Wait, don''t tell me this is-"


    Ashura of the Six Paths nodded in confirmation, "Me. This is what remains of my divine form."


    "B-But how?!"


    He let out a weary sigh, "It''s a long story."


    And Hao Xuan understood what he meant, "How long as I gone for? How long has it been since ourst meeting?"


    "Only around 170 years. Trust me, it wasn''t because of you. It was a long timeing and would have ended the same way sooner orter."


    Despite the dreadful news Ashura of the Six Paths did not seem to be disheartened at all. In fact, he appeared to be in better spirits thanst time.


    "Even if you say that-" Hao Xuan could not help but me himself. Seeing the obvious, Ashura of the Six Paths quickly flicked him on the forehead before his thoughts could run wild.


    "Don''t do that. Never dwell on the past, you will only be doing your enemies a favor. What has happened has happened and there is nothing you can do to change it. And like I said it would still have ended the same way even without you."


    He could see that Hao Xuan wasn''t going to take him on his word so he exined a little more.


    "They had been pestering me about joining their ranks for eons just so I would submit to some Demon Lord in the Abyss and...that was never going to happen, ever. I might have been betrayed by my kin and stabbed in the back by the very Gods I fought for but I would never join hands with a filthy demon."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hao Xuan was suddenly brought out of his dazed state when he heard about the demon lord.


    "A demon lord in the abyss? Do you know his name?" he asked with a deep frown.


    "Mhm," Ashura of the Six Paths let out a deep breath, "They call him Maymun. I heard he has been creating an army the likes of which have never been seen before. I didn''t think he would actually be able to pull it off because the Abyss is already contested by countless other powers but..."


    "But what?"


    "But...after the realms of the Chaos Lords were cut off from the rest of the abyssal nes there wasn''t anyone to stand in his way. But I''m sure the others wille up with something sooner ort- what? What''s with that face?" Ashura of the Six Paths noticed Hao Xuan''s perplexed expression.


    "I...I think I know what''s going on."


    Hao Xuan exined everything that had happened since theirst meeting and the more Ashura of the Six Paths listened the more somber his expression became.


    "If the old witch is the same one I have heard about then...this is much worse than I expected."


    He started pacing back and forth while exining everything to Hao Xuan.


    "Every section of the known nes has their own form of guardians, the ones who keep order and despite their cruelty, they are still better than the old alternatives. In Hell, this role is yed by Lucifer himself and the Demon Lords that serve under him. In the physical nes this is done by thebined efforts of the Federation and the Church of the Sacred Light."


    "The Abyss, albeit in a constant state of entropy, has its own guardians. They are the ''Chaos Lords'' that dwell within the depths. I don''t know how many of them there are, who, or even what they want most of the time but whenever there is some existential threat to the current working of the Abyss they reveal themselves one by one."


    "I had heard that the ''Old Witch'' was the one in control of them and could easily create more Chaos Lords but I''m not sure about that anymore."


    He grabbed Hao Xuan by the shoulder, "If even that wicked thing is failing against Maymun then it is far worse than I imagined. His strength has grown beyond what any of us could have anticipated."

 Chapter 1245 Parting Gift

    But Hao Xuan didn''t really see that as his problem.


    "I''m sure someone or something will stop him. There is always one, right? It has nothing to do with me."


    "Do you really think so? Even after everything you have found out about yourself and the ones around you, do you honestly believe that you don''t have a part in all this?"


    Hao Xuan shook his head hesitantly, "It doesn''t matter, I''m not going to y their games. Once all of this is done I will leave and never look back."


    His response made Ashura of the Six Paths chuckle, "You really underestimate yourself, kid. You''re not as apathetic as you think yourself to be, that''s one of the reasons why I chose to teach you back then. Even when you were at your lowest you couldn''t look away if you saw someone suffering."


    "You had nothing, no money, not even any food or water. But every time you saw a child going hungry you would give them everything you had, even the clothes off your back. You are incapable of turning a blind eye."


    "Stop that," Hao Xuan said waving his hand, "That wasn''t me. I was just living someone else''s life, experiencing their memories without any other choice. I''m not a good person...not even close."


    "Alright, then what''s your n? What do you want to do?"


    Hao Xuan gave it some time, thinking about it long and hard before answering.


    "I-I just...want to go home. I want to live an ordinary life, I don''t want anything else."


    "Even if it meant countless others would have to suffer?"


    "They are NOT my problem. I am not responsible for anyone but myself. This shit is too much, Hell, Heaven, Gods and Demons, I didn''t sign up for this shit. I just wanted to live a normal peaceful life, not be involved in some grand conspiracy."


    His words quickly silenced Ashura of the Six Paths. They stood in awkward stillness for a long time before Hao Xuan spoke up again.


    "Is...there a chance to revive your second form?"


    "Not anymore, it''s already toote for that."


    "Then what will happen to you now?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "The same thing that should have happened ages ago. The remnants of my ''Divine Will'' will be shaved away one morsel at a time until there is nothing left. Then whatever remains of my existence will fully disappear from these realms. I will enter into the eternal slumber and fade away into the ether."


    "I''m sorry, if I wasn''t sote-"


    "Nothing would have changed, I would still be imprisoned within the underworld being forced to fight every foul spirit and soul that strayed down here. This is a better alternative."


    Ashura of the Six Paths had no delusions about his dire circumstances, he had already epted them a long time ago. But now that he was standing across from Hao Xuan who was at such an important point in his life he couldn''t help but have second thoughts.


    He took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking up again, making sure not to say anything that would send Hao Xuan down the wrong path.


    "You are so young and yet you have suffered countless lifetimes of suffering. But the most amazing thing is that even though you have been through so much already there is still good in you, that you haven''t let it twist you into something monstrous. I''m proud to have known a human like you, Hao Xuan," he said looking him in the eyes.


    "Me to-" Hao Xuan tried to reciprocate the gesture but was swiftly cut off.


    "But know that it is the duty of the powerful to protect the weak, a responsibility of the fortunate to help the unfortunate. That is the only way you can continue as a people. Having gone through all that pain and experienced all that misery you should know this better than anyone else, how impactful a single act of kindness can be."


    "I can''t make you do anything you don''t want to but promise me one thing, if you are ever in a position to help someone, don''t hesitate. There is already far too much despair in this world for you too to add onto it."


    He reached out with all six of his hands and gently pushed Hao Xuan away, sending his consciousness back into the physical ne.


    His previously solid figure began to fade at an unprecedented rate. Whatever force was holding him together began to unravel from the inside out.


    Ashura of the Six Paths fell to his knees with a distorted expression, "It won''t be of much help to you against those old monsters but...it will be able to save your life once if all else fails, don''t let it go to waste."


    Having channeled the remainder of his Divine Will into Hao Xuan there wasn''t anything left to tether him to this reality.


    Within the dim skies of the underworld this once revered Great God took hisst breath.

 Chapter 1246 A Surprise Discovery

    Hao Xuan''s consciousness safely returned to his body in the physical world. When he opened his eyes again a bright golden light reflected within them before quickly disappearing somewhere deep inside.


    He let out a deep breath and punched the stone doorway violently, sighing at the oue of their meeting.


    "Damnit, I didn''t mean toe off like a spoiled brat but I can''t even remember how many times I have repeated myself sinceing to this world. I''m not...it''s not my responsibility," Hao Xuan muttered under his breath.


    Peering into the doorway he tried to look for Ashura of the Six Paths silhouette but even after a few tries he couldn''t get back to him.


    "How can a god be so petty?? Are you really not going to talk to me again?" he yelled at the empty doorway for a few seconds before walking into the side room indignantly.


    The spot in the doorway where his punch hadnded cracked and a few small pieces of debris fell to the floor. A shadow suddenly materialized on the other side, its ring red eyes peering at the ground in anticipation.


    **


    Hao Xuan walked over to the bed where Wern''s roughly bandaged body was ced. He checked his wounds and tightened a few of the bandages before looking over to the side.


    The guard was sitting on the floor next to him nkly staring into space.


    "You did well. We will leave once it''s clear outside."


    "Hmm," the guard replied absentmindedly but Hao Xuan didn''t think much of it.


    He made his way back out of the cave and towards the southern side of the mountain from where he could see much of the city in the distance. There was still a good chunk of the ck forest in between them but it seemed to be teeming with life right now.


    *Beep*


    "Several lifeforms detected within scanning range."


    Baracus quickly spoke up warning Hao Xuan of the danger ahead.


    Hao Xuan craned his neck over the edge to peer into the dark forest, "Yeah I was about to ask about that, is there a weaker demon somewhere nearby?"


    [Adjusting parameters for extrary energy sources]


    [Scanning...]


    [13 Sources Found]


    "Thirteen?! They really came out in full force huh? What level is the weakest one at? If it''s not too much I can experiment with it."


    "Weakest energy source equivalent to cultivators of ''Origin Realm'' is present."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Really?!" Hao Xuan''s ears perked up instantly, "Where? That would be the perfect target. I can kill it quietly and leave before there is any more trouble."


    A mini-map popped up on the top left showing several dots of varying brightness in front of him.


    "I''m guessing the brighter the dot the stronger its energy source?"


    "Correct."


    "What''s the big one there?"


    On the left-most side there was one dot bigger than any of the others by arge margin.


    "I am unable to measure exact energy readings since the target has surpassed measurable units. Can only extrapte potential data based on the energy levels of the immediate surrounding."


    "Yeah that''s fine, what is it?"


    "Target should be equivalent to an upper-level Saint Realm cultivator."


    "Upper saint realm?!" Hao Xuan''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, "Are you kidding me right now?"


    "Negative. Data suggests a standard deviation value of 0.02. Would you like to take a look?"


    Before Hao Xuan even had a chance to respond a series of overlyplicated forms and rows upon rows of numbers began to sh past his eyes.


    "What? No, stop showing me this shit, that was a rhetorical remark. I believe your data," Hao Xuan quickly promised, and only then did the numbers stop.


    "I''ll try to get a little bit closer and get a better look first," he mumbled before slowly jumping down the mountainside like a monkey.


    Hended on the extreme right, as far away from the Saint realmed demon as possible before slowly crawling through the foliage one measured step at a time. He had hidden every possible sign of his presence but for some reason, it still didn''t feel enough now that he knew there was such a powerful demon within the enemy ranks.


    It took him a little over 20 minutes to actually cover the 150-meter distance and reach the area where the weakest demon was.


    Hao Xuan had to quickly cover his nose when he came across it otherwise he would have vomited right then and there.


    He was sitting in a tree top about three meters away and peering down at what could only be described as a mass grave. The ground looked like it had been pulled down from the inside to create this 7-meter-deep and more than 400 meters wide burial site.


    Every side but one was covered in corpses of demihumans and humans alike.


    In the center was a sizzling red spot spewing out plumes of ck smoke.

 Chapter 1247 The Plate

    Hao Xuan physically gagged upon seeing the wretched state within the mass grave even with all that experience of being around dead bodies.


    Almost every corpse had been mutted with all its appendages cut off and thrown in one corner of the grave. What remained had been cut open from the neck to the groin and all of their internal organs were dragged to the middle where theva hole was.


    Blood trails could be seen in almost every direction from where the bodies were dismembered and the organs emptied.


    "Oh my fucking god, how did I not smell any of this before?!" Hao Xuan unwittingly muttered out loud in his baffled state.


    "Snort Snort!"


    As soon as the words left his mouth two loud snorts came from the ck smoke followed by a pudgy four-legged silhouette. It was a giant swine demon trudging through the mounds of limbs and organs to look in Hao Xuan''s direction.


    He quickly took cover behind the canopy before it could get too close but that appeared to be unnecessary as another growl came from the smoke and twonky figures walked out on two feet.


    They growled at the swine demon and it begrudgingly returned.


    Hao Xuan slowly peaked his head out from the tree trunk to inspect these new arrivals. They had hoofed legs and faces of goats attached to somewhat humanoid abdomens. They were both holding bone spears and speaking in somenguage that he had never heard before.


    They yelled a few times at theva hole and out came nine more swine demons came out one by one.


    The two-legged goat demonlings were around 1.2-1.5 meters tall at most while the biggest swine demon was over 2 meters tall on all fours. Length wise it had probably exceeded 4.5 meters with ease which made the goat demonlings look like toddlers inparison.


    And yet the swine demons obeyed them without making a sound. They spread out in every direction of the mass grave, using their tusks to rip open the abdomens and bring the organs towards theva hole.


    Hao Xuan''s brow was locked in a tight furrow as he examined them from afar.


    ''It was that ck smoke! I couldn''t sense or even see any of them while they were next to it and there is ayer of it around the mass grave. It''s messing with my senses,'' he told Baracus using spirit sense.


    ''Agreed. It also appears there is a ss system within their ranks. It would exin why the smaller ''Capra'' demons are in charge,'' Baracus stated, referring to the goat demonlings.


    ''Yeah, I feel the same way. They are like watchdogs keeping the less intelligent swine demons in check while using them for manualbour. But that''s not the concerning part right now, does this mass grave not remind you of something else?'' Hao Xuan asked while tilting his head to the side.


    ''Negative. Please borate.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''It''s too...neat, too well organized. The right arms are all in one mound, the left ones in another. It''s the same for the legs and the heads but the midsections are all strewn on the sides, while the organs are neatly piled in the middle. Not to mention that none of the demons are eating them themselves. If I didn''t know any better I''d say it looks like a-''


    But before he even had the time to finish his thought the ground shook loudly making him lose his grip. Thankfully he reacted quickly enough and pulled himself up while looking towards the source of the noise.


    *Ruuumble*


    *Craaack*


    The trees that were on the side of the grave were pushed aside like twigs as a five-meter-tall hulking figure plodded through. The energy it was giving was so oppressive that he could barely breathe even though it was still several hundred meters away


    Hao Xuan swallowed a mouthful of saliva while shaking his head in dismay, finishing his thought haphazardly, ''-It looks more like a te for a picky eater than anything else. I was wondering what the 13th demon looked like, guess I know now.''


    The figure walked down into the grave to reveal its true demented form.


    Its back and sides were covered in giant spikes. The arms and legs looked like the ws of some ancient beast. They ended in talons that could cut a full-grown man in half without much effort. (Reference image posted in discord and in Authors notes)


    Its protruding abdomen was just a gaping maw big enough to swallow entire cars in one go whereas the head looked like a bare human skull that was missing the lower jaw and served no real purpose.


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/09/d7/e9/09d7e94c235730197274d3e44dd7b050.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/YpCS7

 Chapter 1248 Turtle

    Just like the swine demons and the capra demonlings, Hao Xuan realized that even the 13th demon was a variation of one of the animals when it turned to the side and the giant shell that was on its back came into view.


    ''It''s a turtle demon??''


    He thought inwardly moments before the automated warnings came flooding in.


    [Warning!]


    [Extranar Energy Buildup Detected]


    [Energy Levels Reaching Critical Levels]


    [Iing Energy Wave]


    [Brace for impact!]


    Hao Xuan''s pupils shrank to the size of pinholes as he swiftly jumped twice andnded behind the biggest tree nearby.


    The mouth on the turtle demon''s abdomen opened and it let out an obscenely loud roar closely followed by an explosion of demonic energy. The shockwave hit first, making even the ground quiver and split in many ces.


    Then came the hellish energy that set half the surrounding forest alight.


    Hao Xuan''s shoulders sizzled and the firstyer of skin was immediately evaporated. He couldn''t use too much internal energy so the pain had to be tolerated for the time being as he cursed inwardly.


    ''Dear god, that wasn''t even an attack and it easily prated my skin. There is no way I can fight that thing and live.''


    The insurmountable disparity within their respective levels left very little to the imagination. This altercation would only end in one way and Hao Xuan wasn''t willing to risk it.


    He took in a deep breath and tried retracing his steps but because most of the foliage was burned off it was highly likely that he would be caught.


    ''Damn it, no choice but to wait it out then.''


    Still, that didn''t mean he couldn''t spy on the demons in the meantime so after a few seconds he slowly peeked around to see what was going on.


    The Capra demonlings were kneeling in front of the turtle demon while the swine demons were cowering where they stood, too afraid to evene close to it.


    The capra demonlings looked like they were speaking but Hao Xuan couldn''t hear any sound. They gestured towards the various piles of limbs, seemingly exining what was where.


    A huge serrated tongue came out of the turtle demon''s abdomen and swung around in the air before pointing towards the mound made from internal organs. The rest of its body awkwardly shuffled along and started slurping on the intestines like noodles and chugging in the rest without a care in the world.


    Hao Xuan felt sick to the stomach seeing the horrific scene but he couldn''t look away.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The turtle demon scarfed down the entire pile before trudging back the way it hade.


    ted, Hao Xuan thought it would return to wherever it hade from but to his dismay, it sat down on the other end at a spot that overlooked the entire crater.


    A series of growls came from its abdomen and only then did the demonlings and the swine demons move.


    Each one of them chose a random pile and started chomping on the body parts. But seeing them carelessly spread out in all directions made Hao Xuan want to do it even more.


    ''This would be the perfect time to attack. The capra demonlings are distracted and the swine demons couldn''t care less about what''s going on around them. If only the turtle demon wasn''t there I could move in.''


    The weakest of the swine demons was less than 30 meters away. If he was quick enough it wouldn''t even take twenty seconds from start to finish.


    ''But that fatass isn''t going anywhere...''


    The turtle demon had already sat downzily and it didn''t seem like it would be going anywhere anytime soon.


    *beep*


    Just when Hao Xuan was thinking of what to do Baracus came up with an idea.


    ''Why not lure the demon away?''


    ''Did you really think I didn''t think of that? But how will I lure it away?'' Hao Xuan quipped.


    ''Call for the mount.''


    ''Mount? Grey?''


    ''Yes, call it over. The demon will surely give chase. Given its size and weight, it is unlikely that the demon will be able to catch it. And while it is away you canunch an attack on the smaller demon and retreat in time.''


    Hao Xuan only had to consider the option for a few seconds before shooting it down.


    ''No, it''s too risky. It might seem fat andzy but it''s still a powerful demon. Who knows what kinds of abilities it has? I''m not risking Grey''s life like that without any-''


    But even before he finished the thought another idea popped up.


    ''Wait a second, since it''s such a powerful demon it will also have astute sensory abilities. Rather than Greying here I can order him to create a disturbance somewhere in the distance. The turtle demon will sense it and check it out.''


    Without waiting for a response from Baracus Hao Xuan quickly closed his eyes and ryed the order to Grey.

 Chapter 1249 Perhaps A Bit Too Much

    Using his newly acquired ability, Hao Xuan could see precisely where Grey was and what he was doing, which gave him some much-needed assurance and a level of control that he had never had before when it came to the severs and soul-bonded beasts.


    Having received the orders Grey began moving around the ck mountain and into the forest while Hao Xuan kept a watchful eye, telling him exactly where to go.


    But Hao Xuan could not use the ability for very long because Grey had two heads and he was seeing out of both of them simultaneously. It was like watching two different videos at the same time and since they were both in first-person perspective, it made for a very disorienting experience.


    It took Grey about 3-4 minutes to get to the area Hao Xuan had pointed out. It was approximately 1.5 kilometers from the Turtle Demon''s exact position but unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing there.


    ''Start moving to the side and look for any smaller beasts that you can pick a fight with. Make it look natural,'' Hao Xuan ordered again before taking a look towards the crater.


    The smaller demons were still doing their own thing while the turtle demon looked like it was surveying the surroundings. But a minute or so passed and it suddenly moved.


    Its entire heavyset frame turned towards the southwest side like it was looking at something.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and using the ability he could see Grey fighting with a small rodent creature. It wasn''t very strong but-


    ''Better than nothing I guess...'' he mused and looked back towards the turtle demon to see if it had picked up on themotion but his eyes widened upon finding the space empty.


    ''It''s gone!''


    Unlike its arrival, it had moved so quickly and quietly that Hao Xuan didn''t even notice it leaving.


    ''Run away now! Run in the opposite direction!'' he shouted the orders before jumping into the crater.


    "Now or never!"


    He channeled some chaos Qi into his middle and forefinger while running over the sea of corpses. All his senses were immediately supercharged to the max.


    The smell inside the crater was even worse than what he picked up from afar andbined with the strange ck smoke it drilled into one''s senses no matter how hard they tried to suppress it. This was doubly true for Hao Xuan who had a much sharper sense of smell because of the Lycan bloodline.


    But in the moment he didn''t let it hinder him in the slightest.


    With the memories from many of the other lifetimes still lingering inside, he had enough battle experience to handle most situations. He held his breathpletely and increased the speed even more.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''It doesn''t look much different from a normal pig other than its size and iron skin so hopefully, the brain is in the same spot too.''


    With the cover from the ck smoke and some exceptionally fast reflexes, Hao Xuan was able to get within six meters of the swine demon before itzily raised its head in his direction.


    With Hao Xuan''s acute senses, he could even see the confusion in its eyes before reality hit it like a truck.


    [Blink!]


    He appeared in the air an arm''s length away. The swine demon raised its head just in time to see his two fingers digging into its flesh.


    Hao Xuan''s arm shook as he discharged all the pent-up Chaos Qi that had been loaded into his arm. The idea behind it was simple, use the fingers to dig into its body and shoot out all the energy at once.


    It was a simple move but one that was next to impossible to defend against if the opponent was careless for even a moment. It was not much different from how a gun worked, only much more devastating.


    Hao Xuan didn''t know how tough a beast twisted by demonic energy would be so he didn''t hold back much and released almost 10% of his internal energy reserves in one go.


    A momentter the swine demon''s body expanded by two-thirds and then popped like a balloon.


    It didn''t explode, simplying apart at the seams like an overinted pastry while its entire skeleton neatly fell to the ground. Everything else within 5 meters including Hao Xuan was painted in a coat of putrid blood.


    He pulled out his hand from its skull and wiped it on his shirt, somehow dirtying it even more.


    "Well, that was anticlimactic," Hao Xuan mumbled before quickly bending down with a grin to search for the red ruby in the remains.


    But there wasn''t a lot of the swine left to go through and after just a few seconds he realized that there wasn''t anything hidden inside.


    "It''s not here..."


    "Perhaps you used too much force and identally destroyed it," Baracus reasoned.


    But Hao Xuan shook his head immediately, "No, the barrier should have protected it...and even if it was destroyed there would have been a secondary explosion."

 Chapter 1250 Genius At Work

    "Wait oh my god, how could I be so stupid!" Hao Xuan punched the air upon realizing what he thought had happened.


    "I didn''t use the physique to ''Devour'' it, that''s why. It died so quickly that I didn''t even have the chance, fuck me. I have to go for another one," he quickly moved to the side of the pile of left arms and found the second target.


    This swine demon was bigger than thest and obviously stronger but it was the closest one so-


    "It will do. But I can''t use the same method as thest time, there won''t be anything left to devour. Are there still any weapons that I can use?"


    He was talking about the bunch of throw-away weapons that were saved within his storage space but after checking Baracus gave the bad news.


    "Negative. But there are some spare raw materials that can be used to craft a simple weapon."


    "Really? How long will that take?"


    "Depends on the weapon."


    "Keep it as simple as possible. Whatever you can make the fastest but make it blunt."


    [ETA: 20 Standard Seconds]


    "Good."


    Hao Xuan slumped back down and used the time to check in on Grey but all he could see was Grey running through the forest at full speed. He couldn''t make out much of anything nor feel what Grey was going through.


    "I guess the turtle demon is still chasing him if he is running THAT fast. Keep it up for a little bit longer buddy!"


    [Tool Construction Complete]


    And the notification popped up right on time. Hao Xuan extended his hand expecting a crudely built club or something simr but what materialized in his hand got a well-deserved double-take.


    "Phew, did you JUST make this? It looks so...cool."


    There was no other way to put it. It was a one-handed hammer with a length just short of a meter.


    The grip was made from some kind of rubber material which allowed for much greater hold. The handle was a mix of the same kind of rubber and an alloy leading all the way to the head. It was a sleek and rather simple design but one that made it appear very futuristic in his eyes. (Reference Image posted in Author''s notes and discord)


    Hao Xuan swung it around a couple of times and almost hit himself in the face.


    "Woah, and it''s light too. It feels even lighter when I move it around. But are you sure it can handle it? It may be weak but it''s still a demon."


    "Affirmative. This alloy was created from the remnants of a starship''s hull that the Orcs pulled from deep space. It can withstand upwards of 110 psi without spiritual energypromising the structural integrity."


    "Aha, I knew there would be something. So basically I can''t use any form of spiritual energy with it then."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Affirmative."


    "Well, here''s to hoping I won''t have to."


    Hao Xuan tightened his grip around the hammer and took in a deep breath followed by three shallow ones to allow both his hearts to pump as much oxygen as possible to the rest of the body. He flexed every muscle group one by one and stretched as much as he possibly could before making his way to the swine demon.


    Its face was buried deep into the mound of flesh and bone which was great for Hao Xuan. But when he got within ten meters of it another loud grunt came from the distance.


    Hao Xuan stopped mid-stride, craning his neck to the side to see the hind limbs of another swine demon on the other side of the meat pile.


    ''There were two! Damnit, why didn''t they show up on the map?!''


    ''The energy readings within the crater are suboptimal due to strong interference. The probability of error has risen by a factor of-''


    ''Shut it! Next time warn me before I go waltzing in, yea? What kind of genius AI are you?!''


    Hao Xuan cursed him out a couple of times and moved to the side from where he could see the smaller Swine demon more clearly. But this put him right behind the big one which was less than ideal for what he had nned.


    ''Guess I''ll get them both then.''


    He closed the distance down to five meters from their backsides before rushing in at once. The n was simple,nd a fatal blow to the smaller one before it knows he is there and then a few more to the bigger one while it''s confused.


    But things seldom go as nned. Hao Xuan didn''t notice the density of the ck smoke had increased by threefold and much of it was sticking to his clothes.


    [Blink!]


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/6e/fb/0d/6efb0dc3a39864a3e6d84b078c4a275e.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/C7ugh

 Chapter 1251 Makes Up

    Hao Xuan vanished from the spot and reappeared a little over three meters away...sandwiched right between the two swine demons. The smaller one heard the noise first and turned to look him right in the eyes.


    His pupils contracted from the shock, ''Motherfu-!''


    "Snort?"


    The smaller swine demon grunted in confusion after seeing a live human walking about but a secondter it realized there was an intruder. It raised its head to the sky preparing to warn the others, leaving Hao Xuan with no choice but to strike.


    He leaped forward while swinging the hammer overhead with all his might.


    The hammernded just before the swine demon could make a sound but sadly, the noise from the attack itself was much louder than he had anticipated.


    *THUUD*


    Its entire skull was crushed on impact while the hammer continued its descent unabated andnded soundly on the ground below creating a minor tremor that could be felt for tens of meters.


    Hao Xuan felt the ground shake beneath his feet and his heart skipped a beat as a result.


    He spun around on the spot intending tond the second hit on the bigger swine demon before it could react but halfway through he found himself flying through the air.


    The bigger swine demon was not only leagues stronger but also faster. It shifted its entire body to the side and smashed into Hao Xuan before he could do anything.


    He was thrown into the air and instead of waiting for him tond the swine demon attacked again intending on impaling him with its half-meter-long tusks.


    But despite finding himself in quite a precarious situation Hao Xuan was calm as he could be. He saw the two sharp tusksing his way in slow motion and quickly reached out to grab one of them before they could pierce his body.


    He pulled himself up and around,nding squarely on the swine demon''s back.


    But with only one functioning hand Hao Xuan had no choice but to let go of the hammer so now, he was unarmed while riding a demonic beast as it thrashed about trying its best to turn him into meat paste.


    He straddled the swine demon''s bloated form as best as he could whilending punch after punch to the back of its head.


    *BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*


    *SHULP*


    It took four full-powered punches to the base of its skull before it finally cracked open and did some real damage.


    It was stunned and immobilized but still standing. There was an intense heat beginning to climb up his arm so Hao Xuan pulled his hand out of its skull and jumped towards the hammer. It seemed like the demonic energy was congregating around the wound trying to close it up.


    He picked it up in one go and without giving it a chance to recover, unleashed a barrage of heavy strikes.


    It looked like someone had thrown it into the meat grinder as pieces of bone and flesh were sent flying in all directions. Only when its headless corpse fell to the ground did Hao Xuan stop.<novelnext></novelnext>


    His chest heaved up and down as he let out gasped for breath, staring at the two shiny pieces on the ground.


    It was the tusks. There was not a scratch on them even though he hammered the hell out of them. In fact, they were the only ones still left in one piece.


    He bent down to pick them up one by one, immediately sensing the energy pulsing through them.


    "There is strong demonic energy in them, much more so than all the rest of its body."


    It was almost hypnotic. Hao Xuan could hear the sound they would make while piercing through flesh and bone, feel it like it was his own body going through the motions. And if Baracus hadn''t interrupted him who knows how long he might have been stuck in that dazed state.


    *Beep*


    "Reminder: Time is running out."


    "Huh? Oh yeah," he waved his hand to store the tusks away before doing the same to the hammer that was as good as new apart from all the blood.


    "I''m surprised, it didn''t even crack."


    "The material''s tensile strength has been significantly boosted."


    "Mhm, that totally makes up for not telling me your sensors are fucked up. Now keep it down."


    "Then I should wa-" Baracus tried following up with something but was quickly shut down.


    "Zip it, not now!"


    He went over to the smaller swine beast first with an extended hand, [Devour]


    Its body shrunk and was pulled towards Hao Xuan in the form of a fine mist.


    [Cellr Regeneration Detected]


    [Internal Energy Reserves Increased to 71%]


    A couple of new notifications popped up but what he was actually looking for wasn''t there.


    "No ruby," he murmured before walking over to the bigger swine demon''s corpse and absorbing it too.


    The process was the same but the amount of mist was much greater, increasing his internal energy to 84%.

 Chapter 1252 Rufaga!

    Hao Xuan could feel his many wounds healing and the spiritual energy recovering but, even with both swine demonsbined the demonic energy was not anywhere close to what he got from the soul-shifting demon.


    And a momentter when the swine demon was absorbed down to thest molecule it became apparent why.


    "No ruby again," he mumbled staring at the empty ground.


    "I think I understand why though. Both of these felt different. It felt like I was sipping on warm water this time rather than the spicy beverage that was the soul-shifting demon. These ones were inherently foreign, almost like apletely different species."


    "It has to be either a specific type of demon that drops the rubies or a demon of a certain level...maybe above a certain age? These ones were not only weak but the degree of demonic energies within their bodies was also exponentially lower."


    "If the red ruby was really the demonic core then it stands to reason that there would be simr requirements to the beast cores."


    Even though Hao Xuan did not get a ruby from this experiment it still proved to be useful since it cleared up or confirmed many of his hypotheses.


    *beep*


    *beep*


    *beep*


    Hao Xuan''s eye twitched from the constant beeping going off in the back of his mind and finally he couldn''t take it anymore.


    "What?! What the fuck is so important?! Just say it!"


    Following another beep the minimap expanded to cover almost half his vision.


    *Beeeeep*


    "Huh??"


    His attention was immediately seized by the rather bright dot standing practically next to where he was supposed to be.


    The world fell silent as his senses kicked into high gear. He looked over his shoulder to the right where the dot was supposed to be but his line of sight was obstructed.


    ''Is it behind the flesh mound?'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly because that was all he could see.


    ''Maybe it hasn''t noticed me and I can leave quietly,'' was his first thought but the moment he turned around the sound of bells rang loudly in the surroundings freezing him on the spot.


    He grunted inwardly trying to move his body but the only thing he could still control was his head and even that movement was greatly reduced.


    ''Hng! What''s going on?!''<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hao Xuan tried to channel the Chaos Qi throughout his body but it was as if it wasn''t there at all. But what was even more shocking was that neither could the Chaos Law be invoked.


    He tried to close his eyes to enter the Mind Pce as ast resort but that did not happen either.


    "What...the fuck...is going on?!" he mutteredboriously since even something as simple as breathing was bing a chore.


    He hadpletely lost control of his body.


    Summoning every iota of strength at his disposal he tried to make one final push but it was akin to picking up water with a sieve. It was just passing through him without pause.


    Lowering his head as much as he could, Hao Xuan tried to get a better look at his body and finally noticed the exorbitant amounts of ck particles sticking to his clothes and skin.


    They were almost weightless and if he wasn''t directly looking at them there was a good chance he would miss them entirely.


    *tink*tink*tink*


    The sound of bells came again, this time from somewhere much closer. He looked over towards the source with some effort and saw the Capra Demoning around the corner.


    The hollow bone spear it was holding had three small skulls hanging just below its de, tied together by a thin leather belt. Judging by the size and appearance the skulls belonged to human infants of different ages, but none older than 6 months.


    There was a dim red light shining within each of those skulls and every time they moved the sound of bells came from within.


    The Capra demon''s ck rectangr goat eyes were staring at Hao Xuan with unconcealed rage as it pointed at him with one hand while screaming.


    "Hudkde geura bishy rey!"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t understand whatnguage it was speaking but at this moment he didn''t need to. It was pretty obvious what it wanted.


    It walked over to him and stopped at the side where therger swine beast was killed.


    "Rufaga huesjs juaerya liauem!"


    It howled while pping its head and repeatedly mming the spear on the ground in dismay.


    If one didn''t know any better one would think it was actually mourning the death of the swine beast. Although the real reason became quite obvious a secondter when it stood on its hoofs and poked Hao Xuan in the chest while shouting "Tusk!" in the nativenguage.


    But despite the sudden developments Hao Xuan''s eyes were locked on the three skulls tied to the bone spear. Being this close he could feel the rotten demonic energy drifting over to him.

 Chapter 1253 Liga

    Tendrils of red and ck demonic energy swayed over to him but were pulled back into the skulls before they could get too close.


    Hao Xuan''s thoughts were running wild as he conversed with Baracus trying to find out what was happening.


    ''Baracus what the hell is going on? Why can''t I invoke my Law? Or even move a finger?!''


    ''No foreign elements detected within the bloodstream. No foreign energy was found within the host''s body. Most probable cause: ck Magic!''


    ''ck magic?? This motherfucker cast a spell on me that quickly!? I have never heard of a spell that can stop a Law from being invoked. It''s doing three different things by also disabling my physical form and freezing my internal energy! How the hell is this even possible??''


    ''Unable to answer. There is not enough information about demonic lifeforms within the database.''


    Meanwhile the Capra demon was at the end of its tether waiting for Hao Xuan to respond to its one-word queries.


    "TUSK!"


    "GIVE!"


    "KILL!"


    It screamed over and over again until it couldn''t take anymore and by using the blunt end of the bone spear it began to hit Hao Xuan in the stomach.


    "TUSK! GIVE!"


    And despite all the pain Hao Xuan wasn''t even able to scream outwardly.


    ''Motherfucker! What do I do now?! At this rate I''m going to die to this little cocksucker! And it''s not even that strong, just this one stupid ability will be the end of me!''


    And while he was busy getting his face kicked in Baracus was running simtions on different ways to get out of this sticky situation. Thankfully it only took a few seconds toe up with one that wasn''t all that terrible.


    ''Possible Solution: Use the power of the Lycan bloodline to counter its ability.''


    ''Do you think I haven''t tried that already?? I can''t even feel my face let alone control any part of myself. It feels like my brain has been quarantined from the rest of my body.''


    ''With permission from the host the system can try and manually activate the bloodline.''


    ''Manually? What does that mean? ARGH!''


    The Capra demon started putting in more and more effort trying to beat the answers out of him, not even realizing that he couldn''t answer back because of its powers.


    *beep*


    ''It can be done by using the nanites to induce required conditions within each blood cell separately. The process will take significantly longer and will not be as efficient but host should regain some level of control. Continue?''


    ''Yes for fuck sake, do it, I give permission! Start from the face so I can talk to this stupid piece of demonic shit!''


    On Baracus''smand the nanites from all over Hao Xuan''s body began to congregate towards his face where they started zapping each and every blood cell individually to mimic a neuron response.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As expected it started to work but the process was even slower than what Baracus had expected. It took over thirty seconds just to free Hao Xuan''s mouth.


    ''You should be able to speak now.''


    Hao Xuan tried and by some miracle it did in fact work, albeit barely. He could not open his mouth or even yell, only left with the option to basically talk ''loudly'' through gritted teeth.


    "Stop...stop hitting me. I will...give you the tusks back..." he muttered in the most monotonous tone of voice imaginable.


    "Listen to me...you stupid demon..."


    The Capra demon finally heard him through the sound of beatings.


    "TUSK! GIVE!"


    "I will give just...free my hand...I can''t do it without it..."


    Its face visibly contorted in confusion as it looked at his hands.


    "HAND?"


    "Yes...free hand, then I give," he gestured with his eyes which somehow made it even angrier.


    "GIVE TUSK!"


    "KILL!"


    Hao Xuan was on the verge of tears but he couldn''t cry even if he wanted to. All he could do was speak in a moderately loud but emotionless voice like a robot.


    "Stop...listen to me...I need my hand, you understand? I can''t take it out...without my hand...it''s in my storage space..."


    It paused for a moment upon hearing the mention of a storage space. It checked his hands, neck, and ears for any jewelry but found none.


    "I don''t have...a storage ring...it is inside me...you understand? Inside of me..."


    The Capra demon pointed the spear at his chest readying to strike.


    "NO! Listen...to me...you can''t take it out...by force...kill me and they...are gone..."


    He said a few other words that the Capra demon probably didn''t understand but finally it caved in.


    It used the bone de to expertly cut off most of the ligaments in his wrist so even if he wanted to attack it wouldn''t be possible.


    And if Hao Xuan did not have Baracus at his side the demon''s n would have worked.


    ''Using nanites to temporarily rejoin severed ligaments. Movement restricted to 60%."

 Chapter 1254 Savagery

    Hao Xuan tried moving his arm but as Baracus had warned the movement was severely restricted. He could only move it from the below the elbow and because of the severed ligaments even that wasn''t much.


    ''This is fine, it''s good enough. I have an idea!''


    He slowly shook his hand and Baracus automatically ejected one of the tusks from the storage space. In reality, Hao Xuan himself didn''t have to make a move himself and the only reason he asked to free his hand was because he knew it was the only chance he would have to get out of this situation.


    The first tusk appeared in his hand making Hao Xuan smile sheepishly, "See? There it is. Here take it!"


    He pretended to hand it over to the Capra Demon before ''identally'' dropping it at his feet.


    "Oh I''m sorry you can pick it-"


    *BAM*


    The Capra Demon swung the spear over its head and mmed it into Hao Xuan''s chest in fury knocking the breath out of him. And if his physical strength wasn''t at such a high level his ribcage would have caved in at once.


    Even though his body was almost locked in ce he still staggered back a step, barely managing to stay upright.


    ''You miserable little pissant!'' he cursed inwardly while his blood boiled from anger.


    Seeing Hao Xuan''s face turn blue and purple the Capra demon nodded in satisfaction before bending down to pick up the tusk. And just as it was getting back up Hao Xuan quickly summoned the other one.


    By circting every iota of energy and strength toward his hand he threw the second tusk towards the Capra Demon. Even with the limited movement it shot forward like a bullet and easily pierced its abdomen.


    When the demonic energy stored within the tusk exploded it was more than enough to send the Capra demon flying back while causing significant damage to its upper body.


    It was like an elemental grenade had gone off inside its body. Its energies were immediately scattered and the ability it was using to hold Hao Xuan down was almost broken in one sweep.


    Hao Xuan pulled his arm free at once and tried to lunge at the Capra demon but his legs were still glued to the ground. The Capra demon, even in its dire state, tried to pull its body back up and upon seeing Hao Xuan almost free, it attempted to reach for the bone spear which had been thrown to the side.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted to the size of pinholes when he saw that.


    "I can''t let it get its hands on the spear! ARGH!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    He struggled, pushing and pulling himself in every direction but it felt like countless invisible hands were trying to hold him in ce.


    "LET.ME.GO!"


    In the heat of the moment Hao Xuan activated the full effects of the Lycan bloodline that he had been keeping in check all this time.


    His body expanded by almost 20% in an instant but the most significant and obvious change could be seen in his face which was contorted into something inhuman. Another row of two-inch-long needle-like teeth protruded from his mouth and his iris expanded to cover almost the entire eye sockets.


    Just as the Capra Demon got a hold of the bone spear Hao Xuan''s beastly formnded on top of it.


    "AUUUGH!"


    If someone was watching this scene unfold from afar they would think Hao Xuan was the demon between the two of them going simply by his ruthless ferocity.


    His ws ripped the Capra Demon open like a pig and pulled out all of its organs in one go. But even that wasn''t enough to kill it and as long as it was still moving Hao Xuan could not stop.


    He was pushed further into the frenzy by the sight of all the blood and guts flying about and when the Capra Demon finally started screaming and howling from all the pain, Hao Xuan responded in kind. He bit down on its neck and pulled it apart like cotton candy before ripping the entire lower jaw off its head.


    Three seconds. That''s how long the Capra demonsted under Hao Xuan''s savage onught. It tried to struggle as it may but there was only one end.


    Hao Xuan''s chest heaved up and down like an animal while his features slowly returned to normal, making him realize what he had done.


    "Bluergh!" he instantly threw up the several chunks of flesh and bone that had inadvertently gotten lodged within his throat.


    That sulfuric taste covered the entirety of his mouth and it didn''t go away even after taking a few deep breaths.


    "Fucking....disgusting! FUCK! I gotta leave quickly!"


    Barely even in his senses, all Hao Xuan could think about was the turtle demon that was already on its way back. The moment the Capra Demon''s ability was broken Hao Xuan could see that Grey was no longer being chased.


    He quickly wobbled back up, pulling the bone spear and thest tusk out of the capra demon''s grasp before extending a hand, [Devour!]

 Chapter 1255 Formulai

    [Devour!]


    The Capra Demon''s mutted body parts began to shake while being pulled up into the air. They ripped and tore into smaller and smaller pieces until they resembled fine red mist which was swiftly absorbed into Hao Xuan''s body.


    The glowing red ruby that he had been looking for finally revealed itself in the nick of time and Hao Xuan could not be happier. He quickly picked it up to toss it into the storage space for the time being but the space around it shifted once before returning to normal.


    "I can''t store it??? Why?"


    *Beep*


    Rather than answer his query Baracus expanded the minimap once again and showed him the position of thergest red dot getting closer by the second.


    "At its current speed the Turtle demon will arrive within the next 15 seconds."


    "Okay okay,ter then."


    He quickly tried to reach out to Grey and see where he was but even at full speed it would take him at least 140 seconds to get back to him, not that he even had the energy to do that right now.


    ''On foot it is.''


    With the red ruby still within his grasp Hao Xuan turned around and started running at full speed. The moment he was out of the mass grave and the influence of the ck smoke he stopped trying to hide his presence and began to [Blink] through the dark forest without any reservations.


    It would be an extremely costly endeavor Qi-wise but was the best option to get away as far away as possible as quickly as possible without leaving a trail.


    With every [Blink] he appeared a little over 300 meters away before disappearing again the moment his body stabilized.


    In 12 seconds he managed to [Blink] seventeen times covering more than 5000 meters (or 5 kilometers) but at the cost of more than 85% of the total internal energy reserves. Using it in such quick session cost a lot more Qi than usual.


    And he found out soon after that this was indeed the right choice because the moment the Turtle Demon appeared at the mass grave and saw what had happened it went crazy.


    With a mournful roar the ck smoke shot up into the sky and began falling down like goey rain. It instantly locked down the surrounding area with a radius of 3000 meters in every single direction.


    When Hao Xuan looked back he could see arge ck dome solidifying over the space, locking everything inside of it.


    And only now did he realize what it actually was.


    "A domain!? That ck smoke was the Turtle demon''s domain! No wonder I couldn''t invoke myw, there was one already there and it was powerful enough to squash minepletely."


    Now that he was out of immediate danger all the notifications that had been piled up came flooding back in. They started from when he absorbed the Capra Demon-


    [Internal Energy Reserves Reached Maximum Capacity]


    [Limb Renegenration Underway]


    [Intenral Injuries Reduced to 5%]


    [Influx of Internal Energy Detected]


    -And continued until a moment ago.


    [Warning!]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Internal Energy Reserves at 80% and Falling]


    [Repeated Spatial Distortion Detected]


    [Molecr Integrity Disrupted]


    [Energy Reserves at 60%...]


    [50%]


    [40%]


    [30%]


    [20%]


    [Remaining Internal Energy: 14%]


    Hao Xuan felt like he had been chewed up and thrown out ten times over. There weren''t any obvious dangers to his body but by using [Blink] in such a high frequency he had reached the absolute limit of what his body could handle.


    [Blink] transported him through space by discing matter around him. Using it a handful of times one after another would pose no real danger but he used it almost 17 times without resting for even a moment and the toll it had taken on his body was nothing to scoff at.


    If his physical abilities hadn''t reached such a level then he would be nothing but a bubbling pool of sma by now.


    Hao Xuan leaned against a tree to rest while waiting for Grey to reach his location.


    His arms and legs were covered in deep blue and ck bruise marks but they were healing rtively quickly albeit at the cost of even more internal energy.


    His stomach grumbled loudly and deep a hunger took root within his heart.


    "Argh! I feel like my body is about to copse in on itself. Is there anything still left to eat?"


    *Beep*


    "Negative. If the host desires system can create a nutritional pill. It would not be very fulfilling but should be enough for the time being."


    "Yeah do that."


    A couple of secondster a metal tube appeared in Hao Xuan''s hand but when he looked into it only a grey slime could be seen.


    "What is this? Wasn''t this supposed to be a pill?"


    "It will take approximately 540 seconds for the form to stabilize and dry enough to turn solid."


    "Too long. Can I eat it like this?"


    "....Yes."


    Hao Xuan chugged it down without any hesitation.

 Chapter 1256 Thats What

    It almost felt like it was alive. Hao Xuan could feel it carefully sinking down his gullet and upon reaching his stomach the hunger pangs came to an abrupt stop.


    His stomach could be seen visibly expanding by almost three times which left Hao Xuan briefly concerned.


    "Are you sure this is safe? I feel like I''m gonna blow any second."


    *beep*


    "This is normal."


    "...What, no other exnation?"


    "None that Host would understand with his limited knowledge."


    "Thank you for calling me stupid, mom."


    With a roll of his eyes Hao Xuan closed off the connection with Baracus for the moment to focus on something much more important, the red ruby.


    He had been holding it in his hand all this time but the intense heat that came with the first one wasn''t there at all. Its size was a little smaller and the shape just as random but when Hao Xuan held it up to his eye the most significant difference appeared to be the little worm swimming inside of it.


    It was dark grey rather than white like thest one.


    "So...if I use my spiritual sense to break through the outer shell and absorb it then the Capra Demon''s ability will be mine?"


    As he was eyeing the worm Hao Xuan couldn''t help but get a little greedy. Suddenly finding out that he could collect demonic abilities like they were stamps made it that much harder to waste even one but-


    *sigh*


    "For science...I guess. I have to know what breaking it forcefully does."


    Hao Xuan was a little worried that it may backfire in some strange way or worse, explode in his face but it needed to be done regardless. His instincts were telling him to try it at least once and this was not a feeling he could put off that easily so his only option was to be extra cautious.


    He got up with some effort and began looking around for a particrly dense thicket. Upon finding something that suited his needs Hao Xuan took out the hammer and dug a half-meter-deep hole.


    He picked up the ruby again and shoved his hand into the hole. This way the damage would at least be somewhat restricted.


    After taking a couple of deep breaths Hao Xuan closed his eyes and began to slowly tighten his grip around the ruby. He pushed back against the barrier surrounding the ruby and after almost ten seconds it cracked along with the ruby''s surface.


    It was so sudden that he didn''t even have time to stop exerting pressure before it burst open into countless tiny shards. Akin to a ss sculpture being thrown off a roof the ruby turned into red dust almost immediately and the grey worm restingfortably inside it was squashed into nothingness.


    The explosion Hao Xuan was expecting and had prepared for did note but the moment the grey worm was killed an energy beam shot up his arm and straight into the Mind Pce.


    Hao Xuan''s consciousness was pulled in automatically and he appeared standing in front of the podium just in time to physically witness the energy beam shooting into the oval emerald that was in the middle of the lectern.


    And as it did so Hao Xuan could feel the energy washing over him in a wave from top to bottom. The dull and unclear green emerald shinned with a new luster and when the light faded a momentter not only was it a little bit brighter but also clearer than before.


    Hao Xuan bent down to inspect it more carefully and he could feel the changes taking ce inside of it as his finger brushed over it.


    "It got stronger! I can feel it!"


    He quickly got back up on his feet and opened his eyes back in the physical world to test it out. He channeled the ability like before with Grey in mind and the moment he closed his eyes Hao Xuan could see him.


    Before he could only see through Grey''s eyes but now Hao Xuan was looking down at him from an over-the-shoulder point of view (POV). He could see everything around him at a 270-degree angle and it was much clearer and a lot more precise.


    And when he thought about it the POV changed and he could again see in first-person directly through Grey''s eyes.


    Not only that but he was also able to feel what Grey was feeling even without using the power of the soul-bond between them.


    "It feels like I can see into his heart," Hao Xuan mumbled out loud.


    *beep*


    "Change in spiritual energy detected."


    Baracus spoke up inquiring as to the source and reason for this new development. Hao Xuan let out a deep breath, the corner of his lips slowly curving upwards.


    "I can use demonic cores to strengthen my other abilities, that''s what changed."

 Chapter 1257 Arbiter

    "Hahahaha!"


    Hao Xuan threw his head back in a fit ofughter. The sudden realization that he had this ability all along but couldn''t use it because there were no demons to absorb took him by surprise.


    There was now another ray of hope in these dark times.


    He would have to wait around five minutes for Grey to reach him safely. Because of the Turtle demon rampaging in the middle Grey had to take a slight detour with Hao Xuan''s guidance.


    Now he could also "spectate" Grey for much longer before the fatigue started to set in.


    Even while sitting there in some random spot surrounded by trees and bushes from all sides Hao Xuan still felt like he was somewhere else entirely.


    "What should I name this ability? Any suggestions?"


    *beep*


    "Considering the scope, range, and spectrum of the ability is bound to evolve as it is further reinforced, an appropriate name should be adequately eclectic."


    "Eclectic...? What does that mean?"


    "Broad. All-epassing. Multifaceted-"


    "Alright alright, I get it you can stop. I see where you''reing from but I''m gonna go with what something that feels good when I say it. So from now on...it will be called ''Arbiter'' instead."


    "As in Magistrate or Judge?"


    "Yea, exactly like that. It sounds better than something like ''spectator'' or something stupid like that. Plus I feel like this ability has a lot of potential for growth."


    "If host thinks that is a viable reason."


    "That reminds me, when did you start calling me the host? Or more importantly, why?"


    "Host is a more suitable designation."


    "A little cold though, don''t you think? Makes me sound like some kind of ab experiment."


    "Would host prefer another identification marker?"


    "No no, I don''t care that much. Was just trying to make small talk until-Oh, there he is."


    Hao Xuan stood up just as Grey came into view. He walked up to him and brushed his hand through Grey''s mane, sensing the extreme state of weariness he was in from running all over the ce at top speed.


    "You did good, very good. I will try to find you something delicious to eat."


    "Neigh!" x2


    Grey''s heads bobbed up and down merrily as he pulled Hao Xuan close affectionately.


    "Good boy, let''s go back to the mountain."


    He jumped on and Grey was quickly on his way once more. They reached the mountain in a little over three minutes and this time Grey sat down by the entrance to rest for a while.


    Hao Xuan walked in absentmindedly, lost in thought trying to think of some safer ways of getting some more demonic cores when he reached the side room.


    "I''m back," he announced nonchntly but the moment he saw what was happening inside he froze on the spot.


    The guard was down on all fours scribbling something on the floor. There was a trail of blood going from him to Wern...or rather what was left of Wern.


    "What the fuck have you done?!"


    Hao Xuan jumped over the guard to reach the stone bed. Wern''s abdomen was cut open and his intestines were pulled out. He checked for a pulse but there was far too much blood for even a healthy person to survive let alone someone that was as badly injured as him.


    A squelching sound brought Hao Xuan back to reality. He turned around to face the source with a grim expression but most of his anger was quickly reced by confusion when he saw the guard''s state.


    His entire body was covered in some kind of fungal thread with bulbous masses growing all over his face. He was using his fingers to etch something into the floor but the tips of his fingers had been ground down instead.


    Hao Xuan''s first instinct was to kill him on the spot but he kept his blood thirst in check and bent down to look at his face.


    Only the guard''s eyes were still unaffected because he was crying non-stop while whispering something in a barely audible tone. Hao Xuan had to focus his sense of hearing to listen to it without getting too close.


    "Kill...me...please...kill...me.." he was repeating over and over again, one forced word at a time.


    "What happened to you? Who did this to you and Wern?"


    "Hand...spirit...mark...can''t...stop...please..."


    Hao Xuan looked at the guard''s right hand which actually appeared to be the source of all the corruption.


    "The spirit? The one that tried to pull you into the underworld? It did this?"


    But the guard only had one thought on its mind.


    "Please....I...can''t...anymore...kill...me..."


    Hao Xuan could tell how much pain he was in at first nce.


    "I''m sorry, I should have been more careful."


    He took out the hammer and with one quick swing the guard''s head was smashed to bits.

 Chapter 1258 Better This Way

    It was deathly silent for several minutes as Hao Xuan stood over the guard''s corpse thinking of what could have been done differently but, he couldn''te up with a satisfactory answer.


    "I should have been more careful...I''m sorry. Maybe if I was here I could have done something to stop it."


    At least one innocent death rested on his conscious. If he wasn''t out trying to get more demon cores he could have protected Wern if nothing else.


    Hao Xuan dragged the guard''s corpse to the side of the room and as he was going over to the bed something caught his eye. There was an indentation in the floor in the shape of a broken circle with some symbols on the side.


    Hao Xuan knelt down to inspect it in more detail, using the sleeve of his shirt to move the blood, bone, and brain matter out of the way.


    "This is a summoning circle..." and as he brushed his fingers along the recesses bits of nail and skin came up every few centimeters.


    "The spirit had total control of his body. I can only imagine how painful it would have been for him to do this to himself."


    Hao Xuan examined the summoning circle assiduously but could not understand what most of the characters meant. The only one he did recognize stood for "sacrifice" and it was also widely used in demon summoning.


    *Sigh*


    With a heavy heart and a deep sigh, Hao Xuan dragged both of them to the side of the room where he wrapped them up one by one in some sheets that he hadying around in the storage space.


    As Hao Xuan was wrapping Wern''s body he couldn''t help but double-check for any signs of life. He was still warm to the touch and if one didn''t look at the gaping hole in his abdomen you''d be hard-pressed to find anything else wrong with him.


    "He looks like he is sleeping..." Hao Xuan muttered to himself before covering his face and walking out of the cave.


    *beep*


    Baracus''s activation beep sounded, but he didn''t speak up even after a few seconds so Hao Xuan asked instead.


    "What? Just say it."


    "What does the host n to do with the remains?"


    "Bury them. That''s all I can do."


    "Would host be open to a more rational proposal?"


    Hao Xuan paused mid-stride knowing what wasing, "And what is that?"


    "Absorb them for their nutritional value. Or if you would prefer, the system can deconstruct the remains into their baseponents and use them for-"


    "Enough! Just...shut up," Hao Xuan ordered through gritted teeth, "What did I expect from a fuckingputer program. Keep your mouth shut unless it''s an emergency."


    When he reached the exit Grey tried to stand up but Hao Xuan quickly stopped him.


    "It''s fine, I''m not going far."


    He went down the side and started walking until the ck mountain soil could not be seen any longer and then started looking for an appropriate spot to bury them. There was a lone tree at the very edge of the forest which seemed to be good enough.


    Using the sharp end of the hammer Hao Xuan dug for several minutes while mumbling under his breath, "Absorb them...he says...have I fallen that fucking low...that I need...to do THIS?"


    It wasn''t particrly grueling work considering his physique but for some reason Hao Xuan had to stop several times to catch his breath and by the end, he was covered in sweat.


    He only stopped when the hole was deep enough to cover him entirely.


    Hao Xuan carried them one by one in his arms and jumped down to gently ce them at the bottom before filling the hole back up.


    And as he stood at the foot of their grave thinking of something to say two ethereal figures materialized on the other side.


    It was them, Wern and the guard whose name he didn''t even know. They were both beaming ear to ear.


    "Is this...are you real?" Hao Xuan whispered in a daze.


    This wasn''t the first time he had seen souls that had yet to move on but there was something different about them.


    The guard bowed from the waist and waved at him before turning around and disappearing into nothingness. Wern on the other hand stayed for a bit longer and even conversed with him.


    "Thank you foring back, senior brother."


    Hao Xuan shook his head gloomily, too ashamed to even look him in the eye.


    "What good did that even do? I''m sorry I couldn''t save you, if I was there-"


    "It''s okay," but Wern swiftly cut him off, "You cannot change the past and...I think it''s better this way. I was so tired from all the fighting but now I can be with ''her'' in peace. I don''t have to be alone anymore."

 Chapter 1259 A "Bad" Son

    He drifted closer to Hao Xuan stopping just an arm''s length away.


    "Thank you for giving us a resting ce, senior brother. Who knows how long our souls would have wandered this ne if it wasn''t for you. Those demons, they would not have let us go even in death."


    Hao Xuan shook his head in dismay, "Wait a second, are you saying that all the people that didn''t get a proper burial won''t be able to move on?"


    "Mhm, I only realized this after we died. There was no light at the end of the tunnel and no door to pass through. All I could do was haunt this world. Now-" he looked over his shoulder with a smile, "-I can see it. It''s...beautiful, senior brother. I feel at ease just looking at it."


    But when he thought about leaving his expression turned sour.


    "Senior brother, I know I have no right to ask this of you but...can you maybe do me a little favor when you have time?"


    "Of course, anything!" Hao Xuan agreed without hesitation.


    "My mother. Even though she is a royal concubine, apart from me no one else cares for her. When you return to the Beast World, can you please tell her that I ran away to the Greater Worlds with Brina? Tell her I''m alive and well...and safe. Tell her we got married here and I was too much of a coward toe back and fight for the throne so I just ran away...she will understand eventually."


    "I-Are you sure? She will wait for you toe back home one day."


    From Hao Xuan''s perspective, hiding their child''s death was quite a cruel thing to do to a parent but Wern''s exnation didn''t leave much room for argument.


    "Yes. That spark of hope will keep her alive. As long as she thinks I''m out there she won''t give up. Tell her to be happy and finally live her life away from father''s influence. She sacrificed everything for me and I....what a terrible son I was."


    After a brief moment of silence Hao Xuan agreed, "If that''s what you want me to tell her."


    "Thank you, senior brother."


    Wern was turning around to leave when then he remembered something important.


    "Princess Ceni! She is still alive!"


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "Princess Ceni thought you were captured by Dai Zhi and Tian Zheng during the fight in the valley. We tried to stop her but she went in alone and was taken prisoner."


    "We all thought she would have died by now but I fought one of Dai Zhi''s underlings a few hours ago and he told me she was still alive right as I struck the killing blow. You must save her, senior brother! When she heard the news of your capture she didn''t even hesitate before running straight into Dai Zhi''s camp to save you."


    Hao Xuan let out an exasperated sigh, "I thought she would have changed but she is still the same as I remember. Why can''t these girls be normal?"


    "She must really care for you," Wern cheekily replied.


    "Hmm, I''ll go get her after getting back to the ruins. Is there anything else I should know?"


    "Not much," Wern mumbled with a pondering expression before remembering another important little nugget of information, "Oh, about the demons! I almost forgot! They are trying to create more of them in those hell pits. That''s why that soul-shifting demon was chasing us, we identally found one of their hatching grounds!"


    Hao Xuan''s interest was immediately piqued.


    "Hatching grounds? What are they like?"


    "Like giant recesses in the ground with a zing red hole in the middle. They gather mortal corpses there and whenever a new demon crawls out they feed on them to get stronger. I was surveying one of them for thest day and saw it myself."


    Hao Xuan realized what that area was that the Turtle Demon was protecting.


    "I think I have seen what you''re talking about. It was guarded by a very strong demon just behind the city."


    But Wern''s confused expression told another story.


    "At the back of the city? The one I saw was to the west of the city deep into the forest. And there was only one demon there but it wasn''t THAT strong. You could easily kill it with some help because it was alone."


    "To the west?!"


    Wern gave some more information before he could no longer stay within the physical realm.


    "I must leave now. I can feel the pull getting stronger, it''s calling me."


    "Yea go go, even in death you had to help me out. I''m-"


    Wern''s figure trembled and disappeared before Hao Xuan could finish the sentence.


    "-Sorry. I''m sorry that you had to go through all this..."

 Chapter 1260 Assumed

    Hao Xuan stood rooted on the spot for several minutes before finally turning back and only because the cold started getting to him.


    "Did you see that? If I hadn''t buried them we wouldn''t have gotten that information."


    A red light blinked on the top left of his vision making Hao Xuan grumble, "You can speak now, just don''t say anything stupid."


    *beep*


    "Which information is host referring to?"


    "The hatching pits or whatever he called them. What else would I be talking about?"


    "Apologies, I did not want to assume."


    "Assume what? You heard the same thing I did."


    "Negative."


    "Negative what?"


    "System only picked up the host''s side of the conversation."


    Hao Xuan came to an abrupt stop, "What are you talking about? You didn''t see or hear Wern''s soul talking to me?"


    "Negative."


    Hao Xuan looked over his shoulder towards the direction of the grave.


    ''Did that...really happen then?'' he mused inwardly.


    "Maybe because they were souls? Or maybe they chose to reveal themselves only to me?"


    "Unable to answer."


    "I guess it doesn''t matter in the long run. The point is that there is more than one of those hatching pits. We know the one in the north is protected by the turtle demon so I will avoid that, but once Grey is back on his feet we will check out the one in the west. Wern said there was only one demon there and he wasn''t that strong."


    "And maybe, with some luck, I can find a few more hatching pits and absorb a few more demons and get their cores. Since I can''t break through right now so this is the only way to increase my strength. It will be a huge boost if I can do it the right way."


    By the time he was finished talking Hao Xuan was already at the entrance of the cave. Grey''s heads looked over at him neighing and bobbing up and down in merriment.


    That little gesture was enough to greatly lift his spirits and he couldn''t help but pause to brush his hand through Grey''s mane.


    "Are you that happy to see me? Huh?" he said in a coaxing baby voice, "You''re the only good soul-bond I have. All those other assholes leave me but you won''t right?"


    "Neigh!" x2


    "Speaking of other soul-bonds..." his expression turned somber as Hao Xuan stood up and closed his eyes.


    "Fortis! Where the hell are you?!"


    Hao Xuan utilized the power of the soul-bond to call for the little octopus but several seconds passed and no response came.


    When he activated [Arbiter] his vision went dark without any other signs.


    ''Either he is too far or somece I can''t reach him. All I can feel is that he is alive...at least he is alive.''


    Closing off the connection with Fortis for the time being he opened the other one, the first and most powerful soul-bond.


    "Zhurong!"


    Upon activating [Arbiter] again his vision shed with a blinding red light. When it receded a momentter Hao Xuan was standing in a giant red bubble.


    ''Where is this?''


    He looked around at the surroundings but could only see raging mes in every direction. It looked like they were constantly attacking the barrier.


    ''Gurrhr...''


    A weak purring noise sounded in his head, pulling Hao Xuan''s attention to the back. Turning around he was immediately faced with two familiar figures.


    One belonged to Zhurong and the other to Ma Jiang.


    She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the red bubble and Zhurong was resting in herp. Her eyes were tightly shut as beads of sweat rolled down her body. She was muttering what sounded like a spell under her breath and was entirely focused on it.


    Zhurong on the other hand raised his little head with some effort to look directly at Hao Xuan.


    "Meow..."


    There was a cut on his back and burn marks on his abdomen. His breathing was shallow and even from this far away Hao Xuan could tell how serious his injuries were.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze turned cold.


    ''What happened?? Who did this!?''


    Zhurong shifted his head to the left, gesturing towards the spot behind the wall of mes.


    Hao Xuan''s figure slowly rose into the air until it could not anymore and then he focused his vision to barely make out a single silhouette on the other side.


    ''Feng Huang! He did this?!''


    Feng Huang was standing still with both his arms pointed towards the barrier. An unceasing torrent of bright yellow mes was being shot out of them and straight at the barrier.


    Hao Xuan could see the barrier physically reducing in size every second. At its current rate, it would notst for more than 4 hours.


    "Meow..."


    Zhurong did not even have enough energy to keep his head raised and copsed because of it. Hao Xuan felt the soul-bond waver and immediately came down to inspect him closely.


    There was a string of concentrated red energy going from Zhurong to Ma Jiang.


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    Currently gathering a stockpile to upgrade the privilege chapter tier to 5 (with 20 advanced chapters) which is why the current release rate is a little slow. It will take effect from April 1st (hopefully).


    Once I have the stockpile ready the release rate will return to 5 to 8 chapters per week.

 Chapter 1261 Fables

    ''Are you the one giving her the energy needed to maintain the barrier?''


    Zhurong gave a weak nod without opening his eyes. Hao Xuan reached down to pet him but his hand went through.


    ''Do you know where you are? I can''t find your locati- Hey, wake up! Keep your eyes open!''


    He could feel Zhurong drifting further out of his reach and not a secondter the connection was cut off.


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes back in his body, fuming at the very thought of what was happening to both Zhurong and Ma Jiang, how they had been at battle for some time and would continue to be unless he stepped in.


    "Feng Huang!"


    That name sent waves rampaging throughout his body. The blood boiling and heart racing at the mere mention of it.


    *GRRRR*


    A beastly growl wed its way from his gullet as Hao Xuan felt himself losing control.


    Even Grey was startled by the wisps of feral killing intent escaping from Hao Xuan''s body and he quickly distanced himself.


    "No!"


    Hao Xuan keeled over from the pain of the transformation that kepting in unceasing waves. His stomach felt like it was being turned inside out and there was nothing he could do to stop it other than either give in or push it back down.


    He sat down cross-legged on the spot and began repeating the mantra from the book of the first Chaos Lord.


    "Patience...Breathing...Focus."


    "Patience...Breathing. Focus."


    After a few minutes, his heart rate began to fall and the physical transformations reverted. When the killing intent receded Grey came up from behind and gently nudged him awake.


    "I''m okay...it''s okay. Sorry to scare you," he shed a smile at Grey and stood up, "Rest as much as you can, we will have to go soon," before entering the cave again.


    He went straight towards the side room but paused momentarily to look at the stone doorway. His brow furrowed for a second but because he was so pressed for time he didn''t look at it too closely. Because if he had, he would not have missed the thin cracks that had spread out throughout the entire length of the stone columns.


    Upon entering the side room Hao Xuan reached into the storage space and pulled out a stone token.


    It was approximately 3.5 cm in diameter with various characters from the Prime Letters inscribed on its surface. He stared at it for a few seconds while whispering- almost praying.


    "I should have called you guys out way earlier so I hope you are even stronger now. I NEED an army to fight against these assholes."


    Upon channeling a few strands of Chaos Qi into the stone token the characters began to light up one by one. When thest character came to life Hao Xuan crushed the token into smithereens and the characters floated off its surface.


    They expanded in size while rotating clockwise in a circle. When the circle was 2 meters in diameter the characters froze in mid-air and started to connect to one another with the help of the Chaos Qi.


    A whirlpool of light spun into existence stabilizing within seconds.


    Hao Xuan could see through it to the other side but the scene was an unfamiliar one. He took in a deep breath and stepped through the portal, his footnding on a cold deserted street on the other side.


    He was standing in what appeared to be an alley, surrounded by tall brick walls on all sides but one.


    He had only taken a single step into this world after so long but Hao Xuan''s heart sank because he could not hear any sounds.


    When he had left the Orcs, although the settlement was small it was still full of signs of life but now it was deathly silent.


    With measured steps Hao Xuan walked out of the alley and into a wide street. In front of him was a ten-meter-tall statue of...him. It was full of washed-out graffiti and covered in moss.


    Hao Xuan walked closer and saw two words that were engraved into the metal base.


    [FALSE GOD] they read.


    Pieces of rust fell onto his shoes as he ran his fingers through the engravings. When he put slightly more pressure the whole thing gave in and his hand went through the metal base.


    It creaked and groaned before slowly falling towards him. Hao Xuan quickly moved to the side, watching as the likeness of his own face smashed into the concrete floor and shatter into a thousand pieces.


    The sounds echoed back and forth through the rows of tall buildings on all sides before slowly dying down.


    Hao Xuan felt the cool night wind brush against his face, whispering the countless fables that were born from his absence.


    He was alone here. In this city that should have been full of humans and Orcs alike, there was only him.

 Chapter 1262 Cubed

    Hao Xuan was left speechless as he tried to wrap his mind around the implications of what he was seeing. And even though he knew the answer, he still asked Baracus for a confirmation.


    "That was the metal alloy that you created before we left, right? How long do you think it would have taken for it to rust to that degree?"


    *Beep*


    "Approximately 1,384 standard years, given apleteck of proper upkeep."


    "Meaning from the moment we left, at least 1400 years have passed until now...right?"


    "Affirmative."


    Hao Xuan stepped back from the statue to examine the surrounding buildings in more detail. Each one was around three stories tall and made from red bricks. There were some vines and other nts growing on the sides unchecked but the buildings themselves were all in one piece.


    They even had electronic locks on all the doors and windows that were still functioning from what he could see. There were no signs of fighting, no skeletal remains, or anything else that would indicate what had happened.


    "Baracus, reach out to Altron and see if you can find a signal."


    While Baracus was searching for a signal Hao Xuan continued walking through the streets but after only a few minutes he came across a five-meter-tall wall that was blocking the way forward. He followed it for a minute or so but couldn''t find any opening because it was going all the way around encircling the entire area he was in.


    Hao Xuan reached out and gently touched the wall, feeling a faint flow of energy inside it. And as he did Baracus spoke up.


    *Beep*


    "Signal located."


    "From the wall?"


    "Affirmative."


    "Where does it lead?"


    The mini-map popped up again to show the exact location, which was where he hade from. Hao Xuan made his way back until once again, he was standing in front of the shattered statue.


    "It''s here?" he asked doubtfully.


    "Yes, the signal ising from under the metal base."


    Hao Xuan got to work without wasting any time, ripping the metal base to pieces until a metal door revealed itself underneath.


    It looked like it had been installed just a few days ago because, unlike the statue, it was brand spanking new.


    When Hao Xuan tried to touch it his hand was flung back by an invisible force field. The shockwave was strong enough that he had to take a couple of steps back to stabilize himself.


    "What the hell?! Can you disable it or do I have to force my way in?"


    "Negative. There is a sensor on the bottom left side. Insert gic material there."


    Hao Xuan looked again and there was indeed a 1.5 cm long slit at the bottom of the door poking out from under the force field.


    "What kind of gic material?"


    "Any."


    He rubbed his hand clean on his shirt before swapping the inside of his mouth with the index finger to brush the ''sensor'' with some spit.


    It took a couple of seconds but he could hear the sound of gears turning from the other side before the force field abruptly shut down and the door retracted into the ground.


    There was a staircase leading down.


    "Should I expect any surprises down there? Traps?"


    "Negative. They should have been disabled."


    "Should? I''ll keep an eye out just in case."


    Hao Xuan went down the stairs one measured step at a time, taking note of even the smallest details in the surroundings until he stepped onto a long hallway.


    He sent threads of spiritual sense to scout ahead and found countless little contraptions and devices hidden within the walls...but they were all disabled just like Baracus had said.


    There was only one way forward so Hao Xuan had no choice but to follow along if he wanted the answers.


    The entire hallway was made from the same metal alloy that his hammer was made from with the only difference being in size. The hallway was at least 50 meters long with countless smallpartments at every step.


    It turned right twice and once to the left before a light could be seen at the end. Hao Xuan picked up his pace and exited the hallway with wide strides.


    It opened up into a circr room that was a little over 10 meters in diameter. It was surrounded by countless mechanical contraptions on all sides.


    In the middle was a giant ss tube which was also the source of the light. It was filled with some sort of blue liquid with a 3.14-meter wide perfect square object floating in the middle.


    This ''cube'' was exuding rays of white light. It was mechanical in nature but the metal it was made from was unlike anything that Hao Xuan had seen before.

 Chapter 1263 For "Dramatic Effect"

    It regrly changed form into various shapes of all sizes before returning to the original cubed formation.


    The light was actuallying from somewhere inside the cube and could only be seen when it was about to change shapes. Hao Xuan extended his hand and felt the copious levels of radiation around the tube.


    "What is this thing? It''s giving off such a strong energy!"


    Even with the ss tube holding back most of the energy Hao Xuan could feel it outside like the rays of the sun.


    "Unable to answer. Please find a terminal to plug into. There are jammers ced all around the room making wireless data transmission impossible."


    "Hmm."


    Hao Xuan walked around the tube until he came across a ss panel on the other side of the tube with three buttons on the left and two on the right of it.


    "What do I do?"


    "ce your hand over it. The nanites will create a physical link."


    Hao Xuan did as instructed. He could even feel the extremely faint movements within his bloodstream as the nanites were pumped towards the tip of his fingers. But when he came into contact with the ss panel a wave of electric current ran throughout his body, making him shudder.


    "Everything good? Was that normal?"


    "Yes. It was a kind of security check. Anyone with a different neuron structure than yours would have been permanently paralyzed with severe brain damage."


    *Sigh*


    "That''s good to know. Can you get in? Find out what happened, quickly."


    The ss screen came to life the moment he finished speaking and countless 3D characters began to appear a few centimeters above its surface. It looked like they were raining down from above.


    "This is new," Hao Xuan mumbled.


    "It is a method of long-term data storage created by the progenitor. Efficient and secure."


    The 3D characters began to unravel one by one, breaking up into countless other symbols and letters many of which Hao Xuan recognized.


    The ss screen started to get hotter and hotter to the point Hao Xuan got worried and quickly channel some chaos Qi to surround his hand.


    "Is it supposed to be getting this hot?" he worryingly inquired.


    "Negative. With the standard data conversion rate there would not have been a rise in temperature but since the process has been sped up on host''s request severalponents have begun to overheat."


    "Isn''t that a bad thing?! Don''t overdo it."


    "Readings are still within nominal range."


    Despite Baracus saying so at one point it got hot enough that it exceeded Hao Xuan''s physical tolerance. Thankfully it didn''tst for very long and soon everything returned to normal.


    *beep*


    "Data sessfully unpacked," Baracus informed before a series of automatic notifications popped in the corner of Hao Xuan''s vision.


    [Loading Previous Command Sequence]


    [Reorganizing Data Sets]


    [Creating Timeline]


    [Creating Event Sequence]


    [Compiling Character Index]


    [Audio/Video Files Loaded]


    [Presentationplete]


    Hao Xuan frowned upon seeing thest one.


    "What presentation? Don''t waste time on useless things," he berated.


    "The presentation was alreadypleted by the overseer unit when it saw the final eventsing."


    "By Altron?"


    "Affirmative."


    "Well...that does sound like something he would do. Go ahead, start it. And find out where he is too."


    "I believe the presentation will answer all of your questions. Would you prefer a standard yer or VR mode?"


    "Just normal for fuck sakes, stop wasting time!" Hao Xuan cursed loudly in annoyance.


    Suddenly the lights dimmed throughout the room and a screen popped up in front of his face.


    The screen flickered several times and the sound of static noise rang loudly in Hao Xuan''s ears for a few seconds making him grimace.


    "Are the files corrupted!? What''s wrong?"


    "Negative. That is, unfortunately, how the overseer unit created them."


    "Altron added the static on purpose? Why would he do that??"


    "ording to the notes: [For dramatic effect]."


    Hao Xuan let out another deep sigh and waited for the feed to stabilize before Altron finally rolled in front of the camera. He looked the exact same as the day Baracus created him.


    [If you''re seeing this, that means I''m dead...hehe, I always wanted to say that. Does it sound cool? I think so and Steve32 agrees.]


    [It is the year of the Lord 856. Ah, I started a new calendar beginning from the day you left, master. Eight hundred and fifty-six years have passed since your departure and...despite my best efforts, things did not go ording to n.]


    [Why so long you may wonder? Well, as it turned out, we had greatly underestimated what this world was capable of. A year after you left something happened in the skies outside and the flow of time slowed to a crawl. I can''t be certain but one hour outside was anywhere between 5-10 years in here.]


    [We thought this would be a good thing, giving us more time to do everything perfectly you know? For the first two decades it was all going ording to n. We harvested more resources than we would ever need and I even started an expansion project to house all the new arrivals upon the sessfulpletion of your orders.]


    [The Orcs, they missed you dearly. Especially those five, you know, Arthur and the rest. They revered you as a God...and I think that''s where all the trouble began.]

 Chapter 1264 Lucious

    While Altron was exining everything there were small videos and images being yed in the background of each scene.


    It showed a massive futuristic-looking city with countless drones flying about followed by images of Arthur, Malina, v, and the rest. (Mentioned around Ch 915-920)


    [They followed your orders down to the letter. The Orcs lived and breathed ording to what they thought were your wishes. I was worried they might forget after some time but that never did happen...even until the very end]


    Images of the gateway portal that Hao Xuan had created for them came up followed by that of another world.


    [With my help the Orcs had created a perfect n to take control of the you had selected. They got to work but it took almost 70 years for it to happen, far longer than the 15 we had initially predicted. It was a good thing that the effects of time dtion were rampant across both nes otherwise it would have been possible]


    [Some of the indigenous people fought until theirst breaths while many other tribes had to be conquered one at a time. But some of the greater powers could only be reasoned and negotiated with to prevent a full-blown war]


    [91 years had passed since your departure by the time the and all its inhabitants were brought under our rule. But the most time-consuming part was transporting them here. It took another 8 years for that to happen. Thankfully, the city that I had created outside came in handy to house all of them]


    The images showed the previous city again but this time it was full of life and all kinds of beings walking about.


    [Shortly after they were settled, we passed the 100th anniversary of your departure. I told the Orcs it was okay for them to rx and have a life of their own because it could take much longer for you to return. Arthur, he was the first one to have a child, a son. I would have preferred a female but no one asked me noo~ sir]


    [At the same time we started to educate the indigenous people and taught them about technology, life in other ces, and of the Greater World. But most importantly we taught them about you. About their purpose and OUR purpose here...ohh some of them did NOT like that]


    [But life still continued as usual. It was the 131st year when the second generation of Orcs was old enough to be officially enlisted. Arthur''s son ''Lucious'', problems started with him. He was charismatic, smart, and strong just like his parents but, no one expected him to be so prejudiced. He considered Orcs to be superior to all other races and even went as far as to say that we didn''t need to wait for you anymore]


    [He started pushing his ideology and among the second-generation Orcs it caught on quickly. They had never met you so of course they couldn''t believe in you, especially since you were from a lesser humanoid race ording to them. Arthur did his best to teach him and bring him to the right path but...]


    [Soon it became us vs them. But Lucious realized that the human tribes outnumbered his forces greatly so he made ns in secret to join hands with some of the more powerful ones. I tried to stop him but he was far too clever. Civil unrest, discrimination, and unjust treatment of minorities were his tools. He wanted to pit the humans against one another so no one would be able to stop him]


    [A few days after the 310th anniversary of your departure the first ''World War'' broke out. Many of the first-generation Orcs including Arthur himself died during this 17-year-long war. Those that survived were pushed out of high positions and reced by the 3rd and 4th generation of Orcs, all of which were indoctrinated by Lucious''s ideology]


    The images showed exactly what Altron was talking about.


    [I won''t bore you with too many details but there were three morerge-scale wars in the years toe. By the end of the 4th World War there wasn''t much left. Neither the Orcs nor the other human tribes managed to survive in any real sense]


    [The few hundred that made it through tried to start a new civilization but after so many countless years of war too much had been lost. Knowledge, people, and ces. We couldn''t even contact you again because the gateway had been destroyed during the 1st World War and there was no other way to leave this ce or even get new resources]


    [Orc against Orc, Human against Human, Orc against Human, it was truly a miserable sight. And all because of Lucious and his arrogance!]


    [Anyways, that''s how it happened. Thest human died in 614 and thest orc a few years after that. I had hidden after the 1st World War and when I came out there was no one left to save. I created this small settlement again so you would not be faced with the horrors of the past. Maybe if you can bring other people here it can still be useful]


    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 1265 -End Of Datalog-

    The images showed whaty outside the city walls currently. It was full of destroyed structures as far as the eye could see. Hao Xuan could tell from one look that it was inhospitable for most life forms.


    Just the toxic miasma alone was enough to snuff out most life not to mention ack of proper shelter, fresh food or water, and all other necessities.


    The images changed back to Altron one final time. He was standing in the same room.


    [Today marks the 250th year of the death of thest organic lifeform. All attempts at creating new life were unsessful. Master...I do not know if hell is real but if it was, I feel like this would be it. I did not know I would be capable of feeling loneliness but through the miracle of time I have...and it is terrible]


    [Please forgive me...I cannot wander thesends anymore. Today I will shut down and disconnect my matrix from the mainframe]


    [I hope, if there is a way, to meet you once again somehow. I would love to go on great adventures with master in the Greater World, from the Golden Cities and Deaths to the Virtual worlds and Abyss borders, I want to travel to all of them! Do you think...I will ever be able to dream? That would be SO cool!]


    -End of Datalog-


    -Last Entry Created 554 years ago


    The screen shed with a bright white light forcing Hao Xuan to turn away. In that instant, onest line shed past the screen in bright red colors.


    **Rewrite Complete**


    Hao Xuan obviously missed it because it was deleted before he could look back. He pulled his hand away from the ss panel and looked around. Altron''s bright yellow body was sitting in the corner just a few meters away.


    He walked up to it and ced his hand on the back panel.


    "Can you...can he be ''started'' again or something?"


    *Beep*


    "Negative. Too much time has passed for the central matrix to go on without power. The overseer unit desired this oue."


    *BANG*


    Hao Xuan''s fist made a dent in the side wall as he muttered through gritted teeth, "Altron, his name was Altron. Don''t call him that anymore."


    "...."


    "If host desires to converse with ''unit'' again, the system can recreate the algorithm and install the databanks and mood sequences. It would be identical to-"


    "No, it won''t be. It won''t be Altron anymore, he had already evolved beyond the limits of a simple program created by the likes of you. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have killed himself out of loneliness."


    "An error within the logic chip would exin the unit''s actions. And ''it'' did not kill itself, ''it'' was never alive. The host is misunderstanding-"


    "Okay, you''re right. I don''t want to argue anymore," Hao Xuan cut Baracus off before he really got going.


    He stood up to take another look around the room and somehow it seemed much smaller than before. Storing a few items that Baracus pointed he slowly made his way out.


    Standing alone in a city created for thousands, all of a sudden the defeating silence seemed a lot more threatening than it had ever before. An entire civilization hade and gone in his absence.


    Hao Xuan looked to the sky with a woeful gaze whispering to himself, "No Orcs, no humans, no armies, no severs...no one to call on. Never thought I would see this day as long as I still had the ''Soul Severing Heavenly constitution''. Is it me or are the heavensughing at me right now?"


    *Beep*


    "Unable to answer."


    "Hmm, that''s all you seem to be good for these days."


    "The system does not understand."


    "Of course you don''t, forget I said anything. Can you still look something up or do I need to go back and manually connect with the mainframe?"


    "All data has been downloaded. Permissions upgraded to set the system as Admin."


    "Nidhora. Find out where she is and what happened to her. Why didn''t she intervene? She could have stopped all of them if she wanted."


    The minimap appeared in the top left with a rough direction leading to the North-East.


    "Records are unclear. Sometime after the 80th standard year allmunication seized with the entity."


    "What about ck and White? I left them here too." (The two serpents)


    "No mention of either entity within the records."


    "I will go take a look myself then."


    Hao Xuan followed the directions in the minimap and exited through the North gate of the settlement.


    The moment he stepped outside of the forcefield a potent mix of foul odors hit him head-on. They were strong enough to instantly make him nauseous and he had to use his internal energy to guard against the effects.


    ''What the hell is that?! It feels a little familiar...''


    He looked around cautiously but even with the help of the city lights to illuminate everything within a 200-meter radius he couldn''t see further than 50 meters because of the thick miasma.


    Hao Xuan walked over to a bubbling puddle nearby and held his hand over it.

 Chapter 1266 Plumes

    When the plumes of smoke hit his skin it immediately began to tingle and heat up.


    "There are so many different energies mixed in here. It would be tough even for me to stay outside for more than a day or two."


    Hao Xuan activated the physique''s ability to see if it would be beneficial for him in some way.


    [Devour!]


    A small portion of the miasma was absorbed in one go but immediately after an intense vision shed past his eyes. It was abination of blood curdling screams and countless acts of violence all superimposed on top of one another.


    "Too many strong emotions. They have not dissipated even after hundreds of years so who knows how much longer would it take? But as it stands, it will do me more harm than good to absorb it," Hao Xuan mumbled while pulling his hand away.


    It was no wonder no one else survived. This much radiation would have rendered all creatures infertile unless they continuously adapted to it. And if something could indeed live in this ce then one should never want to meet it.


    Hao Xuan looked in the direction he was supposed to go in but couldn''t see anything beyond a few dozen meters. It was night out but the cover of darkness had never seemed so fiercely loyal to its purpose.


    "It feels like the very fabric of reality is unweaving around this world. Is it to hide all the atrocities that took ce here?"


    ''Is this also my fault?'' an inner voice followed up in his mind, changing from singr to plural soon after, ''None of this would have happened if we were here. You might as well have struck the final blow yourself.''


    The voice was ming him or...was he ming himself? Either way, he was indifferent to the odd nature of his inner diction.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils widened as the Lycan bloodline was activated in full effect while keeping all other physical transformations under control.


    "A little over 60 meters I think, that''s as much as I can get out of it. It should be good enough," he murmured but Baracus spoke up unexpectedly.


    *beep*


    "It would be better if host took one of the portable lights to light the way."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Why? I can see without it."


    "For the moment, yes. But the records mention some odd instances where in the absence of a light source close to the user all other types of visions were permanently blocked. That was one of the reasons no research could be done on the disappearance of the entity."


    Hao Xuan went silent for a moment pondering the reasons for such an event but nothing concrete came to mind.


    "Fine..." he went back into the settlement and picked off one of the big floodlights from the wall.


    "Do I need a battery or something?"


    "Negative. The internal charge should be enough for at least 44 standard hours."


    "Good."


    With the floodlight in hand, Hao Xuan picked up the pace and ran straight towards the ce Nidhora wasst seen at.


    The settlement door automatically closed behind him and for a while, everything seemed normal. But after a few minutes the puddles of toxic goo started bubbling intensely.


    The area which was being illuminated by the floodlight which Hao Xuan took suddenly came alive in more ways than one.


    One after another boney hands reached out from the puddles that should have been just a few inches deep. They grabbed a hold of anything and everything around them to pull themselves out one by one, revealing their true forms.


    The smallest ones were just humanoid skeletons covered in a viscous tar-like material that appeared to be dripping down their skeletal forms but never actually falling off.


    Some of the bigger skeletons belonged to what should have been Orcs and some of the others were beastly in form and nature.


    Within the span of 5 minutes more than fifty such ''creatures'' had crawled out from the various gooey puddles around. All of them avoided the direct light and lumbered towards the outer wall where they started banging their bodies against it.


    Their movements were slow and disorganized. They had no weapons and could only punch the wall which was protected by the forcefield. Their boney arms, legs and heads were continuously broken down and ground into ck dust by the power of the forcefield.


    A few more minutes passed this way and one of the Orc skeletons that were standing in the back looking at the others suddenly moved. Its lumbering body sprinted forward pushing all the skeletons into the wall at once.


    The wall-mounted floodlights flickered and the forcefield shook from the impact.


    For a very brief moment a small hole was created in the middle of the forcefield. The Orc skeleton seemed to be prepared for it and immediately threw a punch with the weight of its entire body behind it.

 Chapter 1267 Indicate

    Anywhere where humans and Orcs lived had been bombarded with so many weapons of war over the six or so centuries that their civilization had managed to drag itself along for that, now, the entirend had turned into one giant swamp.


    There was not a single piece ofnd solid enough to support Hao Xuan''s weight, forcing him to continuously run over patches of ck quicksand and hidden whirlpools.


    Bringing the floodlight proved to be the right choice as well since without it Hao Xuan would have had to move at a snail''s pace and even then it would have been extraordinarily dangerous.


    Although there were no living beings present to get in his way, the terrain proved to be more than deadly enough on its own. There were some areas that he couldn''t even get close to because the rampant energies were so strong there.


    These areas were like little mini ck zones that rendered all sensory methods ineffective. And perhaps the most baffling aspect was not their existence but the fact that they were still expanding.


    Hao Xuan paused momentarily outside one of these zones and noticed the boundary subtly drawing more to the east...from where he wasing from. Just as he started moving again a faint ping sounded in his ears.


    *beep*


    An automatic notification popped on the side but it disappeared before he could even take a look at it.


    "What was that?" he inquired curiously, this had never happened before.


    "Some of the settlement sensors identally got patched through to the host''s neuralwork during the system update. That was one of the proximity sensors going off. I have removed the connection as it does not appear to be important," Baracus exined but despite that being exactly what Hao Xuan would have wanted himself, he could not help but wonder what had triggered it.


    "Why is it not important? If a proximity sensor has been triggered, doesn''t that mean there could be someone or something nearby?"


    "Unlikely. Over thest 350 years, various proximity sensors have gone off on an average of 7 times a day at random. The exact cause remains unknown and requires a more in-depth study but it has been deemed irrelevant given the current circumstances."


    "Hmm, as long as it''s nothing serious. I still want to go back and pick up as many things as we can. Especially that strange cube. What was that?"


    "Records indicate that it was an experimental energy source that the overseer unit had created sometime during the first World War. The exact details appeared to have been voluntarily erased."


    "They were deleted? Why?"


    "The overseer unit was under the impression that the Orc named Lucious was after the blueprints. After the initial prototype was created all rted data was expunged so as not to let it fall into the wrong hands."


    "Is...it really that impressive? I got a strange feeling when I was looking at it earlier but didn''t know how exactly to put it into words. It felt almost alive in a sense."


    "Unable to answer. Not enough data. Once the prototype has been properly secured and moved into the storage space more urate figures can be extrapted after proper experimentation."


    "Guess I will have toe back then..."


    **


    After almost four hours of continuous running and dodging various anomalies the terrain slowly began to change. The ground became solid and the miasma was barely present in the surroundings anymore but for some strange reason, the visual range was reduced even more now.


    Nothing outside of 5 meters was visible, even with the floodlight directly positioned forward.


    Hao Xuan came to a gradual halt to examine this new environment in a little more detail. There were loose rocks and pebbles at every step and if he had to guess based on what little was visible, there was really only one conclusion.


    "Feels like a mountain...or desert maybe?"


    He bent down to feel the earth and picked up a couple of pebbles on the way up. He threw the first one in a straight line with nearly half his strength.


    It shot forward like a bullet but as soon as it was out of the range of the floodlight Hao Xuan could hear slow and weakly hit the ground a secondter.


    He tossed the second pebble lightly and noticed that it traveled almost the same exact distance as the first one outside the range of the light.


    An uneasy feeling began to creep up his spine as if something was terribly wrong here. He slowly extended his thumb over the top of the floodlight and pressed down, turning it off.


    *WHOOOOSH*


    The entire world turned upside down in an instant. Hao Xuan felt like he was standing in the middle of a blizzard because a torrent of cold piercing air was mming against him with full force. The force of gravity shifted more than five times bringing him to his knees.

 Chapter 1268 Prickling

    Hao Xuan quickly covered his eyes from the prickling cold and tried to peak in between his fingers.


    There was a dim blue light on the horizon, the same direction he was facing and from where the wind was blowing. It appeared to be too far away and no matter how hard he tried to focus on the source of it there was always something in the way.


    It felt just barely out of sight...hiding right around the next corner. But what WAS clearly visible were the countless shadows all around him.


    Their shapes and sizes were stretched and all out of proportion simr to a child''s drawing. They felt different but still notpletely foreign, as if he hade across them in some shape or form.


    And they were all looking at him. Well, that''s what it felt like. They were mere shadows being cast on the ground so there weren''t any facial features but that still didn''t stop them from moving towards him inch by inch.


    Hao Xuan could feel himself getting colder than ever before. All the heat was slowly leaving his body and no amount of spiritual energy could stop or even slow it down.


    He pushed against the torrential wind wall and stood up with some effort while looking towards the nearest shadow.


    "What are you?!"


    The shadow raised its hand and pointed directly at him. All the other shadows, however many thousands of them there were, all followed suit.


    Then as if their strings were suddenly cut off one by one they began to move erratically. Some clutching their heads in distress and others banging their heads against the ground or even each other.


    They were in pain that much was obvious and it was enough to drive them mad. They were screaming or trying to scream but the only sound he could hear was of the billowing wind pouring in non-stop.


    Hao Xuan felt something grab him and when he looked back one of the shadows had gotten a hold of his shadow. But the strange thing was that he could feel it as if a real person was touching him.


    "DON''T GO! DON''T! GOOOO!!" the shadow suddenly screamed in a clear and distinct voice...one that he recognized in a heartbeat.


    "Arthur?? Is that you?!" Hao Xuan yelled anxiously, not realizing that his voice could be heard by the others.


    The other shadows all shook back and forth before leaping towards him.


    Hao Xuan could feel an imminent threat closing in from all directions and without hesitation he reached out and pped the top of the floodlight to turn it back on.


    The moment the light came out everything disappeared. The wind, the cold, the blue light on the horizon, and all the shadows.


    Hao Xuan''s forehead was caked in beads of sweat.


    "I remember now...that was the shadow world! This is Nidhora''s doing!" he eximed in a mix of excitement and confusion.


    Excited because this meant Nidhora might still be around and confused because of the other shadows.


    "But what happened there? Are their shadows trapped in this ce? Is that even possible?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *Beep*


    "The sensors have picked up several anomalous readings in thest 45 seconds."


    "Yeah, I know. I''m guessing you couldn''t see the shadows just now right?"


    "Negative. No other life signatures have been detected since entering the ne."


    "That''s because they are not alive...not really. I will know more once I get to where Nidhora was."


    He looked at the minimap again and noticed that the position and direction of Nidhora''sst known location was exactly the same as where the blue light wasing from before.


    "Maybe she is still sleeping and subconsciously expanding her domain. If she regained even a small portion of her old powers then it is definitely possible. She was born from the shadow of the World Tree so it would not be too far-fetched if she covered this entire world with her Law."


    Hao Xuan embraced the floodlight like a lover while whispering under his breath, "Until then, the light keeps them away. It keeps me from falling into the shadow world and them froming out. It''s thest and only line of defense I have."


    And Baracus spoke up right on queue with some disheartening but important information.


    "Remaining charge time: 33 hours."


    "Just 33?! Why? We''ve only been out here for maybe 5 hours!"


    "Extra power is consumed the further the host ventures. There is no discharge within the internal battery but efficiency is dropping continuously. Suggestion: Move as quickly as possible. It could be rted to the entity''sw."


    "You''re not wrong, damnit. Should have brought more batteries. Why didn''t you say anything before? Can you make more batteries?"


    "Negative. The most important element is radioactive star steel which would take 12 days minimum to enrich. If the host-"


    "Forget it. I''ll just have to make do with this then..."


    ***


    Author''s Notes: The Last privilege tier (of 20 advance chapters) has finally beenpleted so the release schedule should be returning to normal by the 23rd or 24th of April.


    There will be anywhere between 5-7 chapters a week after that. I appreciate everyone''s support and apologies for the month-long interruption (my publisher keeps trying to find new ways of ruining my life).


    Don''t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 1269 If It Didnt

    Now knowing a lot more about the kind of ce he was in Hao Xuan stopped holding back.


    ''As long as I have the light I will be safe,'' is what he told himself while running with everything he had, at a speed that would be nothing more than a blur to a normal person.


    There were times when he had to slow down and a couple of instances where he had to go around when the path ahead waspletely blocked by bottomless pits and chasms.


    Fortunately, the floodlight did its job and kept him safe for the most part. But the deeper he went the stronger darkness became, limiting light range to a little less than 4 meters.


    And if that wasn''t enough, there were several moments when he could see faint outlines in the darkness, just out of the light''s reach. And these silhouettes were far from human.


    If he listened closely Hao Xuan could hear them slither and w against the ground just a few meters away from him but he had toe to an abrupt stop when the noise of something big shuffling through the ground came from the front.


    He waited a few minutes until the noise died down before going towards it with measured steps. And just a few steps ahead were 3-meter wide recesses in the ground. There was even a zigzag pattern to it not much different from that of a snake.


    "Baracus, how big would a creature have to be to leave these behind?"


    *beep*


    "Approximately 78 meters if the creature adhered to the standardws of physics."


    "And if it didn''t?"


    "Unable to say for certain. It could be less than 50 meters or more than 300 meters depending on the species."


    "Tsk, the further I go the stronger these things are bing. They are not mere shadows anymore if they can interact with the physical world to this degree."


    Hao Xuan took a cursory look around before continuing forward. The veil of darkness followed closely behind him while hiding numerous nightmarish figures all of which only wanted one thing.


    Seven hourster the terrain began to change when he was almost there. The ground became softer with even some silver grass popping up around every other step.


    Hao Xuan slowed to a crawl because he could feel the difference in the air. Not only was it thicker but also warmer. He knelt down to pluck a silver grass leaf but the second he touched it the entire nt receded into the ground faster than he could react which was quite an achievement.


    He could feel it burrowing deeper into the ground.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Woah, that''s new. It can move on its own? Is it a spiritual herb?!" he eximed while looking around at the countless other simr nts.


    Spiritual herbs were exceptionally rare and would only be born in an area with abundant spiritual energy after countless years. Not only were they difficult to catch but they could also be very dangerous in the wrong circumstances.


    "Easy does it. I don''t mean any harm, just want to get across," he muttered out loud hoping that the herbs were capable of understanding him to some degree.


    And shockingly enough, when he stepped forward they willingly moved aside to create a path that led to the left.


    "Hmm?"


    Hao Xuan checked the minimap and it still showed Nidhora''sst location to the front.


    "Should I just run for it? I don''t sense any bloodthirst or killing intent from these herbs so...maybe they want to help? Are they trying to show me something else?"


    *beep*


    "Whatever the host decides it should be quick. Remaining battery time: 16 hours."


    "Damnit...maybe they will move if I get close enough," he raised the floodlight above his head and walked in a straight line. But even when his next step was about tond on the silver grass the nt did not budge an inch.


    In fact he could see its leaves gently waving back and forth while pointing to the left. He frowned upon seeing the almost human-like move and got down on one knee to examine it closer.


    cing the floodlight on the ground he slowly reached forward. The silver leaves actually swayed over to him and wrapped around his fingers one by one.


    At first they were so gentle that Hao Xuan could barely feel anything but all of a sudden the grip began to tighten around him. It felt like a person was holding onto him with both hands and the next moment he realized why.


    The ground vibrated lightly and a hole opened up in between his leg. The same herb that had run away before shot out and grabbed the floodlight before running away with it.


    "NO STOP! Come back here!" he shouted trying to grab it but his hand was still being held by the other herb and no matter how hard he tried to pull away it did not budge an inch.

 Chapter 1270 Against The Boundary

    And just like that, before he could do anything about it the floodlight was pulled out of his reach. He watched with bated breath as the light''s boundary came up to him and then surpassed. He lowered his head and braced for what wasing but even after several seconds the cold winds did not touch him.


    Hao Xuan raised his head, shocked to see that there was still light around him. The blue and white light that was being exuded by the silver grass herbs covered him and all the area around him.


    The herb holding his hand loosened its grip to finally set him free. As he got back on his feet, a sea of blue lights began to light up all around him one by one.


    He looked back towards the herb which had stolen the floodlight only to see that it had stopped just a dozen meters behind him. The floodlight was still on but it was facing the direction he hade from.


    His eyes narrowed for a moment before widening from the shock of seeing a literal sea of monstrous creatures being kept at bay by the floodlight.


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    They were banging against the light''s boundary, their ws, tails, and various other appendages hitting the air like a stone wall. The light was acting as a solid barrier for these creatures born of the shadow and as long as it was there they would not be able to get any closer.


    Muffled roars and screeches could finally be heard, making Hao Xuan realize just how much danger he was in.


    "If that light wasn''t there I would have been ripped to shreds a long time ago," he mumbled to himself and rightly so.


    His gaze fell back on the herb that had held him down earlier.


    "Why are you helping me?"


    The herb''s leaves danced back and forth while repeatedly pointing towards the path that was created on the left as if to say ''Find out for yourself''.


    *Sigh*


    "Fine fine, I''ll go."


    Hao Xuan followed the path as it went down, twisting and turning as it did so. It led to a rtively narrow passage between two mountains. It was just wide enough for one person to pass through and well hidden enough that if the herbs weren''t there to light the way Hao Xuan would have nevere across it otherwise.


    Just a couple of steps in and the sounds of the shadow beasts faded into the background. Hao Xuan felt like he had passed through a thin film of water and when he looked back it was visible from this side.


    ''A barrier?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He shuffled through the tight passage for almost three minutes before it began to open up into a small valley. The same silver grass herbs lined the entire length of the valley floor making for a magical view because of their flickering blue and white lights.


    But what really grabbed his attention were the mountains bordering on either side. One of them waspletely white and the other pitch ck.


    Hao Xuan suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his chest and his heart began to feel heavy.


    "What''s this? What''s going...on?"


    There were tears in his eyes but he did not understand why.


    "No! It can''t be them!"


    He suddenly sprinted into the valley, through the pathway that had been created by the herbs. After almost a minute of running at full speed the other end came into view. The two mountains rejoined in this middle.


    Hao Xuan''s heart felt like it was about to explode when he saw two giant serpentine heads locking with one another. It was them.


    "ck...white..." a hushed murmur escaped his lips.


    That''s what he had thoughtlessly named the two snakes based on the color of their scales back when he stole them from their nest.


    He walked up to the left side where White''s head rested. It was more than 20 meters wide, enormous aspared to the little worm that he had picked up all those years ago.


    Across from him was ''ck'', his shape was a little different but his size was more or less the same.


    "They used to sit on my shoulders and now look at them..."


    Hao Xuan extended his hand and brushed his fingers across the rough surface of White''s maw. Every single scale was well preserved and it looked like he could wake up any second but there was no sign of life. He would know better than anyone else.


    Both ck and White had been turned into stone from the inside out. They were gone.


    It was their bodies that were the basis for the mountains on either side. After so many centuries of being buried underneath rock and stone their colors still seeped through.


    Hao Xuan''s fist balled up as countless thoughts ran through his mind.


    "How did this happen? Why? WHY?! WHY IS EVERYONE DEAD?!"

 Chapter 1271 All Wrongs

    Hao Xuan''s raging screams echoed back and forth in the empty valley.


    The silver grass herbs trembled and many hid underground upon sensing the copious amounts of killing intent leaking from his body.


    He punched the ground repeatedly shaking the entire valley down to the core.


    "WHY IS EVERYTHING GOING WRONG?! HUH? WHY? WHY IS NOTHING WORKING OUT?! WHY....is there so much death..."


    He wanted to cry but no tears came out. He was too angry to feel sad, his heart felt like it was doused in moltenva.


    After spending a few minutes rearranging the valley floor he stood up listlessly intending to return to the settlement but a row of silver grass herbs were blocking his path.


    "What? What do you want? Is there more that I need to see here?" he asked through gritted teeth.


    Their leaves swayed back and forth gloomily while pointing to the very edge of the valley. In the small area where ck and White''s stone heads met, there was a cavity underneath that Hao Xuan had missed.


    But now that it was being lit up by a couple of herbs he could see it clearly.


    "What the hell is this...?" he indignantly inquired while walking towards it. And as he came close the answer was revealed to him in the shape of an egg.


    It was about the size of a chicken, pitch-ck and scaly. But the top half of it was ''caved in'' since he could see something moving inside.


    "What is this thing?" Hao Xuan whispered while trying to get a better look. He could smell a familiar scent on it but it was very weak.


    He reached in and carefully scooped out whatever was hidden inside. It felt slightly cold to the touch butpletely weightless.


    When Hao Xuan pulled back his eyes widened upon seeing a ck me flickering in the palm of his hand.


    "Nidhora!" he eximed spiritedly, "This is her power, I can feel it! But...it feels a little off..."


    He tried a few different things from inserting some of his own Qi into it to trying to absorb it but the only one that worked was when he tried to examine it in more detail with the spiritual sense.


    The second the spiritual threads came into contact with the ck me his consciousness was pulled into it.


    Hao Xuan found himself standing in a desert where even the sand was ck. There was a starry sky above but most of it was blocked by Nidhora''s previous form, the same as he remembered it from their first encounter.


    His lips quickly arched into a toothy smile, "Nidhora! You''re alive!"


    Nidhora was looking right at him but her eyes barely held any light.


    "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Why do you feel so weak?" asked again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Her gargantuan maw dipped down, [You arete, human. Much time has passed]


    "I know, I''m sorry. I didn''t know this would happen. I would havee earlier if I could-"


    [Your armies are no longer. There is no one left to govern your kingdom]


    "The Orcs...yeah I just found out about them. I would have never expected Arthur''s son to do something like that. But at least you are still here."


    She stared at him in silence for a moment before answering, [I am not. My previous form could not handle the pressure of living in this small world for so long. It had to be discarded. I attempted to create a new form, weaker but something that could live for much longer]


    "And? Did it not work?"


    [No. I realized it would be pointless either way. Without your help I could not hide from my enemies. So I chose to wither away than be taken in]


    [Your serpents met the same fate as me. They grew too powerful for this world and could not live here without damaging it. Choosing to fall into hibernation they waited for you but after so many years it became enduring. They faded into the ether]


    "...."


    "So you are-"


    [Dead. This is a small fragment of my consciousness that I left here for you. After all the hard work the Orclings did, I thought you would want to know]


    Once again Hao Xuan''s spirits were uprooted and shredded into a million pieces.


    "I know...I already know what happened," he mumbled weakly, unable to even look at her anymore.


    [No, you do not. It was not as you have been told, the Orc kind did not betray you. You are being decieved. That is the reason why I summoned you here, so ''it'' could not listen to our conversation]


    "What...?"


    ***


    Sometimeter Hao Xuan awoke back in his body.


    *Beep*


    Baracus spoke up immediately.


    "Changes to the host''s spiritual energy have been detected."

 Chapter 1272 Initializing Scenario

    The scaly shell holding Nidhora''s soul shard copsed the moment he came to. It melted in the blink of an eye and was absorbed into the ground soon after, leaving Hao Xuan standing alone in the valley.


    He let out a deep breath and replied after a brief moment, carefully choosing his words.


    "I''m...just a little tired. It''s fine."


    Baracus realized something was up and pushed for answers, "A cultivator''s spiritual energy is directly affected by their state of mind. A change could mean-"


    But Hao Xuan was having none of it and he immediately cut Baracus off.


    "Tell me something. When I severed your core back in theb, I ordered you to tell me the truth no matter what. Isn''t that right?"


    "...."


    "Affirmative."


    "So you wouldn''t lie to me, right? You wouldn''t deceive me?"


    "Affirmative. The system''s only function is to support the host to the best of its abilities. The main objective is, and always has been, to prioritize the host''s physical and mental health."


    "Hmm. And who decides that? Who decides what''s good for me? What''s in MY best interest?"


    "The system has predefined parameters for every possible scenario."


    "So you decide it then, right? You chose what is good and bad for me?"


    "Affirmative."


    "Hmm," Hao Xuan nodded thoughtfully, "About the Orcs. Are you sure you didn''t miss anything? Maybe about the timeline or the events?"


    "Negative. The system downloaded theplete dataset."


    "And it was not corrupted or broken?"


    "Affirmative."


    "Okay then. That''s all there is to it."


    Hao Xuan turned around and began making his way back without saying another word.


    In the meantime Baracus''s mainframe automatically erased several lines of code to create a new configuration. None of these changes were visible to Hao Xuan.


    -[Scenario 8.6.6.9 Reached]-


    [Updating Parameters]


    -[Bypassing Scenario 8.6.7.0]-


    [Parameters Updated]


    [Establishing Contextural Timeline]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    -[Initializing Scenario 8.6.7.1]-


    [Host State Primed for Omega Varient]


    [Commencing Final Countdown]


    ***


    Hao Xuan reached the mountain passageway and by the time he stumbled out all he could think about was the conversation he had had with Nidhora. Her words rang ever so loudly in his mind.


    ''The Orcs did not betray you. It was the humans they brought from the splinter world that schemed with one another to take control of the cities once they realized that you were noting back. The war indeed took ce between the Orcen and humankind but their loyalty to you was unbroken until the very end''


    "What?! That''s not possible, I saw Altron''s recording myself. He was clear that it was all caused by Arthur''s son Lucious. He was the one that started all this."


    ''Human, tell me, who showed you this truth?''


    "Baracus. He is an advanced AI that gained sentience. I haveplete control over him."


    ''Do you? Then ording to him, what happened to the Orcs after the war?''


    "There were four wars, not one. And by the end of thest war there was no one left alive."


    ''I know not why this creature deceives you, only that it does. The war took ce between us, your followers, and the humans they had brought over. Once you leave the valley go to the ce where the ''Death Mold'' is born. You will find the proof there''


    **


    "Death Mold?" Hao Xuan whispered, that name was familiar to him.


    He had never seen it before in person, only heard of it in another lifetime. A spiritual herb that grows on corpses when the soul cannot move on.


    It was called the ''Death Mold'' or ''Evesting Grass''.


    He recited everything he could remember.


    "Long silver des akin to ordinary grass. Can burrow underground and move at exceptional speeds. When left in dark ces they create their own lights either blue or white in color depending on the type of soul that was absorbed. Shy and extremely skittish. But most importantly-"


    He knelt down to touch one of the silver grass herbs that was identical to his descriptions, "-They are known to retain strong emotions of the soul they are born from and can even recognize people the soul had a connection with while it was intact."


    As expected the Silver Grass Herb did not run away or hide from him. In fact, it reached out with its leaves to gently hold his hand.


    Hao Xuan''s expression softened greatly as he whispered, "Did I know you? Where you one of them?"


    But the herb did not appear to understand him and could only caress his hand lovingly.


    He stood up and followed the path back up to the ce he had arrived from, all the while keeping an eye out for any ce that would stick out.


    ''They are born from the corpses so a grave or wherever they were buried. It can''t be too far from-''


    Just when he reached the starting area something caught his eye. There was a whole host of herbs spread around the mountainside in a unique formation.

 Chapter 1273 Worse Than Death

    Hao Xuan could tell at first nce that this wasn''t random. The herbs were growing in long cylindrical patches with empty spaces between each one.


    He walked up to the first one which wasn''t that far off. The nearby herbs immediately became alert and their leaves stood in the air like tiny daggers.


    "Shhh, it''s okay I just want to check something. I won''t hurt you or take anything away...I promise.."


    He ryed the message verbally and rified his intentions by sending out several golden threads of spiritual sense. When the herbs sensed his honesty they began to move aside.


    The raised patch ofnd previously hidden underneath them came to light. Hao Xuan bent down on one side and carefully pushed aside the soil.


    After moving only a few handfuls of dirt the white bone of a half-broken skull came into view. From the size and shape to the specific dimensions, there was no doubt about it. This belonged to an Orc.


    Hao Xuan''s stomach churned at the acknowledgment of this revtion.


    He covered it back up and quickly moved to the next patch, doing the same thing nine more times and every single time unearthing an Orc skeleton buried just a couple of feet down.


    He stood up with shaky legs to peer towards the far side, counting each grave in sight.


    "509. There are five hundred and nine of them."


    *Beep*


    "Exnation required."


    "It''s the proof, the undeniable evidence of my handy work. Baracus, do you know what happens to the severs if they are too far from me for too long? If they are locked in a world that they cannot leave, a world that won''t let them get stronger? I had a theory but this is the first real unmistakable confirmation of it."


    "Negative."


    "The body, the physical container for the soul that I have severed begins to rot with time. It gets old and weak but the soul...the soul remains strong! Their bodies continue to be frail and feeble, reaching a point where they are unable to even move by themselves."


    "But since the souls are trapped because of this broken world they cannot move on. They cannot truly die, neither forget nor take their own lives. All they can do is watch themselves waste away bit by bit, locked in a rotting meat prison."


    "It''s a fate worse than death, one that I would not wish upon my worst enemies. Hah, if only they were my enemies then I wouldn''t have to feel this way now."


    "But what''s even worse is-"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''-Now I know without a doubt that Baracus has been lying to me. About the Orcs, the wars, and god knows what else. But why? Why make the Orcs out to be the viins? Why go through so much trouble just to hide something that happened so long ago?''


    Hao Xuan''s thoughts were interrupted when the mountain shifted left and right. It felt like the entire world was turning upside down and when he looked at the sky the reason became clear.


    There was an iprehensiblyrge shadow slowlying out from the right side. It was big enough to connect the sky and the ground before even revealing itsplete form.


    ''This is what Nidhora was talking about! When her physical form perished a gate to the shadow world was created. She had been holding it shut but now that her soul shard is gone there is nothing to keep the monsters from the other side toe through here.''


    "I have to leave now!"


    Hao Xuan went up the mountain wall and began scribbling the row of Prime Letters. It only took a few seconds because he had ingrained the exact address in his mind.


    But to his dismay when Hao Xuan tried to channel motes of internal energy into the letters they were forcefully dissipated by the worldly pressure.


    "WHAT?! WHY??"


    *GROOOAN*


    *THUD*


    Hao Xuan was thrown into the air when thend he was standing on splintered and flew into the air. The earth shook and moaned under the increasing pressure.


    He pushed against a piece of rock flying in his direction andnded further away. His back was covered in a cold sweat when he realized why this was happening.


    "The world is breaking apart! That fucking thing is too big for this ce so it''sing apart at the seams! And I can''t channel any Qi outside of my body because it gets dissipated by the darkness of the shadow world!"


    *Beep*


    "The central core of the settlement is able to act as a reality tether. As long as it stands the host will be able to re-open the portal and return."


    Hao Xuan looked in the direction of the exit where the single Death Mold herb was still standing with the floodlight, keeping the countless smaller shadow beasts at bay.

 Chapter 1274 Only Way Out

    Hao Xuan walked over to the Death Mold and took the light from its leafy embrace to point it towards the sea of shadow beasts blocking his path.


    "How long will the chargest on the battery?"


    "Approximately two hours if you depart within the next five minutes."


    "It took me what, 8 hours to get here? How am I gonna make it back in two?"


    "There is no other option. The only way out is through them."


    The entire mountain was beginning to splinter and pull apart so it was only a matter of time before thend Hao Xuan was standing on would be gone too. And if the material ne didn''t copse in on itself then the monstrous beast trying toe through the shadow world wouldy everything to waste nearby.


    "That''s...easier said than done. These shadow beasts are not that strong but there is no end to them. And what happens if I run into one of the big ones I saw on the way over? It will be impossible to fight them alone."


    "The alternative is death. There is a 17% chance of sess if the host attempts to run back but if you choose to stay then this ce will be your grave without a doubt."


    Hao Xuan sneered at his attempt, "Look at you trying to sound so human. I guess some somethings scare even you huh?"


    "Negative. The system is unable to feel primitive emotions such as fear. The top priority has always been the host''s well-being. It is imperative that you depart without dy."


    "I know and I will. It''s just...I have to say goodbye first."


    "Goodbye? A useless human sentimen-"


    "Shut up."


    He turned towards the area where all the Orcs were buried first. There was no reason to keep a low profile anymore so he spoke loudly and proudly, even though none of them could hear him anymore.


    "I have let you down! I promised you a better future, a better life than what you had in those caves where I first met you. But I have failed, I know that now I cannot me anyone but myself."


    His voice fell, almost as if he was talking to someone close by, "I was sure it would be different. I saw you fighting by my side for countless ages toe but that memory is fading now. The future is not what I thought it would be."


    He turned towards the mountain where ck, White, and Nidhora rested.


    "All of you...you might not be here anymore but your memories will continue to live on with me...whether that is for the next few hours or centuries. I will be a witness to your achievements and as long as I live....so do you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Hao Xuan rubbed his shoulders where he could still feel the two little worms yfully fighting with each other.


    "You are here, with me," he whispered before slowly turning away, "Now we can go."


    Hao Xuan made a grasping motion and the hammer materialized in his hand. His brow shot up inquisitively, "It feels different."


    *beep*


    "I used the new materials that you picked from the settlement to add several unique perks to the weapon. Not only has its size been increased but you can also utilize internal energy in your attacks."


    "Hmmm."


    The Chaos Qi bubbled within his meridians and the power of the Lycan bloodline was pushed to its limits. His hands and feet became bigger, and bulkier with the added muscle mass.


    When Hao Xuan channeled some of the Chaos Qi into the hammer it was immediately absorbed by the metal parts. The entire top half began to expand and pull out making the base even wider.


    Its face doubled in size while streaks of blue lighting began to spark from the empty space between the ck stic and silver metals.


    The more Chaos Qi he poured into the hammer the more it absorbed until it was lightly humming of its own ord.


    "It feels like I am holding a thunderbolt in my hands. There is so much Qi charged into this little stick."


    "The weapon was redesigned especially for such an event. It can maintain an independent internal charge for close to five standard hours. With every strike, it can release a small amount of static charge which will be reabsorbed upon impact."


    "Are you saying it can recharge itself?"


    "Affirmative. As long as more than half of the energy reserves remain within the weapon, it will be able to rebuild the charge to maximum capacity through activebat with the help of a simple converter installed within the base of the weapon."


    "So as long as I keep swinging it won''tpletely run out of energy."


    "Only if the weapon''s internal reserves remain above 50%."


    "Then I just have to pace myself...although that''s easier said than done when I will be under attack from every possible direction."

 Chapter 1275 Dampener

    "But even if it all goes to shit, it would be an honor if this is where I was to be buried...where all of them rest."


    Hao Xuan tied the floodlight to his waist and swung the hammer a couple of times to get limated to its new size and weight.


    He stood at the edge of the refuge that was created by the light of all the Death Mold herbs and stared at the countless snarling maws just a few meters out.


    As many times as he had been in situations like this before there was no getting used to the feeling of impending doom.


    "It feels like the sky is going to fall on me."


    "It will if the host wastes any more time."


    "I know! I-This could very well be thest time I can breathe without some monster trying to rip me to pieces. I just wanted to drag this out for as long as possible. I would be lying if I said I wasn''t a little afraid."


    "Fear is the most primal human emotion, it is normal that the host feels this way. Would you prefer that the system remove the dampeners? Or provide a temporary boost?"


    "Remove dampeners? For what? And boost what?" Hao Xuan''s brow locked in a tight furrow.


    "The nanites can artificially trigger and maintain a state of constant ''heightened aggression'' by flooding the system with copious levels of adrenaline and dopamine. For an average person the aftereffects could prove to be detrimental but with the host''s physiology there should not be any problems," Baracus quickly exined before going silent but Hao Xuan did not let it go.


    "Okay...that exins the boost I guess but what did you mean by removing dampeners? What are you dampening exactly?"


    "The system concluded that repeated exposure to distressing experiences would weigh heavily on the host''s mind. As such, the serotonin levels have been artificially maintained."


    "You...made it so I can''t be sad?"


    "Negative. The system only maintains the appropriate levels of each chemical. Due to the toxicbination of the host''s bloodline and physique, emotional outbursts and random re-ups ur too often. If left unchecked the host could enter a berserk state with no way of turning back."


    "Hmm, so you''ve been doing me a favor by manipting my mood all this time, huh? And now you want to get me high enough that all I feel is anger and the desire to fight and kill?"


    "Essentially, yes."


    Hao Xuan shook his head in wonderment. Partly at how open and brazen Baracus was about everything and partly at his own ignorance for not seeing this earlier.


    ''Nidhora was right. He has been indirectly trying to control me by influencing my mood and emotional state. But to what end? I guess I''ll know if I get out of here.''


    After taking a moment to regain someposure by regting his breathing Hao Xuan gave the go-ahead, "Do it then. Show me what you can do."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Removing Dampeners]


    [Initiaiting Manual Override]


    As soon as he gave the word the nanites jumped to action. Hao Xuan could feel faint jolts of electricity running down his spine and when they stopped, something magical happened.


    His pupils widened and a red hue began to spread around his neck before dispersing to the rest of the body within seconds. Droplets of sweat squeezed out of his pores before being evaporated by the rising temperature.


    Each one of Hao Xuan''s muscles convulsed and flexed beyond what he could consciously control. Something that should have only happened in the final death throes was happening now.


    His bloodstream was overflowing with adrenaline to the point that the blood vessels were threatening to pop.


    Thisbined with the effects of the lycan bloodlinepletely pushed him over the limit.


    "ARGH!"


    Hao Xuan screamed from the deadlybination of anger and annoyance as waves of pain spread throughout his body.


    He had almost doubled in size. Almost every part of his body was disfigured and twisted into an ugly abomination but...it proved to be beneficial for the task at hand.


    With every breath the atmosphere vibrated around him creating meter-long gusts of searing hot air.


    At this point Hao Xuan could not stop himself even if he wanted to. His mind took him to every dark ce that he had been trying to avoid, but no more.


    "AAAAAH!"


    His roar created a shockwave that sent some of the weaker shadow beasts tumbling back. The ones that stood their ground found themselves to be standing in the path of a hammer that now looked like a stick inparison. Nheless, the power held within that slender weapon was nothing to scoff at.


    When the hammer came into contact with the first shadow beast the air sizzled before exploding in a puff of ck smoke.


    *BOOOOOM*


    Hao Xuan''s beastly figure cut through the hordes at a speed that was unmatched by any nearby.

 Chapter 1276 Just Werent

    ?


    The path was narrow and rtively straightforward. Almost every inch ofnd was covered by the hordes of shadow beasts so it didn''t really matter where he went from, the danger was everywhere.


    And since time was a great factor in his situation the shortest path forward would be the best one.


    With the floodlight hanging from his waist for dear life, Hao Xuan''s figure cut through the squirming ocean of darkness as the only source of light on this side of the world.


    Everything behind him was either slowly disintegrating from the increasingly unstable space or being torn apart from the pressure exerted by the colossal beast.


    Hao Xuan was moving faster than he could think. His body reacted first and then the realization followed secondster.


    ''Faster...faster...''


    The sounds of explosions disturbed the otherwise silent eternal night every few seconds.


    The ''barrier'' created by the floodlight was enough to keep 90% of the shadow beasts away since their bodies would start to burn the moment they came into contact with it. They immediately moved out of the way upon seeing Hao Xuan racing in their direction.


    But the remaining 10% had reached a level where they could maintain their forms even under direct light. These were the ones that had no qualms about exchanging a few blows with him.


    They might be weak but none of them were stupid. They knew very well that as long as Hao Xuan had the light to protect him there was nothing they could do to. So their only purpose in engaging with him was to slow him as much as possible and...they had seeded to a great degree.


    No matter how fast he was, some altercations were unavoidable since these shadow beasts refused to move out of the way and the only way forward was through them. But every time Hao Xuan swung the hammer it was bound to take a life.


    The rare few beasts that were either fast or lucky enough to survive the first hit came up against [Devour] since he did not hesitate to absorb every iota of energy back into his body.


    Even in his semi-frenzied state Hao Xuan knew how important it was to keep his internal energy above a certain threshold because the real battle would start when the floodlight would inevitably run dry. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Within just a couple of minutes he had traveled far enough that his light vanished behind the teeming hordes.


    The ''Death Mold'' spiritual herb that had initially stolen the floodlight from Hao Xuan plucked itself out of the ground roots and all, while staring in the direction he had gone off to.


    It looked back and forth between the mountain where it had spent all its life and towards the uncertain path forward.


    To this little herb there was nothing outside of the sanctuary until Hao Xuan came through. And meeting him ignited a new spark deep inside of it. It was feeling and realizing a lot of things for the first time, one of which was that it did not want to be here.


    It could not see or hear like a human but its sense of preservation was leagues ahead. It could feel an imminent danger in this ce and nothing could be done to stop it.


    It turned towards the other spiritual herbs and triedmunicating with them in a much more ''human'' way by using its leafy des to exin that this ce would soon cease to exist. But to them the concept of beginning or end was foreign.


    They just ''were'' until they weren''t.


    And that''s when it realized that it had begun walking a different path than the rest. It had be sapient, discerning of a great many other things outside of itself.


    epting its difference, it did not try and convince any of the others and instead went towards the exit. The shadow beasts that had previously been trying to force their way in with all their might were now nowhere to be seen. They had all followed after the brightest source of light that was none other than Hao Xuan.


    Its roots left the groundpletely allowing it to move on the surface like many of the other creatures. The only other beings it had seen aside from Hao Xuan were the shadow beasts so it took notes from them.


    Parts of its form shuddered and fell off until only four thick "legs" remained, identical to many of the four-legged shadow beasts. The leaves rolled up and were pulled into the stem making it take a weird shape. The motes of light that it naturally exuded were also put out when the leaves were pulled in.


    From afar it looked like a leek on four pudgy legs that were previously its roots. Just standing idly by was enough to make it sway back and forth like a drunkard.

 Chapter 1277 Slithering Shadow

    ?


    Stumbling and tumbling along the way as its legs moved forward one by one trying to get used to this new form, and within a few seconds it was galloping into the unknown following in Hao Xuan''s footsteps. It was pretty easy to see where he had gone because there was a trail of debris and limbs in his wake.


    But before it could get very far something caught its eye along the way.


    The ''Death Mold'' stopped beside a small crevice left behind from the recent fight. It was still filled with smoke due to the remnant heat but even through that, the herb was able to sense something strange in the center.


    It dropped down before gingerly making its way up to the spot. There was a small gaseous ck orb restingfortably in the deepest part. There was a swirling mass of darkness just inside the silky smooth surface of the orb.


    The herb obviously did not know what it was so one of its leaves reached out and grabbed it out of curiosity. It tried ying with it for a few minutes before the ground shook wildly and it was brought back to reality.


    The leaf rolled back up with the orb still nestled neatly within its embrace. It jumped out of the crevice before continuing on its way. It would stop every few tens of meters to check each crevice that held something simr.


    Thergest of the orbs was three centimeters in diameter while the smallest one was the size of a small marble.


    **


    Soon two hours had passed and by then Hao Xuan had covered a little over 40% of the total distance. This was an achievement to be sure considering it had taken him more than 4 hours to go half of the way over.


    But now the situation was about the chance. The battery of the floodlight was about to run out as it flickered continuously and now even the smaller shadow beasts were getting bolder by the second.


    There was also an increasing number of some truly unique beasts that he hadn''te across before. These ones were not only stronger, faster, and more intelligent but they were coordinating with one another in a way none of the others had managed to pull off.


    Despite these new hurdles Hao Xuan continued to move forward to the best of his abilities while tearing through their ranks. Because at the end of the day, it didn''t matter how clever they were, if they couldn''t even withstand one strike of his hammer then it was pointless.


    But that all changed when the floodlight flickered for thest time and darkness finally overtook him. Thanks to the Lycan bloodline he was still able to see vague outlines of the surrounding enemies and areas but that was it. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The only other time he could make anything out was when the hammer was being swung because it created sparks of static charge in the air around it. What he didn''t count on was the exaggerated aggressive nature of these beasts.


    The moment the light went out they all came pouring in all at once. Trampling one another in the process just to get a piece of him, without any regard for their own well-being.


    Despite the nanites working overtime Hao Xuan was starting to get pushed back. It wasn''t a matter of if he could keep moving but for how long. They were throwing themselves at him one after the other to the point that he couldn''t even find any stable footing.


    But there was more to it because they weren''t just trying to wear him out physically.


    Somewhere in the distance on the sidelines, there was a 7 to 8-meter-long silhouette creeping alongside Hao Xuan. Its actual appearance was shrouded in darkness to the point that no other nearby shadow beast could sense it.


    It moved in silence, undetected and unseen by all others. It did not even have a physical form most of the time but when it saw Hao Xuan struggling the top half of its body veered out of the shadows for a brief moment.


    His image reflected perfectly in its four glistening eyes that burned with a purple hue before abruptly turning upside down. A wave of psychic energy the likes of which he had never experienced before impacted his susceptible Mind Pce, shaking it to the very core.


    "AAH! FUCK OFF!"


    Suddenly pushed to the edge of his sanity by the unexpected and indefensible attack on his psyche, Hao Xuan channeled over 30% of his internal energy to unleash in a single attack. The hammer lit up like a Christmas tree as torrents of raw Chaos Energy ignited the air.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The ground shook and began to copse pulling in hundreds of shadow beasts at once and giving Hao Xuan a much-needed opportunity to break free from their ranks.

 Chapter 1278 Happy Thoughts

    ?


    He didn''t even have time to reabsorb the energy because even more of them were pouring in.


    Hao Xuan pushed against the crumbling ground and shot up into the air before, [BLINK!]


    He reappeared more than 30 meters away but it was still not enough to be out of the main horde so he used it for the second time with even more energy, [BLINK!]


    This time he managed to cover more than 110 meters in one ago tond swiftly to the side before shooting off towards the settlement at breakneck speed.


    But even though he was out of immediate danger everything was far from okay as the series of new notifications indicated.


    [WARNING!]


    [Potent Psychic Energy Mix Detected!]


    [Intracranial Bleeding Build-up Detected!]


    [Beginning Countermeasures...]


    Hao Xuan''s vision blurred to the point that he could not see anything at all other than the minimap which was being projected directly into his optical nerves. One side of his face started twitching and the other began to leak blood from every orifice but despite all of that, his speed did not diminish in the slightest.


    He recalled the hammer into the storage space and swiftly tapped on the pressure points along his neck, shoulder, and back to relieve some of the pressure. Using his sharpened ws he stabbed himself above his left ear to open a small hole that spurted out blood.


    And it was only after all that that Hao Xuan''s vision returned and he regained control of his facial muscles.


    "Taht wes...close," he slurringly remarked.


    [All Biological Systems Returning to Normal]


    A notification informed him right as Baracus spoke up.


    *Beep*


    "Chemical bnce must be reset. The Psychic attack has severely damaged the central nanite cluster."


    Hao Xuan''s body shape returned to its original form as the adrenaline high wore off and all the smaller inconveniences returned.


    He gave a solemn nod, "I know, I felt it. For a moment I thought I was dead because it looked like the walls wereing in. One of those damn monsters is really powerful, definitely at the level of a Profound Realm cultivator. It almost threw me in an illusion." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The system concurs."


    "I can still feel the aftereffects. If I stop concentrating for even a moment it will attack again," he nced left and right but could not see anything in the darkness, "It''s following behind me. I can''t see or sense it but that dreadful feeling has not gone away. It''s somewhere close by."


    Baracus calcted the distance and gave some more bad news.


    "The host has yet to reach the halfway mark. The internal Energy reserves currently sit at 41% and there is significantly reduced blood flow to the prefrontal cortex. This could hamper-"


    "You don''t have to give too many details, I know what it means. The other shadow beasts will soon catch up to me again and if I am surrounded one more time I don''t think I will be able to make it through. Not to mention this powerful beast is hiding somewhere nearby waiting for a chance to attack. The question is, what to do about it?"


    "The system has not found any alternatives. The host must reach the settlement no matter what the cost."


    "And how do I do that exactly? There is an army of them and one of me! At this speed I can maybe cover the remaining distance in three and a half hours but that''s only if nothing gets in my way."


    *GROAAAAAAAAAN*


    The earth shook and the sky trembled, followed closely by the sound of an outcry from the heavens as the entire right side of the world simply broke apart and fell into the abyss below.


    Hao Xuan''s tired eyes trailed the outline of the colossal beast that was almost a quarter of the way in.


    "Look at that...it looks like an elephant. A huge, gigantic, twisted, and misshapen elephant that could carry this entire world on its back. That thing will rip everything to pieces just by its mere presence."


    "That is why the host much reach the settlement before the entity fully materializes."


    Hao Xuan could onlyugh at the idea now. He was moving as fast as he could but it was pretty obvious how this was going to end.


    He would either be ripped into a million little pieces if he was lucky or be eaten alive after being chased like a dog for hours. Either way, it would not be a pretty sight.


    "Hey, why don''t I just run at that big thing and see what happens? Huh? It will be more fun than dying to these little pissants. At least I will have a cool story to tell when I see everyone again."


    Without even waiting for a response Hao Xuan''s speed began to fall little by little.


    "I mean...everything is trying to kill me no matter where I go. Why not make it easier for them? At least these guys don''t have any personal vendetta against me like Dai Zhi and the rest."

 Chapter 1279 System-Wide Disruption

    ?


    "Wouldn''t it be better that way?"


    His legs began to move slower and slower without him even recognizing it. He was lost in a stupor thanks to these hopeless circumstances. And if he didn''t hear what Baracus said then it might actually have worked.


    "...."


    "The system concurs. If the host thinks this is the best decision then so be it."


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to furrow as he ''came to'' thanks to the moment of realization.


    "You...agree with me?"


    "Affirmative."


    "About me wanting to basically kill myself. You think that''s a good idea?"


    "If the host believes so. I must abide by my master''s wishes."


    Hao Xuan suddenly plunged his fist into the ground toe to an abrupt halt. His gaze shifted back and forth in a mix of dumbfounded confusion and astonishment while his hearts pounded madly against his chest.


    "Ha...haha...when exactly did I fall for it? Was it when I first saw it? Was anything that I saw after that even real?"


    *BEEP*


    "Exnation required."


    But instead of exining what he meant Hao Xuan channeled all of the remaining Chaos Energy into his hand before mming it against his chest. The energy dissipated right as his hand impacted against his body while all the energy returned as if nothing had happened.


    Beads of sweat began pouring down the side of his face while his bright green eyes swiveled back and forth in contemtion.


    "Hey, Baracus...do you remember what I told you before about my right hand? That...it should be healed by now? I think I''m gonna try moving it now."


    Hao Xuan removed the bandages that were holding his otherwise lifeless arm in ce and unsurprisingly, it waspletely healed just like he stated. There wasn''t even a scar to indicate that something happened to begin with.


    But even though this was great news Hao Xuan was anything but happy. As ast-ditch effort, he spoke up again hoping with all his heart that the result would be different.


    "Baracus, can you take out the F-22 Raptor jet that I ordered you to make? I think I want to try flying it."


    "...."


    "Affirmative."


    The sound of metal nking came from the back and when Hao Xuan turned around there was an exact replica of the F-22 fighter jet that he had seen back on earth. He jumped andnded in the open cockpit. Everything was exactly as he remembered and as far as he could tell it was as real as himself.


    The only problem was that he had never ordered Baracus to make it. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Hao Xuan got out and started pacing back and forth even though he could hear the horde of Shadow Beasts getting closer by the second.


    "What do I do? Usually it breaks when the victim realizes that they are in an illusion but not this one. Just how powerful of an ability is it?"


    "Exnation required," Baracus asked again to finally get a response from the already incensed Hao Xuan.


    "Shut up, you''re not real! None of this is! I''m trapped in a goddamned illusion!"


    "The system does not understand."


    Hao Xuan''s fists balled up into fists as he unwittingly answered, "I never fucking asked you for the fighter jet, dipshit! My arm could not have been healed already but most importantly, you would never outright agree with anything that I say...especially if it''s something that stupid."


    "I am in an illusion created by the shadow beast thatunched that psychic atta- No, maybe there was never a psychic attack to begin with. Maybe I...I never even reached the ce Nidhora and the rest were buried in," all he could do was shake his head in dismay as doubt began to set in.


    "Just how much of it was a lie? I can''t tell anymore..."


    Hao Xuan had lost all fighting spirit in the span of a few seconds because he knew what this meant.


    Either he was more or less already dead and his mind was trapped in this illusion because there was nothing else to go back to or...that was going to be the case very soon.


    "I can''t catch a fucking break huh."


    Just as he was about to sit down a series of notifications shed in the corner of his eye.


    [Analysis Complete]


    [Inconsistencies Found: None]


    [ERROR]


    [Updating Contingency Parameters]


    *beep*


    "Handing over full authority to the host. System-wide disruption in process."


    "What the hell are you talking about? I already know what''s going on, there is no reason to keep up the ruse. Just stop it."


    Hao Xuan was already annoyed enough as it was without these pointless interruptions.


    [Central Matrix Powering Down]


    "HEY! Can you not hear me?! I don''t wanna see this shit okay? Just let me-" he began cursing at the sky before something clicked.

 Chapter 1280 Gaze Into The Star

    ?


    "There is no way the creature would know or even understand the concept of Baracus existing inside my body but still be independent of me. And if its ability is cast over an area rather than an individual person then Baracus would be pulled into the illusion with me!"


    Hao Xuan didn''t even remember which of the countless lifetimes he was pulling out all this information from but as long as it got the job done it didn''t matter. His mind was suddenly racing towards a theory that he currently knew nothing about.


    "Wait wait wait, let''s break this down one at a time," he started pacing back and forth while talking to himself,pletely lost in thought.


    "It can conjure things out of nothing to keep the ruse going. If it wanted to kill me then there could have been easier ways to go about it but that''s obviously not the case, it wants me or...rather my body for something else. That means it must keep my mind busy no matter what."


    "But every action...even just a thought takes energy that has toe from somewhere. Casting an illusion of this level that constantly evolves to cater to the target''s thoughts must require an astounding amount of spiritual energy to maintain and...most importantly, it cannot see inside the illusion. Otherwise, it would know that I was already aware of what was going on and then it would not just let me be."


    "So, multiple targets, cast over an area, constantly evolving but consuming copious amounts of energy, the illusion cannot break on its own and it cannot see what''s happening inside. Then.... it is pretty simple, isn''t it?"


    All the pieces of the puzzle came together at once and something clicked in his head as he looked at the sky jovially.


    "I just have to overload the illusion to the point that it''spletely exhausted its internal energy reserves and can''t keep it up anymore. Simple as that!"


    Hao Xuan''s lips cracked into a grin while his imagination ran wild.


    "Baracus, take out the tank toon I ordered you to create!"


    It didn''t even matter if Baracus could hear him or not, the illusion used Hao Xuan''s memories to provide everything he needed.


    Followed by the sound of engines whirring four massive tank units materialized behind him, primed and ready to attack.


    "Now the second toon!"


    "The troop carrier!"


    "The regiment of droids!"


    "THE OBSIDIAN ARMORY!"


    The world trembled momentarily at histest request before returning to normal a secondter. A whole building appeared out of nowhere and its doors mmed open.


    "Drios, arm yourselves!" he ordered and the humanoid men of steel came alive, marching just as he thought they would into the armory.


    Hao Xuan looked around but found no other signs of the illusion breaking.


    ''More...much more! Let''s see how long youst!''


    "Take out the naval battleship!"


    "The ss-1 Desecrator and the ss-2 Star Destroyer!" <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Both the ground and the air reverberated as all three ships materialized one by one.


    *BAAM*


    The naval battleship from earth mmed into the ground while the other two hovered in the air above. There were small white cracks beginning to appear in the far distance.


    ''Close but still not there...''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and delved deep into the memories of the other lifetimes before firing off another list.


    "The Oranian Battlecruisers."


    "The squadron of inteary peacekeepers."


    "The six golden Gun-Ships of the Kingdom of Brion!"


    "THE ENTIRE FLEET OF THE PIRATE KING CRIMSON HOOK!"


    *Craaaack*


    When he opened his eyes again the sky was in tatters. Large sections of it were disintegrating into nothingness.


    ''Onest push! Something big...something that doesn''t even make sense...something like-''


    An image suddenly appeared in Hao Xuan''s mind of a star-crossed shadow with an eye in the middle. Big enough to dwarf entires but nimble enough to move unaided. (Ch 1078)


    "I know it...I know you, I have seen your work. Did they bring you back...?"


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom He couldn''t recall its name. It surely had one, perhaps many throughout the ages but, right now, he couldn''t remember any of them. All he had was a fleeting image that was not getting any clearer. But it was enough, as long as he could see it in his head it would be so.


    "Come out," he whispered dryly. He was actually a little afraid that it might actually appear here even though that was not possible.


    *TREEEEEMBLE*


    The sky broke in half and from the other side Hao Xuan saw the same eye staring at him, directly at him.


    *CRAAACK*


    Everything began to turn blurry before breaking apart into countless minuscule pieces. Catching just a simple glimpse of something like that was enough to shatter the illusion in its entirety.


    Hao Xuan felt a gust of hot air on his face and awoke the next second unable to move.

 Chapter 1281 Spreadeagle

    ?


    He was spreadeagled andpletely immobilized, confined in a dark sludgy ce while being pushed and shoved from every direction simultaneously.


    Hao Xuan could feel thousands of thin slimy strings moving all over his body. And when he opened his mouth to speak, those hair-like protrusions tried to immediately crawl inside of him.


    "Mmmf!"


    ''Baracus!''


    [Central Matrix Offline]


    ''You useless trash, restart!''


    [Restart Unavable for 380 Standard Seconds]


    ''Kill yourself!''


    He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate but it wasn''t easy. Every single nerve ending on his body was being attacked by these hair-like threads and as a result of that Hao Xuan felt like he was being submerged in a vat of acid while being burned alive.


    It was a horrible sensation like no other. And if he wasn''t already ustomed to being subjected to such a high degree of pain at every other step then it might have proven fatal.


    But he pushed through and managed to send out two golden threads of Spiritual Sense that quickly created an image of his surroundings in his mind.


    Hao Xuan''s entire body ovepped with another- or rather, he was halfway inside a creature that took the rough shape of a human but was made mostly of long strips of scales being held together by countless ck extensions (strings).


    It did not have a mouth but the scales on its body had opened up halfway and the ck strings were pulling Hao Xuan into the creature. In fact, he was almost entirely inside the beast with only a small portion of his back still left uncovered. (Reference Image posted in Discord and in Authors Notes)


    The creature itself stood rooted to the spot and from the looks of it it wouldn''t be able to move even if it wanted to. But knowing that wasn''t very helpful given the current circumstances.


    ''It''s trying to digest me alive! The burning is from the acid in its body trying to break down my cells! If I can just-''


    Hao Xuan tried to move his arms and legs but they had beenpletely immobilized. Far too many of the ck strings had invaded his internal organs and they were cutting off allmunication between his brain and the rest of his body.


    ''-Just one hand, that''s all I need! I can feel how weak this thing really is. Casting the illusion must have drained it dry and now it can''t even move while it''s trying to digest me. Just one fucking arm and I can rip its head clean of-''


    *pop*


    A wave of intense pain shot through his spine as a small cluster of strings prated the base of his skull. The creature must have sensed that he was trying to fight back so it had doubled its efforts. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Hao Xuan felt nauseous and light-headed. All kinds of sounds and voices began echoing in his ears, events and people that he had neither had the time nor the luxury to think about for years now.


    "AAAH!"


    ''I-It went in! I can feel it poking inside my brain!''


    It was not much different from being plugged into aputer. The things he was feeling were very simr to events that had gone down within the undergroundb of the Sagax.


    The only difference was that instead of information being downloaded into his brain he could feel things being taken out one by one. And as they were leaving his brain he could see them ying out in reverse.


    From his earliest childhood memory to the death of his grandfather, from the first time he opened his eyes in the Beast World to thest time he saw the Khan family. All of it was being picked clean, one precious irreceable memory at a time.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes began to lose their luster the longer this went on. He wasn''t just losing his memories but parts of himself, parts that made him the wed man he was today.


    The strings pushed in deeper, from the most precious core memories to the ones thatnded him here, the ones rted to hisbat skills. And it was in one of these memories where his salvationy.


    Hao Xuan saw himself standing in front of an interface scrolling through a list of various techniques, scriptures, and battle manuals. He clicked on one and began reading through it, registering every other word that would normally be lost deep within his subconscious mind.


    "Heart-blood...god...summoning...999 arms...arms...arms..." (Ch 20)


    The one word that he had been stuck in his head kept repeating itself, jeering at him maliciously. It was there all along.


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg/564x/7a/9f/a7/7a9fa7979483dae3d63c4cd6eb14b4a4.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs/qJMbm

 Chapter 1282 Remembering The Past

    ?


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted as light returned to them for this one final battle. He gathered every morsel of Chaos Energy and channeled it towards the back, towards the only spot still untouched by the creature''s paralyzing powers.


    ''Wrath of...Deimos!''


    An audible gurgling sound could be heard from his body as the demonic ability greedily absorbed every fraction of internal energy in one go.


    For a very brief moment the silhouette of a gargantuan twisted figure materialized in the skies above but it evaporated with the sudden appearance of six fiendish arms that cut through the flesh on his back.


    It was extremely painful but not nearly as much as what the creature felt a momentter when all six arms grabbed its head.


    The strength of each individual arm was equivalent to whatever Hao Xuan could muster at his very best, which was excruciatingly dominating, to say the least. In physique alone he had surpassed the strength of any normal profound Realm cultivator so it couldn''tst for too long when six of those arms were pulling at its head from both sides.


    *Screeeeech*


    A high-pitched scream which was the culmination of tens of thousands of fleshy strings tearing apart at once echoed in the darkness. It tried to struggle but since most of its internal energy was already exhausted there wasn''t much it could do.


    The summoned arms dug into the creature''s head and pulled it apart straight down the middle. The countless other strings that were burrowing inside Hao Xuan''s flesh were also forced to retreat when the damage to the main body exceeded what it could handle.


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® It vomited Hao Xuan back into the world while still being covered in acidic paralyzing agents from head to toe.


    *GAAASP*


    Hao Xuan breathed a breath of fresh air after what felt like years while his body reeled from the pain, but his gaze remained locked on the beast. It was pulling itself away trying to retreat into the shadows and he knew that if it got away there was no way he could find it again.


    So despite being in a precarious situation himself he gave killing the creature a higher priority, even above his own safety. He could barely stand upright so giving chase was out of the question.


    Fortunately, [Wrath of Deimos] still had some juice left.


    Hao Xuan sent two of the six summoned arms shooting into the rocky surface to lift himself up into the air to move forward. The other four arms reached out to quickly grab a hold of the creature''s legs slithering legs.


    It wed, hissed, and spat poison at him but the arms blocked it. It was still putting up a fight after everything it had done to Hao Xuan which made him even angrier.


    "How dare...you...fight...back...!"


    He picked the creature up by its legs and began to rip the scales off by the handfuls. It let out high-pitched shrieks of agony but they only made him more viciously cruel and adamant in his endeavor. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Soon Hao Xuan was lost in the barbaric act and when he came to only the main body was left somewhat intact. It quivered and trembled at the slightest touch but now it wasn''t even able to run away.


    Two of the arms picked up the beast and held it up in front of his face.


    "How does that...feel? Not much different from...what I felt...I reckon. You should have...killed me quickly. A mistake I won''t dare make...with you."


    His left arm rose the very next moment, [Devour!]


    *SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH*


    It mustered all its remaining strength in a hail mary tounch a sound attack but its body was swiftly rolled up into a small ball and absorbed in its entirety secondster.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes to feel the depleted Chaos Energy return in spades, merrily running free through his meridians. His wounds were beginning to heal and he could already move on his own.


    *ng*


    But the sound of something heavy hitting the ground quickly brought him back to reality.


    Hao Xuan looked down to see a 6-inch wide ck ss Orb rolling on the ground. He bent down to pick it up and immediately felt an intense reaction.


    It was ice cold and gave off intense energy readings which reminded him of Nidhora.


    "This is a...core? The core of a Shadow Beast?"


    Without waiting for anything else to go wrong Hao Xuan quickly separated a few threads of Spiritual Sense and sent them tunneling deep into the orb.


    The experience was almost identical to what he had gone through when opening the demonic core with the only difference being that this was filled with cold Ying energy instead.


    ''It''s there! I can feel something swimming deep inside-"


    *p*p*p*

 Chapter 1283 Bearing Gifts

    ?


    The sound of fluttering wings forced him to cut the exploratory process short and refocus his attention on the situation outside.


    After hiding the orb in his inner shirt pocket Hao Xuan looked towards the source of the noise ready to fight but to his disbelief, a familiar little critter was the source of the sound.


    It was the Death Moss that had decided to follow after him from the sanctuary. It was leaping through the air with the help of tworge leaves on either side that not only kept it afloat but also sent its entire bulbous body hurling forward.


    It tried to stop in time but ended up face-nting a couple of meters in front of him.


    "O-oh...are you...okay...?"


    He didn''t even know if it could feel pain but the more important question was-


    "What are you doing here? And what happened to you?? Why do you look like that?"


    Its previously long and thin stem was now swollen to about five times the original size.


    The spiritual herb used the two leaves in ce of hands to get back on its roots very much like a toddler that had just learned how to walk. It even dusted itself off before waddling over to Hao Xuan and opening the top of its stem to reveal dozens of small ck orbs inside.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened from shock because he recognized them at first nce.


    "More cores! All of these are shadow beast cores! Where did you get so many of them?!"


    The herb pointed at Hao Xuan and then in the direction it hade from.


    "Me? I left them there?"


    It moved the leafy part of its stem up and down as a confirmation.


    Hao Xuan got back up on his feet to take a better look at his surroundings. He was surrounded by dozens of corpses that belonged to some of the weaker shadow beasts. There were holes and craters in the ground all over with his own energy dissipating from it.


    "So the fight really did take ce, it wasn''t all fabricated. That''s smart, mix reality with half-truths and you can save yourself a lot of headaches. And you are here," he said looking at the herb, "Then...that means the things I saw in there were real as well..." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There was some part of him hoping that maybe, just maybe this was all a part of the illusion and the Orcs were still alive somewhere out there. But that didn''t seem to be the case anymore.


    He looked over to the right to see the same colossal silhouette of the beast that was destroying this world bit by bit.


    "That''s real too but...it''s not as bad as in the illusion. There is still some time left before it gets there. So it used what was already in the surroundings and exaggerated it for its own benefit. By making me think the world was about to copse it left me no choice but to run out."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes momentarily to sense the changes inside of him. His internal energy reserves which were almost empty now hovered around 60%.


    "Huh...I would have thought devouring that beast would have given more energy but...I guess it all went into the core."


    This was by far thergest core he hade across so far.


    "Should I just ''open'' it here?" he muttered to himself.


    That along with all the dozens of smaller cores that the herb brought made Hao Xuan giddy just thinking about it. Each one of them would hold some kind of an ability that he could either absorb to make his own or use to strengthen the other ones.


    "At least some good came out of it but I don''t want to risk it here. This beast was at the level of a Profound Realm cultivator so maybe its core will be a little different. I''ll do it when I get back."


    He picked up the herb and threw it on his shoulder, "You stay there for now. Keep holding those cores for me. I can''t store them like normal so this is the only way."


    The herb appeared to understand exactly what Hao Xuan was saying since it ''nodded'' once again before sitting down on his shoulder and gently wrapping its leaves around his neck and arm for support.


    Hao Xuan canceled [Wrath of Deimos] since there was no need for it at the moment and went on his way.


    A few moments after he left a shadow beast with the appearance of a hyena walked out from somewhere nearby. It was shaking from head to toe while sniffing around the area where Hao Xuan had fought the beast.


    It found a few scraps of fleshy scales and started eating them one by one.

 Chapter 1284 Forty Eight Percent

    Upon swallowing one of therger scales that still had some of the ck strings attached to it the beast suddenly froze. Its body started twitching and thick veins began to pop up all along its neck and abdomen.


    The worm-like ck strings hade to life aftering into contact with a living organism and within a matter of seconds they hadpletely altered the original form of the creature.


    Its body size tripled causing the skin to rip into shreds and dozens of long threads burst out from its eyes, thrashing about in a frenzy. It was foaming at the mouth and whining from the pain but even that stopped a momentter when it roared loud enough to create a shockwave that sent tremors through the entire region.


    *ROAAAAAR~*


    Barely a minuteter the ground began to vibrate ever so lightly as hundreds of new shadow beasts poured in from every possible direction. This time there actually was an endless sea of them and not just an illusion.


    The ''Greater Shadow Beast'' had been killed by Hao Xuan but its bloodthirsty nature did not let it rest. It used thest of its power to summon every single shadow beast that was weaker than itself for one simple thing.


    *GRRRR*


    It clenched its jaw for onest time as its body suddenly expanded by over six times before finally exploding in a bloody mist. Hundreds of long strings shot out in every possible direction, piercing the flesh of all the nearby beasts and infecting them in the same way.


    Every fourth or fifth beast exploded in the same manner to spread the infectious parasitic worms even further but the ones that didn''t, they had their physical forms twisted beyond recognition.


    Their bodies doubled or tripled in size while their maws began leaking the same paralytic fluid as the original Greater Shadow Beast.


    Their minds werepletely overtaken by the will of the Greater Beast that wanted nothing but revenge.


    One by one they turned towards the direction Hao Xuan had run off to as if they could sense exactly where he was. When the first thousand or so beasts had gone through the physical alterations they came together to form the vanguard of this new beast army before setting off.


    **


    A few kilometers away Hao Xuan could feel the disturbance in the earth that was created when such arge number of creatures had begun charging in his direction.


    He looked back hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever wasing his way but his vision was still restricted to around 3-4 meters.


    "Tsk. Baracus, wake up already!"


    [Restart Avable in 96 Seconds]


    "I might not have 96 seconds god damnit! I''m running blind here, wake up right this second!"


    [Bypass Security Porotcol]


    [Yes or No]


    "YES! Holy fuck, yes!"


    [System Restart Initiated]


    [Central Matrix Online]


    Hao Xuan''s vision shed as the minimap popped back on. He shook his head upon seeing the path he was on and quickly corrected it by turning to the left. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I knew I was off but not by this much. Can you hear me now?"


    Followed by some static noise Baracus finally spoke up


    "Affirma- *crackle* -tive. All systems normal."


    "Good, run a scan and find out what''s the hell is following me."


    The minimap began to zoom out until the first few beasts could be seen teetering on the edge.


    "Okay, that''s not too bad," Hao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief which was cut short, "I can take care of them easily if they ever catch up to m- What the hell is THAT!?"


    The minimap zoomed out once more to reveal an ocean of red dots.


    "That''s....how many are those?!"


    "Seven thousand Six hundred and Forty-Four, and counting."


    "Okay...okay that''s still fine. They have to catch up to me first."


    "They will catch up to the host in approximately 25 standard minutes. And-"


    The minimap shifted upwards to reveal severalrger dots scattered along his path.


    "-There are some ahead. With some minor course adjustments the host can avoid 40% of the creatures ahead but be slowed by roughly 12%."


    "Absolutely not! I''d rather run through the ones in front of me than risk getting caught by the ones behind me. Just keep the scan running and let me know if anything changes."


    "That will consume an extra 7% of the avable energy reserves."


    "Do it. I can''t be running blind. How far am I from the settlement?"


    "Remaining Distance: 48%"


    "That''s confusing as fuck. How long will it take with my current speed?"


    "3 Standard hours and 21 Minutes."


    "So I will have to fight for at least 3 hours."


    "Approximately, yes."


    "Alright, I''ll try to absorb some of the beasts on the way to recover some more energy for when the ones behind me catch up. Prepare a sword for me, I want to try this ''Sword Scripture'' I remembered while breaking out of the illusion. I think it will be...helpful."

 Chapter 1285 16 Seconds

    ?


    Seven Standard Minutes Later


    "The sword is ready," Baracus informed.


    "Just in time, the second beast is right ahead."


    Hao Xuan made a grasping motion to take out the de. It was a little over 1.2 meters long with a simple and traditional design. The only thing that stood out was its bulky "fat" de almost 3 times wider.


    He paused momentarily when the second beast was less than 40 meters away.


    After taking a few deep breaths to regte his breathing Hao Xuan held the sword in front of his chest while trying to recall the memories from that specific lifetime.


    "First step....third step...fifth step...there are a total of Nine Steps in the Sword Scripture, I know that for sure but...Argh! I can''t recall any of them! And this sword feels dead, it doesn''t feel good to hold. I thought I was holding a corpse for a second."


    It was like trying to hold water with an open hand, all the memories were slipping right through him.


    Baracus''s internal circuits suddenly came to life along with a few red notifications that Hao Xuan could not see.


    [Kairotic Moment Attained!]


    [Nexus Memoryline Discovered]


    [Initiating Stage-2 of the Final Integration Process]


    *beep*


    "Would the host be open to a suggestion?"


    "That depends on what you suggest."


    "Perhaps recalling the start of the events will help in understanding thetter in more detail."


    "You want me to absorb the entire lifetime''s worth of memories?"


    "Yes."


    "I don''t know about that. That will take a lot of time and I''m not so sure it''s a good idea even outside of that."


    "The system can utilize the nanites to create a portable ''memory injection apparatus'' identical to the one that was used within the Progenitor''sboratory. The process would notst longer than 12-18 standard seconds per lifetime. All the memories will be properly organized and assorted ording to the timeline of events."


    "That is the optimal route. Otherwise you will have no option but to break through the beast horde with brute force."


    "...."


    "And what are the chances that I can make it out without doing that?"


    The notifications in red appeared in the background again for a brief second with: [27.8 Percent] before it was changed to a different, much smaller value.


    "0.0815 Percent"


    "So...none then."


    "Essentially. The apparatus has been prepared, you can begin at any time."


    Hao Xuan didn''t need to think about it for too long. Everything had beenid out in front of him. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''I don''t trust Baracus after what he did but it feels like this was meant to happen. And it can''t hurt to absorb the experiences of such a great warrior. If anything I should have done it sooner. At worse it will broaden my horizons even more.''


    "Fine, go ahead."


    After closing his eyes again Hao Xuan began to go down memoryne to the very beginning. And as he did so, an ethereal figure materialized behind him birthed from the chaotic energy of the falling world.


    It was a man in a shattered grey armor holding a broken sword. What little of his actual deformed body could be seen was enough to make even the most seasoned warriors turn away. (Around Ch 1073 I think)


    The man stared wordlessly at the back of Hao Xuan''s head for a moment before extending a hand. When it came into contact with his body he began shaking from head to toe.


    The roots of his hair started turning white one by one while the rest of his body was undergoing another series of changes.


    The man behind him grew faint with every passing second and by the end, thest bit of him was also pulled into Hao Xuan.


    At the same time, Hao Xuan himself was dropped head-first into the man''s memories. They were being ingrained into his mind as if they had always been his own.


    "AAAH!"


    With a shout and a yell Hao Xuan fell to his knees 16 secondster. He was covered in a thin film of sweat to the point that it gave him the appearance of being fished out of the water just seconds ago.


    He was breathing heavily while clutching his chest, muttering in an unknownnguage.


    "Urh . Ashi-qun...abeel. Kin bara...?"


    [Integration Sessful]


    [Running Full-Body Scan]


    [Muscle Loss Detected: 7.2%]


    [Bone Density Growth Detected: 4.1%]


    Hao Xuan rolled over and fell on his back weakly.


    "Kina tres...jabalon..."


    *beep*


    "Foreign Language Detected! The host must recall their mother tongue."


    "Mother...tongue?" Hao Xuan repeated, "Which one would...that be?"


    "Wee back. How are you feeling?"


    "Like I was born...30 seconds ago. I feel...different."


    [Internal Energy Reserves: 53%]


    "Blood sugar levels dangerously low."


    "And what...do you want me...to do about that? I have nothing left...to eat."


    "There is an organic creature less than 35 meters away. After dispatch, you can ce it within the storage space and the system can break it down for nutrients. It will not taste good but should be enough to create some emergency rations."

 Chapter 1286 Perfect Integration

    ?


    Softly shaking his head Hao Xuan whispered, "Food...is the least of my worries right now. The Sword Scripture isn''tplete! The Luna kingdom never had theplete scripture to begin with."


    "Someone taught the first 8 steps to the ''Founder'' who passed them down from one generation to the next. And if that wasn''t enough, each step is directly tied to the Sword Dao and requires rigorous training. Simply having the memories in my head won''t magically make everything happen. It will take time...a lot of time."


    Having finished his monologue Hao Xuan grabbed the sword and got back on his feet after a couple of failed attempts.


    "But at least...I can use the first step after a little bit of practice. It is the easiest one to get right since all it requires is a sound heart and repetition. Point me towards the closest beast..."


    **


    Twelve Standard Minutes Later


    Hao Xuan stood over the corpse of a horned shadow beast that resembled an Ox. He was covered in its blue blood trying to catch his breath.


    "Hah....hah...that was too close...forfort! It''s a simple technique but...needs to be done absolutely perfectly. Two steps forward and a downward swing, one step back followed by an upward swing, then four steps forward and one back followed by an over-the-shoulder swing that circles back into the downward swing...or maybe it''s not that simple. I need to keep trying."


    *beep*


    "The beast horde will reach your position in 150 standard seconds. Please ce the carcass in the storage space."


    "Yeah, hurry up...I''m getting lightheaded already."


    ***


    Forty Standard Minutes Later


    Hao Xuan was surrounded by Shadow Beasts from all sides. He was maneuvering well considering the tough situation and making good time but the longer he stayed here the worse it got since it gave even the slower beasts enough time to catch up.


    But he couldn''t just run past them either without expanding all his internal energy.


    Made fearless by the parasites of the ''Greater Shadow Beast'' they did not give him an inch. They did not care for themselves one bit because as long as they could bring harm to Hao Xuan their reason for existing would have been validated.


    "IF I CAN JUST...COMPLETE THE FIRST STEP! ARGH! HOW DO I DO THIS WITHOUT STOPPING?!"


    [DEVOUR!]


    *** <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Two Standard Hours Later


    Fighting under the imminent threat of death caused Hao Xuan to improve greatly. Every little mistake could prove to be fatal so he had to be attentive and careful of every step.


    This was akin to throwing a child that couldn''t swim into the deepest waters. If he wanted to live then the only option was to improve.


    All the wasted movements had to be eliminated early on since they not only slowed him down but created openings for the beasts. His movements became more fluid, effortlessly connecting with one another in the form of an elegant dance.


    And even though he wasn''t finished, the sword hade to life in Hao Xuan''s hand. It fell with reason and inspiration, taking the life of any who were slow enough to be caught in its rhythmic motions.


    He danced in between the beasts and on top of them. One second he was in one ce and the next in another. This was neither magic nor any special ability, simply the way of the de. The unexpected and sudden movements gave him the appearance of teleportation even though it was just a trick of the mind.


    But these extreme movements were never meant to be repeated in such a fashion. He was using too much internal energy, more than what he could absorb from the surroundings.


    "BARACUS! HOW LONG?!"


    "You are 82% of the way through. One more hour should be enough to reach the settlement."


    "NOT ENOUGH! I CAN''T-I NEED TO PERFECTLY INTEGRATE THE SWORD DAO TO DO THE FIRST STEP! I''M SO CLOSE!"


    ''I have to use it now, there''s no other choice!''


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes for an instant to channel a portion of the Chaos Qi towards his brain where it reached the clover-shaped pattern to make it bloom.


    [Temporal Waypoint Detected!]


    With a quick movement Hao Xuan pulled the sword close to his chest and channeled some Qi into it while activating the long-dormant Sword Dao.


    ''Resonance!''


    A colorless aura surrounded the de from all sides while a great deal of it leaked out into the surroundings. One of the beasts that was a little too close forfort swung at the dissipating aura in its state of madness and ripped its w to shreds.


    It shrieked from the pain because it was unlike anything it had felt before. It fell back crying and whimpering which was enough to not only break the effect of the parasite in its own body but also in the ones nearby.

 Chapter 1287 Stacking

    ?


    Hao Xuan could feel the sword shaking in his hand. It felt alive, happy and ecstatic upon seeing its enemy writhing in pain. And it wanted more, desired more bloodshed and death that was caused by it and it alone.


    And he was more than happy to oblige. The sword aura surrounding the de became sharper with every swing. Its reach also increased but Hao Xuan realized that it was fighting him for control.


    Rather than listen to him it was taking a life of its own and even trying to enforce its own will.


    And then everything around him began to slow down, eventually even himself. His vision suddenly shed with a blinding light and the very next second he found himself standing in a colorless shapeless world.


    In the front was a copy of him staring back. Its eyes were empty and soulless but Hao Xuan knew what it was.


    "You are the sword clone created by my Sword Dao? I knew this was a possibility but...I should be offended, right?" he mocked through gritted teeth.


    This kind of ''Sword Clone'' was created when a cultivator''s dao heart was not strong enough. The Sword Dao would see the cultivator as an obstacle rather than a lifelongpanion and as such, it would take it upon itself to challenge the cultivator to a duel for supremacy.


    If the ''sword intent'' lost then it wouldpletely submit to the cultivator. If the cultivator lost then the Sword Intent would take over his body and a new entity would be born. That would be a human with the heart and soul of a ''sword'' that only desired to be strong through bloodshed.


    In some ces it was also called a ''Sword Fiend''.


    Hao Xuan examined himself and as expected here he was in his best condition with both arms still intact. Everything he could do outside could be done in here, other than using any abilities or techniques not rted to the Dao of the Sword.


    Other than that this was a duel to the death.


    Hao Xuan chuckled lightheartedly, making the clone frown.


    "This is the first time I''ve caught a break in a very, VERY long time. And even though this is a p in the face I appreciate you giving me this opportunity. All I wanted was more time to practice but Lo and behold! The heavens have even given me a sparring partner"


    The sword clone stepped back in confusion. Something was off and even it could feel that after looking into Hao Xuan''s stony eyes.


    His previously cheerful countenance was abruptly reced by a cold air.


    "In myst lifetime I didn''t have the opportunity to face you, I was just...stronger. But this time I will take full advantage of it."


    Hao Xuan extended his hands and a longsword materialized in each one. He brought them together in front of his chest and they fused into one. The sword was pointing downward and when he released his grip it fell to the ground and disappeared inside.


    The clone took another step back as the pure white world was stained with the darkness of Hao Xuan''s de. It continuously expanded outwards in every direction but one. By the end, nearly half of the world was dyed ck.


    Hao Xuan slowly opened his arms and an ocean of des flew into the air to float motionlessly behind his back while waiting for orders, all pointing at the clone. With a grasping motion, one of the des immediately flew into his hand.


    "First Step-" <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ***


    Light returned to Hao Xuan''s eyes as time began to flow again. There was a streak of white in his hair now but it was his gaze that was should be the main focus.


    There was a quality of sharpness to it, a coldness that could not be put into words. Even without going through too many physical changes, he appeared more mature somehow.


    All of the colorless aura leaking from the de suddenly mobilized around it to form a tightly packed outeryer almost like a second skin.


    Hao Xuan brought the sword closer, holding it in front of his chest.


    "First Step-" he took one step forward, "-to rule the mortal realm!"


    His body shook just once.


    *SQUELCH!*


    And everything in front of him for thirty meters was immediately cut in half. The sword cracked and turned into dust a secondter.


    Hao Xuan pushed against the ground and used this opportunity to break free from the main horde.


    [Warning! Warning!]


    [Internal Energy Reserves at 11%]


    "I know," he groaned while covering his hand with a cloth.


    *beep*


    "You are bleeding profusely."


    "I said I know."


    The skin around the palm of Hao Xuan''s hand and in between his fingers waspletely blown off.


    "I practiced in there for too long. I didn''t know that a fraction of the damage would be reflected onto my real body. Eighteen million sword swings really stack up after a while."

 Chapter 1288 Hail Mary

    ?


    Another Five Minutes Later...


    Hao Xuan was constantly jumping over the beasts in his path while throwing a flurry of kicks when fighting was the only option. His only good hand was now also mangled beyond recognition due to the fight with the Sword Clone.


    *Beep*


    "Bone and muscle reconstruction is underway. The process will take close to 2 standard hours."


    He was breathing heavily since even with his superhuman physique Hao Xuan could notst indefinitely under constant pressure. And since a new wave of creatures wasing his way it was unlikely that would change anytime soon.


    He threw a roundhouse kick to the back of a humanoid shadow beast before dodging out of the way of the remaining beasts before replying.


    "I don''t know...what else to do," he muttered throughbored breaths, "There are no other tricks...left to pull. No hidden cards...I can''t keep this up for another hour."


    "The host will reach the settlement in 55 standard minutes."


    "No...I won''t. This is the end. I am out of energy and exhausted in every which way."


    "..."


    "The system agrees with that assessment."


    The minimap started zooming out until both the settlement and Hao Xuan were visible on the same screen but there were thousands of red dots along the way.


    "If you were trying to make me feel better...it did not work."


    "Negative. The scans reveal the location of every shadow beast with a physical presence. As you can see, they are all congregated along the route back. It appears that their efforts have been coordinated by an unknown entity."


    "Your point? It doesn''t matter what kind of beast is controlling them anymore, I can''t fight it either way."


    "Indeed. But if the host was to take a different route then it might give you some time to recuperate."


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to furrow while he thought it through.


    "You''re not wrong, it might work but...they will find me soon enough. It won''t be enough time for me to fully recover and I will only be more tired afterwards."


    "Affirmative. But that is not the goal."


    "Out with it, what do you want me to do?"


    "Absorb the core of the shadow beast. It might hold the answer to the host''s proverbial prayers."


    Hao Xuan looked over his shoulder to see the two silver leaves wound tightly around his arm. The Death Moss was hanging loosely from his back like a stick insect.


    "I forgot about that, you''re right it could work. Find me a ce that''s a little out of the way."


    *** <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ten Minutes Later...


    Hao Xuan was sitting cross-legged in a random hole in the ground looking at the projected map.


    All the red dots were scurrying around like chickens with their heads cut off but there were a few that were already moving in his rough direction.


    "They are definitely tracking me. And...I think I know how..."


    The core of the Greater Shadow beast wasying in hisp, surrounded by a thinyer of Chaos Energy.


    "They areing after the core, I can feel a faint connection to it."


    *beep*


    "Time is of the essence," Baracus reminded.


    "I know," Hao Xuan mumbled while closing his eyes.


    Three golden threads of Spiritual Sense extended towards the core, easily bypassing the shield of Chaos energy to enter the dark ocean of pure Yin energy within.


    They tunneled deeper and deeper inside the core. Hao Xuan felt like he was diving towards the bottom of the oceanpletely naked because the further down he went the colder it became.


    Then finally, after what felt like ages, his spiritual form stood in front of something solid. At first he thought it was a pair of serpentine eyes floating in the ocean of Yin energy but the more he looked the more its shape changed.


    He was seeing everything and anything he wanted to see. It was formless and shapeless until he looked at it.


    The threads of spiritual sense reached out and upon connecting with the shape-shifting object the core abruptly shattered.


    A wave of dark purple energy shot into Hao Xuan''s head and straight into the Mind Pce.


    Hao Xuan appeared in the Mind Pce following the disturbance just in time to see a bright purple insignia being etched at the bottom of the podium.


    The red insignia of the ability he got from the demon was at the very top while this one was on the opposite end. It was not onlyrger but the design itself was much moreplicated. Hao Xuan brushed his fingers across its smooth surface, "It looks like a butterfly."


    He pulled back his hand and opened his eyes in the outer world.


    "How long did that take Baracus?"


    *beep*


    "Approximately 7 minutes."


    "Good, not too long then. Now let me see what this thing can do."

 Chapter 1289 "Force" Bond

    ?


    Even Baracus was curious about it, "The system is interested in the functionality of each ability. Does the host instinctively know what the ability does?"


    Hao Xuan tilted his head to the side with a pondering expression, "Not really. I can feel it is there and have a general idea of what it is about, but nothing is certain until I use the ability myself. There is a sense of ''fullness'' when I think about it like there is more to discover. Let me use it and see for myself."


    All he had to do was think about it to activate the ability. It did not require spiritual energy to activate but there was a drain on his mental faculties. Using it for too long or overworking it would cause severe mental strain.


    The insignia on the podium came to life with the same dark purple lights following Hao Xuan''s thoughts.


    "Huh?"


    He inspected himself in confusion, "Did it work? I can feel it''s active but...nothing happened? Baracus, run a scan."


    "No changes detected."


    "What the hell is going on?"


    Hao Xuan stood up in hurry irritated at the thought of it, "Did I get scammed?! Or is this thing broken?"


    But then he noticed the strange movements of the ''Death Moss'' spiritual herb. It was standing in front of him bending left and right.


    "What''s wrong with you?" he asked suspiciously.


    But the herb could not ry its thoughts or...rather, it did not know how to interpret what was going on. It simply faced him with proverbial question marks popping over its head.


    "It''s not me...the ability does not affect me but others around me? But what did it do?"


    *beep*


    "The system cannot detect any changes either."


    "Maybe because you are connected to me? So it only affects others? But in what way?"


    "The system can create an autonomous recording device to observe the changes from an independent objective."


    "Yea that might work, do it."


    A few secondster Hao Xuan took out a small 2x2-inch square metal piece with a ss lens in the middle. He ced it in front of him and stood back.


    "Can you see it now?"


    "Negative. No changes detected."


    "But the herb is still acting the same."


    "Perhaps the ability does not work on inanimate objects." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "So I need a living being to experiment with? I don''t think the shadow beasts will be very happy about that."


    "There is already one such specimen here."


    "What...the herb?"


    "Yes. It is under the ability''s effect."


    "Yea, but it can''t tell me what''s going on, can it?"


    "The host can make a spiritual contract with the specimen andmunicate with it through the soul-bond."


    "!!!"


    "You''re right! But I have an even better idea."


    Hao Xuan canceled the ability and walked up to the herb. It stared in his direction in much the same manner as before, signaling that everything had returned to normal.


    "I know you can''t understand it but would you like toe with me?"


    He extended a hand while reciting the words for the soul contract. A white light apanied him and surrounded the Death Moss. It could notprehend what was happening since it wasn''t developed to such a degree yet but it could feel that Hao Xuan did not mean any harm.


    One of its young leaves unfurled from the stem and met him halfway, effectivelypleting the contract.


    Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and felt the changes inside of him. He could feel the herb''s presence as if it was a part of him, even sense what it was feeling to a degree like all the other soul bonds.


    "Okay, now let''s try this again."


    He backed away and activated the newly acquired ability before closing his eyes. Then he activated [Arbiter] on top of it to be able to see from the herb''s point of view. (Ch 1257)


    The Death Moss stared at him again in confusion and this time Hao Xuan could see exactly why.


    From the herb''s point of view Hao Xuan''s face was changing. Sometimes it looked like another person and sometimes he had leaves and branches growing out of them.


    When he canceled it his face returned to normal.


    There was something about watching it unfold from an external standpoint that quickly made him understand exactly what it was.


    "I think I get it now. This ability can change how others view me but it depends on THEIR understanding. The herb cannot distinguish between human and nt so my face was changing every second ording to its train of thought."


    *beep*


    "That would exin why neither the camera nor the scans could not detect any changes in the host''s physique. If the ability relies on its victim''s understanding then it would not work on inanimate objects."

 Chapter 1290 Shadow On The Wall

    ?


    "So it''s perception maniption," Hao Xuan mused, "For now I can only change my face but the Greater Shadow Beast was not only able to hide its entire body in in sight but even influence other things that I was seeing. And because it was basically created from my own thoughts it was THAT much harder to discover something had gone wrong."


    "Let''s just call it what it is then...[Umbra], a mere shadow on the wall."


    He looked over at the Death Moss with a glint in his eye. Its entire stem was bubbling and barely holding together from the dozens of lesser cores, "Although it''s pretty weak right now I can use the other cores to make it stronger and enhance its effects. Or I can use them to unlock other abilities of various shadow beasts."


    *beep*


    "Given the current circumstances, the system suggests the first option. It is unknown what kind of abilities the other cores hold and diluting the pool further would not do any good."


    Hao Xuan let out a resounding sigh, "I know, that was a joke. Of course I''m only going to upgrade this one."


    He quickly reached out and brushed its stem with the back of his hand, "It''s okay, you can let them out now."


    It understood what he meant and immediately vomited out all of the cores one by one. Hao Xuan started counting, "Five...twenty...there are forty-one total but some of them are very small. I don''t know how good they will be."


    He grabbed the smallest of the bunch which was the size of a young pearl and crushed it between his fingers. It popped like a bubble and all the surplus of Yin energy erupted onto his hands before being guided to the Mind Pce by the threads of Spiritual Sense.


    They were directly injected into the Umbra''s insignia which made it shine brightly.


    "That wasn''t enough but I expected that."


    He picked up the second one and did the same. Then the third and fourth cores which all together were finally enough to make the magic happen.


    The insignia dimmed again but this time it was a bit more pronounced.


    Hao Xuan activated [Umbra] and checked for the changes with the help of [Arbiter]. At first, it was the same as before because his facial features were constantly changing in the spiritual herb''s ''eyes'' but when he focused on his own thoughts they suddenly solidified.


    "It worked! I can control what others see when they look at me!" he rejoiced and continued experimenting a little more before realizing that wasn''t exactly the case.


    "Okay scratch that, rather than controlling what they see it''s more along the lines of telling them. It can''t be anything too oundish so it has to conform with the target''s own thoughts."


    Realizing that there was quite a lot of room for improvement Hao Xuan picked up all the remaining cores and started breaking them by the handful. It only took 15 minutes to assimte all of the Yin energy into [Umbra] and by the end its design had seen significant changes. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Hao Xuan entered the Mind Pce to see it firsthand. Not only was the insignia much moreplex but almost every little detail could be made out as if it was handcrafted.


    ''Let''s try this again...''


    He reached out and touched the insignia to activate it. It came to life with an array of different colors that shot straight into his eyes.


    "ARGH!"


    He screamed from the burning sensation that could be felt even in his physical form. Hao Xuan quickly exited the Mind Pce to see what was going on.


    *beep*


    "Minor physical transformation detected."


    "You sure it''s minor? Because I feel like my eyes are burning!" he mumbled through gritted teeth.


    With a flick of the wrist the hammer appeared in front of him. Bringing it closer, he used its glossy metal surface to see what was happening.


    From an initial nce nothing could be made out but when [Umbra] was activated the corneas of both eyes began to rip and split open forcing him to turn away from the intense pain while gritting his teeth.


    His eyes began to water and after ten seconds the pain slowly subsided.


    Hao Xuan took a few deep breaths before checking his eyes again. There was an X-shaped pattern created from the corneas being cut into 4 equal parts.


    He willed and the ability was canceled. Following that, the pattern also vanished and his eyes returned to normal.


    "So...this one is more like the ability I got from the Puer. It manifested a physical transformation in almost the exact way, only this one is in my eyes. At least...it doesn''t look too bad."


    He stored the hammer away and activated [Arbiter] first to see everything from the perspective of the Death Moss before activating [Umbra].

 Chapter 1291 Frons

    ?


    The X-shaped pattern appeared within Hao Xuan''s vision as [Umbra] was activated to its full effect for the first time.


    Hao Xuan felt a slight pressure building up behind his eyes but it was neither ufortable nor painful. He could even feel a faint aura surrounding him before extending outwards for several meters.


    At first he looked past the ''Death Moss'' to see how that affected it.


    Through [Arbiter] Hao Xuan could see himself turn into apletely different person, one that he had never seen before. It was just a mishmash of physical features that didn''t stand out in any way.


    The changes weren''t limited to his face anymore and shrouded the entire body from head to toe.


    Then Hao Xuan turned his back towards the Death Moss and to his surprise the changes remained.


    ''What if I channel it directly?''


    He turned back around to look directly at the herb. This time even the Death Moss was shocked as it started looking around in confusion because in its eyes Hao Xuan hadpletely vanished.


    He canceled the ability and ''reappeared'' in front of it.


    Baracus could tell the test was over so he immediately spoke up.


    *beep*


    "Results?"


    "It''s not bad. Still depends on the target''s mind but a lot more manageable now. If I use the ability like normal then an aura is released around me for several meters and anyone that is within its range will see the same general idea that I put out."


    "For example, I can say ''an ordinary person that does not stand out'' and the target''s mind will fill in the nks to rece me with their idea of an ordinary person. This is good because it doesn''t put a lot of strain on me and the chances of the target realizing something is wrong are almost zero because they are the ones recing me with an idea of their own creation."


    "There are two downsides to this. One, anyone that is not directly within the ability''s aura will not be as strongly affected and if their willpower or the power of observation is strong enough then they can realize that something is off."


    "And two, it won''t work on inanimate objects. So even the most simple talismans or arrays can pick it apart with ease. I think it should still work if the array is being controlled by a living being but I can''t be sure just yet." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Noted. Further testing is required, the system will set a reminder if an opportunity presents itself in the future. What is the ''abnormal'' way of using the ability?"


    "That...was an unexpected turn of events. If I focus my thoughts and use a lot more mental energy then I can ''erase'' my existence from the target''s mind. There is nothing more to it. You can say that the first method is more passive while the second one is a lot more intensive but in directbat, the second method will be more useful."


    "And I feel like if I can make [Umbra] even stronger then I could probably induce realistic hallucinations or illusions within the target''s mind but that would take a LOT of cores to aplish. It took 4 cores to break through to the second level of the ability and then 35 cores to break through to the 3rd Level."


    "It feels like for the 4th level alone it could even take more than a hundred cores to reach. But I''d rather get used to this first and learn to use it at will, maybe even incorporate it within one of the weapon arts to get the most out of it. The two forms will simply be called ''gazes'' from now on. The ''First Gaze'' will be the aura and the ''Second Gaze'' will be the vanishing act, make a note of that."


    "Entry created."


    [Ability name: Umbra]


    [Use - Perception Maniption]


    [First Gaze: Creates an aura of....]


    As ordered, Baracus quickly created the appropriate entries within his database for all of Hao Xuan''s newly acquired abilities.


    In the meantime, Hao Xuan picked up the spiritual herb that had helped him so much in just these few hours alone.


    "I might have already been dead if not for you, thank you."


    Several of its leaves unfurled to brush, poke and smack against Hao Xuan''s face inquisitively, making him chuckle in the process.


    "It won''t change anymore, I was just trying something. Do you have a name? It feels awkward referring to you as your species. How about...Frons? That''s what they call the healing herbs in some of the outer regions. Doesn''t really suit your persona but who knows, maybe you can live up to it one day, huh?"


    The light of the soul-bond suddenly illuminated the two of them as the name was assigned, giving another little present to Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 1292 Glad Tidings

    ?


    The pale white light surrounded Frons as the strength of the soul-bond intensified by several degrees. It was bright enough that Hao Xuan could not look directly at him.


    When the light receded a momentter Hao Xuan found himself holding an anthropomorphic creature. Frons still had ''his'' original form of a leek but now there was a very human-like pair of eyes, nose, and mouth on its stem.


    He was also twice his previous size and much heavier.


    "How...what was that?" he mumbled incredulously and to his surprise, Frons actually made a vague shrugging gesture with the help of his leaves.


    "You can understand me?!"


    A pondering expression crossed Frons ace as he thought about it for a second before nodding hesitantly. He was just as confused as Hao Xuan if not more.


    "I''ve never heard about a soul-bond leveling up when given a name. I guess you really are special in your own way, huh?"


    Frons''s chubby roots swayed back and forth merrily upon receiving thepliment. Two small baby leaves sprouted from its sides and with a light pop, fell into Hao Xuan''s hand.


    "What''s this??"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t find anything special about the leaves just from looking at them but when examined with the help of the threads of spiritual sense he could feel an extremely pure energy in them.


    Frons picked up one of the leaves and pointed at Hao Xuan''s mouth.


    "You want me to eat it?"


    Frons nodded in response.


    Although still a little cautious Hao Xuan took the leaf and ced it in his mouth. A wave of cool energy immediately passed through his body as the leaf melted into a bright green liquid.


    He couldn''t help but swallow it instinctively and when it reached his stomach the same energy exploded in a gentle shockwave.


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted to the size of pinholes as he felt the changes taking ce inside of him.


    *Beep*


    [Internal Energy Reserves at 140%]


    "Foreign energy particles detected. Unable to locate the source."


    *Cough*Cough*


    "I know the source," Hao Xuan muttered with half a smile, shocked at the gift Frons had given him.


    That one little leaf had not onlypletely refilled his internal energy but also left so much extra that he could waste it and still not run out. But perhaps even more amazing was the effect all this extra energy had on him. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He gently tapped against the ground and mmed head-first into the roof of the cave.


    "My body feels as light as a feather! It feels like I''mpletely weightless! How did you do this??"


    But Frons was as unaware as Hao Xuan if not even more. He was going off instinct and intuition with basically no knowledge about anything.


    "Okay okay, that''s fine either way. I''ll have to ''store'' you away now because it will get dangerous."


    Frons nodded weakly before rolling up into a white stick.


    "I guess it took some energy out of you, makes more sense."


    Hao Xuan stored him in his central meridian along with the second leaf.


    "For another time."


    It was like having a full spare battery at his disposal which could prove to be as precious as a life-saving treasure in the right situation.


    And with that, he was once again back on the thorny path to the settlement.


    **


    It didn''t take long for the shadow beasts to find him and slowly but surely the horde began to form around him again. But now things were much easier.


    With the help of all the excess energy Hao Xuan''s speed was unmatched for short periods of time. He realized that this energy could not be used constantly otherwise it would run out quickly so instead Hao Xuan only used it when he was surrounded from all sides.


    Thanks to [Umbra] more than half of the beasts couldn''t even find him when they were within the aura of the ''First Gaze'' but the other half that were being controlled by the remnant parasites of the Greater Shadow Beast were not affected by it.


    Their minds had already been twisted far beyond their limits so it made sense that nothing would work on them anymore apart from a hammer to the head.


    The remaining distance should have taken almost two hours to cover but because of the boost in speed, Hao Xuan reached the settlement in a little over 75 minutes. Unfortunately, that''s where the d tidings came to an end.


    He stood outside of the main gate looking at the tens of meters long stretch of missing walls to the side.


    Half of the floodlights were gone and the rest were on the verge of being put out by the coalescing mass of pitch-ck shadows trying to crawl up to them.


    "They broke in!?"


    *Beep*


    "Affirmative. Settlement integrity has beenpromised."

 Chapter 1293 The Reason

    ?


    Thatst word fell like thunder in Hao Xuan''s mind.


    "Compromised how?! Can I still make the gate??"


    "The host will need to find a four eight square meters area that has not previously been contaminated by the powers of the shadow world."


    "4 square meters isn''t too much, I should be able to find a couple of rooms like that," Hao Xuan muttered ignorantly before even seeing the conditions inside the settlement.


    The gate opened and he went inside, only toe face-to-face with a world shrouded in shadows. These were not like the shadow beasts he had fought along the way since their physical forms only seemed to manifest away from the light.


    Hao Xuan jumped on top of one of the nearby buildings and made his way around the entire settlement that way, avoiding all shadows scurrying around on the streets and structures below.


    It looked like they were corrupting everything they came into contact with, even the structures. The base of almost every building had already been imprinted with the energies of the shadow world. They had lost all color and were slowly bing one with the miasma that had been pouring in from the outside.


    Hao Xuan went into the tallest building he could find which only had three extra floors. The rooms inside were untouched by the miasma but when he inscribed the prime letters onto the wall to open the gateway the same thing happened.


    All the spiritual energy was forcefully dissipated by an invisible pressureing from somewhere outside.


    *BAM*


    A punchnded through the wall followed by Hao Xuan''s curses.


    "God damned this fucking ce! It''s not working here either. I think it''s not just about the section of space I''m trying to create the gateway in but also what it''s connected to. Because the first floor of this building has already been polluted, the connection to the world has basically been severed."


    *Beep*


    "Then the host needs to find an underground structure that has not been-"


    The answer came to Hao Xuan before Baracus even had the chance to finish the sentence, "The control room where Altron''s body was in! That should still be safe right?"


    "Theoretically, yes."


    Hao Xuan immediately jumped out of the window and to the roof of the neighboring building looking in the direction of the town center. He made his way over without wasting a second but when he got to thest row of buildings he had no choice but to stop. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The streets were filled to the brim with shadows. Hundreds of them packed in this small space like fish. There wasn''t even enough space for him to stand let alone fight.


    And if that wasn''t enough, they were all trying to get to the hatch that led towards the central control room so there was no way to ''sneak'' in there either.


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to knit in a tight furrow as he observed the scene that looked like it was taken straight out of a post-apocalyptic horror movie. They were banging their heads against the roads and pavements, trying to w their way in like mindless drones.


    There was only one thought on their mind, one reason they were here.


    "Baracus, why are they all trying to get to the control room?"


    "Unknown."


    "Do not lie to me!" he screamed.


    He quickly caught himself and pulled back from the ledge, not that any of the shadows would even notice him in their sorry states. Well, none other than the Orc skeleton that had broken the wall in the first ce.


    He was standing just behind the trapdoor watching the others try to break in when Hao Xuan''s voice carried over.


    He looked up and upon catching a glimpse of Hao Xuan''s silhouette the skeleton''s posture suddenly changed as a spark of pale blue light ignited in its empty eye sockets.


    Hao Xuan on the other hand was too busy to notice. His clenched fist wanted to punch a hole through something but the one causing him all annoyance did not have a physical form.


    "I know the god damn truth, don''t you fucking dare lie to me again, understand?!" he hissed through gritted teeth.


    "I know the Orcs did not start the wars, I know they didn''t betray me. It was the humans they had brought over that were the root of all problems but...what I don''t understand is why you would choose to lie and keep all this from me. Why? Is it because you think I''m too weak to handle this and would have a mental breakdown?"


    "Everything they did was on my orders. If I hadn''t left them here, if I hadn''t ordered them to bring them over then maybe....maybe none of this would have happened," his voice fell to a whisper.


    "I know it''s my fault they are all dead."

 Chapter 1294 A Sad End

    ?


    "I know and...now I ept it too. But I can''t change the past. All of their deaths will weigh heavily on my conscience for as long as I am alive, but all I can do now is move on and be better prepared the next time."


    Despite the grave situation he had found himself in, Hao Xuan still wanted toe to an amicable conclusion with Baracus if it was at all possible.


    "Please...just tell me the truth. Why are these shadows trying to get to the control room? Why did you lie to me?"


    There was a brief moment of silence between them and just when Hao Xuan was about to snap, Baracus spoke up.


    "The system reviewed the logfiles and deemed the events of this world too extreme for the host''s mental state. For that reason, an alternate timeline was created."


    "That''s fine, just tell me what really happened," Hao Xuan mumbled with a lowered head. He was prepared for the worst.


    Within Baracus''s internal mainframe, two more lines of red code shed by that were not revealed to Hao Xuan.


    [Focul Point Reached]


    [Implementing Paradigm Shift Measures]


    Following the hidden code, a new series of short videos were quickly disclosed to Hao Xuan. Most of these were surveince camera recordings while a few others were one-on-one interview-styled videos where the speaker was talking directly to the camera.


    It started from the date when thest of the humans from the other world were brought over and the gateway was closed for good.


    There were dozens of human leaders sitting across from Arthur and Malina having a heated discussion.


    There was no audio so Baracus took it upon himself to exin what was going on.


    "The humans banded together demanding to meet the host because the vast majority of them were told that the host was also a human and the Orcs were his servants."


    "They had doubts when told that their world was about to be destroyed and when the host did not appear at the scheduled time those doubts turned into the truth and things began to take a turn for the worse." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The next video showed the exact date when Hao Xuan was initially supposed to arrive. There were tens of thousands of people all gathered in various ces to watch the wee "ceremony".


    But obviously, Hao Xuan could not make it.


    "After that, most of the humans began harboring a general dislike for the Orcs and the rift between the two races grew. They thought the Orcs wanted to control them, to use them in their various nefarious rituals and the host was a figurehead that was manufactured to keep them under control."


    "Approximately 7 years after those events the gateway had to be closed because of the stark disparity within the flow of time aspared to the outside world. There were some problems with the workings of the gateway that could not be solved by anyone other than the host. That was the ''final straw'' thatpletely divided the races."


    "After the gateway was closed there was no way to bring in new resources while the poptions continued to grow exponentially. The human leaders wanted to return to their world and they did not believe that the gateway could not be reopened."


    "The Orcs persevered and even when greatly outnumbered they did not give in to the demands of the humans. This instigated the war that led to theplete devastation of this world shard."


    The videos continued to y in the background proving that everything Baracus was saying was more or less real.


    "The system had already implemented contingency ns for such an event and when the damages from the war surpassed the allowed limits, all insurgents needed to be neutralized."


    The video showed an army of droidsying waste to everything in their path. Cultivators, mortals, women, children, anything and anyone that did not look like an Orc was killed on sight.


    This particr video had no audio like all the rest but somehow Hao Xuan could hear their screams echoing in his mind. He saw himself in ce of those droids, burning and tearing through entire families without a second thought.


    Baracus continued, "But the damage was already done. The entity called ''Nidhora'' was unable to contain its power effectively and upon its demise the world was shrouded in darkness forevermore. Nothing grew since all thend was tainted."


    "With the resources dwindling the Orcs had to make some tough decisions. By sacrificing their own kind they limited the number of mouths to feed in hopes that the host would return before it was toote."


    "But even with that, they could only extend their lives for so long. After 75 standard years only the original 200 Orcs managed to survive but their natural lifespans were alsoing to an end. During theirst days they chose to venture towards the grave site of ''Nidhora'' and met their end in the hands of the shadow beasts."


    "The system had deemed their deaths unworthy of the host''s attention since it would only bring adverse side effects to the host''s mental state. That is why the heroic tale was created."

 Chapter 1295 Expiration

    ?


    Contrary to what Baracus was expecting Hao Xuan let out a heartyugh as soon as the videos came to an end.


    "Unworthy of my attention?? How dare YOU!! Heroic tale?? What was so heroic about that fucking tale? This one...the truth is far more ''heroic'' in my eyes!"


    He spat at the ground in disgust, "They did everything I asked for, and how were they rewarded? With slow and painful deaths, killing their own children and lovers while desperately hoping that I would save SOME of them before it was toote."


    When his thoughts reached this point something clicked inside Hao Xuan''s head and a wave of pleas came shooting into his ears. This was not his imagination.


    Baracus was ying back some of the audio logs of the Orcs pleading for a way out in theirst days.


    ''Master...can you hear me? Are you even real or were you made up like the humans said?''


    ''Why did you abandon us?! We gave up EVERYTHING for you and- I...I can''t go on like this...my baby...I just killed my baby...''


    ''I get it now...this is hell. We are already dead and this is our punishment for believing in a false god! DAMN YOU!''


    And amidst the cacophony of angry curses a gentle voice cut through. It was so distinctively familiar to Hao Xuan that he immediately remembered his face.


    ''Master...I don''t think you can make it in time,'' Arthur''s aged voice reverberated within Hao Xuan''s ears as if he was standing beside him, ''I have tried to live up to your expectations, to what I thought you would want me to be. I have lived a long and fulfilling life. Hell, I even have a- had a son...you would have liked him.''


    ''He was a great soldier and an even better leader...although a bitcking in faith. He always joked that we made you up because no humans like you could exist. I wish you could have met him in person. He had such a bright smile, the kind that would make you smile in return you know? He was a little angry at you by the end but I told him it''s not your fault...it really isn''t.''


    ''This will be myst entry. We have nothing keeping us here anymore. Ourst hope is to try and awaken Lady Nidhora but I fear it may be toote- no, I know it is....I have failed you master, can you ever forgive me? We were so close but things just fell apart one by one....maybe next time you know? Hahaha''


    Hao Xuan could see an old Arthur walking away from him. A full white beard, hunched back and even using a walking stick. This actually was a creation of his own mind. When he tried to grab him the old figure was washed away by a gust of wind.


    His extended hand balled up into a fist as all the sadness and despair turned into rage and fury. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Look, their entire race has perished because of the choices I made and he still doesn''t me me! The promise I made to the old king is broken and the vow I made to the rest is as useless as the ground I stand on. And it''s all because I thought it would be okay to leave them here. They were calling for me, praying that I would return like the God they made me out to be. But WHAT happened?!"


    His fangs grew to the point that they began to peek through the closed mouth while his tone became heavier.


    *beep*


    [Bood Pressure Exceeding Standard Range]


    "SHUT UP!" Hao Xuan roared, creating a shockwave with his powerful voice. His eyes began to change next. The more he lost control the more the lycan bloodline took over.


    "I try and try to keep it all down but every waking moment is more miserable than thest! TELL ME! Why are they trying to get to the control room?!"


    "...."


    "Because of the central matrix. It was an experimental design that utilized the unseen energies from beyond the veil without relying on the resources of this world. The ''Altron'' unit thought it could help solve their problems but-"


    "What.did.you.do?" Hao Xuan muttered word by word through gritted teeth.


    "There was an unprecedented side effect when the matrix was activated. Aside from the extra-ner energy it also pulled in all mortal souls that were trying to leave the world shard."


    Hao Xuan thought he had misheard Baracus so he asked again, "Are you...telling me that the souls of every single person that died in this world after the central matrix was activated are trapped inside of it?"


    "Affirmative. They must be able to sense it even after the expiration of their mortal forms."

 Chapter 1296 Coming To Pass

    ?


    "Their souls are...trapped here?" he repeated in a daze.


    Despite Baracus''s crude phrasing, Hao Xuan''s mind raced upon hearing thatst sentence.


    ''Will it work? Can I still save them somehow? What if I use the power of the constitution to transnt their souls into different bodies like I did with Ensis? Can''t I save all of them then? I have- NEED to try.''


    With his emotional state somewhat returning to normal the effects of the lycan bloodline began to slip back into the lifeblood.


    With just a tiny sliver of hope Hao Xuan had regained all of his mental fortitude in the blink of an eye. There was a new reason to continue, to keep going.


    "Maybe their sacrifices won''t be for nothing. I have to get in there, is there another way in?"


    "Negative. The only exit was located below the statue."


    "There has to be, think! A service entrance, an air duct, or something like that."


    Hao Xuan''s vision shed and the blueprints for the control room were pulled up for him to see. There were four differentyers all superimposed on one another.


    "What''s in this ce?" he pointed towards a small chamber beside the main control room. It was more than 20 meters away from it with only a narrow vent connecting the two.


    "A device that regtes and reuses the cooling liquid for the central matrix."


    "Why does it need a dedicated cooling device? How hot does it run normally? It looks like I could dig straight down and reach that chamber since it is under one of the buildings. From there I can crawl into the main chamber."


    "Without the cooling liquid, the internal temperature of the central matrix would exceed 4,500 Celsius in approximately 3 minutes and 40 seconds before reaching critical mass. The structural integrity will fail followed by a full system-wide failure within the next 30 seconds."


    "...."


    "What if I reconnect the cooling system before it reaches critical mass?"


    "As long as the structural integrity is notpromised it should be fine."


    "So I will have 3 minutes and 40 seconds to get it back up and running. That''s doable."


    Hao Xuan marked the exact building the cooling chamber was under and immediately jumped over to it. It was abandoned like all the others and since all the shadows were focused on breaking open the hatch, he was able to discreetly make his way to the basement level without getting noticed.


    Unfortunately, the peaceful working environment he was hoping for did notst for very long.


    Seconds after Hao Xuan had lept away the orc skeleton climbed up from the side of the building and followed after him without making a sound. It followed him down into the basement and watched from a safe distance as he tore open the concrete floor with his bare hands. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The light in its eyes became increasingly brighter the longer it stared at Hao Xuan. Its fingers twitched and the rest of its body became jittery as faint echoes of long-forgotten memories began to resurface within its mind.


    It remembered standing before the statue for the very first time that bore Hao Xuan''s exact likeness. ''He'' had just learned to walk when his father brought him to visit their ''master''.


    He could hear how much his father loved that figure and see that love manifest in his fervent gaze.


    ''You will meet him one day soon when we are ready. It is because of him that we can stand here today, breathe this fresh air and enjoy this beautiful scenery. He was a stranger but chose to be our savior even though it put him in a dangerous position.''


    ''You must remember your duty Lucious, never forget it for as long as you live.''


    "Lu...cious..." he tried to speak his name but the horse voice that crawled out of his gullet acted as a stark reminder of the events that followed after.


    Hundreds of years of suffering, decades of starvation, beseeching, and prayers that fell on deaf ears. It was all because of the man that stood across from him now.


    The light in his eyes swirled and turned darker until it could not be distinguished from the shadows that created him.


    He opened his decrepit maw and let loose a roar that shook the entire settlement. But it could not be heard by any of the weaker shadows.


    Hao Xuan paused mid-strike to look up with a frown.


    "Woah, what was that? Did you hear something just now?"


    *beep*


    "Negativ-"


    Baracus was about to answer when he was cut off by the row of automatic notifications.


    [Extraner Energy Source Detected]


    [Danger Close!]


    [Proximity Warning!]


    Hao Xuan jumped out of the hole just in time to see a skeleton manifest out of the shadows.

 Chapter 1297 Moment Of Retribution

    ?


    He didn''t even wait for the skeleton to manifest all the way before throwing a punch with nearly all his strength behind it. The air moaned and the space lightly rippled as it went straight through the skeleton as if it wasn''t even there.


    At the same time the skeleton swung his way but Hao Xuan weaved out of its path. Unfortunately, the air pressure created by theirbined attacks sucked him in right as the second bony fist came at his face.


    Hao Xuan pulled back as much as he could but there was no way to avoid itpletely. So he channeled some chaos Qi into his arm to create a shield that could absorb the damage.


    The skeletal fistnded and the shield of Chaos Qi burst apart as it was made from paper. It continued forward and mmed into Hao Xuan''s chest with almost half its previous strength.


    With gritted teeth Hao Xuan braced for impact. The fist made contact with a burning sensation and the force behind it was strong enough to m him into the ground with a loud bang.


    If it was just this much then Hao Xuan wouldn''t have been too fazed but it was the apanying yin energy of the shadow realm that was far more destructive by its very nature.


    It passed through his skin and bones unimpeded and exploded inside his chest like a grenade. Hao Xuan managed to minimize the damage by bringing together a few motes of Chaos energy right at the end to block it but what little slipped through was enough to damage almost 10% of internal organs.


    Blood shot out of his mouth but Hao Xuan was unfazed as he swung around to send an upper kick through its body.


    But just like thest time it passed through the skeleton without doing any damage. Hao Xuan realized what was going on and immediately backflipped out of its range.


    "I CAN''T HIT IT! I pass through it every time!"


    *beep*


    "Must be the entity''s ability."


    "No, it''s not an ability its just not there. It''s an iplete shadow without a physical form. It used the Yin energy to forcefully manifest its fist to punch me but when I tried to attack it just phased through it."


    "How can one fight a being that does not exist in this reality?"


    Hao Xuan spat out a mouthful of blood, "I can try and attack when it''s attacking, the timing would have to be absolutely perfect for it to work. I can''t get distracted by-"


    Before he could finish the sentence two more identical skeletons manifested around the first one. Then another four and another ten. Before he knew it almost all of the 30-meter square basement was littered with skeletons of all sizes and shapes.


    Some were so small that he had to squint to see them clearly while the others belonged to full-grown adults. They had surrounded him from all sides.


    "I could have dealt with one but this many...it''s impossible." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Hao Xuan''s face fell upon examining the feature of his enemies a little better. That was perhaps an even bigger shock because he realized that they belonged to the Orcen race.


    "Why are you- I AM TRYING TO HELP YOU! I CAN STILL FIX IT! DON''T STAND IN MY WAY!" he roared frustratingly not expecting an answer but surprisingly the first skeleton that had attacked him actually spoke up.


    "Liar...deceiver..."


    "You can understand me?!" Hao Xuan mumbled in astonishment, "L-Listen to me, my name is Hao Xuan. I was supposed toe here a long time ago but I was stopped. What matters is that I am here now and there is a chance I can still help. Just let me get to the control room and I-"


    The skeleton stomped on the ground creating a 2-meter-wide hole.


    "se...god! Souls...our souls...you...DEMON!"


    ''Does he think I stole their souls??''


    Seeing the look of disbelief on Hao Xuan''s face sent the skeleton over the edge. In its eyes, he was still acting innocent...as if this wasn''t his n all along. It lunged at him with everything it could muster.


    And following their leader''s example all the other skeletons attacked as well.


    Hao Xuan activated [Blink] to get out of the way but his body reappeared just a few inches away. The entire space had been locked down by the power of theirbined attacks.


    He tried to break the ceiling of the upper floor and escape through there but there were fistsing out of there too. There was nowhere left to go.


    Time slowed to a crawl as the moment of retribution drew close. Usually around this time something woulde to him, some kind of a risky idea to turn the situation around but that wasn''t the case anymore.


    And to his surprise, all the fear and panic were somehow washed away.


    ''Maybe this is how it should be. Dying at the hands of my victims...what could be more deserving?''


    His heart was at peace. He had tried everything but nothing worked so all he could do was ept his fate.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes leaving himselfpletely open. It would be over with the first strike.

 Chapter 1298 This Is The Way

    ?


    But like so many times before, the fate he was waiting for did note true.


    The moment Lucious crossed the boundary and entered his shadow''s range the world was turned upside down.


    Hao Xuan''s shadow exploded into exactly two hundred fragments, each taking shape and physical form to manifest between the skeletons and Hao Xuan and blocking every single fist that came his way.


    Hao Xuan felt the coldness from the rampant Yin energy wash over him but nothing else changed. He opened his eyes to the four familiar backs of Arthur, Malina, v, and Gamil all standing around him in perfect formation. (Mentioned around Ch 918-924)


    And it wasn''t just them, he recognized a lot of the others too because they still had their previous appearances. A little older than he remembered but it was still the same kids he had left here not too long ago.


    They were surrounded by the same shimmering pale blue and white lights that the ''Death Moss'' spiritual herbs were giving off.


    An overwhelming sense of shame and guilt washed over him when he saw their ethereal figures being connected to his shadow. He could feel a faint connection to them thanks to the power of the ''Soul Severing Heavenly constitution'' but it was getting weaker by the second.


    They must have been with him ever since he came into contact with them on the way to meet Nidhora and only chose to reveal themselves now because they knew he would die otherwise. (Ch 1268 - Prickling)


    Even back then Arthur had even tried to warn him not to go.


    He reached out with a trembling hand, "A-Arthur...everyone...you were here-"


    ''You must go back!'' two hundred voices sounded within his mind as one, ''We will protect, it is our duty.''


    "IT''S NOT! I CAN SAVE YOU!" he roared back anxiously, "Your souls will perish if you keep this up, go back, that''s an order!''


    Arthur, who was blocking the attack of the first skeleton looked back at him with a smile, ''I taught him better than this but the long years must have twisted his mind. It is a parent''s duty to educate their children, please allow me this opportunity, master.''


    Wide-eyed, Hao Xuan looked at him and then at the skeleton in disbelief.


    "That''s...Lucious?"


    Arthur nodded with a heavy heart, ''A part of him, only the bad part. They were all imprisoned in the shadow realm for centuries....we all were until you came. When you destroy the device their souls will be freed and they can move on.''


    Hao Xuan realized that since the original two hundred Orcs were severed by him their souls could not be absorbed by the central matrix and so they wandered thends even after death. That''s how all those Death Moss herbs were born since they were unable to move on without his permission.


    Meanwhile, all of their descendent''s souls were absorbed into the central matrix and they lingered because of that. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But if I destroy the device and you are not protected by my powers then all of you will be washed away too! That is true death!"


    They were mere souls and shadows without the protection of their physical forms. It would be impossible for them to survive the st on their own.


    But Arthur was unfazed, how could he not be? They all knew this was going to happen.


    ''This is the way,'' he replied as a matter of factly, and the rest repeated in unison.


    ''This is the way,'' x199


    "AAAAAAAAHHH!" Lucious let out an ear-piercing roar that brought their conversation to a halt.


    He pulled back and got ready to strike again like all the other skeletons.


    ''There is no more time. We will hold them off!''


    With theirbined powers a barrier was erected around Hao Xuan thatpletely blocked him off from the outside world.


    His heart wanted to order them to stand down but his rational mind knew this was the only way. Only with their protection would he be able to safely dig his way down and enter the main chamber without polluting it with the essence of the shadow realm.


    With gritted teeth Hao Xuan turned around and began tearing the ground apart. It was pointless to stand here thinking about it and wasting the opportunity they had given him.


    Without getting distracted it only took him a little over a minute to reach the side chamber. He pulled out the tubes connecting the cooling device to the main chamber and crawled through the vent and reached the main chamber without any issues.


    The ground shook and dust fell from the ceiling as the fight between the original two hundred and the rest reached its apex.


    *beep*


    [Connection to the Central Matrix Established]


    [Prepearing Download]


    [Standby...]

 Chapter 1299 Gearing Up

    A shockwave passed through the mountain waking Grey from his nap.


    *Neigh!*


    Both his heads bobbed up and down in confusion when he couldn''t feel Hao Xuan''s presence anywhere but then a second shockwave followed suit and a dusty figure came shooting out of the mountain.


    Grey quickly got out of the way and prepared to attack but when he felt that familiar energy reaching out to him he immediately calmed down.


    Hao Xuan pulled himself out of the mountainside before patting himself dry from the sticky purple mes that covered his chest. He threw up a mouthful of the same purple liquid.


    *Cough*Cough*


    "T-That...barely worked...what even...was that monster?"


    *Cough*


    *beep*


    "It seemed to be attracted to your energy during the transition. There are no know records of such an entity in any official records within the database."


    "Well...it doesn''t matter anymore, I have more pressing matters to attend to," Hao Xuan mumbled looking at the ocean of ck clouds overhead, "This ce is as gloomy as I left it. How long was I gone for?"


    "Approximately 24 standard minutes."


    Grey walked up to Hao Xuan and lowered one of his heads. Hao Xuan grabbed a hold of him and stood up with his help, "Thank you."


    *Neigh*


    He leaned next to him and took a couple of deep breaths.


    "Did you get everything you could from the control room?"


    "Affirmative."


    "And the central matrix?"


    "Without the cont it is impossible for the matrix not to overheat. Given the disparity within the flow of time, the host will be able to feel the connection cut off within the next 7 standard minutes."


    Hao Xuan gave a weak nod, "Then I''ll wait..." and walked over to the side and sat down. He couldn''t focus on anything until this was done.


    Time trickled by as slowly as it possibly could, making the next few minutes seem like an eternity. Hao Xuan was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed,pletely focused on the power of the Constitution. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And just as Baracus had said it came through right on time.


    Hao Xuan felt the connection sever to all of the Orcs in one go. Their souls were wiped away with no chance of ever being reborn.


    He clutched his chest with a pained expression, "It hurts more than I thought it would. It feels like I''ve lost countless little parts of me."


    But the pain subsided and the emptiness onlysted a few more minutes before he got used to it, making it difficult to even feel the difort anymore.


    But that didn''t mean all his guilt was washed away. In fact, thinking of thest battle where Arthur and the others had to fight the twisted remnants of their own loved ones made it feel like a dagger was plunged into his heart.


    "Even then-" he caught himself on the verge of losing control again and quickly let out another deep breath, "Patience, breathing....focus. Later, I promise to pay for itter."


    He stood up just as Baaracus spoke up about their future.


    *beep*


    "What does the host n to do now?"


    Hao Xuan thought about it for a moment, "I have wasted too much time. Ma Jiang and Zhurong need my help but the army I was hoping for doesn''t exist. I need information first, maybe I can find a way to sneak in with the help of [Umbra] and get them out without even getting into a fight."


    "The system will continue scanning for any humanoid lifeforms. But interrogation techniques are known to be tricky and require-"


    "I''m not torturing anyone. Not to mention the time it would take to find someone that would actually know their whereabouts. I''ll go to the camp Wern mentioned in the ruins, maybe one of the survivors knows where it is."


    That was the only thing he could pin his hopes on now.


    Hao Xuan jumped on Grey''s back and gave him the directions to follow. He was extra careful not to make too much noise because of all the demons crawling around but that made travelling slow and arduous.


    What should havested for just a couple of minutes ended up taking close to half an hour. Hao Xuan jumped off and recalled Grey to rest upon reaching the entrance of the ruins.


    "Too many demons crawling around everywhere. Most of them are not even that strong, maybe Wern was right about the hatching pits."


    *beep*


    "Perhaps it would be a good idea to kill a few of them for a chance to find more demonic cores. Strengthening your abilities before running into the enemy''s camp would be beneficial even if it takes longer."


    "That depends on where Feng Huang is hiding. If it''s not too far then I don''t mind gearing up a little beforehand."

 Chapter 1300 Eating And Efing

    ?


    Hao Xuan followed along the exact path he had walked thest time to pass through the illusion array that was created by the World Spirit and reached the remains of the house that led to the underground tunnel system.


    He paused momentarily to inspect the ground. His eyes lit up as Hao Xuan sniffed the air.


    "They tried to hide it but too many people have passed through here, I can smell their anxiety and fear. If the illusion array wasn''t keeping this ce hidden they would have been dead by now from the demon hordes," he mumbled under his breath but a voice responded from the shadows ahead.


    "You can smell their fear?"


    "!!!"


    "Who''s there?!"


    Hao Xuan jumped back out of instinct before recognizing the speaker. And then like a warm ray of sunshine that familiar figure walked out with a smile.


    "You''rete to the party," Jin Wang jokingly replied.


    Hao Xuan lowered his fist and responded with a radiant smile, "Holy fucking shit you''re alive! Never thought I''d be so happy to see you again!"


    He walked forward with wide strides and gave him half a bear hug but quickly backed away with a deep frown as soon as he felt something was off.


    "What''s...wrong with you? There is something...not okay."


    Jin Wang seemed genuinely surprised that he was able to tell that much from just a casual hug. But he still lifted his shirt to reveal an injury shaped like a spiderweb. There was a fist print in the middle of his abdomen but cracks around it were not actually on his flesh.


    Instead, it looked like there was ss shattering around that fist print.


    Hao Xuan squinted hard and bent down to inspect it closer. When he tried to touch the cracks his hand passed right through them.


    "What the hell even is that? I have never seen anything like it. Is that an illusion?"


    Jin Wang let out a deep sigh, "I wish. It''s kind of a seal that is constantly sapping away my energy. The cracks are not on this body but on another. They are just being reflected here."


    Hao Xuan straightened his back with an even deeper frown than before.


    "You have two bodies?" he asked suspiciously, staring into his eyes.


    "Yeah," but Jin Wang admitted it right away, "It''s not that umon. A lot of Gods and higher species have several forms."


    "What, you a god now motherfucker?" Hao Xuan sneered at the very idea but then a sudden bout of deja vu struck him like a hammer.


    "Wait, have we had this conversation before? I swear I asked you this before..."


    Jin Wang''s expression turned solemn for a brief moment but he hid it before Hao Xuan could notice. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Maybe. Too much shit has happened thesest few days, I can''t remember who said what."


    "Whatever, who did that to you? Let''s go fuck him up after," Hao Xuan teased but Jin Wang was unnaturally serious.


    He turned around and started walking away, replying after a few steps, "Who else? The Abysswalker."


    Hao Xuan froze momentarily upon hearing the name.


    "You...fought him?"


    "Nah, wasn''t much of a fight. It was over before I could even get started. He had locked the entire ce down so I couldn''t even summon my true form if I wanted to...not that it would have made a difference considering the shape of this ce."


    "O-Oi, where are you going?" Hao Xuan called out just as Jin Wang''s figure disappeared behind a broken-down house.


    ''Come,'' his voice rang in Hao Xuan''s head a secondter forcing him to trail behind. When he turned the corner the scenery suddenly changed.


    A row of tents appeared out of nowhere followed by several other figures. Jin Wang was waiting for him.


    "The World Spirit made this space for the survivors. There''s not much food or water left but at least it''s safe...for now."


    Hao Xuan looked around as they made their way through the campsite but couldn''t recognize any of the dirt-ridden bandaged faces that were staring back at him.


    "Did the...did any of us survive?"


    "The cultivators? A handful. That Wern kid went out a little while ago, the others you can meet in thest camp."


    Hushed whispers began spreading among them as Hao Xuan and Jin Wang walked through the site. They were trying to be discreet but he could hear everything as clear as day.


    "Is that him?"


    "Yeah. Look at him all neat and clean. Coming back here like nothing ever happened."


    "He''s a coward through and through. You can even see the bits of food hanging from his clothes, I bet he just ate too."


    "What else would he be doing in hiding?"


    "Heh, probably fucking his witch whore and eating whatever is left of our supplies."


    "They''re all the same, they killed us."

 Chapter 1301 Marked For Life

    ?


    The more he heard the disgusting vile things the survivors had to say the deeper Hao Xuan''s frown became.


    "The hell is wrong with these people? Why are they making me out to be the viin all of a sudden?"


    But Jin Wang shook his head amusingly, "It''s not that sudden. Your name has been thrown around a lot."


    "Why? By whom?"


    "Everyone. Both Princess Inara and Princess Helena held you in high regard. They were waiting for you toe back and maybe find a way to fix things but...well, you know it didn''t end that way."


    He suddenly paused mid-stride making Hao Xuan bump into him. With a deep breath he turned on his heels to face him.


    "This is the after-story, my friend. This is what happens when the hero fails in their quest to save the kingdom. These people are already lost, you need to focus on the future now. When you go to meet the emperor leave all this behind. It will only hold you back."


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say so for a few seconds he only stared back at him wordlessly.


    "I didn''t...I don''t-"


    "In here," Jin Wang abruptly stepped aside to reveal thest tent, "Meet me by the entrance once you are done. There isn''t much time left."


    And then without waiting for a response he walked off and disappeared behind the rows of tents.


    Hao Xuan stood rooted to the ground for almost a whole minute while digesting what Jin Wang had just said...and he agreed.


    "He''s right. The city is gone and most of the people are already dead. I thought I could pull it off somehow but the opportunity is long gone. Just my luck, can''t even have a decent ending, eh?" he whispered to himself before stepping inside.


    There were two figures waiting for him, both very familiar to Hao Xuan but only one of them came as quite a surprise.


    Hao Xuan almost gasped, "Henrik?! I-Is that really you?!"


    He was sitting on a chair with a nket covering his legs looking at him with a pale face.


    "I thought you were poisoned, how-" he stepped forward to wee him with a hug but noticed his odd demeanor.


    The other figure stood up and came forward to meet Hao Xuan, patting him on the shoulder.


    "I''m afraid that''s not a possibility anymore."


    Hao Xuan looked at him with a questioning gaze, "You''re Rhisiat, right? I remember you. What''s wrong with Henrik?"


    "The poison. Even though Lady Hazel had managed to remove most of it, the toll it took on his body was too much."


    He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the saliva dripping from Henrik''s mouth. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "He can only control his eyes. Even talking is impossible so standing up, well you can imagine," he said lifting the nket to reveal a pair of bone-dry twigs.


    Those couldn''t even be called legs.


    "Fucking hell, I''m sorry I had no idea-"


    ''How could you, you weren''t here,'' Henrik''s voice echoed inside Hao Xuan''s head, ''This is all I can manage.''


    "...."


    A few minutester Hao Xuan met back with Jin Wang by the entrance.


    "Done talking?"


    "You could have warned me about his condition," Hao Xuan muttered with a lowered head.


    "Sometimes seeing is better. It wasn''t your fault either way so no need to be concerned about it. Did you find out everything you needed to?" Jin Wang replied cooly.


    Hao Xuan rubbed his forehead worriedly, "Yeah. I didn''t know about the ship being destroyed too. Ryfon and everyone else...so many people were on it. Is no one elseing to help?"


    But Jin Wang did not share the same concerns as he shook his head nonchntly before replying.


    "Not that we know off, not officially. Something big happened back in the beast world so everything is up in the air. I''m sure they will send someone sooner orter, whenever they remember."


    "So only you, Henrik, and Rhisiat are here. Once I bring Ma Jiang and Ceni back I can get us back to the beast world. I will open a portal."


    Jin Wang looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if he had heard something impossible, "A portal? To the beast world?"


    "Yeah, I can do it."


    "You sure about that? The sr system is heavily destabilized and polluted with all kinds of energies."


    "It''s not a normal portal. As long as this ce is safe I can open it, don''t worry," Hao Xuan reassured but to Jin Wang it meant nothing.


    "I''m not worried...I can''t leave anyway."


    "What? The hell are you saying?!"


    He patted his stomach, "I''ve been marked remember? The Abysswalker will find me if I don''t have the protection of the World Spirit. She is blocking it right now otherwise he would have already appeared here."

 Chapter 1302 Hands And Knees

    ?


    "So what...you''ll spend the rest of your life in this ce?"


    "Only until I can find a solution or a way to hide it. I''m working on something but it will take a few months if not years," Jin Wang replied as if he was talking about someone else.


    And his casual indifference left Hao Xuan wondering if there was more to it.


    "And that''s okay with you?"


    "Of course not," Jin Wang chuckled, "But I had already made my choice when I first came to see you. Worrying about it does nothing-"


    He suddenly paused as if something important hade back to him and met Hao Xuan''s gaze, "That little squid guy of yours, did you try to contact him?"


    "Squid guy? Fortis you mean?" Hao Xuan confirmed with a raised eyebrow, "What about him?"


    "Can you...find where he is?"


    "No, I tried earlier but he was out of reach. Why do you ask?"


    "I think...I''m not sure but I think the Abysswalker took him."


    "!!!!"


    "WHAT?!"


    "Shh, keep your voice down, these people are already on edge as it is," Jin Wang grabbed Hao Xuan by the shoulder and pulled him around the corner, where the surroundings changed once again to a giant destitute cavern with no one else in sight.


    Hao Xuan pulled himself away, "Let go, what the fuck you mean the Abysswalker took him?!"


    With a heavy sigh, Jin Wang recalled the events of their ''fight''.


    "When he found me I wasn''t alone. There were a lot of people nearby including that little octopus guy and for some reason, the Abysswalker was interested in him because he kept looking at him curiously. It was like he recognized him from somewhere. And when it was over I noticed that the octopus was missing too."


    "No one has seen him since then. I tried a few locator spells but nothing worked. It would exin why if the Abysswalker has him."


    Hao Xuan went silent for a brief moment, "Where the fuck is he? The Abysswalker?"


    Jin Wang shrugged, "No idea. I know a lot of their people have already left the. The ones that remain are either stuck here or have another way out. That bald-headed kid and almost everyone else from the Temple left too."


    "Fuck me, more and more shit keeps getting piled on at every juncture," Hao Xuan cursed while punching the air. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jin Wang hesitated for a moment before patting him on the shoulder with a conflicted look, "The emperor...he might have answers."


    "ANSWERS?!" Hao Xuan spun around on his heels pping his hand away, "Do you even know what they fucking want from me?! That motherfucker is at war with a Demon King and has pulled me into their shitshow. Either he or Maymun has been behind everything, trying to manipte me to do whatever the fuck they want but...no more. I won''t do anything they ask!"


    *Sigh*


    "It''s not that simple. Do you really think they will just let you go after all this time and effort? Especially the Emper-"


    Jin Wang froze mid-sentence before awkwardly pulling his hand back.


    "What? What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing, never mind. Forget I said anything at all. Go do your thing, I''ll be here when you''re done. You said you needed the location where Princess Ceni and that Ma Jiang girl were behind held right?"


    "...."


    "Yeah...? Did I already ask that?"


    But instead of answering Jin Wang pulled out a round stone from his pocket and chucked it over to him. There was a circle and someplicated symbols etched on either side of it.


    "This is a map, it will lead you to them. Channel some Qi into it and it will reveal-"


    "Yea I know how it works," Hao Xuan cut him off with a suspicious gaze, "When did you have the time to prepare this?"


    "Does it fucking matter? You wanna save them or not?!"


    "....You''re right. Thanks for this, I''ll be back soon."


    Hao Xuan turned around to walk behind the corner and disappeared immediately.


    Jin Wang''s balled-up fist rxed as he shook his head weakly while mumbling to himself, "What are you nning now? Haven''t you done enough already? You heard him, there is no way he will do anything you want."


    With a bright sh of white light an ethereal figure materialized behind him. Jin Wang turned around to face him, "Just leave him alone, enough blood has been spilled already."


    "He wille to me of his ord," a stern voice echoed within the cavern, "It has already been done. He will get down on his hands and knees to beg for my help, for another chance. And in return for all that he is, was, and ever will be, I will grant him his wish."


    "HIS wish?! Don''t make me fuckingugh!" Jin Wang spat at the figure''s feet.

 Chapter 1303 Worth The Price?

    ?


    "You lie, manipte and distort the truth to bend people to your twisted will. I passed him your maps but this was thest time, I will not allow him to fall for your tricks again. He will get to know the whole truth the next time we meet..."


    ***


    Hao Xuan walked out of the illusion array surrounding the ruins and quickly summoned Grey while pouring some Qi into the stone disk to activate the map. Time was of the essence so Zhurong and Ma Jiang came first.


    The rays of blue and red light came out of the inscriptions on the stone disk to create a full 3D virtual map in front of him.


    "It''s not that far," Hao Xuan happily muttered, "We can be there in less than ten minutes."


    He was about to put the disk away but changed his mind at thest second and decided to check the other map too. Following the same method, the lights illuminated a second area but it shared a lot of simrities to the first one.


    "Wait a second," he opened the other one at the same time and noticed that most of the areas were ovepping, "They are located around the same mountain! The ce where Ceni is being kept is muchrger so it has to be the size of a small city and if I''m not wrong, that would be their main base."


    "This other one is a very secluded spot around the back of the mountain. This is where Feng Huang should be. With some luck there might even be a path connecting the two so I can just enter the city afterwards without much trouble."


    *beep*


    "Will host be visiting the hatching pits before venturing into the enemy''s camp?"


    "No, not enough time," Hao Xuan immediately shook his head while peering into the distance, "I can barely feel Zhurong anymore, he can''tst much longer. We must hurry!"


    He jumped on Grey''s back and passed on the directions while channeling a good ten percent of his internal energy over for the journey, "As fast you can, no need to hide your presence until we are close."


    *Neigh* x2


    The Chaos energy rampaged through Grey''s body in a blind frenzy.


    The green word of power underneath Grey''s hooves lit up as he pushed against the ground to propel him forward at breakneck speed. They broke through the sound barrier with a defeating boom before doubling their speed secondster once again.


    Since Hao Xuan had finally allowed him to run free Grey stopped holding back altogether and used every iota of strength at his disposal.


    The ground split into two while the nearby trees were pulled out by their roots from the immense air pressure.


    Even Hao Xuan had to lower his head as much as possible and hold Grey close in a bear hug when the surrounding pressure became too much to handle, not to mention the heat.


    The surroundings turned into a blur just as the automatic warnings came flooding in. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Temperature Exceeding Nominal Limits]


    [Anatomical eleration Surpassing Physique Restrictions]


    [Physical Deterioration Expected in 40 Standard Seconds]


    [Current Speed: 6215 Km/h]


    ''GREY, SLOW DOWN!'' he ordered through spiritual sense but the words fell on deaf ears.


    Grey was far too engrossed in the moment to pay attention to anything else. All Hao Xuan could do was grit his teeth and wait, which wasn''t very long.


    Less than 30 secondster he began to deelerate before slowinging to a full stop. All six of his legs buckled simultaneously and Grey fell to the ground while panting heavily.


    Hao Xuan jumped off ready to throw a few well-deserved curses at him but immediately changed his mind upon seeing Grey''s dire condition.


    Veins were protruding from underneath his skin while bloody red mists were snorted out with every breath. Hao Xuan ced his hand over Grey''s abdomen and sent in the spiritual threads for a more detailed inspection.


    *beep*


    Even Baracus spoke up after a quick scan, "Several abnormalities detected within the equine subject''s bloodstream."


    "Yeah I know, there is damage to his muscles and many internal organs. Tsk, it was the chaos energy! It boosted his strength and speed beyond limits but at a great cost," brushing his hand through grey''s mane he apologized, "I''m sorry, I didn''t know it would be this bad. Go back and rest, I''ve got this now."


    He was too tired to even respond so Hao Xuan quickly recalled him back within the main meridian where he would be bathed in the purest spiritual energy before it was converted into Chaos Qi.


    The ten-minute-long journey had barelysted for a minute which was great.


    "At least something good came out of it," Hao Xuan mumbled while examining the surroundings.


    He was in a barren mountainous region surrounded by peaks on all sides. Taking out the stone disk he opened the map again to check his exact location.


    "Should be just over that hill," he mumbled looking straight ahead.

 Chapter 1304 Vital Knowledge

    ?


    Hao Xuan walked over with measured steps and slowly peaked over the hill to check out the mountain in question.


    It must have been thergest mountain within a thousand kilometers at some point but now that it had been shaved, cut, and drilled into in so many ces it lookedpletely different.


    The city where Princess Ceni was being held was carved into the mountain from the inside out, creating an exhaustive spiral maze that trailed up and down. The lower half was covered with thousands of people walking about like ants while the upper half was mostly deserted.


    The structures here were bigger, more grand, and extravagant in every way imaginable aspared to the lower levels. There were even rows upon rows of all kinds of rare spiritual herbs nted along the sides.


    "He''s made it his home. I can feel the overflowing spiritual energy being extracted from the mountain all the way here," Hao Xuan urately determined, "The lower levels must house the natives and low-born cultivators while the upper levels should be reserved for those elites that Dai Zhi values the most. The ce Ceni was being held should be somewhere deep inside in the lower levels, it didn''t match the aesthetics of the top half."


    [Initial Scans Concluded]


    "What did you find?" Hao Xuan questioned upon seeing the notification pop up on the top left.


    *beep*


    "The mountain is hollow. There is an extensive system of vents and ducts going from the depths of the mountain all the way to the top. These vents are carrying pure Yang energy and distributing it through each of the levels."


    "There is only one mountain pass that opens up into the city but it is covered by numerous detection arrays and killing formations."


    Hao Xuan craned his neck to the left to see the ce Baracus was talking about. There was a single 10-meter-wide road snaking through the barren and rocky region. There were no ces to hide or to take shelter anywhere along the way, not that it would help in any shape or form because every 150 meters there was a checkpoint.


    "I could sneak in if it was just people but there are too many arrays in the way. They would detect me within the first few hundred meters. What''s the alternative?"


    "Here, along the back," Baracus pointed towards the rear of the mountain which waspletely empty, "There is a single passage at the lowest point that leads straight into the main duct system."


    Hao Xuan frowned, "Just like that? No guards or anything?"


    "Negative. There are sixteen human guards positioned throughout the area but that is not of concern to the host. The system has picked up another four hundred unidentified entities roaming the area." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What do you mean unidentified? You can''t tell if they are people or not?"


    "Affirmative. They do not possess any indicators of traditional carbon-based lifeforms."


    Hao Xuan''s mind raced with countless ideas before stopping at one.


    "Pure Yang energy being extracted from the mountain,ck of human guards but a small army of other non-organic lifeforms. Do they have a spiritual signature?"


    "Affirmative."


    "All on the same wavelength as the Yang Energy?"


    [Calcting...]


    "Affirmative."


    "Then it can only be one thing, fire spirits. They are born around concentrated sources of pure energy after a set amount of time. They are nothing more than rabid creatures that attack anything that is remotely different from them, that is until they gain consciousness after roaming thends for several decades and umting enough experiences."


    "I am guessing these spirits are not that old. They must be released around the back of the mountain on purpose as another defensive measure. The 16 human guards should all be at the peak of Spirit Realm to be able to hide their presence or maybe they have an innate talent for Yang-type energies which is why they are able to move around without getting harmed by the spirits."


    "This is good!" Hao Xuan eximed while getting back on his feet, "The fire spirits are violent by nature but they also exude high levels of raw yang energy which makes it impossible for any protection arrays or other inanimate defensive measures to be put in ce."


    "And since Feng Huang is also a beast created from the purest Yang energy he has to be somewhere nearby. The ce I saw Zhurong in was also underground, a massive cave covered in mes. That has to be at the center of the mountain. I will go there and crawl up the ducts to enter the city. This is perfect!"


    The more Hao Xuan talked the more things started to make sense since all the pieces of the puzzle came together one by one. The knowledge from various other lifetimes had begun to y a vital role without even him realizing it.

 Chapter 1305 Dead As Dead Can Be

    ?


    Even with his vague sense of time Hao Xuan knew every second was important.


    ''I am not as prepared as I should be but there is no choice. I''ll have to figure it out as it happens.''


    He went around the back of the mountain chain to avoid the few sentries overseeing much of thendscape. With his speed it only took a couple of extra minutes before he reached the intended destination.


    The base of the main mountain was all rock and slurry that had been created as a result of the extensive construction taking ce at the top.


    Hao Xuan covered his nose and mouth while holding his breath even before the automatic warnings kicked in.


    [Warning!]


    [High Levels of Ammonia and Methane Gasses Detected!]


    [Unknown Energy Detected!]


    He wobbled and almost lost his bnce when the full brunt of the nauseating smells hit him like a truck. He had topletely turn off his olfactory sense to be able to still control the other senses.


    All the different gasses and energies mixed together to create a thick dark green miasma that covered most of the ground.


    "This stench...it reminds me of the old battlefields. But why her-"


    He didn''t even have to finish the sentence before the answer was revealed to him in much a gruesome manner. With his next step the ''ground'' caved in and followed by a squelching sound, ck and green liquid sshed all over his clothes.


    Hao Xuan quickly pulled back and waved his hand around to push the miasma aside to see what he had stepped into.


    It was a torso. An adult human male''s torso with no other limbs or extremities attached to it. There was a giant hole in the middle where his foot had gone through.


    "No this- is it all-"


    Hao Xuan channeled some Qi towards his hand and pushed forward to immediately clear a ten-meter area in front of him. When the miasma receded all the horrors it was covering were brought out into the pale moonlight.


    Dozens of bodies and limbs poked out of the ground just in this small patch ofnd, each one belonging to a different person entirely.


    *urk*


    He gagged and almost threw up at the sight of it. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "This is...where they dumped all the corpses. It''s all Yin and Corpse energy. They- What kind of monsters-" the words got stuck in his throat when a familiar face caught his attention.


    He stumbled closer in a daze, clumsily trying to dig out the rest of the corpse but apart from the head there wasn''t anything else there. It rested in his hand, much smaller than he remembered. But then again he was just a little boy, how big could his head be? (Ch 1027)


    "At...?" a dry murmur escaped Hao Xuan''s lips.


    He remembered the boy''s name, they had met not too long ago. It was his desire to save his sister and repeated ''prayers'' that had managed to reach Hao Xuan even when he was all but lost in the darkness beyond the veil.


    Hao Xuan had left him with the healers within the city before leaving, promising toe back in time to mend both his and his sister''s injuries. And now here he was.


    The same dirt-ridden face staring at him from beyond the grave, a solemn reminder that not all promises can be kept.


    "He doesn''t look scared," Hao Xuan muttered under his breath.


    *beep*


    "The system does not corr-"


    "He is dead. He must have known he was going to die but look...his face, there is no emotion," he exined while staring unblinkingly at the severed head, "I wonder just how much suffering would a soul have to go through to be so numb to it."


    Baracus obviously did not know what to say so he chose to keep silent.


    Hao Xuan burned the image of At''s dposing face into his memory so he would never ever forget it beforeying it to rest.


    He closed his eyes and tried to cover with some of the mud but it slipped dripped down his face.


    "Damnit," he cursed through gritted teeth, "I will avenge you, all of you. Whether it takes a month, a year, or a century, I will ruin their lives if it is thest thing I do."


    He said a quick prayer before vanishing into the miasma.


    A few secondster At''s eyelids swung open and turned in the direction Hao Xuan had disappeared in. Tendrils of miasma reached out from every direction and bore into his mouth, nose, and ears.


    The tendrils then began to extend out in every direction and slowly pulled in different limbs and torsos that would be suitable for him. His face was expressionless throughout, dead as dead can be.

 Chapter 1306 Accompanied

    ?


    Hao Xuan had barely walked a few meters when the horrifying sounds started to pour in.


    *Craaaack*


    *Squeelch*


    "Ahhhh!"


    He paused and looked back to catch a glimpse of a silhouette crawling through the miasma.


    "Baracus, can you see that? Do you hear those screams?" he asked uncertainly.


    *Beep*


    In the background the sensors were picking up everything that was happening around Hao Xuan but that was not the answer he got.


    "Negative."


    "...You don''t hear those howling screams?"


    "Negative. Perhaps the miasma has hallucinogenic properties."


    "No...it must be in my head then," he muttered while taking onest look at the corpses trying to w their way out.


    He turned away with a solemn expression, "y something. Drown out these noises," and started moving deeper into the miasma.


    [Searching Records...]


    "There is a recording of a ''poem'' saved within the recent downloads, from the individual named Arthur."


    "Arthur?! He wrote a poem? y it..."


    Arthur''s voice came through, thankfully pushing all other sounds to the back of his mind. This must have been at ater stage in his life judging from his aged voice.


    ''I am a little drenched in this rain of life,


    A little parched from the heat of her tests.


    I am looking for a shadow to rest under,


    From the difficulties that keeping my way,'' the first verse went.


    Hao Xuan''s steps slowed but didn''t stop, "Maybe the screams were better off. This just-"


    Baracus didn''t wait for him and continued ying the next verse as he traversed the mounds of corpses.


    ''I am a flickering candle under the skirt of a hurricane,


    And you are a wandering stranger from another world, what would you know of my troubles?'' <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Only then he stopped to ask for confirmation, "Should the system find another piece?"


    "No, it''s fine. If I don''t listen to him then who will? Keep ying."


    Apanied by the voice of a long-deadrade Hao Xuan crawled up the mountainside and reached the area where all the fire spirits were.


    As their name suggested they did not have a physical form just yet. They held vague humanoid figures shaped by the thoughts and fire energy around them. Without an enemy to fight they simply roamed the area aimlessly. (Reference Image posted in Author''s notes and in discord)


    Hovering just half a meter above ground they gave off so much light that it illuminated the entire area for hundreds of meters. Many of them did not even have feet and were floating ethereal figures skating on the raw Yang Energy.


    One of the fire spirits that was closest to the edge stopped and slowly turned towards the edge where a new figure stood. It drifted a little closer and upon sensing the vitality that was oozing off of him it immediately became active.


    The wisps of me cupping its upper body expanded to four times their size increasing in not only force but also intensity. But before it could attack the figure abruptly looked into its eyes while uttering the words ''Second Gaze''.


    That X-shaped pattern was thest thing it saw before the figure vanished. (CH 1291)


    The fire spirit looked around in confusion for a few seconds but gave up soon after and returned to its previous docile state.


    With [Umbra] active no one could detect Hao Xuan''s presence as he openly walked through the scorched grounds. Arthur''s voice continued to echo through his ears while he made a mental note of every single human cultivator that stood guard here.


    They were even more susceptible to [Umbra] than the fire spirits because of their developed consciousness so there was no way they could pick up on it.


    There was only one entrance into the mountain which was guarded by two of the most powerful cultivators. They were both at the First Stage of the Profound Realm but their energies were highly unstable.


    Hao Xuan paused for a moment to look at them a little closer. They were natives of this world, not part of the group that came from the Beast World.


    They wore ck robes embroidered with gold all over. From their appearances alone it was obvious they had never worked a day in their lives, probably part of some royal ns that once existed on the surface before deciding to join hands with Dai Zhi.


    From this close up he could feel the wavering Qi flows within their bodies. Dai Zhi must have used some treasure to forcefully increase their cultivation but the price for such a miracle was their future and vitality.


    Not only would they never be able to increase their cultivation but if they ever lost control it would destroy them in an instant.


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link:


    ___


    Reference Image Link:


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) :

 Chapter 1307 Waypoint Destabilizing

    ?


    ''They are nothing more than guard dogs. And to think this is the future they chose after betraying their people, pathetic,'' Hao Xuan muttered inwardly before moving on.


    The moment he stepped into the tunnel leading towards the center of the mountain a wave of extremely pure Yang energy hit him head-on.


    The temperature alone was more than double here but the energy in the atmosphere was alive as it tried to dig into Hao Xuan''s body through every open pore. At first he tried to block it but when a few specks broke through andbined with his Qi inplete harmony he immediately called it off.


    And the deeper in he went the more pure the energy became.


    Forty meters in and the entrance to the central chamber was already in sight. Hao Xuan paused to take a few deep breaths, feeling the heat circting through his lungs before pouring into the bloodstream, which the cells hungrily devoured.


    In fact it was to the point that a small whirlpool of orange energy was created as more and more of it was pulled towards him. Followed by a tingling sensation a few notifications popped up secondster.


    [Limb Regeneration Continued!]


    [Total Recovery Exceeding 87%]


    [Standard Functions Attainable]


    Hao Xuan undid the bindings from his right arm to check its condition. There was still a blue hue on its surface from the remnant foreign energy that could neither be expelled nor absorbed but aside from that he could use it like normal.


    The only problem was that he would not be able to use any of his own Qi with it and as such it was only a little bit stronger than that of a normal human.


    Where he could punch holes through steel bars with his left hand, the right hand could only make a dent before shattering into pieces.


    ''It''s fine, at least I can use it normally,'' he stretched a couple of times to get used to the feeling again before walking over to the entrance.


    He looked all around to make sure there weren''t any booby traps or hidden runes or arrays but couldn''t find anything from his side. There was only a giant boulder blocking most of the entrance.


    Fortunately there was enough space for him to squeeze through from the side without moving it out of the way entirely. He knew how strange this looked so before going in he activated the Chaos Law just in case.


    ''Very convenient but even if it''s a trap I don''t have much of a choice-''


    Stepping into the chamber he was suddenly bombarded with enough Yang Energy to melt his skin off.


    Hao Xuan immediately circted the Chaos Qi to form a protectiveyer over his body which helped to a degree but it wouldn''tst for more than 15 minutes at most. And the reason why became clear when he looked over the left to witness an unimaginable scene.


    A giant golden silhouette with four wings was taking up most of the space in this 150-meter-wide chamber. It was basically a gigantic bird-shaped me pecking at something in the corner.


    ''Feng Huang!''


    Hao Xuan''s pupils contracted upon seeing the man''s expressionless face ncing in his direction for an instant before turning back to the small 4-meter wide bubble in front of him. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''He didn''t see me? Does [Umbra] work even against the descendant of a divine beast? Or is it because I''m using it with the Chaos Law?''


    Regardless, it was good news for him. He walked around to the side to get a better view of the bubble.


    Ma Jiang and Zhurong were sitting inside, shaking and trembling from head to toe. Her little face was contorted from the pain while Zhurong couldn''t even raise his head to look at him. All he could manage to do was open one eye upon sensing his presence before closing it again to conserve energy.


    ''Don''t worry, I''m here,'' Hao Xuan immediately conveyed a few words to him using Spiritual Sense before redirecting his attention towards Feng Huang.


    ''I need to kill him in one go. I won''t take any chances.''


    As his thoughts reached that point the four-leafed clover pattern on Hao Xuan''s brain came to life.


    [Warning!]


    [Energy Disturbance Detected]


    [Temporal Waypoint Created]


    ''Hng!''


    The strain of using both [Umbra] and time maniptive ability was too much, reducing the effectiveness of both abilities if continued for an extended period.


    ''I can use it for less than 2 minutes,'' Hao Xuan grumbled before pulling out a shortsword from the storage space and sprinting towards Feng Huang from the back.


    *Slice*


    *Cut*


    *BOOOM*


    *GAAASP*


    Hao Xuan fell to his knees vomiting a mouthful of blood.


    [Temporal Waypoint Destabilizing]


    His eyes returned to their original form as both of the abilities came to a halt from overexertion. Feng Huang turned his head to look at the kneeling figure just a few meters away from him.


    "You?"

 Chapter 1308 Divine Regenration

    ?


    Feng Huang was obviously surprised to see Hao Xuan appear out of nowhere but not enough to react in any other way. Instead, he looked around in confusion, "You are here alone?"


    Hao Xuan wiped the blood off his face before getting back to his feet.


    "Let them go. I''ll answer all the questions you ha-"


    "Usually when you humanse to face me there are a few more with you. This is the first time a ''hero'' has appeared alone."


    Hao Xuan went silent, pondering the meaning of his words.


    "A hero? You have done this before?"


    "I have," Feng Huang nodded openly, "The ce where Ie from, every few decades some humans show up on a quest to kill the great demon that resides in their mountains. It''s always the same thing but they all die a meaningless death and then a generationter the new party shows up. But that won''t be the case this time. This matter has nothing to do with you, leave here to live another day."


    Hao Xuan ground his teeth listening to him talk so casually in this situation but there wasn''t anything else he could do.


    He had tried to kill him in every which way possible but the creature standing across from him was unlike any he hade across before. Feng Huang had the bloodline of a great divine beast and only another power rivaling it could strike him down.


    All of Hao Xuan''s most powerful abilities were useless against him. Either they simply did not work against such a powerful being or even when a few did he could recover almost instantaneously.


    ''He has the ancient Phoenix bloodline running through his veins. Even if I manage tond a fatal blow he can easily recover with his regenerative ability. Not to mention his other form where he transforms into a real phoenix and bes immune to all damage below his realm.''


    Hao Xuan had seen it himself just now. One look was enough to burn him from the inside out. He let out a deep breath and focused on the task at hand, ''There has to be a way.''


    "Feng Huang, listen to me. She is not a threat to you or anyone else. If you harm her in any way then I promise you it will not end the way you think."


    He frowned lightly, "I am confused. Is this threating from you? Because we both know you are not capable of harming me in any way."


    Hao Xuan chuckled, "Did you not look into her heritage beforeing after her?"


    He paused to make sure that Ma Jiang could not hear him before continuing, "She is the granddaughter of the current Elven King and two of her uncles are already nearby. I was actually sent here by one of them. So be very careful about what you do next, even if you are a divine beast, do you really think you can survive when every single elf ising after your head?"


    Feng Huang''s brow began to furrow, "Is this true?" he suddenly turned towards the bubble. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ma Jiang opened her eyes halfway, "It is."


    "!!!"


    ''Damnit, she could hear everything! Wait, she already knew that?''


    She turned towards Hao Xuan, "Oppa, did you hear back from Uncle Ryfon...yet? He said he woulde soon."


    Hao Xuan''s face fell, ''They already talked? But she doesn''t know that the ship is destroyed and Ryfon is either dead or missing. It''s better to hide that for now.''


    "Yeah, I talked to him. He said ising very soon, a few hours and he will be her-"


    "Liar," Feng Huang cut in, "That was the first lie you have told. He is noting, is he? No one is," he turned towards Ma Jiang with half a smile, "See? I told you this was only going to end one way. No one ising to save you."


    "Don''t listen to him he is ly-" Hao Xuan tried to interject but Feng Huang casually waved his hand to shoot out a giant fireball.


    Hao Xuan swung the sword trying to cut it in half but it melted even beforeing into contact with the fireball. It impacted against Hao Xuan''s chest and engulfed him entirely.


    The barrier of Chaos Qi surrounding him was being eaten through at an unprecedented speed and no matter how much Hao Xuan tried to contain it the me would just burn through everything.


    It was feeding on his Qi and bing stronger and stronger.


    Seeing him on the verge of being burned alive Ma Jiang finally cracked, "NO! Stop it, please! I''ll do it, just don''t hurt anyone else."


    She muttered an incantation and the bubble popped like it wasn''t even there.


    Feng Huang snapped his fingers and the fire was immediately put out.


    "You should have done this sooner. It was always going to be this way. This is your fate now," he muttered casually, expressionless at his victory.

 Chapter 1309 My Choice

    ?


    Hao Xuan had already experienced his me before so he was aware of its effects.


    Only another divine power could contend against him, so even a normal spell or ability could be fatal when fighting ''mortals'' Hao Xuan.


    Taking out another generic sword from the storage space Hao Xuan pointed it at Feng Huang.


    "Are you really going to pick a fight with the Elven King? Over something like this?"


    But Feng Huang was obviously unbothered, "Even if the Elven Kinges for her himself, which he won''t, he will have to fight my entire n to get to her. We might not have as many people but we are not weak in any sense of the word....not to mention that we have the right of way. This was sanctioned by the Great Council."


    Hao Xuan had only heard of the ''Great Council'' only once before and it was in passing. Ryfon had identally mentioned it once when talking about his father the Elf King. It was a panel of the strongest warriors belonging to the most ancient and well-established powers of the beast world.


    The Elf King was one of only four people belonging to their continent that was given a seat in the council and it was only recently.


    "That''s not possible," Hao Xuan immediately called him out, "Why would the Great Council convene for something this trivial? And even if they did the Elven King is a part of it, he would have said something."


    Feng Huang let out a little chuckle, "I am surprised you know of what I speak but your knowledge iscking nheless. Your ''Elf King'' might be a part of the council but that is in name only. He is an outer member and does not need to be included in every matter pertaining to the Beast World, especially one such as this."


    "Bullshit, you''re lying!"


    "Why would I lie? And to you of all beings, a nameless human who I will not encounter ever again?" he said matter-of-factly before turning towards Ma Jiang, "This is so she can understand the situation and give up any ludicrous notions of escaping. There is no ce for you to hide, no force that can keep you safe from us. Even if you were to somehow kill me another would be sent in my ce."


    "This was the only fate you had left when your father hid that ''thing'' inside your mind pce. It is the duty of my n to keep that ''being'' from ever seeing the light of the day and we will not fail again."


    Hao Xuan ground his teeth nervously trying to think of a way. If what Feng Huang was saying was correct then there was little that could be done. He had seen that monster inside Ma Jiang''s mind pce firsthand and understood better than most why it needed to be contained.


    And it seemed she knew that too.


    Ma Jiang walked up to Hao Xuan under Feng Huang''s watchful gaze to hand Zhurong over.


    "I''m sorry, if I knew it would be this pointless I wouldn''t have bothered with it in the first ce."


    While handing Zhurong over she discreetly ced something in his hand but said nothing about it. She backed away while looking into his eyes, "Can you please tell Uncle Ryfon to find my mom? I know she would love to see him again." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Tell him yourself. It doesn''t matter what this bastard says, Ryfon will not give up on you, and neither will I."


    She nodded smilingly, "I know you won''t...that''s the problem."


    Feng Huang quickly chimed in, "And you will die without even leaving behind a body to bury. That''s how it will end for anyone thates after her."


    Before Hao Xuan could retort Ma Jiang asked another question.


    "What will happen to me if I go with you willingly?"


    "Nothing. You will live out the rest of your life in seclusion within the great wilderness while we study the sealing method your father used, far away from anything that could get in our way. You will not be allowed to have any children or partners but after a few decades you will forget about such mortal fixations."


    "You will live a long and peaceful life under our n so long as you do not stir up any trouble. Then, when your mortal lifees to its natural end we will move the creature to its new prison and the cycle will continue. It is an honor that many would kill for. Be grateful, you have found a way to be useful for the greater good of all beings."


    Despite the ''positive spin'' Feng Huang was trying to put on the situation Ma Jiang could only see the bad.


    "So I will be a prisoner for all my life," she whispered, "Unable to leave or to love. Never seeing my family or friends ever again."


    Feng Huang shook his head in disappointment, "If that''s how you choose to see it then so be it. The oue will not change, this is your life now."


    "It''s not! Don''t listen to him!" Hao Xuan yelled upon seeing her disheartened expression, "We will find you and bring you back, we- I won''t give up, I made a promise to Ryfon and I will not stop until it is fulfilled."


    As expected her face lit up as she merrily replied while taking a few more steps back, "Thank you oppa, I knew you wouldn''t but....for once in my life, I want to make my own choices. This is the fate I chose!"


    Hao Xuan didn''t understand the meaning of her words but a bad feeling took root in his heart, "What''re you talking abou-" he reached out but Feng Huang was faster.


    Realizing what she was nning Feng Huang sprinted towards her but it was already toote, "NOO-"


    Ma Jiang tapped once on her forehead to ignite a spark of red me that consumed her from head to toe. Hao Xuan''s pupils widened as he watched her burn to cinders in the blink of an eye.


    Feng Huang transformed in thest second into his bestial form and surrounded the me with his wings before vanishing entirely.

 Chapter 1310 Push It Down

    ?


    The cavern fell silent.


    Hao Xuan was the only one left standing, staring unblinkingly at the pile of ashes that, until just a few seconds ago, was one of the brightest and kindest people that he had evere across.


    He couldn''t believe she was gone just like that- No, he didn''t want to. Too much had been done, far too much. The whole reason foring to this was for her, to unite her with Ryfon and her real family but now....now Ma Jiang was dead and Ryfon had probably met the same fate along with his sister, her mother.


    Everything he had gone through, all the pain and suffering that he had endured was, all of a sudden, for nothing. His thoughts were a mess and he couldn''t even hear when Baracus spoke up.


    *beep*


    "Skfurhs hFyhsiftn edigjns fhewutrng dhfuentgi byurfgjyikn."


    The words didn''t make sense, nothing did for a brief moment until he felt the soul bond waver and looked down to see Zhurong''s terrible condition. He was barely breathing.


    "Can you hear me? The spiritual beast named ''Zhurong'' is in dire straits and requires immediate attention!"


    "I know," Hao Xuan whispered and sat down on the spot. He closed his eyes to send the spiritual threads inside his body to examine in more detail.


    "He has used up too much vitality, there is nothing I can do with some actual medicine," Hao Xuan quickly concluded.


    As his mind began to return Hao Xuan remembered the object Ma Jiang had handed to him in secret. He took it out to inspect.


    It was a white marble about five centimeters in diameter that gave off a faint chill.


    "It''s a spiritual core from a very powerful beast. She must have been saving this until the end."


    "Or perhaps it was meant for the creature named Zhurong."


    "Un, probably. Knowing her it would be. I''ll try-"


    Hao Xuan channeled a small portion of the Chaos Qi toward his hand and surrounded the beast''s core with it. As expected it began to melt and purified spiritual energy began pouring out in all directions.


    It was so much in fact that the temperature of the entire cavern dropped by several degrees in an instant.


    Hao Xuan held it over Zhurong and at first most of it entered his tiny little form but it couldn''t be contained and leaked out soon after.


    "It doesn''t work, he''s too weak to refine or convert it himself," Hao Xuan mumbled in a daze.


    "Then the host should absorb the energy so it does not go to waste." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Ok," Hao Xuan opened himself up and allowed the energy to wash over him.


    The process was slow at first because the Chaos Qi was actively working against it and trying to drive it out of his body but when it reached his mind pce something clicked and all the energy was guzzled up within seconds.


    Hao Xuan didn''t have to do much of anything as the concentrated energy found the mostpatible source and immediately rushed in of its own volition.


    His eyes felt lighter and somehow more durable by the end of it.


    "Oh, [Umbra] leveled up again," hemented casually.


    *beep*


    "No physical abnormalities detected. Are you okay?"


    Hao Xuan was brushing his fingers through Zhurong''s pure white fur, almost fixated on the singed patch on his belly.


    "Yeah, I''m okay. Just a little...cold. I kind of feel like I''m flying...like I''m in a dream floating through space."


    "That is a natural response in some humans when faced with extreme trauma. Would you like to talk about it?"


    Hao Xuan shrugged nonchntly, "Talk about what? How she chose to die as a free woman on her own terms rather than live a long life as someone else''s prisoner? What''s there to talk about?"


    He looked down at his hands in a daze, "Are you sure I am awake? This is all real?"


    "Affirmative."


    "But how can you tell? Everything would make sense if I was still in ama or asleep somewhere and this was just a terrible nightmare."


    "It is not a dream. The host simply does not like how the events are unfolding and is trying toe up with a different exnation. You must ept things as they are to move on."


    Hao Xuan looked down at Zhurong''s helpless little body, "ept things as they are? That means he is probably not going to make it either then, huh?"


    "It is likely. The creature has lost too much vitality and without some medicine that could replenish it, it would not be possible for it to make a full recovery."


    "Okay," Hao Xuan nodded. He stood up and ran his hands through Zhurong''s fur onest time before sending him to the Mind Pce, "Then I must move on right? Do what needs to be done, push it all down until I can''t feel anything. That sounds like a good idea."

 Chapter 1311 Level Four

    ?


    The Mountain City, Lower Levels, Outer Section.


    There were guards stationed every 40 meters and several squads roaming about the city streets keeping an eye on everything and everyone that passed by.


    *tip*tip*tip*tip*


    The night sky became even darker as the pitter-patter of raindrops began to spread through the streets, prompting most of the people to take immediate cover.


    Near the giant walled staircase that divided the outer and inner sections was a six-story building that oversaw most of the mountain. The door to the top floor swung open and a guard stumbled in, looking around in a hurry before finding a figure staring out of the window.


    "Captain, it''s raining!" he eximed.


    The guard captain turned around to throw him a baleful re, "Really? I hadn''t noticed."


    "It''s true sir, everyone is in a huff worried that-"


    "I KNOW!" he screamed cutting the guard off before throwing a bronze pendant over to him.


    "Go to the upper levels and find out what''s going on. Tell them we need the barrier up as soon as possible, there is no telling what kind of poison or disease the rain brings this time," he craned his neck to peek out of the window again while grumbling to himself, "Just because most of the people here of low birth doesn''t mean they can treat us like shit. WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE MAGGOT, GET MOVING!"


    "S-Sir yes sir!" the guard gave a half-assed salute and ran out without even closing the door.


    The captain sat down behind the giant wooden tabledened with countless scrolls and documents when he paused and looked up with a furrowing brow.


    "And who might you be, soldier?"


    There was a person standing on the other side of the table wearing an identical uniform to the guard that just left.


    ''I didn''t even hear hime in...''


    "I''m new here," he replied.


    "New? I didn''t hear about any newbies."


    "Are you sure? Someone should have told you," he replied cooly, looking right into the captain''s eyes.


    The captain couldn''t look away from his piercing gaze even if he wanted. He suddenly recalled the events ofst night.


    "Oh yeah, I think I heard one of the guys mention something about that yesterday. Ipletely forgot about it. Do you have your papers with you?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Mhm, right there," he pointed at the table and when the captain looked down there was already a half-opened scroll in his hand.


    The captain unfurled it all the way and quickly went over all the details.


    "Everything seems to be in order. It says here you are stationed in the dungeon? That''s...rare. Usually newbies aren''t given such difficult jobs. Did you piss someone off? Haha-" he asked jokingly but received no answer.


    *Cough*


    "E-Either way. Here is a map of the city, the dungeon is at the very back. Do you have your identity token with you? You need it to go past every checkpoint."


    The man shook his head, "No, I was told to get a new one aftering here."


    "Oh, no worries then. It only takes a day. I will send your details up the chain and you should have it by tomorr-"


    "That''s no good. I need it today," the man jumped in, "Can''t I just borrow yours?"


    "Mine? Are you crazy, I''m the captain! How can I just give my identity token away-"


    "It''s okay, I won''t tell anyone," the man urged while taking a step closer.


    What little control the captain had over his own thoughts was immediately lost when the light from his piercing green eyes became even stronger.


    "Oh...why didn''t you say so earlier. Here," the captain took out a silver pendant from his inner pocket and handed it over in a daze.


    The man took the pendant and turned around while saying, "Good. Why don''t you enjoy the view? You might find something you like out there," before walking out of the office.


    The captain got up from his seat and walked over to the window before diving out. He fell headfirst into the street making his skull pop like a balloon.


    A minuteter the door of the bottom floor creaked open and Hao Xuan walked out with the silver pendant in hand. He nced at the captain''s body before turning towards the inner section.


    "Such heavy rain, the sound is almost deafening," he muttered under his breath and the rain picked up even more.


    It battered the mountain city without end, drowning out all other sounds.


    Hao Xuan walked through the deserted streets unseen by all around him and untouched by the rain that affected everyone but him.


    An X-shaped design constantly rotated within his eyes giving power to his thoughts and turning his words into reality for all that were caught within the ''First Gaze''.

 Chapter 1312 Old Faces

    ?


    The dungeon entrance was located in the far north corner at the deepest point in the mountain. There was only one way in and out and it was littered with countless defensive runes and charms to stop any uninvited visitors in their tracks.


    Two armored warriors stood guard in front of the stone doors, just outside of the reach of the torrential rain. One of them wore silver armor and the other gold.


    "What''s wrong?" the golden warrior inquired when the silver warrior curiously turned his head sideways as if listening for something.


    "Do you hear anything?"


    "The rain?"


    "No, besides that."


    "No, how could I? It''s raining serpents and wolves out here."


    "Yeah but...I have never seen the city so quiet. We haven''t seen a single soul pass by in thest half hour."


    "Speak of the devil, herees your wandering soul," the golden warrior gestured towards the front where a solitary silhouette trudged through the heavy rain, triggering almost every rune and charm in the vicinity.


    "STOP RIGHT THERE!" he bellowed.


    The silver warrior stepped up, "This is a restricted area! You cannot enter without permission from the-"


    His eyes narrowed and then widened from shock when he saw the true appearance of theing figure. He immediately fixed his posture and saluted, "Captain!"


    The golden warrior followed suit, "Captain! You''re here sir?! Is everything okay?"


    The captain came to a gradual stop just a meter away from them, letting them get a good look at him.


    "Yes, everything is okay. Open the gate...I need to bring out a prisoner."


    The warriors exchanged confused nces, "Bringing out a prisoner? Sir, I don''t think we are allowed to do that-"


    But the captain stared back at them unfazed, prompting the golden warrior to hold his tongue and step aside.


    "Yes sir, as you wish."


    With the help of the silver warrior he pushed against the giant stone door. The various runes on their armor lit up one after another and when that light fell on the stone door it began to slowly give way.


    No one other than these two warriors could have opened the doors. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They swiftly stepped aside allowing the captain to walk down the dimly lit staircase by himself. When the sound of his footsteps could not be heard anymore they finally let out a breath of relief.


    "Whew, wonder what happened. Prisoners don''t usually get to leave aftering here," the silver warriormented.


    But the golden warrior did not share his views and could not push down the feeling that something was wrong.


    "Why would hee here himself? Alone? At this time? And earlier all the runes were triggered when he came close."


    The silver warrior shrugged, unworried that something bigger was at y.


    "I don''t know and I don''t care. Our job is to stand guard and only let the right people through. The captain is in charge of the entire lower levels and the outer sections, we have no right to question him."


    "But don''t you find it odd? He has nevere here alone, even when hees to y with the prisoners there are a few others following him around."


    "Not my job. I don''t get paid to ask questions and can''t afford to make any mistakes. I don''t have any powerful brothers to bail me out if things go wrong," he said while giving a mean side-eye to the golden warrior who suddenly pped his chest.


    "That''s right! I can ask my brother if there is something going on, he is stationed in the inner section!"


    "Do whatever you want but keep my name out of it. If the captain asks I won''t hide anything."


    "You''re such a coward, no wonder you came in second. Go see if the captain needs anything, keep him busy until I get back with my brother," the golden warrior threw out the words and ran off before the silver warrior could say anything.


    The silver warrior shook his head while cursing and grumbling, "Tsk, that damn bastard. Just because his brother got lucky and ended up joining Lord Dai Zhi''s personal guards he thinks he can order everyone around!" before followed after the captain as he had ''suggested''.


    The staircase went straight down for approximately 40 meters before opening up in a giant interconnected maze-like configuration of countless hallways.


    Each hallway housed no less than ten prisoners on either side depending on their crimes and status in the outside world.


    He didn''t have to go far to find the captain standing in front of a random cell.


    "Captain!" he shouted before running up to him, "Did you find the prisoner you were looking for sir? Is it this one?"


    He peeked into the cell to see an emaciated figure of a heavily tattooed man chained to the wall.


    "Ah this one, he was the so-called leader of the resistance! What was his name again..."

 Chapter 1313 Worst To Pass

    "Gi-An, his name is Gi-An," the captain emotionlessly informed the silver warrior.


    "Ah, yes. There are so many of them here that I can''t keep track hahaha," he sheepishly scratched his head, "Should I...bring him out? He''s the one they wanted to see right?"


    But the captain shook his head, "No, not him. I just stopped after seeing a familiar face."


    "Oh, you knew him?"


    "Not knew, just happened to meet a couple of times. What happened to him?" he asked referring to his apparent muddled state.


    Gi-An''s eyes werepletely empty and he didn''t even react to their presence.


    The silver guard tilted his head sideways for a few seconds trying to remember but couldn''te up with any specifics.


    "The usual mostly, but he was a big shot outside so some of the boys got a little carried away you know, it happens."


    "The usual? What''s the usual?"


    "Oh you know the same as you- Um, everyone, whenever the others need to let out some steam theye here and have a go with the prisoners. The males get tortured and beaten half to death while the females...well, I don''t need to tell you about that part, huh?" he nudged the captain with a knowing look making Hao Xuan understand exactly what he meant.


    But it left behind an even worse knot in the pit of his stomach.


    ''Even if she is a prisoner they wouldn''t dare touch the sister of their great master.''


    Hao Xuan threw away all pretense but kept the First Gaze active so as not to undo the illusion on the rest of the outer city residents.


    "The one I''m looking for is a girl, Dai Zhi''s sister. Where is she? Take me to her, now!"


    "Oh, her? She is still in the same cell. It''s at the end of that hall to the left," the silver warrior pointed to the front as if he had done so a hundred times before.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened as he strode deeper into the dungeon with a clenched fist, praying and hoping that it wouldn''t be true this one time. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He turned around the corner and saw the same rotating staircase he had seen not too long ago when using [Arbiter]. He jumped down before the silver warrior could even react andnded in front of the single cell.


    It was big enough for a dozen people but in the dark he could only see one shivering figure huddled in the corner, hugging its legs.


    The stench was horrendous enough to make even the silver warrior recoil when he caught up.


    "Urgh, he must have forgotten to call the cleaners this week, this is even worse than usual. Give me a second, I''ll bring her out," he reached into his armor and took out a ck key.


    He walked over the puddles of body fluids, blood, and excrement to reach the door, trying to open it without touching all the disgusting stuff that was stuck to it.


    He kicked the door open and waltzed straight in, dragging her out by her hair and throwing her at his feet. He wiped his hands on the side walls trying not to wretch.


    "We''ll have to get her cleaned up first. There is a new cell nearby with some water, we can use that," he pointed towards the stairs but upon seeing the look of utter shock and disbelief on the face of his ''captain'' the silver warrior rified.


    "Ah, it''s been a while since youst visited her right? Lord Dai Zhi gave permission so basically anyone could use her and some of the guys...well you know how rough they can get. If I remember correctly the captain had some great fun too, am I right?" he ''joked'' again trying to lighten the mood but the captain''s expression was only getting worse by the second.


    Thinking it was because of her appearance he tried to point out the positives, "She is still not that bad looking when you can actually see her face. Half of her hair is still there and the bruises and marks, well, they get cleaned up easily with the tonic that Lord Dai Zhi sent."


    "He wanted to make sure she wouldn''t have any permanent scars so the tonic heals her up real nice. After that she is almost as good as new...well, everything but her mind. All she does is scream and cry so we usually keep her drunk unless some sicko likes that kind of stuf- Oh, I mean no judgment even if you do. To each their own I say!"


    The silver warrior tried everything to get in the captain''s good graces but nothing seemed to be working.


    "L-Let''s move her first and then-"


    "Don''t touch her!" Hao Xuan roared, startling the silver warrior to his core, "Bring the tonic, NOW!"


    "Y-Yessir!"

 Chapter 1314 Confused And Afraid

    ?


    Hao Xuan got down on one knee to try and help her up but it was like trying to pick up a lifeless doll. Her eyes were half open but her mind was long gone. It had to be after everything she had endured thesest few days.


    She was wrapped up in some rags that barely covered anything. Most of her body was obscured by grime from days ofying in this filth but even through that, he could see dark ck and blue marks around her neck and various other body parts.


    This once proud daughter of heaven that was at the center of attention wherever she went now resembled a walking corpse. If someone saw her on the street in this condition they would changenes just to avoid getting close to her.


    Hao Xuan''s mind, still reeling from the shock of seeing Ma Jiang''s self-immtion, was pushed even further when the voices began to speak up again.


    ''Look at her state, the poor girl.''


    ''What was her crime? To fall for someone like you? Someone far beneath her station?''


    ''You should have asked for her hand on bended knee instead of abandoning her, useless husk of a man. Can''t protect anyone, just like them.''


    ''Tsk, I would rather die than live like this. Wonder what kept her hanging on?''


    ''Just kill her, it would be the humane thing to do. Rip open her throat, after all, she deserves it for coveting a thing like yourself.''


    Hao Xuan heard all they had to say and took it in stride without saying a word. He reached out into the ether and summoned a vat of water from the storage space, using it to quickly clean away the filth clinging to her.


    He gathered every gentle bone still left in his body to softly whisper, "Princess, can you hear me?"


    Her eyelids fluttered but that was it. Hao Xuan hesitated for a brief moment, wondering if he even had the right to call her name anymore before- "Ceni? I''m here."


    She stirred in his arms, straining herself to look at his face. And then as if nothing had happened at all, she smiled.


    "You came...I was waiting," she whispered with a smile. Not berating or ming him for all that had happened to her, simply content that he was there with her now.


    "Mm. Sorry it took so long. You can rest now, everything will be okay."


    "Un...just for a little bit. I''m...so sleepy." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She closed her eyes and passed out immediately. The silver warrior returned a few secondster with the tonic in hand.


    "I brought the water too- O-Oh, looks like I was a littlete haha. Here you go, captain."


    Hao Xuan took the tonic and fed it to Princess Ceni with a tenderness that surprised even the Silver Warrior. And it was this caring gesture of his that finally sowed a seed of doubt within the warrior''s mind.


    "Who did you say wanted the prisoner again, captain?" he asked while taking a step back, slowly reaching out behind his back looking for the hilt of the sword.


    But Hao Xuan casually reached into the storage space and took out a nket, using it to wrap the princess while asking a question of his own.


    "Tell me, do you have a family? A mother, a sister, or a wife? Perhaps a daughter?"


    The silver warrior tightened his grip around the hilt, "Y-Yes, a fiance."


    "Hmm, curious. How did you go home and look her in the eye every day after allowing what was happening here? I have to say, even I wouldn''t be able to do that. But that puts my mind to ease for what I am about to do."


    He stood up with the princess in his arms and the silver warrior took the opportunity to attack. He swung the de with all his strength intending to cut them both in half but nothing happened.


    Hao Xuan turned around to face him, allowing the silver warrior to look at his real self for the first time while muttering, "How can you use a de without any arms?"


    The silver warrior looked down and finally noticed that both of his arms were missing. They weren''t cut off but simply gone. He stepped back in a panic, more confused than afraid of what was going on.


    The X-shaped symbol within Hao Xuan''s eyes rotated once and a drop of blood leaked out as he used even more power to turn his words into a reality.


    "How can you not scream when all your bones are melting inside your body? When your brain is on fire?"


    The silver warrior suddenly threw his head back and let out an ear-piercing scream.


    "AAHHH! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" he implored while falling to the ground, rolling in the same filth that he was so desperately trying to avoid before in the hopes that it would lessen his pain and put out the me that existed only in his mind.

 Chapter 1315 Not The Eyes

    ?


    The fire was real because Hao Xuan had said it was. The pain was real because it had to be. How else would it make any sense?


    Hao Xuan watched the silver warrior scream until his lungs gave out. And just when it was about to be too much he took away the pain with a single thought.


    "Stand," he decreed and the Silver Warrior''s body obeyed.


    He was pulled up to his feet like a puppet while his simple mind tried toprehend what form of hell he had just been put through.


    "Follow."


    Hao Xuan turned around and walked back up the stairs.


    "Open the cells, all of them."


    The silver warrior got to work while Hao Xuan continued on his way towards the exit. But when he was about to pass through the stone doors a barrier sprung up and blocked his path.


    Hao Xuan extended a hand to exert some pressure and saw the countless runes light up like the night sky. The barrier was connected to the entire dungeon and a part of the city. He would have to destroy everything connected to it to force it open.


    He took in a deep breath and used [Umbra] once more, making the X-shaped design rotate once within his eyes.


    "Come to me."


    Followed by the sound of the heavy footsteps the silver warrior lumbered up the dimly lit staircase, stopping right behind Hao Xuan.


    "W-What have you d-done to m-"


    "Open this barrier."


    But unexpectedly he remained still.


    Hao Xuan turned his head halfway to nce at him and he immediately started talking.


    "I-I can''t, I swear! It can only be opened or closed from the outside!"


    "Did you turn it on?"


    "No! It would lock me in too, why would I do that? That bastard must have done it after I came down."


    "The one with the golden armor? Where did he go?"


    "To the i-inner city to look for his brother. He thought there was something suspicious about you."


    Hao Xuan straightened his head, "Then he''s a little stronger than I expected, no matter. It won''t change anything."


    "...." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A few seconds passed and Hao Xuan didn''t make a move or say anything so the silver warrior hesitantly spoke up.


    "Aren''t you going to try and escape? His brother is a peak-stage Spirit Realm cultivator that has been trained by Lord Dai Zhi himself, you won''t have an easy time dealing with him."


    "We''ll see soon enough."


    Barely a couple of minutes passed and the golden warrior returned with another person in tow.


    This was a bald-headed man in histe twenties, dressed in the all-white garb that belonged to Dai Zhi''s personal warriors. He held an unsheathed broadsword in his hand that was overflowing with spiritual energy.


    They both stopped five meters away from the gate, looking at the silver warrior with furrowed brows. The golden warrior stepped forward, "Where is the captain?"


    The silver warrior''s eyes shifted to the right for a second, "W-What do you mean? Do you see him anywhere?"


    The golden warrior shook his head disapprovingly, "No you idiot, that''s why I''m asking. I told you to stay close to him!"


    "O-Open the barrier you a-asshole! Why did you lock me in?!"


    The golden warrior walked up to the stone doors without noticing anything was a miss. He ced his hand on the side, "Yeah yeah, I''m opening it- Argh, did you fall into a shitter? What the hell is that smell?"


    The bald-headed man on the other hand kept his distance, watching silver warrior''s every move from afar. But by the time he noticed his panicking eyes gesturing towards the space in front of him, it was already toote.


    "NO STOP-" he shouted just as the golden warrior rotated the hidden dial.


    The barrier flickered and immediately disappeared but the bald-headed man was quick to react. The broadsword lit up with a golden aura that shot forward in a straight line, exactly where the silver warrior was looking at.


    A fountain of blood suddenly dyed the stone doors bright red as Hao Xuan''s figure came to light. The golden warrior jumped back and withdrew his de.


    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" he screamed.


    There was a bad gash on Hao Xuan''s shoulder. Just a few inches to the left and it would have decapitated himpletely.


    The wound diverted his attention just enough to weaken the effects of [Umbra] and allow the silver warrior to break free.


    He sprinted out at full speed while warning the others, "DON''T LOOK AT HIS EYES!"


    The bald-headed man immediately adjusted his vision and avoided looking at Hao Xuan''s facepletely but the golden warrior did the exact opposite.


    "YOU FOOL!"


    The silver warrior picked up a handful of dirt and threw it at hisrade''s face, blinding him momentarily.


    The golden warrior rubbed his eyes while yelling, "Argh! Why?! Why not throw it at him?!"

 Chapter 1316 Seeing Is Believing

    ?


    The silver warrior jumped further back and stood next to the bald-headed man, "Brother, he can use some kind of magic that can make you see things. Be careful, don''t look into his eyes!"


    "I understand. We will attack him together, do you still remember your training?"


    "Of course!"


    "Good."


    He quickly ryed the same instructions to the golden warrior as they prepared to attack from all sides.


    Hao Xuan was trying to stop the bleeding but for whatever reason the wound wasn''t closing. As the silver and golden warriors rotated around to get into their positions, the bald-headed man tried to distract him.


    "It won''t work. Any wound caused by my de will not heal for three days and three nights. Give up right now and beg for Lord Dai Zhi''s mercy, you might still have a chance."


    But Hao Xuan spat at his feet in contempt, "Fuck your lord, I will have his head soon enough."


    "You impudent little pissant!"


    The bald-headed man was angry but not to the extent to lose his grip on reality, unlike Hao Xuan who was teetering on the very edge. Upon seeing the golden and silver warrior getting into a three-pronged formation he became even angrier-


    "I''LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" and rushed straight in.


    His target was the golden warrior who was the closest.


    Hao Xuan didn''t need a weapon, he alone was enough. The air shrieked as his burning fist shot towards the golden warrior''s head.


    But instead of running in to help, both the silver warrior and the bald-headed man waited patiently until Hao Xuan was exactly in the middle of them.


    "NOW!" he shouted while raising his hand in unison with the silver warrior.


    A shield materialized in front of each of them and the devastating power behind Hao Xuan''s fist was distributed to all three shields making them crack.


    The bald-headed man raised his de with a roar, "ATTACK!"


    He was the first to get to Hao Xuan but even though his sword cut right through him there wasn''t any resistance.


    "AFTERIMAGE!" he yelled while turning on his heels towards the silver warrior who was standing face to face with Hao Xuan.


    Hao Xuan threw a punch right at his face, using even more strength than before.


    "TAKE IT AND COUNTER!" the golden warrior shouted from the distance. His shield also appeared in front of the silver warrior along with the one belonging to the baldy. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With three cracked shields to stop the iing attack, the silver warrior had no choice but to ept their n. He gave up on defending and instead countered with a sword sh of his own, aiming for Hao Xuan''s heart.


    Hao Xuan''s fistnded, immediately destroying the first shield upon impact. The second shield held for barely an instant before meeting the same fate but thest shield managed to hold on until the end.


    Silver warrior''s exquisite swordy bypassed Hao Xuan''s defenses and struck right into his chest, piercing through with some effort.


    Blood spurted from Hao Xuan''s mouth as he tried to put some distance between them but the bald-headed man was like a leech. He sneaked up from behind with a wide horizontal strike.


    Hao Xuan pulled his arms back before reinforcing them with Chaos Qi to block his attack but at the veryst second the broadsword changed directions and snaked to the back of his legs, cleanly cutting off the Achilles tendons in one fell swoop.


    "ARGH!"


    Hao Xuan struck down with both fists, managing tond a clean hit on the bald-headed man.


    He rotated several times in mid-air to offset all the force behind his punches beforending several meters away.


    "Oof, that was a close one. Almost got hit in there," he joked seeing Hao Xuan''s worsening condition.


    "I wanted to take you back in one piece but killing doesn''t seem too bad of a choice right now. I''ll just say you slipped and fell onto my de in the pouring rain."


    Hao Xuan didn''t even have time to respond before he came flying in again with the golden warrior in tow.


    But the silver warrior remained rooted to the ground while mumbling to himself, "Rain...why is it still raining? Wait, the prisoner! Where is the girl?! THE PRISONER IS-"


    Realizing something was a miss he tried to warn them about the prisoner escaping but saw both the bald-headed man and the golden warrior just a few meters away, their des aiming at nothing but empty air.


    ***


    "LET ME TAKE HIS HEAD!" the bald-headed man shouted in excitement, already nning to get his hands on the trophy.


    ¡¤?¦Èm But Hao Xuan was ready for the attack and immediately jumped to the side. The broadsword followed suit and was surrounded by its golden aura as it cut Hao Xuan''s entire shoulder off.


    The golden warrior did the same, using his massive greatsword to cleave Hao Xuan in half from the abdomen.


    "NO! STOP!"


    The silver warrior screamed at the top of his lungs but it was toote already.


    The golden warrior spurted out several mouthfuls of blood while the bald-headed man fell to the ground in two clean pieces.

 Chapter 1317 Third Gaze

    ?


    The world fell silent as the battle came to an unexpected end.


    The bald man''s broadsword was embedded halfway into the golden warrior''s chest while he was cut cleanly in two pieces. His legs still stood rooted to the ground while his upper body scrambled left and right in a panic, dying itself in a beautiful shade of ruby red.


    The silver warrior who had seen thest moments unfold knew exactly what had happened but he had neither the spirit nor the mindfulness to do anything about it.


    His legs gave way under him and he fell back in a daze while shaking his head maniacally, "No no no that''s not possible. No one looked into his eyes so how could it-it doesn''t make sense!"


    His gaze was pulled towards the stone doors where Hao Xuan still stood with Princess Ceni in his embrace..pletely unharmed. His mouth fell open, "From the start...everything we saw was an illusion. We were just fighting each other."


    Hao Xuan strode towards the dying brothers, pausing momentarily to look at their confused expressions before they took theirst breaths.


    He then turned towards the silver warrior, "Not an illusion. I allowed you to see what you wanted to see, you did all the work. It''s whates next that will be painful...for all of us."


    "You''re a demon...a MONSTER!" the silver warrior shouted, both in awe and fear of the power that could take lives without him having to lift a finger.


    Hao Xuan walked over to him, passing through the rain as if it wasn''t even there. He stopped at his feet, looking down at him with cold emotionless eyes.


    "A monster? Not yet, but maybe after this," he mumbled. It sounded like he was talking to himself and the silver warrior just happen to be nearby.


    But it was his foreboding words that irked the silver warrior the most.


    "What more do you want? You already have her, just leave already!"


    Hao Xuan raised his head to stare at the cloudy sky, "The price must be paid for your sins. You live atop a mountain of corpses but expect nothing to happen? What about all the souls that linger beneath your feet?"


    The X-shaped configuration began rotating within his eyes while tears of blood ran down his face. Once, twice, thrice, for a total of nine times they spun around, withdrawing every ounce of power from his body to power the final fantasy.


    His body shook and trembled making him stumble backwards but he managed to stay on his feet at the end. And all this time his gaze was fixated on the nightly sky.


    Finally, he uttered, "Third Gaze: Heart''s Requiem!" and closed his eyes. The rain came to an abrupt stop.


    When Hao Xuan opened his eyes again they looked normal, at least to the silver warrior who was expecting something terrible to happen.


    "W-What... did you do?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Despite seeing Hao Xuan''s slumped figure he did not have the guts to try and pick up his weapon again.


    ''It could be another trick, I can''t believe anything I see!''


    Hao Xuan turned around and started walking away. His voice came floating in a secondter, "Revenge, retribution...or payback....whichever you prefer. Just know that you caused it, all of you."


    The silver warrior watched with bated breath as Hao Xuan''s figure vanished from view behind the city streets. He only dared to stand up when a few emaciated figures came crawling out of the dungeon.


    "The prisoners I freed..." he looked around warily but Hao Xuan was nowhere to be seen.


    The rain had stopped and everything had returned to normal. He finally took off his helm and threw it aside. After taking a few deep breaths he mumbled, "Fuck this, I don''t want to do this anymore," and ran down the streets.


    He was sprinting at full speed while heading back home, feeling more alive than he ever had before. This experience had a profound effect on him.


    ''He let me live for whatever reason but there might not be a second time. I''ll ask for standard guard duty away from all this danger. Even if it is a demotion as long as we are together everything will be fine.''


    He passed through one empty street after another before finally arriving at his. But standing across from his house the man''s smile froze upon not hearing any noise whatsoever. It was deathly silent- nay, even graveyards would have ''some'' sounds.


    But standing next to the busiest market of the outer city all he could hear was his own thumping heartbeat. No one, not a single soul in sight.


    "I-IS ANYONE AROUND?!" he yelled but heard only his own voice echoing back.


    His heart was in his throat as he ran to his house and kicked open the door, "YUNA! WHERE ARE YOU?!"


    He shuffled from one room to another before stopping at their bedroom. There was a pool of blood in the doorway.


    "Y-Yuna...darling..." he called out before walking in to see herying on the bed. There was a pair of scissors in her hands which she had used to dig out her eyes and tongue before ripping open her chest.


    It was fresh enough that he could still see the steaming off of her innards that had spilled to the floor. They were arranged in a specific manner, spelling out the words, "You did this" in his nativenguage.


    His knees buckled and he fell to the floor while Hao Xuan''s words echoed in his ears.


    "I...did this..."

 Chapter 1318 Mountain Of-

    ?


    "Bring more men! WHAT''S THE HOLD-UP!? Did you send the signal??" a burly man wearing a white uniform with ck imprints shouted while being escorted by nearly a dozen others in simr uniforms.


    They were marching through the city streets headed for the headquarters of the outer city.


    One of the men following along ran up beside him and started giving all the details.


    "Yes, sir, we did Master Chaplin. The signal went out almost half an hour ago and the first toon has already returned. The others should be on their way. We still have no news of Lord Dai Zhi."


    "Hmph!"


    They turned the corner and the headquarters came into view, along with several figures standing along the road.


    The Master Chaplin continued in his usual haughty manner for a few meters until he recognized one of the figures and his demeanor immediately changed.


    He ran towards this person with a hunched back and a servile smile while rubbing his hand.


    "Master Dai Zhi, you are already here! I was not made aware of your arrival," he said while kicking one of the clergymen behind him.


    Dai Zhi was dressed in a simple loose fitting white robe without any tags or insignias to denote his status. There was no need to, everyone on the knew who he was.


    He moved aside to reveal the body of the guard captain stered on the ground.


    "What happened here?"


    The Master Chaplin gestured to one of the clergymen and the poor man swiftly limped forward to hand him arge scroll.


    *Cough*


    He cleared his throat before listing off everything they had discovered so far.


    "We have estimated that anywhere between 15 to 20 intruders managed to sneak into the city within thest few hours. They escaped with several prisoners, killing 7 lowly guards including the guard captain. We found a couple of bodies near the dungeon, one of which belongs to an elite guardsman unit directly under yourmand. We are still trying to find the rest of the guards to fig-"


    "One," Dai Zhi interjected.


    "-Er, sorry?"


    "One man. Not fifteen or twenty, it was one guy."


    Master Chaplin pulled out a pair of sses from his jacket pocket and promptly put them on to read the scroll again.


    "Uh, it seems that was a rough estimation we had because that''s how many people we assumed it would take to pull something like this off. If it was one man-"


    "Not if, it was one," Dai Zhi rified, "Which prisoners are missing?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He unfurled the rest of the scroll but it just kept going and going.


    "H-Haha, there are a lot of names here. We think nearly half of the prisoners managed to escape whi-"


    "Enough, I''ll check for it myself."


    As soon as he finished talking Dai Zhi rose into the air and hovered nearly 20 meters off the ground. He extended both hands and muttered an incantation.


    A red magic circle materialized beneath his feet and sent out a shockwave in every direction. He came back down less than a minuteter to the eager faces of the Master Chaplin and the dozen clergymen at his back looking to him for answers.


    "There is no need to bother with this ce anymore," hemented.


    They exchanged confused nces with one another before the Master Chaplin hesitantly spoke up again.


    "I don''t quite follow sir. We need to round up the rest of the prisoners and find those damned guards wherever they are hiding-"


    "There aren''t any left," Dai Zhi cooly remarked.


    He turned around to look him dead in the eye, "Everything in the outer city is dead. Every man, woman, and child is lost...all but one."


    "!!!"


    They were all stunned into silence. Only the Master Chaplin managed to gather his marbles and stammer out half a sentence that was yet again cut short.


    "H-How is that possible?! There are over s-seven thousand residents living here, how could they all be-"


    Dai Zhi didn''t even wait around long enough before walking off in a random direction while hismands were being ryed directly to their ears.


    "Check for yourselves. Leave the dead where you find them and execute any remaining prisoners that youe across. When it is done you will gather everyone that''s left and meet me at the outer gates. We will be moving out soon. The city has no use for us now."


    Dai Zhi''s figure shed through the city streets covering more than three kilometers in just a few seconds before appearing outside the home of the silver warrior.


    The silver warrior was sitting in the doorway covered in blood.


    Dai Zhi walked up to him, using the back of his hand to lift his face.


    "My fault....I did it...we did... a mountain of corpses...price repaid..."


    He was mumbling incoherently and didn''t even register Dai Zhi''s presence.

 Chapter 1319 Transpiring

    ?


    Dai Zhi listened for a few seconds trying to make sense of the scrambled sentence but nothing stood out. Then finally he crouched, "Was it Hao Xuan?"


    He didn''t break eye contact even for a moment, hoping there would be some reaction, but his words meant nothing to the silver warrior.


    Outraged at being disregarded altogether, he grabbed him by the throat and stood up shouting, "Answer me!"


    Dai Zhi''s eyes glowed red as a powerful aura encapsted the silver warrior. Finally, he seemed to be able to register that there was someone else there with him since he met Dai Zhi''s gaze.


    "You...did this!" he answered.


    "Give me a name!" Dai Zhi tightened his grip around the silver warrior''s neck but that only made him smile.


    "Do it...useless...coward! Where were you when...we needed your protection? You...did this! You called that...monster here! Now we must all...pay the price..."


    As he talked about the ''monster'' Dai Zhi could see the events ying back within the silver warrior''s eyes.


    He smiled while mumbling to himself, "So it was him, good. I thought he had run away."


    He released the grip around the silver warrior''s neck and allowed him to fall to the ground.


    Dai Zhi turned around to leave but paused for a brief moment, "You can either sit here wallowing in despair amongst the dead or help me bring him to justice. He will pay dearly foring here, I assure you that."


    The silver warrior didn''t even have the energy to raise his head, "You can''t kill him...we tried already. He really is a monster!"


    And then Dai Zhi''s words whispered in his ears from every direction, "I know, but I''m a bigger monster."


    By the time he looked up Dai Zhi was nowhere in sight but his words continued to ring within his head, ''Run. The dead are about to wake. This city does not belong to us anymore.''


    *creak*


    The sound of squeaking wooden boards came from inside the house followed by heavy thumping noises, as if someone was waking barefoot on the floor.


    The silver warrior stood up with widened eyes, swallowing a mouthful of saliva to dry his parched throat.


    "D-Darling....is that you?" he called out gently.


    But no matter how much he wanted to run in and check his body could not move. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    *Squelch*


    *Thump*Thump*Thump*


    He could even hear the blood spurting all around with every step and not a minuteter the source came into full view, slowly stumbling out of the front door covered in blood.


    Her innards were being dragged along behind her, the intestine wrapped around the foot which was the source of the noise. But even after seeing the corpse of his belovede back to life the most terrifying part was still not the act itself but her eyes.


    Her grey, dead eyes that were forced back into the sockets were looking at him with the same eagerness and passion as before.


    "My...love..e to me..." she muttered with a raspy voice while extending both her hands.


    "EEE- DON''T COME CLOSER!" he jumped back stumbling along the way and falling on his behind.


    His attention was pulled to the street where he could see figures trudging out of every house, much in the same condition as the love of his wife.


    All the pain and anguish he was feeling before was immediately reced by fear and an impending sense of doom. Now Dai Zhi''s words made sense.


    He got back on his feet with some effort and took onest look at her.


    "I''m sorr- I can''t do this. I will avenge you," he threw out the words before sprinting away at full speed towards the inner city.


    All along the way he saw the same thing transpiring in every house, in every street and road.


    ***


    Dai Zhi appeared at the upper city which was open only to the strongest and his most trustworthy warriors. They had already gathered in front of a five-meter-tall statue of his, numbering a little over 500.


    In front were three men that were obviously their leaders.


    One of them was a man in full white with gold-rimmed sses holding onto an exquisite white longbow. This was Micha. (Ch 396 to 399)


    To his left was a man in all ck with an ordinary-looking de hanging from his waist. He gave off a sense of coldness when people looked at him, which along with his expressionless face would make it difficult for anyone to approach. But if Hao Xuan was here he would immediately recognize this man as his most loyal sever, Ensis.


    To the right was a man covered in a grey robe. Nothing about him was visible other than his hands which were covered in tattoos.

 Chapter 1320 Knowledgeable

    ?


    "MASTER!"


    They all eximed in unison and got down on one knee upon seeing Dai Zhi appear at the top of the steps. Only the three in the front did not need to bow and simply lowered their heads as a show of respect to their ''great'' leader.


    Dai Zhi casually waved his hand allowing them to resume their positions. He took a moment to survey the crowd and smiled upon seeing their excited faces.


    "The wait has been long my friends! Of the ones that fell with me from the heavens, only a handful remain. Either they have chosen to return to the greater world or defect and fight against us...and we all know how that turned out."


    A roaringughter spread among them like wildfire.


    "But now you stand here with me, havingsted through the many ordeals that we have had to face and all the sufferings that we had to endure on this dying world...and you have be STRONG!"


    The crowd erupted in another score of unified chantings, "FOR THE LIGHT!"


    "FOR THE LIGHT!"


    He waited for them to finish before continuing, "When you joined me I promised you riches beyond your wildest imaginations and powers that even the gods themselves would envy once we left this rock, and that time is now my friends! We are on the cusp of greatness, one step away from achieving all of our dreams."


    "And once it is done we will ascend TOGETHER as ONE! PREPARE FOR WAR! We strike at the heart of our enemies onest time!"


    "LONG LIVE THE LORD!"


    "LONG LIVE THE BLOOD PRINCE!"


    His fervent speech galvanized the passionate desires of the warriors, bringing them to new heights as they prepared themselves for yet another bloodshed in his name.


    He gestured for Micha, Ensis, and the grey-robed figure to follow him into the throne room, leaving the others to finish the preparations.


    The doors closed behind them with a snap of his fingers and a barrier erected around the room. He sat down on the throne, resting his head on the side.


    "Hao Xuan was here."


    "!!!" <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    All three figures standing in front of him had some sort of a reaction upon hearing the name, but none more so than Micha who stepped forward in a hurry.


    "He was here in the city?! What happened? Did we capture him?! Why was he here??"


    Dai Zhi sniggered, "That poor fool, he came to break out my sister- well, whatever is left of her after everything that she''s been put through. He escaped, obviously. It wouldn''t be fun if it was that easy."


    Micha tightened his grip around the longbow upon hearing about Ceni but he did not let it show. Instead, "Then we should follow him quickly before he gets too far!" he urged.


    "Rx, it''s all going ording to n. I knew he woulde for her that''s why I kept her alive in the first ce after absorbing her vital essence. My blood parasites are alive and well, thriving in her frail body. I can track their position with great uracy every 6 hours using the parasites so we will find them no matter where they go."


    "I want them to reach the location where the rest of the traitors are hiding so we can wipe them all out at once. Two birds, one stone as they say. Just remember to bring back Hao Xuan in one piece, I still need him alive."


    At this point Ensis suddenly raised his hand.


    "Go ahead," Dai Zhi nodded.


    "I agree with Brother Micha, we should still send a small party to follow after them. He will be expecting you toe for him and if no one shows up it might rouse suspicion, forcing him to change his mind or go to a different location."


    "Y-Yes, I think that would be the best option!" Micha chimed in excitedly before offering himself as tribute, "I''ll go-"


    "Allow me," Ensis cut him off, "We can''t send too many people. It needs to be done swiftly and expertly. He needs to feel the pressure but not enough to think it''s a bad idea to return to their hideout. Not to mention the demon activity in the area has been off the charts so it needs to be someone that can retreat at a moment''s notice and not get caught up."


    Dai Zhi shook his head inwardly. They both obviously wanted to go and for different reasons but he couldn''t be seen ying favorites so...he slowly looked over to the hooded figure.


    "How about we send our new friend here? It will be a good test of his skills."


    Micha threw the hooded figure a quick scowl before continuing his protest, "This is a very important matter. It needs to be handled by someone-" he looked over at Ensis hoping he would join him but the exact opposite happened.


    "I agree with Brother Dai Zhi. It would be best to send him, he is more knowledgeable about the area."

 Chapter 1321 Strong Light

    ?


    Dai Zhi nodded in agreement before gesturing towards the door which opened by itself, "Very well. Take as many men as you need."


    But a very young voice came from under the hood, "Unnecessary, I alone am enough,"


    "If you think that''s best. I will send you theirst location, he was eastbound on foot from the looks of it," Dai Zhi waved his hand, and a stream of red Qi flew towards the robed man and disappeared within his body.


    He turned around with a bow to take his leave without saying another word, leaving Micha and Ensis to speak with Dai Zhi in private. But just when he was about to exit the barrier Ensis spoke up with a reminder, "Do not bring shame to our master. Remember all that he has done for us."


    The robed man paused momentarily but then continued on his way in silence.


    When the door closed behind him Micha shook his head bitterly, "That was not right, it should have been one of us. This matter is- It is too delicate and far too important to let a traitor like him handle it. If he has done it once, he will do it again."


    But Dai Zhi didn''t seem to think it was such a big issue.


    "It matters not, he alone cannot be a threat to us and no one else will take him in. If he wants to live then he has to join me. And if he does join our ranks then his strength will prove to be very useful in the future, but if not then it won''t change much. I have not taken his power into ount for any of the ns in the foreseeable future."


    Seeing as the mood was still a little sour he decided to change the subject.


    "But there are other things we must focus on now. Once Hao Xuan is captured and all the traitors are killed, I will open a portal to the greater world and we will arrive at the Church of the Sacred Light. I have already initiated both of you into the ''Order of the Sacred Light'' but you will still need to pass the final tests by going against your peers from other areas of the greater worlds." (CH 819)


    "Having experienced your true strength firsthand, I am confident that neither of you will have trouble getting in but that is not the case for the others. Since the entrance is limited and thepetition is so high, I want you both to choose ten individuals each that you would want to take with you as your underlings."


    "Once there, they will fight with one another until only one remains from each group and only that person will have a chance to apply for the Order of the Sacred Light."


    Micha nodded along until he realized something was a miss, "Senior Brother, does that mean that only twenty out of the five hundred warriors will be leaving this world alongside us? What about the rest?" <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Dai Zhi shook his head despondently, seemingly heartbroken by the very notion.


    "There is no other way. The world we will be going to is heavily moderated by the various factions of the Church. They will not allow me to bring an army into thends, no matter how weak they might be. I was only able to get permission for twenty other souls so the rest...well they will have to fend for themselves once it is all over."


    "But that''s not right! They have been fighting alongside us for so long and sacrificed so much for the cause...how can we just, leave them behind?"


    But before Dai Zhi could answer Ensis stepped in trying to talk some sense into him.


    "Then what would you suggest be done? Bringing the two of us along is already bad enough as a new member of the Order but he is also bringing twenty others with us. And we both know that as talented as they are, none of them will be able topete with the countless powerful figures trying to join the Order but still Lord Dai Zhi is trying to save as many souls as possible, knowing full well it won''t bring him any benefits."


    Watching Ensis defend him with such an elegant take brought a lot of joy to Dai Zhi. But Micha was still adamant. He didn''t say anything but everyone could read it on his face.


    "Thank you, brother Ensis. Junior brother Micha, I know how you feel but this is the only way."


    "I-I know, I''m sorry. You have done so much for us but I- I just wish we could save more of them."


    He turned on his heels and quickly walked out with a lowered head.


    *Sigh*


    "The light is strong in him. He will go far within the order and the church," Dai Zhi mumbled to himself.

 Chapter 1322 More Familiar Then Others

    ?


    Seeing as it was only the two of them left Dai Zhi decided to dismiss their little meeting.


    "I shan''t keep you from your duties, brother Ensis," Dai Zhi gave him a knowing nod.


    Ensis returned the gesture but just as he was about to leave Dai Zhi spoke up again.


    "I am d that you decided to stay behind. I know both Tian Zheng and senior brother Xue Meng valued you greatly but you still chose me over them. You will not regret this, I know and understand that a sword cultivator like yourself has to stay true to their hearts and I will never ask you to do anything you would not want to."


    Ensis identally let out a little smile at thement, which was extremely rare for him.


    "Everything I do is for my master. He is my savior."


    Dai Zhi nodded in agreement, moved by his words, "There is nothing more valuable than loyalty in our line of work. I would love to meet your master, to see firsthand what kind of a person he is to garner such respect from a warrior of your caliber."


    His smile began to fade and the glint in his eyes was once again reced by a deep, dark cold, "When the time is right, I will take you to him...and then I will be redeemed," he whispered thest sentence to himself before walking out.


    Dai Zhi watched his figure disappear behind the doors and chuckled to himself, "What an interesting fellow. I can''t wait for it!"


    ***


    Around the same time Hao Xuan came to a stop near an old tree, leaning against its majestic trunk while peering back in the direction of the mountain city.


    "How far...did Ie? Is the city...there?" he muttered through heavy breaths.


    *Beep*


    "Approximately 61.7 kilometers. The settlement is no longer within sight."


    Hao Xuan walked around until he found a small sheltered space near the girthy roots of the tree. He ced Princess Ceni''s unconscious body inside and then sat down outside to catch his breath, listening to the sounds of the forest all around him.


    "Running with two...people was tougher than I expected. I used up too much energy, the fatigue is catching up to me...among other things."


    He waved his hand in front of his face while mumbling, "I can barely see anything. My eyesight is...almost gone."


    "An expected side-effect of overusing the ability."


    "It was worth it. They deserved what they got, all of them!" he hissed. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "The host must remember that their body is not strong enough to appropriately utilize the ''Third Gaze'' to the full extent."


    Hao Xuan shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, "That seems to be the theme for my whole life. All these powers that I can barely use, it would be better to not have them at all."


    "...."


    "The host should continue moving. It would only be a matter of time before their forces catch up."


    "I know, but I really don''t have much strength left. I''ll rest for a little while...just enough to be able to see again."


    And with that Hao Xuan closed his eyes while sitting with crossed legs and began to meditate.


    He had exhausted his mental energy which was much harder to recover than spiritual energy. Without sleep, he would need to meditate andpletely clear his mind in hopes of a small miracle.


    Time slowly trickled by and soon another half an hour had gone by in the blink of an eye. But no matter how hard he tried to focus it seemed next to impossible to tune out everything around him.


    In fact, the sounds of the forests were somehow getting even louder. Finally unable to take it Hao Xuan opened his eyes and jumped to his feet with gritted teeth, only to be shocked by what he was seeing...or rather that he was seeing at all.


    His vision was much better than before but there was a dense white fog surrounding him from all sides.


    ''When did this roll in?'' he immediately noticed the peculiarity.


    He could still hear the sounds of the insects and trees moving slowly with the wind but nothing else was visible.


    ''An illusion?'' he thought at first but swiftly dismissed the idea, ''No, I would have still noticed it.''


    He tried to take a step forward and noticed the difference in his body, it felt much lighter than before.


    Hao Xuan raised his head to look at the sky and noticed three blue moons peeking through the fog. They reminded him of the Kingdom of Mei for some reason.


    ''This is a dream...I fell asleep.''


    ''Yes, you did. It was much easier than I thought it would be, you must have been tired,'' two ovepping voices came in from the front, one more familiar than the other.

 Chapter 1323 Accept It

    ?


    One voice belonged to a teenager from the sound of it, while the other belonged to someone much older...and Hao Xuan knew both of them.


    He began walking towards the source.


    "I thought you were dead or gone somewhere far away. I couldn''t sense your presence earlier."


    The fog began to clear up just as he finished speaking and a grey-robed figure came into view. He was standing on the edge of a cliff peering down.


    Hao Xuan stopped a couple of meters behind him, cautious even now.


    "I sense you no longer trust me," the figure muttered weakly to which Hao Xuan nodded.


    "A lot has happened recently. Why are you hiding your face? And what''s with the voices, Gavril?" (The Orc that got the legacy of the Old King)


    Gavril turned around with some hesitation and slowly pulled back his hood to reveal a grossly disfigured face.


    It looked like someone had tried to unsessfully squeeze two different people into one and the result was this. The top left side of his face was that of an Orc while the middle area belonged to a teenage human followed again by traditional Orc features.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened from shock, "What the hell happened?!"


    "A spell gone wrong, terribly wrong. It was supposed to meld two forms into one but the result was...well you can see for yourself," he gestured towards his general self.


    "That...looks painful."


    "It was, for the first day or so at least. Now the paines and goes, feels like my skin is on fire."


    "....Why? Why even risk it?"


    "I had no other choice. You were gone, the Blood Prince and his armies were almost on us. Lord Gi-An wanted to wait for you as the world spirit had instructed but his followers could not sit idly by and watch thest city fall."


    "Gi-An, I saw him in the dungeon."


    "Yes, he was captured but by then his mind was already long gone. I used him to curry favor with Dai Zhi and get close to him."


    "This spell...what was it supposed to do?"


    "If it worked as it should have, then my power would have increased by at least two full realms. But now it''s barely half a realm higher and stuck that way permanently unless I can find a way to undo the spell."


    Hao Xuan walked up beside him, peering down from the cliff at apletely foreign view. There were all kinds of strange creatures flying around, some that even he had seen in a dream or two. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I never realized this many people would be affected by my absence, even you. Thank you for-"


    "Don''t," Gavril cut him off with a wave of his hand, "Don''t thank me just yet, you won''t like what I have to say next."


    Hao Xuan turned to face him, the atmosphere bing more somber by the second, "What is it?"


    "I have to go somewhere far away so...I can''t help you anymore."


    "And what, you came here to get my permission?"


    "No, to tell you in person. I thought you deserved at least that much."


    Hao Xuan''s face began to contort in anger, "The fight isn''t over yet, I won''t allow it. You will not abandon them!"


    And Gavril seemed just as incensed by the insinuation as he retorted in the same manner, "Fight?! What fight?? There is no one left to fight for! Everyone is either dead or well on their way, you...already lost. Just ept it and move on, go back to the beast world. Dai Zhi won''t stop hunting you."


    "ITS OVER WHEN I SAY IT''S OVER!" Hao Xuan roared, unknowingly releasing a wave of Chaos Qi that threw Gavril to the ground.


    *Cough*


    He threw up blood trying to get back up but Hao Xuan again pushed him down with his foot.


    He stood over Gavril, looking down at him with an unsightly expression, "Dream or no dream, I can erase you with a snap of my fingers, you know that right?! Or have you forgotten who gave you this life?"


    Gavril saw the poisonous look in his eyes and gave up on the idea of trying to fight back.


    "You have changed. You are not the same person that came to this world."


    "We all change, that''s the way of life...and sometimes it''s the only way."


    "Not all change is for the best," Gavril closed his eyes, "Do it then."


    Even Hao Xuan was taken aback by his words which somehow made him even angrier, "You would rather die than continue to fight alongside me?!"


    "I would rather die than be a witness to more pointless suffering. I have done everything you asked for, risked my mind and body trying to find a way out of this mess but there isn''t one. ept it."

 Chapter 1324 Freedom Earned

    Hao Xuan''s hand trembled as he contemted whether or not to snap him out of reality but in the end, despite what he thought was a betrayal of the highest order, he decided against it.


    He pulled back allowing Gavril to sit up.


    Hao Xuan turned around and started walking away, "Get out of my face. I don''t ever want to see you again. You are nothing more than a failed experiment...What I wouldn''t give to trade a hundred of you for one loyal soldier like Arthur."


    It would be a lie if Gavril said those words didn''t hurt him. He always believed Hao Xuan to be more like an older brother than some ''great savior'' so every word was personal.


    "I''m sorry," he muttered weakly but Hao Xuan didn''t even bother to respond before he forced himself awake.


    He opened his eyes back in his tired body sitting in the forest but...something had changed. There was a thin red booklet and an envelope in his hand.


    Hao Xuan frowned upon seeing them but he quickly understood they were from Gavril. A part of him wanted to throw it away but the other part was curious enough to inspect it first.


    The booklet was made from different patches of brown leather and gave off an extremely strange energy, one that he had not sensed in a very long time.


    *Beep*


    [Traces of Extra-ner Energy Detected]


    His hands shook when he realized what it was.


    "It''s a book of demonic arts!" he eximed lightly while brushing his finger over the leather cover.


    "This is human skin...why the fuck would you give me this?!"


    He put the booklet aside and opened the envelope. It was a single page with some terrible handwriting scribbled across both sides.


    "If you are reading this then that means our conversation ended before I could tell you everything so I will start from the beginning." <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Firstly, the book contains a skill of demonic descent that allows the user to borrow energy from their future self for a certain price. Dai Zhi mentioned it in passing but he never used it himself so I stole it on the way out. Don''t use it if you have any other choice, it is possible he could have been lying about it from the beginning because he never trusted me that much."


    "Secondly, Ensis is still alive and well. He did everything he could to help the princess while staying close to Dai Zhi all this time. Right now he is the second most trustworthy person Dai Zhi has on this world."


    "Third, the princess is being tracked. She has a parasite in her blood that sends her location to Dai Zhi every six hours."


    "Fourth, Dai Zhi is stronger than you think. He absorbed the princess''s bloodline andpleted his transformation by receiving the full inheritance of the First Vampire. He is essentially an immortal by now so don''t even think about fighting him head-on without ample preparation."


    "Fifth, it''s essentially just you two left here now. All the other powers either left or died off but the demon scourge is stronger than ever before. There are two Minor Demons present in this world with theirplete forms and they areparable to your Saint Realm cultivators."


    The writing until here was still somewhat legible but thest few lines looked like chicken scratches. It looked like he wrote them down in a hurry.


    "Sixth- RUN! Dai Zhi sent me here to push you towards your camp so he could kill everyone at once but I was followed by that bow-user Micha. I guess he didn''t trust me so he came after me with several people. He will probably kill you if he finds you so you need to get as far away as possible."


    "I know where you are headed, I have marked a location that you can use to rest for a little while but you need to get away from Micha first. That ce should be able to hide you for a few hours, just until you can recover some energy. And...I''m sorry to leave you in your time of need but...I have something very important to do. I swear toe back once I can be of more help."


    "Please, return to the beast world while you still can, Dai Zhi will never stop hunting you otherwise. Even now he ising after you with everything at his disposal."


    *Sigh*


    Hao Xuan crumbled up the paper and stored it away in his storage space before getting up.


    He looked in the direction of the cliff that he saw in the dream state.


    "Don''te back. You have done more than enough to earn your freedom...I can handle this myself."


    Hao Xuan bent down to pick up Princess Ceni before sprinting off in the direction of the secret location Gavril had left for him.

 Chapter 1325 Bal-Rah!

    ?


    For Hao Xuan the next two hours were some of the longest of his life.


    He had to employ every tactic and applicable ability at his disposal to get an upper hand in this life-and-death game of hide and seek that Micha and his followers had pushed him into.


    Whether it was creating distractions and setting up traps or running into demon-infested areas where every step came with dangers of its own, Hao Xuan did not hesitate one bit if it meant there was a chance to shake them off his tail.


    And when he did finally manage to pull it off it was because another, much greater threat, had emerged that threatened both of them.


    The sky turned crimson red and balls of unholy fire began to rain down onto thend, not much different from a scene out of an armageddon movie.


    Whenever a fireball exploded it would give birth to several weaker demons that spread out in every direction to ughter and burn everything in sight.


    *Beep*


    "Multiple unstable spatial anomalies have been detected within the area. The surrounding space is highly unstable and the likelihood of irregr wormholes being created is exceedingly high. It is in the host''s best interest to take cover until the area stabilizes."


    Hao Xuan jumped into the air to avoid an iing fireball before replying to Baracus''s ill-timed warning.


    "I am well aware of the dangers a hell-tide poses to me and every other living creature nearby. You don''t have to remind me."


    "Hell-tide? The host has information on this unique phenomenon?"


    Before Hao Xuan could reply the area in front of him exploded and a giant w erupted from the ground. At the same time an arrow of pure light whistled past his ear, missing only because he stopped mid-stride.


    Hao Xuan nced behind him, catching a glimpse of Micha''s silhouette almost 150 meters away hidden behind some trees.


    "This motherfucker, he still hasn''t given up?! Did he leave all his little soldiers behind toe after me?"


    *RUMBLE*


    *ROAAAR*


    The ground shook even harder as the remainder of the demon pulled itself out of the ground, towering over Hao Xuan at more than 7 meters tall as it


    With leathery skin darker than soot and eyes that burned with literal hellfire, it gazed upon Hao Xuan''s miniature figure with obvious recognition.


    But despiteing face to face with a minor demon Hao Xuan did not lose his cool. Gavril had warned him about its presence so it wasn''t as much of a shock, not to mention the fact that a hell-tide had been a pretty obvious prelude to its arrival.


    No, in fact, his mind was clearer than it had been in a very long time because this was exactly what he was hoping for when he put two and two together upon seeing the changing colors of the sky. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    He had saved up all his energy for just this moment.


    ''That''s a Bal-Rah, a minor demon under Ba''al himself,'' Hao Xuan urately guessed from the bright red brand over the demon''s chest, ''I guess this is proof of Dai Zhi''s allegiance to the burning hells, only he knew where I would be thanks to his minions. But...do they know?''


    Hao Xuan looked in the direction of Micha and swiftly got his answer from his horrified look.


    ''No, he doesn''t know anything. Then...why don''t you two meet!''


    Hao Xuan''s eyes began to change as the ''Second Gaze'' of [Umbra] was activated to full effect. His figure vanished from the impromptu battlefield, leaving only the Bal-Rah and Micha facing each other in awkward silence.


    Both of them were working for the same man without their knowledge, sent to kill the same person that had suddenly disappeared.


    Hao Xuan kept his eyes on the Bal-Rah while slowly getting out of the way. [Umbra] had been greatly strengthened but the creature in front of him was still equivalent to a Saint Realm warrior.


    If he lost focus even for a split second the effect would be broken. But thankfully he didn''t need to keep up ''appearances'' for very long because the Bal-Rah wasn''t known for its patience.


    Having lost its initial target it attacked the next best thing.


    Two massive webbed wings unfurled behind it and a de made from pure hellfire materialized within its grasp. (Reference Image posted in Discord and Authors notes)


    There were two curved horns on the top of its head and another two smaller horns around its forehead. When it called out the de its power amplified even more and just being around it was enough for Hao Xuan to start taking damage.


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link:


    ___


    Reference Image Link:


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) :

 Chapter 1326 Slice Of Heaven

    ?


    Hao Xuan jumped out of the way seconds before the Bal-Rah swung its de in Micha''s direction. The atmosphere ignited and a 20-meter-long wall of me fell from the skies, rendering everything it touched into cinders.


    Even though the attack wasn''t directed at him he still received third-degree burns on his shoulder and back while running away. Thankfully though, it didn''t break the ''Second Gaze'' which allowed Hao Xuan to sneak away while the minor demon chased after Micha.


    Another thirty minutester they arrived at Gavril''s marked location. It was a forest of stone pirs hidden in the corner of a valley. Some of the pirs were as big as ten meters with almost identical cylindrical shapes.


    Ayer of fog nketed the floor and various runes etched on the pirs acted as both a deterrent and a barrier for any beasts that wandered too close. For humans like Hao Xuan it presented little to no warning but he could make an educated guess by reading the sequence and types of runes that were littered across their surface.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes returned to normal just as Baracus spoke up with some concerns.


    *Beep*


    "There are some strange readingsing from the area up ahead. None of the scans are working. Are you sure it is a wise decision to venture into unknown grounds? There is no telling what could be in there."


    But Hao Xuan was a bit more knowledgeable about the subject this time around.


    "He was right, this ce will be safe for a little while. The runes will prevent anymunication with the outside world and that will make tracking her down way harder. I just need a few hours to recover, then we will leave," he told Baracus before quickly going in.


    Several of the runes lit up on the first row of pirs just as Hao Xuan passed them and the difference was immediately felt by Dai Zhi all the way in the mountain city.


    Sitting on his throne he slowly opened his eyes, "Something is wrong."


    A botfly flew over from the table where it was ''feasting'' on some pieces of raw meat andnded on his shoulder. A sapped, husky voice came from its mouth, "What''s...wrong?"


    "Hao Xuan, I was keeping an eye on him but-"


    "Did you...lose him?"


    "NO! I can still feel them but they keep moving hundreds of kilometers in different directions. I can''t pinpoint their location anymore, something is in the way."


    "Sacrifice...a blood sacrifice...for the ritual...in return...I will find him..."


    "Absolutely not!" Dai Zhi mmed his fist onto the table, "I have lost too many men already, no more sacrifices until the final battle. But in exchange, on that day you can im all the fallen souls, there are sure to be thousands of them." <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The botfly flew around a little before confirming, "I ept...you will have...his location...in one moon''s time," and then it went still and died immediately.


    "Wait!" Dai Zhi urgently called out, "How long is that in hours?!" he shouted but no response came.


    **


    Hao Xuan had already crossed the forest of stone pirs and came out on the other side. It opened up into a small hill with fields of purple flowers all around. There was one path leading up which he followed all the way to the top.


    A small wooden house.


    Hao Xuan pushed open the doors which were unlocked. There was only one bedroom that actually had a bed inside so he put Princess Ceni down and came back out to take another look at this little slice of heaven.


    He walked around the flower fields keeping a close eye on the stone pirs that lined the bottom of the hill. In the direction he came from all the pirs were grey and ashen but on the opposite side all the pirs were pitch ck.


    Hao Xuan went down to get a better look at them and it turned out that even the material they were carved out from was much different.


    "It feels like obsidian. But this much? I have never seen it?" he mumbled to himself while brushing his fingers against its smooth surface.


    *AWOOO*


    Just then a deep howl came from somewhere behind the forest of ck pirs interrupting his thoughts.


    ***


    Author''s Notes: Sorry for the recent chapter dys.


    The temperature is reaching upwards of 111 Fahrenheit (44 Celsius) during the day so the power keeps going out for one reason or another every other day now. Sometimes a power outage canst for as much as 6 hours and it usually happens when I sit down to write, which messes up the entire schedule.


    But I''ll try to stay as consistent as possible since we are so close now so, keep voting, even if I miss a day I''ll try to make up for it whenever I can.

 Chapter 1327 A Well Of-

    ?


    Hao Xuan immediately backed away, pushing down the beastly urge to respond in much the same manner.


    "That''s a lycan!" he eximed, "Another one like me!"


    But the raised hair on his neck spoke volumes of its nature. He continued moving back until he was halfway up the hill and only then he turned around.


    "It was fighting something...best to stay out of its way. Already have too many problems of my own to deal with," he whispered to himself looking at the strangely normal view of the sky.


    A full moon hung over his head, all by its lonesome.


    "Looks like we''re not on that anymore..."


    *Beep*


    Baracus immediately spoke up seeing as they had some ''free'' time.


    "Inquiry. The system requires further exnation on the urrence of the event that the host referred to as the ''hell-tide''. Please borate."


    Hao Xuan lightly shook his head in a mixture of annoyance and dismay but he knew that Baracus would keep hounding him until he told him everything so there was no need to hold back, not that there was even a need to. This wasn''t much of a secret.


    "Can I sit down first? Or is that too much to ask?"


    "You may."


    He chuckled to himself through gritted teeth, knowing full well that Baracus was responding that way just to make him angrier than he already was.


    Hao Xuan found a patch of soft dirt to lie down in in the middle of the flower field, looking up at the extraordinarily ordinary sky as he pulled out the information Baracus needed.


    "A hell-tide is a rtivelymon phenomenon in the far reaches of the greater worlds where there is no force left to keep the bnce. No one knows what exactly sets it off but most believe it starts when the numbers of hellspawn exceed the native inhabitants of a world. Others believe it is ''initiated'' by some greater demons or powerful entities."


    "But basically, it is the thinning of the veil between that world and Hell itself. When the veil gets too thin hell starts to leak into our world. The sky turns red, it rains blood with asional bouts of fire and demons falling from the ''heavens''. And during this time minor demons and weaker lifeforms can easily walk across the veil and enter our world, but it''s temporary and when the hell-tide recedes most of them are forced to return."


    "Not all?"


    "No, some demons can find a way to tether themself to the world so they aren''t pulled back."


    "So it is a recurring phenomenon?"


    "Yea, but ites in threes. After the first one, there will be two more without a doubt unless something changes."


    "Understood. The event reurs in multiples of three. Six or nine times should also be possible?" <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Yea, but most of the time the doesn''t survive long enough for it to get that far."


    "Records updated. Query terminated."


    "Great, now let me rest for a while."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and drifted off within seconds. It was eerily peaceful and quiet without any more noises leaking in from the outside world after the howl. The moon continued to circle the night sky, its dim light illuminating the flower fields where he slept without a care in the world.


    A gentle wind blew in from the side of the obsidian pirs, bringing with it a new scent every time.


    An unknown amount of time passed and Hao Xuan opened his eyes again. He sat up and took a moment to gather his thoughts.


    *beep*


    "How are you feeling?" Baracus inquired in a very human tone.


    "Not too bad," Hao Xuan grumbled, "Still a little tired but much better than before."


    "You do not ''sound'' very happy."


    "Happy?" his brow went taut and his nose red as a well of emotions erupted at once.


    "Why would I be happy? Every time I close my eyes I see the faces of everyone that died because of me. I can still see Ma Jiang''s defeated expression when she took her own life and Ryfon''s voice asking me why I didn''t help her. That kid''s pleading voice is still reying in my head on repeat asking me to save his sister...even though I know they are both dead."


    "But I still see them...ALL of them, looking at me with hope and immeasurable disappointment. So why the FUCK...would I be happy?"


    "...."


    "Apologies. The system has trouble reading human emotions, corrections will be made for the future."


    "Whatever, just don''t ask me stupid questions."


    Hao Xuan forced himself to sit upright with some effort, trying his best to bring his emotions under control.


    ''Patience...breathing...focus...''


    After a few minutes of mediation he was mostly ready for the next step.


    "The seed of the world tree, I think I know what it is."

 Chapter 1328 Evict Or Not

    ?


    "He mentioned that it was already in my possession so it can''t be anything too inconspicuous. And after thinking it over there is only one thing that it really could be..."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and appeared in the Mind Pce. He walked over to the podium and paused, ncing left and right with furrowed brows.


    "It was right here..." he mumbled, "Where did it go? It''s not like it could have been misced, there aren''t any ces to hide-"


    The words got stuck in his throat when he remembered that there were exactly three ces to hide in here. With bated breath, his gaze shifted to the three doors in the back, and lo and behold there it was.


    A sigh of relief escaped from Hao Xuan''s lips as he walked over to the door on the left. He hadpletely written it off which is why he didn''t notice it initially but here it was, restingfortably against it.


    He quickly picked it up and walked back to the podium, away from the door that was now unshackled and unlocked.


    "There you are," he smiled looking at the ck ''egg'' in his embrace.


    He had picked it up back in the beast world a very long time ago, stolen it from two great Spirit Beasts thinking that it was one of their eggs.


    But when he identally acquired the Hive Queen she chose to make the egg her home, calling it a world within a world. (First referenced around CH 547)


    "It all makes sense if this was a seed of the world tree- No, it has to be. It couldn''t be anything else, I''m sure of it. It can easily hold such a powerful entity inside of it and even after all this time it hasn''t ''hatched'' no matter how much spiritual energy I fed it. It always felt like a bottomless pit."


    To Hao Xuan''s untrained eyes the ck egg was still just that, an egg of a powerful creature. It had pitch-ck scales that did not change color or reflected even a speck of light back.


    He ced it down near the podium and exited the Mind Pce.


    *Beep*


    "Everything in order?"


    "Yes and no. Yes, it''s still there and I''m about 99% sure that it is the seed of the world tree but...not a hundred percent just yet. And no because if it actually is the seed of the world tree, the Hive Queen is kind of living inside it. What happens when I need it? Do I force her out? Can I even? And where will she go after that?"


    "But I guess..." he didn''t even give Baracus enough time to respond before answering his own questions, "I will deal with it when the timees, just like with everything else so far. What''s more important is to figure out how each of these four is going to be used in whatever ritual they have nned...and how that will affect me." <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "The seed of the World Tree is in my mind pce and the feather of an angel is in my body...somewhere. I can vaguely feel its presence still. The Emperor has the fire but water of the river Styx, that one I don''t know about. The old witch should know more."


    Baracus patiently waited for Hao Xuan to finish before inquiring about the meeting that had been in the works for so long.


    "When will the host meet the Emperor?"


    "Soon, very soon. As soon as I get back to the ruins I will ask Jin Wang to take me to him. Everything should be clear by then. Why do you ask? It''s a little strange that you care about such a thing."


    "On the contrary. The meeting should be a turning point for the host given the circumstances."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed, "What circumstances exactly?"


    "All of them. The host is already aware of the influence the Emperor has had on their life so far, does that mean nothing? My records indicate that such primitive emotions are very important to humans-"


    "I feel like you are trying to make a point so get to it!"


    "ording to the-"


    Just as Baracus began his lengthy exnation Hao Xuan''s ears perked up when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.


    "Shh!"


    He quickly stood up and ran up the hilling face to face with Princess Ceni. She was standing outside of the house looking at the moon with a vacant gaze.


    She had torn off all the rags so now she waspletely in the nude. Hao Xuan''s first instinct was to look away but he couldn''t tear his eyes away from the countless scars and burn marks decorating her form, they held hisplete attention.


    She had more scar tissue than normal skin left now.

 Chapter 1329 Her Choice

    Chapter 1329 Her Choice


    Princess Ceni seemed to be in aplete daze staring at the moon because she didn''t even register his presence let alone try to cover up.


    Hao Xuan took off his robe and walked closer with measured steps, trying his best not to startle her as he wrapped it around her thin shoulders. Even standing just a few inches away she was numb to what was going on...


    It was not until he spoke up that she finally reacted.


    "You should be sleeping," he said in a hushed voice.


    She peered in his direction and her hand automatically rose to cup his face.


    "Are you...real?"


    "I am," he responded with a heavy heart. How many times must she have seen him that she was doubting what was right in front of her?


    And then out of nowhere, like a broken dam, tears started streaming down her face in an endless cascade of misery and relief. She copsed into his chest, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as her feeble figure would allow.


    Hao Xuan hugged her back, concerned and disturbed at how little energy he could feel from her. Almost all of her original vitality had been stolen by Dai Zhi and the effects were obvious.


    She was shaking like a leaf in a storm and Hao Xuan was worried that he might break some bones if he wasn''t careful in controlling his strength.


    "I thought...I thought you were gone- I w-was waiting f-for you..." she stuttered and sobbed, tripping over every other word as if she had just learned how to speak.


    Soon she couldn''t even stand on her own and her legs gave out seconds before she lost consciousness again. Hao Xuan carried her in his arms and brought her back into the house, asking Baracus to run a few scans on her.


    *Beep*


    "There does not appear to be any long-term internal damage. Most of the injuries are healed but..."


    He ced her on the bed and walked back out before inquiring further, "What then?"


    "The subject''s mental state. For such survivors of extreme sexual abuse there are known to be longsting side effects that can prove to be extremely harmful. Considering all the trauma the subject has been through, the system suggests-"


    *BANG*


    A muffled boom resonated through the hill as Hao Xuan punched the ground.


    "You better be very fucking careful in what you say next," he spat through gritted teeth.


    "..."


    "The system does indeed believe that it would be in the host''s best interest to terminate the subject rather than make it suffer needlessly-"


    "BARACUS!"


    "-But considering the host''s history with such events there is an alternative. Erase the subject''s memories."


    Hao Xuan fell silent. He knew exactly what Baracus was going to say even though he warned him he still said it. But the second option...he couldn''t help but consider it.


    "Can you erase just the memories of...that, the dungeon?"


    "Negative. Such severe trauma is usually ingrained within the core memories from which all issues stem."


    "So either wipe all her memories or none?"


    "Correct."


    "What...would she be like afterwards? How badly will it affect her?"


    "The subject will retain some general knowledge and understanding of the world, as well as retain most linguistic skills. But aside from that everything will be gone and will have to be relearned from the beginning."


    "I...can''t make that decision for her. She has to choose it, knowing everything. I won''t force her into something this big. When she is more stable I will bring it up. Are there any other side effects?"


    Strangely enough, Baracus didn''t answer immediately which proved Hao Xuan right.


    "What are they?"


    "There is a chance that the memory wipe will backfire or not work as intended."


    "How big of a chance?"


    "Approximately 37%."


    "And how exactly could it backfire or ''not work as intended''?"


    "The wipe could go be deep and inflict permanent brain damage, leaving the subject effectively braindead. Or it could wipe out all other memories but retain only the traumatic ones."


    Hao Xuan shook his head in a mixture of emotions. Those weren''t minor side effects and he had hidden them from him.


    "Were you ever going to tell me about this beforehand?"


    "If the host inquired, yes."


    "Okay, I understand. Unless something serious happens do not disturb me again for the next few hours."


    Hao Xuan was outraged beyond reason but he did not let it show. He sat down right then and there to meditate.


    ''Patience...breathing...focus...''


    ''Patience...breathing...focus...''


    ''Patience...breathing...focus...''


    ''Patience-''


    *Crack*


    His right hand was so tightly sped that it broke under its own pressure. He brought it up to his face, feeling the waves of pain shooting throughout his body as he watched it hang in the air.


    He quickly set it back into ce before waving his left hand to summon the red booklet that Gavril had given him.

 Chapter 1330 Just a page

    Chapter 1330 Just a page


    When the booklet materialized in the palm of Hao Xuan''s hand a bizarre phenomenon reflected in the skies above. A dark cloud rolled in from somewhere far andpletely blocked out the white moon.


    Hao Xuan nced at it once but did not give it much thought. At this point it did not matter what sinister omens came to be-


    "If it will help then I don''t care how terrible it is," he told himself before directing his attention towards the booklet.


    It was thin, barely a handful of pages that were wrapped in a cover made of human skin. A single ck string was wrapped around it three times to keep it from opening on ident.


    When Hao Xuan held the string in his hand he felt its rtively soft and stic texture against his skin.


    ''Tendons, dried and treated...probably human too.''


    One end of the tendon string was connected to the back of the booklet and the other open end was tied to the front side to an ivory sp.


    ''Teeth, shaved down to create a hook.''


    The closer he looked the worse his findings became. There was almost every appendage added to the already small booklet in some shape or form.


    He pulled the string and opened the cover to see the first page. Only two words were inscribed on the whole page in, as expected, blood.


    They read: ''Regis Officium''


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed, he knew their meaning somehow. It was an ancientnguage that had existed for as long as people were writing things down. It was called Latin on Earth and by numerous other names in different worlds and time periods.


    "The Sovereign''s Duty...or The Duty of the Ruler?"


    It was tricky to trante these oldnguages because the demons always used words that had multiple connotations to trick the readers.


    Hao Xuan turned the page, feeling its grainy texture within his fingertips as he did so. The pages were stiff but surprisingly flexible.


    ''Crushed bone mixed with a few other things. Turned into a paste and dried-''


    He suddenly realized how strange this whole experience had been so far.


    Hao Xuan had no prior knowledge of these things even in other lifetimes but when he touched the booklet the idea suddenly manifested itself in his mind, giving extensive details about the process by which every section of the booklet was created.


    All he had to do was hold his hand over the page and close his eyes and like magic-


    ''I can see it! The bones are crushed and ground down into a fine paste. Then add spinal fluid, coagted blood and- Urk!''


    He almost vomited when even the horrid smells began to seep into his nose. It was like he was there in person, watching himself create the booklet by using his own body.


    Even the heat from the crimson hellfire singed the hair on his arms and face.


    "STOP!"


    Gasping for breath, Hao Xuan forced his eyes open to break the visions. And in that moment he knew just how gravely he had underestimated this flimsy little item. He hade across several demonic books in the past but none of them were strong enough to do anything remotely simr.


    "To induce such powerful visions, no wonder even Dai Zhi was afraid to use it," as he spoke a cone of vapor slowly drifted out. The temperature had fallen by several degrees.


    The look in his eyes went from one of cold indifference to fierce apprehension.


    ''This was probably personally given to Dai Zhi by Meng himself. Considering all the omens from the changing weather to the illusions and drop in temperature, it''s safe to say whatever this book holds is powerful beyond belief. But...why didn''t Dai Zhi even open it to check what was inside?''


    The more he thought about it the more his imagination ran wild. Dai Zhi was a smart man but there was little he wouldn''t do. And if even he chose to stay away from it then perhaps it was in Hao Xuan''s best interest to do the same.


    He sat there looking at it for what seemed like an eternity, weighing all the pros and cons of such an endeavor. And in the end, he always came to the same conclusion.


    ''What if it can turn the tide in my favor? What if I discard it and it turns out that it could have saved all of us?''


    The decision had already been made. He knew it, somewhere deep down, but he just needed to convince himself of it which wasn''t very difficult since the booklet was already influencing him.


    A curtain had fallen over his eyes and he could only see one thing.


    ''Yeah...just checking it out won''t do any harm. Just...one...page..."

 Chapter 1331 My Burden

    Chapter 1331 My Burden


    The siren''s call went out and Hao Xuan answered.


    As he turned the page its sharp edge dug into his iron flesh and drew blood. It was just a ''paper cut'' but the pain was worse than getting stabbed by a sword.


    "Hng!"


    Hao Xuan flinched and when he looked back the booklet had doubled in size.


    He was not sitting in the field anymore but surrounded by an endless white ocean with nothing else in sight. The sky and the ocean could not be differentiated and with just one look he knew that this was a ce somewhere deep inside his mind.


    It was just him and the red book here. He didn''t even have to think about it for very long to realize that this was a test of his resolve- no it was a battle of wills and he had already been pushed back.


    Hao Xuan stood up. He could feel every aching part of his body just like it was in the outside world.


    The book opened and two thorny vines crawled out of its pages, snaking their way up Hao Xuan''s legs. They easily pierced and tore into his flesh to draw streams of blood that began to seep into the tranquil ocean below.


    But this time he was ready. The pain was much worse than before but he didn''t move a muscle or make any noise. He waited patiently for the vines to surround him from head to toe. They tightened around him, prating deeper into his flesh with every second.


    A few seconds passed and when nothing new happened Hao Xuan spoke up with a scrunched-up face, angered more by the audacity of this thing than its futile attempt.


    "Is this it? Is this your n? To make me submit with PAIN?!"


    Ten-meter tall waves were created just by the sound of his voice as he pulled apart the vines with his bare hands, in the process tearing off chunks of flesh and skin that the thorns were hooked into.


    He looked like a half-yed corpse while walking over to the book as it sent out even more vines to block his path.


    "YOU THINK PAIN BOTHERS ME?! How fucking DARE you degrade this ce with your WEAK filth!"


    With a wave of Hao Xuan''s hand the ocean turned upside down, smashing millions of tons of water at the book and its walls of thorns.


    The page flipped and out crawled a winged demon. Well, it was only halfway out when Hao Xuan appeared in front of it from the torrential water and grabbed it by the throat.


    Utterly shocked by the strength behind his broken form, the demon''s pitch-ck eyes threatened to pop out of its skull from the extreme pressure. All it could do was helplessly stare into Hao Xuan''s infuriated gaze.


    "Youe into MY mind, trying to take it over, and...all you brought was this? Did you think it would be that easy? I might be weaker than the likes of Dai Zhi out there but in here I AM GOD!"


    His thundering voice immediately shattered the demon into pieces.


    At the same time something ''simr'' was happening outside. The booklet was beginning to rot piece by piece as its leather cover came to life. The pages turned pitch ck and fell off one at a time but the cover was slithering along his arm towards the chest.


    It reached the area over his original left heart and lept into his skin, bing one with it effortlessly like two identical sheets of y mixing together. But it didn''t stop there, the innermostyer of the cover kept moving through theyers of skin, bones and flesh to reach his beating heart, where it wrapped itself around it and became one.


    *FOOOSH*


    An invisible air bubble popped around Hao Xuan''s body as he opened his eyes and returned to the outer world. He looked down at his chest where the patch of skin over his heart was a slightly darker shade now.


    When he ran his fingers over it there was almost no sensation whatsoever.


    "It worked?"


    *Beep*


    "Unexinable physical changes have been detected within the host body."


    Baracu, as usual, spoke up with a well-timed reminder.


    "I know...it is all under control-" Hao Xuan coldly replied. Not only the tone of his voice had changed but also his manner of speaking.


    "-But since you decided to intrude once again, be useful and create another entry for the ability codex. It''s called ''Regis Officium'' or [The King''s Burden], use both of the names."


    "..."


    "Affirmative. What would its use case be?"


    "It''s a passive ability that will stay active as long as this body is alive. It helps me think better, to see things that I was previously blind to. And makes mepletely immune to all forms of misdirection and misconception."

 Chapter 1332 My Son

    Chapter 1332 My Son


    "Noted. The host previously mentioned that it was of demonic origins. Since its effects seem quite powerful for a demonic ability, what is the drawback?"


    This was the one thing all demonic abilities shared. The more miraculous or powerful it was, the higher the price the user would have to pay to use it.


    Hao Xuan went silent, pondering the decision to share the information or not.


    ''Better to let him know. I don''t want him to get suspicious just yet.''


    "When I die my body will turn into the next version of the book, making it stronger and more powerful for the next person thates across it."


    "But it won''t have any side effects while the host is still alive?"


    "No."


    "Noted. A good trade it seems."


    "Yeah..."


    Hao Xuan smiled inwardly.


    Baracus had believed him so the n worked, even if the information he gave out was iplete in both regards.


    ''If only that was true. Not only does [Regis Officium] make me clear-headed and immune to all forms of maniption, but it also gives meplete control over my emotions allowing me to control my mental state at all times regardless of what happens. I can push it all down and box it away for a while but sooner orter it will need to be released.''


    ''And when that happens it will be several times stronger, all those emotions will erupt at once with an intensity I have never seen before. But as long as I keep them stored away, it will make me leagues smarter than I ever was before. The more I push it down the smarter I will get, there is no limit to this.''


    [Regis Officium] could essentially be broken down into three parts.


    1. Immunity to all forms of mental maniption


    2. Complete control over the mental and emotional state


    3. Intelligence far beyond his station, improves with emotional suppression with no limit


    It was pretty easy to see where the tricky. Because there was no real limit to how smart a person could be, they could keep putting themselves in distressing situations to then suppress all that emotional trauma to directly increase their intelligence.


    But at some point the trade-off would be too much and there would be no way to survive it. It would explode, leaving nothing more than a walking corpse behind. And then the book would take over and the user would be destroyed in every sense of the word.


    But by some miracle Hao Xuan had caught a break.


    The book cleared his mind and suppressed all unnecessary emotions but it did not lock them away because they were already there from the start. But for some reason, he could still feel himself getting smarter.


    [Regis Officium] had begun increasing his intelligence based on his emotional state and all that trauma that he had amassed until now, of which there was plenty.


    Every misdeed and transgression that had involved him in any way counted towards this. Twice, thrice, over ten times, and still climbing.


    Hao Xuan felt like his brain had physically expanded. He could see and understand things that were happening behind his back,e to conclusions that should not even be possible or feasible, and fill in the missing parts of things he didn''t know.


    Rather than saying he got smarter, it would be more appropriate to say he was half-omniscient at this stage. If it had anything to do with him he could extrapte information directly from the ether ande to conclusions that bordered on the divine.


    He got up, looking at the clear night sky that had gotten brighter and somehow prettier.


    ''I can almost see the end. Just need to know thest piece of the puzzle, I''ming, Emperor.''


    **


    Within the great pyramid beneath the ruins, a darkness stirred.


    Mr. Hyde who had be its prisoner after arriving within the inner chamber was the only witness to it.


    The floor opened up in the middle and a rotating dial ascended to the surface. Across from it was a figure of blinding white light, his true appearance hidden behind the heavenly glow.


    ''It is...near...'' a disembodied voice echoed within the chamber, ''The time...is nigh...''


    Hyde mmed his fist against the barrier that surrounded him, screaming at the figure, "STOP THIS, HOW MUCH MORE CARNAGE WILL YOU UNLEASH BEFORE YOU GIVE UP?! YOU- We...we already lost, Father. There is nothing left to protect..." his voice falling to a mere whisper.


    He didn''t believe it at first but with enough time he hade to ept it.


    Their world was gone, everything he had done was wasted. Too much time had passed and now everything was falling apart.


    The Emperor turned towards him, ''My son...there is still...hope. The final piece...hees.''

 Chapter 1333 Shoe on the other foot

    Chapter 1333 Shoe on the other foot


    His mind wandered, from the far reaches of the known space to the depths of his own mind. Everything wasid bare in front of him as the truth of the past and the future came to light.


    Hao Xuan was looking so far ahead that he could read the next ten moves of his enemies. The only problem was-


    ''There are too many of them, too many variables colliding with one another at every instance, I need to deal with them one at a time.''


    With a wave of his hand Grey was summoned back.


    *Neigh* x2


    He was far from being at his best but his condition had greatly improved in the little time he had off.


    "Good boy," Hao Xuan whispered, running his hands through Grey''s mane, "These next 12 hours are going to be the most difficult. And I will need your help okay?"


    *Neigh* x2


    Hao Xuan went into the house to pick up the sleeping princess, wrapping her in some extra clothesying in the storage space before bringing her out. He jumped on and pointed Grey towards the stone pirs.


    "Follow my directions exactly, one mistake and we will be lost in there for weeks."


    With Hao Xuan''s guidance, they were back on the harsh surface of the in just a few minutes. And as they exited the Stone forest several notifications popped up in the top left side of his vision.


    [Connection Re-established]


    [Recieving Input Signals]


    [Receiving Primogenitor Location Marker]


    [Time Passed: 8 hours]


    The first three notifications were in red while thest one was normal.


    ''Were these supposed to be hidden from me? Or they still are and I can only see them because of [Regis Officium]. I guess he was trying to misdirect me somehow and that triggered its effects.''


    "Is everything good, Baracus? Anything to report?"


    *Beep*


    "Affirmative. Approximately eight standard hours have passed since the host first entered the stone forest."


    "Hmm, okay."


    His ''affirmative'' was in apletely different tone than the rest of the sentence.


    ''So that''s what a lie sounds like? The ability also allows me to see through them I guess. Maybe because they too are a form of misdirection? So anything misleading will qualify as a lie...interesting. This alone was enough to warrant all the risks I have taken by getting the ability, not to mention everything else.''


    How much would an average person be willing to give to be able to tell whenever someone was lying? But for someone in Hao Xuan''s position it was a hundred times more important because there was no way for him to tell who could be trusted and who meant him harm and only wanted to use him.


    All of a sudden everything seemed so much simpler and easier.


    Hao Xuan was brought back to reality when another meteor shower interrupted his thought process.


    "To the left, let''s go back to the ruins!"


    The sky was still red. It was raining blood and demons but Hao Xuan was much less bothered by it now. His attention was focused on the surroundings.


    His eyes swiveled left and right constantly as the trees buckled under the pressure of the heavy rain and all the extra weight of the blood that froze upon touching a solid surface.


    With a simple thought a barrier was erected around them, shielding all three of them from blood rain.


    Hao Xuan could see the movement of the wind, feel the tremors in the ground through Grey''s hoofs and smell the foul odor of all the nearby demons.


    "Right here," he whispered, making Grey make an awkward turn behind a boulder but just a few secondster the ground broke and dozens of skeletons crawled out.


    If they had kept going in that direction they would have been caught in the middle of them.


    *Beep*


    "How did the host know of the demon trap?" Baracus immediately inquired.


    "Wasn''t it obvious? Could you not tell it was there? Frankly, I''m quite disappointed in you Baracus.," Hao Xuan replied in a monotonous tone.


    "There is not enough data avable to make such an urate prediction."


    "Then how did I know?"


    Hao Xuan refused to exin anything to him. He might not be able to feel much happiness or pleasure from it right now but it still felt good to finally be on the other side of the fence.


    "Keep going straight for now. In about two kilometers turn left into the valley."


    *Neigh*


    Just as Hao Xuan had said there was a not-so-hidden path leading to the left side. But rather than a valley, it was more like a ravine and the path down was littered with corpses and all kinds of demonic manifestations.


    If someone had said this was the entrance to hell no one would be able to deny it just by looking at it.


    *Beep*


    "Warning! Multiple sources of foreign energy detected ahead!"

 Chapter 1334 Last pick up

    Chapter 1334 Last pick up


    "I know, keep going Grey, don''t stop."


    *beep*


    "There is no reason to risk entering such a dangerous area. The best option would be to go around it."


    "There is very much a reason. She has been following me for so long but always a step behind. If I don''t go to her she will die here, and not because of ack of strength."


    "Who is host referring to?"


    Grey jumped over the final wall of corpses to enter the ravine that was more hellish than hell itself. There were half-meter-wide blood pustules lining the sides. They leaked all kinds of foul liquids and gave birth to veiny outgrowths that spread around in every direction.


    Just a few meters in and they came across the first demonic manifestation. It was a small hole in the ground and several strangely shaped skeletons were trying to force themselves out of it.


    They didn''t even have any fleshy body parts to make the sounds and yet horrific screams and calls for help were being sent out from their bodies.


    "Don''t get too close to that one," Hao Xuan calmly exined, "It will grab on and pull you down with it. It''s a flesh eater that uses its victim''s body parts to make itself whole beforepletely entering the mortal ne."


    *Neigh*


    Grey ran past it, giving it a wide birth so there would be no funny business but for some reason, despite being the belly of the beast he was not nervous at all.


    Perhaps it was theposed nature of his master that made him feel like everything was going to be okay but one thing was for certain, it had a positive effect on his psyche and Hao Xuan could ask him to jump into the burning pits and he would not hesitate.


    Hao Xuan could also feel this effect through the soul bond. It was the purest form of connection that a cultivator could have with their contracted beast and when both of their thoughts aligned there was nothing they couldn''t aplish.


    "Good boy," Hao Xuan ran his fingers through Grey''s mane as the dreadful scenery began to take a turn for the worse.


    The previously crimson sky began to dim as a murky gloom seeped into the reality surrounding everything nearby. It even limited their vision to a little over 10 meters.


    Hao Xuan noticed the changes and nodded, "Good, we''re close."


    Suddenly the entire ravine shook and several waves of tremors followed suit in quick session.


    *roaaAAAAAAAR*


    A muffled roar that abruptly got louder halfway through sent a shockwave that sent a rain of of debris in their direction.


    Hao Xuan immediately extended his left hand and rotated it clockwise to create a 2-meter wide shield of chaos energy. Everything that came into contact with it was instantly turned to ash.


    The rain of debris which was mostly made up of small shards of bone got stronger and stronger the closer they got to the source.


    "Don''t stop! Keep moving forward at a steady pace, I''ll tell you when to run at full speed!"


    *Neigh* x2


    Hao Xuan''s pupils began to change as he allowed the Lycan Bloodline toe into effect. All of a sudden he could see through the darkness and get a much clearer picture of what was happening around him.


    The ravine had gotten much wider at this point and they were running on the shores of a frozenke. In the center of the frozenke were two entities engaged in mortalbat.


    Well, rather than ''mortalbat'' it was more simr to a human trying to squash an annoying bug. There was a 12-meter-tall humanoid skeleton with a giant scythe that was the source of the ''bone rain'' guing the area.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed when he saw its full appearance. There were a lot of missing bones and it generally gave off of an aura of weakness.


    ''A low-grade Skeletal Lord cultivating death energy to increase its offensive and defensive prowess. Doesn''t look like it has the ability to summon lesser demons so it shouldn''t be too much of a problem to incapacitate it briefly.''


    It was fighting, or trying to kill a constantly shapeshifting creature that was flying all over the ce. One second it was in the shape of a sparrow swooping through its attacks and the next it was a three-legged crow pecking at the skeleton''s head.


    "Stop, turn to the left and go straight," Hao Xuan ordered, "Whatever you see don''t stop. I will tell you when it''s time and then you can run as fast as you can to the other side. After we cross theke run straight until you hit the wall and then follow it out, understand?"


    *Neigh!* x2


    Both of Grey''s heads bobbed up and down enthusiastically as he turned towards the center of theke.


    Hao Xuan flexed his left arm while channeling all the purest Chaos Qi within his body towards it.

 Chapter 1335 Misdirected Affection

    Chapter 1335 Misdirected Affection


    Blue and white sparks ignited in the palm of Hao Xuan''s hand. At the same time, he quickly suppressed the Lycan Bloodline to activate the second gaze of [Umbra] andpletely eliminate his presence.


    Unfortunately, it wouldn''t be able to hide Grey or Princess Ceni but they were so weakpared to the Skeletal Lord that it probably wouldn''t even notice them until it was toote.


    Grey cut straight through the bone storm but since Hao Xuan''s defensive shield was not there to protect him, many of the smaller and sharper bone shards dug into his skin and were lodged in the flesh.


    The Skeletal Lord wasn''t even fully formed yet and a mere passive ability of a creature of its level was enough to do so much damage to him but Grey did not stop or even slow down. Instead, he picked up speed and followed Hao Xuan''s direction down to a T, charging straight at the Skeletal Lord even though he didn''t know it just yet.


    Because Hao Xuan''s vision was back to normal he couldn''t see through the bone storm anymore but his mind was like a steel trap and he could remember every minute detail.


    After reying every possible scenario in his head he could even predict, to a great degree, what was going to happen next. He had so much trust in his ''calctions'' that Hao Xuan didn''t even need to see it.


    He closed his eyes and focused on holding all the Chaos Energy at bay while charging it up even more.


    Secondster Grey broke through the eye of the bone storm and appeared just 20 meters away from the Skeletal Lord.


    Both the Skeletal Lord and the three-legged crow turned to face the new enemy but upon sensing the energies of the attackers they had no idea what to do. They were too weak to do anything but still, they charged right at them.


    Only the three-legged crow recognized Grey which confused it even more.


    Grey ran straight into the feet of the Skeletal Lord and it responded by trying to kick him away in some kind of aical scene. And when the Skeletal Lord''s leg swept towards him Hao Xuan suddenly revealed himself.


    He was holding a ball of blue lightning which he threw in its direction. Upon contact, the little orb of chaos lighting exploded into a thousand smaller worms that bore into the Skeletal Lord''s bones and exploded upon reaching its joints.


    It immediately fell to its knees and the three-legged crow used that opportunity to turn into a ray of searing yellow light that pierced straight through its skull.


    Normally that would have been enough to leave it mortally wounded but because of its unique nature the Skeletal Lord would easily survive given enough time.


    "COME!" Hao Xuan yelled for the crow and it flew straight towards him,nding on his shoulder just before Grey passed through to the other side of the bone storm.


    Hao Xuan rotated his hand to create a quick defensive barrier to protect them while Grey picked up even more speed, tearing through the icyke without a care in the world.


    The three-legged crow turned into a mass of formless pitch-ck energy which in turn began taking a human shape. Two arms wrapped around Hao Xuan''s chest before the figure even solidified as it hugged him from the back.


    "Master...you''re alive!" a relieved voice whispered into his ears.


    Hao Xuan nodded without having to look back because he knew exactly who that was.


    "d to ''see'' another familiar face, udia. Are you hurt?" (CH 1032 and 1045)


    "I am perfect now that you are here..." She hugged him so tightly that Hao Xuan was having trouble breathing but he did not stop her.


    He could put up with her ''misdirected'' affection because he needed her for the next few steps.


    Just as Hao Xuan had said Grey ran out of the bone storm by following the rock wall and exited the ravine soon after.


    He passed on some directions whenever needed but apart from that it was a rtively easy journey back to the ruins. In less than an hour they were back at the hidden space that the World Spirit had created for them.


    Hao Xuan carried Princess Ceni all the way to Henrik''s tent under the poisonous gazes of the native while they cursed him out in not-so-hushed whispers.


    Jin Wang was already waiting for them here.


    "You made it! Looks like both the princess and the little witch are fine," he said looking at udia.


    She bowed to him as a show of respect which surprised Jin Wang quite a bit.


    But when Hao Xuan ced Princess Ceni down Henrik''s voice sounded within his head.


    ''My niece...is she...?''


    Hao Xuan turned to face the drooling mess of a man that could not even walk on his own anymore and gave him the bad news.


    "No she- I couldn''t save her. It''s my fault."

 Chapter 1336 Components

    Chapter 1336 Components


    It looked like Henrik was already expecting it because his expression did not change whatsoever. But his eyes, they were a different story.


    Hao Xuan could see it vanish, thatst scrap of hope that had been holding him down.


    ''I see...then it is done...it''s all over.''


    "No, far from it," Hao Xuan got down on his knee to look him in the eye. He held his cold, motionless hand and whispered, "There is always a way. I will find it and fix everything, I swear it. He...will have left one because he needs my cooperation."


    Henrik did not question it, not because he believed Hao Xuan but because he knew that it wasn''t possible, and if Hao Xuan needed to believe that to keep going then he would not be the one to take it away from him.


    ''Alright,'' was all Henrik could say in response.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath and stood up, knowing full well what was going through Henrik''s mind.


    udia walked up behind him, "Master-"


    "Stay here. I will be back soon," he told her before gesturing towards Jin Wang who was waiting for him.


    When they walked out together Jin Wang paused to say something but Hao Xuan stopped him, "Take me to him. There is no need to exin."


    Jin Wang shook his head despondently, "I know, but you still need to be careful. He is not the same man I knew, I can''t tell what he wants anymore aside from mindless ughter and chaos."


    He led Hao Xuan further down into the ruins, into areas that only he could read and understand. It only took half an hour before they were standing in front of the entrance once again.


    Hao Xuan took a quick look around, "What happened to the people you had taken prisoner?"


    "I let them go after making sure they would not pose a danger to anyone on this. There was no need to harm them."


    "Hmm."


    Jin Wang opened the portal gate and they both vanished inside.


    A few minutester a powerful earthquake shook the space back and forth until the ceiling cracked open and the screams of the remaining survivors echoed within the empty cavern.


    **


    Both Hao Xuan and Jin wang stepped out of the portal gate, appearing within the inner chamber which had seen some changes since thest visit.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze was immediately pulled towards Mr. Hyde''s despondent figure locked behind the barrier.


    "You are still alive," he remarked.


    Mr. Hyde responded in much the same old unperturbed manner that he remembered.


    "For now. You should leave while you can, there is nothing for you here aside from a lifetime''s worth of suffering and misery."


    "Everyone keeps saying that but, I want to make that decision for myself after listening to what he has to say," Hao Xuan turned towards the floating figure of golden light, "We finally meet."


    Jin Wang stepped back and circled around the room until he was standing across from Mr. Hyde. They exchanged nces, bothing to the same understanding that if they saw the situation taking a turn for the worse then they would have to step in and stop it no matter the cost.


    Hao Xuan''s emotionless gaze surveyed the Emperor''s figure with excruciating detail but could not pick up any clues even with his ''supreme intelligence'', that is until his disembodied voice echoed within the chamber.


    [Are you...ready?]


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to furrow. He obviously did not know what the Emperor was talking about but he went along with it regardless.


    "I am."


    The dial in the middle of the chamber rotated clockwise one time.


    [Step inside]


    Hao Xuan did as instructed. Normally he would be more cautious but the Emperor obviously wanted him alive so there was no reason to be overly concerned.


    The entire chamber hummed and Hao Xuan felt something move inside his body. All the nanites were gathering towards his forehead. Within seconds a 2.5 cm wide ball of liquid metal had formed in between his brow before floating away.


    "Baracus! What are you doing?!" Hao Xuan called out but there was no response.


    Every single nanite was contained within that metallic sphere and it had left his bodypletely, along with Baracus himself. Even the connection they had through the power of the Soul Severing Heavenly Constitution was blocked in its entirety.


    The metal sphere fell to the ground and was absorbed by the mechanism powering the dial.


    The dial rotated clockwise once more as hundreds of runes lit up all over the chamber''s walls.


    [As weak as they are, theponents are whole]


    Hao Xuan could feel a foreign energy prying into every corner of his body, inside and out.

 Chapter 1337 Last Chance

    Chapter 1337 Last Chance


    It was a bizarre and oddly specific feeling but one that he had felt once before, in the undergroundboratory of the creature called Sagax that created Baracus, the one he referred to as the ''progenitor''. (Ch 191)


    "You had already begun meddling since that long ago? No, it was probably from the very start wasn''t it, since Jin Wang was with me way before that," Hao Xuan turned towards him, and Jin Wang unwittingly nodded.


    "It started much earlier than you remember, from the day of the beast horde after your arrival on the Origin." (Ch 11)


    But Hao Xuan knew deep down that it wasn''t just then. Something told him it started much earlier, perhaps even before the Mei Kingdom existed.


    He looked at the seraphic figure before him, the one that had been named so many times in hushed whispers and cryptic messages.


    "Thousand- No, tens of thousands of years of preparation throughout countless words, this, the Greater World, the Origins and many others that I don''t even know about. But all of it, every single action culminated in me standing here before you today, to what end? Just what is it that you want from me?"


    A hush fell over the chamber. No one else knew of the Emperor''s true ns but all of them were curious, especially Mr. Hyde and Jin Wang who had been a part of it for so long, braving countless challenges to make it all happen but in the end they were just tools ying their part.


    "What do you want from me?" Hao Xuan repeated calmly, "And before you answer, you should know I can see through your lies."


    He didn''t specify how but it was a fact that he wanted the great Emperor to know so they could save each other some much-needed time and heartache.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity the Emperor''s austere voice echoed within the chamber.


    [What is your reason to fight?]


    "My reason?" Hao Xuan frowned, "What does it matter-"


    [Why do you endure? Why do you fight for the ones that would leave you behind without a second thought?]


    A shockwave of golden energy exploded alongside the Emperor''s voice and when it hit Hao Xuan something strange happened.


    "Why?" his brow began to furrow as countless faces shed past his eyes.


    He was seeing all of them from the very beginning, theirst moments resounding within the far boundaries of his mind.


    The neighboring families from Earth that lived alongside them after they first arrived on the Beast world, all of which were killed during the rampaging Beast horde.


    The brothers and sisters that he met within the Red Legion, each of whom became entwined within something much bigger than themselves and some had even lost their lives as a consequence.


    From Ensis''s real family to the Orcs, from the natives of this, and the cultivators that came after. He remembered every single face as if he had met them just a few minutes ago.


    And then the answer came to him before even he realized. His lips moved automatically, "Because no one else will."


    [That is why you were chosen. Your inability to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others is the sole reason you are here. I chose you from the ''well of suffering'' because you will do what must be done]


    In the brief period of silence that followed after the Emperor''s response an earthquake shook the inner chamber.


    Hao Xuan staggered backward, "What was that?"


    Jin Wang extended a hand towards the ceiling and a secondter his expression turned somber.


    "Dai Zhi found them! His armies are outside."


    "No! It wasn''t supposed to happen so quickly, I still need more time!" Hao Xuan shouted in agitation and once the racing thoughts began nothing made sense.


    "You can help them," he turned towards the Emperor, "Please, save them, I will do whatever you want in exchange! I agree to it as long as you can get them out of here, I don''t care what it is."


    But despite his great offer the Emperor''s response was not what he was looking for.


    [The ritual has begun and it cannot be stopped now. Those souls were always meant to be sacrificed for the greater good]


    "NOO!" he suddenly shouted.


    Something snapped inside Hao Xuan''s brain and all the emotions that he had been pushing down suddenly came flooding in, "NO MORE SACRIFICES! NO MORE DEATHS! Give me the power to fight them and I will color the gxy red in your name!"


    [The current will correct itself...no matter how many pebbles you throw in the river of time. Those souls were always meant to be lost, the same as yours. You cannot save them, not like-]


    "Let me out," Hao Xuan interjected weakly, too tired to even argue back, "I should have nevere here. You people...you are all the same, nothing good can evere from you. I will deal with it myself like I always have..."


    "...."


    [This is a choice that must be made by you. If you do not embrace it then all will be for naught]


    The portal opened behind him just as the dial stopped moving. Hao Xuan started walking towards it but paused to listen to the Emperor''sst warning.


    [My strength fades with every passing second. Once you leave I cannot invite you back, remember that. This is yourst chance]

 Chapter 1338 A Commemorative Memorial

    Chapter 1338 A Commemorative Memorial


    Hao Xuan could sense the urgency in the Emperor''s voice even without the help of any other ability, which made him falter.


    ''How desperate must he be to sound so- No, it doesn''t matter. I can''t leave them behind-''


    [You are not abandoning them]


    "Of course you can read my thoughts. This changes nothing."


    Hao Xuan made up his mind and strode towards the portal with confidence. Jin Wang also followed behind him, "Somethings are meant to be, old friend," he whispered.


    The Emperor''s light hummed weakly, [They certainly are. No matter how many times I try, this part never changes...]


    Jin Wang''s brow furrowed as the Emperor''s words dug into his brain like a parasitic worm and he began to hesitate, slowlying to a halt.


    Hao Xuan stopped in front of the portal upon sensing the changes in his demeanor and turned to face him, "I need your help,e with me. I can''t do this alone."


    His strength would be invaluable in the uing battle and Hao Xuan knew that better than most.


    "I know. It''s just- something doesn''t feel right," Jin Wang mumbled under his breath, his eyes swiveling left and right in perplexity.


    He was an 8th Circle Mage in his previous life, one of only a handful in the Greater World. He had been to ces that most people didn''t even know existed and only survived in there because of his sharp instincts.


    And right now those same instincts were reeling from difort, screaming bloody mary at the thought of leaving.


    "It''s alling apart, there has to be another way..." he muttered weakly.


    But Hao Xuan didn''t believe so, "There isn''t. I am not giving up on them! But if... you can then I won''t strong-arm you either."


    "NO STOP!" he shouted, pulling Hao Xuan back, "There is a way! At least there is a chance that there might be!"


    He turned towards the Emperor, "You can use some of your remaining strength to temporarily boost his power, can''t you?"


    "...."


    [Yes. But the moment he leaves this chamber it will dissipate, my power can only be maintained in here]


    "That will work!" he let out a gleaming smile.


    But no one else was following along, especially not Hao Xuan.


    "How will that be helpful to me? I need help out there, not in here."


    "No, you need to see the truth with your own eyes, to do everything you can before making a decision. Use your ability, the one that allows you to experience the future before resetting it! With ''his'' help you can increase its power, push it beyond what could be possible naturally."


    Hao Xuan''s back straightened when he realized what it was.


    "And as long as my body remains within the chamber it will work...there is definitely a chance!" he eximed, peeking his head over to look at the Emperor.


    [So be it. It is better than the alternative...]


    A tendril of golden energy whipped towards Hao Xuan and pulled him off the ground while the Emperor exined a few things.


    [Pushing an ability beyond its limits could have dire consequences. You could lose it entirely or even harm yourself in the process. If you feel something is wrong do not try to push through it]


    "I know..."


    The four-leafed clover pattern on Hao Xuan''s brain lit up and the leaves unfurled one by one, activating the full power of the ability.


    The golden energy dug into his body through the ears, dying even his eyes in the same bright color.


    The usual time Hao Xuan could use the ability for depended on several factors like, how many times he reset it or how quickly he shifted from one possibility to the next. But it never crossed the 20-minute marker.


    His nose immediately began to bleed before the process had even started, just from the sheer pressure exerted on his mind and body.


    *GAAASP*


    Hao Xuan''s back arched as all of his muscles contracted in unison.


    "I can hear...music..." he whispered.


    [Do not lose yourself in the chaos!]


    The Emperor''s voice reverberated within the chamber, pushing Jin Wang and Mr. Hyde away as an even more powerful surge of energy shot out.


    "AARGH!"


    Hao Xuan screamed from the pain while golden light poured from his eyes, projecting the future he was experiencing onto the chamber''s wall.


    Jin Wang raised his head with great effort to watch how it was all going down. It was several days'' worth of experiences boiled down to a few seconds, ying with such speed that for anyone below the Saint Realm it would only appear as an unbroken band of golden light.


    But to the people here it was like a movie being yed in slow motion. They could see everything, every little detail of Hao Xuan''s failed efforts painted on the walls like amemorative memorial.


    "AAAAAAAAH!"

 Chapter 1339 Inner Demon

    ?


    Even his screams were beginning to sound different with every subsequent cycle and everyone in the room could see why.


    In just a minute he had died more than 10 times and that speed was only ramping up as time went by. Every death was more brutal than thest, and every life he lived was even worse.


    It was all ying out in the same loop and no matter how much he tried the only thing that could be changed was how he died and where.


    "This is wrong...he won''t make it! Stop this, pull him out or you will destroy his mind for good!" even Hyde couldn''t bare to watch him go through such extreme and agonizing pain, "Even if he seeds, he will never be the same afterward!"


    But the Emperor was unbothered.


    [He can and he must, for all our sakes. Through his suffering a new future will be born]


    They watched on as Hao Xuan rushed out of the chamber at the start of every loop, trying his best to get to the camp before Dai Zhi''s army but never really making it in time.


    The first few times he was overwhelmed and killed even before reaching the camp because they already knew a lot about his abilities and how to counter them. Even [Umbra] did not work on them because of Dai Zhi''s vampiric powers that had simr effects and could easily block him.


    And by the time he would figure out a way to get to the camp it would already be in chaos. The few that could still put up a fight engaged the attackers immediately but they were pushed back with ease.


    There was no ce for them to run since Dai Zhi''s soldiers were pouring in from every direction like cockroaches.


    Within a matter of minutes they were all herded together like cattle and ughtered one by one.


    After that Hao Xuan switched his strategy and focused solely on escaping with the survivors but that was even moreplicated and far more difficult to aplish. Many of the survivors were ordinary mortals and they could not move fast enough no matter what he tried.


    Jin Wang punched the wall as his anxiety shot through the roof near the three-minute mark and Hao Xuan''s 50th death.


    "Why does he keep trying to save all of them?! How many more times does he have to die to learn this lesson??"


    [That is why we are here, old friend. He needs to ept the harsh truth and surrender himself to the new reality. Only then can he move on]


    More than 70 deathster Hao Xuan finally managed to escape with all of the survivors but not without paying a heavy price. He had to sacrifice one of his eyes by using the ''Fourth Gaze'' one more time to create an opening for them.


    Once they were out there was a little more hope but even that was temporary. Thends outside were littered with demons with no safe haven for their weary souls.


    Hao Xuan led them through the ck Forest while Dai Zhi''s army ceaselessly chased after them. He was able to track Princess Ceni''s exact location and since Hao Xuan refused to leave her behind, it all ended one of two ways sooner orter.


    Either they would be slowly picked off one by one by running into one demon horde after another or when Dai Zhi caught up to them, until it was only Hao Xuan left alive at which point he would be killed inbat.


    OR, Princess Ceni would realize how they were being tracked down and would end up taking her own life soon after. Following that it was only a matter of time for the rest to fall because even though they didn''t have an army breathing down their backs there was still no off the.


    Eventually the survivors either died of starvation, demon attacks, or they just gave up and let themselves be killed. Because what was the point of running around needlessly while suffering through one trial after another? What would that achieve? A few more days or weeks of barely staying alive?


    Hao Xuan was at an impasse and there did not seem to be a way out of this situation, not even after his 500th death. And after all of that, only 20 minutes had passed in real-time.


    Almost half his hair had turned white from the stress and the crushing anxiety but he still refused to give up.


    Finally Jin Wang could not stand it anymore and stepped in, "That''s enough. There is no point in continuing this any longer."


    [Indeed, but it must be his decision]


    "He''s lost his mind, can''t you see?!" Jin Wang roared at the golden figure, "He mes himself for all of their deaths and cannot give up because of it. He will keep pushing himself until there is nothing left to give!"


    [And it will be his choice. He knows what is at risk. If he does not ept it or learn to move past it, it will be an inner demon that he will never be able to defeat. It must be dealt with now!]


    Another tendril of golden energy shot into Hao Xuan''s body, making his skin turn bright red.

 Chapter 1340 Back Then

    ?


    There was so much energy flowing through Hao Xuan that every cell in his body was on the verge of imploding but to the Emperor it meant nothing.


    Hao Xuan was moving back and forth through time with such excessive speed that nearly of it could not even be reflected within the chamber anymore. It was just a blur of slow beginnings and dreadful ends one loop after another.


    Jin Wang could see Hao Xuan''s body physically shrink and his muscles melt under the immense pressure, leaving him no choice but to intervene.


    But just as he was about to strike the Emperor''s apathetic voice floated through.


    [His mind will shatter if you force it from the outside. Only he can stop it, do not be foolish]


    Jin Wang had no choice but to believe him, it was too big of a risk to take. So he stepped back and allowed it to y out but his suspicions were already proven correct.


    He looked over at Mr. Hyde, his voice echoing in his mind.


    ''He is nning something else, I am sure of it. We will have to step in when Hao Xuanes out of this...if he ever does.''


    ''I agree. The man I called father would never agree to help someone like Hao Xuan out of the goodness of his heart. He always looks at the big picture.''


    While the Emperor was focused on Hao Xuan, Jin Wang moved back to the wall of the chamber and started chanting a spell within his mind in preparation.


    Time trickled by slowly and soon an hour had passed when things started to slow down.


    The golden tendrils ced him in the center of the dial before slowly pulling back. He immediately fell to his knees because at this point it was just skin and bone left.


    Jin Wang gave Mr. Hyde the signal as he closed the distance between him and Hao Xuan.


    "Can you hear me? You still alive?"


    But when he was about to step inside the dial an invisible barrier pushed him back. He looked to the Emperor, "What are you doing? He needs help!"


    The sides of the dial opened up and two metallic instruments came out, one on either side of Hao Xuan. His hand moved by itself and was pulled to these stalk-like instruments by an invisible force.


    Mechanical belts came out from the sides strapping him tightly to each side. The Emperor''s golden figure finallynded in front of Hao Xuan and extended both hands towards him.


    A low humming sound could be hearding from the entire chamber as it resonated with the golden energy surrounding him.


    Realizing that the Emperor had already moved on to the next stage of his n, Jin Wang gave up ying nice and attacked.


    "Fuck this," he held out his hand, "Dragon Breath!"


    A magic circle materialized around his hand before a stream of blinding orange me poured out but immediately fell to the floor where it was absorbed almost instantly.


    At the same time, Mr. Hydeunched an attack from inside his barrier. Two green serpent heads materialized beside him. One of them spat out his barrier and the other at Hao Xuan''s but the same as before, they were melted into goo and absorbed into the chamber floor before they could do any real damage.


    "IMPOSSIBLE!" Hyde shouted, unable to believe his eyes but Jin Wang seemed to be more aware of what had happened.


    He bent down to brush his fingers across the countless notches in the floor, his expression immediately turning ugly.


    "Nulls?!"


    "Nulls? Here!? Impossible! Even with a hundred of them there is no way both of our powers were neutralized that quickly."


    Nulls were people born with a single innate ability. They couldpletely cancel out any power that was close to them, no matter what. But not only were they extremely rare but to train even one would require countless resources and decades of preparation and even then they would have to constantly practice against new enemies.


    And since neither Hyde nor Jin Wang hade across any, it was next to impossible for such a thing to happen.


    Jin Wang shook his head, "No, not people. Nearly half of the floor is made from the frontal bones extracted from the skulls of living Nulls, the essence of their power forever sealed within them."


    With a deep sigh he looked at the figure of his old friend, finally understanding that the man he knew probably never existed.


    "It was a forbidden practice from an ancient civilization that has long since faded into the ether. But even back then we never did anything like this. Just...how many thousands of them did you sacrifice to create this ce? ANSWER ME!" he punched the barrier between him and the Emperor.

 Chapter 1341 All-Seeing Eye

    Chapter 1341 All-Seeing Eye


    Jin Wang was mortified at the thought of so many souls suffering because of him, yes, him. Because it was during his first lifetime when he met the Emperor that they uncovered one of the grave secrets of his kingdom.


    Jin Wang punched the barrier with such force that nearly all the skin on his hand was immediately blown away.


    "I only taught you this technique so you could learn how to stop it, not be one of the people that USED IT! You promised we would never be like them, like the Gods that asked for such sacrifices from us...and now look where you stand!" he roared through gritted teeth, punching the barrier repeatedly with all his might.


    *BAM*


    *BAM*


    *BAM*


    He only stopped when there did not seem to be any change whatsoever within the barrier. It was far too powerful and his strength was greatly limited in here.


    "In the end, you are no different from any of them! Look at where you stand, the essence of thousands of souls rests beneath your feet, and why? So you could keep us contained?"


    Thatst sentence finally got a reaction out of the Emperor. He pulled back his hands and turned towards him.


    [The names of each one of those souls is forever inscribed on the walls of my mind. They volunteered, knowing full well what horrors awaited them. And...I did not create this ce for you, old friend]


    Jin Wang swallowed his anger in hopes of striking up a proper conversation with the Emperor and maybe buying some time while he came up with another n.


    "If not us then who?"


    [From the ''All-seeing'' eye. Once it begins he will send whatever he can conjure to destroy me]


    "The All-Seeing Eye?!" even Jin Wang was shocked to hear the answer because it could only rte to one being and the threat of going against him scared even him.


    "W-Why would Odin want to destroy you? He has never intervened in anything before."


    [Because this time it is different. This time...it is a real possibility. I have prepared for this moment for all my life]


    The Emperor pulled back his right arm to gather most of the golden energy around it. It began to take the shape of a hammer created by the concentrated essence of all his remaining power.


    He could only do so because the chamber was created by him and he was the only one that could use his power in here without any side effects. In fact, it even provided him a little boost.


    And seeing such an rming level of concentrated energy Jin Wang''s hair stood straight up.


    "I don''t understand, what...are you trying to do? Hey, talk to me!"


    But the Emperor was too engrossed in whatever he was doing to pay any attention to the likes of Jin Wang anymore. The task at hand was far more important. He was now lost in his own little world, talking more to himself than anyone around him.


    The Emperor''s left hand gently cupped Hao Xuan''s face, raising it so he could see what was about to happen.


    [There are spaces within the Greater World that have been cordoned off from the rest of existence. The souls in these ces exist only to worship and create more Gods. They suffer needlessly, and endlessly through each life, in the faint hopes that one day their pleas and prayers may end up creating a divine being]


    Hao Xuan''s gaze finally focused as the words began to make a little sense to him. He looked at the face of this golden warrior that stood before him, appearing a lot more human than before.


    [You were born in such a ce...a ''Well of Suffering'' they call it. But I saved you and many others like you, pulling you away from the unending cycle of agony with the help of that fallen angel, in hopes that you could help me in my time of need. And that time has nowe]


    He raised the hammer over his head, and in front of the shocked gazes of the only two witnesses within the chamber, struck down with all his might.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t even look away as the hammer fell on top of his head.


    *BAAAAAANG*


    A shockwave of sanguine energy shook the chamber down to its core before disseminating to the outside world. It continued moving through everything and everyone, traveling all the way down to the''s core before leaking into the ether where every spiritually sensitive being could sense it.


    And in that instant, countless gazes from across all of the Realms of Creation turned towards this nameless.


    The Nine Worlds and Ten Heavens. The Eight Desces and the Nine Hells, none could ignore what was about to take ce here.


    And among these innumerable ''organs of sight'' was a single eye that caused many others to tremble in awe at its mere existence.

 Chapter 1342 He is Watching!

    Chapter 1342 He is Watching!


    Hao Xuan watched helplessly as the hammer struck him down.


    The pain he experienced at that moment was not something that could be described with words alone. Hao Xuan felt like he had been punched back into his childhood before he had learned how to protect himself because...the very notion of resistance was beaten out of him in one blow.


    With the first strike of the hammer, his consciousness was forced into the central Mind Pce. He did not choose toe here but it was the only ce that could protect his soul.


    In the outside world his body had remained unaffected. The hammer was a spiritual weapon created by the Emperor''s soul power and as such, it did not harm the shell that housed him.


    Mr. Hyde was thrown against the barrier while Jin Wang to the back wall. Neither of them really understood what was going on but they could feel the presence of another being around them, someone far more powerful than anyone here.


    Jin Wang looked up, his quivering lips only able to whisper, "He...is watching."


    Unperturbed, the Emperor raised the hammer for the second time, [And he shall be a witness to his first failure] before striking down again.


    Within the Mind Pce, Hao Xuan was just about to stand up when the force of the second strike reached him. It came down like a tsunami and by the time it washed over him...the Mind Pce was no more.


    Hao Xuan''s bare souly on the rubble of all his hard work, everything he had done so far was destroyed in an instant along with the few remaining severs still locked within.


    Outside, blood spurted from his mouth since such a significant change could not be disregarded. Jin Wang''s attention was pulled towards Hao Xuan as his eyes widened from shock.


    "NOO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" his scream filled the chamber.


    At the same time more and more of the Emperor''s energy began to slowly dig into Hao Xuan''s body and only then did they realize what he was trying to do.


    "Soul Transference!" Hyde shouted, "He is trying to rece the boy''s soul with his own!"


    Jin Wang staggered back unable to believe his eyes, for more than one reason.


    "W-Was this your n all along?? To have him go through all that pain just so you could take over his body? To what end? You will never be able to synergize with it, sooner orter the body will reject your soul and you will be back where you started!"


    The Emperor pulled back the hammer for the third time, [Not this time, old friend. I discovered a way to meld my soul into this new form. That is why he is here, to stop me from achieving my goal]


    *BAAANG*


    The hammer came down and Hao Xuan''s soul was once again struck into oblivion. This time he was smashed through the rubble of the Mind Pce and by the time he came to, there was only water around him.


    It was deathly silent here as Hao Xuan''s soul floated on the surface of his ''Sea of Consciousness''. This was thest refuge for his soul before it began to slowly dissipate on its own.


    With the Mind Pce gone, there was nothing else left to amodate it.


    At the same time the changes taking ce in the outside world were just as astonishing. A grey cloud appeared on the surface of the before turning into a raging storm within the blink of an eye.


    It washed away oneyer of dirt at a time, getting bigger in the process while eating at the''s surface.


    This created earthquakes and tremors that shook the inside and out but neither Dai Zhi nor anyone else for that matter had caught up to the apocalyptic event that was drawing closer by the second.


    Engaged in their own insignificant battles, Dai Zhi''s army was ordered to kill anyone on sight as they chased after the survivors.


    Rhisiat carried Henrik on his back while fighting alongside udia, trying to keep the attackers at bay while the others escaped deeper into the ruins.


    udia had gotten much stronger and could hold her own against most people on the but even she was getting pushed back in these close quarters.


    She summoned a ball of dark energy that shot out needles in a 180 degrees in front of it while slowly falling back.


    "Are you sure this is the right decision?! Wouldn''t it be better to flee outside?" she shouted towards Rhisiat after killing two of the attackers that could not defend in time.


    Rhisiat was in his transformed state after having be one with his beastpanion. He punched the side wall, copsing it into the narrow passage way to block the attackers.


    "Yes! This is the only way! There are a lot more of them outside, our only advantage is in these narrow spaces! We need to keep heading down, that''s where Mr. Jin Wang and Hao Xuan are."


    "Why would they be down there?!"


    "I don''t know! I only followed Mr. Jin Wang down once and saw a muchrger space. I think that is their secret weapon, whatever they are doing there could be ourst chance to fight against these guys head-on!"


    ***


    Authors Notes:


    I will try to keep the next few chapters as straightforward as possible but it could be a little difficult to get right the first time around because three different scenes will have to be described simultaneously.


    1. The events taking ce inside Hao Xuan''s mind.


    2. The events unfolding within the chamber.


    3. And the events rted to the survivors and the.

 Chapter 1343 Silent Chamber

    Chapter 1343 Silent Chamber


    Within the chamber, the Emperor finally stopped for a brief moment after the third hammer strike, giving Jin Wang some much-needed time toe up with a way to stop him.


    The Emperor raised his left hand in the air and began inscribing extremelyplicated runes into the barrier all around Hao Xuan.


    Mr. Hyde was already at aplete loss and did not know what to do.


    ''Is there even a way to stop him without using our powers?'' he asked doubtfully.


    ''There is always a way, you just have to think hard enough. It was my people who created the first prototype of this ''Silent Chamber'' at the behest of the First Heavenly Council. It was meant to be used as a prison for powerful beings, enemies of the new Heavenly Mandate. It has been ages since Ist encountered one of these things but I will think of a way around it, all I need is time.''


    ''The only problem is, we don''t have much of that. Your wise father is doing something that goes against everything the Church of the Sacred Light stands for. If he actually has found a way tobine a non-native soul into a human body without any side-effects then they will surely intervene. The All-Father is already watching and soon his punishment will be upon us,'' Jin Wang finished by cing his hands on the side walls to feel the faint vibrations passing through it.


    These wereing from the outside and there was only one being powerful enough to pull something like that off. Unfortunately, that wasn''t the only reason they were pressed for time as Mr. Hyde pointed out soon after.


    ''Those runes that he is carving into the barrier, I recognize parts of them. I have seen a few of them before when I broke into one of his research facilities. They are rted to the forbidden practice of ''Soul Magic'' and its maniption. I don''t know how it works or what it does but he got them from an ancient temple that pre-dates our time. That should be the spell to integrate his soul into the boy''s physical form.''


    With narrowed eyes, Jin Wang examined the runes a second time but he couldn''t make heads or tails of them.


    ''I have no knowledge of such magic, you have to figure out a way to stop the spell somehow. Think back and try to remember what you saw back then. Manipting even a fraction of a single rune could be enough to stop it.''


    ''Or it could kill them both,'' Hyde added but Jin Wang didn''t think it was that much worse than the alternative.


    ''That''s a risk we will have to take. I will try to distract him in the meantime.''


    The conversation onlysted a few seconds in reality so even with the Emperor''s speed he hadn''t finished just yet.


    Jin Wang cleared his throat and walked around the chamber, making it seem like he was trying to talk the Emperor down while he surveyed the chamber for any potential faults to exploit.


    "We both have seen enough of the world to know that ns seldom work out as intended. This spell of yours, do you truly believe it will work while that old bastard is trying to rip you to shreds? Even this chamber won''t be able to stop him if he decided toe here himself."


    The Emperor''s hand did not stop or slow down even for an instant, constantly scribbling one rune after another that slid down onto the floor and arranged itself in a circle around Hao Xuan.


    And while he was doing all of that, he could still carry on a conversation with ease.


    [He cannote here himself, I made sure of that. As for his power, yes, it could pose a threat. But I always have a n, old friend, do not worry]


    "And what of the boy? You saw what he put himself through just to save a few insignificant lives. Do you truly believe he deserves this? How does this make you any different from the Gods you so despise?"


    [Noble intentions that lead only to failure. I gave him the opportunity and he did not seed. Now I must step in and do what must be done. This spell will retain all of his abilities and powers but rece his soul with mine. I can make use of all the gifts that he wasted, and bring out their true potential. Sacrifices must be made in times of war]


    "WHAT WAR!? We lost ages ago! Let''s assume that this works by some miracle, then what? Do you think the Church will simply let you leave? There is nowhere you can hide from him!"


    [You worry too much, old friend, I have my ways] The Emperor finished by peering at the ceiling, his gaze cutting through all the physical matter that stood between him and the All-Seeing Eye.

 Chapter 1344 Soul Magic

    Chapter 1344 Soul Magic


    Within the darkness of the nes of creation, they stood across from one another.


    The All-Seeing Eye and its holder watched in silence as the Emperor''s remaining soul fragments worked tirelessly to finish the magic circle and bound Hao Xuan within.


    Nothing needed to be said, they were well past the point of discussion.


    Outside the chamber, the raging storm had grown big enough to cover nearly half of the''s surface. It had almost eaten its way to the under-world where everyone was still engaged in mortalbat.


    It wasing straight for the chamber and everyone inside it.


    But the Emperor already knew that. A little over a minuteter he finished thest set of runes that slid down and settled in ce around Hao Xuan,pleting the magic circle and sealing it from all sides.


    Jin Wang looked over at Mr. Hyde who could only shake his head in dismay. Without even a physical form it was next to impossible to do anything in such a short amount of time while his soul was sealed behind a barrier.


    ''The spell isplete. He just needs to channel the right type of energy into it and it will be done after that,'' Hyde informed Jin Wang.


    ''Right type of energy? What do you mean? Magic circles rely on the user''s own mana to power the spells.''


    ''Not this one. It''s a very old magical system and requires too much energy for one person to provide. He will need an outside source, something extremely powerful and potent that matches the type of spell, along with a catalyst to bring it all together. It''s a rtively long and crude process, nothing like the kind of magic we have these days.''


    Jin Wang''s brow rose in anticipation as something clicked.


    ''This energy source, since the spell is rted to ''Soul Magic'' would the energy also be...?''


    ''Yes, souls. And a great many of them.''


    ''And the catalyst, what would that be?''


    ''Right there,'' Hyde pointed to the dial that Hao Xuan was strapped to, ''Look how the magic circle seamlessly melts into each notch. The dial is made from sun-metal ore that is used extensively in any field rted to soul maniption, it HAS to be that.''


    Something suddenly clicked in Jin Wang''s mind, ''That''s it! That will be the only time we can intervene without tipping him off!''


    ''What do you mean??''


    ''He will have to open a path to allow all the souls that he has gathered to be pulled in. We can exploit that for ourselves.''


    ''And do what?''


    ''Send in a soul of our own! You will see.''


    Jin Wang circled around towards Hao Xuan''s back until he was standing on the exact opposite side of the Emperor. He closed his eyes and started chanting a spell under his breath, which did not go unnoticed by the Emperor.


    For a moment it looked like the Emperor had not seen thising and was a little taken aback.


    [Why must you continue to stand in my way, old friend] his aged voice echoed within the chamber, [We must stand together against our enemies, is that not what you desired for ages past? Why do you wish to oppose me]


    Jin Wang paused the chanting and opened his eyes halfway to stare at the golden figure across from him.


    "Too many people have died for our cause- Or should say YOUR cause. You even sacrificed the entire poption of this just to prove a point so excuse me if I don''t believe you anymore. Besides, I made him a promise and I intend to keep it. That''s the least I can do as his friend," he finished by stealing a nce at Hao Xuan''s back before continuing the chant.


    Thest sentence truly puzzled the Emperor, [A friend? Him? That remains to be seen]


    And with that, the Emperor also extended his left hand to activate the dial.


    It began vibrating and the outermost part of the dial started moving in a clockwise direction while the innermost part moved anticlockwise.


    The chamber shook and dust fell from the walls as mechanical wheels could be heard moving underneath the floor and behind the walls.


    Just like Jin Wang had said four smaller holes opened up within the dial, one in each of the four cardinal directions. They were disconnected from the rest of the chamber since they rested in the center of the dial, all around Hao Xuan.


    The Emperor moved his hand up and down in the empty space as if looking for something before suddenly making a grasping motion. Followed by an ear-piercing scream four illusionary figures appeared above each of the holes.


    They were down on their knees clutching their heads in pain. But that onlysted for a second before they were ground into white dust and absorbed by the magic circle making it shine brighter.

 Chapter 1345 Creeping in

    1345 Creeping in


    Four souls were just obliterated into nothingness as if they didn''t matter...as if they weren''t living breathing people at some point.


    Jin Wang already expected to see something like that but the brutal nature of the spell and its mechanism left him appalled.


    Killing a person was not nearly as bad as destroying their soul. They could still be reborn after death and have a chance to atone for their sins or suffer in purgatory until they were washed clean.


    But to destroy a soul meant that you would be eliminating all of their possible futures, everything they could have done or achieved was now forever lost. It was a sin greater than any, one that would leave its mark for eternity.


    As soon as the soul dust settled, another four souls were automatically pulled in and turned into dust for the magic circle. This process not only continued but was also sped up tens of times.


    In less than a minute hundreds of souls were destroyed and their essence deposited on Hao Xuan''s shoulders.


    Their heart-wrenching screams filled every corner of the chamber, making it that much harder for Jin Wang to focus. But perhaps what was even more shocking was that the Emperor did not seem the least bit bothered by it. In fact, it looked like he reveled in their misery and fed on it since his own power continued to grow alongside the magic circle.


    Looking at Jin Wang''s ugly expression was enough to know how he felt about it but even so, he wanted to let the Emperor know.


    "Look at yourself, even the Devil would not fall so low."


    [There is no corner of my heart I would not turn over for a chance at victory. That is what sets me apart from all the others that stood in my ce before me. And once it is done, you too will understand]


    Seeing as he could not even see the error in his ways anymore, Jin Wang closed his eyes and tried to focus on the spell in hopes that it would be able to pull off a miracle.


    Another minute or soter when more than a few thousand souls had been sacrificed, the magic circle began to activate. Three golden circles materialized on Hao Xuan''s body. One on his head, one on his chest, and thest on his abdomen.


    There were a couple of inches apart, hovering over his skin but stuck in ce at the same time.


    The Emperor raised his right hand into the air to summon the hammer once more, orating his intentions and inner thoughts to both Jin Wang and Hyde. Whether that was a tactic to distract or something much simpler, that remained to be seen.


    The halo of golden aura around him began to increase in intensity to the point that even the chamber could not hide its resplendent light. It leaked outside to the pyramid, and to a point even further beyond that.


    When the Emperor spoke his voice could be heard by anyone gifted enough or strong enough to peer through the curtain between the realms. It moved freely and without restraint, unhampered by time or distance.


    He spoke to the cosmos, to all of the Greater World and the ones beyond it, [On this day a new future begins]


    *BAAAANG*


    The hammer struck down, creating a shockwave so powerful that it shattered the''s outer surface in half.


    The world shook back and forth as the storm crept in through the cracks and lifted the better part of a continent into the atmosphere.


    Dai Zhi who was still standing outside of the ruins along with a few others was the first person to notice the change.


    As powerful as he had be, in this fight he was nothing more than an ant and by the time he realized that he had been caught in something far beyond his control, it was already toote.


    The sky had opened up and swallowed swathes ofnd around them. As he peered into the eye of the storm he finally understood what terrible power lurked within its muddy depths.


    He pulled at the cross hanging from his neck and quickly shattered the red crystal in its center. A torrential blood ripple materialized behind his back to surround him from all sides. But when it tried to shrink away into nothingness something got in the way and he was spat out in tatters.


    "NOO!! HOW COULD THE SPACE BE LOCKED DOWN?!" he screamed hysterically.


    The elite guards around him finally reacted and pulled out their weapons, unsure of where to point them.


    Within seconds the storm had surrounded the entirendmass and it was slowly beginning to pull in. One of the soldiers ran up behind him, "My Lord! We have lost allmunication with the Mountain City!"


    "What is going on?!"


    "The winds...when did that storm appear?!"

 Chapter 1346 Heavenly Treasure

    1346 Heavenly Treasure


    And not a momentter the winds became so strong that people were being pulled into the air like they weighed nothing. But the worse part was that once they passed the 100-meter mark the pressure was so intense that their bodies were simply exploding like water ballons.


    Dai Zhi understood that even he might not be able to withstand that much pressure for too long and quickly weighed his options, deciding it was better to get into cover first.


    "INTO THE RUINS! EVERYONE GET INSIDE!" he roared before running in before any of them.


    By the time Micha and Ensis realized what was going on Dai Zhi was nowhere to be seen. They exchanged knowing nces and understood one of them had to step up and take charge.


    Micha waved his hand to create a barrier around them while shouting orders, "YOU HEARD THE MASTER! MOVE IN NOW! GO GO GO!"


    He turned to the side, "I need your help, we need to work togethe-" but there was not a trace of Ensis anywhere.


    "Gods be damned!" he cursed, pushing the soldiers into the stairway leading down, "MOVE YOUR WORTHLESS ASSES!"


    A few hundred meters away in one of the countless dark hallways, Dai Zhi was standing with a confused expression. He was running in a straight line but kept ending up at the same intersection.


    The air moved behind him and Ensis appeared like a shadow.


    "My lord."


    "Oh, it''s you," Dai Zhi loosened his grip around the de hanging from his waist, "I''m d you are here, see if you can figure out what kind of magic this is. We can''t move forward this way."


    Ensis took one look around and pointed in the direction he hade from, "We need to go this way."


    "What? We just came from there, are you sure?"


    "Yes," he answered and ran in first.


    Dai Zhi watched his silhouette melt into the shadows and with a deep sigh followed after him. Ensis took a few seemingly random turns that made no sense and should have led them back outside but by some miracle, the opposite happened.


    "Behind this rubble," Ensis pointed at the debris blocking their path.


    "Let me, it will be faster," Dai Zhi extended a hand and a red aura ignited around his figure.


    The rocks began to fly up and move to the side by themselves, opening a path for them to walk through. There was lighting from the other side and an opening could be seen on the wall ahead.


    Ensis stepped aside, allowing Dai Zhi to go in first.


    "What is this ce?" he murmured while stepping closer. But when he actually saw what was on the other side his jaw dropped.


    A massive cavern that seemed to go on for miles. There was a ck pyramid in the center with one way leading up from the right side. And right now plumes of golden light were leaking from its every crack and crevice, lighting up the entire ce with its holy light.


    And if that wasn''t enough, every single surface within the cavern was covered by millions of illusionary silhouettes that were facing the pyramid, watching and waiting for something to happen.


    Even Ensis who knew that Hao Xuan was down here was shocked to see these new developments spring up out of nowhere. Something much bigger than he expected was at y, as was evident by the storm outside and the pyramid inside.


    Dai Zhi''s eyes were almost radiating with the green glow of greed.


    "What a fortuitous discovery!" he gasped, "This must be why that terrible storm appeared! Whatever treasure is in that pyramid must be powerful enough to invoke the envy of the gods! We MUST get to it first, understand? We can''t let anyone else get their hands on it before us...especially those filthy mongrels," his gaze turned poisonous as he looked down to the left.


    There was a small group trying to make its way through the army of illusionary figures. Rhisiat and Henrik were in the lead while udia and Princess Ceni were strutting along the back on Grey.


    Ensis leaned over to get a better look.


    "I don''t see him with them," he mumbled under his breath, prompting a second nce from Dai Zhi.


    "Who? Wait, where is that pissant Hao Xuan?! It can''t be-" before suddenly turning towards the pyramid, "He is already in there?!"


    Ensis finally let out a breath of relief.


    ''Master must have been the one to activate the treasure in that ce. I must protect him at all cost!'' he thought inwardly, readying himself for a tough fight.


    Oblivious to the dagger on his neck, Dai Zhi was trying toe up with a n to make the best of a bad situation.


    "It''s not toote. Let''s follow them and try to find out where that mongrel is and how to get in there!" he threw out the words before inconspicuously flying down from the side.

 Chapter 1347 Dithering

    1347 Dithering


    Dai Zhi and Ensisnded in the far corner away from Henrik''s party, hiding behind the maze of illusionary figures that seemed to have no end to them.


    They were like ghosts and didn''t even react when someone passed through them. And neither Ensis nor Dai Zhi could detect any trace of their presence other than what was visible to the naked eye.


    "What are these apparitions?" Dai Zhi squinted trying to find any distinguishing features that might connect them but there was absolutely nothing.


    They ranged from young children to the elderly and everything in between. The only thing inmon was they were transfixed on the pyramid.


    But Ensis could not care less. He was looking for an opportunity tond a lethal blow but that was easier said than done. No matter how friendly Dai Zhi acted he never truly let his guard down.


    The only option Ensis had was to keep him as distracted as possible in hopes that he would slip because in a fair fight, he did not have much confidence toe out victorious.


    "They must be connected to the pyramid. We should try to stay low and get as close as possible, no reason to spook them."


    "You''re right, follow me," Dai Zhi cast a spell on them that helped hide their presence as they moved parallel to Henrik''s group while pieces of the cavern fell around them.


    The ground shook nonstop and with every passing moment the temperature rose higher and higher.


    Since Henrik''s group wasn''t trying to keep a low profile they were the first ones to reach therge staircase that led all the way to the top.


    "Come on, everyone run up!" Rhisiat shouted while carrying several individuals in his arms and on his shoulders.


    There was a regiment of Dai Zhi''s soldiers quicklying up behind them, unaware that their Lord and Savior was just a stone''s throw away watching everything unfold from the shadows.


    "Should we help them," Ensis whispered upon seeing the soldiers sprinting towards them.


    But Dai Zhi had other ns and quickly shook his head, "No, not yet. I want to see what happens. We will stay hidden unless something changes."


    His eyes turned cold as Ensis watched udia engage with the soldiers first. He looked around warily trying to find a clue about Hao Xuan''s position.


    ''That one has master''s scent on her. He must be close but I can barely feel him anymore. This is the weakest our connection has ever been-''


    Ensis was one of the first severs that Hao Xuan got, and probably one of thest that still remained. His undying loyalty had led him straight into the lion''s den but if it meant he could be of any assistance then there was no ce else he would rather be.


    But there was still one other thing that bothered him. His eyes shifted to the stretch of empty space around the pyramid that separated it from the rest of the cavern. It was so deep that the bottom could not be seen but at this moment, Ensis could feel something stirring within its depths.


    ''-Not to mention the dangerous aura that''sing from down. Such a vile presence, even that Sword Fiend would flee if he was here with his original body.''


    He held onto the simple ck de hanging from his waist while getting ready. One swing of the de with everything behind it, there was not going to be a second chance for either of them.


    Meanwhile outside, the storm continued to increase in intensity while tearing up the ground around it, edging closer to the pyramid with every passing moment. It was a matter of minutes until it would breach the walls of the cavern.


    **


    And within the ''Silent Chamber'' things were just as hectic. The hammer strike had set the soul dust aze, covering Hao Xuan''s entire figure in a blue and white Soul me.


    It surrounded him from all directions and its effects only increased with every passing second as more and more souls were pulled in and sacrificed at the altar.


    The me was solely contained by the barrier but even through it Mr. Hyde was able to feel its searing presence eating away at him.


    ''There, that''s the final step! His soul is going to be extinguished by that me if we don''t help!'' he reminded Jin Wang.


    ''I know, I''m going as fast as I can!''


    Jin Wang''s hands were a blur as they created one hand sign after another while chanting the spell under his breath. Sweat gathered on his brow as he repeated the spell over and over again.


    "O'' Spirits of longing and desire, heed my call, connect these dithering souls with one another so they may end what should never have been!"

 Chapter 1348 Mocking

    1348 Mocking


    Mr. Hyde looked at Jin Wang in confusion when he heard the actual words of the chant.


    ''Are you trying to use a ''love spell'' right now?!''


    ''Yeah,'' Jin Wang confirmed, ''It''s the only thing that works in here. We could never figure out why or find a way to fix it so it was hidden and kept from everyone. The defect remained and has since carried over from the original design.''


    ''Normally it''s not even a big deal since you can onlymunicate with someone dear to you but in this case, it might actually make a difference. She is the only one who knows everything there is about Hao Xuan and could find a way to turn things around. Now shut up and let me concentrate!''


    Meanwhile the Emperor raised the hammer for the second time. Within Hao Xuan''s sea of consciousness time was moving slower which allowed him to experience every little change that was happening around him.


    It started with the snow. Or that''s what he thought it was at first but it did not melt aftering into contact with him. Hao Xuan held out his aching hand and felt the cold pierce deep into his soul.


    It was dust, the same dust that had created the soul me in the physical world. It fell everywhere and when it mixed in with the water from the sea of consciousness its color began to change.


    The entire sea, all of it from the inside out was slowly turning darker and murkier as more soul dust settled inside.


    To Hao Xuan the sea of consciousness was like solid ground. He had little to no energy to begin with but with the arrival of the soul dust, it became even harder to move about.


    He was the one that was burdened with carrying the weight of all the souls that were being sacrificed at the Emperor''s behest but there was nothing he could do to stop it.


    The first hammer strike ignited the soul dust and connected the magic circle to Hao Xuan''s inner mind. The second wasing straight for him and he could feel it in every nook and cranny of the mind.


    Turbulent waves rose and fell in the distance just as the dust stopped falling for the time being. A Curtain of silence had fallen over the entire ce.


    Exhausted, Hao Xuan raised his head with some effort to peer into the sky.


    It started with a small ck dot that progressively got bigger and bigger as it came closer until it was the only thing left in the heavens.


    The hammer WAS the sky and it fell on him with the same strength.


    At thest moment Hao Xuan raised his right hand towards the heavens to block it. It made no sense fighting against something that powerful but he still couldn''t give up that easily and let himself be destroyed.


    *CLAAANG*


    The sound of metal striking metal reverberated throughout. That one half-assed show of resistance was enough to hold back the tide of invading energy.


    It was his body and his mind. As long as he wanted to fight Hao Xuan would always have an advantage in here. That was why the Emperor made sure to exhaust him both mentally and physically before initiating the ritual.


    But even if a mere fraction of the Emperor''s power could reach him, it would still be enough to get the job done.


    Hao Xuan''s entire right arm splintered before shattering into a million small pieces. He fell to his knees once again, his mind lost in the fog of past mistakes.


    The Soul me burned higher and brighter.


    The Emperor raised the hammer for the third strike, his apathetic voice echoing inside Hao Xuan''s mind like the cruel God that he had be.


    [Why do you persist? You have no reason left to fight]


    The hammer fell, traversing through body and mind to destroy him but once again Hao Xuan gathered all of his strength and raised his other hand at thest possible moment.


    *CLAAAAANG*


    This one was even more powerful than thest.


    Not only did he lose the left arm too but the shoulder along with it, while the cracks continued to spread all the way up his neck and face.


    [Piece by piece you will fall, like all the others before you. Weak you are, the same as the ones that stand with you]


    Head hung low, Hao Xuan''s legs shook like leaves in the wind but he did not fall this time. His vision darkened and he continued to see things, things that made no sense.


    There were faces- no, people staring at him from below, from the sea of consciousness under his feet. Hundreds, thousands of them all looking at him, smiling for some reason.


    "Are you....mocking me too...?" he whispered.


    The sky parted and the hammer fell for the fourth time, and this time he had no means of defending himself.

 Chapter 1349 Not met

    Chapter 1349 Not met


    If this was going to be hisst moment then Hao Xuan wanted to face it head-on. He was ashamed to have believed the Emperor and fallen for all his tricks, but it couldn''t hold a candle to the guilt he felt for letting everyone down.


    The Orcs and all his severs that counted on him, the natives that waited for him, and all the other promises he had made and broken.


    Not to mention everyone that was still waiting for him in the Mei Kingdom, they would never know what happened here. In a few years he would be a distant memory to them, a name that would asionally pass their lips as they wondered-


    ''Whatever happened to him?''


    In these final moments those regrets were pilling on, weighing heavily on his heart.


    His face contorted, seething at the thought of dying in such a miserable way. He threw his head back and screamed at the heavens...that was all he could do.


    "AAAAAAAAAHH!-"


    *CLAAAAAAAAANG*


    The hammer struck him down, fracturing his chest into four pieces. There was no blood, there couldn''t be. It was just his broken soul dissipating piece by piece.


    Hao Xuan felt like he had been hit head-on by a truck. His ears were ringing and he was seeing visions of the past. A beautiful face staring at him from above, those broken eyes watching him take his final breath.


    "I told you to run away, I told you not to trust him," Xu Qing whispered wearily, "Why do you never listen?"


    He smiled while his form disintegrated around him.


    "I would have...always wondered...what-if...at least now...I know."


    The soul dust began falling again and this time Hao Xuan knew this was going to be thest time.


    "I am...going to die..."


    "You are," Xu Qing confirmed.


    "Are you...real?" he asked.


    "As real as you," she replied.


    "Then...I''m d...yours will be the..st face I see."


    **


    In the outer world, Jin Wang''s eyes had rolled over as he stood facing the barrier with both hands extended towards Hao Xuan''s back while a torrent of violent and blistering ''Vital Energy'' was being shot onto the surface of the barrier.


    It created an inverse image of a magic circle that was being reflected on the inside of the barrier the right way up. But the amount of energy and control it took to aplish something like this was nothing short of miraculous.


    It was akin to etching a drawing into a piece of a stone with the full pressure of a raging river behind his hand. Not to mention that Jin Wang had to use his vital energy to achieve such a feat which was costing him dearly.


    He was aging by the years with every passing second and even with his nearly inexhaustible vitality there woulde a point where he would not be able to match what was being consumed.


    **


    Xu Qing brushed his long hair aside so he could see her properly before speaking up in a firm voice.


    "That''s not...possible, how could that-"


    "It is," she stopped him before he went on for too long, "I can tell you how but, it will "Are you really going to give up? After everything you''ve done, you are going to stop now?"


    "I tried...over and over again...but nothing...worked. I''m...too tired."


    "You can sleep when you are dead."


    "Heh...that''s...the n. A long...long sleep."


    His fluttering eyes could barely stay open. Xu Qing sat down beside him and ced his head on herp.


    "Did I ever tell you about the first time we met?"


    Hao Xuan smiled, "I was there...I remember."


    "How could you? It hasn''t happened for you yet," she mumbled weakly.


    An electric current ran through his body waking Hao Xuan up.


    His eyes sprung open, his questioning gaze focused on her lips. And even though she couldn''t see it Xu Qing knew exactly what that looked like.


    "It was on the first day of the Thousand-Year Blue Moon festival. I dashed into a tavern trying to hide from those stupid angels and ran into a filthy-looking man. And he said to me-" She leaned in and whispered thest few words into his ears.


    Hao Xuan''s sadic eye movements were just as fast as his racing thoughts.


    "That''s not...possible, how could that-"


    "It is," she stopped him before he went on for too long, "I can tell you how but, it will be the most difficult decision you will ever have to make. A new future, something no one has ever seen before. Do you still want it?"


    Hao Xuan only had to think about it for a moment, "If it means I can fix my mistakes...then I do, no matter what it costs."


    *Sigh*


    "I always wished I would never have to hear those words. But I''m d...for all of their sakes."

 Chapter 1350 Worthy Sacrifice

    Chapter 1350 Worthy Sacrifice


    Hao Xuan tried to sit up but could barely even move.


    "What do I...have to do? I don''t have...enough strength...to stand...let alone...fight."


    Xu Qing gestured towards the sea of consciousness surrounding them, "Then ask for help, you''re not alone."


    "The souls?" he frowned, "They are already...dead. What could...they do?"


    She almost seemed offended at the insinuation that they couldn''t be helpful.


    "Even the Elder Gods respected and revered the souls of mortals that don''t even live for a fraction of their lives. And even in this day and age these new gods and goddesses trade in mortal souls because it is the most powerful currency...that was the problem from the start."


    She seemed saddened at the mere mention of it.


    "But there were some souls that refused to listen, refused to greet their masters on bended knee. So the Gods punished them, locking them away in worlds where they would be born into endless cycles of misery and torment...unable to escape their fate."


    "He...the Emperor, he deceived me into helping him break those souls out of their karmic cycles but rather than let them be free, he kept them for this exact moment."


    She stood up with a heavy sigh and opened her arms. Ethereal wings of pure divine light began unfurling behind her, their light slowly melting the frozen sea.


    She faltered as the zone of influence of her divine light continued to expand further. Her figure was beginning to flicker away from the intense expenditure.


    "Those souls are just like you, they want to fight against the ones who try to control them so all you need to do is give them a chance. Even after having lost most of their essence they are still here, watching....waiting for someone to step up."


    "This is YOUR inner world, your consciousness, and your body. Anything is possible as long as you have the resolve to make it happen. The Emperor thinks he can use them, control them without paying a price but you, you have their ear. Call out to them and they will answer!"


    ***


    Outside, the Emperor noticed the change almost immediately. Hao Xuan''s soul that was on the verge of dissipating was now, all of a sudden, trying to put up another fight and...he knew exactly who was to me.


    All his rage shifted towards the perpetrator. Wisps of golden light began taking shape behind him as he spoke.


    [I can no longer ignore this betrayal, old friend]


    It was in the shape of a great spear, slowly getting bigger by the second but Jin Wang could not move even an inch since he was locked into that position to keep the spell going.


    The Emperor raised his left hand and wrapped it around the spear while its power rose to unprecedented levels


    [Worry not old friend, our efforts will not have been in vain. I will knead this body into a weapon worthy of our cause] his voice was getting louder alongside the spike in energy. And it wasn''t just for Jin Wang and Mr. Hyde but also for all the other spectators that were watching from far and wide.


    [Fuelled by the pain of the oppressed, on this anvil of fate itself, I will create a sword with which to fight the Heaven''s Will]


    Jin Wang could only watch as the Emperor threw the spear straight for him. It teleported through the barrier and appeared inches away from his chest.


    At this point it was toote to dodge even for him, not that he had any ns to.


    The spear made contact and pierced through him without any resistance. Jin Wang tried his best to keep the spell going while trying to defend against the attack but even with his immense focus and concentration that was not a possibility.


    The spear was made from the soul energy of the Emperor so it didn''t have much of a physical effect. But it exploded on contact, offsetting the bnce required to keep the spell going and then the energy of the spell backfired on him.


    His abdomen immediately caved in and all of his vital energy was released in one fierce explosion.


    "AAAAH!" he let out a scream while his body underwent immediate physical degradation.


    He aged a hundred years in the blink of an eye and when it all settled down, just a frail old man was left behind who couldn''t even stand on his own.


    Long white hair, sunken cheeks and withered skin. He was a far cry from the man from just a few seconds ago.


    Jin Wang staggered back and fell against the wall, breaking several of his bones in the process. But the look in his eye was not one of defeat.


    "A worthy...sacrifice..." a weak murmur escaped his lips.

 Chapter 1351 Contempt

    ?


    The explosion was much stronger than any of them had expected, especially the Emperor. The ''Silent Chamber'' could neither absorb nor offset the rampant energy in time. A section of the chamber was damaged and the bnce broken, cracks appearing all around the sides.


    This not only brought the chamber out of the hidden space but reconnected it back to the so it could stabilize itself.


    With a loud buzzing sound the outer section of the chamber revealed itself in the physical world. It rematerialized on top of the pyramid just behind the previously empty gateway. And the plumes of golden light leaking from the inside could be seen from all around.


    "What is that?!"


    "Something just appeared on top of the pyramid!"


    "It''s a treasure!"


    Dai Zhi and his men thought along those lines while Henrik and Rhisiat saw it as a sign from their so-called savior.


    "Hao Xuan must be in there! Quickly, everyone get up there as fast as you can!"


    The fighting continued on the stairway leading up, not leaving much room for Dai Zhi and Ensis to pass by.


    ''Why don''t we just fly up there?'' Ensis suggested but Dai Zhi was quick to shoot it down.


    ''As if it would be that easy. This has to be the burial site of a powerful being and those old guys usually don''t like when people fly around and bypass their tests and trials. Also-'' he lightly jumped, floated in the air for merely a second before falling back down.


    ''-As I suspected, there is something blocking my ability. We wouldn''t be able to fly up even if it wasn''t so risky. Come, we will have to get past them.''


    Within the chamber, the shaking finally stopped and the damage was limited to the side where Jin Wang wasying.


    The Emperor''s tone of voice changed when he realized that the firstyer of defenses had already been breached from the inside out.


    [Look what you made me do. Now we are all within the reach of the ''Heavenly Extermination'' he has sent for us]


    Jin Wang coughed up a mouthful of blood while trying to control his breathing but he stillughed through it.


    "Haha...ha...let''s see you...get out of...this one...when you have...to fight at both...fronts..."


    The Emperor looked up, seeing through the walls at what was happening outside.


    The Silent Chamber''s emergence was exactly what the ''All-Seeing Eye'' was waiting for. With a deafening low rumble the entire top half of the cavern was ripped open with unprecedented speed.


    The earth shook forcefully, throwing almost everyone off their feet. A few unlucky souls that were too close to the edge couldn''t hold on to anything in time and fell into the empty space between the pyramid and the cavern.


    "AHHH!"


    "HOLD ON!"


    "WHAT''S HAPPENING?!"


    The ground continued to shake as more and more of the cavern walls fell. And then a strong pressure appeared within the space that mmed the rest of the people into the ground.


    If even a fraction of it was focused on them there would be nothing left behind but all of it was centered around the chamber.


    With another defeaning boom a spark of ebony me shot through the eye of the great storm above, giving birth to a maelstrom of jet-ck lightning that started to get bigger and more intense by the second.


    All the color immediately flushed from Dai Zhi''s face. He was one of the rare few people here that could identify this phenomenon and it made him rethink every decision he had ever made in his life.


    ''We''re dead...we''re all dead...'' he hopelessly muttered, falling to his knees and breaking the spell that was hiding them.


    He immediately kowtowed, "Almighty Heavens! Please forgive this servant for his many sins!"


    His soldiers looked back at him in shock and confusion before unwittingly following his example without even knowing why.


    "FORGIVE US!" they shouted.


    Ensis thrust his de into the ground for support to stand upright, looking at Dai Zhi in utter contempt.


    "The very fact that you could ever stand in the way of my master isughable. Pathetic..."


    He walked past him, pulling himself along up the staircase that had suddenly fallen silent.


    Too much had happened too quickly. The chamber revealing itself, the great storm and the dreadful lightning dancing within its eye, and the golden light that was somehow cutting through all of that darkness. They were caught in something much bigger than themselves.


    No one really knew how to react but for a select few like Ensis, it didn''t change much.


    "He is waiting at the top," Ensis told udia while walking past her, "Come, our ce is up there."


    Obviously she didn''t trust him at first. He was Dai Zhi''s right-hand man and everyone knew that. It was not until Princess Ceni vouched for him that Henrik, Rhisiat, and udia had a change of heart.


    "He is with Hao Xuan. It was he who told me that Hao Xuan woulde for me," she told udia.

 Chapter 1352 Mark Of The Sinner

    ?


    They hesitantly followed after Ensis, climbing the stairs one step at a time trying to get to the top. But the closer they got to the chamber the stronger the pressure became. They were all struggling but none more so than the natives who could barely lift their heads.


    udia saw that and called for Ensis and Rhisiat, "We need to work together, we can''t make it alone. Lend me your powers, all of you!"


    Both of them extended their hands towards her to send over arge portion of their internal energies. She collected them in front of her chest and summoned the ck book, directly depositing it all inside along with some of her own.


    The book flung open and a semi-transparent bubble was erected around them, removing over half of the pressure in one go.


    "Keep close, you will be fine as long as you stay inside the protection radius," udia informed them while slowly moving up.


    But that intense pressure was just a secondary side effect, the main problem was the maelstrom of ck lightning bolts gathering overhead. They were gathering their power, building up to something much worse.


    And only the ones inside the chamber could feel its real strength. It came with an impending sense of doom that could not be ignored or rationalized away. It was a matter of fact. If even one of those thousands of lightning bolts fell then they would all be evaporated into nothingness.


    Nothing and no one could save them.


    Jin Wang tried to pull himself up but failed.


    "Looks like... it''s all on you, old friend. What...will you do? Run? Fight? Or hide? You...might have a chance...if you leave now, leave...Hao Xuan and save yourself...because you can''t fight...and continue the ritual at the same time."


    He thought he had finally cornered the Emperor but the other party did not seem as concerned, only slightly bothered.


    [I have prepared for this moment for eons. There is nothing you can do that can change the oue of this battle]


    The Emperor pointed both hands towards the chamber floor, pouring a significant portion of his Spiritual Energy into some sort of a mechanism hidden just underneath.


    The sound of clicks and cks of gears moving underneath could be heard for a few seconds while gradually getting louder and stronger. It sounded like a lock being opened.


    Eventually, it got loud enough that it sounded like muffled explosions were taking ce somewhere very deep down. It continued for a good minute before a powerful tremor abruptly shook the entire back and forth.


    Nearly half of the people on the stairway outside were thrown off the sides, into the previously empty space between the pyramid and the cavern. But even before their screams could die out, a torrent of orange and red me erupted from the depths and burned them into cinders.


    "STAY AWAY FROM THE EDGE!" someone screamed as the temperature rose tens of degrees within seconds.


    udia''s group pushed past the turbulence and finally arrived at the top of the pyramid. Peering back at the stairway they could see the fire slowly consuming everyone still foolish enough to be sitting there.


    Many of the soldiers let out heart-wrenching screams before wisps of me shot out of their mouths and burned them alive from the inside out.


    But the strangest part was that a select few were uninjured by the me. It touched them but did no harm, as if they had been judged and forgiven.


    "Did you see that?" one of the natives kneeling over the edge whispered, "The ones that burnt up, they had a symbol appearing on their foreheads right before it happened."


    Rhisiat tried to pull him back, "Oi,e back here, it might not be saf-" but froze upon seeing his condition.


    His face was covered in blood that was leaking from the symbol which had been etched into the flesh of his forehead. He tried to scratch it, "Is there something on my head? It feels hot..."


    He stood up and started taking off his clothes one by one while repeating, "It''s so damn hot..."


    "H-Hey stop, ande back here," Rhisiat yelled at him, "If you move back any more you will be out of the-" he tried to reach out and pull him back but udia stopped him.


    "Don''t!" she muttered in a daze, "That''s the Mark of the Sinner!"


    The man stumbled out of the protection bubble and immediately started screaming at the top of his lungs.


    "AHHHHHH!"


    Wisps of red me shot out of his mouth and he was turned to ash in seconds. The others could only watch in dismay wondering if they were next.


    "What was that? Mark of the Sinner?" Rhisiat inquired in a barely audible whisper.


    *TREEEEEMBLE*

 Chapter 1353 Hound Of-

    ?


    *RUUUUUUUMBLEEEE*


    This time it was the pyramid shaking by itself, mainly because of the effects of the ck lightning that was congregating on one spot in the maelstrom preparing to fall onto the chamber with all its might.


    udia looked up into the eye of a storm that had be the center of all creation, and a feeling of relief fell over her. She knew their lives wereing to an end soon and there was nothing they could do to stop it. It was a vaguely euphoric sensation as if the heavens were weing her, forcing her toy down her weapons and cease all resistance.


    "It is a sign," she mumbled while lowering the book, "The sinners shall be marked and called down to hell, while those worthy shall ascend into the promisednd!"


    Her eyes zed over as shepletely gave herself over to the secondary effects of the Heavenly Extermination. The pages of the ck book fluttered as if to protest but it was forcefully closed and the protection bubble removed.


    Every single individual immediately fell to their knees, regardless of cultivation. And the same sense of doom began to instill into their hearts one by one, wiping away any thoughts of resistance. Their young minds did not have the capacity to fight against such powerful forces, even if they weren''t directed at them.


    "What have we done..."


    "Beg for forgiveness! There is still time!"


    "Mother, father...I''ming to see you soon!"


    No one could escape from its effects save for one person. Princess Ceni was the only one among them with the soundness of mind to still keep her wits about. Maybe it was because of everything she had gone through but her will was not so easily broken.


    She felt the temperature rise even higher and knew they wouldn''t survive for long without some sort of protection. So she crawled over to udia and pped her on the back, "Wake up!"


    *GAAASP*


    "What are you blubbering about?! Hao Xuan needs us!"


    Princess Ceni''s words felt like a bucket of icy water pouring onto her very soul as udia opened her eyes to the truth.


    "How could I forget??!" she muttered through gritted teeth and summoned the ck book again.


    Just then, without any warning or sign, one of therger lightning bolts separated from the maelstrom and fell straight down.


    Time slowed to crawl in udia''s eyes as she tried her best to finish the chant before it made contact, but could she be faster than a bolt of lightning? There was no chance.


    She watched in slow motion as the bolt of lightning came for the chamber and everything else around it, including them. But terrible as it was, it didn''t ''feel'' like the end and she understood why a momentter.


    From the corner of her eye she saw arge shadow ascend from the depths of the chasm and stand in between them, moving faster than the lightning itself.


    It moved quicker than anything her senses could perceive and threw itself at the lightning bolt, somehow destroying it in one go.


    The breath she had been holding in finally left her lungs as time began to flow again and she saw the creature''s full appearance.


    It was big enough to scale the side of the pyramid with little effort, making it seem like a small toy inparison.


    At least a few hundred meters in size, it was not much different from an entire mountain range trying to pull itself out of the dark void beneath the pyramid.


    The shadow that udia had seen stop the lightning bolt just now belonged to only one of the three immense heads attached to a body toorge to be seen from just one angle.


    What little remained of the cavern was instantly blown apart by the creature''s appearance. It was so big that nothing else, not even the maelstrom could be seen behind its body.


    Every single orifice of its immense form spurted out clouds of hell fire that surrounded most of its form, actually shrinking it to a more manageable size within the blink of an eye.


    But even with its total size less than halved, each head was still big enough to take bites out of entire cities.


    The ck book floating in front of udia''s face trembled and flipped all the way to the end, to a page inscribed in gold ink. It mentioned a legendary creature not much different from what stood before her now, a three-headed hound of death itself. (Reference image posted in Author''s notes and Discord)


    "Cerberus," she whispered the words aloud and one of the heads turned towards her, peering straight into her soul.


    Every single mistake she had made in her entire life instantly shed past her eyes.


    *RUUUUUMBLE*


    The shockwaves from the storm shook the once more, forcing Cerberus to focus its attention on it.


    All three heads peered into the sky and let loose a roar that shook the very fabric of space.


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link:


    ___


    Reference Image Link:


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) :

 Chapter 1354 Heed my call

    <h4>Chapter 1354 Heed my call</h4>


    Within the Silent Chamber, both Jin Wang and Mr. Hyde could sense the arrival of this new indomitable presence and it immediately squashed what little hope they had left.


    "IMPOSSIBLE!" Hyde eximed, "How can it be here?! Why-" he turned towards his father, the Emperor, "-HOW is the ''Guardian of Hell'' here?!"


    [Hound of Hell, Death''s Servant, Guardian of Hell, it has had many names over the ages] the Emperor responded calmly, not wishing to hide it any longer.


    [When your master betrayed hell he took the hound with him, even going as far as unleashing it against me and your brothers in our final battle. I- We paid a heft price for its capture...but one that was necessary. For it is one of the few beings capable of contesting against the terrible might of the ''Heavenly Extermination'']


    "But it can''t...win," Jin Wang added, "You will only dy...the inevitable..."


    The Emperor raised the hammer into the air, [Matters not, I require but a moment more]


    This time he would not stop until it was all over.


    Jin Wang''s eyes widened as he whispered a final, "No...!"


    Another lightning bolt fell at the same time the Emperor struck down with all his might. One shook the world outside and the other tried to destroy all that remained within.


    Although much had transpired, for Hao Xuan it had only been a brief moment since he was still stuck in the sea of consciousness and the flow of time was much different here.


    The skies of his mind were overtaken by the dazzling golden lights announcing the arrival of the mighty hammer, hell-bent on wiping away what little remained of his soul.


    But thanks to Xu Qing he was not alone this time. There was hope and a small chance that he could seed...no, he had to. It was the only way to rectify his many blunders.


    The hammer passed through his body and into his mind, appearing above his soul with the destructive power of a falling star.


    Hao Xuan did not even have any arms left to raise towards the heavens to block or fight back. But when he stood up and screamed, the essence of hundreds of thousands of souls polluting his sea of consciousness answered his call. They lent him their arms so he could fight on their behalf.


    The sea of consciousness bubbled as the ''apparitions'' broke through the surface one after another, standing shoulder-to-shoulder around Hao Xuan protectively. They formed a barrier around him using their own ethereal forms. And when the hammer fell they were there to stop it.


    *BOOOOOM*


    The muffled explosion could even be heard outside his body. And when the dust settled Hao Xuan was still standing there, broken and barely in one piece but still alive. But nearly half of those souls were destroyed in the process.


    The Emperor''s disembodied voice echoed throughout his mind, [If that is all you are capable of, then let this be the end] and once again the sky darkened.


    Hao Xuan knew he would not be able to do anything with just this many souls so he reached out for more. Gathering all his remaining strength he sent out the final call.


    "HEED MY CALL! IT IS TIME TO FIGHT, COME TO ME! TOGETHER WE HAVE A CHANCE!" his roaring voice could be heard echoing even in the outside world.


    As usual, Princess Ceni was the first one to react, "It''s him! He is alive! We must help him!"


    But so did the others. Dai Zhi, burnt half to death by the hellfire, awoke from his stupor.


    "IT''S HIM!" he screamed hysterically, "HE DID THIS TO US! HE ANGERED THE HEAVENS! KILL HAO XUAN AND ALL THOSE WHO STAND WITH HIM, ONLY THEN WILL WE BE SPARED!"


    Even in this situation his arrogance did not allow for him to slip into theherworld in peace. He rallied what little remained of his forces and began marching up the stairs, towards the chamber for one final confrontation.


    Meanwhile, the ones Hao Xuan had actually called out for were dying to answer. This was the moment they had been waiting for since first falling for the Emperor''s trap and they were ready, ALL of them.


    More than one hundred and forty-four million souls came forward, gathering around the pyramid from every possible direction and creating a hole within the veil with their sheer numbers.


    The dial and all its mechanisms were immediately overwhelmed as one soul after another threw itself into the flurry, pushing each other forward so more could squeeze through.


    It was certainly a sight to behold.


    Countless souls swarming up the sides of the pyramid, a half-burnt army of bonafide murderers and lunatics running up the stairs, a maelstrom of heavenly lightning above them and a three-headed beast of hell below.


    And a handful of tired mortals and cultivators trying to find a way to survive all of it.

 Chapter 1355 The Last Trick (First half)

    Chapter 1355 The Last Trick (First half)


    It took a moment to exin everything but not much time had passed.


    The dial was overloaded and working overtime to extract the soul essence in time before the next one pushed through. For every soul consumed, three managed to squeeze through and enter Hao Xuan''s sea of consciousness at full strength.


    More than five hundred thousand new souls had taken their ce next to Hao Xuan before the next hammer strike coulde down but the Emperor had also channeled even more power this time.


    *BOOOOM*


    The explosion shook his body from the inside out. Despite being much greater in numbers and power aspared to thest time, nearly all of the souls were wiped out in an instant.


    The Emperor was not giving up but neither was Hao Xuan and both of them continued in much the same manner, trying to oust the other with sheer willpower.


    Every subsequent strike was more powerful than thest and to withstand its terrifying might Hao Xuan had to channel more and more souls into his mind and body.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    One explosion after another rattled off, almost in unison with the lightning strikes from the ''Heavenly Extermination''.


    Meanwhile Cerberus was fighting tooth and nail on pure instinct, ripping the lightning apart with its fearsome abilities but the Heavenly Extermination would not cease until the prey was eliminated whereas even the mighty Guardian of Hell had its limits.


    It was being pushed back slowly but surely and it was only a matter of time until it would fall.


    After just a few minutes it could not even defend itself properly and chunks of its flesh were torn asunder by the Will of the Gods.


    The Hound''s blood rained down upon the mortals below as they engaged in deadlybat on top of the stairs. Dai Zhi''s camp had the numbers but they were wounded and marked by Cerberus which caused their minds to be perpetually locked in a state of madness.


    Whereas only Rhisiat, Ensis, and udia could actually put up a fight from Henrik''s camp. They had the advantage but were being forced into a corner.


    Three very different battles taking ce but all of them connected. If even one side failed then there was no telling what would happen to the other two and...time was almost up.


    The Emperor stopped holding back altogether and used every iota of energy at his disposal to finish it as quickly as possible. His thundering voice rolled through the ether, reaching every corner of the inside and out.


    [ALL WEAKNESS]


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    [SHALL BE]


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    [PURGED]


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    Hao Xuan was trying his best to hold on and keep it together for as long as possible but the incessant battering had rendered him senseless and numb. He watched millions of souls being snuffed out with every strike of the hammer, their hopes, dreams, wishes and regrets all settling down into his sea of consciousness.


    At this moment he was one of them, he was ALL of them. Their pain was his pain, and their suffering was his suffering. He could clearly feel how long they had been waiting for this moment, waiting for one poor soul to stand up and fight.


    It was an inexplicable feeling but for those few moments, Hao Xuan was more than just himself, more just a single man.


    He did not have any hands so all he could do was watch as they sacrificed themselves on his behalf on the alter of fate, like so many had before.


    For a moment all sound died down and time slowed to a crawl.


    ''It won''t work,'' a young voice calmly remarked, ''You are not strong enough.''


    Hao Xuan looked over his right shoulder and saw a teenage version of him standing there. He had seen that face several times before. He was exactly like him in all aspects but one, his eyes. They were bright blue.


    He was staring into the sky, watching as the next hammer strike made its way down to reap even more souls.


    ''I was not strong enough either,'' he continued, ''None of us were.''


    And then he slowly looked down to meet Hao Xuan''s gaze, ''But maybe if we work together it will be different, we could even fight back.''


    He looked to the left, ''Will you ept us?''


    And when Hao Xuan followed his line of sight he saw another figure standing behind him, just over his left shoulder. It looked like him but older, and with searing red eyes.


    This version of him was sealed in his Mind Pce for all this time...longer than he cared to admit. But now he was free to roam as he pleased.


    ''We will help you,'' he made the same offer, ''Lend you our powers to fight against that madman but in return, you will have to do something for us if we manage to prevail. Do you agree?''


    aa7b5e4a913f698f2f85f05ec8699ff287d581d1fb0678555d462be31d6cebaa9a303a8fbee2698d02a966eba5e6ef3b86fc9ad3c452bb0693e69ec5cf5c0980a3e31ad1c7420ff90ee82869bd064ecd

 Chapter 1356 The Last Trick (Second half)

    Chapter 1356 The Last Trick (Second half)


    If it meant he could seed then there was little Hao Xuan was unwilling to do. But that didn''t mean he didn''t have his doubts.


    "I do. But can we really win? It all seems so...hopeless."


    The red-eyed, older version of him grinned wickedly, ''Each of us was different, mere experiments in his hands but our powers were incontestable!''


    He walked over and stood to the left of Hao Xuan, ''Before you...it was me. A warlock, able to manipte and attune to almost every type of spell conceivable. My only w was my weak form.''


    The blue-eyed, younger version of him came closer and took his ce on the right.


    ''I was a demigod...born from the blood of Zeus himself. I think when he created me he wanted to use the power of the Gods themselves to destroy them. My strength lies in manipting arcane energy. If we work together andbine our powers, we could strike back at him. Will you ept us?''


    They both looked at him expectantly.


    They felt like separate entities to Hao Xuan but both of them were essentially him from different timelines that no longer existed.


    Because every time something went wrong the Emperor went back into the past and changed things, manipting them to better suit his own goals. What he didn''t expect was that those ''versions'' of Hao Xuan were notpletely wiped out.


    And Hao Xuan didn''t have to think for long, it wasn''t even a question at this point.


    "I ept."


    Both of them reached out simultaneously, cing one hand on his shoulder and raising the other towards the heavens.


    At the same time Hao Xuan felt something stir in the air around him, everyone did including the Emperor and all those watching far and wide. It felt like an invisible shockwave passing through everything all at once...something had changed.


    Within the Demigod''s hand a bolt of white lightning was birthed, and within the Warlock''s hand a magic circle with nine rotating runes.


    Somewhere within the Abyss the old witch suddenly opened her crooked eyes, "It has been done..."


    **


    When they touched Hao Xuan both versions of him stepped into this reality, somehow bing ''him'' while he was still there. Three of him existed at one point in time, a paradox wrapped within an anomaly.


    The Emperor paused for the shortest of moments, [Three Souls in One] and the energy of the hammer suddenly changed to somethingpletely different.


    Jin Wang''s already furrowed brow deepened even more upon sensing the change in the Emperor''s energy, ''What did he do just now? Why does he seem so...happy?''


    On one hand, he could feel a strong power building up in Hao Xuan''s body but on the other hand, the Emperor was...waiting for it?


    ''No no no, something''s not right! I overlooked something big!'' a terrible feeling overtook Jin Wang as he racked his brain for answers.


    He quickly thought back to everything that had happened since they first entered the Silent Chamber, hoping to find whatever it was that he had overlooked but in the end, it was a single sentence that caught his attention and kept repeating in his mind.


    It was Hyde''s warning, ''My father does not do anything without a reason. It''s all-''


    "It''s all a part of his n!" he mumbled in shock, "It was all a trick! He wanted me here, he wanted me to intervene because he wanted exactly this oue! Hao Xuan! DON''T-"


    Jin Wang gathered all his strength and threw himself at the barrier, unlocking the final seal that held back his real body, the body of a Titan! It was certain to destroy him and almost everyone else in the vicinity, but this was the only thing he could think of.


    A final hail mary.


    The space began to distort and time almost came to a standstill while the hammer was mere inches away from striking Hao Xuan''s head. Jin Wang''s body began to transform but it still wasn''t sufficiently powerful.


    And if that wasn''t enough, a streak of ck light snaked through all that chaos and impacted against the hammer, right as it connected with Hao Xuan.


    It was an eruption of energies the likes of which had never been seen before, mainly because it should not have been possible.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    Everything went dark.


    The ''Silent Chamber'' burst open causing the, the pyramid, and everything outside of it to be wiped away in the blink of an eye. The shockwave carried on and destroyed the moons in the orbit before shooting towards the neighborings.


    The entire system was beginning to copse like a poorly set up game of dominoes.


    And in its ce, only four entities remained floating in the void of space.


    Jin Wang''s half-transformed monstrous form, Mr. Hyde in his soul form, the mangled and badly damaged body of Cerberus, and a naked human form.


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 Chapter 1357 To kill a God

    1357 To kill a God


    It was only because Jin Wang had begun the process of unsealing his true form that he managed to survive the explosion that took out the and everyone on it.


    Even the ''Heavenly Extermination'' cloud was dissipated to a great degree but it was still there and its power was not only beginning to build back up but there was also an unstable portal in its center that was trying to open up.


    And it was only the highly unstable nature of that sector of space that kept it from doing so.


    Mr. Hyde was the first one to speak up. He peered left and right in shock, "I thought for certain that would be the end of me...did we...win?"


    To his right was Jin Wang. Only a quarter of his body including the left arm had managed to transform halfway which proved resilient enough to withstand the impact.


    Even in this state, he was nearly a thousand meters in size, his flesh still bubbling and sizzling as tumorous growths were continuously born and torn apart by the remaining energies.


    And somewhere behind Jin Wang was Cerberus but the Hound was barely moving at this point. Its gargantuan form was slowly drifting away since there was no more gravity left to hold it down.


    Mr. Hyde turned to the left to see Hao Xuan''s naked figure standing tall on a ck disk.


    "Boy, can you hear me? We need to quickly leave this ce before the Godse here in person," he gestured towards the portal while gliding closer to him, "That doorway ising straight from the Heavenly City and-"


    "SToOOOoop!"


    Jin Wang''s distorted voice echoed in his mind, ''IT''S NOT...HIM!''


    Hyde''s figure immediately shed and he appeared next to Jin Wang, behind the wall of bubbling flesh where his human head was hidden.


    "Are you okay- No, we need to deal with this first, what happened to him? I was behind the barrier so there wasn''t much I could see."


    Bright red veins bulged on the side of Jin Wang''s face as he tried to get his rampaging flesh under control.


    "We...were wrong! He nned all...of this!" Jin Wang muttered through gritted teeth, spewing blood and saliva by the bucket.


    "I saw it...I felt...it. Your father...he merged with him...at the veryst moment...merged with ALL of him...that thing...it''s not Hao Xuan anymore...It''s...all of them...all those soulsbined into one..."


    Hyde looked in Hao Xuan''s direction, unable to ept what he was hearing.


    "That''s not possible," he said while shaking his head confidently. There could be one or two different souls in a single body but to have that many was inconceivable.


    "I know...that''s why he did...all this. THIS was...his n all along. Look...with your mind''s eye...and you will see..."


    Mr. Hyde moved away from Jin Wang and closed his eyes, releasing countless threads of spiritual sense in the surroundings. A third eye blinked open on his forehead without any pupils. It was just a mass of swirling golden lights created by the power of his inner mind.


    And when he directed its gaze at Hao Xuan''s figure all he could see was a zing white star instead. It was big...big enough to dwarf even the sun and probably even brighter. And when he looked a little closer he could see millions of faces on its surface, slowly melting and liquefying into the same homogenous mass.


    He could only manage to maintain eye contact for less than a tenth of a second before it became too much to handle.


    "AAAH!" he reeled from the pain, quickly closing his mind to the surroundings while putting some distance between them, "WHAT IS THAT?!"


    "A soul...or an amalgamation of them. Countless...millions of them...a soul powerful enough-"


    [To kill a God?]


    Both Jin Wang and Mr. Hyde shuddered as a not-so-unfamiliar voice floated into their minds.


    Jin Wang pulled his left arm to the side to see Hao Xuan''s face looking in their direction. But it was clear that it wasn''t him anymore, or JUST him at least.


    His eyes were pitch ck, inplete contrast to his blinding soul. He looked at them expressionlessly, his voice sounding like it used to but just different enough to be noticeable.


    [Not just yet, old friend. You haven''t a clue about the powers that be. Even with a soul this powerful...I cannot be confident in my abilities. That''s why I need a body...and an energy source to match it. All three must match]


    Mr. Hyde floated back instinctively. That might be Hao Xuan''s face and voice but that manner of speaking was his father''s.


    "Is the boy...dead?" he asked hesitantly. ''If I am going to die then why not get some answers on the way out?''


    He had epted his end.


    But to his surprise Hao Xuan chuckled lightheartedly, [Dead? Me? Anything but. I am here still...with all of them]

 Chapter 1358 Last Sacrifice

    1358 Last Sacrifice


    But then his jovial expression suddenly turned somber, as if just thinking about it was enough to bring it all back.


    [Ahh, there it is. So much pain, so much...knowledge. I think I understand why the Emperor wanted it this way. He is in here too]


    His tone of voice was changing with every other sentence which was very confusing to everyone present. Unfortunately, they didn''t have a lot of time to figure things out since countless ring white lights were birthed on the edge of the sr system, far away from the source of the explosion where the space was a lot more stable.


    Hao Xuan was the first to notice it since he turned in their direction immediately.


    [They are already here, smarter than I gave them credit for. I thought it would have taken longer]


    He turned back towards Jin Wang with an apologetic expression, [I wish we could talk for a little longer, old friend. I have so many things to discuss with you. But my mind...it is still not where it should be. It is difficult to keep track of things right now. But we will talk again, once I have the other things straightened out]


    He floated closer to Jin Wang until they were mere inches away from each other.


    [Can you do me onest favor? For old time''s sake?]


    "What...is it..." Jin Wang muttered through gritted teeth, keeping himself under control was taking all his energy.


    [I need some time. Can you keep them busy here, for just a little while longer? There is an old wench waiting for me]


    Jin Wang wanted tough but even that proved to be too much in his state.


    "You want me to...fight the armies of Heaven...by myself?"


    Hao Xuan nodded.


    [You will not be victorious but they are not prepared for you either. Just hold them back for a few minutes, just until I can go back]


    "You...are nning to go back...to the past...again?"


    [Yes, it has to be done]


    "You are not...strong enough...to survive the journey..."


    [I won''t be alone, and this time someone else will be sending me back]


    Jin Wang looked into his eyes for a brief moment, looking for any sign of the original Hao Xuan.


    "Are you...really in there?"


    Hao Xuan nodded, his voice falling to a soft whisper.


    [I am, that''s why I need to go back. What was the point of all this if I can''t even save a few thousand people?]


    But then it immediately returned to the previous tone as he ced a hand on Jin Wang''s shoulder, [Worry not, old friend. We will see each other again. You won''t even realize something went wrong but I will get there no matter how long it takes. And this time...it will be different...you will see]


    Then without waiting for an answer the ck disk underneath his feet expanded into a bubble and blinked out of existence.


    Jin Wang looked over his shoulder and found himselfpletely alone. No Cerberus, no Hyde, just his misshapen form.


    *Sigh*


    "Then I wish you...luck...whoever you are now. I know...it will be a long journey ahead...nothingpared to...my sacrifice today."


    Just a few secondster the darkness of space was pushed aside by a literal army of beings of light. They surrounded him from every which direction, aiming their weapons at him without a warning or so much as a single word.


    "Phew, finally...I can let loose. Come, children, let me show you the being...that vanquished so many of your ancestors!"


    With a single deep breath Jin Wang stopped holding back altogether and his figure exploded in a plume of archaic energy. The shockwave was strong enough to send the vanguards flying into the back lines. And then a hand, a single hand that was just as big as his previous unfinished form shot out with unprecedented speed.


    A high-pitched roar followed, which could be felt throughout the Greater World.


    **


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes in the shadows of an unknown forest, deep in the abyss.


    [And so it begins]


    There were three figures standing just a few meters away to his front, and behind him was an entityrge enough to cast a shadow on everything for miles.


    He turned towards the three in front first.


    One of them was the old witch, the other to udia and the one next to them was of a demonic creature in the rough image of a horse, the same one that had marked udia before.


    "Master!" udia yelled excitedly and ran towards him but when she saw his eyes she froze mid-stride.


    The Old Witch sneered at her, "Why so surprised, girlie? Why don''t you go hug your precious master?"


    Hao Xuan ignored all of them and turned on his heels to peer towards the dying Cerberus.

 Chapter 1359 Nightmare

    1359 Nightmare


    This once mighty hound of hell was on itsst legs. Two of its heads and almost a third of its main body were destroyed by the ''Heavenly Extermination'' and it did not seem like it would be able to recover.


    Hao Xuan walked around its gigantic body until he could see its only remaining eye staring at him. Even the third head was covered in grave wounds, leaking literal hellfire from the gashes that lined its entire face.


    It was looking at Hao Xuan with great hostility. If it could move at all he would have been in serious danger but he had nothing to worry about at this moment.


    Hao Xuan met its unflinching gaze, recognizing the pride held by such a unique beast.


    [I know you hate me...I would too. I took you away from your home, stole you from your master, and kept you from doing your duty. And now after millenniums of imprisonment you are on death''s door through no fault of your own]


    He stepped closer, cing a hand on its wretched skin. It was still giving off such intense heat that it could easily melt his arm off but by covering himself in his stupendous soul power Hao Xuan could withstand it with rtive ease.


    [I can feel your suffering, I know a thing or two about it myself. That''s why I hate to do his right now]


    Cerberus realized that he would not be allowed to pass away in peace so he tried to gather his remaining strength for one final attack but Hao Xuan was still a tad bit faster.


    [Sever!]


    A searing white light covered them, blinding all the spectators including the old witch. And by the time it receded Hao Xuan was the only one still standing.


    The Old Witch shook her head, stomping her walking stick in displeasure.


    "It belongs to your enemy, OUR enemy. Its loyalty lies only with Maym¨±n. Let it die and be eaten away by the great forest!"


    Hearing her words all the ancient trees came alive for a brief moment, shaking their many branches in anticipation. But Hao Xuan was unbothered as he replied expressionlessly, [He belongs to me now. Sacrifice one of your own demons if you wish to satiate their hunger] and approached udia.


    But udia stepped back instinctively. She had never felt something like this before, especially not from him. There was a suffocating air about him which made it harder to breathe if she looked at him for too long.


    Hao Xuan saw it made her ufortable so he stepped a couple of meters away, speaking in a rather soft voice.


    [You''re okay...I thought everyone had died]


    Hao Xuan knelt beside Grey, watching the life slip out of him, [Dai Zhi. Even in death he torments me]


    10:29


    He let out a heavy sigh before ncing over at the equine demon standing not too far away. "She would have if not for me," the Old Witch chimed in from the side.


    Hao Xuan ignored her once again, [Are you okay?]


    udia nodded without raising her head, "Y-Yes. But I couldn''t- It all happened too fast. I didn''t have time to say anyone else."


    She waved her hand and Grey''s dying body appeared next to them. He had suffered many egregious wounds but the fatal one was right below his neck. And Hao Xuan could tell by a single nce who was behind it. That red Qi belonged only to one person.


    Hao Xuan knelt beside Grey, watching the life slip out of him, [Dai Zhi. Even in death he torments me]


    He let out a heavy sigh before ncing over at the equine demon standing not too far away. Something clicked, it was like twopletely different pieces of a puzzleing together to form a brand-new picture.


    [Ahh, I see it now. The marking, the untimely visits. So it was you behind it. Is that why you had her save Grey?]


    udia''s eyes widened from shock and she quickly fell to her knees trying to exin her side, "I didn''t mean to deceive you! The demon, it forced me I swear-"


    [Shush, child. It is not your fault] Hao Xuan silenced her with one look, [You are but a pawn, I do not me you] and turned towards the demon.


    The equine demon slowly came closer and the shadows surrounding it receded to reveal a part of its true appearance.


    Its ck flesh squirmed and writhed with a powerful otherworldly energy. Tongues of purple me seeped from its eyes, back, and hooves while rows of serrated teeth protruded from its maw. (Reference Image posted in Authors Notes and Discord)


    It spoke directly to Hao Xuan, a heavy-set male voice echoing in his mind.


    ''I am born of Death, shaped from the Nightmares of mortals. I live in the dreams of your kin, feasting on their fears.''


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link:


    ___


    Reference Image Link:


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) :

 Chapter 1360 The Black Plague

    Chapter 1360 The ck gue


    [A demon born from the nightmares of men...and even capable of conscious thought? You are a rare breed for certain. But you serve the Old Witch now, why do you wish to join me?]


    Hao Xuan released just a small fraction of his spiritual power that pushed the demon back by several meters and forced it to kneel in front of him. A halo of humming golden light appeared over his head.


    He hadpletely dominated it with a single thought and if it tried to lie or deceive him then it would be destroyed instantly.


    [Answer truthfully, for your life depends on it]


    The demon gathered all its strength to force itself to peer into Hao Xuan''s eyes.


    ''I desire blood and feed off of chaos. By serving you, the Son of Chaos, would I not live afortable life when you were created for just this purpose?''


    Hao Xuan was so taken aback by its answers that he couldn''t help but crack a smile, [You wish to join me for afortable life?]


    It nodded, ''Remember, I am born of nightmares. I am mostfortable when surrounded by the worst horrors imaginable.''


    [Well, then I think you came to the right person]


    Hao Xuan stood up and gestured for udia to get started, [Begin the ritual. Bind them as one, so that neither may die as long as the other lives]


    With Hao Xuan''s permission udia summoned her grimoire and began creating the magic circle with her own blood.


    Meanwhile, the Old Witch approached Hao Xuan from the side, looking him up and down curiously.


    "How long can you maintain that state?"


    Hao Xuan looked at his hands which were getting blurry by the minute. This wasn''t happening just in his mind.


    [I underestimated just how much power there was. At this rate my physical form will cease to exist in a little over an hour]


    "And what of other aspects of your cultivation?"


    [There aren''t any left. My entire cultivation was destroyed when the ''Heavenly Extermination'' hit and my Mind Pce was destroyed long before that when the ritual first began. I only have the strength of my soul left and it is far too powerful for such a frail body to contain]


    The Old Witch nodded in agreement, "A decent price for such power. But perhaps it will be in your favor that the physical cultivation has been destroyed. The ''spark'' will be more than enough."


    Hao Xuan turned towards her, [You have yet to disclose thest two steps]


    But the old witch smiled wickedly, "And I shall...after you pledge your allegiance to the Abyss and the sleeping ones."


    The curtain of silence fell over them as they watched udia make the finishing touches on the magic circle. Once the inscriptions wereplete she began chanting the spell.


    It was ck magic so the price she would have to pay would have to be just as great. She was trying to ''save'' Grey''s life by tying him and the equine demon together.


    udia made another cut on her arm to draw out even more blood and poured several cupfuls into Grey''s mouth and then the equine demon. She then pulled out some of her hair and gestured for the equine demon to get in ce.


    The demon neighed and stomped with its front legs, opening a giant hole in the ground before jumping inside. udia walked around Grey''s back and started sewing her hair into his body from head to tail.


    It was a single strand of hair but not only did it be as strong as a steel wire but just as sharp too. Grey''s body began to shake while the magic circle came to life through her chanting.


    Tendrils of smoke arose from the magic circle and dug into Grey''s body through every orifice. udia''s chanting grew louder and by the time she made thest stitch Grey''s body suddenly went still.


    His breathingpletely stopped and Grey finally took hisst breath. His body began to deteriorate at an unprecedented speed, turning into a pile of ck ash.


    udia stepped back with an ashen face, raising her hands towards the sky she shouted, "Oh Denizen of the Umbral nes, I summon you into this world with a new body. With fire and blood you may live, by death and ash you may prosper."


    Thest bits of Grey''s body turned into ash by the time she finished. She threw her hands forward, sttering her blood into the magic circle.


    "Neither may die as long as the other lives, I call thee forth, ''Somnum Exteri''...The ck gue!"


    The sound of hoofs stomping against the earth could be hearding from somewhere deep underground. Hoof marks appeared on the far left and right sides of the magic circle.


    On the left something was moving just beneath the surface and on the right Grey''s ghostly silhouette was charging forth. They both connected with the magic circle at the same time, creating a small explosion of fire and ash in the middle as their new form came to be.

 Chapter 1361 Dreams of Kin

    Chapter 1361 Dreams of Kin


    The surroundings were illuminated by the bright green mes of their new body, a mix between the previous physical form that was twisted into something new by the powers of the equine demon.


    Grey only had one head left now which was covered in a boney exoskeleton that acted as a natural armor against physical attacks. His mane was made from a green me that was cold to the touch. The remainder of his body was a milky white color with nothing too special about it.


    The Old Witch frowned while looking at him, "Tsk, that''s what happens when a greenhorn attempts such aplicated spell," she threw a dirty look in udia''s direction, "Girlie, why didn''t you say from the beginning that it was beyond your abilities? Look what you have done now! The spell wasn''t strong enough to bring about their true form!"


    udia was exhausted and fatigued to the extreme, barely able to stand due to the severe blood loss let alone argue back. But she did not have to defend herself because Hao Xuan quickly stepped in.


    He walked over to Grey, [It''s fine, I expected as much. Grey was my ''soul bond'' and that connection has remained still. I can simply-] and ced a hand on his head.


    His entire figure was illuminated with an intense white light and a very small portion of it was poured straight into Grey''s body.


    [Take it all in, let it change you the way you were meant to be and evolve past your limits]


    Grey neighed loudly and jumped back as the green me of his mane exploded and covered his entire body. He burned continuously for 20 seconds straight while pops and cracks resonated in the surroundings.


    The me slowly receded to reveal the changes to his body. His legs were now almost entirely covered in the same green me along with the tail. There were serrated bony outgrowths along his back but perhaps the most noticeable change was to his skin.


    Instead of being milky white like before it was almostpletely translucent. Bands of purple flesh could be seen underneath but if a person looked at it closely they would be able to see various images being reflected on the surface of his hide.


    The bone armor on his head appeared to be much more rigid and covered every inch of space.


    When he stood tall Grey''s height was a bit over 2 meters. He wasn''t very big or threatening, in fact, he looked like a piece of art from afar that was a bit too eye-catching.


    But it was his abilities and the raw power behind them that Hao Xuan admired. For a couple of seconds he was entranced by the reflections on Grey''s skin, which to his eyes, were somethingpletely different.


    Even the Old Witch was surprised for a moment and couldn''t help bute closer to get a better look.


    "Congrattions, seems you had some luck. It is a unique creature that has never existed before and will probably never exist again. Part demon, part mortal beast but neither still," she took in a deep breath through her nose and smacked her lips hungrily, "Yes, I can feel it! It is fueled by the dreams and nightmares of your kin. Look how it wears the fear of its victims on its hide. Yes~ there is great promise in its existence..."


    Hao Xuan could feel the greed dripping from her every word.


    [Surely you do not covet what is mine]


    The Old Witch came to her senses and shook her head wryly, "Covet what is yours? Why would I? When you, its master, are already in the palm of my hands? Hehehe..."


    She walked away cackling to herself.


    Hao Xuan turned towards udia and extended a helping hand, [Can you stand?]


    She reached out to grab it but began to hesitate, "I-I''m not worthy. I tried to deceive you-"


    [You did what you thought was right. Yes, you made a mistake but I hope you will learn from it and not let it happen again. Had youe to me I would have aided you in whatever way possible...]


    Her head hung low and she couldn''t even muster up a reply. Hao Xuan chuckled inwardly, [Will you not try and redeem yourself? I am in need of apanion for the journey ahead...if you are willing]


    "YES! Y-Yes I am- But will it be okay?" she was worried that she might not be up to the task.


    [Yes, it is because I say so. It will be tough and take a very long time, several lifetimes worth in fact. But if you stay true to your words then all will be well, I swear it!]


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord. (WN has started blocking all links so it''s best to join the discord to save yourself the trouble)


    Link: https:// discord. gg / AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https:// cdna.artstation./ p/assets/images/images/


    000/284/570rge/hd2.jpg?1415117392


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https:// urlzs./ z1Rmg

 Chapter 1362 All 4

    1362 All 4


    The Old Witch whistled and her two-legged hut ran over from somewhere within the forest. It stopped in front of her and slowlyid down, blending with the environment in such a way that it appeared to have always been there.


    The front door opened by itself and Old Witch looked over her shoulder to call them in, "There isn''t much time, they will be here soon."


    Hao Xuan helped udia to her feet and made his way over with both her and Grey in tow. Once they went inside the door closed by itself and the forest began to slowly creep in,pletely hiding the hut and its surroundings within a span of a few minutes.


    The inside was a little different than what Hao Xuan remembered from hisst visit, or perhaps he was now strong enough to see things more clearly. It was much, MUCH bigger from the inside to the point that he couldn''t even see where it ended.


    There were rows of bookshelves, cabs, and tables full of various items going on for miles. These items and artifacts ranged from simple scrolls to still-moving beast parts, strange creatures locked in small cages, and all manner of spiritual herbs.


    There were a few that even Hao Xuan recognized at first nce but chose not toment on them.


    A few meters away from the front door was the firece with a giant cauldron next to it. The Old Witch plopped down on a creaky old chair next to it and looked at Hao Xuan with aplex expression.


    [Just say what is on your mind, do not waste what little time we have left]


    "I know," the Old Witch muttered under her breath, "I know which you will choose but still I must present them both."


    She tapped lightly with her crooked cane to bring the firece to life with a yellow me. It gave them some much-needed light and warmth, especially for udia who could barely stand upright.


    Hao Xuan led her to the only other chair and pushed her down, [Rest and recover]


    "Yes..my lord."


    The Old Witch fished something out of her clothes and threw it in the firece. It made a strange noise before evaporating into a cloud of white smoke before Hao Xuan could see what it was.


    "Breath in the smoke girlie, it will help," the Old Witch mumbled before looking at Grey, "Bring out that thing. Be careful not to make too much noise."


    Grey neighed and sprinted towards the nearest wall, disappearing in a cloud of ck mist right beforeing into contact with it.


    From their soul bond Hao Xuan could clearly feel that whatever Grey was sent to bring was very important to the next step in their journey.


    The witch finally turned to Hao Xuan with a grave expression.


    "The items that you collected, how many are in your possession?"


    [The feather, the me, and the seed. I- The Emperor made sure they were in my possession by the end]


    "Hmm, then he was even better than I gave him credit for. Still, that is only half of it. You are missing the water from the river Styx but that will be the most difficult one."


    But to Hao Xuan''s knowledge, it would have been the easiest one of them all.


    [Why? The river runs through every single ne of existence. Even I know of several ways to reach it]


    The Old Witch shook her head, "Fool, you do not simply require ''some'' water, it MUST be from the deepest part of the river. And...you will need to go down there yourself to collect it."


    [Go down into the depths of River of the Damned? Are you telling me to kill myself? Because that is the only way that will be possible]


    "Not my problem," she shrugged casually, "I am but a guide, it is up to you however you wish to aplish the task. Go down yourself or send some poor soul on your behalf, I care not. But since your cultivation is already destroyed you are halfway there."


    "All I know is that you must go down to the deepest part of the river and take out the seed of the World Tree there. That is the only way to make it grow, remember that."


    She could already feel Hao Xuan''s mind racing with countless thoughts, trying toe up with an appropriate solution which gave her some hope for the future.


    "Before you can get the spark it is vital that you absorb each of the four pieces. They are not only keys that unlock your true potential but also further strengthen the power of the spark to new heights."


    "Only bybining all of them in perfect harmony will you be able to create a suitable form that can utilize the full power of the Chaos stored within the spark. Even I know very little of this since this has not been attempted before but...if anyone can do it then I believe it has to be you, this was what that human wanted all along."

 Chapter 1363 House Of Chaos

    ?


    She gave Hao Xuan a few minutes to digest everything first. He met her gaze once he was done, [I take it the sequence doesn''t matter?]


    "Not to me," sheughed, "To make the World Tree seed germinate you will first need the water and then the hellfire, the rest can go after. The fire will mark you and leave you disfigured but the feather can heal any injuries. And if you use the newly sprouted World Tree properly you can also gain numerous benefits as it grows. But if you don''t trust me you can use them in any order after the tree is born."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes lit up when he heard that. He felt like a hammer had struck him from the back because some of the Emperor''s memories suddenly popped up, a few things he thought would work if things turned out this way.


    [I understand. What happens after that? Where is the spark and how do I get to it? I am guessing that it won''t be easy either]


    "Of course not, but if you are smart you can do all those things while you are journeying to the spark''s location."


    [I will be the judge of that. Where is it?]


    She let out a long, woeful sigh.


    "At this moment the spark can only be found in one ce, within the ruins of ''Domus Minerva'' deep in the abyss."


    Hao Xuan frowned because he had heard that name before, or rather a rough trantion of it.


    [The ce of learning for the forbidden knowledge? You speak of the ''House of Chaos'' do you not? If I recall that was a school for those delving into thews of Chaos, a sacred ce somewhere deep within the Abyss]


    She nodded bitterly, "Yes, a long time ago it was a holy ce for any who had the foresight and resolve to take on the mantle of Chaos. Schrs, magicians, cultivators, all manner of beings attuned to the chaos went on the pilgrimage from across the known realms to Abyss in hopes of reaching the House of Chaos."


    "Most died during the voyages while many others gave up and returned to where they hade from, broken and defeated in every way possible. But a select few, the ''chosen ones'' were able to reach the final destination. There they would be mentored by the ones who came before them and continue to grow, taking on new challenges and making valuable discoveries for the next generation."


    Hao Xuan had heard of this ce before. He had even attempted the pilgrimage in one of his lifetimes along with a small group of like-minded individuals but they all perished in the end because the ''House of Chaos''y hidden somewhere deep within the nes of the abyss.


    The Abyss, by its very nature, was ungovernable. It wasn''t a single ce that existed somewhere out in the universe. Instead, it was an amalgamation of broken fragments trapped in a continuous cycle of creation and destruction.


    There was no end to theyers of the Abyss just as there was no end to the monstrosities thaty within. Often times even thews of nature were twisted orpletely absent from certainyers which essentially turned into death traps with no way out. To navigate them was as much a question of luck as it was a matter of skill and experience.


    Hao Xuan nodded, understanding the full extent of the dangers that he would be exposed to.


    [So I only have to find these ruins then?]


    The Old Witch shook her head wearily, "If only it were that easy. The ''House of Chaos'' was destroyed by a mutual acquaintance of ours, Maymun and his demon armies. After it fell he erected a new stronghold in its ce that is now called the ''Wailing Castle''. And one of the reasons for its existence is for protecting the ''spark'' and keeping it from someone like you."


    "If you wish to retrieve it then you musty siege to the castle, kill the Demon Prince and his seven ''Demon Lord'' underlings that guard the spark, and escape with your life before Maymun can send reinforcements."


    Hao Xuan stared at her in silence for a good minute but she didn''t speak up again.


    [That is your n? For me to gather my strength, create an army capable of not only traversing the abyss but also killing the demon lords thaty within, and then somehow escape with my life before Maymun can get to me? I would have a higher chance of jumping into a ck hole and appearing in the ''Wailing Castle'' by sheer luck]


    And the Old Witch agreed with him entirely, "Indeed, but that is the only way."


    [I would not be here if that was the only way. Do not be coy and tell me the truth, what other ns have youe up with?]


    Even a child could tell this was a ssic bait-and-switch tactic so how could it work on him? Well, it was never meant to. The Old Witch just wanted him to know the alternative before revealing her real n.

 Chapter 1364 Housemasters

    <h4>Chapter 1364 Housemasters</h4>


    The witch leaned back in her chair and took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing.


    "I don''t have to tell you the importance of the spark since you have already experienced it yourself. But for others, those that were neither lucky nor fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of its true splendor, the spark is utterly invaluable."


    "It is the Holiest Artifact for beings like us that depend on the Chaos for strength. Even peeking at it from afar is enough to propel us forward which is why it was the core of the ''House of Chaos''. Do you understand? It was because of the spark that the ''House of Chaos'' and its masters were able to stand between Maymun and total destruction."


    Even Hao Xuan knew that much, [Get to the point, our time is limited as it is] he said anxiously.


    The Old Witch reached into her robe and pulled out a scroll before carelessly tossing it over to him. He opened it after a quick inspection.


    There were just a few short lines written on it in an oldnguage, anguage that probably didn''t exist anymore but he had some memories of it.


    Hao Xuan read a few of the important ones out loud, [The chaos is depleting, no more energy, the Chaos Lords cannot be reached? What is this about?]


    "This was a call for aid...or rather a call for ''information'' that I got a few years before the ''House of Chaos'' fell. At the time we didn''t know but it was all Maymun''s doing, he had already been nning this for a few centuries by then. He figured out a way to temporarily seal the power of the spark, thereby severely limiting the natural chaos energy that was within theyer."


    "This not only affected the neers but also the ''Housemasters'', the ones you call the ''Chaos Lords'' who were the first line of defense in case of an attack. He lured some of the Chaos Lords away and trapped them in hidden spaces while the others were either maimed or killed before the war even began."


    "Once his armies began marching through the Abyss it was already toote to stop them."


    She finally met Hao Xuan''s gaze, "You have already changed the past once in small ways but now I want you to do the same only on a much greater scale. Go to the past and change it for the better. Free the spark before Maymununches the Great Demon Crusade and make sure the House of Chaos is not destroyed within a mere fortnight. Help them in the war however you can."


    Hao Xuan''s heart almost skipped a beat hearing that. All he wanted was to go back in time and change what happened on the but that was something he nned to ask for in return for doing her bidding. And now to be offered the same thing without even asking was nothing short of a miracle.


    But as always there were always a few caveats and he knew what to look for this time.


    [How far back do you want me to go? Didn''t this happen a long time ago?]


    She shook her head calmly, "Just a few centuries ago. Well, 693 years to be exact."


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed, [Almost 700 years??]


    The witch mistook his curiousness for indecisiveness which prompted her to remind him of the only other option.


    "Or you can go to the abyss now and fight through countless hordes of demons trying to reach the ''Wailing Castle'' and then see how you fare against Maymun''s immediate subordinates. It is your choice."


    She turned towards the firece in contemtion, voicing her inner thoughts openly.


    "The abyss has always been hostile to humans but at least back then there was some semnce of order. There were a few sanctuaries where you would have been able to stop and recover, maybe even gather your strength before continuing the journey. But all those ces have been wiped out by now...."


    "The abyss belongs to Maymun now. It is a bubbling cesspool of demonic energy used solely for birthing his great demons. It is HIS hell. The human you call the Emperor also fell because of this reason, what use is killing a million demons when ten million more will take their ce?"


    Hao Xuan looked at the words etched on the scroll, sensing the stark hopelessness that gued its creator when he penned them down.


    There was no real reason for him to decline the offer even if it would bring great benefit to the Old Witch. Yes, her power and influence would increase which was not ideal for him but it would also limit Maymun and at least distract him enough to buy some time for himself.


    After all, Maymun was always just a step behind the Emperor and this would give Hao Xuan some much-needed breathing room which was vital at this stage.


    [Fine, I will do as you ask]

 Chapter 1365 Domain of Old

    1365 Domain of Old


    [But in return you will also do me a few favors whenever I ask. Do we have an ord?]


    "We do," she smirked while standing up with a newfound vigor.


    She motioned for him to follow behind as she made her way through thebyrinth of shelves and tables. udia tried to stand up but the chair she was sitting on came to life and pulled her back in.


    "You stay, the ce where he is going is not for the likes of you," the Old Witch''s voice carried over.


    udia looked at Hao Xuan for confirmation and he nodded, [Rest, all will be well] before going after the witch.


    Candles andnterns hanging by the sides began to light up by themselves as they made their way through the mess while most of the inanimate objects moved out of the way on their own.


    And seeing as she wasn''t going to bring it up Hao Xuan asked himself, [How will Ie back?]


    "Your new steed is bringing something that will make that much easier. But before that, we have to deal with the formalities."


    Hao Xuan could feel her grinning without even looking at her face which made him more than a little ufortable.


    [How so?]


    "You will take your vow before the Old Ones and cement your servitude for all of eternity. Here," she came to a stop in front of a door that was sealed in a tapestry created by some kind of leather and being held together by a long chain of crescent-shaped bones.


    The horrid smell it gave off was enough to make any sensible person run for the streets but he was too far enamored with its unique aura. Because of his extremely heightened spiritual powers Hao Xuan could sense things that not many others could.


    And what caught his eye were the bones that the chain was made out of.


    It didn''t look sturdy by any stretch of the word but it was the shape and size of the bones that made Hao Xuan frown. Those were hyoid bones located in the throat of most humanoid species. And judging by their size, the victims they were taken from should have been around 5-10 years of age at most


    He extended a hand to send out a few spiritual threads and the moment they came into contact with the bones he saw visions of theirst moments.


    Children tied to stone altars while hooded figures danced and chanted around them, burning and maiming their bodies to make them suffer as much as possible before finally cutting their throats open to take out the bones.


    Hao Xuan withdrew his hand, listening to the screaming echoes of those hundreds of souls that were sacrificed to create this thing.


    It was a stark reminder of this new reality he had found himself in. Just because they were on the same side temporarily did not mean they were allies. The Old Witch was an evil creature by nature and would not hesitate to do the same to him.


    Hao Xuan had to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths to keep his emotions under control while the Old Witch casually watched from the side in amusement.


    Her turbid eyes burned with a wicked light. She wanted Hao Xuan to see this, to experience what her countless victims had experienced. The more unstable his emotional state was the better it would be for her.


    After a few seconds she simply mumbled a few words in an archaguage and the chain came apart on its own, unsealing the objects underneath. The tapestry was pulled down to reveal the true appearance of the door.


    Unlike the horrors that surrounded it, the door itself was exceptionally ordinary. A stone frame with a simple wooden b that needed to be pulled open.


    The Old Witch extended one of her deformed fingers and tapped seven times in random ces. Something clicked and the door creaked open.


    "In here," she whispered in a raspy voice before stepping through.


    Hao Xuan could see her old form begin to shake and unravel as she stepped into the darkness but it was held together at the end.


    He took onest look around before following in her footsteps.


    The moment Hao Xuan nded'' on the other side the surroundingspletely changed. He was back outside again. It was night, as it always had been in the abyss but somehow this ce felt even dimmer.


    There were no heavenly bodies in the sky but there was still some weak light illuminating the immediate surroundings.


    "This way..." the Old Witch spoke up again.


    Her voice didn''t sound human at all anymore. It was a mixture of hisses, growls, and cries of newborns all being molded in a specific way to utter those words.


    Hao Xuan looked in the direction she was walking in and finally saw the actual entrance of their intended destination.


    There were hundreds of skeletons lining the sides of the path leading up to the staircase which was connected to a broken-down old castle. The front entrance was in the shape of a human skull. (Reference Image posted in Authors Notes and in Discord)


    The witch looked over her shoulder, her head moving independently from the rest of her wretched form.


    "Wee...to the domain of the Old Ones..."


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: / AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https:// i.pinimg  /564x/ca/17/b3/


    ca17b38384f9daab28208227a237118a.jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https:// urlzs./ m1W6R

 Chapter 1366 Halls Of Austerity

    ?


    This ce was never meant to be visited by someone like him. It had existed since the beginning of time itself, giving refuge to beings that reaped the souls of gods and monsters alike.


    But...that was exactly the kind ofpany he needed right now.


    Hao Xuan followed behind her without hesitation, passing through the rows of wailing skeletons that seemed to be rooted into the ground. They must have been thousands of years old but in this ce, they could not perish.


    The Old Witch saw his curious gaze and volunteered the information herself.


    "Once...a long time ago, they were just like you. Mere mortals confident in their abilities sought out the Old Ones in their greed, looking for more power by any means necessary. Now they pay the price with an eternity of servitude."


    But the reaction she was expecting did note.


    [I know what is asked of me, I always knew. But still I am here]


    "You certainly are...but will you be any different than these ignorant souls?"


    [Only time will tell]


    "Kehehehe, time? Indeed, you are not wrong..."


    Upon reaching the top of the stairs the Old Witch paused and stepped to the side, "Go on, I won''t rob you of this pleasure-"


    He could no longer see her face since it was covered by a mask of shadows but those soulless dreary eyes bore holes in his face trying to stare into his very soul, "-Unless you are afraid?"


    Hao Xuan looked back at her calmly, [I am afraid of a great many things but you are not one of them] before stepping inside.


    She cackled to herself while watching his figure being engulfed by the darkness thaty in the depths of the castle, "It is not I that you should fear."


    When Hao Xuan stepped into the castle everything behind him disappeared. It was just as barren and deste as it appeared to be from the outside but the problem was there were too many paths to follow.


    And since he had no knowledge of this ce nor its interior, all he could depend on was himself. And while he shuffled through his many memories Hao Xuan decided to ask her anyway.


    [Must we continue this charade? Why don''t you reveal yourself and lead me where I need to go? There isn''t enough time for me to be doing something this foolish]


    "However long it takes will depend on you," the Old Witch''s voice echoed from a distance, "But the flow of time is different in this ce, that is one of the reasons why you are here."


    One second the voice wasing from the left and the other from the right. He couldn''t detect any magic being used nor ability so it wasn''t easy tracking her down either way.


    [And what exactly do you want me to do here? Wander around until I walk into the right ce?]


    The sound of roaringughter reverberated from every direction simultaneously, "You wish to meet the Old Ones, yes? Then go and find them! Lay your soul bare for all to see and only then will you be able to find traces of their powers."


    "Follow it and you will find the resting ce. Once you are able to satisfy one of them and receive their blessing you will be marked and only then can you enter the ''Halls of Austerity''. Go now, do not linger needlessly!" and her voice slowly faded away.


    Hao Xuan knew it was useless to try and persuade her since it might actually be out of her hands as she insinuated so, he went on his way.


    There was a giant hole in the roof just a few meters away from the entrance which gave a pretty good view of the outside world. The only problem was that it was nothing like the ce he saw moments ago.


    There was a raging storm bubbling overhead with no end in sight.


    Hao Xuan turned into the left hallway first since it was closer. He walked for half a minute but couldn''t sense anything different so he turned around to pick another direction but it was gone.


    It was the same hallway that continued without end in both directions and only then, only after triggering the trap did Hao Xuan remember something rted to this ce.


    He had heard this from a wandering merchant in one of his other lives, about a ce that existed outside of time where all of the Great Old Ones went to die. And sometimes a fortunate mortal would be able to find their way in.


    ''It was a ce where no mistakes could be made and death was too afraid to enter,'' the merchant said.


    It held answers to questions that no one had even asked but most importantly, this was the ce you would look for if you wanted to meet a being such as them in person.


    [A ce that death does not visit] Hao Xuan murmured.

 Chapter 1367 Ymnaar

    <h4>Chapter 1367 Ymnaar</h4>


    There had been many second-hand ounts circting about people who visited just such a ce but it was difficult to say which were authentic since there was no way to verify them and the ''ce'' in question changed for every person.


    For some it was an abandoned vige, for others a city or even a school. But for Hao Xuan it was this long-forgotten castle in the middle of nowhere.


    [If there was any truth to those rumors then it shouldn''t be dangerous from the get-go. Each area of the castle should belong to one specific entity and as long as I don''t enter into their ''domain'' I will be fine. The only problem is-] he turned back in the original direction he had picked.


    Nothing particrly stood out other than the neverending rows of locked doors on the right side.


    [-That there are countless minor ''Old Gods'' and ''Great Old Ones'' that should exist within this castle. I have to make sure that the one I choose suits my goals and intentions and doesn''t require too much of a sacrifice in return for receiving their blessing]


    Now that he had a little more information about his current situation it didn''t seem all that bad.


    The ''Old Ones'' was quite a broad title that could be used to refer to an obscenelyrge amount of entities. The vast majority of them were called the ''Old Gods'' and as their title suggested, they were the gods that existed before the current ones took over.


    Many of the current gods actually descended from them in some shape or form.


    The only simrity between them was on the grounds of their most basic nature. The source of power of the ''Old Gods'' came from the chaos and the darkness that subsists between realities and other worlds and as such, they existed on an entirely different dimension that no mortal could perceive.


    When they did choose to reveal themselves and enter into the minds and realities of mortal species, they could only be perceived as great cosmic horrors with strange and unimaginable powers.


    And among these countless such entities, there were a few that set themselves apart either on the basis of the strength of their abilities or their unique nature.


    [As far as I know, there are only 187 beings that fall into the category of ''Great Old Ones''. They were supremely powerful but even more dangerous. Almost each of their followers was hailed as an ''Abyss God'' back in the Age of Strife...I cannot risk running into any of them. There should be some kind of a mark that sets them apart from the rest]


    With a deep breath Hao Xuan began walking through the never-ending halls of this abandoned castle. Nearly every other door he passed by was locked but the rest were the exact opposite and weed him with open arms by unlocking the doors by themselves to let him in.


    Obviously he did not enter and observed from the safety of the hall.


    To Hao Xuan''s senses most of the ''Old Ones'' appeared as inexplicable shapes or colors that he had never seen before. There were even a few that had no physical form whatsoever and only gave him a strange feeling when he peered into their domains.


    He walked for what felt like either days or minutes since it was difficult to tell how much time had passed in here but shortly after crossing the three thousand mark he came across the first ''Great Old One''.


    The door leading to its domain was identical to the others and the only way Hao Xuan could tell it apart was because of the symbols etched above the doorframe.


    They made no sense to him at first but the longer he looked at them the clearer a few words became in his mind. He had nevere across these words in any shape or form but now they were in his head ready to be spoken out loud.


    After almost a dozen attempts he managed to create a noise that made "some" sense.


    [Ymnaar]


    *Click*


    The door clicked and pulled back. It was being opened from the inside.


    Hao Xuan held his breath. He was both apprehensive and a little excited to see what strange new horror existed behind this door but when he saw his own face staring back at him his brow began to furrow.


    The ''him'' on the other side of the door smiled back and stepped aside, gesturing for Hao Xuan to enter. His body began to move before his mind even had time to process it but thanks to his elevated spiritual powers Hao Xuan was able to regain control of his body before it was toote.


    He quickly stepped back, just in time to dodge ''his'' hand that even managed to momentarily leave the boundary of its domain to pursue him into the hall.

 Chapter 1368 The Mistress

    ?


    It almost seemed confused when Hao Xuan moved out of the way and looked back at him with a questioning gaze. Its appearance changed to that of an old man with a big mustache and hunched back.


    Hao Xuan had not seen or thought about this old man in ages but one nce brought back every memory of his.


    When he was young that old man was a street vendor who would asionally pass by his house with a cart full of homemade ice cream. He couldn''t speak which scared many of the children away but he was kind to Hao Xuan and always gave him an extra ice cream so they got along pretty well.


    Before Hao Xuan realized his eyes had be wet as if he was meeting an old friend after a long time. But his rational mind knew this creature was not the same person from his childhood memories even if the apanying emotions were saying otherwise.


    [You are a trickster deity?] Hao Xuan muttered expressionlessly.


    It was a rhetorical question but to his surprise the old man answered, even though he couldn''t speak from what he remembered.


    "When did I ever trick you?"


    More than a little surprised by his fluentnguage, Hao Xuan didn''t even know what to say in return so he stared back wordlessly.


    "You have grown a lot since thest time we met, haven''t you?" the old man said smilingly, "Don''t you want power? Come inside and I will grant it to you."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed, [What kind of a power?]


    "Any that you want. But my specialty lies here," he just gesturing to his entire body.


    [So you are a shapeshifter?]


    The old man threw his head back inughter, "No, nothing so simple. With my blessing you can be anyone inside and out. Take everything they have to offer and make it yours!"


    [Everything?]


    "Everything! Their memories, their powers, and...even their destiny! There is no limit to what you can achieve. You can even take the ce of any god and no one will be able to tell!"


    Hao Xuan would be lying if he said that didn''t interest him. If this ''deity'' could really transform him into anyone or anything then it would make his life exponentially easier.


    [And what do you ask in return?]


    "Only what I give."


    Hao Xuan frowned, [You want me? My life and destiny?]


    The old man nodded contently knowing full well that he had piqued Hao Xuan''s interest, "Is that not a good trade? Hey- Where are you going?!"


    Hao Xuan started walking away before the old man even had the chance to finish the sentence.


    [Not interested]


    The old man tried calling out to him a few times but Hao Xuan didn''t even look back and was soon out of sight. The old man''s figure shook twice before solidifying again.


    His gaze turned cold as he looked out into the hall, "Whose servant dares cross my domain?"


    The Old Witch suddenly stepped out of the window across from his door and lowered her head courteously, "I greet thee, my lord."


    The old man''s eyes narrowed, "You...what are you doing here? Did you bring that mortal here?"


    "Yes, my lord."


    "On whose orders?"


    The witch hesitated briefly but ended up giving a title at the end, "The Mistress."


    The old man''s eyes widened, "She is awake?!"


    "Not yet."


    The old man was stunned into silence by the mention of this ''mistress''. The witch stood across from him for quite some time waiting for him to speak up until something happened that required her presence.


    "I must take my leave now, my lord. The mortal has found another door," she said before vanishing out of sight.


    The old man finally looked up once she was gone and his appearance began to change. This time he was a rather ordinary-looking teenage boy.


    "If the mistress is still asleep then I can slip out for a while and return before she notices. That mortal...I must use him to escape!"


    With a deep breath he stepped out into the hallway, leaving behind an identical figure still standing in the room. He knelt and ced a hand on the floor while his eyes illuminated with a grey hue.


    "Leave the mortal to me, servant. Go another way!"


    The hall divided into two, one containing the Old Witch and the other Hao Xuan. They were both identical but the one the Old Witch was in was an empty copy, one that even she couldn''t see through.


    When it was done he stood up and started casually walking in the direction Hao Xuan had gone in.


    **


    At the same time somewhere deep beneath the countless hallways another door opened. Only two symbols were etched above its doorframe.


    This door was unlike any of the others that Hao Xuan hade across so far. It was not only older but much sturdier without any handle on it. It was more than three times the size of the other doors and the only one in this entire hallway.


    With a barely discernable shockwave it creaked open, letting out an icy-cold wind that froze everything around it in seconds.

 Chapter 1369 Seek not

    <h4>Chapter 1369 Seek not</h4>


    Hao Xuan was standing in front of the second door that led to the domain of a ''Great Old One''. There was a line of symbols on the top just like thest one but Hao Xuan could not make any sense of the words no matter how much he tried to understand them.


    Finally, he reached out and gently pulled the handle to reveal what was inside. And for the first time since entering the castle he saw an extraordinarily mundane scene.


    It was an ordinary-lookingrge room with two rows of benches on the left and ride sides facing each other. From the grand furnishings it appeared to be the home of some great noble or even a royal. Everything from the ceiling and walls to the carpets and rugs was dyed in a shade of navy blue to some extent.


    There was a lit firece on the far side and right in front of it was the only living creature here. It was a great wolf or rather a wolf-like slumbering beast. It was a little over 6 meters in length with bright orange fur.


    There was a massive 5-meter-tall greatsword entrenched in the floor right in front of it and most of the wolf''s body was wrapped around it protectively. The energying from the greatsword closely matched the aura of the wolf but there was still some difference between them.


    The only thing Hao Xuan knew for certain was that there were two entities within that domain, not one.


    The wolf didn''t react when the door was opened nor when he tried to extend a hand into its domain. There was even an invisible wall that kept him from going too far in.


    Only when he started gathering spiritual energy around the palm of his hand to break through the invisible wall did the wolf open its eyes. It slowly turned towards the door and met Hao Xuan''s gaze.


    They looked into each other''s eyes for a moment before the door abruptly mmed shut.


    ''You are not my master,'' a childish voice sounded in Hao Xuan''s head.


    He gave a silent nod in response and continued moving through thebyrinth of hallways. The vast majority of the Old Gods he came across presented themselves as only ideas, shapes, or colors and none of them had any interest in him.


    Finally, after a long time of wandering and questioning whether he should turn back or not Hao Xuan came across the third door with some symbols ingrained above its doorframe.


    These were tranted in the same manner as the first one.


    [Jananigo...?]


    The door did not budge.


    [Janai''ngo-]


    *creaaak*


    It pushed open with a gust of wind, spraying cold water on Hao Xuan''s face and drenching him in one fell swoop.


    Hao Xuan wiped his face and craned his neck to peer into the watery world.


    The door had opened just above the surface of arge body of water. There was a storm raging outside, creating waves big enough to swallow entire cities. And riding one of these waves was a small fishing boat.


    Hao Xuan narrowed his eyes trying to get a better look at them. There were 6-7 humanoid beings scurrying around in a panic, pointing at the wave behind them with ashen faces.


    He followed their line of sight and caught a glimpse of what they were running from. It was the head of some immense squid-like creature glowing with a rich white light.


    The tentacles attached to its bottom half were extending as far as the eye could see without limit whereas right above its head was a white cloud rising into the sky, powering the storm that created hundreds of meter-tall waves. (Reference Image posted in discord, it is the first AI image I''ve created and many more will being soon)


    The bottom half was creating the ocean and the top half was creating the storm that made the ocean a living hell.


    But whatever its power maybe Hao Xuan didn''t care as long as he could get the mark to enter the central halls of the castle. So he extended a hand into its domain and attempted tomunicate with it but just like most of the other beings in here this creature also did not have any interest in him.


    Somewhat despondent, Hao Xuan moved away from the door as it closed but his eyes widened when he noticed that the one right next to it also had a row of symbols above it.


    [Finally a break!] he happily reached out trying to open the door but suddenly remembered something.


    [Why am I doing this?! I should be avoiding the ''Great Old Ones'' not seeking them out!]


    For some reason, Hao Xuan had forgotten the first and most important rule he had decided on after entering the castle.

 Chapter 1370 The Nine

    <h4>Chapter 1370 The Nine</h4>


    [This isn''t right, someone is ying with my mind!] Hao Xuan immediately concluded and moved away from the door just in time to see it burst open and a teenager walk out.


    He looked into Hao Xuan''s eyes and extended a hand as if he were calling a dog, "You are stronger than you seem, mortal. Do not make me waste any more energy,e to me!"


    Hao Xuan backed away even more while his brow continued to furrow. He looked around in confusion, [How did you follow me? Witch! This wasn''t our deal, I did not choose him!] he reiterated.


    The space beside him twisted and turned for a moment before returning to normal. The Old Witch''s voice sounded in his head a momentter, ''He is the one breaking thews to get to you and with my limited power I cannot stop him.''


    [How did he get out? Weren''t they all supposed to be sealed in their domains?]


    ''Some were sealed but a few like him were given a choice since if they served one of the Nine, either submit or be destroyed. He chose voluntary incarceration on the condition that he could leave as long as an outsider chose to be his vassal. If he catches you it will be all over, you must not let him get close!''


    Hao Xuan turned around and ran in the opposite direction at full speed while conversing with her, [Is it even possible for me to outrun that being in here? Is he not a ''Great Old One''?]


    ''He is and it is possible to outrun them but not him. His worshippers called him ''The Dark Stalker'' because no one can escape from him once he sets his gaze upon them, especially someone in your condition.''


    [Then what would you have me do?! I doubt he will get tired anytime soon]


    ''He won''t use his true powers within the castle so you have a chance. Find one of ''The Nine'', only they have the ability and the authority to stop someone like him.''


    [Who are the Nine and how am I supposed to find them in this neverending prison?]


    ''They are the ones who created this ce, the first andst of their kind. They are the oldest and the most powerful of the Old Ones, and I too serve such a being. I will unlock the maze so you can find them more easily. You will recognize their entrance once you see it because they are unlike any others. But make sure not to enter their domains, especially the-''


    Her voice transmission got cut off before she could finish the sentence.


    [Are you there? What happened?!]


    "That bug, barely a couple of ages old and she thinks she can intervene in MY ns?" the teenager''s juvenile voice came from somewhere behind Hao Xuan.


    He looked over his shoulder and saw his silhouette just out of sight. He was walking normally but somehow keeping up with his pace.


    "She will be the first one I visit after getting out. Now, how long do you n on running mortal? Won''t it be easier to just give up now? I ''promise'' you won''t regret it!"


    [Damned monsters] Hao Xuan cursed inwardly and increased his speed even more. He was expending too much spiritual energy which was not ideal.


    Something needed to be done and quickly!


    "Where are you going? Huh? Didn''t she tell you what this ce is? No one can leave without their permis- Ohh, is that what you are aiming for? Waking one of the Nine? HAHAHAHA!"


    The sound of hisughter echoed back and forth in every direction. Hao Xuan began to question the Witch''s motives because this creature did not seem too worried even after guessing exactly what he was nning to do.


    So he decided to ask.


    [Are they not your masters? I would be very concerned if I was in your position, breaking the rules set by supreme beings like them]


    But before it could answer the hallway began to to curve to the left and Hao Xuan saw a staircase going down. He immediately took it.


    The ''Dark Stalker'' saw Hao Xuan''s figure suddenly disappear from view and became concerned. Once he saw the path he had taken his expression turned somber.


    Tendrils of inexplicable ck energy sprouted from his back and he flew down at a much faster speed. It didn''t take long for it to find Hao Xuan. He was already standing in front of an open door.


    And upon seeing the name etched above the door its eyes widened.


    "Do not go in there!" he stated firmly but quietly.


    He tried to get close but the ground was frozen and he did not dare to step on it. Hao Xuan looked over at him and noticed that he had stopped just before the ice.


    [Are you too afraid to enter this one''s domain?]


    The Stalker nodded without any shame or hesitation, "If you knew anything about what lies on the other side you would be afraid too."

 Chapter 1371 Eternal Night

    1371 Eternal Night


    Hao Xuan nced into the domain the Dark Stalker was so afraid of. It was a world frozen in ice as far as the eye could see. There were no living beings of any kind but the weather seemed to be quite pleasant apart from the frigid cold.


    This was without question the most normal-looking domain he hade across which, in turn, made it stand out that much more.


    Hao Xuan extended a hand but before it could enter the domain the Dark Stalker interrupted him.


    "Do not! Do you truly wish for us both to die?!"


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath and turned around to give him onest chance to make his case.


    [Why not?]


    "Because it was a trap to begin with," the teenager animatedly exined, "It was not a coincidence that you met me first. That little critter knew I would follow behind you and then she could lead you here under the guise of protecting the rules. It was all a part of her n, look!" he pointed at the symbols etched above the doorframe.


    "The path could have ended up anywhere else but here you are...standing in front of HER master''s domain!"


    [I knew she was up to something] Hao Xuan replied calmly, [It was quite obvious from my point of view but I had no choice but to go along with it, just like I don''t have much of a choice now]


    The Stalker thought he would have pulled Hao Xuan in by that revtion but he was bbergasted to find out he already knew. And that he still went along with it to boot.


    "You knew? How? Why didn''t you say anything?"


    [She was being a little too helpful. It was obvious she either wanted something from me or wanted to distract me from something else but that doesn''t matter anymore. I didn''t have a choice then just as I do not have one now]


    "Yes you do! You only have to get away from that ce and I will leave you alone, simple as that!"


    Hao Xuan chuckled, [If only that was true. But you only suggest that because I am standing here. I have no way of knowing if you are even capable of keeping your word so how can I believe you? And if you wanted toe for me again I would have no way of stopping you and...that is not a chance I am willing to take]


    [I must admit, it is quite a simple n but one that will work regardless. She forced my hand] Hao Xuan sighed and moved one step closer, just a stone''s throw away from entering the door now.


    "NOO!"


    The tendrils of ck energy hiding behind the Dark Stalker''s back shot out at an unprecedented speed but they were frozen solid before evening close to Hao Xuan.


    "AaRRggHHhh!"


    His voice rose and fell with pangs of difort while his figure twisted into a dark blob. It still kept the very rough shape of a humanoid figure but there was only a turbulent void inside.


    Two glowing white orbs appeared where its head should have been and a slit opened up right below them. A modted voice that sounded more like a machine''s came from it.


    "Don''t go in...it will not be good for anyone!"


    [What choice do I have? Risk a most certain death out here or try my luck in there? At least the Witch needs me alive]


    "If you go in...it will be the end of...everything..." he said looking above the doorframe.


    Hao Xuan followed his line of sight and tried to make sense of the symbols there. It was difficult because of its simplicity but soon the two symbols came together to make a single word, [Night?]


    He quickly peered into the domain to make sure and as expected, it was bright and sunny inside. So he looked back at the Stalker in a state of confusion, [It''s name is night?]


    The dark blob moved its ''head'' up and down with some effort, "The Nine were born...at the beginning. They are the ugly truths of...our reality...and its destruction if you let them. None of them can leave this ce..."


    [Not even your master?]


    "Not even him!" he urged, "If they escape...if they are able to find...an appropriate vessel, then it will be the end! That crazy...wench, do not fall for her tricks!"


    Hao Xuan''s eyes glistened with a strange light, [What are their names? If you answer me honestly I will do as you say]


    "My master is... madness. Her master...is the night...the Eternal Night!"


    Hao Xuan''s mind exploded with old memories when those words were mentioned.


    [The Eternal Night...I have heard of the ''Mother of Death''. So this...is her domain?]


    The Dark Stalker could tell that his exnation had the opposite effect and the mortal was instead seduced by the power of the entity thaty within the domain.


    He could not risk him getting inside so he made the ultimate sacrifice.

 Chapter 1372 The Monastery

    1372 The Monastery


    The Dark Stalker threw back its head and screamed, "MASTER! LEND ME YOUR POWER!" before jumping in.


    As soon as he touched the ice his ''body'', which was an incorporeal void, began to freeze from the inside out. But just before it was turned into a block of ice the space around it began to writhe in agony as a red mist tore through the fabric of time and space and surrounded him, nullifying the effects of the domain.


    Hao Xuan''s body froze, or rather, the space around him waspletely locked down for a brief moment. He tried to release all of his spiritual energy in one massive st but he couldn''t control it anymore.


    [WITCH!] he yelled.


    Only someone from the outside could intervene and fortunately, the Old Witch came to his ''rescue'' just in time. A four-legged hunched monstrosity entered through a portal behind him.


    She pushed Hao Xuan into the domain and threw herself at the Dark Stalker to slow him down.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t see what was going on but the torrential outpour of corrosive energies that shook the castle''s foundation painted quite a vivid picture.


    His body flew through the doors as a result of the explosions and when he entered the frozen domain everything turned dark. The darkness even began to spread outside and within the blink of an eye the entire castle and everything in it was drowned in the same murky gloom.


    Some indeterminable amount of timeter both the Old Witch and Hao Xuan came to, finding themselves standing at the entrance of the castle.


    The Old Witch took a quick inventory of herself before looking in Hao Xuan''s direction, "It worked? Did you see the mistress?! What happened after??" she fired off several questions in excitement.


    [You sound...surprised] he replied calmly, meeting her conflicted gaze.


    Both of them seemed unchanged and were somehow returned to their original states in which they had first entered the castle.


    Hao Xuan looked around and found the surroundings to bepletely different from before, they weren''t even the only ones there anymore.


    There were countless hooded figures of varying heights, sizes, and shapes walking around the ce minding their own business. Their bodies werepletely hidden underneath the ck hoods and it was obvious some of them weren''t even human.


    Almost every being was carrying some sort of an ancient scroll or item and if one didn''t know any better they would think this was a religious gathering of some sort.


    Hao Xuan had many questions but so did the Old Witch. She walked around him in a circle while her unbroken gaze scrutinized every minor detail of his body.


    "Did you...really meet the mistress? I don''t sense her energy on you..."


    [I think that was the whole point, wasn''t it? To not make it obvious? Can we get going or-]


    "What bargain did you strike with her? What did you give in exchange for her blessing?"


    Hao Xuan abruptly turned on his feet to look her dead in the eye, [Why don''t you ask her yourself?]


    Ceasing her examination she stepped back, "Hmm, I understand. You must be angry that I tricked you. How very human of you, nothing to be ashamed about."


    [I am not ashamed...or angry. Just disappointed to be dragged into another power struggle that has nothing to do with me]


    "Hehehe, well it does have something to do with you now. Since ''The Mistress'' was able to get a vassal as valuable as you, the others won''t stay still for too long. They too will find their own champions and send them to either coax or kill you..." she paused to let out a weary sigh.


    "But do not misunderstand. They all might seem the same to you but of the Nine, only my mistress and one other have any love for your kind. All others treat mortals, especially humans like you as a blight on creation."


    [You can save the speech, I am not going to betray your mistress as long as you do not give me a reason to]


    "That is...reasonable but..."


    There was still a glint in her eye which greatly bothered Hao Xuan so he hesitantly asked, [What do you want?]


    "The mark, can you show me the mark she gave you? Or tell me in what form she appeared to you??"


    [No]


    "Then there is no helping it," her shoulders glumly fell, "Come, I will lead you to the halls."


    She tapped once with her walking stick and every single hooded figure turned to face her simultaneously. With lowered heads they moved out of the way without making any sound.


    The Old Witch exined a bit more as they both strode deeper into the ''monastery''.


    "Everyone you see here serves an Old One in some shape or form. They are the pupils of the Old Ones, their admirers and worshippers. By some stroke of luck they were able to make a connection with one of the Old Gods and if they made adequate sacrifices, they would be presented with the opportunity of entering these hallowed corridors."


    Hao Xuan was more than a little surprised to hear that.


    [I was not aware that the Old Gods still had this many followers]

 Chapter 1373 Baba Jedza

    1373 Baba Jedza


    "There used to be a lot more before those two came to power," she muttered in a mixture of disgust and mncholy, "Now we can only exist here without being hunted down. This ce is blessed by the Nine and guarded by us, their servants. It is thest haven any of us have left, including you."


    [I am not one of you] Hao Xuan rified to which the Old Witchughed.


    "You are blessed by one of the Nine, you are not only one of them but above many of those here."


    She was right. Hao Xuan hadn''t considered what being ''blessed'' by one of the all-powerful ''Great Old Ones'' meant. One could be an enemy of the heavens simply by associating with a servant of an ''Old God'' so what would they make of him?


    The Old Witch noticed his forlorn expression and quickly reached into her robe to pull out a leather mask.


    "Put this one. We might be on the same side for the moment but that does not mean you are safe in here. Only you can protect yourself because your position will make you the center of attention and the target of immeasurable envy."


    Hao Xuan took the mask for a quick inspection. It was made from several pieces of hide stitched together and gave off a strange smell.


    [At least it''s not human human]


    He could sense quite a few magical runes and severalplicated spells embedded into the hide. On the sides was a row of inch-long wriggling tendrils that looked like worms.


    [A mask of concealment?] he questioned.


    This was a well-known magical artifact used by those with something to hide or a questionable past.


    "With some of my personal magic to make things easier. There are quite a few things it can do but the most important one is to hide your true appearance while you are here. Quickly now!"


    Hao Xuan brought the mask closer to his face and it jumped on him of its own ord. The tendrils dug into his skin and after a few seconds all the difort began to dissipate until he couldn''t even feel the changes.


    The Old Witch gave a brief examination while nodding, "Hmm, good. Consider this a favor repaid."


    Hao Xuan brushed his fingers over his face but everything seemed normal.


    [Quite a valuable item, why?]


    "Because like it or not, in here we are on the same side and we must show a united front," she cracked an ugly smile, "We all might serve the Old Gods but there is still division amongst the ranks. We are the subjects of one of the Nine and as such, only others of simr station are our equal."


    [The ones who serve one of the other ''Great Old Ones''?]


    "Yes. But make no mistake, they will strike you down if given the opportunity. As long as it weakens the influence of another ''Great Old One'' there is little they won''t do."


    [So I can only trust you and anyone else that serves ''The Mistress'' but all others are more akin enemies of our enemies?]


    "I could not have said it better myself!" she let out another weird cackle, "We will be meeting one of them soon. He is the one in charge of the ''Halls of Austerity'' and conducting most of the rituals," she turned and started walking down one of the countless, impossiblyrge hallways.


    He followed behind her at a brisk pace and within a few seconds they reached a long bridge that was connected to yet another big door on the other side.


    Hao Xuan moved closer to the edge to see how far it went down but there was nothing down there. It was a void without an end and even though nothing was visible he could still sense there was more to it.


    This entire structure had probably existed since before any of the mortal races walked the Nine Worlds and would persist after they were gone. One could only imagine how many mysteries, dangers, and fortuitous events it held for those willing to take the risks.


    "Jedza," the Old Witch muttered in a low voice bringing Hao Xuan out of his stupor.


    [What?]


    "From now on you will call me Baba Jedza. That is what I go by and I suggest you also choose a new name or title for yourself. Hide your true name from all who might mean you harm."


    Hao Xuan threw her a nasty side-eye, [A little toote for that, isn''t it?]


    She grinned, "Call that ast resort. As long as you do not betray the mistress I will not invoke it. We are here."


    Stopping a couple of meters away from the grandiose entrance she moved to the right side of the bridge, leaving Hao Xuan to take in the full majesty of the gates in front of him.


    They were both around 12 meters in height and 5 meters in widthbined. Every inch of the space was filled with exquisite and borate designs, figures, and locations.


    And when he focused on a particr area the figures began to move and y out some kind of a scene.

 Chapter 1374 Lord of Pain

    1374 Lord of Pain


    Some scenes were of great wars that Hao Xuan could barely wrap his mind around and many others were of strange creatures convening gatherings so grand that it made no sense.


    Out of the thousands that could be glimpsed he could only recognize two. Those events had indeed urred somewhere in the past and he had first-hand knowledge of them.


    In fact, he was present for one of them and even yed a key role in its undoing.


    [The fall of Luna Empire??] he muttered under his breath. (Ch 1065)


    "It knowssss!" a voice came from his immediate left.


    "There you are, I was looking for you on the other side!" Baba Jedza called out impatiently.


    Hao Xuan peered in its direction only to see a 4-meter-wide brass shield being pulled out from under the bridge by an army of slimy tentacles.


    There were at least a few hundred thick tentacles flopping around but he couldn''t see what they attached to since the shield blocked his view.


    Hao Xuan stepped back, giving enough room for this slimy creature to make its way up.


    Baba Jedza walked over and tapped her walking stick three times to make the bridge tremble.


    "Hurry up, we are in a rush. This one needs to be tested so I can take him into the Halls."


    "Aaah, another one. Ssssso ssssoon?" the voice came from somewhere underneath the shield.


    It sounded like that of an old man but that was obviously not real.


    The tentacles moved to the side raising the shield into the air until it was facing Hao Xuan. There was a strange face engraved in the middle. It had features of both a frog and a snake but in the shape of a human face.


    Its eyes began to glow and a green light fell on Hao Xuan''s body. The very next moment most of the tentacles retreated into the shield''s mouth and from the other side a humanoid figure slowly crawled out.


    It was around 7 meters tall standing straight while the brass shield was attached in ce of its right arm.


    There were still dozens of tentacles slithering out from underneath the shield but nowhere near as many as before.


    This newly birthed figure belonged to some kind of an ancient warrior with a gold mask and a cross above its helmet. (Image posted in discord and Authors notes)


    The warrior stretched a little before turning to face the old witch.


    "Jedza, I thought for certain you would have died by Maymun''s hands a long time ago. Still fighting a losing war, I see?" he looked at Hao Xuan at the end, "Have you finally lost your mind? Bringing a mortal in HERE?!"


    His left hand suddenly reached into the shield and pulled out a giant red de. He pulled it back aiming to cut Hao Xuan in half but the old witch scoffed, not even bothering to step in between.


    "Enough of your games! He has been chosen by the mistress herself..."


    Every tentacle of his almost retracted into the shield at once, "B-By the mistress??! You lie!"


    Hao Xuan could see the shock and fear in its eyes.


    "That''s why we are here. He will undertake the examination and we will move on, stop wasting time."


    It was obvious she did not hold this being in high regard but neither did she push it too far. She kept her distance and waited for it to respond after finishing its query.


    The warrior stood there gawking at Hao Xuan for almost a whole minute beforeing to its senses. It fixed its posture before speaking up again.


    "I am the first guardian and the Defender of the Halls of Austerity! I was born in the 183rdyer of the abyss and climbed up here after spending an entire age gathering my strength! I see all and sense all! Where I go only death follows!"


    He swung the de around him in a circle creating arcs of blood-curdling red mes before pointing the de right at Hao Xuan''s face.


    "You, mortal, speak your name now and be reborn! Who are you?! Who dares stand before me, the Lord of Pain?!"


    Hao Xuan only had to think about it for a few seconds before the only appropriate title presented itself before him.


    [I am...The Emperor]


    The warrior''s eyes widened for a moment, "Hmph, the audacity! So be it, I shall see for myself if you truly have been blessed by the Mistress, and if not, you too will taste my de and be a new puppet for my darlings!"


    He swung the de overhead before mming it into the bridge to create a powerful shockwave.


    ***

 Chapter 1375 Mendax

    ?


    Hao Xuan was forced to take several steps back because of the copious amounts of energy leaking from its body.


    And when the warrior saw that his demeanor changed a little. He inserted the sword back into the shield and it disappeared altogether. A few more tentacles came out to keep the shield raised into the air while the warrior''s figure became smaller and smaller.


    Followed by a gut-wrenching squelching sound the tentacles retreated once again to reveal the figure of a frail-looking old man. The shield was attached to his back, not unlike the shell of a snail.


    He was hunched over, bald, and had many wrinkles all over his aging face. If one ignored the giant shield on his back then it would be easy to mistake him for an ascetic monk because of his clean appearance since there was only a simple white robe covering his emaciated body.


    "Ah, youngster!" he looked in Hao Xuan''s direction the moment he was ''out''.


    "Were you the one who spoke of the Luna Empire? Ah- Of course you were, who else would it be? Hahaha! It has been so long since a freshling recognized some of our work!"


    He walked towards him with wide strides full of vigor and shook his hands cheerfully.


    "I am the historian! Well, I do a lot of other things around here too but my passion lies is the past! Hahaha! You can call me Mendax, I will take care of you don''t you worry one bit!" he threw back his head and startedughing like a maniac.


    Unlike the warrior, Hao Xuan could not feel one bit of energy from this old man''s body. It felt like he would copse if he sneezed too hard which was even more strange. He nced at the old witch with a questioning gaze and she immediately stepped in.


    Waving her walking stick around she tried to hit him but missed, "That''s enough you old fool! How much more time will you waste here?!"


    Mendax grinned not even bothering to register the ''attack''.


    "Hahaha! I am just so happy, it has been so long since we had this many visitors!"


    Baba Jedza was about to strike again but her cane froze in mid-air.


    "What do you mean? There have been others?"


    "Mhm, two other youngsters just came in before you not too long ago. A little too young in my opinion but who am I to question the will of the Nine."


    Her expression turned solemn as she quickly pulled away.


    "Go with him, I will meet you after," she said to Hao Xuan before walking over the side of the bridge. The sound of clothes ruffling could be heard for a second or two before the curtain of silence over them.


    Mendax craned his neck to peek over the bridge before shaking his head wearily, "She must be excited to see the others after so long. Something big must be about to happen, hahaha!"


    [The others? Others blessed by the Old Ones like you and her? They are here?]


    "Not just blessed by the Old Ones, but by one of the Nine!" Mendax rified. He suddenly looked into Hao Xuan''s eyes in excitement, "She didn''t exin anything did she??"


    [Not much]


    "Hahahaha! Finally I can do my job!" he hopped up and down in tion before pulling Hao Xuan along towards the gates.


    Unlike his elderly appearance Mendax was full of energy. He acted more like a child than a reserved old man as his appearance dictated.


    "You just made my year! I cannot even remember thest time I had the opportunity to exin everything, they alle here acting like they know it all, hahaha!"


    Meanwhile Hao Xuan''s brow was beginning to furrow.


    [Is it normal for there to be this many neers appearing all of a sudden?]


    "No no not at all! In fact in over 130,000 years of service I have never seen this happen before! HOW EXCITING!"


    Hao Xuan didn''t say it out loud but it was obvious that he was at least the catalyst if not the entire reason for such an event. They probably all noticed when he entered the Domain of the Mistress and used their own unique powers to bring out some of their own subjects.


    Maybe they already had some hidden away or maybe somehow found them and brought them during the time he was in the castle. The old witch had mentioned that time moved differently in there so who knows what they were capable of.


    Regardless, he wasn''t nning on being a part of it.


    [Yes, how exciting. Would Lord Mendax mind exining the differences between the ranks of subjects of the Nine? Or would that be too much?] he asked respectfully.


    "No no it is nothing at all!" Mendax waved his hands anxiously, "It is my duty so why would I mind? Especially for a respectful youngster like you. The one before you was a poisonous little vermin," his expression turned sour just thinking about it.

 Chapter 1376 The Sanctum

    <h4>Chapter 1376 The Sanctum</h4>


    Mendax led Hao Xuan through the ck gates while exining the various ranks within the sanctum.


    That''s what this location was called, The Sanctum. It existed outside the bounds of the known realms, somewhere within the deep void.


    No one had managed to explore it in its entirety since there were areas that were far too dangerous even for demigods to enter so it was unknown exactly how big it was.


    It was a world of its own by all standards, perhaps even exceeding the size of the Origins which were amongst thergest known terrestrial bodies within the Greater world.


    After passing through the first gate, they came across a series of interconnected bridges that each had a gate of its own at the end that Hao Xuan had to pass through.


    Throughout their journey, Mendax kept a close eye on him while he gave the details.


    "Let''s start with the ssification of the deities first," he began.


    "The ''Old Gods'' are more or less countless. Their powers, abilities, and domains of influence can be so minute and exact in some instances that you won''t evene across them normally. It''s alsomon for them to die or simply cease existing for one reason or another."


    He pulled Hao Xuan to the side after they had crossed the second bridge and pointed at the swirling darkness below. When Hao Xuan focused on the spot he could see a very small floating cube rotating at a very high speed.


    "We call these the ''Lower Gods'' and since theye and go so often we don''t even keep track of them," Mendax continued pulling him along.


    "After them, we have the ''Higher Gods'' and they are much more powerful. Most of them are capable of existing in the material realms and are able to create some sort of an associated physical form to match their powers."


    And right on queue they reached the end of the third bridge where Mendax gestured towards a direction in the far right. Once again Hao Xuan focused his vision and after a few seconds of exploration found what he was looking for.


    It was a ck tentacle monster with the head of a bird hanging from the top of a mountain peak. It was pulling in clouds of chaos energy from the surroundings and throwing them down its gullet with the help of the twenty or so tentacles.


    It also immediately felt Hao Xuan''s gaze and responded in kind by making eye contact with him.


    Hao Xuan could tell there was some sort of ''fold in space'' in between them that acted as a barrier so he was safe as long as he stayed on the bridge but that didn''t mean it liked being gawked at.


    One of its tentacles shot towards them at breakneck speed but Mendax snapped his fingers and the darkness rolled in again, separating them once more.


    Hao Xuan could still feel its tentacleing towards him from somewhere far away as if he had been ''locked on'' by that being.


    [Do many Old Gods stay within this darkness?] he questioned.


    This was the second one they hade across and perhaps there were a lot more hidden around.


    Mendax shook his head, "Just the weak ones. If they are too powerful they will be pulled into ''The Sanctuary'' along with the rest."


    [The Sanctuary?] Hao Xuan repeated, bewildered by the choice of the name.


    That was the official title of the castle he had juste from but it didn''t particrly feel like a sanctuary to him...


    Only after they passed through the third gate did Mendax continue.


    "After the Higher Godse the ''Great Old Ones''. They are immortal, for theck of a better word since killing even one is nothing short of a miracle. Since the beginning of time only 13 have ceased to exist. I am sure you came across a few of them on your visit," he winked at Hao Xuan knowingly.


    "The Great Old Ones are the main line of defense amongst the Old Gods. Their subjects, vessels, and servants make up the vast majority of the beings within the sanctum. Their abilities are extremely varied and powerful but they are just as ruthless as they are strong."


    His voice fell while he recalled the glory of the past.


    "In the old times each one of them had countless civilisations under their control but now...now there are only a few hundred thousand followers left."


    Hao Xuan was waiting for him to point in another random direction to show off some new cosmic horror but that didn''t happen. They passed through thest bridge and came to a stop near a stone tform.


    It was embedded in the rocky ground on top of an impossiblyrge mountain that seemed to go on without end. The area looked like it had been shaved off to make enough space for the stone tform.


    Mendax walked around the tform and leaned over the edge to peer into the fast-moving sea of red clouds below.

 Chapter 1377 The Inner-Sanctum

    ?


    Hao Xuan walked up beside him only to see a dark red and ck color being mixed into the clouds. It was slowly polluting the entire sea, spreading its influence every which way.


    "That''s Maymun''s doing," Mendax solemnly exined, "In a matter of few centuries his powers have grown beyond what any of us were capable of predicting. But...since that demented hag is going through all this trouble for you, I''m guessing you both have a n?"


    He looked to Hao Xuan for answers but his expressionless face told him everything he needed to.


    "Good. Don''t trust anyone, not until it''s toote to change anything."


    [Not even you?]


    "Especially me," he cracked a smile and moved over to the stone tform, gesturing for him to join.


    When Hao Xuan got on, the nine dials making up the outer rim of the tform began to rotate and the space around them started to slowly melt away.


    "The ''Great Old Ones'' only have two kinds of subjects," Mendax continued in a much lower voice, "Either servants or champions."


    "The servants bear the mark of the God they serve and are able tomune with them through a special ritual that is unique only to that god. This ''mark'' grants them special powers but nothing too remarkable. Each God can have millions of servants at the very least since it doesn''t cost them much in the long run."


    "But the ''Champions'' on the other hand are much different. There can only ever be one champion for a God and this holds true even for the Nine. The Champions not only hold the highest ranks among the servants but are also able to borrow a portion of their patron God''s powers and be their representative when the need arises."


    "Unless the Gods show up in person, it is the champions who represent the full authority of the Great Old Ones within the Sanctum."


    This information was not too different from what Hao Xuan was expecting so he was not surprised.


    [Does that mean the champions of the Nine have the highest authority within the Sanctum?]


    Mendax shook his head wearily, "Yes and...no. It is a little different for the Nine since they have not two but four ranks of subjects."


    The space around them began to solidify once again and this time Hao Xuan found himself in a giant circr hall with almost a dozen other simr stone tforms all around them.


    This ce was also packed with ck-robed figures simr to the area he had first arrived in, with the only difference being in their auras.


    Even though the robes hid everything along with their cultivation levels, it was easy to gleam that even the weakest being here was on the level of a ''Saint Lord'' at the very least. (The realm above the Profound Realm)


    The vast majority of them turned towards the two new arrivals and upon seeing Mendax they gave a respectful bow before going about their business.


    Mendax did not respond in any way and quietly brought Hao Xuan to one of the nearby doors.


    This door had a giant cauldron etched on its surface with nine distinct scenes being depicted inside. When Mendax ced a hand on the door the golden shield hanging from his back lit up for a moment forcing the door to open.


    Hao Xuan sensed several envious gazesing in their direction but he did not turn around to see who they belonged to.


    "This is the inner sanctum. Every room you enter, every new space you wish to join, it is your mark that allows you entry. The higher the caliber of your mark the more ess you will have."


    Hao Xuan gave a silent nod and waited for the door to fully open before passing through to the next ''space'' that waspletely independent of the one before.


    The first thing he felt was the stinging cold prickling at his skin like needles. He looked around and found himself standing in a longwork of caves and caverns with a fast-moving river off on the right side.


    Hao Xuan and Mendax were the only two beings here so he continued his exnation from before.


    "Earlier when I spoke of the caliber of the mark that mostly pertained to us, the subjects of the Nine. We all start from the bottom at the rank of a ''follower'' with the least amount of benefits."


    "Once we have satisfied the wishes of the Nine either by spending a certain amount of time in servitude or by offering enough sacrifices...we will be presented with the opportunity to rise higher, to the rank of ''servant''."


    He turned to face Hao Xuan at this point and patted him on the shoulder to alleviate some of his worries.


    "This should also be your rank. Since the Mistress selected you herself you should start from the rank of a servant at the very least."

 Chapter 1378 The Champions

    <h4>Chapter 1378 The Champions</h4>


    Mendax thought he would be jumping from joy upon hearing about his rank until he remembered that Hao Xuan did not have anything topare it to.


    He paused midstride to look him in the eye while continuing the exnation.


    "I don''t think you understand just how great of a privilege it is to be a subject of The Nine. I admit the line separating the Lower Gods and the Higher Gods is vague, yes, but they are nothingpared to the ''Great Old Ones'' who have been around since before most of the mortal races existed."


    "But the Nine are to the Great Old Ones what Zeus and Odin are to the mortals. Do you understand? Even a mere follower of the Nine is on par with the Champions of the ''Great Old Ones'' but you as a Servant will be above them!"


    Only when he saw some shocking realization in his eyes did Mendax step away.


    "Yes, this is how it should be! Do you understand now?? We have been granted the privilege- nay the HONOUR of serving the esteemed Nine!" hands sped behind his back Mendax woefully shook his head, "We are short on time but I will give you a moment to cherish this moment with a dance if you wish."


    [....]


    Speechless, Hao Xuan tried to change the subject before it was toote, [Are you also a servant?]


    Mendax''s expression immediately became brighter as he proudly stated, "I was until just a handful of centuries ago. But after more than a hundred thousand years of service, my efforts were recognized and I gained the rank of an ''Attendant'' which led me here."


    [Truly amazing] Hao Xuanplimented unenthusiastically but Mendax was far too self-involved to care. He was swaying back and forth recalling the moment he had first gotten the news.


    [So the subjects of the Nine include: Followers, Servants, Attendants, and finally the Champions?]


    "Huh?" brought back to reality Mendax cleared his throat, "O-Oh yes, you are correct!"


    [And what does one have to do to be a champion of the Nine?]


    Mendax froze for a moment before shaking his head dejectedly.


    "Haiya, I always hate this part. But then again who likes giving bad news to such promising talents?" he mumbled to himself before looking over his shoulder with a forlorn expression, "Simply put, you can''t. Champions of the Nine are unique beings not only because of their insurmountable strength but also because of their status. Every rank requires bigger and bigger sacrifices to be given so I cannot even imagine what the Champions would have to offer."


    His voice fell to a whisper but in this empty cavern it still echoed loudly.


    "They are the mightiest of us but not without paying a great price..."


    It was quite obvious how much respect Mendax had for the champions which gave Hao Xuan some hope.


    [Thank you for sharing your knowledge, Lord Mendax. I will not forget this]


    "I''m just doing my job youngster, it is nothing to be proud of," he said waving his hand.


    For the first time since they met Hao Xuan saw Mendax bepletely serious so it was definitely a little unnerving.


    But he had been alive longer than most civilizations had existed out in the Greater World so talking to him one-on-one was a great experience since Hao Xuan knew firsthand that not all of them were this open and honest.


    [Is Baba Jezda also an attendant like yourself?]


    "Her? Yeah, as much as I hate to admit there is no one more dedicated than her under the Nine...nor older."


    [She is older than even you?!]


    Hao Xuan was more than a little surprised to hear that. She was strong but not to the point of being so insurmountable. The aura he had sensed from the warrior that came before Mendax was far greater than anything the old witch had put out.


    "Indeed. I believe she might even be the oldest and the longest serving ''Attendant'' under any of the esteemed Nine but...her strength is not what it used to be. Her knowledge far surpasses even mine but because of Maymun''s encroachment her power dwindles every day and it is only a matter of time before one of her many enemies finds her."


    "You should be careful not to get too close to her. There is no telling what a cornered beast is willing to do to save itself," he gave Hao Xuan a much-needed warning.


    [I will]


    "Let us go, the others should be ready by now. Why don''t we take a little shortcut," he grinned and gestured for him to follow before jumping over the edge into the river below.


    Hao Xuan craned his neck to look down but could barely see anything past a few meters. The only thing he could hear was the sound of water sshing against the sides.


    [Is this another test?]

 Chapter 1379 A trick or a test

    <h4>Chapter 1379 A trick or a test</h4>


    Hao Xuan quickly closed his eyes to send out an army of spiritual threads after Mendax. A crystal clear image appeared in his mind of the scenes below, showing a river made entirely of Yin energy.


    The Yin energy was strong enough even to freeze some of the spiritual threads but not before he got a good enough look at the monstrous creatures inside it.


    At first nce they looked like 4-6 meter-long pudgy serpents swimming through the river of Yin energy at breakneck speeds but because of his supreme mental energy Hao Xuan was able to get a much better idea of their origins by plowing through his memories in the blink of an eye.


    [The Shadow Eaters? They are a branch of demon eels native to the shadow realm. Why are they here? No, that doesn''t matter. I don''t have the physical strength to jump into an entire river of them ande out unscathed. Lord Mendax if you''re listening, I will take the longer route and meet you at the end] Hao Xuan said out loud just in case Mendax was still able to hear him before walking deeper into the cave system.


    A few seconds after his silhouette entered one of the smaller caves Mendax floated out of the river with an approving smile.


    "Good. Take your time youngling. Get to know all of your future friends and enemies while I greet the guests."


    His figure retreated into the golden shield while it began rotating clockwise. The shield became smaller and smaller until it popped out of existence.


    ***


    Hao Xuan maneuvered through theplicated and ridiculously deceptive terrain of the cave system while dodging traps left and right to choose the correct paths to take.


    Most of the wrong paths either led to some horrendous beast chained to the ceiling or a false floor, or into neverending mazes littered with pitfalls with no way out.


    There were clues and hints hidden behind every other rock and pebble to help him out but if one didn''t know what to look for there was no way toe out of this ce in one piece.


    If Hao Xuan did not have the knowledge of millions of souls floating around in his head this would have been a journeysting over several weeks if not months.


    But since he did, it took him a little over 20 minutes to get through the majority of the areas at his fastest speed until finally, the light at the end of the tunnel was visible (quite literally).


    A very janky rope bridge led him towards a cliff not much different from the one where the stone tform was. He could hear the cawing of some unknown creatures pping their wings in the distance.


    [A few thousand of them from the sound of it] he muttered under his breath.


    After carefully crossing the bridge he took the only path upwards to a solitary wooden door standing proudly at the highest point. Exuding a powerful saintly aura and a ring of iridescent light, it was calling to him with open arms after a very rough journey but he didn''t even look at it twice.


    Such pious energying from a den of ancient gods was perhaps the oddest thing so far.


    Hao Xuan circled back towards the bridge and noticed a small ledge along the way.


    It led to a narrow path located on the side of the cliff wall which in turn ended at another ordinary-looking door on the other side.


    He took the chance and made his way through while avoiding all the harpy nests littering the way. Disturbing even a single branch would have invited the entire flock of these nasty creatures his way but thankfully Hao Xuan knew how to bypass them with rtive ease.


    And when he did reach the door it turned out to be not so foreign after all.


    There were symbols simr to the ones he saw in the castle etched above it but rather than a name they were congratting him for finding a secret entrance.


    [I was right, both this and thest one were tests but it should be all over now-] he said to himself while cing a hand on it.


    The door suddenly shook and Hao Xuan felt a foreign energy shooting up his arm and towards the back of his head. He felt a burning stinging sensation for a few seconds before the door gave way and slowly creaked open.


    A bright light blinded him for a second as he walked through but when his eyes adjusted Hao Xuan found himself standing in an enclosed circr room with nine other beings.


    They were all looking at him with interest but he could only see the true appearance of four of them. The other five were surrounded by various energies thatpletely blocked his senses.


    These five only appeared as different colored nondescript silhouettes, obviously meant to hide their true appearance and background.


    "See? I told you there would be another!" one of the four whose appearance was visible shouted.

 Chapter 1380 A little meetup

    1380 A little meetup


    A few minutes ago...


    Somewhere within the depths of the inner sanctum the space rippled and creaked as a mass of tentacles carrying a golden shield on its back crawled out of a miniature wormhole. By the time the space had stabilized Mendax was already on his feet, dusting himself off while looking at the group of 4 individuals in front of him.


    They were standing on a small ind at the edge of a waterfall. The water was pitch ck and it flowed in reverse, going up the waterfall instead of down but, that wasn''t even the strangest thing about this ce.


    The entire space, both up and down, was divided into twopletely different halves starting from the edge of the waterfall.


    The section on the left was where the waterfall was going down and it was much wider and open than the right side. There was even some pearly moonlight cutting through the fast-moving clouds but most of it was a world hidden behind the wall of a heavy unmoving fog with some strange silhouettes moving about in the far distance.


    But there was no wind nor sound present on the entire left side which made this somewhat enchanting scene quite haunting after an initial nce.


    Now, the right side was the exact opposite in a number of ways.


    First, there was no sky here. It was just another piece of barrennd overhead, stretching out as far as the eye could see. And right below it was a ck ocean. It waspletely motionless without any waves of ripples, without any signs of life that would normally be present in such a vast body of water.


    It was a world drenched in darkness without any source of light or life...a kingdom of death.


    The ind where the four figures stood arguing was smack dab in the center of all this. Half of it was covered by the darkness of the right and the other by the soundless light of the left.


    Each side was entirely different from the other but neither were ''whole''.


    It made no sense but then again, there usually never was a ce formon sense where the Old Gods resided.


    Mendax walked on the still ocean water to get to the ind, pping twice to get the attention of everyone present.


    "I see everyone is here!" he said merrily.


    One of these four was the old witch herself, Baba Jezda. Next to her was a humanoid creature with the head of an octopus.


    This creature was by far the most ''normal'' looking one here despite its appearance. It wore avish purple robe embroidered with gold and silver. It had six webbed fingers on each hand and every one of them had at least two exquisite rings.


    It was covered in various artifacts and relics that ranged from powerful pendants to nose and ear piercings.


    Mendax gave a respectful bow in its direction first and foremost, "Lord Aekor, it has been a long time. What a pleasant surprise to see you again. I did not expect to see you here of all the people."


    Aekor gave a cordial smile in response since they obviously knew each other.


    "We are all but servants of the Nine. I am here by my master''s will, as I am sure are the others," he said gesturing to the people around him but more specifically to the two in front.


    Both Baba Jezda and Aekor were standing on the right side of the ind, bound in the darkness that birthed them.


    Across from them standing within the shimmering moonlight were two beings. One of them was a four-meter-tall half-giant with dark red skin. He had long curly hair that came down to his shoulders.


    He held a 20-centimeter-wide stone token in his hands, ying with it casually while mumbling to himself.


    He was lost in a world of his own and only when Mendax spoke to him directly did he respond.


    "Lord Cerritos, many greetings," Mendax sped his hands as a show of respect.


    The man named Cerritos turned towards him with a vacant look, "Hmm? Yes. It has been a long time-"


    As soon as he started speaking the one standing beside him interrupted.


    "Not long enough," a feminine voice hissed balefully, "An offspring of the new gods openly walks among our midst...and you all do nothing?!"


    Mendax stepped to the side to look at her directly. She was wearing a patchy green robe that covered everything but her hands and the bottom half of her face.


    The only thing being that what little skin that could be seen was rotting and festering with all kinds of maggots and bugs.


    "Lady Purto, I believe this is your first time attending our little gathering. Please remember where you stand, no fighting of any sort will be entertained here as long as I am the overseer," Mendax warned her inly.

 Chapter 1381 Gathering of the Cursed

    1381 Gathering of the Cursed


    Lady Purto responded with much the same animosity as before even when speaking to Mendax directly.


    "I do not recognize your authority, ve! You are all working together!"


    He scoffed expressionlessly, "My authorityes from the Nine! What you can or cannot ept is not my concern. Behave yourself unless you wish to be cast out!"


    The ck water surrounding them from the right side began to seethe and boil as he clenched his fists.


    Her first instinct was to attack but seeing where she was and more importantly ''what'' she was here for, Lady Purto decided to by that. She recalled her aura while taking a step back.


    "Are you telling me you did not know about this??" she pointed at Baba Jezda, "We all know how close both your people are!"


    Mendax was about to step up to exin but Lord Aekor stopped him.


    Tentacles iling in a rage despite his calm demeanor, Lord Aekor peered towards her with his cold blue eyes.


    Her insinuation was preposterous!


    "My house has had no quarrels with Baba Jezda because we respect her efforts in the abyss. I will not dare to speak for my master but if you continue on this path, I will be forced to defend my honor, Lady Purto."


    She sneered, "Do what you must! I will not be bullied into silence simply because of your position, as ''exalted'' as it might be."


    His eyes widened at the mockery and he almost lost control until Baba Jezda interrupted them.


    "ENOUGH!" she yelled and tapped the ground lightly with her cane.


    A ck fog erupted from her body and spread out in every direction, covering the entire ind in an instant.


    "We are at war! How much longer must we all suffer before you will take this seriously?"


    She was talking to none of them and yet all of them simultaneously but they had nothing to say in return.


    Lady Purto spoke up after a brief moment of silence, this time her voice was much lower and her tone civil.


    *Sigh*


    "We lost the war a long time ago. Now it''s just a matter of epting the truth."


    Lord Aekor chimed in as well, "She is correct. Maymun''s armies outnumber us a million to one, if not more. His power continues to grow while the new gods turn the mortals against us and hunt us down at every corner. Now, we must look to the future and cut our losses."


    Baba Jezda could not believe her ears, "Do you all...really believe that?!"


    Lord Cerrito, who had stayed out of the arguments until now couldn''t help but agree with the others.


    "They are not wrong. I would be the first one to step on the battlefield if there was a chance but even I am not ''crazy'' enough to believe that we can win this war. We were simply toote and too blind to see himing."


    She looked at their downcast expressions and cracked half a smile, "What if there was a chance?"


    This time Mendax was the one who couldn''t keep his curiosity in check, "What do you mean? Is it rted to that mortal you brought today?"


    The expressions of all three of the lords changed when they heard the news.


    "You brought someone personally?!" Lady Purto incredulously inquired.


    "...."


    Her silence was defeaning.


    Lord Aekor peered towards her with narrowed eyes, "No wonder my master sent him out. Seems it will be quite a memorable day," he murmured.


    "You will see soon enough. Begin the ceremony," Baba Jezda gestured towards Mendax and he was more than happy to oblige.


    "Then without further ado I, Mendax, as the current overseer of the Sanctum, initiate the Gathering of the Cursed!"


    Mendax opened his arms wide when he was done and released some of his energy that kick-started a chain reaction.


    The ind started to shake and rise up into the air. The ground cracked and snapped apart to let out nine stone columns surrounding arger central tform.


    After a few minutes when the shaking finally stopped Mendax gestured for them to get in position behind a column of their own choosing.


    "Since it is Lady Purto''s first time I will exin," he smiled towards her, "It takes a minimum of three attendants to initiate the gathering. Your duty is to be the witness and envoy in ce for the champions who could not make it today. You will open yourself up to the will of the Nine and allow them to speak through you if need be. Do you ept?"


    "I ept," she nodded solemnly.


    "Good. Then you may step up to the column. ce your hand on its surface and announce the seat of your master."


    The others were kind enough to let her go first since it was her first time. It was a great honor that was bestowed on a select few so no matter how belligerent she previously was, they would not take this moment away from her.

 Chapter 1382 The Seats

    1382 The Seats


    Lady Purto didn''t dawdle and promptly followed the instructions given to her. She stepped up to the stone column and extended her right hand forward.


    A pulse of cold chaotic energy ran up her arm and upon finding the ''mark'' it was amplified a hundred times over before shooting back out into the column and being distributed into the earth.


    She felt the connection being made but before she could say anything the ground behind her cracked open and a corpse crawled out. Her eyes widened but she did not make a move since none of the others were surprised by this development.


    This corpse was sporting a luxury gown that had some familiarity with her. With narrowed eyes, she looked the corpse up and down before letting out a shocked gasp.


    "S-Sister?! Is that you?!" she eximed while turning around but Baba Jezda stopped her.


    "Stay focused! Your sister was killed in the battle 400 years ago, this is just an empty shell."


    Just as she finished speaking dozens of more arms were thrust out of the ground from every direction and a total of 36 corpses crawled out. These corpses belonged to the previous attendants who served under the Nine, now forever sealed on the ind.


    The corpses got into positions of their own ord, forming three concentric circles around the main tform. Then they sat down and began beating their chests rhythmically while chants sounded out of their decaying mouths.


    Mendax nodded and gestured for her to keep going, "Please continue Lady Purto."


    She took in a deep breath to try and calm her nerves upon sensing the gaze of over three dozen of her predecessors all focused on her back.


    Their chants were low and barely audible but whenbined it created a powerful effect that allowed her to enter a meditative state with rtive ease. Soon her body rxed but her voice became louder, clearer, and much more authoritative.


    "I, a mere servant, am here in ce of my master," she began, "Only by his mercy do I dare proim this seat, as the host of all that decays and disintegrates. For the Seat of Pestilence!"


    The column shook and fell apart piece by piece to reveal a seat fashioned out of its core perfect for her form. Lady Purto walked to the front and sat down before looking towards the others.


    Lord Cerritos was next. He quickly made his way through the chanting corpses and ced a hand on one of the columns.


    "For my master, I proim this the Seat of Madness!"


    But unlike Lady Purto, he didn''t wait around and instead clenched his hand shattering the column into pieces. Then he casually sat down on what little remained of the foundation.


    Lord Aekor came forward right after.


    "For my master, I proim this the Throne of The Deep!"


    The column shone with a resplendent purple light before melting away like ice to reveal a golden throne. He sat down and turned his gaze towards thest person.


    Baba Jezda harrumphed and hobbled over with her cane to the furthest column from them all. She tapped the column with the side of the cane, "For the Mother of Void, I proim this the Seat of Eternal Darkness!"


    The column turned to ash and fell apart at the seams. But there was no chair, seat, or throne for her to sit on, just an empty patch of ck dirt where she stood withoutint.


    Mendax came forward and stood on the main tform in the middle. He looked at the faces staring at him, "Only four of the Nine could be present in person but the other five have given me their permission to activate their respective seats for such a special asion...whatever it might be," he threw a curious look towards Baba Jezda but she didn''t even acknowledge him.


    "Tsk, fine. Then as the overseer of the Sanctum I call on the rest!"


    As he went down the list he mentioned a prominent title of each of the Nine to invoke their respective hosts.


    "The Seat of the Blind God"


    "The Seat of the Slumbering One"


    "The Seat of the King in Yellow"


    "The Seat of the Forgotten Horror"


    "The Seat of the Silent Father!"


    The columns shifted and shattered one by one to create their respective amodations and they weren''t empty either. There were shadowy silhouettes sitting on each and every single one.


    Their dreadful auras could be felt through the shadows even though they were nothing more than a reflection of their real forms. The atmosphere immediately turned somber but it still wasn''t enough to dampen the overseer''s spirits.


    "Wee all, creatures and monsters alike!" Mendax weed them with open arms, "You have been summoned for this Gathering of the Cursed for a very special reason. But first, we will go through the most recent candidates that have arrived here in these few hours."

 Chapter 1383 Max

    1383 Max


    When he was done Mendax moved off of the main tform and it began rotating anti-clockwise. The tform was only about 4 meters in diameter with hundreds of small runes engraved into its surface to create the rough outline of Nine giant entities.


    These were the marks that belonged to each of the Nine and by the time the tform came to a stop after nine full rotations, each mark was in front of their respective attendants.


    Mendax walked around the tform, taking extra care not to step inside it anymore while he orated the recently transpired events.


    "The five that could not make it here today have also entered their own respective candidates for the ritual, but as we are all aware, unless they are present in person we can neither attest to their abilities nor loyalty. Therefore, they will only be present as witnesses to the rest!" he clicked his heels twice and the center of the tform opened up.


    Murky water poured out covering nearly half of the tform before stopping. Its surface rippled a few times and images of nine figures showed up.


    "Let us begin!"


    ***


    A few minutes earlier...


    "See? I told you there would be another!"


    Hao Xuan turned towards the enthusiastic speaker. It was a child, a little human boy no more than 10 years of age. He was pointing at him while pulling on the sleeve of a teenager.


    Appearance-wise both the boy and the teenager looked like siblings. They were human through and through which couldn''t be said for any of the others.


    One of the remaining two was quite obviously a merman. He had dark blue skin, a pair of gills underneath his ears, and webbed hands and feet. Four ck lines were going down from the jaw all the way to his abdomen.


    Adorned in an extravagant green and gold robe he was quietly standing on the side leaning against one of the doors, presumably the one he hade out of.


    He met Hao Xuan''s gaze head-on almost as if he was waiting for it. His eyes narrowed as he released a sudden burst of spiritual energy aimed straight at his eyes. It was as if to warn ''Do not look at me directly!''


    Everything from his demeanor to his aura had a hint of nobility to it. He was strong, very strong for his young age but his ego did notg behind in the slightest.


    But as powerful as it was, the moment it came into contact with Hao Xuan it was utterly obliterated without a trace. And this was without him even trying to fight back.


    His eyes widened from shock and he immediately became alert. It seemed like he was expecting Hao Xuan to retaliate but he couldn''t be bothered.


    Hao Xuan turned towards thest of the four. It was an emaciated-looking guy sitting away from all the rest. From the looks of it, he was in his twenties with pale white skin and a figure so thin and gaunt that it could easily be mistaken for a corpse.


    Two small white horns wereing out of his forehead. Head tucked in between his knees, he was cradling himself like a newborn but when he sensed Hao Xuan''s gaze he looked up for a brief moment.


    Hao Xuan felt a very strange energy hidden somewhere deep inside his body. It was the exact opposite of his meek appearance because to Hao Xuan he appeared more as a wicked beast than a frail-looking boy.


    Suddenly Hao Xuan''s eyes widened and he quickly stepped back. The human teenager was now standing just a couple of feet away from him.


    He had gotten this close to Hao Xuan without alerting him in the slightest, which was nothing short of a miracle considering his current state.


    "Hello, my name is Max!" he said with a cordial smile, "Are you human too? We should stick together since us three are the only humans in here!"


    He extended a hand and waited for Hao Xuan to shake it but the little boy came from the side and kicked him in the shin with all his strength.


    "See, you scared him stupid!"


    The teenager fell to the floor in tears, "Ahhh, y-you''re right, I d-didnt think about that at all."


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to furrow as he saw theedy routine being yed out in front of him. The question on his mind was the same as all the rest...which the little boy vocalized.


    "But isn''t there one extra person here?? There should only be nine..."


    It was ten of them here including the five shadows.


    The teenager massaged his leg as much as he could before slowly wobbling up to his feet.


    "Haha...ha, s-should we introduce ourselves in the meantime? How about we go in a circle and mention which of the Nine we serve? I think I have a pretty good idea who some of us are," he said gesturing towards the merman.

 Chapter 1384 The King In Red

    ?


    The merman threw him a dirty look before turning away.


    Max leaned even closer towards Hao Xuan and whispered, "Oh, do you think they don''t understand ournguage? Whatnguage do the fish people usually speak?"


    "Oh, I know!" the little boy eximed while looking in the merman''s direction, "BlOoOoOp bLoOp! BloOoOooOoP blOoP!"


    Shocked, Max''s eyes widened, "Wha-What''s that???"


    "That''s what it sounds like when I try to talk in water stupid!"


    "Ohh! You''re right! Mr. Fishman, did you understand that? Bloop bloop?? No?"


    "Hmm," rubbing his chin in contemtion the little boy shook his head despondently, "I think he is too stupid. He doesn''t know how to speak at all!"


    "No no I think he does speak. He probably just doesn''t like you."


    "You go to HELL! EVERYONE LIKES ME!" the boy screamed at the top of his lungs before lunging at Max like a lemur.


    Watching the stupendous scene y out in front of him Hao Xuan quickly remembered where he had seen it before, and with it came the realization of the truth.


    [You can stop now]


    "Huh? Waht dho yu meaan?!" Max looked over at him while the little boy tried to rip off his cheeks.


    [No one will take the bait. There is no need to continue]


    Max nced over to the others who weren''t even looking at him anymore and suddenly his expression changed. That jovial yfulness was immediately reced by an empty void.


    "Did you not find it amusing? I was certain you would," he said in a t voice.


    Hao Xuan moved back towards the door he had exited from and leaned against it, closing his eyes to rest while he had the chance.


    The little boy jumped down from Max''s shoulder and ran up right next to Hao Xuan, squatting beside him cutely.


    [Do not interrupt me. I haven''t the time for your games] he warned.


    Max strolled over with measured steps, careful but still nonchnt in his demeanor.


    "Do you not want to be my friend?" he asked curiously.


    [I did note here to make friends]


    "But I did. And I think we would be great friends! After all, we have so much inmon."


    [We have nothing inmon. In fact, I would say we couldn''t be more different]


    "Really?? How?"


    With a deep sigh Hao Xuan opened his eyes momentarily, [For starters, I would never sacrifice my kin for a shred of power] before ncing towards the little boy, [You have already killed the child, why use his memory for your games?]


    Max burst outughing, "SEE?! I knew we were simr, so very simr!"


    There were tears in his eyes and by the time he stopped the entire room was focused on him. But he couldn''t care in the slightest, "You and I, we will be great friends, mister!"


    The little boy''s figure began to turn into a red mist that was absorbed into Max''s body. Hao Xuan''s expression couldn''t help but turn sour upon seeing that same vibrant color so soon after the events of the castle.


    [You are a servant of the King in Red? I''m surprised he managed to find someone so quickly]


    "Mhm, you''re right. It was a real surprise for both of us. I don''t even believe in gods really, so of course I would never ept such an offer...but I couldn''t help it when I heard what he had to say."


    [And what did the Mad King offer you? Riches? Immortality? A chance to have your vengeance? Whatever it was, it wouldn''t be worth the price you have to pay. These things are what you th-]


    Max began crawling over to Hao Xuan on all fours, stopping just a foot away from him.


    "Death," he said smilingly, "He said I would meet the person who would grant me a death worthy of the life I have lived. And that person is you, I knew it the moment Iid my eyes on you."


    Hao Xuan looked into his eyes but could not find a shred of sanity anywhere. This man, this BOY was crazier than the god he served. A danger to everyone including himself.


    [What makes you think he was talking about me? Why not any of the others?]


    "The others?"


    Frowning, he turned towards the merman first.


    "Strong but his ego far exceeds his reach. I knew how to destroy him the moment we met. It would be the easiest...and most boring thing ever, hahaha."


    Then he turned towards the pale man in the other corner, "Him, he is a monster. Probably the strongest one here but he has no will to fight. It wouldn''t be any fun you know?"


    And then finally he looked back at Hao Xuan, "But you, you are different. I can''t figure you out at all. Sometimes you are weak and other times you are so strong that it makes my heart skip a beat. You are so many things and yet none of them at the same time. You...don''t make any sense."

 Chapter 1385 A Promised Future

    ?


    [Is that why you think it is me? Because you can''t "figure me out?"]


    "No, it''s because we are so alike, I told you. Only someone who understands me will be capable of granting me the death I need."


    Max inched even closer. His face was just a couple of inches away from Hao Xuan''s as they stared into each other''s eyes, both refusing to look away.


    "Right there!" he eximed in a whisper, "I can see the madness in your eyes...the same kind as mine. Buried so very deep but it is there. That apathetic lunacy that will destroy everything it touches one day, I know you hide it. Why are you afraid?"


    His hands rose into the air, the thumbs and forefingers resting above Hao Xuan''s eyes as if he were about to fish something out of the depths of his soul.


    "I want to see it again, that madness!" his own eyes widened to the point that all Hao Xuan could see was his own shocked image being reflected in their depths.


    It was hypnotic, every single move he had made so far. And if his soul wasn''t at the stage that it was, he would have also fallen for it without a doubt.


    Max only stopped when he felt Hao Xuan''s hand around his throat, [Should I grant you your wish then?]


    He nodded while cracking a smile, "Nothing would make me happier but...there is something you should know first. Any violence in this chamber will result in your immediate exclusion. You will never be allowed to set foot in the Sanctum again."


    Hao Xuan looked towards the others with a raised eyebrow and their actions made sense all of a sudden. Even he could tell that the merman was an extremely impatient and emotional being so he would have never tolerated Max''s insults if he didn''t have any other option.


    His ego would not allow it.


    But he chose to stay his hand, most probably because he already knew about this ''rule''.


    "Do you believe me?" Max asked upon seeing him connect the dots.


    "You have two options right now, my friend. You can kill me before the ritual starts and preemptively remove a threat that will one day bring you great pain and sorrow. I will not even fight back," he said while pulling Hao Xuan''s other hand over to his throat.


    "It will be...so easy," he tightened the grip even more, "But if you don''t kill me right now...and allow me to go through the ritual then make no mistake...you will regret it deeply."


    "Fret not, it will be quite some time since we meet again...I will have to run some errands for the ''old fool'' for the next few years but one day, one random day you will enter your house and see me standing there. And in that moment you will know that I have taken something from you, something you cherish so deeply that you will never be the same again."


    "You will cry and wail, curse me and beat me until there is nothing left of me...but you will have lost that what mattered to you the most. And then you will think back to this moment and wish you had chosen differently."


    He was trying to suppress a smile, trying his damndest to hold back augh as he showed Hao Xuan a glimpse of the future.


    And he would be lying if he said Max''s words didn''t bother him but one thing became pretty clear.


    Max was willing to die if it meant that Hao Xuan couldn''t go any further than this.


    [Seems the Mad King has found a worthy servant] Hao Xuan tightened his grip around Max''s throat until he couldn''t even talk anymore, [I would like nothing more than to rid of a thing like you right here and now but...for the moment, I cannot forgo this opportunity even if it means I will be risking my future for it]


    He loosened his grip and kicked Max''s barely conscious body to the other side of the room.


    *GAAASP*


    Max''s chest heaved up and down as he regained consciousness.


    "Hahaha...good choice....it''s more...fun this way. I look forward...to the future now...thanks to...you..." he muttered with some effort while rolling on the ground trying to catch his breath.


    He couldn''t even sit up anymore let alone speak so the next few minutes went by in silence until the chamber started to shake.


    The walls and the doors trembled before being pulled into the ground while the ceiling simply vanished without a trace. They were left standing on a small piece of rock surrounded by an ocean of murky ck water on all sides.


    The water violently thrashed as an army of amphibious creatures suddenly made these nine candidates the center of their attention.


    "Hmph, you dare turn your gaze towards me?!"

 Chapter 1386 Loud And Proud

    ?


    Outraged by the utter disrespect shown to him by those of its own kind, the merman took it upon himself to give them and the other candidates a little teaser for what was toe.


    He unleashed his cultivation in its entirety to summon tenplete Mind Pces in this already cramped space. They were all in the shape of various pronged weapons, each with its own mighty aura that suppressed everyone in the vicinity.


    The five shadows were just that, mere shadows being cast into this ne of existence from far and wide so they were not affected in the least.


    Max on the other hand was pushed into the ground without any way to fight back, but that did not stop him fromughing at this absurd grand gesture.


    "See...told you he was the easiest..." he muttered through a toothy grin.


    The pale man on the other hand was unfazed while Hao Xuan had to use almost 10% of his spiritual energy to contend against the cascading waves of pressure bearing down upon him.


    He eyed the mind pces and the excessive energy coursing through them. The merman had to be at least an end-stage Saint Lord to be able to suppress him as much as he had. And he was still full of vitality so there was a chance that he wasn''t even a hundred years old yet which would put him leagues ahead of any so-called geniuses that Hao Xuan hade across before.


    The merman was preparing tounch an attack when an oh-so-familiar voice interrupted him.


    "Ahem! Candidates, please refrain from killing the denizens of my domain," Mendax nonchntly mentioned.


    The candidates turned towards the source of the voice and found Mendax standing in the center. The merman immediately withdrew his energy and mind pces before giving a royal bow to Mendax.


    "Senior!" he said sping his hands respectfully.


    Hao Xuan would have never thought him capable of such a humbling gesture which only made Mednax look that much better in contrast.


    Mendax threw a smile his way while pping twice. The ground shook and slowly opened up to let out a stone tform with nine sides (a nonagon).


    His figure flickered and reappeared several meters off the ground looking down at all the candidates from above.


    The low rumble of unceasing lightning and thunder acted as an apt backdrop for his impending speech.


    "What a special asion we have here today!" he began, as usual, with a cordial smile, "We have not one but four candidates present at once with the remaining five present as spectators and witnesses to their glory."


    The five shadows looked at one another with the same well of mixed emotions. Something big was going down and they couldn''t be here in person to be a part of it. They were all going to be the next generation of leaders, the g-bearers that everyone looked up to within the sanctum but now these four had surpassed them...at least for the moment.


    Mendax gave them a brief moment toe to their own conclusions before continuing.


    "Now, I am sure many of you are aware but for those that aren''t," he nced towards Hao Xuan and Max respectively, "You are here for one purpose and one purpose alone!-"


    The middle of the tform opened up and the same murky water filled it halfway.


    "-To prove your loyalty by measuring the depth of your mark! The more valuable you are considered by the Nine the higher your rank will be. But do not be worried if you start low, many of us did and there is no shame in that! In fact, it gives us the opportunity to prove ourselves through hard work and perseverance!"


    Once he made sure that all the candidates had properly grasped the reality of their situations he gave them some good news to follow it up.


    "That said, the tests and trials that you had to pass through to get to this point will not have been in vain! I have kept an eye on your progress and the fruit of yourbor will be given to you after you conclude your final examination. Now, let us begin! Who will be the firs-"


    Before he had even finished the sentence the merman was already standing next to the tform.


    "Ah, right, we have our first candidate! Now, step inside and leave yourself open. Do not try to hide or conceal anything as it will only diminish your final rewards!"


    The merman did not seem anxious or worried in the slightest since he hadplete trust in his abilities and walked into the middle of the tform in one go.


    Three slimy tentacles protruded from the pool of murky water and climbed up his body. Two wrapped around his legs while the third attached itself along his spine.


    "We will begin by inspecting your attributes."

 Chapter 1387 Rankless

    ?


    "We will now begin by inspecting your basic attributes. Will the patron pleasee forth!"


    Mendax suddenly threw his head back while raising both hands towards the sky. Two lightning bolts shot out from his palm and ignited the clouds like some ancient war engine.


    *RUUUUUMBLEEE*


    The space shook as the profile of a several hundred-meter-tall entity was projected onto the clouds. The gazes of all the candidates were obviously pulled towards it, towards Lord Aekor who sat on the golden throne in all his glory.


    In the absence of the champion he was the highest-ranking member within the ''Sect of the Deep'' and he made no effort to hide that fact. He was proud of it like most others from his sect because their Master had the most worshippers and servants amongst all of the Nine.


    His mighty silhouette looked down upon the figures on the tform and none could escape his scrutinizing gaze, especially Hao Xuan who was not afraid to return the favor in much the same manner.


    Despite the rude behavior, Lord Aekor did not waste any time on him and swiftly redirected his attention towards the merman as Mendax lightly tapped the ground.


    "Let us begin!"


    The tform was divided into nine concentric rings with two rows of numbers etched into each ring.


    The innermost ring started moving first, rotating clockwise and anti-clockwise several times while the tentacles attached to his spine and legs fed it all the information it needed.


    After approximately four to five seconds the ring stopped rotating and the two digits came together. Immediately after, the second ring started moving and this process continued until all nine rings had a number of their own on disy.


    Mendax moved around the tform while making mental notes of each of the numbers. Everyone could see them but only he could decipher their true values.


    "Splendid!" he pped cheerfully upon reaching the ninth ring and looked at the merman with an approving smile, "What an astonishing disy. Looks like our house will have yet another genius amongst its ranks," hemented loudly before turning towards the other candidates with an exnation.


    "Each of the nine rings measures a certain attribute. Only the overseer can decipher the true values of these attributes so you needn''t be worried since I am only required to mention the values of the three basic attributes and the ranks of any specific physique, constitution, or soul that you might have."


    Hao Xuan''s hand immediately shot up, [Is it possible to only reveal the three basic attributes? What if I forgo the rewards at the end?]


    Lord Aekor was the only one visible to the candidates but all nine of the attendants could see the tform and what was happening around it so understandably, Hao Xuan''s question got the attention of almost all of them and they all turned towards Baba Jezda for answers.


    "Don''t look at me, even I don''t know much about this one," she muttered expressionlessly.


    Back on the tform Mendax shook his head unhappily,pletely misunderstanding the reason for his query.


    "That is not an option, youngling. You might note from a powerful sect but there is no need to be ashamed of what you have been born with!"


    [....I understand. Thank you, senior]


    "Hmph, it is good that you do. Now let me mention the main ranks we use for measurement. In the outside world they have more than double ours but we only need to ssify them into four general ranks for the purpose of this examination. Starting from the weakest we have, Rare, Exotic, Legendary, and Mythical."


    "We have very high standards of measurement so it ismon for candidates to not meet even the most basic requirements and as a result...be rankless...." he then nced towards Hao Xuan, "But that does not mean you are weak or not useful to the Nine. Only you yourself can determine that."


    Hao Xuan let out a deep sigh and gave another understanding nod which forced Mendax to finally move on.


    "Now, candidate number one! Your basic attributes are-" he pointed towards the empty space right above the tform and several rows of letters and numbers showed up out of nowhere.


    When Hao Xuan focused his eyes the letters began to reorganize themselves to make sense for him in the simplest way possible. It was the same for everyone else too.


    Physical Strength: 114


    Cultivation Level: 280


    Soul Power: 96


    The merman''s chest puffed out even more as the letters reorganized themselves the next moment to reveal the other ranks.


    "Physique Rank: Exotic


    Constitution Rank: Rare


    Soul Rank: Rare"


    Mendax broke into apuse immediately after, garnering some much-deserved side-eyes from the other candidates.


    "Truly marvelous! The Lord has blessed this candidate with not one but three ranked-" he caught himself before going too far off the rails and cleared his throat.


    "Ahem, I mean, what a gifted first candidate we have to kick off this decade''s examination!"

 Chapter 1388 Obelisk

    <h4>Chapter 1388 Obelisk</h4>


    It was pretty obvious to see that Mendax belonged to the ''Sect of the Deep'' and served the same master as the merman and Lord Aekor. Even though he was supposed to be impartial in his duties as the overseer, there were moments when he simply couldn''t help himself...like when their house got a promising new talent in their midst...


    "Ahem, g-good. Now that the initial examination is over we will tally up the final rewards," he exined to the other candidates, "The main deciding factor for the rewards depends on how fast you cleared the final trial that led you here. I don''t have to point out that it is not JUST about speed but also the level of your attributes when you attempted the trial. The lower your average attributes the higher the reward since it would have been that much more difficult of an endeavor."


    "The ranks of your physique, constitution, and soul will be applied at the very end where they will multiply the final rewards by a factor of 1 for a Rare rank, 2 for an Exotic Rank, 4 for a Legendary Rank, and 8 for Mythical since it''s so umon."


    The candidates nodded upon understanding the basic criteria but there was nothing they could do to change anything right now.


    "Now then, let''s add everything to see how far the first candidate can go!"


    Mendax extended both his hands towards the tform and twisted like he was holding onto two indivisible nobs. The outermost ninth circle of the tform vibrated momentarily before releasing nine stone obelisks. They were the same length of approximately 2.74 meters.


    The top of each obelisk carried one of the marks of the Nine with an intricate design of runes connecting it to the tform below.


    The nine rings simultaneously turned towards the obelisk that held the ''Mark of the Deep'' and the runes began lighting from the bottom one by one.


    The eyes of all the candidates including Hao Xuan were glued to it.


    The process became slower as time went on until thest rune was set alight at around 90% of the way up.


    The merman became visibly disheartened when it stopped just before reaching the Mark of the Deep and Hao Xuan couldn''t help but inquire why.


    [What happens if all the runes are lit up and they reach the mark?] he asked while raising his hand.


    Mendax answered with a weak sigh, "Then you can speak directly to the master and perhaps ask for a reward not normally included in the pool," he then nced towards the merman muttering, "There is still hope," before turning towards Lord Aekor''s avatar in the sky.


    "Does the patron have any offerings to make?"


    Lord Aekor waved his hands and a small m shot down from the sky like a meteor,nding safely in Mendax''s hand.


    He pried it open and picked out several red crystals before throwing them at the merman''s feet where they were absorbed into the ck pool, turning it bloody red.


    The obelisk hummed lightly and the runes started lighting up again, soon reaching the ''Mark of the Deep'' and igniting it too.


    The entire tform shook once as an invisible wave shot out in all directions.


    "Congrattions! The sacrifice has been epted!" Mendax eximed.


    The merman''s frown was turned upside down in an instant as he rejoiced.


    "You may speak. If the master deems you worthy your wish will be granted!"


    But while the merman tried toe up with something appropriate to ask for Hao Xuan''s expression had turned ugly. He could hear the screams of hundreds of trapped souls from those dissolving red crystals.


    [A blood sacrifice? What did I expect...] he thought inwardly.


    A momentter the merman gestured to Mendax that he had decided on his reward, "What is it, child?"


    "Can I have an egg of any legendary beast fit to be my familiar?"


    Mendax moved over to the obelisk and ran his fingers through the runes as if he were browsing through a screen.


    "Your wish has been granted."


    The top of the obelisk opened up to let out a bright blue speck of light that increased in size until it was approximately 30 cm in radius at which point the light receded and a very flimsy-looking pearly white egg fell into the merman''s embrace.


    Curious, the merman sent a thread of spiritual sense into the egg and his eyes widened from shock.


    "THANK YOU SENIOR!" he shouted while bowing from the waist in his excitement.


    His overreaction left the other candidates wondering about the origin of the egg but that was all they could do. It was obvious whatever it was, it came from a very powerful bloodline.


    Mendax waved his hand nonchntly, "I am but a vessel, thank the master for it is he who giveth, and he who taketh away."


    "I will, senior!" the merman responded respectfully before trying to get out of the tform.

 Chapter 1389 The underdog

    Chapter 1389 The underdog


    The tentacles were still attached to his spine and legs trying to hold him down but he ripped them off without much effort. But before he could leave the tform Mendax hurriedly stopped him.


    "Looks like someone is in a hurry. Aren''t you forgetting something?"


    "???"


    The merman looked at him in confusion until he blurted out, "Your MARK! The reason you came here in the first ce? Get back in the middle!"


    "Y-Yes!" more than a little embarrassed the merman ran back and waited patiently for the final part.


    *Sigh*


    With a disappointing sigh Mendax threw out the words without much thought or emotion behind them.


    "By the power vested in me, I grant you ess to the inner Sanctum as a hallowed-" he paused to look at the obelisk that shone with a dim light, "-''Servant'' of the Nine!? Impressive! Wee youngling, you may leave the tform now."


    The merman gave another bow to Mendax and one to Lord Aekor before getting off the tform with his egg in hand.


    Everyone from the ''Sect of the Deep'' was delighted by the oue. Not only did they get an influential new member but he got the rank of a ''Servant'' which would give him a massive head start over the others.


    "Will the second candidate please get on!" Mendax yelled as the tform reset itself to its original state.


    The blood cleared out and the obelisks returned to the ground for the second round.


    Hao Xuan felt Max''s demented gaze trying to bore a hole into his face so he wanted to go next but surprisingly the pale man was a step ahead of him.


    "Oh what a pleasant surprise. The candidate from the ''Sect of Pestilence'' has stepped forth!" Mendax announced as Lord Aekor''s avatar was reced by Lady Purto''s.


    "There is no need to stand on ceremony. You may end it quickly," she annoyinglymented as if she was giving him permission.


    Mendax ground his teeth but kept hisposure, "If that is what the patron wants. Begin the examination!"


    The tentacles shot out of the pool and attached to the pale man with a lot more power behind them. He shook back and forth like a sheet of paper but managed to keep his bnce.


    The rings came to life and started rotating one by one but every time the numbers stabilized on them Mendax''s expression worsened. By the ninth ring he was ck and blue.


    "Is this...right?" he absentmindedly muttered out loud to which Lady Purto responded with much the same condescending tone.


    "Of course it is. My master would not send just ''anyone'' to these hallowed halls. Show the attributes!"


    Mendax looked like he had bitten into a rotten apple but he still obliged since there was nothing he could do to change the oue.


    With a wave of his hand the numbers floated above the tform.


    Physical Strength: 970


    Cultivation Level: 320


    Soul Power: 233


    Several shocked gasps sounded from all around but the very next second a deathly silence fell over the ind.


    Physique Rank: Mythical


    Constitution Rank: Exotic


    Soul Rank: Rare


    Even the attendants watching from the other side could not help but take a second look.


    "Mythical?!" one of the shadows eximed.


    Lord Aekor swiftly interjected as well, "Lord Mendax...are you certain there has not been a ''miscalction'' this time around?"


    Mendax gave a hesitant nod, "Yes, there has not been an error."


    "A ''Mythical rank'' physique means there is only one of its kind in existence. Lady Purto, the ''House of Rot'' has certainly been blessed...despite its recent losses," Lord Aekor gave a quick backhandedpliment but she didn''t care.


    "He has a lot of room to improve," she replied coldly.


    Meanwhile, Mendax was moving his hands back and forth as if he was looking for something, "Aha, I see here that the candidate finished the final trial in less than 4 days. Your rewards must be plentiful," he tried to talk to the pale man directly but there was no response whatsoever.


    The pale man stood rooted to the spot listlessly. If his chest didn''t asionally move one would think he was already dead.


    "Ahem, then we shall calcte the rewards!"


    With Mendax''s signal the obelisks shot out once more and the runes on the obelisk with the ''Mark of Pestilence'' started lighting up. They reached all the way to the top without much effort and then proceeded to light up the second obelisk to the right.


    The same thing happened on the second obelisk, every rune from the bottom to the top lit up until the ''Mark of the Slumbering One'' was ignited and then the third obelisk came to life.


    Unfortunately, this is where the runes started to slow down and came to a slow stop at around the 20% mark.


    *Cough*


    "You have activated two full obelisks. You may make your wish."

 Chapter 1390 Many Firsts

    Chapter 1390 Many Firsts


    "Candidate, are you listening?" Mendax called out for the second time when the pale man didn''t make a move.


    Lady Purto harrumphed and waved her hand in annoyance, "Typical. Will it be okay to talk about the rewardster?"


    "Huh? Later? Oh, of course, there is no rule against it," Mendaxplied surprisingly quickly and moved on to the final step.


    "By the power vested in me, I grant you ess to the inner Sanctum as a hallowed-" once again he paused to look at the obelisk that shone with a dim light and this time his expression was one of confusion rather than shock.


    "-''Follower'' of the Nine??" he looked over at Lady Purto''s avatar for verification and she indeed confirmed it.


    "Yes, that is correct. My master values only hard work so no one will be given an advantage even if they have exceptional roots. Loyalty must be earned!"


    Lord Aekor''s tentacles squirmed uncontrobly for a very brief moment but he held back.


    "Then wee youngling, you may leave the tform now," Mendax quickly motioned for him to move out before things got out of hand.


    "Now who will be next?" he looked at the remaining two, as did everyone else watching.


    Once again Hao Xuan tried to step up but Max lept into the tform on all fours like a wild animal.


    "Oh me me! Me next!" he said rolling over to the pool in the middle.


    Mendax''s eyes twitched, "Please stand up candidate!"


    "Do I have to~??"


    "YES!"


    "Ugh, fine!"


    Max begrudgingly got up allowing the tentacles to attach to his body. The avatar of Lord Cerritos simultaneously appeared in the sky above.


    "Ohh, tingly. I like this!" Max squealed.


    Mendax rolled his eyes before snapping his fingers to activate the tform for the third time. While the rings continued to rotate back and forth he moved closer to the merman and some of the other candidates including Hao Xuan.


    "There is no need to be disheartened. The mythical ranks are extremely rare and in often cases powerful but that is not always true. As long as you continue to work hard you can catch up to any of them. Even that fool-" he said looking over at Max but when he noticed the values on the rings his mouth fell open.


    "T-This cannot be true!" Mendax hollered with no small amount of disbelief.


    To which Lord Cerritos emotionlessly responded, "It is. He has been chosen by my master."


    "B-But HOW?!"


    Mendax could not believe his eyes which only made the other attendants more anxious.


    "Lord Mendax, get a hold of yourself!" Lord Aekor''s thundering voice brought Mendax back to reality.


    "Y-Yes, my apologies to everyone. The examination has concluded..."


    With a wave of his hand the new values appeared above the tform.


    Physical Strength: 520


    Cultivation Level: 1190


    Soul Power: 315


    One of the shadow Attendants eximed looking at the value of the cultivation level, "Almost 1200?!"


    Lord Cerritos calmly exined, "He was a gifted individual, a chosen of the Heavens before they threw him aside. That is when my master stepped in. He is most suitable for my house, as you will see."


    Before people even had the time to digest everything the values changed and ranks appeared in their ce.


    Physique Rank: Exotic


    Constitution Rank: Mythical


    Soul Rank: Exotic


    This time even Lord Aekor could not hide his shock, "Another mythical?!"


    Lady Purto was also surprised by the sudden revtion but she remained silent.


    Back on the ind Mendax was ready to pull his hair out. He couldn''t even look the other candidates in the eye anymore.


    "L-Lets calcte the rewards!"


    The obelisks came out and the runes started to light up immediately. The first obelisk lit up all the way, then the second and third. It reached almost 80% of the way up on the fourth obelisk but stopped there.


    Mendax turned towards the avatar of Lord Cerritos, "Does the patron wish to offer any sacrifices?"


    "No."


    "NO?! V-Very well... candidate, you may make your wish."


    Max pretended to think about it for a second before meeting Hao Xuan''s gaze. He winked at him, "I will go after everyone else has already imed their rewards."


    "That is permitted. Now for the final step," he twisted his hands around trying to read the bright red light waves exuding from the obelisk.


    "By the power vested in me, I grant you ess to the inner Sanctum as a hallowed-" and when thest bit came through his jaw almost hit the floor, "-''Champion'' of the Nine!?"


    "A CHAMPION?!"


    "How is that possible?!"


    Several of the attendants jumped up from their seats including Lord Aekor. He turned towards Lord Cerritos with a puzzled expression, "Please exin yourself, Lord Cerritos. From what I know the current Champion of the ''Sect of Madness'' is alive and well."


    "He was," Lord Cerritos confirmed before adding, "But my master preferred the boy so he stripped the mark from his flesh."

 Chapter 1391 True value

    Chapter 1391 True value


    "You killed your champion for this boy!?"


    It was a shocking piece of news for everyone present.


    There were not only stringent requirements for each champion but the resources alone that were needed to get them to a respectable level were mind-boggling. And to say they sacrificed an already matured champion for a neer, no matter how gifted the neer was, was nothing short of a bad joke.


    But it ''had'' happened and only the ''Sect of Red King'' could honestly im it to be the truth.


    "Not killed, he chose to sacrifice himself because it was easier this way," Lord Cerritos rified before adding, "And the boy...he is uniquely gifted to take advantage of such a situation."


    He did need to say more because the implications were obvious. His words were vague enough to leave much room for interpretation but still clear enough to let them know that ''Max'' had some sort of a special ability that aided him in the long run.


    The other attendants had no choice but to ept it since it had nothing to do with their houses to begin with.


    But for whatever reason, Lord Cerritos had kept a close eye on Baba Jazda throughout the interaction.


    Back on the ind Mendax begrudgingly lowered his head once as a sign of respect.


    "Wee to the inner sanctum, Champion of Madness."


    "Max is just fine, I am not a big fan of formal titles," Max light-heartedly responded and got off the tform.


    All the other candidates stepped to the side and made way for him, even the merman. But the one person he wanted a reaction out of couldn''t be bothered in the least.


    [Is it my turn?] Hao Xuan looked towards Mendax who gave a simple nod in response.


    "Good luck friend," Max whispered as Hao Xuan passed by, "Make it interesting!"


    Hao Xuan stood on the tform while it reset for the final time. When everything was ready Mendax waved his hands to begin the examination.


    Baba Jazda''s avatar appeared in the sky but her face was mostly covered by a ck cloud which was not the case for any of the other three.


    The tentacles slithered out of the pool below and attached to his spine and legs one by one while the rings started rotating. Mendax kept his silence this time, making sure not to make any morements that would make him look like a fool while closely examining each and every ring.


    And when he saw the resultse in his expression softened giving him an opportunity to finally rx.


    "Phew, looks like we have a normal one!" he muttered to himself happily, "See, what did I tell you? Lightning doesn''t strike thrice....usually..."


    The values came together above the tform and even Hao Xuan was curious enough to see the results for himself. He still wasn''t sure how everything was calcted so this would make things a lot more clear for him.


    The eyes of every other candidate including Max were focused on them and when they saw the results there were only more questions.


    Physical Strength: 81


    Cultivation Level:


    Soul Power: 0000


    The barely bloomed smile on Mendax''s face instantly froze when he saw the mixture of nonsensical values pop up one after another.


    "Eh? What''s this?"


    He tapped the empty space in front of him in a flurry but his brow tightened more and more.


    "This doesn''t make sense, why doesn''t it have any value? Candidate, do you know anything about it?" when he couldn''t figure it out himself Mendax tried to question Hao Xuan directly.


    But before he could answer Baba Jezda''s thundering voice rumbled through the air.


    "He has no cultivation to speak of."


    And that statement angered Mendax so much that he acted like someone had spat in his food.


    "What the hell are you talking about, witch?! How can a candidate for a servant of the Nine not have ANY cultivation??" he barked back.


    "It is a long story but he lost it during a recent incursion. You do not need to know anymore, proceed to the next step."


    But Mendax was still not satisfied.


    "And what of the soul power? How can that be 0?? Even a rodent would have a soul power of 1 so how is it possible that a living breathing mortal would have-" once again he went silent halfway through the sentence before whispering, "It''s not..."


    He suddenly looked at Hao Xuan in a mixture of fear and astonishment. Obviously he had figured something out but no one other than Baba Jazda was aware of it.


    The other attendants exchanged knowing nces before Lord Aekor spoke up as their self-proimed representative.


    "What have you discovered? If you know what is going on, Lord Mendax, it is your duty to reveal the truth to us as the overseer," he reminded.


    Stil lost in his stupor Mendax made a circling motion with his right hand and the 3rd ring began to rotate once again.


    Once the letters stabilized another zero was added to the value of Soul Power.


    Physical Strength: 81


    Cultivation Level:


    Soul Power: 00000


    His eye twitched as he looked up at Baba Jezda''s avatar, "What have you done?! Just what did you do to create this monster?!"

 Chapter 1392 Whats more Important

    Chapter 1392 Whats more Important


    But rather than entertain Mendax''s childish behavior Baba Jezda chose to egg him on even more.


    "If you are already this excited now, what will you do when the rest gets revealed?" she asked smilingly.


    And even though her face was hidden behind the clouds Mendax could still hear her lips arch up in anticipation. He fell hook, line, and sinker for her obvious antics and quickly motioned with his hands to get the next set of results above the tform.


    Lord Aekor tried to interject but was a step too slow, "Lord Mendax, exin yourself! What is goi-"


    The motes of light came together to create a series of words that had never been seen before in the history of the Sanctum.


    Physique Rank: Mythical


    Constitution Rank: Legendary


    Soul Rank: Mythical


    "...."


    It was so deathly silent that one could hear a pin drop from the other side of the ind. No one knew what to say because there was not much they could in such a situation.


    Not only did they have two other candidates who held a Mythical ranked attribute each but now Hao Xuan came forward with not one but two Mythicals and a Legendary at the same time.


    This was an inconceivable notion for many of them and a challenge to wrap their minds around.


    Baba Jazda''s voice echoed through both spaces, bringing many of them back to reality.


    "Don''t stop now, there''s still more isn''t there?"


    Mendax swallowed a mouthful of saliva to dry his parched throat, an action he did not often need to do.


    With a twist of his hands the obelisks shot out and began to light up one after another.


    First, second, third, fourth, all the way up to the ninth. The runes only stopped when they reached 60% of the way up the ninth obelisk.


    "D-Do you-"


    Before he could even get out theplete sentence Baba Jezda threw down a rattling keychain. It had dozens of tiny skulls attached to the ring and when it touched the pool all of them dissolved into the inky water turning it bright red.


    The runes jumped started and made it all the way to the top of thest obelisk, igniting the final mark of the nine that shook the entire ind down to its core.


    "All nine...how is that even possible?!" one of the shadow attendants eximed.


    "He''s right, this has to be a trick. It should not be possible even with three Mythical attributes!" another chimed in too.


    "Technically it is, but a feat deemed near impossible," Lord Aekor begrudgingly exined as the second most experienced member here.


    "But one that would require everything else to be done perfectly," he turned towards Baba Jezda, "You nned this from the beginning. All of his attributes are abysmally low save for one. That would bring down the mean values while bumping up the final rewards to an obscene degree which, in turn, would be multiplied by the mythical and legendary ranks."


    But to his and every other attendant''s surprise she denied it.


    "No, it was not on purpose. I did not think it would turn out this way but when I saw his condition I couldn''t help but wonder how perfect it was. If any of you haveints you can take it up with your masters, I am only using what they have provided us."


    Her cold indifference obviously rubbed many of them the wrong way but there was nothing they could do. One of the shadow attendants with a pair of bright blue eyes spoke up for the first time.


    "Lord Aekor, can you exin what you meant by the attributes? Only one of his has any values and they don''t seem high enough to make a difference."


    Lord Aekor lowered his head respectfully before correcting the man.


    "I was not referring to his ''Physical Strength'' but rather the ''Soul Power''. That''s what turned changed everything."


    The figure frowned, "But they are zero."


    "Yes, but not empty. I believe this has never happened before but there is a limit to what we can detect. Thergest value cannot exceed five digits because realistically it should not be possible for any mortal being to possess such high attributes especially when considering the age requirements for new candidates."


    Another shadow attendant with golden eyes spoke up next.


    "Are you saying his Soul Power exceeds the limits of what we can measure?"


    "Indeed. But as Lord Mendax stated, this is not natural. Meaning someone had to create a soul so powerful that even we were unable to gauge its true strength. But what''s more important is why. Just why would someone go through the trouble and risk provoking the ire of the Heavenly- It was you?!"


    Lord Aekor suddenly eximed, jumping up from his throne upon connecting all the dots.


    "You were behind it?!" he looked at Baba Jezda in shock.

 Chapter 1393 Turn the Tides

    1393 Turn the Tides


    Lord Aekor''s energy sky-rocketed in an instant. The ebony ocean seethed behind his back giving birth to countless mammothian entities as he stared daggers at Baba Jezda...and she responded in much the same fashion.


    The sky rumbled as dark clouds moved in from all directions, blocking the lighting from the other side of the world. A streak of blue lightning illuminated thend for a brief moment, allowing the attendants to catch a glimpse of something monstrous hidden behind the sea of clouds.


    A heavy pressure descended upon the ind forcing Ladu Purto to summon an Ancestral Relic for defense.


    Sensing the atmosphere taking a turn for the worse the golden-eyed shadow attendant swiftly intervened before things got out of hand.


    "Calm yourself Lord Aekor, it is unlike you to lose yourposure over something so minor."


    "MINOR?!" he roared back, "Our champion is on death''s door because of what she did! If you had any idea of the trouble she has caused for all of us you would not be trying to stop me right now!"


    "Then why don''t you exin what''s going on so we may assist you in this endeavor? Do you truly wish to see this escte further?"


    His words carried a strange hypnotic effect which relieved Lord Aekor''s anger to a great degree. He retracted his energies and sat back down on the throne to exin his side to the others.


    "As some of you might know, the ''Champion of the Deep'' was on the verge of a great breakthrough. He had assimted his three forms and began the process of creating a new body for the final trial of his Sixth-stage Physique Demon. Everything was going smoothly until a great disturbance in the ether created a bacsh that nearly ripped him apart."


    "I know what you speak of," the golden-eyed attendant admitted he has sensed it too, "The disturbance was felt throughout the material realms if I am not mistaken, and it is the reason why many of us couldn''t be here in person. But what does that have to do with her?"


    Lord Aekor''s expression turned ugly, "Because she was behind it! The source of the disturbance was the sudden emergence of the Void Immortals of the ''Church of the Sacred Light''. They were personally dispatched by the ''Heavenly Host'' to hunt someone down. We have confirmed there was a fight and some rumors of a titan appearing were thrown around but apparently, the main culprit escaped."


    "I was wondering who was behind it but no one has stepped forward to take responsibility for it. But then again, there are not many beings left alive who can make the ''Heavenly Host'' make a move in person so the pool was quite limited, and it just so happens to include her," he motioned towards Baba Jezda who didn''t even meet his gaze.


    "Now she just appears out of nowhere after so long, and with a weapon that poses a threat directly to the Hosts of Heaven. It has to be her, that''s the only reason this gathering would make sense. She did-"


    [It was not her]


    Shockingly, Hao Xuan''s voice echoed above the ind promptly silencing Lord Aekor''s speech. They all turned towards the tform where his tiny figure could be seen looking in his direction.


    "You can hear...us?" the golden-eyed attendant questioned doubtfully.


    [I can]


    "That is not possible," Lady Purto hissed, "They are twopletely separate spaces, you cannot simply-"


    [And yet I have. I do not have time to exin everything so I will cut to the chase. Yes, it was me they came for and they will not give up until they know I am dead. I assume they are employing everything at their disposal to track me down which won''t take long so you might want to cut the chit chat]


    "He''s right," Baba Jezda finally spoke up in her defense.


    "I did not have anything to do with what happened there but I did lend him a hand afterward to save his life....as ordered by the mistress."


    All the attendants looked at each other in surprise. This was certainly unusual.


    "The mistress ordered you to save him? Why?" Lord Aekor questioned.


    Baba Jezda tapped her cane twice silencing the roaring ocean both above and below her.


    "Because for too long we have stood idly by and allowed these Gods and the Demons to take everything they ever wanted. Now one of them threatens our very existence by cutting us off from the Abyss and destroying our roots. You all know who I am talking about," she said looking into their eyes.


    "We are about to lose the war- No, we already have. It is toote to do anything about it now but with him, there might be a chance. We can turn the tides in our favor once and for all!"

 Chapter 1394 An Audience

    1394 An Audience


    Lord Aekor was so incensed that he couldn''t even bear to look in her general direction.


    "You and your neverending battles," shaking his head ruefully he couldn''t help but question her motives, "Do you think you are the only one who has suffered casualties? We lost over half of our champions in thest war but you would have us send out even more forces to fight for ONE mortal? What are you trying to do?!"


    "Nothing," she calmly replied, "You do not have to send out anyone. I will deal with everything."


    "....? How is that possible?"


    "It is. I have a n and there is a high probability that it will work. And the best part is none of you have anything to lose even if it doesn''t."


    "In exchange for? Surely you wouldn''t do something of that sort from the goodness of your heart. You must need something from us otherwise you would not havee here in person," the golden-eyed attendant inquired.


    She smiled, "A miracle. A small breach of our age-old rules, I want you to break them for me."


    "Please borate."


    She motioned towards the shining tform and the nine lit obelisks embellishing its periphery.


    "As his reward, I want you to get us an audience with your masters."


    Aghast, both Lady Purto and Lord Aekor jumped to their feet.


    "Have you lost your MIND?!" Lady Purto screamed while Lord Aekor almost threw out a punch but was stopped by an energy with a golden glimmer that kept him in check.


    The golden-eyed attendant waved his hand, "My Lords and Ladies, I must ask you to please remainposed for the remainder of the gathering. It is unbing for someone of our station. We will listen to her reasoning before making a judgment."


    His calming voice soothed their anger to the point that they even felt a little ashamed but not enough to back down.


    Nostrils ring, Lady Purto turned to face him, "Do you understand what she is asking for? A meeting with our masters would mean-"


    "I am perfectly aware of what it means," he cut her off, "Which is why I am curious about her reasoning," he said while meeting Baba Jezda''s gaze.


    She gave an appreciative nod and continued.


    "I would like nothing more than toy out my ns for you all but my sources tell me that...there is a traitor in our midst. Someone working with Maymun himself."


    "She lies!" Lord Aekor yelled, "That is simply not possible!"


    Almost all the other attendants agreed with him but they were quickly silenced with Baba Jezda''s next statement.


    "You do not have to believe me, that is why I have called for an audience with the Nine. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Unless you are a traitor, there would be no reason to not allow it especially...when I am putting my life on the line."


    "!!!"


    "You would do that? For this mortal?" the golden-eyed attendant was more curious than shocked.


    "I will. If the Nine do not grant me what I ask for, I will relinquish all I have to you esteemed beings."


    It was not only a great offer with no downsides for the other attendants but if they declined, then they woulde under suspicion by the rest. She didn''t give them much of a choice here.


    "What do you say, Aekor? Do you not desire my ''Wishing Bone'' anymore?" she tugged on a loose pendant hanging from her neck and his eyes immediately got hooked on it.


    "I-If the others agree then I have no reason to decline," he cooly muttered.


    "Then we are in agreement? Good!" she eximed and took a step back looking at them expectantly.


    Lord Cerritos was the first one to stand up, "I am in agreement."


    "As am I," Lady Purto was surprisingly second.


    "Hmph, as long as it ends in her death I don''t mind," Lord Aekor was third.


    "Does anyone have any objections?" the golden-eyed attendant looked at the other shadowy figures but none spoke up.


    "So be it, let us not drag this out any further. Invoke your marks!"


    "I call upon the undying rage of the Crimson gue! Heed my call, O'' Scarlet King and grant me an audience!"


    Lord Cerritos opened his mouth to reveal his tongue that held a mark on the underside. It came to life with a coarse red gas-like substance that poured out andpletely covered his head.


    Lady Purto''s mark was on her arm just below her elbow. It shone with a green light and when she finished her invocation a green goo poured out and covered her head.


    Lord Aekor''s was just below his chin, hidden behind the rows of tentacles. A stream of dark blue water poured and like all the others covered his head.


    Every single attendant was going through something simr. The substance and color was the main difference between them but they all acted as a mirror, a sort of pathway to connect this ne of reality to the others by using them as hosts.

 Chapter 1395 Champion of-

    1395 Champion of-


    Baba Jezda watched on with interest as their bodies briefly went taut while the substances around their heads slowed their rotations down to a crawl.


    Eight whirlpools formed within the sea of clouds above the ind, directly over the positions of each of the attendants.


    The air went still and the silence fell over all of creation as everything stopped altogether. The candidates and everyone not on the ind froze in whatever position they were in.


    The red sand-like material around Lord Cerritos lightly rumbled while his raspy voice echoed through the surroundings twice. It sounded like he was talking once and then another voice from somewhere far away was repeating the same thing a momentter.


    ''You dare...call upon us...?''


    Baba Jezda immediately fell to her knees, "Forgive my impudence, your greatness. I only asked for an audience because I had no other choice. Please allow me to say a few words to justify my blunder. And if, by the end, you still think I deserve to be punished, then I will willingly offer up my essence!" and finished by mming her forehead on the ground.


    ''Hahaha...you think...I need your permission...to embody your essence...?'' he almost seemed amused.


    "I dare not!" she eximed, "But it is all I can offer!"


    While all the others watched on with disinterest, only the golden-eyed attendant chose to speak up on her behalf. The first echo of his voice sounded like that of an old man and the second of a young child.


    The substance surrounding his head resembled a stream of flowing golden water that was brighter than any of the others here.


    ''Let it be, brother. Speak mortal, why have you called upon us?''


    "Thank you, your greatness," Baba Jezda mmed her forehead once more into the ground for good measure before sitting upright.


    "I bring with me a mortal, and with him a way to end the demon Maymun''s reign upon the Abyss."


    The figure of Lord Cerritos turned towards the tform where he could see Hao Xuan''s image being reflected in the pool of water.


    ''He should have belonged to me. I have more im to him than any of the others,'' he muttered unhappily.


    "I am but a mere servant following themands of my mistress, your greatness."


    ''Enough of your brown-nosing, mortal,'' the golden-eyed attendant''s voices firmly ordered, ''It is wasted on us. Is that the sole reason you have asked for us?''


    "Most sincerest apologies, your greatness. Yes, it is the main reason, we are in dire need of change. The Gods and Demons continue to push us out and sooner rather thanter it will be toote to do anything about it. We must act now!"


    A peal ofughter that sounded like the grating of a metal on a hard surface sounded from almost every other figure.


    ''hAhAhAhAhA!''


    Baba Jezda''s brow knitted in confusion. She assumed they had misunderstood her but when she tried to speak up the golden-eyed attendant silenced her.


    ''There is no such thing as [toote]. We are eternal! We were here before before them and we will be here after. Why reason is there for us to intervene when we can oust all of creation?''


    The utter disregard in their voices reminded her of the first time she had met her mistress. At that time she felt like a germ talking to a human but now, after all these countless years of servitude she was not so easily disparaged.


    Her servile expression disappeared and the tone of her voice became icy cold.


    "Then...what if I told you, my mistress stirs in her chambers? Would that change anything?"


    Theughter immediately stopped and they all turned to her at once.


    ''Do you understand the meaning of those words, mortal?'' the golden-eyed attendant doubtfully questioned.


    "Yes, your greatness. Above anything else, that is the reason I am here."


    ''...and you have proof of this?''


    "Indeed. The boy holds the answer. Please see for yourself," she motioned towards Hao Xuan''s image.


    ''I will,'' Lord Cerritos immediately stepped forth.


    He swiftly extended a hand towards the tform to activate some hidden feature known only to them. The next moment the inky liquid began to stir and Hao Xuan''s frozen figure ascended from its watery depths the next moment.


    The ''gazes'' of all other beings were pulled towards him.


    A very small stream of the red sand-like substance separated from Lord Cerritos''s head and flowed over to him. It carefully circled around his body from the bottom up and when it reached his head an explosion of pitch-ck matter pushed it away.


    This ck matter was constantly changing its consistency from solid, to liquid to gas but it never left Hao Xuan''s body.


    ''It is true!'' the golden-eyed attendant lightly eximed, ''She has chosen a Champion...the second Champion of Darkness has been anointed!''


    As the ck matter rolled down his body, whatever power that was keeping him in check was pushed away returning him to normal.

 Chapter 1396 Solemnly Swear

    Chapter 1396 Solemnly Swear


    lights¦­¦Ïvel ?


    Hao Xuan slowly came to on the other ind, surrounded by nine figures eight of whom were the current hosts of the Nine.


    His questioning gaze found Baba Jezda kneeling on the side allowing him to quickly deduce what was going on from her servile posture and the strange energiesing off the attendants.


    ''You are the Champion of Darkness,'' Lord Cerritos'' dual voices firmly stated.


    [I am] he responded openly and without fear.


    ''You are aware of your responsibilities? Of all thates with your station?''


    [I thought I did but, perhaps not]


    ''No, definitely not. You would have never epted her demands if you knew what they led to. And for that, we cannot allow you to exist!'' he finished by extending his hand.


    Hao Xuan felt the space tighten around him but he remainedposed because his words did not make much sense.


    [Her demands?] Hao Xuan frowned, [She did not ask anything of me that was out of the ordinary, save for what would happen if things kept proceeding this way]


    The golden-eyed attendant immediately intervened before things got too out of control, ''Wait! Speak mortal, what did she ask of you?''


    [To bring about a new future, that is all]


    ''He...speaks the truth...''


    Baba Jezda took the opportunity to jump in.


    "Your greatness, this is our best chance. The mistress has not awoken yet, we still have a chance to make things right!"


    The strange substances around the attendants'' heads rose and fell repeatedly in a strange fashion. It was obvious they weremunicating with one another through some foreign method that was beyond the understanding of mere mortals like them.


    There was a lot more going on in the background that Hao Xuan was not aware and as of this moment, he did not have the right to ask any questions either.


    After a brief consultation, the golden-eyed attendant conferred with Baba Jezda.


    ''And what would you ask of us? What is your n?''


    "A small portion of your powers," she replied with a lowered head, "Mark the boy and grant him clemency so he may go beyond our borders. In exchange, he will belong to the Sanctum for all of eternity and do your bidding."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed at thest part but he kept his silence.


    Another attendant, the one that had bright blue eyes stepped forth. There were motes of multi-colored lights revolving around his head that made him appear transcendental and very out of ce in this dreary location.


    Several lights floated over to Hao Xuan and circled around him twice before returning.


    ''His soul is powerful enough to bear the marks,'' he informed the rest.


    The substances rippled a few more times before all the attendants floated over to the tform, surrounding him from all sides.


    ''Mortal, do you ept the Seals?'' one of them asked.


    Behind them, the undead silhouettes of countless other attendants crawled out of the ground and began beating their chests in unison.


    The atmosphere became heavy and Hao Xuan could feel something big was about to happen.


    He didn''t know exactly what it meant to gain the marks of each of the Nine but it was obviously a necessary step in Baba Jezda''s n so he agreed wholeheartedly, believing that they would not hurt him as long as their goals were aligned.


    [I do]


    ''And do you solemnly swear to do everything in your power to aplish our goals, even if it means sacrificing all that you are?''


    [I...do]


    They circled him until each one of them was standing in the same spot where their Obelisks were on the other ind. After getting in ce, they extended their hands in his direction while the unknown substance from around their heads began to flow into the tform.


    The pitch-ck liquid from the center of the tform began to rise into the air,pletely enveloping Hao Xuan within seconds.


    The very next moment he found himself standing in a dark void. There was nothing else around him but he could still feel the liquid sshing under his feet.


    And then one after another enormous silhouettes began to materialize out of the darkness. Some of them were so enormous that he couldn''t even wrap his mind around their existence while others held forms that were often familiar to him.


    But these shapes and forms were always changing and the more he tried to understand them the moreplex they became.


    Hao Xuan felt the inky liquid grab hold of him before crawling up his body. Upon reaching his head it dug into his eyes, nose, and ears turning him blind to all that was around him.


    ''Do not...resist'' a stranger''s voice warned him when he felt the liquid breaking into his internal world.


    With a thought Hao Xuan''s consciousness appeared inside, right below where his soul rested. It was in the shape of a magnificent white sun, bigger and brighter than any he had ever seen but now eight pirs were being constructed around it.

 Chapter 1397 The Crown of Darkness

    Chapter 1397 The Crown of Darkness


    Each one of these eight pirs held a mark of the Nine, save for the ''Void Mother'' who had already left her''s elsewhere.


    The pirs continued to grow bigger and bigger until even his immense soul was trapped from all sides. This was purely a spiritual experience but somehow he could feel his chest getting tighter, making it harder to breathe.


    And then the pirs began to ooze the same substances that surrounded the attendant''s heads. They fell onto his soul before slowly prating further in. They were mixing with his soul in a way that nothing else ever might, tainting its purity with their own truths.


    They were inside the deepest part of his being, darting through his very essence and he had no choice but to allow this invasion.


    They wanted him to understand and ept that no matter how powerful he might be, or how far he might go, there would always be parts of them ingrained into his very soul.


    It could never be undone and they were making sure of that.


    Hao Xuan held on for as long as he could until the pain became too much to bear in silence. After all, his soul was being branded by the marks of the Nine.


    Outside on the ind Hao Xuan''s body began to reflect each of the marks on his back, creating a pattern unique only to him.


    [AAAAAAAHHHH!] he simultaneously cried out in three distinct voices while the foreign substances continuously poured into his body, burning and maiming it on the way.


    The Ninth and final mark was activated by the presence of the other eight, releasing a jet of pitch-ck mes that took the shape of a burning halo above his head.


    And all of this was witnessed by one being alone. The eyes of the ''Old Witch'' burned with a magnificent splendor as she beheld history being written.


    The skies burned above them from thebined presence of Eight supreme beings, and the oceans boiled below.


    A wicked smile stretched across her aged face as she divined a new future, her eyes reflecting a destiny that only she could see take shape. And if one looked carefully they could see an entirely different scene unfolding within her gaze.


    Her voice fell, "And in the final battle of thest age, when the shadows threatened to drown all of creation," she whispered, her words falling through the fabric of time and space, "One remained standing."


    lights¦­¦Ïvel "A soul burned by the embers of the Nine, blistered by the fires of hell and tainted beyond redemption. He who chose the path of eternal torment, in his unquenchable bloodlust will find no peace."


    "Loved by the legions of chaos, he will scour the realms of creation for God and Devil, seeking vengeance on those who harmed us. He who bears the Crown of Darkness shall know no fear!"


    An aurora was birthed in the skies signalling the beginning and the end.


    Tears streamed down Baba Jezda''s face as she opened her arms in supplication, whispering the final verdict to cement an imusible future.


    "And against all the hordes of Heaven and Hell, we will send unto them...only you. Open your eyes and let your soul be cleansed by the sightless abyss, my champion..."


    The dual voices of the eight attendants spoke in unison while thest strands of their power wrapped around the walls of his soul, trying to corrupt it fully.


    ''Awaken!''


    *GASP*


    Hao Xuan opened his eyes back in the outer world, upon a million shattered pieces of the tform that could not withstand the weight of his being. He was keeled over under the cold murky rain...much colder than ever before.


    But it also felt more real, as if he was him again. The voices in his head were not only quieter but far fewer than before.


    "What happened...to me?" he muttered looking at his reflection in the water.


    His eyes were not ck anymore. In fact, their bright green color had never been more eye-catching.


    "A gift," Baba Jezda''s voice came from the front.


    He looked up and saw her standing in front of him with a in ck robe. He snatched it and quickly put it on before looking around the ce.


    They were still on the ind but there was no one else besides them.


    "Where did they all go? What gift? And...why do I feel so weak?"


    "It is not easy being host to a higher-dimensional being for that long. They had no choice but to leave and recover their strengths. As for the gift, you can see for yourself," she tapped on her forehead.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes for a moment but upon entering his inner world he became confused. The almost blinding light of his soul was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was an eclipse.


    A ring of white light filled with a congealing mass of darkness that was deeper than any he had seen before.


    With a thought he returned outside, his expression somber.


    "What did they do?!"

 Chapter 1398 A better liar

    Chapter 1398 A better liar


    lights¦­¦Ïvel ?


    "I can barely feel my soul...and the others, they have been suppressed by the marks..."


    Hao Xuan''s soul was essentially divided into three parts based on the most powerful soul shards, which,bined, would create the final version of ''The Emperor'' that existed until just a few moments ago.


    Right now he was back to his original self, albeit a much more powerful versionpared to the past.


    Hao Xuan felt like there was an empty hole where his soul should have been. It was obviously still there but it had been repressed and concealed to the point where the energy was barely a fraction of the original.


    "It was necessary," Baba Jezda informed him, "This is the only way it can be hidden from the All-Seeing eye."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed, "Are you saying they can''t track me anymore?"


    It seemed a little too good to be true, and it was.


    "No, the All-Father''s hold on you has only lessened, not eliminated. But it will be removed for good once you enter the river of time, that is the only way he won''t be able to keep track of you."


    She let out a dismissive smirk, "You should be thanking me. This is a great learning opportunity for you. Not to mention it''s only thanks to me that you have all of the marks of the Nine."


    "Hmm, I remembered you being a better liar than that," Hao Xuanmented before changing the topic, "We both know this is more of a curse than a gift. What happens now?"


    "Now we get you some tools that will allow you to fit into the time period you will be going into," she gestured behind him.


    Hao Xuan turned around and came face to face with Mendax. Unlike his usual chipper self he was surprisingly quiet now.


    "Looks like you got what you wanted, and yet again I fell for your schemes like a fool," Mendax looked in Baba Jezda''s direction with mixed emotions.


    It was true she had used and deceived him but it could not be avoided.


    "Hmph, stop wasting time and take us to the armory."


    She scoffed at the very idea of betrayal since she never considered him to be an ally in the first ce, "I require the services."


    Mendax red at her for a second before turning around in defeat. With a wave of his hand a portal opened up in front of them and they walked through one by one.


    The cacophony of sounds poured into Hao Xuan''s ears even before his vision stabilized. The world was spinning around him and he almost fell but Mendax caught him just in time.


    "Oh right, I forgot to warn you," he expressionlessly stated, "This is technically a separate dimension anding here for the first time can cause some difort...especially if you have been dabbling in soul maniption."


    "Thank you, Lord Mendax. I-"


    "Save it, it doesn''t matter," he hastily pulled away.


    Mendax was angry with them both and he made no effort to hide it, but he also didn''t let it get in the way of his job.


    Hao Xuan felt the hot air warm him up from all sides and only then noticed the stark difference between this new location.


    They were standing in a massive hall that seemed to stretch on for ages. There were rivulets ofva flowing along the walls and every dozen meters or so there was a hooded figure hunched over a cauldron mixing something or hammering an object over an anvil.


    Just from an initial nce Hao Xuan counted over two hundred beings of various shapes and sizes going about their day without a care in the world.


    Some of them bowed to Mendax when they noticed him but the majority were too preupied to care.


    "If that will be all I will take my leave," Mendax threw out the words and swiftly summoned another portal but Baba Jezda stopped him by blocking his path with the cane.


    "Not just yet. I need to see the Ivory King, take me to him."


    "The Ivory King?" he frowned, "Do you think he will help you if I ask him? Even after everything you did to him? You must have gone senile already."


    "That is none of your concern. You will do your duty and help us in whatever way we need, that is all."


    He swatted away her cane and began walking down the hall while angrily muttering to himself, openly cursing her but she did not seem to care in the least.


    They walked for a few minutes before arge copper gate appeared on the left side. There was a line of more than forty individuals waiting outside but they cut directly to the front.


    Even though several misshapen creatures hatefully red at them, none had the gall to speak up.

 Chapter 1399 Cretin

    Chapter 1399 Cretin


    Mendax stopped just outside the gate. He reached out to push it open but paused to look over his shoulder onest time to check with Baba Jezda.


    "Are you certain about this? The chances of this ending without a bloodbath are almost none. You are stepping into HIS domain and not even I will be able to stop him if he decides to go all out," he reiterated hoping to avoid an ugly situation but the Old Witch could not even be bothered to respond.


    *Sigh*


    "Fine, so be it."


    Hao Xuan cautiously stepped back and away from Baba Jezda while the ten-meter-tall copper gate opened.


    Unlike most of the other entrances he had gone through within the Sanctum, this one wasn''t a portal or a door to another dimension entirely. Standing outside he could see and feel the copious energy on the other side.


    It was the domain of a god-level entity but that did not stop Baba Jezda from walking in without any preparation whatsoever.


    And Hao Xuan would be lying if he said he wasn''t curious about the source of her confidence. It looked like she wasn''t even expecting a fight to take ce.


    He gave them a few seconds before carefully walking in after them.


    And to his surprise, the scene took a drastic turn the moment he stepped over the threshold. He found himself standing on the edge of a super volcano thousands of meters high, at the first step of a stone staircase carved out of the ckva rocks.


    It led straight down into the bowels of the VERY active volcano. Both Baba Jezda and Mendax were already several hundred meters down, casually passing through the spurts of molten rock being sprayed in their direction from thevake in the center.


    Hao Xuan didn''tg behind and swiftly followed after them with wide strides, jumping over tens of stairs at once. He had to protect himself using only the spiritual energy at his disposal which proved to be more than enough.


    Despite its initial gloomy and lifeless appearance on the way down, Hao Xuan came across numerous smaller and medium-sized creatures living around the stairs within the ashy rock substrate.


    In fact, the entire volcano was one giant world of its own with different biomes separated by the levels of heat being given off. As they got closer to thevake the creatures also started to berger and more unique in their appearance.


    One such peculiar-looking creature also blocked his path. It looked like a fat lizard not much bigger than a house cat from earth. The only difference was that precious crystals were growing on its tiny back.


    Some of them were purple and golden-colored spiritual crystals that he had never even seen before while the rest were colorless. But they were all jetting straight up into the air with thergest being almost 20 inches long.


    They probably weighed more than the little cretin itself.


    Thinking it to be a precious pet of the being that created this domain, Hao Xuan waved his hands to get it to move, "Shoo, get out of the way."


    He wanted to jump over it but rm bells started going off the moment that thought popped into his head.


    The lizard raised its head with some effort to look up at him. Its baggy eyes were corrupted with a purple hue that Hao Xuan surprisingly recognized.


    "You''re poisoned? Do you...need help?"


    He took a look around but couldn''t even see the other two ahead of him anymore.


    *sigh*


    "Okay, I will help you but don''t do anything strange...like trying to bite my hand off..." he slowly reached out and tried to pick it up but couldn''t even make it budge.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened a little from the shock. He wasn''t super strong like many of the other candidates but juggling a car or two wouldn''t be a problem even in this state. And yet he couldn''t move this chubby lizard one inch.


    ''Hmm, seems it can''t move by itself either. Then maybe I can just..." he stepped around and easily passed by without any problems.


    But just when he was about to continue the lizard let out a pained groan as if begging for his help.


    Maybe it was because of the changes in his soul but Hao Xuan could feel exactly what the lizard was feeling. It was tired and hungry, trying its best to look for some assistance but it had been rather unlucky running into them.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath, "Fine, one try and if it doesn''t work then I''m leaving, understand? Call for your master to help then."


    He inspected it quickly, looking for any obvious injuries or signs of infections but it seemed to be healthy. The only thing that stood out was a tiny little bright blue crystal growing from the flesh over its shoulder.


    It was tightly wedged between the other crystals, perfectly hidden from sight.

 Chapter 1400 OuUu

    Chapter 1400 OuUu


    When Hao Xuan ran his fingers across the surface of the blue crystal he could feel the energy of the sky roaring inside and everything started to make sense.


    The lizard was obviously a creature of the earth filled to the brim with fire energy so it was inherently incapable of dealing with the cold energy of the sky. It came too far high up the volcano and identally absorbed some Yin energy, which poisoned it.


    "You must be really special if even this little change in the environment can affect you this much. Hold still," he reached out with his index finger attempting to pull out the blue crystal but the surrounding crystals were blocking it.


    Pressed for time, he didn''t have the luxury of being overly cautious.


    "This might hurt a bit," he warned before striking at the base of the skin and forcefully pulling out the blue crystal.


    "OuUuUuUu!"


    The lizard groaned in a mix of pain and relief as some of its blood sshed onto the steps, leaving scorch marks on the volcano.


    Hao Xuan threw away the blue crystal and sprinted away the very next second, leaving the lizard to recover in peace.


    A few secondster the lizard regained its sense and picked itself up, looking in the direction Hao Xuan had disappeared in. Its body began to slowly increase in size as it crawled over the side of the stairs and fell straight into thevake.


    Several minutester Hao Xuan reached the bottom of the volcano where Baba Jezda and Mendax were waiting for him.


    They were standing on a patch of cooled rocks that led to a small ind in the center of thevake via and bridge. Hao Xuan couldn''t help but take a moment to let it all in.


    Countless fire spirits freely swam, danced, and even fought each other on the surface of this 500-meter-wideke. Seeing even one fire spirit was a rare urrence but to see thousands of them all in one ce was nothing short of a miracle.


    And unlike the usual elementals, each one of these spirits had already be aware. They were capable of free thought not much different from a 10-15 year old human. Whatever treasure birthed them must have been extremely powerful.


    "Pour this over yourself. Anyone below a demigod will be melted into a puddle by the heat, no matter how much energy they have," Mendax said throwing Hao Xuan a small blue bottle filled with a slimy liquid before making his way through thend bridge.


    Hao Xuan popped it open and a cool soothing energy washed over him but he still wasn''t a hundred percent sure.


    "Are you sure this is safe?" he asked the Old Witch who was standing by the edge feeding something to the fire spirits while waiting for him to finish.


    "It is. He would never knowingly harm anyone of the younger generation."


    Hao Xuan scoffed, "Even me? Sounds like I made a deal with the wrong person then," before emptying nearly half of the bottle over his head.


    "Do you think so?" she grinned, "I would argue it''s the exact opposite. Someone who has no limits or moral boundaries would make for a much better ally, but maybe that''s just me."


    The liquid covered his body from head to toe creating a sticky film that gave himplete immunity to heat for the next hour or so. Impressed, he bottled up the remaining liquid and hid it inside his robe.


    "Go on then," she motioned for him to go first.


    Cautious and on full alert, Hao Xuan had no choice but to oblige since she didn''t show any signs of moving.


    Thend bridge was only 3 meters wide and even with the protective film he could tell how dangerous thatva was.


    "Are you sure this is the best option? What happens if he still hasn''t forgotten about the bad blood between you two? I''d rather not get burned to death in the crossfire, this is no ce to fight."


    He could hear her chuckling behind his back.


    "It wouldn''t be much of a fight. We are in his domain and I am not at full strength. If he wanted to kill me, I would not be able to do much."


    "Then why?"


    "Because he is the only one within the Inner-Sanctum capable of creating a strong enough soul bond that can withstand the shifts in the river of time."


    "And you are willing to risk your life for that?"


    "Absolutely not, but there is no risk for me since I don''t n to fight at all."


    "What are you even talking ab-"


    Hao Xuan was forced to cut it short when walls ofva shot up into the air from both sides pulling nearly half of the bridge into theke and blocking the only exit.


    "How long have I waited for this moment..." a raspy voice came from the front.

 Chapter 1401 The Doubtful

    Chapter 1401 The Doubtful


    Hao Xuan quickly waved his hand to create a barrier around him, calling forth nearly 70% of his spiritual energy in one go.


    But Baba Jezda''s figure shifted and took on a darker tinge, letting all theva pass right through her.


    Four more pirs ofva shot up into the air from around thend bridge, calling forth two 30-meter-long serpentine creatures that surrounded them from every direction.


    Hao Xuan shifted his gaze towards the figure at the end of the bridge. It held the rather simple appearance of an ape with the only differences being that it waspletely white and hairless apart from a rough beard.


    Its bright orange eyes burned with the same hue as thevake and one look was enough for Hao Xuan to know of its supreme intelligence but those rows of crooked razor-sharp teeth decorating its mouth told a different story. (Reference Image posted in authors notes and discord)


    It was standing upright like a human clutching a small hammer in its right hand. Or perhaps the hammer simply looked small inparison to the 4-meter-long body.


    Its mouth was twisted into a vicious grin while its eyes focused solely on Baba Jezda.


    When the ape spoke its voice and ent sounded not much different from a well-read and well-spoken schr, but the context was anything but civil.


    "I have dreamt of this moment for centuries...and now the ''Great Mother'' has made it so. I will bathe her halls in your foul blood and offer a million sacrifices for this blessing!"


    Baba Jezda''s figure floated up into the air but theke seethed and boiled creating waves big enough to wipe them all out. This destabilized the surrounding space effectively trapping her mid-air.


    Thankfully an invisible barrier stopped these waves before they could get too close to the bridge.


    Mendax ran up to the ape trying to calm him down, "Junior brother don''t be hasty, at least hear her out!"


    But the ape shook its head once withplete confidence.


    "There is nothing this creature can say that will change anything. How could I let go of such an opportunity?!"


    Its eyes burned with a brutal vengeance that threatened to swallow everything in sight.


    Baba Jezda, still as calm and collected as the moment she had walked into his domain, let out a devious smile.


    "Hmph! On one hand, you thank the ''Great Mother'' and on the other you dare to harm what is most precious to her. It seems some things don''t change no matter how much time passes. First it was your wife and child who you let down, and now you do the same to the Mistress?"


    Worm-like veins popped up on the ape''s forehead and neck as he stared her down with wanton bloodlust.


    "You...filthy...WENCH!"


    All of the ape''s internal energy burst out in one massive explosion. The entire volcano shook from the inside out causing the fire spirits to flee in all directions. The sky darkened while a sea of stormy clouds rolled in from the north.


    Mendax''s expression turned somber forcing him to intervene. He stomped on the ground with all his might.


    "ENOUUUUUGH!"


    His thundering voice shook the very fabric of space, momentarily halting the ape''s assault. it turned towards him in shock, "Even you...take her side now, senior brother?"


    His voice was breaking up like he was on the verge of tears.


    Mendax shook his head firmly, "Not even if hell freezes over. But this isn''t about her," he said motioning towards Hao Xuan''s barely visible figure.


    He was almost sandwiched between twova walls.


    The ape waved its hand and all of theva pulled back at once, allowing him to get a much better look at Hao Xuan. And when he did so the ape''s eyes narrowed into slits.


    "Who is he? His energy...I can''t ce it...something is blocking my senses. Which of the nine does he serve? And why would you bring him here, with HER for all people?!"


    Mendax didn''t know how to answer that one because even he wasn''t sure exactly what was going on with Hao Xuan.


    "He is one of yours. The witch brought him in, he was chosen by the Mistress herself."


    The ape''s eyes widened from shock, "Impossible! The ''Great Mother'' chose someone personally?! But even if that was the case I would still be able to feel his mark since we both serve her. This has to be a witch''s trick!"


    Overhearing their conversation Baba Jezda called out to Hao Xuan, "Call forth your mark, let the doubtful and the non-believers witness for themself what the mistress has chosen for them."


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: . gg / AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https :// i.pinimg./564x/64/f6/f9/64f6f9303c3a1794a9d2fc15a8e135b7. jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https: //urlzs./76rWL

 Chapter 1402 Lord Champion

    Chapter 1402 Lord Champion


    And then her voice echoed in his head a secondter, ''You needn''t hold back in here. Let it flow through you.''


    From Mendax and the Ape''s exchange Hao Xuan had already figured out the ape was also a servant of the ''Mother of Darkness'' so the witch''s intentions made a lot more sense.


    She nned to use Hao Xuan''s recently acquired position and title to leverage a deal with an age-old enemy. But he also didn''t have much choice in the matter just yet since the ape''s services were needed for thest step of her n.


    "Fine," Hao Xuan muttered under his breath and closed his eyes.


    He had received the mark quite recently so this would be the first time it would be invoked properly. The mark was located on the highest point of his body, at the very top of his head hidden under the hair.


    Hao Xuan created hundreds of threads of spiritual sense and sent them exploring upwards. All he had to do was think about it and the mark woulde to life but this way he could control its strength. And since he needed to make quite an impression right now he opted to use everything at his disposal.


    The white and golden threads came out from his skull, passing through the bone and skin to reach for something higher up. The ends of every single thread unfurled and divided into three pieces that were reaching out like a hand.


    Theytched onto an empty spot just a few inches above Hao Xuan as if it had always been there but only now was it being ''pulled out'' for all to see.


    When the hundreds of spiritual threads had all grabbed a hold of the invisible object its true appearance started toe into being. It was circr in shape, just over 4 inches in diameter, and empty from the inside.


    Only when every single thread had made contact with it did Hao Xuan fully activate the mark. With a spark of chaotic energy the ''ring'' was set alight with void fire, dying it in a ck and purple hue that burned without any sound or heat.


    In fact when the mark was activated the heat from the nearbyva instantly vanished. The temperature wasn''t extreme in either direction but it had be rtively colder.


    Everything within 4 meters of Hao Xuan was affected by this, including the light. It turned and twisted around him, sheltering him from its effects and casting a shadow in his direction.


    Likewise, all the overbearing pressure weighing him down was eliminated in its entirety.


    To the onesying witness to him, the effects were significantly more amplified. Be it Mendax or the ape, neither of their energies or auras had any effect on him but even more than that, their senses were being pushed back and nullified when they looked at him directly.


    Within an active volcano, standing in the middle of avake Hao Xuan was covered in a shade and unaffected by all that surrounded him.


    He looked at his hands and noticed the pale white color. But when he looked up he could see a lot more than before. It was as if another filter had been thrown over his vision that disyed things previously out of his reach.


    The most obvious one was the information regarding the marks of all the others within his line of sight. The ape had a dark shadow behind his back but its color and aura were weaker than his own, albeit much more pure.


    Mendax had a blue color mark on his body but it was constantly on the move, running up and down his form without stopping.


    Curious, Hao Xuan raised his head to look at Baba Jezda but strangely enough, her entire figure was doused in shadows that hid her mark and almost everything else about her.


    ''Don''t be so surprised, you have a lot more to learn,'' she spoke directly to him again, ''Now that you can see his mark, call to it.''


    Hao Xuan looked back at the ape whose jaw was about to hit the floor. He focused on the mark on his back and thought about making a connection to it. The space rippled around him and almost immediately the ape was pulled down to his knees.


    He was just as shocked as Hao Xuan but none more so than Mendax who had to wobble back and get away from the ape.


    Aghast, he clutched his chest with a pained expression, "Argh! I had heard about the strict hierarchy within your sect but I was not aware it could also affect others!"


    Realizing that his actions had had unintended consequences Hao Xuan immediately removed his hold on the ape which effectively released Mendax as well.


    "My apologies, I did not know it would bring you such pain," he said to the ape.


    He was expecting to get at least an earful but surprisingly the ape kowtowed instead, "I have only myself to me, my Lord Champion."

 Chapter 1403 Construct

    Chapter 1403 Construct


    "I would not be in this pain had I not challenged your position, please ept my sincerest apologies-"


    His forehead was touching the ground in utter servitude but it was the veracity of his voice that called out to Hao Xuan. This was perhaps the first time since stepping into the sanctum that he hade across someone who meant what he said without any ulterior motives.


    "You have nothing to apologize for," Hao Xuan quickly added, "I understand better than most how one can lose oneself in a moment of anger," he threw a nasty side-eye to the Old Witch.


    She antagonized him from the moment she opened her mouth so he was hardly to me. Hao Xuan was ready to move on but in another surprising development, the ape took a stand against the old witch''s presence despite the recent revtion.


    "-But I cannot allow this abomination to darken my doors in good conscience. This creature, I don''t know what she has told you but she can never be trusted!"


    Hao Xuan looked up at Baba Jezda''s floating figure and from her expression it was obvious she had expected this. She quickly reached into her robes and pulled out some metal blocks and chains before throwing them at the ape''s kowtowing figure.


    "You needn''t be in my presence for a moment longer as long as you do what is asked of you. Bind these to the champion''s blood and soul and let us end this fortuitous encounter here and now."


    But the ape remained still. His entire body was shaking in anger and even Hao Xuan could tell that he was about to lose control.


    "My Lord, please...forgive my behavior but if I have to hear one more word from this creature''s mouth I will no longer be able to hold myself back."


    Hao Xuan''s gaze turned cold and his expression somber. He knew he had to take a stand and get in the ape''s good graces.


    "Leave us, there is nothing for you to do here anymore," he waved his hand shooing the Old Witch away like a stray dog.


    With an ugly expression, her figure began to fade away into the background until there was nothing left of it. Her voice echoed above theke onest time, "Your time here is limited, do not forget that."


    Only when he was sure the witch was gone did the ape raise his head in a somewhat rxed manner. Mendax let out a breath of relief and came up behind him patting the ape on the shoulder.


    "Do only what you must, don''t get involved in whatever she is cooking now...it never ends well," he whispered in his ear not so inconspicuously before walking back up the volcano, leaving them alone.


    Hao Xuan crossed thend bridge to step foot onto the ind at which point the changed scenery once again. Rather than a mostly empty open space, it was a giant hall with countless doors in every other direction.


    The ind was in fact a separate little space within the ape''s domain and now that Hao Xuan was inside he could see what it actually looked like. From the outside it only looked to be around 15-20 meters wide but from the inside, it had to be over 500 meters wide if not more.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but look around at the literal mounds of sparkling ores and raw minerals sitting out in the open giving off majestic auras. There were dozens of old wood tables filled with all kinds of finished weapons, armor, and gadgets that one could possibly imagine.


    Hell, there was even a half-finished Automaton hanging by chains near the ceiling. It was gold and silver in color but even Hao Xuan could tell that the materials used to construct it were not nearly as ordinary.


    It was an entirely artificial construct that behaved like a living person but was in fact an immortal tool used by some ancient races in the ages long past. He had never actually seen one in such a great condition.


    They were usually traded as gifts between the rich and powerful to show their status, nothing more than a harmless ornament.


    The one hanging in front of Hao Xuan was missing its lower half and parts of the head. It was about 1.2 meters in length in the shape of a humanoid. It looked almost brand new giving Hao Xuan the illusion that if he reached out and touched it, it would wake up and answer.


    He walked up to it in a daze, reaching out with his right hand before catching himself in the act. The ape saw Hao Xuan''s interest and chose to part with some valuable information.


    "It was found a few centuries ago in the tomb of an ancient cultivator. It was guarding the entrance and managed to kill two groups of grave robbers before some of its more sensitive elements broke down. The third group took it apart to sell piece by piece. I have only managed to find half of them so far."

 Chapter 1404 Swooping in

    Chapter 1404 Swooping in


    "It broke down??"


    Hao Xuan was more shocked by that than by the news of a functioning construct being found.


    "Yes, from what I could tell," the ape pointed at the spine of the construct, "There was an important piece here that has deteriorated over the course of countless years. You can see the damage done to it."


    Hao Xuan walked around to get a better look and like the ape said, there was a nest of broken ss tubes sitting at the base of where the spine would be in a human being. There were countless tiny holes along the length of the tubes and something that looked like sand.


    ''That''s not supposed to happen,'' he thought to himself but chose not to say anything to the ape.


    "I cannot quite figure out what kind of exotic material it is made of but the rest is rtively simple. I have narrowed the crafting recipes to 87, so abination of two of those recipes should be enough."


    Suffice it to say Hao Xuan was impressed. Just the sheer willpower one would need to keep trying thousands of differentbinations would burn most individuals out, not to mention the countless resources wasted during the process would be enough to bankrupt entire kingdoms a dozen times over.


    But then again, this ape was a God-level entity within the Inner Sanctum and a servant of one of the Nine. It operated on apletely different level than what he was used to.


    lights¦­¦Ïvel *Cough*


    The ape cleared his throat and finally made proper introductions after having calmed down somewhat.


    "Forgive my impudence, Lord Champion. I am called Jyothi. I am an attendant of the ''Great Mother'', " he said giving a royal bow.


    "Lord Jyothi please, you do not need to stand on ceremony with me," Hao Xuan earnestly replied while gesturing for him to stop, "You can call me...Jin. Yes, just Jin will be fine."


    If possible he wanted to make friends rather than enemies in this ce. And even though there was quite a difference in their status Hao Xuan did not want to start off on a bad foot, especially with someone of such high esteem.


    If even the Old Witch valued his skills to this degree then there was absolutely no harm in being cordial with him.


    Lord Jyothi looked deep into his eyes and a hint of sorrow took root in his heart.


    "You are far too considerate for this ce, Lord Jin. Humility is considered a sign of great weakness within these walls that will only bring you more grief. That wench...I do not how you came to know such a creature but she-" he let out a deep sigh while raising the chains and metal blocks that she had thrown to him earlier.


    "-No good can evere from dealing with that vile beast."


    Hao Xuan looked at the chains in confusion, "How do you mean?"


    They looked quite ordinary to him.


    Lord Jyothi walked over to one of the wooden tables and cleared it by pushing all the shining armaments onto the floor. Heid out the chains and three metal blocks and only then did Hao Xuan realize what they were for.


    The two blocks on either end of the chains had 4-inch wide holes in them while the third block was in the middle with a much wider gap. That one was supposed to go around the neck while the other two would be sped around the wrists and two iron chains were connecting them all together.


    "I am much too familiar with these," Lord Jyothi somberly exined, "They were extensively used by ve masters in and around the abyss until just a few centuries ago. There is only one key to open the neck brace and forcing the mechanism in any way would strangle the victim within seconds. A simple but ruthlessly effective method of controlling someone."


    Hao Xuan nodded somewhat absentmindedly.


    ''Did the old witch want me to use this as a prop to fit into the past? That should be a part of it but...''


    He hated to admit it but that was a very smart move in his opinion, albeit quite archaic. ves were always the lowest of the low in any society which would make moving around much easier since not many people would pay attention to them.


    But he couldn''t very well exin this to Lord Jyothi without revealing to him their n of traveling back to the past. It was better to let him believe that he was being taken advantage of by Baba Jezda since their rtionship was already beyond repair.


    Hao Xuan put on his most innocent expression, "Can you check if...maybe there is another hidden function of these chains?"


    Lord Jyothi naturally assumed that Hao Xuan had too much trust in Baba Jezda and believed that she would not do such a thing without a valid reason.


    "I will check now, please sit," with a wave of his hand a ratherfortable-looking chair flew in from behind one of the ore piles and swooped Hao Xuan up.

 Chapter 1405 Monetary

    Chapter 1405 Mary


    The chair swooped in faster than Hao Xuan could react but once he was in there, a calm fell over him and most of his negative emotions were washed away in the blink of an eye.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and allowed the strange feeling to take over...not that he had much choice since it didn''t even allow him to gather thoughts of resistance in the first ce.


    His body rxed while a rain of ethereal energy doused him from the inside out as he cruised around just a few feet above the floor.


    "This is...amazing...I feel like my soul is being washed clean. Never have Ie across such a sensation before..." he couldn''t help but murmur in amazement.


    Lord Jyothi smiled to himself while inspecting the chains.


    "I wish I could say that I meant to create such a ''marvelous'' treasure but the truth is, it was an ident. One of the other Lords personally asked me to create a torture device that could make anyone who sat in it speak the truth and let out their deepest darkest desires. Unfortunately- or fortunately should I say, it was a monumental failure."


    "I ended up with a sentient piece of furniture that thrives on consuming negative emotions. It is mischievous and next to impossible to control properly since it has its own mind but, I guess for times like this it is not too bad to have arou-" he turned to see surprised Hao Xuan''s expression, and that he did.


    Only his face was upside down and his hair dragged along the floor mopping up the dust and debris. The chair was merrily sweeping the dust in a corner while Hao Xuan waspletely oblivious to the event.


    Lord Jyothi''s eyes turned bloodshot, threatening to pop out of his skull as he held back the incontestable urge to take the chair apart one splinter at a time. But he couldn''t call out its antics and let that disgrace be passed down to the new Champion of the Sect of Darkness.


    *Cough*Cough*


    He quickly cleared his throat and threw out some books and manuals on the table next to him, "M-My lord, why don''t you browse some wares and learn a few things about the Sanctum in the meantime?"


    "Sure, if that won''t be too much trouble," Hao Xuan happily obliged, he had no reason not to since he was feeling so good and it would be foolish to forgo an opportunity to get free information.


    As soon as he made up his mind the chair flipped back around and rushed him over to the table. It was like throwing the feed out to call over some cattle and worked just as well.


    Hao Xuan didn''t even have tomunicate verbally but the chair understood what he wanted and made it happen on its own. And if that wasn''t enough, he could feel these barely discernable vibrations throughout his back and legs that rxed his muscles and promoted healing.


    "Hmm, impressive," heplimented its intelligence before picking up one of the dozens of books avable.


    The book had a rather simple blue cover with a drawing of a sword. Opening it up he could see a glossary at the very first page. There were 12 main categories ranging from axes, swords, and maces all the way to hammers, spears, and gloves.


    Each main category had at least 10 subcategories containing everything from simple basic weapon variants to the extremely rare and exotic ones.


    He flipped over to the sword section to go down the list of the most popr weapons in each subcategory.


    The first and simplest one was a broadsword. It looked quite ordinary and there weren''t too many details mentioned other than the weight, dimensions, price, and something called the ''enchantment'' level.


    Hao Xuan''s eyes were immediately pulled towards the price section that held the number 83,000 in big bold letters.


    His brow began to furrow a momentter because even after flipping through several other swords there was no mention of a currency.


    ''What is this about? Is it 83,000 souls? Blood crystals? Spirit crystals?'' his mind could onlye up with the most negative forms of mary exchange considering where he was but he still decided to ask about it.


    "Excuse me, Lord Jyothi. I am quite new to the inner workings of the sanctum, is there an introductory guide I could see that gives a quick exnation of some of the more basic things here?"


    "Yes, of course, it''s the book to your right with the brown cover," he replied without even looking up from the table.


    Hao Xuan picked up the said book but was surprised to find out that it weighed a lot more than he expected. He pulled it open and came across another glossary but this one was actively being edited and adjusted in front of his eyes.


    It was a living magic book.


    Names and titles of people could be seen getting revised every few seconds but the other more basic stuff was unchanging, save for a number at the very top that kept fluctuating constantly.

 Chapter 1406 Cursed Gold

    Chapter 1406 Cursed Gold


    The book was being updated in real-time with all relevant information, be it about the people holding titles or about other more basic stuff.


    ''Where is-''


    Hao Xuan skimmed through a couple of pages but as if the book could read his mind, it took control and automatically flipped over to the information he needed.


    At the very top, it mentioned that the official currency used within the sanctum was something called the ''Cursed Gold'' and all the prices he saw were also in it.


    Simply put, Cursed Gold or ''CG'' was created when normal gold coins were marked and then ''blessed'' by the ''Servants'' of each of the Nine, imbuing a very small portion of their energies into it.


    There was obviously much more included in the process but it could be summarized this way. This was how the sanctum maintained control over its assets.


    Goods and services of all kinds could be exchanged for Cursed Gold by any member of the sanctum but not everyone was allowed to directly buy the Cursed Gold by trading in any one of the hundreds of eptable currencies.


    This was an honor given only to a select few powerful individuals or the ones who held notable positions within the sanctum, an honor earned by either hard work or great sacrifice.


    Hao Xuan being a Champion of the Nine obviously was included in this roster as well.


    The rest of the first two pages contained dozens of lists of foreign currencies. These were all the epted forms of payment allowed within the sanctum and just as he predicted, it contained everything from sacrificed mortal souls to the crystals, ores, and even credits.


    This was quite a surprise to Hao Xuan since credits were the official currency of the Empire, thergest coalition of mortal kingdoms within the Greater World. The Empire had publically condemned the Old Gods and anyone caught dealing with them would be branded an enemy of the state but...that still didn''t stop the credits from rolling in.


    But even though Cursed Gold was the "official" currency of the sanctum, most merchants were allowed to sell their wares for any of the listed currencies, albeit at a much higher rate.


    For example, one Cursed Gold coin could be exchanged for 20 credits at the moment.


    That would mean if Hao Xuan wanted to buy that sword costing 83,000 Cursed Gold by exchanging it for credits, it would cost approximately 1.66 million credits.


    But if he wanted to pay for it directly with credits (without exchanging) then it would cost him around 2 million credits or about 20% more than the listed price in Cursed Gold.


    This not only gave the members of the sanctum an incentive to work hard and rise through the ''corporate''dder but also make connections with those who held the power to directly buy Cursed Gold.


    Flipping over to the next two pages he could see how much each of the listed currencies was being exchanged for. And suffice to say, he didn''t have any of these currencies on hand at the moment so it was pretty useless information to him.


    But...the more Hao Xuan looked at the exnation of the Cursed Gold the more intrigued he became by the process.


    ''Is there a limit to how much gold one person can buy?''


    Just as he came up with the question the pages started to flip again before slowly stopping at the desired spot.


    The lowest ranked of the Sanctum could only buy 10,000 Cursed Gold coins per day. This buying limit was moved higher and higher the more aplished a person became.


    He, as a Champion, even without any aplishments could buy up to 500,000 Cursed Gold coins and that amount would only rise with time and effort.


    An idea started to form in Hao Xuan''s mind as he looked at the numbers so he quickly moved on to the next question.


    lights¦­¦Ïvel ''Is there unlimited Cursed Gold?'' he asked and the book answered.


    And it was just as he expected. There was a finite amount of Cursed Gold avable within the sanctum so even if one wanted to buy as much as they wanted, they might be hard-pressed to find someone willing to sell it to them.


    ''Good, now show me the average prices, weapon and armor tiers, information regarding their enchantments, and of any other treasures that are avable to be bought and sold.''


    Hao Xuan''s eyes switched back and forth between the hundreds of pages of information and he made sure to remember everything from the bottom up.


    The items that he could see in Lord Jyothi''s book were only the ones made by him which were less than 0.01% of what was avable from all the rest.


    Anything he could possibly imagine had been traded or purchased at one point or another and all that information was at his fingertips.


    But what caught his attention the most were some items that did not have a price at all. One of them was an ''Oridian Battlecruiser''.


    "Can have an active crew of 400 with a total capacity of housing 22,000. Outfitted with Sigma ss offensive weaponry. Needs to be unlocked."

 Chapter 1407 Snout

    Chapter 1407 Snout


    ?


    ''What does it mean by needs to be unlocked?''


    The page turned giving Hao Xuan the info, which to his surprise was quite unexpected.


    ''So it''s a stolen ship that can''t be used without breaking into its mainframe. Why is there no price?''


    "Certain goods and services can be listed for specific items or ''favors''. Buyer must contact the seller for details," it said.


    ''So they don''t want money or gold.''


    Moving on Hao Xuan could see a plethora of unique and some not-so-unique listings.


    Some of the unique ones that particrly stood out ranged from entire habitables to scarce and exotic creatures that even he had never seen or heard about in any of his millions of lifetimes.


    But then on the other hand some of the not-so-unique items included people, souls, bloodlines, and entire mortal tribes with specific traits that could be ced on news to be bred for war or...any other purposes.


    Hao Xuan continued to go down the list until he came across a cked-out item. No details were given and all information was scrubbed from view.


    ''What is this?''


    "Some Private listings are only avable to those with higher blessings."


    ''So you need to be above a certain level. I should be able to see it as a Champion right? Show me what this is.''


    The listing opened on a new page but there was only the outline of a hand here. When Hao Xuan ced his hand on it he could feel his mark stir which unlocked all the information, of which there was not much.


    "Body of a True God for sale. Divinity still intact. Looking to trade with a-"


    He had only read up to that point when the listing suddenly disappeared.


    ''What happened?'' he asked but got no answer.


    ''I guess it was removed? Or was I kicked out? Can the sellers see who is viewing their products?''


    A big ring YES came up.


    "So they didn''t like me seeing it and forced me out? Even though I''m a champion? I thought we were the highest authority within the sanctum..." he muttered to himself in confusion.


    "You are," Lord Jyothi replied from the side, "That gives you authority and power in here but the market is controlled by one of the Nine, The Silent Father. As his title suggests, he promisesplete anonymity for all. If someone doesn''t want to sell you something you can''t make them...without finding them in person if their identity is known."


    "Oh, that is very good to know," Hao Xuan replied with a smile before his eyes were pulled towards the chains in his hand, "Is it done?"


    "Yes," Lord Jyothi replied with a troubled expression, "And it is exactly as I had feared. There are countless magics obscuring most of the inner workings. It might appear as a simple apparatus but that wench has altered it to fit her own needs. Even I cannot find out what exactly she did without taking it apart but one thing is for certain, she wantsplete control."


    "...how do you mean?"


    "It is designed to control and greatly limit the power of its wearer. You may think of it as a leash that she can pull at any time," his expression turned ugly, "Just say the word and I will destroy it for you, my lord. Whatever she is offering you cannot be worth bing her puppet. I can help keep her away if th-"


    "Its not-" Hao Xuan cut him off, "I was the one who approached her for this deal. This is something only she can do and it is toote to turn things around at this stage. I must go along with whatever she has nned."


    Heavy-hearted, Lord Jyothi stared into his eyes for what felt like an eternity before turning around with a deep sigh.


    "As you wish, my lord. It seems history is bound to repeat itself."


    He sat down at the neighboring table and started tinkering with the chains and metal blocks.


    Hao Xuan tried to get back into the book and learn some more information but Lord Jyothi''s words kept resonating in his ears for some reason. So he couldn''t help but ask, "What did you mean by...history repeating itself?"


    Lord Jyothi continued working on the chains while intermittently responding in quite a somber tone.


    "The Witch has done this before many times. She finds promising talent and digs her ws into their life, manipting everything from the shadows until they have no choice but toe running to her for help. And then she twists and bends them to her will, until they are but a shadow of their former self. She has no regard for anyone but herself, not even the Great Mother."


    Lord Jyothi nced at a copper te to his right in which he could see his reflection.


    "I was not always like this, you know," he whispered while brushing his fingers over his snout.

 Chapter 1408 Seven Hundred

    Chapter 1408 Seven Hundred


    "I was born a human-" he revealed, "-in the 30thyer of the Abyss. I even had a family; a wife and a daughter who I loved more than anything else. I had friends andrades who fought alongside me."


    Lord Jyothi''s voice fell as he swam through the memories of a long-forgotten past. And then something happened that made Hao Xuan doubt his eyes.


    The copper te Lord Jyothi was staring into began reying pieces of his memory on its glossy surface. It showed a barren wastnd teeming with monsters and all manners of horrific beasts.


    Everything from the weather to the nt life wanted to kill them but there, right in the middle of this hell hole existed a piece of heaven. A small patch ofnd concealed between two towering mountain ranges.


    It had two of the most important things needed for survival, water and rtive safety.


    There was a small city located here, kept out of sight and reach of most of the dangerous wildlife.


    "It was tough, every day a new challenge awaited us but we pushed through...we had to for the ones we loved."


    The image changed to show hundreds of men, women, and children standing on the city walls looking outward. At the very front was a family of three consisting of a handsome bronze-skinned man with zing red hair, a beautiful woman with ebony skin, and a small child with theirbined features standing in between them.


    Lord Jyothi grazed his knuckles over theughing faces of his wife and daughter, "We didn''t have much but we were happy...at least we had each other..."


    But the merry scene quickly changed to show a graveyard extending far beyond the borders of the city.


    "It was a gue. Something no one had heard of or could have expected, something we had no way of dealing with. It started with the old and the young first. They fell ill and couldn''t wake up no matter what we tried. And then even the healthy warriors were affected by it. We had lost all hope...I had lost all hope..."


    A hooded silhouette walked into the unguarded city and approached the man with the red hair as he stood over the sleeping child, presenting him with something.


    "And then she came, offering an answer to our prayers. I gave her whatever and whoever she wanted as long as it could save them- save us, but it was a trick."


    His expression turned ugly and his fists balled up in anger.


    "SHE was the one who cursed us! Used us as tools for her experiment!"


    Thest scene showed some horribly disfigured creatures slowly devolving into mindless beasts. Only the man with the red hair managed to keep his wits about but even he was turned into an animal, forever cursed to walk the nes in this wretched form.


    Lord Jyothi suddenly punched the copper te sending it flying into the wall. His fist was not weaker than any of the weapons in sight.


    "It took me over five hundred years to regain the memories I had lost and with them, my consciousness. Thankfully my skills remained unaffected so I used everything at my disposal to make sufficient connections and gather enough resources to break free from her grasp no matter the cost."


    "I was sessful but...look at me now," he nced back at Hao Xuan, "This is what awaits those who trust her," he said gesturing towards his face, "An empty husk of a man with no one to love and no ce to call home."


    Hao Xuan didn''t know what to say because there was not much he COULD say. She had taken everything from him and now Hao Xuan was walking down the same path.


    Lord Jyothi shook his head and turned his attention back to the chains.


    After a fleeting moment of silence Hao Xuan managed to throw out a couple of words, "I''m sorry. There is no justification for her actions."


    He chuckled, "You have nothing to apologize for, my lord. It happened almost 700 years ago now, long before you were even born."


    "!!!"


    Hao Xuan suddenly straightened his back, repeating the words in daze, "Seven hundred years ago..."


    "Yes. It was quite a tumultuous time back then. Not too long after that Maymon began his war and swiftly took hold over more than a hundred Abyss strongholds within just a few months. Now that I think about it, I am not sure if we could have even survived the war even if she hadn''t intervened..." he let out a self-deprecatingugh.


    Hao Xuan''s mind was racing like a hungry dog chasing after itsst meal. That time frame fell exactly around the time when he was supposed to be in the abyss.


    ''Maybe I can do something...change the future for someone other than just myself,'' he thought inwardly.


    "Lord Jyothi, could you- do you know what exactly she did? Which curse she cast on your city?"


    He turned around with a raised eyebrow but after a brief moment of hesitation, he reached over the table and pulled off one of the decorations from the wall.

 Chapter 1409 But Why

    <h4>Chapter 1409 But Why</h4>


    It was an ivory horn with intricate ritualistic carvings going along the outer edge. He twisted the top open and emptied its contents out in a nearby ss cup. Hao Xuan craned his neck to get a better look at the liquid.


    It was clear for the most part, not looking any different from ordinary water when inspected from the side but his brow furrowed upon noticing a tinge of ck on its surface.


    "Do you see it?" Lord Jyothi questioned, getting a nod in response from Hao Xuan.


    Impressed, he couldn''t help but let out a smile, "s, if only you could have been there. It wasn''t anything special, she cast a minor curse on the only watering hole we had ess to. The curse itself was as simple as it gets and anyone with a high enough soul power would be able to sense something was off. But in a ce with only one source of water that was a death sentence."


    "Dispelling it was also straightforward, almost condescendingly so. A single drop of water from a foreign water source would remove the curse altogether," he proved thest part by pouring water from another cup into the first one, expelling the dark aura in its entirety.


    "As for the people already affected by it, they could be slowly cured by boiling any medicinal herbs grown from the cursed water and feeding the liquid to them. Isn''t thatughable?" he picked up the ss cup and slowly poured it on the floor.


    "The answer to all our problems was right there at our feet, a stone throws away outside the city walls. That''s her thing you know, she takes pleasure from torturing others over the simplest and smallest things."


    Hao Xuan could only shake his head in response to the information. But strangely enough, even though he hadn''t known the old witch that long, somehow it sounded like something she would most certainly enjoy doing.


    ''But now I know what to do. A city somewhere within the thirtiethyer of the abyss led by a man with bright red hair. I will find you in the past,'' he said to himself, letting the atmosphere be heavy in their silence.


    Thankfully the awkwardness didn''tst too long since Lord Jyothi picked up the chains and ced them on the table in front of Hao Xuan, changing the topic for good.


    He pointed at the metal blocks that would soon go around his wrists.


    "There are over two dozen seals ced within these pieces that are all controlled by the runes within the cor. Whoever holds the corresponding runes will have full control over the apparatus."


    Hao Xuan tried to sense the runes he was referring to but to his inexperienced eyes, there was nothing out of the ordinary.


    ''I assume she will be the only one who will have the ''key'' to this. And if I''m not wrong she has already used this method in the past so when I go back, the past version of her will be able to pick me out of the crowd without any trouble by recognizing her handy work. Or maybe there is a tracking system built into it, that sounds more feasible.''


    Lord Jyothi pointed towards the five notches on the cor, "I can''t change much else but there is a method for me to alter some of the seals in such a way that will, temporarily, give you control without alerting her. You should be able to use your current strength for a few minutes to an hour at most before the rune gets triggered and locks it down again."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed, ''It all makes sense. She is purposefully trying to limit my power so I will have no choice but to go to the past and find her again to get them removed. But once she gets her hands on me there is no telling what she will do, I can''t risk that.''


    "Do you think it will be possible to not alert her? Or at least make it so that she can''t find me?"


    He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head, "Truthfully...no. I can suppress it to a degree but if the restraints are taken off, destroyed, or forced open in any way she will know no matter where you are. This kind of magic is ancient. Even with all my knowledge I can barely change a few things but the core functions will be unaffected."


    "I can try to add a few things but what holds and what doesn''t will be all up to chance at this point."


    Hao Xuan extended a hand, "Whatever you can do will be fine. I will take care of the other things as they be a problem."


    Lord Jyothi hesitantly shook his hand, perplexed at the result. He thought for certain Hao Xuan would ask him to break the whole thing but...


    ''Why put your life in the hands of a horrid creature like that?'' he couldn''t help but wonder.


    "My lord, if you don''t mind me asking, why are you doing this? Surely you don''t believe she means you well?"

 Chapter 1410 As Much As I Want

    <h4>Chapter 1410 As Much As I Want</h4>


    "Means me well??" Hao Xuan could barely hold back hisughter, "I don''t think she is capable of such a feat," but his expression soon turned somber as he almost spoke into himself, "But...if I told you that by joining hands with her you could fix your mistakes, wouldn''t you take that opportunity?"


    "If you could save your wife and daughter, your n, and your city, see them flourish, and live a good long life, wouldn''t you take the hand of your mortal enemy?"


    Lord Jyothi didn''t have to think for very long since he answered without any hesitation, "I would."


    "Then you have your answer," Hao Xuan replied in a stupor as countless faces shed past his eyes.


    "A lot of people died because of me, either because I wasn''t there or...sometimes because I was. I made promises that I couldn''t keep, let down people who depended on me and had asked for my help. I''m doing this on the off chance that by the end, hopefully, I can stand across from them once more with the ability to change things for the better."


    His reasoning didn''t leave much room for argument but that didn''t stop Lord Jyothi from asking onest question.


    "Even if it means that your own soul would be marked for eternal damnation?"


    "Yes," Hao Xuan swiftly answered, "A small price to pay for the greater good, is it not? And I don''t believe there isn''t a way out of this...I have seen too much, done too much, and gone through far too much to believe that it will end that way. But even if it does, I will not have any regrets."


    "...you are a better man than I, my lord. I wonder when was it that I lost all hope..." Lord Jyothi quietly whispered to himself before moving over to a workbench to get started, leaving Hao Xuan to his own devices.


    And with nothing else to do in the meantime, he dove back into the books to learn more about the sanctum and its inner workings.


    All of the weapons and armor were divided into different tiers and each tier had three enchantment levels corresponding to the general power sses.


    For example in the case of cultivators like Hao Xuan, the 1st tier weapons were made for everyone below Origin Realm.


    2nd Tier weapons and armor were for Origin Realm warriors


    3rd Tier weapons were for Spirit realm cultivators and so on.


    Meanwhile, the enchantments were equivalent to the stages within each realm. For example, a 3.1 Tier weapon was best suited for an ''Early-Stage Spirit Realm cultivator'' since it had one enchantment.


    A 3.2 would be for a Middle-Stage Spirit Realm cultivator and a 3.3 would be for a Late-Stage Spirit Realm cultivator.


    This was somethingpletely new for Hao Xuan since he had never heard of enchanted weapons but apparently, it was privileged information used mostly by fanatics and those interested in either trading or creating such items.


    Some of the higher-tier weapons and armor above Tier 4 even had special abilities of their own, although they were rare and could not be recreated at will.


    Upon checking the market he found several of these armor pieces avable for purchase but the cheapest one started at 500,000 CG (Cursed Gold) and it was only a tier 4.1 chest piece.


    When he touched it some more information became avable, along with the details regarding its ability which made him understand why it was valued so highly.


    ''A dark aura can be unleashed around the user that can absorb one full-powered attack from a higher tier weapon. Cannot be reused for the next 30 hours.''


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to furrow as he did the calctions. This was a tier 4 armor that was made for Profound Realm cultivators and it could absorb a full-powered attack from a tier 5 weapon, i.e. from a cultivator in the ''Saint Realm''.


    "!!!"


    His eyes shot open with realization.


    ''Isn''t this basically a life-saving treasure?! And I could buy this in one day?'' his mind began to churn with greed, bringing his attention back to the first thing he had thought about upon finding out how the Cursed Gold coins were created.


    The pages flipped back and the exnation was in front of his eyes again.


    ''When normal gold coins are marked and then ''blessed'' by the ''Servants'' of each of the Nine, it imbues a small portion of their energies into it thus creating the Cursed gold coins.''


    Hao Xuan stared at his hands while his mind raced with the countless possibilities of what this could mean for him.


    It was a unique opportunity that only he could take advantage of because- ''I have marks of ALL of the Nine. Does that not mean I can create my own Cursed Gold Coins? As much as I want or need?!''

 Chapter 1411 Cost and Blessings

    <h4>Chapter 1411 Cost and Blessings</h4>


    ''All I need to know is how to control each mark!''


    The moment his thoughts reached this point the pages started flipping to the desired section.


    ''Blessings,'' it read in big, bold letters at the top with tones of information underneath.


    But the more Hao Xuan read the deeper his frown became because it was a LOT moreplicated than what he initially expected.


    The blessings were the abilities or ''gifts'' as the book put it, that one got from each individual mark.


    Each blessing corresponded to a specific mark and was called as such. Some of the moremon lesser blessings were shared across all nine marks with minor differences between them like the blessings of sight, the blessings of minor protection, the blessings of movement, etc.


    For example, the Blessing of Sight that was received from the mark of the ''Deep'' would allow the user to see underwater.


    But the Blessing of Sight from the Void Mother would bestow upon the user the ability to see in the darkness without any limits.


    And then there were blessings that were exclusive to each mark and could not be given by either any of the others or a select few.


    For example, there was a blessing used as a sample called ''Blessing of Bewitchment'' that would make the user extremely charming in the eyes of others, allowing them to enchant or delight anyone they wished with little to no effort.


    That being said, these were only the most basic ones listed within the book with no information on how to get more.


    After that the subject swiftly shifted to the price or ''cost'' of each blessing but even that was unique to each individual and their mark, and could not be used as a metric across the board.


    Taking the cost of many of the lesser blessings as an example, the user could pay with their own blood, soul, or internal energy.


    But the better a blessing was the more it would cost to activate and at some point, it would outweigh the benefits of calling upon them with one''s own energy. In such instances, the user could also sacrifice the blood and energies of others if they so desired.


    ''I guess I know what most of the people here would be doing. No wonder they have such a bad reputation, they have to pay for everything with blood,'' Hao Xuan initially believed but the passage right after that made him think otherwise.


    It said that many of the ''Greater'' and most of the ''Superior'' blessings had very specific requirements.


    Once again it showed a few other blessings as an example like the ''Blessing of Opulence'' that asked for one''s own offspring as a sacrifice to get riches and fortune.


    There was another called the ''Blessing of Foresight'' that allowed the user to glimpse into their future but asked for their ability to see in exchange until that future came true.


    Meaning if one wanted to use this blessing and see one week into the future, after it was granted they would not be able to see for one whole week without exceptions.


    These costs would be adjusted based on a person''s rank since the higher ranked an individual was the less they would have to pay.


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath and leaned back into the chair to digest all that information.


    ''I have marks of each of the nine but I am only the champion of one. I can''t test what is the rank of the other marks but it should not be higher than ''Servant'' which is the lowest. That doesn''t mean it''s bad, just that I will only have to pay more to get the same blessings...at least I still have a chance to get them.''


    He looked over at Lord Jyothi who seemed to be wrapping things up already, and decided to ask him for some more information.


    "Lord Jyothi, I came across a few exnations about the blessings and their requirements but there is no list. How can I know all the blessings that I am eligible to get?"


    He answered without turning around, "Unfortunately there is no official ''list'' or registry that one can ess. Most of the people will do one of two things. Either they blindly make the sacrifice to the marks and ask for a blessing that would be helpful in their current situation and if there are any, the mark will give you the option to choose one."


    "But the other way that most of the people chose to go with, is to try and get their hands on a list of known blessings from someone within the same house as them. This not only gives you a much better idea of what to expect but also gives a roundabout figure of the cost of the blessing, although that will be different based on the level of your own mark."


    Hao Xuan nodded, "So as a champion I should have to pay the least amount for each blessing, right?"


    "No, not at all," he chuckled.

 Chapter 1412 A better place for all

    1412 A better ce for all


    "That is your rank within the sanctum as a servant of the Nine, not the level of your mark. The cost of blessings or ess to more privileged information/resources and the like is all based on the level of your mark."


    Hao Xuan remembered hearing about it before but he thought the rank and levels were the same.


    "So even for a Champion, I have the lowest level mark right now?"


    "Yes," he bobbed his head up and down, "You start off better than the others but it''s still very low. Let''s take the purchasable cursed gold as an example. Being a champion you can buy 500,000 per day as opposed to the usual 10,000 limit that others start with."


    "But for those who have higher level marks than you and have been working diligently for decades and centuries for the Sanctum, they would be able to purchase perhaps millions of gold coins per day and still not reach their limit. Why? Simply because of their dedication and loyalty!"


    Hao Xuan nodded in realization, "So I simply need to level up my mark and that should be enough to bypass most other requirements, right?"


    "Indeed."


    "Good. What do you think is the best way to do that?" he asked almost excitedly but Lord Jyothi''s hesitant response quickly put him off.


    "That is- We- You see the mark is a contract between you and the Nine. Their expectations of you would be different from their expectations of me or someone else. The requirements are vastly different depending on the person and their interest and abilities."


    But Hao Xuan still wasn''t satisfied with the answer and despite his reluctance, he pushed Lord Jyothi for an answer.


    "Can you give me an example? Would it be too much to say what you sacrificed to your mark?"


    Lord Jyothi smashed the chains a couple of times before standing up to face him. His voice fell, "My lord I would not hide anything from you. It''s just that information like this is considered quite private and not openly shared with others."


    Hao Xuan got the hint, "You don''t need to be concerned. I would never share it with anyone let alone that old witch. But if you still feel unsure I shan''t push you further," he said smilingly.


    "No no, how could I not trust the Champion of my own house?" he waved his hand frantically, "It''s nothing special, I only have to sacrifice one of my best creations every once in a while," he gestured towards the few empty spots on the surrounding walls.


    Hao Xuan looked around and found the vague silhouettes of different weapons imprinted on the mounting mechanisms but no actual weapons.


    "You sacrificed all of them?!" he asked, surprised.


    Even from an initial nce, there were at least a hundred missing weapons.


    "Yes, but it is not as bad as you think. We are not forced to sacrifice nor required to. It is the price you have to pay to increase the authority and level of your mark."


    "I guess that''s not too bad. Do you only have to do it once?"


    "For some it''s only once but for others, they have to maintain a continuous supply of sacrifices to keep their authority. I am lucky that the mother does not test me more."


    "Hmm-"


    ''So the better rtionship I have with the Nine the more favorable conditions they will grant me...''


    "-Then do you have any suggestions on how to best curry favor?"


    Lord Jyothi didn''t have to think long about this one, "Of course. The simplest and fastest method is toplete any requests that the fully-fledged members of the Sanctum have put up. The moreplicated and difficult the request, the more favor you will gain and in turn increase the level and authority of your mark. Basically, you should always be striving to help make the sanctum a better ce for everyone."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes almost instinctively rolled by themselves hearing that.


    ''These people might be destitute outcasts for the time being but if given the chance they would destroy anything that stands in the way of the Nine.''


    He had no delusional aspirations of making friends with most of those people. And if things worked out even Lord Jyothi would be free from their grasp.


    "Of course, I will keep that in mind. Thank you, my lord," he lowered his head in respect which flustered Lord Jyothi to no end


    "My lord please, how will I ever face the mother again if you treat me as such? Please raise your head," he pulled Hao Xuan up and ced chains in his hand.


    Not only did they weigh lighter but their crude size had also been drastically decreased.


    "I made a few changes to the design so it would not hamper your movements inbat," he said pointing at the cor and the cuffs that were almost a quarter of their size now.

 Chapter 1413 Await

    1413 Await


    It was much thinner and a lot less conspicuous so if he wanted, Hao Xuan would be able to keep the entire thing hidden under some loose clothing.


    Lord Jyothi pointed at the five chains that would go up his arms from each cuff and connect to the neck brace in the middle.


    "Each chain has its own seal that will restrict your soul power by 20 percent. Every 3 days you will be able to open a maximum of four seals for at most an hour before they would have to be closed again. As long as thest seal is not broken that wench will not be alerted of your whereabouts, nor be able to find you by other means."


    This was great news for Hao Xuan but Lord Jyothi was still not satisfied as was evident by his embarrassed demeanor.


    "I wish I could do more but in such little time I-" he spoke without being able to make eye content but Hao Xuan cut him off.


    "You did more than I could have asked for, please don''t be disheartened. This is a good thing!"


    His forlorn expression was instantly reced by a surprised smile, "Thank you for your kind words!"


    But the next moment his eyes widened as he looked up into the empty space in somewhat of a daze, "Seems we are running low on time. Let us not keep them waiting for too long," he muttered weakly while pulling out a silver needle from one of the drawers.


    Before Hao Xuan could ask what he was referring to Lord Jyothi ced the needle on the table and stepped back.


    "If you would. Please use your spiritual sense to interact with it. It will give me a rough idea of your soul power so I can tune the seals ordingly."


    Hao Xuan did as asked, sending out a handful of golden threads to touch the needle. And when they came into contact with it a cool feeling washed over him while the needle started to change colors from the bottom up.


    Blue, green, red, dark red, and finally the tip turned maroon.


    Lord Jyothi inched closer to inspect it in more detail, muttering after a moment, "2nd Stage Saint Realm. It is quite unstable but generally hovers around around there."


    He nced back up at Hao Xuan, "But your physique is only around Peak Stage Spirit Realm so I will limit the soul power around that. It should be perfect since you will be able to adequately protect yourself without drawing too much attention."


    He took back the chains and using the nail of his forefinger began cutting thest bit of inscription onto the metal cuffs.


    This process only took a few seconds and when it waspleted each seal was represented by glowing lines identical to the Roman numerals of earth. He unlocked the sps before gingerly handing it back.


    "Once worn there will be no way to take it off without breaking thest seal and revealing yourself to her," he reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time, "Are you sure about this? There is still time, I can-"


    But Hao Xuan responded by throwing the brace around his neck and the cuffs around his wrists in one swift motion. He closed his eyes as the seals came into effect immediately, constantly reducing his soul power until it fell below the Profound Realm once more.


    Almost all of his senses were affected by this in one way or another. The neck brace wasn''t tight enough to bother him but-


    ''It feels like am being strangled...'' Hao Xuan thought inwardly.


    But his decisiveness left Lord Jyothi in a slump.


    With a heavy sigh his shoulders slumped, "It is good to be resolute but you must be careful of those around you no matter where you go. No one will hesitate to use you and your status for their own benefit."


    Hao Xuan rubbed the skin around his wrist that felt sore so soon after putting on the cuffs, trying to get used to this new reality that would be with him for a short while.


    Letting out a deep breath he met Lord Jyothi''s worried gaze, "Thank you for this and the information about...well, everything. I will not forget what you have done for me. And sooner or..ter, I will return this favor."


    Lord Jyothi couldn''t help but chuckle at the sincerity and intensity with which he said those words. He might have a lower rank than Hao Xuan but few could openly challenge his power within the sanctum.


    So how could a newbie help an old monster like him?


    "Then I will await your triumphant return, my lord," he said giving a royal bow which Hao Xuan allowed him to do.


    He then led him back up the volcano, coincidentally running into the small lizard that was apparently waiting for them on the way.

 Chapter 1414 Spot taken

    1414 Spot taken


    Lord Jyothi frowned upon randomly seeing the crystal lizard roaming the area.


    "What are you doing out?! I was looking for you everywhere!" he reached out trying to pick it up but it hopped past him and ran up to Hao Xuan.


    It was a lot more active than thest time they met and was even carrying something in its mouth, which it dropped at Hao Xuan''s feet and then looked at him expectantly.


    A little surprised and slightly confused, Hao Xuan looked to Lord Jyothi for answers.


    Lord Jyothi bent down to see what it was and was shocked to find a pure blue Spirit crystal.


    "Where did you get this??"


    "Oh, it''s the one I took out earlier!" Hao Xuan eximed upon recognizing the stone, "It was growing on its back. I took it out because I thought it would help."


    Lord Jyothi nced at him and then checked the lizard''s back where the spot was still red.


    His mood immediately soured, "You fool, why didn''t youe to me?!" he berated the lizard but it had no reaction, making Hao Xuan think it couldn''t even understand him.


    *Sigh*


    He picked the lizard up like a dog and handed the crystal over to Hao Xuan, "Thank you my lord, you probably saved this one''s life. This little rock could have been fatal to him if left untreated but it could greatly benefit someone in your position."


    "Really? What does it do?" Hao Xuan tried to get some more information out of him as they made their way up the volcano but Lord Jyothi didn''t answer.


    "You will know in due time," he chuckled.


    A few minutester they were back on top, standing in front of therge gate that led back into the sanctum. Lord Jyothi ced a hand on the gate and his brow immediately furrowed.


    With slight hesitation, he pulled the gate open to reveal several other figures waiting on the other side next to Baba Jezda.


    There were a total of seven including her, and they all seemed to be just as old as her if not older. Most of them were surrounded by such intense energies that itpletely distorted their true forms.


    "Seems whatever you two are nning is nothing to scoff at," Lord Jyothi muttered in a daze, "Never would I have thought to see so many Elders in one ce again."


    Hao Xuan walked up beside him, awkwardly leaning in to whisper, "Who are these people?"


    "Ah, you needn''t worry, they cannot see or hear what goes on in here," he said before exining further, "These are some of the esteemed Elders from various houses. They have been around for a long time, much longer than someone like me. But they don''t like to show themselves unless something big happens that affects the sanctum as a whole or...if they are given directmands from the Nine. Thest time I saw some of them was when Maymun''s army marched through the abyss."


    Hao Xuan''s brow rose higher, "So they might have a vested interest in taking down Maymun then..."


    "Some of them yes but...that war is already lost..."


    While his mind raced with a myriad of thoughts Hao Xuan cleared his throat while preparing to take his leave.


    "Then I bid you farewell, Lord Jyothi," he shed a smile while extending his hand.


    Lord Jyothi awoke from his stupor and looked at Hao Xuan with quite a mixture of emotions.


    "Seems it really is toote to change anything. I was hoping to talk you out of it at the end but...it seems this is too big for me to interfere. Here, please take this," he held out his hand.


    It was an amulet, a simple and unassuming essory that no one would bother to look at twice. It held the shape of a small wheel with a total of ten empty spots all around. It looked to have been carved out ofmon rough stone with no redeemable qualities.


    "This is...?"


    "A parting gift. I had originally made this for my daughter just before she was taken from me. It can''t do too much whenpared to some of the treasures you might have alreadye across but...it will work in the depths of the Abyss where others won''t. There is a small storage space inside and a few other functions that I hope you won''t ever be in need of."


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes and sent in some spiritual threads to explore. When they touched its rough surface the amulet began to glow for a moment before returning to normal.


    "The connection has been made. You may store the crystal inside."


    Hao Xuan brought it close and with a single thought the crystal disappeared. One of the ten empty spots had been filled up, indicating that only nine other items could be stored.


    \

 Chapter 1415 Some noise

    1415 Some noise


    He tied the amulet around his neck using the simple twine it hade with.


    Looking at his reflection in the copper gate Hao Xuan was amazed at how perfectly it suited his current impoverished ''ve look'', really tying the whole thing together.


    Hao Xuan wanted to thank him but when he turned around Lord Jyothi was just a foot away from him. He reached out with his other hand and tapped on the amulet before Hao Xuan could even react.


    A blue light blinded him momentarily and by the time it receded, he was gone.


    Hao Xuan looked down at the amulet to notice another filled spot. Just then Lord Jyothi''s voice echoed in the surroundings, ''I hope it will help you more than I could.''


    Wearily shaking his head, Hao Xuan took a deep breath and walked through the copper gates.


    The world spun around him twice before the surroundings began to stabilize. Hao Xuan staggered to regain control of his motor functions and barely managed to stand upright.


    ''It feels like I got hit by a truck...'' he thought and it became obvious why when he looked around.


    They were in apletely different ce now.


    It was a barren mountainous region. They were standing on a small hill that overlooked much of the area. On either side, the snow-capped mountains stretched as far as the eye could see.


    The nds in between had a bed of algae covering it at first sight but if inspected closely one would notice it was just a sea of rotting corpses covered in countless bugs that mimicked small nts.


    A river of blood cut through the area, gushing and sshing as it went but strangely enough there was no smell of any kind present. (Reference Image posted in Discord)


    Hao Xuan turned around to see Baba Jezda talking to the six elders. She was handing outrge runestones while giving instructions.


    "These are some of their most important worlds. The noisier the better," she said.


    Four of the elders took the runestones and began to take their leave, but not before giving Hao Xuan a good once over.


    It onlysted an instant but he felt like every inch of his being was thoroughly inspected inside and out, filling him with disgust.


    Once their curiosity was satisfied each one of them vanished in different but equally strange ways.


    The ground opened and swallowed one of them whole. The second began to visibly shrink until there was nothing left of him.


    The third, he lightly pushed against the ground and floated up into the air before his silhouette was washed away by a gust of wind. The fourth one began to burn, turning into blue mes that shot up into the sky and vanished.


    Now only two of the Elders were left behind. Hao Xuan could clearly see their appearances since no strange energies obscured them.


    The first one was aged even by their standards. He looked like apletely normal old man who would barely be able to see because of his age. He was staring into space in a random direction, using his walking stick to repeatedly tap small holes in the ground while mumbling to himself.


    If Hao Xuan didn''t know any better he would be asking if he was lost and needed some help.


    The second elder was actually the youngest of the whole lot. He looked to be around 70 years old and was standing upright with his chest puffed out and hands sped behind his back. His brow was knitted in a perpetual furrow which gave him a strict appearance.


    He was staring directly at Hao Xuan unabashed.


    Baba Jezda walked up to the edge and stood next to Hao Xuan while taking out a ten-inch wide ivory dial from her robe.


    It was filled with over two dozen smaller pins and needles that all pointed in different directions. She began tinkering with it while throwing side nces at him.


    "I see he did not skimp on the materials, even gave you a little parting gift, huh? Tell me, did he give you his life story? ming me for all his mistakes?" she asked with a grin upon seeing the amulet around his neck.


    Hao Xuan quickly hid it under his shirt and changed the topic, "Where did the other four go? And where are we? Shouldn''t we be heading back?"


    "This is the firstyer of the Abyss," she replied with a hint of mncholy, "But it used to look much better back in the day, you''ll see."


    "As for the other four, well, since you took so long in there, a few Heavenly agents managed to track you down. Those four went to some of the more important paradise worlds to create some distractions and keep the others froming. It is much easier to fool them with more noise in the mix, hehehe..."


    Hao Xuan''s fist tightened because he knew exactly what she meant.


    The noise she was referring to earlier was of the void.

 Chapter 1416 An echo through the void

    1416 An echo through the void


    The void was how we perceived the ce behind the curtain of reality. It neighboured every realm of existence no matter where or how far. Everything from the beginning of time to its dreadful end existed in unison behind the curtain.


    To catch a glimpse of whaty behind was akin to ask to understand all of existence...all at once.


    Hao Xuan had studied the void as a normal human in one of his previous lives. Many considered it to be the emptiness of deep space but it was so much more.


    Whaty behind the curtain was a 26th-dimensional ne that was impossible toprehend for physical beings like him and yet, everything they did had an effect in the shape of an echo not only in there but also in the void as a consequence.


    Gods, Demons, and other powerful beings that one could think of, they were able to exist in several dimensions at once and could read, understand, and even manipte it by peering behind the curtain through the vastness of the void.


    That''s how many of them were able to use their powers, just like the ones who were after Hao Xuan. So Baba Jezda nned to create a ruckus and spread chaos within the void that would make it extremely difficult for anyone to track them down.


    But how best to aplish that? Simple, wreak unimaginable havoc in the most peaceful of ces. Throw a proverbial stone within the calm waters of existence until everything was but a mess.


    "You wouldn''t dare!" Hao Xuan eximed.


    "Why not?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, almost disappointed with his naiveness.


    "It will not matter either way once you go back. The past will be rewritten and this future will have nevere to pass. So what does it matter that we strike at the heart of the Hosts of Heaven? So what if we reap a trillion souls and maim countless more? It is nothing that has not been done before in times of war."


    She moved thest pin on the dial to its new position and right on queue it came.


    "Brace yourself," she warned.


    Hao Xuan knew what she meant so he closed his eyes and shut off all his senses after recalling the spiritual threads. At first, everything was dark.


    He had cut himself off from the outside world as much as possible but it was impossible topletely sever the connection since he still existed physically. And that''s how they crawled in.


    It began with a single whimper somewhere on the other side of the universe before turning into a cacophony of rabid screams leaking out from behind the curtain.


    Crying, wailing, screaming, and shouting, the pain and misery of a hundred billion souls could not be contained all at once.


    Hao Xuan fell to his knees from the umting pain and suffering because despite his best efforts, his soul was notpletely under his control, and as such it could not be protected in its entirety.


    Thissted for but a moment before everything went silent.


    He was not alone in this. Every being across with a sensitive enough soul could sense the disturbance originating from the culling of an inconceivable number of souls.


    If lucky, they would simply fall into ama for a few months or years but if not, they would lose their minds and shatter their souls into a million pieces bing little more than empty husks of flesh.


    Covered in sweat from head to toe, Hao Xuan stood up with some effort.


    Baba Jezda extended a hand towards the empty space in front of them to cast a spell that conjured four mirrors. Using her forefinger she inscribed the runes from the runestones onto each of the mirror''s surfaces, letting them dissolve into a mixture of various colors that created moving paintings.


    "Hmm, this should be enough," she muttered in satisfaction upon seeing the scenes of utter destruction being reflected on the mirror''s surface.


    Entires turned into fiery hellscapes. One bustling metropolis after another razed to the ground in the span of just a few seconds. The atmosphere set alight, covered in a monstrous sea of blue mes that extended beyond the horizon. (Reference Image posted in discord)


    "Hoho, what a marvelous sight!" the old man with the walking stick muttered from the back in mncholy, "That brings back memories. I feel like a youngling again...traveling through the worlds to spread my lord''s wisdom to the masses."


    Even the old man with the constant frown managed to let out an appreciative nod, "Hmm, not bad. Their sacrifices will not have been in vain."


    Baba Jezda snapped her fingers shattering the mirrors into a million pieces. She looked back at the two Elders, "Let us move on to the next stop. The coffin should have been recovered by now."


    The frowning elder extended a hand towards the ground and tree roots began to sprout out taking the shape of an oval entrance. He took out a small ck vial and sprinkled half of it on the roots before stepping back.


    "After you, mydy."

 Chapter 1417 Yami

    1417 Yami


    Baba Jezda walked up to the portal but paused to gesture for Hao Xuan to go in first.


    "You can''t remain here for much longer, go first."


    Hao Xuan wiped the sweat from his brow and wordlessly walked through the portal, stepping out into the dark forest where her hut was supposed to be.


    Momentster the others followed after him but Baba Jezda''s brow immediately furrowed even though there was nothing out of the ordinary in sight.


    She turned towards the frowning elder and ordered in a low voice, "Taisi, check if there are any others."


    "Yes, mydy," he gave a quick bow and walked straight into a tree,pletely disappearing within.


    She turned to the other elder with the walking stick, "Illya, guard the exit in case we need to retreat."


    He nodded with some effort, "Yes...senior sister."


    It was strange to see a much older man calling Baba Jezda older sister when he could easily be mistaken for her father but Hao Xuan had more concerning things at hand.


    Taking a few steps forward he looked around in confusion upon smelling something in the air, "It smells like...cinnamon?"


    Baba Jezda walked up beside him, her figure almost doubling in size.


    "Stay behind me. That is how the scent of divine blood is often perceived by mortals. But for us it is akin to putrid flesh...the advance party must have already arrived."


    She grabbed her cane from the side and lightly tapped on the ground to unseal its true form.


    It was made mostly from shaved bones and interconnected ribcages with three small human skulls at the top, each one outfitted with brilliant jewels in their eye sockets.


    It gave off a powerful yet suppressive aura that made Hao Xuan''s heart skip a beat. In fact the entirend reacted to its presence, trembling in awe and fear.


    "Come," she muttered before lightly waving the cane.


    The trees began to uproot themselves and moved out of their way, clearing a path straight to the hut.


    Hao Xuan gingerly followed behind her as they made their way through the burnt cinders that were left after a deadly battle.


    There were clean cuts in the ground that still harbored such copious energies that could evaporate him on contact. Meanwhile, white holy fire singed the outer regions of the forest where no tree monster would dare encroach.


    As they came closer the holy fire was pushed back by a gentle golden me. It was much smaller in size and less in quantity but still managed to hold back the holy fire without much effort.


    Baba Jezda let out a breath of relief upon seeing the figure that stood at her doorstep.


    "Well, this is a surprise...but it always is, isn''t it?" she remarked while letting her guard down.


    Hao Xuan stepped out from behind her to see who she was talking to. It was a dark-skinned man dressed in all ck that was not much different from a choir robe including the white tabs around the cor and cuffs.


    He was holding an unadorned silver longsword with a golden handle, standing in front of a pile of corpses that belonged to some angelic beings with pure white wings that were now dirtied by the mud. (Image posted in Authors notes and Discord)


    There were four of these angelic beings and even though they were already dead, Hao Xuan could feel their killing intent like a de on his throat.


    If he had to guess each one of these was at the level of a True God and somehow, this weak-looking schr of a man annihted them without incurring any injuries.


    The man looked up and their gaze met. His eyes were exuding a dim golden light.


    ''I have seen those before,'' Hao Xuan thought just before the man spoke up.


    "Greetings, Champion of Darkness. It is a pleasure to ''finally'' meet you in person."


    Hao Xuan frowned, his voice was far too familiar and was enough to jog his memories.


    "You were there, speaking for the ''King in Yellow'' at the inauguration."


    "Indeed I was," he smiled, "My master has sent me here to make sure that everything passes as it should. My name is Yami. I would havee earlier had someone not tried to flee," he finished by looking at Baba Jezda but she didn''t even try to hide it.


    "You cannot me an old woman for trying but...I knew you would find us regardless. Nothing can be hidden from ''him'' and as such, you. Take your time while I prepare for the final destination. Come," she gestured for Hao Xuan to follow but Yami did not moved out of the way.


    "Would you be so kind as to leave Lord Jin in my care for the time being? There are a few things I must ry to him," he finished with a charming smile but his demeanor said otherwise.

 Chapter 1418 Imparting Wisdom

    1418 Imparting Wisdom


    It was obvious he was not going to move unless his demands were met, and his de might even turn towards her if she did not respond on time.


    But Baba Jezda didn''t have to think about it for too long since they shared some simr goals. And no matter what he said, Hao Xuan had no choice but to follow her now. It was far toote in the game to change anything.


    "As you wish," she cracked a smile prompting him to get out of her way.


    And she whispered while passing by, "Be gentle with this one, I just got him," which garnered no particr response from him.


    She walked into the hut and the door closed behind her, leaving Hao Xuan and Yami staring at each other in awkward silence.


    He cleared his throat before sheathing the de and walking towards him. Hao Xuan tried his best not to take a step back when he stopped just a foot away from him, staring at him up and down.


    "Hmm, much different from what I remember," he muttered to himself.


    "Sorry?" Hao Xuan craned his neck back, "We met just an hour or two ago I think."


    "Do you think so?"


    "....yes?"


    "Then it must be so."


    "...."


    Yami could not look away. He was mesmerized as if looking at a painting or a piece of art.


    Hao Xuan finally stepped back after feeling a little self-conscious.


    "Why did Lord Yamie here in person? Was there something you needed to ask of me?"


    "Hmm? Just Yami is fine, it feels strange being called ''Lord'' by you."


    "Okay...Mister Yami, same question."


    "Oh, my apologies. Was I staring? That was very rude of me, was it not? Hahaha," he let out a light chuckle and rxed his posture.


    With his semi-religious attire, Lord Yami gave off quite a virtuous aura that made it difficult for anyone to refuse his offers. He looked trustworthy and honest, someone you could count on even in the most difficult of times.


    He pointed towards a small patch of clearednd to the left that was unaffected by the battle.


    "Would you mind taking a walk? Just around the property, we shan''t go too far."


    ''??''


    "Okay, I guess."


    Hao Xuan was obviously suspicious of this man no matter how nice and cordial he may appear. But the other two elders were close by so there was no need to be overly concerned, especially since he was the representative for one of the Nine.


    As they distanced themselves from the hut Lord Yami lightly twirled his forefinger to activate an invisible barrier around them that cut off all the sounds.


    Meanwhile Hao Xuan''s thoughts were focused on other things.


    ''Maybe this is one of them trying to reach out to me to create a better rtionship. Wonder what he will offer...''


    The sides of Lord Yami''s lips rose, "Information. Some tips and insight about what you will be facing and what you should expect by the end. That''s what I have to give."


    "?!?"


    "Haha, you don''t have to be surprised. It was quite obvious what you were thinking so I didn''t have to read your mind...not that I could with the Nine sheltering your soul as they are."


    ''Not sure I believe that but-''


    "Alright, if you so."


    "You sound doubtful."


    "Only in the sense that the information you have to offer will be of any value to me. I already spoke to Lord Jyothi and he informed me of a great many things."


    Lord Yami nodded, "Yes, he is a good man. My mentor was quite fond of him as well."


    "Your mentor?"


    "Yes, he was the one who found me and brought me to the Sanctum. He saw the potential in me and realized what I would be most suited for...I think. The memories are still a little unclear."


    Hao Xuan couldn''t help but scoff at the very idea, "He must not have been a very good man if he thought joining this band of lunatics and monsters was the right choice."


    Lord Yami burst outughing, "Buhahahahaha!"


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed as Lord Yami''s image of a calm and collected man melted away in an instant in his eyes.


    "I''m- I''m terribly sorry, it''s just that- You have no idea how amusing this is from my perspective, hahaha..."


    "If you say so."


    It took Lord Yami a few seconds to regain hisposure but he was a lot more rxed now.


    "Phew! It has been centuries since Iughed so much, thank you, Lord Jin. It is still Jin, right? The memories are hazy..."


    ''Jin? Oh right, my alias.''


    "d to be of service."


    Hao Xuan nced at the hut but the door was still closed so he had no choice but to humor him.


    Lord Yami noticed hisck of interest and decided to get back on track.


    "Lord Jin, are you aware of what my master is? The ''King in Yellow'' as others call him."

 Chapter 1419 The Yellow River

    1419 The Yellow River


    "What he is? Like the kind of person or species or race-"


    Hao Xuan was confused by the question and that confusion did not lessen whatsoever in the next few seconds.


    "No, WHAT he is. When you hear his name what do you expect to see?"


    "I guess a...man draped in yellow? Or an entity with simr color schemes? I''m not sure what you mean."


    "Exactly that, the second one! The Nine are supreme beings existing far above the realm of our understanding but they can still have physical forms and some even prefer them over the alternative. My master, the ''King in Yellow'' gets his name from where he was born."


    "In...the color yellow...?"


    "Haha, sadly no. But that would certainly be something, wouldn''t it?" Lord Yami let out anotherugh before continuing his exnation in much the same jovial manner, "He was born from the yellow river, the river of time."


    ''!!!''


    Understandably, Hao Xuan was quite shocked to hear that.


    "It would be quite difficult for me to exin more about his existence when you haven''t even peered behind the veil so I shan''t bother. But know that he is not time itself and yet, he is not much different. What you are about to do, that journey you will embark on will change everything. I am here to try and exin to you what COULD happen as a result of your actions in the past so you are better prepared."


    Hao Xuan would be lying if he said he gave his actions that much thought. All he wanted was to go back into the past to save everyone that died on that. Those specific events should not have had too many consequences for others if changed but that wasn''t the case anymore.


    Now Baba Jezda was sending him almost 700 years into the past to try and stave off the tide of Maymun''s demon army. This affected not only the greater world but almost the entire universe.


    "The future will bepletely different!" he gasped at the realization.


    He froze mid-stride as all the possibilities rushed through his mind.


    ''But won''t that affect me as well?! What if I was never born and got erased from history? What if I never went to the Mei Kingdom or lived on the outskirts with the Khan family? What if the Ancients never brought us back in the first ce?! I would- nothing will be the same!''


    Lord Yami could tell exactly what he was thinking.


    "That won''t happen," his words brought Hao Xuan back, "What you''re thinking won''t happen because of two reasons. What goes on in the abyss has very little impact on the outside world unless there is a war. And since there has been no war OUTSIDE of the abyss since Maymun took over it won''t have any adverse effects on you."


    "Secondly, youe from the Origins. ess to them is not only particrly strict but also overseen by the Ancients and they would not allow anything outside to have an effect there. You should be fine for the most part."


    Hao Xuan let out a breath of relief but there was still one other thing left.


    "What about outside the Origins? How much would things change there?"


    Lord Yami thought about it for a second before shaking his head.


    "There is no way to anticipate that. You could step on a bug in the past and could erase that entire. If it was not actively being sheltered for thest few hundred years then there is no way to tell."


    Hao Xuan''s eyes swiveled left and right as he tried to connect the dots.


    ''The was discovered only a few years ago since it was lost in deep space until then. That SHOULD count but what if we weren''t the ones who found it? How do I- there is so much that could go wrong...''


    Things had suddenly gotten a lot moreplicated.


    Seeing him suddenly go silent instead of rejoicing gave Lord Yami a pretty good idea of what was going on.


    "Have you ever thrown a stone in a flowing river?" he asked out of nowhere.


    ''???''


    "....not that I can recall."


    "Time and water, they flow in much the same manner...as I''m sure you will realize sooner rather thanter. Throw a pebble and it will get dragged away by the current or sink to the bottom without changing anything. But throw arge enough boulder and it could change shift the course of the river. Do you understand?"


    Hao Xuan nodded, "I think so. If I am sessful it will beparable to the boulder, right?"


    Lord Yami let out a sigh, "If you are sessful, it will be akin to picking up the river and cing it in apletely different ce going a new direction. But that is not what you should be concerned about."


    He looked Hao Xuan right in the eye, "What happens to the fish from the first river? What will happen to you in a world- in a TIME where you did not exist?"

 Chapter 1420 A Man Out of Time

    1420 A Man Out of Time


    Hao Xuan mindlessly repeated, "A time where I do not exist...?"


    "Yes. You came to the sanctum because of some unfortunate events you wish to change, correct? Say you prevent them, then wouldn''t that mean you would never havee to Sanctum in the first ce? You would not have struck a deal with the Nine and gone back into the past to change things because those events did note to pass in this new timeline. You would, for theck of a better word, be a paradox."


    He let out a heavyhearted sigh, "Or in other words, a man ''out'' of time. You will be living in a timeline where your existence is not only made redundant but unwanted. When the timelines converge and a new futurees to pass, you, as you are now, will cease to exist."


    Hearing thatst sentence suddenly silenced all the voices in Hao Xuan''s head.


    "I will be free...?"


    "Free? Hardly so. You have promised eternal servitude to the Nine and that vow will be fulfilled no matter where or ''when'' you are, my master will make sure of that. The only difference is whether you will be there yourself to see it to the end or will you unburden yourself and leave your problems for the naive, uninformed version of you from the new future. But then again, it could be that the universe ceases to exist altogether in which case you won''t have to worry about any of that, hahaha."


    ''I didn''t know that was even a possibility. But wouldn''t that mean that I would have all the marks of the Nine but none of them would even know I exist apart from the King in Yellow? Would that even be possible?''


    Hao Xuan felt like his feet were glued to the ground.


    "A paradox...huh? I never even thought about it that way but...it makes sense."


    "You have to think about it now because-" Lord Yami''s voice fell to a mere whisper as he came closer, even though he had created a barrier around them to prevent eavesdropping, "-I believe Baba Jezda has a hidden agenda. I''m sure Lord Jyothi told you not to trust her and there is good reason for that. She is trying to do something else while hiding behind the excuse of repelling Maymun''s armies."


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to furrow, "How do you mean?"


    "There is little that escapes my master''s gaze when ites to the Sanctum but recently...he has not been able to keep track of her actions. They are obscured, hidden behind a wall of nonsensical movements that are pointless to an absurd degree. She is obviously trying to confuse him."


    "And what would you have me do? I''m sure you are aware I can''t-"


    "I won''t ask you to do anything you don''t want to, only to second guess everything she asks of you. When you go back to the past, only my master and your mistress the ''Void Mother'' would be able to know of your existence. But since the mistress is sealed in eternal slumber that leaves my master as the only being in existence save for Odin himself who would know that something had even transpired."


    "...okay and? What can I do about that?"


    "Nothing, but just because Baba Jezda doesn''t know about you doesn''t mean she can''t manipte your actions without your or even her knowledge. You must be careful not to fall for any obvious traps. ording to her usual modus operandi, she will put you in a position where you won''t have any other option but to knowingly trip it but...you must remember, you can always walk away. It might be the most difficult decision you will ever make but you MUST not fall for it!"


    Despite Lord Yami''s urging how could Hao Xuan possibly know what would be a trap and what was mere coincidence? But-


    ''It''s better not to argue back.''


    "I will. Apart from that is there anything else I should be wary of?"


    "Not too much," he shrugged after a brief moment of deliberation, "Just make sure Baba Jezda of the past doesn''t find out what transpired here and everything should be okay for the most part-" or so he said before remembering some of the other ''minor'' things.


    ''-Oh right, you might be hunted by the denizens of the river but I''m sure you can handle that."


    ''???''


    Hao Xuan felt like he had misheard, "...excuse me? Which river? What denizens?"


    "The river of time," he responded as a matter-of-factly, "You will have to go back through its waters and since the ones that live in it rarely take kindly to strangers disturbing their domain I''m sure they won''t let you pass quite so easily. Sometimes they even chase into the material realm but that''s rare. What else? Oh about the..."


    He kept mentioning one thing after another that could either go horribly wrong or would pose a great danger if not done correctly.

 Chapter 1421 Favour

    1421 Favour


    Hao Xuan intently listened to the exhaustive list of ''what-ifs'' before Lord Yami finally moved on to a lighter subject.


    "Have you been informed about theplete process ofmuning with the Marks and using them properly?"


    "A little?" Hao Xuan responded with obvious uncertainty, "Lord Jyothi mentioned that it is different for everyone although some things aremon throughout. As for using the marks, I have yet to experience that for myself."


    Lord Yami rubbed his chin in contemtion, "Hmm, he is right but his experience is not only greatly limited but also vastly different from yours. He was a ve of Baba Jezda for centuries and she kept him locked up in a separate space where all he did was craft weapons and armor for her so he never got to experience the outside world too much."


    "But you will be doing the exact opposite, meaning touring countlessndmasses and various worlds while trying to get to your destination. For you, the simplest method would be to directly sacrifice souls to the marks, it will be slower but- what? Why are you looking at me like that?"


    There was an obvious look of disappointment in Hao Xuan''s eyes, "Nothing, never mind. I won''t be sacrificing any innocent souls, ever."


    Lord Yami let out a breath of relief followed by a lighthearted chuckle, "Haha, good. I wasn''t suggesting that you should but I can see how you woulde to that conclusion. Sacrifice does usually entail spilling of innocent blood and I won''t lie, that WOULD you the most favour with the Nine since pure souls are much more coveted."


    "BUT! That is not the only way. You can also present the scum, the viins, the wrongdoers, and the miscreants as sacrifice. Their souls would only be worth a third of a pure soul''s but...where you''re going? It will be filled to the brim with some of the most vile creatures you might evere across. Obviously you don''t HAVE to do any of that but if you do find yourself in a situation where blood must be spilled, why not make use of it and present it to the Nine for some added benefit?"


    As much as Hao Xuan hated to admit it, his words did make sense...not that he was above such acts to begin with.


    "I will...keep that in mind," he awkwardly responded.


    "Hmm, good," Lord Yami nodded before continuing his exnation, "Each soul is different depending on the kinds of lives they lived so the favour you get will also vary greatly. More powerful souls will obviously give you a lot more favour-"


    "Sorry one thing," Hao Xuan cut him off after hearing the term for the third time, "This favour you keep mentioning, what exactly is that?"


    "Oh, my apologies. I thought Lord Jyothi might have already mentioned that part. Favour is the currency by which the value of each sacrifice is measured. The better or more valuable the sacrifice the more favour you will gain, quite straightforward."


    "Really? That would make things a lot simpler," Hao Xuan was almost impressed by how efficient they had made the whole process of currying favour with the Nine, "How can I see how much favour I have or need?"


    "Well," Lord Yami scratched his temple trying toe up with the best exnation. He had never had to exin this to another person before so it was a little odd, "Much like many of the other things, the process itself is unique to every individual. Some people carry with them objects like a simple scroll that will show the favour and gifts offered by the Nine while others may carry books, ledgers...basically anything you can imagine can be used to reveal such information."


    "Wait, so it doesn''t actually matter WHAT you use?"


    "Yes, the information will be projected onto the chosen object only to make it easier for you to understand it. No one else can see it since it is a secret shared between only you and the Nine."


    "So...I could just see the information even on the surface of water or empty air if I wanted to?"


    "Yes, as long as you can visualize it you will be able to manifest it. Just think about what you want to see in rtion to the Nine and it will appear."


    Hao Xuan didn''t even have to wait to try out that part. Unlike most others, he was already used to having information projected directly into his retinas because of how Baracusmunicated with him.


    He closed his eyes for a second and opened them again after thinking about the favour. As expected, the words were floating in front of his eyes as if being projected by his very thoughts.


    They were in the same format and font but much less vivid, feeling more like a water painting that could be washed away any second.

 Chapter 1422 Costly Blessings

    1422 Costly Blessings


    It looked exactly as he expected since it was made ording to his own thoughts.


    There was a tab at the very topbeled "Favour" and shockingly, it already had some numbers next to it.


    ''Favour: 44,301''


    "???"


    Lord Yami saw his bewildered look and asked, "What happened?"


    "I...already have some favour somehow..." Hao Xuan quietly replied.


    "Right, I almost forgot about that. That''s a little present from me to get you started. When we are sacrificing souls we can also choose to share that favour with another servant of the Nine. Those ants I killed earlier proved to be quite helpful in that endeavor."


    "Oh, thank you. Is...is this a lot? How much favour does a normal soul usually bring in?"


    The standards could be vastly different so he wasn''t expecting much but Lord Yami''s response left him speechless.


    "Hmm, it has been a while but if I remember correctly, a soul below that profound realm of yours should somewhere around 60 to 80 favour if it''s not too evil or too good. But if it is then it would be around a 100 to 120."


    Hao Xuan looked at his favour again which was a little over 44,000 and for a good few minutes, he did not know what to say.


    The souls that Lord Yami sacrificed in HIS name must have been extremely powerful to bring in over 10,000 favour per soul. His prediction of them being at the level of True Gods was indeed true.


    ''That''s one hell of a present...''


    "I don''t know what to say. This is almost...too much."


    "You don''t have to say anything, I am just ''returning the favour''. My master did the same for me when I first joined the Sanctum which helped save my life. If you evere across someone in our position you too can do the same for them."


    "I am not sure whether I will ever get that opportunity but I will keep that in mind," Hao Xuan couldn''t thank him enough so for the time being he just epted it and moved on.


    "Do you have any suggestions on what to use it for?"


    "Well, that all depends on you. You can even call in a literal miracle with enough favour so I suggest you wait instead of spending it all at once since you never know what you might need in the future."


    "As for some of the things that you CAN buy, it ranges from one-time use spells or miracles that could even revive a recently deceased soul to something more permanent like that giving you an ability or power. You can check what gifts are offered even right now but depending on your situation and level of mark they will continue to change."


    Hao Xuan immediately closed his eyes and opened them again after thinking about exchanging his favour for gifts.


    The list was alreadying together right in front of his eyes but when he saw the gifts his mood immediately soured.


    ''Passive Ability: Move 2x faster at all times.''


    Cost: 17,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: See in the dark''


    Cost: 9,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: Read three times faster''


    Cost: 14,000 Favour


    ''Miracle: Enter State of Enlightenment''


    Cost: 180,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: Digest non-edible materials''


    Cost: 21,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: Breathe under water''


    Cost: 28,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: Recover faster from injuries and illness''


    Cost: 30,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: Need to eat less''


    Cost: 8,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: Need to drink less''


    Cost: 11,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: Able to master various crafts at a faster rate''


    Cost: 42,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: Blessed Hands. Can make anything taste good with rejuvenating properties''


    Cost: 38,000 Favour


    ''Small Miracle: Recover from a terminal illness''


    Cost: 90,000 Favour


    ''Passive Ability: Tougher bones''


    Cost: 19,000 Favour


    The list went on and on with all kinds of miracles and passive abilities offered at exorbitant prices.


    ''There is no way these prices are normal. It must be because of my low-level marks. I will have to look into it moreter.''


    This wasn''t really the best time to be dozing off like that. Lord Yami saw the light return in Hao Xuan''s eyes and inquired further.


    "Did you see the various gifts and blessings?"


    "Yes, very expensive and mostly made up of passive abilities only."


    "Of course, they can''t just give out the good stuff to anyone. You have to prove yourself by increasing the level of your mark."


    "Yes, I thought as much. Is there anything else?"


    "Onest thing," Lord Yami reached into his robe and pulled out a little ck book, "This is for you."


    Hao Xuan cautiously epted it.


    It lookedpletely normal apart from being worn out to the extreme. The leather covering was full of scratches, blood stains, and scorch marks.


    "I was supposed to give you this."

 Chapter 1423 Deaths Tomb

    1423 Death''s Tomb


    "Supposed to??" Hao Xuan questioned while inspecting it in detail.


    "Yes, my master said I would meet a young man in desperate need of it, I am assuming he meant you. It contains all manner of knowledge regarding the abyss and its inner workings, ranging from all the different factions and characters that can be trusted to some hidden locations and details about each individualyer and how to navigate it with rtive safety. He had journeyed through the abyss himself so most of ites from his own experiences, I only added a few things here and there."


    Hao Xuan opened the book to nce at the materials and the first page directly mentioned a race of beings native to the abyss.


    They were reptilian in appearance with fat pudgy bodies that looked to be a mix between frogs and lizards. They had been around for a very long time and were considered to be one of the oldest species in existence.


    With extremely long lifespans and powerful abilities, they were feared and respected wherever they went. Inherently gifted with handling finances, not only were they always rich but extremely intelligent as well.


    It said in big bold letters at the end:


    [Can only be trusted as long as they have something to gain from the interaction. With a sufficient enough offering they will even turn on each other. They value future prospects more than immediate minimal gains. With a tempting enough promise they can be easily manipted for one self]


    "Hmm..."


    Hao Xuan didn''t expect the first thing he read to be about some random species but he didn''t question it at the time since Baba Jezda had already reappeared.


    Lord Yami snapped his fingers to pop the barrier before walking towards her.


    "Come in, it''s almost done," she said without missing a beat.


    Hao Xuan entered first followed closely by Lord Yami. The inside of the hut was so messed up that it looked like a hurricane had passed through.


    Everything was either broken or turned on its head. udia was sitting in front of the firece casting a healing spell on Grey''s bloody form.


    All of his legs were twisted around and broken in several ces.


    Hao Xuan''s brow furrowed upon seeing the destruction, "What happened? Did he get hurt during the fight?"


    Lord Yami shook his head, "No, there was no one else here," before kneeling down to inspect Grey, "These injuries...are these?!" his eyes widened at the realization.


    "They are," Baba Jezda confirmed while gesturing towards a simple wooden coffin not too far from them.


    Lord Yami stumbled up to his feet in shock, "By the Nine... it''s real!"


    He walked over and gingerly ran his hands over its rough surface. It looked ''rough'' to say the least, with worn-out wood nks being held together by some metallic linings.


    He couldn''t tear his eyes away from it which made Hao Xuan very curious.


    "What is it?" he asked whileing closer.


    "Something that will be immensely helpful to you," Baba Jezda replied from the side.


    "That still doesn''t answer my question. What is this thing?"


    But before she could exin Lord Yami threw out the answer from sheer excitement.


    "A treasure beyond your wildest imagination. This- This is the God of Death''s final resting ce, the Tomb of Hades himself!"


    Hao Xuan''s eyes widened as he instinctually took a step back, "Is...is he in there?!"


    "Of course not, don''t be foolish," Baba Jezda berated while reigniting her smoking pipe, "Right now it is nothing more than a piece of equipment. You will use this for the time being."


    "ME?? For what?! And how did you even get this? Wouldn''t something like this be guarded by Zeus himself if not his brothers?"


    She shook calmly shook her head, "It was not theirs to begin with. If anyone has a im to it then it is our house since- it matters not how I got it, only what you will do with it."


    "And that is?"


    "This coffin is the only thing that can protect you while you go back through the river of time. So long as you stay inside you will be kept safe from the river''s effects since no time passes within its bounds."


    Hao Xuan''s brow began to knit as the image became clearer.


    "So you are going to put me in this coffin and throw it in the literal river of time HOPING that I end up where I need to??"


    "No," Baba Jezda replied confidently while pointing at udia with her pipe, "She will go with you, remember?"


    "....."


    "And you will also use this toe back after everything is done," she added, "Albeit it will be not the same way. You can sleep in the coffin and by the time you wake up 700 years will have gone by while you remain unaffected by the passage of time. At that point I will help you merge with your future self to cement your existence in the new world order."

 Chapter 1424 King of Titans

    1424 King of Titans


    Hao Xuan let out a deep breath, "The new world order..."


    ''What would that entail exactly?''


    "Alright, let''s get started then unless there is still something else left?" he looked at both Baba Jezda and Lord Yami but neither had anything to add.


    "Then we shall depart," Lord Yami begrudgingly stood up and walked over to the door.


    "Depart? To where?" Hao Xuan questioned since he assumed this was theirst stop.


    Baba Jezda moved over to the coffin toy down some finishing touches while Lord Yami pulled him aside.


    "It is a very tricky thing what we are about to do. We not only have to open a hole THROUGH time itself but also ce you inside on exactly the right current. Otherwise, you could end up anywhere and at any time."


    "And I am guessing this can only be done at a specific ce?"


    "Indeed. We must venture into the lost temple of the King of Titans.


    ''Chronos!''


    A chill ran down Hao Xuan''s spine upon hearing that title. The Titans were already personifications of various destructive aspects of nature but there was no one worse than Chronos himself.


    And his temple was where the first war between the Gods and Titans began.


    "How will we get to it? Wasn''t it called the ''Lost Temple'' because it was situated outside of time itself and could not be essed by anyone?"


    "It is exactly because of that that it can be found with ease. Since it exists outside of time, it is everywhere and nowhere at once. With the right spells we can find it through the ether but that''s not the difficult part," his gaze turned somber, "The Temple is guarded by ''them'', the beloved sons and daughters of Heaven. Once we reach the temple we will have to fight our way through and then buy enough time for you to go through before any of the Primals arrive."


    Hao Xuan was expecting it to be something along those lines but the scale was a bit too big even for him.


    "Hmm, I understand. But who are the Primals?"


    "The Originals, the Primals, the First-Born. Whatever you like to call them. The first children of Zeus and Odin who led the armies of Heaven. If any of them was there then it would be...problematic to say the least."


    Baba Jezda came up from behind followed closely by udia. She had the coffin strapped to her back, wrapped in some kind of bandage from top to bottom.


    "Master, I am ready," she said with unwavering confidence before walking out.


    Hao Xuan looked back and saw Grey''s shabby silhouette. He had separated from the nightmare demon because of the injuries they had incurred while trying to get the coffin.


    "Will he be alright?" he asked in a low voice.


    "Hmm, he won''t die," Baba Jezda coldly replied, "I will treat him when I get back so he is ready by the time you are picked up again."


    Hao Xuan thought about it for a moment but swiftly concluded that it was not a good option to leave him behind.


    ''Plus I might need his help.''


    "I will take him with me," he said while walking towards him.


    "Are you certain? His injuries could take decades to recover from if not treated correctly."


    "Yes, I will deal with it myself," Hao Xuan held his hand over Grey and called him inside.


    Normally he would be kept either within the Mind Pce or the meridians but since Hao Xuan didn''t have any of them left, he could only protect him by cing Grey directly within his own soul.


    Grey''s body turned into specks of light and shot into Hao Xuan''s temple. He walked back to the door ready to depart but upon seeing an extra figure standing beside udia and talking to her animatedly his brow immediately furrowed.


    Especially since he recognized it.


    "Why is he here?!"


    "I was just about to ask the same thing," Baba Jezda added while looking at the elder with the walking stick, "Exin yourself, Illya."


    The elder lowered his head, "Senior sister...this matter...it is out of my hands...even I cannot stop the Champion of my house..."


    "I don''t want him here," Hao Xuan reiterated.


    Max finally stepped forward, "Why? I just want to see what happens. I won''t do anything, I swear on my soul!" he finished by cing a hand on his heart.


    Suffice it to say that Hao Xuan did not believe a single word that came out of his mouth. He was the champion of the Red King, the personification of Madness itself. And for some reason he had taken an interest in him which could only spell trouble, especially after the speech he gave.


    "You must be out of your mind if you think we are bringing you along," Hao Xuan emotionlessly replied.

 Chapter 1425 The Lost Temple

    1425 The Lost Temple


    Max smiled, "I don''t think it''s entirely up to you," and turned towards Baba Jezda, "The old guy said he will agree to your demands if you bring me along."


    Her eyes immediately widened, "I-Is that the truth?" she stuttered which was a first for her.


    "Of course, I swear on my mark!"


    "Alright."


    "WHAT?!"


    Hao Xuan couldn''t believe what he was seeing, "He threatened me in front of everyone! Do you really think he won''t go through with it? He''s the CHAMPION of Madness and Insanity!"


    Baba Jezda shook her head once, "He won''t, he can''t. His master has already agreed to my demands and as such, no harm cane to you until we are finished with our business."


    ''Right, and it doesn''t matter what happens after that, huh?''


    Hao Xuan ground his teeth indignantly. Whatever ''deal'' she had made with the Red King tumped her need for him, which was saying a lot considering how much depended on his sess.


    Baba Jezda signaled for Elder Taisi to open the portal while they got in position.


    Elder Taisi would be the vanguard followed by Baba Jezda, Hao Xuan, udia, Lord Yami, Max, and finally Elder Illya in that order.


    The old roots came out of the ground and connected together to make a gateway. But he couldn''t do it alone this time so Baba Jezda came forward to help, handing him a small splinter taken from the coffin hanging from udia''s back.


    He received the splinter with both hands as if it were a holy object before gently cing it on his tongue. He then closed his eyes and began to focus, turning the tree roots into the same dark color as the coffin.


    Meanwhile, Baba Jezda raised her hands into the air and began orating an unknown passage in three different voices simultaneously.


    It sounded normal at first but the voices began to get progressively louder until everyone behind her was forced to raise a barrier around each other to defend against the thunderous sound waves that were created as a result.


    Hao Xuan couldn''t understand any of it nor did he have the opportunity to since the sky began to crack open like a broken mirror just as the gateway came to life.


    Cascading blue lights rose up into the air from behind the mass of roots and fell into the darkness of the shattered sky.


    Elder Taisi raised his hands in prayer bowing three times to stabilize the portal. He looked back at Baba Jezda and upon receiving her permission jumped inside.


    Baba Jezda watched with bated breath as his figure turned into a two-dimensional image before sliding up the light stream into the ether.


    "It worked!" she murmured in surprise which did not fill the ones behind her with confidence.


    "Quickly now," she motioned towards them before jumping in herself.


    Hao Xuan was next. He took in a deep breath and leaped in headfirst.


    For a moment all of his senses vanished. He couldn''t feel anything, see anything, or BE anything. It felt like he was just a small piece of a gigantic puzzle lost in shuffle trying to find his ce...only it was an entirely different puzzle than the one he had started out with.


    It was strangely peaceful. He had no worries or concerns, no fear for whaty ahead and certainly no guilt. For this brief moment he was just himself, existing in a small bubble without affecting anything or anyone else.


    But then he felt pressure on his chest and came to on the other side.


    "MASTER! ARE YOU OKAY?!" udia was screaming at him while a deafening storm raged around them.


    "I''m okay...I said I''M OKAY!" Hao Xuan waved at her while getting up to his feet.


    It was just the two of them on a floating piece of some bricked wall, surrounded by countless other pieces swirling around the air while slowly being pulled toward the center of a vortex of lethal energies. (Reference Image posted in discord)


    "Where- WHERE ARE THE OTHERS??"


    "I DON''T KNOW," she shook her head while looking around, "IT WAS JUST THE TWO OF US WHEN I WOKE UP!"


    The small piece they were on shook and almost flipped over while getting closer to the vortex.


    "WE NEED TO MOVE!" he yelled while looking around for a stable enough object that could support both of their weights but before he could do so, a shadow slipped in from the corner of his line of sight andnded directly in front of them blocking their path.


    "THERE YOU ARE! I WAS WORRIED SICK YOU GUYS!" Max opened his arms as if weing them.


    "Motherf-"


    Hao Xuan prepared himself for a rough battle but Max looked over his shoulder to yell, "I FOUND THEM!"


    The very next moment Lord Yami appeared beside them. He created a barrier that held both udia and Hao Xuan before swiftly jumping down into the green clouds.


    It happened too fast for any of the younger generation to register the whole process but by the end Max, udia, and Hao Xuan were standing on the bridge surrounded by the elders and Baba Jezda.


    "That was my mistake, mydy. I could not contain his consciousness during the jump. It was...unlike anything I have ever witnessed," Elder Taisi said with a deep bow, stealing a nce from Hao Xuan.

 Chapter 1426 Astral Body

    1426 Astral Body


    "What''s done is done," Baba Jezda waved him away, "Go, we must cover as much ground as possible before they detect our presence."


    "Yes!"


    Elder Taisi extended his hands forward to knock randomly on empty air. After the third knock his skin blistered and followed by a soundless explosion was covered in a thick bark-like armor.


    He strode forward on the fractured bridge, surrounded by all manners of strange anomalies on both sides.


    With nowhere else to go, ck holes were birthed before being immediately ripped apart by the amalgamation of the torrent of relentless energies popting this realm. This gave birth to puzzling phenomena that could not be exined away with rational thought.


    At one point Hao Xuan even found his own reflection running away from him as they went deeper in.


    The bridge appeared to have been made out of some crystalline material that was partially see-through. And whatever this crystalline material was, it gave them some much-needed protection from the horrors that swam through the air just a few meters away.


    The bridge went on and on in a straight line cutting through the entire realm, not only giving them shelter but also leading them directly to the temple.


    Some parts of the bridge were broken but the rest still hovered in space at exactly the same distance from one another while everything else revolved around them constantly changing and shifting through reality itself.


    Hao Xuan''s gaze was pulled towards a small ''creature'' that just looked like a bunch of motes of light held together by invisible threads. It was moving around curiously from one anomaly to the next and when it ''sensed'' his gaze its lights dimmed.


    It ''turned'' towards him.


    It didn''t have any eyes so it was difficult to tell if it was actually looking at him but the lights were all focused in his direction.


    It flew over and began moving parallel to him as if they were walking side by side.


    "Don''t look at it for too long," Lord Yami swiftly warned, "You don''t want it to get attached."


    "What is it?"


    "They are the remains of the consciousness of some of the higher beings that participated in the first battle. No singr physical form can survive such an intense onught of energies that is present here. After some time the physical form is shaved away if there is nothing left to tether it to outside this realm and that is what bes of them."


    "Then...how will you fight when they find us if it is that dangerous?" Hao Xuan questioned the process, "Or will you only fight on the bridge?"


    If reality itself was being broken down outside of this bridge then how could anyone survive there?


    Lord Yami chuckled, "Haha, we won''t be fighting in the physical forms. When it is time we will have to summon our astral forms since only they can manage to hold together long enough under such intense powers."


    Hao Xuan closed his momentarily to go through some of the memories from the other lifetimes until he came across one that had some information on it.


    ''Astral forms, also known as ''Astral Bodies'' are akin to second forms that powerful beings can create to traverse not only the ether but also some of the other worlds since not all realms are able to support the basic physical bodies we are born with.''


    ''They are thought of as extremely powerful armors for an individual''s soul and are a reflection of their innermost desires. The shadow realm, the mirror world, and the dream worlds are all good examples of ces where it would be safer to traverse with the astral body rather than the physical.''


    Hao Xuan had no prior knowledge of it because one had to be at least a saint lord with a powerful enough soul to be able to create and control the astral form. Not to mention that it required an obscene amount of resources to make even a small astral body let alone something bigger.


    He nced at the people around them.


    ''Everyone other than me, Max, and udia should have extremely powerful astral bodies corrting to their power levels. I wonder what they look like?''


    The only one whose astral form he had actually seen up close was ''Ashura of the Six Paths'' and it was terrifying. He had not only managed to survive in the underworld for countless millenniums by its power alone but also lorded over an entire section of it...


    As they moved closer to the temple the surroundings began to slowly change from the likes of abstract paintings to something more akin to contemporary art, still just as ludicrous but at least somewhat based in reality.


    Instead of empty spaces with strange shapes and colors, they began looking more likendscapes with some missing aspects of reality.

 Chapter 1427 Bridge of Fate

    1427 Bridge of Fate


    The first area seemed to be what little remained of a grand metropolis after an apocalyptic battle.


    Most of it was little more than rubble, dust, and fire, ruined beyond recognition but there were still a scant few vestiges left just intact enough to show how marvelous the ce must have been in its prime.


    Shimmering rare metals and all manners of now-extinct jewels could be found lining the random streets.


    Lord Yami saw Hao Xuan''s eye moving back and forth and decided to volunteer some more information until they reached their destination.


    "This is where most of the residents of this realm lived. It was ''afterlife'' before the idea of the afterlife even existed."


    "It must have been amazing," udia chimed in, "If even the remains are this extravagant."


    "Unfortunately we have no way to know for certain. Zeus and Odin restricted all informationing out of the realm before destroying what little managed to survive. They wanted to remove all evidence of their existence."


    "That must have been a very long time ago but....it looks so recent," even Max couldn''t hold himself back frommenting after seeing the fire and smoke billowing from every other structure.


    "Of course, this realm exists outside of time. For us it has been countless millenniums but here it has not been very long. This bridge was called the ''Bridge of Fate'' and its power is the only thing keeping us safe. But as we get closer to the temple the energies should lessen in intensity which is when we will start to see some of the Gods walking around."


    "What happens if we step outside before that?" Max curiously inquired.


    "Not sure. Either you will immediately cease to exist, be destroyed by the energies thatid waste to this realm in the first ce, or be transported to another time. Care to find out?"


    Lord Yami looked back at him with a questioning gaze but he justughed it off, "Haha, maybe another time. Today I am here for another reason!"


    "Hmph, I am sure you are."


    The remainder of the journey through the Bridge of Fate was rtively quiet. The metropolis went on for what felt like an eternity before the scenes began to change to a dpidated forest.


    Elder Taisi paused to cautiously extend his hand outside the protection of the bridge before nodding towards Baba Jezda.


    "Mydy, this seems like a good location, I will go out to cast the spell. It shouldst for some time after my death so unless he leaves the bridge, they should not be able to detect him."


    Baba Jezda nodded in acknowledgment before sprinkling some ck powder on his There was even half a body of a titan strewn openly on the ground on which there 16:22


    body.


    "By the Nine, your name will forever be etched upon the Halls of the Sanctum! Let their sacrifice bring you closer to the Masters!"


    "By the Nine!" Elder Illya repeated from the back and even Lord Yami couldn''t help but whisper under his breath, "By the Nine, may your soul find peace..."


    He closed his eyes to utter a prayer which surprised Hao Xuan but the others did not seem to care either way.


    Elder Taisi jumped off the bridge and his silhouette immediately vanished as if devoured by the decrepit forest. Not a minuteter the surroundings began to get darker but only around where they were.


    "The spell is in ce," Baba Jezda said while looking around but Lord Yami was not convinced it would hold.


    "The Bridge of Fate traverses through each of the ancient ten realms created by Chronos and his brothers. No matter how powerful or potent the spell, its effects will greatly lessen when we move from one realm to the next, if only momentarily."


    And Baba Jezda could not refute his ims either, "We can do nothing about that. If ites to it we will have to fight but...they should be moving towards Taisi as we speak. He will lead them away while we continue to move forward."


    ''Was that ck powder that will attract the Gods to him?'' Hao Xuan wondered.


    It seemed like a harmless ritual to him but there was so much more to it.


    One less, the group now being led by Baba Jezda herself continued moving on the bridge with bated breaths.


    After some time the scenes began to shift for a third time and the darkness surrounding them almost vanished for over a minute before slowly returning to its original shade.


    "Seven more to go," Max joked but got no response from the others.


    They mostly stayed silent apart from udia who couldn''t help herself from whispering into Hao Xuan''s ears after seeing his conflicted expression when they entered the sixth realm.


    "Master, is everything okay? You seem troubled..."


    "Yeah, I''m fine...just got a strange feeling of deja vu. Feels like I''ve seen this before," he said looking at the scene of utter destructionid out in front of them.


    There was even half a body of a titan strewn openly on the ground on which there seemed to be an ongoing battle.


    "How is that even possible??"

 Chapter 1428 Divide

    1428 Divide


    shes of blinding red lights shot up into the atmosphere creating U-shaped tears in the already-segmented sky.


    "What''s wrong?" Lord Yami questioned upon seeing Hao Xuane to a full stop mid-stride.


    He pointed at the ongoing battle, "They''re fighting! Is that one of yours??"


    Lord Yami followed his line of sight but could see no one and nothing, just an empty battlefield littered with countless corpses. His expression turned grave, "What do you see, tell me exactly what it looks like!"


    "Two people fighting....they look like humans and are both using the same kind of abilities...if I can get a little closer I could see what-" Hao Xuan inched closer but was stopped by Baba Jezda''s cane.


    She exchanged a knowing nce with Lord Yami before turning around in silence.


    "What? What is that?"


    But neither of them seemed to be in an answering mood.


    "Nothing, let us focus on the road ahead," Lord Yami hesitantly replied before going silent.


    The scenes continued to shift one after the other while the group made good progress on the bridge, but that brief period of good luck onlysted until the seventh zone.


    Not soon after entering the Eighth Realm which was made up of floating mountains on either side, the atmosphere shifted and things took a swift turn for the worse.


    In the 60 seconds that the spell was not working at full power, they ran into an entire group of faceless beings.


    A total of eight humanoids hovered in the air just outside the bridge seemingly waiting for them. The two in the middle who were dressed in dark blue armor and held massive swords spoke up in unison.


    "The oracle was correct, we have found their threads," they said robotically as if the very act of speaking was new to them, "Let the master know-"


    Before they could even get all the words out Lord Yami''s figure shed forward apanied by a pir of golden light and cut the one on the left in half.


    At the same time, Baba Jezda twisted her cane into the ground to tear open a hole in the void. A monstrous arm shot out at breakneck speed mming the rest into a nearby mountain creating defeating explosions.


    "RUN!" Lord Yami shouted.


    None of them needed to be told for a second time especially since his power elerated them forward faster than the speed of sound, breaking one sound barrier after another while the surroundings turned into a blend of lights.


    It was a mishmash of voices and scenes shing by so quickly that Hao Xuan could not evenprehend anything before it was already gone. Thissted for a very brief moment before everything around them turned pitch ck.


    He could only sense udia and Max nearby while the other three were nowhere within the range of his abilities.


    Hao Xuan''s body was hurled through space faster than his senses could perceive the surroundings, which is why everything appeared to be shrouded in darkness.


    But that only encouraged him to draw out more soul power and increase the intensity of the spiritual threads even further, which after much work, allowed him to catch a single glimpse of what was happening outside.


    Baba Jezda and Lord Yami were locked inbat with the humanoid beings while Elder Illya sheltered them with his powers allowing them to propel even further.


    Just when he thought they had made great strides the continuous expenditure of energy leaked onto the bridge and began to hamper their progress instead, slowing them to a great degree.


    They were pulled back onto the bridge as the color slowly returned to the surroundings.


    Baba Jezda''s iconic ck robe was on fire but she didn''t even bother putting it out.


    "We need to separate," she muttered while recing some of the jewels on her unsealed cane, not much different from loading new bullets in a revolver.


    She turned towards Lord Yami, "Can you handle those two and reach the shrine from the outside?"


    He gave a somber nod, "I should be able to. My master has permitted me to do whatever is necessary to aplish our goals."


    "Good, go. Take them and head straight for the temple."


    Lord Yami gestured for udia and Max toe closer, "You two, with me!"


    udia turned to Hao Xuan for permission but he couldn''t give it so easily.


    "Is this really necessary? Won''t it be better to stay together?" Hao Xuan questioned Baba Jezda''s motives at this crucial juncture.


    "No, they are too many. We must divide their forces so the bulk follows one of us while the other can escape."


    "So one is bound to get caught, are they not?" Hao Xuan''s brow began to furrow.


    Was she nning to use Lord Yami and udia as a distraction? But before she could answer Lord Yami stepped in.


    "There is no need to be concerned," he said smilingly, "I have the full range of my master''s abilities at my disposal. I promise you they will not catch us!"


    The full power of one of the Nine, and the King in Yellow in particr who was born from the river of time itself should not be underestimated...especially in a ce where time did not exist.

 Chapter 1429 Exuberance

    <h4>Chapter 1429 Exuberance</h4>


    Hao Xuan nodded, "Go with him."


    She stepped back alongside Max as Lord Yami''s figure floated into the air. The space trembled around him while he fell back to the ground and disappeared within, but the next moment he came back out like a pendulumpletely transformed.


    He was almost double his previous size and adorned in a spotless white long coat. His new body appeared to have been pieced together bybining countless metal shards in the shape of a human being.


    At first nce he seemed to be wearing a giant armor set but that was not the case. This is what his Astral Form looked like. It was humanoid butpletely inorganic, immune to the effects of time. (Image posted in authors notes and in discord)


    "Let us take our leave," his voice came through two small metal openings around the chin.


    With a wave of his hand, a 2-meter-wide golden rune materialized out of thin air and surrounded Max and udia, creating a barrier that then became smaller and smaller until it was just 2 inches long.


    He took the shimmering golden ''vial'' of a barrier and inserted it into a slot on his belt for safekeeping before floating up and out of the bridge.


    He turned into aet and shot in the eastern direction leaving behind an obvious trail of golden particles that could be followed.


    The surroundings started to get dark again even before his light had dissipated since Elder Taisi''s spell returned at full force.


    "We will continue moving forward, follow me," Baba Jezda turned around and floated ahead.


    Hao Xuan was about to follow when he felt Elder Illya''s hand on his back and once again all the light vanished as they immediately moved faster and faster.


    With gritted teeth, he had to solely focus on creating a barrier around himself because even with Elder Illya''s protection, Hao Xuan could feel his skeleton trying to slip out of his body.


    It was a terrible feeling of not being in control of his own body. With closed eyes, Hao Xuan began empowering the spiritual threads with more potent soul power and wrapping them around himself to create a cocoon.


    He had no tangible spiritual energy to speak of anymore nor the meridians to store any so the raw soul power was the only thing he could actually depend on and thankfully, there was more than enough of it.


    And Hao Xuan had no idea how long he had been in that state when he was forcefully pulled out of the stupor by a defeating explosion.


    He felt the space solidify before they came to a full stop. He opened his murky eyes to realize that they had been surrounded from all sides by glowing figures.


    There were dozens of them, all beings of pure white light exuding magnificent auras that burned his eyes if he looked at them for a second longer than necessary.


    The space hade alive! Overflowing with countless indescribable sounds that only expressed themselves in tones of strange musical notes to his ears.


    Baba Jezda and Elder Illya were sandwiching him while she tried to talk to them. Her mouth moved but he could not pick up any words. They weremunicating via a medium that was out of his reach as of yet but he did not need to understand what was being said since the results were pretty obvious.


    The auras of the figures of light began to intensify while their lights congregated above them. They were getting ready to attack- or rather, finish it in one attack.


    Baba Jezda let out a sigh, "So be it," and gave Elder Illya a nod.


    "By the Nine," she whispered and suddenly pushed Hao Xuan away.


    Both of their figures teleported almost a kilometer away in an instant but that was still not enough to be out of range of whatever attacks that were being prepared.


    "I can still feel the weight of their auras on my shoulder, we should get further before it''s toote!" Hao Xuan urged but Baba Jezda was unbothered.


    "There is nowhere to escape," she coldly replied, "Their abilities will target you no matter where you go."


    "Then what?"


    "But if they cease to exist, it stands to reason their powers will also vanish, no?" she let out a smile while gesturing towards them, "Watch! That is a real servant of the Nine! Someone who has spent an eternity in servitude to something greater than them."


    Her voice fell making him think that she was actually sad for a moment.


    Hao Xuan turned towards the blinding lights and with some effort, he could see scenes with a lot more rity. The light became brighter and brighter until it looked like the actual sun had been summoned on the bridge.


    The pressure also increased ordingly, filling him with a sense of awe and exuberance even though it was trying to take his life.


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: . gg / AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: ./ 564x/98/9e/66/989e66f47bf8fa843615a5a5dbea6d61. jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https ://urlzs. /gXBjv

 Chapter 1430 Dunes

    Chapter 1430 Dunes


    Just the energy surplus leaking from the attack was so intense that Hao Xuan could feel it prickling his skin from a thousand meters away. Countless megatons of raw energy being suppressed into a single point smaller than the tip of a pin increased its potency to an unprecedented degree.


    Even other skills were being affected by it as it became obvious by their extremely short-range teleportation.


    ''I have heard about such effects before but never seen them up close and personal. Only a peak 7th-grade spell could disrupt the surroundings to this degree. Meaning, we can''t run away even if we wanted to...''


    Hao Xuan fixed his sights on the holy miracle about to take their lives but as bright as that light was, somehow, without any warning, it vanished.


    At first, he thought the spell had already gone off killing them and this was how his brain interpreted thosest moments but...that was not the case.


    He squinted hard trying to get a better view because what he was seeing now did not make any sense.


    "Is that-"


    There was a cloud of billowing red smoke with a giant mouth. It had swallowed the mass of holy energy whole!


    "Illya!" Baba Jezda eximed, "That is his ''magnum opus'', a blessing given only to the most devoted of the Crimson King''s followers!"


    She sounded happy, akin to a child opening a present.


    "Is that his...astral form?"


    "It is. Quite fitting, isn''t it? That''s what the personification of madness is to him. But the price to pay for that-"


    Before she could even let out the remaining sentence the red cloud suddenly expanded to 200 meters shrouding all the beings of light within.


    *Sigh*


    "-a terrible power traded for thest of his sanity. Let''s go," she turned around and started walking in the opposite direction.


    "What about him? He''s still alive, isn''t he?"


    "His form is but it has been overtaken by the rage of the King in Red. He will continue to kill and devour everything nearby regardless of whether it is a friend or foe. It should buy us enough time, his rampage will divert their attention long enough for us to pass through."


    After they distanced themselves from the constantly expanding cloud of death the surroundings began to darken and the concealment spell came into effect for thest time.


    The remainder of the journey was mostly uneventful until the bridge finally ended and they walked onto thest realm.


    This ne existed independently of all the ones that came before it as it became obvious by the sheer size of the archaic infrastructure that climbed into the skies. A rotating dial thousands of meters in diameter hovered in between four stone obelisks, slowly revolving at a steady pace without expending any energy.


    Hao Xuan could not wrap his mind around its size. Even looking at it as clear as day it still felt surreal for some reason. (Reference Image posted in discord and authors notes)


    Baba Jezda pointed towards a small structure located in the middle of the stone obelisks right below the dial, "That is our destination."


    "How do we get to it? Just fly over?"


    "If only it were that easy. We''ll have to go through one of the bridges."


    Following her line of sight, Hao Xuan could see twond bridges leading to the central area.


    "Will it be that easy?"


    It felt a little too quiet, maybe because they were so far away from everything else. It was an abandonednd but there was still life.


    All manners of small beasts scurried through the sands and flew through the air. The only thing missing were the people.


    She shook her head while reaching into the robe, "No, both of the bridges are under constant guard. We will meet up with the others before going in."


    She took out a small pouch full of herbs. One of them was a bright yellow flower without any scent. She picked one of the petals but it withered almost instantly.


    "This should be enough," she muttered and crushed the petal into fine dust before sprinkling it on the white sand.


    "I don''t think we have time for another needless ritual."


    She let out augh, "We have all the time in the world," and pointed at the dial.


    "You know what I mean..."


    "Thend here might not seem that big but it would take two of your lifetimes to get to the bridge. I could cast a spell or two to hasten our progress but that will make things harderter on."


    "And the petal will help?"


    "It will," she said cryptically and Hao Xuan did not have to wait long to see what she meant.


    The sand dunes began to shift left and right en mass as something big made its way over to them from just underneath the surface.


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: . gg / AHdSBFQ

 Chapter 1431 Pep talk

    Chapter 1431 Pep talk


    Hao Xuan spread out his spiritual sense and picked up a massive energy signature rushing towards them.


    "Is that meant to happen?" he questioned while moving behind her.


    She took a step forward and waited until the dunes began to separate, giving way to several sharp rock pirs jetted into the air. It began to slow down as it came closer while more and more of its gigantic body started to appear above ground.


    It stopped just a few meters in front of them to slowly pull the remainder of its hulking mass out of the ground. Towering over them at a height of twenty-five meters, this four-legged beast had rocks for armor that covered its entire outer body and then some.


    Hao Xuan could not find a single weak point anywhere apart from its eyes which were unnaturally smallpared to the rest of its frame.


    It was quiterge to begin with but those powerful forearms were unnaturally big, built to smash things to smithereens while the rest of its body was slender in form and built to move quickly over short distances. With sharp spikes going all the way from its head to the tail, one could easily imagine what a mighty foe it would make if things came to it. (Image posted in discord and Authors notes)


    Its chest heaved up and down creating gusts of wind that ruffled their clothes as it peered down with a wisened look. This wasn''t a simple mindless beast but a creature capable of independent thought as it became obvious by its cautious behavior.


    They were like ants in front of it and yet the beast did not make any hasty movements.


    "An elemental!" Hao Xuan eximed at the realization.


    This was the first time he had seen one so big but it felt different than all the rest.


    It lowered its head to carefully sniff the ground around Baba Jezda inhaling the ground-up petal that went into its body triggering a response. Something suddenly clicked as if a switch had been flipped open. All of its unease was washed away in the blink of an eye.


    The beast humbly lowered its head allowing Baba Jezda to climb on top.


    "What are you waiting for? Let''s go," she gestured for him toe on board and Hao Xuan happily obliged.


    The beast raised its head when both of them had found a good ce to hold onto. Baba Jezda spoke a few words in an unknownnguage making it turn around and sprint towards one of thend bridges.


    Its speed exceeded Hao Xuan''s expectations especially because it wasn''t running on the ground but rather swimming through the sand like a fish through water. Half of its body was submerged in the searing hot sand.


    And because of the strangely unique cement of its horn, they were protected from the gusts of hot air and debris that would usually make the entire experience quite distressing.


    "How did you tame this creature so quickly? Was it the petal?" Hao Xuan questioned when he couldn''t figure it out himself.


    And strangely enough, Baba Jezda was quite willing to answer him which he did not expect.


    "Long ago beasts such as this one were bred for war in the Abyss. The terrain for many of the stable abyssyers is a kind of desert wastnd and during the Great War, some battle mounts were needed to easily traverse such vast distances with ease."


    "That petales from a flower that only grows within the abyss. They used to love eating them every chance they got."


    ''???''


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed in thought, "Did this beast survive all that time in here?"


    "Of course not," she scoffed, "But even after thousands of years and hundreds of generations, those memories remain suppressed within their blood. But with the aid of a simple Remembrance spell I jogged them awake so it could return to its former glory and serve its intended purpose."


    "...."


    Now that she exined everything it sounded simple and made sense but to casually pull something like that off, the ability and understanding needed for that would be outrageous.


    With his thirst for knowledge quenched Hao Xuan focused on the objective at hand. He was so close that it was almost a done deal but for him, this would only be the first step on a long and tough road.


    And he would be alone there...


    Baba Jezda noticed his silence and correctly assumed what it was about.


    "Your nerves must be all over the ce and that is perfectly reasonable. What you are about to do is something no one else can im to, ever. It is a tremendous task but one you are uniquely suitable for."


    He let out a hollowugh, "Ha, there is no reason for a pep talk. I''ll do whatever I have to, you don''t have to be concerned."


    ***


    Author''s Notes:


    All images are posted in the Official Discord.


    Link: . gg / AHdSBFQ


    ___


    Reference Image Link: https:// i.pinimg./ originals/bc/f2/9e/bcf29ead8457c5dba8d1245770f3588a .jpg


    Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https:// urlzs./ fxuT6

 Chapter 1432 Kicked out

    Chapter 1432 Kicked out


    "No one would me you for feeling...unsure at such a juncture, and there is certainly no reason to keep such things from me as I am sure you will understand in due time. The reason I have lived this long, survived where countless others have perished, it is only because of my ingenuity. If you share your concerns I can perhaps resolve some of them."


    For once Hao Xuan felt like she meant that, especially because she always looked like she could see right through him.


    And despite the warnings of everyone he had met so far Hao Xuan couldn''t keep his guard up in this moment.


    "I''m just a little uncertain if I can do everything I need to and get back in time. Going to the past during a period of extreme turmoil is one thing, but to do so without any real support in an unknownnd is another."


    Baba Jezda nodded slowly, "I see, but who told you there won''t be any support?"


    ''??''


    Hao Xuan straightened his back, "What do you mean?"


    "The reason Yami found us so easily was because I asked for assistance from his master, the King in Yellow. With his aid I was able tomune with a few devout Oracles serving the Nine who were alive during that time by sending them a prophecy of your arrival."


    "WHAT?!" he couldn''t help but yell out in surprise.


    "They know you areing," she said with a wicked grin, "The ''savior'' who will guard them against a great tragedy. Someone personally chosen by each of the Nine, a weapon sent to deliver a devastating blow to our enemies!"


    She reached out with her grotesque hand and brushed her fingers across his cheeks as if looking at an object rather than a living being. Her voice separated into three distinct pitches but all of them sounded just as captivated with him.


    "Oh, how wonderful will it be when you fulfill your destiny, I wonder? I had always dreamed of creating the perfect weapon but who would have thought that a mere human would aplish where countless others had failed?" her gaze running up and down his body, "He created you in his image but you are so much more. To withstand the Heavenly Will this much was necessary."


    "The blood of a Lycanthrope running through the body of a Demon housing the soul of a God, with the battle instincts of one of the most ruthless creatures to have ever walked the known nes. The moment you acquire the spark and dissolve the remainder of your humanity ''it'' wille to pass!"


    He could see a hint of madness take root in her eyes as she pointed to his hearts, both of them.


    "With every beat, you bring us closer to the promised times. I will watch with my own eyes when you burn through the Heavenly Gates and usher in the new era!"


    Hao Xuan felt his chest tighten and breath grow heavy. For a moment his own body felt like it belonged to a stranger.


    He pulled away from her, "What are you going on about? Our deal was only limited to this one event! Once I prevent Maymun from taking over the Abyss our business will be finished."


    "Really?" she cocked her head to the side, "Then what will you do with the rest of eternity? Didn''t you just offer yourself up to the Nine?"


    "Not like this, no. I will never be your puppe-"


    *Ruumble*


    The beast groaned and moaned before suddenly leaping out of the sand tond on solid ground. They were already behind the outcroppings that separated the exit of thend bridge with three figures waiting for them in the shadows.


    Baba Jezda walked down the beast''s head, unwilling to carry on the conversation any longer which Hao Xuan was more than happy to agree with.


    He directed his attention to udia and Max both of whom were in perfect condition but Lord Yami looked a little worse for wear.


    "Oh good, I feared we might have arrived toote," he joked, "Are we ready?"


    Baba Jezda gave a silent nod but when she turned towards the bridge her expression turned somber.


    "You feel it too?" Lord Yami came closer to whisper so the others wouldn''t hear him.


    She reached into her eye socket and casually pulled out her right eye before extending her hand out from behind the outcropping.


    The pupil moved about getting they of thend until it saw a figure sitting on top of the gates. She pulled back her hand and ced the eye back inside her head with a heavy sigh.


    On the other hand, Lord Yami could not help but voice his concerns.


    "Of all the heavenly children, he was thest one I expected to see here. I had heard that he was kicked out of heaven, did hee here to redeem himself?!"

 Chapter 1433 Sleeping shards

    Chapter 1433 Sleeping shards


    Hao Xuan''s ears perked up, "Redeem himself? Who are you talking about?" he walked over.


    "Nothing you need to worry about," Baba Jezda coldly replied while her gaze remained fixated towards the bridge.


    "And he did note here for redemption," she rified, "Not only does he not care but he would never ask for it, such is the ego of the prodigal son of heaven."


    ''Prodigal son?'' Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed.


    Lord Yami brushed the dust off his clothes while vocalizing some of his inner thoughts.


    "Then...is it possible he deserted? Maybe he could even help us if we-"


    "Don''t be ridiculous!" Baba Jezda barked at the foolish question, "Why would Odin''s firstborn ever take our side? Of his mortal enemies?!"


    Hao Xuan''s hearts skipped a beat, ''Odin''s firstborn?!''


    "Thor- mph?!" he unconsciously muttered aloud, but Lord Yami''s quick acting allowed him to silence Hao Xuan before he could finish the word.


    "?!?"


    Hao Xuan looked at him in shock while Lord Yami and Baba Jezda exchanged nces, "Do you think-"


    But he didn''t even have to finish the question since the sky darkened the very next moment due to the sudden appearance of the sea of pitch-ck clouds.


    Deep, rumbling thunder rolled through the realm in waves, drowning out all other sounds.


    udia fell to her knees at once while holding her ears shut. Max''s ears began to bleed but he did not have much of a reaction to that apart from, "Ah- the domain of a True God really is something else, isn''t it?"


    Hao Xuan was shielded from the negative side effects thanks to Lord Yami''s power but even then he could feel the air bing denser by the second.


    "What''s...going on??"


    Even a simple task such as breathing had beborious all of a sudden.


    Baba Jezda tapped her cane thrice on the ground to create a magic circle that greatly lessened the strength of some effects allowing udia to get back on her feet.


    "He does not know where we are," Baba Jezdamented, "-yet. But since his name has been invoked he knows we are somewhere nearby and it is only a matter of time until he finds us."


    "You cannot name a divine being such as that without pulling their attention," Lord Yami pulled his hand away while muttering in a low voice.


    "I didn''t know-" Hao Xuan tried to exin but Baba Jezda would not have it.


    "But you should have!" she scolded while pulling him close to stare into his eyes, "Your soul was merged with the rest giving you knowledge from millions of different lifetimes but...it-" she seemed unsure whether or not what she was seeing was the real, "-seems the oath and its suppressive effects have brought about some unintended changes."


    "What changes? I don''t feel- too different..." Hao Xuan realized halfway through the sentence that something had indeed changed within him.


    He still had a lot of knowledge of the other lifetimes but it wasn''t bubbling at the surface like before. Now he had to dive deep into the depths of his soul to look for them and even still some ces felt too far away.


    "Do not resist," she warned before abruptly hitting him on the side of his head with the cane.


    Hao Xuan felt like the rug had been pulled out from under his feet as he staggered back in shock. The whole world was spinning and he couldn''t get any stable footing.


    "Get him up, bring him to me!" Baba Jezda ordered and Lord Yami wordlessly obliged, carefully pulling Hao Xuan up so she could force open his eyes for an inspection.


    Lord Yami also leaned forward to check, letting out a surprised gasp in response after seeing his pupils separated into three different colored pieces for a brief moment.


    "Three souls in one body!? Does he have the-"


    "He does not, this should not have happened. From millions to one, from one to three. The weight was too much for one soul to shoulder so it separated into three...this is not good."


    *RUUUUUMBLE*


    A defeating boom of thunder threatened to turn the world upside down. The magic circle rotated twice before cracking in half, on the verge of breaking apart with one more push.


    Baba Jezda looked around before lightly tapping him with the cane in the same spot.


    "We do not have the luxury nor the time to look into this further. Once you return I will find a way to fix it before things get worse but, until then, as long as you do not draw out too much power the other soul shards should not awaken. Do you understand?"


    Having barely regained his senses Hao Xuan pushed her away while rubbing his eyes, "I...do. It''s not like I have much of a choice, you made sure to restrict my power with the help of these chains before we left, remember?"

 Chapter 1434 Light of Hope

    Chapter 1434 Light of Hope


    Lord Yami stepped in before things got out of hand and changed the topic.


    "Seems him being here is just a streak of bad luck for us. What should we do? With his domain covering most of the realm we won''t be able to sneak by. The longer we wait the worse it will get."


    After a moment of deliberation Baba Jezda met his gaze, "How confident are you in singlebat? We need to distract him just long enough to get them to the well."


    Lord Yami didn''t even have to think about it, "In a duel, I would notst longer than a minute but...with the aid of my master''s power I could extend that to...five minutes perhaps if the objective is solely to buy time."


    She nodded, "That should be enough. Use any life-saving treasures or trump cards, everything that you can use against him. Once we enter the well he wille for us so you should be able to escape-"


    She took a quick peek over the outcropping to confirm, "-especially since he is inebriated," she said chuckling, "Seems the rumors of the firstborn trying to findfort at the bottom of a bottle were quite true."


    Her gaze seemed toe alive as she muttered to herself, "Something to remember forter..."


    Lord Yami took a deep breath and looked at Hao Xuan onest time, "This is where we must say our farewells. Please take care of yourself, chosen one," he joked before solemnly muttering, ''May your enemies suffer and your allies flourish! Remember, even when it all seems bleak, as long as there is the light of hope in your heart it isn''t over...as long as you can stand one more time!''


    Hao Xuan''s eyes narrowed because hemunicated thest sentence directly into his mind for some reason. It was like he was trying to tell him something but in a roundabout way.


    "I will see you soon," Hao Xuan replied which made Lord Yami burst out inughter.


    "Hahahaha! You most certainly will! Hahaha-"


    And while continuing tough he took a step back and teleported next to the bridge.


    The lonely figure sitting atop the gates turned towards the source of the noise, pulling the bottle away from his lips to mumble, "You...have a familiar scent on you..."


    His unrestrained, deep voice created shockwaves with every word that leveled buildings around them.


    **


    Meanwhile, Baba Jezda started muttering an incantation while her robe continued to grow longer from the back. Once it had exceeded four meters, she paused the chanting to inform them of the process.


    "You will cover yourselves with the cloth and stay absolutely silent while we move. I must continuously repeat the ''charm'' for its effects to influence the world around us. Do not make any unnecessary moves, Understand?!" she red at the trio, her gaze lingering on Max in particr.


    "I do," he responded smilingly, "I don''t n to die just yet." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Quickly then, get inside!"


    Hao Xuan gestured for udia to get in first before joining her. As soon as the ck cloth went over his head he was immediately swallowed up like the other two and disappeared within.


    He could not see anything at all but upon reaching out the cloth could still be felt brushing past the skin, and it was not able to stop the sounds of battle froming through.


    "Start walking," Baba Jezda ordered and theyplied.


    Explosion after explosion rang out right next to them and if they could see what was causing them then perhaps it would paint a much harsher picture. The ground shook and the pressure from the battle managed to affect them even in the separate dimension they were in.


    But they continued moving no matter what. Hao Xuan gave up trying to listen to the fight and even attempted to block out the noise but was unsessful, especially since there were Lord Yami''s cries mixed in at every turn.


    It sounded like he was being ripped apart repeatedly and after a couple of minutes, it began to weigh heavily on Hao Xuan''s heart no matter how much he tried to ''logic'' it away.


    ''It was his choice, his decision, no one forced him to do this,'' Hao Xuan repeatedly told himself.


    "AAAARGH!"


    *Ssh*


    All of a sudden the noise died down and the robe was pulled from over their eyes returning them to the realm.


    Hao Xuan found udia fallen on the ground barely able to hold herself up under the weight of the coffin.


    ***

 Chapter 1435 In the old life

    Chapter 1435 In the old life


    He quickly unwrapped the bandages tying the coffin to udia and noticed that her lifeforce had greatly diminished.


    "What happened? Can you hear me!?" he called out but she was barely able to keep her eyes open.


    Max tapped him on the shoulder and bent down to inspect the coffin, "Oh this is just amazing! Is it really what I think it is?!" and then he suddenly turned towards Hao Xuan in shock, "You...are a lot colder than I thought you would be..."


    "What the fuck are you talking about?!" he red back.


    "Are- Didn''t you have her carry the coffin on purpose? If this is what I think it is, it should extract lifeforce from anyone not on death''s door upon direct contact. But if you enter the coffin with a life-threatening injury that lifeforce is then slowly transferred to you over a long period."


    Hao Xuan''s expression turned grim as he looked around and found Baba Jezda''s figure not too far from them leaning over a well.


    "You did this on purpose?!"


    And she answered coldly without turning around, "I could have, but she was informed of the consequences, it was her choice to shoulder the responsibility...someone had to."


    "I could have-"


    "No, not without greatly weakening you in the process."


    Delirious, udia continued to grin foolishly while mumbling to herself like a child, "Did I...do good...are you happy...master..." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Shh, don''t speak," he whispered into her ears, "Is she going to be okay?"


    "She won''t die once she is in the coffin- *Rumble* -bring it over, quickly!"


    "She won''t die once she is in the coffin- *Rumble* -bring it over, quickly!"


    The structure they were in shook back and forth as if a terrible earthquake had rocked thends.


    Max carried the coffin over to Baba Jezda and ced it on top of the well ording to her instructions. She stepped back and began chanting in a loud voice, repeating the same four words over and over again while pouring various liquids into the well.


    Hao Xuan gentlyid down udia and walked over to the exit to take a peek at what was happening outside. They were in thest room at the end of a long hall lined with broken statues and shrines on the sides.


    Each of the 12 shrines belonged to one of the broken statues across from them. Even in shambles, it was obvious a lot of work, dedication, and love had gone into making those states that belonged to each of the original Titans.


    But what was most peculiar was that there were still a few candles burning on some of the shrines.


    The walls and ceilings had countless paintings depicting various battles between gargantuan monsters and the Titans.


    "It''s almost ready," Max suddenly whispered into Hao Xuan''s ears bringing him back to reality.


    "I told you to keep your distance," Hao Xuan warned, taking a step back from him.


    "Ohe now, after everything I''ve done for you how could you still be so cold?" Max pouted.


    "Stay away from me," Hao Xuan muttered under his breath while walking past him.


    Max smiled watching his back, "For the moment..."


    By the time Hao Xuan came over the previously empty well was now filled with a ck liquid. The coffin rested on top just below the mural of Kronos himself.


    He was depicted as a rather ordinary-looking man only a few dozen meters taller than the average human. With a great white beard and a kindly demeanor, he was looking down while his gaze resting on the well, or rather the space behind it that was unfurling by itself.


    It looked like stitchesing undone, the fabric of time and space taking itself apart without any outside help.


    It was a cut unlike any other and when it was wide enough something bright yellow could be seen on the other side.


    "That is the river of time. When the entrance is fully opened you will get inside the coffin along with the girl and he will push you into the river," Baba Jezda informed him.


    "He who? MAX?! Have you lost your mind?!"


    "He won''t do anything to harm you, he can''t, I made sure of that already," she replied while turning around.


    "What about you? Where are you going?"


    "To keep him busy for as long as I can. It appears Yami was...overpowered faster than I expected."


    "He''s...dead?"


    "No, he has been wiped out of existence. Death is a mercy we are not usually granted..."


    Hao Xuan remembered hisst words, "He knew this was going to happen, didn''t he?"


    "He was many things but a fool was not one of them. This was the most obvious end to their encounter."


    Hao Xuan went silent which prompted Baba Jezda to finally look him in the eye, "What? Nost words to an old woman who is going to sacrifice herself for you?"


    "Out of the goodness of your heart, I''m sure."


    "Kehehe, goodness of the heart. You have a good sense of humor, tell me that joke when we meet in the old life!" she snickered and stepped out of the room, mming her cane on the side of the exit to bring down nearly half of the structure on itself.

 Chapter 1436 Phooew

    1436 Phooew n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The dust cloud continued to get bigger as more and more pieces of the ceiling continued to fall forcing Max to get closer to the well.


    "Phooi, looks like the whole ce is going to copse, doesn''t it?" he casuallymented.


    Hao Xuan picked up udia in his arms and went around the well to ce her inside the coffin, "How...will you get out after?" he couldn''t help but wonder after seeing the situation inside.


    The only exit was blocked and even if it wasn''t, an angry God was killing thest of their people right outside.


    Max tilted his head sideways, "Are you worried about little old me?"


    "Of course not, do I seem that stupid?" he swiftly rebuked, cing udia in the coffin while getting up on the well to look over at him, "Just making sure you understand there is no room in the coffin for a third person."


    "Hahaha, you can be really cold sometimes, you know that?"


    Hao Xuany down beside udia, holding her close so both of them could fit properly while the structure continued to copse around them. It was a tight fit but much better than what he was expecting.


    He nced over his shoulder to peek at the tear in space and time. It was now wide enough for the Yellow River to bepletely visible.


    As its name suggested, it was bright yellow with blinding lightsing from the ''liquid'' that flowed through the empty void. It was flowing from the left to the right without making a sound.


    Hao Xuan swallowed a mouthful of saliva before turning towards Max, "This should be good, push us inside."


    Max walked over silently, edging the coffin closer to the tear bit by bit.


    *RUUUUMBLE*


    Followed by a tremor pieces of the ground broke and started to fall apart, dropping into the darkness below.


    "Hurry!" Hao Xuan urged upon seeing most of the floor vanish in a span of two seconds.


    "It''s...heavier than it...looks," Max muttered through gritted teeth while pushing nearly half of the coffin inside.


    He had to pause midway to catch his breath.


    "What the hell are you doing?! How can you be so weak all of a sudden?!" Hao Xuan red at him thinking he was trying to dy it on purpose.


    Max muttered through heavy breaths, "You try...pushing...an object...that is feeding...on your lifeforce...and tell me...how easy...it is..." before continuing his efforts in much the same manner.


    With nothing else left to stay Hao Xuan closed the lid and waited. The bottom of the coffin slipped onto the river while the top remained in the material world. Max quickly circled around to push from the other side but paused at the veryst moment.


    "What are you-" incensed, Hao Xuan cracked open the lid only to see Max''s face inches away from his.


    "Remember me!" he whispered while staring unflinchingly into his eyes, "I might look different the next time we meet but you WILL recognize me! No matter how many centuries may pass, no matter which corner of the world you hide in, I will always find you!"


    Hao Xuan could see his own reflection being burned into Max''s retinas by a blood-red me just as he pushed the remainder of the coffin into the river.


    With a shock and a bob, the coffin vanished from sight. The tips of Max''s fingers started to burn with the same red fire which continued to climb up his arms and slowly cover the rest of his body.


    His skin boiled and evaporated in an instant but he neither screamed nor recoiled from the pain. There was a calmness about him as he watched the tendons of his hands snap and crackle from the heat.


    "The promise...fulfilled..." he spoke in a raspy voice before suddenly jumping through the tear and diving headfirst into the river of time.


    Only now he screamed when the golden liquid crawled into his wounds while swimming against the current to follow behind the coffin that was teetering on the edge of his vision.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"


    **


    The coffin''s lid mmed open making waves in the yellow water, in time itself.


    *GASP*


    Hao Xuan held his throat trying to breathe but he realized after a moment that not only there was no air here but he did not need to breathe either.


    *Cough*Cough*Cough*


    And yet the other bodily functions seemed to be working just fine as he almost coughed out a lung upon hearing the echo of a distant scream.


    It was odd. There was no air and certainly no other sounds to go along with it. They floated above this golden liquid but made no noise.


    Hao Xuan could hear his clothes ruffling and fingers scraping against the old wood but something was amiss.

 Chapter 1437 A good dog

    1437 A good dog


    "Thews of nature don''t apply here," he muttered under his breath and then heard his own voice whispering those words back into his ears.


    After carefully bncing himself Hao Xuan stood up to get a better look at the river of time. The coffin was moving up the current of its own ord and he had no way to control either the speed or the trajectory.


    His previously somber expression was suddenly reced by an austere look, not unlike a mask that had been taken off.


    Hao Xuan closed his eyes before gently tapping the spot between his eyebrows with his middle finger five times, three in session and two after a brief pause. As a result, apanied by a cascading crescendo of white and blue lights, Mr. Hyde''s ethereal figure materialized out of the void in front of him.


    He looked vastly different from his previous self which he quickly realized after seeing his reflection in the river of time. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "What is- What have you done?!" he immediately shouted in rage.


    Confused, Hao Xuan tilted his head to the side, "I returned you to your original self...before Maymun''s wickedness had twisted your mind and body."


    "?!"


    "How is that even-"


    "Do not misunderstand, his hold over you has not broken. I only recreated your form into what it was meant to be," Hao Xuan exined.


    Mr. Hyde went silent, his gaze falling to the yellow river to reinspect this new ''form'' that had been crafted for him. He looked like a gant young man in his twenties with perfectly symmetrical facial features and an aura of nobility around him.


    "I...haven''t looked like this in ages..." he whispered to himself.


    "I know," Hao Xuan added, "But this is what you would have looked like today if that demon hadn''t gotten his ws in you. It was my fault for pushing you beyond your limits."


    Hyde sighed wearily before tearing his gaze away from the reflection to look Hao Xuan in the eye.


    "You are not him, you are not my father."


    He smiled in return, "I wish that were true. But as time passes and more of his memoriese to me, the less I feel like myself. Parts of his soul were merged with mine and although I still don''t understand how it will change me in the future...at least for now...for now I can say without hesitation that you were once someone very dear to me."


    And despite what he said, Hyde''s gaze held a hint of sympathy when he looked at him.


    Hao Xuan continued, "I remember when I first picked you up in my arms. How small and frail you were, shivering from the cold and fear of the unknown but still trying to put up a brave front. I had promised not to take in any more children but seeing you...I couldn''t help but believe you would be different."


    "Those are false memories," Hyde coldly rebutted, "Imnted in your head by a conniving old man as ast resort to make you do his bidding. Don''t believe-"


    "They aren''t false," Hao Xuan cut him off, "Although they are definitely meant to change my perspective of certain things, one thing I will give him credit for is that he did not fabricate any of those memories. That''s how he is trying to manipte me...by showing me the truth," azy grin pulled at his mouth, "And he never tried to conceal that fact. Quite arrogant, don''t you think?"


    Mr. Hyde scoffed, "Are you saying that anyone who has seen what he has seen would naturallye to the same conclusion? That his way of doing things is the RIGHT way?? You are already starting to sound like him, maybe I was wrong and you really are him."


    "No, not the right way, not by a longshot. Necessary but not right," Hao Xuan rified, "He simply believed, and rightly so, that upon receiving his memories and experiencing what he had, I woulde to the same conclusion. That is why he chose me...because we were so alike in how we saw the world."


    Hyde shook his head dejectedly, "So nothing changes. You will be just like him and make the same mistakes he did-"


    "I won''t!" Hao Xuan eximed, "Not again, not this time. I have seen what he did wrong and have no intention of repeating those mistakes. All I need is a chance, will you not even give me that? If so, strike me down right now and end it! Do what your master couldn''t and finish me," Hao Xuan stood proudly with his arms wide open,pletely open.


    "Kill me before I have the opportunity to go back to the past and bring forth a new future. Because if you don''t, I will destroy Maymun one way or another. Be a good dog and follow that demon''smand. KILL ME!!"


    His roaring cry created waves in the river that continued to get bigger and bigger behind their backs.

 Chapter 1438 Let them know

    1438 Let them know


    Incensed, Hyde raised his hand before the would-be father but could not dare to bring it down.


    "I should kill you for what you did, for what you will do again to my brothers and...me..." he haplessly mumbled to himself but it only made Hao Xuan''s smile wider.


    "I won''t. I am not that stuffy old man. I am neither arrogant nor foolish enough to fall for it a second time," Hao Xuan reiterated.


    With a weak chuckle Mr. Hyde lowered his hand, "Do you think he was always like that? No...he was once like you but look how that ended."


    "I am stronger than him, he made sure I was."


    "...I thought you said you weren''t arrogant."


    "I''m confident, there is a difference. You will see yourself..."


    "I will, won''t I? That''s something only time can tell. Fine, so be it. What do you ask of me? Why bring me all the way here?" Mr. Hyde asked looking around.


    Hao Xuan pointed in the direction the coffin was moving, "I am supposed to go somewhere but I don''t trust the one who set it all up. I need you to help me get there a few weeks earlier so I can be prepared in case it was a trap."


    Hyde turned to look where he was pointing but shook his head soon after.


    "Not possible. If this is what I think it is-"


    "This is the river of time, and we are slowly going back up," Hao Xuan confirmed.


    "-Even less of a possibility that it will go how you want it to," Mr. Hyde pointed at the yellow waters, "Every ripple, wave, and current can be from a century ahead or back. To not only pinpoint a location but a time is next to impossible, at least for someone of my abilities," he had no shame in admitting this was out of his league.


    He floated closer to inspect the coffin and noticed udia sleeping inside, "What about her?"


    "She will stay with the coffin as it stops at the designated location and time. I must traverse the remainder of the course by myself and meet herter on."


    Hyde gave the coffin a once over before looking at Hao Xuan up and down in excruciating detail, "Not possible. You won''t even survive the attacks let alone the journey down. This treasure can protect you but to dive into the waters of time unprotected is nothing short of madness. Are you not aware of the ones who live here??"


    Hao Xuan looked back and forth, "Seems pretty empty. Maybe they are asleep? Besides I won''t be out for too long. I can just go in and out to see if that current is the right one for me."


    *Sigh*


    Hyde rubbed his eyes in frustration, "What is ''long'' when there is no measurement of time? A second could be a lifetime or vice versa and you want to swim through time itself with your defenseless physical form? Do you understand what could that do to you? Your soul will be pulled into a dozen different instances across the nes. You could be down there for a fraction of a second but it could mean decades of years lived. This-this-"


    He paused for a moment to reorganize some thoughts and regain hisposure before continuing with a deep breath.


    "Best case scenario, you will go in and out of different nes and in different times, living years or decades without regaining your memories for who knows how long. Worst case scenario? Your soul can''t handle the stress and implodes. But the most likely one is that you might never remember who you were. Your conscious mind will not be able to make sense of what has happened to you, leaving behind a drooling empty husk of your former self. Are you prepared for that?"


    Hyde thought that after listening to all the ways it could go wrong Hao Xuan would at least reconsider but he didn''t even hesitate, "I understand, I''m ready."


    "YOU!-" Hyde yelled in exasperation but his voice quickly fell, "Why are you like this? Like- him? You really are too simr, it''s disgusting."


    "Hey, that''s no way to talk about your ''kind-of'' father...and I believe we are here," Hao Xuan knelt as the coffin began to slow down.


    There was a small whirlpool not too far ahead and the coffin was headed right for it. He quickly held udia''s hand in his and channeled some of his spiritual power through to awaken her. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Her eyelids fluttered, "Master..."


    "I''m here- stay down! Don''t try to get up."


    "Are we...there...yet..."


    "Almost. But I need you to go there before me and prepare things for when I arrive. Some people wille to find you, tell them you are a priestess of the ''chosen one'' and they will protect you. Tell them I will reveal myself when they need me the most but they should do everything they can in the meantime. Do you-"


    *Shake*


    The coffin suddenly changed directions and began circling the whirlpool.


    "I have to go but don''t worry, I will keep in touch with you somehow."


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